Aftermath

The night sky was particularly aglow tonight. Masser and Secunda were out in their full glory. Elros shifted from one foot to another. He was getting tired. With a watchful eye, he scanned the town below him for the thousandth time. A completely unobstructed view granted him an advantage. He would be the first to see the signs of an impending attack. He looked down to the buildings. The guard watch had doubled since the attack. Extra hands kept a lookout on the town on the ground. Many of the citizens had begun to spend more time at the Clan Mother's house, finding protection among the company of others. Elros saw his friends come and go through the house. Since the attack, the town had taken a festive mood. They had single handedly won against the Brotherhood and had not lost anyone in the process. Everyone was celebrating down there. Elros was tempted to go join them. But he was far too ashamed to go there. No one had died, but some had come very close to dying. Captain and Alijham, even the Clan Mother...I am a fool... He had put everyone in danger the second he came back to S'renja. He grabbed his hair in frustration. When had he become so incompetent? He practically led the Brotherhood to his safe haven. A novice error...

Elros had barely spoken to anyone after the attack. Keeping to himself seemed much easier then talking. So he began spending more time up on the cliffs, hidden away from everyone else. It suited his nature more. This is where I belong. Its better this way. Remembering that he had to take some time off, he made a mental note to go talk to the captain once the sun came up. For now, he would watch...and wait.

OOC: So here's the new storyline guys! If anyone else wishes to join in the story, just write away and I'll go along with it just as we RP in-game.

Birds began chirping as the sun started touching the sky on the far horizon. The sky gained a rosy color as dawn approached. Elros knelt and said a quick prayer to Lady Azura, Goddess of Dawn and Dusk and his patron, the one who had watched over and helped him through many battles. He got up and made sure one last time that he wasn't seen and started scaling down the cliffs. He slid down the last boulder and started making his way to the Clan Mother's house in order to find the captain. He walked behind the house and came around, hoping no one else would be there. He didn't plan to involve any one else in this final crusade. He had asked the captain before the attack if he could have some time from his guard duties to go track down the ones who had put a renewed contract on him. He would end this fight at the source. Kill the one who had struck the deal with the Night Mother...and kill anyone else who got in his way. With a clear purpose in his heart he walked, knowing he might not live once this was all over. He came to the door and walked into the house.

As he walked in he saw quite a few people there. Most of them had passed out from last night's revelry. Few of the guards had also joined in. He smiled a little and looked around for Bethany. She had to be around here somewhere. She wasn't present in the tavern. Elros went upstairs. She wasn't there either. Conflicting thoughts ran in his head. Should he leave now? Without seeing the captain? He could not waste time. Soon, the assassins' lair in Rawl'kha would be wiped clean. He could not afford losing a fresh lead like that. Debating with himself for some time as the people in the tavern slept soundly, he silently pulled a piece of paper and charcoal towards himself. He started writing a letter.

Dear residents of S'renja, Captain Bethany, Clan Mother Arisel, and my dear friends,

Let me begin by apologizing. I am truly sorry for all the trouble I have caused in this town. You should not suffer because of my past and my idiotic mistakes. I understand that you may or may not have forgiven me. But I for one cannot forgive myself for this. This town had just started to feel like home. I found friends and true allies after many years of travelling. So it is with a heavy heart that I resign from my position as town guard of S'renja, effective immediately. I now go in pursuit of those who attempted to lay waste to this town, my new home. I promise that I will end this, and I promise that no one else in this town will get hurt. I may or may not return, but this is what I must do to atone for my sins. This is my penance.

Always at your service,
Elros Delodil

Putting down the charcoal, he reclined in the chair. He looked over at people who were sleeping. He would miss them. He would miss them all dearly. He slowly got up and removed his tabard with a grim expression. He no longer needed it. Neatly folding it, he put it down on the table and put the letter on top of it. Someone would surely read it and inform the captain. He slowly started walking for the door with a wistful look. He had a clear purpose, a path laid down before him. But why was it so damn hard to leave? He came up to the door and looked one last time around the house and walked out quietly.

OOC: So again, forgive my noobness, I was posting in the wrong section of the forum. Here's the story and anyone is welcome to chime in at anytime.

Elsynia rode up the road to the Clanmother's, nearly falling asleep atop her horse as it trotted along. Blinking several times in an attempt to wake herself up after the long trip from the Vile Manse, her eyes fell to the familiar house as the dawn light licked the facade. As the sky lightened, she thought she saw someone exit the house and make their way down the steps. Blinking a few times to ensure it wasn't her current sleep-deprived state, and that someone was actually there, she stopped her horse at the end of the stairs.

Surprised to see a familiar face, she smiled. Then, given the hour and the dark determination in his eyes, she became concerned.

"Elros? What are you doing?"

Taken aback at seeing Elsynia before him, Elros quickly masked his grim face and gave a quick smile to her. He was hoping to leave unnoticed and in hopes to not get anyone entangled in his new path. And he surely did not want to endanger Elsy of all people. Thorthil would never forgive me. Naturally, he lied.

"Oh hello Elsy, just leaving on an errand for the Queen. You know how it is, duty calls." he said with a beguiling smile and assuming a tired look.

He was hoping she would believe him and leave him be. He had to make his way to Rawl'kha as fast as possible. Time was running out for him to catch the trail of the Dark Brotherhood.

((Don't worry Argo! Whenever your character is well enough to join, you can most definitely do so!))

Narrowing her tired eyes to him, she didn't entirely trust his answer. Not with all that had been happening, and certainly not after she'd stopped him before from leaving to go after the Brotherhood alone.

"An errand for the Queen? What is this errand exactly?"

Elsy never was one to pry, or ask questions she didn't see it her place to ask. Her Bosmeri curiosity was there, but her Altmeri upbringing usually stifled such questions. This time, however, she needed to ask. She wasn't just going to let him walk away.

Knowing he had run from her before, she positioned her horse in front of them so that he could not run past her, then awaited his answer.

Elros knew from her look and her positioning herself in his way that the jig was up. He was too tired to lie. Elsy would catch on very quickly, she already had stopped him once before. She could do it again. He let his pretense fall away and looked her dead in the eye and waited a moment before answering.

"This is not your fight Elsy. I just resigned as town guard so I can give it my all to protect this town from those s'wits. Please, do not make this harder then it already is. Let me leave in dignity." He pleaded with her.

Just in case things got out of hand he kept his teleportation spell at the ready. He really did not want to end things here at bad terms and was trying his best not to get others mired in his problems. Gods I really picked a bad time to leave...I need to get to Rawl'kha immediately!

She shook her head. They had already talked about this, but he seemed intent on leaving alone. Elsy wordlessly looked at him, attempting to remain expressionless in spite of her concern, frustration, and whatever else was clouding her mind. He was capable of getting away from her, she was sure, so she needed to be careful not to drive him off before she could talk sense into him.

Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

"We talked about this. You can't do this alone. You said it yourself. You had help the-" she frowned, "-the last time. There's no way in Oblivion you'll walk away from this alive if you leave now by yourself. Do you even have a plan?"

She believed he was a capable fighter, but even an ex-member of the Morag Tong couldn't do what he was attempting.

Elros could see she was struggling not to berate him. True he had help last time he had faced Brotherhood. But he was better at his profession than before.

"We did. And I respectfully disagree. The Morag Tong is not here to help so I'll do this on my own. I know I'm taking a serious gamble with my life here, but I really have nothing to lose. My life has been nothing but following orders, cutting down people so others can get what they want. My past is completely washed with blood, spilled by others and by me. I really appreciate you trying to help Elsy, I really do. I haven't had friends like you in a very long time. And that is the sole reason why I won't let you anywhere near this. I am a curse upon those who have the misfortune to be involved in my past. You've seen what happened to this town..." Elros spoke as years worth of pain just surfaced. Tears began welling up in his eyes and he put his hand to his face to hide it.

Regaining composure, he looked up again and said, "I can do this Elsy, I really can. And it does not matter to me if I die, at least that way no one else will be caught in the crossfire of my bad luck."

With pleading eyes, he hoped Elsynia would understand and let him go.

Elsy seemed as nearly stubborn as he did. She wasn't going to let him leave alone, in spite of his pleading, but she also knew he would do everything in his power to make it so.

Finally, she thought of something. She hoped it would work.

"Elros, I know you need to do this. For us, but more importantly for yourself. I won't deny you this closure." She sighed. Deep down she knew he had to go, she just hated the thought of losing a dear friend. "Let me at least give you a ride to where you need to go."

She stroked her horse's mane, and prayed to Y'ffre he would accept. She really did intend on giving him a ride, though she also was hoping to track him and follow him once he was brought to the place he needed to be. Tailing him, she'd be able to help if he needed it, and make sure her friend made it back alive.

She's giving up...why? She wouldn't do so this easily. Outwardly Elros relaxed. He gave her a weak smile as she offered a ride to his destination. He was really hoping she'd leave him be after she saw him off.

"Thank you Elsy, thank you for understanding. I need to go to Rawl'kha. Are you sure your horse can handle the two of us? I mean I am a big mer...don't want to injure your horse." He looked down apologetically at his feet at the last comment.

