Scorpions and Skeletons
Chapter 1: Prison Break
Clare Sadlygrove's eyes creaked open. She felt sore and cold all over, made sense as she was lying on the stone floor. The smell of piss and despair clogged her nostrils. The air was so thick with mold spores she could already feel it in her lungs.
Her head was throbbing. She was so sensitive she could feel the pressure being relieved from her head as she lifted it from the cold stone floor. Wrist irons were clamped down around… you guessed it, her wrists. Clare Sadlygrove didn't much see the point of the shackles, they didn't bind to any specific location by a chain and she could freely move her hands. And it wasn't as if she couldn't break the bindings off if she wanted to anyway.
The female Scorpion Daedra slowly stood up. Like all of her kind, she was an imposing figure. Her head, torso and arms all had human proportions, but they were mounted atop an armored carapace of a giant scorpion.
The thumping in her brain started to settle as Clare slowly remembered how she had gotten into this situation in the first place. She had been accused of a crime she didn't commit. It wasn't merely a mistake; she had been framed. Someone was out to get her and make her suffer, and there was a long list of people that wanted to make her suffer. All her life people had hatred and shunned her, such was the sentence for a Scorpion Daedra stuck in the realm of Mundus.
Clare was so frustrated that her innocence wasn't proven. When she had been taken to the Imperial City, she had gotten a little too fresh with the guards and they had beaten her to within an inch of her life—ultimately resulting with her being bashed across the head hard with a mace… very hard. She wondered how long she had been out. Couldn't have been too long or she would be cursed with brain damage. She wondered if having brain damage felt any different from normal or if she would even be able to tell if she had brain damage.
"Hey, scorpion!" There was a Dunmer in the cell across from hers.
"What do you want?" Clare asked in a lightly raspy, tomboyish voice as she walked over to the bars to see what the fuss was about. She swore to the gods, if he was a spitter…
"It must break your heart, huh? Being stuck in the realm of Mundus, knowing you'll never be able to serve your master… You know, you'll never get the chance to serve Mephala again. But don't worry, you'll be dead soon enough. That's right. You're going to die in here!"
"There's more to being a Scorpion Daedra than obeying Mephala, you racist swine!" Brain damage was starting to sound like a good idea. This was going to be a long prison sentence if she was going to be stuck in the cell facing this jackass the whole time.
"Yeah, you're never gonna get used to him, he never shuts up. Ever. He even talks in his sleep," a voice came out from the darkness. It was close. Clare guessed it was coming from the person in the cell to the left of hers.
Far off, they heard a door open, followed by footsteps.
"Hey, you hear that? The guards are coming… for you!" the annoying Dunmer prisoner cackled.
All the prisoners fell silent as they waited for the guards to make their appearance. Clare didn't believe for one second they were coming for her… or were they? They couldn't be coming for her. She had just started her sentence. Clare backed away from her cell bars, an uncertain, churning fear beginning to fester in her stomach.
"Baurus! Lock that door behind us!"
"Yessir."
"My sons… they're dead, aren't they?"
"We don't know that, Sire. The messenger only said they were attacked."
"No, they're dead. I know it," the voice carried the tone of quiet defeat.
"My job right now is to get you to safety."
Clare didn't recognize the voices as any of the guards that she had mouthed off to earlier before being put her in the cell.
"What's this prisoner doing here? This cell is supposed to be off-limits." The soldiers' armor was not that was the prison guards. It looked vaguely familiar to Clare but she couldn't quite place it.
"Usual mix-up at the Watch. I—"
"Never mind. Get that gate open."
Hearing that, Clare naturally made her way over to the gate's bars.
"By the Nine! This is the cell that houses the damn Daedra! How could they plan this?"
"They didn't. It's just a coincidence. Stand back, prisoner. We won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way."
Without thinking, Clare's eight legs skittered back a grand total of two paces.
"You! Prisoner! Stand aside. Over by the window. Stay out of the way, and you won't get hurt."
Suddenly, Clare didn't feel like being so compliant. She had always been an agreeable person… mostly… sort of… and all it gotten her was a lifetime of isolation and a cell in the Imperial Prison. Clare Sadlygrove needed a change of pace. She took a step towards the bars.
"Prisoner! Stand away from the door! Over by the window, now!"
"What door? There's just a bunch of prison bars here." Clare stuck out her tongue at the guard.
