*Disclaimer: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim belongs to Bethesda. This is a fan-fiction, based on the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Not everything is perfect and it Is altered to fit my little fantasy world. : ) I hope you like it. Characters: Garret, Drayce, Theodane(Dancer, Dane or Theo), Da'Virr, Sybel and Nerana(Nera) are my own characters and all other characters belong to Bethesda.

*Note to reader: I'm not sure why the transits aren't showing, but I do have them. They are the stars. D: I'm still too new to this site. Any help?

*Sorry about such a long delay. I have been busy with school works. Nonstop research papers and projects until the very last day of school. Now I'm out and I will do my best to update the chapters.

Chapter Eleven

Da'Virr carried the Firebrand Wine into the Winking Skeever with a smile on her face. Gulum-Ei was still at the seat, now a mug in his hand filled to the brim with Mead. He looked at her with that mischievous glint in her eye and a twisted smile on his reptilian face. "I have your wine." Da' Virr spoke as she placed it on the table, shoving the plates to the very edge of the table.

"Now we can talk. As far as Goldenglow Estate goes, I'll tell you what I know." He stood and faced the win, setting his mug on one of the soon to be broken plates. He slid his scaley fingers in and out of the box, feeling the bottles of the wine. He titled his head slightly so he could watch her. "I was approached by a woman who wanted me to act as the broker for something big." He pulled a bottle out of the crate and examined the label thoroughly. "She flashed a bag of gold and told me all I had to do was pay Aringoth for the estate, so I did as she said."

"Did she tell you why?" He popped the cork on the bottle and seemed to be inhaling the aroma. There would be no way she would be buying any rare wines in Skryim now. An Argonian might be licking the rim of the bottle or doing something else disgusting.

"Not at all. I tend not to ask to many questions when I'm on the job. I'm sure you would understand. Though I am certain she was angry and it was being directed towards Mercer Frey."

"You don't have her name or anything?" Da'Virr shifted on her feet and gave him an aggravated look.

"In this business we rarely deal in names; our identity comes from how much coin we carry. That's all I know," He spoke as he replaced the cork and returned the bottle to its crate. He picked up the crate and went to walk away but she stepped in his way. "Listen, I never told you I had all the answers, now if we are finished I have somewhere I need to be." Da'Virr remained in her place for a few seconds before stepping out of his way and watching him run out. There was bard in the back singing "Age of Aggression," then the man behind the bar.

Da'Virr waited for him to leave and counted till ten before following him.

Rorikstead was dull and boring and it was already getting dark out. He hated dull and boring places, especially at night, because they never got any darker. He had already asked several people about Sam and himself, but no one fucking knew anything. He still felt like shit from the night before and he found he was missing several other random items that were normally in his bag. Sybel scratched his head and fought a yawn coming onto him. He didn't have any money to buy a horse or get a carriage so he had to walk to Rorikstead and he was tired and wanted to go back to sleep. Hell he didn't even have an potions on hand so he could cheat his way out of the monster hang over.

He caught movement in the corner of his eye and followed it to see a farmer working on his potato plants. Sybel turned and jogged over to him, easily hopping over the fence that separated his yard from the road. The man heard him before he saw him and seemed to have been on his way to give him a friendly greeting until he looked up. The man pinned him with an evil glare, shoving his arm outward with an accusing finger. "You!" Sybel stopped in his place after landing on the ground. "You've got a lot of nerve showing yourself in this town again." The man came forward, his finger still pointed at him as he closed the distance. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Sybel leaned back against the fence as the farmer gripped the hoe in his other hand. "I'm…I'm sorry?" Sybel spoke confused.

"Sorry's not good enough! Not while my Gleda is still out there, alone and afraid. You kidnapped her and sold her to that Giant." Well when the fuck did that happen? At least you're not married to the goat. Well then who was he married to?

"That sounds horrible. I-"

"You're damned right it does. I'll never breed another prize-winning goat like Gleda! Don't you even think about coming back here without Gleda. I will make sure you'll regret it." He highly doubted that.

"Do you know anything about the man I was with, Sam?" He asked.

"You won't know anything until I have my Gleda back, now go!" He shouted at Sybel. This man was a good five or six inches shorter than him and was yelling at him, who, Sybel looked down at himself, was still wearing his armor and still had his weapons strapped to his body. Sybel felt like shaking his head, but he felt it would provoke the already angry man so he hopped back over the fence and went searching for a giant with a goat.

