Hey everybody! This chapter's called Return for two reasons: One is that Amori returns to Chorrol, and the other I won't tell you. You'll have to read the chapter to find out. Special thanks to Vine Sliver; he has reviewed and supported my story from the beginning. Anyways, thanks to all of you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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

Seed-Neeus' legs crumpled beneath her. She dropped to the ground, her eyes wide in disbelief. She looked up at Ra'Jiradh. "Was… was Chorrol really destroyed?" she asked, shocked at the news that her home was gone. "Is it really gone?" Ra'Jiradh nodded sadly. Tears began to roll down the middle-aged Argonian's face, dripping off her jaw onto the soil below. Her daughter, her son-in-law, and her grandson, all gone. She could imagine what it would have been like; Dar-Ma holding her son while she watched the merciless Dark Guardians slaughter her husband. Seed-Neeus imagined her daughter, terrified, as the Guardians closed in for the kill. Ra'Jiradh walked over to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You know," he said comfortingly, "their bodies haven't been found… they could still be alive." Amori walked back to the camp stockpile, retrieved FrostFire, and began cleaning its blade, inspecting the enchanted steel for any deficiencies.

"What are you doing?" asked Seed-Neeus, confused. Amori grimaced.

"You heard Ra'Jiradh," he said calmly. "He said that your family might still be alive." He paused, as if deep in thought. "I rescued Dar-Ma from Hackdirt; she's my responsibility, and not to mention a close friend. We're going to Chorrol, and we're finding your family." He stopped talking, and finished his thought to himself. "And if they're dead," he thought, rage flashing across his eyes, "their killers will soon join them!"

The Night Mother scowled as the Dark Guardians excavated her tomb; the undead minions were so slow, and were barely better than beastfolk slave labor. In fact, the only thing better about the Guardians was that they never grew tired, never complained, and didn't have the smell of Argonians or Khajiit. Finally, her tomb was unearthed, and she strode down into its bowels. There, she found what she was looking for: the broken corpse of her servant Kazaka, and the shattered remains of his blade, DeathFang. She placed her hands over the Akavir's charred, mutilated husk, and dropped a black spellstone into the crevice in his chest. She began to chant, and his body reknit itself, his burns healing and his cuts sealing themselves over. Kazaka's body rose from the altar, and floated into the air. Suddenly, life returned to his dead eyes, only now, the golden orbs had turned pitch black, lacking whites and possessing blood red irises. He breathed deeply as he landed on the stone floor, and bowed to his mistress, the Night Mother.

"My Lady," he said, his skull touching the ground, "I failed you. Take my head!" The Night Mother chuckled, a small smile playing across her lips.

"Kazaka, that's why you're the perfect servant," she said playfully. "Loyal, heartless, and with no hesitation in the face of death. I have a job for you, Kazaka." She picked up the fragments of DeathFang, and the evil blade reformed in her hands, its length now bearing a single black stripe running down its center. She frowned slightly as she probed the spirit realm; neither Amori nor Seed-Neeus' souls were there. Somehow, they had survived the fall, but her champion would soon remedy that situation. "You are to kill Amori, but first, you will torture and murder his lover and his friends in front of his eyes." Kazaka rose, smiling as the Night Mother handed him the wicked sword DeathFang. "You are to make him suffer before he dies. You are to make him know what it is to betray Sithis! If you succeed…" she paused, letting the vicious Akavir, already smiling in bloodlust, hang on her every word. "I will grant you a second life!" Kazaka grinned evilly: a chance for revenge, coupled with a shot at new life! His black eyes turned towards the Night Mother, a malicious grin splayed across his lips. He licked his lips, venom dripping from his mouth.

"When do I sstart?"

Soul-Swimmer groaned in bed, feeling that something was missing. She opened her eyes, and saw that Amori was gone. She sat up and drew the blankets over her naked body, puzzled. She looked around, and saw Delchkahn walk through the door. He was fully armored and battle-ready; he even had three daggers on his belt, one of them Mehrunes Razor. "Delchkahn…" she said, confused. "What's going on?" He handed her her armor, and she noticed that Death's Kiss was wrapped in the Shrouded Armor's folds.

