The dreams were no better the second night.
Bishop still seemed to be unable to get the phantoms of his family members out of his mind. Taunting him, threatening him, making him doubt this course of action more and more each second.
But there was no more time for hesitation. They were here.
Fortunately, the third day proved to be the charm and, just as Bishop had assumed, they could leave right after one more night after the execution. They never found out what happened to the dissidents. They heard some people whisper that they were all caught, some whispered that they found a way to escape the city and the guards followed them out in the wilderness. Aeyrin hoped for the second, but she also hoped that the dissidents weren't actually headed to the secret chapel in the Rift, leading the investigators there. But that was surely not the case – the access from Cyrodiil was far from complete. There was no way to get there from here now, except for the legal passes and the very arduous journeys through the mountains. It was unlikely that her allies in Skyrim would orchestrate all this.
They managed to get out of the city right after breakfast, just as they had planned the previous day. The roads in Cyrodiil seemed decidedly more peaceful than in Skyrim – or maybe they just felt that way without the constant paranoia hounding them. But the large paved Orange Road with numerous patrols of the Imperial Legion did seem to be much more relaxing. Even with the bad experiences with the Legion that they had in the past several days, once they were sure that nobody was actually eager to stop them for searches or questioning, they felt much more at ease.
Several hours on the road led them to their destination at last – Shadow's Rest Cavern, as Bishop had remembered it. This was where Kari's cult had been hiding eleven years ago. It was only a short distance away from the road – a somewhat large cavern system, hidden away beneath the canopy of blooming spring trees and flowery bushes. Cyrodiil was always so gorgeous and vibrant, but that didn't mean that there was no shade and darkness underneath. Just the sight of that cavern filled Bishop with instant unease.
"So… this is really it?" Aeyrin asked uncertainly. She wasn't sure why – she had been told that this was no 'order', that this was only a cave system full of crazy cultists. She still kind of thought that Bishop may have been exaggerating a little, mostly out of spite for his sister. But this place looked kind of… ominous. There was one lantern hanging outside the rickety old door leading inside the caverns. It was wine-colored, just like Kari's robes. And then there was the symbol on the door. It was drawn in something equally… wine-colored, which Aeyrin didn't want to think about too much. It was a somewhat familiar symbol – two twining circles. But somehow, here, it looked far from the usual secular comfort that Arkay's symbol should represent.
"Unless they moved. It's a long fucking time to stay in one cave," Bishop shrugged morosely. He was kind of suspecting that it wasn't the case though. The lantern was lit and nobody even tried to clean the symbol. In fact, it looked relatively fresh – definitely not eleven years old and worn.
"It doesn't look like it," Aeyrin pondered, likely following the same clues he had.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," he grumbled. Ugh, dealing with crazy again, it was going to be a pain. Not to mention dealing with Kari altogether.
But they were here, they were set on at least trying to talk to her. He just had to grit his teeth and get it over with.
With a resigned sigh, he opened the rickety door and stepped inside the caverns.
The inside looked just as ominous as the outside. The first chamber was decorated by the wine-colored lanterns as well, along with a few banners depicting Arkay's circle. There was one table and a chair, with one Redguard woman sitting at it with a bored expression on her face. Her robes were exactly the same as Kari's. It was all the evidence they needed to know that this was still the right place.
"Who are you?" the Redguard scowled at them promptly, standing up from her chair. "We're not expecting new initiates today."
"Not here for that shit," Bishop growled at her. As if he would join this merry band of lunatics. "I'm looking for Karina."
Bishop thought this would make the cultist more at ease, but she scowled even more. She looked very suspicious. 'Order'. Yeah, right. As if anyone in a legitimate order would get this suspicious about someone just looking for one of their flock. This place just screamed 'shady' and he could see Aeyrin constantly looking around with palpable curiosity and uneasiness. He wasn't sure what she was expecting – he told her what this fucking place really was.
