Sun's Height 15, 4E1

(Learns-fast): Skyrim Sanctuary

I was getting restless here in the Living Quarters. I wanted nothing more than to see what the next step in our plan to bring down Lachance would turn out like, but it had been about four hours since the courier left.

Right now I was nibbling on a piece of bread. I wasn't eating because I was hungry, I was eating because I needed something to do while I waited to see some action.

I wasn't sure where the Shadowscales were, but as best I could guess they were in the training room. I would have done some training myself, with all adrenaline and destructive obsession in me, but I knew I probably wouldn't end up doing any fighting.

All the while I'd been eating, I'd been filtering through abnormalities in the muffled noises outside of the living area for some indication the courier might have arrived. Nothing was obviously telling me that yet.

It wasn't the wait that was killing me as much as the uncertainty of when the wait would end. I would have loved to have had some kind of estimate in advance. I wanted to be here as soon as the courier arrived so I wouldn't lose a second, but that made me essentially waste these four hours. I didn't want to do anything outside of this sanctuary because of it.

Then, behind me, I heard a promising sound. The doors to the Living Quarters had burst opened. I quickly got up from my chair and turned to see who was responsible.

The opener had been a man in a white coat, boots, goggles, and a hat. A scarf was draped around his neck, as if he'd just relinquished its protection. Behind him were the Cleaver and Surveys-from-above.

"Sir!" the man yelled in a Nordic accent "The agent is dead! Arquen has requested your audience immediately" The agent...Hoar-blood. Did Fights-up-close get to the dead drop before us?

I immediately got up from my seat, entranced by the situation. I could see fear in the courier's face. His eyes were wide opened. Though I wasn't sure how this happened, I was glad to some extent. It showed the Dark Brotherhood exactly how drastic the situation was.

Already the wait had eaten up too much of my day, but now it seemed clear we'd get to see some action. That, and it was clear he had made an effort to get this news to me as soon as possible, given that he was still in his mountain climbing attire.

"Come with me." He said. I walked through the door into the main hall, following him like the other two Argonians.

The other assassins of the sanctuary were left out of the loop about all this as far as I could tell. They were still in their shallow, predictable lives, chatting it up about their latest kills, or training to take down typical targets, or the like.

My attention was focused on the wall to my left, where the door to the mud-room, and ultimately the secret well-entrance, was. The bricks rushed by my face as we walked briskly to the next way-point of our epic inter-provincial crisis.

The messenger opened the door to the mudroom as we journeyed back. My whole career felt different now. I was living a genuine adventure. I was filled with all kinds of bizarre bitter-sweet emotions that seemed to touch the deepest levels of my soul.

The courier positioned himself on the ladder and began to climb down. Cleaver quickly followed, with the teenage Shadowscale coming in next, and myself last.

Once I made it to the bottom the courier was already climbing up the other ladder. I was already starting to think about what new surprises, like Arquen's plan, would await me once on top.

Once again, Cleaver was followed by Surveys-from-above, followed by me.

Even though I was used to working behind a desk I felt proud as my hands grasped the cold-metal rungs.

It was so much easier to be passionate and confident when fighting an enemy I knew personally.

I made it to the surface. The sky was still blue and the clouds were still white, but the position of the sun was relatively low. As I looked at the sky, I thought of the vast world it blanketed, and how much of that world I'd now seen.

As my eyes got to focusing on what was directly infront of me, I saw Arquen was already standing at the well-entrance, waiting for us. As I approached, she began to speak, but her eyes were cast timidly to the side.

"As you know," she began with a mournfully tinted tone "Havilstien Hoar-blood was found dead. That likely means your assassin will continue to kill off the targets, one by one." Her voiced held a genuine sadness. It was odd, but her presence seemed...soothing. Not that such was necessarily a good thing in a time like this. "We have no choice but to immediately take action to put this crisis that threatens the Dark Brotherhood to an end."

"What do you propose we do?" I asked. The wind howled through the vast lonely world around us.

"We must immediately begin to gather the powers of the Black Hand. Morrowind and High Rock must are not yet be aware of this crisis. We also have a crucial ally in Cyrodiil I believe can assist us. Once we have their support, we must start hunting for the betrayer, Lucien Lachance!"

"Go on. Where are headed first?"

"I have decided we should split into two groups. You three should journey to the city of Bravil to alert Ungolim to the approaching danger, and awake your agent from the deception she is under. I will begin gathering the combined power of the Black Hand to hunt down Lachance. We can expect to find Lachance in his sanctuary, Fort Farragut." She thought for a moment, while I was pouring over what I'd just heard. Two groups? "I will send you with my courier. He knows the location of Ungolim, our Listener." She looked down "May the Night Mother hold you in her cold embrace." she spoke solemnly before parting with us, as her courier stayed at our side.

As she walked off, I was slightly appalled by the turn of events. I was being asked to protect the Listener, while they hunted for Lucien? I was expected to protect one of their own, while they were chasing after the target I'd observed, frustrated, and labored over all this time in Cyrodiil?

But once again the fragility of the situation made me put on a facade. I didn't want to voice any disagreement now.

We would go to Bravil, but I had a lot of thinking to do. At least the journey could provide time for that.