The Pink Haired Pirate: An Old Norse Saying

Rated: M for language, future mature themes, violence

Warnings: Spoiler alert for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Marcurio awakened after a few hours. He sat up, with a painful groan, holding his aching head and taking in his surroundings. He was, of course, in an unfamiliar cell. Luckily enough, he was not tied up, and his hands were free. He would complain about the lack of accommodations, but him being free enough to move was more than he needed.

The light was dim, but he could see well enough in the torchlight. A few mindless necromancers were patrolling the halls, which a skeleton that carried a bow and a quiver filled with arrows strapped across their backs. And by the look of the carvings, they might have been recovered from ancient Nordic tombs. Or Nedic crypts. They didn't spend much to equip their mindless minions.

Then, he realized he was completely alone. "Sakura?" His side was empty, and he got no sassy remarks back. His neck was also cold, as his hands reached to feel around his collar. No fuzzy fur either. He gulped.

"Tora!"

He pushed himself forward and grabbed onto the iron bars, shaking them, as his body brimmed with anger.

"What did you do with them, you bastards!?" He shouted, but not at someone in particular. He didn't even step back, glaring defiantly, as the necromancer in charge walked closer with his skeleton. And this time, Marcurio could analyze his aspect much better, than just fugitively, when they first faced them.

The blank expression and blue cataracts gave him the impression of a soulless shell, and nothing else. But the body itself didn't seem to be dead. Not only it was not decaying, but the chest was rising progressively, pumping air into the lungs and expelling them out. The blood was still flowing, and he had to blink because his eyes would tear up.

It was... strange. Because it was nothing he has ever seen before.

And that guy... that guy was a Lich. A powerful undead necromancer and virtually unkillable unless...

There had to be a weakness. He touched his wrists, and he felt something cold and metallic. They were like brass-colored thick bands that sapped away his mana. And if there was a reason he was feeling lightheaded, it must have been the cuffs.

"Do not try to cast one of your spells, mage." The necromancer spoke out, blankly, just like he was instructed to say. "The cuffs are mana suppressors. Trying to escape will only accelerate your impending death."

"I'm going to show you death when I get out of here-" His knee gave from under him and felt the urge to sit down. He looked down at his cuffs and cursed under his breath.

Sakura was gone. Citrus was killed not long ago. And Tora... hopefully she returned to the Cat Manor before those bastards could get to her. Because it was not like he could summon her back and check on her for his own peace of mind. Those damned cuffs...

Marcurio sighed. There had to be something he could use. Less likely they would keep a weapon close for him to reach. They were not stupid. They have taken his bag of the scroll, his staff, and the dagger he used for emergency issues. He couldn't even stab the fucker in the back.

The cell was completely empty, except for a dew loose chains that hung from the ceiling. There was not even a torch to use as a club, and there were no rocks to set something on fire either. Even so, he was an apprentice wizard, not a caveman.

But Sakura might have been in trouble. She has been missing, and that undead bastard was talking about making her a damn zombie, like the rest of the Necromancers. Fuck!

And now he had to save her ass. And save his own as well. And he had to find a way how to take off those cuffs. He futilely tugged at the metal, but it just wouldn't budge. There was a lock, but he had no lockpicks to try out his luck. Not like he ever learned how to pick a lock anyways. He sighed, pinching the middle of his eyebrows.

Suddenly, his eyes landed on the hanging chains. And the necromancer was turned with his back against the cell bars. A stupid and totally reckless idea started to form in his head. It was so reckless and dangerous that even Sakura would approve it, 100%. She would even pat his back, he could bet.

He got up and yanked the chain off, with a physical strength he didn't know he had. The necromancer didn't do much to check on him, and the skeleton turned around a little too late to help its enthralled 'master'.

The chain was digging into his neck, slamming his head against the metal bars. The necromancer didn't scream. He was so far gone that he wouldn't let out a single sound - of panic, pain, or anger. He clawed at the chain, feeling the suffocation, but everything was over a little too soon.

And the skeleton's aim was not that good, to aim right between the bars.