Nera had killed a good ten or twelve mechanical spiders down here and it was getting a bit annoying, really. She just needed to get down to this staff. She had bypassed a door and entered what seemed to be a cave made into the ruin and had to deal with killing a Chaurus Reaper or two before entering back into the ruin itself to kill more spiders and then spheres.

She didn't even have a companion to help her with the stuff she had to pick. She had jewels in her pockets (mostly diamonds), but she could take all the books she found along the way because she couldn't carry them all. She was now at the Mzulft Boilery, going through yet another cavernous part of the ruins. It was annoying how she had to keep her Staff of Sparks and healing spelling out at all times as she ventured, killing more and more creatures.

Nera examined some of the dead Falmer at her feet. She was a few feet away from what seemed like it went back into the ruins, but she wanted to have a look at these creatures. They were truly ugly, deformed beyond repair and she couldn't fathom how snow elves, such beautiful beings became this way. Garret use to find her books about them with illustrations and she would spend countless hours and days just reading through their myths and legends and life styles. She would speculate with Garret what happened to them, making up their own stories on how they were forced into it or how one was cursed by a hag raven so evil, the pure of heart could not be near her for they would become tainted with the very evil she breathed.

Their skin had grayed and dulled to an ugly kind of brown, their arms and legs abnormally long and disproportionate. They were blind, depending on all other senses to detect trespassers and they obviously cared for none who were of any other species. Nera saw that none possessed hard and it was almost impossible to tell what was a female and what was a male. You really had to pay attention and fully undress them to really see what gender they truly were.

When she found nothing else that interested her she left and made her way to the door entering Mzulft Aedrome. She took a deep breath, gathered her strength and then entered the room in a crouch, slowly opening the door only big enough to slip her small body through. There was a slope upwards with two more Falmer and she readied her staff, aiming at the closest one before firing. The other came after her while the one she was attacking countered with a sparks spell. Her own staff killed the Falmer before he could drain enough of her magic to really do anything and then she attacked the other Falmer who had come after her with his/her sword.

The hall led into a big room with more Falmer, but they were weaker and died easily. After she had killed them all she searched through their huts and their chests, looking at anything and everything before exiting the room through another pair of doors. This one led into a hall with already dead Falmer. Nera didn't really speculate on why they were dead since she didn't know enough about them to really judge until she opened the next set of doors where a Centurion waited.

She almost lost her shit, slamming the doors closed and backing up. Nera set her staff aside and equipped firebolt with both her hands, readying herself as the Centurion charged through the door at her. She sent a few bolts at him, before she rolled off to the side, dodging his fist. Nera scrambled to her feet to the side of him and ran back into the other room as she charged a bolt in both her hands. She turned to see the Centurion coming after her. She sent another few bolts before dodging again and ran behind the Centurion once again. She repeated the motion, just about exhausted when the damned thing dropped dead.

Nera slowly walked over to the Centurion and took the Greater Soul gem and several other jewels inside it shell before walking over to her staff, taking it and going on her merry way. Well she knew what killed the Falmer now…

After looking through the room she found there was no other reason to be there and turned her ass around, walking backing into the main room. It was energy she wasted on something she didn't even need to do and pissed her off. Nera went back into the main room and stared at the doors at the top of the stairs where all the huts were. She hadn't gone in there because she figured there would just be more huts and more Falmer lurking around and it was the dead end room, but it was obvious she was wrong. Nera reached into her pack and grabbed her flagon of water, taking some to nourish her sore body before taking a bite out of an apple dumpling she found wrapped up in her bag, probably from Sybel so people would eat his food.

After a few minutes of rest she walked up the stairs and through the doors. What did she find? A hallway not even one hundred feet that led to another door. What was the point in that?

She walked over to the door, trying to open it when she got to it and found it locked. She pushed the doors again but they refused to budge. This wasn't a lock she could pick. Then again she wasn't very good at picking locks to begin with. That was Da'Virr's or Sybel's department.

"G…Gavros? Is that you?" She froze in place. There was someone in there already? "I'd almost given up hope. Let me get the door." She took a step back and readied her staff. This obviously wasn't a Falmer and if he was here he was mage like the other at the door. The door opened to show her a man dressed in the same robes as the other. As soon as he saw her he readied his own magic. "What are you doing here? What've you done with Gavros?"

"You're friend is dead." She spoke, backing up a little from the mage.

