Whiterun Hold, Skyrim…
Arlene crouched low, a steel arrow nocked and her fully drawn hunting bow as she aimed right for her quarry. Perhaps 50 feet away from her, a pack of wolves tracked the caravan she was protecting. The Khajiit were resting just off the road in the bottom of a valley going through the mountains between Whiterun and the Rift. Standing on a perch atop a nearby cliffside, Arlene watched as a pack of wolves slowly approached the Khajiit from the West. The Khajiit were blissfully unaware of the wolves, and the wolves were blissfully unaware of Arlene and Jenassa above them.
"Focus on the alpha. The rest will scatter afterwards." Arlene whispered to her companion.
"Understood sera." Jenassa whispered back.
The two elves waited several more seconds as the wolves continued to stalk their way towards the caravan. When Arlene saw the perfect opportunity, she hissed out, "Now!"
Arlene and Jenassa both loosed their arrows, which flew true and sunk deep into the lead wolf. The alpha dropped almost immediately, and when it did the rest of the wolves scattered back from where they came from.
Arlene watched the wolves retreat before descending the cliffs alongside her partner. Together the two of them moved to the body of the wolf. When they reached it, Arlene saw it was still alive, breathing short, shallow breaths as its eyes darted towards them. It stared at Arlene and Jenassa, wishing to either pounce upon them or flee, but it lacked the energy to do either.
Frowning, Arlene drew her Skyforge steel dagger and knelt beside the noble beast. With a small word to Hircine, she slid the blade into the wolf's heart, killing it instantly and ending its suffering. Arlene then pulled the spent arrows out of her kill, then began skinning the wolf. No point in wasting good furs and meat.
Once they were done cleaning their kill, the duo returned to the Khajiit caravan. Thus far, the journey to Riften had been an easy one. Ahkari knew how to drive her caravan well. By her lead they avoided larger strongholds of bandits, while Arlene, Jenassa, and the other guards fended off the occasional small raid or animal attack.
Back at the caravan, Arlene nodded to the steel plate armored Khajiit Kharjo, who had a hand on his sword in case any of the wolves made it past Arlene.
"Just one?" Kharjo asked as he eyed the wolf pelt.
"Aye." Arlene nodded as she held up the single hide. "No need to slaughter the whole pack when scattering them would do the same. Killing so many predators tends to upset the spirits, throwing nature out of balance."
Kharjo raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Indeed. Well this one defers to your expertise, wood elf."
"Many thanks, Kharjo." Arlene gave a short bow as she walked by him.
Arlene then went straight for Ahkari, who was packing up her tent in preparation for today's journey.
"By the warm sands you smell of wet dog." Ahkari muttered, not even looking at Arlene as she approached.
Arlene smiled. "Well that's how you know I did a job well done." She then raised the wolf pelt up.
"No, sera, you just always smell like that." Jenassa commented from behind Arlene.
Arlene turned to scowl at Jenassa, when Ahkari chuckled lightly and said, "Do not be angry at your companion for telling you the truth when it is only to your benefit. Perhaps you would be interested in purchasing some soap I have from Markarth."
Rolling her eyes, Arlene said, "No thank you, Ahkari. I think I'll just trade this wolf pelt to you." Arlene then held out the fur once more.
Ahkari took it and examined it for damage. "A clean kill. I will give you 15 septims for this."
"Actually Ahkari, I was hoping to use this as partial payment for some training." Arlene smiled.
That was one thing that Arlene had taken note of during the days she'd traveled with the Khajiit. While Arlene wouldn't say that the stereotype that all Khajiit were criminals and thieves was true, Arlene noticed that Ahkari was far more deft with her hands during trading than any law-abiding citizen should be. These were skills that Arlene did not have, and knew it would not be a bad idea for her to pick up some skills of a thief.
Ahkari raised a brow at Arlene's question, but then smiled. "Ah, up to no good, are you? Well I can show you a trick or two, provided you don't test these skills on us."
Arlene nodded her head. "Of course not." And she meant it. Her word was worth something after all, and ripping off someone she was working for didn't sit right with her.
This was the pattern that continued for two more days. When the caravan entered East March, the realm of Windhelm and the Stormcloaks, they were set upon by a party of rebels once, but rather than fighting, Kharjo and Ahkari convinced them to trade for weapons the Khajiits had to support the Stormcloaks war effort.
When Arlene asked if the Ahkari supported the Stormcloaks, the Khajiit only laughed, saying that outside of Windhelm, she supported the Stormcloaks, outside of Riften, she supported the Imperials. Arlene learned that the Khajiits had an eye for business, and by selling weapons and supplies to both sides they were making themselves a cozy little profit.
