Redemption., Cause being evil sucks. Options

[The Metal Mallet]

The changes are proving to be interesting ones. Keep em comin'!

[Agent Griff]

I've read your updates and thus far this fic seems to be an extremely promising one. I especially like the Altmer, calm and collected but doesn't take any sh*t from anyone, even the Emperor. Well, at least he doesn't when it actually matters. That Dunmer mocking him was just child-play I suppose. Keep it up!

[jack cloudy]

Chapter 2.3


The tunnel was dark, rough rock on all sides. There were no cobwebs, no insects scittering about. To the Bosmer, the place also had an unpleasant scent. It smelled dead, though not in a form she was familiar with. The tunnel also wasn’t very high and the Altmer practically had to crawl. Even she had to bend down a bit. Whatever light there came from the direction of the prison was soon lost as they descended deeper. Neither said a word at first though in the end, the silence became simply unbearable.
,,Umm…can I ask you something?” The Bosmer spoke up as she carefully brushed away a few sharper rocks that threatened to open her knees.
,,You can ask, but I don’t know if I can answer.” The Altmer replied. The girl tilted her head to one side and wondered if she should feel discouraged by that.
,,What I’ve been thinking about….I’ve been thinking about a lot actually. But one thing is, how long have you been in prison?” She asked.
,,A couple of years.”

,,And how long have you known about this escape route?” She pressed on.
,,Roughly the same couple of years.” She rose her head in surprise and hit the ceiling.
,,Ow!…But if you knew about it all that time, then why didn’t you use it?” She asked while rubbing her head.
,,I should remember to keep down till I can actually see a ceiling.”
,,I did use it three times before, to see if it was still open. I always returned.” The Altmer revealed. He didn’t stop to see if she was injured badly, which somewhat annoyed her. Then there was the fact that none of his answers actually explained a thing, other than that he was strange.
,,But why?” She asked with rising frustration.
,,As I said earlier, I was waiting.”

The Bosmer didn’t fire her next question right away. Instead she tried to piece together the clues he’d been willing to drop. So he’d been waiting and he’d kept a secret escape route at hand all the time. But now he was using it and she had the distinct feeling that this time, he would not return to his cell.
,,You were waiting for the old man.” She concluded.
,,True.” The Altmer admitted. She cherished her little victory at getting one answer that wasn’t too cryptic. But then, she realized that she still didn’t know why he had been waiting for the old man.
,,So, who is he and how did you know he would be coming?”

She thought she was beginning to see the outlines of her hands. Were they getting closer to the other end?
,,That man is Uriel Septim, the Emperor of Tamriel. Apart from being a political leader, he also has another equally important position. As all men with power, he has enemies and assassination attempts are not uncommon. Most of these attempts never even get past the front doors of his palace and those that do, are usually stopped in the main hall. Very rarely though, an assassin or group of assassins manages to elude all security. If this is found out, the Emperor relocates to a hiding place along with several elite guards. This hiding place is unsurprisingly, the prison. After all, why would an Emperor surround himself with cutthroats, smugglers and thieves willingly? No one would search for him there.” The Altmer said. It was the most he’d said to her up to now.
,,Except you. You didn’t even search for him, you just waited for him to come. Why?” The Bosmer asked next. She could see her hands clearly now. They had to be getting close to an exit.

,,Because, if there is an opposition out there capable of forcing the Emperor to hide, that opposition is powerful enough to slay him if he does not hide well enough. And that, is something which must be prevented at all costs.”
,,But what if he decides to dance with that Daedroth or whatever you called it? You know you practically abandoned him back there. He's old, he could be senile.” She asked, despite feeling that this was a question he would not answer willingly.
,,I have my reasons.” Was all he said. Just as she’d thought.

The Altmer reached the end of the tunnel and stood up straight. The Bosmer crawled out herself and skipped to his side. They were in a room made of what looked a lot like white marble, except it was littered with tiny dents and cracks. The floors, the walls, even the ceiling was made of the white material. It looked majestic and ancient at the same time. The light she’d noticed as they crawled through the tunnel turned out to be the work of a good dozen torches that were placed in their holders on the walls.
,,Oh, look. A door.” The Bosmer said and planned to walk towards it but the Altmer brusquely grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.
,,Don’t move.” He whispered urgently.

She looked at him but didn’t voice her question. He’d whispered, so he probably wanted her to stay quiet and from what she’d seen already, doing whatever he told her to do was by far the healthiest course of action. She did not want to end up tied by scores of shimmering green bands squeezing on her joints. He motioned for her to stay at the tunnel and be ready to crawl through it. She nodded that she understood his instructions but she did not comprehend the reason behind them. Nevertheless, she crouched down and watched as he calmly walked forward, seemingly completely at ease and with no eye for his surroundings whatsoever. She knew it was a false impression though. He’d walked just like that when the Daedroth burst the door.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Dec 29 2012, 03:30 PM

[The Metal Mallet]

There are assassins in here no doubt! That's just my speculation though. You might throw in a crazy twist, like the Altmer dies and everyone loses! It'd be a short story, but an amusing one nonetheless!

