Contract 3-Darkest fear

Upon waking up this morning, I felt a bit tired. I had spent the night having nightmares where Kat stared at me intensely, crying and pleading for me to save her. Those are the kind of dreams I wish I had more often.

Taleandril wasn't tired this morning; her breakfast consisted of some fresh fruits.

Before starting to eat with the others, I inspected the dish, searching for poison. It's an old habit I can't seem to shake off.

-Come on, brother, you've been part of the family for a while now. Eat without fear, said someone reassuringly.

I settled for an apple; I generally eat very little.

The orc from the Dark Brotherhood, whose name eludes me at the moment, burst into laughter while reading the Black Horse Courier.

-Listen to this gem! 'Ordinary crime, assassination during a wedding in Chorrol. One of the guests, Mr. O. Elezar, was unjustly accused of his best friend's murder just because he's a Dunmer...

As Gro continued to read, his laughter intensified even more, and he pointed out that the words "accused," "unjust," and "Dunmer" were underlined and framed, which only made him laugh harder.

-...while the real culprit was, in fact, a Redguard woman, jealous of her friend's marriage, with whom she had a romantic relationship a few years ago."I am outraged, shocked, and find this primitive racism against the Dunmers pathetic! exclaims Fathis Arus, president of the Morrowind Travel Society in Cyrodiil.

To conclude this article, I would say that in this world that is losing its way, we all need faithful friends like O. Elezar, regardless of whether he is Imperial or Dunmer."

Gro, the name I will call the orc, laughed even louder, banging on the table, which irritated Taleandril. Then Gro flipped through the newspaper and closed it.

-Well, you made it to the second page, congratulations, my brother! It reminds me of a funny anecdote. I had to execute a girl, so I went to her birthday party, smashed the door with...

Antonetta was on a mission, and compared to Gro, she was discreet. It's amusing to think that someone as huge as him could be an assassin, but it gives our team an interesting dynamic – we all have different murder styles. Gro seems to have chosen the path of extreme violence.

-...And she said to me, "Are you the jester ?" So I replied, "No, I am the messenger of death!"

-Please, you always tell this story, always."

Vincente seemed annoyed by Gro's antics and turned to address me.

-You made excellent use of the delayed death arrow, excellent work. I have something else to propose to you, of an entirely different nature that you haven't experienced yet : intimidation.

I was intrigued and asked him to tell me more.

-Excellent, my friend, excellent. The deputy prefect of Cheydinhal is trying to convince the government to raze our sanctuary. He's an honorable man, untouched by corruption, and killing him is out of the question; it would bring the entire government down on us. Instead, we need to enter his house and make him have a night that would dissuade him from conspiring against us and make him understand that he should keep quiet. You would be handsomely rewarded if the deputy prefect didn't suffer any bodily harm."

Strangely, throughout this entire conversation, a famous musical theme from a certain "Italian familia" kept playing in my head.

I asked if I could use a direct and frightening approach.

-You have carte blanche, my friend, and make it bloody if necessary.

Ocheeva had returned to the sanctuary recently, and I went to talk to her about my contract and the reward for my last mission.

-Oh, greetings, my brother. Have you been working well in my absence? I am pleased with your performance. Here, this spell should be useful for you.

I felt the magical essences flow through my mind, and with a bit of concentration, I could see clearly in both day and night.

Then, I recounted my contract to the Argonian.

-An intimidation, you say ? Vincente believes in your abilities. Normally, we assign this kind of work to Khajiits, but ours has been absent for some time now. Anyway, the Deputy Prefect Henriko Sylkis is a stoic man; mere threats haven't fazed him, and he intends to press his charges tomorrow, isn't it ? Hhm... All I can tell you is that he has a very young wife, a little boy, and a dog he cares for deeply. Can you use invisibility ?

I replied that I could, but it was mentally exhausting for me and left me defenseless.

-Then take this.

Ocheeva gave me a small, yellow, and shiny needle.

-It's a simulated coma needle, containing extracts of blood herbs. A drop in the target's bloodstream will make them sleep for about fifteen minutes. It will give you time to plan meticulously. You can use it two or three times. Henriko always leaves his son's room open on the first floor. Oh, and be aware that his wife will be returning later than expected from work... Now, leave me. I must rest. Good luck, my brother.

I thanked Ocheeva for her patience and professionalism and left the sanctuary. The Target house was quite imposing without being overly huge. His dog could have been a nuisance, but a piece of meat bought from the nearby store would ensure its silence.

As night fell, and the streets emptied, I chatted with people to pass the time. If i need to describe this moment let's say that It is the anxiety of time passing that makes us talk so much about the weather.

Once it was fully dark, I slipped into Henriko's son's room. The little boy was fast asleep, holding a large stuffed bear close to his size. Adorable child. I closed the window carefully and headed to the upstairs corridor.

