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: Yup, there indeed be another plug at the misadventures of Maxical in here. Your kitty is one of the many inspirations to this story, and one of the reasons it continues.

@Acadian: I was actually struggling a bit with how I was going to write that segment, I just didn't know how I could add my own twist to the Falcar quest. Then I thought, "what if we could actually see what happened down there while you were blubbering away?" I then finally had my outline.

@SubRosa: My goal was to have Falcar be your generic villainous arsehole, so I'm glad I got that across.

@haute ecole rider: If only Julian was there...

@Captain Hammer: Welcome, and glad you find the characters endearing, O' good nemesis of Dr. Horrible!

@all:I'd just like to get this out of the way, I am adjusting the lore pertaining to the East Empire Company in this segment. In the game, the company folded after the disaster at Raven Rock, but I'm changing that. Instead, Carnius got fired for corruption and embezzlement and the company sustained heavy losses after Raven Rock went busto. They are compensating by raising tariffs on Morrowind goods. It just didn't seem completely realistic that a company with as much wealth and influence as the East Empire Company would be allowed to just die.

next: Derelas returns from beneath the well, and discovers the immediate fallout of Falcar's dramatic exit...

Chapter 3-3: The Burden of Proof

“What in the name of Arkay are you doing down there?”

The voice of an Imperial rang downwards into my ears, echoing off the damp stone walls.

“Trying… to get… out… of this… thing.” I replied through gritted teeth. Every pull of my arms caused my muscles to scream in protest as if I had an anvil tied around my waist. I had found Falcar’s ring; turns out it was enchanted to make it that much heavier. It also turned out Vidkun had found it too… it was a sight I would rather not see again in my life. His body was pinned to the ground by the ring in his pocket, his arms and legs dangling feebly upwards in a ghostly shadow what was once a once desperate struggle for air. I reached upwards for the next rung on the slippery ladder… but felt my hand slip on the moist metal. Next thing I knew, I had fallen back into the water with a tremendous splash. Thank the Gods Aelwin’s ring worked… I had swallowed quite a bit of it.

“You alright?” The Imperial guard’s voice rang downwards once again.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I called back upwards, my voice heavy with aggravation now that I had to start that blasted climb all over again.




----




As I finally reached the lip of the stone wall, I removed the ring from my pocket and, with immense difficulty, tossed it over the side to ease my burden. It fell with a loud *CLANG* followed by an indignant “Ow!” I had dropped it on the guard’s foot.

“What exactly is that thing made of?” He asked incredulously, kicking the ring off his steel boot with difficulty.

“Brass, I think,” I replied simply, fighting for breath after finally escaping from the well’s depths, “but it’s been enchanted to make it incredibly heavy.”

“I’ll say,” the guard replied bemusedly, rubbing at a brand new dent, “that’s the first time anyone’s managed to stub my toe in these boots. Anyways, would you mind telling me what you were doing down there? It’s dangerous to go swimming in the wells, you know; you could’ve drowned.”

“And it’s thanks to this ring I didn’t, actually,” I countered, holding my left hand up to show him Aelwin’s ring. “Anyways, I think you should know there’s a body in there. He looked like a Nord, went by the name of Vidkun.”

“Come again?” The guard asked, “There’s a body down there?”

“Yes, like I said, his name is Vidkun,” I repeated.

“No wonder the water’s been tasting funny recently…” the guard mumbled. I made a silent note to thank him for giving me a very good reason never to drink anything offered in this town ever again.

“He drowned trying to obtain this ring,” I quickly continued, pointing to the brass loop now twinkling innocently in the midday sun, “and I believe it was the intention of the person who asked me to find it that I follow the same fate….”

“Murder is a very serious accusation, citizen, and not one you should throw around lightly,” the guard cut me off in a rather pompous manner, “I trust you have the evidence to back it?”

Let’s see, there was the fact that the ring was so heavy it kept Vidkun rooted to the floor of the well, completely helpless. Then there was the fact Falcar didn’t even bother to warn me about the ring’s nature; in fact, he didn’t even bother to tell me anything about Vidkun’s disappearance at all. I think I had all the all the evidence I needed, with one exception.

“I might,” I replied once I finished gathering my thoughts, “we just need to get this ring back to the Mages Guild. If my suspicions are true, Falcar has a lot to answer for.”

“I’d better come with you, then,” the guard added, “If you’re right, we best end this as soon as possible.”

And if I’m wrong, less distance for you to travel to reprimand me, I finished in my head.

“Fine,” I finished, heaving the ring into my hands with a grunt.




----




“By the Gods, what happened to you, ma’am?!” The guard cried out as Deetsan opened the door. Her appearance was shocking, one of her eyes was swollen half shut and she was clutching at her ribs.

“It was Falcar,” she replied simply, confirming every suspicion in my mind. “He attacked me. He also killed one of our members and just tried to kill this one,” she finished indicating me. I noticed the guard’s gaze turning towards me. Told you so, I thought.

“I’ll inform the city watch to keep an eye out for him,” the guard quickly recited, “If he’s anywhere around here, we’ll find him.” With that, he hurried off, his boots clanking loudly on the paving stones. Deetsan closed the doors behind me as I returned inside.

“What should I do with this thing?” I quickly asked her, indicating the ring that was now threatening to tear a hole in my hands.

“Oh, just drop it anywhere,” Deetsan replied, “I don’t think Falcar really cared about it, it was probably some sort of sick joke on his part.”

