18+ Wrath of the Dragon God

[Vixen Blackbriar]

Panic struck through Lynette as she scanned the crowds, seeking the familiar faces. It was to no avail as the confusion and screams from the harbor became a cacophony, blocking any chance she'd have to find them. She turned back to the ship, praying silently that her allies were not on board. As she scanned over the blackening ship, she felt her eyes widen in remembrance. The mirror. She became suddenly aggressive, delving through the crowd with all her speed, knocking over people as she began to feel the heat of the fire, coming before the ship. She was careful in her step, jumping up onto the ship where she saw a break in the flames. People stopped and gazed at her as she disappeared into the fire, some screaming at her to stop. Determined, she dove into hell.
As she moved in towards the cabin, the fires became ever hotter. The smell of damp, burned wood mixed in her nostrils with the smell of swamp, creating an unpleasant warning she refused to heed. The door to the quarters was hot, burning her hand as she attempted to open it. She groaned in agony as the ship creaked beneath her weight, further foreboding the danger. Defiance struck as she tore through the bottom of her newly acquired dress, using the piece of fabric to open the door before tossing it into the hungry flames, now licking their way towards her. As the door swung open she was met with clouds of smoke, causing her to retreat back with a chorus of coughing. She couldn't go through that way. She moved over to the side of the ship, scanning it for weak spots. Towards the edge of the ship, right where it met the water, the fire licked up against the rippling waves, creating the opportunity she was hoping for. She looked to the mast, now coated in flame, pulling a rope from it and swinging down the side towards the ship's new Achilles' heel. As she put her weight on the rope, the mast began to crumble, throwing itself onto the deck as Lynette plummeted into the water. She felt her dress pulling her down, down to a sleep her body found itself willing to give in to. Her spirit relented, throwing her back towards the surface. She scanned the burning ship once again from the water, finding a hole bore through in flame. Relieved, she swam to it, shakily clamoring up to it and heading into the quarters. The smoke was still heavy here, but more manageable as she covered her face and headed into the thick of it, finding the familiar cots nearby. She moved to the bottom of them, crawling by as she found the remnants of the mirror. She reached out, nearly grabbing them as a sickening crack echoed through the ship. She turned to look for the source, her eyes finding the ship itself beginning to split. She cursed, grabbing the pieces she could as the ship cracked and began to fill with water, giving itself to the elements. She removed knives, tucking the pieces into her holsters as the ship turned gravity on her. She fell against a wall as it became the floor, smacking into it painfully as she looked at the splitting wood. The torrent of water began filling the quarters, trapping her between it and the flames. She screamed in anguish. She wouldn't die like this. The water continued as she rose to the roof (formerly a wall), gasping in as she became enveloped in the rushing waves. The ship collapsed into the water, extinguishing the flames and pulling Lynette down with it. The weight of the ship caused a current to tug her down, down to the bottom of the port. Down to her death. She contemplated her choice. Dying for a mirror. Dying for Dibella. It was just what Dibella seemed to want. She would remain here, in the ship, eternally beautiful. It was exactly what she wanted, wasn't it? No. She screamed again, releasing a flurry of bubbles as she fought against the walls of the ship, her strength wearing as she felt her lungs burning from lack of air. Finally, the weakened wood relented, and Lynette swam from it, reaching for the surface far ahead. She felt her hand break into the air, then her head, her face. Her lungs filled with air as she coughed, struggling still against the fading current, struggling still with the weight of her dress. But the worst of it was over. Had she defied Dibella? Had she beaten a god? She swam to the docks, climbing out and breathing heavily. She just lay there as part of the crowd gathered around her. They questioned her, but their words faded as her world too, faded into blackness. Into unconciousness.

