Hello everyone. Please note that the first section is more of a legend or folk tale, but then it moves into a large novel with multiple points of view, but with much greater detail. Also, the legend/intro makes him seem particularly uber, which is not the case later on, trust me. If you want, feel free to skip this part, nothing of much importance right now. But if you want to know what really happened to him, read the prequel

Oh, and before you read, much of the chapter titles are in Latin, as are the ranks of the new assassin guild. At the bottom of the posts I should have the translation for the latin in that post. The reason for this is that it saves me from having to use bland titles like Murderer and Nightblade and such.

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This is the story of a young man, who was the listener of the dark brotherhood, until he fell into a deeper and darker guild. More organized and skillful in their work, and more spartan in their training, they hide their identity from everyone, even the lowest ranking members of their organization. All Viro knows when he is thrust into the guild, is that they broke his fear, and his pride, and seem to want to train him. For what reasons he does not know...

Initium

Viro, renowned assassin from Valenwood, had a humble entrance to Cyrodiil. The Bosmer man arrived by boat to anvil in 3E 421. He left the town almost immediately, swimming away, having murdered two sailors. He ran off into the pitch black night and was not seen for many a year. By the time he was 20, Viro had become a powerful warrior, and a stronger assassin, in that time. He learned skills of stealth and trickery, of blade and bow. He frequented small villages for new equipment he could not find in the wild, but he never strode through the gates of a town or city until the Dark Brotherhood contacted him.

Nolata, speaker of the black hand, visited him one night at one of his many camps. When he awoke, he calmly addressed the killer with the now famous phrase "Since you are not death, I need not fear ye. So speak, and speak well, before the ground is spoilt with the blood of killers."

To which Nolata replied "I am not death, but his humble messenger. I am not here to dirty my blade, but to recruit one. I am here as a brother and a speaker, and the mother, offering a hand to a child in the mud." With these words, Viro became an assassin under the brotherhood.

But he was making no empty threats when he challenged Nolata. His skill was unmatched within the brotherhood, and he soon became speaker, replacing Nolata, who had disappeared and was presumed dead. But even whilst Viro was rising through the ranks of the brotherhood, his mind was unspoiled by their teachings of Sithis. Viro did not believe the ravings of madmen, whose only thoughts were of rituals and appeasing some dark entity. He did not keep such thoughts to himself, and many a time did another member challenge him. He personally slew 20 brothers in this way, but such pointless death did not appease him. He believed in strength, but not in fighting. Controlling, and never obeying.

Months later, Viro, new listener of the Dark Brotherhood, approached the Night Mother for the first time. She spoke to him, and he listened for the first time in years. From her presence he felt power. He felt that he finally met someone who could not be killed.

And he wanted such power for himself. So instead of bowing to her, he strode up to her and said "You, my dear, are no mother. You are a killer, an assassin of the highest caliber and fighter of times long past. You are ancient and everlasting, and I know you hold secrets shared to no one but the strongest. So here I am; a vassal of strength, not Sithis. I pledge myself to no god. So I ask you, how did you come to be?"

The Night Mother laughed. She raised herself high and told him not to fear. He was enraged "Fear!? I have no fear; I need not fear anything that walks this land!"

"You are full of fear, and of pride. You lie to yourself every morning so you may leave your bed, and every night so you may sleep. You worship no god because you fancy yourself one. You are weak, but we will make you stronger. Maybe one day you will meet him. As long as you don't die?" With that she struck him in the heart with a dagger of the purest black. He fell to the floor of the crypt, and the Night Mother issued these words, so softly, Viro wasn't sure he heard them "Ab incunabulis."


Metus

Viro awoke to a strange place. He was in a cave, deep underground and all but for the small raft he was on, a vast lake. Long pillars of stone rose from the lake to the ceiling. The darkness was near complete, save for a single candle beside him. Even more unsettling, the water was still as glass. Viro was without any equipment but a small coil of rope, a rusted iron dagger, and the clothes on his back; the raiment of a beggar. He rose to a sitting position and looked around far as the meager light would allow. He spoke aloud "Where am I? What has happened that I have ended up in such a dismal place?" He gazed into the jet black water and felt it. The fear of which the Night Mother spoke.

Suddenly he remembered. The Night Mother! She must have been the one to put him here, but how? He raised his hand to his chest and found a wound freshly wrapped in bandage. He recalled the feeling of the dagger as it slipped through his flesh, missing his heart and arteries by fractions of an inch. Once more he shook with fear.

The darkness consumed him, his candle had burnt out. But he was not helpless. He recalled a spell he had learned long ago to allow him to see in such places. He cast it, but all he saw was blood red. The water, the raft, his body appeared to be covered in fresh, scarlet blood. He jumped at the sight of the sea of blood and caused ripples to spread across the water.

He could not see it, nor hear it, but he sensed that something had awakened. He felt a dark, dangerous shape move closer and closer to his small, now insignificant feeling raft. He pulled out his dagger and spoke to the beast "I might be afraid, I might be alone, and I might be unprotected, but you were not meant to take me, beast! I will serve a higher purpose than your dinner!"

With these words, the world seemed to slow. Viro's vision was dark once more, no longer did he see blood, but he saw instead his entire life up to this moment. From the time he was raised in a far away land, to his existence as a murderer and thief in the forests of Cyrodiil. He looked back on his career as an assassin and found it all unsatisfactory. He felt a deep, invading need to do something to leave a mark on Tamriel. But more important than the need was the courage. He felt that he could defeat the beast, that he could escape from the cave, and that he could take revenge on those who did this to him.

And with this feeling came a light, a salvation from above. At first Viro thought he was imagining things; until a deep voice called out to him "Fool, toss up the rope before it gets to you!" Following the command, Viro grabbed the coil and immediately threw one end towards his savior.

The man in the light caught the rope and began to pull Viro up out of the evil lake. The raft was destroyed in the jaws of a giant serpent just as Viro left it. Once at the mouth of the hole, Viro was blinded by the stark light. Shielding his eyes with his arm, Viro addressed his mysterious savior "Thank you for saving me from that abyss, but I must know, who are you, and why I was there to begin with?"

The man, whom Viro could now see the large outline of answered "Who am I? I am called Desideratus, initiator of the weak. You were obviously down there because it was ordered. It was ordered because you fear, and you thought yourself important. Unfortunately, you still possess that pride. That must be rid of as well."

With this, Desideratus grabbed Viro's shirt and tore it off. He took one finger and thrust it into the still half-blind Viro's chest wound. The last shadow Viro saw was one of bright red blood spurting from his chest. But Viro did not fear. He no longer knew how to fear.


Thank you all for any criticism. Please remember this is the first time I have really sat down and written anything, all my ability came from school so far. Trying to improve by writing more Fan Fics, find them in the Tes Fan Fiction Section, the first is Fallen Champion, followed by A Mage's Work is Never Done.

As promised, here are a few translations:
Viro- Hero, or man of courage
Fabula- Fable, story, or play
Initium- Beginning
Metus- Fear
Ab Incunabulis- From the cradle, from infancy; a saying that means to be reborn
Desideratus- Literally means welcome, or one who welcomes; his job is "Initiator of the weak", and I was feeling ironic that day

Well, you say it is a huge work in progress, you have only posted a very small amount here. I don't know about others, but I would prefer to read everything in the thread, and not have to download documents.

As for length, well, if it's good, it'll end when it ends. Sure you might get less readers because of the length, but on the other hand you will probably get more detailed critique.

I think you need to post at least one full chapter and then you'll start getting critique/comments/dedicated readers etc.

The poll is irritating. Just write whatever you want to write.

Thanks to you two for reading, here is second chapter. it's short, but thats just because the third is tremendously large^^

Fastosus

Viro awoke once more, but did not open his eyes. Not out of fear, but out of thought. He was contemplating the turn his life had taken. Who Desideratus was and what he was initiating him into. He realized by now that he was going through some kind of nightmarish trials. For what purpose he did not know, but he did know that the last one helped him somehow. It had broken the fear. He was faced with all things frightening and his mind was altered. Whether it was sorcery or psychology he could not say, but it was well devised. However, he was also enraged that anyone could think of doing this to him. He, Viro, most powerful assassin in Cyrodiil and commander of an army known as the dark brotherhood. These things made him think of Desideratus' final words to him. Words of pride.

He remembered what had happened and felt his wound again. Fresh bandages. He wore no shirt. "Guess I only get the one." He whispered to himself, remembering Desideratus ripping the first off. "Pride" someone whispered.

Viro opened his eyes. And he saw himself. Hundreds of times, all over the walls, ceiling, and floor, mirrors coated the room. But each reflection was different in some subtle way. One would hold a smile and another wear a scowl. One would be blood splattered and another would look as innocent as a baby lamb. It was in their features, their expressions, their movements. And then one, one was pointing at him. He could not hear the words, but he knew what they was saying "Who are they? Who are we? Who are you?" And he found himself saying the same thing back. Over and over it ringed in his ears, but the room was silent. One by one the figures began pointing and talking. The silence became louder. Soon it was so loud he could barely stand it "Pride!"

"Aaagh!" Viro screamed. The glass shattered, but the figures remained. Now they were free, walking towards him. All were yelling now "Pride, Viro, pride!"
"What?! What do you want?!" All went silent. One of the reflections walked up. He looked to be an exact copy of Viro, until he spoke "What do we want? We are you, everything you have ever been. Fear made you reflect, so we appeared; now pride will make you change!" The reflection that spoke had fangs of a beast. They were razor sharp and bone white, Viro guessed they had to be at least an inch and a half long, each. "Dagon bound mortal, learn this verse 'When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.' Can you guess its meaning?"
All the reflections repeated "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom."

A normal man would fear such things, but fear had already been conquered for Viro. And so he said "What wisdom would an assassin need?!"

"Assassin? You are no assassin. And all need wisdom, for it is the basis of thought. Without thought, how would you kill? As wildly as you have been? You lack guidance, but we can provide for you. But with pride there is no room for wisdom." With this the demonic reflection crouched down and whispered right into Viro's ear "How do you lose pride? For you must want to by now, without fear to cloud your judgment. You must realize that pride is simply the belief that you have accomplished something of importance. So what all have you accomplished?"

Viro closed his eyes and thought. He tried as hard as he might, but he could think of nothing worth mentioning. He realized he had done nothing. And when he opened his eyes, all the reflections were gone. He was lying in a field of grass and trees. A large shadow was blocking out his view of the sun.

"Desideratus? Why are you here, what happened to all the-"

"They are gone, fool. Surely you have realized by what they were. Illusions. While fear is a basic emotion, solved with physical persuasion, pride is a state of mind. You can't just make it go away with a snake in a cave."

"Illusions, but?why? Who are you, and what am I being tested for?"

"They are not tests. They are?classes. You are beginning your instruction."

"For what?"

"You'll see. You'll see." Desideratus splashed a warm liquid onto Viro, and Viro fell asleep once more. Yet now he thought of himself as a student, not a victim. For to be a victim, you must be somebody, and to be somebody, you must have the right state of mind. A mind of a man who has done nothing wrong, and accomplished much that he can be proud of. But Viro no longer felt pride in himself, nor his actions or past.


Once more, here are a few translations, including some from the next chapter:
Fastosus- Pride
Disciplina- Training
Coepi- Initiate(s)
Iudex- Judge
Magister- Instructor or master; supposed to mean lord
Blentyn- Honestly, I don't recall this being Latin. It might simply be a thought up name, I'll keep looking.

Not trying to be a pain, but saying your work is very big doesn't make a very good advertisemant; and it doesn't neccesarily mean it's good. I'm not saying your work svcks because I haven't read it yet.

Thank you peleus, it would be an honor if you read, please. I read your story, and it is very good (I enjoyed Kitty's uberness^^, not done with the story yet)

Disciplina

Viro this time did not awake in a cavern, or a small corner of his own mind. This time he awoke in a bed. He was fully clothed and felt that he had been bathed and fed. He was at ease. He feared not the future, nor was he aware of the past. Once he forgot his meager deeds, he remembered only his skills. Things he had learned in his years of training. They now seemed unimportant, as he thought of why Desideratus would heal him if he was not to help him. Heal him not of physical wound, but of mental anguish. What purpose would such enlightenment serve without future goals and plans? Surely Desideratus had his best interests at heart. He opened his eyes to see none other than Desideratus standing above him with a knife at his throat.

"Wha-"

"Silence. You will listen and not speak. I have brought you here for my own reasons and my own orders. You are about to realize that your life will serve a purpose and that you will become skilled. But now you are weak. You already know that much. What you do not know is why, and I will not tell you. That, my young Coepi, is for someone higher than a Iudex to decide. An Magister is about to come in. If you speak, you will die."

Viro was not afraid of Desideratus, or the blade which he held, but he was eager to hear this tale. He was eager to hear answers. But he wondered first where he was. He seemed to be in some small tent, with a cot and small chest, which the massive Desideratus was sitting on. A chair was near the front flap, of which light was streaming through. It appeared to be sometime in the afternoon, but how many days it had been since he last knew what was happening he could not say. A shadow broke the light and soon after a tall, slender man walked through.

He wore a long black cloak, with a single silver dagger at his belt. He appeared to be a high elf and had his hair tied back in a knot. His face showed lines of age, but his eyes shined with the energy and eagerness of a child. Despite that, they still gave off the feeling of deep wisdom, and great skill. He strode confidently towards Viro's cot and said in a voice befitting a prince, complete with a subtle sneer "You are the one the Night Mother spoke of? You look like nothing more than a green bandit. But still, you passed both trials, albeit with some difficulty. I take it Desideratus has told you nothing. Good, you'll both live longer that way."

Viro started to speak, but changed his mind once he felt Desideratus' knife at his jugular. "Well, you shall begin basic training, and if you live, some questions will be answered as you complete your training," The tall elf said with a wolfish grin "You have one hour until the torture begins. Desideratus, I permit you tell him only where he is and why. Not any names or advice on the future. I know how overly sympathetic you can be with the Coepi." With that the elf left.

'Overly sympathetic?' Viro thought 'What about the time he stabbed me in my already fresh wound?'