"Prisoner! Get over by the window, now!" He sounded really mad this time. Feeling like she had pushed her luck far enough, Clare turned around and went over to the window. She figured they really were going to kill her if she didn't comply and she didn't feel like dying on this particular day.
The guards and an elder man dressed in regal finery shuffled in as Clare did her best to lean back against the cell wall. Not an easy task given her size. Her four rearmost legs actually ended up going up the wall.
"No sign of pursuit, sir."
One of the guards came in close. Clare thought he was going to draw his blade and kill her for a moment. At least until he spoke: "Stay put, prisoner."
"Good. Let's go. We're not out of this yet."
The elderly man stopped when he neared Clare. "You… I've seen you…" He barely got a glimpse of the Scorpion Daedra as his Blades barred the way between the two of them.
"Uh, sorry. I don't believe we've met."
"Let me see your face…"
"Uhh…"
"You are the one from my dreams…"
Clare's pale blue face turned a shade of red. This was a new experience for her. Being a Scorpion Daedra, Clare didn't get propositions from suitors. Even so, Clare Sadlygrove was not an easy conquest.
"You're gonna need a better pickup line than that. Just how easy do you think I am?"
"Then the stars were right, and this is the day. Gods give me strength."
"Wait… you're not trying to get me into bed? What's going on?"
"Assassins attacked my sons, and I'm next. My Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell."
The Blades—the Emperor's personal bodyguards. Now Clare recognized their armor.
"I'm not supposed to be here. I was framed!"
"Perhaps the gods have placed you here so that we may meet. As for what you have done… it does not matter."
"It so totally does! I didn't do anything!"
"That is not what you will be remembered for."
"I would hope so. You don't know what I was charged with, do you?"
"It matters not. You are a citizen of Tamriel and shall serve her in your own way, just as I do."
"I've already been serving Tamriel for a good long time, before I was framed. Without much thanks, I might add. I've done enough. I'll go my own way."
"We cannot escape the paths that fate has laid down for us. Take care… there will be blood and death before the end."
"Hopefully not mine," Clare said.
"Please, Sire, we must keep moving." One of the Blades pressed on one of the bricks lining the wall and a secret passageway opened up.
"Better not close this one. There's no way to open it from the other side."
"Looks like this is your lucky day. Just stay out of our way," one of the Blades pointed at Clare accusingly. The emperor and his cadre left through the secret passage, leaving Clare alone in her cell once more.
"I can't believe you're getting out of here," the Dunmer in the opposite cell whined.
"H-hey, you in the cell next to mine! W-wait!" It was the person in the cell next to hers. The one Clare couldn't see.
"Huh, what?" Clare paused and looked back towards the prisoner bars, towards the sound of the voice.
"Do you think you could get me out of here? I'm innocent too!"
"Yeah, so am I!" the Dunmer added. Clare didn't believe for a second that the dark elf was telling the truth.
"I'm telling the truth!" the other voice pleaded. "I've been accused of being a necromancer and attacking the Mages Guild. But I did no such thing! I'm innocent, I swear! I've been scheduled for execution! You've got to get me out of here, please! I don't want to die…"
Clare tried to push open the cell bars, but the Blades had locked up after coming through. She then tried ripping off the bars with her giant claws. The bars held firm, but slowly started to bend.
"They locked my cell. These bars are a lot tougher than they look." It was an embarrassing thing to admit, but Clare simply spoke truthfully without a filter. The truth was Clare should have been able to break through the bars easily, but she was still woozy and weak from the beating she had taken from the guards.
"No… No! You can't leave me behind! I'm innocent too! This isn't fair!"
"I'm trying!" Clare snapped as she wrestled with the barrier.
The Dunmer started yelling for the guards. None had come. Clare couldn't hang around forever. Eventually someone would show up and stop her from using the secret escape route.
Clare was getting close to ripping the bars right out of their stone holdings; she could feel it. But the Dunmer kept shouting.
"Sorry. There's no time. Tough luck, buddy." Clare turned and left through the secret passage. She could hear the wails of the other prisoner slowly fade into the abyss.
The short, dirty tunnel quickly emptied into what looked like an ancient dungeon. Clare could hear the footsteps of the emperor and his bodyguards. They weren't far ahead. She followed, thinking it would be better to trail behind them rather than roam around aimlessly lost.
"There's trouble ahead."
There was a sudden rush of footsteps and what sounded like some sort of spell being cast.
