Journies of Friendship ch3

Chapter 3: Zombies!?


The city was a sight to behold. They stopped inside the gates to gaze around. “We’re going to end up gaping at everything… I just know it!” Shadow giggled, breaking the silence. She blinked around. “How do we get up there again?” Pointing up at the bridge, she swallowed. How was she going to do this if she could not remember things like that?

“There’s a little path thingie up there.” Scatha motioned to it with a hand and started walking. “Come on, I’ll show you!”

“I love how articulate you are,” her friend teased. “Hey, um… are you sure we have to split up? We could do some stuff together and then split up…”

“What’s wrong? Nervous?” In truth, they both were.

“Well… you know how much I like being lost…”

“Study that map, silly! That’s what I had to do!” The Khajiit turned up the previously mentioned path and led her friend into the city street. “This city is a circle, really. If you get lost, keep going. You’ll find your way.”

“You’ve played the game so much more than me…” she mumbled. “You know these places!”

“In person, it’s really super different,” she confided. “It is. I know basics, sure, but my nose keeps distracting me, and I have the most severe case of ADD imaginable! I’m a freakin cat, An-Shadow, and it’s… it’s not the same. I miss the game, actually, for being so simple. But this place isn’t that hard, really. Stick to the roads, use that map and buy a compass… and you’ll get lost less than me! Because… I don’t have a map. I have to guess and remember. I know, for example, that Chorrol is to the North… but how North? I don’t know if it’s a straight shot or not. It’s easier, and a little safer in some ways, to just take the roads. Those have signs!”

“Sorry. I should stop whining.” She grinned. “I mean… you’re right. You gave me the map… and I love maps! I read them pretty well, but… this map isn’t like a road map, you know!” She took it out and unfolded it. “It’s your poster map, and you have a bunch of stuff marked on it…”

“Sorry about that. The red marks are where Oblivion Gates might be. I did it by hand, so… there’s the possibility of errors… Anyway, the browns are city gates and castles… and districts of the Imperial City. Oh, and settlements! Greens are Daedric shrines and stuff. You’ll work it out.” She took the map and folded it back up. “Just… don’t let anyone see it. It’s paper, and here… it’s gunna be all parchment, I think.”

“Oh, crap…” Shadow bit her lip. “We really are in a Medieval place… aren’t we?”
“Uh… where have you been?” she teased.

“Oh, shut up! It took a while to sink in, alright? But I love it! We’re in a magical-who’s that?” She nodded toward the man walking in their direction.

“Um… That’s a guard… so I have no idea.”

“Helpful,” she sighed.

Scatha thumped her shoulder. “Hey! We’ve never been here, so it’s not like we’d know anyone anyway! Besides… we can ask him for directions!”
**

A couple of hours later, the Dark Elf was in a slightly different mood. “Bleak Flats Cave?” Shadow grumbled to herself, walking out of the Mage’s Guild Hall. “Just who does that stupid… human think she is? Sending me to do her dirty work! ‘I’m too busy’,” she mocked, her voice rising in pitch while she rolled her eyes. She lifted her eyes and saw her friend. “Hey! Hey, Scatha!”

They had split up to pursue their individual missions. Scatha, who had only been halfway paying attention, turned her head toward her friend’s voice. She blinked, her tail flicking slowly. Quickly observing that there was none of the usual perkiness in her friend’s steps or wave, she hopped down from her perch on a stone fence post. “What’s the matter with you?”

She let out a quick, huffy breath, crossing her arms and leaning on the side of a building. Her frown was slight, but the pinch between her brows was telling. “I have to go to Bleak Flats Cave? That doesn’t look close on the map! Who’s this Erthor, anyway? Is he worth it?” Resting her hands on her slim hips, the Dunmer twisted her normally lovely face into a thunderous scowl. “And why do I have to go get him? I never met him! How do I know he wont blast me to smithereens?”

The feline resisted giggling, and failed, her ears flicking back and forth to catch the sounds of people milling about around them. “Dude, this is what you have to do: go to the cave, kill stuff, and rescue the guy. He’s a Bosmer.” Her ears laid back and then swiveled forward again. “He’ll be grateful, and you’ll get the recommendation. That would be enough for me.” She smirked. “Better get used to running errands, Shadow. That’s what Associates in the Mages’ Guild do.”

“Are you coming with me?” the mer wondered, looking around. It was really a nice day. Maybe this would go somewhat smoothly after all.

“Nope!” she chirped.

Shadow frowned again. “Why not? What if I need your help?”

