Tavern Tales: Come on in and have a drink! Part VII

[WhoGuru]

Red swayed gently in her saddle as Savior walked behind Carter and his mount. A breeze ruffled her hair, sun streamed between the tree tops, an exuberant cricket serenaded them and she was blind to all, even to the surreptitious glances Carter would steal back at her from time to time. In her mind, a battle was waging. The person she was born and the person she had made herself and she struggled to find a way for the two to coexist. What she had done to the Night Mother had opened doors in her mind long closed and she remembered now things she had forgotten, or that had been hidden from her. There were still great swathes of her past that were clouded but little things had come back.

The gnarled old T’Jirra gifting her her first set of throwing knives as a child. She remembered his toothless smile and the feel of their weight in her hands and how proud she had been, having gained his praise. The Khajiit had been a hard teacher and yet she had loved him, assassin though he was.

Walks-with-Shadows who had spent countless days helping Red learn to use her Moonshadow ability. Their games of hide and seek through the Sanctuary and through Mournhold had amused her and frustrated their Listener as Red had often used him as a test of her skill. Walks-with-Shadows had always brought a peach. Each day a peach for little Red and she had treasured those moments.

Red shook her head now, wondering how she had forgotten there had been good times and good people. How had she remembered only the bad and consigned all of her youth to darkness? More troubling to her were the memories of moments of pride in her skills, in her stealth and in her ability to kill, to complete contracts and reap bonuses other assassins rarely bothered trying for.

“Doesn’t make you evil.â€

Carter’s voice broke into her thoughts and Red jerked her head up to look at him. “What?†She asked, confused.

“Finding things in your old life you liked. Doesn’t make you evil.†He looked back again and smirked.

“I’m not that transparent.†Red growled and resisted the urge to toss something at the back of his head when he chuckled. That he knew exactly what she had been thinking was frustrating and then she smiled for he was right. She wasn’t evil. She knew that but reconciling the two parts of herself was a challenge.

They turned a corner and Red smiled wider, recognizing the lane leading to the Tavern. She gave Savior a nudge and he easily lunged ahead, passing Carter. “Didn’t catch that thought did you?†Red tossed at him as they flew past and she laughed, racing in to the yard before her home.

At that same moment, another horse and rider came galloping from the eastward path and Red gave a whoop recognizing them. “Quinn!†She called out and slid from Savior’s saddle to catch him as he dismounted, enfolding him in a happy hug. “I was looking for you, you know?†She held him at arm’s length and looked him over.

“Red!†Quinn smiled. “No time to catch up.†He glanced over her shoulder as Carter arrived behind her. “Friend of yours?â€

“Or something.†Red said with a smirk.

Quinn studied Carter for a moment and nodded. “We’ve found an Oblivion gate.â€

“What?†Red exclaimed. “Not possible.â€

“I saw it emerge myself!†Quinn argued.

“A gate it may be.†Red returned to Savior and threw herself up into the saddle. “But not to Oblivion. Best see what you’ve found.†She grinned at Quinn and dug around in her pouch, coming out with something and tossing it to him. “You’ll be needing this.â€

Quinn caught it and his mouth opened in surprise, recognizing his staff. “Where…?â€

“Long story.†Red said and motioned to his horse. “Come on!†She turned in her saddle to look at Carter. “Coming?â€

He raised a brow, studying the boy mounting beside them. “Wouldn’t miss it.â€

[the-manta]

Somewhere in the swaying yellow bushes of the Gold Coast, a small bird chirped happily. It's tiny feet made no sound as it hopped from branch to branch, and it's light step caused only the faintest stir in the leaves. The bird hopped and fluttered, appearing suddenly from the bush to alight on a signpost. From where Seyen Marshe had stopped, he could see the creature's beady black eyes. The tiny black orbs gleamed in the afternoon sun, reflecting everything the bird saw in a massive and distorted fashion. The young mage took a slow step forwards, wondering how it must feel to be so tiny a creature. With an almost inaudible fluttering of wings, the bird took flight, bobbing up and down over the grasslands. Sey was sad to see it go, but he appreciated that he would never get anywhere if whiled away his days staring after birds. He turned and stepped back onto the road, the familiar feel of cobbles through boots setting his mind back to travelling.

“This is a hold-up, hand it over.â€

The scratchy, coarse voice took Seyen by surprise and he started, almost running into the voice’s owner. A large-framed khajiit had stepped onto the path, carrying an even larger-framed battleaxe.

“Oh†Seyen managed. “But… I don’t have any money.â€

The highwayman seemed almost to sigh, looking the young mage up and down.

“What’s in the bag?†He demanded.

Seyen swore inwardly. In all truth he had very little of value on his person, but his satchel contained a great many items that looked valuable, even if they weren’t. He unfastened the satchel and held it out towards his would-be robber.

“There’s nothing valuable,†he explained.

The khajiit took the bag from him, peering inside. Sey considered leaving it at that and making good his exit, but he really couldn’t afford to lose the contents of that bag, and he certainly didn’t want to reward the highwaymen with easy money. It was to this end that he kicked viciously at the lowered battleaxe, sending it to the road with a resounding clang. The highwayman was sufficiently surprised for Seyen to punch him hard in the furry cheek. The satchel fell from the highwayman’s grip and the khajiit growled. Seyen gritted his teeth and took a quick step back, narrowly avoiding the fur-coated club the highwayman called a fist. He had time for another step before the highwayman thought to reach for his axe. The khajiit didn’t take his eyes off of the young mage as he reached quickly for the fallen weapon. Seyen didn’t need him to. Hand outstretched, he muttered an incantation that sent a bolt of lightning jumping across the gap between the two combatants. The spell hit the khajiit in the side and sent him sprawling across the road. Seyen dashed forwards, picked up his fallen satchel and turned to take the highwayman’s weapon. His hands found the rough leather handgrip, but unfortunately found the weapon to be every bit as heavy as it looked. The lightly-built mage had lifted the axe a few inches when a muscular ball of fur and leather barrelled into him. The wind was knocked from his lungs as he was sandwiched between the khajiit and the road; he had barely enough time to curse. The highwayman growled and rose, still sitting on Sey’s midriff, pinning him down. A clenched paw came up and quickly down again, catching Seyen hard on the left cheekbone. The paw was raised again and Seyen crossed his arms in front of his face, eliciting a wicked laugh from his attacker. The laugh gave Seyen all the time he needed to pull the stiletto from his bracer and, before the highwayman even registered the blade, drive it into his thigh. Howling in agony, the cat rolled sideways, freeing Seyen sufficiently to leap to his feet. The mage held his stomach and inhaled painfully, wondering if the highwayman would try again. On the one hand, he hated to kill, no matter how who, but on the other, he could hardly leave this dangerous individual to carry on his life of violent crime. His train of thought went unfinished, however, as the khajiit hauled himself up, seemingly ignorant of the blood oozing from his thigh. Seyen sighed.

“Look,†he breathed, still bent double, “let’s call it even eh? No-one wants to get killed,â€

Evidently the khajiit did, or else quite misunderstood the half-threat, as he snarled viciously and, with a surprising turn of speed for one in his condition, retrieved his axe. Seyen cast a hasty spell of shielding as the highwayman lunged. It probably saved his left arm as the axe flew towards it, leaving only a glancing wound, rather than a bloody stump. Frustration was clear on the khajiit’s face as he renewed his attack. Seyen ducked clumsily under a vicious swing and breathlessly yelled an incantation. As he did so he planted a hand firmly on the khajiit’s chest. Lightning burst out of it, and for a second Sey watched the blue hairline’s snake across the highwayman’s form. Then he was gone. The furry form shot into the air like an arrow from a bow, coming down sharply a few feet down the road.

Seyen almost felt the pain himself as the highwayman lifted himself first onto all fours, then onto his feet. He was nothing if not determined. He yelped as the fireball exploded between his feet, but was undeterred. He seemed to have given up on the axe (a wise move, given its current position in a nearby tree trunk), instead drawing a plain iron dagger. The mage drew his shortsword, replacing the stiletto in his bracer. He didn’t want a knife fight; it wasn’t his speciality, but he couldn’t hope to dodge the deft knifework of a seasoned bandit. He flung another fireball at his attacker, who surprisingly dodged it, following the motion through into a smooth, low dagger-sweep. Seyen leapt back and parried clumsily, just saving his spleen from a lonely life on the road. Before the highwayman had another chance Seyen kicked him hard in the shins and fired another lightning bolt into his chest. Once again, the khajiit landed several feet away, and for a moment it seemed as if he would get up again. But, Seyen supposed, his heart had simply had too much lightning for a lifetime, and he seemed to have landed very awkwardly to boot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seyen had never really enjoyed the business of corpse-looting, but he couldn’t really afford not to empty the Khajiit’s coinpurse. And besides, that had been a tough fight. The sky seemed to grow darker, and Seyen wished he could see an inn, wondering where the afternoon had gone. Quickly, though he realised something was very wrong. The sky was turning a dark bloody red, and thick curdled storm clouds rolled across the sky, hiding the sun in a murky shroud. The ground beneath his feet felt hot through his boots, and the air hummed with static. He slowed his pace to a careful creep.

“What in Oblivion…†he began.

He realised his poor choice of words when he turned the next corner. Ahead of him the road dropped suddenly into a riverbed, and two wooden posts marked the previous existence of a bridge. It was none of these things, though, which drew his attention. Rising from the boiling riverbed was a twisted monument of dark stone, an archway several times taller than Seyen, inside of which a fluid plane of fire flickered and spat. A boom of thunder seemed to illustrate his epiphany: this was a gate to Oblivion.

He looked on in horrified awe. He had heard about the gates that opened in the crisis, and he remembered terrified talk in his youth about the fate of Kvatch, but he had never witnessed a live, open portal before.

“Magnus…†he breathed.

Then something else caught his eye. On the far side of the river bank stood a man. A Nord by the looks of him, or a tall Imperial, he stood ready and watchful, a dai-katana poised in his hands. He was certainly no daedroth, and with an Oblivion Gate ahead, that made him an ally. For a few moments he simply watched the gate, wary of sudden emergences, then made his move. The man was too far to hear him over the roll of thunder and crackle of flames, so the young mage darted into the undergrowth, giving the gate a wide berth, and climbed down into the riverbed. Looking downstream he could see river boiling and steaming as it met the angry maw of the gate, phantoms of steam fleeing into the sky. He was no climber, but the riverbed was not too deep, and he managed the short climb without difficulty.

“Hey!†he yelled, as he made his way swiftly towards the katana-wielding man, hating the feeling of the gate at his back.

The man turned to look at him with an expression of faint concern and grim determination. It was an old face: lined, grey and framed with silver, but Seyen could the strength in it, and was glad of the man’s presence.

The man greeted Seyen with a surprisingly calm “Hail!†and came forwards. Seyen recognised the warrior in this man- his stance, his build and his armament gave it away- but there seemed to be more to him. The mage felt a definite watchfulness, awareness, alertness, in the man’s gaze. Once he was close enough, the man clapped him on the shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

“If I were you, lad, I’d get gone,†he said, “you don’t want to be here when things start coming outta that thing, or when we start going in,â€

“Going in?†Seyen asked somewhat incredulously, “we?â€

“Aye, help is on its way, and we aim to do our duty here,â€

“I can help.†The words came, uncharacteristically, without the usual preliminary of thought. Something about this man told Sey that he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t do ‘his duty’. And the prospect of entering Oblivion itself was undeniably tempting.

“Can you now? You must be a mage,†the man correctly surmised, “I won’t turn you from the path of right as long as you’re good at what you do lad.â€

“I… yes, yes I am†resolve filled the young mage. The old man had spoken plainly and honestly, but some subtle aspect of his personality was infectious. “Yes, and I know a lot about daedra,†he added. “Seyen Marshe,†he introduced himself, holding out a hand.

“Thomas SwiftWater,†came the reply, over a firm handshake. “Glad of your company, Seyen Marshe. Ah, here comes young Quinlan, and some friends, too!â€

Seyen was quivering with anticipation as he turned to see three figures on horseback coming down the road. He had never done anything like this- he never put himself in harm’s way, he never leapt into life-or-death situations because they ‘felt right’ but now he had. It felt fantastic.

[WhoGuru]

Synnette strolled around the side of the Tavern, Shane’s reins in hand and just saw a flash of Red’s scarlet tresses and her horses’ spots as they flashed into the trees and away. On the wind her laugh carried and Syn smiled. “I smell an adventure Shane.†She said to her horse and checked his saddlebags. He was still well stocked from when she’d left early last night for a ride beneath the stars. She slid her staff into its mount beside her stirrups and climbed up. “Let’s go boy, before we miss all the fun.â€

----------------------

Red and Carter followed Quinn but long before they reached the gate, Red could have found it on her own from the vibrations, the rumble and the darkening sky. “Can’t be a gate to Oblivion.†Red muttered.

“Not to Dagon’s realm at any rate.†Carter replied in his usual, calm voice though Red saw he had a blade out held along his leg, ready for trouble. They broke through the trees and Red inhaled at the sight, the fiery gate sprung up in the remains of the old bridge and on the near side, a wily looking old Monk and young, nervous looking man.

“That’s Thomas.†Quinn said and waved to his friend. “No idea where the other bloke came from.â€

Hooves pounded behind them and before they could turn to meet the threat, a voice met them.

“Oi!†Synnette called out. “Wait for me!â€

Red looked back and chuckled. “What took you so long?â€

Syn thumped the shoulder of her horse, Shane, as they galloped up beside her. “Bloody great coward found a puddle he wouldn’t cross.†She rode up beside Red and then leaned over to peer closely at her.

“What?†Red swiped a hand over her face. “Is there something on my face?â€

Syn’s brows drew together and then she shrugged. “You look different is all.â€

Red scowled and then smiled. “Suppose I am. Shall we?â€

[WillieSea]

William woke suddenly and sat up, startled. He felt dizzy for a moment from getting up so quickly. He ignored that as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, swaying slightly. He grabbed his adventuring pack and tied it around his waist along with his new dragon blade. But a moment later he was skipping down the stairs and signaled to Arlow for some travel rations. The hair on the back of his neck was still raised from what-ever had awaken him, but he figured he would at least be ready for it.

After paying for and packing away the rations, he headed out the door with a farewell to Arlow and made for the stables where Night was resting. Nodding to one of the stable hands, William took one of the brushes and started combing Night’s coat, removing small burs and flecks of mud. He whistled a happy tune as he concentrated on his task, happy just to be back and his lifelong mysterious journey finally over. He then placed the saddle back on the black mare in preparation for a nice ride in the countryside.

Will jumped in the saddle and maneuvered Night quickly out of the stables and raced through the meadows with a grin on his face, the wind blowing his golden hair back. Night proficiently zigzagged through the sparse trees as they raced through the warm day.

But that changed suddenly as up ahead, an unmistakable red stormy sky came into view. A sudden feeling of dread overcame him, he remembered going in a number of the Oblivion gates when they opened up a long time ago, during the Oblivion crisis. He drew his sword and rode straight for where he gauged the gate would be located.

Night galloped hard and within a few moments, the unmistakable sound of one of those gateways drowned out the world around him. The waving flames of a gateway shown through the trees ahead as he and Night jumped over some low bushes and crashed out of the tree line, William waving his black sword and screaming a war cry, the red light from the gate and atmospheric effects making his yellow hair look like flames!

[Xinimator]

The rain steadily pounded upon the travelers and the trolls that were surrounding them. Staring back at their foes, Alistair and Nina stood back-to-back, each facing two trolls by themselves who looked unfortunately a little more well-fed than their companion that was bleeding on the ground.

“So....you wouldn't happen to have a plan to get us out of this mess, would you?†Alistair couldn't help but ask, frowning as he wondered if he could take two of them on at the same time.

“Um......depends,†she muttered as she glanced at the creatures with hostility, “Does 'Making it up as we go along' count as a plan?â€

“.......Forget I asked,†he closed his eyes and sighed heavily before looking back towards the creatures, “....if you need any help, just yell,†he said quietly to his sister with a tiny smile.

“I knew you still loved me,†she smirked gently. Giving him a small nod, she began yelling at the creatures in front of her, “Come on then, you fat pigs! Don't tell me you're scared of a skinny little Imperial girl with toothpicks,†she grinned wickedly at them.

One troll, the biggest and most brutish-looking of them all, dared to take a couple of steps towards her. With a low snarl, he raised one of his freakishly huge hands, with the looks that it could crush a skull in one simple squeeze, and thumped it against his chest, as if he was challenging her. And, by the sound of it, there was a couple of insults hurled at her in the process.

“Heh....I'm right here, you stinky, oversized gnomes,†she smirked, holding her arms out wide in a teasing manner just to enrage them even further.

The troll's patience was exceedingly low and finally had enough of her games; He bellowed out a battle roar and charged straight towards the two people in the center of the road; the others followed him quickly as the thundering sound of the heavy feet pounded against the ground and their claws extended, their teeth bared and dripping with saliva.

Nina, far from being scared, merely smiled and ran towards her group of enemies, both daggers in her hands and in her preferred backhand position. Quickly, she darted under the first troll's attempt to grab her and, in return, stabbed one of her daggers deeply into his ribs. She made sure to wedge it in there deeply before ripping it out of him and pushing him away from her. Leaving the first one tumbling behind her, she quickly spun around and drove her other dagger into the second's shoulder, missing his chest but she could still work with this.