"It was the Falmer, wasn't it? Curse them! They've ruined everything! If Gavros is gone, there's no hope. He was supposed to return with the crystal…Without that, all our efforts are wasted." He dropped his hands, the magic disappearing as he stood up straight. "If you are here for treasure, wisdom or anything you are wasting your time."

Nera lowered her staff and came closer to him. "What is this crystal you speak of?"

The Giant was grazing the fields with goat not too far from Rorikstead. He didn't like giants, they didn't like him. You normally only saw them around Skyrim, but there would be on here and there throughout the rest of Tamriel. He had ran right into one of their camps while running from a hoard of angry elves once upon a time(He will keep his mouth shut on why they chased him) and a giant attacked him, hit him right out of the camp with a club and into a tree where he hung there. The elves had run screaming from the giant camps. Did he mention there were two giants; one was sitting by the fire? Sybel had been left to hang until Da'Virr and Drayce came stumbling by(They had a job that involved stealing something very precious from the elves he had just pissed off) and decided to help him. He was suffering from internal bleeding and was slowly bleeding out from the inside and Drayce had given him some of her healing potion before throwing him over her shoulder and carting him to a temple to be healed.

Now he stood in front of one who was minding his own business with the goat he just bought. Fucking farmer. He should have went straight home to grab some diamonds or some shit and just give them to him. Like, "Here, sorry I took your goat, but you are clearly not getting it back without me dying first so just the damned diamonds." Too bad, the cave was to far away and he really needed to find Sam and found out who he married before it became known to public.

Sybel casually walked up to Gleda. She was eating some grass when he crouched in front of her. "You need to come back with me." The goat looked at him. "He might be nice right now, but he is planning on eating you after he breeds you and eats your babies in front of you." The goat made a noise and backed away from him. He didn't speak goat, but he was assuming that this goat understood him. Maybe he was a goat whisperer. "If you want to remain alive, come back with me and I will reunite you with your owner." He stood and began to slowly back away. The goat followed him.

He was fine until the giant looked at him and saw him walking away with his goat. Then the thing got really pissed. Sybel took off in a dead run down the hill and onto the road. The goat was close by his side as he ran away from Rorikstead. He would go back to the farmer after he lost the giant causing little earthquakes behind him. By the time the giant stopped chasing him he was utterly exhausted. He had never run so fast and so long in his entire life. The goat stopped at his side, lying next to his collapsed body on the road. Gleda rested her head on his chest.

"You're welcome, Gleda." He spoke as he ran his hand through her fur.

He waited there for twenty minutes or so like that before getting back up and heading back to the farmer. Gleda wasn't much company to him since she couldn't talk, but she looked better and better to eat as the time ticked on. He had to be slow and quite, always watching around him in case the giant were to appear anywhere and attack him. By the time he got back to the farm it was completely dark out, but the farmer was still in his yards. Crazy mother fucker.

The goat ran into the farm at the first available access and up to her owner before Sybel could reach the fence and to be honest, he didn't feel like walking any further. The first bed in the inn was his and his only. He would sell his soul for a pint of mead and a feast right now, then some potion to deal with his sore body from all the running. He never even realized just how far he had ran off until he started walking back. The farmer greeted his goat with nothing but excitement. He actually crouched down and hugged the damned thing and spoiling Gleda with praises.

"I got you your goat, now can you tell me what you know?" Sybel asked as he leaned against the fence. The man looked up at him.

"I don't know why you bothered stealing her. You left a note about it, but it was complete gibberish. Half the note was scribble and the other half had mead spilled over it. All I could make out was paying Ysolda in Whiterun. Guess you could try there," The man spoke as he stroked the fur of Gleda. Sybel rested his head against the fence before letting out a frustrated growl. From Markath to Rorikstead now back to Whiterun. What the fuck did Sam put in his drink?

"Thank you," He spoke after a minute. He pushed himself off the fence post and walked over to the inn, before realizing that he didn't even have money. He was pretty sure this inn was run by men as well too. "Fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you." He whispered under his breath as he went back on the road heading to Whiterun. Hopefully he would find some female traveler and sell himself so he could get some money for the next inn he happened upon, but right now he would be sleeping in a tree in the forest, something that Da'Virr taught him to do if he didn't have a bed roll and no money for an inn.

