Resh POV
"You see all this Kayce? I own this city, it belongs to me. How cool is that?" Resh grinned, gesturing to the city as he walked through the gates, trying to cheer himself and her up. The journey hadn't been particularly fun, so he was hoping that he could bring up something to make her smile, and briefly forget his anger.
"That is admittedly very nice. Does that mean you're a king then?" she asked smirking at the idea. "You'd finally be more important than me at something."
Pleased he had succeeded Resh continued. "I guess I could be if I wanted to, this whole 'Hold' belongs to me and is no longer part of Skyrim, but my own small country. So I could call myself whatever I want to be called."
"I'm liking this a lot…" she mumbled as the walked closer to the magnificent stone palace. "You could give me a fancy title too, like 'duchess' or 'countess' or something…"
Resh laughed. "Aah, I can see it now. Picture this, Kayci the Tsaesci, the city of Markarth's chief whore."
"Nooo, that wouldn't be my title!" she giggled, smacking him with jest as they pushed open the doors to the large building. "Give me a proper one."
"Do you have an other skills? I'm doing the best with what I've got here," he joked, backing away when she took another swipe at him. "Fine, fine. I'll be king of the country, and you can be… uh… my personal Housecarl, my right hand gal."
"What about Lydia though? isn't she still you Housecarl?" Kayci asked, wondering what would happen to her Nordic friend.
"I don't know, queen of my country," Resh muttered, not really thinking through what he said. That was a huge mistake the moment he said it because Kayci's jaw dropped and her eyes went as wide as saucers.
"What?! you're going to ma-"
"No! no no no! I didn't say that! it was a slip of the tongue it didn't mean to say it!" he shouted, but alas Kayci was already too far into the idea of him and Lydia marrying and hugged him.
The Tsaesci practically squealed in joy with every passing second, ignoring Resh as he desperately tried to correct his horrible mistake. "This is brilliant! she's going to love this, she'll be a queen! I can't wait to tell her!"
"Kayci, shut up! we're here for a reason. I can explain this horrible horrible mistake to you later, but I need to claim my throne, the old Jarl should be leaving about now," Resh snapped, finally getting her to calm down. In her mind though the idea's were still raging, from where the venue will be and if she should wear a dress, the warrior womans mind was very far from what it would usually be thinking about, sex, fighting and drugs.
"I'm holding you to that Resh, if you've planned something without me I'm going to be pissed," she smirked. "So how is this going to work? are you just going to sit down and it's done, or will there be an announcement?"
"It's already been made clear to the old Jarl, and the people of the city that the Hold will become an independant nation belonging to someone named 'Resh', so I imagine I can just take over immediately. Although I will have to have an official announcement later on, perhaps once everyone adjusts I'll have a party involving the 'higher ups' in the town, and those who may ask me for things so they can get to know me."
"Will anyone oppose your rule?" she asked, doubting the old Jarl will want to step down.
"Probably. The old Jarl definitely, but I will make sure he gets something out of this, I'll probably give him a vast sum of money as a 'leaving gift' and a plot of land to build an estate. And then there is the Silver-Blood family, a ridiculously wealthy family who own half the city and have been manipulating the old Jarl so much they basically control the city," he explained to her, using a tone that suggested he'll sort out that issue too.
"What have they done so far? and how will you stop them?"
Resh looked at her. "Kayce, you know me well enough to know that I'm not going to let a few Nords boss me around. I'll just have to make it clear all their land now belongs to me and take away a large portion of their wealth, I know it's really unfair of me, but hey, it's my country, what are they going to do? if they fight back I'll just kill a few of them. As for what they've done already, I hear they basically run the cities prison 'Cinda Mine' but use the prisoners as slave labour to mine silver. I'll probably set a few of them free too."
Kayci mock gasped. "Oh Resh, you're such a cruel tyrant."
"I'll be making this place a lot better, believe me on that, picture all the mines being open, people getting paid fairly, trading with Orc strongholds for smithing abilities, and the Dwemer cities being converted into actual cities. It'll be awesome, maybe one of the palace's down there could be your personal one," the Tsaesci told her, watching her face light up in glee.
"Really? for me?" she asked him in a whisper, prompting him to nod in reply. "Can I have the biggest one down there?"
Resh grasped her hand and look into her eyes. "Nothing is too fine for you Kayce… the chief whore of Markarth."
He didn't manage to dodge that smack to the face like he did the last, and was now graced by a large red mark and a trickle of blood by his nose, and a Kayci almost about to fall over in laughter. "You deserved that."
"I guess so," he replied, wiping away the blood, before walking into the main throne room of the palace. "Time to rule this place then."
It seemed the old Jarl had already prepared for this as he greeted them immediately. "I'm going to take guess and say you are 'Resh', the Empire has already described you to me, and explained the whole situation. I guess I don't really have much of a choice do I?"
