New Year, New Me

Rain fell in abundance as Elros trudged down from his room at the inn. Even at the early hours of dawn, the tavern had a few patrons who were either drunk, asleep, or still drinking. He could sense the number of patrons in there just by their collective breaths. The mer was outfitted in his war gear, fully armored from head to toe with a mix of leather and plate pieces. He approached the counter for a few pitchers of water. These, he stowed away in his bandolier and payed the bar keep. A few of the patrons lifted their heads up to watch the armored mer take his helm off and do his business before he left without a word.

The wind gusted with strength and the rain behaved accordingly. Sheets of raindrops billowed in the wind as Elros approached the tree and stooped down to draw a recall sigil near the roots. Once finished, he stood back up and started trudging down the beaten path that led out of the town. He did his best to refrain from addressing any guard or citizen before leaving. The downpour pitter-pattered down Elros's armor while his boots splashed through the muddy ground. With the town behind his back, he pushed off with his feet in a shadow jump to where Varwill wished to meet with him. The familiar coldness enveloped his form upon entering the space between dimensions. The magic pushed him forward at blinding speed and after a few minutes, he popped into existence after his exit from the cold space. Here, too, it rained as the storm raged over Elros's covered head. The mer's eyes turned a slight tinge of red and his black vision was replaced with a hazy view of the place he was in.

Varwill sat under the tent to be away from the perpetually falling rain. The dunmer wore a permanent frown and was patiently waiting for his opponent to arrive. Upon seeing Elros's tall stature appear from the space-between-dimensions, he immediately stood up and grabbed his swords. Latching them onto his belt, he marched out into the open and stood face to face with his adversary. Varwill glared at Elros and spoke up under the wind and rain.

"Good to see you made it and didn't chicken out. I've been waiting a while for this, for you to pluck up your courage." There was no mirth in Varwill's voice. His face was shrouded by a hood he wore low over his head. Only his dull red eyes stared out at Elros. The dunmer stared Elros down, looking him up. He nodded once. "Where shall we go to decide this?"

"We leave it to chance." Elros waved his hand and the rain ceased over their heads as a ward went up in place. Elros removed his helm and likewise stared at Varwill in an assessing manner. He reached into his bandolier and held a hand up. Varwill instinctively reached for a dagger by his side. Elros shook his head.

"This is just to decide where we go. Relax, daeljuhn." The words came out reactively and Elros blinked at himself. His hand slowly pulled out a map and held it up. Varwill relinquished his grip on the dagger when he saw the map.

"I am not your daeljuhn, Elros. Get on with it." He crossed his arms and continued staring at the altmer with anger. Elros pursed his lips and let the map float between them. He waved his hand again and it spun in a lazy circle.

"Its a map of this region. We'll use a spell to pick a location at random, like in our lessons. Agreed?" Elros powered an orange orb with his magicka and let it touch the map. The map began glowing with orange glyphs on its sheet.

Varwill shook his head. "No. I have a location in mind already. We go to Treehenge." He stated plainly. Elros frowned at Varwill.

"That isn't very fair, Varwill. We both get a chance in choosing the place."

"I don't care if it isn't fair. You will do this. Or else." Varwill took a deep breath in and waited to see what Elros would say.

"Or else what?" Elros's ire rose and he took a step forward. He watched the dunmer closely.

"Or I send in a second contingent of my...'allies' to your beloved town. And this time, Elros, there will be no warning and they will burn that place down. Understand?" Varwill also took a step forward and stared up at the much taller mer.

"Fine. Open a portal." The altmer gritted his teeth and snatched the map out of the air. He turned around and grimmaced, turning back to face Varwill.

Varwill offered no response. He brought his hands together and a mote of light grew to the size of the dunmer. He glanced back at Elros.

"I best see you there." With that the dunmer stepped through and vanished. The portal collapsed behind him, leaving Elros there. The altmer also opened a portal to the destination and stepped through it.

Even in foliages of Treehenge, the storm raged on. The rain showed no signs of letting up. Both mer were present at the center of the bosmer necropolis. Eerily enough, no one was around at the site. Elros thanked the gods for this relief. No one else would be caught in this battle.

Varwill stared at Elros from under his hood. He had been carefully planning for this moment for years. He had done everything he could to prepare for this fight. Knowing his old friend, he knew this would be fight to the death. The dunmer was ready for this, his only goal was to avenge his family. Finally, he raised his voice.

"You understand why I came back. You know what this is all about, so I won't waste further words. You are the reason I am the way I am today. Now, you will pay for that." Varwill gripped his twin blades but waited to see what Elros had to say.

"I never intended for that to happen. I never knew that it was your family I was spying on! You know Varda, she manipulated me into all of this. You blame me for who you are today, well you're wrong. She's to blame for all of this. She twisted us both against each other. Varwill, you know I would never intentionally harm you or your family." Elros spoke with a twinge of sadness evident in his voice. Varwill's lips twitched in response and he drew his sword.