Of course, I'd rather it be longer than that. So I'll wait and see what happens...

[Olen]

Assassins or traps... I always wandered about the sunteranian parts of the imperial city - there must be a reason noone uses them. They looked ok apart from being underground and in need of a little work...

And the Bosmer isn't the only one who wants to know why the altmers doing what he is.

Good stuff.

[jack cloudy]

I've got an idea for why it is abandoned, but I won't place it in this update. First we need to deal with our current room.


Chapter 2.4



The Altmer kept walking till he reached the door, which consisted of several bronze bars. Once there, he looked to his left and then reached for the torch which hung there. His fingertips just touched the wood, when he suddenly swung down his hand and made a grabbing motion.
,,Stasis hold.” He chanted and just like last time, shimmering green bands manifested, only this time they crawlded chaotically through the air under the Altmer’s hand. The air crackled and became distorted. The Distortion became more solid, eventually forming into a man, an Imperial, garbed in a red robe. The bands shot to the joints and clenched around them. Another green band flowed from the Altmer’s hand, which he’d apparently put on the invisible man’s shoulder. This last band settled around his head and covered the mouth.
,,Just as I thought. You can come back out now.”

The Bosmer walked up to the couple, though she stopped while still three large steps away. The robed man struggled against the bands but they were so rigid, only his strained expression was any indication of the silent battle being fought.
,,Why don’t you just relax? If a five metres tall Daedroth can’t break these, then how do you think you can?” She found herself speak up. The Altmer cocked an eyebrow and for a moment she was afraid he would berate her. Instead, he merely looked over towards the tunnel they’d come from. He then smiled.
,,I see that you have made the right choice, my liege.” He said.

The Emperor coughed and tried to brush the dust off of his nightgown. He only managed to create even larger smears so in the end he gave up.
,,It is not the right choice, merely the better of two bad choices.” He replied formally.
,,Well then, I see you have managed to restrain a would-be assassin. Would you mind to ask him why he’s after me?” He asked next, indicating the much younger Imperial who had ceased his struggle by now. The Altmer flicked a finger and the band covering the mouth dissipated.
,,Would you mind to tell us?” He asked. The smile he wore was rather unnerving, even moreso since it clearly wasn’t one of amusement.

,,How….how did you know I was there? I won’t tell anything….I can’t tell anything!” The captive instead stammered. Glenroy waved his torch threateningly under the man’s nose. Fortunately for said noise, the flame had been stifled by the dust during his crawl through the tunnel. Glenroy noticed this himself and he swiftly corrected the flaw by taking one of the torches hanging on the walls.
,,You were asked a question! If you value your face, you’d better talk.” He hissed venomously. The Altmer waved the Blade off.
,,Would you mind? I believe I was the one conducting this interrogation.” He said calmly.
,,And what makes you think you can do it better than I can?” Glenroy inquired in a voice that was a mixture between hostility and grudging respect.
,,For one thing, my tools are somewhat more subtle than a burning piece of wood.” Was the Altmer’s answer.

,,Anyway, I’ll answer your question and you will ask one of mine. Just one question.” He continued against the prisoner.
,,The answer to yours is simple. There are burning torches hanging on the walls and the dust is displaced where you stand. Both are items you should not encounter in an ancient and abandoned complex. As it is, I might not have noticed a thing if you hadn’t placed those torches here. I can understand that the door must be visible in order to act as bait but still, the way you do this. Utterly inprofesional. Your plan was simple, flawed, foolish and seriously lacking any worthy thought whatsoever. Being invisible does not mean you no longer have any effect on your surroundings.” The smile vanished and he stood taller, forcing the Imperial to twist his neck back in order to see his eyes.
,,Now as for my question. Beyond the Emperor, what else are you after?” He asked.

The Imperial shook his head. His skin glistened with cold sweat.
,,I won’t tell! I…” A flick of a gold-skinned hand and the Imperial’s eyes half-closed.
,,I…..We….we must find….and destroy….the Drago…” He never finished the sentence before his eyes closed completely and his head hung down. The Altmer felt for the man’s throat before releasing the bands. The Imperial slumped over on the floor, clearly dead.
,,Now that was usefull! You switch questions to something completely useless and you kill him before he can answer!” Glenroy complained. Baurus however, frowned.
,,Hmm, kill the Dragon? What is he, some kind of lunatic? After years of being unbreachable, a band of fanatics manages to penetrate the palace’s security? I find that hard to believe.” He grunted. The Altmer shook his head.
,,I did not kill him.”

