[COS] City of Shadows

[Star Gazer]

Isnar walked down the stairs. He was unsure where everybody was. There were only two other people in the inn. Isnar sat down at the bar. "What do you have that I can smoke in a pipe?" Isnar asked, pulling out his smoke-patterned pipe. "Dragon-vine, Dragon-grass, and Dragon-weed. Take your pick." She said. Isnar wondered if all of the tobacco out there was titled 'dragon'. "Some of each." Isnar said, handing the barmaid six septims. Fourteen left. Better make 'em count. We don't wanna be on the streets, begging for gold, do we? Isnar asked himself. The argonian handed him a canister of each. Isnar sat down at the fire. He loaded it, and inhaled. He coughed at the smoke, and found that the flavor was strong. There was an orc sitting across from him. "What day is it?" asked the old man. "25th of Hearth Fire." said the orc. Isnar nodded. 25th? My birthday is in three... no two days! I really hope ninety-seven is the lucky number, 'cause I'm going to need all the luck I can get with this fight-club thing. He thought to himself.

The soon-to-be 97 year old remembered what the nord had said about the new fight club, and thought he should get some rest. Isnar walked up to his room after finishing his pipe, and laid in the bed. Isnar felt refreshed and alive. He had a long day, and drank alot. Falling into that river was the closest thing he had to a shower in weeks!

 

[Melee]

Veloca smirked, firmly grasping Crow's hand and shaking it heartily. "Name's Veloca. I don't believe I've met you before, unless you've ever been tossed out of the Ragged Flagon. Then we're definitely acquaintances already." She laughed to herself, remembering all the times she'd gladly taken men twice her size and kicked their sorry asses out of the Ragged Flagon for getting out of hand. Even in a place like the Ratways, it was somehow still possible to do that.

Both men seemed intent on joining this "new and improved" Fight Club, Caleb especially. Veloca could see that he was doing his best to contain a large smile, and he seemed all too eager to begin taking part in whatever Adrian's plans happened to be. She agreed with Crow's sentiments. The man seemed both mad and brilliant, but when it came to a revolution or change in history, both were needed for anything to happen at all. She just hoped that she wasn't getting herself into something she would regret later on.

Just as she was about to say something to the two men she was walking with, Veloca stumbled forward, grabbing onto their shoulders to keep from falling over. The hell, did someone just run into me? She twisted around sharply, glancing around with annoyance and looking for the source of the collision as her hand instinctively went to one of the daggers on her waist. She noticed the small Khajiit from the Ragged Flagon making a bee-line away from her, and her eyes narrowed in confusion. What's that kid doing here? He should try and watch where he's going next time, anyone else probably would have hurled a fist in his direction.

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

Caleb watched as the young Khajiit bounded across the wooden planks of the docks before rounding a corner, disappearing behind a faded brick building. Caleb turned his attention to Veloca, she was fine, just startled was all. "I don't know about you guys, but there's no way I'm sleeping tonight. We should go and drink, just do something stupid." Caleb said, not really thinking about the possible consequences of a night of intoxicated disorderly conduct.

(Sorry for short posts, trying to juggle a thousand different things at once here.)

 

[Melee]

Veloca kept a straight face as Caleb excitedly suggested drinking and doing something stupid since he wouldn't be able to sleep. While she was up for doing anything stupid, she would not allow herself to become intoxicated to the point where she wasn't coherent or lost awareness of her surroundings. Since she worked in a bar, alcohol was unavoidable, and she had drunk a few times. But after the incident with her father, Veloca swore to herself that she would never let herself reach the same level of intoxication, and so far she had been able to uphold that promise to herself. The most feeling she had ever experienced from drinking was a pleasant buzz.

Caleb's excitement, however, was contagious, and Veloca found herself reluctantly giving into the side of her that wanted to do something without worrying about what would happen because of it. She found herself looking between Caleb and Crow and wearing a small smile with genuine warmth, unlike most of her usual sarcastic smirks. "I say we go for it. Let's do something stupid tonight before all the real work begins."

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

"Now we're talking." Caleb said with a smile, beginning to head down the walkway before suddenly stopping with realization and turning to Veloca. "You know, I never got your name." He said, a faint smirk upon his face as he began walking again. The trio headed up the rickety planks leading to the walled city, and soon found themselves trekking through the muddy pathways which winded through a maze of shifty slums. Whores were of no shortage that night, misfits and deviants of all sorts had come out to prowl the jungle that was Riften. Skooma dealers hung around every corner, rowdy and drunk bantering resounded through the streets, further up the road there was a series of crashing and the sound of glass breaking as men trashed a house.

