Corrupted heart. Options

[jack cloudy]

Alas, I couldn't wait for Agent to finish before I began my next story. Oh, curse me, all of you whose blood shall be spilled before this story comes to an end.

Ahem, I don't expect my loyal readers to complain though. Heh, I hope I managed to portray the first of my main characters nicely. And one last thing that might be interesting to know. This story takes place before the birth of Luper. So yes, that means at least 23 years before any of my other stories. Now, without further stalling I present:


Corrupted heart.

Chapter 1: Among the cold dirt, the fallen lie.

Consciousness flickered, remaining just out of reach. His senses delivered their messages to his clouded mind, broken fragments of a greater whole. The sound of heavy boots hammering cold rock, the smell of dust in his nose, the feeling of being carried in a boneshattering grip. A taste, plaguing the tip of his tongue. Blood, his blood.

The feeling of movement stopped. Words now echoed in his ears, words he did not comprehend.
,,This looks good enough. Open the door.” The shriek of rusted metal being moved ripped through the haze clouding his mind. Now consciousness returned fully and with it, a chance. For a moment, he continued to feign unconsciousness. Long enough to hear more words, words not meant for him.
,,You, don’t move unless you want even greater problems.” The hands holding him pushed him along. His tail brushed against iron bars. Now was the time.

With the frightening grace of a natural killer, his muscles sprang back to full readiness. He used the body of his captor to swing around, somersaulting into the air and landing on the unfortunate man’s back. With a quick swipe, claws ripped out the man’s throat and crushed his neck. Even before the man began to lose his signs of life, the killer had leapt away. The next guard found himself smashed against the iron bars of the cell. Claws leaving a trail of blood in the air where the last thing the man saw before his eyes were removed. He too died soon afterwards. The whole event had taken less than a second from start to finish.

Breathing heavily from both his exertion and the rough treatment he’d received earlier, the killer stared down at his latest victims. In a slow symbolic movement, he raised his claws and licked them clean of blood, savouring the taste. His ears began to pick up the sound of distant boots coming steadily closer. A standard patrol. His hand snatched the nearby torch from the wall and he slammed the piece of wood into a dusty pool of water. There was a large cloud of smoke and then, darkness.

Even though there was practically no light left, his eyes still saw as good as if he was standing outside on a clear day. He quickly scanned the nearby cells. The one which had been destined for him was already occupied by the short stature of a Bosmer. The one directly on the opposite side of the tunnel was occupied by a muscular Dunmer who looked around warily, not seeing a thing. The killer took a double take on the two beings. While the Dunmer displayed all the expected signs of fear, the Bosmer surprisingly acted as if she hadn’t noticed the massacre at all. She just looked at the ground in front of her bare feet with a blank stare.
,,Must have lost its mind so deep underground.” The Killer concluded. He knew from experience that many Bosmer were extremely claustrophobic and hated being in a room without any windows or underground. A natural result from living in the treetops of Valenwood.

The boots had now gotten close. Soon, the owner of these boots would see the darkness ahead and know that something was wrong. By then though, it would be too late. The Killer crouched at the edge of the darkness, confident in the natural camouflage he had. Now the guard ventured into view and the killer’s heart skipped a beat. This was no guard. The fingers of fear reached out for him, embracing him with their cold touch. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt since childhood. The darkness in the tunnel was vanquished by a bright burst of light. With that same burst, the light in his eyes faded and he slipped into unconsciousness once more.

An armoured boot stomped on the ground beside his head.
,,You’ve missed your chance. Enjoy the blood you’ve claimed. They were your last kill.” A gruff voice said as the killer was picked up and taken to his cell.

[jack cloudy]

The sun cast its merciless rays down on the roofs, raising the temperature to nearly unbearable heights. Erinus Codius was sitting on the only chair in her small shack at the Plaza district. The sun shone through the window where it fell on a lonely Nirnroot plant. All of a sudden, some unseen person knocked on the door. The woman put away her book and went to open the door. The visitor turned out to be one of the stable boys from just outside the city.

,,Yes, what is it?” She asked in a friendly yet impatient tone. The Poems of Ash proved to be interesting reading and even after months she still discovered new details in each passage. She really preferred to remain alone with the book. The stableboy fidgeted around nervously for a bit.
,,There’s a man outside the gate. He told me to go get you. He claims it’s urgent.” The boy said.
,,When I asked for a reward he said that ‘people who claim rewards for helping those in need are unworthy of their ancestor’s grace.” He added when the healer chose to simply look at him without responding. When he looked up again, he saw a faint smile tugging at the corner’s of the Imperial’s lips.
,,Only one man would say something like that.”