Golum-Ei had gone into the East Empire Company Warehouse. She had to fight the urge to take the cheese just for the hell of it but she went into the water, swam as silently as she could across to the other side of the docks set up and into the hidden door behind him. She had gone into the cave behind him, but he had disappeared completely, leaving her to kill all the people in her to him. She had sliced the first ones throat while behind him and stabbed the other in the chest as he ran up at her with his axe. The others were killed by the daggers she had thrown at them. Da'Virr followed the bridges and stole any gold and gems she could as she went on her way. The bandits had plenty so she was well filled by the time she got to their little camping area when he was talking to bandit.

She ran up at him, stepping on a tipped over barrel as she launched herself at the bandit. She caught him in the throat with her sword and took him down to the ground. Gulum-Ei jumped back in shock. Da'Virr stood over the bandit's body, twisting in her stance to peer over at him. He brought his hands up in defense.

"Now there's no need to do anything rash…This-this isn't as bad as it seems. I was going to tell Mercer about everything, honestly! Please, he'll have me killed!" His voice cracked at the end. Well it was good to know now he was scared. Killing every bandit they had posted in this cave does that to a man.

"Tell me now or I'll be the one killing you, slicing you with blade from chin to groin." Da'Virr let out a purr on the last part. She never minded killing people. Nera, Garret and Dancer were always iffy about it, but that the rest of them got off on it.

"I'll tell you everything. It's Karliah…her name is Karliah." He said.

She stepped closer to him, switching her sword to her other hand. All her daggers were sheathed after she killed the last bandits at the boats. "You say this name like I should know it." Gulum-Ei took a step the closer she got until he was backed into the crate next to the letters.

"Mer-Mercer never told you about her?" Da'Virr pressed the sword against his throat. "She is the thief responsible for murdering the previous Guild Master, Gallus. Now, she's after Mercer."

"So you are helping her."

"Help? No, no! Look, I didn't even know it was her until after she contracted me. Please, you have to believe me." Doubt that she had too. She didn't really trust much people to begin with and if you happened to be an Argonian, she trusted you even less.

"Where is she now?"

Gulum-Ei put his hands against the blade of her sword as if it kept her from slicing his throat if she felt like it. Her blade was a lot sharper than this man anticipated because not even his hands will stop it from cutting through if she put all her might into it. "I don't know. When I asked her where she was going she just muttered 'Where the end began.' If you reach into my jacket you will find the deed to the Goldenglow Estate. Take it. When you speak to Mercer, tell him I'm worth more to him alive." She let off on him and walked around, picking at the chests there and talking what she wanted. Gulum-Ei remained in place as she plundered and then handing her the deed before she fiddled with the switches for the hidden tunnel.

Now she would be making her way back to Riften. She could go back to looking at the oh so attractive, Brynjolf. She had no problem with that for he was one man she wanted to sink her claws into.

Nera wanted nothing more to do with this damned ruin. She had to find the man the focusing crystal so she could get this complex machine lined up with the light the focusing crystal gave. It was annoying. She had to go back and forth from the bottoms at the top to the bottom where she would hit the lights with fire until they finally lined up and she got some sort of map. Peratus got pissed at her because he blamed her for whatever she was doing not working.

She should have let him do it all, tell him to go f off. She really wished she could swear or Drayce was here, because she would have killed him for attacking her as he had done. He rambled on and on and all she really took from that was the fact that the staff was in Labyrinthian. Now she needed to go see Savos Aren. Nera would have remained and spoke to him, but he was rude and she couldn't stand him and his all "I'm tattling on you to my council because I'm fancier than you, blah, blah, blah." Well that was she heard from him.

Sometimes she just wished she was a barbarian like Drayce and just dropped the bomb on him and tore him to pieces. Nera mumbled unpolite things about him as she walked back down the stairs to the doors she had seen earlier. It seemed like a short cut out of the ruins and she was taking it and leaving as fast as she could…Well first she needed to find her horse who was at the entrance to this damned place.

Just as she was about to touch the door the man from before appeared out of thin air. It was the man from the Psijic Order. "You have done well thus far, but trying times are ahead. It is imperative that you return to your college at once." No frickin break here. Come on, world, let me have an hour to myself. "You will be called on to take swift action. Rise to the challenge, and discover what you are capable of. You are on the right path, and you will prevail." Then the man up and disappeared again, the door in front of her opening. It led through a hallway that went to yet again another door.

"I am demanding some compensation for all this work." She shouted at the empty hallway. She was greeted with nothing by the echoes of her voice.