ouch - this is getting seriously Helsethian

CHAPTER TEN


Sirius walked away from the restaurant, feeling both agitated and utterly confused. He knew the power of Helseth was substantial to say the least, but Sirius was surprised it had gained power over Hession. After all, she had always been a ‘rebel’, if you will. However, it seems something must have happened for her to comply with the King’s orders so easily.

Perhaps Helseth threatened her life if she were to continue to talk to me. Sirius thought to himself as he walked to the lobby of the palace, ready to be transported back to Vvardenfell.

And if that were the case, that Helseth had threatened Hession’s life, Sirius was going to have a word with the King. Helseth could do anything he wanted, but he was not going to abuse his powers onto Hession. She was too good of a friend of Sirius’s for him to let that happen. Sirius right then made a mental note to ask Helseth about that when he came back from Vvardenfell.

It had made Sirius extremely depressed when Hession had ignored him and walked away. He had felt helpless and alone, two feelings Sirius didn’t like a bit. Hession had always been a very good friend of his, and to see her act like she didn’t even know him and walk away was devastating to him mentally. It made him feel as if he had no friends, which was probably the truth now. Hession in fact was his only friend, and if she really had been won over by Helseth’s influence, well, it was probable that Sirius was on his own from here on out.

Of course, traveling to Balmora would no doubt gain him at least a couple of new acquaintances, given the fact that he will have to interact with someone if he wished to find out what’s going on with the disappearances. This made Sirius wonder if the Hlaalu district leaders in Balmora would even know about him. Helseth likely told them another investigator was coming, but of course giving a name other than ‘Sirius’. He doubted the King wanted too many people to know of Sirius’s temporary readmission into The House.

When he entered the Palace lobby area, a smiling Argonian was standing beside the teleportation spot. He was obviously a mage, and Sirius could tell that by his bright colored robes.

“Hello, what can I do for you today?” The cheerful lizard asked.

“Yes, I’d like to go to Vvardenfell.” Sirius responded.

“I’ll have to transport you to Ebonheart. Will that be alright?”

“Yes,” Sirius replied, a bit impatiently.

The lizard walked over to the teleportation spot, fiddled around for a few seconds, and then motioned for Sirius to step onto the small stone platform. Sirius followed the orders, and within seconds he was transported from the city of Mournhold.

When he appeared in Ebonheart Castle’s teleportation chambers he stumbled a bit and hit his head on the wall to his right. In almost an instant blood began trickling down from the wound and into his eyes. He had hit his forehead on the wall after tripping for some odd reason, and he could already feel the knot begin to form on his skin. Thankfully the blood wasn’t able to go too far because soon a small hand appeared from his right and brought a clean cloth to wipe the blood from his head.

“Oh my, that was a nasty fall. I’m terribly sorry, sir. Something must have happened during your teleportation,” said a female voice.

She started to wipe the blood away and Sirius was thankful for that. He was feeling down at the moment, and it was good to see someone willing to help a stranger. And when he looked at the woman, he realized she was a pretty young Breton, even more beautiful than the woman he had met in the Great Bazaar, back in Mournhold.

“Thank you, ma’am, I appreciate the help. If you give me that cloth I’ll just be on my way.”

The woman looked at him as if he were crazy and replied, “Oh heavens no, sir! I must get you to a healer. I believe the bleeding is beginning to stop, but that cut doesn’t look very good at all. I think I should take you to see one of our healers, if you don’t mind.”

Sirius of course wanted to continue in chatting with the attractive women, but then he remembered what had happened to the lady in Mournhold, and how she had likely waited hours for Sirius to show up and take her to dinner, but obviously that had never happened because Helseth had intervened. Sirius didn’t want anything like that happening to this woman. That wasn’t to say that she would agree to go on a date with Sirius if he offered, but for some strange reason Sirius had a hunch that someone was always going to be trailing him wherever he went. Helseth had assured him that he would not be followed upon leaving Mournhold, but the King had lied to him before, and Sirius had no doubts that he’d do it again.

“Unfortunately I do mind, miss. I have an important meeting to attend to in Balmora,” he partially lied. “And I really don’t have any time to spare, for I am going to be late as it is. I promise I’ll be okay, I’ve had worse cuts than this before.”

