Chapter 38

A Dignified Conversation

XxXxXx

4E 201, 15th Frostfall – Blacklight, Morrowind

Nevano sat on the roof, watching Masser and Secunda slowly make their way across the sky, mulling over the day's events. Missing mages, stolen information, a treasure hunting society he never knew about, the Heart of Lorkhan. Mostly his thoughts swirled around the Heart, the artifact used to turn three once-mortal chimer into gods, sent the dwemer into the cosmos and turned his life upside down and inside out. He thought he had seen the last of it when he had crawled, broken and bleeding, from that cavern. He thought that he was finished with the folly of the Tribunal when Vivec was reported to have vanished. He thought he had finally outrun that nightmare after two hundred years.

Turns out, he had merely run in a giant circle, leading straight back to it. There was no running from the past. Despite his best efforts, the powers that be just would not let him get away.

"You always were one for high perches. More like a hawk than just the yellow eyes."

Nevano didn't look up at his oldest friend. "The Heart, Jorun. The Heart!"

"I know." The older mer took a seat next to him. "I hoped for your sake it was something different entirely but there's no denying it any longer."

"You know, I'm less bothered that it was lodged near in my own heart for two hundred years and more bothered that someone dug the thing up!"

"Well, probably could have gotten it somewhere safe...had you told the truth about it."

"That's rich, coming from you." Nevano gave him an irritated look. "I was hoping that by saying nothing was left there that no one would think of crawling in those ruins. Why would they? A whole province of superstitious fanatics willingly crawling into a den of monsters where the biggest threat of their generation lived for centuries? Not something I saw happening when they can barely handle one of their own being born outside the province."

"Until that heretic born outside the province crawled into Red Mountain on his own and came back out alive." Jorun shrugged. "It kinda set the standard."

Nevano muttered a few impolite words in Velothi. "I didn't come out whole though. I barely remember waking up in Ghost Gate and I barely remember getting to Drelasa in Balmora. Apparently that happened over a course of several months. I only clearly remember the last few weeks and Drelasa poking at my shoulder, telling me I was lucky. Don't remember feeling particularly lucky."

"The world doesn't know about that part though. In the end, none of that even matters. The remaining pieces of the Heart were found. By whom matters even less. The Thalmor would have gotten their paws on it either way. With both the empire and Morrowind in their grasp...it really was a mere matter of time. What's bothering me is that I had no idea there was even such an expedition, even with such prominent sponsors. You would have thought that it would have been the talk of the province. The crown jewel of Morrowind's dark past, something we tend to venerate."

"That was before the Armigers were a spy network. Fairly certain there were a handful that new but then oblivion gates opened everywhere and a volcano erupted and those that knew conveniently forgot or were killed." Nevano shrugged. "Plus, what would it have accomplished? The Heart was dead. You said so yourself; it's power fled. That was just the shell. Who knows where that power went?"

"Nevano…that shard is still pulsing." Nevano finally looked up to see the worry creasing Jorun's face. "I think this means more than you realize."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Nevano narrowed his eyes. "Are you thinking that Lorkhan's power is still there? That's impossible. The death of the Tribunal proved that."

"No, he means that he's worried someone is reassembling the pieces of the Heart and is attempting to revive or re-harness energy into it, for whatever reason." Veleth joined them on the roof.

"Jorun, you know I never say that you are paranoid. Well, you are but that paranoia is always right so I can't outright say it…it's rather frustrating at times." Nevano said. "However, this time I can say for certain that there is no way."

"How so?"

Nevano motioned the two to follow him back inside where he dragged his pack out. Keening slid from its sheath to clatter on the ground. Wraithguard soon joined it in an ominous pile. Nevano found it interesting to watch the two Veleth's expressions. Jorun, who had lived in the fear-filled days of Dagoth Ur's reign, looked as if he wished they would catch on fire and turn to dust. His son, by stark contrast, who had only ever experienced the glory-filled stories of the artifacts, was less wary and more curious.

"Hard to reactivate a dead heart without the tools." Nevano picked up Keening with his bare hand and waved it around. "Which are also dead."

"Where is Sunder?" Jorun's voice was as hard as stone.

"I hid it in Balmora, which was buried in a volcanic eruption." Nevano said. "As I said; dead, gone and buried."

"Hide those. Now." Jorun's said tersely. "I have a bad feeling you won't like."

Nevano sheathed Keening and returned them to his pack. "Do I ever?"

"You need to retrieve Sunder."

Nevano looked up sharply, alarm twisting his stomach. "Jorun…"

"The Thalmor sought to use Trueflame and Hopesfire against us. You stole them back. They know it was you. You recklessly declared war on them and all but announced yourself to the world. Do you think your trip to Mournhold went unnoticed? They are searching for you. Every day that noose grows tighter. They know that you are the best thing we have in uniting Morrowind against them and what better way to discredit you than to undo all that you have done?"

"It would be easier to outright kill me."

"No. They understand our society well enough to know that you'll be seen as martyr and inspire a mob uprising. Too messy."

"But why? The Heart is dead! How many times do I have to say that?!" Nevano cried out in frustration. "They can't have recovered every little piece. There was one in me! The tools are dead. Keening is so weakened it's little more than decoration at this point. Even Wraithguard is weak. Sunder is probably worth only something you can hang on a wall. You probably can't even use it as a normal hammer! What could they possibly hope to get from this?"

