18+ The Saga of Bloody Bones

[Blackdoom59]

Phyrior was standing in his room, on his chair, lost in thought. He looked over to his bottle, which was half empty. He grabbed the bottle and slowly reached for his mouth to drink again. A glimpse appeared in his head, showing him a skeletal figure, wielding two blades, as it sat on a hill of corpses. Phyrior was starting to wonder just how easy the journey will be.

His mind started to go into many places, but all of that was suddenly stopped by the racket the crew made in the kitchen. Even if the kitchen was 5 rooms away from Phyrior’s room, he could still hear the noises.But Phyrior suddenly stood alert, as flames started building in his hands. There was someone else in the room. He was about to stand up, when a clean voice stopped him.
"The Altmer wishes to speak with Lai'Quir, yes?"

It was clear the shrouded Khajiit was there. A smirk appeared on Phyrior’s face as the girl spoke, revealing her name.“Indeed he does”he said as he got up from his chair, leaving it free for Lai’Quir to sit on. He walked over to the door and closed it, then as he turned back, more words broke free from his mouth
“You may call me Phyrior, please, sit down.”
He pointed with an open palm to the chair he stood on before the Khajiit entered the room. He sat down himself as he waited for her to react. Phyrior looked over to the khajiit, she seemed professional. A real assassin, it was rare she missed her shot at the inn. Phyrior does not like wasting time. As soon as he sat down, he took the hood from his head off, revealing his face. His skin was unusual for an Altmer, most people could tell that. His skin was red, just like his father’s, who was a Redguard. Taking the hood off also revealed his circlet, which had strange markings of a halved moon on it, just like the robes Phyrior was wearing.

Phyrior started talking as soon as he revealed his face
“Down to business, then…-“
He made a brief pause as he turned his look straight into the Khajiit’s eyes “-I know what you came for Cameron, and you shall have him, I have friends in Solitude that keep track of all the ships that pass, and their schedule. I will know when his ship will return to Skyrim, and that information will be shared with you, as long as you can do something for me…in return.”

The word friends, was pronounced hastily, showing that Phyrior didn’t want to linger on it. In truth, they were a group of redguards working for the East Empire Company, and they were far from being Phyrior’s Friends. Should Phyrior ask them to find a specific ship, they will, without a doubt, make him a guardian angel over one of their important ships, which will slow down his research after the journey ends. However whatever Phyrior did need, he needed it badly, so bad he was willing to go trough all of the things he needed in order to succeed finding Cameron’s ship.

 

[Navare]

Marcus merely rolled his eyes at the female nord's comment, his eyes following her as she left the kitchen, before glancing once again at the two people left with him. Clearing his throat, he shrugged and continued glancing at them, around the kitchen as he found himself almost unable to start a conversation with them. Taking a few quiet deep breaths, he moved to the table, taking a seat beside the khajit.

"So...how's things?" he shrugged, not really directing the question at either of them as he merely tried to strike up a conversation, cursing himself for even bothering to leave his room as he thought.

 

[Freyja]

Freyja acknowledged the Breton sitting beside her with a quiet sigh. She picked up a carrot that was in front of her and bit off a chunk of it, smiling in content. Freyja chewed for a few moments more, absorbing the taste, the swallowing it. She hadn't eaten a carrot in a while. It was rather nice.

"This Breton seems to enjoy small talk, no?" The gray Khajiit looked intently at the Breton, her blue eyes flaring with curiosity. This Breton seemed awfully polite-he was definitely not a raised pirate. He seemed noble of sorts-maybe he was a Companion or one of the mages of the college of Winterhold. But Freyja didn't care-she only cared for his motives. If they had anything to do with hers that could benefit the Khajiit,
Freyja would instantly befriend him. He simply had to stay away from the gold.

 

[Navare]

Marcus chuckled slightly, glancing at the khajit as she chewed on the carrot. He had to think about her question for a few seconds, unable to decide the answer himself.

"There is nothing wrong with a little small talk between friends" he smiled, letting out a small laugh. "But on this occasion, I'd like to get to the point. I couldn't help be overhear your conversation with the nord woman earlier, and it peaked my interest. We are going to be stuck on this ship for months, so we may as well try and get along, in my opinion anyway. And to be fair, you seem genuine, and willing to try and get along with people. So..." he nodded, lifting his hand from the table, offering it to the khajit.

