Oh noes! There shall be a flash back into Phoenix's past, I wrote this while listening to Adele! Don't blame me!
Disclaimer: If I owned the Elder Scroll series I would spend every penny on reshaping the world to resemble Nirn, but you don't see that happenin', so there we go!
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They reached the small ice cave in Eastmarch with relative ease, a troll or two causing the only trouble, and even then, it was nothing a well-aimed swing of one of Alois' swords didn't handle.
The cave itself was nestled at the top of a snowy pass, a few tents that used to hold members of the Summerset Shadows in them, who had been quickly dispatched by Phoenix, lay empty in front of the entrance. It was a rocky overhang that hid a pair of wooden doors. Caleb and Alois made their way toward the doors as Phoenix quickly scanned the area for any other targets. Once she was content that they weren't being followed, headed to the door too, she had noted that the sun now hung low near the horizon, signifying that the day was almost up. It was probably about nine, enough time to finish the quest and get to Riften by morning. The boys had just entered the cave when Phoenix got in. She instantly crouched down, hoping to reduce any noise she may have made. She noticed Alois had done the same, and then her eyes landed on Caleb. The mage was walking down the mud path towards the part where the cave became ice without a care in the world, lightning crackling around his fingertips. Phoenix face palmed and rolled forward, hand covering his mouth as her heel connected with the front of his ankle, making him land, face down on the ground. She glared at him with the look that translates to 'What the fuck are you doing!?' Her voice was a harsh whisper as she spoke.
"We are on a quest to eliminate an extremely ruthless group of thieves who are not afraid to try and murder us. Be. More. Careful!" Her warning was punctuated slowly as if she was scolding a young child. Caleb's eyes widened slightly as he removed the hand that was plastered to his mouth, whispering quiet apologies. He turned around, now crouched and moved forward slightly.
"No need to attack me though…" He had muttered the comment but in the silence, Phoenix heard it perfectly and responded by smacking him in the back of the head. Caleb huffed indignantly and continued moving along with Phoenix. Alois just shook his head with and amused grin, following his teammates. They had reached a small craggy area with two ways, left and right. A Summerset Shadow was stood at the center. The Altmer wore, as Phoenix had suspected, practically the same armor as the thieves of the Thieves Guild wore, with subtle changes like a more tan colored leather, various belts in different places and slight alterations to the hood and jacket of the ensemble. The thief was currently looking up at the natural skylight above him. The room was given a faint silvery glow, making it look enchanted. The moons were out. Phoenix quickly dashed forward, digging her curved Orcish dagger into the man's neck. She grabbed onto the collar of the now dead thief before he hit the ground. She looked back at her Squad mates.
"Cal, take the right side, Al, go left, I'll catch up with you in a minute." They both nodded and departed down their designated pathways. The red head slowly laid the dead Altmer on the icy floor and slipped an orange vial out of her pocket, quickly downing the substance. She recoiled lightly at the stench and the putrid taste of the liquid. The potion was designed to heighten her senses and enhance her abilities, it'd help with sneaking around, or at least that's what the instructions said… She was not a good Alchemist. The potion had seemed to work, it's just the taste… She could always work on it. 'You forgot the Nirnroot.' The singsong voice of her Daedra made the girl grit her teeth. Nirnroot is a curious plant that can be found throughout Skyrim, usually along lake and river banks. The plant makes a sound somewhat akin to chimes and emits a white glow. The glow is faint in daylight, but very bright, even from a distance after dark. Phoenix decided to ignore Nocturnal in favor for moving forward. She could feel her feet being lighter, her movement more muted and more precise. She followed the way Alois had taken to the left. She arrived where he was in time to see the older Nord rip his twin Orcish blades from a Summerset Shadow's back. He grinned over at her as he sheathed his weapons, an action that she returned, moving up beside him.
"You did well; let's hope the emo did too." Alois nodded, resisting the urge to laugh as he moved forward into a more open area. They were hidden; just, by the wall beside them. The area held three of the Summerset Shadows, sitting at a small area in front of what looked like one of the old forts that were found in Skyrim. The thieves were sat around a fire, talking mindlessly. Phoenix was glaring at the other entrance, as if it would make Caleb hurry up.
"Okay, even he couldn't get lost, could he?" Phoenix repressed a snicker and kept her stone mask of anger.
