Ok, another start. I was going to hold off on this one for a few months but the point is, if I don't switch my focus around regularly, I'll go nuts. And letting it rot on my harddisk feels like a waste. I'm also a bit worried for spoilers regarding my other stories but hey, this might actually serve to keep my interest in other stories fresh. A spoiler here leads me to ask myself 'then how did it exactly happen?'.

So umm, yeah. Let's get going.

part 2

Redemption

Chapter 1: End of the wait.

Drip….drip…..drip. Cold water dripped down between the bars and along the rough stone. The crackle of thunder roared through the chamber, the flash of lightning erased the darkness for a brief moment.
,,Bloody bad weather today.” The Dunmer who inhabited the cell mumbled. He glanced at the cell opposite his and sneered. He then walked up to the bars and gripped them with his hands.
,,I said, bad weather today.” He repeated. For a few seconds, he waited. Then he scoffed and walked to the dirty rag that was his bed.
,,Not very talkative today, are we? Well, I envy you. All that water coming in through that peekhole. Fresh water! I haven’t had fresh water in months!” He spun around and faced the bars again.
,,In months, you hear me?! Then why don’t you take advantage of the circumstances and enjoy this luxury your cell provides but mine doesn’t?!”

The man in the other cell lay on his back in a corner of the cell, hands folded under his head, legs slightly spread, feet almost lying in the pool that spread on the floor. The window of his cell lay at the bottom of a slope, which allowed a steady stream of muddy water to enter. To any casual observer, it would seem that he was asleep, comfortable despite the Spartan conditions of his surroundings.
,,Don’t get over-excited. Water isn’t the most important thing in the world.” He replied softly without opening his eyes. The Dunmer grit his teeth.
,,You and your self-righteous proclaimants. Then what is the most important thing in the world, wiseguy? Well, out with it. Show us the great wisdom of the Altmer.” He spat.
,,That is a different thing for each individual. What is the most important thing for you?” The Altmer answered calmly.

The Dunmer kicked one of the walls in his cell.
,,Answering a question with a question of your own? Well then, listen carefully. I don’t know why but I’m just going to tell you! The most important thing for me is a woman! I haven’t had my fun with a woman in five years, I’m telling you. Five years! That’s horrible!” He said.
,,But at least I’ll be out of here soon. And when I do, I’m going to enjoy it all the way. I’ve always been popular with the ladies, unlike you. A different girl each night, and then some. Makes you jealous, doesn’t it?” He gloated. The Altmer shrugged, the only motion he’d made in the last two days.
,,I don’t see any need to be jealous.” He said.

The Dunmer cocked an eyebrow and stalked back to the bars.
,,No need? The Altmer says there is no need to be jealous! Oh, but now I remember. You don’t feel the need to be jealous because your blood is so pure and there is a lass waiting back home who was born just to suit you. Born just to suit you, all thanks to the breeding program you High Elves have. All thanks to your quest for purity.” He snickered and watched his fellow prisoner intently. If he’d been expecting a sign of anger or any other emotion, he would be disappointed.
,,Believe what you will.” Was all the Altmer said.

Thunder roared again. Then, silence, safe for the soft clatter of the rain. The Dunmer had returned to his bed and watched the dark sky outside his window.
,,Believe what you will. He’s got issues. I bet his mother always beat him whenever he had impure thoughts.” He muttered to himself hatefully. He then rose.
,,Believe what you will?” He repeated, louder this time.
,,Well, I know what I believe. I believe I’ll use the cache of money I’ve stored under the loose rock in the wall. I was going to save it for later, but this place and you have gotten on my nerves, so there. I’m going to have some fun in this place, even if it kills me!” He decided and pried loose the brick he’d mentioned.
,,Be carefull what you wish for.” The Altmer warned. The pool had now crept up to his bare toes, but he did not move them. Even though the water was near freezing, he did not seem to be bothered at all by it. Meanwhile, the Dunmer scooped up the coins he’d hidden and counted them. He chose to ignore the other.
,,Fifty-four Septims. That’s enough for the guards to buy themselves a couple of bottles.” He spoke, got up and raked one of the coins across the bars.

,,What are you making all that racket for, prisoner?!” A guard inquired in a gruff tone. He’d come to investigate the cause of the noise. The Dunmer looked the man up from head to toe.
,,Tell me, friend? Have you been doing well at your card-games?” He then chuckled. The Imperial’s brow furrowed.
,,None of your bussines, Dark Elf scum! Now keep it quiet down here!” He spat. He waved his arm across, pointing at the Altmer in the other cell.
,,Take an example from him. He’s been here since before I was born, and not even once did he cause trouble.” He added. The Dunmer smiled, revealing two incomplete rows of yellow-brownish teeth. Perhaps he’d once been popular with the ladies but in his current state, popularity would need some help.
,,Just as I thought. You’ve been losing badly, haven’t you? Well, I just happen to have the solution to that particular little problem of yours.” He whispered and flashed a coin. Instantly, the guard became twice as attentive.

,,How much do you have?” He asked in a coarse whisper of his own.
,,Twenty-seven in total.” The Dunmer lied. He then leaned in as close as he could without hitting the bars with his forehead. Thunder echoed through the prison complex.
,,Twenty-seven perfectly legitimate Septims. Twenty-seven shiny bits of gold and copper. They could be yours, so very easily….for a small favour, of course.” He offered. The guard licked his lips and let his eyes slip to the coins the Dunmer now held up in his hand, yet still out of his reach. He thought of going back to the barracks and taking the keys to the Dunmer’s cell, so he could take the money by force. But if he did that, his commander would have him fired and thrown into a cell instantly on the charge of accepting bribes. He would be better off listening to what the man had to offer.
,,I’m listening.”

The Dunmer leaned in even closer, resting his forehead against the bars.
,,Good, good. You see, I’m feeling rather…lonely. While he doesn’t cause any trouble, our friend over there is a poor conversationalist. A man of few words. So I was thinking, if you could help me out, perhaps provide me with….suitable company? I would be more than willing to help out a friend who is in need of a financial boost. Rub my back, rub yours?” He whispered. The guard looked into the crimson eyes of the prisoner, glanced at the Altmer, the coins and weighed the risk. If the Altmer talked, he would still be in trouble. But the gold-skinned fellow appeared to be sound asleep, impossible as it might sound with the thunder and lightning playing outside. The Imperial grinned, a greedy grin.
,,For a friend, why certainly. It would be a pleasure, no, an honour to help. In fact, I just seem to remember that prisonblock C is undergoing renovations. We need to relocate the current occupants. I was just wondering where to move some of them anyway. I’ll see if I can send over a…better conversationalist.” He said and held out his hand. The Dunmer grinned and handed over some of the coins.
,,Half now, half upon delivery.”

Hmm, I wonder what we're getting into here... You've got some excellent characters all ready though. That Dunmer is quite loathsome. I look forward to how this story (how many do you have going now!???) pans out.

How many do I have going? Err......I lost count. :embarrased: *this is the closest thing I could find to a blush smilie. The other had hearts all over*

Anyway, the main character was supposed to be the Altmer, though I think I could add in the Dunmer as well.....somehow.



Chapter 1.2

As the guard walked away, the Dunmer smirked.
,,And that is that. Oh so easy. Bet you are jealous now, aren’t you?” He gloated.
,,Not really. More like pity you.” The Altmer replied.
,,What?! You pity me?! You have lost your mind! I make the guards dance like puppets on their strings!” The Dunmer shouted, only to fall silent. He listened intently. Fortunately, all he heard was rambunctious laughter. The guards upstairs hadn’t heard. He let out a sigh of relief but still seethed within. Everything he’d tried in the past five years, every word, every insult, nothing had ever upset the Altmer. He’d even thrown rocks at him, and still nothing. All the Altmer had done was casually sweep them out of the air with his mind.
,,How long will they keep dancing for you when you run out of bribes?” The Altmer asked now. The Dunmer did not answer.

For half an hour, the guard did not return and the Dunmer grew restless.
,,The scumbag has run off with my money!” He hissed.
,,Perhaps not. Prisonblock C is all the way on the other side of the complex.” The Altmer said. The Dunmer actually felt his jaw drop. Now the Altmer was reassuring him? Then suspicion dawned on him.
,,How do you know the layout of the prison?” He asked warily. The Altmer actually went so far as to shrug. The pool of water had now creeped up to his ankles.
,,I’ve been places, done things.” Was his cryptical answer. Another fifteen minutes later, they heard heavy boots stomping on cold stone, accompanied by the lighter patter of bare feet. The Dunmer almost ran to the bars and peered down the dark corridor. There, a reflection on unpolished armour. The guard had returned.

,,Good evening again. This young lady here was delighted with the prospect of a conversation.” The guard grinned while he searched his keyring for the right key. The lady in question was less than amused however.
,,Conversation? You said I was going to a warmer place.” She said. The Dunmer laughed and beckoned with a hand.
,,Oh, but this place is warm, oh yes it is.” He chuckled.
,,I don’t see a fire.”

The guard sighed.
,,Oh, for creep’s sake. I forgot that there is only one cellkey on a keyring at a time. Hold on, I’ll chain her to one of these rings on the walls and go hunt for the right key to open the door.” He said and added the deed to his words. When he was gone again, the Dunmer leaned against the nearest wall.
,,You are a bit dumb, aren’t you?” He noted as he looked the new prisoner up.
,,Bah, one of those Bosmer treehuggers. I hate those. They always go crazy underground and end up having to be put down.” He then spat.
,,But, I’ll take whatever I can get.” He followed. The Bosmer’s eyes narrowed.
,,Don’t you dare touch me. I know fully well what you mean by warm and it’s not going to happen!” She snapped.

The Dunmer tried his best to look innocent, but ended up looking shifty instead.
,,Who, me? I wouldn’t dare to dream about…..Ok, I lied. I would and I will. So, what are you going to do about it, shorty? Call for help?” He leaned in closer and wished the bars weren’t there to stop him. But then again, he realized, if there weren’t any bars, he wouldn’t be here in the first place.
,,Who are you going to call?” He continued with a nasty smirk.
,,The guards? You’re a criminal, they couldn’t care less about what’s happening to you. Sleeping beauty over there? Oh, Almsivi forbid you spoil his divine rest. He would burn the flesh off of your bones in an instant.” He chuckled to himself at the last one.
,,Not really.” The Altmer interjected. The Dunmer stabbed a thumb at him.
,,See, he wouldn’t do a thing. I bet he would rather watch and enjoy the show.” He then gloated.
,,No, I would remove certain equipment from you with a well-aimed Heyat.” The Dunmer felt his jaw drop again. Now the altmer was actually threatening him? That had never happened before!

,,Wha?” He stammered. The Altmer finally opened his eyes and now looked directly at the Dunmer. Crimson eyes, the eyes of a Dunmer.
,,You’re harmless, when you’re alone. When you’re not, you’d better practice proper manners.” The Altmer warned. The Dunmer got a hold of himself.
,,Oh my, aren’t we feeling heroic today.” He mocked.
,,Well, I guess I’ll humour your request though, for now. How about we have a nice conversation while waiting for the guard to return?” He offered. The Bosmer looked away.
,,No thank you, I don’t need to hear about your exploits…pervert.”

The Dunmer pretended to be shocked.
,,Oh, you break my poor heart, little one.” He cried.
,,No, no, I wasn’t going to talk about my exploits. Rather, I felt the sudden urge to tell you more about this lovely place. Prisonblock V, the prisonblock closest to the barracks and with an entrance to the palace itself, something which required a lot of regulations to be changed. As such, it is no surprise that its construction was ordered by Jagar Tharn, that dreadfull Altmer who betrayed all of Tamriel in his mad bid for power. I mean, we all know he was a lunatic. A dangerous and evil lunatic. So evil, it makes me look like a saint!” He burst out laughing.
,,Hey, sleeper! You hear me?! Jagar Tharn was an Altmer!” The Altmer in the other cell closed his eyes again.
,,You’re simplifying things.” He said without a hint of anger. Finally, the guard returned. But he was not alone.

