A small army of fifteen Imperial guards, three sellswords, and the Dragonborn marched towards a cave with was rumored to be a monster's lair. Nobody had seen this beast and lived to tell the tale, although it had taken down giant armies, according to legends. The group had no idea what to expect, although the Imperials and sell swords pictured a dragon or something at least as deadly.

The Dragonborn, a leopard spotted Khajiit named Ri'Sien, was a bit more open minded, thinking the beast could be something that could be reasoned with or intimidated. He had spared many bandits with his simple voice of reason. If this beast was able to communicate, he would prefer to take it prisoner, not kill it

This statement, of course, upset the rest of the group, but Ri'Sien was peaceful; keener on making friends than enemies. After all, the pen is mightier than the sword, even if the inhabitants of Skyrim didn't realize that. Sometimes it seemed no one understood that.

After about an hour of silent walking, only broken by the clanking of armor and weapons, the group reached the mouth of the cave, half expecting some monster to come charging out to chew off their heads.

Ri'Sien drew his sword, and slowly snuck in, the others too frightened to follow.

There was no giant beast; this wasn't even an animal- well, per say. It was another Khajiit, but Ri'Sien couldn't make out anything other than ears, a tail, and fur in the darkness.

He engaged his Night Eye ability to better see it. Well, not it, her.

She was black, very large, and sleeping under a small blanket. Ri'Sien noticed the lack of heavy armor and large weapons that should accompany such a… powerful creature. Anybody else would assume that the large Khajiit had simply found her way to the cave, but that would mean she would have fought the monster that had been living there. She would be strong regardless of whether she was the bounty they were after.

"What's in there?" one of the sellswords called out, gaining several shushes from the people around him.

The Khajiit stirred, turning over so Ri'Sien could see her face. It too, was pure black, and didn't look like an everyday Khajiit. Her snout was long and broad, her ears slightly more rounded and wide, and had longer whiskers. She was more like an animal than the average Khajiit.

Ri'Sien didn't know what to do now; should he wake her up?

The Khajiit growled quietly and shifted around, her ears pinned back as she slowly opened her eyes and blinked blearily. "Sizaan?" she grunted in a deep, sleepy voice. "Uv fos voz los het?"

Ri'Sien's stomach knotted and he and the group at the entrance drew various weapons, prepared to save the Dragonborn if needed, though it rarely was. Her language sounded like the tongue of dragons.

The other Khajiit stared at him for a couple of seconds, thinking about what to do. Slowly, she stood up, looking the crouching Ri'Sien up and down with piercing red eyes.

In one moment, he had his best sword, Chillrend, inches from her face.

The black cat's brow furrowed, which slightly surprised Ri'Sien, she wasn't attacking him. Her tail twitched and larger than normal grey claws shot out from her over-sized paws, but remained at her side. The two Khajiits growled simultaneously.. She glared at him questioningly, not speaking.

"I am Ri'Sien the Dragonborn, here to either take you prisoner, or if need be, kill you," he announced with an unwavering gaze.

She cocked her head, but didn't move otherwise.

Ri'Sien lowered his sword slightly, but didn't forget why he was here. "So, will you come willingly, or will I be forced to-well, use force?"

The Khajiit grinned eerily, showing enormous, sharp teeth. "Neither, could just leave…" Her words were slightly broken, but was understood easily enough.

Ri'Sien snarled. "So be it."

She stared silently, her face returning to neutral.

"Well?" he said, fishing for a reaction. Wouldn't she attack him if she was an enemy, especially when he announced he was going to attack?

Her tail suddenly bottle-brushed, eyes widening in complete fright and in a split second she had dropped on all fours and burst out of the cave in a loud scrabbling flurry, bypassing the other people.

Ri'Sien stared at where she had stood and slowly turned to his even more surprised crew.

"That was strange," an Imperial stated. "Was even was that?"

"A Khajiit?" he replied rather without confidence.

"What was it doing?"

"She... was sleeping, apparently, and I woke her up."

"Should we go after it? Er... her?"

"I don't know. Why would I?"

He shrugged and put away his weapon, whispering, "You're the Dragonborn."

A Sell Sword awkwardly coughed to break the tension. "So, do you think that was the monster?"

"Well... It was only a large Khajiit female... No weapons or armor even," Ri'Sien mused.

"No armor? Then was she naked?" he asked, suggestively raising an eyebrow.

"No! Just some pelt or something..."

"How do you see a pelt on a Khajiit?" A couple of the men chuckled at that, while one of the two woman gave a snort of disgust.