"First and foremost? To prove you wrong. As to the Heart. More than likely to disastrous results but that's why you must go." Jorun insisted. "Even if the tools are dead, its obvious by the flaring in this single shard that the Heart is not. Someone is messing with it. Someone is putting some sort of power into it or trying to pull whatever residual power is in it out. This is a warning, Nevano, a warning we must heed. This has to be stopped."

Nevano felt as if the ground was shifting beneath his feet. He frantically tried to make sense of it all but his mind spit it all back as nonsense. "I still don't see why."

"Even if they fail is getting it to do what they want, they will still prove that you didn't destroy the Heart… they seek to strangle our little rebellion rather than destroy it. Much quieter that way. How very Dunmer of them." Veleth said wryly. "You know, right before the ash spawn started attacking Raven Rock, I had a conversation with Dreyla. She mentioned that her father had heard about the Thalmor digging around in Vvardenfell. I dismissed it at first because I saw no reason for the Thalmor to go there but what if they actually are? The Thalmor sticking their nose into Vvardenfell's reconstruction, that mage being whisked off to the island, everything about the Heart happened on Vvardenfell, this is all no series of coincidences. That would chalk to Fethis being right up to...heh, once."

"Of all the things to be right about…" Nevano felt a crater open in his belly as a memory surfaced. "Vith. Gods damn it, Azura gave me a dream. She took me to Balmora, or what was left of it. I saw something being built there. At first I thought it was the rebuilding efforts but..."

"Best not to argue with a god. A real one, that is." Veleth shrugged.

"Oh, I argue with her and defy her on a regular basis. I just somehow always end up doing what she wants." Nevano huffed. "Fine. Oblivion take us all, we'll go. I sure hope for your sake, Bull, that Solstheim got your lungs used to that ash because we're about to be inhaling a lot of it."

"You will need to be very careful there. Vvardenfell is now a wild place." Jorun warned. "And if the Thalmor actually are there, they will be on guard. They are not best pleased by the reports coming from Mournhold. They might be distracted by the fighting in Skyrim but that will end soon, especially if the Dragonborn decides to intervene like you said he might. Then they will turn their attention fully on stopping you and stopping us. There's no one else in the east to oppose them."

"I refuse to put hopes on the Argonians doing all of Tamriel a favor and destroying the Thalmor. I suppose the biggest question now is how to get to the damn island." Nevano said, reigning in all his misgivings with extreme difficulty.

"Far easier said than done." Jorun said. "It's going to take a while for me to find a way to get you two there without attracting too much attention. It's coming on winter. The rebuilding efforts on Vvardenfell are suspended in the winter months because the supply ships don't like going through rough seas to such an unlivable place. It's already starting to slow down. I wish this had happened a few months ago but that's the way things go."

"Nothing is ever easy."

"No. I think I'm going to have to call in a few favors for a bit of help in this." Jorun didn't sound pleased. "For right now, the best you two can do is stay out of trouble."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Nevano shrugged.

That earned him a withering look from both Veleth's.

XxXxXx

4E 201, 18th Frostfall – Blacklight, Morrowind

Nevano spent the next several days learning all he could about what had gone on in Vvardenfell over the past few centuries. He didn't want to say he had deliberately forgotten about the island but he had gone out of his way to avoid it ever since the mountain had erupted nearly on top of him. It was a rather bittersweet thinking about it. Many bad memories had been buried under layers of ash and lava but just as many good memories had been buried as well. He had wanted the island cleansed of the evil that the Tribunal had invited in but he didn't mean for it to be quite so drastic.

He bit his lip as he looked over the updated map Jorun had given him, his old, weathered map sitting in comparison next to it. It was incredible how Red Mountain had, quite literally, wiped the map clean. Vivec City was a nothing but a crater. Ald'ruhn, already battered from the Oblivion Crisis, paid greatly for its precarious position right up against the mountain. Balmora had been greatly damaged but it seemed the foyadas had served their purpose, sparing the city the brunt of the mountain's onslaught. Most of the smaller towns had suffered greatly or been wiped off the map entirely. Strangely enough, many of the Telvanni cities and towns in the Grazelands had been relatively spared, by comparison at least, but the Telvanni, greatly weakened by the Oblivion Crisis, had instead chosen to flee entirely, their great mushroom towers left to wither. None had returned to reclaim their old home, for none remained after the Argonians had hunted them down during their march on Morrowind. Or at least that was how the story was told. Nevano knew Neloth was alive and well and was willing to bet there were more pockets of survivors here and there. That was a crafty bunch that should never be counted out until skeletons were found.

Still, no one had been brave enough to attempt to rebuild Sadrith Mora, not even to get near Wolverine Hall. There had reports of scouts feeling eyes on them and had fled, thinking the area haunted or, even worse, inhabited by creatures that had a taste for man flesh. Nevano knew better though. So had Jorun, who had snorted derisively when he recounted the tales. Certainly Nevano could see how there would be reports of hauntings, especially if the reporters were unfamiliar with how phantom-like the Ashlanders could move when they wanted to. He was glad, yet unsurprised, to learn that the Ashlanders had survived the eruption. Of course they would. If anyone on that island could, it would be the people who lived every day in the most inhospitable lands in the province.

