Viro, protagonist of my other novel sized fanfic, returns in this prequel, named after the first chapter, which it is replacing. I was going to put it there, but it got too large and too fun to attach to the other. In this WIP novel, Viro just arrived from Valenwood when we see his sadistic side, as he kills two sailors. The beginning of the book details Viro's escape from Anvil and the guards that chase after him. It takes place in the County Anvil, inland from the gold coast, from the point of view of Viro, the two guards chasing him, the guard captain, and an ordinary bandit whom Viro spared. It shows a much different Viro than the one in Fabula de Nihilo quod Viro, more sadistic and malicious, an anti-hero of sorts, before the significant personality changes that take place in this novel and its sequel. Without further adu, here you are:

Initium

"Oi, get up elf, we're here, in Anvil."

Viro awoke in the hull of a small boat. He opened his eyes to see a large redguard man standing over him, close enough that Viro could feel his breath.

"What?" Viro asked rudely.

The redguard seemed insulted by Viro's small comment, and shouted at Viro. "I said, we're here, now get up!"

"Ugh." Viro swung his legs over one side of his small, uncomfortable hammock, and stood up. He was displeased to see that the man who had woken him was a good head taller than he was. 'Comes with being a bosmer, I suppose.' Viro thought with a frown.

"We'll be waiting on the dock." The man said as he walked away. Viro followed him up a hatch into a small room with two doors. The man went out the left one, and Viro followed onto the ship's deck.

Viro looked around at his first view of Cyrodiil. It was still dark, although Viro could tell the day was only hours away. The boat he was on was un-exceptional, much the same as the other two or three vessels in the harbor. He looked at the high, stone walls that contained the famous port city of Anvil; several guards patrolled the battlements, all wearing steel helms and cuirasses made from chainmail covered in cloth. A lighthouse shined in the distance.

"Alright, elf, that'll be 200 septims." An imperial man whom Viro had seen during his trip from Valenwood to Anvil said, holding out his rough, callused hand.

Viro silently reached into his bag and counted out the coins. The imperial sailor stepped up to Viro, but when he got near enough for Viro to give him the gold, Viro instead stabbed him in the abdomen.

"What?!" The man cried, staring down at the silver kitchen knife still stuck in his stomach. Viro took the handle and twisted it, snapping the blade off in the man. Before the imperial could react, crimson blood stained his cheap, cotton shirt.

The other man pulled out a steel short sword, but as Viro jumped off the side of the boat into the dark waters below, he summoned a lesser skeletal warrior. As he swam away from the docks he stepped momentarily on the beach next to Castle Anvil. He laughed as he passed the guards patrolling the walls, causing a few of them to look momentarily at him, but quickly returned to their rounds.


Viro lowered himself back into the water again, and swam towards the northeast bank.


"Dammit, which way did he go?" An imperial guard cursed as he arrived at the scene of the murders. One of the sailors was flat on his back, in a puddle of his own blood, the redguard leaning up against the railing with a large wound in his back. Both were freshly deceased, and the blood still dripped slowly from their injuries.

"I-I'm not exactly certain, sir, but I believe he swam over to that hill." A Bosmer man stuttered as he indicated the direction Viro went, not twenty minutes before.

"Ugh." The man grunted and called out to two other guards on the wooden dock "Over there, Arus, Oritio!"

"Yes, sir!" The two imperial men called out as they ran down the dock towards the place they were directed. In only five minutes they were climbing the same hill Viro had. The first one, Arus, was a common Imperial; black hair cut short in the military fashion, and young, tan skin. He had a small, downward curving nose and large, bowl shaped ears; a moustache was starting to sprout on his upper lip. The other guard, Oritio, was less remarkable. He had medium length, loose black hair, and outstandingly normal features. His nose was medium sized and his eyes were average and dull brown. They both wore suits of Imperial guard armor without helmets.


"What do you think-happened on the boat?" Arus said, running up one of the grassy hills of the interior of the gold coast.

"I-can't say. I would-guess he got into-an argument with those-sailors." Oritio replied in the same staggered pattern of breathing.

"Hmm." Arus said, as they ran along, getting ever closer to Viro.


Viro, having successfully escaped from the city docks, climbed onto the northern beach near anvil. He ran further north, keeping the city in sight, and, once crossing a small road, and saw the small ruins of a fort. Deciding it would be a fine place to hide, he was approaching the remains of a tower, when a khajiit in leather armor ran towards him, swinging a mace.

Viro dodged a downward blow from the outlaw, and easily slipped in to his side and placed a dagger between his ribs, through his armor. The khajiit fell with a look of shock on his face, calling out from the ground to his allies. Viro dropped a knee onto the cat's face, breaking his nose, and silencing him. He quickly retrieved his dagger, twisting it as he pulled it out.

Three bowmen in similar leather armor ran towards Viro, leaving their positions in the fort to fire arrows at Viro. Viro dodged two of the arrows, and the other missed as Viro ran towards them

Viro leaped right up to one and cut his bowstring, then stabbed him in the chest in one swift motion. Viro then summoned his favorite dremora warrior immediately behind another archer, while simultaneously turning to the third with his dagger. He gave a savage cry and the man fled, while his dremora stabbed the other. Viro released his dremora and turned to the fort's door, lazily throwing a lightning bolt behind him at the fleeing man. He smiled as he opened the door.


Arus and Oritio were a mere fifteen minutes behind Viro, running on foot, stopping to examine the ground several times where they thought they saw Viro's tracks. Unfortunately for them, none were his.

"No, I don't think he'd go that way, he wouldn't pass the border." Arus said, to himself more than anyone else.

"Why do you say that?" The other guard, Oritio asked.

"Because he just got here; I don't think he'd go through all that trouble to leave so soon." Arus replied, contemplating Viro's location "Do you still have the map?"

"Yes, here you are." Oritio handed him a detailed map of the nearby countryside. Its edges were from Anvil to Skingrad, but it showed most geographic features and landmarks.

"Let's see?" He said, pointing to the map, finding their location with his finger "We're here, and he was last seen travelling north-northeast, so he'd have to run into?a shrine to Akatosh, an Ayleid ruin, a few caves, and a single fort. He probably won't go far; he knows we're after him, so the road would roughly be his border before daybreak."

"Then he'd want to hide out somewhere, right?" Oritio asked.

"Yes, probably one of the caves nearby, or the fort; you check Smoke Hole over there, and I'll take fort-what is it? Strand, Fort Strand."

