So here it is......the latest update...Enjoy!

Shulki Ashunbabi turned out to be very good company during those days we spent together; she was amusing, cheerful, and generous. I stayed in her hut, a cave dwelling in the outskirts of Gnisis. Well in fact it actually was her sister’s cave. Her sister Assumanu Mantiti was an egg miner and worked in Gnisis Egg mine, as her late husband had done before his unfortunate death. Bralyn Mantiti died from pneumonia due to the unhealthy environment in the cave combined with weak lungs. He caught a severe cold the previous winter and did not treat it properly, so it developed into pneumonia in both lungs and that ended his life in three short days. After that Assumanu asked her sister to come and live with her, to make the loss easier to bear.

Before moving in with her sister Shulki lived at a very small house outside Gnisis where she had her workshop- making pottery, straw-baskets and different potions out of local herbs and plants. She was a skilled alchemist as well as a pottery maker, no doubt; her teacher turned out to be the famous Baladas Demnevanni, the eccentric Telvanni-Wizard and mage, well known throughout Tamriel.

Shulki´s idea about how we should fulfil the task about finding evidence that the Talos Cult really was planning some plot against the Emperor began with.....Baladas Demnevanni! Since he was her teacher she was convinced that he would help us or at least give us some good advice.

It turned out that he did a lot more than that.......at least for me that was!

Shulki and I went to Arvs Drelen, the Velothi tower in the north-west part of the town, where Baladas had his residence. We found our way through the narrow corridors until we reached the large room in the middle of the building. On entering that room I nearly fainted with fear; a huge beast stood there yawning at us showing off a neat collection of razor-sharp teeth. It was a Daedroth, Shulki told me and it was complete tame, it just attacked on request from Baladas. Now I did not know that from the start so naturally I yelped and nearly passed out.

“Come, come, Tulsie,” Shulki called to the creature, “You know Shulki, don’t you, now this is my friend, Serene, and we’re here to see The Master, so everything is all right, you go and eat your fodder huh?”

The Daedroth hissed a couple of times, waved its big head, still displaying the teeth and then shambled away to its bowl.

“There, Serene,” she smiled at me, “Let’s go up to uncle Baladas now, shall we?”

We went up a curved stair to the upper level of the room and thus met the man who was feared and respected by mages throughout a whole continent. He was rather tall, and his iron-grey hair was drawn back from a high brow in a low set ponytail. His red Dunmerii eyes showed that he’d seen perhaps more than he wanted to see of this world. He was wearing an expensive-looking robe in blue and turquoise and smiled at Shulki as she approached him with outstretched hands.

“Shulki, my child,” he said in a dark but low voice, “What brings a lovely girl like you to visit an old bugger? And who may your Cyrodiilic companion be then?” Baladas Demnevanni looked straight into my eyes, and I felt a bit shaky, first the encounter with the Daedroth, and then with this old Dunmer whose appearance merged power and a great wisdom.
“Ah uncle, this is my friend Serene Catraso, she is one of us and......” Shulki was silenced by a gesture of Master Demnevanni´s hand.

“Shush child, you always talk before you think.” Master Demnevanni still looked at me with a thoughtful gaze.

“Extraordinary eyes,” he muttered and gave me his hand, “Welcome, Serene,“ he then continued, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.....I assume you have some magical skills, am I right?”

I swallowed and nodded, cleared my throat and said;

“Thank you Master Demnevanni, and yes I do have some minor healing-skills.”

Baladas Demnevanni smiled at me and commented that humbleness was a virtue. Then he bade us sit down and snapped his finger twice, which resulted in the appearance of a young dark-haired Dunmer clad in a pale green robe whirling around his ankles. He bowed to Master Demnevanni;

“You called for me, Master?”

“Yes Fervas, could you please bring us some tea, if you would be so kind,” Master Demnevanni said to the young man, who immediately bowed deeply and went off.

I was astonished yet very pleased to hear the wizard treat his staff in such a nice and polite manner. It proved to me that Baladas Demnevanni was a great man in spirit and I felt better than I had for a long time. My experiences of men had not been that good lately....

