Light through Darkness, You asked for it, so here you go. Options

[Thomas Kaira]

It's getting close to Christmas, and I'll be away on Holiday to New York for a few days, so I decided to post this now so that you know I am at work. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Black and White

The suffocating darkness was broken only by the soft blue glows of unnaturally luminescent crystals. The high vaulted ceilings may have leant a feeling of grandeur before, but now felt strangely claustrophobic, as if the walls would close in and crush you at any moment. I was gliding softly through the blackness, guided only by the winking blue lights, following them through what seemed a maze of corridors and passageways.

Suddenly, the walls opened, and in front of me stood a grand chamber, it would have been spectacular had it not been so sinister. The entire chamber was bathed in red light, and strange, black figures were moving about, neither knowing nor caring where their feet carried them. In the center stood a high raised platform, and there another figure stood, emblazoned in armor that seemed sucked the light in from around him, and I was moving towards him. Try as I might, I could not fight the savage need to know whom this man was. I wanted to cry out, scream for help, but my tongue had become iron.

Closer…closer…ever closer I inched, feeling the icy metal flood to my limbs. The figure turned to face me, his eyes glowed a fiery red…


----



Ice cold sweat drenched my face as my head soared from my pillow, my breathing shallow and ragged. Feeling something in my hand, I looked down to see my steel dagger in my hand… how did it get there? Did I pull it out of my pack in my slumber?

I dropped the dagger to the floor, returning my head to the pillow. All a dream, I thought, just a dream, another dream. Calm down Derelas, it’s nothing to worry about. Old news.


----


The Imperial City was only half a day’s journey from Wawnet Inn, as the publican told me over breakfast. Just follow the high street out of town to the Great West Bridge over Lake Rumare, and follow the road from there straight to the gates. It was a lovely clear day outside, and the bridge was not hard to find when I left, the white marble spires framing the road practically burned new holes in my eyes.

The morning bustle was only just beginning as I made my way forth. A balding fisherman was making his way home with his morning catch of some of the biggest Slaughterfish I’ve ever seen. Many of the travelers who slept the night here were gathering their horses and pack mules to continue on to wherever it was they were going. Many others still were filing into the small stores nearby. It was a simple, yet elegant, vista of pastoral harmony.

Forcing my eyes away from the scene, I directed my feet toward the Great Blinding Bridge and made a silent note to thank Y’ffre if I could still see after crossing.

The bridge led to a switchback road up the steep incline of the Imperial Isle, many rocks blocking my view of the city proper. It was just after midday when I finally crested the hill. I was greeted with… more whitewashed walls. It might have been an awe-inspiring sight had I been able to see anything at all, but I ended up having to walk the whole rest of the way with my arm up shielding my eyes because of how brightly polished the marble was. I know this city is supposed to be the shining beacon of the Empire and all, but wow... you think you might be taking this a bit too far? I was quite thankful to finally reach the gates proper, just to be able to see again.

Once I closed distance with the walls, though, the blinding marble gave way to gray granite. Still not to be outdone, the stone was impeccably carved and rose into an imposing Gothic archway housing a raised portcullis and a well-polished bronze gate flanked by two men in flashy steel armor, flaming red feather plumes rising from their helmets… Imperial Legion Centurions.

“Welcome to Cyrodiil City.” One of them voiced to me. They then marched in unison to the great bronze doors and threw them open with an impressive flourish. “Enjoy your stay, citizen.”

I passed through the gates to a scene unlike I’d ever seen before. Instead of the peaceful maritime bustle of Weye, here it was an outright cacophony of voices, footsteps, shrieks, and hoof beats as people large and small jostled this way and that about their daily lives. The huge crowd, from the super-rich in fine linens to the street urchins with no more than stained sack cloth, pattered every which way you could think of past white marble buildings so tall they seemed to wall away the sky. Such a dizzying sight made me begin to wonder if I could ever find the Arcane at all, so I ducked into a shaded back street to pull out my map.

“Looking for something, citizen?” A passing legionary inquired.

“Yes, I’m looking for the Arcane University.” I responded, hoping this guy might be able to make some sense out of this madhouse.

“You’re in Talos Plaza," the legionary told me, indicating a gold sign nearby:

“Talos Plaza. IMPERIVM AD VITAM AETERNAM”

“Just follow Septim Way through Talos Plaza, take a right on Green Emperor Way, follow it around until you reach Stendarr Loop, and it will take you straight to the University.”

