A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it. And would you look at that, we're at the part that revolves around colonizers stealing native lands and the bloody conflict surrounding that. I normally don't do this, but if you have the time and change, please donate to verified advocacy groups or food relief efforts for Native Americans. They could always use help and probably need it.

As we do, let us give thanks to xTRESTWHOx and NaanContributor for bouncing my points, sharing and refining ideas, and just generally helping to make the story as high in quality as we can.

Chapter 81: The Forsworn Trials, Part 1

30th of Evening Star

"Wow, they've really fixed the place up," Ruby observed as she, her housecarl, the Moth Priest, and the two vampires made their way into the fortified valley. The only remaining evidence that there had ever been an attack was some scorched earth, blackened stones, and charred remains of trees. Bodies and debris had long been cleared, and now the Dawnguard were back to business as usual.

"I had heard tell that there had been a massive battle against a vampire horde," Dexion said as he swiveled his head around. "It hardly seems so from the aftermath. Looks like perhaps a skirmish."

"Well, a lot of them did get burned up by dragon fire," Ruby admitted.

"And a good bit of that was yours," Serana added, smirking from beneath her hood.

Ruby let out a sheepish laugh and the group headed into the fort's main castle. Isran was just within, having been informed of their coming by a runner, waiting on them. His perpetual frown was plastered across his face, and his arms were crossed in front of his stocky chest. At first, his attention was focused on Serana, and Ruby couldn't help but notice that a few Dawnguardsmen armed with crossbows were standing at the ready on the castle palisades, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Lydia, Serana, and Weiss also noticed the extra security, but Dexion seemed oblivious.

"I'm impressed you managed to find a Moth Priest so quickly," he stated evenly before looking over at Dexion. "Welcome, priest, to Fort Dawnguard."

"I thank you," Dexion said while giving a short, polite bow. "Might I say, this is a remarkable fortress. I have several colleagues back home who would love to study it in detail."

"Thanks, I suppose. Would you be able to read that thing? Tell us what's within?" Isran asked while pointing out the Elder Scroll on Serana's back, eager to cut to the chase and not waste any more time than needed.

"Ah yes! The Elder Scroll! I must admit, I've been itching for the chance since our groups met back up an hour ago."

"Glad to know it wasn't me you were staring at," the vampire princess quipped.

"Uh, terribly sorry ma'am. I did not mean to be rude," Dexion apologized, his voice sounding sincere.

"Don't worry about apologizing to it," Isran roughly butted back in before anything else could be said, causing Serana to scrunch up her face in a frown. Ruby, Weiss, and Lydia also reacted negatively to the comment, but Isran ignored them to focus instead on Dexion. "Just tell us what's in the Scroll."

"Ah, certainly," Dexion replied, slightly off-put by the tense atmosphere that he just now noticed. Eager to move along, he declared, "Let's find out what secrets the Scroll can tell."

More than happy to get this over with as well, Serana took the Elder Scroll from her back and handed it over to Dexion, though she glared at Isran for a moment while doing so. The Redguard didn't react at all, letting everyone know just how little he cared about whether Serana liked him or not.

"Now, if everyone will please be quiet, I must concentrate."

The Moth Priest took the large Scroll in hand and then slowly opened it, eyes focused on the page before him as a faint light accompanied by a low ringing came out. Ruby had to actively resist the urge to circle around and peer over his shoulder, and even Weiss looked interested in seeing what might be written upon it, but both Lydia and Serana were there to prevent them from acting on those baser urges. At the same time, however, they saw Dexion's eyes widen as they absorbed the information contained in the scroll, with his sclera slowly becoming bloodshot from the strain.

"I see a vision before me," Dexion began, "an image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow! Now a voice whispers, saying 'Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise.' In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night and day will be as one.

"The voice fades and the words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait, there is more here. The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other scrolls. Yes, I see them now... One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood.

Dexion's voice started to quiver as the strain began to exceed his limitations, and he declared, "My vision darkens, and I see no more. To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two scrolls."

He blinked and closed the Scroll, rubbing at his head a little while holding the artifact to his side. Ruby shared a look with Lydia, who shrugged, then looked over to Weiss.

"Two more scrolls?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

"Well, we have a lead for one," Weiss pointed out. "Not sure about another, though."

"Well, drat. It was hard enough to find the first one," Ruby complained, then her attention shifted over to the priest as he gripped his forehead in pain.

"If you'll excuse me," Dexion said as he swayed. "I must rest now. The reading has made me…weary."

Ruby nodded, then turned towards her housecarl and asked, "Lydia, can you help him find a place to lay down?"

"At once, my Thane," Lydia immediately replied, bringing her fist to her chest before leading Dexion away.

As the housecarl left while helping the Moth Priest, Ruby took the Scroll from his tired hands and held it under an arm, resisting the urge to open it herself. If Dexion, a trained Moth Priest, had that much issue after reading an Elder Scroll, there was no telling how it would affect her.

"Well, did we get all of that?" Serana asked, looking around at everyone.

"I heard a lot of vague nonsense," Isran answered with a huff. "You could interpret that a hundred different ways. Only thing that stood out for me was Auriel's Bow. That's a powerful weapon, and I sure as Oblivion don't want the vampires to get hold of it. We need to find it. In the meantime, the Moth Priest can stay here for now." He then looked over their group. "I noticed Yang isn't here. Thought it was too quiet."

"Last message we got from her was that they were doing stuff in Markarth," Ruby told him. "Something about an evil cannibal cult."

"Heh, woman would've gone far in the Vigilant. Still, perhaps I could use your help, Dragonborn."

"Just Ruby is fine," the girl demurred with a wave of her hand, then placed her hands on her hips. "What do you need?"

"A lot, but right now the Jarl of Solitude is in danger. A vampire is playing as a visiting 'advisor' to the court," he revealed. "We need someone to destroy it before it's able to complete its foul business."

'Oh, damn it,' Weiss internally railed. 'Did I tell Ruby about Sybille?'