Marcurio let the guy fall back with a loud thud. He stopped, breathing heavily, letting the chains fall from his grasp. He kneed beside the bars and reached for the round, keychain. There was a set of keys, but only a single rusty key was small enough to fit the hole in his cuffs.

He turned it around, and the cuffs finally set him free. His face contorted to something that resembled both relief and a smirk. He felt his mana slowly being regenerated, stronger than ever. He took a deep breath and turned to the skeleton that.

The mage didn't even cast a specific spell. He let the mana gather into both of his hands, taking an offensive position. Unconsciously, he applied his own natural affinity and expelled everything at once. The forced knocked him back, but the fire was not only hot enough to melt away the steel bars. It blasted the skeleton away, slamming it against the wall, and carbonizing the bones in the process.

Marcurio, getting up from his ass, looked at the damage he has created, and then down at his hands, flexing his fingers a few times.

"Now we're talking." His hands moved into a familiar sequence of seals, as the necromancers gathered 'round. His palm slammed against the floor, and from the smoke, several black panthers tackled and mauled the necks of the conjurer thralls.

The smoke dispersed, and Marcurio looked around. "Wait... where's Tora?" He knew has signed the contract with the catkind overall, but he had to be honest, he kind of grew fond of the small brown cat.

One of the panthers snorted. "Tora is fine, she's resting. So you must be the new guy." He stood by his summoner's side, as the other four finished the necromancers off, without much difficulty. A normal panther was one thing. But a panther trained in ninja arts was a nightmare for the other side of the battlefield.

Marcurio sighed, relieved. "Thank you. Our mission is to rescue Sakura. I assume you know her."

The panther nodded. "We do. The youngest Uchiha."

"Good. Because we don't have any more time to lose."

They heard the screams of a young woman. Somewhere.

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"AAAAHHHHH!" The man in purple robes took Sakura's jaw in his bony, rubber-covered hand and closed it tight.

"MMMMMMmmmm..." A tear rolled down her cheek, which was quickly wiped away.

"Shh... my sweet. Shhh. Do not waste your energy. We need your body to be in top shape, for the return of the master. Struggling will only bruise it. Giovanni!" He turned to a thrall. "Maximum power."

Sakura screamed again, feeling that hot pain searing through her body again. It felt like something was clawing away at her mind and soul, and it hurt way too goddamn much. And worst of all... she was powerless. Her body was paralyzed, and her chakra was being drained away. She had silver cuffs locked around her wrists, and saw something blue dripping inside a vat with transparent glass.

They weren't quite the same cuffs Marcurio has been equipped with. They were similar, but while his own had the role of blocking his pathways, Sakura's cuffs were siphoning hers.

But something puzzled the lich. It puzzled him greatly, as he watched the body of the young woman and the black soul gems that all rested inside the crystal bowl on the shelf. He chanted something softly and placed his hand on her chest. In wonder, he looked down at her face.

"Seems we may not need to remove your soul, after all."

Sakura, who was finally able to speak again, snarled. "Go to... go to hell you undead freak!"

The lich hummed gently and soon returned with something that was kind of like a soul gem. It was jade, faceted in the shape of a skull. Sakura could recognize it briefly, as one of the amulets that were often carried on by Court Wizards. Especially those that dabbled in necromancy. And she has also remembered it was an instrument that was used by Calixto Corrium, in an attempt to revive his sister, by constructing a new body.

"Everything will be over soon. You see, your own soul is like a very strange soul gem. I don't know why or how, but it seems like you have been the host of a different soul in the past."

Matatabi... of course.

"But this time, it's your turn to lay on the other side of the cage, my dear. Because you will now have to learn to share." The man chanted something again, in a language she was not quite aware of, but when the stone touched her chest again, a scream erupted right from the bottom of her throat.

She felt her body and soul being torn apart into tiny pieces.

"Marcurio..." She gasped for air. "Marcurio will come and free me... and ... AAAAH!!" She chocked out. "And we'll kick your ass!" Sakura was shoved back into her place as she screamed. Something stinging and tainting was flowing through her veins, like burning poison.

The lich chuckled gently. "Oh, my sweet... I'm pretty sure he's dead now. There's no humanly-possible way that he could have gotten alive. The boy's a mage. If you take their mana away, they're nothing." He watched a few tears pour out, both from pain and perhaps from grief.

