Hello! Sorry for the delay in updates, the site wouldn't let me upload my documents. So, to make up for the delay, expect 2-3 updates TODAY! I hope you're all enjoying how everything's going so far, and thanks for reading! Also, please review whether you like the story or not; positive feedback makes me feel good, and negative feedback (as long as it's constructive criticism) helps me to make my writing better. Thank you!
And now, we return to our feature presentation...
Soul-Swimmer came to, her head throbbing. She tried to turn to examine her surroundings, but she winced in pain as she felt her motions pulling on the long scabs that stretched across her back. Careful not to exert her back, she craned her neck around, searching for a means of escape. She had nearly given up hope when she saw Death's Kiss lying on the ground, just a few feet away. If she could reach it, she might be able to cut herself free. She hopped the chair she was tied to over to the blade, and knocked the chair over, hitting the ground with a soft grunt. She wobbled the chair back and forth, slowly drawing closer to the dagger until she felt its cold blade brush against her arm. Sweating profusely, she began to shimmy back and forth, letting the dagger slowly cut the ropes: one slip and the enchanted dagger would cut her, drawing her soul out of her body and ending her life. Suddenly, she heard a noise from outside the cell door. She lifted her head off of the ground, and saw a big, ugly Orc walk into the room.
"Well then, looks like someone's been busy," he chuckled churlishly. He slowly walked across the room, and kicked Soul-Swimmer in the gut. She grunted in pain, and the Orc bent over, putting his face next to her ear-hole. "Your friend Amori killed my brother, you know," he said, grinning. "It'll be fun to watch him squirm while you die!" The brutish Orc laughed, and began brutally beating Soul-Swimmer, repeatedly kicking her in the gut. She cried out in pain as the Orc's steel-toe boot slammed into her stomach. She felt her ribs snap, and coughed up blood. Just as she was sure the next blow would kill her, the beating stopped. She heard the Orc's boots clomp out of the door, and slipped into unconsciousness.
Delchkahn Amori crept down the ladder in the well entrance to the Sanctuary, Sehiiri following behind him. He dropped to the ground noiselessly, perfectly balanced. After surveying the room, he saw that there was only one guard: a tall, bulky Nord. Amori smirked into disgust; it seemed the Brotherhood would take anybody these days. He crept up behind the Nord, reached up, and slit the man's throat. The guard gurgled in his own blood as the life drained from him, and the last thing he ever saw was Amori standing above him, searching through his pockets. After he finished searching the guard, Ammori found what he was looking for: an extra Brotherhood uniform. He nodded; the suits of Shrouded Armor were enchanted to always fit the wearer. He took the armor as well as three healing potions, a bottle of poison, a crude dagger, and an astonishing 600 Septims. Amori grinned as he looked over the loot; it had been a long time since he had last gone adventuring; far too long. He pocketed all the items other than the shrouded armor, which he took back to the well entrance. He motioned for Sehiiri to drop down, and gave her the armor. "Here, put this on," he whispered, handing her the uniform. "The Brotherhood members will think you're one of them." Sehiiri glanced at the armor, then looked at Amori skeptically.
"Great, a new suit of armor," she said sarcastically. "One problem, lizard-boy: where do I change? Or do you expect me to let you watch?" Amori's face grew grim and he rolled his eyes, obviously thinking that now wasn't the time for sarcasm
"Why didn't I marry Dar-Ma when I had the chance?" he thought to himself, remembering how the young Argonian girl had been completely entranced by him when he had rescued her from Hackdirt two years ago. He had been 19 at the time, she had been 18. He remembered their brief relationship, and how it had come to an end when he had had to leave and resume his travels. The last time he had seen her, she was married and was expecting a child. That was about a month ago. He had gone to talk with her about Ocheeva, but when he saw how happy she was, he decided to leave; she had found a family, and didn't need the leader of the Dark Brotherhood messing things up for her. Smiling at the bittersweet memory, he returned to the present. "Here, you can use… you can use Ocheeva's old room; it should still be vacant." As he said the name Ocheeva, he winced, realizing that even though he had accepted the fact that she was dead, he could never stop grieving. He led Sehiiri to Ocheeva's room, and as he pushed the door open, he was shocked, not at how different it was, but at how much it was exactly the same. He saw the old portraits of him and Ocheeva together, portraits that had been instantly painted using magical brushes and paints. He saw the picture of he, Ocheeva, and Teinaava standing in a dungeon they had just cleared of its monsters: he was holding Ocheeva in his arms and they were locked in a kiss, and Teinaava stood off to the side, arms crossed, smiling, and rolling his eyes. He was snapped out of his memories as he felt Sehiiri's hand alight on his shoulder.
