Chapter 8: New Orders

I awoke abruptly then next morn with an unwanted wake up call, courtesy of the Temple. At about five hours past midnight, the large, church like bells rung five times from within the Temple. The sound that reverberated within the walls was so loud, I nearly fell from my bed from the first initial ring. At once, like clockwork, those who slept in the other beds got up as well, got dressed, and filed from the room. I quickly did the same and followed.

The group filed into the Alter room, heading toward another doorway on the opposite side. There, placed upon a lone wooden table, were a number of silver plates, each holding a few slices of bread, a pad of butter on each, and a small cup of hot water, a tea bag floating within it.

I turned to the Imperial behind me. "Does the Temple serve for all meals?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, only for breakfast," she replied. "All other meals must be obtained from another source. Where that be is up to you."

I took the plate and cup and returned to my bed. I ate alone, savoring every last morsel of the bread. The tea was adequate, though I was in no position to judge their hospitality. Once finished, I returned the plate to the table and headed outside, back into the city of Balmora.

◊◊◊

The city was quiet at such an early hour. Only the guards, shopkeepers, and small number of commoners were up and about. A faint, but visible mist laid low on the ground, reaching only up to my ankles. The sun had not yet risen above the shadows of the mountains to the East. The skies were still shades of dark blue and purple, the morning crickets were still singing. However, from the West, I could spot the fast approaching clouds of a furious rainstorm. I predicted that it would reach balmora no later than noon.

With my stomach not nearly satisfied with the meal provided by the Temple, I made my way to the market section of Balmora, where the food venders were already making their business. It was there that I purchased a richer, more flavorful cup of tea and a sweet roll, thick crystals of sugar topping it.

Then, as I sat upon a bench and ate, I could not help but overhear the conversation of the two who sat behind me on another bench. I did not dare look at them directly, so to avoid potential confrontation, I kept my head bowed. As they spoke, while one voice was alien to me, the other rang familiar.

"My master," said the familiar voice, "could you would please reiterate the task we have been ordered to do?"

"Very well," said the other. "We are to travel South and West, outside the limits of Balmora, into The Bitter Coast region, the swamp lands of Vvardenfell. There, we are to collect a number of samples of each of the flora and fauna written upon our list. Once our task is done, we will return the The Mages Guild and give our findings to the Guild Master."

"Be it dangerous, this Bitter Coast? I have already heard stories of the Cliff Racers, the winged beasts that attack on sight."

"Apart from those, which are a pestilence in itself, you will find The Bitter Coast a safe area to rome. Though, I must admit, the name gives it no justice."

"I am excited for this journey. Though I am Argonian, I have never set foot in my homeland, the providence of Black Marsh. I feel as if these swamps will be as close to a home environment as I will ever be."

Argonian? Could it be?... No. The odds of him being who I think he is are slim at best. However, I had to look either way.

I lifted my head and looked behind me. There, sitting upon a bench, were two men, a Dunmer, dressed in a blue robe of heavy cloth, a wooden mage staff held in his left hand, and a blue, wide brimmed, pointed wizards hat. All these things told without words me that he was a mage of high stature and skill.

The other with him... was Hui!

"Hui!" I said with joy.

Hui and his companion turned in an instant. "Zaden!" said Hui, "What fortune to see you again!" We both rose to our feet and shook each other's handshands.

"It brings joy into my heart to finally see a familiar face and hear a familiar voice," I said. "How has your within in Balmora treated you so far? I see you were successful in joining The Mages Guild."

"It is true," said Hui. "I am of The Mages Guild now, apprentice to my master, Maros."

Maros approached. "Who be this Imperial?" he asked Hui. "A friend?"

Hui nodded. "He is a friend," said Hui, "and it is but his second day in Morrowind. His name is Zaden."

"Oh," said Maros, "I see..." He then discretely muttered "n'wah" beneath his breath.

"So tell me," asked Hui to I, "what of your stay in Balmora? Has your acceptance into The Fighters Guild been successful?"

"Yes," I responded, "though my quest for board has been for not as of now. I have yet to 'earn' that."

