The Emperor's King

Demetri Malius

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The soft hum of the ship slowly faded as the pressurized ramp from the ship extended downward into the snow and ice, the braced doors widening and allowing the group of four to see the cold environment directly. The android blue eyes shone brightly against the snow, scanning the cave entrance in front of them, as well as the guards that approached the ship.

“Welcome to Inverxe. Emperor Wolfe requested that we escort you through the gates.” They seemed quite formal and well-trained, their figure being rather slim but strong, with extended ears. Elves, if any of the group had seen them before.

Morene was first to step forward, oddly cautious given their immediate welcome. “So it seems. How far into the cave is this city?”

“The gate is a mere hundred meters in. The rest of the city branches out into the natural tunnels. Much of our grand city lies in the grand cavern.”

Morene nodded and stepped forward as the rest of the group followed behind her. Iris tilted her head, she felt as if Morene did not trust these guards, but for what reason? She turned to look at Ra’tima who seemed to be making sure that Masahir was comfortable with the freezing weather. Besides a few shivers getting adjusted, she seemed to be fine. As for the thief they had captured...

“Ah, wonderful. Nothing like being the emperor of a cave. Perhaps they live off a diet of shaved ice?”

The back of a spear jabbed the thief in the shoulder. “Watch your mouth, scoundrel. Though Masahir and her companions may be acknowledged and welcomed, we know about you being nothing but a nuisance. One wrong move and we will have you in our dungeon, and I doubt your fragile body would last a day in there.”

Iris allowed the guard to finish before intervening, pulling aside Demetri and apologizing to the guard.

“Duly noted, I’ll be sure not to pity the architecture when we arrive!”

“Mr. Malius I don’t think that-”

Iris stopped as Demetri’s head was bonked by the pommel of Morene’s weapon, forcing him to stumble and fall into the snow.

“Behave.” The stern demand hung in there as even as she continued forward.

“You make a fine argument, I’ll reconsider then.” The thief spoke with a cough, struggling to stand back up while the guard chuckled behind their helmets.

Iris couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose a bit. The thief was such a troublemaker, but his actions were nonetheless amusing. She would have to keep more of an eye on him, else Morene might leave a dent in the back of his skull before dinner.

It wasn’t long before they stood at the foot of the gate, mesmerized by the large pillars and walls.

“I’ll be the first to admit, this is actually a lot more sophisticated than I had initially imagined.”

The group seemed just as bewildered as the thief, glancing around as the gates opened and allowed them inside.

“This one has certain… concerns about Dwemer architecture. Ra’tima did not expect to see such oddly familiar buildings.”

The Khajiit tail twitched at the sight of everything. It all seemed to spark some survival instinct in her mind, her eyes darting around as if to search for traps.

“You recognize all of this? They don’t look furry to me?” The thief quipped.

“No, dull-claws. These structures are not of the Khajiiti. They are of the Dwemer, a long lost people that left behind underground cities full of traps and deadly machines. This one can’t help but wonder if this is where they had all gone.”

“I don’t see any traps around here, and there looks to be plenty of the Dwemer people!” Iris gleefully examined all the levers and gates scattered about the entrance to the cavern, with large buildings scattered about, full of guard towers, bathhouses, living quarters, and a large palace. Large red banners and regal decorations could be spotted no matter which direction you looked, the insignia of Neo New Babylon presented proudly among the people.

“This way, it’s not far.” The guard called out as they were directed towards the palace.

“Que bonito! It looks so pretty!” Masahir finally spoke up after taking in the sights. She seemed to be excited about the new look of New Babylon.

They passed by many of the Dwemer people and recognized a few humans as they were escorted to the palace. Morene and Ra’tima checked the edges of their vision, looking for something out of place. Iris and Masahir were mesmerized by the brighter lights and the conversations of passersby, and finally, Demetri was counting how many guards they had managed to pass by.

They passed through one last gate and entered the palace, the inside decorated with dark wood furniture and red-dyed cloth. Much of it was ornate with thin stripes of gold for a refined look, and before them, guards that walked the halls in case of intruders.

“Emperor Wolfe is currently tending to other matters, but he will be here shortly to guide you to the feast. Please let the nearest gaurd know if you need anything.”

With that the guards nodded and left, leaving the five of them to relax in the large room and wait for the emperor.

“This place is so amazing, I never thought something like this could be hidden in an underground cave.” Masahir flopped onto a large sofa while she imagined what the rest of the city looked like.

“This one may need some time adjusting, but Ra’tima is pleased to see Dwemer cities not trying to kill her with traps.”

Demetri paced a bit as if trying to plan something until Morene came up behind him and nudged his shoulder.

“Sit down before you get any ideas.”

The thief quickly obliged, raising his hands to try to show innocence.

Iris analyzed everything, trying to think of what to do next. It seemed that Ra’tima knew much about these people from where she came from, which was quite interesting.

“Miss Ra’tima, could you tell us more about these Dwemer people? I don’t have many records about them and I am sure we could all benefit from what you have learned!”
 

Masahir N'air

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Masahir fidgeted with her phone, crossing her left leg over the right as she tapped out idle thoughts into her journal. Her heart raced, pounding against the inside of her chest. She’d already unbuttoned the maroon pearl coat she wore in exasperation towards the cavern’s heat. The luscious broad fur trim draped languidly around her bare, toned shoulders, slipping down closer and closer to her elbows with each motion.

Truth be told, she felt excited, but nauseous at the prospect of finally coming face to face with an Emperor, let alone a man who stood to be a known hero to her and her people. Her head swam with a thousand thoughts. She idly twisted her wrist, watching as her jewelry caught the strange blue-purple light in a dazzling alien display. There were no traces of the bruises left on her wrist, thankfully.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief. Things could go back to normal soon, she could pretend that nothing was wrong, that everything was fine. She would finally be able to put it all behind her and forget about it. Victor piled compliments onto her constantly, calling her a godly gift. Maybe, just maybe she could remember how to feel that way about herself again, in time.

She would give anything to be washed away in pure unadulterated sensation again, to bury and drowned herself in the physical and get out of her head for the first time in what felt like months.

Ra’tima-dro snorted softly, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking, “the Dwemer built great cities under the mountains and in the wretched miserable volcanoes- filled with traps and wicked steam powered machinations. This one hated to explore their vast ghost empire, but was compelled by the treasures left within. Imagine, every blacksmith and scholar on the face of Nirn fighting and clawing just to get a sniff of Dwemeri metal and artefacts.” She sniffled quietly. “It was a good market.”

It was, in truth, that Ra had spent countless hours creeping around dingy abandoned ruins, scrounging for any scraps to turn around for coin. It was on those nights that she stared up at the stars and bathed in the light of Jone and Jode. Within herself she saw a child of the gods, destined for far more than filthy begging and looting.

War forced her from her home, the desert sands stained red and black with the blood of those crushed under the cruel boot of the empire’s regents. Dunmeri slavers had stolen her sisters, Thalmor had conquered and murdered her parents, warborne plague turned her friends into skeletal husks.

She had hoped that maybe in the distant frosty land of Skyrim, that things could be different, that she’d be able to start over and make a newer happier life for herself. Her hopes were dashed across the bitter cold cobblestone when she, just a naive girl, arrived at the gates of Whiterun and was turned away for her tail, ears and sleek fur. Nothing better than a slave to the mer, and nothing more than a dirty thief and drug addict to men.

Iris piped up, “did you know anything about their culture?”

The small khajiiti woman batted her hand dismissively, but answered anyway. “This one knew they were sharp-clawed and swift, but Ra’tima-dro had very little interest in them aside from what was obvious or forced upon her. They are like the other Mer, slave keepers- though perhaps they were more twisted than even the cruel Dunmeri slavers.”

“More twisted than abject slavery?” Morene almost seemed to outright reject the idea that such a remorselessness was possible. The knight-errant shifted in her seat, the bulk of her armor quietly grinding against the polished amber metal bench underneath.

“Yes, more twisted than the abject slavery the Dunmeri subjected the Khajiiti and Saxhleel people to. The ancient Falmer came to them as refugees following a foolish war and the cunning Dwemer tricked them into slavery and fed them poisons to corrupt their minds. When they disappeared, they left behind the wretched remains of the Falmer people, contorted into blind, bitter monstrosities without a culture or home. This one doubts the Falmer were even left with memories of the past.”

A solemn silence fell over the knight, but again Iris inquired. “Well without the slaves, how did they build this?”

Ra shot her a look, eyebrow cocking in an expression equal parts incredulous and standard grouch, “how should sleek furred Ra’tima-dro know these things? The Dwemeri people have been gone far longer than this one’s mother and her mother before her and even before then.”

“Then let’s focus on what you do know- something about treasure? I doubt they would have the same traps in a working city, right?” Demetri smirked widely, seeming to already be forming some devious plan. Ra’s piercing gaze fell across him, processing everything she knew of him.

She couldn’t help but to wonder what he was also running from, hiding under that foolish rogue charm. She’d seen all the types: the insecure who sought to prove something, the power hungry that would stop at nothing to fill their empty hearts with ambition regardless of the cost, cool and distant ones hiding from past hurts, and cunning comedians who used their wits as weapons.

She understood that they all had stories and backgrounds that formed them into who they were and how they acted. She response came as a swift and stern warning to the thief. “It is said that they disappeared suddenly, books still open and food still on plates. Every single Dwemer across the entire race, everywhere, gone at once. This one doubts traps were installed after the fact. It would be unwise, Dullclaws.“

“It never truly is that easy, I suppose.” He seemed to pout, though it was tinged by a cocksure twitch of the lips that hinted at the dramatic. He’d counted more than thirty guards thus far, however- and he was still rather parched and hungry from his imprisonment at the hands of the intriguingly strong cat-woman. He wondered if every inch of her was really covered in fur, it would certainly complicate a few things on his mind.

“Hmph.” Ra nearly purred in response, “no, it never is, but then it wouldn’t be fun, would it? Ra’tima-dro has seen it all, so she lives for the sweet taste of challenge and danger when she goes delving into ruins. The rush makes her fur stand on end and her tail quiver.”

“Of course, after all, it is what separates the professionals from the common pilferers.” Demetri’s chest swelled slightly with assuming pride. He was liking this woman more and more with each passing moment, and her seemingly subtle and causal approval and agreement with him helped to bolster that confidence.

“Ah,” Morene chuckled, “I can’t say I blame you for seeking the rush! Where I’m from, you don’t get much of a break in that regard.”

Ra glanced at Morene, a small semblance of a curious smile graced her black lips. “What cruel monsters did this one have to fight for glorious treasures and shiny pretty trinkets?”

“Not really trinkets, more like… to survive the next day!” The knochten responded promptly, “some days it was an amorphous mass of tentacles, others it was a lanky cryptid looming over your bed in the morning... The usual.”

“This one is familiar with that sort of hardship. What plane of Oblivion did you live in to need to fight so ferociously?” Ra knew the woman was likely from some other distant realm of existence, pulled through time and space just like herself, but she couldn’t help the phrasing- she knew no other way.

“I am not from these lands, obviously, nor yours. It was a peninsula off the coast, little place named Creedmoor, it…” Morene hesitated, “it was something of a hotspot for paranormal activity considering there was a literal godmind trapped in there in a deliberate coup of sorts in the pantheon of another realm, it’s… it was a mess.”

Masahir’s big brown eyes fell over Morene, truly taking in her appearance in depth for the first time. Mystical light accentuated the Knight-errant’s wide cheekbones, casting deep shadows on her gaunt jowls. Her nose was sharp, a tiny bit crooked on the bridge from a healed fight and tiny scars from unknown forgotten battles dotted her skin. Her fair skin was covered in faint sunspots from time spent outside.

