Author's Note: Ah! So you all might want me dead right now. It's been like what, 3 months since my last chapter? I'm really sorry guys. Life has been kicking my ass right now. This fic is not dead though, just remember that. Anyways, here is the 3rd chapter. A longish one for you.
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The sunlight streamed through the small window, slowly heating the cold stone room. The bed became uncomfortably warm, causing Brad to slowly awaken as he unconsciously shifted to a cooler spot. As he became fully conscious, his entire body began throbbing horribly. He slowly lifted his heavy eyelids, blinking multiple times to clear his vision. He was utterly fatigued.

Brad slowly lifted himself out of the bed, his body screaming at him in agony. He was no stranger to sore muscles and exhaustion, but this seemed to be ten times worse. He also felt extremely gross, as if he'd gone to bed straight after a hard workout. He realized he was still fully dressed, minus his shoes, and remembered he had simply gone straight to bed.

This in turn caused him to remember the events of the night before, and he immediately felt that familiar hollow sensation in his chest. Brad quickly shook his head, taking deep breaths. He was going to move on, he had decided. There was no point in dwelling on it, and Brad hated to worry over the past. So he instead decided to work on getting all the kinks and knots out his body, and began a series of stretches, breathing deeply.

It was at this point that a knock came from the door. Brad flipped out of his backbend, grimaced at the feel-good pain, and opened the door. Lea was on the other side, dressed in her cleaning clothes with her hair again pinned up. She smiled as she saw him.

"You look like hell." she said.

"Don't feel much better either." Brad replied, smiling back.

"I was hoping you'd still be here." she said. "I didn't know if you were going to Chorrol today or not."

Brad cursed. "I really need to get there as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Lea said. "You still have time. If you leave in like the next hour, you could definitely get there before sunset."

"Yeah…" Brad replied slowly. "But there are still things I want to do in the city…"

"Like what?"

"Well," Brad bit his lip as he thought. "Velus had mentioned that Phintias' bookstore had some books with the history of Tamriel and whatnot. I was hoping to stop by and get a few, cuz as you know I know nothing of this place."

Lea cocked an eyebrow. "That's it? That won't take long at all. Besides, there's a bookstore in Chorrol too."

"I…err…also wanted to go to that University." Brad said hesitantly. "The one Maro was talking about, with the mages? I was hoping they could show me how to use Magicka."

Lea nodded. "I'd figured as much." There was a slight pause, then, "Oh! How are you doing on gold? I mean, not trying to be demeaning or anything, nor do I know what it is your going to do, but if you don't have sufficient funds, you could find yourself in a bit of trouble."

"Actually," Brad said slowly. "I had been thinking about that myself. I was thinking I might go check out some of those ruins, like the ones to the east of here. You know: the 'treasure-hunter' thing."

Lea nodded again. "I also had figured as much. You look the type, and most of the people around here have taken you for one anyways. What ruins did you have in mind?"

"The ones east of here." Brad said again. "On an island in the middle of the lake. I saw them when I exited…umm…when I first arrived."

"I know the ones." Lea said. "Ayleid ruins. I don't know what the name is, but uh…rumor has it that a large party of bandits has established a base in there. No one knows for sure though, and the guards can't be bothered to check it out until someone's actually killed."

"Oh." Brad replied feeling a little disheartened.

"There've been many rumors about that place though, for as long as I can remember." Lea said. "Whispers of black magic and whatnot. Check it out though; I'm sure you could find some good loot to sell. And hey, if there really are bandits and dark mages down there, I'm sure the city would be extremely grateful to you for getting rid of them."

"As in…killing them?" Brad said. "Kill…again?"

"Oh, Brad." Lea replied softly. "Look, I realize you have morals and everything, about taking another person's life, and that's good, but remember: sometimes killing is the only way to go. Not killing in cold-blood, no, that's for the Brotherhood. But in self-defense, or for the protection of a city or a settlement, that's different." She paused as she saw Brad's doubtful look. "Listen, bandits and necromancers, or uh… any renegade that makes a living in ruins and caves and ambushes merchants on the roads, or uh, raids defenseless settlements, well, none of them would think twice before killing you. So it comes down to how you react. Do you…cower away? Do you try reasoning? Talking? Or do you do what you have to do, that which will protect you? Ninety percent of the time, killing is all you can do."

Brad began to protest. "But Agarmir-"

"Agarmir was different." Lea replied, cutting him off. "I'll admit to that. He was civilized. Well…as civilized as someone that digs up graves is. But nonetheless, he would have killed you last night without a second thought. His crony sure as hell had no qualms with trying to kill me. But we reacted. We fought back. And you did what you had to, and you protected yourself, and quite possibly me, and Agarmir died as a result. Besides, it's actually considered lawful to kill renegades, as it improves the peace and welfare and whatever."

Brad remained silent for a bit, thinking over all this. He could find no counter-argument to Lea's logic. "What constitutes as a cold-blooded murder than? Something the Brotherhood would notice?"

"Hmm." Lea thought for a minute. "Obviously killing for the pleasure of it. Get in touch with your inner sadism I guess. Killing a defenseless opponent, probably. Probably anything that questions morality, you know? And, personally, I've always felt that killing for revenge is cold-blooded. Not that I would really know, but, well, you know."

"Mmm." was Brad's only response. "How will I know though? I mean, whether my killing is justified?"

"I don't know Brad…" Lea finally replied, sounding a little unsure. "I guess you'll just… know."

"Alright…" Brad said after a long pause. "I'll go check out the ruins. I do need the cash… But I don't know about the bandits. I still think that killing…is just…wrong. Maybe I'll just sneak past them. But I'm definitely going down there. It wouldn't be the first time I've gone far underground in old ruins and stuff."

Lea just remained silent, a small smile on her face. Brad bit his lip again, then asked, "Have you killed before?"

Lea looked away. After a few minutes, she said, "Yeah. Once. I live on the Waterfront, remember? Sometimes the sailors get a little drunk, and stuff happens." She waved her hand dismissingly. "But it doesn't matter. Listen, I better get back to work, and you're probably gonna want to head into the ruins soon, cuz sometimes they can take a whole day to clean out."

Brad nodded, making a mental note on how Lea avoided his question. She continued talking. "Go get cleaned up. Put your clothes outside the washroom door while you bathe, and I'll wash 'em for you and get the blood out."

"Thank you Lea." Brad said. She smiled at him and gave a small wave, heading into the next room with her cart of cleaning supplies. Brad headed for the washroom, throwing his clothes outside the door before bathing.

Twenty minutes later, Brad was back in his room, wrapped in a towel. True to her word, Lea had taken the stains out of his clothes and left them draped across the bed. Brad dressed quickly and headed downstairs. Velus greeted him, and he seated himself at the counter to eat some breakfast.