“So ladies,” he leaned back and crossed his arms to his chest, ”what exactly is your errand?”

Shulki told him of our task with the Talos Cult, in a vivid speech seasoned with extensive gestures. Baladas listened carefully, and inserted some leading questions now and then. After she finished he just sat quiet for a while looking out in the air thinking.

“What is your plan to solve this quest?” he finally said.

“I am going to bring Serene with me at the regular dancing-show that I perform every Loredas evening at The Barracks in Gnisis, in that way she has the opportunity of getting acquainted with Arius Rulician, the guardian of the Talos shrine.....and then....”

Once again Shulki was silenced by a gesture from Baladas, “I do understand child,” he answered, “but I doubt Serene will be very happy to serve as decoy, considering...” He stopped talking and looked me sternly in the eyes. I started shiver.....I had a feeling that somehow this man could see right through me, read my mind.....somehow he actually knew what I’d been through. That was a stunning experience and I didn’t know how to handle it.

“Now then, if I may advise you ladies, this can be done as follows,” He put his fingertips together and outlined the plan;

“First we have to make sure this man Rulician really is charmed by Serene; to ensure that I think a special potion will make a great contribution.” He smiled at us and continued;

“Naturally I have just the potion you need in my cupboard.” He winked outrageously and again I felt better; here was a man of power who did not take himself too seriously. “Then we also must ensure that all the officers are deeply asleep when you ladies perform the delicate task of searching the Talos shrine for any evidence that may please your employer.”

Baladas Demnevanni rose from the chair and went to his cupboard. From it he took out three vials of different colours and sizes.

“This one,” he showed the red one,” Is a potion that enhances your natural pheromones, so you become irresistible to the male of the species; now that doesn’t only work for human males but also for all kinds of males, so take care, Serene,” he noted with a faint smile.

“Now this one,” now he showed the large blue one,” Will render a very deep sleep to anyone who drinks it, so take care whose drink you put it in.”

“The last one, Serene,” he continued, “ Is a potion that makes the user very scared because it makes the urine clear-blue, and besides that, the user has to stay very near a toilet, due to the pain in his stomach. I think you may have use for it.”

With those words he handed me the vials and looked straight into my eyes.

“Amethyst colour they are .......those eyes of yours, extraordinary, and very rare. You must be the woman in my dreams, who shall .....”

I shrugged, how come this man knew so much?

“Does he really know who I am and why I´m here?” I thought, looking back at him, concentrating on his wise eyes and impressive features.

“Yes Serene, I do know,” he said in a low voice, “But we will not talk about that now.”

I jumped, gasping for breath; this was unbelievable, he could actually read my thoughts; now I’d never be on my own again, I thought.

After receiving the potions we made our way back to Shulki´s place and started planning the details for this mission.

I reckoned I at first had to have suitable clothes........which were easily found in Shulki´s own wardrobe.

My outfit for Loredas was indeed very fancy, it consisted of a pair of black-dyed short leather trousers, a black leather bra and a thin ice-blue see-through veil to wrap around me or just let swirl as I was dancing. I felt awfully naked wearing this outfit and then to wear it in front of Imperial soldiers nearly paralysed me with fear....... Oddly enough, what comforted me was the memory of a pair of deep red eyes, the eyes of Baladas Demnevanni, looking deeply into my own.

Sweet!!! I bet you the potion is for Larrius...and do we get a picture of serene in her dancer costume?

You'd like that wouldn't ya...

Very nioce update.

nice update Minque

as always very good minque, it was a very interesting chapter, but in a good way, baladas, seems to show up in a lot of fics

I liked the scene with Baladas and his mind-reading. It's good to see him helping Serene and hinting that he's in on the bigger plot, too. Great detail about the Daedroth and Shulki's handling of it.

Hehe....let´s say...I´m working on it!!!

And thanks for all feedback.....

Very nice update, surprised I hadn't caught it sooner...interesting what will happen next...looking forward to the next update.

Love your portrayal of Baladas. As always, you add the little details that make the story stand out- the Daedroth, Baladas' commanding manner, etc. Wonderful update.

