Author's Note:

TRIGGER WARNING!

Another trigger warning in this plotline. There will be numerous throughout – some just mentions of triggering content, some more explicit. To avoid spoilers, again the specifics are only at the bottom of the chapter.

Chapter XXV – Superior

In the next two days, Aeyrin was fortunately left alone.

Bishop worried incessantly when he was on his hunt – about his sisters coming back to the inn, or waiting for her in the streets again, for whatever reason. But it seemed like they gave it a rest. Maybe Aeyrin was right, maybe they really did offer her the concoction just because they thought they were being helpful.

It was a comforting thought. He had his head full already with Ost and Duful, spending each afternoon with them in the tavern and trying to find out enough about them to gouge their skills or at least learn more about their general daily schedule so that he could find an opportunity to strike.

He learned sweet fuck-all.

All that those afternoons brought him was more loathing for his brothers as they reiterated some stories from their fun ambushes and kidnappings or how which sibling fucked up which job and what punishments they got for that. Not to mention constantly having to think of excuses not to go 'find some whores' with Duful. That guy was relentless. Ost sometimes went off to find some willing girl too, but more often than that, he was more interested in running off to some random people and probably talking business.

Sometimes the brothers were more passable to be around than Bishop had expected, but at other times, they were exactly what he had expected. And worst of all, he had to always be on edge, always watch out for both his opportunities and their potential betrayals or schemes. He was kind of glad they met only in public so far, but that also meant that Bishop had no way of killing either of them yet.

From time to time, when Bishop knew that Ost and Duful were still at the tavern or with some girls they found, and when Bishop could force himself not to rush back to Aeyrin right away, he visited the cave where the other siblings and Rina were. It was mostly to make sure that nothing was going wrong so far, that the brothers didn't expect anything, or that none of them were being their usual traitorous selves, although that was hard to tell.

Today was another of those days. He did kind of yell at Kari and Liesl again last night for bothering Aeyrin and now that he calmed down a little, he was intent on talking to them more about the usual shit – mainly Ost and Duful.

The caverns were oddly empty though. As he often had noticed before whenever he approached the complex, one of the children was around in some hiding place and they rushed off inside promptly. He didn't know which kid it was, but it was obvious that the clan had them as a lookout. Fortunately Bishop was no longer considered a threat when he came by.

But once inside in the main chamber, he didn't see Kari or Liesl and not even Galric anywhere. The children were there, huddled by one of the walls, playing some game again, and Rina was sitting at the other side of the chamber, reading a book and mumbling some phrases from it out loud. She did that often. She read weird religious books, often written by the worst zealots or some philosophers that tried to dissect Maran faith, and she thought that saying the words she found striking out loud would make them mean more. Idiotic.

Nobody really paid him any mind as he entered, though the young half-Altmer did watch him for a while before he concentrated on that game again.

"Where are the others?" He asked into the ether. Maybe someone would stop ignoring him.

"Now you talk to me, fucking ingrate?" Surprisingly enough, it was Rina's words that echoed through the cave, now much louder than her zealous murmurs.

Granted, Bishop had barely said two words to his mother since he got here. And he was not going to be changing that much. At least that was the hope.

"I'm talking to anyone, but I should have excluded you outright," Bishop rolled his eyes.

"Insolent as always," Rina scoffed. "Just so you know, I've done a ritual to ensure you will leave our lives for good."

"That's the plan," Bishop scoffed. Rina and her 'rituals'. She drew shit on the ground with blood and chanted some Maran platitudes a few times and she thought it would mean that Mara would hear out her 'prayers'. She never did, not really, but Rina's faith was never shaken. Because every time there was some shit that made her twist her original wish and pretend as if it came true. Bishop knew what this meant. She prayed for his death. And once he left, she would be all the more convinced that her Goddess heard her out because he would 'leave their lives for good'.

"You will only bring death and suffering, like you always do. Do you have any idea how much we had to scramble without your father?" Rina spat at him disdainfully.

"Yeah, real heart-breaking. Did you miss the daily beatings that much?" Bishop scoffed at her. He was in no mood for this. "Do you know where the others are or not?"

"You will burn in Oblivion for the way you treat me, ingrate," she spat, clearly intent on ignoring his question. Bishop only let out an exasperated sigh, but then another voice echoed through the cavern at last.

"Hey, uhm… come'ere," the half-Altmer called out to him.

By now, Rina was already engrossed in her book again and Bishop marched over to the children. He had never really spoken with any of them before.

When he reached them, he could finally see the game they were playing. There were some cards on the ground, not usual playing cards though. They were painted with elaborate images, often of monsters with bloody maws or desecrated corpses and burning villages. Bishop didn't get the game just from looking at it, but it looked like the kids were playing for ironwood nuts. Maybe it was just in place of drakes, but it was probably also the best they could do for food regardless.

