Oasis 2, Free from Destiny. Options

[jack cloudy]

Here is the link to: Jack Cloudy's Other Stories


Ok, I've got to be crazy. Starting a third one before finishing the last two? Yeah, definitely crazy. More crazy than Tarhiel, Curio and M'Aiq combined. Ah well, I guess I can't be stopped. (Note to self: Make an Agent update tonight.)





Oasis 2: Free from Destiny.

The task I’d been sent to do had been finished. No, I hadn’t just been sent to do this, I’d been made for it in a quite literal way. Yes, that task was the only reason for my existence. Now that I’d completed it, what was left?

Anyone in my position would probably try to retire and live the remainder of his or her life at peace, preferably with the comfort of nearby friends. I had friends and I could retire easily enough. During the course of my life, I’d amassed a large amount of wealth, including a house big enough to accommodate a whole village. In fact, my house was a village. Then why did I leave? Why was I walking here at this moment, so far away from civilization?

The truth was, I couldn’t. I hadn’t realized at the time, but the reason why I fought was because my friends needed me as much as I needed them. I’d fought to protect them, to keep them near. Yet what should have been my moment of everlasting glory was my moment of defeat. I could no longer see those I considered friends. It would undo everything I’d done.

The sun began to sunk beneath the horizon and I sat down next to the nearest shrub. A small wisp of fire, and I had created a small circle of light to keep me company. The fire was bad company if it was the soul that required comfort instead of the body. Nothing opposed my train of thought. I relived the last moment, the moment it all became clear.

I stood on the slopes of a mountain. Beneath me, several tents had been placed in the ashcovered ground. People milled about like ants. Banners flapped in the gentle breeze. A smile crept across my face. These were the people of Vvardenfell, my people. Most were unknown faces to me but that didn’t matter. In the end, they were all a part of the island. And I would be their hero. Society had been at the brink of collapse but now, everything would be fine. The Houses had united, the Ashlanders received the respect they deserved. The time of politics and struggles for power had ended. There was nothing left to fight over. And I would be right in the middle of it all, basking in glory, everyone would call me their greatest hero. Like a child’s dream come true.

The smile vanished. It would not be fine. There was still something for them to fight over. Ironic as it might seem, that something was me. To win the favour of the land’s champion, the Houses would return to their internal strife, bloodier than before. Those around me would be the victim of it all, as they would be pulled into this conflict. Politics was a plague, hard to control. There was only one thing I could do to prevent this from happening. I would have to leave, vanish into myth.

And leave I did. I never even took the chance to properly say goodbye. I couldn’t say goodbye. If I tried, I would end up staying and make my nightmare into reality. It was a bit of an anti-climax. Whenever I thought about what would come after defeating my enemy, the only things I saw were scenes of fame, glory and perhaps even a bit of worship. I couldn’t let any of that happen though. It would be as destructive as having let him have his way.

Perhaps this is how the guy who killed Jagar Tharn felt after he’d claimed victory in the Imperial palace. He too left right after his greatest moment. To this very day, no one knows his name, or his race, or even his gender. I say guy, but it could have been a woman for all I know. I’ve heard a few stories, but they’re quite conflicting. Some talk about a Redguard pirate, some about an Imperial Battlemage much like Tharn himself, yet others about a scarred Orc or your stereotypical knight in shining armour. Then there are those who take it into the extremes, saying that this nameless champion was none other than Tiber Septim himself or Akatosh or a spirit of death or even a Goblin, though I seriously consider that last one a joke. Well I knew one thing for certain, Akatosh was not involved there. Because Akatosh, that’s me.

Whatever is the case, the champion vanished and I was about to follow his or her example. Where would I go? If I had taken the time to think, I would have concluded that leaving Tamriel entirely would have been best. The legendary continent of Akavir would be a great place for a fallen hero to hide. But I decided otherwise. Instead of going east to Akavir, I would go west, to the place where I was born, all the way on the other side of Tamriel. Despite my achievements, which happened to include the killing of a supposedly immortal being, my fame was still only local.