Resh almost felt sorry for the man but remembered this was better for everyone. "I'm afraid not," Resh muttered, switching place with the man on the throne so he was now standing in the place of Resh. "I'm happy to grant you a large patch of land for your services, and the money to build on it. As well as that feel free to worship whoever you want now I'm in charge, not the Empire."
"Really?" he asked, almost pleased with the entire situation. "You're going to reinstate Talos worship?"
"Why not? this is my country, not the Thalmor's or the Empires. I can do whatever I want and the 'White-Gold Concordat' doesn't mean shit," Resh told him, leaving the entire room shocked at his words. "I don't care who or what people call a god. For all I care it could be one of the Daedric princes. In fact, Daedra worship is now legal too in my country, some of the practices aren't mind you, but the worship isn't."
There were mixed feelings at his last statement about the Daedra, but that was insignificant as it was immediately overshadowed by how pleased the Nords in the room were about Talos worship. Igmund left straight away, no doubt to tell people the good news.
No sooner than he had left a group of about for Thalmor agents walked through the entrance, apparently appalled with what had just transpired within the walls. The chief Justiciar, Ondolemar, was the one to voice the views of the Elven people, and it was a furious voice.
"Are you out of your mind?! I think you're forgetting who helped you get in charge of this place, just because it's an independant nation doesn't mean you can disrespect and slander the Thalmor in this way! Talos is a man not a god! and it is heresy to say otherwise, I should write a report to Elenwen right now about what you've done here, and we'll see what she thinks about this betrayal!" Ondolemar snapped harshly at him, ignoring Resh's power completely as he raged.
Resh groaned. "And your name is…?"
"Ondolemar."
"So what I'm gathering here Ondolemar is that you speak for the Thalmor when you protest my new rules?"
The Elf glared at him, wondering where this was going. "Yes."
"Interesting…" Resh said slowly, glaring at the Thalmor Justiciar and his three agents, before speaking to his large group of soldiers who lined the walls. "guards, kill them all."
For a moment everyone hesitated, looking confused and not really knowing what to do, the soldiers who were previously Empire owned had learned not to mess with the Thalmor, and the Elves themselves had thought Resh was on their side. So they all just stared at Resh and was expecting him to announce that it was all a big joke.
"Come on you idiots, I've already made it clear there are no repercussions from the Thalmor and Empire if you break their rules, so kill them already!" he yelled, anger taking over him when he thought about everything the Thalmor had done to him.
"I really don't think this is neces-" Ondolemar started to say, but he was cut off by every one of Resh's guards firing simultaneously. Peppering him and his three agents with about ten arrows each, dropping them all to the floor, with the steel tipped wooden shards poked out at all angles, killing them instantly.
"Well my soldiers, this is an interesting introduction isn't it?" he called out, getting a few nods and 'yes's' from the overjoyed Nords and other races because the fact they had just slaughtered some Thalmor. "This is probably going to happen again in a few days time, there will be a few more of them, but you seem good at killing these Elves so far, so I'm sure you'll be fine."
A few silent moments passed before one guard finally spoke up. "Do you have any more rules?"
Resh smiled. "Tonnes…"
The Next Day
"How do you expect my business to function like this?!" Thongvor Silver-Blood asked the new King of the Reach. His family so far had not been having a very good time in this new independent kingdom, the Thalmor may have been gone, of which he was immensely pleased, but the new laws regarding the miners wages Resh had enforced were not something he had planned.
"Oh please, give it a rest. I know very well you and your family are making more than enough money, even when I do make you treat my people fairly. I'm not the old Jarl, and you're not going to push me around," Resh fired back, having had enough of the greedy company that thought it had a shred of power compared to him.
"I help fund this city, without my mines you would have nothing! what if I just set up in Windhelm or another Hold, how would you feel about that?! I won't have to pay you anything with taxes, and I can watch this Hold crumble," the Nord sneered, feeling her had the other man in a financial chokehold.
"I was going to let you leave today with some wealth intact, but you know what? you've irritated me. All this land in Markarth you think is 'yours'? Cinda mine? your numerous other mines? the Silver-Blood inn? they all belong to me now," Resh announced, only to be met with a shocked expression back.
"You can't do that?! that's against the law, it's illegal, you'll be stealing my property and illegally dismantling a business!" he shouted, knowing that Resh was obviously insane to say something like that.
"No I'm not, I own this country and you've just lost all your rights to any money, consider this your punishment for raising your voice. 'Cinda mine' is now 'Cinda prison' and I will personally review every prisoner in there and free them from your slavery, the Silver-Blood inn will have the ownership given to someone else who will decide the name later, and I'll send soldiers to claim all your properties as land of the King," Resh announced, glancing at the guards closer to the doors, prompting them to march towards Cinda mine to claim ownership, also to send detachments to the other mines.
"This is unfair!" the Nord shouted, watching as every last shred of his inheritance and wealth was torn away from him in a few mere sentences. Fury took over and he lunged at the man he considered an unlawful tyrant, he didn't get very far before being intercepted by Kayci, Resh's new Housecarl.