,,Then who did?” The Bosmer wanted to know. Again the Altmer shook his head.
,,Hard to say. I assume that the cause of death was a form of hypnosis. If forced to reveal any sensitive information, he will start to experience extreme stress and eventually suffer a heartattack. As for this question being useless, we already know they are after our liege. The why is irrelevant. Their other plans however, are. If we know their other plans, we can deduce why the Emperor is at threat as well.” He answered.
,,So, you believe there is more behind this? Fanatics don’t kill off their own, not by hypnosis anyway.” The Captain interjected.
,,I have some theories. Yet at the moment, they are still only theories.” The Altmer replied. He searched the dead man, finding a simple dagger and an ancient key.

,,If that key fits on the door, it means we were supposed to fight him.” Baurus observed.
,,Bait?” The Captain wondered. She drew her sword and motioned the other two Blades to do the same.
,,If this one was bait, there must be more. It would make sense. Being invisible and armed only with a dagger, he might have managed to take down one of us, but never more. The Emperor would still be safe as we make sure to guard him with our own bodies. Seeing how this one is so weak, we might assume that he was merely placed there as a contingency to deal with a lone survivor or a prisoner making his escape in the confusion. A killer of witnesses. We might come to believe that he’s the only one and lower our guard.” She reasoned. The door swung open with a shriek of half-rusted hinges.

,,And since there are no more torches further up ahead, we might conclude that he really is the only one.” The Altmer finished.
,,I appreciate all the analyzing, but I’m afraid I lack the stamina to keep standing forever. Let us move on till we reach safety. And till then, no sword shall be sheathed.” The Emperor decided. The Altmer nodded.
,,As you wish, my liege.”

They moved through the door in an orderly line. Glenroy came first, brandishing his torch which was the only source of light. The Altmer followed next. Then came Baurus and the Captain who flanked the Emperor. Last was the Bosmer, who ran back to the lit room after she’d taken a few steps. She grabbed on of the other torches and hurried to rejoin the group.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Dec 29 2012, 03:31 PM

[Gaius Maximus]

Hm... Interesting. The Mythic Dawn seems to be a lot more 'fanatical obsessed cult'-like here than in the game... The whole thing about them daring to kill their own for being captured seems a lot like something a cult would do, I suppose.

[Agent Griff]

I just love your Altmer's personality. He all just so...elvish. Everything he does eludes his intelligence and wisdom. I think you've crafted yourself one hell of a character here. He kind of resembles Belwin from my own fic, though Belwin is a little more absent minded to say the least.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying this story. You've provided a great spin to what would have otherwise been a boring prologue that we all know by heart.

[Olen]

Yes I very much like the way your handling it all. The cult is darker, they are more desperate and that altmer is badass (and so he should be).

Fanatics don’t kill off their own That line seemed a little odd but wasn't really an issue.

[Steve]

I thought when I first saw this that it was another Morrowind Story that I couldn't understand...
I never played the game you see...
But man, boom, it's Oblivion! I think.... you can never be too sure!

Anyway! This has been a wonderful read! I can't stop wondering about what's going to happen!!!
I really enjoy this and that Altmer is just so!!! May I say it?

AWESOME!!! Well, very "wise" I think I would say.
It was funny the way you portrayed the Emperor. I never imagined him in slippers...
I can't wait to read the next one.

Oh, btw! Remember when I said in someones story that stuff like the tutorial could be "gone through fastly"?
I take that all back!!!

[jack cloudy]

Oh, the mysterious backgrounds! Ok, I need to ask myself one question now. Which one of my characters did not have or still holds a mysterious background at one point? I'm seeing a pattern here.

But for now, update! (And more hints at the background of not one, but two elves here.)


Chapter 2.5


,,Why is this place abandoned anyway? Sure, it’s a tad dusty, but I know some people who would pay lots of money for a quality basement. Just look at it, no leaks anywhere and we’re in the middle of a lake below sealevel.” She heard Baurus say once she caught up.
,,What is that, you have dreams of going into prime estate?” Glenroy chuckled. The dark man shrugged.
,,Well hey, there will come a time when I can’t swing swords with the best of them anymore. It pays to keep your options open.” He replied.
,,But maybe our local font of knowledge knows something?” He continued and gestured at the Altmer. Even though the Elf had his back turned to the dark man, he seemed to know it was him who was indicated. Most likely because he was indeed the local font of knowledge, the Bosmer reasoned.