"Yes, sir" Desideratus said "You are lucky he looks favorably upon you. Most Coepi don't even get the benefit of being told they are about to undergo training." Switching to a more solemn face, he asked "You heard him, any questions? Appropriate ones, mind you."

"Y-yes, where are we?"

"Fen, a training camp, and the first safe place for you, and as to why you are here, because the Night Mother decided it."

"Who is the Night Mother, really?"

"Well," he said, rubbing his chin "I can't say. Maybe when you're a bit stronger. Ask him" He finished, pointing towards the tent flap.

"Why am I being trained?"

"I already told ye, you idiot. The Night Mother ordered it."

"And I'm not to know who she is? So is that all you can tell me?"

"Well?" He looked back towards the flap "Don't tell anyone, but you are training in the arts of a basic warrior here. Long blade, bow and arrow, horse riding, fist combat, and basic fightin' magic are all elements of hell here."

"But aren't you assassins, why do you need to know how to handle a long blade?" Asked Viro.

"You think we never need a good sword? Sometimes, lookin' like a basic, run of the mill idiot with a huge sword is the best disguise of a-." Desideratus' eyes widened in fear "I shouldn't have said that. Forget all that, and if anyone ever asks, tell 'em you didn't know until later. Alright?"

"Yes s-sir."

"Alrighty, get some sleep. You'll need it. Also, there's some bread on the table."

"No there is-" Just as Desideratus left, a small loaf of bread appeared, seemingly out of thin air on the small table in the middle of the tent. Viro could only imagine what kind of speed it took such a large man to perform such a feat. 'Or maybe he'd used magic. No, the only reason he would hide it 'till now is because that tall elf wasn't to see it, and magic probably wouldn't have worked on him. A Magister, Desideratus called him.'

As Viro struggled with the problem, he ate the bread, so as to make sure no one else saw the large man's kindness. He quickly fell asleep, but just as quickly, he was rudely awakened by a small, skinny boy.

"Oi, get up you maggot. I haven't got all day, if I don't get you to him I'll be roasted for sure!" The youth appeared to be about 11 years old. 'Hadn't even hit puberty yet,' Viro thought 'What kind of organization recruits kids?' The boy had short black hair, ragged clothes and a small bow across his back.

"What're you waitin' for, you got to get to torture 101, geezer" The boy said with a laugh. His voice was still high as well. He appeared to be barely 5 feet tall and maybe 90-some pounds. He had thin arms and legs, but when he pulled Viro out of bed, he seemed surprisingly strong.

"Now, you gonna' lie in the dirt all day?! Follow me if you value your life, jerk!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. Settle down." Viro said with a yawn as he got up and followed the boy out of the tent. As the flap opened, he realized he had no idea where he was or what the outside looked like.

It was truly magnificent. A great swamp, like none he'd ever seen. The trees were large and full of leaves and animals. Bird's nests, squirrels, and a plethora of other animal signs were spread throughout the branches. Also in the trees were several man made platforms of wood connected to each other by bridges and to the ground by ladders. The floor of the swamp was surprisingly dry, and had several ferns growing out of the soft, brown dirt. Large boulders coated with moss dotted the encampment, as did small cooking fires. Training equipment and the like were spread everywhere, including many archery targets, wooden dummies, sparring mats, and a horse track. Aside from the small tent he had been in, there were dozens of others. Some tents were as small as his, and some were many times its size. There was also a small stable and a blacksmithing area. Through the entire camp a small creek flowed, with several small bridges crossing it.

What also filled the camp were people. People of all ages were walking about, men and women, boys and girls. There was also a fair mix of races, but the majority seemed to be Argonian. Some were practicing combat and horse riding, firing arrows at the targets from amazing distances with even more outstanding accuracy. The sparring, with and without weapons of all types and sizes, surpassed anything he had seen in a fighters guild or the dark brotherhood. Beside every area of training, there seemed to be a teacher of sorts. A more skilled looking member who appeared to be shouting directions and advice at the students. "Oi, are you just gonna stand there and gawk, you can take part too, heh-heh." The boy finished with a chuckle, walking along a path.

"Alright, where are we going?" Viro asked, as he followed the boy.

"Boy, you new recruits sure sound dead on the inside. The trials still fresh in your mind?"

"You could say that. Are they the same for everyone?"

"Not at all. Different people have different problems. Fear, overzealous killing, refusal to kill, and my favorite, pride. Which ones did you have?"

"Fear and pride." Viro said, remembering the tests he had to go through who knows how many days before.

"Ha, thought so. Well, you didn't get the worst, believe me. There have to be at least 50 of the blasted things."

"Really? That's surprising."

"Eh, once you've been around as long as I have, it doesn't seem very bad. You don't seem too confused by anything. Don't you want to know some things?"

"I know just about everything I need to. Where I am, why, and what comes next. I never had a big problem with curiosity. Is that a trial?" Viro finished with a small laugh.

"Yup." The boy smiled.
The boy led Viro over one of the small bridges towards a large circle in the ground. A strong, spike-headed Argonian was standing in the center.

"This is where I leave you to your hell. See you later?" The boy called, pausing at the end to wait for Viro to give his name.

"That's for him to know, whelp!" The Argonian snapped. Now that he got a good look at the trainer, he realized he was missing a good portion of his tail, and perhaps a few fingers. 'As if by hot blade' Viro thought, looking at the scars around the wounds.

"Well? Are you going to say anything or just stare?!"

"No, sir, I am just not sure of what to think. What are we going to train here?" Viro asked.

"Train? Despite what the others have said, I train nothing. I simply fight you until you improve. The training is up to you."

"Alright, so when do we begin ..." Viro let the sentence hang, waiting for the Argonian to give a name.

"We begin now, and you need not my name. If you land a hit, I'll tell you."

"Got it." Viro said confidently, raising his hands in a guard.

The unnamed trainer did not bother with a guard. All Viro saw was a red blur at the edge of his vision, then an explosion in his lower body. Viro fell over, gasping for breath.

"That's it? Didn't you pass the trials? What kind of slow n'wah are you?" The trainer walked away, sat against a nearby tree, and watched Viro lie on the ground.

"I can't leave until you are trained appropriately, so please hurry." He said in a condescending tone. Three minutes of silent pain on Viro's part later, he got up. He did not say anything; he just put up his guard, lower this time, and waited for the Argonian. The trainer stood up, walked about 6 feet from Viro, and disappeared completely from Viro's vision. Not a second later, Viro's knees buckled, from the kick the lizard had delivered there. This time, Viro fell backwards and looked at the skilled fighter. Immediately after Viro made eye contact, the trainer walked back to the tree and sat down once more.

"You can use anything you'd like to fight me. Magic, weapons, anything you can think of. I'm only permitted to use speed and power. See if you can match it with strategy."

Viro said nothing in return, but while he lay there, he thought of what few spells he knew, and planned his next attempt.
A few minutes later, Viro disappeared, turned invisible by his spell. The trainer felt a summoning, and realized Viro had called a weapon of some kind to strike him with. Since he was not permitted to use anything but his speed and his strength, he just tensed all his muscles, and waited for Viro to make the first move.

The Argonian sat there, seemingly alone, for twenty more minutes. He had no idea Viro was still even there, but he trusted the patrolling guards to ensure he didn't escape. He also trusted the trials Viro went through, trusting them to awaken Viro, so that he would not fear the fist of his teacher. As the Argonian thought these things, his muscles relaxed slightly. Viro, hiding in the tree above him, took this chance to spring the trap he had been setting the entire time he had been invisible. He commanded the dremora warrior he had summoned to attack, and simultaneously jumped from his perch down towards his trainer, daedric dagger in hand.

The Argonian felt the slight breeze created by the dremora's untrained movements, and jumped away from him immediately. Viro had planned on this, and had jumped in that same direction. However, the trainer felt this too, and immediately changed course, and not a moment too soon. Viro managed only to give him a small scratch on his forearm, then he crashed into the ground, reappearing. The dremora continued on, but was immediately released when the Argonian delivered a kick to the poor demon.

"Ha ha ha," The trainer laughed "Well, you managed to hit me, so I shall keep my promise. My name is Mwhyll. Remember it, for we are not done yet." He finished with a small smile.

"Got it." Viro said, releasing the dagger and instead summoning a pair of dremora gauntlets and cuirass.

"So if you can' beat my speed, or my power, you will just surround yourself in armor? A sound enough strategy. That is, if the armor was enough to stop me. I was told not to hold back once you got my name." Mwhyll said, disappearing again from Viro's vision.
Viro immediately jumped forward, dodging a punch from the side by mere inches.

"Ah, you will also try to read me? That is also not enough, and your magic power seems to be running low."
What Mwhyll said was true; Viro could not keep the armor in this plane much longer. So he intended to carry out his plan before then.

3 hours later, Viro gasped "It's no use, you have no openings."

"That is not entirely true," Mwhyll stated, in a flat tone, showing no fatigue whatsoever "Many above my rank have successfully struck and beat me."

"Well, I don't even know what these ranks are, but I seem to be below yours."

"That is correct, and you will learn once we have finished."

"When is that?" Viro asked.

"When I decide you are ready. Concentrate on learning and impressing me, not winning." Mwhyll said, as he disappeared once more. This time, however, Viro was able to catch a glimpse of Mwhyll's movements, and could dodge accordingly.

"Impressive, you seem to be improving your reflexes quite a bit. But there are three things you need to work on for those." He said, throwing a straight punch, not disappearing, but directly at Viro's chest. Viro saw that it was not as fast or strong as Mwhyll usually was, and decided to block it downward, and counter with a strike to the Argonian's head. However, the trainer seemed to have foreseen this, and took the chance to kick out Viro's leg, and cause him to fall to the soft ground.

"The 3 principles of reflexes are: Recognition, Interpretation, and Implementation. Learn these, and then your mind will be capable of reacting as fast as one of ours."

"Recognition is simple enough, but what do you mean by the other two?" Viro asked from the ground.

"I told you, I am not here to teach a lesson, I simply fight you until you figure it out. Take as long as you need." Mwhyll said, walking back to his tree.

Viro sat in thought until the sun began to dip in the darkening sky. Then he spoke, to whom, he could not say "Recognition means to perceive the opponents move and intentions, then interpretation means to decide an effective counter, and then implementation means to carry out those plans. That much is simple, but improving such a thing would take years of intense training. How might I do it in only days?"

"I never gave a time limit. We can do this for years if we have to. But if it takes that long, you aren't as good as we thought. Oh, and if you care, reflexes don't need to take time to train, just realizations." With that the Argonian got up, as if expecting Viro to do the same.

"Realizations?" Viro asked.

"Yes. These you must come by yourself. Think as you fight." He said, beginning to disappear again. This time, Viro did not stand and watch him, trying to keep up with his speed. He instead chose to remain lying down, staring straight up, with a hand behind his back.
Mwhyll lunged down upon him from above, but Viro had seen him. Viro dove to the side, slashing at the trainer with a conjured dagger, making another scratch on Mwhyll's arm, but deeper this time.

"You chose to stay lying down, cutting the possible directions of my attack down by a half."

"You did the same thing with the tree." Viro said, keeping the dagger between him and Mwhyll.

"True," Mwhyll said "but that is not reflexes, that is strategy. Both are fine and good, but strategy won't impress me."

"Fine." Viro said, jumping towards Mwhyll. He kept the dagger ready in front of him, but did not make a motion to swing or stab. Mwhyll's left arm shot out to interrupt Viro, but Viro saw this and pressed it towards Mwhyll's inside. He then tried to stab the Argonian in the ribs, pressing off his right foot to change his momentum. Mwhyll jumped back, but it was too late, Viro was already extending his arm to stab while jumping towards him. Mwhyll lowered his arm at the last moment and Viro stabbed it instead.

"Tsk," Mwhyll grunted "Those were reflexes. I cannot stand here bleeding and still tell you that you need more training. You have passed."

Viro said nothing, only falling to the ground and passing out with exhaustion.

"Aw, fainted already. Guess the strain was too much. Oh well, he did well, he is ready to spar the other Coepi." Mwhyll said to himself "Blentyn! Come bring the fool back to his tent!"

The child that had escorted Viro to the training ground appeared. "3 hours? That's not bad. I took 4." Blentyn said.

"Stop mumbling and do what I said!" Mwhyll said.

"Yes Mr. Exigo, no need to get snappy."

"Just because you recently became an Exigo as well doesn't mean you can start giving me lip, boy."

"Fine, when should I wake him tomorrow?"

"Desideratus will take care of that. He is training him tomorrow."

"This guy is being trained by a Iudex ? Why?" Blentyn asked, as he lifted Viro up, not without some difficulty.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know. And you shouldn't question it either; his time was less than mine was, so many years ago."

"Yeah, I still think you let him off easy." The child said, as he carried Viro off.

"The thing is, I didn't" Mwhyll whispered to himself.

A Fronte Praecipitium a Tergo

The next day, Viro woke once more in his tent, but this time he was alone. He tried to sit up in his cot, but fell down again with a sharp jolt of pain.

"Ugh, guess that training was as intense as I thought. Wonder what's in store for me today." Viro said to himself, as he slowly got up again, feeling his bruises. With a few grunts of pain, he got out of bed and stood up.

"Seems I have to go ask someone, maybe Desideratus will be outside." He opened the tent flap and looked outside for the second time. The camp seemed to be the same as the day before, but with one large difference, everyone that was training yesterday was nowhere to be seen. Viro heard loud cheering and other noises from somewhere to his right. He left the tent and looked towards the sounds. An event seemed to be going on at the horse track.

"A race?" Viro asked himself.

"Not a race, a fight. 2 Coepi are fighting for the rank of Servus." A voice Viro quickly recognized as Desideratus' came from above him.

"Where are you?" Viro asked, looking up in the trees.

"Here." Desideratus said, from directly in front of him.

"How did you-. Wait, never mind, I forgot how quick you were."

"No, you were just distracted by where my voice came from, but that isn't taught here, or by me. I will train you today, follow me." Desideratus said, walking away from the makeshift arena.

