A/N: Okay, chapter 2. This is where the real changes begin, for those of you returning to this tale. This chapter previously took place in Cheydinhal, but it no longer does. I'm saving both you and myself lots of pointless content this way, so enjoy.

PREVIOUSLY:

"… Just who in Oblivion do you think you are, anyways?" The elf narrowed her eyes at Caesar.

"The craziest son of a bitch you will ever meet." He smiled sheepishly, walking towards the stables without another word.

"… In your dreams, Redguard." She smirked, following him.

The Imperial City

The elf still wasn't sure what to think of the Redguard before her, tacking up his paint horse. He seemed to be confident in his skills, but less confident in himself as a person and his accomplishments. How did she know this?

It was the way he held himself outside of battle. His posture wasn't as straight as it was when he fought, and his face was slightly downcast, as it had been back in the lobby when he was drinking. This man called Caesar was a man who had seen and done terrible things, and held onto those regrets. He wasn't the first of his kind that the elf had seen. They all carried the same darkened eyes, and it always took a lot of alcohol to give them a buzz, because they drank often to try and forget what they'd seen and done. Caesar was clearly no exception. In fact, he was on of the worst she'd seen. His brown eyes barely had any light to them at all, and after four large bottles of Nordic ale, he was still completely sober. Whatever this man had done, it was from a long time ago.

"So… Just to confirm a lingering suspicion, who were those guys?" Caesar asked her.

"Mythic Dawn. They were probably attacking you because they thought you were an accomplice of mine." She replied.

"So that's what they call themselves... But what were they after you for?"

"I quit."

"Quit?"

"Yes. I quit the Mythic Dawn. They asked me to join because of my 'natural skill as an assassin', but once I found out about their plan to kill the emperor, I left. Before I left, though, I trashed some pretty important stuff, and they've been out for my blood ever since."

"… Nice."

"Yup. It's taken them months to replace all that crap. Books, statues, magical artifacts, you name it. I even froze the door when I left!" She chuckled at the memory. "Frost isn't my best element, but it has its uses sometimes."

"Well, I suppose that makes for an interesting drinking story." Caesar broke out into a grin.

"You said you were confirming a suspicion. How do you know the Mythic Dawn?"

"You don't get around much, do you?" The elf blushed profusely in embarrassment. "I'm the thing standing in their way. The 'Hero of Kvatch' or whatever it is they call me."

"You're the what?" The elf's jaw dropped halfway. I'd heard that the Hero of Kvatch was a Redguard, but… Could this be the same guy Dreth was talking about? "Umm…I see…"

"I never did catch your name, did I?" Caesar asked, pulling the elf back into reality.

"No, you didn't. I guess if we're going to be traveling together, you're gonna need it, huh?" Caesar nodded. "It's Nightshade."

"Nightshade?" The Hero of Kvatch had to suppress a laugh.

"Yes, Nightshade. Call it 'edgy' and you'll get an arrow through the neck." She threatened. "It's not a stage name, it's my actual name." Now that the sun was rising, Caesar could get a better look at her.

Nightshade was lean, with the build of an acrobat; quite a contrast to Caesar's sturdy, muscular build. At a faraway glance, one could say she was a pointy-eared Breton, but up close, that wasn't the case. In fact, Caesar couldn't find a strong sign of any human race. She was an elf, for sure. Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, and even a tiny bit of Orsimer could be seen if one looked carefully. That's one crazy mix of elven blood. She had dirty-blonde hair tied up in wind braids, and golden-hazel eyes. Her bear-fur armour looked like it might be getting too small. She couldn't be more than seventeen, but her eyes weren't those of a pining teenager. They'd seen things that almost no seventeen year-old probably should. This girl had been adventuring for a good chunk of her life. He offered her his hand. "After you." He invited.

"Get on the stupid horse. I don't need a leg up." She retorted, waving a dismissive hand.

"Alright, then you can walk." Caesar said with a grin, jumping onto his horse.

"I already said I would. I can keep up with this thing." Nightshade patted the horse's neck, returning the Redguard's grin. "But, if you insist…" She grabbed his forearm and used it to swing behind him onto the saddle.

"So you did need a lift up." He broke out into laughter and gave a flick of the reins.

"You know, they say animals get along best with humans of the same age." Nightshade smiled.

"What?" Caesar asked

"How old is your horse?"

