"So, what exactly are we investigating?" Marcurio whispered, following the leather-armored khajit deeper in the dungeon. They were going through a sort of tunnel, barely lit up by any torches. For context; it was connected to the sewage system, and to the Imperial prison cells. The cheers of the Arena were dulling out, the further they navigated the system from the gladiatorial fights.
Padfoot was fairly silent until that point. Even more silent than a Khajit was used to be, or capable of - a sure sign of Shisui's shinobi training that was shared with the rest of the thieves in Cyrodiil.
Then, he eventually stopped, motioning Marcurio to stick himself in the small crevice of the wall. As out of sight as possible. Light footsteps were trampling the water, ever-so-gently. There was one torch that was lighting up the way for a small group of three people - clad in black leather.
"Friends of yours?" Marcurio whispered.
"Shh!"
They weren't. The group stopped, turning their hooded heads around.
"Victus, did you hear that?"
"What?"
"Whispers."
Victus' eyes narrowed, in the dim-lit tunnel. With a swift flick of his wrist, he stalked the tunnel back, in the darkness. The khajit looked at Marcurio in the eye, as the Imperial named 'Victus', came closer and closer to their hiding spot.
Padfoot was a thief, not a coward. He pounced on him like a panther; one palm was holding out the armed wrist, while the other held down the pale throat of the man. Claws to the jugular, and the man was gone, but not without choking out words such as 'Help' and 'The Void may take you...'
But Padfoot's actions were not without a price.
"Enemies!" Marcurio jumped from his crevice, right in front of the Khajit thief, pushing his hand forward, as a blue shield defended them from a barrage of bladed stars. Were they shuriken? The blood eyes of the Dunmer woman shone with fury, as she ran towards the pair. She leaped, jumped, and landed right behind Padfoot and Marcurio's mana shield. Her dagger was intercepted by Padfoot's claws, who held her back.
The other Imperial was nowhere to be seen. But Marcurio dared not to turn his back on the shadows. He side-stepped just slightly, as the arrow whirled past his head. It had been so close, a few of his sideburn hairs were sliced right off. That made him gulp.
So it was an archer.
There was that technique that Sakura sometimes used to identify an enemy's location. Left. Right. Just walls. Behind... Padfoot was locked in the altercation with the Dunmer. There was nobody ahead but...
Marcurio closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He could hear him. Could hear breathing, could feel the small trace of mana. Could feel a gust of wind heading straight for his face. In a swift movement, he held his palm out, and a huge blast of fire crumpled the arrow away. The black soot fell to the ground, along with the arrow head, which let out a soft splash, hitting the ground.
The archer was above. And the bright light of hellfire gave away the position of the man clad in dark leather, holding himself onto a wooden ledge, who almost dropped his bow from the heat. He jumped down, narrowly dodging the flames, shooting another arrow mid-air, before he started running away.
"No, you won't."
"Motierre, fall back!"
But Padfoot's orders fell on deaf ears, as Marcurio started chasing the archer down. He cursed something in his own language, putting the Dunmer out of her misery, before he started chasing after them.
The archer was backed away in a corner, by the time the khajit would find them. The string of the bow was reduced to nothing, discarded on the floor.
"You won't kill me." The archer declared, before taking out a small vial. "I'll die on my own terms." He chugged down the contents before Marcurio could even reach out to take a hold of his arm.
The body started convulsing, falling and sliding against the wall.
"H-Hail... "
Padfoot sighed. "I hope you realize that you messed up Padfoot's plan."
Marcurio wiped the blood off his cheek, that dripped away from the cut, made by the arrow he was not yet able to dodge. His evasion skills needed work.
"How could I have known that they have the ears of a hound."
"They're assassins. Of course they do". Padfoot stepped closer to the assassin. There was nothing valuable on them. No notes, no keys, nothing new, that was certain. And as the light of torch shone onto him, Marcurio could distinguish an interesting detail of his garb. It was not pitch black. Patches of red leather armor were incorporated in his getup, matching those of his friends.
"Assassins? Why would assassins be here for? Don't tell me they-"
Padfoot's look said it all. "Exactly. They're Dark Brotherhood. And if they're here... right under the Emperor's feet and eyes... something big is going on."
•
•
In Skyrim, Thieves Guild sometimes works with the Skyrim branch of the Dark Brotherhood. Maven Black-Briar occasionally has enemies that need to be taken care of, and the Thieves can't always deal with them in a civilized manner. And by civilized, they mean extortion, shakeups and broken bones. Sometimes... the solution is a fatal one. That's where Astrid and her gang comes in the equation, to make sure the old woman is happy and content.
