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> Corrupted heart.
jack cloudy
post Jan 5 2007, 09:59 PM
Post #1


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Joined: 11-February 06
From: In a cold place.



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.


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jack cloudy
post Jan 25 2007, 07:08 PM
Post #2


Master
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Joined: 11-February 06
From: In a cold place.



It's obvious, isn't it? When you pay money for some old guy, expect TROUBLE in capital letters. biggrin.gif

Assassiny writers sub-guild? Sounds nice, though I don't know if we can call Ra'trith an assassin. His killings so far have been much too open. No sneaking around.

And now, we continue with the others.






Several minutes later, the Khajiit was sitting on the lower branches of a tree, hidden from view by the many leaves. A coach came along. Ra’trith took in the vehicle and made his decision quickly. When it passed underneath him, he dropped down and landed on the roof without making a sound or causing a vibration. He slid down to the back where he was perfectly hidden from both the Imperial in controlling the horses and its passengers. He sat on top of a large suitcase, his legs dangling in the air. He absentmindedly scratched his wounded shoulder.
,,Damn poison. It itches. I hate that vampire. Hmph, I’ll break free from him someday. No one lives forever, not even those who have sacrificed their soul for an illusion of immortality.”


A Breton moved around the tables with a plate held above high above his head. He arrived at his destination, lowered the plate and put two large jugs of Mazte on the dirty table. He then left as swiftly as he’d arrived. A grey hand reached out and opened the two jugs. Another hand, a green one, was dropping coins in a leather pouch.
,,980…990…1000, it’s all there.” The Orc said with his rumbling voice and slid the now filled pouch across the table. Aran picked it up and deposited the fortune in his pocket where it would be quite safe.
,,I do have a question for you.” The Dunmer stated before taking a swig of the Mazte.
,,That’s fine but I have a question for you as well.”

Aran shrugged.
,,You can ask anything you want. Now for my question, why did you make me promise not to kill my sponsor? It’s not like you to worry about such things. In fact, I must have caused quite some publicity with that act. Don’t you always grab every chance at publicity you can get?” He asked. Ghorak laughed, managing to make more noise than everyone else in the tavern combined.
,,I know, I love publicity. Publicity is good for business. But what good is publicity for me if I’m death? It took us hours to find and clean up every little bit of the guy’s head. I sponsored you this time. Forgive an old man his self-protecting behaviour, please.” He explained once he’d finally stopped laughing.
,,Now as for my question, why do you need the money so much?”

Aran casually leaned back in his chair.
,,It’s not for me. It’s for Erinus Codius. With the new law that forces the healers to lower their price, she can no longer sustain herself.” He told the Orc. Ghorak slammed on the table with a fist, causing a large wave of his Mazte to fly up into the air and splatter down on the table again, making it even messier than it already was.
,,That woman?! Why didn’t you just say so instead of going out and teaching that fool who’s boss? Do you have any idea how many corpses we would have if she wasn’t there to fix up the survivors? I know about that law but I’d completely forgotten about it. Curse the Emperor and his name!” He raged. The Dunmer looked around the tavern calmly. While he did see a number of angry faces, none of those faces had violence in their eyes. Still, violence could occur if his friend continued to slander the Emperor.
,,You might want to tone it down a bit, Ghorak. Getting killed in a bar brawl is bad for business as well.” He warned.

The Orc calmed down though he did utter a few more threats under his breath.
,,Keep the money and don’t give it to her. Let me deal with it. Since the Emperor has forbidden us to pay her a fair price, I just thought of something different. What if we give her a weekly bonus for ‘outstanding service quality’? I bet that we could slip the money she deserves past that bloody law with this.” He whispered, grinning savagely. Aran grinned as well.
,,They may say that all Orcs are barbarians with less intelligence than a rock. You, my friend, have a common sense and wit an Altmer would be jealous of. A bonus for outstanding service quality, that definitely sounds like something she deserves.”


Erinus closed the door quietly.
,,We might meet again someday. Till then, may the Divines watch over you.” Marsh-Speaker spoke to the closed door and moved out on the street, soon vanishing within the mass.

With her visitor gone, the healer had all the time she needed to take care of her patient. She hadn’t been able to do much about the wound yet. Now though, she would be able to mend most of the flesh with the potions she’d freshly bought during her conversation with the Argonian. She began to remove the bandage she’d applied and inspected the wound closely to see if there had been any unexpected changes.

