Chapter 7: Protector
It wasn’t long before we stopped at a mansion, the same as any other, though that didn’t mean much. All the houses were miniature forts around here. It made me wonder what would happen if the neighbours got angry at each other. At least the Telvanni kept a lot of distance between each other and were usually too absentminded to notice a war if it was happening on their doorstep. These guys were sitting right on each other’s toes. And with the personal armies the average Redoran noble possessed, things could get nasty. Oh, and I had some personal experience with the Redoran armies when I recruited them for the assault on Red Mountain. Those guys were pros, and I was not going to assume that their ancestors were any different.
While I entertained myself with the hypothetical neighbour’s squabble, Turala had been staring at the door of the mansion we stopped in front of. I gave her a moment before moving in front of her and raising a hand to knock.
,,Still want to go on?” I asked. The Chimer lass gave me a weak shrug. I sighed and dragged my knuckles across the steel-studded wood.
,,This is going to be such a bore.” I muttered. This made her temper flare again.
,,Hey! You’re not the one who’s in trouble!” She snapped, then cast a half-panicked glance over her shoulder. No one seemed to take notice of whatever she’d said. Nearly all Redorans were focussed on me and the few that weren’t were absorbed by their own activities.
,,Me, not in trouble? You’ve got no idea how wrong you are, girlie.” I chuckled.
The door, gate was a better word, opened shortly and a Redoran in full armour peered at me through the slit in his helmet. People standing inside in full body-armour. Yup, that felt like Redoran alright.
,,What?” He snarled and his hand went for the sword at his hip immediately. I held up one hand in a calming gesture and unbuckled the scabbard with another.
,,Easy, easy. I’m not here to cause trouble of any sort. Here, you can hold my sword during my stay here.” I spoke. The girl skipped past me.
,,Good day, Gaulis.” She said. The Redoran performed a short bow for her without ever loosing sight of me.
,,You gave up your sword awfully easy, Foreigner.” He said with what could be either surprise or suspicion. I couldn’t tell which, so I merely gave him a nonchalant shrug.
,,Oh, I’m getting used to it by now. Seems people don’t trust you when you have one, and try to kill you when you don’t. Except inside, there you can generally walk around without. So, may I pass? I’m with the lady…purely a business-relation, I assure you.” I replied. Gaulis’ eyes narrowed for a bit but in the end he took the sword and stepped out of my way.
,,Make no commotion, maintain your manners. Probably the same rules in the house of a human noble.” He warned me. I smiled. Finally, one guy who was willing to admit that we were not that different in the end, even if it was on the subject of rules.
I followed Turala into what appeared to be a living room where I leaned against the walls, behind a pillar. Sure, all the servants were keeping their eyes on me, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was not dragging too much attention from the big boss in this place, who was sure to arrive soon. And arrive soon he did, all dressed in fancy clothes but still with a sword at his side. A sword that had more weight going into its decorations than into its blade. I whistled at that, which had the unpleasant side-effect of drawing the guy’s attention. His hand gripped the hilt of the sword and he unsheathed a finger-length of it.
,,Who’s that?” He asked in a venomous tone.
,,Just the new bodyguard, that’s all. Don’t mind me.” I answered, folding my arms in the process. The noble turned his back on me, after making sure two guards were blocking me from moving any further into the room. I shook my head.
,,Ouch. If this guy is so jumpy with his daughter as well, she’s definitely going to get a lot more than just a spanking.”
For a good three minutes or so, no one said a thing. The noble father and daughter just sat on their pillows, the guards tried to string me into a staring-contest and I leaned against my pillar waiting for something to happen. That something came in the form of a wrinkled old maid carrying a tray and two cups. Drinks. Turala and daddy each took a cup and began to drink.
,,Oh, come on. Just start talking already. Geez, are you two going to sit there all day?” I thought. It turned out the drinks were part of some kind of ritual because right after the two cups had been put down, the guy did talk.
,,You’re back early dear.” He said. I sighed loud, earning me a pointed glare from every guard in the room.
,,Oh please. Spare me the small-talk, will ya?”
,,I don’t mind you doing things by yourself. Independence breeds spirit. However, I do have to question your decision to hire a foreigner as a bodyguard. Didn’t I tell you that only members of the House are acceptable as shields?” The guy added. I rolled my eyes. More glares from the guards.
,,Alkad was a gift from a beneficiary.” Turala replied. For a moment, I wondered why she’d used the word gift, then I realized that this was Morrowind. Slavery and all that. I frowned but kept silent.
,,Great, now I’m being shoehorned into the position of slave? Fine, I’ll play along…for now. And could you two get down to business somewhere this era?”
The noble gave me the shortest glance ever.
,,I see. He isn’t much to look at, though. I fear he can’t even protect you from the weakest thug. If you so desire, I’ll sell him and give you a stronger one to guard you in return.” He said which made me grit my teeth.
,,Sell me? Not much to look at? Why, you rotten little point-eared jerk. I’d like to see you take down a God one-on-one. If there’s a weakest thug somewhere that’s stronger than your beloved Tribunal, I’d love to meet him.” I hissed.
,,Silence, slave!” Turala snapped. I scoffed and chose to take the guards up on their offer of a staring contest.
,,At least I spoke modern Hammerfellian. If that had been ancient Dunmeri, that guy would have freaked out.”
,,Father…I have something to tell you.” Turala said after seeing that I wasn’t going to do anything stupid. The noble spread his arms.
,,Go ahead, my dearest daughter. You know that you can discuss anything with me.” He proclaimed. I smirked.
,,Sure daddy. I’ve wormed my way into a relationship with someone five times my age, the big guy in town, behind your back, without any official arrangements. The price was a healthy dose of bedroom entertainment, and a lot of hiding in the closet when the Duchess came in. Pretty cool, huh?” I thought and somehow managed to keep from chuckling.
,,Yeah, I don’t think you’ll like discussing this, gramps.”
,,Father…I have been in a relation with a man.”
The Chimer’s mouth fell wide open. Not even he could maintain his distinguished expression.
,,A relation…without my permission?! You dumb brat! How dare you! You have tarnished the name of the House!” He gasped. I heard the loud smack of his hand meeting her cheek.
,,Commence the spanking. Seriously, one day I’m trashtalking gods, the other I’m watching indecent girls getting whacked in the living room, way back in the wrong era. Just what did I do to deserve this fate? Oh yeah, I’m the hero of prophecy.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. I also lost the staring-contest that way, but I didn’t care.
,,You will break off this relation immediately!” He ordered, smacking her again, this time on the other cheek.
,,You will never leave the house on your own anymore. From now on, you will be escorted!” He stopped his tirade and heaved for breath. Then, his eyes bored directly into mine.
,,An escort of my choosing! Now go to your room and don’t come out till I tell you! I’ll post a guard at the door to make sure you’ll do as I say!” Turala left the room, sobbing again. I tried to follow, but the guards were still blocking my way and the girl’s father was still trying to kill me with his eyes. I clenched my hands into fists.
,,Great. You’re not going to have a word with me now, are you?” I thought. Turned out he was.
,,As for you, you will answer my question. Were you gifted by the man she was having this affair with?” I stepped back to avoid the spittle. He was like a rabid Kagouti.
,,You could put it like that.” I replied warily. I had no idea what he was up to but whatever it was, I was convinced it would not be in my best interests.
,,I see.” The Chimer said and then turned his back to me. He walked to the same door Turala had disappeared through. Standing in the doorway, he gave the two guards one last order, still with his back turned.
,,Kill him, and cut off his head. Have it sent to that fiend who claimed my daughter’s hand. Tell him that if he ever speaks of this incident or tries to establish contact with her through any means, he will meet the same fate. The same goes for you two.” He stopped talking but did not move. Two longswords left their sheath with barely a sound and were pointed at my throat.
,,I don’t have time for this.” I growled, in what approached their own language. Now the noble did turn around.
,,What did you say?” He asked venomously. The guards did not try to kill me yet. Apparently, I’d managed to postpone the inevitable violence for a moment.
I secretly conjured a Telekinetic barrier to cover my throat before answering. Just in case.
,,I said I don’t have time for you Redorans and your hideous mockery of honour.” I spat. The noble recoiled in shock. I suddenly realized I didn’t know his title. Not that it mattered.
,,How dare you, slave! To speak foul of the highest virtue of House Redoran!” He gasped. I flashed a grin.
,,Oh, you’ve got no idea how daring I am. Besides, you’re the one who just ordered my execution without a care in the world. If that’s how you think about slaves, damn sure I’m going to support the Twin Lamps when I get home. And when I get into supporting something...things get messy.” The guard’s grips wavered slightly as they also were taken aback by my words. They were obviously not used to the idea of a slave, unarmed, who dared to talk like that with two swords at his throat. Now was the time.
,,I am not the slave you think I am. Slave of the omnipotent being called my mom, perhaps. Slave of fate, perhaps. Slave of some stuck-up girl who is crying her heart out over some lost romance I don’t care about, no way.” I shook my head dramatically. The Chimer was getting more angry with every word I said. Good.
,,Seriously, Turala has some real issues. You must be one loser of a father, first to have this happen in the first place, second to have it end like this. Pathetic, just pathetic.” That was the last drop. The noble drew his own sword now and stalked across the distance that separated us.
,,Out of my way, I’ll kill him myself!” He spat. The guards stepped aside, though they did keep their swords trained on me. I looked at the one to my right and grinned.