"I never heard you come in last night." Velus was saying. "Lea told me what happened though. And I must say: I am very grateful to you for it. And I'm sure all the merchants are, especially Thoronir. Make sure you go see him today; and Jensine as well."

Brad agreed, and then asked how to get to the Arcane University. Velus explained where it was, and that he should find Raminus Polus, whoever that was. Brad finished his breakfast and headed out into the street. He decided to stop by Jensine's before anything. She was quite pleased to see him.

"Ah! Bradyn!" she said. "I've been waiting for you to come by. I've heard everything that happened last night."

"Already?" Brad said in disbelief. "Did Lea tell everyone?"

Jensine gave a short laugh. "Gossip spreads incredibly fast around here, young man." She paused for a moment, as if expecting Brad to say something. When continued to stare at her in mild confusion, she said, "Well I expect you want your reward for your efforts. I did promise some gold was in store. And you really did help everyone out."

Brad said nothing. Jensine handed him a small pouch. "Here you are: two hundred gold. And of course, you have my eternal gratitude."

Brad thanked her, and asked, "What about Thoronir? What's going to happen with him?"

"I had a long talk with him this morning. I believe that he really did not know what he was getting himself into by working with Agarmir. Nor did he know where Agarmir was really getting his goods, though he admits to having suspected foul play. He has also agreed to join the Society, and I will personally make sure that everyone in the Market District will welcome him warmly."

"Well that's good." Brad said.

A few minutes later, Brad was heading towards The Copious Coinpurse. Thoronir was also very pleased to see him.

"Ah!" the elf said. "Master Torrez! The savior of my reputation."

Brad gave him a hesitant grin. Thoronir continued. "Listen, I'm really thankful for what you did, I really had no idea that Agarmir was up to such horrors."

He continued on for a bit, repeating basically everything Jensine had already said. Brad found his attention waning, as he was getting tired of hearing about how heroic he apparently he was. He honestly felt like he hadn't done anything worth celebrating. It wasn't until Thoronir presented a gold ring, one that gave off a subtle glow, that Brad's attention snapped back into focus. He realized Thoronir was saying something.

"-is enchanted. Protects the wearer from the elements." Thoronir said. "And I swear that this did not come off of a corpse. It's actually been in my family for generations, but seeing as how I have no offspring and doubt I ever will, I give it to you."

"Wow, Thoronir. Thank you." Brad said as he took the ring and slid it on his middle finger. It fit perfectly, and its subtle light seemed to rapidly spread from it and across his body. He gazed in wonder, feeling the presence of the Magicka in his body, like some electrical current. It reminded him of putting a shirt on directly out of the dryer, still full of static. He became more anxious to head to the Arcane University.

So that is what he did. He spoke with Thoronir for a bit longer, than took his leave. He followed Velus' directions, heading through the Arboretum and out of the city gates. He found himself on another bridge-like structure. He couldn't help but feel peaceful, albeit a bit overwhelmed, as he looked at the surrounding countryside. It was only 10:30 am, and the morning sun was shining brilliantly. The surrounding lake glistened peacefully, the perfect shade of blue.

Brad relished the fresh air and slight breeze, thinking he could really enjoy being here if weren't for the obvious reasons that he was alone, scared, didn't know what was going on or what to expect, and that there seemed to be something evil going on concerning the Emperor.

Thinking of the Emperor he realized that no one seemed to know his true fate yet. It had been a couple days, and the most anyone knew was that he had disappeared after his sons were murdered, which meant he had either gone into hiding or had been killed himself. No one knew for sure. Except for Brad, of course. And Baurus, wherever he might be.

Brad shook his head and moved on. He entered the large fortress like structure across the bridge, and found himself in a sort of courtyard. There were steps a few yards in front of him, that led up to a needle-like structure. Directly to his left was a typical guard, except this one had a blue hood on.

"Morning citizen." the guard said. "And welcome to the Arcane University. Is there anyway I may assist you?"

"Yes, uh, I'm looking for Raminus Polus?" Brad asked hesitantly.

"Certainly." the guard replied. "He can most likely be found in the Arch-Mage's Lobby, directly through those doors there." He pointed at the base of the needle-structure.

Brad thanked him and headed towards the structure. Inside, he found himself in a dark, circular stone room. There were a few benches and a desk, and Brad was reminded of a reception area in a hospital or something. What really caught his attention was a circular platform, about a yard in diameter. It was glowing brightly, and seemed to be emitting sparks. There were strange symbols drawn on it, and Brad could feel the unmistakable electric tingle of Magicka radiating from it.

In fact, Brad could feel the tingle of Magicka radiating from the entire building. It was obvious these people spent all their tying practicing magic. Brad knew that he made a smart decision coming here. If there was anyway he was going to find out if he had any inner Magicka in him, this was the place to try. He then noticed that he was being watched, and looked around.

He immediately realized that a man was seated on one of the benches, clad in aqua-green robes. He was very strong looking, and his brown eyes were full of intense wisdom. He had brown hair, with streaks of grey beginning to make an appearance. Brad wondered if that was due to some magical side effects, as the man looked like he could be no older than thirty. Brad headed over and stuck out his hand.

"Bradyn Torrez." He said slightly nervously. "Please call me Brad. Are you Raminus Polus?"

The man shook his hand, smiling softly. "That I am. I had heard there was a new foreigner in the city, someone from beyond the seas apparently. Would that be you?"

"Yes." Brad said. There was a slight pause, then, "Look, I'm gonna get straight to the point. I…can't use Magicka. I don't know how. And I mean as in…I don't know how to draw out the Magicka in me to form a spell or whatever. Or if there even is any Magicka in me. I was hoping you could…err…teach me."

Raminus just stared at Brad for what seemed an eternity. It wasn't really a confused or dumbfounded stare, but more so a thoughtful one. "Where exactly are you from? I get the feeling there's more to 'beyond the seas' than you're letting on."

Brad just stared back, trying to think of what to say. He decided that there wasn't much use to lying, especially to this guy. "Alright. I'm actually not from beyond the seas. I'm really from a…uh…well an entirely different world."

"Hmm." was Raminus' only response. "It wouldn't be the first time someone from a different realm, or world if you will, has come to Tamriel. Though they could all use Magicka. You come from a most peculiar world then."

Brad said nothing. Raminus just gazed at him, obviously lost in thought. Brad grew impatient, not to mention slightly irritated. "Well?" he said. "Can you teach me or not?"

"Well," Raminus said slowly. "I can certainly try. It is most unusual…no, it is basically unheard of for someone to not know how to draw out their Magicka. Even the youngest of children are able to draw it out, though not always with any result."

