Carcette was in her usual Posture leaning over her private table with a Steel mace and a Daedra heart she personally cut out, reading a book about the nature and physicality of werewolves. The hall of the vigilant was their base of operation on cleansing daedra and monsters from Tamerial. Today she would have her hands full. The Hall at the moment was a peaceful sanctuary unlike the world outdoors. Two of her underlings were sitting along a bench resting their tired bodies. Abruptly the door came flying open and a Panicked Vigilant half ran half fell inside.
"Lady Carcette! Lady Carcette!" He shouted breathily.
He fell to his knees before her in exhaustion.
"What is the matter with you?!" She demanded.
"A-A Real live Daedra..." taking a moment to catch his breath.
"A Daedra's been sighted near Whiterun heading for Valtheim Towers! It's even got a prisoner!" he shouted.
Her eyes widened a bit at the news.
"Then we shall show it Stendarr's undying light. Coming to Nirn will be his greatest mistake." She gestured to the two vigils in the corner, a dark elf Female and a Nord male and three others.
"Go! Kill the Monster and bring me back its head." She ordered. Her underlings swiftly saluted and proceed along to their objective. As soon as they left, she opened her book once more.
"Now, where was I?"
Lydia had kept a sizable distance between her and her thane since their departure. Partly because she didn't want to offend him in any way or seem too clingy. And also partially because he was one of the most intimidating things she could lay eyes on. His stature surpassed that of the High elves, muscles that put an Orcs to shame, and walked with a Swagger rivaling an Imperial. A Valuable ally to have but a formidable if not lethal foe. He almost never said anything except for commenting on the beauty of the landscape every once in a while. She wanted to stop the ice between them, but had no idea what to say she highly doubted she could relate to him in any way. But it was her obligation to guard him, it would be very difficult to form a bond and she didn't know anything about him.
"So, Uh, What land do you hail from, my thane?" She asked walking up next to him carefully.
"I come from a world very far from here, Human. Though, this one does not appear too different from it." He gestured to the passing trees and river.
"But I will say no more, I have been away from my family for ages too long to be remembered and I miss it greatly."
"Why don't you go back?"
"That was my intention previously, but I and my brothers have been grounded here with probably no way to return. But we will discover a way. As we elites have always done."
"Tell me about your people, the elites." She asked quizzically.
"We were once the backbone of a large empire. We conquered worlds and those who defied us and our order perished into extinction."
"Hmm, who would be foolish enough to fight against your people?"
The question struck a nerve and Thel feared answering it would place stress on a potential alliance with the Nirn-Races. But he could not forge a lie with his tongue, it was against his nature. He braced himself for her response.
"We fought the humans, burned their worlds and helped force them to the brink of total eradication. We were blinded by the hollow promise of paradise from our lords, then betrayed at the last moment. I was the first to witness their deception. Sending Tartarus to execute me and take from us what many of us had died to retrieve. When our eyes were opened and we could see that our path to paradise was a road to mass destruction of all of what the forerunners created. Those who rebelled formed a truce with the humans and began a campaign to exact vengeance for our betrayal and to stop the Holy Rings from firing. We found victory in the final stage and the Humans and Elites went our separate paths. Until now." He waited patiently for her reply of what he expected ignorant anger on sins long forgotten.
"That may be one of the best war stories I've ever heard. I'm sure you left a few pieces out, but nonetheless an excellent story." She nudged him friendly with her shoulder.
"You are not upset?"
"No, of course not. We Nords have fought against almost every other race including our own here on Nirn and some of the battles we didn't exactly win."
"You impress me, human. You are not as small minded as others I have seen." He returned the friendly nudge.
Lydia could almost sense the connection building between them. It was quite exciting. Unknown to them the towers that had one time been so far away had arrived suddenly before them and they were approached by a Redguard woman clad in fur armor.
"Look, this is a toll road see? 200 Septims if you wanna pass this route or you can turn your ass around and go the other way."
Her attitude didn't sit right with Lydia at all. She even had the temperament to smack her in the head with her shield right then, but refrained from doing so unless she was granted a legitimate reason to.
"I am the Thane of Whiterun, human." He flashed the Axe to the woman and returned it to the sheath on his side.
"He will excuse our toll. Now, if you don't mind…"
The Redguard snickered a bit shaking her head in a patronizing fashion.
"Were not that kind of toll road, friend. You pay in gold, or in blood. Which is it going to be?"
Lydia made a sort of barrier between the Bandit and her thane, by getting in between them. She gripped her swords hilt already knowing how this was going to turn out.
"Do not threaten me wench, especially when you lack the power to adequately defend yourself when you've pushed beyond my threshold of kindness. Now, I have half a mind to report your exploitation of the Jarl's Roads and put an end to your intolerable presence. Now we can do this one of two ways: You let us through or we make you. If either, our progress will not be halted."