"Delchkahn, I understand what you must be going through right now," she said, struggling to find the right words. "If you want some time alone…" Delchkahn smiled, shaking his head.
"No, it's alright. I was just thinking about how even though Ocheeva and I had ended too early, we had a great run while it lasted." Delchkahn walked out of the room, still smiling, remembering all the good times he and Ocheeva had shared. After a few minutes, Sehiiri walked out of the room, and Amori's jaw nearly dropped. She was absolutely stunning. The dark armor fitted tightly around her form, clinging to her curvaceous body almost like a second skin. "For some reason, everything seems to look good on her," he thought, chuckling under his breath. Sehiiri smiled deviously.
"Well, how do I look?" she asked mischeivously. Delchkahn laughed quietly.
"To be honest, you might be in more trouble now than before!" he joked. "The male gaurds are going to have a hard time keeping their hands to themselves!"
"Well," Sehiiri said thoughtfully, "that all depends on whether or not they HAVE hands!" Adventure spread itself across Delchkahn's face.
"Sehiiri," he said, "I like the way you think!"
Rhiihaaj grunted, reaching up to rub his throbbing forehead. His eyes snapped open in shock when he realized he couldn't move his arms. He glanced around frantically, panic overriding his rational mind. He was strapped to a stone slab, his arms spread above his head and his legs slightly spread so that his body formed a steep X. He strained, trying to escape, but the steel bands held his limbs fast to the slab. He heard the door open, and saw a female Argonian enter the room, and noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt. The young Argonian smiled seductively, sauntering over to his side, pulling a steel rod out from her cloak. "Well, what do we have here?" she said, jabbing the steel rod into his side. Rhiihaaj cried out in pain as electricity lanced through his body, his back arching off of the slab. The Argonian pulled the rod away, and leaned down, her head next to his face. To his surprise she didn't taunt him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, pained, "I really don't enjoy doing this. My name is Ka-Mala, and I have a strange ability. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that ability, in fact." She pulled back in order to maintain her disguise. She smiled falsely as she stabbed the rod into Rhiihaaj's stomach, almost wincing as she saw the pain he was in. She leaned back to his face. "I have to keep up this ruse until I can make my escape, try to play along." Rhiihaaj nodded, wincing as he felt the last few sparks leave his body. "When I was young," Ka-Mala continued, "my parents were commanded by our King to give me to the brotherhood. I was just 13, and I had just developed the ability to sense others around me, and was beginning to develop the ability to read the minds of others to a limited extent." She pulled back again, and jabbed the rod into Rhihaaj's side. He howled in pain as the electricity lanced through his body. "Yes, that's it, scream scum!" Ka-Mala snickered. As Rhiihaaj looked into her eyes, he saw that she truly didn't enjoy what she was doing.
"You can read minds?" he grunted through clenched teeth. "Tell me what am I thinking about now." Ka-Mala looked ponderous for a moment, and replied.
"Well you're thinking about me. I'm wearing… oh my. And you're there, and… oh my." Ka-Mala looked shocked, and Rhiihaaj laughed.
"Yup, you can read minds for sure!" Rhiihaaj laughed painfully. Ka-Mala stabbed the rod into Rhiihaaj's gut, knocking the breath of him and shocking him for a good 20 seconds straight. She leaned in close to him, her eyes narrowed angrily.
