Author's note: Keep in mind that none of the characters in this story are based off of any in oblivion, as I do not have the game and cannot add references to it so just assume that it takes place years after the OB storyline.
Also, this is my first real try at a story from the first person perspective so it may not be so good but hey, I hope you find the time to at least read a little and decide if you like it.
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Prologue

I shall tell you a story that is rarely told, there are few left in this world to recite it. It is a tale of a knight who would stop at nothing to protect his master and friend, throughout time he grew more and more powerful. I will admit that his power was not used only for helping people, they were used for what his master desired and needed. I shall read this story from the journal of Deagan, for he is long gone now and his tale has nearly been forgotten.

Chapter One: In the Beginning...

My name is Deagan, I am but a prisoner now but I was not always locked up like this, believe it or not I once served one of the oldest and most respected councilors in the country...once I was a respected knight serving under what I felt was right...though now I sit here in the darkness, secluded from the other inmates, I can't help but think back to when I first arrived and why I was brought here.

When I first entered the prison, I was on the same floor as the other prisoners but after I escaped my cell and nearly made it out of the complex, the warden added several more guards around me but I was still on the same floor at that time.

The extra guards that were added to the area were always drunk and abusive, they enjoyed hitting me for long periods of time, generally only a few would participate and the beatings would last only a few short minutes but there were always the occasions when they would all enter my cell and hit me at once.

I could have killed them at any time with the amount of experience and training I'd been through but I took the punishment so I could avoid getting into more trouble. Though every man has his limits and eventually I snapped.

One day when the guards entered my cell to begin the usual beating I took the iron mug from the wet stone floor of my room and swung it with my full strength at the nearest guard, causing him to fall to the ground.

As the other guards stood in amazement, I drew the sword from the belt of their downed comrade and jabbed it through the stomach of one of the others. The last guard that hadn't already run unsheathed his sword and I fought him for a few minutes before finally getting through and slicing his neck.

I know it was probably wrong but I felt great, I'd once again gotten the feel of a blade in my hand and felt the blood of the guards who had beaten me regularly for almost four years.

I went for the stairway and fought several more guards in the room with the exit.

Before I left I took a knee near the bodies and searched them quickly for anything that might be of use to me once I had left the prison but there was nothing but a bit of gold and a key.

I went down to the cell room and released the other inmates, no matter what they had done, nobody deserved to be locked up here. The bruised inhabitants of the prison stayed downstairs for now, until I'd checked things outside the prison.

At that point I was starting to feel pretty good, the doorway was right in front of me and I now had a weapon and a bit of gold, I was set to start my new life.

I opened the double doors in front of me and stared blankly into the huge blue sky above me, smelling the fresh air, tasting the winds, absorbing every moment of my newly acquired freedom...but it was a short lived moment of ecstasy.

In all the time I'd been fighting my way out of the prison, one of the guards had already made his way into town and brought back several others. I looked out across the courtyard at the many armored guards in formation in front of me and did a rough estimation of how many were there.

I counted about twenty and readied myself to fight them when I heard the loud thumping noise, as I slowly looked down I noticed the arrow in my chest and quickly broke it off, leaving the tip still inside of my flesh and starting to move closer to the group of men down the stairway.

Another arrow struck my shoulder but I did not let my pain show, instead I continued to make my way closer and closer to the soldiers, knowing that this battle would be my death...unfortunately it wasn't.

A man in a robe emerged and put his hand out as if he wished were motioning for me to stop, from it emerged the spell that ended my escape, it hit me and all my strength faded, I felt as if I hadn't slept in months and I fell to the ground on my knees, barely able to stay awake...which reminds me of why I hate mages since we're on the subject.

The guards surrounded me and forced my head down, the guard drew back his blade and readied to strike me, finishing this once and for all.

Before he could a voice rang out,

"No! Do not kill him, he shall be forced to suffer for what he has done, for the rest of his days he will remember the brave guards he killed today and their deaths will weigh hard on his mind."

In reality I felt no remorse for killing the guards, not even the slightest bit of guilt, my years of killing had taken away the feeling of grief and the feeling of wrongdoing that I had when I first started.

The man leaned down close to me and whispered into my ear softly,

"You will suffer for the crimes you have committed fool, you cannot stop us, we will kill the councilor."

I forced my head to look into his eyes then quickly looked to his feet and spat onto them, showing my hatred for him. If I could have lifted my arms I would have hit him right in the jaw and strangled him but alas, I was powerless.

I stayed awake a bit longer to see one of the guards draw back a wooden club and that was it, I awoke some time later in the darkness, completely alone. I learned later from the warden that they had moved me into the cells in the basement, away from the well behaving prisoners and into the part of the prison with those who would never see day again.

The guards were careful here, never leaving anything in which we could use to escape and never entering our cells under any circumstances. I was in the high-risk section of the prison and nobody wanted to disturb me.

It was a step up from the prison upstairs in some ways, no listening to other inmates complaints and no abusive guards.

Though life in the lower sector got old quickly I'm still here, as I've been unable to escape, its been years since my only escape attempt and I wonder if I would even be in this situation if I had not been in the service of councilor Quin, who would probably be killed by the black diamond assassins, if he had not been already.
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Hope this at least slightly interests some of you.

An exciting start. It is a joy to see you writing again- I certainly hope you will add more to this story.

Wohoo...the great Kiln is writing again,....thanks alot.

the story...immensly intriguing, and I like the whole consept of it...I really do.

I'm glad that you have started to write again, so you have my ear...let's hear it.

[insert hundreds of Jona's and hundred of Milanius'es ]

Thanks for your support guys.
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To allow you to understand why I was placed in this prison first you would have to understand why I committed the crime...which you will discover later.

It was many years ago when I met the councilor, right after I left my home to begin exploring the world and making my own way, a young imperial boy of eighteen whos father was a wealthy smith and whos mother was a fine clothier.

Some would think that a man who ended up in the imperial prison for the rest of his life had come from a poor family or a broken home but that is not the case, I wanted a life that was simple and easy to acquire, not having to work for what I had in a hot forge day in and day out like my father had done.

It was good money working in the forge, to be sure, but the work was not for me. I had my own ideas about how to make gold in this world and it involved adventure, theft, or any means necessary, even if I had to take it by force.

So I began to rob people along the road to the imperial city and started hiding out and living in a small shack just off the back road. I'd made several hundred septims in the past few weeks and as word spread the caravans got harder and harder to rob, it seemed that after a while every passing carriage had an escort.

I had to become more professional then, finding other mischievous men to help me out, distracting the people while I grabbed things from the carriages and ambushing them for their purses.

We were in the big time now, or at least I felt like it. To some we were nothing but petty thieves but to us, we were true bandits, living off the land and the people on it.

It was somehow satisfying to know that the money that others had worked so hard to earn had come to me with such little effort, I was really starting to get good at my profession.

Things were going well for us, we were dragging in a steady amount of gold every now and again but just like every other time when things were going my way, things were about to change.

My team heard about a caravan of nobles, councilors and traders to be exact, that would be passing by into the imperial city within the next few days and we began planning. Foolish nobles always carried more in their pockets than they needed, they were a prime target.

We planned constantly and argued for hours, this one was important and one mistake could ruin it all. Nobody wanted to be the one that distracted the guards, so I came up with the idea to draw straws, the shortest straw would be the one that distracted the caravan while the others helped themselves to the loot.

I pulled my straw from the hand of one of my companions and then waited on everyone else. I just happened to get the shortest one in the bunch. I cautiously accepted, knowing it was the only right thing to do...there is honor among thieves.

So for the next day and a half we waited and continued planning carefully adjusting our plan into perfection, the four of us each had our own part to play, mine being the most dangerous.

The night the caravan passed by was very cold, I could see my own breath as I waited just off the edge of the road in the darkness, my companions waited in their positions as well. I could hear the light trotting of horses down the stone road and I could see the gentle flicker of torchlight, now was my time.

I took the red berries from my pockets and smeared them on my shirt and hands, giving the illusion that I was bleeding, patted dirt on my clothes to make it look like I'd been in a struggle and propped my back against a boulder before throwing some random items on the ground around me to look as if I'd been attacked and robbed.

As the caravan approached I counted six guards, I'd been lucky enough to learn to count in school, my parents' money had been useful after all. When the guards saw the scene I had set up for them three of them ran up to me and started to look around, the other three carefully walked around the wagon which had a head peeking through the window, though he did not look afraid, he actually looked calm and friendly...strange considering the situation, most nobles would be trembling with fear.

One of the guards bent down near me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"What happened kid?"

"Bandits ambushed me...they took everything I had." I said acting wounded and depressed about the loss of my items

"Which direction did they go?" The guard asked

"South I think...past the tree line." I said just as I had rehearsed

The guard half dragged me beside the carriage as the other two guards headed south.

"Stay with these guards, they will keep you safe." He said heading in the direction of the other guards

There were three guards left and one large chest on the back of the carriage being closely watched by one of them. I could see my team near the edge of a small hill looking toward me, expecting me to draw the guard further from the back of the carriage.

After a moment of quick thinking I stood and looked into the darkness opposite of of my accomplices pretending to see something, the guard near the rear of the wagon approached me as I hoped he would.

"You see something?" He asked somewhat skittishly

"I think I see another bandit...waiting in the darkness." I said, still holding the false wound in my stomach

The guard moved in front of me and all three around the cart stood in attention, waiting for something to jump from the shadows. I turned and saw my companions going to work on getting the heavy chain out from around the chest on the back of the carriage. It was taking a long time and I could hear the other guards coming back from the woods I'd sent them into.

