The Eight Bells Options

[jack cloudy]

Shamus is smarter than he seems at first. And I can see a romance developing. Throwing her down the stairs is just Shamus's way of saying:,, I like you."
Ok, maybe his social skills are a bit rusty.

[Foster]

Prt 15

"How far do you think this goes?" Tor asked, leading through the tightly twisting passageways, looking at the glow of the torchlight as it reflected upon the surface of the cave, causing the rock to glisten and shimmer where it was damp. Behind him Kiera walked, her arms tucked tightly into her chest to avoid touching anything unpleasant. She was already in some discomfort after being uncerimoniously booted, though in truth she wasn't injured. It was more the indignity of what had happened that made her lash out at Shamus when he had come down, hitting him with frustrated, limp attacks in a constant, continual motion. He'd let her, laughing it off before passing her a healing potion when nobody had noticed. Wellin had tried to fight him over it, but had quickly backed down when Mungo made it apparent whose side he was on. Now the five made their way through the cave system, underground, unsure.
"Who knows." Shamus said, looking into the pitch black up ahead. "could be metres, could be miles."

The mood in the group was, overall, one of apprehension. Everyone had tight stomach muscles as they thought of what could lunge out from th dark, and everyone was on guard for any possibility. Nervous thoughts caused their breathing to be sharp and their hands to quiver, which only made things worse as the torchlight flickered violently. After half an hour of walking they were nowhere nearer the end of the road; at least, no nearer than any of them could tell. After an hour they were beginning to believe that the passage never ended, and it was probably after an hour and a half that Wellin began to get nervous, wondering about the strength of the ceiling and what would happen if it were to cave in. It wasn't the only thing he wondered about, he just didn't know how to say it.

After two hours they first heard the sound, echoing violently in a swirling, swishing sound that hissed in their ears, but it took another fifteen minutes to find the source. They emerged in a circular cavern, open and wide, with a violent stream rushing past them. Even in the dark light of the cavern they should see the foam and strength of the current. Each member looked at it with apprehension.
"It's loud." Kiera said, shouting above the noise. Tor turned and nodded.
"I think it must be the Larsius, maybe the source of it." he said, over the din that filled the air. If he was right from his geography, that meant they had gone even further into Elsweyr, though in truth he was finding it hard to think. The noise was distracting, and above it Mungo had started to groan, as if in pain from the racket.
"What should we do?"
"What?"
"What should we do?"
"Uh..." Tor said, closing his eyes to try and remember the phrase. Open the serpent, shift the wake, onward to Bregale... "there has to be some kind of lever!"
"What?"
"Lever! Turn handle! Crank!" He screamed, motioning with his arms. Mungo watched him, and then begun to spin around. Wellin heard, and began to look. In the far corner of the cave, outside of the flickering torchlight, there was a switch. He pulled it.

The cave filled with a different noise, as a dam swung up out of the floor. One side of the river raged against it, the other became a calm trickle. The noise lost some of it's intensity, but not enough. Tor smiled.
"Shift the wake." he said. Shamus didn't hear, but didn't care. Within thirty seconds they had all begun to wade across. Then, as if on a time delay, the dam dropped down again, returning the underground stream to it's usual path.
"Onward to Bregale?" Tor asked.

Half an hour later they were in another cavern, this time resting. They were all tired through their subterrainian trek, and were glad that the noise of the Larsius had died down in their ears. Tor and Shamus took the time to check their weapons. Wellin decided on a different use. He rose up, and moved across to Kiera.
"Lady..uh... Dorian." He began. She looked up at him with her beautfiul eyes, and smiled.
"Yes, Wellin?"
"Uh...can I ask you something." he said, sitting down next to her.
"You may ask."
"Uh... your family estate is here, yes?"
"Yes."
"And...uhm...you said you and your guards were returning from you being in the Imperial dungeon?" The moment he said it, he winced as if in pain, or broaching a taboo subject. Kiera nodded.
"That is true." she said.
"Well," he furrowed his brow, "how come you were on the road from Bruma?"