The Imperial looked unhappy and kept to the shadows. The other man was dressed in the uniform of the prison commander.
,,Relocation from Prisonblock C to prisonblock V.” He said as he unchained the Bosmer from the wall.
,,Relocation approved.” He continued in a formal tone. The guard licked his lips.
,,Sir, with all due respect. I could have done this by myself. There was no need for you to interrupt your activities and…” He fell silent as his commander laid eyes upon him.
,,Marcus, regulations clearly state that prisoners may never be moved by a single guard. We take precautions by denying mages their magicka, swordsmen their weapons, but we can’t deny a brawler his fists. Therefore, no matter how harmless the prisoner might seem, never less than two guards to move him or her.” He clearly stated. He sifted through his pockets and pulled out a key.
,,And therefore, miss. You will now occupy cell number three.” He continued.

The guard now stepped out of the shadows he’d subconsciously been hiding in.
,,But…sir….cell number two is larger….wouldn….” Again the commander laid eyes upon the guard and again the guard fell silent.
,,I know. Cell number one is unavailable due to its status as storeroom, leaving only two and three. But she’s not going into two.” He said, glanced at the Altmer to assure himself he wasn’t going to become hostile and inserted the key in the lock.
,,But…why?” Marcus almost pleaded. The Dunmer gave him a warning glare.
,,No woman, no money.” His eyes spoke. The commander spun around, his nostrils flaring in anger.
,,Stop questioning my motives, Marcus! Want to know why? Fine, I’ll tell you! Because at least he wasn’t put on trial for rape!” He snarled, pointing at the Altmer.
,,Unlike the ash-skin over there.” He added.
,,Now be quiet or I’ll put you on report.”

Interesting. Grittier, not quite your usual frenetic pace. Possibly more adult in content. Interesting.

While I like your non-fanfic SF story, it reassures me to see you start another Elder Scrolls story.

I seem to recall another story of yours that begins in a prison. It also had a bosmer woman in it.

After reading the first chapter, I'm definitely going to read more. I really do like this Dunmer chappy; he's perfectly detestable. The one, small complaint I have is that you occasionally use the same word too many times, too close together.



There's an example. It's a very small thing which I normally would not point out, but it's little pet peeve of mine. I hate accidentally doing it in my own stories, so I like to look out for others as well.

Hmm this is good. And indeed quite a lot darker which I like.

You've managed to put a fair few hooks in too.

Things are moving nicely. It certainly has been a pleasure witnessing all the developments you've made in your writing. As the other posters have mentioned, this piece looks like it will be a bit darker and mature. I'm glad to see you trying out things. Hopefully this one will turn out well because of it.

I do this so very often. You have no idea how many of those I catch even repeated passes of editing. Arg!

I recommend getting a thesaurus and keeping it in arms reach of your computer. It helps.

Same here.....Oh, wait. That was kind of the whole point that sparked this discussion.
I'll try to work with it, but there are only so many words I know for cell. One, actually. Meh, as soon as they get out of there, I'm sure I'll get more words to work with. (What, you thought they were going to stay there and rot for the rest of their lives? That would make for a boring story.)

Anyway, time to end this chapter.



Chapter 1.3

The Bosmer was shoved in and the two guards left without a further word. Marcus glanced over his shoulder one last time, to see the Dunmer pocket his money with a venomous snarl. Once the two guards were truly gone, the Dunmer peered at the cell on the other side of the corridor.
,,Hey, you two! The least you can do is give me a good show!” He sneered. The Bosmer pressed her back against the bars and stared at the Altmer with wide open eyes.
,,No funny movements, I’m warning you!” She stammered. The Altmer opened one eye and peered back at her.
,,Relax, I’ve got better things to do than bother you. You can take the rag, if you so desire. Use it to warm your feet.” He replied.
,,Better things….like what?” The Bosmer asked after a short silence.
,,Waiting.”

The Dunmer returned to his own bed and lay down.
,,You two, if I hear or see either of you mock me, I’ll kill you! I’ve still got this broken bowl and a ceramic shard in your face really hurts!” He warned. The Altmer actually smiled. While he kept his silence, the motion was clear. He did not fear the Dunmer.
,,Argh! I hate this place! First I bribe a guard, and he doesn’t pull his end of the deal! Then, the damn woman gets thrown in sight, into a cell together with the most coldblooded elf I’ve ever seen! Seriously, I bet you wouldn’t bat an eye in a brothel surrounded by a hundred pretty ones and instead order some clear water, oh so calmly!”
,,Actually, I’ve done that before.” The Dunmer let out a sigh.
,,Oh great Almsivi, he’s done it before?! Is there anything that can crack his armour of calm?”

The Bosmer picked up the rag lying in a corner of her new cell and wrapped it around her feet. It did little to help the frostbite in her toes, but it was better than nothing. She next searched for a place to call her own and picked out a small alcove for it. If she huddled down there, she was as far away from the Dunmer as she could be while still keeping some distance on the Altmer. She glanced at her cellmate. The water had creeped beyond his ankles and was well on its way to his knees now. But still, he had not moved them. At least it had stopped raining. The pool would not grow any further.
,,What are you, some kind of monk?” She wondered out loud.
,,Not really, but I do practice some of their techniques.” The Bosmer looked at the pool again.
,,Like the fabled ‘taking a footbath in a pool of near-freezing water’?” She joked. The Altmer did not respond and so silence returned. It didn’t last.

,,Hey, girl! What did they arrest you for?” The Dunmer yelled. The Bosmer looked up from her feet and turned her back on the Dunmer so she faced the wall.
,,None of your business.” She called back.
,,Oh, come on. In this place, you’ll do anything to get the boredom gone. Some of us sleep for days, others like to talk. I’m the guy who likes to talk.” The Dunmer said.
,,Oh, really? You’re the type who likes to talk? It sure didn’t sound like it just a few minutes ago!”

The Dunmer looked hurt.
,,Oh, such harsh accusations! You are a feisty one, aren’t you?” He laughed. The Bosmer wrinkled her nose.
,,Hmph, be glad I didn’t get stuck in your cell. Any guy who tries to do something funny to me gets one foot to the face, the other to the knee and then both of them to the windpipe.” She claimed.
,,You trained?” The Altmer asked. The Bosmer turned to him somewhat eagerly. At least he seemed to be decent so far.
,,A little. I learned some things from monks. The physical things, not the mental. I’ve never been able to understand why anyone would willingly suffer discomfort.” She answered. The Altmer nodded and lay still. Figuring he was dozing off, the Bosmer decided it would be relatively safe to take a nap of her own. But first, she had things to do.

She stepped out of her alcove and peered at the Dunmer. He wasn’t looking at her, good. She tiptoed over to the bars and crouched down.
,,I’m sure I heard some feet….there it is.” In one swift motion, she reached out between the bars, closed her fingers around something and pulled back. She got up and tiptoed back to the alcove. She stole a glance over her shoulder as she did so. The Dunmer hadn’t noticed a thing.
,,I don’t think I’d be able to endure his response to this.” She thought as she opened her hands. The rat was still kicking weakly with its feet. She looked on with a hint of disgust as the small creature tried to draw breath through its crushed throat. When it lay still, she slowly brought it up to her face.
,,Ugh. I don’t want to know what this one has been rolling around in.” She grimaced as she picked up its scent.

She woke up an unknown number of hours later. Rubbing her still sleepy eyes with one hand, she wondered where she was. Then she remembered and her gaze shot to the sleeping form of the Altmer. Except, he wasn’t asleep, nor was he where she’d expected him to be. Instead of lying in the corner on the other side of their cell, he was standing right next to her.
,,Ee….” She began but the Altmer quickly stifled her voice by putting his hand over her mouth.
,,Hush. Something’s going on.” He whispered and pointed up at the ceiling with his free hand. She looked up, after pulling her face away from him, but there was nothing to see but cold rock.
,,Well, of course there isn’t. It’s a ceiling.” She scolded herself. She peeked her ears. Had she heard something?

One glance at the Altmer told her he heard something as well.
,,I’d rather not wake the Dunmer over there, so keep your voice down.” The Altmer advised. The Bosmer nodded. The Altmer looked at the hand he’d used to cover her mouth and rubbed it off on the stone walls.
,,Bit your tongue?” He asked. She chose to ignore the comment.
,,So, what’s going on?” She whispered back. The Altmer stepped into the alcove which made her heart skip a beat. She held her breath, releasing it only after she’d realized that he barely noticed her.
,,It’s the deepest part of the night, but someone is with the guards upstairs, talking.” He said. A corner of his mouth twitched upwards.
,,This might be it.”

The mystery deepens. This is good it feels as if things are just about to get going.

That Altmer (he hasn't got a name even) is certainly an enigma.

Dun dun dun. My anticipation is rising! Hopefully I don't explode...

Here, Mallet. Let me throw some cold water on your fuse. We don't want spontaneous human combustion, do we?

And Olen, I noticed that I've been incredibly slow with names. Meh, I think it fits. The Dunmer is simply too mean to care, the Altmer won't ever tell his on his own and the Bosmer, she was occupied with other worries. So, let's continue, shall we?


Chapter 2: Gauntlet

The voices dimmed for a second. With the creak of well-used but poorly maintained hinges, the door leading up to the barracks was opened. Neither the Bosmer nor the Altmer could see it open, but in the latter’s case, he’d heard it open and close so often that he would recognize that sound anywhere. Several boots could be heard loudly descending the short flight of stairs, along with a pair of softer footsteps, like someone wearing slippers.
,,I think we should go further into the complex.” A male’s voice said.
,,No, there’s no need. There are twelve guards in the room we just came from, all fully armed, fully awake and facing the entrance with their swords out. What could get past them?” A second voice countered.
,,My liege?” A third voice, female this time.
,,I leave it all in your hands, captain. Don’t mind me, just take care of this according to your best judgement.” A fourth voice, male again and slightly croaking.
,,Alright, we’ll hide in one of the cells here.” The female decided.

The Altmer edged deeper into the alcove.
,,I need you to go sit in plain sight. Don’t let anyone know I’m here.” He whispered urgently. The Bosmer looked up at him with a frown.
,,Why me? If you think they’re dangerous and you’re planning to sacrifice me, no way.” She whispered back. The Altmer gave her a sudden push and before she knew it, she was kneeling on the floor in the center of her cell. She suppressed a yelp as her knee scraped against the rough floor.
,,No one will lay hands on you, I promise.” The Altmer said behind her. She looked at him, but he had vanished.
,,What, where did you go?”

She looked at the bars. The unknown visitors strode into view. First came a male with dark skin, bearing a fresh torch. She held her head sideways a little. When he turned to her, she concluded that he had indeed dark skin, it wasn’t merely the relative darkness of the prison fooling her eyes.
,,I’ve never seen something like him. Where’s he from?” She stammered.
,,This one’s occupied. A single girl.” The man said. The Bosmer now also noticed the light cast by the torch reflecting on a suit of armour.
,,layered bands of metal that overlap, I’ve never seen a suit of armour like this before. The man who arrested me at the park didn’t wear something like this.” She observed. She pulled a whimsical smile. The man tensed as he saw this and his free hand skipped to the hilt of a sword at his side. When he noticed she didn’t take any action, he relaxed again.
,,Doesn’t matter. Anyone coming through the door can see it from the top of the stairs, we don’t want it.” The female voice said, still out of her sight.

The Bosmer pulled her legs under her and shifted into a more comfortable position. Perhaps if she walked up to the bars, she could see the other visitors. But the dark man looked as if he would skewer her just for that. He was awefully nervous, she could practically smell him sweat, even from where she was. She licked her lips. Somehow, the scent made her thirsty. The man walked up to her celldoor and pulled at it.
,,Locked, fortunately. Alright, I’ll check the other.” He said and turned his back on her.
,,Also occupied. Dunmer, looks like a wreck. There are further cells down the corridor, I assume. But that would be too far, right captain?” He spoke.

It was the female who replied.
,,Must be the one in charge of the group.” The Bosmer concluded.
,,Yes, if we stay here, we can listen to the outcome of the fight above. There is no way out of the prison but through the door we just used. If we hide further and somehow, the impossible happens, our assailants only need to barricade this door and starve us out. At least we’ll know how the odds are if we stay close.” The female reasoned out loud.
,,Alright, open the cell. We don’t have the keys, so just stick your sword in the lock and wrench it open. “She then ordered the dark man.
,,Whatever you say, madam. But the pricetag for fixing this sharp beauty will be yours to pay.” The man answered and unsheathed his sword. The tone in which he’d said it though made it clear he was merely joking.