"Ugh... Anyway," he started, running a paw through his fur "we should get back to Riverwood now."

Murmurs of agreement echoed through the group and they started down the mountain.

A bit more than an hour passed before they reached the small town. A guard came to investigate the nineteen-strong group, then allowed them to enter the settlement.

A large dog immediately came to greet them, barking joyously around them.

"Hey Stump!" Ri'Sien knelt down and rubbed the dog's head, much to his delight.

A young boy ran after his dog. "Did you guys kill the monster?"

"We're not sure, Frodnar. In fact, we don't quite know what or who this creature is..." He stood back up, dusting his hands together. "Although I did meet another Khajiit in the cave..."

"Cool! Did you fight? Did you use awesome shouts?" he asked excitedly.

"Nah, I just talked to her then she got scared and ran off..."

Orgnar came up, interrupting them. "Must need food and a room after all that walking, eh?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine," Ri'Sien said, but was pulled towards the Sleeping Giant Inn by some of his men anyway.

The others dispersed throughout the town or into the inn to get food, listen to the bard, or flirt with Camilla, while the Dragonborn just got a room and went into it. He peeled off his full set of Dragonscale armor and put away Chillrend, curling up into a ball under the covers.

Ri'Sien slept far into the night, but he didn't dream. He really hadn't since he had met Vaermina, the Daedric Prince of Dreams. But that could be a good thing, his dreams were usually nightmares. Creatures with seventeen heads and two thousand legs running on the backs of red dragons blotting out the moons was a good example.

However, at around midnight, something dragged him from his slumber, the loud roars of... Shouts? No... That would mean a dragon or the Greybeards were out there. Then screams of normal people and frantic barking of a dog sounded, which made Ri'Sien jump out of bed in alarm. He cursed himself for fumbling when he tried to pull on his armor, but when he did he shot outside with his sword already out and summoning a Storm Thrall. Huge roars of thunder, cracks of lightning, and huge balls of hail greeted.

The Dragonborn gaped, ears pricked and spell fizzling from his distraction. He grabbed the arm of a passing guard and asked, "What's going on?!"

"Dragon, monsters, run!" the man only spluttered before tearing away.

Have my nightmares come to life? Ri'Sien thought as he went back to summoning the thrall. However, there was no time for pondering what exactly was going on, saving as many people and houses as he could was his first priority.

"LOK VAH KOOR!" The Clear Skies shout suddenly echoed out, interrupting his train of thought and further agitating any surviving animals. It took a moment, but the storm of hail, lightning, and thunder started subsiding.

Ri'Sien took this opportunity to charge through the town, leading frightened and confused citizens and Stump into Alvor and Sigrid's house instead of wondering what made that shout.

"STRUN BAH QO!" The storm started again upon the three Storm Call words, perhaps even more viscous now.

"LOK VAH KOOR!" The clouds started thinning after a sudden flash of fire high up the Throat of the World.

Ri'Sien flicked some water from his black whiskers and took a deep breath. If that was where this shouting and confusion was coming from, up the mountain, he would need to climb up and stop it.

"KUZ SULEYK SAHLOM!"

That wasn't a shout he knew, or any word he had heard from dragons. Was it the Graybeards? Paarthurnax? A different dragon? Ri'Sien's mind spun, he took a deep breath to try and stay calm. This was his job. To deal with things when no one else could. He swallowed tensely and tried to summon Clairvoyance, so he could find the best route up the mountain, but nothing happened. The power he had always felt, magicka whether low or full, was completely gone. It was a strange, desperate feeling that he had never even thought of… though slightly familiar. Maybe when he was a small cub, when he had no magic and only could use his claws. But, because he had never known magic before then, he had nothing to compare it to. This made him feel like a hollow shell, desperate to get the comforting magic feeling back. He would have never guessed he was so dependent on magicka-he hoped he was stronger than that, that he could fight with just weapons instead of needing something he wasn't born with.

Focusing, he had to decide what to do. Going up there… He could die. No magic, no shouts? How was he different from a cat on two legs? But he was the Dragonborn. The world has always rested on his shoulders.

That notion set his fate, and he bolted for the mountain. Normally, he would summon Arvak and use Clairvoyance to climb a mountain, but now he only had the path and his eyes.

I'm the Dragonborn.

A piece of hail narrowly flew past his head.

I've befriended all the Daedras…

He leaped over a fallen tree.

Fulfilled prophecies…

A bolt of lightning landed further up the path, but it barely slowed him down.

