What's this, another chapter within two weeks? Yes, it is!

There are times in life of a writer when he just writes. There are times when he struggles. And then, rarely, there are times when he is struck with such an amazing inspiration that he clearly sees what the end result of his work should look like.

Rejoice, my readers, for I was fortunate enough that this happened to me today in regards to the story of Rotheimaak. I once wrote I had a great idea how to tie him into the main quest. Now I know exactly how his entire story will end - and I don't mean this fanfiction, but the distant and yet fully intended story of Rotheimaak going through the events of all games and major DLCs until Dragonborn.

Ok. Now that I know the ending nearly word by word, I simply must fill the gap until we reach that point. xD

Chinchi37 - SURPRISE! Another chapter within the same month!

Fus Ro Duh - If the references are getting in the way of pleasure, then I suggest you brace yourself when Azirra will make it to the Urshilaku camp. I don't know how much of my plan I'll realize, but there's a big chance Roth will go musical on her.

Nosferatu2255 - Actually, I think my muse really IS back - I've had half of the chapter ready within two days since publishing the last one. Once the hurdle with lack of action for Rotheimaak was solved by cutting a bit of content for Azirra, I knew exactly what to do with the characters.

HermitWitch - I can already imagine Azirra's face when she gets to Urshilaku camp and there he is, sitting on the pile of bandit corpses and gold with sunglasses on.

Accursius - It's not so long now, just a chapter or maybe rather two.

Sgt. Nolisten - Not sure. Azirra had such moment (sort of), but I also think that towards the end of the story she will probably rather fly all over the place with Levitation enchantments on short distance and have Rotheimaak serve as a taxi when the distance is larger. Maybe I'll include the spell until that happens, let the cat have some fun.

slayst - Can't really blame him, keeping that sword in there is part of his job. Hopefully this chapter will improve your opinion of him.

By the way: it's only now that I've noticed that in the mission to get a skull from the tomb Azirra was mentioned to use a scroll to set undead on fire, even though I've afterwards wrote she can't read daedric in which all scrolls are written. Ooops. Oh well, I don't think I have a proofread version of that chapter, so I think I will just leave this little oddity as it is, the plot won't collapse from a single mistake. Off into the story.

Even the sight of Galbedir being tossed out on the street by furious Ranis Athrys hadn't improved Azirra's mood.

Had she been in a better mood, Azirra would have trouble with breathing with how hilarious it looked. Whatever the short elf had done, it had to be spectacular - their guild hall leader, in spite of her not so great constitution, had literally lifted the other mage above her head and sent her flying from the door on the second floor.

Dunmer wizard seethed as her subordinate picked herself up from the ground.

"Consider yourself suspended, Galbedir! Honestly, for something like that I should expel you, prodigy in enchanting or not!"

The diminutive mage grumbled something and stormed off, glaring at Athrys as if she was a personal insult to her very existence.

"Now that is a sight for sore eyes." Azirra turned around and spotted Ajira leaning against the wall of a bookstore. "She was becoming unbearable after she lost the bet."

"What did she do?"

"About that... she kind of tried to break into the chest with your belongings."

The Khajiit whirled around and glared at the back of departing Bosmer.

"WHAT?!"

"Calm down, friend. This one didn't see this herself, but Ranis was loud enough Ajira didn't have to. She saw Galbedir casting unlocking spell. Our short 'friend' hasn't lost her membership only thanks to a technicality - she wasn't seen actually taking anything, so she can't be expelled on the grounds of theft." The alchemist shrugged. "Shame. If Athrys was a bit slower, that would not be the case."

Suddenly, a moment of cold realization made Azirra shiver.

I still haven't pawned off all loot from the dwemer ruins and owning dwemer-made items is illegal. If she actually managed to go through the content...

Needless to say, she didn't feel the same about Ranis' quick reaction.

"Friend, is everything alright? You seem so... tense."

Azirra shook off her nervousness.

"Ah, it's nothing. In the end Galbedir didn't get to my stuff, that's what matters."

Ajira's concerned expression didn't disappear.

"That's not quite what this one meant. Ajira was standing here awhile... you were already in bad mood before you noticed what was going on. Does something bother you, Azirra?"

The agent paused.

She couldn't tell her, simple as that. Secrecy and all. As much as she wanted to (as with the recent events she found herself in a dire need of advice and with absolutely no one neutral to give it to her), it was not an option. If the word 'Blade' appeared in any conversation with a person that wasn't a member as well, that was just asking for other agents to do... something... about this.

However... it didn't have to appear, isn't it?

"...Yes, there is. Though it's not really not something I want to talk about on the street."

"Say no more, friend. Follow me. After that idiot's alchemical accident at the guild hall I'm renting a room at Eight Plates until all the stink disperses."

As she followed her coworker, Azirra focused on just how much and in what way she should say. Any details were certainly out of question. Rotheimaak? Yeah, that was a big no. She will have to settle on explaining the general situation.