Kicking the troll on its side to knock it from her, she watched as they crashed into each other and became an entanglement of moss colored fur and claws. Chuckling softly, she watched them push away from one another and, with a low growl, charged after her once more as if nothing had happened, "This is going to be fun," she said quietly.

The larger creature swung its arm out towards her to knock her down and instead missed as she rolled under its arm towards the direction of the smaller troll. When she reached the feet of the beast, she launched herself up at it; tackling him, she drove the sharp point of the blade into the soft flesh of the troll's jaw, pushing it in as deep as the blade would allow her to.

When she heard the deep footfalls behind her, she spared a glance over her shoulder before ripping the dagger out of its jaw. She leapt out of the way of the charging monster and rolled on the ground to a stop before looking back behind her; it was barely a second later before the two collided once again, “Heh.....you'd think they would learn....†she muttered quietly and chuckled.

Alistair, in the meantime, wasn't quite having as much fun as his sister was, or at least he didn't show it. As a small troll made its way towards him, he lunged forward with his sword raised as if he was going to cleave its face. But instead, he feigns the attack and sweeps the sword low to the ground, slicing the beast's legs and crippling him severely. As the troll tumbles behind him with a wail of pain, Alistair turns to the second and advances towards it, sword raised and ready to end the troll's life quickly.

Only the creature had other plans; growling loudly, it began releasing an assault of rather well-aimed swipes and punches at him. Alistair, who was unable to find a good enough opening to thrust his sword in, was left dodging left and right to avoid having to come face-to-face with one of those hands again.

But after a while, the troll made a mistake and raised both of his fist into the air to try something different; hammering him down into the ground like a nail. Alistair made no hesitation in jumping all over the opportunity; As hard as he could, he rammed his whole body into the troll, attempting to give himself some breathing room. As the creature stumbled a couple of steps backward, he hastily lifted his weapon up and prepared to run the blade through its chest.

All of the sudden, a large, detached hand made its way into his line of vision and he barely had enough time to duck before the crippled troll's arm sweeped over his head. But he could only breath a small sigh of relief when another pair of clenched fists came flying down. Swearing loudly, he rolled out of the way as best as he could, though still managing to get his shoulders nicked by the brute force behind the strike.

Groaning low in pain, Alistair shot towards the crippled troll and kicked it furiously in the leg as hard as he could. As the troll faltered and went down onto the ground on his knees, the Imperial ran the sword through the troll's back, right over where its heart would be. With a rapidly-decreasing wail, the creature quickly died under his blade and he wrenched it out of the dead body, kicking it away as he looked around for the second enemy.

The answer to that question was given quickly enough; a large boulder crashed about a foot away from him and left a sizable crater in its place, causing him to yelp and back away quickly in surprise. Turning his head in the direction the boulder came from, he groaned inwardly at the sight of the troll next to a bunch of large rocks that do quite a bit of damage, "Oh come on.....how in Oblivion is this fair?"

The trolls were beginning to put up quite a bit of a fight and it wasn't long before a shred of doubt found its way into both of their minds as they tried to figure out how they can escape from this pack of monsters. One was dead, true, but the other three were still going strong despite their attempts to wound and slow down. As Alistair repeatedly dodged all of the rocks that were flying through the air towards him, Nina was busy dodging and parrying the repeating pummeling of both of the trolls' fists. Each opportunity she got, she managed to injure either one of them just a little bit. Though as much as she was doing it and as strong as they were going, she wondered if it was even doing any good at all. Her legs were beginning to shake a little with fatigue and she was coated up to her elbows in rancid-smelling dark blood, “Dammit! Die already, you worthless things!†she yelled; she wasn't taunting anymore. Now she just wanted them to fall to the ground and stay still for eternity.

She wasn't able to carry out her threat as suddenly a world of black enveloped her and she felt herself fall onto the ground, instinctively letting out a small yell in surprise. She wasn't really sure what had happened, it didn't look as if they had managed to bring her down for once, or either that she didn't remember.

When Alistair heard his sister scream a little from a distance, he distractedly turned his head towards the crumple form on the ground, along with a sizable rock laying innocently next to her head, though a layer of blood was splattered on the side of it. Fearing the worse, he ignored the troll behind him and began rushing over to Nina as the group of enemies she was fighting before began hovering over her ominously.

But he almost faced the same fate as her as a fist-sized rock found it's mark and hit him squarely in the jaw, causing him to stumble and nearly crash into the ground once more. Furious, he rubbed his jaw, which didn't feel like it had shattered but was at the very least bruised quite a bit, “Grr.....is that how you want to play it....?†he muttered and glancing down at the ground, he bent down and picked up a random rock. Tossing it once in the air with an air of curiosity and catching it, he glared at the creature in front of him before throwing the rock as hard as he could at him.

The beast, not expecting the puny human in front of him to retaliate in such a fashion, barely ducked under the sailing rock and when it noticed the Imperial had missed, gave a low growl that sounded eerily similar to a chuckle.

His laughter, however, was cut short when a blade suddenly shot out of his back, tinted red and dripping with blood. With a small gurgle of surprise, the troll began squirming wildly in pain as the blade that was shoved into his stomach didn't inch, instead further injuring him at his vain attempts to escape. Alistair, who was grunting from so much weight being pushed against him, held his ground and waited impatiently for the troll to die so he could tend to his sister.

Nina stirred slightly on the ground before suddenly jolting awake at the sight of the two monsters hovering over her with hunger in their eyes. Swearing loudly, she reached over to grab her dagger that fell out of her hands onto the ground some distance away. But it was too far for her to reach and, improvising as she stared up that the huge teeth that was occupying most of her vision, she grabbed a clump of dirt and threw it into the one that was hovering directly above her in the eyes. As the large troll screamed and clutched at his eyes in pain, the larger one growled threateningly at her and grabbed one of her legs, keeping her trapped in an iron grip as he slowly began dragging her away towards the forest....

Nina yelled obscenities at the beast and lifted herself up a bit, raising her leg up and kicking it as hard as she could in all three of its eyes. The troll, who was not expecting such a reaction, reared backwards with a sharp yelp that was promptly cut short as she managed to grab one of her daggers that were one the ground and leaned up, stabbing the monster rapidly several times so she wouldn't have to worry about if it was dead or not.

And now for the last one.... she thought grimly as she wiggled her foot out from the deathgrip and grabbed her second dagger before facing the leader. Not even bothering to say any last words to the troll, she darts quickly towards the troll; with a battle-cry, she jumps up so that she was eye-level with the troll before sweeping both of the daggers in opposite directions at his neck, creating a narrow, blood red X that bled profusely before tackling him to the ground. Panting heavily, she pinned it down to the ground with her daggers at his neck to make sure nothing more came out of the stubborn beast, watching the fire of life go out in its three beady eyes.

“Burn in Oblivion,†she muttered before climbing back up to her feet and surveying the scene, “Please tell me there's no more of those damn things running around....â€

“I think that was the last of them,†he muttered at he looked at the small injury that was on the back of her head, which for some reason she didn't seem to be feeling at the moment, “How are you feeling?â€

“Chippy. Real chippy,†she said and suddenly gave him a small grin, as if nothing had never happened, “Not a bad way to end the day, eh?â€

“Hmph....†he merely grunted as he pulled out an old rag and began wiping up the blood, “Says the woman with a cracked skull....glad to see you're alright though,†he gave her a small smile in return.

“I could say the same for you, but then I would be lying,†she chuckled as she raised her hand up, gingerly touching the scratches on his face and the small bruise that was forming on his jaw.

“I'll be fine, it's just my face,†he pulled her hand away from his face, “Should we go look for the horses?â€

"Nah. They already found us," she chuckled gently before nodding to two horses cautiously wandering back onto the road towards them. While their ears and their tails were showing signs of being very nervous from being this close to trolls regardless if they were dead, their faces showed signs of being relieved to be back with their riders.

"Mia, you're alright!" Nina said happily and rushed up to hugged the mare around her neck gently, "Damn, don't you scare me like that again, do you hear me?" she said sternly to the horse, though the effect was marred when she chuckled and rubbed her muzzle gently. Her mood fell quickly, however, when she glanced at something on the horizon and frowned, “Um.....†she said quietly, looking over his shoulder at something behind him, “I don't think that's normal, is it?â€

Alistair frowned in confusion at this as he was checking up on Cesare, who for the record looked about as happy as one could be at the moment, and spun around to see what she was staring at. A red tint was rapidly streaking through the clouds and slowly turning the world around them dark red, “What the....a gate?†he muttered in surprise and frowned, “How is that even possible.....?

“I dunno,†she replied and patted him on the back, “But whatever the reason, it can't be good. Therefore, we should go take care of it, right?†Her face grew serious as she said it and gave him a brief nod before climbing up onto her horse and promptly riding as fast as they could towards the gate.

“Meh.....to be honest, I would rather sleep,†he said stubbornly before he checked the equipment to make sure everything was there, then climbed up on the war horse, "Come on then," he said to Cesare and gave his hind legs a gentle kick. Cesare snorted a little before he began galloping after Mia.

Edited May 5, 2011 by Xinimator

[DarkRider]

Red laughed heartily, swiping a tear from her eye as William leapt from his horse onto the road, sword draw, and hair windblown lending him an odd air of madness, “Has anyone seen Will?” she barely managed the tease before more giggles erupted forth.

The ex-assassin gave her a quizzical stare, but then looked around at the group and realized how his entrance must have appeared. He smoothed a hand through his hair to tame it as he lowered his weapon casually, “You know I like making an entrance Red,” he ribbed back with a serious face to sell the point.

“I was starting to think you wouldn’t make it,” she grinned.

“Fashionably late,” he winked.

Introductions passed around, and the horses safely stowed off the road, the group gathered before the Oblivion gate. For some it was like a strange sort of homecoming as their minds drifted back to the crisis, for others, it was the first time they had ever seen such a thing and it was deserving of their awe.

Quinn rejoined Thomas, “Any movement since I left?”

“No,” the older man replied, with a thoughtful shake of his head, “It’s strange. For a moment let’s pretend this isn’t impossible. Before Martin, the daedra only opened gates for two reasons: to let something out, or to let something in. If they meant to come in, we would have seen a scout party as soon as the gate opened…lesser daedra to come first.”

Red had regained her composure, “So this gate may have opened to receive something…but what?”

“Us most likely,” Carter supplied with a shrug as he tightened his bracer, “seems to be the way fate works for this particular band.”

“Would probably be most prudent to take this equally slow, send a scout through first,” Syn noted, examining the gnarled branches of the gate for some clue to its origin, “Any volunteers?”

“Aye, me,” Quinn said, quelling the argument on Thomas’s tongue with a fierce look of determination, and drawing his staff as he stepped toward the wide maw of the portal. The group fell into a semicircle ready position just behind him, hands to weapons, some drawing, whatever happened, they were as ready as they could be.

Quinn extended his staff about half a length, it was good to feel its weight in his palm again, and he felt more complete somehow. It was a little comfort as the gate loomed over him, hissing in an almost whisper like quality, as if it was speaking to him.

“Easy does it, Quinn,” Thomas said quietly, more to himself, watching for any flicker of movement coming through; his fingers twitched around the hilt of his katana.

Quinn reached his staff forward and as the Dwermer metal came in contact with the portal’s swirling pool, he met with some resistance, like pushing through candle wax that had not had time to harden. Through the staff he could feel a tremor drawing him ever so steadily forward the way quicksand might draw a person down.

Seyen stood just to the old Nord monk’s left and watched the scene unfolding nervously. He started to wonder just how he managed to get himself wrapped up in such a thing; he wouldn’t list his title as adventurer, or knight errant. This was an Oblivion gate, an honest to Akatosh Oblivion gate; it was not the sort of thing one should approach to trifle with least of all with the bravado driven curiosity this lot seemed to have. At the very least, he reconsidered, he was too close to the maw of the thing and decided to back away quietly and leave more fellows to take the lead. As he turned to move away, the gate suddenly flared and a lick of flame blew straight in his face causing him to stumble back to avoid a good singe. The water that had pooled around the gate as the river continued to spew down on it, caused his footing to fail and the youth found himself cursing aloud as he fell back and collided with Quinn; his words were cut short as both were pulled into the gate and vanished.

For a moment the group was stunned, still holding position, but it was Carter who broke the line first, “Should we wait for their charred remains to come tumbling back out or go in after them?” he asked rhetorically, stepping into the gate unflinchingly.

The others followed suit one at a time until no one remained before the gate. Titan whinnied loudly, and Savior stomped his feet as if promising to watch over the way home.

======================================

Jheuloh was riding at a fevered pace away from the Tavern. He had heard from the barkeeps that Sir William had just left only an hour before to investigate some disturbance near the Tavern, and his curiosity was piqued. Taking his steed from the Tavern stables, he had headed toward a trailing smoke on the distant horizon, and his only clue to Sir William’s destination.

He could smell adventure on the wind as the skies overhead darkened with his approach, he wouldn’t be left behind.

As he broke through the trees, Meine suddenly collided with another horse sending both riders to the ground. Jheuloh scrambled to his feet, the other rider did the same, cursing as he stood and withdrew his blade. Nothing could unfold as their mounting conflict was interrupted by cackling laughter. Nina leaned forward over her saddle horn chuckling blissfully.

“Way to hold your seat brother,” she teased.

“Quiet you,” he snarled, his eyes trained on Jheuloh who had managed to nock an arrow into his steel bow while Alistair was distracted.

Jheuloh backed up a step, “Listen, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. Seems we were both riding toward the same place,” he motioned to the Oblivion gate they could just see through the tree line, “I was looking for my friends.”

“I think you just missed them,” Nina clicked her tongue, “we did too. Just watched them all go inside, like lemmings. Put your blade away brother, I think your dignity was all that was bruised…look Cesare has forgiven him,” she noted the two horses eating grass socially nearby.

Alistair hesitated then sheathed his blade, “I’m Alistair, and that…is my sister Nina.”

“Jheuloh,” the youth replied, putting up his own weapons and heading to collect his mount, “You say they went into the gate?”

“Just a minute or two ahead of us. We’re going in as well,” Nina answered, “Isn’t that right brother?”

“If you say so,” Alistair begrudgingly agreed, retrieving Cesare and checking him for injury. Finding none he jumped up into his saddle and pulled his board nose around, “you’re welcome to tag along I suppose.”

“Sounds good,” Jheuloh mounted up, “but as this is my home and they are my friends, YOU can tag along with me,” he said before kicking Meine forward toward the gate.

“I like him,” Nina grinned before following after.

Within minutes they had tied their horses off with the others and entered the gate. As the plasma overtook him Jheuloh realized he might never seen Tamriel again, if he was lost in this new realm, who would know to look for him?

======================================

As they tumbled through the void together Quinn tried to reach Seyen, to throttle him or keep them together he couldn’t decide, but despite his efforts he couldn’t close the gap that separated them. Seyen’s mouth was moving as if he was trying to say something but no sound came out. The vortex of light seemed to last an eternity, but he knew from the old tales, time was held fast in this tunnel, and he would emerge on the other side within seconds of leaving Tamriel. At least he hoped so. Suddenly darkness overtook them and it was in darkness, Quinn awoke with a start.

“Seyen!” he called out as he scrambled off the cobbled ground, the name rolling like a foreign thing from his lips. It was strange to be seeking a person he’d only just met, but in this place, he was as near an ally as he would find for now. There was no answer. Through the dark he could still hear what sounded like the rumble of an Oblivion gate, but there was none to be seen.

On the horizon a faint light was beginning to emerge, cutting a swath through the black and breaking clouds overhead that parted to reveal fluttering green stars overhead. Around him were waves upon waves of black, oily grasses, and only the path he stood on gave him bearing. As the light grew stronger, he could make out mountains in the distance and the silhouette of what appeared to be a city.

With no way back he could only go forward and hope he would find Seyen in this strange realm. It was unlike any daedra plane he’d ever read of, and the longer he stayed the less it felt like daedra at all. He hoped the others would come after them, but to what end he could only guess.

[the-manta]

Seyen had a strange “slow motion†moment as he slipped and fell. He wasn’t sure if it was the potential enormity of the situation, or the power of the gate itself. The portal was a most unusual feeling (blended with an unfamiliar level of sheer terror), he seemed to be pushed and pulled in every direction but the one by which he had come, and then was suddenly falling, but not quite downwards. He opened his mouth to scream, or to incant, or to call out to the man whose doom he might have spelled, but found he could not. He seemed to fall forever, but knew that he was more likely experiencing the effects of inter-dimensional travel. Just as he began to think with some degree of clarity about the shimmering vortex around him, it vanished.