"I can handle it," Ruby agreed with gusto, flashing a smile and giving a thumbs up. "We won't let them get away with hurting Elisif."

"Be careful," Isran continued to warn her, raising his finger in emphasis. "They obviously aren't aware of the vampire's true nature. You need to convince the Jarl of the threat. Or take them out quietly, but I doubt that's your method." He reached into his back pouch and pulled out a scroll before handing it over to the Dragonborn. "Here, Mass Teleport scroll linked to Solitude. Time is of the essence here, so we can't let a moment go to waste."

"Thanks. That'll make things quicker. Oh, before we forget, Weiss."

"Right," the heiress responded while reaching into her bag and pulling out a newly constructed communicator. "Yang convinced us that you could use one of these. It's a long-distance instant communication device. It'll allow you to see and hear anyone else with one so long as you both activate them. I'll go over how to use it with you."

After everything was settled at the fort, Ruby, Lydia, Weiss, and Serana readied themselves and their things for transport in an open space outdoors.

"Well, at least as soon as this is done, it's a hop, skip, and jump to get back with Yang and Blake," Ruby explained cheerfully while leading in Chocolate Hooves. "Then we can find that Tower Bismark and look for the other scroll."

"Mzark," Lydia called out over her shoulder while brushing down Summer Breeze in order to calm the mare.

"Right, that."

"Hey, before we go," Serana suddenly spoke up, catching everyone else's attention, "can we take a moment? There's something I need to say."

"Everything all right?" Weiss asked her, a bit of concern leaking from her voice.

"It's fine, just…" Serana sighed, then held her body close before looking around to see if anyone else was listening in. Once she was certain they were alone, she whispered, "You all know where one Elder Scroll might be, but I think I know where the other one is."

"Oh, well that's good news," Ruby said.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Weiss asked her, and Serana Volkihar gave her a flat look in response.

"Half the people in this little fort would just as soon kill me as talk to me," she pointed out. "That doesn't exactly make me want to open up. I got a warmer welcome from my father, and that's saying something."

"It…really is," Weiss agreed while cringing.

"Does… Does your father…not care about you?" Ruby gingerly asked.

"You know, I've asked myself the same thing," Serana began sadly. "I thought... I hoped that if he saw me, he might feel something again. But I guess I don't really factor in at this point. I don't even think he sees me as his daughter anymore. I'm just... a means to an end."

The whole party went silent for several moments, a depressing air settling around them as the words really sunk in. For Ruby, it was difficult to imagine a parent not unconditionally loving their child, even if, academically, she knew of some who fit the bill, but for Weiss, it was a feeling that was all too familiar. Once again, she compared her family's situation to that of Serana's, and the resemblance was uncanny. Of course, Weiss' father wasn't trying to blot out the sun, but the abuse, restriction, and lack of real love was present.

"So, where is this Elder Scroll?" Lydia asked, thankfully cutting through the heaviness around them. Serana recomposed herself, then looked at Lydia and nodded.

"We need to find my mother, Valerica," the vampire princess explained. "She'll definitely know where it is, and if we're lucky, she actually has it herself."

"You said you didn't know where she went," Weiss pointed out. "If we don't even know where Valerica is, how can we find the Elder Scroll?"

"The last time I saw her, she said that she'd go somewhere safe... Somewhere that my father would never search," Serana said while tapping her chin, then shrugged. "Other than that, she wouldn't tell me anything. But the way she said it... 'someplace he would never search.' It was cryptic, yet she called attention to it."

"Well, that narrows our search tremendously," Lydia dryly remarked while giving Serana a flat stare.

"She might have been overly cautious," Weiss noted.

"Maybe. What I can't figure out is why she said it that way." Serana shook her head and crossed her arms. "Besides, I can't imagine a single place my father would avoid looking. And he's had all this time, too. Any ideas?"

"Perhaps she was sealed away like you?" Lydia suggested, keeping one arm crossed while raising the other. "It would be the safest route. It took them all this time to find out where you were."

"I don't think so," Serana replied while shaking her head. "She said she wanted to stay awake in case the situation was resolved. It had to be one of us, and, well, she's so much more powerful than I am. It just made sense for her to be out here. Anything else?"

"Hm," Weiss hummed while tapping her cheek with a finger. "No, wouldn't make sense for her to be here. The Dawnguard have likely scoured this place since arriving."

"And if they ran across her, things would have turned ugly," Serana added. "Seeing as all these lovely people are still alive, that didn't happen."

"What if she's hiding in Castle Volkihar?" Ruby suggested. Weiss sighed while leaning back.

"Ruby…"

"What? It's a legitimate place!"

"Do you honestly think that-"

"That…almost makes sense!" Serana declared, interrupting the two partners before an argument could break out.

"Huh?" Weiss muttered.

"Yeah, see! I told you it was a valid idea!" Ruby replied cheerfully while sticking out her tongue towards Weiss.

"Right..." Lydia said, then turned towards Serana. "Mind explaining why your mother would've thought hiding out in the heart of your father's operation was a good idea?"

Serana nodded and began to explain, "I used to help my mother tend a garden in the courtyard there. All of the ingredients for our potions came from it. She used to say that my father couldn't stand the place. Too... peaceful."

"Isn't that pretty risky?" Weiss probed. "Staying around the castle this whole time?"

"Oh, absolutely." Serana nodded. "But my mother's not a coward, nor stupid. That is...I don't think we'll actually trip over her there. But it's worth a look."

"How would we get by without your father noticing?"

"Trust me. I lived there for a very long time and I know every nook and cranny," Serana assured them. "There's an unused inlet on the northern side of the island that was used by the previous owners to bring supplies into the castle. An old escape tunnel exits there. I think that's our way in."

"All right, game plan," Ruby cheered while clapping her hands once. "First, we'll stop this vampire, then we'll pick up Yang and Blake, and then it's infiltration time!"

"Right, about the vampire, Ruby…" Weiss began, causing everyone to turn towards her.

"It's not you?" Weiss asked the Court Wizard in surprise.

