Chapter 14: Foreign Thoughts

Torygg cleared his throat. "If you don't mind me asking, you said something along the lines of Scarlai being a hero. Yet he became an assassin. Why?"

"Like I said, Torygg, something happened to him that changed him. Aside from the blood magic, he had once been in love. But fate can be cruel sometimes."

"So his lover died?"

"Yes, in a manner that is not for me to say. Should he visit us from his location in Solstheim he may be more willing to share his experience. But I'm glad you mentioned him, as he reached Falkreath in the morning after Lydia and I cleared out Shroud Hearth Barrow."

The first rays of sunlight hung over the mountains and trees of Falkreath as Scarlai found himself getting closer to the sanctuary. He had been in thought over his past and how far he had come from being that prisoner on a boat to Morrowind two-hundred and seven years ago. How had he gone from prisoner to hero to cultist to monster to assassin through all of that time? It was surprising to him in many ways. While he was still young by Dunmer standards he felt so old with the collective knowledge of every member of the Order of the Red Moon coursing through his veins. The lifeblood of the elders and every soul that had ever existed with the order was bound to his soul until death.

Including Kedana's.

He always wanted to end his pain in battle and have someone stab him in the heart so he could see her again. But every fool bandit he had ever encountered always failed to stab him in the heart. Even those that considered the idea missed, and Scarlai always killed them for that. Only one chance was given to those that fought him before he finished them off. It wasn't their fault they didn't know his closest secret, but he wasn't going to just come out and say it to his opponent.

An Orc on the road caught his attention.

The Orc was in fur armor and held a mace on his side, and his expression was that of a warrior. He looked old and was probably wandering out looking for a good death. In some ways, that was how Scarlai was, but he was certain this warrior would not be able to bring him the death he wanted. But perhaps, if that was the reason the Orc was out here, Scarlai could grant him the death the warrior wanted. With that thought, and with the sanctuary close by, he stepped forth.

"Are you here to grant me the death I seek?" The Orc asked as Scarlai stopped in front of him. "I am too old to lead a clan or marry, and Malacath had granted me a vision of a great death in battle. I have wandered across the land looking for the one who would grant it to me."

"I have sought a similar fate to you, but my gut tells me that you would not be able to grant me that fate. Not because you are old, but because I am meant to die by the blade." Scarlai pulled out his swords. "However, I would be honored to grant you the death that you seek."

"Good." The Orc pulled out his mace and shield. "Let's get this over with."

Scarlai allowed the Orc to strike first, swinging his mace at Scarlai. The Dunmer dodged the swing, thrusting forward with one of his swords. The Orc, however, blocked the thrust with his shield. He bashed Scarlai away, catching the Dunmer off guard. The Orc swung his mace for Scarlai's head again, but he caught it with both of his swords, spinning them around before thrusting both of his swords into his chest.

The Orc fell to his knees, dropping his body in defeat. He tried to breath as blood flooded his lungs, and he looked at Scarlai for one last moment, uttering one final phrase.

"Thank you, Warrior."

The Orc fell onto his back and exhaled, dying on the ground.

Scarlai pulled the first blade out of the Orc's chest, absorbing the blood that coated the blade before placing it in the sheath. After he had done it to the other blade, he crouched down to the defeated opponent, closing his eyes.

"You have earned your rest, Warrior. May Malacath bless you in the beyond."

When those final words had been spoken, he stood up and continued his trek to the sanctuary. He wondered just how at home he'd feel being there with the other assassins. Would it feel like his time at the Order of the Red Moon? Or would it remind him more of the time he had visited Akavir as a sort of political guest?

The thought of Akavir made him think of his journey there so long ago.

Scarlai pulled himself up the large rock of the mountain and looked around at the land that was Akavir. Already a week had passed since the boat he took brought him to the shores of this foreign continent, and it was still a mystery to him. The wind blew across him, letting the flaps of his brown robes move around in the wind. Many of the terrain was large plots of fertile land, and there were structures beyond that matched Akaviri temples like that which the Blades housed themselves in. His Blades sword hung across his belt, as much of his other belongings were still in Morrowind. Even the armor and weapons of his past life had been hidden away on Solstheim for later use. All that he carried with him was the sword, the robes meant to give him more maneuverability in combat, a bow with arrows for hunting, an Orcish dagger, and a small bag of supplies.

"Well well, a tasty snack." A voice spoke above him.