But the three kind of blended into the whole mess, after all they weren't much different than the other men and women out tonight. Had they been wearing fine clothing, or had the look of a scared and frightened novice then perhaps they'd get to see the uglier side of Riften a bit more closely. However the truth was they had the look and aura about them most criminals do. They passed by crowds of loitering hoodlums with little more than a few whistles and taunts, on their way to the higher-up of Riften, where the mead didn't taste like piss.

 

[cazzer14]

Cyrus was getting very drunk now, the room was constantly wobbling, his vision was blurred, and every single pair of breasts in the room suddenly tripled in size. The Imperial, his name - Darious? Dalispous? Dave?, was downing meads and beers like an alcoholic Horker, Cyrus was actually struggling to keep up, and he was no lightweight himself. The elderly one armed, one eyed, one bol-... man had approached them, with a box of beer held between his surviving arm and his waist, and offered to join the two in drinking. If he brings the booze, how could you say no?

The old man only had a few drinks before he left, but he was pleasant enough. Cyrus noticed a limp on the elder, not previously apparent when he watched him earlier. With the fact that Cyrus could remember that observation, meant that he needed to drink more, and ordered several more beverages.
"Next one's on me", Cyrus said, with a smile on his face.

 

[solace84]

The crowd of the Bee and Barb all sang 'Ragnar the Red' together.
Many were singing in the tavern, having a grand time. Dalious found a rather thick lady sitting upon his lap somehow, yet it bothered him not.
"I want it now," she whispered in his ear.
"My lady, please," Dalious said. "I've yet to sing my song."
She continually stroked his hair as he pushed her aside and stood beside the bard of the tavern.
"You know I met Ragnar the Red once," said Dalious. "He's a d*ck."
The bard ignored him and continued playing a tune.
"Wait, wait, wait," Dalious stopped the bard. "Do you know 'The Dragon of Sleepy Hollow'?"
The bard shook his head 'no'.
"Okay, okay," Dalious thought some more. "How about...'Tale of the Tongues'?"
The bard nodded and bagan playing the sad tune, and Dalious sung to it, cutting off the bard.
"Alduin's wings they did darken the sky..." he sang with a surprisingly good voice. The crowd joined in with him, those that knew the song. Half way through Dalious forgot the words, but the crowd carried the tune on. He sat back down next to the Redguard, and the hefty lady pounced on him again.
"What do you say we call it a night?" the lady said, twirling her toes agiainst his.
"What am I, a buffet?" Dalious said rudely, and he laughed greatly. The lady was embarrassed and was about to walk off when Dalious grapped her hand.
"Alright," he said. "I've done worse."
He started walking away with the lady, toward a room upstairs.
"Cyrus, you behave," he said and went with the woman.

 

[Mini Mongo]

William walked into the inn hearing the crowd singing 'the dragonborn comes' he smiled then approached the barmaid ''I'll take some of your finest mead'' as the nord woman prepared the drink he heard coughing of a old man, he considered who it could be crazy old man smoking at age he knew it must only be Isnar, he grabbed his drink and put 5 septims on the table, he went down stairs to see Isnar's leg mangled and twisted as he smoked, he wondered what happened to him, William currently had 45 septims so he approached a woman ''Let's have some dragon weed please'' William was familiar what she sold, he put down 2 septims now having on 43, he sat down next to Isnar ''What happened to you mate?'' Sipro took a gulp of his mead then took out his smoking pipe, he then began to smoke and coughed as he did. William then heard Dalious begin to sing then the crowd shortly joined, William would love to be up their with the crowd singing alone but he was worried for Isnar, he surely had been beaten, and William would like to find them and make them taste some of their own medicine.

 

[cazzer14]

All of the tavern, bar a few depressed loners, were singing along to the many tunes the, somewhat talented, Bard played on his Lute. Cyrus had a permanent smile on his face, a result of the brilliant, uplifting atmosphere the inn held. The smile then turned into a slight grimace, as a whale of a woman came and rested her buttcheeks, each the size of a cake, on Dar-... De-... the Imperial's lap, and whispered in his ear. Cyrus couldn't help but imagine her taking a bite of his ear, a large chunk of the Imperial's head along with it.
The Imperial - DALIOUS!, Dalious is his name! - rejected her offer, and shoved her aside as he approached the Bard and stood beside him, and said something to him, probably remarking the song. The Bard ignored his comment, and carried on playing his rhythm. Cyrus continued to observe the two men, and watched as Dalious made several requests to the Bard, and all of his suggestions seemed to be unheard of to the musician, as he shook his head multiple times.

