WARNING: This chapter contains text that can be visualized in graphic violence and brutality. If anyone is uncomfortable reading graphically violent scenes that are described in detail involving bloodshed and gore, DO NOT continue reading. Thank you. -Elderfan
Chapter eleven - Luciana Galena
Loredas, First Seed 25, 4E 0 - Midday
'After killing Fathis 2 days ago, immediately I left the Imperial City and headed to Bravil to find the next fence; Luciana Galena. I've taken out 3 fences, and now I have 2 left to go. Bravil had been a small town, so it would be easy to find her.' Theranis thought.
Bravil is a squalid town located on the banks of the Niben Bay, the Larsius River passes through and wraps around the town, as the Green Road curves around it.
Bravil is described as one of the poorest towns in Cyrodiil; houses are built like shacks, being wooden and stacked upon each other, Skooma had been quite popular in the town, and the Larsius River that runs through the town serves as Brazil's sewers.
Upon entering the town, the climate had been damp due to the surrounding swamps and marshes, along with the Niben Bay's shore. Theranis didn't seem to like it much being here.
All Theranis had known about Luciana is that she is a Breton woman who has her own house, wore a lower class clothing consisting of a coarse linen shirt, coarse linens, and a pair of clogs.
He knew nothing of where she stay, or where in the town she is. So he started with the one place where all rumors are told, the Inn.
Theranis entered inside the closest Inn near the entrance, Silverhome-on-the-Water, and upon entering, Theranis noticed a couple people sitting and chatting.
Theranis passed them, and sat in front of the bar where a man who had been an Altmer and seemed to be the Innkeeper, stood behind the counter.
"Gilgondorin. Silverhome-on-the-Water has beds and food. What's your pleasure?" He said.
"Tell me a little of Bravil." Theranis responded. Gilgondorin's facial expression didn't show any satisfaction, more like disgust.
"Have you looked around? Bravil is Tamriel's cloaca. Silverhome is the only decent place in town. Don't know why I stay here."
"Sounds like you don't want to live here. Do you know of a woman named Luciana Galena?" Theranis asked.
"Word on the street has it that Luciana is quite antisocial and barricades hersel in her house all day long."
"Do you know where she lives?"
"Unfortunately not. You look awfully tired, I got a free bed, perhaps you would like to have it for the night for a mere 20 coins?" He offered.
"No, thank you. Good day."
"Until then."
Theranis stood up from the high-chair, and walked near the other two men whispering in low voices, he listened as he decided they must had been rumoring.
"I don't think Gilgondorin wants to run Silverhome-on-the-water. He never seems happy when he's there." A Dunmer male said.
"He doesn't seem particularly happy, I think he'd rather spend his time painting." The other man said, who was a Breton.
"I heard he'd rather be a painter. Still, he runs the place well."
"Gilgondorin inherited Silverhome from his parents. I understand he only runs it out of a sense of duty."
Theranis wanted to hear no more, Gilgondorin had his own rumors under his own roof, none of Luciana. Theranis decided to hear what the citizens on the streets had to say.
He left Silverhome, and began walking about, he had seen two women out on the street next to the Lucky Old Lady statue. One had been an Argonian, and the other an Imperial.
He approached them both, they had already been in a conversation. "Hello."
"Good day." The Argonian woman said.
"Hello there." The Imperial woman said, who may be a beggar.
"Do any of you know of Luciana Galena?" He asked.
"She tends to keep to herself, that's for sure. That's too bad." The Imperial spoke first.
"Is something wrong with Luciana Galena? She rarely leaves home." The Argonian asked.
"I hear she's a very private person. I also heard she knows a lot about using light armor."
"Oh, that's interesting." Theranis said.
"She doesn't leave home much, but apparently Luciana Galena has a lot of experience fighting in light armor." The Imperial said to him.
"I've got that, thank you." Then started walking away.
'It seems like this Luciana is very reserved. There are many homes here in Bravil, not to mention the Inn's. I'm not about to go search every room in the town, I'll try the next Inn.' He said to himself in his thoughts.
Theranis walked past the statue towards the Great Chapel, turned left, and caught sight of another Inn down the road. He approached it and read the sign, 'The Lonely Suitor Lodge'.
Theranis entered in, and almost walked into a woman after taking a few steps inside.
"Hello, stranger. Luciana Galena. I'm Bravil's Advanced Trainer for the Light Armor discipline." She said.
'Perfect. Just the right woman I was looking for. Rumors must be false then since she's not in her house.' He thought.
"Good day, ma'am." He responded.
He walked past her and she sat down on a chair near the door, and started eating.
Theranis sat down at another table, he drank a couple tankard's of ale, but waited the entire time for Luciana to go home as he kept an eye on her.
She seemed have worked here at the lodge, or been a volunteer, which must explain the false rumors that no one ever seen her.
Sundas, First Seed 26, 4E 0 - Midnight
Theranis left the lodge and waited at the steps of the chapel an hour before Luciana had left. He watched her and followed her slowly behind as she had led him to her home, at a second story shack.
