38: Espionage

“Curious…” Green shards of light collided within the staff. “You are telling me that you saw a creature nestled in the loaf of bread.”

I was sitting on the edge of the bed given to me in the guild hall basement. My little episode had been mulled over by the Dark One, and he was beginning to connect things. “Yes,” I thought through the barrier between our minds, “it was really disgusting looking. Tentacled and such.” I was still shaken up by the whole ordeal, and my hands reflected this. They were literally quivering.

“The only rational conclusion I can come to is that you had a negative reaction to the influx of energy from the tear.” His thoughts were calm; he was confident in his diagnosis. “Time will tell if these hallucinations are reoccurring or simply a fluke.” I gripped the cool metal of the staff and pulled myself to my feet.

“Any idea when the next surge will hit?” The streets beckoned, so I decided to walk while I thought. The cool mountain air ruffled my hair and lifted my spirits. “Dark One?” I prodded the extremities of his mind. It was buzzing with activity. The staff reflected his state of concentration, as a rather fascinating light show occurred across the surface of the metal.

“Hmm, yes. I worked it out to the best of my abilities. If I am correct, they should occur approximately every 2 days from now on. Aftershocks from the initial burst could come at any time though.” The staff returned to its natural shade of black. “Not to worry though. I can handle it.” Pride seeped through the barrier between minds. I sighed and continued my labored hobbling through the streets.

It is my belief that the wound would not have been so crippling if it wasn’t for its magical origin. Obviously I would have been healed through magic if it wasn’t for that horrible tear in reality that was attached to my foot. What’s more, the excruciating pain that shot through my leg would not be so persistent.

“Gah!” A spear of hot pain pierced my leg. “By the nines!” I ground the staff into the ground with my weight. I lost balance and tumbled into the grass. After the rough landing, I sent a mild healing spell into the trouble area. Relief was instant, but a dull ache remained. A few sips from a restorative potion and I was back on my feet. However, I decided to cut my walk short and return to the guild hall. As I struggled back towards the hall, a well dressed Khajiit approached me.

“Do you require help?” The Khajiit offered a paw to me. I was taken aback by his accent. It was unlike any Khajiit I had heard before. He spoke more like an Imperial than a Khajiit. Nevertheless, I took his support and he helped me a short ways before he spoke again. “Jauffre sends his regards.” His voice was barely audible, and his lips didn’t move at all. “Take this,” a package was slipped into the sleeve of my robe. I played along naturally, forming my hand into a fist to keep the package from slipping out. “Good luck,” he whispered and opened the door to the guild hall for me. I stumbled in and shut the door behind me.

Soon I was in the relative privacy of a chair tucked into the corner of a hallway just off of the entryway. I leaned the staff against the wall and checked to see if anyone was watching me. Confident in my privacy, I opened the package carefully.

“No doubt it is some rubbish about fetching a sacred chamber pot or some-such nonsense.” The sarcastic voice pierced my mind and I flinched. I had almost forgotten the Dark One was still there in my mind; his relative silence had been enjoyable… while it lasted. I emptied the contents of the package onto my lap. A short note and a curious looking ring fell out. The ring yielded no clues to its function after closer examination, so I turned to the note. It was similarly cryptic, but still easily decipherable.

“Will,

Cheydinhal harbors many anti-adventurer sentiments. The road west away from it is therefore the safest option. You will want to prepare in case you need to take a longer trip than expected. Should you be weary from the trip, the old ruins near the lake will provide suitable refuge. Other travelers there may appreciate the enclosed ring. Do not be afraid to flaunt its beauty to them.

J. Frey”

“Quite the code those wily Blades have developed.” The Dark One sniggered. “Still, it’s an improvement.” I pocketed the note and ring, checked the envelope over once more, and then burnt it to ash. Never can be too careful, especially if what Jauffre said was true and Cheydinhal was too friendly with the Empire.

Packing was the next order of business. I stood and gritted my teeth at the pain. I made my way to my room and began to place things into my pack. I then converted it into a more accessible satchel pack that hung at my waist instead of my back. It made running more difficult, but in my current condition I wouldn’t be able to run anyway. The trip would take an undetermined amount of time, so I just packed as much as I reasonably could. I left my mace behind, as I thought it would be too unwieldy in combination with the staff. Deetsan came in at some point.

“Leaving so soon?” The gruff voice received no answer for a while, mostly due to the barrage of insults that were being fed to my mind courtesy of the Dark One. Once I could hear myself think again I turned to face her.

“Unfortunately, yes. I’ll be back though, but I do not know when exactly.”

“The last thing that wound needs is travel. Nevertheless, I won’t stop you. Just be careful, this guild hall has already lost two members recently. We certainly don’t need a third to go missing.” My mind was drawn back to the unfortunate soul trapped within the well and the sudden departure of our previous leader. The latter did not phase me much, but the poor associate’s death was unfortunate.

I said goodbye and headed for the gates. I am not looking forward to this espionage, but that is the way it goes. Adjusting the strap of my satchel, I stepped onto the road, once again taking me away from Cheydinhal to the unknown