"No, he… Oh shit…" She pointed up to the stony outcropping, her face showing anguish. Caleb had climbed up there, hand buzzing with the power of lightning on his fingertips. His grin was almost akin to lunacy. Before she could stop the young Breton, he had dived off the outcropping, tucking into himself as he rolled. He sprung out much like a spring and spun around, letting loose the bolt of compressed lightning. To Phoenix's surprise, the bolt didn't stop at the first man; it struck through all three of them. 'When the hell did he learn how to use a Chain Lightning spell?' Silence fell over the group as the smell of charred flesh, burnt by the arcane lightning seemed to emanate from all over the clearing. Phoenix rushed forward and smacked the young Breton in the back of the head.
"You're a fucking moron!" Her rant was an angered whisper. "And how'd you learn that spell? It would've been useful on the last mission!" Caleb huffed at the abuse to his head that Phoenix seemed to love giving and turned to her.
"I found the spell tome on the guy I took down, calm yourself." Phoenix just glared at the younger boy and moved toward the wooden door, opening it slowly, surprised it wasn't locked. The interior was just as she expected, exactly like the forts around Skyrim. She moved down the spiral like stairs, getting to a doorway. The straight corridor led to a prison area, two of the thieves were sat there speaking over bottles of mead. Phoenix scoffed to herself. 'Altmer? Drinking Nord mead? Dumbasses.' Once Caleb and Alois caught up with her she directed them to take out the guards who were sat in the prison area. She added, to Caleb's glee, that he could make as much noise as he wanted as the two boys charged into the cells area. Three extra Summerset Shadow's came from the room that branched off from the corridor. Phoenix snuck in there to see a woman admiring the banner that stood proudly in the room, all red bar the yellow star in the middle.
"A thief with enough cunning to reorganize a failed Guild, an Altmer exclusive Guild, a female thief. Did you really think I wouldn't guess Aralia?" The Altmer in question turned to Phoenix; who had a scowl on her face, her sandy blonde hair swaying with her. Her pale brown eyes softened slightly when she saw who it was, but kept her visage of indifference.
"Don't look at me like that; you knew what would happen when I left." Phoenix glared angrily at the girl.
"You always did go too far away from us Aralia." Said Altmer shook her head gently, a coy smirk appearing on her lips.
"Perhaps I never went far enough."
~Flashback~
A young girl, only ten years old, with fiery red hair, stood at the edge of a large oak dining table, eyes glued to the floor as the rest of the children stared at her. She felt a warm, comforting hand on her shoulder and she looked up, her ice blue eyes brimming with worry and uncertainty. The woman, Constance Michel, a kind Imperial with fair skin, hazelnut eyes and dark brown hair.
"Go on, introduce yourself." The young girl nodded and looked to the table of children. There were about ten of them.
"I-I'm Phoenix… Uh… Phoenix. It's all I can remember…" She began sniffling as the group of children began laughing at the small girl. Except two. A young Imperial boy with blue hair, dark blue hair. It wasn't long but not short with slightly tanned skin and brown eyes. The other was a girl, a High Elf with sandy blonde hair, pale; slightly yellow thanks to her race, skin with light brown eyes. After a few minutes and the laughter had not died down, the Altmer girl stood, slamming the palms of her hands down on the table, quieting the raucous laughter.
"Leave her alone you brats!" Phoenix could tell she was older than most of the children. She looked to be about thirteen, while the boy looked about eleven. She pulled the boy who didn't laugh up by his arm and walked over to the young red head. "Sorry 'bout them, they're just bitter 'coz they won't be getting adopted!" She directed the last part of her speech at the rest of the children who just ignored her in favor of eating. "Anyway, I'm Aralia Majere and this, is Amato Everglade." Amato smiled at her and offered his hand. Phoenix took it nervously and shook it. Amato grinned.
"Nice to meet you." Phoenix nodded and smiled a little more.
"It's nice to meet you both." Aralia knocked Amato's hand away, which had still been holding onto Phoenix's. She then hooked her arms with both the younger children and led them both off to show Phoenix around the Honorhall Orphanage.
Years passed, three years to be exact. Phoenix; now thirteen, and Aralia; now sixteen, were in the middle of a heated argument, both glaring at the other. Amato was sat on the floor, deciding to keep his mouth shut on the whole argument.
