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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Sakura woke up feeling rather energized and well-rested. The alcohol has already been burnt in her chakra system and bloodstream. Skyrim had cleaner air too...fresher...and that was the first thing which hit her face in the morning: the fresh air breezing through the open windows. She smiled, rather content with her life, as she looked at herself in the mirror and found no traces of eye-bags or tiredness, despite everything which happened yesterday.
The word has stopped burning her brain the moment she sat the quill down on the paper to write it down, and read it a few times before closing the journal and resuming her bath. And while the sorrow and pity were still strong for Narfi, the man who lost his sister and has succumbed to madness, she was hoping he'd eventually find peace, now that he had her necklace.
Giving a sleeping Chihiro a pat on the head, Sakura summoned a few clothes out of her scroll. She has decided to leave her basket inside the room, with all her valuables, except maybe for a book, namely 2920 vol. V - Second Seed. She kept it in one of her pouches, along with her map, and Signus' device. If everything went according to the plan, she'd be able to deliver the blood in time...maybe the day after tomorrow at most. The struggles between the Falmer and Dwemer races were strongly imprinted in the ruins of any Dwarven city. According to 'Falmer: A Study', the blind, ferocious creatures have once been the mighty snow elves; and they still roamed the ruins after the rebellion against their Dwarven overlords. It was indeed a sad story, and she was not sure if they will ever return to their former glory. As amazing the Dwarves' culture and architectural knowledge were, their darker side and treachery on completely disfiguring a race was disgusting beyond comparison. But at least she'd finally find out what resided in the Occulory. And they were this close to finally open it.
Sakura folded her blue tunic dress on the bed, and replaced it with a basic long-sleeved shirt and baggy ninja trousers, tucking them in her boots. She hasn't bothered to sheath her sword and bring it with her. She merely sat it in its sheath on the drawer inside her rented room, which started to look more and more like her own arrangement back home. The bookshelf held a few of the books she has found in her travels, mixed in with scrolls and tomes, she hung a target right on the back of the door for kunai and senbon practice whenever she couldn't really sleep, and a vase of lavender flowers perched on top of the window sill.
Back to the subject...her fists were more than enough to take down whatever came in her path. But...she needed gloves for that...yes...the gloves. Her outfit looked strongly like her standard Jounin attire, save for the ninja sandals replaced by boots, and the green flak jacket which stayed folded inside the scroll. That piece itself was truly useful, as the several pockets and the steel-coated material was a good protection against projectiles and blunt hits. Instead of the usual Uzushiogakure symbol on the back, hers had the Uchiha clan fan sewn in the middle of the back.
Sakura strapped the kunai and other weapons pouch around her right leg, and a larger, medical pouch around her waist, in the back, where she also stored scrolls and medical supplies. She was more of a fighter kunoichi; when she was 14, she has interrupted her training under Tsunade Senju in the favor of the other fields of expertise, such as the sealing arts and elemental ninjutsu. She has barely resumed and completed it two years ago, during the time the Straw Hats were apart for training and focusing on getting stronger than ever. But the medical ninjutsu has saved her ass a good deal in the past, and she could bet it would be as useful in the present and the future.
She opened the door of her rented room and stepped outside, locking the door. Marcurio was already waiting for her, leaned against the wooden pillar which sustained the roof. As soon as he spotted her walking outside her room, he pushed himself from the spot he was standing and followed her out the inn after Sakura bid a 'good morning' and a 'goodbye' to Keevara and Talen Jei. Sakura smiled lightly to herself too. She spotted the golden band of encrusted amethyst gemstones on Keevara's right ring finger too, and they both seemed happier than ever. When Chihiro would wake up later, she'd climb out of the window and back in the inn, hopping on one of the free barstools, where the Argonian woman settled a plate of cooked salmon.
'It was about time.' The white-furred cat with coffee-colored spots would comment in her own mind as she stood on her hind legs, leaning her front paws pressed against the bar, eating her fish rather elegantly.
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"So how comes you have decided to jump in the wolf pit and explore the Dwarven ruins of Mzinchaleft? And ready to go there by yourself?"
Sakura instead was focused more on the pronunciation of his words, rather than the question itself.
'Mzincha...Mz-inch-a-left?' She rubbed her head a little confused, before snapping out of her thoughts.
"The Jarl wants me to retrieve someone's sword...and I've always wanted to see them with my own eyes. I'm not afraid of whatever I'd find down there..." she merely shrugged, as she walked past the gates, the stables, and on the way to The Pale.
"So you're risking your life for a simple sword?" Marcurio looked at her in disbelief.
"Who knows what else we'll find there. Maybe something valuable...maybe new books to read...it will be entertaining enough. I haven't had a real fight once since I stepped foot in Skyrim. I'm looking for a challenge."
"Aren't you a little cocky?"
"Look who's talking, master of the arcane arts." Sakura pinched his arm lightly. "I've had my fair share of battles with insanely powerful people, and I'm here in one piece. What could be considered a challenge here?"
Marcurio, who was rubbing his arm a little annoyed, merely poked her head.