Scarlai looked up to see a large creature hovering above. The bottom half was completely snake, while his top half had two long arms ready to grab him. Scarlai moved quickly to avoid getting caught by the reptilian creature, but the creature was quicker as he wrapped his entire body around around him. Scarlai didn't panic as the creature tightened its grip around his body. Instead, he focused his magic on creating a telekinetic pulse.

The large snake creature brought his face closer to Scarlai, eyes ready for a feast. "Your form will be perfect for when we infiltrate your home to discover your secrets and bring your kind to serve our far more superior race."

"You will not be taking my form." Scarlai released the telekinetic energy, forcing the large snake body to separate and fly away from him. The snake creature snarled as he hit a large rock, knocking him limp for a second. Scarlai pulled out his Orcish dagger, emitting a menacing smile. "Before this is done, creature, I'm going to bury this in your eye."

The creature got back up and charged straight at Scarlai, wanting to tear him apart. But Scarlai was faster as he jumped in the air, slicing at the creature's head. The creature got scraped across the cheek, but it caused so little damage to him.

"You're going to have to do better than that, mortal."

"Then you'll have to pray to Azura that she will be kinder to you than I will be."

The creature charged again, swinging his claws at Scarlai. The Dunmer merely dodged every attack, slicing at the arms enough to make them bleed. This kept going for a few minutes before both of them appeared to be tired out. The creature swung one last time, and Scarlai merely smacked the hand away, stabbing the dagger into the creature's right eye. The scream that came from him was something unholy, and Scarlai tried to force the knife deeper through his eye to reach his brain.

Then the creature lunged forward and bit his neck.

Scarlai felt fire burning into his neck veins as the creature's fangs sank poison into his blood stream. But he wasn't going to let that stop him as he pulled blood from his attacker's arms and sliced across his chest. The creature let go of his mouth's hold on Scarlai's neck and howled in pain, realizing his own blood had harmed him. Scarlai pulled off another kinetic burst, throwing the creature off of him and down the slope. Immediately afterwards he slipped his pack off in search of his potion of cure poison. If the creature's venom could be countered the same way a poison could be, then he had a chance of survival. Already he could feel his muscles getting heavier and he needed his strength in case the creature tried to attack again. Thankfully, he had a vial in his bag, and he immediately uncorked it and drank deeply. The contents of the potion appeared to work as he felt the burning subside and the heaviness of his muscles fade away.

The creature came back up snarling, still bearing the dagger in his eye. His other injuries had healed at an incredible rate and he was ready to continue trying to kill Scarlai. "The poison should have shut you down already!"

"It didn't." Scarlai spoke matter-of-factly.

"My race is far superior! Why have you not surrendered?!"

"I never learned how." He pulled out his Blades sword, and the creature snarled again.

"You possess a blade from our ancestors! You will pay for your insolence!" The creature charged as Scarlai prepared to defend himself again from the creature.

"Rosh, enough!" A voice boomed from above them, and both of them looked up to see another snake man slide down to meet them.

"He is an intruder on the land and he possesses an artifact of our ancestors!" The snake man named Rosh roared. "I was doing my job!"

"You were trying to do what you pleased!" The other snake man yelled, pulling the dagger out of Rosh's eye. Rosh screamed in pain before his obvious superior. "While our leaders would see us conquer land from the other continents, you only seek what is right for yourself! And even if we were superior to all other races, your obvious defeat at the hands of this 'lesser' creature only proves how much of a failure you are. The Tscaesi race would be better off without your stubborn pride!"

Scarlai stepped forward, his sword lowered but still ready to defend himself. "So you are the fabled Tscaesi, shapeshifters responsible for the Akaviri temples placed around Tamriel?"

The leader turned to face him. "Yes. We are Tscaesi. I am Tausin and this ignorant hatchling is Rosh. Unlike most of my kind, I am more interested in establishing diplomatic relations with the races of Tamriel rather than conquering the whole continent. Our studies from the past showed that both the races of man and mer are stubborn and headstrong, and no matter our superiority as Rosh claims it is or numbers your kind possesses a natural spirit for freedom and justice. There are stragglers of all races, including my own, that do not see that way."

Rosh groaned, grasping his eye. "You're too soft on the inferior races, Tausin."

"And you believe we are superior due to our advanced age and physique. But tell me, if we were the most superior race in existence how did we get pushed out of Tamriel?"

Rosh was silent as he slid away.

"Besides, you were smart enough to drink a potion to stop the poison in your veins. That gives you some merit. Our poison is a clogging agent. It can seep through skin and enter the bloodstream, effectively stopping blood flow all together. Had you not reacted fast enough, you could be dead within a few days if you had managed to escape from Rosh."