"Close up left! Protect the emperor!"
"The captain's down!"
Clare heard the sounds of battle. Of swords clashing against one another. She rushed forward. She quickly caught up and caught sight of the battle. It was difficult to see with pillars obscuring her view and the fighting leading down a set of stairs, but Clare saw figures clad in red robes and dark armor attacking the Blades.
Right as she was upon them, the last of the mysterious assassins fell.
"Are you all right, Sire? We're clear, for now."
"Captain Renault?" the emperor asked.
"She's dead. I'm sorry, Sire, but we have to keep moving."
"How could they be waiting for us here?"
"Don't know. But it's too late to go back now."
Clare lifted a steel shortsword from one of the corpses but quickly tossed it aside. It didn't have the reach she needed and her claws were better weapons anyway.
"Be careful…"
"Don't worry, Sire, we will get you out of here. They won't be the first to underestimate the Blades. I'll take point. Let's move."
Clare started to follow the emperor and his Blades.
One of them turned around to address her. "You stay here, prisoner. Don't try and follow us."
They went through a wooden door and locked it behind them.
Fools, Clare thought to herself. Do they really think a wooden door would stop me?
Even beaten and bruised, Clare could easily handle a wooden door. She may not have been able to break the rusty old bars earlier, but she could certainly handle an old wooden door. The door looked weak enough that simply leaning against it would cause it to collapse.
But before Clare even did anything, she heard the sounds of stones breaking and falling. She turned around to see that one of the stone walls had suddenly crumbled and collapsed.
A large rat scampered through and charged right at her. As it leapt, Clare instinctively raised one of her claws up to protect her more vulnerable human torso. The rat bit down and hung on for dear life. Clare barely felt a thing. She grabbed the rat with her other claw and effortlessly sheared the outmatched creature in half. Another rat bolted from the hole and lunged. This time Clare caught the rat midair. She cut it in half just as easily as she had the first.
Clare peered inwards, seeing the collapsed wall had opened an even older path. Her pain-addled mind decidedly to simply waltz on to the new area, rather than go back and break down the wooden door the emperor had gone through.
It was dark but Clare's six eyes were much sharper than most men, mer or beast folk. Pacing around in the dark for a moment and she was able to find a rusty iron bow and a quiver of iron arrows from a skeleton lying against the wall.
She notched one of the arrows and fired it into a bucket hanging above an ancient, long-forgotten well. Luckily the old bowstring held and didn't snap. "Better than a shortsword," Clare grumbled to herself.
Clare turned back to the skeleton. Noticed an old wooden chest. She fumbled for a moment to open it, only to learn that it was locked. She was never much one for picking locks, and didn't have a lockpick. So Clare Sadlygrove did what she always did when faced with a locked chest: she picked it up in her two massive claws and snapped it in half. She was rewarded with a few gold coins and sapphire for her effort. Couldn't hurt to escape with a means to buy a meal later. She picked up the small, humble treasures and carefully placed them into the pockets of her prison rags, checking to make sure there were no holes with which the gold coins and sapphire might escape.
The Scorpion Daedra fumbled around in the dark for a while longer, running into a rat and killing it. She found a wooden door and smashed right through it, leading into another dark, dusty area. A pair of rats occupied this room, though they were hardly a threat and the Scorpion Daedra made short work of them. Clare stopped and thought about stripping the small corpses of their meat, she was hungry. A moment later she realized the stench coming from the rat bodies and decided she wasn't that hungry yet.
Clare started to continue on once again but suddenly stopped short. She could have sworn she heard something, and it was not the scurrying feet of rats, but the tiptoe of someone that needed a lesson in stealth. She waited a moment longer, and heard nothing more.
"Ah, I'm hearing things," Clare said to herself as much as to the possible unknown follower. "My head got hit too hard. No one is stupid enough to try and follow a Scorpion Daedra. And if anyone is that stupid, then they are no threat to me."
She continued down a hall. She stopped as she saw a rat torn apart by a hunched, bipedal figure. Clare peered harder through the darkness and saw that it was a zombie… one that used to be a male human, to be precise.
With a sickly croak, the zombie started to shamble towards her. Clare gave an exasperated sigh as she addressed her opponent. "You can barely walk upright, yet you are going to attack me?"
She seized the undead monster in her claws and eviscerated it in an instant. "Zombies are so stupid."