"Consider yourself lucky to be alive," she hissed at him, throwing him onto the floor.
The man got up and glanced around the room, only to see everyone laughing back at him, it would appear no one was upset his monopoly was broken, that he was powerless to everyone, and no one to be feared. His manipulation of the city's leaders, and unlawful ruling of half its land had now come to an end, as well as the poverty of its miners.
"Are you happy?" he whispered, a broken man instead of a cruel wealthy ruler. "You've got what you want, you despot. You've taken all I had through unfair and illegal means just because of some righteous crusade against 'wrong doers' in your city, you're delusional, you're just as bad as me."
Resh smirked. "That's where you're wrong, I took all you had yes. But all of that was taken from people who had very little to begin with, I'm just giving it back to them. Ruining the life of one bad millionaire is a hell of a lot better than ruining it for a thousand good peasants."
"I have nothing left, Why not just kill me?!" he shouted after building up the strength to shout at him.
"Good idea. Archers, are you ready…?"
The Next Day
Dismantling the Silver-Bloods trade Empire hadn't been nearly as difficult as he assumed it would be, but then again, he really should have expected the ease the mine managers weren't soldiers, unlike those he sent to take over, and Cinda mind was barely protected at all, the screening process of the old prisoners was beginning in a few days too, so Resh was righting wrongs at a record pace.
Silver-Blood inn had also been renamed too, with Kayci in charge it was now, 'The Akaviri Inn'. Only two knew the reason for the new name, but no one else seemed to care much, they just enjoyed the new theme.
Three Days Later
When Elenwen arrived everyone had been given strict instructions to attack the moment he gave the signal, although to leave her alive by the end. She had about eight well trained operatives by her side, but fortunately Resh had the element of surprise.
Kayci had decided to sit this whole thing out, she knew it was coming, but didn't want to see Elenwen again at least not while she was able to fight back. With Resh completely understood, and it only fueled his hatred for the Altmer even more.
He first saw the Emissary when she stepped into his Throne room, followed by her guards, she seemed impressed. "Resh, I've seen what you've done to this place so far, and I must admit, it's pretty good, the mines seem to be working better than ever, even if you are earning less of a profit."
Resh had to keep himself from attacking her as soon as he saw her, his mind could only see red, and every word she said grated his nerves. "Do you have the Scroll?" he spat out, surprising her slightly with his attitude.
"Yes, it's right here," she replied, showing it to him.
"Good. Guards, you can do your thing now," he growled, waving to them to attack the Elves.
Unlike the Justiciars group these ones reacted right away, managing to draw their swords before the bows came out. The first kill was actually on one of his own soldiers who was beheaded before he had a chance to draw a weapon. Resh didn't really see himself losing this particular fight, but one death was more than enough for him to get angry.
Pulling out his own weapon Resh carved through the nearest operative, leaving only seven of them remaining. Unfortunately for him their armour was a lot thicker than the other agents from before, so when the first volley of arrows landed only two more of them fell, and by that time they had already killed some more of his guards.
A bead of sweat ran down his face as he started to realise the trouble he was in, truly these agents were 'the best of the best', the Elite Thalmor, and were far better trained than his guards. The line between whether he would win or not was getting far thinner each time.
Only he and a quickly dwindling contingent of five guards remained and there were still about four of the Thalmor left, as well as an atronach each had summoned. The numbers didn't seem that unfair at the moment, but he had started with about twenty guards, if not more in this chamber, and their quick deaths wasn't really very hopeful for him.
Striking out again with his sword, he managed to draw blood on one of the operatives, not fatal, but enough to make her flinch back, allowing him the opportunity to fry her with lightning magic, bringing down the numbers again. Trying to keep moving he brought the swinging arc down onto another Thalmor's skull ending their pathetic life too.
Looking back Resh saw what the rest of the fight had had been like, and he seemed to have won! not one Thalmor was left alive, except for Elenwen of course, who was backing away from the bloodshed in pure shock at what had commenced in the few seconds she had been in the room.
"Resh, what are you doing?" she asked in fear as she tried to get as far from him as possible, only to find herself backed into a corner, with him and his last standing soldier walking towards her.
"I know what you did to Kayci… I'm going to fucking kill you! a painful death too, it's what an evil rapist bitch like you deserves," he hissed, lunging toward her.
Elenwen shrieked and did the first thing that came to mind, turn the Elder Scroll to face him in mid air and open it. She didn't have a weapon so it was the only thing she could use, it drove one of her operatives blind for a few days when he tried to read it.
The was a flash of light and Resh screamed in pain, falling to the ground. "You bitch! I'm blind!" he thrashed around aimless on the floor, trying to rip to shreds anything that came near him. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"
The last remaining guard had a similar reaction and was shouting more or less the same thing at her. Striding over to him she stabbed the sharp end of the scroll into the soldiers chest, killing him, it was only Resh she cared about keeping alive…