User blog:DB Baxter/Nightloom (Part 1) - The Arrival





Natilyn was awoken when she was thrown rather harshly up against the cold, wooden wall. Her eyes snapped open with a gasp before she went tumbling down to the floor with a loud ‘’oomph!’’

             She glanced back up and looked around, trying to recollect the events that had happened before she had slipped into unconsciousness. The room around her was, for the most part, empty. The only things that it contained were a few half-melted candles that dimly lit the room, and few scattered pieces of molded cloth and rusted chains. There were also many rows of splintered and rotted benches made also of wood. She then looked down towards her hands and feet, which were held together by a pair of binds.

“Prison boat,” Natilyn muttered, shaking her head. “Gods dammit…”

Her attention soon drifted to a figure that was towering above her. She couldn’t really make out who it was due to the lack of lighting, but she could see that the figure was dressed in a rather regal-looking armor, complete with a golden color and elegant designs.

The figure knelt down and brought his face extremely close to hers, and she could now see that he was an Altmer, complete with yellow, soul piercing eyes, skin with an orange tint, and a tiny scar that ran across the right part of his lip. His eyes narrowed to focus on her, and his mouth soon turned into a grin.

             “Welcome to Nightloom, miss,” he smirked, reaching out and wrapping his hands around her wrists and hauling her up to her feet. He pointed at a staircase that led out into daylight. “Now, Move!” the altmer barked.              She sighed, and began to shuffle slowly towards the staircase. As she did, the events that had transpired beforehand began to come back to her… <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">   Natilyn opened the window carefully, making sure it made no noise as it rose. Once it was open enough to enter, she slithered silently through the opening and landed on the solid floor with great caution.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             She was in. Thank the gods above, she was in! They said it couldn’t be done. No one could break into the Loreiuth Mansion! No one could steal from that prissy Loreiuth and get away with it! But she would! Here she stood, here in this mansion where she could literally smell the uptightness that usually radiated from a Loreiuth. Here she stood, surrounded by the jewels and gold that this damned lineage of high elves have conned, cheated, and lied to get. Here she stood, ready to finally deliver a black eye to this insufferable noble!

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             Peering through the darkness, she felt around the room, looking for some form of drawer or chest or anything that might contain something worth taking. Her hands tapped on just about every inch of the wall before she ran into something that felt like a nightstand. She checked the front, trying to locate the knobs on the drawers. She did find one knob, however, and proceeded to open it ever so slowly.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             Once open, she checked the inside, using a small candlelight spell to illuminate the small drawers. Inside, there was nothing but a few casual clothes. ‘’Junk,’’ the Bosmer said in her head. She moved through the rest of the drawers, finding similar things of similar value.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             Suddenly, two lights from behind Natilyn appeared, illuminating the room quickly. The sudden change hurt her eyes and forced her to shield it with her forearm. She turned around to locate the source. She removed her forearm and squinted to find two Altmer mages and a small row of guards. Standing up in the front was a man dressed in black elven armor and a wide array of medals across his chest. Probably a captain. Next to him was the slimy noble himself, Moroel Loreiuth.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Though you could just walk into ‘’my’’ home, and take ‘’my’’ things, did you?” Loreiuth hissed, his eyes locked firmly on Natilyn. “You thought you could take from me, and get away with it!?”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Silence, Loreiuth,” The Captain ordered.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Silence? This… this bitch breaks into my home, attempts to rob me of my hard earned money, and you ask me to stay ‘’silent?’’”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">The captain shook his head and stepped forward, his longsword drawn. Natilyn took a step backwards until she was up against the drawer. “H-How did you…”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “You’re informant, Miss Lakewood,” The guard said sternly, knowing exactly what she was going to ask. “He came to us claiming he had information that he’d be willing to sell. We worked out a deal. He got his gold. And we got a tip that Loreiuth Estate was getting hit.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             ‘’Han-Dar!’’ She fumed, the initial shock now turning into a boiling rage.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Yes, yes, you can explain this to her once you have this criminal hauled off to the dungeons! Do your job, Captain!” Loreiuth stamped his foot.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Place your hands in the air, and face the wall,” The Captain said, ignoring the nobleman. Natilyn regretfully did as she was told.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             The Captain sheathed his longsword and moved forward with a pair of binds. “By the authority of Her Eminence, you are under arr-“

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             In a quick motion, Natilyn ran up the wall and flipped over the Captain. She landed softly on her feet and relieved the Altmer of his sword. By the time the other guard were pulling out their own swords, Natilyn had turned a full 360 degrees and managed to slash open the stomach of Loreiuth. The nobleman screeched in shock and pain, stumbling backwards into the crowd of guards. The captain swung a mighty fist at the Bosmer, who proceeded to duck and perform a leg sweep that took the Altmer off of his feet and onto his back with a loud ‘’thud!’’