"My name is Marcus, its a pleasure to meet you"

 

[Freyja]

Freyja raised an eyebrow, but after a moment's hesitation, she took Marcus' hand, shaking it slowly. She knew that this Breton wasn't one of the common thieves, so his goals wouldn't interfere with hers. They might even benefit each other. It was time to state her intentions and find out exactly what Marcus' were.

"This one is known as Freyja, unless of course Marcus can speak in her native language." She took a small bite from her carrot, chewing it slowly as she pondered on how she would state her intentions. Maybe Freyja can explain her love of gold...No, that would make her seem like all the others. Freyja didn't want this spellsword to think she was part of the common rabble, she had to stand out somehow.


"This trip was all too alluring. The chance of adventure, getting off of this god forsaken continent, and gold, all rolled up into one! Who couldn't resist the urge?" The gray Khajiit smiled to herself. That was absolutely perfect. She sounded sincere and moral at the same time, all the while making her lust for gold seem normal! "But what of you? What motivates a Breton spellsword to come on an adventure such as this?"

 

[mast3rlinkx]

Lai'Quir noticed the High Elf conjure fire in his palms. Apparently he'd felt her presence in the room, which showed her he was an observant fellow. If she had a contract for him, he'd be a tough one to complete. She would have enjoyed the challenge. He quickly relaxed when she spoke, though, which was fortunate for her. She would rather not get her fur singed. The Elf introduced himself as Phyrior, and when he removed his hood, she noted that his skin was the color of a Redguard's. So he wasn't a full Altmer. That intrigued Lai'Quir. When she was invited to sit, one thing Phyrior would notice is that her stride was smooth, graceful, and deliberate, a sign that she'd been working in the business for so long that striding stealthily had become habit for her. Her footfalls made no noise as she walked. Lai'Quir sat in the chair Phyrior gestured to, and she leaned back and crossed her arms. As he detailed his story, she smirked a bit. "Yes, Phyrior is correct. Lai'Quir wants Cameron's life. It is a rare occasion for Lai'Quir's blade to miss its mark, as you probably assumed." When he mentioned that he can keep close track of when and where Cameron's vessel will next arrive, Lai'Quir leaned in close and clasped her hands. "Phyrior's offer intrigues Lai'Quir. What is this request he has for her? Lai'Quir assures you that the Dark Brotherhood pays well for assistance, for few requests are too steep." This last statement may come as a small shock, that he was dealing with the Dark Brotherhood. He would likely decide he was right to try to get on this assassin's good side, for nobody in their right mind would anger such a powerful organization.

 

[Blackdoom59]

Phyrior looked at Lai’Quir as she spoke, analyzing her in great detail.

“She is truly experienced, not one of the many novices the Dark Brotherhood picked from the streets.”

Phyrior had encountered the Dark Brotherhood only once, in the past, when he was a mage from the college. One of his colleagues ordered Phyrior’s assassination. The assassin wasn’t half as experienced as the khajiit in front of him would seem. The assassin joined the collage as a supposed mage, even if he knew nothing about magic. He tried to poison Phyrior the first time, which was unsuccessful. The second time he killed another member of the college who was suspicious, and tried to frame Phyrior, which was also unsuccessful. The third and last time he tried to kill Phyrior was directly, he approached him with haste and when he was a meter away from Phyrior, he pulled out his dagger and charged at Phyrior. Even if Phyrior has no talent in swordplay, he managed to disarm the so called “assassin” then threw a hastily-charged firebolt at him. Phyrior was, after all, half redguard, so he had some natural talent. Phyrior didn’t kill the assassin, he let him escape instead, and from then he had a disgrace towards the assassins from the dark brotherhood. He had ties with the Thieves Guild, which often tended to make him harder to reach.All those images entered his mind as he looked at the khajiit.

Phyrior leaned foword, placing both his hands on the table.

“I ask a simple thing for you, an assassin, to do. I want you to kill someone, here, on the ship.”

He said calmly. Afterwards he looked down, leaving the khajiit’s eyes unwatched. He was thinking if he was truly making the right decision. He closed his eyes as he thought of the native khajiit language. He opened his eyes,then turned his sight back at the khajiit.

“I want you…to kill the Jo’Do. It’s in both of our interests that he tags along till the end of our trip, but as soon as you see an opportunity, finish him off.”