The women gave Sirius one last look of concern and said, “Very well, if you’re positively sure you’ll be okay. Well, welcome to Ebonheart!” She said, laughing at the last part. “Enjoy your stay, sir, and be sure to take care of yourself.”

Sirius chuckled as well, gave one final wave, and then exited the castle. Outside the sun was shining down brightly from a cloudless blue sky. If there was a silver lining in the mess Sirius was involved in, it was that he didn’t have to travel in bad weather, and for that he was very thankful. To him there wasn’t anything worse than traveling in the rain. Sirius hated the rain, and pretty much water for that matter, except for drinking of course. He never did learn how to swim as a child, and he planned on keeping it that way for the rest of his life.

Bustling through the city of Ebonheart was a countless number of people, of various races and ranks. There were Imperial soldiers, Imperial officers, citizens, merchants, and they barely even scratched the surface of how many people there were in the city. It also helped that the caretakers of Ebonheart kept the entire city clean of too much trash and dirt. It was especially impressive given the fact that Ebonheart was one of Morrowind’s largest cities in terms of both size and population. It spoke volumes as to how much the rulers of this city cared about their people, that they were willing to go to any length to ensure everyone a clean and friendly atmosphere.

One aspect that was particularly unique about Ebonheart, or at least in Sirius’s mind, was that it played host to both Skyrim and Black Marsh diplomatic figures. It was special because Imperials were usually subjective to other races. By letting these races into the city so freely it showed the Empire is not the tyrant force everyone thinks it is. But of course to Sirius it really didn’t matter. He wasn’t a hireling of the Empire; he could care less about them and their reputation, which probably sounds a bit awkward since Sirius is of the Imperial race himself.

In front of the city was a Dunmer shipmaster, standing next to his medium sized transport vessel. The elf didn’t look very friendly, and Sirius really didn’t feel like dealing with anyone with an attitude, but alas he had no choice if he wished to travel across the sea to the rest of the large island. But as he came closer to the elf---who himself had a frown that kept getting bigger as Sirius neared closer---he realized he had five septims with him. The rest of lying safely in his locked chest, back in Mournhold.

Damn, what now? Sirius thought as he kicked himself inside for forgetting to bring more gold. And he really didn’t feel like going back all the way to Mournhold, because that would simply waste too much time. So he walked up the elf and said, with his most cheerful smile, “Good evening, sir! If it’s not too much trouble I’d like to travel to Vivec, please.”

“It’ll be fifty septims,” the Elf replied with no emotion whatsoever.

FIFTY? Sirius thought to himself. The amount of gold was indeed outrageous, and absolutely unnecessary. The Elf was likely overcharging, in order to gain a little extra coin. But, of course, Sirius had thought up his own little scheme.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t have fifty septims. I only have five.”

“Then I guess you won’t be traveling to Vivec anytime soon. Come back when you have the gold.”

The elf was obviously stupid if he thought Sirius was going to give up and walk away that easy. Unfortunately for him Sirius was a sly as they come, and his plan to trick the elf was certainly well thought out.

“You know, sir, it would sure be a shame if the guards found out about the smuggled Dwemer items inside your ship….”

Upon hearing this, the Dunmer gave Sirius an immediate surprised and curious glare, and for good reason too. It was well know by everyone that the Empire closely monitored dealings involving Dwemer items. Such dealings were actually illegal, yet idiots were always trying to sneak past the eyes of the Empire. Sirius had no clue whether the Dunmer was one of those idiots or not, but it was at least worth a good try.

“What the hell are you talking about, N’wah?” The Dunmer asked with a furious expression spread across his heavily tattooed face. It was clear that the trick was working.

“First of all, I don’t quite like being called…what is it you said…N’wah? The way I see it, you’re in the hole right now, and I’m holding all the cards, if you catch my drift. I know you have numerous crates filled with smuggled Dwemer items. If you don’t give me the ride for free I will go to the guards right now and inform them of your illegal activities.”

The Dunmer then stepped closer to him, just mere inches away from his face, close enough where I Sirius could smell the Dark Elf’s skooma-filled breath. The Dunmer was trying to act tough, but Sirius could smell the act from a mile away. No way would the elf try something with the guards so close by. That’s when Sirius thought of a better idea.