"Do you know if I even have any in me?" Brad asked, a little nervous.

"I would assume so, but I cannot say." Raminus said, shaking his head. "But you've come to the right place to find out. The Arcane University is so full of magical energy that it is possible to harness it right out of the air and use it. That is why it is such an ideal place for mages to hone their abilities and experiment with different spells."

Brad nodded. "Look, if you're gonna want any payment of sort, I don't have much in the way of gold but I promise that-"

"No, no, no." Raminus said quickly. "That won't be necessary. You are a most extraordinary case indeed, and will contribute greatly to the study of Magicka. I would be more than happy to try and help in whatever way I can."

"Sweet." Brad said, smiling. "When do we start?"

"Well," Raminus said. "Now is as good a time as any. And this central building has the most magical energy radiating through it out of the whole University, due to its central location. Did you have any other engagements or should we get started?"

Brad shook his head. Raminus smiled and nodded, then motioned for Brad to have a seat on the bench across from him. Brad sat down.

"Okay," the mage said. "First I will give you a general outline on Magicka. Magicka is basically the manipulation of one's surroundings. Everyone, and everything for that matter, has this physical energy inside of it that can be harnessed and used. Everything from plants, water, animals, rocks, the air, everything, not just people, has this energy present in it. Sure, most objects have such small amounts that it isn't possible to use it, but it is there. That's why so many things are useful in Alchemy."

"What sort of energy is it?" Brad asked, intrigued.

"We cannot say." Raminus replied. "We believe it is directly tied into the person or object's being. Their existence. If the object exists, it has this energy in it."

"So if the energy is depleted," Brad began. "And taken out completely, does the object or person cease to exist?"

"That is the theory." Raminus replied, nodding. "But at this time there is no means of completely eradicating this energy from anything. There are spells that will absorb the energy out of people and objects and add it to one's own stores, but the energy can only be absorbed and depleted to a certain extent. It is as if there is only so much of the energy that can be used at any given time, as one cannot even drain they're own Magicka."

"So this energy is Magicka then, is it?" Brad asked. "And if a person uses too much of it, could it kill them?"

"Yes, it is Magicka." Raminus replied. "And a person could never kill themselves by depleting their Magicka stores. All Magicka replenishes itself anyways, except for those few who were unfortunate enough to have been born under the sign of the Atronach or are afflicted with a disease that stunts the refilling."

"So why is it impossible to drain something completely of its Magicka?"

"The currently accepted theory is that because it would be physically impossible for something to simply cease to exist." Raminus said. "Because that object or person takes up space in the universe, and therefore has mass. If that mass were to vanish, it would leave a void in its place. Something would have to fill that void, wouldn't it? And what would it be? Would the land collapse together in that space? It is just not physically possible."

"What about lightning?" Brad asked. "When lighting travels towards the ground, it rips through the air so fast that it creates a void, doesn't it? And that's where we hear thunder, from the air clapping together to fill this void."

"This is very true." Raminus said, obviously pleased at having this discussion. "But that is not a true void. The air that is replaced by the lightning does go somewhere. It is pushed along with the lightning, and ultimately slammed into the ground."

"Ah of course. The nitrogen cycle, right?" Brad said, feeling a bit foolish for forgetting this basic biology concept. Raminus, however, obviously had no idea what he was talking about. "Nevermind. Look, what you said makes sense, but also begs the question: How are you sure that Magicka is tied into an objects existence, if there is no way to test it? A theory isn't a theory without testing, and it would be impossible to test an object that does exist to an object that doesn't. You understand what I'm saying? This is basically what you are proposing: An object exists and has Magicka, therefore all objects that exist have Magicka and those that don't exist don't have Magicka. Well that is like saying that because you exist and are an Imperial, all people that exist are Imperials, and those that don't exist aren't Imperials. It's a logical fallacy. Get it?"

Raminus stared at Brad. "You are quite the intellectual, Bradyn Torrez. The type that has to have everything analyzed and proven before it can be believed. You're argument has a very valid point, and has been brought up many times. I will be honest with you; you and I are very much alike in that sense. Ever since that theory was first suggested many years ago, I have challenged it in the same way you just did. And while my disbeliefs have not gone unaccounted for, the theory is still the one everyone generally accepts. And why? Common sense. Because there is no way to prove, or disprove, that the theory is truth, than common sense tells us it has to be it. And in retrospect, it really is the best explanation out there at this time. From what we've discussed, what are your general beliefs on the matter?"

"Well," Brad said. "I don't know about this matter, but in general I believe that if I can use my senses on something, if I can see it and I can touch it, than it is real. Basically, if I believe it is real, than to me it is. That's how I've come to accept the fact that, no matter how much I really wish it wasn't, this place is real and I am really here."

"Very wise." Raminus said. "And strengthens my opinion that you are the type that needs solid proof of everything. But anyways, I'm afraid we've digressed horribly from your purpose of coming here. To teach you to use Magicka. As we have just discussed, because you exist before me right now, you must have the Magicka energy present in you. So now we will try to get it out of you. Are you ready?"

Brad nodded. Raminus told him they will be going through the basic steps all beginners of spell-casting go through, and hope it works for him. Brad was told to relax his mind, and focus entirely on what he was trying to do. Brad found this difficult at first, for who could possibly try and completely relax themselves when in a strange world attempting to use magic? But his years of martial arts training kicked in, and with Raminus help he was able to calm himself.

"Feel the energy around you." Raminus was saying. "Radiating from every inch of this room. Do you feel that energy? That almost electric charge? Now feel in your own body for that same charge. That same feeling. You will know when you have it. You will be able to feel it flowing through your body."

Brad felt deep, focusing his mind on the slight vibration that radiated throughout the room, searching for the same vibration in his body. For a minute he briefly thought about how stupid this was, and immediately lost the feeling of the energy around him. Sighing deeply and shaking his head, he again attempted to focus his mind. It was when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck and the goosebumps cross his arms that he knew. He had found his inner Magicka. He suddenly jerked from the feeling, and it immediately vanished.

Raminus was ecstatic. "Yes! That was it! So the unproven theory holds true yet again, you have Magicka. Now I want you to find it again, it will be easier from here on out. And when you do…" He suddenly swung his arm out, a dagger in his hand, slicing deep into Brad's shoulder.

Brad was at his feet, his hand on the hilt of the blade at his side. "What the hell!?" he shouted.

"Heal it." Raminus said calmly.

Brad paused. "What?"

"Connect with your Magicka, and use it to heal your shoulder. Just focus on what you want done."