"What the hell do you mean 'I'm joining the Thieves Guild!?'" Aralia glared more as she sat down.
"I mean exactly that, I'm sixteen now so I don't need a legal guardian." This answer didn't seem to suffice in Phoenix's opinion.
"Why are you leaving us!?" Aralia let her calm demeanor crack as her glare intensified.
"Because you are too!" Phoenix's glare slowly faded away and was replaced by a look of utter confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Aralia had ditched the plan of calm her down.
"Don't act like you don't know! I snuck into Constance Michel's room and found this!" The older girl chucked a piece of paper at Phoenix, glare hiding her sadness. Phoenix frowned as she began skim reading the document in her lap. Adoption… Riverwood… Embershard family… Next week… The girl was astonished.
"S-Someone wants to adopt me…" Aralia glared harder and stormed out the room. Despite the fact she may have lost Aralia's friendship, something that truly devastated her, she couldn't deny her glee. She was getting adopted! Amato finally spoke up. He was hugging his knees tight.
"So you are leaving us? Me?" Phoenix's glee slowly flickered away as she turned to Amato.
"I… I could ask if they-." He cut the girl off as he stood.
"Don't bother." The blue haired teen left the room, saying nothing else. Phoenix didn't sleep that night. The tears wouldn't let her.
The week had past slow for the girl, she hadn't left her room. Constance Michel knocked on the door, letting herself in. Phoenix was sat in the large window sill of her room, looking out over Lake Honrich, the lake in which most of Riften sits upon. Her suitcase was packed at the side of the room, standing idly.
"Phoenix dear, your new parents are here." The girl looked over at Constance Michel and smiled sadly.
"Can I have a hug first?" The Imperial woman laughed softly and nodded as Phoenix hopped down from the window sill, running to the woman, hugging her tight.
"There, there dear, you'll have an amazing time in Riverwood." Phoenix nodded against the woman's stomach.
"I know, but I'll miss you… And Amato…" Constance Michel frowned a little.
"What about Aralia?" Phoenix tensed slightly and sighed.
"She hates me now." Constance Michel decided not to argue with her.
"Come on dear; let's go meet your new parents." Phoenix nodded and grabbed her case, following where Constance Michel where she left. By the door stood a man and a woman. The man was tall, but not dauntingly tall with trimmed brown hair and pale skin, with his chiseled Nordic features and the clear muscle, he was a miner. His wife or whatever they were to each other wasn't too much shorter than him with beautifully defined features and a little more color to her skin. To Phoenix's shock, the woman had similar blood red hair, but the woman's was a little more on the orange side, reminiscent of a magnificent flame. The name 'Embershard' worked well with her. They both had blue eyes, although the man's were dark, almost navy while the lady had bright gleaming blue hues. "Phoenix, this is Andrelheim and Agata Embershard." Phoenix smiled a little.
"Hello, I'm Phoenix." Agata, the woman, smiled gently. She seemed sweet, but the muscles on her arms, lithe but still noticeable showed she could hold her own. Phoenix liked her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Phoenix, as Constance Michel just said, I'm Agata and this is my husband, Andrelheim." The man nodded, smiling down at her. "We own Embershard mine up near Riverwood." Phoenix's smile grew and was about say how cool that was but was promptly crushed onto the floor by a flash.
"Phoenix! I'm sorry!" Phoenix rolled her eyes and pushed the blue haired boy up a little.
"It's okay Amato." The boy pouted a little but nodded, turning his eyes the Embershard's.
"You better take care of her." His voice left no room for argument that made Andrelheim chuckle.
"We will kid." Amato huffed at the name but nodded. Agata helped them both up.
"Amato, is it? I wish we could adopt you too but we don't have enough room." Amato shrugged.
"It's okay; I just wanna stay in contact with Phoenix." Andrelheim leaned in to his wife's ear, muttering something in hushed tones. She nodded.
"Well, there is a couple in Riverwood that just moved from Whiterun. They were thinking about adoption but couldn't decide. I could put in a good word for you." Amato's 'I don't give a shit' attitude crumbled as he smiled brightly.
"You will!?" Agata chuckled quietly and nodded.