"Don't jinx it, woman. It has happened to me before and I don't want to get back to Riften in a matchbox. Jinxing equals swarms of giants and mammoths stomping everything in their way; mixed with a nice able-bodied team of rogue wizards blazing our butts. I had the misfortune to be hired by a really unlucky man." And much to his dismay, the only response he was met with was a cheeky grin. And that meant another poke in her ribs.
"Oi, stop that!"
"I will when you'll stop being a headache."
"I'm not a headache!"
"That's exactly what a headache would say."
"But headaches don't talk."
"I see one right now."
"You're impossible."
"No, you're the impossible one here - just stop poking me!"
"I will when you'll stop punching my arm!"
"You sissy!"
"Look who's talking."
And whatever bandits hiding in the bushes ready to ambush them, decided against it. They have simply decided to leave them alone.
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"I'm suspecting the journey to The Pale will last a few days. Especially around this time of the year. The winter lasts longer in the North and it will make the journey on foot much harder to carry." Marcurio commented as they walked through the woods. The leaves were incredibly colorful, and the sun was shining just slightly. She supposed that Skyrim was much colder than other countries of Tamriel. It made her wonder if they were as interesting as Skyrim was. Marcurio was an Imperial, right? And they all came from Cyrodill unless they were born elsewhere. She made a mental note to ask him about Cyrodill later. Sakura half-listened to him, half-listening to the rustle of the leaves and the chirping of the birds. It was unusually peaceful.
"I see. So I suppose that there's no other way to move faster. I don't have enough septims for a carriage or horses. How comfortable are you with traveling through the trees ?"
The tanned, Imperial mage looked down at the pink-haired petite woman which appeared to be deep in thought.
"What do you mean...traveling through the trees?" Marcurio regretted his question as soon as he spotted her lips stretch in a wide grin.
"Hop on my back." Sakura merely instructed, stopping. She didn't need to bend to give him a piggy-ride, he was much taller.
"...what?" He stopped, looking at her baffled. "No way!"
"Just hop on my back, it will faster!"
"I'm too heavy for you, are you crazy?!"
"You're not too heavy, do you want to reach the Pale before you start growing a beard or not!?"
"A few days won't grow me a beard!"
"Oh, come on, like you're not taking care of your perfect baby-face every morning." Sakura crossed her arms.
"I do NOT have a baby- did you say my face was perfect?" He looked down at her with a cheeky smirk, infuriating her.
"Just get on my damn back." The smirk was wiped off quickly. Marcurio sucked in a long exhale and wrapped his arms around her neck from behind. He straddled her waist with his knees.
"This is so embarrassing..."
"Quit the whining." The tips of her ears were burning a similar shade of her hair as she felt his chin rest against the top of her head. His hot breath which fanned over her was not helping either. She snapped out, however. She called chakra into her feet, and arms - so she wouldn't drop him - and leaped. And her leaps over the branches through the forests were not slow, or even moderated paces. It was fast enough for Marcurio to close his eyes so they wouldn't sting, but also to refrain him from making additional comments as he almost swallowed a fly the first time he tried to open his mouth.
He was right though. For long distances, he was indeed heavier, which she should have expected, and as little as she cared about the man's wounded pride, they would have reached Eastmarch by sunset if she kept up her pace. But even if her small back was numbing, there's no way she'd ever admit that to him. Maybe over her dead body, but he'd just chant how right he was, and be offended to be called heavy, even if he knew that already too.
One of her hands dug inside the pouch strapped to her hip, to pull out a folded piece of paper. She flapped it open as she kept running, keeping the usual neck-breaking speed going, and her eyes instinctively turned their doujitsu on. She was instinctively dodging the tree branches and other obstacles coming her way, as she scanned the map. They had to go through 'Shor's Stone' town, a place she was pretty familiar with. Her clone cleaned a mine or so, and the miners there appreciated her presence. But she had no time to stop and chatter. The sword had to be retrieved as fast as possible, and she couldn't take too many detours. Unless they were strongly needed. She was supposed to get a letter too. As soon as Brynjolf was done getting a map of the Goldenglow Estate, she'd have to vanish and carry out Mercer Frey's task.
Marcurio was not asleep. He had his eyes closed, but she knew if something was going to happen he'd act quickly. His grip tightened a little, after hours of running, as Sakura's foot suddenly slipped and she barely landed on her feet. But Marcurio held her in his arms.
"What happened?" He asked, recovering himself, rubbing his head, after setting her back down on her feet, in the snow.
"I'm sorry.." she apologized. "I think I slipped on ice or something. It's nothing, really." Sakura lied through her teeth. She didn't want to make it seen that the fatigue was taking its tolls on her ability to run if needed. But Marcurio was not buying it.
"We'll walk from now. All we'll ever encounter is ice and snow, so I'd rather not have you break your neck." Sakura almost grinned.
"You care about my wellbeing."
"Of course, you're my employer." Marcurio snorted as he kept walking forward.
"You know if I actually died you could just keep your money without risking your life further." Her eyes furrowed as she pointed it out.