The knight-errant wore no makeup on her dull rosy lips, instead the corners of her mouth and eyes were starting to adorn themselves with the trappings of aging, faint wrinkles where smooth skin once was.

Ghostly blue eyes were turned onto the entertainer and Masahir looked away quickly, her face flushed with warmth and embarrassment at having been caught staring.

“What’s wrong Masahir?” The giantess's concern showed through her soft, husky tone. She turned to lean a bit closer to her charge.

“I was just... Wondering how you got that scar on your lips- not that I mean to imply that it’s distracting, you’re still an incredibly beautiful woman.”

“Machete,” Morene raised a finger to her lips, running her hand down the healed wound. She continued, sighing deeply. “One of those slasher types; one of the first I had to deal with actually. He was beyond gone, but he was one of the few humans that actually lived in that forsaken place. I tried to find out more about him, curiosity’s sake, but… All I have to remind me of that was this scar here, which was actually a lot worse than it looks now… Thank you, though,” she purred, a coy smile plastered on her face as she acknowledged Masa’s compliment.

The dancer leaned in, deep shadows accentuating her prominent collarbones. She gazed curiously at the rough scar before reaching up and holding the pale woman’s chin gently, brushing a tender thumb across the bottom of the mark. Their faces almost touched in the intimate lack of space, barely a hare’s breath between them. Deep, big brown eyes slid upwards from the old wound, staring fearlessly into those ghostly orbs with relentless captivation.

Her words came as a hushed whisper, a breathlessly charming spell that promised anything in the world could be possible. “What a shame...” Her lips remained parted, beckoning with the expectation of another alluring sentence.

Morene tilted her head, letting Masahir explore a little bit. As much as the knochten felt like keeping the moment, she was painfully aware of the dangerously blunt feline staring daggers into the back of her head Gently, the knight-errant ran a finger up her own cheek, right under the dancer’s hand.

Effortlessly the entertainer transitioned to holding the plated digit, looking at the Knochten’s massive paw in awe- her own hand looked so much smaller and delicate by comparison. She couldn’t help but smile a bit wider, big people protecting her made her feel tiny and safe, like hiding behind a physical mountain.

“Most people get scared or fidgety around me due to how I look,” Morene spoke lowly, in the most flowery voice she could muster, “I end up counting on it. Rarely does it captivate anyone, aye?”

“People are scared by what they don’t understand, too scared to actually take the effort to learn. They prefer their beautiful poisons to unfiltered truth and reality but... We’ve both struggled. I prefer rugged reality to a whimsical lie.”

The knight looked on at Masahir, glancing away for the briefest of moments and licking her lips, pondering a response until it eventually came to her. “What a poetic way of telling me I look pretty,” she teased, a small giggle escaping in blatant contrast to her previously deep and romantic tone. Morene didn’t mind though, nor did the dancer making moves on her.

A wry, bitter smile pulled at the corners of Masa’s mouth, “I once saw the most beautiful desert cobra, it’s rounded scales caught the sunlight and cast captivating sparkles of rainbow light against the sand. I was young and naive and got too close, entranced by it’s eyes and glimmer. It bit my hand and they thought I was going to die. By some miracle I survived it all, but I’ve never forgotten the game we play with pleasures and pains.”

For a moment her eyes fell to look at her mom and the rogue, “sometimes we pretend that we don’t struggle to balance this desire of risk. ...” She focused on Morene again.

“Guardsman,” came Masa’s formal, demanding tone, the guards exchanged a quick glance between themselves, as if trying to figure out who’d answer the call. A tall mer in bronze bolted armor stepped forward. The group fell silent and watched the dancer, curious eyes questioning her actions.

“Yes, Miss N’air?” His voice slithered, but it seemed to do little to offset the brunette.

“Fetch me Dave the Guardsman, please.”

He grimaced, squinting at the mortal. He really didn’t want to jog halfway across the city to bring that incompetent man to this presumptous woman. He had spent over a decade obtaining advanced and prestigious military training at one of the most renowned academies in the city states. He was above running errands for every which nobody the slimy bastard of an “emperor” decided to invite to the palace.

It wasn’t worth the paperwork to disobey. With little more than a stoic affirmation he turned on his heel and strode off to ‘fetch’ Dave. It didn’t take long, the man was already tumbling head over heels in his rush to the palace. He was wide eyed, clutching a pen and page of something the elder guardsman didn’t really care to question. Within a few moments he was back, to Masa’s relative surprise.

When Dave strode in, he was composed, holding his shoulders back and up with a sense of vague postering and his hair neatly pushed back. His stomach felt full of bumbling butterflies, the same way he felt all that time ago when she walked in front of him at a concert and let him excitedly sing into the mic mid-song. She’d smiled and blew him a playful kiss before pulling away.

He’d never forgotten that moment. He saved up what he could of his salary for months to afford that frontrow ticket, and it had been worth every single penny. He stepped forward into the light. It was stupid to think that she’d remember him out of all of her fans and concerts, he reasoned. He should just play it cool and act nonchalant, after all, there was a possibility that she wasn’t even the same person from Nippur- Oh, man his brain froze as he registered her face, just as gorgeous as he remembered, like she’d stepped right out of his memory from that night. Her expression shifted, softening with joy as recognition dawned on her.

“Hola Dave~”

Gilgamesh bless’ed, she knew his name??!?! He felt the blood leave his brain in pleasant shock, threatening to have him faint- but no! That wouldn’t do, he was in front of La Bella, the most prestigious and beautiful dancer to ever grace the Endless Dunes. He couldn’t stomach the idea of doing something so embarrassing. He swallowed hard as he held his composure, “you remembered me?”

“Oh of course, I remember all of my loyal fans~ It would be shameful to do otherwise, especially a VIP Fanclub member.” She shifted forward, accentuating her shapely curves as she leaned into the conversation with him.

VIP Fanclub member.... She really did manage to read all those letters...

“Now, Dave, mi guapo amor~ I need your assistance. I want to be shown the city, shown all the wonderful beautiful places- I was told you could do that for me, si?” She held her dainty, decadently bejeweled hand out, waiting for him to take it into his and lead her and Morene somewhere a bit more interesting than a waiting room.

As soon as he did, she rolled into a standing stretch, taking her hand back, before shaking the sensation off with a quiet but satisfied moan. “I’m dying to try some authentic Dwemer food for the first time in my life.”

She dangled her free hand in front of the Knochten, wiggling her fingers in an excited beckoning before looking over the rest of the entourage. “Come on Morene~ ... You guys can come along too, if you want- or you can wait here until Emperor Wolfe gets here in a few hours. He told me some unexpected business with some neighboring villages came up that had to be handled personally.”
 

Morene Fellon

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Ra’tima-dro raised a finger at her daughter’s proposition. Typical of a mother, the consideration of the choice given to her was treated with much greater generosity than that requested by anyone else. “Ra’tima-dro must accompany. Morene can be trusted, this one cannot,” the woman answered, nonchalantly beckoning to the lesser of the thieves in the group. Iris got up without much of a word, knowing she wouldn’t need to bother and ask. Of course, Demetri had to add his two cents as well.

“Hey,” Demetri seemed to purr, “somebody’s gotta keep watch... Wait for that emperor guy to arrive.”

Every other head that didn’t belong to Demetri turned to him all at once. He could feel it coming, but even Iris mouthed a resounding “no” in response to the man’s jest. In an attempt to make the situation less blatantly uncomfortable for himself and his escorts, Dave spoke up for the first time, gesturing to the two women in front.

“W-well,” the guardsman attempted to hide his stuttering, “it’s not much for somebody of such… royal stature as yourself ma’am, but the bazaar has some of the best food I’ve eaten in years, and I might suggest to go there w-with your…” Dave stopped in his speech, looking on at Morene’s armored shell with an almost careful eye, worried to misconstrue her status next to his celebrity crush. His mouth hung open, thinking of all the ways she was out of his league if this was her wife or girlfriend…

Masahir finished for him. “My friend,” she drew out flirtatiously, watching as the positively lovestruck guardsman’s eyes went wide as the thought of him having a chance crossed his mind. Still, if that was to happen in any lifetime that blessed his existence with the woman’s presence, he’d need to not disappoint by being a half-decent tour guide! A very silly grin plastered on his face as he shakily walked past Masahir and then Morene’s hulking figure to reach for the massive bronze palace door. Pushing it open with a mighty heave, the knochten assisted him as to let Masahir and the rest of the group outside into the cavern city.

Morene nodded to the guardsman clad in gold as they closed the door behind everyone and themselves. “How long until we get there?” She asked rather informally. Dave took a second for this to register, still intimidated by the woman’s figure.

“About… five minutes, give or take,” he replied eventually.

“Good,” Morene smiled back, “we can all get to know each other a bit better, then.” Dave gulped, rather nervously pulling on his collar at the prospect of carrying a conversation with this rather colorful party of adventurers, presumably. Demetri chuckled.

“You four have been getting to know each other for hours, you know,” the scoundrel quipped.

“Aye,” Morene immediately began to retort, almost interjecting him, “I know you desire very fondly to either pick a fight or steal from these men and women whose shiny trinkets you don’t understand the functions of, but I’d much rather you wait before getting all of us in trouble.” A deep sigh escaped her lips as she realized these next few blocks would be full of nothing but this man’s sass. Ra cracked a grin, amused at how quickly her daughter’s bodyguard grew tired of Demetri’s antics. She remained silent for now, however. Masahir was the first to speak again after the short quiet, talking over the growingly intense sounds of the city.

“Dave, mi amor, how did you wake up in this place? I imagine in the same manner as us, no?” The dancer inquired, looking dead in his eyes as the obvious flattery seemed to work in making him blush. Still, she raised a good question.

“It was strange,” he recalled, “I was patrolling the palace as I usually did; my shift was about over, quiet night otherwise, and as soon as I opened the doors to leave…” He stopped. No more explanation had to be given; it was a strange occurrence that the entirety of New Babylon and seemingly its residency had been pulled to these realms in such a way. Masahir nodded as he continued. “It’s as if the Smiling One needed us no more. I can’t feel his presence anymore, not here. Still, I’ve seen the Emperor use these powers granted to him, so perhaps he still is with us in some way.”

Morene cocked an eyebrow at this. “The Smiling One?”

“Yes,” Dave was quick to answer, “a god, I suppose would be suffice to say. Few worshipped him, yet all of us were affected by him, either of his creation or... otherwise.”

Again, the knochten tilted her head at the intentionally vague description. They walked a few more steps before Dave noticed her confusion, the speck of social awareness that he still had compelling him to elaborate further.

“We don’t know. Some theorized those that he pulled from other planes of existences were simply illusions, their past lives continuing as if nothing happened. Many believed that their past lives stopped when the Smiling One decreed it so. I’d say all of them knew eventually they couldn’t leave his realm, but… here we are now.”

Morene, in truth, was still confused by this whole ordeal. Was it a strange coincidence that a deity separate from Ark’maer had the same idea for these men and women? Morene herself knew that she was sent here not to be cast aside, but the way Dave spoke seemed to confirm that this Smiling One was no longer a part of them, at least in terms of influence. She blinked, a visage of Willio and his omen crossing her mind. The knight-errant decided not to chime in with her own otherworldly experiences, figuring it was enough that Masahir knew all of the things she did. This was supposed to be some sort of date, after all.

