Hey everyone! Here's chapter 7! So, the Night Mother's been ressurected, and Amori is extremely weakened from his battle with Kazaka. What will happen now? All I can tell you is that Amori will meet up with an old friend...

And now, we return to our feature presentation...

Soul-Swimmer's eyes widened as she saw the oncoming horde of undead. There was no way Amori could run from them; he was too weak to stand, and could only walk while leaning on her shoulder. The skeletons charged towards them, spears, swords, and axes gleaming in the sunlight. "Come on, Delchkahn," she said, frantic. "You have to run! You have to stand up!" She glanced over her shoulder, and saw a skeleton an inch from her face. It raised its claymore, and was about to strike, when a blast of lightning caught it in the face. The undead monstrosity crumbled into a pile of dust and bones, and Soul-Swimmer looked to see who the caster of the lightning bolt was. She saw Ka-Mala, standing with her legs braced, looking nervous, her hand smoking. Just then, Soul-Swimmer felt a yank on her arm, and she turned, to look into Delchkahn Amori's eyes. There were three skeletons grabbing onto him, pulling, trying to tear him out of her grasp.

"Run," he whispered, his voice weak. Then his grip on her hand broke, and the undead carried him off to their master.

"NO! AMORI!" screamed Soul-Swimmer, drawing her blade and rushing at the line of Skeletons before her, tears streaming from her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and another, and another, preventing her from running forward any more, holding her fast. She screamed, and heard Rhiihaaj's voice.

"Soul-Swimmer, you can't fight them!" he said sternly, his strong arms around her shoulders. She turned and saw that Sehiiri and Ka-Mala each had one of her arms, and that Rhiihaaj had his arms looped around her shoulders. "There's too many, we have to run!" Soul-Swimmer felt her friends dragging her backwards. She kicked backwards, and her boot connected with Rhiihaaj's groin. He gasped, but knowing that his Soul-Swimmer's life was literally in his hands, avoided the normal male reaction, and continued dragging her towards the town gate.

"No, NO! AMORII!" she screamed, crying, as her friends lifted her off of the ground and carried her to the gates, terrified citizens streaming past them as though they were a river. More and more were shot by the skeletal archers, and the streets ran red with innocent blood, the skies glowing with the many fires that burned in Bravil. She didn't care; they had Amori. Her love was gone.

Delchkahn let his head hang limp as the Dark Guardians bore him out of Bravil, their bony hands clamped tight around his arms and legs. He wasn't afraid of what was to come; he knew he was going to die, and he knew that with his last actions, he had saved Soul-Swimmer's life. He laughed. "For the first time, it looks like it's me who's going to pay for my actions rather than a friend or loved one," he said softly to himself. All the blood he had on his hands, all the friends he had lost to his own stupidity. He had killed Ocheeva, ha had killed Teinaava, and he blamed himself for Martin's death, even though he knew that there was nothing he could have done. He remembered all the blades who gave their lives so that he could close the gates of Oblivion, remembered Uriel Septim and how he had used his dying breath to warn him. He remembered how his parents had given their lives to save him from the Dunmer, and how his brother had died during their flight to Cyrodiil. He remembered the friends he had lost to the Countess of Leyawiin's torture chambers, and he remembered the frail, old wood elf he had shot in the head. For him, paying for his actions with his life was a relief: it was far better than others paying for his mistakes. Finally, they came to their destination: a lonely cliff above a rushing waterfall. The Dark Guardians set him down, proffering a crutch so that he could stand. He answered the Guardian by drawing FrostFire and stabbing it through the skeleton's skull. He stood on his own, his legs wavering, and slowly lifted his head to meet the gaze of the Night Mother and her five sons. He smiled, and laughed a little. The Night Mother smiled as well, a devious grin splaying itself across her young, beautiful face.

"You seem so calm in your moment of death, Delchkahn," she said playfully. Her sons looked up at her, and Amori noticed the differences between them beneath their hoods: one was tall and thin, his face slim and angular; another short and wiry; the third looked to be only about 15 years of age; the fourth was near skeletal, and the fifth had wide shoulders with muscles packed tightly onto his frame. One the skeletal one lifted his head to speak to his mother, and she scowled at him. She resumed her cheerful composure, and looked back at Amori. "Are you not afraid to die?" Delchkahn chuckled.

