25 Of Rats and Men 1/2

Lucius found Ciri sat on a fallen log in small clearing near the wood mill. Cleaning her sword with a small white cloth.

"So, you wanted to talk?" Lucius took a seat next to Ciri.

"I asked you what was wrong...Now answer me." She replied with a stern gaze, halting the maintenance of her blade.

"Do we really have to do this, Ciri?" Lucius sighed.

"If whatever's weighing on your mind is causing you to act like this? Then yes." She replied.

"Fine. I just hope you won't think any less of me afterwards..." He lowly muttered, rubbing his forehead."I slept with Elenwen, and left with nothing but a note." He droned out with closed eyes.

"That's it?" She replied incredulously. "You were moping around like you killed a kid. You're sad that you had sex? ... You're a weird man, Lucius." She looked at him weirdly.

"I'm not sad i had sex." He hurriedly replied. "We grew up together. She thought i was dead for. Twenty. Years! And i lied my way into her bed!" His voice got increasingly louder. "I feel like a scumbag, because i did the scummiest thing, all for some fucking documents!" He stood from his seat waving a hand to his side and his eyes glowed a fierce silver, while heavy breaths left his nose.

"I'm sorry. I'm just, angry at myself for using her like that." He composed himself.

"Hey, it's fine. It's better to let it out then bottle it up. Trust me i know." Ciri assured Lucius with a gentle tone before she continued cleaning her blade.

Lucius let out a deep sigh and sat back down.

"I need a pastime. All this dragonborn business is stressful, they don't put that in the songs or tales, do they?" Lucius voiced his thoughts.

"Most of the time." She laughed. "You should hear the song of my adopted parents ever complicated love ballad. That full of exaggerated tales." She said, amused at the memory.

"Maybe one day, if i'm ever so lucky." He idly commented."So~...Wanna go diving into a sewer with me?" He asked with a blinding smile.

.

.

.

"Why did i agree to this again?" Ciri asked into the air, as Lucius eyed the suspicious guards in front of him.

"Before i let you two into Riften, you need to pay the visitors tax. 137 gold." The guard demanded with his arms crossed.

"And what is the tax for?" Lucius asked unimpressed.

"For the privilege of entering the city, of course." The guard continued.

"What a great city!" Lucius spoke out loudly. "A shakedown at the gate and the guards are thieves!" He dramatically yelled, ignoring Ciri's weird look.

"Shhh!" The guard hushed. "Fine, we'll let you in, just keep your voice down." The guard relented.

"Heh." Lucius flashed a smug smile and walked into the city.

Ciri followed, and eyed the dreary city streets. The people either begging or scurrying behind alleys.

"Lucius. Let's hurry up before we get a knife in the back." She whispered to the elf.

"Agre-" Lucius was interrupted by a gruff and gravely voice.

"I don't know you. You in Riften lookin' for trouble?" A dark haired thug called out to them.

"Just passing through." Ciri dismissed.

"Yeah? Well, I got news for you; there's nothing to see here. Last thing the Black-Briars need is some stranger stickin' their nose where it doesn't belong." The thug declared.

"Black briars? Like the mead..." Lucius veiled an amused smile.

"The Black-Briars have Riften in their pocket and the Thieves Guild watchin' their back, so keep your nose out of their business. Me? I'm Maul. I watch the streets for 'em. If you need dirt on anythin', I'm your guy... but it'll cost you." Maul said.

'Hmm, safe to say i'll have to keep an eye out for Black Briars.' Lucius noted.

"How about you tell us for free" Lucius 'sweetly' smiled, releasing some magic.

"Ha ha! Don't make me laugh. Just stay out of the Black-Briars' affairs. You'll live longer." He mocked.

Lucius grabbed the man by his face in a swift movement, and slammed him face first into a back alley. Pressing two charged fingers of shadowed lightning at his neck.

"Speak." He calmly spoke.

"Alright! Don't! Please!" Maul hurriedly pleaded.

"Just tell us everything you idiot..." Ciri slowly asked.

"Whash do yoo wantz to know?" He whined, slightly slurring his words from his face being pressed to the wall.

"Two questions. Black briars, who are they?" Ciri begun the interrogation after receiving a nod from Lucius.

"Maven, she pretty much runs the whole operation. She's got friends in high places if you know what I mean. She's also got ties to the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild, so basically no one can touch her. Just remember, if she tells you to do somethin'... you damn well better do exactly what she says." He replied with hidden respect.

'Seems he's loyal to this Maven, but only tolerates the others.' Ciri noted.

"Wait, i have one, Ciri." Lucius spoke up. "Thieves guild. What'd you know?" He demanded pushing his head with more force.

"I used to run with them myself, but took a job with Maven after they started hittin' a rough patch. If you want to get in on that action, find Brynjolf. I'm sure he could use someone like you." He answered.

"Okay, last question. Ever heard the name Esbern?" Ciri asked, leaning forward slightly.

"That old man? He's somewhere down in the Ratway. That's all i can tell you." He replied.

"Thanks for your compliance." Lucius said before knocking him out cold. "Seems he really is down in the sewers." Lucius spoke to Ciri, as they started making their way down a set of wooden steps to the canal.

"What's this thieves guild you asked about." Ciri asked. "Apart from being a band of thieves." She quickly added seeing the faint twinkle in his eye.

"Damn!"He cursed under his breath. "Well, i saved one of their members from the Thalmor. He might be able to lead us to the housing in the sewers...Just a thought, we might not even need directions." He answered.

"Good thinking. A backup plan is always helpful." Ciri responded, looking off to a female khajiit. "I have tracking skills anyway. That could come in handy." She finished and opened a steel gate leading into the sewers.

