Elante of Alinor, a bigoted being even for an Altmer –her blatant racism issues obviously playing into part – her supercilious expression thoroughly examining them. Why couldn't she just tell them she didn't want their help and be done with it? Why was she delaying? With a wicked smile, Elante finally said something, her pretentious glare not withdrawn.
"I suppose you'll do." Her only words, full of malice and hatred for Dunmer kind, left Aderyn and Nardhil slightly on edge. What did she have planned?
With a quick rap to her leg, beckoning them follow like her own pair of privately owned pups, Elante scolded them for not sticking close. "This is a Daedric Shrine afterall," she said nonchalantly. Nardhil furiously glared at Elante, a small lick of flames trailing along her fingertips intended for intimidation. Elante scoffed and turned away. Aderyn motioned for Nardhil to calm.
Bitterly whispering, Nardhil cursed the racist Altmer, reluctantly following in tow. To keep her mind from escalating any further, the fury building inside already peaked, she focused on the cavern before them, her trained eyes taking in every detail. Aderyn did so as well while making sure to keep particular track of their client, Elante, her every movement made to prove some form of sophistication – the way she carried herself deliberately done so to show superiority. Her head held high she continued on.
Nardhil stopped, Aderyn doing so as well. He looked to her; worry ridden eyes knowing precisely why she had.
"Do you smell that?" Nardhil sniffed the air, a heavily tainted odor rising from the depths. Aderyn nodded, smelling it too. They weren't alone.
Elante threw her head back in anger. "Why, pray tell, have we stopped?" Nardhil thrust a finger to her lips, motioning the vociferous mer to do so as well. Aderyn noted a faint purple aura coat Nardhil's body, a life detect spell. Nardhil's face froze in shock. Curious as to what she saw, he cast the spell as well.
"Looks like you'll be needing us all the more," Aderyn audibly whispered. There had to be at least thirty or so life forms patrolling the depths, their auras slightly different than normal. "Daedra," he grumbled.
Elante's face exploded into a look of fear. "A-actual… d-d-daedra?" Her voice quavered.
"Is there something about this shrine you might want to tell us?" Aderyn walked up to her. With a shove, she pushed him back, resuming a calm, though slightly irritated, expression.
"Nothing more than you already know," she shouted.
"Quiet woman!" Nardhil hissed. Aderyn chuckled. 'Ironic.' "Do you want to draw every daedra to our position?"
Another shove prodded, Elante backed away from them. "I'll go on by myself if you two aren't willing to deal with a few pathetic scamps." She haughtily folded her arms.
"It's fine by me." Nardhil too folded her arms and turned around, ready to walk away.
"Nardhil." She turned around to see Aderyn slowly shaking his head.
"What?" Nardhil threw her hands up in frustration. "You heard her. She doesn't need our help. Or want it." After a moment she reluctantly agreed, grumbling the whole while.
Aderyn looked back to Elante. "Like it or not, we were signed up for this. So, it's our duty to protect you. Lead on." Aderyn motioned for her to continue. Elante inspected him; her harsh, judging tone almost seemed to shift, lessen even. With an urbane nod, she moved forward.
"Just to let you know," Elante quickly looked back to Aderyn, "there're more than just pathetic scamps, as you so carelessly put it, further in." He smiled at her, watching her face change from one of frustration and annoyance to one of caution and wariness. The familiar purple shimmer, now traveling the length of her body, sent a slight chuckle through Aderyn. At least her racism has somewhat subsided – somewhat.
--
The inner depths, much like the upper levels of Brittlerock Cave, contained more of the same rock walled caverns. The time spent traversing went from minutes, to a modest hour, and soon forming into what seemed endless hours of exploration yielding nothing except trouble. For unlike the upper levels, it also contained much more daedra. Already Aderyn and Nardhil left a steady trail of Scamps, Clannfears, Spider daedra, even an accursed Daedroth. With active Life Detect spells constantly renewed, more enemies remained, some even in humanoid form. This small fact left them worried. Not many daedra appear in humanoid form, especially not on the plane of Nirn.
Meanwhile, Elante constantly reached into her pocket, fidgeting with something unseen, her nervous expression betraying that she had told them everything. Following in suit, her gaze began to dart around, searching for something unknown to the others. And after an extended period of time of the foolishness, Nardhil pinned the paranoid mer to the nearby wall, her arms and legs securing Elante's in place.
"What do you know of this place? What, exactly, are you looking for?" Elante tried to struggle free of the stronger mer's hold.
"Get off of me you… AHHH." Elante screamed, only to be silenced by Aderyn's armored hand.
"No, I think it's time you gave us a little bit more information of Brittlerock. Now, I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth and you're going to answer, quietly. Right?" Elante nodded. Cautiously, Aderyn pulled away his hand, prepared to quiet her once more. Thankfully, she kept quiet. In fact, she kept so quiet she had not uttered another word, neither in self-defense nor in revealing knowledge of their surroundings.
"I grow tired of this," growled Nardhil, her hand raised ready to strike.
"Wait," Elante started, her nervous expression once more calmed. She took in a deep breath. "This is a shrine to Molag Bal – Daedric Prince of Domination and Slaving, otherwise known as the King of Rape, I know" she said quickly, noticing their disgusted faces. "I'm actually here on behalf of someone else."
"Who? And why Molag Bal? Why not one of the other, lesser evil Princes… if there is such a thing?" Nardhil loosened her hold, but prepared to force Elante back up once more.
"Look, it is personal – and entirely my fault." Elante's voice, laden with grief, drooped as her eyes fell to rest on the floor, full of sorrow and remorse. Nardhil let her drop completely, tears now freely flowing down her cheeks.
Aderyn's eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping of the hidden object in her pocket. "What's in there?"
Taking in another deep breath, Elante slowly reached in, pulling out a small black gem, dimly glowing with stored energy. Aderyn gasped. She nodded and whispered, "Yes, a filled black soul gem."
Aderyn searched her eyes for some sort of confirmation that she was good. A faint glint, amidst a terrible darkness her eyes revealed, showed through. "What have you done?"
"I was only trying to release my sister's soul from his plane. I went to his statue and he told me to visit this place. He said to come with a filled black soul gem. I-I had to."
"So, taking another's soul to relieve your sister's from His demented plane is what you consider righteous in His eyes?" Aderyn hissed, drawing his broadsword.
"It's not like that." Elante's tears came on stronger. "No, wait!" she cried, Aderyn's sword now pulled back, ready to relieve her of what she stole. Though, it wasn't Elante's cry that stayed his hand, it was Nardhil's soft-spoken voice. Perhaps the gods used her to do so, but Nardhil laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Aderyn," she said, her voice calm yet authoritative. Gentleness, too, swept through Aderyn. Relaxing his grip on the sword, and his heavy breathing slowing to a now tranquil pace, he sheathed the blade.
"Whose life have you condemned for the life of your sister?" Aderyn gazed towards the ceiling, silently asking for forgiveness from the gods for an unjustifiable act he nearly committed.
"A foolish assassin's. He was following my sister, Varulae…" Aderyn cut off her words.
"Varulae? She is your sister?" Aderyn further berated himself for his own foolishness. How could he have been so blind? Her snobbishness wasn't racism, but the average snooty mage glare. He knew he had recognized it from somewhere. And it should have occured to him when she said her sister was once a follower of darker ways.
"You know her?" Aderyn nodded.
"I'll help you free your sister. Tell me, what had Molag Bal wanted you to do here?"