As the world grew darker he heard a shrill ringing in his ears, which increased in intensity and pitch until with a sudden pop, it was gone, and he felt solid ground beneath him. The sensation, he thought, was not dissimilar from that of rapidly surfacing in deep water. He eventually remembered to open his eyes, though he couldn’t remember quite when he had closed them, and saw, high above him, a vaulted ceiling painted with flaky images of men, monsters and armies, their mournful painted faces fairly echoing Sey’s current emotions. He rose slowly, and found himself in the very centre of a large octagonal room. He was sitting on a floor of grimy marble flagstones that vibrated almost imperceptibly beneath him, and encircled by tall windowless walls of grey brick with soaring stone pillars at each corner. Where windows might have been were instead large marble reliefs displaying gruesome images similar to those on the roof. As he rose and looked around, however, he found that the wall directly behind him was interrupted by a huge double door of what was either warped grey wood or fantastically carved iron. Something about them told Seyen that they had not seen use for a great many years. He gazed at his surroundings for a few moments, wondering which plane of Oblivion he was in. It certainly was not the Deadlands, given the definite lack of lava, fire, or bloodthirsty dremora. He supposed this could be something like the Apocrypha, but there were no books of hidden knowledge, or drifting spectres, and conjurers had shown that realm to be inaccessible from Nirn. The depressing, gloomy air of the place meant it couldn’t be Azura’s Moonshadow, and it was clearly none of the more untamed realms. He supposed it could be Clavicus Vile’s realm, about which little was known, but he doubted that the Prince of Pacts would leave him unchallenged for so long. He took a tentative step forwards, wondering what could be lurking in the shadows, or if the room could be trapped. When he was not killed by devilish device or lurking monstrosity, he proceeded to move slowly around the room, inspecting the walls and frescos, not quite daring to try the monumental doors.

As he walked, he gradually developed the unpleasant sensation of being watched. He could hear faint voices in the space around him, or rather, he could feel them, miniscule quiverings in the air, tiny shifts in the pressure of his ears. He shivered, very much unsettled. He looked around him again and, finding nothing, cast a spell of life detection. He could not have foreseen its effects. With a scream he dropped to his knees, covering his eyes with his palms. As soon as the incantation left his lips he was blinding by brilliant violet light. Wherever he looked the shimmering mist filled his vision. He screwed his eyes shut and dispelled the detection. Rubbing his temples and intensely confused, he rose to his feet once again. It seemed there was nothing to gain from this cavernous room, and the watched feeling was becoming unbearable, so he made his way to the towering doors. He had taken about three steps when his ears began to ring. The sound reached a fever pitch and he blacked out.

He came to with the familiar popping sensation, and found himself lying face down in a strange, greasy black grass. For a moment he thought he heard his name in a voice he didn’t recognise. He rolled onto his back to see a field of unfamiliar stars dotted with dark clouds so thick it seemed impossible that they could stay up at all. A pale yellowish disc was climbing into the sky, and Seyen’s surroundings were highlighted eerily by its ghostly light. As he climbed to his feet he heard his name again- he wasn’t imaging it, then. He cast his gaze from side to side, recognising the voice as that of Quinn, the man he had knocked through the gate. He called back and made his careful way towards the reply. His feet soon found hard grey cobbles which felt strangely damp, as if it had recently rained. He followed the road towards Quinn’s voice, and in the waxing light fancied he could make out the man’s silhouette.

“Quinn?†He called softly; an ominous feeling had begun to creep over him. He felt again the sensation of being watched as he drew closer to the figure. “Is that you?â€

Quinn didn’t answer, and when Seyen was close enough to see clearly he registered the strange vacant look on the man’s otherwise lively face. His stance seemed equally unnatural; he was stretched almost on tiptoes, with his arms flat by his sides and his shoulders set at uneven heights. The man’s lips parted slowly and Seyen shivered as his name slid from between them with the sound of nails on a slate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quinn jumped when he finally heard a response to his call. He seemed to have been searching for hours as the anaemic sun made its sickly way into the sky. He jogged towards the clumsy mage’s voice, noticing in a detached sort of way the strange sponginess of the sable turf. He stepped carefully over the roots of a twisted, brittle tree and found himself back on the damp grey road.

“Quinn? Is that you?â€

He turned to the source of the voice and saw Seyen standing in the road. Strangely though, he was facing the wrong way. In front of the mage was a tall stack of grubby rocks in the middle of the road, and it was this construct that Seyen seemed to be addressing. Slowly and cautiously he made his way up the road towards the strange scene.

“Seyen?†as he said it he reached tentatively out to touch the younger man’s shoulder. The response was instantaneous; Seyen almost jumped out of his skin and spun around, a dagger appearing in his hand. Quinn stepped back quickly, readying his staff, but the moment Seyen realised who he was, his body sagged and he returned the dagger to his bracer. A look of utter confusion passed over the mage’s face as he looked from Quinn to the stack of rocks, seeming never to have seen the latter before. A sense of unease began to gnaw at Quinn- the young mage was acting very strangely indeed. Could he be mad? Or something worse? It seemed almost too much of a coincidence that the newcomer should emerge within an hour of the mysterious gate, practically throw the two of them through, and proceed to converse with a tower of stones. Something strange was happening here, that much was certain, and Quinn resolved to keep an eye on the younger man.

Edited May 5, 2011 by the-manta

[Xinimator]

“Oi.......that was not comfortable....†Nina muttered as she rubbed her forehead gently. As they had stepped through the gate, the trio were overwhelmed by a nauseous feeling that threatened to take them down at any second but it didn't offer the relief of collapse. Though as soon as they tumbled out of the portal into this strange, new realm, the feeling immediately eased up and they were left with minor gut-wrenching sensation, Oi.....I hope we don't have to go through too many of those....

Shaking her head a little, she tilted her head up to survey the landscape where they landed and had to blink her eyes a little, “What the....†she muttered as she rose up to her feet and frowned a little.

Everything around her was black. Or at least almost everything. The trees that surrounded all four sides looked like they had been charred to death with no leaves to offer any shade to the harsh sunlight that was peaking through the blackish-grey clouds; even the grass was an oily, dead black.

“Guys....?†she said quietly as she looked around for the two other companions that were with her. But the spine-chilling song that a bird from nearby sung out into the bleak landscape was the only thing that kept her company and she sighed heavily, “Just my luck.....â€

“Agh.....whoever designed that portal should be fired....†she heard a familiar voice call out behind her. She spun around quickly in reaction and pulled out one of her daggers, only to see the large form of her brother rise up from the tide of grass.

Sighing with relief, she slid her dagger back into its sheath, “Heh, you had me worried for a sec. I thought I was stuck all alone with a stinkin' bird who needs to learn how to sing,â€

“I could say the same for you. You're not exactly a nightingale,†Alistair snickered at her before climbing back up to his feet and rejoining her, taking a quick look around the forest, “....where's your new friend Jheuloh?â€

“Over here....†there was a voice above them and, frowning a little, they both turned their heads up to see a rather peculiar sight of an Imperial hanging awkwardly over the tangle of tree limbs and vines crisscrossing like a spider web. Struggling a little against the tangled mess, he sighed heavily and called out, “Um....perhaps a little help would be appreciated?â€

Nina laughed gently and grinned widely, “Wow, even I'm not that good when I'm landing blindly....feeling lucky today, Jheuloh?â€

He shrugged, “Well....it could have been worse,†the Imperial chuckled and shrugged a little, “I could've landed on top of you. That'll be a story worth telling, I'd bet.â€

“Mhm....and I would make sure those loose lips of yours remain tightened for that reason,†she smirked at him and laughed, “Alright, lemme see what I can do....just so long as the vines don't come to life, I think we'll be good,†she said with a small chuckle before her deft hands grabbed one of her brother's swords.

Before Alistair could voice his protesting of using one of his swords as a tree ax, she quickly scaled up one of the dead-looking trees and landed on one of the low-hanging limbs. Her brown eyes searching the strange forest, she jumped nimbly from limb to limb, occasionally grabbing a vine to steady herself and to climb up just a little higher.

When she finally reached the stuck mercenary, she tilted her head a little in curiosity at him before grabbing the sword and start hacking away at the limbs, “Heh.....you know, you look cute when you're stuck like that....†she teased a little, flashing him a goofy grin.

“Cute? Exactly what's so cute about this?†Jheuloh muttered and tilted his head away a little; having led a somewhat quiet and lonely life, he felt a little awkward as Nina had started talking to him so boldly. And he really couldn't see what was so cute about a man being stuck in a tree while the other two were safely on the ground.

“Oh you know....†she shrugged gently with a small chuckle. After hacking away a few more limbs and plants, Jheuloh managed to free the rest of himself and quickly jumped down onto the ground to join Alistair with only a few tiny scratches from the branches above.

“Don't mind my sister,†Alistair said amusingly as he saw the look on Jheuloh's face and smiled slightly, “She's just forward like that and likes to tease. A lot,†he added, giving Nina a small glare as she made her way back onto the ground.

“Ah.....†Jheuloh blinked softly before laughing, the awkward tension that was built up inside him elevating, “Well, um.....she is a very interesting person, I will give you that....â€

“Define 'interesting',†Alistair chuckled softly as he placed a friendly hand on Jheuloh's shoulder and patted him gently, “As I said, don't worry about her, she's practically harmless........most of the time,â€

“What? I haven't heard you complain once,†Nina laughed and handed her brother back his sword, all sticky with sap and with bits and pieces of wood splinters and shreds of vine glued on there.

“Not when you're in the same room,†he grumbled as he tried to wipe off the sap off his sword as best as he could before sliding it back into the scabbard.

“Mhm....whatever you say, dear brother,†she smiled before scanning the forest critically. By the looks of things, they were as deep in the forest as they can be with vegetation so thick that one would only have to walk five feet in a direction before they became lost, “Wow.....feels like we just dived inside the mind of a depressed Orc,†Nina said quietly as she stared at the bleak, depressing landscape that surrounded them.

Behind her, Jheuloh gave a small laugh, “Haha, depressing and ugly? Yep, I think we just found the guy that runs this place,†he gave her a wide grin as she turned her head to look at him in curiosity before giving him a small smirk.

“Hey, it's something I'm willing to bet a few drakes on,†she chuckled gently, “Now....let's go see if we can't find some sort of civilization here. There's bound to be someone that can tell us where the heck we are....,â€

“And lemme guess: if they don't, they'll always spill about who's the wolf controlling the sheep?†Alistair raised an eyebrow at her with a small chuckle.

“Unless they're just really dumb sheep,†she snickered, “Well come on then....the locals have gotta be be more entertaining than this. Seriously, does anyone have a paintbrush?†she asked and raised her arms questioningly, “Cause I would love nothing more than to at least throw a couple buckets of paint around this place, probably color it pink or something....â€

“Oh good gods, are you trying to kill everyone here?†Alistair laughed and shook his head at her, “Pink....only she would come up with that...†he muttered quietly with a small smile.

“Hey, if it blinds creatures as a result, I'm game for it. The less things that attack us, the better,†Jheuloh nodded approvingly, “Now....onward!†he cried out all of the sudden and began heading out into a random direction into the thick of the woods with the two siblings following up shortly behind him, remaining cautious as they did not know who or what exactly lurks in these woods....

[DarkRider]

Red tried to peer through the vortex as she was swept along, but nothing revealed form or substance, there was light but also darkness, and flames that didn’t burn. She fell for an age, she remembered from before; it was different, more direct. This was not like any Oblivion Gate she had encountered. She fell suddenly, from flame into darkness, and in the void between them a voice echoed distantly.

“This one’s magicka is barren, to the abyss…” and then she plunged from the in-between into water.

If only she’d had some warning she might have taken a breath, but instead she sank into murky black water and instantly her body was screaming for air. She had no buoyancy, she was being drawn downward, but she struggled to rise the way her fleeting air bubbles were scattering to overhead. In her thrashing of limbs her feet met something solid and she immediately began to ascend, but the light above was faint, and seemed so far away. Even as she rose she felt her strength beginning to wane. Her hand stretched out desperately as the last bubble of air left her lungs.

Suddenly something hard thrust into her palm and she grabbed it instinctively, finding herself wrenched from the water, scruffed by her collar and unceremoniously dropped on the muddy shore gasping for breath and trying to stop the reeling in her mind. The air was musty and reeked of bog but it was the best she’d ever had in that moment.

“Easy now,” a warm voice coaxed her, the speaker patting her back as he crouched beside her.

She spun at having a stranger so close, palming a knife as she did, but found herself looking up at Thomas, an easy smile on his face and hands held in surrender, “Thomas?”

He nodded, “That anyway to repay a favor?” he motioned to the knife, lower his hands as she slipped it back into her boot, “Are you alright?”

Red nodded, coming to her feet, though somewhat unsteady at first. She quickly began regaining strength as her body lifted the eminent death routine, “Thanks to you, “she glanced around, “now I know we’re not in Oblivion.”

Thomas laughed, “I think that’s a safe wager. Wherever we are the sun is beginning to set on the horizon, we’d better set out for higher ground and find some sort of shelter before nightfall. Can you travel?”

Red nodded her agreement, “Do my best...after you,” she answered, motioning toward the heavy trees planted deep in murky pools of fetid water.

Thomas shrugged and resumed his earlier trek, using his staff as a walking stick to help him navigate his footing, with the lady thief in tow.

[WillieSea]

Upon entering the familiar gateway, William released the tension from his body and relaxed, allowing himself to flow through the eddys in the portal. He patiently waited to arrive at his destination…

An eternity and no time at all later, there was a sudden shift in the gateways flow and a voice echoed distantly, “More barren ones, away with them…”

William was then falling through the air with the ground hitting him in the side, the air thrust from his lungs. He rolled into the rest of the fall, his acrobatic training saving him from more serious injury. A thump and gasp sounded a moment later just behind him.

It was getting dark and the ground seemed to shift under him and would not provide sound footing. He made his way to his feet and gasping for breath, moved towards who-ever had landed behind him. As the feeble light drained from the world, he looked around and saw only rolling hills devoid of vegetation or construction. This was not an oblivion plane, that was certain. But where-ever they were, it was a barren landscape all the same.

William approached the gasping woman and noticed it was the one called Syn. He reached down and helped her to her feet. They both quickly looked around and saw that they were the only ones dropped at this location.

Syn brushed the sand from her clothes and looked at the man who had helped her up and noted that he was scanning the surrounding area while taking the stance reminiscent of one of the unsavory professions, such as a thief, or worse, an assassin. Most people would have greeted verbally in such a situation, but this one was quiet and calculating.

Having determined that the area was safe, William looked back at Syn and could not help but notice that she was very beautiful. At least she would be easy on the eyes Will thought as he grinned and said in a low voice, “You alright?”

Syn adjusted the staff on her back and looked back as William, seeing him grin and guessed what he was thinking. Men were so predictable, especially the young ones like William was. And that was odd because he seemed to be very well trained and disciplined for someone that was so young. She caught her breath and replied, “Yeah, just peachy. I wonder where we are and what that voice meant by barren?”

William stared into her brown eyes, “Well, it’s not Oblivion” he said with a wink, “But I can’t say it’s probably any safer than that realm. It looks like we’re in a desert and with the light fading; it’s going to get cold pretty fast.”

He did not want to speculate on what the voice meant as he looked over Syn critically, “You have anything warmer to wear than that?”

Syn looked down at herself. What she wore was light and loose, perfect for her style of combat with the staff. But she saw wisdom in the piercing green eyes that seemed to stare right through hers and into her soul. Feeling uncharacteristically unnerved for a moment, she glanced away quickly and opened her pack, pulling out a heavy cloak and placed it over her shoulders. There was something peculiar about William that she could not place her finger on.

William grunted and looked around again, “We might as well travel as far as we can during the night. If this place is anything like the deserts back home, daylight travel will be next to impossible without more water than we have.”

He shifted the weight of his equipment and headed off in a random direction with Syn coming up beside him. There was something about Will’s demeanor that made him seem authoritive and in charge of the situation which belied the way he looked as innocent and youthful. But Syn was not one to just follow anyone blindly and so walked beside Will as they marched over one sand dune after another with quick glances at the top of each dune to ensure they were not walking in circles.

[Jheuloh]

… Sometime after their initial march into the woods in search of their companions, the eccentric trio stood side-by-side with one another, Alistar & Jheuloh to Nina’s left & right. While exploring the woods for traces of civilization or Jheuloh’s Tavern friends and wisecracking, Alistar noticed a break in the tree cover and darkness, calling Nina and Jheuloh to him. Their first thought was a lonely farm, though the understory bordering the break was too thick for them to know it was surely that. Once they passed the thick brush bordering the break in the trees, the trio saw a lake at the center. The lake itself seemed natural enough, though the positioning of four roughly triangular shaped, gray boulders suggested otherwise.

The boulders were all located at the edge of the circular shaped clearing, with Jheuloh, Nina, and Alistar standing atop the western boulder. “A bowl of soup, maybe?†Nina joked, pointing out the circular design of the area to her sibling & newfound friend as they all descended the boulder to search out the area. It was agreed among them that Nina would assess the lake and clearing, while Jheuloh and Alistar would divide and scan the border. Nothing was found by any of them, and they regrouped at the lake to discuss what the implications of this place might be, asides from being obviously man (or at least, not nature) made location. “So civilization isn’t so far away after all,†Alistar commented “for better or worse.â€

Jheuloh stared at it for a while, wondering of what use it possibly could be to the stranded trio of lemmings. It then occurred to him how thick and tall the tree was; taller than most of the trees of the canopy “I think I can get a better view of what we’re wandering around in up in the tree.†he commented. Nina & Alistar crouched while watching the scrawny Jheuloh scale the tree “I didn’t know we had a squirrel among us.†Nina teased. Jheuloh grinned at the remark as he looked over the canopy, seeing a sharp ridge encircling the forest. The clearing they were in, he surmised, was the center of a bowl shaped valley.