Kiera paused, sucking in her breath and closing her eyes. She nodded.
"Yes, I can see how that could require an explaination."
"I was just..."
"No." She said, raising a hand to keep him quiet. "Do not tell this to your companions, however. Especially that filthy, disgusting degenerate and his walking corpse."
"Of course." Wellin said, having decided that if they hadn't thought of it, they didn't need to know.
"I was on the road from Bruma because I went to visit someone who has the power of foresight." she said, simply. "You see, I wanted to know if there was a way that I might...exert...more aggrevance upon my mother, given that she had done so to me. However, I was not told this. I was told instead that I would go on a journey, with unlikely companions who would come to me whilst I was in mourning, under flames. As you can see, that rather fits the description of how we met."
Wellin remained silent. Kiera cast an eye over the others, and continued.
"I was told that, on this journey, there would be much blood and hardship, but that I would reclaim a legend my family had long since lost."
"That would be the mine?"
"I assume so, yes." Kiera nodded.
"Then why not tell them?" Wellin asked, unsure as to why she'd kept silent.
"Because I was told about who they would be." she said, softly. "One will justice, one will find joy, one will be dead, and..." she choked for a moment, "and the other... will die."

This post has been edited by Foster: Apr 2 2006, 10:34 PM

[Kiln]

This update was very well done, though now I wonder about the closing phrase alot...who will it be that is killed? There is no clue of which character that will be, I can't wait to find out what happens next, the suspense is horrible here so please continue.

[Agent Griff]

Great update. The last phrase was briliantly put and adds mystery to the story. I already have my own thoughts of what happens to who but I'll keep them to myself. At least Mungo's fate can't be worser. I have one question though, is there any way to turn zombies back into living people? I loved Mungo back when he was alive, I still love him in death. He's such a lovable mindless piece of flesh.

[jack cloudy]

That last line scares me. Mungo can't die again, so he is off the list and I don't want any of the others to die.

[Foster]

Prt 16

It felt as though they'd been walking for days, when in reality it had only been a few hours. The cavern and the glow from the torchlight was playing tricks on their minds, and every member of the party save Mungo had begun to get a tingling sensation of dread creeping up their spines (Mungo found it hard to get anything to tingle up his spine, considering it was dislodged and protruding out of his back in a sickening pike). For the most part they travelled in silence. Wellin had nothing that he wanted to say, too busy caught up in thoughts of dread and worry. Kiera had one thought on her mind that continued to replay, each time making her want to shake with anger and frustration that she couldn't control her own mind. Tor thought of his family, of his home so far away, of the journey that had brought him here and of the nothingness that existed once vengence was his. Shamus kept wondering why he'd bought a shirt that chaffed his nipples, and other completely non-related things.

Above thier heads the skies were dominated by the stars, though none of them new it. Day and night were distant memories, compared to the dank seclusion of their walk. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

"Torch, out! Now!" Shamus hissed, his voice low. Tor did as commanded immediatly, and the party plunged into near-darkness. Near-darkness, for around the corner the glow of light eminated, a haunting presence underground. They looked at each other, before Shamus smiled and crept forward. The others waited in the darkness.

For five minutes he was gone, melted into the shadows, before he appeared once more, popping out in front of Kiera with his tongue out, causing her to fall backwards and gasp to stifle her scream. The bandit laughed, and looked at the other two humans, both of whom narrowed their eyes.
"Don't be a jerk. Leave her alone." Tor said. Shamus turned to him, tilting his head and pulling out his dagger.
"Or what?"
Tor shook his head. "Just don't, alright?"
"Fine." Shamus said, pulling Kiera back to her feet with one hand and sheathing his dagger with the other. "I snooped around. No wonders nobody found Bregale - it's underground. Entire village out there, in that cavern. Houses, some kind of temple, and all around it..." he paused, smiling somewhat. "All around it is silver. Silver veins in the walls, silver rocks, silver nuggets, silver silver silver..." his eyes gleamed as he thought of the riches. Wellin watched in silence, observant as ever, without vocalising his thoughts. Shamus' hands had a sparkle to them, as did his pockets. The bandit had been helping himself to the rocks whilst on his reconnoitre.
"How many of...them?" Tor asked.
"I counted at least twenty-three. Thing is, I think that we can probably get to the Temple - that's where I'm guessing your clues lead, it's the only building of significance - pretty damn easily. I'll just shoot a few of the guards, pick em off, and we'll creep through the entire village."
"Sounds like a plan." Tor nodded. "Everyone ready?"