Ajira's rented room, as expected, was simple. A bed, bedside table, a few decorations, in short - your average inn room that wouldn't be occupied for long. The only signs of use was a surprising number of vials and bottles on the table. Not all of them indicated potions, though.

Azirra looked at her friend in shock. Ajira had enough decency to appear embarrassed at being caught with so many bottles of wine at once.

"Er, yes, this... Ajira had a friend over recently, you see."

"Uh huh."

"Anyway! What troubles you, Azirra?" Asked the other Khajiit while sitting down on the bed and patting the spot next to her.

"Well..." started hesitantly our protagonist. The fingers of both hands interlocked just to occupy themselves. "I have this... group of friends. I kind of shouldn't talk about them, but I really need to discuss this with someone just to get this off my chest, so..."

"As long as it doesn't put you in danger, Ajira doesn't mind."

Oh, it does.

"Alright. So, this group of friends. From time to time I do a little favor for them, various things really, what is needed at the time. You know, friends help each other. On two of such jobs I met a stranger. Nobody really should know about either task and yet he did. The first time he acted as if the meeting was accidental and helped me do what I was tasked with. The second time he didn't even hide he was keeping an eye on me and knew about my friends. It's just... meeting this person was so bizarre I didn't even mention him to my su... friends. I also thought that since he helped the first time it was unlikely he had ill intentions. Today I actually did tell about him and was of course roasted. Didn't even get a chance to tell a full story, I was literally told to just leave. So, there you have it."

Ajira frowned.

"If that favor was so secretive, then I can understand why they would be angry with you. That, however, doesn't excuse them just kicking you out for making a single mistake in judgement, happens to everyone."

Azirra simply hung her head.

"This one finds it difficult to believe, friend, that even though they knew you for a long time they would be so quick to scorn you."

"Er, I don't really know them that long... I'm still a newcomer to them. Kind of part of the problem, you know. Little trust."

That only seemed to puzzle the alchemist further.

"Huh? Then why does it bother you so much? If those were old friends that turned their backs on you, then Ajira would feel justified to feel like that, but why are you so sad when it's someone you don't have much history with? Do you want to impress those friends so badly?"

Azirra slumped a bit. It's normal to have shortcomings, she knew that. You can't help who you are. But... sometimes, not very often, she hated herself for those flaws. Physical ones were easy enough to ignore, one hardly cares about appearance when survival is at stake. It's her mental limitations that made her want to beat up this little helpless street rat called Azirra.

Nothing is as problematic as having your own mind turn against you.

"No, not really. I have to work with them and we kind of get along, but there's no strong camaraderie or something like that."

"Then why...?"

"Look, it's not about them. The problem is with me. Any other person would just say 'Fine, be like that, I don't care'. But I can't. Look, I get too easily attached to people, alright? That's the issue. I'm quick to trust people, way quicker than they are to trust me. Two or three meetings on good terms and I'm attached, even if the other only thinks of me as an acquaintance. For Divines' sake, sometimes I confuse common courtesy with willingness to befriend me! To Oblivion with it, I was quick enough to completely trust a word of a stranger because he helped me a little bit when I was desperate!"

Azirra tossed herself backwards and lied down on the bed. Her hands, now covered in a net of scratches caused by her small nervous breakdown, were placed on her face to hide it away from the world.

"I'm an idiot. I trust others fast even though that only ever caused me pain. I'm always alone and that's the only fate meant for me. My mysterious friends? Bah, they are no friends. I have no friends. At all. Just a bunch of people which I trust that use me. For intel like Caius, for brownie points with his boss like Dar'shanji, just for the fun of it like Rotheimaak, not that he is a friend at all, or..."

Ajira, who more than likely was the next person on the list, without any words slightly punched the other Khajiit in the stomach.

"URGH!" As the feeling of betrayal settled in her stomach right next to the sensation of pain, she growled: "Why. Did. You. Do that?!"

"Because,' started Ajira calmly, "You really act like an idiot when something does get to you. You do have friends. This one doesn't know about those three, but if you were right, then Ajira wouldn't be here, allowing you to soak her bedsheets with tears."

"And punching me when my guard is down, apparently..." grumbled Azirra.

Nonetheless, alchemist's crude action was oddly effective. She did have a point - regardless of how things were with others, Ajira was always reliably there, offering a minimum of stability to her experience in Vvardenfell. No hidden conditions, like serving in a secret organization, or potential spying, like the folks from the Thieves Guild. Azirra allowed herself to relax a bit.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"I do. Mentally, that is."

Both mages found themselves in that particular moment, when no one knows what to say, but it's not uncomfortable silence at all, since nothing needs to be said.

"Do you want to... talk about it, friend? I assume there is a story here."

