*

Maxical:

She smiled in relief. The last thing she'd want to do was make Seth angry. Not just because he smelled like Gils, but for himself. He was nice beneath the distance he had to enforce for his profession.

Khajiit read people through their eyes, and his showed a tender side that was proven when he spoke about his sister.

"The man that peed on me may still be back there with his companion, unless the screaming scared them away. I was hiding in the bushes from them and it landed on me."


*

Sethyas did a quick wash-up in his quarters and strolled silently through the crowds taking in everything. He was in hunt mode, and sought his quarry with a renewed focus. He didn't see anything matching her description, or even an Altmer, but he would check more thouroughly returning.

For now he made his way outside, and scanned two bodies that were breathing normally on top of one another. He raised an eyebrow as he checked their pulses.

Multiple strike trauma to the face and torso on either,and both have bruised knuckles. Did these men knock each other out? He thought.

"I'm glad I didn't tick her off in hindsight." Seth muttered.

He made his way to the body, that just looked like a drunk was sleeping it off slumped up against the wall. He examined the surrounding and satisfied that no one was around, started to examine the body.

Cyanosis; blue tinting of the skin. Cause of death: hypoxia. Dead in five minutes after drinking the wine. Smells like almonds. It would come across as the onset of extreme alcohol poisoning at first, vomiting, comatose, then finally death. The almond scent would dissipate after four hours leaving any examiner to conclude he died of asphyxiation by the vomiting, rather than the poison. This is our professional.

Which means that they are aware that Abiene lives, as well as that she has protection possibly if Maxical was intended to be the messenger.

*

Maxical:

Maxical scrubbed herself with her scented soap and washed her hair thoroughly, carefully going over the cut on the side of her forehead that Abiene had dealt her with that book.

When she was cleaned she donned a tee shirt and her greaves and sword to protect Abiene in case Seth didn't return; then padded down to the kitchen to heat the coffee in case he did come back.


*

Abiene stood holding on to furniture as Sethyas stalked away down the stairs. She pressed her nose into her elbow against the smell while she gasped to catch her breath. Fighting two assassins in as many minutes took a toll, even when they both turned out to be friends.

He had loomed up like some wrathful figure out of a nightmare. I didn’t think a body could live through such a fright, thought Abiene.

Her eyes went to the source of the odor. Oh gods, I tried to brain him with the camber pot!

Maxical had hurried after Seth to apologize. Abiene started to follow, but their words stopped her feet.

“He lays dead outside the back door to this suite.”

“…I'll examine the body right now…”

Abiene’s knees buckled. She sat on the floor next to the tipped-over urn while Maxical went about her bath.

I wonder if he had a family, she thought. Stealing wine shouldn’t be a death sentence. That man would be alive if not for me.

Eventually the stink got her moving. Abiene cleaned up the substantial mess she had made and joined Maxical in the kitchen.

She pressed her hands together, not sure what to apologize for first.

“My dear Maxical,” she began. “I am so sorry for hitting you with books and a cushion and that metal plate and a tankard and dried flowers and an hourglass and also almost my shoe. And please forgive me for thinking you might be drunk. I was not myself at that moment.”

She took a deep breath.

“Also I believe I may have shoved you at Seth when I thought he was an assassin. Well, you know what I mean. That was unforgivable and I’m really sorry. I’m afraid I quite lost my head. I would have given my own mother a push at that moment, I was so scared.”

Abiene noticed that Maxical was wearing greaves and a sword. She hoped she wasn’t too mad.

“Maxical, will you allow me to heal that wound on your head? And I can wash and mend Eyja’s dress while she’s gone if you like. It won’t be perfect, but I can make a very fine stitch. And the dress won’t wiggle as much as a patient.”

Gureryne Selvilo, Chapel of Stendarr

Gureryne Selvilo stood behind the Healing Hall enjoying his pipe and solitude. The gardens were generally empty this time of day. For twenty minutes he could clear his mind and imagine himself in another kind of life.

“Master Selvilo. Master Selvilo. Master Selvilo!”

He turned slowly to face the back door and, he hazarded a guess, Neen-Samna his assistant.

The Argonian woman stood wringing her hands with a beautiful Nord at her side. An exceptionally healthy-looking Nord woman, with quite a lot of rosy flesh showing above her neckline and below her skirt.

“Yeeees?” said Gureryne.

“Message from Abiene,” said Neen-Samna. She pointed at the Nord.

Gureryne stuck the pipe in his mouth and folded his hands in greeting. “Gureryne Selvilo, Chapel Healer and servant of the Nine,” he said around the stem. And then, “Ah, she wrote a note.”

He motioned for Neen-Samna to stay as he read it. “Our Abiene’s health is improving, but she is unable to predict when she will return to us. She informs us that she is unable to perform healing services at this time.”

Neen-Samna’s jaw dropped open as Gureryne’s brows went up. He refolded the note.

“Take this in a letter,” he said to Neen-Samna, “and you may pass along the message, if you please,” he said to the Nord.

Neen-Samna began frantically patting herself down as if writing implements might pop out of her cloaca.

“When you get back to my office,” he explained to the Argonian.

“You may tell Abiene that we await further report at the end of this week, which was her allotted time for recovery. If she remains indisposed she must accept the risk that her temporary replacement will become permanent. The woman has proven capable and experienced, thank Stendarr for her timely arrival. Abiene need not concern herself for her patients in her absence.”

Gureryne lifted his eyebrows to ask, Is there anything more?

*

Eyja:


Eyja spoke loudly so everyone gathered at the various altars could hear. "I need to speak with Gureryne Selvilo, I have a message for him from Abiene, the healer."

Everyone turned and stared at her, more for the low cut top and short skirt than for her loud question.

A tall Altmer woman in richly ornate and fitted robes stepped forward. "I'll take the message to the Master."

Eyja tucked it in between her breasts and shook her head no. "My instructions were to give it only to Gureryne Selvilo. She leaned forward and put her hand to the side of her mouth as if about to share a confidence, but whispered so loudly that people several rows up in the pews turned to gape.

"I need to see him personally anyway, I need a few potions to clear up some...side effects of a night spent with the wrong man, if you get my drift."

"I'd be the one handling that, I am the healer now that Abiene is gone."

Eyja gave a leering grin and scratched her crotch. "Go to it then, should I lift my skirt? I've got no panties on, you can just get plucking away at the little buggers if that's how you do it. Oh, and I'll need some Stallion potion if you know how to make it. My...er, partner is on in years, if you get my drift. But you know the saying, the more they're gray the more they'll pay. BWAAHAA! BWAAHAA! BWAAHAAHAA!"

Eyja continued to bray out the loud laugh till everyone in the chapel had stopped activating altars and was turned staring.


"Keep your voice down, this is a house of worship! Perhaps it would be best if you stepped downstairs. Follow me."

Eyja scooted up closely and almost leaned on the woman.

"Keep your distance!"

"Mighty hoity toidy for a healer, dontcha think? Us common folk need healing too, you know. Abiene was willing to treat me last time I..."

The Altmer woman turned around with such a look of cold hatred it caused the hairs on the back of Eyja's neck and arms to raise like hackles. After a visible struggle within herself the woman seemed to catch control of herself again.

The woman took Eyja directly to Gureryne Selvilo's office, but the physician was not there. Eyja saw an older Dunmer puffing on a pipe in the gardens outside the office. She pointed.

"Is that him?"

The Altmer woman looked hesitant, but just then a young Argonian woman hurried into the office and passed them, going straight to the garden door. She tugged Eyja by the wrist, pulling her out into the garden with her.

Eyja turned back to glance at the Altmer woman and caught a disgruntled look on her face. She either didn't like the Argonian girl, or felt her authority had been usurped. Or maybe assumed authority.

At Gureryne Selvilo's words about replacing Abiene a smug look of victory flickered over the Altmer's face. Eyja's brows puckered down into a frown.

Victory? Abiene's position? Yes! Hadn't Abiene said this position was a highly sought after one? An Altmer in expensive robes, the deep voice...

Eyja took a deep breath. She would stake her life on it that this woman was the assassin.

"Excuse me, Master Gureryne Selvilo? May I have a word with you in private please?"

She squeezed the Argonian woman's arm as she passed back into the building. "Thank you."








*


Maxical:

Maxical smiled and hugged Abiene tightly. "Dearest Abiene. This is all a lot for you all at once, isn't it. You feel like you've been dropped out in the middle of an ocean and don't know how to swim or which direction land is?"

She worked her way to the table holding onto walls and sat down, indicating the seat next to her and pouring a cup of coffee.

"There's brandy there if you want some in your coffee." She pointed to a cupboard.

"Abiene, I was a dumb spoiled child just barely out of school when Akatosh called me into his service. I had no choice in it, the same as you have no choice now. Every enemy I faced was straight out of the history books, and I had no clue what I was doing or if I'd live through it. I almost didn't a few times, but here I am. We don't choose for these situations, but for you and me they came regardless. We can't wake up and they go away, we have to endure through them the best we can."

She gripped Abiene's shoulder firmly in a bracing way; the same way Uriel had with her when she'd felt overwhelmed.

"You have been thrust into a situation that is way over your head and experience. You can't run from this, it will find you. But you have the best of the best around you in Eyja and Seth. If they are protecting you, nothing will take you. You can be assured of that. What you don't know, they do. What you can't do or can't handle, they can."

She let go of Abiene's shoulder and took a sip of her coffee.

"I don't want you to apologize for what you did to me and Seth just now. Tonight you finally fought for yourself. I don't know how Seth feels about having turds and pee dumped on him, but...I'm proud of you. You stood up to what could have been two assassins. I'll take the beating to see you finally not laying down and letting the enemy take you without a fight."

She pointed to the side of her forehead where the book Abiene threw had cut her.

"This needs healing, but something else does too. When you did the surgery on me, you left some connection to yourself in me. It has me feeling off balance, like I'm walking on floating tires. Can you fix that first? I can't walk or fight like this, and I'll need to. You have one assassin after you, I have many. I'll not live if I can't fight them."




*

Gureryne Selvilo, at the Chapel of Stendarr

“Excuse me, Master Gureryne Selvilo? May I have a word with you in private please?”

Gureryne suppressed a sigh as he extinguished his pipe. It would be worth the expense in magicka to gain a few moments of Gureryne time. Henceforth he would enjoy his pipe under a shroud of invisibility.