"Of course not," Sybille sharply answered as she sat at a table with a crystal ball. "I know every form of detection spell those Dawnguard agents use and have three counters for each, minimum. Besides, I tipped them off to the real perpetrator."

"Oh, well that's… Wait, why didn't you just handle this yourself, or get local help?"

"This one was smart enough to have those bases covered," she said before waving her hand over the ball then curling her fingers, pulling up an image of the court where Ruby was speaking with Elisif. Muffled words could be heard, letting Weiss know she was sticking to the plan of letting the Jarl think this was just a friendly visit.

"The one in grey, with his hood up," Sybille pointed out to her. The man in question was wearing clothing that gave off a feeling of lower wealth or a fairly well-off commoner. She couldn't make out much of his face, but the skin she could see was pale. Not unusual in this snow-covered country, but it was a point in the right direction.

"So that's the infiltrator," Weiss reckoned, and Sybille nodded while frowning.

"Yes, and he's done his best to make it look like I want to murder him for stepping into my circle. Day one, he made up some story about how my 'family' have always looked down on his and spun it in such a way that it made it look like he was hoping for bygones to be bygones. Then, every other day, he further pulled the wool over their eyes, and now everyone's watching me any time we're close and questioning anything I do that has to do with him. He's safeguarded himself against almost everything that involves me."

"So you need outside help," Weiss concluded.

"Yes. I had thought that I could simply hide away while the Dawnguard smoked him out, especially since they'd only be looking for one vampire, but I suppose you're a good bit more reliable than that."

"I take it you have a plan?"

"Indeed."

"-and then she killed the last one, and that was that," Ruby concluded her story of the Battle of Fort Dawnguard, certain details excluded. "All the Bloodfiends were burned, and Weiss had slain the last of their masters in single combat while our dragon ally destroyed the Giant vampire."

"An invigorating tale!" Elisif exclaimed while quickly clapping her hands together, looking almost like an excited young girl and prompting the rest of the court to do the same. "We must simply have the Bard's College write it down as a play. I can only imagine how it would turn out on the stage."

"That would be cool, but we should probably finish up this war with the vampires first," Ruby pointed out. She was pretty sure the vampire guy was glaring at her, but she fought hard to not give away that she knew anything about him. It took some effort after Weiss pulled her from the court for a moment to explain what was going on. A few moments after that, Ruby returned to the court with a new mission: distract everyone until Weiss found some evidence. "We're working on that right now, actually."

"Ah yes, you're working with the Dawnguard," Sybille Stentor, who had joined them during Ruby's short recess to scheme with Weiss, commented. "Is that right?"

"A little," Ruby admitted with a shrug. "I'm not really a member, and my sister has more to do with them than I do. She's down in Markarth right now, and after this, we plan on meeting up with her and Blake."

"Ah, Markarth," Elisif wistfully said while sighing. "I've traveled there a few times, and it is a great city to behold."

"Now that you mention it, I've never been there," Ruby stated, prompting the Jarl to tilt her head in surprise.

"Really? I thought for sure you would have wanted to visit the College of the Thu'um," Elisif stated.

"Wait, what?"

"The College of the Thu'um," the Jarl repeated. "Tiber Septim established it at the beginning of the Empire, though it sadly shut down, for all intents and purposes. Yet I have heard that a few practitioners still come and go."

"Lydia, you never told me there was a Shouting school," Ruby directed at her housecarl.

"It never came up," the Nord defended. "Besides, it's been closed for decades. With everything else, it would have been a waste of time."

"…Did you forget about it?"

Before Lydia could further defend her honor, Weiss walked up the stairs, getting the two's attention while also turning the court's attention to her.

"Oh, this is your friend. The student from Winterhold, yes?" Jarl Elisif asked, and Weiss nodded.

"I am, your grace," Weiss answered while curtsying. "Weiss Schnee, at your service."

"At Ulfric's service, from what our intelligence shows," Falk brought up, distrust in his voice.

"My service as a Thane is to Eastmarch, not Ulfric himself. Besides that, I come here not as a Thane, but as a friend and ally." Weiss then pulled a folded piece of parchment from her pocket. "I have investigated something. Forgive me my trespasses, but the contents of this letter tell of something frightening."

She handed the letter over to the Jarl, who unfolded it and read through it quickly. A gasp left her lips and her eyes scanned it again before quickly passing it to Falk Firebeard. She stood up and then turned, her gaze falling upon the vampiric man in her court.

"Guards, arrest Teman immediately!" she demanded. A few looked confused, but three of the Solitude guardsmen obeyed without question, pulling their weapons and shields out before surrounding the man.

"This is… There must be some mistake!" Teman shouted in surprise, but Jarl Elisif scowled and shook her head in response.

"We will see," Elisif stated evenly. "Take him to the dungeon and have them search for signs of vampirism. We'll see soon enough if he's guilty or not."

The surprise left Teman's features, replaced by anger and gritting teeth.

"Treachery!" he screamed while leaping past the guards, heading straight for Elisif. The Jarl screamed and fell back, but before he could reach her, a black blade unfurled from a burst of petals and swiped through his neck, sending the body clattering against the floor and the head flying safely over to land near the Thanes' table. Erikur let out a high-pitched scream and fell backward into his chair while Bryling shot up and circled the table to look it over. The female Thane kicked the head over then grunted.

"Fangs," she said for everyone to hear. "Glowing, orange eyes. The bastard really was a vampire."

"Phew, thank goodness I had my baby on hand!" Ruby guilelessly commented while wiping the blood off of Crescent Rose's blades.

"All in all, that went pretty well," Serana said as they left Solitude behind. "One of father dear's little acolytes is out of the picture, and Ruby earned us a good bit of money and a possible land deal with her showmanship."

"Seems a bit much for stopping one guy," the Dragonborn contemplated.

"Ruby, you intercepted a vampire going for the throat of a Jarl in front of her whole court," Weiss flatly declared. "Not even her housecarl reacted in time. Did you see how he was kneeling and crying over his quote-unquote 'incompetence and failure'?"

"It's a matter of honor," Lydia spoke up. "While he certainly shouldn't be pouting about it, his feelings are understandable."