She shook her head, continuing on and killing a group of rats that was equally stupid in challenging her.
Clare soon heard it again: the soft shuffling noise of someone that needed a lesson in how to sneak properly. She knew for certain that someone was following her now.
She turned a corner and waited. Clare was frozen, deathly silent. She had gone into predatory mode. That someone was trying to sneak up on her implied some level of intelligence, and that meant that they were more of a danger than rats and zombies.
Clare heard the soft patter of footsteps from the corridor she had skittered through. They were steadily getting closer, louder. A few seconds more…
The Scorpion Daedra lunged back around the corner and rushed forward with speed that belied her size. She seized the crouched shadow in her claws and slammed it up against the stone wall. She pushed the body up against the wall until her prey was eyelevel with her. Then she grabbed him by the throat with her left hand and started pressing in her thumb hard. "Who are you? Speak!"
"H-hard t-too when you're choking me, you dumb b-b-b-bitch."
Clare's face twisted into a scowl and her bore her fangs at the man, but relieved the pressure on his throat so that he could talk.
"Answer me honestly, or you die."
"N-no need to be so dramatic. Jakrelkill Valbanill, at your service… provided you don't crush my throat. That s-sounds like a fair deal, doesn't it? You let me live, and you g-get yourself a nice little traveling companion. I'll even carry stuff around for you like a pack mule."
"What?" Clare's six eyes peered at the human through the dark.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you? A little friend to follow you around and help you fight and carry stuff for you. All it costs you is to not kill me. Pretty good deal, I think. You should take it."
Clare huffed as she removed her hand from his throat entirely. Though she still kept him pinned up against the wall. "You are awfully quick to pledge your allegiance."
"Hey, it's better than dying. I know when I'm beat."
Then Clare realized she recognized the voice. "You're that prisoner from before."
"I can say the same thing to you. But, yeah, i-it's me. I'm the poor guy you left to die back there."
"And you escaped?"
"H-how astute you are. I've got a real winner right here. Of course I did. I'm here now, aren't I?"
"Why didn't you escape on your own then?"
"D-didn't have the motivation. I did once you left."
"How did you escape?" Clare asked in a demanding tone. "I mean it. I want to know."
"Had a lockpick. Don't ask where I hid it, you don't wanna know that. I only had one. Which meant I had to unlock both my and your cells with one pick to get to the secret escape route. But like I said, I had motivation. And I managed not to mess it up."
Clare thought for a moment but then suddenly started to become uncomfortable as the human kept staring into her eyes—her primary eyes, not the extra four that adorned her forehead.
"So? You gonna put me down or kill me? Or if you want, you know, we could lock lips or somethin'. You are holding me at the perfect height for that kinda thing."
Clare's claws released their grip on his waist and he dropped to the floor.
"So, I take that as a 'no' on the making out. But also a 'no' on the killing me. Not bad. I'll take it." Valbanill picked himself up and dusted off his prison garb. He looked back up at the Scorpion Daedra.
"So, what's your name? Or are you gonna make me guess?"
Clare suddenly came to her senses. "Clare. Clare Sadlygrove."
"Nice name. Sounds like the name of a woman I'd like to marry one day."
What is with this guy? Clare couldn't help but blush. He was so corny and had a hiccup in his speech, yet his words had an odd, honeyed sweetness to them. But Clare knew the truth; he was just a scared parasite trying to butter her up in order save his own skin.
"Alright, sweet talker. Let's go. You try anything stupid and you're dead."
"Relax, Sadlygrove. Just because I'm bad at sneaking doesn't mean I'm stupid. I put all my points into Intelligence. I was just tryin' ta follow you out. I'm not dumb enough to try anything against a Scorpion Daedra."
Clare nudged Valbanill with her right claw and made the human take the lead.
"I can't see for shit," Valbanill quickly started to complain. "It's as if someone forgot to adjust the brightness levels in the options menu."
"The what?" Clare asked, confused as to what Valbanill was mumbling about.
"Never mind."
Valbanill reached his right hand up slightly and was coated in a dull blue glow for a moment.
Clare stopped, claws stretched out to attack. "What was that?"
"I cast a spell, duh," Valbanill turned back around to face the Scorpion Daedra. "Boy, I sure hit the jackpot with you."
"So you are a necromancer?"
"Just because I know a few spells doesn't automatically make me a necromancer."