The rebuilding efforts were agonizingly slow. Jorun had mentioned it was because there were few supplies, few funds, few willing ships and even fewer willing laborers to make the treacherous trip to the volatile island. Bit by bit things had progressed but so far no one had made the leap into living there full time. Nevano didn't blame them. Vvardenfell had been dangerous even when fully settled. Now it had run wild for decades. The danger was tenfold now. Interestingly, the Ashlanders hadn't made contact with any of the rebuilding efforts but Nevano had no doubt they knew exactly what was going on. He was rather curious about that, since the Ashlander tribes weren't known to be overly merciful and they wouldn't be all that keen to share the island they believed to be theirs again. Something was going on there and Nevano really wanted to know what.

"It's not going to be an easy journey there." Nevano looked up as Jorun sat down across from him with a heavy sigh. "I really hate to do this in the winter months but that can't be helped."

"The rough seas will make it difficult to dock anywhere in the West Gash or Sheogorad regions. Too many little islands to navigate. I really don't feel like being shipwrecked." Nevano poked at the map while making a face. "You might not like scheduling this but you aren't the one stuck on a floating piece of wood out in rough seas."

"I was thinking the old site of Hla Oad. You said you had a dream from Azura that showed you Balmora, so that's as good a place as any to start looking around. I almost said Gnaar Mok but there's a Thalmor staging area there due to its more direct route to Balmora. If there is something going on, they will be in there. No one goes to Hla Oad anymore." Jorun said. "It's a complete ruin but it's easy to land there."

"None of this will happen if we can't get a boat out there." Nevano raised an eyebrow. "It's been weeks. We are running low on time."

Jorun made a face. "That is where the problems begin. See, I have a certain someone who is perfect for the job that owes me a favor. A big one. The problem is, this individual is, more or less, the unsavory type. He can renege on a debt owed to me and there's not a whole lot I can really do about it without it coming back to bite me. Too many strings attached, you know?"

Nevano carefully kept his face neutral. "Are you subtly giving me permission to go do whatever it takes to get someone to fulfill a debt to you without getting into any sort of trouble?"

Jorun's face was equally neutral. "I will clear all patrols in the area for a few hours."

"Don't mention your name?"

"That's always the first rule."

"...I'm taking the boy."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

"I'll leave as soon as the sun goes down."

"Hosni. Redguard. Captain of ship of a certain repute. Drinks more than you do."

"Check every shore tavern for a pirate. Got it." A wicked grin finally cracked it's way across Nevano's face as Jorun smirked in amusement. Outside, a burst of cold wind made every being out in the streets shiver.


Ever true to his word, Nevano waited until Masser and Secunda were high in the sky before dragging Veleth out into the streets. Much to his delighted surprise, it didn't take nearly as much cajoling to get the younger mer to go along with the plan, though he strongly suspected it was less him breaking down those rigid morals and more Veleth was too exasperated to want to argue at this point. Still, Nevano was going to take what he could get. He had a sneaking suspicion that one of these days, Veleth was liable to lob off with something so underhanded that he would cry tears of joy. Certainly Veleth's parents would be proud. He'd be an unstoppable force after that but Nevano was willing to live with that.

They proceeded in silence for the most part, the feeling of being watched heavy on their shoulders as they left the safety of the city's walls and made their cautious way to the docks. Slipping past the massive wall separating the city from the sea was far too easy this late at night; no one was actually watching the closed gates and it didn't take much for the rather strong Veleth to lift it enough for them to get through.

"What, exactly, is the plan here?" Veleth asked, watching a cat slink down a dock in search of the vermin that loved to hang around ships.

"Nothing too fancy, really." Nevano eyed the same cat, though more to make sure the rat it was after didn't decide to run his way. "Just convince a pirate that it is in his best interest to fulfill his promise of repayment to Jorun and secure us a way to Vvardenfell."

"I have a sneaking suspicion that 'convincing' him might be a tad bit problematic?"

"Oh, the convincing part is easy." Nevano said. "The hard part comes in not getting hurt yourself while convincing him. He himself might not be a problem, just stand out of the way while he accidentally falls down a flight of stairs four or five times, but he might have a few friends who might not have enough sense to just quietly sit by and watch."

"Nevano..."

"There is only one question that is even acceptable at this point and that is, do you want to be the one that helps him fall down the stairs or do you want to take care of any lackeys that show up?"

The pause that followed was long enough that Nevano figured Veleth had finally gotten too exasperated and was shutting down. That was fine. Whatever mood he was boiling up, he could take it out on whatever friends this pirate had in the wings. It would probably be far safer for everyone in the long run that way...

"Does it have to be stairs?"

"I think there will only be three or fou-wait, what?" Nevano tripped a bit as Veleth's words fully sunk in.

"Does it have to be stairs?" Veleth's voice never wavered. "Not always stairs available. Plenty of other things that you can use that's easier to find, move or use to displace suspicion."

In his, admittedly delighted, shock, Nevano tripped over a coiled bundle of rope and nearly toppled headfirst into a discarded bucket. As he jumped up, struggling to retain what dignity he had left, he heard Veleth sigh in exasperated annoyance.

"Is it really so shocking to you? For the past several months all I've been hearing is that I need to figure out how to make this work, that I need to change. I won't be what you want, but I can start somewhere. Besides," Veleth shrugged a little, "Beating up a pirate isn't exactly breaking any rules. No one is going to really care."

"I'm just surprised I didn't have to talk you into it more." Nevano said honestly.