"We cannot watch the fight?" Viro asked, as he walked beside the large Imperial man.

"No. Only higher ranks may watch, otherwise you might be able to study one opponent and win by a long conceived strategy. We want you to be able to win a fight like one you'd encounter in a mission." Desideratus explained "Today you will not simply fight me. I will truly teach you during a?unique exercise."

"And that is?" Viro asked

"This." Desideratus said, arriving at a large boulder, situated at the outer edges of the camp. The only thing strange about the boulder is that it had 6 chains attached to it, each being less than a foot long and each had a ring of varying sizes.

"I'm going in that?" Viro asked, examining the chains.

"You are if you want to improve. Everyone has done this, the leader invented it." Desideratus said "Go ahead and chain your ankles down, I'll get your arms."

"Can you tell me exactly what we're doing first?"

"Nope. That's one part of it. I will tell you, however, that it is time consuming."

"Fine." Viro said, restraining his limbs one by one, with Desideratus' help. He ended up with both wrists and ankles chained, with one large ring around his waist, and one around his neck. "What could this possibly be for?"

"Well, the next part of the exercise requires Blentyn, and he's late."

"Who?" Viro asked.

"I believe you met him yesterday, I told him to get you up."

"Oh, him. Yes, a nice boy, why is he in an organization like this?"

"We don't usually have children in here, but he was born to it, so we allowed him to train with us from a young age. He is fairly strong and his rank is respectable as well."

"What are the ranks?" Viro asked.

"Well, I won't go into much detail, because I probably shouldn't, but you at least deserve to know a few. Coepi, you, are raw recruits, initiates. They are most likely to be found here, and once they're ready, they fight either one of their rank, or the rank above."

"Which is?"

"Servus, a slave. We call them slaves because they are practically slaves to the organization. They are above new recruits, but they still don't receive benefits or respect of a higher rank. I reckon you don't need to know the others until you get a little closer to them. So, any other questions before we begin?"

"One, what language are the ranks in? They don't sound normal."

"Ah, they're not. It's an ancient dwemer language, considered the basis of language today. The leader thought it would be a good idea so outsiders and new recruits don't know everything about us. A secret code, in a way, that can only be shared by those with intimate knowledge of it."

"When can I learn it?" Viro asked, eagerly.

"Later. Perhaps when you are learning persuasion and politics in a sewer?" Desideratus said, smiling slightly, as if the vague phrase were a joke only he knew. "Well, we really must be starting."

"And one of the rules was I don't know what it is?"

"Yes." Desideratus said, punching Viro in the stomach with his large fist and the full force of his muscular arm and body behind it.

"Agh! What was that?!" Viro shouted, gasping from the pain. Desideratus said nothing, and punched Viro again, this time in the chest.

"Ugh! Stop that! You said we weren't fighting!" Desideratus struck Viro again, in the right shoulder. Viro's eyes started to tear, and Desideratus quickly punched him in the face, making his tears fall to the ground.

The day continued on as such, for another hour.
"You know the worst part? The rock makes my back hurt just as much as my front from the rock." Viro said dully, blood flowing from his split lip. He was missing a tooth, and his shirt was torn from the repetitive blows. "Hey wait, didn't you say Blentyn was coming?"

"He did, he is up in the tree in front of you, along with Mwhyll, watching us." Desideratus said, striking Viro's arm, already purple from bruising.

"Why?" Viro asked, the pain no longer even showing on his face as he was hit.

"Blentyn came because I asked him to; it is a part of the exercise. Mwhyll's just here because I think he's curious to see how you'd do."

"Can I do poorly on this?" Viro asked, as Desideratus hit him again.

"Yes, you can show pain. Fortunately for you, that stopped after about 40 minutes. So, as the rules state, you are done soon. Blentyn will come down and tell us when."

"How does he know?" Viro asked.

"He doesn't. It's up to him. The part of the time keeper is usually played by the closest friend the trainee has, but since you are so new, we figured Blentyn or Mwhyll would be the closest, after me." Desideratus struck him again.

"Wouldn't call anyone here a friend, exactly, but I can see why it was one of you three, being the only ones I've met after that tall elf." Viro said, eying the tree Desideratus indicated. Suddenly, he saw a flash of movement. A small, wiry boy was coming down, leaping from branch to branch, gracefully as a cat. The funny part was, Viro could care less how long the exercise went for.
Viro knew the exercise was to stop pain. Everything from not knowing what it was until you were hit to Desideratus' silence pointed towards that.

'What a harsh training,' Viro thought 'Oh yeah, I just did it.' Viro would have been proud of such an accomplishment, but he couldn't be.

"Done?" Desideratus asked the boy.

"Yes, he finished. Quite a good time too, didn't even faint like last exercise." Blentyn said with a small chuckle. With this Mwhyll dropped from the tree, with less grace than Blentyn, he simply fell to the ground straight from his high branch.

"You are full of surprises, Coepi. You seem to have potential, and if you can stay awake, we will go have a talk." The Argonian said, with a hint of a smirk on his long, reptilian lips.

"Got it." Viro said, struggling to do as the trainer said as he was unchained. Once all restraints were off, Viro started to fall to the ground. Mwhyll moved with the same speed Viro saw the day before and caught him in his arms. "Strange," Viro said "My mind doesn't feel tired, but my body can hardly move."

"That's to be expected. What trains the body makes it break down and then rejuvenate later. The brain doesn't have the same problem, when it learns, it is only eager for more knowledge. Fortunately, we have magic for that." Mwhyll said, helping Viro back onto his feet. "Do you know any? Restoration magic that is?"

"A little, but I was never very proficient at magic." Viro said, as he struggled to maintain balance.

"Well, that is a problem; a good assassin must be knowledgeable in all forms of combat." Desideratus said, in a tone that reminded Viro of a monk addressing a group of students. "Before we talk, you will learn basic restorative magic."

"Okay." Viro said, having finally steadied himself.

"Follow me; I'll take you to Alumna. She's the one to teach you magic like that." Blentyn said, motioning back towards the main camp.

"Alright, let's go. Are you sure it's a good time for me to learn magic?" Viro asked while he walked beside Blentyn, leaving Desideratus and Mwhyll to talk.

"Yeah, the best time to learn magic that heals is when you're hurt. It's the same hurt you'd feel in a fight." Blentyn stated as he walked with Viro back towards camp.

Once Blentyn and Viro were safely out of earshot, Desideratus asked Mwhyll "Can you believe the kinds of times he's getting on his training? Now I see why the Night Mother invited him personally."

"Yes, it is amazing. Perhaps he is the one Posterus prophesized?"


Sorry this one was big . Also, if you have read the revised Intium Fan Fic I posted, and you noticed the severe change in Viro's personality, please do not fret. Three reasons:
A. He changes before the main story starts, a little, not entirely B. The trials are powerful, but not enough, and I am re-writing those and C. A plot device yet to be revealed, but if your brain works like mine, you know what I'm thinking

PS If you've read this far, I advise you to keep reading, but I would appreciate for you to post now, saying this so no one reads the first few paragraphs and posts something. Any criticism will do, I kid you not. An "I hate your writing" will suffice, given you please provide a reason. You dont HAVE to, but it would be nice if you want to see the change made ^_^. Thanks

Resarcio

"This is the one who hurt himself in training?" The small, plump woman asked.

"Yup" Blentyn said "He was doing the rock exercise with Desideratus."

"Desideratus? A bit high level for a Coepi, don't you think?" Viro was sitting on a small stool in a large tent. Besides the 3 cots, a large table took up the center of the tent. It was covered with scrolls and charts of anatomy of several species, as well as manuscripts and potion bottles of different color and size. There was one other person, a man lying in a cot, in the room besides himself, Blentyn, and the woman he figured was Alumna. 'Quite the odd old maid,' Viro thought 'With her grey hair up in a bun, and a tan apron, she looks almost like someone's grandmother. It's amazing the people that are in this guild.'

"So, Blentyn tells me you don't know some of the most basic healing magic? Body, soul, and mind, that's what you need to learn to heal, healing your body will fix bruises and contusions, your soul will restore stamina, and healing your mind will give you more magic." Alumna said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, how?" Viro asked.

"I was getting to it; don't interrupt me when I'm trying to help you!" The old woman scolded. 'I had no idea such an old person could anger so easily!' Viro thought.

"To heal your body, focus your magical energy into any areas where you have wounds, on the upper levels of the skin and tissue. Restoring stamina requires you to put magic into your heart, lungs, and muscles. And if you need to restore magic, just focus on your brain. Try it."

"Alright." Viro said, as he closed his eyes and focused his magic.

"Don't close your eyes! You'll never have time to do that in a fight!" Alumna snapped again.

"Sorry." Viro mumbled, as he tried to re-focus his magic. He felt the energy coursing through his body, when suddenly a massive pain erupted in his chest. He looked towards the old woman, wondering if she'd done something, when he noticed his vision had gone red. He saw everything as if it were painted scarlet. 'Just like in the cave!' Viro thought, as he shouted a cry of agony.

"What?! What happened?!" Alumna shouted, as Viro fell off his stool to the earthen floor. He writhed in pain for another 30 seconds while Alumna tried to calm him down and treat him in every way she knew. She cast a spell of healing on him, but it only made the pain worse. Blentyn and Alumna shouted more, but Viro could not hear them. He fell into unconsciousness just as Alumna cast another spell on him.

Viro awoke in the same tent where he had fallen unconscious. Mwhyll was sitting next to him on a stool, reading a book. "What happened?" Viro asked groggily.

"Ah, you're awake. Good, No one could figure out what was wrong with you, even Alumna was stumped when you stopped convulsing and she could check your vitals. Everything was working fine."

"A pain. In my chest, I saw red. Just like the cave?"Viro mumbled, trying to remember what had happened.

"Cave? What cave?" Mwhyll asked, putting his book down.

"The trial of fear, I say red when I used magic. Just like in the tent..."

"Hmm, it seems to be connected to you using magic. But you had no problems summoning or disappearing in your training with me. I will go fetch Alumna, wait here, and don't cast any spells." Mwhyll said as he got up and left the tent.

"Heh-heh-heh." A low voice chuckled from a corner of the tent. It came from a man lying on a cot, the same one Viro saw in the tent earlier.

"What's so funny?" Viro asked, sitting up to get a better view of the man. He appeared to be a dark elf, very thin, but very muscular. Viro could not be sure while the man was lying down, but he also appeared of average height, and he had silver-grey hair, tied back in a knot. His torso was covered with fresh bandages, going all the way down his right arm. His lower body was covered by a tan blanket.

"You. You don't sound like an injured person, you just sound crazy. That old woman is wasting her time taking care of you. If you can't use magic, you should just be killed."

"And what makes you think that, why are you here, listening to my conversations?" Viro asked, his anger barely concealed in his voice.

"Me? I lost the fight earlier today. Most people die, but I was lucky."

"What happened to you, though?"

"Punctured lung, 2 broken ribs and my arm is useless. Lost a chunk from my left leg, too." He said, lifting the blanket to reveal bandages on his leg.

"Wow, that looks bad, how long are you going to be in here?" Viro asked, suddenly feeling sympathy for the rude man.

"If that hag knows what she's doing, only a few weeks. Name's Bralos and you are Viro?"

"Yes. So you are a Coepi, too?"

"Yes," Bralos said "But don't compare me to you, I have been doing the same training you have, but for 2 months now. I am twenty times the man I once was."

"I feel the same." Viro said, looking off into space.

"So you must be popular, to have 4 people check up on you constantly. Even a tall Magister came to visit you."

"Who? What did he look like?"

"You don't know him? He was a high elf, always in a black robe, with satin blonde hair done up in a knot. Came in here a few times and talked with the Argonian and little black haired boy."

"Wait, the same Magister who came when I first arrived?! What did he say to Mwhyll and Blentyn?" Viro asked excitedly.

"Nothing much. Just how you were doing, what happened to you; that boring stuff. I didn't listen most of the time; I have more important things to do."

"So, Bralos" Viro said, changing the subject "What happened in the fight? I didn't get to see."

"Of course not, We can't watch equal ranks fight, that's just-" Bralos was interrupted by a loud voice on the other side of the tent flap.

"What do you mean you don't want me to see him now that he's awake?! I wasted all that time coming in here just to ask him about it personally! You have no authority to stop me!" The Magister that Viro and Bralos were talking about just moments before strode in; wearing the same robe and dagger Viro first saw him in. He was quickly followed by Alumna and Mwhyll.

"Well, well, our little Coepi is awake, eh?" The elf's smile was so bestial; Viro thought he would be afraid. But he wasn't "The Argonian tells me you fainted because of pain from casting restoration magic. And that something similar happened in the cave of fear."

"Yes, that is correct." Viro said, hiding his apprehension.

"Don't try to fool me, boy. Seeing your emotions could help us figure out what is going on. Explain to us again what happened."

"Really now, he should rest before you start interrogating him." Alumna said, in an almost motherly tone.

"You think this is interrogation? Have you even been to Stonewell?" The tall elf said in a mocking tone, turning to face the healer.

"Have you been through the trial of pride? Or the trial of respecting your elders?" The old woman said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Have you tried to respect your superiors? You have no authority to tell me how to behave."

"I do in this tent, and I won't have you stressing out my patients."

"Initiate, follow me!" The elf snarled. Viro lay where he was for a moment, debating over what he should do. Fortunately, Alumna interrupted before he had to.

"Out, out! I won't have you in here, and the Procter has already given me the authority over things regarding patients, so I can tell you to stop interrogating him!" Viro saw that Alumna seemed to care much more about her patients than ordinary people.

"Don't think I'll forget this, wench!" The elf said, as he left the tent with an aura brimming with violence. Viro felt sorry for the next person that talked to him.

"Don't listen to him, dear. You don't have to tell us what happened unless you want to." Alumna said, smiling warmly. Viro was certain that Alumna was only kind to patients now.

"Thank you," Viro said "But I would have told him what happened. I'm interested in what happened, too."

"Well then, what did happen?"

