68: The Roof

“Mushroom towers anywhere?” I said, unsure what to make of it.

“Yes! I only ever dreamed of this happening! It is truly a wondrous day!” said Telvanna ecstatically.

“But what do you want me to do with it?” I thought, looking to see that no one was around.

“Well we can’t leave it here, the Telvanni wouldn’t know what they’ve got. It more or less looks like any other spore, but there are subtle magical differences. They would just plant it somewhere and not realize its potential.”

“Yes, but I can’t exactly waltz around Sadrith Mora with it in my hands! The Telvanni may not know its potential, but they damn well know when they’re being stolen from!” I was trying to find an inconspicuous place to put the spore, for now. “And I’m quite certain they can detect the magical signature of their own spores.”

“Yes I suppose you’re right,” thought Telvanna, “but you can’t leave it here, any minute they could be around to check on the roots and then they would find it and it would be lost forever.” He thought to himself for a moment. “I could attempt to mask its energy signature. It wouldn’t be that hard, all I’d have to do is rearrange it a bit. But it will take a bit of concentration, especially since I can’t directly influence it from my staff. Go to your meeting with the Telvanni with the spore in your satchel. I will hide it from them as best as I can.” He thought, “But I may be unable to communicate with you while I am concentrating.”

“But I had been counting on your assistance with the Telvanni!” I pulled out a piece of cloth and wrapped it around the spore before burying it in my satchel. There was no response from Telvanna. I was on my own.



I climbed back out of the root system as discretely as I could, and managed to only get a funny look from a khajiit in pauper’s clothes. I flipped him a coin and he paid no further attention to me. I walked around the tower to its entrance. I walked past the guards and across a narrow bridge to the tower door. I looked down to see the root structure splayed out 30 feet below me. I shook my head to clear the sudden wave of vertigo and pushed open the door into the tower.

After making my way through the maze of tunnels I managed to find the central air shaft of the tower. I looked up and could barely see purple crystals glowing at the top of the tower, hundreds of feet above me. I gulped and then cast a levitation spell. It was a slow climb, but eventually I reached the top. I made a point of not looking back down and opened the door at the top of the shaft. It opened onto the roof and I was whipped by a sudden gust of bitter wind. I fought across the rooftop and into a small pod growing separately at the top.

Inside was eerily quiet. A secretary was apparently sleeping at her desk, and I quietly walked up to her and shook her shoulder. “Excuse me, I don’t have an appointment but I need to speak to your master…” She didn’t move, and I shook her cold shoulder limply. I worriedly lifted her head and immediately dropped it. The pool of blood she was laying in made a sticky noise as she fell back into it. The throwing star embedded in her neck was made of ebony. This was an assassination.
I looked all around me and casted a shield spell. I cautiously walked towards the door to the master’s office, spells flickering through my mind in preparation. The door was ajar, and I pushed it open with the staff.

A throwing star thudded into the wall beside me and I ducked instinctively. I cast a bolt of electricity at the dark form in the room and then immediately charged at it. The assassin was caught off guard by the lightning, but he was exceptionally trained and managed to deflect my attacks. I summoned a scamp and then resumed my assault, but the assassin was still able to block me. I stepped back as the scamp launched into the assassin, but it was dispatched quickly. The assassin and I circled each other, neither ready to make a move. I saw him reach for a throwing star and I cast a Light spell I had amplified with the staff. The flash of light blinded the assassin and I moved in to finish him. I blasted him with freezing cold magic and he fell on his back. As I brought the staff down on him, however, he rolled and was on his feet in an instant. He sprinted out of the office and I gave chase.

Were I as crippled as I had been just days ago, I would never have caught him. I ran after him, firing spells and curse words. He opened the door onto the roof and was momentarily sent off balance by the gale. I hit him in the back with a particularly effective spell and he was sent flying. I finally caught up to him just as he was getting to his feet. I fired a spell at the door leading to the tower and it burst into flames.

“There is no escape for you!” I yelled over the wind. The black-clad assassin retreated away from me, towards the edge of the roof. His face was masked, but something about him suggested a smirk. He began to raise his arms in surrender. Then he jumped.

He dove backwards off of the roof. I ran to the edge to watch him plummet. Not content to let the ground finish him for me, I fired one final spell after him. It struck him directly and he caught fire as he fell. The muffled screams could only barely be heard over the wind.