Redemption., Cause being evil sucks. Options

[jack cloudy]

Ok, another start. I was going to hold off on this one for a few months but the point is, if I don't switch my focus around regularly, I'll go nuts. And letting it rot on my harddisk feels like a waste. I'm also a bit worried for spoilers regarding my other stories but hey, this might actually serve to keep my interest in other stories fresh. A spoiler here leads me to ask myself 'then how did it exactly happen?'.

So umm, yeah. Let's get going.

part 2

Redemption

Chapter 1: End of the wait.

Drip….drip…..drip. Cold water dripped down between the bars and along the rough stone. The crackle of thunder roared through the chamber, the flash of lightning erased the darkness for a brief moment.
,,Bloody bad weather today.” The Dunmer who inhabited the cell mumbled. He glanced at the cell opposite his and sneered. He then walked up to the bars and gripped them with his hands.
,,I said, bad weather today.” He repeated. For a few seconds, he waited. Then he scoffed and walked to the dirty rag that was his bed.
,,Not very talkative today, are we? Well, I envy you. All that water coming in through that peekhole. Fresh water! I haven’t had fresh water in months!” He spun around and faced the bars again.
,,In months, you hear me?! Then why don’t you take advantage of the circumstances and enjoy this luxury your cell provides but mine doesn’t?!”

The man in the other cell lay on his back in a corner of the cell, hands folded under his head, legs slightly spread, feet almost lying in the pool that spread on the floor. The window of his cell lay at the bottom of a slope, which allowed a steady stream of muddy water to enter. To any casual observer, it would seem that he was asleep, comfortable despite the Spartan conditions of his surroundings.
,,Don’t get over-excited. Water isn’t the most important thing in the world.” He replied softly without opening his eyes. The Dunmer grit his teeth.
,,You and your self-righteous proclaimants. Then what is the most important thing in the world, wiseguy? Well, out with it. Show us the great wisdom of the Altmer.” He spat.
,,That is a different thing for each individual. What is the most important thing for you?” The Altmer answered calmly.

The Dunmer kicked one of the walls in his cell.
,,Answering a question with a question of your own? Well then, listen carefully. I don’t know why but I’m just going to tell you! The most important thing for me is a woman! I haven’t had my fun with a woman in five years, I’m telling you. Five years! That’s horrible!” He said.
,,But at least I’ll be out of here soon. And when I do, I’m going to enjoy it all the way. I’ve always been popular with the ladies, unlike you. A different girl each night, and then some. Makes you jealous, doesn’t it?” He gloated. The Altmer shrugged, the only motion he’d made in the last two days.
,,I don’t see any need to be jealous.” He said.

The Dunmer cocked an eyebrow and stalked back to the bars.
,,No need? The Altmer says there is no need to be jealous! Oh, but now I remember. You don’t feel the need to be jealous because your blood is so pure and there is a lass waiting back home who was born just to suit you. Born just to suit you, all thanks to the breeding program you High Elves have. All thanks to your quest for purity.” He snickered and watched his fellow prisoner intently. If he’d been expecting a sign of anger or any other emotion, he would be disappointed.
,,Believe what you will.” Was all the Altmer said.

Thunder roared again. Then, silence, safe for the soft clatter of the rain. The Dunmer had returned to his bed and watched the dark sky outside his window.
,,Believe what you will. He’s got issues. I bet his mother always beat him whenever he had impure thoughts.” He muttered to himself hatefully. He then rose.
,,Believe what you will?” He repeated, louder this time.
,,Well, I know what I believe. I believe I’ll use the cache of money I’ve stored under the loose rock in the wall. I was going to save it for later, but this place and you have gotten on my nerves, so there. I’m going to have some fun in this place, even if it kills me!” He decided and pried loose the brick he’d mentioned.
,,Be carefull what you wish for.” The Altmer warned. The pool had now crept up to his bare toes, but he did not move them. Even though the water was near freezing, he did not seem to be bothered at all by it. Meanwhile, the Dunmer scooped up the coins he’d hidden and counted them. He chose to ignore the other.
,,Fifty-four Septims. That’s enough for the guards to buy themselves a couple of bottles.” He spoke, got up and raked one of the coins across the bars.