Hammerfell would be the perfect place to make a living. There, no one would care about Luper Alkad, Nerevarine, the godslayer. There I would be just another Redguard, albeit one who was in possession of several unique artefacts. Yes, Hammerfell would be perfect. But how to get there? Vvardenfell had been saved of the Blight, a horrible disease that turned everything it touched into a raving monster. There was the Corprus which was even worse but likewise, its threat had ended. Despite that, the island was still strictly quarantined. No one could enter or leave, at least not through legal channels.

I knew that there were plenty of smugglers and pirates. I could try to make contact with them, see if they were willing to transport me. While the idea appealed to me at first, I soon changed my mind. So far, the smugglers I met here were a lot more aggressive than the bunch that had raised me. I was unlikely to get a single word out of my mouth before I was parrying daggers, clubs and whatever they were using to kill people. No smugglers wouldn’t help.

I went through a few more ideas. I was too well-known among the mages and the independent ones were usually Necromancers who would rather have me as their next test subject than give me a quick teleport to the mainland. Buying, building or stealing a ship wouldn’t work. For one thing, ships weren’t for sale here and I would be hunted by the coast guard. Waterwalking might work, but I had no real idea of just how far it was to the mainland. It would be rather embarrassing to run out of Magicka and get devoured by Slaughterfish and Dreugh. In the end, I knew of only one organization that could give me a quick and secret way to the mainland. The Blades, the spy service of the Emperor himself.

I waited till dawn before continuing my trip across the island. I took my time because this would likely be the last time I would see Vvardenfell, the island that had become my home. There was a silent beauty in the Ashlands, now that the dreaded storms which plagued this region had fled. The transition from dry ash to a swamp teeming with life was quite sudden, only a single mountainous ridge between them. Like everything I saw, it brought back memories. Memories of fighting against slavery, getting my leg cracked by a Mudcrab. It had been less than two years, yet it felt like eternity separated Luper Alkad, the badmouthed prisoner who was all bark and no bite, from Luper Alkad, the badmouthed hero who is even more bite than he is bark.

I walked up to the nearest Mudcrab and placed a single hand underneath its shell. With a simple flip of the wrist, I threw it upside down and sent it sliding down a hill. It was a feat of incredible strength I wouldn’t even dare dream about in those early days. I’d definitely changed, beyond recognition. The everburning flame of the Lighthouse told me I was nearing my destination. Seyda Neen, where my journey began and where now a new journey would begin.

[jack cloudy]

Don't worry, Planty. I was hoping that Luper's intentions weren't all clear in that update. You're not Oblivious at all.

And about him being devious, yeah, he did change to the more thinking type. At the start of the story, he simply bashed his way through any trouble that appeared, generally with little dificulty. But now he's actually trying to manipulate rather than intimidate. Ok, so he still intimidates people, it's simply no longer his sole means of persuasion.

Oh, and one last thing for the readers. Is what Luper does in this update convincing enough?


This time around, the guards at the castle just scowled at me, sneered, crossed their halberds for a moment and then allowed me to pass without a word. Same thing in the halls. One day, and I had already become a regular. It probably had something to do with the fact that the lord didn’t ask for my head on a spear last time around. The guys with the basket where there again as well and I dropped my sword in it with little hesitation. I would get it back later and what I was going to do wouldn’t involve any form of violence, I hoped.
,,Oy, you might want to clean it while you’re at it. It got a bit wet.” I snickered and entered the throne room itself where I just marched right to the other side.

This time, there was no staring contest between us. Instead, the lord merely gazed in my general direction.
,,And what brings you here? I believe I gave you a mission. It would be most surprising if you had achieved it, even moreso if you would have achieved it this soon. Not even my best spies could do that, and they are Chimer, not man.” I rolled my eyes openly. Again with the racism. Did the guy ever bother to think that having your spy be a member of the race your enemy is actually at war with, does not make the job easier? The guards at the door came running in.
,,Halt! You are under arrest on the charge of murder!” One of them shouted. I smirked and jabbed a thumb in their direction.
,,Well, I merely came here to say…I caught a spy.”

