Oasis 2, Free from Destiny. Options

[jack cloudy]

Here is the link to: Jack Cloudy's Other Stories


Ok, I've got to be crazy. Starting a third one before finishing the last two? Yeah, definitely crazy. More crazy than Tarhiel, Curio and M'Aiq combined. Ah well, I guess I can't be stopped. (Note to self: Make an Agent update tonight.)





Oasis 2: Free from Destiny.

The task I’d been sent to do had been finished. No, I hadn’t just been sent to do this, I’d been made for it in a quite literal way. Yes, that task was the only reason for my existence. Now that I’d completed it, what was left?

Anyone in my position would probably try to retire and live the remainder of his or her life at peace, preferably with the comfort of nearby friends. I had friends and I could retire easily enough. During the course of my life, I’d amassed a large amount of wealth, including a house big enough to accommodate a whole village. In fact, my house was a village. Then why did I leave? Why was I walking here at this moment, so far away from civilization?

The truth was, I couldn’t. I hadn’t realized at the time, but the reason why I fought was because my friends needed me as much as I needed them. I’d fought to protect them, to keep them near. Yet what should have been my moment of everlasting glory was my moment of defeat. I could no longer see those I considered friends. It would undo everything I’d done.

The sun began to sunk beneath the horizon and I sat down next to the nearest shrub. A small wisp of fire, and I had created a small circle of light to keep me company. The fire was bad company if it was the soul that required comfort instead of the body. Nothing opposed my train of thought. I relived the last moment, the moment it all became clear.

I stood on the slopes of a mountain. Beneath me, several tents had been placed in the ashcovered ground. People milled about like ants. Banners flapped in the gentle breeze. A smile crept across my face. These were the people of Vvardenfell, my people. Most were unknown faces to me but that didn’t matter. In the end, they were all a part of the island. And I would be their hero. Society had been at the brink of collapse but now, everything would be fine. The Houses had united, the Ashlanders received the respect they deserved. The time of politics and struggles for power had ended. There was nothing left to fight over. And I would be right in the middle of it all, basking in glory, everyone would call me their greatest hero. Like a child’s dream come true.

The smile vanished. It would not be fine. There was still something for them to fight over. Ironic as it might seem, that something was me. To win the favour of the land’s champion, the Houses would return to their internal strife, bloodier than before. Those around me would be the victim of it all, as they would be pulled into this conflict. Politics was a plague, hard to control. There was only one thing I could do to prevent this from happening. I would have to leave, vanish into myth.

And leave I did. I never even took the chance to properly say goodbye. I couldn’t say goodbye. If I tried, I would end up staying and make my nightmare into reality. It was a bit of an anti-climax. Whenever I thought about what would come after defeating my enemy, the only things I saw were scenes of fame, glory and perhaps even a bit of worship. I couldn’t let any of that happen though. It would be as destructive as having let him have his way.

Perhaps this is how the guy who killed Jagar Tharn felt after he’d claimed victory in the Imperial palace. He too left right after his greatest moment. To this very day, no one knows his name, or his race, or even his gender. I say guy, but it could have been a woman for all I know. I’ve heard a few stories, but they’re quite conflicting. Some talk about a Redguard pirate, some about an Imperial Battlemage much like Tharn himself, yet others about a scarred Orc or your stereotypical knight in shining armour. Then there are those who take it into the extremes, saying that this nameless champion was none other than Tiber Septim himself or Akatosh or a spirit of death or even a Goblin, though I seriously consider that last one a joke. Well I knew one thing for certain, Akatosh was not involved there. Because Akatosh, that’s me.

Whatever is the case, the champion vanished and I was about to follow his or her example. Where would I go? If I had taken the time to think, I would have concluded that leaving Tamriel entirely would have been best. The legendary continent of Akavir would be a great place for a fallen hero to hide. But I decided otherwise. Instead of going east to Akavir, I would go west, to the place where I was born, all the way on the other side of Tamriel. Despite my achievements, which happened to include the killing of a supposedly immortal being, my fame was still only local.

Hammerfell would be the perfect place to make a living. There, no one would care about Luper Alkad, Nerevarine, the godslayer. There I would be just another Redguard, albeit one who was in possession of several unique artefacts. Yes, Hammerfell would be perfect. But how to get there? Vvardenfell had been saved of the Blight, a horrible disease that turned everything it touched into a raving monster. There was the Corprus which was even worse but likewise, its threat had ended. Despite that, the island was still strictly quarantined. No one could enter or leave, at least not through legal channels.