,,What are you making all that racket for, prisoner?!” A guard inquired in a gruff tone. He’d come to investigate the cause of the noise. The Dunmer looked the man up from head to toe.
,,Tell me, friend? Have you been doing well at your card-games?” He then chuckled. The Imperial’s brow furrowed.
,,None of your bussines, Dark Elf scum! Now keep it quiet down here!” He spat. He waved his arm across, pointing at the Altmer in the other cell.
,,Take an example from him. He’s been here since before I was born, and not even once did he cause trouble.” He added. The Dunmer smiled, revealing two incomplete rows of yellow-brownish teeth. Perhaps he’d once been popular with the ladies but in his current state, popularity would need some help.
,,Just as I thought. You’ve been losing badly, haven’t you? Well, I just happen to have the solution to that particular little problem of yours.” He whispered and flashed a coin. Instantly, the guard became twice as attentive.

,,How much do you have?” He asked in a coarse whisper of his own.
,,Twenty-seven in total.” The Dunmer lied. He then leaned in as close as he could without hitting the bars with his forehead. Thunder echoed through the prison complex.
,,Twenty-seven perfectly legitimate Septims. Twenty-seven shiny bits of gold and copper. They could be yours, so very easily….for a small favour, of course.” He offered. The guard licked his lips and let his eyes slip to the coins the Dunmer now held up in his hand, yet still out of his reach. He thought of going back to the barracks and taking the keys to the Dunmer’s cell, so he could take the money by force. But if he did that, his commander would have him fired and thrown into a cell instantly on the charge of accepting bribes. He would be better off listening to what the man had to offer.
,,I’m listening.”

The Dunmer leaned in even closer, resting his forehead against the bars.
,,Good, good. You see, I’m feeling rather…lonely. While he doesn’t cause any trouble, our friend over there is a poor conversationalist. A man of few words. So I was thinking, if you could help me out, perhaps provide me with….suitable company? I would be more than willing to help out a friend who is in need of a financial boost. Rub my back, rub yours?” He whispered. The guard looked into the crimson eyes of the prisoner, glanced at the Altmer, the coins and weighed the risk. If the Altmer talked, he would still be in trouble. But the gold-skinned fellow appeared to be sound asleep, impossible as it might sound with the thunder and lightning playing outside. The Imperial grinned, a greedy grin.
,,For a friend, why certainly. It would be a pleasure, no, an honour to help. In fact, I just seem to remember that prisonblock C is undergoing renovations. We need to relocate the current occupants. I was just wondering where to move some of them anyway. I’ll see if I can send over a…better conversationalist.” He said and held out his hand. The Dunmer grinned and handed over some of the coins.
,,Half now, half upon delivery.”

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Mar 6 2012, 08:29 PM

[jack cloudy]

Oh, the mysterious backgrounds! Ok, I need to ask myself one question now. Which one of my characters did not have or still holds a mysterious background at one point? I'm seeing a pattern here.

But for now, update! (And more hints at the background of not one, but two elves here.)


Chapter 2.5


,,Why is this place abandoned anyway? Sure, it’s a tad dusty, but I know some people who would pay lots of money for a quality basement. Just look at it, no leaks anywhere and we’re in the middle of a lake below sealevel.” She heard Baurus say once she caught up.
,,What is that, you have dreams of going into prime estate?” Glenroy chuckled. The dark man shrugged.
,,Well hey, there will come a time when I can’t swing swords with the best of them anymore. It pays to keep your options open.” He replied.
,,But maybe our local font of knowledge knows something?” He continued and gestured at the Altmer. Even though the Elf had his back turned to the dark man, he seemed to know it was him who was indicated. Most likely because he was indeed the local font of knowledge, the Bosmer reasoned.