"Yes, sir; if he's not there, what do I do?"

"Meet me at Gottshaw Inn, north of here, along the road." Arus said, as he put the map into his bag and tightened his sword belt.

"Yes sir." Oritio said, firing off a quick salute.

"Good luck, and don't underestimate him; we don't know what kind of guy this is." Arus said seriously, then broke eye contact with his partner and ran off as Oritio gave him a final farewell before he too ran off.


Viro, upon entering the fort, found himself in a long narrow hallway of old stone. He walked forwards, down a few short steps, and up to a metal gate. He paused at the gate to listen to footsteps coming from the hallway to the right. Quickly pressing himself against the wall on the right side of the hall, he pulled his dagger out from its small sheath in his armor.

Beyond the small gate he saw an imperial, dressed in leather armor with a long sword at his hip, which he presumed was a bandit. Viro waited until he passed the gate, and opened the door as quietly as possible. Once in the hallway, he stalked behind the bandit for a few feet, and then grabbed him by the neck in a quick leap. Viro made sure to cover the man's mouth with his small hand, to avoid him from alerting his friends, and kept his dagger at the man's throat. He whispered threats and reassurances to him softly "I won't hurt you, so long as you don't call out to your friends, got it?"

The marauder gave a quick affirmative nod and Viro continued his whispers "They'll never get to you before I slash your throat, so for your own sake, don't even try. Now then, I'm going to take you outside, and you're going to tell me everything you know about who and where your friends are, understand?"

Once the marauder gave another nod, Viro dropped his hand from the bandit's mouth. With his now free left hand, Viro took the man's sword, sheath and all, and attached it to his own belt, talking to the man the whole time "Okay, I'm going to take your sword now, move and I'll cut your throat faster than you can blink. Walk towards the door slowly, hands in the air, don't make a sound. Good. Your friends outside weren't so cooperative, so don't be alarmed, got it?" One more nod.

Viro instructed the man to open the door and, once outside, told him to turn around.

"Alright, you have been good, so I'm going to let you go, but first, I want to know who you guys are, and a rough sketch of the inside. Can you do that? You can speak now." Viro retained eye contact the whole time, and spoke in soft, re-assuring tones. Now that the man was turned around and in the low pre-dawn light, Viro saw he was young. 'Very young,' He thought 'Sixteen, seventeen, tops. What's he doing in a place like that?' Viro questioned the paths some people chose for their lives, missing the irony in his own self assured psyche.

The man had short, black hair, in a military cut, with a large, imperial nose and wide set, brown eyes. He was taller than Viro, as most humans are, Viro guessed him to be about six foot and one hundred fifty, one sixty pounds. "Y-yes sir. Thank you for sparing me, I won't try anything, I promise." The man was almost pleading.

Viro rolled his eyes as he said "I know, now, who are you and what are you guys doing in this old ruin?"

The boy was still stuttering with fear as he said "I am Hasus, part of this group of marauders led by Bjalfi the Contemptible. We are roughly 8 strong, not including me and these men." He indicated the slain archers. "This fort is called Fort Strand, and we chose it as our hideout until Bjalfi is done with his family troubles."

"Family troubles?" Viro raised one of his small eyebrows at the phrase.

"Umm, yes. You see, he recently left his wife, Maeva the Buxom, and his home at Whitmond Farm, taking a precious family heirloom, an enchanted mace to go be a thug. He complains about her by the fire after he has, well, had a few." He seemed to calm a little.

Viro noticed the familiar story made the man more comfortable around Viro, which was good. It told him the man wasn't very smart. "So, your leader has an enchanted mace, what about the rest of you? Draw me that sketch." Viro said, handing him his personal journal, which he kept all his notes and maps in, and a rough quill and inkwell.

"Umm, I don't have the best memory, so don't blame me if it's wrong." The man said sheepishly dipping the quill in ink. "There are two rooms, connected by two doors. The first one, the one I was patrolling, has about 4 other men and some rats. Umm, they are usually here, and here." He drew some rough corridors and rooms, disproportional and blotchy. He indicated a few dots where he thought his fellow bandits might be. He had difficulty drawing a stairwell, having to explain it to Viro and have him draw it.

The original tension was lost, as Viro had suspected a menial task would accomplish. 'Hasus is used to following orders without explanations. Sounds like Bjalfi doesn't treat them nice, all the better.' Viro smiled as Hasus finished his drawing, explaining the second chamber and its occupants as he had the first, he drew some of the traps located throughout the ruins as well.

'Fool doesn't realize if I die in there, I won't be coming after him. He is blindly obedient now, completely forgot his situation.' Viro, satisfied with the drawing, blew on the ink to dry it, closed the book, and returned it to his pouch. He turned to Hasus once more.

"Alright, you're done. What I want you to do is run back home, be careful of any guards about, and stay on the proper side of the law from now on. I'll be checking up on you; you got a family?" Viro asked, surprising Hasus with his request.

"Y-yes sir." Hasus' look of surprise turning to confusion.

"Go back to them, apologize and tell them you want to pick up the family profession. Which is?"

"Umm, farming, sir." Hasus said.

"Then from now on, be a good little farmer. I'll be staying the night, so don't come back."

"Okay." Hasus was dumbfounded now "Wait, you want to beat Bjalfi? He's very strong, a nord, and a head taller than me and twice as wide. I wouldn't say to go against someone like that."

"I think I'll be okay." Viro smiled and turned his back to the man. "I'll be just fine." Viro opened the door and walked inside, trusting Hasus to do as he was told.




Yes, most information regarding Fort Strand and Smoke Hole cave is accurate, it took me quite a while playing OB to get all that. Also, if you don't like anything, and I mean anything that I can improve on or change, please let me know. I have a deep need for criticism^^ so fire away, the smallest error or flaw in flow or prose. Thanks ^^.

Note: I know Viro might seem slightly uber now, with the killing of three archers without injury. I plan to either change that, or make Viro an anti-hero, which changes in the sequel. The reason I did this is so when you read the sequel, you see that it's not that Viro is particularly weak, it's that all the members of the organization are very strong.

Oritio was mounting the top of a hill when he saw the cave. A rock outcropping with a small wooden door indicated the opening to the subterranean structure. In front of the rocks, Oritio could just barely make out a few tombstones and a bowl shaped object, gray in the pre-dawn sun. Making his way to the door, he was surprised by two ferocious wolves, just barely managing to pull out his silver long sword and jump out of the way of one's jaws.