Dalious then named a song that the Bard knew, and so he abruptly played the tune, a slow medley that wouldn't be out of place at a funeral. Dalious himself then began to lead the singing, starting alone, but then joined by the majority of the tavern's patrons. Once he had ignited the crowds' spirit of song, he left the limelight and returned to his seat in-between Cyrus and the over-weight horny woman. She was persistant, as she once again made a suggestive request to Dalious, to which he replied with an insulting answer.
"Do I look like a buffet?", followed by a obnoxious belly laugh (excuse the pun).
Cyrus chuckled, anticipating Dalious to receive a second slap across the face, but instead the woman turned in embarrassment, and started to walk away, before Dalious grasped her squishy hand, and lured her back to his side. Obviously Dalious had re-considered her offer, as he gestured that they go upstairs together. As he led his lady across the room, Dalious turned to Cyrus.

"Cyrus, you behave"
Cyrus returned a smirk to his friend-for-the-night, and was about to shout across the room to him, but held his tongue, as his words were harsh ones towards the woman, and he didn't want to risk upsetting her, and ruining her big night, perhaps the only one for a while. Cyrus sighed, now alone again, as he looked over the remaining remnants of alcohol left. He downed his mead, and then what was left of Dalious' beer, before giving a thankful nod to the Argonian barkeeper, and then he stumbled upstairs to the room he had booked earlier, and fell face-first into his bed, ignoring the moans and noises coming through the walls of the room next to his, and was immediately asleep as soon as he shut his eyes.

 

[Star Gazer]

Isnar woke up with a hangover the next morning. Those drinks must have got the better of me. What the hell happened to my face? What happened to my leg? Wha-... oh yeah. Beat to a pulp by a fat nord and his strong friend. Isnar walked downstairs and sat in the same place he was the night before. He saw William. The old man packed his pipe, lit, and inhaled. Again he coughed. Only now did he realize that you're not supposed to inhale, but suck and exhale. Isnar was glad he finally figured this out. William walked over. "What happened to you mate?" William asked. Isnar remembered being slammed in the back of the head, kicked repeatedly, stomped in the throat, dropped into the river, and waking up with a broken leg. "Fell." Isnar said. It was a horrible lie, since Isnar had two black eyes and his neck was purple, and how would a fall break his leg that badly?
Isnar looked out the window. Morning. He thought. The sunlight hurt the old man's eyes as he looked out the window. That fight club starts today. Wonder if they'll let me in with this condition. I have one arm, one eye, and one good leg.

 

[Mini Mongo]

William looked at Isnar, it was clear that he was lying but he wouldn't pressure the old guy, he must've been through a lot, sometimes Isnar was to nice William thought to himself ''So you going to the fight club today mate, if so i'll come, we should get R'alle on the way to he wouldn't want to miss out on anything, i'm probably joining myself'' William continued to smoke the Dragon weed, noticing Isnar having all three on the market he smiled, another clue to the obviousness of Isnar's lie, he began to think perhaps a fighter isnar fought wasn't happy or just some mindless thugs never the less William couldn't just pick a fight with someone with no real proof, he would probably get handed in by the guards.

 

[Star Gazer]

"Yeah, I'm joining. What ever happened to the little khajiit? Haven't seen him since I fell." Isnar said. He was wondering where in Skyrim he could be. "We should find him. He would find this interesting." Isnar said, tending to his hangover. "Barkeep! A water?" The ugly woman nodded at him and poured him a glass. She brought it over. "Two septims." She said. Isnar handed them over. Twelve. Can't afford much. He thought, feeling his almost-empty coinpurse.

 

[Mini Mongo]

William noticed Isnar's coinpurse was low, when he would fight today he would surely split some with Isnar, he was a great friend to William, William then replied ''I think he returned to his home, maybe we should check on are way back to the fight club'' William downed his mead and stood stretching his legs for a moment.

 

[R'alle]

R'alle exited the abandoned house. After the close run in with the redguard he decided to get some food. He walked out to the docks. He put his clawed paw in the water and waited. As he felt fish swim by he closed his hand. All of the fish were to slippery R'alle splashed the water in frustration. He tried one more time.