[Foster]

Prt 17

"Ready?" Shamus asked, knowing full well that everyone was. Tor and Wellin were crouched in front of ihm, Tor having shed hte bulky and clunking armour that would have given away their position with ease. Behind them, Kiera knelt next to Shamus, who had his newly aquired bow out, an arrow resting against the string. Mugno was behind them, ready to charge wildly should anything go wrong.
"Alright, count of three, and then you two run for it. That should distract that guard over there, and I'll get the other one with an arrow, before turning my attention to your hunter, sharpish. Sound like a plan?"
"We're ready when you are." Tor agreed. It seemed to him a little mad, but there was no way they could face twenty three trained killers.

Bregale was a small village, though many of the buildings were now rubble and ruin from when they had been attacked so many years before. Now all that remained were two rows of houses, forming a main street that lead up to the Temple, and a row that diverted off to the right, leading to the mine entrance - not that there needed to be an entrance; the entire cave of Bregale was nothing short of an open-plan mine. Their plan was to run down the left housing block, Shamus picking off the guards, before following with Kiera and Mungo. It was a good plan, one that might just work. Though once they were in the temple, they had no idea what they would find. They were hoping for eight bells, but then there was no guarentee. Nothing so far in thiss journey had been totally predictable.

"One..." Wellin took in a deep breath, drawing it into his lungs and concentrating on where he was supposed to go. The glimmering shine of the silver that surrounded them was a slight distraction, but he put it to he back of his mind and prepared to launch into a spint.
"Two..." Kiera closed her eyes and muttered a quiet prayer that Shamus would be able to shoot as well as he claimed.
"Three!"

Tor and Wellin took off, running at full pelt towards the buildings. The first guard spotted them immediatly and turned, drawing his sword and preparing to cut them off. That left his partner open. Shamus smiled, pulled back the drawstring, and let loose an arrow.

The arrow dropped to the ground, inches in front of him. He looked in amazement as he watched the entire bow dissintegrate and dissolve in his hands, blackening and crumbling to dust, before blowing away in the wind. His eyes bulged with suprise, before he suddenly realised the problem. The bow was conjoured; all the assassin weapons were. Enchanted so that only the Blue Ring Tryst could use them. He stammered for a moment, before looking up at Tor and Wellin, running.
"RUN TOR! THE BOW DOESN"T WORK!" He screamed. His voice competed against the cries of the guards. Tor and Wellin vanished from his sight, into the houses, followed hotly by at least six or seven assassins. Shamus paniced, drawing his dagger and turning to see a massive group of assassins running towards his cries.
"By the nine..." Kiera whispered. Shamus grabbed her by the wrist, and practically yanked her away into the shadows, his legs moving as fast as they could.
"Save the blasphemy for later darlin', we're in serious crud now." was all he could say, before they barged into the right row of houses, panic in their eyes.

[jack cloudy]

Uh oh, trouble. I can't wait for the next update.

[Kiln]

Seems like their plans failed and now they're going to have to improvise, should make things very interesting. Looking forward to the next update, great work.

[milanius]

It was a looong read and I am still not finished. I've come to the end of Chapter 14 and I can't really start with the superlatives because if I start now (it's 02:00 AM here in Central Europe) I'll lose a whole night of sleep Wonderful work, all in all - great character portraits, good plot with twists, just right mix of humor and adventure... oh noes man, I am never gonna get some sleep !

p.s.: Too bad that Wellin is a part of the gang Now, where the heck am I gonna get me a good smithie ??


EDIT (02:24 AM): Finished Chapter 17 *wide yawn* goddamnit, the suspence and lack of sleep are killing me and I have absolutely NO trama roots to chew for caffeine...