"Do you ever feel like that, Lyd?" Ruby asked, but Lydia refused to answer and instead traveled just a bit further ahead. Ruby supposed that was all the answer she needed, so she let the matter drop.

As they rode on, they saw someone approach them from up the road, running towards them and waving his hands to get their attention. It was a man wearing a fur-lined leather coat over a set of leather armor. Instead of a helmet, he was wearing a round-rimmed leather hat, and his face was covered in a bushy brown beard, one that had little, if any, maintenance and care put into it. What struck them the most, however, was the condition of his skin. He was pale and thin, his eyes sunken in, making the green tattoos under his eyes stick out far more than they would otherwise. The girls came to a stop, and the aging man made his way up to them, slowing and catching his breath as he drew closer.

"Dragonborn?" he asked through short breath, a few coughs following after. "Are one of you…the Dragonborn?"

Ruby's eyes narrowed, recalling the last time someone on the road had tried to pull her over. "Who's asking?"

"I need… I need help. Someone powerful and strong, like the Dragonborn. I have to… We need to stop Duncan."

"I'm sorry, who?" Weiss asked the man, who coughed to the side. Weiss felt her teeth clench when she saw blood fly out and hit the ground nearby, her nose finding the scent unappetizing. Clearly, the man was sick, and going by what she had seen of serious illness in Tamriel so far, she immediately doubted he would recover from it.

"Are you all right?" Ruby asked, concern laced through her voice as she dismounted and approached the man. He held up a hand to stop her, waving for her to stay back. Whether that was out of concern for her own wellbeing or something else, the adventurers couldn't tell, but Ruby kept her distance regardless.

"I'll live…for now," he got out before standing back up straight. "I'll be fine. I just need to know if I found the right people."

"Okay, well, you did," Ruby told while holding out her arms. "I'm the Dragonborn."

"Glad to meet you. Thought you'd be a Nord, but I'm not complaining." The man sniffed and took in a deep breath. "My name is Artur, and I need your help putting down an old friend."

"We need everyone to clear the area now," one guardsman said, making a motion with one arm toward the people hiding behind their stalls to move. As they left, another one stood before the gathering crowd to keep them from coming closer.

"Everyone, stay back!" he ordered. "The Markarth City Guard has this under control. There are no Forsworn here."

Yang narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest before stepping back and away from the scene of the crime. As she made her way back to Blake, the woman they had just saved came up to her.

"By the gods, that man nearly killed me," she started, a little shaken but far calmer than Yang would've suspected a civilian woman to be after such a close brush with death. "You saved my life. Thank you. Here," she said while holding out a silver, jeweled necklace, "I was going to bring this to my sister, but I think you should have it."

"Oh, thank you. You shouldn't have," Yang responded while gingerly taking the jewelry, making sure to keep her gloves between it and her skin. "I'm happy that I can make sure you'll get to see her again. Any idea why that guy was after you?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't have any idea. I was just shopping for a pendant for my sister back in the Imperial City."

Yang hummed in thought, wondering if there even was a purpose behind the attack. It could have been just because she was a Nord, but that seemed too simple. Most of the hate from the natives seemed to go right towards the local Nords anyways, not outsiders like she clearly was. He had several other targets in arm's reach that should have been preferable.

"He yelled something about the Forsworn," she quietly contemplated.

"I've heard about them," the woman replied in a soft, low voice, looking around to see if anyone was listening in. "Something about men who live in the hills and attack caravans."

"It's a lot more than that… Don't worry about it. Just try to stay safe, okay?"

"I will. Please, if you need anything, come see me. I'll be staying at the Silver-Blood Inn for the next few days. My name is Margret," she said while offering a hand.

"Yang," the Huntress told her while shaking it. "We're staying there too, so we might see you. Take care."

"You as well."

With that, the two women parted, Yang staying behind to look over everything with a frustrated frown on her face. Her arms were once again crossed over her chest, and the sense that something was wrong was drilling down to her very soul. As one of the guardsmen continued to try placating the crowd, she wasn't convinced in the slightest. Her instincts were screaming at her, and once this was over, she was planning on getting to the bottom of this.

As Blake awaited the end of her partner's short talk, a man – Reachman going by the stylized facial tattoos he sported – walked up to her, shaking his head.

"Gods. A woman attacked, right on the streets," he lamented while looking over the scene. "Are you all right?" he then directed to the Faunus. "Did you see what happened?"

"Yeah, I was right here," she told him. "Caught his arm right before he could do the deed. I was afraid I might have been too late for a second there."

"Thank goodness you and the other were both here. I hope the Eight give you more peace in the future," the Reachman said, and Blake nodded towards him before his expression hardened.

Oh," he then held out a piece of paper, a little more loudly than before but holding a sense of urgency that Blake was able to readily pick up on. "I think you dropped this. Some kind of note. Looks important."

"I don't-" Blake blinked and shut her mouth as her mind put together what he meant. "Thanks. I really needed this. Don't want to have to look it all up and jot it down again."

"No problem. Until next time."

"Sure," Blake replied. The man nodded then casually walked away as Yang came back to Blake's side.

"What was that about?" Yang asked, eyeing the man as he walked away from the dispersing crowd into one of Markarth's many alleyways.

"Not sure," Blake admitted while pocketing the note, making sure it was secure. "We're about to find out though. Come on."

Inside the Understone Keep, Blake led Yang to a place where few came and the only constant presence was one she trusted not to get too into their business.

"Blake, welcome back," Tynaus greeted her. "A few of the ravens were wondering when you'd come visit. I'm sad to say the crows didn't care as much."

"That's fine. I know who to share with then," she said while scratching one of the larger black birds under the chin. A crow cawed indignantly, and Yang laughed.

"Okay, what are we doing here?" she asked, affectionately petting another of the ravens while feeding it some bread from the palm of her hand.

"Seeing what this note says," Blake answered her before taking it out and unfolding it.

"I suddenly find this corner away from you to be very interesting," Tynaus said while walking away. "Whatever it is, I do not want to know."