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             With the entire room in disarray, Natilyn flew back out the window swiftly and descended down into the streets.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “I’m slain!” the nobleman cried out, clutching at the open wound on his stomach. “My life! Ended at the hands of a…” <p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">             “Shut the fuck up!” The captain bellowed at the over-dramatic bastard. “Mages! Patch this man up and get him to the infirmary! The rest of you, on me! Lakewood is not getting out of this city!” <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">Natilyn’s flashback was interrupted by a shove from behind that sent her face first into the stairwell, her forehead smashing into the edge. “I said move!” The Altmer bellowed, once again hauling her up to her feet and pushing her up the stairs.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             The sunlight lashed against her eyes as she made her way to the top deck. It did feel nice to feel the rays of the sun against her skin, however. Her head began to throb from where she had hit her forehead on the stairs as she made her way across the boat, and onto the deck.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             Once her eyes had finally adjusted, she got a good view of this “Nightloom” that the guard had mentioned earlier. It was massive building that stood taller than any prison she had ever been in. At the corners of the buildings were massive watchtowers with Altmer archers standing within them, on guard. There was but a single, steel gate that led to the inside. In front of that gate were 3 men. Two decked in the average elven apparel, and another one decked in a Red Elven gear.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             She stood in awe of the massive building, her mouth hanging agape. The size of this place seemed unreal to her. How could she have never heard of this place? Something so large, so secure, so… She had to have heard of it. No way the Dominion could’ve kept this a secret. No way…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             The Guard now began to guider her down the docks and towards the humongous place, each step becoming harder and harder for her. If this was a prison, it wasn’t the ordinary keep dungeon that she had made a living of breaking out of. This place was alient to her, and this scared her. And for every inch that she got closer, the more terrified she became.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Warden!” The guard called out to the group of guards. “We got the last one off the boat,”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“Excellent,” The one in red responded. “So… this is   Natilyn Lakewood?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“Who… Who wants to know,” She spoke, her mind clouded in fear and wrapped in the dull pain of what might be a concussion.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“Bite your tongue!” The guard snapped, his hand connecting with the back of her skull. “You are addressing Warden Kaelmun, convict!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“Oh, calm yourself boy,” Kaelmun chuckled. “Why don’t you head for the dining hall and get some food?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“Yes, sir!” The guard saluted before scurrying off through the gate.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">“So, you’re the girl from Skywatch?” Kaelmun asked. “The one that, ran though half the city guard?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Natilyn didn’t respond at first, but eventually replied with a timid nod and squeaking out the word “Yes.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Kaelmun slowly walked towards the girl, towering over the chained-up thief. Natilyn kept her head down when she felt his shadow being cast over her. “Look up at me when I address you,” The Warden commanded, to which she quickly responded by snapping her head upwards.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             Kaelmun’s face was decorated with a large collection of scars and scratches, accompanied with a pair of cold, unforgiving, red eyes. “You’re are a part of Nightloom, now, Lakewood. Whatever reputation and legacy you built off of this island is gone. Your freedom and liberties are gone. You are now property of Nightloom, and will continue to be so until you are released. Are we clear?”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             Natilyn once again nodded, but this wasn’t a good enough answer. Kaelmun gave another backhand to the bosmer, adding onto the pain in her skull. “I said, Are we clear?!”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Yes!” Natilyn shouted, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Good,” Kaelmun nodded, before grinning. “Ah, don’t worry little girl. It’s not as scary as it looks,” Kaelmun caressed the cheek he had just backhanded. “Besides. My boys are always nice to the pretty ones.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             Natilyn’s eyes widened as she shook the hand away. The Warden laughed once more.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             “Guards! Bring her to the doctor for her evaluation.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">             The last thing she saw was the hilt of a battleaxe knocking her into unconsciousness.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">(Authors Note: I’m not feeling too hot on this opening chapter. Lots of exposition, not a lot of character. Granted, it’s the intro, but still. If you’re not all for this first chapter, I guarantee the 2nd one will be much, much better)

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family: "Times New Roman",serif">(Also, I will be going back through Saturday and fixing grammar and spelling errors.)