Thanks for the reviews! I'm sorry to say that I've already written about 70 of the story, and it follows pretty much exactly to the Dark Brotherhood storyline. There will be some variations at the end, however. I understand if you find that boring- but I'm trying my best to keep it interesting. I have ideas for several Oblivion fanfics that will be entirely (well, at least I hope so!) original after I have finished this one, so keep a lookout for those if you're interested! Well, on with the next chapter Hope you enjoy.
I left the Inn without being seen- the barman was asleep behind the counter. I walked blissfully down the road, back to the Faregyl Inn, entering silently. When I was back in my room, I sat down in the chair, my lips turned up in the corners, eyes gleaming, feeling more fulfilled than I ever had in my life.
It took awhile for my exhilaration to ebb away, but a couple of hours later all my sleepless days and nights caught up with me, and I fell on the bed, barely pulling the blankets over myself before falling into a deep sleep. However, I was awoken minutes later by a slightly familiar chill in the air. I still leapt of the mattress, but I wasn't as surprised when I saw the dark robed man at the foot of my bed.
"So, the deed is done. How do I know this? You will find that the Dark Brotherhood knows a great many things. For you are now part of the family," Lucien Lachance said, eyes gleaming.
I wasn't really sure how to respond to this, so I just returned his gaze, prompting him to continue. His lips twitched in the corners, and he spoke again.
"Now, heed these words. The slaying of Rufio was the signing of a covenant. The manner of execution, your signature. Rufio's blood, the ink. As a Speaker for the Black Hand, I directly oversee a particular group of family members. You will join that group, and fulfill any contracts given. You must now go to the city of Cheydinhal, to the abandoned house near the eastern wall. Enter the basement, and attempt to open the black door. You will be asked a question. Answer thusly: 'Sanguine, my Brother'. You will gain entrance to the Sanctuary. Once inside, speak with Ocheeva. You are now one with the Dark Brotherhood. Visit Ocheeva, and your new life will begin."
I understood most of what he had said, but there was one thing that he said that confused me.
"A covenant?" I asked.
Lachance gave me an appraising look, as though deciding how to answer me.
"Know this. Every dark brother and sister is a child of Sithis. He whom we call Sithis has many other names. Chaos. Doom. Discord. Sithis is the Void. We of the Dark Brotherhood serve the Night Mother, who is the bride of Sithis." His tone was a loving caress as he spoke of his dark matrons.
"Sithis?" I said, thirsty for more knowledge.
"How does one best describe our Dread Father?" he said ponderingly for a brief pause. Then, with a cloudy, far away gaze, he continued in a low voice.
"Imagine a perfect, cloudless midnight, cold as winter ice and shrouded in shadow. That is Sithis."
I took in a sharp intake of breath, recalling what I had felt about this very night. Lachance had been right- we were like-minded individuals. If the other family members were like this, I had a feeling that I would be right at home. I smiled to myself, and glanced up to see Lucien staring at me, looking almost pleased with my reaction.
"I'm afraid that we must now take our leave of each other, you and I, for there is much work to be done. I'll be following your…progress. Welcome to the family." Lachance lips twitched in the corners (which I now figured was a smile), his dark eyes sparkling. My heart skipped a beat and I felt short of breath; but then he was gone, vanished into thin air again.
I let out a deep sigh and fell back onto the bed. Lying there with my arms crossed behind my head, I had another genuinely content smile on my face- it had been a long time since I had done that. I was part of the Dark Brotherhood. I had a family.
I arrived in Cheydinhal after a two day journey, in which I didn't run into much trouble. It was a pleasant trip, the days sunny and the roads clear of enemies. I had never been to Cheydinhal before, and upon arrival I found it to be a quite irritating place, with a lot of smiling rich people, walking around and enjoying the sights.
Nobody seemed to have a care in the world. All they talked about was how a traveling champion had landed one 'Ulrich Leland' in jail for overcharging on fines, and now everyone was perfectly happy. It was infuriating. The buildings in Cheydinhal were of stone and wood, with an upper layer of white, and the roofs all a pleasant purple, tall and spiraling, As I entered the town through the West Gate, I started to walk it's roads, the carefree atmosphere etched into the air around me. The tall buildings gave the illusion of walking through a canyon; they almost felt restricting as they towered around me, wherever I went. It made me feel like someone was always watching me, and I didn't like it.
A scowl plastered on my face, I crossed a bridge and went along the path, searching for an abandoned looking building. The town was rather wealthy and well-kept, so I felt that an abandoned house would stick out. I was starting to get discouraged as the path looped around the church, but just as I began to wonder if I had missed it, I saw the house.
A broken wall and boarded windows were the first indication; broken off stones and planks of wood scattered the front lawn, leading up to a boarded up door. It was twilight, so most of the townspeople were heading to bed by now. Checking around the area, there was only one person present- a guard, standing outside of a home in the square. I stood by the doors of the church, watching him for a couple of minutes. He didn't move. I supposed he must have been posted as a sentry, because most guards had schedules and routes they were tasked to walk. I decided that I would have to try to enter the house without him seeing me.
Striding across the square at what I hoped to be a leisurely, carefree gait, I saluted him as I walked by and started to head further down the road. When he turned back towards the church as its door opened I leapt into action, sprinting silently toward the Abandoned House. When I reached the door I found it was locked, and cursed under my breath. However, I had a stroke of luck; an Altmer leaving the church had distracted him with the talk of the town. I quickly started my work on the lock, rotating the picks just so, the guard's and Altmer's voices sounded strangely muted in my concentration.
