Here be another chapter, and I'm sorry about the last chapter, it was a bit fast and I couldve done better. Sorry guys, I'll fix it later, but now, onto a new chapter...

205 years before the dragons...

I stumble through the rose garden, the roses snagging my dress and hair. My hands clasped around the small pendant, I hold the world's fate in my fingers. I need to stop him! Running, racing towards the portal home, away from this horrible city, with its golden towers and diamond streets. It's useless to pray to the gods here, they don't listen to my pleas. I hear his laughter behind me, sending terror through my veins, freezing my heart. Cold hands wrap around my waist, forcing me to look at him, green eyes meets purple flames.

"Leave me alone, please!" I sob, trying to find a sliver of mercy in those terrible sockets.

"Never, my sweet" he purrs, and he takes me back, my screams echoing helplessly through the perfumed air.

"Where is a dwarven ruin anyway?" I ask, ripping off another piece of bread and swishing it around in the broth.

Viene sighs, "I don't know"

"Oh well, lets just drink some mead, dance with some girls and we'll figure it out tomorrow" Kylar suggests, winking at a young, Redguard woman who blushes and hurries away.

I look at the group, Silva is passed out on a chair, Raina is about to doze off into her soup, Erius was bribing the innkeeper, and Virene and Kylar had dark circles under their eyes. Exhaustion runs though me, making it hard to think, but I realize that we all need rest. Badly.

"All right, I'll get some rooms" I agree and I walk to the innkeeper, the gold pieces jingling in my pocket. "Me and my friends need rooms for the night. How many do you have?" I ask, setting the leather pouch on the stained bar table.

The innkeeper stares at me, his dull, brown eyes staring greedily at the septims in front of him. "I have three rooms up, sir, how long will you be staying?"

"A day at the most" I answer gruffly, counting out thirty gold pieces.

"Got any Hammerfall currency?" he grunts at me, scooping up the coin in his dirty hand.

I shake my head.

"Your lucky I take Imperial coin then, friend" the innkeeper chuckles, "your rooms are upstairs on the left"

I thank him and I call my friends and we all trudge to our rented beds. The rooms are small, containing one double bed with roughspun blankets. The floor is made of sandstone and a couple of candles light up the dark room. I hear a sand rat scuttle under the bed, but I don't care, all I care about is sleep. Kylar and Eruis share one room, both to exhausted to grumble. Raina and Silva are already passed out on thir bed which leaves me and Viene to share. I nervously pull off my armor and my linen shirt, leaving me in just some rough, linen pants. Viene carelessly undoes her long, dark braid, stripping of her new, leather armor. She's in her small-clothes. My face turns red and I quickly avert my eyes from her alluring body. I settle into the bed, staying as far away from Viene as possible. All I hear is the sound of her soft breathing. I gingerly roll over and face her, and I see that she's still awake, her sightless eyes boring into my soul.

"What do you look like?" she asks shyly, her white fingers brushing my jaw.

I shiver at her touch, my lips aching to kiss her ruby-red ones. I quickly brush these thoughts away and I speak, "Well...I have dark skin, black hair, silver eyes and I'm short, I'm not a hulk, more like a lean shape, oh, and I have big feet, and even bigger ears!" I laugh softly, my fingers brushing away a curl that had fallen across her lovely face.

Viene smiles, "Its been so long since I have seen or felt color, or light, or...love" she says hesitantly, her face turning pink.

"How long have you been blind?" I question, ignoring her comment.

"Ever since I was imprisoned in the Moonshadow, over two centuries ago" Viene answers bitterly, pain flashing in her milky-white eyes.

I lean forward, my face a hairbreadth away, and my mouth brushes hers. She pulls away from me, her eyes pained and her small body shaking.

"Please don't touch me" Viene whispers, her voice cracking with emotion.

I roll over, pain, like an icy dagger, stabbing my heart. A dull ache pounds in my chest, and I fight away the tears in my eyes, I can hear Zakarn taunting me in my mind, his words driving the knife deeper. I grit my teeth and wait for blissful sleep.

Sunlight streams through the dusty air, cracking open my heavy lids. I roll over and immediately fall out of bed, on the hard floor. Muttering a string of curses, I stand, dusting myself off. Pulling on my armor, I stomp down the stairs, my foot catches on a step and I tumble, head over heels, down the stairs, coming to a heavy landing at the bottom. Kylar is pointing at me, having seen the fall, laughing at me. I give him a withering look and I sit with the rest of my friends at a table.

"Where are we going next, Kodlak?" Raina asks shyly, averting her eyes to look at the cold porridge in front of her.

I mutter darkly under my breath, wrinkling my nose at the food.

"What he means to say is that we are going to Arklangubar, the place where the dwarves first vanished. There is our best chance for finding the amulet" Viene says firmly, her eyes glaring at me.

I frown at her, getting the a brush off from the Brenton woman. "We are leaving now. Where is this ruin, Viene?" I ask.

Viene gives a ghost of a smile, and her finger points towards the map, it's tip resting on the Red Mountain. "There, its under the mountain, I know of a passage that will get us into the heart of the volcano."

Kylar frowns, "I don't suppose the ruin is unguarded? And that the blasted amulet will be handed to us?" he says hopefully, sarcasm edging his voice.

"Most probably not, considering our luck" I snap at him.

Silva gives a huge sigh, "I have a feeling that we're going to have lots of fun."

Ash floats around me, resting in my hair and on my face. My boots sink into the dead, grey soil, and pity wells up in my heart for the Dark elves, who's homes were destroyed by that mountain. The volcano rises up in the near distance, its shadow looming over us, I can feel evil and terror omitting from it, embers sting my cheek and my heart flutters with anxiety and a deep fear for my friends. I have already led one to his death, I do not want another on my heavy conscience. Viene waves at us to hurry as she marches on ahead, her eyes burning with a courageous fire. We stop by some ruined pillars, ancient symbols etched on their stony surface. Two massive gold doors are in the ground, both dented and black with soot. We all wrench the doors open, our muscles straining, they open smoothly, reviling a long flight of marble stairs.

We step carefully down the steps, our weapons out and ready, a domed hallway greets us, dust clinging to every corner. Everything is silent. Too silent. I plunge forward, Raina lighting the way with her magic. Erius is even quiet for once. I see another pair of gold doors, and I push them open, showing a huge, arched chamber, and two, very hostile dwarven centurions. They advance, their huge clubbed arms sweeping in front of the metal giants, I roll to avoid a bout of burning steam one sends towards me. Silva pounds the second gold centurion with firebolts, Erius throwing daggers at it, each one finding a chink in its armor. Me and Kylar rush the first one, our swords denting it, while Raina's shock spell sends its intricate cogs haywire. Our centurion falls, its joints falling apart, its life gone.

I turn triumphantly and I see the second metal giant sweep Silva away, sending the Wood elf flying into a wall, her head hitting the stone. I roar in anger and I cut it down to its knees, viciously cutting it to pieces. And if in slow motion, I run to her, my mind screaming.

"NO, NO, NO!"

Muahahahah! An evil cliffy! Is poor Silva dead? Or is she alive? Please review to find out! And thanks for reading!:)