13 Haemar's Shame

The cave was empty. Well not empty, but more filled with corpses. I searched each body and collected anything I wanted. I got some potions, arrows, gold. Sadly the vampires didn't have much. However thinking for a second.

If I could stomach eating the vampire dust raw it would give me a brief invisibility. I sighed and started collecting the vampire dust. Following the path down i stopped at a table and picked up Bero's speech. It was a skill book.

It would increase my destruction skill. That didn't mean much. However the exp would be good to get. Every point of exp mattered to me. Since thanks to Division and Harmony i would gain more skill points in things I did want.

I turned around and looked at the passage that took the cave deeper. I sighed and started moving again. I really hope this guy was still here in Haemar's shame. It took me a couple of days to do the lights out quest. 

I stepped over a frostbite spider. Looking at it made my skin crawl. The rest of the path was simple enough, however I crouched low. I heard the voice of a man speaking aloud. "And when I find the axe you will take back Barbas?"

I pulled out the Rueful axe and slowly made my way into the room. Barbas looked over to me and the axe I held in my hands. Clavicus Vile also seemed to notice from his shrine as he laughed. "Why, Of course! Barbas knows where the axe is, in fact I can almost see it now."

The snow crunched underneath me and the other player looked back. "Huh? Wh- Argh!" 

He dodged my swing just by a hair and he fell on his back. "Whoa. man! We can talk about this!"

I swung my axe down as I responded. "We both know why we are here."

I rolled out of the way, it seems he went with the acrobatics skill tree. he tried to throw a punch toward me, but I took a step back. "Look, we can work together! Share th-"

I swung the axe for his legs and he jumped. "Clavicus Vile, doesn't care as long as his power is returned to him. Barbas doesn't care as long as the mission is complete and he returns to Oblivion."

He pulled at a steel dagger, "Fine, you want a fight!"

He charged at me and I dropped the axe. I pulled out the catalogue of enchantments and threw it at him. "Arck!"

I stepped out of the way and picked up the axe and pulled it over my head. A swing downwards and I hit him in the side. He rolled to the side again and was on his feet. "Wh-What skill trees did you go!"

I smirked, "Eh, just speechcraft."

He scoffed and from his hand a red bottle appeared. A health potion! He had to have picked them up from the vampires. I moved to stop him, but with his vision not obscured he moved out of my reach. He went the acrobatics skill tree for sure. With the way the vampires were killed. My bet he used stealth on most of them. Which left one-handed as his last skill tree. So at best he was only getting a bonus from Acrobatics.

since he wanted to heal, I pulled out a poison and poured it on the rueful axe. The other guy seemed to stop bleeding. "You drank a few of them didn't you! What three of them? How many more you got?"

He seemed to be looking past me. "Heh, so what. That's the only hit you are gonna get on me. After all the Rueful axe swings almost twice as slow as a greathammer! Now die!"

He charged me, no he was charging past me. I slammed the axe to the ground and pulled out a dagger of my own and slammed it into his shoulder. He winced in pain and I saw what he was aiming for. A sword of one of the vampires he killed.

Now knowing what his aim was I grabbed the rueful axe and swung it down. I released it at its arc and it was throwing forward. He gasped just as he picked up the sword. The axe cut off his arm and he screamed.

I grabbed the sword he was going for and before he got the chance to recover. I slashed his throat it wasn't long before he goes completely limp. Barbas was the one to break the silence, "Wow, now isn't that something. I'd never seen a fight like that. Are you some kind of dremora? To summon things out of thin air! Truly, a spectacle."

Clavicus Vile laughed, "Ha, I suppose that is another deal struck. He even got his hands on the Axe i was just about to send him to get. Heh, or I guess you could say an entire ARM ON IT! HAHAHA! New guy! Thank goodness you should up. I'll let you keep that mighty fine axe if you use it to... let's say, kill that dog over there."

I sighed, "I'm not gonna kill Barbas. Mostly, because the axe isn't worth it. It's weak, its heavy, and its slow. In fact I don't even know how I won. As him getting his arm cut off was a coincidence I was aiming for his head."

Barbas walked over, "Well, nonetheless thanks for bring the axe. Now Clavicus as no excuse to not accept whatever deal you wish to be struck. Though if you were to leave skyrim that would no longer be true."

I nodded, "Well I already know what I want. Likely the same thing he wanted."

Clavicus Vile made a noise a kin to crying, but obviously fake. "You are no fun. Specially you Barbas, just sucking all the joy out of my day. Now you said you know what you want? Riches, Women, Immortality!"

I tilted my head, "I don't need soem stolen gold, I don't want hagravens, and I prefer to be a werewolf than a vampire. No, what I want is none of those things."

Clavicus Vile seemed to be taken a back. Barbas just laughed at his master. "Ha, you guessed your tricks perfectly. What do you want kid? Just tell me and I'll make sure he gives it to you."

I nodded, "I want the Masque of Clavicus Vile, in circlet form please. I don't want to cover my beautiful face."

Clavicus Vile scoffed, "You want that old piece of scrap metal? After that ridiculous fight with the other mortal. That's what you want?"

I nodded, "Yes, in circlet form. As I don't want to wear a ugly mask that looks like it was created by a thirteen year old going through puberty."

Barbas made some snickers, "You know, I'd Advise you not to make jokes of a daedric prince. They may hold grudges."

I waved my hand, "I know you will keep him in check Barbas. Besides Clavicus Vile is like among mortals because of this trait. If he were to lose it... Well fewer would barter deals from him."

Clavicus Vile grumbled, "I suppose that is true... Fine, whatever Barbas get over here! I don't want to stay in this cave any longer!"

A rift enveloped Barbas and he left with a few words. "Vek Frostwane, interesting name by the way."

How did he know my name? I jumped as another rift formed in front of me. However from it a black circlet with jutting horns formed from it. Picking it up, it seemed as long as it was within the realm of possibilities could be altered. In the lore the Masque of Clavicus Vile was shapeless. Sort of. It always had a shape in game, however it wasn't bound by that shape. Meaning other daedric artifacts could be changed beyond the other games.

I turned to the other player's corpse. It glowed with a yellowish hue. Putting my hand on their body summoned a screen. It seemed player inventories were loot-able like this. Honestly the guy didn't have much. I took the cursed version of Hircine's ring. To my surprise his dagger was actually Valdr's Lucky dagger. A unique item, with an interesting effect.

I took it since it was far better then my shitty dagger. I took the gold of his body, he had 2000 septims. Which was great for me, as I needed more. I couldn't keep paying with golden Atmoras.

When I existed his inventory a new screen popped up. Scaring the shit out of me and making me fall backwards.