"Let me go, you foul deranged monster! I said, 'Let me GO!'" Elizabeth had shrieked as she tugged at her grasped arm which was in the clutches of the Daedra.
"Shut your mouth and stop complaining!" groaned the warrior who dragged her through the portal, "But do... say hello to your nice... new... home."
They vanished inside the portal and Elizabeth clenched her eyes shut in fear. Her body trembled and soon she was tugged forward. Her eyes opened and the sight that she saw petrified her. Grand ebon towers rose through crimson clouds high in the sky. Lightning struck down upon the bronze soil causing new fires and boulders to fall from high ledges. This was not a vast area for the mere speck of land they were upon was surrounded by the hottest of lava. She wondered if there was more past the lava. Possibly, there were other lands.
As the atmosphere consumed her, her body shivered and she wondered to herself, if there is lava and swirling infernos... why do I feel so cold? This question bothered her as they made their way down a path to a massive stone bridge that hovered a few feet over the scorching fumes of the lava. A few Clannfears stood as guard dogs upon the bridge. They gave the Daedra knight a wary glance who in return just snarled and knocked them out of his way.
The immense towering gates were pried open and Elizabeth could see behind it a rocky and rough mountain path that led to a significant tower whose essence was made wholly out of wickedness. Elizabeth had figured that the meaning for this tower was that of wickedness as well.
The Daedra knight tossed his gaze over his shoulder to see the Elf maiden abiding to the laws of being a Prisoner of War. He snarled to her with an annoyed voice, "I will hand you over to one of our own Churls who will then take you to rather the left or right tower. When Markynaz Broga returns from battle, then shall your interrogation begin of your kingdom called Tamerial, understand?"
Elizabeth was rather flustered by these names such as 'Churl+' and even 'Markynaz+'; however, she nodded and had replied feebly, "Yes, sir."
The Daedra nodded and his eyes rose to a Kynmarcher who was at his outpost near the tower door. His eyes held curiosity as he looked over Elizabeth with both disgust an interest. The Dremora near Elizabeth called to him, "You there! Get me a Churl to be an escort to our fine guest; orders of Broga!"
The Kynmarcher snorted and disappeared inside the citadel. His armored figured had vanished within the sheltered shadows inside and no later had he gone in had he came out with another Daedra. His hand was grasping its neck as he dragged him along as if he were nothing but a hunted animal. "There," snarled the Kynmarcher as he tossed the Churl out in front of him like a drunkard would be thrown out of a pub, "I'm sure Xilivicus wouldn't mind serving on Broga's orders. Always trying to prove himself, well now he has the opportunity. Don't mess up, meat."
The Churl stumbled forward then immediately came to attention. His voice and look pulsed with flamboyance. Elizabeth could easily see how hard he was going to try and prove himself.
"Yes sir!" He nearly bellowed off the Dremora's and even Elizabeth's ear. "You wanted me?"
The warrior scoffed and pushed Elizabeth forward with a firm hand. "Take this mortal and put her in one of our towers. Don't let her out of your sight, you hear me?" He puffed.
The Churl saluted, his body fully erect as he responded in a matter of milliseconds in the same striving-to-prove-worthy voice, "Yes sir!" His armored hands grabbed Elizabeth tightly showing hardly any mercy.
Elizabeth's face winced and she gave an annoyed glare to the Daedra as his gauntlets pinched her skin a few times. The warrior nodded and quickly he had turned to leave for the Oblivion gate that would take him back to Kvatch to finish the job. The Kynmarcher gave Xilivicus a side glare. He could feel his fellow Kyn's eyes lingering upon him beneath his heavily armored helmet. The Kynmarcher snorted and walked back to his post, leaving the two alone together.
The High Elf sighed deeply and looked up into the helmet. She didn't expect his face to be pretty under that helmet. Possibly that was why they wore it everywhere they went. "So," she began, hoping he was unlike the other Daedra, "which tower shall it be then?"
His helmet tilted back as he looked up at one tower at a time. His eyes lingered for a while as though he was studying each establishment trying to figure out which was the better one. He finally gave her arm a light tug and then he had demanded, "Follow me."
Xilivicus stalked away towards the right tower, his grasp on Elizabeth never ceasing.
As the doors slid back into the walls like plates, Elizabeth had snarled, "You should know by now that I am not going to run. It would be a trip made in vain."