They’ll probably just follow the smoke, he thought.

He held the door open for the Nord woman, then preceded her to his office. He sat behind his desk, gesturing for her to take a seat in one of the chairs opposite.

“Here we are,” he said, his tone professionally neutral. “Now, how may this Disciple of the Nine assist you?”

*

Eyja:

"Here we are, but I asked for a moment of privacy with you alone."

She cast dispel into the corner of the office, where the pink outline of life detect clearly showed a tall figure skulking in the corner. As Eyja suspected, it was the Altmer woman.

"And don't linger outside the doors or walls to eavesdrop, this ring detects for 250 feet." Eyja gave the Altmer woman a good imitation of the Altmer woman's own smug look of victory.

She closed the door behind her and watched till the pink outline was well distant before turning back to Gureryne Selvilo. Eyja raised one hand and cast her Dragon Armor on, then withdrew a folded parchment with Uriel Septim's royal seal on it and handed it to the Dunmer man.

"As you see, these orders are of the highest echelon of security, and do not expire for another year despite the death of the Emperor. Abiene has been commissioned by the Empire. You must know anyone called into government service cannot be relieved of the post they vacate for their service to the Empire, but must be assured of its availability on their return. Abiene has been commissioned by me to treat the Champion of Akatosh during our visit to Chorrol. The medical care of my ward was forced on Abiene by these orders, she did not choose this. If Abiene finds herself permanently replaced on her return, I will bring the full might of the Elder Council against this chapel and and against you personally, Master Gureryne Selvilo. I suggest you tear up that note and write one more appropriate, so I have no evidence in my hand to bring them."



*

Gureryne Selvilo

Gureryne examined the scroll and returned it to the Nord. He kept his tone reasonable. A thug in service to the Empire was still a thug, and he had little taste for dealing with them.

“You are Eyja, I presume? There is no need for threats, agent Eyja. I have no interest in engaging in a… what’s the expression? Pissing contest with you. You will find that the Elder Council is even less interested in the affairs of my surgical students, nor in any way inclined to exert its might against a chapel of the Nine. I will let Neen-Samna write the letter as I instructed her.”

Gureryne raised a hand to forestall objections while he continued.

“I do not wish to arouse suspicion by deviating from what would be a normal response. It would seem that our Abiene is not the only one who has endured physical harm if your Champion of Akatosh requires her attention. You may ease Abiene’s concerns about her return to service at the Healing Hall, verbally of course. And do be careful with her. Akatosh has gathered many champions under his wings in these troubled times, but healers of Abiene’s potential are not born under every sign. I would hope that my time spent with her would not be wasted.”

*

Eyja:

Eyja nodded briefly.

"I agree, or she would not have been entrusted for this commission. Her care is assured during her time with me; she is under my protection. The Elder Council may not be interested in your students, but they take great interest in murderers. I believe you know Abiene was given a lethal dose of a rare poison not days ago. We suspect the person who poisoned her to be connected with the one who attacked my ward."

She paused while she folded her orders and restored them to the inner pocket of her Dragon cuirass.

"Someone with access to that type poison is not new to killing. It would have to be someone close enough to her routine to have access to her food and drink. Why Abiene was targeted is unknown; but ambition is a prime motivator. If you would take my advice I think it would be wise for you to take the same precautions in your own food and drink which we are taking with Abiene's. Frustrated by the inability to access one target, they may seek another; and from what Abiene has said you are extremely gifted in the field of medicine."

She raised her hand and dismissed her Dragon armor, once again wearing the short skirt and low cut blouse.

"I thank you for your time, Master Gureryne Selvilo." She pounded her fist to her chest in salute and turned to leave.


*

Abiene

Maxical’s warm hug did as much to reassure Abiene as did her comforting words.

“This needs healing, but something else does too,” Maxical told her. “When you did the surgery on me, you left some connection to yourself in me. It has me feeling off balance, like I'm walking on floating tires. Can you fix that first? I can't walk or fight like this, and I'll need to. You have one assassin after you, I have many. I'll not live if I can't fight them.”

Floating tires… Does she know Levitation? Abiene shook off her distraction and focused on the issue.

“I hope I can fix it, Maxical. I did use an energy conversion spell when I healed you , though it shouldn’t have affected you. But there’s no telling how your…” Abiene leaned in and whispered “…condition might change things. I’m not much of a mystic. The best I can do is take a look and see.”

Abiene sat down and put her hands out on the table for Maxical to take when she was ready. “I should warn you that I’m always struggling to maintain boundaries between myself and my patient. You’ve experienced that, and it goes both ways. While I’m searching for the answer in you, you might feel uncomfortably close to me. Not so much inside my thoughts as inside my emotions. I can’t read minds no matter what Jerric says, so don’t worry about me finding out secrets. I might feel a deep well of sadness but no amount of prying would show me the cause.”

She twisted her fingers together for a moment before she noticed and stilled them. “Of course I can’t be certain what you’re capable of seeing in my mind. Hopefully nothing that will… Anyway, I hope you’d ask before… I hope you won’t judge me too harshly.”

*

Eyja:

As soon as she had closed Master Selvilo's office door behind her Eyja cast chameleon and began a full surveilance of the tall pink outline of the Altmer woman. She began silently compiling a dossier on her routine, her activities and which room she slept in. When the Altmer sat down to her dinner with the others, Eyja searched her room thoroughly.

Behind a large dresser she found two brownish vials hidden. She slipped them into her pocket and left two matching vials of her own in their place, hers containing a mild cure for constipation.

Her search turned up no documentation or even a letter from home that would give her identity. Abiene may know her name, but may not disclose it. Eyja needed that name to compile a full profile and pry into the Altmer woman's past history.

She took the risk, slipping silently up behind the Altmer woman as she ate. The attempt to pickpocket the woman's documents failed, there were none on her to be taken. Eyja backed silently away, frustrated.

The temptation was too great to turn tables on the poisoner. Eyja slipped a strong version of the anti-constipation potion out of her pack and uncorked it. As she crept past the counter she palmed a fork. Just before reaching the table she tossed it to her left, aiming it to land at the feet of the young Argonian girl who had helped her earlier.

The loud clatter caught everyone's attention, and the nervous Argonian dropped her own fork at the sound. It hit her plate and splashed red sauce on her. The laughter of the others at her predicament was diversion enough, Eyja tipped the strong potion into the Altmer's wine.

Eyja eased back out, leaving the chapel. Next she went to the laboratory in the sewers beneath Chorrol. She gathered up the wall hangings Maxical had described, several black soul gems, some bottles of Skooma, and a few books; texts on necromancy and two on the tenets of the Dark Brotherhood.

Still in chameleon, she re-entered the living area of the chapel and crept back to the Altmer woman's room and began planting the items. Eyja placed the books around in a natural manner, mixing them in to the texts and tomes that were already laying on tabletops.

The set of wallhangings Eyja hung on the wall over the bed so they could be easily seen by anyone standing in the corridor if the door was opened. She lay one black soul gem on the center of the coffee table mixed into the bowl of fruit there, then hid the rest of them about the room in various drawers, under dressers and behind the drapes. Places that would easily be found in a search.

Eyja also hid the Skooma in such a way that it could be readily found by anyone searching. She gapped the door wide so anyone passing would see the wallhangings and be drawn into the room to find the rest.

As Eyja crept out they were rising from the dining table. She darted into the nearest door to avoid having someone trip over her invisible form. It turned out to be the kitchen. They would be in here any second to clean their plates. Drat!

Eyja moved along the wall and into the pantry in the back to hide; and was startled by the number of mice in there. On the spur of the moment she grabbed up as many as she could catch, tucking them into a nearby sack almost empty of grain.

While she was crouched there waiting for the kitchen to clear out, a horrible smell wafted under her nose. She tracked the rank odor down to what looked to be some sheep organs decaying under a low shelf.

Eyja grabbed them with a towel and tossed them into the sack with the mice, giving the sack a tight twist to keep the odor or mice from escaping. She slid out of the pantry and along the wall quickly, for all the noise of their voices in washing dishes covered any sound she could have made.

She returned to the Altmer woman's room and pulled the sheets back, dumping the sack of mice into them and quickly tucking the sheet back over them. The sheep organs she cast a spell on to make them completely invisible regardless of touch. Those she hid well, so they would not be found readily if found at all.

The smaller invisible entrails she mixed among the Altmer woman's clothing in the drawers, a sachet of a different kind. It would be impossible to completely remove that stench from the cloth of her robes, panties, and socks. Eyja and Seth would be able to smell her coming, at least till she realized she was wafting announcement of her arrival.

The reek was already permeating the corridor outside the room by the time she left it. She left the door open wide again, the smell would draw people in to see the wallhangings.

Eyja slid silently out of the chapel and hurried back to the Wobbly Inn. Best warn Seth to be on his guard from here out, she had just declared war on the assassin.


*

*

Maxical:

Maxical looked down in embarrassment. "Who am I to judge anyone? I have had the same longings. Khajiit love their mates beyond the grave, but the desire to feel a man responding in your arms doesn't go away. It haunts your dreams and your waking moments when one is near that reminds." She jerked her head in the direction of the back door, knowing Abiene would understand who she meant.

"Others are easy to dismiss. But there are some that I just have to be stronger for the battle against the temptation to dishonor Gils' memory with. I have the five to comfort me in my weakest moments."

Abiene looked confused. "Five? ..."

Maxical held up her hand and smiled. For the first time since Maxical met her, Abiene laughed spontaneously in genuine amusement; freely.

Abiene looked stunning in that moment, the worry and care lifted from her; no illness or fear to hinder the joy that lit her eyes. Jerric must have seen her like that, so completely happy. How he must love her...she needed to do that more often, so he'd be reminded of that side of her.

Maxical leaned over and squeezed Abiene's hand. "I'm glad we met, Abiene. I've heard of you for so long, come to know you through the eyes of those who love you. Now I am beginning to see for myself."


*

Brows furrowed in concentration.

This act...it is deadly and decisive. But it is also rash. Desperate. To make oneself seen too witnesses, with a trail to follow. What is it that Abiene possesses that another would benefit from her death?

He put his mindset back into his younger days, where he acquired his skills in acquisition. In the Guild. The Thieves' Guild to those outside their thin, yet secure veil of secrecy. He merely polished and sharpened other talents within the Morag Tong.