,,Ya know, I had this wonderful plan of going undercover and stuff, but someone just happened to put a crack in the wheel. So that means….” Both swords flew out of their hands and into mine.
,,I can do stuff like this again without worrying about the consequences.” I finished casually. My anger was making place for amusement.
The guards instinctively stepped back when I brandished their own weapons at them, giving me all the room I might need. I broke the one in my left hand against the wall and tossed away the remnants.
,,I’ve never been a fan of this dual-wielding crap. Sword and shield or really big sword, that’s the only option there is.”
I could see that the guards really wanted to strangle me. Two against one, they still stood a chance even without their blades. After all, they were wearing armour which made killing a tad harder. I wasn’t wearing a helmet either, so my throat wasn’t exactly well-protected. But they were still under orders and even if they hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have offered them that chance. I paralyzed them with a spell to make sure they could not intervene no matter what was going to happen. The noble himself was still coming. He was too angry to notice the use of magicka. He probably assumed I’d disarmed them with some quick sleigh of hand and knocked them over the head or something.
,,You wish to fight me? Good! It will make killing you all the more satisfying.” He hissed. I laughed.
,,Oh boy, how great and honourable we are. Ok, a duel is considered a honourable way to settle disputes in my homeland as well, I’ll give you that. But the honour of it is vastly overrated when one of the two simply stands no chance. In this case, you’re the one without a chance.” I chuckled.
The noble roared and charged, even though he was barely two metres away from me. He slashed horizontally across my throat so I blocked. Our swords barely touched before he drew back for another swing, this time a feint at my weapon-hand. I parried the real attack going for the leg and forced him back with my counterswing. He was good, I had to admit. Unlike most swordfighters, he refused to lock blades and get into a pushing match. As it was, I was up with my back against the pillar, unable to move anywhere and forced to stop all his thrusts and swings with my sword. There was simply no room to dodge. I blocked a thrust at my face. This guy was good. Redoran through and through, that’s for sure.
But good or not, I still had some tricks of my own up my sleeve. So when I got tired of fighting, I merely aimed a flamelance at his sword and melted it down to the hilt.
,,What is this sorcery?” The noble asked himself as he threw away the now worthless hilt. He glanced at the two guards, who had now slumped to the floor. Finding no help from them, he spread his arms wide as he stood before me.
,,Go on, kill me! Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that all you barbarians want? To kill, to murder a helpless man?” He said with a triumphant tone in his voice. I put the tip of my sword at his throat and pushed, just far enough to draw a single drop of blood.
,,Oh, I get it. If I kill you, I’m going to be bad because you’re unarmed. Let’s forget for a moment that this is exactly what you were planning to do earlier, mister civilized. If I don’t kill you, you’ll sick every single guard in the building on me.” I replied and threw the sword away.
,,Guess what? I wasn’t going to kill you even before you pulled this little trick on me. So go on, bring the guards. Just more pigs to the slaughter.”
The Chimer smiled and tried to turn but I grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him off his feet with a single hand. The other I used to ready a fireball.
,,Oh no, you’re not getting away that easily. I have some questions for you. If I find that your answers satisfy me, I’ll let you walk out of this unharmed. If you try to warn some more guards or refuse to answer though, three guesses where this fireball is going to end up. I’ll give you a hint. It won’t be the wall.” I said in the most menacing voice I could muster. I wondered why no one had come to take a look at what caused all the racket earlier.
,,What do you want? Money, freedom? Access to the sacred vaults of the House?” The noble asked me in return.
,,I’ve got no need for money and how were you going to give me freedom? I’m already free, free to kick your behind along with that of every sword-bearing Chimer in the city.”
,,So, you are after revenge.” The Chimer concluded. I shook my head and let the fireball grow a bit more. By now, its heat was noticeably beginning to warm the room we were in.
,,Nope, wrong guess. I’ve only got a simple request for you. Tell me how I can get to Almalexia, the one and only. I know she is in this city, only I don’t know which room of that temple she is in. Now no tricks, just answer.” To my surprise, he laughed in my face.
,,You want to meet Almalexia herself? You have a deathwish after all. You should have chosen my sword, it would have been a lot less painful than whatever fate she would give you for trespassing on her ground.” I sneered and held the fireball just in front of his nose.
,,I said, no tricks. If I have a deathwish, so be it. Just tell me how I can get to her.” I whispered.
,,You can’t. She has left the city two months ago. She is at Summerset now.” Well, I had only one word to describe that answer. Crap.
I let him drop and walked out of the door. In the doorway, I stopped. The whole situation felt oddly familiar to the one where he ordered my execution. Only now, the roles were reversed.
,,By the way, Turala’s lover? It’s the duke. Now knowing a thing about nobles, you’re probably going to kill her to spare yourself the embarrassment. I’ll hang around though and if I notice you’ve done that, I’ll be paying you a visit. And it won’t be for cookies. So don’t. Don’t kill her.” I said and strode into the corridor. The guard at the door handed me my sword back without a word. I frowned, which he apparently misunderstood for a question.
,,The lord must have been practicing his swordplay again. He tends to get carried away and do it in the livingroom. Makes an awful lot of noise.” So that’s why no guards came. They merely assumed it was their boss performing his hobby. I smirked as the door opened.
,,Ah, can’t take away a man’s toys. See ya later, buddy.” I said and walked out.
Back on the streets I sighed and put my hand on the hilt of my sword to scare off any cocky Chimer. So Almalexia was on the other side of Tamriel. I supposed it was a good thing then that the Duke threw Turala into my lap. If it wasn’t for her, I would still be going around trying to be a spy, all for a goal that was unattainable anyway. On the other hand, Almalexia was on the other side of the continent, so my big idea of contacting Nerevar through her was gone. Now what? I walked past a rack of weapons. They were mass-produced specimens, without the unique wear and tear any used weapon had. New swords and spears, for new recruits in an old war. I froze. The war, the answer lay in the war. I could not reach Almalexia, but I could still reach one other member of the Tribunal. After all, didn’t I know where Vivec was going to fight soon? If I left the city now, I might just make it before the battle.
There was no need for me to stick around any longer anyway. Everybody hated me by default and the way I was doing things, I was making real enemies by the boatload. The longer I stuck around, the greater the chance of running into an angry mob with various farming tools. And that was definitely not something which would do my current mood any good. I turned for the gate and walked till the end of the street before stopping. Just what was I thinking? Was I really just going to walk off just because a Redoran had claimed Almalexia was taking a trip?
I turned back around and began to walk again, this time in the direction of the temple. It wasn’t as if the Redoran was incapable of lying. Sure, they love to cultivate the impression they’re saints but in the end, a Redoran isn’t any different than any other guy with a sword and a private army. Besides, I am Telvanni. If there was ever a place where I should let good old mushroomlord paranoia rule, this was it.
Two Chimer stood on each side of the big gates of the temple. And I mean big. They were bigger than the gates to the city, or the gates to the castle. That made it pretty obvious that this was the place of someone really important. That, or maybe they were so big since the whole city population came through every morning for the daily rituals. Or maybe both. Either way, I wasn’t really impressed by it. I’d seen bigger. Not doors perhaps, but I had seen bigger things.
The four guards slipped into a more aware stance as soon as I approached. I sighed at that. This was so getting old. I thought I should be the paranoid one, being a single foreigner and all that. I shrugged and kept approaching. I subtly sized up the Chimer. They were clothed in a heavily decorated robe and their weapon was a Morningstar. I also noticed they had the sign of ALMS…ALMNEVI tattooed on their foreheads. They looked like the prototype of the Ordinators. Perhaps not as well-armed, but still similar.
,,What are you doing here, scum? How did you get in the divine city?” One snarled. Prototype of the Ordinators alright, they even had the limited vocabulary and the attitude. Judging by the everpresent red shawl, this guy was the leader.
,,Ah, well, perhaps it would be better to ask the guards at the gates?” I suggested and presented my papers. The Ordies didn’t seem too impressed though.
,,Watch your manners. We asked you a polite question. Now answer, if you know what’s best for you.” The lead Ordie said and his tone got just that little bit colder. Ordinator through and through in spirit. It made me want to puke. If there was one thing I absolutely loathed, it was an Ordinator.
I had now reached him and brought my face close to his.
,,First things first, I’ve been holding onto my manners in this city as best as I can. Which says a lot, given how no one else here seems to hold onto his. Secondly, threatening and name-calling does not fit the definition of polite. Third, you’d better calm down before I get pissed off. Almalexia with a broken fingernail isn’t as bad as me when I have to deal with a bunch of stuck-up Ordinator wannabes. And to think that you’re just the seed that will grow into a revolting plant full of thorns, awful.” I hissed. The Ordie spat and I grinned.
,,I knew you were going to do that. Too bad I had a tidbit of telekinesis handy to smack it into your face instead of mine, huh?” I chuckled for a moment before getting serious again.
,,As for why I am here, I’m here simply for a little friendly conversation with the big hotshot goddess herself. Now why don’t you step aside or open the gate, or do you want me to do it myself, Telvanni style?”
The Ordie whipped off his own spit. He made a quick gesture behind his back and the other three advanced. By how their eyes flashed at the streets behind me, I could conclude that a whole crowd had formed, probably expecting me to get trashed. Too bad I was going to disappoint them. When the four morningstars rose up as one, I simply drew my sword and made three quick cuts across the lead Ordie before jumping away. When the whole front end of his robe came off, everyone either gasped or stifled a laugh. That gave me the chance to simply dash past them and get to the gates. Said gates buckled and crashed down into the temple, leading to a second round of gasps.
