Author's Note: This chapter is the longest chapter yet, more than twice as long as the average chapter. However, cutting it in half would not have had good results in my opinion, so I left it at this length. It is fitting, as it is a major point in the story. Do enjoy and please review. I do hope to update this story soon as well. Working on next chapter now.

Chapter 22: To Kill a God…

Siena stepped out into the sunlight through the same upper-story door from which she had entered Dumag's shop, deciding not to lose her orientation by taking one of the other doors. Back in the plaza, and the public eye, she subconsciously grasped at the left shoulder of the dress, since it currently had the greatest tendency to slip down her arm. Thank Almalexia I won't have to wear this for very long, she thought, which reminded her of something she needed to shop for; a larger pack.

Since The Choosy Beggar sign sported a moon and stars (a universal sign of a tavern apparently) she decided to try the shop with the portico, and headed to her left. When she could finally see the sign, she snickered at the name.

"Common Treasures, an oxymoron that is likely lost on these folks," she muttered to herself, entering anyways. She found the shop to look very reminiscent of a pawnshop, with wine racks on the walls and barrels of random things, cabinets here and there and shelves with quills, pictures, rolling pins and pottery behind the desk. Also behind that desk was a Dunmeri woman with sunken cheeks and brown hair wearing a light purple version of the dress Siena was trying to ensure stayed on her body.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked as Siena approached, her face devoid of any pleasantry. In fact, she looked almost annoyed by Siena's presence. "Something you need? So many things to need." The way she said that last statement confirmed to Siena that this woman was somehow aggravated by something.

"Actually, yes," Siena replied coolly, deciding to ignore the woman's emotional state and get on with business. "I need a larger pack. This thing," she unbuckled the belt pack and put it on the table, "isn't cutting it. Got anything bigger?"

"Yes, I do. A Knight of the Thorn came by here recently, and he had a pack he didn't need anymore." The Dunmer woman moved away from the desk towards one of the cabinets. When she returned, she had a belt pack in her hands that was considerably larger than the one Siena had found. The Dunmer placed it on the table, still holding the straps.

"Might I try it on?" Siena asked, prompting the woman to abruptly slide the pack across with displeasure. Siena decided to ignore this, slinging the pack around her waist and buckling it up.

The pack was noticeably wider and deeper than the pouch-belt she had found, and when she adjusted it, she could get the entire storage section to rest comfortably on her lower back. She began to fiddle with the pockets behind her, feeling around and undoing buttons and buckles. She was pleased to find most of the smaller pockets easy to access from that angle, though the main pocket was cumbersome to handle. There was also a weapon strap and several straps for potions or small daggers. Quickly shaking her hips and not caring about how this all might look to the fellow Dunmer, who was likely insane anyways, she smiled at the soft sounds of the pack. It wasn't loud and obnoxious, nor did it shift much when she moved.

"It's perfect!" Siena exclaimed, undoing the clasp on her old pack. "How much?"

"25 gold," responded the woman with an inappropriate lack of enthusiasm. Siena cringed; that was a good chunk of what little gold she had gotten from the Grummites and hadn't used at Sickly Bernice's. But if getting out of the Isles after getting her revenge on Sheogorath became arduous, she might need the additional space for items she might find that could save her hide later. Reluctantly, she handed over the gold and proceeded to remove her stuff from the old pack, under the watchful eye of the shopkeeper.

As Siena placed things in her new pack, she got more uneasy with every item. The Dunmeri woman's eyes watched the process with a near predatory hunger, as if every item removed from the pack she was about to receive was a meal lost to her. Siena placed her remaining gold into the new pack and pushed the old belt in front of her.

"Ten gold," She said simply, in a voice that was quite obviously unwilling to compromise. The woman briefly bit her lip, staring at the old belt.

"So many things to need…" The woman whispered, before snatching the pack and slamming ten gold on the table, turning away and coddling the pack. Siena simply took the gold and headed for the door.