"Maybe, but I'm not as stupid to jump in the Dwarven ruins alone. Who knows what might that thing be crawling with."
"You do realize that I hired you for this exact reason, right?"
"I haven't said you were stupid." Sakura walked forward on the cobblestone path and stopped at the crossing. She walked a bit to the right to shake the snow off the wooden arrows of the signpost. One of the arrows pointed in the north, towards Windhelm. Another one was pointing back, towards Riften, and a third one pointed towards Whiterun; to the left. She hummed, planting a glowing blue senbon in the ground and looked at Marcurio.
"Should we head towards Windhelm then?"
Marcurio nodded, affirmative. "Yes, and we'll stop there to rest. It's getting dark, and in no way, I'm climbing back on your back. You're tired, and it might kill us both."
"I'm not-"
He looked at her, snorting, interrupting her. "I know, you 'slipped'. We'll walk there and stay the night." He decided, not leaving room for arguments as he walked through the snow.
"And one more thing."
"Yes?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"If you rat out one second about what happened, you will truly regret it." There was no true malice behind his words, but he was still rather defensive about it. And she truly believed every single word. She doubted Marcurio was a man to cross. Sakura sighed.
"Of course I won't tell anybody. I just tried to save us time and energy, so we won't have to take too many breaks until we reach The Pale. And save us some casualties. I mean I'm tired, but at least we didn't run into wolves, bandits, bears or worse; the Thalmor."
Now it was his turn to look down at her a little surprised. "The Thalmor? They don't really attack anybody unless you're a Nord. Or worshipping Talos. Or a Nord worshipping Talos."
Sakura bit inside her cheek. "I may or may have not saved a Nord from their clutches...and beat up those agents."
Marcurio blinked owlishly. "Please...please tell me you at least killed all of them and they couldn't have ratted you out."
"I killed all of them," Sakura recalled, before paling. "Or...at least I think I did." She has camped with the Nord named Vol after nobody was attacking either of them. If they weren't dead...one would have woken up, right? They couldn't have been knocked out for that long. Unless they were feigning. She was sure she killed at least four of them; but there was also a chance their chief, the Justiciar was just out-of-cold. Sakura has run past the site of their fight, and his body wasn't there, but the other bodies were gone too. They must have cleaned up. But if the Justiciar was still alive...then it was going to be trouble. He'd rat out how a pink-haired woman kicked their asses, and how many women with pink hair were in Skyrim anyways? She sighed.
Sakura was woken up from her mental daydreaming by Marcurio's fingers who snapped right before her eyes.
"You okay down there?"
Sakura snorted. "I'm in deep shit, aren't I?" He patted her head almost sympathetically.
"I'd guess so, I'd guess so."
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The gates and the large, imposing walls of Windhelm soon got closer and closer. The guards were marching through their shifts. Both Sakura and Marcurio crossed the bridge, but they stopped right before the gates. One of the guards stepped closer, inspecting them before nodding his helmed head. Marcurio pushed the right side of the gate open, allowing Sakura to slip inside first, then he immediately followed. The streets were dark and dim-lit by torches.
"Welcome to the so-called 'City of Kings', Sakura."
"'City of Kings'?"
"Yes. Windhelm is arguably the oldest city established by man which is still standing. It's dating back since the Merethic Era, you know? We're now walking through the Stone Quarter, which ...well, you will find the inn, shops and the marketplace here."
"Oh, I see. I'd say we should go to the inn but...what's the commotion over there?" She pointed at several guards and people who rushed with torches to their left.
"You're going to investigate no matter what I tell you, right?" Marcurio looked down at the petite woman which merely answered with a knowing smile. He sighed. "Of course." Sakura took his hand and dragged him after her. The turned left, stepped through the stone arch, and quickly took the first right, after the guards. Each of them held a lit torch as they investigated the graveyard. Besides the dug graves was a door which supposedly leads to the Hall of the Dead; or Skyrim's version of a mausoleum. She supposed.
"This is the third body this week." Sakura heard the guard in front of her speak up, as he looked at his colleagues which bent down to check on the corpse. Sakura tiptoed and moved a little closer, in a manner she wouldn't knock into anybody, and her eyes widened. A young woman was laying against the tombstones in front of the Hall of the Dead, laying in a pool of her own blood.
"This is the third body?" The guard merely nodded. The horrified citizens, especially women tried to get away from the scene as soon and fast as possible, until nobody but the two remaining guards, Sakura and an unwilling Marcurio stood behind her, watching her back.
"A loose, shadowy killer has been murdering young women for a while. He always disappears before we get the chance to see him. He murdered Susanna the Wicked." Sakura nodded and took a step forward, kneeling beside the body. Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Is there something wrong?" Marcurio followed her as well, looking over her shoulder.
"This...this is really unnerving, I'll admit. It seems that the killer was in a hurry. Do you know if she had any enemies?"
Sakura asked as she inspected the wounds. She took out a sharp kunai from her pouch and slashed open the clothes; the undergarments were enough to cover the intimate parts. Marcurio kneeled closer beside her and quickly conjured a small ball of light in his hand. He brought it closer, earning a grateful smile from Sakura.
