I told everyone on SpaceBattles that I didn't know if I could get another chapter done before more than two weeks thanks to my upcoming work schedule. Yet, I've already got most of the next chapter written before I even posted it here. It's like xTRESTWHOx and NaanContributor don't even know by the time of this submission. If only I didn't have to work for money, it wouldn't be a worry.
Oh well, no helping it! Y'all enjoy!
As Ruby planned for her expedition to Shriekwind Bastion, Zora came to the inn with Joselyn in tow. The young mage woman didn't say much and seemed to try and hide in a corner, but Zora was boisterous enough for both of them. At some point, she began talking with a man named Gorr about his exploits as a former Arena fighter. Ruby barely listened to him, as she was trying to figure out how to best approach a possibly vampire-filled tomb.
"And then his chest plate caved in from the hammer blow. Man nearly suffocated before they could pry him out of his armor," the Redguard regaled before he casually looked over Ruby's shoulder at the list of things she had written down. "Hm, looks like you're going someplace…dangerous. Need some muscle where you're going?"
Ruby huffed, having decided from listening to him that she didn't really like the man. He seemed to take too much enjoyment in killing for her taste. "Yeah, I'm going to a vampire nest."
"Again?" Zora asked in surprise. "Well, I'm a little hurt that you did not inform me, little lord. You know how much fun I had on our last vampire hunting trip together."
"Oh, uh, sorry Zora. I just figured you might have been busy. You can come if you want."
"Perhaps you could use a little more," Gorr suggested. "You're in luck. I reckon I've killed more men than there are minutes in a day."
Ruby thanked her lucky stars that some random trivia game she and Yang played some months ago was still fresh in her mind.
"You've killed more than one thousand four hundred and forty men?"
"That few, huh?" he answered just as quickly, making Ruby wince at the failure of her jab. "At this rate, I better change it to seconds then." He laughed while Ruby shook her head and Zora smirked, seemingly noticing the younger girl's internal letdown. "But who's counting?"
"That is a very large number," Lydia pointed out from the other side of the table before dipping a quill and writing something else down on the list.
"How could you even kill that many people?" Ruby rhetorically asked, already knowing it to be statistically impossible.
"It's all in the hips friend," he explained with a laugh. "Killing a bandit is like making love to a maiden. It only takes a second, and there's no shortage of blood." Ruby stuck her tongue out in disgust while Lydia gave him a sideways glare.
"There's also an inordinate amount of grunting involved," Zora added, to which Ruby made a louder sound of nausea and Gorr laughed.
"I see my lady enjoys both her battles and her men."
"Yes, but only a little at a time. Too much might make it bor-ing," she enunciated.
"You're both gross," the teen muttered while looking at them despondently. "But I won't say no to help. Just keep on your best behavior." She took a moment to look over the map before pointing out a mountain south of Lake Ilanalta and north of Falkreath. "Okay, well if you're coming, it looks like the best way to get in is an entrance near Oakwood. I asked a guard about it, and the place has had some disappearances. But since it's a Falkreath village, there's nothing Whiterun guards can do about it. Capric's info points to it being a little ways southwest of there, and then it runs through the Shriekwind Mountain."
"Some subterranean horrors then," Gorr observed. "Hope the halls are wide enough for me to swing my hammer."
"If you're careful, you should be fine, but that's the thing, you've got to be really careful. If these vampires have been around a while, then they might be pretty old and experienced." Ruby rubbed her chin in thought before sighing. "Not sure how many are there. It could be a couple, it could be dozens. I'll vanguard us going in, and we'll have some of those vampire disease cures, in case someone gets bit."
"Sorry, you'll be the vanguard?" Gorr scoffed in disbelief, and Ruby stared at him blankly.
"I've got a sword that does massive damage to undead. Got it from Meridia." Ruby showed him a few inches of the blade out of the sheath. "Huh, just realized she probably approves of this a hundred percent."
"Oh, so I've elected to follow a Daedric Champion?" Gorr asked in interest.
"I'm not a… Oh, well, I guess I am. Well, at least she's not evil… I think."
"Uh, the mortal ideas of good and evil don't really apply to Daedra," Joselyn spoke up from her corner. "At best, you can say her intentions align with that of mortals more often than most others."
"Uh, what?" Ruby asked in confusion.
"Um, I think the book that I read called it 'orange and blue morality'," Joselyn explained. "Our morality doesn't extend to the Daedra. Everything that helps their sphere of influence is 'good' to them, but everything that goes against it is 'bad' to them. To…Sanguine, for example, sobriety and chastity are 'evil' to him. The same goes…for Meridia. Life and light are 'good' to her. Darkness and undeath are 'bad'."
"That's really weird," Ruby admitted with a raised eyebrow. Joselyn just shrugged before going back to her meal.
"Okay, so you guys are stocked up for the next week," Blake said while overlooking the shack. "Enough clean water and food, a nearby stream to get more. Two dozen arrows. Enough books to read to pass the time. Some doors." Blake looked at the doors they had purchased to close up the old place, along with the nails and hammer to put them up. "Maybe I should-"
"Blake, we've got everything under control," Inigo assured her. "Besides, you'll be back soon to check up on everything, and I-" Inigo's eyes suddenly went wide before his hand went up to his forehead. "Aaaarrrrrgggghhh! My mind is being tugged again! It is very strong this time!" He yelled before looking up into blank space. Both Blake and M'rissi tensed up, ready to help him should he need it. "I see wooden posts upright in the snow, a tower. I recognize the tower! Eergh! I see the cabin again. The door is locked tight." He blinked a few times and shook his head. "It is receding. It is over…for now. My head is pounding. Ow," he muttered while rubbing his head.
"Okay, the moment we're able, we're getting to the bottom of this," Blake declared with finality.
"I agree. At least now I think I know where to start. I saw a ruined tower in the snow, and I think I camped there once long ago."
"Where is that?" M'rissi asked.
"The tower is a short hike from Dawnstar." Inigo nodded while opening up his map. "It is nothing special from what I remember, but I think it is close to the source of these embarrassing episodes." He looked back at the shack and let out a sigh. "Still, we are a little more than busy at the moment." The three heard a small mew and looked down to see Lirry had come up and was pawing at Inigo's ankles before pushing her head against him. "Eh hehe, it's all right. I am fine," he comforted the kitten while scratching her behind the ears.
"Still, someone should be able to check it out eventually. I'll let the others know to keep an eye open." Blake snapped a photo of the map to send to the others, then remembered her own map's marking capabilities. She placed a waypoint where Inigo indicated the tower was located, and then looked at her scroll's battery sign with a sigh. "Halfway gone," she muttered, hoping Weiss would figure out a way to recharge them soon.
"Maybe Lirry will grow up very quickly, and then we can all go soon?" M'rissi suggested.
"Not sure. I know it takes a couple of years for cats of similar size to get full-grown. Might be a few months before she's big enough to take care of herself." She looked at the kitten, which was now mewing at M'rissi. Blake's ears went up. "Oh, she's hungry."
"She will prepare dinner!" the Khajiit announced as she turned and sped back to the shack, Lirry right on her heels. Blake looked back at Inigo and nodded.
"Take good care of her. And yourself."
"Don't worry, my friend. We will watch out for each other." Inigo smiled brightly. "You just be careful with your own tasks."