Follow the Gold. He reminded himself.

Abiene said that she had acquired a seat with a rare College within Restoration for a Surgeon.

Once, they would have been the local blacksmith sawing off a limb as the victim bit down on a blade. More recent advancements had made it possible to flay a patient open and remove the offending cause of an internal injury that the more simple remedies of potions and restoratives simply didn't address.

Indeed, Abiene had showed him a talent in not just restoration, but regeneration. The ability to restore lost tissues en masse, such as an entire digit and it's corresponding attributes; such as muscles, bones, tendons, blood vessels, et cetera. As such it was much more than just forcing the tissues to replicate faster, in essence merely copying and speeding up the natural healing process it was a generation ahead and above the current arts and sciences.

Whomever would wield that type of skill....would be just as in demand as an elite Assassin... He thought.

And if that person had some sort of connection to Necromancers and the Brotherhood. There's no telling how much this College would benefit Necromancers. His mind clicked the pieces slowly into place.

With that, he heard a slight rustling in the grass. He made no motion, save for imbibing a 'Detect Life' potion.

He unsheathed Shimsil, and turned. The only life sign he could detect was at least five hundred paces off, and it was a quadruped. Most likely a skeever...or cave rat. Whatever the kids called it these days.

He relaxed a bit, until he heard the rustling again.

This time he imbibed a 'Detect Dead' potion.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw a red mist ambling through the field towards him. Coming from the direction of...Cloud Top.

He walked towards the figure just as casually as it walked to him. Knowing who it was, even before he could finally see the rotting face.

"Missed me?" The one-sided smiling face spoke out in a guttural voice that showed his internal muscles working and struggling to voice it. The stitching was sloppy and haphazard and clearly showed where the wound of a massive Daedric Battle-Axe had hewn him in two.

"How many times do I have to kill you?" Sethyas whispered at the Orc.

The grass rustled once more.

This time it was the light steps of a running Dunmer, one who was not at all pleased too see this raised dead once again. His blade swept imperceptibly against a night sky the ebony making contact with the Orc's remaining head. In reaction, the zombie swung out. But it's moves were too slow and erratic.

I put Arkay's Blessing on you. I buried you. This has to be the work of a Master Necromancer. He thought, knowing that the more skilled ones had ways to work around his very simple layman's version.

In almost a rage, Sethyas swung out again and again at the unholy revenant. The sickening crack of bone and the squishy resistance of flesh. He was literally hacking it apart, limb by limb, piece by piece. Fighting through the stench and the natural mortal terror of the unnatural.

Finally, the Orc lay in more pieces than Seth cared to count. He fell to his knees trying to catch his breath after the exertion, a motion from his peripherals forced his view to the pile. A hand still wriggled trying to complete it's apparent task of attacking him.

Screaming in frustration, he acquired a large tarp from the stables not too far and with a strength earned over two centuries of sweat and effort piled the wriggling body into the bag and took it to the ruins where he'd disposed of the Dark Brother.

He went to the pig troughs and grabbed two heavy pails of their excrement, and a few bottles of the incredibly potent sujamma. He covered the pile of body parts in both, and lit it. The fire rose slowly at first, mostly the nearly invisible blue flame of the Sujamma burning, then finally the pig waste caught aflame and began to rage into an inferno, making even the bones of the Orc turn black and brittle.

Rise up from that! He thought in a sort of vengeful pride as the flames reflected off his crimson eyes.

"This is actually another clue. And it means our target is running scared..." He thought aloud. "But, how do I explain it? Perhaps Abiene can clue me in, this has to be Regeneration."

He returned to the suite as quickly and stealthily as he could. From here he could smell the pot of coffee. A very welcoming scent after all that.

Maxical heard the sounds of combat outside the suite and pulled herself to the window by holding onto the table and then the counter. She peeked out, thinking maybe the two drunks had made the mistake of waking up and attacking Seth. What she saw...

"HOLY [CENSORED] mother of [censored] [CENSORED]! Abiene, GET IN YOUR ROOM NOW AND BOLT YOUR DOOR!"

Maxical couldn't help Seth if she couldn't stand. Not just that, she couldn't leave Abiene. She was the only one here left to protect her. She cast to seal all windows and doors as she pulled herself to the stairs and climbed them behind Abiene.

When she heard the bolt slide on Abiene's bedroom door she cast to seal it, then wedged her back against it and drew her sword. In her left hand instead of her shield she loaded that shock spell Earana had inadvertently bestowed on her. She'd go down fighting if the Orc came, but knew she had no way to kill an undead one that powerful.



*

Abiene stood with her palm against the sealed door, heart pounding in her throat.

Eyja’s words returned to her mind. “Without her knowledge, she is my responsibility. I have been tasked with keeping her alive for two years, she has been appointed...she is in the service of Cyrodiil. I'm a bodyguard that she can’t know is commissioned to protect her.”

“…she can’t know…”

Abiene knew that she was not the only one under protection, but she was sworn to keep the secret even from Maxical. With Sethyas and Eyja out there somewhere she held onto hope that whatever threat Maxical had seen wouldn’t make it this far. But if it did, Maxical would not stand alone. For now Abiene stayed behind the door, rigid with tension.

“Maxical, what’s happening? Maxical!” she hissed.

She ran to the window to look out again, but nothing seemed amiss. Abiene returned to the door and pressed her ear against it.

If there’s a fight I’ll open the door and immediately cast Invisibility. Then I’ll use an Absorb spell on whatever I can touch.

Abiene’s knees shook and her stomach threatened to empty.

Also stay out of the way of Maxical’s blade, she warned herself. And gods help me if she casts that weather magic spell.

*

Maxical:

Maxical whispered against the door. "Shhh! Don't make a sound, you'll draw it to us! Don't look out the windows no matter what, Abiene! Get under the bed and hide, you don't want to see this thing."

Maxical hated giving orders to someone as sweet and gentle as Abiene, but if that thing knew they were up here it would come.

She fought to keep from peeing her pants when she heard the door opening below. Her eyes were wide, but steady and focused on those stairs. Maxical raised her blade into position and readied it, then stretched her left arm wide to blast that lightning spell...and waited.



*

Something was amiss.

The seal spells were recast, and the two were nowhere to be seen. He looked around the kitchen area and found the coffeepot, still warm.

They couldn't have gone too far. Plus there is no signs of a struggle. Perhaps they decided to go downstairs, have a drink?...which would be very foolish. And Maxical can barely walk.

He helped himself to a cup of the coffee, and looked around and started heading up the stairs looking around.

"Abiene? Maxical? Are you two still here?" He called out to the thin air.

"There's been a development, I need to talk to you guys right away." He continued.

Unless they went fraidy cat on me again. He thought reaching the top of the stairs, finding a very relieved seated Maxical, who just started to lower her casting hand.

"Thank the [censored] Nine divines." she said with a gasp and her shoulders slumped down. "The Orc, Seth! I saw the [censored] Orc! He's back and [censored] me if he wasn't sewn back up with half his [censored] face missing!!"

Sethyas took a sip of coffee calmly.

"Yes, I know. That's the development I needed to talk to you about. I found him, hacked him up, and burnt the remains. He's not coming back as anything but undead chimney soot."

Maxical seemed stunned.

"Really?"

"Really. I burned him with pig waste and sujamma. Sounds about right for him anyways."

"How,...how..did he?" She managed to ask.

"Not sure, that's what I needed to ask Abiene about." He replied.

"Man, this really is a crappy evening." Maxical shook her head.

"Abiene, it's okay. It's just Seth, he took care of the problem apparently." He knocked lightly on the door.

*

Maxical:

At the sound of Seth's voice Maxical lowered her sword in relief.


Thank the gods it's him.


She slid down against Abiene's door to a sit in relief. It was over, Seth had killed it...again.

"That was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen, Seth. It was the Orc, wasn't it? I've never been so terrified, that thing was horrible! I'm so glad you were here...that it was you that came back..."

Her voice and legs were shaking. Maxical fought back the fear. It was over, and Seth was here to protect them. She pulled herself up to a stand so Seth wouldn't think her weak. The thought suddenly struck her that Earana could be raised up too.

"Er...did you seal the door behind you when you came in? Earana could come back too. She might be vengeful or something."

Maxical dispelled the seal on Abiene's bedroom door and unlocked it, then held on the wall to hurry in and hug Abiene.

"We're safe, dearest Abiene. Seth killed it. It's gone, Abiene; we're safe now."

She held Abiene tightly, trembling as badly as Abiene was. She was finally able to give way to her fear now that the danger was passed.

"I've never been so terrified." She brushed the hair back from Abiene's eyes to make sure she hadn't gone into shock.

"Come on, maybe we all need some coffee with brandy in it." Maxical wrapped her arms around Abiene to help guide her downstairs.



*

*

Eyja:

Eyja cut over the hill to the suite's back door and was confronted by the body laying stiffly against the wall. The last thing they needed after the cat pee incident was a body being found back here. She cast feather on it and hauled it up to the ruin, surprised to find a fire burning there.

Eyja dragged the body into the pyre and hurried back down the hill to the suite door, casting the seal off and then resealing it after she darted in.

"Seth? Abiene? I've got some news! I've found the assassin."


*

"That's even better news!" Seth said in a pleasant tone, clearly pleased by the turn of events.

"I'm also prety sure the assassin is a Necromancer. Orc-boy came back and stitched up somehow. I took care of him but the normal method of inflicting enough damage didn't stop him. He was still wriggling long after I'd trimmed him down. Never seen anything like it. It might have been something akin to Abiene's studies." he conferred.

"What's your findings?"

The door lock clicked opened, and then Abiene’s arms were full of a trembling Maxical. “We're safe, dearest Abiene,” Maxical told her. “Seth killed it. It's gone, Abiene; we're safe now.”

The two clung to each other for a long moment in shared relief as well as for support. Abiene felt as unsteady as Maxical, yet the Khajiit had stood guard alone outside the door. Abiene felt awe at her courage.

Her eyes went over Maxical’s shoulder to Seth. If that was the orc raised a second time, then we’re not safe. Far from it. Mister gro-Gonk did not reanimate himself. But the Dunmer’s face did not reflect her worries.

He’s right, Abiene thought. We’ll face each terror as it comes and use the time between to prepare. No use in shivering over what might happen.