"Enemies? Less likely. She was the barmaid for Candleheart Hall. Susanna was friendly with everybody. Men, Mer, it didn't really matter. But he murdered two other young women as well, of which one of them was Tobjorn Shatter-Shield's daughter. She was murdered in her own house." The remaining guard commented from behind. "Sadly, we're too busy with the war to lead any in-depth investigations. If you're willing to lend a hand, it's very welcome."
"Wait...he? How are you so certain that the murderer is a he?"
"Helgrid, our Priestess of Arkay confirmed it. The fingerprint bruises found on the first victim's neck were too large to be of a woman's. But that's all we know."
Sakura looked at the wounds closer, muttering mostly to herself. "Large diagonal cut from her left shoulder..." she hummed. "I'd say a three-inch deep cut...the collar bone is shattered...several cuts over the legs...missing muscle tissue?"
Marcurio listened closely. "Have you found anything?"
"The cuts, while they're imprecise and hurried, also removed the appendix. See?" She pointed at the heavily disfigured abdominal and lower areas. "Rookie mistakes, not to try to clean up. But at the same time...kidnapping the woman and then throwing out the body could be even more inconspicuous too, you know? But they're not made with a simple dagger. The blade seems a little curvier, look." She pointed out at open wounds on the legs Sakura stated and turned to the guard, after wiping her hands in a piece of cloth before she burned it afterward.
"It might be from an embalming tool. That's what she said."
Now, Sakura knew how the Nordic embalming tools looked like. When she has paid a visit to look through the Shroud Hearth Barrow, an old Nordic tomb, and while having her first-time encounter with the undead creatures called Draugr, she has spotted a few of those lying around, along with linen wraps and half-mummified bodies. The hilts were usually dark and full of carved-in patterns, while the blade was short but curved. Some even had the aspect of scissors, used to cut through the flesh more easily while preparing the body for the mummification process and then burial.
"I'll do my best to catch the killer." The guard nodded gratefully.
"Have you found any leads?"
Marcurio looked around, and suddenly spotted a trail of blood which dragged from the woman's pool of blood.
"I think...that our killer made it just a little easier for us to find them." Sakura smiled.
Both Sakura and Marcurio have come to an agreement to rent a room at Candlehearth Hall, the first thing after interviewing a few witnesses. The room they rented was spacious enough for the both of them, both for sleeping and planning their next move. That's what the silencing seals taped over the door were made for. The adrenaline and the thought of a killer on the loose were both a little unsettling and a little exciting for her. There was no way Sakura could go to sleep anytime soon.
Marcurio watched as his pink-haired companion pulled out a couple of crumbled, yellow papers and stuck them on the door, behavior she explained with a mere 'silencing seals', justifying the weird red drawings on top.
"Alright so: Silda the Unseen has claimed that she has arrived too late to the crime scene to see the killer." Sakura tossed him a red apple to munch on, after cleaning it thoroughly. Both took a bite from their fruits.
"That curiosity shop owner has claimed he saw a 'fellow' running away, but he didn't take a good luck at him. Also, the lady who takes care of the Hall of the Dead said the coin purse was intact." Marcurio pointed it out. The lack of witnesses and the fact that nothing was stolen from her body was curious itself.
"So we know two things then: the killer is male, and the killer had no financial reason to commit his crimes. The victims have three common features: they're all women, young in their 20s and their belongings were intact when found dead." Sakura tapped her chin as she finished her apple, which she threw away in a bin. "So it means we'll have to listen to the guard's advice and seek Jorleif, the Jarl's Steward. If anything, he could be of better help if he knows everything that happens inside the castle walls."
"Do we really have to go, though? Can't we get some rest, first? The killer won't attack until next day at least; he'll feel too threatened to attack knowing somebody's after his ass."
She looked at him and sighed. "Get some rest, then. I'll go to the Palace and see what can I find." Sakura stretched, leaving Marcurio to lay down and get some sleep before she walked outside and closed the door quietly. She strolled the streets of Windhelm, going straight for the Palace, and one of the guards merely nodded his head when he spotted Sakura approaching. He pushed the door open and allowed the pink-haired woman to pass.
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"These are difficult times indeed when men stalk their brethren like beasts. My men are stretched thin as it is. If you offer your aid, I will gladly accept it. The guards will be told to assist you as necessary. I'm happy to lend a hand as much as I can, as well."
Sakura turned around. A Nord man was talking to her, curling his long, right side of his brown mustache.
"My name is Jorleif. The guards informed me that you were willingly sniffing for the Butcher's whereabouts." He merely explained, noticing the raised eyebrow on the foreigner's face. "You know, normally, the strangers, are pretty much unwelcome between these walls. But it seems that even the guards are making an exception." He motioned her to follow.
"I see...do you think I could take a look at the first crime scene?"
"You mean, Friga Shatter-Shield's house? It's been taken into our custody and has been searched through. Are you sure do you want to go to that place?" Sakura eyed the Steward with a determined look. She nodded firmly.