"And then I took Volendrung," Yang boasted as she hefted up the hammer with one hand, "and smashed it into his gut! I hit him hard enough with that to get him stuck to the pillar, so then I took out Fiery Kain," She took up the Dwarven Axe in her other hand, "and chopped his head right off!"
The mead hall was then filled with the raucous cheers and shouts of the Companions as Yang finished her tale. Weiss shook her head at the uncouth display, but smiled nonetheless, until she was suddenly reminded of her concurrent battle and shivered at the memory.
"Hey, how about your friends?" a man called out. "Surely they've got tales to tell as well."
"Yeah, how's about it?" a muscle-toned woman seconded. "Maybe the mage girl has actually used that sewing needle of hers!" A few laughs rose up at that.
"Oh, she was there too!" Yang let them know. "Killed her fair share. She can stick 'em as well as she sets them on fire."
"Seems all eyes are on you," Anum-La noted.
"I'd honestly rather not," Weiss told the crowd, which grew disappointed. "Really, Yang told you just about everything."
"Well, weren't you fighting the other one?" Farkas asked. "How'd that go?"
Weiss grimaced, and Yang quickly caught on to her discomfort. She looked over at Anum-La who met eyes with her, and the Argonian woman seemed to catch on.
"Ah, it's all right, Weiss! Hey Anum, you told us half a dozen stories on the way here, how about one from your company days?"
"Oh, you were part of a company?" Kodlak asked from his end of the table.
"That's right," she confirmed. "We were the Honorable Eight, put together by a veteran of the Great War and master swordsman, Dalum-Ei."
"Sounds interesting," Aela said before taking a deep draught of ale. "Tell us about 'em, then. What were they like?"
"Anything comparable to the Companions?" a man off to the side yelled.
"Hm, hard to say. Aside from the fact that Dalum-Ei recruited mages, I'd say the biggest difference is the name."
"Oho, quite a boast!" Vilkas said.
"The Companions already have a long history. We were trying to make one. But we were both founded on honor and glory," she said while raising her mug, receiving many a 'here here' from the gathering. "The fact that a few people here still believe in it is a testament to this company." At that, she received a few laughs.
"Yep, there's a lot of honor and prestige to the name," Yang admitted. "But there's also the expectation to live up to it."
"I can't even imagine. Our company had to live up to an ideal, but the only people we let down was ourselves. But Ysgrammor is a real person, and he's up there in Sovngarde, shaking his finger at Torvar every time he gets drunk." Several of the Companions looked to their comrade in question with jests and laughs at his bashful expense. "Or maybe he's nodding his head with approval. I can never tell with you Nords and getting drunk."
"The Honorable Eight was more than just a name though?" Vignar asked.
"It was. I could tell you a thousand stories of the glory days, but most of them only remind me of how it ended…and what we lost." Yang and Weiss were starkly reminded of her tale the other day, but it seemed that, despite being in the dark on the subject, the Companions understood. "But the one I'll always remember fondly is the day we were delivering sacks of potions to a village full of Dunmer refugees. Many of my fellow Argonians didn't like what we were doing. Even Moon-Tail scowled at the notion. But Dalum-Ei stood his ground. There were sick children who needed these potions. It was the honorable thing."
"Commendable and honorable effort," Athis said from his seat. "Truly, you are a good woman."
"I thank you, friend. Your words are kind. Still, to some we were traitors, and it wasn't long before they made their feelings known. They ambushed our camp one night, when the mist was thick. Skilled warriors with poison-tipped spears." Many scowls could be seen, as the Companions certainly had disdain for such tactics. "The others fought them off as bravely as they could. Dalum-Ei ordered me to stay with the cargo. One by one I watched my friends emerge from the white, blood dripping from their wounds. Bodan arrived carrying Ula-Wei on his shoulder. He said more were on the way. He turned to our healer Elia, but she shook her head. She was all out of magicka." Weiss felt herself somewhat on the edge of her seat at this."Indrel was the first to suggest we drink the potions from the shipment. Dalum-Ei said he would kill anyone who tried."
Anum-La took a deep breath at that. "I didn't even think. My company looked to me. They trusted me. And I knew then, it didn't matter how many of them were waiting for me in that mist. It was me against them, and I couldn't lose," she declared while raising her voice in emphasis. "The others wished me luck. Bodan stood up to speak, but it was Moon-Tail, of all people, who said the words I'll never forget. 'Remember child,' he said, 'it matters not the size of their blades, or the size of their numbers. Only the size of your heart.' And on that day, it was big enough."
The mead hall was nearly silent for a moment, and then Kodlak lifted up his own mug and cheered out, "To Anum-La and her big heart!"
"Anum-La!" the Companions repeated.
"Well now, this fits rather nicely," Eorlund said as he looked into the scalemail-like armor, now padded with the Frostbite spider silk cloth. He pulled at the armor, feeling it stretch out, and then loosened up. "Yep, no pinching. Well, nothing left but the try it on," he said while handing it over to Yang, who was, once again, dressed in cheap, worn clothing.
"I hope we're right about this," she muttered before pulling it on. The weight felt a little different from the armor she had grown used to, and the fact that it partially hugged her tightly in some places felt awkward after having worn plate armor that purposefully gave her room for so long. With it fully on, she tested her range of motion with several warm-up stretches.
"So, it at least works as normal armor?" Aela asked. Yang threw up a thumb in response.
"Yep. Might be right up your alley, too. Okay, what do you guys say we take this under the forge and do the big test?"
"You sure you wanna transform tonight?" Farkas asked in worry.
"It'll be fine. Ring of Hircine, remember?" she reminded him while flashing the ring in question.
"Wait, what's that do?" Vilkas asked, intrigued at the white ring on Yang's finger.
"Let's me control my transformation to a near impossible degree." She transformed one hand into a furry claw for a few seconds before changing it back. "I can go full wolf and back to human in seconds."
"Wish we had about a half dozen of those," Vilkas bemoaned.
The Circle and the master blacksmith headed into the Underforge at that. Once there, Yang focused and felt herself growing, careful to transform slowly and feel how the armor expanded with her. The sections clinked as they spread out, and the clothing she wore underneath ripped while the silk continued to stretch. After a moment, she was at full size, and the armor was still on her in one piece, if thinner feeling.
"Well, looks like it worked," she said through her lupine mouth.
"Aw what? That ring lets you speak perfectly, too?" Farkas complained, and Yang smirked at the memory of Farkas speaking to her as a werewolf for the first time.
"Let's see," Eorlund mused while probing at the armor. Yang also began testing her range of motion again, finding her limits as they went.
"Well, 'bout the only thing is I can't scratch my ear with my foot anymore," she noted, her foot raised up as high as it could go.
"But it looks like you're covered," Eorlund concluded. "Thinner than you'd usually want, but compared to having no armor before, it's a godsend. Looks like I'll be making a few of these for the rest of you then," he said while crossing his arms.
"Better than having to scrape up whatever I can find every time," Aela agreed.
"Well, I'm certainly impressed," Kodlak said as he pushed against the armor at Yang's shoulder. "Never thought I'd see stretching armor."
