Crystal Fire, A Backalley Story Options

[Priest of Sithis]

Introduction:

In the days of Uriel Septim, there was a family living near the capital that would grow the finest vegetables this side of Vvardenfell. These vegetables, however, weren't widely known. The family was content, and the mother and father were proud of their son and daughter.

There came a day around the son's seventeenth birthday, that the father decided to share something with the family. So, that night, near their small fire, the family listened to what the father began to say. "It began as a competition," he said, "a competion, among gods. You see, the gods grew tired of their planes of Oblivion, and the Aedra were inquisitive as to how the Daedra were doing. So, before the creation of mer, the gods walked Mundus." The daughter was spellbound by the story, and the son cocked his head in interest. The mother smiled and lay back, closing her eyes in imagination.

"When the gods met, there was confusion, because the gods had no way of distinguishing who was better. They thought, Should the Daedra rule Aetherius, and the Aedra Oblivion? Who is to keep these boundaries in check? So they talked and schemed and one god, a certain Prince of Oblivion decided to make material objects to allow the borders never to be questioned." The father looked around, and each member of the family looked back at him.

"The gods wanted their own planes to themselves, but they wanted to be able to govern the soon to be mer, so they created Crystal Fire." The father emphasised the two words, and astonishment was written all over everyone in the family. "Crystal Fire allowed the gods to travel to any realm they desired, but, it was dangerous. So dangerous, that they had to hide it. An evil entity not part of the Divines or the Princes emerged, and he wanted Mundus for himself." The daughter asked, "Who emerged, father?" And the father simply replied, "Sithis."

"Sithis brought with him the Void, which swallowed everything into it. The gods were worried that Sithis would destroy everything that they had created, so they used Crystal Fire to seal Sithis off from Mundus. The rumor is, Sithis is circling just outside the stars, right now, ready to swallow you into the Void." After the last word, the father sprang at his daughter, and she jumped, then giggled as he hugged her close.

"You see, the gods were smart, even though they couldn't get along. They stopped an evil that could threaten everything." Then the father smiled and stopped. But the son, who was still interested, asked, "What did the gods do with the Crystal Fire, father?" The father looked back at his son and then looked at the fireplace. "Some say the gods destroyed it, but that wouldn't go with the story, now, would it? No, I believe the gods hid it on Mundus so Sithis would never find it and threaten the gods with the Void."
The father then said, "It is late, time to sleep," And he laid his daughter down by the fire. "I will see you all in the morning for your chores and breakfast. Goodnight," And he kissed his daughter on the forehead and went to sleep next to his wife.

[Priest of Sithis]

Chapter 4:
Discovering Interest and Taste of Blood

Stumbling through the darkness, Elle was stopped by a feeling she felt from the amulet around her neck. Imediately, she crouched low, and snapped her head all around, scanning with her recently adjusted eyesight. The chill of night made her shudder involuntarilly, and the meager cloth on her back offered little protection. Another pulse from the amulet drove a spike of fear down her spine. Elle had to move, but she wasn't sure of the direction of the pulse. Thoughts exploded across her mind as to the nature of the creature, and Elle feared for the worst.

Elle froze as she heard the tell-tale sound of guardsmen tramping through the woods. Elle had no weapon on her, and the ashes from the fire were still in her hair. She smelled of smoke and ash, and there was nowhere to go. Suddenly, an Imperial Officer burst into the area of woodland that Elle was in. Elle dashed into the nearest brush and remained low, until she could see what the guard was doing. He didn't have a torch, and his sword was unsheathed, meaning two things; he had Nighteye, and he wasn't taking captives. Elle stayed frozen with fear, as the guard locked on to where she was hiding. It was as if he made eye contact, staring through the brush like it didn't exist.

A few feet away from the brush, the guardsman froze. He backed away and readied his sword, drawing a smaller thicker Sword-Breaker from around his waist to defend himself. Elle felt another pulse thumping like a drumbeat, meaning the next creature was right on top of her. Elle scanned the area, but saw no one. Then a boot stamped down through the brush, and it landed right next to Elle's face. Elle looked up to see the owner of the boot, but the owner's face was obscured. The guardsman said,

"Back fiend, there lies a criminal beneath you!" Trying to impose himself upon the owner of the boot, the guardsman sneered at the owner, then made an attack pose.
A deep, grave voice replied, "This one had done you no harm, leave her be. She is in my care," As soon as the owner finished speaking, the guard cried,
"Death will be your punishment!" And charged the owner.

Elle stood up and retreated and the owner of the boot and the guardsman engaged in battle. She watched as the owner used martial arts to parry sword thrusts and kicks from the guardsman. The owner jumped over trip moves and dodged sword lunges that would kill normal men. The owner looked to be made of fluid, flowing from counter to counter, but never on the offensive. Soon the guard tired and his swings were getting lazy and slow. The guard backed off, and unbuckled his huge chestpiece and greaves, the owner watched and did nothing. The guard, under less force of weight, attacked with a renewed vigor, swinging wildly and with reckless abandon.

Elle couldn't stiffle a laugh when the guard began to fight naked. She realised the tactical advantage, but a naked man swinging a sword was humorous to her. Soon the guard tired out, and used his sword for support. The owner of the boots kicked the sword from under the guard, and said,

"You fought well, for a guardsman, remember that when you wake," And the owner of the books stabbed the guard with a tiny dart, and the guard went limp.

Elle trotted over to the owner and said, "You showed him, what's your name?" And for the first time, Elle saw his face. She opened her mouth to scream, but now sound left her lungs. The owner turned and faded to mist, and Elle stood there in horror. She sank to her knees, and felt dizzy. Trying to stand, Elle became disoriented and vomited. Before her vision blacked out, she saw Guro, their fence, running towards her. Guro asked, "Elle, hurry, there was a fire, come back with me, there're looking for anyone outside and taking them to the barracks."

Elle remembered nodding yes before completely passing out. Guro was stoking the morning fire when she awoke. Guro's orkish face was kind, not very common among his race. Guro saw her stir and said, "Ahh, so the forest fairy awakes. Yes, you did quite a number on that guardsman. He woke up and didn't know why he was naked or who he was. Come to think of it, why was he naked?" Elle shot Guro a "Don't ask, don't tell" look and Guro laughed. He said, "A guardsman came by earlier to check my house. He saw you on the bed and asked why you were still asleep. I told him we had a wild night and he almost vomited. Fun messing with guards..." Guro laughed again and Elle walked over and slapped him across the face.

Rubbing her hand, Elle said, "Guro, if you weren't a friend, I would have to kill you," And she kissed him on the forehead. "But I'd would hate doing it because you are so handsome..." And he jumped up and made an ugly face, which was not hard for the orc. He responded, "Get some breakfast, you bean pole," And Elle was quick to retort, "My feminine features are desired around town, Guro, unlike that hog of a sister that lives in Hammerfall." Elle and Guro laughed together and then Guro served breakfast.

After breakfast, Guro said, "By the way, your brother came by last night, he said Brake got hurt, but they're both okay. You might want to go over there and check it out," Elle muttered she would through a mouthful of oatmeal, then told Guro she would be back with her brother's haul. Guro nodded, then said, "It's always business with you, why cant we ever go out on the town together?" And Elle retorted, "If you and I were seen together, the Emperor himself would say that you are the ugliest thing to walk on two legs compared to my looks." And she struck a pose she had seen a queen pose when she was young. Guro roared and Elle shot out of his house and down to the bookstore.