Cearbhail: I would like to thank all you for being patient. This past week has been...blah worthy. I was in such a state of nothingness that I tried to write but found nothing. But I'm back. And I've been drawing during my little trip. I'm getting better. Soon enough, I will have covers for my stories, I just need a little more practice before I can draw anything other than traces of other pictures. And no, I'm not tracing by placing the paper up to the screen and draw the lines. I'm analyzing the figures, the lines, and i'm manually recreating the picture in front of me. I'm getting better at replicating the anime I'm drawing so soon enough, hopefully I can draw the images in my head as well. Anyway, new chapter and Lydia's story should updated soon. Like in a couple days.

[Huir]

"What do you see?" The lovely Merete asked from behind me.

We stood up on one of the hilltops, hidden inside one of her soul-trap spheres that was supplied by an amulet that hung around her neck. These amulets were commonplace now. They were being distributed to every able mage and soldier in Tamriel. Almost everyone had one.

A storm hung overhead, light amounts of lightning and thunder keeping us partially awake. Good thing it was still early afternoon otherwise, I wouldn't be able to look down upon the Imperial City.

The city itself looked like a small ant farm but with my special Prying Eye spell, I could see the city as though I was standing in it. And what I saw was disturbing. Corpses, long decomposed, littered the streets. The buildings were more rubble on the road than anything else. But there was something. I couldn't see any rats. That was a good sign that there were still people alive. Otherwise there would be livestock roaming the roads unafraid of anything. I would know; I've seen ghost towns before. And corpses make for great meals for them.

The Imperial City looked like a mess. I once saw this giant majestic city and saw an opportunity to make my fortune. I was wrong. I found someone in a red robe recruiting me for something I did not fully understand. That led me to an unfulfilling life trying not to kill anyone and still got locked behind bars. That being said, I'm not entirely happy that the city was in shambles but…I can feel that someone is alive down there. At least there were no Aedra waiting nearby. They were still circling around Bruma, searching for us. I left them a nice exploding surprise so that they wouldn't follow us.

"I see dead bodies and ruined walls. Oh wait…I was looking at the Waterfront District. Here, let me check the rich part of the city. Oh…that's different." I said sarcastically. "They're having cake."

She smiled at me and shook her head. "All you do is answer sarcastically. I'm guessing that's how you deal with stress?"

I snickered and turned away. "You're still young, you have much cynicism to learn. You're what? 18?"

She looked pleased. "20, actually."

I nodded. "Yeah, young. I'm 41. I've been around twice as long and my life's been pretty much this…" I gestured to the ruined city far below us. "my whole life. Sarcasm makes it easier to deal with."

"Wow." Merete responded, her eyes wide with astonishment. It looked cute on her. "You don't look forty. You look way younger than that." She chuckled lightly.

I almost smiled as I started standing up. "Tell that to my joints. No, I don't age nearly as horribly as you humans do. We elves age half as fast. Dunmer live almost 200 years, We Bosmer almost 150. Those damn Altmer though, they live almost 400 if they're careful." I patted my knees, saying, "But for some reason, my bones age just as fast. We grow old and feeble, but our magic grows stronger. Too bad my magic is used for hunting. My Prying Eye was used to help me snipe deer. Now I'm a scout. Who woulda guessed that hunting techniques were just as good at scouting for the military?"

She only shrugged. "Seems the same in my book. Hunting is nothing more than well…hunting. Scouting is the same. Track enemy movements, stay hidden from view, and collect information. The only difference is that you don't kill your prey while scouting. Scouts instead retreat with the information and share it with their superiors."

Boy, she was clever. Of course, she was a battlemage. Being a fighter isn't enough for them. They had to be smart and strong. The perfect blend. Too bad that left her ability to sense unnecessary small-talk somewhat…not there. I was asking a rhetorical question and I didn't really expect her to give an answer. But not only did she answer, she almost lectured me. Oh well. At least I wasn't traveling with a silent monk. All they do is grunt in reply. It gets annoying when you tend to talk as much as I do. Talking keeps me from thinking about my past too much. I've been around for a long time, always been traveling. Up until my most recent fuck-up, I had a pretty full and exciting life. Now it was getting back to normal. About time, I think.