Still, she couldn’t help but ponder. Why here? The question seemed to take her back to reality, her eyes wandering over the Dwemer architecture that she didn’t let sink in until now. Nearly zoning out, Morene took careful eye at the very straight stonework that the Deep Elves employed to keep this city standing. As they walked, new strange contraptions made of shimmering bronze passed her by. Still, beyond the very obvious prominence of bronze machinery, the denizens of this city state outside of Blackreach did well in faithfully showing the cultural wares of their Dwemer brothers and sisters in the capital city itself. Though this city was stretched far more thin in resources apparently, those that lived here still donned vibrant colors and jewelry fit for the seemingly most extravagant of Deep Elves.

Because of this, Morene noticed quite a few wandering eyes from the citizenry that passed them by; the increasing density of these people leading her to believe that the bazaar was indeed close. Having a keen eye as she did, the knight-errant felt a lot of those weighty and judgemental looks falling on her. Though, the more she caught anybody with any varying degree of blue skin catching a peek at her armor, she came to the conclusion that it was more of piqued interest rather than disgust or anxiousness. It made sense; the bronze contraptions that surrounded her were intensely complex, and as far as she understood, machinery was an integral aspect of their culture. The only logical conclusion is that most of these people would in fact be very interested in her segmented and engraved plates of cerantium steel, but still, the almost silver texture of her armor did not mesh well with bronze. They all stood out like a sore thumb, especially Morene.

She was right on that; open stands of polished wood, stone and golden metal made themselves immediately visible as people made way for the New Babylonian guard and his escorts. Dave confirmed her thoughts after letting a few seconds pass, letting the bustling businesses and the hot spot of Deep Elven presence speak for itself briefly. “Here we are, ma’am,” he bowed to Masahir; the dancer giggled in response.

“No need for such a show, mi querido~” Masa closed her eyes, putting a finger on his chin as to raise him back to his feet. Chest up high, Dave’s mouth hung agape, coming to terms with the fact that he was going to sleep like a baby for the next few months at least. For once, Iris decided to speak up this time.

“Well! Where should we start here?” The android clasped her hand together, enjoying the rather unique scenery of the underground trade; blue and yellow lights bouncing off the cavernous walls and stonework of the city. At this point, most of the attention was directly off of the group and mainly Morene, business as usual carrying on. Demetri nodded, impressed by the wares being displayed, yet not so much by how attentive the Dwemer merchants looked. Ra’tima-dro herself was doing the same thing, but she could actually repress her desires unlike “dullclaws”, who had this coy grin which reminded her fondly of a child drooling over a toy.

“Food would be nice,” Demetri dryly replied.

“In my opinion,” Dave interjected, distracting from Demetri’s snark, “the kebabs are the best and least likely to be tourist traps.” The guard nodded, a bit more confidently than how he was previously speaking, almost eager for this experience. Morene decided to carry the conversation as the New Babylonian troop pointed to one of his favorite stands.

“I did wonder what an urban society that resided underground would resort to eating; a kebab should cover all of that and more,” the knochten nearly licked her lips at the thought. She knew for sure that a central ingredient of their cuisine had to be mushrooms of some sort, and she was correct to assume that as the party of foreign men and women walked up to the quaint storefront. Before the thought crossed anybody’s mind, Ra asserted herself to the front of the group.

“Six kebabs.” The look the merchant gave her was all too familiar. A stare of disdain and barely concealed disgust as he glanced from her furry hand to the food. With an outstretched paw, Ra’tima-dro laid the coin on top of the stone stand in front of her. “Khajiit do not shed like house cats, if this dwemeri was worried.” Her tone was even but her eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits.

The woman’s daughter wrapped her arms around Ra, expressing gratitude immediately as the Dwemer male beyond the counter silently and begrudgingly picked out six separate sticks of food on a stake. Still, he nodded to the Khajiit after the transaction, to which she returned the favor, her usual scornful look still on her face as she turned to give out the treats.

“Thank you, mamá!”

Morene was the second to express her thanks, taking from the mother’s hand their dinner for the night. “Thank you, ma’am.” The knochten inspected the food before eating it, slightly self conscious of looking like a complete outsider, though she doubted anybody could blame her for being intrigued by the contents of this cuisine. The kebab itself had an interesting, strong smell; cooked bits of meat which origins she could not determine was the main source of it. Very little spice as well, making it very hearty in its nature…

By the time Morene was done mentally noting these details, Demetri had already demolished the entire stick, rather disgustingly so despite his usual educated demeanour. They continued to walk, the knight-errant herself couldn’t blame him, but Ra was already giving him the side-eye considering he was literally the last one to get his dinner handed out to him. He looked on at the Khajiit, shifting his eyes to Iris who looked on in slight disturbance. “What?”

“This one has seen gusto before, but this is little more than barbarism.”

“If you were cramped under a bunch of cables and an iron pipe for three days and shoved into a furnace to cook, just before being thrown into a frozen wasteland, I am sure you would be just as enthusiastic.”

Morene immediately shook her head. “No, I’ve been through worse; I still care about my clothes.”

Though nobody else could see it, Iris had done the exact same thing as Demetri, conveniently turning her body away from the group for at least she had the decency to cover her mouth out of shame. Table manners were very foreign to androids after all. Masa was methodically taking her kebab apart and popping each piece in her mouth with all of the grace a proper lady could manage with greasy finger food. Curious that the pilot had her back turned on the group, the dancer attempted to peek over the android’s shoulder.

A bit flustered, Iris spun back around, a bit of grease and a few crumbs of food on the corners of her mouth. The beautiful brunette couldn’t help but giggle at the snow-haired woman. Before the android had a chance to defend herself, Dave spoke up as his intended job as essentially a tour guide. Only a single city block away laid the group’s destination; a temple nearly the size of the palace in which they waited beforehand, similar in its shape as its stonework.

“We’re here; look ahead of you. The temple of Gal’skap.” A sigh escaped the man’s lips as he turned over to Masahir in particular, finding her the easiest to relay this information to. “I must warn you, the Emperor is particularly pushy at times. I figured I was on good terms with him, then he ended up changing my name, and…” He stopped there. Masahir had to run back his words in her head as if to double check what this guardsman had told her.

The dancer tilted her head in bewilderment. “He… changed your name?”

“Yes,” the guardsman responded, a sigh escaping his lips as he realized the weight of telling her this, “it was Enugi.” Silence fell over the group as they approached the gates, Masahir and Morene respectively giving this guard a look of condolences and concern. Morene gestured for his attention.

“Would you rather we call you Enugi?”

“Whichever you feel more comfortable with, I suppose,” the guard responded, looking along with the group at the temple’s figure. Masahir blinked, very certain with herself that brushing off Enugi’s comment was foolish, yet she had no idea how to respond. Her mental image of Victor wasn’t exactly broken, figuring there was some sort of rhyme or reason as to why he would do such a thing to ‘Dave,’ but something was definitely off. The thought that this man wasn’t exactly the most pleasant person to be around wasn’t entirely a surprise to Masahir, but coming to face that fact before even laying an eye on him made her mildly uncomfortable. Still, it wasn’t worth it to turn back now.

Enugi walked forwards, putting his hands upon the temple doors. They opened with a chilling shriek, and almost immediately the group felt an unnervingly cold breeze as they entered. Taking a few steps forward, the soles of their shoes seemed to echo throughout the entire temple.

Indeed, there was no turning back now.
 

Victor Wolfe

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The heavy stone slab slid along the snow, carrying the villagers towards the red igneous rock that guarded the capital of their fledgeling empire. The mission had gone well and although his cute student seemed to be suffering from the moral dilemma of his actions, Victor was sure that he would learn and grow from them. Flavia was another valuable asset that he was overjoyed to get as a little bonus reward. She was eager to learn, and seemed to already have the basic fortitude that would be required of her to learn the ways of the assassin. Her youthful optimism brought a source of positive energy for the group, something that was needed after such a bleak affair.


Whilst they walked Victor decided to break the casual small talk as a way to give a lesson to his two pupils. He announced in his silky smooth inviting voice. "Cho, Flavia, why do you two think that I treated those two villagers so harshly when they demanded that we hand over our prisoners?"


The query made the pair pause as they thought for a moment, the eager Flavia was the first to step up and attempt to answer the Emperors musings. "Because you did the work and it would be insulting not to be allowed to finish your work by killing them?"


"Not exactly, I do feel that we must be the ones to deliver the punishment, however it is not simply because I would enjoy it, or feel annoyed that my kill was stolen from me. Personally, so long as they get the justice they deserve, I do not care who swings the blade. What about you Sir Cho? What do you feel about how and why I acted in such a way?" Victor turned to his companion as they walked along flattened snow left by the slab of stone in front of them.


"You needed to make a point?" Cho stared deadpan at the assassin, the poor boy still trying to deal with all that had happened in the past few hours, Victor let out a sigh as he began to wax lyrically about his plan and why things had to play out the way they did.


“Precisely my boy, I had all of the points to make and needed to do it in the most efficient way possible. I do understand why you may not have liked the way I went about it, you are young and naive to the way the world works at times. What you need to learn is that not every society functions on the same basic rules that your Republic city did. Cities do not have the same risks and experiences that those living out on these ice sheets have to deal with on a day to day basis. " Flavia was enthralled by the speech, taking a small notebook from her pocket and jotting down notes on the speech whilst a melancholic Cho vaguely listened.


"Think about it this way, the first thing you did when you arrived in our city was to get to know the place, you socialised and then went out and got new clothing. You thrive in city life because you understand the basics of how the social rules in those environments function. You knew how to use your position as a new member of the ruling classes elite to get some benefits whilst not abusing that position to the point that the normal folk get sick of you. Cities especially in the heights of their social structure work on aesthetic, manners and wealth. Do you really think that I actually care too much about having a large palace? The fancy clothing and decadent crown? Do the titles really mean all that much? Not to me. But it means a lot to those in the city that are lower on the ladder and lets them know where everyone stands in relation to one another. Thus when we are dealing with our own city and especially other cities we must do our best to project wealth, aesthetics, and sophistication." Victor took a pause to allow the young girl to catch up on her notes, her pen writing furiously across the paper.


"These are the weapons of a cities social elite, after all, rumours about their debts, their poor choices in partners or vices, and their behaviour can often be as much poison to someone's position in society as any venom can be. We project these tools so that we can avoid the need for power struggles and underhanded politics, we don’t need to take drastic actions like killing malcontents if we can make them seem foolish, misguided, ugly and brutish. This is how we keep the status quo in a city, after all in a civilised society if you just have all of your enemies put to the sword people really do not appreciate it and you become a tyrant. “ Cho pondered over the Emperor’s words, he wondered where he was going with his little lecture and how the cities rules related to the way that he had treated the tribal men earlier.


“Now even if you don’t think that you do any of this, you do. You try your best to look like a respectable member of the civilised society that we have manufactured in Neo-Nippur because it's what you are used to. You do everything that I have just talked about but on a subconscious level, you do it without thinking and it is second nature to you. It's why when I invited you to a feast and gave you a role in protecting that society you jumped at the chance. But out here.” Victor waved his hand over the horizon pointing to the villages that dotted their view, including the one that they had originally arrived at during their quest.


“The rules are different. These people are not members of some advanced feudal society, they do not have the luxury of having a small percentage of the population focus on growing their food so that the rest of the upper class can just sit around and discuss the arts, and philosophy, and spend all day trying to invent new things. No! Out here there are far different social rules. Think about it, when you enter my palace what do you see? You see artworks on the wall, master crafts of architecture, everything that those civilised folks that we rely on to keep us in our positions of power would be in awe at. What did you see when you entered the chief of that tribe’s palace?” Cho was still trying to figure out exactly what Victor was getting at, he although still shaken from his ordeal he seemed curious, for once the smug grin that usually crossed the Emperor’s face was gone. A warm half smile replacing it as he imparted his knowledge of how the world functions onto this proteges.