It looked as if we were in the clear when the guards close to me walked to the others and began talking some twenty feet away from the carriage, paying little attention to the carriage itself. Luckily, the torches in front of it made a perfect shadow for my boys to hide in. After few moments had passed, they had gotten the chain from around the chest, and had begun to pull it off its resting place.

Something happened then that I had not expected, a door opened and then slammed shut as a guard emerged from inside the carriage and stood beside me.
He was a huge nordic man with a rough face and a broad body, he was very intimidating to me and as I started to get more and more nervous I started thinking about my getaway.

As my friends were dragging the huge gold filled chest off the wagon, one of the handles broke off and the chest and the heavy box hit the ground with a loud thud followed by metallic clinking of gold pieces scattering and bouncing across eachother. I quickly looked to see my companions fleeing the scene and I turned to make a run for it as well. My plans were halted as a metal gauntlet grasped my shoulder tightly.

"Where you think you're goin?" The brute of a guard asked

I was terrified as he drug me by the back of the neck to the back of the carriage and motioned for the other guards, who came quickly and surrounded the wagon once again.

"So you were in on this?" The guard asked as he wiped some of the berries off my shirt and tasted them with two leather covered fingers

I opened my mouth but none of the words I stuttered were actual words or even close to anything understandable. The guard tied my hands and left me with the others as he spoke with his master for a short while before returning.

"I figured we should just turn you in to the local watch but councilor Quin says he sees something in you...not sure what it is but he wants you to come with us. You will serve him and in return you will recieve food, shelter, and will be given any luxury or punishment my master sees fit...oh yes and my name is Oryn." He said with a quick half smile

At this point I was disoriented and confused, the pit of my stomach felt as if someone had buried a dagger in it, and my throat felt like I'd tried to swallow an entire watermelon whole.

The guards picked up the gold and moved the chest inside of the carriage. I remained tied for many hours past that time and from the conversations of the guards I picked up that the councilor was on his way to some important meeting, after which we would return to his manor and he would decide what to do with me.

I rather disliked being thought of as property but what could I do? Slavery was illegal but if the guards are the ones doing it then how can it be stopped? Ah well I figured I'd just go along for the ride until I reached the manor, after I escaped from there I'd figure out what to do next.
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Here's a bit more, hope you enjoy it.
Edited some of the wording and added a bit more description to some parts.

hehe....you're wecome Kiln...supporting you is the least i can do...you have been following my Rp...so you deserve it...

As I said earlier, the plotline is exiting, and I and the fact that I was thrilled beacuse you started to write again, was also adding to the effect...as I KNOW you're a good writer, and I think we can expect great thigns from this story....thanks for starting up again...I'll be there to back you up all the way.

Have a Tellie ...and a Tellie writers award.

The horses pulled the carriage into town slowly, keeping pace with the guards around us.

As we arrived outside the city the guard inside the carriage stepped out and spoke with the men standing beside the huge doors leading past the city's walls.

The councilor's bodyguard flashed some documents and the men let us through without hesitation, I looked around the city once again as we slowly rolled in and thanked the divines that we'd came to the city during the night or else my parents might have found out why I'd been taken prisoner. The last thing I wanted was for them to find out I was a thief.

They might even have gotten me out of trouble and taken me home but that was the last thing I wanted. I would soon be headed to the manor of an incredibly rich old councilor and once I arrived the looting would begin.

For now though, I would have to wait at the cart for the councilor to return from his meeting. As he stepped from the carriage the guards formed at his sides and only one stayed with me at the wagon.

The stone streets of the city were lit by many lanterns hanging from posts, the golden light emerging from them made the roads look truly amazing at night.

I sat with my back against the huge iron wheels on the wagon and looked upward into the sky, the stars glowed brightly, the moon was full, and the clouds moved swiftly through the air. I could hear crickets chirping and the occasional owl screeching as it searched for prey outside the city. Things were more quiet that night than I'd ever heard them before.

Tonight was beautiful and bright enough to see, it would have been perfect for an escape but I couldn't be sure how far I would make it before the guards caught up with me so I decided to stick around until the time was right. My plans to loot the councilor were not yet set in stone, nor were any other thoughts running through my mind.

I had spent a long time waiting in the same place so I stood and started pacing back and forth along the road. The man who guided the horses looked at me briefly but said nothing, he'd been silent for the entire trip and I could tell that he didn't like me much, but it turned out that I didn't get much of a chance to know him.

Just as I was about to speak to him the doors to the council house opened and Quin stepped out smiling along with his guards. He looked satisfied and happy as if he had gotten what he wanted from the meeting, this was also the first time that I'd seen him in the light and could really make out what he looked like.

The councilor looked like the average middle aged imperial, the lines of age were clear upon his face but they were few, he had a short beard and mustache that was mostly black but had lots of gray sprinkled through it much like the hair on his head, and for clothes he wore an exquisite looking blue shirt with matching pants and a black cape that fluttered gently in the wind. He stood tall with his head held high as he strode toward the carriage, though he was old it seemed that he had the vitality of a man half his age.

I heard light footsteps behind me and turned to face the man who was running extremely quickly in our direction. Yards behind him was a group of about four guards.

He wore a yellow suit that looked like very light material designed for running, I would soon discover that it was his job. The councilor's guards must have known the runner since they did nothing to stop him from coming very close to Quin. The man stopped several feet away and breathed heavily before bowing before the councilor to show respect.

"What is it Elden?" The councilor asked

"Assassins along the main road, I brought four guards with me to join you. You must leave now before more of the black diamonds arive." The man said quickly still breathing extremely heavily

"You're sure?" Quin asked

"Yes sir, completely. At least twenty armed assassins wait for you less than three hundred yards out." The man replied

"Thank you Elden, I want you to stay in the city and wait until it is safe before you return to the manor." Quin said

"Yes sir." He replied and then took off for an inn nearby

The councilor turned to the guards who had heard everything,

"We must go." He stated plainly

The guards were just starting to join the rest of the men when the councilor climbed into the carriage, all the guards surrounded it, and got ready to take off.

I climbed on the side and held on as tightly as I could. I still hadn't quite grasped the situation but everyone was in a hurry to leave town before more of the assassins arrived along the road.

The guards were outnumbered, it was ten to twenty, more than double the assassins than guards. Odds were not good that the councilor would survive this ordeal, I had heard of the black diamonds and a target had never evaded the assassins for long.

I showed no fear but secretly I was terrified, I rode the cart along with the other soldiers and it was clear that the others were just as afraid but they tried their best to appear brave and strong.

We left the gates and started along the main road, I wasn't sure why we were leaving the safety of the city but it probably made little difference, he would be just as safe inside as outside but this way he would be closer to home.

The group walked silently along the road, trying to stay alert and be ready for the attack. A group of men in black charged at us down the road yelling and waving their blades. The guards braced themselves and got ready but did not expect the rain of arrows to fly from the darkness, one of the guards fell backwards with an arrow in his eye and several others were wounded. The nord that I'd met earlier was lucky enough to catch the arrows in his shield rather than his body and he continued fighting strong and unharmed.

A guard next to me caught an arrow in the throat, blood sprayed into my face and I wiped it with my sleeve and looked at the fallen guard. He was gone now and had no use for a weapon so I quickly grabbed his sword and pushed my back against the cart, flaming arrows landed all around me and the carriage had been set ablaze, the councilor was still inside.

The guards were falling quickly and the assassins were trying to get through the door on the opposite side of the cart so I pulled the door on my side open and stabbed through the window, catching an assassin in the eye with the sharp steel blade and killing him instantly.

Quin told me to get out quickly and he rushed me out the door, following closely behind me. Once we were outside again I looked about, only four guards remained and very few of the assassins had fallen. Three horses remained alive strapped to the front of the burning cart, the fourth had been hit with an arrow and killed.

Another guard fell, and this continued until only the large nord called Oryn remained guarding the councilor, he grabbed me and motioned for the councilor to follow as he led us to the front of the flaming cart.

He drew back his blade and cut the leather harnesses holding the horses and each of us climbed atop one of them. I rode as fast as I could, looking over my shoulder at the guards that had fallen all around the cart, arrows sticking from their bodies and assassins wearing black clothing crowded around it yelling and thrusting their blades into the air as the remains of the cart burned.

More flaming arrows continued to fall around us for some time until we had gotten out of range, we rode for hours and I was surprised the horses didn't give out by the time Oryn decided that it was safe to stop and rest for a few minutes.

I was still shaking uncontrollably even after riding for hours, I'd never been in a situation so dangerous or terrifying in my whole life but I had this distinct feeling that it would not be the last occurrence of such events.

It had only been a few minutes when Oryn decided that we'd rested long enough.

"We must leave now, we can't risk meeting up with them again. Its not too far from your estate now sir so we'd better get a move on." Oryn stated

The councilor was in no rush, he still seemed just as calm as before this had happened. I wished I'd felt the same but I was a complete coward at that time, though I was eighteen I had lived the sheltered life of a rich child, having everything I wanted given to me, having to earn nothing, and never getting into unnecessary fights.

This was a huge change from what I was used to, with the councilor I'd been forced to fight for my very survival the first night I stayed with him, though somehow this felt right, as if things were meant to end up this way.

The blood on my new blade had made me over confident though at the time it was the last thing on my mind. I still had relatively no combat experience. I was deep in thought about how things would be in the future when Oryn rushed me back to my horse and we got moving again.

I hoped that we would arrive at Quin's estate soon.
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If you've had the patience to stick with my story this far, I commend you my friends.
Hope you like it.

Oh Mr Oven! It´s a sheer pleasure to see another story of yours! As good as usual, you are a very good writer you know, and here I see a masterpiece coming.

