A/N: Just a friendly reminder, if you don't like a particular author's style, stop reading the story and don't blame or shame the author. There's a big difference between constructive criticism and being rude. It's not the author's fault if the story is not exactly the way you want it and you have no obligation to continue reading. I try my best to give you a story that you will enjoy reading and that I will enjoy writing. We don't want to go back to the days where I catered entirely to the readers without any regard to my own interests. Those stories made me feel terrible and had no trace of my passion in them. That being said, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

…..

It had been a fortnight since the first day of the new term at the Arcane University and already a noticeable amount of students were displaying signs of overwork. There were still a handful of new Novices who hadn't realized the strain yet (or they were simply ignoring it) and there was evidence of their trouble-making to be found in the common rooms and lower halls nearly every morning. Murie was of a different minority, however, and was greatly enjoying her classes. The Journeyman level spells were challenging and intriguing, as she had hoped, and the instructors were surprisingly patient. It was all she'd ever wanted and more. She had even begun studying her first day, though classes had been postponed for several days. The earlier I start, the further ahead I'll be, she had thought.

Today, Murie's class was to learn Sun Fire, a spell used to destroy undead assailants and blind living threats. The very name sent shivers of excitement through the Breton girl and she could hardly sit still through the lecture about it (though this may have also been due in part to the fact that Thadas Seles was teaching).

"Sun Fire is used most frequently as a means to distract an attacker by blinding him long enough for the mage to escape," the soft-spoken Dunmer explained, handing out scrolls to each of the students, "These scrolls contain a single use of the spell and in a moment we will be testing them. Who can tell me the four types of common undead to be found in Tamriel?" Murie's hand shot up, nearly sending her scroll flying from her lap. Seles nodded to her, disregarding the other hands that had been raised less enthusiastically.

"Miss Retene?"

"Zombies, ghosts, wraiths, and skeletons," she answered, her voice quavering slightly in nervousness.

"Very good," Seles praised then continued, "Now, Sun Fire is capable of disintegrating these types of undead and, at a higher level, can physically harm vampires and liches. A reminder: this is not a spell used for primary attack. It should only be used in self-defense to allow enough time to flee from danger." An Altmer in the back of the class, a young fellow with mild rosacea (turning his golden cheeks an odd brown), raised his hand. Seles gave him permission to speak.

"Master, how strong can Sun Fire get?" he asked. Seles had no change in expression or tone at this question.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"Say you have no means of escape and your attacker is living," the elf continued, "If Sun Fire is strong enough to at least harm vampires and liches, couldn't it conceivably become strong enough to harm a living assailant?" Others had turned around in their seats by this point to stare incredulously, or even curiously, at the High Elf. Some turned back at the end of his question to watch Seles's reaction. Murie's eyes alternated between the two, the anticipation of the response rising within her chest. The Dunmer considered the query for a few moments, never breaking his poker face.

"I suppose an incredibly powerful mage could summon enough magicka and willpower to use Sun Fire as an offensive tactic," he said finally, "But it would prove to be quite dangerous for the mage and for any allies or bystanders. I would not recommend it. If you are interested in offense, you should have chosen Destruction as your school, not Restoration." A few chuckled at this, Murie included. It would indeed be foolish to use restorative arts as weapons. That would be like trying to heal wounds with a fire bolt! Murie thought with amusement.

…

Meanwhile, on the outside shore of Lake Rumare, the Argonian assassin wrestled a large slaughterfish to a smooth stone. The slaughterfish thrashed violently, snapping its hideous jaws, but it was no match for the knife that emancipated its head from its body. The Shadowscale exhaled with some relief; today's catch had given him more trouble than usual. He set to cleaning and gutting the fish to prepare it for roasting and his green lips curled at the stench. It had only been a fortnight since his mission began and already he was sick of the stagnant flavor of the Rumare breed of slaughterfish. His own food supply had consisted of dry vegetables and bread and he dared not seek out any shops in the city. Stone cage crawling with Imperial soldiers, he thought as he speared the carcass and set it to roast over the tiny fire, I've had worse meals on missions.

The Argonian sat on the damp ground of the shore and gazed out across the lake to the high walls of the Arcane University. It would be a tricky entry but he was sure he had memorized the guards' patrolling schedules. He was ready. Tonight was the night he would breach the previously impenetrable walls of the magic institution and begin the spying portion of this enormous contract.

…

Murie yawned as she exited the class building, tilting her head back to look at the sky. It was almost twilight, and dinner would be served in the Great Hall in just a few minutes. Murie was not terribly hungry tonight and resolved to feed Astien first. It had been a long day of lectures and practicing the new spell of Sun Fire but Murie felt good about her effort. She was considering skipping dinner altogether as she had a quite a lot of studying and practicing to do on her healing spells.

Astien was as anxious as ever to take his bucket of grain and stamped impatiently while Murie staggered to bring it to him. He shoved his face into it once she had gotten close enough, knocking into her with his antlers.