"So, our orders were what exactly?" I asked back at Merete.

She pulled out a small crystal ball and glared intently at it. "My father said that our friends are in the Imperial City. They're hidden in the sewers. That just means that we have to look for them, show them the survivors from Bruma, and link up with the other battlemages. Once we're all one big happy family, we can start taking the refugees to the new refugee camp in Black Marsh."

"Black Marsh?" I asked. I spent some time in Black Marsh…as a prisoner and hostage. That was before I became the Glass Arrow. I had to endure much pain and suffering before I realized that someone needed to step up and fight injustice. That time in Black Marsh turned me into a vigilante. This of course all happened after our pirate ship was attacked by Argonian crashers. They swam up to our boats and blew a big hole in our hull. As our ship sunk, the Argonians swam in and took us all by surprise. They dragged us down underwater and swam for their camp. Those of us who didn't drown on the way were tied up and treated as hostages and prisoners. My skills as a hunter made me quite an entertainer for them. Kept them from killing me at least. But it also forced me to become stronger as a survivor. I eventually escaped and when I got my hands on some poisonous barbs that can actually kill Argonians…I made arrows out of them and started hunting their bandit clan. I became the Glass Arrow that day. And I never looked back.

Merete nodded. "Yes, Black Marsh. The Queen of Black Marsh has permitted safe passage into her country. All Argonians living inside Black Marsh have been told what will happen if they attack the convoys. It will be considered treason. That being said, no one will commit treason with an army of shadowscales and shadowwraiths so nearby."

Well, that was a bit of good news. I sure hoped Black Marsh would become a friendly place. Too bad I knew better. But, oh well. Orders were orders and unfortunately, I'm still on good behavior watch. If I didn't do as Hans ordered, I was as good as locked up again. Well, that was a trivial matter. I wanted to help. I was one of the only epic archers in existence anymore. My skills were as needed as anyone right now. "So, the sewers, eh?" I asked her, smiling. "Good thing for you that I'm here. I know my way through the secret passages. Got trained on that back during the war."

She rolled her eyes. "You mean when you were one of those red-robed martyrs?"

I shrugged. "Hey! I didn't know that we were committing genocide. All I heard was 'we have cake'. And I was like 'Good, I have four sweet teeth'. And they were like, 'That's good. The cake is next to the sacrificial daggers'." I chuckled as I turned back around. "Of course, that should have been a dead giveaway."

I actually drew a laugh from her and she shook her head in amusement. "Ok, I've heard enough. Come on, we still have to rendezvous with our comrades."

…

[Vatu]

I had no idea so many people had survived this long into the war. The sewers under the Imperial City housed all the survivors from all the nearby towns. I'm sure there were others in Anvil or Leyawiin that were surviving on their own, but, for the most part, there was a whole community growing down here. It was a sight to see and I was glad that so many people survived. It was a real morale booster.

That wasn't the half of it. The remaining Imperial Army housed itself down here. It was nice to hear that all the goblins living down here were killed long ago and their old camps were turned into scouting camps. The surviving council was also protected down here. The ones in charge were Vilena Donton, the reinstated Master of the Fighters Guild. She was a wonderful woman, but was pushing up to 80 years. I wondered if she was going to die from all this stress.

Oh yeah, I'm sitting in her office, Modryn standing beside me. He had his hands crossed and he looked expectedly down at me. "Vilena, this is Vatu. He is a Khajiit assigned to the 4th Battlemage Troop. He's one of their scouts. He's a wonderful enchanter as well."

Her eyes scanned me up and down. "He seems dangerous enough." She looked from me up to him. "What's he doing down here?"

Modryn cleared his throat. "Ma'am, have you forgotten? Hans Battle-Born told us that he was sending aid to help relocate our civilians to Black Marsh."

Vilena stood up, crossing her arms behind her back. "That's a little dangerous, Modryn. The trek from here to Black Marsh is very long and it's across possible infested Aedra pockets. I see no reason for our men to leave while they are safe here."