Scatha grinned, showing off a stunning display of sharp fangs. “Oh, you’ll be fine. Besides, one of us has to earn some money, dear.” She motioned to the chapel and nodded. “I have a late-night meeting with a Bosmer myself.”

“Scatha!” The Dunmer gasped, grabbing her friend’s arms. Her instant thought could not be right… right? “You’re not…going to sleep with him?”

The Khajiit laughed, pushing her friend away. “Oh, absolutely! I’m like that, you know.” The two smirked at each other. Sarcasm was their favorite method of communication, after all. “It’s Glarthir. He is going to ask me to follow some people around, and he pays pretty well. Besides…. Ew!”

She giggled for a moment, but there was something niggling at her memory. Suddenly, it occurred to her: “Doesn’t he attack you after you tell him stuff he doesn’t want to hear?” Only slightly concerned, the Dark Elf tilted her head to one side. “Or are you planning on… killing him first? Is he how you want to join the Dark Brotherhood? Is that your plan? Helloooo?”

The devious cat just smirked again. “If you’d shut up for a second, I’d answer you!” They laughed together for a moment. “My big plan is to stick to the game’s version for this one. He’s insane, I don’t want to risk much. Besides… killing him is really, really easy in the game. I don’t know if it’ll be so easy in real life.”

“Man! I’ll never get over this being our reality now! Okay then…any advice?” She motioned toward the gate that loomed twenty feet behind her. “’Cuz I have to go.”

“Yeah: don’t die.” Dropping her a wink, Scatha handed her friend a purple bottle. “I only have one, sorry. I couldn’t afford to buy more. This is a Restore Health potion. It doesn’t work instantly, but it’s better than nothing. You be careful, alright?”

She grinned, putting the potion in her new pack. “Oh, sure, I’ll be fine.” Turning and waving, she headed for the gate. “I guess there are animals or monsters… or something,” she mumbled. “No wonder that stupid girl didn’t wanna go.” Her walk to the specified cave was mostly uneventful, and she took the time and opportunity to practice her Destruction spells. Her aim was her concern, and any, and all, large rocks she encountered were hit with fireballs and ice spells. Pleased with herself, she nodded, approaching the cave.

She had been given a torch in Skingrad, and she lit it right before ducking into the dark recess before her. She slunk along the wall, wondering what awaited her in the darkness. A few yards in, she jumped, hearing a noise, and saw the source: a zombie. An excited smile split her face and she bounced up and down. “There are zombies here!?” she cried happily, throwing a hand toward the now alerted undead creature. “This is just like Resident Evil!! Hey! You! Zombie! Come bite me!” The zombie lurched over to her, raised its hands and hit her. “Hey! You’re supposed to bite, not hit, you stupid freak!” she yelled, hitting it back.

After a moment of such foolishness, Shadow jumped back, drew her newly sharpened sword, and began dealing serious damage. This was going to be a lot harder than she had initially thought, but there was no way she was backing down from the challenge.
**

“Ah, you came. You’re sure you weren’t followed?” Scatha dipped her head in affirmation, smiling at the mad little mer. “Good. I thought I could trust you. Nobody else in town. They’re all in on it…all watching me.” The Bosmer’s eyes darted around, widening slightly, as he checked to be absolutely certain they were unobserved.

“You said you needed my help?” she asked, trying to stick to the dialogue used in the game, just to see if this would play out the same way. Her nose told her to be careful, though, as he even smelled crazy.

The Wood Elf nodded and leaned in conspiratorially. “Well. Yes. I need you to do something for me. I’ll pay you—gold. You like gold, don’t you? Lots of gold.” His vocal inflections amused the Khajiit, as they always had in the game. He was, by far, one or her favorite characters to talk to, just because he was absolutely mad. “Here’s my problem. I’m being followed. Watched. Marukhati Selectives, maybe. Not sure. I’m a threat, you see. To their plans. I know too much.”

Having never bothered to look it up in the past, she really was not sure what a Marukhati Selective was. Still, as far as she was concerned, it did not matter. The quest was what it was, regardless. On the other paw, she kind of wanted to know now. Maybe she should ask later… “Mmmhmm,” she practically chuffed. This was going to be a cinch! Working for Glarthir was easy money.

“I need you to check out some people for me, the ones who have been following me. Watch them, see where they go, who they report to. Will you help me?” Desperation made his pupils dilate and his breathing shallow. He really was truly terrified. Had she not known for a fact that those he suspected were innocent of anything of the kind, she may have believed him to be in danger.

With a primal gleam in her blue eyes, Scatha nodded. “Yes, I’d be happy to help you.”

