Good luck with your move. I hope everything goes well for you. And whenever you’re ready to write more of Kayla’s story, I’ll be reading it.

Fair enough, and I wish you the best of luck with the move; besides, it leaves the rest of us here to panic and stew over what Ma'Dat's plans may or may not be all the longer.

And on the subject of that Khajiit...

I don't think he's in cahoots with Asta. If he was, it makes no sense for him to be doing what he's doing right now; he would have simply handed Kayla over to her when Kayla first arrived back whilst infected, and him dragging Erik into proceedings only serves to complicate his plans further. So, that basically leaves us with three possibilities;

Possibility 1: Ma'Dat is in fact entirely trustworthy, and Elizabeth is doing all of this double-bluffing ambiguity stuff to mess with our heads and troll us.

Possibility 2 (and most likely, I reckon): Ma'Dat has plans of his own that relate to neither Kayla nor Asta's plan.

Possibility 3: He's in cahoots with Asta, but is actually very stupid and Asta has got herself a pretty rubbish minion.

Hey y'all!

A couple of points I'm going to touch up on, since it's my duty to clear up any loose ends.

Lydia: Kayla DID leave her in Solitude. She got up and walked out, just like she said. Being an Altmer, Kayla is very weak against magick, of all types. Suggestion, damage, illusion, and other various magick types. She wears no type of protection against it, and thus far has not worn any. This is not an oversight but a sense of pride in her. She feels like she can deal with whatever comes and because she has not DIED from it, won't wear any, unless someone gives her protection. Lydia has not left Solitude yet. She's still there. I will explain what she is doing in later chapters, but she's fine.

Meridia: Ever notice that Meridia's followers don't ever go near the shrine once they're infected? They beg her to cleanse them of the disease, but she lets them rot? SHE LETS THEM ROT. Kayla knew, on some level, that she was infected, and refused to go near the shrine. She had an offering all prepared, but...

Asta's influence: The only thing I can say here without giving too much away is Asta is near, but not as near as Ma'Dat, Erik, and Kayla think. She deserves the credit, but there's a small flaw in their thinking, and that is that Asta knows what she is doing.

Ma'Dat: All I will say is that with Ma'Dat, Meridia comes first. Period.

Ma'Dat and Asta being on the same team would be a terrible plot device, not to mention out of character for both Ma'Dat AND Asta.

Akrya: Ah, the journals. We'll come to that soon enough. For now, I'll leave you wondering.

Thanks for the comments, speculations, and such! They help me work out any holes in my plot and be more creative. :]


Previously: Ma'Dat sent Kayla to Riften to seek out his contact in the Thieves guild, Niruin.

Currently: Kayla arrives in Riften and heads straight to The Ragged Flagon.









=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-





I picked my way through the filth of the Ratway toward The Ragged Flagon. Torches along the wall lit the way to the dingy bar beneath the city. When I pushed through the door, the hallways opened up into a circular stone room. I walked along the side to a large man.

"Excuse me, I'm looking-"

"Don't you have any manners? At least introduce yourself."

"Uh-"

"Name's Dirge. Wanna know why?"

"Tell me."

"If you cause any trouble, I'm the last thing you'll hear before they put you in the ground."

I stood stunned before breaking out into laughter that echoed through the room. A few of the patrons turned and stared while Dirge said in a shocked voice, "You got a problem with my name?!"

"No!" I laughed. "It's just really clever!"

Dirge almost cracked a smile. "Well, alright. But don't go causing any trouble. I mean it."

I walked towards the barkeep. Several people with shifty looks about them watched me from the corners of their eyes.

"I'm here to see Niruin." I said, leaning my hands on the wooden bar. The sewer smell permeated the air, but everyone in the room didn't seem to notice. I breathed through my mouth, which did not help much.

"And who wants to see him?"

"Ma'Dat sent me. I'm Kayla."


The barkeep, whom Ma'Dat said was Vekel the Man, snorted. "You'll have to do better than that. That old cat was a terrible thief, his word holds no sway here."

The sound of my fists hitting the wooden bar echoed dully throughout the room. Dirge put his hand on his sword and took a step towards me, but I made no movement towards the Nord in front of me.