“By palace do you mean that big hut? If so all I remember where the animal bones” Cho answered, taking the bait.


“Very good Cho, and yes I mean the hut because if you put some thought into it, that hut was the palace! It is the largest building in the village by far is inhabited by the natural leader of the civilisation, and is decorated in a way that will cause shock and awe to those that see it. For you see whilst those city folk love their well-designed buildings that will last hundreds of years as a sign of success and power, in an environment like this where there is far less certainty who has the time or resources to invest into that sort of structure? To a tribal or nomadic society that would just seem foolish. To them, hunting trophies show that they are well-fed, and capable of a fight, it's a sign to enemies to stay away because this tribe have taken down much worse than a few measly raiders, and it says to their people that they are protected by a paternal guardian who will, if they stick to his will, make sure they eat well.”


Flavia finished writing down the last statement as she looked over her notes. “So what you are saying Emperor Wolfe is that, uh. Power in tribes is based around might and short term impermanence? Whilst in cities it is based around how decadence and longevity?” Victor’s half-smile turned full as he let out a small chuckle.


“That is exactly it, so to answer why I acted the way I did we have to go back to when I met the chief. That started a war of ideology, now as much as you may think I show disdain for their culture I actually appreciate it. I can respect a man who has spent his entire life, fighting battles to keep his people alive, that is a very noble way of life. But unfortunately, it is not what I feel is the best way for their society to run, I sent scouts out to the villages around the mountain offering them places in our city along with help to make sure that they would be able to adapt to the culture shock but most turned it down.” Cho rolled his eyes, obviously, they would turn down uprooting their tribe from their homeland and entire way of life.


“I had also heard about rumours of this little case that we solved so when we visited the chief I left him with a declaration of war, not of the literal kind, but on an ideological level. I was going to prove that whilst noble, and traditional, that their system of rules had become outdated and that a new ideology was on the horizon. I wanted to show him that if he did not take the hard decisions to accept and adapt to the future way of things, that the future would come for him and his people sooner or later. They could choose to become another footnote in history, a tribe that got out-competed for resources by a much larger empire, turned on by their neighbours and likely picked off by the monsters that hunt these wastes.” Cho could see the sense in Victors words, after all, he had experienced the pleasant warmth and decadence of the city that they called home, in comparison to the bleak and cold reality of the wastes perhaps it would be for the best.


“Now, by showing that their ways of loose but friendly tribes were a system that could lead to their downfall all I had to do was to show that one tribe was exploiting the others, didn’t even need to be this bad, the level of bad blood that even a small infraction blown out of proportion would have created would have made this tribal confederation hard to keep up. And as they relied on each other for resources, all it takes is one domino to fall, for the ideology war to end in our total victory. Now you may be thinking that none of this would really explain why I had to be belligerent to their warriors. And you are right! You see to truly show that the Neo New Babylonian ideals of law, order and civilisation where the now dominant ideology around here I had to first play by their own rules, we had to show strength and power. If we had just handed over the prisoners it would have made is seem subservient to their chieftain and we would go back to just being the city folks that helped the mighty tribe defeat their evil enemies” Victor stretched as he started to wrap up his lecture.


“You only get one chance to make a first impression, and we did that. They now know that in these lands it is our word of the law that decides how things are run from now on, and the letter to the chief will allow him and his people access to the city and their living accommodations. And I also made sure to pick my target well, I went for the tribe best known for their martial prowess and hunting skills. With them falling under our influence, and the distrust over this little incident, it’s only a matter of time before our glorious empire continues to grow! So, any questions?” Victor scanned the eyes of his students as he walked backwards.


Cho seemed to have questions running through his mind, his eyes darted to Victor but quickly dropped again as he continued to sulk over having comitted murder for the first time in his life. Flavia however was quick as pipe up. “So why do we need these villagers when they are not adapted to the ways of our city? Why not just move them on and take the land like the imperials did in their colonies?”


Cho seemed stunned by this line of questioning, however, Victor remained unphased. “That is a good question but you need to consider the reasons as to why an empire like ours wants to expand? Does their land have any resources that we need immediate access to?” Victor waved around to the ice sheets.


“There is plenty of game to hunt and ice to cool our drinks around our capital, and there is still plenty of space to expand within the caverns so places to put people are not a major issue either. The next question you need to ask is could we simply not just leave them where they are and station guards in their village to secure things? We could but given the day to day style of their lives we would be incurring a net loss to our empire and not even one as kind as I could allow that to go on for any length of time.” Victor pointed the cannibals as he spoke.


“Now the final two questions are related to why these folks have to be punished and removed from our society. The final question about if we should just chase away the villagers or not? Are they really inferior to us? Now I know that with our technology, and our books, and our buildings you may think instinctively that, yes of course we are! But I would argue that being able to survive out on this ice sheet and settle down, nevermind just do what our miners do where they spend a year at a time then leave, is actually almost as impressive as surviving on the streets of a big city, if not more so!” Victor shook the hand pointed at the cannibals pointing each one of them out.


“Now these folks are too far gone, they have chosen their route of civilisation and it is one that is incompatible with how we wish to rule, I assume that even you Cho, do not wish to see these people walking happily amongst our streets? No, but I feel that given the resources that we have available to try and make the transition as smooth as possible, the other tribal folk can find a new meaning in their lives, they can teach our warriors and scouts how to traverse the land better, and how to fend of the native fauna. And we can teach them how to farm, how to craft, and how to be of use to our society. Probably increasing their average lifespan by double digits!” Dropping his hand from the cannibals and pointing to the volcano that they called home Victor announced.


“And there is one resource that is in my eyes we need more than any other at this current time. We need manpower! The more people we have available to us, the more people we have adding new ideas to how we can do things. The more people are having kids, the more kids there are the more adults we get, the more ideas the quicker our technology can advance and the less people we need doing jobs like farming! The less people we need to be making food, the more people can spend time enjoying life and inventing new things for us to make use off. The more people that have free time, the more people that can sign up for our military and the more space we need for our expanding population. You see it's a cycle of needs that I am speeding up by bringing in outside help for the population boost!” Spreading his hand wide as if to say tada the assassin awaited a reaction, Flavia quickly clapped forgetting that her notebook was still in her hand, a look of horror crossed the girls face as it started to fall towards the snow.


Cho focused his earthbending and before the books pages could be ruined by the moisture from the snow a pillar of rock burst from underneath the white mush, holding the book up, dry as ever. The blonde reached forward and tucked the book safely back into her pocket before rushing over and embracing Cho. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would have done if my notes got destroyed!”


Victor chuckled as he continued to lead the way, glad that his students seemed to be able to coexist without killing one another, something that was surprisingly rare in Victors line of work, at least since he took up the job.


The trio and their prisoners approached the elevator that led to the city of Nippur, two large fiery beasts rushed towards them, their riders wearing the black and silver of the Neo Nippurian scout core, spears at the ready as they surrounded the party. Cho seemed ready to defend himself as did Flavia but Victor just waved them down. After a few seconds the scouts lowered their weapons and their salamanders relaxed. “Emperor Wolfe, we have news to report” claimed the head of the scout core, the one that had given them the information that lead to their map piece, her red hair matching the flames radiating from her mount.


“Well then you had best report, no need to give a big display like this everytime you tell me that a new tree, or interesting rock formation has been discovered” He said with a giggle the scout women rolling her eyes.


“You know, I thought after this promotion and giving you that information I might have shown I deserve a little respect” She said with a tut. Victor’s eyes seemed to light up.


“And I would have thought that after me giving you that promotion you would have at least learned how to recognise your employer from a distance, after all how many attractive thin blonds with red eyes are there,” Victors eyes darted down to Flavia who simply smiled back at him.


“Ok you know what, respect earned, what is your report my loveliest of head scouts” The redhead rolled her eyes once again as she replied.


“We had some strangers arrive at the city, there are guards keeping an eye on them ready to arrest them but we decided to wait for your guidance on this matter. Should we throw them into the cells?” an eyebrow raised Victor seemed intrigued, knowing roughly what the answer would be he leaned forwards.


“Oh? Tell me about these strangers? What do they look like?”


“Well, one of them looked like a more modest version of the gem village women, same height, and if the armour is form fitting then built like a bodybuilder. Carried a big sword too, although we didn’t know if we should have confiscated that” The head scout shook her head whilst looking at the guards at the gate.


“Well yes, you probably should have confiscated their weapons, don’t want people running around that might decided to start trouble with a giant sword. I would not worry about this one though, I am pretty sure I know who she is” Victor mused, he was certain that this woman must have been the bodyguard for his most prized guest.


“The next one was a man that depending on how you looked at him could be described as roguishly handsome or scruffy. I guess it would depend on what you are into. He seemed to be under the thumb of the rest of the group so we didn’t really pay much attention to him” Another description that Victor nodded to, from his memory this would be the stow away that they had captured, if not for inviting him to the feast Victor would have almost considered asking him to be captured and thrown into the cells.


“There was a uh? Cat person? Seemed like the one in charge, gave off tough grandmother vibes? That was a new one even for us.” Chuckling at the look of confusion on the scouts face Victor knew exactly who she was referring to, the fabled Ra, queen of the Nippurian streets economy and one of the individuals that helped the city survive the power vacuum left after the battle of Nippur. A figure that had been of interest to the diplomat due to both her skills above and under the table. He would have to have a long chat with her about the procedure for breaking into Nippurian prisons. A fierce tiger of a businesswoman and one of the most valuable assets the city could gain.


“Oh! And there was this woman, she was just something special.” The redhead seemed almost out of breath as she recalled watching the group from afar.


“Let me guess, curves in all the right places, a warm but melancholy smile that could either melt your heart or turn your you into a crying mess with the sadness in her eyes? Lips that with just a gaze dry your own? And a voice that sounds like an angel singing?” The scout snapped out of her daze nodding.


“How did you know?” Victor reached into his pocket and removed what appeared to be a rolled up magazine. On the front cover was a man that resembled their current emperor, only with spiker hair and a more noble visage, there was also a paragraph that read “exclusive interview with the head diplomat of New Babylon Victor Wolfe!” skipping past some pages reaching the centrefold before showing the rest he looked at the gathered crowd.


“Flavia, be a dear and close your eyes, you are a bit too young to see this.” The girl pouted but did as she was told, turning away as Victor showed Cho and the guardswomen a spread of Masa laying on her side, her pose hiding her modesty. Cho seemed to snap out of his melancholy and the scout almost passed out on her feet, their faces turning bright red despite the cold of the icy wind.


“This woman? I mean, I keep it for the articles but it is quiet a picture isn’t it?” Victor stuffed the magazine back into his pocket to the disappointed look of the rest of the group.


“Yes that women, how much for a copy of the magazine” the head scout asked.


Victor simply winked “it's not for sale, although if you are good enough maybe the three of us could have some fun together”


The fiery redhead burst out laughing “Sorry Victor but you are really, not my type, and I know all about your reputation, but do you really think you have a shot with her?”


Victor leaned in “I have my ways, and just what would qualify as your type miss scout?”


“Uhhh, well you know those groupies that hang around your palace? That is more my type” She said with a smile.


“Fair enough, keep up the good work scout!” Victor leaned back a little, returning to his more normal posture as the chief of the scouts giggled, her eyes going wide as she remembered something.


“Oh! There was one more with them, a small and rather strange looking girl with white hair?” an eyebrow raised on the assassins face, this description didn’t match with any that his guest had informed him of, but if they were travelling as a party she couldn’t be that bad. Worth keeping an eye on though as she may serve some use as all the strange folk he had met had so far.