“Very good. You won’t be sorry! I’ll pay you well, did I say that already? Let’s start with Bernadette Peneles. Be outside my house at 6am, you’ll see her watching me. See where she goes and who she reports to. We’ll meet here again tomorrow night. Oh, and NEVER contact me in public. They’re watching me. They can’t know you’re helping me.”

Scatha raised a hand to keep him from wandering off. Deciding against asking him anything else, she just smiled and nodded. “I’m on it. Never fear!” Turning, she hopped once and bounced up onto the boulder behind the chapel. How she loved the Khajiit legs that could leap so high! Rebounding from there, she vanished into Skingrad. This was going to be like a walk in the park. “Sucker,” she sniggered. A feeling that could only be described as guilt shadowed her thoughts. She knew better than to take advantage of the poor crazy guy. “I’m stuck in a video game,” she mumbled, walking into the Fighter’s Guild Hall. “I have to survive.”

“Hi there!” the porter greeted. “Can I help you?”

She showed him the sign that proved she was already a member. “I need a bed.” When he pointed her in the right direction, she thanked him. “What time do you get up in the morning?”

“Around 5:30, why?”

Her smile was almost joyous. “Would you wake me? I want to attend chapel in the morning.”

He nodded enthusiastically, but did not question her further, for which she was immensely grateful.
**

Shadow frowned, taking another sip of the potion her friend had given her. The stuff was sweet and sticky, but it was mending her arm. She had almost lost her limb to the last zombie. “I hate Erthor for getting himself stuck here,” she growled. “And I hate that stupid bitch for sending me after him!” When she had consumed half of the bottle, she put it back into her pack. Feeling almost as good as new, she hefted her sword and continued into the cavern. “And, most of all, I hate me for agreeing to this!”  
Her rescue was going fairly well though. She had killed--re-killed?--a good portion of the zombies before the last one almost tore her arm off. “Why didn’t Scatha tell me about the zombies?” she wondered, picking her way through the next area. “Probably thought I would remember from playing the game with her.” She tilted her head to one side and watched the cave. “Erthor better be alive when I find him!” she growled, spotting candles. It was now or never, she decided.
**

Scatha perched atop Glarthir’s house and stretched. She had a beautiful view of Skingrad from there and took full advantage of it. Unlike the game versions of herself, she could climb walls, and did. Waving cheekily at the Dion, the captain of the guard, she flicked her tail a couple of times and trained her eyes to the Peneles house. “Any minute now…” she mumbled.

The woman appeared and made her merry way to the chapel. She passed Glarthir, who gave her a scowl. He looked around, trying to find the Khajiit he had hired, but could not spot her. It was not until midnight that night that he finally saw the wily female. He suspected that she had not kept up her end of the bargain, but would pretend he knew nothing.“So, you saw Bernadette Peneles, did you? She WAS watching and following me, wasn’t she?”

Scatha resisted the urge to deviate from the script. “She was not watching or following you.” She smiled reassuringly, knowing that the Bosmer did not believe her.
**

Shadow frowned, walking the Wood Elf back to Skingrad. After killing all of the zombies, she felt almost…vindicated. It had been fun, much more fun than she wanted to admit. The secret had been destruction spells, after all. She decided to learn more of them. “Why does that bossy twit not like having you around?” she wondered.

He flushed and smiled sheepishly. “I…uh, I like to experiment. She thinks I’m too bothersome.”

“Why not move to another Guild Hall then? I’m sure there is somewhere that you can experiment with the others’ approval and even their help.” It seemed so simple to her. Covering a yawn, she shook her head. Why was she the only one who thought of things like that? Like shooting out tires. Whenever she watched an action movie, she always yelled at the good guy to shoot out the bad guy’s tires when he was making his getaway. Nobody thought of the practical things!

He blinked at her, amazed. “Where?” After a pause, in which she just looked at him, he frowned. “Where would I go?”

Pulling a city name out of her dim recollection of Tamriel, she shrugged. “Leyawin?”

He shook his head avidly. “It’s far too hot there!”

The Dunmer shrugged, deciding that she really should study her maps as soon as she finished playing babysitter. Even though… this baby was not so bad. At least he was polite and grateful!
**

“Do you know Davide Surilie? Yes, of the famous Surilie Vineyards. Pillar of the community, et cetera. Who would ever suspect him? Perfect cover for the ringleader of the whole conspiracy! He watches my house constantly. You’ll see.” Scatha knew good and well that Davide did no such thing, but she agreed to follow him around anyway.