I knew that there were plenty of smugglers and pirates. I could try to make contact with them, see if they were willing to transport me. While the idea appealed to me at first, I soon changed my mind. So far, the smugglers I met here were a lot more aggressive than the bunch that had raised me. I was unlikely to get a single word out of my mouth before I was parrying daggers, clubs and whatever they were using to kill people. No smugglers wouldn’t help.

I went through a few more ideas. I was too well-known among the mages and the independent ones were usually Necromancers who would rather have me as their next test subject than give me a quick teleport to the mainland. Buying, building or stealing a ship wouldn’t work. For one thing, ships weren’t for sale here and I would be hunted by the coast guard. Waterwalking might work, but I had no real idea of just how far it was to the mainland. It would be rather embarrassing to run out of Magicka and get devoured by Slaughterfish and Dreugh. In the end, I knew of only one organization that could give me a quick and secret way to the mainland. The Blades, the spy service of the Emperor himself.

I waited till dawn before continuing my trip across the island. I took my time because this would likely be the last time I would see Vvardenfell, the island that had become my home. There was a silent beauty in the Ashlands, now that the dreaded storms which plagued this region had fled. The transition from dry ash to a swamp teeming with life was quite sudden, only a single mountainous ridge between them. Like everything I saw, it brought back memories. Memories of fighting against slavery, getting my leg cracked by a Mudcrab. It had been less than two years, yet it felt like eternity separated Luper Alkad, the badmouthed prisoner who was all bark and no bite, from Luper Alkad, the badmouthed hero who is even more bite than he is bark.

I walked up to the nearest Mudcrab and placed a single hand underneath its shell. With a simple flip of the wrist, I threw it upside down and sent it sliding down a hill. It was a feat of incredible strength I wouldn’t even dare dream about in those early days. I’d definitely changed, beyond recognition. The everburning flame of the Lighthouse told me I was nearing my destination. Seyda Neen, where my journey began and where now a new journey would begin.

[jack cloudy]

I promised I wouldn't write but as it turns out, I lied.

Anyway, with this update I canonized (is that even a word?) Ro-El's existence while at the same time avoiding any spoilers regarding Agent. Or at least, I hope I dodged spoilers.




Naturally, Huleeya was surprised at the sudden change of environment. Still, he adapted very fast and kept from doing anything stupid, like stepping off the ledge and plummeting down to his doom. I might have to change my opinion of the Argonian. He also managed to surprise me.
,,Good morning, Luper Alkad.” He hissed. By doing that, he was the first person who recognized me without any hints. Impressive.
,,You actually remember me. I’m flattered.” I said as a joke in return.

,,Not quite. It was more a process of deduction. One, you are a Redguard who has enough control over Magicka to transport two beings through a recall spell. Two, there is a Redguard known as Luper Alkad who caused quite some trouble in House Telvanni recently, as well as the mage guild. So, you must be Luper Alkad. Should I feel honoured to meet the Nerevarine?” He replied.
,,So you don’t remember me. Whatever, I’m a busy man so I want to keep this short. The Morag Tong has a writ on me and I want to know why. Specifically, who gave the damn order.” I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed. Being famous was bad, but being recognized by some people as Luper and not the Nerevarine would feel good.

Huleeya blinked a single time.
,,It is not Morag Tong custom to reveal the identity of our clients, neither to outsiders nor the assassins. Only the headmaster knows. I can’t make an exception even for you, even if I did know about a writ. Furthermore, we don’t have a writ on you so either way, I won’t answer.” He hissed. I frowned, not pleased.
,,So only the headmaster knows? Then you can’t claim that the Morag Tong doesn’t have a writ on me!”

The Argonian shook his head.
,,While I only know the target of my own writ, I can easily make this claim. The Morag Tong is a respectable organization, but there is still plenty of gossip among us. We don’t have a writ on you simply because we don’t have any writs at all. Not now anyway. Maybe you should try again next week.” He told me. It took me a moment to recognize he’d actually tried a joke.
,,Next week, right. Ok, if the Morag Tong isn’t after me, then how do you explain this?” I chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation and threw the black mask at his feet. His reaction was interesting to say the least.