The proto-Ordinators were unwilling to continue fighting.
,,What…who are you?” One of them gasped. I looked at him and flashed a smug grin.
,,Ah, I was already wondering if someone who was not wearing a red shawl could talk. As for who I am…” I glanced at the castle for a split-second and shrugged. If the Duke’s spy network was any good, he would hear off it. Heh, whatever. I bet he would be surprised at what his little spy could do if fired.
,,I’m Luper Alkad, dragongod of Tamriel. Lorkhan is my brother and by that, you could also say I’m ALMNEVI’s uncle. Now if you excuse me, it’s time for me to have a family-chat.” I continued and walked in unopposed.
,,Hilarious.” I muttered to myself and laughed as I walked over the now flat gates. It was fortunate that the doors had been made out of a light bugshell. If they’d been more massive, I would have to cut out a hole instead of smacking them down entirely. Then again, only a goddess would have been able to open them if they were that heavy.
Priests and their acolytes scrambled away as soon as they saw me. At the same time, more Ordinators moved to form a wall and push me back out. Apart from notifying me that I was not wanted here, it was also rather amusing. I jerked a thumb at the fallen door.
,,Oh, come on, guys. I just bashed down the really big door. Do you really think you can stop me?” I chuckled and put a hand on the hilt of my sword. I’d sheathed it for some reason. Probably an old habit. I had the tendency to keep my sword sheathed till the moment people were already swinging at me. I shrugged at the thought. At least I’d cultivated one of the quickest draws in Tamriel.
,,Looking at you, I’d say you might slow me for….all of five seconds. And that’s being generous.” I added.
The Ordinators faltered. Fanatic belief in their goddess was one thing, but it didn’t go so far they would just throw themselves into battle. They had more brains than I’d expected, not bad. Or maybe they’d just figured that if I could get past four of them, half a dozen extra wouldn’t make that much of a difference. I grinned.
,,Ok, now I’m a reasonable guy so if you’d just let me have a word with little Allie, I’ll be out of your hair in a second. So, what about it?” I asked. Several of them frowned as they tried to make sense of my words.
,,With Allie, I’m referring to Almalexia.” I coughed as a clarification.
,,Almalexia is not here.” The latest person with a red shawl said. I sighed.
,,You know, the last guy who said that tried to execute me a minute earlier, so I’m not going to put much faith in you. Try harder.” I replied.
,,I said, the lady is not here. I don’t know who you think you are, Outlander, but the word of….” The Ordinator snapped. I cut him off with a dismissive wave of my left hand.
,,The word of an Ordinator? I’ve been lied to by one of your kind before. As for who I think I am? Why not ask the rest of the town, they heard the news. Now if you excuse me, could you be so kind as to call the holy one down here for a second. Just say it’s her uncle.” I interrupted.
The Ordinator was visibly becoming agitated. His subordinates were eager to fight but the lack of an order held them back.
,,I am not an Ordinator, whatever that might be! And as I said, the Divi…” Again I cut him off.
,,Ok, I get it. We’re getting nowhere here and just for the record, I’m going to keep calling you an Ordinator cause that’s what you are. That pillar over there looks very fragile, don’t you think?” I spoke and calmly walked over to the pillar I’d indicated.
,,Oh, and look. It appears to support the roof. It would be a shame if it were to….” I punched it, adding a telekinetic blast to the blow. A sizable portion of the pillar fragmented and crumbled.
,,crack, don’t you think?” I finished.
,,Look, I see that you are rather stubborn over this, but I am not lying to you.” The Ordinator said, pretty calm for someone who had just seen a stone pillar get smacked.
,,That’s right, I am stubborn. Now why don’t you just run up there and tell the hag to get down here? If she won’t come, tell her that I know she’s just a lousy rip-off of Lorkhan. If she won’t come after that, I’ll level this whole place and force her out.” I snapped. I gave another tap to the stone pillar. Everyone around audibly held his breath and I could hear the same tense sound coming from behind me. The crowd outside. But this time, only some dust came down. It was only a tap, after all.
,,Who is he?!” The Ordinator shouted. I looked over my shoulder and saw quite a large mass of people standing in the doorway, including the Ordinator’s colleagues.
,,He claims he is a dragongod! Stupid foreigner with delusions, I say!” The Ordie who’d tried to spit at me shouted back. Now the whole demeanour of the guy I’d been talking to changed.
,,A dragongod? From the Empire?” He repeated. He took one quick glance at the pillar and apparently made up his mind.
,,Alright then. It sounds too ridiculous to be true but if we have our gods walking the land, then maybe the Empire can have its own. I must say, it takes more than the strength of a mortal to casually tear down a building such as this.” He admitted. I was pretty much stunned. A Dunmer, or Chimer, and an Ordinator even, had just admitted to the possibility that the great Tribunal wasn’t the only bunch of immortals around. That took something. This guy was just great! Oh, and I hadn’t casually threatened to tear down the building. That punch took a lot more than I’d made it look. But that is the basis behind bluffing. Make it look easy.
,,So, you said Almalexia isn’t here?” I said. I was now willing to believe him.
,,That’s right. If you so desire, we can lead you to her private quarters so you can see for yourself.” He said. I thought about it and then dismissed the offer.
,,No thanks. I’ll take your word for it. Could you tell me where she is?” I answered. For a moment, the Ordinator hesitated whether or not he should tell me.
,,I have not heard any specifics, but she was planning on meeting her lover, the great Nerevar. She went southwest.” He replied. I didn’t need any specifics. Bodrum, that had to be the place. This might turn out even better. Instead of one god, I might have the chance to meet two of them, or even all three, if Vivec was there just like in the book.
I managed to temper my enthusiasm with a sobering thought. If all three were there and they decided to stomp me into the ground, I wasn’t going to put a lot of money on me winning. It was three against one. That, and I had no idea if my alternate plane already existed, before my birth. If I was banished, would it be forever? I vowed to go the polite route for once during my meeting with them, just to be on the safe side.
,,Thanks." I said and turned around. When I walked outside, the crowd split before me without a word, opening a path. I grinned.
,,Finally, some respect."
I considered doing something flashy, like levitation or some other stunt to show off my godly powers. But I decided not to. Apart from not accomplishing anything, I simply didn’t feel like doing it. I flexed the fingers of the hand I’d used to punch that pillar. Maybe the fact I already did show off my godly powers had something to do with it. Or perhaps it was because my fingers were slightly bruised.
“Next time, I’ll wear gauntlets before punching solid stone.”
As I moved on further down the street, I noticed the demeanour of the crowd change. First moving from awe to fear, to unease, to confusion and finally, back to hostility. Of course, as I moved along I left the part of the crowd that had actually seen me smacking down a door and nearly breaking a pillar. And knowing the Chimer, they had trouble believing the stories that were passed around in hushed whispers. I bet the stories had already gotten horribly mangled already, that’s the way gossip goes, especially gossip that goes straight against a dominant centuries-old religion. Whatever was the case, I brought a hand down to my sword to ward off any unwise acts of violence.
Finally, the crowd dispersed and I could breathe more easily. While there were still Redoran walking around with various bladed implements of death, there wasn’t half an army of them visible all the time. Well, there was half an army of them behind me, but I didn’t fear that pack. Those hadn’t moved when I was surrounded by them. I also noticed that half of the few remnants ahead of me weren’t paying me any attention at all. That was odd. I felt my fingers slip around the hilt in a subconscious response. There was a feeling of dread in the air, I just didn’t know for sure if that dread was directed at me.
Those that weren’t watching me were watching someone covered entirely in crude rags. The garb was so thick, I couldn’t even guess at the gender of the person beneath. I sighed.
“Oh bloody great. A victim of the Blight.” I grumbled. All the signs were there. The clothes, the way everyone avoided that person even more than they avoided me, the expressions that sat between devout rage and pity. Everything, except the era. If the Blight really had been around this early, it was the greatest miracle ever that Morrowind survived long enough for me to come around and save everyone. I glanced over my shoulder at the street behind me. The crowd had gone. I braced my shoulders and marched straight up to the person in rags.
“Well, hello there. What’s up?” I said casually once I got close enough. The person turned around and all I could see was a pair of eyes peering out at me. Those rags all over were starting to annoy me. As if it wasn’t enough already, why the heck would anyone decide to wear something like that? Even in Skyrim, that much would be considered excessive.
“You again.” She simply said before turning back around and moving on as if nothing had happened. Yup, it was a she. And good old Turala, of all people. I quickened my own pace to keep up with her.
“Woah, babe. Don’t be such a cold one. I just said hi.” I quipped. The girl didn’t answer but proceeded to ignore me. I rolled my eyes.
“Pointy-eared women. I’ll never understand them. Try to be friendly, and they still brush you off like that.” Were my thoughts.
“Hey, I’m talking to you. What you’re doing right now is just plain rude. I saved your life back there.” I tried. Now, she could no longer ignore me.
“Saved my life? You mean you ruined it, you muddy barbarian.” She hissed.
I scratched the back of my head.
“Ruined it? Geez, that’s harsh. Ok, I prevented that good-for-nothing lousy excuse for a father from cutting off your head. I see that as a lifesaving act. Oh, and I travel a lot, so please excuse me for not bathing every two hours. Not that there are any convenient springs in these parts.” I observed.
“But you did tell him who it was I was consorting with.” She countered. I shrugged, she had a point. But so had I.
