Standing in front of the Chapel of Arkay, Lilia surveyed the scene in front of her. Dusk was falling, and the plastered houses were a pale shade of pink in the faltering sunlight. Taking the bust of Llathasa Indarys, recently deceased Countess of Cheydinhal, had been an incredibly easy task. The Nord warrior assigned to guard the bust was clad in heavy armour, stomping from side to side in the chapel undercroft. Lilia had watched through the door, using her detect life spell, until the guard was almost on the far side of the undercroft. She had cast a strong chameleon spell and slipped inside to the quiet crypt. Moving in bare feet she had slid through the shadows every time the Nord woman's back was turned. Lilia smiled to herself. She had even had the foresight to find a chunk of white stone, taken from the detritus around an Aylied ruin, and had blasted it with magicka until it was the approximate shape and size of a female head. Judging by the single mindedness of the Nord guard, who never once deviated in her trek from one side of the croft and back again, the switch probably wouldn't be discovered for hours.

She let her detect life spell widen. Suddenly she felt a sharp force, as if someone had reached inside of her and pulled her forward. She slid back against the chapel walls, quickly casting an invisibility spell. She could feel the cool stones against her back. She watched as an invisible figure came into view, headed towards the abandoned house across the street. Judging by the size and shape the purple glow made in her mind's eye, it was a male. She could easily feel evil emanating from him, sensing it as though tendrils of terrible cold were coiling around her ankles. Watching unseen she saw him slip into the house, tracking his progress down into the cellar. Suddenly the shape vanished. Looking around, Lilia confirmed that her detect life spell hadn't failed. Either this man had teleported, or else he had entered someplace strongly shielded against detection magic.

Her pulse racing with excitement, she inched to the corner of the chapel, hiding behind a small willow. She would wait all night if she had to, but she would not budge until she saw the glow return.

Fortunately for Lilia the purple shape returned shortly after eleven. The tugging feeling confirmed that it was the same man. From her vantage point she watched him walk towards the footbridge, heading towards the west side of the city. Maintaining her invisibility, she made her way to the east bank of the bubbling creek that separated the town into two halves. She waited as she watched the man make his way into the alley behind the guild halls. Taking the opportunity she slipped off her shoes and quickly ran across the bridge, letting the muscles of her feet rise and fall in the controlled manner that she had been taught. The wooden planks under her didn't make a sound. Standing at the edge of the bridge she watched the man start walking again, this time towards the west gate. The massive wooden gates had been shut for the night; the two halves of the coiled serpent and crown motif of Cheydinhal wrought in iron on the doors reflected the dancing light of the street lamps.

Much to her surprise the invisible figure was now visible. It was definitely a man, tall and athletically built. He moved with the grace of a Khajiiti acrobat, his strides long and purposeful. He wore a fitted black cloak with matching hood, and had black leather gloves and boots. He was heading to speak to the guards.

"Ah, Lucien, good to see you again." The smaller of the two guards greeted the robed man. The taller guard flinched and moved away.

"As I've told you before, it's Mr. Lachance. Now open the gate." The man's voice was deep and held an undercurrent of danger. The small guard almost tripped over his own feet as he opened one of the gate doors, apologizing the whole time for his error. Lilia would swear that the taller one was holding his breath. Without waiting for the gate to open fully, Lucien slipped out into the night. The short guard quickly pulled the gate closed and locked it again, after dropping the keys twice.

Not wanting the town guards to know she'd left town, as they didn't even know she had entered it, Lilia moved south along the town wall, watching the man she now knew as Lucien through the thick stone blocks. Not wanting to risk disrupting her invisibility spell, and not confident that even her strongest chameleon spell would keep her hidden from the man she tracked, she reached up and found a finger hold where the mortar between the wall blocks had crumbled away. Moving as quickly as she dared she climbed the wall. Crouching at the top she gave silent thanks to Stendarr to see that Lucien hadn't retrieved a horse from the stables. He was walking west along the Blue Road at a quick pace. As quietly as she could she climbed down the wall and headed west, after Lucien.

Now that she'd finally found him, she had no idea what to do next.


Lucien had chosen to walk to Bravil. It was only a few hours journey, and he didn't feel like going back to Fort Farragut to retrieve his horse, Shadowmere. She'd been difficult on the last trip, trying to bite his hands and she'd once stopped suddenly from a fast gallop, almost throwing him off. While she was the fastest horse in Cyrodiil, she was also the most cantankerous. She didn't like traveling from her home too frequently, so Lucien often found himself walking when his reason for traveling wasn't too urgent. He'd once tried to discipline her while she was in a foul mood; his bruises had lasted a month. He thanked Sithis that none of his fellow assassins had witnessed the incident.

As he headed south along the Red Ring highway, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He'd done his standard evasive tactics but had been unable to find anyone. His detect life spells had revealed nothing but deer. He walked along a section of road that passed through a small forest. He could hear the Rumare lapping against the shore to his right. He could also hear drunken singing coming from further up the road. Stopping, he quickly cast his invisibility spell. He stood still, listening to the voices. From the off-key sounds he could hear a male Nord, a female Khajiit, and a male and female elf. He always found the accents of the elven races hard to determine from a distance.