,,Katana. Sharp, light, but fragile. Not suited for prolonged engagements. Not suited against heavy armour either.” The Bosmer looked to where the voice had come from, but the Altmer was nowhere to be seen.
,,He can turn invisible? But…he’s not underwater.” She shook off her confusion and instead got up when she heard the lock crack. She moved in closer to get a better look. She wouldn’t miss the chance to see the Dunmer get roughed up by these knights or whatever they were. As if on cue, the Dunmer woke up from the noise. He looked up with a wide open mouth as his unexpected and armed guest tucked a toe behind one of the bars and pulled the door open, never relinquishing his hold on either sword or torch. He grinned, revealing his rotten teeth in all their glory.
,,Oh, I can’t believe my eyes. A hero has come to resque me!” He said and batted away a tear. The Bosmer on the other side sighed.
,,What a drama-actor.” She thought.

The dark man entered the cell and pointed his sword, the katana, directly at the Dunmer’s throat.
,,Shut up, unless you want to see your blood spilled on the floor. I’m no hero and I’m not here to resque anyone….” He hissed quite loud.
,,Anyone?” The croaking voice asked, sounding quite amused. The Bosmer tilted her head to the right and now she could see him. He was an old man, dressed in a nightgown and indeed wearing slippers almost as pale as she was, which said a lot, with few strands of snowwhite hair on an otherwise bald head. His face was deformed by wrinkles, his mouth was slightly opened as he breathed heavily from the fatigue merely standing there gave him. But his eyes seemed to draw her in. There was something behind them, something that she couldn’t describe.

The dark man didn’t move from where he was standing, but the way his shoulders sagged made it obvious that he felt embarrassed.
,,Except you, my liege. My apologies, please forgive me.” He said sheepishly. The old man laughed and coughed.
,,No, you must forgive an old man his ill-timed humour. Anyway, I’m going to enter the cell now. Please keep an eye on the prisoner.” He chuckled. His chuckling died down as a cacophony of noise erupted from the barracks.
,,There they are! Get them! We prison guards may be the lowest of the low, but we’ll show them that we have the true Legion spirit!” A voice howled, somewhat muffled by the walls. The Bosmer gasped. That was the voice of the commander who had placed her in this cell. She involuntarily stepped back in surprise at her own response. She then lowered her head and closed her eyes.
,,Please, let him be safe. He doesn’t know it, but I am gratefull for not being put together with that creep over there.” She prayed.

She heard an odd roar and redoubled her efforts, though she had no idea which god to pray to. Would her god save a heathen man from a faraway land?
,,Haha!” Her eyes shot open at the sudden laugh and she ran back to the bars to see. She couldn’t believe what she saw. The Dunmer had thrown a loose brick at the Redguard’s head and knocked him out. Now he’d jumped out into the corridor and grabbed the old man by the neck. He held a broken shard of ceramic at the man’s throat. The dark man’s companions, both wearing the same armour as him, drew two more katanas but were unable to do anything without endangering the old man.
,,Ok, now drop those butterknifes or the old coot gets it!” The Dunmer shouted. He was grinning even more than before.
,,You can’t do this! It will be your own doom, fiend! Kill the man, and we kill you. Surrender, and we might let you live.” The woman spat. The Dunmer laughed again.
,,Oh, really? But if I’m not mistaken, this fetcher here is very important. You won’t lift a finger as long as I can slit his throat just like that.” He raised the ceramic shard.
,,Or were you thinking of healing him with a spell? I could just as easily plunge it into his eyeball directly into his brain. Good spell that can fix that!”

,,What are you doing?!” The Bosmer shouted suddenly. All, except the unconscious dark man, looked at her. The Dunmer laughed. It gave her the shivers, how that laugh grated on the ears.
,,Nothing special. I’m just getting out of here, one way or another. Say, girl. You can come with me of course. I’m sure they’ll let you. They’ll do anything. Of course, I am doing you a favour here and favours are meant to be repayed.” He replied. The girl shook her head, then stopped the motion. It would be a way out of this place. She’d only been here for a week or two, but who knew how much longer it would be if she didn’t take the chance. Surely the price would be worth it. He winked, and she made her decision.
,,No way! I’m not selling my body to anyone for anything! Why don’t you just drop dead and rot?!” Her tirade was cut off with another roar. The two warriors looked at the door for a moment. There were no further commands, or battlecries. Only, silence.

The Dunmer looked disappointed.
,,Ah, I was giving you a great chance. Oh well, plenty of girls in the outside world, prettier even. Heh, now where were we? Oh yes, you two were going to drop those swords and the….” He cut himself off.
,,Hey, where did the silent guy go?” He then asked out loud. Before he could say anything else, he simply sank to the floor, dragging the old man with him due to his weight. The shard cut into the man’s cheek, but as if by miracle, it missed his eye.

There was an incredibly loud bang. Then a second bang, but this one was so soft it could barely be heard. The banging continued.
,,This will hold, for a while.” The captain had rushed over to help the old man back onto his feet while her companion put the dark man onto his shoulder. Only the Bosmer wasn’t occupied with anything so only she looked at the door where the banging was coming from. To her surprise, the Altmer was standing there, and the door was wrapped in some kind of green light.
,,How did you get there…the cell is locked!” She stammered. The Altmer turned to her and both corners of his mouth twitched upward just a bit.
,,I’ve been places, done things.” He answered in his usual cryptic way. He glanced at the door for a moment, which now seemed to consist of nothing but cracks. The strange light now seemed to be the only thing that kept the door from buckling inwards.

The Altmer wandered over to the door of her cell. The two warriors were now watching him intently. Neither was willing to just drop their companion and draw his or her sword though.
,,Identify yourself, stranger. Glenroy, arrest him!” The captain ordered. The Altmer ran a quick hand across the lock on the bosmer’s celldoor before turning around and calmly looking down on Glenroy’s brandished sword.
,,For the peace of your mind, I’d rather not tell. And please, young man. Lower your sword. I am neither an enemy nor someone you should waste such a fine blade on.” He then shifted his gaze to the old man. The two locked eyes. Simultaneously, recognition dawned on the Altmer’s face while the old man looked stricken.
,,It has been a long time, my liege. I assume you still remember me?” The Altmer said solemnly and bowed. The old man however, clutched his chest as his heart began to race in the grips of a growing panic.
,,You!…It’s you…But you were dead!”




OOC: As you can see, this is just another Oblivion main quest fic. However, I'm going to follow Redsrock's example and change things so much, that the main quest is little more than a guideline. Here are the changes we have so far.
1: Two prisoners. (The Dunmer doesn't count, is unconscious and we all now know who he is, don't we? )
2: One of the prisoners is not a know-nothing weakling. He seems to know a lot and has plenty of power.
3: The Emperor is as unprepared as can be. He has literally been dragged out of his bed, as the nightgown shows.
4: The Blades are not very concerned at all, till stuff starts happening one bad thing after another.

The lack of names wasn't a criticism, it works well. It adds drama to the enigmatic altmer and I had guessed who the dunmer was and the bosmer hasn't needed one yet.

I like the slightly more realistic opening - why would there be a secret passage in a prison? And if they could get him there why not just cut down from the bridge to the prison to escape? And why... Yea the oblivion plot doesn't stand too much scrutiny.

I'll be interested to see how you handle this one.

I also have a slight suspicion of who the altmer might be...

Oh, yeah, we all are familiar with *consultes audio records* Valen Dreth! Valen Dreth!

Mister "I'll sleep with your wife!" Valen Dreth is one of the biggest videogame blow-hards I've had the misfortune to hear rants from. As for climbing down the very steep hill, Uriel's pretty dang old if you haven't noticed and there's no path for old men to be taking an afternoon stroll.

And then they'd have no cover, in plain sight of anyone watching, and yeah, so secret passage that only they are supposed to know is somewhat better than forcing the elderly guy to climb down a 80 degree slope and chance archers or horsemen running them down....... plus, everyone would know they we there.

Sorry Blockhead, I just have a habit of poking holes in plans like that. I also believe I know who you're taking about, and I won't spew it all out like I did with Turula.

Umm, I'm all sorts of confused now. Maybe it's because I played Oblivion for twenty minutes and then decided to ignore it and shut it from my mind forever?


Huh? What?


OK, this much I think I understand.

Woops, I meant for that last comment to be for Olen. :evil:

This is obviously a new story. Long updates, one every day. It's a bit sad how things start to slow down once you get past the prologue. Ah well.


Chapter 2.2


The others now regarded the Altmer with even more open confusion than they already had.
,,Dead?” The man known as Glenroy mumbled and slightly lowered his sword. The Bosmer took her eyes off the Altmer for a moment to look at him. He wasn’t as dark as the dark man.
,,Maybe the dark man is special? A warriorpriest? Does he rub himself in with mud?” She wondered. The green seal on the door began to ring. The Altmer turned to it.
,,Ah, that’s a bit sooner than I thought.” He noted before turning back to the old man. He was still bleeding from the cut on his cheek, but it appeared that the wound would close on its own soon enough.
,,My liege, I am here to bring you an offer.” The Altmer said.

,,An…offer? I will never accept it, never!” The old man replied near instantaneously. Even though he was clearly afraid, his voice was even and strong. Glenroy raised his katana again and took one step closer to the Altmer.
,,You’ve heard him. Now back into….wha?!” The warrior’s eyes tracked the blade which had broken from the hilt.
,,I told you it would be a waste of a fine sword.” The Altmer dryly commented. The seal’s ringing became louder and now approached the point where they would have to yell to get over the sound. Then, the ringing was cut off abruptly, to be replaced with a deafening roar.

The Altmer turned back to the door slowly. The seal had fallen and the door had blown outward in a hail of sharp woodfragments that peppered the opposite wall. Something came through, first in the form of a monstrous scaled arm with fingers that ended in sharp talons as large as a sword. The Altmer began to move towards it with a calm that seemed highly inapropiate next to what was coming through. Everyone else was on the verge of running, safe for the old man. The Bosmer did run, to the far end of her cell. Only an arm could be seen, but even that was already larger than the Altmer, who wasn’t a short person himself. Its presense was overwhelming.

A head followed. Even larger than the talons, it was a long and narrow wedge. A wedge with two rows of teeth that glistened with fresh blood. The monster let out another roar as it gripped both sides of the doorframe and pushed, cracking the walls and widening the gap. The Altmer reached the bottom of the stairs where he stopped, completely at ease. Once it was wide enough, the creature stepped through with unexpected grace and turned to eye Altmer who was closest. It opened its mouth for another roar, when the Altmer calmly raised a single hand.
,,Stasis hold.”

Green bands formed out of thin air and wrapped around every joint. The jaws snapped shut again, forced together by one of the bands. The monster flared the nostrils at the tip of its beak, emitting the sound of a kettle on a fire. Its tail sweeped from side to side furiously, but it was the only appendage that could move. Every other part of its body had effectively been immobilized by the bands, no matter how hard it strained to break them. The Altmer observed his handywork for a moment, adding a second layer of the green bands wherever he deemed it necessary, before turning back to the old man.
,,My liege, please hear me out. This here, is a Daedroth, a being summoned from Oblivion. It has the power to take down scores of soldiers with little difficulty, as the unfortunate prison guards found out. Its claws can cut steel, its jaws can crush Ebony, its skin is thicker than a Legionaire’s shield and if even that wasn’t enough, it has a modest magicka offensive as well. I give your Blades slim odds of surviving in battle against it, even now, when it is nearly immobilized.” He said.

He walked back to the celldoor he’d brushed his hand against earlier. The Bosmer saw him reemerge and carefully moved to the bars. When she looked to the right and saw the Daedroth for the first time in its full glory, she felt her heart skip a beat.
,,What’s that…thing? I hope you rest well, commander whose name I don’t know.”

,,Therefore, I’m granting you a choice. You can choose to reject my offer, in which case I will stand aside as you and your followers attempt to pass the Daedroth. If you do however, and if you somehow manage, remember that whenever there is a Daedroth, there is a supremely powerful conjurer nearby.” He began. His hands folded around the doorbolt and he pulled. The door opened.
,,My offer, is a greater chance at survival. When Jagar Tharn ordered this prisonblock to be constructed, he demanded several additional features. One of them is that the walls are not lined with silver, which means that the magicka in this block is not drained. As such, spells are not inhibited, which I’m sure you have already noticed. The other feature, is a connection to Cyrodiil’s foundations. From there, one can leave the city undetected.” He continued.

