The Pink Haired Pirate: An Old Norse Saying
Rated: M for language, future mature themes, violence, gore
Warnings: Spoiler alert for Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim
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"The designations of Gods, Demons, Aedra, and Daedra, are universally confusing to the layman. They are often used interchangeably due to the arrogance and ignorance of the said user."
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Brand-Shei looked up from his frown. Just a few hours ago he was caught by the guards and sent for a few days to occupy a jail cell. The guards have found Madesi's silver ring in his pocket. A ring he could not have stolen, he was too engrossed in listening to Brynjolf's declarations of his Falmerblood Elixir.
He snorted. That snake must have cooked something up. He was talking to a pink-haired woman before he started parading his bullshit. And to think he fell for it and bought a bottle.
The Dunmer sighed. The breeze he felt earlier. The strange woman used an invisibility potion, most likely.
A guard suddenly walked over to his cell. He was twirling a ring of keys, before picking the right one.
"Stand up. Somebody above must really love you if they wanted you out this early."
His eyes widened as the guard unlocked his cell. There must have been some bribery in the middle. The guards were so corrupt, they wouldn't listen to Brand-Shei's claims that there was no way he could have stolen the ring. It was hidden in the strongbox under his stall and he couldn't have sneaked away to steal it, while he was standing next to Madesi this whole time.
"Really? Who would have done it?"
The guard shrugged. "A young lady with pink hair. But she paid me to keep my mouth shut, I'm advising you to do the same. Just refer to herself as some sort of 'Mysterious Benefactor' and you'll be fine. Now get out of here."
A lady with pink hair? Wasn't a lady with pink hair conspiring with Brynjolf?
The Dunmer obeyed and walked outside his cell.
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"Aedra" and "Daedra" are not relative terms. They are Elvish and exact. Azura is a Daedra both in Skyrim and Morrowind. "Aedra" is usually translated as "ancestor," which is as close as Cyrodilic can come to this Elven concept. "Daedra" means, roughly, "not our ancestors." This distinction was crucial to the Dunmer, whose fundamental split in ideology is represented in their mythical genealogy."
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"So what happened with that jeweler then?" Chihiro walked with her master/battle-partner inside the icy caverns of Hob's Fall.
Sakura shrugged. "I bailed him out with the septims I got from the job. Let's face it, the city is corrupted to the core. If anything, that Dunmer must have overheard something accidentally, and Brynjolf's client ordered him to shake Brand-Shei up. And he's not the only one. I have overheard this morning the owners of Bee and Barb complaining about how the Black-Briars rose the prices of the mead, and they'd be in deep shit if the Briars heard they brought a competitor's brand in their inn." Sakura pointed it out.
"But what could you do? It's not like you could just...you know...usurp their politics and interfere too much."
Sakura shrugged. "I'm done with trying to redeem myself, Chihiro-chan. From now on I'm just doing whatever the hell I want to. But I hate the guts of people who just go around, ruining people's lives so they can stay on top. They think they are some sort of Gods. And do you know what Raleigh-san said about the inheritors of the Will of D?"
Chihiro took in Sakura's wide grin.
"I see." The fluffy cat nodded and sighed, returning the grin with a smile of her own. "You just want to ruin their plans because you find it fun."
Sakura petted Chihiro's head.
"I'm glad you understand. I have enough physical strength. If something happens I could just get rid of them. But I couldn't step anywhere if I became a walking nightmare, so I need cash. Septims. Gold. Think you could gather a few cats and help me find stuff like that? Not stolen from cities or villages; they need it more."
"Most likely." Chihiro nodded. "It's a time of peace back home, and a lot of Neko-nin are getting bored; they're not complaining they get to nap more than during the way...but they want some action. Including Matatabi-sama. Both her and Richie-sama have been dying for some action lately."
Sakura nodded and hummed. "I see. I will summon Matatabi and Richie as soon as I find a need to. I don't want to level down a forest for nothing." she chuckled. The both of them ventured a little deeper into the cave. As they walked farther, they could hear the clicking of bony heels against the icy floor of the cave, followed by a cackle and an ice spike thrown in their direction. Both Sakura and Chihiro slid out of the way, and Sakura took an offensive battle stance. A skeleton armed with nothing more but an iron sword was followed by a man in black robes, which had a weird green skull pattern painted on top.