He put his hand in the water once more. He felt a fish stop in his hand. He closed his hand and felt the teeth of a slaughterfish. The fish surprised R'alle it pulled the khajiit into the water. R'alle hissed on his way in the water. He kicked kicked his feet and clawed the dock. One hand was stabbed in the dock, and the other was gripped by the Sluaghterfish. R'alle mustered all of his strength and pulled the Fish closer to his face. He then bit into the fish. The slaughterfish let go and started wiggling.

R'alle pulled himself out of the water,holding the fish in his mouth he bit down as hard as he could. He tasted the salty scales and intestines in his mouth. He spit the scales and intestines out in his palm. He threw the scales and started chewing the Intestines. They tasted like salt and grass. He hated when his food fought back, but he liked the feeling of earning his meal. R'alle walked back to the abandoned house. He put his back against the wall and started to eat the delicious predator.

 

[Skyrimosity]

"Savile, Savile wake up." Savile awoke to the voice. He had a headache and could barely see straight. "Wha... who...""Nevermind that just follow me, please." "Why?" "Trust me." Savile, against his better judgment, followed the man, who appeared to be a fellow Dunmer. They walked to a dark alleyway where the man said, "Savile, I have some news from Morrowind. Your family..." "I have no family." "Fine, whatever. Your former family, they've been murdered by..." Just then, an arrow flew threw the man's neck and killed him. Savile removed the arrow from the man and saw a note attached. It said "You are next, Savile." What does it mean... what's going on... Savile ran from the alley to the Bee and Barb. "Need a mead over here!" Savile decided he'd just be drinking all night, trying to figure out what had happened to his family.

 

[Duon]

"Name's Veloca. I don't believe I've met you before, unless you've ever been tossed out of the Ragged Flagon. Then we're definitely acquaintances already." Crow chuckled at her comment “Pleased to meet you Veloca, and don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure. Been thrown out of my fair share of bars before, but I only arrived back to Skyrim a few days ago.” He said with a smile before blowing out another smoke ring “This evening what actually my first night attending the fight club, some timing eh?” he finished extinguishing his pipe and putting it away.

"I don't know about you guys, but there's no way I'm sleeping tonight. We should go and drink, just do something stupid." “Sounds good to me, I could definitely use a drink or 6…” he said laughing. “With the Ratway under guard I was planning on getting a room there for the night anyway. Might give us a chance to find out more about Adri-” just then he was cut off when the young Khajiit he had seen before ran straight into Veloca before running off in the other direction.

“That’s not the first time I’ve seen that kid, he was at the meeting earlier with that old one-armed man… Know anything about them?” Crow had been wondering about why such a odd pair would be involved with all this sense he moment he had laid eyes on them.

 

[solace84]

Dalious awoke with an extreme hangover. The lady was sound asleep next to him in the bed...the broken bed. Her snores were loud enough to penetrate Dalious' mind and sting within, which almost made him kill her until he came back to sanity. He got up, fully nude, and went over to the small window overlooking the city. The sky was still dark, and people still roamed about. He could see the orphanage from here, but there was something else. He squinted his eyes harder and noticed a shadowy figure on top of the orphanage building. It was faint, yet moved like an animal. It seemed to claw up to the chimney and enter the orphanage. Dalious remembered the girl, Rose. He quickly threw his ragged clothes on and sheathed his two blades at his sides, then left for the orphanage.
The door was locked when he got there. He looked up to the roof and planned a way up, but suddenly the door slide open. The woman who looked after the children stood there.
"You again?" she said. "What do you want now? It's late."
"You have to let me in," Dalious said. "I saw something enter from the roof."
"Not you too," she sighed and started closing the door. Dalious rushed forward and let himself in, pushing her aside.
"Hey!" she yelled. "You can't come in here!"
Dalious ignored her and ran through the rooms, looking for the children. He came into an open room, with beds spread out. Many children were in the beds, all awake and pointing toward the fireplace which was dark and empty. He could not see Rose.
"It took her!" one child said. "Help her!"
The lady came behind Dalious, and stuck a daggar into his left shoulder. He caught her hand with his and prevented her from pushing the blade in more, then shoved her aside. He pulled the blade out and tossed it, then put his hands around the woman's neck bracing her against the wall.
"Tell me everything!" he demanded, a great anger building in his eyes.
"You can't stop him..." she said, trying to breathe as well. "He is a Master Vampire and he demands children as a sacrifice. He is my Master. I am his Thane."
Dalious breaks her neck, and her lifeless body falls crumpled to the floor.
"He just took her," a boy said. "Hurry!"
Dalious ran out of the building and hopped over the wall behind it. He looked aimlessly at first, but then saw the shadowy figure holding the girl, running across the coast line of the lake. He followed.