“They are all my honoured guests and should be treated as such, well except the scruffy fellow, if you see him grab anything he shouldn’t remove a hand to teach him a valuable lesson. I also need you to send a message around everyone important in the city, we are holding a feast to celebrate another successful mission, our honoured guests, and the glory of Neo-Nippur.”


The head scout nodded, she had not been promoted in time for the last party and thus was out on a mission whilst the social elite got to enjoy the festivities, this time she would most certainly be enjoying her time off. She happily rode off on her salamander to spread the word around town.


“As for you two, its free time for now, I need to deliver these prisoners, I do expect to see both of you looking presentable at the feast so I recommend a shower, get the blood out of your hair. Scrub the sins of your back!” Victor patted Cho on the back as the guards guided the prisoners off the stone platform and into the elevator, the emperor taking up his position at the back of the line as they descended into the depths.


The walk to the pyramid was an uneventful one, Victor had made the choice to use his stealth belt and follow the parade of prisoners from the rooftops of the city, after all seeing their fearless leader covered in blood and viscera was not the image he wanted to portray at this point. The towns folk stared at the villagers as they were guided by the guard patrol, hushed whispers about their potential crimes spread like wildfire, none really guessing the true depths of their depravity.


The guardsman marched them up the steps of the pyramid, armed guards dragging prisoners up the steps of a temple to face their fate being an image that the assassin quite enjoyed. Once inside the pyramid, despite the initial protests of the cultists, the prisoners were soon locked up in one of the makeshift cages that Sigmund had intended for his little summoned monsters. Close to where the pair needed them to be and probably the hardest prison to escape from in the city due to the how many people now regularly lived within and worshipped at the temple.


The emperor made his way into the storage room of the temple, always a hive of activity with cultists. Victor moved through careful not to bump into anything, the invisibility from the belt hiding his presence. Approaching what appeared to be a dead end hidden from view by an inlet in the wall he lifted the crystal to the hidden passage, the door quickly sliding open as the assassin stepped through. The silent slide of the false wall closing behind him as he continued towards the laboratory.


Once inside Victor could see the android Bishop working away at his computer desk, Victor was not sure if this was to write up information required for their experiments, or if it was just a rather intense game of minesweeper but Sigmund seemed to take no notice of the strange mechanical man.


Sigmund was as always scanning his tome of suspiciously arcane knowledge, although today he seemed a little more on edge than usual. His eyes moved quickly across the pages, and his hands clenched. Victor pressed the button on his belt and with a click he reappeared in front of Sigmund.


“No need to hurt your hands in anticipation my friend, I have good news for you!” The emperor smiled. Sigmund hardly looked up, the tension in his shoulders almost awaiting news that more of his cultists had been given a trip to the ER to build up their ‘mental fortitude’.


“At least twenty!” Victor announced, Sigmund looked upwards, puzzled.


“You know, prisoners, all cannibals too, so no one will really miss them when they are gone, perfect subjects right?” Sigmund let out a sigh of relief, for Victor, this was better news than expected.


“And the even better news is that I only want three used for our little deal. Keep the numbers low to observe them for now, make sure we are able to handle it. The rest are my gift to you, to do with as you please. I just ask that you not do something stupid like set them free. Then again, you are a Vrell not a Varma. Similar names, very different people.” With a quick look down Victor remembered that he was still covered in the gore and viscera from his recent escapades.


“And with that, I am borrowing the shower!”
 

Sigmund Vrell

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Sigmund gave a slightly hesitant nod to the emperor, deciding not to ask about the blood soaking his clothes.

“They're just down the hall.” The cultist said as Victor left the room. A few moments of silence passed before Bishop looked up and cleared his throat.

“Is he gone?”

“Yes.” Sigmund said, slightly surprised that the android had even noticed the assassin.

“God, finally.” Bishop said, standing up abruptly and quickly walking over to a nearby cupboard. “He was dripping all over the floor. Doesn't he know that all viscera is to be kept in the test chamber?”

“Oh, right.” The high priest said, glancing over to the puddle of blood that had formed on the floor where Victor had been standing. The cultist cleared his throat as he turned to Bishop, who was currently descending upon the dirty floor, both hands full of cleaning products. “I'm going to take my leave now, I'll send Devon in with some test subjects. Let me know if anything of interest happens.”

Sigmund turned to leave, assuming that the android was nodding to him and not just cleaning so vigorously that his head was shaking. Slipping out through the false wall and into the empty inlet, he released a deep sigh that he had been holding in. The high priest couldn't stand being in the lab for too long, particularly with Bishop’s incessant keyboard tapping in place of conversation.

“Sigmund!” A voice shrieked without warning, causing the cultist to jump in surprise. The young man whipped around, finding himself face-to-face with his zealous bodyguard, Cordie. Her eyes were wide with worry, the kaleidoscopic irises eclipsing her black sclera. “Where were you? Yorn and I were looking everywhere!”

“Sorry, sorry, I was having a meeting with the emperor.” Sigmund said, taking a deep breath to hide his surprise. For the dozenth time he reminded himself to never take his eyes off of the girl unless he wanted to suffer a heart attack, cursing her ability to appear when you least expected it. Cordie’s worried expression dropped as she glanced down, noticing a line of viscera leading away from the inlet.

“Oh, I see.” She said, unperturbed by the blood trail. Her expression then brightened and Sigmund could have sworn that he saw her elfish ears perk up. “Ooh, can we meet him?”

“I'm sure you'll get to meet him soon, but we have work to do right now.” Sigmund said as he began to make his way out of the storage room.

“Does it have something to do with that big crowd of prisoners that they brought into the menagerie?” Cordie asked.

“Yes, actually.” The high priest said with a nod. His bodyguard said nothing, staring at him expectantly. “What?”

“Go on.”

“It's very top secret.”

“Don't worry, my lips are sealed.” Cordie said with a grin. Sigmund opened his mouth but quickly closed it again. The mysterious girl was endlessly persistent and he had quickly realised that arguing wasn't worth it.

“We’re going to be breeding xenomorph’s for Victor’s use.”

“Wow, xenomorphs.” Cordie said before pausing. “They're for the emperor’s use?”

“Yes?” Sigmund replied, unsure what the confusion was.

“Hmm… I guess you're right, he really is a deviant.” She said. “I see why it's top secret now.”

“No no no, not like that.” The high priest said before pausing himself. “I hope…”

The pair had made their way most of the way to the menagerie before they were interrupted by a hulking figure coming towards them. Sigmund’s other new bodyguard, Yorn, was approaching, his axe in one hand and the scruff of Opal’s neck in the other.

“This one’s been misbehaving again.” The large man sighed before dropping the shaman before Sigmund.

“Yorn!” Cordie exclaimed, aghast. “You're talking normally in front of them.”

“Sigmund trusts them. I don't see the issue in not doing the big lug act right now.”

“Forget it.” The head cultist interjected. “Opal, you didn't kill anyone did you?”

“No.” The shaman scoffed. “It really wasn't that bad this time. I was just heckling the new prisoners while Devon was taking notes.”

“Define ‘heckling’.”

“Throwing rocks.” Yorn said before Opal could speak.

“Yorn! Shut up!” The shaman snapped, crossing their arms and turning back to Sigmund. “I was throwing rocks.”

“Why?” The high priest asked, exasperated.

“Because I'm BORED.” Opal groaned. “I feel like we haven't done anything in like seven months. What's Devon taking notes for anyway?”

“It's top secret.” Sigmund said. Opal mumbled an objection before glancing down, noticing the blood trail leading to the showers.

“Hey, when did the emperor get here?” The shaman asked before turning back to the high priest, their brow furrowing. “Wait, he's not planning something… deviant with those prisoners, is he?”

“Yes.” Cordie said.

“No!” Sigmund groaned. He took a deep breath as he considered the consequences of telling the group. At the very least, he would need to tell Yorn, if only because it wouldn't be fair for one bodyguard to know and not the other. “We're breeding xenomorphs for Victor.”

“Hmm.” Yorn grunted, his eyebrow raised. “Sounds dangerous.”

“Yeah, that's… actually kinda some heavy shit.” Opal noted before giving the high priest a thumbs up. “Don't worry, I swear I won't tell anyone.”

“I- Good. Okay. Now that that's out of the way, I'm going to the menagerie.” Sigmund sighed, beginning to make his way there and quickly realising that the group was coming with him. He couldn't help but feel that this was going to be a long day. When they arrived, Devon was busily inspecting the prisoners.

“How goes it?” The head cultist asked.

“The stock is good.” The genewarper said before glancing at the crowd that had formed around him.

“They know.” Sigmund sighed. “Don't worry, though, they'll keep quiet.”

“Right, I'm sure they really dragged it out of you.” Devon said, stifling a chuckle and rolling his eyes. “How many do we need?”

“The emperor has asked for three. We can do what we wish with the rest.”

The genewarper paused and turned to face his superior, eyebrows raised. “Generous of him.” He then turned back to the prisoners and pointed out three. “Them. They're the healthiest from the looks of it.”

“Alright. Yorn, if you will.” The high priest said. With a growl, the man opened the cage and began fishing out the unfortunate test subjects.

“You know, Victor had them marched in like they were going up to the gallows.” Devon said, his gaze remaining on the prisoners. “It's going to do wonders for our public image, I'm sure.”

“Well, with any luck, he'll be able to spin it in a good light.” Sigmund replied.

“I'm not sure, I don't know if the average citizen thinks too highly of our little cabal to begin with.” The genewarper sighed as he watched Yorn remove the last of the condemned. “Probably doesn't help that we keep to ourselves in a big, creepy pyramid.”

“Perhaps not. Say, Devon, could you do me a favour?” The high priest asked.

“Let me guess, you want me to take them to meet Bishop?”

“I'd be extremely grateful.”

“Alright, you got it.” He grimaced. “You're buying me lunch though.”

“A small price to pay.” Sigmund said, returning the grimace. With that, Devon was off, test subjects in tow.

“Looks like that's all the excitement we’re getting for today.” Opal sighed, stretching lazily. “You guys wanna throw rocks at prisoners?”

“I wouldn't be so sure.” Sigmund sighed. “When it rains, it pours… Opal, put the rock down.”
 

Cho

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“As for you two, its free time for now, I need to deliver these prisoners, I do expect to see both of you looking presentable at the feast so I recommend a shower, get the blood out of your hair. Scrub the sins of your back!” the Emperor patted Cho on the back. He lurched forward a bit, sneering as he did. He glanced over at Wolfe’s latest protege and watched as she stood stock still in the snow. He’d half expected her to follow the Emperor onto the elevator.

“Such a dick.” the Earthbender grumbled under his breath as the Victor and his entourage descended into the depths aboard the elevator, leaving Cho and Flavia to use the stairs that the former had put in place not a day earlier. The blonde concealed a coy giggle behind a delicate hand. She decided not to scold her elder this time, he’d obviously been through a lot today and it had taken a toll. Cho gave her another sideways glance as he approached the stone stairwell. She peered down into the depths of the entrance to Wolfe’s empire and let out a drawn out “Wow!” that echoed all the way down, reverberating against the stone walls of the cavern. The Earthbender moved to the stairs and beckoned Flavia over.

“Stand next to me, don’t move.” he instructed, bluntly. Flavia did as she was told and the boy rooted his feet in the stone step before thrusting his hands out in front of him. The step upon which the pair stood jerked forwards, Flavia almost lost her balance as she was caught by surprise. She scrambled a little but gripped onto Cho’s arm and didn’t let go. One by one, the stone steps seemed to flatten themselves, to make way for the Earthbender and his fellow student; only to resurface once they’d passed.