I can assure you I´ll read every part.......it´s so great to see you writing again!

Oh my, this is very exciting. Keep it up.

The loud sound of the horse's hooves clopping on the ground was beginning to drive me insane, it was nearly morning now, the sun was not visible but light washed over the land around us.

A thin mist blanketed the landscape ahead and I could see a small source of light in the distance that seemed to be a fire. I leaned up from resting on the horse's neck and shifted position in the saddle, so I could see better. The reality that we'd finally reached the councilor's estate began to set in and I started to notice just how sore my legs were and how much they hurt from rubbing the saddle so much while the horse had been running.

I looked above me and could see the armored guards all along the walls of the place, archers lined it because they had heard we were spotted near the road, as I looked at the estate I laughed inside. It looked like a small legion fort but was better defended.

The drawbridge lowered over the moat and the iron gate inside slowly raised, showing the courtyard, we rode inside and the councilor's men grabbed me from my horse, searching me for weapons carefully as I listened to the heavy gates being lowered and the bridge withdrawn.

When the guards were satisfied they looked to the councilor and waited for instructions. What he told them was something I had never expected. Quin turned to me and for the first time I'd seen, he smiled a quick smile that retreated as quickly as it had came and spoke directly to me.

"My friend, you saved my life while we were in the carriage and for that you have my gratitude, I shall ask you now to begin training under Oryn as the second in command of my guards...for this is why I have brought you here." the councilor stated calmly

I wasn't sure how to react and it was clear to me that it was the first time this had been brought up, even to the captain of his men. Though Oryn did not question or even act surprised, my gift at reading people told me that he was not pleased that I would be serving under him and to be honest I wasn't sure why the councilor was giving me the opportunity.

"You will begin your training soon but for now you must rest." Quin said before turning to his guards

"Take him to the guest quarters, it shall do nicely for him."

As one of the guards led me up the stairwell, thoughts of what the "guest quarters" was crossed my mind, perhaps it was some secret code for the dungeon...I had tried to steal from him after all.

With each step the feeling in my stomach grew sharper and sharper, I was eighteen but I felt as if I was much younger, the feeling like when your father gets upset with you when you don't do a task correctly. Its not the punishment that hurts the worst, its the agony of waiting for the time to come when you will recieve it.

We emerged on the final step before the doorway to the dungeon and the guard placed the key into the lock and turned it slowly, the door made a loud click and he pushed it open gently.

"This is your room kid, you'll be staying here until the councilor says otherwise...I don't think its proper that you be placed here, you should be put in the stables...but this is the councilor's word and I shall not question it." He said

I stepped into the room and looked around slowly, amazed at the extravagant design and complex patterns of the items around the room.

Before further examining things I turned to the guard and nodded my head, sort of a silent way of thanking him. He understood and turned away, closing the door behind him.

The room was wonderful, the bed had so many pillows and soft comforters that it looked as if I made a wrong move, I would be lost in it forever. Exquisite cloth works lined the room, all shades of dark green with lighter green designs covering them. Candles were strategically placed around the room for the maximum light but none of them had been lit.

I moved closer to the window in the corner of the room and looked out into the courtyard below my room at the people training below, they wielded varieties of weapons and the instructors drank merrily as they watched their apprentices practice with wooden weapons on eachother.

One man made it through and hit the other hard in the chest, it looked like it hurt alot less than the insults from the annoyed instructor that was now yelling at him and I knew that soon I would be in the same situation but for now, I had to rest.

I sat on the bed for a moment, deciding that I would sit for a moment and then explore the grounds but before I knew what happened I had drifted into a gentle sleep. Dreams of my days as the second in command of the troops here danced through my head, I saw myself standing proud, decked out in armor, and leaning on the handle of my silver sword.

Dreams are better than reality sometimes because when I awoke, it was to Oryn rushing me to get dressed and get ready to begin my training, I could already tell that it would be a long day...
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My thanks to everyone for their comments and I hope you enjoy this next bit.

Yeah....great update Kiln.

This story is getting better and better for each update,and your exellent writing makes me bereft of words when I'm supposed to reply on it...

But what can I say, this was an exiting one, and I love the idea of you writing a new story...so please continue, and NEVER stop again...

A long day sounds just fine to me. As long as you keep writing. So please bring on the updates.

Lots of new "Kiln-baked" goodness here. You have a real ability to write stories that keep us reading and hoping for more.

I made my way back down the stairs and to the dining room where Quin was waiting for me. He nodded once and Oryn led me outside, the councilor just wanted to watch how I performed in combat.

I had never fought enough to get any skill at it but Oryn assured me that after a couple of months of training I would learn a few of his fighting tactics and a bit of field strategy for when I had to command a guard unit. He could only teach me the basic elements of battle and how to keep focused during combat, I would have to learn the rest on my own.

Oryn led me down by the fountain and walked over to one of the other trainers.
My nosy side forced me to move closer and listen in on their conversation. The other trainer was a dark elf man with a scar across his eye, bald head, and a deep scratchy voice.

"Master trainer Jiub, would you bring out one of your novice fighters? Perhaps your new boy, Falen?" Oryn asked

The dark elf scratched his head for a moment as if he was thinking and dug through his pocket for a moment.

"Care to make a wager captain? Say...fifty gold pieces?" Jiub asked

Oryn counted out a rather large amount of gold pieces and sat them on the table beside the elf before shaking the man's hand to seal the deal. The trainer called Jiub yelled for his apprentice and he came out quickly, standing in attention in front of his master.

"Go get your training equipment and get ready for a warm up fight before we start this evening." Jiub said

Oryn approached me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"You will fight Falen today in a practice fight, I've got fifty septims on you so don't mess up. The first to strike the flesh of the other five times wins the fight, strikes on the shield do not count towards your victory or defeat so make sure his weapon lands on your shield and your weapon gets past his." he said calmly

"Yes sir...I will do my best." I replied plainly

"Your best is not good enough, act as if his wooden blade were real and don't let it hit you...remember that enough hits, no matter how good they are could cause you to bleed out in real combat so don't let any through." Oryn said in an authorative tone

I knew that if I lost this fight, even though I had not been training like my opponent, Oryn would not be happy so I would do as he said and try my damndest not to lose this fight.

Jiub and Oryn took their seats at a table facing us and began to drink some brandy while Falen came toward me and held out his hand, I extended my arm and shook with him.

"Best of luck to you." He said

"And you as well." I replied

We stepped back roughly twenty feet away from eachother and picked up our wooden blades. Both of us moved toward one another in a ready stance, I glanced at Oryn who was watching with great anticipation from his comfy chair beside councilor Quin.

This competition was real to Falen, the friendly man I had stood before moments ago had been replaced by a solid warrior, ready to do what he must to win this game.

He came in close to me and swung but I stepped out of it just in time, causing it to pass harmlessly past my stomach.

I stepped to the side and swung down at Falen but he moved effortlessly from its path and brought his weapon toward my side. My shield caught it perfectly, causing him to lose balance, and allowing me to strike him once in the chest before he knew what was happening.

He came in quickly before I had a chance to block and slapped me with his shield before hitting me twice with the practice blade. I was mad now and went in too quickly for my own good, swinging wildly and though I hit him twice more, he hit me twice more as well, leaving no more room for error on my part.

I moved slowly closer to him, circling carefully trying to wait him out so he would make the first move. Time seemed to slow down as my heart beat loudly, adrenaline pumped through my vains, I found it strange that this could happen in a practice fight.

I must admit though, it felt almost natural to me holding the weapon in my hands. Though it was not real I thought of it as if it were as sharp as steel as I moved in for the final strike.

I stood proud and confident as I swung toward Falen, sure that it would connect.
He slapped my blade to the side with his and hit me the final time with the practice sword. He smiled and gave a quick bow before returning to his master.

I could tell that Oryn knew that I would fail but he didn't act like he was surprised.

"Well that wasn't bad...but you need to get into shape." Oryn said as he stood from the table

"Thank you sir." I replied

"Now give me fourty laps around the courtyard...then we'll start your training." He said with a fleeting smile

I did not question him, instead I ran laps around the huge courtyard. The cool fountain in the middle seemed like a mile away and its cool waters taunted and called to me to come to them. After I managed all of the laps I took a long drink from the fountain and then returned to Oryn.

For the next month I did the same routine involving exercise, training, and reading to sharpen my mind. Training was rough but it got easier with time, I didn't realize just how much I had learned from Oryn until our first escort mission.

The councilor had left and returned to the imperial city many times without problems with the assassins. In all the time I'd been training no assassination attempts had occurred, a solid month and a half had passed without one and we had guessed that there would be one along the road to the council house because they wanted to get him before the meeting but I felt invincible now that I'd learned to fight...I had no idea what to expect but I felt I was ready for anything.

I got a letter a few days after overhearing the councilor talking about the meeting that said that I needed to be ready as soon as I could for the trip to the council hall. I packed my things and went downstairs to Oryn who had sent a servant to retrieve me.

"Come with me Deagan, I have something for you." He said in a cheery voice

I followed him slowly into the room where the wine was stored. Oryn pulled a stone out of place and the wall slid out of place, revealing a hallway leading down.
He motioned for me to come and I did so eagerly awaiting whatever he was going to show me.

As we continued deeper underground I saw groups of men training in the room ahead, we kept going past them though and I could not resist asking a question.

"Oryn...what is this place?" I said timidly

"This is the elite training area for Quin's personal bodyguards and mercenaries...you should be honored to even be brought down here." He said calmly

"I am sir." I replied

He led me deeper into the place and showed me to my own armor, sword, and bottle of brandy for my efforts and graduation. It was soft steel engraved carefully with swirls and a dragon. I was very pleased with this and also surprised that Oryn had decided to advance me.