The lord held up his hand and I could hear the guards behind me skid to a halt.
,,A spy? Hmmph, I find that hard to believe. There are no spies in this city, except those who are on my payroll.” He claimed. I looked over my shoulder to see what the guards had been doing. The one on the left was holding up my sword, out of its sheath. The dried blood still glistened a bit on the Ebony. Good.

I shrugged as I turned back to the lord.
,,Well, I’m sorry but I guess that means he never thought of telling you he worked for the enemy.” I said dryly. I dropped a hand into my pocket which made everyone in the room tense up. I brought up the brass key and flicked it onto the lord’s lap after which everyone relaxed slightly. Hah, as if an assassin would ever openly walk up to a noble. The only time that would happen was if the assassin was so good, no number of guards could possibly pose a threat. Which was pretty much the current situation, only I was not an assassin.

,,Almalexia’s plaza, southeast-23. Feel free to send a few Ordies over there.” One of the guards behind me just had to whisper: ,,Ordies? Must be some kind of Redguard title”
,,Silence!” The lord shouted. He then carefully picked up the key between two fingers and dropped it in the hands of his advisor who in turn gave it to a servant who in turn gave it to another servant who in turn scooted out of the room.
,,I know Almalexia’s plaza. It is a place inhabited by the common folk, yet all are Chimer. There could never have been a spy there.” He said venomously. Again I shrugged.
,,Perhaps I used the wrong term. I didn’t quite mean spy, cause the guy was obviously an amateur. Nah, traitor is a better word.”

,,CHIMER ARE NEVER TRAITORS! NEVER, IMPOSSIBLE!” The lord howled. I was actually surprised by this outburst.
,,Wow, this religion of ‘all serving under the great living gods, forget ambition, follow the three bozo’s who are addicted to a slimy heart’ really must have brainwashed them. Does he really think none of his people ever try to make career? Or does he believe that such things are limited to the nobles?” I thought.
,,Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re serious about this. Everyone turns traitor at some point. It’s just that some forms of betrayal are worse than forgetting to do groceries for mom as promised. Can you claim with a pure heart and on the honour of ALMSIVI, that you have never betrayed someone?” I asked. The lord fell dreadfully silent.
,,What did you say?” He asked after a long pause. I almost slapped myself.
,,By the honour of ALMNEVI, can you swear you never betrayed anyone, dude?” I answered. Whoa, that had been close. I’d actually used ALMSIVI instead of its current form.

The advisor chose to interrupt the conversation.
,,You will call our lord ‘Your Grace’, or ‘Your Highness’, or ‘Your Lordship’, or simply ‘Duke’. You will not however, refer to him as ‘Dude’. Also, your manners are sorely lacking. I advise you to improve on these points lest his Lordship shall strip you of the honour of serving him.” He warned. I dismissed the advice with a casual wave of my hand.
,,Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks for the tip, but no thanks. I’m going to call the pointy-eared fellow whatever I like. Because it is me who decides when to end this relationship between us. If he fires me because he feels insulted…” I shrugged. ,,then he fires me. I’ll simply go find someone else who is willing for quality without letting his need to have his ego satisfied get in the way. That’s the way things are. I’m in charge, not the other way around.”

When the Duke spoke again, his voice was icy-cold, but all business.
,,I will consider your claims, if you present me with some proof.” He declared. I cleared my throat. The intimidation had been easy, but now would come the tough part. Now I actually had to convince everyone of a clean lie.
,,First of all, the story begins at the tavern I’d been sent to. The suspect, together with some accomplices, attempted to assassinate me, both under the guise of a bar brawl and as a regular assassination later that night. I suggest you find a new rendez-vous point for your associates. Anyway, I disarmed them and sent them away, blaming their actions on simple racism. That, however, ended when I found this. It was in the pocket of a vest one of my assailants was forced to give up when I pinned it to the wall. It is also where I got the key from as well.” Again I dug my hands into my pockets, but this time I didn’t fish out a key. No, I fished out a coin which I threw at the lord.