"Of course. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes might find something new." She suggested. Jorleif handed her a small, but a little rusty key. He also motioned one of the guards standing against the walls of the Palace to follow.
"Vol. Lead the young lady to Hjierim. She wishes to take a look and help with the investigation." He merely nodded and followed Sakura out, descending the stairs. Sakura fell into deep thought.
"You know, I'd think that a young woman going after a killer which runs after victims like yourself would be crazy if I haven't seen you defeat singlehandedly at least five Thalmor agents."
Sakura's head snapped right up at him. His head was entirely covered by the heavy Stormcloak helmet, but his visible blue eyes shone with mirth. Sakura's smile widened.
"Vol! How have you been faring? I'm sorry I haven't recognized you, but it's a little impossible if your face is all covered up." Sakura confessed as he led her through the streets of Valunstrad. It roughly translated as the 'Avenue of Valor', the oldest and richest district in Windhelm. It was not only housing the Castle of Kings, but also the manors and homes of the most wealthy and influential of Eastmarch. A few notable clans were Shatter-Shield, Cruel-Sea, and even Stone-Fist. The latest was strongly affiliated with the Jarl too.
"After we departed, I ran back to Windhelm and explained everything that happened. I've told Jarl Ulfric of you; so if you'll ever think of joining the Stormcloaks, you will be most welcomed to the tryouts. I got a new amulet too." He grinned under his mask.
"I still kept mine. Strangely, it powers me, so I don't really want to ever take it off. But I've noticed that most deity amulets do. It's interesting.."
Vol merely shrugged and took the key from her hands as they arrived at the porch.
"They've been blessed by the divinities themselves, Sakura. Of course they do. So the amulets from your home are not blessed by your own Gods?" He turned the key in the doorknob and pushed the door open with a slow creak. The crime scene was supposed to be cleaned up, but the foul odor was too strong to be overlooked. The wooden floors were stained with at least a week old blood, and it seemed they were a pain to remove. She walked closer to a library shelf and picked up a pamphlet.
"Beware of the Butcher?" She asked, before starting to read it out loud.
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"Beware the Butcher!
The killer who haunts the streets of Windhelm!
These calamitous times bring out the worst in people, don't become the next victim!
See Viola Giordano if you spot any suspicious behavior."
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"Viola Giordano. Of course. She's pretty obsessed with this killer. As she's with Captain Lonely-Gale. She wrote and pinned these flyers everywhere." Vol commented beside her. Sakura merely put the piece of paper down and pulled the collar of her shirt over her nose.
"Sadly, it's pretty useless for now," Sakura affirmed and looked through the shelves of the abandoned house. Something green, glinting, caught the attention of her eyes. She picked up the leather-bound journal and noticed a necklace drop right next to her feet. She handed Vol the journal and picked the strange amulet up. The silver amulet had a skull-shaped jade stone. It gave an unsettling, eerie feeling, whispering breaths as she held it.
"What does the journal say?"
Vol held his battle-ax over his shoulder and flipped through the pages.
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"The plans are coming together swimmingly. I've found good sources of bone, flesh, and blood, but thus far a good sampling of sinew and marrow have escaped me. No matter. The city is swollen with contemptuous fools who will be missed by nobody. Last night was almost able to corner Susanna as she left Candlehearth. Idiot guard showed up at just the wrong moment and I had to turn about, just out for a stroll, and so forth. There will be other chances, but the time is drawing near. I think back to my time in Winterhold. All the wasted minds up in their towers. They only explore the magic they already know. I am discovering new magic here. Something deeper than the cantripped shenanigans of fire and light. This flesh magic is older than us. Perhaps older than the world itself. I am tugging at the corners of the fabric of the universe, and where it bunches and folds is where I shall create my greatest triumph. One more attempt at the Candlehearth girl. She's proving to be a bit too cautious, but those strong joints of hers should contain the most exquisite tendons. Worth the effort. Tonight."
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"Our butcher seems to have written down his watch over Susanna. 'Tonight'. Must have been written today or so." Sakura meanwhile analyzed the necklace in her hands. She shook her head.
"Well...its craft is really wonderful, I admit," Sakura commented as she looked around. The stench was not leaving, and her nose was not fooling her. The smell could last even if the house was clean, but not as strong as it was now. Not as strong. Vol followed her immediately.
"Where are you going?" Vol put away the leather-bound journal and watched her inspect the wardrobe in the room on the right. Everything was emptied when Miss Shatter-Shield was murdered. However, they couldn't move the wardrobe out of its place, for some reason.
"The stench is coming from this room." Sakura sniffed a little and rubbed her nose. She didn't have the nose of an Inuzuka...she could bet that if she summoned Kiba...or any of Bakakashi's nin-ken, they could have managed to solve this riddle faster than the Skyrim could blink. But cats had pretty good noses too, right?
Vol put down his battle-ax and opened the wardrobe. Strange. There were no shelves or even spots where to hang your clothes on.