"Learn new things every day," Yang said before shrinking back down into human form. The silk slid against her fur and then her bare skin, sending a shiver up her spine at some points. "Ooh! Maybe one or two size adjustments!"
"And the chest plate," Eorlund added. "But it's practically finished."
"Still have the underclothes problem," Farkas pointed out with the shreds of shirt sticking out of Yang's armor and then the ripped pants on her legs.
"Yeah…" she muttered in consternation while pulling the ripped shirt out. Her look of annoyance gradually shifted to contemplation after she finished removing the cloth scraps. She shifted about in the armor experimentally once more before perking up. "Well, guess I'll just have to go commando!"
"Go what?"
"Means I'll just have to not wear anything beneath." She winked at the man, causing him to nearly sputter and the others to laugh at his embarrassment.
"I'd much rather you didn't," Weiss' voice called out from the entrance before she came in.
"How'd you get in here?" Vilkas asked defensively.
"Aela and Yang tried to change me once, remember?"
"Oh… That. Sorry."
"It's quite all right. Anyway, Lillith sent this," Weiss said while handing Yang a cloth bag. "She said you might find them useful."
"What is it?" Yang asked as she opened the sack and rummaged through it.
"Don't know. I didn't look." Yang pulled out what looked like a band of silk cloth. "Oh, the leftovers?" Weiss guessed while taking it in hand.
"Oh, I get it!" Yang announced before pulling out another silken piece. Weiss' eyes went wide as she recognized the shape. "Guess this solves the commando problem. And hey! You get your silk undies in the end, Iceburg!"
Weiss sported an indignant look as the Circle and blacksmith all laughed.
Oakwood was a remote, simple village, similar to Riverwood but somehow even smaller. Ruby, Lydia, Zora, and Gorr rested at the settlement for the night when they arrived and then headed for Shriekwind at the crack of dawn. Their destination was off the beaten path and hidden behind a small forest, but eventually the face of the ruin in the mountainside became unmistakable. At first, they went up a set of stairs that led to the roof-covered part of it, but found little other than worn carvings and an abandoned Grand Soul Gem. After going back down and searching, they found a gate and entered into the dank, cavern-like ruin.
With Ruby at the head holding Dawnbreaker's hilt, the group slowly walked through the ancient hallway, a few lit torches on the walls casting enough light for them to see by.
"Ah yes, I smell blood," Gorr stated. Ruby paused to take a whiff of the air and could pick up the coppery scent among the smells of stale air and rot.
"Probably not friendly," she muttered before continuing on. She pushed open a pair of doors to come upon a room where a woman in black leather was leaned over the body of another, her lips firmly upon the second's neck.
"Hey!" Ruby called out, getting her attention. The vampire spun around and looked at the four in fright.
"In- Intruders!" she screamed before trying to run, casting a spell in one hand to raise the nearly dry corpse and another in her other hand that made her shimmer into invisibility. Ruby rushed after her, keeping her eyes on the displaced air and transparent shape before bowling the vampire over with a shoulder check. She took out Dawnbreaker and held it above the vampire's chest as she shimmered back into visibility.
"Listen, no one has to get hurt here. If you give up and get the others to-" The vampire suddenly grasped the sword's blade, tightening her grip even as she grimaced through the pain.
"Blood-Matron, cradle me!" she cried out before driving herself up onto the blade while pulling it down. Ruby tried to yank it from her grip, but the effects of the sword were already taking effect. When she finally pried loose, the vampire was on fire and screaming in pain. Gritting her teeth, Ruby was frozen on the spot before an arrow sunk into the burning woman, courtesy of Zora.
"My liege, it's usually best to finish them off than let them suffer," she admonished the younger girl.
"I- I didn't mean to! She pushed herself on the sword and was…trying to kill herself."
"Oh dear, fanatical ones," Zora sighed and shook her head. "They're not hard to kill, quite the contrary, but it's much harder to not get hit by them. Well, I suppose I could use a few new scars."
Ruby groaned and pressed on, going up the nearby stairs past a cold fire pit and then up through the catacombs. After she started to wonder whether or not it was even that large from the outside, they came into a room that looked set for a ritual, but was totally empty.
"What do you suppose went on in here?" she asked while looking around and then up to an opening far above them that let in air and sunlight.
"Not sure," Lydia said. "The grate here though seems to lead to that room we found the vampire in. That switch might open it."
Ruby looked to the switch in question and went over to it. "Stand clear guys," she warned the others before pulling and turning it. Rather than the grate opening, a stone pillar rose up from its almost seamless position in the ground, and then several spikes shot out just above it.
"An execution device," Gorr observed with a grimace.
"Or something built for blood sacrifice," Zora countered. "Either way, a nasty way to die. And where dozens of people can look down on you while you're skewered. So ignoble."
Ruby grimaced and looked down the grate again before moving along, going further up and through more catacombs, this time with fairly new coffins made from wood dotting the place. She began checking them with Dawnbreaker at the ready, but none had a body within them, dead or otherwise.
"Where are they all at?" she wondered.
"Maybe there is a meeting, and the one we ran into was getting a quick bite," Zora suggested.
"But a meeting where?" Ruby's pointed question went unanswered, and with the ominous thought in mind, the four pressed on.
Just past the second catacomb was an altar with blood spilled upon it and skulls set around, along with a closet where several pairs of shoes and boots were arrayed. They continued on past it and into a room where sunlight and water had spilled in enough to allow several ferns to grow, a dais with three switches set in the center between three different gates. Ruby pulled at one, only to open up a secret door in the wall that led to an empty coffin. Another opened up a similar secret door, but the last opened the gate to her right, where three pull chains awaited.
"This is a weird layout. Hey Lydia, try those out and I'll yell what they do."
"Very well," the housecarl responded before going in and pulling the biggest one, causing the gate she had just passed to close her in.
"That one got you stuck," Ruby told her.
"I see," Lydia deadpanned before turning back and pulling it again and then trying another, this time closing the gate that led them to the room.
"That one got us all stuck."
Lydia opened it back and then pulled the last chain, which opened the last gate. The group then moved, only marginally slowed down by the presence of several skeletons. They emerged back into the large execution room, only two stories higher than before.
"Yeah, this was definitely a place for some kind of spectacle," Ruby concluded. "Still, where are all the people? It couldn't have just been the one."
"There's still more ruin we've yet to explore," Gorr pointed out. "More places for them to hide."
"I suppose so, but usually when we run into groups like this they're more…spread out." Ruby felt her suspicions tickling the back of her mind, but filed it away for later as she moved on and followed the path. They went by a room where half the floor was covered in dry blood next to a pair of rusty stretcher racks. Gorr grimaced at the sight and shook his head.
"When I was imprisoned in a dungeon, a bunch of guards used to torture the prisoner in the cell next to mine. Wasn't right. Wasn't fair."
Ruby blinked as she found herself agreeing with him. Despite his honestly enormous faults, she was finding that he still had standards and morals. The man was still far too bloodthirsty, and his appetite was stomach-turning, yet he thought animals should be treated kindly (even if you're going to eat them) and now he'd shown disdain to torture.
'Why are people so complicated and weird?'