,,Please take note the fact that this coin is not a member of the local currency. Observe the engraving on the coin’s sides, or rather, the missing engraving. It has been filed away, most likely to avoid easy identification.” I began and watched with hidden amusement as the Duke followed my directions without realizing he’d actually pushed himself into the role of inferior already. Telvanni attitude, no matter what the time-period, it gets the job done of making you look like the big man in town.
,,Most interesting is the creature engraved on one side. That is a Dragon, which you surely recognize as the symbol of the Empire.” I continued and waited while the Advisor took the coin and examined it himself. It was a regular third era Septim, with some annoying details filed away, such as the date it was made and the name of Uriel Septim.

,,I see. This is interesting, but it does not prove that the suspect was, indeed, a traitor. Perhaps it was a trophy claimed from a vanquished foe on the battlefield.” The Duke said slowly. I nodded. I’d been expecting this response.
,,That is what I assumed myself at first, so I went to investigate. The address on the key made it easy. Anyway, I came into his house and tried to interrogate him. Instead though, he attacked me and I was forced to run him through. Anyway, I gave his house a quick search and found a chest filled with moonsugar and alcohol, with signs that he used these goods regularly. That, combined with how clumsy he acted throughout all three of our encounters, I feel it safe to conclude that he was simply in no condition to fight anywhere, least of all on the battlefield. He would not even pass the medical examination. Being a lumberjack stretched his abilities to the limit, I’d say. He also lacked the money to buy it off of a veteran. If what I’ve seen is any indication, trophies like these are prized possessions of those who have acquired them.” I replied.

I now took out the map, my final ace.
,,Among the drugs and alcoholic beverages, I found this.” I unfolded the map and pointed out the crosses on it.
,,At first glance, it appears to be a simple map with markings to indicate places where good lumber can be found or where the wood has already been claimed, either of these two. But look at these here.” I tapped a finger at the group of crosses I’d put next to the Pryai.
,,All nice and stuff, but why would a lumberjack travel this far to chop down a tree? This place is a good day’s march away. Maybe he’s been there once or twice, but not with the intention of taking down a tree and bringing wood back home with him the next day. For work it is completely inefficient. Using three days to bring back one load of wood, one day for travelling, one for chopping and another one for travelling, is simply stupid compared to how easy it is to get three loads of wood in the same timespan by sticking to the other marked locations close to Mournhold.” I folded up the map and handed it over as well.

,,So in short, our suspect carried a coin he should not be able to possess, he attacked someone who made use of your ‘rendez-vous point’, he holds a map that has some markings he should not have placed. And so, I believe he is not working for the best interests of the Chimer people. The marks near this river…the Pryai, may instead indicate a rendez-vous with Imperial agents. It is just short of Resdayn’s borders. That, or it may indicate a path of approach for the Imperial army. Following the Pryai, Imperial troops could circumvent all fortifications and march right up to Mournhold. Only the local landmarks, such as the swamp, will impede their progress. Give them a squad of Battlemages though, and they’ll walk over the mud as if it’s a tiled street.” I finished. I’d played my bluff, now I would just have to see if they fell for it.

[blockhead]

Oh, and one last thing for the readers. Is what Luper does in this update convincing enough?

Welllll ... this bit might be a bit impluasible:

,,Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks for the tip, but no thanks. I’m going to call the pointy-eared fellow whatever I like. Because it is me who decides when to end this relationship between us. If he fires me because he feels insulted…” I shrugged. ,,then he fires me. I’ll simply go find someone else who is willing for quality without letting his need to have his ego satisfied get in the way. That’s the way things are. I’m in charge, not the other way around.”

I expect that halfway though that speech, a shout of "off with his head" or some such would have occurred.

One other thing: never sheath a sword with blood still on it. You may not be able to ever get it out of the sheath again once it dries. I don't recall if Luper had acquired a sheath along with that weapon or not. On the other hand, I am not sure if scimitars fit in sheaths. A curved blade like that may make it un-sheath-able?