The air in Wayrest wasn't just cool to Kaisa's skin. Once again, storms raged in the area, sending downpours across the land. Lightning struck brilliantly in the sky, sending a macabre of color across Sovngarde. The rain was cold, with winds pulling from the east to the west.

Sky pawed at the dirt in the stable as Kaisa left him in the stall, signifying his disagreement with the wet air.

"I know boy, but we have to do it this way. You know you can't come in there with me," she cooed at him as she patted his neck. She brushed the mane from his eyes and kissed him on the nose. "Besides, how would I introduce you? Ser-sky? You wouldn't bow to the royalty anyhow."

Sky huffed at her and turned his head away. She giggled at him and pulled a carrot from her pouch.

"Here, old man. Snack heartedly. You're going to need as much as I am."

Sky took the carrot from Kaisa, huffed again and turned away to chomp happily.

Kaisa left the stables, pulling her shield over her head. The rain was coming in at a somewhat sideways direction, matching the wind blowing. Merely blocking the wind from blowing in her face was a chore as it was. Finally, Kaisa reached the steps of the Wayrest castle.

Brushing off the water droplets, Kaisa looked around the room, welcoming the warmth from the fires lighting the corridor. To the right of her, was a clear pathway end to the left, the creepy child.

"I don't have time for the creepy child today," she muttered to herself.

Kaisa casually walked into the castle and steered to the right of the stairs. The Bard was thumping away on his drum, with no actual beat or rhythm. She nodded towards him and continued walking forward. Through the doorway on her left, she found another set of double doors. On the other side of those doors was the large dining area where the queen and king held their gatherings.

A child of about seven or eight years old sat on the table in the far corner. The child was playing and paying no attention to anyone else around her. The guard stood at attention it severed intervals across the room.

"Excuse me, can you tell me which of these doors heads down to the dungeon? I have been sent to retrieve an item for the queen."

The guard looked curiously at her. "You're the mercenary?"

"I am."

The guard nodded in acknowledgment. He went to the door for the dungeon and pulled out his keys. Unlocking the heavy iron door, he opened it and let Kaisa inside.

"Thank you."

Kaisa Waited until the door was closed before unsheathing her sword. She wasn't very surprised when a series of tunnels lay before her once again. What she was surprised about was the guard who immediately attacked her from the other side of the iron door's casing. A swift duck to the left with her shield raised blocked the impulsive blow, stammering the guard. His attention to the ringing in his ears, Kaisa's sword shot through his chest, dropping him immediately.

Another guard attacked Kaisa from around the corner. He was unarmed, and his flying right hook caught Kaisa in the shoulder.

"Did you just punch me?" she questioned him.

The guard laughed at her. "What's the matter? Can't handle it?"

Kaisa cocked her head to the right, smirked and stabbed him with her sword. As he gurgled, she smiled. "What's the matter? Can't handle it?"

He spit up some blood as he drew his last breath. Kaisa started searching his pockets. Some septims, a couple of lockpicks, and skooma...

"What? No wonder you thought you could take me on. I'll... I'll just leave this here and they can judge you for themselves."

Taking the lockpicks and septims, she nudged him with her boot. Going through a few more corridors, she found herself in a room full of draugr. "Oh shit," she muttered. "Stay there, stay sleeping draugr. Good draugr."

Kaisa found herself humming a lullaby, suddenly stopping when she realized she was doing it. What the hell am I doing? Singing them to sleep? She sheathed her sword and looked carefully around the room. A suspicious wall to her immediate left caught her eye. While everything else was stone, this one was made of solid, bright red brick. Walking up to the brick, she carefully placed her hand on it.

Everything around her went black instantly. When the light came back, she realized she was in another room, somewhere else beneath the castle.

"Wait, what? The brick is," she thought heavily, "teleporting me? Interesting."

She found herself in a much smaller room, with another brick door as well as an iron door, this one locked. Pulling out her lockpicks, she carefully maneuvered the lock and opened the iron. The door led down a hall to another door, and dead ended into a room with a small loot stash. With nowhere else to turn, Kaisa went back down the hall to the red brick. Placing her hand on it, she swiftly ended in yet another room, still smaller than the last.