"You've graduated from basic training, we'll start the advanced stuff when we get back but for now, put this on and go upstairs...prepare for our trip, we'll be leaving soon." He said

I carefully strapped the armor to myself and moved upstairs to further prepare myself for the journey ahead of me. For now I would focus on eating breakfast with Quin...
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I hope you liked this part even though it is a bit short, I don't know when the next update will come but trust me...it won't be what you're expecting I assure you.

Excellent update. I loved that you brought back Jiub. He is the first friendly (although quite scary) face the player sees in MW- and then, poof. Great fight scene, capturing Deagan's thoughts as well as actions.

Agree with Trey - Good work Kiln!

Ah...more wonderful updates from our very own Stove Pipe...

Sorry for not commenting on the last ones...i have been a bit busy with the Rp's lately..., but now I thought it was time to get going and replying on one of my favs again...

Great work you ol'smoothy...I always love your updates...keep'em coming.

Oh, he's going to learn the advanced stuff? Now this will be interesting. Keep them coming.

This is really a fascinating story.....I enjoy it very much indeed. Great work Mr Oven.....really great..

Well I wrote a variant of this four or five days ago that took me about an hour and a half but right before I posted it the power kicked off and I lost it...I was very unhappy. Stupid power outages...
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Chapter 2: The Storm

I made my way upstairs and left the secret hall of knights standing proud in my new armor. It was heavy but it was specially made so that it didn't restrict movement of the arms and legs, a thick layer of chain was under the arm and only the top of the gloves were metal, underneath was a thin leather that would allow me to have a tight grip on my blade.

I slowly walked into the dining hall and looked around once again at the splendor of the decorations and the soft lighting of the candles. Strangely I was still amazed of how wonderful the room looked and how good the food tasted even after eating there for over a month.

The maid and her assistant brought out a dish of roast beef that was only rivaled in beauty by the girl that carried it to the table. That was the first time that I'd noticed how pretty she was, I was generally more interested in the food but this woman was too perfect to miss. She had blond hair that ran to her shoulders, green eyes, and the perfect body that would make the councilor himself want her if she wasn't born a servant.

My heart beat sped up and became louder, sweat began to build on my forehead, and I felt as if I were swallowing an apple with every drink from the goblet beside me.

I sat silently staring at her as she served the food to Quin, Oryn, and myself. When she noticed she started to blush and moved on with her business and left the room with a smile, I shook off the dazed feeling and began to eat the food in front of me as my thoughts wandered back to her and when our eyes had met for that brief moment.

Oryn dragged me back to reality with a quick tap on the shoulder to indicate that both of them were ready to go. I left my plate with half a meal remaining on it and went out by the carriage in the courtyard.

Quin and Oryn entered the cart as the gates of the keep opened and the bridge dropped down for us to cross. We rode for several hours and were quite surprised that nothing had happened along the road. I could see the gates of the imperial city now and nothing stood between the carriage and our destination. I looked off to the sides of the road, watching for an ambush but there was nothing suspicious anywhere.

Oryn stepped out with a cautious look on his face and spoke to the guards at the gate. The massive gates opened and we slowly entered, the streets were empty, there was simply nothing there to make us suspicious of an assassination. The carriage pulled up in front of the council hall and stopped abruptly, the guards formed around it and readied for the councilor to disembark.

I saw the councilor inside, he looked as worried as everyone else. Perhaps his informant had been wrong, or he'd been discovered and the assassins' plans had changed. Oryn stepped from the carriage and called all of the guards into attention before Quin climbed out behind him.

"All of you stay here and guard the entrance, nobody enters after us...nobody." he commanded

Quin stepped up beside him and pointed at me briefly.

"Deagan, you come in as well...you are one of my knights after all." he said calmly

"Yes councilor." I said respectfully

I felt like part of the circle now, being allowed inside the council chambers was a great honor. I followed them up the steps and the guards opened the doors for us to enter.

I looked around the crowded room slowly admiring everything as Quin put on his political face, even if you were his most hated rival you would not know it by the way the councilor acted towards you. He shook hands with everyone and smiled as he pretended to remember those who talked with him, he was a true politician at these meetings.

The councilor made his way to his seat at the back edge of the room and sat down, Oryn stood calmly with his arms crossed beside the councilor.

The room was huge with many lanterns lighting it brightly, the tables were around the back edge of the room in a "U" shape so the councilors could sit with their backs to the wall, and the tables were exquisitely decorated sparing nothing to make it look as costly as possible.

People danced to the small group of men playing instruments in the corner of the room as they talked and laughed among themselves creating one loud noise much like a large tavern. This was more of a party than a meeting, a feast paid for by imperial taxes and had I not eaten a huge breakfast hours before I would have feasted with them.

I looked up and noticed the twin balconies on opposite sides of the room, a place that someone could stand and look over the entire hall. I noticed that about six servants passed me at once going up the stairway on the right side and luckily I decided to follow them.

I walked up the stairs with my back to the wall looking around the corner and watching them enter a room marked "Servants Quarters". I slowly crept up and opened the door partially to see the small room filled with crates and bedrolls.

I could see someone pulling a rope up through the window and I watched closely trying to figure out what he was doing. After a moment he reached the end of the rope and reached down, pulling a bow inside with a few arrows in a pouch.

The man in the center rolled out a piece of paper and the others started to gather around it. I looked closer and noticed that it was a map of the council hall dining area. The leader reached out his arm and pointed to the map.

"You take the nord...you two get downstairs and get the councilor...I'll take the new guy..." the leader said as he pointed to the appropriate people

As he pointed I saw it, on his forearm was a small black diamond contained within a serpent's mouth marking himself as the leader of the assassins. The men stood and started to walk towards the door so I turned and ran as quickly as I could to try and warn the councilor.

By the time I'd reached the ground floor the assassin with the bow was in place getting ready to release an arrow. I pushed through the crowd but there were too many nobles in the way and I couldn't make it in time.

The first assassin got beside Jadier and pulled a dagger out of the loaf of bread he was holding, before he could do anything Oryn had stabbed and killed him. The second assassin moved toward Quin, jumping over the table and also being killed by Oryn.

It was too late to warn them, it had begun so I decided to make my way back upstairs and stop the marksman. I ran quickly up the stairs as the common folk ran for the exit I bounced off the wall at the top of the stairs and turned in a dead run toward the archer.

The first arrow was released and it landed in Oryn's chest, I wasn't even close to the assassin yet when he drew the second arrow and released it as well. I looked to Oryn who had been hit in the throat by the second shot, he was now choking and had fallen to his knees.

In a blind rage I drew back my blade and brought it down with all my strength, hitting the archer directly in the spine. He fell to the floor and I stabbed him in the heart before looking back up to the servant's quarters.

The other three assassins emerged from the door ahead of him and two of them circled me, forcing me to back up near the wall. The third assassin smiled at me briefly before pulling the hood over his head and heading downstairs.

He was getting away and there was nothing I could do about it until the assassins in front of me were down, I had to focus on them first.

I sidestepped the blade of one of the angry assassins and let him hit the wall behind me, I turned and quickly cut the drapes he was standing under to cover him up for a moment before turning back to the other assassin that was swinging his sword at me now.

I stepped back just in time to survive but I got a diagonal cut on my left cheek and blood ran freely from the wound. I wiped my face with my left glove and then looked back up to see the two assassins ready again, the second had already forced the drapes off of himself and was beside the other assassin once again.

I thought back to the training that Oryn had given me about strategy, I knew I needed to keep my mind on the fight now or else I wouldn't survive so I looked around quickly doing a scan of the area for anything I could do to even the odds.

One was near a balcony so I faked a swing and kicked him over the edge causing him to fall the long distance onto the stone floor, he hit with a loud thumping sound and blood slowly ran in jagged circle around him.

The other assassin landed a carefully planned stab in the gap between my chestpiece and my greaves. Blood ran down my stomach and the assassin looked at his work with satisfaction.

In anger I swung my blade at him with my full strength but it landed in a wooden portion of the wall, holding it there and forcing me to abandon it. I pushed the assassin to the wall and hit his hand until he dropped his blade, I hit him with my fists as hard as I could several times before his knee met my groin, forcing me to fall to the floor.

I laid there in pain as the assassin drew a dagger from his boot and turned me over onto my back, I pushed against his arm as he tried to bring the short blade into my throat, barely keeping it at bay.

The assassin's dagger slowly came closer and closer to me as my strength failed me. It started to sink into the flesh of my neck and I felt warm blood starting to trickle down the back of my neck.

I heard loud footsteps coming from the wooden stairway and the assassin turned away before I saw a blade come through his chest, blood covered my face as the assassin fell on top of me.

The man who pulled the assassin off of me was Falen, my friend from training. He helped me to my feet quickly.

"We have to get to Quin, there may be more." Falen said quickly

I stood and held my cut neck as I went downstairs to join Oryn as he died. I sat down and pushed my back to the wall beside the nord.

"Continue your training and...protect Quin..." Oryn said, choking on his own blood

He handed me a blood stained letter to his father before he drew his final breath and slowly faded away, he was gone.

Anger filled my veins and pumped through my heart, I would find the assassin and kill him slowly...for Oryn.
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Here's the next part, hope you enjoy it.

This is great!!! I regret that I havent been posting anything on your story (how you have mine) but I havent had much free time lately so let me take the chance to congratulate you on your very well written story.

Kudos Kiln... Kudos

P.S. I'll be waiting for upddates

This was again a good update, filled with the exiting Mr.Oven baked stuff that I enjoy so much...thank you

So please dont let it be so long to the next time you update...will you, exellent

No, he's dead! Make those assassins suffer. Great update as usual.