Brad sat down again, fuming. He closed his eyes, and tried to focus. Immediately he felt the hairs on his neck stand again. It certainly was easier. He then tried focusing on the pain in his shoulder, picturing it unwounded. Instead all he could really see was Raminus attacking him with the dagger. He felt the tingling increase in his right hand, growing to a powerful vibration.

"Release it." was all Raminus said. Brad opened his hand, and saw a white light flow out from it, as the immense pressure was released. However, instead of flowing into his shoulder as expected, it rapidly spread throughout his whole body, starting from the top and working quickly to the floor before vanishing. Brad could still feel the electric tingle from it though.

"Interesting." Raminus said curiously. He lunged forward with his dagger, aiming to pierce straight through his shoulder. The dagger seemed to slip away off of some invisible barrier, and merely nicked him. "It would seem that you produced a pretty strong shield spell instead. You must have been more focused on not wanting to be hurt again than healing your wounds. Very nice. Now, however, heal it."

Brad shook his head. He had performed Magicka! He had created some sort of magical barrier around him, one that made it almost impossible for Raminus to seriously harm him. He grew eager to try again and quickly found the stores of Magicka within him. It seemed weaker though, as if there was less of it. He focused strongly on his bleeding shoulder, and released the pressure in his hand.

The light flew instantly from his hand to his shoulder, sealing the wound together and leaving only a tender pink spot. Raminus applauded, obviously pleased at what he had managed to accomplish.

"Well," Raminus said. "From here on you will be able to cast any spell that you learn. Some are more powerful than others, and therefore much more difficult to cast. Now I will teach you a few basic spells from each College, the ones that form a basis for every other spell."

An hour later, Brad was at the level of a basic mage. Not only could he could restore wounds and shield himself from damage, he was able to throw fire. He also learned how to manipulate his eyes so that every living creature gave off a sort of heat signature, a weird aura that allowed Brad to see where they were, even through walls. He was fascinated at this, as he could see the aura's of the many mages walking throughout the university. Raminus had informed him that as his powers increased, he would be able to see people 100 feet away.

The last spell he learned, and the one that had caused him the most difficulty, was to conjure up a small dagger from nowhere. Raminus had informed him that anything conjured does come from somewhere, from the "waters of Oblivion." Brad wasn't to keen on the idea of Oblivion, but was nonetheless fascinated as he managed to seemingly form the Magicka from his hand into a dagger.

"You have done amazingly well." Raminus said as he watched Brad drop his newly conjured dagger, which vanished as soon as it left Brad's hand. "And believe me when I say, not many people can master spells from each college as quickly as you did. You have some true talent."

Brad just smiled, still in a state of shock at being able to use magic. He couldn't help but to form fire in his hand yet again, marveling at how it seemed to only warm him up a bit and not cause any damage to himself. However, the longer he held it there the more it weakened, until it was completely gone. He tried doing it again, but instead all he got was a dry, hollow feeling.

"You've run out of useable Magicka." Raminus said. "You'll have to wait for it to replenish itself, or you could drink a potion to speed up the process."

Brad nodded, and then checked his watch. It was almost noon, and he still wanted to go into those ruins. He felt a little more secure about doing it too, now that he could use magic.

"Well, I think I better get going now." he said to Raminus. "I plan on exploring some of those Ayleid ruins to get some gold. Thank you so much for everything, I really do owe you. Are you sure there isn't something I can do for you?"

"Well," Raminus said. "If you promise me that someday you will join the Mages Guild and eventually come to work with me here at the University, then I will be more than happy. You obviously have some profound magical powers, and coupled with your intellectual mind I feel we could make some great advances in magic."

"Could I join now?" Brad asked.

"You need to go to one of the guild halls in the towns throughout Cyrodiil." Raminus explained. "There you can join. But in order to access the University, you need a letter of recommendation from every guild hall. Just speak to the leader's there; they'll explain what you need to do."

Brad nodded, and the two stood up, shaking hands. Brad thanked Raminus again, and took his leave. Back outside, he left the University grounds and found himself out on the bridge. He decided he would rather walk directly to the ruins from there instead of heading through the city. He jumped over the bridge wall, and slid down the hillside to the path below.

Ten minutes later, he was standing outside the exit from the sewed, the ruins directly across the lake from him. The hike there had been uneventful, but pleasant. The midday air was comfortably warm, with a nice breeze keeping it from reaching extreme temperatures. Brad thoroughly enjoyed the green landscape around him, and even broke into a light jog as he ran through the scenery. If only his cross country team could come run here, it would be a nice change from the brown desert lands of Arizona they usually ran through.

But now Brad was trying to figure out a way of crossing the lake to get to the island the ruins sat on. He had no qualms with swimming; he was just weary of getting all his stuff wet. It would get heavy, and he thoroughly disliked anything that weighed him down. He gazed at his old knapsack he had found in the caves, and again marveled at its ability to hold whatever he shoved in it. He wondered if it had any magical abilities, and vaguely wished he had asked Raminus about it.

Deciding he had no other choice but to hope his stuff didn't get to heavy, he put away his sword, closed off his knapsack the best he could and headed for the water. As an afterthought, he pulled off his shirt, shoes and socks and plunged them into the bag as well. Without a second though he was wading through the shallows, and in a few second was up to his neck as he leisurely swam across.

The swim wasn't long at all. Brad guessed it was a hundred or two hundred feet at the most. He soon found himself trudging up onto the shore, dropping his dripping knapsack onto the warm sand before sitting on a rock. The water had been excellent, and he felt refreshed and ready for whatever he might find in the ruins before him. They seemed taller from here, and the dirty white blocks still gleamed magnificently in the sunlight.

He opened up his knapsack, and was utterly surprised. Everything was dry! The bag itself had been soaked thoroughly, but all of its contents were as dry as ever.

"There sure as hell must be something magical about this." Brad said aloud to no one.

He pulled on his shirt with his leather armor over it. He pulled on his socks and leather boots, and strapped his sword to his waist. He had decided to use Agarmir's sword, as morbid as it might be. He figured the stupid man owed it to him, after what Brad went through. Without a second though, he headed for the doors of the ruins. There was wording over the doors, and though they were in a weird script, Brad could make Vilverin. He took a deep breath and entered.

The darkness was suffocating. It was just like the caves with the emperor all over again, with everything made out of a white brick that gave off a faint bluish glow. Brad was leery about lighting a torch, and decided to first look for signs of life. He felt for the electrical presence inside of him, and in a matter of seconds had cast a purple smoke over his eyes. There appeared to be no aura's anywhere near by, so Brad figured it was safe. He knew that his detect life spell only lasted for about fifteen seconds, and determined to recast it.

He lit his torch with a fire spell, and set off down the tunnel. There was a staircase that wound around and led deeper into the ground. He made his way through the tunnels, casting his spell repeatedly, and finding nothing of interest.