 

[cazzer14]

Malik stood opposite a dreary alleyway, deep into the dreaded slums of Thorn. The entire place reeked of filth, sweat, crime and hostility, and rightfully so, for the denizens of this dank lair were of similar qualities. The Redguard was positioned so as to glare down the dimly lit snicket, like staring into an abyss before you leap into it's awaiting throat. In fact, the alley was an abyss, a solidified canal of misery, poverty and general unpleasantness.

Malik stood staring into the Devil's Throat with a look of absolute disgust on his face, one of hate, of anger, of vengeance. His emotions had changed during that walk from the store had gone; the cool, calm Malik had all but gone, all that remained was a monster. A monster hell-bent on revenge, and by the Gods, revenge he shall have. In his clenched fist he held a chain, a pendant, a symbol of brotherhood, a friendship stolen by murder, a murder that will be repaid, right here, right now. Malik looked down at the necklace, and tensed his grip out of anguish, despair, ferocity and rage, emotions that combined to make any man dangerous. Especially Malik, especially what he was doing it for.

He leapt.

A stride of passionate purposefulness drove him on, his boots clinging mud and dirt on the soles, taking the filth of the streets with him. He continued until he reached a door. It was a rotting, foul wooden door, in a condition that matched its environment, and its patron. Malik took a breath, this was it, this was where he would die, a debt settled, once and for all. In one swift movement from a stationary, prepared stance, he kicked the door open, and the weak hinges of the door easily gave way. Malik followed suit, breaching and scanning the forlorn apartment. His senses caught up with the adrenalin. The smell was first, it hit his nose immediately upon entering the room, dank, musty, the kind of corpsey-smell, the kind that you wouldn't forget instantly. Next was the taste, strangely, that particular taste where the air you breathed stuck to your tongue, and no matter how much you tried to scrape it off it wouldn't leave; then the sight, the most important part for Malik.

He spotted his target cowering behind his bed, no more than 5 mere meters away from the door, the apartment was that small, that terraced between similarly disgraceful and depressing properties that it was like the next in line for a social execution, one that couldn't come soon enough. Malik stormed across the cramped room in a movement that was no longer his own, it was the monsters, the relentless beast that acted out of pure spite, out of a vindictive, retaliatory passion. Not one of mercy. Never again out of mercy.

He picked up his prey by the collar and lifted it up and over the bed, crashing into and through the dining table, 'dining' being generously applied, gorging on undeserving scraps would be more applicable. The prey skittered, dazed and struggling to regain focus and balance. Desperate, scared, bewildered, it crawled away from the approaching predator, until a wall blocked it's cowering, and it was at the mercy of it's assailant.

No such mercy existed. The monster clutched its target and beat it, one hand holding, the other simply beating, hammering, crushing and fracturing the face with such ferocity, such rage, so much blood and bone fragments spulttering from the impacts, that once it was done, left the man barely alive. He whimpered and wheezed, unable to move, barely able to think, but enough to remember, that was all that mattered. Bloodied, bruised, broken, the prey rolled its eyes to its attacker, sheer fear, terror and agonising pain in its eyes, or eye, one of them had burst under the contact, gunk and shapeless, bloody goo left in the eyesocket. Malik grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him in, so their faces were almost touching, so he could hear the emotion, the rage, the violence, the asperity in his voice, in his very soul as he said;

"Maldus Gorne." Malik said the name with pure contempt, as if he'd vomit upon daring to roll the name in his mouth. "Look at me, LOOK AT ME!" Malik was losing control, composure, but he needed to say what he needed to say, that was part of the promise he made. The man obliged, out of intimidation and inability to do anything else

"Do you remember me? Huh? Do. You. Remember. Me? Stros M'Kai, 5 years ago. 23rd First Seed, do you remember where you were? What you did? HUH?! Respond, you motherless bastard!"

