[6. "Abzirr Craajijazeri" -or- "We Justly Take By Force"]
[Let us not forget our purpose. We are thieves and thugs, smugglers and saboteurs. If we cannot take a farm, we burn it to the ground. If the Imperials garrisoned in a glorious ancient stronghold, beloved by our ancestors, will not yield, we tear the structure apart.]
[If the only way to rescue the land from the Leyawin misappropriation is to make it uninhabitable by all, so be it. We want our life and our home back as it were twenty years ago, but if that is not realistic, then we will accept a different, simple, pragmatic goal.]
[Revenge... With a smile.]
As I finish the book, with some things to think about, I feel M'rissi gently snoring against my chest. I fold the book and let her rest on the cot as I head out to relieve those on watch.
I stop by Silvianus' cot, about to wake him up when his eyes open, and he looks at me intently.
"Time for our shift?" He asks emotionlessly.
"Yup, let's go relieve them," I say, as he gets up and follows me to the edge of camp where Inigo and Wan are sitting and chatting.
"There's no way he did that!" Wan exclaims incredulously.
"I swear on my tail, he leaped off the tower and right on a giant's back, riding it for an hour until it tired out, and he just slit its throat before hopping off like it was nothing!" Inigo exclaims back.
"What are you two talking about?" I ask as we approach the two on watch duty.
"Ah, my friend. Just reminiscing about old times before coming to Skyrim..." Inigo says this before a guilty expression crosses his face, and he goes quiet.
"Well, you two must be exhausted; go and get some sleep. We have a way to travel tomorrow. Also, I found this book that you might be interested in." I say, patting Inigo's shoulder before handing him the book I was reading with M'rissi.
"Ah, thank you, my friend," Inigo says, returning to his previous cheerful nature.
"No problem, just don't lose it; it's one of M'rissi's books, after all," I say before looking for Wan, who had already slipped away to his cot for some sleep.
"Of course, my Friend. Good night," Inigo says as he heads off to his cot, acknowledging Silvianus with a nod as he leaves, with Silvianus simply nodding back before we take the places of the two back on the stumps they were sitting on.
A couple of hours pass without issue, though Silvanus and I do not share a word.
Eventually, I can't help but break the silence by asking a couple of questions, "So, Silvanus... What inspired you to follow Inigo out of those sewers?"
Silvianus is quiet for several long moments, making me think that he had fallen asleep on watch before finally answering, "He... He offered me peace... He said he struggled with his own vices and shortfalls, but he still extended a hand to help me... He didn't promise to make it all better with a potion or spell, but offered a steady hand from which to pull myself up by... And I decided to take a chance that maybe... He could help me... Forgive myself..."
I'm left stunned momentarily before Silvianus asks me, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, sorry, it's just... This is the most I've ever heard you speak." I reply as I awkwardly run the back of my neck.
"Yes, Ha, Ha, Ha, getting out of the sewers and traveling with you all seems to have already done me some good... My mind feels... Clearer? If only but a little." Silvianus says with a wistful chuckle.
"That's good, how about-" I start to say with a smile before freezing as an unfamiliar scent catches my nose thanks to my heightened senses at night, and I immediately bolt away towards Esbern's tent where a shadowy figure is standing above him with a dagger held high.
I lunge forward, tackling the would-be assassin who manages to drive the dagger into my back with a sharp stinging sensation filling my sides as I summon an ice spike, jabbing it right into their heart with my bare hands, quickly ending their life. Esbern wakes up, having drawn a dagger of his own asking, "What in Oblivion is going on?!"
"Nothing much, just an incompetent assassination attempt." I say with a slight chuckle as I pull the dagger out of my back, cast [Healing] on myself, and drink a potion of cure poison to clear the stinging sensation that had spread across my back before checking the assassin's belongings.
Realizing that they're the Khajiit, Shavari, from Riften after reading an item with their name on it.
[Shavari's Note]
[I have good reason to believe the target will be coming to Riften in the next few days. Discretion is preferred, but elimination of the target is of the highest priority. The usual restrictions on exposure are lifted -- you will be reassigned outside Skyrim if necessary, without penalty.]
[Do not fail me. --E]
"Oh, is that all?" Esbern says in exasperation as he goes to lay back in his cot, as Silvianus catches up to me moments later, his sword drawn, but slightly shaky.
"Are you alright, Sir?" Silvianus asks, looking around as if he might be attacked by assassins himself at any moment.
"I'm, fine, let's get back to watch... Help me move the body first, no need to worry the rest of the camp." I say, moving to grab the assassin with Silvianus' help, taking them deep into the woods before using my [Move Earth] spell to bury the body in a shallow grave.
"You... You aren't going to ask?" Silvianus asks my as he shakes slightly.
"Ask what?" I look at him in confusion.
"Why I froze..." Silvianus admits making me realize is wasn't my speed that kept him from reaching the assassin first.
(Author's Note: Hey everyone, two chapters today because I don't believe text dumps should count. Hope you enjoy!)