CHAPTER FOUR

"Come on Melvin, just forget it."

"I can't. I won't let that bastard get away with it. It's not me to let something like that slide, you know," he said, giving me a wink.

We were back at Fort Frostmoth and it was already ten o'clock at night. We had taken our showers and had eaten our dinner. Now Melvin and I were about to go to sleep, or at least I was. Melvin was too busy deciding on what to do to Bruno. You see, Melvin isn't someone you really want to mess with. He'll always get back at you. Back at the cavern I knew why he was so silent. He was thinking up an idea on how to get his revenge.

"Yeah, but is it worth going to The Can for?"

The Can was a small cramped room deep within the fort. If you went to The Can you had to stay for at least three days and you weren't allowed to eat any food or drink anything either. Those in The Can were forced to work from four in the morning until ten o'clock at night. Also those in The Can weren't allowed to bath for the three days either. It wasn't a pleasant place to be.

"Well I really don't plan on getting caught," he said as if I had insulted his skills or something.

"It's too dangerous, Melvin. How do you plan on [inot[/i getting caught?"

"Erick, you don't even know what I have planned."

"Then tell me, I guess," I said impatiently.

"Tomorrow, after the horn sounds and we can leave, I'll follow Bruno back to wherever his house is. Then once he's fast asleep I'll come in and steal his clothes! Isn't that a wonderful idea?"

"Yeah, if you're sixteen…" I laughed.

Melvin frowned and replied, "Alright, Erick, do you have a better idea? I don't want to do too much to the man; I'm not exactly sure who I'm dealing with. I don't know how much power and influence he has with the colony."

"Then why not just leave him alone?"

"Like I already said, Erick, I just can't do that…"

The next morning

The next morning started out normal enough. Melvin and I had completed our usual 'wakeup' routine and afterwards we headed out to Raven Rock, where again the other three had beaten us to the punch were already standing at the entrance.

"You're making a habit of arriving late, you two? What is it, were you fixing your nose, Melvin?"

Teemee started laughing and Melvin acted as if he was going to throw a punch at the lizard. Teemee flinched hard, causing J'Dato to laugh this time. And of course there was Madila staring out into the forest looking rather bored as usual.

"I'd sock you in the nose, Teemee, but I don't want it to get bigger than it already is…"

"Is that right? Well this big nose can smell The Can coming soon if that ever was to happen…"

The five of us entered the mine and walked to our dig site, where the shovels and picks were right where we left them. We went back to work, and several minutes into our work Falco came to talk with Melvin and me.

"Excuse me, Erick, Melvin; can I have a word with you for a second?"

Melvin and I walked outside of the cavern room, followed by Falco. He was looking quite grumpy this morning.

"We need to talk about what happened yesterday…"

"Your damn right we do!" Melvin insisted.

Falco shrugged off his comment and continued. "I very well know Bruno did what you two say he did. I don't have to see for myself; Bruno is always stirring up things around here. He's put fear into every last one of the miners here. He has I believe five cronies that help him as well. But Bruno's a smart man, that's for sure. His speech may not agree with that, but believe me; he knows how to get things done."

"You make it sounds like [ihe's[/i running this operation…sir," Melvin commented a little rudely. This time Falco shot back at him.

"I do run this place, and don't you think otherwise. Although I'll admit Bruno is gaining more influence than I thought he would. So far he hasn't really done anything that makes me think he'll try and bring me down, but I can't take any chances of that. That's why I called you two out here. Do NOT let Bruno get to you. He is what he is and there's nothing we can do about it. We simply have to shrug him off. He targets you five because you're prisoners. Just ignore and you'll be fine."

"I don't think that's going to help," Melvin said. "Bruno seems like someone who keeps grudges. I stood up to him in front of all his buddies, you know."

"You don't think he made a point by hitting you in the nose?" Falco asked.

"No, I don't…" Melvin responded, rather angrily I should add.

"Well, let's hope you're wrong about that. Just do as I say and keep to your selves. If anything else happens with your group I will go straight to Captain Falx. I know he wouldn't like that, now would he?"

Falco looked at us for several seconds and then continued deeper into the caves.

"Can you believe that guy? He's absolutely scared of Bruno," Melvin whispered when Falco was out of earshot.

"Maybe, but I think it would be best if we listen to what he says. You and I both know it's not wise to get on Falx's bad side."

"You mean he has a good side?"

Towards midday a horn sounded, signaling that it was lunch time. It was one o'clock in the afternoon but I really wasn't hungry, so I decided to just go outside and get some fresh air. Teemee and J'Dato both went to get some food from a store just inside Raven Rock. They served food to the miners, and hopefully for the Argonian and Khajiit, they'd serve prisoners too. Madila went her own way as well, wherever that was.

"You're not hungry either?" I asked Melvin.

He had sat down next to me on a wooden stool just outside the mine entrance.

"No, I can't eat when I'm angry," he said both playfully and seriously. "What's wrong? You look a little worried."

"I'm worried you're going to do something that you'll regret."

He sighed softly and looked up into the sky. "You know, there's one thing about you that irritates me more than anything."

"And what's that?"

He looked at the ground, fumbled with a piece of bark, and then said, "You're too soft, Erick. You….you let people walk all over like it's nothing."

"That's not true!"

"Actually it is. You let the other inmates call you names; you took Bruno's crap yesterday. I mean, you're just not going to survive long if you act like that. I see you as a younger brother, Erick, I really do. But I'm not going to be here forever and when I'm gone who's going to look after you like I have?"

"Look after me?"

"Yes, Erick, look after you. Just think about all the times I've people to leave you alone. And who knows what would have happened yesterday with Bruno if I wasn't with you…"

True, he had saved my tail more than I could remember. In fact, he's [ialways[/i been there for me, always. But even so, why was he talking like he was on the verge of death? I have to admit it was kind of creeping hearing him talk like this. It was almost as if he was planning something a little more dangerous than stealing clothes.

"Okay, even if that is all true, why are you telling me this now?"

He looked away again, this time into the forest. He was fumbling with his fingers nervously for some reason.

"I just don't know what's going to happen tonight, Erick. I am definitely going through with my plans of revenge, but for some reason I've got a bad feeling. I can't really explain it any better to you. I was thinking last night, and I really don't care how much power Bruno has.

A bad feeling? I didn't like the sound of this at all. It was almost as if he was planning something a little more dangerous than stealing clothes.

"But you just said you don't plan on getting caught."

"Yes, but my confidence won't erase the weird feeling. I'm telling you this because I do not want you near my tonight when I get my revenge. I don't you getting involved just in case things don't go as planned."

Just then the doors to the entrance opened and out walked Bruno, surrounded by five others. There were the two Imperials Melvin and I saw earlier yesterday, and then there were three Nords as well. Upon seeing Melvin and I, his face went up into an evil grin.

"How's it going, boys?"

We didn't give him an answer so he and his buddies simply laughed and walked away. I looked at Melvin, who himself was fuming with anger.

"He's going to pay tonight, Erick. I swear it…"