Chapter V

The city of Vivec stood as a testament to Dunmer might, a symbol of national pride. Made up of nine separate cantons, these monolithic structures were artificial islands, dominating the skyline and giving the city an awe inspiring sight to any traveller. Inside each canton was a maze of tunnels, plazas and sewer systems – difficult to navigate and home to a sprawling and diverse population. Travel through the city between cantons was subsequently achieved through gondolas, which navigated the zigzagging canals with great efficiency.

It was in Vivec which Relen Neleth lived, in the St. Delyn Canton – one of the two cantons intended for residency, the other being St. Olms Canton. After killing the Imperial Agent he had known that it would be best for him to lie low for a while. He wasn't exactly rich, but he had enough gold to get by for a while until the heat died down and he could take on another, hopefully more successful, contract.

He had snuck back into the city the night of the failed assassination, with the intention of killing the Agent who had set him up. Thanks to his invisibility potion, he had managed to tail the woman until he had found out that she was staying in the local tavern. There, he had broke into her room and awaited her arrival, slitting her throat after a short interrogation. Not that he had learnt much, not anything that he hadn't already knew anyway. What he did know clearly now, was that his line of work was becoming ever more dangerous. Killing the woman had given him some satisfaction, but it had been short lived. He had killed before, every time for money from a contract. But this time, no money was involved – it was revenge, plain and simple. Yet, strangely enough, he wasn't exactly feeling satisfied with how things had panned out.

He was lying on his bed, thinking about nothing in particular, when there was a loud knock on the door. Relen lived in the Waistworks of St. Delyn Canton, a maze of tunnels and passages deep inside the structure of the Canton itself. As such, there was only one way in and out of his apartment – the front door. Grabbing his silver dagger, he held it behind his back before shouting out,

"Who's there?" after what felt like a few seconds, a voice shouted back.

"I'm seeking an assassin," the voice replied, not answering Relen's question.

"Well there's none here, so go away fetcher," snarled Relen, gripping his dagger.

"I have a very profitable contract available; I was told that Relen Neleth is the best assassin this side of Vvardenfell," the voice came again. Relen swore and opened the door.

"No need to let the whole Canton know, inside – now."

Inside stepped a fellow Dunmer, dressed in brown robes.

"May I take a seat?" he asked.

"Go ahead," said Relen hesitantly.

The Dunmer sat down; Relen joined him, still keeping his dagger close. The apartments of St. Delyn Canton weren't exactly high class living, so the Dunmer had a full view of Relen's tiny abode.

"Nice place," said the Dunmer.

"There will be no small talk in my home, what do you want?" replied Relen sharply.

"I am offering a contract, a rather unique case that can't be performed through the Morag Tong. As such the payment will be far more than anything you have accepted before."

"I hate to tell you this friend, but I am not offering my services at the moment," Relen said.

The Dunmer's expression did not change; he instead took a scroll out of his robe and handed it to Relen. It was the contract, Relen was annoyed that his fellow Dunmer did not listen to him, but he read it anyway. Then his eyes saw the payment.

"You weren't joking," was all he could manage to say.

"I seldom do. Are you interested?" the Dunmer said plainly.

"Yes, what are details?"

"The target is a Dunmer who is currently being held captive by a band of rogue Imperials. They are trying to sell him for a considerable sum, I want you to kill their prisoner before they get a chance to sell him, or otherwise I'll have to spend more time looking for where he will end up," the Dunmer said.

"A Dunmer who has been captured, now he faces assassination… he doesn't sound like he has made many friends," Relen said, still eyeing the payment figure.

"Nor has he made any enemies, it is simply how things have come to be," the Dunmer replied.

"And who are you, do you have any reasons I should know about for wanting this Dunmer dead?" Relen asked.

"My organisation has plenty of reasons, but you would not understand them and nor do you need to know who we are. You are not new to this; I trust you can understand my wish for privacy."

"Of course," Relen replied.

"Then it is settled, bring me his head and I shall pay you. We will meet in the underworks of this Canton when it is done," the Dunmer said, standing up as he did so.