He stopped speaking as he took a bite from the bread.

“This is what must be done…”

 

[Navare]

"This trip was all too alluring. The chance of adventure, getting off of this god forsaken continent, and gold, all rolled up into one! Who couldn't resist the urge? But what of you? What motivates a Breton spellsword to come on an adventure such as this?"

Marcus gave the khajiit a respectful nod, impressed by her response. In truth, he would not have cared if she had simply said gold, but she certainly managed to make herself stand out from the common thief with that response.

"It is knowledge I seek, and to go where no man has successfully went before was all too tempting." Marcus smiled, tilting his head up so the khajiit could catch a glimpse of his face, hidden under the hood. "The legend of Bloody Bones...I merely seek to study the remains." He shrugged, acknowledging the fact that they did not share the same interests. Perhaps that fact could also go a long way with this khajiit, and so in gaining an ally.

 

[Freyja]

"It is knowledge I seek, and to go where no man has successfully went before was all too tempting." Freyja smiled, this Marcus would definitely be a good ally. The fact that they wanted extremely different things could play out extremely well on this little adventure. She studied him intently, noticing his normally concealed face as he tilted his head to an angle where she could see his eyes reflecting light back at her.

Freyja finished up her carrot and slid her Nightingale mask back over her face, concealing everything but her bright blue eyes. She looked straight into Marcus' concealed eyes, not knowing where they were, but remembering what they looked like. Not showing his eyes put him at an advantage-his emotion would never show.

"Freyja believes that a deal can be worked out. As long as the goals of spellsword and archer do not intertwine, Freyja believes that she can be of use." Freyja tapped her fingers in a steady pattern on the table, her eyes narrowing as she thought. Then she smiled-Freyja knew exactly how she could be of use to him!

"Freyja is exceptionally talented at persuasion. Were she to ensure that you would have the time you need to investigate on your own, then you might just be satisfied." Freyja understood that this scholar might not really care about being the first one, but she had to give it a shot. Besides, she was a master of speech. She would get him somehow.

 

[Navare]

"Freyja is exceptionally talented at persuasion. Were she to ensure that you would have the time you need to investigate on your own, then you might just be satisfied."

Marcus' eyes immediately widened as he heard the khajiit say those words, his mind thinking of the altmer. Lifting one hand to his face, he slowly stroked his small beard as he thought. The offer was good, very good-but what could he offer in return? A grin slowly appeared on his face as he thought about the answer. Leaning forward with his hands on the table, he began to speak.

"I believe we can come to an agreement then. You see, the altmer aboard this vessel also intends to study the remains, and recently came to me proposing we worked together on it. I declined, not trusting him yet." Realising he wasn't getting to the point, Marcus shook his head and made his terms clear.

"If you were to scout him out, perhaps discover if he was trustworthy and then persuade him that it would be in his best interest to work with me, all while offering me your skills in battle, I would gladly offer you my portion of the treasure, and my sword and spells in battle"

Marcus smiled, offering the khajiit his hand once again. Surely that was a more than reasonable offer.

 

[Freyja]

"If you were to scout him out, perhaps discover if he was trustworthy and then persuade him that it would be in his best interest to work with me, all while offering me your skills in battle, I would gladly offer you my portion of the treasure, and my sword and spells in battle"

Freyja nodded her head. This offer that Marcus made was very reasonable, and he looked pretty trustworthy. She thought of the Altmer. She had only seen the strange looking mer in the tavern, and had only heard him a couple times. He sounded pretty far off, almost as if he thought himself superior. Most elves did, though.

With a mischievous look in her eyes, Freyja took Marcus' hand and tenderly shook it. She had found herself an ally. "Consider that elf already yours." Freyja had a bit of a devious plan to get the Altmer on her side. It involved lots of planning, and maybe even a little blackmail. This trip will be more fun than Freyja originally thought...

 

[Kir the Silent]

Saren was suddenly beside her, stealth and speed a boon born of his vampirism. He smiled, not yet seeing what she was looking at and instead smiled. "Of course it's me. It's my ship and a conversation I'm in isn't over until I say or someone is dead. I may be stuck with you, but you're stuck with me."

He saw her a little startled and almost distant. He began to follow her eyes while saying, "Now what's so interesting out there?"

