Chapter 16: Mind of a Predator
Ronan cleared his throat. "You know, I noticed something. You mentioned Akira couldn't talk to her wolf after her transformation. Why?"
"To become a werewolf means you have to be able to let people into your mind. And given Akira's past, she had placed a number of mental barriers up between her and anyone else. Aside from that, the silver dust Errick gave her only helped to weaken the wolf within her. It was a difficult process for her, but one she soon held onto so she could rebuild her walls afterwards."
"What was so terrible about her past that she wanted to hide it from even herself?"
"That's for Akira to say, since she told me why sometime after she knew she wanted to be with someone she could trust."
Within the woods of the southeast of Skyrim, Akira rode Daisy silently, waiting to reach the Silver Hand outpost a few miles away. It already looked like darkness was approaching on the horizon as the sun dipped below the trees, and Akira couldn't help but wonder how long she had been on the road. How long had she been alone with her thoughts? It was comforting in a way. The forests of Skyrim were rather peaceful, save for the wild animals that attacked.
She was about to smile when she felt a pain shoot through her head.
She groaned and grasped her head at this, baring her teeth. Daisy stopped and neighed at her rider's distress. The pain was almost unbearable, and Akira was afraid she was going to collapse onto Daisy or fall to the ground. Daisy sensed this and crouched down, letting Akira slide off and rest along her torso. The pain subsided after a full minute, and Akira blinked her eyes furiously as she removed her Nordic helmet.
"What in Oblivion just happened?" Akira spoke.
I woke up. A voice inside her head spoke. Akira's eyes shot wide open at the foreign voice. I am your wolf, Athala. We have not been able to converse. Aside from that bastard with the silver dust weakening my power, your mental barriers were stronger than any warrior Hiricine has ever blessed. It is as if you believed shutting yourself from the painful memories of your past, save for the knowledge of your parents' death, that you would be a true warrior. But what I have learned is that true warriors do not shut out pain but rather embrace it, letting it fuel them to protect others from the consequences of a cruel fate.
"Shut up." Akira spoke harshly. "You do not know me."
Athala laughed. Oh, but I do. In fact, our stories are quite the same. We have both suffered cruel fates, but we have also overcome these fates. It is as simple as that. We are stuck together, but we can get along. Also, it's better when around people that you don't speak out loud what you are going to say to me. It would be confusing and embarrassing.
"Right." Akira sighed, slipping on her helmet and hopping back on Daisy's back. When she was secure, she gave Daisy a slight kick, signalling the large horse to continue. Daisy stood up straight and started walking again.
One thing... Athala spoke. Some of the others in the Companions are of the beast blood as well. Is it true one of the wolves calls themselves Fenris?
"Yeah. Farkas said his wolf was named Fenris. Why?"
Fenris is... an old friend. He and I go way back in the hunting grounds. I was sad when he left for Nirn. Is this Farkas you mentioned a great warrior?
"He is. He's very kind and spirited, if not lacking in intelligence. He says Fenris helps him understand things."
Fenris is one of Hiricine's most noble wolves. He was a watchful protector over the hunting grounds, and all who resided within. I have many stories about him, but for now, I think I shall remain silent. We have an important task at hand, and I have troubled you enough.
"Are you sure?"
Yes. Should you require me to aid you in battle, however, you may call upon me. My senses are your senses, and my fight is yours. Together, we can overcome much.
"Okay." Akira nodded as Daisy continued to ride forward, silent about the conversation between her master and her wolf she possessed inside her.
Back at the College of Winterhold, Stryger walked up the stairs back to Savos Aren's room, intent on telling him what he had been told. The Augur of Dunlain's warning still echoed in his mind. Something was going to happen involving Ancano, and Stryger knew it had to have been bad. If the Arch-Mage could prevent it, or at least delay it, then they might have a chance. But even as Stryger tried to convince himself that was true, he knew that it wasn't.
Savos was still buried in a book as Stryger turned around the corner. It was only once Stryger had cleared his throat that the Arch-Mage looked away from his book.
"I visited the Augur of Dunlain. He said for us to find the Staff of Magnus. It's the only way to control the eye without it going haywire. Do you know where it is?"
"No, but Mirabelle might know something about it. I heard her mention something about it a little while ago. You should ask her for more information."
"I will do it quickly, then. Before I go, however, the Augur mentioned something about Ancano. I think he has plans that could endanger the College. We need to keep our eyes on him."