In Cyrodiil, they're notorious for targeting nobles, and going after bigger fish than a random mead factory's competitor. While the Jarls could care less about the dying guild branch in Skyrim, the authorities in Cyrodiil take their threat much more seriously.
Commander Maro has increased the security tenfolds with the presence of the Emperor in the Arena. If the old man wants to watch some fights, who is he to deny them?
He even resorted to partnerships that he would never have been caught dead striking, around 9 to 10 years ago. But desperate times asked for desperate measures. The Penitus Occulatus does whatever it can to make sure their Emperor is alive and safe. They're the personal bodyguards, after all.
"Gaius. Have you done your rounds?"
His son saluted him. "Yes sir. No presence of anything suspicious, as of now." Gaius Maro reported. His father stroked his chin, before nodding.
"Good. Keep an eye out in the kitchens. We had an incident this morning, with poisoned wine. Take Cassius with you and make sure nothing gets smuggled among the chefs and servants. It was way too close for my liking."
"Dismissed."
Eight years of assassination attempts. The Dark Brotherhood has never been that restless before. Restless to target the Emperor, out of all people. As the seat of the whole Empire, Titus Mede II had many enemies, that wanted him dead. Including some of his own family members, that wanted to get to the throne, sooner than later.
The old man had no heirs.
Commander Maro stepped back in the royal balcony, besides the old Emperor.
"All's clear, your Excellence."
The Emperor nodded. "There's always a time when a ruler has a date with his assassin, you know." He was watching the fights with mild interest. A foreigner from beyond Tamriel was unheard of; and people that came in contact with her, scholars, could detect a hint of Akaviri.
"I've told you time and time again, Commander. We can not escape the Dark Brotherhood."
"With all due respect, your Excellence, we have been foiling their plans for the past eight years."
"And yet, none of you managed to clear them all." The Emperor did not take his eyes away from the fight. "You have been conducting raids in every Imperial province. And somehow, they still crawl out of the woodworks."
"They're like vermin, somehow, a few; keep evading us-"
"Are you saying that your men are unable to take care of a few..." Giant spiders flooded the arena. The more arachnophobic spectators of the bunch have already fainted.
"Vermin?"
The Commander opened his mouth to say something, before taking a deep breath. "No, your Excellence. My men are combing the surroundings of the Royal Suite as we speak."
Titus nodded. "Enjoy the fights, Commander. These gladiators are quite entertaining."
•
•
Entertaining to watch, certainly not to fight Giant Frostbite spiders imported right from the Skyrim dungeons. Just the mere look of them sent shivers down Sakura's spine. On top of that... they were famously known for their killer venom. Avoid at all costs.
Nobody has died yet, and the spiders were almost dead. That was quite a performance. Even the Bane of the Dunerippers was holding up well, even if he wasn't that used to creatures like these. The desert vermin were far more familiar to him.
But suddenly, the spiders were not the main attraction anymore. And certainly not the gladiatorial fights.
"The Emperor! Is GONE!" The Disco wannabe announced.
The balcony was empty, and all the witnesses have managed to see was a shroud of darkness, a startled scream, and then complete silence.
•
•
A/N: Hello!
If you guys have guessed that the Dark Brotherhood would be involved... congrats! The significance of the number 8; the 8 years also tie up to Skyrim. I'm curious if you can figure it out how.
Also a bit of Observation Haki from Marcurio. Dude is trying. He needs more time to train with Sakura.
Also, if you're curious, I managed to write the first chapter of the Forsworn Conspiracy, out of boredom. It will be uploaded wayy later. Think of the Guildmaster quests that Sakura will have to go through, to ensure the Guild's prosperity. Well, it will be done a little after that.
But I'm putting a twist on it, you'll see. I don't want Sakura to mechanically go through all the quests; I want some stuff to happen organically. And maybe have her share the stage with a certain someone? Hinthint?
I think it's obvious already that Marcurio will have his own standalone role in the story. I don't plan him to just be her manic dream pixie boyfriend that solely exists for her own character growth.
You know what's the hardest part? Writing some of the characters that have little dialogue in the game, and you kinda have to pinpoint a personality if you want to write accurate dialogue.
Also; Morrowind has Akaviri-designed shuriken and even tantos. Cool, right? Akavir in general has heavy Japanese influences in the lore.
Either way; I have an exam in two days and I gotta study. It's such a pain.
See you!