 

[solace84]

Dalious tracked the vampire to a nearby cave, south of Lake Honrich. He entered the darkness, one sword readied in his right hand. The sound of dripping water could be heard, along with the rustling of dry leaves below his feet as he walked. He walked slowly, allowing his eyes to become tuned to the dark. There were fires giving off a faint glow in the distance, as he went deeper into the cave.
He came upon an open area, which had torches lighting the room up. The Master Vampire was there, cloaked in black with beaming red eyes. Rose was too, she was chained to the cave wall scared out of her mind. Two other vampires stood nearby, performing some sort of ritual with bowls of blood and other alchemy components.
"Let the blood of the child give to our power," the Master Vampire called out. His demonic face could be seen in the light now, blood staining his mouth. Human remains lie in a hole beneath him.
Rose squirmed in fear as one of the vampires cut her arms slightly with a blade, releasing some blood into the bowls he also carried.
"Let our power grow with each of these innocents," the Master continued. "Let the timing of the Vampire be upon us! Cut her throat."
One of the servant vampires approached Rose, a demonic smile upon his face. A twirling metal sound filled the air as a blade spun across the room and entered the vampire servant's throat from behind, turning the creature to a grey dust pile.
"Intruders!" the Master yelled as Dalious jumped into the room. "Kill him!"
The other servant charged at Dalious, but Dalious sidestepped and lobbed his head off, turning him to dust as well.
"Your feasting of small children is at an end, vampire," said Dalious.
The master laughed. "Oh, human," he said. "You have no idea of my power!"
A shadow overtook the master, and he began to grow. His fingers grew longer and sharper, his skin turned dark and pale, his face formed into that of a demon, and wings sprouted from his back, which lifted him slightly in the air.
"I will enjoy ripping your spine from your body, human," the creature said.
Dalious took a long, deep breath. He had to be quick. He charged forward as if to attack, but shifted his direction and went for the girl. He grabbed a key from one of the dust piles and tried to unlock her chains, but the master was already upon him. The vampire swatted him away like a bug, and he went flying into one of the cave walls. He still had hold of his only sword. The vampire approached a slight bit faster then Dalious could anticipate. He shoved his sword foward at the beast, but missed as the master was behind him now. The master kicked him this time, sending him to the other side. Before Dalious could take two breaths the vampire had grabbed his hair and lifted him high into the air. Rose had obtained the keys and freed herself, and Dalious saw this. 'I have to give her more time to escape' Dalious thought. He flipped backwards and swung his blade again, but the master swatted his sword away and kneed him in the face. Dalious was dazed but he continued to attack, only to be met again and again by the vampires brutal strikes. He found himself almost broken upon the cold, wet cave floor. He could barely move, as the vampire stood before him. 'I hope I gave her enough time' he thought, as this was surely his end. 'I hope she made it'.

 

[solace84]

"Humans are the lesser kind," the master vampire said, standing above a defeated Dalious.
Rose stabbed the vampire threw one of his legs with one of Dalious' swords, and at the same time she slid the other of his swords under the beast and toward Dalious, who had gripped its' hilt.
The vampire let out a surprising gasp of pain, and turned to the girl. He lifted his hand to her but Dalious had already taken advantage. The Imperial stuck his blade deep through the master's chest from behind and into his black heart.
"Then why did we win?" Dalious asked as he pulled the blade from the creature and then swung it heavily again, lobbing off the master's head and turning him into a dust pile.
Dalious immediately fell, and Rose tried her best to help him up.
"You saved me!" she said with a smile, yet her face was still covered in tears.
"No, you saved me," he said and they left the cave, heading back to Riften with the sunrise nearly upon them.

 

[Mr.Self Destruct]

“That’s not the first time I’ve seen that kid, he was at the meeting earlier with that old one-armed man… Know anything about them?” Crow's words were a distant blur, Caleb had been periodically phasing back and forth between reality and his mind. After Fight Club, everything became so distant, and with this whole idea of taking Fight Club to the next level made everything even further. "No." He said, still staring at the corner the Khajiit had rounded even after the kid had bounded around it. He'd seen what he referred to as 'kitty' before, as well as the sack of wrinkled flesh that was the old amputee before, in the Ratway. But he knew nothing about them, they were husks, part of the crowd.