The Gorne's eye lit up, but not positively, oh no. Out of sheer petrification and panic as his stunned mind realised the purpose of this visit, Malik noticed this flash of trepidation, and continued;

"That's right. Why? Why sell us out? We trusted you! And you sold us out!! How much, huh? HOW MUCH?! You know what? It doesn't matter, price cannot justify the decision you made. Did you look him in the eye when you did it? Did you ignore his pleas, his begging? Did you tell HIM why? Did you apologise to him, say 'you're sorry' before you SLIT HIS THROAT?! He was YOUR friend too, Maldus, and you killed him! For COIN! You thought you could hide? You thought you could just run away from it all? I'd have found you one day, Maldus, it wasn't a priority, I knew you'd have just found a hole to crawl into, and Amran wasn't my friend for all that long, but he was a damn good one, and I made him a promise before he died, that if he was ever screwed over, I'd avenge him, and he'd do the same for me! And by the Gods, that's a promise I'm going to keep.."

Malik forced Maldus against the wall while he regained his composure, only to lose it again. Amran was a good man, only just a lad, and this cruel fluff killed him for a bag of gold. He re-lost his composure again once this crawled back into his head, and he picked up Maldus and threw him into the centre of the room, against the floor, mingy plates smashing down from counters and shelves. Malik pinned Maldus down to stop him from squirming away, and he resumed his merciless, barabaric, brutal beating. Bone and skull crushed and cracked as he just pounded and pounded and pounded. Left. Right. Left. Blood spurted out of Maldus' motionless skull with each blow, and Malik topped off the beatdown with a heavy forearm into the forehead, the skull giving way and crushing with a hard crack. Maldus was dead, heck, more than dead, Malik's promise fulfilled.

He regained his breath and cleaned himself up, using a bedsheet to wipe the blood from his arms and face. His clothes were only a little sprayed, only noticeable up close. He took one last look at Maldus' decimated, mangled, almost unidentifiable corpse, and felt nothing but despisement and disgust. Malik left the slums and headed back into town, his stroll uncompromising and unchanged.

As he arrived at the docks, Malik froze. The Scorpion was ablaze, the masts tumbling and the sails singing. Malik desperately searched for his crew members, he shouldn't have left them so suddenly. His eyes took noticed of a gathering crowd, and he pushed though, digging through the gormless civillians to get to the source. As he pushed past the last man obstructing his path, his gaze was one of shock and genuine concern.

'Lynette'
Malik rushed to comfort her. She was unconscious, but alive. That was a start. He held her by the head, his legs in a twisted, awkward position as he cradled her. He tried saying her name, shaking her, giving her brief CPR, everything he could. He couldn't really move her, not easily, and they'd have nowhere to go. He simply cradled her and hoped she awoke soon.


'plops, plops, plops', Malik thought, it was all he could right now.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

"Well, that takes care of that. Vitus, get their attention." Glidias gestured toward Malik and Lynette, "Myddrin, get us out of this city. A more discreet exit would be best. I'm assuming they don't know exactly where we are yet, so for now stealth will help us more than speed."

Glidias expected Myddrin knew the basics of escaping from a hostile environment undetected. Walk calmly, but swiftly and with a purpose. Avoid large crowds, try to take less populated routes, and all that. Glidias glanced again at the burning boat. "I expect they'll have the more common routes guarded, so a secret exit would be best."

Glidias wondered again how much he could really trust these people, and once again reasoned he had little choice. He still shouldn't rely on them. Not completely. Malik continued to test his patience, Lynette was going to cause problems sooner or later, Vitus too, and so far Glidias trusted Myddrin the most. Though, he still trusted him very little. It was a start. Now, he supposed, he'd get to see just how much he could rely on these strangers. Acquaintances if you will.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

As it turned out, Myddrin didn't have to look very far. Within minutes, Malik and Lynette had both arrived at the docks. Lynette was currently unconscious after stupidly deciding to jump into the burning ship, and Malik was tending to her. Glidias took charge.

"Well, that takes care of that. Vitus, get their attention," The Akaviri said, pointing towards Malik and Lynette. He turned to face Myddrin. "Myddrin, get us out of this city. A more discreet exit would be best. I'm assuming they don't know exactly where we are yet, so for now stealth will help us more than speed."