He was about to start walking again when he saw a dark figure emerge from the trees in front of him. The person was clothed entirely in black, hood drawn, with a small black pouch strapped to its back. Crouching low, the figure made its way along the road, towards the source of the music. Intrigued, Lucien waited a few minutes and then followed, moving soundlessly.

The dark figure crept back into the trees, moving forward until just a few feet from the edge of the woods, next to the clearing where the bandit camp was located. Lucien entered the trees as well. The black figure was hard to spot, but he could see the round outline of the top of the head silhouetted against the campfire. Minutes passed, as Lucien learnt the words to The Lonely Farmer's Daughter and Her Magic Carrot. He grinned to himself. What would the members of his sanctuary think of their beloved speaker if he taught them this song?

Finally the song ended, and the Nord stood up. "I'll be right back. Don't open the sujamma without me." he slurred. The other bandits moaned and began heckling the Nord, joking that he should have been named Sven Broken-Bladder. With a few choice curses the Nord left the group and walked behind the tents, heading towards the forest.

Lucien watched the dark figure creep among the trees towards the large man. He tensed as he waited for the kill, the cries of the others, and the ensuing battle. Sven fumbled with his coarse linen pants. With surprising speed the figure stepped out next to the Nord, silver dagger embedding itself into the base of his skull before he could even turn his head. The figure caught the large man as he collapsed, and quickly tore a section of the Nord's shirt out from under his leather armour. Wadding it into a ball, the dark figure pushed it against the bleeding wound and lifted the Nord up, carrying him back into the forest.

Lucien was impressed. With the help of the moonlight he had been able to determine that it was a female, and she was obviously skilled. Not many people knew about the spot at the back of the head that would kill instantly, and fewer were accurate enough to hit it on the first try.

After a few minutes the remaining bandits started calling to Sven. They drunkenly argued amongst themselves about who was going to go looking for the Nord, after having agreed that he had most likely fallen asleep on his feet again. The male Wood Elf, Gelthor, was chosen by the women to go look. Both loudly stated that they certainly didn't want to find him if he'd fallen asleep without re-fastening his breeches.

The Bosmer stumbled behind the tents, calling out Sven's name. The female bandits launched into a loud and colourful conversation about their experiences with the contents of other men's breeches. Gelthor tripped over a rock and fell heavily to the ground. Before he could stand again the female assassin was on him, dagger quickly sliding into the back of his neck. As with her last kill she tore the Wood Elf's shirt from his body and wadded it up against the bleeding puncture. She lifted up the body and returned to the trees.

Lucien was now feeling unsettled. He wasn't sure what he was watching, but he quickly thought over the recent list of contracts. He was sure there wasn't anything about a bandit, or bandit camp, being eliminated. The other assassin was skilled, and if she wasn't Dark Brotherhood, then she might be Morag Tong. He slid his dagger out of its sheath. The reassuring weight of the poisoned ebony blade soothed him. Whatever was happening, he was ready.

The female bandits were now calling for both Gelthor and Sven, an edge of nervousness easily heard in their voices. After a few minutes of bickering over whether to go look for them, or to stay by the campfire, or to run away down the road, the Khajiit stood up.

"This one has had enough of your orders. This one knows when something is wrong, and this one is leaving." The Khajiit picked up her heavy iron war hammer and started moving towards the road. The Dunmer cursed, grabbing her bow and standing with her back to the campfire, she notched an arrow in preparation. With that she faced towards the tents, where the men had last been seen.

"You go Trissi, but don't be surprised when you get your throat slit."

Lucien felt the air move as the assassin ran past him, heading through the trees towards the area where the clearing met the road. She hadn't made a sound as she sped through the dense undergrowth. He was glad that he'd been sure to renew his invisibility spell. Turning, he watched as she slid out from the trees, stabbing the Khajiit in the same place as the others as Trissi walked toward the road. This time the assassin simply pulled off the Khajiit's skirt, placing it against the back of her head and lifted her into the bushes.

"Trissi, wait! Come back here! If you don't get your mangy butt back here right now, you'll never work with us again!" The Dunmer called out to the Khajiit, never moving her eyes from the tents. "Trissi?"

A sudden sound from behind her caused the Dark Elf to turn. The light from the campfire made it difficult to see, and she squinted to spot the source of the sound.

Lucien had seen the black figure creep up to the tents, being careful not to stray into the Dark Elf's line of sight. He saw the large rock go sailing far up over the Dunmer's head, landing against a group of stones behind her. The noise caused the bandit to turn, and that was all the assassin needed. Just like the others she quickly moved forward, dagger gracefully plunging up into the Dunmer's skull. As with the Nord she reached under the leather armour and pulled out a handful of cloth. This time, instead of carrying the corpse to the trees, she headed down to the sandy banks of the Rumare.

