The Balance: The Neutral Spider, From the Office of Laegus Hawkherd Options

[Red]

Well, this is the starting of my new, hopefully longer living Fan Fiction. This is a very rough draft, AKA only edited and re-edited about 7 times. I know, I'm such a prefectionis. Anyways, this is an odd little gem that I have been kicking around for a while, and the name will soon mean something. Also, please reply with any comments and critiques, nagative or positive. And now, I'm off, and the story is starting. *Dissapears in a cloud of smoke*



CHAPTER ONE: The Trigger

The one question people love to ask me the most is definitely how. How I could just stroll in and out of a murder scene without any thought at all. How I could have evaded the law for so long even though I was so social. How I could possibly fit the accusations against me, and how the crimes could even be possible. I always answer these questions the same way, the cold stare they expect to see.

Lets back up a few years though, so you can understand me the way not many people can. I am Ordras Morvayn, surprisingly good-looking blacksmith living in Cyrodiil. The whole twisted, downward spiral I have been living in as of late started like most stories haven’t. Not with me angry, or happy, or doing anything interesting at all. My ash skinned hide was fast asleep on my soft, comfy bed. I wasn’t dreaming (though I wish I was because it would make this a little more interesting), nor was I looking into a black abyss for hours like normal. It was fast asleep, as in when you fall asleep and feel like you’ve napped for ten seconds. I woke up suddenly, though not groggy, not in pain, not covered in blood, but awake at least. Looking around my large, cluttered room; I noticed how early it was, as the candle I had lit earlier was still aflame. I walked through my room door, past the door of my currently travelling co-worker and past the door where my boss slept before he could afford a real house. After walking a few steps more and jumping down the stairs, all two of them, I was in the smithing room. Here, is where our story bursts from a dull cocoon and spreads the wings of an interesting plot twist.

A tall figure, at least a head taller then me, stood in the smithing room above a body. He wore loose, black leather pants with belts wrapped around various places. A dark cloak over a barely visible shirt ensured I had no guess to his weight, though he looked like he was quite lean from the little of him I could see, and he wore a Netch leather helm painted black. He looked like he killed Hitmen in his spare time. I looked at him, a monstrous looking killer clad in black, and he looked at me, an easy target Dark Elf clad in baggy underwear. He laughed a long, hardy laugh and reached into the pack on his back. I froze. He revealed something, but not a weapon. He threw a shirt and a pair of pants at me. I looked at him hard, and then the dead body of an Altmer he stood above. No one I worked with, my strange Nordic boss thought my co-worker and I were more than enough to do all the smith work his clients required. “Now” the stranger said with a booming voice, pointing at the clothes. I put them on quickly, nearly putting my head through an armhole. I can honestly say I have never felt a material so soft. Funny the things you notice while in shock fearing you might die.

The stranger blindfolded me, but he did it with care and believe you me, that wasn’t expected. He led me a few steps and then picked me up, which was probably awkward for I was pretty tall myself, and placed me in what seemed to be a cart. I heard the braying, naying and bustling of horses and then his dark, booming voice once again. “Close your eyes and your mind, Dark Elf, and fall asleep like you had been earlier” He was definitly a Dark Elf and before I could even think of something to say, I blurted out a blind sentence. “Are you violent?” I barely knew what I meant I was so sleepy and confused, but he did. He took a deep, calming breath before speaking. “No, and you can think of me as a friend as soon as you wake” he said it calmly and in a way only a good friend would, and sounded like he was smiling. What a gentleman.

This post has been edited by Red: Feb 27 2006, 04:10 AM

[Red]

Okay, updating time. I have written about five updates worth of material that needs to be edited, re-edited, re-re-edited and then read over three times, so that will be trickeling around here slowly and steadily. In the meantime, rough edit update time! Enjoy and get ready for action, intrigue, plot-twists and romance (probably not, actually, but we'll see what the future holds ) in the future.






The rest of the day was quite strange. Caneyelle had me follow him room to room and explained its purpose, but briefly as if he too thought the tour was almost useless. He answered my questions about certain books in the library and other such unimportant facts, but would not get into much detail. When something was too touchy, like how does someone go about balancing the world, he either said it was unimportant at the time or I would learn very soon. This scared me, as I am the kind of guy who avoids running into things blindly. He walked me down the last hall and through a thick, wooden door that creaked loudly as it opened. The room inside was quite large, with a soft, feather bed, a table and six seats, numerous cupboards, three chests and some small metal boxes with keys sitting on top. “This is your room newcomer, it has space for sleeping and sitting and many chests and such to store your loot and plunder. I am down the hall, the door with the large C on the front if you need me, but other than that I really don’t think there is anything else you need other than these” he passed me two papers and a package, all covered in familiar stamps and handwriting. He left and I sat down on one of the seats at my table and read the first note. It had neat handwriting in the blank spaces and I could tell this was done with a printing press and not by hand. The first note read:

Dear newcomer

You have joined this organization under Ortei Draen and Caneyelle, who believe that your skills in smithing, knowledge of weapons and general intelligence can help the Balance. Please find in the connected package, if you have been given one, a thousand Septems, a pain of leather gloves and two restore endurance potions .

Additional notes: Page two is a mission briefing so read it a few times over. I want you to get the mission done independently as otherwise, how could we trust you? Good luck and Godspeed. From the office of Laegus Hawkherd.

I was flattered with the general intelligence remark, and that he would give me so many Septems for a mission, but leather gloves? Am I to choke someone? I picked up the second page and was amazed.

Your first mission is quite peculiar to say the least. It will seem to be a simple task, but you will see how simple tasks unfold. We need you to infiltrate an illegal fist-fighting arena in the city of Wayrain. See? Told you it would be peculiar. Now, we do not care that is illegal (nor do the authorities in Wayrain), but that a certain person has been placing large bets and willing. He has accumulated tens of thousands of Septems in possibly rigged games, and even the underworld needs to be balanced justly. Now, we do not want you to hurt or kill him, so you should gain his respect and then work from there. You would be best to join the arena and use those strong Smithing arms to fight your way to respect. After that, its your decision.

On the one thousand Septems, they are to reward your decision to join and to help you on your first mission. Travel the roads west from here (Ravenrest, by the way) to Skull Drop, a small outpost and village. Then travel to the city of Wayrain by foot. Get directions when you get to Skull Drop, as I have never travelled as far north as Wayrain, as I have little interest in the once Nordic parts of Cyrodiil. Ask the night life locals about the fighting ring, as the guards will be cautious of you if you go around talking of illegal activities.

That is all you need to know, or at least all I want to tell you. Now rest up and ready yourself for the mission. You leave tomorrow on horseback without guide and must follow an ancient road west to Skull Drop, so getting lost will be easy.

Caneyelle

Well that’s great I thought, I leave tomorrow to do a deed for an organization I barely understand and joined because I like the food and talk. And worst of all, I’m a budding fist-fighter. I do have the strength, intelligence and quick thinking for it, but this is so soon and so strange. Well, at least I’ll be doing something other than boring smithing, the job I was forced into by my family. Hmm, family, they don’t even know where I am, why I’m there, what I’m doing or why I’m doing it. Also, no big dumb bosses are making me forge swords that often aren’t used for fighting, and no co-worker constantly going on about his stupid girlfriend. I smiled and dressed into my sleeping attire (AKA took off my shirt, shoes, socks and pants) and climbed into bed. For the first time in a long time, I dreamed.