Next, Jheuloh noticed four triangular shapes jutting out of the otherwise level ridges despite the approaching of nightfall, realizing they were parallel to the positioning of the boulders bordering the clearing. To his right was an area that looked to have the vegetation of a swamp or bog and behind him was area that seemed to be consumed by sand. Up north was a sprawling city vaguely similar to the Imperial City of Tamriel, but without walls. The sun was setting and facing the bog, thus Jheuloh assumed that the bog was to the west, desert to the south, and city to the north. When he could take in no more information, he descended from the dead oak and returned to where Nina & Alistar sat, divulging what he saw to them.

“Seems a little too coordinated to be a purely natural construct†Alistar remarked. “Indeed,†Jheuloh replied “So with that said, when and if we find a way out of this valley, let’s go up north to the city. From there we can fan out to search for my friends, and have a place to return to when necessary.†Nina then commented “So, how are we getting out of this valley, anyway? As you mentioned, the walls encircling us looked to be too steeply sloped to walk upon. None of us are exactly earth-shattering people either.†This was a question that went without an answer. Now dark out, the trio could only see the silhouettes of one another, and decided that was a question to be pondered upon the next day.

As they were preparing themselves for rest next to the lake, the water in the lake loudly bubbled and drew the attention of the trio. They stood up from their resting place and unsheathed their weapons, and slowly stepped away from the water. The bubbling moved in a roughly Z shaped pattern across the lake toward the trio, prompting them to flee. Then the bubbling stopped, leaving the trio scratching their heads in confusion “Isn’t something supposed to be trying to eat us right about now?†Nina asked. Then something which shone in the moonlight rose forth from the water, causing only the gentlest of ripples in the lake “You’re awfully good at predicting this place, Nina" Alistar teased.

Thus the trio readied themselves for whatever creature, construct, or otherwise seemed so interested in meeting them.

Edited May 8, 2011 by Jheuloh

[WillieSea]

William and Syn walked under the purple star speckled sky as their breath started to fog in the increasingly colder air. Syn pulled her cloak a bit tighter around her as they walked over yet another sand dune with ever more dunes in front of them. William bit his lower lip at the endless sight of dunes all around them. He knew they would not survive long if they could not find a way out of this desert.

It was not long before Syn spotted what looked like a trail in the sand and pointed it out to William. He nodded, “What do you think made that trail?”

As they approached it, Syn bent down and inspected the trail, “It looks like something large was dragged through here. You can see divots on the sides that must have pushed the center section along. Like a boat in water, perhaps?”

Syn stood up next to William and looked in the direction the trail went. It went in a straight path as far as they could see in the dim starlight.

“Well, it’s as good as any direction. What say you?” William said as he looked at Syn.

She looked at the barren horizon in all directions and said, “Why not?”

The two headed off down the trail in the sand in the hopes of finding civilization. Or at least something other than more sand dunes.

They traveled most of the night along the trail until the sky started to brighten in what Will guessed was the East. Since they travelled east, its glare in their faces made it hard to see that the trail ended at the steep dune which they found themselves sliding down.

They tried to stop their descent and sent a lot of sand down into what appeared to be a funnel in the sand. Catching themselves, they began the climb out when a hail of sand pelted them and caused the sand around them to fall, bringing them with it. They scrambled the best they could but could not help but be pulled into the funnel.

Ever closer to the bottom they slowly slid until William noticed an enormous pair of sicklelike jaws with several sharp, hollow projections on each mandible. Several red eyes could also be discerned beneath the sand each time those mandibles flicked sand at and above them.

As they fell ever closer to the ferocious appearing creature, a gleaming liquid could be seen on the hollow projections; both Syn and William could guess what that was for…

Syn, finding escape futile, turned and pulled her staff out. After the next flick from the creature, she jumped towards the center of the funnel and thrust her staff down into where she hoped the creature resided.

William yelled something but she did not hear it as the staff hit something hard and cracked, allowing her staff to penetrate the creatures’ hard shell like hide. There was a sudden motion as one of the giant mandibles flicked Syn clean out of the funnel in the sand where she fell on the far slop of another dune in a shower of sand.

The sounds of battle came from the funnel as Syn leaped back to her feet and clambered her way back towards the funnel. She stood horrified for a moment as down in the pit, an huge spiked insect like creature had William caught in its giant mandibles. Its square head hosted several of those read beady eyes as it tried to pierce William with a viscous fluid that came from the sharpened points of its mandibles.

Without thinking a moment longer, She jumped towards the creatures head with her staff out in front of her. With the added momentum of her fall into the pit, her extended staff pierced the hairy carapace of the creatures head. The beast collapsed under her weight as she fell onto its head with a loud snapping sound. The thing convulsed several times before it finally lay still.

Syn pulled her staff out of the creatures’ head, ichor covering it. She looked up at Will who was still struggling to extricate himself from the still closed mandibles. Using her staff once again, Syn pried them apart enough for Will to fall free of them.

Will picked himself up off the sand and said, “Thanks!”

Syn smiled; perhaps he was not such a bad person after all. She also noted that the mandibles where he had been caught were severely damaged. He would have freed himself eventually. And then she laughed!

William looked up at the laughing woman and wondered if she were touched in the head. She then pointed at him, at which he looked down on himself, covered in a greenish ichor, the same that covered her staff. Syn pointed to her head as she still giggled at which William guessed his unruly hair was coated in the same slime and was probably a sight and laughed himself!

It was good to relieve the adrenalin and stress of combat with laughter…

* * *

Having cleaned themselves of ichor with sand, they ate a quiet breakfast as the sun climbed up from the horizon. The cloudless sky promised to bring with it a very hot day.

William finally spoke, “I don’t think we will last out in that sun for long.”

Syn looked over at him, “Yeah, it looks like it will be a hot day and us without much water.”

She then looked over at the dead creature, “I wonder if we can use anything from that monster?”

They both finished their meal and got up, heading for the carcass of the dead creature. Will intoned, “If nothing else, perhaps it will give us some shade.”

* * *

They propped the creature up into the air using its mandibles to hold its head and body in the air. They then hunkered down in the shade it provided and rested. It had been a long trek they had taken last night and the exhaustion had finally caught up with them.

They slept for a little while, as least until William felt something crawling on him…

[Xinimator]

Against the very faint moonlight only the shadow of the creature could be visible as it slowly extended what appears to be its head above the surface of the water. The trio readied themselves against this unknown beast and Nina muttered something under her breath that Alistair wasn't able to hear, though he could probably guess what it was; she never had any real love for snakes. A small, snake-like hiss escaped into the darkness of the night and she flinched visibly, biting her lower lip as she tried to keep her fears silent and to herself.

“....Lemme guess....make it up as we go along?†Alistair whispered quietly to his sister, his voice softer and a little more caring than she had heard him do in a long time.

“Well, besides the obvious 'flank it' part......er yeah, pretty much,†she whispered back, her panic apparent in her voice as she tried to see through the impenetrable darkness, “Dammit, where's light when you need one...†she muttered and began rummaging through her pack with one hand, trying to keep her eye on the huge creature.

To the trio's surprise, the “creature†suddenly began cackling loudly, “Light? Why, I would have thought one such as you would not need such silly nonsense as light....â€

“Um......†she stammered as she stumbled back a couple of steps, apparently not really sure what to make of a talking water-snake, “w-well.....not for me, you thick-headed....whatever you are,†she snapped back awkwardly, “Er.....what are you exactly? Please don't tell me you're a snake....â€

At this question, all four boulders around the lake suddenly lit up in a column of flame; almost instantly the whole clearing was lit up in a warm, orangish warm glow of the firelight.

That's when they all realized that it wasn't a water-snake or any type of creature at all; it was only an old woman who was leaning heavily on the wooden staff of hers and glaring down upon the three with a sly grin on her face. At this, Nina breathed a loud sigh of relief, though it quickly turned into severe dislike for tricking her like that, even if the old woman didn't mean to.

“You look surprised,†she stated the obvious and chuckled darkly and waved her hand around the clearing, “What? You were expecting someone else? Something else, perhaps?†she leaned a little lower towards them and grinned at Nina.

“A snake, maybe....†Nina muttered, her weapons still raised in case the witch woman decided to make any strange movements and frowned a little at her, “I don't suppose you could be a stinkin', slithering reptile in disguise, could you?â€

“Why, little ol' me living in the middle of a forest with no one around for miles?†she laughed and took a couple of steps towards Nina. Before she could back away, the woman rapped her knuckles against the Imperial's forehead, “Hehehe, you have quite an imagination for a Mundus, not like the others who came through here,â€

“Mundus.....†Jheuloh said quietly, testing the rather familiar word and saying quietly, “.....do you mean Nirn?â€

“Mundus....Nirn....whatever you call it these days,†she waved her hand airly and turned her eyes towards Jheoloh. It was then he noticed that her eyes were white and clouded over; it was then he realized that she was completely blind. Though she certainly didn't act like it as she looked straight into his eyes.

The woman took notice of him staring back and smiled, “'Tis true...but while I may be blind, lass, I can still see you as sharp as a glass spear. But,†she nodded, “you do not worry about my health. Worry about your own,â€

“Oh, because we're stuck here with an insane woman who's could very well be Sheogorath's mother?†Nina snipped and rolled her eyes, “Ugh, this is a waste of time....let's get out of here. There's gotta be a way of getting over those mountains....†she said quickly, thrusting her daggers back into their sheaths, and cast the woman a look of disdain before walking off towards the thick of the woods, leaving the two males behind.

“Oh, there is a way,†the woman nodded, “but you're heading in the wrong direction,†she added with a small smirk and turned to the men, “And are you to follow the ignorant female into your doom? Or are you more intelligent than that, I wonder?†she said in a voice filled with curiosity, tilting her eyes at Alistair.

Alistair looked at her carefully into the white eyes of her before saying quietly, “Perhaps if we heard what you had to say.....then again, maybe I should just let my sister have her wish and run you through...†Alistair raised an eyebrow at her, his face betraying no emotion as he warily noticed how she seemed to bore through him with her gaze and wondered what exactly she could see.

“Oh, try she might. But she will only fail,†the woman grinned at him before turning her head towards the Imperial.

“Oh really?†Nina snapped at her and spun around quickly to face her, “You wanna bet on that, old hag?â€

“Careful who you call an old hag, Mundus....†she said in a dangerous voice, returning the glare at the Imperial.

“I have a name you know,†she smirked gently, pulling one of her daggers out and weighing it in her hand, “Nina,†she said simply. With a battle cry, she launched at the woman at such a speed Jheuloh couldn't help but think the woman could surely be dead.....

A split second later, there was a bright flash of light, a scream, and then a large thunk! as Nina flew through the air and crashed into one of the numerous dead trees around them. The old woman cackled loudly, “And you can call me Yılan, dearie. My my, and here I thought there was something different about you three. But I guess I was wrong,†she shrugged as she watched Nina crawl back up to her feet, “So arrogant and so violent....it's a wonder you haven't destroyed yourselves yet,â€

“Watch who you're calling arrogant, old hag,†she muttered as she rubbed the back of her head where she had been clubbed from the troll from earlier and winced a little in pain. But nevertheless took the blow as a warning and didn't attempt to attack her again, thinking Alistair might freak out a little if she hit her head once more today.

Yılan nodded approvingly, “Well, seems you catch on quickly, Nina. I'm impressed, even with that cracked up skull of yours†she said, chuckling quietly.

“So....Yılan?†Alistair said, frowning a little at her, “I'd called you 'Snake', but due to the company we're with...." he muttered, glancing a little at his sister.

Yılan laughed, “Oh, we have a smart one here. And to think they banished you here because you were barren....well, except for that sister of yours. That one,†she laughed, “now I understand why they wouldn't want her. Wish to paint my forest pink, do you? You even think about trying, little Missy, and I might have a new trophy to add to my collection....†Yılan glared at her threateningly before shaking her head.

“Wait, what do you mean 'barren'?†Jheuloh asked suddenly, cutting into what would appear to be the start of a rather deadly argument and looked at the old woman slightly confused, “I heard someone say that as we passed through the portal, but um.....perhaps you could elaborate on what they meant?â€

It was Yılan's turn to be surprised, “You don't know? But surely you do....†she asked quietly. When she noticed the blank look on all three of their faces, she sighed heavily, “Agh....and they open a portal into your realm....a bunch of boneheaded fools if you ask me. They can't survive one day by themselves without a Master....â€

“Um, I'm sorry,†Nina said and raised her hands up in confusion, “But....who are these fools you're talking about and what do you mean by Master? Cause for all we know, big boy over here knows how to rile up a nice-sized mob of rioters when he wants to,†she chuckled a little, pointing her thumb at her brother.

"Jheuloh....you don't happen to have anything that could silence her for a few minutes, do you?" Alistair said after a pause and glanced at Jheuloh rather pleadingly.

Yılan huffed a little and shook her head, “Hmph....they must truly be desperate to open a portal into your realm.....very well then, I shall try to explain this to where your simple minds can comprehend it. You see, our aeons are the spirits of the old Masters that used to control this realm. But since they're dead, they can no longer control the elements around them--â€

“Magic?†Alistair asked, crossing his arms a little in thought,

“Oh, well in that case, why didn't you just open the portal right smack in the middle of the Arcane University?†she snapped accusingly at her, “There's tons of mages there and there's even an Archmage. Last I heard, he was the most powerful mage of them all.....well, at least that's what they think. Me, I don't think so,†she smirked as she pulled out a small amulet from her pocket and dangled it in the air, “You'll be surprised what you can nick off the old man.....â€

“Okay, when did you get that amulet?†Alistair rounded at her and growled a little, “Nina, what had I said about stealing from the mage when he had been visiting the city....?â€

“'Not to harm or to taunt or to steal or to in any other way embarrass him,' I know I know....†she laughed and rolled her eyes before pocketing the amulet and held up her hands up in the air innocently, “But it wasn't stealing, I swear. I was um....'protecting' it. You know, it dangling from his pocket, it was bound to attract the wrong sort of people who would definitely steal it...â€

“People like you?†Jheuloh snickered, finding this particular argument between the two siblings rather amusing.

“Me? Nooo,†she said with a small smile, “He left before I could give it back to him....I mean, he was all over the place and I don't exactly have the time or resources to track him every day, you know....â€

Alistair shook his head and pointed a finger at her, “We are going to talk about this once we get out of here and you are going to return that thing back to the Archmage...it's a miracle you weren't even caught....â€

“Because I'm good like that,†she smirked widely at him and patted his shoulder softly with a small chuckle, "You can stop envying me so much, my dear older brother,"

“Ahem....†Yılan coughed and immediately brought everyone's attention back to her, “If we're done trying to rip each other's throats out like canniabals....to answer the young lady's question, I was not the one that opened the portal. The aeons did and if you want to kill them, be my guest,†she said darkly, “Anyways.....the old Master had died suddenly and so the aeons began opening portals up to different realms in hopes of attracting at least a suitable mage who can take up the mantle of the Master. Apparently, everybody else had gotten very smart and you are still very dumb,â€

“Er....you know we were invaded by Oblivion just a few years ago, right? And the only way we could destroy the gates was to rush in there head-first, sword drawn out, and charge through the daedra until we found the small, little blasted rock that powered the whole thing....†Jheuloh said, shaking his head a little, “So....you think you can understand why we rushed in here like lemmings?â€

“And lemmings you are....even after the Oblivion Crisis was over, you still thought rushing into this place was such a good idea....and now you're stuck with me and my little pets....†she smirked.

“Er.....can I ask a question first before I become this little plaything to your pets?†Nina asked and cocked an eyebrow at her, “You said your gods were looking for something that can do magic....well, I see someone and she's standing right in front of me,â€

Yılan's face grew dark and she stared at Nina with her fathomless eyes, “Oh....and what makes you so sure that I would be someone the aeons would want...â€

“Well, since they're so desperate, and you can do magic....Hey, you were standing and walking on water, you set boulders on fire and managed to keep them alight even without wood, and the fact you can see us when you're supposed to be blind....if that's not magic, then call me a donkey with a stick shoved up his....â€

“What she means to say is why are they opening portals to other realms when they have you?†Alistair said quickly before Nina managed to insult Yılan again.

“That......is a secret which I will not give you,†she muttered and turned around, walking towards the pond in the middle of the clearing.

“Hey, wait!†Jheuloh demanded and rushed up to the old woman, “You said there was a way out of here....where is it?â€

“It is in the valley, somewhere...†she muttered absently and began walking away from him, “Another secret that I will not give you,â€

Jheuloh frowned at her and crossed his arms as he thought about how to get her to spill the secret, “....what if we did something for you in return?†he asked. He didn't think it would get him anywhere, but he wasn't about to give up trying.

Yılan paused a little and just stared out into space in thought. It was impossible to distinguish what she was thinking from the blank look on her face and Nina rested her hand on the pommel of her dagger, wondering if she might have to convince the old witch woman a different way....

Yılan finally smirked widely and said, “Very well then, Imperial....I shall indulge the passageway out of the valley, for one small item....â€

Jheuloh blinked a little and nodded quickly, “Alright then, what is it you want?â€

The witch woman's smile grew wider, “A bottle of wine,â€

The trio blinked a little in confusion before they began rummaging randomly through their own stuff, but failing to find such a bottle in their possession.

