Bab 579: The Music of Life
It wasn't long after Arnbjorn returned to the Hall of the Dark Brotherhood under the road to Falkreath. It was dim at night but the crafty old man found his way back to the hideout as if it is some second nature to him. However, he would stop every now and then to check his surroundings for any suspicious activity.
The moment he arrived at the hideout. He found a small pathway going through some rocks under the road and there was a door. A grim-looking door made of stone and metal. He barely touched the door and gave it a good push but it didn't pudge whatsoever. He retreated his hand but the moment he did, it felt as if the door came to life. A faint light shone on the texture of the door showing the marking of a skull carved on it with a palm emblem on its forehead and just like that, a voice echoed into the head of the old man.
{What… is the music… of life?}
The old man groaned in disinterest as he answered.
"Silence, my brother."
{Welcome… Home}
He always wondered how this wall would speak to people. The uses of magic are surely endless and this door is one mystery on its own. Some say that the Black Doors are artifacts bestowed upon the Dark Brotherhood from the Void itself but no one is sure of the truth anyway. It is only that those doors always exist and may appear whenever a place is deemed suitable for a brotherhood hideout through a notification from the Night Mother to her Listener.
All the history and lore aside, the old man knew that there hasn't been a Listener for almost twelve years and Astrid, his wife, has been leading the family like her own band of hitmen ever since. Not that he cared anyway.
The moment he walked in, however, he saw Astrid walking towards him with a frown.
"Something happened?" He asked.
"Nothing." She replied, "The newbie vampire came almost immediately. I must have left quite the impression."
Astrid's tone was a bit unsettled but her husband only patted her shoulder.
"If you are not comfortable, go out and clear your head. I'll go introduce the others to the newbie." He said.
Astrid nodded and put on her hood as she stepped out of the sanctuary. Arnbjorn watched her leave and walked into the sanctuary taking the stairs and keeping up his awareness. There are two vampires in the sanctuary now and a werewolf like him should put up some airs of superiority and speaking of the devil, he stumbled right one of the vampires on his way in.
"Smelly old man!"
A little girl, around twelve years old, stood behind the table of the front room and cussed at him out of the blue. He growled at her, keeping stern eye contact.
"Isn't this the part where you start yelling at me?" She said provocatively.
"That's when there was one mosquito, now we have two of them. If I reply to every mosquito that speaks, what would that make me?" He said while walking past her.
"The new girl looks odd." Bebette, the little girl, said.
"I am sure she is not older than you anyway?" Arnbjorn replied.
"You sure about that? I don't know… she reeks like a corpse. You can smell it too, right?" Bebette asked.
"All mosquitos smell about the same to me."
"Oh, I assure you, this one is something else!" She said as she walked ahead of him.
Even though looking like a little girl, Bebette was over 300 years old, the oldest member in the entirety of the Dark Brotherhood and someone who must have seen a lot in their days. She was attacked by vampires when she was 12 and grew up without aging a single day only to be one of the most lethal assassins ever recruited with an endless number of kills.
Now to the meat and potatoes of the day, the newcomer.
Arnbjorn walked out from the entrance area to the large cavern beyond and could see a large cave that was probably part of an ancient Nordic ruin that got cleared by the Dark Brotherhood. His superior senses could scan through all the rooms and hallways of the old ruin to spot every single member of the brotherhood.
The newcomer was anxiously looking around the place feeling a bit distressed after placing her coffin somewhere deep in the crypt. Arnbjorn retreated his sister only to find a certain individual in front of him, an Argonian, dark scales, sharp presence.
"Brother." The Argonian spoke.
"Veezara." Arnbjorn didn't reply and with a stern face kept looking at the Argonian.
"Come sit with us, we are all present at the sanctuary at the same time. Let's catch up." Veezara said.
Reluctantly, Arnbjorn followed him and ended up where most of the veteran members of the brotherhood are. Bebette joined them afterward and they started discussing their latest exploits while laughing at the way they get their kills done these days.
"Haha! Again! Again! Do the part where he tries to buy you some candy." Veezara said as he laughed uncontrollably.
Bebette smiled and retold her story.
"Okay, okay. Wait. Here we go. "Ooh, you are such a pretty little girl. Would the sweetie like a sweetie? Oh yes, how about some chocolate?" Oh yes, please, kind sir. My mama and papa left me all alone, and I'm so very hungry. I know a shortcut to the candy shop. Through this alley. Oh ya, very good. Very good. My! It is dark down here. Oh, but you are so beautiful. Such a lovely smile. Your teeth... your teeth! No! Aggghh!!"
And they all started laughing.
"Oh Babette, but you are so wicked!" Gabriella, the Dunmer Alchemist of the sanctuary, commented.
"What about you, Festus? How did that last contract turn out?" Nazir, the Redguard custodian of the sanctuary, turned to the elderly man among the gathering.
"Oh, yes, please, old man. Regale us with your tales of wizardry…" Arnbjorn mockingly said.
"Ah, the young and stupid. Always mocking the experienced and brilliant. My contract went very well, I'll have you know. Tried a new spell. Little something I've been working on in my spare time. Came "this" close to turning that priest inside out. Damned messy!" The Elderly Imperial said.
"And what of your latest, Arnbjorn. Something about a Khajiit? Merchant was it?" Gabriella asked Arnbjorn.