"There is. And I suppose it would be good to actually tell someone after all this time." Azirra playfully glared at Ajira. "If you tell anyone, I will stage an explosive accident in your lab and frame Marayn Dren."

Ajira simply chuckled.

"And with his skills with alembic being what they are, you would probably get away with it. Very well. Ajira's ears are open."

Azirra woke up to the sound of giggling. She frowned and, without opening her eyes, she grunted at the culprit:

"Whoever you are, shut up. I'm sleeping."

The voice that responded was familiar.

"Is it a good sleep?"

"It was until you turned up, Marayn," growled the mage. Pest's presence was driving her further and further from sleep.

"Right. I should have realized that on my own. Ajira does look like a comfortable blanket."

Yeah, she did...

Wait.

Azirra snapped her eyes open and looked down.

"AIEEEE!"

Her screech woke up her 'blanket'. Ajira, whom so far has slept on her stomach on top of Azirra, in confusion looked around until she realized that: a) she was straddling Azirra and b) another guildmate was seeing this.

"EEEEEEE!" alchemist promptly joined the scream and fell off the bed.

Marayn Dren almost choked on his spit, that's how much trouble he had with laughing so much. Azirra glared at the wizard.

With the wake up being this shocking, she quickly came to full awareness and realized there was nothing truly indecent about the situation except for Dunmer's uninvited presence in a room that was rented by a Khajiit of opposite gender. When last night she gave Ajira a rundown of her life before the Vvardenfell, it led to Ajira sharing some of her own stories, which ended with more conversation, slowly getting more goofy in subject from original serious theme. At some point the unopened bottles the place was already stocked with shrinked in number (and not just thanks to Ajira - the alchemist could be convincing when she wanted to) and both mages ended up drinking themselves into the stupor and falling asleep, with, and I can't stress this enough, their daily robes still on.

Not that Marayn was willing to believe that. Or maybe he did and just decided to be a jerk.

"Heh. No worries, I'm tolerant. I really don't mind. I really wish best for the both of you."

Yeah, he was definitely just rubbing it in.

"Now, Estirdalin on the other hand? She was the first to go in, something about decency, whatever that is. Run out of here screeching about harlots and the end of the world. Heh. It's unbelievable how narrow-minded some people can be."

This time Azirra was certain that her blush was visible even despite the fur - after all, it was right now also the case for Ajira.

"Why are you here?" grumbled the alchemist.

"You wanted to be up earlier today, remember? Something about having to brew up a new batch of potions before customers started taking up your time. It's almost seven."

Seven. Why does it sound so...?

Oh no.

Azirra rushed out of the room, pushing aside the Dunmer. Judging by the sounds and swearing, he fell on at least one bottle.

"I'LL BE LATE!"

"Thunder-Lizard, I, uh, I don't feel comfortable wearing this."

Rotheimaak sighed in exasperation. Really, he should have seen this coming. You can't just force a tribal into a set of clothes meant for an aristocrat and expect he will feel all natural - and that was exactly what he did.

"It's not meant to be comfortable. It's meant to make you look like some pampered bigshot from a Great House."

"What is a bigshot?"

The dragon ignored the question - if he were to explain every single word he used that Urshilaku were unfamiliar with, he would do nothing else all day.

"Look, it's not that motmahus. You look flashy and rich, that's the main aim. You also wear an ungodly amount of amulets, rings and so on - and all geared for increasing your gaan. You will do fine."

"But! The pants! They are too restricting! I can not run like a wind with this, this monstrosity squeezes the life out of me!"

Rotheimaak took a big breath to calm himself down.

Sheogorath, give me strength...

She wasn't sure what was more surprising - that she managed to travel across almost entire city of Balmora (which definitely consisted of more than just a few streets, what with it being Hlaalu's seat of power) so fast her delay was only minimal, or the fact Caius was actually waiting outside rather than being his normal official NEET self and spending his entire day in a single room.

"You're late," was his greeting of choice. He didn't seem angry today - maybe only a bit impatient.

"I hit *wheeze* a bar last night." Close enough to the truth, he doesn't have to know all people I get drunk with when depressed.

"...Whatever. Alright, listen. I've given everything some thought. Remember the place our first friend send you to?"

Azirra paused. She was unlikely to forget the ruins in which she almost died from a poisoned arrow.

"The dwe..."

"Yes," he cut her off. Right, they were still in public - as little details as possible. "Go there again."

"...What? Why?"

"You will see. Chop chop, you're wasting time."

Azirra frowned and stormed off angrily.

Sure, don't give me any explanation or exact objectives, why would you. Grr. Stupid balding Imperial.

Rotheimaak never thought he would be a good fisherman... and yet look at him now.

If one were to look at his interactions with fishes just during his misadventures in Morrowind, it would be obvious to anyone he simply wasn't made for a life in the wild and certainly not living off the waterlife. Little bastards were simply a little too fast for him, not to mention some could dish out a surprising amount of pain.