He sidestepped the other and stabbed it in the side, penetrating deep into the canine's fur and flesh. He pulled out the now crimson blade and faced the second wolf. He searched the beast's body with frightened eyes for signs of attack.

The wolf lunged, Oritio this time cleaving down in a large swing, crushing the wolf's head with a signature crunch-squelch of crown and then brain. The poor creature died instantly.

Panting as he wiped his sword with a cloth he retrieved from his pack, Oritio stared at the freshly deceased animals. He cursed his job as he opened the cave door and walked inside, sword at the ready.



Hasus ran through the hills, tripping over logs and jumping at the slightest sound. He was without a weapon, since Viro took his only sword, and his armor was ready to fall apart. He estimated he was on a bee-line to the city of Anvil, and that he should reach the main gate before day break. He was going over his plan in his head 'Go to Anvil, find my parent's farm, and live there until I get a better job. Don't want that crazy, smooth talking bosmer to find me .Gods forbid.'

As he was jumping over a particularly nasty rock, he glimpsed a flash of light that he knew could only be armor. He stopped stiff and got into a low crouch, cursing his squeaky greaves. Hasus searched the location of what he saw, only to find an imperial legion officer walking not twenty yards downhill.

He had normal legion iron armor, without the traditional helmet, and the silver longsword at his side. Hasus studied his face for a moment, and immediately identified him as Arus, chief homicide investigator for the nearby city of Anvil. 'I'd know that face anywhere, that's Arus! Dammit, what's he doing here?! I thought I was released, no more checkups!' Hasus always thought of himself first, and others second 'Oh, he must be after Bjalfi, that's the only reason for going this way, to get to Fort Strand. Well, he won't catch me up there.'
Hasus stayed where he was until he was sure the investigator had passed, and then he continued on his way to Anvil.


Viro sneaked his way back to the stone corridor where he assaulted Hassus. Looking at the map he had the imperial draw, he noted the fastest way to the leader of the bandits was to the right. He poked his head around the corner, and saw a large khajiit down the corridor in the room beyond. The khajiit was looking to Viro's right towards where Viro knew an adjacent corridor lay. Viro pulled out his dagger and made his way down the hall.

Once Viro had entered the room with the khajiit, he kept to the shadowed wall. He hid in a broken corner of the room and blew out the nearby torch. The marauder cursed and walked over to the mounted torch to re-light it. Viro took the opportunity to leap behind the man and stab him in the base of the neck; he missed the khajiit's bony spinal cord by a half an inch, driving the blade through the feline's neck to the hilt. Viro also covered the bandit's mouth with a cloth gag, to prevent him from calling out. His body crumpled with a soft thud into Viro's arms, which then set him softly into the corner he had just vacated.

Viro checked his map in the relative darkness to confirm his thoughts on the location of the next bandit. He also noted the traps in the hall separating them, two iron maces rigged to swing down when a pressure plate is activated. Viro sat and thought of the best way to kill the next guard for a few moments, then turned his head around the corner.

In the flickering light of another torch, Viro noticed that this bandit was an archer, with an iron bow over his fur armor and a quiver over that. Viro thought of his need for a bow and chastised himself for not taking one from the corpses outside. He justified the action with the thought of his knife piercing the last bandit's throat.

Viro took a nearby rock, half the size of his fist, and threw it onto the furthest pressure plate. A large mace swung down, and the bandit looked towards the motion. The large, Nordic man watched the iron spheres swing back and forth, until they stopped. At which point he walked into the hallway to discover the source of the trap going off. Viro heard him mutter under his breath "Damn things, always falling for no reason. Bjalfi says we gotta keep 'em up though. I don't see the reason, myself?"

Viro smiled as his suspicions about Bjalfi's popularity were confirmed. Viro tossed his second rock, and hoped the bow would survive the impact as the second set of maces fell down. The nord made a final cry as he was being hit; silenced when his body struck the wall. Viro prayed no one heard, and waited for a few minutes to be sure no one came to investigate. He recalled the map, and realized that the nearest marauder was far down the hall, past the door to the second section of the ruin.

Viro silently made his way there, to the rusting iron door leading to what Hassus described as the "Great Dome". He pushed through the chains and spikes of the trap, avoiding the blood splatter as best he could. He found the nord's body, what was left of it, and took the thankfully un-damaged bow and arrows. Viro strapped them across his back and walked upright to the door.

After entering the Great Dome, Viro consulted his map once more. He noted that the shape of the hallway made it possible to kill the normal guard, without being seen by Bjalfi or his battlemage companion. Hassus had told Viro that the battlemage was Bjalfi's old friend, a powerful warrior and stronger spellcaster. 'Both of them at the same time will prove difficult.' Thought Viro.

Viro sat and considered his plan for several minutes, considering every path the assault could take. Whether to start with the guard, or with Bjalfi himself, whether or not to use magic, if he should poison his arrows and dagger now; all these things ran through Viro's head, and more. He finally settled on a plan both well thought out and precise. Viro began the process of poisoning his arrow-heads and dagger blade with mushroom caps and other ingrediants he found on different parts of his journey. The night-shade he found on the boat that brought him here, some sacred lotus seeds he found near the dock, and St. Jahn's Wort Nectar he discovered amongst the hills of the Gold Coast. He continued running the plan in his head as he worked, careful to poison each effectively and completely. He chuckled silently to himself. He recalled a past experience of poisoning his blade, one that ended quite nicely. He continued to work as the flood-gates of his mind burst with color and feeling.


Viro, a few years younger, sits on a mattress in a stone room, poisoning his silver dagger with raw night-shade. He too chuckles to himself, but that is the only similarity. Viro's hair was up in a rogue knot, instead of the loose fashion he followed in the present. He wore dark leather armor, contrasting with Viro's current cloth apparel. He was also considerably tanner and thicker around the edges, but not yet portly. The younger Viro finished his task, and hopped off the bed. He walked the short length of the room, making no sound on the thick, burgundy rug. He opened the wooden door as he put out the candle that had illuminated the cold room.

Outside it was pitch black, night had fallen on a large castle. The room exited onto a hallway with walls open to the elements, with stone pillars supporting the roof above. Viro moved silently in his crouched position, un-detectable in the soft moonlight. A faint sound of a commotion is heard from somewhere far behind Viro as he sneaks down the landing.