"No, actually, I have no fear of death," he said, shaking his head back and forth. "I'm just glad that finally, no one else is going to die because of me." The Night Mother smirked.

"Are you so sure of that?" she asked sweetly. Amori began to get nervous; what was she talking about? The Night Mother grinned, and snapped her fingers. The Dark Guardians brought forth a large sack, and dumped the contents out onto the ground. It was Seed-Neeus, Dar-Ma's mother. An enchanted necklace was around her neck, rendering her unconscious. Two of the Black Hand lifted the middle-aged Argonian woman off the ground by her wrists, holding her in a standing position, and a third, the skeletal looking one who Amori was beginning to believe was the Listener, drew a jeweled dagger and undid the necklace. Seed-Neeus' eyes flicked open, and she gasped as she saw the Dunmer around her. She kicked and struggled, but stopped as the Listener held his dagger up to her neck. She saw Amori, and frowned a bit.

"Amori!" she said sternly. "What's going on?!" She heard a laugh, and turned to see someone she had never expected to see; alive, at least. The Night mother stood on a boulder about a foot from her. "Y-you," she gasped, not believing her eyes. All Argonians knew of the Night Mother, for she was the bride of Sithis, who was the god of their gods, the Hist. The Night mother kicked dirt into Seed-Neeus' face contemptuously.

"Lizard scum," she said, smiling at Seed-Neeus' obvious discomfort. She turned to look at Amori, her long red hair flowing in the wind, her pure black eyes glinting in the moonlight. "You see, Amori," she said mockingly, "I could have your little friend Dar-Ma's mother killed right now!" She cackled insanely, almost doubling over with the force of her raucous laughter. "I could kill her now, or tomorrow, or the day after! I could have her starved to death, tortured, buried alive, even drowned in her daughter's blood if I wished for it! You see, Amori, your death won't save those you care about, it'll only stop you from saving them from me! You were a good servant, Amori! A fine listener! You were cold, emotionless, and you never hesitated for a contract! So answer me one question: why did you betray me and our Dark Lord Sithis?" Amori glared at her, his eyes grim. He knew that he was going to die, and he knew that Seed-Neeus was also probably dead. All he could do now was tell the truth.

"I betrayed you for a good reason. I betrayed you because after all it had given me, the gold, the magic equipment, the infamy, your damn guild stole the one thing I cared about most from me: Ocheeva. Your damn 'Brotherhood' cares nothing for the passions of life, and heartlessly exterminates even it's own family members!" Amori turned to face Seed-Neeus, looking sorrowfully into her terrified eyes. "Seed-Neeus, I'm sorry. This is all my fault; you didn't know that I was a member of the Dark Brotherhood, that I was an assassin, and now the Night Mother is probably going to kill you, and hunt down your family. I know one thing, however, and that's that I'm going to die. If you ever see Dar-Ma again, apologize to her for me." He turned back to face the Night Mother. "So, 'Mother', you and your damn guild can all meet Akatosh's rage like dogs like you deserve!" The Night Mother was enraged, and her hair began to float above her head. She snapped her fingers, and a group of Dark Guardians seized Amori and Seed-Neeus, and threw them off of the cliff.

Soul-Swimmer cried in her tent. She sat on a lumpy bedroll, tears streaming down her face. She had just found the man she wanted to spend her life with, and now he was gone. He had used what may have been his last breath to tell her to run, to save her life. Rhiihaaj poked his head through the tent door.

"Soul-Swimmer?" he asked. "Are you ok?" She nodded, her face stained with tears.

"I-I'll be fine," she sniffled. She noticed he was shirtless, and assumed, correctly, that he and Sehiiri were "together". "Go back to Sehiiri." Rhiihaaj blushed slightly, nodded, and left. She picked up Death's Kiss, the beautiful dagger Amori had given her, and gazed into its black blade, staring into its depths as though it were the void itself. It was the last thing she had to remember him by.