,,Why would I have any desire to leave the city? So you can do as you please?” The old man asked in a hostile tone. He’d gotten over his first shock and was now in firm control of himself. The Altmer frowned, the first sign of irritation he’d shown.
,,Yes, so I can do as I please! That, and for your own good!”

,,Girl, could you be so kind and kick the backside of the alcove? There is a small crack roughly twenty centimetres from the floor, on the left side, barely visible if you know where to look. Kick there, as hard as you can.” He asked the Bosmer. His frown had fled as sudden as it came and he now wore his expression of stoic calm. She simply stared at him.
,,You knock out the greyskin from a distance. You turn invisible without water. You exit this cell without opening the door. You can put some sort of barrier on a door and use the same thing to chain that monster over there. You can do all that and you’re asking me to kick a crack? What good would that do?” She replied and shrugged.
,,Why don’t you just kill it and have us leave through the front door? It doesn’t seem as if there’s anything beyond your limits.” She added.

The Altmer shook his head.
,,I do have limits. A Daedroth perhaps isn’t one of them. But, there are reasons why the front door right now is not in our best interests.” He explained.
,,The conjurer.” Someone realized.
,,The dark priest, he’s conscious.” The Bosmer yelped. The dark man gave her a wry grin.
,,I hate to disappoint you, beauty. I am no priest.” He said as he felt his jaw. His face was rather sore, but he knew that his helmet had prevented any permanent and more serious injuries.
,,Wouldn’t want to either. I was not made to live a life without a warm heart that beats together with mine.” He added and flashed a wink at her.
,,Hey! Don’t get the wrong idea! I may have been worried about you, but I’m not interested!” The girl pointed out. She strode to the alcove and gave a swift kick to the place where the Altmer’s tiny crack should be.
,,In fact, I think I’m just going to give this a try. It’s not as if this situation can get any more awkward.” She shouted as she did so. The alcove began to rumble and she jumped back. The whole wall sank into the floor, much to her surprise.

,,After performing research at the Dwemer fort of Dragon’s gate in Hammerfell, Tharn managed to develop the mechanism you just saw in action. From here, we can enter the foundations of the city. Only archeologists know of this place, and they only operate on the far side of it.” The Altmer said.
,,I repeat, why would we want to follow you? You don’t hold much value to me except to further your plans.” The old man interrupted. The warriors flocked around him. Glenroy had picked up the fallen torch and now brandished it instead of his sword. Again the Altmer frowned.
,,Exactly, my liege. Your only value is to further my plans. But, your continued existence is a part of them. So there. That’s why I am willing to help. I won’t give you my word for you won’t accept it. But know this. If you decide to take me up on my offer, I will guide you through this night as well as I can.” He hissed. Without wasting any further words, he entered the cell and moved to the rough tunnel that had been hidden behind the alcove.
,,Let’s go, girl. I have the feeling your crime was one of ignorance rather than malice and as such, I am granting you your freedom.” He said to the Bosmer.

Once the two elves had departed, the Blades and the old man looked at the Daedroth. The titanic creature was still struggling against its bonds, to no avail.
,,Captain?” The dark man asked.
,,I am out of options, Baurus. My liege?” The captain turned to the old man in return.
,,To choose between certain death or the guidance of one who has betrayed me before in the most bitter way imaginable. Neither choice appeals to me.” The old man replied. He shook his wrinkled head.
,,Yet, I’d rather choose to follow him once more and trust in the guidance of the Divines, than jump into those hungry maws like a fool. We will follow him, captain. But we will watch him closely.” He decided after a moment of silent debate. He entered the cell and stopped at the alcove.
,,To think I would actually follow his advice once more. The Divines have mysterious ways.” He muttered.

Baurus and the captain followed, but Glenroy remained behind for a moment. He kept one eye on the Daedroth at all times, which stared at him with one of its own. The Blade shivered. He could almost feel the raw hate that foul beast exuded.
,,Hey! What about the Dunmer! Shouldn’t we kill him?!” Glenroy shouted. Baurus reemerged from the tunnel for one moment.
,,Don’t push your luck with that monstrosity nearby, Glenroy! Let it eat him, if it’s hungry. That would be a more fitting end than a sword, if you ask me!” He called back. Glenroy took one last glance at the unconscious Dunmer before setting off after his companions in a quick run.


OOC: More changes. Ok, only one this time I can think of.
The Emperor is not all 'you're the chosen one, I have seen you in my dreams!' Nope, he actually takes the time to wonder if getting eaten by a Daedroth wouldn't be a better idea. Man, I love this thing.

Nice. I've found this much better - and darker - than the original Oblivion beginning... Plus, I'm still bugged by the Altmer's identity. I've had a couple of guesses, most oddest ones too.

First, I thought he maybe was the Champion from Arena (I don't know the exact date in which it happened, but if Uriel was old enough to live up to it, then an Elf would be more than so). He did seem to know an awful lot about Jagar. Then, when the Emperor mentioned betrayal, I thought of the Nerevarine for some reason, since ofall the choices I managed to think of, he seemed to be the one most likely to betray the Emperor... Yet the whole thing about 'following him once more' made me reconsider.

For whatever reason, I can only think of the Altmer as one of the protagonists from TES games...

Arena was forty years before Oblivion, Uriel was Emporoer at the time, so yes, he was alive then. What can I say? I pay attention to the text during the loading screens.

I'm certain I know who it is now and I like Very very nice one. I might even go as far as delcious though I will be fascinated to see it the emperor survives or not.

Still I won't say anything... except that the idea is really good and I want more.

Nice way to deal with the dunmer too, I wander whether we'll see more of him.

The changes are proving to be interesting ones. Keep em comin'!

I've read your updates and thus far this fic seems to be an extremely promising one. I especially like the Altmer, calm and collected but doesn't take any sh*t from anyone, even the Emperor. Well, at least he doesn't when it actually matters. That Dunmer mocking him was just child-play I suppose. Keep it up!

Chapter 2.3


The tunnel was dark, rough rock on all sides. There were no cobwebs, no insects scittering about. To the Bosmer, the place also had an unpleasant scent. It smelled dead, though not in a form she was familiar with. The tunnel also wasn’t very high and the Altmer practically had to crawl. Even she had to bend down a bit. Whatever light there came from the direction of the prison was soon lost as they descended deeper. Neither said a word at first though in the end, the silence became simply unbearable.
,,Umm…can I ask you something?” The Bosmer spoke up as she carefully brushed away a few sharper rocks that threatened to open her knees.
,,You can ask, but I don’t know if I can answer.” The Altmer replied. The girl tilted her head to one side and wondered if she should feel discouraged by that.
,,What I’ve been thinking about….I’ve been thinking about a lot actually. But one thing is, how long have you been in prison?” She asked.
,,A couple of years.”

,,And how long have you known about this escape route?” She pressed on.
,,Roughly the same couple of years.” She rose her head in surprise and hit the ceiling.
,,Ow!…But if you knew about it all that time, then why didn’t you use it?” She asked while rubbing her head.
,,I should remember to keep down till I can actually see a ceiling.”
,,I did use it three times before, to see if it was still open. I always returned.” The Altmer revealed. He didn’t stop to see if she was injured badly, which somewhat annoyed her. Then there was the fact that none of his answers actually explained a thing, other than that he was strange.
,,But why?” She asked with rising frustration.
,,As I said earlier, I was waiting.”

The Bosmer didn’t fire her next question right away. Instead she tried to piece together the clues he’d been willing to drop. So he’d been waiting and he’d kept a secret escape route at hand all the time. But now he was using it and she had the distinct feeling that this time, he would not return to his cell.
,,You were waiting for the old man.” She concluded.
,,True.” The Altmer admitted. She cherished her little victory at getting one answer that wasn’t too cryptic. But then, she realized that she still didn’t know why he had been waiting for the old man.
,,So, who is he and how did you know he would be coming?”

She thought she was beginning to see the outlines of her hands. Were they getting closer to the other end?
,,That man is Uriel Septim, the Emperor of Tamriel. Apart from being a political leader, he also has another equally important position. As all men with power, he has enemies and assassination attempts are not uncommon. Most of these attempts never even get past the front doors of his palace and those that do, are usually stopped in the main hall. Very rarely though, an assassin or group of assassins manages to elude all security. If this is found out, the Emperor relocates to a hiding place along with several elite guards. This hiding place is unsurprisingly, the prison. After all, why would an Emperor surround himself with cutthroats, smugglers and thieves willingly? No one would search for him there.” The Altmer said. It was the most he’d said to her up to now.
,,Except you. You didn’t even search for him, you just waited for him to come. Why?” The Bosmer asked next. She could see her hands clearly now. They had to be getting close to an exit.

,,Because, if there is an opposition out there capable of forcing the Emperor to hide, that opposition is powerful enough to slay him if he does not hide well enough. And that, is something which must be prevented at all costs.”
,,But what if he decides to dance with that Daedroth or whatever you called it? You know you practically abandoned him back there. He's old, he could be senile.” She asked, despite feeling that this was a question he would not answer willingly.
,,I have my reasons.” Was all he said. Just as she’d thought.

The Altmer reached the end of the tunnel and stood up straight. The Bosmer crawled out herself and skipped to his side. They were in a room made of what looked a lot like white marble, except it was littered with tiny dents and cracks. The floors, the walls, even the ceiling was made of the white material. It looked majestic and ancient at the same time. The light she’d noticed as they crawled through the tunnel turned out to be the work of a good dozen torches that were placed in their holders on the walls.
,,Oh, look. A door.” The Bosmer said and planned to walk towards it but the Altmer brusquely grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.
,,Don’t move.” He whispered urgently.

She looked at him but didn’t voice her question. He’d whispered, so he probably wanted her to stay quiet and from what she’d seen already, doing whatever he told her to do was by far the healthiest course of action. She did not want to end up tied by scores of shimmering green bands squeezing on her joints. He motioned for her to stay at the tunnel and be ready to crawl through it. She nodded that she understood his instructions but she did not comprehend the reason behind them. Nevertheless, she crouched down and watched as he calmly walked forward, seemingly completely at ease and with no eye for his surroundings whatsoever. She knew it was a false impression though. He’d walked just like that when the Daedroth burst the door.

There are assassins in here no doubt! That's just my speculation though. You might throw in a crazy twist, like the Altmer dies and everyone loses! It'd be a short story, but an amusing one nonetheless!

Of course, I'd rather it be longer than that. So I'll wait and see what happens...

Assassins or traps... I always wandered about the sunteranian parts of the imperial city - there must be a reason noone uses them. They looked ok apart from being underground and in need of a little work...

And the Bosmer isn't the only one who wants to know why the altmers doing what he is.

Good stuff.

I've got an idea for why it is abandoned, but I won't place it in this update. First we need to deal with our current room.


Chapter 2.4



The Altmer kept walking till he reached the door, which consisted of several bronze bars. Once there, he looked to his left and then reached for the torch which hung there. His fingertips just touched the wood, when he suddenly swung down his hand and made a grabbing motion.
,,Stasis hold.” He chanted and just like last time, shimmering green bands manifested, only this time they crawlded chaotically through the air under the Altmer’s hand. The air crackled and became distorted. The Distortion became more solid, eventually forming into a man, an Imperial, garbed in a red robe. The bands shot to the joints and clenched around them. Another green band flowed from the Altmer’s hand, which he’d apparently put on the invisible man’s shoulder. This last band settled around his head and covered the mouth.
,,Just as I thought. You can come back out now.”

The Bosmer walked up to the couple, though she stopped while still three large steps away. The robed man struggled against the bands but they were so rigid, only his strained expression was any indication of the silent battle being fought.
,,Why don’t you just relax? If a five metres tall Daedroth can’t break these, then how do you think you can?” She found herself speak up. The Altmer cocked an eyebrow and for a moment she was afraid he would berate her. Instead, he merely looked over towards the tunnel they’d come from. He then smiled.
,,I see that you have made the right choice, my liege.” He said.

The Emperor coughed and tried to brush the dust off of his nightgown. He only managed to create even larger smears so in the end he gave up.
,,It is not the right choice, merely the better of two bad choices.” He replied formally.
,,Well then, I see you have managed to restrain a would-be assassin. Would you mind to ask him why he’s after me?” He asked next, indicating the much younger Imperial who had ceased his struggle by now. The Altmer flicked a finger and the band covering the mouth dissipated.
,,Would you mind to tell us?” He asked. The smile he wore was rather unnerving, even moreso since it clearly wasn’t one of amusement.