Yang watched him go, the Khajiit keeping his arm raised upward while focusing his attention on the plain wall. She shrugged in acceptance, not wanting to drag someone unnecessarily into their business, then finished feeding and petting the raven before rejoining her partner. She wrapped her arm over Blake's shoulder then looked over to read the note which read "Meet me at the shrine of Talos" in a hasty scribble.

"Huh. That it?" Yang asked while peering over her arms at it.

"Guess this means we'll have to meet him to learn more," Blake said quietly. "Ty, is there a shrine of Talos around here?"

"Uh," the one-armed Khajiit began, looking over the side of the roost as though to check for something. "I believe so. I'm not big on worshipping the gods, not that I never do it. I just know that a few Thalmor complained about it being left alone. Suppose he wanted it tore down. No one goes there really. At least, that's what I've heard."

"Do you know where it's at?" Yang asked him, trying to get to the point.

"Uh, Macky, was it near the north or east side?" he directed toward a raven. It cawed in response, but then a blue jay flew in and started tweeting rapidly while landing on the larger bird's back.

"Oh, not this again, Charleston!"

"Is he talking to birds?" Yang asked her partner.

One of the crows then caught their attention with a squeaking sound and a flap of wings before nabbing a feather pen from an inkwell and seemingly writing down on a piece of parchment. Interested, the two Huntresses looked over and saw that the crow was drawing something.

"Hey, wait a second." Yang then took out her enchanted map, the magical item 'zoomed' onto Markarth. The crow's blotchy attempt at drawing resembled the city to an extent, making them both nod in appreciation of the bird's intelligence. The crow then started tapping a point on its 'map' before making a sloppy 'X' over the spot.

"Okay, I'm looking at it and… That's the Temple of Dibella," Yang deadpanned.

"Well, it's a start," Blake figured. "If anyone knows where a religious site would be, it'd be the priestesses of another one."

"Yeah, I guess it helps to know where your competition is," Yang figured while stashing her map away.

"…I don't think that's how temples work," Blake muttered.

"Right, we'll go check with the Dibellan Priestesses and make our way from there. Thanks for the help, bud. High fiiii-" Yang awkwardly said while beginning to raise a hand for the Khajiit to clap.

"Hm? High what?" he asked in genuine curiosity.

"N- Nothing. Just wanted to thank you for giving us a han-" Yang bit down on her tongue, mentally berating herself while Tynaus looked around her to Blake.

"She does know I'm aware of my lack of limb, yes?"

"I was just- Sorry, my bad," Yang sheepishly apologized while rubbing her head. "That was…probably worse than if I went ahead and said it."

"It's fine. Everyone gets one. Like me." As he laughed at that, both girls couldn't help but smile a little, even though Yang tried harder to hide it. "But really, it's all right. After all," he held out his hand for Yang to take, "I'm all left."

A chuckle escaped the blonde. "No f-f-fair," she got out in the midst of her laugh.

Blake just shook her head. "Well, we better go. We have to figure out this whole thing. Thanks for letting us use your coop, Tynaus."

"Any time, Blake. Try not to be a stranger. Hopefully, by the time you get back, Charleston here will have gotten his act together, and I can convince some more blue jays to join."

Charleston started tweeting while hopping off of Macky the raven's back and gliding to Tynaus' desk.

"Yes, you are special, but not that special, so get off your high horse about it. There are more important things than being a better singer than everyone else."

After confirming the location of the shrine with the priestesses, which just so happened to be below the Temple of Dibella, the pair quickly scoped it out, then decided to retire for a few hours back at the inn. Margret was doing well, and more than a few people were around getting the story from the woman about how she had survived her near-death experience. There were many offers for both of them to be given a free drink, but most were turned down, with Yang only accepting a couple bottles of mead that they took to their room where they both got a short nap.

Evening fell, and the two were roused by an alarm Blake had set and made their way back to the shrine. Down within and next to the statue of Talos, the Reachman from the market was waiting for them both.

"I'm sorry to have to drag you into Markarth's problems," he began as they both reached the bottom of the stairs. "My name is Eltrys."

"Yang," the blonde quickly responded.

"Blake." The Faunus shook her head after introducing herself. "And don't be sorry. We got into this ourselves."

"That's right, you have, haven't you?" he directed towards Blake. "You asked questions. Questions a lot of people didn't want to answer. You even tried to investigate the body from the other day."

"You sure know a lot about what we've been up to," Yang noted with a hint of suspicion.

"You're right, but only because I've had many of the same questions. I also tried to get a look at Mjar's body but was turned away, same as you. Put together a few other details, and I could see you were looking into things like I was." He shook his head. "You want answers, well, so do I. So does everyone in this city.

"A man goes crazy in the market. Everyone knows he's a Forsworn agent. Guards do nothing. Nothing but clean up the mess."

"And you wanna know why?" Yang figured, to which the man nodded.

"This has been going on for years. And all I've been able to find is murder and blood. I need help. Please. We need to find out why that woman was attacked, and who's behind Weylin and the Forsworn."

"Weylin?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head. "You knew him?"

"In a manner of speaking," Eltrys confirmed. "He was one of the smelter workers. I used to have a job down there myself, casting silver ingots, but I never knew much about him. Only that he lived in the Warrens, like all the other workers."

"So, we should probably look there," Yang figured while trying to recall the man's scent. She figured she might have to revisit the scene of the crime and try to get a better whiff, but she was certain with or without it she would be able to track down where the man frequented the past few days.

"There's also that woman he tried to kill," Eltrys pointed out. "We need to know why. She couldn't have been some random target."

"Nothing she said really tipped us off," Yang pointed out.

"She wouldn't have said anything to tip us off," Blake countered. "There must be something. That man tried to kill her knowing he would likely die after doing it. Martyrs don't give their lives for such small and random shows of terror. Believe me, I know."

"That was my thought," Eltrys agreed. "The only thing that was certain is that she's not from Markarth. The air about her screamed 'outsider'. However, I doubt that was the reason for the attack."