They went further up and past a smoldering fireplace into a room with a single coffin in it. A man standing there in iron armor turned towards them, and drew his sword the moment his eyes fell upon them. He came wordlessly swinging at Zora, who blocked his strike and pushed him back. Gorr swung his hammer around and smashed it into his shield, audibly breaking bones but getting little more than a grunt from him. Zora then swung her sword and sliced into his helmet and face, felling him.
"I think I might've hurt my wrist," the woman said while shaking her hand. "No, wait, it was that one's head."
"Looks like a thrall," Lydia stated while looking him over and searching him. "Likely not belonging to the vampire from before, otherwise he would have been free. Seems he was guarding something." She spotted a pull chain and pointed it out.
"Okay, we'll try there first, then the stairs," Ruby said before pulling it. A secret entrance began opening, but Ruby had to backstep out of the way as a green sword fell from the ceiling. "Biscuits! Was that wedged up there?"
"Looks like it," Lydia commented as Zora picked it up and looked it over.
"Ooh, malachite. My hero, you do not mind if I use this, yes? It looks to be just my type."
"Uh, I guess so. Is it enchanted?"
"Why yes, actually. Stamina absorption. Heh, looks like I can drain the vampires of energy before they drain us of life."
"Hopefully." The company followed the young girl further, through a short hall filled with candles and then through a doorway that led out into the open air.
"Oh, I think I can see the walls of Falkreath in the distance," Zora said while shading her eyes. "Hard to tell with all the brightly colored leaves. Ah, such a beautiful sight though."
"Okay, so that wasn't right," Ruby supposed. "Let's backtrack and head up those stairs where the thrall was."
The warriors did so, and headed up higher into the mountain. Past another door and cavernous hallway, they came back into the execution chamber a few stories higher again, only this time from an angle that let them see the carved wall, walkways, and doorways that they had been going through, as well as the next one they were headed towards. They moved along beneath the stone arches towards it and saw a closed gate up ahead as well as a switch near them.
"I feel this is booby-trapped," Zora pointed out.
"I have to agree. This is obviously set up," Gorr added.
"Well, we have to move forward. You guys can hide behind something if you want," Ruby told them as she reached for the handle. After she pulled it, the gate opened, but plumes of fire began pouring out of the floor and walls, crossing each other in a three-layered, near-impenetrable wall of flame. "Well, it kinda worked."
Lydia pointed next to her, and Ruby saw a pull chain against the left wall. Pulling it did nothing to stop the flames, but the gate closed again. Groaning, Ruby was ready to call out the unfairness of it all when Lydia sighed and pulled the handle again, causing the gate to open and the flames to stop.
"Oh," Ruby slowly realized. She grinned at her housecarl and headed onward again. As they went upwards, they began to hear a sort of chant past the next door.
"Molag Bal, we curse you!" a man's voice yelled out.
"Molag Bal," a crowd chanted together, "Father of Torment, we curse you. You sought to poison us with your blood. But we survived. And from your poison, we grew. King of Corruption, your children are coming. They will defile and destroy you."
"Okay, not how I expected vampire worship to sound," Zora quietly admitted. "You think we ran into the bad eggs?"
"No, something…about how they said it," Ruby said as she readied herself. "Something's not right."
"Arkay, we curse you!" the same man yelled out again.
Arkay the Forsaker, we curse you," his congregation intoned. "You left us to suffer in darkness. But we survived. And in darkness we grew. Now, we feed upon your followers. We will use their stolen strength to conquer and consume you."
"Oh, never mind. The whole bunch are bad."
"Now, mortals, make your choice!"
Ruby heard whimpering and immediately sprang into action, throwing open the double doors as she charged in hefting Dawnbreaker in one hand. The gathering of vampires turned towards her, over a dozen and a half of them, and the one at their head holding a red, curved knife stumbled back from the three men and a woman tied and bound on their knees. Feeling her comrades at her back, Ruby took a ready stance with a spell in one hand and Dawnbreaker in the other.
"I'm going to say this one time, let those people go," she growled out.
"No," the leader muttered. "You're…the champion of Meridia!" the vampire threw his arms out. "Children, the Demon of Light has sent its slave to exterminate us! Kill her! Destroy them!"
The vampires all yelled and charged at them, drawing weapons, readying spells, and baring fangs. Ruby sent an Eldritch Blast into the nearest, burning a large hole into his torso before she sliced across him. The vampire then exploded in holy light, hitting all of the other vampires. Some began screaming in sudden fear, others kept moving towards their targets. One woman fell back and started crying while curling into the fetal position. With the distraction in place, Ruby began throwing Rods of Power around the room, putting up five of the magical constructs in all. A vampire came at her and crossed blades, and the Dragonborn threw a magic bolt into his belly before kicking him away. The Sentinel spell made him a target for the Rods, which blasted him into bloody pieces in short order. Another came at her from behind, but she disappeared in a cloud of rose petals and reappeared behind her before slicing her head off. A vampire went after the tied up prisoners with his weapon raised, and Ruby quickly hit him with Entanglement and then Sentinel, causing them to swap places just before the Rods tore him apart.
"Whew, glad I practiced that." She looked at the prisoners next to her and started slicing through one's bonds. "Don't worry we'll get you out-" Something slammed into her side and dragged her across the floor. She kicked up and knocked it off of her, but it seemed to bounce back and then clung to the wall. She saw that it was the vampire leader, and he seemed to be wall-crawling like a spider.
"You will pay for this, interloper!" he swore. "For hurting my family, you will pay dearly."
"I don't think so," Ruby said as she stood back at the ready. "You were the one hurting people, and I'm going to protect them. All of them."
Rather than respond, the vampire jumped from the wall to a statue, then from there to Ruby. With daggers in both hands he began slicing rapidly at the girl, who was hard-pressed to block him while backpedaling from the strikes. She ducked under his left and he overreached, letting her elbow up into his chest. The vampire grunted as he backed up a step, but before Ruby could slice at him, his red dagger stabbed forward. It barely punctured her armor, but then a strange numbness spread from the point of contact throughout her body, stilling her limbs and making her feel heavy. Before she fell, the vampire caught her with his free hand and smiled down at her as he sheathed his other blade. He then reached up and pulled her head to the side.
'No no no nononono!'
"I said you would pay," he hissed before opening his mouth wide. Ruby screamed as he brought his fangs down upon her and struggled to get loose, but her arms could barely wiggle. Suddenly, a green sword slammed into his back, cutting through his spine and most of his torso. His grip loosened and the top half of his body fell over with the bottom soon following it. Ruby slumped over, but then Zora was helping her up.
"Ruby, are you okay?" Zora asked in concern as she dropped her sword and checked the girl's neck like a doting mother. "Oh thank the Gods!" she sighed in relief as Ruby pulled herself from her grip. "He didn't break the skin. Still, we should get you one of the cures. We all should drink one, as much vampire blood as there is all over the place."
"Yeah," Ruby groaned in agreement as she looked around and took the enchanted dagger away from her chest. Bodies littered the place, with the freshest of them being the leader's nearly bisected corpse. Lydia was finishing up freeing the civilians, and Gorr was reentering the room.
"Tried to chase the runners, but they jumped into that big execution room and went all the way to the bottom. Looks like one knew a safe landing spell, but I doubt they left it up for me. Seems five made it out."
"Damn, that's going to be a problem that just might bite us in the future, literally," Zora contemplated. "Well, at least no one was hurt. Well, no one alive. And how are you four?"