"Hmm, well, when I tried to use healing magic to ease my wounds, my chest suddenly started to hurt. I saw everything as if it were painted red, and when you cast spells, it only got worse. However, when I summoned things during my training with Mwhyll, I was fine. Even using invisibility didn't cause any problems, but when I used a night eye spell in the cave of fear, the same red happened, without the pain." Viro said, his eyes gazing off in thought.

"You seem to have a problem with magic entering your body. The more it penetrates, the worse the effects. Magic that you cast that effects things outside your body don't seem to cause problems, even if it alters the light immediately outside your body. I would say you have something wrong with your natural magical defenses. A magic disease, your body overreacts. Very dangerous, but I can't think of a way to cure it." Alumna explained.

"I know how to solve it." Bralos said from his bed, staring at the ceiling of the tent.

"What?" Alumna asked.

"Indeed?" Mwhyll, who had been standing silently in the corner, said "What do you mean you know how to solve it?"

"I know what you need to do. And medicines and potions won't work. It's up to him and his body. He must build up immunity to the pain of it. If he simply has high sensitivity to magic, than he must try to dull that sense inside his body. However," He stopped, suddenly summoning a dagger in his outstretched hand. Viro watched him do it, but before he summoned the dagger, Viro had sensed something, a red outline in his vision, right where the dagger appeared moments later. "You sensed that, didn't you? You knew I was going to summon it, before I had."

"What are you talking about?!" Alumna shouted "Viro can't sense magic just because it hurts him to use it! He's wrong, isn't he?"

"No?" Viro whispered, awestruck "I saw a scarlet outline of a dagger, just for a moment. The dagger still seems to be glowing slightly."

"Ha! See? This isn't a curse, it's a powerful gift. It's a blessing from the heavens, a miracle in disguise." Bralos shouted triumphantly.

"No, it's impossible?" Alumna said, just as awestruck as Viro.

"Alright then, genius, what do we do about it? How do we dull his senses like you say, without taking that gift away?" Mwhyll asked, walking towards Particep's bed.

"That's obvious, have him cast a spell on himself every night, and also practice anticipating magic. We should consult an expert on magic about the dangers of dulling it, so we don't get rid of his 6th sense." Bralos, said, without even bothering to look at the party.

"That's all fine and good, but Viro, what do you think about this?" Alumna asked, with the first concerned look he'd ever seen on her.

"Well, I suppose the training would be hard, but if it lets me see things like that," he said, indicating Bralos summoned dagger "Then it might be worth it."

"Indeed it would be." Said a voice outside the tent, Alumna seemed to recognize it immediately.

"Lupus! I told you to leave, how long have you been listening?!" The tall elf Viro now knew was Lupus strode in, with a face that seemed to be a mixture of pleasure and anger.

"I decided it was imperative I listen, and it was, seeing the importance of this information. Don't worry, I want this talent to blossom like everyone else, but I have the connections to get just the magic expert you need, without a lot of questions from high up." Lupus said with a devilish grin.

Everyone in the room, save Viro and Bralos, looked at Lupus darkly, but they all arrived at the conclusion that they had no choice. "Fine," Alumna said "But we're not happy about it, and don't tell a soul unless Viro says you can."

"Sounds good," Lupus said, his smile becoming wider "Now, Viro, would you mind accompanying me this time?"

Viro got out of his bed, but before he stood up completely, Alumna whispered in his ear "Don't trust him, he won't hurt you, but he is good with words. Don't say anything you'll regret."

Viro gave a slight nod and stood up, and began walking towards the elf. Everyone else, save Bralos, who had fallen asleep, stood completely still, watching the two. Viro finally stood right in front of Lupus and stared him in his shiny brown eyes. Lupus looked back into Viro's grey eyes and told him "You can trust me; I'm interested only in your well being, despite what the nurse says."

"After you." Viro said, motioning towards the tent entrance. Lupus' smile disappeared for a moment, but it returned wider than ever as he turned and left the tent. Viro thanked everyone in the tent and told them he'd be back as he left the tent.

"That boy has promise." Alumna said after Viro left.

"You wouldn't believe the times he got in the training, he might have set a record." Mwhyll said.

"Heh-heh-heh?" Bralos chuckled softly "I hope so; he could be a valuable asset to us. I'm sure he'll be a high rank in no time?"

Viro and Lupus walked for some time under the lowering afternoon sun. They eventually left the main camp and arrived at a large clearing. "I want you to tell me when you think I'm casting magic." Lupus said.

"What?" Viro asked, but it was too late, Lupus had already begun summoning something. "You're summoning." Viro quickly said.

"Excellent" Lupus smiled as a bow appeared in his hand. Viro now saw a red line, coming from Lupus palm and heading up towards the trees.

"You're casting something towards the trees."

"Right again." He said, as a bolt of lightning left his hand. Viro now saw Lupus' eyes turn red, as if covered by lenses.

"You're using night eye?" Viro asked.

"Yes," Lupus said "So, what do you see when I use magic?"

"It depends on the type of magic," Viro explained "If it's conjuring, I see an outline of the item. If it's casting, I see the trajectory, and if it is a self magic, I see the part of you affected."

"So, in theory, if I were to cast invisibility upon myself, you would see my outline?"

"It makes sense." Viro said. The Magister disappeared, but Viro saw a red silhouette of the elf. "Sort of, you seem to be a red blob."

"Excellent," Lupus said, reappearing "so it is both predictable and passive, and it doesn't seem to drain your magicka?"

"No." Viro said.

"Good, it is a gift then, and not a power. It is not common to all wood elves, so it is not a racial power. What is your birth sign?" Lupus asked.

"I believe I was born under the sign of the serpent." Viro said.

"So it is also not a power given by the stars. Who are your parents?"

"I do not know, I came here from Valenwood, I was banished."

"Why?"

"For murder." Viro said coldly, his eyes seemed to pause in memory.

"Of little consequence, your ability seems to not have a logical source. However, had you noticed any magic before the trial of fear?"

"I ran into little magic, I killed casters with bow or stealth before they used any magic, if I was struck, it was from behind, and it hurt, but not as much as it did in the tent. I never used night eye or restoration magic before I came here."

"Then we have no knowledge about when this could have happened. That is troublesome."

"Indeed." Viro agreed.

"I believe this requires someone with expertise in this subject. Do not use any magic until I retrieve one, but continue your training."

"Alright, I may tell the others?" Viro asked.

"Yes." Lupus said, walking off away from the camp.

"When will you be back?" Viro asked.

"One month. Your training should be done by then." Lupus said as he disappeared into the swampy woods "Await my return. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Viro said sullenly. Once he had left Viro began the long walk back to camp.

By the time Viro had returned, night had fallen. Viro realized this was the first time he had actually seen the camp in the darkness of night. It seemed to contain the perfect balance of firelight and mysterious darkness. He remembered how he had once been afraid of the dark, afraid he would be killed by an overzealous assassin that wanted to be listener. He took a deep breath and released it.

"Not anymore." He whispered to the night.

Viro opened the flap to the medical tent slowly to reveal Desideratus, Alumna, Mwhyll, Blentyn, and even Bralos waiting with an air full of tension.

"What'd he say?" Blentyn asked anxiously.

"That he was to go get a specialist; he'll be back in a month."

"That's it? What did he say about your?power?" Blentyn asked, shifting his eyes to the floor at the end of his question.

"Indeed, we are all curious." Mwhyll said.

"Not me." Bralos said lazily from his bed.

"Quiet, you aren't a part of this." Desideratus snapped.

"Actually," Viro said "He's a very large part of it. He's the one that realized what it was, and what to do."

"Oh?" Desideratus said. He and Blentyn were shocked that such a seemingly lazy man would do so much for anyone else.

"Don't judge me like that." Bralos said, as if he knew what they were thinking.

"Nonetheless, we still want to know what happened with Lupus." Mwhyll said, changing topics.

"Well," Viro paused "He told me that it was some unknown power; not a birth power, or a race power, not even a spell. He said it was some mysterious, passive yet predictable talent that I either gained during the trial of fear, or anywhere beforehand. I told him how I might not have ever seen an actual spell, but it was likely I had and forgot."

"So we know almost nothing?" Alumna asked tentatively.

"Yes; Lupus said he would get me a specialist, that he'd be back in a month, and that I shouldn't use any magic for now."

"That is wise." Mwhyll said "We shall continue your training, though?"

"Yes."

"I believe it is time to stop the tests and begin the fixed schedule training." Desideratus said, changing the subject once more "You shall now start conditioning for your mind and body, as well as quite a bit of practice to improve your skills."

"You said it followed a schedule?" Viro asked.

"Yeah, it's fun." Blentyn snickered.

"Alright, what does it entail?" Viro asked.

"Well, it begins each day with thirty minutes of stretching and body resistant exercises, to warm and prepare your muscles. Then we shall go to the blacksmith, archery range, or horse track and train those, one hour of practice under the eye of the trainer there. Then you shall go to the sparring arena, where you shall fight opponents of any skill, except your own. After you win a fight, we shall go over the reflexes drill again, and then Desideratus will do a miniature version of the pain drill for fifteen minutes. Finally we will have a lesson on fighting strategy and logic, and then you will prepare for bed." Mwhyll explained.

"What about meals?" Viro asked.

"You will eat between lessons."

"Okay, will someone bring me from one area to the next, or??" Viro let the question hang, awaiting an answer.

"I'll take care of that." Blentyn said eagerly.

"Sounds like it will be a long day." Viro said glumly.

"Day?" Desideratus questioned, smiling "This goes on every day for a month."

"I told you it was fun." Blentyn chuckled.

After Viro and Desideratus left Mwhyll and Blentyn inside the tent with Alumna, they began the short walk back to Viro's tent.

"So you're sure you're ready for the training?" Desideratus asked, with a worried look on his face.

"I think I will be," Viro said "As long as everyone here is as friendly as you guys, I think I'll be alright."

"Oh, then you are in trouble. Lupus didn't say I was soft on new recruits for nothing, everyone else here will drive you into the ground. They don't know your history, your personality, or your disability. They'll tear you to shreds for the next month."

"What happens after that?" Viro asked, stopping in front of his tent.

"After that? You will start to go on missions, which can be anything from training exercises to espionage."

"What about assassinations?" Viro asked confused.

"You do not begin those until the next sanctuary. I told you, we only deal with combat skills here. You must crawl before you can walk."

"Ah," Viro said, beginning to walk once more "I don't know how to feel about that."

"Be happy you can live a peaceful life for once. From what I heard, you have never known life without killing."

"Yes," Viro said, closing his eyes "I am no longer proud of my history as an assassin, even though I am working to become one once more."

"Assassin is a simplified term for what we do. We are not killing for fame, money, religion, power, or any other useless reason."

"Then why?" Viro asked, genuinely confused by Desideratus' sentiment.

"Because," He said "We do what we must to keep Tamriel a peaceful place, so that it may one day be able to go without us."

"You work towards your own replacement?" Viro asked. Desideratus stopped in front of him, still facing away.

"Indeed, the organization is a martyr of sorts. We shall die so that our ideas may live on. The leader said this to us; we are all told this when we join. Those who believe it stay, and those who don't are released. So," He paused, seeming to wring his hands, but Viro could not see them. "After everything, what do you believe?" Desideratus asked, turning to him, with his large hands behind his back.

Viro stared deep into his eyes for a few moments, and then said confidently "I believe that I am ready to become a weapon of the leader's philosophy. We shall be murderers, yes, but we shall do it for the betterment of society. We shall not kill to satisfy a cruel god, or a selfish dictator, we shall assassinate a few to allow all people to go on to advance society. And when free thinking is unrestricted and all is just, we shall finally end our crusade."

"Well put," Desideratus said, looking up to the midnight sky "Be careful not to let those words confuse you. Any cause so great is easily twisted by an unjust mind."

"My beliefs are steadfast, and my new reason for life is one I can be proud of." Viro stopped. 'Proud of?' He thought 'Since when did pride return to him?'

"Your pride has returned, and you have passed the last, and most dangerous, test. Be careful not to let it go unchecked."

"Yes sir." Viro said sharply, but not unkindly. "What do you mean dangerous? I thought I would be released if I decided I did not like the leader's ideas?"

"That was a lie. Anyone misjudged is immediately killed?" Desideratus said, bringing his hands in front of him and letting a silver dagger fall to the ground. "This was what I was ordered to do if you refused, but I am happy you did not."

"As am I, friend, as am I." Viro said as he entered his tent.

"Goodnight, friend." Desideratus said, with a blatant grin on his face as he walked to the other side of camp.

Again, i apologize for the length. All i read are novels, and all i write are novels^^

movin along with the plot. Is it possible to sense magic in the same way sense life works? if it was some kind of special ability unlocked through hidden psychic potential? just another twist in the story, they just make it more interesting, don't they?^^

ps on a side note, romantic irony in books is wierd to read. for those of you who don't know what that is, its making the reader realize the story is just a book by making the characters act unrationally, like shouting next chapter at the end of every chapter^^ (romantic irony can also be called Metafiction)

ah, ravager, the purpose of the book has changed over the past month or two. it was originally a group of notes describing sanctuaries. then it became a reference. then it was an ingame book. and now it is something that i need to develope any kind of plot. staring at a lore book, or playing oblivion, or working inthe cs doesnt give me good ideas. only writing does. so to get characters that stand out from general random citizens, you must develop them through a consistent, concrete story. since i am not using ink and paper, i cannot say i was in a writers trance, but it feels like it^^. thank you for questioning me, debate always gets my head straight.

I believe there is a sense enchantment effect in morrowind.

Also, I thought you were making this into a mod? Is this some sort of accompanying work to assist with plot development?

Pandus

Viro woke as he had the day before, but this time he knew exactly what was happening that day. 'Well, almost everything.' He thought as he got out of bed and dressed himself with clothes he found in a chest under his bed. He also found a short blade and sheath inside, which he turned over in his hands many times before attaching it to his leather belt.

As he walked into the warm, humid air of the camp, he looked around to see all the people training like he had seen them his first day. He saw Blentyn running towards him and called out to him casually "Hello! Where are we headed?"