He began formulating plans of how and where he could find the lair of the assassins. He would need to talk around the taverns in Rawl'kha, see if people had noticed a group of strangers pass by recently.

She smiled. "Latta can handle it. She may be old, but she's for a lot of fight in her." Elsy placed a hand on her horse's head, between it's ears, remembering the day she was given the horse.

Elsy turned to Elros and held out a hand to help him up. She spoke as she held her hand out to him.

"Rawl'kha, then? What do you plan on doing there once we arrive?"

Ser Krynger Battlecat, Arrayed in his armour, sitting atop his Warhorse Dasher; waited quietly just outside of the city on the main road leading away from Sren'ja. Bathed in the Light of the Two-moons, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to the events of the past couple of days, the Dark Brotherhood attacks, uncovering the Brotherhood spy that almost ended his life, and His failure to protect the citizens of this town from harm. He winced at the sharp pain in his shoulder from the Fresh Arrow caused by the Dark Brotherhood Infiltrator. How stupid he was, in his arrogance he believed his faith and his Armour would protect him from harm, What a naive thing to think! For his Hubris and his Failure to his oath he decided to accompany Friend Elros on his quest to end the threat of the brotherhood once and for all as atonement. He opened up his eyes and waited......

Smiling, Elros took Elsy's hand and sat behind her on Latta. As she asked of his plan, he tried to say as little of it as possible.

"The assassin's should have a lair in Rawl'kha. Thats where they would have set up temporarily in order to attack S'renja in great numbers. I plan to find that place and catch the trail of the Brotherhood before someone comes along to wipe it out."

Elros ended up telling Elsy half the truth as they left S'renja on her horse. He certainly planned on getting to Rawl'kha before someone covered up the Brotherhood's passing through that city. But he was going to wait until someone did show up. It would most certainly be another assassin clearing away the evidence. What he didn't tell Elsy was that he planned on catching this person and obtaining information from them however necessary.

As the horse left S'renja through the bridge, they came upon another person on his horse. Elros recognized the white armor and started shaking his head.

"No no no, not you too Krynger!" Elros exclaimed loudly as Ser Battlecat looked at him and Elsy approaching on Latta.

She nodded to his plan. Whether or not he was telling the truth didn't matter. She would find out for herself soon enough.

As she took notice of the armored Khajiit she pulled Latta to a stop. Nodding politely, she greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Ser." She was happy to see Ser, and hoped he may convince Elros not to go alone. Perhaps the three together could do what was needed to be done. She considered inviting him along, but decided to wait and see what interactions happened between Ser and Elros.

Through the Mists, Ser Battlecat could see the shapes of riders approaching, tensing up and preparing for anything his hand slowly moved over to the hilt of his Holy Greatsword to draw in a moments notice and counter charge. The mists soon revealed the identity of of the two shapes, one he expected, Guard Elros and the other surprised him, it was the Lady Nightwind! Raising his hand in a salute, Ser Battlecat called out to them, "well met Guard Elros and Lady Nightwind! out for a late night/early morning stroll?" nodding his head before they can respond continues, "Nay, you are not, i know of your plans to bring the fight to the Dark Brotherhoods doorstep, which is suicide if done alone. In this there is greater chance of success with strength of numbers and i owe them for the harm the have caused both myself and this village" gesturing to his wound hidden under his left Pauldron.

Silently Elros glared at Krynger. Damn this is getting out of hand now. He's serious, I don't think he will back down.

Grumbling for a while and mulling over his thoughts, Elros said, "Alright fine, you can come along Krynger. But on one condition, and that is that you do things my way and no other. This is something you haven't done before so what I say goes. You will do things you will not like. But you will do them nonetheless. Is that clear Ser Battlecat?"

Elros could not afford to raise noise that he was coming for the Dark Brotherhood. Knowing the propensity of soldiers to be brash and a source of attention, he would need Ser Battlecat to do things an assassin's way to achieve his goal.

Ser Battle Smiled in the Moonlight at his friend Elros and nodded, "Friend Elros I shall be your Instrument in this matter, use me as you see fit so long as the ends justify the means, This is my Atonement for my failures and to the debt i owe you for carrying me when i was at deaths door." While it was true Ser Battlecat was not a master of the art of stealth and subtlety, what he lacked there he more then made up for in the art of war, his battle prowess was second to none and this gangling elf was going to need that battlefield expertise if he was going to be victorious. Ser Battlecat brought his warhorse alongside them and matched their horses gait with his own. Looking to the Lady Nightwind smiled again and said, "My Lady, your Radiance is finely accented by the moons Light, i am pleased you have decided to join Friend Elros as well, thought i suspect you didnt give him much choice in the matter either"

She smiled to Krynger as their horses trotted along to Rawl'kha. "Why thank you, friend. I'm happy we happened upon you on our way out." She shook her head, "No, I was merely giving him a ride..." She paused a moment not wanting to reveal her earlier intentions. She looked back to Elros to direct her question to him. "So, you allow Ser Krygner here to join you, but you won't allow me?"

She was hoping he would allow her to come along now that Battlecat was joining him. It would be much less work for her if he did, as she wouldn't have to track him.

Simmering down from his outburst, he nodded to Krynger and then turned to Elsynia.

"As far as I know, Ser Battlecat has no one who would kill me were he to die, which is highly unlikely considering his experience. You on the other hand Elsy, Thorthil would personally come to kill me if something were to happen. I don't like turning friends into enemies. I'm sorry but this is something you should discuss with him before running away on a dangerous mission such as this."

Elros became quiet after speaking. He wanted to think out his options and his long term plans. One of them would be to teach Krynger the basics of spying and subterfuge. Compared to the khajiit, Elros did not look as much of a warrior. Instead, Elros hid his strength from others, relying on the element of surprise to win his battles. First order of business would be to investigate the taverns of Rawl'kha and gather information there. His thoughts trailing off, he looked to Ser Krynger and Elsy, both talking as he remained quiet. Inwardly he felt a sense of relief. He was not alone, and he would do his utmost to keep them safe. He prayed one last time to his benefactor.

Lady Azura, please watch over them.

She turned back to the road and kept her mouth closed. While she could think of a few things to say to him, she remained an outward composure. I do not have a keeper. I come and go as I please, and I dictate what I do and don't do. She shook her head and continued to steer Latta towards Rawl'kha, making sure her gait matched Krygner's horse.

The hard way it is, then. She would have to track the two. At least now the large Khajiit made them easier to spot.

As their horses waded through the Foggy night, Ser Battlecat suddenly became aware of the fact he had no idea where they were going, so caught up in his zeal to dispense retribution and justice that he had forgotten to ask where the quest would take them, not that it mattered ultimately in the Grand Scheme of things. Looking over to his companions on the other horse he spoke, "So, Elros, Lady Nightwind, Where is the first destination in our quest?' and as an afterthought, "I'd imagine after we hit their first bolthole that we will have to move quickly on to the next as i'm sure news of our retribution strikes will soon spread quickly to the rest of these Brotherhood Dogs and they may go to ground"

She nodded. "We are headed to Rawl'kha. Elros is hoping to find an assassin's lair located in or near the town."

Not knowing more than that, she kept quiet hoping Elros would reveal more of his plan to her. It would help her greatly when shadowing them.

Nodding along with Elsy, Elros added to her answer. "We find the lair before it is completely erased. There are bound to be more leads in there which will lead us elsewhere. Right now, information is our top priority. The more we learn, the better upper hand we have."

Elros carefully chose his words. He didn't want to involve Elsy, though he would welcome the help. She needed to speak to Thorthil first and tell him where she was going. Now he was having conflicting thoughts. More people joining him would bring attention. But Elsy's help could cover the town much faster and find the dark corner the assassins made home in that town. Shaking his head he thought of how his resignation and departure might be affecting the town.

Nodding to Elros, she still attempted to pick is brain of the plan or get herself involved somehow. "Interrogation. And you're not confident I can handle myself well enough to at least help you with that?"

She frowned. "I was trained with the Dominion, mind you." She was utterly positive she could handle herself. Granted, she may not have as much training with the blade as Elros did with the Morag Tong, but she was small, nimble, and a master at stealth and hiding. Not to mention her early childhood home in Valenwood made her an excellent tracker and gave her the ability to navigate even those most dense terrain.

Slightly lost in thought as they trotted along, she decided that Thorthil would understand why she left.

He heard Elsy speak but couldn't bring himself to say anything in return. What he had done in the past, it changed him. And not in a good way. No one should have to go through that. No, he would handle the interrogations. If they wanted to help then he would let them but only to a certain point. Good people shouldn't commit evils to help their friends. His souls was already diminished, gone. It wouldn't matter if he stained his hands some more to protect what was important.

Elros looked around in silence. They were almost there. The city could be seen in the distance. Just a few more hours...and they'd get to work as soon as they got there. Elros tried catching a small nap before they did. He hadn't slept in days. Closing his eyes he felt his weariness. His mind was exhausted and started to drift off to sleep. He slumped forward a little bit and was soundly asleep.

Ser Battlecat Silently trotts along listening to his friends converse, eyes scanning left or right staying alert for potential ambushes from bandits, assassins, or wildlife. "By the moons! this fog is thick" he mutters more to himself then anyone else as the bridge slowly comes into view through the fog......