"We're good, my lady," a Bosmer said with a bow. "I thought for certain we were going to become their next meal, or newest members it seems. Thank the gods you came when you did."
"Yeah, thank goodness we got here in time," Ruby agreed. "It sounded like they were about to make you choose… What was up with that anyways? The whole thing about Molag Bal and Arkay?"
"I've heard of them," a Breton man began. "Scionists, some call them. They called themselves the Children of Lamae Bal. Basically they hate everyone except their little family, including other vampires. Especially the ones who follow Molag Bal. They also hate Arkay, so they turn and kill mortals to spite him as well."
"That's so…weird." Ruby shook her head. "Well, anyways, do any of you know about a large wall with claw mark looking writing on it?"
"I think they talked about some kind of wall that's upstairs," the Nordic woman said.
"Thanks. I'm going to go read it really quick, and then we'll get you guys out of here."
"Be careful," she warned her. "They were talking about there being some sort of powerful draugr there."
"Nothing I haven't dealt with before," Ruby said with an honest smile as she left.
"Hah!" Weiss yelled in dramatic fashion as she punched the cushion-wrapped log contraption. The log swung back a little, pushing a needle along a semi-circle with different lines and numbers indicating how hard she hit it. She didn't expect it to go far, but she was still rather disappointed that it didn't even go half as far as the example Aela had given her. The huntress in question looked at the result and nodded.
"All right, and what was the next step?"
"The next step…is hitting me in the arms." Weiss really wasn't looking forward to this part, but with her Aura and low base strength (in comparison to other warriors, at least), she was the best option.
"I'm sorry?" the woman asked in shock.
"I enchanted the gauntlets she's wearing with my…special power," Yang explained, now donning her newly made armor, updated with a Dwemer metal breastplate that had a wolf's face emblazoned on it and some minor adjustments for fit. "Whenever I take a hit, the damage is added to what I dish back out."
"So that explains it!" Farkas called from where he was sparring with his brother, the distraction earning him a whack from Vilkas' wooden sword.
"Pay attention!" Vilkas admonished, causing Yang and Aela so lightly chuckle.
"Theoretically these gauntlets should share her power," Weiss continued on for them. "That's what we're testing."
"Oh, I see. So now…"
"I'll do it," Yang interjected while rotating her wrist. "Weiss, I want you to know, this hurts me more than it hurts you."
"Just get it over with, you kook," Weiss sighed, raising her armored forearms in a basic guard stance right before Yang's fist smashed against them. Her Aura protected her from the damage, but it didn't stop the shock of the impact running through her bones, or the pain. She stumbled a moment and did her best to keep from wincing, shaking the numbness out of her arms a few times after a moment passed.
"You okay?" Yang asked in concern.
"Peachy," Weiss ground out while turning back to the contraption. "Now what?"
"Well, the gauntlets are glowing," Yang pointed out. Weiss looked at the elven metal armor covering her hands and saw that they were, indeed, slightly glowing. "Guess that means you absorbed it. Just give it another punch, but try to focus it forward and outward, like you would with throwing a ball."
"All right." Weiss took in a deep breath and swung her fist for the cushioned log again, knocking it back once more, but this time almost twice as high as she had before.
"Well I'll be," Aela muttered. "Either you were holding back the first time, or those things really worked."
"Well, the glow faded, so they must have." Weiss looked the gauntlets over and smiled. "Excellent!"
"Eh, not as good as they should have." Yang hit the log, which then went up far higher than Weiss' second punch. "I hit you about that hard. It should have been additive, so some of the energy's getting lost."
"You hit me that hard?!" Weiss protested. "You mean most of that punch was pointless pain?!"
"Oh come on, it wasn't that… I mean, that hard isn't that hard. I hit you as hard as I figured I could without knocking you back." Weiss continued to glare at Yang, but gave up and sighed.
"Whatever. Now that we have these enchanted I can just take them up to Farengar's lab, learn the enchantment myself, and then I'll be able to apply it with my own enchanting skills backing the power of them."
"I can't believe…I can't figure it out," Weiss groaned as she slumped in her seat.
"To be fair, neither can I," Farengar admitted as he turned from the enchanting table. "What's on these gauntlets is so unique and complex that by the time I get through one layer my mind is unable to fully comprehend what I'm getting into."
"But Yang made it right here," Weiss pointed out while pointing at her teammate. Yang just shrugged with an uncertain smile. "You saw her make it on them. She nearly caused the right one to explode on her first try."
"True, we saw her make them, but we didn't watch the process itself. Mostly because that's impossible without a deep mind link. What exactly did you do to make such an intricate enchantment, might I ask?"
"Uh, intricate?" Yang wondered over it for a moment before scratching her neck. "Well, really, I just…did the enchanting thing, but with my Semblance instead of fire magic."
"That's something related to your soul magic, yes?"
"Yes, Aura and Semblances are connected," Weiss confirmed while sitting up straighter. "While Aura is the reflection of the soul to guard and protect, a Semblance is the reflection of the specific soul in question, and is unique to each individual, usually. Mine is unique in being hereditary, but each member of my family tends to have varying levels of skill in different areas. Yang's is absorbing damage dealt to her and then dealing it back out, which is what she put on the gauntlets."
"Ah, now I see. You imprinted your soul upon it."
"…Beg your pardon?"
"No need for alarm. It's happened in times past, for different reasons almost every time. You see, if this power is linked to your soul, then it's safe to say your soul is as much a part of it as it is part of your soul."
"I suppose that's logical," Weiss murmured while cupping her chin.
"Then it would be just as logical to assume you're not just putting some simple spell onto these items. You're ingraining it with the very signature of your soul."
"Whoa! That's cool!" Yang said as she picked one up and looked it over. "Wait, does this mean it's connected to me?"
"Not actually. Think of it as…pressing your hand into a mold. It can outline your hand's shape and form very well, maybe even near perfectly if done with enough skill, but you still have your hand and then whatever is made with the mold is only a copy."
"Ah, okay."
"Moreover, though, it actually gives a chance to study the soul more closely. I'm…not as skilled in that subject as others. But such impressions are usually rare. If your group can make them on demand, then it presents a unique opportunity in the field."
"Well, it might help with that teleportation spell I've been working on." Weiss thought it over a moment and then nodded. "Yes, I'll give that a go when I can. Until then…I suppose the only ones who can enchant our Semblances onto items are ourselves."
"So only I can give you guys the power to dish it back out?" Yang chuckled at that. "Too bad I'm not that good at enchanting."
"About that…" Weiss dug through her sack and pulled out a flask with a label on it. "Farengar, do you have some Enchantment focusing gear you could lend us?"
"A set of gloves and some potions. I'll go dig them out." As the wizard went into an adjoining room, Yang looked at her friend nervously.
"Weiss, what are you planning?"
"Just giving you a leg up, Yang. Don't worry about it. Just get ready to make a few more pairs."
Ruby looked over the plans on the drafting table before going back over to the construction site and looking at the beginnings of a building. As she started figuring where to go next, she felt her scroll vibrating in her pocket and took it out to see Yang calling.
"Hey Yang," she answered while opening it to see her sister and partner. "Hey Weiss. What's up?"