"Right, so Margret likely knows something that we don't?" Yang asked.

"I'll try to get it out of her," Blake said. "I have a few ideas on how, but the best bet is to let her know we're on her side."

"I'll leave that to you. Never been too good at looking for answers without getting my fists involved."

"Don't sell yourself short," Blake told her. "You can be smart when you want to. And you're a lot more persuasive than I am."

"Then we have a plan," Eltrys concluded. "We can meet back here again tomorrow night. Make sure you aren't followed when you do. I'll try to listen out for any more rumors."

"Hey, before you go," Yang stopped him as he made to leave. "I'm kinda curious. What made you look into all of this in the first place? To the extent that you're ahead of us on it?"

He sighed and ran his fingers back through his hair. "Alright then, since we're all on the same side. It all started when I was a boy," he began. "My father owned one of the mines. Rare for anyone who isn't a Nord. Then, one day, he was murdered. For no reason. Guards said it was just a madman, but everyone knew the murderer was a member of the Forsworn. I've been trying to find out why ever since."

"Why the Forsworn would kill one of their own people?" Blake mumbled, thinking back to her time in the White Fang. Some of the more extreme members were known to attack Faunus they decried as being 'traitors,' so perhaps that was the reason. Ainethatch seemed to indicate that he had about the same problem when it came to the Forsworn.

"Gotten nowhere so far," he muttered out of frustration, "and then I got married. Have a child of my own on the way." He shook his head and let it hang down, looking like a man defeated despite talking about something that should have been happy news. "I swore I was going to just give up, for my child's sake, but it's like my father's ghost is haunting me. Asking me 'Why?'"

Blake looked just as downcast as him while Yang bit her lip in consternation. Eltrys was looking at his arms, as though maybe the reason would appear in his hands. As he began to drop them, Yang reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," she started as he turned his face towards her. "We'll figure this out. This may go deep, but I know we can dig it up. Team RWBY doesn't give up on people in need."

"Team RWBY, heh?" he asked while rubbing his eyes. "What a name. Well, I trust you, Team RWBY. I just hope the answers are enough to put my father's soul at rest."

"Is he really that far gone?" Ruby asked their new compatriot, a Reachman who had apparently run with the Forsworn back in his youth, as he sipped the warm brew Lydia had readied them. The housecarl took extra measures to ensure the man was never too close to any of the other mortals. Ruby didn't like how she made sure to isolate him, but she understood why. They didn't exactly have many ways of treating tuberculosis in Skyrim. It was one of those 'mysterious diseases' that magic seemed to have no effect on and potions only helped a little.

"Aye, Duncan's beyond helping," Artur confirmed for her with a raspy voice. "I tried talking him down time and again, but he's convinced he's on the path to reviving… No, last we talked he was sure he was Red Eagle reborn, or at least close to it." He set the bowl down and held a cloth to his mouth before coughing into it. Ruby winced, knowing that he was in a lot of pain as each spasm racked his lungs. When the fit was over, he slowly lowered it and tried to breathe evenly.

"He thinks that sacrificing enough people will do it, bring Faolan back, or his memories, whatever. It doesn't matter now," Artur grumbled, scowling deeply as he stared into his hands. "Scores are already dead. There was a small hill of corpses and blood running down the channels like water after a light rain near his hideout. After seeing that, I knew I couldn't stop him alone. Even without all those followers, I knew he'd kill me easily. Even before he got that briarheart and Peryite set my lungs to rot, he was a far better warrior. I knew I needed something extraordinary to stop him."

"Like dragonslayers," Weiss spoke up, not as afraid as the two mortals in their party of being near the man. She sat at the other end of the log he was on, uncorking the bottle of blood in her hands before taking a deep drink of it.

"Dragonslayers, Dragonborn, and vampires to boot," he said. "I've even heard tell that you've slain briarhearts before."

"A few," Ruby admitted. "It was a…bit difficult to pin down how at the time. With those briarhearts, they're almost unkillable."

"Aye, I've heard some of the stories. They say it's done as a way of honoring Lorkh. A ritual that…copies the…birth of-" He started coughing again, more violently this time. Weiss reached over and took a vial out of her pack, uncorking it and handing it over to the man when his coughing fit ended.

"Kyne's breath," he muttered with a deep sigh after slugging it back. "What is that?"

"Just a healing and stamina potion," she answered. "Not as strong as either separate, but they mix together to give a feeling of relief to painful wounds. A friend showed me how to make a few."

"Thank you kindly, miss." He set the vial down and then picked up his stew again, taking a spoonful and savoring it all the more now that he seemed to not have to worry about coughing so much.

"So, a former Forsworn?" Serana asked before taking the White Phial and drinking her share. "Ah, that's good stuff! I didn't think they let you leave that kind of arrangement."

"There's no point in holding a warrior past his prime, and I've past mine faster than most others. A matriarch offered me a briarheart, but I turned it down. I'm ready to leave Old Elk-Eye's realm for the Black Fly's."

"But your friends stuck around."

"It's just Duncan, now," he admitted. "We're old, but his heart's kept him going. Most of them are dead. I think a couple of the boys went and started families. No one held them back from it. Folks like to think the Forsworn's nothing but bloodthirsty savages, and it's certainly got a few, but it's also brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters.

"Our little gang, we used to hit them down southwest coming out of Bankorai in Hammerfell. Got in there a few times as well. We knew enough to leave the Redguards alone and only scare the Nords further in. Or back. Took a lot of goods back home from there. They were good days, but every once in a while…someone didn't come back."

The Reachman went quiet for a while, holding his bowl and just looking at it as his thoughts traveled back. Ruby frowned at the sight, knowing somehow that the man was recalling harder memories.

"After some bad…jobs, the gang fell apart. Duncan went to the Karth and started finding the…bloodier work. I was starting to fall ill by then. I tried to keep going, hunting and fishing to survive, but it's gotten to be too much. I thought I'd see him one more time, but…when everybody pointed me towards him, I started hearing the stories. I thought they were stretching it. Telling tall tales. Then I saw it." He shook his head, setting his bowl down again. "I just know he needs to be stopped. I wasn't against killing some Nords, maybe even an Alessian here and there. Another Reacher, if they was deserving. But he's taking it too far. It ain't fighting. It's slaughter."

