Brynjolf,
I'm in. Tell me where you need me to go, and what I need to do. I'll be in Dragonsreach, with my wife.
Say hello to the rest of the Guild for me.
"I'm sorry, where did you say we're going?" Irileth asked, eyes a little wide with surprise.
Runael tugged at the sleeve of her robes, then looked up at the Dunmer. "To investigate this lich you told me about."
"And if the lich is there?"
Runael wordlessly gestured to the staff Irileth hadn't yet asked about. "I have that."
The Dunmer furrowed her brow. "I've been wanting to ask, but didn't know when the right time was... what, exactly, is that staff? It's unlike any I've ever-"
"The Staff of Magnus. I took it from Labyrinthian, when I visited. With that, I can drain magicka from any target I choose... and when they run out of magicka, I drain their life instead."
The Housecarl of Whiterun blinked several times. "It sounds... malevolent."
"Now imagine it in the hands of a Dragon Priest. That's malevolence. In my hands, it's far more benevolent." Runael pulled her hood up, and picked up the Staff. "Of course, you know where the lich is located. You can lead me there... and when we're there, we'll deal with the matter together."
"But... you have the College to-"
The Arch-Mage chuckled. "Tolfdir has proven more than capable of running it in my absence. He did so shortly after I returned to the Embassy to deliver my... letter of resignation. He continued to do so when I visited Whiterun, and then Windhelm."
The Dunmer sighed heavily. "You're probably the most carefree Arch-Mage the College has ever had," she murmured.
"No doubt, but perhaps it's better that way. Can you imagine me cooped up in the College for months on end?" Runael definitely appeared to be in good spirits, despite the dangers associated with the task she was about to undertake.
"No, I can't. It may be that which confuses me most... how did you end up as Arch-Mage?" Irileth began to begrudgingly prepare herself for the journey she was, more or less, being dragged along on.
"The Psijic Order seemed to think I was the best candidate, and Tolfdir - who, in my eyes, was the stronger pick - agreed with them. I've since begun doing the best I can to lead the College. Beginning to take the steps toward removing the lich you made it sound as though you dealt with... I'd say that's acting in the College's best interests. Said lich has already been an issue in the past." Runael walked toward the door of the Arch-Mage's Quarters, ready to open it and head down the stairs.
Irileth sighed once more, then started toward the door herself. "When Jarl Balgruuf and I found the lich, he was in a cave south of Nightgate Inn. If we're going to learn anything, our best bet is to stop at the Nightgate Inn for the night, then investigate. If the lich isn't there, then maybe a clue as to his whereabouts will be."
Runael nodded, and opened the door. "The Nightgate Inn... I've been there once or twice. Nice place, if out of the way."
Adalla stared at Mia for a moment. "I, um..."
The woman shot the elf a glare, one arm covering her chest and the other darting down to try and cover the rest of herself. "Don't ya knock?!" she snapped. "An' stop starin', makes me think ya swing that way!"
Adalla tore her gaze away and looked well off to the side, cheeks burning red with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, I just didn't think you'd be..." She gestured toward Mia - or assumed she did, anyway. "Well, naked."
She heard the sound of Mia's armor moving about. "Woman's gotta get naked if she's gonna change clothing, or bathe," the woman snapped. "Ya didn't think I wore this armor all the time, did ya?"
The high elf wanted to say 'yes', but she also didn't want to risk offending the already angry Mia any further. "I'm sorry."
"Done," she heard Mia say sharply. "No harm, I guess... just be more careful, ya hear? If I walked in on ya while ya were naked, then I think ya'd be just as upset. Think about that."
Adalla did, and she sighed. "Sorry. It won't happen again." She glanced back at Mia, who was once again in her leather armor.
"Now, what was so damn urgent ya had t'barge in on me?" Mia asked with a derisive sniff.
"Well..." Adalla couldn't focus now.
Her friend heaved a sigh. "Fantastic. Ya don't remember. I didn't know any better, I'd say ya just wanted t'see me naked."
"But I didn't!" Adalla protested.