,,Mostly local superstition. Superstition from after the first era, when so-called slave-queen Allessia successfully conquered Cyrodiil. The people in those days claimed that the ghosts of those who had fallen continued their battle here. Since ghosts are generally found frightening, rather than attempting to put them to rest, this place was sealed off and buried. New houses were built, people generations came and went and it was forgotten till archeologists rediscovered this place half a century ago after a wall in one of the sewer canals had cracked thanks to a neglectfull mage dropping his rather explosive experiments through the toilet. And that’s the story.” He explained.
,,Would there be any truth to this superstition?” The Emperor asked. His voice had an icy tone to it.
,,So far, neither the archaeologists nor I have found any proof towards the presence of ghosts.” The Altmer plainly answered.

They passed another bronze door and entered a small chamber similar to the one the tunnel had led to. Too similar, it turned out.
,,Woah!” Baurus shouted and just barely managed to catch the arrow with the rim of his shield, preventing it from penetrating the Emperor’s skull.
,,Flanks!” The Captain ordered. She turned one-hundred and eighty degrees so that her shield now faced outward as well. One quick scan of the room revealed that they were in a disadvantageous position. There were four archers, one pair perched on each of the ledges on both sides. They were too high to reach with a sword. The only thing she and the other Blades could do was to catch the arrows with their shields and hope their assailants forgot to bring plenty of ammunition.

,,Back up! Back through the door!” The Captain shouted. The Bosmer stumbled backwards, tripped and fell. The Blades and the Emperor rushed past without paying her any heed. She scrambled back onto her feet and raced after them, expecting an arrow between her shoulder-blades at every step. The Altmer was close behind, though he stopped once he was through the door. He put a seal on it as he’d done back at the prison before turning to his companions. If there was one thing the archers had done wrong, it was their decision to all fire at the same time. The time it took for them to reload was a critical one, one which had made it possible for their target to slip away.

,,Seriously, for all the attitude you display in the midst of a crisis, I expected you to put them on fire or something while we were gone, not to run away yourself.” Glenroy taunted. The Altmer merely cocked an eyebrow and said nothing.
,,Whining gets us nowhere. There are archers up there and I don’t like that. We’re Blades. We’re supposed to protect the Emperor against the swords and daggers, not against bows. And who is to say that those archers are the last obstacle we’ll have to face? What’s next, mages? We can’t stop fireballs with our shields.” The Captain interjected.
,,Yeah, just what is Ocato doing right now? He’s the Imperial Battlemage! Shouldn’t he be here as well? He is the guy who is supposed to deal with hostile mages, it’s in his job description!” Baurus grumbled.
,,I have dispatched a messenger but he returned saying that Ocato saw no need for his aid and that this could be adequately taken care off by the Legion.” The Emperor said.
,,That good for nothing windbag…With all due respect, my liege, but I hope you will have a word with him tomorrow.” Glenroy hissed.
,,I plan to.”

Throughout the exchange, the Bosmer had been quiet. She noticed that the Altmer was looking away, with an odd expression on his face.
,,Hey, anything wrong?” She asked while the Blades began to bicker about what to do.
,,It’s nothing.” The Altmer replied. The girl shrugged.
,,Ok, care to tell me what an Imperial Battlemage is, then?” She asked next. The Altmer frowned slightly.
,,It doesn’t matter. Forget about it.” He said.

,,Huh?” The Bosmer grew a frown of her own. Something was wrong here, despite all claims to the contrary.
,,Just what am I doing here, trying to hold a conversation? I nearly got turned into a pincushion back there. What’s to stop them from coming through the door? Oh wait, he put one of those green thingies on it.” She thought. She made up her mind and braced herself for the backlash she was going to unleash.
,,If it’s nothing important, then it wouldn’t harm to tell me about it, would it? What is an Imperial Battlemage? Where does it come from? What does it do? You know, I’ve always been interested in foreign history. I can name you all the Pyandonea-Summerset wars of the last twothousand years, you know.”