The next day, they exited East March, driving up steep mountain roads till they arrived onto the plateau that was the Rift. The Rift was a much different sight compared to the open plains of Whiterun or the volcanic geysers of East March. The towering firs, pines, and leafless deciduous trees almost reminded Arlene of the thick forests of Valenwood.
They entered the Rift near sundown, and decided to make camp for the night. They were only about another two days till Riften proper, and there was no need to risk the carts by traveling at night. The rest was cut short however, as the sound of a thunderous roar echoed above them.
"What was that!?" Ahkari yelled out as she ran out of her own tent.
Arlene, who was on watch alongside Jenassa, already had her bow drawn as she yelled, "Dragon!"
Immediately the Khajiit scattered, panicked and disorganized. Kharjo and the other mercenary guard Dro'marash drew their blades, but were less than useless until the dragon decided to land. Meanwhile Arlene scanned the treeline, looking for glimpses of the dragon, praying to every God above and below her that its scales weren't black.
And whether it was fate or luck on her side, when she caught a glimpse of bronze scales flying above her, Arlene took a relieved breath, until she remembered that she was still fighting a dragon and was probably going to die.
Together, Arlene and Jenassa began loosing arrows, some hitting, many more missing as they went wide or impacted trees. Apparently they struck the dragon enough times to anger it as it swooped around with a tight turn and came back for another pass.
When Arlene saw it take a deep breath, she screamed, "Cover!" She then grabbed Jenassa and threw the two of them behind a rock.
"YOL TOOR SHUL!" The dragon roared as it breathed down a stream of fire onto the forest.
Trees, tents, and unfortunately, two Khajiit were set alight by the inferno the dragon breathed down upon them. The catfolk screamed noises no sane person would make as the stench of burning hair and flesh mixed in with the smoke of the burning forest. Suddenly, Arlene and Jenassa were slammed by an oppressive heat, like standing too close to a blacksmith's forge, as the fire began to spread across the trees.
Arlene stood up, pulling her Dark Elf bodyguard up with her. When she saw the flames around her, she shouted to anyone who would listen. "Put out the flames! We can't fight the dragon with the damn forest burning around us!"
A few of the nearby Khajiit listened, running to grab water skins and buckets as they tried their hardest to stop the flames from spreading. Meanwhile, Arlene knew she had to do something to ground that dragon. If she didn't it would just keep strafing the forest with flames until they were all roasted.
That's when Arlene had an idea. "Jenassa, do you trust me?" She asked as she turned to her Dark Elf companion.
Jenassa raised a brow. "Not when you ask like that."
Arlene rolled her eyes. "Just draw it's attention for me. I'll handle getting it on the ground." Arlene then jumped up into the canopy of a nearby tree and vanished.
"Just get its attention Jenassa." The Dark Elf muttered to herself. "It's just a 10,000 pound fire breathing lizard. Easy."
Jenassa then nocked her arrow and drew the bowstring, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The dragon was coming around for another strike, breathing in deep once more. Whispering a prayer to Mephala, Boethiah, and Azura, Jenassa loosed her arrow right for the dragon's head.
And the gods of the Dunmer must have been listening, as the arrow flew true, through the canopy of leaves and branches, through the air, and right into the dragon's unarmored eye. The dragon roared in pain as it almost dropped out of the sky then and there. It's glide interrupted, it was forced to rapidly flap its wings in order to maintain altitude and began hovering.
"By Nerevar yes!" Jenassa cheered loudly, excited she made such a shot.
When she did however, the dragon turned its head and focused its good eye directly on her. Jenassa's face fell when she realized this, and she immediately turned around and began running. The dragon dropped down in a swoop after her, roaring all the while.
"Dir Fahliil!" The dragon roared as it extended its talons towards Jenassa, completely focused on her.
It was so focused that it did not notice Arlene in a nearby treetop, taking in a deep breath of her own.
"FUS!" Arlene shouted, recalling the one word of the dragon language she knew. With it, a wall of unrelenting force slammed into the dragon's side mid-dive, catching it by surprise and knocking it off course.
The dragon fell out of the sky as its wing crumpled under the surprise shout, smashing its way through trees before finally slamming into the dirt.
"Now! Kill it!" The Khajiit guard Kharjo howled as he charged forward.
Together the Khajiit rushed the dragon, tearing into its scaly hide with blade and claw alike. The dragon rolled and flopped on the ground like a freshly caught fish, trying to get its bearings as the catfolk pounced upon it. Meanwhile, Arlene continued to shoot arrows at the dragon from her perch, while Jenassa did the same below her, hoping to bleed the beast enough to either drive it away or kill it before it could retaliate.