Follow who-da, take a right on what-da until I reach where-da? Thankfully, the guard noticed my blank look and handed me a new map, this time of the city itself, and noted everything he told me on it.

“Thanks.”

“We’re here to serve.” The guard brought two fingers to his helmet in salute before clanking away. I started to wonder why guards weren’t this helpful all the time, given my experience at the customs office on my way in from Valenwood, but soon did a double take. This was the Imperial City, after all. The Empire does have an image to maintain.

It took another hour just to find Green Emperor Way. I got lost twice in the crowds and at one point found myself filing my way down Septim Ave. rather than Septim Way, causing me to mumble curses under my breath for the Empire’s shameless lack of originality as I turned back. I eventually fought my way through the chaos of Talos Plaza, and the astounding noise of the crowd died instantly as I crossed the threshold of Green Emperor Way, giving way to a subdued, formal silence, and I felt a strange, liquid-like sensation pass over my skin, probably a spell to help keep the noise out.

“Please show your respect for the Imperial Palace by keeping your voice down.” A guard in blazing white armor decorated with dragons told me as I entered, and I joined the now near-silent crowd making their way along the road. Most of the time my view of White Gold Tower was blocked by the many high-rising buildings, mostly fine hotels and apartments for the city’s wealthiest citizens surrounding the Palace Road, but every so often I would pass a colossal iron gate barring the way to the Palace proper, and was able to steal a glance of the immense structure beyond the veil. It seemed to rise forever towards the heavens, perhaps ascending to touch the face of Aetherius itself, the marble walls were so well polished and maintained it was no wonder I was blinded on my way in, and almost completely blocked by the rest of the city, I could make out the royal graves. Such a sight, already breathtaking from here, must inspire awe when seen from outside the walls; a way of saying: “We are the most powerful society in this land today. To challenge us is to challenge the will of the Nine themselves.”

I felt myself smiling faintly as I turned onto Stendarr Loop.


----


Two shrouded figures crested a flight of stairs bathed in crimson light, where another shadowy figure sat upon a throne of black stone signaled them halt. They obeyed, and then sunk into a low bow.

“What news?” His voice rang with command as he spoke.

“Derelas just arrived yesterday.”

“And now?”

“He left for the Imperial City this morning.”

The cloaked man frowned, this might complicate things a bit; our kind is not welcome there. But no matter, he won’t stay forever.

“What else did you discover?”

“He’s searching for them, and he wants the Mages Guild’s help.”

Mages Guild? The shadowed man smiled, his red eyes lit aflame with amusement at the very idea. The Mages were fools. They had no idea what they were allowing to happen under their very noses. To think they could keep us at bay locked away like dogs. They would be in for a rude awakening, and soon.

“Good. Keep an eye on him. I want to know the instant he leaves.”

“As you wish, Lord.”

The two shrouded figures bowed again, then turned to leave themselves. The red-eyed man smiled to himself. Soon the pieces would be in place. The 433rd Year of the Third Era would soon become forever etched in history.

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Dec 31 2010, 06:44 AM

[Thomas Kaira]

@mALX: Thank you.

@haute ecole rider: Glad to see you with us, and that you are enjoying the adventure (well, the start of it at least). Thank you for the proofreading advice, I daresay it helped quite a bit to turn the grammar checker off (though I leave the spellchecker on just in case of typos).

@Acadian: With my culinary training, I think I can safely say there's plenty more delicious reading coming, when the time is right. On the topic of Earana... read on.

Nit be picked.

@SubRosa: If you're wondering, the mill is added by the mod Unique Landscapes: River Ethe, and it's actually to the west of Chorrol in the game, not to the east like I portrayed it. If you are further wondering, Chorrol exists roughly in the area Battlehorn Castle does in this fiction, in the rocky, golden-grassed hinterlands of Cyrodiil. I thought it would fit a bit better for a mountain town, considering I live in one.

@all: It is your faithful support that keeps me going and makes me better. I don't think I couldn't have even made it this far without your support, and this story is nowhere even close to done! I have big plans with the overarching plot, and in time, you might catch a glimpse of them. Every event so far will have repercussions later on, remember that.

next: We have irate mages and raving drunkards. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you will have just as much reading it.

Chapter 2-3: The Cloud Top Gambit

Teekeus was not in the lobby when I returned, so I had to grab a seat and wait for him to come back from wherever he went. After about 5 minutes or so, I saw him coming back down the stairs to the lobby. If possible, he looked even grumpier now than he did before, and seemed none too pleased to see me again.