"I meant that one!" she whispered.
"I probably deserved that," Rhihaaj panted, smoke rising from his body. Ka-Mala backed up, and frowned, mouthing 'I'm sorry' almost unnoticeably.
"Goodnight, Rhiihaaj," she said coldly, and plunged the rod into his stomach. Rhiihaaj screamed as he felt the electricity coursing through his body. Ka-Mala held the rod in place for a full minute. As he felt the rod leave his body, Rhiihaaj felt all the strength drain from his body. His eyelids grew heavy, and his vision went black.
Sehiiri walked down the corridor. She glanced up, and saw Delchkahn, his arms and legs spread to touch the walls on both sides, facing down, shimmying down the corridor above her. He looked down, and gave Sehiiri a thumbs up sign. Sehiiri walked on, and came to the bend. She could smell an Orc and a Nord, both males around the bend, and unfortunately, very easy to smell. She unbuttoned her armor, exposing the top of her bosom, and rounded the corner. She sauntered over to the two obviously drunk gaurds, her hips rocking side to side seductively. She smiled, and cleared her throat, getting the two guards' attention. Once she got it, the two guards' collective jaws dropped, and their eyes grew to the size of saucers. She put on an innocent expression, and walked up to the Orc.
"Uhm, can I help you Sister?" he asked nervously. She smiled seductively, leaning over slightly. The Orc's eyes widened even more, and his gaze shifted to a level just a little below her face.
"Hmm, now that you mention it, yes" she said cutely to the gawking Orc. "I'm new here, could you show me to the living quarters?" The Orc began to reach for her.
"Of course I can!" he replied lustily. "And maybe you can help me out afterwards?" He grinned, a driblet of drool dripping down his chin.
"Oh, like this?" Sehiiri grabbed the Orc's arm, and threw the man over her head, snapping the limb in two places in the process. The Orc cried out in pain and rage, and as he hit the ground, he reached for her ankle with his good arm. Before he could even touch her, Sehiiri bashed his skull in with her obsidian mace. She heard a roar behind her, and turned to see the Nord standing behind her, his hammer raised over his head. Just as he was about to bring the weapon down on Sehiiri's head, however, Delchkahn Amori leapt off of the ceiling, crashing into the man's chest, bringing him down and stabbing him through the heart in one swift motion. Sehiiri buttoned her armor back up, and stared at Amori, her eyes wide. The Argonian wasn't even panting as he wiped the blood off of his blade. "How did you do that?" she asked, amazed.
"Lots of practice," he replied, and began to lick the last of the blood from his sword. Sehiiri stared at him as though he were crazy.
"What are you doing?" she asked, both disgusted and fascinated. Amori looked up, his long tongue still wrapped around the tip of his sword. Sehiiri laughed; he looked absolutely ridiculous! Amori glanced down, realized what he was doing, and retracted his tongue into his mouth.
"Ah, I'm a former vampire," he said, explaining his odd habit. "Every once in a while, I get a craving for blood, and if any is present, I start to absentmindedly consume it." He glanced down the long corridor, gazing all the way to the wall where it turned and he could see no further. "Seylia's cell is at the end of this tunnel?" Sehiiri nodded. "Let's get a move on, then." They dragged the bodies of the guards into the shadows, and made their way forward, slowly, cautiously. As they rounded the turn, they came across a large door. Delchkahn put his ear-hole up against the door, and he listened intently. He heard about ten voices from the other side of the door; one female, and nine male. The female voice was an Argonian, but not Soul-Swimmer. The nine males were assorted Nords, Orcs, and Imperials. He slowly backed away from the door, and turned to face Sehiiri. "Alright, there are about ten people on the other side; nine males, and a female. I'll knock the door down, and fire three arrows into the battle before going in. Don't move until I do! You ready?" he whispered, and Sehiiri nodded. Delchkahn braced himself, calling on the remnants of his vampire strength, and with a single punch, smashed the heavy wooden door to smithereens.