The pirate nodded. "I know a way out, a secret way. No one's going to be able to follow us. I'll be back in a minute, try to stay out of sight." He slipped back into the crowd, walking as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself. Soon, he reached a small building on the Eastern side of the Docks. Outside stood Haran and his two bodyguards, watching the Scorpion burn.

Haran caught sight of Myddrin, and turned to face him. "Myddrin! What's going on? Who did this?"

"You remember those church fellows I told you about this morning?"

"They did this? Divines, they're really after you. Or rather..." Haran held up one of the wanted posters that had been scattered about. "...Your friend."

Myddrin knew the look in the Argonian's eyes. It was greed. This was the downside to keeping less than trustworthy people as allies. "Haran, don't even think about it. I need your help. I'll reimburse you later, I promise."

"No worries. I'll help you. But after this, we're even. You won't be getting any more help from me."

"Fair enough. I'll be back soon, I need to go get everyone." He walked out of the building, and headed back through the crowd on the docks and up to where the group now stood, waiting.

"Alright, everyone. I have our way out. Let's move."

 

[cazzer14]

At least Malik had found the rest, or they had found Malik. Either way, he didn't have to see to Lynette alone. Malik came to the conclusion that the Scorpion didn't suddenly combust on its own decision, and that the Crusaders had caught up with the crew quicker than they thought they would. This was bad, long term, if they escaped, as it seems this group of people were far more organised and resourceful than the crew had thought, at least more than Malik had thought, he assumed they were local paladins weary of the slightly superstitious, not a heavily armed determined militia that would go world's end to get one man.

Myddinr returned from somewhere with news that he had 'found a way out'. Vague, but reassuring. Malik still had trouble with getting Lynette out too, he wasn't going to leave her there.

"Hey, I need someone to help me with Lynette too, I can only carry her to the bedroom"

 

[Rextoret]

"Well, that takes care of that. Vitus, get their attention."

Vitus nodded and quickly sprinted over to where Malik held Lynette. It seemed as if he would need a little help in carrying her.

"Hey, I need someone to help me with Lynette too, I can only carry her to the bedroom"

Vitus quickly crouched down and picked up Lynette's legs, motioning for Malik to carry her upper half.

"All right, let's go. Hopefully we'll get some kind of reward once she wakes up." Vitus gave a smile, although it seemed almost forced considering the situation.

They quickly picked Lynette up and carried her over to where Myddrin was, ready to follow him.

 

[cazzer14]

Vitus immediately, almost creepily appeared just as Malik had finished his sentence and offered help, saying;
"We'll try to wake her after we escape. And hopefully get a little something for a reward."

Malik ceased all other thought and glared briefly at Vitus with a 'don't push it' intimidation. Grubby feminine hands. He considered vocally expressing his contempt for Liore, but then snapped back into the scenario as he synchronised with the Imperial to lift Lynette up and over to Myddrin, awaiting directions.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Glidias was thrilled when Myddrin brung yet more people into the picture they'd have to trust. It was almost too much. There was too much that could go wrong. But then again it wasn't like they had many options. By now Vitus and Malik had returned with Lynette. Yet more wonderful news. Glidias would've prefered they'd left her there. He was tempted to tell them to drop her, but reasoned against it. Vitus might've had little trouble with it, but the other men were probably too infatuated with her to leave her behind.

Myddrin returned and gave them the news, and Glidias nodded. "Lead on." He then turned to Malik and Vitus. Carrying around an unconscious woman as attractive as Lynette would attract a lot of attention. He decided to leave it up to Myddrin. "If she doesn't wake up soon, we may need to leave her behind," he gestured toward Lynette, "she will attract far too much attention if they have to carry her the whole way."

