"Wait a minute, my friend, so you're saying you think this 'Ancano' took your stuck-up elf friend?" Inigo asked after being told the tale of how she mysteriously vanished.
Hasir sighed in frustration and hid his face behind his hand.
"For Hircine's sake, Inigo I-I don't know, either that or Molag Bal has developed a taste for elf flesh." He said with a particlarly nasty look at the blue khajiit.
The argonian shuddered as a troublesome seed weaved it way into his mental garden.
"Gods... I hope 'that' doesn't happen. I hesitate to think what heavy-handed insult Aela will lay into the Altmer when, or if, she meets her. She might end up shitting wolf puppies upon meeting the Altmer." He gestured to himself, "You know how Aela was like with me. I wonder if there were any Nord-Altmer feuds in her family because Hircine knew there was an Argonian-fueled stormcloud heading my way eventually and it has already rained on my parade."
At the moment, Nanaki came over and inquired as to the tpic of conversation.
"May I ask, er, what you guys are talking about?" He asked, giving them both a quizzical look. He thought for a minute a waved away the thought. "I doesn't matter. Waht does, however, is we are approaching our destination."
Hasir ran to the starbound side and looked northward. Sure enough, they were nearing a city, not Dawnstar, as Hasir was expecting but one he'd never scene before.
Nanaki took a deep breath of sea air and pointed toward the city.
"Lady and gentlemen, er beastfolk," He said as they eyed him reproachfully, "Welcome to Seaview Point. The premier port of call for all Skyrim-bound vessels."
Inigo turned and eyed Nanaki with such force that the red-furred khajiit feared it might send him back to the watery depths.
"Excuse me for prying, but, when have you ever been anywhere on Skyrim? Besides that time 'we' cleaned out Meridia's temple? Answer me that!" He said, arms crossed. "I use the term 'we' extremely loosely as you sent me in there to fetch the sword for you." He said, poking the red-furred khajiit, a bit too hard, in the chest. "A cowardly act if ever I saw one."
Nanaki shook his head, effectively discouraging Inigo to go down that dark road.
"Think no more of it. We are in a new place and, high elf aside, we should turn over a new leaf, effectively burying the past. Let us find Hasir's golden goddess and rid Tamriel of Ancano together, past berievements and grudges aside." He said, smiling over his shoulder Inigo.
The blue khajiit nodded, shaking Nanaki's outstretched hand. He, the argonian, Inigo and Sereyne got up when the ship slowed as it neared the dock. Hasir's scales went white as, next to their ship, there stood the familiar slave galleon complete with deflated sails adorned with cobras amidst a field of deepest crimson.
Hasir pointed to the ship when they walked down the gangplank. He felt his face flooding with angry color as if his eyes were emitting streams of purest hate.
"Inigo, see that ship?" He said in a terrified whisper. Inigo nodded. "That is the Black Adder; the ship that forced me into enslavement just for being an Argonian."
Inigo turned towards him and asked if they should check it out and that, maybe, the golden-skinned maiden was on said ship. In response, Hasir shrugged and snuck closer to the ship. Inigo, battling with the decision of whether or not he wanted to risk detection, reluctantly agreed, forestalling his panic and followed the Argonian.
Once aboard the ship, Hasir looked around the ship as he crouched byh the railing of the ship and motioned for Inigo to do the same. Hasir cast about for any sign of movement, saw nothing and, gesturing for the blue khajiit to stay put, he slithered between the barriers and masts occasionally glancing skyward at the majestically flying serpets. Once he was certain all was clear, he cracked the door at the end of the ship ajar, motioned to the khajiit and they disappeared inside the captain's cabin.
The khajiit and Argonian walked down the steps and found themselves in a large room like the one Hasir'd been in when his sun-kissed flower had been taken from him. They could only see a few inches in front of them as the room was as black as the sea next to the dock the ship rested on. Inigo called out, no one answered. He tried again and, this time got a response.
His fur stood up, Sereyne hid behind Nanaki whose fur stood up like matchsticks, just like Inigo's and Hasir's had done, became pale as the moon. An elf with skin the color of the setting sun over calm waters stepped out of the shadows, smirking and clapping his hands.
"Bravo. The cat has finally caught the mouse." He suddenly became thoughtful. "I wonder... did you know that I was the one who ordered the decree to have your argonian dog and his long dead bitch brought aboard this ship all those years ago?" He said, his mouth curving unpleasantly.
Hasir's tail slammed down so hard that it made his companions jump. He snarled and pointed at the golden intruder.
"This is your ship!?" He said, voice stern with anger. "You kidnapped me?" He asked, advancing on the man. "That is low, even for you. shame on you Ancano. I bet the Aldmeri Dominion, by oblivion, the Thalmor Embassy, must be fucking proud of you right now. Murdering an innocent Argonian? Yeah, real proud." He said, shaking his head. "If I have to hunt down every last one of your lot, I will. Not only that, but I will disembowel you as they watch as a reminder to not fuck with ussss." He lifted the elf by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Do I make myself clear." The elf nodded, hardly losing to air of self-importance and superiority that was common among his race.
Hasir held out his hand; never losing his icy edge and eyes narrowed.
"Now, I believe you have sssomething that belongsss to me." He hissed.
Ancano nodded and produced a black crown from beneath his multicolored robe. Hasir saw it and shrank away in fear.
"Y-you... that crown... did you... k-kill the khajiit in Elsweyr and swipe the crown from under his nose?" He, hissed, outraged. Ignoring this, not dignifying this with an answer, the Altmer jammed the crown onto the Argonian's reptilian head.
The khajiit, Afiq and the red-furred khajiit looked on, shocked, as the Argonian undertook his second unwillful transformation. His tail disappeared and was replaced by a bushy, white tail, his feet replaced by four white paws. His back elongated and became covered in thick, white fur. He tried yelling out for help but, all that came out where the frantic and terrified vocalizations of a vulpine.
Ancano roared with laughter at the sight of Hasir's new form.
"That suits you. An annoying creature for an equally annoying Argonian."
Inigo approached the high elf and threateningly jabbed him in the chest.
"What you did was theft. Put the crown back or else!" He said, eyes narrowed. Not phased by this, Ancano produced a glowing orange orb and flung Inigo againt the wall, knocking him out cold.
Not wanting to make matters worse, Inigo slowly backed away, hands raised to shoulder height. Ancano smirked.
"At least the other khajiit has brains and refuses to battle that which is superior.
He glanced over his shoulder and called up the steps.
"Ibrahim! Basarta! Come here and cage this filth, quickly. We have a schedule to keep."
A burly redguard and a brown-furred jkhajiit came into view and throw the khajiit, altmer and now-transformed fox, none-too-gently into gray cages line the rear walls of the room.
Ibrahim approached the Almter and he finished locking the last cage.
"What orders from Coldharbour? What does Molag Bal command? What I mean is... erm... what is our next step in the plan?"
Ancano looked at him and smiled darkly.
"We shall set sail for the Systres Archipelago, then we'll return to the Thalmor headquarters on Summerset and set the rest of Molag Bal's master plan in motion."
Ibrahim stared at the Altmer absent-minded for a bit, then, understanding seemed to slide in his brain.
"The Systres Isles? For what purpose? Can't we just inture them at the Headquarters?"
Ancano said nothing but sighed and hid his head in his hands.
"I'm surrounded by imbeciles." He said, his voiced muffled
Replies