"Ma'Dat is the reason that vampiric children do not feast on your blood at this very moment! For thirty years he has protected Skyrim from the undead, and you say his words hold no sway here?! How dare you!"

I felt a meaty hand on my shoulder.

"That's enough," Dirge growled. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

Vekel laughed as I shrugged Dirge's hand from my shoulder. I spat on the ground near the bar and turned on my heel. Dawnbreaker bounced angrily on my hip as I exited the Ratway and headed upwards. The sun had already begun to set, and I headed to my room at The Bee and Barb.

I headed past the Argonian couple running the inn and slammed the door to my room. I fumed aloud.

"Who does he think he is? Telling me Ma'Dat's influence does not reach the Thieves Guild. Vampires would be feasting on their corpses if not for Ma'Dat!" I kicked the bedpost of the bed.

"That was a bit unneccessary."

I jumped and pinned the figure behind me against the wall with my forearm, cocking a fist.

"Who are you? Get out of my room? What do you want?" I pressed my elbow against his chest, and he smiled beneath his hood.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

"No wonder you can't get any information. Your persuasion skills leave something to be desired."

I scowled.

"I'm going to reach up and pull my hood off." He stated. "Please do not injure my face." He reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing the rest of his grey skin. He was the most handsome Bosmer I'd ever seen.

"Uh... Buh..."

"I am Niruin," He said. His golden eyes peered up at me. "I am the contact Ma'Dat spoke of." His speech was formal and polite, his voice smooth. He gave me a small smile. "The old Khajiit never told me his protege was so beautiful. Tell me," He cocked his handsome face to the side, as if I wasn't still pinning him to the wall. "What is it that you're looking for? Or whom?"

"My sister." I kept the pressure on his chest. He politely raised his eyebrows, and I went on. "She is amassing an army of vampiric children in her likeness, and I need to take her down. But I have to find her first."

Niruin's face never moved from its neutral expression, except to raise his brows. He stared into my eyes, silent for a moment, before saying anything.

"I believe I know to whom you are referring. But before I render my services, we need to discuss payment."

"Payment? Didn't Ma'Dat already pay you?"

"That he did," He gave me a beautiful, closed-mouth smile. "For agreeing to meet with you. However," He put a hand on the arm pinning him to the wall. "I am not getting paid to be pinned to the wall by a stranger." The smile reached his eyes. "That is a different type of transaction."

I blushed and took my arm off of him, scowling. He kept the small smile on his face as I took a step back.

"So, how does this work? Do I pay first, or what?"

He smiled again, and I felt butterflies in my stomach. "Don't worry about that right now," he purred. "First, let's get to know each other a bit better. Come," He grabbed my golden hand in his grey one. "We can talk over a meal and some wine." Niruin pulled me into the dining room of the inn, where several people were in attendance. I saw a blonde woman from the Ratway, as well as a red-haired Nord man. The woman gave me a hard, snobbish look while the man looked at me like I was prey. I quickly looked away while feeling the bulge in my pocket. My septims were still in there.

Niruin smiled a close-mouthed smile. "Your septims will not disappear as long as you are with me," he said. Wait, what was... I saw a flash of something in his mouth. Did he have silver caps in his teeth?

I gave him a hard stare as an uneasy feeling washed over me. "And why is that?" I asked. My voice came out angrier than I wanted it to. Niruin only smiled and reached across the table. He lightly touched my hand, then gently grasped it. He had cold hands...

Suddenly I felt at ease. I sighed in relief and smiled at him. His hands were warm, not cold, and there were no caps in his mouth. Just a wonderful smile. He leaned back in his chair, letting my hand go.

"Now, my dear, why are you here?"

"I need information on a vampire. Asta. She's a child vampire turned by Movarth."

"And why do you need to know where she is?"

"She killed my husband."

"Is that all?"

"She also is raising an army of vampire children. We think her next hit is the orphanage here in Riften. Ma'Dat is asking for your help."

Niruin furrowed his brow. He looked deep in thought for a moment, and the uneasy feeling creeped back. Niruin looked up at me when I shifted in my seat.

"I'll tell you what I can," he said, his voice low. "But we will need some privacy."

"We were JUST in my room."

"Yes, well," Niruin smiled again. I was getting sick of that look. "In case you decided to exterminate me, I needed to be seen with you so my associates would know whom to exact their revenge on."