,,Mostly local superstition. Superstition from after the first era, when so-called slave-queen Allessia successfully conquered Cyrodiil. The people in those days claimed that the ghosts of those who had fallen continued their battle here. Since ghosts are generally found frightening, rather than attempting to put them to rest, this place was sealed off and buried. New houses were built, people generations came and went and it was forgotten till archeologists rediscovered this place half a century ago after a wall in one of the sewer canals had cracked thanks to a neglectfull mage dropping his rather explosive experiments through the toilet. And that’s the story.” He explained.
,,Would there be any truth to this superstition?” The Emperor asked. His voice had an icy tone to it.
,,So far, neither the archaeologists nor I have found any proof towards the presence of ghosts.” The Altmer plainly answered.

They passed another bronze door and entered a small chamber similar to the one the tunnel had led to. Too similar, it turned out.
,,Woah!” Baurus shouted and just barely managed to catch the arrow with the rim of his shield, preventing it from penetrating the Emperor’s skull.
,,Flanks!” The Captain ordered. She turned one-hundred and eighty degrees so that her shield now faced outward as well. One quick scan of the room revealed that they were in a disadvantageous position. There were four archers, one pair perched on each of the ledges on both sides. They were too high to reach with a sword. The only thing she and the other Blades could do was to catch the arrows with their shields and hope their assailants forgot to bring plenty of ammunition.

,,Back up! Back through the door!” The Captain shouted. The Bosmer stumbled backwards, tripped and fell. The Blades and the Emperor rushed past without paying her any heed. She scrambled back onto her feet and raced after them, expecting an arrow between her shoulder-blades at every step. The Altmer was close behind, though he stopped once he was through the door. He put a seal on it as he’d done back at the prison before turning to his companions. If there was one thing the archers had done wrong, it was their decision to all fire at the same time. The time it took for them to reload was a critical one, one which had made it possible for their target to slip away.

,,Seriously, for all the attitude you display in the midst of a crisis, I expected you to put them on fire or something while we were gone, not to run away yourself.” Glenroy taunted. The Altmer merely cocked an eyebrow and said nothing.
,,Whining gets us nowhere. There are archers up there and I don’t like that. We’re Blades. We’re supposed to protect the Emperor against the swords and daggers, not against bows. And who is to say that those archers are the last obstacle we’ll have to face? What’s next, mages? We can’t stop fireballs with our shields.” The Captain interjected.
,,Yeah, just what is Ocato doing right now? He’s the Imperial Battlemage! Shouldn’t he be here as well? He is the guy who is supposed to deal with hostile mages, it’s in his job description!” Baurus grumbled.
,,I have dispatched a messenger but he returned saying that Ocato saw no need for his aid and that this could be adequately taken care off by the Legion.” The Emperor said.
,,That good for nothing windbag…With all due respect, my liege, but I hope you will have a word with him tomorrow.” Glenroy hissed.
,,I plan to.”

Throughout the exchange, the Bosmer had been quiet. She noticed that the Altmer was looking away, with an odd expression on his face.
,,Hey, anything wrong?” She asked while the Blades began to bicker about what to do.
,,It’s nothing.” The Altmer replied. The girl shrugged.
,,Ok, care to tell me what an Imperial Battlemage is, then?” She asked next. The Altmer frowned slightly.
,,It doesn’t matter. Forget about it.” He said.

,,Huh?” The Bosmer grew a frown of her own. Something was wrong here, despite all claims to the contrary.
,,Just what am I doing here, trying to hold a conversation? I nearly got turned into a pincushion back there. What’s to stop them from coming through the door? Oh wait, he put one of those green thingies on it.” She thought. She made up her mind and braced herself for the backlash she was going to unleash.
,,If it’s nothing important, then it wouldn’t harm to tell me about it, would it? What is an Imperial Battlemage? Where does it come from? What does it do? You know, I’ve always been interested in foreign history. I can name you all the Pyandonea-Summerset wars of the last twothousand years, you know.”

He turned to her and remained silent for a long time. It frightened her and she edged backwards slowly in a subconscious attempt to avoid his gaze. He looked as if he was in pain.
,,Err…nevermind. I didn’t say anything.” She giggled nervously.
,,There is no Imperial Battlemage, nor is there any order that provides them. Tharn made sure of that. Wiped them all out.” The Altmer suddenly said.

The Blades interrupted their discussion.
,,Hey, did you just say something?” Baurus asked. Glenroy pushed his helmet back a bit and wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he looked at the two elves.
,,So, did you just claim that Ocato is not the Imperial Battlemage? I mean, he does carry the title openly.” He wondered out loud.
,,Ocato has never visited the Battlespire, has he? If he hasn’t received his training from there, he is not a Battlemage.” The Altmer said. The Emperor gestured at the seal on the door.
,,Is there any other way out of here that does not take us past four archers and perhaps more ambushes further up ahead?” He asked.
,,Is it just me, or is he really happy to change the subject?” The Bosmer thought.