Veleth's shoulders dropped a little. "This is my home. I don't appreciate someone thinking they can take it away from us, especially since we fought so hard to be apart from them. Morrowind has suffered enough without the Thalmor making it worse. If protecting my home means I have to change a little, so be it."

Nevano nodded but said nothing about the note of hesitation in Veleth's voice. He was ready to do what was needed, yes...but he was still holding back. There was still a small tether in the back of his mind that prevented him from fully seeing everything around him. Nevano understood how it felt. He had gone through the exact same process when he had become Nerevarine. It would take something massive, and rather brutal, for the lesson to fully sink in. Nevano just hoped, prayed even, that it wouldn't be as bad as his was. He could still hear the corprus-stricken girl's dying screams...

"There's three taverns I can think of that are a good likely place to start looking." Veleth abruptly changed the subject. "The Stucked Fish, The Winded Maid and Balver's Cornerclub. Those three are closest to the docks and most likely to have the man we're looking for. If not, I know a few more less than ideal taverns to try."

"Most people, drunk pirates especially, have loyalties to a particular place. Usually it's the one closest to their ship. Or the one with the prettiest girls."

"That would be the Winded Maid."

"I'm curious as to how you know this." Nevano smirked as the tips of Veleth's ears flushed darker than the rest of him even in the gloom around them.

"That is a story I'd rather not get into but let's just go with that that place is where I learned that thinking with the south end gets one in a lot of trouble." Veleth's ears were fully flushed now.

"You know, you put on such a good show of being so uptight and well behaved when in truth you are every bit as wild and crazy as the rest of us." Nevano smirked.

"Shut up." Veleth snarled.

Nevano smirked wider but didn't push. He was too delighted in finding out this fun little tidbit.

Veleth growled to himself, now truly worked up into a temper, and stormed over to a nondescript door to a rather dank building. A rotted wood sign swung in the briny breeze over the door proclaiming "The Winded Maid" in barely legible letters, a crude drawing of a rather buxom woman curved around the title. It was such a typical seedy dock tavern that Nevano was rather sorry he wasn't here to drink until he ran out of gold. These types of places were always fun with strong booze, cheap women and an incredibly dangerous clientele to top it off. The door swung open and the familiar dingy odor of stale beer, body odor and an overall grubbiness surrounded Nevano like a second skin. He stepped through the door and the smell grew stronger to the point of making his eye twitch a bit. All bars and taverns carried the same stench, some to a far less degree and some to a far more. No one would ever bother to fix it because after a few drinks, no one cared any more. Often times he wondered if the smell was deliberately encouraged, trying to get patrons to drink more faster.

No one even glanced in their direction as they stepped in but Nevano has the distinct feeling that every person in the room had already sized them up. The small knife he always kept in his boot pressed heavily against his ankle. Despite the dingy décor, the smell and the initial distrustful feeling, the interior of the tavern was very bright and raucous. Drunk seaman looking for a good time filled the place to the brim gambling, laughing, grabbing the scantily-clad barmaids as they wove their way around the room and attempting to sing before they either passed out or were shushed by their crew mates. Nevano could see why a young Dunmer male would find this a fun place to find trouble in. Too bad they had a job to do right now.

It wasn't difficult to spot Hosni. He was the only Redguard in the place, in the middle of the loudest, rowdiest group in the place. Nevano carefully assessed the group. There was definitely more than three or four men surrounding the captain and they were happily throwing handfuls of gold at the girls who kept the flow of alcohol going. He hoped Jorun hadn't been expecting this to be a quiet event. A massive group of pirates who were obviously fresh off the sea, throwing their freshly earned gains around like it would never run out was not going to go down quietly. Especially when they had been drinking liquid encouragement for the past several hours.

Nevano grabbed a chair, spun it around backwards and sat down. "I'm here to see a man about a debt."

"I don't owe nobody no debt." The pirate captain didn't look up at all.

"We're off to an amazing start." Nevano said. "Unfortunately, for you at least, Dunmer have very long, very clear, and rather vengeful memories. If you can't remember, I'm more than happy to refresh your memory. Let's try to not do anything hasty."

"I said I don't owe nobody anything." Hosni finally looked up, his dark eyes piercing deep into Nevano's with contempt. He wasn't nearly as drunk as he first appeared.

"Oh but you do, and you know you do." Nevano put on his most charming smile. "That favor is now being called in. It really would be in your best interest to do so."

"I'm curious to see how he plans on enforcing that." Hosni returned the smile. "After all, he won't want to...look bad."

"More like you don't want to be seen as the pirate who can't cover his own ass in a city of elves." Veleth broke in, his irritation getting the best of him. Several of Hosni's men stood up threateningly but Nevano knew they didn't have a snowflake's chance in oblivion at scaring Veleth. "I don't even know why we're bothering to waste our time here on these s'wits."

"Hey!" One huge Nord stepped up angrily. "I won't hear any of your sniveling elven insults."

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to speaking stupid like you require. So I'll try again." Veleth snapped back. "I'm wasting my time on you n'wah who couldn't tell a shaved donkey's ass from his own mother's face!"

Veleth took the punch square in the jaw. He fell back against the table, knocking over several drinks and a chair. The whole tavern went silent, the atmosphere switching from drunkenly jovial to soberly tense in an instant, all eyes on the two groups squaring off against each other.