 

[A.Auditore]

looking down at the food on her plate her appetite was gone, she looked back out towards the sea, seeing the outline of another ship before turning and answering him “None of your concern yet my dear Captain” she placed the plate on a barrel, and started to pick from it, no longer hungry but was not willing to waste it.

“Hmm stuck together? This is a pretty big ship, Im sure I can avoid you or hide from you when, I wouldn’t be helping on the deck and what not” she smiled finishing off her meal, and placing the plate in an empty crate “Ill get to that later, when Im doing my avoidance from you” she moved away from him and walked over towards the railings. “If you wish you can keep me company, maybe tell me about your pet, Im curious as to why it just didn’t attack me when I went into your cabin” looking over her shoulder at him

 

[Kir the Silent]

Saren looked back to her, content to let it slide for now and laughed. "I know this ship better than anyone. I know all of her secret places. I have spent nearly two hundred years on her after all. There is nowhere you could hide from me. And as for my pet? His name is Tidal. His not so much my pet as a companion, a land Dreugh I picked up long ago. He's followed me for years. I honestly don't know why he didn't kill you outright, he's usually done that."

"Maybe he liked you." Saren shrugged with a smile. "Or maybe you just gave him an apple. He loves apples as much as a drunk likes drink."

 

[mast3rlinkx]

Lai'Quir's face drew itself into a smile as he detailed the request, and the thought of more bloodshed thrilled her. Unlike that one assassin he was currently thinking of, one that was most likely killed upon return, she was not new to the Brotherhood. Contrary to popular belief, such events were how the Brotherhood weeded out the incompetent, the ones that falsely showed potential, and Sithis had a special sort of wrath reserved for failed Brothers and Sisters. Failure was not an option in the Brotherhood, for it was kill or be killed, whether by your own dark family or by guards in towns. "Lai'Quir finds this arrangement favorable. The Jo'Do shall die, do not worry. Phyrior will not be disappointed." She paused, her eyes locking onto Phyrior. "Lai'Quir wishes to further reward Phyrior's willingness to help her. It is a small token of satisfaction, but she wishes that Phyrior would accept her gift." She reached into a pocket and produced a coin bag that was bulging slightly. Phyrior found out that what Lai'Quir considered a small token was really quite substantial, for assassins as skilled as she was made a lot of coin. The gold within clinked as she tossed it onto the table, then she stood, obviously not taking no for an answer. "When next we speak, there is a good chance the Jo'Do will lie dead." Then the shadowy Khajiit turned and exited the room, already considering openings in the spellsword's defenses and ways of completing this new contract within a contract.

 

[A.Auditore]

She looked off towards the side at him “Are you kidding me? He likes apples?” she shook her head, grabbing the railing as she once again looked off towards the dark figure on the sea, sighing to herself and letting go the thought of it being him, she turned around and leaned against the rails, crossing her arms over her chest “So Captain, does your pet have a name?”
************************************************************************
Far off in the distance the dark ship seemed to be almost in reach “Drop the sails! Slow down! We don’t want to get to close to that ship” “Yes Sir” the man turned and started barking orders at the other crewmates “Well You heard the captain!”. He stood there his blonde hair blowing in the sea breeze “I like when you run Daisy, you make it a challenge, and you know how much I love challenges” he bellowed out “Reduce speed more mates! But keep the ship in sight! I don’t want her getting to far from me, and I sure as hell don’t want to get her out in the open sea!”

 

[Freyja]

Freyja nodded goodbye to her new ally, standing up and walking out of the kitchen and onto the deck. The sea spray coated her as the ship moved, and Freyja hissed in frustration, backing away. Only when she turned around did she notice a tiny dot in the distance. Something about it sent a tingle down Freyja's spine. She leaned in over the edge of the ship, praying that her night vision would help bring the dot into focus. However, the tiny dot was too far away too be noticed. Freyja huffed in frustration, looking around the deck of the ship. She saw that captain and the annoying wench, but their bickering didn't interest Freyja in the least bit, so she clawed her way up the mast. When she got to the top, she gasped at the serenity of the ocean around the ship. One could get used to being a lookout.

 

[Navare]

Marcus sighed, maintaining his position in the kitchen as he went about, making himself a meal. 'I do hope the khajit succeeds, I want no quarrels with anyone aboard this vessel' he thought, as he walked about, cooking himself a hearty meal. Once finished, he removed an old book from his satchel and sat down, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.