Mr Oven.....what can I say that´s not been said already? Ahh I´ll present you with the biggest Serene-award....

Go Kiln! Seriously if I had the time I'd make an emoticon just to show how happy I am after reading this... for now this will do

Thank you all for your comments, they mean alot.
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I searched the room with my eyes for anything that might point me in the direction of the assassin but there was nothing, no sign of where he might have gone. Quin took a knee beside Oryn and spoke his final words to the corpse of his guard and companion.

"Farewell my friend." He said slowly

A bald man wearing a long brown robe walked up to me and stood silently for a moment before putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Find the assassins my child...and punish them for their ungodly ways." The man said softly

"When they attacked the councilor...they killed my son." he added

"I will avenge his death father...though I have lost their trail." I said quietly

"Start your search in the wine cellar, the old crate in the far eastern corner." He bowed slowly before me and then turned to walk away

I watched him wipe the tears from his eyes and leave the building before I turned to the councilor, the rest of the guards were with him now so I figured he'd be safe with them.

"Councilor, let me end this...let me seek out their leader and kill him." I said

"I wish you luck, for I know that this is something that you must do and that even if I tried, I could not stop you." He replied with a look of approval

"Thank you councilor." I said as I turned quickly to the wine cellar

I made my way to the heavy wooden door leading into the cellar and entered cautiously, unsure of what to expect. The room was rather dark and only a few torches lit the huge space before me, shelves of wine lined the edge of the room, and a large stash of crates stood off towards the eastern corner, just as the priest had told me.

I carefully made my way toward the crates, keeping my eye out for a trap or an ambush. When I felt that it was safe I approached the crates, they looked quite normal but on the top of one was a large black diamond, seemingly burned into the lid.

The crate was sealed so I wedged my dagger in the crack below the lid and gave it a swift pull upward. The crate popped open and I grabbed the top, lifting it off, there was a handle on the bottom of it to pull it back on and inside the crate was a ladder leading deep into the floor.

Great, another passage...

I could see light down below so I slowly climbed down the ladder, securing the lid of the crate above me as I ventured into the lair. The ladder dropped down into a hallway that had been there since the council hall had been built, likely a place for the councilors to take shelter in case of an attack, but had been long forgotten by everyone excluding the black diamonds.

Once I reached the bottom I was enamored by the dull blue glow of the lights around me, seemingly enchanted as there was no visible flame. I shook off the wonder of the lights and contnued deeper inside, eventually emerging from the hallway into a dining area that held four long tables filled with assassins eating their dinner.

The leader of the assassins emerged from his room and held out his arms, calling for silence. Adrenaline pumped through me, I wanted so badly to kill him I could have charged into the middle of the room if I hadn't already weighed the situation in my mind.

"We have failed to achieve our goal once again! We must not let this councilor escape us again, in all the years our order has survived none have made us look so foolish as this one man." He yelled and slammed his fist on the table angrily

The assassins stopped speaking among themselves and gave the leader their full attention, seemingly afraid.

"We make no more mistakes, the next time we attack this councilor, those who fail will answer to me...I grow tired of the incopetence you men have shown of late and things will change if you fail me again..." He said darkly before turning and going back down the hall toward his personal quarters

I stuck to the darkness around the edges of the room, if I was sighted there would be no chance for me to escape...it would be over. I crouched down and slowly made my way down the hall behind the leader, my heart pounded loudly within my chest, begging me to kill him.

It was not time yet though, as I made my way down the hall a corridor formed off to my left. I could hear moaning and cries from down the hall and I made my way there to see what the source of them could be.

I was shocked and sickened by what I saw before me, cells containing battered people on both sides of the hallway and at the end was a table with a man strapped down to it.

A larger man tortured him with a sharp blade as I moved closer. The large man smiled as the other screamed and passed out from the pain. I emerged from the dark hallway into the room beside the large hooded brute and drew my blade quickly.

He was startled and began backing off toward the wall in fear. I stepped forward and stabbed my blade effortlessly into the man's dark heart, ending his reign of terror before taking the keys from his belt as he fell to the floor.

As I turned I saw the man on the table more clearly, I froze in horror as I saw his face, it was my father. He laid there bloody, beaten, and unconscious but thankfully he was still alive. I unlocked the braces holding him to the table and slowly lifted him off and onto my shoulder.

I walked back down the hall a ways and sat him down with his back to the wall near the cells and left him there for the moment.

"Let us out! Come on, free us!" mixed voices whispered from inside the cells

"Stay calm and quiet...I will return." I said to the people inside

"I hope..." One of the voices replied

I hope so too...

I continued down the hall and slowly opened the doorway to the leader's room, quickly stepping inside, the man sat in front of a mirror practicing a speech. When he saw me he picked up an object off the dresser beside him and threw it at me.

A sharp pain emerged from my shoulder and I stared at the dagger for a moment before pulling it out, blood ran down my chest and soaked the left side of my shirt.

Enraged, I walked toward him quickly, thrusting my blade at his throat. It missed and broke the mirror beside him. He countered quickly and kicked me causing me to fall back into a display case full of plates and bowls, breaking them. Glass continued to fall from the shelf as I pushed off of it and charged at the assassin, hardly managing to stab him in the arm.

He pushed me off and hit me in the face with a steel platter from the table beside him. I fell to a knee and held my head, as he came in with a dagger I stood, moved to the side, and brought my blade down on his neck in one movement before he knew what had happened.

I looked to the headless corpse and spit on it, grabbing the head and carrying it to the empty dining hall, apparently the assassins had already went to their bunks for the night so I left the head on the table for them to find later.

A short walk back to the cells and I had freed the prisoners. I picked up my father as the others left and carried him toward the entrance, we were nearly out when a few of the assassins came in to check out the noise and found us. I handed my father to one of the prisoners quickly.

"Make sure he gets out...I'll hold them." I said

He quickly nodded and took my father from me, I pulled my blade and stood alone to face the wave of assassins, to save the lives of the men and women still climbing the ladder to freedom.

Two of the men came at me and I locked blades with one, wrestling him for position, in desparation I kneed him in the stomach and pushed him down on top of the other assassin as he came up the stairs. I quickly glanced behind me at the people still climbing the ladder.

Come on, hurry up...

As another came at me I stabbed him in the stomach and he was lost under the feet of several more assassins who had rushed to aid their comrades. A dagger hit the wall beside me so I pulled it out and threw it back, killing another one but he was quickly replaced by the next one in line.

There were too many so I retreated to the wooden ladder, climbing up it as swords clipped the steps below my feet. I climbed out the crate and kicked the assassin climbing up behind me in the face before putting the lid onto the crate.

I turned and rushed to one of the wine shelves, pushing it with all my might causing it to fall atop the wine crate, sealing the assassins within their lair and tomb.

As I emerged from the council hall Quin waited for me at the table across from the door, surrounded by guards. The prisoners fled the building and some of them collected some of the food from the floor, having not eaten in some time.
I laid my father onto the table and looked to Quin for a short while before I continued on.

"It is done my lord...I would like to request your permission to take my father home." I said softly

He looked at me and nodded briefly before taking a drink from the goblet beside him.

"Yes Deagan, take all the time you need and meet me here when you are ready to leave." He replied

My father groaned as I picked him up and carried him outside into the rain, toward my former home. I knocked on the door until it began to slowly open, revealing my mother standing within.

She gasped and motioned for me to come inside, asking too many questions for me to respond in a short period of time, mostly pertaining to where I'd been and what I'd been doing. I explained it all to her, the assassins, my knighthood, and the fact that I'd been doing bandit work since I'd left the house.

My mother stared at me in amazement as she tended to my father's wounds, I explained that I had to leave because the councilor was waiting and my mother agreed. I kissed my mother and departed before my father woke but at least I knew he was safe.

"Tell my father that I love him...I will return when I can." I said

I slowly walked through the rain toward the council hall, when I arrived I told Quin that I was ready to leave and with that we were off, headed for his estate.

I loaded Oryn's body onto the back of the carriage and wrapped him in a thick blanket to keep the rain out. We'd lost one man and saved over half a dozen but that didn't soothe my mind in the least, thoughts of what I could have done to save Oryn played through my mind as I walked mindlessly beside the other guards.

Though I felt like I'd done good I also felt like I could have done more, I could have done anything besides what I did and saved Oryn...his death lay heavy on my mind now as I continued the muddy walk back to Quin's estate. Rain landed on my face as I took off my helmet and looked into the sky off in the distance, bolts of light flashed and thunder rolled as we continued along our path.
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Here's the next part, hope you like it.

Excellent! I'll wait to see the end! Wait I missed something, where is the counciler going?

They're heading back to Quin's place for now but don't worry, things won't get too repetetive with the returning and leaving the estate...trust me...

Nice, very nice. Well, that's all I can say. I just keep thinking, did that guy want our hero to die? He just happened to know the hideout of the bad guys after all.

Just wait, all will be revealed with time...

Hmm I´m sure it will.....but the question is....when? I follow this great story with pleasure and every time I come here I´m checking for updates


Excellent writing Mr Oven!

One small step for man...wait wrong speech...just read it and tell me what you think.
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As we came within view of the manor I wiped the mist from my eyes and took a second glance at the drawbridge guard station. I waved for the carriage to stop and instructed the other guards to stay with Quin, something wasn't right. As I moved toward the place I could see that the drawbridge had been let down because the mechanism had been damaged by some sort of projectile, possibly a small trebuchet of some sort.