"I don't know." Caesar gave a roll of his eyes, speaking in the least enthusiastic tone so far.

"Okay. So how old are you?"

He gave a slight humph as if trying to think about what to tell the woman, finally deciding to give his actual age. "Well… because you probably won't believe me if I lie or tell the truth, which leaves me in a little bit of a jam as you might imagine, I'm actually twenty." He responded shortly, not really dragging it on much longer than that.

"Twenty and you're already drinking your problems away? Holy shit, dude."

"When you are in a profession such as mine? Oh yeah, all the time."

"Stupid profession. Mercenaries? I've seen fifty year-old Cyrodiilic mercenaries who don't drink half as much as you do."

"Well, something you obviously don't know is that those men don't do anything. They don't wake up in the morning hoping to make the world a better place, to pull anyone out from a situation that they wound themselves up in. They don't care about anything but their own personal gains, to make a little extra gold in their pockets for killing someone that did nothing but wrong the contractor. I don't fight for gold, I don't kill for sex, women and power. I fight for a better purpose, one that you clearly don't understand. If you think I'm worse than those scumbags to fight for gold, or in any way like them, I'll kick your sorry ass on the side of the next corner and leave you here. I will NOT be insulted like a piece of dirt that crawled through the cracks of society because you and so many others think I'm just like them." He said strongly, a fire blazing up from inside of him before closing his eyes, trying to let it go.

"I wasn't trying to insult you. I was merely making an observation." Nightshade rolled her eyes. Temper-tantrum, much? she thought. "I'm just saying that maybe being a mercenary wasn't such a great choice for you. You're gonna kill all your brain cells by drinking like that."

"A choice? I didn't have one where I was born, warrior at heart like the rest of my family."

"… Dude, that sucks ass. But… Can I ask about something on a totally different subject?"

"Yes, go ahead, nothing like pleasant conversation to pass time."

"You've been all over Cyrodiil, right? I mean, you're the Hero of Kvatch." Nightshade asked, suddenly more reserved. Caesar gave a glance down to the side, as if in thought, before answering.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I just… I've been looking for someone. While you were traveling, did you ever meet an elf named Dairis?" The girl looked down, her expression sad. Caesar thought for a moment. Dairis… He looked back at his passenger. Could he be…?

"I met him, once. Is he your brother?" Caesar asked, hoping for the best. Nightshade burst out laughing.

"Dairis? My brother? Ha! No way! He's my cousin! Although with how similar we look, I can't really blame you for thinking that. Our fathers were twins."

"Well, I can now see that your weird personality runs in the family."

"Yeah, yeah. But how did you meet him? I mean... Y'know."

"Met him while walking through the Imperial City one night. Rattled up skooma addict when I first met him."

"Skooma? Why?" Caesar glanced back at her before shrugging slightly.

"Don't know. Skooma is a popular drug all around. So many people get addicted to it you stop wondering how it happens."

"Okay… So how did you come across him? You weren't just wandering around a skooma den I'd imagine." Nightshade continued her volley of questions.

"Got a contract from some people claiming he owed them a debt to put a sword in his neck. They were paying damn good too."

"Wait, you killed him?" Nightshade was struck dumb.

"No," He said briefly, stopping for a moment to let the words form in his mind. "I didn't. I had him down on the ground with my sword on his neck, ready to cut him open. Instead I gave him enough gold to fix his debts and left. There was something about him that made me spare him..."

"So he's alive…" Nightshade closed her eyes for a moment. So that means that all these years haven't been a waste of time.

"Well…" Caesar trailed off, knowing that she might not take the next part lightly. "He didn't pay off his debts. Dumb little bastard, I heard he went and bought a life supply of skooma while running to some dark hole in society. I still don't know where he wound up where he could escape his debt holders."

"I'll find him. I will, and then his father and I will fix him." Nightshade was determined. A fire that had long faded sparked back up. He's alive…

"Well, I don't know if he is still there, but I know where he used to live, if that helps."

"If I've learned anything about my cousin in the first nine years of my life, it's that he won't stay where he is if he's in danger."

"Yeah that sure seems like him, a rat that'll creep into the darkness at the first sign of danger. He's also the first one to put a knife in your back from the shadows. Why Sithis hasn't claimed his life I will never know." Caesar gave a deep breath as he felt himself getting worked up again. Coward… he isn't any better than the crap you'd pick up on a corner. Nightshade lifted her brow in thought, unsure of his personal vendetta against her cousin.