Disappointed Elros never answered her, she kept going straight for Rawl'kha. She nodded to Krynger at his comment of the fog. "Aye, fog's thick this morning."

They slowed as the town drew closer, looking at the different merchants from atop their horses.

Hearing the distant buzz of the city, Elros woke up. He needed more time to recuperate. He now had to debate whether to let Elsynia come along. Too tired to argue with anymore he whispered to her. "You can come along if you wish."

He asked his two companions, "Do you know where the taverns are?" He had never been to Rawl'kha before.

She nodded to him once and smiled to herself, glad he'd finally given in.

The place was busy as always as the came upon the entrance. She responded to Elros, "Aye. I've spend a night or two here before. I can show you where they are."

"Lead the way, Elsy." Elros quietly spoke. With others watching out for him, he'd be able to rest up a little and he could do the same for the other two. Elros got off Latta and started walking alongside Krynger and Elsynia.

He started taking in his surroundings and noted the positioning of the buildings. Mentally making a map he would now have escape routes planned in case something bad happened. Smirking a little he looked to Krynger and said, "Fancy a drink?"

Ser Battlecat nods to his friends, "Yes, i do know of the Taverns here, and would love a drink Friend Elros, before i stumbled on Sren'ja this was a place I frequented often due to the temple here and its easy access to the main roads, but i will defer to Lady Nightwinds expertise on these matters". he draws his horse and directs it to follow wherever the lady nightwind leads them. As they move through the Marketplace, kryngers eyes scan the crowd and looks at the dark corners of the market to see if anyone is watching with a special interest.

Drawing Latta through the crowded market place, Elsy guided her to the stables then rejoined her friends. She led them through the crowd then up the stairs to the inn and tavern. She had been here before. It was one of the places she went to when Sren'ja became too much for her.

As they worked their way there she was wary of all the strangers there. She felt that something was...off. Remaining composure, she walked through the door to the tavern, her friends behind her.

Noticing the bustle of the town, Elros kept his wits about him. His hand constantly hovered close to one of his hidden daggers. He followed Elsy with Krynger and made their way to the tavern. In his eyes, everyone he did not know was always a potential threat. So as they stepped through the tavern door Elros cast one last glance behind him to see if anyone was watching or following them. Entering the tavern he saw how busy it was. He immediately began listening with a keen ear for anything that might help them.

"I don't need to tell you this, but keep an eye and an ear out for anything out of the ordinary. Lets get a drink." He whispered to Elsy and Krynger and stepped up to the bar.

Krynger also took one last behind himself, to see if anyone was taking note of the group entering the bar. Seeing nothing, he turns to enter the poorly lit windowless bar. his Pauldrons nearly brush up against the side of the narrow door. Entering the Bar the smells of stale ale, unwashed bodies, and incense assault his senses as his eyes adjust to the candlelit gloom of the bar. "quaint little establishment my lady nightwind, do you frequent here often?" he chuckled

Shortly after the small group entered the tavern, J'ahay followed them in. He hadn't been expecting this many. He knew one of them to be Elros but had no idea of the identity of the rest. J'ahay had been tracking the group since they entered Rawl'Kha, making sure to maintain his distance and remain hidden as his training had taught him. It was good that they came during the day, else the chance of them getting noticed by those who they were hunting was greater.

Noe it is time to reveal J'ahay, he hopes that his contact was correct. And so J'ahay went to the bar, ordered a drink, and sat glancing in the direction of the small group's table, waiting to be noticed.

Elros quietly took a few sips. He knew for a fact that they were followed in. Now he had to ascertain who. Drawing heavily from his bottle of sujamma he looked around. Only four more people had entered the tavern after he and his companions did. Two of them were lovers who were far too occupied looking at each other to be following a group of people. The third one was a surly bosmer fellow who seemed to have had a bad day at work. The last one intrigued him the most. The khajiit had walked in with an expressionless face. Just like the bosmer, he drew up a stool to the bar and ordered a drink. He could be the bosmer's friend, but one subtle glance from the khajiit towards Elros and his friends changed that. Sizing up the khajiit, Elros put down his bottle and ordered another drink.

"That one over there seems to have business with us. Don't know what it is, but lets find out. Be ready for anything." He quietly told Elsy and Krynger. Elros took the drink and walked over to the khajiit with a smile. Like a friend he clapped a hand on his shoulder and plied him with the drink. "Haven't seen you in the longest of times friend!" Elros said. He set the drink in front of him and subtly drew one of his daggers and pressed it to the arm pit of the khajiit. He leaned in and whispered, "Finish the drink or I will gut you like a fish. We're going to talk afterwards." All the while he smiled brightly at the mysterious khajiit and waited for him to react.

J'ahay watched the altmer approach, a bit surprised they had noticed him so quickly. He was about to say something when the tip of a dagger was pressed into him. "Greetings, friend." J'ahay spoke in reply to the elf's boisterous greeting that hid the reality of the situation. In response to Elros's pressing, J'ahay finished the drink in one big gulp and continued to stare at him. While the quick action of the elf had surprised him initially, J'ahay had become used to similar things in his line of work.

Waiting a small moment, the lithe black Khajiit looked to over to the two others who had been with the mer and whispers quietly "J'ahay heard from a friend that you were searching for my brothers... J'ahay can lead you to them."

Ser Battlecat Drank Deeply of the drink Elros had Purchased for him. He hated sujamma but accepted it anyhow, far too polite to say no to the kindness elros had offered. He nodded to the elfs words as elros disappeared into the crowd to reappear moments later talking to a tall thin black khajiit who had taken position at the bar. "I dont like these tight quarters" he growled to Lady Nightwind. While in truth he wouldnt be able to draw his Great sword in case of an attack he was still an able unarmed combatant, he just hated not having reassuring steel in his hands. His eyes continued to scan the bar looking for anyone that seemed more interested in their presence then they should but again turned up nothing. He hated this subterfuge, in war you knew your enemy, it was usually the man sitting on the opposite side of the battlefield wearing opposing colours, in this environment it could be anyone from the barmaid to the young lovers who had entered the bar behind them.

Elros's eyes narrowed as the khajiit named J'ahay mentioned his brothers. He's one of them, which means they know we're here. He quickly looked around for anyone watching them or anything out of place. He pressed his dagger against the khajiit's arm pit leaned in again and whispered, "Then lets talk, hmm? Tell me all about your friend and your brothers." With the dagger he made J'ahay get up and started steering him towards a secluded spot. He looked over to Elsy and Krynger and beckoned them to follow him. He put an arm around the black khajiit and smiled, keeping the dagger pointed to one of his major arteries.

J'ahay continued smiling as he was being led to a secluded spot. "Well, my friend is rather your friend. You had him try and surface my brothers and of course we got the message. Lucky for you, J'ahay took it upon himself to question your ally. He found out what he needed. Dont worry our mutual friend is alive and safe."

J'ahay observed Elros's facial expression to see what he thought about this happening of events.

Walking nonchalantly towards the back of the tavern, Elros thought to himself. What in the name of Oblivion is he talking about? He whispered to J'ahay, "Who are you? Who are your allies? And who is this mutual friend of ours and what did you do to him?"

Elros glanced behind him to see if Elsy and Krynger were following him. He came upon the back where a door led to the storage. He opened the door and forced J'ahay inside. He brought the dagger up to the khajiit's carotid and with a cold demeanor taking the place of the joyful expression he said, "Now speak."

Elsy joined Krynger in tailing Elros. She knew the Khajiit he was with must have been associated with the assassins. She left enough of a space between herself and the two as not to seem entirely suspicious by any passerby. As she saw Elros slip into the storage room along with the strange Khajiit, she quietly leaned against the door frame, ready to run in should she need to.

Battlecat looked up to see Elros subtly gesture toward himself and the lady nightwind to follow him with his new friend. Krynger took one more sip of the terrible brew he was trying to force down and slid the mug across the table and slowly started to get up trying to act nonchalant about the whole process. "damn", he thought as he saw elros slide into a storage closet, "more confined spaces" suddenly krynger was starting to doubt the wisdom of walking around fully armoured at all times. As lady nightwind took up a position near the storage closet door, Ser Battlecat took up a position Adjacent to the door ready to charge through the shoddily constructed thin door at a moments notice.

J'ahay let the altmer drag him into a small storage space in the back of the tavern. Now out of sight, J'ahay would have to be a bit more careful, the altmer was a feisty one and ready to stab him at any moment. "So, J'ahay shall answer your three questions in order. This one is J'ahay. His allies are his daggers, and those threatening his life at this very moment. Our mutual friend is the one who was asking too many wrong questions and he told J'ahay about your intent."

J'ahay did not think himself in danger. The most important element of fighting as an assassin was the element of surprise, which Elros had by now lost.

Elros looked at J'ahay with an intense gaze, waiting to see if he slipped up. Seeing truth so far he relaxed a little but kept the dagger in hands, ready to defend himself. He let go of J'ahay and put some distance between himself and the khajiit.

He was hoping Elsy and Krynger were ready by the door. He would need them to keep a look out while he questioned J'ahay. This one seems to know a lot about what is going on. Best to give him some breathing space and let him talk.