,,None. I am now convinced that the assassins are making use of the same route I was planning to use. There is one other solution however. I could create a path.” The Altmer said.
,,And is he really happy to go along with it? Hmm, touchy subject, isn’t it?”,,Which leaves us with only one thing. The archers. We can’t have witnesses.” Glenroy noted. The Altmer looked at him silently and nodded.
,,Very well. I’ll take care of them.”

,,Wait!” The Bosmer yelled as the seal on the door was dispelled. The Altmer stopped and turned.
,,It’s one against four and they’re up on a ledge! You’re gonna get killed!” She whimpered. The Altmer sighed.
,,That is not what you believe.” He observed.
,,Ehm…well….yeah. Ok, so I think you’ll be back in all of five seconds. But you’re going to kill them, aren’t you?” To this, the Altmer did not respond.
,,Well, of course he is. What else did you think he was going to do, give them a lecture on the sociological differences between Cyrodiil and Stros M’kai?” Baurus said in a half-joking way.
,,But……” She tried and fell silent.
,,I hate killing. How can anyone be so cold about it? It’s just wrong. The only way to die should be in a bed, saying goodbye to your great-great-great-great grandchildren after playing with them for one last time. How old are they? I saw their faces….forty, fifty? They’re so young I bet they don’t even have kids! Or is it different with the round-ears? Do they think that a violent death is the only one that is right?” She thought.

To her surprise, it was the Emperor who knew what was going on in her mind.
,,I will not try to justify my own existence. But if we allow them to live, they will warn their accomplices and a large hunt will start. Till I have reached safety and till I am surrounded by scores of dedicated soldiers, I cannot afford word to come out.” He said.
,,Please take the necessary precautions…that is all I ask.” He added to the Altmer. The mage nodded and ventured through the door. Not a sound was heard till his return. And when he returned, he said only one thing.
,,It is done.”


OOC: Yeah, there is a bit of critiscizing the type of protection Bethesda gave our old man. Sure, they're indoors so archers are generally a bad idea (except in the ledge situation here.) But not a single mage? I mean, c'mon, this is TES. Everyone and the rat in the cellar knows a spell or two. What if the Emperor gets hurt? A healer would be so usefull. And a Battlemage, where is Ocato when you need him? Disregarding the fact that there is only one Imperial Battlemage worth mentioning: Jagar Tharn. Man, now that's a Battlemage. And he doesn't look as silly as Ocato. For that matter, they should have given Ocato his Daggerfall look, now that one was badass.

On another note, the Altmer seems really fond of stuff that involves green, doesn't he? Well, that's mostly because all spells he's used thus far (safe for Dreth knockout) are a form of barrier. Even the Stasis hold was simply a collection of barriers shaped in such a way that they worked as handcuffs.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Dec 29 2012, 03:34 PM

[Lord Revan]

Green spells are illusion, Jack, alteration is whit(ish). And if you watch the Emporer, he heals himself.

And it seems to me that not "everyone" even has magical power, let alone the know-how to use it to deadly affect.

[Olen]

The blades aren't really very useful. They arte acceptable swordsmen but otherwise weak, none of them can shoot and they have no mages...

No critism of this (you're following beth) but why lead the emperor out like that? A big powerful invisibility spell (several of) and a blade disgusied as a beggar, walk out the front door, the blade opening everything. I suppose they had their reasons.

The bosmer is a bit odd, clearly shes a bit of a country bumpkin and a bit soft. Nice choice of secondary character though she will need a good reason to stay with them once (if) they get out.

[The Metal Mallet]

Solid update. Interesting revelation about the Imperial Battlemage. Things are still intriguing and mysterious.

[jack cloudy]

Hah, this shows you how little I really know. Anyway, so I'm using the wrong colours for my barriers. Heh, this actually works to my advantage. It merely makes the Altmer even more mysterious. Where did he pick up green barriers?

Well, yeah I know that there are exceptions and not everyone can cast, but I was exaggerating on purpose. I still stand by my comment. The Emperor should have been escorted by a professional mage. Damn you, Ocato! You fake Battlemage! Damn you!

Anyway, this ends the current chapter. Next, we're going to delve deeper into the Altmer's own plans, and bring more character to the Bosmer.


Chapter 2.6



The Emperor nodded.
,,Good. And about that path?” He questioned. The Altmer gestured off to his left at one of the many intersections they’d previously passed.
,,In there.” He said in a neutral tone and began to walk.
,,It just doesn’t touch you, does it?” The Bosmer hissed. The Altmer froze. Of all, it was the girl who was the most shocked at her own reaction.
,,You just walk in there, kill four people for no good reason and now you pretend it never happened!” She continued venomously.
,,Woah, careful. There was a good reason, a really good one.” Baurus tried, but to no avail.