Human turned dragon however wasn't giving up. There is a reason Roth actually survived in first modern, and then fantasy world despite his tendency to occasionally spit in the face of sanity and logic - that reason being that in rare, but important moments he could put his brain to work so well one could mistake him for a genius. Of course, his definition of an important moment was at odds with how most people would pick it, but in the end when you needed a life hack, Ted was your man. He played Team Fortress 2 just to see if he can find yet another exploit.

Eventually a moment of inspiration struck and Rotheimaak figured out what he was doing wrong: he was targeting a prey too small for him. You cannot very effectively hunt a prey that is tiny compared to you... unless you are a whale, but that's beside the point.

By deduction and making a list of every possible prey in Morrowind our dragon hero found a perfect target. It really was perfect - it was the kind of animal that absolutely no one would blame him for hunting, had a large population in pretty much every corner of Tamriel and would grant him a lot of income by selling anything of value via friend he made in Urshilaku trader.

We are, of course, talking about bandits.

"Ah, finally, the wait pays off," commented happily Rotheimaak. Far below him a group of dots started following another, singular dot, that quickly started moving away from them.

Young Urshilaku warriors leaned out from behind his neck, one tribal on each side.

"It's really working, brother!"

"Of course it does, the Thunder-Lizard came up with it."

Rotheimaak rolled his eyes. He will probably never get used to this stupid title.

"It's not really that impressive of a plan, really. Anyone with a willing dragon on hand could do that." The brain behind the attack angled his wings for a dive. "It's simply that until recently no one fulfilled that condition."

Indeed, the operation was very simple. It really was pretty much fishing. You have Rotheimaak, he was the fisherman and a boat at the same time. His two passengers were his fellow fishermen to smooth up the process. Far below there was a lone Dunmer outfitted in rich clothes taken from the camp Rotheimaak looted after beating Ashlander outcasts. Up until recently he pranced pointlessly all over the place without any visible protection, now he was running for his life. And running was something he was good at, comes with being the tribe's scout. This guy was a bait, which was now being reeled in. A group of four bandits chasing him were an oblivious prey.

There was also a net. A literal net, held in Rotheimaak's feet. While just Rotheimaak's presence would make most bandits run or give up on the spot, the best kind of a victory is one achieved without a fight.

As such, by diving behind the pursuers (thus staying out of their sight), the dragon was able to toss the large net over the entire group, covering all of them and immediately putting an end to the fight. As soon as the outlaws figured out just what caught them, they grimly sat down, with net still covering the entire group, and allowed three Ashlanders to pull them out and tie up one after another, while a monster out of forgotten legends was sitting nearby, ready to bathe anyone in flames at the first sign of a struggle.

Anything of value was taken - weapons, armors, coins, jewelry, you name it. The bandits were pretty much left with nothing but clothes and a single dagger (so that they could eventually free themselves from the ropes binding them). It was hardly a perfect solution in Rotheimaak's opinion - while his new nature made him more prone to violence and the years of gaming taught him all bandits exist only to form steps for the player's character to ascend on to godhood, he felt uncomfortable with an idea of executing a foe that already gave up. Sure, he wouldn't be surprised if the guy that received the dagger proceeded to kill his fellows for what little they had left. Even if he didn't, a group of four armed with a single dagger while abandoned in the middle of a wasteland had small chances of survival unless their base was really close (which usually isn't the case - otherwise it would be easy for authorities to find them). That however was enough to satisfy Ted's moral obligation - something that still had to be lowered if he were to have a place in this brutal world he ended up in.

This little scheme wouldn't work indefinitely - eventually the news of a new menace would spread across bandit dens and the outlaws would wise up, but until then he had an easy way to make a financial base - something that little twerp of a Nerevarine would need.

When asked by the hunters why he didn't just execute the scum, to cover up his moment of weakness he decided to give them a lesson in economics.

"Call it an investment. If they survive, there's a big chance they won't get smarter and stay in the profession of a bandit. And that means I can, potentially, rob them again in the future. If they get smarter, well, good for them and any wunduniik that before would fall into their ambushes. A smart fisherman always releases a small fish back into the water, so that it can become a big fish he can catch later." At their awed faces he smirked and added, "Yes, I'm a genius, I know."

There was only one quote Rotheimaak found good enough to summarize his new business plan and its first completed instance.

"Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men."

Arkngthand.

Azirra warily observed approaching towers of a Dwemer ruin. This place was the first major and, in her opinion, the biggest threat to her life since arriving to Vvardenfell. There was first that guy who killed a taxman, then this slaver and she was unlikely to forget a daedra that failed to kill her only thanks to being too disgusted by her state to touch her, but Arkngthand was an entire package of dangers that she survived mostly thanks to dumb luck and playing dirty. She felt more confident this time - she was more skilled and she cleared out the place not so long ago, so there was a big chance she wouldn't find any new danger in here. Even if Rotheimaak was here, it was unlikely he would be hostile. As such she felt quite confident, but still wary - something to be expected, given her memories of the place.

