Chapter XXVII: The Ebony Shank

We stayed the night at the hunter's camp, the two huntsmen eagerly praising us for bringing them the head of the werewolf that killed their friend/relative. The speed at which they got to taxiderming the whole thing was honestly a bit worrying though.

They even tried to invite us to stay over at their village so they could at least prepare a modest feast for us but we were in a hurry so I decided to just ask them to guide us out of the forest and as near Whiterun hold as possible.

They led us all the way to Riverwood without a hint of complaint. Not my first choice of destination but it was on the way so I guess a bit of annoyance at the resident spy was not that terrible a fate.

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I was busying myself teaching some of the more efficient runic sequences I discovered to Nightshade while we waited for daybreak in the Sleeping Giant Inn, when the usual suspect decided to insert herself into our conversation.

I still did not know what to make of Delphine, she was a very pushy character with a fair bit of arrogance. Then again she seemed far more intelligent than I remembered and her pride was tempered with experience.

I do wonder if she managed to understand the little hint I left her last time...

This time she didn't play coy and merely sat down next to Nightshade, whom I was forced to signal not to try and turn the Blade agent into a popsicle as it would probably not end too well for my Falmer vassal.

The Blades had a reputation for a reason and I wasn't about to waste time or servants in testing that.

"Delphine" I greet with a bored drawl while closing my notes book turned grimoire.

"Greetings Thane" She responds with a conspiratorial smile "We may speak openly, I checked."

I roll my eyes and activate clairvoyance just in case, an instant later I am back in reality and the woman is staring at me with a twinge of annoyance, likely seeing the light glow in my eyes which appears whenever I use that specific spell "Indeed, there is no one" I respond with only a bit of smugness lacing my voice before it turns serious "Now, what did you need from me Blade?"

"There is no need to be so standoffish, we are on the same side" She raises her hands placatingly and I merely snort in response. Seeing that I wasn't about to relax she sighed and sent a quick look toward Nightshade, once again seeing that I wasn't about to go out of my way to accommodate her she sighed "I wish to propose a trade."

"Oh?" I raise an eyebrow "Do go on."

"I have some information regarding our mutual enemy" She asserts "In return, I would like you to give me information available to those of your social standing."

I stretch the silence to an uncomfortably long degree before slowly nodding "Alright, that does sound like something that isn't a complete waste of my time."

We started by trading some minor facts, positioning of Justiciars, and the most recent raids on Delphine's side while I talked about some less than public happenings among the nobility that my agents gathered with practiced ease.

Finally, we got to the big ones "I have noticed heavy movements of Justiciars to the far northwest, they were meeting with what I think were powerful vampires."

"Thalmor and Volkihar..." I mutter with a frown, that was not good...

"You know of them?" Delphine asks, easily showing me she has no details on the vampire clan.

"Extremely old and powerful clan, directly blessed by Bal as well." I easily explain "Not quite Dwemer old but close enough."

She frowns and mutters both our thoughts out loud "Fuck."

'Apt' I chuckle inwardly "Contact the retired Vigilant of Stendarr named Isran." I say while looking at the crackling firepit at the inn's center "Tell him to prepare for the vampires' return."

"And this... Isran will just believe me when I tell him just that?" Delphine gives me an incredulous look and then adds "A Vigilant might be useful but how can a single man help us against an entire clan?"

I shrug at her question "He is surprisingly resourceful for a religious zealot... and he is so ravenous for killing vampires that even a hint about a possibility of them returning will have him preparing infrastructure to fight against them."

She nods slowly "I will get to it then." Before raising an eyebrow as if to say 'your turn'

I smirk "I just butchered the Dark Brotherhood almost in its entirety."

She blinks before finally processing my words, after staring at me for a while she mutters "You aren't joking, are you?"

I shake my head "No, I found their hidey hole and ended whoever they didn't send after me."

She takes a deep breath before nodding in a mix of satisfaction and self reassurance "It is good to hear that the province is that much safer."

"Indeed" I agree quickly "And if we were to find the final member we would be rid of the organization for a very long time."

Her eyes snap to mine "You sound as if you already have information on them."

I incline my head "That I do, an Imperial named Cicero, wears a clown's attire and drags a coffin with him wherever he goes." A predatory smile twists on my face as I point at the Blade "You will do your utmost to find this disgusting creature and kill it if I am too far to do it myself, in return I will gift you with one very vital fact for your organization."

She doesn't even need to consider and agrees immediately "I do not need a reward for doing this but I welcome any help you may provide." 

"How righteous" I drawl before lazily blurting out "Esbern yet lives."

It took me a good twenty minutes of disdainful silence to get Delphine off my back after giving her that little tidbit of information. She kept pestering me as to his location but I did not lie when I explained that I was unsure, he could quite literally be anywhere as he was probably moving around constantly in an attempt to evade the Thalmor.

Still, I gave her a hint about the Ratway and left it at that. Having a Blade unwittingly working for me was always going to be a good thing, even if she did grow unhinged with delusions of grandeur whenever she met Minthara.

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Our travels led us north toward Whiterun. I did not mind making a stop and having a look around, Azura was a Daedra and had all the time in the world so she could be patient and wait.

Really fucking with Murphy there but I had just spent weeks trudging through forests and I wasn't about to rush up a mountain because she was going to be lightly miffed.

When we arrived at Whiterun Balgruuf quickly invited my companion and myself to his palace and prepared a modest feast for us. We spend a good chunk of the night talking about the political climate of the province and plotting how to best help strip Ulfric of any and all of his power.