“Ok, and how long did you think you could keep it a secret? Especially if that dude had chosen to threaten the fellow once he found out who your friend was?”
She looked down at her feet.
“A month, perhaps two. He wouldn’t torture me, not yet.” Turala almost whispered. I noticed that the rage of the citizens was more directed at me than at her now. That was a good thing. At least I was capable of defending myself. Couldn’t say the same of her. With her attitude, she was meek like a sheep going to the butcher.
“And after those two months?” I asked.
“I would die, but my child would live.”
I skipped a step.
“Woah, just wait a single second here! Your child?! You mean that you’re pregnant?!” I shouted. Turala glared at me.
“No need to let the whole city know. The gossip of the commoners is quick enough to do that without your help.” She spat. I looked down.
“Geez, and here I was just thinking that the noble lifestyle had made you fat. So you’re going to be a mommy, that’s great.” I averted my gaze to the sky.
“Why me? Why is it always me who gets to deal with other people’s trouble? I’m Telvanni, behaving as the proverbial knight in shining armour isn’t mentioned in the job description anywhere.” I muttered.
The Chimer lass stifled a laugh.
“Fat? You are dense, aren’t you? And a bluffer. You, Telvanni? Even if they would accept foreigners, they would never accept a swordsman like you. They’re mages, not warriors.” She chuckled. I grinned.
“That’s right. Cheer up.” I said before jerking a thumb over my shoulder, roughly in the direction of the temple.
“And you would consider me quite a bit more than a swordsman if you’d seen the architectural changes I made to the temple. I’m the best of both worlds, girly. Mage enough to make my own volcano and swordsman enough to fight an army by myself.” I added. Turala blinked, then laughed out loud. She’d apparently taken my claims to be more bluffing.
“But seriously now. Why are you walking around in rags like this and why is everyone avoiding you like that? It looks as if you picked up one really bad disease.” I said once she’d calmed down a bit.
“You don’t know?” Turala asked me. I shrugged.
“Well, I do know that I pretty much scared the pants off of your old man…not literally of course. Before I left, I told him not to kill you because if he did, I would make his brains explode with judicious use of fireballs. But other than that, I don’t have a clue.” I explained. The girl took a deep breath.
“Since execution had been made impossible, and since the Duke is too powerful for my father, there was only one option left. I have been branded a traitor and been exiled. If I am ever found in Resdayn again after a week, I will be hung like commoner.” Ok, that sounded pretty bad.
“And you prefer dying over being banished? Don’t tell me it’s got something to do with honour.” I asked.
“You may think lightly of Redoran honour, but I have been raised on it. Being executed for my mistake would not have soiled the name of my family as much as exile has.” She replied. I nodded.
“Oh, alright. I’ll give you Redoran’s some respect if you want it so much. So you hate me not for saving your life, but for taking your honour.” I noted and made an indignant sound.
“Pah, I’m not going to apologize for doing that. I’ve got better things to do anyway. As for you, stop seeing this as a punishment and start seeing it as an opportunity. You’ve never had such a good excuse for getting out and seeing more of the world.”
We came upon the gates. The guards there were still under my influence, so I could pass without much of a hassle.
“The lady is with me.” I said. The guards looked at Turala funny and I slapped my forehead in exasperation. Right, she was wearing the rags of an outcast, forgot about that.
“I’m to make sure she leaves the vicinity of Her Ladies home.” I explained to them and they shoved her out through the gate quite rudely.
“Why did you do that? They would have let me pass without your help.” Turala asked. I shrugged.
“Being a gentleman is not part of my job, but it’s not as if those five seconds I just took to help you were five seconds wasted. It’s not going to end the world.” I joked. The Chimer unwrapped the rags around her head. Once she’d gotten her face free, I could see it was drenched in sweat. I knew that many rags was unhealthy.
“End the world? You talk as if you’re some kind of a hero on a great quest.” She said with a frown. I laughed.
“Maybe I am.”
She looked at me in a very amusing way. Mostly because she was so confused, her eyes ended up staring at her own nose.
“Modesty is a mystery to you.” She mumbled after a moment. I shrugged.
“I don’t have much use for it. If you want to get anywhere in my world, you can’t go wrong with a bold attitude.” I answered and flashed a grin. I turned for the road and was somewhat surprised when I heard her footsteps follow me. Wasn’t she going to take her own path. I shook my head.
“Nah, she may be Redoran but I haven’t seen her wield a sword yet. She would get messed up by the first bandit she came across….doesn’t explain why she chooses to trust me though.”
I made up my mind. If she was going to follow it, so be it. My grin faded.
“Listen, girly. I don’t bloody care what you decide but if you’re going to tag along with me, you’re going to tag along my way. First thing first, ditch the rags.” I said. Those were the wrong words apparently. The Chimer lass went right into a screeching fit.
“You want me to get naked?! What kind of barbarian are you?!” She screamed. I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, great. You’re not wearing anything underneath. Just great. That complicates matters.” I muttered to myself.
“Complicates?! Now you listen, I know exactly what you’re after and you’re not going to get it!” Turala continued. I stopped and looked her in the eyes. She shut up instantly and her eyes flickered away. To my hands, to my sword. Then, she knew.
While it might have been a matter I would normally joke about, this time I was dead serious.
“Get it now? If I wanted to rape you, I would have done so already. Believe it or not, but I am not interested in you. Pointy-eared girls are just not my type. Besides, my reason for asking was quite practical.” I pulled at one of the few rags still draped around her head.
“You look like an outcast, not a good way to travel.” I added.
“Oh….forgive me for judging you too soon.” She whispered so soft I could barely hear her.
“But I can’t give up these clothes. This is the punishment for my transgression. I will have to bear it if I still have any dignity left whatsoever.” She claimed, louder.
We began to move forward again.
“You’re really not giving them up for something less eyecatching?” I asked. I could have badmouthed the Redoran and their honour again, but I already knew that would be not very effective.
“No.” Turala said.
“Really not, even if it was in your best interests?” I probed further. There had to be an argument I could use somewhere.
“Not for any reason you can come up with. My life at this moment, is irrelevant.” When she said that, I snickered.
“What?” Turala asked a bit irritated.
“Nothing, I just noticed how stubborn we both are. This is going to be a long trip.” I chuckled. But at the same time, I realized I’d found the argument I needed.
“So you won’t change into a proper outfit for yourself, but would you do it for someone else?” I inquired. She frowned. She was judging me to soon again.
“So, what do you prefer? Skimpy?” She stabbed.
“Not for me, you muddy-brained idiot. For your child. The way you appear right now is just begging for a sword between the ribs coming from the first Chimer we come across. You want that? Come on, use that skull of yours for one second. Or is it just decoration? That child had no choice in the whole matter. Does it deserve to have its life thrown away together with yours?” I countered. She was so stubborn, I was slipping back to insults no matter how hard I tried not to.
“Why, you! I am not a mud….oh.” She fell silent. I stared at the road ahead and joined her silence.
“For the sake of my child, I have to survive. To survive, I should not wear the garb of an outcast.” She took a deep breath.
“Fine, I will wear whatever you tell me to wear.” She decided after a long hesitation.
“Just make sure it’s nothing too embarrassing.” She added.
I grinned.
“Don’t you worry. I have no fashion sense whatsoever.” I chuckled.
“That doesn’t sound too reassuring.” Turala noted.
“Well, look at it this way. The clothes I’m wearing I picked out for myself.” I indicated the brown shirt, the matching pants, the torn cloak and the sturdy belt with the Ebony saber buckled to it.
“It doesn’t look fancy, but it gets the job done. Comfortable, durable, hard to see from a distance in most environments and…” I rolled up a sleeve.
“A full suit of chain and plate underneath.” I deliberately didn’t mention the fact that my chain and plate was an ancient artefact of unmatched quality. If she knew that, she would probably be intimidated rather than reassured.
“I can’t pick out clothes without considering their practical qualities. So your clothes will be fine for travelling. They won’t get you any good marks during a nobleman’s party, though.” I finished.
Looking over my shoulder, I could see that Mournhold had vanished behind a hill. The road split soon after. With Bodrum in mind, I took the path heading west.
“There is something I’ve been meaning to ask. But where are you going to get clothes?” Turala wondered. I looked around and shrugged.
“Simple, we’ll just keep walking till we run into either a patrol of your army, or into a raiding group of the Empire.” I answered. She blinked. Probably cause she couldn’t figure out how that was an answer to her question.
“Aren’t you an Imperial yourself? You talk as if you don’t have anything to do with it.” The girl asked me with a frown.
“I’m not with the Empire. We have conducted business before, but we’re not exactly at good terms.” I glanced at her.
“Not every person’s allegiance is determined by his blood.” I added.
“So, then what side are you on? The Empire, or Resdayn?”
No wait, that was wrong.
“Although, I suppose I can’t really say that for myself. My allegiance has been determined by blood.” I said but didn’t voice the thought behind it.
“Immortal blood.”
“So what side are you on? Just then, you said you weren’t with the Empire, but now you say you are.” She pressed on, unsatisfied with my answer.
“What side am I on? As a separated existence of Akatosh, am I not an important part of the Empire? A representation of their greatest god, the deity that grants the Emperor the right to rule, among things. But Azura has always used me to help Morrowind. No, not even that. She just uses me for her own goals.” I shook my head angrily.
“Did I bring up something bad?” Turala wanted to know. She sounded slightly frightened. An instant later, I knew why. I was clutching the hilt of my sword.
“I don’t know what side I’m on. But it is neither this Empire, nor Resdayn.”