"This is the strangest wardrobe I've ever seen. It's not that it's completely empty, but it serves no purpose. Nobody could move it, you know." Sakura turned to him and inspected the wooden wall inside.
"Is it even a wardrobe, anyways? You know what they say about skeletons in the closet." She commented as she knocked on the wall. Her eyebrows furrowed.
The first knock sounded empty. The second as well. Nobody could move it, the wardrobe was fixed in the wall. But would it sound empty like this if it was fixed against a stone wall?
Sakura took a step back and waited for a second, before calling chakra in her bent elbow and slammed it in the wooden wall. She almost fell on her nose if Vol haven't caught her left wrist.
"We've never seen this room before." Sakura heard Vol comment from behind as he let go of her wrist as soon as she established herself. Her eyes widened, as the stench was stronger than ever. If Vol was either scared or disgusted, it was hard to tell. His face was entirely covered by the typical Stormcloak helmet, but there was nothing to cover her own face to hide her disgust. In the center of the room was a stone, makeshift altar, on top of which sat a corpse, or what was left of it. Several embalming, curved knives, and tools sat right by its side.
"Is this...is this one of the victims?" Sakura looked at the multitude of internal organs and bones, ready to be transplanted, along with a second leather-bound journal, not unlike the one they have read a small while ago. She gently sat the necklace down and picked the journal, thanking Vol for being a sweetheart enough to bend the torch a little so she could read it out loud.
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17 tendons and assorted ligaments 173 fragments of bone for assemblage approx.
4 bucket-fulls of blood (Nord preferred)
6 spoons of marrow (no more than 2 from a thigh)
12 yards of flesh (before cutting)
star-scrying to the edge of the ice-mind
look to the lights where the souls dance
revealing the time when a spark will revive when the rotted unites under most skillful hands
(translation from Aldmer text, as interpreted by the Ayleids and first transcribed by Altmer. provenance and authority unknown)
soon
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It was a list, and as soon as she has finished reading it, she actually started counting the body parts on the altar and next to it. Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Nord blood. Young women murdered...strange necklace whispering things..." Sakura held her head in her palm, as she was connecting the dots. Dead body on the altar...harvesting organs...suddenly her eyes lit up.
"Necromancy!"
Vol looked down at her. "Are you sure?"
"Un. Think about it. The victims were buried already, as 'incomplete' their bodies were. Whoever the remains on the altar are of, most likely the killer is practicing the arts of necromancy. And it's all connected to this necklace." She waved the weird, skull-shaped pendant in his face. "You know, something still puzzles me."
It truly made sense. "What's wrong?"
"When did the killer had the time to build a super-secret room right after Friga Shatter-Shield was murdered? To cut down the stone would make noise, and her family's manor is pretty close by. They could have heard something."
"Maybe Friga had it built. A lot of large houses have their own alchemy laboratories, and some are hidden from plain sight so people wouldn't go around snooping in their business. But let's focus on the matter at hand."
Vol was right too. She pocketed the journals and the necklaces and decided to get out of that house of horrors, and as soon as they walked outside, she quickly sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. It was much needed after inhaling that foul odor of blood, burnt hair and decaying organs.
"I will go to my post. If you need my help, I'll be at the castle." Sakura smiled gratefully and nodded, watching Vol walk away. She did the same, but going in the opposite direction, back to the Stone Quarter. If anybody could give her a clue on the necklace, that would be Calixto Corrium, the owner of 'Calixto's Curiosities'.
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"This...this is truly interesting." Sakura was sitting on a wooden chair across the desk. Calixto, an Imperial man in his late thirties, took off his glasses before handing back the strange necklace.
"This, my friend, is the Necromancer's Amulet. It's a truly rare and hard-to-find artifact, I tell you. It's normally known to be traditionally carried around by the court wizard." He gave her a smile. "What if we made a deal?"
"A...deal?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. At least her suspicion of a necromancer Butcher was confirmed.
"Yes, my dear, a deal! What if I bought this from you? I've been looking to get my hands on something like this to add to my collection for a while. I'll pay you 500 septims, what do you say?"
Sakura looked at him. She'd refuse if this was the last piece of evidence she had. But the journals spoke louder than the necklace anyways. He could have used gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints for all she knew, and anybody could have denied its existence. She nodded and handed him back the necklace, and a piece of paper she ripped from one of the last, blank pages of the journal.
"Could you please write down here the details of the transaction?" She smiled.
Calixto seemed a little suspicious, but he merely counted 500 gold pieces in a coin purse and handed them to the pink-haired lady, before writing down his name, the item sold and the amount of gold received. It was a little strange, but he seemed a little eager to own the amulet.
"Here you go. Normally, I'm not writing down purchases, not always, but I'd be a fool to let such a good offer pass by. This is going straight to my personal collection of artifacts."
"Thank you, Mr. Corrium. That should be all." Sakura smiled but stopped.
"Where have you found this necklace, may I ask?"
"Oh, it wasn't hard at all. Somebody opened Friga's house for me. I wonder who would leave such a beauty behind.." The way the man almost froze in his place was missed by the pink-haired kunoichi, however, who returned back to the Palace.