"Are you certain?"
"As certain as I can be. I would not lie to you about anything as serious as this."
"Hmm. Very well. I will look into this personally. If Ancano tries anything we will remove him from the College, hopefully without incident."
"Somehow I doubt you'd be able to remove him without incident." Stryger mumbled as he turned to leave.
"Stryger, I know you have some grudge against the Thalmor, but you're letting that personal detail get in the way. I need every student to have a clear head. Understand?"
Stryger merely turned his head a bit. "I get what you're trying to say. But you couldn't really make me calm down even if you tried." He walked back down the stairs to the main floor before he could have his ear talked off by the old mage. So what if he hated the Thalmor? It wasn't really an issue with what was going on, but rather a strength that kept his wits about him. And he knew Ancano has plans for the Eye of Magnus.
Plans he intended to stop.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed Brelyna standing by the door, waiting with the satchels of supplies. He smiled and walked over to meet her, but stopped when he noticed her nervous demeanour.
"Brelyna?" He asked.
Brelyna flinched at his words, as if she was frightened.
"Hey," He placed his hand on her shoulder. "are you all right? What's going on?"
Brelyna was silent for a moment, still nervous about whatever had happened. However she finally took a breath and whispered to Stryger. "I saw Ancano in your room."
Stryger tensed at those words, and he immediately looked around to make sure the Thalmor snake wasn't anywhere near them. "What was he doing?"
"He was... He was looking through some book. It was red and had a golden spine."
Shit. He thought. "That was my journal. That son of a bitch. Did he take it with him, or anything out of the book?"
"No. I think he wanted you not to know. He put the journal back in your bag."
"Did he see you?"
"No. Thank goodness I had that invisibility potion on me. I thought he might have caught me for a moment, but he left before the potion wore off."
"Damn it." Stryger took his satchel and found his journal, flipping through it quickly to find nothing had been torn from his book. The only evidence of any tampering was the small fold near the corner of the first page, where he had written about his survival during the purge of his village.
That mean Ancano now knew about his motive against the Thalmor.
"We need to get out of here quickly. First, however, we need to speak with Mirabelle. She has something on the staff we can use. Come on. We need to find her." Stryger shouldered his satchel and took Brelyna's arm, dragging her along as quickly as possible, fearful that Ancano would try to ambush them.
*Within the Arcaneum, Ancano quickly wrote a letter that was to be sent to the Embassy. Elenwyn had to know about Stryger Myron and the danger he poses to the Aldmeri Dominion. If a renegade Altmer mage were to get the idea to challenge the Thalmor, his group needed to know. Especially since Stryger's name has apparently made him remember something about one of their infamous operatives that Elenwyn had control over what missions he performed.
Elenwyn~
I have written this letter to give you a report on the College of Winterhold. The residents here have found an artifact we could make use of called the Eye of Magnus. I intend to study up on this artifact as much as possible.
I also have a warning of a potential enemy to our cause. A renegade Altmer by the name of Stryger Myron is taking courses here, and it turns out he is a survivor of one of our purges back in the day. He also might have a connection to one of your more infamous operatives. I recommend we apprehend him for interrogation as soon as possible. Exercise extreme caution, however. He has had years to train himself in the many schools of magic. He is dangerous, but brash. And he might possess a talent some of us have yet to discover on our own.
~Ancano
As soon as the message had been fully written, Ancano folded up the letter and walked into the town to give it to the courier.*
Within the Falkreath Sanctuary, Scarlai looked around the dining hall filled with the voices of many trained killers. As he quietly sipped on a mug of ale he observed the new 'family' he had been welcomed into. They were all a mix of different races; Argonian, Nord, Imperial, Dunmer, Redguard, a vampire girl, and a werewolf. The way that they laughed really made them seem like a real family, even with the dark tones he could hear.
Once they had stopped laughing, the Redguard and the Imperial turned their heads towards Scarlai, who was leaning on the wall rather than at the table or a bench. The Imperial was the one that spoke to him first.
"How about you come have a seat with the rest of the family, pup."
Scarlai laughed darkly. "Considering that I am two-hundred and thirty-three years old, I don't think the word 'pup' should apply."
"Would you rather I call you old man?"
"Considering that I hold the collective knowledge of elders older than myself, yes." Scarlai pushed off the wall and walked over to the table. The group seemed to relax a bit, but Astrid still remained edgy as she ate her soup. "So, what are all of your names?"