"If you find any interesting things, let me know!" The woman hollered after her, still clutching the pack. Siena didn't respond.

When she was outside again, she found that the sun was still high, and she still had time to burn before her equipment was finished at either smith. Directly below the portico of Common Treasures was a staircase leading to the right down a path whose destination she didn't know. Hey, I got time to explore.

As she headed down the path, she saw an elf in a long sleeved light blue shirt, one of the strangest shirts she had ever seen as it had multiple folds in the sleeves resulting in a multi-layered, frilly look. However, stranger still was the woman's actions; she threw bright purple balls into the air, tossing them between her hands. Siena had never seen such a thing before, and stood there as the elf carried on her act, the only spectator.

Deeming herself finished, the woman caught all three balls and held her arms out at her sides, lowering herself on one knee in a sort of bow. Only then did she notice Siena.

"Did you see my last performance?" She asked eagerly, and Siena nodded. "Did you like it?" Siena smiled and nodded again. "I'm Thaedil, the juggler. I'm sure you've heard of me." Before Siena could say otherwise, Thaedil's face fell and she took on a whiny, depressed tone.

"Oh, who am I kidding? More likely you came to scoff at the worst juggler in the world," Thaedil groaned, and Siena frowned.

"No, it was good," Siena responded, trying hard to restore a smile. "There are no… jugglers, where I come from. I've never seen such an act before, and I thought it was neat. You should keep it up."

"You think so?" Thaedil's face lit up at this, and Siena nodded. "But what if others laugh at me?" Again her face fell. Can she stay happy for longer than a minute? Siena wondered, starting to get annoyed again by the insanity of the people around her.

"You're a juggler, just juggle something into their face," she suggested. "Now, go perform in the plaza and show off your skills, Thaedil."

"That's a good idea!" Thaedil grinned. "Thank you! I will, and I hope we meet again."

As Thaedil ran off to show her little act to the rest of Bliss, Siena continued down the street, looking for something interesting to do that wouldn't annoy her. She got the feeling that would be a hard requirement to meet around here. However, there was hope when she got past the long wall of The Missing Pauldron, as there was another shop sign, 'Books of Bliss'. That might make for an enjoyable time-waster, she thought, heading for the door.

The inside of the bookstore was not very lavish, with a front counter across from the door, sporting one of those statues of Sheogorath that every building seemed to have. Directly to her left was a staircase leading up, likely to the shopkeeper's quarters. The shopkeeper was an Altmeri woman behind the counter, wearing a dress just like Siena's; only it was a bright, lime green. Apparently this style of dress was rather popular. The woman was wearing makeup and dark red lipstick, and had pulled the neckline of her dress a little further down than owner of Common Treasures had, revealing a lot more cleavage.

"New around here?" The Altmer asked swiftly, before Siena had even opened her mouth. Her eyes roamed Siena's form with disdain. "Well we can start off by getting one thing straight. The men around here are mine. You want fresh pickings, go out and scrounge up some leftovers in a settlement or something." She waved her hand as if to dismiss the Dunmer, and Siena glared at the provocatively dressed elf.

"Listen, hussy," Siena snapped quickly, balling her fists. "I came in here to read a few books, maybe even buy one, not get told who I could or couldn't sleep with. I don't want the lunatics around here, and even if I did I'd like to see you try and stop me." Siena stuck out her chin at the woman, folding her arms. "I'm just here to do some reading; you can keep your precious men."

"Oh, well then," the elf looked at the books on the counter. "If you are looking for a good book, I bet I have just what you need. Please, peruse the shelves," she motioned to the series of stone bookshelves to Siena's left, parallel to the staircase. Siena smirked, jutting out her hip with sass, and subtly readjusting the slipping left shoulder of her dress.

"That's more like it."

Siena had found one book that interested her during the several hours she spent at the bookstore, awaiting her new weapons and gauntlets. The Shivering Bestiary, it was called, and it made for an enlightening read.