 

[Vixen Blackbriar]

Lynette felt hands on her as she awoke, tumbling from Vitus and Malik's arms.
"What the-" she exclaimed as crashed back to the ground. "Ow."
She got herself back up, brushing off some of the charred remnants of the boat. "Sorry about that. I had something I left on board," she was intentionally vague. No need to be judged over her reverence for Dibella. She looked briefly to Malik. "Well, it's certainly good to see you again."

 

[cazzer14]

Lynette slipped from Malik's and Vitus' arms, and reacted with concern immediately - a concussed, brain damaged girl was a less attractive and feisty one, after all. That, and he was genuinely concerned about her health, of course. He was surprised as she picked herself up after exclaiming shock and pain from the impact with the ground, she simply dusted off mysterious debris and said;

"Sorry about that. I had something I left on board".
'Oh, well then that's- Wait, she went back onto the ship?!', Malik thought to himself, what would be so important that Lynette would risk her life in saving? He was about to question her on the matter, but flirting pushed through the crowd of other thoughts to be at the forefront of his consciousness when she stated;

"Well, it's certainly good to see you again."

Malik gave a warming, subtly lustful smirk upon hearing this satisfaction of sight. Screw you Vitus. He looked into her eyes and replied with;

"Likewise" A simple response, but he said it with undertones of flirtatiousness and naughtiness, one that Malik jsut knew the Bretonic vixen would pick up on. While Lynette said it was good to see him again, Malik caught himself thinking that it was oh-so-more than good to see her again. He had a smug, yet flirty smile on his face upon realising this thought, and continued the fixation of lust with his eyes, one that was returned in kind.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

Glidias looked less than thrilled with Myddrin's way out, but consented anyway. "Lead on." He turned towards the unconscious Lynette. "If she doesn't wake up soon, we may need to leave her behind, she will attract far too much attention if they have to carry her the whole way."

Myddrin silently agreed with the man, but was spared having to go along with his choice as Lynette regained consciousness. And then fell to the ground. He didn't envy the woman, what with the fire injuries and the fall, she must have been in some serious pain.

"Well, it's certainly good to see you again." Lynette said as she surveyed the group, her gaze lingering on Malik.

"Likewise." The Redguard responded, a very prominent smirk on his face. Lynette had only just woken, and already Malik was back to hitting on her. Myddrin resisted the urge to groan.

"If you two are finished flirting for now, we ought to be going." Myddrin said as he began to walk down towards the docks, the others following close behind him. They carefully made their way through the crowd, keeping their faces hidden and their heads down. Eventually, they reached Haran and his building.

The Argonian waved them in. "Quickly, quickly," Haran hissed, holding the door open as they walked in, one by one. "Mustn't be seen." Having the full group gathered in the first room, along with Haran and his two guards, really showed just how small the room was. They could barely fit.

Haran closed the door, and walked over to a bookcase on the far wall of the room. He pressed a hidden button, and the case swung open, revealing the entrance to an underground tunnel. "This will take you to the north gate. From there, you'll be able to reach Narsis from foot. I'll have to lock the case behind you, to prevent anyone chasing after you." The lizard man was smiling, odd for a moment of danger such as this.

"Alright, you heard Haran. Let's get out of this city," Said Myddrin, as he led the group down into the tunnel. "No use staying." As the last member of the group entered the tunnel. The bookcase swung shut behind them, and sealed with a click. There was silence for a moment. Then, Haran began to yell.

"I've seen him! Glidias is heading for the North Gate! We can cut him off!"

 

[cazzer14]

"If you two are finished flirting for now, we ought to be going."

This expression from Myddrin snapped Malik out of his lustful trance and back into the situation at hand. Later. Lynnette can wait for later. He mentally smirked at the thought whilst the group followed Myddrin through the gathering, multiplying crowd of suspiciously curious denizens, each of them trying to remain as anonymous and as inconspicuous as possible, which was surprisingly difficult when your group consisted of a Nordic Pirate, a Redguard Smuggler, a Massive Akaviri, a Golden Temptress and a Smug Little Imperial Prick like Vitus.