His eyes lit up, burning with an inner flame. Reading an Argonian’s expression is hard, but I was convinced that Huleeya was about to burst. So angry was he.
,,Remove that cursed thing from my sight! That mask belongs to the Dark Brotherhood. The Morag Tong has no writ on you, but it seems that our greatest enemy does.” He growled. My frown deepened.
,,Dark Brotherhood? I thought those guys only operated on mainland Tamriel.”

,,So did we. Listen, Luper Alkad. This one must have been trailing you for a long time, from before the quarantine. I suggest you flee this place anyway you can. When the Dark Brotherhood has chosen a prey, escape becomes nearly impossible. I’ll return to the nearest guild hall and spread the word. The Dark Brotherhood’s taint will be washed from Vvardenfell.” Huleeya did not wait for a response. He snatched the mask from the ground and brushed past me on his way to the stairs. I let him, there was nothing left for me to ask anyway. I thought about asking the mask back but dropped the thought. I had no use for it and Huleeya needed it as proof more than I did.

,,The Dark Brotherhood? First an invincible god and now a shadowy family of unstoppable assassins. You sure know how to choose your enemies, Luper.” Elone said later at the Tradehouse. I was in the process of downing my fourth flin.
,,I don’t choose them, they choose me.” I replied dryly.
,,Bad karma, eh? So, what are you going to do now? Ergalla tried to get a ship, but the damn Imperial Navy won’t close within shouting distance. Still scared of the Blight, I presume. Are you going to hunt them down?” The Redguard continued as she filled my mug for the fifth time. I laughed.

,,Hunt them down? Elone, the Dark Brotherhood is hidden all over Tamriel. If I was going to hunt them down, I’d be busy for a lifetime! Granted, I have plenty of time on my hands but still! Even if I could find them, I would never be able to wipe them all out. They would just repopulate and recruit new throatslitters in my wake.” I grumbled and threw back my fifth flin. My fellow Blade collected five more bottles from her stash.
,,Even though you are my boss, you will need to pay for the alcohol.” Damn.

I shoved away the empty mug.
,,That’s the last one, then.” I grumbled.
,,The last one. I’ve been thinking about what Huleeya said. The assassin had been trailing you from before the quarantine. The Dark Brotherhood probably won’t be expecting his return to the mainland till the quarantine is lifted. In fact, they may not expect him to return at all, what with the Blight and all. So you could just stay here. I could easily have you registered at the Census and Excise as my long lost cousin.” Elone offered me as she returned the bottles to the rack.

,,Nah, that doesn’t match up at all. If he’d been behind me from before the quarantine, he would know about Caius, he would know about the Corprus, he would know…..a lot of things. He would know that a simple poison wouldn’t kill me and that he’d better be real good to do it with his blades. He didn’t know any of it. And judging from everything else we know about him, I seriously doubt his ability to track me for months without being noticed by anyone.” I got up from the stool and walked towards the window.
,,And about staying here. I dunno. Those two might still be after me. What were their names….Hissking and…..Sprigoth?”

,,If you are referring to Hrisskar and Fargoth, they’re both gone. We found Hrisskar in the smuggler’s cave. He had been turned into a Chitin pincushion. And there was only one in town who used Chitin arrows. Fargoth. He left the day after.” I looked up from the window and grinned.
,,So the little twerp grew some backbone? Was about time.” I laughed. Elone frowned.
,,It smells fishy to me. There was this Nord child who came to town the day before. Got into a little brawl with Vodunius Nucius. The kid was one good monk I tell you. Broke all of his limbs in three seconds flat. We found Nucius with Hrisskar and an unknown Breton in the cave. Nucius had a lot of arrowholes in strategic positions, the ones you would target during an interrogation, and a broken nose, even though Arille fixed that one earlier. The Nord was with Fargoth. Now how would a nobody know this really talented monk who looked a bit like a noble?” She commented with that serious tone I began to hate. She should lighten up.

My mind had begun spinning though. Nord kid, real nasty with his fists and feet? I knew one.
,,Say, what was the kid’s name? Did it sound a bit Khajiiti…Ro-El…Frost?” I asked. I was kind of amazed at myself for actually remembering. The last two times we met, I’d kinda embarrassed myself by acting like I had amnesia or something.
,,I never got his name. You know him?” Elone asked back with a shrug.
,,Maybe, if we’re talking about the same Nord. Yeah, I met someone like that twice. I can’t talk about his offense since that was limited to a single thrown dagger but man, he sure knows how to dodge. Don’t know if he’s still alive though. The last time we met was at Dren Plantation. Helped me out against two assassins. Private assassins, not DB.”