This time there were no other doors. A lever sat high on the wall opposite the brick. With no other way to go, Kaisa pulled the lever. The floor didn't move, but she did hear a crackle of another door opening behind her. She looked around, but all the remained was the brick.

"I don't know what's worse, teleporting brick walls or too many tunnels to count."

She placed her hand on the wall and was taken to a larger room, this time a torture chamber. She was met by a wraith who was not exactly happy about her coming into his domain. Vanquishing the wraith, she found another door and no brick wall this time.

"Let me guess, another series of tunnels lies ahead?"

Opening the door, she looked to her right and left, and sure enough, a long tunnel stretched in both directions. Multiple enemies came across her path, each getting easier to take out as Kaisa made her way through the endless tunnels. She made her way through knights, rangers and one cheeky mage who kept setting her on fire.

"I know why they are all in the dungeons now. Their combat skills are much to be desired."

After all of the tunnels, Kaisa was concerned that there weren't any actual prisoners in the dungeon. Though the torture rooms were still bloodied, she hadn't found the first trace of a prisoner. Eventually, she came to an area with water trenches running through it. Convinced they were the sewer system, Kaisa deliberately tried to avoid the waters.

Splish.

Kaisa turned quickly. Something was moving in the water.

Splish, splish.

Kaisa pulled her sword with swiftness. She looked all over across the top of the water. Nothing.

SPLASH!

Before she could think, her sword was sheathed and her bow was cocked and pulled. She drew back the string and tagged a slaughterfish through the front of its skull. After circling the trenches, Kaisa realized she would, indeed, have to get in the water.

"Okay, this is disgusting, but I think it's the only way through here," she said to herself as she plunged into the trench water. She found a passageway, swam through it and hurried to the other side.

Several more tunnels and dead ends later, Kaisa finally reached the vault room. With the door already opened, she peered in, crouched to avoid detection. She was able to spot several guards that she would have to fight through to get to the painting at the top of a pyramid in the center of the room.

She eyed the closest guards, pulled her bow, and shot both of them down with a single shot. This alerted the other guards to the formers' positions, bringing them around to Kaisa's view. Two more arrows, one miss and one direct hit, and the guards knew where the shots were coming from.

They began to charge her. Each of the guards met the thrust of her blade, but not as easily as had those who she had fought in the tunnels. Swords clashed, and lightning shocks came. She rolled and tucked, taking a few hits to her shoulder and some directly on her shield. An arrow shot out just as Kaisa's shield rose to block another sword blow, ricocheting off and to the right.

As she struck down the mage, Kaisa quickly glanced to see the archer. Another shot flew and clanged against her shield. Behind her, she heard a warhammer rise and she turned just in time to take the hit on her shield, sending Kaisa flying back.

"Oh, fuck you! That hurt!" she yelled at the guard as he raised the hammer above his head again. With the hammer in the air, Kaisa slid under the arc and pummeled her sword into him just above his left hip. the guard cried out, dropped the hammer behind him and collapsed. Kaisa swung the sword from left to right, slicing his throat and leaving him to rot.

Yet another arrow shot out, catching Kaisa across her arm. Braising her, she turned, her eyes fiery and her lungs breathing heavily. She pulled the dagger from her boot and threw it into the archer's chest, where he gasped clutching and fell to his knees. She ran up the side of the pyramid and and smashed her shield against his head, dropping him at last.

Kaisa pulled the dagger from her opponent and looked around at the carnage. Her chest was heaving, blood of not hers covered her face and her hands.

"Shit, " she said out loud. "This painting had better be worth it."

She wiped the dagger off on the archer and stuffed it back into her boot. Her sword now sheathed, she approached the painting, carefully checking for any trip wires or trap triggers. With this many guards, a trap trigger would be the least surprising thing, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

A scroll lay in the middle of the stand of the pyramid. Kaisa picked it up with steady hands and pulled the scroll open. A sudden flash stung her eyes, and intense ringing screamed through her head. As her eyes shifted, she saw the scroll shifting and twisting as well.

Several men in Wayrest. Debating. A man with the coat of arms of Daggerfall.

Then another man, a sneak, pulling a dagger. The coat of arms drops to his knees, his eyes wide..

SHREAKKKKKKKKK

The screaming pain hit Kaisa once more and the bright light filled her conscious mind. And just as it had hit, darkness came over her.