I quickly let the ring go with a sigh. It made an incredible thud when it hit the stone floor and caused an Altmer woman to look up, startled, from her potion brewing.

“Vidkun’s dead,” I told Deetsan. Best get the bad news over with now. Deetsan responded by dropping her gaze and shaking her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I just knew this had happened,” she began, her voice a low hiss of anger, “I should’ve known better than to keep my mouth shut about all this. I should’ve reported Falcar when I had the chance! How could I let this happen under my nose?”

She then made a lengthy pause, which I felt would be best not to break, before turning back to face me.

“I take it your talk with Falcar didn’t go very well?” I inquired once I felt she had straightened herself out. “You look like you’re in a lot of pain.”

“Just my pride,” Deetsan brushed off, unconvincingly clutching at her ribs at the same time, “but no, it didn’t. He just dismissed me like he always does… at least until I threatened to report him to the council for covering up Vidkun’s death,” she broke her gaze with mine, and I noticed her voice was getting higher and starting to shake, “I thought he was going to kill me, he got so angry! I couldn’t even understand most of his ranting, all I could tell was that he screamed that our days were numbered and then he stormed out.”

I shook my head incredulously. It was hard to believe how horrible a person could be sometimes. Killing a highwayman to preserve your own life pales in comparison to trying to murder someone in cold blood… and succeeding. This trip to Cheydinhal was nothing if not gruesomely enlightening.

“Anyways, I don’t think he ever intended to write your recommendation, Associate,” Deetsan then continued, breaking the brief silence, “I am deeply sorry you had to get caught up in the middle of this, but thank you for your help in bringing his crimes to light.”

“It was my pleasure,” I replied, “and I’m sorry about Vidkin.”

“Yes, it’s such a shame,” Deetsan answered quietly, her gaze dropping to the floor once again, “he didn’t deserve to die like that. But, no use crying over it now, it happened and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Anyways, with Falcar gone, that leaves me in charge of things here,” Deetsan then revealed to me, “so, if I say so myself, I think you’ve more than earned a recommendation from me.”

“Well, thank you very much, but are you sure the council will acknowledge it?” I asked, handing her the parchment slip that now contained Teekeus’ signature.

“Well, I do need to get a report written up for them about what happened here, so I’m sure they will,” Deetsan answered, grabbing a nearby quill and inkpot. “Now, I have enough time to give you a quick tour of the guild before I have to get to work, so let’s not waste time.”




----




“…and this is the basement level. We have some extra public beds in that room over there in case you need them,” Deetsan indicated a small wooden door opposite the entry stairwell, “and over there is the Magister’s quarters.”

“Falcar’s quarters,” I added, suppressing a cringe.

“Well, they technically belong to me now, but yes, that is where Falcar slept.” Deetsan replied, though I had the feeling it would be quite a while before she slept in the same bed as he did after what happened today.

The guild hall was actually rather small, at least smaller than the one in Chorrol. The building was constructed of plastered stone and lined with rosewood, with hard oak floors upstairs and tiled floors downstairs. The ground floor contained several desks in alcoves for private studies, as well as an alchemy booth with several tools an apparatuses. The female Altmer, Eilonwy, whom I had startled when I returned with Falcar’s ring, was still engrossed in her potions there when Deetsan introduced me to her. Next to the stairwell leading to the upper floor was the dining room, which at this point contained several bowls of fresh fruit, including some very strange berries.

“They’re called Comberries,” Deetsan replied when I asked her about them, “they come imported from Morrowind. They’re very popular here in Cheydinhal because of how close to the province we are, though they are a bit expensive thanks to all the tariffs the East Empire Company imposes on them.”

Upstairs was the community dormitory, where I was greeted by a Redguard named Trayvond as I entered. Another High Elf named Orintur was studying in a corner of the room. Most of the windows in the building also opened up to this floor, providing ample light by which to read by, as well as helping to mask the relatively small size of the hall in comparison to the number of people dwelling inside.

“So, that’s about it. It’s not much, but it’s served us quite well over the years,” Deetsan concluded once she had shown me the basement bedroom. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get started on that report.”

“Do you want someone to clear out Falcar’s things?” I offered. “You know, since he’s obviously not going to be coming back?”

“If you wish to do so, Associate, feel free, but I really do need to get started on that report,” Deetsan finished, closing the basement door behind her with a snap on the way back up.

Falcar didn’t keep much inside his room, just a few changes of clothes in the wardrobe and a couple potions on his desk, but I quickly found myself puzzled by a rather innocent chest of drawers being locked tightly shut. Was Falcar trying to hide something in there? Too bad I didn’t have any lockpicks, I thought, so I guess I’ll need to find the key… if he didn’t take it with him, that is. I decided it might be worth a shot to try under the dresser, though in all likelihood it wasn’t there.

Nope, nothing. Besides, that would’ve been too easy and predictable. Well, maybe I’m just being paranoid, I thought to myself as I flopped down on the bed, he probably was just your run-of-the-mill fetcher who… wait… where is that clinking sound coming from? I quickly sat back up and lifted the pillow I was resting my head on… and there it was; a plain brass key. I quickly snatched it up, thrust it into the dresser’s lock, and was greeted by a satisfying click as I turned it. Now, let’s see what you’ve been hiding in here, Falcar….

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Feb 9 2011, 03:22 AM