"Intruders!" The Necromancer suddenly yelled to alarm the rest of the necromancers who were living with him. Sakura drove her chakra scalpel through the man's torso, and before Chihiro could jump and bite on the skeleton, it let out a cackle before dismembering and falling on the floor.
Sakura took Chihiro in her arms and jumped up on the ceiling. It was hard to get a good grasp on the slippery cave ceiling, but she managed to stick on it just long enough.
Two other necromancers, this time a man and a woman came over to investigate. The fluffy cat gave Sakura's cheek a nudge, to release her on one of their heads. The Ragdoll cats had a little troublesome weakness. When picked up, their body goes limp, just like a rag doll. And since Sakura was holding her, Chihiro was unable to move. Sakura nodded and let the cat go, landing on the face of the female Necromancer.
Chihiro hissed.
"Stupid cat! Where the hell it came from!?"
"I don't know!" The woman was trying to pry Chihiro off her face, leaving Sakura enough time to jump down and kick them in their torsos, applying her chakra filled kicks.
The Ragdoll cat shook her fluffy body and followed Sakura deeper in the cave.
"Necromancers, huh? They sound like some of Orochimaru's weird experiments...but they were more successful at least."
If cats had expressive eyebrows, Chihiro would have raised hers.
"Necromancers?"
"Yes, necromancers." Sakura nodded. "The people here have got some sort of chakra as well, but they call it 'mana'. They can do all sorts of stuff, including raising a corpse and turn it into your puppet to fight for you."
"I see..."
Sakura spotted a lit table ahead. She took off her knapsack and started stuffing in the loot. She found at least 50 septims in the chest, and a necklace made of silver. She also found several soul gems and potions, and some food as well.
"Do you think we'll find fish here?"
Sakura hummed and hung the bag back on her shoulders.
"Maybe. If not, we'll just catch some later. I'm sorry Chihiro, I will take care of you as soon as we are out of here." Said cat purred in response as she followed Sakura down the slope.
Chihiro swayed her tail angrily and got on her two hind legs. A necromancer and her skeleton were getting nearby.
Ox. Boar. Horse.
Chihiro pressed her paws together
"Cat genjutsu."
The skeleton dismembered as the necromantress gasped for air. She was looking around. Her mind was wrapped in a genjutsu. She was frenetically freezing everything around her, as the mirage plagued her brain. Several cats were attacking the young mage, clawing at her eyes. Chihiro managed to get an opening and jumped, opening her claws. She slashed across the throat and let the body fell to the ground with a thud.
"Good job, Chihiro-chan." Sakura smiled and looted the body. She found a bunch of septims, about 20, but the spell tome caught her attention. The cover was purple with a weird symbol. She flipped through it.
"What did you find, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura hummed. "It's called Spell Trap. You see, you can trap souls of living beings in the gems we found earlier. And use them to strengthen weapons, tools, and armor."
The Ragdoll cat blinked.
"Really? That's...a little horrifying."
Sakura couldn't help but agree. "I don't wish to try these on my own anyway. I'm still hopping from inn to inn, and I doubt that all the innkeepers would approve experiments like Dagur-san and his wife. And I don't think they need another reason to get startled by explosions besides that Altmer mage."
Chihiro walked in front of Sakura, crossing the wooden bridge. She crouched, and Sakura did the same. The wooden bridge ended in a slope that leads to a large furnished room.
"Take em out quietly?"
Sakura nodded and twirled a few kunai. She launched them silently, carefully, going for quick and clean kills. Before they could register what was happening, their comrades would be already dead. She motioned Chihiro to follow, and execute their usual looting routine. She gathered a total of 60 septims off the corpses. She also spotted a locked chest somewhere against the wall.
"What do you think we'll find here, Chihiro-chan?" The cat followed and pawed at the locked chest.
"How will you open that? Wouldn't it be easier if you cut down the top?"