"What is it?" Bishop nodded at Talos expectantly.

"We shouldn't talk here, fucktard," Dylia hissed at her brother and she looked warily over at Rina. Their mother was still preoccupied with her book, but it always seemed like she was, before she started butting in.

"Right," Talos nodded. "Come on." He grabbed the youngest kid's hand, the four-year-old half-Redguard's, and he started to usher the whole group into one of the side corridors in the cavern complex. Bishop merely followed curiously.

When they were some distance away from the main chamber, most of the children sat back down on the ground, urging Bishop to do the same. Well… not like he minded.

"Kari had some… job," Dylia cringed a bit as she said it. "And Galric and Liesl are working tonight. Some lizard celebration in town or some shit like that. They think they'll get a lot of business."

"Alright," Bishop nodded. The Argonians did seem numerous in the streets today, usually standing about in groups and talking and drinking. Maybe there were some festivities and decorations too, but Bishop was not very attentive to shit like this right now with his mind constantly preoccupied. "Why'd you call me here?" They could have told him this in the main chamber.

"We wanna ask some stuff too," Talos scowled a bit. "Nobody here remembers. Or tells us. We wanna know the truth."

"What do you wanna ask about?" Bishop raised his brows, but Talos and Dylia seemed to hesitate as they shared an uncertain look.

"Is your blood really sup… sup…" the young half-Orc, Chomp, piped up instead, but she seemed to be unable to pronounce the important part.

"Superior," Dylia sighed.

"What?" Bishop sputtered. What kind of a question was that? Why would his blood be superior? Superior as opposed to who? "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"It's what Ost and Duful say," Talos scowled angrily. "They say their blood's superior, that's why we can't do shit. Can't fight, can't hunt to get food. Says we're all mongrels and good-for-nothin's. That Thalmor guy that's after me said so too, that my blood's filth."

"They say Rina's blood makes us weak and crazy," Dylia mumbled. "That the blood of that guy… that Torban, that it makes them strong and we can never be as strong. We don't know how to do anything but steal and beg. Is that… true? Liesl and Kari and Galric can't do shit to survive on their own either. It's gotta be true."

This was what the brothers fed them? Keeping them in fear and constant self-disparagement just so they don't think they might be able to survive without them? This was so fucking messed up. And Bishop wasn't even sure if it was a ploy on their part. They probably believed this shit fully.

"My blood's not superior," Bishop frowned deeply. "Torban's blood was not superior in any way. He was a fucked up asshole that bullied people. There was nothing 'superior' about him."

The children shared an uncertain look, all of them amongst each other except for Ressel – the four year old half-Redguard. He didn't seem to know what was going on, he was just painting pictures in the dust on the ground with his fingers.

"But… they're so strong. Why aren't Galric and Kari and Liesl strong as them? They're big. But they're not as big as those two. Why?" Dylia shook her head desperate. "And Rina isn't strong either."

"You know why?" Bishop scoffed. "Because Torban taught them. Us. He taught us how to hunt, how to fight, he didn't want to teach those that weren't his kids. You can fight. You can hunt. You just gotta learn. Anyone can. And anyone can survive on their own."

He thought he'd get an army of his own lackeys.

"I tried," Chomp whined. "I tried to learn, but it was hard. I made the arrows and all, but I couldn't catch anything."

Oh, right. Bishop instantly remembered Rat – the boy near Anvil that learned his hunting skills from Chomp. He was shit at it too.

"You just gotta practice, it takes time," Bishop gave her a bit of an encouraging smile.

"They took my bow," Chomp grumbled. "And my arrows."

"They won't be around much longer," he nodded with determination. "Then you can work on your skills on your own. Maybe other people will be able to teach you. Maybe the Fighters Guild would or the Blackwood Company. Or just some people in towns who look for apprentices. You can learn anything." Fuck, he sounded like some sappy preacher. But it was true. These kids were fed shit about how they were unable to do anything because of their blood. They needed to know what kind of bullshit that was. Because it was very likely that they'd be out there on their own soon. Rina, Liesl and Galric and Kari would probably not want them around when they tried to make their own lives better. They would go their own ways. And maybe it would be for the best. This clan was fucking poison.

"So… we can… fight people, even if we have Rina's blood?" Talos still looked a little uncertain.

"Anyone can fight. Especially when you have to," Bishop scoffed.

"S-so… Torban taught every one of his kids?" Dylia asked after a while of contemplative silence. "You and Ost and Duful. And… Aces and that dead one?"