He turned to her and remained silent for a long time. It frightened her and she edged backwards slowly in a subconscious attempt to avoid his gaze. He looked as if he was in pain.
,,Err…nevermind. I didn’t say anything.” She giggled nervously.
,,There is no Imperial Battlemage, nor is there any order that provides them. Tharn made sure of that. Wiped them all out.” The Altmer suddenly said.

The Blades interrupted their discussion.
,,Hey, did you just say something?” Baurus asked. Glenroy pushed his helmet back a bit and wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he looked at the two elves.
,,So, did you just claim that Ocato is not the Imperial Battlemage? I mean, he does carry the title openly.” He wondered out loud.
,,Ocato has never visited the Battlespire, has he? If he hasn’t received his training from there, he is not a Battlemage.” The Altmer said. The Emperor gestured at the seal on the door.
,,Is there any other way out of here that does not take us past four archers and perhaps more ambushes further up ahead?” He asked.
,,Is it just me, or is he really happy to change the subject?” The Bosmer thought.

,,None. I am now convinced that the assassins are making use of the same route I was planning to use. There is one other solution however. I could create a path.” The Altmer said.
,,And is he really happy to go along with it? Hmm, touchy subject, isn’t it?”,,Which leaves us with only one thing. The archers. We can’t have witnesses.” Glenroy noted. The Altmer looked at him silently and nodded.
,,Very well. I’ll take care of them.”

,,Wait!” The Bosmer yelled as the seal on the door was dispelled. The Altmer stopped and turned.
,,It’s one against four and they’re up on a ledge! You’re gonna get killed!” She whimpered. The Altmer sighed.
,,That is not what you believe.” He observed.
,,Ehm…well….yeah. Ok, so I think you’ll be back in all of five seconds. But you’re going to kill them, aren’t you?” To this, the Altmer did not respond.
,,Well, of course he is. What else did you think he was going to do, give them a lecture on the sociological differences between Cyrodiil and Stros M’kai?” Baurus said in a half-joking way.
,,But……” She tried and fell silent.
,,I hate killing. How can anyone be so cold about it? It’s just wrong. The only way to die should be in a bed, saying goodbye to your great-great-great-great grandchildren after playing with them for one last time. How old are they? I saw their faces….forty, fifty? They’re so young I bet they don’t even have kids! Or is it different with the round-ears? Do they think that a violent death is the only one that is right?” She thought.

To her surprise, it was the Emperor who knew what was going on in her mind.
,,I will not try to justify my own existence. But if we allow them to live, they will warn their accomplices and a large hunt will start. Till I have reached safety and till I am surrounded by scores of dedicated soldiers, I cannot afford word to come out.” He said.
,,Please take the necessary precautions…that is all I ask.” He added to the Altmer. The mage nodded and ventured through the door. Not a sound was heard till his return. And when he returned, he said only one thing.
,,It is done.”


OOC: Yeah, there is a bit of critiscizing the type of protection Bethesda gave our old man. Sure, they're indoors so archers are generally a bad idea (except in the ledge situation here.) But not a single mage? I mean, c'mon, this is TES. Everyone and the rat in the cellar knows a spell or two. What if the Emperor gets hurt? A healer would be so usefull. And a Battlemage, where is Ocato when you need him? Disregarding the fact that there is only one Imperial Battlemage worth mentioning: Jagar Tharn. Man, now that's a Battlemage. And he doesn't look as silly as Ocato. For that matter, they should have given Ocato his Daggerfall look, now that one was badass.

On another note, the Altmer seems really fond of stuff that involves green, doesn't he? Well, that's mostly because all spells he's used thus far (safe for Dreth knockout) are a form of barrier. Even the Stasis hold was simply a collection of barriers shaped in such a way that they worked as handcuffs.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Dec 29 2012, 03:34 PM