I already know what's coming. I embrace the madness to be!
Once Blake had found the time, she outfitted M'rissi with some light, leather armor, got her a sword, and a bow with a quiver of steel arrows. She wasn't totally comfortable with letting the girl fight, but there were times where they might not have a choice, so she gave her the best she could without weighing her down.
"She likes this," M'rissi had said as she brushed her fingers over some of the armor. "It's comfortable and light, and doesn't make much noise when she moves."
"Eorlund might make the best steel, but Ulfberth knows his way around leather," Blake agreed. A young Pahmar came up and sniffed at them, but M'rissi hissed at him, causing him to stop in mid-step and let them walk ahead. They had joined up with a caravan coming down from Windhelm and heading towards Riften a little before noon on their second day of traveling, just south of the bridge near Mixwater. It was a separate caravan from the one team RWBY had traveled with, but word about them had spread and so they welcomed Blake with open arms, not at all minding her traveling companion.
"She has a question, Blake?"
"What is it?"
"Why did you not want to tell Yang or M'rissi about your parents? Do you not like them?"
"No, I… I love them very much, but when I was younger, I did something really stupid."
"Well, you do stupid things sometimes, like getting her all wet, but how bad was it?" Blake sighed at the question and moved to avoid answering, but one look at M'rissi's innocent eyes made her reconsider.
"Really, really bad. We… Me and my friends come from another land, a different continent. There my…clan, I suppose, is often mistreated by humans. So, they made an organization to demand equality," M'rissi was quickly enraptured by Blake's story, and some quick side-glances showed that a few others in the caravan were listening intently as well. "My father led them at first. Things started out peacefully, and they usually stepped in to prevent violence, but when my father stepped down, our new leader took a more…violent approach. It wasn't always bloody, but under Sienna, places that refused us service were attacked, racist po- guards were targeted, beaten, their home locations shared, and one particular company that had become infamous for using us as little more than slave labor was often targeted, shipments stolen and mines destroyed. We became something that they feared. My father hated it. I hate it. But back then, I thought it really was the way to go."
"Too much," a masculine voice said, and they turned to see a Cathay with white stripes running through his mahogany fur.
"Too much violence, you mean?" Blake asked for clarification.
"Too much for both of you. Ja'takal heard of your words. Your father was too peaceful, your Sienna is too violent. Too much, either way, that is what he hears."
Blake sighed. "Well, how would you have done it? How could anyone have stopped all of the racism and hate?"
"Everyone must die." At that, Blake paused in her steps, but the elder looked back to her and shook his head. "Not all at once, now. Walk as you speak. We've too much cold road for stalling at surprising words."
Blake walked quickly to catch up while M'rissi looked to Ja'takal with interest. "What do you mean, everyone must die?"
"Exactly that. We grow old, we die. We get stabbed, we die. Our heads get smashed open, we die. Even gods will sometimes use up their spark and perish. But it is not the end, for we will always return, reborn, just as the world shall too when it is time, but that is not his point. For an idea to die, everyone with it must die. Look at the Nords, who are full of hate for the elves and their Thalmor. This hate did not exist years ago, and it will not exist in a hundred years if the fools keep their hate. But hate can be shared, and is often passed down like bad blood. The children will never hate as much as the parents, though. Another hundred years, and the hate will be simmered down. They will not like the elves, but few will know why. After that, some will question their hate, and why they waste it on something they do not know. They will either rekindle it with foolish ideas, or it will die away. A hundred years, and only handfuls will hate, but their hate will mean nothing to the many who feel no hate. He feels sorry for the elves, who may hate much longer if things go badly."
"So you're saying there's nothing we can do but wait for generations to just pass us by."
"You are as stupid as the young one accuses you of being." M'rissi chuckled at that while Blake's ears dropped. "You asked how to stop all of the hate, and Ja'takal told you. What you can do is mitigate, make it smaller. When there can be peace, make peace, but when there must be fighting, then fight and fight hard. Give cheap shots and bite the fingers holding weapons. And the moment your enemies start to fight back, run and leave them confused."
Blake scoffed. "Make peace, fight, and run away. Yeah, that sounds like a stable motto."
"Gzalzi vaberzarita maaszi," the Khajiit suddenly said. M'rissi's ears perked up, but Blake just stared in confusion. "'Absurdity has become necessity.' The Men of your land, they outnumber you?"
"By around eight times," Blake admitted.
"Then tell him, how does the Alfiq bring down the great Senche-raht?"
Blake figured it to be a riddle, but one she didn't really have any background to work with. Alfiq were small, housecat sized Khajiit while the Senche-raht could grow to the size of a mammoth, and that was all she really knew about them.
"I have no idea."
"Think then, think. Look at the Alfiq, see how quickly he moves, how light his steps can be. The Senche-raht is mighty, but he is loud and slow to turn. He must strain to walk quietly upon the sands, while the Alfiq does so with the ease of breath. When the Alfiq jumps upon his back and bites, he can run before the Senche-raht can even move to topple him off. And by the time the great Senche-raht turns, the Alfiq has already run to hide in the bushes. And when he turns away, the Alfiq can strike once again. It may take ten thousand bites, but so long as the Alfiq uses what he has above the Senche-raht, even he too can topple the mighty."
"We're not trying to topple them, though. We're just trying to be treated as equals."
"So did we. And it is working, even when the Dominion hold our land rather than the Empire," the Cathay then chuckled. "This one knows now, you have never read the words of Renrijra Krin. A travesty that must be fixed." The elder ran up to one of the carts and began fiddling around in a sack before pulling out a small book and then handing it over to a surprised Blake. "Read it, and know better. The one who wrote this book was both wiser and more foolish to Ja'takal. It will be perfect for you."