,,How….how did you know I was there? I won’t tell anything….I can’t tell anything!” The captive instead stammered. Glenroy waved his torch threateningly under the man’s nose. Fortunately for said noise, the flame had been stifled by the dust during his crawl through the tunnel. Glenroy noticed this himself and he swiftly corrected the flaw by taking one of the torches hanging on the walls.
,,You were asked a question! If you value your face, you’d better talk.” He hissed venomously. The Altmer waved the Blade off.
,,Would you mind? I believe I was the one conducting this interrogation.” He said calmly.
,,And what makes you think you can do it better than I can?” Glenroy inquired in a voice that was a mixture between hostility and grudging respect.
,,For one thing, my tools are somewhat more subtle than a burning piece of wood.” Was the Altmer’s answer.

,,Anyway, I’ll answer your question and you will ask one of mine. Just one question.” He continued against the prisoner.
,,The answer to yours is simple. There are burning torches hanging on the walls and the dust is displaced where you stand. Both are items you should not encounter in an ancient and abandoned complex. As it is, I might not have noticed a thing if you hadn’t placed those torches here. I can understand that the door must be visible in order to act as bait but still, the way you do this. Utterly inprofesional. Your plan was simple, flawed, foolish and seriously lacking any worthy thought whatsoever. Being invisible does not mean you no longer have any effect on your surroundings.” The smile vanished and he stood taller, forcing the Imperial to twist his neck back in order to see his eyes.
,,Now as for my question. Beyond the Emperor, what else are you after?” He asked.

The Imperial shook his head. His skin glistened with cold sweat.
,,I won’t tell! I…” A flick of a gold-skinned hand and the Imperial’s eyes half-closed.
,,I…..We….we must find….and destroy….the Drago…” He never finished the sentence before his eyes closed completely and his head hung down. The Altmer felt for the man’s throat before releasing the bands. The Imperial slumped over on the floor, clearly dead.
,,Now that was usefull! You switch questions to something completely useless and you kill him before he can answer!” Glenroy complained. Baurus however, frowned.
,,Hmm, kill the Dragon? What is he, some kind of lunatic? After years of being unbreachable, a band of fanatics manages to penetrate the palace’s security? I find that hard to believe.” He grunted. The Altmer shook his head.
,,I did not kill him.”

,,Then who did?” The Bosmer wanted to know. Again the Altmer shook his head.
,,Hard to say. I assume that the cause of death was a form of hypnosis. If forced to reveal any sensitive information, he will start to experience extreme stress and eventually suffer a heartattack. As for this question being useless, we already know they are after our liege. The why is irrelevant. Their other plans however, are. If we know their other plans, we can deduce why the Emperor is at threat as well.” He answered.
,,So, you believe there is more behind this? Fanatics don’t kill off their own, not by hypnosis anyway.” The Captain interjected.
,,I have some theories. Yet at the moment, they are still only theories.” The Altmer replied. He searched the dead man, finding a simple dagger and an ancient key.

,,If that key fits on the door, it means we were supposed to fight him.” Baurus observed.
,,Bait?” The Captain wondered. She drew her sword and motioned the other two Blades to do the same.
,,If this one was bait, there must be more. It would make sense. Being invisible and armed only with a dagger, he might have managed to take down one of us, but never more. The Emperor would still be safe as we make sure to guard him with our own bodies. Seeing how this one is so weak, we might assume that he was merely placed there as a contingency to deal with a lone survivor or a prisoner making his escape in the confusion. A killer of witnesses. We might come to believe that he’s the only one and lower our guard.” She reasoned. The door swung open with a shriek of half-rusted hinges.

,,And since there are no more torches further up ahead, we might conclude that he really is the only one.” The Altmer finished.
,,I appreciate all the analyzing, but I’m afraid I lack the stamina to keep standing forever. Let us move on till we reach safety. And till then, no sword shall be sheathed.” The Emperor decided. The Altmer nodded.
,,As you wish, my liege.”

They moved through the door in an orderly line. Glenroy came first, brandishing his torch which was the only source of light. The Altmer followed next. Then came Baurus and the Captain who flanked the Emperor. Last was the Bosmer, who ran back to the lit room after she’d taken a few steps. She grabbed on of the other torches and hurried to rejoin the group.

Hm... Interesting. The Mythic Dawn seems to be a lot more 'fanatical obsessed cult'-like here than in the game... The whole thing about them daring to kill their own for being captured seems a lot like something a cult would do, I suppose.

I just love your Altmer's personality. He all just so...elvish. Everything he does eludes his intelligence and wisdom. I think you've crafted yourself one hell of a character here. He kind of resembles Belwin from my own fic, though Belwin is a little more absent minded to say the least.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying this story. You've provided a great spin to what would have otherwise been a boring prologue that we all know by heart.

Yes I very much like the way your handling it all. The cult is darker, they are more desperate and that altmer is badass (and so he should be).

Fanatics don’t kill off their own That line seemed a little odd but wasn't really an issue.

I thought when I first saw this that it was another Morrowind Story that I couldn't understand...
I never played the game you see...
But man, boom, it's Oblivion! I think.... you can never be too sure!

Anyway! This has been a wonderful read! I can't stop wondering about what's going to happen!!!
I really enjoy this and that Altmer is just so!!! May I say it?

AWESOME!!! Well, very "wise" I think I would say.
It was funny the way you portrayed the Emperor. I never imagined him in slippers...
I can't wait to read the next one.

Oh, btw! Remember when I said in someones story that stuff like the tutorial could be "gone through fastly"?
I take that all back!!!

Oh, the mysterious backgrounds! Ok, I need to ask myself one question now. Which one of my characters did not have or still holds a mysterious background at one point? I'm seeing a pattern here.

But for now, update! (And more hints at the background of not one, but two elves here.)


Chapter 2.5


,,Why is this place abandoned anyway? Sure, it’s a tad dusty, but I know some people who would pay lots of money for a quality basement. Just look at it, no leaks anywhere and we’re in the middle of a lake below sealevel.” She heard Baurus say once she caught up.
,,What is that, you have dreams of going into prime estate?” Glenroy chuckled. The dark man shrugged.
,,Well hey, there will come a time when I can’t swing swords with the best of them anymore. It pays to keep your options open.” He replied.
,,But maybe our local font of knowledge knows something?” He continued and gestured at the Altmer. Even though the Elf had his back turned to the dark man, he seemed to know it was him who was indicated. Most likely because he was indeed the local font of knowledge, the Bosmer reasoned.

,,Mostly local superstition. Superstition from after the first era, when so-called slave-queen Allessia successfully conquered Cyrodiil. The people in those days claimed that the ghosts of those who had fallen continued their battle here. Since ghosts are generally found frightening, rather than attempting to put them to rest, this place was sealed off and buried. New houses were built, people generations came and went and it was forgotten till archeologists rediscovered this place half a century ago after a wall in one of the sewer canals had cracked thanks to a neglectfull mage dropping his rather explosive experiments through the toilet. And that’s the story.” He explained.
,,Would there be any truth to this superstition?” The Emperor asked. His voice had an icy tone to it.
,,So far, neither the archaeologists nor I have found any proof towards the presence of ghosts.” The Altmer plainly answered.

They passed another bronze door and entered a small chamber similar to the one the tunnel had led to. Too similar, it turned out.
,,Woah!” Baurus shouted and just barely managed to catch the arrow with the rim of his shield, preventing it from penetrating the Emperor’s skull.
,,Flanks!” The Captain ordered. She turned one-hundred and eighty degrees so that her shield now faced outward as well. One quick scan of the room revealed that they were in a disadvantageous position. There were four archers, one pair perched on each of the ledges on both sides. They were too high to reach with a sword. The only thing she and the other Blades could do was to catch the arrows with their shields and hope their assailants forgot to bring plenty of ammunition.

,,Back up! Back through the door!” The Captain shouted. The Bosmer stumbled backwards, tripped and fell. The Blades and the Emperor rushed past without paying her any heed. She scrambled back onto her feet and raced after them, expecting an arrow between her shoulder-blades at every step. The Altmer was close behind, though he stopped once he was through the door. He put a seal on it as he’d done back at the prison before turning to his companions. If there was one thing the archers had done wrong, it was their decision to all fire at the same time. The time it took for them to reload was a critical one, one which had made it possible for their target to slip away.

,,Seriously, for all the attitude you display in the midst of a crisis, I expected you to put them on fire or something while we were gone, not to run away yourself.” Glenroy taunted. The Altmer merely cocked an eyebrow and said nothing.
,,Whining gets us nowhere. There are archers up there and I don’t like that. We’re Blades. We’re supposed to protect the Emperor against the swords and daggers, not against bows. And who is to say that those archers are the last obstacle we’ll have to face? What’s next, mages? We can’t stop fireballs with our shields.” The Captain interjected.
,,Yeah, just what is Ocato doing right now? He’s the Imperial Battlemage! Shouldn’t he be here as well? He is the guy who is supposed to deal with hostile mages, it’s in his job description!” Baurus grumbled.
,,I have dispatched a messenger but he returned saying that Ocato saw no need for his aid and that this could be adequately taken care off by the Legion.” The Emperor said.
,,That good for nothing windbag…With all due respect, my liege, but I hope you will have a word with him tomorrow.” Glenroy hissed.
,,I plan to.”

Throughout the exchange, the Bosmer had been quiet. She noticed that the Altmer was looking away, with an odd expression on his face.
,,Hey, anything wrong?” She asked while the Blades began to bicker about what to do.
,,It’s nothing.” The Altmer replied. The girl shrugged.
,,Ok, care to tell me what an Imperial Battlemage is, then?” She asked next. The Altmer frowned slightly.
,,It doesn’t matter. Forget about it.” He said.

,,Huh?” The Bosmer grew a frown of her own. Something was wrong here, despite all claims to the contrary.
,,Just what am I doing here, trying to hold a conversation? I nearly got turned into a pincushion back there. What’s to stop them from coming through the door? Oh wait, he put one of those green thingies on it.” She thought. She made up her mind and braced herself for the backlash she was going to unleash.
,,If it’s nothing important, then it wouldn’t harm to tell me about it, would it? What is an Imperial Battlemage? Where does it come from? What does it do? You know, I’ve always been interested in foreign history. I can name you all the Pyandonea-Summerset wars of the last twothousand years, you know.”

He turned to her and remained silent for a long time. It frightened her and she edged backwards slowly in a subconscious attempt to avoid his gaze. He looked as if he was in pain.
,,Err…nevermind. I didn’t say anything.” She giggled nervously.
,,There is no Imperial Battlemage, nor is there any order that provides them. Tharn made sure of that. Wiped them all out.” The Altmer suddenly said.

The Blades interrupted their discussion.
,,Hey, did you just say something?” Baurus asked. Glenroy pushed his helmet back a bit and wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he looked at the two elves.
,,So, did you just claim that Ocato is not the Imperial Battlemage? I mean, he does carry the title openly.” He wondered out loud.
,,Ocato has never visited the Battlespire, has he? If he hasn’t received his training from there, he is not a Battlemage.” The Altmer said. The Emperor gestured at the seal on the door.
,,Is there any other way out of here that does not take us past four archers and perhaps more ambushes further up ahead?” He asked.
,,Is it just me, or is he really happy to change the subject?” The Bosmer thought.

,,None. I am now convinced that the assassins are making use of the same route I was planning to use. There is one other solution however. I could create a path.” The Altmer said.
,,And is he really happy to go along with it? Hmm, touchy subject, isn’t it?”,,Which leaves us with only one thing. The archers. We can’t have witnesses.” Glenroy noted. The Altmer looked at him silently and nodded.
,,Very well. I’ll take care of them.”