This post has been edited by milanius: Apr 4 2006, 01:28 AM

[Foster]

Chapter 18

"Where is he?" Wellin said, deseperatly swinging in the doorway, barely able to hold back the assasins. At the other end of the small room, equally occupied, his back forced up against a door to keep it shut, Tor looked at the smith helplessly.
"I don't know!" he screamed, trying to stay alive. For the last minute or so their world had been nothing but anguish and chaos. At first the plan had seemed to work, but then there had been no shot. Shamus had abandoned them to their fate, and now they were trapped in the left row of houses, surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered. Tor blinked as a sword crashed through the door, inches from his head. He lept up, grabbed a table, and with all his might heaved it against the oak timbers. Across from him Wellin was cut badly across the scalp, but somehow was still managing to hold the door. Tor rushed over, ignoring for a moment the other door, driving his sword into the nearest assassin. At Wellin's feet there was a pile of bodies, and yet it barely seemed to stem the rush of killers.
"Damn him!" Tor screamed, ducking as a blade flashed near his side, twisting his body to avoid being impaled. "He's set us up! He wants the gold!"
Wellin said nothing, and continued his defensive thrusts, barely knowing how to fight, and yet knowing full well that their cause was lost.

"Quiet. I think we've lost 'em." Shamus hissed, pressed hard against Kiera's body in a dark cupboard. Their run had been as frantic, if not more so, than Tor and Wellin's. At first they had been hotly pursued by six men, but Shamus' scouting had given him good enough knowledge to slip through cracks and down passages. Kiera was exhausted, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath, somehow being able to keep up with Shamus' fast footwork without being dragged against the floor. Her dress was covered in the gleam of silver dust, and she looked at the bandit with admiration.
"Do you think we're..." safe, she began to whisper, before her mouth was suddenly grabbed and sealed by Shamus' dirty hand. She looked into his eyes, and saw that he was desperatly trying to listen from their hidden position. Silently, his other hand clutched his dagger as he listened to footsteps outside. The steps grew nearer. Kiera held her breath and her eyes grew wider as she strained to listen. The steps faded. She eased a sigh of relief. Shamus, too, let out a slow exhale, before looking at Kiera, her mouth still gagged. He stuck his tongue out and wiggled it at her, before realising his hand. She kicked him, hard, in the shin.
It took all of his resolve not to yell out in pain.

"I think this might be it." Wellin said, gulping as he backed away, Tor at his side. Both of them were cut and injured, their wounds seeping their lifes blood as they slowly staggered back. Their fight was almost spent, their skin a strange mixture of sweat and gore. The doorway was lost; there was just too many of them. Slowly their hands raised their swords as the assassins approached, gradually encircling the two friends, their blades poised for the final strikes. Tor drew in a breath, unsure if it would be his final one.
"It might be." he agreed, a slow tear trickling from each eye as he thought of how he'd failed his family.
"I hope I die well." Wellin murmoured, before looking at the waiting onslaught.

The room erupted in a crashing sound, filling with a choking dust that seemed to cloud everywhere. With a groan that would scare a mountain lion, Mungo came through the ceiling, his arms swinging wildly with a deep-set groan as he set into the assassins. Tor and Wellin looked at each other, and then charged forward to join their friend.

The room was full of the sound of clashing metal, above it all was the thunderous groans of Mungo and the battle cries of Wellin and Tor. Despite the early successes of the zombie, it was clear that Mungo too was over his head. So much so, that he promptly lost it to a swinging battleaxe, severing it and causing it to fly off to the corner of a room. The headless body continued to fight on, the arms swinging with a sickening swish. From his new position, Mungo tried to bite a few ankles. Through the dust Wellin continued to swing, watching as the zombie continued to recieve blow after blow, before he felt a hand tap his back. He turned. Tor was climbing out of a window. At first Wellin wanted to continue the fight, but then he thought on it. Even with Mungo, the odds were still too great. He nodded, and followed his friend. The last glance he caught as he left the room was the lumbering hulk of Mungo, on fire with magical flame, axes and swords buried deep in his flesh, collapse to the floor, finally brought to the grave.