"I am proud for you, Zaden. I only wish that they will give you board soon-"

Just then, Maros placed his arm between Hui and I, then pushed each other apart. "Stand clear of him, Hui," demanded Maros. "Speak not to this Fighters Guild n'wah."

"For what reason, Master?" asked Hui.

"Do not question your master's orders! He is of The Fighters Guild, which makes him our enemy. He is n'wah, so he is my enemy." His eyes then slowly turned downward, toward my sweet roll.

"Apprentice," he said, "I command you to rob him of his sweet roll, throw it to the ground, and crush it beneath your foot. Prove to me your loyalty to me and The Mages Guild."

"But master," said Hui, "he is a friend, and has done us no harm. Let us leave him be and go on our way."

"I commanded you to do a task, Argonian, and you will do it!"

"And what if I were to refuse?" asked Hui defiantly.

Maros turned back to Hui, with fire in his eyes. "If you refuse," he said, "not only will I expel from The Mages Guild, I will personally leave a burning scar upon your entire face, one that will never be healed. Now, do as I commanded!"

Hui had no further room for debate. He slowly approached me. Facing opposite of his master, Hui mouthed to me the words, "I am sorry." Hui then knocked the sweet roll from my hands and quickly crushed it beneath his foot. Then, if only to further appease his master, Hui knocked the cup of tea from my other hand.

Maros nodded. "Very good," he said to Hui, "you have done. Let this be a lesson to you, my apprentice: treat all members of The Fighters Guild as such." Maros then approached me, getting to within a foot of my face. "As for you," he said, "heed these words: stay far from The Mages Guild, stay far from my apprentice, and stay even farther from me... N'wah scum."

With that he ordered his apprentice to follow, then turned away, following the street South. As they walked away, Hui looked back once.

Only once.

◊◊◊

My return to The Fighters Guild was not met with much reception either. All the other members met me with the stares of strangers, not ones of friends. My only joy in return was meeting with Eydis Fire-Eye, the only one who greeted me with friendship the night before (apart from the Nord, who was drunker than hell at the time.) I met her in her office. She sat behind her desk, once again writing away on a scroll of parchment.

"Welcome back," she said, "I am glad to see that you have decided to follow up on your Fighters Guild obligations. Most decide to leave after the first day, not knowing what they got themselves into."

"I am not the type to give up what I have started," I replied. "I am willing to take on the orders of The Fighters Guild."

"That is good," she said, "for I have orders for you already. A quest, if you will."

I was eager to receive me orders. It had only been my second day and I have received a quest.

"What is it, Guild Master?" I asked.

She stood up from behind her desk, hands clasped behind her back. "We recieved a contract this morning," she said, "from a Dunmer female across the River Odai, the river that flows through the middle of Balmora. She speaks of having an infestation of rats in her house. She wished for someone to go there and kill them... That someone will be you."

...

"Rats?" I replied. "You are sending me to kill rats?"

"Yes, Zaden. I can see that you are disappointed, but there is simply nothing I can do. We must all start from the bottom to reach the top, as they say. Think of this as your bottom."

I nodded my head. "Very well, Guild Master. My mission shall be completed."

She nodded. "That is what I want to hear." As I turned toward the door, she spoke these final words. "It is good that your robe has a hood, for the rains have already reached Balmora, and they are quite furious."

◊◊◊

I walked out the front entrance of the guild to face the heavy rain I spotted in the morn. Strong winds blew in from the West, drenching me from head to toe. I cast the white hood over my head and made my way across town toward the river. The stone streets were now flooded with run off water. I knew of a main stairwell near the middle of the town, leading strait to the river, so I took that. Water cascaded down said steps, creating a veritable waterfall. Not another soul could be seen in the streets.

I could not blame them for doing so.

The water level of the river had risen drastically due to the rain. The wind created waves that traveled up and down the entire span of the channel. The waves grew so strong, they flowed over the edge and into the streets, flooding them further. I walked across the river's span using one of the many bridges that were constructed over it.

On the other side of the river, there was nothing but residential housing. I searched through the addresses and after about ten minutes, I finally found it. I knocked on the door three times and waited for an answer. Finally, an old Dunmer woman answered the door. She took a quick glance at me and said, "You must be here to kill the rats. Well, it is about damn time! Get in here!"

