Chapter 6

There were countless nights and countless days which proceeded then in Nirano's life. Since he had no means of faster transportation he simply had to walk, and sometime run towards Cheydinhal. It was the only place he could go now. He had sealed his fate with the Dark Brotherhood. He would love to say he felt guilty about it, but in truth he was excited.

He was an expert at Stealth and Archery. He had learned these skills as a child, living in poverty he had been forced to steal and fend for himself. He was now slowly becoming adept at the Blade. He was proud of himself to say the least. He would be protected by the Dark Brotherhood, and perhaps it was his only safe haven for him now.

Whenever he came across another person he would consult them for a location. Sometimes he would be enthused at far he had come since the last person and sometime he would weep in anguish when he realized he had not progressed much at all since his last enquiry.

Finally, he came across a camp far to the north of the Three Omens Inn. He did not reveal himself however, for fear of bandits. He slowly crept through the undergrowth and examined the encampment from all angles. No one seemed to be there. So, he slowly marched out of the forest and went in the center of the camp. No one was in the tents. It seemed abandoned.

So Nirano took the chance to steal some forgotten food and drink and was about to be off on his way when he heard laughter and the crunching of twigs from behind him. He quickly darted into the only safe place he could see. Inside one of the tents.

A couple of seconds passed and then the entire encampment seemed alive. There was obviously a fire going on outside and people were dancing. Guitars were being played and people were cheering. Nirano did not know how he would go out without being seen, and he did not dare reveal himself, as these people were Gypsies and they would kill him on sight. Gypsies did not tolerate strangers, and they would show no leniency to someone who had come out of one of their own tents.

So Nirano waited and waited for hours, and still nothing stopped. People were always dancing and laughing and getting very, very drunk. When the moon was finally in the middle of the sky, the music stopped and people were starting to go into their tents to sleep. This was the part Nirano was dreading. There was no way they would not see him now.

Waiting in awful silence and not daring to breathe, Nirano waited for his doom. Yet, no one came inside the tent. He peeked outside to find that several Gypsies had passed out on the ground.

"Thank god for alcohol…" Nirano thought to himself.

He stepped out into the bright night, illuminated by the full moon. In the distance he heard howling. He cautiously stepped over the passed out drunks and was about to make it to the edge of the clearing when he tripped over what he thought was a branch. It was a Kajit, a very angry Kajit. He jumped up and wielded a very shiny bow. It was made of Silver.

The Kajit swore loudly and Nirano winced, hoping no one else would wake up. No one did fortunately. Nirano then began to run towards the forest, seeing the Kajit notch another finely made arrow. Silver as well. Nirano started to sprint trying to get into the clearing as quickly as possible to avoid getting killed. He jumped, startled as he saw the arrow dart right passed his head and get stuck in a near tree, quivering slightly. Then he was in the woods, going anywhere he could, just to get away.

He could hear the Kajit behind him. Although drunk, the Kajit was still very nimble and started to catch up. He could hear him pulling another arrow back. Nirano ducked as soon as he heard it loosed and was correct in doing so as he saw the arrow fly over his head, only a blur in the moonlight, temporarily blinding him as it reflected the bright light into his eyes. Then Nirano jerked himself up and started run again, he whipped out his enchanted dagger and waited for the Kajit to be right behind him.

As soon as he could hear the unmistakable sounds of the Kajit's paws slapping the dry ground behind him, Nirano ran towards a tree, then he used it to propel himself backwards, landing the dagger deep into the gut of the Kajit. Nirano let the dagger go, making it sink even deeper into the flesh. The Kajit began to twitch furiously as the Enchantment of Lightning coursed through his body sending shivers through Nirano's spine as he watched smoke rise and the Kajit die painfully, terribly, and slowly.

Seconds later, Nirano approached the smoldering corpse and drew his dagger out. He sat down on a nearby tree branch and pondered of all his killing so far. He had killed an innocent innkeeper. He had killed a Bandit. He had killed an old man called Rufio. He had killed a Gypsy Kajit. These murders were slowly creeping up on him, yet he shrugged them off, knowing it was now his duty as a Dark Brotherhood Assassin.

Nirano decided to name the Dagger which had not failed him in all of his encounters. He called it Halek.