"Tell me everything, my fine f'lah. Who do you work for? How do you know me? I do not know who this mutual friend is. Give me a name. And speak clearly, no more half truths. I will know if you are lying." Elros said.

Elsy took a coin and absentmindedly flipped it as she leaned against the door frame. She could hear whispers inside but nothing yet that alerted her to any struggle of a fight. She continued to flip the coin as a passerby walked quickly past. She listened closely to what may be happening inside. Her unoccupied hand twitched close to the hilt of one of her daggers. She was ready should she hear anything happening.

She gave Krynger a slightly concerned look, as if asking him wordlessly if they should enter.

J'ahay glanced around the storage room once quickly before turning his attention towards Elros again. He pulled out a moon sugar biscuit and quickly consumed it before he started to speak again.

"Questions and more questions. Well J'ahay shall speak. J'ahay only works for J'ahay and that is the reason he is here today. The mutual friend appears not to be so mutual as J'ahay thought. A Khajiit came just hours before you all asking questions about the brotherhood. J'ahay found him and got some information. Your name was mentioned. Now back to the issue, you are looking for my brothers no? J'ahay has a grudge to satisfy and he will help."

Elros raised an eyebrow at J'ahay. Seeking revenge eh? I think I may have found a new friend. But he wasn't stupid. He didn't trust him just yet. Now there was another khajiit that he needed to talk to, the one who came asking for the Brotherhood. He could use J'ahay's help in this.

"If you seek revenge, then we have one thing in common. We will help each other. But let me make this clear, after this is done I never hear from you again. Understand daeljuhn? Now lead me to this inquisitive khajiit. I'd like to have words with him."

Elros was going to interrogate their mutual friend and obtain any piece of information he had. J'ahay seemed to be quite accomplished. He hadn't flinched once since Elros had pulled the dagger on him. He was starting to respect him. But he still didn't trust him and Elros certainly didn't fully trust what J'ahay told him. He would need to find out for himself and see how much truth there was in this khajiit's words.

J'ahay does not betray his emotions but he is pleased by what Elros said. These may the ones J'ahay needs to finally get vengeance. 15 years has been too long. "J'ahay does not know where the Khajiit has gone. He may have already left Rawl'Kha, hopefully because that's what this one told him to do. My brothers will be after him by now. This one hopes our cooperation is going to work."

All the while during this 'meeting', if it can be called such, J'ahay observed Elros's movements and deduced from them that Elros's had had assassin's training. The way he held his daggers and positioned his body told it all.

Elros debated what he wanted to do. He could go after the khajiit. That would involve a long chase and an even longer process of finding out what the khajiit knew. He could have valuable information. On the other hand, the Dark Brotherhood lair in Rawl'kha was still to be found, which most definitely held information of some kind. He looked to J'ahay and offered what he thought they should do.

"Running after the khajiit might be a futile attempt it seems. I came here seeking the hidey hole those assassins set themselves up in to operate in large numbers from this city. Are you willing to help with that or would you run after our friend?" Elros asked his new ally.

He really hoped Elsy and Krynger would be alright with this new addition to their group. He did not want to create tension of any sort. They would need J'ahay's help just as much as he needed theirs.

Ser Battlecat growled in Annoyance, "hes been in there awhile My Lady, can you hear if hes still in there?" then continues "if hes not out in 5min i'm going in after him". He scanned the room looking at the various people as they came or went, eves dropping on some of the near by conversations: lovers quarrels, the days events in the marketplace, and so on and so forth. Battlecat balled his fist up reflexively and cracked his knuckles.

"J'ahay does not need to deal with our friend again. J'ahay learnt all that he needed too. J'ahay came seeking you out for the exact reason. Our goals are very similar with objective being the same and you could use J'ahay's help while J'ahay could use yours."

With an agreement seeming apparent, J'ahay pulled out a couple daggers and started juggling them. Making sure his skills were at there highest was needed as this would be his most difficult test as of yet.

She nodded to Krynger. She said in a lowered voice, "Aye. I do still hear talking, but I agree. Let's give them a few more minutes. Then we'll go in." She continued to lean against the door frame, straining to make words from the hushed talking on the other side of the door. She flipped her coin, and waited patiently.

"Alright, then lets find where the assassins were based here. Just a quick warning, my friends...may not be as accepting of you as I am so far. I hope you understand what this entails. Do we have an agreement daeljuhn?" Elros put out his hand.

As J'ahay started juggling his daggers, Elros became a little tense. He was going to accept the khajiit's help but they were a long way from trusting each other.

Catches all his daggers simultaneously and puts them away in their proper hidden places. "An agreement we have. Mayhaps we should introduce J'ahay to your friends. They may be getting a bit restless."

J'ahay was still doing his best to hide his emotions as his training had taught him too. He was pleased that an agreement had been reached. But trust, J'ahay would never trust anyone after his experiences as a child, he had long since lost that capability.

Elros smiled a little and nodded. He opened the door and stepped out with J'ahay right behind him. He turned to Elsy and Krynger and said, "Elsy, Krynger, we have someone who would like to help us. This is J'ahay. J'ahay, these are my friends, Elsynia Nightwind and Ser Krynger Batllecat." He looked to his two friends to see how they would react. He wanted them all to work together. But there was bound to be tension with inviting a stranger to their quest. He stepped and let the three talk.

Hearing the door open, she tucked the coin back into her pocket and watched as Elros emerged with the Khajiit, not moving from her place on the doorframe. She narrowed her eyes to the stranger, looking him up and down. Her eyes darted to Krynger for a moment as if assessing his reaction. When her gaze fell back to the stranger, she bowed her head in a cautious greeting. Her eyes remained on him, though her face was rather cold, almost expressionless.

She knew Elros knew what he was doing, so she wouldn't question. Though she would keep a close eye on the stranger. Her hand twitched as she held it against her side, resting a finger on the hilt of one of her daggers, ready.

J'ahay went out of the storage room, following Elros and ready to meet with the two other members of this small group. He hoped they would be able to work together as if not, his revenge plan would not work. He still had time to join back up and conceal his 'escape' but time was running out quickly.

"Greetings, this one is J'ahay and he shall lead you to my brothers."

"Elsynia. A pleasure." She said, though her face was still rather cold. She did not trust him in the slightest, though was willing to go along with Elros. She looked to watch Krygner's reaction to the Khajiit.

Ser Battlecat growled low like a stalking Senche as the stranger emerged out of the door, but stopped as soon as he saw Friend elros emerge behind him unharmed. as the stranger introduced himself to the lady Nightwind, Krynger Brought himself up to his full height and stepped uncomfortably close to the newcomer and looked down, "I am Ser Battlecat, Paladin and knight Errant of the Order of the Two Moons" he growled out, and continued in a low whisper pressing an armoured finger into the strangers chest "and if you betray us or lead us into an ambush I will make the fires of oblivion look like a childs birthday party compared to the hell i will unleash on you" and made room for the stranger and elros to pass.

J'ahay did not flinch as the large Khajiit made his threat. He was used to dealing with large brutes and the threats he heard thrown around, sometimes at him, within the brotherhood where just as harsh if not worse. He scanned the mer quickly to assess what use he would be in the attack. He seemed to hold himself like he knew what to do with the large blade strapped on his back. If a fight erupts, J'ahay will make sure to remember to stand beside him. As long as there are no surprises, this Khajiit would fight well.

"Greetings, this one is J'ahay. Don't worry about creating hell, that is where J'ahay is taking you Ser." he replied to the threat of Ser Battlecat.

Quietly observing the exchange between his friends and their new associate, Elros saw J'ahay looking Krynger up and down and chuckled. Good decision.

Elros straightened up and waited for the three to look to him. "J'ahay here has already gathered information from another khajiit, one who came looking for me before we got here. J'ahay suggested the khajiit leave town before his brothers got to him. Since it would be foolish to go after him, we will stay here in Rawl'kha and look for the assassin's base. Lets spread out, ask the locals if there was a large group coming through here. Find out where these s'wits lived the night before they attacked S'renja. And as I mentioned before to Krynger, what I say goes. If any of you have reservations about this, you may leave now." He waited for any objections to him taking charge of this dangerous endeavor.

Believing he had proven his point to the newcomer, Ser Battlecat Flattened his ears in acquiescence and bowed his head to the side, "I defer to your wisdom and expertise in this matter Friend Elros"

J'ahay listened as Elros gave out his 'orders'. He then spoke up when Elros was done. "Oh looking around is a waste of time, J'ahay was one of them just hours ago. He can lead you to them. J'ahay is just waiting for you to be ready and we can go."

She gave a single nod to Elros so that she knew she had heard, though she was intent to track and follow them should Elros attempt to dismiss her. Elsy wasn't going just going to leave when her friends were dealing with a situation as serious as this.

As J'ahay spoke she rose an eyebrow to him. One of them just hours ago? I will certainly be keeping an eye on this one...

She looked to Elros to give his cue to leave.

When he heard what J'ahay said, an intense fury bubbled up inside Elros and slowly turned to give the khajiit a look of pure hatred.