Blake sighed and put the book with her others. "I'll take a look at it. Thank you, for trying to help me."
"Don't thank him unless he has helped. Prove that he had."
As night closed in the caravan came close to Darkwater River and set up camp just within sight of the bridge. As they prepared meals, tents, and tried to set their watch, M'rissi noticed many of the kittens were gathering at a place where several wolf and bear rugs were placed, an older female Suthay sitting in a chair.
"Huh, looks like story time," Blake guessed, at which M'rissi shot forward and sat behind the children, crossing her legs. The faunus sighed and decided that maybe listening to one story would be a good break for her and M'rissi after walking most of the day, done to give Patches some time to walk without much of a burden.
"Kaasani tells you story now," the elder Khajiit woman announced as she moved down to the rugs and grabbed a nearby basket. "Some of you may have heard the story, but some of you may have not. Can you all keep a secret?" The kittens all began nodding, M'rissi joining in, even the adults watching over their little ones nodded. Kaasani's eyes went to Blake and she nodded as well, deciding to play along.
"Good. Secrets are very important, especially for our story tonight. She tells you the story…about Lorkhaj, of the gods and creation." She set down two large stones, one painted red and black, the other painted white and blue.
"In the beginning there were two littermates, Ahnurr and Fadomai. After many phases, Fadomai said to Ahnurr, "Let us wed and make children to share our happiness.""
Kaasani then took several items out from her basket and set them on the rug before her, a sabercat fang, a piece of cloth, a marble, a necklace, and a strip of leather.
"And they gave birth to Alkosh, the First Cat.
"And they gave birth to Khenarthi, the Winds.
"And they gave birth to Magrus, the Cat's Eye.
"And they gave birth to Mara, the Mother Cat.
"And they gave birth to S'rendarr, the Runt.
"And many phases passed and Ahnurr and Fadomai were happy.
"And Ahnurr said, "We should have more children to share our happiness." And Fadomai agreed." She reached in and took out several cents and began placing them down as she said each name. "And she gave birth to Hermorah. And she gave birth to Hircine. And she gave birth to Merrunz and Mafala and Sangiin and Sheggorath and many others.
"And Ahnurr said, "Two litters is enough, for too many children will steal our happiness."
"But Khenarthi went to Fadomai," she went on as she pulled the piece of cloth close to the black and red rock, "and said, "Fadomai-mother, Khenarthi grows lonely so high above the world where not even my brother Alkosh can fly." Fadomai took pity on her and tricked Ahnurr to make her pregnant again.
"And Fadomai gave birth to the Moons and their Motions," at this Kaasani looked up into the sky, where the two moons were beginning to peak out from the horizon. "And she gave birth to Nirni, the majestic sands and lush forests," she continued as she touched the ground. "And she gave birth to Azurah, the dusk and the dawn.
"And from the beginning, Nirni and Azurah fought for their mother's favor.
"But Ahnurr caught Fadomai while she was still birthing, and he was angry. Ahnurr struck Fadomai and she fled to birth the last of her litter far away in the Great Darkness. Fadomai's children heard what had happened, and they all came to be with her and protect her from Ahnurr's anger.
"And Fadomai gave birth to Lorkhaj, the last of her litter, in the Great Darkness. And the Heart of Lorkhaj was filled with the Great Darkness."
Blake felt her ears twitch and she looked to the side, where a Khajiit in yellow priest robes had come in and was now leaning against a tree, seemingly listening intently to the story. She watched him for a long moment, but couldn't see anything especially different or wrong with him. Deciding it wasn't important and that she was just being skittish, Blake turned back to the storyteller.
"After many phases, Nirni came to Lorkhaj and said, "Lorkhaj, Fadomai told me to give birth to many children, but there is no place for them."
"And Lorkhaj said, "Lorkhaj makes a place for children and Lorkhaj puts you there so you can give birth." But the Heart of Lorkhaj was filled with the Great Darkness, and Lorkhaj tricked his siblings so that they were forced into this new place with Nirni. And many of Fadomai's children escaped and became the stars. And many of Fadomai's children died to make Nirni's path stable. And the survivors stayed and punished Lorkhaj.
"The children of Fadomai tore out the Heart of Lorkhaj and hid it deep within Nirni. And they said, "We curse you, noisy Lorkhaj, to walk Nirni for many phases."
"But Nirni soon forgave Lorkhaj for Nirni could make children. And she filled herself with children."
Blake heard a small sigh of contentment from the odd Khajiit priest.
"He always loves this part," she heard him mutter. Blake thought to question him on what he meant, but when the story was over a moment later and all the adults were getting on their feet, she looked back to see that the odd priest was gone.
"Who was...?" Blake muttered to herself, before feeling a slight tug on her sleeve. Looking down, she M'rissi looking up at her.
"What are you looking at?"
"I... Nothing. Let's go to bed, M'rissi. With any luck, we should get to Riften tomorrow."
If Whiterun and Solitude were cities, and Riverwood straddled the line between village and town, then Morthal was definitely just a town. It was way too small to be a city, but a good bit larger and more developed than Riverwood. Still, for Ruby it was just a place to spend the night, exchange her old coins, and sell the bundle of pelts the Giants had gifted her. There was definitely some kind of drama brewing between the tavern girl Alva and some woman when she felt like she smiled at her husband too long, but that just seemed to be Alva's em-oh, flirting with patrons in the hope for bigger tips. Such was the life of a waitress, she supposed. Regardless, Ruby and Lydia set off for Ustengrav the morning after they arrived, but only after Lydia got some last minute supplies while Ruby performed other, and in her opinion just as important, activities.