Myddrin led them to an open door, with the Argonian Malik had seen Myddrin briefly conversing with earlier inviting them in hurriedly. The room was ridiculously small for the 5, plus the 3 added by the Lizard and his two bodyguards, and there was barely room to breathe. Malik wasn't claustrophobic, per se, but he could think of a thousand places he'd rather be than stuck in a undersized room with 7 other people.
The Argonian shut the front door behind them, and moved over to a bookcase on the far side of the cramped room, which was actually not so different from the one Malik had beaten a man to death in a few minutes ago. If there was time for a good book and a sweetroll, now was not it. And yet the Lizard approached to bookcase and reached into it. Then the entire case swung open all of a sudden and revealed a tunnel leading underground and beyond. Clever.

"This will take you to the north gate. From there, you'll be able to reach Narsis from foot. I'll have to lock the case behind you, to prevent anyone chasing after you."

Fair enough. Malik couldn't help but notice the inappropriate-for-the-scenario smirk on the Lizard's scaly lips, devilish teeth showing, white and sharp in the musky light. The Redguard also wondered what would provide leverage for this Argonian to provide such charity, he didn't exactly look like a saint who offers help of his own goodwill; an owed favour to Myddrin, perhaps?

"Alright, you heard Haran. Let's get out of this city," Myddrin beckoned as he set off into the dank tunnel. "No use staying."

Malik was last through, and he was about to consider showing gratitude for the Argonian's help, but the bookcase shut behind him and locked with a hollow 'click!', although he'd have probably have not said thanks anyway, manners was not in the qualifications among fellow criminals, and most courteous gesture often go unappreciated or mocked in the underworld. Malik was about to follow the others after hesitating, but froze in his step upon hearing the Argonian bellow;

"I've seen him! Glidias is heading for the North Gate! We can cut him off!"

plops. Malik instantly expressed his frustration to the group, so all could hear;

"Lizard Motherfluffker sold us out! I don't care if you know him, Myddrin, when I find him I'm going to snap his scaly neck!"

Bad went to worse in a matter of seconds via an overgrown reptile's voice, and one word went through Malik's head in a spiraling dance of pessimism;

plops.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Glidias was seething with rage. So close to escape, only for some obnoxious and greedy lesser reptile to route them out. He was tempted to try and break the secret door down and throttle the strange lizard and his two guards.

But the game wasn't over yet. "Speed just became more important than stealth. Unless you know another way, Myddrin, then go!" Glidias tried to talk quietly out of habit. Stalking and stealth were things he had been heavily invested in, though not in the same environment as a city. His element had been the dense jungles of Akavir, as well as the other ecosystems of the continent.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

"Lizard Motherfluffker sold us out! I don't care if you know him, Myddrin, when I find him I'm going to snap his scaly neck!" Malik said, seething with rage. Myddrin couldn't help but agree. He should have expected this sort of behavior from Haran, but he'd been in too much of a hurry.

"Speed just became more important than stealth. Unless you know another way, Myddrin, then go!"

Myddrin gave a nod. "You're right. Half the city's going to be running towards the gate. It'll certainly slow them down. If we run, we can still beat them there." He took off through the tunnel, gesturing for the others to do the same.

The tunnel was dark, rocky, and long. It reeked of swamp water as well, likely coming from an underground cavern that was placed nearby. Myddrin continued to run, and looked over his shoulder, at the others. They were doing well, and he was glad that his allies were so athletic.

He jumped over a large rock, his ankle just barely avoiding being twisted around. He landed, panting, and continued to run. The rest of the path was smooth, with only a few small hurdles along the way, and nothing that could potentially injure them. Soon, they had reached the end of the tunnel.