“Um....we have a problem,†Alistair said and looked at Yılan, “Where are we going to find a bottle of wine in the middle of the woods if the city is on the other side of the mountains?â€

Yılan chuckled, “Oh, you will find out very quickly, young man, very quickly indeed.â€

“Okay, so all we need to do is find a bottle of wine, give it to you, and then we'll be free to go? That's it? Really? Come on, there's no catch or anything?†Nina said incredulously, “What, no giant ogre or anything to fight? No sacrifices or anything? Damn, this sounds way too easy....â€

The old woman merely chuckled and wagged her finger at Nina, “Oh, but there is several catches, dearie. But, because I am feeling nice today, I'll give you a free one: you have until sunrise to give it to me. If you are too late, then you will be forever trapped in my valley.â€

“Ha, I knew there was a catch!†she yelled at her, but faltered a little as she replied the words through her head, “Er, wait.....several catches?â€

“I will only allow one hint....I suggest you choose wisely what you wish to ask,†she smirked slyly at the trio.

Jheuloh answered promptly before Nina had enough time to draw breath, “Which way?â€

Yılan merely nodded and pointed to the north, “Along there. 'Tis not a long journey if you are quick on your feet,†she smiled at them as she walked back to the middle of the lake, not sinking into the depths of the water just yet, “You have what you need, I hope. I'd suggest you do not dilly-dally too long here....it can be very dangerous at night,†she smirked at them before she slowly slipped under the surface of the water and disappeared. The columns of fire dissipated as well as the witch woman left and the cold and darkness made no hesitation to descend upon the travelers.

"Dammit.....why do crazy old bats keep sending us on foolhardy missions....?" Nina couldn't help but mutter.

Edited May 10, 2011 by Xinimator

[DarkRider]

Carter dropped from the void and collided with hard earth, tumbling a bit before managing a hand hold on a protruding rock and unfolding from his descent onto his feet. He shook the dirt from his hair and cursed under his breath with a groan, still clinging to his handhold, sensing the drop below him even in the darkness.

“Well that was different,” he said aloud, noting he was alone now. There was no way to know if the others had followed him into the gate or not, and if they had, whether they would soon to drop on his head or had been scattered to the winds he didn’t know. The world was nearly pitch dark from his view, clouds seemed to be obscuring a sort of moon hanging low in the sky and the only light was from the stars overhead which seemed to change colors from each angle; a realm with many skies, he had heard that somewhere before. Far in the distance on the horizon he saw a white pillar of light shining onto a silvery tower that glistened like ice. The reflection near the base was so that he thought it must sit on a pool of water, though that was beyond his line of sight. It was the only pinnacle landmark around, probably visible from anywhere in this world. He wagered under the cover of darkness, the others would see it as well, and heading there was likely his best bet to reunite with them.

Suddenly the night around him erupted into a haze of flapping wings as a flock of what sounded like a sort of nagging crows swelled up around him from whatever was below. The birds swept in on him, some merely taking close passes, other clawing or biting at him as they passed; most likely defending a nesting ground hidden somewhere on the cliffs. Carter gripped tight to his handhold, but it was already giving way and his efforts to avoid his assaulters only weakened it further. Before he could attempt to feel out a new touchstone, the rock and surrounding soil broke loose and Carter was tumbling again, trying desperately to stay to the face of the rise or risk bouncing too far into an open drop. As he fell the birds retreated, satisfied the threat was neutralized. The ground around him began to change; he was no longer skidding against earth and rock but against trash, the remnants of a civilized world, reduced to rubble. A large pile of rubble; his previous view of the silver tower and world were replaced by huge mounds of trash. At least it broke his fall somewhat, the last several feet of sliding were much easier to navigate and Carter was able to bring himself to a stop at last.

“’Ere now, oo are you?” a seemingly disembodied voice called to him before he had even a moment to focus.

Carter’s senses were on high alert, “Who’s there?”

“Oo’s there he says,” a snort followed, “tha’s wot I asked im.”

The assassin’s eyes trained on what he deduced was the source of the voice, “Show yourself,” he said quietly, uncertain what would happen next.

The ground beneath his feet began to shift, “Ger off me back then!” the voice replied in agitation and Carter in his surprised leapt away from the trash heap moving beneath his feet, landing several paces away and ready to draw his blade if need arose.

The trash heap moved and shifted with much grunting and soon a stout little man appeared bearing the load of trash on his back in a great net. His skin was filthy and gnarled, almost as if he himself were made of trash. He wiped his hands together in a gesture of dusting himself off, but what dust broke loose simply resettled on his form. He eyed Carter with an exaggerated raised eyebrow a moment then snorted, “You ent from around ‘ere.”

“No,” Carter admitted, “Where is here?”

“’Ere is ‘ere,” the man shrugged, “an’ this part o’ ‘ere is called the Bouln, we’r things go ‘en no one wants ‘em anymore.”

Carter tightened his leathers reflexively, “A trash hold, and you do what here? You dispose of the trash?”

The stout man erupted into what sounded like a chortle of laughter, “Nah that’s ‘em ent it? We’re not ‘em that burns, we’re ‘em that picks. Pickers, s’ar job to pick what might still be good fer ‘somthin.”

“I see,” the assassin looked around and saw many more pickers like the stout man before him, all equally laden with heavy nets of well picked goods. They were surrounded by hills of trash but there were clear paths cut through, “I need to get to the tower,” he said pointing to the light in the sky which was all that could be seen over the trash, “can you tell me how to get there from here?”

The little man thought it over and then pointed to the path furthest to the right, “At’s the way out,” he said slowly, “but you best be careful. ‘Em burners…they ent too fond a strangers in the Bouln.”

“I will,” he replied, watching the pickers return to their trade as he headed down the appointed path. He had no reason to believe the stout man had led him honestly, but then, for the time being he had no other choice. He extended one of his hidden blades and pulled the hood from his collar up over his head. If he encountered these burners, he would be ready for a fight.

==============================

After wandering through seemingly endless swaths of terrain in the dark, Seyen had reached a breaking point. He had been seated on the ground at the base of a large marbled tree under an archaic streetlamp for an hour holding his head, rocking, and mumbling to himself in a language that was not a mer tongue. Quinn stood a few paces off staring out onto the horizon, his staff crooked over his shoulders with his arms resting across it. Since the sun had gone down, most of the identifiable places had vanished in the black, but it was then they had spotted a silvery tower in the distance bathed in an unearthly white light. It seemed to be the hub of this place, but with nothing else to follow, it had been their beacon through the unfamiliar wilds.

Quinn cast a look back at Seyen when the youth had drawn quiet. He lowered his staff and approached slowly, trying not to startle the mage.

“You okay?” he asked.

Seyen blinked for a moment, just staring at his hands, and then slowly looked up at him, “This…life,” he said before a light seemed to leave his eyes and the youth collapsed altogether. Quinn crouched by his side and passed a hand over Seyen’s face testing for breath, rocking back when the youth’s eyes suddenly blinked open. He seemed confused but after a moment he focused on Quinn’s face in the shadowed night, “Quinn? I’m so sorry…where are we?” he asked looking around.

“Heading for the tower remember?” Quinn pointed to it in the distance.

Seyen drew a long breath, “It’s beautiful…, but I don’t understand…how did I get here? Through that gate?”

Quinn’s face furrowed in confusion, but he didn’t say anything at first as he puzzled over the change in Seyen, “What’s the last thing you remember?”

The mage shuffled through his battered memory, “Falling.”

His companion’s brow furrowed, “Maybe you hit your head,” Quinn noted after a moment, “you’ve been acting strangely since we arrived, like you were somewhere else. I thought you were going mad.”

Seyen laughed but then the smile fell from his lips when he noticed the concern etched in Quinn’s features, “I think I’m okay now,” he finally offered, though with no memory of what had happened since entering the gate, he wasn’t entirely sure himself.

Quinn nodded as he stood, “Alright then. This road must lead somewhere, someone lit this lamp tonight. If we follow it, we might find someone who can tell us where we are.”

“Agreed,” Seyen said as he stood, taking a moment to find his footing in unsteady legs.

Quinn waited until he was satisfied Seyen could travel, “Let’s go then,” he said sheathing his staff as he started down the road leading away from the wilderness they had crossed through.

[Jheuloh]

After having set off in the north, as the lady of the lake suggested, the trio began to become disheartened at their lack of progress. It looked to be late now, as the moon of this realm appeared to be only so many hours away from setting, and there was still no sign of a passage to the northern city. Then the trio saw what they thought to be a tunnel. They approached it, only to be stopped at the entrance by a current of wind brushing against them. “What kind of mole made this?†Nina asked in surprise after the first gush of wind passed over her and the others.

“Must be impossibly huge.†Jheuloh whispered to Alistar, who nodded and slid towards the right wall of the tunnel. Jheuloh and Nina followed suite, then they heard a scraping noise as whatever was hidden in the shadows rose from its slumber; the trio stood frozen still. As they hunkered down, hoping to avoid observation, they saw from the shadows a gray and brown lizard with a head large enough to swallow them whole. Fortunately for the trio, whatever it was seemed to ignore them as it stepped outside of its tunnel, and the trio moved on without a word. Once they were sure the lizard wouldn’t hear them, Jheuloh wondered aloud “I wonder if it had eaten its fill? Its midsection looked more than a little swollen.â€

“Maybe we could tame it & have it swallow up the lake thing, looks like it could swallow up something her size. Asides, If this place leads us out, then she's a completely untrustworthy liar, why should we bother with her?†Nina hissed. Jheuloh answered Nina grimly "She told us there was no way out of the valley, but that we'll obviously see if it's true or false soon enough.†Jheuloh looked into the tunnel, which was mostly dark, save for specs of moonlight originating from holes in the roof of the tunnel system. “No twists and turns? No forks? Maybe Nina was right, maybe Yilan really was lying.†Jheuloh wondered aloud as the trio made its way to the other end. Alistar noticed that the tunnel was very smooth; leading him to deduce that the lizard had been using this for quite a while.

This also made him wonder what should happen when the lizard returns to the outside world through its tunnel. Alistar wondered internally whether or not the lizard would be as docile as it was when entering the valley, or if it would be in a hungrier state of mind. In the meantime, he watched various spiders come forth from their own lairs within the tunnel, noticing how many different colors were out and about. Most of the spiders were black, green, and red in coloration, with some blue ones appearing every so often. Alistar noticed that the spiders seemed to be following him and the others, and he whispered “Wait.â€

“Hmm?†Jheuloh whispered in response, Nina looked at the spiders and raised her eyebrows, whispering to Jheuloh “Oh! So we’re famous now.†When the trio turned to face the spiders, they stopped their following. They were small creatures; none of them would have been broader than the palms of their hands with their legs stretched outwardly as far as possible. A childlike voice spoke “You survived! You survived! May we humbly ask a favor of you?†The trio was awestruck, but only for a moment, for talking spiders seemed a fitting component of the Unknown Realm.

After recomposing from the slight surprise of these child-voiced spiders, Jheuloh asked in return “What might that favor be?â€

Edited May 22, 2011 by Jheuloh

[Xinimator]

The spiders, instead of answering Jheuloh's question, began walking on ahead of them deeper into the menacingly dark cave. Nina raised an eyebrow at the spiders' questioning behaviors before giving a small shrug to the two males and walking after them, “Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough, eh? Assuming that lizard-thing doesn't come back...†she muttered, at the same time casting a small glance behind her towards the entrance.

“I don't think so....It seemed pretty harmless, at least for the moment,†Jheuloh said quietly with a small shrug.

“Yeah, the scaley little thing only gets cranky when it gets hungry, I get it. We just ran into a few, didn't we, brother?†Nina snickered, receiving only a small, silent glare from Alistair, “Of course, they were more furry than scaley...â€

“You know what? I would rather not be reminded of that, thanks...†Alistair said almost inaudibly, his hand automatically reaching towards his ribs. If anyone had been paying attention, they would have saw him wince a little in pain, but otherwise his face was indistinguishable of any emotion.

“Wimp,†she smirked, not faltering when he glared at her menacing-like and laughed softly, “Oh come on! I got cracked on the head with a boulder and I'm still as chippy as ever,â€

“Yes, because that skull of your has been cracked a million times beforehand. Probably the reason why you're always this insane and not feeling a damn thing...â€

“And your ribs have been cracked a million times before,†she smirked, “And you're wincing,â€

“Am not,†Alistair growled at her and quickly withdrew his arm from his ribs.

“Hence why he has all those scars on him,†she said to Jheuloh with a small grin, “'Cause he's too stubborn and too proud to go see a healer. You know chicks don't dig scars, right?†she added quickly, glancing at him.

“Only because you're not a chick yourself,†Alistair muttered and shook his head at her with a small sigh. Though he tried to hide the hint of a small smile that creased his face.

“Aw, you wound me with such cruel words....where's your love for your dear sibling, hm?†she cried dramatically before she chuckled and turned back to the crowd of spiders in front of her, “Speaking of which...can one of you tell us what sort of impending doom we're shoving our poor skinny little asses into? Just outta curiosity, ya know...â€

“The reason we are asking for your help,†one of the spiders said; which one, they couldn't tell as they were all moving at the same pace and kept shifting around in their small, tight-knit group.

“Yeah, I get that part,†she said quickly, rolling her eyes a little impatiently, “Now how about you answer the question as to what it is you want us to do exactly? Come on, I don't feel like being mince meat for that snake-woman's pet, whatever it is....gods, I hope it's not a snake, I can't stand those things....†she muttered and shivered slightly. When none of the spiders answered, she only shrugged and sighed, "Fine, be that way..."

Deeper and deeper they followed the spiders into the cave and what little illumination the light from the entrance gave off was quickly dissipating. Much sooner than they had expected, it came a point where the trio could not see where they were going. The fact was very evident when Nina suddenly crashed into Alistair, who had suddenly stopped, “Oi, you big oaf...†Nina's voice grumbled in the dark and he suddenly felt her try to shove him a little to get him to move, “Unless you're paralyzed, maybe we can try to move a little faster?†she said with a small chuckle, “No offense, but....I don't really want to know what happens at sunrise, you get what I'm saying?â€

“I would.....if I could see where I was going,†Alistair whispered back harshly and placed a hand on her chest to keep her from crashing into him again.

Jheuloh glanced at where he thought those two were before he began rummaging through his pack hanging off of his shoulder. His hand groped around the contents of the bag, his fingers brushing over each familiar vial until he found the one he was looking for: a small, slim glass vial filled with darkish blue liquid. Smiling a little, he walked up to the female Agent and tapped her shoulder, “Perhaps I have something that might help,â€

Nina gave a jump of surprise and spun around quickly to punch the unfortunate thing that had brushed her shoulder, only to stumble a little and cut her assault short, “What the....oh Mankar's two-timing blazing.....don't scare me like that, Jheuloh!†she suddenly yelled at him before laughing, relieved it was only him, “Lots of bad things come out of that, ya know...â€

“Apparently,†Jheuloh chuckled before handing over the vial to her, “Sorry, I can't help it sometimes. Old habit, you know,â€

“Yeah yeah,†she snickered and took the vial, giving the contents a small, experimental shake, “Just don't sneak up on Alistair. He'll be more than happen to rearrange part of your face for you. You may not like the results, however,†Nina said with a small smirk towards Alistair. He only shook his head silently and shrugged.

“Well, I kinda like the way my face is, so I'll be sure to avoid doing that,†Jheuloh joked and gave Alistair a small pat on his back, “I really don't feel like having my nose 'rearranged' to look like Akatosh or someone. I like the gods, but not that much,â€

“What's in the vial?†Alistair asked suddenly, rather eager to get away from the subject of him knocking people out on accident all the time.

“It's a glow potion,†Jheuloh answered, shrugging a little at the sudden change in topic, “Just give it a little shake and it'll make the room glow enough for us to see. Or at least far enough so that we don't run into each other,â€

“I'm up for any light at the moment. Hey, you little buggers, come back!†she yelled at the group of spiders as she quickly shook the liquid, “Damn, they're just impatient little things, aren't they?â€

“Really? Last I remember, you have the patience of a hyperactive Chihuahua. Very short, in other words,†Alistair muttered and snickered quietly.

“Okay, lemme get this light all fixed up and then I'll consider hitting you for that snide remark,†Nina chuckled as she held the container in front of her face and frowned a little, “Oi, piece of junk...†she muttered and shook the liquid again. At first, the light emitting from it was very dim and offered no help trying to see through the black caverns. But just as she was about to complain to Jheuloh about his alchemical skills, the whole potion lit up, illuminating the cave in bluish light and they were finally able to see at least several feet in front and behind them and their other companions standing in a small huddle.

“You were saying?†Jheuloh said with a small smirk on his face.

“Meh....still a piece of junk,†Nina said and rolled her eyes a little with a smile, “A good piece of junk mind you,â€

“Mhm....sure, Nina....†he laughed before he looked at the surroundings around them, staring at the walls around them. The smoothness of the walls they had encountered earlier were now draped with a variety of cobwebs. Jheuloh's brown eyes wandered the scene until they stopped at something that was sitting in the middle of the room.