,,Wait!” The Bosmer yelled as the seal on the door was dispelled. The Altmer stopped and turned.
,,It’s one against four and they’re up on a ledge! You’re gonna get killed!” She whimpered. The Altmer sighed.
,,That is not what you believe.” He observed.
,,Ehm…well….yeah. Ok, so I think you’ll be back in all of five seconds. But you’re going to kill them, aren’t you?” To this, the Altmer did not respond.
,,Well, of course he is. What else did you think he was going to do, give them a lecture on the sociological differences between Cyrodiil and Stros M’kai?” Baurus said in a half-joking way.
,,But……” She tried and fell silent.
,,I hate killing. How can anyone be so cold about it? It’s just wrong. The only way to die should be in a bed, saying goodbye to your great-great-great-great grandchildren after playing with them for one last time. How old are they? I saw their faces….forty, fifty? They’re so young I bet they don’t even have kids! Or is it different with the round-ears? Do they think that a violent death is the only one that is right?” She thought.

To her surprise, it was the Emperor who knew what was going on in her mind.
,,I will not try to justify my own existence. But if we allow them to live, they will warn their accomplices and a large hunt will start. Till I have reached safety and till I am surrounded by scores of dedicated soldiers, I cannot afford word to come out.” He said.
,,Please take the necessary precautions…that is all I ask.” He added to the Altmer. The mage nodded and ventured through the door. Not a sound was heard till his return. And when he returned, he said only one thing.
,,It is done.”


OOC: Yeah, there is a bit of critiscizing the type of protection Bethesda gave our old man. Sure, they're indoors so archers are generally a bad idea (except in the ledge situation here.) But not a single mage? I mean, c'mon, this is TES. Everyone and the rat in the cellar knows a spell or two. What if the Emperor gets hurt? A healer would be so usefull. And a Battlemage, where is Ocato when you need him? Disregarding the fact that there is only one Imperial Battlemage worth mentioning: Jagar Tharn. Man, now that's a Battlemage. And he doesn't look as silly as Ocato. For that matter, they should have given Ocato his Daggerfall look, now that one was badass.

On another note, the Altmer seems really fond of stuff that involves green, doesn't he? Well, that's mostly because all spells he's used thus far (safe for Dreth knockout) are a form of barrier. Even the Stasis hold was simply a collection of barriers shaped in such a way that they worked as handcuffs.

Green spells are illusion, Jack, alteration is whit(ish). And if you watch the Emporer, he heals himself.

And it seems to me that not "everyone" even has magical power, let alone the know-how to use it to deadly affect.

The blades aren't really very useful. They arte acceptable swordsmen but otherwise weak, none of them can shoot and they have no mages...

No critism of this (you're following beth) but why lead the emperor out like that? A big powerful invisibility spell (several of) and a blade disgusied as a beggar, walk out the front door, the blade opening everything. I suppose they had their reasons.

The bosmer is a bit odd, clearly shes a bit of a country bumpkin and a bit soft. Nice choice of secondary character though she will need a good reason to stay with them once (if) they get out.

Solid update. Interesting revelation about the Imperial Battlemage. Things are still intriguing and mysterious.

Hah, this shows you how little I really know. Anyway, so I'm using the wrong colours for my barriers. Heh, this actually works to my advantage. It merely makes the Altmer even more mysterious. Where did he pick up green barriers?

Well, yeah I know that there are exceptions and not everyone can cast, but I was exaggerating on purpose. I still stand by my comment. The Emperor should have been escorted by a professional mage. Damn you, Ocato! You fake Battlemage! Damn you!

Anyway, this ends the current chapter. Next, we're going to delve deeper into the Altmer's own plans, and bring more character to the Bosmer.


Chapter 2.6



The Emperor nodded.
,,Good. And about that path?” He questioned. The Altmer gestured off to his left at one of the many intersections they’d previously passed.
,,In there.” He said in a neutral tone and began to walk.
,,It just doesn’t touch you, does it?” The Bosmer hissed. The Altmer froze. Of all, it was the girl who was the most shocked at her own reaction.
,,You just walk in there, kill four people for no good reason and now you pretend it never happened!” She continued venomously.
,,Woah, careful. There was a good reason, a really good one.” Baurus tried, but to no avail.

,,No reason is good enough for murder! It’s the lowest of the low things one can do! And he did it not just once, but four times! On purpose!” She snapped.
,,We might want to keep our voices down for a while, lest more assassins track us down and force even more bloodshed.” The Captain warned urgently.
,,I do care.” The Altmer muttered. Everyone fell silent and watched at him as he stood with his back turned to them.
,,I care, but that doesn’t matter. I have no time for a weighted heart. Not now, not then.” He began to move again.
,,Now be quiet. If you don’t want to come, that’s your problem. But if so, your lifespan will be greatly shortened.” He added. The Blades and the Emperor followed quickly and, rather hesitantly, the Bosmer followed as well.
,,You monster. Don’t think I’m just going to shrug and forget about it like you do.”

,,So, where does this path lead to and why do you think that the assassins won’t have this one blocked off?” Glenroy asked after a while.
,,Because it leads to a dead end.” The Altmer replied. Roughly a hundred steps further, the corridor did indeed end in a round chamber. There was little that hinted at its purpose, except what looked like a sealed well in the center. Strangely enough, the floor was flooded by a few centimetres of water which dripped from a tiny crack in the walls.
,,This wall is now the only thing between us and the lake. If I open the crack wider, water will rush in and flood the entire network of corridors and chambers. After that, it will take something that can breathe water for indefinite periods to explore this place. The Emperor will be assumed to have drowned, which will hopefully remove the other assassins from the equation.” The Elf explained.

He pressed a hand on the crack and veins of white energy trailed from his palm, crafting a web on the wall. The light intensified as the gaps between the tendrils were filled and the Altmer stepped back. A barrier appeared as a dome over the group, while the now completely solid circle of light continued its work. At first it was uncertain just what it purpose was, but it soon became visible that it was moving back and where it had gone, the wall was no more.
,,Such magicka.” The Emperor mumbled.
,,My liege?” Glenroy said. The old man seemed unaware he had been spoken to.
,,Passwall. I’d outlawed that spell.” He continued. He then shook his head.
,,I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at you having knowledge of that. But still, it is more subtle than I’d expected.” The Altmer looked at the old man over his shoulder.
,,A sudden explosion would have been too suspicious when seen from the outside.” He said. He looked up at the ceiling for a second.
,,Passwall isn’t to my preference either. After the outlawing, every mage was forced to destroy every scrap of evidence of the spell and vow never to cast it again. Sure, crime-rates dropped to nearly half in a month, but still….Anyone who sees this spell and knows it for what it is will know one of my kind is here.” He looked at the passwall which was still working steadily.
,,All other alternatives would have been even more obvious.”

The passwall had carved through the wall in its entirety and began to dissolve into its individual tendrils which shot back into the Altmer’s hand, slowing slightly as they passed the barrier. Even as the spell faded, water rushed in through the gaping hole, washing away the dust, buffeting the air, roaring like a pack of demons. The barrier was the only thing that kept the torrent from consuming the group.

As the ancient foundations of the city was filled with water, the flow gradually slowed. The Altmer stepped forward and the barrier followed, forcing the others to stay with him. A lone and curious Slaughterfish swam into the addition to its habitat and gawked at the strange green dome. It nibbled on it for a moment but, after finding out it was inedible, it moved on to explore. Once outside, the Altmer cast another spell and they began to float upward, the dome becoming a sphere as they left the bottom of the lake.
,,Well, there goes my plan of selling quality basements. Pumping out the water will suck up all the profit.” Baurus contemplated as he took a last look at the hole in the wall they’d came from.


Several minutes later, they stood at the edge of the lake, the Bosmer standing a bit further from the rest. The island with the Imperial city on it was visible in the distance like a low mound swarmed by fireflies.
,,Do we part here?” The Emperor asked. The Altmer nodded slowly, as if he was in deep thought and only following the conversation with half an ear. The old man hugged himself for warmth and motioned for the Blades to follow him.
,,Well then, I shall be returning to the palace now. I’m sure we’ve led those assassins on the wrong trail. I’ll be fine.” He said.
,,Don’t.”

The old man stopped but did not turn to face the Altmer.
,,I know who you are, yet still I am willing to give you the advantage of doubt. You have preserved my life there. I am giving you a chance to leave in peace. Take that chance. Now, farewell.” He spoke and started to move again when the Altmer intervened. He intervened by performing a Stasishold on both the Emperor and his Blades.
,,What?!” The Captain grunted.
,,You! What is the meaning of this?!” She shouted. The Altmer ignored her and closed in on the Emperor. The Bosmer now noticed that no one was paying her any attention. She ran for the lake, unhindered.

,,My liege, I will only ask you once. Go in hiding. These assassins have breached all of your security once. They can do so again.” The Altmer pointed out. The Emperor was the only one who did not struggle against his bonds. He chose to show his defiance through his words.
,,I can reinforce that security. I did not ask you to make my decisions for me! Now release me!” He whispered without fear. The Altmer shook his head.
,,I can’t do that. You are merely a pawn in a game played by greater beings. Yet you are an important pawn. You are the queen of the chessboard. If you are lost, the future will look bleak. So I no longer ask you, but I command you. Take your Blades and go in hiding. Do not return to live till I allow you.”

The old man shook his head feverishly.
,,No! No, I shall not listen to you! No more! I have listened to you before, and you have betrayed that trust. I will no longer abide by the will of a fiend who will lead us all to our doom!” He shouted.
,,My liege, please heed your words! We cannot protect you!” The Captain warned.
,,I’m proud of my skill at the sword, but it is of little use if I can’t move even a single finger.” Baurus cut in.
,,Well and yeah, I don’t even have a sword for that matter. A certain gold-skinned fellow snapped it.” Glenroy added grim.

The Altmer stepped back.
,,Fine then! I’ve tried to be gentle with you but I see you are as stubborn as ever. I will give you one last choice, one last.” He spoke. The very air around him appeared to be colder, so great was his presence.
,,Either you flee and hide in a place of your own choosing, or I’ll come for you and send you to a proper place myself. And you know what that means.” He hissed. The Emperor glared but didn’t say a thing. He then turned his head to his city.
,,Am I supposed to leave the Empire in your hands?” He asked.
,,Yes.”

The old man sighed.
,,As its Emperor?” He asked next. To this, the Altmer shook his head.
,,I have no need for a crown and a pretentious title. All I desire is the freedom to move and play the game without being hindered by having to protect a wrinkled old man from his own stupidity. I don’t understand it. But maybe it is your stubbornness that makes me give you a chance to choose for yourself, Uriel.” He said, but without the sting his words could have had. Uriel managed a smile.
,,I was wrong. You have changed, though I can’t judge if the change has been good or bad. For the better or the worst, I leave this place in your hands.” He decided.
,,Do not betray my trust again. For I swear, I will send every single Legionnair, every normal man, every woman and every child old enough to carry a sword. I’ll send them all after you if you betray me again.” The green bonds vanished.
,,Send them, if I walk the wrong path. For now then, farewell, lord of Tamriel.” With those words, the Altmer walked away to the city.

The Emperor kept watching till the Elf had been swallowed by the darkness of the night.
,,Let’s not dawdle. We’re going to move swift. Glenroy, procure a few horses. Baurus, grab some clothing for disguises. Ask the beggars for help. Tell them: A fire has broken out, and there are not enough hands to carry water. Captain, you stay with me.” He ordered. Baurus chuckled.
,,A code? I suppose that answers how those beggars have managed to stick around despite the Legion’s best attempts at arresting them all. They’ve been on your payroll all the time.” He noted.
,,This is no time for jokes, Baurus. Please hurry. As for the Elf…” The Emperor looked around but soon gave up.
,,Never mind her. By the time she can tell anyone about us, we’ll be long gone. Now get moving.”

Damn that Altmer has some skills and still remains icy cool. I can't wait to see how this develops further...

Hmm.. emperor survives and doesn't go back to his death which is an interesting turn of events. And the altmer (another fairly massive hint as to who he is in that one) is going to take control, I wander what Ocato will make of this.

And yes those skills are awesome.

And you avoided the single most annoying point in the game ('Damn it they've locked the gate from the other side' when said gate would take perhaps 20 seconds to climb up and though.)

Well, but the Emperor can't climb, can he? He does look a bit old from all the promotion pictures I've seen.

Anyway, I've decided to split the story into two paths. One for the Altmer and one for the Bosmer. It should be interesting. Oh, and after this story is done (and Oasis 2), I'm planning on writing the Morrowind side of the Oblivion crisis. So please don't be too surprised when I seemingly pull stuff from nowhere a few chapters later.


Chapter 3: Splitting paths

Lake Rumare, northern coast.