"Yeah. All of us. He thought he would get some sort of minion army out of us and he wanted us capable. It was idiotic. All it did was get him killed. We knew we could fight so, eventually, we learned that there was a way out," Bishop's eyes narrowed in recollection. Torban dug his own grave down the line.

"Aces is gone," Dylia nodded. "They keep telling us she's doin' her part, but we know she's gone. I think they're afraid that if she's back, she will fight."

That sounded like Aces. She was on the verge of going after Torban herself all the time. Though she was so distant, Bishop could never trust her enough to try and collaborate on that with her. She was hard to read sometimes, but the anger at their situation was obvious.

"See? And what about Morgen? Do you remember him?" Bishop prodded.

"A little," Talos nodded. "But… they don't talk about him, but I think he's dead. He couldn't fight."

"How do you know? He could have learned. He could have escaped. Maybe they're afraid of him too. And he was one of you. He didn't have Torban's 'superior' blood," Bishop shrugged. Maybe Morgen was dead, maybe he was really on Solstheim living his life. Maybe he was under Ost's bootheel, but then again, maybe not. "And besides, it's not always about fighting and being strong. You need to be smart too."

"Like you were," Dylia gave him a wistful look. "You were smart and the cat boy was smart. Not like the guy that died."

"Jack?" Bishop's brows furrowed. Remembering Jack while he was here always filled him with dread. He couldn't help but think of the parallels that felt so uncomfortable. That was why he was so adamant at keeping Aeyrin away. He was the same now – just like Jack. There were tyrants here that he was 'working' for reluctantly, while he had the life he wanted waiting for him. A home. A fiancé. Just like Jack had before Torban took it all away.

"Yeah, he was strong but not smart," Dylia nodded. "Being strong wasn't enough and everyone died, he, his kid, his girl. Everyone. We gotta be smart to survive."

"Wait, what?" What kid? And Jack's girl died?

"Yeah, she was preggers," Talos nodded. "After Torban fucked her. The others said it. And that she didn't want it from Torban and she offed herself."

What? The fuck? Seriously? Bishop did not hear this part of the story. He must have been gone by the time this got out. After all, he and Jules killed Torban only a few months after Jack's death.

This was so much more disturbing than he had thought. And he had already thought that this was all too fucked up. Did the girl even know it was from Torban? And even so, why the fuck would she kill herself and the baby? They could have lived. They could have left and lived good lives, even if they didn't have Jack. Torban wouldn't be there to go after them if the mood struck him.

It was just a kid. It wasn't Torban incarnate. What was up with everyone thinking that blood meant something, that it predestined them to be the same as those that spawned them?

Such a fucking needless waste.

"Jack… got unlucky. That's all. Sometimes all the smarts and strength aren't enough," Bishop let out a sigh, though he chastised himself mentally for changing the hopeful tune like this. He couldn't help it though. This news was not exactly uplifting.

"But you won't, right?" Dylia gave him a hopeful look. "You'll really kill them, like you killed Torban?"

What was he supposed to say to that? He was getting more and more nervous about his 'mission' here as the time went by, but now it was too late. He was in it already and if he left, there was a chance that Ost and Duful would want to bring him back into this. Maybe not, but maybe so. And he wanted to kill them.

"I… I will."

He had to.

And hopefully soon.

…

Kari squeezed the fabric of her robes between her fingers nervously as she waited for them to come meet her again.

Their demands were fucking insane. She couldn't do what they asked!

She was getting sick of this. They kept threatening her monastery and she knew they had no issues with making good on those threats. They had done that before. She really wished she had a way of protecting her real family from these scum, but there was none. Well… there was one.

They really needed to die.

Bishop was taking too long. How long did it take for him to kill Torban? Sometimes she wished he could just duel Ost and Duful too. Anything to make this all go faster.

And that asshole even sold her out! That was why she was here, facing what she was facing again. This was on him. She hated him for this. He told them she was the one that brought him on the clan's trail?! How fucking stupid is he?

But she still needed him. There was no way around this.

She just wanted to nudge things along a bit, finally get all this done and return to her true family and purpose, to Arkay's teachings and the pleasantly cold halls of her home.

"The fuck are you looking at?" A familiar voice rang behind her as she continued to wait in the dark alley, waiting for her brothers. It seemed they came in the other way than she had expected them to.

"Ah, there you are," Kari mumbled as she turned around. Ost was there alone, but that didn't mean anything good either.

"So… got something for me?" Ost gave her an expectant look.