In particular she paid attention to the tower that had one of its walls partially collapsed - the same one a dragon greeted her from the last time. Now though she spotted no eyes observing her from the dark - not very reassuring, since that dark hole easily could hide something as big as Rotheimaak and not give away his position as long as he didn't look directly at her.

"What are you looking at?"

Azirra yelped and started waving her spear around in panic. To her confusion and shortly after horror there was no one in sight - meaning the other person was invisible.

"Oh, girl, you really are new to all of this, aren't you? A good advice: when going into a job in the terrain, wear something with a detect-life enchantment."

The speaker popped up into existence. It was a Redguard woman that, other than a cuirass made of netch leather, had no armor, while her sword was still hidden in the scabbard, which calmed down Azirra to a degree - perhaps there was no need to fight.

"Hello. You must be our new member, Azirra. You match Caius' description."

"...So you are a Blade too?"

She nodded.

"Correct. Name's Elone, I'm the scout of our Vvardenfell chapter. If you ever need to find me, search in Seyda Neen, when there's no other task I'm hanging around there and observe newcomers to the island." Elone turned around and headed towards the entrance to the ruins. "Come, you and Caius are the last ones. Don't worry when you'll see a zombie right behind the door, it's there as an early warning system. The moment some panicked spy takes his head off, Surane will know and we will evacuate."

"'Last ones'? Wait, what do you mean?" she questioned the other agent as she caught up to her. "I don't see him anywhere."

"As Elone said," started a familiar voice, making Azirra jump up in surprise again. "You should invest in detection enchantments."

Caius appeared mid-stride, as they were crossing the revolving door to Arkngthand. For the first time he actually was wearing more than a pair of used up pants. He was dressed black, although a barely noticeable sheen to the fabric implied the presence of magic in the articles of clothing.

In response to her questioning look he elaborated:

"I have tailed you the whole way. Of all our agents you are at highest risk of being watched, so I followed invisible in case someone did just that."

After passing the undead and climbing down the ruined slope, they turned towards one of the doors lined up two floors below the entrance and marched down the corridor. If she remembered well, they were heading to the area with lava, where she almost lost her life to three smugglers.

"Why exactly are we here? You never explained that, Caius."

"A possible reveal of our entire branch of the Blades is a serious matter. It's too big of a problem for me to decide about alone, even if there's no other agent of my rank in our group. I also had to check on everyone's safety. So, as dangerous as it would be to gather, I decided it would be for the best to meet in person and share ideas on our movements in the future. Elone, given your earlier words I assume everyone is present?"

"Indeed, everyone is here. So that's what this is about? We were compromised?"

"Possibly."

Finally they opened yet another door and they arrived to a larger, square-shaped room, the one which previously hosted several desks in the middle, between four columns. Now said desks were under the walls and in the middle was placed and old, rusted table - most likely moved here from another part of the ruins. Around it were placed stools, with most of them already occupied.

Azirra recognized almost everyone. There were her fellow Balmora operatives, Rithleen, Nine-Toes and Tyermaillin, as well as Gildan from Ald'ruhn. The only newcomers were a Breton woman that, given her robes, was a mage, and a burly Nord with a warpaint-covered face. The mage waved to her, while the Nord simply nodded in greeting.

"Let's waste no more time. Situation isn't as bad as I thought, given that we have all safely arrived here, but we should be quick about it either way," stated Caius while sitting down next to the Nord. Azirra took a place between him and Nine-Toes.

"Just how bad things are, Cosades?"

"That's exactly the problem, Gildan. We don't know. I'm certain that information about identities of at least two of our members was acquired by a third party, an unknown third party at that."

"...Great. Just great," grumbled the Nord.

"Before we get to that, though, I would like to receive reports on your latest operations. You start, Sjorvar."

"Hm? You sure? Usually our exact reports aren't shared between all of us for our safety."

"It'll be fine, as long as it's not something regular."

"Alright, if you say so." Nord stroked his chin. "Where to start... To those that don't know me, and I guess that is true for at least half of the people here, I'm in charge of monitoring the smuggling operations in the Bitter Coast. Yes, just me. As you can imagine, the job is too big for me. Too many small hideouts scattered all over the place. The smugglers move your typical goods: moon sugar, skooma, ebony, dwarven artifacts... though recently they started also spreading those strange, red statues that you warned me not to touch, Caius."

Azirra's ears twitched at this description. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"You already know my report, Cosades," started Gildan. "So I'll recount my last task just for the sake of others. Yes, don't touch those statues. We have pretty much confirmed they contain ashes of Red Mountain infused with some sort of energy from Dagoth Ur himself. They attract his ash creatures and can even affect those near to them, especially during their sleep. After Azirra helped me to recover one of those, it was given to a courier, who soon went missing. When I found him, he was just standing on the side of the road and mumbling about the Sixth House, which Dagoth leads. So yes, keep a minimum contact, if any."

