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]

Yup, in case you hadn't figured it out already. Grey is the Sherlock Holmes of Tamriel.


Chapter 4.6


Cyrodiil, foundations

At the end of the tunnel, they emerged in the chamber the Altmer already knew. The corpse of the assassin had been carried off to some other place and now only a pair of Legionnaires stood in the room to provide light with torches. The Altmer formed an expression of mild disgust as he put his foot down into the kneedeep pool of water that had formed.
“A bit cold, isn’t it?” Lex quipped.
“Indeed.” Angoril replied. The captain stomped off towards the two legionnaires, splashing at each step.
“Hmph, can’t even stand a bit of water. Superior physique my behind. I’d say they’re just too ‘civilized’ for their own good.” The man whispered under his breath. Within moments, he was locked in a hushed conversation with the two Legionnaires.

The Altmer watched the conversation from a distance. What none of the other beings knew, was that he was using his skills at bending air to form a tunnel. A tunnel through which the sound was amplified, enabling him to eavesdrop on the conversation taking place. After listening for a while, Angoril concluded that the three Imperials held no new information for him. That left only the private investigator, who was now fumbling with a gold-rimmed pipe in his snout. A small spark of fire erupted from Grey’s fingers and the pipe was lit.

“Forgive me for being so blunt. I’ve never seen an Argonian smoke.” The Altmer said. Grey inhaled deeply before answering.
“And I doubt you’ll see it happen again. It takes practise to handle a pipe meant for humanoids. But over the years I’ve found that it helps me relax, and think.” He answered to which Angoril nodded.
“I see. Regardless, I believe that our time would be ill-spent with small-talk. Exactly what can you reveal to me about…” He made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
“…Place?”

The Argonian pointed at the gate the two Legionnaires were guarding.
“That gate leads deeper into the foundations of the city. At the moment, we have hired a group of Argonian sailors to map the area. A generous donation in both money and trading rights ensures that they won’t touch anything. As for the flooded conditions, they appear to be recent.” He told. The altmer frowned.
“Recent? You mean it has not always been flooded? By always I mean, for generations. My apologies.” He inquired.

“Indeed I meant recent. If you look closely, the walls are not smooth, but rather are marked with various symbols. The fact that we can still see these symbols clearly, tells me that the water has not been here long enough to corrode the bricks. Also, I see no aquatic lifeforms and the sailors have reported drowned rats. The rats are all fresh corpses as well, less than a day old. No, most likely the flooding occurred suddenly, and last night.” Grey explained patiently.
“Suddenly. Sir Grey, that would suggest that an opening has been made to the lake. Perhaps the assassins used it to escape?” The Altmer asked. The investigator shook his head.
“I doubt it. The sudden flooding, one would have to shield oneself from the rush of water. It is hard to imagine, even for me. But tonnes of water, all pouring into the foundations. Tonnes of water. To form a barrier able to deal with that kind of situation, that is more than a mere cantrip. There was more than one assassin, on that we all agree. One mage, with tremendous skill, just might shield himself and only himself. But not even the Imperial Battlemage, Ocato, can do that. Finding multiple mages of that level, if they exist, then how come we haven’t heard of them? Finding one mage who can shield both himself and all of his accomplices, I can’t think of many with that kind of skill.”

Lex turned away from the two Legionnaires.
“Pardon the intrusion. But sir, you mentioned that you can’t think of many. Does that mean you do know someone capable of such a feat?” He interrupted. The Altmer allowed himself a barely visible smile of amusement.
“I’m not the only one who is eavesdropping, it seems.”
“Captain, you are correct. The Tribunal, the gods of the Dunmer in Morrowind can. I have little doubt regarding that. However, recent events have resulted in the death of two of the three Tribunal gods and the last one has refused to leave his temple ever since. Earthly politics are beneath the last god’s interest and even if they were, why would he come here in person? Why pursue assassination, when one holds the power to levitate a small mountain for centuries with no apparent exertion? Would it not be far easier to merely slay the Emperor from afar with a spell?” The Argonian said and took a puff of his pipe.

“No, captain. The Tribunal is not involved. There is the man who allegedly has slain two Tribunal gods as well as a demon from the same religion. I lay great doubts to those stories but even if they are true, I could present the same arguments. Why use assassins, with a low chance of success, when you are powerful enough to breach any of the defences surrounding our liege with little effort?” He shrugged.
“This man, is he just an imaginary monster?” The Altmer asked. Grey laughed.
“A monster? No. Despite killing the sacred gods in an influential religion, he is considered a hero by the Dunmer, not a monster. The two Tribunal gods he’s slain? Those were mad and a threat to the people they were supposed to protect. There are many documents about him, all of which provide the same description. Did you know that this man is a Redguard? The Dunmer would normally loath to admit that their hero is not one of their own. So most likely, he does or I should say, did exist. But as I already said, I doubt he really did all that. No mortal could ever face a god and win, right?”

Their conversation was cut short by a ripple in the water. A green snout emerged, soon joined by another. The snouts were followed by the rest of the two Argonian’s bodies.
“We have found the opening you seek, sirs.” One said.
“No trouble, I presume?” Lex asked in response.
“Only some Slaughterfish. As well as this.” The second one held up what appeared to be a soaked robe. It was crimson in colour and Angoril recognized it instantly.
“Where did you find this?” He wished to know.
“On a corpse. There were four of them, all wearing the same thing. Archers.”

Grey put out his pipe.
“Four, all wearing the robe we found on the first suspect? No one in a different garb? This…the suspects made a mistake. Perhaps the Emperor even escaped. But how? How did our liege survive? I don’t…” He fell silent. After a moment of thought, he took the robe and handed it to the Altmer.
“It is made from Colovian Silk. We do not know who sells this garb, for it has no markings which suggests a custom job. I suggest the following. You will follow this robe to the summoner, he or she will lead you to Septim. I will continue my investigation here and follow my own path. Regardless, we should both be able to find the Emperor in the end. For contacting me, go to Chorrol. The priest there is a friend of mine and can relay any message.”

Angoril took up the robe and carefully folded it.
“Understood, that does seem to be a good course of action. Any objections, captain?” He said. Lex shrugged.
“My job is to preserve law and order in the Imperial City. The investigation is something best left to the professionals. Do what you need to do, but don’t forget to ask one of my men for permission if you need to raid a house or take other technically illegal actions.” He answered.
“Very well then. Captain, sir Grey. I will depart immediately. The sooner I am in Chorrol, the greater my chance of apprehending the summoner will be.”

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Dec 30 2012, 10:47 PM