"One of them, hmm? Alright J'ahay lead to me then. Lead me to your brothers and give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you after I'm done with them." Elros spoke with a cold voice. He put one hand on his daggers, and watched J'ahay more closely.

J'ahay observed the instant reaction of the rest of group to what he had just said. He thought he had made himself clear to Elros beforehand with the J'ahay referring to the brotherhood as his brothers.

"J'ahay promises that he will lead you too them. He wants revenge as all of you do. And now the moment is there that the vengeance can happen. Plainly said, they killed my family before forcibly recruiting J'ahay at the age of eight. Now after 15 years of waiting, he can finally get his revenge. Follow this one and he will bring you too them."

With those words he waited a moment to see if anyone would speak up and then proceeded out of the tavern, beckoning the group to follow him.

She paused to watch what Elros would do as the Khajiit made his way to the door of the tavern. While she wanted to believe the stranger, she was very hesitant. People associated with The Brotherhood aren't exactly ones with the utmost honesty.

Finally straitening up off of the door frame, she stood, not moving until Elros did.

Not saying anything but giving his friends a meaningful look, Elros followed J'ahay out. He turned and gave Elsy and Krynger a glance to their weapons. He wanted them to be ready. The khajiit was probably leading them into a trap. But sometimes an assassin has to bait the trap to get what he wants. Elros would be doubtful about doing this alone but he was secretly glad he had friends to help him. He waited for J'ahay to say something else, possibly give him some information so he could prepare.

Krynger lumbers out of the bar with a growl of annoyance, removed the securing straps from his greatswords sheath and moved the sword, sheath and all to his hand in case he has to draw it at a moments notice. "i dont like this" he mutters to Elros and followed them back outside into the light of day

She quietly followed behind, ready to pull out a dagger at a moments notice. She was extraordinarily alert, as she didn't trust the situation whatsoever, and her senses drew most of her focus, leaving her quiet. Her eyes darted from the stranger Khajiit back to Elros, as they emerged from the tavern.

J'ahay quickly led them out of Rawl'Kha. As they started walking into the countrysid, J'ahay started to talk again. "We are close to the one of the brotherhoods hideouts in Elsweyr. This has been J'ahay's home for the last three years. It was usually very quiet, only 5 of us were here but since the order of the attack on S'ren-ja our numbers have increased here. At the moment there are 12 people stationed here, so only 11 we have to deal with."

Quickly looks up and checks the position of the sun. "Right now Jo'tay and Alucius should be on guard. Jo'tay is similar to this one in stature and also good with his knives although J'ahay is better. Alucius is big and beefy, came to the brotherhood as an Imperial Mercenary. Ser Battlecat, someone you could fight well perhaps. Anyways most of the others will be sleeping. The main others we have to worry about are the two 'leaders' Ingrid and Ri'zzh. Ingrid is a nord woman who came with the attack group, she organized most of it. This one is not sure how she fights but she seems impressive. Ri'zzh..... let this one deal with Ri'zzh."

Elsy nodded once to J'ahay, carefully noting all he had said. It had been awhile since she had done a job for the Dominion. She smiled to herself, unseen by the others, as she felt the rush of memories, the training, the combat- everything, come forth. She was ready for whatever was about to happen.

Keeping her cool composure, her expressionless face, she looked to Elros for instruction.

Elros calmly followed J'ahay, still keeping a sharp eye on the khajiit in case he decided to attack. He quickly whispered to his companions.

"We stay together. If this turns out to be a trap, just run, get out of Rawl'kha and get back to S'renja. If, and only if, there's a chance we can capture J'ahay, we do it. And if he is being truthful, then we unleash all hell on these s'wits. Does that sound okay to you two?"

He waited for a response and kept walking and told J'ahay, "If that is true, then I'll be take care of Ingrid. Elsy and Krynger will be more then a match for the underlings."

The leaders...I must keep one alive for interrogation if this pans out. Elros knew from what J'ahay said that Ri'zzh was a dead man. This Ingrid woman would be kept alive then. She'd provide him with answers he was looking for.

She nodded once to Elros's whisper. The plan sounded well enough. She eyed the daggers at her hips then looked back to the Khajiit.

As they kept walking she listened to Elros speak to the stranger. She refrained from rolling her eyes when she caught that she would be taking care of the underlings. While she was certain she could handle more than that, she remained silent and expressionless. It wasn't her fight as much as it was Elros's.

As They Walked out of Rawl'kha and into the countryside, Krynger asked the suspicious Khajit, "are we going far? if so we should go back for the horses. and i have every confidence your colovian friend is no match for me" he growled. a few moments later after listening to Elros's plan adds, "If that is your wish Elros, I will Make sure to see Lady Nightwind to safety, but only if the odds are overwhelmingly against us, otherwise it will be an honour to fight and, if need be, die at your side"

He stepped behind Krynger and quickly pulled Elsy aside. He didn't want her to feel as if he was patronizing her with telling her to handle the Dark Brotherhood underlings. They would already be very dangerous in numbers, but he had a special job for Elsy.

"I'm sorry Elsy, for saying that earlier. Right now I must give J'ahay all the wrong information. I need you to help me take down this Ingrid...alive. So when I look to you, please help me do that. And I mean nothing by saying that you will take care of the underlings. I know you're quite proficient at what you do." He whispered to her, smiling a little in encouragement.

He turned to Krynger and said, "I'm sure Elsy will be able take care of herself. But there will be no dying. I'll make sure of that."

She smiled gratefully to Krygner then stopped as Elros pulled her behind the others. Her eyes followed Krynger and the other Khajiit for a moment as they trailed ahead, then fell to Elros, wondering what he had to say.

She nodded as he revealed more of his plan to her, then smiled with the last part of his words. She said quietly, "I'm glad you think so. Otherwise you may end up with my dagger in your chest." She smiled sweetly in spite of her words to show him it was only a jest.

She nodded once more as Elros assured Krynger she could take care of herself. Before Elros could turn back to the group, she placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, her voice barely audible, "What is it you need me to do to help you with Ingrid?" Her eyes darted to Krynger and the stranger then back to Elros.

J'ahay stops walking and comes to a stand still. The group arrived at the bottom of a small cliff face, a sizable tree standing near. J'ahay gives the other members a moment to rest themselves. The moment was about to arrive.

Elros stopped walking and readied himself. He put his hands on his daggers and nodded to Elsy and Krynger to be ready. Either J'ahay was telling the truth, or they had just walked into a trap. He looked to J'ahay and beckoned him to tell them what would happen next.

J'ahay just stood there for a moment. Then he readied himself, waited for tho others to do the same. When he saw everyone as ready as they could be, he opened a previously unseen trapdoor in the ground and jumped in the hole. After falling a few meters, J'ahay landed on his feet and a dagger left his hand, connecting with the body of Jo'tay. The two of the brotherhood that were on guard were completely surprised as blood started to gush out of Jo'tay's wound. Pulling the dagger out, Jo'tay snarled.

"You bastard, Jo'tay knew that you weren't to be trusted. This one will get you!"

However J'ahay was nowhere to be seen. He had already disappeared into one of the tunnels that went from the entrance, and the two guards watched on as more people dropped down.

Ser Battlecat Drew His Holy Greatsword, kissing the hilt and invoking a prayer to jone and jode, Dropped Down the Hole landing in a crouch with a Loud "THUDD". In the Dimness of the Cave Ser Battlecat could vaguely make out two shapes against the wall, one small and one large. With A Deep Reverberating Growl, like that of a stalking senche tiger, that echo'd throughout the chamber Ser Battlecat Lunged forward at the Shape of The Larger of the Two, what he was assuming was the Imperial Mercenary. Blade Arcing in a cleaving attack mid charge Krynger deflected two daggers hurled at him from the smaller of the two shapes. By the time he reached his target and swung again, the Former Imperial Mercenary had his Ax raised to block with lightning reflexes. Pushing with all his forward momentum against the mercenary's ax, Ser Battlecat leaned in and growled, "Divine retribution comes for you today - Ready to die Heretic?" before pushing the mercenary back against the wall. and throwing all his weight behind another wide arcing swing.......

Dropping soundlessly from the opening, she waited in the shadows a moment to let her eyes adjust to the rather poorly lit tunnel. As her vision sharpened, her eyes fell first to the loud, brutish attacks and movements of Krynger. Once her eyes had adjusted fully, she was then able to see a Khajiit with a serious wound doubled over, and more her friend's wild weapons swinging.

Still silent, and knowing full well that Krynger could handle the two at the door, Elsy slipped into one of the tunnels. She could not see their new acquaintance, and wondered which tunnel he may have gone into. She crouched, entirely still, and attempted to hear any movement from within the tunnels. Krynger's armor and large weapons clanging made it rather difficult. Closing her eyes, Elsy thought back to the time when she was a very young mer. Her father would bring her into the forests at night, and would teach her of Y'ffre's creatures. Each sang their own night song, and she would strain very hard to hear each creatures' individual sound.

After a few moments of her stillness, she managed to separate Krynger's sounds from a very faint shuffling. She was in the correct tunnel. At least, she hoped she was. Otherwise those shuffling sounds were not J'ahay's...