Eyja returned through the side door. The group convened in the kitchen area. Abiene would have loved to dive into the brandy, but she would need a clear head to follow Eyja’s and Sethyas’ rapid reasoning. She cast a quick spell to sharpen her thinking instead.

Abiene glanced at Maxical. Her friend still clung to walls and furniture for balance. Stendarr’s mercy, what have I done to you?

*

Eyja:

Eyja checked the seals on all the windows and doors rapidly but systematically while the others gathered at the table. She came down last and scrubbed her hands thoroughly before pouring herself a coffee and tipping a few drops of brandy into it.

She put the pot of Seth's stew over the fire again before making her way to the table; plopping down a bowl of fruit and some cheese and bread before taking a seat.

"We've got to keep our strength up, don't neglect your stomachs." She turned to Abiene first.

"What can you tell me about the Altmer woman that works at the chapel? I need to know her name, any history of the woman such as where she came from; what schools she attended. She had taken over your duties temporarily when I first arrived, and from everything I saw was in hopes that would become permanent. She wants your position with the Master Gureryne Selvilo, and may be using charm spells or some other spells on him to get it."

Eyja watched Abiene carefully for her reaction while she slathered a hunk of bread with butter and cut herself a wedge of cheese. She nodded her head in satisfaction at the rage she read in Abiene's eyes.

"Don't worry, she won't be such a prime candidate after tonight. It may be discovered that she is connected to necromancy and the Dark Brotherhood. I planted many items from that laboratory in the sewers around her room to be discovered, and a sure way to bring people in to search her room. In case she finds the planted items before anyone else does, I left a few things she won't be able to find that will override any charm spells she could use."

Eyja turned to Seth. "She is the assassin, and I have just let her know that I know it; and that we know of her connection to that laboratory in the sewers. The games will begin in earnest now, with two targets in one spot."

"Maybe three." Maxical raised her hand. "She somehow knows of my connection to Abiene, too. She had a bottle of poisoned wine delivered to me to give to Abiene. If she is connected to Earana's laboratory below the sewers, she would know I was being held there; there is only one white Khajiit in Cyrodiil, I'm easy to spot."

"Then let us prepare." Eyja lifted her skirt, then her shirt and began removing weapons from various places on her body and laying them on the table; the last daggers from her fancily tooled feminine boots.

Maxical unsheathed her sword and dagger from her waist and lay them in front of her on the table. She pulled two more daggers from her boots; then emptied a pouch at her waist with various odd shaped spikes and hooks. She pulled a whetstone from her pack and began sharpening each blade.

Eyja pulled a whetstone out from somewhere on her person and began doing the same.

Maxical glanced over at Eyja. "You've got less to sharpen than I do, make up some sacks for Abiene and me to use, I'll teach her how." She pointed to a solid and heavy hand iron on the hearth, the kind used to press clothing.

"Make sure to get that in one."

Maxical turned to Abiene next. "I'm going to need that healing to fight." She sheathed her sword and dagger and began honing the hooks and spikes with the whetstone.



*

*

Maxical:

Maxical honed the last hook on an odd bar of metal with raised metal hooks and barbs sticking out of it, then began honing the spikes and filling them from a bottle of poison.

When she was done she loaded them back in the pouch on at her waist and pulled herself up. She worked her way over to Abiene holding onto the table, and shifted through her spells till she found the one she wanted.

"I'm going to share this spell with you Abiene. It gives the lightest hit so much velocity that it is like being hit by a minotaur. You can take down a Daedra with it in one hit with one of these sacks in your hand or a good pair of steel knuckles. Let me show you how it works."

Maxical paused. Abiene looked like she was going to explode with rage, but was struggling to hold it in.

"Are you okay Abiene? Have I done something to make you mad? What is it, dearest Abiene? You look like you may blow up on someone!"



*

Abiene opened her fists and forced her hands to relax.

“It’s not you, Maxical. I’ll heal you as soon as I’m calm, right now I could chew metal and spit nails.” She looked over at Eyja. “I know who you mean, but I don’t know her name. She was in Master Selvilo’s office when I went to ask for a leave of absence. She knew what the poison was just by glancing at the list of ingredients for the cure that I showed to Gureryne. And of course she did, the poison was hers!”

She paced across the room and then quickly back.

“Anyone at the chapel could tell you her name if she’s replaced me, or I could march right down there and ask her myself! It’s my position with Gureryne that someone would want enough to kill for, not my secrets. I can’t believe I was so blind! I looked right at that woman, and she looked right at me.”

Abiene passed a hand over her eyes, completely failing to settle down.

“The thought of that wench treating my patients… Let’s go, can we confront her now? Maxical, let me heal you. Stendarr on a pogo stick, I’ll kill her myself!”

She stopped at the table, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

“Please excuse my language. Maxical..?” Abiene sat down and stretched out her hands.

*

Eyja:

Eyja shook her head. "Don't bring this to the chapel or play it out in front of Master Gureryne Selvilo. You will be endangering everyone there. Let her come to us; and she will, have no doubt on that. I have declared war with her in a way she will understand. One prime factor in winning fights is going into them in control. Here in this suite we have that control. In the chapel an innocent bystander could get caught in the middle of the conflict."

Maxical nodded, and gave Abiene a hug.

"Geez, for gods sake don't leave the suite; remember how mad Seth got when I did? But she's right about that, Abiene. This fight should be kept away from the chapel at all costs. Here we have the advantage of being prepared for anything she brings. We can lay traps for her, and lure her to them. We have to go into this with clear heads, this woman has shown intelligence and cunning. Those are strengths we need to limit her ability to use. There she can have traps set for us, but here she is out of her element and doesn't know what will happen next. We have the advantage if we force her to come to us."

Eyja gave Maxical a surprised glare. "You left the suite?" She caught herself. "Never mind, we'll talk about it later." She turned and patted Abiene's shoulder consolingly.

"Hone that rage for the battle ahead, don't let it overtake your senses and go stomping over there half-cocked. Spend your time preparing every asset you can bring. Illusion, conjuration, potions, anything. I'll need magicka restoral potions if you can make them. Maxical is a powerful asset in battle, and we'll need her if you can get her healed from this dizziness."

"And healing potions for me." Maxical called out.

Eyja nodded.

"Maxical can't heal herself. She'll need strong healing potions in combat, or you'll have to stay right with her and keep her healed. She'll keep you protected if you'll listen to her; and can teach you some filthy dirty self-defense tricks even a child could use."

She pulled out her notepad, and signaled Abiene. "As you think of any asset you can bring to the fight, just call it out and I'll log it for our planning."

She turned to Maxical next. "You'll handle security. Once Abiene gets you healed I want traps set. Doors, windows, and the room connected to the suite. Make sure you use something that leaves an odor, the Altmer uses chameleon."

Eyja and sat down across from Seth with the quill poised over the parchment.

"Okay, now for the planning. We know she is a necromancer, an alchemist, and possibly Dark Brotherhood. She has strong illusion magic, but that is all I could learn. I can guess some of what she'll bring to the fight, but you know better than I do. I'll take my orders from you."



*

Sethyas kept himself centered amongst Abiene's Catharsis. She'd earned it. When she brought that urn down upon him, she'd shown him her own will to survive.

His eyes squinted at Eyja's assessments, nodding impressed at her quick and military way of bringing everything together so quickly for the response. She'd not only found the Assassin out, she'd declared silent, invisible war on her. The same war he'd fought against the Brotherhood whether he'd wanted too or not for two centuries.

Naturally, his own blades were always sharpened. With the exception of Shimsil; the enchanted ebony shortsword. But, one did not sharpen ebony with a whetstone.

"A Dark Sister...she'll doubtless have contacts. Sleepers. Agents. They don't kill, nor do they necessarily have the skill to. The Organization employs a large number of support agents. Couriers, herbalists, real estate, you name it. Most don't even know who they work for, which further protects the inner circles."

"Regardless, she'll be unable to reveal her true identity or purpose to any of them. Silence would be her primary tenet. If she's indeed after Abiene's position to gain knowledge of this new College in restoration, my suspicion is that she used it upon the Orc, and sicced him on us in an attempt to unnerve us." He recited.

"However, the sewing work was quick and haphazard. The Orc was so slow and sluggish, the drunkards downstairs could have easily dodged him. No, it was the work of someone in a rush, someone desperate to scare us. Even the poisoned wine attempt is a sign of this: Too Blunt. Virtually no subtlety, such as with the metal poisoning, but employing equal skill in preparing a scene that would point to other causes of death."

He nodded to Eyja, with a slight smile. "Your fantastic work gives me hope that we will rattle her cage even more. Regardless, we must assume that she has recentered herself, and that she will use any and every advantage that she can muster."

"There is no honor in the mind of a ruthless killer. There is black and white. Dead and alive. That is all. People are merely means to their ends. Perhaps we were even her unwitting pawns in the demises at Cloud Top."

"But, she will stick to her strengths: Trickery, illusion, subterfuge. I don't know what level of skill she's acquired..." He sighed. "But so far as I can tell, dismemberment seems to be the only completely effective method of at least disabling raised regenerated dead, if she is able to apply it to herself...it may get messy. I can handle that..." He said.

He finally sat down and went deep into thought, playing out several scenarios in his head. Each more distasteful then the last.

"There may be one final mission I'll need to run: but I have a very strong feeling what her next move will be." He said.

"But...in order to do it effectively I'll need to be able to scout Cloud Top without being detected, while I can stick to the shadows well enough, I still suspect that she'll somehow figure out that I figured her out." He clasped his fingers together.

"If the Orc was raised...doubtless she did the same to Earana. Who is also an Altmer female. It is my belief that she will use her body as a decoy." He finished grimly.

*

Maxical:

Maxical nodded toward Seth as she put her hands into Abiene's for the healing.

"That's what I thought too. Earana was a strong battlemage, she'll send in her troops of undead first to wear us down or hopefully do her job for her so she can stay in the shadows. If she wants Abiene's position it will be imperative she not be found out; being as the Master is connected with the chapel."



*

*

Eyja:

Seth's words reminded Eyja of the two brown vials she had taken from the Altmer's room.

"Speaking of which, these were hidden behind a heavy dresser in the Altmer's room. Can you determine what they are capable of? If they are deadly enough, we can use them against her." She handed them over to Seth.