I approached the old wooden guard station slowly, taking in all the information I could about my surroundings. Arrows protruded from all over the ground and the window of the place. The bodies of several guards lay there, riddled with arrows, some with their blades partially drawn and one body seemed to be crawling away when he'd died.

I drew my blade slowly and moved closer, entering the shed and slowly leaning out the door. I could see the courtyard from here, there were a few more dead guards on the ground...mixed with a few fallen civilians around the fountain. I looked up and saw several of the councilor's men along the wall fighting armored men, definitely not assassins. Quin's men fell quickly before them but they continued to fight valiantly in spite of the chaos around them.

A firey explosion broke a hole in the outer wall, bricks flew into the moat. Quin's battlemage stood in the gap in the wall with a smile, two flaming men ran screaming and jumped into the moat.

One of the trainers made it...I gotta get to him.

I stepped forward a bit, trying to work up the courage to go inside. The battlemage stabbed another that ran into the room with him and kicked the lifeless corpse off into the moat. It looked like the battlemage was winning until an arrow struck him in the chest, he stumbled backwards and fell into the moat to be devoured by slaughterfish like the others, as he fell he threw another fireball into the room.

The events around me caused me to freeze up, the sound of footsteps startled me and I stepped backwards, falling over the body of one of my deceased comrades. I readied my blade in case I had to fight but I didn't stand. The person continued running in my direction before turning and coming into the shed with me. I was startled and at the same time relieved when I saw who it was. It was the master who had helped in my training, Jiub. Overjoyed, I couldn't contain myself.

"Jiub! What has happened here?" I asked in an excited tone

He held his hand over my mouth and placed a single finger in front of his lips, meaning for me to be silent. I nearly held my breath as I heard another set of footsteps coming in our direction. Jiub picked up a bow and pulled a few arrows out of the wall that had passed through the window.

Someone was coming fast, I could hear him panting. They grew closer and closer...I began to sweat, my heart beat quickly in anticipation. A loud whistling noise broke the quite patter of the rain and then a dull thud, then another. The man that was running began to groan and I peeked outside, a man dressed in common clothes fell to his knees with two arrows freshly stuck into the flesh of his back. Another man dressed in heavy armor came up behind him and stabbed a sword through his back without thought or mercy, killing him instantly. He stood silently over the body with a smile, seemingly happy with his work.

Jiub's eyes were filled with hatred, I watched as he drew back the arrow and let it fly smoothly landing in the neck of the brute before us. The dark elf man peeked around the corner briefly and then turned back to me.

"There is no time to explain what has happened, we must leave....right now." he told me

We started off toward the wagon when I heard someone scream within the estate, a girl was standing outside the front door leading into the courtyard and a man was trying to pull her back inside by the arm, the door was nearly closed and it separated the man from her. It was the servant girl that I'd met before and against my better judgment I decided to go back for her.

I turned from Jiub and started walking quickly in her direction without waiting for him to notice. He turned and looked at me in disbelief before waving for me to follow him.

"You'll never make it...there's an entire garrison inside that building." Jiub yelled

"If there's a chance to save someone...I have to try." I said

I ran as fast as I could through the courtyard and kicked the door, knocking the man down. The girl was startled and I grabbed her, half dragging her behind me as I ran back toward the gate.

Arrows fell behind me and bounced off the stone floor of the courtyard as I ran with my head down. Damaging the metal gate behind me was a hard task considering all the people that were still inside but I was forced to make a choice...my life or theirs.

In selfishness I chose my own and broke the lock holding the gate up, it fell and cut off the flow of angry men behind me...but it also cut off the escape for anyone else who might have made it out.

There was no time to regret my actions, I ran as quickly as I could ignoring the screams and the yelling behind me as the last of Quin's men were mopped up by the well trained fighters that had besieged the courtyard.

I rushed back to the tree line and met with the others.

"We must leave this place, the gates will not hold them long." I said between breaths

"What has happened?" Quin stuck his head out and asked seemingly terrified

"I don't know for sure but we must leave now...Jiub can explain later. It seems that your manor has been attacked." I said

The entire incident had occurred within minutes but it seemed like hours. I mounted a horse from the stable and started to ride away from the manor, leading the group out of danger for the moment. We found a small cavern entrance and I entered first to check it out.
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There's the latest, it's kinda short but I hope you liked it.

Holy crap... that was freaking awesome... the men dying... the battlemage going out with a bang... the freaking manor under siege... what in the bloody hell will you think up next?... it does not matter... because I know it is goin to be great!!!

Thanks for the feedback Maze, here's the next part for those of you still reading.
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Chapter 3: Retribution

I thoroughly searched the cavern, it seemed that the cave had been used by others as a shelter some time ago. Old rotten chairs, a few dusty bedrolls, a body, and ashes mixed with partially burnt logs were all that remained of the previous occupants. I checked the entire cavern carefully for anything dangerous before returning above ground and waving the others inside, I noticed right off that the carriage guards were gone now.

Falen, Quin, Jiub, the servant girl, and I were the only ones that remained. Quin had dismissed the others while I was inside exploring the cave and they were walking away now. Strange how the men that have worked with you for so long will leave you the first chance they get.

As everyone went inside of the cave I loaded the supplies off the carriage and Falen carried them in. This was our base now, no luxurious manors anymore...just this dank old cave filled with rats in the middle of nowhere. I was now the commander of nothing and the special armor I'd been given before had become a bittersweet reward...its disadvantages outweighed its advantages and I couldn't bear to keep it much longer.

Though it protected me very well it was hot, loud, and hard to maneuver inside of the steel shell. The protection it offered was pointless now, I hardly cared about it anymore so I discarded the armor in a pit of water off the backside of the cave only a few hours after we'd arrived. As it disappeared slowly into the darkness at the bottom of the pool, the noble soldier I'd become within the last few months faded away with it. Back to my roots, I would stick to what I was good at from here on out.

A single body occupied the cave besides us, one that had been dead for some time now. The body was past the point of decay, there was simply a skeleton before me. He wore a tattered old black cloak and thin leather gloves. I took the cloak and gloves from the corpse and put them on, their former owner wouldn't be using them. A single arrow was stuck between his ribs, he'd likely crawled back into this cavern after a fight to die long ago...or he'd been betrayed by his partners, there was evidence that several people had lived here.

I had a bad habit of over analyzing things that meant nothing, like what might have happened to this man. I shook the curiousity from my mind and washed my face with water from a puddle nearby.

I stood and walked up to the entrance where the others sat depressed and quiet. I pulled the hood over my head and walked into the light of the freshly lit fire.

"We need to get rid of the carriage...I need a volunteer to help me." I said to everyone

Falen silently volunteered by standing and we took the carriage out to dispose of it, anyone that might be searching for us would surely investigate if they saw it. We rode to the edge of a ravine and untied the horses before pushing the carriage into the pit. We released the horses after taking off their saddles and harnesses.

We began the long walk back to our new home. We slowly pulled back the cape that covered the entrance and walked inside. Later on Jiub explained what had happened. A neighboring leader called Damiscus had accused Quin of worshiping the daedra, a sin punishable by death in the council.

It appeared as if this lord had been searching for a way to ruin Quin for some time and he'd finally found it. The council ignored him so the lord went to the legion but they turned him away as well, it seemed that no one had believed what he accused Quin of.

The imperial legion refused to oppose Quin and did not believe the accusations but the lord became desperate, so he bought a warrant for the councilor's arrest and execution from a greedy politician named Timara, who's heart was as dark as the new moon. Rumors were about that she'd had her own husband killed for rights to his estate.

With legal rights given by Timara, Damiscus put together his men and sent them to take Quin from his home.

When the men arrived Jiub told them that the councilor was not in and the men demanded to search the grounds. Jiub refused their demands and closed the gates, calling the estate's personal garrison into action. The invaders besieged the castle and called all those within traitors to the empire...once they finally manage to get inside they killed everyone they could.

As Jiub told more of the story it was clear that Quin was becoming increasingly angry, that was the first time I'd ever seen him get mad. His mad look was replaced by one of deep thought, he sat silently after Juib finished for some time before voicing his thoughts. He came up with a plan to kill the opposing lord and all those involved in the conspiracy...including Tamira.

I reluctantly volunteered to do the deed, though I had little experience I figured I could do it as well as the next guy.

"I'll do it sir. I'll take care of them for you..." I said confidently

"Deagan I cannot ask you to do this for me...we will find another man..." Quin stated

"I would like to be the one to do it sir." I said

"Its too dangerous, I cannot risk your life." He said

"I can handle it...let me do this." I pleaded

He rubbed his chin slowly before answering.

"I believe that you can do it...but I do not wish to put you in harm's way." He said calmly

"Then I will put myself at risk." I stated as I turned and walked toward the entrance

"I wish you luck my friend...I know that I cannot stop you...I knew when I first saw you how stubborn you were...thats why Oryn and I chose you." He said

"Oryn had part in choosing me?" I asked, astonished

"Very much so, though he did not show it...he had a large part in my decision." He said

"I am glad that you chose me...I will not dissapoint you." I said

I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head once again and walked slowly outside into the rain. I walked for hours, past the ruins of Quin's palace toward the home of Damiscus.

I sat on the hill and stared at the smoking remains of Quin's estate, the place I'd called home for the last few months was gone and all that I had trained for had been for nothing. My position was forfeit now and my trainer was dead.

Everything was falling into place now, Damiscus had sent the Black Diamonds after Quin all those times and after their failure he got desperate, turning to Tamira. His plans had worked quite well besides one rather large error...there was still breath within Quin's lungs.

I stood from my place under the trees and continued on in the rain. I stepped lightly as I approached the outer fence of the manor. It was dark now, only the gentle light of the moon would guide me.