She drew a dagger and stayed crouched at the end of the tunnel nearest the trapdoor they had entered. Her back to Krynger, facing the unknown darkness of the tunnel, she waited for Elros and Krynger. As much as she wanted to press on, her Dominion training had taught her to wait for orders.

Elros watched J'ahay drop down, then Krynger and at last Elsy. He tensed up and looked around one final time and jumped into the hole. The drop was a few feet down and he landed on his feet. As he was jumping he could hear the sounds of swords crossing each other. Instantly drawing two daggers, he kept them at the ready. His visions immediately adjusted, courtesy of working in low light conditions for very long times, and he saw Krynger fighting a huge shape and another smaller one off to the side trying to take out a dagger. The imperial and the khajiit. Lets hope J'ahay injured the other one. Without thinking, he threw the two daggers he held. Elros aimed one at the already injured khajiit, intent on finishing him off, and the other one battling Krynger. They needed to move fast and a drawn out one on one with a sentry guard would ruin the element of surprise. The khajiit was struck in the face by his dagger and he stopped moving, falling over. The other dagger embedded itself into the imperial's thigh, constricting his movements and giving Krynger the upper hand to finish him off. He waited for Krynger and motioned him to follow.

Elros then looked around to see where Elsy and J'ahay had disappeared. There were tunnels around him and he could only assume they went. He finally heard some feet walking along one of the tunnels and decided to follow. Lets hope this is Elsy. He kept following the sound of the footsteps with Krynger behind him.

From behind Ser Battlecat, Elros's dagger flew into the Imperial Mercenary's leg causing him to be distracted for a split second and cry out in surprise pain. Thats all the time Krynger needed to Bring his Holy Greatsword arcing down into the mercenary, slicing through his chain mail from shoulder to mid torso before becoming stuck in the mercenary's chest. With a Slight Grunt, Ser Battlecat put his boot into the imperials stomach and lurched his blade free in a spray of blood and meaty chunks before coming around in a decapitating swing removing the mans head from his body that fell to the ground with a wet sopping sound. Ser Battlecat turned to see Elros regard him before heading down a side path that led deeper into the cave complex. Wiping his massive blade off on the dead khajit he followed elros into the darkness of the cave, eyes finally fully adjusting to the darkness that surrounded him.

Elsy was still as she heard footsteps coming up from behind her in the direction from which they had entered the lair. She concealed herself, but soon emerged once she saw the silhouettes of a tall Altmer and a heavy armored Khajiit. She nodded once to Elros and Krynger, finally standing from her crouched position in the tunnel.

She whispered to the two, keeping her voice hardly audible, "I heard shuffling from this corridor. I think perhaps J'ahay went down this way. Either that, or we'll be having a fight on our hands soon enough."

She stood waiting for the next orders, silent, both daggers drawn, alert and ready for what may be lurking about.

J'ahay had followed the tunnel to the main room of this underground complex. Since they expected nothing, he had managed to hide himself in between a few crates and barrels. He saw as Ingrid, Ri'zzh and two of Ingrid's underlings going about their daily work. He had hoped that there would be less up and about but two are not that many.

He waited a couple minutes to see if the attack on the front door would go unnoticed. The sounds would not get heard but there was a magick thing in place for the sentries to alert the others if something happened. Luckily the quickness of the attack and with J'ahay's presence distracting them, it appeared not to have been activated. J'ahay continued waiting. He wanted the others to create a surprise allowing him to go straight for Ri'zzh.

Elros came up behind Elsy with Krynger trudging along. He nodded as Elsy told him J'ahay may have come down through here. "True enough, be ready my friends. This could go either way. Stick together and we'll be just fine." He assured them. They kept going down the tunnel.

Through the end, Elros could see a well lit room with torches. He stopped short of the exit and looked around. He saw four occupants going about their business. One nord woman and a khajiit were working and giving orders to two more subordinates. That must be Ingrid. And the other one is Ri'zzh. He motioned his friends to look for themselves. Ingrid would have to be captured alive, but the rest would have to die. J'ahay would most probably kill Ri'zzh and the other two were mere underlings. The odds seemed to be in Elros's favor. He could easily overpower Ingrid, and Elsy could quickly knock her out while Krynger could easily kill the other two and help him with Ingid. Elros put a hand on Elsy's shoulder and said with a grin, "How many daggers do you have?"

She followed Elros soundlessly to the end of the tunnel, her daggers still drawn. Her eyes scanned the torch-lit room at the end of the tunnel as they drew nearer. Her eyes passed over every inhabitant of the room, assessing each one. Ingrid, Ri'zzh, and two who looked to be initiates.

She felt Elros put a hand on her shoulder as she analyzed the room, and she turned to him. She smirked at his question and sheathed the two daggers she had out, then drew two more that were tucked into her leather jack that had previously been out of sight. Her face lit by the faint torchlight glinting off of the daggers, she whispered to Elros, "Enough." She had one other in her boot as well, but preferred to keep that secret. Sheathing the daggers back in her jack, she pulled the two primary ones out again and looked to Elros in anticipation of his next orders.

Elros smiled as she assured she had enough. He'd need Ingrid distracted for a longer time then two more. So he pulled out his hidden ones, six in total, and gave them to her. "Keep your distance and throw all of these daggers at Ingrid. I'll fight her up close and give you openings. Hit her in non critical spots. As soon as she is overwhelmed, get up close to her and hit her in the head, I'll hold her. Krynger, kill those initiates and help J'ahay with R'izzh if necessary. Other then that, if you can help me with Ingrid, you can do that as well. Your choice." He looked form Elsy to Krynger, hoping his plan was good one.

He looked back to the room and waited for the two to agree. He caught sight of a shadow in between some barrels and creates. J'ahay. There you are. We'll go ahead with our plan anyways. He'll adapt. He looked back to his companions to begin their attack.

She nodded as she accepted his six additional daggers and fixed each to her belt. "Aye." She gave him a pseduo-salute and a smirk. "On your order, when you're ready."

She watched Elros look intently to the room. Following his eyes, she also saw the shadow and narrowed her eyes to the hidden J'ahay. She still didn't trust him. She let her eyes fall over the rest of the room, tracking the inhabitants' movements, looking closely to each to see what weapons they had. Then she scanned the area, taking note of all of the niches that she may conceal herself in. She did this, waiting for Elros to initiate his plan.

Ser Battlecat listened closely to Elros's instructions, and nodded. "It shall be done" he said in a low rolling growl. Krynger Closed his eyes and thought of all the people he cared about the dark brotherhood had hurt, the lives they've ruined or taken. The thoughts started to fill him with rage. He thought of how he almost lost his life to a Dark Brotherhood assassins arrow and the pain it caused him personally. He felt his breathing quicken as he brought himself to the brink of Battle rage. Opening his eyes, his pupils had shrunk to the size of tiny death slits of rage as massive amounts of adrenaline surged through his body, very muscle feeling like it was on fire. Only two things existed in his world, the two Blasphemous heretics that stood before him down the poorly lit corridor. Ser Krynger Battlecat Blinked once and suddenly found himself in full sprint, charging down the corridor roaring in rage, Greatsword held one handed behind him, holy aura filling the corridor with light and trails of dust falling from the ceiling at the Berserker Paladins Warhowl.

J'ahay had waited for a couple moments till he saw outlines appear at the tunnel entrance. He grabbed a couple throwing knives into his hands readying for the oncoming fight against Ri'zzh. It was going to be an interesting fight as Ri'zzh had taught J'ahay almost all his skills. However, J'ahay had something up his sleeve that he hoped would help. And Ri'zzh was starting to get older, giving J'ahay the advantage of youth. He believed he caught a glimpse of the others looking over at him but he couldn't be sure.

All of a sudden, the tall Khajiit named Ser Krynger Battlecat started rushing in to attack. Using that moment, J'ahay jumped out of his hidding place and started running at Ri'zzh. Three throwing knives left his hands in rapid succession however J'ahay knew even before they missed that they would. A knife whizzed just past his face in reply. J'ahay cursed at himself at his mistake. Even the smallest fight between two people can be seen as a war, with each set of moves and replies a small battle. Having only used one knife compared to J'ahay's three, Ri'zzh had won the first. However this war was far from being over.

Elsy let out a quiet sigh as Krynger took off. His fighting style was quite different from hers, and she would have preferred everyone to remain unnoticed until they were all in position. So much for quiet and calculated.

While the in habitats of the room all focused on the raging Khajiit barreling down the hall, Elsy took the moment to conceal herself before she was seen. She crouched low to the floor. Raising a hand, palm outward, she closed her eyes and quietly whispered a spell. A cloud of shadow engulfed her as she began to move forward, and her form disappeared from sight as the cloud dissipated.

Entirely unseen for a few seconds while the spell lasted, she positioned herself into a niche in the room behind a crate. Her figure appeared once more as she soundlessly crouched behind the crate. She waited there, thankful she had not yet been seen. She silently watched as Krynger did what he did best, charging in, weapons drawn. She then saw J'ahay jump from behind a barrel on the opposite wall of the room. Quietly, she watched the struggle of the fight, waiting for Elros to appear and give her a clear shot at Ingrid.

She unsheathed one of Elros's daggers from her belt and gripped the hilt, ready to aim.