"I consider myself resourceful and intelligent. Plus, Rosh's blood told me that it was a way to neutralize the poison."

Tausin seemed taken aback at that notion. "You possess the blood curse, then? Not many who have the abilities come here."

"I came here to find the answers to these powers. They manifested several months ago after I fought an old friend to the death."

"Was there bad blood between you and your friend?"

"Something like that."

"Hmm. And where did you get that weapon?"

Scarlai looked at his sword. "There was a group in Morrowind called the Blades. They are the Emperor's bodyguards that protect threats to Tamriel. I was a Blade in Morrowind when I received this sword, and something told me bringing this blade would be useful."

"May I see it?"

Scarlai held out the blade to him, letting him hold onto it and examine it. The look in Tausin's eyes could only mean good things.

"You take good care of your blade. But how well do you fight with it?"

"Very well. In fact, if you hadn't interrupted Rosh from charging me, I might have killed him and skinned him of his hide."

"As much as he would have deserved it, Rosh is an obedient soldier, albeit a buffoon. I'm hoping with a little training and patience he might be brought to control himself. However, I fear his lust for power might one day get the better of him."

"And I somehow have a feeling I will be there to see it." Scarlai joked.

"After today, I'd be surprised if you weren't. Rosh is far from forgiving anyone that kicks his ass." Tausin handed Scarlai his blade back. "In any case, you are here, and I can call you a diplomatic guest from Tamriel. That'll keep the other soldiers off your back, but you need to ask me permission to perform anything that doesn't involve sleeping or eating directly from me. We do not want to push your diplomatic immunity to the limit."

"Then once we get to your stronghold, may I look through your library on anything involving these strange powers that I developed? I would like to learn how to fully control them, as they are still rather foreign to me."

"I can arrange that, so long as you agree to remain under guard. They are writings from what your kind would refer to as the First Era, and are protected from the warring species of Akavir."

"I am in your home, so I will abide by your rules. If someone needs to stand guard to make sure I learn the knowledge I need to, then I will agree."

"You might also not understand our language as many of our own race may not know how to speak yours. I will have a translator for you ready once we get there. I can contact Yenifyr to be ready at the front gate via telepathy so she will be ready for us."

"Your species has telepathy?"

"Yes. Across short distances, we can communicate instantly. Longer distances require magic. But otherwise, we are a powerful race and if we were to declare war on Tamriel we might end up winning the war if your own kind does not fight with the same vigor as you do."

"You may be surprised."

"Either way, though, I would like to formally welcome you to Akavir as a diplomatic guest. May our kind lead to a future of cooperation."

Scarlai looked out at the horizon. "I have faith we will."

The memory slipped away as Scarlai finally found the entrance to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. The door was not subtle with the dark images that decorated it, and even Scarlai was taken aback by it. Not even in the Order of the Red Moon did they have something look so sinister as that door. But he walked towards it nonetheless, ready to accept his fate in the Dark Brotherhood.

"What is the music of night?" The door whispered.

Scarlai smiled. "Silence, my brother."

The door opened and he entered, not knowing of what the future held for him.

Back in Whiterun, Isobel got up from her bed in the inn, yawning and stretching her arms out. She didn't really fall asleep until late at night, and dreams (or perhaps nightmares) of Brynjolf and Ysolda didn't help her out. She rubbed her neck as she thought that maybe Errick could have given her a rump to help her out, but the stubborn jackass never showed up. She exited her room and headed over to Errick's room, which was right next door.

The entire room was empty. No Imperial in sight.

"That's odd." Isobel looked downstairs to see if she could find Errick, but he wasn't there. The owner was cooking up some breakfast, however, so Isobel went downstairs and walked over to the table. "Excuse me, did you see an Imperial man in leather armor down here this morning? He has braided brown hair and brown eyes."

"Sorry, I haven't seen him this morning. Last time I saw him was when he left the inn last night. You should ask the guard. Maybe they know something."

"Thank you." Isobel headed for the door and walked out, noticing the patrolling guard walking around the market. Shrugging her shoulders she walked up to the guard. "Excuse me, have you seen my friend out here? He's an Imperial with brown hair, brown eyes, and he's wearing a leather suit."

"Oh, we saw a man of that description up at the Gildergleem. To the best of my knowledge, he's still there."