“I trust you’ve spoken to Earana,” he snapped, the hiss in his voice making him sound even more like a rearing serpent than before, “I want her out of town. You won’t be getting into my good books dancing around my hall with your head in your pants.”

Hardly red carpet treatment, what’s gotten beneath his scales?

“Yes, I did speak to her,” I told him, “she wanted me to find a book for her. ‘Fingers of the Mountain’ she said.”

Teekeus nearly exploded when he heard the book’s name, “WHAT?! What else did she tell you?”

“That she wanted to read it and that I could find it someplace called Cloud Top, north of here,” I finished. Teekeus was nearly beside himself when I was done.

“So she knows where it is, too?! This is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable!” He ranted, more to himself than to anyone else in particular. He then turned back to me, his two elegant fins pinned to his head and shooting daggers from his eyes.

“Go to Cloud Top and find that book,” he hissed, making me recoil from how much he was showing off his needle-like teeth, “do not give it to Earana, whatever you do, she must not be allowed to have it. Bring it back here to me, instead. I need not remind you that handing her that book will forfeit your guild membership. Do I make myself clear?”

“Very,” I bemusedly replied, “but what made you think I was going to help that ice queen in the first place? I know where my loyalties lie.”

“Oh, really?” Teekeus answered, relaxing a bit. “Then I trust you will handle yourself properly if she comes looking for you, because I highly doubt she’s going to let that book slip her grasp lightly. Just do what you must to bring it here, that book is far too dangerous to leave out in the open.”

“Well, I guess I should get going then?”

“Good idea. I’ll let you out the back way, once outside, leave town through the north gate, and try to keep Earana from seeing you. She’s bound to follow you, though, so be ready for her.” Teekeus then reached into the front of his robe, pulled out a scroll of yellowing parchment bound in twine, and handed it to me. “Here, in case you need to make a quick getaway, this scroll will summon a Scamp to your side. It should distract her long enough for you to get some distance between you and her. Can you do that?”

“Sure,” I answered, recalling my birthsign, and the words of a certain figure, “If all else fails, remember to call to Equine for aid. You’ll know when she answers…”

“Good, now get moving.”




----




The sun was beginning to set as I made my way back down the rocky mountain trail after the long, yet uneventful hike to the ruins of Cloud Top. There wasn’t much there apart from a small shrine and a blackened corpse charred to the point where it was impossible to identify the gender. It was a rather grisly sight but thankfully it was too well done to smell, and it was still clutching the book in it’s blackened arms when I arrived. The grand stone walls of Chorrol loomed in the distance now, beckoning my return with the promise of a warm meal, a soft bed, and, of course, another step being taken towards my magical career. But the peace was not to last, for I soon noticed a familiar green dress storming up the trail in my direction.

“Hold it right there!” came the resounding cry of Earana’s voice, “I’m afraid I can’t trust you anymore. I’m here to claim my book.”

“Hmm… I wonder what caused you to double take?” I asked rhetorically, knowing the answer before she even opened her mouth to say it.

“Well, going back inside the guild after we spoke didn’t help your case much,” She sneered. I quickly thrust my hand into my pocket, grasping the scroll Teekeus gave me tightly in my palm, ready to release the Scamp contained within the parchment at a moment’s notice.

“Anyways, that doesn’t matter anymore,” She continued in that grating snide voice, “I have a new deal for you. You give me the book, and I’ll let you walk away from this unharmed. Sound good to you?”

“Surprisingly, no,” I countered, and watched with satisfaction as her disgustingly proud grin slid off her face like molasses on water. “I thought maybe you could do a little dance for me first. By the gods, I could use a good laugh today.”

“Some cheek you’ve got,” she snarled back, her face reddening, “Let’s see how good it does you on the end lightning… AARGH!”

I watched in bemused silence as Earana’s body was thrown face-first to the dirt. As she fell, I noticed a feathered shaft sticking out of a most peculiar place. She did not get up.

“You’re off to a fine start here. Just three days in Cyrodiil and already you’ve made someone want to kill you.”

A female figure emerged from the trees a short ways down the hill, a very familiar Dunmer figure….

“Faith?!” I cried out, “What are you doing here?”

“Now there’s the question of the week,” She replied, grinning, “Mind telling me what you were doing here first?”

“Being threatened by some Altmer witch with her head too high up in the clouds to see reason.” I explained to her. “Nice aim, by the way.”

