After checking on Niyleen to make sure she was doing well, which other than her still being extremely hot but not bursting into flames was the case, Carciel and Lucari quietly exited Niyleen’s home and began their search for… whatever it was that the Breton had heard.

 

It wasn’t too long that Carciel heard something again and she stopped Lucari in her tracks. “Just… listen. Do you hear that?”

 

“What am I listening for,” Lucari said after a while.

 

“You’ll know. Just block everything else out and listen.”

 

Lucari looked at her strangely, then closed her eyes and tried hear what it was her companion had.

“‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’” Lucari said. She gave Carciel a bewildered look. “What was that?!”

 

(I KNEW I wasn’t crazy!) “No clue, but I’m going to get to the bottom of this!”

 

Without warning, Carciel rushed out of the city with Lucari hot on her heels. The night air felt cool on her skin and she just ran where her heart told her.

Upon descending a hill, she suddenly couldn’t hear anything anymore. (Was this a trap?) Carciel searched her surroundings fervently which allowed Lucari to catch up with her.

 

“What’s wrong?” Lucari said taking deep breath to calm herself. “Why’d you stop?”

 

“It’s all wrong… this whole situation.”

“What are you talking about?” Lucari asked sounding concerned.

 

“Shit! Don’t you hear that?! It’s her! She’s doing something to an innocent again!”

 

“Who are you talking about? W-wait—!!” But it was too late. Carciel had already started off again without warning and Lucari was helpless but to follow along at her feverish pace.

Carciel led Lucari around the Reach for a little over ten minutes before she suddenly stopped again and crouched. “Get down and shut up,” she said in a hushed voice.

 

When Lucari finally caught up she doubled over and tried to find her breath. “I-I’m agile dammit… not fast…”

 

“GET DOWN,” Carciel hissed.

 

“Eek!”

Carciel, followed closely by Lucari, crept slowly towards a brush where she heard a disgruntled voice lashing out at something. “Who do you think that is?”

 

“Well,” Lucari said smugly. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you until I get a look at their faces.”

 

“To think I liked the ditzy lesbian version of you better.”

 

“You didn’t like me at all!” Lucari said giving Carciel an uneasy look.

 

“Exactly! Now hush. I think I can hear them.”

“Damn those insolent mortals. How dare they do this to me? ME!? Lord Molag Bal’s most valuable subordinate.”

 

<Hey, that’s that vampire from earlier!>

 

<Y-yeah. But why’s she venting to herself?>

 

<I don’t know…>

“Curse them, may they all become undead to be smote down by that bitch Meridia. They will all rue the day they crossed me and put the tiniest of dents in my Master’s honor. Speaking of which, where on Nirn were YOU!?”

 

A being clad in daedric armor aparated before Teresa. “I was busy.”

 

“Busy being worthless! As always,” Teresa spat. “I wonder why our Lord even bothers with you sometimes. You’re no Champion! You’re a joke!!”

“Shit, there’s two of them now?” Carciel cursed. “Even weakened, that’s still a vampire and what looks to be a daedra. What do you think we should do Lucari? Lucari?”

 

“…”

 

Carciel looked back at the Nord and saw that she was staring with a fear filled face at the newcomer. (What’s so great about this one?)

“Useless, idiotic, pathetic…” Teresa continued to berate her associate until finally she said, “I have half a mind to just end you myself and make it seem like an accident. I lost good vampires today. AND FOR WHAT? You were supposed to arrive late, but didn’t arrive at ALL! What’s your excuse?”

 

“Got… lost…”

 

“Garbage. That’s exactly what you are. You worthless piece of—”

Carciel turned back towards Lucari and frowned. (I don’t get it. There’s nothing about the situation that makes that new girl seem—)

 

“T-that’s her. T-t-that’s the woman that’s after my life.”

 

“Teresa?” Carciel said arching an eye. “But we already knew—”

 

“S-she was bigger, a-a-a-and had a more menacing aura, b-but that’s her. She’s out to kill me!”

“I wish your attitudinal side would come out so we could formulate a plan, but,” Carciel reached for her weapon all the same. “I don’t think I have the patience for that anymore.”

 

“S-stop! You don’t know how strong—”

 

“She’s just a human, by the looks of her jaw structure probably Imperial,” Carciel said sure of herself. “Nothing that I can’t handle alone. Just sit back here, and cover me if you can stop trembling.”

“Carciel wait!” Lucari pleaded.

 

It was too late. She was already in ‘battle mode’ and nothing regarding retreat was registering with the Breton now. Stealthily she crept toward Molag Bal’s two followers as Lucari looked on helplessly.

“It’s so infuriating that even though I’m his most loyal, most faithful, most powerful servant… you’re his favorite,” Teresa said biting her lip. “You’re just abusing his trust, his power. You even refuse to truly become one of his followers and descend into darkness.”

 

“Isn’t it… better for… our Lord… to be able… to work… in both… day and moonlight?”

“Who told you that you could speak Sevetia,” Teresa snapped. “Vex me once more, and I’ll show you what happens when—!!” She stopped and her eybrows rose. “It’ll have to wait. Looks like we have company.”