"I know," came the exasperated reply. "That's why I said 'if I didn't know any'- oh, what's the point..." She ran her fingers through her long, loose hair for a few moments, then began to pull it back. "Somethin' about them bandits we been seein' lately, creepin' up on the cave?"
Adalla blinked. "Th-that's- how did you-"
"I'm not blind, elf," Mia said, cracking the first grin Adalla had seen all day. "I been noticin'. They're gettin' bold, and they outnumber us. I'm tough, but not suicidal; don't think y'are, either." She gestured to a small fur pack upon her bed. "S'why I'm gettin' ready t'move out. They want the cave, they can have it. I'm 'bout ready for a change of pace, anyway."
"I... see." Adalla felt more awkward than before now; the one thing she'd thought she could warn Mia about, and the woman had already known.
"Ya comin' with me, right?"
"Huh?"
"I said, ya comin' with me?" Mia crossed her arms, looking amused. "Where else ya got t'go now? Who else ya got t'call yer friend and hunting buddy?"
"I-I... that's not to say I'm adverse to the idea, but it's just so..." Adalla frowned. "What if we can't find another place?"
"I ain't always stayed indoors, y'know. I've lived in the wilderness of Skyrim fer years now; all told, maybe spent three months of that time in caves, ruins, whatever." She tapped a big bundle of... something with her foot. "We can't find a place, we sleep outside, in me tent."
"Is it big enough for-"
"It never used t'be, but I been workin' on it. Got a spare bedroll fer ya, too. Room enough for three, matter a'fact, but I figure we both value our space... so why not?" Mia smiled. "So, I ask 'gain... ya comin' with me, or ya goin' yer own way?"
Adalla just stared at Mia for a moment. "...No, I'll go with you. Everyone else probably thinks I'm dead. For the first time in years... I'm free. Free to do what I want, when I want."
"That's the spirit." Mia jerked a thumb toward the door. "Made ya a fur pack as well. It's in the other room, the one with all them beds. Grab whatever ya figure ya can't live without, an' meet me outside in... I'll give ya an hour. Ya ain't ready by then, I'm leavin' ya behind."
Adalla laughed at Mia's words. "Thanks. I won't need more than a half hour."
The woman smiled wryly. "Ya think so now, but livin' in the wilderness can make ya realize what ya may miss. Think it over 'fore you make any hasty decisions." With that, she slung her own pack over her shoulder and stepped past the high elf. "Oh yeah, was a nip in the air earlier. There's a small inn in the west - Nightgate. I have faith in my ability t'survive extreme cold, but even I ain't feelin' good things 'bout this one. We may be stayin' at the Nightgate Inn fer the evening, maybe even a day. We'll see, I guess."
The Altmer blinked. "You... have coin to pay for-"
"Well, course I do. Ya think I'm a broke bugger, just 'cause I live out in the wilderness most of the time? I do visit towns an' cities, y'know; I do visit people. I do sell stuff, and buy supplies I can't find out an' 'bout." Mia looked over her shoulder and grinned at Adalla. "I got more money than ya may be thinkin'. Part of the reason I don't wanna be here when them scumbag bandits decide t'make their move on this place. I ain't keen on givin' free gold t'bandits."
The wagon jerked to a halt suddenly, causing Elenwen to snap out of her doldrums. She shook her head, rubbed her eyes, and turned her attention to the right, trying to see what caused the wagon to stop. "What's...?"
"Bandit toll." Najati, who was seated opposite Elenwen, peered into the distance through narrowed eyes. "Seen enough of these to recognize them."
"And we've stopped this far back... why?"
En'zhar, seated at Najati's left, gave a chuckle. "Would you prefer we give them exactly what they want, or bypass them entirely?" He looked at Najati. "You know what to do."
"And I shall return shortly." She gave him a warm smile, then hopped down out of the carriage and, after a moment's pause, disappeared from view entirely.
Elenwen tried to look into the distance, to identify the bandits in question. "I don't see..."
"Perhaps Khajiit have sharper sight than you," En'zhar teased with an amused tone to his voice. "Perhaps that's why Najati and I see them, and are able to react."