"Get dressed," he said coldly, anger touching his voice. "We've got a long way to go."

Rhiihaaj, Sehiiri, Soul-Swimmer, and Ka-Mala stood in a line before Delchkahn Amori and Seed-Neeus, all dressed and armed. Just a few minutes ago they had finished packing up camp, and were wondering why Amori was so irritated. "Rhiihaaj," he said, "step forward." Rhiihaaj stepped forward hesitantly, and Amori punched him across the face, knocking the red Khajiit to the ground. The group gasped, shocked at what Amori had just done. He got up angrily, touching his bleeding lip tenderly.

"What was that for?" he asked, annoyed.

"That's for that little note you left for Soul-Swimmer," Amori said calmly. Rhiihaaj blushed slightly.

"Ah… I guess I deserved that," he said, sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Amori turned to face the rest of his friends.

"My friends, I called you here today because I want you to know something." He took a deep breath, readying himself for the news he was about to relay. "Chorrol… has been destroyed." His companions gasped; cities weren't destroyed often. "I am about to go on a search and rescue mission. Seed-Neeus' family lived in Chorrol, and I am going to do whatever I can to find them. You all know who is behind this: the Night Mother. This journey will probably end in my confrontation of her and her sons." He steadied himself, preparing himself for what he was about to say. "This is something I must do alone. Goodbye, my friends." He turned to face Soul-Swimmer. "Goodbye." He started to walk off, when he felt his love's delicate hand on his shoulder.

"Delchkahn, I'm going with you," she said. Amori sighed; she wasn't going to make this easy. He turned to face her, and held her shoulders in his hands, gazing into her soft, blue eyes.

"Soul," he said, using his nickname for her. "I can't let you come with me. It's going to be dangerous, and I…" he paused, choking on his words. "I can't lose you. I can't lose another person to the Night Mother." Soul-Swimmer looked at him grimly.

"Then train me," she said determinedly. "You're the best warrior I've ever seen; teach me to fight like you! Teach me to fight, and you won't have to leave me behind." Tears began to well in her strong eyes, and her expression melted. "Delchkahn… don't go!" She wrapped Amori in a hug, and he sighed in resignation.

"Alright, alright," he said, smiling. "The spirit of an Atronach," he thought to himself, smiling. "I'll teach you to fight like I can." Suddenly, Rhiihaaj's voice cut through the silence.

"Hey! Lizard-boy!" he said, adventure glinting in his hazel eyes. "You don't think you can keep me and Sehiiri out of the fun, do you?" Sehiiri wrapped her arms around Rhiihaaj, a bright, adventurous grin on her muzzle.

"I'm going too!" Everyone turned, and saw Ka-Mala hoisting a stack of books into her backpack. "You guys need a good sorcerer," she said, and even though they didn't want to admit it, they did need a good sorcerer if they wanted to survive the battle with the Night Mother and her undead hordes Amori smiled; he had never had friends like this. He had never had friends who would follow him into the jaws of death, who may even follow him through the gates of Oblivion itself. He smiled, and looked at his friends.

"Thank you."

Dar-Ma huddled in a small hollow. It was made of a piece of collapsed roof, a well, and a headstone. While it wasn't the best place to hide, it provided adequate shelter. She held her baby close to her, taking comfort in the little boy's presence. Suddenly, she heard a snapping noise. Her husband, Dra-Shek, emerged from outside of the shelter. He was clad in a full suit of leather armor, and had a glass longsword in his hand. He sheathed his sword, and knelt down, crawling into the shelter. "Hey," he said.

"Dra-Shek… everyone's dead," replied Dar-Ma, on the verge of tears. "Earana, Rallus… they're all gone!" Dra-Shek hugged his wife, taking her in his strong arms.