The Redguard cleared his throat. "I am Nazir. The old man you were talking to is Festus. The Argonian is Veezara, the Dark Elf is Gabriella, Astrid is the leader of our Brotherhood and her husband is Arnbjorn."
"Yes, the werewolf." Scarlai interrupted, looking right at the large Nord tearing through a Horker steak. The man seemed to growl at this, but Scarlai ignored him. "And the little vampire girl?"
The vampire put her glass down. "My name is Babette. And don't let my looks fool you. I have been alive longer than you have."
Nazir turned back towards Scarlai. "And what might your name be? Astrid told us so little about you?"
Scarlai took another sip from his ale before setting down his mug. "I have gone by many names over the course of my life. It has been so long that my first name has been lost to me. I have lived two lives over the course of thousands of years, and I have the knowledge of a thousand individuals. I have always looked so young despite how old my weary and darkened soul is, and I have experienced so many cultures that have granted me so much. But if you wish to call me by a name, I am called Scarlai now. I was the Darth of the Imperial City a hundred and fifty years ago. It was a title given to me by the Thalmor when I murdered the eight individuals responsible for the deaths of my other external family. It was much like this one in its own small way."
"Full of murderers?"
"Full of people with a common curse of sorts. We all had powers beyond the understanding of mere mortals. The Thalmor feared us, and so they eradicated us. But when they plunged the sword through my chest they missed my heart, and so I hunted them down and tore their own hearts from their chests with my bare hands."
The room was eerily silent as the other assassins listened to his tale. Astrid seemed to get even more on edge, causing her husband to sense her hesitation. Veezara was intrigued by the tale about Scarlai. Gabriella and Babette appeared to smile at his tale. Festus might have been falling asleep, but then again so would any old man. Only Nazir stayed as emotionless as Scarlai was as he told his tale.
"What about magic?" Festus seemed to mumble in his 'sleep'.
"I have killed many people using magic, weapons, and plenty of other means. I know many combat styles including those of the Morang Tong, the Akaviri, and the three Kahjiit hand-to-hand styles. Any opponent that fights me always dies, much to their surprise. To say that I was born to be an assassin might seem like a fairy tale compared to other stories and legends. To say I was born to kill is the biggest truth that every individual is meant to possess."
Astrid rose up from her chair and walked out of the room, surprising everyone.
"Something wrong with our fearless leader?" Scarlai smiled as he grabbed his mug and drank from it again.
"She's probably just ready to find some more work for us to perform." Nazir spoke. "You'll get used to her leaving the table when she doesn't want to hear about us anymore. She and Arnbjorn are the only ones who don't like talking about themselves."
"She remains anonymous?"
"She has her reasons to be. The only people they've ever gotten along with is each other."
Scarlai seemed to huff in approval at that before grabbing a piece of bread, buttering it up and eating it. The rest of the assassins merely looked at him in silence as he ate, wondering if he might actually be what he claimed. Scarlai literally told them about his entire life and yet none of them seemed to have been prepared for anything he had said. And he looked like he was sure of everything he had spoken. His composure remained the same even as he ate.
"Scarlai," Astrid's voice echoed in the halls. "I have a job for you if you're interested."
Scarlai drank the last of his ale and stood up. "Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you all." He exited the room back towards the entrance, where Astrid's office was. She was standing over the map of Skyrim and waiting rather patiently for Scarlai to arrive. "What is it?"
"We caught that another individual has performed the Black Sacrament in Markarth. Go seek out Muiri in the Silver-Blood Inn and perform the contract for her."
Scarlai bowed his head. "I will see the contract is performed to the letter."
"Return when it's done."
Scarlai walked past her towards the entrance of the sanctuary, ready to head to Markarth and itching for more blood.
*Within the wilderness of Skyrim, The Stranger walked in silence as he looked around the trees. The forest was quiet as he tried following Jornada's trail. The smell of it was strong enough for him to follow, but it was weakening already. That only meant he didn't have much time before the trail became cold.
The silence of the day was broken as an arrow flew through the air.
The Stranger immediately cut through the air with two sharp daggers, breaking the arrow in half. He kept himself in a battle position to face his attacker, scanning the surrounding areas for where the attacker could be. Calculating that the arrow came from the trees, he looked up upon the branches. Within the tree branches was a man dressed in furs with a golden mask.
"So, you are The Hunter." The Stranger spoke calmly.