Viro sees his target through the window on the wall of a high stone tower, built in the imperial style. Candle light flickers, casting the man's shadow over his own face, but Viro knows who is must be. Anthil Morvir, known playwright and author, requested to be assassinated by a relatively unknown writer who believed Anthil stole one of his ideas. Looking into it, as Viro always had done before a contract, he saw the man's claim was preposterous, but he was willing to pay quadruple the normal amount, much of which would go to Viro, so Viro took up the job. The man who performed the sacrament wanted the target's books and papers for himself, so Viro could not simply shoot him and leave. He thought he might as well stab him if he was going up anyway.

Viro found the door leading to Anthil's tower, and walked inside. According to the sounds from behind him, all the guards were occupied with Viro's distraction, a body hung and burning from a tall bridge. Viro knew it would take minutes to retrieve the man's corpse, but it would occupy the guards long enough for Viro to slip a dagger into his target and leave. Viro climbed the spiral stairs, passing door after door, counting the floors, until he found the one he was looking for.

He opened the counts door from the outside, standing behind it, pressed against the wall so that Anthil would not see him, and leave his room to investigate. Or call the guards. Viro hoped it was the former.

To Viro's relief, he heard the man say "Wh-who's there? What's going on outside? Where are the guards? Hello?!" The voice came closer as it spoke, and Viro turned his dagger in his hand. He enjoyed making a show of a man's last moments, and planned out the most dramatic series of events to end the author's life. Ironic that a famous author would be killed dramatically, Viro frowned at the thought he did not know what caused Malvasian's end. He thought of asking the man while he killed him.

The voice was just inside the door now, ready to cross through the threshold of life and death, through the doorframe. Viro waited, adding to the man's suspense. His voice changed from fear to panic "What's going on?!" He shouted as he ran into the hall.
Viro slammed the door behind the man, causing him to turn quickly. He was dressed in expensive black and gold finery, with a quill tucked behind his left ear. His fingers were black with ink as he pointed one accusingly at Viro "Who are you? What do you think you're doing? What is that you're holding?!" He demanded as Viro stood, holding his dagger out in front of him. The sight of it caused the man to shrink back, his questions died suddenly. He started to run when Viro commanded him "Stop!"

Anthil stopped, much to his own surprise. He was confused, Viro had a way of psychologically breaking down his targets. Viro walked up to the man, who was scared to death, starting to sweat, beads of cold, salty water running down his face. Viro talked in soft tones "What happened to Malvasian? How did he die? What did the bandit's do?"
"Wh-what? Are you talking about that play? I don't know, I just wrote the epilogue that way. I never had to think about it." He stammered out a response, hands up, palms out in a sign of surrender. Viro accepted no such thing.

"Well then, I guess I just won't think about it, let your guards write an epilogue. Or should we say orbituary?" Viro approached the man, a tall Breton with balding brown hair. Viro's face betrayed no intentions as he stabbed the man repeatedly with his poisoned dagger. His pleading ended as his throat and lungs were pierced, causing only dry sobs that made hollow noises in the night. His quill fell from its place at his ear as Viro ran down the stairs and jumped off the open hallway. His memory ended with him mounting a stone wall and running through a thick forest, back to his home, his guild.

He finished his poisoning and was replacing his equipment as he listened for any changes in his target's movement. Finding nothing, he rounded the first corner and pressed himself against the inner wall of the second.He heard deep laughter, booming as it echoed through the chamber and hallway.



Phew, finished the first chapter. I hope you guys like Viro now, cause he will be experiencing a change in character soon enough, as soon as the timeskip's over^^. I know he's a bit uber, and too flatly evil, but he changes, I promise; please be patient with me, these things take time XD. As always, any critique at all is welcome.

just a bump, might edit later to space out chapters more. i edited last post cause it was so small, but i wanted to inform any readers of a new section, especially the flashback (greatly influenced by Flowers for Algernon) XD

EDIT: thanks mr.boon^^ good to see someone is reading some of my fan-fics. we work hard, simply for a simple post XD

Its very good. Gives me somthing to read.

"Ha ha ha, lighten up and drink a little, Franrad! Don't give me that mage crap about prohibition, c'mon!" Viro assumed the bass voice belonged to Bjalfi.

"Bjalfi, please, you're drunk again. Lie down, here." A soft Breton voice confirmed Viro's suspicions about Bjalfi. Viro smiled as he re-evaluated his plan to include Bjalfi being in a stupor. 'Only one battlemage to get now.'

"Come, Franrad, it's useless. You know how he gets?" Another Breton voice, addressing the other mage. 'Two?'



Oritio was shaken at the inside of the cave; a rotten smell permeated the air. A small, gently sloping tunnel split into two, then rejoined to a dank chamber beyond. Four torches illuminated a stone bridge, crossing a large chasm. Lighting his own torch, Oritio could make out a few mud-crabs at the bottom. He could see his reflection in his silver long sword, red and shadowed strangely by the multiple sources of fire; he was sweating.

Crossing the bridge, he could see two statues through the stone formations, illuminated by flames on pedestals in front of them. Between the statues was a large tunnel leading upward, and two smaller ones led downward on either side of the statues. Upon examining the statues closer, he saw they were robed figures, with hoods over their stone faces, blank and expressionless. Or at least one was, the left one was missing its head, broken off completely. As he was looking around the base of the statue for the missing head, Oritio heard a guttural noise and popping and sloshing from his right. Turning to look he was surprised by a greenish-brown zombie, bones and innards exposed through rotting flesh. It was shuffling towards him quickly, a vicious look on its decayed face.

"Talos!" Oritio shouted, raising his sword in a defensive gesture to fend off the undead assailant. The zombie raised its arms up to attack, and Oritio took the chance to stab it in the stomach. A horrible reek of death washed over him, as brown goo oozed from the wound onto Oritio's bright sword. The zombie looked down, a dull look of recognition on its face, and then returned to one of rage.

It swung its upraised arms, and the imperial officer dived out of the way to avoid the assault. Realizing he had left his sword sticking out of the beast, he ran back to attack the monster once more. He took hold of the hilt of his sword and pulled sideways, cleaving the beast in half as he retrieved his blade. The brown liquid splashed out of the undead monster as the most of its body was separated from its legs. Though the zombie still lived, it was little threat to Oritio, being immobile. He strolled over to its torso, cursing his bad luck his armor would get so nasty, and drove his blade into its skull, producing a sick noise that almost made him lose what little he had to eat back in Anvil.