I climbed onto some square cut bushes and pulled myself up to the top of the fence before throwing my weight over and landing on my feet. I looked around carefully at the patrols, they were armed with torches and dogs. I could see only one way inside, a trellis leading up to a second story window. I moved closer and climbed slowly up, the rain made it a difficult task but I managed to reach the window. The wind blew the curtains viciously inside the room where I entered.

A man inside the room sat terrified in the corner, I stared at him cautiously walking between him and the door.

"Do not move..." I said, trying to instill fear into him

He instantly jumped and crawled over the bed, running for the door. There was no other way to keep him quiet, allowing him to survive would surely result in the guards being alerted.

I stepped a few feet and pulled the dagger from my belt, stabbing it into his kidney. He let out a short cry of pain before I covered his mouth. I stabbed him again and let him down slowly onto the floor after he stopped struggling. That was the first time I'd killed an innocent...it would not be the last. I locked the door behind me in case any servants came by.

I peeked around the next corner and saw two people talking, I moved closer in the dark hallway to hear their conversation. I could see the guard but the man he was speaking with stood around the corner, out of sight.

"Yes my lord...Quin's manor has been taken care of." the voice said

"How did Quin die?" He asked

"Quin was nowhere to be found...however, a scout did find his carriage in a ravine along the road to his manor." the man replied

"I told you to make sure he was dead." The voice said in an angry tone

"Yes sir...I will return and search for his body." The man replied

As the minion turned away I saw the lord step forward and stab a dagger into his shoulder. The man struggled and the lord leaned up next to his ear...I felt as if I recognized the lord...like I'd seen him before.

"No you will not...I grow tired of your constant excuses and failure." He said with another stab in the man's shoulder

As blood sprayed on the stone wall beside him and the wounded man screamed as he fell to his knees I realized where I'd seen the lord before. Back at the council hall...the priest that had sent me into the wine cellar in search of the assassins.

He'd sent me there expecting me to die...my trust in people had betrayed me once again.

As I plotted the lord's death a servant came upstairs at the sound of the screams and the lord smiled at her.

"Clean this up and meet me in my quarters afterwards." He said darkly

Hatred built inside me as I creeped through the manor's deserted hallways and waited for the servant to finish cleaning up the blood in the hallway. Guards came and drug the body out and Damiscus returned to his room upstairs. I waited for things to calm down a bit before I would proceed to the end of the hall and climb the stairs.

I would kill the lord as mercilessly as he'd killed his guard just moments before. I slowly drew my dagger as I approached the stairway behind the servant woman, not to kill her but to use her in order to get into the lord's room. I would go in right behind her and confront the lord.
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Alright there it is, hope this interests someone.

Interesting developments. It is sad to see Quin reduced to living in a dank cave. I am concerned for Deagan; I hope he hasn't bit off more than he can chew.

poor Quin... Keep up the writing!

Wow... thats all I can freaking say man... wow and bravo... it cant wait to see the next update... but I do want to say... that was a damn shame... he did not have to throw the armor away... it could come in handy later on the future... but I guess Deagan knows best...

Profound apologies for missing the last several updates- the loss was mine.... However, that has now been remedied by some diligent and pleasant reading.

The descriptions of the assassins' lair were magnificent- along with a grand fight (or two).

I hope that Quin does not have so many enemies that Deagan cannot handle them- that is becoming a real possibility. On the other hand-

"Me against the world? I like the odds." Perhaps that should be Deagan's motto.

Thanks for the comments guys, though I wish that everyone who reads would comment I'm glad to have all of your thoughts on the story. Anyways I'll get started on the next part soon, until then.

No problem man... it is pleassure to read/comment your stories... as long as you keep the updates coming that is...

Good and interesting as usual! Keep writing..its a pleasure to read your work!

Oh yeah, now that was totally awesome!
Heh, let's hope that Deagan is a bit better at persuading the servant than the guy who was supposed not to move. And I knew that the priest couldn't be trusted.

I crept silently behind the servant as she tapped gently on the door of her master, I decided not to alert her to my presence...I really didn't want to have to kill her. Damiscus opened the door and stared at the girl with a smile, I didn't want to know what he was thinking...

The lord was distracted by her and left the door open slightly as he forced her onto the bed. She did not resist him, she simply closed her eyes tightly and turned her head as he approached her.

My surroundings were rather dark, only a small candle lit the room near the dresser. I glanced around the room quickly looking for anything that Damiscus might use to defend himself if he noticed me...there were dozens of empty bottles of alcohol, a skooma pipe, and the last thing I noticed was a small dagger beside the bed.

I crouched down and slowly crept around the edge of the room behind the lord. The soft black leather shoes covering my feet allowed me to move freely across the stone floor without alerting my target of my presence. As I came up behind him I thought about all that had happened in recent times because of this man...I grew increasingly angry and grew impatient.

I made my way toward Damiscus until I was only a few feet away, close enough to grab him before he even touched the poor woman in his bed...it was hard to believe that I had once thought this man was a priest.

I slowly and silently drew my blade from my boot, leaning up slowly behind him to grab his shoulder and slit his throat. I carefully timed my breathing and exhaled softly as I prepared to make my move.

Before I had the chance to act a loud and repetetive knock came on the door I'd entered. I stepped back away from my target, back into the shadows around the edge of the room. What happened next both shocked and disgusted me, the lord left the edge of the bed and opened the door. He seemed angry that he'd been disturbed yet he still talked to the man outside for a few moments.

Damiscus stepped back inside and waved in the man he'd been speaking with. It was one of the guards from Quin's caravan. I sat there silently, unable to believe what I was seeing.

The lord sat down in his chair and my former comrade stood in front of him.

"What is it exactly that you needed to speak with me about Daren?" Damiscus asked in an aggravated tone

"I heard that your scouts have found Quin dead..." He said

"And what of it? It is done, Quin has been ruined and destroyed...I recieved word from Tamira that she has been successful in elimnating her councilor as well...and the new Black Diamonds are in training now for the next councilor on the list...all is going according to plan." Damiscus stated

It was beginning to seem like there was more behind his hatred for councilor Quin...they were planning to kill the other council members and according to Damiscus, they already had killed one of the others. I knelt in the corner and waited for the conversation to continue, I was eager to know exactly what was going on.

"Yes all is going according to your plan...other than the fact that Quin still lives." Daren said mockingly

Damiscus became uneasy and shifted in his chair, his arrogant smile had faded as quickly as he'd heard those words leave Daren.

"I had a feeling that he might be...do you know where I might find him?" He asked

"You know our agreement...money first, information later." Daren replied as he rubbed his fingers together

"Yes of course...let us go to my treasury." He said, motioning for Daren to follow

As they exited the door I looked back to the servant...soon she would no longer live in fear of her master...none would fear him.

I trailed the men a short distance to the treasury, carefully avoiding passing guards on patrol. When I finally reached the place, the doors had been tightly locked. I took a small, thin piece of metal from the pouch on my waist and inserted it into the lock.

There were several tumblers inside the heavy iron lock...it was very difficult, even for me to open...keep in mind that my ability to pick locks is among the best. I probed gently inside the lock, listening carefully to the sound of the movement of the pins inside and eventually I lifed all the tumblers, allowing the lock to pop open.

I crept inside the treasury, it was huge and full of priceless items, few of which interested me though, I put aside my instincts as a thief and remembered why I'd come here. I stood up now, it was too bright inside the treasury for crouching down to help me anyways as there were no shadows to stick to.

When I moved deeper inside I could hear whispering deeper inside so leaned against the wall and looked around the corner into the larger portion of the room where the two men were standing.

"Quin is in a small cavern about a half mile SouthWest of his estate, follow the edge of the mountain." He said as he accepted a large bag containing several coins and turned to leave the treasury

I had already plotted a way to kill the traitor when Damiscus yelled.

"Oh and Daren..." He started but stopped mid sentence, purposefully waiting for the man to turn

Daren turned to look back to Damiscus just in time to be hit with a single glass throwing dagger in the chest right between the ribs. Daren looked down at the dagger and back to the lord before falling to his knees.

"I need to tie up loose ends...like you." He said with a smile as he stepped closer to him

Blood ran from the mouth of his informant slowly as he stared blankly at him. Damiscus grabbed Daren's chin and pulled his head up to look him into the eyes since it seemed that Daren was now incapable of movement.

"Can you feel that? The slight tickle down your spine? You know they say that if it were not for the paralyzation...this poison would be a most uncomfortable experience. I suppose that you won't be telling me about it though..." He said with a short laugh before pushing him over in the floor

I heard the door to the treasury open in the room behind me, a single guard emerged and stood in front of the door, perfectly cutting off my escape route.

As Damiscus turned to wipe the dagger off and place it back on the display shelf I moved up slowly behind him after grabbing one of the poisoned glass daggers off a shelf near me.

As he polished his dagger and hummed a song I stepped beside him, bringing the dagger into his stomach. He dropped the dagger he was holding and stared at the wall before him. I leaned in close and whispered softly into his ear.

"Consider this a message from Quin...deliver it to Tamira for me will you?" I said as he fell on his back and started to spasm uncontrollably

I pulled the dagger from him, dropping it to the floor beside me. When he stopped moving completely, I removed a single coin from my pocket and placed it on his chest. I also did this with Daren's body, the septim was my calling card...though I did not personally kill Daren, there was no need for others to know that. As a final sentiment to my hatred of the traitor, I carved a "T" in his cheek...though I'd never personally seen it done, I had heard of it being done before by assassins to those who betrayed them.