"Thane Ruby," Lydia asked, eyebrow cocked towards an unrepentant Ruby, who herself stood triumphant next to a mound of small bodies, "why are all the children collapsed in an exhausted heap?"
"I play tag for keeps, Lydia."
Ustengrav turned out to be a series of ups and downs. First Ruby had to worry about the necromancers up front. She was able to take the two down non-lethally without much difficulty, but ended up having to chop apart all of the recently dead bandits they were using as thralls to dig out parts of the ancient tomb. Then came getting through the tomb itself, which turned out to be somewhat fun at first, but quickly became a chore. And of course, there had to be frostbite spiders. They weren't as much fun, except to Lydia, who still found amusement that her charge was scared of the large spiders.
The biggest disappointment though, was when she finally reached the altar that was supposed to hold the Horn, where all she found was a note telling her that someone else had taken it and to meet them in Riverwood. Ruby had let out a long sigh, and then followed it up with another when she realized whoever it was had taken a shortcut to get there.
Still, she'd gone through the tomb and knew where to look, and now she'd learned even more dragon words, despite the fact that many of them were exactly the same as the last Word Wall, but most importantly, she learned fade.
Like the other Word Walls, she learned that particular word quickly and was able to use it in a Shout. She freaked out for a moment when she realized she'd taken up a ghostly continence, but then started to have fun with it, something she had been doing for the past half hour and made all the other disappointments worth it.
"Look, Lydia!" she called out before running up to the top of a cliff and then falling off of it. Before she hit the bottom, she Shouted, "Feim!" and touched the ground without so much as disturbing a blade of grass or mote of dust. She turned back into tangibility, beaming, while Lydia came up to her Thane with a sigh.
"I do wish you wouldn't do that. You could mistime it, and end up hurting yourself, or worse."
"Don't worry, Lyd. Besides, I think I'm done playing around for right now." Ruby hopped onto Chocolate Hooves and began heading forwards, with Lydia jumping onto her Summer Breeze to follow. "Think of it this way, it's good that I get used to using that Shout, because something as useful as becoming totally intangible could really save my skin one day."
"That…is true, I suppose," Lydia reluctantly agreed, eyeing her charge wearily.
"Besides, I've fallen off of way higher cliffs before and turned up okay without being able to go ghostly." She pulled up her map and looked to where they were headed. "So, next stop is Solitude. We'll get directions there for the Kilkreath Temple, and figure out just what Meridia wants done. Oh, the caravan should be at Solitude! You ever met them?! They're such nice people!"
"Once or twice. Never really…had much to say to them."
"Well, you'll like them! Weiss really loved the kittens. There was this one that kept trying to climb onto Blake's head. It was adorable!"
"I'm sure it was." Lydia imagined the scene and agreed.
Traveling up to Solitude took most of the day, with them reaching the city later in the afternoon. Ruby decided that the best place to go first would be the Bards' College, as if there was one place that could figure out what to do with the book she found, it was a college. Finding it was fairly simple, as there were several decorations around the place, but for some reason the people there didn't appear to be in high spirits at all. Most actually seemed disappointed about something.
Ruby walked into the building mostly unhindered. A tired looking high elf with an oddly tied beard took notice of her though, and came her way.
"Welcome to the Bards' College of Solitude, home of the arts here in Skyrim. I'm Headmaster Viarmo. If you came for the festival, I'm afraid it's…been put on hold."
"Oh geez, was there another holiday? Lydia, you gotta remember to remind me of this stuff." She smiled back at the mer. "Sorry, I just haven't kept track well while on the road. There are monks on a mountain who keep up with the dates better than me."
"Ah, so what brings you to our College?" Viarmo asked, tiredness turning into curiosity.
"Actually, I was bringing something by here because I figured it was the best place for it." She reached into her sack and pulled out the old book carefully. "See, we came by a ghost, who led us to his body and his book, and then we fought his enemy, who was a draugr, to help him get revenge. Here's the book he wrote way back when he was alive."
The high elf had his eyebrow raised as Ruby recounted the story, but took the item into his hands either way. "Thank you. That's actually a very interesting… Wait, this… This is King Olaf's Verse! The missing part of the Poetic Edda! This… This is exactly what I needed to convince Jarl Elisif to let the Burning of King Olaf Festival to commence!"
"Huh," Ruby got out as she thought the situation over. "That's really…coincindental. Weird. Wait, wasn't Olaf what Svaknir's ghost called the draugr?" she asked her housecarl.
"I believe so, my Thane."
"Thane?"
"Yeah, I'm a Thane of Whiterun." Viarmo's eyes squinted at Ruby's declaration, before suddenly widening in realization.
"Red cloak and… You're the Red Dragonslayer?! My day has truly been turned around!" Joyous, he opened up the book and began reading. "I can't wait…to… Oh no. It's… It's damaged. It's aged to the point that parts of it are completely unreadable. And that parts that are readable… Well, bardic verse has come a long way since ancient times."
"Oh…" Ruby mumbled sadly. "From the way you were talking, there's no real way to fill the spaces, huh?"
"No. In fact, this may be the very last copy of King Olaf's Verse. And it's half gone." The high elf hung his head in shame, causing Ruby's heart to swell.
"Well, what if…" Ruby felt something tingling in the back of her mind. "What if we filled in the blanks with bits we make up?"
"Make up?" Viarmo looked up at her in surprise. "That doesn't seem appropriate…"
"Maybe not, but the Jarl wants to cancel a whole holiday. That doesn't seem appropriate to me either. And if it really is the last one, then you might never get it back anyways. I can do some pretty neat stuff, but going back in time is not one of them." Ruby frowned. "Besides, I saw how sad some people were coming in. A whole city shouldn't be depressed when they're supposed to be celebrating." Viarmo stroked his beard in thought before nodding.