"Here." Lucius called out and handed a torch he lit of the wall.

He walked past her and ignited his left hand in a dim glowing blue. Lightning coiling around his fingertips and drew his sword.

'I should try forging a blade after this. Probably consult the old man first...' He mused while descending into the Ratway.

"Lucius. Voices." Ciri whispered to him, and hid the light of her torch behind her.

"I dunno, Drahff. They'd skin us alive if they knew we were doing this." A man wearily said.

"Oh, come now, Hewnon. How would they even know?" A slimy voice wiggled.

"You take one i take the other?" Lucius whispered, waving his lightning infused hand at the voice.

Ciri nodded and disappeared in a flash. The sounds of cut flesh and screams reached Lucius's ears as he rushed out from his hiding place.

"You took both...Greedy bitch." He sulked.

"You took too long." She sniped with a teasing smile.

Lucius huffed and walking past to a closed off drawbridge. "Hey Ciri. You think i could throw the skinny ones corpse over this gap?" Lucius asked, hand on chin.

"Uh, maybe. That's a weird question, Lucius." She responded.

"Heh, you'll see." Lucius spoke and put the skinny man over his shoulder. "Wait, i have telekinesis." He facepalmed before throwing the man over the gap with an orange pulse.

A whisp of ethereal blue and black mana charged through Lucius's hand. His rings glowed a brilliant white, and a bolt hit the corpse.

'Pull the lever' He commanded his undead thrall.

The wooden bridge extended down to allow them to cross the gap.

"See. Not weird." He triumphantly smiled at Ciri.

"You did all that...When i could have just blinked over there?" She drawled out, trying not to laugh.

"Just let me have it, woman." He huffed.

"Fine~ Good job, Lucius" She babied him and pat his head, as he stared with dead eyes.

'kill me.' He thought.

"Let's just go. I don't want to linger in a place that smells of piss." He commented.

"You mean Riften then?" She quipped.

"Yup." Lucius replied, popping the p.

"Never should have come here!" A lowlife shrieked, and aptly fell to the floor as Lucius disinterestedly shot a bolt of fire through their heart.

"The ragged flagon. Say what you will, but that's a pretty good name, eh?" Ciri bumped his side playfully.

"I'm not buying you a drink. Esbern, remember." Lucius said opening the door.

"Boo~" She pouted.

Lucius continued on with a lazy half smile. Their joint steps drew eyes as the taps bounced of the damp walls. A bouncer stood idle by a swinging sign.

"You here to cause trouble?" He bluntly said.

"No looking for a man named Esbern." Lucius responded.

"Keep lookin' then." He replied.

"Lovely." Ciri muttered. "Is there a place for people to live down here?" She asked the man.

"Behind the bar. Door." He grumbled.

Ciri and Lucius walked to the slightly ajar door of rotting woof. "A party has been through here recently, heavy armour." She spoke to Lucius.

"Hmm. Got it." Lucius drew his sword again.

The pair advanced past the doorway into an open area of gated windows and layered walkways. well lit by hanging steel lanterns and wall hanging torches. The green and yellow stained cobblestone slightly crumbled of aged erosion.

"Thalmor, that's not good. We need to hurry." Lucius said to Ciri, eyeing the five guards patrolling the sewer. "Do you think you can take the two foot soldiers while i fight the three mages?" He asked.

"Who are you talking too?" She boasted. "I'll draw them away from the mages so you have an easier shot. good?" She planned.

"Sounds great. Your call." He responded with a nod.

In a viridian flash she was gone and in the next moment the first mage slumped to the floor holding his, now turned fountain, neck.

'Can she not control where she teleports confidently, or is she doing this to piss me off?" Lucius wondered as he charged up a combined bolt of black fire.

Ciri drew the soldiers back to the open layers staircase as Lucius let his first bolt free and incinerated the first unsuspecting mage whose ward was facing Ciri.

Clashes of steel bounced of the wall and the grunts of men from Ciri slamming her longsword into their well made armour.

"Wuld!" Lucius charged forward to the second mage and sliced his arm from his body in a quick motion of force. The mages unholy cries caused one guard fighting Ciri to lose focus, allowing her to gut him under his exposed armpit through to his lungs.

Lucius warded the flailing lightning strikes from the panicking wizard in front of him with his left hand and imbued his sword with dark fire, thrusting forwards into the mages throat. Killing him, but melting his enemies insides with his now destroyed sword along with him.

'It served me well. Guess i'm using an Elven blade from now on.' He nodded towards his lost blade.

Ciri countered a slash with a quick riposte and sent the soldier tumbling to the floor, his armour saving him for the second time.

Lucius jumped down the stair case and placed his ringed hand on the breastplate of the elf and watched his life fade away slowly and drool escape his hanging mouth.

"I think i'm becoming a battle maniac...And i love it!" He grinned to an equally grinning Ciri.

'I think i'm starting to like it too.' Was Ciri's rousing thoughts, gazing at Lucius's dishevelled form as small strands of his soft silver hair glued to his sweaty cheeks.

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I've been watching loads of lore videos and rereading Lord of the rings in preparation for the next arc. But, in my mind i came to the conclusion... Is Sauron really all that bad?

It wants to rule, and to have order in Middle-Earth. It's just it operates on the theory of 'The ends justify the means.' Yes, the Maia is manipulative and cruel...But who isn't in wars? If anything, i admire it's genius and cunning. Like damn, he manipulated an entire kingdom to worship his old master (Who was known to be the dark lord.) all from being a prisoner that worked its way up to being the king's right hand 'man'.

Just a thought i had.

Anyway~

Part 2 will probably be out later tonight...

Have a good one.

your "patently evil" Author ;)