Besides appropriate clothing I also had to learn how to dance the way Shulki danced for the soldiers. It turned out to be rather simple as the legionnaires were not very familiar with the more formal dances common to banquets or divine ceremonies, where dancing normally takes place.

The thing was to fulfil their dreams, in such a way that they should imagine they could conquer us, take us as trophies, surrogates for their wives and fiancées, all in a subtle imaginary way of course.......They were strongly forbidden to even touch us, unless they were willing to suffer a major punishment. All theses rules were set by General Darius himself, even though I strongly doubted he followed them by the book, remembering his dirty looks at me the first time we met, about 6 months ago.

Anyway we just had to act seductive and move our bodies in accordance to suggestive music, played on a fat Lute by a crippled young Redguard.

I must admit I did not feel very comfortable after Shulki had told me all that, but I was deeply involved by now and determined to go along with what was asked from me. Although I did not fully realize it at the time, I see now that following orders and being the best was a form of penance and redemption. I wanted to prove that I deserved the name and family I had been forced to leave behind.

The first Loredas evening as we made our way to the Barracks, the rain was pouring down just to add to my bad feelings. We were greeted at the doorway by a young legionnaire on duty, who also took care of our cloaks, hopefully to hang them somewhere they would dry up a bit.

The upper level of the Barracks was rather small, just a hall, with some tables and chairs, but the lower level contained, besides the beds of the legionnaires, 2 large rooms, one for the Camp Prefect, Optio Bologra, a harsh but righteous Orc, and one big combined dining- and living room. It was in this room our performance was to be held. Every Loredas evening they set up a small bar and one of the employees at Madach Trade house brought the drinks which he sold to the legionnaires at very reasonable prices. Extra income for the Trade house and a benefit for the garrison so to say, since the bar at the Trade house also was open to the public. Sadly, it was often necessary to restrict the legionnaires’ contact with civilians, particularly when the soldiers had been drinking. Some ugly incidents had taken place in the past, so Darius set up these Loredas banquets as an alternative.

Even though it was rather warm inside the Barracks I was shivering, though I hoped my nervousness would not be that obvious to the soldiers; otherwise they might be suspicious.

We were showed downstairs into the dining room where we were offered some Cyrodiilic Brandy. I was somewhat astonished; I didn’t think the garrison could afford such quality beverages, but then I realised it must have ended up here as a result of some business in the dark. Apparently Caius Cosades back in Balmora was right when he spoke about corruption in The Legion. But I had not the time to worry about the origin of the beverages of the garrison in Gnisis; there were other issues at hand right at the moment that would require my entire concentration.

As we sat sipping our Brandy at a small table in a corner, the legionnaires were swarming the room, filling it with harsh laughter and rough comments on what they’d expect from our performance.

A chill went down my spine along with a trickle of cold sweat; I found it somewhat hard to breathe and had to go inside my mind and recall Baladas Demnevanni´s looks at me when he told me he knew why I was in Vvardenfell in the first place. That calmed me down a bit.

Too soon the time came when Shulki and I was supposed to entertain the legionnaires. I saw her cheer up as a rather good-looking Cyrodiilic man entered the room and understood that he had to be Oritius Maro.....her “boyfriend”. He brought another young Cyrodiil with him, a fairly young man in his early twenties I’d say, who at first seemed very shy but when he spotted me his eyes brightened and he just stared at me. That made me feel a bit uneasy at first, but the way he looked at me was more the way a young man away from home admires a pretty girl, so I almost blushed. After my terrible experiences at the hands of legionnaires, it was refreshing to have a young man look at me in such a sweet, innocent way. At the same time, it made me sad, as I wondered how long that innocence would last with such corrupt influences all around. As it turned out, I was right to wonder…

Oritius Maro hugged Shulki warmly and asked her who her companion was.

“This is Serene,” Shulki announced loudly, “She’s to accompany me in the dancing...just to entertain you guys more!”

A loud murmur of approval came from the men sitting at the tables, and they started to clap their hands.

“So gals, get yerselves up on them tables will ya`, and start dancin.´”

Two minor tables were at our disposal, right in the middle of the room they were put, so that everybody could watch us. We were supposed to dance upon those. I checked the tables briefly to ensure they would not break or turn over; I didn’t want to fall down on the floor whilst dancing.