Unfortunately for all of them, they did not have the firepower necessary to take down the dragon in the opportunity given to them. Bleeding and wounded, the dragon pushed itself up to its feet despite the efforts of the Khajiit hacking away at it. The dragon growled at all of them with an air of anger that surprised Arlene. As if it was furious that mere mortals dared even touch it.
Without warning, the Dragon whipped its tail, slamming into Kharjo and sending him flying. The Khajiit warrior soared through the air, before his back slammed into a tree. Arlene's eyes followed him, and when she saw him on the ground, she couldn't tell if he was alive or dead as he lay unmoving, blood pooling beneath him.
Arlene hissed. They needed to keep the dragon on the ground or they were dead. Drawing her Skyforge steel sword and dagger, Arlene leapt off the tree and charged for the dragon.
Seeing her approach, the dragon snapped its great maw at her, a mouth full of teeth as long as swords seeking to rip her apart. But Arlene was no longer the same elf who fought the dragon in the Western Watchtower. She had spent months as a Companion, and her skills showed it. With reflexes boosted by her lycanthrope form and honed through experience, Arlene slid below the dragon's mouth, dodging the bite as she stabbed upwards with her sword, the Skyforge steel slicing between the dragon's scales.
Continuing the momentum of the slide, she pushed herself up when she was at the dragon's left flank, dancing with Elven grace as she sliced into the dragon's side with both blades. Roaring in pain once again, the dragon spun, attempting to tail whip Arlene the same way it whipped Kharjo.
But Arlene's reflexes were too quick, and when the attack came she jumped over the tail with an almost inhumanly strong leap. The tail passed beneath her harmlessly as she landed and began cutting into the dragon's right flank.
Snarling in pain, the dragon locked eyes with Arlene. In a split second moment, the beast decided Arlene was too wiley so close, and decided to get some distance. The dragon flapped its wings several times, heavy winds produced sending Arlene and the dragon flying in different directions.
With some breathing room, the dragon did just that as it deeply inhaled and let loose another stream of flames, this time all directed towards Arlene. Arlene, who landed with a clumsy backwards roll, barely had time to react to the flame breath. Dropping her weapons to the ground, Arlene produced Lesser Wards with both her hands, trying to absorb as much of the fire as she could. But Arlene wasn't much of a mage, and she could feel her magicka drain rapidly at the dragon's relentless assault.
But while the dragon focused on Arlene, that gave everyone else the chance to hit it while it was distracted. Jenassa ran perpendicular to the dragon, loosing arrows all the while. With Mephala's name on her breath, Jenassa released one arrow that drove right between the scales on the dragon's neck. The steel arrowhead pierced deep into the flesh. The sudden shock of pain interrupted the dragon's shout, saving Arlene just as her wards broke. Once the dragon fell to the ground, writhing in pain, the remaining khajiit charged. With claw, sword, and axe they hacked away at the dragon while Arlene fell to her knees, breathing heavily as her hands were red with burns.
"BOSMER!" Arlene heard a voice yell to her side.
Turning her head, Arlene looked and saw Akahri, waving at her with her right hand, and in her left hand was a piece of paper. Arlene immediately recognized what Akahri was holding, it was a spell scroll.
"Catch!" Akahri shouted, throwing the scroll at Arlene.
Arlene extended her hand, catching the scroll and immediately tearing it open. The flood of magickal knowledge temporarily entered her mind, and Arlene knew what she was casting, Ice Storm. Arcane power Arlene had never known coursed through her as she began to cast the Adept-level Frost spell.
"Get out of the way!" Arlene howled as she was about to release the spell.
The Khajiit heard her call, and took a quick glance at one another before the quickly scattered away, their feline agility letting them get away before the dragon could take an attack of opportunity.
With them clear, Arlene unleashed the Ice Storm, creating a vortex of icy wind and hail that flew right for the dragon. The Ice Storm buffeted the dragon, tearing chunks out of it as the dragon's flesh froze and shattered, engulfing the monster with the fury of winter's cold. While it was slowed by the spell, Arlene, Jenassa, and any Khajiit who still had a bow all began loosing arrows at the dragon, and by the time the spell ended, the dragon fell dead.
A silence fell upon the battlefield, the only noise the whistling of leaves in the trees. Then cheers exploded as the catfolk celebrated the defeat of their attacker and deliverance from certain death. The cheers were interrupted by the sounds of a great WOOOSH as the dragon's form was encompassed by flames of magickal color. With shocked gasps and terrified stares, they watched as the magick flew into off the dragon, burning its very flesh off, and right into Arlene.
Arlene fell to her knees as she absorbed the dragon's soul, the second soul of such that she'd taken in. And with that sould, she felt the power of the only other shout she knew burn within her, Yol, fire. When the process was done, there was nothing left of the dragon but a skeleton and a few hardened scales.