Elros saw Krynger run past him into the open, charging with his greatsword drawn. He smacked himself in the face and chuckled as Elsy moved out silently and took up her position. Unsheathing his two daggers, he readied himself. Closing his eyes, Elros steeled himself and launched forward in Ingrid's direction. She had reacted to Krynger's charge with a snarl and drew out two small Akaviri styled blades. Curious weaponry. Elros thought to himself as he silently moved at his fastest pace towards her. Ingrid brought her blades high up and began moving down in an arcing motion to strike Krynger in the back. Before she knew it, Elros put himself between her and Krynger and blocked the apparently fatal strikes. With a grim face, he pushed her back and signaled to Elsy to begin her harrying attacks. Ingrid was quite surprised to see Elros, the target of their previous attacks. Elros could see in her eyes the jubilation that her prey was here, hers for the taking. Snarling, he attacked her up close, giving Elsy the chance to throw her daggers.

Elsy saw her chance and took aim at Ingrid from her hiding spot. She threw three of Elros's daggers in succession, careful not to hit Elros. With a barely visible, fast flick of her wrist, the daggers sliced through the air and soared toward Ingrid. The first Elsy had thrown higher in an attempt to stick her in her arm or shoulder. The second and third she threw lower towards her legs in an attempt to get Ingrid to fall to the ground.

Ingrid's struggling with Elros caused the first to just miss. It sliced her armor as it zipped past and stuck into the wall behind them. By then, Elros had already better secured a grip on Ingrid, and the last two daggers hit their mark, both burying themselves deep into the flesh of her outer thigh.

As soon as the daggers left her hand, Elsy quickly cast the same spell as before, consuming herself in a cloud of shadows, then disappearing. She knew Ingrid would be looking around for the source of the daggers, and Elsy preferred to keep her position until she ran out of daggers to throw. She waited in silence hoping Ingrid's eyes would pass over her.

Ignoring the other commotion in the room. Ri'zzh and J'ahay were pacing around in a circle, each waiting for the other to move. Both had their hands on daggers, however while Ri'zzh was holding a throwing knife and a dagger, J'ahay had two knives that could be used for both. It was the one thing that set them apart. Ri'zzh would only use a dagger or knife for throwing or close combat, and such had the best weapons for each type of combat however J'ahay was more flexible and always had two weapons that could be used for both. With this in mind, J'ahay quickly charged at Ri'zzh, his two daggers already whizzing through the air in a seemingly complex pattern. Caught slightly off guard, Ri'zzh threw his knife and it strayed just past J'ahay's left shoulder, leaving a small gash. Ri'zzh then quickly pulled out another fighting dagger and started matching J'ahay's attacks. However during this small time window, J'ahay managed to incur a couple of cuts as Ri'zzh could not block all of his attacks with just one dagger. Battle two was in J'ahay's favor.

Vaulting forward like an avenging angelic juggernaut of destruction, Ser Battlecat swung his Greatsword with all his might at the two Dark Brotherhood Assassins. The First Assassin in his way quickly drew his sword and attempted to parry the oncoming swing, but it was to little to late as the Paladins heavy arcing swing broke through the assassins defense. Kryngers sword tore into the assassins torso with a wet sopping sound and lifted him off the ground, nearly hitting the second assassin standing next to him. The second assassin deciding evasion was better the attempting to block the assassin on a stick being hurled at him, rolled forward landing neatly next to Ser Battlecat, driving his sword into the paladins exposed flank in the gap where the Breastplate met the leg plates. Howling with rage and pain Ser battlecat let go of his sword, dropping the dead assassin with the Greatsword still stuck in him. Turning to the second assassin, Ser Battlecat reached forward to grab the second assassins throat and squeeze as he twisted the sword in battlecats side.

Overcome with rage at having left his flank exposed and the pain of the sword in his side Ser Battlecat let go of the second assassins neck as he blacked out. The change began to overtake him. His face became elongated as his snout grew forward and fangs pushed through his gums, with saliva and blood oozing off them. The straps and hinges that kept his armour on, suddenly snapped off shooting chunks of his armour in all directions as his body began to grow to massive size, veins and muscles bulging out from his body and arms. Kryngers white fur grew longer and blueish white, like freshly fallen snow as the change was completed. The second assassin, overcome with fear let go of his sword and turned to flee back down the corridor, to escape the monstrosity that just manifested before him. Howling in pain Batlecat pulled the assassins sword out of his side like it was a mere annoyance and tossed it aside. Ser Battlecat, now a Werewolf dropped to all fours and bounded down the corridor after the second assassin quickly overtaking him and knocking him down with sheer brute force. The second assassin let loose a blood curdling scream with panic as Battlecat bit down on the assassins neck wrenching the back portion of his neck free from his body and spitting it out before picking the assassin up and hurling him like a paperweight into the nearest wall.

Turning to see the combat still going on in the next chamber, Battlecat Howled and charged blindly back into the room ready to destroy the first thing he came across......

Elros wove around Ingrid with his blades, striking at any fatal spot he could find. Ingrif kept up with his speed and parried all his blows. It seemed that Elros and her were both equally skilled, until Elros jumped over her as Elsy's first dagger missed. Ingrid turned around tried to stick her blade in his midsection but Elros teleported behind her. He then quickly sheathed his blades and stuck his hands under Ingrids arms and held them off. Then two more daggers whizzed by and hit Ingrid in the thighs. She screamed and snapped her back and hit Elros in the face, temporarily disarming him. As he recovered, he saw Krynger turn and bound out of the room after one of the fleeing assassins. A bloodcurdling scream echoed from the tunnel and Krynger's huge form shot out of the tunnel. Elros looked again as Ingrid wheeled around with an evil smile, already having removed the daggers. She leaped out at Elros as he armed himself again and they both tumbled as their weapons met and they both lost them.

Kicking her in the gut, Elros got up and snarled. Ingrid landed on her feet with a grimace. They stood still before Ingrid came after him with her fists, trying to Elros in the throat. Elros blocked her punches and quickly struck her in the chest with an open palm, knocking the air out of her. As she gasped, she twisted Elros's arm. He grunted in pain and somersaulted backwards again in an attempt to release Ingrid's grip. He succeeded and kicked Ingrid in the face. Ingrid managed to block him but she dropped to the ground. She rolled backwards and got to her feet. She slipped out two more daggers from her bracers and advanced. "No weapon in hand now, White Blade." she yelled as she came at him in a frenzy of moves to distract him. Elros instinctively backed away but hit the wall. Seeing an option, he jumped up and lashed out with one powerful kick that caught in Ingrid's chest. Gasping again, she knelt to the ground, simultaneously throwing the dagger. Elros teleported behind her ran towards the opposite wall as he heard another dagger slicing through the air towards him. By this time, Ingrid got up and was preparing to jump onto him and bring yet another dagger down on his neck. Elros looked behind as the thrown dagger missed and Ingrid jumped to him. Elros jumped onto the wall and pushed off. He landed behind Ingrid but she anticipated the move and lashed out with a deadly strike to Elros's torso. Elros backed away again and then came forward in the split second that Ingrid was open with her dagger at her side. He picked her up bodily and threw her against the wall. Recovering quickly she got up and charged. She tried to cut him from shoulder to hip but was too slow as Elros stepped out of the way and caught her wrist. He danced behind her and caught her other wrist. He shoved her in Elsy's general direction, presenting her body as an open target and yelled, "Now Elsy, do it!"

Elsy reappeared as the struggle between Elros and Ingrid progressed. She heard Krynger barreling back into the room after he had handled the underlings. She carefully took in all that was happening, but her attention was pulled as she saw Elros shove the exposed Ingrid towards her and yell her cue.

Never being a fan of clunky, blunt weapons, she would have to depend entirely on her body and her training to knock out the Nord woman who was considerably taller and larger than her. As per usual with Elsy's fighting style, she quickly decided that remaining unseen until the last moment would be best. Wasting no time, she responded to the yell.

Like Elros could, Elsy teleported from her niche and in a flick of movement, reappeared behind the slightly confused Ingrid. She reared back, hoping to gain as much momentum as possible, then swung herself forward with all of her weight. She extended an elbow and quickly struck Ingrid in the back of her head, the blow concise, no momentum or force wasted. Then, to ensure Ingrid would fall to the ground, Elsy brought up her kneel in a swift, sharp motion, and landed it in Ingrid's back.

Elsy rolled backwards to bring herself closer to Elros and further away from the Nord, just in case she still had fight left in her. Drawing her own two daggers, Elsy took up a stance indicating that she was ready should Ingrid get up. However, she realized it was not needed as the Nord fell to the ground with a thud.

Both J'ahay and Ri'zzh had several cuts and small wounds across their bodies. Their consistent close handed dagger combat was taking its toll on both members of this fight. Already this one was longer than most J'ahay had ever done in his land. Fights like these usually dont take long however both of those involved seemed to be equally matched. As the fights continued to drag on, more and more blood started to flow and collect on the ground in an expanding puddle of deep crimson.