A small ladder stood there, illuminated by a sliver of light that shone down from a wooden hatch. Haran had always paid the city guard well, and in exchange, they looked the other way when it came to matters such as his tunnel. After pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Myddrin swiftly climbed the ladder and peered out of the hatch.

Seeing nothing, he turned back the group and motioned for them to follow. "It's all clear," He whispered, once the group had exited the tunnel. "They're not here yet, but I wouldn't test our luck. Let's get a move on." He led the group as they walked up the North Gate.

The gate was kept by a single guard, a Dunmer who looked to be around forty. He stopped them as they neared the gate. "Hold up there. You're entering Morrowind territory once you go through that gate. I'll need to see your papers and-" He stopped, mid-sentence, and looked down at the throwing knife Myddrin had just hurled into his throat. Blood spurted from his neck, and the guard collapsed.

Taking the key from the elf's corpse, Myddrin unlocked the gate and let the others pass. When everyone was outside of the city, he locked the gate behind them. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, I'm afraid. But there's no time to debate any of this. We may be out of the city, but word will spread. We need to reach Narsis by tomorrow."

 

[cazzer14]

The group had no other option but to make a bolt for the other end of the tunnel, wherever it led, and after confirmation of this inevitability from Myddrin, he shot down the rocky never-ending corridor at pace, and the others followed, Malik at the back. Malik was fit, not the fittiest but plenty fit enough, more than most, and it seemed the others shared this trait - nobody seemed to be struggling, and Malik was glad of that much. Anyone who collapsed from asthma could stay there.

Malik zoned out a little during the run, and solely focused on just that, running. He was caught by surprise when there was a random rock obstructing the tunnel path, but he managed to react in time to fluently vault over it with his palms, in a primate-like parkour jump that shocked even him, he didn't know he could do that. Then he noticed the smell, and it was simply awful and he didn't want to mentally dwell on it. Just keep running. Just keeeep running.

He had to admit, this tunnel was long, ridiculously long, and he had to admit he was getting tired, Malik just hoped he wasn't the only one; but keeping this kind of pace for so long was difficult, surely he couldn't be the only one getting slightly fatigued. His worries were mercifully quelled when a ladder and daylight came into view, the quintet arrived there and Malik supervised their ascension before he climbed up after them.

The sunlight hurt his eyes after so long in the darkness, and he hissed at the blinding pain much like a vampire would, only with more of a bumbling curse behind the reaction. After readjusting visually, Malik looked on as Myddrin stated that the coast was clear and urged their need to hurry before the coast became overcrowded, murderous and angry, and Malik and the rest obliged.

They approached the gates, along with a pleasant enough guard who only requested to see their papers and the- Oh. Nevermind, Myddrin had put a throwing knife in his throat before the Dunmer could finish his sentence.

Despite being a high-profile criminal, Malik still tried to keep loss of life to a minimal, his crimes were mostly victimless, and the only victims there ever were, were either corrupt, greedy or the state. It's a Robin-Hood type policy and a debatebly messed up moral high-ground, but at least he tried to keep the violence to a minimum, unlike many scumbags who kill because its fun.

Malik expressed this out loud; "Damn, you cold". The guard was probably on a payroll that wasn't his designated wage, but that didn't make him a bad man. But such is the way of the world, Malik guessed, and this world was cruel, harsh and relentless.

Myddrin looted the Dunmer for his key to the gate, and subsequently opened it, waited for everyone to pass and re-locked it behind them, before stating;

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, I'm afraid. But there's no time to debate any of this. We may be out of the city, but word will spread. We need to reach Narsis by tomorrow."

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Glidias followed second in line, behind Myddrin. Glidias noted that this tunnel was fairly long, and they had started out with quite a swift pace through difficult terrain. He found himself wondering why he hadn't taken a position at the back of the group, to better observe how they performed and gauge their abilities. But it mattered little. Glidias was extremely well conditioned, and navigating difficult terrain in low lighting came naturally to him. Navigating the tunnel came naturally to him, and none of the obstacles gave him trouble. Fatigue also didn't come to him through this tunnel.

