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]

In a swirling cloud of Magicka, two forms wavered into view, solidifying like mist turning to water and water turning to ice. Marsh-Speaker looked both ways of the corridor they’d appeared in before nodding to himself.
,,And here we are. Now remember that you’re not supposed to be here. So please hold your breath for a moment, this might itch.” He whispered and raised a scaly hand to touch the Dunmer’s forehead.
,,Ocsdros, Jike bei.” He chanted and the familiar green mist enveloped Aran before it vanished, along with the man. Still, Marsh saw an involuntary shudder before the Dunmer had turned completely invisible.

,,You don’t like Magicka? That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Now don’t try to speak, for you might weaken the spell. Just follow me silently. We’ll meet up with Rajn in the main hall.” He explained to his invisible companion and set off on the short trip. Upon reaching the main hall, the first thing he did was to dip his hands into a potted plant, searching around its roots. His search proved to be fruitless, which was the first sign of trouble.
,,Probably hasn’t finished yet.” He concluded and his eyes proceeded to scan the hall.

Again, he failed to find what he was looking for. Now, he felt a tinge of worry. He stood there, analyzing the clues he’d received. An invisible finger tapped his shoulder. Marsh nodded and retreated behind a pillar.
,,Think that Breton had something to do with it?” Aran whispered, becoming vaguely visible as he did so. Marsh forced himself not to bare his teeth and instead recast the spell of invisibility.
,,Of course. That fanatic battlemage in training must have caught on. Knowing him, he’ll go to his favourite empty spot before asking whatever he wants to know this time. The kid can be so paranoid at times which is not good for us, or her. Come on, I know where to look. He’s down that corridor over there.”

The Argonian crossed the hall at a casual pace, exchanging some pointless gossip with whoever he came across. Inwardly, he felt a need to hurry but he forced himself to go slow. Raising suspicion now would be worse than stalling. He instinctively felt that Aran had gone ahead, as his current state of invisibility conveniently allowed him to move as fast as he needed.

As Marsh had guessed, Aran had already passed the hall. With no one in sight, he broke into a run. His feet echoed softly on the marble floor. After a seemingly endless dash through empty corridors, past stairways and doors, he finally saw someone. The sight did not please him. He ran even faster, his steps now sounding like approaching thunder. Which was exactly the comparison Lucius drew as he turned around. An invisible boot caught him square on the chest and sent him tumbling on the floor. A loud snap indicated damage to his ribs.
,,As long as she’s under my protection, no one may harm her!” He shouted, placing the tip of his spear on the Breton’s throat.
,,Now you see what happens when you make your own plans. Stick to the plans drawn out for you in the future.” He told Rajn, not letting the battlemage out of his sight.

With a loud clatter, the purely decorative sword fell on the floor.
,,Well, sorry. I just thought it could make getting inside easier, that’s all.” The Bosmer spoke in her defence.
,,Marsh had it all figured out. I got in here through teleportation. Something about mark and recall.”

Lucius let out a very unnoblelish curse, still with the spear pressed against his throat.
,,That lizard! I knew he was up to something.” He spat, and pressed a hand against the spear’s bladed tip, apparently to ease the pressure on his throat. Instead though, the spear’s tip vaporised into a silvery smoke. Using the obvious confusion of the Dunmer, he crawled back to his feet and formed a new fireball. Not one, but two this time.
,,Now where were we?” He asked himself, grinning devilishly.

With another snapping sound, this time from his jaw being broken, he was sent to the floor for the second time.
,,A blunt weapon in the right hands is as lethal as a sharp one!” Aran shouted at him, raising the tipless spear above his head. He was frozen in place before he could complete his strike. With a slight flare around the affected areas, Lucius’ wounds healed.
,,But magicka can beat any weapon, sharp or blunt.” He replied.

,,Heyat!” The noble crossed his arms in front of him, conjuring a barrier of magicka to stop the orb of light that sped across the hallway. A ripple spread over the barrier as the bolt exploded. Lucius lowered his arms and launched a fireball back in retaliation at Marsh who’d finally arrived. Now it was the Argonian’s turn to protect himself, though he had other ideas about a proper defence. As his instructor once told him, the best defence was a good offence.
,,Heyat!” Another orb of light shot out of his hands. The two spells met each other between the two spellcasters and the fireball exploded. The orb of light continued along its path, bearing down upon the Breton who had to raise a new barrier to stop it.

Before he could though, something hit him between the legs. Apart from being rather painful, it also distracted him long enough for the spell to hit him in the face.
,,Gah! Damn you, Marsh! Do you have any idea how much that burns?!” He yelled, lying on the floor once again and clutching his face. The Argonian shrugged.
,,Of course I know. That’s why I call it Heyat. It’s your own fault for not knowing the Argonian dialect I speak.” He replied as if talking about the weather.
,,Well, this is definitely your own fault! I’d just decided not to kick you but then you had to turn out to be as bad as that damn fake who pretends to be the emperor!” Rajn added to the verbal barrage.

Everyone fell silent, even Aran who’d recovered from his paralyzation by now.
,,You know?” Marsh finally asked.
,,Duh. Don’t forget what I am. I saw him when I looked up through the ceiling. I know that guy, he’s my last escort job back home at Valenwood. He owns me like a hundred shiny coins. But instead of paying me, the rotten rat threw me in jail on the charge of aiding a conspiracy against the emperor!” Rajn’s voice became increasingly higher during her rant.
,,He always had a way with words. Aiding a conspiracy, that’s so like him.” Marsh replied using a neutral tone. With Aran’s help, he proceeded to tie up Lucius. After locking him inside a closet, they continued with their plan.

,,Did you get the directions to the library on paper?” Marsh asked, holding out his hand. Without a word, the girl pressed the piece of paper into it. Marsh brought it in front of his eyes and began to read.
,,2L, 3s, 4R…..second passage to the left, third stair, fourth passage to the right.” His words declined into a soft mumbling. Aran inspected the now blunt tip of his spear as he walked along. His annoyance was etched into his face. He’d just received the spear and already he’d managed to damage it. Still, the damage could be repaired easily enough by attaching a new blade at the end. His examination concluded, he lowered the weapon and quickened his pace to catch up with the Argonian.

,,I don’t like magicka but it could be vital to know. I noticed something during your duel back there. The boy didn’t utter a word yet you always say something when casting your spells. Does that mean your form of magicka is different than his?” He asked. Marsh looked up from the paper and blinked once.
,,While the spells we use are unique and therefore different, the magicka we use to form these spells is the same. It’s all a matter of concentration. I’ve found that actually chanting the name of the spell helps me focus. Most mages I know are opposed to my point of view and call it the sign of an amateur. That’s why Lucius always has to show that he’s a true mage by casting spells silently and as quick as possible. This need to show off weakens his concentration and therefore, it weakens his spells.”



Note: It's funny how a story changes while writing. Originally I had Lucius planned as a good guy who kinda helped the heroes by causing a distraction and stuff. Now, he's turned into a fanatic emperor-lover. Not a bad change though, it gives me reason to bring the glory back to the two males in the party. I loved writing that duel between the mages just then.