Chapter 2

Liric's room was small and simple but he liked it like that. In one corner sat the bed, neatly made and waiting for him to sleep in it. In the other, a table was laden his meal; a healthy serving of meat and vegetables. Smiling to himself, he hungrily tucked into the meal. Once he was finished, he sat back in his chair and relaxed. The sound downstairs had softened immensely and all was peace and quiet. Until his door creaked open.

Liric threw himself from his chair just as a crossbow bolt slammed into the wall where his head had been. He reached up for his sword and drew it, turning around the face his attacker. Another assassin? Already? he thought in amazement and shock.

Liric heard the steely hiss of a sword being drawn and the intruder pushed his door in. He was a Dunmer, a Dark Elf. He had charcoal grey skin and blood red eyes. He was dressed in black leather and long, white hair was concealed by a hood. A sword of Dwarven make was held professionally in his hand.

"Who hired you?" Liric demanded. He was getting tired of assassins. The Dunmer barked out a laugh and said in a heavily accented voice, "You fool! You are not worthy to know my masters name."

"Ah, so he is not a common client which means you are no common assassin. Tell me, who do you represent?"

"The Reclaimers," the Dunmer spat, angered by Liric's arrogant tone.

Liric frowned. "Can't say I've heard of them before."

"Of course not. Our targets do not live to speak of our order!" With that, he lunged forward swinging his blade with surprising speed and strength. Liric blocked the attack and pressed his own offence. Within a few clashes of blade on blade, he could tell that his assailant possessed greater skills than the Khajiit. So Liric resorted to magic. He threw the Dunmer off guard with a blast of lightning before following with a flurry of sword strokes. The Reclaimer was caught off balance and stumbled back into the wall. With a powerful stroke, Liric smashed the sword from the assassin's hand. He then pushed him on the chest above where his heart lay with a hand laden with frost magic. The Dunmer seemed to glow blue as he slid to the ground, his heart frozen.

Liric heard shouts and footsteps coming his way. Before they reached his room, he quickly shifted through the Dunmer's pockets. He found no money, no food, just a bottle of skooma. He was instantly dumbfounded. The assassin's eyes had been too clear to be the eyes of a skooma addict. The Khajiit had also been carrying the drug.

The innkeeper rushed into Liric's room, a dagger in his hand. He quickly took in the situation, sized it up and sheathed the weapon.

"Are ya hurt?" he growled to Liric. The latter shook his head and held out the bottle of skooma to the innkeeper.

"He had this on him," Liric said quietly.

"Do ya think 'e was an addict?" the keeper asked quickly.

"Yes," Liric lied, "You could see it in his eyes."

"Perhaps tha' is why he attacked ya, aye?"

"Aye," Liric sighed, suddenly exhausted.

The innkeeper noticed the sigh and his tone became suddenly businesslike as he said, "Come, the guard can take care o' tha', don't ya worry. You can sleep in another room."

Liric slept fitfully that night. He tossed and turned in his downy bed, haunted by two words; The Reclaimers. The words echoed through his mind and dreams, ravaging them until only raw fear remained. He awoke early, skin glistening with sweat. His breathing was ragged as if he had been running all night and his thoughts jumbled. What's wrong with me? he thought as he ran his fingers through his damp hair. He swept the covers back and leapt from the bed. There was someone he need to see, as quickly as possible. He hastily dressed in dark blue clothing, armed himself with his sword and dagger and left the room. As he was leaving, someone grabbed his arm. He spun around, hand flying for his dagger until he saw it was only the innkeeper. The latter had an exhausted look about him and he was armed with an axe.

"I've been up all night," he whispered, "something just doesn't ring true about the addict last night. Watch yerself, okay?"

Liric nodded and thanked the man for his help.

The streets of Skingrad were narrow and shadowed the whole day except for midday when the sun streamed straight down. Numerous people bustled through them, entering and exiting shops, talking with each other and inspecting wares at stalls only the road that separated the city.