"What for?" The woman snarled at him. He could see her hand dart to her hip – she had no belt on that robe, but he noticed an outline of pockets and something long inside one of them – probably a dagger. Lovely welcome. He had been here only a couple of times before to drag Kari back to the clan on Torban's orders. They knew him already back then, maybe also because of his resemblance to Torban. But Torban had been dead for over a decade and nobody knew him here now. He was sure, however, that, according to what Kari had said, others were still coming for her. Possibly Ost and Duful. This request was likely still not unusual for the cult.
"Is she here?" Bishop asked impatiently. He wasn't here to actually drag her away for some shady work this time. He just wanted to talk to her.
"Dunno," the Redguard scoffed defiantly. "What for?" she repeated.
"I'm her brother," Bishop growled. It still felt weird to be saying that. He thought he would never call himself that ever again since Jules died. It felt wrong to be calling himself that for anyone else. But he should just… try to wrap his head around this concept again. As much as he hated that fact, these people were related to him. This band of insane fuckers shared his blood. And with that knowledge, the memories of those nasty dreams kept coming back. Was he always just… pretending to be someone else? Not like them? He wanted that so badly, but when he saw Kari back in Skyrim, everything came flooding back. The constant hatred, anger and the urge to do something really painful just to teach that fucking bitch a lesson for messing with him like that.
"Crap," the cultist muttered under her breath angrily. "Fuck. You're one of them?" She looked Bishop over critically. Her eyes rested on his first – their color may have been a little unusual, but all Torban's children had it. He, Jack, Aces, Ost and Duful, all of them. It made the woman scowl even more. Why that reception though? In the past, the cult was mostly resigned to Torban's schemes, letting Kari go without a word. What were Ost and Duful doing to Kari that made even these nutcases wary?
"Look, she just came back," the Redguard growled. "You can't drag her away again right now! She needs to be with us. This is her home. Her real family. She's got duties to perform. And restitutions and shit."
"'Restitutions'?" Aeyrin finally stopped looking around nervously at that word and focused on the cultist instead. What did that mean?
"She's been gone for a long time. She needs to make up for her absence and shit," the Redguard scowled.
'Make up for her absence'? Aeyrin wasn't sure why that filled her with even more unease. It was surely some chores, right? Just… doing more chores around the… cave.
"Whatever, I don't care what shit she's got going on here," Bishop scoffed. Whatever it was, he couldn't care less about the shit happening in this place. "I just wanna talk to her."
"Oh," the Redguard was still scowling, but she nodded slowly. "Hmm… fine, I guess. But you're not dragging her away right now."
"No. She can rot in here for all I care," Bishop scoffed again.
"We're all gonna rot in here one day," the woman mused. "Arkay will come for us all soon."
Aeyrin flinched instinctively at that talk. What did these people believe was going to happen? That Arkay was watching Nirn for souls to take forcibly from their life? Sending his followers to do that? Was that what this cult was doing? Going around killing people in Arkay's name? That was despicable.
"Just take us to Kari," Bishop growled. He'd had enough of this shit. It was time to get this over with.
"Fine. Follow me," the cultist nodded.
Hopefully the talk with Kari would go quickly.
Bishop couldn't wait to get out of this shithole.
…
They were led through a few more chambers of the cavern complex.
They mostly looked the same, with some old moldered furniture in them, more banners and lanterns and more cultists as well. Most of them were just talking amongst themselves, whispering and watching the newcomers pass by with suspicious curiosity.
There were quite a lot of the cultists around. Aeyrin kept getting more and more uneasy by that, running scenarios in her head about just what all of these people were doing for this cult. And what led them to come here to live inside caves.
In the end, they were stopped in a large chamber that had several long tables inside and countless chairs. It looked like a mess hall. Some cultists around were eating some strange… slop. And others were just sitting by the tables, talking.
The Redguard ushered them to the end of one of the tables – one that was currently empty. She instructed them to wait while she fetched Kari at last.
Bishop and Aeyrin didn't talk. They just kept sitting quietly, watching the people around. Nobody spoke out loud at all. The chamber was only filled with countless whispers, as if all of them were afraid to be overheard. It was impossible to hear anything. And everything felt so oddly tense and uncomfortable. Though maybe it was just them who felt that way.
Fortunately, the wait wasn't that long.