"Nowhere, yet," He said "First is the stretching and some light exercise. Don't tell me you forgot already, old man? Or did you not want to do them?"

"Compared to you I may be old." Viro laughed.

Blentyn smiled, but only after a shadow passed over his face. "Ready?" He asked.

"Certainly, what comes first?"

"Stretch out your limbs and joints, then tell me when you want to begin the exercises."

"Alright." Viro said as he began stretching. He started with his knees, bending over to touch his toes. Then he moved on to his calves, then his hips, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and finished with his neck 5 minutes later. "Ready." He said.

"Took you long enough, start off with 100 pushups, and then do 100 crunches. Tell me when you want to move on to pull-ups and I'll show you a good tree to use."

"100? Really, everyone does that?" Viro asked.

"Every day, including myself. I did mine before I came over, but I can do 'em again with you, if you'd like."

"No thank you." Viro said, dropping to the ground to do his exercises. 'This will be a long day.' He thought as he passed twenty.

Twenty-five minutes later, he had finished the warm-up. He was out of breath and his limbs were noticeably shaking. "You people do this every day?" He asked between breaths.

"Of course; it gets easier eventually." Blentyn said from the tree limb he was resting on. "Ready to go to the archery range?"

"I suppose, who is the teacher there?" Viro asked, swinging his arms to get blood to them.

"I am," Blentyn smiled, indicating the bow and arrows strapped to his back "I'm the best archer in camp."

"Impossible." Viro said.

Blentyn's face seemed to darken once more, but it was only for a moment. Viro was not sure he had even seen it. "Wanna bet? I say I can hit that squirrel over there."

"Where?" Viro asked, looking amongst the tree branches.

"You can't see him? I'd say he's about 100 yards south of here, eating a nut in a tree about 30 feet off the ground." Blentyn said, as he strung his bow and notched an arrow to it. Without even bothering to line up his aim, he loosed the arrow. Viro saw only a flash amongst the trees, and then heard a dull thump of something hitting the ground.

"Want to go get it?" Blentyn asked with a smile.

"No, I trust you." Viro said, amazed. "So, where is the archery range?"

After their short walk to the archery range, Blentyn was explaining the basics of the bow to Viro. As Blentyn talked, Viro was examining the range. 'It seems to be about fifty yards from here to the nearest target. Strange, how the whole of the range is surrounded by a dense wall of trees. Some even have targets painted on them, and the branches seem to be growing in an odd way, none go into the range itself.' Besides the abnormal trees, the rest of the clearing was normal, a cleared dirt floor and several paths going in. Several other members were shooting arrows at the targets, some even shot at the trees. Viro could swear he saw an arrow come down from a tree towards one of the hay targets, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"And that's how you fire accurately from long distances." Blentyn concluded, suddenly bringing Viro's attention back to him. "Were you paying attention at all?" He asked.

"Um?Could you go over a few parts again?" Viro asked sheepishly.

"Ugh," Blentyn groaned "Alright, but you must listen closely this time. Got it?" Viro nodded his head vigorously.

"Alright, the main points of archery are this: load, pull, aim, and shoot. Simple, right; well guess again, because this will be the most difficult skill for you to master. It takes time, patience, and more practice than you can get in one lifetime to be as good as the archers of the organization." Blentyn explained "The load is the taking the arrow out of the quiver and placing the notch on the bowstring. It's important to place it in the right spot on the string, or else your arrow won't fly quite straight. Same goes for the pull, when you draw back with your index finger and thumb, cradle it with your middle finger and make sure it's in the right place on the bow shaft, too. To aim, bring the arrow up to your shoulder and look straight down it to your target. Eventually aiming becomes so second nature, you hardly have to look, like I did with the squirrel. Finally, during the release, don't forget to keep the arrow aligned, check your aim once more and shoot. If the arrow doesn't hit the target where you aimed, it's probably a problem with the release. Any questions?"

"No, not really." Viro said, thinking of how often he had used the bow before. 'I didn't really need that talk, but I'm sure everyone has to hear it as part of the training.'

"Alright then, you try." Blentyn said, handing Viro a common iron tipped bow and a quiver full of arrows.
Viro took the bow, slung the quiver over his back, and pulled out an arrow. He fitted it to the string and took aim at the nearest target.

"Careful." Blentyn said in a soft voice.

Viro said nothing, putting his fingers on the string to pull it back, but when he tried the string would not budge. It looked normal, but it seemed to have been stretched so much that it could not be pulled. "What's wrong with this bow?" Viro asked.

"Nothing's wrong with it, I used it just a little while ago, remember? It's what we use for training." Blentyn explained, smiling.

"How do you train with a bow you can't pull the string?" Viro asked, frustrated.

"You learn how to pull a bow and aim while exerting great effort. It helps you be able to keep an arrow knocked for hours on end, and pull one back quickly and shoot with more force. Before you become accurate, you must become able to use a bow without any difficulties." Blentyn explained, his smile replaced with a serious look. "If you can't do it today, you will practice and try to do it every day until you can."

"So it's like leg weights?" Viro asked, slightly confused.

"Kinda, the principle is the same, feel free to try for the next hour."

"Fine." Viro said, angered that he would have to do something so seemingly pointless.

"It's very important." Blentyn said, seeing Viro's darkened expression.
Viro said nothing, trying to pull the string back once more, without success.

"Looks like we'll be here awhile!" Blentyn laughed.

One hour later, Viro was still at the archery range, trying to shoot his first arrow since coming to the camp.

"Look, I think you moved the string that time!" Blentyn laughed from the tree he was resting in. Viro's arms were shaking with the effort of moving the bow string; arrows littered the ground from where he had broken them trying to line one up. Eventually he had given up on using arrows and just tried to pull the string by any means possible. The effort had cut his palms and wrists in several places.

"Well, the hour's up, so let's head down to the blacksmith to get you a decent weapon." Blentyn said, hopping down from the tree and walking up to Viro.

"I already have a weapon." Viro said, indicating the short sword at his belt.

"Other guys are going to be using either long blades or fists. You sure you want to use that against a long blade?"

"Fine." Viro said, dropping the training bow on the ground and walking back towards the main camp.

"Watch it, that's my personal bow!" Blentyn said, picking it up and returning it to its position across his back.

"Sorry." Viro mumbled.

"Whatever, let's just go." Blentyn said, walking away from the range and back towards the camp.

"Here we are." Blentyn said, as he and Viro arrived at a large, open tent that was fully equipped for a blacksmith. Large wooden tables covered with an assorted supply of tools, weapons, and pitchers of what appeared to be ale were inside. Also inside the tent were a large smelting oven and several anvils of varying sizes. A large orc was bent over the oven, turning a piece of metal inside.

"Hello Durzak! I got another Coepi in need of a big weapon!" Blentyn called out.

"Huh?" The large orc was dressed in a large, brown apron with many tools hanging off a black cloth belt. He had a large face, with heavyset eyes, a wide nose, and lines that indicated he was always frowning; as he was now.

"Weapon, fine, hurry up and pick one, I'm busy." He said in an annoyed tone as he turned back to the oven.
Blentyn smiled "But it's his first new weapon. He's brand new."

"What, why didn't you tell me." Durzak said with a large smile that didn't quite fit his face. "You know," he said as he walked past the tables and out towards Viro "A good weapon is like a good shoe. It's gotta fit well, or else it'll be uncomfortable and less effective."

"Oka-" Viro started to say as the orc put his arm behind Viro's shoulders and led him towards a table lined with swords, axes, and maces.

"So what kinda man are ya'? Want somen' with an edge, or do ya' like to smash bones? Sword, axe, what'll ya' have?"

"Umm?" Viro thought for a moment but was quickly interrupted by the overeager orc. He heard Blentyn snicker from outside the tent.

"You look like you like swords, right? It's probably the short sword that tipped me off, eh?" Durzak indicated the sword at Viro's belt. "Let me measure ya" The blacksmith took a strip of measuring tape off his belt and brought it up to Viro's right arm. "Three foot two, eh', I got somen for ya. How's the balance?" He lifted Viro's arm and held it parallel to the ground. "Relax; I can't do this right if you don't let me hold your arm." He shifted Viro's arm up and down. "Mhm, just as I thought. Here," He said handing Viro a steel long sword "Just under regulation length, with the tip a little heavier and the handle wider. Should be perfect, hand guard's slightly larger, too. You don't use a shield much, so parrying is important."

Viro took the sword and held it aloft. He was amazed at how it felt 'He's right, this feels much better than a normal sword. How'd he do all that just from my arm?'

"Perfect fit, right?" Durzak chuckled as he watched Viro look at the sword with awe. "That should do. Let me know if you need anything done to it. I think I might need to taper the end a bit."

"Uh, thanks." Viro said.

"No, thank you," Durzak said "It's not every day I get to practice my measuring, let me know if it starts feeling different."

"Aright." Viro said, smiling at the large orc's unexpected kindness. He walked back to Blentyn once Durzak had given him a sheath to go with the new sword.

"Not what you expected, right? He gets excited when he hands someone their first sword. Oh, and that is your first, your life before here is over, isn't it?" Blentyn asked, changing from a jovial attitude to a more sober one.

"Yeah, yeah it is." Viro said, gazing at the sword.

"Alright, let's head over to a sparring ring. You get your first real fight, are you ready?"

Before Viro could answer, Durzak called out to him "Oh yeah, what's your name, initiate?"

"Viro, Viro Latro." Viro said, smiling.

"Did you just make that up?" Blentyn asked as they walked away from the blacksmith.

"Yes." Viro said, looking up towards the bright blue sky.

Ah, writing the next chapter will be fun, i finally start changing PoV ^^

What do you guys think the best way to change focus from one character to another, just for a few pages? I intend to do the first real timeskip, so i wanted some side character stories to fil the blank a little^^. Also, updated thread^^

Callian

Callian awoke that morning just like every other morning. He got out of bed, dressed in his usual black leather armor, put his iron halberd across his back, and walked outside. He did his morning exercises, triple the required, as usual, and had a small breakfast. He went down to the blacksmith tent and started training without waiting for Durzak.

"I see you're overachieving as usual?" Durzak said, smiling. Callian said nothing, but continued his sequences with his spear like weapon.

'Stab, parry, dodge to the left, swing. Stab, parry-'

"Well, I'll watch, but I'm guessing you won't be making any mistakes." Durzak shrugged and walked back to his tent.

One hour later Callian had barely broke a sweat. He left the smiths area and was walking towards the nearest sparring ring when he saw Blentyn and some strange bosmer wearing a short sword. As was his wont, he said nothing, but looked into Blentyn's eyes with a look that was unmistakable. "Who is he?" They asked silently. Blentyn smiled and mouthed the words "A new recruit, you'll fight him shortly."

Callian arrived at the ring as two others were fighting; a large orc with an equally large battleaxe, and a slender bosmer woman with a rapier. The orc was swinging as hard as he could and had sound technique, but he could not hit the woman, who was parrying and dodging in unimaginable ways. The orc was tired, but the woman showed no signs of fatigue. 'She seems to be an Exigo, but he's just a poor Coepi. He never stood a chance.' Callian thought as he watched the fight unfold. Within two more minutes it was over. The orc had dropped from exhaustion and was quickly picked up by a few members of the crowd and placed under a nearby tree. The other participant was cheered for and approached with words of encouragement and congratulations. Callian didn't bother to listen and stayed where he was.

When the next fight was set to begin, Callian immediately stepped into the ring, saying nothing but challenging every member of the audience with his glare. Each member gazed back at him, each with a different expression; the initiates that did not know his name stared back like animals, prideful yet ignorant. The higher ranked stared at him with nearly the same venom as his, but none stepped up to challenge him. Finally the bosmer woman that had just fought stepped in, matching his glare with a patronizing look of confidence.

They both raised their weapons without being told, and when the referee in the audience announced the fight was to begin, neither moved an inch. 'Even if she has managed to hide it, she must be at least a little tired. She would have to be at Exigo level or higher to be completely un-touched by the last fight. I will use an anti-aerial strategy, utilizing my long reach as an advantage.'

Suddenly Callian leapt forward, extending his spear-like weapon out to stab the woman. She parried it to her outside, just as he thought she would, and jumped to the opposite side. She was now on his right, and was now going forward to stab him with her slender sword. Callian had anticipated this and had already started his side swing to slice her through the middle. She quickly placed her thin blade between his halberd and her torso, but couldn't stop the force of the blow, which sent her sprawling on the ground. Callian then stepped towards her, waiting for her to try and get up. 'At the first sign of motion, she will be struck down.'

He relaxed his gaze from her eyes and sword to concentrate on her entire body. He recognized a slight twitch in her leg, but disregarded it as a feint. Moments later, she jumped the opposite direction, right into the blunt end of Callian's halberd, which was entirely iron, designed for such a technique.

She doubled over, but still held her weapon between them. Callian kicked her hand aside and brought his weapon down toward her throat. He stopped a hair from killing her.

The referee called the match, and the woman retrieved her rapier from the ground. She was panting heavily and holding her stomach where he had struck her. She looked up at him with eyes of defeat, and Callian looked at her with cold contempt. 'A person's look when they have just lost tells a lot about them. She seems to have the eyes of a whipped dog. When will someone have the eyes of a demon, cold and angry?'

Callian rested the shaft of his halberd on his muscular shoulder. He looked out into the crowd and waited for the next challenger. When none stepped up for five minutes, Callian was set to leave, but he heard a shout from somewhere in the back of the group. "Wait up, Callian. Don't think I'm letting you off the hook so easy!"

Blentyn made his way to the front of the circle of assassins, with the bosmer man walking behind him. He had a long sword at his belt this time. The bosmer looked confused, if excited; his left hand caressed the grip of his new sword.

"Well, you seem to be in high spirits. You just beat someone, I'm guessing?" Blentyn asked, 'With that same smile he always wears.' Callian replied with a slight nod.

"Great, then you can fight this one." He said, pushing the bosmer inside the ring.

"What?" Blentyn's friend asked "I'm fighting him?"