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Rumors talked about Jarl Ulfric's court wizard, Wuunferth, to be the most likely to meddle with necromancy affairs. Viola was especially holding up those rumors. The fact that the court wizard had the epithet 'The Unliving' right next to his name, was not helping his cause either. Out of all the possible suspects, he was the most likely to practice necromancy meddle with the affairs of the dead. On top of that, the found necklace, a symbol of Necromancy was also supposed to be in the possession of the wizard. So Sakura merely pulled the Jarl's steward aside, whispered a few things in his ears, and later he'd grab a few guards to arrest the Butcher. Sakura hid her guilt. Or at least, she tried to.
Jorleif had no chance to go thank the pink-haired lady personally. As soon as she merely waved, a little mockingly even, to the kicking wizard, she walked outside as soon as she entered. She descended the stairs and made her way towards the Marketplace.
Sakura rubbed her head, and in the middle of the cobblestone ground, she sat down with her legs crossed, waiting. What was she waiting for, was hard to tell. But everyone around her tried to pay no mind. She then heard somebody yell from behind when the blade of an iron dagger pierced through her back. Blood started to stain her shirt, and Sakura merely coughed and got up. She took a glance over her shoulder, to see a petrified, and literally frozen...Calixto. He had ice keeping his feet in place, and he couldn't move even if he wanted.
"What's the meaning of this!?" Guards angrily stormed the market place, to get a grab of both the stunned Calixto's arms. Marcurio followed too, along with Jorleif, to gently take the dagger out of her back. She hissed in pain.
"I present you the real Butcher, Steward. The man behind the murders and the man who attempted to perform necromancy in late Friga Shatter-Shield's house." Sakura proclaims as she started healing her dagger wound, with merely a faint green glow. She took out the two leather-bound journals from her pouch, along with the piece of paper.
"I know you might think I made a mistake in leading you to believe the court wizard was the Butcher. Why? Because he happens to have the 'Unliving' as his nickname? There was no solid proof. However, everybody would have suspected him as soon as the words of necromancy got around the town."
Sakura flipped open one of the journals and the piece of paper right next to the pages.
"However, you can see clearly that the writer of these journals, the Butcher, has also written the same piece of paper: the proof of transaction I've had Mr. Corrium note down when he bought the Necromancer's Amulet from me. I knew he'd strike if the number one suspect was locked down. And I also knew he'd go after me after I mentioned I found his altar."
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the Butcher, the shadowy killer of Windhelm. But I have only one question. Why?"
The pink-haired woman watched as the guards thawed out the ice on his feet with the ends of their large, battle axes. The pain of the wound still stung, and she could neither reach properly to heal the deep cut. All she could do was stop the bleeding and hide the pain.
Calixto Corrium meanwhile snapped out of his stupor. He hasn't expected her to survive the stab, he was more than ready to grab the body and harvest the missing amount of marrow and blood needed. He wasn't expecting her to have backup either. His brown eyes darkened but became watery too.
"You foolish girl...if you knew my purpose you would hesitate to have me locked down!" He suddenly snarled. Cowardly rage washed over his face as he eyed her with his deadliest glare. If only looks could kill, Sakura would have been six feet underground, sleeping forever.
"You were more than enough and all the killing would have been stopped! And Lucille would have been alive if it wasn't for you, you meddling wench!" Sakura remained impassive as the guards dragged him away. She did what was right. She hoped so, at least.
"Just get him out of here!" Jorleif barked at the guards. "The lad can start counting off his days, you know. He went right after Trobjorn's daughter...the clan Shatter-Shield will want his blood, and you can't really deny them that. On top of that, his wife lost his Amulet of Arkay soon after; neither of them had a second of sleep since Friga died. Can you believe that?" Sakura was still standing beside him, but she listened absently, mostly thinking about his words. Marcurio meanwhile stepped a little closer, bearing an emotion which could be mistaken with worry as well.
"So the wizard can be released. I'm sorry if I have forgotten to announce you of my trap beforehand. But I wasn't sure how much time I had left to action. I hope he won't mind the scare too much..." Sakura brought herself to smile a little sheepish.
Jorleif shook his head. "Don't sweat it. I doubt he stayed there for more than an hour of two." He stroked his mustache. "You made a pretty smart sleuth, I'll give you that. I'll tell you what: Return to Windhelm whenever you have time. You could earn a permanent place inside these walls...Nord or not." Sakura gave a grateful smile and a wave, before returning back to Candlehearth Inn for resting. She occasionally flinched as the wound kept stinging. And she was feeling her eyes would close in any given moment too. That's when Marcurio sighed.
"Lay down, I'll check out your wound. How could you be so stupid to let him stab you in the back?" He snorted. "What in the Oblivion were you even thinking?"
Sakura slid off her shirt. Her ears turned a little pink, and so did his, but her chest was entirely wrapped in tight bandages, so her breasts wouldn't get in the way when it came to run or battle. Most kunoichi did. She laid down on her belly, revealing the deep gash and the dried blood which stained the white wraps. The wound made it a little painful to breathe.
