Chapter One-Ride to Vvardenfell

Alydra sighs as she walks into her modest corner lab. It's going to be a long day, she decides as she shuffles some of the equipment on her desk. Her experiments with soul gems have been progressing slowly, and she feels as though the Mage's Guild will soon ask her to discontinue them.

What is it that eludes me? Alydra fumes in thought, clearing a space on her desk. She notices a note that's been left on her desk, overnight by the look of it, and reads it calmly.

Alydra,

I wish to speak with you concerning your recent experiments.

Please meet me as soon as you read this.

Ocato

"What does that fetcher want," Alydra curses under her breath, putting away some of her things and walking out from her laboratory. It is a short walk from her lab to Ocato's office, but Alydra makes certain to take her time getting there.

"Ah, I see you got my memo," Ocato smiles as Alydra approaches the glass doors to this office. He motions with his hands and the doors open just as Alydra is about to open them. "Didn't expect you this early. Jeana hid the note well."

"What is it you ask of me, Imperial Battlemage?" Alydra asks, addressing Ocato with this formal Mage's Guild title.

"It's about your experiments," Ocato nods, motioning for Alydra to sit. "I'm intrigued by the concept, but I'm afraid it's a bit taxing on our resources."

"So, you are asking me to discontinue them?" Alydra sighs, expecting this moment to come.

"What?" Ocato laughs. "Heavens, no! We could create far more powerful magic items if you were successful! It would be a shame if your experiments were ground to a halt! But... as I said, your experiments are a bit taxing on our resources, and your progressing is a tad slower than we would like to see."

"So, what do you ask of me?" Alydra asks, not knowing what to expect.

Ocato shakes his head, reminding himself that he's talking to a Dunmer, and continues. "I'm transferring you to Vvardenfell district."

"What!?" Alydra gasps, truly shocked by the Imperial Battlemage's statement.

"I believe you would find that your results were much more forthcoming in that area. The Vvardenfell district has more stock in soul gems than we do, especially after the past few weeks, and it would give you a change of scenery. Perhaps give you a fresh perspective."

"Is this decision final?" Alydra asks, nearly flabbergasted.

"I'm afraid it is," Ocato sighs with a darker tone. "There is a ship leaving tommorrow. You are asked to gather your things and get on that ship." Ocato hands Alydra a note and dismisses her.

Alydra nearly storms down to her lab and removes a brick hastilly from one of the walls. She grabs a very long belt from the wall, replaces the brick, wraps the belt around her waist three times, and begins collecting her equipment.

"Damn!" Alydra growls in the middle of packing. "I didn't expect him to be this arrogant! It would have been bad enough if he would have discontinued my experiments, but just getting rid of me like this!" She bites her tongue to keep from muttering anything else and continues to gather her things, placing them in magical pockets attached to the belt. When her lab is vacant, she storms out of the guildhall, resolving not to waste any more time there. She goes to her home nearby and gathers the rest of her things.

Alydra's anger spikes at the sight of the ship that Ocato had assigned to her. He can't even get me a decent ship! No, he hauls me off to Morrowind on a rotting cargo ship! The nerve of that Altmeri s'wit!

"Can I help ye, lass?" a Nord sailor asks at the sight of the black-robed Dunmer mage.

"Yes," is all Alydra says, handing the Nord the note that Ocato had given her.

"So, ye're the one," the Nord nods, reading over the note a few times. "The cap'n said we're delivering a client to Seyda Neen. Well, hop on, m'lady. We'll be departin' soon."

Alydra nods and climbs aboard the cargo ship, still not pleased about the entire situation.

"You must be the Mage's Guild client," a Redguard sailor asks Alydra as she strides along the deck. "Name's Jim. I'm the captain of this rocker. Your room's along this way."

Alydra follows the captain to a modest bedroom that looks to be the most extravagant part of the cargo ship. "Are you accustomed to taking passengers?"

"No, ma'am," Jim laughs. "We were asked to make 'special accommodations' a week ago for this very trip. Well, we're about to sail, soon. Enjoy the ride, madame."

"That n'wah was planning this for a week!?" Alydra scoffs when she's sure the captain is out of earshot. Were she more the physical type, she might have thrown a fist at the door. She feels the urge to light the door aflame, but manages to keep a level head. She lays down on the bed and tries to rest, culling her anger as much as possible.