Ruby nodded. "We'll stop him. I promise."

"Well, I'm glad." Artur offered her a weak smile. "I wish I hadn't needed to come to the Nords' hero for help, but I'm glad I got somebody, at least."

"I'm not the Nords' hero," Ruby denied. "I'm just someone with a power they hold up on a pedestal."

"There's a reason for that, you know," he told her while standing up and heading to where his tent had been set, coughing a few times on the way. "Shouters are always looked up to by Nords."

Ruby pursed her lips at that before returning to her own stew. Lydia watched the man until he had completely settled in, then finally began preparing herself a bowl.

"You're a bit tense," Weiss pointed out to the Nord woman.

"I'm a little worried about the Reachman," she quietly admitted. "He's sick, and I'm not inclined to trust his sort."

"Eh, a little banditry in his past," Serana said while waving a hand. "We've trusted worse."

"Forsworn aren't some simple bandits," Lydia told her. "They're crazed rebels, trying to wrench control of the Reach away from the Jarl and Skyrim."

"So, it's like the Stormcloaks, but in one Hold?" Ruby asked in interest.

"No, nothing like that." Lydia shook her head while closing her eyes. "They're trying to bring back their 'old ways' with their heathen gods."

"Like the Stormcloaks with Talos."

Lydia's eyes opened up at that and she cleared her voice while stirring her stew.

"Well, uh, no. They also want to oust every Nord from the Reach."

"Like how the Stormcloaks want to push out the Empire?"

Weiss could see that Lydia wanted to say more, something that could refute what her Thane was insinuating, but she couldn't find the words she obviously, desperately wanted to say.

"So, how do you suppose Yang and Blake are doing?" Weiss asked, hoping to drag the subject away and let the housecarl breathe.

"Oh, they're fine," Ruby answered. "Yang said they're looking into a murder. They'll probably have it all solved by the time we're done helping Artur."

Blake headed back to the Silver-Blood Inn while Yang went to investigate the murder scene further. The Faunus' ears kept listening for any sort of hostile presence, but all she could really hear were the late-night patrons drunkenly conversing, the couple running the inn arguing, and small skeevers and large rats having a war in the walls.

Figuring that everything was fine for the moment, she started looking through the crowd until she spotted the Nordic woman sitting close to the fire. Margret had found a good spot next to the large fireplace, with enough open area around her that she could see anyone coming from the outside towards her. Blake felt it was another hint that the woman was more than she let on. The Faunus had seen recruits with training curl up or go into shock after their first close call with death sank in, yet this woman had taken logical, cautious steps to keep an eye out for further attempts on her life.

Blake walked up to her, Margret turning her head when she got past the bar at the center of the room to look at her, but the woman quickly calmed down when she saw who it was.

"Oh, it's you," she greeted Blake with a smile. "One of the women who saved me at the market." She put a hand to her forehead and took a breath. "Sorry, I'm still dizzy from everything. I never got your name."

"Blake," the Huntress gave her. "I actually wanted to talk about earlier, if you don't mind." Blake looked around to make sure no one was around before turning back to her. "What are you doing in Markarth, exactly?"

"Just visiting," Margret told her. "I had some business here. That's all."

Wow, I should kill her for a lie that bad.

'No,

youshould not, and neither will I,' the Faunus told the voice trying to slide into her decisions.

"You're hiding something," Blake accused her. "Not very well, either."

Margret stared at her for a moment, then sighed and quietly cursed, "Was I that obvious? Damn, I must be losing my touch. All right, but not out here." She smiled and started speaking a bit louder. "I have a few things in my room I can show you. Come on."

Blake went along with it, following Margret as she walked from the den to one of the rooms off to the side. It was almost exactly like the one she and Yang were renting. The only real difference was the arrangement of the wooden furniture. Margret then closed the door behind them and sighed, the mask of nervous happiness she had been holding falling away to reveal a far more serious face.

"All right, you got me," she admitted, staring Blake down. "Just know, the only reasons I'm explaining any of this to you is because you helped save my life, and I know you've worked for the Empire before, Shadowkiller."

"You know about that?" Blake asked, not too surprised. It wasn't exactly a state secret.

"I do. I'm one of General Tulius' agents," Margret revealed. "I was sent to investigate the Treasury House and the Silver-Blood family."

"Silver-Bloods," Blake muttered, disgust leaking through her voice. "Everything points back to the damn Silver-Bloods. What were you looking into?"

"Specifically, Cidhna Mine," Margret continued to explain. "It's one of the toughest jails in Skyrim, and they own it. I was hoping to find a way to acquire the deed; buy it, steal it if I had to, but I don't think that's how things work around here." The woman held a hard look as she cupped her chin. "Mark my words, Thonar Silver-Blood was behind that attack in the market. Somehow."

"I just don't know how," Blake complained before taking a seat on a chair, Margret taking the one across from her. "The Forsworn should despise the Silver-Bloods more than anyone else, yet these attacks all seem to benefit them. A false flag might make sense once or twice, but all these times? And they just keep finding Reachmen willing to throw their lives away for it?"

"Believe me, it makes less sense from where I'm standing. I just want to get back to Solitude and report back to the general before getting a new assignment somewhere safer, like maybe Riften or Windhelm. I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

"Still, thanks for the info," Blake told her. "I'm certain you're right. The Silver-Bloods have got to be the ones behind this, I just need to make the connection between them and the attackers."

Blake sighed, trying to keep herself from thinking in exhaustive circles.

'Hope Yang's found something.'

Yang picked up on what she was sure was Weylin's scent before trying to follow it. Even if she hadn't asked for directions from a few late-night passers-by, it led her right to the Warrens. Said Warrens were much like any room or building in Markarth, Dwemer-carved stone with the long-gone race's famous metal worked in here and there. The biggest difference, however, came from the fact that it was nowhere near as cleaned up. Much of the stone floor was still covered in dirt, with broken cobbles scattered about. The residents only added to the image of dilapidation, all poor folk wearing worn clothes, the most well-off among them having actual shoes on their feet.