"I was stupid, I know. But I couldn't afford to let him escape. If I dodged, he would have known something was up and we had to chase him all across Windhelm and maybe risk to escape. How did you find me? I thought you went to sleep."
Marcurio took out a bottle of salve from his own bag and poured it on the wound, to make sure it would not get infected. He started to clean it with a clean piece of clothing.
"I did. But then I woke up remembering you'd get killed or something if I wasn't with you, so I decided to go look for you. And I was right." He also poured a bit of healing mixture to help close the wound. "Your hardheadedness is astonishing."
"Shut up, at least I caught the killer." Sakura paused, before turning her head to look at him, with a sly grin. "So you do care about my well-being."
"Turn back, I'm not done." He turned her head back to the pillow, a little roughly. He could swear he heard her mutter a soft 'Asshole..', but he could bet he actually did. "As I said before, I'm not going alone to explore the Dwarven ruins."
Sakura snorted. "Yeah, yeah sure. We both know that you care - OI! Take care with that!" She suddenly yelped in the pillow as he treated the wound with a little less care than before.
"I'm sorry." He apologized, and Sakura doubted he actually meant it.
It passed a little more when the wound was fully dressed. Sakura was fully aware that the wound would be fully closed by morning. The red chakra gifted by Matatabi had a strong role in her unusually fast healing, but she still appreciated his gesture. She was motioned to lay down to sleep. The bed was a single-person one, so unconsciously, she thought it was pretty nice of him to let her sleep on the only bed in the room. Only to be awakened a few more minutes later.
"Wake up and shine, the sun's up and we don't have any time to waste!" Meanwhile, his stuff was already packed, and Sakura was groaning sleepy.
"And what do you expect me to do? Photosynthesis? I'm tired!" She rubbed her sleepy face and sat up, glaring at him.
"It's not my fault you were up all night, playing the detective. Come on, the earlier we start, the earlier we get to the ruins. And I won't carry you if you're too tired." And he was outside. And a pain as he was that morning, Sakura spotted a tunic shirt, a little too big for her, to replace her old shirt cut in the back and all stained with blood. She blushed a little and slipped it on, fixing it a little in her pants, and walked outside. There was no way she'd ever admit out loud the shirt smelled pretty good and relaxing.
Nor was he going to ever admit that he said he won't carry her if she was too tired. Because he did, anyways.
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A/N: Well...this took some time to write. I had it written a few weeks ago but it had to be redone, rewritten, spellchecked, proofread and so on. But I still bet I missed a few details here and there. I can bet it. I hope it's readable enough. The next chapter is almost done too, but again, it's in the process of editing. I hope the chapter wasn't too rushed, but I found no point in stretching out the 'Blood on the Ice' quest more than necessary. I kinda had Calixto act faster than normal. I think it's obvious that Marcurio is a potential love interest, but he's not the only one. I won't introduce too many...not even all the possible marriage candidates in-game...just a few, for the fun of it. Brynjolf kinda is...but I'm having second thoughts about that. Or not? Maybe. I'm not sure.
Okay, I'm done here. I'm out. To sleep. Hopefully, I'll get some better rest now this has been posted. Peace.
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Balance: 5939 septims.
Apparel: Clothes, Boots, Amulet of Mara, Amulet of Talos, Amulet of Zenithar, Thieves Guild Armor, Thieves Guild Boots, Thieves Guild Hood, Thieves Guild Gloves
Weapons: Iron Sword of Fire
Potions: Draught of Light Feet, Poison, Invisibility Potion
Scrolls (spells): N/A
Food: N/A
Ingredients: N/A
Books: 2920, vol V - Second Seed (Speech Skill Book), Advances in Lockpicking (Skill - R), Aedra and Daedra (Lore - R), Ages of Man (Illusion Skill Book), Boethiah's Proving (Lore - R), Cats of Skyrim (Lore), Enchanter's Primer (Enchanting Skill Book), Oakflesh (Spell Tome), Proper Lock Design (Skill - R), Shadowmarks (Lore - R), The Exodus (Restoration Skill Book), The Wolf Queen Book I (Lockpicking Skill Book), Walking the World - Volume XI: Solitude (Lore - R).
Journals: Sakura's Journal
Letters: N/A
Keys: Riften Warehouse;
Misc: Summoning scroll, Storage scrolls, Quill, Inkwell, Lockpicks (8), Black Soul Gem (1), Gold Ingot, Sapphire Dragon Claw, Garnet
Passive Effects: Agent of Mara (15% Resist Magic.)
Spells: N/A
Shouts: Kyne's Peace ( KaaN - To be unlocked)
Perks: N/A
Quest Log (Started): Discerning the Transmundane, Join the Stormcloaks, Loud and Clear
Quest Log (Completed): A Chance Arrangement, Blood on the Ice, Book of Love, Drowned Sorrows, Helping Hand, Supply and Demand, Taking Care of Business, The Raid
Bounties Collected: N/A