III
While the Dark Brotherhoods accepted their contracts and fulfilled what they were asked for as they had been doing for centuries, some of the assassins lately came back with bad news. Most of their targets were part of the Inquisition, like disciples, priests and torturers, always condemning the sinful and still committing terrible crimes on the elder races, enslaving them, oppressing them, torturing them. The rebellion, openly lead by the Orcs and secretly supported by the mages of the Academies and the underground, did their best to bleed the Empire dry. After the fall of Emperor Barimen it had looked quite bright for the opposition, but now there seemed to be a change of course.
The Inquisition had something planned, gathering its strength.
Due to the big number of targets among the Inquisition, the assassins often returned with useful information and shared it with the rebellion. According to what they observed while they were lurking in the shadows of the gilded palaces and temples, the Inquisition had started to switch from simply capturing and killing any opposing beings to holding them up and interrogating them. That was unusual, as they normally just wanted to get rid of the heathen scum. They seemed to be looking for something, or someone. Spies reported an alarming amount of raids, with the Inquisition confiscating every tiny drop of Amber they could find. The head of the Inquisition, the Bigot, had ordered to destroy all remaining Amber, they said, but the way the Inquisition agents had transported the forbidden sap, carefully stored away in padded boxes, seemed to prove that a lie.
Apparently, they were not destroying the Amber, they were hoarding it.
The leaders of the rebellion sensed that their enemies were zealously planning something big. They did not know what the Bigot was about to do, but if one could trust what the few that ever so much as heard of his person told, he was even more fervent than the Zealot before him, recklessly enforcing his plans, not willing to stop at anything. The assassins and freelancers of the opposition were told to keep their eyes wide open. Styx, superfluously, was told to stay careful as well. He replied that these robe-wearing nutcases probably just had another of their twinges of madness, and stayed as sneaky as he already was.
While the stealthy blood feud between the rebellion and the enigmatic doings of the Inquisition went on, Maera and Styx continued meeting each other. Master Cornix had been more than excited to shower Styx with free samples of poisons, acids and elixirs that the Goblin tested on his targets. Every now and then Styx stopped by in the Academy to tell the crazy old alchemist about his results. More importantly, it gave him the chance to spend some time with Maera. They would read, talk half the night about her research and Styx's missions and usually end up breathless in her bed. It was a time he enjoyed more than he could say, or any other phase of his life he could remember. During his missions, the thought of getting paid and being able to spend his wages at a tavern had pretty much been all he needed to motivate himself to proceed, but now the thought of seeing Maera again became more prominent every time, not only because of her comfortable bed and the good food. It came in really handy for him to have a safe hideout in the town the Academy was in, and someone to warm his bed at night. A pretty damn sweet bonus, so to say.
After a very hard and dangerous assassination, Styx barely made it back into town and dashed up the Library walls like a crazed monkey to get to Maera's room. An airship stuffed with the personal guards of some Imperial lordling whose neck he just had broke was chasing him like a pack of dogs through the darkness. It was just after midnight and a cold storm was raging above. Wind and rain turned the whole town into a dark dripping mess only illuminated by crackling lightnings. Styx was injured, exhausted and the rain had soaked him to the bone. He had made sure his pursuers lost his track in the shadowy labyrinth of the old town surrounding the Academy, but he was still bleeding from various cuts and a deep gash a stray bolt had left in his shoulder. He stumbled through the window and ducked in the shadows, ears pricked, and listened for the roaring whale oil engines of the airship.
Aside from the noise the thunderstorm made, it was silent.
Sighing with relief and cursing those bloody humans under his breath, Styx stripped out of his armor and staggered towards the bed the Dragonelf was peacefully sleeping in. Dripping with rain and shivering like a leaf, he crawled into the bed next to Maera and nestled up closely against her to enjoy her wonderful smell and the warmth of her body. Completely spent, he fell asleep.
"Dammit, where is this thing?"
"It was over there, for crying out loud!"
The captain of the airship rubbed the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger. The crossbow man looked guilty, as far as he could tell in the rain and darkness.
"Well, looks like we lost it. Again. His Highness will not like this."
"What now, Sir?"
"It's useless chasing this little rat's ass in this shit weather. Tack about the ship. We're heading back to the temple. Olliver, get over here!"
While the navigator turned the small, nimble ship around to steer it back between the dripping towers and chimneys of the old town, a young officer clad in the typical black-and-blue uniform of the Inquisition stepped forward.
"Sir?", he said insecurely.
"You will have the honor to report to his Highness about what happened back at the docks", the captain announced. The officer didn't look very appreciative.
"But Sir… The Bigot will be furious if he learns that the Goblin we were looking for did not only kill Lord Hoster's only heir, but also escaped us when we were on charge at the dock!"
"That's why you will tell him. And never let him hear you calling him Bigot if you want to keep your tongue in your mouth", the captain said, marching towards the prow. The officer thought for a second.
"We don't know if it was the Goblin we were looking for."
The captain turned around sharply.
"What was that? Of course it was the right Goblin! That Styx is the only Goblin that's wearing clothes and capable of speech!"