After a few minutes, there was a sudden aura visible in front of him, several yards ahead. Brad quickly killed his torchlight, and moved slowly towards it. As his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness, he began to make out the outline of a person in the faint blue light. The figure was obviously a guard of sorts, as it stood diligently in the hallway, oblivious to Brad's present. Brad tightened his knapsack around him to reduce the noise, and crept closer.

The figure was dressed in some sort of furry armor. As Brad got closer, he realized it was a short female Imperial. She could obviously sense that something was moving around, as she slowly drew the blade at her side and peered into the darkness. Brad knew that if it came down to it, this woman would kill him in a heartbeat. He was close enough that he could have set her on fire, but he knew that that would ultimately result in a brawl to the death.

Not only did he not want to risk alerting the other bandits to his presence, he simply could not bring himself to kill this woman. So he did the only other thing he could do. He picked up a small rock that had broken off the wall, and lobbed it over the woman's head. It landed with a distinct crack behind her, and she turned swiftly to face the noise. He was immediately behind her, a large chunk of brick in his head. With a loud crack, he smashed it into the woman's head, crumpling her immediately. She still gave off an aura, but Brad checked her pulse anyways. She was out cold.

Stepping over her body, he cast his spell again. He counted at least five aura's radiating from beyond the wall in front of him. The path he was on branched both ways, but he knew the both ultimately led to the chamber the five bandits were hanging out in. Taking another deep breath, he crept through one of the doorways.

He was indeed in a large chamber. The bluish light was brighter here, and he could that there was only two bandits in this chamber. The rest of the signatures seemed to be coming from a lower area. There also seemed to be a branching path to his right. He was also not liking how many different paths there were, as more could be hiding out. He decided to try the area to his right, as he wasn't keen on sneaking past all the bandits around him.

The path led to a small room. There was a tall man sitting at a table in it, scrawling something hastily on a piece of paper. Brad marveled at how he was able to see, as the bluish glow was hardly worth anything. The man heard him coming, however, and paused. Brad hesitated, holding his breath.

"Didn't I say not to bother me?" the man said angrily.

"Apologies." Brad said without thinking, making his voice as low as possible. The bandit made no response to this, and continued to write hastily. Brad swallowed and edged forward again, making his way slowly into the room. If the bandit knew he was there, he made no sign to show it.

Brad moved as silently as he could, his heart racing and pounding loudly in his chest. He noticed there was a bed set up in the corner of the room, and a large chest at the foot of the bed. He knew that he should probably break into the chest and start gathering some loot, or his journey into this place would have been a waste of time.

As he made his way over to the chest, he did not notice that the scratching sound coming from the bandit's writing had stopped. It was only when he felt the cold metal of a sword pressed against his throat.

"Stand up." the man said softly. Brad did as he was told, slowly rising without turning around. Suddenly the blade disappeared from his throat, and Brad knew what was going to happen next. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Brad spun around without thinking. The man was in the middle of swinging his blade, which would have ended in Brad's head coming clean off.

Brad stopped the blade with his left hand while punching the man in the jaw with his right. The bandit hardly stumbled from the blow, and immediately began slashing at Brad. Brad jumped back away from the blade, flinging fire at the man before drawing his own sword. The flaming ball hit the bandit straight in the face, causing him to yelp and stagger. Brad didn't hesitate; he whacked the man as hard as he could with the flat of his sword, still leery about killing him.

The man stumbled and fell on the ground, lying still. He seemed to be unconscious, but Brad didn't know for sure. Not lowering his sword, he stepped cautiously towards the bandit. Without warning, the man popped up of the ground and plunged his blade deep into Brad's stomach, ripping through his insides and out his lower back.

Brad simply gasped, unable to really draw a breath. He could feel the blood rushing up his throat, making a gurgling sound. The bandit smirked and yanked his sword back out, causing Brad to collapse onto his knees. He couldn't feel anything. He knew there should be an excruciating pain, but all he could feel was a cold numbness.

Without even thinking about it he could feel the tingle of Magicka. He knew that somehow, he had been subconsciously drawing forth the power to try and mend the wound together. While it wasn't mending quickly or efficiently, it was working well enough for Brad to realize that the bandit was wasting no time in attempting to execute him.

Brad clumsily dove aside to avoid the bandit's blade. This movement caused him to lose his feeling of shock, resulting in a tremendous amount of pain. Blood was pouring heavily from his open wound, his flow of Magicka interrupted from healing it. This didn't stop him from striking back at the bandit, however.

Enraged, Brad kicked the man hard in the groin, resulting in the usual reaction. In a surprisingly swift motion, Brad was behind the man, both hands gripping his lower jaw. He twisted. There was a sickening crack as the bandit's neck broke. His body felt limp. He emitted a slow, eerie death rattle as the last of his breath exited from his lungs. In a matter of seconds, the man was dead.

Brad was on the floor immediately, coughing up blood. He tried desperately to focus his mind enough to heal his wound, but the pain made it impossible. Desperate, he fumbled with heavy hands through his knapsack. He finally found what he was searching for, and immediately poured the silvery liquid from the vial down his throat. The effect was instantaneous, with the pain subsiding greatly and the blood flow coming to a stop. Brad drank another just in case, leaving only a dull ache and a bright pink scar.

Oh God, he thought. What have I gotten myself into?

He leaned against the wall, his eyes closed as he mentally kicked himself over and over again. How could he have possibly been prepared for something like this? He remembered what Lea had said, about these people having no qualms with murdering him on the spot. Its not that he hadn't believed her or taken her seriously, he just could not bring himself to think that anyone could be like that. And now here he was, cowering in the dark, somewhere deep underground, having nearly been killed and on the brink of tears from it. He refused to cry again though.

He then realized that even though everything seemed completely out of his control right now, he wasn't going to let the situation get the best of him. He was simply going to have to make some changes in order to get a handle on things. It was something he had always been good at, adapting to a situation so that it always worked in his favor. Sure, it had never been as extreme as this, but he would have to do his best.

It was with this mindset that he stood up and prepared himself. From now on he would not hold back; if someone tried to kill him, he would kill them first.

First of all, he thought. We need to see what we can use in here.

He glanced at the dead bandit. Lea had mentioned that looting corpses was perfectly legal and normal, but he nonetheless felt a little hesitant. After a few second, he strode over to the body. He wasn't too keen on the idea of taking off the man's armor, and instead just felt through his pockets. He found a small pouch containing a few pieces of gold, and a rusty old key. He took the man's sword too, figuring he could get something out of it.