"Yes," Blentyn said "He is possibly the best fighter here, in open combat; he can beat Mwhyll and me at the same time. He is only an Exigo, like me, but can fight on par with most Iudex. Unfortunately, he can hardly use magic or stealth so he can't get out of this camp."

The Coepi seemed to be awestruck, "He can beat you and Mwhyll at the same time?"

"Yes, he has." Blentyn said, staring into Callians eyes. Callian gave another slow nod, and stared right back at Blentyn, angered he had brought up his difficulties with magic and stealth.

"Will you be fighting?" The referee asked Callian and the bosmer.

"I suppose." The Coepi said.

"What is your name? We need to record these fights." The Iudex referee asked. Callian was mildly interested in knowing his opponents name, so he listened intently.

"Viro, Viro Latro." The elf Callian now knew as Viro said.

"Okay then, begin when I give the signal."

"Alright." Viro said, taking his new sword out of its sheath. Callian brought his halberd into a ready position and got into a fighting stance. Blentyn joined the crowd around the ring, but made sure to get a spot up front. The spectators, after realizing a Coepi would be fighting Callian, started cheering for Viro. 'Hard to determine if they are afraid, jealous, or both,' Callian thought 'Perhaps they're just cheering for the underdog.'

The referee brought down his hand and shouted "Fight!" and the cheering died quickly. Viro brought his sword up in front of him to a basic guard position.

'A sound guard, but it has too many holes. There is no way he can protect his right arm quickly enough like that. Therefore, that shall be my target, however, I must remember not to cripple him; Lupus said if I damaged another person permanently again I would not be able to fight anymore.' While these thoughts ran through Callian's head, he was, by instinct, protecting himself completely. His long reach and in-human reflexes ensured a three hundred and sixty degree protection from any attack.

Viro feinted forward, and was about to dodge back to prepare a counter when Callian caught his left foot with curved portion of the halberd blade. He left a large cut along Viro's calf as Viro fell to the ground. Callian was about to deliver the final blow when Viro rolled back and jumped to his feet.
Callian smiled, but quickly returned to his usual scowl. He looked at Viro's new stance with a look of approval; he had changed his grip to provide a better defense, while moving his feet to increase his reaction speed. However, his offense would be decidedly slower unless he changed his stance. 'I'll use this opportunity to set him up for a head strike, by making him think low with repeated leg assaults.' He looked into Viro's eyes, and saw a look unlike any he had seen while fighting. Viro was not blinded by rage, or too comfortable knowing his life was not in danger, but he perceived every motion of Callian's in a calculating stare that actually sent chills of excitement down Callian's spine.

A few moments later Callian pushed forward off his back leg to jump forward towards Viro. He used the bladed end of his halberd to sweep towards Viro's legs, and Viro was forced to parry downwards with his sword. Callian repeated this, coming from the other direction, and Viro was forced to parry again. This time he attempted to use Callian's momentum against him and sidestep, but he miscalculated and only fell off balance momentarily. However, the moment was not lost to Callian, as he stabbed forward with the blunt end of his spear-like weapon. Viro backpedalled, attempting to move off to one side, but Callian had him. He stabbed forward again, this time with the pointed end, and succeeded in giving Viro a shallow wound.

Unfortunately that was all it took; Callian was victorius yet again.Viro was upset, but not surprised, at the outcome of the match. He had realized his loss was somewhat by small mistakes of his own, but mostly was Callian's own skill. He knew he was simply outclassed. He looked up into Callian's cold eyes with a look of anger and frustration at his loss, more at himself than Callian.

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Blentyn said, stepping into the ring to help Viro up from where he had fallen. Viro felt his chest where he had been stabbed and Blentyn said, "Don't worry, that'll scar up in a day or two and won't trouble you anymore. Did you at least learn something?"

"Yes," Viro said, smiling "I think I did."

"Good, that's what it's all about. Unfortunately, you're not done yet, but first let's get you wrapped up."

"Alright, are we going to the medical tent, with Alumna?" Viro asked.

"Yup. She'll take care of that, without magic, mind you, and you can fight another two or three rounds."

"Let's go, then." Viro said, walking out of the ring and through the crowd towards the large, white tent.

"Sounds good." Blentyn said, following him.

"Wait!" Someone shouted from behind them. They both turned around and looked to see that it was Callian that called out to them.

They both looked at him in surprise at the fact he actually said something. "Does he do this often?" Viro whispered to Blentyn.

"No, I don't think it's ever happened before, he usually just either leaves or stays in for the nest round, and he never talks to anyone." Blentyn answered as Callian made his way through the crowd towards the pair with his halberd strapped across his back.

"I would like to come with you." Callian said sheepishly, almost fumbling with the words, as if they were unfamiliar to his mouth. "May I walk with you two?" He asked, equally shyly.

"Certainly, Callian, we were heading to the medical tent to get Viro wrapped up. Do you need anything?" Blentyn asked, still shocked at Callian speaking, not to mention his respectful and shy tone 'What in the Nine is going on? Callian never speaks to anyone; I even tried to talk to him many times with no success. Why is he talking to Viro all the sudden?' Blentyn asked himself.

Together, the three of them were walking towards the tent when Callian suddenly spoke again "I would like to compliment you, Viro, on your fight. You adjusted your posture quickly, and would not have suffered substantial injury from that last attack."

"Thank you," Viro said "You are a very good fighter. Not even Mwhyll had such concise movements and strategy." Blentyn watched the two speak with a look that almost bespoke jealousy.

"More than your fight though, your eyes at the end impressed me. People's eyes can speak volumes, you know. Happy or sad, angry or calm; you can almost predict what people will do next based on their look." Callian explained as he stopped outside the entrance of the medical tent.

"Is that why you seem to know what I was going to do?" Viro asked, smiling.

"Partly, it certainly does help." Callian said, returning Viro's smile.

"Well," Blentyn said, opening the tent flap "Let's get Viro bandaged and maybe you two can fight again."

"No." Callian said stoically "We shall not fight again until Viro is ready. However, I am willing to train you, Viro, if you are willing."

"It would be an honor. Thank you." Viro said, looking Callian in the eyes once more

"No," Callian said "Thank you."

'What is going on?'

Two minutes later Viro was sitting on the large table within the tent, with Alumna examining his naked torso.

"It's not bad, but it will need to be cleaned and bandaged every few days." Alumna said, stepping away from Viro to get a roll of gauze. The tent was much like Viro had seen it the day before: the potions and scrolls were still strewn about, the chairs had been moved, and Bralos was still lying in bed wrapped with bandage.

"Good to see you back." He said dryly, not bothering to lie up and look at Viro or the three people standing around him.

"Hello Bralos, getting better?" Viro asked politely.

"Hardly," the dark elf said "It'll still be about a month before I am ready to resume training."

"And be happy you are healing that quickly," Alumna said, frustrated with him "Most people would have died from those injuries."

"I don't mind dying, as long as I was a person of strength and worth beforehand. Meaning you had better heal me so I can resume my training!" Bralos yelled, throwing off his blanket and putting his legs over the bed. Viro and Blentyn all looked at him with interest; they had never seen him so emotional before. Callian looked at him too, but with a different expression, one of pity.

"You cannot walk yet, so don't even try it!" Alumna yelled at him.

"Really?" Bralos asked, his red eyes narrowing in rage "Let's see." He said as he placed his feet on the ground and pressed himself upwards, with a look of masked pain on his face. He was almost to a complete stand when he suddenly cried out and fell back onto the bed.

"See?" Alumna said in a tone that reminded Viro of a mother that watched her child make a mess and must now clean it up. "I'm going to have to ask you three to leave, he needs attention. Viro, please take that gauze, do you know how to wrap yourself?"

"Yes, but I think I may need help." Viro answered, taking the bandage off the table where Alumna had left it.

"You have two people right there, Blentyn and especially Callian should be able to help you." Alumna said, lying Bralos back down comfortably and placing the blanket back on to him. Viro saw a red pulse travel from her chest to her hand, where it entered Bralos' body and dissipated. Bralos' look of pain left immediately, replaced by a look of anger and frustration. Viro was still amazed at his newfound power. Callian saw the expression on his face, and as they walked out he asked him if there was anything wrong. Viro put his cloth shirt back on and started for the exit.

"Well, it's complicated." Viro said, looking at Blentyn for help as they walked away from the tent.

"He has the power to see magic as it happens. However, he has a horrible weakness to it as well. We know not where it came from or why it came to him, but Lupus is going to get an expert on magicka and powers to determine the best course of action." Blentyn explained, in a serious tone.

"That is a mixed blessing. Well, it doesn't impact your ability to fight, does it?" Callian asked, seemingly unsurprised at the news.

"Um? not physically," Viro said as they walked further out of camp and into the swampy woods "But I want to one day be able to attack a magic user without fear, so it must be solved quickly."

"Ah," Callian said "Who was the man inside the tent. Bralas, wasn't it?"

"Bralos and he is a Coepi who recently lost a fight to decide rank. He is severely wounded, but I have never seen him act that way." Viro explained, staring into the distance blankly, reflecting on the short time he spent around the man.

"Hmm, those can be extreme; many do not live through the encounter. Bralos, however, seems to be very upset that he lost. His eyes spoke of pain that can only be afflicted by one's own self." Callian said, very seriously and pensively.

"That is?" Viro ended, unable to think of something to express his thoughts 'Callian can tell that much about Bralos in a glance? I had no idea Bralos was upset over the loss, I took him at his word, but what he did just then really proved what Callian said.'

"Here is a good place to address your wounds. Private, yet clean." Blentyn said, indicating a stump that seemed to have but cut for the purpose of sitting. Viro removed his shirt once more and sat down on the remains of a medium sized tree, placing the roll of gauze into Blentyn's outstretched hand.

"No," Callian said "Allow me; I was the one who injured him, after all." Blentyn looked at Viro quickly before he handed the bandages to Callian. He quickly set about cleaning Viro's wound, placing a small cloth pad on it that he retrieved from a bag at his waist, and wrapping gauze around Viro's chest. After he had finished, Viro stared in amazement at the proficiency and speed at which he had accomplished the task.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Viro asked, standing up.

"Alumna taught me; back when I was just a Coepi. I lost many fights and was injured often in the process. I have trouble with restoration magic," Callian said sheepishly "But I learned first aid and how to create potions instead. She didn't say anything because she was busy with that Bralos fellow, but we have known each other for years."

"Wow," Viro said "You would be a handy man to have in a fight, in more ways than one." Blentyn looked at him for a moment, but Viro did not notice.
"Please sit down again, your calf is still injured." Callian said in a very professional tone.

"Ah, sorry." Viro said, returning to his spot on the stump, rolling up his pant leg to allow Callian to treat it as well. After he had wrapped it with the same speed as before, Viro said "Well, thank you very much, but I believe we should go back and see how Bralos is doing."
"I am curious as to his state of health as well." Callian said intelligently.

"Wait, Viro, you have to get to your next fight in the arena if you want to stay on schedule. After that you must see Mwhyll, if you win, that is. I'm sure you'll have enough time to see Bralos later." Blentyn said with a small hint of a smile.
"Oh," Viro said, disappointed "I guess he can wait."

"I will go check upon him and tell you how he's doing before your fight with Mwhyll starts, if you'd like," Callian offered "I wouldn't want you to miss a fight or interrupt your training."

"Thank you Callian, you wouldn't mind?" Viro asked politely.
"Not at all." He replied, smiling.

Blentyn had another flash of jealousy go across his face, but it was replaced with a smile quickly "Alright then, let's go. Bye Callian."

"Goodbye Blentyn, Viro. I'll see you in about fifteen minutes; make sure you win your next fight."

"I will." Viro smiled. They separated into two groups and went their separate ways, Callian heading towards the medical tent where Alumna and Bralos were, and Blentyn and Viro back to the sparring ring.

very blocky. Need to space it out abit better as its like a massive wall of text Oo

any better? i tried to just use enter, but if indenting works better for you guys, then...

Okay, i believe you all are now up to date^^. I am re-writing beginning, cause it was dumb, so it'll be awhile before next update to these. I will try, between revising Initium and Darkom's Tales.

Trunco

Callian entered the medical tent to find both Alumna and Bralos gone. Callian did a quick search of the tables and beds for any clues; finding only Bralos' empty bed and blankets strewn on the floor, he left the tent. He took measured strides, carefully searching each area with a quick glance. He found himself crossing one of the many bridges in camp towards the fight rings where Viro was. 'First I'll ask Viro and Blentyn if they've seen anything, then alert the guards.' Callian thought.

Arriving at the ring, he pushed several onlookers aside to get to where Viro was. Once he saw the person across from Viro, however, he stopped dead in his tracks. "I am here to fight you."

Viro, had only gotten to the ring minutes before Callian, and had not yet started his round when he noticed the crowd moving aside to allow someone to get through. This surprised Viro, who had so far seen the crowd move only for Callian, so he assumed he was who was approaching him.
Viro was awestruck when he saw who it really was.

Alumna, moments after Viro, Callian, and Blentyn left, had settled Bralos down. She put him back in bed, covered him with his blanket, and cast a quick restoration spell to ease his pain. Then she talked to him softly, reassuring him about his state of health "These things take time, Bralos. Even with magic and alchemy your wounds were severe, and will take weeks to heal. Without them, you could well be dead."

Once he was asleep, Alumna did a quick check in her mind over his wounds. Finding everything to be as she promised him, she set about grinding venison, boar meat, and cairn bolete caps in a mortar and pestle. 'This should make him feel better.' She thought. However, when she reached for her cairn bolete caps, she found them missing 'Hmm, guess I'll have to go restock. They really should make coepi do this, but I guess the muscle heads here at Fen don't find mushroom-picking an important activity.' She thought with a small frown as she left the tent and entered the swampy forest around camp.

Bralos, seeing her leave, took the opportunity to try to prove everyone wrong 'I'll show them,' he thought, with a malicious grimace on his face as he threw the blankets off his bed, onto the floor 'Let's see how Viro and his lot feel when I am up and walking, good as new.' Bralos struggled to rise, once more feeling pain, but no longer concealing it. After ten agonizing seconds, he rose to a full stand. He momentarily considered the crutches in the corner, but thought it would ruin the image of power he wanted to convey.