I didn’t look back nor did I slow my steps but I was already starting to doubt my decision. The old man had spirit, I gave him that. But spirit would not prevent his death. He was old, too old really. Even if the knives could be kept from his throat, time would finish the job sooner or later. I feared it would be sooner. I shook away my concerns. There was no going back now. I’d given him his choice and if I took it back now, it would make the offer meaningless. Besides, there were more pressing concerns. I would just have to trust him to keep his wits about him. He’d survived plenty of attempts on his life. He’d be fine, if he kept from sight. Though I did wonder what became of the Bosmer. She didn’t seem like the type who would tag along with them, and even less likely to follow me. I worried a little. I worried, although I knew that I could not afford to spent time looking for her.

I looked down at the manacles around my wrists. They were meant to chain my hands behind my back during relocation from one cell to another, something which had never happened. Now, they would merely draw unwanted attention to myself. I focussed on them and they broke apart, splashing in the wet sand. I scrubbed some sand over them with a toe. It wasn’t the perfect hidingplace, but it would do. Next up were my clothes. They were the standard prisonergarb, cheap, rough and very eyecatching in their own way. I had no need for them, but till I got something better to wear, I would be stuck with them. I cared little for physical discomfort after decades behind bars, but simple decency kept me from ditching the crude rags. So I decided that my first step was to obtain replacements.

But where to find them? There were several options open to me. The light of a building shone to my left. It was probably a tavern. Last stop before the Imperial City, it’s sign might say. I could sneak in there and steal them. However, my goal was the Imperial City, not the last stop before it. I had no desire to waste time. The night would end shortly and with it, the wheel of gossip would begin to spin. I wished to be at the city by that time. That, and stealing was not something I approved off, even less so if there was a more satisfying solution available. That solution lay at the walls of the city. I followed the edge of the lake towards the bridge I remembered. There wasn’t much time, so I alternated between running and walking. If I skipped across the lake directly, I would greatly shorten the distance I needed to travel. But, the wandering torches on top of the wall alerted me to nighttime patrols. It wouldn’t do me much good if they saw something running across the water.

Lake Rumare, eastern side.

The Bosmer rose up to the surface and took her first breath of air since the last half an hour. The hills in the distance seemed to be ablaze, a sign that the sun would rise within minutes.
,,Brrr, the water’s really cold here. Takes all the fun out of swimming.” She complained to herself as she looked around at the island she was on. There wsn’t much to see. It mas mostly a collection of sand, some grey rocks and shrubbery. There was a shack a stonesthrow from where she was standing. Next to the shack, a crude wooden pier extended into the lake. A rowboat bobbed on the shallow waves at the end of a short rope.

She took a few steps towards the shack, then stopped. It was the boat’s shadow underwater which had drawn her here, but she couldn’t see any light coming from behind the shack’s lone window. Perhaps it was abandoned? She shivered. She didn’t have much of a choice. If she couldn’t dry up soon, she would surely catch a cold. And the best chance for drying up was this shack. She took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

There was no answer, so she knocked again, and again. Still no answer. The only sound was the buzzing of crickets and the singing of frogs. Seeing no other way out, she tried the doorbolt.
,,Besides, if this place is empty, it might actually be better. I don’t want to explain why I’m swimming in a lake at night. I don’t think swimming is a common hobby around here.” She thought. The door opened easily and without a sound, which seemed odd with the rundown appearance of the shack. If she’d looked closer though, she would have noticed that the door’s hinges were made of wood, not iron, and they’d been greased extensively.

Now that the door was open, she could hear some irregular snoring.
,,So there is someone here. And asleep as well.” The first beam of sunlight pierced the window and shone on the slumbering person’s feet. Carefully, the Bosmer went in and reached for the person’s shoulder. She couldn’t tell gender or anything, as everything was hidden under the blankets except for the feet. But the feet were old and wrinkled and she expected the rest of the person to be similarly old. She’d planned to simply ask if she could borrow a towel or something similar, but she felt uneasy about waking up someone.

She hesitated for a moment before pulling her hand back.
,,It would be rude for a stranger to disturb someone in his own house.” She looked around and found a grey blanket hanging on a fishingline near the window. She took it off the line and examined it. It had a rough texture and smelled like fish, but it seemed dry. Granted, everything in the shack smelled like fish. It was the first time she’d noticed the smell. She wrapped it around herself and sat down in a corner.
,,I’ll make sure to thank that person, when he or she wakes up. Hmm, fish, smells like home.” The smell made her drowsy and she dozed off.

Fascinating move into first person for the altmer. I'm not quite sure why he wanted to hide the manacles and why he didn't throw them into the sea but its an irrelivant point really.

I wander who the old person is, I get the feeling someone moderatly important but I've no idea who.

And I agree that the emperor couldn't have climbed but 'barred from the other side' sort of implies that it could also be unbarred. It just got to me.

Anyway nice update.

The change of tense was interesting though I was more accustomed to merely witnessing the Altmer's action's rather than hearing their motivation. It's something I'll have to get used to. I would have expected the Bosmer to have a first person narrative but I guess she would have had somewhat more simpler thoughts than the Altmer's deeper thoughts based on his knowledge. Good update nonetheless.

You're right, Griff. I might not have screwed up too badly yet, but I will if I continue this way.

Point is, both characters are rather mysterious in their backgrounds. Only I have to decide which one gets third and the most mystery. The Altmer probably wouldn't work anymore if I go through his work in first person. The Bosmer would loose some in first person herself, but she would be a better choice. So from now on, it's the Altmer that gets third person.

Oh, and we get our first name! Finally, one of the main characters got a name! Wooh! Bring out the fireworks!


Chapter 3.2


Cyrodiil, Waterfront.

The Redguard sailors were entertaining themselves with a song while unloading a shipment of crates. The song went about a sailor whose ship crashed. He was saved by a nymph who succumbed to the man’s charms and the story proceeded in a predictable manner.
,,Excuse me!” A voice shouted from the dock. The cargomaster signalled the crew to keep working before he leaned on the handrails flanking the deck. Belwo him, he saw an Altmer in a blue robe standing next to the unloaded crates. For a moment the Redguard worried about his cargo, but he saw to his satisfaction that a Legionnaire patrol was nearby. There was no risk.

,,Yes, can I help you, sir?!” He shouted back. The Altmer waved and gestured at the crates.
,,I just noticed that sleeve sticking out from under the lid. Would you happen to be shipping clothes?” He asked. The Redguard nodded.
,,Hold on, I’m coming down.” He shouted, waited for a pair of sailors carrying a crate to pass, then walked over the plank himself.
,,Yes, we are shipping clothes. May I ask you for the reason of this interest?” He asked at a more conventional volume now that he was standing right next to the Altmer.
,,Always be polite to people in robes. You never know if he’s a fireball-happy mage.” He thought to himself.

The Altmer touched the sleeve sticking out of one of the crates.
,,Yes. My master, who works at the university, has run into a slight problem. He was conducting some experiments in his lab, with unfortunate results. I have been sent to aquire a new garb for him.” He explained as he inspected the silk. The cargomaster scratched the stubble on his chin.
,,Ah, right. Did you check the market? This shipment is meant for a clothesstore there.” He commented.
,,I already tried, yet the store is still closed at this hour. My master prefers to have his new garb before breakfast, when he must show himself to the apprentices. In his hurry, he sent me off without the means for a monetary compensation.” The Altmer said.

,,I see. That’s a bit of a shame. Now I suppose you want a set of clothes from these crates?” The Redguard asked.
,,That would be correct.” The Altmer replied with a nod.
,,Hmm, now don’t get me wrong. I would be pleased to help you out, but I can’t just do it without getting anything in return. I’m sorry, but I’m not the captain of this ship, only the cargomaster. That, and there is still a quota we must reach.” The cargomaster answered.

The Altmer thought it over for a moment.
,,Then perhaps, may I present you an offer?” He inquired. The Redguard shrugged.
,,Please, go ahead.”
,,Beyond being the master’s servant, I am also an advanced apprentice at the university. While I cannot vouch for my talents to be as sophisticated as that of a master, I am willing to give this ship my protection, in exchange for a single set of garb. I am quite certain that rarely does the actual number of items shipped equal the number of items in the quota.” It didn’t take long for the Redguard to make up his mind. He was almost surprised himself at how quickly he accepted the offer. Almost.
,,A fine deal. We always carry extras in case we lose a crate during a storm. Agreed.”

The Altmer waved his hands into a multitude of aracane gestures as magicka whizzed about him in a mad storm. Then the particles streamed off and seeped into the hull, the sails, the ropes, the mast, even the lanterns at the bow and stern. Visibly, the ship rose at least half a metre out of the waves.
,,I have lightened your vessel. With this, it will sail faster than before, and be able to carry more cargo before sinking.” The Altmer spoke. The Redguard gestured at the crates.
,,Please, all yours. Let me pop the lid.” He said.

The Altmer selected an exquisite robe of white linen, with a matching said sash and decorated by sewn in figures of golden threads. He then gave his thanks and walked away in the direction of the university with his precious load.

Lake Rumare, fisherman’s shack.

,,And who might you be?” I opened my eyes with a snap. The shack’s owner stood bent over me. He was a guy, which would have worried me after the last few days. Only he was old where the others were not. The fire in his blood had been extinguished by the years.
,,Ah, I’m really sorry! You see, I was really wet and so I thought I would go in and ask if I could borrow a towel. Only, you were asleep and I figured it would be rude to wake you up. Really sorry!” I apologized. I looked down at the blanket I’d wrapped myself in. It wasn’t wet, more like moist. The old man smiled friendly.

,,No need to fear, my dear. If you’re wet, nothing’s better than a warm blanket, a crackling fire and a good old bowl of fish-soup. It’s a shame you had to miss out on two of these things.” He said. I gave him a smile of my own and cast off the blanket.
,,Thank you! If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask! I can cook, I can clean, and do various other household chores!” I offered. His face paled and his smile fell.
,,Excuse me?” I mumbled. The old man recomposed himself but he’d taken his distance, and his voice was a lot more collected when he talked to me again.
,,Say, you wouldn’t be willing to tell me where you got those manacles, would you?”

I didn’t answer immediately, instead choosing to stare at the wooden boards that made up the floor.
,,I’d rather not. It’s kinda embarrassing.” I whispered. I then realized why he was so interested. He thought I was a murderer! Why else would I be wearing those things, I did got chained to the wall with them once. I blamed my lack of experience with prisons and criminals in general for not picking up the context in a heartbeat.
,,You see, I was in this garden up in the big city. Nobody was around, it was late and it looked like a nice soft place to sleep. Next thing I know, this walking collection of Iron shows up and drags me to this cold place under the ground. It was really creepy there!” I nearly tripped over my tongue in my rush to explain.

,,Vagrancy? Is that all? You got arrested for vagrancy?” The old man seemed positively relieved.
,,Err, is that the word for sleeping in the wrong place? If so, that’s it.” I answered.
,,I see. Bloody Legionnaires, never had much love for them. Now don’t get me wrong, they keep all the real scum off of our streets, but sometimes they’re just a bit too eager to serve and protect, if you know what I mean. And they threw you out without giving your own clothes back and taking off those manacles, crazy. They’re really slipping. Back in my days….Oh my, now I really sound as if I’m some old coot with half a foot in his grave. Nevermind that.” He said.
,,Anyway, why don’t you stick around for a while? I’ve got some bread in the cupboard. Why don’t we have breakfast first? I’m sure you must be hungry. I’ve heard that prison meals are not very nutritious.”
,,Oh, thank you!” I answered. When I saw the bread, I was not so thankfull anymore. It was stale, very salty and it looked like green moss was beginning to grow out of places.

,,This sure isn’t how the baker makes them at home. Oh well, it would be rude to refuse now.” I thought and forced myself to eat a loaf and actually look as if I enjoyed it.
,,Ugh, this thing’s harder than a rock. Brings a whole new aspect to the etiquette lessons the teachers stamped into me. Never thought I would apply them while eating bread while alone some guy in a shack. Never thought I would be alone with a guy for that matter. If dad found out, he would raise a navy just to chop off his head. So I’m not going to tell him or anyone.” I thought while eating. The thinking was the real thing that kept me focussed. I barely tasted the bread. That was probably a good thing.