A cut on J'ahay's right arm and left shoulder. A stab into Ri'zzh's lower torso. A few veins being sliced open by J'ahay's calf. Half an ear gone. A finger lost. Another stab wound. Twin piercings of a left arm. Multiple deep cuts along upper torso. Blood puddle becoming a small pool. Bloody dagger flying off into the ground followed by a bit shorter one, half broken. A body dropped to the floor.

J'ahay stand crouched over the body of Ri'zzh. His tormentor of 15 years, now finally dead. However J'ahay was not in a good situation at all, with cuts and wounds all over his body. He was bleeding out quickly. J'ahay looks at Ri'zzh one more time before collapsing into darkness.

Elsy materialized in the tight space between Ingrid and Elros and jumped up to elbow her in the head and brought her down with her knee planted in her back. Elros backed away and was winded as Elsy rolled backwards right into his chest. She drew her daggers to defend the both of them should Ingrid get up again but she didn't. Thanks to Elsy, she was knocked out cold. Getting up, Elros looked around to take in the scene. One of the initiates was down on the floor, half cut by Krynger's sword, which lay not so far from the body. The other one must have run into the tunnels and died there. He saw Krynger who was starting to turn back into his normal form. Finally, his eyes rested on J'ahay. The khjaiit had killed Ri'zzh but was gravely injured himself and passed out on the floor. He quickly went over to him and pulled whatever bandages he had. Without looking back he said, "Elsy, please tie up Ingrid. We don't want our prisoner getting away." He tried his best to patch up J'ahay before he turned to Krynger for help. Being the paladin and the only healer, he looked at him, "Friend, we must help him."

She nodded soundlessly to Elros and sheathed her weapons. She hadn't brought any binds with her, so she took off her bracers and removed the leather binding at the seems, pulling loose the thick leather that held them together. She tucked the rest of the now useless bracers into her pack so that she could get them fixed later, and carefully approached the unconscious Ingrid. Elsy straddled her unmoving body, keeping her weight on her should Ingrid come to and attempt to struggle free. Once she had tightly bound Ingrid's hands and feet, she stood over her. The sight of the bound Nord reminded her of a tied pig ready to roast. She moved back to Elros, never turning her back to Ingrid, and awaited more orders, carefully watching Ingrid as the others attempted to heal their new aquiantence.

J'ahay's blood quickly stained through the bandages that Elros had hastily wrapped around the worst of the wounds. If nothing drastic would be done soon, J'ahay would surely pass into the beyond. His eyes opened for a split second. J'ahay tried to speak but blood just splattered out of his mouth. "Thank you" came out in a half whispered half gurgled sound. Even the simplest action had become almost impossible as J'ahay was slowly fading from the world.........

Ser Krynger Battlecat, Vaulting back into the Main Chamber and seeing no more Enemies To Annihilate, Slowly starts to morph back into the noble Form of the Khajiit Paladin everyone knows him to be as the Adrenaline surge leaves him. Hair and Muscles Begin to Contract and shrink down to their normal size, Still Impressive by normal standards but not as massive as they are in Werewolf Form. Gripping the wall and nearly collapsing against the it, as his noble facial features turn back to their normal proportions. Krynger Fought back the Darkness Quickly Filling his Vision trying not to succumb into unconsciousness, "no...not now....i need to stay awake they still need me" he half stammers and grunts out, more to himself then anyone else. Checking his Side where the Assassins Sword pierced him deeply, sees that the rapid transformations into wolf form and then back into human form mostly healed the gaping wound save for a tuff of fur missing and a jagged scar at the entry point. Wheezing, Krynger Slid down the wall to come to a slumped sit, propped up by the wall keeping his body up. Just focusing on his breathing, his eyes scan the room to see Elros and the Lady Nightwind Huddled over the form of the other Khajitt doing something, he couldnt make out with his limited vision....

Seeing that their paladin was currently unable to help J'ahay, she looked grimly to the weak Khajiit. She was not a healer and had little to no knowledge in such arts, but it was clear something needed to be done, otherwise they would lose their inside man. She quickly dug through her pack and produced a small vile containing a thick liquid. She crouched beside the Khajiit and lifted his head so that he could cough up most of the blood. She didn't want him to choke on it. Once it had been done, she poured the liquid down his throat. While it would certainly not heal him, the potion would at least halt the bleeding and bring him to a slightly more stable state. She then reached into her bag and ripped sections of cloth from the robe she kept within. She made a tourniquet for the worst wounds to make sure he wouldn't bleed out, and carefully rewrapped what wounds Elros had already quickly attempted to cover.

She then stood, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Ingrid was still incapacitated, then looked to Elros. Her eyes were concerned and pleading. They needed to make sure Krynger did not pass out, otherwise J'ahay would have no one to heal him. Her eyes wandered over to Battlecat, and she called gently, "Krynger?" She wasn't sure of what to do, and was hoping he could tell her what he needed.

"Don't speak you fool, stay still." Elros muttered to J'ahay as he did his best to keep the pressure on his wounds and stop his bleeding. As Elsy poured her mystery drink into J'ahay's mouth, Elros looked to Krynger and saw he was injured as well. Now he was quite torn as to what to do. Neither him or Elsy were healers. They would need to get the two khajiit's somewhere safe and out of here before more of the Brotherhood showed up. Without a word, Elros went to Krynger and hoisted him up, "Can you walk friend?" He looked back to Ingrid's limp form and went to get her. He slung her over his shoulder after checking if she had any more weapons on her. Going back to Krynger, he looked to him for an answer and silently indicated Elsy to pick up J'ahay if possible.

Ser Battlecat Fought as he did against the Darkness of Unconsciousness still continued to over take him, managed to to put together what was going on as Elros got up and moved around the chamber. The Lady Nightwind had looked at him and said something but it just sounded like muffled background noise. The khajitt they came with looked bad, even from this angle as Kryngers world got smaller and smaller. The Exhaustion and Fatigue from such rapid transformations made it difficult to speak and he need to conserve what little energy he had left in order to perform one last function before surrendering to the blackness of unconsciousness.

With a Grunt, Ser Krynger Crawled over to the Form of the Khajiit laying on the ground who was bleeding through his bandages, every movement was exhausting and further aiding into his slip from the waking world. Finally after what felt like the journey of a lifetime crawled up to J'ahay and reaching out with one hand managed to, in a ragged gasp, intone the prayer of Mending. Massive Amounts of Healing Energy Rushed in J'ahay's body as Ser Battlecat Finally gave into the exhaustion and fatigue and drifted off to sleep, sprawled out on the floor, still with one hand on J'ahay's form.

(J'ahay not Mo'jahi! Anyways...)

J'ahay still lay there, getting paler by the moment. The wounds were starting to close however he had lost so much blood already that is was too late too little to just close the wounds. Something more drastic needed to happen for him to survive. A smile started to spread on his face as J'ahay was slowly accepting his fate......

Elros watched Krynger drag himself over to J'ahay and put all of his magical strength into healing the fallen khajiit's wounds. But J'ahay still looked to be getting worse by the moment. Cursing under his breath, Elros put Ingrid down and walked over to the two khajiit. He looked from Krynger to J'ahay and back to Krynger. Elros put a hand on Krynger's paw and tried to bring him closer to J'ahay's arm. Taking one of Krynger's claws, Elros took a breath and scratched J'ahay's arm. He made one long cut along the dying khajiit's arm in hopes of spreading Krynger's werewolf gene to J'ahay. He put down Krynger's paw and set him comfortably onto the floor. He looked to Elsy with a pained look. Only now that J'ahay lay dying that Elros knew that J'ahay never lied. And it was painful to see another person die on his watch. He quietly watched J'ahay if the the scratch healed and if lycanthropy would hopefully bring him back from the brink of death.

J'ahay continued to lay still for a while more. His heart beat stopped for a couple of seconds. The suddenly he opened his eyes and looked around. "What happened? Why are you all staring at this one? J'ahay killed Ri'zzh, we can go now."

Confused, J'ahay looked around himself and realized all the blood on the floor had come from himself. When did this one ever have so much blood, he wondered to himself. J'ahay seemed to not have realized that he had almost died. After scanning the room over once more, J'ahay noticed the huddled unconscious form of Ingrid. Within seconds, where once was a small black Khajiit, a just slightly larger black werewolf stood, readying himself to pounce on Ingrid and tear her throat out. However, even transformed it was still obvious that J'ahay was still heavily wounded, the injuries sapping his strength and preventing him from already having pounced on Ingrid.

Sighing in relief as he watched J'ahay get up, Elros smiled tiredly. "You almost died there J'ahay. To bring you back, we had to...resort to unconventional methods." He looked nervously to Elsy and then to Krynger who was still unconscious.

As J'ahay started to get his bearings, Elros got up and went to go pick up Ingrid. He bent down to pick up the woman when he heard a growl. Slowly turning around, he saw a black wolf where J'ahay should have been standing. "Alright now, take it easy there J'ahay. Control yourself. We can't kill her. Yet." Elros looked to Elsy for help. He cautiously picked up Ingrid when he noticed that J'ahay could not move himself to rip the nord into shreds.

"You can have your way with her after I'm done interrogating. I promise. Until then, please don't do anything rash." Elros said to J'ahay as he began to move towards Krynger. It was time for them to leave.