“Oh, and here I was trying to be subtle,” Carciel said knowing full well the opposite was the case. “But now that I’ve been seen…”

Carciel maintained her stance while edging ever so closer to the vampire’s flank.

 

Noticing this, Teresa wrapped herself in shadows shouted, “FINISH HER!” and then she vanished.

With the vampire out of the way, Carciel rushed toward Sevetia at full speed. (Doesn’t matter if the armor’s Daedric class if it’s so skimpily made. I’ll make this quick!)

She slashed at Sevetia, cutting her deep on both of her sides, but they seemed to have no impact as the Imperial retaliated with a fierce downward blow that all but numbed Carciel’s hands when she blocked it. (So, she’s no normal Imperial. How about if I do this!)

As soon as she regained the feeling in her hands, Carciel went on a full on assault that quickly had Sevetia on the defensive with Sevetia landing glancing hits from time to time.

 

Seeing this, Lucari tried to help out by providing some outside shots of her own. However, a few went wide and barely avoided hitting Carciel.

 

(If I weren’t agile… Dammit girl!)

The mishap didn’t slow Carciel in the slightest as she continued wailing on Sevetia’s defenses until she finally broke through and landed a clean hit on her shoulder cleaving through it… or so she thought. Somehow the Imperial’s skimpy daedric wasn’t just for show and it stopped Carciel from inflicting any real damage.

 

(Damn… I’ve gotta find whoever made that armor. Less armor means more defense? Definitely a thing to look into.)

However, Carciel’s assault didn’t end their either. Feeling that Sevetia was just about done, Carciel delivered a fierce downward slash of her own that shook the ground around the two of them and emitted a powerful force at blew Carciel back a bit and staggered Sevetia.

“Here’s my chance!” Carciel said barely containing her excitement.

 

She went for the finishing blow on the Imperial, but that too was blocked and this time they were forced into a deadlock as Sevetia’s mace tangled itself around Carciel’s sword and wouldn’t let go.

“Get… off!” Carciel said as she kicked off of Sevetia—freeing her blade—then instantly followed that up with a spinning slash that sent Sevetia to her knees.

Carciel relaxed her stance and took a deep breath. (Phew. With my offence and Lucari’s constant barrage of arrows, this is just about—)

 

All of a sudden a roar erupted from Sevetia and in one motion the Imperial rose to her feet and delivered a swift crushing blow to Carciel’s torso that lift her off her feet and sent her flying.

 

(Shiiiiiiiiiiit!!!)

(That… that was bad, but I should—!) Carciel tried to get to her feet but couldn’t put any strength in her arms. Her whole body was weak and she could feel her very soul being drained from her body. “W-what did you d-do to me?”

 

“Soul… Trap…” Sevetia said briefly flashing a black soul gem in her hand before placing it back in her boot. “Now… time… to die…”

“Carciel! Are you okay?” Lucari yelled.

 

“Do I l-look okay?” Carciel closed her eyes and sighed. “I can’t move my body. A-and I think… I’m dying.”

“What!? She only got one good hit on you!”

 

“And that’s all she needed,” Carciel said her breathing getting rougher. “I-It’s… like fighting a wall, a sentinel, a juggernaut. I… got t-too wrapped up in just beating her down t-that, well, I didn’t realize… she could give just as much as she took.”

 

“Then what should we do?”

 

“W-we!? Y-you’re going to have to flip that switch in your head and fight her.”

 

“What!?!”

Sevetia was inching ever closer toward Carciel and her words were ringing ever more true. Taking a deep breath, Lucari drew her bow and aimed at Sevetia. “Here goes nothing.” Then in rapid succession she fired arrow after arrow at the Imperial.

However none of them seemed to hit their mark like they were hitting an invisible barrier before piercing her skin. After the thirtieth arrow, Lucari got frustrated and ran up to Sevetia and smacked the Imperial across her face with her bow, dazing her momentarily.

But Lucari’s little victory was soon undone as Sevetia countered with a wicked blow to her midsection that felled Lucari to her knees and almost caused her to throw up.

 

“H-how are you so p-p-powerful,” Lucari stammered feeling like she was about to pass out.

“I am… my Lord’s… Champion…” Sevetia said before knocking Lucari out and dragging her back toward Carciel.

Sevetia suddenly burst into a fit of laughter that echoed throughout the Reach and sent chills down Carciel’s spine. “Me? Weak? Teresa’s the… weak one…. Gyahahahahaha!! Foolish Nords and… their pride… Idiotic magicless… Breton… No mortal on Nirn… is stronger than… me…”

(Lucari…) Carciel looked toward her adversary but all that filled her vision was the writings on Sevetia’s blindfold. She couldn’t read it, but it didn’t matter. It could have read ‘Strength’, ‘Power’, any number of things, but all Carciel saw was a flashing red sign that read ‘Death’.

(I’m… sorry I got you caught up in this Pure-Blood…) Carciel thought as Sevetia continued her howlish laughter into the night and the world went black.