The room itself wasn't too interesting. There was a chest at the foot of the bed, and the key from the bandit naturally fit into it. There wasn't anything of much interest inside, however, other than some more gold. Brad also checked out the desk that the man has been sitting out, and tried reading the letter from the dim glow of a small candle Brad lit. The note was more confusing than anything, and seemed more of a journal of sorts. It told of how some large blue stones the bandits had found scattered throughout the ruins reeked of Magicka. Brad noticed a few of these stones in a small basket under the desk, and dumped them into his knapsack.

The rest of the note talked of how two of the bandits, someone named 'Two-Coins' and a Khajiit from Vvardenfell, had decided to make camp in one of the lower levels. Apparently, the Khajiit disappeared, leaving Two-Coins alone. Two-Coins immediately returned, reporting that all he could hear were distinct scratching noises coming from inside the walls of the ruins. Brad felt a slight shiver run down his spine, remembering what Lea had said about black magic.

A few minutes later, Brad was creeping back out into the large chamber. The bandits were staggered about, some scouting out the area while others tied together bundles of loot. Brad crept past the silently. There seemed to be plenty of things Brad could have taken with him, but the risk of being caught was too great. He did stumble across another chest, and inside he procured a good amount of gold and other useless but valuable items.

He soon came upon a ledge, and the seemingly only way to continue through the ruins was to drop to the lower area. He wasn't too keen on idea, as the impact would not only be painful, it would be extremely loud. It was then that he noticed the make-shift ladder the bandits had constructed one side of the pit. He made his way to it, determined that there was no one nearby via spell, and descended. Perhaps the ladder was rotted, or he was just overweight, for her had almost reached the bottom when the ladder slapped off with a twang! that reverberated in the air around him and sent Brad clattering to the floor. It went unnoticed by the bandits, but left Brad cursing. He would have to find another way up.

He continued on. It wasn't long before he came upon a door of sorts. It was more like a section of wall that somehow opened if pushed. There was a large, glowing mural of a tree on the door. Before Brad could go through, the silence was broken by a loud, gut-wrenching shriek, followed by a stampede of footsteps mixed with shouting.

"Murder! The boss is dead!" echoed throughout the ruins. Brad hesitated for a second and heard, "Look! The ladder!" That was all he needed to hear.

"Ah shit." Brad mumbled as he quickly slipped through the door, pushing it closed. The large stone door seemed to completely seal off all the noise coming from beyond it, leaving Brad standing in the dark silence yet again. Knowing he had a matter of seconds before the whole gang of bandits found him. He sprinted blindly through the corridors, casting Detect Life. No purple hazes appeared in his vision.

There was a bright light ahead of him, and he found himself standing in a sort of central room that branched off four ways. In the center of the room was a pedestal. There was what looked like an old fashioned urn sitting on the pedestal, but Brad wasn't sure how it opened. He decided he would have to come back to it after the bandits had passed. He sprinted off, choosing the path straight ahead of him. It was a dead end.

At this point Brad heard the unmistakable sounds of running coming from behind him. Left with no choice, he darted into a corner next to a tomb-like structure, crouching down and flattening himself into the wall. The footsteps stopped, and Brad was able to make out voices.

"—that direction." someone was saying. "We'll search over this way, and you go straight."

There were murmurs of agreement and then silence. Brad struggled to control his breathing, feeling as if his heart was going to burst through his chest. He mentally kicked himself for not recasting Detect Life again, and knew that if he tried it now he would likely be spotted. Sure enough, he sensed that someone else was in the small room with him, and was just barely able to hear the person's light footsteps.

The bandit drew closer to Brad's hiding spot, until he was actually breathing on Brad's face. Brad silently held his own breath, flattening himself against the wall as much as possible, willing himself to sink through it.

Time seemed to come to a standstill. The bandit continued to crouch in front of Brad, breathing lightly on his face, while Brad struggled to keep his own breath contained. For what seemed an eternity the two crouched there, with neither moving a fraction of an inch. Brad wasn't even certain if the bandit knew he was there, or if he was just listening for some sort of movement. Brad realized, however, that he had been unconsciously gripping the hilt of his sword the entire time. He knew then what he must do.

Soon enough, the bandit stood up again. Brad didn't hesitate one second. He sprung to his feet, his sword piercing up through the bandit's lower abdomen, coming out just below the back of his neck. He made an odd gurgling sound, and by some bizarre coincidence the bluish glow hit at just the right angle that Brad was able to make out the bandit's face.

He was actually a she. She looked young, was a bit shorter than Brad, and reminded him of Lea. She must have been a Breton. Brad realized she was actually very beautiful, despite her rugged look and cold blue eyes. Right now, however, her face was frozen in a look of utter disbelief and surprise. Her widened eyes pierced into Brad's, and he watched as they slowly glazed over and became lifeless. Her body collapsed onto the floor, leaving Brad staring at the darkness, the image of her bright blue eyes and shocked look forever burned into his memory.

He leaned across the tomb, holding his face in his hands. This was supposed to get easier…" he thought to himself. He knew that he was going to have to kill a woman eventually, but a part of him apparently didn't believe it. And now he had killed both man and woman. Maybe now it really would get easier.

Steeling his mind and body, he cast Detect Life yet again. The other bandits were still lurking off in the distance. Deciding he had no choice, he crept back through the hallways. It was then that he discovered that were little sub-passages that connected the four halls, so he turned right and worked his way over. Whichever bandit had been tasked with searching this area had already moved on.

He found himself in yet another dead end. Just as he was about to turn around and head back, a distinct scratching noise came from inside the wall. Shivers ran down his spine as he heard this. The scratching persisted and seemed to get louder and more furious. Just then, the bandits returned, torches ablaze.

Brad jumped back just in time as a large, metal hammer crashed into the stone he had been standing on. He sidestepped just as an arrow whizzed past his ear, sticking into the wall. He felt a strange sinking feeling. Looking down, he saw that the stone he was on had just sunk about a foot into the ground. A loud rumbling echoed throughout the little room as a large chunk of the wall sunk into the floor.

For the moment, Brad stood in the corner forgotten. The bandits paused, weapons aimed at the hole in the wall. An arrow suddenly whizzed through, sticking one bandit squarely in the head. Everyone simply watched him fall to the floor, just as a flood of skeleton's armed with blades and such came charging through the hole, accompanied by the zombie like creatures Brad had encountered in the sewers where the emperor died.

And thus the battle began. Swords, hammers and arrows all clashed as the bandits engaged the undead. Brad was now completely forgotten, and took this opportunity to get away. He was cornered in the small room, however, but soon spotted a small ledge a little ways up the wall. He quickly climbed on top of a tomb-like structure, and then leapt from there, grabbing the ledge with his legs dangling below him. A skeleton noticed this, and tried slashing at his legs with a blade. Brad tucked them up, causing the blade to barely miss and the skeleton to stumble forward from the momentum. Brad used this to his advantage, pushing both legs firmly off the skeleton's head, causing the creature to clatter to the ground and giving Brad just enough momentum to roll his body onto the ledge.