Smoothly, Nevano scooped up a bottle of flin before it toppled off the table. "Now, that wasn't very nice. Here we were, trying to have a nice conversation and you go and do that." He sighed and shook his head in feigned disappointment. Veleth regained his feet, his eyes predatory and his movement as slow and deliberate as an angry dog looking for the best place to strike. Nevano dragged two small clay mugs over and poured out some of the flin, handing one to the younger mer. "I'm afraid that you've forced our hand now. Besides...you made him mad. I'll greatly enjoy watching him kick your arses."

He and Veleth exchanged a look and nodded. They knocked back the flin, slammed the mugs upside down on the table. Then Veleth tackled the massive Nord pirate that punched him back down on to another table, smashing it to bits as they both went down in a flurry of fists.

As if a starting bell had been rung, the rest of the tavern erupted into violent chaos. Anything that wasn't nailed down, tables, chairs, bottles, glass, cups, were thrown recklessly around. The horrified proprietor of the tavern desperately tried to get things under control but quickly gave up when a cup shattered above his head and slunk away to lock himself into the back room to wait out the storm. Most of the sailors and pirates in the tavern were already so drunk they simply threw punches indiscriminately, often missing their mark, just happy to just be a part of a brawl. Even the scantily clad women took part, leaping on men's backs and clawing at them and each other, screeching like banshees. Hosni's men, however, were understandably focused on the two Dunmer that started it all.

Nevano swayed to the side as a pirate dove for him and let him crash headfirst into the bar behind him. He reached back and blindly grabbed a bottle and raised it, fully intending to whack another pirate into unconsciousness but then he caught sight of the label. "Oh, wait, nope, that's good stuff!" He brightly told a very confused pirate. He reached back for another and checked the label. Common mazte. Perfect. That one was shattered over a thick skull. The first bottle he popped open and took a generous swing. "I need to start coming to shore taverns more often..."

"Nevano!" Veleth rose up from a pile of bloody pulp, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Are you kidding?"

"No one ever won a brawl like this perfectly sober." Nevano grinned and tipped the bottle at him. "You just might be the first though."

"Would you..." Veleth was cut off as he dodged another punch and threw the offender headfirst into the wall. "Would you please contribute somehow?"

"Oh I am. Watch." Nevano took another swing from the bottle and, using only the only meager spell he knew, lit a small flame in his hand. Then he took in a deep breath through his nose and spat the whiskey out as hard as he could. The result was an impressive gout of flame that caught a few pirates' clothes on fire. It didn't do any harm, not much anyway, but it sent every drunk patron in the tavern running for the exit like panicked rats, leaving only Nevano, Veleth, Hosni and his men.

Nevano whipped out Bonebiter, knocked an arrow with impressive speed and aimed right between the stunned pirate captain's eyes. "I'm out of patience, Hosni. Are you willing to repay your debts or do I need to show you why this bow is called Bonebiter?"

"Who are you people and what do you want?" Hosni didn't take his eyes off the arrow that held steady in front of his face.

"We need passage to Vvardenfell."

"Ha! I'd rather be taken out with that bow of yours that go to that accursed place."

With a frustrated growl, Veleth threw the final pirate across the room and stormed over, grabbing the Redguard by the throat and slamming him against the wall. "I have about had it with you! There is a lot at stake but I won't lose any sleep tonight if there is one less pirate in the world."

"Whoa, Vel, whoa!" Nevano started, fairly alarmed to see Veleth's eyes nearly glowing a violent red. "Easy, Bull. We do need him alive."

For a tense moment it seemed as if Veleth didn't hear him but he finally threw the pirate down in disgust and stepped back. Nevano had never seen him so enraged before and, to be honest, it scared him a bit. He had had a sneaking suspicion that something had happened while they were in Mournhold. This just confirmed that something was off. However this was not the time nor the place to delve into it. He let Veleth step back and cool down while turning attention to Hosni.

"I don't think you understand! I can't just take you to the damned island." Hosni croaked, rubbing at his neck with a wince. "Damn ox..."

"I would start explaining." Nevano waved the arrow around. "It's really not good for business to back out of a debt owed to a Dunmer."

"Bloody hell..." The captain groaned. "Look, I would love to help. I do owe that guard captain quite a bit but I didn't think he'd ask for that or else I would have told him to pound sand. Not that there's much sand around here. You don't just go to Vvardenfell. You want Thalmor all over your ship, you point your bow towards that damned volcano. You have to have permits and records and actual honest cargo to be allowed to sail those waters. Then you have to have papers proving you unloaded your cargo and that you were permitted to leave and it's all so...honest. In case you haven't noticed, we don't do honest work. Doesn't pay nearly enough."

"What if we got you cargo and papers?"

"It's still..."

"You will land near an old smuggler's town."

"So?"

"I know where an old pirate ship tried to dock and went aground a long time ago. I know where the cargo was hidden. It was still there the last I saw of it and no one has been in the area since the eruption. You do what we tell you, you will get papers of safe passage. Then all you have to do is wait. Then when everything is complete, you will get the location of the lost cargo, you can take all that you want and then you can go on with your happy, dishonest lives as you please. You can consider your debt repaid and you won't ever have to see Blacklight ever again."

Hosni narrowed his eyes. "What kind of loot are we talking about?"

"Narcotics, precious gems, dwemer artifacts and some old relics that will be worth money to the right people."