"Surely they've seen the wagon, though...?" Elenwen was suddenly uneasy; what if these bandits decided to attack them?
"No doubt," En'zhar agreed, eyes peering into the distance. "That in mind, get ready to fight, Elenwen; here come two of them now. I'll take one, you take the other." He reached his left hand out to pat the driver on the shoulder. "As for you, my friend, try and take cover."
The Khajiit nodded, then moved to jump down from his seat.
The next thing Elenwen knew, she felt moisture spray across her face. She had to reach up to wipe it away, to keep it from flowing into her eyes. When she looked at her hands, she felt as though she was going to be sick.
Blood. Her face had been sprayed with blood. It took her a moment to realize what it meant.
The driver, who had since stopped moving, simply collapsed to the worn stones that served as the road. Before he vanished from view, Elenwen caught sight of the fletching of an arrow - one that seemed to be piercing his neck.
En'zhar cursed silently. "This isn't a toll stop, then. They never turn hostile unless someone refuses outright to pay."
"I thought she said-"
"Najati's not always right in these things," En'zhar murmured. "She usually is, though. Besides, we have greater problems to worry about." He gestured to the two rapidly approaching figures further up the road.
Elenwen was able to see them now, and a pair of Ice Spikes began to form in her hands. "If they aren't here for a toll, they're here for our lives."
"But of course. Unfortunately for them, they've raided their last wagon." His eyes widened. "Duck!"
She wanted to ask, but decided against it and did as he asked. Less than a second after she did, she heard the whistling of an arrow overhead and felt a sensation like her hair was being tugged at for a moment. "Thanks," she gasped, the near-death experience hitting her full-force. "What do we-"
"We wait for Najati to take the archer out."
"When will we know-"
"You won't. I will. I can see him, but neither of us are likely to hit him ourselves. Neither of us have experience with a bow and arrow." En'zhar had ducked shortly after Elenwen had, but he'd since begun trying to slip out of the wagon. "Move carefully, and we won't be pinned down here in the meantime."
She mirrored his movements as best she could, but realized very quickly she wasn't even remotely as agile as the Khajiit. It hurt to bend in some of the ways he did, but she eventually found success: she and En'zhar were both out of the wagon.
"Here come our two," the Khajiit murmured, peering around the corner of the wagon. "Get ready."
Once again, Elenwen had two Ice Spikes forming in her hands, and she nodded. She moved to glance around her corner, and saw a bandit wielding a massive warhammer. She had to force back the feeling of dread, knowing that if that warhammer hit her, she'd probably be dead in a single blow. She had to make her spell count.
En'zhar glanced back at Elenwen as she dismissed the two Ice Spikes. "What in-"
"Changing it up," she murmured.
He didn't ask; instead, he drew the Ebony Blade and, in one swift movement, dashed out from behind the back of the wagon. She heard a 'thunk'; presumably, another arrow buried itself in the wood of the wagon. She began to focus two different spells this time: one blazing bolt, one frigid bolt. With a quick and silent prayer, she moved out from behind the wagon.
The bandit was much closer than she'd anticipated. She cast both spells and launched them at the bandit. The Icy Spear missed him altogether, flying into the distance; the Incinerate spell, however, hit him in the chest and spread agonizing flames across his front. He pressed on despite the burning sensation, but eventually he stopped to try and put the flames out.
She took advantage of the moment to prepare a dual-casted Incinerate, and threw this one at him. The sheer impact of the spell caused him to stagger backward, presumably dazed, and left him unable to combat the flames engulfing his figure. She tried to prepare a third... and felt her eyes widen. She had run out of her magicka reserves, at least for now. She knew she had a little power left, but not nearly enough for a Firebolt, let alone a dual-casted Incinerate. She cursed her decision to use such strong spells so carelessly.
He growled angrily at her as the flames died off of their own accord, reminding her that magicked flames were not the same as ordinary flames, and charged at her, warhammer raised over his head.
Elenwen wasn't sure what happened next. A pair of hands appeared out of nowhere, reaching around the bandit's front from behind; one clapped over his mouth and angled his chin downward, the other drew an ebony dagger across his throat. The spray of blood that resulted from the stealthy kill practically soaked Elenwen, who simply stood there, blinking in disbelief.