In the other corner the young redguard was sitting with his Lute, tentatively trying out some chords. He had no legs, just short stumps where they were supposed to be and I wondered what had happened to him but chose not to ask.....not now anyway.

The next hour was an orgy of sweat, heat, smoky atmosphere and noise....I moved my body like I never had done before, without thinking of what I really was doing. A quick glance at Shulki revealed a very attractive woman, sweat streaming down her body making her skin glow like raw ebony, hair red and wild whirling around her face, dancing with seductive moves on the small table.....Then I noticed the lustful looks of the men watching us, which caught me right in my stomach.

I did not dare to look at the men, but concentrated on my own moves. It must have been obvious that I had not done a thing like this before, but still the audience shouted with excitement. I wondered what would happen when we finished dancing though........

After one and a half hours of dancing we were allowed to take a break. My legs trembled with exhaustion as I climbed off the table; my entire body was wet from sweat, and I was panting heavily. We got some cold comberry-juice and more brandy. I was not sure I wanted more alcohol; I needed to be alert and not end up in some kind of trouble, considering my previous encounters with imperial soldiers....

Now rules are rules, so we were not to be abused, hopefully, but we had to do a second performance, and also change outfits!

Shulki knew that and thus she had brought some extra clothing with her. I was almost terrified when I saw what she had in mind for me to wear;, never would I show myself in an outfit like that, not in front of unknown men that was, I’d rather give the whole thing up........

YAY!!! nie update Minque keep yup the good work!

Nice update...exactly what soul said.

The fear and hesitation are portrayed really well. The reader gets a clear picture of how frightening it is for Serene to dance in front of the leering men.

You know, one of the things that makes your writing stand out is the fact that every character has a story- and you make us wonder what those stories are. As always, a wonderful update.

I missed an update!?!?!

I will get you back, school, for all those years of my life you stole, and continue to steal! *shakes fist*

Good job, as always minque.

Very nice Minque, the fear and lack of confidence in doing this sort of thing is well described and understandable. It's easy to imagine the frustration Serene is going through in all of this. Wonder what will happen next...update soon.

wow don't know why but that sounded so cool to me...


please post again soon Minque!

Have missed a few FF updates on this forum so decided to.. try to catch up (its so many) so I'll start here Minque!

Well, its been some time since I've read your story, did some fast read over right now and it looks very good as always. Always something new and exiting without filling it fights, and you always write wonderful with descriptions and everything else as I most have said several times now in my replies..

Keep it up!

Of course I couldn’t give it up; I repressed my fears and changed clothes. This second outfit really was something quite special, it looked like armour on the upper part but below the waist it really was just two pieces of thin transparent cloth, one in the front and one at the back, hanging from an embroidered belt. Underneath, I had nothing....

As I sat in the small room waiting for Shulki to get ready, Azura paid a visit to me....

“Serene, Serene, fear not, no harm will be done to you. You must fulfil this task, it is prophesied......I shall watch over you”

“Serene...heey, wake up, are you OK?”

Shulki shook my shoulder and I opened my eyes looking up finding myself flat on the floor; I had no idea how I ended up there, I just remembered the swirling fog just before I heard Azura´s voice.

“Yes, I´m OK,” I answered Shulki, rising to my feet. I had to wipe my face and armpits from sweat and sit down for a while to compose myself.

“Now what was all that about?” Shulki asked, “Are you ill or something? You just turned your eyes in-and-out, then you just fell off the chair....I hope you didn’t hurt yourself!”

I told her I was OK and then I had to tell her a bit about my relationship with the divine Azura. Shulki looked at me and shook her head.

“There is something about you Serene, I don’t know what, but Master Demnevanni noticed, he surely did.....”

Anyway it was now about time we made our last performance for the evening; we could hear the rumbling of the soldiers eagerly waiting for their entertainment.

This session I performed with no fear, due to Azura´s reassurance and also to the image in my head; two calm wise eyes of an old wizard......”I know why you are here.”