"Ugh?" Oritio groaned, examining his blade in the firelight. He took the larger tunnel, going between the statues, leading up towards a wooden door. He pushed it open and continued down the natural rock corridor, towards another, smaller chamber. Also illuminated by fire, Oritio could see the rotten flesh of the arm of another zombie. A white stone coffin was also visible, but the rest of the room was obscured by the corner of the tunnel he was in.

Oritio proceeded cautiously, not wanting to alert the undead creature to his presence before he was ready. He was glad that zombies didn't notice much of their surroundings. Once he was at the entrance to the room, however, the zombie did notice his presence, and it was not pleased. It started bumbling towards him, groaning like the last one. What Oritio did not expect, was the skeleton holding an iron hand axe that ran towards him as well.

Oritio backed further into the passage, so that only one monster could reach him at a time, and raised his sword once more. This zombie was smarter, and struck without giving the warning of raising its arms. Oritio slashed at them, and the zombie's right limb fell to the ground, slashed at the bicep, its bones felt like mush as the imperial went through them. The beast attacked with its one arm, and Oritio went straight for its head, stabbing it between the mouth and eyes, were the nose would normally be. It crumpled immediately, and this time Oritio didn't make the mistake of leaving his sword in the corpse.

The skeleton was right behind, swinging his axe just as the zombie fell. Oritio blocked with the flat side of his blade, and drove down the skeleton's bony arm towards its ribs, driving his blade through, snapping the bone until he hit the spine. He smashed that as he retracted his sword, and the skeleton went limp as well, bones falling apart as the enchantment that gave it life wore off.

Oritio took the moment to catch his breath as he stepped over the remains, walking through the stone room towards the wooden door-hatch surrounded by two torches. As he prepared to open the door, Oritio noticed an inscription, two crudely carved words that read "Brass Tomb". He mulled the name over as the opened the door.

He immediately regretted doing so as a cold mist poured over him from the tomb beyond. A shiver ran through his whole body, he really didn't want to go into the next part of the cave, but he had to check and see if that criminal-murderer was inside. If he let him escape, Arus would have his hide.

Viro once more changed his plan slightly, to accommodate the second mage. He listened to shuffling footsteps, accompanied by the sound of dragging feet, and assumed one mage had taken the either intoxicated or comatose Bjalfi towards the hallway to the left. One mage remained in the room beyond, and Viro drew two poisoned arrows from his quiver. He lightly touched the tips with his index and middle finger to ensure their sharpness, and placed one on his bowstring, the other held in the hand holding the bow. He inverted his bow, so he would be firing horizontally to keep himself hidden, and drew the arrow back.

He looked around the corner, only his left eye and half of his bow exposed, and saw the Breton battle mage at the end of the hallway, in the second mage's blind spot. He wore a rusty iron cuirass and light brown pants, with leather shoes and a long sword at his belt. He had light brown, wavy hair that fell naturally behind his ears and parted on the right side, above his eye. Viro aimed at his pale, exposed throat.

Viro hesitated a moment, listening for the sounds of the other mage, then fired. He notched the second arrow, and quickly fired again, not bothering to aim again, for he had kept his bow completely still during the first shot.

The first arrow found its target, just below the mage's chin. Before the second arrow hit, the man looked down at the shaft of the first arrow, and the second hit him right below his eye. The blood did not splatter, but it did bead and run down his throat, staining his armor. The mage was about to call out when a third arrow pierced him, crunching through bone as it smashed into his skull. The third arrow did not stick, but rebounded off the hard bone onto the floor. Viro guessed this mage was Franrad, and smiled as he died before the poison could even begin to take effect. He crumpled to the floor, his armor causing a small clank on the stone, but it was muffled by his body.

Unfortunately, the second mage heard the sound, and called out "Franrad? What was that?"

Viro could not fake the man's voice, so he waited for the nameless second mage to enter the chamber. He drew four more arrows, placing two on the ground and the others in his hands, one on the bowstring and the other in his left hand.

The mage walked slowly, his torch illuminated the hallway further, flickering shadows of what Viro could only guess was a stairway around his left corner. Viro ducked behind the corner once more, waiting. The mage reached the end of the hallway he was on and turned to the left, towards the body of Franrad. He dropped his torch as he yelled "Franrad! What in Nirn happened?!"

Franrad didn't make the slightest response as the mage held him in his arms "Franrad, it's me, Berien! Wake up!" His desperate voice began sobbing, until he noticed the arrows in his friend. He stood, silent, and turned around. Viro still waited.

The mage Berien drew his sword and ran down the hall, Viro drew his arrow and backed up several steps. When Viro heard Berien's footsteps just around the corner, he let loose his arrow. Berien was running fast enough so that when he just appeared around the edge to Viro, he was struck in the side.

His armor pierced, a shaft sticking out of him, Berien continued running, now seeing Viro in the dark hall. He gave a furious cry as Viro released his second arrow, which struck the mage in his left thigh. It struck bone, and Berien tripped, but caught himself. Viro saw the fire in his eyes as he raised his left hand, palm open and beginning to cast a spell. Viro ducked around the corner and pressed his body up against the wall, drawing two more arrows. Viro ran out of cover and fired again, striking the fallen mage in the bicep of his sword arm.

Berien's head fell facedown onto the cold stone, the effects of the poison reaching his brain. His body spasm for a moment then became still. Viro walked slowly towards him, cautiously, drawing his dagger. He reached the mage and heard the slight sound of breathing. He did not want the mage curing himself magically, so he dropped onto one knee and brought his dagger down onto the man's head, piercing his skull and striking the soft brain tissue.

A puddle of blood formed as Viro withdrew his dagger, then wiped it on the man's pants and walked onwards. He forewent sneaking, sensing no other threats as he turned the hall and confirmed his suspicions of the stairway in the high roofed chamber. He walked past the stone arches to the adjoining hallway where Bjalfi lay against the wall, completely dead to the world. Viro stood over him for a moment, examining his prey.

Bjalfi was outfitted in a full suite of shining steel armor, meticulously cleaned and polished, over top of rough cotton clothing. He wore an off yellow mace at his belt; Viro presumed it was the dwemer Rock Shatter that Hassus had told him of. Bjalfi's small eyes were drawn shut, oblivious to the commotion that Viro had just caused. His graying hair was parted in the middle, pushed behind his ears in the Nordic fashion.

