*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.

Chapter Fourteen

Snow Veil Sanctum. It was a cold as shit. The type of place that Drayce would have loved to settle down in. That was where she had to Mercer. He waited outside, standing as the snow fell around him, lightly dusting his shoulder. He had killed Karliah's horse to prevent her from fleeing if she found they were already here.

They entered through a locked door that she didn't have the key too, but Mercer was still able to open. It lead into a tunnel with stairs. Mercer was at her back as she walked down them and into a room with two fat pillars and high ceilings. It wasn't a big room and there was another pair of stairs. They walked down them into another room with two gates that were dropped to prevent people from stealing the treasures inside. There was a counter or altar of sorts covered with urns as long with coffins and a chest. She would have kneeled by the chest and collected the treasures inside it or found a way through the gates, but Mercer seemed to mean business with finding Karliah.

They were close to the door when draugrs burst out of their coffins with war axes. She had her daggers in hand faster than a person could "Skooma,". Mercer pulled his own glass daggers from his sheaths and they both attacked the draugr. Da'Virr ducked when one swung with its axe. She came up under the swing and impaled one dagger through the bottom of the jaw and the other into the throat before pulling them out. It stumbled back, raising the axe again as Mercer dodged a hit himself and sliced the back of its knees of the draugr attacking him with a graceful arch.

Da'Virr embedded her daggers in the throat of the draugr once more before pulling them out again and then kicking hard upwards, detaching the head completely. Mercer snapped the neck of his draugr after his fell to its knee. The next room was filled with traps that Mercer had warned her of as they walked towards the next door, blocked by a gate. He had told her it was the lever to the right and the traps ahd been reset so she pulled the switch and threw her body backwards as a wall of spikes came towards her. The gate opened and she went through.

It lead through tunnels with more draugr of various strengths and abilities, but in time they cleaned through them all of them and made their way to the Snow Veil Sanctum. Even then they were still slaughtering draugr through the halls of the dead. There were some open rooms along the way and a lot of burial urns that she snooped through for the gold and stones before they made it to a ancient Nordic puzzle door. Mercer talked to her of the weakness they had that could be easily exploited if done correctly.

He opened the door and back away, waiting for it to open. It was more of a hall, than a room, the ceilings taller than she most of the houses for the Jarls, with statues lining the wall and ground. She entered first, the stairs directly in front of her, her destination. She didn't even make it ten feet into the room before she was hit with something, her vision turning an ugly green color and then darkness. I think I found Karliah…

Hagraven. It was all he should have to save. Hagraven… He looked down at Moria, his bride that was waiting for him to consummate his marriage. Well she had been until he asked her for the ring back. Then she attacked him and he was forced to kill her. Of all things, he had to marry a fucking Hagraven. It couldn't at least been a witch who still looked like a human fucking being.

Sybel pulled the ring from her dead corpse and searched her home for anything else. There were goat heads and skeletons from every other fucking animal. Blood splatters marked the floor of the cabin as well as the ground outside. And Moria wanted him to consummate their marriage in this shit? He shook his head as he walked out of the cabin and over to the horse he had stolen. He hoped onto it's back before setting off back to Whiterun to give the ring back to Ysolda.

He couldn't wait to find Sam so he could bash the man's head in with a club for letting him marry something as vile as a Hagraven.

At Whiterun he found Ysolda wondering around with a basket of flowers. He stopped her with the ring in his hand. She gave him a small smile and took it with her free hand. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for you two. You seemed so happy to be marrying her when you asked for the ring."

"Now can you tell me what else I was talking about when I grabbed the ring?" Sybel asked.

"You were talking about Morvunskar and your wedding being there." She replied.

"Thank you!" He grabbed her face with both his hands and kissed her nose quickly before running off again. His stolen horse was waiting at the stable with a very nosey stableman, looking him over. Sybel hopped over the fence, not waiting to get to the opening and then jogged over to his horse. He got onto the horse with ease before taking off, almost hitting the stableman.

It took some time getting to, but when he got there, he saw it was an abandoned fort. He also found the fort was taken over by very angry mages. He killed the ones lurking outside, his horse tied toa tree a reasonable distance as he did so. All the mages besides one had been a female, and the male one was a wood elf. They all wore black robes, some enhanced with magic as he entered the fort. In the room he entered there were several openings and stairs. He went into the first with the fire and found food which he gladly ate on them. The next door was blocked from the other side and the last room had two mages. One was working a forge and complaining, while the other sat on the chair listening.

He pulled free some daggers before aiming one at the head of the woman on the chair. The dagger pierced her temple, but it did it's job, the woman falling off the side of the chair as blood spilled around her. The other mage, another angry elf, came barreling toward the door. Sybel threw himself into the shadows at the corner of the hall he had entered. He pulled another dagger from his boot, waiting for the elf to exit the room.