After a couple of minutes I felt as if I were out of my body, swaying above the scene, watching two women, one dark and one fair, dancing in intricate patterns, their dresses swirling around them, the light of the torches reflecting on their sweat-glistening bodies....And the music.....it filled the room with seductive temptatious tones....

Then it stopped......the room was silent for about 2 seconds before the men started applauding and shouting for more...

Shulki and I stood panting on the “stage” ....holding each other’s hands; we both knew it had been a good performance, and all we could wish for now was that the rest would be as successful.

A tall sturdy legionnaire approached us; I recognized him as Oritius Maro, Shulki´s “friend”, and together with him was that other young man who watched me during our first dancing session. Oritius introduced him as Arius Rulician, and then asked if we would like to take a drink with him and Arius.

“We’d like to change clothes first,” Shulki stated, but Oritius shook his head,

“I´m afraid there is no time for that, the bar will close in half an hour so please follow me, ladies.”

Oritius walked to the bar followed by Shulki, Arius and me. Arius couldn’t take his eyes off me and I was beginning to think the attraction-perfume that Master Demnevanni gave me was not going to be needed, which was fortunate, because I had not put it on before our performance and now there would probably be no chance to do it.

We sat down at a table and Oritius brought the drinks, the best brandy the Madach Trade house could get hold of. Arius looked at me, blushing, and then he said:

“Oh...well...if I may ask....Miss Serene maybe you wish for something cold to drink after a performance like this”...he blushed again, then went to the bar and got a glass cold comberry-juice as well as a towel which he offered me to wipe the sweat off my face and chest.

I found that gesture very sweet and felt bad that I was to take advantage of him in order to complete my investigation. Anyway I thanked Arius for his kindness and downed the refreshment immediately. We had quite a nice evening and Arius asked if he could see me again, maybe as early as Morndas; he had the afternoon off and suggested a picnic in the mountains outside Gnisis. I agreed to meet him, and after that it was time to get going so Shulki and I bade the legionnaires good night and went to change clothes before going back home. Accepting his invitation was difficult- he seemed like a nice young man and all, but I was here on a mission, not for fun. Still, if there really was a plot against the Emperor, that was more important than some hurt feelings…. Remembering my purpose didn’t really make me feel any better, but it did give me the determination to continue.

I slept like a log that night; a lot of exercise, drinks and tension made me literally collapse in bed. The next day we got up late, had breakfast and just spent the day relaxing. We made a trip to the shore; I was kind of eager to take a swim......that could have ended badly if Shulki hadn’t been so skilled with her dagger.....

I really enjoyed slipping into the chilly water, and let myself float away, when suddenly a sharp pain in my back made me scream out loud. I quickly turned around just to face a large slaughterfish headed right towards me, mouth wide open displaying a set of really big teeth. I started swimming, screaming in agony; I knew about those monsters, how could I be that stupid not to make sure there weren’t any where I planned to take my bath.

The fish caught me once more before I caught a glimpse of something swooshing just beside my head......the water then went red with blood and I just hoped it wasn’t mine. I threw myself up on the rocky shore, bleeding from a wound on my lower back and one on my left calf. Shulki came rushing up, asking me if I was OK...

“By Nirn, Serene,” she gasped, “That was a close one, but I think I got him, let’s see.”

Shulki went to the shoreline looking out on the water. Then she waded out and grasped for something under the surface, which turned out to be the huge fish....with her silver dagger deeply buried in its neck. She lifted the monster above her head and laughed;

“Hey, Serene, we’ve got our lunch organised! Slaughterfish is delicious!”

I laughed with her, but my laugh turned into a grimace when I examined my wounds; a deep cut in my calf and another one in the back, both bleeding rather severely. I felt dizzy and had to lie down for a bit......

The next time I opened my eyes I was lying in on my bedroll at Shulki´s cavern, feeling rather comfortable, warm and fuzzy. I was in no pain at all, just hungry.....very hungry, especially when I smelled the fish-stew that was cooking on the fire. Shulki had just entered with a basket filled with bread and some brown bottles.

“Hey, sweetie, you OK now?” Shulki kneeled beside me, gently tapping my hand, but there was someone accompanying her.....someone in a blue and turquoise robe.......

yay for updates!