Judging by the expressions of others, Azirra wasn't the only one creeped out by this turn of events.

"I, on the other hand, had no encounters with items cursed by an evil god," stated dryly the Breton mage. "As ordered I'm doing my best to find out if the managers of the Caldera Mining Company are indeed corrupted. I'm afraid there was no success on that front - either they are clear, which I seriously doubt, or they covered up their trails so well even I can't help but be impressed. Their security is something to behold - since their presence is inconvenient for many, they have a lot of guards. They expect an attack by either the Houses of Twin Lamps."

"Unlikely," interjected Azirra. "I may not be their actual member, but some of them trust me enough that I know they seriously lack manpower. There is but a handful of them and they don't even have the advantage of being evenly spread out. I don't think they even have a permanent agent in Caldera, but that's just my guess."

"It's true. Well, maybe not Caldera part, but Twin Lamps aren't particularly strong, which isn't anything new." Elone decided to cut in. "From what I observed there wasn't lately too many people arriving to Vvardenfell that both had a predisposition and a chance to join them. Most of the people with a promising background that are registered in the books at Census and Excise office simply either do not own a house of their own, making it more difficult to assist if they even know about the Twin Lamps or have at best basic quarters. People do not grasp just how much adventurers and gadabouts are going through Vvardenfell these days. And if the abolitionists are having more luck recruiting the locals, I'll eat my armor."

"Abolitionists are hardly our concern," stated Caius. "If they manage to actually succeed, good, that's one more victory against House Dren, but don't hold your breath. Speaking of Houses, if something isn't done, we might have an exchange of fire between the Mages Guild and Telvanni because the archmage isn't just an idiot, but a paranoid idiot that would rather strike first to prevent an attack that might never come."

"Maybe we should request another agent to our branch?" proposed Sjorvar. "A Dunmer would be best, we could plant them in House Telvanni and watch both sides."

"While it has some merit, I don't think it would pay off as much as you think," interjected Nine-Toes. "Telvanni aren't team players, it's a House of individuals. In every faction there's a bit of self-servitude, but they don't even bother with hiding it, for them it is expected that everyone has their own agenda they keep close to themselves. Even if our agent advanced high enough to accept tasks directly from the Masters themselves, it's unlikely they would share much since they know the agent works also with other Masters. If there's a councilor willing to kill Trebonius Artorius, we would never discover it that way."

"We don't have to discover anything," pointed out Rithleen. "It doesn't take any spying to know Archmagister Gothren would happily tie a millstone to the feet of every single Outlander in Morrowind and toss them all into the Sea of Ghosts."

"'Would' and 'will' aren't the same thing, Rithleen." Tyermaillin wasn't so quick to agree.

"Calm down, everyone. This issue, while pressing, will be eventually addressed. For now there's a more pressing issue, which caused me to call us to gather like that." The Spymaster finally decided to get to the most important subject. "First off: is there anyone in the room not aware of the recent incident at Ald-ruhn, when a dragon of all things dived above the city before flying off?"

The Nord took a look around and, upon not seeing a single surprised expression, grunted.

"And now we see how much behind I end up being just because unlike the rest of you I have to sit in some isolated hut in the middle of nowhere."

"Not much to tell," stated Gildan. "The beast appeared, scared the life out of everyone and left. Nothing indicated something like this would happen."

"Correct. Just like you instructed me, Caius, yesterday I contacted our archivists on the mainland," added the Breton. "We researched the subject of dragons in Morrowind and this particular name you gave us, although I can't even imagine how did you learn of it. As a matter of fact there was a dragon in the history of Morrowind that went by the name of Rotheimaak, but very little is known about him. Some dragons survived the Dragon War in Skyrim and they were always monitored, but this one resurfaced without any warning."

"And here we are, in some Dwemer ruin discussing a legendary beast," said Elone. "Which, judging by the fact you ordered me to scout out the place while paying special attention to the skies, had a high chance of being present. We are in its nest, aren't we?"

The oldest agent nodded.

"Very well, lay it on me Surane: how much do we know about him? Was he aiding the Nords in the war or the dragons?"

"That's the issue, we don't know that at all. The strangest thing about Rotheimaak is that he doesn't appear at all, even in passing, in any chronicle from Skyrim. Morrowind seems to be the only territory he was remembered on and even then there aren't too many sources. The running theory is that Rotheimaak was forced out by the rivalry with other dragons even before the Dragon War, so he decided to seek luck in the east. By the writings of the Temple he was, of all possible things, a war mount to Nerevar Indoril, who was the Hortator during the War of the First Council. There's even this little verse about Saint Nerevar that outright describes how he flew in on Rotheimaak into the palace of the Dwemer king to force him into a direct fight."

