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]

No need to be patient any longer. The trap reveals itself! Ok, just weirdness. Lorefreaks might recognise it though.




He landed on the street, dropping to all fours to cushion the impact. He looked in all directions, trying to find out where his target had gone so sudden. He’d expected to land on the man’s back, not on the ground.

The air moved behind him. He spun around, stretching his leg to deliver a bonecrushing blow to the old man. The blow never came. Instead, he found himself flying through the air towards the nearest wall. Only his reflexes that had been honed by years of hard training allowed him to turn around in midair and catch the force of impact with his legs instead of his face. He dropped down to the ground again and watched the Redguard warily.
,,I should’ve known. Either there was a trap or the target was not helpless in the end. He moves quite fast for someone that old. Not fast enough.”

Slowly, the Khajiit unsheathed the Blade of Woe. He then approached rapidly, a shadow of death catapulting itself through the air. He passed the old man like an arrow and then used a crate to slow down and strike from behind. The man had turned to face his assailant though and met the deathly dagger with an opened hand.

A sound like ringing bells echoed across the streets. Ra’trith jumped back, completely stunned by his foe’s resistance. The man’s hand was no longer empty. A sparkling mist as bright as the sun was nestled within the grip of his weathered hands. The Khajiit had no idea what to make out of it.
,,Now now, let’s not ruin this lovely night with violence, shall we?” The Redguard spoke for the first time. His voice carried no anger about the sudden attack. With a loud growl, the enraged assassin struck with all his fury.

Laughing softly, the Redguard danced around the blurred chaos of claws and Ebony. Then, he made a single downwards cut with the mist. Ra’trith jumped back and stared at the man, gasping for breath after his exertion. His hand went up to the wound. Where the mist had struck, his armour had been cut and so had his skin. It wasn’t any normal cut. There was no parting of leather and flesh. Instead, everything which had been touched by the light had simply vanished.
,,You are a marked man, why?” Ra’trith asked, stalling for time. It was a tactic he preferred not to use but in this case, he had no choice. The man had proven himself to be more than a match for him and worst of all, he wasn’t even sweating or breathing any harder than when he’d just taken a nap.

,,A matter that interests you, I presume. Of course, it is only natural to desire knowledge about that which you cannot defeat. That’s the Dark Brotherhood’s interest. I’ve had a few encounters with a certain member of your order. A Vicente Valtieri. I believe it’d suffice to say that he failed to kill me just as how you have failed yourself. Perhaps you have heard of him?” The old man answered the question with a question.
,,I’ve met him.” Ra’trith snarled in return.
,,Valtieri, so that’s why. You never expected me to win did you? So you’ve spoken with the traitor and dealt with him. Of course, you speak with yourself every day. You’re death, traitor! Mark my words!”
,,If this is personal, then perhaps you two should deal with it yourselves.” He told the old man.
,,I’d love to spill your blood but there is a certain satisfaction in making two enemies fight each other while I watch from a distance.”

The Redguard shooed him away.
,,I am a man of life, not of death. You however, are the chosen bringer of death in this world. I can see it in your eyes. Death has been around you from the day you were born and if you’re not careful, it will be with you till the day you die. I have no intention of killing anyone.” He explained and turned his back on the Khajiit.
,,If you don’t desire to harm people as you say, than why carry a weapon? Do not convict my actions if you ignore yours.” Ra’trith accused the man. He’d caught his breath by now and was ready for a second round. The disastrous results of their first battle restrained him though.

The Redguard turned around and faced the assassin with a calculating look.
,,I do not carry a weapon. As long as I do not fear and as long as my will remains absolute, I am invincible. You have some impressive skills but you show some great flaws. You rely too much on the strength of your body and too little on the strength of your soul. These are the words of Revarim Kendri, remember them. You’ve piqued my interest, ender of lives, embodiment of darkness.”

Ra’trith visibly recoiled.
,,Embodiment of Darkness? How does he know my title? Was it a mere coincidence or perhaps not?” He thought, getting increasingly worried. He did not like people he could not comprehend and this Revarim Kendri was getting more incomprehensible with each passing moment.
,,The cook, two prisoners, several guardsmen, Jagar Tharn, Vicente Valtieri, you, the Emperor.” He admitted reluctantly. Kendri clapped his hands.

,,Ah yes, the Emperor. Who doesn’t want to kill him, with what he’s been doing lately?” He murmured and brought his face down to Ra’trith’s eyelevel.
,,The Emperor is no mere man you know. If you truly desire to kill him, you must prepare for an incredible challenge. To face this challenge, your will must be absolute. You must learn how to sing, how to be a champion of justice as opposed to a champion of evil. Perhaps then, you’ll stand a chance. Also, you might find Jagar Tharn in your way when you make your move. You must fight two men, a powerful mage and the ruler of an empire. Now then, good night.” Ra’trith blinked. That short moment of blindness was enough for Kendri to vanish. The Khajiit shrugged and walked away in the night.
,,Everything at its time. First, I must build my strength so I can face Valtieri. After that, I’ll start my quest to destroy the empire. And just what has singing to do with killing? Strange old man, I’ll kill you as well someday. No one escapes me. They can run but in the end, there’s only one fate that awaits all of us. Death.”

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Jan 26 2007, 11:41 PM