I was lacking contracts these days, my premature return having annoyed Vincente, who apparently hadn't anticipated it. When I told them about my little adventure with the Imperial Gazette, they agreed that I had acted wisely.
The book I had brought back, detailing the humorous tribulations of Adamus Philida against a disabled assassin, had caused Gro-Bolmog to burst into laughter. He was the only remaining assassin at the sanctuary apart from myself and Vincente. The orc had broken his arm, a stupid mistake during a mission, he had told me. His victim had fought back while he was trying to deliver a perfectly timed line.
He sat down next to me at the table, laughing loudly and slapping my shoulder every time a passage amused him.
"HA HA HA! The author is brilliant! Absolutely incredible! Did you read the... he he... part where Philida... he he... gets... gets run over by the assassin's wheelchair! HA HA HA! It's hilarious!"
He probably didn't realize how thin I was and how large and strong he was, as he was seriously starting to hurt my shoulder.
"Ha ha ha! And... and then a piano falls on his head! HA HA HA HA! Poor Philida! Oh! Brother Valerei, listen to this joke, you..."
"- I have an important task to entrust to you."
Gro-Bolmog stopped laughing and put the book down because Vincente seemed perfectly serious, far from his usual smile and affable demeanor.
"Brother, have you ever heard of our agent named Morgaroth?"
I had heard of him, yes. He was the Silent of the announcer Lucien Lachance, an Imperial who had served him for about a decade. However, he had disappeared overnight, several weeks ago. I got along relatively well with him, much like with Antonetta, for example.
"Perfect. Well, we've located him. He's in the Imperial Prison, being tortured by experts in an attempt to make him talk about the Dark Brotherhood, which is absolutely dreadful."
"- Oh, come on, brother, Morgoroth is a tough one, a real hard nut to crack. They could rip his legs off, and he still wouldn't say a thing."
"- I'm not so sure, my friend. He's been kept alive for two weeks now, subjected to increasing suffering and poisoned, according to my sources. In his delirium, he apparently muttered something about a "black ghost." It might not be much, but it's becoming dangerous."
"- Don't look at me, brother. I'm a war invalid."
I understood that Vincente wanted me to come along to help him free my friend Morgoroth.
"- No, no, my friend, you didn't catch my drift. Our goal is to eliminate Morgoroth while making it appear that his prison guards killed him during a torture session."
Vincente looked at me for a moment, then spoke with a broad smile.
"Should I understand that you don't want to harm one of your brethren?"
I smiled. This time, Vincente hadn't quite grasped my intentions.
"I apologize, my friend, I had thought you got along well with Morgoroth."
I told him that whether Morgoroth was my friend or my sire didn't change things, which amused Valerai.
"Wonderful, my friend, wonderful... Let me give you some details... As you know, the Imperial Prison is renowned for being impenetrable. There's a small spot where we can get in, through the sewers, but the path to the cells is heavily guarded, and it's out of the question to kill anyone. And you must absolutely avoid being seen. Oh, and in a separate wing of the prison, there's a Dunmer named Valen Dreth. If you could take care of him, even though you're not obligated to, that would be killing two birds with one stone, as Morgoroth failed in his attempt to deal with him. Oh, and one last detail, I will accompany you on this mission, my friend. It's been a while since I've hunted, and my reserves are depleting rapidly."
Clearly, a higher-level vampire would be joining me. This infiltration mission would be a piece of cake.
A black liquid emerged from the ground and enveloped the vampire's body. The liquid then solidified, forming the Dark Brotherhood armor, complete with a long black cape.
"The night will be bloody, my brother."
After a rather swift journey, we arrived at the entrance to the sewers.
"- Are the troops in position?"
"- Yes, captain. Not a single Mythic Dawn agent will get in here."
"- If you ask me, the Emperor is becoming senile."
I didn't understand what they were talking about, but there was no way to pass through.
I asked Vincente what we were going to do. He thought for a moment, then told me that when the difficulty was too great, it was wise to choose the easier path. I didn't quite grasp the meaning of his words at first.
Two figures entered the Imperial Prison through the main entrance. They were both dressed in black. One was a regular Dunmer, but the other radiated an uncomfortable aura.
The two men approached the main counter where a plump little man was reading documents. The five guards in the room never took their eyes off the newcomers.
The plump man finished organizing his papers, wiped his face with a handkerchief, and looked at the two men.
"- Gentlemen, what can I do for you? Would you like to visit a specific person in the prison?"
I hadn't expected such a reception. If we could visit Morgoroth, things would be easier.
"- We wish to see Morgoroth Alhon."
The employee raised his glasses and cast panicked glances at the guards, who moved closer and stood behind us.
"- We have no one by that name in our prison. Please leave."
"- Well, too bad. I would like something else, then."
The employee seemed relieved and began speaking again.
"- Of course, sir. What would you like?"
"- The vampires of Coeurnoir Cavern want your blood."
"- GUARDS!"
As I turned invisible, Vincente lunged at the employee's neck, tearing a chunk of flesh from him and swallowing it. When he saw the guards about to strike him, he turned into a cloud of mist and vapor, allowing all the blades to pass through him. Then he reappeared, slashing one guard's face with his claws, extending his arm as he did so. He impaled another guard with his outstretched arm before retracting it.
I was greatly impressed by Vincente's strength. It was the first time I had seen him in action. He truly lived up to his title as the leader of the sanctuary.
The three guards charged at the monster. He threw six knives with one hand, hitting all the vital points of one unfortunate guard, who collapsed. Then the beast turned into vapor again and disappeared.
"Is he gone?"
"- We scared him off. That's right, scared him!"
Poor guys. I'll talk to their families. I'll tell them that...