"Oh, a big doggy chasing a little kitty! How adorable!" Bebette started cracking jokes at him.
Arnbjorn clearly didn't like to be laughed at which made him grunt and growl.
"I am not adorable, it was not funny, and he wasn't a merchant. He was a Khajiit monk, a master of the Whispering Fang style. But now he's dead... and I have a new loincloth."
The conversation continued until Serana decided that she was done with exploring the place and came towards the group. Nazir finished his last joke and went up to meet her.
"Here you are." He said walking towards her with the welcome attitude of a Redguard, "The newest member of our dwindling, dysfunctional little Family! It is nice to have some new blood every once in a while."
"Nice to meet you." Serana nodded.
"Save the niceties for now. I have no intention of getting invested in someone who may be dead tomorrow. If you're still breathing in a few weeks, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends." Nazir replied to her with a cunning look.
Serana tilted her head with an apathetic face.
"But I don't breathe… Does that mean we can't be friends at all?"
Her cold voice and deathly attitude made Nazir frown but a man like him is a trader of death and a broker of reaping lives. Despite the freakish attitude of Serana, he kept a level and decided to play her games.
"Vampires are truly fascinating, I see. No need for them to go through our pity mortal struggles. I was thinking at some point about asking Bebette to turn me into one but I think I would want to enjoy an extra few years." Nazir said, "And Bebette is one stern grandma sometimes."
"Hey! Heard that!"
Nazir dodged the object thrown towards him by Bebette.
"Astrid… the Mistress told me if I want to earn my keep, I should see you for work." Serana cut to the chase.
"Oh! Pretty please, we have a lot of contracts lying around all waiting!" Nazir spoke dramatically, "The people these days are on to each other's throats and all they do is summon us to kill for them. We are most certainly short on staff."
"Well, that's simple enough." Serana said, "What will happen after I prove myself."
"You get gold."
"And when I prove myself even more?"
"You get more gold… and respect of course."
Nazir seemed as evasive in his answers as Serana being pushy with her questions.
"I don't mind. It happens that I need gold and my only skills aside from reading are smashing heads." Serana decided to put on airs acting all tough.
"Oh! We've heard! You made quite the ruckus in Skyrim, didn't you? Attacking the Jarl's best fighter in broad daylight and smashing his head on the ground like an egg. Even Arnbjorn doesn't put that much spine in killing." Nazir applauded, "Tell me, what made you do such a reckless thing?"
Serana looked at him coldly.
"Why would I tell you? It's my business."
"Well well, look at that attitude of yours. I like it. Sadly the Mistress won't be pleased with you killing everyone in a fit of rage, she is putting a lot of hope on you, newcomer. And I am just trying to ascertain your bottom lines."
"Fine!" Serana shrugged her shoulders, "I entered the town the other day looking for… you know, sustenance. The guards must have told something about me to their Jarl so he sent his man towards me inviting me for dinner. When I refused, the thug took a book and told me to come and take it from the Jarl's quarters."
"And so you took it over his dead corpse?"
"I love my books."
"Hahaha! That's ballsy! I like you… Gabriella also likes books so you will surely get along." Nazir seemed pleased with Serana's chaotic evil tendencies behavior as this is the most favorite pawn to any Assassination Cult. Someone who wants to act without limitations and kill without discrimination. Not good for business in some cases but extremely useful in the mayhem.
"Just next time, make sure you don't make a scene. If you want fun, I am sure someone like you is more than capable of kidnapping and acting quite."
"Easy!"
"Good! Any questions before I set you up?"
"Quite a few actually." Serana thought before saying then continued, "Mistress Astrid took me to a cave and told me to kill one of three. Did I kill the right person, this Jon Dare?"
"The right person? Did you really think too hard about who to kill? Bad move." Nazir said, "When the mistress tells you to kill, you kill. There is no need to overthink it."
"I see! Obedience."
"Indeed! Obedience."
"What about this Jon Dare I killed… it can't be the… Real Jon Dare, right?"
"Ah! So you know of the infamous bastard of Winterhold." Nazir said.
"Who doesn't?"
"Right. Well… once in the past, Jon Dare was a target and we failed to kill him just because we assigned some newcomers. He wasn't even that famous back then and he cost us two promising fledglings." Nazir said with a wry smile, "Three years ago when he was said to have been banished by the King, a few imposters started coming out and calling themselves Jon Dare. Astrid simply started killing them but none of them could be the real thing anyway. At least she vented some of the grudge."
"A grudge, huh?"
"Big time."
"That was amusing!" Serana nodded as if saying thanks, "Can I take my contract now."
Nazir nodded with deadly delight.
"Your missions, should you choose to accept it, are to eliminate an ex-miller named Ennodius Papius, and Beitild, a mine boss. Finish them and report for me to take more jobs. Good hunt."
The two parted from each other and Serana walked past the other members exiting the sanctuary.
"Hmm!" Arnbjorn groaned while looking in Serana's direction.
"You're feeling alright?" Gabriella asked him.
"I don't like her. When Astrid arrives, tell her I'll be watching the new girl." He said and grabbed two greataxes from the wall and fitted them to his holster before turning into a werewolf and disappearing like the wind.
The other members were left a bit baffled but Arnbjorn can be a bit distrusting and tense around others especially when he gets overprotective over Astrid.
Another vampire in the house sure made the wolf inside him restless.
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