Sakura shrugged. "Brynjolf-san has handed me a few lockpicks, I'm intending to use them. At least until all of them wear down." Sakura took out a lockpick and strengthened it with her Armament Haki, before working around the lock. The cat watched Sakura work so domestic; it was a sight she was never used to see.
Soon, she managed to open the wooden chest and rummage the insides.
"Wow, they're so pretty!" The cat gushed. Sakura indeed found some valuable loot, like about 80 septims and about 3 sapphire gemstones. They were indeed gorgeous and shiny.
"Indeed." She got up to browse through the books, only to find a few appealing titles: Cats of Skyrim, Enchanter's Primer, and The Exodus; the latter two being spellbooks. Sakura chuckled. "I'll be honest. I have never found so much loot since I first stepped on Skyrim. We can sell all the potions or something." The cat also grabbed the satchel.
"I think I found something moving. Come on!" Chihiro started picking up pace, heading towards a smaller opening in the icy walls, dropping the satchel in the process. Sakura chuckled and picked it up for her. Her bag was starting to get a little heavier too. The potions were clicking against each other and at this point, silent killing was a little hard, unless she used the necromancers as kunai-throwing posts.
Chihiro battled through the skeletons before Sakura could make it through the slippery slope. The cat was purring pleased on top of a dead necromancer. Sakura knew what was she looking for. She walked over and patted her head. The neck of the man had the arteries slashed by Chihiro's sharp claws.
"Thanks, Sakura-chan. Go loot, I think you might like it what we found here." And indeed, the tunnel ended in a larger room equipped with a lit wooden table, a chair, and an alchemy table. She also found a locked wooden chest and a strange case with a shiny jewel.
"Look at this, Chihiro-chan. The stone is really beautiful...and shiny..." Sakura felt mesmerized by the beauty. The diamond-shaped rosy stone sat on the soft cushion of the box. "How much do you think it's worth?"
"Maybe...maybe even mountains of gold!" Chihiro suggested. "But you should take it to someone to appraise it. Maybe a jeweler."
"Hmm...you're right. Let's get out of here."
Sakura looted the remaining coins out of the locked chest and looked for the immediate opening. The room was empty, but still held an Arcane Enchanter and a sacrifice table.
"See, Chihiro-chan? This is what they enchant their weapons with." she sighed. "It's interesting but..I'm not sure how moral is it..."
"If you think about it, you can trap the soul of a loved one and seal it in a necklace or something. It'd be sweet you could carry them around in adventures or something." The cat commented. Both of them started to look for an opening; it seemed that they have hit a dead end.
"Morbidly sweet is the word you're looking for, Chihiro-chan."
Sakura stared at Chihiro and sweatdropped. There had to be some sort of opening. Isabella was dragged here most likely. And she must have been killed here too. The blood on the altar was pretty fresh, and judging by a sniff from Chihiro; she'd guess about a few hours.
The cat tugged at some hanging moss leaves, only to reveal a rusty pull chain.
"I think I found it, nya!"
Sakura walked over and smiled. She pulled on the rusty chain, opening a secret doll.
"Well well well..."
A voice echoed from the end of the tunnel.
"The saviors of the young woman have finally arrived...A shame you have come hours too late..."
Sakura's eyes narrowed. This time she equipped herself with a kunai. Both of them walked down the path.
"Silent, are we? You may want revenge for what happened to your friend. But can you get past my traps?"
The voice belonged to a male.
Sakura and Chihiro advanced. The pink-haired woman picked up the cat, right before her whiskers were frozen by several beams of ice.
"Sakura-chan? What are those?"
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm not sure...they seem to be connected to those soul gems." She pointed it out. The gems standing in a small, silvery cup on the pedestals were emitting beams of ice, making it impossible to pass.
"Wait...I think I can pass these. You could too, but maybe you could make use of the soul gems." Chihiro had a point. The cat crawled beneath the beams of ice while Sakura slid her pair of black fingerless gloves on her dainty hands. She swiftly stole the soul gems and walked past the dead necromancer Chihiro just killed. Her paws were a little bloody, she'd have to help her wash them soon.
The tunnel led to a larger room this time.
"Is that..."