"We just threw each other through some ringers," Yang said, loosely flapping a wrist about. "Anyways, we got some cool gauntlets, enchanted with the Semblance of yours truly."
"Wow! So it really worked?!" Ruby's eyes then went to Weiss. "How'd it feel?"
"Getting socked in the wrist or punching way harder than I should have?" Ruby winced at that, but Weiss just shook her head. "It was surprising. We tested out the second version and it was nearly as good as Yang. There's a bit lost in the enchantment itself, and there's the base strength to consider, but overall it will definitely be useful in getting us out of tight spots. We made a pair for each of us. Yang even decided to use some dragon hide for your gloves."
"Just keeping to your theme," her sister told her. "Where are you right now? We might be able to send it to you."
"I'm at Lakeview. Decided to take a break and put the land to use, so Zora, Gorr, Lydia, Tiff, and me are working on it."
"Wait, Gorr? Tiff?"
"Gorr's a…" Ruby paused, struggling to find the right word. "He's not really a mercenary. I think he just came with us for the heck of it. Also, he might like Zora. Tiff is our witch neighbor. She built a small house near some ancient necromantic altar nearby."
"…I'm not sure how I feel about that," Weiss admitted worriedly.
"Oh, it's okay. I checked with her, and she's only doing that lesser necromancy stuff, like animating skeletons. Pretty sure she's not planning to kill or sacrifice anyone. She said it's too much trouble."
"That does not put me at ease."
"Besides, she got that golem working too, and it's great for carrying big loads, like all the timber we need."
"…Right."
"Anyways, we should get this done in a day or two. After that, Blake should be headed back with our VIP, and we'll see what needs doing next. Hopefully nothing big. Or if it is, it's something that gets me an advantage. How about you two? You'll be heading for that Redwater place, right?"
"Yeah, heading out tomorrow," Yang confirmed. "It'll take us a few days to reach it, but maybe we can meet up. If not." She shrugged. "Hopefully she gets her gloves too. Probably doesn't have as much use for them, but you never know. She might have to infiltrate an illicit underground boxing ring."
"I doubt it," Weiss chimed in.
"Either way, they'll be useful," Ruby assured her. "Let me get back to it, then. This wall's not going to nail itself up."
"Been a while since I've seen one of these," Vex admitted while looking the unusual gem over. "What you've got here is a Stone of Barenziah."
"Ooh, quite a piece," Salthasar admired from the table over.
"Well, that's a start," Blake said while turning it over in her hand. "Is it worth much?"
"Not like that it's not," Vex confessed.
"The sstones are little more than curiossities," Salthsar started through half a mouthful of meat. "There should be around twenty-four in-"
"Hey, I'm the one appraising for her, green lips," the lady thief snapped at her fellow. "He's right though. These stones were pried off of Barenziah's ceremonial crown by a thief in order to cover his tracks. Some of the Guild members have tried to locate them over the years, but they haven't been successful. Well, until now." She hummed a moment before looking up at the Faunus.
"So you won't buy them?"
"Look, I only buy things I can turn around for a quick profit, and no one wants these stones unless they have the full set. Tell you what, if you find the rest of them, talk to me again. Otherwise, keep it. Maybe it'll bring you luck."
As Vex left the table, the old Argonian looked over at Blake with a grin.
"Don't tell me you know."
"Know? No. But I have ssome educated guesses that might lead you in the right direction. I only ask for a small portion should you find them all, relative to how many I ssuccessfully lead you to."
Blake sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Fine, but I have some other questions."
"Assk away. I'm more than willing to help a fellow member of our essteemed establishment."
"What's the chances on Barenziah wanting these back?" Blake held out one of the rubies for him to look at. "If these were actually hers, then she'd reward whoever returned them, right?"
"Hm, hard to ssay. The crown was ceremonial after all, but certainly not a cheap piece. There may have even been ssentimental value. Perhaps it would be worth attempting, though gaining an audience with the Queen Dowager would be no ssimple tassk."
"So not worth something like revealing the location of the Staff of Chaos?" At that, Salthasar burst out laughing, clutching his chest as he did.
"Oh, that was a good one, Belladonna!" he got out through while slapping his knee. "I haven't laughed that hard in a while!"
"A 'no' would've been enough," Blake muttered. As she leaned back again, she saw Gnives and Delvin headed her way. Gnives had a small grin, but Delvin looked nervous. As they came and sat across from her, Gnives looked at the Argonian and shifted his head. Salthasar got the message and took himself and the remainder of his snack away from them.
"Everything all right?" she asked them as she sat straighter. "Mercer in yet?"
"Uh, no. He's still up above," Delvin answered. "Doing somethin' at his house. Didn't ask. But, uh, this is about something else. It has to do wit' you, and the Dark Brotherhood."
"More information?" she asked, her attention suddenly zeroing in on the two in front of her.
"In a way, but… Well, it has a bit to do with us too. We're just clearing the air before it comes up in a less…controlled manner." Delvin coughed into his fist and shook his head before staring Blake right into her eyes. "First off, I knew the Dark Brotherhood. Uh, I knew the members. Personally."
"You knew them?" Blake's ears and brow shot up.
"Back when I was…younger, I tried to do a bit of work at a tavern one day and… Well, I got into a bar fight that quickly got out of hand. Accidentally killed a man. Like you know, murder ain't allowed in the Guild, but Gallus understood. He sent me to the Dark Brotherhood to wait for the heat to die down. I was there a good while. Got to know most of them pretty well. Old Festus, Gabriella, Nazir, Astrid… I'd say we were friends, but we didn't really stay in touch after I left and came back. Astrid dropped by once and again, and every once in a while I'd run across Babette, ehe, getting a meal."
"A meal?"
"Oh, she was the little vampire. Looked like a little girl, but she was actually over three hundred years old." Blake's eyes shot open at that. "You all right?"
"I… I am. Just remembered something, is all. So…you knew them, and I…"
"Yeah, but…I don't blame you, before you go thinkin' it. You was trying to survive, and in their line of work, dying on the job ain't a big surprise. It was probably a long time coming, anyways. The Brotherhood was crumbling apart even when I was there." He sighed at that. "I even saw Astrid right before it all went down. Must've been right before you got dragged in. Brynjolf mentioned you getting her note."
"Yeah, that was…" Blake wanted to say it was pants-shittingly terrifying, but couldn't quite get the words out.
"So, you know about me."
"It is Gnives' turn then," the Khajiit said quietly.
"So you were mixed in with the Dark Brotherhood, too?" Blake asked him. "Like Delvin was?"
"Not exactly. For Gnives, he was an assassin first. Some say the Khajiit are born into the Guild. Gnives thinks he was born an assassin, raised as a prowler, and adopted by thieves."
"Born an assassin?" Blake tried to picture a small kitten waving a dagger menacingly. It didn't work out in her brain, and she just ended up cursing the CCTnet of Remnant.
"Gnives was born the last of a litter of three, and slew the one who gave birth to him. From that day his fur was marked with blood," he emphasized while pulling up a few locks of his red hair and letting them fall.
Blake wanted to scoff at the notion of a child 'killing' their mother during childbirth but held it in. She knew some people were sensitive to that kind of situation.
"A lot of mothers die in childbirth. The child can't be held accountable," she told him, but Gnives shook his head.