"We didn't hear it talk, did we?"
The captain stared at the officer, with the rain falling down on them.
"We didn't", he confirmed. "Still, we lost it."
"Maybe that's because we were able to determine that it was the wrong Goblin we were chasing, and quit the pursuit in order to not waste any time or manpower", the officer continued conspiratorially. The captain thought about that.
"Well… That little bastard Styx is the number one target at the moment, and if we indeed had quit the search in order to not waste time hunting down the wrong Goblin vermin, the failure would appear less big."
The officer nodded at that and grinned.
"Still, you'll need to explain him that Lord Hoster's only heir had his throat twisted while he was sleeping in a locked room surrounded by heavily armored guards on each possible entrance. Good luck with that."
The officer's smile faded.
The next morning, Styx woke up with his arms around a pillow. He glanced around the bed, still half asleep. Sunbeams were floating in the bedroom, and the thunderstorm had vanished. The Dragonelf was nowhere to be seen.
"Erm... Maera? You there?", he called.
Maera showed up frowning from the back of the room with a pile of clean bandages in her arms.
"What the hell were you doing to get yourself into a state like that? I've already picked out the wood splinters from your left knee, but I'm not even remotely done with your shoulder..."
Just now Styx realized that there was a bandage around his aching leg.
"You vetted my wounds while I was sleeping...?"
"You didn't even wake up. You must have been absolutely burned out when you came here, you poor. Let me have a look at your shoulder."
Styx sat up slowly while Maera dumped the cloth on the bed and sat down next to him. On the small nightstand was a pile of metal instruments, scissors and some rags, splattered with dried green blood. Styx raised his eyebrows. He must have been pretty deep asleep if he didn't even feel her fumbling around in his open wounds.
"Stretch out your arm like that. Now, hold still. This might sting a little. What the hell have you done yesterday to get yourself into a state like this?", Maera wanted to know while she poured some brown elixir over his wound. Styx gritted his teeth and cursed.
"Ahhh, dammit. Ouch. I've taken care of my target, some pathetic Imperial upstart and successfully escaped his Lord father's mansion. I barely got away on an airship and that was the end of my luck. I almost got discovered twice and had to squeeze myself between loads of chopped wood. That fucked up my leg a little. But a professional always finds a hiding spot. I jumped in a barrel to stay unseen, but the whole escape was the fucking opposite of comfortable. I'm not some pickled herring! And don't get me started on that damn thunderstorm last night."
"What did the young Lord do to end up on your list?", Maera asked with a frown.
"He was not a child, if you were wondering. Business in slave trade. Mostly young Elven and mixed-blood women. Very successful. Don't ask me to tell you the details of what I've heard about the purpose of those slave girls…"
"I got it. And your shoulder?"
"Some assholes from the Imperial guard pursued me with an airship when I arrived at the docks. Stubborn as mules, those guys. Almost got me with the crossbow."
"Did they know you were the one behind the assassination?", Maera asked, slightly dabbing a ball of wool soaked with salve on his wound.
"Probably. But anyhow, even if they didn't know that I was an assassin, they would have hunted my Goblin ass through half of the town just to get rid of another damn Rakash. Kill it first, ask questions later", Styx explained darkly.
"What is a Rakash?"
"It's the Orcish word for Goblin. Arkail used to call me like that."
"Rakash… It sounds kinda cute", Maera stated, patching up Styx's shoulder with deft hands.
"It means vermin."
Maera froze, wide-eyed.
"Oh fuck, I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I didn't want to insult you, Styx", she explained quickly. Styx laughed, reached over with his good arm and gently rubbed her ear.
"It's okay. At first, Ark called me like that to insult me, but he used it so often that it kinda got stuck. In the end, I didn't even bother any more when the big hunk of beef called me Rakash, it was meant to be friendly, you know."
"I see. Sorry again, I won't call you like that", Maera promised.
"Oh no, do it. Come on, try again. Maybe I'll like it", Styx said with a suggestive grin.
Maera hesitated shortly, but then propped herself up on one arm, arched her back, tilted her head and leered at him.
"Stealthy, sneaky Rakash…", she purred. Styx felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine.
"The way you say it, it kinda sounds… sexy, somehow. Kinda nice. Could get used to it", he commented, leaning forward. Maera snickered and pressed a quick kiss on his lips. Then she proceeded to vet his wounds.
"The Inquisition really is even weirder than usually at present", Styx told her. "All the agents and disciples that normally grace the Empire's more important places with their presence were not there, or at least there were less than I would have expected."
"I've heard some Dark Brotherhood members talk about that while they were downstairs with the alchemists. The Inquisition seems to be planning something big, probably all their agents are focusing on that", Maera commented.
"Well, might be. Or maybe they are going batshit about nothing, crazy as they are. From what I've heard, the new boss of them, the Bigot, is even more charming and likeable as the dear Zealot. Damn, that guy was a nutcase. If it weren't for me, he would have whooped Ark's ass. Ouch!"
"Sorry." Maera carefully tied a knot in the bandage she had applied to Styx's shoulder.