,,It hurts.” A voice whispered. When Erinus looked up, she found the Bosmer’s eyes staring at her.
,,Well, of course it hurts. Any further, and there would be no way to save your leg. You’re quite lucky the wound wasn’t infected. Not only was it dirty, but your resistance to disease has been seriously undermined with your starvation. At least you’re awake now, that’s a good sign.” Erinus said calmly.
,,Raw rat meat isn’t exactly a delicacy. There aren’t many edible bits on a rat either.” Rajn smiled weakly.

The woman ignored any further comments as she focussed on her task. She carefully administered the potion’s contents directly to the wound, making sure not to overdo the dosage. If drank as was usually the case, the potion would have never been strong enough to deal with a wound only half as bad since the liquid spread evenly and wasted itself on fixing inconsequential damage all over the body. If applied directly to the wound though, its effects were effectively concentrated where it mattered most. If too much was applied at one place though, the flesh would drown and the medicine would do more damage than it healed.

Before her eyes, the torn flesh reassembled and flowed back into its proper shape. It was a painful process, as evident by a few gasps and the tears that shone in the Bosmer’s eyes. When the miraculous healing was done, most of the wound had vanished as if it never existed, replaced by new flesh that had not yet taken on the signs of regular usage.
,,I don’t fix the skin normally as it is quite a bit more complex than it might seem. You’ll keep a few scars I’m afraid. Those can be removed at a later date by any healer though.” Erinus explained as she put the now empty vial on the table. It could always be filled with a different substance later.

,,Nah, that’s ok. I think I’ll keep them. As a reminder not to mess with really big dogs. Say, where’s the Dunm….” Rajn began but fell silent when her leg started twitching uncontrollably. Erinus smiled reassuringly.
,,Don’t worry about the twitching. There’s some new muscle tissue in there. It hasn’t yet learned how to respond properly. For the first few days, expect some odd movements like those while it learns how to function. Try to bend and stretch your leg as often as you can to help speed up the learning process.” She said, then got up and lit up the fire of the oven.
,,You’re probably hungry so I’ll make you something to eat.” She said over her shoulder.

To her surprise, the Bosmer was now staring at her still twitching leg with something that resembled sadness.
,,She should be happy to be still alive. I wonder what’s wrong?” The healer thought.
,,How do I pay? I don’t have any money. Neither does the other guy.” Rajn muttered, more to herself than to the Imperial.
,,So that’s it.”
,,Don’t worry about it. Aran is a good friend of mine and I’m happy to help out. His friend is my friend.”


