Not winey.

I just figure out how to understand the Traffic stats so bite me. :P


Bruma was cold, incredibly so. Snow fell to the ground like soft diamonds. Beautiful and gone at the touch. A lone guard sneezed, standing by the gates, his normal partner inside the Tap and Tack tavern. Another guard walked stiffly along the paths between buildings, towards the castle, eager to turn in for the night.

Elymi took a deep breath of the strikingly cold air, the darkness of the night keeping her hidden as she stood next to the guard, watching the gate with him. You're not alone, friend.

She glanced up at the moon and shivered slightly. Almost time. Gently placing her hand against the near-sticky cold armour of the guard, the elf smiled, focussing her magicka to flow out from her hand and into his body. The guard stiffened but, at the sign of no danger, relaxed slightly.

"Don't turn your head. I've been here with you for a few hours now and since I'm going to a warm building, you may as well have some warmth too." The guard turned quickly, anticipating a young woman to be standing in her dress behind him, but found a brick wall with snow dusting it's edges.

The Bosmer, Bae-something, had done something that Elymi cared not to know. As she stepped through the duty cellar, peering around the wine racks with silver goblets placed neatly and untouched atop, the dunmer decided that, upon hearing only the creak of a floor board above, no one was in the cellar with her.

Safety over swiftness. Elymi took a breath and continued to step, light and slow, across the dusty floor. Her hair fell over her shoulder, a light ponytail, tied low to keep her ears warm, as she looked around the corner and up the stairs, to the main floor. 4 stairs. Bodyguard, Gromm, must not be harmed.

She stepped lightly onto the bottom stair, testing her weight on it, checking for noise. None. She advanced and checked each stair before placing her full weight onto it and stopped at the door. Best to not be seen. Crawlspace, second floor.

The lock was easy enough, although it did eat one of Elymi's picklocks, she pressed it open only enough that she could stand up straight and slip out, constantly checking for anyone near who could see her. Gromm seemed to be reading a book upstairs, as she could hear the turning pages of a book above her, and see Bae-whatshisface reading and sipping wine around the corner.

She crouched, relaxing and looked around what she could see of the room, from her dark corner. Comfortable furnishings, table, two chairs by the fireplace, one occupied by her target, a rug, few paintings of people and landscapes, another room, smaller, through a door on the other side.

The stairs to the second floor, were on her left, partly hidden by shadows from the fire, and she started to them. "Milord, would you like me to bring down your quilt?" "Yes, Gromm. It is getting chilly." Elymi stopped, stepping back, glad her soft footfalls were hidden by the thudding boots of the nord man.

His feet seemed to get louder as he walked down the stairs and over to his lord. Elymi took her chance and dived for the stairs, rolling across the floor and nearly crawling up them, fast and not stopping until she was in the shadows at the top. The soft voices of the two men, discussing something she didn't care about, told her all she needed to know.

They hadn't heard, or seen her.

Almost too easy. Bad Elymi! Don't get cocky. She crept silently, no longer slow as her time was running thin, to the crawlspace, taking a few seconds to find it, nearly slapping herself across the face when she found it. Two holes in the wall, too low to walk through. Wonder what that's for? Idiot.

She crawled in, closed the small door behind her and crawled over to the mounted head. The straps were thin, old and weather. She barely had to touch them and they broke, letting the head crash to the chair, still occupied chair, below.

A soft unf and Gromm called out an enraged roar, the hissing of his weapon being drawn ringing in Elymi's ears. Shiiiiiit. Why didn't I notice the weapon before?

She left the crawlspace, peeked between the railings and found Gromm standing protectively in front of his dead lord, battleaxe in hand as he peered around for the killer. Battleaxe? Battleaxe? I can't contend with a freaking battleaxe. Elymi pushed down the rising panic of the very real possibility of facing a battleaxe wielding nord, and started to the stairs.

"Murderer!"Elymi froze, her blood chilling over then heating with fire and adrenaline at the heavy boots galloping toward her. The dunmer rolled to her side, turned and yelped as the battleaxe crashed into the floorboards next to her. Not enough room for my bow. She tried to get close to Gromm, the Blade of Woe humming in delight in her hand. The nord, not allowing the smaller being to even get within 3 feet of him without trying to cut her arm off, was making it extremely difficult.

Spells it is. Elymi concentrated, willing her magicka to bring forth fire that would press Gromm back and injure him at the same time.

Go my daughter, show him your fire.

Elymi jumped back, nearly falling over on the stairs, fire welling in her belly. This is new. What is- She took a breath, about to cry out as the battle axe made itself acquainted with her thigh, but what came out was not a scream of pain or shock.

Fire burst from her mouth, funnelling from her stomach, or lungs, or her.

She thought she heard something be shouted but couldn't hear it over the roaring of blood in her ears, and what would have been the door slamming open. She couldn't see. The light had burned her eyes but the smell of burnt flesh and pained cries and whimpers of Gromm sent her running out the front door, desperately trying to heal her thigh.

Same damn place Glash bite through me too. I'm going to have an odd array of scars there.

She slipped past the guard, going to hire a horse from the stables when something called her attention to the north.

Skyrim, I think it's called. Never been there. Might have to one day. She shrugged and sat against the city wall, curled into the shadows.

Bigger question: Did I just breath fire? Like a dragon?


This is finally moving how I wanted it to.

I wasn't going to put a fight into here but Elymi wanted it so I obliged.

Love you all. Sorry for being winey. :]

Won't happen again. Promise. *heart*