Apparently, the Baliwog mentioned by the Mazken was something like the Grummites, but four-legged. She might have seen something like it before, when she had first fought a Grummite before she knew what it was; she couldn't remember though, and if it had been a Baliwog she was glad it was already dead.

She didn't know what an Elytra was, but it sounded like one big, nasty bug, capable of blocking weapons and, most annoyingly, arrows. If she did encounter one, she'd have to be weary of that sting and the venom it held, since it supposedly lasted hours untreated.

The next creature mentioned, the Flesh Atronach, reminded Siena instantly of both the Gatekeeper and Bonewalkers from her homeland. She had visibly shuddered while reading that excerpt, earning her a curious eye from the bookseller, Sontaire as she had heard the woman called by the men that had come into the shop. She took note that the Flesh Atronachs were weak to shock magic, but otherwise preferred to note how Sontaire was bold and flirtatious towards the man across the counter, leaning just so over the edge so he could practically get a view equivalent to if she was naked. It cleared her mind of thoughts of the undead, so she could continue on a less disgusted note.

That's what a Gnarl is! That tree that tried to kill me! She realized as she read the next entry in the Bestiary, delighted to figure out what creature held more Amber. She was also pleased to discover how to kill it easier than hacking at its head with a knife, though that would require more spells than just her fireballs. Perhaps she would have to visit that magic shop in Crucible sometime.

The other entries included Grummites, some powerful beast called a Scalon, Hungers (which she already knew enough about from her homeland), and more types of undead. She ignored the undead entries and took note of the Grummites being able to regenerate themselves underwater and in rain; she'd have to keep that in mind when on the road, lest she start a fight at a very bad time.

"It's time for you to go," Sontaire's voice interrupted her reading, making Siena look up from the book. The Altmer was fiddling with her collar, as if she was eager to rid her body of the cloth. "Have things to see and people to do."

Siena set the book back on the shelf, looking at the Nordic man over by the counter. Apparently, it was time for her to leave these two alone. Without a word, she vacated the premises, allowing them to do whatever they pleased.

The sun was just setting now; she must have spent more time reading than she had thought. However, it was perfect, as now everything was likely to be finished at both smiths. Siena headed straight for Dumag's shop, which conveniently had a door near Books of Bliss.

"Welcome back, dear!" Dumag cried out from the forge when Siena entered, causing her to smile. He had to be the most cordial citizen of the Realm she had met so far. "I was worried you might have forgotten about me," the Orc pouted, and Siena laughed.

"You are a hard one to forget, Dumag," she assured him. "Everything finished?"

"Oh, yes, yes. The chainmail is like you just had it linked, and your Amber gauntlets are like embers trapped in glass." Dumag handed over a folded chainmail cuirass and two gauntlets to Siena, waving her into the hallway that led to his room. "Now, go try it all on. I'm dying to know what you think!"

Siena obliged the Orc, all too eager to remove the oversized dress. The chainmail was perfectly repaired, with not a trace of the previous hole to be found. Siena was pleased to have the cool metal back on her body again, though she would need to find a good undershirt sometime. The belt pack fit over the cuirass like they were made for each other, and finally Siena inspected the gauntlets.

The core of the gauntlet was a leather glove that came a little past her wrist, and fit her like a second skin. Attached to the leather at the back of the hand were two plates of Amber, one overlapping the other. Siena was pleased to find that the curvature of the plates allowed her to bend her wrist back almost completely. Attached to the cuff of the glove were two plates of Amber on either side of her arm, the outer arm plate reaching to nearly her elbow while the inner plate went half as far. Like the plates on the back of the hand, these were curved, which aided in allowing her to bend and roll her wrist.