The Bandit backed away to the doorway of the tower cautiously.
"So, just because you're big you think you can just scare me into letting you go Scott free? No damn way, we'll show you." She brought her fingers to her mouth and whistled twice.
The arbiter began to walk past, ignoring her threat entirely and just caring about pursuing his objective. Lydia was anxious to determine how he was in a fight, though he only saw the Bandits threat as a sign of yield, but she wouldn't have said that unless she had a backup. Thel was somewhat annoyed by the sight of the hooded Vigilants approaching him up the path with weapons drawn. More of the Scum that thought they stood a chance against him.
"Time to die, Daedra!" The female dark elf hissed.
"I am not one of these 'Daedra', I keep telling you all! You proceed to bother me by labeling me something I am not! Be gone before I lose my Temper, fools!" Thel became increasingly irritated by the minute.
"You don't scare us Daedra! When you're back in what realm of oblivion you come from, tell your lord that the Vigilants of Stendar sent you!" The Nord Vigilant stepped forward with his weapon and magic at the ready.
Thel was about to utter words of profanity in his native tongue at the annoying group of Vigilants before the voice of an Argonian cut him off.
"No, He'll be kneeling to Lord Sithis in the void." The slithery words from the Lizard man was enough to get Thel's attention. There stood five Dark Brotherhood Assassins clad in their signature Red and black armor. Three Dark elf males and one female led by a single Argonian cut off their quarry's escape route. Surrounded by the obviously hostile individuals, Lydia drew her sword and braced her shield handling her thane's back. Honestly, she wanted to go against the Vigilants instead. She had heard they were not nearly as tough as they say they were.
"Away with you children of dread, He's ours! Ours!" A vigilant shouted.
The Argonian Hissed violently before replying.
"Your group will learn our wrath if you intend on getting in our way. We have a contract on killing this thing, and were are more than happy to add your lives to the bill free of charge."
"Well, none of you are getting to do a damn thing until you've paid your taxes, all of you!" The bandit chief and his other lackeys now joining in on the Frey.
Affairs continued to boil over until blood was finally demanded. Bandits engaged the Assassins and were quickly cut down. The Vigilants engaged Thel who used his large axe's blade as a makeshift shield to protect against the lightning. Thel's shields began to quickly dissipate from the combined efforts of lightning magic from the Vigilants and almost came to the point of depletion if not for Lydia's interference. She charged head down, shield up and smashed into one knocking the air out of her. She swept her blade cutting off the outstretched hand off another and bashed the teeth out of one of the remaining few. The vigilant fell to the ground holding his arm in Agony seeing his hand drift down into the river and his arm spew out blood. Now recovered, the Arbiter took hold of the dark elf man and slung him into the river screaming and at once was about to pounce on the last standing vigil. Lydia took her sword into the Females chest and watched her expire into the cold beyond, while Thel finished breaking both of the arms and legs of the last vigil. The battle wasn't won yet. Lydia was unaware of the approaching assassin who was sprinting right behind her with two steel swords. Luckily her thane had spotted the elf and instinctively tossed his axe through the air and tagging him in the chest with the blade. The last hostiles took little effort with the combined efforts of the duo. All the bandits laid in a bloody heap along with the assassins. A piece of paper could be seen hanging out the side of the Argonian's pocket. Lydia plucked it from the corpse and started to read it.
As instructed, you are to eliminate the Daedra by any means necessary. The Black Sacrament has been performed - somebody wants this poor fool dead. We've already received payment for the contract. Failure is not an option. – Astrid
Apparently her expression caused Thel some concern.
"What does it say?" He inquired snatching his axe out of the dead Assassin's chest.
She let him look it over for himself to see his reaction. His eyes skimmed the piece of parchment from start to finish, his expression never change from neutrality. He put the paper in his pack and turned to his follower.
"Lydia, remind me to track down and confront a person by the name of 'Astrid' whenever you feel that I have forgotten, if you could be so kind."
"Of course, my Thane."
A quiet roadside autumn forest lay undisturbed from man and mer. A couple of deer lapped at the pond and butterflies danced in the air around them and birds chirped about. It was a tranquil time of the day where the horrors of the world seemed so minor now. That was about to change horribly as a familiar contour of a man with Elfish ears and a man's body hung impaled on a tree branch of a dead tree. An hour went past before his eyes shot open followed by a shrill scream of otherworldly agony. He panted to a great extent from his experience. He recalled he had died.
