Chapter Fifteen: Companion

Merlac was sitting in a small bar in Vivec with a large bottle of Sujamma in front of him. He had opened the bottle, but hadn't yet started drinking. It had been almost three weeks since the teleportation potion had transported him to Ebonheart, the small imperial harbour city near Vivec, but unfortunately Milo was nowhere to be seen. Merlac was left alone with the mysterious name, Holamayan.

Merlac had browsed entire libraries through, trying to find out what place it was and where it would be situated. He hadn't even dared to ask anyone, as he didn't want wrong people to find out there would be something interesting in Holamayan and that Merlac was looking for it.

He pushed the bottle farther away from him, he had never been a drinker anyway. Merlac rose up, threw some septims for the barkeeper and walked outside. He walked through the almost empty bazaar hall to fresh, but rather warm night and leant over the canton's stone parapet.

Merlac was just about to continue wondering what to do next, when a cold, sharp dagger blade was pressed against his throat.

"Beautiful night, ain't it?", said a husky voice behind him. "I suppose such a well-dressed imperial also has a heavy moneybag, do you? And that sword of yours… I'll take that as well."

Merlac reckoned his chances; somehow this thug didn't give an impression of a professional thief, but on the other hand he could easily cut his throat before he would be able to pull out his sword. However, Merlac was not worried. He was tired. Maybe it was arrogance or something, but these kind of people just wasted his time.

Before Merlac managed to reply anything to the thief, the solution arrived from unexpected source.

"Drop it.", said a new, calm male voice behind him. Merlac felt the dagger to stop pressing his throat and drop clinking to ground.

Merlac turned carefully around and saw that the thief, a poor-looking middle-aged man, was standing with his hands risen, while another man, about the same age as Merlac, was pointing at the thief's throat with a short silver sword.

"You're ok?" then man asked Merlac.

"Yeah, thanks.", Merlac replied.

"Now guess what we're going to do to you.", said the man to the thief. "We're going to give you to nearest Ordinator that shows up, though those lazy, golden morons should already be here.", said the man with a bit of dislike in his voice, but Merlac wasn't sure if he pointed it at the thief or the ordinators.

But to Merlac's surprise, the thief began to smile calculatingly.

"I'm afraid I don't agree with you, boy.", said the thief.

Suddenly, three men came out of the shadows behind the thief and another two behind Merlac.

The man sheathed his silver sword and turned to Merlac.

"Just in curiosity, do you know how to fight?", he asked.

Merlac didn't say anything, but smiled and wielded his longsword. All six thieves also drew out their. The man looked at Merlac's long blade and nodded his head.

"Impressive.", he said and drew out a blood-red daedric longsword from his second sheath. "My name's Achen by the way.", he grinned.

"Take them!", the thief shouted.

The six thieves ran towards Merlac and Achen, who turned their backs against each other and intercepted the attacking criminals. They were cornered and badly outnumbered, but it soon became clear that the thieves were rather lousy fighters. Merlac had little trouble holding the three men who were attacking him, as his sword was much longer than theirs and they hesitated to come too close.

"Do you often help strangers in the night and then fight against superior odds?", shouted Merlac over the noises of battle.

"Yeah, almost every night. It keeps my thighs good looking.", Achen yelled back to him while hitting the sword out of one thief's hands and kicking him to chest.

Merlac and Achen quickly disarmed two more thieves, and the rest soon realised that they were about to be beaten hard, so they helped their mates back up and ran away around the corner of the canton.

"Cowards!", yelled Achen after them.

Then he turned towards Merlac again and gave a laugh.

"Ah, I wonder when was the last time I had that much fun!", he said. Merlac couldn't help himself and gave a laugh as well while sheathing his sword again.

"Thanks again. My name's Merlac."

"Don't mention it", said Achen, sheathed his sword as well and the two men shook hands. "I saw that thug follow you from the bar and decided to back you up, just in case."

"I could have handled him myself", grinned Merlac.

"And his five mates as well?"

"With my left hand if needed."

They both gave another laugh.