“Hey, just thought she needed to get some shaft before the end,” She replied, smirking down at the now lifeless body, “Oh, I know what you’re thinking right now, and she won’t be missed. She has a history of violence, this one; murdered a couple people down the way of Bravil. News probably didn’t make it in of that today, what with the assassination; Count Terentius put a bounty on her life a couple days ago.”

“And how do you know that?” I inquired. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful for her help, but it did seem a bit odd that she knew that.

“I’m a forester, I have my ways,” She quickly dismissed my question. Again with the secrets, it would seem, I was beginning to wonder if “forester” was her only profession. “Besides, it was supposed to be in today’s paper. News just got held up due to the Emperor’s death. The Chorrol guard knows about her now; I suspect that’s why she left the city to tail you. We can report her in on the way down.”

“Fair enough,” I replied, relieved that we weren’t facing murder charges for all this. “Anyways, we seem to have lost topic here,” Faith continued, “what were you really doing here?” I proceeded to tell her about Teekeus’ task, Earana’s shady deal, and the book in my pack.

“Fingers of the Mountain?” Faith looked quite unnerved by the time I was finished, “I hope this guy Teekeus realizes he’s put you in terrible danger asking you to do this for him.”

“So it would seem,” I replied, eying Earana, “If this book is really that dangerous, maybe we should stop wasting time here and get it back into town before we lose the sun?”

“Good idea,” Faith answered, pulling her arrow out of Earana’s rear.




----




“Thank the Nine you’ve brought this to me,” came Teekeus’s hissing voice, though he seemed much more relaxed now that I had handed him the book, lending his voice an oddly soothing quality. “I feared what might have happened to you when I saw Earana dash off. I’m glad to see you’re safe.”

“I had a bit of help,” I told him. Faith and I had parted ways once we returned to the city.

“Well, what matters is you’ve brought this wretched book back with you so the Mages Guild can keep it locked away from unsuitable eyes,” Teekeus continued. He then turned to me, and I saw what might have been the lizard-like equivalent of a smile on his face. “You’ve done well, and I’m glad my trust in you was not misplaced. I will provide you the recommendation you desire.”

I thanked him as I handed him my paperwork to sign.

“Now, if you wish to stay here for the night, we have several free beds upstairs,” Teekeus explained to me, “or would you prefer to stay elsewhere?”

“I’ll probably head back to the Oak and Crosier,” I replied, “it’s been a long day, and I’d prefer a quiet rest.”

“Very well,” Teekeus answered, turning away, “Just remember that our beds are always available to our members. But… I would suggest staying elsewhere if you’re planning to go to Skingrad,” he added. I decided it would be better not to ask any further.

As I made my way back to the Oak and Crosier for dinner and bed, I stumbled into a man… or rather, he stumbled into me. Just one whiff of him told me he was extremely drunk. He was dressed in a simple blue and green outfit that was frayed in several places.

“If I tol’ you once, I tol’ ya thousan’ times… I never been to Cheydinha…” he began, but soon after seemed to catch himself. This allowed me to barely recognize the singsong voice of a Breton behind all the slurred, drunken speech. “Wait, wai’ you’re someone else. I’m sorry, my friend, I though’ you was someone else.”

“You should probably go home and get some rest,” I told him. It might have seemed needless, but drunks can be anything but coherent, as this man was quickly proving to me.

“Well, ya’ see, frien’, people have always been comin’ up to me an’ asking ‘Didn’ I see you in Cheydinhal? Didn’t I see you in Deychinhal?’” He continued raving, seeming not to even register I had said anything, “Well, I’m sick o’ it… an’ tired. Tired an’ sick….”

He chose this moment to vomit all over the paving stones.

“…Well, maybe jus’ tired now,” He continued, “Anyways, come over here, got job for ya’.”

I hesitantly took a step closer, cautious should his stomach decide it was dissatisfied with the amount of alcohol inside him once again.

“I wan’ you go to Cheydinhal, tell this man to stop besmirching my good name, I’m quite capable of smebirching my own good name on my own.”

He then pulled a small sack out of his pocket and dropped it at my feet, barely missing his own pile of regurgitation.

“There’s 50 drakes in it for ya’ frien’, now get outta my way, need to go have a nap….”

With that he stumbled off down the street, nearly smacking headlong into a lamppost as he left. He left me wondering who he was and just what might have turned him into such a roaring drunk. Well, at the very least I had my next destination well in hand, and some extra money to get me there.

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Jan 26 2011, 07:37 AM