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Posts in this topic
jack cloudy   Corrupted heart.   Jan 5 2007, 09:59 PM
Lord Revan   Nice beginning Jack, that sounds a lot like the Im...   Jan 5 2007, 10:56 PM
The Metal Mallet   Wow, your use of description has left me stunned, ...   Jan 6 2007, 12:50 AM
jack cloudy   Yup, it's the Imperial prison alright. Hey, I...   Jan 6 2007, 05:03 PM
The Metal Mallet   Let's just say that I wanted to play around ...   Jan 6 2007, 05:38 PM
jack cloudy   Wow, I just can't stop. I promise I'll get...   Jan 6 2007, 10:22 PM
The Metal Mallet   You would think they would just relocate the priso...   Jan 6 2007, 11:02 PM
jack cloudy   The point is, they would relocate. Only, the priso...   Jan 6 2007, 11:20 PM
The Metal Mallet   Haha! What delcious update, jack. So it loo...   Jan 7 2007, 12:03 AM
canis216   I don't want to ruin anything, but I must ask;...   Jan 7 2007, 12:19 AM
Black Hand   Excellent! Yes, I likie the story already, and...   Jan 7 2007, 08:43 AM
jack cloudy   I won't have much time tomorrow but I'll t...   Jan 7 2007, 10:32 PM
canis216   Ah, this prison just gets worse and worse--feels c...   Jan 7 2007, 10:41 PM
The Metal Mallet   I hereby rename this prison The Labrithyn of Doom...   Jan 8 2007, 12:45 AM
jack cloudy   Yeah, I think I went a bit overboard here. Would t...   Jan 12 2007, 11:01 PM
The Metal Mallet   Uh oh, they're in trouble now. If only our Du...   Jan 12 2007, 11:48 PM
jack cloudy   The Werewolf grinned in anticipation. Finally, he ...   Jan 13 2007, 08:02 PM
canis216   Temporary refuge from the werewolf. Sounds like th...   Jan 13 2007, 08:14 PM
The Metal Mallet   Hmm I'm curious of who this new "mystery...   Jan 13 2007, 09:36 PM
jack cloudy   And a quickie to end today's update. ,,Yes...   Jan 13 2007, 10:31 PM
The Metal Mallet   Hmm so it seems that higher up beings are taking i...   Jan 14 2007, 03:02 AM
jack cloudy   The sun cast its merciless rays down on the roofs,...   Jan 15 2007, 08:37 PM
The Metal Mallet   Our healer seems to have a bit of humour to her, w...   Jan 15 2007, 11:02 PM
jack cloudy   Hmm, I just realized. Ra'trith alone has murde...   Jan 16 2007, 08:05 PM
The Metal Mallet   Well not all killers have character development, j...   Jan 17 2007, 01:05 AM
Black Hand   Whoa. I stand in awe of your post machineiness Jac...   Jan 17 2007, 04:25 AM
Malpense the Dark   Wow, I'm really loving this series! As a ...   Jan 17 2007, 12:15 PM
jack cloudy   Thank you and welcome. Please have a look at the o...   Jan 17 2007, 11:00 PM
The Metal Mallet   Well you can certainly tell that Aran is a pridefu...   Jan 17 2007, 11:26 PM
jack cloudy   Well, I've been following the teasers quite cl...   Jan 21 2007, 09:55 PM
Black Hand   One Handed Spear Weilding at its best! Keep it...   Jan 21 2007, 10:18 PM
The Metal Mallet   Each character and getting more steadily defined a...   Jan 21 2007, 10:55 PM
canis216   Wow, a lot's happened here since I last peruse...   Jan 21 2007, 11:23 PM
jack cloudy   A shadow walked into Cheydinhall, unseen by any of...   Jan 24 2007, 10:29 PM
Malpense the Dark   Nice stuff Jack, very enjoyable. I like how the c...   Jan 24 2007, 11:04 PM
The Metal Mallet   I would be suspicious too given the information on...   Jan 25 2007, 12:21 AM
Black Hand   My my my Jack! You're now officially induc...   Jan 25 2007, 05:41 AM
The Metal Mallet   We have such a guild!!!? Sweet!...   Jan 25 2007, 05:20 PM
The Metal Mallet   Ra'trith nears the Imperial City! Beware ...   Jan 25 2007, 08:10 PM
jack cloudy   A short one. Enjoy! That night, Aran retu...   Jan 25 2007, 10:55 PM
The Metal Mallet   .... And then the trap reveals itself!! O...   Jan 25 2007, 11:15 PM
jack cloudy   No need to be patient any longer. The trap reveals...   Jan 26 2007, 11:40 PM
The Metal Mallet   Hmmm, that Redguard was rather peculiar. Seems to...   Jan 27 2007, 01:37 AM
canis216   Hah! Ansei, shehai, all that good stuff! B...   Jan 27 2007, 03:48 AM
jack cloudy   Hey, I don't mind if you are a bit of a lore-f...   Jan 30 2007, 08:22 PM
Malpense the Dark   Great update man, really good. Enter the Blades, ...   Jan 31 2007, 12:46 AM
Malpense the Dark   I really hate to double post, particularly when th...   Jan 31 2007, 01:54 AM
canis216   Forum rules: You can't start a new topic until...   Jan 31 2007, 04:33 AM
jack cloudy   Yeah, it's a relatively new rule. Ever since w...   Jan 31 2007, 10:40 PM