"C'mon, Ka-Mala!" said a brutish Nord who had the Argonian woman pinned up against a wall. "Why won't you spend time with a real man?" Just as he was getting too close to Ka-Mala for her comfort, the door exploded inwards. "What the—" was all the Nord could get out before an arrow drilled into his skull. His body jerked with electric discharge, and two more arrows launched out from the doorway, streaming into two of the guards' chests. Ka-Mala screamed in terror as Delchkahn Amori and Sehiiri rushed into the room. The six remaining guards charged them, and each of them took on three. Sehiiri drew her mace and short-sword, parrying the attacks of two at once. Amori drew his sword, and ducked all three blades at once, and impaled one of his assailants before ripping his blade out through the man's side. Blood spattered on Ka-Mala's face, and in the confusion, a thrown dagger from one of the guards flew into her leg. She screamed, and tried to crawl away. She watched in horror as Amori leapt into the air and kicked both of the guards in the face as they raised their blades to strike. As they stumbled backwards, he spun around, decapitating both of them in a swift, clean strike. One of the heads rolled next to Ka-Mala, and she froze in terror. "Hist's roots," she thought, panicking. "Please, I don't want to die!" Sehiiri had more trouble than Amori, seeing as how one of the guards had managed to force her arms behind her back. Just as the other was about to run her through with his sword, however, she caught the blade between her feet and flipped it of his hands. While the guard was dazed, she gripped his head between her legs and snapped his neck. The other guard loosened his grip in shock, and that was all the opening Sehiiri needed. She swept her legs in a low roundhouse kick, knocking the man over, and stabbing him through the face with her sword. Amori walked over to Sehiiri, and helped her up. Then he noticed Ka-Mala crawling towards the opening he had creating when he broke the door down. He walked over to her, and lifted her off of the ground by the neck, slamming her against the stone wall. She cried out in pain, and tears streamed down her face. "Please don't kill me," she whimpered. Amori's expression was cold.
"Where is Seylia?" he asked, and pressed his hand into Ka-Mala's throat. She gasped for air, kicking and grabbing at his hand meekly. Her face grew pale.
"… Don't know… Seylia…" Amori slammed his hand down, completely crushing her windpipe. She struggled, kicking and tearing at his hands, tearing at his gauntlets until her fingers bled. She managed to pry his grip loose enough for her to talk for just long enough to squeeze out a few words. Those words saved her life.
"Soul-Swimmer… Know…" Amori's eyes widened, and he dropped Ka-Mala to the ground. She gasped for air, coughing up blood, tears running down her face. Delchkahn kicked her over, and placed the tip of FrostFire up against her neck. As the blade pierced her soft skin, Amori could feel her rapid pulse through the handle of his blade.
"Tell me: Where is she?" he asked, staring coldly into Ka-Mala's tear-filled eyes.
"Please…" she cried, terrified, " I don't want to be here… I can help you… Soul-Swimmer's through that door… please… please don't kill me!" Amori thought for a moment, and pulled the Mehrunes Razor from his belt. He helped Ka-Mala to her feet.
"Hands up," he commanded, holding the Razor to Ka-Mala's back, it's blade brushing against her thin shirt. "Lead me to her, and I'll let you live." The terrified young woman nodded, and Amori felt terrible about what he was doing until he reminded himself that she was a member of the Dark Brotherhood. She led him to a door, and unlatched the lock on it. The heavy steel doors slid open, and Amori saw Soul-Swimmer lying on the ground on her side, tied to a chair, her abdomen and neck covered in blood. He ran to her side. "Seylia!" cried, "Seylia, are you okay?" Soul-Swimmer's eyes fluttered as she heard her old name being called, and she looked up, clearly in pain.
"Delchkahn?" she said, a tired smile spreading across her face. "You came back for me?" Delchkahn nodded and he cut her loose, small tears budding in his eyes.