"Listen, they don't know about the enchantment." Shamus said, looking out of the house window at the scene across the street. The search had stopped, and now all the assassins were focused on a house across the way. He watched as Mungo lumbered across the rooftops, grappling with a few assassins, before diving through the roof. He turned back to Kiera, indicating it was alright for her to come out of the cupboard.
"What's happening?"
"Mungo's helping them, but I don't think..." Shamus' voice trailed off as he watched Tor and Wellin leap out of the window, before allowing himself a wry smile. He didn't think they'd make it. Mungo would delay things, but they needed more help. "Look, you need to get to the Temple. That's where they're heading. Tell them...tell them that the weapons are enchanted. The enchantment is bound to something... wait! Of course!"
"What?" Kiera asked.
"Their weapons are bound to the deed! They have to destroy it!"
"But that deed is the key to our rights! My mine!"
Shamus paused, and looked at Kiera. "I know." he said, flatly. "Ack, what would I have done with twenty five thousand septims?" he asked, turning back to look at the girl. She looked back at him.
"A dowry?" she asked.
"Got drunk on the best Tamika vintage, more like."
"Not even... a dowry for me?"
Shamus closed his eyes, and walked forward to stroke her hair. He paused, looking at her, furrowing his brow, before looking away.
"Go. Keep to the shadows and you'll be alright." he said.
"What will you do?" she asked.
"Distract those blue ring pansies."
Kiera reached up and kissed the grizzled features of the bandit softly, tenderly touching his hand.
"Stay safe." she urged. Shamus grunted.
"Urgh. Whatever." he said, before rushing out of the house, his dagger drawn, screaming obscenities at all the assassins and their kin.

This post has been edited by Foster: Apr 4 2006, 02:18 AM

[jack cloudy]

I knew it, we've got a romance here.
Oh, this does not look good. Please don't keep us waiting for the next update.

[Foster]

Prt 19

"Eight keys for eight locks, each one a bell,
Seven songs of fairness, one trembling death knell,
Open the Serpent, shift the wake, push forward to Bregale,
Slide the door as dark as night, do not heed the hail,
Eight bells to lift it high, eight to riches and glory,
Eight to purge the Blue Ring Tryst and end their dreadful story."

He couldn't believe it was almost over.

"Barricade the door!" Tor shouted as the burst inside. Wellin turned, heaving on the large wooden frame to seal it behind them. Screams were echoing outside in the cavern of Bregale, cries of definance that sounded almost like Shamus, steel on steel. Wellin heaved, pushing his battered, wounded and cut side against the door to slowly push it closed. At the last moment a figure slipped through, causing him to pause and look at her in relief.
"Kiera!" He said, finally closing the door and picking up the wooden barricade, pushing it on the door lock to close it behind the trio. Tor spun around to look at the girl.
"Kiera...how...what happened?" He stammered. The girl rushed towards him, looking at his wounds.
"The bow Shamus had melted... it was enchanted. They must have conjoured all their weapons."
"What? He..." Tor paused, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty. "he didn't betray us?"
"Betray you?" Kiera asked, her voice rising with fury. "He's out there at this moment, covering your entry! Fighting them all! Dying for you!" Her voice strained as her eyes flooded with hot, salty tears. Wellin finished with the door, and walked forward to touch her shoulder. She flinched, and his hand immediatly withdrew.
"I...we... thought that..."
"He thinks that there is a link between the deed and the enchantment. That you need to destroy it."
Tor and Wellin looked at each other. "Destroy it?" They asked in unison. To do so, they knew, would forfit the rights of the Dorians forever. The mine would fall on Imperial land. It would be the province of Elder Counsil.
Kiera nodded. "I know." she said, quietly.

There was a thud at the door that snapped them out of all their thoughts. Multiple thuds, more than one man. It wasn't Shamus. Quickly, they turned to the temple. Inside the building was a gilted mass of gleaming, shining silver. The walls were coated with precious stones, and upon the roof hung deep polished mushrooms that seemed out of place with everything else. Everywhere seemed to be richly and lavishly decorated, but no more so than the final pew. Where an altar should have been there was nothing more than a black door, a night-polished ebony, decorated with seven silver bells. They all looked at it and edged forward, barely able to speak. It was beautiful in it's ornate brilliance. Above it, in bold words of silver, marked a warning :

Whoever shall open this door shall be cursed and the legions of the fourteen planes of Oblivion shall stalk him forevermore.

Wellin paused. "Maybe we shouldn't..." Tor shook his head and smiled in reassurance.
"Do not heed the hail." he said, simply, reaching for his necklace and removing it. The eight bells hung down from his palm. "Do you see the mushrooms above us?" he asked. Wellin and Kiera looked up at the strange, dome-sprouted things.
"What of them?"
"They're for acoustics." Tor said, before his finger shot out into the air, and clipped one of the hanging bells.