The Metal Mallet   Ahhh, our Khajiit has a history with Vincente. It...   Feb 1 2007, 01:14 AM
Malpense the Dark   Great stuff Jack. Can't wait for more!   Feb 1 2007, 03:36 AM
jack cloudy   Chapter 3: Threads rebound. With the dagger press...   Feb 1 2007, 07:59 PM
Malpense the Dark   Ahh, the plot thickens! Who are these people ...   Feb 1 2007, 10:19 PM
The Metal Mallet   Well if I remember correctly, the Champion of Tamr...   Feb 1 2007, 11:40 PM
Lord Revan   Oh, he's a lot less than a corpse, remember MM...   Feb 2 2007, 12:33 AM
canis216   Indeed, the plots do thicken. There is so very muc...   Feb 2 2007, 12:34 AM
minque   Jackie! You´re a post-machine as well.....oh y...   Feb 2 2007, 11:51 PM
jack cloudy   Hmm, I don't hold the record at postmachining ...   Feb 3 2007, 12:01 AM
canis216   This is getting quite exciting... 'tis a bit o...   Feb 3 2007, 03:15 AM
jack cloudy   End of the Cliffhanger and the start of a new one...   Feb 3 2007, 10:33 PM
canis216   Wow... maybe I should try to play Arena sometime. ...   Feb 3 2007, 10:39 PM
minque   Yeah! It´s awesome....I also have Arena but ne...   Feb 3 2007, 11:01 PM
The Metal Mallet   Oooo creepy monster. I wonder want to be trapped ...   Feb 4 2007, 12:33 AM
Lord Revan   The highest rank of dremora is a Valkynaz, one of ...   Feb 4 2007, 05:46 AM
jack cloudy   I can tell you one thing about Arena, it's dam...   Feb 4 2007, 10:26 PM
canis216   Fantastic! And yes, Arena is really hard. I g...   Feb 4 2007, 11:16 PM
The Metal Mallet   Lovely update Jack! Looks like things are goi...   Feb 4 2007, 11:45 PM
Black Hand   Whoa....so thats what its like to read one of my s...   Feb 5 2007, 04:47 PM
jack cloudy   I love Arena. It has such a creepy atmosphere. Som...   Feb 5 2007, 11:11 PM
The Metal Mallet   Hehehe... I think I know where this is going ;) E...   Feb 5 2007, 11:36 PM
Black Hand   Oh Man jack,..see what you've started!...   Feb 6 2007, 01:25 AM
Lord Revan   Tsk, tsk, tsk, what is the word coming to? It see...   Feb 6 2007, 04:28 AM
jack cloudy   Back-stab? Bah, waste of arrows and they can't...   Feb 6 2007, 07:28 AM
jack cloudy   Marsh shook his head when he saw the Bosmer girl s...   Feb 7 2007, 10:57 PM
Lord Revan   So far so good, wonder how long their luck will la...   Feb 7 2007, 11:23 PM
The Metal Mallet   Lovely update! I also hope this plan works wi...   Feb 8 2007, 12:13 AM
jack cloudy   Say, does anyone know what the Imperial palace loo...   Feb 10 2007, 10:04 PM
canis216   Heh, quite the saucy one, that Bosmer...   Feb 10 2007, 10:09 PM
The Metal Mallet   Well it seems that they've gotten inside easil...   Feb 10 2007, 11:38 PM
jack cloudy   Ok, after our scene of breaking and entering. (lit...   Feb 11 2007, 07:20 PM
canis216   Yeah, Ra'Trith hasn't reared his head in a...   Feb 11 2007, 08:53 PM
The Metal Mallet   I really enjoyed reading the description of the ro...   Feb 11 2007, 09:11 PM
jack cloudy   Ok, just a quickie with no real influence on the p...   Feb 11 2007, 10:01 PM
canis216   No real influence on the plot, eh? We'll just ...   Feb 11 2007, 10:12 PM
Black Hand   Not all evil is wholly evil. Not all good is wholl...   Feb 11 2007, 11:43 PM
jack cloudy   A short one. I want to write a bit more but it...   Feb 17 2007, 10:59 PM
jack cloudy   She walked back to the entrance hall where she saw...   Feb 17 2007, 11:40 PM
The Metal Mallet   Ahhh the sneaky battlemage, just when you think yo...   Feb 18 2007, 01:00 AM
Black Hand   Battlemage?! BATTLEMAGE?! I freaking hate...   Feb 18 2007, 07:54 AM
jack cloudy   In a swirling cloud of Magicka, two forms wavered ...   Feb 18 2007, 09:50 PM
Black Hand   Well I hope you enjoy writing this, as much as I d...   Feb 19 2007, 07:49 AM
jack cloudy   I'll try to get the Elder scroll part done ton...   Feb 24 2007, 04:36 PM
The Metal Mallet   Creative explanation for defeating the "human...   Feb 24 2007, 04:58 PM
Black Hand   SGM!!   Feb 24 2007, 06:55 PM
jack cloudy   Wee, I got the next one! The first thing ...   Feb 24 2007, 07:59 PM
The Metal Mallet   Ooooo exciting, this is really picking up in the s...   Feb 24 2007, 08:15 PM
canis216   This is really thrilling stuff. Keep up the good w...   Feb 24 2007, 08:20 PM
jack cloudy   *Creeperlike voice* ,,I'm postmachining!...   Feb 24 2007, 09:21 PM
The Metal Mallet   Wow, things are getting more and more interesting....   Feb 24 2007, 09:40 PM
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