Sakura trashed against her bindings.

He watched something red drip inside the vat of mana and watched it quite curiously. They were like several droplets of blood in a well of ink, that soon turned the whole mixture into a purple mess. Even so, it was strange how so much mana was extracted from the body of such a small person.

The average mage had the size of a flask, and more accomplished mages had the size of a wine bottle.

And that same red dripping brought another round of screams out of her throat. The lich was watching her curiously. The amulet was sinking inside her body, through her skin, through her flesh, through her ribcage, and through her very soul.

And all she felt was hot pain. Unlike anything, she has ever experienced so far. She has been shot, burnt, and stabbed before. But it was nothing compared to what was she experiencing at that moment. She was slipping in and out of conscience until she could never wake up again.

And everything was dark.

Everything was dark, cold, and humid. She opened her eyes, and there was a faint light of a candle burning away... somewhere. She was not quite sure where did it come from. Water pooled at her feet, and in front of her was a cage. The bars were much more gigantic than normal and vaguely familiar.

Sakura got on her feet and looked around.

"No... I know this place..." She walked through the dark, through the water. There was a faintly smeared seal work on the gate, almost completely wiped, and then, she suddenly remembered.

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"I have raised you, Sakura-chan. And now you need me. Destroy the seal and set me free, and nor the Ichibi or the Kyuubi will knock you down!"

Sakura was 12 or 11, standing in front of the cage. Matatabi was waiting for her decision, with her front paws crossed over one another. Matatabi was a patient old cat. But also vengeful, and Sakura couldn't risk anybody being caught in the crossfire.

But what could she do...?

She was... weak. Against a bloodthirsty tailed beast, she was weak. And that Gaara was nothing compared to the other genin in her year. Even his own jounin feared him.

And Naruto... Kami bless Naruto... Mata-chan told her stories about Kurama before. And he was not a friendly fox. She has seen it come out twice in her lifetime - until that point, and he became a rampaging mess. Her sweet brother was tainted.

But unlike Shukaku and Kurama... Matatabi was understanding and gentle. Firm but nurturing. And they worked in perfect tandem. Sakura has been warned many times by Lord Third to never put her seal in danger.

But what could she do...?

"Naruto and Sasuke are waiting, Saku-chan. They depend on you. Against Shukaku, they're like the dead."

Sakura took a deep breath and called for chakra in her feet. And she jumped. Her chakra filled palm wiped across the seal on the cage, on both sides, and fell on her knees. The door opened and the big cat swayed her tails to left and right. Matatabi bent her neck to her small container and licked her cheek with her gigantic sandpaper tongue.

"Mata-chan..."

The Nibi grabbed the back of her collar with her mouth and laid her down on the now-drying out floor.

"Shh, kitten. Rest. And soon, everything will be over."

"Just don't... hurt them..." Sakura mouthed out weakly.

Matatabi didn't promise her anything, but slowly took control of her host's body. And everything else was history.

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The bars were held together by purple-colored chains. On the other side of the cage, Sakura spotted a man. An Altmer to be more exactly, clad in dark robes a purple amethyst circlet adorned his forehead. His eyes were amber-colored, burning with malice.

"So. You are the gracious host that my servant has brought up to me." He looked around, appraising the place. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Solas, and now I am you." A terrifying smirk spread across his lips.

"You see, my master has sacrificed my body and soul way long before your era. I would have wished to be a bit pickier about what new form should I take, but while it's not really my taste, I do like the perks it came with."

"So why not become just a damn lich?" Sakura snorted, grabbing onto the bars.

"A lich?" He laughed. "You must be kidding. Like I could go around like a sack of bones. No, having access to a fleshy body is way more suited for my needs. We'll be waking up soon. Or more like... I will wake up soon. And you will go to sleep and never bother me ever again."

He disappeared. And all Sakura could do was try to pry the bars open.

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A/N: Done, for now. What do you think? Solas means pride. I inspired myself from Dragon Age Inquisition, lol.

Anyways. You'll see later on what else have I planned.

Cheers!