Soon enough, the familiar head of black hair rushed into the chamber frantically. Kari looked a bit flushed and disoriented. She kept fixing up her robe and her hair was even more of an untamable mess than usual. When she came closer, they finally noticed her face. Her eyes were glassy, her freckled cheeks entirely red and there were some very visible welts on her neck.
"You… you're here," she gaped at Bishop when she finally seemed to rouse herself a bit and noticed them. It seemed she wasn't aware that she should expect him. The Redguard had possibly just told her one of her 'brothers' was here. What else would she say? She didn't know anything but that.
"Yeah, and I'm fucking seconds from leaving, so if you actually wanna tell me something, you better do it quickly," Bishop growled. Just seeing her made him angry again. It made him remember why he was actually here. It made him remember what fucking mess she caused to get him here. He could barely step foot into Whiterun because of her – she was the one to send that bounty to Solitude where Tullius learned about it. He was kept from the town he kind of liked, and more importantly from people he actually liked and trusted and could call friends, all because of her. Not to mention that fucking bullshit in Falkreath. And Maven holding his safety hostage. And on top of all that, he had plenty of unpleasant memories of Kari's schemes and insanities from way before he left Cyrodiil in the first place.
Fuck, he hated his family. Why was he doing this again?
"Hmpf. You told me to fuck off," Kari scowled at him while she rubbed her red and swollen neck absentmindedly. "And now you come here? Why?"
"The fuck does it matter? Do you want to tell me what the fuck's going on or not?" Bishop snarled. Why the fuck was she questioning it? She was making him reconsider every second.
Kari rolled her eyes at him, as if it was suddenly an inconvenience to have him here. It was just a defense mechanism, but it still pissed Bishop off even more.
His sister let out a huff as she sat down next to him, still with that annoyed expression, still rubbing her neck.
"What happened to you?" Aeyrin gave her a concerned look. She looked like she needed healing. But it was more disturbing to think about where she got those welts. They were fresh, like someone just choked her with a rope or something. Was this part of those… 'restitutions'? Did she get physically punished for leaving for Falkreath?
"Ugh. I'm in no mood to talk to any of my brothers' whores," Kari scoffed at her instead before she turned towards Bishop again. "Why'd you bring one here anyway?"
Aeyrin was expecting him to defend her and introduce her. He didn't really before. Not that she minded much – she understood that the anger took over back in Falkreath with everything going on. She wasn't sure if he was going to tell Kari that she was his fiancé. That was probably not something he was going to share with his sister, especially with their strained relationship. But she did not expect what he actually did say.
"So that I have a pretty face to distract myself with whenever I'm sick of your fucking mug, what the fuck do you care?" He snarled.
Aeyrin felt a tinge of pain envelop her at those words. She knew he was just being dismissive. But he made it sound like she was just 'one of his whores'. Why did he say it like that? It was probably silly to be hurt by it, given what she knew about his relationship with Kari, but she still expected something different. She wasn't even sure what. But not that. She instantly clamped up and withdrew in onto herself, even though she kind of wanted to give him at least a scowl or an accusatory look. But she was so thrown off by this. Bishop didn't even give her a hint of a reassuring look.
"Whatever. Why did you come?" Kari groaned. She seemed so annoyed by his presence now, it was baffling.
"You fucking wanted me to come. Why are you asking?" Bishop growled. "Now tell me what the fuck's going on that you tried to get me fucking killed to come here."
"Fine," she huffed, still seemingly annoyed. "Look, I left too, alright? After all that shit, after you killed Torban and took that hairy fucker away, I decided to go. This is my home."
"Why get back into that shit then?" Bishop scowled. Whatever messed up bullcrap was going on in this cult, he didn't care – but if she was somewhere she wanted to be, like him, why the fuck would she leave that? That was… probably a valid question for himself too.
"I didn't want to! Ost came to drag me back in. He fucking threatened to burn this place down if I don't come back," Kari snarled hatefully.
"Familiar," Bishop sneered at her. What was she doing to him now? As if she was any better. And did she say 'burn down'? "And it's a fucking cave! What's he gonna burn here? Stone?"
"You know what I fucking mean. We're monks, not some bunch of bruisers. He fucking brings along a few of Torban's old 'acquaintances' and everyone's dead," Kari grumbled. Whatever 'monks' even meant in this context.