And my name is synonymous with power.

He was halfway up by now.

But then again, what is the Dragonborn without the shouts he is so famous for? Is he not just a warrior or mage without them?

He dropped to four legs and, ignoring his sword sheath slapping his leg, sped up considerably.

No! A hero is a hero, even with his powers taken away. There is always something I can do.

He came to a skidding stop at the top of the Throat of the World. Ri'Sien gaped at the stairs and temple of High Hrothgar flattened. Who could have destroyed the home of the Greybeards, some of the most powerful men in the world? Ri'Sien let his eyes wander upward, across the destruction, to rest on the massive dragon perched in the courtyard.

It was a Serpentine dragon, with scales an ugly dark green, like swamp water. Its dead grey eyes shown brightly in a crack of lightning, although the Storm Call hadn't been heard again. It was perhaps as big as the enormous Alduin. But maybe the most peculiar aspect of this beast was its tail… or lack thereof. Where there should have been a long, tapered tail with a frill, a thick stump about eight feet long. It opened its great maw, and let out a roar right at Ri'Sien.

The sound was mind numbing. For a human, who have far inferior hearing, this could have left them deaf. His vision blurred, the ground shook, it seemed the very air trembled with the volume. Although the idea was tempting, he didn't faint. He had to save the Greybeards and Paarthurnax and everyone.

I'm the Dragonborn… I kill beasts like this before breakfast. A sound can't hurt me…

He could feel his heart beating in his ears, rushing through his body, throbbing in his chest.

"VED LAAG!"

And with those two words, Ri'Sien's world disappeared into blackness and he hit the ground.

Ri'Sien's eyes dark green eyes opened, but it was so dark he couldn't tell the difference between open and closed. The scent of stagnant underground air and metal and fire crashed into his nose, enticing some familiar memory that he couldn't place. It didn't help that his head was throbbing painfully and he was sore all over. An arrow from the quill on his back had punctured the back of his thigh, and blood had seeped onto his lower back. Scrapes and scabs on his stomach, shoulders, and back rubbed painfully against his armor with every breath. Men and Mer, and those bald cave Khajiit, wore cloth under their armor, but furred and scales Beasts normally didn't since they had something to protect their skin. He was really regretting that decision.

He lay in the pitch black darkness, thinking, the only sound his own breath. The silence was unbearable, but he really didn't want something else to make noise when he couldn't see it. With a pained groan, he rolled onto his stomach and tried to push himself up, but a harsh twinge ran up and down his body from the hole in his thigh and the Khajiit collapsed. The arrow had been taken out, luckily, though by whom he did not know. It could have just been dragged out by the ground. Then… he still would have been dragged somewhere. Or carried. He certainly didn't just appear here. Well, was there a spell for that?

His thoughts were interrupted by a metallic clank that made his fur stand on end. He couldn't stand, couldn't see, couldn't do anything. Of course he had tried to engage Night Eye, but he still didn't have any magic. There was another clunk, a bit louder. Then another, and another… but then it stopped, and what Ri'Sien guessed was a steam release sounded directly above him. He wondered if he should attempt to attack, or stay still.

"Hey, kitty," a rough feminine called out, again above him. "You alive? I can't see shit without the light."

He attempted to stay quiet, but suddenly, and quite violently, sneezed, and mentally cursed himself.

"Aw, you sneeze like a kitten! I thought you were an adult!"

The voice was getting on his nerves now, but he still refused to respond.

"Hmph. Look man, I want to help, but neither of us can see anything. So like… make a sound." After a few seconds of silence, she said, "You've forced my hand, kitten." For a few moments, nothing happened, but cold metal closed around Ri'Sien's torso. "Gotcha!" the voice said happily.

Not knowing what else to do, the Khajiit just went limp and allowed himself to be carried by something big, loud, and metal that had the same 'clunk' from before.

After only a minute or so, a warm light came into view. Instead of looking around, R'Sien closed his eyes, wanting to look like he was asleep. He could feel the heat from the light, so it was a fire, and he was dropped near it. Or maybe one of them, it could have been torches. He opened his eyes just a crack to look at his surroundings and maybe whoever was there with him, trying to grasp what was going on. First, he was next to a big forge with blue fire. The walls were plain brown dirt and rocks packed closely together, but the floor was grey. Not metal or rock, it felt like soft dirt, but just grey colored. It wasn't that interesting to look at, so he very slowly turned his head to look at the opposite wall. And there, was a very strange looking machine sitting next to a shelf, facing him. It was about seven feet tall, made of smooth golden metal that had some designs carved into it. The arms were long, with thin, dexterous fingers, while the legs were very short with huge feet. There was a big hatch in the middle of its round torso, and without a neck, there sat a head on it. Said head was triangular, with a tall crest and a face with glittering amber eyes and a mouth of meshed metal.