It wasn’t long before we stopped at a mansion, the same as any other, though that didn’t mean much. All the houses were miniature forts around here. It made me wonder what would happen if the neighbours got angry at each other. At least the Telvanni kept a lot of distance between each other and were usually too absentminded to notice a war if it was happening on their doorstep. These guys were sitting right on each other’s toes. And with the personal armies the average Redoran noble possessed, things could get nasty. Oh, and I had some personal experience with the Redoran armies when I recruited them for the assault on Red Mountain. Those guys were pros, and I was not going to assume that their ancestors were any different.
While I entertained myself with the hypothetical neighbour’s squabble, Turala had been staring at the door of the mansion we stopped in front of. I gave her a moment before moving in front of her and raising a hand to knock.
,,Still want to go on?” I asked. The Chimer lass gave me a weak shrug. I sighed and dragged my knuckles across the steel-studded wood.
,,This is going to be such a bore.” I muttered. This made her temper flare again.
,,Hey! You’re not the one who’s in trouble!” She snapped, then cast a half-panicked glance over her shoulder. No one seemed to take notice of whatever she’d said. Nearly all Redorans were focussed on me and the few that weren’t were absorbed by their own activities.
,,Me, not in trouble? You’ve got no idea how wrong you are, girlie.” I chuckled.
The door, gate was a better word, opened shortly and a Redoran in full armour peered at me through the slit in his helmet. People standing inside in full body-armour. Yup, that felt like Redoran alright.
,,What?” He snarled and his hand went for the sword at his hip immediately. I held up one hand in a calming gesture and unbuckled the scabbard with another.
,,Easy, easy. I’m not here to cause trouble of any sort. Here, you can hold my sword during my stay here.” I spoke. The girl skipped past me.
,,Good day, Gaulis.” She said. The Redoran performed a short bow for her without ever loosing sight of me.
,,You gave up your sword awfully easy, Foreigner.” He said with what could be either surprise or suspicion. I couldn’t tell which, so I merely gave him a nonchalant shrug.
,,Oh, I’m getting used to it by now. Seems people don’t trust you when you have one, and try to kill you when you don’t. Except inside, there you can generally walk around without. So, may I pass? I’m with the lady…purely a business-relation, I assure you.” I replied. Gaulis’ eyes narrowed for a bit but in the end he took the sword and stepped out of my way.
,,Make no commotion, maintain your manners. Probably the same rules in the house of a human noble.” He warned me. I smiled. Finally, one guy who was willing to admit that we were not that different in the end, even if it was on the subject of rules.
I followed Turala into what appeared to be a living room where I leaned against the walls, behind a pillar. Sure, all the servants were keeping their eyes on me, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was not dragging too much attention from the big boss in this place, who was sure to arrive soon. And arrive soon he did, all dressed in fancy clothes but still with a sword at his side. A sword that had more weight going into its decorations than into its blade. I whistled at that, which had the unpleasant side-effect of drawing the guy’s attention. His hand gripped the hilt of the sword and he unsheathed a finger-length of it.
,,Who’s that?” He asked in a venomous tone.
,,Just the new bodyguard, that’s all. Don’t mind me.” I answered, folding my arms in the process. The noble turned his back on me, after making sure two guards were blocking me from moving any further into the room. I shook my head.
,,Ouch. If this guy is so jumpy with his daughter as well, she’s definitely going to get a lot more than just a spanking.”
For a good three minutes or so, no one said a thing. The noble father and daughter just sat on their pillows, the guards tried to string me into a staring-contest and I leaned against my pillar waiting for something to happen. That something came in the form of a wrinkled old maid carrying a tray and two cups. Drinks. Turala and daddy each took a cup and began to drink.
,,Oh, come on. Just start talking already. Geez, are you two going to sit there all day?” I thought. It turned out the drinks were part of some kind of ritual because right after the two cups had been put down, the guy did talk.
,,You’re back early dear.” He said. I sighed loud, earning me a pointed glare from every guard in the room.
,,Oh please. Spare me the small-talk, will ya?”
,,I don’t mind you doing things by yourself. Independence breeds spirit. However, I do have to question your decision to hire a foreigner as a bodyguard. Didn’t I tell you that only members of the House are acceptable as shields?” The guy added. I rolled my eyes. More glares from the guards.
,,Alkad was a gift from a beneficiary.” Turala replied. For a moment, I wondered why she’d used the word gift, then I realized that this was Morrowind. Slavery and all that. I frowned but kept silent.
,,Great, now I’m being shoehorned into the position of slave? Fine, I’ll play along…for now. And could you two get down to business somewhere this era?”
The noble gave me the shortest glance ever.
,,I see. He isn’t much to look at, though. I fear he can’t even protect you from the weakest thug. If you so desire, I’ll sell him and give you a stronger one to guard you in return.” He said which made me grit my teeth.
,,Sell me? Not much to look at? Why, you rotten little point-eared jerk. I’d like to see you take down a God one-on-one. If there’s a weakest thug somewhere that’s stronger than your beloved Tribunal, I’d love to meet him.” I hissed.
,,Silence, slave!” Turala snapped. I scoffed and chose to take the guards up on their offer of a staring contest.
,,At least I spoke modern Hammerfellian. If that had been ancient Dunmeri, that guy would have freaked out.”
,,Father…I have something to tell you.” Turala said after seeing that I wasn’t going to do anything stupid. The noble spread his arms.
,,Go ahead, my dearest daughter. You know that you can discuss anything with me.” He proclaimed. I smirked.
,,Sure daddy. I’ve wormed my way into a relationship with someone five times my age, the big guy in town, behind your back, without any official arrangements. The price was a healthy dose of bedroom entertainment, and a lot of hiding in the closet when the Duchess came in. Pretty cool, huh?” I thought and somehow managed to keep from chuckling.
,,Yeah, I don’t think you’ll like discussing this, gramps.”
,,Father…I have been in a relation with a man.”
The Chimer’s mouth fell wide open. Not even he could maintain his distinguished expression.
,,A relation…without my permission?! You dumb brat! How dare you! You have tarnished the name of the House!” He gasped. I heard the loud smack of his hand meeting her cheek.
,,Commence the spanking. Seriously, one day I’m trashtalking gods, the other I’m watching indecent girls getting whacked in the living room, way back in the wrong era. Just what did I do to deserve this fate? Oh yeah, I’m the hero of prophecy.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. I also lost the staring-contest that way, but I didn’t care.
,,You will break off this relation immediately!” He ordered, smacking her again, this time on the other cheek.
,,You will never leave the house on your own anymore. From now on, you will be escorted!” He stopped his tirade and heaved for breath. Then, his eyes bored directly into mine.
,,An escort of my choosing! Now go to your room and don’t come out till I tell you! I’ll post a guard at the door to make sure you’ll do as I say!” Turala left the room, sobbing again. I tried to follow, but the guards were still blocking my way and the girl’s father was still trying to kill me with his eyes. I clenched my hands into fists.
,,Great. You’re not going to have a word with me now, are you?” I thought. Turned out he was.
,,As for you, you will answer my question. Were you gifted by the man she was having this affair with?” I stepped back to avoid the spittle. He was like a rabid Kagouti.
,,You could put it like that.” I replied warily. I had no idea what he was up to but whatever it was, I was convinced it would not be in my best interests.
,,I see.” The Chimer said and then turned his back to me. He walked to the same door Turala had disappeared through. Standing in the doorway, he gave the two guards one last order, still with his back turned.
,,Kill him, and cut off his head. Have it sent to that fiend who claimed my daughter’s hand. Tell him that if he ever speaks of this incident or tries to establish contact with her through any means, he will meet the same fate. The same goes for you two.” He stopped talking but did not move. Two longswords left their sheath with barely a sound and were pointed at my throat.
,,I don’t have time for this.” I growled, in what approached their own language. Now the noble did turn around.
,,What did you say?” He asked venomously. The guards did not try to kill me yet. Apparently, I’d managed to postpone the inevitable violence for a moment.
I secretly conjured a Telekinetic barrier to cover my throat before answering. Just in case.
,,I said I don’t have time for you Redorans and your hideous mockery of honour.” I spat. The noble recoiled in shock. I suddenly realized I didn’t know his title. Not that it mattered.
,,How dare you, slave! To speak foul of the highest virtue of House Redoran!” He gasped. I flashed a grin.
,,Oh, you’ve got no idea how daring I am. Besides, you’re the one who just ordered my execution without a care in the world. If that’s how you think about slaves, damn sure I’m going to support the Twin Lamps when I get home. And when I get into supporting something...things get messy.” The guard’s grips wavered slightly as they also were taken aback by my words. They were obviously not used to the idea of a slave, unarmed, who dared to talk like that with two swords at his throat. Now was the time.
,,I am not the slave you think I am. Slave of the omnipotent being called my mom, perhaps. Slave of fate, perhaps. Slave of some stuck-up girl who is crying her heart out over some lost romance I don’t care about, no way.” I shook my head dramatically. The Chimer was getting more angry with every word I said. Good.
,,Seriously, Turala has some real issues. You must be one loser of a father, first to have this happen in the first place, second to have it end like this. Pathetic, just pathetic.” That was the last drop. The noble drew his own sword now and stalked across the distance that separated us.
,,Out of my way, I’ll kill him myself!” He spat. The guards stepped aside, though they did keep their swords trained on me. I looked at the one to my right and grinned.