"And you are The Stranger. Not as impressive as I figured."
"Trust me, I don't always dress to impress. Neither do you. You wear the mark of The Hunter well."
"Don't try to manipulate me with small talk. I know of your powers of influence over a mere mortal's mind." The Hunter jumped from the trees onto the ground, pulling out his axe. "I assure you, that won't work on me."
"Yes, well after you bound yourself with that wolf I doubt I couldn't control you even if I tried. But I assume you haven't told the organization of your abilities."
"They do not need to know. I am well capable of hiding my powers from the elders."
"How about Mister Key?"
"What about him?"
"How do you think he would react to find out you are a werewolf?"
"That is irrelevant compared to what is happening now." The Hunter swung his axe towards The Stranger, who blocked it with both of his daggers. "You have encroached on my territory, and by rights you must die."
"I am only here to stop Jornada, nothing more. Once she has been defeated again, I will depart, and you will never see me here again."
"Not good enough. You and your demoness will die by my axe. Abnormalities like you have no place in this existance we all live." The Hunter pulled his axe away from The Stranger's daggers, attempting another strike before The Stranger jumped back, landing in the trees.
"Your anger is a weakness; one we both share. You and your wolf are far too ill-tempered, and it burns through you like a flame in Oblivion."
"Shut up!" The Hunter yelled as he threw a rope dart straight at The Stranger, coiling it around his neck and dragging him back to the ground. The Stranger felt pain emit around his mortal body, but he tried ignoring it as he uncoiled the rope around his neck. The Hunter merely approached with his axe, ready to strike.
"Even when I am at my weakest, the strands of fate will never let me die. And sometimes I regret that, but not this time." The Stranger then shot up, punching The Hunter straight into the gut. The Hunter flew into the closest tree, slamming through the trunk and breaking the tree. The Stranger looked at his gauntlet only to see it had turned from steel plate to ebony; a symbol of his Rampancy taking hold.
His glove turned back to steel plate at the realization.
Pulling out a large bottle to restore health, The Stranger left it out for his defeated opponent and continued onward, intent on catching Jornada before she caused harm to Skyrim.*
"This is bull shit." Isobel cursed as Brynjolf packed up his bag. "You said we'd be two or three days, it's only been one night. Let's wait another twenty-four hours before going back to Riften."
"You have very, very important information that both Maven and Mercer need to know." Brynjolf said sternly. "First Aringoth and now Sabjorn? This is beyond coincidence. Someone's trying to take down the Guild by driving a wedge between us and Maven."
Isobel had remembered the promissory note Errick had obtained from Sabjorn's desk, and what they found had been disturbing.
Sabjorn,
Within the enclosed crate, you'll find the final payment. As we discussed, Honningbrew Meadery should now begin brewing mead at full production. In regards to your concerns about interference from Maven Black-Briar, I can assure you that I'll do everything in my power to keep her assets and her cronies at bay. This is the beginning of a long and successful future for both of us.
The same symbol marked the bottom of the page, the dagger with the black moon behind it staring out like a slitted cat's eye. Isobel knew Brynjolf was right, that the Guild was in trouble, she just didn't want to go back to the sewers already.
"It's already three o'clock, it's too late in the day. We'll leave tomorrow morning at first light-"
"No Isobel. Now" Brynjolf grabbed the jingling satchel off his end table and threw it into his backpack. "If someone's out to hurt us we need to be on their trail as soon as possible. This person or persons are smart, they're weakening us before they strike. To damage our support from Maven is clever and dangerous, this isn't a run of the mill enemy." Isobel nodded solemnly.
"Where did you get that satchel?" She asked. "The one you just packed?"
"Ysolda keeps her strongbox under her bed." He replied simply. Isobel couldn't help but smirk at his pettiness as she made to get ready.
With both of their bags packed and over their shoulders they took off, walking briskly through the busy streets and towards the city gates. Isobel could hear news of the Honningbrew disaster flying over her head even though it had only been a couple hours since the tasting party, and felt her chest heat up with pride.
She was struggling to meet Brynjolf's fast pace as they made their way to the stables, Brynjolf wanting Isobel to lay off her leg for at least another day. She was momentarily distracted as they passed by a Khajiit trading caravan setting up tents and merchandise, wanting to go over and speak to the cat-folk before she heard a voice call out.