,,No reason is good enough for murder! It’s the lowest of the low things one can do! And he did it not just once, but four times! On purpose!” She snapped.
,,We might want to keep our voices down for a while, lest more assassins track us down and force even more bloodshed.” The Captain warned urgently.
,,I do care.” The Altmer muttered. Everyone fell silent and watched at him as he stood with his back turned to them.
,,I care, but that doesn’t matter. I have no time for a weighted heart. Not now, not then.” He began to move again.
,,Now be quiet. If you don’t want to come, that’s your problem. But if so, your lifespan will be greatly shortened.” He added. The Blades and the Emperor followed quickly and, rather hesitantly, the Bosmer followed as well.
,,You monster. Don’t think I’m just going to shrug and forget about it like you do.”

,,So, where does this path lead to and why do you think that the assassins won’t have this one blocked off?” Glenroy asked after a while.
,,Because it leads to a dead end.” The Altmer replied. Roughly a hundred steps further, the corridor did indeed end in a round chamber. There was little that hinted at its purpose, except what looked like a sealed well in the center. Strangely enough, the floor was flooded by a few centimetres of water which dripped from a tiny crack in the walls.
,,This wall is now the only thing between us and the lake. If I open the crack wider, water will rush in and flood the entire network of corridors and chambers. After that, it will take something that can breathe water for indefinite periods to explore this place. The Emperor will be assumed to have drowned, which will hopefully remove the other assassins from the equation.” The Elf explained.

He pressed a hand on the crack and veins of white energy trailed from his palm, crafting a web on the wall. The light intensified as the gaps between the tendrils were filled and the Altmer stepped back. A barrier appeared as a dome over the group, while the now completely solid circle of light continued its work. At first it was uncertain just what it purpose was, but it soon became visible that it was moving back and where it had gone, the wall was no more.
,,Such magicka.” The Emperor mumbled.
,,My liege?” Glenroy said. The old man seemed unaware he had been spoken to.
,,Passwall. I’d outlawed that spell.” He continued. He then shook his head.
,,I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at you having knowledge of that. But still, it is more subtle than I’d expected.” The Altmer looked at the old man over his shoulder.
,,A sudden explosion would have been too suspicious when seen from the outside.” He said. He looked up at the ceiling for a second.
,,Passwall isn’t to my preference either. After the outlawing, every mage was forced to destroy every scrap of evidence of the spell and vow never to cast it again. Sure, crime-rates dropped to nearly half in a month, but still….Anyone who sees this spell and knows it for what it is will know one of my kind is here.” He looked at the passwall which was still working steadily.
,,All other alternatives would have been even more obvious.”

The passwall had carved through the wall in its entirety and began to dissolve into its individual tendrils which shot back into the Altmer’s hand, slowing slightly as they passed the barrier. Even as the spell faded, water rushed in through the gaping hole, washing away the dust, buffeting the air, roaring like a pack of demons. The barrier was the only thing that kept the torrent from consuming the group.

As the ancient foundations of the city was filled with water, the flow gradually slowed. The Altmer stepped forward and the barrier followed, forcing the others to stay with him. A lone and curious Slaughterfish swam into the addition to its habitat and gawked at the strange green dome. It nibbled on it for a moment but, after finding out it was inedible, it moved on to explore. Once outside, the Altmer cast another spell and they began to float upward, the dome becoming a sphere as they left the bottom of the lake.
,,Well, there goes my plan of selling quality basements. Pumping out the water will suck up all the profit.” Baurus contemplated as he took a last look at the hole in the wall they’d came from.


Several minutes later, they stood at the edge of the lake, the Bosmer standing a bit further from the rest. The island with the Imperial city on it was visible in the distance like a low mound swarmed by fireflies.
,,Do we part here?” The Emperor asked. The Altmer nodded slowly, as if he was in deep thought and only following the conversation with half an ear. The old man hugged himself for warmth and motioned for the Blades to follow him.
,,Well then, I shall be returning to the palace now. I’m sure we’ve led those assassins on the wrong trail. I’ll be fine.” He said.
,,Don’t.”

The old man stopped but did not turn to face the Altmer.
,,I know who you are, yet still I am willing to give you the advantage of doubt. You have preserved my life there. I am giving you a chance to leave in peace. Take that chance. Now, farewell.” He spoke and started to move again when the Altmer intervened. He intervened by performing a Stasishold on both the Emperor and his Blades.
,,What?!” The Captain grunted.
,,You! What is the meaning of this?!” She shouted. The Altmer ignored her and closed in on the Emperor. The Bosmer now noticed that no one was paying her any attention. She ran for the lake, unhindered.