He managed to walk to the exit of the tent, and open the flaps without much difficulty, but the sunlight hurt his sensitive eyes. He shielded them with one hand, using the other to grab a handful of fabric to steady himself. After a short pause, he made his way to the bridge connecting the medical tent area to the fighting rings where Viro was. He supported himself on the side of the bridge, but stopped after he realized the people in front of him might notice. He took the moment to think back to his training, the pain exercise he did daily. 'Block the pain' he thought.

He approached the throng of people, knowing Viro should be in the middle, had to be in the middle. As the audience recognized him from the fight the other day, one by one, they stepped aside. He waited, a look of determination on his face, forcing his legs to stop shaking. Once a path was clear, he made his way through towards the center. There he found Viro, awestruck at Bralos' presence, and forced a grin. However, when Viro approached him with a concerned look in his eye, Bralos took on a dark smirk.

"What are you doing?" Viro asked, openly concerned for Bralos' well-being.

"I am here to fight you." Bralos said, just as Callian arrived with an equally shocked face.

"You should not be walking, nonetheless fighting!" Callian yelled, his look of shock replaced with one of anger "I cannot believe you are so irresponsible as to leave your bed! Where is Alumna?!"

"I don't know." Bralos said condescendingly "She left the tent after she started grinding a potion, so I'd have to guess to get ingredients."

"You shall return to your bed at once, before she returns and starts to look for you." Callian ordered him. Viro looked on in silence, unsure of what to do.

"No, I am going to fight Viro." Bralos said, almost pouting.

"You selfish child! You have no idea what this little excursion will cost you! Injuries that would have taken days will now take weeks to heal! Even Alumna cannot fix the damage you have done already!"

"I-I don't believe you. I feel fine." He lied.

"Like oblivion you are!" Callian yelled "Do you even feel it?!"

Bralos allowed the pain to return, just for a moment, to see what his body was saying. He was knocked backwards it was so great. His vision was starting to go hazy, and Bralos could not focus on Callian's voice as it called to him from above. 'Above?' Bralos thought 'Why is he above me? Oh, I'm on the ground?' Bralos passed out.


"Too many people blacking out around here, first it's a weirdo with no magicka tolerance, and now a crazy guy. Alumna, what's going on?" Bralos heard a stranger in the room before he saw them. She, as it sounded like a female, seemed both concerned and annoyed. Bralos tried to open his eyes to get a good look at her, but found he was unable. 'Must be a powerful sedative?Paralysis elixir, probably.' Bralos thought, too tired to be upset. He heard Alumna sigh and give a reply he couldn't quite make out as he fell back into darkness.


Viro lie awake in his cot. It was dark, but Viro could not guess how many hours he had spent worrying about Bralos. He also spent a good deal of his nervous thoughts on himself and about the organization. 'The organization, hmph, I don't even know what we're called. Don't even know why these people do this insane training and fighting. Don't know why they hurt themselves?' Viro, alone in his small tent at night, began to cry. He cried for himself, he cried for Bralos, he cried at the stupidity of it all. However, Viro did not cry himself to sleep, he stopped crying after one thought, a memory of the night before.
We do what we must to keep Tamriel a peaceful place, so that it may one day be able to go without us.
'Do what you must, Viro, do what you must?'


Alumna spent the next week inside the medical tent with Bralos and her new Breton assistant, Lillie. She was assigned the new help so there would always be someone there to watch after the patients, namely one freshly injured Dark Elf. Alumna, like most caring people, blamed herself for Bralos' "escape".
'How could I have let that happen? I knew he was depressed and he had made the attempt not two minutes before, why did I leave the tent?' Alumna thought to herself an average of once every five minutes. However, after that week, while Lillie was checking Bralos' vitals, she noticed a change.

"Alumna, Ms. Alumna! I think he's doing better!" Lillian shouted.

"By the nine, girl, don't shout, I'm right here!" Alumna shouted back "What is happening?" She asked in a softer tone, walking up beside Lillian from the other corner of the tent.

"See his pupils? The size has gone down, and the color is back to normal in the afflicted extremities. I believe that means the healing is near complete." Lillian said excitedly.

"Hmm," Alumna said, checking the dark elf again "Yes, I do believe you're right, Lillian. We'll take him off the sedatives and check on him in an hour. I want you to wait here 'till then, I'm going to make him another health restoration potion."

"Yes ma'am." Lillian said, realizing it would be a long hour, but also thinking how important her new job was. 'So much better than my last position.' She thought.

I think it's confusing you keep updating on the original posts. Not handy for the reader. I like the story though.

here is a little bit, the timeskip is contained within the chapter. during the skip, Viro has been training all things detailed to be trained at Fen. He is now a fairly competent fighter, marksman, horserider, and healing himself without magic. It is close to one month later, Lupus will return soon, and Bralos will be fully healed. Viro will soon start becoming involved in missions, and you will see him with a few new faces, which he already knows, but you don't^^. Hold on, it's about to start XD


Bralos awoke to Alumna's voice beside his bed "Bralos, Bralos; wake up. You should be fine now. You have company. Bralos, wake up?"

"Bralos!" Alumna shouted, jarring Bralos from his peaceful nothingness

"Wha- huh, ow?" Bralos woke with a start, sitting up quickly, causing his head to pound and his body to ache. He began rubbing his shoulder "You really should try to wake people up a little more, gently." He said with a look of annoyance.

"I did, you didn't wake up. You have company." Alumna said, leaving with a scowl.

Bralos cracked open one eye and looked around the tent to find Viro, Callian, Blentyn, Mwhyll, and a girl he did not recognize standing near his bed, with the exception of Mwhyll, who was sitting up against the wall.

"Bralos? How are you feeling?" Viro asked tentatively.

"Unn?" Bralos closed both eyes again, then opened them, blinking twice in rapid succession.

"You fainted after your legs gave out. Alumna and Lillian said that you snapped a few tendons in your knees and hips." Viro said softly.

"Told you." Callian muttered, with dying anger, looking at the floor.

"And?" Bralos said, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"You will take quite a bit longer to heal. We estimate you won't recover for at least a month, with constant potions and un-interrupted rest." Lillian said, softly and compassionately.

"And you are?" Bralos asked, not giving any signs he heard her.

"Lillian, Alumna's assistant. Assigned here after you hurt yourself." She said, in the same feminine tone.

"Whatever. Leave, come back in a month." Bralos said, turning his head away. He tried to turn on his side, but found only a flash of dulled pain and decided to stay as he was.

"But Bralos?" Blentyn said, looking at the man with pity.

"Come. Let him be." Mwhyll said as he opened the tent flap and motioned for them all to go outside.

Callian stalked out immediately, Viro and Blentyn looked at him for a moment before they too left. Mwhyll was out last, shaking his head 'Poor soul. He has talent, but he's too reckless.'

The group was standing on the trail at the base of the hill that the medical tent was situated on in a circle. They all had adopted different postures and expressions: Callian with his arms crossed and face resolute, Blentyn was looking down with a sad face, Viro continuously looked back at the tent, then returned his attention to the other people in the group. Mwhyll looked straight ahead, eyes unfocused with his right hand tracing scars on his left with its index finger.

After a short period of silence, Viro asked "What was Bralos like before he was injured?"

Viro looked up at each person's face in turn, and Callian solemnly said "I only saw him a few times, but he always fought recklessly and without concern for his body. His skill, however, was admirable. His eyes were always ablaze with rage, reflecting the blood of his opponents with a bone-chilling sheen."

"Yes, he fought like a demon. I was his proctor for the initiation test, he took about thirty minutes longer than you did, but that was because he never heeded anything I said. He fought the same the whole time, swinging at me like a madman, until he was dead tired. After that, he slept for an hour and then continued the assault." Mwhyll said, his eyes still glazed, his voice a serious monotone.

"After that day, he never talked to me again. He always walked right past me; I never tried to start a conversation either."

Blentyn nodded his head silently while Mwhyll was talking. Once the Argonian had finished, Blentyn said "He trained at the archery range little, but he was a great marksman. He hit a bull's eye almost seven times out of ten, better than most people training to be archers can do."

Viro nodded his head silently "No wonder he was so upset when he couldn't train anymore. How do you think he'll do for the next month?"

"He is defeated, submissive. He no longer has delusions about not needing to heal. His psyche is injured, but it too will heal." Callian interjected.

"Good, good. I wish him the best." Viro said, trailing off.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air, lasting almost a minute until Callian gave a small farewell and walked away. Blentyn followed suite, and Mwhyll sat down where he was. Viro shook his head, sighed, and walked back to his tent.


Lightning broke the sky in two with a jagged white line. Thunder woke Viro from his peaceful sleep. The dirt floor under his tent was damp, and he did not want to step on it until he put on his new black leather boots, so he lie awake, listening to the rain on canvas, broken only by the occasional thunderclap.

'One month. Is that all? It feels like it's been a year, a year of daily training, daily fights, daily lessons.' Viro thought back to the beginning of his training, those eventful days full of new people and difficult lessons. However, Viro was thankful for it.

Viro could finally use the training bow. He could complete the morning exercises without breaking a sweat; he could fight on par with Callian. On par, that is, when Callian was going easy on him; Viro smiled to himself. The only part of his life he wasn't happy about was the mysteries: what was the organization, who was the leader, and why was he chosen?

What was his special magic sensing gift? Where did it come from, and where was Lupus with the expert he had promised, so long ago?

Viro's internal questioning only ceased once he drifted off once more to peaceful sleep, one of many skills he had learned, to sleep without guilt or dream.



Verto
Coming Soon

So, guys, which character do you like best, or have i not developed them enough? Which ones are the flattest? Other than Lillian, the smith guy, and Lupus, which have yet to play a major role?

Alrighty guys, sorry, but i am re-writing the first few chapters. They were to much like telling a legend, not a novel. Viro isn't introduced by them properly, so i am writing a few pages about his life in the DB and before. Also re-doing a little about the trials, thanks ^^.

The whole thing can be found on the link in my sig XP

BTW: the beginning here, Viro is, admittably a little uber, sorry. However, it does change, soon. Once he joins DB, it changes slightly, and then in DK, it changes completely. But you see, with the trial of pride, and viro's sense of confidence before the trials, it only makes sense that he would be strong. Don't worry, he wont be in a page or two^^ so please hold on. TY

Alright, i believe i more or less seperated the text into chapters. I was reading other Fan Fictions, and i noticed they did that, and they were much more succesful than i have been^^.

ok, i have updated quite a bit since the last time i posted. i have just been going to all my generic bumps and putting chapters in there instead. so it should be nice and seperated now, and the story is about to take off, now that we time-skipped the training and got a good menagerie of characters. thanks all for any criticism^^

OK, the next chapter has begun. I wanted to post now, in case someone is reading this (lol). So, I hope you all like the timeskip, i tried really hard to make it natural.

Verto



Viro heard the squishing noise of boots in mud outside his tent. He no longer slept deeply enough to be woken by someone's voice; he heard them long before they got the chance to talk. He recognized the weight of the person by their stride, and figured it could only be Desideratus.

"Good morning, my friend." Viro addressed the man outside the tent with a flat tone. The nord responded in turn, opening Viro's tent flaps and revealing the grey morning "Morning. The Procer wants to see you, he says it's urgent."

"Lanok? What does he want?" Viro asked, standing up and slipping his feet into his boots. He fastened the leather straps and stood up, still shirtless in his tent. He wore the black pants that he was sleeping in.

"No idea, but I'll bet it has something to do with your advancement. You've been here long enough now." Desideratus responded.

Viro fished his black cloth shirt out of his trunk, and then his black leather gauntlets. He put them both on and walked outside.

"Really? Guess I can fight any of the other Coepi, the test is still a fight to the death, right?" Viro asked casually.

"Right." Desideratus stepped out of the tent entrance and stood beside Viro in the crisp morning. A light drizzle fell from the clouds, and the ground was muddy, more so than the inside of Viro's tent, puddles dotted the encampment. Worms and other insects were abundant, out of the moist ground to find clean air. Viro narrowly avoided stepping on one as he walked through the camp.

Fen was strangely empty; most trainees were inside their tents, waiting for the day to start. Some were probably still sleeping. Some of the more serious recruits were already up doing their morning exercises. Viro passed by one he recognized, Callian was halfway through his morning routine, doing handstands on a tree branch.

"Morning Callian, how are the exercises going?" Viro called out, not cheerfully, but with a definite undertone of joy.

Callian looked up from the branch, noticed Viro, and flipped down to the ground. He landed feet first on one of the drier spots of the swamp floor, bending his knees to absorb the impact.

"Greetings, Viro, Desideratus. Where are you headed so early in the morning, shouldn't you be doing your warm-up too?" Callian wore no shirt, but had his traditional black leather greaves and boots, his gauntlets were missing too. His halberd was leaning against the tree he recently vacated, carefully placed to keep it clean.

"Yes, well, Lanok requested I see him immediately, can't keep the Procer waiting, can we?" Viro said with a familiar, almost friendly tone.

"Ah, yes. Well, good luck, he doesn't call you for idle conversation."

"Indeed, so if you don't mind, we'll keep going." Desideratus broke in, Callian looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and turned back to his tree.

"See you later, Viro. Let me know what he wanted." Callian leaped back to his branch with a flourish, landing on the balls of his feet.

"Bye." Viro started walking once more, leaving Callian behind, towards the bridge that crossed the small creek that ran through the camp. He heard the planks groan as Desideratus stepped over them. He had already broken one bridge with his massive weight, and he was being careful not to do it again. Viro saw the aura of a feather spell encompass the nord as he too heard the boards. Viro gave a small chuckle.

"What?" Desideratus asked with a small laugh.

"Nothing, nothing." Viro said jovially, as he followed the man over the bridge and up the hill that led to the large tent belonging to the leader of the sanctuary. It was dark purple, with the insignia of the organization stitched on the top, a circle, a black background with the right half of a golden skull, cut by a crescent moon silhouette.