If he didn't know better, he would say it was of Dwemer build… but there was no Animunculi that looked like it. It was all very strange.

The machine plodded towards him, each step making a loud metallic thunk, and picked Ri'Sien up with both hands, holding him in front of it. He went limp again. "Hey, kitten. Wake up." This was the voice from before. Was there someone inside of it? Or could machines be built to talk and react like this?"

Ri'Sien just stayed still.

"You're making this a lot more awkward than it has to be…"

He still didn't react.

"Fine, I guess I'll just undress a sleeping man.,. nothing strange about that... "

At that, Ri'Sien tensed up and lifted his head to look at the eyes. "What?"

"That woke you up! But I really would have, if you didn't wake up. You're covered in blood and scrapes."

"...O...kay…" He glanced down and anxiously swallowed. "What's going on?"

"Oh yeah. So, yesterday morning, Sizaan got mad and left, so Riil camped out in the mouth of the cave to wait for him. Then you went up there, but before anyone talked or fought, Riil saw Sizaan attacking a Khajiit caravan a ways off so she left. Then last night Sizaan destroyed some of High Hrothgar, he and Riil fought a little, then he used his Drain shout to take away everyone's magic and shouts. Then you ran up there, he knocked you out, and Riil saved you by bringing you to me."

"Who are Riil and Sizaan and you?"

"Riil is the big black Khajiit, Sizaan is actually Sahlovodahminsizaan. He's a Serpentine dragon that lives here. I'm Nchucend. I also live here."

He blinked and deeply sighed. "So I'm here because…?"

"You can't even walk because of your leg."

"So you're supposed to heal me or something? What does… taking off my armor… have to do with that? Can't you use a spell or potion?"

"One, I'm not very good at magic. Two, Sizaan's shout rendered everyone that heard it magic-less. Three, his knockout shout makes it so nothing magical can help you, not even potions." Nchucend set him down, but he just fell over because of his hurt leg. So she picked him up again and cradled him in one arm and walked over to the tall shelf.

Ri'Sien pinned his ears back and crossed his arms, hating being carried like a baby. He hadn't even done anything about the dragon! He went up there, then got hurt and probably caused more trouble for whoever these people are. People being a loose term, seeing as they were some sort of living robot and a Khajiit. "Um, was the dragon taken care of?" he asked quietly.

"He calmed down and went to sleep. He doesn't normally attack anything, except elk and bears for food." She was mixing several unfamiliar plants with a mortar and pestle.

"Oh, good… When can I leave?"

"No one's keeping you here, but I would hope you want to be healed before you do." She paused, holding a small cup of water but not doing anything with it. "Who are you?"

"Ri'Sien," he replied, a little confused at the abrupt question.

"No, that's a name. Who are you really?"

"Oh. I am the Dragonborn, the Listener, the Harbinger and Archmage. I am the Champion of all the Daedra, the Nightingale, the grandson of the Mane in Elsweyr, and the thane of all holds. I won the war against the Stormcloaks, saved the world from Alduin, and trained with the Greybeards."

"Those are still just names. Deep down… are you really only a cat with special titles?"

He frowned. "Well, no I…" Wait. Is that who I am? I've just found my way into cities and done what others tell me. I was born as Dragonborn and into the lineage for the Mane. I haven't made a name for myself, not really. "Who… Who are you?"

Nchucend turned her head to look down at him. "Me? I'm a forgotten soul, left behind by this world and any others. It has been more than a millennia since I have belonged somewhere, but I suppose that's okay…"

Ri'Sien blinked, his eyes softening. "Can I ask you another question?"

"Shoot."

"Are you alive?"

"Am I… That's a good question. Under the metal, I am. I need food and water and sleep. But I never take off the metal… and that's unliving… and it's the only thing the world will ever see. Maybe I'm not. Who knows?" She poured the water into the mortar. "Well that got heavy! I'm sorry if I brought you down." She lowered the Khajiit to the ground and mixed the water in with the paste of plants. "Now strip."

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. Take off all your clothes. Unless you think putting this healing stuff on your armor will help."

He frowned, but started to slowly undo his armor and put it to the side. Blood on his back stuck to his armor, and he let out a hiss of pain. But he got over it and took off everything so he was just sitting in his cloth underwear.