"Of course." Amato smile was almost as bright as the sun.
"Thank you!" The woman nodded and offered a hand to Phoenix, who took it.
"I'll make sure she writes to you every day." Amato smiled more as Phoenix blushed lightly, whining a little.
"Thanks Mrs. Embershard!" The woman nodded and smiled too as they said their farewells.
~Flashback~
"I bet you left Amato there all by his self." Aralia spat the words like venom at Phoenix, who growled in retaliation, pulling her Orcish knives from her belt.
"No, I didn't! He moved to Riverwood a few months later and we joined the DragonBorn guild! Together!" The Altmer girl glared venomously and grabbed two one-handed axes. They were Elven built. The blade was a silver metal but faded into gold down to the handle which was brown and; as Phoenix noticed, longer than usual. Aralia charged forward with her elongated dual axes. Phoenix quickly adopted a defensive position, ready for any attack. They began sparring, one going on the offensive while the other stayed on defense. They continued this for about a minute. Aralia eventually backed away, readying her axes to throw. Phoenix barely had the chance to move when the axe that was once in Aralia's left hand just missed her. Aralia growled at the failed shot and readied her next one. Phoenix decided and made a daring sprint forward. Aralia looked slightly shocked as she flung the axe in her right hand toward Phoenix. The girl slid to her knees at the last second, slicing skyward in a cross arc, smacking the axe away, lodging it into the ceiling. She knew Aralia's innate magical abilities would no doubt rear its irksome head, so she planned quickly. She sprung up from her place, knives abandoned on the floor as she grabbed the lodge axe, swinging in one arc, pulling the axe at just the right time so she bounded forward through the air, digging the sharp Elfish blade into her old friends chest. The woman gasped in shock, pain and disbelief. She crumpled to the floor, the only sound left was Phoenix's labored breathing and choked sobs she tried desperately to stop.
Caleb and Alois burst into the room after finishing off the last of the Summerset Shadow's that held them up. Crafty bastards had a few extra soldiers where Caleb and Alois couldn't see them. The scene they saw was Phoenix with her back to them, watching a banner burn, leaving it as only ash and smoky tendrils.
"Phoenix… Are you okay?" Phoenix turned to them and smiled a fake smile, holding back the pain. Her eyes were slightly puffy from the tears that fell and her body was exhausted from her battle and the sobs that recently wracked her body.
"Yup, I was able to defeat the leader." Caleb nodded and noted the dead Altmer woman, laid peacefully on the floor, eyes closed. She looked pristine, as if she was only asleep.
"I noticed…" Phoenix grinned, and now even Caleb could notice it was forced. Even though he had only known her for about two weeks, he knew it was a bad idea to confront her about her feelings, especially when it was something she seemed to be sorrowful about.
"You ready to go?" She nodded and walked past the two boys wordlessly, heading to the horses. Caleb and Alois shared a worried glance but said nothing, following after the red head. They reached the horses to see Phoenix already trotting off towards the south west on her horse. Caleb frowned more and mounted his horse along with Alois. The older male smiled reassuringly at Caleb and set off after Phoenix. 'What the hell happened in there?' He set off from the small snowy clearing, following after Alois and Phoenix towards the fishing town of Riften.
The darkness was everywhere, and yet the pale yellow eyes could see perfectly from their place. Higher and higher, past the atmosphere of Nirn. Its voice came out as a low growl.
"Closer and closer, comes the fate of man, and mer. The world shall burn with our insurmountable force. Our minions work, in the world below, they are the tools of our release. And when we return, Nirn will no nothing but chaos!" The creature roared out against the darkness, a jet of flames erupting from its maw. The bright orange flames illuminated the creatures face. The monstrous face was scaled, its maw elongated out, pale yellow eyes perched upon the elongated mouth. The creatures horns were huge and slightly curved ad tinged purple, unlike the midnight black scales.
"This insufferable darkness will no longer hold us brothers, for we shall descend to the world below. They will be the ones who shall live in darkness soon!" Multiple hues of color, all in pairs, from acid greens to lightning blues stared at the speaker, some roaring in agreement.
"We have been ready for thirty long year's mortal kind… Are you?" The low raspy voice was dripping with malice as he watched down, through the darkness, the swirling midnight protecting Nirn from him.
Not for long.