"Thank you." Isobel smirked, snatching his coin purse when he wasn't looking. The guard simply continued his routine without a care as Isobel walked up to the Cloud District, slipping his coin purse into her jacket. The Cloud District wasn't too busy, with the exception of the preacher randomly yelling over at the statue of Talos. There was a guard randomly standing next to the Gildergleem, looking at two people laying on the tree itself.

One of them happened to be Errick.

Isobel walked over with her arms crossed over her chest as she stood next to the guard standing in front of them. "So, this is where Errick's been?"

"You know this man?" The guard asked.

"He's my business partner."

"Well, from the looks of it, he might be a caring person, staying out here with this little girl at night. We heard reports of werewolf howls over the past while, but we have nothing solid on that. Of course, I'm just here to make sure this man didn't inappropriately touch her."

"Errick's not that kind of guy. He'll sleep with women but he's got twice a mind not to touch girls. Why he's out here with this girl is a mystery to me, unless she's the girl Errick rescued on his way to Skyrim. I'm not sure."

Errick began to open his eyes slowly as he woke up, yawning and stretching his arms out slowly before remembering Lucy was still on his shoulder. He smiled that she was all right, even though his shoulder was occupied like a pillow. He looked up to look at the shining sun-

-only to stop when he saw Isobel and a guard standing over him.

"Ughh." He spoke, grasping his head. "First off, good morning. Second off, it's not what it looks like."

"Errick, please tell me you have a good explanation as to why I found you out here with a ten-year-old girl."

"Okay, I know this sounds farfetched, but there was a werewolf. It tried eating me. I scared it off. I ran into Lucy, which you know about Isobel. And I stayed out here to make sure she was safe. I know, farfetched. That reminds me, note to self: fetch with a werewolf is a bad idea."

"Werewolf?"

"Yeah, werewolves. Shocked me, too!"

"Werewolves?" The guard asked. "By the Gods, the rumors are true!"

"Wait, you're telling me that there were rumors about werewolves around here, and you didn't have anybody out here to protect the town?!"

Lucy stirred and blinked her eyes open, looking around at the other people around her.

"Good morning, everyone."

The guard crouched down next to her. "Young lady, do you know this man?"

Lucy looked at Errick before looking back at the guard. "Yes. That's Mr. Entius. He saved me from the bandits that killed my parents. He's one of the good guys."

Isobel snorted and Errick retorted with a glare.

"Okay, then." The guard stood up. "You three have a good day."

"You, too!" Lucy waved at the guard as he walked away.

"So, Errick." Isobel started. "Care to introduce me to your friend here?"

Errick sighed. "Sure. Lucy, this is the Annoying Minx. Annoying Minx, this is Lucy."

"Hello, Lucy. What Errick meant to call me was Isobel."

Lucy smiled nervously. "Hello."

"So, you're the little girl he mentioned rescuing yesterday. How'd you get here?"

"A hunter brought me here after I got lost."

"A hunter?"

"Yeah, he was wearing furs and a golden mask and he had these golden weapons that I couldn't figure out what they were. I saw them in the store recently."

"He probably had some Dwarven gear. Sounds like quite a hunter."

"Yeah. Can I ask you a question?" Lucy asked as she stood up.

"Sure."

"Why does Mr. Entius call you Minx?"

Isobel cracked a smile. "Did your parents ever tell you about where babies came from?"

Errick immediately shot up. "Isobel, I think that's a totally inappropriate thing to talk about to a ten-"

"Yes I have."

"Wait, say what now?" Errick's jaw dropped. He never got the talk about that for a long time until he accidentally knocked up a girl in Morrowind. Sex, he knew about as much as picking locks from books he read, but none of them had mentioned it, and his mother didn't have time to give him that talk before she passed. Man, did he hate that Breton girl's crying.

The baby. Errick thought. Not the mother.

"Yeah, I mean, they kept doing it so I could get a baby sister or brother, and they eventually just told me about where babies came from."

"Well, he calls me Minx because I like to engage in the activities that lead to babies."

"Do you have any babies?"

"No. I already do a lot of stuff that would make caring for a baby too difficult."

"So why try to make babies if you can't take care of one?"

This is going to get very awkward. Errick thought to himself as they talked. He needed some way to distract them from what they were saying. Isobel's habits would come across as strange to Lucy, and he honestly didn't want a girl like Lucy to become another Isobel or him. That would be too weird.

The sound of an annoying Nord caught his attention.

Errick turned towards the man in robes preaching about Talos, the 'false god' that the Thalmor hate. False or not, Errick did not believe in such beings, and if they did exist, they were lazy as fuck. But this guy was yelling all like "Y'all motherfuckers need Talos!" and everything, and Errick was not in the mood for that.