"Yes, you're right. Well, I suppose I could fill in the blanks by copying his style based on what's here, but I have no idea what happened between these verses."
"Well, maybe I can help. Literature class was one of my best after combat and smithing."
"I…tremble to imagine what school you learned at." He looked back into the book and began carefully reading the old, worn words. "'O, Olaf, our subjugator, the one-eye betrayer, death-dealing demon and dragon-killing King. Your legend is lies, lurid and false; your cunning capture of Numinex, a con for the ages.' King Olaf was Olaf One-Eye?"
"The guy who trapped Numinex in Dragonsreach?" Ruby wondered aloud. "Well, the draugr did Shout, but going by this, he…didn't capture him, or he didn't do it the way people said? Lydia, how do people usually tell it?"
"They say he fought the dragon for days and then brought it back in chains, but knowing now what we do about dragons…"
"I can't see anyone catching a dragon unless they had a really big trap or snuck up on it in its sleep." She snapped her fingers. "Hey, that sounds about right. Nords found the whole sneaky thing to be dishonorable, especially back then, right?"
"Ah, yes, that does make sense! Paints him in a bad light for traditionalists. Let's see, next part I can read. 'Olaf grabbed power, by promise and threat; From Falkreath to Winterhold, they fell to their knees; But Solitude stood strong, Skyrim's truest protectors. Olaf's vengeance was instant, inspired, and wicked.' Strange, according to history, Solitude attacked Winterhold, but here it's saying that Olaf reacted."
"Well, we're already saying he's a liar and the sneaky sort. Maybe he…? Ooh, maybe he ordered his men to attack Solitude disguised as Winterhold soldiers, but there was a mix up!"
"Ha ha! And then they got the orders reversed! Oh, the Court will love that. Okay, just give me a minute to write it down, and then we can head up to The Blue Palace. This is certain to convince the Jarl to let the celebrations go on!"
While Viarmo went to make his case, Ruby and Lydia took the time to clean up from the road. When they came back out from the Winking Skeever's baths, streamers had been quickly set up, and vendors had prepared themselves with food and gifts to give and sell. Ruby's eyes locked onto a table practically decorated with different kinds of candies and pastries.
"Is that taffy?" she drooled, hovering over the stand.
"My own recipe!" the man proudly boasted. "Would you like to try it?"
"Would I?" Ruby picked up a piece of the sweet and started chewing, the sticky candy forcing her jaw to go slowly. "Oh wow," she got out around the taffy. "It's pretty strong! Is it apple flavored?"
"Yep, some of the strongest taffy you'll ever find. Heard more than one story about a child getting his tooth pulled out by it." The candy maker laughed at that, but Ruby felt a little bit of dread. Seeing as her charge was a bit frightened, Lydia gestured to where she saw Viarmo standing.
"Why don't we see if the headmaster has anything to say?"
"Oh, good idea, Lyd," Ruby said around her treat before swallowing. "Hope Saktir doesn't mind the editing in the afterlife."
"Svaknir," she idle-mindedly corrected, at this point used to her charge's frequent mispronunciations. The two passed by several beaming children, including an array of Khajiit kittens following their elders, all of whom were enjoying little festival games and treats to their hearts' content. Apparently a lot of vendors were giving snacks to the little ones for free or as prizes. They came up to the Altmer, who smiled brightly while holding up a torch.
"I can't thank you enough for what you've done," he greeted Ruby. "King Olaf's Verse was just what we needed to open the Jarl's eyes. Took away all of the false parallels she thought up and put together the real contrast. I didn't ask before, but now I have to, is there any way at all that thee Bard's College can repay you?"
"Well…" Ruby hesitated as she thought it over. "I guess I've always wanted to learn how to play the harp…, and the violin…, and maybe the lute?"
"So a little training, heh?" the headmaster laughed. "We can do all of that and more my dear, but for now, let's go set a king's effigy on fire."
"Free candy, games, and we get to set stuff on fire? This is the best!" Ruby eyes wandered over at what looked like green bottles with a label and several filled cups. Curious, she picked up one of the pewter cups and took a sip, finding the drink to be a sort of wine with some interesting, seasonal tones. "Ooh, nice!"
Yang rubbed her wrists as she looked at her hands. Her nails had grown a little more over the course of the day, and she could almost swear her canines were growing longer and sharper. Wearing a set of old clothes she got for cheap from Belethor's, she walked down the tunnel into the Underforge. There, the five Companions of the Circle waited, Aela in the form of a werewolf. Kodlak and Vilkas held a grim look, while Skjor seemed have a sad smile. Fakas' expression was mostly neutral, but from his eyes Yang could see a bit of worry. The only light came from a single lantern in Kodlak's hands and the holes in the back, which allowed the moonlight to flow in, focused on an old bowl set upon several stones leaning against each other like a pedestal. Kodlak walked forward and nodded.
"Tonight, we welcome you, Sister Yang, into the ranks few ever reach. We have considered for a long time to allow you join the Circle, and while we would have preferred to wait a little longer yet, your circumstances had pushed you forward yet again. You are deserving of this title. Aela has offered to be your forebear in this." Kodlak beckoned towards Aela, who nodded with a grunt.
Skjor then pulled out a dagger while Aela outstretched her clawed hand over the bowl. He took careful hold of her wrist, and then cut open her palm, allowing blood to flow out and fill it quickly. As the last drop fell, Skjor released her wrist and they both backed away. The Companions' expectant gazes directed at her, Yang walked forward and looked down into the bloody fountain, seeing her reflection in the liquid. She nearly gasped when she saw how her pupils had changed shape, closer now to that of a cat. She gulped as her mind sped up, thinking over everything.