"Exterminate you? You're a thief, not a vampire."

"Come," he held out his hand. I stood up without taking it. I didn't like the feeling I was suddenly receiving. I heard Dawnbreaker whisper, and felt a faint pulse emit from it. Niruin led the way to my room, and closed the door behind me. I suddenly felt like I was in danger.

"What's going on?" I demanded. Niruin raised his eyebrows.

"There's no need for your weapon, my dear," he said casually. I realized I was gripping the hilt of Dawnbreaker. I kept my hand where it was and gave Niruin a steely glare. Niruin smiled his easy smile, but this time he revealed his teeth. Before I could draw Dawnbreaker, he had me pinned against the wall, my arms at my sides.

"Listen closely," he whispered in my ear. He had stand on his tiptoes to reach my ears. "I am of the Bonsamu clan, from Valenwood. I mean Skyrim no harm, and certainly do not want an army of vampires to rule this land. So," his cool breath left the nape of my neck. "I will let you go, on the ground that you will keep your sword to yourself. Are we clear?"

I stared down at him, incredulous. "Fine," I spat, enraged. He let go of my arms and took a step back. I balled up my fists and moved to the other side of the room, staring him down angrily. He shot me an amused look.

"I suspect your hatred of my kind is rooted in some sort of tragic experience?"

I bared my teeth with disgust. "My entire village was slaughtered by your kind, the children turned and forced to eat their parents."

"I doubt they were forced."

I saw red. I began to draw Dawnbreaker, but the Bosmer vampire tutted.

"You promised."

"They WERE forced," I said through clenched teeth as I slid Dawnbreaker back into its sheath. "Asta would never kill our mother."

"Asta? The one you're looking for?" Something seemed to go off in his head. "YOU are the elf she was looking for?"

Didn't I say that earlier?

I paled. "What? Did you send her to me?"

Niruin shook his head. "No, but she had sought you out months ago, after Movarth's death." He furrowed his brow. "I take it you were the one to take his unlife?"

I nodded my head. "He was trying to make Morthal a cattle town, and was using a woman named Alva to charm and seduce the men there. She had only begun before I arrived." I crossed my arms and stared at the wall next to Niruin. "Why would she come after me? I left her alone, like I prom-" I stopped. Niruin gave me a sharp look.

"I trust Ma'Dat doesn't know of this little tidbit of info?" He grinned. His fangs showed clearly, now that we were in the privacy of my room. "Asta was Movarth's lover."

I gagged. "Oh! WHAT?! Oh GODS!" I clutched my stomach and dry heaved. "That's my little sister!"

Niruin raised an eyebrow. "How long ago was she turned, exactly?"

"Twenty years ago or so."

"How old was she when she was turned?"


"She was almost ten."

"Then she is about thirty years old."

"But she's a CHILD!"

Niruin shook his head. "The body stays the same, but the mind changes. That is vampirism."

"Can you help me or not?" I felt sick. "You've gotten information out of me, now you need to help me."

Niruin kept his face neutral. "There is the matter of payment to be discussed."

"Really? Here, take my money. All of it, I don't care." I pulled the coinpurse from my pocket and tossed it on my bed. "If that isn't enough for you, I'll gladly beat the answers out of you."

Niruin raised his eyebrows. "Ma'Dat wasn't kidding when he said you had a temper." He glanced at the small coinpurse I had tossed onto the bed. "I can tell you right off that that won't be enough, but I know how you can remedy that. There are a few caves to the northwest of here. All infested with bandits. If you allow me to accompany you, and allow me all of the loot, you can keep your money. This is in payment for the information and saving the children of the orphanage."

I balked. "All of it?" I furrowed my brow and nodded. "This is acceptable," I said. "When can we leave?"

"Tomorrow night," Niruin said. "There are no whisperings of her moving in on the orphanage. You may rest tonight, and tomorrow night we can set out and start on the caves." He crossed the room to the door. He looked back as he opened it. "I suggest you rest tonight. As well as you can. Gather supplies in the morning. Meet me outside the gates and I will show you where we will start." He closed the door behind him.

I stood by the bed with my arms crossed for a few moments. The noise outside was dulled by the door, and I was used to inns.