"Then I don't think we should trust this description much," decided Sjorvar. "If there's one thing all legends of my ancestors agree on when it comes to dragons, it's that they were too damn proud for their own good. I don't see a dragon willingly reducing himself to the role of a horse."

"So he is only a local matter, huh?" Caius tapped a finger against the table. "His only confirmed appearance concerns Nerevar. Well, I suppose things were going my way for too long to keep the winning streak. Can't do much with so little intel."

"Why the interest in a dragon, Caius?" asked Surane. "It's not like our order actually does anything really dragon-related in our times."

"It's not as much the fact he is dragon as the fact he seems to have information no one besides us should have and, dare I say it, perhaps even more than us. Alright, listen up. So far the only thing I told you about the mission of our newest recruit is that it came all the way from the Imperial City and you should offer any assistance, but not get involved directly. With how things are going this much secrecy might not work in our favor anymore, so here's a more detailed version: the Emperor wants me to research the matters concerning the movements of the Sixth House Cult and Nerevarine Cult. Azirra here is meant to perform those investigations. However, at some point, this Rotheimaak got involved and in the last meeting with her pretty much confirmed he is aware of our work as Blades." Caius turned towards the only Khajiit in the group. "Azirra, please relay to us a detailed report on your encounters with the dragon. Start with the one that took place right outside."

"Right... of course."

"Well, I think this makes the situation quite simple, actually," interrupted Surane as Azirra explained that Rotheimaak somehow got to the bottom of the Dunmer tomb just to surprise her. Azirra had a strong feeling she will not get along with this particular stuffy Blade.

"Really? Why?"

"It's a very simple deduction, Tyermaillin. He didn't do it to spy on our newest recruit, that much is certain - he seemed to know exactly where she would go and planted himself in there ahead of time. There are only two possible motivations: he either wanted to speak with her or send us a message that he knows about our movements."

"So he IS a threat then, yes?"

"No, you idiot. If he simply wanted to do either, he would do the same thing as the first time - he would wait for our agent outside, most likely by staying in hiding until she left the tomb. I can think of only one possible reason for doing this the way he did."

"And that is?" asked Caius.

"The beast is touched in the head. Simple as that."

She... might actually be right about that, though Azirra with a smirk. Said smirk disappeared as soon as Surane turned her condescending gaze at the Khajiit.

"I assume there's more? Because frankly so far I've heard nothing that would require this much exposition rather than a quick summary."

"Indeed. Once I left the tomb Rotheimaak caught up to me to have a short conversation. Basic prophetic talk, really. He confirmed that he is a seer and stated that some big change will take place in Morrowind and I'll be..." At the heart of it all. "...close to the events. After that he proceeded to give me one heart attack after another by casually mentioning things that are meant to be hidden, like me being part of the Blades, investigating Nerevarine and Sixth House or even the fact I was sworn into service after I was released from the prison on direct order of the Emperor."

That last remark caused more than a few dropped jaws.

"He gave me a few advices. They didn't make much sense at the time, but later on, when Caius sent me to Vivec to speak with several informants, they actually made everything much easier and shortened my mission a lot. For example he mentioned where should I go to find a rare book and it turned out that's one of the things I had to do, since one informant suggested to find a specific work."

"So it's pretty much confirmed that he really is a seer of sorts, huh?" asked Elone. "He could somehow learn about what already happened, but there's no way he would predict what informant Caius would sent you to next and that they would reference a rare book."

"Personally, I'm already certain he at the very least is a prophet," agreed Azirra. "Towards the end of our talk he gave me a strange dismissal, which later on I discovered was a phrase from an Ashlander prophecy concerning Nerevarine."

"In that case I think we don't have to worry too much," decided Rithleen. "When a prophecy is involved, almost anything goes. A mythical creature knowing things it shouldn't is tame compared to some of the things that happen in such cases."

"The only concerning thing is that he clearly didn't want me to tell anyone about meeting him. Given his race and the origin of our faction though, I find it difficult to blame him."

Sjorvar, who remained silent since the beginning of the explanation, suddenly struck the table with his fist, making most of the people present jump.

"What I would like to know, though, is why no one told me I might get a visit from an assassin or a hostile dragon! With at least one of us exposed as a Blade everyone else was at risk too. Did she actually NOT report to you someone learned about our group, Cosades?!"

Azirra head dropped a bit along with her ears.

Here we go, she thought bitterly. There was no one she could blame but herself. Time to become this group's pariah.

"Not at all, Sjorvar. Azirra performed as expected."

Azirra's eyes focused on her superior.

What?

"Our newest member informed me immediately what happened on her mission. I knew there was a lot of danger involved, but I had to take the risk, since our enemy was unknown anyway. I decided to rely on the survival skills of you all until I could be certain just how much damage the information leak caused."

Azirra smiled, though there wasn't much joy in this.