There was only one problem with the gauntlets; they were extremely reflective and deep, vibrant orange. That could be a problem when trying to remain hidden. To test it, Siena went to the dark corner of the hallway, looking at the gauntlets again. The color had darkened, as they were slightly transparent, but it was still rather bright for the shadows and a tad bit reflective. Siena hated having to bring him down, but she'd have to see what he could do about that. Leaving the dress on his bed, Siena returned to the forge to find a grinning, eager Orc.

"So, what do you think?"

"I like them," Siena replied honestly, looking at the gloves on her hands. They did fit her very well. Best fitting gloves she'd ever worn, in fact. "But I was wondering, is there a way to dull their shine? It's not that I don't like it," she immediately explained as she watched Dumag's face droop. "But I'm a stealthy sort of person, see, and they are a bit too shiny for hiding in the shadows."

"Oh, I see," Dumag sighed, heading over to the crates. "Well, if you insist sweetheart, I can make the surface a bit rougher for you, and that might do it."

"Alright, sounds good." Siena held out her hands as Dumag took rough paper to the Amber plates, rubbing them gently. When he was finished, and had blown off the last of the dust, they still caught the firelight, but were much less flashy. "Thank you."

"See, I am the Master Smith of New Sheoth, don't bother with that other smith in town," Dumag proclaimed, and Siena grinned. "Give Dumag a hug before you go, dear." Siena complied, feeling less awkward about doing so now that he had become a bit more of a friend. "A happy customer is a returning customer. Come back whenever you need something, dear."

"I'll be sure to, Dumag." Siena replied with a smile before heading out to get her new bow from Cutter.

When she arrived at Cutter's Weapons, Cutter was working on something in the forge and didn't see her come in. Siena noticed as she approached that there was a bow sitting on the table near the forge.

"Do you enjoy it?" Cutter asked softly in between blows to a piece of hot metal. Siena was caught off guard, unaware Cutter had noticed her.

"Enjoy what?"

"Cutting my heart," the Bosmeri blacksmith continued, not looking at Siena. "Why visit that other smith?" Cutter turned to Siena now, and she could see tears welling in the woman's eyes. Siena was as surprised by Cutter crying as she was with Dumag, and Relmyna.

"You're better with weapons and he's-" she began but Cutter cut her off by pointing her hammer at the table.

"Your Madness bow is on the table along with thirty steel arrows," she said dully, eyes staring beyond the bow even though she was looking at it. "Think of me when you send those arrows to bite into your foe," she added with a whisper, before returning abruptly to her work.

Siena felt crestfallen; she may not have particularly liked Cutter, but the woman just seemed so… depressed. And it was all because she wandered in here with Amber gauntlets on her arms. Should've taken the damn things off first, she snapped to herself, slinging the quiver of steel arrows onto her back before inspecting her brand new bow.

The bow was a fine piece of craftsmanship, nearly as long as she was tall, and etched with intricate swirling patterns of gold weaving across the dark grey surface. She was a bit unsettled by the fact that many of the patterns created eyes on the bow, but she'd get over it. At various parts the swirls came out of the bow shaft, creating wicked looking spikes on the bow. Even the handle had spikes pointing forward, towards her future targets.

The overall structure of the bow, she noticed, was completely symmetrical. This was wonderful, since having no discernable top or bottom meant that she could fire it upside down and it would still not feel awkward. She was also delighted that the bow, despite being rather thick at the base, felt as light as iron or steel bows and had similar draw strength. While she missed the powerful, incredibly light chitin bows of her homeland, this Madness bow would serve her nicely.

"Thank you for the bow. It's perfect."

"Come back if your blades ever need sharpening," Cutter stated softly, turning to Siena only briefly. She got the feeling that was the best she would get out of Cutter, so left the shop and went back into the night, bow slung over her shoulders.

Now Siena was at a crossroads. She could go see Sheogorath now, at night, not sure if he would even be there; or where he would be if he wasn't in the Palace. Or she could wait until the morning, rest up and eat, and get revenge on that insane Daedric Prince tomorrow. As she was debating, her stomach growled at her, putting in its vote.