Desideratus opened the flap for Viro, but did not step inside. It was dark inside, but several candles lit up much of the tent, Viro could tell it was lavishly furnished. Large, wood cabinets and tables, and a plush looking bed; Viro never liked how Lanok decorated, too lavish and extravagant for Viro's taste. Lanok himself sat in a thick cushioned arm chair in the corner, a candle illuminating his dark face. The redguard stood up and addressed Viro.

"Good morning, initiate. I trust your training is going well?" Lanok had short black hair, a large nose, and small ears. He wore a dark silk shirt and black pants that looked much like Viro's, only superior. Viro guessed that would be due to the fact his pant's thread count was equivalent to that of many of the tents here in camp. Lanok wore an akavari katana at his right hip; Viro assumed he was left handed.

"Yes, sir; top of my contingent of Coepi. Of course, I owe it all to you and the teachers here." The warrior-assassin enjoyed compliments deeply; he had been in power far too long.

"Good, good. I called you here for a very important reason, two important reasons, actually."

"Ah," Viro started to talk, but Lanok cut him off.

"Yes, as I'm sure you know, Lupus, one of our most potent Magister, the one that greeted you when you first came here, left on a mission to find an expert on mysticism. To help you with your, ah, talent."

"Lupus? Has he returned?" Viro asked, he was excited at the notion of someone finally coming to explain to how he was able to see magic.

"No, not yet; but he has sent word ahead. He has found someone, but it took him longer than he had expected. The man he originally had in mind had fled the country; no one knew his whereabouts, only he was being targeted by necromancers. Lupus found someone in the mages guild that, ah, knew about us already." Viro could tell Lanok was uncomfortable, his most trusted man had failed in locating the original target, and a relative stranger now had to come to Fen.

"Then he will be coming here?" Viro asked.

"No, not here; he is not yet trusted. You will be meeting him in a secure location at the edge of the Black Marsh. He is an Argonian mystic, and an ancient member of the Mages guild, hundreds of years old." Lanok explained in a unexciting tone.

"Hundreds of years? How can he live that long?" Viro asked, forgetting for a moment the current issue.

"Argonians naturally live longer than most other races, but this one has used magic to prolong his life even longer. That is how Lupus found him, rumors of his age abounded, it is said he was a child during the crowning of Emperor Pelagius the first."

"What?! That was over four hundred years ago!" Viro was shocked, how anyone could live that long, even with magical supplementation. He had heard of elves and Akavirians, like the potentates that once ruled that lived for hundreds of years, but never a man or beast. Viro never did understand magic very well.

"Regardless, that is why we are bringing him to the rendezvous point, and you are to go there soon. Preferably sometime today or tomorrow." Lanok shrugged and then looked Viro into the eye as he gave him his instructions.

"I am to go alone? To leave the camp?" Viro had never been allowed to leave the camp, and never gone to as much as the outer regions alone. He understood how some green members might have wanted to run; the thought had never crossed his mind.

"No, and that brings me to my second point. Bralos, the Coepi who you met while you were both being treated by Alumna, is to go with you. She has decided he is well, but we need to know for certain. I want you to report on whether or not he is ready to begin training once more. We know you will be honest, considering your connection with the elf."

Viro was stunned. Bralos had been bedridden during the entire course of Viro's training. Viro's superior officers had told him that Bralos' combat skills were great, but he had lost his advancement fight by chance. His opponent was lucky, not skilled, and he had died on a mission a few weeks before. Viro was happy Bralos would be able to train again, he was derisive at his condition, and he was eager to get back to training, Viro knew. It made Viro recall the incident which caused Bralos' prolonged treatment with a grimace.

Lanok saw Viro's face contort, and thought he had said something wrong "What? Do you want someone else, it doesn't have to be Bralos, I just figured?"

"No, its fine," Viro said, cutting off the man's apology "I would be more than happy to, when should I leave, and where do I go?"

"Ah, you should leave as soon as you two are ready, and I have provided Bralos with a map already. He knows the swamp better than you, and I thought it would be better for me to break the news to him."

"Yes, thank you. I will go now, if you do not mind." Viro stepped back, towards the entrance of the tent.

"Mhm." Lanok said, dismissing Viro by returning to his seat.

"Well?" Desideratus asked Viro as he left the tent.

"Lupus has returned, I must go to the rendezvous point to meet the mysticism expert he brought. With Bralos?"

"Bralos? He is well, then?" Desideratus was as surprised as Viro. He followed Viro as he walked back down the hill, to the medical tent where Viro assumed Bralos was.

"Yes." Viro crossed the bridge, and saw the faint glow on the walls that showed Desideratus had cast a feather spell once more. It was a reddish yellow color that Viro knew by now, he had practiced recognizing spells by the color and location of their glow. He sighed 'A mixed blessing. I hope this Argonian can do something to remove the cons of the situation, while retaining the pros I am so used to?'

ah, i edited the last post, so i just felt the need to bump to remind you all that i added a little bit. The missions will soon begin, and the training is nearly over! On this sanctuary, at least. Trying to formulate how to prevent each sanctuary from sounding the same: arrive, introduce, train, missions, advance, next sanctuary...
using things like quests, antagonists, timeskips and flashbacks, etc. let me know if you guys have any ideas concerning that kind of thing^^

This post will grow, so don't worry about the length, just didn't want to amend the last one with this. Kind of a "too big but at the same time too small situation..." Hope you like...


Bralos sat up in bed, a wide grin on his face. Alumna and Lillian had a mixture of pleasure and confusion on their kind faces, seeing Bralos so happy was unnerving, but they were glad to know he was alright. Bralos could think only of the upcoming mission, and the return of his training. He simply couldn't wait any longer; the past month had been torture.

All bandages were off him, and he wore his favorite outfit from before his failed attempt at rank advancement, a black robe with a gold skull over the briast. On his nightstand were several scrolls and books of spells, which he had been studying to prepare for the fast approaching trek into the outside world. Bralos had not been out of the camp for over three months.

He removed his covers and stood when he heard the tent flap open, his smile growing wider at his complete lack of pain. Viro and Desideratus walked in, looking sullen, but they immediately brightened when they saw Bralos, utterly healed.

"Hello." Bralos greeted them gaily.

"Um, hello." Viro said, still having mixed feelings about Bralos' new condition, he had not visited in him in over a week, at Alumna's request.

"I see you are doing better." Desideratus said, an edge of cheerfulness creeping into his customarily serious tone.

"Indeed he is," Alumna said, approaching the group "Legs, arms, bones, internal organs, all fine now. His magicka and stamina are at their proper levels, that of before he was injured, and he seems stronger than ever." She finished with a smile.

"Yes, I feel great." Bralos said, flexing his arm, his flat black robe creasing at the elbow neatly. The garment had been recently pressed, prepared for the impending mission.

"Good to hear," Viro said "I trust Lanok informed you of the meeting, then?"

"Yes," Bralos replied "We are to meet Lupus and the Argonian mystic at a small safe house just over the border of Argonia. There, you will be examined and your gift interpreted. Then, with a firm plan of action concerning the issue; you, Lupus, and I will return here to begin your special training." His tone became serious, as if he was addressing a drill sergeant.

"Well, that was more than even I knew, but it sounds about right. We have been given clearance to leave any time you're ready." Viro finished, not mentioning his second task of determining the nature of Bralos' wellness. He assumed neither of them would have anything to worry about.

"Alright, then I need to get a few things, then we can go straight there." Bralos finished his statement, then turned back to his bed and crouched down. He retrieved a small chest from under the bed and opened its dark wooden lid. Inside, Viro saw several garments of clothing, several bottles containing liquids of varying color, and a few weapons. Bralos pulled out a silver short sword, a couple bottles of dark green potion, and a ring which Viro saw had a faint glow. It was the same glow Viro saw when someone cast a fortify skill spell, so he assumed the ring was enchanted thusly. It was Viro's first time seeing an enchanted object.

Bralos fixed the sword to his black leather belt, tucking the bottles into individual pockets sewn into the robe just above his hip, and placed the ring on his finger. Viro noticed the glow extended to Bralos' body, shining brightest around his head. Viro concluded the fortify enchantment was something of the magical nature, and noted the experience in case the Mystic asked him about it later.

"Ready." Bralos said, standing back up.

"Then off we go." Viro said, smiling as he held the tent flap open. Bralos left first, followed by Viro. The remaining three in the tent were left alone, watching the pair walk away through the closing opening.

"A new generation of agents and leaders is coming. The golden age of the Kings has begun?" Desideratus said, rhetorically. Alumna nodded, and Lillian had an expression mixed between fear and awe.


"Check the map again; you are sure it's this way, right?" Bralos asked, swatting a particularly large mosquito that had been hovering inches from his dark bluish-grey nose.

"Yes, we have been travelling due east the whole time, just like we're supposed to. It should be about a mile ahead and to the north, on the edge of a marsh-lake." Viro responded, studying the carefully drawn map, whose edges were Leyawiin to the west and just east of the Argonian city of Gideon. Almost every body of water larger than a pond was shown so that you could find you location based on their shapes. Viro admired the craftsmanship; the cartographer must be very skilled.

"I have lived in a swamp for a quarter-year now, and I still despise them. I don't know how any non-Argonians in the Black Marsh can live." Bralos continued complaining, he was fastidious about his robe, using several spells to keep it dry and clean. Their glow gave Viro a headache if he looked at Bralos too long.

Viro decided not to reply, so Bralos continued "If the person we're going to see is a mystic couldn't he teleport us?"
Viro was glad to talk about something other than swamps for a moment, and was fairly experienced in the realms of mysticism, so he took his chance to change the subject "I'm sure he would have to know the location we were at, and that defeats the purpose of us all going to a safe house." Viro tried not to be condescending.

"True, but many spells allow for an outside medium to transmit us, like a ring or book, and he could use it to teleport us without knowing our location. I'm certain the organization has at least one thing like that in camp." Bralos countered.

"Or Lupus could do it." Viro said, casually dropping the subject, siding with Bralos after having lost the small debate.

They walked in relative silence after that. The conversation giving Bralos the opportunity to realize Viro didn't want to hear how many bugs and leaves were collecting in his hair, which had returned to the rogue knot Viro first saw him in.

Viro was much more at home navigating forests and wilderness than Bralos, having grown up with it Valenwood. The assassination business had been prevalent there, too. The Dark Brotherhood re-accepted Viro in Cyrodiil after he lost the favor of the Bosmeric branch. Viro almost dazed off into memories when he tripped on a root, and almost fell into the acrid waters of the marsh. 'Got to keep moving.'


Lupus always manages to entertain himself, even when his only company is a withered old Argonian. The wrinkly lizard sat on one of the rickety, green-grey stools that were positioned around a similarly rotten table. Lupus leaned against one of the walls of the small shack, constructed completely out of wood. 'That's why we don't have any wooden buildings,' Lupus thought 'They decay too quickly. This was supposedly built only five years ago.'

Lupus sighed, he knew that he couldn't expect Viro to be here for at least an hour, but he had insisted on being early. He refused to allow any Coepi to be waiting for him, it would be sacrilege. He closed his eyes and retreated into himself, his familiar habit when his body is not currently involved in anything.
Lupus' mind was a subtle and intricate work, he having taken many lonely hours in meditation to mold his conscious memory into the vast structure that gives one total recall. An invaluable skill, only attainable by select few, and even then only with intense training, total recall gives Lupus the ability to memorize the smallest detail, plan, map, or abstract concept and call upon it at will. Magic alone will not grant it, even to the strongest of its users.

Lupus' memory was even more unique, set apart even from the other practitioners of the technique in that it took no shape or form. His mind was a vast sea of nothing, the dark mist broken by items or ideas regularly in the process of Lupus' thoughts. He valued it as being more efficient, but secretly regarded it as also being more difficult, a way of making himself more unique and significant.

He reviewed the exact properties of light, and its direct relationship upon vision, including the anatomy of the ocular faculties and characteristics of reflection and diffraction. He would then go on to use this data to aid the concept of stealth and concealment in a pragmatic sense. He was one of the renowned twenty scholars of death, an honorific title given to him by the Leader himself. Lupus was almost goaded into reveling in memories of the event, of which he had the exact records of all five senses for stored within his vast data.

Lupus brought himself back to consciousness when he heard a rustling of leaves, and the distinct sound of boots sloshing through marshland. His golden eyes shined, he noticed the Argonian had perceived their visitors as well; he too had opened his eyes. Lupus noted their distinctive off maroon shade with mild attention, should it ever become important to him. He doubted it, but the practice had saved him from several gauche answers to the endless questions of his few superiors, which were frequently lacking a rationale and quite minute.

The approaching pair was closer now; Lupus had already reasoned Viro had a partner. Whether it was another Coepi, a guard, or the Procer himself, Lupus could not quite say, but he could tell it was not a child, a beast-man, or someone heavyset. That eliminated the majority of Viro's friends, whom Lupus counted as Desideratus, Blentyn, Mwhyll, Alumna, and the recovering Dunmer, Bralos. He immediately discounted Alumna as well; she would not leave the camp for this, so that left only a guard, someone Viro had met after Lupus had left, and Bralos.

The molding wooden door to the shack opened, and Lupus smiled as his suspicions were correct, a Dunmer mage accompanied Viro, none other than the recently healed Bralos. Viro greeted Lupus with an awkward silence that showed he was still not comfortable with the elf. 'Fine by me, I don't want to be his friend, I am his teacher. I have already demonstrated to the upper echelon that we have taken an interest in this one. Thank the Leader they don't know why yet, at least we managed to keep that a secret.'

Note: As you can tell, I used distinctively different language with Lupus, I wanted to demonstrate his intelligence. Hence the words pragmatic and gauche...

We're on the UESP! Yay!

Please help me get my page into the proper place within the uesp, it's my first time using, thanks.

It's in 4 sections, search "Fabula" and hit Go and you should find them all. Sorry to the uesp people if it is not supposed to be there...


EDIT: We're also on gamertales.com ^^http://www.gamertales.com/node/241

We're also on the http://illusionaria.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=tesfic&thread=290

BTW: We have hit 42 pages in length on microsoft word. That's 23,038 words, making this an official Novella and growing.