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]

Chapter 3: Threads rebound.

With the dagger pressing into her back, there was little she could do but to go outside as he’d told her.
,,What’s go…” Her question was rudely interrupted by the dagger which pressed a bit harder, nearly penetrating her clothes.
,,Silence!” The Argonian hissed in her ear. He led her into one of Cyrodiil’s many alleys. When the pressure of the dagger onto her back ceased, she turned around. The scaled creature was comfortably leaning against the dirty wall, still holding the dagger loosely.
,,Now, we’ll wait for a while. Don’t speak if you value your life.” He warned her.

After a few tense and silent minutes that seemed to drag on with each heartbeat lasting an age, the distinct sound of heavy boots hitting cobblestones drew closer. Moving faster than she’d ever expected, the Argonian pressed his hand against her forehead and spoke an incantation.
,,Ocsdros, Jike bei.” A greenish cloud of smoke poured from the hand and engulfed the Bosmer. Rajn coughed loudly when she inhaled some of the smoke in her surprise.
,,What was that? Stay here, I’m going to take a look.” A deep voice spoke from somewhere on the streets.

The Argonian placed himself against the wall again.
,,No matter what happens, don’t move, talk or touch anything. If you disobey, you die.” He told his captive and scraped some dirt from between his claws with the dagger. Just a moment later, a heavily armed Legionnaire entered the dark alley. His eyes instantly shot to the Argonian who looked back at the Imperial with a blank expression.
,,You there, Argonian. What are you doing here?” The man asked sharply. The Argonian tucked the dagger between his belt and shrugged.
,,Shade-Sitter just trying to stay out of the hot sun. Sun hot, yes. Very hot.” He answered with an even heavier accent than before.

The Legionnaire was obviously not used to dealing with the lizard-like creature.
,,Right. Anyway, we’re looking for someone. Nothing important but did something come through here recently? Something that came out of the Roseworks office just down the street over there?” The Imperial soldier looked down the alley, incidentally locking eyes with Rajn who held her breath, feeling cold sweat of fear trickle down her neck. Somehow, the man failed to see her, even though she was standing right in front of him and so nearby that he only had to reach out with his hand to touch her nose.

The Argonian positioned himself between them, hiding her small frame with his own considerably larger mass. It was now that Rajn got a glimpse of the heavy muscles that hid underneath his robe. This only made her even more frightened. He could easily realize his threats.
,,Just arrest the guy, please. He wants to kill me!” She thought.

,,Shade-Sitter saw a few rats here. Big rats. Shade-Sitter hungry so he ate them. Shade-Sitter hopes that iron man is not angry with him.” The Argonian said. The man obviously thought that he was dealing with some incredibly dumb creature now.
,,Rats are bad umm…..Shade-Sitter can eat rats anytime he likes.” Having said those awkward words, the Legionnaire turned on his heels and fled the alley. His voice could be heard one more time.
,,Nothing, just a dumb lizard. Looks like the old guy won’t get his reward then. Let’s move on.” The sound of heavy boots hitting cobblestones became progressively weaker as the two Legionnaires walked away from the alley.

Shade-Sitter turned around, grabbed his captive by the arm and dragged her towards the end of the alley. There, he knocked on a door three times.
,,Who bothers a poor fisherman?” A rasping voice asked from the other side of the wooden door.
,,Someone who fishes in the dark and murky waters for odd fish.” The Argonian replied. The door creaked loudly as it was opened. The owner of the rasping voice stood in the doorframe. His body was clearly not that of a fisherman. Countless scars marred his arms and the Waraxe in his hand had seen its fair share of use as well.
,,Marsh, get in quickly.” He whispered and stepped out of the way. The Argonian entered the small room, pushing Rajn out in front of him.

He didn’t speak till the door had been closed again. Once again, he pressed his hand against the Bosmer’s forehead. This time, a soothing mist covered her. The fisherman’s eyes shot towards the unexpected guest.
,,Explain.” He ordered the Argonian while still looking at the girl.
,,I will. Please, take a seat.” The creature offered and sat down himself. Once everyone was seated, he began his explanation.