"Lara Croft don't got shit on this." he muttered aloud as he stood up, watching the battle ensue below him. The bandits were greatly outnumbered, though luckily the undead were weak enough that it seemed a pretty even fight. He began flinging fireballs at random into the crowd, not caring who or what they hit. He knew he needed to get through the passage way and into the rest of the ruins, and waited for an opportunity.

It finally came, as both bandit and monster had moved aside enough for Brad to get through. He leapt off of his ledge, spinning in mid-air to grab onto it and using his momentum to fling feet-first into the opening in the wall. He hit the ground at an angle, turning what could have been a painful landing into a slide tackle you would see at a soccer game. This turned out to be useful, as he slid right into an archer-skeleton, causing the creature to flip through the air and slam onto the ground, its rotted bones shattering.

"More Lara Croft." Brad muttered as he stood up and sprinted down the hallway. What he hadn't expected, however, was for the whole host of undead, who seemed to have an incredibly short-attention span, to turn and sprint after him. This left the remaining bandits no choice but to follow.

"Son of a BITCH!" Brad shouted as he saw the stampede of bandits and monsters pursuing him. He sprinted even harder, not caring where he ended up. To zombies appeared out of the darkness ahead of him. Hardly pausing, Brad plunged his blade through the chest of one and in one swift movement twirled around to decapitate the other. He continued down the hallway, dispatching whatever resistance he encountered.

He found himself in yet another chamber, this one brightly illuminated. He hardly looked around, however, as he soon spotted a gate-like door on the far wall. He sprinted over to it, only to learn that it was locked. Turning around, he saw that the horde of undead and the gang of bandits were coming up on him.

"Screw this." he said as he backed up several steps. Charging forward, he leapt into the air, hitting the gate feet first, causing him to crash to the ground as the gate broke off of its hinges and clattered to the floor. Brad wasted no time getting up and running through the doorway, as the battle between bandits and undead resumed behind him.

He was in yet another hallway, populated with yet more undead. He fought his way through, suffering minor scrapes and bruises that Magicka quickly healed. Deciding that stealth was long gone, he lit his torch to make the goings easier. Soon enough the hallways opened up on one side and Brad saw that he was on a sort of balcony overlooking a large chamber. There was a deep pool in the center of the chamber.

The battle had somehow managed to find its way into this chamber, as the last two remaining bandits dueled with countless undead. They were obviously losing, and they knew it. Their retreat was cut off. Brad saw that on the far side of the chamber was another door with the strange, glowing tree carved into it. He knew that was his exit.

Caution thrown to the wind, he secured his belongings and vaulted over the railing. He landed on the ground below, and immediately was engaged in combat with a couple of skeletons. Knocking them aside, he worked his way over to the door, his only focus being escape. Just as he reached the door, the last bandit was slaughtered. All attention soon focused on him, and without hesitation Brad slipped through the doorway and shut if behind him.

They monsters were apparently unable to open these doors, as none followed him. Finally feeling a bit of security, he quickly moved forward. It was strangely quiet, making Brad all the more weary. He soon reached another large chamber, though there didn't appear to be anything interesting in it. At the far end was another gate, and it too was locked. Brad could easily tell that this gate could not be broken down, however. He would have to resort to finding a key.

Making his way back to the other side of the room, he noticed that there were peculiar looking stones set against a pillar in rows of two-by-three. They were all giving off a faint glow, and looked almost like buttons. Brad cautiously pushed one of them, and sure enough it slid into the pillar. At the same time, a section of the wall to his right slid into the ground just as before. Brad walked over to the opening, sword drawn, only to be greeted by a zombie that was soon killed. There was nothing else in the alcove.

Realizing what he had to do, Brad jogged back to the buttons and tried a different one. Sure enough, a different section opened with the first closing. There was nothing in this alcove either, save an angry skeleton. Brad tried two more buttons, both to no avail. Finally, his fourth button revealed an alcove containing one of those urn-like things. Brad figured out how to open it, and sure enough inside was an old-fashioned key. He eagerly snatched it and jogged back to the gate, unlocking it and moving on.

There was nothing of interest after this point, and he soon found himself in front of another tree-door. On the other side, he soon found a small chamber with another pedestal, though this one was empty. There was a depression in the top of the pedestal though, and Brad knew that someone had taken whatever was here. He moved through the hallway past it, coming upon a large chamber.

There was a large fire blazing in the center of the chamber, surrounded by bones and corpses. An altar sat near the fire, on top of which was the body of a large cat, which Brad realized to be a Khajiit. The Khajiit looked as if an autopsy had been performed, or an Anatomy-class dissection, as its insides were open and exposed. What disturbed Brad the most, however, was the Redguard that stood over the corpse muttering an incantation, wearing a hooded black robe. The Redguard paused and turned to look at Brad.

"You have the absolute worst timing ever." the man said.

"What?" Brad asked, bemused. "Who the hell are you?"

"Jalbert." the man said casually with a hint of annoyance. "And if you had waited another five minutes before interrupting me, the spell would have been finished. I'm assuming then you've managed to get past all my guards and traps?"

"You mean all the undead?" Brad said, motioning behind him as he walked over to Jalbert, his sword raised. "Yeah, I did. So I'm guessing you're the black mage that was rumored to live down here."

"That would be me." Jalbert responded, leaning against the altar as if having a casual conversation. "And you are the brave hero that has come to slay me, right?"

"If need be." Brad said wearily.

"Well you don't sound too confident." Jalbert said. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to finish my experiment. You're going to die one way or another, so why not let me have some fun first?"

"What are you going to do?" Brad asked, looking at the mutilated corpse.

"Hopefully," Jalbert explained. "Create the most powerful undead creature ever known. I have removed the Khajiit's organs, and replaced them with those of the strongest variety, like from a troll or minotaur, even daedra. If it works, then this corpse will revive as something incredibly powerful. Mannimarco will most definitely welcome me into his cult with a discovery like this. All I need is to draw the power from this Ayleid statue." He motioned to a large ornate statue placed next to the corpse.

"Good god…" Brad muttered, absolutely horrified. He hesitated a split second, then lunged at Jalbert with his blade. Jalbert nimbly leapt aside, laughing.

"Have it your way," Jalbert said. He swung his arm in a wide arc, sending blue electricity throughout the chamber. All at once, every corpse sprang to life and charged at Brad.