“Ick, not my preferred decoration,†Nina muttered as she glanced at what Jheuloh was staring at and frowned a little, tilting her head in curiosity as she stared at what looked to be a rock, “Erm.....is it just me or does that rock look a little....furry?â€

“It does....†Alistair said and cautiously took a step forward, keeping an eye on the floor to make sure he wouldn't step on any of the spiders that were sitting at their feet. He crouched down and examined the “furry rock†with a small frown on his face, “I don't think this is a rock...†he said quietly. Hesitantly, he reached his hand up and placed it on the furry flanks of the large spider that was lying very still and stroked it gently, “It's another spider....a much larger one too. And it doesn't look as if he's feeling very well either....â€

“Our queen is dying,†one of the blue spiders said, who had climbed up the wall until it was at eye-level with them, “The witch woman's beast had poisoned her as she was trying to protect all of us. It seemed there was no hope for her....â€

“Last I remember, male spiders don't give birth, Alistair,†she snickered humorously before sitting down next to her brother and taking a look at the queen, “....you said 'it seemed'?†Nina said, frowning and looking at the spider.

“You are here now. You had survived and you are the only ones who can help our mother. Please...†the spider pleaded, “Please help us. We would be forever in your debt if you helped us,â€

“Hm...†Nina pondered a little at the offer and asked, “...Could you tell us if this tunnel leads us out of this place?†She asked.

“No,†the spider said simply, “it only leads to a series of tunnels that wrap themselves around the mountain, coming to a full circle back to where you first started. The way out is not through here...â€

“Then where's the way out?†Nina demanded before either of the two males could so much as take in a small breath.

“Only the queen knows,†the spider said quietly and Nina groaned, “We are sorry....we want to help, but we can't do anything without our mother,â€

“Alright then...†Alistair said, “What do we need to do to help her? And would you perhaps help us with Yilan if we were to help her?†he asked suddenly, a thought springing in his mind, “I think this realm could do with one less scheming witch trying to kill everyone,â€

“We will! We will! But you have to help her. She needs an antidote and we know what we need. We can't get them by ourselves, however,â€

“Aw gods.....if it's a bottle of wine, I swear I will start squishing heads here!†Nina said impatiently, growling a little in annoyance.

“No bottle of wine. We need two eyes of a Kraylan,†the spider said hesitantly, wondering if Nina would actually go through with her threat.

“Oh come on, where are we going to find.....wait, what's a Kraylan?†Nina said suddenly, blinking a little in confusion.

“A tentacled monster that lives deep in the woods of the Valley. It feasts upon any living creature that enters its territory, with frightening long and thick arms and teeth that rips to shreds everything in its path,†another spider in the mass of colors replied and soon a chorus of childish-sounding voices began telling them rumors and myths about the creature it seemed they had to slay. Their voices echoed off the stone walls and bounced back against their eardrums rather painfully that all three of them had to shout at them to silence them.

“Alright alright.....it seems we won't be getting out of here, not without this queen's help,†Nina muttered, “So which one of you knows where said giant beast lives? And is that lizard tamable?â€

[DarkRider]

Quinn was thrown down a few stone steps into the dank hole of a dungeon complex turning on his heels and rushing the heavy iron door as it slammed shut into the lock. His captor sneered at him, his rotting teeth betraying his true nature as surely as the stench of death wafting off him. Quinn struck his staff against the cold metal, which did nothing to free him, but succeeded in making the jailer flinch and sufficiently wiped the grin off his foul face.

When the other man left, he turned to see Seyen crumpling into a heap on the dungeon floor.

"Not again Seyen, not now," he groaned, harnessing his staff.

Upon reaching the city gate they had instantly learned two things: the city was called Ember, and the good people there didn't care much for strangers. He and Seyen had been brought to the castle straight away. The city guards had reasoned that the Duke who lorded over their lands insisted on receiving all such strangers at his court personally. Naturally this was a ruse to bring them to this very end but they weren't given a choice, and even armed they were greatly outnumbered.

Crouching beside Seyen he found the youth still breathing but lost once more in his dreams and mumbling incoherently. At least they still had their weapons and supplies, which meant their captors, were either highly thoughtless, or certain there was no escape for them despite.

Quinn stood to consider which, when a single low snarl drew his attention to the shadowy bowel of the dungeon. Slowly palming his staff, he withdrew it slowly from his back and scanned the pitch for any sign of movement. His eyes began to adjust to the low light, which was dappled only by distant torches in a complex far more expansive than a simple cell. His nearest light source was a small well burned candle on a crate nearby that did little to aid him. Ahead of them he could just make out the silhouetted shape of a large mass, nearly the size of a horse, stirring with a steady deep throated thrumming. It seemed to rise, coming to its feet, and moved closer into the light. Quinn's eyes widened as he stepped forward just enough to put himself between Seyen and what was revealed to be a very large cat. Seemed their captivity was intended to be short.

Glassy green eyes suddenly illuminated in the shadows yet behind the big cat. A slender form stepped around the beast into the light and Quinn felt his breath leave him. Those green eyes were set against silver fur, striped black, under a tousled mane of short spiky tresses; a female Khajiiti, unlike any he had ever seen before in his years; more human somehow.

She laid a hand on the beast's broad head, "Be calm Duna," she said softly, with a soothing lilt to her voice that might have been a purr, “it's nice to have company again," she eyed the staff in his hand, then met his stare before placing a hand over her heart, "my name is Eshe, and this is my cousin Duna,” she said, though she seemed somewhat unconfident with the common tongue of Imperial men.

Quinn lowered his staff, there was a pleading in her eyes; a silent promise that there was no fight here they wanted friendship, “My name is Quinn Caerew, and this is Seyen he’s…unwell.”

“We are from Elsweyr, our clan is of the Tenmar Forests, and from where do you come?” Eshe asked inquisitively climbing up to perch on a pedestal of stone as Duna dropped with a dusty sigh onto the stone floor beside her.

“Cyrodiil,” he said, keeping his answers simple, “we came through a gate.”

The Khajiit’s eyes widened knowingly, “Yes, we came through a gate also, when it opened near our home, my warriors and I rode out prepared to do battle but none came. Then Duna and I went into the gate and have been here ever since. They say we are to be sold as slaves.”

“Do they?” Quinn asked rhetorically, his eyes drifted back to the locked cell door.

Eshe watched his attention drift, she felt strangely at ease with this Imperial, perhaps there was just the knowing that they were from the same world and pitted against a common enemy that gave her solace for the first time since they’d arrived. She watched Quinn move to the door and begin to rummage around inside his satchel as if to exploit some weakness and she clicked her tongue in response to her own thinking; her face fairly flushed when he turned at the sound.

“What is it?” he asked, eying her uncertainly.

“Forgive me Ja Quinn,” she replied quietly, averting her eyes in what might have been embarrassment though he couldn’t be sure, “perhaps the place is not mine, but you should know that door is sealed with great magicks…it will not open except at the bidding of the jailer, who needs no key for the lock. We have tried many times to escape, but always it holds, even against Duna’s great strength.”

Quinn fairly groaned aloud as Eshe confirmed what he should have guessed; their captors had ways of keeping them, their weapons and supplies were of no consequence to it. He dropped down to sit on the stone step at his feet. His friends would have followed into the void, of that much he was sure, but how would they ever be found here? And worse, once sold into slavery? They wouldn’t be found, there was no rescue imminent, and so escape was their only hope.

“Eshe,” he said, his eyes drifting toward the dark, “how far back does this room go?”

She followed his eyes with her own and shrugged, “I do not know, there are many tunnels and rooms but there is no light. When first we came we tried to find a way out, but it is too dangerous, there are...spirits in the darkness. We will wait for the slavers, and try to fight our way out.”

“If these people have magicka great enough to hold us, I think they will be prepared for that possibility, don’t you?” he stood and took a few steps forward the nearest doorway, “Listen, do you hear that?”

Eshe’s ears pricked and flickered to catch the sound, “I hear water, Ja Quinn.”

He nodded, “Exactly, moving water…don’t you see, it must go somewhere. Maybe we can follow it out,” he stopped remembering his sleeping companion, “…Seyen…”

Eshe stood, “Duna can carry him.”

“You’re certain?” Quinn raised an eyebrow, “it’s very possible we'll be going to our deaths.”

“Better to die by our own choosing,” Eshe replied, moving to help him lift Seyen into the leather saddle on Duna’s back.

The big cat stretched and seemed to be adjusting the weight on his paws to compensate for the strange and unbalanced rider in his back. It took Eshe only a moment to retrieve her meager supplies and meet him at one of the open archways leading to a stone stairwell.

“I have only a couple of light potions and a single torch,” Quinn explained after taking a hasty inventory of his pack, “we should save them for when we really need them.”

Yes,” Eshe agreed, “and we will need them.”

[the-manta]

Somewhere in the distance, Seyen could hear an owl. Its haunting cries echoed seemingly from every direction, but always far distant. He was standing in a small, circular room with grey brick walls and rough wooden floorboards. In the middle of the room a worn wooden table bore mounds of papers and books, all illuminated by a shaft of moonlight that glared through the dusty window. There was little else in the room besides a beaten armchair and a plate of pallid candles. There was no door in sight. That fact aside, the room reminded Seyen vividly of a forgotten tower chamber he had once stumbled upon in Castle Skingrad, leading him to suspect it was not entirely real. Not in the usual sense in any case. He shifted his attention to the papers on the table; for some reason it seemed logical to assume he needed something from them, although he could not quite fathom what.

The young mage selected a sheet at random. It was a square of crispy parchment, and unfolded only with careful coercion. In the moonlight, Seyen could make out faint words in an untidy flowing script, which, after much careful examination, he found to be his own name, written over and over in his own handwriting. Turning it over a few times, he finally decided it was not what he wanted, and set it aside on the armchair. Next he picked up a tightly rolled scroll of fine vellum. Penned in elegant swirls were the words to an old song from the West Weald. This too he put aside. After a few more ultimately useless papers, all familiar in their own way, he picked up a small book. It was bound in soft red leather with a delicate brass catch, and unlike all the others was entirely unfamiliar. He carefully flipped the catch and opened the book to a random page. The writing was blotchy and rough, but perfectly readable:

“It refuses to see. Not barren but blind. Why can it not let go? Why will it not come? Why will it not see?â€

As Seyen pondered the meaning of the words, he became aware that he could no longer hear the owl. He listened carefully for a moment. Nothing- the owl had stopped. Bringing his attention back to the book, he turned the page. It was blank. He turned the next one. Blank. Brow knitted in confusion, Seyen opened the book to a random page once more. His heart lurched violently when it opened. His vision was filled with two amber disks- the wide eyes of an owl, so lifelike it could have taken flight. His heart rate soon slowed as he began to admire the infinitely detailed drawing, but his reverie was soon shattered by a sharp rapping on the window. Peering in through the glass and grime was an owl, its two vibrant eyes staring piercingly into Seyen’s own, its feathered brows lowered into a curious frown. It tapped the window again with its beak. The young mage eyed it suspiciously for a moment, looking from the real owl to the picture. He could see no difference whatsoever. After a few seconds of hesitation and a third insistent tap from the owl, he made his way to the window.

The catch was rusty and coated in grime, evidently not having been opened for a some time, and Seyen had to put the book down on the table and use both hands to lever it open. Eventually, with a stubborn screech, the window yielded and Seyen pulled it open. The owl hopped through the window and onto the floor. Then it did it again. Seyen took a confused step back. He had seen the owl come through the window, and then he had seen it again. The owl had not left and returned; there were two.

He looked down at the identical birds shuffling around on the wooden floor. As Seyen attempted to find some difference between the two, a third appeared at the window, followed in short order by a fourth, fifth and sixth. The owls were now all over the room. One was perched on the back of the armchair, another was on the seat. Two were scratching about on the table. One had remained on the window sill and the last was at Seyen’s feet. All six were staring at him with their wide, inquiring eyes.

With a screech three more owls fluttered through the window; tawny ghosts with fire in their eyes. As the unblinking birds began to fill the room, Seyen felt his heartbeat gaining speed. The amber eyes had not changed, but en masse seemed limitlessly intimidating. Seyen cast about for an exit. The only way out was the window. Hugging the wall, he slowly crept around the room back to the window, the owls never taking their eyes off of him. When finally he reached the window, he almost screamed when yet another of the infernal birds appeared. He stole a glance outside and saw nothing but a sea of blackness, punctuated with tiny amber lights that glided lazily in pairs. He shuddered and pushed the window to, turning to face the room full of owls. Still they stared. Seyen shivered. Once again he cast around desperately for an exit, but there was none; no door, no ladder, and a bottomless drop beneath the window. One of the owls shifted position, revealing the red leather book lying still open on the floor. Keeping his eyes trained on the owl, he reached slowly forwards, snatched up the book and retreated to the wall. The owl didn’t move a muscle.

The words of the book came back to him:

“Why will it not see?â€

Holding the tome close to his chest, he screwed his eyes shut, like a child making a wish, and wracked his brains for an escape plan. Like a sudden ray of light, an idea came to him: “why not use the door?†He opened his eyes, puzzled as to why he had not thought of this already. It was only as he stepped across the threshold that he remembered- there was no door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seyen’s eyes opened in a room so dark he could barely tell the difference. He seemed to be on horseback, slumped in a large saddle, but something about the animal’s movement was unusual. He blinked a few times, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out two humanoid figures beside him. He also registered, with some interest, that the “horse†had an unusually short neck, broad head and triangular ears. Barely noticing the action, he put a small book into his satchel.

“Where am I?†he wondered aloud.

The figure nearest him turned its head sharply, revealing a pair of green-gold lamps- cat’s eyes.

“Ja’Quinn,†came a soft, lilting voice, “your friend awakes,â€

The second figure turned as well,

“Seyen?â€

“Ah, Quinn,†the mage responded, his memories growing somewhat clearer. “Where are we?â€

“In the dungeons of Ember,†Quinn reminded him. “The guards brought us here. Remember?â€

Seyen shakily assured him that he did, dull memories of armed men and city walls surfacing in his mind.

“And wh…†he began, as politely as he could, looking again at the vibrant eyes.

“My name is Eshe, of the Tenmar Forest. This is my cousin, Duna†the eyes explained, anticipating the question.

“Your cous… oh†Seyen looked again at his mount, one of the quadrupedal khajiit breeds he supposed.

“It’s… um… very nice to meet you both. Perhaps I should… uh… dismount?†He had read quite a lot about the khajiit and their “lunar lattice†but had never met a battlecat before. He was keen to avoid offending him.

“Duna minds not to carry the sick,†Eshe reassured him.

Seyen almost protested his good health, but realised that “well†people did not spend so much time unconscious, being tormented by owls. Instead he simply said:

“I’ll be fine, honestly,â€

The bulky khajiit slowed to a stop and lowered itself until Seyen could dismount.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?†Quinn inquired, “we can’t afford for you to collapse here. What if we left you behind, unconscious?â€

Once Seyen had assured him that he was entirely lucid, the four of them set off, Eshe and Quinn explaining the “plan†as they walked.

“… but we’re saving those until we really need them†Quinn finished.

“Oh, well never mind that,†Seyen declared. “I can just…â€

He held up his hand and muttered an incantation. The space around him was gradually filled with an unearthly greenish light. Peering around at his now illuminated surroundings, he shuddered. He was unnerved by the fact he could not see the walls or ceiling, only the rough-hewn floor beneath their feet. Just to Eshe’s right, the green light glittered on a trickling stream. It crept languidly along a smooth trench, occasionally carrying past unidentifiable debris from the dungeons. Seyen looked away when he saw what looked like a hand.

“Weren't we in a tunnel? What kind of dungeon is this?†he asked to no-one in particular. A shiver ran down his spine as two amber lights appeared just beyond the green light.

“Why, the very best kind†answered a dry, mocking voice.

[Jheuloh]

After being given instructions on where to go, the trio was off. The moon was close to setting, leaving little room for idle chatter as they approached their destination of the lake. Bats flew hastily under the canopy to return to their roosts; plucking any insects they crossed paths with out of the sky, all the while making soft and quiet chirping sounds. Jheuloh liked the sound of their chirps, though this didn’t distract him from the overbearing task of finding a way out of the cursed valley. The trio was stopped short when the sound of something crashing into water was heard in the distance; the dinner bell was rung.

As the sound of sloshing water grew more prominent to their ears, the band slowed their pace and grew quiet in footstep. When they approached the source of the splashing sounds, they saw a black colored tentacle grasping a deceased deer by its neck on the edge of the lake. When the trio realized what they were looking at, they whispered to one another about a viable strategy for besting the creature in its own element. “We’re not exactly in the position to dive in and wrestle with it.†Alistair whispered; Jheuloh reminded him “I still have my bow and arrows. Maybe if I can get a good view of the important bits, we can best it?†“Yeah, that still leaves us with the problem of how you’re going to see the ‘important bits’ under the cover of water and darkness.†Alistair noted to Jheuloh.

Nina reminded Alistair “That thing killed a deer; that’s not a feat of a coin sized creature. We probably don’t even need to look at it to hit something ‘important’.†Alistair thought her statement over for a moment, and realized that she was right. After discussing a plan of action, Alistair unsheathed one of his swords and slowly approached the deer, looking to provoke the Kraylan. The Kraylan felt the vibrations of Alistair, and as it pulled its quarry into the water, another of its arms propelled itself towards Alistair. Cutting a considerable portion of the tentacle off caused the arm to retract slightly, and then sweep Alistair off of his feet.