"Very well, food and sleep it is." However, Siena was in no mood to deal with the deplorable rubbish Sickly Bernice had given her. So instead, she headed back to Bliss, seeking out The Choosy Beggar to see how choosy the beggar was on the quality of its food and bedding.

When she arrived at The Choosy Beggar, she found the entry hall to be rather small, with a staircase leading up and an archway leading to the bigger dinning area. An Argonian male dressed in brown trousers and a knee length tunic with a pale blue vest was standing nearby, looking at her with suspicion as he leaned on the railing of the staircase.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you had a room available," Siena inquired as she approached, and the Argonian narrowed his eyes.

"You want to stay here for a night, eh?" He seemed doubtful of her intentions, crossing his arms. "Just for sleeping… you keep to yourself, mind your business," his voice began to deepen, becoming stern and possessive, "and stay away from my wife."

"Ookay then…" Siena backed away slightly.

"The room is 20 gold for the night. You want to stay or not?" He abruptly questioned, holding out a hand for the gold. Siena frowned, reaching back for the small pocket that held her money. This place wouldn't leave her with much left, but she needed food and a decent place to sleep. Sighing in defeat, she placed the gold in his waiting hand, his other one producing the key. "Good. The room is on the second floor, right across from the stairs. Sleep soundly." Siena took the key gratefully.

"Can I get a meal first, with what I have left over?" Siena asked, holding out the rest of her coins. The Argonian peered at the money before nodding.

"I've got my eye on you, though. Just keep your eyes on the menu, and off of Sheer Meedish," He told her, taking that possessive tone again. Siena wondered whether or not he realized she was not only a woman, but an elf, so very unlikely to be attracted to female Argonians. Nevertheless she agreed and headed into the other room to sit down at one of the tables, the innkeeper bringing out a plate.

"Buy us a drink!" shouted an Argonian female from across the room. Siena ignored her, though the look the innkeeper gave the female suggested that was Sheer Meedish, the wife she was supposed to avoid. Siena shifted her gaze to the plate instead.

Sadly, this meal looked no better than Sickly Bernice's. The majority of the plate was taken up by a large, clawed leg of meat with green skin, and there was an assortment of strange vegetables she'd never seen before. The leg of meat was smoked, and smelled good, but Siena's eyes disagreed with her nostrils. However, her stomach overruled both and she ate anyways. Meal finished, she went upstairs to recuperate.

The room was a long rectangle with benches on one side, cupboards on the other, and a bed at the far end. The furniture all resembled Dumag's; the style was quite popular around New Sheoth, it seemed. Not really caring, Siena locked the door and undressed, happy just to see a clean, soft bed.

Siena had slept well that night, with no nightmares plaguing her. Well rested and in a better mood than she'd ever been since entering this wretched Realm, she prepared to face the day, and Sheogorath.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Siena," a voice behind her said as she unlocked the door to her room. She recognized it as Belmyne's voice, but didn't turn to look at him. "You should wait for a better opening."

"Belmyne," Siena sighed, opening the door. "Shut up." She wasn't going to back down now, she had to get her revenge and this was a chance. She was going to take every chance she could get.

Getting directions to the Palace was a bit more complicated than it really should have been, since the Aureal guard wasn't really keen on answering any questions. Finally getting a finger pointing to a staircase near The Choosy Beggar, she felt a twinge of embarrassment and headed for Sheogorath's Palace. It was a pretty tall set of stairs, and led to a platform that overlooked Bliss, a tree full of bright orange leaves hanging over it. Siena walked around the branches, past another annoyed Aureal, and reached a rather small, inconspicuous wooden door.

