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]

Hah, this shows you how little I really know. Anyway, so I'm using the wrong colours for my barriers. Heh, this actually works to my advantage. It merely makes the Altmer even more mysterious. Where did he pick up green barriers?

Well, yeah I know that there are exceptions and not everyone can cast, but I was exaggerating on purpose. I still stand by my comment. The Emperor should have been escorted by a professional mage. Damn you, Ocato! You fake Battlemage! Damn you!

Anyway, this ends the current chapter. Next, we're going to delve deeper into the Altmer's own plans, and bring more character to the Bosmer.


Chapter 2.6



The Emperor nodded.
,,Good. And about that path?” He questioned. The Altmer gestured off to his left at one of the many intersections they’d previously passed.
,,In there.” He said in a neutral tone and began to walk.
,,It just doesn’t touch you, does it?” The Bosmer hissed. The Altmer froze. Of all, it was the girl who was the most shocked at her own reaction.
,,You just walk in there, kill four people for no good reason and now you pretend it never happened!” She continued venomously.
,,Woah, careful. There was a good reason, a really good one.” Baurus tried, but to no avail.

,,No reason is good enough for murder! It’s the lowest of the low things one can do! And he did it not just once, but four times! On purpose!” She snapped.
,,We might want to keep our voices down for a while, lest more assassins track us down and force even more bloodshed.” The Captain warned urgently.
,,I do care.” The Altmer muttered. Everyone fell silent and watched at him as he stood with his back turned to them.
,,I care, but that doesn’t matter. I have no time for a weighted heart. Not now, not then.” He began to move again.
,,Now be quiet. If you don’t want to come, that’s your problem. But if so, your lifespan will be greatly shortened.” He added. The Blades and the Emperor followed quickly and, rather hesitantly, the Bosmer followed as well.
,,You monster. Don’t think I’m just going to shrug and forget about it like you do.”

,,So, where does this path lead to and why do you think that the assassins won’t have this one blocked off?” Glenroy asked after a while.
,,Because it leads to a dead end.” The Altmer replied. Roughly a hundred steps further, the corridor did indeed end in a round chamber. There was little that hinted at its purpose, except what looked like a sealed well in the center. Strangely enough, the floor was flooded by a few centimetres of water which dripped from a tiny crack in the walls.
,,This wall is now the only thing between us and the lake. If I open the crack wider, water will rush in and flood the entire network of corridors and chambers. After that, it will take something that can breathe water for indefinite periods to explore this place. The Emperor will be assumed to have drowned, which will hopefully remove the other assassins from the equation.” The Elf explained.

He pressed a hand on the crack and veins of white energy trailed from his palm, crafting a web on the wall. The light intensified as the gaps between the tendrils were filled and the Altmer stepped back. A barrier appeared as a dome over the group, while the now completely solid circle of light continued its work. At first it was uncertain just what it purpose was, but it soon became visible that it was moving back and where it had gone, the wall was no more.
,,Such magicka.” The Emperor mumbled.
,,My liege?” Glenroy said. The old man seemed unaware he had been spoken to.
,,Passwall. I’d outlawed that spell.” He continued. He then shook his head.
,,I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at you having knowledge of that. But still, it is more subtle than I’d expected.” The Altmer looked at the old man over his shoulder.
,,A sudden explosion would have been too suspicious when seen from the outside.” He said. He looked up at the ceiling for a second.
,,Passwall isn’t to my preference either. After the outlawing, every mage was forced to destroy every scrap of evidence of the spell and vow never to cast it again. Sure, crime-rates dropped to nearly half in a month, but still….Anyone who sees this spell and knows it for what it is will know one of my kind is here.” He looked at the passwall which was still working steadily.
,,All other alternatives would have been even more obvious.”

The passwall had carved through the wall in its entirety and began to dissolve into its individual tendrils which shot back into the Altmer’s hand, slowing slightly as they passed the barrier. Even as the spell faded, water rushed in through the gaping hole, washing away the dust, buffeting the air, roaring like a pack of demons. The barrier was the only thing that kept the torrent from consuming the group.

As the ancient foundations of the city was filled with water, the flow gradually slowed. The Altmer stepped forward and the barrier followed, forcing the others to stay with him. A lone and curious Slaughterfish swam into the addition to its habitat and gawked at the strange green dome. It nibbled on it for a moment but, after finding out it was inedible, it moved on to explore. Once outside, the Altmer cast another spell and they began to float upward, the dome becoming a sphere as they left the bottom of the lake.
,,Well, there goes my plan of selling quality basements. Pumping out the water will suck up all the profit.” Baurus contemplated as he took a last look at the hole in the wall they’d came from.