I walked into the woman's house. I was dripping wet and left large puddles on the floor. She began to yell at me for said reason. "You n'wah idiot!" she exclaimed. "You are dripping puddles all over the damn floor! What in Oblivion is wrong with you?!"

I tried to stay as professional as possible, resisting all urges to leave right then and there.

"I was told that you had a rat problem," I said.

She was already in a bad mood, and that only succeeded in making it worse. "Well no shit, n'wah!" she said in response. "What do you think I contacted the guild for! They are all in that back room. Just kill them, n'wah, and get out of my house!"

N'wah must be her favorite word.

She pointed to a door near the back of the room. I could hear squeaking on the other side, the scratching of claws against the wooden door. It sounded like there were quite a few of them. I unsheathed my sword and gripped it tight, creeping slowly toward the door. I grabbed the brass doorknob and slowly turned it to the right, then swung it open, pushing forward.

The room itself was a storage room. It held a number of cloth sacks and crates. And there, in front of me, were the rats. There were three of them, huge in size. They all feasted on the contents of an open sack of grain, which they had no doubt chewed open.

Suddenly, one of them noticed my presence within the room, whipped around, and began to snarl threateningly. The others quickly joined suit. I assumed a fighting stance and waited for them to attack. Then, all at once, they charged toward me.

They were obviously no match for me. As soon as they got within reach of my sword, I swung at them, leaving fatal gashes across each of their stomachs. In three solid blows, all the rats were killed. I then sheathed my sword and turned back to the old woman. I really did not expect a "Thank you", but I did not expect the response she gave.

"Fucking n'wah!" she exclaimed. "Get out of my home!"

Actually, I kind of did expect that.

◊◊◊

I walked outside. The rain had now completely stopped in the few minutes I was iwithin the woman's house. The sky was now beginning to clear up. I walked across the bridge and back toward the guild. The streets were still covered in a sheet of water, but now, people were about. Using ordinary brooms and sweeps, they all banned together and pushed all the run-off water that remained down the hill and into the river. I returned to the guild, dried clothes by a fire, and reported to the Guild Master with my success. For my service, she rewarded me with one hundred gold pieces (not a bad pay for killing rodents.)

I then decided to take a breather outside and I found a quiet spot upon a bench in the city common ground. It was just about two hours past Noon, and the city was beginning to come back to life. With the rains passed, shops were opening up again, people were out and about, and the heartbeat of the city beaten once again.

As I relaxed upon the bench, I heard a familiar voice to my right. "Zaden!"

I quickly turned to see who it was. Much to the delight of my heart, it was Zela, who looked just a beautiful as ever. I rose from my seat and walked to her. When we got arms length apart, she threw herself against me and embraced me. "It is so good to see you!" she said.

"It is good to see you as well," I responded. "How have things been? When we last spoke, you said that you were in search of a home in Balmora. Have you been able to do so?"

She chuckled. "It has only been a day, Zaden. No, I am staying at a friend's house on the other side of the river Odai. But apart from that, life has graced me well. How are things with you?"

"Things go well," I responded. "I have been successful in joining The Fighters Guild. In fact, today, I was given my first assignment."

"Truly? What assignment be that?"

"I was sent to kill rats for an ungrateful old woman," I replied. "She could not stop calling me 'N'wah' in the entire process."

She stifled her laughter. "Sounds of importance," she said sarcasticly. "I am sorry to hear that. Perhaps your next assignment will be to escort the elderly across these rain slick streets."

We both laughed for a few seconds, then silence came between us. We stood still for a moments of time, unsure what to further say. At length, I finally broke the silence with a bold question.

"Zela," I asked, "is your schedule for this evening clear?"

"Perhaps it is," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Would you like to join me this evening for dinner?"

Her eyes glimmered in the mid day sun. She smiled.

"Dinner," she said, "sounds great. Let us meet here tonight, at the eight strokes of the evening bells." She leaned in and kissed me. "Do not be late." She slowly turned around and walked away, looking back once.

Only once.