She would either change tonight or tomorrow night. It usually took three days for any lycanthropy strain to take hold, and she was dangerously close to that timeframe. If she changed into a werelion, she could be just as out of control as the one she fought, or even like the werebear. In the event she did keep control, it would be a constant battle with a part of her that didn't want to be in the cold, would want to join a pride, and possibly even feel subservient towards a male werelion if she ever ran across one. The idea sickened her, and all of the uncontrollable feelings would constantly clash with what she wanted in life and what she needed to do.
On the other hand, she could choose to become a werewolf like the Circle. Kodlak told her that, at this stage of the infection, the werelion strain could be overridden by a more potent werewolf strain, like that of the Circle. Although reluctant, he quickly extended an offer. The alternative, he said, was much worse, which Yang could only agree with. She'd still have bestial emotions cropping up, but she'd also have people to fall back on and seek advice from. The beast part of her would have a pack, and be as settled as any other member of the Circle. Even if it was the better choice, it wasn't something she wanted to do lightly, and now that choice was forced onto her. She sighed and looked back up at them one last time before she reached into the bloody fountain, scooped up a handful of the sticky, red liquid, put her palm up to her lips, and then tilted back as she drank it down. She had to force herself to hold back any retching she might have done, but that feeling quickly passed as a new sensation emerged.
Clutching her stomach, she felt something flow through her, spreading out from her throat and her gut, working its way in every direction outwards to reach every extremity, muscle, vein, and nerve in her body. She felt like her jaw was being pulled forward by some sadistic dentist. Her muscles seemed to stretch themselves taut and then stretched even more. Her bones seemed to twist within her as they lengthened. Her vision started going in and out as she tried to back up, only to find she couldn't stand on her own feet. She stumbled forward and tried to scream, but all that came forth was a howl.
She walked forward, sniffing the air. She wasn't in a safe place. There could be enemies here. Prey, but enemies too. She started to lick her paw, cleaning it before she went forward, around the structure and then down the stairs on the hill. Something was coming by. She couldn't hide, it was too late. The yellow thing was holding fire as it came, and it froze in fear when it saw her. She snarled and readied to pounce upon her prey. It began reaching for a weapon and shouted out, but she was already in the air and about the land on it. Her paws caught against its arms and pinned it to the ground. She was about to gorge herself when something in her mind stopped her.
'Stop! Stop!'
Why would she stop? She had captured prey right in front of her. Prey was caught, killed, and then eaten, in that order. It was time for the second step, quickly followed by the third.
'Not prey! He's not prey!
She looked at the small, whimpering, yellow thing, the hard piece on its head having come off when she pounced it. If it was not prey, then what could such a squabbling little thing possibly be?
'Friend.'
The idea of a friend wasn't quite there. She knew there were siblings, pack mates, and actual mates. This thing wasn't worthy of being a mate, and she couldn't- No, there was a time when she hunted with this. They hunted something big together, with several other yellow things. She remembered…what friends were, what allies were. He…was an ally.
She looked back down and licked the guards face before taking off, heading to where she remembered the exit to the place was. Here wasn't safe for some reason, so she would go where it was safe. There also wasn't anything to hunt, so she would go where there was prey.
She leapt over the gate, going past surprised guards before hopping down and then speeding towards the trees she saw in the distance. Her golden fur shined in the moonlight as she howled. Her pack mates howled back and she felt joy. Soon, she was joined by her darker-furred pack and they were all running together. Lithe-Female-Hunter Aela. Strong-Male-One-eye Skjor. Bigger-Male-Twin Farkas. Quicker-Male-Twin Vilkas. Leader-Male-Elder Kodlak.
As she remembered their names her own name came to the forefront of her mind. Yang. She was Yang, and she was going out hunting with her Shield-Siblings-Pack. She nearly killed a guard but didn't. Instead she lick-kissed him as an apology.
'Wait, no! That wasn't a kiss! That was a totally platonic doggy li- Oh god that sounds just as- Is that deer?'
The moment she picked up the scent of nearby prey, Kodlak howled deeply, and then Aela took up the front, sniffing up into the air. Soon they were all following the scent and going through the trees quickly and quietly. Suddenly they shot up, and the pack took down a pair of bucks and a doe. The twins ripped theirs in half and began feasting while Skjor and Aela tore one apart and gorged on it. Yang pulled at hers clumsily, new to this way of eating, before Kodlak started biting the animal apart, leaving chunks for her to easily eat up. A little calmer, but not fully sated, Yang looked towards her companions and let out a small whimper.
"We're going for more soon, pup," Skjor said to her. "Take a moment. Who are you?"
"I'm Yang," she answered clearly. "Wait, how are we talking right now?"
"Technically, we're not," Kodlak explained. "We're speaking through the actual voices of werewolves. Like this, we could even speak to the wolves of the forest, though they'd sound rudimentary to us. I'm glad to see you got a hold of yourself quickly. We were worried when you went out the front."
"Should have shown her the back way before we started," Vilkas complained as he cleaned his palms.
"Glad you got your head on straight," Farkas told her with a nod. "Nice fur. Matches your hair."
Yang took a closer look at herself and noticed that, indeed, her fur color matched with her human hair. Her claws also looked a bit thicker than the other werewolves, but she figured it to be just something about herself. She went to sniffing around the bloody spot where they had just taken down their prey, her mouth salivating at the thought of bringing down another kill.
"Up for another hunt, sister?"Aela asked.
"Hah! I could go all night!"