Jheuloh rose and aimed his bow towards what he presumed to be the Kraylan’s body, while Nina rushed to detach the bleeding arm which wrapped around Alistair like a serpent. Another arm swept Nina off her feet as she ran and wrapped around her like the bleeding arm wrapped around Alistair. Jheuloh released his arrow, which struck the Kraylan and remained embedded in its side until a fourth arm ripped the arrow out. Sensing that there were more opponents than it could sense via vibrations, the Kraylan rose from the water onto the shore. It assessed the situation with its two small eyes, the pupils shaped like those of a hoofed animal or a mongoose, looking for the bow wielder.

Once it saw Jheuloh, the Kraylan raised two of its arms to form a sort of shield for itself, using a fifth arm to lash out at Jheuloh. He tried unsuccessfully to avoid the oncoming arm, as the Kraylan wrapped around his right ankle and his bow disappeared into the brush. Jheuloh instinctively unsheathed his axe, though was constricted by the tentacle like Nina and Alistair were before he could retaliate. The Kraylan then lowered its shield arms and brought the seemingly doomed trio near it. When they were next to the body of the Kraylan, Nina proclaimed to the beast’s surprise “Letting me get close to you while I’m completely immobile, you’re not particularly knowledgeable about me, are you?â€

Nina then drew a knife she had kept an exceptionally tight grip on, and cut the tentacle constricting her before the Kraylan thought to retighten its grip. Nina then leapt at the Kraylan and drove her knife into the center of the space between its eyes before it could completely restrain her. In a fatal attempt at regaining control over the would-be prey, a deep, gaping wound was created as the Kraylan mistakenly ripped Nina off of its head. The beast had dropped dead then and there, dropping Jheuloh and Alistair as its muscles stopped functioning and obeyed the forces of this world’s equivalent to gravity. The trio rose from the dirt, and Jheuloh clapped his hands, congratulating Nina “Well done! It seems you’re well trained with daggers and knives.â€

Nina smiled, and replied “All in a day’s work, err, night’s work. Now, let’s please those paint-blob spiders with the eyes they were asking for.†Alistair raised his hand and told Nina “Before you do, I want to see what they meant by ‘teeth that rip everything to shreds.’†He rolled the mass of dead Kraylan over to reveal a beak with a respectable set of conical teeth hidden in the center of the beast’s eight arms. “Ah, so that’s why it wanted us nearby; it’s all the better to eat us with.†Jheuloh remarked about the teeth. With all of that being said and done, Nina proceeded to cut the somehow undamaged eyes of the Kraylan out, and Jheuloh offered to hold them while Nina and Alistair cleaned themselves of black colored blood.

“I want to look at them in greater detail.†Jheuloh explained, sensing what he believed to be questioning or perplexed looks from Alistair and Nina.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Jheuloh

[Xinimator]

Nina gave him a small frown before shrugging and tossing the two black eyeballs in his direction, “Be my guest, then. If you're that much interested in gross and disgusting things that you wanna carry them, you won't be getting any complaints from me. Unless you're clumsy,†she said quietly with a small snicker.

“Not that much. It'll make me look pretty bad if I was able to walk across a single line of rope with such grace only to drop these sticky, slimy eyeballs on the ground and step on them,†Jheuloh said sarcasticallyat he caught the objects in his hand, keeping a tight enough grip on them so they wouldn't fall but at the same time not squeeze them too hard to make them burst. With a small chuckle, he lifted up one of the eyeballs and held it up in curiosity, examining them critically, “Hm, this is interesting...â€

“Eh?†she glanced at him over her shoulder and laughed, “Careful, hon. You might give someone the wrong impression if you keep looking at those eyeballs like that. And they're slimy disgusting eyeballs, did I mention that?†Nina smirked, though not unkindly, and turned back to the half-submerged corpse and crossed her arms across her chest in thought, “Huh....I didn't think this lake was even big enough to house a huge squid,†she said quietly. She tilted her head a little and stuck her hand experimentally into the blood-diluted water, “Damn thing's cold too, and on a warm night....â€â€

Alistair, who was standing some distance away from the group, merely gave her a small glance at her comment before turning back to the woods surrounding the lake, keeping an eye on the creatures that darted from tree to tree through the night. Sighing heavily, he paced around a little in circles waiting impatiently for the two to be done with their investigation.

Something suddenly glinted out of the corner of his eye and his spun around in alarm to face this new threat....only to see nothing but the complete darkness in the shade of the trees, “What the...?†he muttered, frowning as he tried to look past the trees to see who or what had shimmered in the distance.

But instead, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and the only sounds that filled the air were the idle conversations between the two people behind him and the shrill cries of the local wildlife.

Just as he was about to turn his back to the forest, something in the distance blinked again. Alistair glared at the spot where the light originated from and he saw something move through the forest. What it was, though, was anyone's guess. And Alistair hated it when he didn't know what was happening.

He sighed gently and glanced over his shoulder at the group before he stepped into the maze of trees, unsheathing his swords in case this “creature†proved to be aggressive. As he tried to avoid the overhanging branches and vines that threatened to entangle him in their trap, he tried to keep an eye on the beast in front of them that seemed to steadily lead him deeper into the forest....

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey.....where did Alistair go?â€

Jheuloh took his eyes away from the eyes to look around the clearing quickly, looking slightly alarmed, “I......he was here a second ago, wasn't he?â€

“Exactly,†Nina said simply and muttered some choice obscenities before climbing back onto her feet and took a couple of steps from the corpse, “You have any idea where he might have run off to?â€

“You're looking at me?†Jheuloh chuckled a little and shook his head, “You know him better than I do and I didn't see which direction he ran off to,â€

“Dammit...I am going to kill him someday and the hell Hermaeus Mora is going to stop me,†Nina shook her head and sighed a little before walking towards a random patch of trees, “Alistair, if you don't get that bum of yours back here right now, I swear I will riddle your legs full of arrows and carry your sorry hide back home! Remember the last time I had to do that? That was not fun!†she yelled angrily. When there was no answer, she growled low in annoyance, “Gah....idiot. He's more unpredictable than drunk... Come on Jheuloh, we have what we came for. Now we just have to get something back,†she muttered darkly and unsheathed her bow from her back as she began her approach towards the forest.

“Wait, what happened last time you had to carry him?†Jheuloh laughed a little, a little curious about the story behind that particular incident.

“Er.....let's just say you don't wanna know. Maybe when we're not stuck in a forest full of talking spiders and gods know what else, I'll share that story with ya,†Nina gave a small chuckle.

“Fair enough,†Jheuloh smiled, “But I'm holding you to that,†he added with a small snicker. But he was cut short when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye and spun around quickly in alert, “Alistair?†he asked, though when he was what had come out of the trees his eyes widened a little and he took a couple of steps backward.

“Alistair, damn you...†Nina growled and spun around towards the direction Jheuloh was looking at, only to blink in surprise and curse a little, “Figures he leaves us in a time like this,†she muttered as she slowly pulled an arrow from her quiver and knocked it onto the bowstring, watching the creature with amber-colored, slit eyes edged closer to the two adventures with a small hiss....

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ow!†Alistair yelled suddenly and clutched at his nose; the branch decided it didn't like being pushed like so and sprung back to hit him in the face as he hand slipped from the branch. It wasn't that the trees were slippery, but more like he was completely distracted by what he saw that he forgot what he had been doing for a brief moment. He gave the branch a glare of annoyance before he turned his vision back to the “creature†in front of him.

Only the creature wasn't a beast, but a female Imperial, her back turned against Alistair's and seeming to stare off into the distance towards some unknown object. Long, wavy brown hair hung down her back in a loose, carefree manner and the skirts of her red-gold embellished robes waved breezily as if being pushed by a light breeze. Only there wasn't one with the thickness of the trees.

Alistair stared at the person in front of him and cautiously took a step towards her with a nagging feeling of recognition about her. No....it couldn't be... he thought, which only made him feel even more confused and alert at the same time, “.....Hello?†he asked quietly.

The woman turned her head slightly in response to his question and gave him a brief, friendly smile. But before Alistair could see the woman's face, she turned back and began walking away from him quickly.

“H-Hey! Wait!†Alistair said quickly and began rushing after her, glancing the surroundings quickly to see if anything was sneaking up upon them. He was feeling surprisingly very protective of her all of the sudden, but any suspicious thoughts towards her were quickly banished before he could have time to reflect upon them. He muttered a little as she had quickened her pace and sped up himself while trying to duck under low-hanging branches. He noticed that she seemed to do this effortlessly, as if she had done this a million times before, but Alistair ignored this and kept following her, wondering who she was and why she looked unnervingly familiar....

[DarkRider]

Another fireball whizzed past him, just clipping his shoulder as Carter dodged a hard left and tried to disappear down a rickety iron tunnel way. He folded into the shadow, his breath held, covering his singed sleeve with a gloved hand as the quick footsteps of his pursuers passed on overhead beyond the tunnel’s maw. He exhaled and lowered his hand to check for damage. He was unharmed, but there was a burned slit in his tunic; that one had nearly caught him.

There was no way to really track time, but is seemed days had come and gone since he’d last caught a glimpse of the silver tower. The air was thick with smoke as all around him piles of refuse smoldered and burned. The shaft he had sheltered in was one of many he’d seen since he’d reached the burning fields. The ironwork was suspended between great mountains of trash and far below a river of fire washed the filth away, cleansing the land, and searing the sky a smoky black.

Seems the old picker had been right, the burners were not fond of strangers. They were vicious creatures that could have been men or elves once. Their skin was a sooty black color, pulled taut until it shined over slender but muscular frames. Their knees had and odd bend to them, which Carter learned allowed them to run on all fours at wicked speeds when they chose to. Crisscrossed along their skin were thin veins that glowed white hot like molten rock and he had seen them moved with ease into flame and lava as easily as an Argonian would dive into water. Their senses were highly keen, and they had detected him almost immediately when he’d entered their territory. Despite his skills in stealthy arts, it was a challenge just to stay one step ahead of them.

Still following his internal compass, Carter examined the long shaft before him. The burners likely used them as spill offs to divert refuse into the river below. This one appeared empty for the time being and crossing would take him to the other side of the burning fields, but if he encountered on or more of the burners while in the treacherous passage, there would be no escape. It only took a moment for the choice to be made for him as the rickety shaft suddenly groaned and lurched as one of the burners skittered inside; he had to go on or burn.

=======================

There was no end of the swamplands the ethereal voice had called the abyss. Red and Thomas had walked as straight a line as they could but still seemed to be traveling in circles. Everything looked the same and ahead through the trees, there were only more trees and never so much as a parting. Their only sense of time came in the light. At night it was so dark they had no choice but to make camp as no shape could be made out in the pitch. During the day, it was still dark, but less so, enough to travel by without a torch. At first they’d made idle chat as they walked, getting to know one another. Red had told the old monk about her early days in the Tavern, she spoke about friends who were gone now, and of all she hoped for the Tavern’s future. She found herself at ease speaking to him, there was never judgment on his face, only acceptance of what she offered and it made her hesitate. She’d had her fill of being read like an open book lately; thankfully Thom seemed to understand her need for privacy and moved his talk to other things, telling her about his time in the Blades and his friendship with Quinn’s family.

By her count four days had passed since they’d come into the portal expecting to find oblivion and instead, found themselves scattered to the winds in a strange world. Her thoughts drifted to her friends for a moment, wondering how they fared but then something quite unexpected flitted across her mind and Red suddenly burst aloud in laughter.

Thomas smiled, but clearly didn’t understand, “What’s so funny?”

Red shook her head and caught her breath, “I was just thinking about how strange things must look in our world to some traveler coming along that road. To find this huge oblivion gate in the middle of that river and a fair herd of horses staring at it blankly waiting for something to come out,” saying it aloud bubbled her laughter back over and this time Thomas joined her.

“Imagine the tale he’d have to tell at his next stop,” the old monk said finally as his laughter subdued to a chuckle. As they quieted, the trees around them continued to echo with what sounded like laughter and the pair were suddenly aware they were not alone.

“There are eyes in the trees,” Red said, trying to watch the trees without appearing to. Amidst the leafy boughs she could just make out the stout forms of several ape like creatures watching at them. Green moss like fur seemed to blend them into the foliage.

Thomas followed her example, “Maybe they’re friendly?” he started to whisper when a small pin-like dart whistled through the air and hit Red in the chest.

She hissed knocking it away, “No I don’t think they are,” she answered as they quickly took cover behind opposite trees and the forest erupted with a hundred tiny warcries.

=======================

The eerie voice in the darkness chilled his blood and Seyen recast his light up to illuminate the haunting speaker as he drew his short blade, and Quinn raised a hand to block the light from his eyes as it lit his face in the shadows.

“Hey easy now, Seyen,” Quinn chided, “reflexes like that will get you killed,” the Imperial laughed, then lowered his voice into the same eerie tone Seyen had heard, “Shall we go on…” he grinned and Seyen groaned realizing it had been Quinn who’d startled him, having moved ahead into the darkness before he’d finished casting his light spell. He nodded mutely and Quinn headed down the stone steps ahead as quickly as he could without losing his surefootedness.

Seyen looked at Eshe who was smiling, but her smile faded when she realized he was looking at her, “We will follow you Seyen, you can light the way for us all,” she said politely ignoring the sport Quinn was having with him, for which he was grateful. He turned and followed Quinn down the narrow stone path that ran alongside the waterway. As they past several tunnels the smell of rot and rank wafted out to greet them from every tunnel.

Seyen gagged, “Ugh. why does it smell like that?”

“That’s how you can tell there’s no way through,” Quinn answered, “the water stagnates in dead ends, depositing waste and worse down these runoffs; that’s what causes the stink. We need to follow the water that’s moving.”

Seyen nodded, he hadn’t considered that but it made sense, “Quinn,” he began slowly, It felt strange to unburden his heart to someone he barely knew, but Quinn was his only ally and his companions needed to know the truth, “I’ve been having strange dreams…”

“Dreams about owls?” Quinn asked knowingly, casting a sideways glance at him, “sometimes you talk in your sleep.”

Seyen nodded, “Yes, but…I don’t think I’m dreaming. I heard a voice when I was brought into the portal; I’ve heard that same voice in my dreams. They are watching me; they want me to do something.”

“What do they want you to do?” Quinn pressed; his voice was quiet and serious.

“I’m not sure,” the young mage admitted.

Quinn seemed to think it over, “Until you are, don’t do anything Seyen.”

Their discussion was interrupted by Eshe’s voice carrying through the tunnel way behind them, “Ja-Quinn,” she called, “You should come, there is blood here…it is fresh.”

[WillieSea]

Startled awake, William jumped up and wildly brushed the flying insects off as they crawled all over him. The grunts and yelps from William woke Syn up who let out a small shriek and jumped around, brushing at the flying bugs as well. Had anyone else been around to see the two they would have laughed at the comical dance the two performed!

After regaining their composure, they noticed that the insects had eaten most of the goo off of them, gore from the giant beast they had killed. The brushed away insects flew towards the dead monster where it was covered in similar insects, a moving, crawling mass of flittering bugs.

Syn looked over at William and shivered slightly, “Let’s get out of here, shall we?”

William nodded, perhaps a bit more enthusiastically than necessary, and they clambered out of the steep sides of the sand pit. They eventually clambered out of the pit and looked around. Will squinted in the bright evening sun and noticed a sharp looking dune and pointed it out to Syn. She nodded and they headed towards the unusual formation in the distance.

The heat radiated up from the sand as the plodded along, the going slow in the shifting sands. The sun soon set and the distant object they followed became visible as a rather large pyramid the color of the sand. As the sun set, the air suddenly became cold and the heat from the sand below them started to feel good.

The two kept moving forward, chatting about their situation and where they had ended up. Syn thought out loud, “What I don’t understand is why did we not all end up in the same place? The portals always send you to the same destination, such as the Oblivion gates, or the Mad god’s portal. Why is this one different?”

Will thought for a moment and replied, “I remember a gateway I entered some time ago, and it sent everyone through it to a different destination as well. That realm was not a nice place to be, there were very few friends to be found there. I have a suspicion that this realm may be the same.”

Syn looked over at Will, “And that voice before we were dropped into the sand, something about ‘barren ones’? It was like we were rejected for what-ever purpose the portal was opened and dumped in the desert like trash.”

Will barked a single laugh at that, “You can bet that who-ever is in power here is not a friend…”

* * *

It was well into the night when the Pyramid rose up before them. At the base of the pyramid were two tents and a campfire with a bored guard standing watch. Light came out of the tunnel that penetrated the base of the pyramid. It was quickly decided that if the two of them were going to survive in this desert that they would have to go down there.

Will argued for a stealthy assault to take the guards out as they slept. Syn would have none of that and argued for a friendly approach with weapons sheathed. Will stated that it could very well be a trap for any barren ones who survived the desert while Syn stated that they could very well be friendly and they should not judge them before they knew who they were dealing with…

The two went back and forth for some time when a voice startled them, “What do we have here boys?”

Both Will and Syn looked up and saw a small group of soldiers looking down on them, weapons drawn and pointed in their direction. They both stood and raised their hands above their heads and Will commented, “I guess we have our answer...”

Will was no slouch when it came to combat, having the experience of a 46 year old assassin in a 26 year old body. His black blade came smoothly and quietly from its scabbard and removed the head of the closest soldier before they even knew what was happening. The blade then whistled through the air, its razor sharp edge slicing the innards out of the next guard before they yelled and attacked in force.