Maxical grinned. "Nice touch, Eyja. She'll recognize her own poisons and know we have taken them without her knowledge. Psychological warfare. What will she be hitting us with if she tries to poison us?"

Eyja grinned back. "A mild anti-constipation potion. I put a strong one in her wine at dinner, she will not be able to stay far from an urn for a while. She may also be itching, I used your trick of sticking the kitchen mice in her bed to fill it with fleas aside from the scaring it would give her."

Maxical laughed. "You remembered that? Hey Eyja, it might not be a bad idea to go back into that laboratory and switch out a few more ingredients if that is where she is making the poisons. Find ingredients with similar consistancy. I used to do that to Arch Mage Traven with his salt and sugar, you should have seen the face he'd make when he tasted his tea."

Eyja nodded. "I'm one step ahead of you. I dumped anything I knew made poisons and filled the vials with harmless ingredients or healing potions. She'll know the difference if she is a good alchemist, but if she is in a hurry or upset it may get by her. Either way she'll have to get more ingredients or fight closer and in person."



*

"Hmmm. Then I probably don't need to head out." He said getting up and exiting for a moment.

"I'll be right back." He called.

He returned with a large chest, and dumped it on the floor.

"It really is a shame you Mages don't learn translocation spells and the like out here: The fear of re-opening the portals to Oblivion is nearly laughable." He shook his head. "Plus it lets you keep the 'just-in-case-case' handy from a fixed location."

He opened the chest, revealing a Dwemer-make crossbow in the lid and scores of other weapons. Swords, short swords, and daggers in nearly every high-quality material and variation criss-crossed neatly within it's space.

He grabbed the Dwemer Crossbow, which seemed to have twice the usual amount of strings and shaft. He grabbed the forward guard which pulled back into a cocking lever making the priming both easy and rapid.

"Get me and this crossbow up to and including one league of this Necromancer with a clear line of sight....battle's over." Sethyas said loading a bolt with a sort of power-mad grin.

"They just don't make them like the used too. This here beauty was the original armor-piercing device. Nothing in Tamrielic history has ever surpassed it." He said looking down the sight, and aiming it at a wrought-iron decoration on a side table..

He released the bolt, it and the decoration went flying across the room, landing into the wall, with the bolt penetrating through nearly a half-inch of iron almost to the tail end.

"Ever."

He kicked the chest towards the trio.

"What's mine is yours." He said, and accepted the poisons from Eyja, slinging the crossbow across his back and getting to work on analyzing them.

*

Maxical:


Maxical was anxious to dig through the interesting chest, but held off. A weapon wouldn't do her much good if she couldn't get healed of this dizziness.

"You know what I like if you see it in there, Eyja. Dirty hand weapons." She called, then turned back to Abiene and gave her full focus to her.


*

Abiene held Maxical’s hands while the other three spoke. She kept her mind calm, waiting to begin her spells. She needed all of her concentration to find where she went wrong.

She cast her spells of preparation without the customary posturing. The gestures were mostly to reassure patients and focus the caster, neither of which was necessary in these circumstances. She didn’t want to let go of Maxical until they were finished.

Maxical turned her attention to Abiene.

“Let’s begin,” said Abiene.

A careful study of Maxical’s body showed that she was in radiant health. Abiene focused on her inner ears, sinuses, and brain for a second examination, looking for anything that might cause dizziness.

Nothing.

She drew back into herself for a moment, frustrated.

Perhaps she needed to look with different eyes. She began the spell that she had used to draw magicka from Sethyas and Eyja into one hand while also bringing her healing spell to mind.

There was that power inside Maxical, blinding as a sun. Abiene pushed down her fear and looked closer.

Still nothing.

She pulled her awareness away again, blinking moisture back into her burning eyes. “I’ll solve this,” she whispered to Maxical. She gripped her friend’s hand for courage.

Tendrils of red mist began to swirl around Abiene’s fingers as she started the Equilibrium spell. Maxical’s body twitched in response. The connection that would allow her to regenerate Maxical’s tissue hummed between them, but Abiene held the spell back.

She focused on their energy now, her own life’s force as well as Maxical’s.

There. A slender thread stretched between them, red in Abiene’s mystic vision and gently pulsing with power. Her energy, pulled out in a strand like spider silk and drawn into Maxical.

Abiene broke the connection more abruptly than she planned.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Maxical. “I meant to be more gentle.” She took a shaky breath. “I don’t know how it happened, but there’s a kind of a… soul siphon between us. I don’t think I could build it again if I tried, perhaps it has something to do with your… special condition. Regardless, you’re drawing from my life’s energy, for lack of a better description. No wonder you feel light-headed. So much vitality must be intoxicating.

“Breaking the spell didn’t change anything. Now that I know it’s there I can feel it, can you? I’m going to cast Dispel on both of us. Treating it as a kind of cast curse. But first I’ll do some work fortifying my skill and such. Just letting you know why I’m waving my hands around.”

This time Abiene did use the gestures to reassure herself, increasing the effectiveness of her spells as she decreased the cost in magicka. Then she weakened them both to the effect of the Dispel. Her skill in mysticism came nowhere near her restorative abilities, and she hoped she hadn’t inadvertently cast a curse that she didn’t have the skill to lift. Maxical is already weak to magic, she remembered. She’s the source of the siphon. This should work.

Abiene gave Maxical a nervous smile. “Here we go.” She cast Dispel.

When the mist faded she gave Maxical a hopeful look. “How do you feel? Can you stand? Did it work?”

*

Maxical:

Maxical got tentatively to her feet, but was nervous about letting go of the table.

"Before I let go, think about something interesting. Like mating. Think about it like you were earlier...you know, like..."

Maxical wasn't sure if Abiene's face was red from her thoughts or...had she just embarrassed her in front of Seth?

"Are you thinking about mating yet? I'm not getting anything..." Maxical let go of the table.

"It's gone, the dizziness is gone!" She hugged Abiene, then took a few steps around the room. "I can walk without holding on..."

She drew her sword out. "Eyja, spar with me for a minute, let me run through my moves and make sure I can do everything I should be able to."

Maxical started off slow, with just stiff parries; but soon warmed up to the point she was springing from the balls of her feet and testing Eyja's mettle with master level moves and full on swordplay.

She breathed a sigh and sheathed her sword; then hugged Abiene again, squeezing her tightly. "Thank you, dearest Abiene. You are an amazing healer!"

She turned back to Eyja. "I'll get right on those traps."




*


Maxical dug in Eyja's schrank till she found what she was looking for, a little maid's outfit. She donned it and tied her tail down to her leg; pulling a pair of Eyja's white stocking hose over her leg and tail. Next she tucked her hair up under the little mob cap and pinned it onto her head; then went to the next wing, knocking on doors and calling in,

"Here to empty the urns."

"At this time of night?"

In unoccupied rooms she let herself in by picking the locks, then grabbed the urns. In each room she lifted the clothing irons off the hearths; each time carrying them to the room their suite was connected to.

When she had what she needed, she began setting traps; first in that room and then casting chameleon and setting them outside the back door to the suite and all the ground floor windows. Next she opened the balcony window and climbed out, tying herself off from the nearest chimney for each set of windows with a long length of rope.

When she was done the second floor window traps were set to blow an explosion of fire, the lower windows and doors would give damaging blows with the heavy irons blown at high speed toward whoever would be standing there; and the intruder would be covered with the contents of the urns; which were now invisible to the eye.

She climbed back in the balcony window and set several of the fiery explosions on it. Now to warn everyone.

She hurried down to the kitchen, hopefully to catch them before anyone tried a window or door.

Eyja gave a little shriek. "Is that my maid outfit? You've ruined it! Look at it, it's filthy and torn!"

"Oh. Yes, well I needed it to uh...well, anyway, the traps are set. I guess I should have changed before climbing out on the roof." She weathered Eyja's glare to show how the traps worked.

"If you need to open a door or window from the inside of the house, this is how you dismantle the trap from this side." She showed them how to feel for the invisible length of line.

"Pull down on the line as far as it will go, then tie it off on the doorknob. That lifts the trap off the trigger. To reset it from the inside, loosen the line slowly till you hear the sound of metal clinking on metal. It won't be loud, you'll have to listen closely."

Eyja nodded. "What about coming in from the outside?"

"Your best bet is to trigger the trap from a distance, shoot it with an arrow or something. The target is invisible, you'll just have to guess till you hit it. You won't want to retrieve the arrows, so use something you don't care to lose on it."

Maxical grabbed some bread, cheese, and several strawberries and plunked down with a sigh. "It feels good to be active again."

She covered Abiene's hand with hers and squeezed it. "Thank you so much, dearest Abiene. I was afraid I'd never be myself again."



*


Maxical in Eyja's maid outfit:


http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq67/Ma...zps1c70b99a.png


http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq67/Ma...zps05ae08d0.png


http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq67/Ma...zpse35f2438.png



*

Abiene glanced at Sethyas as Maxical tried out her feet. The Dunmer’s crossbow remained on his back, and his near fiendish grin had faded into concentration. There didn’t seem to be any more metal objects pinned to the wall.

She smiled to herself, buoyed by his enthusiasm for the contraption. Also relieved that such power would be directed away from her and toward their enemy.

Maxical dazzled with a display of swordsmanship. Abiene’s concerns about her lifted. She must finally be fully healed.

When Eyja finished her swordplay Abiene addressed her earlier question.

“I’ll run through the schools of magic and tell you what I can do,” she said. “I can’t guess what might be useful to you in a fight or in preparation so I’ll just go through them all.

“I’m the least skilled in Conjuration and Mysticism. I can summon a daedric spirit bound into the form of boots, but I only learned that to fulfill my requirement at school. I suppose I could leave strange tracks or distract someone who has a boot fetish…” Abiene gave Eyja a quick grin. “You’ve seen me use Dispel, and I can also detect life at a fair distance. My spell just shows the energy, though, it doesn’t distinguish between living, daedric, or undead. I can move small objects through Telekinesis, but nothing heavy or precise.

“I can cast any effect from the school of Illusion, but it seems as if this woman is more skilled than I am. That means I won’t be able to take control of creatures or people who are under her command, but I’ll at least be more resistant to becoming her unwilling minion. She would probably resist my curse of Silence. Of course I can turn myself invisible, see in the dark, and cast light. I’m not very good at Chameleon, though. It takes too much magicka to be useful for my purposes, so I didn’t keep working past that slight blurring effect. Oh, and I used to think I was sneaky until I heard you and Sethyas moving, or rather didn’t hear you. If this woman is a trained assassin I won’t get too close to her unless there’s a distraction.