"By the moons and stars." Akahri whispered from beside Arlene, her voice a mixture of trepidation and awe. Slowly, the rest of the Khajiit made their way to Arlene, encircling her. "What happened?"
Arlene looked up at Akahri, now realizing she was surrounded by the Khajiit and Jenassa. She swallowed. "We killed the dragon. That's it." She then stood up and strode right to the dragon's corpse, looking to see if there was anything worthwhile within what was left while getting away from the gawking cats.
Unfortunately for her, Akahri dogged her steps. "One does not steal the flesh of a dragon and simply say, 'that's it.'"
Arlene sighed as she tried to ignore Akahri's uncomfortable questions, pointedly digging through the bones to show she didn't wish to talk. Looking at the dragon's skeleton, Arlene actually saw a small pile of gold, probably a few hundred pieces, alongside a few weapons and pieces of armor, no doubt the remains of whatever hapless adventurers and soldiers the dragon last feasted on.
That's when Arlene had an idea.
"Akahri." Arlene tensely said, finally acknowledging her employer. "I would really like to not answer any of those questions. So if you and the others do not ask me anything about what just happened, how about you can take mine and Jenassa's share of dragon's bones, scales, and treasure?"
Akahri opened her mouth to say something, but then her eyes flicked over to the dragon's skeleton and the accompanying treasure. Arlene could see the gears of Akahri's merchant mind turning. After all, the caravan did lose two members alongside whatever goods were lost with them. A chance to get all of this loot for the price of silence? Not a bad deal at all, in Arlene's opinion.
"I see you truly wish to not speak of this." Akahri said, her voice losing the wonder and returned to a professional, business-like neutral. "And I do not wish to make you uncomfortable. Very well I agree to your terms."
Arlene nodded her head slowly. "Thank you, Akahri." She then stood and turned around to go back to the camp, ignoring both the pointed stares and not-so-subtle side eyes she was getting.
Even Jenassa was carefully watching Arlene, no doubt wishing to ask Arlene what just happened as well. But Arlene was not interested in sating her curiosity, and Jenassa was professional enough not to ask. Arlene was grateful for that.
The caravan maintained this awkward atmosphere the rest of the way to Riften. Luckily for everyone involved, the remaining travel was only two days long, and before anyone knew it, they were outside of the city of Riften.
Arlene and Jenassa said goodbye to the caravan, taking their payment with the completion of the contract. The two then promptly moved to enter the city of Riften. At the front gate however, one of the Riften town guards stopped her.
"Hold on." The guard said with this thick accent. "Before you enter the city, you need to pay the visitor's tax."
Arlene almost snorted. This was one of the most obvious shakedowns she'd ever seen, let alone been on the receiving end of.
"This is obviously a shakedown my friend." Arlene said loudly. If there was anything she learned about thievery from the Khajiit, it was that thieves worked when people couldn't see. The more eyes on them, the less likely the guards would try something.
"Alright alright, keep it down." The guard hissed, immediately relenting. "You want everyone to hear you? I'll open the gate, just… keep it down."
Arlene smiled and nodded to the guard as she entered the city. Arlene's lips curled as soon as she did. Her enhanced lycanthropic sense of smell worked against her as the stench of the sewers and canals the city was built over hit her. Walking over the wooden palisades, Arlene and Jenassa entered a crowded market place in the center of Riften. They had, after all, had some gold on hand and equipment to repair.
"Quite the show at the front gate there lass." A heavy, masculine voice said behind Arlene.
Arlene almost jumped. How did someone sneak up on her? Turning, she saw a handsome, finely dressed Nord with flowing red hair and matching beard. "Pardon?"
"Saw what happened there, and something tells me that wasn't your first dance with crime. I'd even wager that any gold on you was either stolen, or taken off the dead." the man said.
Arlene frowned at him. This man was far too astute for her liking. She then glanced at Jenassa, who gave a subtle not in return, ready in case something went down.
Seeing the rise in tension, the man put up both hands. "Hold on there lass, I'm not trying to cause trouble. I'm actually looking for help on a small errand. One that pays very well."
That gave Arlene pause. "What kind of errand do you need help with?"
One distraction later, Arlene was now several pounds of jewelry richer, all while the Dunmer Brand-shei had taken the fall for the act. She then met the man, Brynjolf she learned his name was, in the tavern the Ragged Flagon in the Ratways below Riften. There, she and Jenassa discovered that the tavern was actually the property of the Thieves Guild, and that the criminal group ran quite the racket just beneath the city.