Viro took the mace from his intoxicated foe and examined it in his hands. It seemed to be enchanted, glowing slightly with electricity. Viro noticed a strange irregularity about it; it glowed even when the lightning was not arcing across its surface. He dismissed it as magic and drew the mace above his head. He brought it down in a swift arc to Bjalfi's unprotected head, crushing his skull instantly. A jolt of glowing electricity went through the Nord's body, sparking and crackling on his armor, destroying nerves and cells. A slight smoke rose from the dead warrior, blood streaming down his body from the mess where his head used to be.

Viro tossed the mace over his shoulder as he walked out the same way he came in. He met no opposition from bandits; none noticed their dead companions until half an hour after Viro left. Viro hiked over the countryside, enjoying the crisp sea air as he made his way north towards the road.


Really, don't be shy. Any critique at all is welcome. even if it is just reasons why you think it is good (or bad XD) Thanks.

He paused on a hill for a moment to enjoy the sunrise, and then once more moved on.



Oritio was in the last chamber of the tomb, skeletons and other undead lined the room. The imperial stopped in the opening to the room, examining it carefully. The only sources of light were torches situated on a large stone plinth, illuminating three upraised slabs in the center. On each was a complete skeleton, and Oritio could make out the glint of metal. Soft moonlight also came down from holes in the rock ceiling, patches of silver that briefly exposed a skeletal enemy. The cavern was completely open, there was no way of fighting these one at a time. Unless he lured them into his tunnel once more.

He recalled what little he knew of magic, and prepared a fireball to launch at the nearest skeletal warrior. He released the magical flame, illuminating the large cavern for a moment in the small explosion. The charred bones hit the ground with dull, brittle notes. A host of undead immediately spotted the guard and ran towards the only exit to the chamber; Oritio backed up further into the passage, and raised his blade.

The first skeleton to reach him wielded a small axe, swinging it in deft overhead motions, bones clicking and creaking. Oritio brought up his shield to block the first strike, then parried with a stab that went through where the cadaver's innards would be and struck the spinal cord. The skeleton fell instantly, revealing the second undead behind it.

This one sported a large claymore, and he was preparing for a large side chop. Oritio pressed his shield forward, driving the skeleton back. As the monster tried to regain its balance, Oritio cleaved it in half with his silver long sword. It too fell.

Oritio was squinting in the dark, trying to see the next assailant, when a sudden impact caused his left arm to go numb for a moment. An arrow bounced off his imperial iron armor, and the guard raised his shield. He was fighting one or more undead archers in a pitch black cave, and he had no way of locating them, nor any method of attacking them from afar, his magicka supplies were drained from the last spell.

He decided he had no choice, there was no way anyone could get through this cave without first clearing out all these undead, the criminal couldn't have been here. Deciding he had searched the cave thoroughly enough, Oritio turned and ran from the passage, back through the maze of rooms and tunnels to the opening. He leaped over bones and rotten flesh as he retraced his steps to the exit. He was glad to finally be out of that infernal place.

By the time he left the cavern, the sun was already rising. Only the larger moon could be seen, far on the horizon. He made his way towards the Gottshaw Inn where Arus had agreed to meet him if they found nothing. He hoped that Arus had found the murderer; the captain didn't accept failure.



Hasus the Imperial arrived at the Anvil gates before sunrise. The guards stopped him short of entering the city and gruffly interrogated him "Where were you last night, citizen?" Their hands were on the hilts of their long swords.

"Just getting here from, uh, K'vatch, sir. Visiting relatives, I've been walking all night." Hasus never was a convincing liar, but many of the deck hands that came to Anvil didn't have a reputation for their intelligence.

"Hmm?You don't meet the description we were given, so go ahead. But remember, we're watching you."

"Yes sir." Hasus started walking to the doors, but then stopped when he registered what the guard had said "What happened? Who are you looking for?"

"Ugh, some elven murderer. Arrived by boat last night and got into a fight with some sailors, they both ended up dead and he escaped. We sent a few patrols after him, but no luck yet." The guard looked irritated at the question, but answered dutifully.

"Hmm?well, good luck." Hasus entered the port town and walked through the streets for a few minutes before he made the connection between the elf that had attacked him and what the guards had said.

'That must be him! I was almost killed by that psychopath! Oh Mara, I hope they catch him?Oh well, on to?where was I going? I forgot to mention my parents had died recently, so where else can I make a living? Hmm?' Hasus was in the slow process of his thought when he looked up from the stone block he had been staring so intently at 'That's it! I can join the Fighter's Guild!'

The idea was so striking to Hasus he immediately went up to the guild hall, only to find the doors still locked. He was walking away when a rough man in iron armor poked his head out the door "Hey? Where you trying to get in?"

Hasus looked at the nord, or what of him he could see, the door covered his entire body below his chest. "Uh, yeah. You wouldn't happen to have any room for new members would you?" Hasus was not used to any conversation short of drunken arguments he had had with the bandits he had so recently deserted.

"Of course, come on inside, Azzan can get you all signed up." The nord man smiled widely, he seemed pleased to have willing recruits. And Hasus was all too pleased to get himself involved in another group of rough, mostly drunk men.

"Thank you, um, sir." Hasus ventured to guess the armored nord was a good decade older than him, not yet an old man, but he wouldn't be mistaken for an adolescent any time soon. A steel claymore was strapped to his back, and he was wearing an iron cuirass and greaves, with normal soft shoes.

"Please, call me Sten." He turned and led Hasus into the guildhall, to a large oaken table already laden with food and silverware. "Feel free to eat anything you like, just leave some for me." Sten laughed heartily, more so than necessary for a joke of his own creation.

"Thank you, Sten. I'll be sure to find Azzan today and get signed up!" Hasus hadn't thought changes in lifestyle were as easy as that. He had expected he would be sleeping out with beggars for a good month, but instead he could live in the cozy guildhall. Hasus vowed to turn a new leaf, and live on the proper side of law from now on.

"Good to have you, then?" The nord waited on Hasus' name.

"Hasus."

"Hasus, then. Welcome to the Fighter's guild." The nord clapped Hasus on the back goodheartedly. Hasus could not believe anyone was so kind for no reason; none of the bandits in his troupe were half as jovial or encouraging. He could definitely get used to such friendship.


OOC: Aww, isn't that nice...No, this chapter was written somewhat sloppily, I might come back and re-write, but its getting late now.

Might as well post this bit now. I also edited the top a bit, ironed out some inconsistencies and bad wording, but not enough to re-read. It's all in Viro's PoV, but the next post will be Oritio's. Thanks for reading, if anyone still is X<.