“Moving on, if there’s water nearby I can breathe it or walk on it. I can cast both of those on another as well. My shield spells and elemental shields would need to be cast before the fight, but they’re strong. Another option is a curse of Burden. I can cast that at a good distance with pretty good accuracy.

“My Destruction spells are the ones that are closely connected to Restoration. I do little with elemental magic. So think of any skill or attribute a mortal possesses as well as their magicka, bodily stamina, and life’s energy. Against our foe I can cast a curse of weakness or a drain at a distance, or I can absorb into myself on touch. For example I might cast a curse of weakness to poison before a fight with poisoned blades, or weakness to magicka if you are using enchantments. I can cast a spell that makes a person slow, weak, soft-skinned and more susceptible to physical blows, mentally distracted, clumsy, you get the idea. The catch is that these are complicated spells. I’m not sure how effective I’ll be if someone’s hitting or shooting at me.

“Now, anything that I can curse, absorb, or drain I can also restore and fortify. In addition I can cast charms of elemental resistance, poison resistance, blade-turning, resistance to paralysis and magicka, even a charm to help us fight off diseases. Once again I imagine these will only be useful before a fight.”

Abiene took a sip of someone’s coffee to moisten her throat.

“Also I’m a Journeyman alchemist. My potions won’t be nearly as strong as Seth’s, but taken together they can keep a steady stream of healing or magicka flowing into the body in a time when you’ll be too busy to stop and take another one.”

She glanced up at Eyja. “Is there anything you can think of that I might have forgotten? They still taught Necromancy when I first started at the Arcane University, but certainly not to beginning students. Not many of the post-graduates could even qualify. The amount of power needed was immense. That’s why necromancers are known for killing folk and stealing souls. They need more body parts, but they mostly need the power.” Abiene gave herself a little shake. “Anyway, can you think what I might have forgotten?”

*

Eyja:

Eyja pointed to the ring she'd given Abiene when she mentioned using spells to detect life.

"The ring covers 250 feet and through walls. Don't waste magicka on anything you don't have to, you will need all you have if we are fighting a mage."

"Since you are the prime target and not trained for combat, I'd prefer you stayed in chameleon. We can't afford your magicka being spent on that either, especially not if you'll still be visible."

Eyja indicated her pack. "That inner pocket contains robes, rings, amulets, and slippers that also muffle sound. You won't be able to see them, just feel in there and grab out what you need to give you full chameleon. You can't wear anything under that robe, not even panties. It feels strange at first, but you'll get used to it. Just don't forget and remove the robe in the wrong place."

Eyja nodded her head at the list of skills Abiene did have that would be useful.

"These are all good if your aim is accurate under pressure. I'd like you to stay nearest Maxical because she'll need you keeping her healed. You know that is where I should and would normally be. It is a trust I'm placing on you. Maxical will protect you with her life, she'll never back down if you are in danger. You will be safe with her at your side. Just stay close behind her back to stay clear of her blade or spells and keep her healed from wounds, paralysis, and poison. You'll need to be fast and agile..."

Eyja broke off what she was saying as a sudden thought hit her. "Can you siphon magicka off Maxical in combat like you did from us for the healing? If so, you will have nearly an unlimited supply. Part of that disorder is an exceptionally high magicka, and she rarely uses it."




***


Eyja dug in her pack for a minute, producing several strange odd shaped jars and a looking glass; then a wig. She held the wig up against Abiene's hair and shook her head, digging in her pack till she pulled out another that was a closer match to the color of Abiene's.

She tucked her hair into a stretchy looking stocking and pulled the wig on over that.

"Abiene, I need you to arrange this hair exactly as you wear yours, and I'll need to look over your wardrobe, see if I have anything similar. If not I'll need to borrow something of yours. I am going to bait the trap."

Eyja opened the largest of the jars and began smearing a thick past over her skin in places, rounding her face out to match the contour of Abiene's face. She cupped Abiene's face for a second to perfect the shape on her own face and gauge the skin tone, then began applying makeup over the paste.

"This won't be exact, and of course my eyes aren't brown; but from a distance I should make a good enough decoy to fool the assassin."

She grinned at Seth and pointed to her pack. "Who needs Oblivion realms when they have the 'Bag of Holding'?"

When Abiene finished her hair and Eyja was finished with the makeup, other than Eyja's greater height and the color of their eyes, they looked eerily similar, especially when Eyja found a dress in her pack that matched the one Abiene was wearing.

She began tying off leather straps on her leg and loading each with a dagger, then changed boots to a pair more suited for combat and ran a couple daggers inside each boot.



*

*

Maxical:


Maxical glanced up from digging in Seth's chest and caught Abiene's stunned face at the transformation Eyja was making on herself.

"You should see her as an Orc, you can't tell the difference from a real one."

She pulled a few wicked looking short gauntlets with thick spikes of alloyed metal on the backs from Seth's chest.

"Are these Dwemer? Can I borrow these?" She slid one on and adjusted it, testing her arm action with it on.

"They look heavy, but they're not."

At Seth's wave of his hand she clipped them on the belt of her greaves. When Abiene was finished with Eyja's hair Maxical brought her the sack containing the heavy hand iron for pressing clothes.

"Okay, now load that spell I gave you and practice using it to speed your arm movement. You grab the sack overhand like this..." She demonstrated.

"So it becomes a part of you, like an extension of your fist. I can wear the guantlets, but they will affect your magic if you do. Something about armor deadens magic. But you can hold one of these sacks without losing any power. Now watch how fast that spell makes my arm punch. Stand well back behind me, because all my conjures spawn as hostile Daedra no matter what I cast."

Maxical grabbed the sack and moved into the hallway from the kitchen so she blocked it. With her left hand she conjured a Deadra. As it charged her, her right arm with the sack moved like lightning, shooting in a clean uppercut. The sound of the impact with the Daedra's jaw was a loud crack as the massive bone shattered and the Daedra fell back into a crumpled heap on the floor. It's moaning stopped before it shimmered from view.

Maxical turned back to Abiene. "A child could take out a Daedra with that spell and one of these sacks. Practice the arm movement so you can do a good uppercut. You always need to use an uppercut to be effective." She demonstrated, moving her arm slowly several times so Abiene could see the movement.

"That shatters the jaw so mages can't do incantations. Aim to hit closer to the throat and you crush the windpipe and main arteries with the same hit, they die quickly. If you aim for the nose you will drive these bones..." She pointed to the bones behind her upper nose.

"Up into their brain. Just remember to always use an uppercut."

She watched Abiene practicing for a second and then stopped her. "Use that spell at the same time you are raising your arm. Feel it charging down your arm and driving your fist up. Keep practicing till your uppercut shoots up faster than your eye can see. You'll know you have it right when you feel it. Eyja can conjure a skeleton for your to practice on if you'd like."


*

Sethyas set the poisons down, and dipped a couple of drops onto a neutral metal plate, taking a few strips of what looked like paper from his belt-bag.

Maxical practiced with some very impressive moves with Eyja, and he held his admiration in silent watching. He was equally curious at to the vials' contents.

During his analyzing, Eyja showed her additional talents, and didn't just cast a spell of Chameleon, she embodied the talents of an actual one.

"Who needs Oblivion Realms when you have a 'Bag of Holding'?" the now near-twin of Abiene, Eyja grinned.

He shot her a bemused glance. "I guess we can all learn new tricks I suppose." He said dipping the strips into the liquid drops.

"Are these Dwemer? Can I borrow these?" Maxical said, seeming to have a childlike curiosity going through the chest. Seth raised hand in a gesture of acquiescement. The strips started to turn a bright blue, almost white.

"What's mine is yours, as I said." He replied, clearly more concentrated on the strips then Maxical.

"Just make sure you can use what you take, it's mostly loot from random encounters. Ruins, bandits, malefactors. You learn to not just pawn everything you come across off..." He said trailing off.

"Oh my...." Seth said seeing the final test.

"Eyja...this acidity...I think you know what it means...this Assassin is sadistic on top of it all." He said showing her the litmus test strips.

"A paralyzation toxin alongside pain augmenters. This poison isn't designed to kill. It's designed to make the victim wish they were dead. Much like spider venom keeps the victim alive while it eats it, aware of every agonizing moment....I would never have designed; much less used, something like this. It's sick and twisted, and that's *me* saying this..." He shook his head in disgust.

"I'll gladly give her a taste of her own medicine." He sneered, carefully applying it to an odd looking dagger.

The blade was shorter than most knives, certainly not long enough to reach any vital organ. Upon closer examination, it had a series of tiny pin-prick holes along it's flat side near the center downslope. The handle; after he carefully unwrapped its black leather grip, had a compartment door that slid upwards, and he poured the liquid inside. The compartment held the poison. The blade; after being inserted into the victim, delivered it's payload directly to the bloodstream.

It was also balanced and designed in such a way that it could be thrown as well as handled. Despite it's clear usefulness to the profession of the one who handled it, it did not appear to be well used.

“Eyja...this acidity...I think you know what it means...this Assassin is sadistic on top of it all,” said Sethyas.

Abiene knelt on the floor by Seth’s chest. She tilted her body to hide what her face must be showing.

That woman has her hands on helpless folk in the Healing Hall. Did she plan to use that poison on a patient, or was it also intended for me?

Simple ambition couldn’t account for such hate. Abiene began to wonder if there was more to it. Perhaps the Altmer loved someone who had died under the knife on Abiene’s table. A necromancer might even hope to bring them back somehow.

Abiene wiped her eyes on her sleeve, then picked gingerly through the weapons. A sack full of irons might break bones, but a small blade could open an artery. She hoped that she would not get close enough to use either.

She found one with a textured grip that fit comfortably in her hand. The curved blade came to a point and was razor-sharp on both edges. Abiene strapped the sheath to her upper arm, reversed so she could draw it with a downward motion.

She stood and practiced flicking the catch open with her thumb, then slashing with both a forward and a hooking motion. Ten minutes’ practice didn’t make her a knife fighter any more than it had made her a brawler, but at least now she wouldn’t end up trying to open a vein with fingernails and teeth.