Brynjolf offered Arlene, and by extension Jenassa membership into their guild. They would do jobs, get loot, and split it among the guild, earning everyone a mighty cut. And while Arlene had never intended to become a thief or join a guild of them, the prospect of such profits was appealing. But perhaps more than that, the fact that Brynjolf was able to sneak up on her showed that she still had much to learn in the ways of stealth and silence. And where better to learn such skills than from a guild of thieves?
Of course, while Arlene was willing to temporarily consign herself to a life of thievery, she didn't want to force Jenassa to follow her. When she asked her companion, the Dark Elf said that she was contracted to go with Arlene until she released her from her duty, and would follow her into the Guild. She also added on that she even thought about becoming a bandit once, but decided she liked clean clothes and fresh mead too much.
Smiling at her companion's answer, Arlene and Jenassa joined the Thieves Guild, continuing on their newest adventure through Skyrim's underbelly.
Beacon Academy, Present Day…
Arlene strode through the hallways of Beacon Academy once more, practically skipping as she did so. When she reached her destination, the elevator up Beacon Tower, she happily entered and rode the machine to the top. When the elevator opened, Arlene entered Ozpin's office.
"Ah Professor Volkihar." Ozpin greeted Arlene. "Right on time. So, what is this meeting you wished to have about?"
Arlene smiled as she sat across from Ozpin's desk. "Well it's just that with the semester ending and the two-week break starting, I decided I'd like to take a little vacation of my own. Visit Mistral for a little bit, see the sights."
Ozpin raised a brow. "By yourself?"
"Yep!" Arlene said cheerfully as she nodded. "Serana wants to stay here in Beacon, hold down the fort."
Not to mention Arlene needed Serana to oversee the expansion of their vampiric network here in Vale while she was gone. While Miltia and Melanie had their youthful spunk as freshly turned vampires, they were too wild and drunk on their new forms to be trusted fully. A strong hand was needed to guide them and ensure they didn't give up the game too early.
"I'm surprised you two would separate so easily." Ozpin admitted. "The two of you are rather joined at the hip, and are not shy with your affections for one another."
Arlene shrugged. "I can see why you'd be confused, but this is actually more common than you'd think. Back in Tamriel, both of us had multiple obligations that we couldn't ignore, and we often separated to do our duties."
Ozpin nodded, understanding. "Well then you have your vacation time. As long as you put it in the system correctly, you can go out and have your fun." Ozpin smiled at her. It was a neutral, skindeep smile that set Arlene on edge. "But speaking of Tamriel however, I was actually hoping to interview you a bit more about your world. While I can speak with Serana, if you are leaving, I'd like to know if you have any more books you would be willing to share with Doctor Oobleck and myself. I read through the ones you gave him already and they were quite intriguing."
And there it was. Ozpin was looking for more information. Which, to be fair, Arlene had not been the most forthright with. And if Arlene was to speak honestly she still did not want to give him anything. Knowledge was power and having him be in the dark of her world was a delicious advantage.
But she also knew that if she continued to refuse him, she would begin to eat away at the goodwill and generosity he was offering her. Diplomacy, after all, was all about give and take, and she had been taking a bit too much.
"That sounds good to me." Arlene lied as naturally as she breathed. "In fact I have a few more books you could go through."
Reaching into her pocket dimension, Arlene grabbed onto a huge stack of books. Arlene, never being one for books, had only skimmed most of these, if she even bothered to open them. At the very least, Arlene hoped that the sheer volume of books would keep Ozpin and Oobleck from reading through all of them, but she had her doubts. She glanced at the titles, and was pretty sure none of them gave any insights into her or her legend.
"Let's see what we got here. We have The Beggar Prince, The Songs of Skyrim, classic, Lost Legends, The Great War, four volumes of the Adventures of Eslaf Erol, Beggar, Thief, Warrior, King, I think that's one series so you'll have to read though chronologically, Mannimarco King of Worms, the 16 Accords of Madness, Galerion the Mystic, The Legend of the Red Eagle, 8 volumes of The Song of Pelinal, Nerevar Moon and Star, The Battle of Red Mountain, and the complete collection of the Lusty Argonian Maid." Arlene patted the last book which was on the top of the pile. "That one is my favorite."
"Indeed." Ozpin said flatly while he examined the pile of books. "Well it appears you've given the good doctor and I much to read over these next few days. Thank you, Arlene, and make sure you have fun on your journey. Are you planning on visiting Haven Academy? I could let Headmaster Leonardo know you're visiting if so."
Arlene thought about that for a moment. Having the chance to look over Haven Academy and their defenses would be useful, but she was planning on heading to Mistral for less than legal ventures. Eventually she shook her head. The more people who knew where she was or was supposed to be, the more likely people could poke holes in her story.
"No thanks Oz. I'm planning on going on vacation to get away from students and academies, not to see more."