“On second thought, how about you give me three-hundred pieces of gold in exchange for my pledge not to tell the guards about your cargo? I know that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what you’re making with the illegal items. Just give me the gold and I’ll leave you alone. If not, then I will immediately alert the guards…”

“You’re bluffing,” The Dunmer said, trying to hold in his fear.

“You think so? Don’t test me, elf, you won’t like the results.”

The Dunmer looked into Sirius’s eyes, trying to desperately figure out if he was lying or not. Within seconds the Dark Elf finally caved in to Sirius’s mind trick.

“Fine, I’ll be right back,” The elf grumbled, and then entered his cabin, slamming the door hard behind him. Minutes later he returned with small sack, filled with what looked like three hundred. Sirius wasn’t going to count them, because that wasn’t the point anyway. The point was that he at least he now had some money to work with.

“Just take it and leave!” The Dunmer shoved the sack into Sirius’s chest, and he just barely grabbed the bag before it spilled to the floor.

“Thank you,” Sirius said with a sly wink, and then left before the Dunmer could respond.

Alright, now I have some money, but how am I going to get to Balmora with no shipmaster to take me? Sirius was stumped on that question, until he saw a middle-aged Imperial woman standing next to a rickety ship, not too far from the angry Dunmer’s. It looked to be a fishing boat of low quality, but Sirius had already thought of yet another idea.

“Hello, miss; you aren’t by any chance heading over to Vivec anytime soon, are you? I need to catch a silt strider to Balmora as quick as possible,” Sirius asked the lady nicely, with a look of desperation set across his face. He was giving her the pity-trip, but unfortunately for Sirius it appeared this woman wasn’t going to be as easy to win over as the Dunmer had been.

“Sorry, fella’, I ain’t leaving this place for another couple a’days. Besides, I ain’t a transport service anyway. Why don’t you talk to Elfie over there?” She said, pointing the now even angrier Dunmer Sirius had just left.

At least she was friendlier than the Dunmer was, and that was good for Sirius. The great thing was that he wasn’t going to have to worry about making the woman angry, unless of course he kept going at it and bugged the hell out of her.

“Well, unfortunately he won’t be giving me a ride, for reasons I have yet to understand.” Then he whispered into the woman’s left ear, “He called me an N’wah, and then said he didn’t have time for ignorant Imperials. I didn’t want any trouble so I walked away.”

“That’s awful,” the woman replied, actually with a tone of sympathy. “I wish I could help you out…but I just don’t wanna leave right now, you know? I docked only two hours ago.”

“I’d be willing to pay you, but all I have is fifty septims,” Sirius lied. The woman’s eyes lit up at once at the sound of money. Apparently Sirius was going to ‘buy’ the woman over.

“Fifty, eh? Hmm…I haven’t seen that much money in a couple of weeks, now that I think about. Damn fish keep missing my net! Alright, I’ll tell you what, fella. You give me fifty of those coins and I’ll take you to Vivec. We got a deal?” She then held out a hand to Sirius.

“Of course.”


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The entire trip to Vivec Sirius had the unpleasant experience of basically listening to the woman’s entire life story. The woman, who actually had a name, Dorothy, complained about pretty much everything there was to complain about. Simple things from why she decided to be fisher’woman’ all the way to why she and her husband divorced years ago. It had something to do with her smelling like fish all the time. Sort of ironic if you really think about it…

“Oh the stories I could tell you…erm…what’s your name, fella?”

“Servius.” You mean you haven’t openly told me every story yet? You’ve said enough to write a whole library of autobiographies… Sirius thought to himself.

“Well, Servius, you look to be coming along in age, though not too old I should say. What is your take on life?”

The woman was quite the philosopher as well, giving her open and honest opinion on even the most delicate of matters, holding nothing back. Sirius really wasn’t too interested in talking when he didn’t have to, so he gave a quick remark, just to be polite.

“My mother used to tell me not to talk more than five minutes at a time, if that means anything to you.”

And it of course did not mean anything to the woman, because she was too dimwitted to see how smart Sirius was getting with her.

“Aye, yer mother must be a smart one. I can’t stand people who keep talkin’ and talkin’, when yer not even listening. You know what I mean, Servius?”