Relen watched the Dunmer leave and closed his front door, so much for some relaxing time off. But the payment was an amount he could not pass up. Going through the contract, he absorbed the details. A Dunmer, name withheld, being held captive by a band of rogue Imperials – and Relen had to kill him before they could sell him off. It sounded simple enough, like many contract before it, but one detail caught Relen's eye. 'The Empire's intelligence service, the Blades, is also tracking your target – move quickly.' This piece of information certainly complicated things for Relen; there was no way he could pull off getting past the captors as well as multiple agents of the Blades. He would need help and for that, it was time he called on an old friend for a favour.

Relen headed to St. Olms Canton, crossing the vast bridge which connected it to his own Canton and avoiding the gaze of passing Ordinator Guards along the way. It had been years since he had been here, but he followed his instincts, taking turns in the Waistworks which had been almost ingrained into his head. After twenty minutes of walking through identical corridors, passing the various inhabitants of St. Olms Canton, he came to an unassuming door. It located well away from the rest of the apartments and the plazas of the Canton, cobwebs seemingly grew across the walls and rats scurried across Relen's path into their dens. Looking behind him, Relen saw the corridor stretch endlessly in front of him, it seemed to defy all physical possibility that this residence could be so hidden, but then again, the occupant was not one who likes being disturbed.

Relen turned back to the door, paused for a second and knocked. In an instant he felt a dull thud against the back of his head and he dropped to his knees. His vision blurred as he felt his head ringing in pain, before he fell unconscious he felt a black sack fall over his face and tighten around his neck. He was definitely at the right place he thought, before succumbing to the blow.

Relen awoke some time later; he wasn't sure how long for certain. He couldn't see anything, he instinctively reached for his eyes before realising that his hands were bound and he had a black sack placed over his head. He struggled with his hands desperately for a few moments, before relaxing in the futility of his situation. Then, a voice,

"It has been a long time since you sought out my home Neleth," the voice was female, speaking in eerie sing song. Relen felt a blade glide gently across his back, before a silhouette appeared in front of him through the black sack.

"The fact that you are here can mean only two things," she said very abruptly, losing any pretence of charm and dropping the playful act.

"One: you are here to seek my help, because Azura curse you should you ever simply wish my pleasant company" The female said nonchalantly.

"And two: You are here to kill me. This, may I add, is a frankly laughable notion," she continued. The blade trailed over Relen's chest lightly for a few seconds, before his hood was ripped off and his kidnapper appeared in full view. She was a Dunmer, deeply beautiful but full of menace. Her black hair was cut short, messy, and her red eyes were large, vibrant. Relen mustered a smile, before saying,

"You must be out of practice Miara," as he lifted his now unbound hands before her eyes." Miara laughed and extended a hand, pulling Relen out of the chair.

"Now I am certain that you of all people are not here to kill me, so why don't you tell me the big news?" she said, sheathing her blade.

Relen proceeded to tell Miara of his ill-fated assassination contract in Ebonheart, before letting her know about the contract offered to him to kill the Dunmer prisoner being kept captive by a band of rogue Imperials. She listened intently as he explained; it was as if it was only yesterday that they had last seen each other. In truth, Relen had not seen Miara for many years. They had practically grown up together, a childhood raised on pick pocketing Imperial soldiers and climbing Fort ramparts, only to be chased down again later. Miara had become an assassin as Relen had, it was a natural path. Before long, and after many years of working together on contracts, the Morag Tong had sought the pair of them out for recruitment. Miara accepted - Relen did not. They soon found their friendship trailing off as their lives took opposing routes. But now Relen needed her help.

"I will help you Relen, if only for old time's sake. We shall split the profits of course once this is all over and, if the opposition we face is as the contract says, then I shall need time to prepare. I trust you know that I have not killed in this manner in quite some time, my tenure with the Morag Tong has long since passed," Miara said after a while. Relen was pleased, relieved even, but his face did not show it.

"Of course, but you are still one of the best around, we shall meet outside the city – near the Silt Strider port – tomorrow morning, pack light however, speed is of the essence," Relen said, standing up to take his leave.