"So... Where to?" Nightshade asked.

"My work in Anvil is done. I need to return to the Imperial City to get my payment." Caesar explained.

"How convenient. I also have some money I can acquire there." Nightshade grinned.

Roughly eighteen hours later, the pair, with their trusty steed, arrived at the Chestnut Handy Stables. Caesar gave his horse to a stable hand, glared threateningly at the Orcish stablemaster, and headed toward the city gate, where Nightshade was waiting.

"I so rarely get the time to come here." She sighed. "Whenever I'm here I like to take in the city's sights. What do you like to do, Caesar?"

"Get paid." He grumbled, walking through the gate.

"Very... Straightforward." Nightshade frowned, following. "Uh, hey. You saved my butt at Brina Cross, and you brought me all the way here. Let me buy you a drink later?"

"..." Caesar considered it for a moment. "... Okay. Luther Broad's, eight o'clock. Be there, or else I'll just order one myself and take it to bed."

"Luther Broad's Boarding House, eight pm. I'll be there. I'm going to the Elven Gardens District anyways, conveniently."

"So you're back. I hope you brought what I asked for." A man sitting in the shadows like a clichéd mob leader addressed Caesar.

"Yeah, I got it. Foolish of you to lose it to a bunch of hussies anyways. I'd watch your step from now on. Hate for your wife to find out what happened." Caesar tossed the man a gold necklace. "But that's none of my business. Pay up what you owe."

"Yes, yes. I know how you people work. 500 gold, as promised." The man tossed a bag to Caesar.

"If I find out later that you shorted me, you know what will happen." Caesar threatened before exiting, slamming the door behind him.

"Nightshade, you always bring me the nicest little trinkets." A fancily-dressed Dunmer smiled at Nightshade, counting out coins before handing them to her.

"Oh, Fathis, you're too kind. I just pick up things here and there, you know that." She smiled back, tucking the coins away into a pouch, and tucking that pouch away into a slightly bigger pouch.

"Nonsense. You're a master of the craft, truly! How you get your hands on some of these things, I'll never know." Fathis smiled slyly.

"Sure you won't. Anyways, I'll be back with my next haul. For now, places to be, people to see. Farewell, my friend." Nightshade bowed dramatically before making for the exit.

"Always a pleasure, my dear. Shadow hide you." Fathis waved her goodbye, and she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. The evening autumn air was crisp and clear, and it helped clear her mind. She looked up to the sun. Hm... Almost eight. Maybe I should go early... Her legs started moving almost before she'd even made up her mind, and she opened the door to Luther Broad's ten minutes before eight o'clock to find Caesar already there, just coming out from the building's basement with another Redguard. Caesar looked up as the other Redguard took his seat, and almost flinched when he saw Nightshade at the door.

"You're early." He noted, approaching her. "Actually, that's perfect. Come with me." He grabbed her arm and pulled her around a corner.

"Caesar, what-?" Nightshade began before the Hero of Kvatch slapped his hand over her mouth and reached into a pouch on his waist. From it, he drew a book bigger than the pouch itself.

"You were in the Mythic Dawn, right? Can you tell me what this is?" He held up the book and pulled his hand away from the elf's mouth.

"'Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes', yeah. That's the first volume. It's how the Mythic Dawn does most of their recruiting. In order to find the hideout, you need all four volumes." She explained without any hesitation.

"What is the Mysterium Xarxes?" Caesar asked.

"It's... it's a book. The Commentaries are books about a book. It's dumb, I know, but that's what Mankar is like." She shook her head. "Ah. Sorry. Mankar Camoran is the Mythic Dawn's leader. Aside from Mehrunes Dagon, of course."

"You know where the hideout is, though, don't you? I don't have to look for all of these books." He tucked it away again.

"True, you don't. I want nothing more than to help you, really. I hate the Mythic Dawn for what they did too. But I also have something else I need to do. You scratch my back, I scratch yours?" Nightshade grinned sheepishly.

"... That's a rather audacious request. The fate of the world is at stake and you want me to do you a favour?" Caesar blinked at her, bemused.

"I know, I know, but this'll barely take any time at all. I finally found him!"

A/N: How embarrassing. This chapter went from 6,100 words to 2,900. Anyways, readers new and old, I hope you're enjoying the new direction the story is taking thus far. I'm wasting much less time now