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]

I can tell you one thing about Arena, it's damn hard. My level 4 Redguard knight has to rely on the retreat-slash-retreat-slash technique to survive. Goblins are swordfodder now but everything else simply slaughters me. And that in full plate armour and a mithril saber.
Another hard point is navigation. You thought Vivec was a pain in the behind to navigate? Wait till you see any of the cities in Arena. No recognizable features and no civilians to ask for directions after 6:00 pm.




The demon moved sluggish, still not willing to believe what was happening. The spear stabbed like lightning, tearing through the monster’s hand so that it was forced to drop its axe. Fire burst out of the minor wound. Again the spear struck, wedging itself into the knee.
,,What are you waiting for?! Get out of here!” The Dunmer shouted to Marsh as he ducked under a clumsy blow from the confused creature. He retaliated by hitting an armpit.

Marsh took the advice and dropped himself into the water, letting the flow carry him towards the exit. With his last remaining strength, he pulled the grating away and drifted out of the sewer into the lake surrounding the Imperial city.

Aran evaded another blow and fell back. The demon’s surprise had faded. Now it was fully devoted to taking him down. So far, the Dunmer’s spear had struck at vulnerable areas like the joints at least a dozen times. Yet the steel tip only seemed to form a minor nuisance for it. Still, it moved a bit awkward which hinted at some damage to the muscles. Aran exploited another opening and aimed to hit between the ribs. His spear failed to penetrate the thick skin around the chest and made only a barely visible scratch.
,,Not every area appears to be soft.”

He retreated even further. Behind him, he could hear the stones crack under the weight of another demon. On pure instinct, he dove for the floor. A heavy blade sliced through the air, taking the Dunmer’s hood with it.
,,Two against one. Not much sense of honour with these.” He thought and got back onto his feet just in time to pin the first demon’s tail to the wall.
,,Ten seconds, that’s my estimation for my continued survival.”

In his current position, he could not release the first demon for it would promptly bite his head of. Likewise, he had to release it for otherwise the second demon would hack his head of with the cursed axe. He was facing a hard dilemma and needed a way out. Preferably within the next five seconds.

Two seconds before his death and one second before he was going to release the tail, the second demon snorted. Aran looked up, ready to duck away in any direction. If the situation wasn’t so serious, he would’ve laughed at the sight. The demon was clawing frantically at its face, trying to pull a small arrow out of its nose with claws that weren’t designed for it. Aran took his chance and pulled his spear out of the tail. Instantly, the trapped demon spun around on its hooves and opened its mouth to reveal a collection of obscenely sharp teeth. While it had hoped for a head to chew on, it instead received a foot in the throat. It trashed against the wall, wheezing for breath and clutching its throat. By the time either of the two had recovered, their intended snack was already past the grating.

Marsh breathed weakly. His vision was blurred from exhaustion but he believed that it was still night. So he hadn’t been unconscious for that long. He turned his head utterly slow. Sitting next to him were two blurs. Judging by their length, he concluded that the shortest of the two was the Bosmer he’d left behind to guard the exit. The other was likely the Dunmer who’d come to his rescue.
,,To defeat one of those things without dying is quite a feat. Who is this man?” He thought but instead of asking the man’s name he chose to berate the girl.’
,,You were supposed to keep everything out.” He spoke as sharply as he could in his weakened condition.

,,I tried! But this guy came, completely normal looking. Only, he wasn’t normal! I could see!” Rajn squealed and began to sob. The Argonian blinked. He hadn’t been that angry. After all, he knew that if she’d tried to hold back a demon, she would be dead now.
,,Don’t cry, it doesn’t matter. I’m still alive.” He spoke with a friendly tone. He now saw the time right to involve the Dunmer into the conversation.
,,Thanks to you. I don’t know how you did it, but the fact that you stand here means you defeated that wretched thing.”

Aran scowled.
,,Only a fool would continue a battle he can’t win. Most people would say I ran, I call it a considered retreat. There were two of them. Rajn hit one of them in the nose. A stupid target.” He answered.
,,Hey! I was aiming for the eye, I swear! It’s that lousy bow’s fault that the arrow landed a bit lower. Why are you all so mad at me?” The Bosmer complained.
,,I’m not mad at you. It was a stupid target, but it did give me the chance to escape.” He sighed and then spoke the words he had never dreamt he would speak.
,,I owe you my life. By tradition, that means I must defend you till you consider my debt repaid. I was planning to return home to my tribe but I cannot abandon you for that would mean forsaking my honour.”

Rajn looked up at the Dunmer.
,,What? Oh, you don’t have…..” She was interrupted by a scaly hand covering her mouth. Marsh sank back on the ground after his sudden movement, still tired.
,,I appreciate your honesty but it would be wiser for the moment to accept his offer. No doubt you’ll face foes in the nearby future you can’t fight on your own. Any help could be crucial.” He advised, earning him a stern glance from the Dunmer.
,,Your counsel was not requested.” He noted.
,,But he is right. You shouldn’t dismiss me so soon, even though you think we’re even. I can see that something is wrong when demons hide underneath the city, disguised as guards. Please accept my offer. I, Aran Geydar, promise that my hand will forever be at your side to smite those who wish you harm.” He pleaded and lied his face on the cool earth.

He felt a pair of hands touch the back of his head.
,,Oh, just get up and stop kissing the ground. Alright, I’ll accept it but only for as long as is necessary.” Rajn decided. Next to her, the Argonian let out a relieved hiss.
,,So it has been decided. Welcome, sir Geydar. I am Marsh-Speaker though I would prefer it if you simply called me Marsh. Now I’ll explain our next course of action.”

He waited till he had everyone’s attention before he withdrew the key from his pocket. The glint of rubies shone in the moonlight.
,,As soon as I’ve rested, we’ll enter the city.” He explained. Rajn threw her hands up into the air.
,,I don’t believe it! Have you lost your mind?! After all that trouble to get out, you want to get back in?!” She shouted, taken by surprise. Aran crossed his arms in front of his chest and responded much calmer.
,,Be quiet or the wrong ears will hear you. Where exactly in the city, Marsh, do you want to be?” He inquired.

,,The Imperial palace.” Marsh replied with a blank expression.
,,Miss Treesap, if you wish to voice your objections, please make sure not to raise your voice.” He added, half-jokingly. The girl glared at him.
,,Yeah, I freely admit that I think your plan is complete suicide.” She whispered.

The Argonian shrugged.
,,I would think the same thing under normal circumstances. But right now, my duty demands that I go to the palace and make contact with the blind monks. As if breaking into the palace isn’t bad enough, we also have to evade the patrols and find a path to a location I have only been before a single time. That time, I was blindfolded.” He elaborated. His breathing was stronger now and he felt his strength beginning to return.
,,It is not as bad as you might think. Rajn here is a Tower.” Aran interjected. Marsh made a perfect imitation of a frown.
,,And how is that supposed to help us?” He asked.

Rajn muttered something under her breath.
,,Alright, I’ll just come out with it. I’m a tower yes, but not a normal one. I’m the rare version of the tower, the more extreme one. Five words: I CAN SEE THROUGH WALLS. Thanks to that I was always considered a freak back home and treated as trash. On second thought, maybe I don’t want to go home.” She reluctantly admitted.
,,Ah, now I understand. I read a paragraph on this during my studies. Only a dozen words at most. I can see how that might help us. Fine then, we’ll rest here and come up with a detailed plan in the morning.” Marsh nodded to both of his companions and closed his eyes. Soon, he’d drifted off into sleep.