Chihiro stopped walking. The room held three persons: two necromancers and their master. But besides them, sat down a dead woman dressed in a beige and yellow dress. Her hair was either silver or a very light shade of blonde, and the forehead bore a few prominent creases.
"Isabella..." Sakura whispered enraged. "What have you done to her?!"
Alistair chuckled deeply. He raised his hand and Ranmir's dead lover started to get up with almost robotic movements. Chihiro took a step back, frightened. The woman's head raised, but the horrorstruck facial expression didn't change the rolled-up white of her eyes and the slackened jaw. The back straightened and the woman picked up her own dagger, dropping in an offensive stance.
"Dear Isabella has become my puppet, young lady. You see, we Necromancers look to raise the dead and serve us as allies by our side. They don't disobey, they don't scream, they don't spill our secrets. The conjuration is an art that not everyone can perform easily." Alistair sighed. "But I'm surprised how those monkeys were defeated by a girl and her little Khajit.
Chihiro hissed.
"Never mind that. You won't escape this cave alive. And you won't take what's ours in that fattened little backpack of yours." Sakura's eyes narrowed. The pinwheel of her eye spun. She dropped the backpack and flashed faster than the eye could blink, but the tip of her kunai was barely touching Isabella's cold throat.
Chihiro moved to leave Sakura an opening. Her aim was to kill the master necromancer after all. Like that, Isabella's soul would be free, and not at his command.
While Alistair used Isabella to try to slash and duck, he attempted to freeze her as well. He was a swift fighter, using Isabella as a meat shield, as Sakura was doing her best to not cut her open. She let out a gasp of pain as a large spike of ice impaled her back.
"Sakura-chan?!" Sakura gasped blood and took a step back. An enraged Chihiro painfully climbed on the necromancer which hit her master from behind and sunk her fangs inside the arteries of the neck, tearing them open.
"Why is the little Khajit fighting better than you? Why is a small cat more of a threat to my men? And most importantly...why are you holding back?"
Sakura snarled and threw the kunai somewhere else. She clenched her fists and dodged Isabella, shoving her out of her way.
"You'd do more damage with your dagger, I can assure you." His hands were ready to form a ward. Sakura grabbed his wrists in a bone-crushing grip. He choked in pain. "Y-You...You won't get anything done with t-this- " Her fist suddenly started to sparkle. An orb of lighting was slowly growing in size in her hand, letting out a deafening chirping sound.
"Do you know what is this? This is the lighting cutter. The technique of my sensei. And this technique will end your miserable life." Sakura pushed her hand through his torso. The death was almost instant and Alistair was left slumped against the wall, bleeding out through the huge gap in his chest. She wiped her hand in the front of his robe.
His two companions weren't as lucky. Chihiro was an elegant cat, but she had an insatiable bloodlust. The two necromancers were still squirming in pain, unable to move as their throats were bleeding out. They soon passed out, and less likely they'll open their eyes ever again.
"She's dead for good...right?" Chihiro sniffed Isabella. She fell down as soon as Alistair died, dropping her dagger in the process.
Sakura nodded and grabbed the piece of paper tucked in the pouch of the woman. She kneed by her side. Chihiro raised her front paws and rested them on her knees. She licked a few salty tears which escaped Sakura's eyes.
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"My dearest Ranmir,
By the time you receive this, I will be gone. I know that it's wrong to mislead you, but I didn't want you to prevent me from going.
I know it's been hard on you, on both of us, struggling to survive. I hate to see the look in your eyes every time you think about how little the two of us have, and I know you're too proud to ever say anything. So I'm going to make it all better.
I've talked to my friend Vex, and she's given me some advice. I know how to get something that will allow us to live happily, without ever worrying about money ever again.
I love you so much, Ranmir. You mean the world to me, and I only want to see you happy.
Worry not. I'll be home soon.
Isabelle"
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Haran caught the glimpse of something pink on the window of the inn. She motioned her husband to come and see while dropping the broomstick instantly. Sakura was back, covered in snow almost entirely, and she was holding someone in her arms. A woman. Dagur took a step closer, and Sakura gave a frigid smile.
"I'm sorry...I was unable to find her alive...all she wanted was a happier life with her lover...so she deserves a proper burial at home. She was meant to come back." A few tears already froze on her face.