"Hey!" Errick yelled, pointing at the preacher.

"What?!" The preacher yelled back.

"I got something to tell you!"

"What?!"

"You really wanna know?!"

"Yeah! Tell me what you want, child of the Empire!"

Errick brought both of his middle fingers up. "Screw you, Talos worshipper."

"Swear." Lucy pointed out.

"Lucy, some guys are deserving of our respect. He's not one of them."

The preacher crinkled his nose, and Errick expected him to continue preaching his nonsense. "Gods damn you, milk drinker!"

"Funny, if the Gods actually did any damning, they would have done that so long ago. What are your pathetic guards gonna do, huh? Strike me with lightning?! Your pathetic gods are nothing but trash."

"Come and say that to my face, Imperial trash!"

Errick kicked a rock up from the ground and caught it, tossing it in the preacher's direction. The rock missed the preacher by a foot, hit the statue of Talos, bounced on a bench near the statue, and hit Isobel in the arm.

"Ow!" She yelped, grasping the area she had been hit.

"Oops." Errick spoke, covering his mouth to make sure he didn't laugh.

Isobel immediately retaliated by slapping his arm repeatedly, gaining disapproving sounds from Errick and laughter from Lucy and the preacher.

"It looks like mighty Talos smiles upon me, Imperial!" The preacher yelled.

Errick growled before reaching in his coat, pulling out a small yellow ball. "Well then, might Talos, meet Errick Entius! The one who is so much better!" Errick threw the small ball straight at the preacher's face. It hit right between his eyes and exploded on impact.

A large flash of white light could be seen and the preacher screamed.

"By the Nine, I'm blind!" He screamed.

"By the Gods." The guard patrolling spoke. "What manner of power is that?!"

"You all saw it." Errick spoke plainly. "He looked at the sun for too long."

Lucy looked up at him. "Did you really have to blind Heimskr?"

Errick looked at her. "Wait, his name's Heimskr? I should have used a bigger bomb."

Isobel smiled. "Hit him and go like 'Bad Mr. Entius.'"

Lucy smacked his arm. "Bad Mr. Entius."

"Why are women so evil like that?"

The guard patrolling took Heimskr by his arm and led him to the temple of Kynareth to be treated.

Isobel looked at Errick. "How many kinds of bombs do you have?"

Errick counted out his fingers. "Well let's see: smoke, flash, firecracker, impact, caltrop, incendiary, trip mine, sticky, silver, sunlight, goat's blood, cementation, freeze, lightning, decoy, fear, and my personal favorite being To Oblivion."

"How did you manage to make all of those?"

"Science." Errick spoke. "Something these ignorant peasants don't know shit about! But anyways, we should be off. The rats aren't going to clear themselves out." Errick walked forward before he sighed. "I need a weapon."

"You don't have a weapon?"

"Technically, yes but technically, no."

"What about your bombs?"

"Isobel, those are used for real things, not rats."

"Whatever. Just buy some weapons or something."

"Isobel, remember our profession?"

"Errick, remember who's rich. Stop being a wuss. If you don't want to, just make yourself a weapon."

"That's- actually that's not a bad idea. Let's do that real quick. But I need more materials because the last were used making your dagger."

"Good. I want to get this mission going."

Errick looked back at Lucy. "Okay, Lucy. Mister Entius has some stuff he needs to do. Try to find your way to Riften, okay?"

"Okay. See you later, Mr. Entius!" She waved as they walked away. Errick waved back and smiled.

"So, are you going to adopt her?"

Errick looked back at Isobel. "Minx, remember our second profession? I'm far from parent material right now. And so are you."

"You don't think I know that? Besides, you're approaching your middle-aged years. You should care about starting a family."

"Right now, my focus is helping out your guild so I can get myself an island home all to myself. Besides, if I were to adopt Lucy, I'd want someone who could be a good mother for her. And I'm not ready to settle down with a beautiful woman just yet."

"Not a permanent relationship kind of guy?"

"No, I just need someone who would accept me for me. And again, Isobel, our second profession?" Errick joked as they walked down towards the Warmaiden's smithing area, working on a sword for a half hour before they became pest control agents at Honningbrew Meadery.

Right outside Whiterun, Akira was mounting her horse so she could travel the long distance to another Silver Hand hideout. Daisy neighed as her new master approached, and Akira held out a sugar cube for her to feed on. The horse ate it almost instantly and Akira chuckled, petting her after she was finished.