"So Ost took over Torban's shit? All those contacts and everything?" He scowled again. Torban had made a lot of shady friends over the years. There probably wasn't a successful bandit that hadn't. It wasn't on Thorn's level – Torban certainly never had whole clans under him, loyal to the very last because they were scared shitless. Torban was a different kind of… beast. He crossed and double-crossed. All his 'friends' were just waiting to stab him in the back while he was doing the same when it came to them. All his alliances were of convenience, threats and last resort. He was never much for thinking ahead, not like Thorn was with his dealings. Bishop never really figured out if it made him less dangerous though, or more.
"Yeah. He's exactly the same. When I was gone, I've been visiting Liesl and Galric sometimes, you know? They stayed, so I went to check on them every now and then. Not for long. They didn't say shit, but I guess he's been ordering them around for ages," Kari shrugged.
"And now he's ordering you around and dragging you back to the clan so you suddenly care," Bishop scoffed. Torban always had some scheme concocted – sending his 'whelps' to smuggle shit for him, rob people, kidnap rich tits to blackmail someone or just regular banditry on the road. Jack once said that he made Aces whore herself, but Bishop wasn't sure if it was true. It didn't really matter. It was all shit for someone else with nothing in return. Torban did this all to get money and he barely left any for the family to live off.
"Fuck yeah, I don't wanna do his bullshit for him. I have a higher purpose," Kari snarled and Bishop could only roll his eyes at her. This was her 'higher purpose'? He was pretty sure she just got choked and who the fuck knew what else for even leaving for Falkreath. Some fucking purpose that was.
"So instead you ran all over fucking Skyrim to chase me down?" he growled.
"I didn't know what else to do. And at least I could get away from Ost," she sighed. "I went there a few times and came back, but you still didn't return. When none of it worked, I decided to wait in Falkreath. I knew you were wandering around and shit. I was gonna wait for you there and do that shit so that I know why it doesn't work."
"Brilliant," Bishop rolled his eyes once more. "If you can leave this place, just fucking stay left. Why didn't you just stay in Skyrim and be done with this shit? And not involve me?"
"I belong here," Kari snarled again. "Arkay demands my presence here. I have my people here. I can't leave. And Ost would hurt them if I left for good. The only escape is to do what you did. Kill him."
"For you?" Bishop scoffed at her. What the fuck did he care about Kari's insane cult? Why risk going against another Torban for her?
"I don't give a fuck. Get Liesl out of that shit if you care more. Everyone cares more about her," Kari scoffed, even though she had just admitted to the same thing – checking up on her. "Or do the little shits work on you better? Or just revenge? Ost would have killed you in that duel of yours if Torban let him join, you know? Just like that." She snapped her fingers for emphasis.
Bishop was well aware of that. He was surprised that Ost didn't actually try to kill him right after Torban was dead. But maybe he was still in shock and Bishop and Jules didn't really wait around for many reactions back then. They were out of there within seconds.
"Who are these 'little shits' you keep talking about?" Bishop only sighed in defeat. He might as well learn more about the situation. "Rina had more kids?"
"Yeah. Those little fuckers," Kari nodded. "I didn't even know at first, when I was gone more. After that I didn't learn their names, 'cause Arkay should have taken'em soon. But they're still around and kicking, I guess. Four of'em."
Four more kids? That insane woman had twelve kids? That was just terrifying. As if eight wasn't enough. As if fucking one wasn't one too many for someone like her. And she seriously still wasn't too old to have them?
"First one was with some Thalmor," Kari explained contemptfully. "She was selling Talos amulets for a huge profit to some desperate shits and she got out of Thalmor jail by fucking the agent who caught her. Figures. That was ages ago. The little shit is nine, I think. She actually named him Talos."
"A half-Altmer named 'Talos'?" Bishop scoffed. That… did sound like something Rina would do. Probably thinking it was a reincarnation of the God and a sign or some shit. She always did stupid shit like this, ascribing so much meaning to her random ideas and whims.