"Fair enough." Clare still had her doubts, but dropped the subject. Even if he was a necromancer, he shouldn't give her much trouble if it came to a fight.
"Ah, I can see much better now." Jakrelkill Valbanill turned back around and continued through the path with much more confidence.
"See better?"
"My wizard eyes," Valbanill answered. "Not all magic is fireballs and healing spells."
The old artificial corridors eventually gave way to cavernous tunnels filled with fungus.
"Goblins up ahead," Valbanill said quietly.
"How do you know?" She whispered back. "Your wizard eyes?"
"No. My nose. I know the stench of goblin."
Clare felt like an idiot. She was no stranger to the rancid smell of the goblins. She cursed herself for not catching it sooner. But her head still hurt and she still felt like shit. "Lead me to them and I'll kill them with my bow."
Valbanill took the lead, trying his best to be stealthy. Though saying his crouched waddle was stealthy was being a bit generous. The speed of their progress was greatly reduced.
The smell of the goblins was becoming so indescribably horrible as the pair snuck around the goblins, Clare killing them with her rusty iron bow and arrows. It was an easy task, even with Valbanill's lackluster stealth skills and Sadlygrove's large size. The goblins weren't expecting company, and their large, bulbous heads were easy targets for arrows.
"I miss the smell of my former prison cell," Clare dared whisper.
"This entire little adventure really stinks so far," Valbanill quietly complained.
The goblins had even set up some traps, which Clare was able to use against them.
"Such stupid creatures," Valbanill said, growing bolder and talking more loudly. "They get caught in their own traps. Why do they even set them up in the first place? What are they, expecting a war?"
"Perhaps they're afraid of the zombies lurking around."
"That's another thing," Valbanill continued. "The Empire needs to get its act together. They have fuckin' zombies running around in their basement."
"Yes. Someone needs to do some housekeeping. It's probably several hundred years overdue."
"Why's it have to be us?" Valbanill whined.
"Hey, I'm doing the killing here. Feel free to jump in any time."
"What? I just got this rusty old dagger from a goblin. You want me to go charging in after everything with this little thing? My dick's bigger."
"Then use that."
"No. I need my dick for lovin' not fighting."
"No? Then shut up with 'us' stuff when I'm doing the real work."
"Hey, I'm helping. I'm a great meat shield. They have to go through me before they get to you."
"They haven't made it that far yet," Clare reminded Valbanill.
They reached a hole that get emptied them back down into the grim light of the Imperial sewers. Moving forward, they could both hear people talking down below.
"We should find a defensible spot and protect the Emperor until help arrives."
"Help? What makes you think help will get here before more of those bastards? We need to get the Emperor out of here."
Clare and Valbanill looked to see another group of red-robed figures rush the emperor and his bodyguards.
"Here they come again!"
The Blades and the assassins locked swords.
"So, are we gonna—" Valbanill started to ask Clare a question.
Clare notched her bow and fired an arrow into the head of one of the assassins.
"Answers my question," Valbanill shrugged.
Clare crawled down the wall, her scorpion legs making ticking sounds on the stone wall. Valbanill jumped down after her.
One of the assassins turned to face Clare, only to be greatly surprised at the sight of a Scorpion Daedra. Or, Clare could only guess he was surprised. She couldn't see any expressions as the assassin was concealed by an armored mask. But he did pause, and that was enough for her to put two arrows in his chest.
It was only a moment longer before the Blades finished off the other assassins.
"Dammit, it's that prisoner again! Kill her, she might be working with the assassins." The Blades started to approach Clare. Valbanill hid behind the Scorpion Daedra.
"No. She is not one of them," the emperor said. "She can help us. She must help us."
"As you wish, Sire." The Blades sheathed their weapons without hesitation. Their absolute loyalty to the emperor's words clearly shown through their actions.
"Come closer," the emperor beckoned to Clare. "I prefer not to shout."
Clare approached with Valbanill in tow.
"They cannot understand why I trust you. They've not seen what I've seen."
"I don't get it," Clare admitted.
"How can I explain? Listen. You know the Nine? How they guide our fates with an invisible hand?"
"My fate is apparently being framed for crimes I didn't commit," Clare's voice was heavy with bitterness.
"But you've been given another chance. I've served the Nine all my days, and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens. The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign. I know these stars well, and I wonder… which sign marked your birth?"
It was an odd question. It still felt like the emperor was trying to get her into bed. "The Lover. But what would it matter?"
