Chapter III
Bright-Throat Village
Amuzei peeked through a bush while lying on the mushy ground and saw a mud-brick road snaking through the dense mangrove trees. A couple of salamanders were approaching with their hatchlings from the other side, a potentially fatal exodus for the reptiles so low in the food chain of the Marsh.
“Clear stream,” he said, rejoining Ulene where she crouched beside a huge moss-covered rock.
“Then we have arrived?” She asked.
“Aye, perhaps an hour by the road and no sign of the Imperials.”
Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Amuzei was savoring his time in his homeland amongst the Hist and their children. He did not realize how much he missed the omnipresent lifeforms of Black Marsh, the alligators and the warblers living in the green waters and hanging vines.
Amuzei led Ulene through the trees where they came to a small slope crowned with bushes. Amuzei shot his spear into the mud at the bottom then slid down the incline with rash speed.
He scooped his spear and looked up at the deposed noblewoman, who was making a sensible pace using shrubbery as handholds.
Something stung the back of Amuzei’s neck, he slapped it reflexively and it stabbed his hand. He pulled back and saw blood beading on his palm, then his hand waved around and he felt nauseous.
Poison needle.
He looked back at Ulene and fell forward, landing on his knee.
“Are you alright, sera?”
“Get down,” he rasped as he plucked the needle from his neck.
“Naga?”
Amuzei’s muscles constricted and he screamed, but his vocal cords would not respond and instead made a hoarse groan. The world swirled and faded to a vortex of bright colors and an incessant bird-like screech.
/
Ulene ran to Amuzei, who was lying stiff on his belly. They were under attack, but from where? She searched madly while fumbling with Amuzei’s spear, which would not betray his grip.
“I surrender,” she called to the trees, raising her hands high.
There was no telling how many attackers there were and even one would stand a strong chance at subduing her with that poison. With any luck, they would take prisoners and she would avoid the needle by temporary pacifism, buying time to work something out.
A long and painful moment later, the Argonian spoke from a few paces behind her, startling her to whirl and face him.
“Claw of greeting, dryskin,” he said in common Tamrielic language. His tone felt civil and curious, but Ulene had a hard time reading Argonians, even Amuzei whom she was so close to.
He did not literally extend a claw, but he knelt in a puddle and rested his hands open and palms up in his lap. He held nothing in them, she noted.
“Greetings, muthsera.”
She could smell him from where she stood, an intoxicating dark berry fragrance. He appeared to be like the Argonians she knew, not at all as large or ugly as a Naga. However, his scales were exceptionally vibrant in uncommon hues of bright red, deep purple, and turquoise.
“A Dunmer is a rare sight in this place,” he said. “ What leads you by the stream?”
“My captain and I are traveling to Bright-Throat Village to buy a ship from his friend.”
“Xhu?” His eyes studied Amuzei, then he nodded and rose to his feet.
“By my egg,” he exclaimed. “You been sailing with Captain Amuzei?”
Friends in the Bright-Throat Tribe…
“You know him, who are you?”
“Amuzei is practically my egg-brother,” he said and produced a needle from his feathered belt. “Though we look nothing alike.”
“What are you doing?” Ulene eyed his hand nervously.
“This will moisten his scales,” he made a vague explanatory gesture. “Hides his teeth.” He dipped the needle in a vial.
What the hell are you on?
Ulene dropped to a squat and retrieved the knife at her feet. She leapt, putting the force of her jump into her throw, and broke into a sprint.
“Xuth, please dry one,” he cried, as her serrated knife shredded deeply through his hand.
She kicked him in the shoulder and he fell backwards, clutching his stabbed palm.
“Answer me, who are you?”
“Beek-ojel! Please, I have told you I am Hides-His-Teeth,” he said.
Realization dawned on Ulene. She had met Argonians with Tamrielic names involving verbs and hyphens, but she did not realize he had told her his name.
“Hides-His-Teeth, what poison have you used on Amuzei?”
“I can administer the antidote through that needle, but not like this,” he hefted his hand for emphasis. “It must be delivered through a vein in his neck, but the wrong move could be fatal. I will need to hold my off-hand with the one you just dried up.”
Ulene was disgustingly surprised when Hides-His-Teeth ripped the vicious blade out and stuck it in the ground, then stuck his bleeding hand over his mouth and exhaled loudly, washing yellow vapor over the wound, where it sizzled and mended the slice almost entirely within the minute.
/
Amuzei returned to the world and found his old friend Hides-His-Teeth waiting with Ulene. He started to get up, but his limbs were all pins and needles.
“So, you’re finally awake,” Hides-His-Teeth said. “It’s been a long time, beeko.” Amuzei found his footing and wiped at the mugginess behind his eyes.
“Claw of greeting, beeko-ka,” Amuzei said with a slight bow. “I was just going down-river when I was stung.” Amuzei burst into laughter and the colorful Argonian joined him. Ulene rubbed her forehead.