"Finally a man that has some sense of humour and knows how to fight as well. Nowadays it feels like you can't trust anyone in here, everyone is just after gold and reputation."

"Tell me about it", replied Merlac.

"Fine looking sword you got there, may I take a look at it?"

"Sure, show me yours in exchange, it was daedric, was it?"

"Heh, sharp eyes you got.", Achen grinned and the men changed swords.

Achen stared at the sword for few seconds and turned it around few times.

"I've seen this before.", he said finally.

"Are you sure?", asked Merlac while examining closely Achen's sword's handle.

"It's the longsword of Vivec himself, for the name of Almsivi where the hell did you get this from?", Achen said with astonishment in his voice.

Merlac rose his look and stared at him.

"How did you know that?"

"I saw this few months ago in a museum of unique artefacts in Mournhold, the capital of Morrowind."

Merlac hesitated for few seconds, but decided to tell Achen the full story. He told him about his attempt to become Nerevar reborn and how he had arrived to Vvardenfell in a slave ship few years ago.

As he finished his story about twenty minutes later while sitting in the bar again, this time with Achen, Merlac how stupid all this must have sounded and it would not be a surprise if Achen hadn't believed a word and accused Merlac of stealing the sword. But Achen listened the whole story with only few interrupts while asking something.

"Wow, another one who tries to become the incarnate…", said Achen finally.

"You know the prophecy?"

"The main parts… and to be honest, you are the most realistic candidate I've heard of."

"So you believe me?", asked Merlac.

"Yeah… I see no reason why you would have lied. I can usually tell from people whether they are lying or not from the way they speak, it's a gift."

Achen took a short gulp from his bottle and spoke again.

"So what are you going to do next?"

Merlac sighed.

"I'm not sure. I have to find the lost prophecies and take them to the wise woman of an ashlander tribe and then she will tell me whether I'm the one or not."

"So what's the problem?"

"Well, few weeks ago I paid a visit to that floating rock above the ministry canton, but unluckily the only person who could have led me to the prophecies didn't appear at the same place as I did, after using teleportation potions I mean."

"That was you? Heh, I heard the alarm horns howling all the way to foreign quarter. It's unbelievable that you actually got out of there… or even got inside!"

"Well, one's got to do what one's got to do", grinned Merlac.

Merlac was just about to ask Achen about Holamayan, but then he remembered he did not know how he would react in case he worked for the Tribunal temple or something.

"So… how do you feel about temple… generally?", asked Merlac instead, trying to sound indifferent.

"I used to believe in them.", said Achen. "But then they started making foolish declarations, like banning the Nerevar prophecy. Not even Ordinators are as incorruptible as they used to be…"

Merlac decided to give it a try.

"Umm… Achen."

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to know a place called Holamayan, would you?"

Achen first stared Merlac for few seconds and then looked at his bottle, looking pensive.

"I've heard that name somewhere… I think a small island in the south-east coast of Vvardenfell was called that in an old children's book I saw in a book store long time ago… not sure though, could have as well been Holmaren or Homyon."

Merlac didn't know what to say for a short time, though this was only a guess, it was the best clue he had.

"What do you know about that island, Achen?"

"Well… if I remember right, it was rumoured to be a secret place for those who believed in a different way than the others, a place that would be protected by Azura."

"That's it! That must be the Holamayan!", yelled Merlac, making Achen jump on his chair. "That is the place where Milo must have gone, it must be the secret monastery of the dissident priests."

"That would fit in the story of the book. So is that where you're heading for next?"

"Yes, but I need a guide. Would you be interested in joining me? I might have a dangerous path ahead of me and I could always use company…", grinned Merlac.

"Well, I know someone in Ebonheart who could borrow us a boat…"

"Is it a deal then?"

Achen scratched his ear.

"Is there going to be a payment of any kind?", he asked.

"Nope, not even a single septim."

"Will there be lots of dangers?"

"Absolutely."

"Even death?"

"Maybe, who knows."

"Count me in, mate!"

The two companions shook hands, laughed and drank for their shared journey