He's covering up for me.

"I've had someone observe Azirra while I sent her for a task not related to our main investigation. Nothing indicated she was being followed. In the end I decided to host this meeting - if there was indeed an enemy out there hoping to destroy the Blades, a gathering of us all would be too enticing to ignore. Given that the undead Surane placed at the only entrance to the ruins is still around, I can safely confirm the dragon is probably the only one with intel on us and that he definitely didn't share it with any of our enemies. In short... we're safe."

The first part was obviously a lie - Azirra knew for certain no one followed her. After all she used teleportation services quite a lot, so she would definitely notice the same person lingering in two or three different guild halls she was at and there was no option the person was invisible - teleporting someone who tries to hide wouldn't fly well with the guild guides responsible for the network. They might be unknowingly aiding a criminal, after all.

The Nord made a gesture as if he was strangling someone.

"Caius, I don't care how confident you feel, next time you better give a warning right away if there is a chance we were detected, got it?!"

"Noted. Now then, I know that with my rank I could simply order you to do what I want, but I really want to know your opinions on the subject. Should we just ignore Rotheimaak until he resurfaces again and does something that actually affects us directly?"

"I see no reason to run all over Vvardenfell looking for a glorified lizard who simply happens to see a vision or two every time he eats too much mushrooms," said Surane impatiently. "Now, if you excuse me, I have some work to do, I've an arranged meeting with the overseer of the slaves at Caldera."

And just like that she teleported away via spell. Others just looked at the empty spot with annoyance.

"Can anyone remind me just why is she a member?" asked Tyermaillin.

"Because problematic or not she is still a genius," grumbled Sjorvar. "Do whatever you want, Caius. Those prophecies don't affect the smugglers as far as I can see, so my job shouldn't be affected."

"I'm our scout and I really don't think anyone is onto us," said Elone. "I suppose we can just continue as we always did. The dragon will get involved again, I'm sure, but until he declares our identities to the entire world I see no reason to do anything about him. And when he does, a single scroll of Divine Intervention will be all I need to get away safely, just like everyone else."

"Azirra did me a solid one when she cleared me of suspicion in that investigation recently," pointed out Nine-Toes. "I trust her judgement."

"Same here," added Gildan. "I think if she believes Rotheimaak is not a threat, it should be enough. She's the only one who actually spoke to him."

Rithleen and Tyermaillin simply looked at each other and then at Cosades.

"You know us, Caius. We work directly for you and haven't noticed anything more suspicious than usually. I think we're safe."

The Spymaster nodded.

"Then it's decided. Until something significant happens, we will let the dragon be."

"Good, problem solved. Anything else we have to discuss?"

"No, Sjorvar. I guess that would be all for today."

"Great." The Nord pulled out a scroll. "See you some other time."

Following his example several other blades teleported away - some used scrolls of Almsivi to transport themselves to the nearest temple, some used magic to go their custom location and Elone simply left the room while pulling out a bottle of potion, most likely that of invisibility.

"See you later, Azirra," Gildan bid her farewell, passed her on the way out... and bumped into her with an elbow. "That's for making me feel stupid while telling you about the dragon you were already aware of." With an incantation the Bosmer Blade teleported away.

And so Azirra and Caius were left alone.

"...Why Arkngthand?" started the mage, still preparing herself mentally for the real subject.

"Why not? I send Elone to scout it out and she confirmed there was no dragon and that no one moved in since you sorted out the smugglers. I decided I might as well use the place for a meeting. Since it's not in a city, the danger of being successfully spied on was very low, with mountain being this bare and detect-life enchantments at work there was no place for anyone to hide. Add to this the fact most of us would leave by teleportation or while hidden by illusion and it was relatively safe."

"Caius... thanks."

The old spymaster smiled, although it wasn't a very bright smile.

"...You're welcome, Azirra. But please, don't test your and our lack like this next time."

"There's one last little thing I didn't mention to the others about Rotheimaak, since I'm pretty sure you would rather keep it to yourself."

"And that would be?"

"The fact that you know why I was pardoned by the Emperor, why I'm researching the Nerevarine and Sixth House and also why it was me of all people that was recruited. He didn't say why, only that you know and it wasn't his place to say. He told me you will explain this in time."

Caius sighed.

"That overgrown cliff racer really knows a lot, huh? Alright, how about this: wrap up the last mission I gave you, the one about the research into Ashlanders, and I'll tell you. I planned to do so anyway, we're approaching the point when you will have to rely more on your own judgement than mine since you will be working out there in the field."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Spymaster's word."

She pouted at this last sentence.

"That's not a very reassuring promise."

They both chuckled and went hand in hand back towards the surface.

Well, with this bit of drama out of the way we can now focus on the main quest some more.

Before you ask: nope, don't count on Azirra x Ajira action. No romance at all in this story... though I'm not so sure about the DLCs. :)