3 Chapter III

"Go clean it quick. I wonder why you insisted wearing such armor for scrubbing job." Grumbled the man as they were scrubbing, wiping, cleaning the messed-up floor. It's a job alright, lamented the Dragonborn at the side.

He could be out there fighting Dragon and Draugr or whatever inside the dungeon, but he preferred his quiet for now. Those shitty hold guards have it easy just standing around the gate, and they complained about not being burned by a dragon! Against the fiery rage of a Dovah! He shook his head against the particular memory.

He was at the red-light district and saw an old man in his lonesome cleaning what was the aftermath of whatever debauchery happening last night here. Bits of creamy crusts and sticky liquid were flown and spilled all over the room, accompanied by mashed food and fruits that looked like it's stepped on, broken bottles filled with piss… and err is that a pile of shit?

He subtly moved the direction of his mop to the other side, silently praying the old man wouldn't order him to clean it. That's one big load, surprise it doesn't smell yet.

"Oy, what are you doing ova' there? Clean this part 'ere quick!"

"That's gross, old man."

"You dare? I'll have you know to mop that armor of yours after I'm done with this!"

"Alright, fine, fine. I'll clean it, Mara's tits." He grumbled, and took some cloth, so it didn't dirty his gauntlet. "What kind of people would shit straight in the room anyway?"

"Ishtar Familia. They're weird folk –heard there's this buncha of fetish of consuming someone's crap, like straight from the oven or somethin' like that."

He visibly gagged at the picture. It's a feat there's something, out there, that managed to make him feel so disgusted, even after crossing Apocrypha and a portion of Molag Bal realm. He quickly scrubbed his mind of the images.

Never will he go to this kind of place again should he need anything.

.

It was in the rowdy afternoon that they finished the place. The man gave him a few thousands Valis… enough to eat for two days or three he supposed. There won't be any progress if he doesn't join a familia soon. It's an attrition and the better part of him already thinking to join one, but who?

The Dragonborn sighed; maybe he shouldn't have been too stubborn. He'll come begging to Eina tomorrow morning, he supposed. Working honestly is fun and all, and he had no interest in material possession like money, but it would be nice if he had some time to do anything else.

"Hey handsome, want to have some fun?"

"Ew, begone thot. I consorted myself with no random whore."

He quickly fled the scene whenever some Amazonian offered him their services. For the love of mara, he can't imagine them without that gross image earlier. Even then they quickly dropped their smokes and mirror once seeing the sorry state of his armor and his attitude. Some goes far as laughing at him or worse using forces but he quickly dodged it. They probably thought him as a dirt poor low level adventurer, and they were right in a sense.

"By the divine, is that a sload?"

While maneuvering around the red-light district's corridor, he quickly pressed his body against the wall, making himself as small as possible, when he felt the ground tremble. Maybe the god here has some imagination after all. It's like a vicious giant walking frog, with a face that even no mother would ever love. Interestingly, it perhaps tries to imitate human by wearing makeup and wig of all things, how curious!

But he didn't dare to cross the creature path as it walked past him by, never noticing the armored man sticking to the wall. It stopped and tried to whiff something in the air. The Dragonborn slowly crawl to the other side of the alley and fled before it could detect him.

He can fight it all day, perhaps, but there's no reason to start a conflict when he benefitted so little from it. Not unless it carried a heavy load of Valis possibly, and he saw none on its wet amphibian skin. Potentially, he could soul trap it to see whether the soul is white or black. He used to collect all kind of creatures soul and trapped them in a gem just for his museum back in solitude. He never caught a sload after all, they were thought as extinct after a coalition fleet decimated their home for releasing a disease that killed almost half the population of Tamriel.

Ah, great now where was he again? The colorful building turned dark and empty. He didn't realize how long he had walked after the encounter with the sload-like creature. He tried to back trace his step, but the corridor he passed seems to never stop. Turn right, another empty corridor with haphazardly placed houses, or even stairs that lead to nowhere.

Ou –…ro –r he…

He blinked –and again. He heard a sound; a faint echoes. There's always something behind such phenomena. So he followed it. It was a chorus, maybe? Or was that a humming?

I tell – ou… I tell – a war – comes

He got closer, and the voice is calling him.

Be – are… – ware… – born – comes

It urged him. He ran.

It was on a clearing, dreary and quiet. Not a single wind passed, but the moonlight casting shadow over her –a shadow that didn't quite match well with the owner.

""You'll know, you'll know the Dragonborn comes.""

How many times he'd heard that song. He couldn't help but followed the young girl lips as they sang.

"Dragonborn." It said. The creature said. His lord said.

He kneeled.

"You'll always have my curiosity. Always the faithful –The virtuous and the noble. I offer you power and knowledge, and you stake what is only offered. I've gained so much just peering over your unknown destiny."

It said. The gaze pierces the sky as overlooking the whole world. Like a child finding a stash of candy behind an empty shelves.

"Our faint, almost severed, connection had made me worried that you betrayed me. I know you would never. And this?" It smirked, a toothy, sharp grin that reached from ear to ear.

He raised his head. This is the first time Luscius have seen the form of his lord.

"I'm the master of all knowledge and the fate –and yet you've surprised me once again. You deserve a reward. A lavish gift once we returned to my realm."

"It's just a mere accident."

"I've grown sickened of your mortification, Dragonborn."

"Your satisfaction is my reward, good enough."

"Then I'll lay out a task for you. I offer you this girl. She's my part of essence, a half of what is mine to anchor my embodiment in this domain; protect her as you would protect me. I shall keep my vigil from the other side. This world filled with the unknown; explore it as what I have bid. Covet its knowledge. Hoard its treasure. This is your task."

"It is no problem."

"Excellent. She will provide heaps of gifts to you as so the annals is now a part of her –in time once her power maturates, it would be as vast as the apocrypha, but satiating her hunger? It is your duty."

"I understand, my lord."

"Farewell, Dragonborn."

Like a doll which tie has been cut, the girl slumped to the cold floor –if only he didn't catch her. Her pale hair turned into a color of ripened wheat and complexion rapidly gained a healthy color. Her chest slowly stabilized.

The only thing remained is the key protrusion like hole on her forehead. He looked left and right, finding no one, and he looked at the girl again. He raised his hand, dipping one of his fingers to the hole.

It's… he felt nothing, actually. He couldn't even feel his finger. It was as he never has one in the first place. Maybe the first thing he should record is the girl herself.

He shook his head at the discovery, and gently carried the sleeping girl.

Bathed in the moonlight were a knight and a fair princess.

The picture would be ethereal if only there's appear no green maw covered with sharp teeth and tentacles wriggling around the outer fringe as it devoured both of them.

The street was silent again and the light returned.

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Note:

Draugr - Nordic zombies or mummies or undead, whatever float your boats

Dovah - draconic term for dragon

Thot - Not all women are thot but all thot are women

Sload - slug or frog like creature - they're amphibian for sure - and ugly as hell for certain. Mostly famous during the 2nd era for releasing the deadly Thrassian plague. Presumably decimated and had gone to extinction since then; when even mer and men and the beast races set aside their hatred and united to form the largest coalition fleet known as All Flags Navy to destroy their kingdom in retaliation of the plague.

Author note - Yes, in case you didn't notice or speed running; our dragonborn is a servant of the hermaeus mora. Lastly, yes again, it's Abigail because why not? Men like it the most when an eldritch being fused into a cute girl.