The elf peaked his head through the opening, but that was all he needed as his dagger cleared his hand entered into the face of the elf. The elf didn't die though. He jerked back with a scream of pain and Sybel was forced to run at him, pull the dagger free and them embed it into his throat. The elf's scream fell silent as Sybel pulled the blade free and let the elf bleed out. He checked the robes of both, taking their rings and dagger before going down the stairs and through the door.

He was silent and efficient with his killing. He would slice throats or stab his targets through the back, angling the blade up so he could paralyze the victim where he would then snap their necks and drag their bodies away from the line of sight. When he entered a big hall he could hear more of them moving around and for a quick second he thought to himself, "What if these are my wedding guests?" It bothered him for a quick second, but then he got over it.

Sybel killed the rest of them before walking around the room. He couldn't find Sam anywhere. He walked up the stairs to where a throne was mounted. One of the mages were up here, a dagger through her throat. He crouched in front of her, looking at her as she fought for her life. Her hands glowed as she tried to heal herself. He tilted his head. She was a blonde, most likely a nord from how tall she was. Her eyes were ice blue, almost nonexistent with light freckles of green through them. Her skin was pale, but that probably due to blood lost.

A beautiful woman, no doubt, but a dead one now. Sybel grabbed the hilt of the dagger and twisted the blade in her throat before pulling it free. He looked in the chest and found some scrolls he stuffed in his armor. Nera would love to have some with her. There weren't any potions or jewelry, but the scrolls would due for him. As he walked to the other side to feel the wall a portal opened up and before he knew it he was transported to an entirely different place with a path in front of him.

"What the fuck?" He spoke. He kept the dagger in his hand as he followed the path. The place around him was peaceful and serene, but it was all too quiet. Lanterns lit the way as it was dark. He followed it until he came up to a table filled with men he didn't know, but he found Sam. He stood at the front of the table and turned to greet Sybel as he neared.

"You're here! I was beginning to think you might not make it." Sam spoke.

"It was a quiet a trip." With being yelled at by a priestess, chased by a giant because he stole it's goat, finding out he was married to Moria…killing Moria… yeah. It was quiet the trip. "Where are we?" He asked as he looked around.

"I thought you might not remember your first trip here. You had a big night. I think you've definitely earned the staff."

"Well I have all the stuff to repair it." He read the list on the way to the fort and found out why he had done he had while he was shitfaced.

"Oh the Hagraven feather and so on. You can throw all those out. You see…" Sam's human body burst show giant Daedric god with the black armor and glowing red lines. He gaped at the man, having to look up to just to look into his eyes. "I really just needed something to encourage you to go out into the world and spread merriment. Which you did! I haven't been so entertained in at least a hundred years."

Spread merriment! He could do that all by himself! He didn't have to get married and beaten to shit for it! "So this was all just one prank?"

"Just a prank? Just a prank? The Daedric Lord of Debauchery does not deal in mere pranks. This may have begun as a minor amusement, but it wasn't long before I realized you'd make a more interesting bearer of my not-so-holy staff."

"Why did you choose me?" He asked.

"Let's be honest, here. I don't always think my decisions through. But you… you're going places." Yeah, home to sleep for a couple of years. "Maybe a little influence from your old uncle Sanguine could adjust your course a bit…"

Sybel grabbed a goblet off the table and went to drink it, but thought things through and just put it down. "Thanks I guess." He mumbled as he pushed the goblet out of reach and moved away from the table.

"My pleasure. But I think it's time for you to go. No fun keeping you locked up in here with the staff." Just as he finished, everything went black and Sybel found himself standing in the inn in Windhelm once again. He looked around, the woman wasn't at the counter this time, and no one was around.

"That motha-fucka."

She opened her eyes to see a figure approaching Mercer Frey. She kept blinking in and out of darkness, but her ears worked perfectly fine. She heard Mercer speak, "Do you honestly think your arrow will reach me before my blade finds your heart?" Da'Virr tried to move, but her body remained immobile, forced to watch everything go down around her.

Karliah responded with, "Give me a reason to try."

"You're a clever girl, Karliah. Buying Goldenglow Estate and funding Honningbrew Meadery was inspired." Mercer didn't make a move toward her though. She just shot one of his guild members and he was just standing there with his dagger in its sheath while she stood with her bow ready. What was he thinking?

Karliah put her bow away, straightening her back. "'To ensure an enemy's defeat, you must first undermine his allies.' It was the first lesson Gallus taught us."

"You always were a quick study."

"Not quick enough, otherwise Gallus would still be alive." Didn't Mercer tell them Karliah killed him?

"Gallus had his wealth and he had you. All he had to do was look the other way."

"Did you forget the Oath we took as Nightingales? Did you expect him to simple ignore your methods?"Karliah pressed. What was a Nightingale?

"Enough of this mindless banter!" Mercer shouted. He drew free his sword and dagger, "Come, Karliah. It's time for you and Gallus to become reunited!" Mercer killed Gallus? She was so confused? She looked over at Karliah who had a pulled a bottle from her armor and drank it down. She wiped her mouth just as a cloud of black smoke engulfed her and she disappeared.

