Darn, it seems I will have to cut this story down to six chapters. There will be one last update soon after this. I really hope this one doesn't feel rushed... please tell me what you think.
"So, how was your trip to Pinsun?" asked Iterdel.
A few days after acquiring the dagger, Valdor had been training at home, practicing his fighting skills. The raider certainly did not want a repeat of last time. If it wasn't for Sir Darkus, he would have been no more. Even that terrible encounter couldn't halt his desire for adventure.
"Great. You probably wouldn't believe what I ran into, but the dagger is mine now."
"Excellent, you have certainly earned it," replied the vampire. "Are you interested in another treasure, my friend?"
At first Valdor hesitantly withdrew his head, but then answered, "Sure, I'd love to hunt another rare artifact. It's my job of course! Well, more of a hobby I admit. You see, my father was a great sorcerer, and when he died I inherited a good deal of his gold. I find thrill in searching for ancient things in dangerous places…"
"You really are good! Only a couple days after you get back from a big find and you want more! I truly admire you, Imperial," said the Altmer as he took another drink of his Flin.
"Once again, the former owner of our next little treasure was involved in the Rune War, and"- at this Valdor felt a pain in his stomach (despite healing the wound through magic) and his face muscles tightened-"are you okay, Valdor?"
"Oh yes, please continue."
"Anyway, a high commander in Drek's forces was slain and buried in an ancestral tomb. Over time its name has been forgotten. Let me mark its location on your map… There should be a hidden room accessible through a wall-torch that acts as a leaver. The item is an amulet said to make the user invulnerable to fire."
"So how do you know about all this?" the Imperial inquired.
"I am a historian of sorts, and as you know I've had many years to research," replied Iterdel. Valdor then realized his immortality and fascination with history's little known events made an interesting pair.
"It was nice chatting, Iterdel, but I need to be off to prepare." "Oh! May I suggest you take that dagger with you? It could be rather useful." "I suppose," said Valdor as he left Iterdel's home and headed back to his estate.
The raider was armed in chitin just as in his last adventure. He took his trusty silver claymore and the dagger following the Altmer's advice. The raider brought little else- a few lockpicks and probes, but nothing of importance.
He headed to the unknown tomb, which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. There was no definite landmark he could use, no direct path, and many times it seemed like he was going in circles. Strangely, Valdor never encountered any aggressive beast or outlaw on his trip.
After a good long while, he arrived at the tomb. Slowly, he entered. The first room was a standard, nondescript tomb entrance. But nothing was undead. He continued on to the hallway and found no skeletons, bonewalkers, bonelords, or anything of the sort.
The adventurer searched the entire tomb ready to fight, but found no danger whatsoever. It was far too quiet. The raider gave up looking for ghosts and began searching for the hidden room. He found nothing at first. On closer inspection, the fake torch was revealed to be in a small innocent-looking room connected to the hallway, but not too far from the entrance. He pulled it. The tomb wall shifted, revealing a passage into the depths, and Valdor followed.
It led to a large room (with no undead) sporting a few ashpits and lined with urns. On one side, he found a pedestal, and on it was the amulet. He first touched the pedestal and amulet with his sword, making sure there was no trap. Then he took it, and turned around expecting something to appear and attack him. Nothing. What a boring trip it had been.
Valdor headed to the ascending passage, but then heard laughter. He turned to the source, the largest ash pit. In front of it, a Khajiit in daedric armor slowly materialized (she must have been using an invisible spell) and drew a daedric longsword.
"Your abilities are impressive, slayer of the Blademaster. But Nemaya will not fall that easily!"
The female Khajiit charged at Valdor. Quickly drawing his claymore, he parried the blow, and turned running for more space. Nemaya pursued and struck again. He locked swords with her, then kicked his opponent back. He jumped ready to strike on his fall, but the foe locked swords with him again. He retreated into a defensive position as she got up. The daedric armor was far too tough; Valdor would have to aim for the head. She was aggressive, and charged straight at him, yet he dodged the blows all the same. He waited for an opportunity to kill, but it didn't come. He would have to use the signature technique.
He allowed Nemaya to continue her offensive strikes until he sensed her fatigue. Then Valdor knocked her back and ran to the other side of the room. He then charged and became a spinning death blade. The Khajiit had the astounding strength to stop his blade and kill his momentum, throwing him off balance and onto the ground. She followed up with a downward stab. Barely, the raider rolled to avoid it. Nemaya's longsword was stuck in the tomb's structure. Wasting no time, Valdor got back on his feet and decapitated Nemaya, making a bloody little mess in the process.
He tried to draw the daedric longsword from its postion in the tomb, and found it was stuck pretty badly in the floor. After a minute, he did manage to retrieve it. The raider left with a sense of accomplishment. He managed to get a valuable amulet and a piece or daedric weaponry. What a day!
On his way home, he decided he would go to Vos and Sadrith Mora to invite Olaf and Iterdel to marvel at his new treasures.
ReadingWhiz89: Yay! Blood and Gore:-D I will read your fanfics very soon.
Elvish Mistress: Yes, that knife would be a pain... Valdor doesn't always get off easy, but he did in this chapter. Please continue with your Assassin story! I want to know more about Oka-Sheko.