"I'm not taking any chances," he retorted while walking to a great lever that was built into the wall. He grasped it and pulled it down.
There were series of loud clanks and a large circular body smashing platform began to rise. Before it got too high, Xilivicus stepped upon it, dragging Elizabeth behind him. He glanced sideways out of his helmet, overlooking her features. He had never seen a High Elf before... he hadn't even seen a mortal before. Yes, there were a few sacrificial Mythic Dawn members but they were always killed before he could ever speak with one.
The platform rose to the second level then leisurely slowed then stopped. Xilivicus then stepped off and began his way up a spiraling limestone incline that circled all the way up to the top of the tower. Elizabeth became winded after the third or forth spiral. Her hand pressed upon her chest as it became harder to breathe. Aside from the fact that she had never really been an athletic person, she was wearing her royal uniform which happened to include a corset and slick leather sandals.
Her breathing became harsh and she would inquire for her escort to carry her; however, she was sure that the Daedra were not that sensible or caring enough and would be delighted to watch her climb the rest of the tower in torture. Xilivicus had slowed and he glanced back at her with bothered eyes. He heard her raspy breathing a few steps back. He pursed his lips then inquired, "... what's wrong with you?"
Elizabeth's narrowed eyes elevated to him and she wheezed, "I... just never have... climbed this far before. I'm just feeling... a-a little faint."
The Churl groaned with aggravation as he looked forward. "I shouldn't worry about you leaving, should I? You'd fall dead before you even got to run down these ramps," he turned around and bent low. Elizabeth gave him a wary glance and in a matter of seconds she was literally swept off her feet. She nearly screamed as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. He scoffed and said, "Don't get used to this, Altmer. I just... can't have you dying before the interrogation with Broga."
Elizabeth's fingertips dug into his armor and her eyes grew to the size of grand soul gems as she could see over the edge of the ramp down, down, down to the bloodied spikes protruding out of the ground floor below. Oh my... she had whispered to herself. Xilivicus moved on and soon they were at the top. Upon the top level there was a cage made out of black charred bones and menacing red curled spikes. The Daedra placed Elizabeth down and walked over to a lever. He gave it a great jerk and the cage door flew open. "Get inside," he demanded.
Elizabeth walked inside the cage and watched as the door swung up from the ground and closed in on her. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as the reality of the situation was beginning to hit her.
She was in Oblivion.
She was a hostage.
Her home... destroyed.
Her family... gone.
How in the world was she to escape from this one? Her father's money couldn't get her away from this, her mother's looks wouldn't alter Broga's mind either and she was certain that no one was going to barge in and save her like a knight in shining armor.
Her fingertips swirled around the bars of the cage and she lightly leaned upon the cage door. The Churl stood in front of her, not taking his eyes off of her—like she were some sort of magically disappearing criminal. "... Do you have to stare at me like that?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.
He crossed his arms and groaned, "...how would you like me to stare at you?"
She shrugged her shoulders and gave her head a quick shake, "I'm not sure... for one, you could at least be proper and give me eye-contact. So then I might actually know if you're staring at me or falling asleep inside that helmet of yours. For two, you could not just... stare... at me like you're some sort of Goblin Savage, and for three, you could at least start up a conversation to make time go faster." A witty smile played across her lips as she said this.
"I will take off my helmet," he compromised, "if you will not force conversation onto me."
"May I inquire, why?" She asked while leaning back and crossing her own arms.
He glanced away and lifted his gauntlets soon grasping his helmet with gloved hands and pulling it off of his head. Two dark ebon horns curved back over his head like dragon's horns the base were at his temples. His skin was a smooth royal purple that glistened with sweat in the firelight that was hanging above them. His diamond shaped eyes were a pumpkin patch orange and the pupils seemed to be slit like cat eyes. His overall appearance seemed very... diverse... compared to other Daedras which Elizabeth had seen.
His waved orange hair pulled back out of his face, even though a bang of ginger fell beside his left eye. He placed his helmet upon the ground before him then stood straight. "... No conversations." He simply said.
Elizabeth leaned forward on the bars with a furrowed brow. Her lips slightly agape as a question lingered upon the tip of her tongue, but she was sure that he would never answer it. He actually looks... human. His face... other Daedra... they... they have scars and disfigured faces. They look so demonic and cruel. But he looks so—her mind was cut short as he asked her a question, "... why are you taking this so well?"