The entire chamber echoed with the sound, forcing Wellin and Kiera to cover their ears. The sound was loud and overpowering, infinately more powerful than it should have been, a high pitched singing voice of angelic beauty yet devilish ferocity. They swallowed to keep their pressure equalised as they tried to mute the sound. Tor clipped another. And another. For every bell he run, one of the locks on the door seemed to break, the symbol of the bell to crack, and the Ebony door sway a little. Finally, he hit the seventh bell, wincing at the sound. The ebony door slid open, and his eyes focused on the prize. Rising from a pillar in the ground, the manuscript, the deed, appeared. He walked forward, and took it into his hand.
"Destroy it!" Kiera urged. Tor turned and smiled, watching as the assassins finally broke the door down and rushed into the temple. He understood now. He watched as they rushed forward with their enchanted weaponry, aiming to slay the three companions that remained.
"Destroy it before they kill us!" Wellin screamed. Tor looked at them both, watching as the assassins charged.
"No." he said. "There's a better way."

[Agent Griff]

Great Story! I must say, you weaved your shorts together in a great way and the ending is quite epic. The moments when Tor and Wellin were surrounded in that house was truly desperate and I could feel the fear in their eyes. I'm also sorry for poor Mungo, he died a hero's death. I must say you are a brilliant writer and this is a great story. You left us waiting with the ending of the last chapter. Make us proud!

[Foster]

Prt 20

The room seemed to freeze with each beat of his heart, each pulse that draw it out a few microseconds longer. He could see all the way back to that first day on the road, the first day when he had left the smouldering ruins of his family home, the day when the bells and their meaning was lost upon him. He could see the present, the charging throngs of the assassins, making their way to slay them all. He could see Wellin, injured and beaten, looking at them, preparing to fight to the death. He could see Kiera and her eyes filled with hope and dispair, meaning to form lines of tears. And through it all the first lines of the riddle played in his mind.

Eight keys for eight locks, each one a bell,
Seven songs of fairness, one trembling death knell.

He looked at the final bell on his necklace, before smiling, and flicking it, oh so softly.

The entire room filled with an epic roar, the sound waves reverberating through their bodies as they felt the awesome power of the tiny bell, meeting to perfection the designed acoustics to cause the sound to amplify and increase, developing into a bellowing, blowing rage of pure noise. Everyone, even Tor, found themselves collapsing under it. The wave expanded out, blasting Wellin and Kiera to the ground, sending the assassins flying backwards towards the door as the very foundations of the temple began to crack and splinter, the silver and jewels reigning down as the soundwave reached the very foundations, shattering them with a perfectly chosen note. The pillars began to crumble and fall, collapsing onto the assassins as they screamed, their voices drowned out by the powerful, overriding thunder of the sound.

Somehow Tor was able to open his eyes and watch the devestation, the cracks form, the roof split and shower, the silver rising up in clouds, the design of the entire cavern disintegrate. He watched with a quiet smile as he watched the dust rise and shower him as the vibration swirled around them, passing all with it's terrible sound. Around the Temple everything had collapsed, as had the very roof of the cavern, pouring in the brilliant sunlight that graced Cyrodiil, revealing the clear canopy of the morning light, peircing the darkness of dust and death. Then he felt something hit him, and his eyes closed.

Something wet passed across his lips, and he coughed, spluttering up water and dust in his lungs. He opened his eyelids slowly, focusing somehow on the bright skies above his head, and the face of Kiera, smiling above him. Her eyes were raw with dust and tears, trails where she had cried. He sat up and refocused.