,,Ya know, I had this wonderful plan of going undercover and stuff, but someone just happened to put a crack in the wheel. So that means….” Both swords flew out of their hands and into mine.
,,I can do stuff like this again without worrying about the consequences.” I finished casually. My anger was making place for amusement.
The guards instinctively stepped back when I brandished their own weapons at them, giving me all the room I might need. I broke the one in my left hand against the wall and tossed away the remnants.
,,I’ve never been a fan of this dual-wielding crap. Sword and shield or really big sword, that’s the only option there is.”
I could see that the guards really wanted to strangle me. Two against one, they still stood a chance even without their blades. After all, they were wearing armour which made killing a tad harder. I wasn’t wearing a helmet either, so my throat wasn’t exactly well-protected. But they were still under orders and even if they hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have offered them that chance. I paralyzed them with a spell to make sure they could not intervene no matter what was going to happen. The noble himself was still coming. He was too angry to notice the use of magicka. He probably assumed I’d disarmed them with some quick sleigh of hand and knocked them over the head or something.
,,You wish to fight me? Good! It will make killing you all the more satisfying.” He hissed. I laughed.
,,Oh boy, how great and honourable we are. Ok, a duel is considered a honourable way to settle disputes in my homeland as well, I’ll give you that. But the honour of it is vastly overrated when one of the two simply stands no chance. In this case, you’re the one without a chance.” I chuckled.
The noble roared and charged, even though he was barely two metres away from me. He slashed horizontally across my throat so I blocked. Our swords barely touched before he drew back for another swing, this time a feint at my weapon-hand. I parried the real attack going for the leg and forced him back with my counterswing. He was good, I had to admit. Unlike most swordfighters, he refused to lock blades and get into a pushing match. As it was, I was up with my back against the pillar, unable to move anywhere and forced to stop all his thrusts and swings with my sword. There was simply no room to dodge. I blocked a thrust at my face. This guy was good. Redoran through and through, that’s for sure.
But good or not, I still had some tricks of my own up my sleeve. So when I got tired of fighting, I merely aimed a flamelance at his sword and melted it down to the hilt.
,,What is this sorcery?” The noble asked himself as he threw away the now worthless hilt. He glanced at the two guards, who had now slumped to the floor. Finding no help from them, he spread his arms wide as he stood before me.
,,Go on, kill me! Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that all you barbarians want? To kill, to murder a helpless man?” He said with a triumphant tone in his voice. I put the tip of my sword at his throat and pushed, just far enough to draw a single drop of blood.
,,Oh, I get it. If I kill you, I’m going to be bad because you’re unarmed. Let’s forget for a moment that this is exactly what you were planning to do earlier, mister civilized. If I don’t kill you, you’ll sick every single guard in the building on me.” I replied and threw the sword away.
,,Guess what? I wasn’t going to kill you even before you pulled this little trick on me. So go on, bring the guards. Just more pigs to the slaughter.”
The Chimer smiled and tried to turn but I grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him off his feet with a single hand. The other I used to ready a fireball.
,,Oh no, you’re not getting away that easily. I have some questions for you. If I find that your answers satisfy me, I’ll let you walk out of this unharmed. If you try to warn some more guards or refuse to answer though, three guesses where this fireball is going to end up. I’ll give you a hint. It won’t be the wall.” I said in the most menacing voice I could muster. I wondered why no one had come to take a look at what caused all the racket earlier.
,,What do you want? Money, freedom? Access to the sacred vaults of the House?” The noble asked me in return.
,,I’ve got no need for money and how were you going to give me freedom? I’m already free, free to kick your behind along with that of every sword-bearing Chimer in the city.”
,,So, you are after revenge.” The Chimer concluded. I shook my head and let the fireball grow a bit more. By now, its heat was noticeably beginning to warm the room we were in.
,,Nope, wrong guess. I’ve only got a simple request for you. Tell me how I can get to Almalexia, the one and only. I know she is in this city, only I don’t know which room of that temple she is in. Now no tricks, just answer.” To my surprise, he laughed in my face.
,,You want to meet Almalexia herself? You have a deathwish after all. You should have chosen my sword, it would have been a lot less painful than whatever fate she would give you for trespassing on her ground.” I sneered and held the fireball just in front of his nose.
,,I said, no tricks. If I have a deathwish, so be it. Just tell me how I can get to her.” I whispered.
,,You can’t. She has left the city two months ago. She is at Summerset now.” Well, I had only one word to describe that answer. Crap.
I let him drop and walked out of the door. In the doorway, I stopped. The whole situation felt oddly familiar to the one where he ordered my execution. Only now, the roles were reversed.
,,By the way, Turala’s lover? It’s the duke. Now knowing a thing about nobles, you’re probably going to kill her to spare yourself the embarrassment. I’ll hang around though and if I notice you’ve done that, I’ll be paying you a visit. And it won’t be for cookies. So don’t. Don’t kill her.” I said and strode into the corridor. The guard at the door handed me my sword back without a word. I frowned, which he apparently misunderstood for a question.
,,The lord must have been practicing his swordplay again. He tends to get carried away and do it in the livingroom. Makes an awful lot of noise.” So that’s why no guards came. They merely assumed it was their boss performing his hobby. I smirked as the door opened.
,,Ah, can’t take away a man’s toys. See ya later, buddy.” I said and walked out.
Back on the streets I sighed and put my hand on the hilt of my sword to scare off any cocky Chimer. So Almalexia was on the other side of Tamriel. I supposed it was a good thing then that the Duke threw Turala into my lap. If it wasn’t for her, I would still be going around trying to be a spy, all for a goal that was unattainable anyway. On the other hand, Almalexia was on the other side of the continent, so my big idea of contacting Nerevar through her was gone. Now what? I walked past a rack of weapons. They were mass-produced specimens, without the unique wear and tear any used weapon had. New swords and spears, for new recruits in an old war. I froze. The war, the answer lay in the war. I could not reach Almalexia, but I could still reach one other member of the Tribunal. After all, didn’t I know where Vivec was going to fight soon? If I left the city now, I might just make it before the battle.
There was no need for me to stick around any longer anyway. Everybody hated me by default and the way I was doing things, I was making real enemies by the boatload. The longer I stuck around, the greater the chance of running into an angry mob with various farming tools. And that was definitely not something which would do my current mood any good. I turned for the gate and walked till the end of the street before stopping. Just what was I thinking? Was I really just going to walk off just because a Redoran had claimed Almalexia was taking a trip?
I turned back around and began to walk again, this time in the direction of the temple. It wasn’t as if the Redoran was incapable of lying. Sure, they love to cultivate the impression they’re saints but in the end, a Redoran isn’t any different than any other guy with a sword and a private army. Besides, I am Telvanni. If there was ever a place where I should let good old mushroomlord paranoia rule, this was it.
Two Chimer stood on each side of the big gates of the temple. And I mean big. They were bigger than the gates to the city, or the gates to the castle. That made it pretty obvious that this was the place of someone really important. That, or maybe they were so big since the whole city population came through every morning for the daily rituals. Or maybe both. Either way, I wasn’t really impressed by it. I’d seen bigger. Not doors perhaps, but I had seen bigger things.
The four guards slipped into a more aware stance as soon as I approached. I sighed at that. This was so getting old. I thought I should be the paranoid one, being a single foreigner and all that. I shrugged and kept approaching. I subtly sized up the Chimer. They were clothed in a heavily decorated robe and their weapon was a Morningstar. I also noticed they had the sign of ALMS…ALMNEVI tattooed on their foreheads. They looked like the prototype of the Ordinators. Perhaps not as well-armed, but still similar.
,,What are you doing here, scum? How did you get in the divine city?” One snarled. Prototype of the Ordinators alright, they even had the limited vocabulary and the attitude. Judging by the everpresent red shawl, this guy was the leader.
,,Ah, well, perhaps it would be better to ask the guards at the gates?” I suggested and presented my papers. The Ordies didn’t seem too impressed though.
,,Watch your manners. We asked you a polite question. Now answer, if you know what’s best for you.” The lead Ordie said and his tone got just that little bit colder. Ordinator through and through in spirit. It made me want to puke. If there was one thing I absolutely loathed, it was an Ordinator.
I had now reached him and brought my face close to his.
,,First things first, I’ve been holding onto my manners in this city as best as I can. Which says a lot, given how no one else here seems to hold onto his. Secondly, threatening and name-calling does not fit the definition of polite. Third, you’d better calm down before I get pissed off. Almalexia with a broken fingernail isn’t as bad as me when I have to deal with a bunch of stuck-up Ordinator wannabes. And to think that you’re just the seed that will grow into a revolting plant full of thorns, awful.” I hissed. The Ordie spat and I grinned.
,,I knew you were going to do that. Too bad I had a tidbit of telekinesis handy to smack it into your face instead of mine, huh?” I chuckled for a moment before getting serious again.
,,As for why I am here, I’m here simply for a little friendly conversation with the big hotshot goddess herself. Now why don’t you step aside or open the gate, or do you want me to do it myself, Telvanni style?”
The Ordie whipped off his own spit. He made a quick gesture behind his back and the other three advanced. By how their eyes flashed at the streets behind me, I could conclude that a whole crowd had formed, probably expecting me to get trashed. Too bad I was going to disappoint them. When the four morningstars rose up as one, I simply drew my sword and made three quick cuts across the lead Ordie before jumping away. When the whole front end of his robe came off, everyone either gasped or stifled a laugh. That gave me the chance to simply dash past them and get to the gates. Said gates buckled and crashed down into the temple, leading to a second round of gasps.