I watched as Modryn stepped closer, his eyes becoming sharp as knives. "We're running out of food and fresh water, Vilena! The fumes from the sewers are getting to the older folks. People are getting ill and we need to relocate them. The Queen of Black Marsh has told us that she will take care of our citizens. As the Master of the Fighters Guild and the only real leader left…it is your job to keep everyone safe!"

Vilena paused for a second before she sighed heavily. When she turned around, I could see just how old her eyes looked. "I didn't listen to you about that Blackwood Company and now…I'm fighting with you again." She closed her eyes and nodded. "I should always trust your judgment, Modryn. Prepare our troops, locate our new reinforcements, and prepare a transportation plan. You have 12 hours, Modryn. Get started."

Modryn nodded and looked down at me. "Come, Vatu. I wish to speak to my daughter."

I nodded to him and stood up. I bowed to Vilena Donton. "Thank you for agreeing to our plan, Ma'am."

She nodded to me. "I will keep my word. I will have my fighters train for war. We will join the war council."

War council? I hadn't heard about any war council. When I looked over at Modryn in confusion, he nodded in confirmation. "You must have not heard about it. Hans Battle-Born is calling your unit to come down to Black Marsh. You're escorting the civilians from our town to Black Marsh. From there, well…I'm guessing your leader will brief you on the spot."

My leader? Erandur? For some reason, I doubted the he knew anything more than coming here. Now we're going to Black Marsh? How come I didn't know about this? I was part of the pack: Erandur, Davilia, and I. The three of us were like family. How come they don't tell me anything anymore? Not to mention the fact that I'm not a team leader like Davilia or even Primrose. I was a part of Crassi's scouting squad. I couldn't take not knowing anymore. I had to ask Erandur exactly why I was being treated differently than the rest of my friends.

I followed behind Modryn as he led me through the walkways. He was taking me back to entrance I found not too long ago. He was going to follow behind me with a few armed Imperial soldiers. I was supposed to lead Modryn back to our camp so that he could link up with Erandur and the rest of our troop.

Once we made it back to the door, Modryn gently pushed me in front of him. "Ok, Vatu. Lead us to your fellow battlemages."

I nodded and looked around. I had no idea where the hell I was. It didn't look the same going back as it did coming down. But then I remembered the string I used to find this place. It was still in the grating, still glowing with my magicka. I paused for a second, stretching my awareness out. A light blue fire started pouring off my body, making the armed guards jump back in surprise.

"Sir, what's he doing?" The guard with the pike asked.

Modryn smiled. "Powering up a spell. He's a battlemage…it's kind of their thing."

I closed my eyes and started muttering some nonsense Khajiit words that helped me focus. The stench of the rotting fish heads clouded my head and make it harder for me to focus. The fact that the string's magicka-weaving was wearing off didn't help either. No, I had to do this the old way. I had to focus and sense any residue left behind and follow it back. It would get harder the further we went too. This would be maybe the hardest thing I'd ever have to do. Good thing I like all the practice.

As my mind cleared, the energy off the string started coming into mind. I could sense it to my right and it started stretching out in a straight line. Now that I had a whiff of the energy, I just had to keep my mind on it and I could just follow it back. If I got distracted, I had to search it out again but as long as I stay close, it should be easier to detect it. Ok, time to go.

I waved Modryn to follow me as I started walking away. The two guards followed behind us as we started traveling through the sewers. We took plenty of awkward turns, some of which that took us around in circles. One of the guards asked why we were traveling in circles and I actually managed to turn around to answer him. "I used a ball of string to find you guys. I'm following it back to where I started. I started near our camp. Shouldn't be too much longer, I can feel my friends nearby. But I'd rather not get lost if that's ok."

My mind was still on the string and I could feel it next to my right the whole way back. The path had grown straighter and I started remembering where I had been before. This part of the sewers looked memorable. As we drew even closer, I could hear people shouting. It sounded like everyone was busy fighting. Just utter chaos.

"He couldn't have gone far!" I think I heard Erandur screaming.

The sound of heavy running footsteps came from around the corner, causing me to stop. I poked my head out and I could see Davilia standing a few feet away from me. She looked nervous and breathless. When her bright red eyes saw me, she smiled so quickly that I wondered what I missed. "Vatu!" She turned around, cupping her hands to her mouth. "Guys, he's over here!" She turned back to me, throwing me into a hug. "Vatu! We thought you had run off."

