The Other Side of Nirn

Chapter 9: A Plan Formed is a Plan Executed

Debra took in the night air of Cyrodiil. The night, unlike many things, was peaceful and quiet. Nothing like the land and creatures it shrouded. She was often believed to work for the Dark Brotherhood, but like a select few assassins, she was a rouge. The killer she admired was a tie between Naranel and Black Widow. Naranel because he had the brutality to kill thousands of guards at a time without dying or surrendering. Widow because she was stealthy and agile, and knew how to use a bow.

Debra didn’t know the secrets of a bow, so she used spells instead. Nor did she have the strength of Naranel to defend herself when against simply ten guards. So she used enchanted clothing to hide herself when on an assassination. This assassination, however, went terribly wrong when she stepped on a simple dry twig.

She was supposed to have snuck in, poisoned a drink, wait for a victim to drink it, present herself as a traveling saleswoman, act sympathetic, and kill the target at the funeral. It had all gone according to plan, until the funeral. The target had made sure it was held in the forests, and so she had needed to stay near. When she killed the target with a shock spell, she attempted to sneak away, but she stepped on a twig, so she was forced to run before the mage there used an area spell to reveal her. She was quick enough to get away, but she wasn’t quick enough to keep her outfit’s enchantment active.

And now, here she was, hiding just under the Imperials’ noses near the meeting point of the theive’s guild. She wasn’t a thief in a roundabout way. Sure, she took item’s from people’s homes, but those people were dead so they wouldn’t have any use for the things. Sure she was part of the guild, but only to remove any fines she ended up with on the job of assassination.

As she waited, she began to hear voices again. For the past few weeks she had been hearing voices, often saying to sail to a land called Estria or something. She’d heard the voices once before, but what they said then nearly got her killed. They had kept saying to go into the realm of Oblivion and slow down its forces, but when she did she had nearly been over ran. She was lucky that a child came and saved her. Assuming he was a child, for he fought with the grace of one who has experienced much.

After about thirty minutes she went to the waters to look at her reflection. She was a Wood Elf in looks, but she was different from most others. She, unlike many, was able to change her form, so she could be elf one moment and Kajiit the next. Her true form though was… different. When she showed it, most would run from her. She looked to the night sky and searched for the stars she knew well. The stars of the Serpent.

She indeed was cursed and blessed, just as The Firament said. Cursed because she had grown with no parents in a land that creatures are judged by what they were. Blessed because she had mastered a single ability, that which allowed her to live in the world.

She then noticed that there was light coming from the meeting point. “Time to hear what he has to say,” she thought aloud.

“You shouldn’t have come Debra,” said Armond when he saw her.

The reason he said that was because of someone who was killed. She went to a party, poisoned a drink, and waited. The problem was, the victim was part of the Theive’s guild.

“Look Armond, he wasn’t supposed to have been the victim. In fact, he was the one who hired me!” she said in self-defense.

“Have you forgotten that the Gray Fox changed the rules?! Now if you kill a member you get killed!”

“Stop and think Armond! How was I supposed to know he’d drink that glass of punch! I’ll pay three times of what the fee was; just don’t follow with this rule!”

“I’m afraid it’s worse then that Deb. The man you killed was also part of the Theive’s guild.”

Debra’s eyes widened in amazement. That she would be hired to kill a thief and that Armond didn’t tell her at their last date. “Why didn’t you tell me!?”

“I didn’t know until just recently, I’m sorry!”

“So your going to kill me now!?”

Armond winced as he took the blow. When it got so quiet you could hear a quill drop, he spoke. “No. I’m not killing you,” he said. “But you can’t come back to the theive’s guild either.”

“Then what am I supposed to do? There’s a thief in every major city, and I’m being hunted by guards as we speak. So that knocks out even the inns in the woods.”

“Listen to me Deb. There’s a search party fixing to depart from these docks to search for some of the most famous people. One of them is believed to be the Gray Fox. If you can find them before word of the incident spreads too far, then all the problems blow away. With the Theive’s guild and the empire. Until then, please be safe.”

“Thank you, Armond. I will never forget this.” When she picked up her supplies, she turned to him and kissed him on the lip. When they finished their farewells, she ran to the search ship and found a place on the boat where she won’t be bumped into, and placed a sleep spell on herself.

Jordan was unamazed when he saw Bonde bring Dylan out on her back. There was one child worthy of fighting, and Dylan was the one. However, Dylan presented a problem when he was alive. And any problem known, had to be eliminated. And there are more ways then one to remove Dylan. But one was more effective then anything else.

Jordan began to move more realistically when he heard the flaps of a pegasus in the distance behind him. As he moved, the flaps became louder, and closer. He moved just in the nick of time, because a pegasus flying almost as fast as rainbow nearly hit him. Well, he wasn’t noticed thankfully, since he was a butterfly.

“Bonde!” yelled Widow.

Bonde, in response, turned and saw Widow fly up.

“Where’ve you been?” she asked.

“That doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is that there’s a search party looking for us.”

“A search party? Now?”

“And I think that some of the ponies here in Equestria may be suspicious of us. I saw two recently arrive looking for somepony with a newspaper.”

“What’s so bad about a newspaper?”

“We’re on the front page.”

“WHAT!? I told them NOT to put us on the front page!”

“Well we are. And by the way Bonde…”

“What!?”

“I overheard some of the ponies talking. There’s a holiday called Nightmare Night coming up.”

“Nightmare Night?”

“The only thing I could pick up about it is that your supposed to dress as a creature. I went to the stores and found a few suitable things for it.”

“Like what?”

“To start off, a vampire outfit for Dylan,” Widow said as she pulled out a cape, some teeth, and face paint.

“Really Widow?”

“If we don’t suspicions will continue to rise.”

“What about Sadie? He needs someone to take care of…”

“Which reminds me, Sadie recently woke up. And the doctor says he’ll make it.”

Bonde seemed like she was amazed and happy at the same time.

“Well, when should he heal?”

“The doctor said he should be out of the hospital in three to four days tops. If his recovery is good enough, then he’ll be released today.”

“That’s good to know. Let’s get going, I need some time to think.”

‘Thinking is the last thing you’ll be doing,’ Jordan thought as they walked away. With haste, he quickly transformed into Cheerilee and walked to her home.

Bonde had just finished tucking Dylan in bed when she heard a knock at the inn’s door. “Who’d want to talk to us?” she thought aloud.

She received her answer when she opened the door. “Hard Mace! Thank goodness your available! Apple Jack won’t come to my school for hero/family day because she has to work on the farm! And she said to come and ask you! But if you don’t come I won’t have anyone to come for hero/family day at school, and everypony else will! I’ll be embarrassed and then Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon won’t let me hear the end of it! You’ve gotta come to my school Mace! You’re the only other person!”

“Hssshhhhh… don’t worry Apple Bloom. I’ll come,” said Bonde as she combed Apple Blooms mane with her hoof. She had only caught a few of the words. To start, AJ couldn’t come to a school holiday, and to finish, she’d be embarrassed if nopony came. “When is it?”

“Tomorrow,” answered Apple Bloom.

“How about we get you home,” said Bonde as she closed the door behind her. ‘There goes my time to think.’