Chapter 2 : Unfolded
The assassin was arrested, as P'Rassha told you before, but he sure tried to get his freedom back.
-You can't keep me in here, the Altmer said after he came back from unconsciousness.
-Evidence showed you tried to kill an Imperial citizen, elf, answered an imperial jailer.
P'Rassha was still in the imperial prison of Ebonheart along with friend Eliandra. P'Rassha's innocence wasn't easy to prove since the khajiit also attacked Retribius. Even more than the Altmer whose only witnessed crime was to cast a spell.. The imperial guard present at the Six Fishes somehow helped during P'Rassha's interrogation. After all, he, too, lost control of his actions. However, the invaluable proof of P'Rassha innocence came from the Altmer himself.
-You can't keep me in here for Retribius murder, added the Altmer over P'Rassha's shoulder. I have an honourable writ of execution in my bag.
-I haven't seen such a thing, answered the jailer.
The Altmer was stunned by the argument, some Morag Tong assassins rely heavily on their "religious" immunity. And when it is taken from them by clever adventures such as Eliandra and P'Rassha, there are dire consequences. The Altmer stuttered a few words, but managed, overall, to keep his composure.
-I have a writ, he repeated. You have no right…
While the elf was talking, the jailsman took a scroll of parchment out of his pocket and showed it to the assassin before he could finish his sentence.
-Is that what you are talking about? Asked the imperial with disdain.
-Yes, proudly answered the Altmer.
-That's a fake, bluntly replied the jailer.
At that very moment, the Altmer lost his composure. That was a rare event for an Altmer and for an assassin. P'Rassha watched and waited.
-WHAT? he shouted.
-A fake, insisted the imperial. And a pretty bad one. Just good enough to fool a simple citizen at first sight, but not me.
While the two continued to argue, P'Rassha whispered to Eliandra:
-How did friend Eliandra came into possession of the real writ?
-One of my informer called Osheg gave it to me, answered the Nord woman. A bosmer. He probably stole it and replaced it with a fake. No matter what Osheg truly did, the assassin is in a bad position now.
Since the Altmer effectively confessed his crime, P'Rassha and Eliandra were set free with the thanks of the imperial garrison. It is not everyday-the guard said-that we found two brave souls willing to enforce the imperial law.
-That makes us vigilante? P'Rassha concluded when the two friends were walking towards the gondoliers.
-if only they knew, answered Eliandra with a mysterious smile.
Two days went on and with the third came the sun. Eliandra's wounds were almost healed, thanks to her magical powers and good nights of rest. P'Rassha took the opportunity given by the clement weather to take a walk outside Vivec's Foreign Quarters. Even for a 9 feet tall Khajiit, the city was huge. From the highest story of the quarter, P'Rassha could see the outlines of the whole city. From the temple to the arena. It is true Vivec's architecture is impressive, but lack diversity. All the quarters, except the Temple, look exactly the same.
After a good, refreshing walk, P'Rassha came back to the Black Shalk Cornerclub and found Eliandra reading a finely decorated scroll. P'Rassha noticed the message written on it was in Khajiiti, P'Rassha's native tongue. It meant new orders. The beauty of Khajiiti is all the possibilities it offers for encryption. Deep within the roots of the language is the importance of context to understand the meaning of sentences. By changing some key elements in a paragraph, it is possible to transform a day to daychat into an analysis of dunmer's culture, or a simple conversation about weather into a religious analysis of natural omens in the desert. A coded message in Khajiiti is both easy and hard to write. For a native speaker like P'Rassha, at the moment you have the key words, it is kitten's play. For anybody else, though, the mental abilities necessary to decode the message are just not there.
-P'Rassha, asked Eliandra with the scroll upside down, could you translate this?
-With pleasure friends.
Apparently, it was a letter from P'Rassha's mother. She wrote she was awfully sorry to learn the news of the attempted murder in Seyda Neen 2 days ago. After a quick decoding, the orders from the Big Paw were pretty straightforward. An Altmer's assassin currently held by the imperial garrison in Ebonheart had to be taken I 4 days to Seyda Neen, a small coastal town of Vvanderfell. The assassin had to be transferred immedialty to a special prison in the imperial capital in the province of Cyrodil.
-P'Rassha wonders in the Big Paw knows who arrested that Altmer in the first place? P'Rassha asked after resuming the orders to Eliandra.
-Probably not, answered Eliandra. You know the Big Paw isn't the most informed fellow around. He is usually a month late on critical issues. I'm surprised he even knows about the Altmer in Ebonheart.
Eliandra burned the scroll with a candle and took a moment to think.
-The tricky part, she said after a moment, is to take that Altmer out of jail. Neither you or me had the authority for this job.
-Have you ever wanted to be part of the census and excise office? P'Rassha asked.
Eliandra knew P'Rassha had a talent to forge official documents, and answered the khajiit's question with a simple smile.