,,My liege, I will only ask you once. Go in hiding. These assassins have breached all of your security once. They can do so again.” The Altmer pointed out. The Emperor was the only one who did not struggle against his bonds. He chose to show his defiance through his words.
,,I can reinforce that security. I did not ask you to make my decisions for me! Now release me!” He whispered without fear. The Altmer shook his head.
,,I can’t do that. You are merely a pawn in a game played by greater beings. Yet you are an important pawn. You are the queen of the chessboard. If you are lost, the future will look bleak. So I no longer ask you, but I command you. Take your Blades and go in hiding. Do not return to live till I allow you.”

The old man shook his head feverishly.
,,No! No, I shall not listen to you! No more! I have listened to you before, and you have betrayed that trust. I will no longer abide by the will of a fiend who will lead us all to our doom!” He shouted.
,,My liege, please heed your words! We cannot protect you!” The Captain warned.
,,I’m proud of my skill at the sword, but it is of little use if I can’t move even a single finger.” Baurus cut in.
,,Well and yeah, I don’t even have a sword for that matter. A certain gold-skinned fellow snapped it.” Glenroy added grim.

The Altmer stepped back.
,,Fine then! I’ve tried to be gentle with you but I see you are as stubborn as ever. I will give you one last choice, one last.” He spoke. The very air around him appeared to be colder, so great was his presence.
,,Either you flee and hide in a place of your own choosing, or I’ll come for you and send you to a proper place myself. And you know what that means.” He hissed. The Emperor glared but didn’t say a thing. He then turned his head to his city.
,,Am I supposed to leave the Empire in your hands?” He asked.
,,Yes.”

The old man sighed.
,,As its Emperor?” He asked next. To this, the Altmer shook his head.
,,I have no need for a crown and a pretentious title. All I desire is the freedom to move and play the game without being hindered by having to protect a wrinkled old man from his own stupidity. I don’t understand it. But maybe it is your stubbornness that makes me give you a chance to choose for yourself, Uriel.” He said, but without the sting his words could have had. Uriel managed a smile.
,,I was wrong. You have changed, though I can’t judge if the change has been good or bad. For the better or the worst, I leave this place in your hands.” He decided.
,,Do not betray my trust again. For I swear, I will send every single Legionnair, every normal man, every woman and every child old enough to carry a sword. I’ll send them all after you if you betray me again.” The green bonds vanished.
,,Send them, if I walk the wrong path. For now then, farewell, lord of Tamriel.” With those words, the Altmer walked away to the city.

The Emperor kept watching till the Elf had been swallowed by the darkness of the night.
,,Let’s not dawdle. We’re going to move swift. Glenroy, procure a few horses. Baurus, grab some clothing for disguises. Ask the beggars for help. Tell them: A fire has broken out, and there are not enough hands to carry water. Captain, you stay with me.” He ordered. Baurus chuckled.
,,A code? I suppose that answers how those beggars have managed to stick around despite the Legion’s best attempts at arresting them all. They’ve been on your payroll all the time.” He noted.
,,This is no time for jokes, Baurus. Please hurry. As for the Elf…” The Emperor looked around but soon gave up.
,,Never mind her. By the time she can tell anyone about us, we’ll be long gone. Now get moving.”

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Dec 29 2012, 03:39 PM

[The Metal Mallet]

Damn that Altmer has some skills and still remains icy cool. I can't wait to see how this develops further...

[Olen]

Hmm.. emperor survives and doesn't go back to his death which is an interesting turn of events. And the altmer (another fairly massive hint as to who he is in that one) is going to take control, I wander what Ocato will make of this.

And yes those skills are awesome.

And you avoided the single most annoying point in the game ('Damn it they've locked the gate from the other side' when said gate would take perhaps 20 seconds to climb up and though.)

[jack cloudy]

Well, but the Emperor can't climb, can he? He does look a bit old from all the promotion pictures I've seen.

Anyway, I've decided to split the story into two paths. One for the Altmer and one for the Bosmer. It should be interesting. Oh, and after this story is done (and Oasis 2), I'm planning on writing the Morrowind side of the Oblivion crisis. So please don't be too surprised when I seemingly pull stuff from nowhere a few chapters later.


Chapter 3: Splitting paths

Lake Rumare, northern coast.

I didn’t look back nor did I slow my steps but I was already starting to doubt my decision. The old man had spirit, I gave him that. But spirit would not prevent his death. He was old, too old really. Even if the knives could be kept from his throat, time would finish the job sooner or later. I feared it would be sooner. I shook away my concerns. There was no going back now. I’d given him his choice and if I took it back now, it would make the offer meaningless. Besides, there were more pressing concerns. I would just have to trust him to keep his wits about him. He’d survived plenty of attempts on his life. He’d be fine, if he kept from sight. Though I did wonder what became of the Bosmer. She didn’t seem like the type who would tag along with them, and even less likely to follow me. I worried a little. I worried, although I knew that I could not afford to spent time looking for her.