But a repulsive smell did. Glidias, however, didn't mind it. It masked Lynette's scent, which had grown stronger in the confines of the tunnel. Glidias swiftly ascended the ladder at the end, and didn't bat an eye when the guard was killed. Glidias nodded his assent to Myddrin regarding their destination, ready to follow Myddrin's lead out of the city limits until they reached an environment more suitable to his talents. "Which direction is this Narsis, and how far?"

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

"Which direction is this Narsis, and how far?"

"North East," Myddrin said, double-checking his map. "It shouldn't take too long to reach it. We'll be there by around..." He withdrew a small sundial from his pocket, and checked it. "Eleven o'clock tonight. So, we'll be traveling for nearly twelve hours. I still have the supplies, but it's best not to set up camp until we reach Narsis. Wouldn't want any bounty hunters catching up with us."

Myddrin swiftly began to pack all the weapons, food, potions, and survival tools he had purchased into a hide knapsack. Swinging the heavy bag over his shoulder, he stored his sundial and took out a compass. He started his walk towards Narsis, the others following behind him.

"I'd keep your eyes peeled and one hand on your weapons, friends. Out here, you never know what might attack you."

 

[Vixen Blackbriar]

Lynette moved fluidly to Myddrin's side, smiling at him briefly. The run was easy on her. dodging through the confines of the tunnel was something she'd likened to her childhood, darting through the halls of the temple. Still, her bruises ached as she pressed into the openness. "Hopefully we aren't sitting ducks for too long. I have a feeling whatever's out here won't be so easily... charmed."
The darkness around her was silent a moment, echoing her fears. People, mer, men, any of them. Lynette feared nothing of them. Creatures held a danger entirely their own. She readied a knife from her ripped dress, readying it against the wilderness.

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Glidias nodded upon Myddrin's assessment of the situation and his warning. He briefly scanned his companions, noting that everyone seemed tense and wary. Glidias thought cynically that he had more to fear from his companions than he did from the wilderness, in response to Lynette's comment.

Glidias said, "I'll scout around, make sure we aren't ambushed, if it puts your nerves at ease." He didn't wait for a reply, already walking away from the group and into the wilderness surrounding the road. He did not actually care for his companions' nerves, and was breaking off as much for his own safety as theirs. He didn't want to have to worry about a knife in the back, and he didn't want to have to explain the wanted posters. And most importantly, if there was an ambush, he felt more confident in his own abilities to detect and avoid it than his companions' to fight it off. He prefered to rely on his own senses.

And he was curious about this land. He'd only read about such places, and heard stories. Akavir occasionally got the stray explorer, or what have you, but it was rare. At least it was in his day. Although he shouldn't be thinking about returning, he wanted to be prepared in case he did. Maybe he could be known as one of the great explorers of old. The idea amused him.

 

[Rextoret]

Vitus followed Myddrin as he pressed forward in the direction of Narsis. A spring in his step, he made it a point to inspect the members of the group as he walked. While they might not have been the most sexually appealing group he had ever seen, they certainly caught his eye. Perhaps this was because he had only touched Argonians in the past few months, or maybe the ruggedness of most of them intrigued him.

"I'd keep your eyes peeled and one hand on your weapons, friends. Out here, you never know what might attack you."

Deciding to play a bit with him, Vitus replied in a provocative tone. "I don't know about the inhabitants of the woods, but I know one thing that might attack you..." He gave a small laugh before making a intentionally sexual purring sound. Wanting to remain careful and avoid incurring Myddrin's anger, he followed it up with an somewhat apologetic reply. "Sorry, sorry! It's a little hard to keep myself restrained around such an attractive young man such as yourself..." A grin spread across his face, making it obvious that he was enjoying playing with Myddrin, as if it wasn't clear enough already.