“Yeah…tell me about it…”




Within a couple of hours the ship at last came to a rest at another ship, this one an actual transport, in Vivec. Sirius thanked the woman for her service, and then gave her sixty septims, ten more than originally requested. “Thank you, Servius. If you’re ever Ebonheart again, be sure to look me up. I’ll be leavin’ in about a week, though, maybe less.” Sirius gave one final wave and the woman set sail back to Ebonheart, to Sirius’s relief.

Sirius headed straight for the silt strider, which was just up a hill, actually right above the docks he had just left. “I need to get to Balmora, please,” Sirius told the Dunmer land-gondolier, this one much friendlier than the Dark Elf back in Ebonheart. “Do you have twenty septims with you?”

“Yes I do, sir.”

“Then hop aboard!”

The ride to Balmora lasted no more than one hour. Sirius paid the elf the required payment, and then descended down a set of stairs leading down into the city. The place was rather empty, or at least when compared the business of Ebonheart and Mournhold. It was strange that the city would be that much less crowded than the other two cities, when it fact Balmora was the same size, if not larger. What was also strange was that Sirius had never been to Balmora in his life, even while working for Helseth. It was peculiar because Balmora was the district seat of House Hlaalu in Vvardenfell.

Before he did anything Sirius checked to make sure there was a local inn where he could buy a room for the moth. He was sure there had to be someplace to sleep, given the fact that the city was so huge, but he still had his doubts. Fortunately he didn’t have to look long because at the edge of the steps was an inn with the name, “Lucky Lockup”.

Sirius entered through the wooden door, and immediately his question as to why the city was slow was answered. The inn was packed with people, of all races, though mostly of the three elf races, mixed in with the other races as well. It was a very noisy atmosphere, one that was increasingly annoying Sirius as the seconds waned by. He spotted a burly Nord standing behind the counter polishing a large beer flask, so he walked over to the man.

“Excuse me, but do you rent rooms per month?”

The Nord looked Sirius up and down, and then replied, “Sorry, lad, but I only rent them out up to a week at a time, and after that ya’d have to give your room to whoever is waitin’ in line for their own bedroom. And believe me, lad, there’s always someone waitin’.”

Sirius sighed and then looked away for a second. It was possible that the investigation could be solved in a week, perhaps less if people cooperated. “Very well, I’ll buy a room for a week. How much is it going to cost me?”

“Seventy-five septims for a week, and that’s a discount, lad. Business has been slow lately, so I thought lowerin’ the prices might attract more guests.”

Sirius looked behind him, trying to figure out how the Nord would classify the overcrowded inn as ‘slow’, and then pulled a handful of coins from his sack. “Here you are sir, one hundred septims. Put what you owe me on my tab. I’ll be back to get something to eat later.”

“Thank you, and have a good evening’!”

“You do the same. By the way, can you point me to Hlaalu Council Manor?”

“Why, just leave here, take a right, and then head up a set of steps about fifty or so yards in front of ya’. When ya’ get to the top take an immediate left and you’re there. Ya’ can’t miss it.”

Sirius gave the Nord a final wave and exited the inn, heading straight for the Hlaalu offices.

CHAPTER ELEVEN


The “Lucky Lockup’s” owner had indeed given Sirius the correct directions, step by step, and in no time he arrived at a very large building decorated with the usual sumptuous decorations you would find at any given Hlaalu structure. It was this that reassured Sirius that he was for sure at the right place. The Dunmeri designs told him that, not to mention a shining iron sign next to the entrance to the building, reading, “Hlaalu Council Manor”.

And also next to the entrance, on each side respectfully, were two guards decked out in full Bonemold armor, a preferred battle-uniform worn by most guards and warriors of the tree Great Houses. The two sentries stood as still as a statue, not paying paying any attention to anyone unless they were attempting to enter the Hlaalu compound. Sirius had dealt with their kind before, and many of the encounters had not been pleasant ones. In Sirius’s experiences, Hlaalu guards, or rather the majority of House guards in general for that matter, were usually on the arrogant side. He just hoped these two particular guards would be an exception.

“Good evening,” Sirius said to the guards, and ‘evening’ was definitely an understatement. It was now a little after ten o’clock at night, and that was probably why the streets were so deserted. Sirius was thinking about then when the guard on his left replied, “be gone, outlander, these offices are closed for the night.”