"Brynjolf!" Isobel looked to see the beautiful Ysolda run (somewhat bow-legged) from the stables and jump into Brynjolf with her arms around his neck. Isobel's jealously only lasted for a moment until she saw Brynjolf's agitated face, to which she tried hiding her grin.
"Easy there, lass." Brynjolf said impatiently as he tried to pry the Nord woman off.
"I was so cold this morning, and you were nowhere to be seen!" Ysolda held tight. "I thought we had been a dream!"
"Yeah well, I had some errands to run." Brynjolf looked at Isobel for help, but she merely arched an eyebrow and gave him an 'I-told-you-so' look. "Isobel and I must go back to Riften, I promise I will come back. Within the fortnight we will reunite-" He was broken off by Ysolda's kiss. It may have passed as being passionate had Brynjolf's frowning eyes been closed and his body not hunched and gingerly trying to push her off.
"So kiss me dear, my sweet bonnie lass, before I sail away!
To make a fortune in strange lands, I vow to return someday!"
Isobel sang merrily as she swayed in her arms in the air, utterly entertained at Brynjolf's predicament. Ysolda broke away from Brynjolf's tightly pursed lips and stared at Isobel in shock.
"You can sing!?" She gasped. It was then that Isobel remembered she was deaf. Her thoughts raced for only a second before Brynjolf took his chance and made a break for it, running down the cobblestone road and past the stables. Isobel and Ysolda looked at each other briefly, equally confused, until Isobel suddenly sprinted after him.
Even with her sore leg Isobel caught up with Brynjolf's bulkier frame, her laughter ringing out like a bell in the breeze as Ysolda's calls became further and further away.
"You're such a gentleman, Bryn!" Isobel shouted as the two raced along the pastures. "You broke her hymen, her strongbox and her heart all within twenty-four hours!"
"Delvin doesn't call me the Bedroom Bandit for nothing!"
Isobel laughed before her facial expression changed to confusion, and then finally to shock. "Wait. Where in Oblivion is Errick?"
Brynjolf looked back at her. "Errick? I thought he was behind us."
Meanwhile, back in Whiterun Errick was running for dear life to get out of town. After he tried robbing a few things from the Jarl's palace, he noticed that Isobel's presence was not within Whiterun's walls. Confusion had overtaken him before he came to the assumption that she and Brynjolf had already left for Riften. Immediately upon this realization, he ran as fast as he could towards the gates, passing through what he thought were shortcuts before running into walls and turning around.
Damn it, they turned all those corners on purpose. Bastards.
Errick finally made it to the main gate as Ysolda walked right in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.
"Oh, hiiiiiiiiiii the-" Errick was interrupted by Ysolda's hand smacking across his face. Errick his cheek before scowling at Ysolda. "Okay. Normally I'd say I deserve it because normally I sleep with the woman who slaps me. Not this time, though."
"You knew about them?!"
Errick backs up slowly, glaring. "If I say yes, are you gonna slap me again?"
"If you say no, I'm going to kick you in your danglers!"
Errick gave her threat some thought before smiling with a cunning plan. "Well, to be honest, I was going after them. It was to defend you, before you stopped me and slapped me."
Ysolda's angry glare suddenly became sad as a tear formed in her eye. "Sorry. Just bring back the bastard and his 'cousin's' heads!"
"Oh, I shall do more than that." Errick smirked as he charged out the gate, running as fast as his legs can carry. After he had made some distance from Whiterun, he rolled his eyes and sighed. "You know, that was so easy it was pathetic." And before he knew it he had caught up to Brynjolf and Isobel, still running with the wind on their backs. "Thanks for waiting for me, you assholes!"
Brynjolf looked behind him to see the gentleman thief had caught up. "Glad you could join us, Errick."
Errick scowled. "Brynjolf, I thought you were a clever negotiator, but it turns out Ysolda is just too gullible. After talking to her, I feel like I lost brain cells. And by the way, minx." Errick punched her in the arm hard. "THAT'S FOR FUCKING LEAVING ME BEHIND!"
Isobel rubbed her sore arm and growled. "Stop hitting me, Errick!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, milady." Errick then slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground. Brynjolf stopped and looked back at Errick, shocked and angry at his act of violence. "And by the way, Brynjolf." Errick turned around and kicked his superior in his two little coin purses. Brynjolf squealed before falling over, trying to alleviate the pain in his regions. "That's for leaving me behind. I mean really, the first rule of thieves is to never leave a damn thief behind."