As I expected, the dog, a tiny, furry creature, started barking and hopping around me. I took out the piece of meat from my satchel and offered it to him while patting his head. Dogs are extremely rare animals in Tamriel; this one must have cost Henriko a fortune. I continued to caress the dog's head as it silently enjoyed its meal. Then I reached Henriko's room. Ocheeva was right; his wife wasn't there, but the deputy prefect was peacefully asleep. The needle gently pricked his arm, and Henriko briefly opened his eyes before falling back asleep with loud snores. I closed the door and returned to the corridor, heading toward Henriko's son's room.

The little dog, now finished with its meal, happily approached me, wagging its tail and sitting in front of me, affectionately sticking out its tongue. I raised my finger as if I were about to offer it a treat from my satchel, but the object that emerged was thin, black, metallic, and sharp.

The dog looked at the blade of doom approaching its tiny head with a blissful smile and its tongue hanging out. If humans were as foolish, my contracts would gain entertainment but lose interest.

After disposing of the various bloodied parts of Toby's (yes, he wore a collar with the name Toby) remains in various places around the house, I continued my way to the child's room. I made the door creak, causing him to sit up in bed. He must have been about seven years old, an age of innocence. It was pitch black, but I could perfectly see his small, innocent, and bewildered white face. Absolutely fantastic.

-Hello ? Who are you a friend of daddy ? The little boy asked, unsure of who I was.

-The question is not about who I am but where I am.

The teddy bear was about to be the catalyst for me to unleash my cruel impulses. I recalled Vincente's final words, "Make it bloody." Oh yes, it was going to be bloody.

After administering the coma poison, I decided to stay in the house and ensure that Henriko experienced a significant fright once the effect wore off. I wanted him to have quite the surprise.

As I finished my preparations, I concealed myself in the shadows of his room and waited.

-Oh, what a strange nightmare. Are you here, darling ?

Henriko shook his head, realizing that his wife had not yet returned; it must have been around eleven o'clock. He glanced at his wife's spot, and his beloved dog, Toby, was there, with his little head poking out from under the covers. Henriko smiled gently and stroked his favorite pet.

-Toby, what did we say about...

Henriko's smile vanished suddenly when he realized that Toby's head was no longer attached to his body. He let out a scream that almost made me burst out laughing, but I held back.

-What in the... What is happening here ?!

He grabbed a torch from his wardrobe, quickly lit it, and the room was bathed in a faint light. I moved at his pace and followed his actions, remaining unseen.

Though in shock, Henriko still seemed somewhat composed.

-Are you from the Dark Brotherhood ? You rotten scum... You don't scare me!"

I didn't bother responding, which only further unsettled him.

-Show yourself, you wretch! COME OUT OF YOUR HIDING PLACE ! I will destroy you, I...

Henriko became paler when he noticed a dog's paw in a pool of blood on the floor. Panic set in even more when he realized that the severed parts of Toby formed a trail leading straight to his closet.

At this point, Henriko was far less confident.

He opened the wardrobe slowly and let out a bestial scream before running towards the hallway. There was a note from his wife, reminding him to take care of Timothy. I couldn't help but smile darkly at that.

I followed him during his mad dash, witnessing him losing his composure completely, really, really losing it.

He violently pushed open Timothy's door, only to come to a sudden halt.

-Thi...mothy ?

As Henriko asked if everything was alright, I slammed the window shut, startling him, making him scream, and causing a gust of wind that lifted the covers. Poor him, it must have been such a shock to see his son's head attached to the stuffed bear's body and vice versa. The bear had a heart drawn on its belly, with the words "I'm watching over you." That, on the other hand, was terrifying.

Henriko started running towards the window, and I barely had time to prick him with the coma needle.

The target was so panicked that they didn't appreciate the delicacy and precision with which this fake head was crafted, with a bit of magic, craftsmanship, and psychology, of course.

-Oh, my lord, what...

Henriko woke up, finding himself in his bed, everything calm and peaceful. He stammered, then started laughing to himself, cursing his silly dreams.

Then, his door opened, revealing his beautiful and young wife who had just returned.

-Ah, darling, I had the most hilarious dream, listen to this... darling ?

All of a sudden, Mrs. Sylkis collapsed with a loud thud onto the floor, unconscious.

Henriko probably hadn't even seen me and didn't understand what had happened. He pinched himself to check if he was dreaming, noticed his wife on the floor, panicked, and began frantically searching for me.

-YOU DON'T SCARE ME! TRY TO KILL ME, I...

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt my cold hand on his shoulder, which then caressed his cheek while I breathed softly beside his ear. He was very cold too, frozen with fear, and tears began to stream down his cheeks as he fell to his knees.

-Lea... Leave me... alive... p-p-please, Lord Sithis... I...

The last dose of the coma poison sent him back to sleep, but I added a touch of Lily flower for him and his family to ensure they would remain unconscious until his accusation of the Dark Brotherhood.

I cleaned up the house, discreetly disposed of the dog's body, and gently laid the unconscious mother, with all her adventures, in her son's bed beside him.. I left only one small souvenir behind – a teddy bear with a normal head now. When Henriko saw the little red heart with the words "I'm watching over your family," he turned pale, trembling uncontrollably.

The day after that night, all accusations against the Dark Brotherhood were miraculously dropped.