Across The Pond

Vallius looked at the three he was being ordered to befriend. He would have gladly fought any of them given the chance and was silently kicking himself for not killing the Khajiit woman when he had the chance.

He followed the Nord who had identified himself as Torrvar and the leader of the sanctuary. Behind Vallius was the petite Khajiit who, despite her appearance, was a very skilled fighter. A fact Vallius learned the hard way, and one he would be hard pressed to forget as she had giving him quite the scar.

Torrvar led him to an open room with wooden poles and targets lined the walls. Vallius noticed a Wood Elf in the corner casting all sorts of different colored spells at a wooden pole in rapid succession. 'He must be quite the spell caster if he manages to cast the quickly, I'll have to watch out for him' Vallius thought.

"Ahem," Torrvar cleared his throat. The Wood Elf stopped casting his magic and turned to face the three. "And this is Foroch" Torrvar said loudly as he gestured to the Wood Elf.

"Charmed" said Foroch sarcastically as he went back to casting. Vallius found it difficult to look away, felling memorized by the light show of many hues that Foroch was creating.

The snapping of Torrvar's fingers brought Vallius back to reality.

"I know he's handsome but at least give me some attention" Torrvar said mockingly.

Vallius ignored what he assumed to be a playful insult from Torrvar and without looking away said "he is really good at magic, he must rely heavily on it."

"You should see him with a dagger" Torrvar told Vallius. "He doesn't need magic to take out his target, most of the time he just uses it to freak the hell out of whatever unfortunate soul happens to be marked for death."

"So illusion magic?" Vallius said. It was more of a statement than a question but Torrvar answered all the same.

"Yes, illusion. Why, you aren't a battle mage are you?"

"No, I know rudimentary destruction magic but that's as far as my skills reach" Vallius responded.

"Well you can't be good at everything" Torrvar said in an upbeat tone. "Come, there is much to discuss."

'Don't let his tone fool you. He may act nice but he is a cold blooded assassin and a threat to the Empire, no matter how friendly his tone' Vallius thought to himself. Vallius then turned to Torrvar and nodded.

"I'm afraid you two will have to get better acquainted later Shotherra" Torrvar told the one eared Khajiit.

Shotherra smiled slyly, turning to Vallius and saying "I can't wait" before walking off to join Foroch in practice as she drew her sword.

Torrvar laughed and motioned Vallius to follow. Vallius obeyed and followed Torrvar down through the sanctuary and into the lower levels of it. Vallius followed Torrvar down a sloping hallway that lead to a single room. Inside the room was two chairs and a table between them, with what appeared to be a bear skin rug underneath the table. The rest of the room was solid stone, nothing adorning the walls save for a few candles and a large, black hand print painted on the back wall.

Torrvar saw Vallius looking around in confusion and said "you're wondering what we use this room for." It was more of a statement than a question. Vallius nodded slightly.

"We use it primary for two things, one is torture if someone were to wonder down here or we had the need to extract information and normal methods didn't work."

"And the second?" asked Vallius, not looking towards Torrvar.

"The second, is to have a nice, quite place to have a private conversation" Torrvar told Vallius. "And it's polite to look at others when they are talking, you should do it more often."

"Sorry" Vallius said, turning his head to face Torrvar.

"Don't be sorry, just keep that in mind" Torrvar said. "Now, take a seat."

Vallius sat on a chair and Torrvar took the seat opposite him.

"Now this is a very general thing, I just want to ask you a question before I give you your first assignment" Torrvar said.

"So like an interview?" asked Vallius.

"Sort of, yeah."

"Do you do this with everyone?" asked Vallius.

"Normally no, but given how close you were with the Emperor I'm sure you understand why we have take these precautions. Especially in these times" Torrvar answered. Vallius shook his head in understanding and Torrvar began.

"Why did you want to join the Dark Brotherhood? Surely it isn't a decision you made easily or quickly, so why?" asked Torrvar.

"Well when I got the letter I didn't know what to do. When I saw the Thalmor forces moving up Nibenay I knew I wouldn't have a job for much longer, so I decided it was for the best" Vallius said smoothly. It was a good thing he was a good liar and was quick to make something up. Otherwise he'd be in serious trouble.

That seemed to be enough for Torrvar as he said "job security huh? Well that's as good a reason as any. And this is the best field to get into if that's what you're after, because as long as there are two people left in the world, somebody is going to want somebody else dead."

Vallius looked at Torrvar and chuckled. 'This guy is a nut' Vallius thought.

"Well that's good to hear. Though we will need to test your loyalty, that Blade in the garden was only the beginning. You are still a new recruit and there are ... customs to follow" Torrvar told Vallius.

"Customs? Like what?" asked Vallius.

"Well for one thing you have to memorize the five tenets that guide the Dark Brotherhood" Torrvar told Vallius

"And those are?"

"The five tenets are pretty simple," Torrvar said before listing the five tenets of the Dark Brotherhood.

"Tenet 1: Never dishonor the Night Mother. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

Tenet 2: Never betray the Dark Brotherhood or its secrets. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

Tenet 3: Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

Tenet 4: Never steal the possessions of a Dark Brother or Dark Sister. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

Tenet 5: Never kill a Dark Brother or Dark Sister. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis."

"Pretty strait forward" Vallius noted.

"Yes, they are. The punishment for breaking any of these is death, and I want you to keep that in mind" Torrvar told Vallius.

"So, what's my first contract" Vallius said, eager to move the subject away from killing him.

"Eager to prove yourself huh? Alright let's get down to it. Your first target is a family in Bravil. Now this won't be easy, normally this kind of contract would be carried out by a more experienced assassin but with your skill I believe it isn't above your head" Torrvar said.

"Why would you normally send an experienced assassin? What are the specifics of this mission?" asked Vallius.

"Well I think you should keep in mind that down here they are called contracts, you aren't a legionnaire anymore. The specifics are interesting. It would seem a feud between families has finally reached it's boiling point. You must get into Bravil, a challenge in and of itself considering the fact it is under Thalmor control. Next you must find the largest house, there lives the richest family in Bravil. In it live a small family of Imperials, kill all of them. The father, the mother, and their two children. One of their kids recently joined the city guard, the other is about eleven years old. Now the giver of this contract wants the father in particular to suffer. So if you can, kill both of his children and his wife first, preferably somewhere where he can watch. Do this, and you will have earned your bonus."

Vallius blinked for a moment, absorbing in everything he was just ordered to do. He didn't take joy in the orders the Emperor had given him but he swore to obey them, but killing a kid, that was low. Vallius became increasingly aware of Torrvar's gaze on him.

"Is there an issue with the order, don't forget the tenets, specifically number three" Torrvar warned.

"No, there is no issue" Vallius said.

"Then why do you look like you have one?" asked Torrvar.

"It's just ... killing a kid?"

"Yes that isn't a contract I usually enjoy but they happen and we must carry them out. What you can do is make it as painless for the kid as possible, don't let him see it coming and don't look at his face. It's easier that way."

"Alright" Vallius said, defeated.

"So you'll take the contract?" asked Torrvar.

Vallius stood up where he was and walked towards the door, only to turn around and give Torrvar a curt "consider it done" before walking out of the room.