"Hey!" Murie cried out, thrusting out a hand to push him back a few paces, "Easy, Astien, you won't starve to death in the next few seconds." The stag wheezed in annoyance as Murie heaved the bucket into the trough at the side of the stall. "There you go," she panted, "Tuck in, you daft thing." She patted his neck as he eagerly began gobbling the grain as if he hadn't eaten in days.

Once Astien had been taken care of, Murie decided to drop in on dinner and have a quick bite of bread and cheese before heading back to her room to work on her spells. The food was plenty for her compact stomach and she kept a brisk pace across the courtyard to the residence building. A warm evening breeze rolled in over the wall and ruffled the girl's cinnamon brown hair. A scent of cooked fish came with it, as well as a bizarre feeling of someone's eyes upon her. It was rather dark now so even if someone was around, Murie wouldn't see them unless they were very near to her. She stopped walking and took a brief look around. Most students and staff were still in the Great Hall so she appeared to be alone in the courtyard.

"Hello?" she called, "Is someone there?" The response was silence, and that light smell of fish on the air. Shrugging it off, Murie set off once more to her room. She had much more important things to think about.

…

The assassin flattened himself against the shadowed wall of the stables, his heart's pace quickened. The guards from the wall called across to each other, announcing a perceived breach. The Argonian clenched his jaw in annoyance and tension. He'd had the timing down perfectly; that had not been the problem that aroused the attention of the guards. He hadn't anticipated, however, the return of a battlemage from scheduled leave that had begun before his arrival. Xuth, he thought, This is bad... His dark eyes scanned the part of the grounds he could see from his position, searching for a place to hide where the guards would not look. The stables were an obvious red flag for an experienced stealth artist, as well as the building on the other side of them that practically reeked of magical energy. That tower is certainly the place a thief or amateur murderer would sneak into...and probably heavily protected by enchantments... He turned his head to the right, spotting what appeared to be a dormitory building across the lawn. Unless the guards were incredibly foolish in thinking a non-mage had sneaked into the campus to visit their student lover, that building was his safest bet. Now the hard part, the Shadowscale thought, Getting across without being seen. The guards were already on high alert from the wall-stationed battlemage seeing a glimpse of a spiked tail slipping over into the dark of the campus. He would have to be patient and pray that the Void would conceal him long enough for them to avoid his position until after he abandoned it. He closed his eyes and lay his head back against the wall, listening carefully.

"What's going on?"

"Lucius saw a tail!"

"A tail?"

"An Argonian tail, he says."

"Where did he see it?"

"Over this way!"

The heavily armored footfalls grew farther and farther away as the battlemages charged off in the direction of where the assassin had breached the wall...but not where he was now. Silently thanking the Dread Father, the Argonian took his chance and bolted across the lawn to the shadow of the tower. He paused but a moment to check on the position of the guards (who were still occupied searching the vicinity of his entry point) before sprinting full speed towards the dormitories. His eyes swept over the plain, square stone building, performing a very quick analysis of which floor was safest. First and second floors are out, he reasoned. Only a fool would dive into the easiest hiding place. He looked up at the top floors and decided against those two as well. While the windows are much larger and easier to slip through, if I were coming from the top of the wall, those would be the obvious hiding places. That left one single floor: the third and center. It would be a challenging climb and time was not his friend. The shouts from the battlemages on the other side of the grounds had come back to the Shadowscale's previous position at the stables. He had no choice but to follow that decision through. He leaped up and grabbed hold of the stones on the building, grunting in exertion. He tucked his tail, opting for a smaller presence over balance. He reverted to a basic training technique from his apprenticeship in Argonia, tuning out all sound and concerns but the thought of:

Climb...climb...climb...

His arms began to burn with the stress of the moment, yet still he pushed his muscles to make it to the bay window only a few feet above him. Another thought snaked into his mind, What if the window is locked? This thought broke his flawless concentration, letting the sound of the guards back into his ears. They were by the tower now; it was as if they had the noses of hounds, the way they traced his steps. Just a little bit more...

"Search the tower!"

A tiny victory in time bought, but a victory nonetheless. The assassin had reached the window just as the guards flooded into the lower floor of the tower. The Night Mother must be with me this night, he thought as he pushed the left side of the (unlocked) window open and tumbled inside the darkened room. Finally he was safe...but a tingling chill arose on the nape of his neck as he felt an aware gaze upon him, whispering to him that he was anything but. The occupant of the room was awake and staring directly at him.

…

A/N: Wow, finally got my groove back. I had to get advice from professional comic book writers (along with some super sweet people who attended that panel and spoke to me afterward; thank you guys so much) but I'm back and damn, does it feel good to write again! I might even work on some of my original stuff and push to get it published in the next few years. And a party. I must have a pizza party with my brother and a few friends. But we were going to do that anyway to celebrate our love of ninja turtles :B