"Yeah," Kari just nodded disinterestedly. "Then she whored herself out to some elves at the Anvil docks. Got a little half-Bosmer bitch out of that. Name's Dalia or Dylina or some shit like that. I don't even remember. She's always lurking around, trying to play some big boss for the kids. Annoying bitch. She's being like that just to piss me off."
Sure, the kid who could probably barely comprehend the messed up life she was living was definitely existing just to piss off Kari…
"Then there's the little piggy girl. She bit off Duful's finger when she wasn't even named yet. Serves the fucker right. Rina named'er Chomp. Guess it fits," Kari smirked. "Last one's only four. Born'round the time they dragged me back. He's a little shit. Ressel. He's already annoying, barely out of the swaddles. Rina got him from some Redguard man-whore, I think."
"Huh… one of each. Guess dreams do come true," Bishop rolled his eyes.
"Not yet. She still hasn't bagged a lizard," Kari cackled meanly in response, as if that was actually possible. Then again, neither should have been Jules's conception.
"Really? She hasn't hatched an egg yet?" Bishop scoffed at that. "I wouldn't even be surprised, the viper she is."
"Well, you never know. She might hatch a few at some point," Kari shrugged. "Arkay knows she's fucked plenty lizards already. No lack of tryin' there."
Bishop could only groan in exasperation. How the fuck did he get back into this bullshit again? It still felt so surreal. The whole clan should have just stayed left behind.
"So… you're gonna do it? You gonna kill'em?" Kari finally asked the question undoubtedly nagging at her. "The freak needs to die. And Duful too. He's a fucking creep too."
"You're a fucking creep too," Bishop scoffed at her. There was really no one better here. But… he still kind of planned on looking into this shit. At least he planned to find Liesl and talk to her properly, find out if she was alright. Which was kinda naïve to think. Still, if he could give her a second chance to get out of this shit, maybe it would be… a good thing. And those kids probably still had a chance at a decent life too, if they got away from dipshits like Ost and Duful. And Rina. And possibly Kari. And Morgen, likely. Ugh. They were all awful.
"I'd welcome Arkay's embrace gladly," Kari scowled at him, as if he was supposed to realize how insulting it would be to assume she wouldn't wanna die.
"Arkay would sooner move his whole fucking realm onto the planes of Oblivion before he would let the likes of you in," he scoffed. This whole fucking 'order' was a joke.
"Whatever, as always, you're fucking daft with this shit, so shut your fucking trap about it," Kari snarled again. "Just do what Arkay demands and end them."
"I'll decide what I'll do after I talk to someone less insane," he growled. "Where's the clan?"
"How the fuck should I know? They're on the move half the time. I've been in Skyrim for fucking months," Kari scoffed at him. "Just stay here. Ost will come to drag me back eventually. Or someone else will. The initiation isn't long."
"Fuck off. We're not staying here for a second longer than necessary," Bishop shook his head adamantly. As if. And did she really think they would get 'initiated' into this fucking cult just to stay in a cave? How fucking stupid was she? "You don't know anything useful anyway. I'll find them myself."
"Whatever. Go chasing around again. Not like I care. Just kill those fuckers," Kari shrugged.
"We'll see," Bishop still continued scowling. He was still fucking pissed about all of this, but he also wanted to get this over with and get some closure. If those assholes had to die for that, so be it. But he was sure as fuck not going to let Kari think he was doing this for her, of for that fucking joke of a whatever-it-was that she called 'Arkay'.
He stood up from the table and nodded at Aeyrin. She was so quiet the entire time, but he was kind of glad for that. He was suspecting that she had a lot of questions about this place and this cult, but none of those really needed to be answered. It would only get disturbing. And the less entangled she got in all this, the better.
He was not going to allow the past to repeat itself.
…
"So, that went nowhere," Bishop let out a half-grumble and a half-chuckle as they finally got out of that fucking place and back onto the Orange Road. Now something hopefully much more pleasant awaited them. He really fucking hoped so. He really fucking hoped that Chorrol would be a good diversion. And that Therien wouldn't hate his fucking guts.
"Hmm. Do you have any idea how to even find them?" Aeyrin asked, still oddly quiet and withdrawn. Well… it must have been unsettling to see that place alone, not to mention just hearing Kari talk was always a shitshow.