"Akira?"

Akira turned to see Farkas was outside, standing near her. "Farkas."

"You're a werewolf now, aren't you?"

"I think you already know the answer."

"Yeah, we heard about your incident last night. Kodlak wasn't pleased with what Aela and Skjor had planned. Where are they, anyways?"

"They..." Akira stopped, remembering Skjor's death. How hard would Farkas or the other companions take it once they found out about Skjor's death? "Aela is in mourning. Skjor was... Well..."

"He was killed, wasn't he? By the Silver Hand?"

Akira nodded. "Aela's not taking it well."

"By the Gods." Farkas rubbed his chin. "Kodlak's not going to like that." His face showed genuine concern over what he had just been, like Skjor was his best friend. A friend of hers had that same look once, but it wasn't because he had lost a comrade.

It was because she rejected him.

"Skjor's murderer was brought to justice, though." Akira spoke. "I ever took her armor."

Farkas examined her, never locking eyes until he was done. "It looks good. You look stronger, almost like a Nord warrior."

Akira had to chuckle at that. "If anybody called me a Nord, I'd punch them like one."

"Well, I won't mistake you for one. I like you just the way you are."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying something, Farkas?"

Farkas immediately started to panic. He didn't mean to say that out loud and now he was afraid he had set her off. "Uh, what I meant was-"

Akira chuckled again, melting away some of his worry. "You're so sweet, Farkas. Really, though, those comments should be saved for another time. I have to ride out for a mission, and I'd rather wait for anything like that for when I'm actually ready to talk about myself."

"Uh..."

"Trust me, Farkas, I like you but you hardly know me. I haven't told you a single important thing about me, and anybody that I do talk to about myself are never really the kind of guys I date. Though some of them never got the message across."

"Uh, okay." Farkas rubbed the back of his neck, surprised at this meeting. What exactly was she implying there? "So, has your wolf talked to you yet?"

"No, although it might have tried talking to me. I suddenly remember some things that I thought I had forgotten." Memories I wanted to forget, mind you, wolf. "What about your wolf?"

"We converse with each other in our minds. He's called Fenris. He is very intelligent and helps me try to understand things that I do not comprehend, whereas I am not very smart. When we were first binded, we couldn't maintain control together during our first transformation, but then we began to cooperate together. We make a great team."

"That sounds great. I wonder if my wolf will be the same."

There was silence for a moment after that.

"Well," Farkas started, rubbing his neck. "I should probably get back to Jorvaskr. Kodlak will want to know about what happened."

"Okay. I'll be back soon. Tell the old man not to worry. I'll be careful." Akira climbed up her saddle and rested on Daisy's back.

"Good luck." Farkas nodded before he watched Akira ride off to the east.

She still hides something. The wolf named Fenris communicated.

"I know."

Won't you try talking to her about it?

"Not yet. We need to give her time. Maybe after her wolf fully reveals herself."

Fine. Fenris sank back into Farkas's mind before the Nord walked back into Whiterun.

*Within the town of Dawnstar, Jornada felt disturbed. Everybody she saw looked awkwardly tired, and it creeped her out. And from some of the looks she was being given she creeped out the people themselves. She was in her Dunmer guise, but she still wore her Daedric armor, which was skimpier than it's supposed to be. The breastplate was fashioned into more of a corset and her arms and legs weren't given too much protection. Her armor, however, gave her more maneuverability than the normal version the Daedra wear, and it was heavily enchanted with some of the best enchantments she needed to protect herself.

"Why are you wearing such 'revealing' armor?" A patrolling guard asked.

"To make you ask questions." Her mortal voice replied, sounding a bit more seductive than necessary.

The guard shook his head. "Trying to seduce me, brigand?"

"No, although fool bandits are immediately enthralled by the look. I would ask a question of you, though. Why does everyone appear... Tired?"

"You haven't heard, then? Dawnstar has been plagued by nightmares. A priest of Mara has been trying to help those affected by the nightmares. He's in the inn if you want more details."

"I think I'll pay him a visit, then. I might be willing to offer my services to help."

"So you're a mercenary, then?"

"Adventurer."

"Ah. I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee."

Jornada was glad her helmet still covered her face, as the scowl she had formed at the phrase was menacing. She walked past the guard and waved her hand unnoticed, summoning an ethereal bowman fifty yards away. A few seconds later, the guard she had talked to fell over in pain. The villagers that ran to his aid saw a ghostly arrow through his left knee. Whether or not he would recover was none of Jornada's concern, but she simply hated that phrase on account of the Battle of Hellfire, where The Stranger shot an arrow straight through her knee before he shot her in the head.