With an enthusiasm she didn’t recognize of herself, she slipped on her shoes and fled the cramped confines of her house, having to run back once because she forgot to lock the door. The stableboy found that he could barely keep up with the woman. She passed the open gates and scanned the surrounding countryside.

There he was, a tall Dunmer who leaned against the side of the bridge with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His eyes were closed, making it appear as if he was meditating. When Erinus drew closer, his eyes shot open and peered into her’s.
,,Aran! Did they rele….” She shouted but the silent warning he gave her made her walk forward before repeating at a softer tone that couldn’t be heard by the guards at the gate.
,,Did they release you?”
Aran shrugged.
,,Something like that.” Was the flat response he was willing to give. He wasted no time in getting down to business.
,,Can you help her?” He asked, motioning with his head to the Bosmer who he’d put down in a sitting position. To any passerby, it appeared as if she was merely sleeping. Till an observant individual would notice the unnatural pale colour of her skin.

Erinus looked at the Bosmer.
,,I didn’t knew you were into Wood Elves.” She joked.
,,Silence! Don’t mock the injured!” He chastised her. Erinus shuddered but knew that he didn’t mean to do her any harm. In fact, she was more pleased than hurt by his response. It proved that he was still the same spirited Aran Geydar she’d known for many years.
,,And you know that Bosmer are not my type. It’s her leg. Some giant dog or something tore it to pieces.” He continued, the calm statement was the closest thing to an apology he would ever make.

The healer leaned down to inspect the mentioned limb more closely.
,,Let’s see. Pale skin, evidence of severe bloodloss. What’s a dirty rag doing around there? Don’t tell me you didn’t had anything better. I’ll have to take her to my place and get something decent around it. Just why didn’t you take her to my home directly?” Now it was her turn to critiscize the Dunmer.
,,How would the guards respond if I carried a half-dead girl on my shoulder? She doesn’t look like a noble or even a rich person. Then they would see me, the scars of my life. They would try to stop me. They won’t stop a healer with a patient.” He explained as he picked up the escapee.
,,Now take us past the guards please.”


The man sat at the head of a large table. He looked at each of the men and women seated in turn. After he’d concluded that everyone was present and that no doppelgangers were around, he nodded to his servant who began to pass out leaflets.
,,This night, there was a jailbreak in our maximum security jail. Now I suppose that some questions regarding our ‘maximum security’ are in order.” He started with a serious frown.
,,There were a total of four escapees. Due to certain….circumstances, one of them died. His body has been given all the funeral rites he deserved, which wasn’t much.” He continued, looking at the Blades who were all examining the sketch he’d provided. They all had a clue of what was to come next but it didn’t hurt to ask.

,,Milord, what were the affiliations of the death person? Can we expect repercussions from those loyal to him?” One of the blades asked. The man took a moment of silence before answering.
,,There were no affiliations. He was a man who stood alone. No one will seek revenge for his death. If that was all, I would like to continue.”
,,You’ve failed, Talin. You’ve failed at the start of your great quest.”

,,There are three surviving escapees. Two of them, a Dunmer and Bosmer who are reported to be travelling together, are of no consequence. Let them enjoy their freedom, they won’t be able to harm anyone but themselves. The third one though, is a different story. Now, please pay attention to the sketch.” The man spoke. He looked at his own sketch and trailed the features with a finger.
,,The Khajiit you see here is a criminal of the most dangerous kind. His name is Ra’trith, though he also lays claim on the title ‘embodiment of darkness’. Quite a fitting title, considering his trade and the dark shade of his fur. This Khajiit is an assassin, most likely a member of the Dark Brotherhood. So far, we have confirmed the death of over thirty Imperial officers all around the province as well as a nearly successful assassination on me. I believe he might try to finish the job though even if he won’t, he must be stopped. I will not allow this killer to drench my Empire in blood once more.”

He looked at his Blades coldly.
,,Protect the Empire. As servants of the Nine this is your duty. But be warned, do not take your enemy lightly. He is an expert in unarmed combat. Don’t let your guard down just because he does not hold any steel in his hands. Dismissed.”



Note: Actually, he was alerted by Merdrar's 'death' at the Khajiit's claws. He wants to go after the most dangerous escapee first.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Jan 15 2007, 08:37 PM