This stalking and climbing had been so good for her! She had enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. Shaking herself from the head to her tail, she yawned and stretched. It was time to play hide and seek again.
**

Shadow walked into a bedroom of the Guild Hall and fell on one of the beds, exhausted. Why did killing zombies have to be so hard? She wondered if she should have taken Scatha’s gun. The weapon had not been requested or offered because the Mer’s best friend knew how much she hated the sound of a gun going off. Now, with her new ears, that hate was magnified.

Erthor had already left for his next adventure, and she was glad that she did not have to go after him again. Snuggling down into the warm covers, she suddenly missed her dog. Lucky had been with her every night for many years, and it felt wrong to sleep without the snoring Pug. She found that she also missed her brother, though getting her to admit that would have taken severe torture.

Dave, her boyfriend. She closed her hazel eyes and imagined his face. Deep longing filled her and she rolled over with a whimper. Why did she have to think of these things when she was trying to sleep? Lucky, Dave, and her brother were in another world, and she had set herself up to stay in this world. Well, what was stopping her from finding a way to get back and grab her man? She faded into sleep, deciding to talk to Scatha about it.
**

Morning found Scatha watching Surilie. She followed him for a little while, until she scented something she could not see. It smelled like…an Imperial. Scanning her surroundings, she began to hunt for the source of the smell. It was a man, she decided, her blood heating from the thrill of the hunt. An invisible man that was watching her? Could it have been…Lucien? It seemed likely, and she returned to watching her original prey, pleased that someone so familiar was keeping his eyes on her.

“I’m looking for a Khajiit, goes by the name of Scatha.” Shadow’s voice found her ears.

Scatha grinned and threw herself up onto the boulder she had been behind. With a happy growl, she pounced on the Dark Elf. “Here I am!”

“Ahhh!” The Mer found herself rolling on the ground beneath a solid and furry woman. “Get off!”

“How was Bleak Flats Cave?” Scatha wondered, rolling to her feet.

Shadow rose, brushing herself off. “Just because you’re an oversized cat doesn’t mean you have to act like one!” she giggled helplessly. “Zombies! I fought them! They’re freakin hard to kill!”

“But fun,” the smiling Khajiit told her, walking back into the city with her. “Have you considered your next step?”

“Kinda. I think we should find a way to go home.”

She paused, looking at her with ears piqued in curiosity. “Really? Not two days ago, you were all for forgetting that home even existed. I was going along with it mostly to shut you up, to be honest. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“You can be such a brat when you want to be,” she sighed. “Really… I missed Lucky and Dave last night. I thought… just because we go home, doesn’t mean we have to stay there, right? Why can’t we make this place home and visit our families on occasion? Besides… I know you miss your parents.”

The feline considered it and nodded slowly. “I really do. They’re not just my parents: they’re my friends. And I want them to know that this whole mess…hasn’t killed us.” She smiled again. “Well, now that we’ve decided that… you are definitely in the right Guild! It’s going to take magic to get there!”

“So… I’m looking for the spell, and you’re… doing what?” She smirked, arching a blonde brow. “Feeling useless yet?”

She scoffed, giggling. “No way! I am making us money, aren’t I? The Mages’ Guild doesn’t freakin pay!”

“But the other guild I want to join does,” she reminded her with a wide smile.

“I’d hold off on that for a little while if I were you. Focus on the magic. I’m probably going to abandon the Fighters’ Guild though. I remember how the story ends, and… I don’t like it. I’m not into getting stoned and killing innocent people.”

“But you are into sneaking through the shadows to kill them… sober?” she queried.

“That’s different. There’s at least a Contract there. And most of the people I’m going after… aren’t so innocent. You know that.”

“Right, right. Bad guys and pirates. Whatever. You just be careful while you’re raking in money with your weird habits!” Shadow hugged her tightly. “Try not to get caught!”

Scatha hugged her back, smiling. “If I were you, I would go to Bravil next. If you give me until tomorrow, I’ll go with you.”

The Mer sighed, pulling back. “Are you sure we have to split up? I don’t even know the names of all the cities!” she reminded her, biting her lip.

Sliding to her side, the feline slid an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Shadow, we don’t have to split up yet, no. But we will eventually. You’re on a quest to get home to Dave, and I’m…trying to make us some money.” Pulling out her coin purse, she gave half of its contents to the Mer. “Don’t spend it all on Tamika’s, okay?”

“Tamika’s?”

“Wine.”

“Oh.”
**

When Scatha met Glarthir that night, it was with a sad smile. Time to put the plan into action. “You were right, my friend. Davide is spying on you.” And then… it was on! She was given a written note to kill the good Surilie. All of her hunting and stalking was about to pay off!