Eyja’s bag contained the variety that she had described. Abiene chose the robe for Chameleon and the slippers for silent movement. Going without panties did not present an obstacle, but she didn’t think it necessary or appropriate to assure everyone on that subject.

Abiene glanced at Eyja as she shook out the robe. How many others have gone bare under this? she wondered. Hopefully only Eyja. The woman kept herself immaculate. But she may have used this robe to conceal the sweaty backsides of any number of terrified folk.

She shook her head. Desperate times, desperate measures.

Eyja:

While Maxical was teaching Abiene some self defense moves, Eyja moved over and sat beside Seth to hear what he was saying about the poison.

She nodded agreement with his words. "Maxical goes for the quickest and least painful kills whenever possible, and I'm usually the same; but some enemies deserve to feel what they've afflicted on others. Especially when using it against an innocent like Abiene."

She put her hand on Seth's arm. "Seth, Maxical's conjure just gave me an idea. The assassin may not know you've rendered the Orc useless. If she sends Earana next, which I assume she will...consider if she didn't know either of her walking dead were gone. You and I could walk right up to her disguised as Earana and her Orc, initiate combat and catch her totally unaware. She will fight once attacked, but we will have the advantage of surprise. Just a thought."


*

Seth looked up and cocked his head to the side in thought.

"She sends Earana...we take her out. Then show up looking like them. I even left the Orcs' crossbow in his grave with him...she wouldn't question its big brother at first glance...I like it. Using more of her own medicine against her..." He said looking at the sheathed hypodermic dagger.

"Then we figure out just what the hell all of this is about...Oh, that must be the purpose of this poison now that you mention it...the victim should theoretically still be able to talk...torture in a vial." he realized.

"I-I-I am both impressed by her creativity and aghast at the levels she would stoop too." He blinked, yet still clearly disgusted by the thought.

"If we can pull it off, and extract her quietly without placing innocents; especially patients, at risk I second the plan." He nodded.

He looked at the now fully-effective Maxical. "Plus, we've added one more fighter to our roster. Forgive me for seeming to lack confidence in you: You've been to the brink of death more then once since we've met, yet you've pulled yourself and the rest of us through it all."

"When you thought I was here to kill you, you could barely stand. And you still faced me as a warrior."

He glanced over at Abiene and gave her a wry smile. "You...you picked up that...weapon and you came to the aid of a friend in a heartbeat. You should feel pride in this, and not shame. Especially if you are less exposed to the world of violence than we are. You have the hands of a healer; but you have the heart of a warrior. You face your problems head on, and with honor."

His mental image of her charging forth like a Berserker: teeth exposed, saliva flying, wild look in her eyes, and giving a war cry was both inspiring and comical. Had the urn just been an axe or sword it would have been perfect. He hid his laughter regardless.

*

Maxical:

Eyja nodded agreement with Seth. "If it can't be inside our suite, lets take it to their sewer lair. We can access it without even entering the city, and no one will be in there that shouldn't die but us."

Maxical had come to the table at Seth's words, but spoke up after Eyja finished; the shock was evident in her voice.

"She was going to torture dearest Abiene?"

Her head turned slowly to Abiene, bravely swishing that dagger while her eye's showed dread fear and how frail she was in facing this enemy, this whole situation.

She stumbled getting to Abiene but held her tightly and whispered into her ear. "You have nothing to fear, Abiene. I will let nothing happen to you, none of us will. Remember, we have her poison, she cannot use it against you."

Maxical kept her arm around Abiene as she turned back to Eyja and Seth, the rage burning in her eyes.

"Cover me in blood and I'll lay in plain sight as if dead. If she uses life detect she'll know I live, but if she sees the Orc and Earana she'll go to them anyway to have them finish the job. I will rise up on your signal or if she realizes you are not her thralls."

Eyja turned toward Maxical. "Then where will Abiene be?"

"Under me in full chameleon. If the Altmer uses life detect, she will only see one life form and think her job on Abiene was accomplished; that her body lies somewhere nearby. Give her a false sense of security."

Maxical stopped Eyja before she could argue.

"Listen, if the Altmer uses life detect, she will know exactly where Abiene and I are no matter where you put us. She'll never believe you are the Orc and Earana if she sees our lifeforms hidden upstairs."

Eyja nodded at Seth. "She's right, she'd suspect us if she knew they still lived. What better way to hide them but right under her nose."

Maxical turned to Seth. "When we attack, if possible I'd like to keep Abiene to our backs to heal us; so the Altmer has to cross all of us to reach Abiene."

Eyja turned to Seth. "It's risky, the Altmer could decide to finish Maxical off on her way in. Maxical can take a hit well, but if this Altmer knows medicine she could put a blade right through her heart or throat."

Maxical turned to Seth. "Do you have a protection I can wear to cover my heart and throat? If she does stab me, anywhere else she hits will give Abiene time to heal me and you two can attack till I'm up."

Eyja dug in her pack and pulled out a bleached out white lambskin.

"Cover her neck with a steel plate and lay this on it, splash blood over it. The white lambs fur is thicker than Maxical's, but on quick glance it won't be discernable. Maybe we could just lay a shield over her and a mages robe covered in blood. I can stage it with the clothing to cover up any blatent edges. Then when she gets up she'll be in her armor, shock the woman."

Maxical raised her eyebrows at Eyja, knowing how much that lambskin meant to her. Eyja's eyes flashed a signal not to mention it, so she didn't.

She turned to Seth. "Just don't get any blood on my hands or hilts, don't want to lose my grip in battle."

Eyja looked at Seth. "I can make it work, but it's up to you."



*

"I'd like to think that I'm still alive because I take very little chances. Sometimes my acts come across as risky, but there is aforethought in them." He said, giving a look of concentrated thought to Abiene and Maxical.

"While I do not relish the thought of putting either of you in danger..." he started. "...you're grown women and can make your own choices. You clearly know the risks involved. Saying the decision is mine too make is a bit odd, when you've made it for yourselves."

"I do not have a problem with it, aside from my natural concerns." He shrugged. "Which should not be taken as a lack of faith in either of your abilities. I neither chide, or patronize either of you. I merely state my position in this matter." He gestured towards them with his open hand.

"It is true that Eyja and I have developed a quick rapport." He nodded in agreement to what he perceived was an unspoken observation.

"This is because we have similar backgrounds, and perhaps I have a bit of bias in her regard as she did save my life, as well as all of yours. Though, we've come this far from repaying this debt to one another, over and over...so..." He closed his eyes, as he thought it through.


He started staring at Maxical's chest and abdomen, making mental calculations then nodded as he achieved a quiet sum.

He left for his quarters once more and returned with a small pack.

Morag Tong Ritual Red Robes

"These once belonged to an Assassin in the employ of the Morag Tong. Her name was Rayne Alas. She is passed now, a few decades ago. As a farmer, not in the line of duty, a victim of time's natural passage. She left these with me in symbol of her retirement. I told her I would keep them for her to take back."

"Clearly, that never occurred. Now I pass them too you. They are the color of dark crimson. So that blood is unseen upon them, yet they blend into the shadows just as well. Within the torso, back and shoulders are sewed in bits of armor. The neck which is loose and flowing, is actually a mesh of cloth and metal strong enough to resist garottes, blades, and perhaps an arrow, though I don't know for certain one way or the other."

"The jewelry may be a bit too gaudy for your tastes, but I can tailor it to your preferences well enough. They should keep you safe from harm while you await the moment to strike."

He then looked to Abiene, and removed his left gauntlet, which revealed many rings, he removed one and handed it to her.

Marara's Ring

"The Undead can include those who suffer from Vampirism. I met one such woman, who was an Imperial in life, and jaded in undeath. Her name was Marara, and she bore this ring that is rife with an enchantment much stronger than most I've come across. It was her wish to die in a manner fitting one of her station...It includes the traits of 'Reflect Spell', 'Resist Normal Weapons' and can further increase the fleetness of one's feet. It will protect you in the moments we cannot." He offered.

"Let's get rid of this Dark Sister together." He grinned sadistically.

Abiene listened wide-eyed as the plan came together. It made sense to assume the assassin would use life detection. Hers was the easiest role. All she had to do was keep still and not scream.

“It would be best if each of you decided what charms or shields would help you most,” she put in. “Everyone has different native resistances, enchantments, and the like. Tell me when we get there and I’ll cast them before Maxical and I take our positions.” She would be occupied during the fight keeping shield spells and healing over Maxical. Staying with her was a major source of worry. Abiene’s daily workout was designed to make her look good naked, not to let her keep pace with an Arena-trained athlete.

Sethyas brought a robe from his personal belongings to Maxical. Abiene breathed a little easier when he described the armor hidden about the chest and throat. The thought of lying there while the sadistic Altmer stabbed at them kept making her muscles freeze. Better pee right before we leave instead of later in Eyja’s robe, she thought.

Then Seth turned to Abiene, offering a ring from his own hand. He explained its history and the powerful enchantment it held. “It includes the traits of ‘Reflect Spell,’ ‘Resist Normal Weapons’ and can further increase the fleetness of one's feet. It will protect you in the moments we cannot.”

Abiene slipped the exquisite ring onto her finger, speechless with gratitude and lingering terror over what they were about to attempt. She hoped that only the former showed. She remembered Maxical’s tight hugs and words of encouragement, Eyja’s coaching and trust in her, and Sethyas speaking of honor and a warrior’s heart. A sense of calm certainty grew inside her, not in the outcome but in the attempt.

“Let's get rid of this Dark Sister together,” said Seth. His teeth showed in a wicked grin.

Abiene didn’t trust her voice. It wouldn’t do to answer a call to arms by squeaking like a startled mouse. She lifted her chin and set her jaw to keep it from trembling while she looked at each of them in turn. Her eyes stayed longest on Eyja’s. I know what she is to you. I won’t let you down.

*

Maxical:

Maxical hurried forward at Seth's words and lay her hand gently on his arm.

"Eyja and I are used to just tossing ideas out before a known battle, and give reasons why we think it would work. But the decision to use or discard them has always gone to one's thoughts we respect greater than our own. That is you, Serjo Seth Velas."


Eyja:

Eyja nodded her agreement with Maxical's words.