"The signs I read show the end of my path. My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."
"What about me?"
"Your stars are not mine. Today the Lover shall sweeten your journey as you confront your fate."
"Can you see my fate?" Clare asked.
"My dreams grant me no opinions of success. Their compass ventures not beyond the doors of death. But in your face, I behold the sun's companion. The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness. With such hope, and with the promise of your aid, my heart must be satisfied."
"Aren't you afraid to die? I know I am."
"No trophies of my triumphs precede me. But I have lived well, and my ghost shall rest easy. Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour. In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death… To face my apportioned fate, then fall."
"Where are we going?"
"I go to my grave. A tongue shriller than all the music calls me. You shall follow me yet for a while, then we must part."
One of the Blades stepped over to Valbanill. "You may as well make yourself useful. Here, carry this torch and stick close."
"What, you don't trust me to do anything besides wield a torch?"
"Stick close and let us do our job, and you'll be all right."
"Fine, I'll carry the damn torch… because I want to, not because you told me to," Valbanill grumbled.
Clare and Valbanill trailed after the emperor, as the regal old man started moving again.
"We really should pick up the pace if we want to avoid any more of those attackers," Valbanill whispered to Clare.
As if on cue, more of the red-robed assassins appeared. Clare was able to nail a good number of them with her arrows, but the assassins were devout in their mission to slay the emperor. Even stuck with several arrows, the attackers didn't linger or rest until they were outright killed. Clare noticed that it was easy to tell when one of the assassins finally died: they all utilized conjured armor that would dissipate when they died. At least it looked like none of them were going to play possum and try to get in an extra sneak attack that way.
"Take them down!"
More assassins appeared, as if spawning from around corners.
"The Emperor's in danger!"
"Prisoners! The Emperor needs help!"
The last of the assassins was finally slain.
"You handled yourself pretty well back there. Just keep out of our way, got it?" One of the Blades, Baurus told Clare.
"Yeah, got it," Clare wheezed. She had ended up doing more fighting than the Blades had but was too tired to argue that it was they who should stay out of her way.
They kept pushing forward again.
"You alright?" Valbanill asked.
Clare was slightly surprised. For a second, there seemed to be genuine concern in Valbanill's voice. "I'll live."
"I don't like this. Let me take a look."
"Looks clear. Come on. We're almost through to the sewers."
Glenroy tried to move the gate. "Dammit! The gate is barred from the other side. A trap!"
"What about that side passage back there?"
"Worth a try. Let's go!"
"It's a dead end. What's your call, sir?"
"They're behind us! Wait here, Sire."
"Wait here with the Emperor. Guard him with your life."
"For the Emperor!"
The Blades ran back, leaving Clare and Valbanill with Uriel Septim.
"I can go no further." Septim looked up at Clare. "You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants. He must not have the Amulet of Kings!"
"Do I really have to stand alone? Can't I lie down? Or at least take Valbanill over here with me?"
Septim removed his amulet and handed it to Clare. "Take the amulet. Give it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son. Find him, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion."
Clare noticed something out of the corner of her six eyes. This area was indeed a trap. Some of the assassins had lured the Blades away, making the emperor more vulnerable. The emperor had accepted his fate, but Clare was in no mood to follow the path set down by the gods. They hadn't exactly been nice to her, so she felt no need to follow some pre-determined, scripted play. Because out of the corner of her eyes, Clare noticed a secret passage move on the wall by the emperor—saw the red-robed assassin sneak up.
Clare burst forward, knocking the emperor aside just before the assassin could strike. Two, three, four more assassins appeared to attack, Clare fending them away from the emperor as best she could.
Not a single one of the attackers was any match for the Scorpion Daedra, but they weren't fighting to kill her, or even to survive the ordeal, they only wanted the emperor's death.
"Stranger, you chose a bad day to take up with the cause of the Septims," one of the assassins taunted.
"The Amulet of Kings will be mine!" another yelled.
And just when everything seemed hopeless… it got worse. Suddenly, skeletons appeared from around corners and behind pillars. They went after everyone, including the assassins.
Clare did her best to keep the newcomers away from the emperor. She was fighting off the assassins and she would be damned if she'd let the emperor get killed by a random skeleton infestation.
But there were so many. The skeletons kept coming. Some were even encrusted in an ominous black coloration, rather than the bone-white of the regular skeletons.