Nchucend turned to face him, holding a wet cloth that was dripping with pink liquid. She wrapped one hand around his chest to hold him up, then held the cloth in the very tips of her long, metal fingers and lightly pressed it against his fur.

Ri'Sien steeled himself for a stinging sensation, like most healing processes did, but instead it was warm and relaxing. He half closed his eyes as she washed the blood out of his fur, then cleaned the scrapes on his shoulders and back. A very quiet, almost silent purr started in his throat.

She switched sides, holding his back and cleaning his front.

Ri'Sien let out a soft sigh and leaned back slightly. This reminded him of being a tiny cub, and his mother would give him and his siblings a bath by licking them. It was very calming and made him feel safe.

Once everything on his torso was clean, Nchucend reached for white gauze and wrapped any open wounds in it. Then, she lifted him up slightly, dabbed at the arrow's hole on the back of his leg, and wrapped that in gauze too. "There. A few days to heal, and you can leave."

"A-Alright, thank you," Ri'Sien said, coughing slightly. "Do you have any food?"

She nodded and plodded to the shelf, taking an apple, a piece of cooked mammoth meat, and a cup of water.

"Thanks," he mumbled and quickly started to eat.

"So, do you want to just stay in this room until you get better, or walk around the whole place?"

He swallowed the apple whole, then spat out the stem and a few seeds. "Um… I guess the whole place. Who else lives here?"

"Me, Riil, Sizaan, Aeshga, and F. Everyone has their sort of house, but it's all connected."

He nodded and downed the water. "Riil is a Khajiit and Sizaan is a dragon… What is everyone else?"

"I'm a Dwemer, Aeshga is a Left Handed Elf, and F's a Falmer."

Ri'Sien nearly choked on a mouthful of meat, staring at her with wide eyes. "Are you… Are you serious?! There's a Left Handed Elf here?! But they haven't existed since the Merethic Era! And a Falmer? Why doesn't he attack you? If you're actually part of the extinct race Dwemer, then he should hate you more than anything!" So he was right about the machine looking Dwemer.

"The only Sinistral Elf left in all the world. And F… F doesn't do anything. She's catatonic. She won't eat or drink, so we have to keep her alive with healing spells. I don't know if she hates me. I don't know if she hears or smells or thinks. But maybe she could come out of… whatever happened to her, so she's kept alive."

He slowly ate the rest of the steak, nodding slowly. "May I… May I see this Falmer?"

Nchucend nodded slightly. "I guess. Want some clothes?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

She turned and picked up a loose white shirt with a gold collar and a pair of pants. She passed him those with a red belt, black boots, and gloves. Ri'Sien changed quickly and looked doubtfully at the hat she handed him, with a gaudy red feather sticking out of it. "Really?" he asked; Nchucend nodded so Ri'Sien took it and tucked the hat on over his ears, but then realized he couldn't stand. "Uh… Do you have a… cane… or something?"

Nchucend nodded and pulled a simple wooden cane from behind the shelf and handed it to the Khajiit.

"Thank you," he said and propped himself up with a slightly pained growl. "So how do we get out of here?" There didn't seem to be any doors, just a circular room and a tunnel that went into complete darkness

"Open the door." She smacked a bare wall, everything shook for a second, and a door just big enough for her to fit through opened into a wide hall. "Come on, it's a long walk."

Ri'Sien limped after her, and they walked down dark, twisting halls downwards. "So, can I ask you a question?" he asked, breathing hard.

"Why do you ask if you can ask, instead of just asking?"

He blinked confusedly. "What?"

"What's the question?"

"So, um, what happened to the rest of your kind?"

Nchucend turned her head to look at him, but kept moving the same way. "I have absolutely no idea. I went into a cave that had never been explored for a few hours, then when I came back, everyone was gone. Everybody. All Dwemer in all the lands… had disappeared… Then, the Falmer got out and took over. I barely made it out. I grabbed some old scrolls, scraps of metal, and my personal Centurion, and with those, I tried to live. After an assortment of trying to find somewhere else, Nords hate us, I came back and had Zem, my Centurion, make part of the caves. But I don't know what happened to the rest of the Dwemer… I suppose I'll never know."

He nodded slowly. "How did the others come to be here?"

"Riil and Sizaan have been friends for a very long time, and they stumbled upon this place together. Zem broke into a nice big cavern for them, and they decided to stay. As for F, one day I decided to go into a ruin nearby, and found her on a ledge with nearly a dozen Draugr clamoring around her. I saved her, brought her back, and she's been here ever since. Aeshga was in here and tried to steal something from Sizaan, but almost got eaten and then just hung around."