The proto-Ordinators were unwilling to continue fighting.
,,What…who are you?” One of them gasped. I looked at him and flashed a smug grin.
,,Ah, I was already wondering if someone who was not wearing a red shawl could talk. As for who I am…” I glanced at the castle for a split-second and shrugged. If the Duke’s spy network was any good, he would hear off it. Heh, whatever. I bet he would be surprised at what his little spy could do if fired.
,,I’m Luper Alkad, dragongod of Tamriel. Lorkhan is my brother and by that, you could also say I’m ALMNEVI’s uncle. Now if you excuse me, it’s time for me to have a family-chat.” I continued and walked in unopposed.
,,Hilarious.” I muttered to myself and laughed as I walked over the now flat gates. It was fortunate that the doors had been made out of a light bugshell. If they’d been more massive, I would have to cut out a hole instead of smacking them down entirely. Then again, only a goddess would have been able to open them if they were that heavy.
Priests and their acolytes scrambled away as soon as they saw me. At the same time, more Ordinators moved to form a wall and push me back out. Apart from notifying me that I was not wanted here, it was also rather amusing. I jerked a thumb at the fallen door.
,,Oh, come on, guys. I just bashed down the really big door. Do you really think you can stop me?” I chuckled and put a hand on the hilt of my sword. I’d sheathed it for some reason. Probably an old habit. I had the tendency to keep my sword sheathed till the moment people were already swinging at me. I shrugged at the thought. At least I’d cultivated one of the quickest draws in Tamriel.
,,Looking at you, I’d say you might slow me for….all of five seconds. And that’s being generous.” I added.
The Ordinators faltered. Fanatic belief in their goddess was one thing, but it didn’t go so far they would just throw themselves into battle. They had more brains than I’d expected, not bad. Or maybe they’d just figured that if I could get past four of them, half a dozen extra wouldn’t make that much of a difference. I grinned.
,,Ok, now I’m a reasonable guy so if you’d just let me have a word with little Allie, I’ll be out of your hair in a second. So, what about it?” I asked. Several of them frowned as they tried to make sense of my words.
,,With Allie, I’m referring to Almalexia.” I coughed as a clarification.
,,Almalexia is not here.” The latest person with a red shawl said. I sighed.
,,You know, the last guy who said that tried to execute me a minute earlier, so I’m not going to put much faith in you. Try harder.” I replied.
,,I said, the lady is not here. I don’t know who you think you are, Outlander, but the word of….” The Ordinator snapped. I cut him off with a dismissive wave of my left hand.
,,The word of an Ordinator? I’ve been lied to by one of your kind before. As for who I think I am? Why not ask the rest of the town, they heard the news. Now if you excuse me, could you be so kind as to call the holy one down here for a second. Just say it’s her uncle.” I interrupted.
The Ordinator was visibly becoming agitated. His subordinates were eager to fight but the lack of an order held them back.
,,I am not an Ordinator, whatever that might be! And as I said, the Divi…” Again I cut him off.
,,Ok, I get it. We’re getting nowhere here and just for the record, I’m going to keep calling you an Ordinator cause that’s what you are. That pillar over there looks very fragile, don’t you think?” I spoke and calmly walked over to the pillar I’d indicated.
,,Oh, and look. It appears to support the roof. It would be a shame if it were to….” I punched it, adding a telekinetic blast to the blow. A sizable portion of the pillar fragmented and crumbled.
,,crack, don’t you think?” I finished.
,,Look, I see that you are rather stubborn over this, but I am not lying to you.” The Ordinator said, pretty calm for someone who had just seen a stone pillar get smacked.
,,That’s right, I am stubborn. Now why don’t you just run up there and tell the hag to get down here? If she won’t come, tell her that I know she’s just a lousy rip-off of Lorkhan. If she won’t come after that, I’ll level this whole place and force her out.” I snapped. I gave another tap to the stone pillar. Everyone around audibly held his breath and I could hear the same tense sound coming from behind me. The crowd outside. But this time, only some dust came down. It was only a tap, after all.
,,Who is he?!” The Ordinator shouted. I looked over my shoulder and saw quite a large mass of people standing in the doorway, including the Ordinator’s colleagues.
,,He claims he is a dragongod! Stupid foreigner with delusions, I say!” The Ordie who’d tried to spit at me shouted back. Now the whole demeanour of the guy I’d been talking to changed.
,,A dragongod? From the Empire?” He repeated. He took one quick glance at the pillar and apparently made up his mind.
,,Alright then. It sounds too ridiculous to be true but if we have our gods walking the land, then maybe the Empire can have its own. I must say, it takes more than the strength of a mortal to casually tear down a building such as this.” He admitted. I was pretty much stunned. A Dunmer, or Chimer, and an Ordinator even, had just admitted to the possibility that the great Tribunal wasn’t the only bunch of immortals around. That took something. This guy was just great! Oh, and I hadn’t casually threatened to tear down the building. That punch took a lot more than I’d made it look. But that is the basis behind bluffing. Make it look easy.
,,So, you said Almalexia isn’t here?” I said. I was now willing to believe him.
,,That’s right. If you so desire, we can lead you to her private quarters so you can see for yourself.” He said. I thought about it and then dismissed the offer.
,,No thanks. I’ll take your word for it. Could you tell me where she is?” I answered. For a moment, the Ordinator hesitated whether or not he should tell me.
,,I have not heard any specifics, but she was planning on meeting her lover, the great Nerevar. She went southwest.” He replied. I didn’t need any specifics. Bodrum, that had to be the place. This might turn out even better. Instead of one god, I might have the chance to meet two of them, or even all three, if Vivec was there just like in the book.
I managed to temper my enthusiasm with a sobering thought. If all three were there and they decided to stomp me into the ground, I wasn’t going to put a lot of money on me winning. It was three against one. That, and I had no idea if my alternate plane already existed, before my birth. If I was banished, would it be forever? I vowed to go the polite route for once during my meeting with them, just to be on the safe side.
,,Thanks." I said and turned around. When I walked outside, the crowd split before me without a word, opening a path. I grinned.
,,Finally, some respect."
I considered doing something flashy, like levitation or some other stunt to show off my godly powers. But I decided not to. Apart from not accomplishing anything, I simply didn’t feel like doing it. I flexed the fingers of the hand I’d used to punch that pillar. Maybe the fact I already did show off my godly powers had something to do with it. Or perhaps it was because my fingers were slightly bruised.
“Next time, I’ll wear gauntlets before punching solid stone.”
As I moved on further down the street, I noticed the demeanour of the crowd change. First moving from awe to fear, to unease, to confusion and finally, back to hostility. Of course, as I moved along I left the part of the crowd that had actually seen me smacking down a door and nearly breaking a pillar. And knowing the Chimer, they had trouble believing the stories that were passed around in hushed whispers. I bet the stories had already gotten horribly mangled already, that’s the way gossip goes, especially gossip that goes straight against a dominant centuries-old religion. Whatever was the case, I brought a hand down to my sword to ward off any unwise acts of violence.
Finally, the crowd dispersed and I could breathe more easily. While there were still Redoran walking around with various bladed implements of death, there wasn’t half an army of them visible all the time. Well, there was half an army of them behind me, but I didn’t fear that pack. Those hadn’t moved when I was surrounded by them. I also noticed that half of the few remnants ahead of me weren’t paying me any attention at all. That was odd. I felt my fingers slip around the hilt in a subconscious response. There was a feeling of dread in the air, I just didn’t know for sure if that dread was directed at me.
Those that weren’t watching me were watching someone covered entirely in crude rags. The garb was so thick, I couldn’t even guess at the gender of the person beneath. I sighed.
“Oh bloody great. A victim of the Blight.” I grumbled. All the signs were there. The clothes, the way everyone avoided that person even more than they avoided me, the expressions that sat between devout rage and pity. Everything, except the era. If the Blight really had been around this early, it was the greatest miracle ever that Morrowind survived long enough for me to come around and save everyone. I glanced over my shoulder at the street behind me. The crowd had gone. I braced my shoulders and marched straight up to the person in rags.
“Well, hello there. What’s up?” I said casually once I got close enough. The person turned around and all I could see was a pair of eyes peering out at me. Those rags all over were starting to annoy me. As if it wasn’t enough already, why the heck would anyone decide to wear something like that? Even in Skyrim, that much would be considered excessive.
“You again.” She simply said before turning back around and moving on as if nothing had happened. Yup, it was a she. And good old Turala, of all people. I quickened my own pace to keep up with her.
“Woah, babe. Don’t be such a cold one. I just said hi.” I quipped. The girl didn’t answer but proceeded to ignore me. I rolled my eyes.
“Pointy-eared women. I’ll never understand them. Try to be friendly, and they still brush you off like that.” Were my thoughts.
“Hey, I’m talking to you. What you’re doing right now is just plain rude. I saved your life back there.” I tried. Now, she could no longer ignore me.
“Saved my life? You mean you ruined it, you muddy barbarian.” She hissed.
I scratched the back of my head.
“Ruined it? Geez, that’s harsh. Ok, I prevented that good-for-nothing lousy excuse for a father from cutting off your head. I see that as a lifesaving act. Oh, and I travel a lot, so please excuse me for not bathing every two hours. Not that there are any convenient springs in these parts.” I observed.
“But you did tell him who it was I was consorting with.” She countered. I shrugged, she had a point. But so had I.
“Ok, and how long did you think you could keep it a secret? Especially if that dude had chosen to threaten the fellow once he found out who your friend was?”