"Valbanill! Where the fuck are you? Valbanill! I need help!" Clare didn't even know if he was alive or dead at this point. All she knew was that a group of skeletons was pawing at the emperor, dragging him away, and there were too many others in her path. She would not make in time before they slayed him.
Then Clare saw it, the wall started to crumble. She had to turn to slay the last of the assassins but she heard it fall. She frantically looked back to see nothing but rubble and dust.
The wall had collapsed, crushing both Emperor Uriel Septim VII and his skeleton attackers.
The skeletons stopped appearing, and their numbers dwindled to nothing as Clare finished them off with her claws and tail.
Clare was panting and drenched in sweat. Her prison garb was tattered, torn and barely clinging to her torso. Her bow had broken. Not that it mattered. She had run out of arrows. She managed enough strength to toss the empty quiver aside.
She noticed Valbanill, crawling around on his hands and knees. After a few more heaving breaths Clare looked to see what he was doing. He was picking up the sapphire and few pieces of gold that had fallen from newly formed holes in Clare's clothes.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she hissed.
"No sense letting good gold go to waste."
Fueled by anger, Clare lunged forward and pinned the human to the cold stone floor.
"Where the fuck were you? I needed help!"
"I was helping! I was fighting! The fighting is over now. Time to pick up the pieces."
"The Emperor is dead!" Clare wheezed.
"That's no reason to leave gold lying around on the floor."
"I can't believe you!" Clare pushed herself off the floor and left Valbanill to his greed.
The Blade named Baurus finally returned. Clare pointed him to where the emperor had been crushed by the wall.
"We've failed. I've failed… The Blades are sworn to protect the Emperor, and now he and all his heirs are dead. The amulet, where's the Amulet of Kings? We need to dig it out."
"The Emperor gave it to me before he died." Clare presented the jewelry.
"Strange. He saw something in you. Trusted you. They say it's the Dragon Blood, that flows through the veins of every Septim. They see more than lesser men. The Amulet of Kings is a sacred symbol of the Empire. Most people think of the Red Dragon Crown, but that's just jewelry. The amulet has power. Only a true heir of the Blood can wear it, they say. He must have given it to you for a reason. Did he say why?"
"He told me to take it to Jauffre."
"Jauffre? He said that? Why?"
"There is another heir. Who would have guessed? Awfully convenient if you ask me."
"Nothing I ever heard about. But Jauffre would be the one to know. He's the Grandmaster of my Order. Although you may not think so to meet him. He lives quietly as a monk at Weynon Priory, near the city of Chorrol."
"Just great," Clare rolled all six of her eyes.
"First you need to get out of here. Through that door must be the entrance to the sewers, past the locked gate. That's where we were heading. It's a secret way out of the Imperial City. Or it was supposed to be secret. Here. You'll need this key for the last door into the sewers."
"Right… the sewers."
"There are rats and goblins down there… but from what I've seen of you, I'm guessing you're an experienced archer. Am I right?"
"I'm a warrior."
"I wasn't far off. In any case, rats and goblins won't give you any trouble."
"They won't, considering I've killed several of them already."
"You must get the amulet to Jauffre. Take no chances, but proceed to Weynon Priory immediately. Got it?"
"You want me to deliver the amulet? What about you? This sounds like a task for the Blades."
"The Emperor appointed this task to you. I'll stay here to make sure no on follows you. They must not get the amulet."
"Fine. I'll deliver the damn thing."
"Good. Hopefully the Emperor's trust was well placed."
"You know, I'm accepting this assignment with the understanding that I've been pardoned."
"Me too," Valbanill added.
"Fair enough. You'd better get moving. May Talos guide you."
"Hopefully he guides me better than he did the Emperor," Clare muttered as she unlocked the cover into the sewers.
Navigating the Imperial sewers proved to be a quick affair. The path was straightforward enough and the goblins, rats and mudcrabs they came across proved no challenge, especially when compared to the red-robed agents they had fought earlier.
"Will you slow down? H-how do you know where to go anyway?" Valbanill asked as he struggled to keep up with Clare's increased pace.
"I'm following my nose. Just keep moving towards where the air isn't as foul."
"H-hey! Wait up! Slogging through sludge isn't as easy for me as it is for you."
"Hurry up, Valbanill. You pledged to serve me. I'm not here to babysit you. And I feel that's what I've been doing this whole time," there was a sharp tinge to Clare's words.