"Alright… I'm done with that part, but there are still some minor scratches to be patched up. I'll take care of that after you took your bath", Maera said.
"Shit, the escape yesterday was a hell of a ride... Wait, WHAT? I'm not going to bathe! No fucking way!"
"Oh yes , you will! You smell terrible!"
"You always said you like the way I smell!", Styx protested.
"I do like your normal smell, I like it a lot! But right now you don't smell like yourself, you smell like a barrel of rotten whale oil!", she complained.
"Oh, I wonder if that's because I had to hide in an empty whale oil barrel to get away on that fucking airship!"
"Stop complaining and get to the bathroom right now!"
"No, I won't!", Styx insisted, rushing out of the bed and looking around for a potential hideout. Maera jumped up from the bed and planted herself in front of him. Much louder than one would expect from a creature that fragile-looking, Maera shouted: "Listen Styx, I'll count to three, and if you're not in the tub by then I swear you'll fucking regret it!"
Styx froze right where he was standing, gaping at her astonished. Her big, dark brown eyes burned with a sudden fury he'd never had expected from her. She could look very impressive if she wanted to, her nose wrinkled and sharp teeth visible, fists balled. In a very weird way, she looked incredibly attractive to him staring daggers at him with that fierce glint in her eyes.
Before Styx could think of anything sassy to come back with, he remembered all the Dragonelf assassins he knew and how surprisingly devastating they could be in battle. He decided that it might be a very stupid idea to start a serious argument and quickly made his way in the room she pointed to not anger her even more.
"Fine, I'll go before you tear me to pieces..."
"You better", Maera snarled.
A big wooden tub steaming with hot water stood in her stone-tiled bathroom. Styx stripped out of his last bits of clothing and climbed in the tub, leaning back with his arms resting on the sides, so his shoulder didn't get wet. He admitted to himself that the hot water felt amazingly relaxing to his aching muscles and bruises. Maera, now all kind and sweet again, sat down on the ridge of the tub, giving him her most lovely smile.
"See, it isn't that bad, is it?", she purred.
"Hrmpf. Kinda nice."
"I told you so. My poor brave Rakash... And what's more, since you've been sleeping next to me I also smell like a barrel of whale oil now... I guess I could really use a bath as well...", Maera said with a salacious smile, running one finger along the ridge of his ear. Styx closed his eyes with enjoyment.
"You don't, beautiful. You smell as nice as always", he answered. Maera shot him a very suggestive glance.
"Erm, I mean... If you want to join me... I guess there's just enough room left for you in the tub and... Hey, careful!" Styx couldn't even finish his sentence when Maera already climbed in completely naked and placed herself atop his lap. Styx put his hands around her waist, pulling her closer.
"I might want to take back what I said about bathing... I kinda like it", he murmured, nuzzling her neck.
Maera giggled at that. They submerged themselves in the hot water, caressing each other to get the dust and whale oil leftover from their skin. It didn't take long until they kissed, and just a little while later they had completely forgotten about getting clean, and also forgotten about everything else but them. Maera bit Styx's neck and breathed in his ear while he gently stroked her between her thighs, fascinated how much lighter she seemed in the water, even lighter than usually. She guided him inside her, and Styx leaned back, his arms resting on the edges of the tub, watching her move, slowly at first, then faster. Her inside was even warmer than the water and felt just wonderful as she rubbed her hips against him. When she sped up, he held her by the waist, kissing her neck and shoulders, adapting his movements to hers. With short, quick breaths the two pressed against each other in the steaming water, losing themselves in their union. Soon Maera climaxed, and when she did Styx came just a few moments after, pressing his head against her chest and listening to the beating of her heart against his. She didn't stop, and when he was still enjoying the blissful aftershock of his orgasm, Maera came again, looking amazingly beautiful as she did.
After quite some time, both were lying in the water, Styx with Maera on top of his lap, gasping for breath.
"Do you feel clean now, or dirty?", Maera asked smiling.
"I know I should feel dirty, you know, the good way, but I feel clean. Every bit of me smells like you", Styx replied with dreamy eyes. Maera kissed him, shivering.
"The water's gotten pretty cold."
"Well, you might want to praise my amazing stamina...", Styx said.
"Oh, shut up, I guess you already know how much I cherished your stamina."
"Yep, I heard that. Twice."
"Don't you want to compliment me instead...?"
"What, seeing me being so breathless I almost fainted is not enough proof for you, greedy thing? Fine." Styx kissed her. "You are driving me insane. Really." Maera looked touched.
"We should get out of the water and maybe fetch us some clothes. After that I'll take care of your remaining wounds", she said, kissing him back.
"Good plan." Styx smiled thankfully. Her help and support felt like a great gift to him, and he even felt a little moved by her care. "I should bathe more often. What do you think? This evening again?"
Maera laughed while she slipped into her Academy robes.
"Maybe. Depends on how dirty we are this evening..."
"I know lots of ways to get us dirty again, don't you worry!", Styx said.
"Oh, shut up!"
"What? Just saying..."