They were in a massive crater, the walls a circular implosion, the sides draped in silver and rubble, dust and rock. Occasionally an upreached hand of an assassin, futily trying to scramble to safety, was immortalised forever where they had fallen. And in the centre, surrounded by the disasterous scene, Tor lay, with Kiera and Wellin looking down at him. He smiled, sitting up and groaning, stiff and sore, before reaching and handing the clutched deed to Kiera.
"This is yours." he said, smiling. Kiera smiled back, managing a laugh.
"Are you alright?" Wellin asked, brushing some of the dust off his face. He was covered from head to toe in brown and silver, yet somehow he had a smile on his face. He was glad it was over. Tor nodded.
"I am." he said, climbing to his feet and looking about. Beyond the crater there was nothing but greenery and forest, and a few horses. He turned, looking at three soldiers who had arrived on the scene. Wellin nodded to them.
"Imperial Legion. Apparently the noise of...this place... was heard as far as the Imperial City. They came to see what the source was. I've... I've told them everything."
"Good." Tor said, coughing slightly and looking about. "Did any of them..."
"Make it?" The Imperial Legionnaire asked, stepping forward. "A few. Dazed and confused; we've taken them all into custody, on the instruction of Lady Dorian."
"They understand the situation." Kiera said, reassuringly, tightening her hand on the deed.
"Shamus?" Tor asked. She closed her eyes, the tears coming down once more, sinking to her knees.
"We heard reports you were travelling with a bandit." The legionnarie said. "It doesn't appear that he survived."

Tor nodded slowly, drawing Kiera closer and tightening his grip, allowing her to drain her flood of emotions. Even Wellin looked a little sad.
"He saved us." he said, simply.

The legionnaires left ten minutes later, riding to report the situation. Tor watched them go, before turning to the others.
"Well, you have... a silver mine." He said to Kiera. She nodded.
"My family does, at least. And you each have twenty five thousand septims."
"Twenty..." Wellin's voice trailed off, thinking on it. "You know, I think I might be able to set up my own forge for that." Tor smiled.
"Do you need an assistant? I... I never thought about what I would do afterwards, and now... now I've got my justice, I guess..."
Wellin shook his head. "I don't need an assistant."
"Oh.." Tor said, before he saw the smile Wellin wore, displaying his contentment.
"I need a partner. Fifty thousand Septims will get us a good forge." he said. Wellin offered his hand. Tor seized it and shook, grinning the smile of a man that had finally found true happiness.

"Thirty Three thousand, three hundred and thirty three Septims." A voice corrected as they all turned to watch as he staggered toward them. Their mouths dropped as they watched the figure approach, covered in dust and blood, his face scared, his arms slashed, his clothes in tatters. "I gets my share still."
"Shamus?" Tor said, walking towards the apperition. "I thought..."
"That I were dead?" the bandit scowled, hobbling towards them. "It takes more than being hunted by twenty psychos and a rockfall to kill me."

The figure walked past Wellin and Tor, ignoring them, enraptured with another, his eyes only for Kiera. Somehow she turned, her face a mix of suprise, anxiety, and disbelief. Gradually her features turned to a smile, before the emotion erupted on her face and she clutched the wounded figure tightly, wrapping herself around him, her lips meeting his with unrestrained passion. Shamus dropped his dagger and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up and returning the kiss with passion, before finally detaching and looking deeply into her eyes.
"You know," he said, "being dead might suit me well. My bounty vanishes, I get a clean record... I think I might stay that way, if it's alright by you. Get a new life."
Kiera smiled playfully. "You know, I've been looking for another stableboy...one that I can romance to annoy my mother, you understand. Not for any pretentions of love, of course." Shamus looked into her gleaming eyes.

"Wouldn't I be outstanding in that capacity?" he asked, smiling in return, before returning to kiss her waiting lips.

THE END

[Agent Griff]

Outstanding! A brilliant end to a great story! I thought Shamus died, but was surprised to see he actually lived. You are a great writer! I liked it how Tor and Wellin got together to make their own forge. Great ending to the story. I hope you'll write more great stories like this one. I can only say one thing: BRAVO!

[jack cloudy]

Same thing Griff said, this was great.
Loved to see that Shamus survived, I loved his attitude.

[Magefire]

Stupendous!! Bravo!!

[Kiln]

A truly amazing story here Foster, it was interesting and had a well designed plot until the very end with the perfect mix of action, drama, and comedy in every chapter. You ended it very well and kept it extremely interesting all the way through with a little bit of something for everyone.

I'm sad that it had to end, I read through all of it and couldn't stop until I read the last of it. That said, wonderful work Foster, this story was a must read and I'm glad you chose to put it here.

[Foster]

Well, glad you all liked it. Now I better concentrate my literary efforts on this 30 page research project I've got to finish. I might do something after that.