/
The Bright-Throat village, Seekhat Yol, looked as Amuzei remembered it, a tight collection of stilted hovels linked by plank bridges over several dispersed pools and canals leading back to the Keel-Sakka and out to Ollis Bay. Therein floated compact passenger ferries to the docks on the coast, where the artisan ships were held.
A vast mangrove tree stood out amidst it all, emanating a soothing warmth as if it had been fertilized with a star. The tinkling of innumerable hand-crafted wind chimes danced on the salty coastal breeze.
Amuzei could not wait to return to the Southern Sea, but here it felt like being at home for a while.
Hides-His-Teeth had escorted them in, then went back out. Apparently, he had been on his way to the hunting grounds when Amuzei came down the cliff and startled him.
He sat cross-legged on a floor cushion, with a white clay bowl in his lap. As was customary in this tribe, he ate a spiced nut from the bowl.
“Take the ship, of course,” Yinz’r said. “I know you’re good for the coin,” he added with a smirk.
The bright-scaled Argonian had once sailed with Amuzei’s crew, but returned home and took position as the Bright-Throat tribe’s lead shipbuilder after he lost his leg to a cannonball.
Amuzei noticed Ulene’s bowl was empty. She must have been hungry. He could tell she had been having a hard time with the unfamiliar environment, but they would be sailing soon enough and would hopefully acquire food and supplies from one of the merchants in the village.
Hobbling on a pegleg carved from bone, likely a Haj Mota’s femur, Yinz’r crossed the room, which made up the entirety of the rustic hut, and removed something from his cypress desk. He glanced over his shoulder and tossed a scroll neatly into Amuzei’s catch.
“May the Hist shade your path, moist reel-ka,” Amuzei said.
Yinz’r waved a hand over his head, “moistness, I can accept,” he chuckled, “ but my warrior days are behind me, krona-kaal.” He lowered himself onto a chair and his bone leg stuck straight out. “My nest is yours.”
A viper’s nest is what Amuzei soon found it to be.
/
Commander Xode made eye contact with each of his men. All except Ladius were Saxhleel like himself. They all felt weird about killing a child of the Hist in cold blood.
“On my mark,” Xode hissed.
They had the little hut surrounded. Amuzei and the Dunmer woman had been spotted entering the village earlier, and the watchmen followed them to this home. Xode happened to know it belonged to the tribe’s shipmaster. Amuzei was on the edge of escape.
Xode slashed a hand through the air and Swims-In-Skies kicked the flimsy door off its hinges.
Xode dashed through the entryway and found his target. The jet giant rose and started for his weapon. Xode gave him no chance, closing the distance in a snap.
Amuzei vanished, but Xode followed through and his brass knuckle connected with the Shadowscale’s invisible mass, slamming him into the back wall and breaking his invisibility.
That might have worked on an amateur, but Xode was a veteran.
A pained howl exploded behind him and warm liquid splashed the back of his neck. He looked, but kept his guard up. It was Ladius. The Dunmer had somehow caught the man off-guard and slashed his throat. Rest his soul.
Xode turned to Amuzei, noticing that Swims-In-Skies was in combat with the shipmaster. So, he had decided to aid the criminal even against a physical assault by the Empire. Xode judged that he might have once been with Amuzei’s crew, what with the peg leg and all.
Amuzei charged and Xode prepared to jab. A few feet away, he went chameleon and Xode struck the air.
He knew Amuzei would slip left because that arm was extended and he would want to avoid his right hook. Xode spun, swinging a hammer fist, but a blow caught him between the shoulder blades and sent him toppling into a table.
Xode must have hit his head because he felt a strange sensation coming over him as he got to his feet.
/
Ulene could not believe what she was seeing. Both parties ceased fighting and were now standing practically on their webbed toes, craning their necks. Their collective sniffing of the air made an eerie rhythm.
She stood there, bloodied knife in hand, uncertain what she should do. Then, she noticed she was the only non-Argonian in the room and a bad feeling formed inside her belly.
She looked to Amuzei, searching for an explanation, but his eyes looked far away. She clasped his hand. A pellet hit hers and at first she thought it was blood.
More pellets splashed around the room, droplets of rain leaking through the hatch roof. She looked through the little window, it was starting to pour, and still the Argonians stood speechless like searching statues.
A thunderous crash dominated the air, as if a meteor had landed somewhere close by. Then, the dark sky flashed to day as a tangled web of lightning illuminated the storm. Then, the earth quaked and the Argonians sprang to life as they clambered around the room for a solid handhold.
Replies
this one was a challenge! it is unfortunately mostly unedited, but I am satisfied with it at this stage and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing!
Hey I like it I have always thought it would be fun writing skyrim stories and fan fiction like this but I have never got around to it perhaps I will but good work.
Thank you! Give writing a try if it's something you're interested in!