"I'm no fool, Mercer. Crossing blades with you would be a death sentence. But I can promise the next time we meet, it will be your undoing." With that Mercer sheathed his sword, but not his dagger and walked over to her. She could only blink up at him from the ground as he spoke to her.

"How interesting. It appears Gallus's history has repeated itself. Karliah has provided me with the means to be rid of you, and this ancient tomb becomes your final resting place." She tried to speak but she couldn't. He wanted to be rid of her? What did she do? She did her job. "But do you know what intrigues me the most?" He let the question hang for a few seconds. He must have done it to amuse himself at the fact that she was helpless. "The fact that this was all possible because of you."

He brought his dagger up and above her."Farewell. I'll be certain to give Brynjolf your regards." He was going to kill her. She didn't even get to sleep with Brynjolf yet and he was going to kill her. Mercer brought the blade down on her and she barely felt any pain. It must have been from what Karliah had shot her with…

Da'Virr awoke cold and dizzy. Normally she would wait for it to pass, but she had to get her ass up. She forced herself onto her knees as she tried to make sense of the things around her before getting up on her feet and turning around. There was a figure in front of her. A small frame with something on their back. A bow? She tried to move towards the figure and it jumped towards her, grabbing hold of her arms.

"Easy, easy. How are you feeling?" That voice! It was Karliah.

"You..you shot me!" Da'Virr mumbled.

"No, I saved your life." The world was as blurred now, but she still couldn't make out Karliah's face. She could only tell that she was no longer wearing a hood. "My arrow was tipped with a unique paralytic poison. It slowed your heart and kept you from bleeding out." She spoke in a matter of factly tone. Kind of hollow. Da'Virr blinked a few more times before everything cleared up and she could see that Karliah was a gorgeous dark elf, with long brown hair and surprisingly violet eyes. In Skyrim she had not seem another dark elf with such color eyes, but she had seem them in other places. Very rare though. "Had I intended to kill you, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Why did you save me?" Da'Virr asked.

"My original intention was to use that arrow on Mercer, but I never had a clear shot. I made a split second decision to get you out of the way and it prevented your death." Way to make a cat feel special…

Da'Virr did a subtle bow since she feared if she moved to far too fast she would end up on the ground. "Then I am in your debt."

Karliah's facial expression changed a smidge. "More than you realize. The poison on that arrow took me a year to perfect; I only had enough for a single shot." Da'Virr could hear the annoyance in her tone. "All I had hoped was to capture Mercer alive."

"Why alive?"

"He needs to brought before the Guild to answer for what he's done. He needs to pay for Gallus's murder." Now she could menace in the elf's voice. Da'Virr asked her what she was planning.

"My purpose in using Snow Veil Sanctum to ambush Mercer wasn't simply for irony's sake. Before both of you arrived, I recovered a journal from Gallus's remains. I suspect the information we need is written inside it."

Garret watched the soldiers strike with their swords. They all had poor form and only a few showed potential. He had gotten in an argument with Galmor Stone-Fist because the man wanted him to go fight in the war, but Garret refused. The farmers and bards needed to be taught how to fight before he took off to go clear some fort of Imperial ass wipes. If he left, then Galmor would send them to their deaths. The soldiers who would meet him at the fort already had some expierence so they were fine and they could set camp and wait a few more days while he at least whipped them into some shape. There a few women in the mix. One was a Breton with hair that seemed kissed by fire and tanned skin. The other was a Nord woman with dark blonde hair and body meant to break bones. They were both fast on their feet, but the Breton was better with a bow and the Nord was better with her fists. So far they were the only ones showing any promise so he left them alone while they trained.

"Feet apart, back straight, arms tight. You are holding a greatsword, not a hoe. If you relax any part of your body, you could lose balance and the attack isn't as powerful." He shouted at a farmer from Falkreath. He looked over to the bard who had just recently finished with the bards college. He was joining because the Imperials killed his parents for their beliefs. The bard was working with a sword and shield, blocking the attacks coming from an Orc. You would think at least the Orc would know how to fight, but the damned man was easy to knock over or get the upper hand. "Bend your knee and dig in. It will help when he uses a power attack."

Galmor was in the distance, staring holes into him. He had only just come out from the Palace and had tried to talk to him, but Garret sent him away. He already knew what it was for and he wasn't doing it yet. He already did their stupid quest for the Ice's Wrath's. He had passed through Winterhold just for the hell of it and realized just how trashed this place was. The people were angry at the mages and when he went to enter the College to see his sister he was just about chased off by an elf telling him he could only enter if he could summon a Flame Atronach and was willing to join the College.

The farmer faltered in position again and Garret was forced to give the man his fifth demonstration. "If you people can't get this right how to expect to live to fight for your families and the other families of Skyrim.