She looked down at her feet.
“A month, perhaps two. He wouldn’t torture me, not yet.” Turala almost whispered. I noticed that the rage of the citizens was more directed at me than at her now. That was a good thing. At least I was capable of defending myself. Couldn’t say the same of her. With her attitude, she was meek like a sheep going to the butcher.
“And after those two months?” I asked.
“I would die, but my child would live.”
I skipped a step.
“Woah, just wait a single second here! Your child?! You mean that you’re pregnant?!” I shouted. Turala glared at me.
“No need to let the whole city know. The gossip of the commoners is quick enough to do that without your help.” She spat. I looked down.
“Geez, and here I was just thinking that the noble lifestyle had made you fat. So you’re going to be a mommy, that’s great.” I averted my gaze to the sky.
“Why me? Why is it always me who gets to deal with other people’s trouble? I’m Telvanni, behaving as the proverbial knight in shining armour isn’t mentioned in the job description anywhere.” I muttered.
The Chimer lass stifled a laugh.
“Fat? You are dense, aren’t you? And a bluffer. You, Telvanni? Even if they would accept foreigners, they would never accept a swordsman like you. They’re mages, not warriors.” She chuckled. I grinned.
“That’s right. Cheer up.” I said before jerking a thumb over my shoulder, roughly in the direction of the temple.
“And you would consider me quite a bit more than a swordsman if you’d seen the architectural changes I made to the temple. I’m the best of both worlds, girly. Mage enough to make my own volcano and swordsman enough to fight an army by myself.” I added. Turala blinked, then laughed out loud. She’d apparently taken my claims to be more bluffing.
“But seriously now. Why are you walking around in rags like this and why is everyone avoiding you like that? It looks as if you picked up one really bad disease.” I said once she’d calmed down a bit.
“You don’t know?” Turala asked me. I shrugged.
“Well, I do know that I pretty much scared the pants off of your old man…not literally of course. Before I left, I told him not to kill you because if he did, I would make his brains explode with judicious use of fireballs. But other than that, I don’t have a clue.” I explained. The girl took a deep breath.
“Since execution had been made impossible, and since the Duke is too powerful for my father, there was only one option left. I have been branded a traitor and been exiled. If I am ever found in Resdayn again after a week, I will be hung like commoner.” Ok, that sounded pretty bad.
“And you prefer dying over being banished? Don’t tell me it’s got something to do with honour.” I asked.
“You may think lightly of Redoran honour, but I have been raised on it. Being executed for my mistake would not have soiled the name of my family as much as exile has.” She replied. I nodded.
“Oh, alright. I’ll give you Redoran’s some respect if you want it so much. So you hate me not for saving your life, but for taking your honour.” I noted and made an indignant sound.
“Pah, I’m not going to apologize for doing that. I’ve got better things to do anyway. As for you, stop seeing this as a punishment and start seeing it as an opportunity. You’ve never had such a good excuse for getting out and seeing more of the world.”
We came upon the gates. The guards there were still under my influence, so I could pass without much of a hassle.
“The lady is with me.” I said. The guards looked at Turala funny and I slapped my forehead in exasperation. Right, she was wearing the rags of an outcast, forgot about that.
“I’m to make sure she leaves the vicinity of Her Ladies home.” I explained to them and they shoved her out through the gate quite rudely.
“Why did you do that? They would have let me pass without your help.” Turala asked. I shrugged.
“Being a gentleman is not part of my job, but it’s not as if those five seconds I just took to help you were five seconds wasted. It’s not going to end the world.” I joked. The Chimer unwrapped the rags around her head. Once she’d gotten her face free, I could see it was drenched in sweat. I knew that many rags was unhealthy.
“End the world? You talk as if you’re some kind of a hero on a great quest.” She said with a frown. I laughed.
“Maybe I am.”
She looked at me in a very amusing way. Mostly because she was so confused, her eyes ended up staring at her own nose.
“Modesty is a mystery to you.” She mumbled after a moment. I shrugged.
“I don’t have much use for it. If you want to get anywhere in my world, you can’t go wrong with a bold attitude.” I answered and flashed a grin. I turned for the road and was somewhat surprised when I heard her footsteps follow me. Wasn’t she going to take her own path. I shook my head.
“Nah, she may be Redoran but I haven’t seen her wield a sword yet. She would get messed up by the first bandit she came across….doesn’t explain why she chooses to trust me though.”
I made up my mind. If she was going to follow it, so be it. My grin faded.
“Listen, girly. I don’t bloody care what you decide but if you’re going to tag along with me, you’re going to tag along my way. First thing first, ditch the rags.” I said. Those were the wrong words apparently. The Chimer lass went right into a screeching fit.
“You want me to get naked?! What kind of barbarian are you?!” She screamed. I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, great. You’re not wearing anything underneath. Just great. That complicates matters.” I muttered to myself.
“Complicates?! Now you listen, I know exactly what you’re after and you’re not going to get it!” Turala continued. I stopped and looked her in the eyes. She shut up instantly and her eyes flickered away. To my hands, to my sword. Then, she knew.
While it might have been a matter I would normally joke about, this time I was dead serious.
“Get it now? If I wanted to rape you, I would have done so already. Believe it or not, but I am not interested in you. Pointy-eared girls are just not my type. Besides, my reason for asking was quite practical.” I pulled at one of the few rags still draped around her head.
“You look like an outcast, not a good way to travel.” I added.
“Oh….forgive me for judging you too soon.” She whispered so soft I could barely hear her.
“But I can’t give up these clothes. This is the punishment for my transgression. I will have to bear it if I still have any dignity left whatsoever.” She claimed, louder.
We began to move forward again.
“You’re really not giving them up for something less eyecatching?” I asked. I could have badmouthed the Redoran and their honour again, but I already knew that would be not very effective.
“No.” Turala said.
“Really not, even if it was in your best interests?” I probed further. There had to be an argument I could use somewhere.
“Not for any reason you can come up with. My life at this moment, is irrelevant.” When she said that, I snickered.
“What?” Turala asked a bit irritated.
“Nothing, I just noticed how stubborn we both are. This is going to be a long trip.” I chuckled. But at the same time, I realized I’d found the argument I needed.
“So you won’t change into a proper outfit for yourself, but would you do it for someone else?” I inquired. She frowned. She was judging me to soon again.
“So, what do you prefer? Skimpy?” She stabbed.
“Not for me, you muddy-brained idiot. For your child. The way you appear right now is just begging for a sword between the ribs coming from the first Chimer we come across. You want that? Come on, use that skull of yours for one second. Or is it just decoration? That child had no choice in the whole matter. Does it deserve to have its life thrown away together with yours?” I countered. She was so stubborn, I was slipping back to insults no matter how hard I tried not to.
“Why, you! I am not a mud….oh.” She fell silent. I stared at the road ahead and joined her silence.
“For the sake of my child, I have to survive. To survive, I should not wear the garb of an outcast.” She took a deep breath.
“Fine, I will wear whatever you tell me to wear.” She decided after a long hesitation.
“Just make sure it’s nothing too embarrassing.” She added.
I grinned.
“Don’t you worry. I have no fashion sense whatsoever.” I chuckled.
“That doesn’t sound too reassuring.” Turala noted.
“Well, look at it this way. The clothes I’m wearing I picked out for myself.” I indicated the brown shirt, the matching pants, the torn cloak and the sturdy belt with the Ebony saber buckled to it.
“It doesn’t look fancy, but it gets the job done. Comfortable, durable, hard to see from a distance in most environments and…” I rolled up a sleeve.
“A full suit of chain and plate underneath.” I deliberately didn’t mention the fact that my chain and plate was an ancient artefact of unmatched quality. If she knew that, she would probably be intimidated rather than reassured.
“I can’t pick out clothes without considering their practical qualities. So your clothes will be fine for travelling. They won’t get you any good marks during a nobleman’s party, though.” I finished.
Looking over my shoulder, I could see that Mournhold had vanished behind a hill. The road split soon after. With Bodrum in mind, I took the path heading west.
“There is something I’ve been meaning to ask. But where are you going to get clothes?” Turala wondered. I looked around and shrugged.
“Simple, we’ll just keep walking till we run into either a patrol of your army, or into a raiding group of the Empire.” I answered. She blinked. Probably cause she couldn’t figure out how that was an answer to her question.
“Aren’t you an Imperial yourself? You talk as if you don’t have anything to do with it.” The girl asked me with a frown.
“I’m not with the Empire. We have conducted business before, but we’re not exactly at good terms.” I glanced at her.
“Not every person’s allegiance is determined by his blood.” I added.
“So, then what side are you on? The Empire, or Resdayn?”
No wait, that was wrong.
“Although, I suppose I can’t really say that for myself. My allegiance has been determined by blood.” I said but didn’t voice the thought behind it.
“Immortal blood.”
“So what side are you on? Just then, you said you weren’t with the Empire, but now you say you are.” She pressed on, unsatisfied with my answer.
“What side am I on? As a separated existence of Akatosh, am I not an important part of the Empire? A representation of their greatest god, the deity that grants the Emperor the right to rule, among things. But Azura has always used me to help Morrowind. No, not even that. She just uses me for her own goals.” I shook my head angrily.
“Did I bring up something bad?” Turala wanted to know. She sounded slightly frightened. An instant later, I knew why. I was clutching the hilt of my sword.
“I don’t know what side I’m on. But it is neither this Empire, nor Resdayn.”