Not expecting the attack from Will, Syn pulled her own black staff from her back and dodged under a wide-arm swing from one of the soldier’s blades. She came in under his arm as he twisted and slammed the golden end into his kidneys sending him through the air and down the back side of the dune.

Will blocked the blows from the three guards that attacked him at once, swords clanging in the cold dark night air, the stars twinkling above. He knocked the sword out of one guards hand and had to back flip away from another sword.

Syn twisted and swung the staff at the back of one of the guards that had pounced on Will. The hollow coconut sound was the last noise he made as he was driven head first down the other side of the dune.

As Will landed on his feet, he had already loosed a throwing dagger which sank into his attackers forehead sending him flipping backwards down the dune. The one remaining guard had a wild look in his eyes as he watched these two barbarians kill his friends around him. His resolve gone, he threw his weapons down and raced back to the camp at the base of the pyramid.

Will raised a hand to throw another dagger and Syn grabbed his hand, “No!”

He put the dagger away and bounded off after the lone guard with Syn in hot pursuit behind him. Will snarled at he tore off after the man who turned to look behind him and stumbled in the shifting sands, rolling the rest of the way down the dune.

When he stopped, a black blade was pointed at his throat, its owner an angry scowl on his face. It was then that the woman came up behind the man, a compassionate grin on her face. She looked him right in the eyes, “I suspect you’re going to tell us what we want to know…”

It was said so matter of fact that he gulped involuntarily, the black blade cutting his neck ever so slightly, it was so close.

Syn knocked Will’s blade away from the man and wiped at the drop of blood that had formed on his neck. Will harrumphed and continued to glare at his would be attacker. Syn looked the man in the eyes, “Now then, who are you?”

The man gulped again, it had been some time since him and the other guys had been stationed at this outpost, alone. “My name is Gerald.”

Syn winked at him, “And why would you come upon us with weapons drawn?”

Gerald looked at the sinister man who glared darkly at him from behind the woman, “The Duke of Ember requests the audience of all strangers to his lands. And these be his lands your trespassing on without his permission.”

Will growled menacingly behind Syn, “And what happens to those who go before the Duke?”

Taken back by the outburst from the dark man behind the woman, Gerald yipped in fear and blurted out, “They are to be taken to the dungeon!”

Syn grabbed the wild eyed man by the chin and forced him to look at her, “We need supplies and a direction for getting out of this desert. And you’re going to help us, aren’t you?”

Gerald gibbered, “Yes, yes! Anything you want!”

They descended the dune and headed towards the camp with Gerald’s hands tied behind his back. There were no other guards visible at the camp below them. As they walked, Gerald murmured, “There is no escape from the desert but one.”

Syn prodded the man with her staff, “Out with it then, tell us what you know.”

Gerald sighed heavily, “Inside the pyramid is a teleportation pad. It’s the only way out of the desert.”

* * *

After taking on fresh supplies from the camp, they entered the lighted tunnel as it pierced the bottom of the pyramid and went straight to its center which opened into a high ceilinged room. A dais in the center of that room had a magical teleport pad on top of it. A control panel was connected to the pad.

After another prod from Syn’s staff, Gerald said, “You have to set your destination on the panel and then step on the pad. It’s already set for the city of Ember.”

Will watched Gerald and noted a single bead of sweat roll down his forehead. “I think you will be going first Gerald and you can welcome us when we come through behind you.”

Gerald glanced at the man, his eyes going wide again. “Uhm, perhaps an adjustment to the controls to make sure its set properly?”

Will grinned, “Yes, that might be in order. And perhaps this time you can tell us where it will take us?”

Gerald sighed again, “It will bring you inside the city of Ember at the station. There will be guards all over the place, you will never make it into the city alive should you attack them.”

Will grinned again, “We will not be attacking them, we shall be blending in with them!”

At that, he pulled two uniforms out of a nearby crate, they were guard uniforms. He threw one of them at Syn as he donned the other one.

Before long, there were three guards standing at the portal with its destination set properly. Will looked at Gerald, “Okay now, you first…”

As Gerald was stepping up to the portal, both Will and Syn stepped onto it with him at the same time. A flash of light and a lurching sensation in the pit of their stomachs and they were elsewhere.

[DarkRider]

Somewhere in Solstheim...

Grond was seated upon one of the large residual boulders that dotted the beaches along the southern coastline. His hammer was laid across his knee as he used a bit of soft leather to lovingly rub the grime and blood from the carvings on its ornate head. Though his eyes were attuned to his work his ears twitched listening to the world around him, the wind whistling through the long grey ghost grass, one of the few plants hearty enough to survive Solstheim's unpredictable weather, Mik nickering to himself as he rooted around for greener things to eat in the field behind his master, and the gentle waves lapping at the shores serenely as an early summer sun sparkled across the water.

Only the sound of distant voices approaching managed to draw the burly Nord from his work and he looked up to see two men walking toward him down the beach. One he knew as his longtime friend and most recent companion; a ranger from the north land the people called the Dark Rider. The ranger's ebony steed Legion was walking behind the two men, along with a white steed that was likely the other man's, both trailing at a lazy distance. The other man was not one Grond knew, but he also had the look of a ranger about him. He wore a very light armor, that might have been mistaken for a simple jerkin if not for the black leather and steel accents the Grond spied hidden beneath his cloak of black wool trimmed in grey fur. They stopped before they were close enough to overhear properly, which caused the Nord to snort in disappointment. He watched as Rider handed off a rolled parchment, and then still holding the other man's arm in the exchange, the ranger made a sort of intricate tracing motion on the man's bracer. They both nodded and Rider stepped back as a very narrow misty slit seemed to part like a curtain in the world. The other ranger passed through leading his horse by the reins and disappeared as the veil resealed itself behind him leaving Rider and Grond alone on the beach once more.

"By Stendarr," Grond exhaled when his friend drew closer, "don’t think I’ll ever get used ta that. I still get chills thinking about those grey wastes in the deadland,” he slung his hammer down to rest on the rock at his feet, “honestly don’t know how ye stand it. He gonna be alright in there? If memory serves we almost lost a few of our friends that way.”

Rider took a seat on an adjacent boulder and shook his head, “Seems an age ago now, eh Grond? With our Tavern friends, running from the hordes of Sithis as I recall.”

Grond laughed and slapped his knee, “Which time? Twas always something with that lot…I miss em.”

“Aye,” the ranger nodded, “and don’t worry about Greyer, he’s a veil walker. His people move in and out of the veil with greater ease than my dragon heart ever afforded me,” Rider’s eyes drifted out over the sea, “Speaking of friends, when are we going to see some sign of this friend of yours we sent Serenity to weeks ago?”

“Well,” Grond began, “if KIKA found ‘im in good time, as I’m sure she did, shouldn’t be too long a wait now, we said Sundas…it’s Sundas.”

“It’s Middas,” Rider said offhanded, withdrawing his long pipe from the folds of his coat and lighting it, “maybe we missed him then,” he added after a drawn exhale.

“Can’t be,” the Nord growled, counting the days out on his fingers, “I’ll be damned, it is Middas,” another thought flitted across his mind, “and now that I ponder, I think it’s me birthday.”

Rider grinned and slapped the Nord’s knee, “Well Happy Birthday old Nord, back to the city then, come on I’ll buy you a pint.”

Grond stood to follow but as he stood the form of a heavy ship appeared around the corner of the bay riding the winds. There was no mistaking the flag flying on her mast, “Hang on, that pint will have to wait, there she is!,” Grond pointed, “The Longwinter in all her majesty.” Serenity cried on the wind overhead as the ship came into view.

With the strong winds it didn’t take the Longwinter long to reach the end of the nearby smuggler’s pier the two friends had been camped beside. Grond led Mik, Rider, and Legion down the pier to the wooden planks being lowered from the deck. A thin lively man swung down from the rigging and called out with a “Ho there Grond!”

“Ho there yerself, bilgerat,” the Nord replied with a grin, “sorry we’re late, Jack.”

Jack Rackham returned the smile, “No harm done, but we’ve sailed around this bay long enough to start drawing attention, I’d say we’ve worn out our welcome in these waters. If you gentlemen are ready to come aboard, we’ll be on our way.”

“No need to ask us twice,” Grond said tugging Mik up the gangplank, the horse skittering when the sound of distant canon fire boomed. Over the pirate’s shoulder, Grond could see a heavy warship coming toward them.

“Time IS of the essence,” Jack hastened steadily.

Grond simply shook his head, “Always is with ye…ye couldn’t just stay on yer ship eh?”

Jack responded with a grin and a less than innocent shrug.

When the men and their mounts were boarded the Longwinter wasted no time in raising anchor and letting the sails fill with a southerly wind. The heavy warship in pursuit was no match for her speed and the Longwinter soon left Solstheim far behind. There were more reavers to slay, driven from Solstheim on their dead ships heading south, and wherever they fled, Grond would follow.

====================================

In the unknown realm...

Time stood still in the long winding darkness below Ember City, there was no definitive way to judge the passing of hours and it seemed to stretch on as endlessly as the dark. Upon discovering the blood trail, Seyen had swooned back into unconsciousness and once more rode atop Duna’s broad back lost in his dream world; Quinn hoped he would remember their talk of doing nothing and gathering more information.

It was hard to track the trail without his light spell, but fortunately the Khajiiti had keen senses despite the absence of light. The blood had been dragged back to the main sewer by something with rather small footprints to be left behind; a rat most likely. The further it trailed the more uneasy the young Imperial felt. They were moving too far away from the main channel where the water flowed freely and it would be too easy to get lost in this mess. The tunnel runoff beside them was beyond stagnating and the stench so strong he wished he’d had a scarf or something to tie around his mouth and nose that he might breathe a bit easier. For some time they had been hearing splashing sounds ahead, perhaps a sign of a way out. As they drew nearer to what must be the source the stench fouled more and began to reek of rotting flesh. Eshe who had been walking silently just ahead of him sudden stopped and raised a hand to his chest to halt him.

“Ja Quinn,” she whispered quietly, “we should go back now.”

He wordlessly cursed the darkness, he couldn’t see anything, barely an outline of Eshe’s form; he’d been following her eye shine and her voice more than seeing for hours. If they were going to abandon their detour, he wanted to see what she saw. Rummaging in his satchel, Quinn palmed one of the potions remaining there, fairly certain, he had a fair inkling that it was one of the light rendering brews. It was minor though, even as he downed the concoction he could taste its weakness. It wouldn’t last long.

The room seemed to illuminate a bright blue all around, but only through his own eyes; a nighteye potion with effects fading as quickly as they’d begun. He scanned the room ahead and it took all of his self discipline to remain silent. The tunnel they were in opened into a large circular room with a pool in the center, it was overfilled with mutilated corpses.

“You’re right,” Quinn said quietly, barely above a whisper, “time to go back.”

Duna began to growl and something stirred in the darkness with a sickening viscous tearing just as the nighteye potion faded completely.

====================================

The endless maze of refuse finally faded behind him as Carter found his way onto a road that seemed to wind south toward the silver tower, which was now thankfully plain on the horizon. It had been no easy task escaping the burners, it had taken all of his acrobatic skill to swing out of the iron shaft and back in to throw the burners on his heels into the river of fire below. As he stood looking down on his quarry he had seen it struggle to swim to shore before succumbing to death. Apparently the beasts were immune to fire, but unable to swim, and that worked in his favor at every turn. He was glad to be rid of the lot. Just ahead he spied an odd man walking beside a rolling cart that seemed to be rolling itself as he followed along lazily waving a wand from where it lay crooked in his arms.

“Hail there, stranger,” Carter found himself calling out uncharacteristically. Perhaps he just needed to hear another voice besides his own.

The man stopped with a great heaving sigh, the cart rolling to a halt beside him. He had a thin face etched with worry lines. His eyes were equally narrow and set almost too close together in the center of his face behind thin spectacles.

“Stranger he says,” the man muttered in a thin lipped way just as Carter drew closer, “between the two of us, one is more a stranger than the other, and I don’t think I am he, hmm?”

“I meant no offense,” Carter said, raising an eyebrow. The man seemed to recognize him as a dangerous man and took a step back, his eyes averting elsewhere.

He cleared his throat, “I have been on the road all day and would like to take my wares home before the suns set, what do you want? And be please be quick, my feet really are at their end for the day.”

“I want to get to that tower in the distance will this road take me there?”

“A road is a road, it can’t take you anywhere,” the man replied, “this road stretches from here to there and on it your feet can take you to where you want to go.”

Carter looked at him darkly for a minute, “Is that a yes?”

The man hesitated and swallowed slowly, “Yes.”

“Thank you,” Carter started to walk away but the man called after him.

“Why would you want to go there?” the man asked.

“It seemed to be the place to go,” the assassin replied, “perhaps my companions will think so too.”

The man snorted, “Only if they’re fools,” he decided that might imply Carter was also a fool and quickly covered his comment, “I mean to say, there’s nothing there. No one can enter the tower except the Prince, and the Prince is dead.”

Carter nodded, “For now I don’t need to enter, I just need to get there.”

“Then this road will take you,” the man finished, turning his cart down a footpath and leaving Carter behind.

====================================

Walking in darkness. It had taken some time to realize he was alone once more and not following the sewer trench with his companions. Somewhere in the black the cry of an owl reminded him of his course. Far ahead in the pitch he could see a shining tower of light, like the one he and Quinn had been following before being taken prisoner. In this dreamland, it was his only point of reference and so Seyen walked. He had lost track of his steps and yet the distant tower remained steadfast in its place in the void, ever as distant, never growing closer. Seyen cursed in frustration and wished he could reach the tower, and in a blink he found himself standing on the ivory steps in disbelief.

"Very good, my Prince," a disembodied voice whispered from all around him, “now to the top of the tower.”

[charlescrowe]

Malori felt as bad as she in all likelyhood looked. Kept in a dark and gloomy cell for months on end, surrounded by the stench of death. The darkness and gloom was Rivaled by the aura of darkness, death, and despair eminating from her cell mate. a pale-skinned, lanky elf missing one perfectly good arm (over the months, she'd seen it, tho the sight made her retch even now.) It looked normal from the elbow up, but where there would have been healthy tissue no resided putrid, rotting flesh, continually growing, then decaying from the silvery bone underneath. Malori's only solace was that of her lute (which her captors had graciously left in her possession the night of her capture ages ago.) She had reached for it, only to find it in her cellmate's hands. "Oh, you play?" she scoffed, dearly wishing it's comforting, familiar oak wood were in her hands. The gloomy figure grunted, then strummed. The most haunting tune Malori had ever heard followed, echoing in the darkness.

____________________________________________________________

Raurke kept playing, the song being one he'd been taught by his father. A memory flashed in his mind, and he picked up the tempo, then suddenly stopped. "Sorry" he muttered, handing the tiny bosmeri woman her lute. Her eyes widened. "It speaks!" she jabbed, then continued; "Malori, though it may be too late for introductions. We've been in here for months now."

"You should be thankfull." Raurke spat. "You were supposed to be my meal that first night."

"Meal? come again? what are you, a vampire?" Malori sneered. "You've got the gloomy attitude for it, to be sure." A facade, really. Malori's heart was racing faster than a wild horse. She knew she wasn't far from truth, as evidenced by the man's eternally rotting and regenerating arm suggested.

Raurke handed her a strange crystal medallion. "Kill me the first chance you get." He whispered, then grabbed the bars of their cell, wrenching them apart.

________________________________________________________________

Breathless, Malori looked around the room they had found themselves in, awestruck by piles of septims, and hoardes of jewels. "Thank the Nine! It's still here!" Raurke nearly shouted, jubilant at the sight of a fanciful Scimitar, made of silver-inlayed Soul gem. Strapping it to his waist with a simple sheath and belt. "Grab what you had when you came here." He snapped at the short Bosmeri woman.

Malori needed no further suggestion. this was a jailbreak! She grabbed her rapier, then suddenly remembered the man's warning.

There was a quick snap, and Malori's rapier was through Raurke's back in the blink of an eye. "Thank you." Raurke whispered, pained but in relief as something bright flew from his chest and into the medallion Malori now wore on her neck.

[charlescrowe]

Malori stood there, stunned. Visibly shaking at the fact she'd killed a complete stranger. As the man's lifeless form slumped and fell from her blade, it was all that she could do to hold back what little she'd had to eat.

Minutes passed, seeming to drag on forever. "The sword! Grab it! Take the blade!" a voice seemed to scream from everywhere and yet from no where. Heart thumping, threatening to leap straight from her chest, Malori looked around, only to learn the voice was inside her head! "Grab the blade and run!" the voice screamed again, and with that, Malori shook off her fear; now was probably not the best time to have a mental breakdown, she was in the middle of an escape after all. Tossing her now tainted rapier and grabbing the man's sword, slipped it haphazardly in her belt, and stole off down the only other corridor.

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After half an hour, the limp form of Raurke re-animated, eyes glowing red. "Ah, sorry to toss a wrench in your plans, friend, but we are of the same man." he cackled madly. "Pity you've had the girl take the sword. it would've made a grand irony."

Malori had no clue where she was going, yet something kept her calm, assured she was headed to freedom. The feeling didn't last long, as she had nearly bowled head-first over the edge of a very deep shaft. "Jump!" the disembodied voice whispered, and her body moved of it's own will. Malori screamed, and everything faded to black.

Edited August 24, 2011 by charlescrowe