"N-no," Kari stammered, her fists clenching the fabric of her robe even tighter. "I… I don't." What did he expect? He wanted her to make up for what she'd done, for letting Bishop know about their operations here. Kari had no idea what Bishop exactly told him, but it didn't matter. Ost was pissed. And to make amends, Kari was supposed to do a job for him. She was supposed to rat out one of her fellow monks – apparently he ambushed and killed the wrong person and now there was an official bounty on him. Her fellow monks didn't care about shit like this. They were safe and sound at the monastery. Nobody would find them there. But Kari was supposed to send for her actual brother in faith and rat out their meeting location to the guard. For the money. She could never do that. No matter what, Ost knew she would always protect her real family.

Really, what did he expect?

She had nodded and left when he told her what he wanted of her, but her mind was made up already then. She had no idea why she didn't tell him outright. Maybe she was trying to postpone the inevitable.

"I know," Ost smirked at her. Her eyes closed almost involuntarily as she felt him take a few steps closer to her until he was right there. The sting on her scalp when he gripped the mass of her black hair in his hand and yanked back was the one thing that made her open her eyes again. "Of course, you don't. But you know what that means."

"I didn't do anything…" Kari gritted her teeth, but the second she let out those words, a swift punch landed on her stomach, making her lurch and feeling sick at the suddenness of it. Only a second later, a sharp slap landed on her face.

"You were asked to do something and you didn't. You know what fucking happens when your crazy ass is incompetent," Ost snarled at her. He wanted to beat her. He was looking forward to it ever since he found out she 'told on them' to Bishop. She could tell. She could see it on his fucking smug face.

"I didn't tell him anything!" She hissed, but it only earned her another painful punch in her gut. She knew that it was only a matter of time before she ended up curled on the ground in pain while he continued to torment her, kick her, cut her, whatever he thought would cause her pain. But she did right by her real brother. That was what mattered. And that rat Bishop could go fuck himself. At least he could not be taking this long with why he was here. Asshole. All those Torban's scum were just assholes, no matter how superior they thought they were.

"Yeah, you did," Ost scoffed at her. "And I gave you a chance to make it up for me. Now shut up. You know I hate your fucking voice, zealous wretch."

Another really hard slap had her gasp out loud in pain. She was so angry. She wanted Ost dead already! Why was everything taking this long?! It shouldn't. That wasn't the plan! It wouldn't work like this. She should do something. She should speed things up. She should…

Alright.

Whatever happened, the result was going to only be better than it was now. There was no doubt about it. It couldn't really get worse. Every outcome from this would be a fucking step forward. She knew it.

"He's lying to you," she managed to let the words out through gritted teeth.

"What?" Ost scoffed, half-mockingly. It seemed like he thought she was just trying to delay the more brutal parts of her punishment.

"Bishop. He's lying. He's not broke, he's not fucked if he comes back to Skyrim," she hissed. This she knew – what Bishop told the brothers about his eagerness to work for them. She asked Bishop herself when he came to tell the clan that he had made arrangements with the brothers.

"Why is he here then?" Ost snorted.

"I don't know," she lied. "But he's rich as fuck. He's staying at the Three Sisters' in a fancy room and shit. He's got tons of money."

"He's staying there?" Ost scowled. He still held Kari by her hair, but his grip seemed a little looser now. "That's how the fucker got the coat. Probably bought it or some shit, didn't even steal it. Pathetic."

Kari had no idea what coat Ost was talking about, but it didn't matter. "He's got a fucking cushy life in Skyrim, you know? When I… when I saw him there, he was being treated like a fucking count. Not even the law could touch him."

"That's bullshit," Ost shook his head.

"I swear. He's lying about everything. He's not here to beg for your money. He doesn't need it," Kari continued to spill. "And he's got some whore here with him. I saw them together in Skyrim too. He's got all that shit, home, family, respect, why the fuck would he be here, right?"

Kari suddenly felt the hand leave her hair and she let out another loud gasp, now from the unexpected motion rather than any pain.

"Hmm… why the fuck would he?" Ost's eyes narrowed dangerously. He was starting to put some things together, Kari could tell. Soon things would move on. They had to. She was not willing to have a repeat of what happened to her monk brother before Kari went hunting for Bishop. "Who's the whore?"

"Some useless noble bitch. Probably only good for fucking and money," Kari scoffed. That's all you need to know, fuckweasel. Maybe this would speed things up too.

"How do you know all this?" He still looked suspicious about Kari's information.

"I snooped," Kari rolled her eyes. How else did any of them get any information ever?

"Hmm… good. Not good enough to make up for sending that mongrel after us though," Ost snarled at her disdainfully and his hand promptly returned to grip her hair.

Fine. She could handle this. She had many times before.

As long as this got things moving at last.

She couldn't wait to be free of this burden. Everything was going to reach its purpose soon.

Arkay demanded these wretched souls.

* Trigger warning: mentions of suicide, depiction of a beating and familial abuse