“How far down is it?” Flavia broke the silence. Cho shrugged lightly as he peered down, over the side of the spiral staircase. The cavern at the bottom was illuminated by multiple sconces, their flames flickering as the bitter wind from outside reached the bottom, and the odd crystal formations dotted about. Cho counted the remaining torches that were embedded in the wall of the shaft.

“We’re just over half way down.” he replied, finally deciding that keeping to silence wouldn’t be of benefit to either of them. “What do you plan to do before the feast?” he continued, sparing a fleeting look over at the blonde.

“I need a shower and some clean clothes,” Flavia began, “I was hoping that Emperor Wolfe would have been able to provide them, but I suppose I’ll find something along the way. Do you know of any seamstresses or shops where I could get some?” Cho snorted a laugh. His time with the Emperor had been short, but he’d come to a few revelations about his character over the course of the past couple of days.

“I’m sure we’ll find something for you on the way. Might have to pull a few strings, but we’ll figure it out. When was the last time you ate?” he enquired, his eyebrow cocked as he peered down at the girl clinging to his arm. He could tell she was starving just by looking at her, not that she let anything on; he was sure she’d suffer in silence rather than whine about being hungry. Flavia shrugged in reply, choosing to stare down at the ever approaching entrance to the Empire.

“We’ll get something to eat as well, then.” Flavia opened her mouth to interject but the Earthbender had already anticipated her objection and interrupted, “Don’t worry about the feast. You haven’t got to get anything huge, just something to tide you over for the next couple of hours.” Cho rolled his eyes and shook his head, all the while smirking coyly, as she opened her mouth to protest once again only to remain silent, a vague air of defeat wafted over her as she allowed herself a quiet huff.

“Any preference? You’re not a fussy eater, I hope?” Cho piped up again, gesturing widely for the girl to step off of the stone staircase and ushered her towards the entrance to the city. She didn’t answer the Earthbender’s question, her voice caught in her throat as she took in the view of Victor’s capital. She crossed the threshold, jaw slightly agape. The guards, either side of the entrance, snorted a derisive laugh — they’d seen the same reaction from multitudes of visitors to the city. Cho shot the pair of them a sharp glare. Despite his short time with the Emperor, even the gate guards now had an idea of who this jumped up teen was; they’d seen him come and go in Wolfe’s company, almost always deep in conversation. The pair cleared their throats and stood to attention, only the faintest hint of a sneer lingered on their faces as the younger duo entered the cavern that housed Nippur.

“I dunno how much time we’ve got before the feast, so we’ll grab something to eat, head up to Victor’s palace and you can get washed up or.. Whatever.” Cho started quickly until he realised how he sounded, at which point he slowed down and sigh. He screwed his face up and pinched his the bridge of his nose for a moment. “You can do whatever you want, that’s what I’m gonna do at least. We can find you some clothes at the same time. It’s up to you.” Flavia considered her options for a moment before speaking.

“I’ll stick with you for now. I don’t know my way around.” she nodded a few times, smiling amiably at Cho. The Earthbender smirked faintly as he took the lead, his blonde companion practically skipping a few paces behind. The duo approached the bazaar, melding seamlessly into the bustling crowds that crawled through the narrow walkways. They approached the clothing shop that Cho had shopped at no more than 24 hours ago. Grudgir sat behind the counter of the shop — his attention focussed on the book in front of him. Cho cleared his throat with a coy smirk and the shopkeep looked up, eyeing the pair from head to toe.

“Well damn, kid.” Gritarn uttered, a smirk of his own creeping across his features, “You two look like crap. Good job your suit’s almost ready, eh?” Cho cocked a brow briefly before speaking out.

“Already? You said a week yesterday.” Cho quipped, “I’m not gonna complain, I’ll take it whenever it’s ready. I need another favour, though.”

“Jeez. Another?” Grudgir sighed, “Lemme guess. You gotta get the girl something as well?”

“Mhmm. Pretty much.”

“You’re in luck. I’m not gonna make something from scratch, though. You’ll have to make do with something I’ve already got in stock. And I want payment this time. Can’t keep giving out handouts all the time. No matter who you are or who you work for.”

“Understood. But can I pay you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?!”

“I told you yesterday I’m new around here.. I’ve got no money. I can get some tonight and I’ll get it to you tomorrow.”

“Alright.. Fine. But..”

“But what?” Cho winced.

“I want an invite to that fancy shindig that’s going on tonight. The feast.” the Earthbender groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Fine. I’ll get you in. She needs something now, though.”

“Yeah, yeah. You got it. Pick something out then.” Grudgir gestured towards the racks of clothes dotted about the shop. The blonde girl chortled happily and set about picking out outfits and holding them up to herself to check the fit and how it would look. Cho, however, paid the girl no heed; he had no interest in girls clothes and found the idea of shopping laborious and tiresome. He sighed and sidled up to the counter and leant back against it as he watched Flavia skirt around the shop and pick out clothes until she finally settled on an outfit. She held it up and beamed a smile.

“I’ll take this one!” she called out. Grudgir nodded a few times, “You can drop the coin off tomorrow or I’ll take it from ‘ya tonight, at the feast, eh?” Cho let out another groan and nodded a few times.

“Yeah, yeah. Deal. Don’t be late. I won’t be able to get you in if you’re not there on time. I’m gonna show Flavia to the palace. I’ll be back in a bit to pick up my clothes. They’ll be ready, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Catch ya later, kid.”

Cho ushered Flavia out of the shop, stepping aside to allow her to exit first. She smiled up at him as he guided her in the direction of the palace, with a gentle hand on her shoulder, and into the bustling streets of Nippur once again. Flavia’s grin widened as she peered about, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the bazaar — a vibrant array of colours splayed out in front of them at different stalls accompanied by a dull cacophony of the voices of the crowd melding together. While Cho powered ahead, Flavia made an effort to stop at every stall and look at the wares the Dwemer were peddling. He did his best to keep her in his sights, occasionally stopping to allow her to catch up. She came away from the final stall with a kebab on a stick consisting of a multitude of different varieties of mushroom, no doubt grown in the caves around Nippur. The girl nibbled at it happily as they approached the steps leading to the palace. The guards posted at the gate gave the duo a cursory glance and gestured for them to enter, a haughty scoff escaping one of the Dwemer as they passed.

Cho lead the girl to the room her had previously slept in, he snorted a laugh as he noticed her expression; she was clearly enamored with the palace, a glint in her eye near enough ever present as she peered around. Cho swung the door to his room open and poked his head in to make sure the brunette from the night before had left.

“Here. Get yourself ready. I’ll leave you to it and go get my clothes from Grudgir. The shower’s in the back.”
 

Demetri Malius

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Stone and metal the color of bronze made up the outside of the temple, an interesting approach to the architecture. The large doors that opened before them were large and sturdy, with ornate engravings that were highlighted with gold. Decorated cloths and struts lined the hall, a split staircase at the end that led to the next floor. Light shone in through the porous windows, each also decorated with thin patterns that allowed plenty of air in from outside. The party slowly crept forward, eyes scanning each new design as they made their way down the stairs.

“This is the main hall of the temple. Those who wish to actively praise those they believe in can do so here. The Order that we have here are those that use this room the most, the native Dwemer don’t seem to focus much on religious practice, so the temple serves many other features as well.” Enugi nodded before continuing, motioning to the stairs on the far end by the newer religious shrines. “Below are the public baths and small dining area, as well as a spa for those that wish to pull away from the business of everyday life. I must remind you that indecent gestures and activities are not allowed during normal hours, but Emperor Wolfe has suggested that certain funds may allow private access for short periods of time.”

“Doesn’t that seem a bit disrespectful?”

“To some maybe. However, due to the lack of dedication from most of the casual native worshippers of the temple and the reconsideration from the emperor, some activities are being given a second chance.”

“It doesn’t seem like you are too fond of the idea,” Morene spoke up with concern.

“I simply want whatever causes the least amount of headache in all honesty.” Their guide replied with a sigh.

“Fair enough. Now, if any of you don’t mind, I would be right back.” Demetri piped up and immediately began to head for the stairs, at least until he felt the collar of his coat tugged into the air. Morene stared at him with narrowed eyes.

“Now hold a moment, you are not going anywhere without somebody watching you.”

“Well, if you are the type to stare at others while they shower my dear then you can come along.”

Morene’s expression twitched slightly at the man’s audacity, choosing to instead lift him off the floor instead of giving him any worth of a reply.

“Oh come on!” The man yelped as he sunk into his shirt. “You know I’m a flirt but you can’t say you haven’t smelled me the entire time we got off of the ship!”

Morene only tightened her grimace. “Enugi, how secure in this temple?”

“All windows and skylights are too thick to break and their cutouts too small to climb through. The doors we came through are the only way out.”

“Thank you.” With that confirmation she let go of the thief, allowing him to wander freely. “Don’t try anything.”

The man scowled as he dusted himself off.

“Well, to anyone else willing,” he shot a glance towards the rest of the girls. “I’ll be downstairs.”

Once out of sight, Morene sighed a bit in relief.

“You okay, Morene?” Iris seemed concerned for her partner.

“It’s fine. Hard to relax when you have someone like him you need to keep an eye on at all times.”

“You’ll be fine! I doubt he could sneak out well enough in a place like this!”

“This one would not be so sure. Slow-claws still hides something.“ Ra’tima kept her eyes on the stairs beside them.

“Well Mama, they did say they had a spa! Maybe we can relax a bit too before the big dinner! I wouldn’t mind touching up a bit!”

“That does sound fun! I don’t usually go to places like this, my synthetic biological components have functions for self-cleaning.” Iris seemed curious about the idea.

“I suppose we can relax for a moment. I don’t need any care but it will be easier to keep an eye on things.” Morene took another breath before stepping down the staircase, Iris and Masahir in tow.

“Khajiit thanks you for your patience with her daughter’s company. We will see you to escort us to the dinner afterward, yes?”

“Of course, I have some errands to run in the plaza, I will be back in time to bring you.”

Ra’tima replied with a nod before joining the group below.

Demetri had already undressed and wrapped his towel around his waist, making his way from the lockers to the baths. Though they wandered toward the females in the room, he was more focused on how to get outside. All of the walls were closed in for the sake of the architecture, so there were no open windows for him to slink out of using the trick of his. He cursed under his breath, perhaps there were better opportunities out of sight in the actual bath. His attention was suddenly snapped away when he heard a laugh.

“Ooh, mama! They already know who I am!” Masahir stood at the counter with the workers, who seemed to already have her on file due to the news spreading about the arrival of a star that the emperor had invited. Already, servants began to select their materials for the deluxe package of whatever services they could offer.

“Wait, hey! What about me?” Demetri yelled from the hall nearly treading into the shallow pools to try to grab the group’s attention.

Morene couldn’t help but smirk as the thief stumbled in the ankle-high water.

“You spoke of yourself being covered in filth, did you not? Perhaps you may have a turn after you finish cleaning behind your ears.” She waved over at him, feeling a bit of satisfaction seeing him stomp back into the hall into the deeper baths.

Demetri mumbled under his breath as he arrived at the baths, a bit surprised there was nobody inside. He hopped in, leaned back, and closed his eyes with his towel on his forehead before softly screaming at the utter nonsense he had to deal with up to now. Mutiny, ship repossession, starvation, scrutiny, a practical furnace, a practical freezer, the list just kept adding up. Maybe he would go ahead and try to relax for a bit before slipping out of there. The warm water and steam felt soothing against his skin, his sinuses beginning to open and clear. He felt the tensions of the past few weeks slowly fade away as he lost himself in the feeling of the bath. The soft sounds of wet feet stepping on tile didn’t register until they were right behind him.

“These would be the most unlikely circumstances that I thought I would ever see you again, thief.”