Najati tossed the swiftly dying bandit's body aside. "You're welcome," she sniffed.
They both heard the unmistakable cry of a dying Nord - a cry that was cut off abruptly. With that, all was silent as En'zhar appeared from the front of the wagon. "That's all of them?"
"Yes. I took out four of the five near the back, then this one that she failed to kill." Najati jerked a thumb toward the bandit she'd killed for Elenwen.
En'zhar gave a nod. "Then all's well."
"Wait!" Elenwen asked, suddenly worried. "What about the fifth in the back-"
"Dead, but not by my hand," Najati said. She looked at the driver's seat, then moved to investigate the dead driver's body. "And now we are stuck walking."
"Who killed the-"
"The Nightgate Inn isn't far from here," En'zhar said, sheathing the Ebony Blade after a moment. "We'll be walking to Winterhold from here, so we'll want all the strength we can get. We'll stay at the Nightgate Inn for the evening, and leave in the morning."
Elenwen's mind was spinning. Who killed the last bandit? Why do neither of them seem to be all that worried about it? Will we freeze out here, walking to Winterhold from this... inn En'zhar's talking about?
"Elenwen." A hand clapped on her shoulder; a moment later, she saw En'zhar's face. "We're heading out. Come on."
"Can't one of you simply-"
En'zhar shook his head. "I suppose you had a moment where you weren't fully aware. Perhaps when the bandit Najati saved you from was bearing down on you?" He gestured over his shoulder. "Even if Najati or I could drive carriages, we need a healthy horse. This one was wounded in my fight; the bandit dodged, and my blade found a new target in the horse's front leg. It won't be able to bear us anywhere."
Elenwen sighed softly. "Of course not... just our luck."
He chuckled softly. "Perhaps walking Skyrim will give you greater appreciation of its rugged beauty, mm?"
"More approach from behind," Najati warned, pointing into the distance.
"Then we ought to hurry. The prospect of plundering a wagon is more enticing to bandits than killing." En'zhar again gestured, this time toward the road before them. "Come."
The trio set off quickly. A pair of arrows buried themselves in the road at their feet, making Elenwen worry that perhaps they weren't so fortunate after all; the arrows stopped, however, and a quick glance over her shoulder told her that they were, indeed, starting to rummage through the wagon.
"Look." En'zhar's voice brought her attention back to the front, and the path ahead. He was pointing toward a fallen corpse, a quiver of arrows at their back and a bow in their hand.
Elenwen blinked. "The fifth that died... you mean...?"
"It was highly unlikely, but not impossible," En'zhar chuckled.
The former First Ambassador could only wonder at her luck as she tore her gaze from the dead bandit - and the Icy Spear that had buried itself in his head.
Her spell hadn't been a complete failure after all.
"...never told you about that, though, did I?"
Adalla wasn't really listening at this point. She knew Mia's ranting was typically a way to just pass the time; she also knew that Mia's ranting required no actual responses from her. True, it made it feel as if she was being talked at, and not to, but she didn't really mind, either. Most of what Mia had been talking about were adventures in crypts, Dwemer ruins, and other such places that Adalla had never even set foot in before.
The sun was setting now, and would have been blinding Adalla if she hadn't been shielding her eyes. The pair had left Uttering Hills behind several hours ago, and were on the road west now. They'd dealt with a small pack of wolves since then, which Mia had taken the time to claim the pelts of. 'When it comes to survival in the wilderness, every little bit helps,' Adalla thought to herself, thinking about what Mia had said to justify it.
"...thought it had the upper hand, but there's just somethin' fun about shoving an arm bone up-" Mia stopped suddenly, falling silent and coming to a halt. "Hold on."
"Yeah," Adalla said absentmindedly, not really registering the suddenly alert Mia.
"Dammit, elf, pay attention just this once, will ya?" Mia snapped softly. "I heard somethin'... somethin' ominous."
These words snapped Adalla to reality. "Huh?"