“My name is Servius Silverfane,” Sirius continued, totally ignoring the guard’s rude comment. He was, and likely along with his partner as well, of course a Dunmer and Sirius could easily tell by his raspy and hostilely tone. The Elven races, especially the Dunmer, absolutely hated the Empire and their Imperialistic ways. But of course that was expected, since the Empire had invaded their homeland of Morrowind in the first place. “I have come to investigate the disappearances of the four members of House Hlaalu. King Helseth sent me himself, from Mournhold.”

“Yes, yes, we obviously know who the King is and where he resides,” The guard replied in a very rude tone. “But that doesn’t change anything. The compound is still closed for the night, and you will simply have to come back tomorrow. Good night.”

Sirius knew he wasn’t going to get far with the stubborn elf, not that he expected to anyway. The guards were very loyal to their Houses, plus it was likely that whoever was in charge of Balmora’s Hlaalu compound had already retired for the night. So he nodded to the guard and then left, heading straight back to the “Lucky Lockup” for some much needed supper.

Back at the inn, it was still just as crowded as before, if not a little bit more somehow. The Nord owner was still cleaning mugs when he saw Sirius enter his place. “Ready for food yet?”

“Sure, why not?”

Sirius walked up and sat on one of the tall wooden stools in front of the counter. The owner finished cleaning the glass he had already been working on, then sat it on shelf with the other clean mugs and walked over to Sirius. “What can I get ‘ya this evening?”

Sirius pondered the question for a few seconds because in all honesty he really didn’t know what he wanted. He wasn’t too hungry, and he wanted some alcohol more than anything. It had been a whole since his last drink, or at least to him that is.

“I think I’ll just take s a small cut of venison, and an order of cooked carrots.”

“Anything to drink?”

Sirius smiled and replied, “Yeah, give me two bottles of brandy.”

After he had finished eating Sirius thanked the man, whose name was Albert, took a key from the man and then went to find his room upstairs. It was a small space, but Sirius didn’t mind. It wasn’t like he had bags and bags full of crap to store. He only had what clothes he had on and what money he was carrying, which was now a little more than two hundred septims. He then closed the door, flopped onto his bed, and fell asleep almost in an instant.

****************************************************

What woke Sirius up the following morning was the smell of something good cooking from downstairs. So he seemingly drifted down the staircase outside of his bedroom, because he was still half asleep, and he realized that Albert was cooking breakfast, which Sirius should have known anyway.

“Good mornin’ there, lad. Wakin’ up early, eh?” Albert asked with a wide and friendly smile.

Sirius asked him what time it was and the Nord answered ‘five forty-five in the morning. “Geez, to be honest I wish I was still in bed, but then I smelled something good and decided to see what it was.”

“Sorry fer wakin’ ya’ up with my food, but some of my customers like to come in extra early. Can I get ya’ somethin’ to eat?”

Sirius thought for a couple of seconds, a ‘couple’ only because he couldn’t deny the offering of delicious smelling food, and said yes. “Yeah, what are you fixing right now?”

“I’ve got just about everything, but what I’m fixin’ now is Kwama eggs, Kagouti sausage, and fresh baked biscuits with Scrib jelly.”

“That sounds great. I’ll take that with a bottle of brandy.”

“Brandy? This early in the mornin’?” Albert asked with a confused expression on his face.”

Sirius simply chuckled and replied, “Fine, I’ll take a bottle of milk instead.”

The food was fixed and brought to Sirius within minutes, who himself was sitting on the same stool from last night. “Say, Albert, how’d you learn to be such an excellent cook?” Sirius asked after taking a bite of his sausage.

“Well, lad, I guess it’d be me dad that taught me everything. He died a few years back, but let me tell ya’, he was one of THE best cooks in all of Vvardenfell, or at least that’s what he’d tell ya’,” Albert said with a hearty laugh. “He even cooked for the Duke several times. Boy, do I miss him dearly. But anyhow, I learned everything me father. What a great man he was…”

Albert seemed to drift off for several seconds, but then he turned back to Sirius and asked, “What about y’self, Sirius? What are ya’ doin’ here in Balmora?”

At that point Sirius couldn’t help but laugh, for he knew this question was bound to come up sooner or later. It’s a good thing for him that he had been preparing a story on the boat ride from Mournhold.