Gods be damned. Somebody recognized him all the way out here in this icy wasteland. And what luck, of course here he was not only unprepared but quite literally naked. He opened his eyes to see a pale man with long blonde hair above him, the most remarkable feature being his bright red eyes staring down at him. That would not be a face he forgot if he ever saw it before.

“Here’s a thought, maybe you’re mistaking me for someone else. I haven’t snatched anything in my life, I’ve hardly even stolen this bath for myself..”

“Ironic, seeing as I am the owner of it, “ the man seemed to be contemplating something. “Are you sure you aren’t the man I believe you to be, Demetri Malius.”

Illuminated completely by the magic lighting in the braziers, the thief could not hide the sudden tension of his body as he snapped into a standing position.


“I ah… of course not. Never heard of the name.” The fact that this blonde man knew his full name worried Demetri. Any thief who’s name grew further than his reach always attracted more attention than its worth. From what he knew, his name hadn’t made it past the small group that brought him along. “Why do you ask.” The thief’s eyes glanced at the hallway, unsure if this would become more than he could handle.

“No need for any discomfort or worry my good man,” the blonde somehow seemed more confident, as if simply knowing the thief’s reaction was enough to tell him more than a few secrets. “But if you did happen to go by that name, I may have a few opportunities for you.”

The words seemed to relax the thief. Being coerced into an arrangement was much more preferable than being chased by all the town guard… as well as an android, a knight, and a cat woman.

“Perhaps I have been called that name before, you must have me at a disadvantage.”

“How inconsiderate of me, my name is Emperor Victor Wolfe, and I control this city. Surely, you have heard of the name if you don’t recognize the face. I would say you could recognize me in some other way if you had been a woman.”

Demetri froze for a moment. It seemed that this was the Emperor in the flesh, and much more than he had hoped. He would need to be careful.

“I see. Then I have heard of you after all. I believe you know who I am accompanying then?”

Victor cocked his head to the side, unsure of this new surprise. “Who is that, may I ask?”

“The star herself, Masahir. I believe we were to meet tonight at the feast.”

A laugh escaped the Emperor’s lips. “Well then, it seems that things are lining up quite nicely then. Tell me, is she in the bath now?”

Demetri nearly huffed in annoyance, remembering what he was missing out on. Though, perhaps this might be a way to turn things around.

“I believe they just started on your servants treating them with their deluxe services, maybe we should go ahead and join them?”

A smirk spread across Victor’s face, “I do like that idea, come, let us see what our dear star is up to.”
 

Morene Fellon

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As the party’s token rodent slipped away in a tantrum, Morene Fellon chuckled under her breath. Although it was definitely amusing to one-up Demetri in every circumstance since disembarking their ship, the knochten couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt for practically bullying the man into hesitant submission. The hulking woman knew already that the thief was going to continue doing the only thing he knew how, but at the present moment, she wanted to take a moment and rest.

As the aestheticians dispersed to treat the now giggling Masahir, her mother Ra’tima Dro decided to appreciate the opportunity before Morene did. The woman almost forgot she was hired as a bodyguard only half a day beforehand, figuring to herself that she was a bit too tense for her own good.

The android, ironically enough, already took notice of Morene’s unease moments ago. Iris looked back at Morene, who stood sternly under the open door frame.

“Come on, relax a little!” Iris exclaimed, to which Morene eventually nodded with a slight smirk.

“Aye,” the knochten sighed seemingly in relief, “hopefully I’ve not killed the mood at this point.”

Morene nearly felt the tiled floor beneath her struggling to maintain the weight of her power armor. Of course, a full suit of alloy plates designed for skirmishes on the battlefield wasn’t exactly meant to step foot inside of a spa room. As she walked over to the similarly tiled wall, Morene faced the open entrance she was previously guarding. Hunching her back over slightly, the loud spit of steam filled the room, immediately catching the eye of everyone in the party, including the workers.

Taking a deep breath, the huntress clenched her teeth for a brief moment, bracing for the immediate sting of pain caused by the removal of her shell. A cold jolt spiked through her skull and down her spine, yet the woman made no noise beyond the sucking of air through her tightly closed mouth. Slowly, the airtight slits in her armor released, the steam’s hiss quieting to a whisper through the tiny pores beneath her pauldrons. The silvery alloy plates split apart, raising and lowering at the back, the slow movement of pistons akin to an expensive car.

After Morene had relieved herself of her armor, Masahir watched as this towering woman hatched herself from the ceramic metal cocoon. Perhaps the previous comparison to a desert bear wasn’t as apt as that of a moth; a woman who somehow appeared even stronger, not to mention quite prettier, than what her shell led onlookers to believe if one had the right eye for it. As Masa continued to peer, she took note of the three strange metal circles on her back, which seemed to sink into Morene’s skin. The huntress stepped down, seemingly unphased by the piqued interest of Masahir and Iris, stripping herself of her gambeson.

With the skin of her back exposed to the warm and moist air, Morene’s intense musculature seemed to loosen up. Her body eased to a state of comfort, finally. She deeply inhaled the hot air around her.

“Oh my!” Masahir exclaimed clearly, putting a hand on her chin. The dancer watched as her bodyguard walked over to the warm waters, finally taking a seat. The knochten rolled her head back, releasing the air in her lungs finally.

After a moment, both Iris and Masahir exchanged a rather suspicious look, slowly presuming getting serviced by the incredibly patient workers still awkwardly present. The rather calm set of men and women working on the clock walked through their options step by step, Masa and her mother thoroughly outlining their particular treatments and needs. Morene expected this, amused at Iris’ confused expression in the meantime, seemingly giddy at every single option presented to her; the huntress wondered if they knew she was an android at all, or if the bot in question even cared. The woman treating Morene got on her knees directly behind her, making sure to ask permission before working as intended.

“Now that we’re all settled, Miss Fellon, would you like to start off with the facial services? Alternatively a massage, pedicure perhaps?”

Miss Fellon, the huntress thought to herself, that’s kind of cute. She replied after a moment of consideration. Morene nodded. “Massage will be fine, ma’am.”

“A good choice for a woman of your stature.” After a short moment, a pair of rather dainty hands rested themselves on Morene’s shoulders. The massage procedure was slower than expected. Faintly, the huntress recalled memories of her childhood, unable to dig up anything resembling an experience like this. Still, Morene knew she was supposed to feel more relieved as the woman applied pressure with her hands. Eventually, Masahir spoke up, taking advantage of the short quiet to talk to her bodyguard.

“Morene! You have to get in the mood~” The dancer teased, tilting her head with a smile to perhaps entice the knochten to pep up.

“Yes, that’s probably it, isn’t it?” Morene promptly agreed, sighing as she leaned back. Masahir knew she still wasn’t convinced, however.

“What’s wrong senorita? Don’t tell me you’re upset for letting your guard down or something?~” Masa continued, knowing for sure something else entirely was bugging Morene. She was right on that.

“No,” Morene chuckled, “that’s far too obvious. I can’t be that much of a caricature, am I? It’s not that; I just know this isn’t going to last for long.”

Iris scoffed, finally joining with a hint of sass. “What, that Demetri boy couldn’t handle you at all, Morene! What’s to worry about?”

“Perhaps not him,” Morene looked over, not showing more than a slight smirk of amusement at the quip she made about the poor thief. The only one who seemed to sense the distrust in Morene’s voice was Ra, though she didn’t show for it. Morene had her suspicions, and if Willio’s warnings weren’t enough, the way Victor himself seemed to conduct this entire event was nothing but strange.

“Iris has a point,” Masa interjected, “let’s enjoy it while it lasts then, yes?”

“It’s like you want me around for longer than this job entails, miss,” Morene teased, Masahir letting out a tiny giggle at the notion. Conveniently, the lady working on treating her to the spa routine let her hands off of the dancer, letting Masahir scoot over to get Morene’s attention, her face brightening up.

“Well,” Masahir hummed, “wouldn’t you and Iris like to stay awhile? Unless mi mama doesn’t want to, you’re a keeper!”

A short second passed as Morene pondered the question, or seemed to anyway. She truly didn’t have anywhere to go. Why would she after being thrown into an entirely foreign plane of existence? Looking over, the knochten finally replied.

“Aye, that would be kind of you two.”

“Good!” Masa exclaimed.

“Ooh that means we can all be friends!” Iris’ interest piqued. Her exclamation of this seemed comical to Morene.

“Was that not the case the first hour we all met? Unless this is going in the direction of us all living together or something of the sort.”

Masahir’s eyebrows raised expectantly. “Well?~”

“Hm,” Morene smirked, “I’d not be opposed to it! I’ve never had a roommate before though. That, and I have no idea what my living habits look like to people who actually participate in civil society.” The huntress seemed to ramble on at this point, flustered at the notion nobody seemed to object to this idea.

“You are very well kept, Morene! I’m sure that translates well to your schedule!”

“I’ll give myself that, I’m timely.” The huntress replied in earnest.

Masahir had opened her mouth to speak, but unfortunately Morene’s gut feelings turned out to be true. Bare feet coming from the entrance to the room could be heard very clearly among the gentle running of water, no intention of hiding their intentions that they were going to enter, whoever they were. Morene immediately deducted two different footsteps. For now, the knight-errant simply tensed up, waiting expectantly for whoever it was to come through. Morene had initially guessed Demetri, almost ready to give him some leeway and perhaps sit with everyone, but the fact somebody was accompanying him was especially worrisome.

The man who entered the room initially was not Demetri at all. He was standing a hair too tall for that to be the case, not to mention far too blonde and pale. Tension in the room seemed to die down as his full figure entered, all but Morene and Ra’s anyway. At that moment, one of the aestheticians greeted him properly.

“Good evening, Emperor Wolfe. How may we serve you today?” Their voice echoed through the room. Morene didn’t move an inch.

“No need,” he responded promptly, “I’ve been taken care of already. Hopefully I haven’t interrupted much; just wanted to see what our little star was up to.”

Masahir, who was obviously being referred to, paused for a moment, finally registering in her head that yes, this was indeed the same Victor Wolfe she had known before. The whiplash seemed to settle, forcing her to reply, honoring his name.

“Victor! It’s been so long since I’ve seen somebody else from home other than…” Enugi. She thought for a brief moment, correcting herself, “Dave, yes.”

“Oh, him?” Victor scoffed. “Surprising, you remember the name of a relatively low ranking officer. Tell me, who here have you brought to this feast we’re to be having soon?”

Before the dancer could reply, Morene noticed Demetri slipping behind Victor, standing a distance away from him as the attention was diverted to the emperor. The knochten immediately knew what he was doing, but her gut was really aching looking at this Wolfe individual and listening to him speak. Still, Morene decided to let him go, giving Masahir a chance to reply.

“Mi mama, of course,” she began, looking to Ra, who had a colder stare than usual. She continued. “Also, Morene, my bodyguard, and her companion Iris! You and Demetri have already talked, no…?”

“Of course, he’ll be sure to get a filling meal as well. Now, might I take a seat and get to know everybody a bit better?”

Absolutely not, Morene thought to herself, raising a hand in the air as if to gesture something. Everybody in the room noticed this, and as Victor stopped, a strange crackling sound filled the air as what looked to be dust and light conforming to Morene’s hands, eventually taking the shape of her greatsword. As her signature weapon took form in her hand, she slowly leaned forward, digging the point into the tiles beneath her feet.

Victor seemed to be amused by this obvious threat, responding appropriately. “That’s bad for the blade you know, miss Morene.”

“Not mine.”