Unlike Whiterun, Riften did allow the Khajiiti caravaneers to come into the city, though they limited how many came in at a time. Blake had no trouble going in, as the guards seemed afraid of her this time, and M'rissi stuck close to her as they headed to the Bee and Barb.
"Do you think we could go to the lake, and you could catch her many fishies?" M'rissi asked innocently.
"Maybe. We could fish right off the docks if you really want, I suppose. We'd have to get a fishing rod, though."
"She loves the sound of that!" M'rissi's ears suddenly perked up and she looked up to the palace sitting at the back of the city. She seemed to shrug it off though, and followed her traveling companion into the inn. "Can we have a fish for dinner?"
"Sure. Keerava makes some good grilled fish. And I tried out the Lakeside Menagerie last time I was here. You'll love it."
"Ooh, does it have lots of fishies?"
"Yep. Every kind."
"Mreow! She wants it!" M'rissi declared with sparkling eyes.
When the young Khajiit girl was finally tucked asleep that night, Blake managed to sneak out of their room and head towards the Riften Cemetery. Just outside of the fence, Brynjolf leaned next to the gate, flipping a coin idly. Blake came up to him and cleared her throat, catching his attention.
"Well, well, looks like you came back, lass. Was afraid I was never going to see you again after seeing that note you left. You just ran and disappeared. Then we started catching rumors about a black-haired beauty slaying the entirety of the Dark Brotherhood, and a couple about a Khajiit killing the Brotherhood's leader. We could barely believe it. Then a missing off-and-on client returns and lets anyone associated with him know about a favor owed to a 'black-haired, cat-eared Ohmes Khajiit' and I knew it was you. Let me tell ya, Maven was in quite a fit when that particular rival returned to the fore. But, that just means more business for us."
"I guess I've done you a little favor then," she acquiesced with a nod. "I'm in need of a favor myself. I'll cut to it; I want to make sure the Dark Brotherhood's gone, completely. I can't risk them ever coming back up for revenge, not even a little. So, if you think I can help you and your outfit, I will, but I want information with my pay."
"Hm, I think we could work something out," Brynjolf nodded, rubbing his chin. "Still, can't just take you on all willy-nilly. Gotta prove you can do the job right, see. Butchering a dozen and a half assassins is impressive, but that doesn't tell me if you can take a ring from a pocket. We aren't in the business of killing, lass. It's bad for our kind of business, in fact."
"Well, maybe I could just pay the entrance fee."
Brynjolf laughed and slapped one knee. "A fee? Call me curious, but I'd have to know what you think would be the 'fee' for entering?"
"How about all of the coin I swiped from you?"
The thief went quiet for a moment then started patting his pockets and looked around his person for something. As he did, Blake held up a small sack and jangled it, catching his attention. As he eyed his stolen coin purse, the Nord's face went from shocked to smiling deviously.
"All right then, color me impressed. I'd say you passed."
After a night of celebration Ruby woke up to the morning light and headed out. Lydia would making sure they were ready for the trip to the Kilkreath Temple while Ruby searched for the Argonian who had given them the mission that started essentially everything for them, five amulets in her satchel, and a few questions in her mind.
"A horn on his nose?" Vittoria Vici wondered as she drummed her fingers on the top of her counter. "Ah, yes. He works with the fishermen. In fact, he should be swimming up in just a moment. One of their best catchers, though that's only to be expected."
"He's a fisherman?" Ruby asked, wondering how someone with that sort of career could hope to pay 'in gold'.
"Well, Argonians can breathe underwater and see through it as clearly as we see through the air, so he has an advantage."
"Oh," she muttered as she looked to where men with nets and several smaller boats were gathered. "Thank you Miss Vici."
She walked over to the working men, trying to find one a little more relaxed to keep from getting in their way. She caught on to one Redguard wrapping a rope around his hand and elbow. The Huntress approached him and cleared her throat, catching the boatman's attention.
"Hello. Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I'm looking for an Argonian. Blueish with a dark grey neck. Two horns on his head, one on his nose. Think he had fins on the sides."
"Horn on his nose? Sounds like Chakus. Who's asking?"
"I did a favor for him. Just trying to find him to finish it up."
"Wait… Oh, I see! So it wasn't just the gossip. Well, he should be coming up in a moment. In fact, I think I see him swimming up right now."
The Reguard pointed over towards the open water, and Ruby followed to see a figure swimming under the surface similar to a crocodile, an even larger object being dragged in behind it. The shape came up to the docks and a scaly hand shot up and grabbed on before pulling up the Argonian they'd met on their first day in Skyrim. He handed off a net to one of his fellows, who began pulling it up with other fishermen assisting as more and more net was drawn up. Soon a large net full of fish was up on this part of the docks and the men were sorting through them, throwing them all into barrels with similar kinds. Even a few crabs were taken out and stuck into a crate. The Argonian himself went to take a seat and catch his breath. Ruby approached and he saw her, at first surprised, but then a genuine smile covered his face.
"You're back," he said happily when she came close. "I was worried for a time, but after a mercenary I sent after you came back to tell me the cave was emptied and-"
"Did you know about the vampire?" Ruby cut him off, recalling everything her partner and friend had been through because of that cave. Chakus' smile went away, replaced by something close to sorrow.
"…I did. But believe me, it wasn't my intention to-" He was cut off again, this time by Ruby's hand slapping against the side of his face. A few people looked their way, but the Argonian waved them away while rubbing the side of his face.
"I deserve that," he admitted with a sigh. "I know now I shouldn't have lied, but will you at least hear me out?"
"What? What could you possibly say that could make this right?" Ruby angrily growled, and Chakus sighed in resignation.