The inn was right next to her as she finished that thought, and without a second thought she entered, looking for the Priest of Mara. The inn wasn't too crowded, and the only one not making noise was the Priest, who appeared to be casting a spell on a tormented dreamer laying on the table. His patient was tossing and turning violently, and Jornada could make out it was a boy. The poor thing seemed to bring pity into Jornada's heart. Ever since her human form had lost her unborn child so long ago, she always had a thing for protecting kids. Adults were her playthings in so many situations, but children were off limits. It was the only civilized rule she possessed, even when she was nothing more than an uncontrollable beast.

The boy jumped up wide awake, still shaken up by the nightmare he was having. The two people standing near the Priest had to have been his parents, as they immediately ran towards the boy and began to bury him in their arms. It was an experience like that that Jornada's human fragments yearned for; to hold her child in her arms in a loving embrace and to tell her she would never leave. But it was something that her demon self could not allow. It was impossible unless she was freed from her bond with The Stranger.

That meant he had to die.

Remembering her purpose for entering the inn again, Jornada approached the Priest of Arkay, removing her helmet. Her armor and necromancy abilities would not slide so well with a Priest, but perhaps her natural Dunmer looks would help. The family walked away from the man, giving a disapproving stare at her choice in armor. She simply brushed them off before stopping behind the Priest.

The Priest turned around and gave the same disapproving look the others gave her. "Don't you think that armor's too revealing?"

"Only when I'm out in the cold. My bad for coming to Skyrim. I had heard upon approaching, however, that you were attempting to deal with an issue regarding the recent nightmares. I thought that there might be some reason to help."

"Well, now that you mention it, perhaps help is what I need. I know how the nightmares are plaguing the citizens of Dawnstar. There is an old fort nearby called Nightcaller Temple that a cult of worshippers for the Daedric Lord Vaermina used to occupy not too far from here. Vaermina was all about dreams and nightmares, and the cultists had been known to performs rituals for her. Whatever's causing the nightmares is coming from there."

"Then let's not waste time. We wouldn't want the little children dreaming of monsters that aren't real. That would be terrifying for them, wouldn't it?" Her tone was a mix between playful and seductive, and she smiled at the Priest's hesitation.

"Uh, right. Glad to see you have half a mind about the dangers of their actions. Your attire says otherwise."

Jornada looked at her armor. "It makes me move swiftly. No matter what subliminal messages it gives off, it protects me as much as any armor. I will be fine." She smiled. "You, however, should try keeping your thoughts on the task at hand, Priest."

"It's Erandur. And I'm more than capable of focusing my thoughts on the task at hand."

"I'll just bet." Jornada slipped on her helmet. "Let's go."*

Back in Falkreath, Scarlai walked down the stairway through the sanctuary, already sensing Astrid's beating heart waiting for him. As he walked through the doorway, he saw her standing in front of him. She was unmasked and had a uniform already ready for him in her arms.

"Glad you could finally make it, dear brother." She spoke in her usual dark tone.

"Glad to finally be here." Scarlai grinned. "When do we begin?"

"Immediately. Put on your uniform and we will discuss your first assignment." She held the uniform out that consisted of his boots, bracers, gloves, and armor with a hood attached.

Scarlai took her offering from her hands. "I will be back momentarily." He walked further into the sanctuary to find a room, passing by the others that were in the hideout. A vampire girl was chatting next to an old mage, the Dunmer and Argonian that helped Astrid capture him, a Redguard from Hammerfell, and a werewolf. They were busy laughing about some man the vampire had killed using her childish appearance. Scarlai didn't care. Death was not something to joke about. It could be enjoyed, and for Scarlai it will always remain a lifestyle, but it was not a joke. Any who would laugh about death was only asking for it themselves, but it wasn't his business to kill those he is meant to call his family.

A strange chanting caught his attention.

Scarlai turned to face a large word wall with an ancient language imprinted on it. He took a closer look and recognized the words to be in dragon tongue. Tscaesi despised the dragons to their very core, and in some cases their kind could instantly recognize dragon writing, which dotted much of Skyrim's ruins. Along the wall lay a word that glowed blue, and as he stepped closer it grew brighter. Suddenly, a rush of magic flew into him from the word itself, sending knowledge into his brain about death and how he could weaken his enemies with a single word.