Ozpin chuckled. "I can see the wisdom in that. Well then, don't let me keep you waiting. If I have any questions on these books I'll send you a message via your scroll."
Arlene nodded. "Sounds good Oz." She then stood and made her way back to the elevator, riding it down and heading straight to the air docks.
Traveling by airship was nice. It didn't have the same thrill as flying upon a dragon, but it was at the very least far better than traveling by foot or horse. What would've been a trip that lasted weeks or even months to the city of Mistral only took a few days by airship, much more manageable. Arlene exited the airship into Mistral's Air Docks in the city's upper level.
Mistral reminded Arlene much of the city of Whiterun, a large, defensible city built atop a mountain. The key difference however, was that the architecture of the land reminded Arlene very much of the Akaviri of her world. While Arlene had never made it to Akavir like she wanted, she spent enough time at Sky Haven Temple, and read through enough of the Blades' histories, that she had an idea of what the buildings in the strange other continent were like.
It was a little too similar for Arlene to think it was pure coincidence, but any theory she came up with was a little too unsettling for her to want to take seriously. Did perhaps some of the strange denizens of Akavir figure out a way to Remnant? It was plausible. The fact that Arlene knew that Akavir had a greater variety of beastfolk than Tamriel, having some kind of monkey, tiger, and snake people, supported that theory. Were they perhaps Faunus or Faunus ancestors? Unfortunately, Arlene was sure that there was no way to verify such an origin, and the myths and legends of Remnant were as vague and contradictory as those from her world.
Regardless, the history of the Faunus was not what she was here to study nor was she even really interested in the topic. Before Arlene left the airship, she chose not to wear the Nightingale Armor, which she was wearing when Ozpin introduced her to the world. Instead she was wearing the red and black studded leather of the Dark Brotherhood's Ancient Shrouded Armor. The hood and mask covered all of her features, if anyone was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her. She then requipped her pistol she got from Beacon's armory and the Blade of Woe. To anyone else, she'd look like any other mercenary or huntress. Exactly what she wanted.
It was child's play for Arlene to vanish into the crowd of humans and Faunus disembarking the airship. The shadows belonged to her, and even in a city she had never been in before, she immediately found the alleys and nooks where people wouldn't see her.
Not here for sightseeing, Arlene immediately made her way to Mistral's lower level. Arlene smiled as she entered Mistral Below. She could smell the suffering here. It was the stench of the desperate, the downtrodden, the abused peasants who toiled away while the upper class of the city sat on silk sheets and sipped on fine wine. It was this environment that created the best thieves, criminals, and cutthroats. After all, those who live in such suffering are often desperate to escape, and are willing to do anything to do so.
The Upper level's clean stone buildings and their red tiled roofs were quickly replaced by ramshackle wooden homes and shacks. Lamps shaped like paper lanterns hung from cables that ran between buildings over litter covered streets, while members of various gangs openly wearing colors and sigils stood on street corners and in front of buildings instead of any unified police force or town guards.
Following the directions the Malachite twins gave her, Arlene quickly made her way into the territory of the Spider, their mother's gang. Checking the usual spots gangs put their tags, on the backs of posts, beneath bridges, and other such hidden areas, Arlene eventually found what she was looking for, the image of a spider atop an expansive web.
Moving via rooftops, Arlene avoided any sentries as she closed in on the Lil' Miss' bar. Arlene considered going in through a window or some other obscure way in order to surprise the crime lord, but instead she opted to go through the front door. She was here for diplomacy, not espionage, she needed to remind herself. But a little preparation never hurt.
Dropping down into a nearby alley, Arlene moved towards a bum who was leaning against a wall where he was napping, head resting on an adjacent barrel. The man looked like a typical drunkard, middle aged, hair and facial hair an unkempt mess while his clothes were stained and shabby. Walking up to him, Arlene kneeled down, pointedly ignoring his smell as she made a sharp whistle, shocking the man awake.
The man snorted as he woke up. "Wha-" was all he said until he got an eyeful of Arlene, the masked assassin dressed in blood red and night black armor. "Oh Brothers above!" the drunkard cursed, jumping back as fear overtook him.
Arlene rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Peace friend." She said as she waved her hand in front of him, her palm glowing with a slight green light as she cast the Calm spell. The man relaxed, no longer panicking as he looked at Arlene with a neutral expression.
Arlene nodded. "Good. Now then that tavern over there." Arlene pointed towards Lil' Miss' tavern. "Anything you can tell me about the people in there?" Arlene then held out a low value Lien card.
Strangely enough, the old man also rolled his eyes as he took the Lien card. "That's Spider's bar. Sometimes guests come in and out, but assume everyone inside works for Lil' Miss. Look for purple clothes and spider tattoos."