Several minutes later, they stood at the edge of the lake, the Bosmer standing a bit further from the rest. The island with the Imperial city on it was visible in the distance like a low mound swarmed by fireflies.
,,Do we part here?” The Emperor asked. The Altmer nodded slowly, as if he was in deep thought and only following the conversation with half an ear. The old man hugged himself for warmth and motioned for the Blades to follow him.
,,Well then, I shall be returning to the palace now. I’m sure we’ve led those assassins on the wrong trail. I’ll be fine.” He said.
,,Don’t.”

The old man stopped but did not turn to face the Altmer.
,,I know who you are, yet still I am willing to give you the advantage of doubt. You have preserved my life there. I am giving you a chance to leave in peace. Take that chance. Now, farewell.” He spoke and started to move again when the Altmer intervened. He intervened by performing a Stasishold on both the Emperor and his Blades.
,,What?!” The Captain grunted.
,,You! What is the meaning of this?!” She shouted. The Altmer ignored her and closed in on the Emperor. The Bosmer now noticed that no one was paying her any attention. She ran for the lake, unhindered.

,,My liege, I will only ask you once. Go in hiding. These assassins have breached all of your security once. They can do so again.” The Altmer pointed out. The Emperor was the only one who did not struggle against his bonds. He chose to show his defiance through his words.
,,I can reinforce that security. I did not ask you to make my decisions for me! Now release me!” He whispered without fear. The Altmer shook his head.
,,I can’t do that. You are merely a pawn in a game played by greater beings. Yet you are an important pawn. You are the queen of the chessboard. If you are lost, the future will look bleak. So I no longer ask you, but I command you. Take your Blades and go in hiding. Do not return to live till I allow you.”

The old man shook his head feverishly.
,,No! No, I shall not listen to you! No more! I have listened to you before, and you have betrayed that trust. I will no longer abide by the will of a fiend who will lead us all to our doom!” He shouted.
,,My liege, please heed your words! We cannot protect you!” The Captain warned.
,,I’m proud of my skill at the sword, but it is of little use if I can’t move even a single finger.” Baurus cut in.
,,Well and yeah, I don’t even have a sword for that matter. A certain gold-skinned fellow snapped it.” Glenroy added grim.

The Altmer stepped back.
,,Fine then! I’ve tried to be gentle with you but I see you are as stubborn as ever. I will give you one last choice, one last.” He spoke. The very air around him appeared to be colder, so great was his presence.
,,Either you flee and hide in a place of your own choosing, or I’ll come for you and send you to a proper place myself. And you know what that means.” He hissed. The Emperor glared but didn’t say a thing. He then turned his head to his city.
,,Am I supposed to leave the Empire in your hands?” He asked.
,,Yes.”

The old man sighed.
,,As its Emperor?” He asked next. To this, the Altmer shook his head.
,,I have no need for a crown and a pretentious title. All I desire is the freedom to move and play the game without being hindered by having to protect a wrinkled old man from his own stupidity. I don’t understand it. But maybe it is your stubbornness that makes me give you a chance to choose for yourself, Uriel.” He said, but without the sting his words could have had. Uriel managed a smile.
,,I was wrong. You have changed, though I can’t judge if the change has been good or bad. For the better or the worst, I leave this place in your hands.” He decided.
,,Do not betray my trust again. For I swear, I will send every single Legionnair, every normal man, every woman and every child old enough to carry a sword. I’ll send them all after you if you betray me again.” The green bonds vanished.
,,Send them, if I walk the wrong path. For now then, farewell, lord of Tamriel.” With those words, the Altmer walked away to the city.

The Emperor kept watching till the Elf had been swallowed by the darkness of the night.
,,Let’s not dawdle. We’re going to move swift. Glenroy, procure a few horses. Baurus, grab some clothing for disguises. Ask the beggars for help. Tell them: A fire has broken out, and there are not enough hands to carry water. Captain, you stay with me.” He ordered. Baurus chuckled.
,,A code? I suppose that answers how those beggars have managed to stick around despite the Legion’s best attempts at arresting them all. They’ve been on your payroll all the time.” He noted.
,,This is no time for jokes, Baurus. Please hurry. As for the Elf…” The Emperor looked around but soon gave up.
,,Never mind her. By the time she can tell anyone about us, we’ll be long gone. Now get moving.”

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Dec 29 2012, 03:39 PM