"Many would say the same, if not for the mane on his back. It runs crimson, while his father wears gray." He leaned back in his seat before crossing his arms and closing his eyes, his ears still attentive. "It was an ill omen, and Gnives' father was a superstitious cat. The very sight of this one threw him into a rage. On those nights, Gnives would wander the village sands, waiting for the new sun to warm them. He was drawn to the back alleys, and to the aroma of the moons. If he was tired or hungry, he wormed his way through the crowd outside the skooma huts, picking the pockets of those who had one too many." He then looked directly at the young woman. "Only one night he picked the wrong pocket. It belonged to a servant of Sithis."
"A Dark Brotherhood assassin," Blake stated.
"Yes. He convinced Gnives that he was right-side up when in truth, he was upside down. Gnives did not know this, because the cat always landed on his feet."
'Right-side up? Always lands…' Blake blinked at the odd phrase before shaking her head. "He convinced you of something?"
"To heed the call of the Black Sacrament." At that, the hairs on the back of Blake's neck stood straight. "And to young Gnives, taking a life was no different than stealing a coin. Young Gnives was eager to please his mentor," he continued as his ears went back and his eyes narrowed, "so he killed without remorse. He would have kept killing, if Ra'Zhir paid him what he was worth." His ears went back even further, and Blake could see a scowl form on his face, but his tone kept even. "Some say Gnives should not have betrayed Ra'Zhir, but it was Ra'Zhir who betrayed Gnives first." His ears went back up a little, and his scowl disappeared. "But why kill him? Well, it was far easier for Gnives to kill his mentor than tell him no."
"And that was it?" Blake asked him. "They never went after you?"
"There was none to go after him. Ra'Zhir told this one he was an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood, a remnant of the Corinthe Sanctuary in Elsweyr. The sanctuary had been shut down by the Black Hand, and without a guild or a disciple, he said he wished to pass on his knowledge. The insinuation was there. He was the last." Gnives closed his eyes again and nodded his head. "He taught this Khajiit the tools of the trade. Mostly, how to listen. How to find a single sound in a cacophony of noise. A whisper in a tavern, a rattle of a coin purse, a footstep in a crowd. So much information in a single step, conveying where a person was, where he was headed, and how anxious he was to get there. Yet it was not all Gnives was taught. Ra'Zhir showed this cat how to read, how to charm, and even how to cook."
Blake shook her head. "I can't tell if you're describing someone who wanted to use you or raised you well."
"Yes, there are people in life who will do everything to help one succeed, and those who will only use him for their own success." His ears leaned back again as he looked back at her. "It turns out, these people look exactly the same."
Blake blinked a few times before slowly nodding, hoping that she showed no hint of the familiar chord that struck within her. When Gnives seemed to have nothing more to say, she looked back over to Delvin.
"Well, seems we're all connected to the Brotherhood, some in more bloody ways than others." She sighed and leaned onto her elbows. "So, why tell me, other than to avoid a possible misconception?"
"Well, that brings us to the next point," Delvin began. "We caught a rumor about another former member of the Brotherhood, only this one… Well, I don't know what he left for. Astrid didn't want to talk about it. Just said he'd gone soft. I haven't heard from him, but I know he was somewhere in Eastmarch or the Rift. Recently I heard about someone with his exact armor, but again, all I know is he's in the east. Don't know whether or not he's still killing, but he might be worth looking into. Maybe he turned a new leaf, too. If he did, ask him to come by."
"Right. Um, who-"
"Right, sorry. He's Griffith. Wears dark leather, but also has a pair of Daedric gauntlets, just to let you know how tough he really is. Never saw him take 'em off. I figured they were cursed or something."
"Thanks. I'll look into it if I get the time." Blake's ear flicked and Gnives smirked.
"Mercer is back. He is coming this way."
"I better go let him know what's up. Thanks for coming clean to me guys. It means a lot, honestly." She stood up and headed over to the cistern entrance, where the Guild Master was just coming through.
Mercer leaned back in his seat, looking as though he'd seen a ghost. Brynjolf stood near his desk, covering his mouth and with his eyes wide. The fact that these two men, both of whom seemed tough as nails, were so worried made Blake feel a pit forming in her stomach.
"She's back…" Bryjolf got out. "Gods above, she's back."
Mercer leaned forward before taking a deep breath and releasing it. "This is grave news indeed," he said while steepling his fingers. "She's someone I hoped to never cross paths with again."
"Gulum told me a little about her, but what exactly…happened?" Blake asked.
"Karliah destroyed everything this Guild stood for," Mercer ground out. "She murdered my predecessor in cold blood and betrayed the Guild. After we discovered what she'd done, we spent months trying to track her down, but she just vanished."
"Gallus was a good man," Brynjolf added. "And a great thief. He treated us like family, and then one day…he was gone." He sighed and slowly shook his head. "That woman betrayed more than just the Guild. She betrayed the closest thing to a father many of us had."
"But why would she come back?" Blake pointed out. "It's been, how many years?"
"Twenty-five," Brynjolf clarified, and Blake nodded.
"Thank you. Mercer, why would Karliah come back now, after twenty-five years in exile?"
"Karliah and I were like partners," Mercer explained. "I went with her on every heist. We watched each other's backs. I know her techniques, her skills… If she kills me, there'll be no one left that could possibly catch her."
At that, Blake felt her heart heat up with anger.
"And if she's able to reign free, there's no end to what damage she could do," Brynjolf said. "Already we've suffered her meddling with Maven, and we still haven't fully recovered from it."
"If only we knew where she was…" Mercer muttered.
"Gulum-Ei said that she mentioned 'Where the end began'," Blake told him.
He hummed a moment. "There's only one place that could be. The place where she murdered Gallus… A ruin called Snow Veil Sanctum, north of Windhelm, and southeast of Winterhold, out in the frozen plains." He nodded. "We have to go out there before she disappears again."
Blake blinked in surprise. "We?"
"Yes, I'm going with you and together we're going to kill her. I'll need some time to get things ready. Brynjolf, you'll be in charge while I'm gone."
"Oh, uh, certainly, Mercer. Are you sure about this, though? Could be a trap."
"It most certainly is, but one that we're going to spring." He stood up and crossed his arms. "Between me and Belladonna here, there's no way she can beat us." He looked over at the Faunus. "Prepare yourself and get back to me as soon as you can. You may have to leave your friends behind for this one."
"They're already tending to…other matters. I just have to find something and send it off to Riverwood."
"Well get it done as quickly as you can. We're leaving within five days."
"Won't even take me three, sir," she affirmed. He nodded to that and then headed off. Brynjolf looked between the two before settling on Blake.
"Keep your ears and eyes open when you go after her, lass. Karliah's as much a professional as the best of us, and there's no telling what she's learned while on the run."
"Don't worry. I've got this." Blake gave him a reassuring smile before looking towards the cistern. "By the way, do you know where an Etienne is? He owes me a quick favor."
"Oh, him? He came back not too long ago, looking worse for wear. Said you'd pulled him out of a tight spot. What was that about?"
"Just a happy coincidence."
"Thanks for agreeing to show me the way, Etienne," Blake said to the man.