I took a few deep breaths too keep myself calm. "Ok, but…why would I run off?"

She pulled me away, smiling thinly. "Oh…no reason. Just…forget I said anything."

Erandur came running up next, his katana in his hand. "Is he normal?" When he looked at me, he focused on my eyes. Then he stopped and smiled. "Good to have you back, buddy."

That's when Modryn walked out of the pipe. He popped up behind me, grabbing Davilia into a tight hug. "Davilia!" He said softly. "It's been too long."

Davilia looked surprised for a second before coughing out, "Father? What?" Then she looked at me and smiled. "Oh, I see Vatu found you then."

I looked over at Erandur, nodding at him to follow. He noticed the look in my eyes and he took a deep breath before following me away from the group. Davilia and her father were still catching up so now was the time to get some answers about why I was still just a scout. When I had Erandur alone, I paused for a second to study him. He looked relaxed, a little nervous, hand on his katana. He was ready for me to go blood-rager. Everyone was these days. Only Primrose and Nisha treated me no different.

Erandur opened up our conversation. "So, what is this about, Vatu? We thought you had run off."

"Why would I? I noticed how you scanned my eyes. You think I went blood-raging again…didn't you?" I whispered to him, trying to keep my voice level.

He nodded. "I won't lie, Vatu. Not to you. Yes, I thought you had left because you thought that you were too dangerous to stay in our company. We were going to bring you back so that we could convince you to stay."

That drew a smile on my face. "Thanks, Erandur. But, that is not the only thing that bothers me. Davilia and Primrose are both team leaders. Why aren't I in your circle of leaders?"

He frowned at that. "I didn't think that it would matter to you. You're not exactly the most social person on our company. While I trust your tactical and stealthy approach to every situation, I don't think that everyone would listen to your orders. And now that we have your other problem, everyone is scared of you. I think it's best to keep you away from as much stress as possible and that would mean not having to deal with troops asking you stupid questions every second of the day. Seriously, Travis just asked me if he could go clean his sword, go pee, and if he could drink something." Erandur shook his head. "No, Vatu. I kept you as a scout because it gives you flexibility. You may report to Crassi but you're still on the same level as her when it comes to my respect. Higher, actually. But Crassi does have her moments where she is smarter than myself and for that, she's in charge of your group."

I nodded. Ok, it wasn't because Erandur thought less of me; it was because everyone else did. Figures. Politics were already affecting his mind. Oh well, I was happy being a scout and it did get me away from the others. Being the fact that I could snap and become a blood-rager again in the drop of a hat was more than enough reason to keep me away from everyone at every second of the day. And hey…if I do snap, the first people in my line-of-sight would be Crassi and Travis. Couldn't ask for better throats to rake.

I placed my hand on Erandur's shoulder and smiled. "Thank you for being honest with me. It means a lot that you understand the pressure I face with this…mindset of mine."

He nodded. "I'm always here, Vatu." Then he nodded to Davilia and her father. "Now, come. We have new orders from Commander Battle-Born. We're escorting the survivors from this group to Black Marsh. From there, we're bringing a…squad from Black Marsh into our own. Some Shadowscale named Nexa Frazviani will tell us about it when we get there."

I paused for a second. "Nexa? Are you sure her name is Nexa?" No, that can't be right. Nexa? If she got involved in my life…I wasn't sure if I could ever recover my emotional status. It was hard enough having Primrose cling to me, now I would have Nexa punching me in the shoulder and telling me to lion up. And not to mention the two of them would start warring over me. Oh no…I don't think I could take that much stress. I might snap from that alone.

Erandur paused as he looked back at me. His eyes glared at me and whatever he found in my expression caused him to frown. "Another love interest, Vatu? She's the Argonian that saved your sister, isn't she?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She risked her life to save my sister."

Erandur whistled sharply and turned around, shaking his head. "Wow, your life sucks then. Her and Primrose will drive you crazy."

"Let's hope not." I responded.

Cearbhail: once again, thank you for being patient. I know it's been a while for this story and others as well. I just needed a good breath.