"Shouldn't be too hard, I guess," he shrugged. "Ask around, there's bound to be rumors. The clan was anything but subtle." Why else would they have to be on the move so often? Running from guards before things blew over or before they could get enough money to pay them off was their bread and butter back in the day. Sometimes Torban just sacrificed one of the kids to take a stay in a cell and some beatings for that instead.
"Alright. We'll ask around," she nodded a little absentmindedly. Even the folks at the temple could know something. If the clan was ever around Chorrol, they would be aware of the danger at least.
"Are you good? Still worried about Therien?" Bishop walked closer to her as they continued down the road and he slipped his arm around her waist comfortingly. They would be there soon. They spent some time waiting for Kari and talking to her, but they should make it to Chorrol by the evening.
"Y-yeah, I guess," Aeyrin sighed. She wasn't even thinking about that just then, though she had been tense and on edge practically constantly. It may have contributed to her current mood. She was probably taking Bishop's attitude towards her in there more personally than she should have been. This was silly. She should just talk to him. Why was she still getting anxious about stuff like this? "Back there… you made it sound like… I don't know…" Alright, maybe she had no idea how to talk to him about this. It just hurt.
Bishop wasn't sure what she was referring to at first, but then he remembered. Funny, he didn't even think about it then. His instant instinct was to make Aeyrin sound… insignificant in front of Kari. She may have seen them together several times already, both in Falkreath and here now, but still, he didn't feel comfortable putting it to words. Admitting caring about anyone this much to any member of his family just seemed… dangerous. When you had something to lose, that's how they got you cornered. Like Ost did with Kari and her cult. Like he probably did with the others somehow. Bishop was not going to give anyone any ammunition. Kari was no exception. She wasn't to be trusted either – she had proven that enough with that bounty stunt.
"Princess, come on, you know it was just in front of her," he squeezed her closer to his flank. She knew all too well that she meant more to him than anything in the world. That's why he was doing this.
"But why?" She scowled at him slightly. She wasn't an idiot – she knew that Bishop wasn't going to be excitedly introducing her to his family, like she was going to do with him and Master Therien and everyone at the temple. He hated his family. But she still didn't really expect this.
"You want me to tell you about Jack again?" Bishop sighed. She knew the story already. She knew what happened to the one person who actually did try to go out and live a normal life with someone he cared about. And it wasn't the only story, just… probably the most terrifying one to Bishop.
Aeyrin stopped in her tracks at that, making him stop as well. He stepped in front of her, there in the middle of the road, and tried to decipher her expression. She looked much more confused than concerned.
"You think they would use me against you? That Kari would? But she's trying to get your help," Aeyrin frowned.
"Yeah, and you saw what she was willing to do to get it. Princess, they're fucking insane. All of them. I…" Fuck, here goes. "I need you to stay away from all this shit."
"What? Bishop! You'll not be dealing with this alone!" She gaped at him. If they were so insane, and after what Kari had done, there was no way in Oblivion that she was just going to 'stay away' while he dealt with these people, whatever that would end up meaning.
Bishop had expected her to protest and he was not really sure how to convince her. Not like this, when he had no actual idea what was in store for them.
"Yeah… I didn't think you would go with that," he let out a defeated chuckle. But he was determined to do anything to keep her away from this, to keep every one of those insane fuckers away from her. He just didn't really know how yet. And he didn't know what he was dealing with either. "Just, whatever I do or say, remember, it's just to protect you from these assholes. I'm serious when I say they're all fucking dangerous. I don't even know what to expect after all these years, but it's nothing good. It never is."
"Alright," Aeyrin nodded slowly. It only made her more anxious and eager to help him deal with this in any way she could. And despite what he kept saying, there were still people in the clan he cared to try to save. Even if it was just those he didn't know. Or maybe Liesl. He seemed to talk well of her. It didn't matter though. Whatever she could do to help him resolve this, she would. Especially since he himself did seem a bit more… erratic when dealing with his family.
Kari certainly made it sound dangerous.
And that was coming from someone who spent her days in that disturbing cult very willingly.