With a grin, she sped off to hide around the corner, her tail flicking with mischief. She had no intention of murdering the wine maker in his bed. But this little Bosmer who wanted innocents dead? He, she could kill with little to no guilt at all. But he needed to relax first. His ears were big, and she did not trust her feet to be sneaky enough when he was on the alert. So, she watched him.

A few minutes passed and he sighed, looking up at the sky. Soon, he would have no more worries. His new friend was helping him more than he had imagined! He felt horrible for doubting her at first. Really, he did. He meant to make it up to her! Maybe even offer to court her as Khajiit women were a rarity in Skingrad, and he was certain very few men would be interested in her.

She crept up behind him, drawing her dagger, and snaked her arm around him, covering his mouth. “Glarthir,” she whispered, her tone almost sensual. “We are always…watching!” When his eyes widened in shock and fear, she slit his throat. Feeling the life drain from his body, she released her hold, letting him fall to the ground. “Uhg,” she sighed. “He needed to bathe.” Making her way to the Two Sister’s Lodge, Scatha spent the first of her money for a private room.
**

Shadow tossed and turned in her sleep. She dreamed of her past self again. Angelica was crying, curled up in a ball on the couch. “It hurts!” she sobbed. The Dunmer scowled at her. “I can’t…mom!”

Her eyes widened when her mother walked over to the couch, holding the phone. “Here, talk to Hadassah,” the plump woman said, handing her the white object.

The Mer shook her head at the helpless creature that lay on the couch, talking on the device. “I will forget about this,” she decided, dashing a hand through the scene, making it ripple and fade. “I don’t want to be that ever again!”
**

Scatha woke when the door to her room opened. Laying still, she sampled the air with her nose, identifying the scent of the Imperial who had been tailing her all day.“You sleep rather soundly for a murderer.” She sat, eyes searching the dim light for his face, regarding the robed and hooded figure in silence. To be wholly honest, she was too excited to speak. The man before her was her all time favorite video game character. She was so lucky! “You prefer silence then? As do I, dear child. As do I. For is not silence not the symphony of death, the orchestration of Sithis himself?”

She smiled, forcing herself to get it together and stop geeking out like a crazy fan-girl. “Aye, it is, Lucien.”

The Imperial frowned, removing his hood with narrowed eyes. “You know me?”

She nodded, her mind spinning. Why had she broken the script? “You are Lucien Lachance, Speaker of the Black Hand. You serve the Night Mother and are a loyal son of Sithis. I know you.” Standing, she flicked her tail, keeping well away from him. It would be fatal to forget how deadly he was.

“How?” he demanded, wrath darkening his voice. His brows came down in a dangerous scowl.

She blinked. How the hell was she going to talk her way out of this one? Why, oh, why, had she broken the script?! Suddenly inspired, she nodded. “I have seen this encounter, in a dream.” That seemed somewhat believable, anyway, given the world they were in. There were Seers… but she did not want to claim to be one. Seers usually went crazy. “I knew that if I murdered someone in cold blood, that you would offer me a place in your rather unique family.”

He watched her tail sway from side to side with his eyes for a moment, trying to decide whether to believe her or not. This was most unusual and unexpected. Who was this woman, and was she telling the truth? There was really only one way to find out. “Listen closely then, for I will not repeat myself. I want you to go to the Inn of Ill Omen on the Green Road.”

“I know it,” she said simply. Her smile returned, but only a little. She was about to enter a quest line she knew very very well, but it occurred to her that her exposure to his character was extremely limited. She hardly knew him at all, and he did not know her at all. This could be harder than she considered.

“There you will find a man named Rufio. Kill him, and your initiation into the Dark Brotherhood will be complete.” He watched her through his narrowed eyes. She was taking this in, listening closely, and nodding. He would have her watched for a while, by Vicente and Ocheeva. And then, he would watch her himself. “Do this, and the next time you sleep in a place that I deem secure, I will appear again to you, bearing the love… of your new family.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting his voice wash over her. So many times, she had listened to his words with headphones on, just to enjoy the sound of it. Now she was hearing it in person, and there was no comparison. Opening her eyes, Scatha looked into his and nodded. “Yes, Speaker.”

He extended a hand, a sheathed dagger in it, offering it to her. “Please accept this token from the Dark Brotherhood. It is a virgin blade, and thirsts for blood. May it serve you well.”

She accepted it with another small smile. “Thank you. I will see you again soon, when the old man lies in a pool of his own blood!” Her vehemence surprised her, but… she knew the target was a rapist. And she hated bastards like that. Truthfully, being allowed to kill them was almost a dream come true.

Pleased with her enthusiasm, the Imperial slipped his ring back into place and left. He had things to attend to, orders to give, and a traitor to catch.