As he walked, Liric was certain that he saw pickpockets lifting purses numerous times. He had tied his purse to his belt – in open sight – for this very reason. It took only five minutes before a young Bosmer attempted to steal Liric's but he was ready for the thief. He snatched his purse back and grabbed the outstretched hand. Bending, so that his mouth was right next to the frightened Bosmer's ear, he whispered, "I need to see Radik the Redguard. Do you know where I could find him?"

The Wood Elf nodded solemnly and motioned for Liric to follow him. He then darted off into the crowd. Liric's long strides kept up with the Bosmer's scurrying and it wasn't long before the latter led him into a side alley. Pushing past some bushes against the wall, the Bosmer boy pulled open a concealed trapdoor and motioned for Liric to enter. Ducking his head, Liric descended into a dark room. It stank of tobacco and there was a small tinge of skooma. Damned drug, he thought as he inspected his surroundings. There were a small number of people in the hideout, all of them shadowy silhouettes in the gloom.

The Bosmer led Liric into a room in the corner. Unlike the rest of the hideout, this room was well lit. It contained a small desk and chair with a dark-skinned man sitting behind it. He had short-cropped, black hair and his blue eyes stood out against his brown skin. Red velvet clothed his muscled body.

"Liric!" he exclaimed standing, "I havn't seen you around these parts for years!"

He pulled Liric into a rough bear hug, an act which the latter returned.

"Take a seat," he said, motioning flippantly, sinking into his own, "What brings you to these parts?"

"Wanderlust," Liric smiled. He then looked around the room and said, "I see you're moving up in your guild." The Redguard smiled depreciatingly and said, "The only that that ever changes in the thieves guild is its leaders. This is only a side branch of the guild but that doesn't make us any less important. To ourselves at least."

Liric smiled slightly but then his face hardened. "I need information."

"The informative coffers of the Skingrad Thieves Guild are open to you, my friend," the Radik said, leaning back in his chair.

"What do you know of The Relcaimers?"

Radik's face became instantly serious. He rose from his chair and quietly shut his door before returning to his seat.

"Quite a bit and none of it pleasant," he said grimly, "May I ask why?"

"Because two of their assassins have tried to kill me and I would like to know their reasoning," Liric replied.

"Well, the Reclaimers are a newly formed order. A year or two old I believe. Effectively though, they are the remaining members of the Mythic Dawn cult."

Silence reigned in the room until Liric swore and said, "Why would they want to kill me? I haven't had anything to do with that cult since before the Oblivion crisis!"

Radik shrugged and replied, "They're a group of fanatics who hold grudges for a long time. I've heard that they're trying to assassinate anyone who played a major role in their downfall. Did you ever hear of the hero of Kvatch?"

Liric nodded.

"Well they attempted to kill him but he escaped. There are rumors he escaped into Oblivion but I highly doubt that."

Liric swore again and sat back in his chair. A thought came to him.

"How long will it take for them to give up? How many assassins must I slay before they will leave me alone?"

"They will never give up," said Radik, watching Liric's face closely, "Each time they find a target, they fill the area with assassins, each one stronger than the next."

"Both assassins I've faced have carried skooma on their persons. Any particular reason for that?"

Radik made a face and replied, "In the event that they succeed – which is nearly every time – they quickly take a modified type of skooma, called Koodum, to muddy their mind so that they cannot be interrogated. After a few weeks, the drug wears off and they escape."

Liric sighed deeply and put his head in his hands.

"Hey, you okay?" Radik asked, "I've never seen you this worked up."

"I'm sorry," Liric said softly, "I had some nightmares last night."

Radik's face went expressionless. "About the Reclaimers?"

Liric jerked his head up and nodded. Radik swore explosively and looked away.

"'They cursed you. It's a form a daedric magic they practice. They cast a spell – or curse – that causes your sleep to be haunted by nightmares of the Reclaimers. That way, when the next assassin attacks, the target is worn down."

"How long do you think I have before the next one comes after me?" Liric asked, feeling as if nothing could make him feel worse. He was wrong.

"My guess, is that he's on his way now."