Smiling, Arlene thanked the old man and left him to his slumber.
Arlene strode straight into the bar, confidently passing through the tavern's purple banners it used as doors. Immediately, Arlene could feel eyes falling upon her, her danger sense honed in on years of adventuring warning her of threats. True to the old man's words, Arlene noted that pretty much every pair of eyes in the tavern were on her, and almost every patron here was wearing purple clothing, the gang's colors. Even those who attempted to hide in plain sight still had wristbands or bandanas showing their allegiance. Arlene had to give it to Lil' Miss, she had good security.
Speaking of Lil' Miss Malachite, Arlene immediately spotted the matron sitting in the back of the tavern, all tables placed in a specific pattern to guide anyone coming from the entrance right to her. She sat on her own table next to the bar, eating what looked like a parfait or ice cream out of a goblet, while two purple clad guards stood behind her, a young blonde woman and tall man with a goatee.
Looking Lil' Miss up and down, Arlene couldn't help but feel… disappointed. Having seen the Malachite sisters in exquisite detail, Arlene was rather surprised their mother was this portly, blonde woman. Perhaps 20 years ago she would've been gorgeous, but it seemed that age was catching up with her. Though Arlene did take note that Lil' Miss probably had the biggest pair of tits she'd ever seen on a woman. Arlene supposed having twins did that to a woman.
"That's close enough." Lil' Miss said as Arlene approached, raising a hand as her two guards interposed themselves between them. "Now, I ain't ever seen you before. Who are you?"
Arlene raised both hands, then silently pointed to a pouch onto her belt. Lil' Miss' eyes flicked to the pouch, then she nodded. Slowly, Arlene opened up the pouch and pulled out a sealed envelope which bore the wax seal of Lil' Miss' children, the Malachite Twins, a pair of twin spiders.
Lil' Miss' eyes widened and said, "Let her through."
The two body guards parted before Arlene, who strode forward and sat at the chair across Lil' Miss. As she sat, Arlene proffered the letter to Lil' Miss, and the crime boss gently took it. Breaking the wax seal, Lil' Miss pulled out the letter of introduction that the twins prepared for Arlene.
"Huh, so my little girls are going in business with you, Miss Volkihar." Lil' Miss said once she finished reading the letter. "How are they doing? They never call, never write, ungrateful little brats." Lil' Miss made a sour face.
"They're doing well. Quite satisfied with the arrangement I've brokered between us." Arlene's smile was genuine, as were her words. Not a lie, but not the whole truth. "I've even begun teaching them some new tricks of the trade. Together, we'll be a rising force in Vale."
"Quite." Lil' Miss said, polite but disbelieving. "How did you convince my girl's to join you? I thought that they were quite happy working for that fool Xiong."
The smile remained on Arlene's face as she said, "Oh the answer to that is simple. Once they saw what I could offer them, both your daughters and Junior decided it was far better to work with me than against me."
Lil' Miss quirked a brow. "Truly? Well what, pray tell, makes you so worthy of a business partner that they would sign up with you?"
Arlene smiled. She then held up a hand, and with a flamboyant twirl, called upon her requip magic which she'd been passing off as her Semblance. An instant later, a brick of solid gold appeared in her hand. Alrene then placed it onto the wood table, creating a reverberating THUD that shook the whole thing.
Both Lil' Miss and her bodyguards felt their jaws drop at what they were seeing. While not as ubiquitous as Lien, gold was still an extremely valuable material, often used by banks and kingdoms as a standard to measure their money on. Arlene, owning a substantial sum of Septims from her previous world, melted some of her wealth into forms usable in this world. And she was now currently offering Lil' Miss a sum of a million Lien.
Slowly, Lil' Miss moved her hand to grab the gold, but Arlene raised her own, stopping the information broker in her tracks.
"Uh-uh." Arlene wagged her finger. "No payment before negotiations are done."
Lil' Miss frowned and folded her hands on her lap. "Fair enough. So what do you want from us?"
Arlene then raised two fingers. "Two things. First, Spider now works for me."
Lil' Miss' frown only deepend. "Now why would we want to do that?"
Rolling her eyes, Arlene said, "Well besides this down payment…" Arlene then stared directly into Lil' Miss' eyes, subtly casting Vampire's Seduction. Arlene didn't cast it to actually seduce Lil' Miss, but instead used the spell to make the broker far more amicable to Arlene's negotiations. "Those who count themselves as my friends often find themselves with wealth far beyond this paltry sum. Far beyond what you already have. Think about it. Together, we can make the Malachite name one feared all across Remnant, not just Mistral."