"The vampire, his name was Aargin. He wasn't a regular vampire, though I don't know the specifics about him." Chakus scooped up a fish that flopped over to them and tossed it back to the others. "My brother was a vampire hunter. A professional vampire hunter." Ruby felt herself loosened up a bit at that, fearing that she knew right where this was going. "Argonians like us are resistant to nearly all forms of disease. It would take an exceptionally careless one to become infected and turn into a vampire. Most people won't hunt a vampire unless they're confident in themselves and their ability. Even some of the strongest will avoid fighting them out of fear of being infected even if they should win. He studied nearly every strain of vampirism and had every kind of deterrent and weakness you could imagine to combat them. My brother...he was one of the best. Killed dozens of vampires over the years," Chakus sighed and put his hands to his hips. "Aargin was a particularly troublesome mark. He tracked him through Cyrodiil, Valenwood, back up and through Argonia, and then all the way to here. He was…different. My brother thought he had some special ability. He seemed to be consuming other vampires from different clans to gain in power.
"When they last confronted each other, my brother managed to gravely wound him with blessed silver arrows, a garlic infused stake, and a sunlight enchanted dagger. He lost much of his stolen power, but he ended up killing my brother. I couldn't save him, but I managed to track down the vampire, hiding in that cave. I'm no fighter though, so I tried to pay mercenaries to oust him. Almost no one would go though, and then he started feeding on others in the surrounding area. So…I made up a tale about the bandits. But then everyone I was sending was being killed as well. I was…beginning to lose hope. It felt like I was feeding my brother's killer rather than getting my revenge. I tried to make things better, only hiring the most sordid mercenaries, putting in a request in with the Companions. Nothing…was working."
Chakus looked downwards in shame. "When I saw you all, I was desperate. The four of you looked young, but also like you could handle yourselves in a fight just from the way you all held yourselves. I put on that whole show, figuring you all came from Roscrea, Falskaar, or one of the islands in the Northern Padomaic Ocean and would be short of coin. It was more than I could have hoped, but when I didn't hear back from you, I thought I had sent four girls to their deaths. But when the next man I sent came back complaining that the cave was emptied, only dead frostbite spiders and a dead vampire corpse, I… I was so happy. I was still a little worried about you four, but then the tales started spreading about the Four Dragonslayers, clothed in red, white, black, and yellow. It was…unbelievable."
Ruby took in the Argonian's story, a part of her still greatly upset about what had happened thanks to the misinformation they were working off of, but the deeper part of her feeling a stinging sort of sympathy for him and his situation.
"How long ago was it? How long ago did he kill your brother?"
"It was…the Twenty-second of Sun's Dawn."
"You did this for almost half a year, trying to get someone to kill the vampire that killed him and was killing others." Ruby took in a deep breath, hearing a part of her that wanted to set him aflame or strangle his throat. She released her breath and slumped. "A friend of mine was hurt, but we're all still alive. I'm mad at you, but…I can't stay mad forever."
Chakus nodded in understanding, a little less depressed looking, but still saddened by his own actions.
"It's more than I deserve. I may not ever be able to repay you, but I did promise to pay you and your friends for your efforts. If you're willing to wait a moment, I'll let my supervisor know and we can go up and transfer the sum at the bank."
"I… All right." Ruby reached into her satchel and pulled up the five amulets they had held onto that whole time. "I suppose none of these are yours then."
He managed a small mile and shook his head. "No. You keep them."
When Blake woke up, she was first annoyed by the shredded pillow and pile of feathers, but then shot up when she realized M'rissi wasn't present at all. She quickly got dressed and shot out of the inn looking for her wayward charge. She tried to question a few guards, but of the few that would give her their time (and that mostly from fear of her spreading reputation) hadn't seen her. Finally though, an Argonian running one of the market stalls waved her over when he overheard her questioning yet another guard that hadn't seen anything.
"Looking for your friend?" he asked. "I saw her headed up to the palace, but I think she went down towards the prisons."
"What? Why would she go there?"
"Who knows? Maybe she was interested in seeing someone? You know her better than me, I assume."
Blake huffed, but then noticed the Argonian's wares. On his counter were several rings, bracelets, necklaces, piercings, and other jeweled accessories.
"So, you're a jeweler, right?"
"Yes, I am. Sadly, I fear I'm one of the few traditional Saxhleel jewelers remaining."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What's…a Saxhleel jeweler exactly?"
He laughed, though his face didn't change much aside from his eyes. "Forgive me. It's a term I haven't used in some time. While most in Tamriel call my kind Argonians, we prefer the term Saxhleel."
"Oh, wow, I wasn't aware of that. I just figured…that was all you were called."
"It's understandable. Since the Thrassian Plague wiped out the Kothringi and the Lilmothiit, only the Saxhleel have ever truly populated the Black Marsh, which the first men to find it called Argonia. Even before then, my kind were to only ones to leave and be known to the outside world. The term simply stuck, and it's been that way since the First Era."
"That's actually pretty interesting," Blake mused. "Unfortunately, I can't stick around to talk. My friend has a ring though. Maybe you could take a look at it and figure out some things about it?"
"No promises, but I'll do what I can. Stay safe, land-strider."
Blake headed up to the stairs and then to the side, where the entrance to the prison was. As she went down to where the cells were, a guard sitting just in front of a door stood in her way.
"What business have you in the Riften Jails?" he asked, seemingly tired and annoyed.
"A friend of mine came through here. Young Khajiit?"
"You'll have to be more specific than… Know what, I don't care anymore. Go ahead and get your friend." He opened the door and Blake walked on through, wondering what he meant by her needing to be more specific. As she passed by the table in the next room, though, she couldn't help but notice a folded piece of paper with 'Crazy Khajiit' written on it in big letters. Wondering if it was what she feared, she opened the paper and read it.