"You still had a hand in their deaths so do not tell me otherwise. Now, pick up your sword and lets end this." Varwill spat out the words and waited for Elros to follow suit.

Elros bit his lip and drew his daikatana. He knew words did not matter anymore and all that was left to do was to fight. His eyes closed shut as his perception of time slowed. Images of Varwill capturing the people of Vulkwasten floated in his mind. A red hot rage bubbled within him when he remembered that he had hurt his niece in his attempts at trying to talk to a mer who was bent on killing him. His eyes opened an he saw Varwill rushing towards him with a howl emanating from his lips. Similarly, the altmer screamed in a primal rage and rushed towards the dunmer.

Varwill panted and put his back to the trunk of the massive graht-oak. The rain had not ceased in Treehenge and the dunmer was completely soaked. His ashen fingers tensed on the bow string while his red orbs watched for any sign of his quarry. The only warning he got before he ducked and shadow stepped away was the high pitched whistle of the arrow that Elros had shot at the graht-oak. The giant tree was torn asunder in an explosion of fire. The dunmer gritted his teeth and hid himself in some shrubbery.

Where is he shooting from? The dunmer tried to ascertain his enemy's location as the arrow seemingly came out of nowhere. He recalled the lessons he was forced to take. Something about finding higher ground but constantly remaining on the move made an assailant nearly uncatchable. He growled and started scaling the nearest graht-oak. Another high pitched whistle pierced the air as the missile found its target. The dunmer yelled in surprise and fell from a height as the tree exploded and showered him with burnt splinters and other debris. He fell on his back and groaned, immediately getting to his feet and running for cover.

Meanwhile, Elros was quietly shadow stepping over Varwill's head, moving from tree to tree in his general vicinity. From his perch, he could easily view Varwill's movements to stop him from either climbing up a tree or finding proper cover. His goal was to flush him out. The altmer calmly drew another arrow and nocked it. His red eyes darted over field. In the past twelve hours, both of them had caused much destruction in just one part of Treehenge. He sighed and shook his head. The bosmeri people were not going to be happy about this. Elros pushed the thought aside and focused on the situation at hand.

He was loathe to give up the higher ground but he had to since Varwill had disappeared somewhere between the trees. His spell to find his aura was not working, somehow Varwill had found a way to block it. Elros scaled down the graht-oak and cast an invisibility spell on himself. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he felt a sharp pain on his lower back as an arrow skidded off the ward in place but still managed to bruise him well enough. Elros growled and stumbled, scrambling to his feet to put some distance between him and wherever Varwill was hidden. Before he could even get away, Varwill appeared from the space between dimensions and landed a powerful punch on Elros's face. The altmer groaned in pain that brought him to tears. His nose was broken and blood flowed freely from his nostrils. But Varwill did not give him a chance to react, landing a series of blows in the general area where Elros was standing. Most of them made impact on the altmer's torso which sent him stumbling back.

With his feet splashing through the mud, Elros tried to regain his footing and a sense of his surroundings. His vision cleared, only to see Varwill leaping towards him with his sword drawn in an attempt to skewer the mer in his chest. Elros had no choice but parry the lunge with his bow. Somehow, Varwill had known that Elros would have to leave his safe perch in the tree tops at some point if he himself disappeared. Now, the dunmer had caught an opening and relentlessly came after Elros.

Smoke coiled up through the damp air. The humidity of Treehenge usually made it impossible for fire to remain burning for long, but the magical explosion kept the flames alive. The two mer stared at each other for the longest time in silence. Both were tired of this long skirmish and it showed. Varwill’s rage was still burning red hot inside him but his motivation was slowly eroding with each passing moment. The dunmer knew it was the end of the line, either for him or Elros. He also knew that due to experience, Elros still had the upper hand. The bigger mer stood there and waited for Varwill to make a move, to tire him out and to subdue him then. Varwill knew this too and gritted his teeth. He had to do something. He could feel his rage consume him completely. Varwill suddenly moved towards Elros with speed, flinging one last dagger at him and at the same time showering the altmer with a gout of magical flame. The purpose was to blind him so Varwill could thrust his sword into the mer’s gut. Elros reacted exactly as Varwill expected. He shielded his eyes and parried the dagger with his sword. But the altmer saw what Varwill’s plan was. With a hand behind his back, he cast one last powerful illusion spell, effectively using up his magicka.

Varwill closed the distance with surprising speed and drove his blade through Elros’s abdomen. Or so he thought. The altmer buckled as he felt a red hot pain pierce his stomach. Wordlessly, he looked up at Varwill with pleading eyes.

“Please…mercy, daeljuhn.” The altmer shakily spoke with the sword deep in his torso. Varwill shook his head, there was no mirth in his voice. Only pain.

“No…no mercy. Not for you. Not for anyone. I know you. A mer with friends in many places. Killing you has consumed my life for nigh on twenty years. You don’t think I know that your friends would come for me when I came after you? Know this, Elros, I make you a promise as you draw your last breaths. I will kill them all, too. It doesn’t end here.” His red eyes bored into the altmer’s pained visage.