I looked down at the manacles around my wrists. They were meant to chain my hands behind my back during relocation from one cell to another, something which had never happened. Now, they would merely draw unwanted attention to myself. I focussed on them and they broke apart, splashing in the wet sand. I scrubbed some sand over them with a toe. It wasn’t the perfect hidingplace, but it would do. Next up were my clothes. They were the standard prisonergarb, cheap, rough and very eyecatching in their own way. I had no need for them, but till I got something better to wear, I would be stuck with them. I cared little for physical discomfort after decades behind bars, but simple decency kept me from ditching the crude rags. So I decided that my first step was to obtain replacements.

But where to find them? There were several options open to me. The light of a building shone to my left. It was probably a tavern. Last stop before the Imperial City, it’s sign might say. I could sneak in there and steal them. However, my goal was the Imperial City, not the last stop before it. I had no desire to waste time. The night would end shortly and with it, the wheel of gossip would begin to spin. I wished to be at the city by that time. That, and stealing was not something I approved off, even less so if there was a more satisfying solution available. That solution lay at the walls of the city. I followed the edge of the lake towards the bridge I remembered. There wasn’t much time, so I alternated between running and walking. If I skipped across the lake directly, I would greatly shorten the distance I needed to travel. But, the wandering torches on top of the wall alerted me to nighttime patrols. It wouldn’t do me much good if they saw something running across the water.

Lake Rumare, eastern side.

The Bosmer rose up to the surface and took her first breath of air since the last half an hour. The hills in the distance seemed to be ablaze, a sign that the sun would rise within minutes.
,,Brrr, the water’s really cold here. Takes all the fun out of swimming.” She complained to herself as she looked around at the island she was on. There wsn’t much to see. It mas mostly a collection of sand, some grey rocks and shrubbery. There was a shack a stonesthrow from where she was standing. Next to the shack, a crude wooden pier extended into the lake. A rowboat bobbed on the shallow waves at the end of a short rope.

She took a few steps towards the shack, then stopped. It was the boat’s shadow underwater which had drawn her here, but she couldn’t see any light coming from behind the shack’s lone window. Perhaps it was abandoned? She shivered. She didn’t have much of a choice. If she couldn’t dry up soon, she would surely catch a cold. And the best chance for drying up was this shack. She took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

There was no answer, so she knocked again, and again. Still no answer. The only sound was the buzzing of crickets and the singing of frogs. Seeing no other way out, she tried the doorbolt.
,,Besides, if this place is empty, it might actually be better. I don’t want to explain why I’m swimming in a lake at night. I don’t think swimming is a common hobby around here.” She thought. The door opened easily and without a sound, which seemed odd with the rundown appearance of the shack. If she’d looked closer though, she would have noticed that the door’s hinges were made of wood, not iron, and they’d been greased extensively.

Now that the door was open, she could hear some irregular snoring.
,,So there is someone here. And asleep as well.” The first beam of sunlight pierced the window and shone on the slumbering person’s feet. Carefully, the Bosmer went in and reached for the person’s shoulder. She couldn’t tell gender or anything, as everything was hidden under the blankets except for the feet. But the feet were old and wrinkled and she expected the rest of the person to be similarly old. She’d planned to simply ask if she could borrow a towel or something similar, but she felt uneasy about waking up someone.

She hesitated for a moment before pulling her hand back.
,,It would be rude for a stranger to disturb someone in his own house.” She looked around and found a grey blanket hanging on a fishingline near the window. She took it off the line and examined it. It had a rough texture and smelled like fish, but it seemed dry. Granted, everything in the shack smelled like fish. It was the first time she’d noticed the smell. She wrapped it around herself and sat down in a corner.
,,I’ll make sure to thank that person, when he or she wakes up. Hmm, fish, smells like home.” The smell made her drowsy and she dozed off.

[Olen]

Fascinating move into first person for the altmer. I'm not quite sure why he wanted to hide the manacles and why he didn't throw them into the sea but its an irrelivant point really.

I wander who the old person is, I get the feeling someone moderatly important but I've no idea who.

And I agree that the emperor couldn't have climbed but 'barred from the other side' sort of implies that it could also be unbarred. It just got to me.

Anyway nice update.

[Agent Griff]

The change of tense was interesting though I was more accustomed to merely witnessing the Altmer's action's rather than hearing their motivation. It's something I'll have to get used to. I would have expected the Bosmer to have a first person narrative but I guess she would have had somewhat more simpler thoughts than the Altmer's deeper thoughts based on his knowledge. Good update nonetheless.