Yang tried to not draw too much attention to herself, though actually blending in was rather futile with her well-made garb and cleanliness, but did pause for a moment to give five septims to an older woman who had held her hands out weakly. She kept sniffing, following Weylin's scent until she stopped at a brass door. Trying the knob revealed it to be locked, and so Yang started thinking of how to get past the barrier.

'Don't really want to attract too much attention, so knocking it down is out of the question. Not really good with lockpicks either. Not enough to keep what I'm doing discreet, anyways.'

"The Warrens are no place for your type," someone said from her side. She turned her head to see a Breton-looking man in ragged clothing that had to have been stitched back together more than a dozen times, some pieces obviously not a part of the original articles. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"Looking into a guy named Weylin. You know anything about him?" she asked, hoping he had some info she could use.

"Oh yes. I know everyone who sleeps in the Warrens. Kind of the one who passes the keys around." He looked at the door with a bit of annoyance. "I guess someone else will be taking his room, now."

"Speaking of, can I borrow the key to his room for a bit?"

The man shook his head. "Sorry, but you don't belong here. I can tell just looking at you, you've got a bed waiting for you at the inn, or the coin to get one. There's folks out there might be needing this room."

Yang let out a huff. "Look, I'm not here to take a room. I'm trying to get to the bottom of what happened today. Weylin didn't just attack some random person for no reason. And let's be honest here, if no one does anything about this, it's only a matter of time before it happens again."

The man stared at her for a long moment before uncrossing his arms and sighing. "All right. I'll open it for you. Just leave the room in one piece so whoever moves in has somewhere to sleep."

"Thanks, friend," she said while stepping back.

"I'm not your friend, Nord," he griped while taking a ring of keys out and going through them.

"And I'm not a Nord."

The man unlocked the door and Yang walked in. There wasn't much inside; a broken bench propped against a pile of dirt, a rickety-looking chair, a pile of hay with some furs atop it, and a foul-smelling bucket. However, half-hidden for anyone looking in from outside, there was a chest in the corner. Unlike everything else, it looked new and in good condition. Yang bent down in front of it, finding it to be locked.

"Got a key for this?" she asked the man. He shook his head, and Yang hummed to herself.

"Well, might as well get in some practice." She took out the lockpicking set Blake made her keep on her person and she got to work on the chest. After a minute, her excitement at trying out a new thing began to fade, frustration rising up to take its place.

"Here," the keyholder grumbled out with a sigh, leaning in front of the chest and taking hold of Yang's lockpick and tension wrench. The man wriggled both around for a moment, then slowly moved them in place for a solid second before the lock popped open.

"Thanks, man," Yang sincerely said while lifting the chest's top and looking inside. There was a cooking pot with an egg set inside of it, a mammoth tusk for some reason, and a few septims, which she handed over to the poor man next to her. He took them without complaint, humming in appreciation before pocketing them. Yang moved the pot over and found underneath it a piece of paper, a broken wax seal upon it. She took it out and stood up from the chest before unfolding it.

Weylin,

You've been chosen to strike fear in the heart of the Nords. Go to the market tomorrow. You will know what to do.

- N

"You know an N?" Yang asked, to which the man shook his head while taking Weylin's remaining possessions.

"Not at all. Unless you mean the letter 'n'."

"No. Pretty sure it's some sort of symbol or initial." Yang sighed and pocketed the note. Eltrys might be able to garner more from it, but she was starting to feel like whatever it was, the secrets might have died with Weylin. "Thanks for the help."

"Don't mention it," the man responded while ushering her out of the room. He shut the door after they left, locking it back up. Yang nodded to him and began to leave the Warrens, but as she came close to the exit, a thuggish-looking man wearing leather armor and a mohawk atop his head walked in, his eyes landing square on her.

"You've been digging around where you don't belong," he darkly told her. Yang simply stopped and glared back at him.

"Yeah, no. I'm not listening to any threats." she declared, crossing her arms and giving him a flat look.

"You'll listen to this," he growled while cocking a fist back. Yang simply stood still as it came towards her, smashing into her face with a loud clap. Her attacker's smirk quickly disappeared as he realized she hadn't so much as budged from the blow, while Yang just continued glaring at him fiercely.

Almost more annoyed than angered, Yang smacked him across the face with an open palm, sending him staggering back. She kept on him, slapping his face from the other side when he tried to get his bearings. He threw another punch, but she caught it in her hand and squeezed before jabbing under his arm, both actions making him shout in pain, then backhanded him, knocking him back and out of the Warrens. He scrambled to his feet, but Yang was on him again, kicking him back up and punching his left collarbone, making him yelp and stagger back again. The woman then reached forward and grabbed his shoulder before pulling him to her and burying her fist in his stomach. The thug lost his breath, doubling over and barely keeping on his feet while struggling to breathe. As he managed to stand again, he looked up to see Yang's hand in front of his face, her middle and ring fingers held back by her thumb, both tense and ready to spring. She let them go and flicked the man in his forehead, knocking his head back and opening a small wound.

Before the man could fall into the waterway, Yang reached forward and grabbed his armor by the neck hem. As he collected his senses, he looked around in fear, realizing the position he was in.

"All right, listen to me, jackass," Yang seethed. "You tell me who the hell sent you down here or I'll kick your ass up one side of Markarth and back down the other."

"Okay, okay!" he pleaded. "I was sent by Nepos the Nose! He didn't tell me why, just said I needed to keep you from looking into things."

"Nepos the Nose? Really?" Yang growled in disbelief, possibly letting a bit of the wolf leak out when she did, then tossed the man to the side. "Get the hell out of here, and don't let me catch you around again."

He scrambled up to his feet and dashed away. Yang huffed and looked in the direction of the Silver-Blood Inn.

'Nepos the Nose. I'll eat my own hair if that isn't our N friend.'

30th of Evening Star