Behind his mirage-self, Elros’s eyes closed upon hearing Varwill’s words. Now, there was no way out. The altmer quietly approached Varwill, mustering his courage up. The mer had to what had to be done. And so, Elros drew his katana back and stabbed Varwill in the chest. The blade pierced through Varwill’s lungs. The dunmer felt the blade drive itself through his vital organs, quite surprised at the turn of events. This wasn’t how he had imagined it ending. The dunmer slowly looked up to Elros. The altmer wore a dark expression and reached out to hold Varwill in place. He stared down at his friend. A thick trickle of blood escaped Varwill’s dark lips. His sword clattered to the floor once the illusion fell away. The Elros that was gutted by Varwill vanished, and finally Varwill understood. Despite the years of pain and what he felt now, he laughed.

“You- you won. Why did I have…the feeling that you would?” He groaned in pain and fell to the mossy ground, his own face twisting in pain. Elros blinked and looked down, his own dark presence fading as he saw Varwill fall on his back. The altmer took a sharp breath in and went to pull his sword free and help heal his friend.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Varwill stared up at Elros and shook his head, spitting out words in anger. “You are still weak. Weak, Elros!” The dunmer reached out and grabbed the sharp edges of the katana, forcing the blade further through his chest. He groaned again and Elros howled.

“What are you doing?! Stop that!” He was afraid to keep pulling the sword out when he felt Varwill’s fingers on it, holding it in place. Varwill shook his head again, laughing once more and spitting up more blood.

“If I cannot win against you, then I will cause you pain. Pain like you have never imagined. Know this, Elros, you…you will live with this now. Live with thi- this pain. Knowing you killed your only friend in this Mundus.” He kept chuckling no matter how painful it was. Elros dropped to his knee, letting go of his sword and to pry Varwill’s hands away from the blade.

“Stop saying that! I’m not letting you go, not now, not ever!” Elros grabbed Varwill’s wrists and pulled his hands away from the blade. With that done, he quickly removed the katana and threw the weapon aside. Elros dug into his bandolier to take out a healing scroll. Varwill kept laughing and coughing up more blood.

“Its too late, Elros. Too- too late for me. Nothing can save me now.” He went to grab Elros’s hand with a vice like grip, his bloody fingers leaving his ichor on Elros’s gloved fingers. “You…you have blood on your hands, Elros. Just like I do. I kno- know you gave…up that life. But you are wrong, Elros. The life…our life…doesn’t give up on us. Look at what they make us give, Elros. Look at what they…made us give.” The dunmer’s red eyes welled with tears, and Elros’s hands held Varwill’s. As if to comfort him. Varwill stared into Elros’s blank eyes and the altmer stared right back, sobbing quietly. With a few more pained gasps, the light faded from Varwill Induulis’s eyes.

Hot tears fell down Elros’s golden cheeks. He could see the magickal essence in Varwill’s body fade. Crying openly, the mer gently shook Varwill to try and wake him up. Varwill’s hand fell to his sides as the life in him left as well. Elros jolted as he felt his friend’s grip loosen, leaving the red blood on his hands. Elros could smell it, even though he couldn’t see it. Breathing shakily, he sat there in silent defeat. It was finally over but somehow Elros could see no end to this. Deep inside, old memories bubbled to the surface, and along with it, the old pain that the mer had buried years ago. Varwill’s last words cut deeply, undoing the years of healing that Elros had needed. Like a tide breaking upon a ship, the mer’s mental well being was destroyed. Rain fell once more, as it always did, in Malabal Tor. Elros sat there and cried, his armor soaking up the rain as he held the cold body of his friend. Feeling utterly lost, he howled in pain up at the sky. Raging against the rain, his voice carried through the thunder and the pitter patter of the spring rain.




The altmer moved through the trees in a daze. He carried a wrapped bundle the size of a person as he left Treehenge. His steps were no longer calculated but instead fell on the ground with an uncertainty. His mind was elsewhere.



The two children laughed as they whacked at each other with bundles of wheat. The golden skinned one was less adept at moving gracefully, laughing and backing away from the dunmer child's more precise strikes. A golden sunset loomed on the horizon as the little ones laughed and ran through off into the streets of Almalexia.

Elros found himself outside of Treehenge as he carried the dunmer's lifeless body with him. His mind couldn't help but etch the last words he had spoken. Look at what they made us give. He gritted his teeth tightly, biting into his own lips. Everything Varwill had said was true. Both of them had lost so much over the years and while the blame could be placed on a number of people, Elros knew who would really earn their collective ire.

"Don't worry, Varwill. We'll get them. We'll get all of them. I swear to you, I will bring you back. And if anyone stands in my way, anyone at all, I will kill them all." With that, the vow was sealed. Elros uncertainty vanished like a wisp of smoke, replaced with something much darker then before. The mer could feel himself slipping into the darkness that he had denied for so many years. And he would do nothing to stop that.