Lucien stood motionless as he watched her lift each body and carry it down to the lake. She took the fourth bandit down to the water and didn't return. After a few minutes of waiting curiosity got the better of him. Lucien moved along the ring of trees towards the water until he could see what was happening. What he saw certainly wasn't what he'd expected.

The assassin had stripped the armour, weapons, and clothes off the bandits. It was separated into two piles – metal and everything else. She stood waist deep in the water, the partially dismembered body of the Khajiit floating in front of her. The Khajiit's face was covered with her bloodstained skirt, which had been tied around her neck. Her right arm and leg were already missing, and the assassin was busy cutting the left leg off at the knee. With a morbid fascination Lucien watched as she severed at the hip, the forearm, and the shoulder. He noticed that the other bodies were partially in the water, the blood soaked strips of cloth tied around their necks floating in the surf.

As the assassin released the torso of the Khajiit into the water, he heard small clicking sounds. Mud crabs, attracted by the scent of fresh blood, were swimming towards the various pieces of Trissi. Without even looking at them, the assassin pulled the Nord into the water and proceeded to do the same thing. Lucien watched as more mud crabs swam up to investigate. Two of them were battling over what looked like Sven's upper arm.

As she cut apart the Dunmer an intrepid mud crab swam up to the assassin, following the freshest scent of blood. Without pausing in her work she finished detaching the left forearm, and holding it by the hand she used it as a club to knock the mud crab out of the water, sending it flying in an arc to land with a large splash a few feet away. After a couple of repeat performances on more of the curious creatures, using an upper arm and a lower leg, the mud crabs seemed to keep their distance.

Finishing with the Wood Elf the assassin came closer to shore, the water lapping at her knees. Lucien watched her walk a little way up the coast, noting that she was staying in the water where her footprints would be washed away. Once she was a reasonable distance away from the feasting crabs she walked into the water until it was up to her shoulders, and then dropped under the surface. He saw her stand, and again plunge into the water. He knew she was washing away any traces of blood. After a few more dunks she headed back to the shore.

Her next act was to take the metal armour and weapons and throw the pieces far into the lake, letting them sink to the bottom. She grabbed the bundle of everything else and headed back to the camp. Lucien saw her open a large bottle, most likely the sujamma, and after tossing the clothes on the fire she poured out the contents of the bottle. With a large flash the fire quickly consumed everything.

She headed towards Lucien's position in the trees. Holding his breath, he could still feel the cold sensation of his invisibility spell against his skin. Not daring to move, he watched her pull out a large branch from the forest floor. Walking backwards towards the water she swept the leaves back and forth across the sand, erasing all footprints. When she reached the water she tossed the branch onto the wet sand and put one foot on it to keep it from washing away. Her footprints had been erased, but the sand was too smooth to be natural. He watched with amusement as she grabbed two mud crabs from behind, careful to keep her hands away from their claws, and tossed them onto the sand. Over and over again she threw startled mud crabs onto the beach, making sure to select those that had already eaten their fill. Looking at the surface of the water Lucien realized that all of the body parts had disappeared, and the mud crabs were slowly making their way back to their own territory.

When she was satisfied that the beach looked normal, she walked through the shallow water to where the trees were closest to the sand. Laying the long branch on the ground, she walked along its length and then hopped into the bushes. She made her way through the trees until she reached the point where the grass began to grow, and stepped out. Lucien watched as she checked the fire, and then headed into a tent, pulling the canvas door closed behind her.

Casting his detect life spell, he watched as the woman moved around inside. She seemed to be re-arranging the furniture, and her movements indicated that she had changed clothes. Finally he saw her stretch out on the ground. Looking up at the sky, Lucien guessed that there were only a couple hours of darkness left. He stepped forward into the clearing. He'd made up his mind that regardless of her origins, he was going to have a chat with this mystery assassin. If she was Morag Tong he would have to kill her as a matter of principle, and if she was Dark Brotherhood he was looking forward to an interesting conversation about what he had just seen. And if she was freelance, well…

Waiting for the Serpent to crest over the horizon, Lucien realized that whoever she was, she'd just killed four people without leaving a trace. No sign of struggle, no hint of violence. It was as if they had all just vanished off the face of Nirn. Judging his wait at having lasted at least an hour, he turned to look at the tent. He'd been casting his detect life spell periodically, and the sleeping figure hadn't stirred. He noted a soft glow halfway up the wall behind the tan canvas. He guessed that she had left a couple of candles lit on a table. Keeping his dagger in his right hand, he hid it behind his back. Letting his invisibility spell finally lapse, he used his left hand to lift the fabric door and stepped inside.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw her quickly rise to meet him. Taking in the red hair, darkly lined grey eyes, and tight black dress he almost stumbled when she spoke to him, her voice a soft purr. It was very rare for him to be surprised by anything anymore, but she'd managed to do just that.

"Welcome, Mr. Lachance. I've been waiting for you." Lifting a dark green bottle off the table, she motioned for him to sit. "Care for some sujamma?"