KRII!

Scarlai heard the voices stop, and his head felt like drumsticks were banging on his head. It was a strange pain he rarely ever felt anymore. But just as it had appeared so quickly, it died down quicker. Somehow Scarlai thought he had learned something new, but what it was that he had learned is what he was unsure of. Perhaps he would have time to meditate on this after getting himself settled in.

He continued walking to the rooms and found a small space where he could at least get in uniform before joining his new family. Scarlai shut the door behind him and began removing his leather armor. His belt was set to the side with all of his weapons and his armor was set completely aside next. As he was about to slip on the armor he stopped, turning slightly towards the door.

"You can come out of hiding over there."

The door opened and the Dunmer that had attacked him yesterday walked in. Like before she wore the robes of red and black, and Scarlai could capture her features more now that she was unmasked. She was eying his body with much observation, obviously curious at all of the scars he possessed.

"You're no stranger to battle."

"I'm also no stranger to assassination of the stealth nature. Most of my opponents, however, turn our battles into a face-to-face confrontation. What's your name?"

"Gabriella."

"You're much harder to read than everyone else. Your heart beats so calmly even in my presence, like you don't realize there's a monster right in front of you."

"Arjnborn is a werewolf and I'm not scared of him. And I don't see any reason to be scared of you."

"There are plenty of reasons to be scared of me. Astrid saw firsthand what I could do. I know she is afraid of me, yet she'd rather have me remain an asset rather than a threat."

"She's not afraid of you if she let you join."

"That is where you are wrong again. She fears me because she knows exactly what I am."

"And just what are you?" She trailed a finger across a scar on his chest, sending an obvious signal through him.

"Someone who's escaped death more times than you can fathom."

She brought her finger up to the scars that were where his heart was meant to be. "It shows."

Scarlai removed her hand from his chest. "You'd better think through what you're trying to tell me. You might come to regret it."

"Would I now?" Gabriella blinked before walking out of the room. Scarlai had no idea what in Oblivion possessed her to have that kind of impression of him, but it was unimportant as he slipped into the shrouded armor. His boots and bracers followed, and he reequipped his belt around his waist. Finally, he slipped his hood over his head, feeling the effects of making himself more intimidating fill his thoughts.

Scarlai was ready for more blood, and to answer the Blood Call within him once more.

Torygg shook his head. "What is this 'Blood Call' you keep mentioning about Scarlai?"

"It is a time where he is compelled to absorb blood. He is like a vampire except without any negative effects or possibilities to infect hosts with his powers. If you have the potential, he could unlock the power within you after contact with your blood."

"Did you have potential?"

"Yes and no. It's difficult to explain, and right now I can't explain. It requires details you are yet to learn about."

"All right, then. What else do we need to know?"

"Well, Errick, Stryger and I did learn quite a bit during our own adventures, and Akira also finally was able to communicate with her wolf after a while. All of those moments really set things up for some of us."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, we're learning things, aren't we?

I think I'm only realizing now how long these stories might end up being. Much like with my Mass Effect story I didn't know where I would end up, which might explain why it's on hiatus. Aside from that, Zombarbment and MassFieldBlood have more character ideas to try and implement for the Dawnguard story. Hopefully, however, I'll be able to come up with everything for this and get it out for you guys to read with no problems whatsoever. Also, I want to address that Zombarbment had a friend complain about some content from an earlier chapter involving Errick and Isobel. I gave everybody a warning about the sexual content that would be appearing in this when it was hinted towards Isobel's cameo (because SpiritofJazz made Issy so 'Issy', and I want to capture everything about her correctly), and apparently she didn't get the message. So from now on, I'm pretty much just going to plainly state at the beginning when things like that will actually pop up in the chapter and when so that way if people don't want to read stuff like that they can skip over it. And don't try and assume I take pleasure in writing scenes involving sex. It's all really just a first-time thing for me that I think only adds a small bit to the story, which yes, there will be sex scenes involving the characters. Most of those scenes, though, aren't just for the sex, but rather for the development of true relationships that happen. Errick and Isobel, however, is more of a friends with benefits kind of thing, so you could easily skip over stuff like that without losing any opportunity to learn more about the characters.

To randomly talk about my personal life, I have a TV and WiFi in the dorms again thanks to my new roommates, so that means I can post immediately after finishing the chapters again. Also, I turned twenty a few days ago so there is that. Otherwise, things are coming to a close for my second quarter at AIP. Not much else to talk about, so I'll post this up and let you guys review. So long.