“Nothing important, really; Just to see the sights around the city I suppose. I’ve heard the place is magnificently beautiful, especially at this time of the year.”

“Aye, that they are, lad. I personally would suggest that ya’ visit the Temple if ya’ get the chance. I’m not much on the Dunmeri religion, but I hear the place has some fascinatin’ artifacts if you’re interested.”

Soon the meal and conversation was over with, and Sirius began pulling out some gold coins from his sack, when Albert announced, “Don’t worry, lad, all meals are on the house since yer rentin’ for a whole week.”

Sirius, pleasantly surprised by the offer, replied, “Are you sure, Albert? That’s a lot of money you’re not going to be making.”

“Not a problem, lad. I am here to serve, not make as much money as possible,” he said with a wink.

So Sirius thanked him and left the building, heading again for the Hlaalu Council Manor. It was now about seven o’clock in the morning, and Sirius was almost positive that he’d be able to finally enter the compound and begin his investigation.

At that moment he started to think about what was going to happen, and how desperately excited he was about getting back to work after five years of drinking and lying around doing nothing. The thought donned on him so suddenly that he literally stopped walking and just stood there, thinking.

It was true that Helseth was only using him to do his dirty work, but Sirius couldn’t help but feel a tad bit grateful all the same. If it wasn’t for Helseth, Sirius would still be in Caldera, drinking his life away and spending money he didn’t even have. True, he was still drinking, but at least for the time being his life actually meant something again.

Once the ‘trance’ was finished, Sirius walked up the stairs to the Hlaalu compound. The same guards were standing by as before and Sirius asked, “May I enter the compound now?”

“Yes,” said the same guard Sirius had talked with yesterday. “I spoke with Lady Nileno Dorvayn, the high-ranking member here in Balmora. I told her of your presence, and she had instructed me to guide to her office. Please, follow me.”

The tone of the guard was totally different from what Sirius endured yesterday. It was likely that whoever this ‘Nileno’ was, she had probably instructed the guard to be polite and respectful. Sirius didn’t really mind that.

So the guard opened the door and led Sirius into the building. There were many plants, paintings, and portraits spread throughout the entire first level. It was a beautiful place, but Sirius didn’t get a long time to gander, because the guard quickly took him down a hallway and into a medium-sized room where an exhausted-looking Dunmer was sitting at a desk, with her head in her hands.

“Excuse me, Lady Nileno, but the investigator has arrived,” the guard announced.

The Dunmer quickly looked up, and her tiresome expression was replaced by a fake cheerful smile. “Thank you. You may return to your post.”

The guard took a bow, and then left the room, closing the door behind him.

“Good morning, how are you today? King Helseth mentioned in a letter yesterday that you would be here. I would like to thank you for taking time out of your likely hectic life to help us. The situation unfortunately hasn’t gotten any better, I’m afraid.”

Sirius studied her face, and as he did he could see how much she was hurting inside. Even though she was not a ‘true’ councilor of House Hlaalu, Sirius could sense the leadership that she held. She cared for her people, and it was tearing her pieces that some of them were disappearing, seemingly out of thin air.

“Not a problem, m’lady, I am here to help in any possible. Just tell me everything that has happened so far, from beginning to end, please.”

She gave Sirius a quick overview of the events that have taken place in Balmora, though none of it was any different from what he had gathered from Sirius and the other Councilors. After Nileno was finished Sirius asked for the addresses of the victims, so that he can officially start the investigation.

“Here is a list with the addresses; um…what is your name?”

“Servius…..Servius Silverfane.”

“Alright, Servius, here are the address to the members who have disappeared. I would suggest you ask around the city as well, but you have probably already figured that out.”

“Don’t worry, m’lady, I will do everything I can to find out what has happened here in Balmora. Now if you’ll excuse me, I will take my leave and begin the investigation. Shall I return later and give my results my results for the day?”

“Yes, that would be great. I leave here at eight o’clock, so if you get here and I am present, here are directions to my house.” She then handed Sirius the addresses and then directions to her house as well. “Good luck, Servius, and be careful out there…”

Sirius thanked her and then left promptly. First on his list was a middle-aged Dunmer male named Norvo Milande. He was apparently the first to have disappeared, so Sirius decided to start with him first.