"Shut up an' listen."
The Altmer felt offended, considering who that was coming from. Still, she remained quiet.
She heard it then. The faintly audible sound of-
"Wings," she whispered.
"Aye." Mia's gaze was now searching the sky. "If I'm hearin' right, those ain't normal wings, neither..."
The wingbeats were getting louder... Adalla had never heard their like before.
Nor had she ever heard the sound of a roar overhead, but she knew immediately to what the wings belonged - and felt fear grip her entire being all at once.
"Dragon," she whispered, eyes glancing up at the foe now flying overhead - and turning around to bear down on her and Mia.
"You've returned, my love." The Regent of Whiterun smiled as the mer she was proud to call her husband stepped into her quarters.
"I have." He sat in the chair nearest him... well, she supposed it was more accurate to say he flopped into it. "Brynjolf's plan was... I had to think about it."
"Brynjolf..." The Regent furrowed her brow. "Ah. So that's where you disappeared to."
Her husband chuckled softly. "Where else would I go for business?" he mused. "Anyway, I sent him a letter telling him I was in. I'm just waiting to hear back from him now. Just don't be surprised if I disappear on you again."
"I'm never surprised, nor do I worry. I know you'll always come back. You always have." She smiled at him. "And to think, Runael once told me that you were going to abandon me less than a month after we married."
He rolled his eyes. "She never had any faith in us," he sighed. "I wonder if she even cares anymore."
"Probably not. She did abandon the Dominion not that long ago." The Regent shrugged it off.
Her husband was apparently less content to dismiss it, though, as he bolted upright in his chair. "She what?"
"Oh... did I say that aloud?" She chuckled quietly. "Not that I care. I never felt like the Dominion was a good fit for her, anyway. She was always a bit of a free spirit... true, she had Elenwen's trust, but then again, that probably stemmed from the fact that they were sleeping together."
The Regent's husband looked troubled. "She'll have the Dominion chasing her for the rest of her life."
"Not so much. As far as I'm aware, no one else knows about it except Elenwen, myself, and... I think that's it, really. She's my sister; even if we don't see eye-to-eye, Runael and I always have each other's back. Elenwen..." She smirked. "I don't talk to - or about - Elenwen."
"Childish though she may be, even Elenwen wouldn't let it slide..."
"No, which is why she took one of my guards from me and sent them to try and bring Runael back to the Dominion. Probably to try and change her mind." She paused for a moment. "I haven't heard from Adalla, come to think of it... I wonder if everything's alright with her?"
He sighed wearily. "You're awfully dismissive of your sister's defection, too."
"She's my sister," she repeated. "Besides, don't act as though you wouldn't hide details pertaining to your own siblings."
He stood slowly and walked toward her. "Or for you," he murmured, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her closer.
She smiled uneasily. "And I'd do the same for you."
"I know." He leaned in to kiss her on the lips - and appeared quite surprised when she pulled away from him. He sighed heavily. "Again...? Ever since I returned, you haven't let me kiss you, haven't let me... I think this is the first time, in fact, that you've let me touch you."
She looked away from him. "It's..."
"It's what? You have a reason for this behavior?" He frowned at her, peering at her. "You haven't let me look you in the eyes, either. Why is that?"
She tried to push him away from her. "My love, please... I'm exhausted, and need-"
"Why does it feel as though you're shutting me out?" he interrupted, looking at her sternly. "What did I do to you? What... wait, did you do something that you're ashamed of? Something you're not-"
"It's not like that," she began, looking back at him - and locking eyes with him, much to her horror.
It didn't take him very long to realize what was going on, and he let go of her, taking a few steps back. "You're... a vampire..." he whispered. "Those eyes... and you haven't let me kiss you, because you know I'd..."
"I-I can explain," she began hastily. "I-it happened when I was en route to-"
He shook his head, disbelieving. "Did you really think I'd care so much?" he whispered. "Did you feel the need to hide it from me? Did I not just say I'd be willing to hide secrets?"
She blinked. "B-but..."