In the heat of the moment, Morene wasn’t entirely concerned about how uncaring the emperor seemed in response to her making a very clear line in the sand. Especially since Wolfe himself seemed to listen, sitting a good distance away from the crowd as Demetri was nowhere in sight, meanwhile. The elusive emperor continued to speak, knowing all eyes were on him now. He decided to give his spiel.

“You know, when I came in here with the intent to penetrate, you were not exactly my ideal target, nor was a blade my weapon of choice. But if you are going to keep causing collateral spa damage then I might need to ask you to step outside and see what a real blade can do, so please women, put that overgrown stick away so that I may reunite with an old friend.”

Morene raised an eyebrow. She knew that Victor didn’t care so much about the property as he did her implicitly threatening him. The last time she heard somebody make a half-wit sexual innuendo about blades was Pecan, and he ended up eating mud face-first on the ground by the end of their interaction. Still, she did not flinch, and Masahir did not like the direction this conversation was going. The rather personal implications of Victor’s words did not help either, making her wince.

“No no, please, no need, she was tasked to protect me! There’s no need for this, Morene, everything will be fine.”

“Very well,” Morene responded, lifting the blade from the shallow waters, glistening brightly as she dematerialized her sword from this plane of matter in a matter of a second, leaning back and relaxing with the same deathly serious expression on her face.

Masahir nodded hesitantly, deciding to continue the conversation as naturally as she could muster given the awkward circumstances. “You wanted to talk, yes Victor?”

“Lets, indeed.”
 

Victor Wolfe

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Reading the room, Victor took a seat, the corners of his eyes smoothing out as his training smirk faded to a more neutral smile. The gathering of individuals before him would be providing much entertainment, the mountain of a woman that had so carelessly damaged his floor reminding him of a certain stuck-up guard captain: probably rather easy to push the buttons of, but very handy in a fight.


There was also another... unexpected although not an entirely unpleasant reunion with the prince of thieves, the man once again deigning to walk the halls of the emperor of assassins. He would need to pass a law banning all people named Demetri from owning orange pets, lest the disasters he had set in motion in the last world repeat themselves.


Both of these new guests could be very useful to have around if the Emperor could get them to begin working towards his goals.


But the main focus of the evening was the lovely dancer in front of him, the flower of the desert who, if allowed to reach her full potential, could be a pillar of the city on the same level as the three founders of Neo New Babylon, arguably only being outvalued by two of them. Someone so aesthetically perfect that armies would march under her banner just to hear her praise. A level of charisma so natural that her very presence demanded attention. And a smile that was the leading cause of heart attacks in the over forties age bracket.


Yes, Victor had already decided that Masa would become the new beacon of Neo New Babylonian culture, the prime example of what a good Neo New Babylonian woman should aspire to be: strong, aesthetic, and independent. A true star to win over the hearts of the masses, and perhaps distract them from the tedium of daily life.


Her mother was also a rather interesting character. Although he had never made her acquaintance, the head of the diplomatic branch of Nippur’s government was well aware of the rumours and innuendo surrounding one of Nippur’s most enigmatic figures. Her economic mastery had her on a shortlist of people that the assassin had considered inviting into the upper echelons of the Nippurian government.


All that being said, Victor was pleased that such a valuable collection of chess pieces had fallen right into his lap.


"First of all, I would like to welcome you all to our fledgeling empire,” said Victor, gesturing leisurely at their surroundings. “It may not be the glorious sands of Nippur, but I like to think that the heat from the volcanic pools and natural steam of this sauna will scratch that nostalgic itch for the heat. Welcome home, my fellow Babylonians. I do hope that we find more of our wayward comrades, but just having you lovely ladies back under the safety of the golden lion eases my mind. Truly, this meeting fills my heart with more joy than I can express."


Victor laid back as some of the attendants started to fuss over the Emperor, quickly manicuring his nails and washing his hair. A slight hint of annoyance seemed to tick over Morene’s face, that someone she had just threatened would so quickly let down his guard.


Hardly paying the attendants any mind, Victor’s crimson gaze swept over the group. "Now then. I have organised a feast to celebrate your arrival, but I feel that we could really turn the party up another level by making some more announcements. My vision for this city has always been to turn it into the capital and cultural hub of the planet— no, the galaxy! A city at the heart of an empire built on the values of Gilgamesh. I have established three branches of government, a lust for rare metals, and a state religion that can spread to unite peoples of all creeds and classes under our banner. We are on the path to success, my friends.”


“Unfortunately, unlike our former King—" Victor paused in his pitch, seeming pained, and quickly murmured a barely audible "God rest his soul” before continuing with a slight frown.


"Unfortunately, I do not have as significant a gathering of somewhat competent-to-brilliant minds to choose from when I need something done— and not through lack of trying. So, I am willing to make an offer to each of you. I need people who can contribute to this society, people who are less bluster and more driven to action."


The entire room seemed surprised, wondering just what crazy idea the emperor had come up with now.


"Demetri,” Victor began, addressing the thief directly. “You may not know me, but I know exactly what you are, and personally so long as you keep your hands in your pockets in my presence... well, let me just say that there are certain items that would be vastly more valuable in our hands than where they are now. I can provide the locations, names, the nitty-gritty details. You can keep anything else you may stumble upon. Wouldn't it be nice to have a government that doesn't want you dead in as many ways as possible for once?" Victor said with a knowing wink, chuckling as he turned to Morene.


"You remind me a lot of someone I once knew, and one of the more brilliant ideas that Gilgamesh once had was a guard system that was separate from the military, allowing the guards to focus entirely on protecting our people whilst the military fought our enemies. Now, we don't always need to get along,” Victor added, his voice turning somewhat patronizing, “But I do think that you would most certainly be the best person for the job as the captain of the Neo New Babylonian guards. Who other than I would really risk breaking the law around you or anyone trained by you? Just think of it as an extension of your bodyguard duties. If the city is a safer place to live in, then it is safer for Masa to live there after all."



Morenes’ eyes narrowed, she did not trust this hyena of a man but she could not deny that there was truth to his words. Giving a small nod she answered “That is fine”

Victor gave a smug smile in response before turning to the Kajit.



"Ah, and as for the finely aged wine that is our lovely Ra'Tima… I think it would be nothing less than treason if I did not offer you the job of Minister of Finance in my government. You perform the same level of magic that your daughter does on a stage when matters of coin are being discussed. Our fledgeling empire could use your unique capabilities."


The merchant cocked her brow at the politicians' overly sweet words, a hand on her hip as she tried to figure out just what game he was playing. Victor held her gaze, despite the guarded scepticism she seemed open to the challenge in her specialist field.


Finally, Victor’s eyes fell upon Masahir.


"And you, my dear,” he began, leaning forward with his chin resting on a closed fist as he peered into her beautifully open face. “We just need you to be yourself. Be the beacon of hope and joy that every man dreams to be with and every woman dreams to be, the pinnacle of New Babylonian culture showing everyone just what it means to be a part of our enlightened empire. I plan on funding a magazine to provide news and entertainment to our people and it would only be fitting if you would be our centrefold again, after all, everyone loves some New Babylon nostalgia, just, don't tell Sigmund, he might explode."


The dancers’ cheeks turned red, and not from the heat. Whilst the others had an air of scepticism she seemed genuinely thankful for the kind words if a bit overwhelmed at all that had happened over the past few weeks.


The emperor closed his hands as a rainbow of light shined from the gaps in his finger after a few seconds he lifted his left hand revealing four bronze pins, similar to the golden one often worn on Victors own uniforms, the shape of the lions head on the original flag of New Babylon proudly displayed on it.


"Now if you accept my offer, we can get dressed, put these nice new status symbols on and make our way to the feast, if not, well, it's your loss really, I am only offering this once, help build the cities future or become just another cog in the machine, stand out as the stars you all have the potential to be, or fade to obscurity."


a cough distracted the assassin from his speech as Iris smiled not sure if she had just been forgotten.


"Ok not going to lie, I was not prepared for you, miss. But I am sure given your company that there will be something you can do, we just need to find it. Hmm, do you know how to run the military and have a basic understanding of acceptable levels of collateral damage? No that's a silly idea, we will find something for you. Do not worry, I will summon a badge for you, we just need to figure out where your talents lay."


Victors' cheeks turned red flustered as for once there was not an obvious answer to where someone fit into his plans. With a cough of his own Victor drew the attention back to the badges.


"I am also supposed to give you each a sword for ceremonial purposes, I will have them made and delivered to each of you, perhaps I can deliver yours to you in person Masa?" Victor said with a wink.
 

Masahir N'air

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The dancer couldn't help but fidget slightly under the gaze of the blond. Her heart fluttered in her chest, dredging up a thick well of tension in her gut. She wondered why and how men always found a way to impose themselves on her at inopportune moments, while she was already worried, or half undressed. She swallowed and did her best to lean into what the powerful man wanted. Something about his bloody red eyes lulled her dangerously, until she was perched on the edge of two vastly distinct states: unsettled anxiety and dreamy wanderings.

It was nauseating, the way his eyes roamed across her body- as if he was already entitled to it- but she bit the inside of her lip and hid her discomfort with the grace of an actress. Her eyes raked across his body, no doubt the egocentric emperor took it as keen, lusty eyed gazing. She was studying him with an intense focus, though not for anything authentically romantic if she was being honest. Even while freshly bathed...

... The sickly sour scent of death wrapped around the young man like a foul cloak, Ra’tima-dro could tell. She’d worked alongside his type for ages, desperate young men that talked too much and wanted too much, desperate young men that clawed and cloyed for far more than their means could ever provide. She could taste the greed in his words, even as she nodded and took his job offer. Her dark lips crinkled down at the edges as she held her daughter’s shoulder firmly.

Masa could tell that her mother was unhappy, that familiar tick tick tick of her reactions were clockwork to the brunette. The discomfort in the room came to a head as the blond emperor gave a barely-disguised ultimatum: follow his whims or be useless and forgotten.

Well.... It seemed he’d already forgotten about Iris in a rather tragic turn of events. For just a moment the dancer watched him flounder at the notion that he hadn’t pulled this off with immaculate grace, and for that same moment she felt her anxiety lift. His facade unraveled slightly at the edge, his words rushing to fill the expectant space as if they alone had the power to quell and patch up this unforeseen misstep. This time when his gaze fell on her, she breathlessly agreed, nodding along bashfully at his blatant flirting as her head filled with a hazy romantic desire.

He grinned like a fox in the hen house, and she was pulled towards his too-perfect teeth, paralyzed like a pinned rabbit face-to-face with the reaper. His ruby eyes glinted with (what was to her) an unmistakable gnawing hunger. “Ah, yes, of course my Emperor... But please...” She paused, scouring her brain for an appropriate response that would get her some space while being as inoffensive to the man in front of her as possible. “Let me get dressed in private?”

Victor smirked, casting a casual glance at the rest of the room before making his leave. The plit-plat of his bare feet on the cool tile receded, and for the first time since he’d arrived, she felt safe. She cast a remorseful look at Morene. The strong, chiseled woman noticeably relaxed with him gone.

“I’m sorry that happened.” Her voice came out far quieter than she’d hoped, nearly meek in her empathetic apology to her bodyguard, nay, the entire room. She gulped with a twinge of dread and hoped she wasn’t acting too skittish in front of her party. Her big brown eyes flicked around the room, a fresh wave of anxiety washing over her as she realized that the spa attendants would make tasty gossip of anything said.

“We should head out.” Came her mother’s curt suggestion.

She stood from her chair, dipping behind a divider to change back into her street clothes as the rest of the gang did the same. Hopefully they’d get to look around the city a bit more before the start of the feast. After getting to meet the man, she just couldn’t shake the dread that settled around her mind in a gossamer fog.

[Thread End]
 
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