The guard fell to his knees, clutching his stomach, screaming as a swarm of bats emerged from inside his body. He collapsed, and Vincente Valerai reappeared at the counter as if nothing had happened.
"- I believe I asked your colleague for some blood, dear friend. Could you fetch reinforcements?"
The guard looked around, then ran to the dungeon door, not realizing an invisible form was following him. The vampires of Coeurnoir Cavern were likely to have serious problems after this bloody spectacle.
"- Guys, come on! There's a damn vampire! Get garlic, crosses, stakes, everyone, come!"
"- By the Nine!"
The dozen guards in the break room got up, got ready, and ran towards what would become a battlefield, forgetting about the Dunmer who accompanied the monster. I could become visible again, catch my breath for a moment, and take a look at the map. The sounds of combat coming from the prison's main hall were like a sweet melody, but I had to head towards the cells.
"All together, there's a vampire slaughtering our people!
If we call the Imperial Guard, we'll lose our jobs!"
"- Calm down. We're here. Show us where the vampire is."
Hidden on the ceiling, I could observe the prison guards' patrols running towards the hall. But this time, they were vampire hunters, vampire slayers in the jargon. Despite Vincente's strength, they posed a serious threat, with their holy water and sacred items. I had to act quickly. Once the patrol passed, I reached a sort of intersection. I had to pass by Valen Dreth's cell to get to the hidden wing where Morgoroth was held. Killing two birds with one stone, as Valerai had said.
"- HA HA HA, YEAH, YOU LITTLE IMPERIALS! THIS VAMPIRE IS A FRIEND OF MINE! HE'LL KILL ALL OF YOU, ALL! I'LL BE FREE AND FAMOUS!"
The Dunmer was talking to no one, as no guard was present. When I walked by his cell, he leaned against the bars and whispered.
"Hey, psst, are you here to free me? Oh, how I love you! By the way, I'm Valen Dreth. Soon all of Cyrodiil will know my name... What are you doing with that..."
I grabbed his head and pulled it out through the bars. I was about to cut it off and frame the other prisoner, making him commit suicide. The said prisoner was crouched at the back of his cell, in the shadows. I couldn't see his race. I felt his gaze pierce me, as if he were reading me. At that moment, I had a strange, indescribable sensation. I felt that these two men still had a role to play, and that I wasn't meant to be a part of it. I heard the guards approaching, which snapped me out of my intense contemplation. I took one last look at the crouched figure in the shadows and dived into the sewers beneath my feet.
Hey, guards! My head is still stuck in the bars! Can you hear me?
"- There's no one here. Let's deal with the vampire. He's alone!"
I had to crawl through the foul-smelling sewers for a few minutes. In retrospect, I didn't even know what had stopped me from killing that man and the other prisoner. I just felt that I shouldn't, and it wasn't even pity. It was... a vision, perhaps, or even Sithis. It was all a bit beyond me, but it didn't matter. Sooner or later, even if not by my hand, Valen Dreth would die.
"- Who... who's there?"
The grate broke, and I gently landed next to Morgoroth. He had been crucified, his body covered in cuts, bruises, and various wounds, some quite gruesome, even for me. The prison guards certainly knew how to have fun.
"You, is the Black Hand sending you? Thank you, Sithis, thank you. I'm so glad to see you, my friend! I didn't say anything at all, just a brief delusion. I kept all my secrets. I would give my life for Sithis!"
I looked around the room. It was empty, and the door appeared to be locked from the outside.
"Don't worry about that, my friend. They're busy with a vampire... Brother Vincente, I assume? Excellent work, truly!"
I inspected the guards' tools – pliers, hot irons, blades, whips. They had more equipment than the sanctuary.
"Alright, my friend. Free me, and let's have a drink at Cheydinhal, like before I was captured!"
I turned around, holding a white-hot blade and nails.
"What? But... I've always served Sithis. This... Is Lucien Lachance sending you? But... my friend! I've given ten years of my life to..."
His "A" turned much louder and more violent as the white-hot blade went into action. He had said he would give his life for Sithis? I was going to help him with that, a true gesture of friendship. I needed it to appear as if he had suffered a long torture session before his death. I gagged him and prepared myself to surpass my previous acts. When I returned to the hall, I saw about forty bloody bodies, and in the center, Vincente was kneeling in front of two vampire slayers. I would have liked to witness that massacre. The two slayers held crosses in one hand and garlic in the other, apparently immobilizing Valerai.
"- Wretched creature, you've destroyed the entire prison guard, but you won't be able to kill us, vampire vermin! Your brethren from the Coeurnoir Cavern will soon follow you. One of the guards has gone to fetch an entire Imperial Guard army to lay waste to your territory!"
"- No, indeed. I can't kill you. It's impossible to kill the dead."
"- What?"
The head of the first slayer smashed into the wall, breaking both his skull and the wall. Panicked, the second slayer tossed his artifacts aside and drew his sword towards me, but fangs were already closing around his neck. My brother fed for a few seconds, then sighed, satisfied. His orange eyes had turned completely red now.
"- Wonderful, I'm completely sated. Did you neutralize Morgorth by simulating death under torture?"
I nodded, adding that I would send a message to the Black Horse Courier later that evening, asking them to investigate the practice of torture in the Imperial City.
"You're right, my brother. The law should ban such barbaric practices."
Upon our return to the sanctuary, I was surprised to find Antonetta back. She came to ask me to tell her about my contract, which I did without holding back, while also writing the letter to the Black Horse Courier, which Taleandril sent for me.
"- Tell me, my beloved brother, if I were captured, would you kill me or not?"
Without hesitation, I answered yes, which made her laugh.
"Good, good, my darling brother! If you'd said no, I would have felt particularly cruel!"
What I appreciate about my siblings is that we're always on the same wavelength.