Once we were done, we sat down outside the door to warm up in the morning sun. The old man tied a line with a hook to a fishingrod and shoved the leftover crumbs into a bucket to use as bait.
,,You’re a fisherman?” I asked. The man had regained his smile. It was a good smile, made me feel all warm inside. Not in a romantic way, but in the same way I felt when my father smiled at me.
,,It’s what I do. It’s easy and I make enough money out of it to make a living. I won’t be a rich man, but there’s little I need to buy anyway.” He said. I shielded my eyes from the sun and gazed across the lake at the hills.
,,Need help?” I inquired after a while. He looked up from his fishingrod.

,,You’d like to fish? I only have one rod.” He replied.
,,Well, I learned how to fish back home. But I don’t need a rod for it.” I answered. Again he smiled.
,,Then what do you use? A spear?” I shook my head.
,,A net? They’re good if you’re after big loads, bigger than my boat can handle.” Again I shook my head.
,,With your bare hands?” This time, I nodded. He laughed.

For a moment, I felt insulted but I soon realized he wasn’t mocking me.
,,Ah, that brings back memories. I used to fish with my hands. Now, I can’t keep up with them and have to rely on a rod. So you want to fish?” He said. Again I nodded.
,,Well then, let’s get onboard and push off. I know a rich spot.”

He was stronger than he looked. The rowboat wasn’t exactly the lightest or the most streamlined affair and the paddles weren’t much to speak about either. But he still managed to push that, himself, the fishing equipment and me, all at a decent pace.
,,It occurred to me that we haven’t made the introductions yet. I’m Delmar Tunius, fisherman.” He said with that fatherly tone. My, I was really beginning to like him. Now that was a first for this continent. Oh, there was that gold-skinned one, but he was too cold to really like. And after he just slaughtered…I sighed and shook off the thought. I didn’t want to think about it. I smiled at him before he could read my thoughts.
,,Maorlatta Orgnum, merchant.” I answered and then bit my tongue. I wasn’t much of a merchant. No money, no decent clothes, no company or goods.
,,Though I guess I’m reduced to begging now.” I added.

Delmar shook a finger.
,,Let me give you a bit of advice, Maorlatta….mind if I call you that?” He stopped himself. I giggled.
,,Sure. Why not?” He resumed rowing again.
,,Never resort to begging. A septim a day can keep you alive, but without dignity, you’re nothing. Look at me, I’m barely better than a beggar, but I don’t beg. I fish, I make my living through that. I don’t sit in a corner and ask passersby for money. If you want to get anywhere in this live, you have to do it yourself. Don’t be a parasite. I’ve seen many beggars who could be fine workers, if they weren’t too lazy….Ah, look at me, going on and on. I think you got my point after the first four words.”

Well we have a name... Yay! And a bit of background, she's from an important family then. I like the fisherman, he's a good character.

I assume the altmer was using some sort of illusion on the captain? Otherwise it seems unlikely he would swap clothes for some suggested piece of magic... Anyway pretty powerful spells again. I wander when we will get a second name (which will dispell a good bit of the mystery around him unless I'm mistaken).

Hm... Seems like I missed some stuff.

You know, I must say I really like the fisherman so far. He seems like the kind of old, relaxed, simple person you won't see in fanfics frequently. Gotta love simplicity...

Plus, some background info on the Bosmer... And a tongue-breaking name, to top it off.

And, the Altmer seems to get more interesting by the second. I want to find out who he is, yet I want him to keep being mysterious at the same time...

Can't wait for the next update.

Ah, I finally put in the effort to catch up, and it was well worth it. One gets the feeling that this Altmer is a refugee from the Battlespire... but after that?

yup....just catched up on this one! Good work Jackie! Since I've watched my son play OB on xbox I'm a tad more familiar with the settings in your story....and I must say I like it!

Great last update with the re-change of tense in both stories but the only odd thing is, how exactly are you writing this if you haven't played Oblivion? Of course, the logical answer would be that you're making it up as you go but, still, when it comes to any specific quests that you'd like to re-enact how will you handle the task? You could always look at the UESP wiki because they have all quests there with a walk-through included but that would be a little weird. Writing about Oblivion without actually playing Oblivion. It just feels odd.

Also, I think I know where you got the name of the Bosmer. She's a Maormer right? You cut out the mer part and add in Latta and you get Maorlatta. Still, the Altmer is just as mysterious as he ever was. I'm starting to think he's the Hero of the Battlespire. Either that or a hero of a previous TES game since I can't justify his relationship to the Emperor otherwise.

Well, it is odd but I do it practically all the time. I guess it has become second nature to me.

That said, I don't have any actual quests planned right now. Bruma probably won't feature, neither will Martin's escort to the priory and Cloud Ruler.

Oh, and one other thing I used the UESP for, is Latta's name. I liked the translation it gave. And yes, I just used the second part of her name as the shortened version. *not so subtle hint*

About the captain, it was the cargomaster who pulled the deal but he was indeed charmed with some good old mindtricks. 'These are not the droids you are looking for'. Oh, wait. Wrong story. Oops.

And one last thing, keep guessing at the Altmer, people.



Chapter 3.3


Cyrodiil, palace.

The Altmer examined his new garb for the last time as he leaned against the marble walls that encircled the palace. Admittedly, he could have simply maintained the illusion on his prison-outfit, but that would allow a margin of error he wasn’t going to risk. He could claim without any arrogance whatsoever that his skill at the art of deception was possibly among the greatest in the world, the source of legends. Yet, for all he was, he was not flawless. Wearing an actual outfit suited to the job was still preferable to an elaborate illusion.

He removed a loose thread and straightened out the last wrinkle when the sun burst over the walls. The Altmer took a deep breath and turned his eyes towards the golden doors of the palace. Now, the doors opened without the slightest sound and a dozen guards walked out, each wearing the stylized silver armour with the golden dragon-crest that was the mark of the palace-guard. The guards split up in pairs, moving out along the street. At regular intervals, one pair would stop and turn to face each other. They would raise their silver Claymores over the street as an arch. When the last pair had taken up position, the Altmer moved away from the wall.

An idle part of his mind observed the purely symbolic guards. They were no slouch in combat, certainly. In fact, they were rated amongs the greatest the continent had to offer. Their strength couldn’t be questioned either. They had trained years, just so they could stand perfectly still with their Claymores for six hours, not a simple feat. But still, their positioning was rather inefficient for a true guard. But that was why there were the normal guards patrolling the streets just beyond the ceremonial path. If there was trouble of sufficient magnitude to warrant their attention, a guard merely had to call and a dozen expertly skilled warriors would jump to his aid.

The Altmer remembered that the palace guards were Blades as well, high-ranking ones. The only reason why they weren’t wearing the lighter and more functional Blade armour was again symbolic. The perfectly polished plates reflected every last ray of sunlight, making the guards look less like mortal men and more like immortal dragons burning with devotion.

Just when the Altmer had begun to walk, a small group of pages dressed in white came out of the palace. Fear was evident on their face and in the way they had to force themselves not to run. As they hurried past him, the Altmer turned and began to follow. None of them noticed their party had gained a new member, so focussed were they on their task. The fact that he practically looked as if he was one of them helped. He had chosen his robe well.
,,Right on schedule.”

Lake Rumare

I dangled a toe in the water. Now that the sun was shining, albeit it still hung pretty low in the sky, the water had heated up considerably. It was almost comfortable now. Delmar stopped rowing and pulled the oars back into the boat. He then took the fishingrod and pierced a worm on the hook.
,,Alright, here we are. Now let’s go fishing. Keep an eye out for Slaughterfish.” He said. I carefully got up and rolled over the edge into the water. The boat barely rolled when I shifted my weight.

The water flooding into my nose was cold and I sneezed, which made a few bubbles shoot out of my nostrils.
,,Brrr…still cold.” I said when I resurfaced. Delmar had dropped his rod and leaned over the edge of the boat.
,,Just what are you doing?! You jumped in? I thought when you talked about using your hands you were going to grab any passing fish while sitting in the boat.” He stammered. I shrugged.
,,I’m used to swimming.” I answered.

Delmar picked up his rod again with a sigh.
,,But wasn’t the whole reason you sneaked into my home because you wanted to get dry?” He asked. Oops, should have remembered that. Well, too late now.
,,Sorry.” I whispered. The old guy shook his head and leaned back.
,,Oh, whatever. It is not as if I need the blankets myself. Just don’t go too far and stay away from the Slaughterfish. Those scaly bastards are really something.” He warned me. I waved and dove underwater.

I was about halfway to the bottom when instinct kicked in and I began to alter the water around me, splitting it into water and air. The air I would breathe while the water I spit out.
,,Ok, I can stay underwater for half an hour. Let’s see. Where is a nice fish? I need a big one, for myself. I can’t fish till I’ve taken care of this.” I thought and began to swim around in circles, using both legs and arms to push myself forward at a decent clip.

The water was crystal-clear and I would have been able to see all the way to the other side, if my vision wasn’t so blurry underwater. My eyesight was still good enough to see a vague bronze shape hiding among some weeds, though. Curious, I turned towards it and sped up. It too turned and sped up as well, incredibly so. From near motionless, it had gone to match my speed, and then even triple it! All in less than a heartbeat. I could see it open its maw and reveal a set of really long teeth.
,,Stay away from the Slaughterfish.” So this was a Slaughterfish? It looked worthy of its name. All muscle and teeth, and quick to boot. I knew I should turn away and get back to the boat or at least hide in the nearest patch of weeds, but I didn’t.

Instead, I kicked out with a foot and stopped. I couldn’t practically outrun it and at the distance it was, it would get to me in about five seconds, far too short for me to find a place to hide. There was no thinking going on in my mind, no feelings of panic or even a slight hint of apprehension. Instead, I felt…..hungry. And the hunger made me stop and wait for it.

Just as it was about to reach me, the Slaughterfish slowed down and shook its head from side to side in confusion. My body reacted naturally and pounced. One hand tightened around its tail, the other clamped that ugly maw shut. I gouged out its eyes with my fingers in the process. This wasn’t fishing anymore. This was simply about devouring or being devoured. In this case, I was the one who did the devouring, biting where its heart had to be. I gobbled a lump my mouth could barely hold and swallowed the whole thing without chewing, scales, bones, blood, half a heart and even a lot of water.

After that first bite, the fish died nearly instantaneously and I came back to my senses. A feeling of revulsion was the first I got, next was the more sober thought that I should swim somewhere else. With all the blood the Slaughterfish was leaking, I wouldn’t be surprised if another would come looking for an easy meal. I swam away and settled down behind a rock. My memories of what had just happened were rather blurry, but I still understood most of it. I’d gone too long without a real meal, and I had just felt the consequences. The rat I caught in the cell hadn’t been much. It had nearly been as starved as I’d been. I felt better now, though.

I looked at my hand, which seemed transparent. It was the reason why the Slaughterfish had gotten confused and slowed down enough for me to grab it. It was interesting, and scary, how much instinct could control my actions. I thought of taking on my natural colour again as a form of defiance but after a second I changed my decision. If my camouflage was good enough to fool one of those monsters up close, it was good enough to keep them hunting me in the first place. I blew out a few bubbles and left the rock. Finding some smaller fish to drop off at the boat was what I wanted to do right now. Preferably ones without any teeth.

Hm, nice update. The Maormer (formerly Bosmer) is really starting to show off her skills. Nice deception you had going until now with us thinking it was actually a Bosmer. As far as I know, these Maormer have a pretty odd skin colour, right? They're rather like chameleons if I could compare them to an actual creature.

Anyway, I liked the description of the Ceremonial Palace Guards and how they took position. I think I know who the Altmer is now. He is...Ocato's brother! Wrong huh? Either that or Jagar Tharn's step-cousin twice removed on his mother's side. The former probably.

"And one last thing, keep guessing at the Altmer, people."

Are you sure? The key clues I'm going on are that the emperor recognised him, thought he was dead and was very frightened of him. There is also repeated suggestions that the Emperor trusted him once and that trust was betrayed. He knows a bit about the battlespire. He's a monumentally powerful mage. The title of this is redemption. He'd been in jail for a long time (a guard said since before he was born).

There I've said nothing that didn't appear in the fic, there were a few other things but I won't spill the beans (assuming I have the correct beans) unless you want me to.


Anyway sound update, nice twist with the bosmer being a sea elf. I'm fascinated to know how the altmer will take power.

I think we have the sdame suspect, but I won't say anything. Keep going Jack.