"Yes, Seylia, yes!" he said, frantic. "Not again, not again!" he thought. Soul-Swimmer looked up at him, her tired eyes dim.
"Delchkahn… Seylia died long ago… please, the person who I am now is Soul-Swimmer." Amori nodded, cradling her head in his hands. He saw that her wounds were too extensive for a regular healing potion to work; what Soul-Swimmer needed was advanced restoration. Delchkahn knew that this may be the only opportunity to tell Soul-Swimmer what had happened, and how he truly felt.
"Soul-Swimmer, I'm sorry I left. I was too caught up in the past to move on. I hadn't been able to forgive myself for Ocheeva's death, and I still haven't, but I have come to terms with what I did. I can't change the past, but I can look to the future." He paused, thinking. "Should I really say this?" he thought, "Do I really mean it?" It was then he realized that over the course of the few days he had known her, he had found everything he could want in her. She was kind, understanding, and humorous. She didn't fear adventure, and had a fiery spirit to rival an Atronach. "Soul-Swimmer, I think… I think I love you," he said, tears running down his face. Soul-Swimmer smiled weakly.
"Amori… very similar to the ancient word for love," she mused. "You're the first person to see anything in me for so long…" she coughed, the beating she had taken earlier was taking its toll; she was dying. "Funny that I should have to die now after finally finding what I was looking for…" She coughed violently, blood flying out of her mouth. To his great surprise, Ka-Mala pushed her way past Amori, and crouched next to Soul-Swimmer.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, grabbing Ka-Mala's hand. She pulled it out of his grip, and began to conjure a glowing blue ball over Soul-Swimmer's body.
"Look," Ka-Mala said seriously, concentrating on her spell, "she needs advanced restoration, so if you want her to live, I suggest you pipe down!" Amori was taken aback at the formerly timid young woman's manner, but he nodded. Ka-Mala began to chant, and she released the blue ball of energy into Soul-Swimmer's body. Her flesh began to glow, and she actually floated a few centimeters off of the ground. Delchkahn saw the long scabs on her back , and watched in amazement as the dried blood crumbled and fell off, leaving only slight scars behind them. The scabs on her neck did the same, leaving small pinprick shaped scars, and the blood covering her abdomen welled back into her body. Her wounds healed over, and she breathed deeply. "There we go," said Ka-Mala soothingly, helping Soul-Swimmer to her feet. She turned to face Delchkahn. "Don't worry, Amori, she'll be fine." Ka-Mala turned to face Sehiiri. "And as for you, Sehiiri, your friend Rhiihaaj is waiting for you." Sehiiri gasped.
"How… how did you—" Ka-Mala cut her off.
"Know your name?" she said, finishing Sehiiri's sentence. "I'm a telepath of sorts, I have the limited ability to read minds. When I read Rhiihaaj's, well, let's just say some things are better left unmentioned." Sehiiri smiled.
"He was thinking about me, wasn't he?" she asked, grinning.
"No, worse. About me," Ka-Mala replied, her eye twitching slightly as she remembered Rhiihaaj's less than proper thoughts. To everyone's great surprise, Soul-Swimmer began to speak.
"Delchkahn… Sehiiri… you have to leave! It's a trap, Kazaka set a trap!" she said urgently. Just then, they heard the door creak, and saw the golden-scaled Akavir stride into the room, grinning evilly.
"Good to see you again, master," he said, and pulled a small dart from his pocket. He flung it at Amori, and Delchkahn gasped as it hit him. He could feel its dark magic coursing through his body, and struggle as he might, he couldn't resist the pull of unconsciousness. Amori gave in to the dark spell, and slipped into the void.
Uh oh... Kazaka's plan to capture Amori worked! Now Amori and his friends are all captives of the Brotherhood, and Kazaka has everything he needs to fulfill his dark plans for Cyrodiil, Tamriel, and eventually, all of Nirn. What will happen next? Only time may tell...
The winds of time blow on, shifting the sands of reality into ever-changing patterns.
-Baeowulf