Lil' Miss thought long and hard about this. Even with the hypnotic magic of Arlene's Vampire Seduction, this was a lot to ask for, and Lil' Miss' internal desires and personality warred with it. But some part of Lil' Miss must've been actually persuaded by Arlene as well, and her resistance soon broke.
"If I say yes…" Lil' Miss started to the surprise of her followers. "What's this second thing you want from us?"
Arlene grinned, she had won. "Nothing outside of what you already do. You and your people are primarily information brokers. While I'm sure you could organize a gang of skilled fighters and cause some damage, I would prefer to keep you in your current role. So what my growing little empire needs is muscle. Someone under my employment that knows how to fight, can tangle with the best huntsmen, and isn't afraid to get their hands dirty."
Lil' Miss huffed as she sat back and crossed her arms. "Well that one is easy enough. If you want someone hard enough that most huntsmen are scared to go after 'em, then you'll want the Branwen Tribe."
"Branwen Tribe?" Arlene parrotted.
"Yep." Lil' Miss said confidently as she nodded her head. "The Branwens are a clan of bandits who prowl around the wilderness of Anima. A few years ago they were just like any other band of thieves and murderers. But when their newest leader took over, she whipped them into shape, turning them into one of the deadliest groups out there. Entire villages have been wiped off the map because of them."
Arlene quirked a brow. "Truly? And no one tried to get rid of them?" In a world with as many talented fighters within the numbers of huntsmen and huntresses, she would've expected a rogue element such as this to have been put down early.
"What, you think that fool up in the Academy is going to send his huntsmen after the Branwens? He may be a cowardly lion, but he's no fool. He knows that anything less than an army of huntsmen and guards would get wiped out. And if he tried to assemble that much force, he'd be leaving Mistral and the other outlying villages vulnerable."
Arlene was silent for a moment. That was a lot to take in. The fact that such a powerful faction had gone under Arlene's notice irked her. There was still a lot she didn't know of Remnant, and it put her in an uncomfortable position. "What makes this tribe so dangerous?"
Lil' Miss leaned forward, as if to speak almost conspiratorially. "That's because of their leader, Raven Branwen. She's a fully trained huntress, and a merciless one at that. She's deadly with a blade and only keeps the best of the best in her tribe. She alone has taken down every group of huntsmen sent after her, and eventually folks decided to stop taking bounties after them."
Arlene nodded her head. That made sense. All it took was one extraordinarily powerful leader to turn a ragtag group of bandits into a deadly force of marauders who could level empires. Especially if said leader was trained in all of the tactics and strategies of the huntsmens. This Raven would know how her opponents would act and plan accordingly. As was always true, knowledge is power. Allowing herself a small smile, Arlene fully decided to recruit Raven into her organization. She was smart, skilled, and ruthless, a woman after Arlene's heart.
"Can you find these Branwens?" Arlene asked through a completely neutral facade that hid the almost giddy excitement she felt underneath.
Lil' Miss gave her Arlene a sly grin. "Oh Raven likes to think she's sneaky, but my people can find them. Just give us a few days, and we'll get you a location."
"Very good." Arlene replied. "So, does this mean we have an accord?" Arlene then held out her hand for Lil' Miss to shake.
Lil' Miss' eyes flicked between the proffered hand and Arlene herself. The woman had already made up her mind, but she needed to make a show of it so it didn't look like she was just meekly giving everything up to her underlings.
"I believe we could do mighty fine together, as partners." Lil' Miss said, extending her own hand, but not shaking Arlene's. She threw the ball into Arlene's court with her counteroffer.
Arlene just smiled. "Partners." She then shook Lil' Miss' hand. It would be a short-lived partnership once Arlene finished enthralling Lil' Miss, but she could play along for now. "Well, with that settled, why doesn't everyone here have a drink on me?" Arlene said as she pushed the solid gold bar to Lil' Miss.
Lil' Miss took it, with great effort, and then gave it to her bodyguard to put in her safe. She then grinned at Arlene. "I'll do you one better. All right everyone, drinks for free tonight!"
The purple-clad members of Spider all cheered, celebrating the new business agreement of their betters. Many cheered and thanked Arlene, congratulating her for her new agreement with their boss. Arlene gave smiles and nods, happy that she was buying the loyalty of the henchmen of her newest criminal organization.
A/N: 1/15/22: First chapter of the new year! Arlene has a brand new target in mind, Raven Branwen! This is going to be one of my favorite arcs and I hope everyone is excited!
Also, some news! A friend of mine, CaelinTheDwarf on DeviantArt did me a favor and drew me a cover for Spinner of Webs! It's the new cover on FF, and is embedded in Chapter 1 on Ao3.
Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter, stay safe, and I'll see you in the next one.