I walked along the rock path, gazing at the beautiful scenery.

"This is nothing like Cyrodiil.." I said aloud as yet another baliwog scratched my boot with his teeth.

I sighed and sunk my blade into his skull, detaching it, and walking away, shaking off the blood.

My copper-brown eyes lit up as a I saw a somewhat more fitting enemy. He had his back turned to me, so I skulked along, carefully withdrawing my blade and stabbing it in the spine, covering its mouth so it wouldn't draw any unwanted attention.

"Beautiful!" I cried proudly as the creature fell dead to the ground.

I picked up its cudgel and continued on my way to Passwall, noticing I did not have far to go. I saw the tall buildings within minutes, and knew that I must be at my location. A redgard with an afro came to greet me with a torch.

"Greetings!" He said cheerfully, shaking my hand.

"Ermm..hello." I replied and gingerly shook his hand.

"Welcome to Passwall! I'm Sheldon, the mayor. I've been here the longest, and I'll be the last."

I nodded and looked around.

"Yes, my name is Layla Gallenus and I'm looking for the Gatekeeper."

Sheldon turned around and pointed to many flights of stairs.

"Right up those stairs. He's about to take care of a group of adventurers. You should go watch. It's really quite fun."

I nodded and followed Sheldon up the stairs and to a clearing with two doors on either side with a statue of what I assumed to be Sheogorath. A group of adventurers decked out in steel armor attacked this..monstrosity of a being. The creature must have stood over two stories high with a giant mace for an arm. In a few short swings, the adventurers were being thrown across the clearing with the orc captain running for his life. He bumped into me roughly, and turned around.

"That creature is too much!" He cried. "Killed all my men! Get out of my way!"

"Sheesh.." I mumbled. "You could at least use manners."

I looked back at the Gatekeeper and realized I was going to need a lot of help in order to defeat it.

"For the love of Azura.." I mumbled under my breath as I made my way back into Passwall to talk to anyone who might know of some way to kill the Gatekeeper.

"I hear that Jayred ice-veins also wants to kill the Gatekeeper. You should seek him out." A villager replied when I asked her about someone who would know anything.

I nodded and made my way to his house and knocked on the door, remembering the manners my dear sister, Rosentia, taught me.

"It's open." A gruff voice said from the other side.

"Hello." I greeted softly.

The man turned around and I noticed then that he was a nord. He had dark brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. He was practicing with his bow.

"I hear you're looking to kill the Gatekeeper." I said, setting my sword and shield down.

"Yes, and rumor has it that you are too."

"That's correct sir."

"Excellent. If you're any good with a lock pick, you can pick the lock of the Gardens of Flesh and Bone. From there, I can take the bones of the former Gatekeeper and make some arrows out of them."

"Just out of curiosity, why do you want to get into the Gates of Madness?" I asked.

"I can hear the bones calling to me, from the other side. I know the Gatekeeper has the keys, so that is why we must kill him."

"I see." I replied. "Let's go get those bones now."

He nodded and put his bow away, charging out the door. I grabbed my sword and shield and followed suit, running up hills and turns and finally stopping at the gates of the Gardens of Flesh and Bone.

"Hurry and pick the lock." Jayred said feverishly. "I can hear the bones calling to me."

I rolled my eyes and picked the lock with ease. Jayred hurried inside and I could hear him cracking the ribs of the former Gatekeeper. I winced as he came back, dropping marrow along the way.

"Meet me at my house in a few hours. I'll make arrows out of these and we can go and kill the Gatekeeper."

I nodded as three skeletons followed him out. I sighed in frustration at the fact that he left me to deal with them./I cut them down fairly easily and walked back to Jayred's house. I knocked on the door and walked in. He was working furiously on the arrows, so I waited for an hour or so. He sighed softly, indicating that he was done. He marveled at his work and handed me twenty arrows.

"Let's go kill the Gatekeeper." He said, almost hollow.

"Yes, let's go." I replied, equipping my own bow.

I followed him out the door where a young woman stood, pacing back and forth.

"Hello." I greeted.

She smiled. "Hi there. Want to talk?"

"Uh, I'm a little busy right now."

"But I've been dying to tell someone about the Gatekeeper!"

I signaled for Jayred to wait, and he stopped, fidgeting with his feet.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Well, My mistress, Relmyna Verenim, made him with Sheogorath. She's going to be my teacher someday! She's to teach me all her--"

"Can we please cut to the chase?" I interrupted, feeling my patience wear thin.

"Oh, of course! Sorry. So Relmyna goes to the Gatekeeper every night around midnight and cries, but her tears hurt him! It somehow agitates the Daedra bound to him! Oh, please don't tell her I said anything! She'll give me another lesson of pain, and I don't very much like those lessons."

I nodded and smiled wickedly.

"Come on, it's almost midnight." I whispered to Jayred as I made my way up the stairs.

We reached the top and, sure enough, Relmyna was blubbering like a baby. She was talking to the Gatekeeper, and he reached out to hug her.

"No, you mustn't hug me. Remember what happened last time?" She sniffled.

I couldn't help but feel bad for her and the Gatekeeper. I doubt he had any idea what was going on. Relmyna dropped a tear-soaked rag and walked away, suddenly regaining her composure when she saw Jayred and I. When she was gone, I told Jayred to wait and grabbed the tear soaked rag. I managed to squeeze enough to fill three bottles.

"Yes.." I whispered.

The Gatekeeper must have heard me because he came charging at me and swung his giant mace arm. I rolled out of the way and dipped my arrows into Relmyna's tears.

"Now Jayred!" I screamed, readying my bow.

Jayred burst from the stairs, shooting his supply of arrows. Between the two of us, the Gatekeeper didn't know who to swing at. He finally caught Jayred in the side of the head, flinging him across the clearing as if he were a doll. I shot my last arrow into the spine of the Gatekeeper and he fell over with an earth-shattering thud. I grabbed my dagger and cut into the Gatekeeper's stomach and, like everyone had said, found the keys tight sewed into his intestines. I grunted as squirts of blood shot me in the face, but I held on and grabbed two keys. Just as I wiped my face off, Haskill appeared next to me and sighed.

"Well I see you managed to kill the Gatekeeper, pity. You will notice that you now have two keys. One leads to Dementia, the other to Mania. Both are distinct, but both lead to Sheogorath's domain in New Sheoth. Seek him out there, I believe he will have plans for you." He sighed and teleported away.

I found Jayred's body across the clearing, strewn across blood-stained rocks. I laid my gatekeeper arrows on his body and sighed.

"I'm sorry you poor bastard. I suppose the bones weren't calling to you after all."

I stood up and faced both doors. One lead to Dementia, which was supposed to be dark and gloomy, while the other lead to Mania, which was bright and colorful.

"Great. I can deal with either manics or demented people. Terrific." I mumbled sarcastically.

I knew that manic people could be just as dangerous, if not more, than the Demented.

"Here's goes nothing." I sighed and opened the door to Dementia.