Viro decided it would be best for him to head away from Anvil, even if the guards didn't recognize his face; his clothing was bloody and torn. He would be under suspicion at best. Thus he walked east along the road, enjoying the scenery, wary of any passerby in the dawn light. Despite the morning hour, Viro was weary. He had only slept for a few hours on the boat, and his body craved more. He stopped at the first Inn he saw, a nice cottage tucked into the green scenery.

Viro plucked a flax flower from a nearby planter as he approached the door. The flower itself had no alchemical value, but Viro tucked it into his pack anyway, also pulling out a small bag of gold.

He opened the door quietly and casually strolled inside. He heard voices coming from the corridor to his left, and walked towards them. The voices belonged to two well dressed men, one imperial and the other bosmer. A small fire crackled in the hearth, and bottles of wine littered the room, resting on the counter and tables.

"Did you know Countess Rona has gone missing? The guards say she is well and at home, but no one has seen her for a while." The bosmer standing behind the counter was gossiping with the imperial, who was about to respond when he turned to face Viro.

The innkeeper, however, spoke first "Greetings, sir. What can I do for you?" The elf broke into a smile reserved for customers.

"I'd like a bed, my good man. And a small bottle of wine, if you would be so kind." Viro placed his bag of gold on the table, smiling with fake sincerity. The imperial man glared at him, but in a more quizzical fashion than that of anger.

"Certainly, the beds are upstairs and down the hall." He pulled a key out from under the counter and continued speaking as he retrieved a bottle from the rack behind him "That will be ten septims for the bed, and five for the wine. Would you like a cup to drink it out of?"

Viro looked down to retrieve the gold from his bag as he replied "Please."

"Here you are, sir. Will you be going to your room now, or are you to return later?" The bosmer found a glass under the counter, while keeping his pleasant decorum. The imperial walked over to a table and sat down.

"I have been travelling all night from Skingrad, and wish to retire soon. Just needed a good bed and a little something to ease my tired mind." Viro hoped his rough clothing wouldn't cause any undue questioning; he wouldn't be able to fake merchant or noble status, but he could pass as a commoner.

"I know exactly what you mean, sir, and this should do the trick." He laughed slightly as he put the bottle and goblet on the counter, holding the key out to Viro.

"Indeed it shall," Viro chuckled "Here you are, 25 septims. I'll probably be up for a bit, and then take a long rest." The ex-assassin and wanted criminal took the key from the man, leaving the gold on the counter and put the rest of the bag back in his pocket. He made his smile widen as he picked up the wine by the bottleneck, then tucked the key into his other pocket and grabbed the cup with his free hand.
"We'll try to keep it down." The innkeeper smiled once more.

"Don't mind me; I could sleep through an earthquake." He turned, gave a small wave and a smile to the imperial, who was now drinking wine out of a goblet, then made his way back through the narrow hall. His face became stoic as he walked; no longer needing his ordinary disguise. He placed the wine and cup on a small table next to two other bottles, and then mounted the stairs to his room.

Sorry it took so long, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It focuses a lot more on our Legion investigators as they reason out Viro's next move. One of my favorite chapters so far ^_^


Oritio saw the inn at the bottom of the hill; he quickly made his way through the tall grasses and around the rocks and boulders until he made it to the road. His metal boots made dull clinking noises as they hit the pavement, the familiar sound helped him forget the monsters he had recently defeated within the cave. He passed through the gap in the fence and made his way to the wooden door, it glided silently on its hinges as he stepped inside.

Just as Viro had roughly forty minutes earlier, Oritio heard voices in the room to his left. Unlike Viro however, there were now three voices speaking gravely. As he walked down the hallway, he recognized one voice to belong to his fellow investigator, Arus. Oritio was pleased to see his friend safe, yet disappointed to see he had come back empty handed as well.

Arus turned to face Oritio, his brow knotted in anger, but his eyes spoke of disappointment "Well?" Arus asked, forgoing pleasantries.

"Nothing, sir, just some rats and undead. And you?"

"Fort Strand was full of bandits; all but three were dead when I got there."

"Power struggle?" Oritio asked.

"No, the bodies were still lying about, and the survivors I managed to interrogate told me they didn't know what happened. They were all lying about: drunk, sleeping, and the like, when they found their leader and many fellow bandits dead. I did, however, manage to get a few meaningful facts." Oritio paused, organizing his thoughts

"Inspecting the bodies, I found that almost all had been done in differently. The leader was killed by a mace blow to the head, and he showed signs of electrical damage. The living bandits told me that their leader, Bjalfi, was in possession of a powerful enchanted mace, which I found near his body." Arus drew an off yellow mace from his belt. As he did it shone red with magic.

" His two companions, mages, by the looks of them, were both killed by arrows. Another bandit was hit by a swinging mace trap, and one near the entrance was killed by a dagger in the back. Outside I found a few dead archers, all killed by a blade, except one, who was charred from magic. We know our murderous bosmer is both a skilled conjurer and a user of daggers, and we can safely assume he could use a bow, which all matches up to the bandits."

"Hmm?" Oritio contemplated the information. It was indeed possible that the elf they were hunting was skilled in magic, daggers, and archery. The only way he could possibly kill that many people without alerting the other bandits would have to be stealthy ambushes, one by one.

"Another interesting fact that the bandits told me," Arus continued "Is that one of them is nowhere to be found. A young imperial by the name of Hasus, who was supposed to be guarding the entranceway; there was no corpse near where he was supposed to be. I did a quick search and found no more bodies, same thing with the perimeter outside. He up and disappeared."

"It's not possible that this Hasus killed them, and then ran off?" Oritio asked.

"Not according to his friends. They all told me Hasus wasn't the type to do that kind of thing, and they doubted he would be able to. Not too bright, they said. And they bet if he had done it, he would have taken their leader's mace."

"Interesting; did you find out any more about him? Where he used to live, family, the usual stuff?" Oritio thought this could well be their only lead, and it was a slim one at that.

"They told me he lived in Anvil, ran away from home as soon as he turned eighteen. His parents own a farm outside the city."

The two guards said nothing, both staring blankly as they tried to figure this mystery out "No doubt about it then, our guy had to have been the one." Oritio said "If it wasn't this Hasus guy, of course. And if it wasn't, I'll bet he knows a bit more than those guys you interrogated; there is no way him disappearing isn't connected to this."

"Mhm," Arus agreed "So we've got one potential lead, but before we go back to Anvil, let's see if we can't find out where this guy's headed."