"Shhhhhh, it's alright, it's alright," he said soothingly. "We survived, didn't we? We survived the assault, and we'll survive the aftermath. At least there's no Oblivion gate blocking our way out of town!" Dra-Shek grimaced at the dark memory: he had been at K'Vatch when it was attacked those two long years ago. He had heard the screams of the dying, and he had been trapped inside the city with Martin and the others. He had been helpless; that was why he had taken up the blade. Dar-Ma looked up at him, still cradling their child in her arms. He was a small, red Argonian, and had the head-spines his father did. He very much resembled Dra-Shek, except for one thing: his eyes. Everyone agreed that the little Argonian had his mother's eyes.

"Do you really think so?" Dar-Ma asked her husband, leaning into his broad chest. She could hear his heartbeat: strong, steady, constant. He looked back down at her, smiling.

"I know so," he said. Suddenly, a dart pierced the back of Dra-Shek's neck, rendering him unconscious. Dar-Ma screamed as the Dark Guardians descended on them, led by a what seemed to be a golden-scaled Argonian: an Akavir. A similar dart pierced her neck, and the world went black.

The journey to Chorrol had taken five days. Over the course of the journey, Amori had seen Soul-Swimmer improve in the arts of swordsmanship, archery, and, to his surprise, destruction, which Ka-mala had been teaching her, at an amazing pace. On the first day, Amori could disarm and pin her with a short blade and while barely paying attention. The second day was much the same. On the third, however, Soul-Swimmer was able to put Amori on the defensive. On the fourth day, he was forced to use a longsword, and on the fifth, Soul-Swimmer was able to pin him. As for her improvements in archery, on the first day, she couldn't hit the bulls-eye on a straw target. Now, she could fell moving deer with a single shot. Amori smiled: she was amazing. His thoughts came to a halt, however, as they came to Chorrol. It's tall, stone walls were smashed in on themselves, crumbling and in ruins. Fires raged from the city's buildings, and the chapel of Akatosh had been utterly destroyed. Amori took a deep breath, and walked through the front gates. Seed-Neeus gasped when she saw the destruction: the burnt corpses littering the ground, and the houses that were mere husks of buildings. She had never seen such a display of death before. Amori grimaced: it was just like K'Vatch. "The night Mother is practically a Deadric Lord," he thought to himself, disgusted by the stench of burning bodies that hung heavily in the air. Suddenly, Seed-Neeus gasped: they had come to the ruins of Dar-Ma's house. She ran to the pile of rubble, and stopped suddenly as she reached a small shelter built from collapsed roof, a well, and a headstone. Amori walked over to her. "What's wrong?" he asked, worried, fearing the worst. Seed-Neeus' eyes were wide, and her face was pale. She pointed to a scrap of parchment on the headstone. Amori picked it up; it was a note.

Amori and Seed-Neeus:

Yes, I know you're alive. Yes, I know that you are in Chorrol. Yes, I know exactly where you are, how you got there, and why you came. I even know that you've been training that little excuse for an assassin, Amori. Yes, I know far more than you do, and now, I know something that I am going to share with you: I know where Dar-Ma and her family are. Do you want to know where they are? I bet you do. I'd bet my life that you do! Well, I'll tell you where they are: they're with me, and I have my blade trained on them. Five days, Amori. Meet me in five days, or they die. I know what you're thinking. You want to know where I am! I'm right, aren't I? Well, I'm not going to tell you. That would make things too easy. All I'll tell you is this: I am hiding where the dead will never rest, and where their leader fell to your blade. I hope you remember where that is, Amori! I hope you know where that is, or your little friends are all going to die! Five days, "Master", five days. I'll see you then, Amori.

Signed,

Kazaka

Amori trembled in rage as he finished the note, crumpling the parchment in his hands. Kazaka was alive?! How had he survived?! And worse, he was using Dar-Ma and her family as bait for him! Amori trembled in rage and anger, and dropped the crumpled piece of parchment to the ground. He had made a mistake when he left Kazaka's corpse in one piece. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

Yes, Kazaka is back from the dead. Only now, he's far more than normal. He has special abilities that are to be revealed later on! YAY SUPERPOWERS! Anyways, please review! I welcome all feedback, good or bad!

Bye the way, it turns out Dar-Ma is a sharpshooter. Who knew?

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

-Baeowulf

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