She went inside, Theranis decided to wait longer for her to fall asleep, then he'll pay her a visit. He wait half an hour, then took his steps up the stairs to the second floor.
Theranis spent a couple moments to unlock the door, then slowly opened it. He entered inside and eyed around the living room.
Her small house, which was situated on top of the house for sale, had one small room. One part has Luciana's bed and the rest has a dining table with chairs, bookshelves, barrels and a cupboard.
She has two leveled chests, one beside the bed and the other against the wall opposite the door.
Theranis went inside the bedroom, seen that Luciana had been sleeping on her bed, then he walked to the side of her bed.
He pulled out a dagger from his side, held it as it faced downwards, and rose his arm high, ready to stab her.
At that moment, something flew past his sight and it pierced into his wrist as he screamed out. He dropped the dagger to the floor, and cried out in pain.
Luciana woke up and immediately stood up on her side of the bed. Theranis turned his attention to the door which stood a Bosmer woman who held a bow and was drawing her next arrow.
She wore a black hood, and her entire outfit had been black and red with studs on it. An Imperial man rushed in, wearing the same outfit, and strikes at Theranis with his short sword.
Theranis dodged out the way, picked up the dagger when he ducked, and defended himself as the man attacked.
Another man, a Breton, same outfit, had entered the room on Luciana's side of the bed and started casting spells throwing a fireball.
Theranis had to move very quickly and ignore his pain as he had to dodge the fireballs, while defending himself from the swordsman. Luciana stood there confused and unsure of what to do, then Theranis noticed an Argonian man came running in the room.
Theranis let the swordsman swing, until the man swung a little too far away, then Theranis stabbed him in his gut, and kicked him away as he fell to the floor.
Theranis looked to see who the Argonian was since he had been dressed in a full black leather armor.
"Come on, Luciana! Let's go!" He said as he grabbed her arm and pulled.
"Amusei, what's going on here? Who are these people?" She wondered.
Theranis heard her say his name and immediately his memory clicked. He remembered him to be the same prisoner he spoke with months ago in the Skingrad dungeons.
Theranis picked up the short sword quickly as he ducked beneath another fireball, and took steps towards him. The Breton man threw another fireball and it hit Theranis, he yelled out in pain as the fire burnt him worse than it would burn any normal human since he had a weakness to fire.
The archer fired an arrow as it pierced him in his side, then the wound seemed to burn his entire body as he realized the arrows she used were enchanted.
Theranis stepped back, dodged arrows and fireballs, then the Breton conjured a flame atronach, and he knew at that moment he was in real trouble.
Before the flame atronach could attack, Theranis charged forward ar the Breton and held the sword with two hands and sliced at him as he decapitated the man's head off and it fell to the ground.
The flame atronach was immediately sent back to Oblivion, and then he turned to the archer, she began walking backwards and firing another while he dodged again.
He ran straight at her but then an arrow struck him in his stomach after she fired, he cried out but while in adrenaline, tackled her to the floor. While on top of her, he began choking her until her face started changing colors.
At that moment, Theranis felt something sharp stab through his leather armor and into the flesh of his back. He released his hands off her and he threw his head up and straightened his back to cry out in pain.
He realized that he forgot to kill the swordsman he left in the room, but not only that, he left the dagger in there with him. The Bosmer had been coughing and she moved away. Theranis felt completely immobilized, he looked down and seen the short sword laying on the ground next to him. Theranis tried to reach with his hand but couldn't move his body forward, then he cried out even more in an excruciating pain as he felt the blade in his back starting to twist and cut through more flesh inside of him.
He felt completely weak, and decided to suck it up, he made a fist, then swung around his elbow as it had implanted at the Imperial man's face. The Imperial let go of the dagger that was in Theranis' back, and he stood up, picked up the short sword, then stabbed it through the heart of the Imperial man.
The Bosmer woman had still been coughing and she tried getting up, Theranis noticed and quickly picked up one of her fallen arrows and as she got up and stood straight, he jabbed the arrow in her from underneath her jaw leading straight up to her brain then it came out from the top of the skull of her head.
Blood started coming out her neck, and he just let her go and fall down. Theranis returned his eyes to the Imperial man, he held the blade with one hand as he lay there dead, eyes open, but unseeing.
Theranis backed away, assuring himself that the fight is over, and felt something that had been itching in the back of his brain. It started to annoy him, so he started to wonder why and think, after a moment, he remembered.
He remembered that Amusei came in to take Luciana away with him. 'So he's with the Thieves Guild now.' He thought.
He looked at the dead corpses and realized the Thieves Guild may not be his only enemy now.
'Amusei was his name, I can remember those reptile skin colors and horns from anywhere. And these assassin's aren't with the Thieves Guild. Looks like they've got friends, perhaps it's time now that I go and make my own new friends.' He planned, then he left Luciana's house.