He looked at her, clearly torn. "I love you, and would be willing to die for you... but I need you to trust me in turn. Trust that I won't hate you just because you become something that otherwise horrifies me. Trust that I won't turn you away."
She sat on the edge of her bed and slumped forward. "I've known your stance on vampires, ever since we met. I didn't think anything of it... until I was turned en route to Whiterun," she said quietly. "I passed a vampire den at night, not realizing it was a vampire den. I was attacked. I'm still not sure how a vampire turns someone, but... well..." She gestured to herself. "It's... it's not all bad, I guess. As long as I keep it a secret from everyone, as long as I... as long as I... feed nightly, no one will know."
He looked troubled, but nodded. "And because of your orders, you can't leave. I trust you've heard about the wizard in Morthal by now...?"
"I have, and it's infuriating that I can't leave to get cured. If I try to explain it, I think... I think I'd be killed instead." The Regent shivered at the thought. "My situation's... bad. I'm trying to make the most of it, though... and as I said, it's not all bad."
They both fell silent for a while. "...I think-"
"Ma'am!" The sudden voice snapped their attention to the mer who had just let herself in. "You have a visitor in the throne room."
She blinked. "At this hour?"
The mer shook her head. "I tried explaining it, too, but he insisted - demanded, even - that he see you."
She looked at her husband, who looked just as curious, then back at the guard. "I'll be right down to address the man who thinks-"
"Mer. Clad in ebony armor."
"...Right. I'll be right down to confront this elf who thinks he has more authority over my guards than I do." She rose from the edge of her bed slowly. "Return to your post."
Adalla panted heavily, trying to catch her breath again. She watched as the dragon collapsed to the ground, giving a final roar before it perished. She still wasn't sure exactly how she and Mia had slain the dragon, but it had been done. "Mia?"
"Over here," she heard the woman grumble. She could see Mia starting to run away from the dragon's corpse, as if something bad was about to happen.
She heard it then: a crackling sound, like something was starting to burn. Her gaze was redirected to the dragon's corpse, which was starting to... "What's happening?!" Adalla called out, searching for the nearest tree, rock... anything to hide behind.
"Just hide!" she heard Mia call in response. "An' don't look!"
Adalla had no qualms with that particular order, and after finding a sizable boulder to hide behind, saw the burning glow reflect on the snow.
Then she heard the sound of... she wasn't sure. Against her better judgment, she looked at the dragon's corpse - and gasped.
She had no idea how to describe what she was seeing. It sounded as though the wind was whistling just a bit, and she could... she could almost swear she was watching the wind blow. She'd heard tales by now, though - and knew this was a dragon's soul being absorbed. The question is... who's doing the absorbing?
"Mia?" She began searching for her friend, whom she had lost track of. "Are-"
Mia appeared again, and Adalla felt her jaw drop. The winds had been blowing... had been converging... where Mia had just... "I told ya not t'look," Mia snapped.
Adalla's mind spun at what she'd just witnessed, and could only watch as her friend moved toward her slowly. Only when Mia was mere feet away from her did she find her voice again. "You're... Dragonborn..." she murmured.
A.N. - I was initially excited to write out this chapter, because it had three different parties all headed for the same place - Nightgate Inn. Then there was the dragon attack, too, which I was quite looking forward to writing the subsequent battle of.
...Except it never happened. I went to write it out, and realized I had no idea how to write out a fight against an enemy that breathes fire/frost, and bites (presumably hard) when it's not burning/freezing its foes. Arrows only do so much, and writing 'Mia fired arrow after arrow after arrow' just gets kind of dull and repetitive; trying to figure up how to write out Adalla in close quarters, however, was the more daunting task this go-round. I felt there was no real way to make it convincing with just Mia and Adalla.
The fact that I took a brief break from writing this chapter to tinker around with the Creation Kit probably didn't help, either. That said, I had fun plopping potent enchantments on gloves, boots, a chestpiece, a ring and an amulet for my newly developing conjurer/necromancer. Said armor set is the first Skyrim plug-in I have that I've created myself, and I hope to create more. Maybe a new NPC, then a small string of quests... and maybe I'll go much further from there?
-Spiritslayer