Seed-Neeus screamed as she fell, plummeting towards the pond below. At the height she was falling from, the impact from the water would break her neck if she hit it wrong. Calming herself, she tried to reposition herself into a diving posture. The water came closer, closer, and just as she was about to hit its surface, she aligned her body into a perfect line, and slipped through its surface, barely even making a splash. She righted herself underwater, and heard a loud crash. She saw Selchkahn Amori crash back-first into the water, sinking like a rock, his blood staining the water red. She swam over to him, and dragged his body out onto the shore. She put her ear next to his mouth, and to her relief, he was still breathing. She tore strips of cloth from her skirt and bandaged his wounds, and began to drag him towards Bravil. She had no idea what she was going to see when she got there.

Seed-Neeus gasped in horror as she came to the walls of what had once been Bravil: fires raged over every building, and corpses littered the streets. The burning city was silent, as if all life had gone from it. "Great Akatosh," she whispered, "it's just like K'Vatch…" Then she saw a trail leading off into the woods; someone had escaped. She followed the trail, struggling to hoist Amori over roots and logs, dragging him through the underbrush. His breathing became labored, and small rivulets of blood began to trickle down his chin. "Come on, Amori, don't die!" Finally, she felt warmth on her back, and turned. Just a few feet away was a campsite, a large fire burning in the middle. She smiled, and ran into the campground. She had finally found a way to repay the man who had rescued her daughter two years ago. She stopped when she noticed that no one was outside. She cautiously made her way towards one of the tents, and heard a soft whimpering coming from inside. She opened the tent flap, and saw a young Argonian woman staring at a dagger. She was a light blue, and couldn't have been older than 20. Seed-Neeus coughed slightly, and the girl looked up at her, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I can't help any refugees… I couldn't even help Delchkahn…" She burst into tears, and Seed-Neeus' eyes widened as she heard the name. She smiled, and the girl began to look angry. "What's so funny?" she asked, irritated by the older woman standing in her tent.

"Amori's not dead," replied Seed-Neeus softly, "but he is close." The girl's eyes widened as though Seed-Neeus was an angel. "I'm Seed-Neeus; two years ago, Delchkahn Amori rescued my daughter from being sacrificed at Hackdirt." Seed-Neeus proffered a hand. The girl took it, and she helped her up.

"I'm Soul-Swimmer," she said, "and I'm in love with Amori. He saved my life, twice, and accepted me." Soul-Swimmer smiled at Seed-Neeus. "Thank you for bringing him back to me." They exited the tent, and Soul-Swimmer followed Seed-Neeus to where Amori lay. She helped her carry him back to the camp, and woke Ka-Mala. Ka-Mala gasped when she saw Amori, and immediately rushed to his side. "Seed-Neeus, this is Ka-Mala. She's our magic specialist." Ka-Mala grunted as a greeting, too intent on her spell to actually say anything. A blue light washed over Delchkahn's body, and his breathing returned to normal. Soul-Swimmer knelt beside him, cradling his head in her arms as he slept. A small popping was heard as Amori's ribs and spine settled back into place, and the healing was complete. Soul-Swimmer wept happily; she had her love back.

Amori sat up, rubbing his head groggily. This was a day he thought he would never live to see. He looked around. He was in a twin-size roll-out mattress, and Soul-Swimmer lay beside him in a peaceful slumber. He smiled; he had though he would never see her again. Suddenly, he remembered Seed-Neeus. Careful not to disturb Soul-Swimmer, he crawled out from under the covers. He was wearing a simple yet functional tunic and pants, with a belt strapped over his shoulder and on his hip. He winced as he felt the bandages chafe against his flesh, causing his sore muscles to smart. He strode out of the tent, hoping that Seed-Neeus was alright. To his great surprise, the campground was organized and dusted; even if his band were that organized, surely the commotion from his mysterious arrival would have stirred things up a bit! He looked around warily, and noticed that all of the supplies had been wrapped in cloth from old, spare clothes and organized according to function and properties. They were all neatly labeled and inventoried. He even came across an alphabetically ordered list that seemed to be of items they had and items they needed. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Only one person he knew of, even among Cyrodiil's tidy merchants, was this organized. He smiled: this was the work of Seed-Neeus. He surveyed the campground, and heard muttering and complaints.