Brad wasn't even sure what was going on. He began dueling left and right, deflecting a blow here, decapitating a corpse there. All he knew was the Jalbert seemed to be making for the exit, the large Ayleid statue in his arms. Why he was trying to escape, Brad did not know, but he knew that he wanted that horrible man dead. He shoved aside a large host of creatures, and sprinted after the sorcerer.

When he reached him, Jalbert spun around and swung his own blade at Brad. The two dueled, and both had to deflect the undead. Brad understood why Jalbert was trying to escape: not even he was safe from his own creations. So Brad used this to his advantage.

Jalbert swung his blade hard. Brad deflected the blow, and used Jalbert's temporary moment of recovery. Sidestepping swiftly, Brad grabbed a fistful of Jalbert's robes and swung the man straight into a skeleton. Jalbert and the monster grappled briefly, but Jalbert quickly caused the creature to explode from a bolt of electricity. However, as he turned to face Brad, Brad plunged his sword straight through Jalbert's heart.

Jalbert gasped once, then all the air left him. He collapsed on the floor, his blood flowing freely over the stone floor. All of the undead died with him, collapsing into a pile of corpses yet again. Brad stood for a moment, catching his breath, then snatched the large Ayleid statue away from the dead man.

"Now I really feel like Lara Croft." Brad said as he plunged the statue into his knapsack. "Kill the bad guy, save the world, claim the prize."

Now willing to stay in this place any longer, he made his way through the exit, and after a lengthy set of stairs, found himself on a ledge overlooking where he had first entered the ruins. Without further hesitation, Brad leapt off the ledge and charged out into the open air.

Ten minutes later, he was floating lazily across the lake. He had stripped off all his clothing and shoved it in his rucksack, letting the cool water flow over his aching, blood and grime encrusted body. He still wasn't sure how he was still alive, but he was not going to let it go to waste. All his anxiety seemed to flow away with the water, and the warm cheerful sunlight greatly calmed his mind after the fear and anxiety that accompanied the darkness of the ruins.

Eventually, he made his way back into the city. The sun was just barely beginning to set, and the streets of the city lit up as if they were on fire. Wanting nothing more than to take a bath, eat a large dinner, and of course hang out with Lea, Brad trudged towards the Merchant's Inn. Passerbies on the streets paid him little attention, as apparently it was an accepted fact that he was one of those 'treasure-hunters.'

However, a large man that Brad recognized as a Nord approached him. "Are you Bradyn Torrez, from beyond the seas?" the Nord asked. Brad nodded, confused and weary. "Good. Word has it you raided the ruins of Vilverin today."

"Right…" Brad said, mildly surprised at how fast word gets around.

"Good." the man said again. "I am Jollring. My master, Umbacano of the Talos Plaza District, would really like to speak to you. You must come at once, as it is most urgent. My master does not send out invitations lightly."

"What does he want with me?" Brad said, too tired to try and trust some stranger.

"That is a matter between you and him. I am just the messenger." Jollring said. "Please, come with me. I assure you no harm shall come of you."

Brad hesitated. "Whatever." he finally replied, and followed the Nord. Soon enough, he found himself inside a pretty large and pretty nice looking manor. Jollring led him up a set of stairs, motioning for Brad to go through the door on his own. He did.

Inside, a tall Altmer man was seated at a table. He motioned for Brad to do the same.

"Hello!" the Altmer said. "So good to finally meet you, Master Bradyn. I hear you're quite the treasure hunter."

"That's what they tell me." Brad said, utterly confused. The man laughed, not realizing Brad was serious.

"Well as I'm sure you know," he said. "My name is Umbacano. And I am a collector of all things ancient and mystical. Naturally then, anything to do with the Ayleids!"

He laughed again; Brad gave him a small smile. "Well then," Umbacano continued. "I head you recently raided Vilverin. Tell me then, what did you find?"

"Uh…" Brad stammered. "Well…there was a group of bandits, and a ton of undead monsters—"

"Yes, yes, utterly horrible." Umbacano said, clearly not listening. "But did you happen to find a statue?"

"You mean like this?" Brad said, pulling out the Ayleid statue from his bag. Umbacano's eyes lit up.

"Oh my!" he exclaimed, taking the statue from Brad and admiring it. "I knew Vilverin had one! I knew it! Unfortunately," he said to Brad. "I couldn't find anyone willing to investigate for me, due to rumors of a necromancer… By the Nine! Do you know what this is, Master Torrez?"

"An Ayleid statue." Brad said. "That's what Jalbert called it, anyways."

"Jalbert?" Umbacano inquired. "So he was the necromancer…I should've guessed. Anyways, this statue is one of the Ten Ancestors. They were ten statues crafted by the Ayleids, said to hold all the knowledge and power of the ancients. They were all kept in the Temple of the Ancestors, which is now what we know as the White Gold Tower. However, when the temple nearly fell due to a rebellion in Cyrodiil, the statues were separated and each was sent to be stored in a different Ayleid city, what we now know as the various Ayleid ruins scattered throughout the lands. Vilverin was obviously one of them."

"So if all ten statues were to be found," Brad asked, intrigued. "What would happen?"

"Well," Umbacano said. "The possessor of the Ten Ancestors would basically become an incredibly powerful being, said to rival even the Nine Divines in power. And to think, one of these statues has been under my nose this entire time…"

"Do you have any idea where the others might be?" Brad asked, definitely intrigued.

"Only vague ones." Umbacano replied. He remained quiet, lost in thought. After a minute, he said, "I am going to offer you a job, young Bradyn. Find me the other nine statues, and I will pay you greatly."

"If only it were so easy…" Brad said.

"You're right." Umbacano said. "The statues were hidden in order NOT to be found. How about this, I will pay you five-hundred gold for this statue, and an additional five-thousand if you can bring me the whole set. You will not be without help, as I will devote all my time and energy to researching possible locations and informing you of my findings. Of course, you are going to have to just look on your own as well. What do you say?"

"Sounds great to me." Brad said, thoroughly intrigued at this sort of idea.

"Wonderful!" Umbacano said. "Well then, I must get to my researching! Talk to Jollring at the door, he'll give your payment. I expect I shall be seeing you soon."

And with that, Brad was basically shooed. He made his way out of the manor, stopping to get his payment from Jollring. Sure enough, 500 gold pieces was added to his coin purse. As he headed back for the Merchant's Inn, he was beginning for the first time to feel as if being stuck in this strange land wouldn't be that bad. Heck, he'd just gotten a job as a sort of archaeologist. He didn't think it could get much better.

Of course, Brad thought. My first priority will be to do what the Emperor wanted me to do.

Author's Note: There you have it. I have no idea when the 4th chapter will be up, but just hang in there with me okay! Summer is fast approaching, which means plenty of time for updates for me. Okay? Reviews would be lovely.