"Those narcotics will long be worthless."

"The rest won't be." Nevano shrugged. "Might stink a little from the sea water but I doubt that that is a concern to you."

Hosni huffed, catching the insult immediately. Several of the other bloody pirates that had managed to stagger to their feet started up but quickly sat back when Veleth cracked his knuckles. Even the captain eyed Veleth with more than a few misgivings. "Fine! Fine...but there better be good treasure there or you'll be paying..." Veleth narrowed his eyes. "FINE! We'll take you. Tell your friend we are ready and waiting just call off your dog!"

"What, who, him?" Nevano motioned vaguely at Veleth. "Oh, he aint mine. Never seen him before today. I think he just likes beating up dumb pirates."

He got a good laugh at the horrified looks on the faces around him.

XxXxXx

4E 201, 19th Sun's Dusk – Blacklight, Morrowind

A month later, they boarded the vessel "The Abecean Windmaid". It was the last vessel to leave before the rebuilding efforts were shut down for winter though it was warily late leaving with the rest of the fleet, but given how they had to scramble to find something that would pass as suitably believable cargo, it was a miracle they were able to push off at all.

Veleth was not exactly at his most comfortable. Having grown up along the coast, he knew the ocean well. He knew how generous the ocean could be and just how quickly it could turn spiteful. During winter, it was more inclined to be as cold and spiteful as a scorned woman. Though he loved the ocean and his heart always sped up when he smelled the briny scent of it on the wind, he had set his sights inland, preferring to trust his feet on solid earth rather than a boat on a more dubious surface. He was not looking forward to whatever nasty surprise his gut was telling him to look out for.

The only good part, he thought as he quietly claimed a space for himself, was that they would have no problems from the crew. Judging by the rather blanched looks thrown his direction, none of them had forgotten the beating they had taken. Well, one or two had shot him a more defiant look but he was fairly certain Nevano wasn't going to take issue if he had to remind these idiots that a former Redoran commander would always wipe the floor with sloppy fighters whose bravery came from a bottle.

Speaking of the smaller mer, he was looking positively miserable. It was no secret that Nevano had no love for boats or anything to do with salt water, but he hadn't replaced the majority of his blood with alcohol like he swore he would do. In fact, Veleth was pretty sure he hadn't drank anything at all. He was curious if his formidable mother had anything to do with that. He wasn't going to ask though. Nevano had squeezed himself into a corner so small he was barely noticeable, curling up tighter when the ship lurched a little as it shoved away from the dock.

Fortunately, for all their sakes, it wouldn't take nearly as long to land on Vvardenfell as it took getting from Solstheim to Blacklight. To start with, the ships going to and from Solstheim were not the best ships out there and definitely not the fastest. Then there was the rough seas themselves. Solstheim had horrible rocky shores pitted with chunks of ice that liked to appear out of the mists suddenly. In order to keep from their ship from joining the countless others on the ocean floor, captains had to inch their ships towards the island foot by painfully slow foot while blasts of frigid Skyrim wind tossed them like toys. The pirate ship they were on now was built for speed, mostly to escape pursuit, and it was rather clear sailing to their destination. They would make it to Hla Oad in just a few days.

Willing to give Nevano space, Veleth spent the next day watching the faint outline of Vvardenfell's shore slip by on the horizon. The mainland to the other side was out of sight. It was so far a very boring trip. The gray wintery sky made the cold, choppy waters look like iron beneath them. The wind had picked up but Veleth, who suffered through far too many nasty Solstheim winters, wasn't bothered. It wasn't too terribly cold yet. Another month and this would be positively miserable. A few of the crew already seemed to be taking issue with the weather conditions. One such disgruntled individual stumbled into Veleth, cursing as he did so. Veleth, shaken out of his reverie, shot him a nasty look but otherwise did nothing.

"You've been distracted lately."

Veleth glanced over to see Nevano make his shaky way over to join him at the railing. "Is it that obvious?"

"Were it anyone else? Not really." Nevano shrugged. "But you? Very. Especially if you were willing to let someone run into you like that and get away with it."

"It's...nothing. Really."

"Just be careful." Nevano's arms wrapped around his chest as a large wave made the ship roll lazily. "That temper of yours has been getting the better of you lately."

That was rather what he was afraid of. Things were getting out of control and he just didn't know how to stop it. Or rather...he did but he didn't want to do it. Desperate to change the subject, he asked instead. "You held on to Wraithguard and Sunder was hidden in Balmora, where was Keening?"

"I...gave it to Vivec. Call it a lapse in judgment, call it a rare moment of generosity or even call it a cruel reminder, but I gave the bastard the sword." Nevano frowned as he looked out over the water. "I didn't really think anything of it at the time. I didn't want the tools. I barely tolerate Wraithguard but I knew that if I kept at least one with me, no one could mess with the others. Red Mountain erupting just made keeping them hidden all the easier, or so I thought. With Vivec gone, I...I don't know what I thought. Who knows what happened to Keening after I left it. It's not like the damned thing can write to me."

"And then it came back to your possession through the form of a mage?" Veleth eyed Nevano carefully. The smaller mer had been very cagey telling the story of how Keening came back to him.

"Quit giving me that look." Nevano scowled. "It's not because I won't tell it...it's because I'm not sure how."

"What do you mean?"