He pushed himself off onto the forest floor, the cold wind licked at his skin and goose bumps began to flourish. He looked around shakily, not from the cold but that his nerves had not gotten used to such a close call from that holy magic. He was painfully reminded of his encounter with the bitch. In a blind un-concentrated fury, he commenced to curse viscously in every language of every race he knew. He even began to punch and swing in the air in complete frustration. He eventually started to tire and fell to a knee on the forest floor. His sheer anger made the calm air about his being vibrate and become uncomfortably hot.
"This. Isn't. Over!"
The bolt had been burnt into cinders edges around it exposing his torso and chest. It had been the most indisputable painful moment he took in this Era. And he had been in more than his fair share of battles all the way from his antics in the realm of Azura to him being scorned and cast out by Mara over a 'Disagreement' they had. He regained his composure and surveyed his surroundings, obviously he was somewhere near Markarth, city of the dwarves. He had no business there, nor did he have any intention of being reminded of the egomaniacal and blasphemous race. He noticed he even held his dagger tight in his hand and the steel shield laid strapped around his torso. He blessed a random god hoping they didn't hit him with lightning out of disgust. He set out onto the road, back towards Ivarstead. He was going to call for that inn keeper where she and her lackey headed, surely she would be there to drink on her day. He plotted his rematch for so long he hadn't noticed the group of Thalmor trio coming up the route. He rudely knocked shoulders with the Justiciar and both Soldiers. However he didn't apologize or even recognize their existence.
"You there! Are you so blind? Look out where you step in Thalmor Presence! Impudent Garbage!"
Jesik's ears perked up as he gripped the handle of his dagger like a steel vice.
"What was that? Pardon me, I'm a bit deaf in this ear, mind repeating that? Practically the last part." He did a total three-sixty and began walking back towards them.
John felt the comforting weight of Mjolnir armor being relocked onto his frame with the long mechanical arms that snapped each part on from his feet to head. His skin would not see the light of daytime for another long period of time yet again. He tightened his fist and relaxed it made certain everything was in place. He wouldn't have any time of leisure before he was approached by a small woman of Indian with glasses and a laboratory coat. She immediately readjusted them upon looking him up and down and cracking a slight grin.
"Mr. John, Uh." She never thought she would actually see him in person.
"Just call me chief, everyone does."
"Uh, yes, Chief." She was obviously frazzled.
"My name is Annika Vero, with the department of Oni." She flashed her nametag.
"I've been given orders to escort you to our private wing aboard the ship. They asked for you by name."
"What does Oni want with me?"
"Can't say." She expected all around at the other busy personnel going about their business.
"It's classified."
"I suppose I'm yours then."
The phrase made her inhale a tiny bit and her cheeks flared pink. She quickly looked down at her heels.
"Of course, T-this way please."
Chief followed the small women through several clearance doors and again several more doors where she used her key card to substantiate that she was who she was. They finally drew close one last final door bearing the Oni insignia.
"They're waiting for you just inside."
The doors opened promptly at the conclusion of her sentence and let the chief into a small circular room full of people in similar coats working on computers busily. There was a central Stretcher-like bed made out of reinforced metal, practically to stand the weight of a fully armored Spartan.
"Took you long enough to get here 11-7." The loudspeaker suddenly boomed a male voice.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
"'Sir'? How very quaint. Let's go just get straight to the point 11-7, you are familiar with the recently expired Artificial Intelligence named Cortana are you not?"
John tensed his jaw.
"Yes, sir. She was my-"
"A simple yes or no answer was all that was needed, 11-7, do not step outside of your bounds." The voice rudely interrupted.
"My Apologies."
"Apology accepted, 11-7."
The chair began to arise up with a mechanical whir and adjusted to face him and the metal restraints began to unclamp.
"Get in."
John obeyed the order and watched the clamps tightened around his wrists, ankles and neck.
"We haven't been able to find another Spartan in the UNSC's Database that could be matched with her, In fact, she's seven times more compatible with you than the original A.I which she spawned from."
The chair elevated a few feet and tilted the chief face down towards the floor.
"What does this have to do with me?" John asked.
"We have watched and documented your effectiveness with an A.I, 11-7. We like to push this generation of Spartan soldiers further by giving each and every one of you a personal, fully functional Artificial Intelligence. You should be proud to be the Pioneer of our cause."
John could feel the familiar cold cord pressing into the base of his neck and invisible electricity pressing into his brain. He started out to grunt and struggle, shaking his head about and continued to do so until he heard the familiar words from someone he though had lost.
"Wow, there's a heap of room in here, John."
A/N: Sorry for the wait, sinus infections are sons a bitches. I feel like crap. Like and subscribe for more! I hate to stress this, but reviews mean a lot to me, so don't feel shy to leave a comment. Good, bad, neutral, I don't care!
See you next Chapter! BYE!