However, I wasn't used to dealing with thieves. I had made a trip to Riften once before, to marry Onmund. The thought of him made my heart ache, but I pushed the feeling down. I decided to take Niruin's advice and try to rest. I sat on the bed, leaning against the wall after turning the lamp low. I stayed in my armor, and kept my hand on Dawnbreaker's hilt. If Asta was nearby, then I would catch her.

=-=

I was woken up by a feeling that someone was in my room. I open my eyes and see a small figure crouched by my pack. It was pulling out my potion bottles and replacing them with similar ones.

"Asta!" I cried. She turned and looked at me, her face covered with a hood and a cloth over her mouth. I realized it wasn't Asta, as the skin wasn't pale and white, but grey. I leapt up and pinned the figure down before it could run and pulled the cloth mask off.

"Who are YOU?!" I demanded, confused. A small Dunmer girl, about the age of ten, glared at me angrily. She bared her fangs at me and kept silent.

I kept interrogating her. "What is your name? Where is Asta? Tell me what you know!"

She kept silent, her teeth still bared. I glanced at the bag of potions she had next to her.

"Why would-"

I was interrupted by a pain in my neck. The girl had latched herself to me, and I let out a yell of pain. She wrapped her legs around me, using her weight to pull me to the ground on top of her. I struggled to get her off by pushing, but to no avail. I crammed my fingers in her nostrils and yanked back, causing her to unlatch and cry out in pain. I leapt off of her and grabbed Dawnbreaker, flinging the sheath off and pointing the blade at her.

"I don't want to hurt you!" I said, my voice shaking. The wound on my neck was painful. She hadn't bit very deep, and it wasn't life-threatening. It still bled.

The girl barked a laugh and lunged at me. I dropped Dawnbreaker on the ground and punched the vampire child square in the cheek. She flew across the room and hit the table, landing on top of it.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

I turned around to see Talen-Jei behind me.

"Are you having a fit?" He hissed, the dark green spines on his head sticking up. His green scaled fists were clenched at his side, and his reptillian eyes bore into mine angrily. Keerava came up behind him.

"What happened in here?" She rasped. Both Argonians stared at my room and the wound on my neck in horror and anger. Talen-Jei's spines stood up higher wile Keerava narrowed her eyes and pulled her tan leathery lips into a snarl.

"If you are going to act like you're possessed by Sheogorath, you can just leave!" Keerava hissed angrily. I pointed to the table and looked at...nothing. The Dunmer vampire child was gone, the potion bottles scattered on the floor. Papers were strewn across the table, which had been pushed away from the wall. A candle, which had been resting on the table, was tipped over, the wax spilled and the flame out.

"I-I had a nightmare," I stammered. Talen-Jei's spines went down, and Keerava seems to relax. She blinked lazily at me.

"Try to calm down," she said, pulling Talen-Jei by the arm out the door. "And clean up before you leave. This is not my mess." She slammed the door, leaving me standing there, looking around wildly. The Dunmer girl did not appear again, and I did not sleep for the rest of the night.

I knew there was something off about Niruin. But wait....dies Ma'Dat know he's a vampire?

The dunmer vampire girl attack was scary! The worst part is....WHERE DID SHE GO?!

Kayla needs to drink a cure disease potion PRONTO!

Great chapter!

This chapter scared me... but in a good way! The vampire attack was oddly thrilling! Haha

I agree with KoB... Kayla needs to cure her disease FAST! Hehe

Hmm, I don't trust mister thief-but-totally-not bad-vampire. I mean, everyone is like "I don't want those kids on my lawn and they definitely ain't around here." But just turn around and Kayla finds journals and undead brats in groping in her bags with their filthy fingers. I mean, he said that she isn't going to make a move on the orphanage soon. How would he know?! The Dunmer twerp was there that night and most important of all, Kayla has been playing catchup all this time. The odds of her being ahead of Asta suddenly are slim to say the least.



And the deal with the potion-switcheroo makes a whole lot more sense than what I thought. (I thought the journals were infected. There was enough blood on them anyway.) I can just see it now. A few drops of blood in every bottle she chugs back in her quest for vengeance with no time to rest. (Sleep? That's what stamina potions are for!) And there is plenty of time to pull a switcheroo whenever she's busy flying off the handle at everyone.