"That mage was trying to use Keening." Nevano directed his dark scowl over the water. "I owed him a favor so I helped out, without realizing what he was planning on doing. I didn't realize just what he was planning until it was too late. I would have stopped him otherwise. He had a soul gem that he struck Keening with...then he was gone."

"Gone?" White hot shock ran through his mind, wiping away any thought in its wake. His gut sent a warning through his body so sharp that the air left his lungs.

"Gone." Nevano confirmed. "There was nothing left. No trace he ever existed. Just me, Keening and a soul gem. I took Keening and left. I didn't know what else to do and I wasn't about to leave Keening with the mages in Winterhold. Would have finally wiped out the whole school then."

"I..." His mind began to painfully grind back into gear. "That...I wish you had mentioned that sooner. I couldn't even begin to tell you what that would mean but whatever it is, it can't be good."

"I gathered that from watching a mage disappear. It wasn't a pleasant spell." Nevano twitched his head a little, his stare distant. "Keening...wanted to stop the spell. It was screaming. I remember it screaming. It hurt like hell. The spell was not natural. Whatever happened felt like...reality was splitting in half. It was far too familiar for comfort."

Veleth stayed quiet, the enormity of what Nevano said suddenly dropping on his shoulders like a boulder. Mages, Keening, soul gem, reality splitting...the words swirled around in his mind, frantically trying to settle into the equation he knew was there but was just out of reach. One thing was for certain; Keening held more latent power than he or his father or Nevano were giving it credit for. Briefly, he wondered if they should just drop the cursed thing to the bottom of the Inner Sea. Briefly though. Very brief. Keening had some part left to play in all this, his gut told him. Best to keep it close, despite every misgiving he could think of.

They lapsed into silence that lasted into the evening. The clouds broke up enough to allow glimpses of yellows and oranges of the setting sun through. It was a cheery change but it did nothing to lift the mood that Veleth now found himself in. In the fast fading distance, Vvardenfell's shore was dark and gloomy. It made him shiver and not because of the wind. Next to him, Nevano had turned around and was leaning against the railing, staring upwards at the sky.

"Is it me or are those clouds turning dark pretty fast?"

Veleth glanced over his shoulder briefly before spinning around in alarm. Black clouds were billowing up overhead at an alarming rate. Lightning flashed angrily within the growing clouds and an opposing gust of cold wind hit the sails hard enough to make them snap like a whip. All movement on the boat stilled as everyone stopped to stare at the unnatural phenomenon building in front of them.

Nevano's face paled several shades.

"No storm builds that quickly." Hosni said, walking across the deck. "Not even off elven coasts where magic is finicky. Something doesn't want us here. No storm has ever beaten us yet though. Get the ship ready for a gale! Tighten her down and get ready to run. They can't follow us forever! Get those ropes secure! If I see anything flapping, the next thing I want to see is the one responsible flapping his way into the water!"

As if breaking the spell, the boat broke out into action. Sailors began running around, following bellowed orders to secure the ship. Veleth found himself backed into the same corner as a blanched-faced Nevano, trying to stay out of the way of the sudden flurry as the ship began to rock with the increasing intensity of the water. Somehow, over the controlled chaos, he could hear Nevano murmuring rapid-fire in Velothi. Veleth understood more of the Ashlander language than the average city mer but he wasn't perfectly proficient. However, he caught every single curse, which comprised roughly a third of the diatribe. Not a single curse was repeated.

Thunder rumbled overhead, close enough that Veleth could feel it vibrate deep in his chest. Lightning began to snake its way through the dark clouds but it was an unnatural purple. Veleth felt the rage monster in his belly shift in irritation. Hosni was right; this wasn't natural. Someone knew they were there and was trying to get rid of them. He glanced around. He would never approve of pirating, he was far too much a guard at heart to ever reconcile that, but he had to admit they were extremely efficient. None of them were panicking and seemed rather confident they would make it through. Nevano, on the other hand, was about ready to panic. Veleth knew he was rather worthless in helping the ship itself, but he could help Nevano. Stumbling a little as the ship heaved beneath his feet, Veleth made his way across the deck to where his and Nevano's things were. He grabbed what he could and made his way back, shoving Nevano's extraordinarily worn pack into his chest.

"This thing survived the dragon attack on Helgen. Think it'll bring us luck now?" Nevano asked.

"Considering it got you into a mess for being the wrong place at the wrong time, it damn well better get us out of this." Veleth said. "Though if it's anything like your tale of running from that dragon, you might have to get over your fear of water and quick."

"I'm not afraid of water!" Nevano snapped. "I just don't like what tends to hide in it!"

Good. If Nevano was getting irritable with him, he wasn't focused on being afraid. Anger was far more useful than fear. Anger would give far more clarity. Anger would keep them alive.

It began to rain. Sheets of water fell like needles, stinging any exposed skin, dropping the visibility to next to nothing. The ocean was barely visible in the failing light, save for massive waves rising like giants when the lightning illuminated them beyond the confines of the ship. It made Veleth feel horribly vulnerable and very alone. All he could do was hold on tightly to whatever was closest while the storm whipped into a frenzy around him.

The first major wave slammed into the ship. Veleth could hear a bellowed command but couldn't make it out over the wind and rain. However, he knew what it meant when every crew member around him dove for a solid object. He scrambled for the rail just as the wave of water slammed into him and threw him roughly against the rail. Salt water stung his eyes and forced its way down his throat and nose, making him choke and gag. He clung desperately to the soaked wood, his nails cracking under the strain as the ship rolled again.