,,I am Marsh-Speaker, though you may call me Marsh. Miss Treesap, I am simply stunned by your complete lack of common sense.” He hissed sharply.
,,What common sense?” The Bosmer snapped back. She’d just come to the conclusion that she wouldn’t be killed in the end. With the reason for her fear gone, anger took its place. The man and the Argonian glanced at the door nervously.
,,Shh, keep your voice down. There are many unwanted ears in this place.” The scarred giant warned. Rajn jumped up out of her seat and slammed her fists down on the table.
,,In the last few days, I’ve been forced to crawl out of a pit in the ground! I’ve been humiliated, intimidated and I even nearly got eaten! Then, just when I was about to go home, you come along! Now I’ve been poked, threatened and nearly choked with some greenish smoke! And now you try to make nasty comments about my common sense? I’ll let you know that I’m seriously pissed right now!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Her captors glanced at the door again.
,,Maybe we should gag her.” The fisherman whispered. Marsh held up his hand, both to stop the Bosmer’s tirade as to dissuade his friend from his plan.
,,I apologize if I hurt your feelings. Allow me to explain my actions. Miss Treesap, you have been put on the Emperor’s black list after escaping from his supposedly escape-proof prison. As such, he’s put a price on your head and spread your name among those who might get in touch with you. The clerk was one of these people. When he learned of your name, he went out to call the nearest guard in the hope of getting the reward for your capture. If I let things play out, you would’ve been arrested and most likely, executed.” Marsh leaned back in his seat, the Argonian equivalent of a smug expression on his face.

,,Since you were unwilling to save yourself, I forced to come with me. In the alley, I cast an invisibility spell on you so that the guard was unable to see you. Now, you’re here in what is probably one of the safest places this city has to offer.” He looked amused at seeing her anger diminish and turning into regret and shame.
,,Ah, sorry. So, I owe you my life? Thanks.” Rajn apologized and sat down again.
,,All I wanted was to go home. Is that too much to ask?” She complained to no one in particular.

,,The borders with Valenwood and Elsweyr have been sealed off. The only way to get to Valenwood now is through Argonia. A perilous undertaking, I may add. In short, Valenwood is out of your reach for the moment. Perhaps in a few months, you can return. Till then, you’ll have to hide.” The fisherman commented. He then turned to his Argonian companion.
,,That prison, is it the same one as?” He asked with a frown. Marsh nodded.
,,Yes, the same prison where Tamriel’s champion was locked. Excuse me for asking, miss Treesap, but did you perhaps meet an Imperial, quite young?”

Rajn thought about the question for a moment.
,,Call me Rajn, please. The Treesap part was just because I needed a last name for dealing with the Empire. Well, I never manage to tell one of the manraces from the next but yes, I did meet a young man. In fact, he’s the one who opened the door. Called himself the Champion. He left along a different path. That was a few days ago.” She answered meekly. The Argonian bared his teeth.
,,Days, it is as we feared. His escape began not days, but weeks ago. I have to find out what happened to him.” He whispered.
,,I’m going to the sewers tonight. And I’m taking Rajn with me.” He informed the fisherman. The large man nodded and withdrew a curtain that hung in a corner. A crack was visible, leading underground.
,,Get in there.” He said resolutely.

Rajn looked at the small crack.
,,In there? I don’t like being underground. It’s so cramped and I just can’t stand it. Sitting in this room is hard enough.” She stammered, her claustrophobia striking hard. Marsh’s tail wagged from side to side.
,,Don’t worry, the basement is actually quite large. The ceiling is higher as well.”

As he’d already predicted, the basement was much larger than the small room upstairs. The interior also formed a stark contrast with the fisherman’s hut. Not a single septim was spared in filling the room. Countless racks stood among the walls, alcoves were filled with various suits of armour.
,,The Emperor is not the only one with access to hidden resources. Unlike him though, we can’t afford anything really expensive such as Ebony. Everything you find here can be bought at the smith in the city though here, no one will know of your ‘purchase’.” Marsh spoke with pride. He gestured at a sturdy bow placed on a table, next to a quiver of arrows.

,,I assume that this item will be of the most interest to you. You can practise on the target at the far side of the room. I suggest you get your marksmanship back while you still can. Tonight’s trip will be fraught with danger.” He advised as he browsed through the large selection of weaponry. In the end, he settled for a simple wooden staff lined with silver. He procured a blueish orb from a chest and mounted it on the staff to form the headpiece. He held out the staff and the orb began to glow. When he gestured with his hand, a lone dagger lifted up into the air. Satisfied, he lowered the dagger and put his staff against the wall. A moment later, the room was filled with the sound of loud snoring, with the occasional twang of a bowstring.