"You have claws, cut me a break, scorpion girl."
"Don't you keep whining at me," Clare hissed as she mercilessly slaughtered a mudcrab in her way. "I was framed. The Emperor's dead. I'm a long way from home and now on top of all that I have to deliver this stupid amulet because the Emperor's Blades are useless. They couldn't do their damn job, and ask me to handle the aftermath."
"I-if you remember, I'm in the same boat. I was framed too. I've been with you on this miserable adventure every step of the way… oh wait… I wasn't. You left me to rot back there in the cell."
Clare sharply turned back around to face Valbanill, an impressive feat given her size. "And I will leave you again! I don't need your help. You whiny, miserable, pitiful excuse for a man! You're the one who needs me! And as soon as we're out of these wretched sewers I'm done with you."
Valbanill didn't say anything back, keeping silent the rest of the way. Clare was glad for Valbanill's newfound muteness; it made the pain throbbing in her head slightly more bearable as she cut her way through the remaining rats and mudcrabs.
They eventually reached a long dingy hall with moonlight seeping through the bars on the opposite side. Clare slowly skittered towards the exit, Valbanill trailing behind her. She pushed the rusty iron gate open and walked out into the open world.
A vast, beautiful night sky greeted Clare. The two moons, Masser and Secunda hung in the sky against a brilliant backdrop of stars. It took her breath away. Clare couldn't remember the last time she had seen such a beautiful night sky. Or perhaps it only looked all the more beautiful after spending so much time in the sewers.
Clare skittered forward, heading towards the water. She could hear soft footsteps as Valbanill slowly trailed behind her. She waded into the shallow water. It felt nice and cool and Clare wanted nothing more than to dip down and submerge herself and get the feeling of grime and filth off of her.
"Hey," Valbanill said as he followed the Scorpion Daedra into the shallow water.
"What?" Clare was curt. The pair continued to aimlessly amble toward a small island ahead.
"We're out of the sewer. I guess my service to you is finished."
"I guess it is."
Valbanill let out a sigh. To Clare, it sounded like the weary sigh of defeat. She turned to face the human. Her eyes were sharp, and she could see better than most in the dark, but she could see better in the moonlight, and got a much better look at Jakrelkill Valbanill. He was a slender man, emaciated. She realized it was no wonder he was no good in a fight. It was a wonder he survived the ordeal at all. His skin looked ghastly pale, as if he was sick and his tattered prison clothes barely held to his body. It didn't look like he would last the night; Clare realized there was probably a very real chance he might freeze to death despite the fact that it wasn't all that cold.
"You let me off easy." He dug into a grimy pocket and fished out some of the gold and the sapphire he had picked up off the floor. "F-fair's fair. Half the gold is yours. You can keep the sapphire. I won't need it. But I'll keep half the gold. I need to eat to."
Clare's voice caught in her throat. This was not a gesture she was expecting. She finally moved her lips to speak… and then—
Two arrows struck Valbanill in the chest and he fell backward into the water.
Clare turned around to see bandits on the edge of the island ahead. Before she could even react, the bandit archer let loose one more arrow—and Clare felt an incredible pain in her throat.
She tried to breathe but couldn't. Finally she managed to cough. She tasted blood. She could feel her blood. Deep violet blood ran down her throat and onto her collarbone. The pain was so paralyzing and unbearable Clare couldn't even muster the strength to try and remove the arrow embedded in her throat.
Clare was barely able to look up towards the sky. Her emerald irises able to behold Masser and Secunda one more time. It was a beautiful scene, and likely the last thing she would ever see. There were worse things one could behold upon their death. This didn't seem so bad.
Such a beautiful night, she thought to herself.
Clare collapsed into the water. She closed her eyes and all turned to cold blackness.
Author's Note: I wanted to tell the story of Elder Scrolls IV from a new perspective. The ten playable races are too mainstream. So to, are peoples and creatures from the actual lore. All kidding aside, I figured why not a Scorpion Daedra? It would be believable that they could exist, given the existent of the Spider Daedra. And I remember seeing different mods people have created for the game. Some of the mods create new companions that the player can bring with them on their adventures. I figured a Scorpion Daedra would likely be a companion (if they were ever to exist at all), so I flipped it around. The Scorpion Daedra is the main protagonist, with a follower that's a member of the ten playable races. Hopefully it's interesting, or at the very least, different.