Nikkhola awoke to the sound of people shouting outside. She opened her eyes and sat up and noticed that light was seeping through the cracks on her window boards: she had overslept. Her plan had been to wake up pre-sunrise and begin packing so that she could leave that evening. Now, however, it seemed that her whole schedule had been set back. That was the least of her concerns, though. The shouting outside was getting louder and it sounded serious.

Nikkhola peeked out of the cracks in the magically infused wood and saw a disturbing scene. A few Dunmer had surrounded an Argonian and had stripped him of his clothes. They were on the edge of one of the bridges, ready to push him into the Odai. What disturbed her the most is that a few guards were standing by, not doing anything. How could guards stand by and do nothing as a group of Dunmer broke the law in broad daylight? As much as she would have liked to go out there, swinging her sword and chopping off heads, she knew that wouldn't solve anything.

Instead, she began to pack her things in sacks. Her belongings were few, so she didn't need many sacks to put away all her things. She then put on her armor and her robe and consealed her sword. Before heading out again, she took another peek out the window. The crowd was still loud and they were now pushing the poor Argonian around.

I wish I could do something, she thought. But right now... right now I can't. She stepped out of her house quietly. All eyes were on the bridge, so she easily got around the corner unnoticed. Although the bar was on the other side of the Odai, sneaking across one of the bridges was also easy. The crowd was getting more violent now, screaming and shouting and getting physical with the innocent Argonian. More guards had gathered and they were blocking access to the bridge. No one could get on it to help the Argonian. Not that many people would have tried, but still.

Nikkhola entered the tavern. There was no one there at the moment, which was good. She went over to the counter, where Baron had already put out a glass of her favorite sujamma. She sat down and downed the whole thing in one gulp.

"So it's pretty busy out there," said the Bosmer.

"It's crazy. They're about to throw an Argonian into the Odai," she said.

"Yeah. Slithers-In-Tall-Grass. Someone mentioned that Argonians were good swimmers, and they decided to test it on him. When they get like that, there's nothing that will stop them, especially with the Hlaalu guards on their side. The boys at Moonmoth don't seem to want to get involved though. Seems that they're scared that if they step in, it will cause a war here. Hlaalu versus Legion. And after the revolts over on the mainland, that's something the Legion isn't willing to risk."

Nikkhola looked down at the counter and shook her head. "Yeah, and it's us that pay the price for that. Their lack of action means innocent people like that Argonian get hounded by the Cammona Tong. The only thing I can do is leave town. Outlanders aren't safe here anymore."

He nodded. "Oh yeah," he said remembering something. He went under the counter and pulled out a sack. "It's got some stuff in it for your trip. I hope you make it safely to Pelagiad."

"Thanks," she said as she stood. She left a few drakes on the counter and walked out the door. Things were quiet now. For some reason, that left her feeling less safe. When she reached the river, the crowd was gone. No one was on the bridge anymore. A part of her told her to get to her house as quickly as possible, but another part told her to check out the bridge.

Her curiousity won, and she headed towards the bridge. When she got to where Slithers-In-Tall-Grass had been, she stopped. There was blood on the bridge. Fresh blood. She looked down into the water to find a horrible sight. The river was red with blood, and floating down the river, face down, was the Argonian. She could see multiple wounds on his back where he had been stabbed to death.

Suddenly, she felt furious. How could they have done something so...so...barbaric. She had to do something. The only thing she could do right now was to go to the fort and tell the guards what had happened. It was one thing to harass people, it was something entirely different to kill them. The Legion had to do something. They couldn't let something like this slide. Especially since the guards had done nothing. Who knows who would be next.

Nikkhola ran to the fort, which was only a short walk out of town. When she reached it, she walked straight to one of the guards.

"I'm here to report a crime," she said.

"What's the problem, ma'am?" asked the guard, a young one, probably only in his early twenties.

"There's been a murder in Balmora," she said without hesitaton.

"Well, Balmora is technically House Hlaalu's responsibility, so I don't think--"

Nikkhola didn't bother hearing the rest of what the guard had to say. She walked past him and into the fort itself and walked straight to the Garrison Captain.

"There's been a murder in Balmora," she said to him.

"House Hlaalu--" he began.

"NO! House Hlaalu will not take care of it. The Cammona Tong has members that are Hlaalu guards. They're not going to do anything about this. A group of Cammona Tong Dunmer murdered an Argonian today, in broad daylight, and the guards did nothing but watch. The body is in the Odai. I saw the guards do nothing while the other Dunmer pushed him and hit him. You have to do something!"

The Captain looked troubled. Clearly, he knew this was a serious issue. But it was also clear that he didn't know what to do. But Nikkhola's gaze was powerful and piercing. He found that he couldn't look her straight in the eyes.

"Very well," he finally said. "We'll go take a look. Please take us to the crime scene."