"Interesting… What happened to Zem?"

"...He's… gone…"

"Gone? Was he destroyed or something."

"Something like that." She came to a stop at a tall gap in the wall. "This is where F lives." She took a few loud steps into the rather small, circular room that had a faintly glowing green orb in the center. There wasn't anything, not on the walls or floor, save for a small figure in the corner. She carefully picked it up, then brought it close to the light.

Ri'Sien hobbled over to look at it, then tilted his head in confusion. It seemed to be a female Falmer, but had some strange differences. The normal skin of one was sickly and transparent, the veins and bones could be seen through it. F's was very pale, but not translucent. Her bones weren't as sharp and decrepit as that of a regular falmer. She had her knees drawn up, arms wrapped around her legs. Her glazed blind eyes wept a look of pure despair. Ri'Sien winced just looking at her, she looked permanently in pain. "This is… depressing to look at," he muttered.

"You know, as someone who kills Falmer so much, I thought you wouldn't have cared about this," Nchucend replied.

"No. I hate pain and death. Alduin, who was going to destroy the world, I didn't want to hurt him. But I did, like I've killed so much here. No one in Skyrim understands mercy and forgiveness and reason. Everyone thinks Falmer are mindless monsters, but they weren't and still aren't. Especially F."

"Wow. It's… it's nice that there are still people like you. You value life. The world needs that."

He gave her a half smile. "Thanks. How much does she weigh?"

"Not much, she's all skin and bones. Wanna hold her?"

"Y-Yeah." He held out his arms, leaning against the wall, and gently held the frozen Falmer with one paw on her shoulders and one on her lower back. "You're right… Barely anything." He leaned in closer to F, now only two inches away from her face. "You probably can't hear me. Even if you can, you probably don't speak my language. But if you can do both… try to come out of this. There has to be something, someone deep down, and you have to wake up. There's someone out there missing you. Maybe it's your family and friends, or your favorite Chaurus, or a plant you watered. There's something that wants you to wake up, including me." He paused and frowned slightly. "This could be completely medical, and it has nothing to do with her mental abilities. But if it's not, and there's something in your mind that's not letting you wake up, try to get past it and move. Please, F. At least try." Ri'Sien tried to hand her back to Nchucend, but his speech had done something: she couldn't hear him, and if she could, she wouldn't understand him. But the tone of his voice, the sincerity for wanting her to wake up had triggered something under the ancient layers of her mind.

As she was being lifted to the Dwemer, F suddenly let out a high pitched squeal and wrapped her arms around Ri'Sien's neck, knocking him down. Once her arms were tightly around his neck, she froze up again.

Ri'Sien just kind of tensed up, barely breathing, and looked confusedly at Nchucend.

She just stared back at him. "Um… She moved."

"Yeah… Do I… push her off?"

"You can try."

He carefully placed one paw on her waist and the other on her shoulder, and pushed slightly. She didn't let go. He pushed a little harder, and when she still didn't release, he tried to pull her arms apart.

"You might not want to do that," Nchucend said. "Pulling doesn't go well with fragile Falmer bones."

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" He managed to stand up, digging his claws into the wall and keeping a paw on F's waist.

"I don't know!"

Just then, a figure swung down from the ceiling. He had his head covered in thick, black cloth except for narrow, ruby red eyes. His left arm was very big, both in length and width. He also didn't have a hand on that arm, just a metal stump. "The fuck is going on?" he asked in a gravelly voice.

Ri'Sien realized how weird this was, a very confused Khajiit with a Falmer hanging off his neck standing next to a Dwemer machine. "Um… She suddenly grabbed me."

"Ooh, kinky. You don't look like you'd be into fuckin'..." He looked F up and down. "...that."

"I'm not… Can you help get her off?"

"You need help getting a chick off? Aren't you the amazing Dragonborn? I'd expect you'd be… well-endowed in other places."

"NO! Like… unwrap her arms."

"Hmph. Why should I?"

"...Common decency?"

"Mmm… I'll help and think of a favor you can do later." He attached something to the metal stump on his left arm, then reached down the long limb and prodded F's shoulder with a thin metal stick. Her arm dropped to her side, then slid off Ri'Sien's shoulder and he caught her.

"Thanks. What's your name?"

"I am the one, the only, Aegsha the Lefthanded Elf! Literally, I'm the last of my kind."