Important!
The crazy Khajiit in Cell One is not to be disturbed. He paid us good money for that cage so don't go bothering him.
Immediately Blake knew it wasn't talking about her friend, but at the same time she felt curious about just what this note was talking about, so she continued to read.
If he's still there in a month I think we should try to enforce a little rent increase. I doubt we'll get the chance though. You've all seen the way he looks. Won't be surprised if he tries to end his own life soon. If you see him in a particularly suicidal mood get in there and stop him. He's been using the key we gave him, so if you need to get in there in a hurry use the spare in the broken strongbox on top of the fireplace. A dead man can't pay rent!
Warden Norton.
Blake sneered in disgust at the warden's attitude towards the apparently suicidal Khajiit and then went over to the fireplace she saw off to the side. With no one there to see her she opened up the iron strongbox atop the fireplace and plucked the key out and headed in to see M'rissi standing right in front of the first cell, watching whatever was within curiously. Blake walked up, ready to scold her, but was distracted when she saw a Khajiit man with seemingly blue fur and two sets of clawed scars on his snout sitting in nothing but his underwear looking intently at a dragonfly in a jar.
"You like it in there, Mr. Dragonfly, don't you. I hope you have enough air," he said to the insect.
"Blake, do people often speak with bugs?" M'rissi asked her. "He has had a few conversations with Mr. Dragonfly, but only one with M'rissi. And it was short."
"No, it's not normal, but…"
"You there," the Khajiit called out to Blake. "You…are the one. The Black Dragonslayer? The Brotherhood's Bane? Shadowkiller? Blake Belladonna?"
"Wait, how do you…know my name?" the faunus asked, slightly frightened and intrigued by the madman.
"It was Ralof who told me about you, and the other three. You all went through Helgen after the dragon destroyed it," the Khajiit answered. "Tell me…did you see someone there? A Nord man, with hair as black as yours, and amber eyes?"
Blake shook her head. "No, the place was completely abandoned. Only burnt houses and charred corpses."
"I see. Then it is true. He is gone. I'll never get the chance to…" The Khajiit sighed. "What can I do now, Mr. Dragonfly? It seems that all of that time waiting was wasted."
M'rissi made a whimpering noise. "He is so sad, Blake." Sympathy rising in her, Blake sighed and moved closer to the bars, grasping one with her hand.
"Hey, what exactly are you doing here?" Blake asked. "And why did Ralof visit you?"
"He…did it for my friend. Or at least, the one who thought me his so-called friend. I tried to kill him some time ago, but I failed. He was coming to find me, but first Imperials found him, then a dragon. As though the world sentenced him to doom. He had time to pass a letter to Ralof, one meant for me, and the Stormcloak honorably passed it to me just after I came here. He… My friend said he was not overly angry. That I would need to repay him, but then he made it sound like getting clean and stopping my skooma habits were a way to repay him. How can a person so kind-hearted be so hounded by the very turning of the world?" The Khajiit placed his face into his hands and rubbed at his eyes. "Sorry, I was getting emotional. I know your names, but you do not know mine. I am Inigo. Please, can you do me a favor and end my misery?"
"He admitted freely to trying to murder his friend."
"Why did you try to kill him? And how did you know you failed?"
"We were doing a job together. A Lord Dupan hired us to kill his brothers. He…believed Dupan when he said they were evil. Kind, heroic, and resourceful he was. But, not so smart. I was in it for the coin. With the brothers dead, Dupan would inherit a great fortune and promised much gold in return. Before we left, Dupan told me that if only one of us returned from our mission, that one would get the other's reward also." The Khajiit looked a little ashamed as he continued on. "I…was hooked on skooma at the time, and I had a bit of a debt problem so…"
"You tried to kill him for his reward," M'rissi guessed.
"I tried. That is what matters. It was not an easy choice. I only knew him for a short time, but I had come to like and respect him for who he was. We got on well and fought bravely side by side. I threw that all away for gold and skooma."
"And did you get it?" Blake asked, feeling like they were getting to the part where Inigo was duped as well.
"No. Dupan was murdered by his sister before I made it back to the keep," he explained, surprising Blake with the twist. "Our deal died with him. Money is an evil like no other, my friends."
"You were hooked on skooma?" Blake had heard of the drug. It sounded almost like Flower Dust or Angel Dust back on Remnant, only in a liquid form.
"I am done with the stuff," he declared. "I want to die with my senses intact. Please, if you're going to kill me, do it now. I am ready."
"He is ready."
Blake took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, pushing the words of the Blade away from her mind. Looking at herself, she sorted through her own thoughts and feelings and locked onto them tightly.
"No," she finalized. "You wanna make up for what you did?"
"How… How could I ever make it right?"
"Your friend was willing to try again, and so should you," Blake declared. "Besides, one of my friends, the Red Dragonslayer, she's something special. She's our leader, and she decided that we're going to kill that dragon that burned Helgen. The same one that killed your friend. Get revenge for your friend, and help us take down the one that stole him from you."
The blue-furred Khajiit looked down at his hands as he curled them up tightly. He suddenly sprung up to his feet nodding.
"I am ready! Damned dragon thinks he can kill my friend before he has the chance to kill me?! I'll show him!" He made for the cell door, but then paused. "First, I will clothe. Second, revenge." He went over to the trunk sitting in the side of his cell and opened it before taking out some clothes and pieces of armor.
"Just so we're clear," Blake told M'rissi, "this is all your fault."
The Khajiit girl leaned her head to the side. "How is this her fault? You were the one doing the talking. M'rissi only wanted to help."
"Well, we helped," Blake pointed out as Inigo literally jumped into a pair of pants. "Well done."