Ranmir pushed everyone out of his way. He walked outside to see what was happening. Dagur made no comments for being pushed aside. Ranmir froze but took a careful step closer.
"Isabelle...my beautiful Isabelle..." Sakura handed him his dead lover carefully, with a gentleness she wasn't sure she could ever muster. She watched as the man cradled her gently.
"I...Thank you." He replied gratefully. "I don't know how you did it but thank you."
"Don't thank me." Sakura shook her head. "She deserved to be home."
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"Aedra are associated with stasis. Daedra represent change.
Aedra created the mortal world and are bound to the Earth Bones. Daedra, who cannot create, have the power to change."
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"So you're heading back to Riften?"
Haran was standing in the doorway of Sakura's rented room. After all the trouble she's gone into for the sake of their friend, they let her have her room for free this time. And they'd offer even more, but with the low flux of customers, they couldn't afford to. But Sakura made it vocal that she didn't mind. She had left Chihiro slash open the master chest and let her collect about 200 septims while Sakura was taking care of Isabella. She wasn't going to run out of money soon.
"Yes, Haran-san. I have met a few people there which could help me earn some septims without going deep inside caves to scavenge for gold."
"We'll never forget how you helped us, I hope you know that."
Sakura smiled.
"Of course not. I will never forget your kindness either."
Sakura was getting ready to take her coat this time. Last time she was too set on to find Isabella, she has fully forgotten about it, and she arrived back in Winterhold half frozen.
"Then you wouldn't mind one little surprise then."
A discreet smile played on Haran's lips.
"Huh?" Sakura's head titled confused and she got up.
"A friend of ours owns a carriage. At least you won't have to walk to Riften. We convinced him to take you there for free."
Sakura couldn't help but smile thankfully. "Thank you, Haran-san. For everything."
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"As part of the divine contract of creation, the Aedra can be killed. Witness Lorkhan and the moons.
The protean Daedra, for whom the rules do not apply, can only be banished."
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A/N: Sakura's getting a little rich.
In this Extra of the story, I'm really digging for Sakura to settle down somewhere in Skyrim. I can't say I'm sure exactly where and how, but I kind of want to cover up the whole Skyrim experience. My brain won't let me sleep until this story is done so...yea. It's sad.
I'm not sure how rushed this chapter was. I kept rereading, trust me, but for some reason, I'm unable to correct shit while I'm using my pc. I can truly correct it only when I'm reading on my phone. Don't know why. But if I post using my phone, the app eats away the separation dots and the spaces. It's most likely I will come back and update. No worries.
If you have some problem with the way I'm writing this story, please tell me so I know how to improve. A good review is a review where I can actually learn shit from.
Okay, so I kind of estimated the number of septims Sakura has earned. I may have been a little generous, but she should have an additional 410 septims. That's not bad. I also decided not to add the scroll contents anymore. They won't change, no other reason.
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Sakura's Balance: 573 septims.
Sakura's Inventory: Summoning scroll, several storage scrolls, Boethiah's Proving, Sakura's Journal, Quill, Inkwell, Walking the World, Volume XI: Solitude, Potion of Health, Lockpicks (8), Cats of Skyrim, The Exodus, Aedra and Daedra, Enchanter's Primer, Sapphire (3), Petty Soul Gem (2), Black Soul Gem (4).
Sakura's Quest Log (Started): Discerning the Transmundane, Join the Stormcloaks
Sakura's Quest Log (Completed): A Chance Arrangement, Drowned Sorrows
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It looks alright until now.
In case you're wondering, you know how Sakura muses over the corruption. Well, it's kind of normal for her to do it. Or to comment and accept the missions. Like as a Dragonborn, it's like you can just walk away from an NPC, but you won't get the gold. The point IS to do the missions, and who the hell would be so generous to take them up without hesitation. It would be story over if she just declined all the missions if you think about it. In the actual game, you don't get to voice too much your choices, even if you do by yourself when playing. At least with Sakura, I can do that.
By the way. Once I run out of quests, you can all suggest me mods to try and write based on them. I'm really curious about your thoughts and choices.
I think that's all.
Bye-bye til later then! :)