"Honestly, you'd think Delchkahn's friends would be more organized… and less vulgar!" Seed-Neeus muttered as she found a set of green women's undergarments on the ground. Amori laughed, and she turned around.

"Seed-Neeus," he chuckled, "you truly are the most organized person in all Tamriel." He remembered the time he had spent living with Dar-Ma's mother: his inventory had undergone serious re-organization and cataloging. Seed-Neeus smiled. "How's Dar-Ma?" asked Amori.

"Well," she said thoughtfully, a bright smile on her lips. "I'm a grandmother now! And Dar-Ma married a very respectable young man; an adventurer, like yourself." She sighed, looking into Amori's eyes. "It's a pity you couldn't be there for the wedding, Dar-Ma so wanted you to come!" Amori stared off into the distance, his eyes stern.

"No, she didn't, or at least she wouldn't have if she had known what I had been up to," he said. Seed-Neeus looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "You saved her life, Amori! I don't think much of anything could change her opinion of you!"

"Seed-Neeus, I was a member of the Dark Brotherhood! The assassins guild! I killed people for money!" he said angrily, cursing himself for ever joining. It's not like he meant to kill that guard in K'vatch; it was an accident, but Lucien didn't care. Seed-Neeus gasped, and Amori related the events of his life to her. He told her how he had gone into Oblivion, how he had seen Martin die, how he had joined the Brotherhood. He told her of when he slew pirates and a warlord, how he fought trolls and other beasts, and how he had killed a tired, old man. He told her how he had found love in Ocheeva, a member of the guild… and how she had died. He told her of the events that followed, how he had met Soul-Swimmer and Rhiihaaj, and he even told her about Rhiihaaj's note. He told her of his battle with Kazaka, and how he had unknowingly brought about the Night Mother's resurrection. "… so," he said after relating his story. "That's my life up to today. Now you tell me if Dar-Ma couls ever regard me as anything more than the murderous dirt that I am." Seed-Neeus stared at him in shock; as she looked into his eyes, she saw the burden of sorrow and pain of a man far more than Amori's young 21 years of age: she saw the burden of an old, tired man on his once bright, youthful face. The sorrow quickly changed to a determination far beyond his age. "Seed-Neeus: go home. You're a merchant, not a warrior, and right now you need to warn Dar-Ma. The Night Mother thinks you're dead, and she thinks I'm dead, but anyone I ever knew is in danger now. She won't stop at my death; she wants to torment my spirit by killing my friends while I can do nothing but watch. Go home, Seed-Neeus. You belong with your family." Amori turned, and began to walk away. Suddenly, a Khajiit on horseback charged past him, cutting him off. The rider dismounted, looking frantic: it was Ra'Jhiradh, one of the publishers of the Black Horse Courier.

"De… Delchkahn Amori!" he cried in astonishment before he saw Seed-Neeus. "Seed-Neeus! You're alright! You haven't been seen in weeks! Your daughter's been… oh no." Ra'Jhiradh turned to look at Amori. Seed-Neeus grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.

"What? What's going on with my daughter?" she asked Ra'Jhiradh worriedly. The haunted Khajiit looked towards the ground.

"I…I'm sorry, Seed-Neeus. I went looking for Amori to solve this conflict." He turned back to face Amori, his eyes wide. "Chorrol's been destroyed!"

Oh no! For those of you who haven't either played Oblivion or haven't met Seed-Neeus and Dar-Ma, Chorrol is their hometown. So, in other words, Ra'Jhiradh just told Seed-Neeus that her daughter... is dead! But are Dar-Ma and her family really dead? Did they somehow survive? Or are they now in the vicious clutches of the Night Mother? Only time may tell...

The winds of time blow on, shifting the sands of reality into ever changing patterns.

-Baeowulf