Edit: Thinking on it further, the night-time visitor may have been part of a group assigned to permanently shadow Kayla instead of being the vanguard on the orphanage raid. But Kayla is still in Asta's footsteps. I don't believe the orphanage is as safe as Niruin wants her to believe. And what better time to strike than when the vampire hunter has oh so conveniently been sidetracked into killing bandits?

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Mar 9 2013, 07:49 PM

LOVE this! Also love your Niruin! He has some great lines!





Really loving this character you have given him!

The end of this chapter was freaky! Urk !!! I'd be very leary of drinking any of the potions in case they've been changed to poisons! GAAAAH!


*

Nice handling of Dirge. That went better than expected. Lol.

At the Inn- Getting some mouth punching ready! XD

Niruin is a hilarious character. However, he’s very much a mercenary. Do not trust him. Quite the charmer… hmm…

You're a thief, not a vampire.
Ahem…

If this Bosmer is being truthful… Morvarth is a sick bastard.

The child disappeared! Is she infected again? She'll need to buy new potions.

Oh...I liked Niruin... ...*Sigh*...Bloody vampires... ...

Oh well... ...

An excellent chapter...Loved it... ...

The Morvath/Asta thing reminds me of that Bradd Pitt/Kirsten Dunst thing from Interview With A Vampire...Still bleurgh though *Shudders*...

Aaamywho...Looking forward to Ma'Dat's rushing in to save the day!!...Booyah!!...Kicking in doors and taking heads!!...

Scary Dunmer girl ahoy!!... ...

Blimey, Kayla really needs to get a portable shrine doesn't she?...Or at least know how to brew a cure disease on her own... ...Yes, I remember the bit about the disease stopping the victims drinking...But still...

Good luck with the moving and stuff...Hope all goes well and that you return to the fiction world soon enough... ...

A Bonsamu! How cool!

I chuckle every time Kayla engages in fisticuffs, after all the mouth-punching talk.

I wonder if the disappearing diminutive dastardly Dunmer ankle neck biter is part of Asta’s crew?

Ooh what a thrilling chapter!

That Niruin gives me the creeps... most likely because he is a little bit too charming. Hey-ho, he managed to give Kayla some info...

Speaking of info, I can imagine how Kayla must have felt learning Asta was Morvaths lover! Creepy and disturbing... but BRILLIANT!

What a terrifying ending! I leave myself wondering who that girl was? A random encounter? Most likely one of Asta's army.

GREAT STUFF!

Now for the quotes I loved:



This whole exchange had me giggling. Kayla managed to warm Dirge down... an impressive feat



Haha!

Has no one ever talked to Dirge in the Thieves Guild quest?? I loved him! that's an in-game line lol

I would have predicted that Dirge would receive a mouth-punching!

Niruin is an interesting character. And Asta and Movarth. *shudder* But hey, vampires.

I'd feel better if Kayla would start every day by eating a few hawk feathers!

What do hawk feathers do?

Instantly cure diseases. They're rare, but in a pinch if you have any, you eat them and it cures all diseases.

I did NOT know this !!! AWESOME !!!!

Yeah, but feathers taste awful lmfao

I loved that chapter, especially the interaction between Niruin and Kayla; one hell of a tenuous 'enemy of my enemy' scenario at the best of times, and the tension of that scene it was absolutely brilliant. I loved the way you portrayed the effects of the Masque of Clavicus Vile on Kayla (is that the thing that makes vampires look normal? I know it's the name of that mask but I'm pretty sure that Herr Vile is also involved in making vampires look normal too), and the mentions of his teeth being normal and then not normal and then normal again was an excellent touch.

And then a Dunmeri kiddy assassin/infector as well! Must be one of the agents Asta sent, but it leaves me wondering whether Niruin sent her or if somebody else did.

Love the mystery and tension you're building here, and I can't wait to read more!

No mask! The Bosmer Bonsamu clan cannot be detected as vampires except when in candlelight. He cast a charm spell on her in the inn, and distracted her from hos teeth. I'm writing this on my phone and shivering, so please excuse any spelling mistakes, lol

Oh, OK. Hmm, didn't know that.

AND YOUR SPELLING MISTAKES ARE UNACCEPTABLE!! I AM OUTRAGED!!!