"Anyone looking for work should consider the Fighter's Guild. I hear they're always looking for recruits."
Ah ha! I heard the sliding of the lock and I opened the door, slipping in noiselessly. The interior of the house was as rundown as the outside. I drew my dagger, just in case, and searched the upstairs of the house, not finding anything, including the door I was supposed to talk to. Slightly confused, I head back downstairs. Looking more thoroughly, I noticed a door on my left. Opening it, I saw a flight of stairs heading down into darkness, so I pulled out a torch and descended the flight of stairs carefully. There was a gaping hole in the wall straight across from the stairway, and I headed through it cautiously, following a narrow path around the corner. I looked down the passageway, and saw it was bathed in a red light.
At the bottom of the path there was a door; an ancient door with a mural painted upon it, depicting a large skull with a glowing red hand in the center of it, and a woman holding a smaller being, threatening a line of praising figures with a long, razor-like knife. As I walked up to it, staring in fascination, a deep voice posed a question.
"What is the color of night?" it drawled out, in a raspy voice.
"Sanguine, my brother," I said, my voicing wavering only a little.
"Welcome home" it responded slowly. And the door creaked open slowly, showing another short red glowing passage, and at the end, an Argonian. I walked toward the figure dressed in a suit of black leather, trying to keep my step confident but wary. As I drew closer, the Argonian walked briskly toward me.
"Greetings! Greetings! I am Ocheeva, mistress of this Sanctuary. Lucien has told me all about you." I felt myself blush slightly, wondering what he had said. Ocheeva smiled warmly at me. She had a common Argonian face of green and streaks of red under her eyes. She had some random things hanging from her ears, like curtains or something.
"Let me welcome you to the Dark Brotherhood! It is always a pleasure to welcome another Dark Sister into our ranks! Truly, the Night Mother smiles upon her trusted daughters! You stand now in our Sanctuary. May it serve as your new home, a place of comfort and security whenever the need arises. When you're ready for work, go and speak with Vicente Valtieri. He handles all assignments for new family members. But before you go, please accept this gift from your new family. A unique set of armor, lighter than normal leather and black as the Void," she said, handing me a folded pair of black leather armor which I noticed was like hers. As I was examining it, she continued.
"But I've kept you long enough. Vicente is waiting. You'll find him in his quarters. Go now, dear family member, and may the Night mother wrap you in her cold, loving embrace."
I nodded to her, and she smiled again and walked away. I looked around the sanctuary. It was a large room, with two rows of thick pillars almost creating hallways. Lanterns hung from the ceiling in the center row, creating shadows along the walls. Red carpets were placed in a way that seemed an attempt at making the place homier. As I walked down the lantern filled center row, several others clad in the dark armor came up to me, with various greetings and hand-shaking. I was quite overwhelmed, but smiled and said that I was told to speak to Valtieri. They all let me go with apologies, and I headed onward. As I headed down some stairs I saw a Khajiit in blue robes. He scowled at me as I passed by, and I was rather surprised, comparing that to the others reactions. But I didn't think about it for long, as I reached the two thick doors that led to Vicente Valtieri's room.
I entered to the room and was alarmed by the appearance of a man standing to the left of me. He was wearing all black, but it wasn't the standard armor I saw on the others. His eyebrows were white, but he had a black long ponytail. The most unnerving thing about him was his red eyes and his extremely gaunt face. His cheeks were so far sunken in that his mouth seemed to be sticking out, like a beak of some sorts.
"Ah, here you are. So good to finally meet you." He said. Why was everyone acting like they all had heard a lot about me?
"Warmest greetings to you. I trust you've already spoken with Ocheeva? I am Vicente Valtieri. I provide assignments for all new family members. Please do not let my appearance…unnerve you. The needs and tenets of the Dark Brotherhood come before my own needs as a vampire." My eyes widened and my mouth opened slightly. Oh. So that explains it. He seemed used to my reaction, and unfazed by it.
"Now if you're ready to get to work, I can provide you with your first contract."
Already? I thought to myself; well, bring it on!
"I am ready," I said.
"A contract is a secret pact one enters into with the Dark Brotherhood. They provide us with gold, and we remove someone from existence. A contract is fulfilled by a skilled assassin, such as yourself, who keeps the Dark Brotherhood's end of the bargain. So it has always been. While carrying out the contract, you may have the opportunity to earn a bonus if certain parameters are met. Now, let's begin, shall we?" I nodded vigorously, totally captivated by his eloquence of speech.
"I'm not sure how you feel about pirates, but you've got to kill one. A captain, in fact. On his ship. Surrounded by his crew. Interested?"
"Yes, I'll accept the contract," I replied, eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Excellent. Here is what you must do. Go to the Waterfront District of the Imperial City. There you will find a ship named the Marie Elena. Board the ship and find its captain, Gaston Tussaud. He'll be in his cabin. Eliminate Tussad in any manner you see fit. The pirates have been moving a lot of cargo onboard lately. You may be able to smuggle yourself onboard in one of the packing crates. Oh, and one more thing. Get into the habit of asking your fellow family members about any current contract. Their insight may prove invaluable. Take care," he said abruptly, and he strode from the room, closing the door behind him.
Rather stunned by his sudden departure, I turned and looked at the closed door. I was being paid to kill someone. I was being paid to do something that I enjoyed, something I genuinely enjoyed. This was the first time in my life that had happened. I smiled, and thought to myself, I'm gonna fit in just fine here.