A sharp jolt rips Alydra awake. The entire room seems unstable. The sound of water rushing and small explosions utters from the pathway to the deck. Alydra rises to the deck and watches as people in dark clothing jump from a larger ship onto the cargo ship, attacking the cargo ship's crew.

"Pirates?" Alydra mutters under her breath, holding on to the wall as another cannonball rips into the cargo ship.

"What have we here?" one of the pirates asks after hewing down one of the crewmen, staring lustily at Alydra. "What a little treat you are."

"Not for you, fetcher!" Alydra curses, lifting her hands and charging magicka. As the Nord pirate walks toward her, a red ball of magicka bursts from her fingertips, ripping into his stomach. He doubles over, and looks up at Alydra just in time to catch another Daedric Bite to the face.

Alydra pops a blue bottle from one of the magical pockets in her belt and chugs it, replenishing her stores of magicka. She decides that she'll have to aid her escorts in this fight if she expects to reach Morrowind safely.

Another cannonball rips into the cargo ship's hide. Alydra touches the floor from the jolt, and stares at the open cannon as she rises. That'll have to be the first thing to go, Alydra decides. She charges more magicka and tosses a big ball of fire at the cannon. The spell explodes into a fireball, taking the cannon with it. Smoke rises from the side of the pirate ship, and the cargo ship's crew redouble their efforts in the battle.

Strange energy flows through Alydra. Her limbs get heavier, and her eyes rust over from exhaustion. She feels the urge to yawn, but she doesn't even hit the floor before darkness consumes everything.

"Don't worry, boys," an Orcish voice echoes in the distance. "She'll be out of it for a long time. A long time." Coarse, brutish laughter grows faint, and then all is black.

Alydra awakens slowly. Her entire body is sore, and it takes some time for her eyes to adjust to their new surroundings. When she is awake enough to do so, she shivers and curls up into a ball.

Why am I so cold? Alydra wonders, unable to recognize her surroundings. She looks down at herself and gasps.

"My robe... my belt.." She tries to call out, but she hardly has enough energy to make noise louder than a whisper. She hears a faint laughter and looks around.

An Imperial man lies beside her, smiling in his sleep and holding himself. She studies his posture and comes to a harsh realization. Magicka flows through her hands, and she places them gently on his throat.

The Imperial opens his eyes in shock, and grabs Alydra's wrists. However, as his energy wanes, he finds he does not have the strength to remove her hands from him, and his eyes roll back into his skull as he takes his last breath.

With renewed strength, Alydra raids through boxes of stolen loot until she finds a dirty outfit, the only set of clothes in the storage room, and puts them on. Although she feels somewhat vulnerable without her magical attire, she tries to sneak up to the deck.

The pirate's barracks are mercifully empty. Alydra tries not to wonder why and makes her way to the deck. Another Imperial, this one clad in heavy armor, stops her with his sword. She jumps back and slams into the far wall, and curls up in pain.

"Please," she whimpers. The Imperial looks down at her, sighs, and sheathes his sword.

"Resisting arrest is a crime," he warns, extending his hand. "Come with me peacefully, and you will come to no harm."

Arrest? Alydra wonders, although she's not in any condition to resist anything. She slowly rises and follows the Imperial to the deck of the ship.

Dead bodies are strewn across the deck of the pirate ship. As the Imperial leads her to a bridge between the pirate ship and another, obviously Imperial Legion ship, Alydra realizes that the Coast Guard attacked the pirates that captured her.

Shortly after Alydra walks onto the Imperial Legion ship, the pirate ship sinks quickly. Alydra looks back at the ship, remembering her now-lost belt of holding, and feels a hand on her shoulder.

"This way," the Imperial says darkly, showing impatience in his tone.

"Sir," he says as he reaches what looks like an official. "I found this one cowering in the decks."

"Another pirate?" the official asks, looking at Alydra with disdain.

"I have reason to suspect that these bastards were keeping her against her will." the Imperial in heavy armor nods.

"Oh?' the officer muses at Alydra. "And just where were you heading, Miss?"

"S-Seyda Neen," Alydra stutters, shivering from the ocean wind. "I was on a cargo ship headed to Seyda Neen when they..."

"We'll take her ashore," the official decides. "We'll let Socucius Ergala decide what to do with her."

Alydra hadn't noticed that it was nighttime, but as the lighthouse in the distance shuts off, the morning sun begins to rise, showing a large port town on the horizon.