I smiled, satisfied with my work...then quickly wiped it away, along with the sweat on my forehead. Now to get past the guard and escape. I picked up a bottle of brandy that looked rather expensive and took a long drink before throwing it to the opposite side of the corridor, as the guard moved closer I ran up behind him and hit him over the head with a club on one of the shelves.

That part was easy, I made my way back upstairs, broke the lock on the room I'd entered through, and left the same way I'd come in. It would've been faster to go out the front door but I couldn't take the chance of being discovered so I climbed down the trellis slowly, the storm and lightning flashes actually put my mind at ease and distracted me from the deeds I'd just done.

It was then that my plans were destroyed, a dog caught my scent and began barking loudly. Its master released it and it ran toward me, I held my dagger up in an attempt to kill it but the dog moved to the side and grabbed my arm.

The dog shook its head and ripped through the thin layer of black cloth covering my shoulder, tearing at the flesh beneath it. I dropped the dagger on the ground and lost it in the mud beside me.

I panicked and slapped the ground beside me with my free arm in search of the dagger as I half held the dog's head in the other. I gave up searching for my dagger and brought my fist into the face of the beast as it growled and continued to tear at me.

The guard started to get closer and others had been drawn to the sound, voices yelled out as they spoke back and forth to eachother, converging on my position. I grabbed the head of the animal on top of me and twisted its neck violently, it let out a loud yelp and stopped moving.

I pushed the corpse off, slowly crawled over the wall around the estate, and walked a few miles away before propping myself up against a tree. As I tore a piece of my shirt off to wrap the deep wounds the dog's razor sharp teeth had left I thought about my life...I'd undergone many changes, most of which in the past few months...it seemed that a darker side had lurked beneath my skin for some time now and it had just begun to reveal itself...the rush of taking down my target and planning my movements pleased me greatly.

Though now I was an assassin, my past had been littered with many other things. I'd been born a noble, worked as a thief, trained as a knight, and served as an assassin all within the past year. I knew that I wasn't the best or most professional of the hired blades, but it seemed that luck was with me thus far and I could only hope that whenever the time came to kill Tamira I could be so lucky.

With her it would be more difficult...perhaps I would have to serve her for some time to even get close enough. I also wondered where the Black Diamond's base of operations was...maybe I could find out through Tamira. I forced the many streaming thoughts out of my mind and sat there in the rain, staring out over the sky.

When I could sit no longer I stood and made my way back toward the cave that I now called home. I knew that I'd have to go through water first to force the dogs to lose my trail...in case Damiscus' men tracked me.

I waded through a river and then started back to the cave knowing that there would be no problems for a while, after all I had killed both of the men that knew Quin's location. Once I reached the cave I would rest for a bit...I'd worked enough for the week.
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Alright guys/gals, hope you like this bit...it took me a while to get it where I liked it.

What a very talented sneak. I'm glad that Damiscus got what was coming to him. Now that the plot has thickened, I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Now this was a nice update. Deagan should just stay on his guard and everything will be fine.

Well from the beginning of the story you know that he gets captured sooner or later so....

I really like the direction you are taking this story- Deagan's thought process and inner conflict make him much more 3-dimensional. A long update, with plenty of action, but which also moves the plot forward nicely.

I guess treydog said it all.....I completely agree with him on this.

Mr Oven.......great work, I´ll expect more....

Hello everyone, I'd like to start by offering my apologies to all of the great writers on these forums for not commenting on all the work that comes through here anymore, I've been short on time of late and I do not expect that will change for some time. For now I'll update this for anyone who might still be reading, or anyone that might start. I'd also like to mention that there is one scene that I don't think is too explicit but if anyone feels that it is I will edit immediately.
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I pulled back the thick piece of cloth covering the entrance to our camp and trudged back into the cavern where the others sat around the fire. I knelt before Quin slowly, leaning on my sword as I stuck it into the hard dirt floor of the cave.

"It is done." I said softly

Quin stood from his dirt mound by the fire and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Deagan, you have done me a great service...one for which I do not know if I will be able to repay." He said in a serene tone

"I've held this ring for years, it was a gift to me...from Damiscus. A false symbol of peace between us for the political eye. It will allow you to become faster and more silent as you move, for as long as you wear it. Your actions have proven yourself most deserving of it." He said as he handed me a golden ring with the emblem of a snake on the band, wrapping itself around my finger

He paused for a moment before continuing, "But we are not yet finished...there is still much that needs to be done."

"Will we continue our plans for Tamira?" I asked calmly

"We will continue as planned. You will go within the following week to Tamira's stronghold with Falen. There the two of you will offer your services to her in order to gain her trust. She will give you a task, one that an honorable man would decline, to test your loyalty. If you truly want to get close to her, you cannot deny the task, even if it goes against your morals." The councilor said

He glanced between Falen and myself, his two most trusted companions.

"I know that you will not fail me." He said with a fleeting smile as he put his hands on our shoulders

I stood from my place at Quin's feet and laid on a dusty old bedroll, exhausted from a day of work. I drifted off to sleep but the innocent man I'd killed haunted my dreams, I tossed and turned but was unable to find peace. All I could remember was the horrified look on his face as he tried to escape the room, and then I stabbed him without thought or remorse.

I felt heartless, for some reason I was fine with killing to serve my purpose, I guess thats what bothered me most. I was deep in thought on the matter when a splashing noise roused me from my slumber and I stood slowly, scanning the room with my eyes.

Another noise came from the tunnel off to my left. I picked up my sword and began moving down the slope to the bottom of the cave, toward the pool of water in the corner. Something continued to move in the water at the edge of the room, in the shallow section. I moved closer and realized what it was.

As I saw the beautiful woman I'd rescued, I started to look away but she motioned for me to come over to her. I walked a few feet and stuck my sword into the soft, muddy ground under me. She stood from the the pool and ran her hand across my back, a strange feeling grew in the pit of my stomach, something I'd never felt before. I admired her body as I slid into the water beside her after removing my blood soaked garments.

"I haven't had the chance to reward you for helping me good sir." She said softly as she kissed me, the look in her eyes was tender and calming

I held her in my arms and pulled her close to me as the kiss continued, we sunk a bit deeper into the pool. The water felt amazing, everything around me glowed a radiant yellow color, it was the perfect moment.

A few solid seconds of kissing went by before I withdrew and looked at her again in horror. The woman before me had transformed into a beast that barely resembled the woman I'd been with before. Her skin had turned to scales, her eyes slit like that of a snake, her hands claws, and her mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. As her jaws opened wide and bit my neck I truly awoke from the nightmare and looked around the cave. Sweat ran down my face and I wiped it with my sleeve.

Everyone slept around the main cave and I took the path down to the water, thoughts of my dream fresh in my mind. I didn't even know the name of the girl yet...I would make finding it out my goal before leaving for Tamira's palace...hopefully work there would be better than my escape from Damiscus' manor. The blood from my recent battle stained my black clothes a dark red color and the wound on my arm was beginning to bother me now.

I slumped into the pool and removed my shirt, washing it in the water around me. As the blood washed from my clothes, the water was dyed a scarlet color, the gash on my arm was looking bad now and the wrap was bleeding through. I sat my clothes outside of the pool and swam for a bit before getting out and wrapping myself in a dry blanket and hanging my soaked clothes on a line we'd strung across a small corridor of the cave.

I returned to the upper section and peered out the door, for some reason I couldn't sleep. Deciding to hunt, I put on some spare clothes, made from a cheap brown cloth that was rather uncomfortable and picked up my bow. After grabbing a few arrows I strapped the quiver to my back and exited the cave, looking to the forest nearby.

It was early morning now and the mist hung thick in the air, as I breathed in I nearly choked from the amount of humidity. I carefully placed my steps to keep from making any excess noise as I saw my target. A small Buck ahead of me, he didn't look like he weighed much but his meat would be a good change from what we've been eating.

I place an arrow onto the bowstring and drew it back, aiming at the deer. I inhaled and exhaled slowly as I released the arrow toward the deer, at that moment the deer jumped forward at the sound of a stick breaking. I dropped my bow and pulled my sword as I turned around to face whoever had come up behind me.

A quirrel...such a small rodent had come between me and my dinner for the night. I did as any man in his right mind would, began to yell and throw rocks at it.

"Damn squirrel, you cost me dinner!" I yelled

I think I might've been on the verge of losing it when I turned to pick up my bow, I hadn't been that angry for some time now, I smiled and nearly laughed before turning back toward the direction of the squirrel. It was about that time that a leather glove hit me in the face, causing me to fall backwards. My vision blurred from the surprise attack and I began to lose consciousness.

"How much you think he's worth?" One asked

"I don't know, I hope this is the right guy." the other replied

"Looks like the guy on the poster to me...he's a little older now though." he said

Damn bounty hunters.

Darkness closed in around me and I woke what seemed like minutes later, being dragged by the leg, I was still disoriented and couldn't really tell what was going on.

"He's wakin' up again." The fat one said

The other let go of my leg and kicked me in the side of the head, instantly making me lose consciousness again.

(There is a small note at the bottom of the page that appears to be written after the rest of the page above.)

Though you might think that this is where I was captured, it might surprise you to find out that this is not the same instance...sadly I was captured several times by different people, in this case it was two lowlife bounty hunters named Urlyn and Aspen.
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Sorry its rather short but I can't start the next part yet, I have the next part written but the folder is in the car, which isn't here at the moment. Also this may have several errors and I'll go over it again later.

Yay! An update from Kiln! And a strong one at that. It's nice to know that Kiln is having troubles over killing an innocent man, necessary though it was, his guilt shows he's human.

I'll patiently await your next update.

A good update. I always enjoy a good bit of introspection, so I was glad to see some from Deagan.