"Why would he kill those bandits? He didn't take anything, they said, and it seems he left as quickly as he came. Is it possible he kidnapped that Imperial?" Oritio continued his speculation.

"I don't see why he would kidnap anyone. He seems to kill without a reason, just a crazy bosmer on the run. Do you think he went somewhere else to kill people?"

"Indeed, he doesn't seem to be acting logically, yet he is deadly serious. I would think that he would want to rest after so much murder, but I don't know who he is. These crazies are all different.

"I'll say, how do we predict that kind of thing?" Arus said with a sigh, not expecting an answer.

"With a good rest, we've been up all night. I know I need one after that cave." Oritio said, putting a gauntleted hand on Arus' shoulder.

"You're right," Arus agreed, and then turned to the bosmer innkeeper "How many beds do you have left?"

The elf turned to the guards, stopping his conversation with his Imperial friend "Ah, my good sirs, I have two beds left upstairs, if you want them. Free for our Legion guards." He added with a smile.

"Thank you very much, sir, we'll take them for a few hours." Arus replied "But I must insist we pay." Arus smiled; glad to stop pondering the location of a murderer for a moment for some small talk.

"No no, please. It's the least I can do, you sound like you have a lot on your minds already, without having to worry about your septims. Just be sure to catch this fellow." He continued in his cordial innkeeper fashion.

"Thank you, citizen. The Empire acknowledges your service." Arus took a tone of formality as he mentioned his employers, and his country.

"Well then, gentlemen, here are your keys." The bosmer retrieved two keys from under the counter and handed them to Arus and Oritio "Isn't it strange that all my rooms are occupied before noon?" The bosmer chuckled at his joke, but the two investigators became suddenly more solemn.

"You say someone else purchased a room here? When?!" Oritio asked, stepping up to the counter.

The innkeeper was surprised at the sudden interrogation "Um, about an hour ago. He was a bosmer, very nice man; he bought a bottle of wine and the room at the far end of the hall." The Imperial man in the corner followed the confrontation, ready to step in if the guards threatened the innkeeper.

"What was he wearing, did he have any weapons?" Oritio continued, his voice raising.

"Oritio, keep it down. If this is him, then we can't let him know we're here." Arus said in a harsh whisper.


Viro heard muffled shouting from the room beneath him, his eyes opened immediately, making sure he was still alone in his room. He silently jumped out of bed, pressing his ear to the floor, straining to hear what was being said. After a few moments, he gave up on listening through insulated stone and wood and made his way to the door. He cracked it open, his other hand reaching for his last dagger, stored in his pack. Finding the hallway empty as well, he crept over to the stairs, his free hand cupping around his large, bosmer ear. He heard the tail end of another shout, then low conversation.

He couldn't make out all of what was being said, but it seemed that one or more people were whispering and the bosmer innkeeper was the only one speaking loudly enough for Viro to hear him.

"No, I don't," Viro couldn't make out some of the words "He was?paid in gold, took it all up?Haven't seen him since."

'They're talking about me!' Viro realized the people the innkeeper was talking to could only be guards, and they were interested in who else was at the inn. Soon they would climb the stairs and find Viro, and ask him a lot of questions he didn't want to answer. Viro immediately went back to his room, grabbed the bow and arrows he retrieved from one of the bandits, and decided on his next course of action 'Can't go back downstairs. I can't stay here, not with guards coming. Escape. How? Window?'

Viro rushed to the small window at the back of his room 'Too small. There was a window in the hall.' Viro continued his frantic thought as he ran out of his room and into the hallway.

'Perfect, just have to break it. Too noisy, though.' Viro heard more shouting from below, and then the sound of metal on stone. 'Too late, do it.' Viro raised his bow over his head, and then brought it crashing back down onto the window, which gave way instantly. It also managed to snap Viro's bow in half, which he threw aside as he looked out the window at the ground beneath him.

The crash was sure to bring the guards, but Viro wasn't about to wait on them, as he jumped out the newly formed exit onto a rock, roughly five feet below. He wasted no time jumping off the rock and over the fence, out into the grassy hills of the Gold Coast.


Oritio was first up the stairs, Arus was right on his heels, and the innkeeper and his Imperial friend were shouting and running behind them. Oritio jumped out the window immediately, while Arus stopped to examine the broken glass and remains of Viro's bow.

"I think he ran that way, Oritio! To the North!" Arus yelled out to his companion as he saw something passing over a hill directly in front of him. He prayed it was the murderer and not a deer that he had instructed Oritio to go after.

Oritio made no response, he only kept running as fast as his heavy armor would allow. He too had seen a silhouette pass over the hill in front of him, and was chasing him best he could.

As Oritio made it to the top of the hill, he could see no further movement, nor anything that resembled an elf hiding in the grass. There were no rocks large enough to hide a man, even someone as small as a bosmer. Oritio stopped dead and looked around.
Nothing.


Thank you for reading thus far, I look forward to any criticism and the future chapters, which should prove even better than this one. Most of the time

Oh, and if you wanted to know how Hasus is doing, we won't be using him for a while. Sorry. Thanks again.

I liked it.. I've only read the first chapter. There's only two things. 1: he seems kind of an uber, but not much 2: It bothers me at how easily he summons a powerful dremora in a blink of an eye with no effort.

Sorry, but yes, Viro himself is pretty uber. I intended this for a few reasons, but I'll make sure to edit out a little bit of it, it was a concern of mine. My reasons are: I started out wanting to show how strong he is compared to normal people, because in the sequel, Fabula de Viro, he seems much weaker. The same can be said once the next section, Fratres, starts, he will be surrounded by equally powerful people, thus making him seem much less uber.

Another reason was because Viro is in no way the hero of this novel, he is, in fact, the anti-hero. Meaning that, despite being the protagonist, he doesn't change much from the beginning and he is relatively flat. Please note that this changes in the sequel as well. The real heroes are meant to be Oritio and Hasus, who do develop and change throughout the book.

The final reason was because when I first started this I had much less knowledge of writing than what I do now. I'm not saying that I am very good now, I admit my writing still has poor flow and planning. However I like to think that I have improved a bit, and will thusly edit the beginning a bit, thanks.

Any more criticism is welcome, and I encourage you to keep reading. Please trust me that Viro will not be like this in Fratres, and is nothing like that in Fabula de Nihilo. Thanks again.

Please maintain only one active fan fiction at a time as per the pinned rules. I will close this one but if you decide you prefer the other closed you will have to ask a moderator to sort it.