"You kidding? It's the least I could do after you pulled my ass out of the fire." He opened a door and began walking through, holding up a torch as he led her into the gloom of the Ratway. Suddenly, he stopped and threw the torch back before crouching down and looking past a corner.
"What is it?" Blake whispered as she ducked down and started listening more closely.
"Thalmor," the thief hissed. "Looks like they climbed down from outside." Blake followed her eyes and saw a rope ladder that descended from above.
"Last chance, Nord," Blake heard someone say. "Tell us where-" The Altmer's words were interrupted by some wet sound, almost as if someone had spat against armor.
"You going to let that stand, Sil?"
"No." There was the sound of metal carving through flesh followed by spilling blood and a body falling.
"They just killed someone," she relayed to Etienne.
"Damn. Well, they obviously never learned the rules of the Warrens," he said while taking out a small object.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't let the skeevers smell blood on ya." He blew into the item. Blake's human ears heard nothing, but her cat ears heard a high, shrill tone similar to a dog whistle. She grunted in pain and covered them, while Etienne continued blowing for a few more seconds. When he was done, Blake let her ears back up and began hearing something like hundreds of pairs of feet converging from all over. "Supper time."
Blake's eyes widened when she saw skeevers ranging from mouse-sized to opossum-sized pulling themselves out of cracks in the walls and sewer grates. A larger one, perhaps the size of a medium dog, pushed up from a loose stone in the floor. Others began coming out, and they all started following their noses.
"What in the Gods'-"
"They're everywhere!"
Blake could hear and see fire being poured out from across the way as the elves screamed. One ran out onto a catwalk with fire pouring from his hand, but the skeever chasing him went around it. He summoned up a bound blade in his other and cut the rodent down, seemingly relieved that the threat was killed. Unfortunately for him, Etienne came up from behind and quickly ran his dagger across the elf's throat. Three more skeevers ran out from the flaming room full of screams, stopping at the body, but looking at the thief as though wondering if he was worth it. Etienne took out his whistle again and blew a single puff through it, causing them to step back before grabbing the body and dragging it away.
"That'll keep 'em busy," he said to Blake before jumping down to the bottom level. "Come on, let's go get your guy and get out of here."
Blake hopped after him and looked back towards the scene of carnage, where screams had given way to the sound of flesh tearing and small fires crackling.
"Did you know they'd do that?" she asked, slightly disturbed.
"Skeevers will eat almost anything, little bastards. Still, there was a chance there wouldn't be so many big ones, or that the elves might have kept their cool long enough to fight them off. Fortunately for us, they didn't."
They traveled deeper into the Ratway, going through another door and a long, dank tunnel before coming up into another lightened area.
"Bucket. Knife. Inkpot. Stone," a woman's voice listed off. "No, no, no."
"Ah! Haha! Come here! Come here come here come here come here," a man said from behind a cell door, wearing an old and worn out chef outfit and hat.
"Don't go near him," Etienne warned her.
"Yeah, wasn't going to," Blake deadpanned as he led her up a set of stairs that took them past the insane man's cell. She paused for a moment in an empty room and picked up a small notebook.
'The Boreal Journal of Lathgwen Evenheart – Vol. 6. Odd,' she thought. She was about to place it down, but then shrugged and opened it up while continuing to follow her guide.
I had a close call at the market today. Some adventurer said we had met once before in Riverwood. Which is absurd. I never forget a face.
It's more likely he saw me on some wanted poster. Lucky for me, the Jarl of Winterhold holds no sway here. I'm not even sure the Jarl of Riften would bother with a horse thief. Too many criminals in one place. It's like trying to find a mudcrab in a chaurus hive.
'Huh, is this a journal or someone trying to make a first-person story?'
"All right, we're here," Etienne told her as he stepped aside. The door before them was bolted up and seemed to have more steel bands than wood. Blake was sure she saw ebony in places. Etienne knocked and then backed up. A second later, a slit opened up on the door, showing a man's eyes.
"Go away!" he yelled.
"Esbern? Is that you?" she asked.
"What?! No, that's not me. I'm not Esbern. I don't know what you're talking about." Blake didn't believe the man's unconvincing denials for a second, and from the look on his face, neither did Etienne.
"It's okay," Blake tried to reassure him. "Delphine sent me."
"Delphine? How did you…" His eyes narrowed. "So you finally found her, and she led you to me. And here I am, caught like a rat in a trap."
"No…" Blake started to pinch her nose. "Look, she said to ask you, 'where were you on the Thirtieth of Frostfall?'"
"Thirtieth of Frostfall," he repeated quietly. A moment of silence passed, and Blake looked back behind her, catching bits of what sounded like boots in the distance.
"Esbern, we don't have much time," she told him. "The Thalmor know you're here, and we need your help with the dragons."
"So, Delphine keeps up the fight after all these years. You come in and tell me how you found me and what you want." He shut the slit, and Blake began hearing the sounds of locks and bolts being undone.
"This one always sticks… There we go!"
Blake nodded then whipped around just as three more Thalmor agents entered the hallway, one pushing Gissur along in front of them.
"Yes, it should be around…" The man saw them and blanched.
"Move!" Blake shouted.
"No need to tell me twice," Etienne responded as he leaped from the ledge. Blake jumped out and threw Gambol Shroud towards the Thalmor. They dodged as Gissur ducked and ran while screaming in fear. As the elves looked at the thrown weapon embedded in the wall behind them, Blake pulled herself in and drew her Daedric dagger. One barely got up his sword in defense, but the demonic weapon sliced through it. Blake then yanked her sword loose and carved through another's arm before stabbing up into his chest with her dagger. The one holding a broken blade tried to hit her with it, only to hit a clone while Blake reappeared behind him and stabbed into his neck. She then leaped out of the way of a ball of lightning and readied herself to take out the last, only for a fireball to explode behind him and send him flying.
"Damned…Blade," the Thalmor ground out as he tried to pick himself up. Esbern responded by levitating up the broken sword blade and firing it into his back, killing the Altmer instantly.
"Well, I guess I have to leave either way," the old man sighed. "Just give me a moment to get some things. I want to at least bring my Anointed Anuad." As he went back into his room, Blake heard something from the chamber below and looked down to see that Etienne had caught Gissur and had him against a wall, a dagger piercing his shoulder and pinning him in place.
"Please, Et! I'm so sorry!" the Nord begged, but Etienne, a snarl on his face, was having none of it.
"I was in there for weeks!" the Breton hissed. "Tortured every day! Left to hang up like a piece of meat! All because of you!"
"I know, I'm so sorry! Please, spare me! I'll make it up to you, I swear!"
"Fool me once, Gissur." Etienne backed away from the man and blew on his whistle. Blake started to hear the scrambling of skeever feet again. This time they weren't as eager, but several skeevers had already looked in and saw the bleeding man, their mouths watering at the sight.
"Ooh! Meat, meat!" the crazy chef cheered with a laugh.
"No, no nononono!" the traitor screamed while trying to tug himself loose, his good arm awkwardly bending and scrabbling for the embedded blade.
"We…better get out of here," Blake said before grabbing Esbern by the waist and then jumping down to the last level. The old man shouted in surprise, but wound down to simple astonishment as she set him down and gestured for Etienne to follow them out. As she closed the door, the last she saw of Gissur was several of the smaller skeevers closing in as some big ones looked down from the higher levels.