"We only give input to the planning based on what we think the enemy may bring to the fight and what we ourselves bring. We don't know if this Altmer uses detect life, but being a mage they may. My strengths are in the shadows, but detect life would take those shadows from me as if they didn't exist. Maxical faces fights head on, but uses tricks to take the advantage from the opponent. We are just sharing our ideas for battle and how we could bring it about, but will always bow to your judgment as the wiser head."

Seth's decision was made. Weapons readied. Abiene looked terrified, but surprisingly strongly convicted to the battle ahead. She reminded Eyja of Maxical when she first began her duties for Akatosh; terrified, but wouldn't back down till the enemies were gone.

She took a deep breath. Maxical and Abiene had to survive this at all costs. She turned to Seth for one last confirmation that this plan met his will.

Seth's eyes connected with hers gleaming with the adrenalin of the battle ahead, and something else that she was trying to define when the interruption happened.

Maxical rose immediately. "Trap, ground floor." She pointed to a window. "It's Earana, I can feel her."



*

Abiene cast a Shock Shield over Maxical, not sure what else they needed. This was probably not the time to strip off and get into the Chameleon robe unless there was an undead army coming with Earana. She couldn’t tell through the pink glows of the people inside the room with her.

“Should we disarm the trap?” she asked. “If we blow up the window it will be harder to seal it back up if we need to later.”

*

Maxical shook her head.

"The second floor windows are the only ones set to blow. The trap on these ground floor doors and windows is just a solid hit in the head with a hand iron and getting an urn full of crap dumped on them. Eyja said to make them smell, I figured that would do it."

She guided Abiene up to her bedroom. "When undead come, it is best you stay protected, locked in up here. Remember, stay out of the windows and lay flat so if the enemy is using life dectect they won't see you. I'll guard your door."



*

"I got this." Sethyas said as he prepared the dwemer-make crossbow, pulling the priming lever back and prepped a wicked looking bolt, that had multiple barbs at its metal tip.

Eyja seemed to give it a look of 'whoah', and then commented: "That reminds me of 'The Real Barenziah' when Therris gets Berri in the Tavern on his--"

Abiene squeaked quietly, interjecting with: "Can we please keep it down while he gets this as he so gallantly offered?" with a wide-eyed expression.

Sethyas smirked at the two, leaving with a knowing glance to Eyja and commenting: "Same principle, actually. Just don't want her waking up."

He slipped into the shadows, and let Mephala's Skill wrap its way around him, seeming to slink into the darkness itself, though he would still be visible to the life detection spell.

From there he started to put out the lights, one by one, following the sounds of struggle and guttural howling from a window. Like a childhood fear, he could see nothing from behind the reflection of the window. Inching closer and closer to meet this distant terror.

But; this time he was the boogeyman in the shadows. The one who became a monster to destroy other monsters. He did nothing to slow his stride as the candelabra below the window was snuffed out, and the evening canvas of stars beneath shone through, and the very bottoms of Jone and Jode were visible from the upper portion of the window.

And nothing else was seen and had become a frantic silence...

Oh, come on. We all know what happens next! He rolled his eyes in thought, and aimed his crossbow.

As if on cue, the face of a recently deceased Altmer Battlemage rose up from the other side.

Her golden skin was now a variety of shades lighter, save her lips that were a shade of purple; almost black. Scars from the lightning strikes she had suffered ran across her face in arms of electrocution that were shades between red and dark bruising. The pupils of her eyes were now a stark white. She had a massive wound on her forehead, and seemed to be covered in something scatological.

She gave a hateful sneer, and reached for the window pane once more.

Alive or Undead... Sethyas started to think.

"I. *Hate*. Battlemages!" He exclaimed quietly.

The force of the bolt shattering the window seemed to mimic a raindrop landing on the surface of water. The bolt landed into her left eye, forcing her head back making her land four feet from where she stood.

Seth quickly reloaded, as she arose in spite of the devastation of the attack. He placed his hand on the ledge and jumped himself out, firing again as he landed.

The bolt landed in her sternum dead center, she staggered rather then fell, and continued her approach to him.

“My time away just made perfection, did you think I’d die?” she spoke in a voice that was far more masculine and guttural then what she had in life.

“You did.” He responded. “And I aim to keep you that way.”

“Was.” She smiled victoriously. “I’ve defeated death itself by becoming it.”

"This was your plan? You might be cunning, but even this is beyond your skillset." Sethyas replied to the undead Earana.

"No. It was another's. It does not change the fact that I can no longer die...in any sense of the word." She said attempting to dislodge the bolt in her eye socket, only to find that it was to rigidly encased.

"So you're a Lich..." Sethyas muttered.

"Close. But a Lich is a spirit that rides from vessel to vessel. She managed to perfect the vessel itself with Guervyne Selvilo's work."

"You're a spirit haunting it's own corpse..." Sethyas realized. "A new form of Necromancy. That's what this was about. Another pitiful attempt at immortality, and a way to create even stronger servants...you're under her thrall as well, aren't you?"

"A small price to pay. Once you all are dead, I am free." She smiled.

"That's what she told you, I'm sure. You're a fool. In life, and in death. The pursuit of power has corrupted you completely. To the point of having no foresight, a limp cloth in the wind that would blow in any direction it was taken."

Earana gave a look of extreme contempt.

"Look at my face, Earana. This is the same face I held when I was thirty years of age. *I* am immortal, *you* are an abomination. I have wandered the land for over two centuries now, neither disease nor age can claim me. I gained this power not from seeking it, but by fulfilling my destiny. I'd rather had lived a handful of years in quality, then an immeasurable amount of selfish avarice that would cause everything around me to rot." He chided her.

"Even if you do succeed here tonight, and even if she keeps her word...what then? Will you stink up a tavern with your rotted corpse? Take a lover from the morgue? What bliss, what contentment, what possible purpose could you find in this state?!" He continued.

"Look at yourself." He said quietly and picked up a shard of glass to show her her own reflection.

"Look at what you've done to others. Look how things have become! Is this *really* what you wanted? Is this the best outcome from the alternatives you had? I offered you the chance to walk away! You would be alive right now! Upon all my ancestors, and the graves I've dug, you would still breathe!" He said, as she slowly walked towards him and gazed at her terrible reflection.

Her expression became despondent, and she saw the horror that was her face. She took the shard and kept staring back at the terrible sight that greeted her.

"Nooooo!" She finally moaned. "I did this...to myself." She lamented.

"You developed the plan...but you didn't think it through." He offered.

"But,...I am stuck...forever....like this." She touched her cheek.

"Not forever. The Orc who worked for you came by first, he is ashes. If you allow me, I can burn you. You'll reenter the dreamsleeve, and you'll come back as something else. A second chance. Even the gods are not so cruel as to deprive us of this. No matter the pain we've wrought, or suffered...there is release and there is peace in this." he said softly.

"Come." He said, grabbing a small barrel of torch pitch nearby.

They reentered the ruins, and Earana saw the remains of her former servant, and knelt next to it. She traced her fingers through the ash pile, and looked at the markings upon her fingertips, bringing them to a nose that could not smell.

Sethyas uncorked the barrel and began to pour it over her head, the thick mixture slowly pouring down in streams down her face and torso. She raised her head to accept the fate as though it were her redemption.

Nearing the emptiness of the cask, Sethyas started to walk away to make a trail that he could light.

"No." She said quietly. "I can do this. I need to do this."

He acquiesced, and set the barrel down. She outstretched her arms and chanted something in Aldmeris that he recognized as a prayer to Auri-El. She summoned forth two balls of flame to her hands.

The fire caught onto the pitch, and spread up her arms to her head and torso.

He stayed as the gruesome process continued. Without fear, without satisfaction. As was the way he was taught: He merely confirmed the kill.

"Rest well, Earana." He said, leaving some coin and a small belt-knife with her charred corpse.

He returned to the suite to let the others know everything was okay...for now.

*

Eyja:


Eyja had no doubt Seth could handle Earana, and took the opportunity to cast chameleon and run to Chorrol, still disguised as Abiene. She hurried to the chapel and dispelled the chameleon before entering.

On stepping into the chapel she dropped an empty vial to draw attention to herself. The tall Altmer woman spun around, her eyes nearly starting from her head as she stifled a startled scream.

Eyja gave a little mousey shriek she had heard Abiene make a few times, then fled back through the door. She stayed visible this time, running slower than she was capable of to the gate.

A glance back showed the Altmer woman in the doorway of the chapel, the rage on her face vivid even from a distance. That should draw her in.

As soon as she passed the gate, Eyja cast chameleon again and darted back to the Wobbly suite. She immediately began digging in her pack for a black robe like the one Earana had returned from the dead in.

Eyja hurriedly dug in her pack again, this time producing a tub of thickly gelled red paint and a paint brush. First she painted a rough skeleton on the front of the robe, crossing the hands together below the skull like the robe Earana had worn depicted.

Next she began laying out her thick pastes and jars, the ones she'd used to make herself look like Abiene. Eyja wedged her looking glass so it stood up without being held, and began carefully changing the shapes of the mounds of clay like material on her face to mold her appearance from Breton to Altmer; using a scrub brush to remove the thicknesses in the cheek and jaw bone.

Maxical hurried down the steps and set to work, changing into the armored robe Seth had given her. Eyja called her over.

"You know how I do the eyes, I need your hands in here." She pulled her eyes tightly back and up at an angle till their shape was nearly matching to an Altmer's eyes. "Hold my eyes just like this."

While Maxical held her eyes in place, and without looking; Eyja grabbed a different jar and opened it. She smeared the glue beneath her eyes and lay a tiny wedge of film onto the glue.

"Hold it firmly till it dries."

She went back to the clay like material and began building an Altmer's facial structure around her own. When she was satisfied with the look she began with the makeup, making her lips thinner by drawing a dark line below her own full upper and lower lips and only applying lipstick within those lines.

When Seth walked in She stood, a full version of Earana including robe with the skeleton drawing. Only her blue-green eyes and slightly meatier build gave away the difference.

"Boo!" She grinned at Seth.


*




Maxical:


Maxical watched Seth lead Earana to the old ruin behind the inn, once again feeling the pain of one she had considered a friend, knowing she was dying a second time. The pain wasn't for this form of Earana dying, but the memory of the first time.

She cast to unseal Abiene's door when she saw Seth returning, and tapped on it before entering. "It's safe now, Abiene dear. Seth has killed Earana again. We have to work fast now. I'll need your biggest loosest robe of light color to use."



*