"Get the foresail secured! Get those ropes! The wind is shifting from both sides! Waves are crashing in on both sides! They are trying to trap us in one spot, get those sails up and get us moving!"

Veleth felt his heart freeze at those words. If the ship was stalled in one spot, they were doomed. But what could he do? He had no idea just where their assailant was but even if he did what good what it do? He was not magically inclined enough to be able to stop this. They were totally helpless.

"Look out!"

Purple lightning cracked overhead and struck the main mast. Splinters of wood flew everywhere as the currents of energy exploded within it. For a moment it seemed as if it would hold, but then the massive post leaned and snapped. Ropes broke free and the mainsail collapsed, having nothing to hold it in place. Pieces of the ship crashed down on the deck. Veleth tried to get away but the rocking of the ship made it nearly impossible. All he could do was duck as a boom swung wildly overhead.

Not everyone ducked in time. Before he could even suck in the air needed to call out a warning, the boom caught Nevano and swept him unceremoniously off the ship and overboard. He stared in horrified disbelief at the now empty railing, barely able to comprehend just what had happened.

Then the ship groaned, the wood underneath him shuddering as the battering from the waves slowly became too much for it. He knew right then that the ship was lost. Staying with it was a death sentence. Of course, his chances in the water were not much better. They were slightly better as the magic seemed to be focused on sinking the ship but it was a marginal difference. Not that it really mattered. His choice had been made for him the moment Nevano was swept overboard.

He dove just as the deck split in half under the strain of the magically driven tides.

The cold hit him like punch to the stomach, causing him to drop his axe. The air left his lungs in shock. He kicked hard, trying to find the surface but it was so dark and cold it was nearly impossible. Somehow, amid the swirling, heaving dark water and foam, he bobbed to the surface and was able to suck in a quick gasp before a wave tried to push him back under. As he struggled to remain where the air was, cold water filled his boots and the crevices of his armor, weighing him down and dragging him back under the waves. He scrambled for the buckles of his armor, his lungs burning, demanding air, his toes kicking at the heels of his boots, shrugging the heavy bonemold plate off and letting them sink into the dark water below.

Kicking his way back up, he gulped in air until he no longer felt like his lungs were going to explode. He looked around, trying to see if he could spot Nevano or anything that might look like a body floating on the surface but he couldn't even see the ship anymore. A piece of wood crashed into his back and he grabbed it, using it to help keep him buoyant while he searched but he had no idea which direction to even start looking. He tried pull himself together but the cold was starting to set in. His muscles felt like they were locking up, making it hard to move. Stubbornly he kicked as hard as he could. If he kept moving, he wouldn't freeze.

A quick flash of red and gold light, very unlike the purple lightning cracking all around, between the waves caught his attention. It sparked a small sense of hope in the pit of his belly, the first he had felt since the storm began. Warmth spread through him, giving him the strength to push against the waves towards the flash.

Trueflame. It was Trueflame, somehow flaring up through the water. He could just barely make out Nevano's still form floating on the surface, his black armor making him invisible in the black water. As soon as he reached Nevano, the sword went dark. He grabbed the smaller mer and held him so his head was above water. Fortunately, Nevano was small and light, in light armor. He didn't weigh Veleth down. It was easy to pull him along. Or as easy as it could be in rough water. The warmth was fading, the cold seeping back in. His teeth chattered as he began to shiver. He had Nevano at least but he had no idea which way to go. He couldn't just swim aimlessly. There was no way to discern direction. Every time he thought he could, a wave would spin him around and he would lose all sense of direction.

That way.

As the thought popped in his head as clear as a spoken word, his body turned from a force not his own or the turbulent water around him. He didn't know what or who was helping him. At this point, he didn't care. Through flashes of lightning he thought he saw land. He kicked as hard as he could, fighting his way through the angry waters. He didn't think they had been that close to land or that they had been pushed by the waves that close but, again, he didn't care. He was cold, he was tired, he was desperate. Mehrunes Dagon appearing and pulling them from the water and dropping them on shore wouldn't be refused at this point.

It felt like hours later when he feet finally brushed ground. He was exhausted, so exhausted he could barely crawl up the beach out of the water. When he could no longer feel waves lapping at him, he simply stopped moving, his legs giving out under him. He lay there a few minutes, his teeth chattering uncontrollably but already he felt warmer now that he was out of the freezing water. He couldn't pass out, not just yet. He looked over at Nevano and realized, with a jolt of shock that didn't quite hit him physically, that Nevano wasn't breathing. He gathered up what little remained of his strength and forced it all into one hard punch straight to Nevano's stomach.

Seawater sprayed out of Nevano's mouth. He coughed and sputtered, bringing up what seemed like half the damned sea before sucking in a massive gulp of air. A few sputtering starts later, he was finally breathing evenly.

That was all Veleth really needed. They both survived. They were exhausted, cold, hopelessly lost and alone but they were alive. They could figure this out. Later, though. He had no energy left. They were not in a safe place at all but his body refused to even consider any more movement. He collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.

XxXxXx

A/N: Confession time: I hated the axe. I hated the axe. I'm happy it's gone.

Also….fuck you Harvey, fuck you Irma and fuck you Maria.