Suddenly Errick realized just what exactly he had done as Isbobel and Brynjolf started getting up, anger in their eyes.
"And the second rule a thief should follow: Cardio." Errick smiled sheepishly as he immediately turned and ran away, followed by an enraged Brynjolf and Isobel. "Da-da-dun-dun da-da-dun-dun da-da-dun-dun da-da-du-un. Da-da-dun-dun da-da-dun-dun da-da-dun-dun da-da-dun. Da-da-dun-dun da-da-dun-dun da-da-dun-dun da-da-du-un. Da-da-dun-dun-da-da-dun-da-da-dun-dun-da-da-dun."
[Errick snapped his fingers before glancing at the audience. "Yes, I just did a tune from Pirates of the Carribean. Yes, it's copyrighted. And yes, I don't give a shit."]
He snapped back into reality as he noticed a passing carriage with two men driving it. They appeared to be a mix of Redguard and Imperial, and they were bickering amongst themselves. Errick stopped in front of them as he saw Brynjolf and Isobel catching up overhead. Coming up with a crazy plan, he faced the two bickering men.
"Hey, what's in those crates back there?" Errick asked, pointing at their shipping crates.
"Clothes." The Imperiguard with light blue eyes answered.
"And are they expensive?"
"Yeah." The other Imperiguard answered, widening his dark brown eyes. "Wait, why do you wanna-"
In an instant, Errick had pulled out a fire bomb, snapping his fingers to conjure a small flame. It was the only real amount of magic he could perform, and it came in handy for situations like these. He lit the fuse and threw it into the back of the cart. "Those two idiots behind me will pay for it!" Immediately after he broke into a sprint again, leaving the two confused as the crates behind them caught on fire.
"Damn it!" The blue-eyed one spoke. "Stand back, Shawn. I'm gonna put this fire out and I don't need you screwing things up." He pulled out a frostbite spell and started trying to douse the fire out.
"Why do you always think I'm going to make something worse?" The one named Shawn asked, grabbing the attention of Brynjolf and Isobel had caught up to the carriage.
The carriage exploded after that, knocking the four of them to the ground. Isobel and Brynjolf looked at the two travelers, who were covered in black marks all over their bodies but pretty much alive and unharmed.
"Damn it, Shawn!"
"Hey, this wasn't my fault, Ethan!"
The man named Ethan scowled. "Then damn that man that blew up our delivery."
"Try to relax, Ethan. He said his friends were going to pay for the damages." The two travelers stared at Isobel and Brynjolf, making the two of them groan in annoyance.
"Errick is going to pay for this." Brynjolf muttered as he pulled out his coin purse to pay the two merchants by the name of Ethan and Shawn.
Errick continued to run until his legs felt ready to give out, making him stop to pant and catch his breath. Once he had regained control of his lungs, he lifted himself up only to realize that the Riften gates were right in front of him. In confusion he looked back behind him before looking back at the gates. "Huh. Since I'm here early, might as well get a drink. I mean, it's only the afternoon."
With that, Errick shrugged and walked through the gates to grab a drink at the Bee and Bard.
"So, what was that last bit with Errick all about?"
"Errick can be cowardly at times, but then there are times where he can be an outright battle master. He just knew, however, that Isobel's and Brynjolf's anger could match his own. And Errick knows when he's met his match. That's why he couldn't fight a dragon."
"If he couldn't fight a dragon, why bring him along?"
"In time, you will understand, Ronan. In time."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, that was a good chapter, wasn't it? We're definitely learning a lot more about some things involving our characters.
Now I'm sure you've noticed that Scarlai is automatically going on missions. That's because I felt that the pointless side missions weren't really needed for this story. Plus, I'm adding in some more content involving the Assassin of Old, as things starts to get a bit more non-canon in the process. I also did make a nod to a few particular future scenes in this chapter from about one or two segments.
Also, next time we're going back to Cyrodiil for one separate segment to reveal more back story characters that will become real characters in the far future of Book 2: Dawn. I won't say who they are, but they are connected to our main heroes in some way. That's all you're getting from me right now.
Shout outs to our main contenders Admiral Anderson, MasterAssassinScrolls, SpiritofJazz, and TheGreatJabberyJamie. Look up those last three for more Skyrim stories and if you're a Mass Effect fan like yours truly look for Anderson's first novel on the site titled Hero of Elysium. I don't know why but I felt like mentioning it anyways.
P.S. Did you see them again, Anderson?