Speaking of my Falmer friend, I had a great time watching her squirm under Farengar's voracious gaze, the man was almost giddy with amazement as he was the only one to realize that Nightshade was not in fact, an albino Altmer. I had to promise a discussion about her presence for later so he would leave her alone and not try and dissect her on the spot.

As I was talking with Balgruuf's brother and incidentally teasing the man's daughter, whom was pretending not to listen in on our conversation I suddenly felt a tug of familiar power from below the palace.

I wanted to avoid whatever awaited below us, that thing was not something I wanted and yet my patron grew ever more insistent as time passed and I tried ignoring it.

Unable to find an excuse to just disappear into his cellar I quickly led the Jarl and his housecarl toward where the feeling was coming from and soon we were in the palace's basement and in front of a large wooden shelf. Moving it to the side we came face to face with a sealed door which I opened with a light yet precise tug of my Magicka. As the ancient wooden door parted I came face to face with a large eastern blade made of ebony.

I sighed, terribly annoyed with the turn of events, and was once more whisked away into a meeting with my extraplanar patron.

====================

"I see you found another token of mine" Mephala smirks at me from atop the table, the comparatively massive blade laying snugly in her arms as she caressed it almost lovingly.

I grunt in disgust "Out of all the things you could have brought to the world, that thing is easily among the worst." The Ebony Blade was an artifact that grew in power as one betrayed their friends and family, gorging the blade on the sinful act and empowering the wielder with the stolen lifeforce.

She titters at my reaction, a great amount of amusement in her eyes "Oh don't be like that, it is not I who entices mortals to betray each other." She tilts her head and daintily scratches her chin "How is it my fault that mortals would slaughter their own for power?"

"She says as she holds an item she made which literally rewards betrayal" I narrate with a deadpan.

She pouts cutely "How could I be faulted for what fools choose to with something I left in their basement?" A tinge of sadism overtakes her eyes "I only enjoy the drama and irony of their betrayals, not the betrayals themselves. And besides, mortals should know not to use 'Demonic' artifacts such as mine if they don't want to get punished."

"Oh great" I groan "An egg and chicken argument involving kin slaying and cousin laying."

She raises an eyebrow "I said nothing about laying cousins, dear Reyvin."

I snort "I know for a fact you would insert something like that in your toy, don't even try and lie to me right now."

Her giggle turns into full blown laughter "Indeed I would" She says as she calms down "So just to make sure, you don't want the sword?" She asks.

I give her a half lidded stare "Powering it is far too expensive just for a potent life steal." Then shrug "Besides I don't even use large blades anyways."

"Aaaaand... what if I were to change its shape and power it up for you?" She asks with a cheerful smile.

There it is... I don't care to suppress a groan as I ask "What do you want this time?" Before she can respond I raise a finger "Just know that if you ask me to fuck Azura over or something equally suicidal I am out of here."

She snorts and shakes her head "Of course not, who do you take me for?"

My dead look practically screamed 'Are you really asking me that right now?'

"In any case" She reiterates a bit more forcefully this time "I want Bal's mace."

I blink "That... is doable." Then my brain starts coming up with outcomes and I slowly smirk "Useful even." I look back at my patron "What would you even use the mace for though? Not like you can steal its power."

Her smile is by far the most natural I had ever seen her make "Why I want to fuck Molag over of course, do keep up dear."

I snort "Right, sure I will grab the damn piece of sodomized metal for you but I don't know when I will get around to doing it."

She waves it off "Just do it whenever you get the chance, preferably before you butcher his toys." She suddenly stops speaking and groans "Oh no, I wasn't supposed to say that... Azura will be insufferable."

She looks genuinely distressed but I do not react. Remember Reyvin, manipulations within manipulations.

She sees me not even twitch and sighs "Fine then, ruin my fun." She proffers her hand "My token and the knife with which you earned my blessing please."

I shrug and toss the locket and dagger at her which she grabs with ease. She takes up the ebony blade and suddenly all three items loose their shape and turn into a shadowy blob, her hands, both humanoid and spidery, move around like she is weaving something and soon a much smaller blob of shadow is all that remains.

Its aura was nothing to scoff at however.

Mephala proffers the long ebony stiletto dagger toward me and I grasp it with practiced ease, immediately feeling my old blessing return with a bit extra residing within the dagger itself.

I twirl the newly modified Daedric artifact between my fingers and immediately realize that the damn thing is telling me how best to wield it alongside giving me hints on how best to remain hidden. A quick scan shows exactly what I am looking at.

[Ebony Blade-Unleashed:

Mephala's prime artifact, once the blade of the betrayer and now the blade of ambition in the hands of her chosen. She watches all your deeds with great attention.

Mephala's Favor: Grants you power over lies of all forms.

Lifedrinker: Steals great amounts of lifeforce from victims, can be used to heal and power spells and rituals.

Shadowguide: Teaches you how best to wield it.]

[Daggers: Apprentice]

I look up to my patron while sheathing the weapon "I see you went all out this time."

She smiles kindly "You are by far my favorite mortal of this era, do not take my actions lightly."

Realizing the weight of her words I give her a light bow "I will do my utmost not to disappoint my Prince."

"Indeed you shall" She nods as if it were to be expected "I will be watching." She smiles and disappears, moments later I am back.

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I slowly turn around and come face to face with a confused Balgruuf and a very horrified Irileth.

It was at that moment that I realized the damn demon had set me up...

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I am loco for el rocko

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