Through the door, she found herself in a cloister, a courtyard surrounded by columned, covered walkways. The courtyard itself was divided into two halves, one more colorful than the other; obviously representing Mania and Dementia. However, one large feature that didn't seem fitting was the crystal obelisk standing in each of the courtyards, surrounded by smaller spires of dark grey crystal. They were even blander and more colorless than the scenery of Dementia, a feat Siena had until now thought impossible. Moving away from the strange crystals, she headed to the open walkway dividing the two courtyards, and turned to face the Palace.

Two giant platforms of stone, accessible by stairs, stood between her and the Palace, and from here, with the sun burning the sky behind it, the building looked similar to how Siena had always imagined the Temple of the One in the Imperial City to look. Styled like the cathedrals to the Nine, there were essentially three cathedrals side by side, the outer two jutting out ahead of the middle one, and all connected by perpendicular halls running between them. Buttresses ran along the sides of the building like insect legs, and long, thin windows broke the monotony of stone. On the corners of the platforms before her were braziers, alight with fire. To her left orange, natural flame and to her right the braziers burned a magical blue, like the serpent torches she'd seen when entering Crucible.

She ascended the steps, noting that the cloister had a second floor and completely enclosed the Palace. When she had reached the top, she found doors leading to the side cathedrals, and two doors to the central building on either side of the invisible Mania/Dementia divide, each guarded by one of the land's guards. Siena took the Dementia door, just to avoid another snide remark from a Golden Saint.

When she entered the building, Siena found herself in an arcaded aisle, looking into a nave. The nave extended above the columned arches and sported clerestory windows that let soft blue light into the room. The main lighting of the room came from braziers, however, which stood on either side of the nave in a series of four. They were divided by stairs leading from the aisle to the nave, so that three were near the throne and one on the far end. The braziers on both sides continued the previous color scheme; red orange fire on the left, soft blue on the right. Even the carpet and the seat of the throne itself followed the pattern, with the left half being orange and the right being a dark blue-green.

On either side of the throne was another brazier, and behind it, a large tree with luminescent orange and blue fungus according to the motif. Roots of the tree spread past the throne, reaching out to the nave. The throne itself was two to three times taller than the man that sat in it, and had three sculpted horns on either side pointing towards the ceiling.

Siena moved behind one of the pillars farthest from the throne, taking up her bow and knocking an arrow, inhaling deeply. When she turned around, she leveled her arrow at the man on the throne. While from afar she couldn't see details, she knew it wasn't Haskill; he was standing nearby. The man wore a purple shirt and brown pants, and had a cane across his legs, looking comfortable. It was similar enough to descriptions of Sheogorath she could recall. This is it.

The arrow whizzed through the air towards the throne, piercing into Sheogorath's chest perfectly. But he gave no cry of pain, or alarm, or even anger, and just rose from the throne, arrow throbbing with the beat of his Daedric heart.

Siena snarled, leaping over the small wall dividing the nave and the aisle and drawing Belmyne's dagger from her boot in midair. When she landed, she tossed the bow to the side and charged at the Prince, who watched her with amusement as the arrow turned to dust.

"Ya really shouldn't uve done that!" Sheogorath proclaimed in a deep brogue, before rapping the end of his cane on the floor. Sparks shot out from the impact, careening towards the braziers.

Siena was only half-way to the Daedric Prince when the flames leaped from their bowls, serpents of red and blue fire coiling around her body in short time. The last sight Siena saw was the mismatched golden and blue eyes of Sheogorath as he smiled at her.

"Enjoy the view," he stated in a hushed tone, and the fires entombed Siena. Only a moment later the roaring flames became a flurry of feathers and wings, as red and blue birds chattered and chirped around her in frenzy before flying off. The birds left her with clear blue sky above, and hazy orange below. Unsure exactly where she was, Siena looked around for a moment, before getting the sensation that she might be falling.

Looking down, Siena screamed as she found herself plummeting towards trees and a stone altar upon a hill. Every breath became a curse screamed at Sheogorath with every second that she plummeted, ruing the day she stepped into his horrid realm.