Her eyes fluttered as she began to come back to it. He walked closer to the cage making sure he could hear her answer. She stood for a moment and contemplated over it. Why did she take it so well? "... I... I don't honestly know." She answered. "So far no true harm has occurred to me, what is there to worry about?"
Xilivicus's brow rose as he became interested in this matter. "... so far." he repeated her. "There are always the future events to worry about like the interrogation and precisely what will happen to your oh-so-wonderful town out there."
She nodded and bowed her head in silence. After a moment or two she said, "I'll worry about the future when it gets here." Her eyes rose and she smiled, "You started a conversation... therefore I shall carry it on. May I ask why you look nothing like any of the Daedra out there in Kvatch. You look more... human."
He never did open his mouth to answer her. His cold distant eyes seemed to fall through the tower's walls and to another place. His eyes glossed over with hatred then he came back to the girl and hissed, "... no conversations."
Elizabeth glared at him and retorted, "You were the one to speak to me—as a gentleman you must respond to my question-"
"I'm not a gentleman," he snarled at her, "I'm a Daedra."
The two glared hatefully at one another, whispering curses into the dark compartments of their minds. She then snapped, "Then at least tell me why you are so desperate to please your higher officials. That's what you are, correct? A low and useless guard who will do the biding of anything higher then himself."
He turned away and remained quiet. His back was to her and she bore daggers into the back of his head with her crystal blue eyes. How long was she to take this from a monster like him? Her eyes fell down to her sandals and slowly she kicked them off watching them fall lifeless upon the petite cage floor. She then lifted her skirts and held them tightly in her left hand. With shifty eyes she looked from her guard to the lever. She only had possibly one shot to take. Her petite right hand reached far out of the cage and aimed at the lever. Her eyes clenched shut and she murmured an electrocution spell to herself.
From the pale tips of her fingers, lightning bolts surged out and struck the lever soon causing it to split into pieces and cascade down upon the floor like confetti. The cage fell open and Xilivicus swirled around with wide eyes. Elizabeth, with her skirts in her hand and her bare feet upon the ground, sprinted off and to the stairwell. She rounded it quickly and began her long descent.
Xilivicus cursed and bolted after her. His eyes lifted to a hanging corpse and he grinned. He turned his attention to the corpse as he leapt off the ledge of the ramp. In midair he had grasped the rope that the body was tied to and slid down with much speed and even grace.
Elizabeth breathed heavily as she grasped the lever to raise the platform that had returned back to its normal position. The clanking soon surrounded her as her chest was heaving and she whispered prayers within herself. Each thump sounded off like a clock counting down to her inevitable doom. As she was about to board the platform, straight from above her, Xilivicus had dropped and immediately shoved her upon the closest wall.
She let off a grunt as she glared up into his eyes seeing his face even closer. His dark eyebrows lined his eyes and he snarled, "You're so lucky that it was I who caught you and not any other Daedra, for they would have surely cut you down where you stood. I, myself, am even tempted to grasp you by that scrawny neck and watch as your soul slips out of-"
"Churl... that will not be needed," a cold voice had said that came from behind Xilivicus.
The Daedra jerked his head around to see Broga standing behind him. His higher commander towered over him with a diminutive smirk. He could hear the victory cries from here. The Churl slowly let go of the girl and backed up, "Yes, sir." He hissed.
Broga lifted his head and stepped off the platform with a broad grin, "I have interrogated every scholar up till this moment. Each had... scarcely any information that I found pleasing. This disappoints me, Altmer. I do hope what you have to say is... worth my while, or indeed you will suffer the same as they had, please, if you will return back up to the tower I would really appreciate that." Even though the gesture was polite, his cold voice made it a demand as well as a last resort before death.
Elizabeth shuddered as she looked at him. He truly was a monster, and that murdering smile did not hold good fortune for her. The girl quickly ran back up the ramps to the tower keep. Broga watched her and as she had left earshot the commander turned to his inferior and said with a glare twisting upon his face, "... if you can't even keep a single girl under control, I can hardly imagine Lord Dagon asking you to return to his court. Don't screw this up for us, Xilivicus. Not again."
The Daedra lowered his gaze and said meekly, "... I won't, sir."
Broga sneered, "Take a good look outside, Churl. If your insubordination continues, then you and the rest of the scholars will be joining each other very soon."
The commander quickly left for the tower with an annoyance swirling in his brain. Xilivicus turned around to the bridge entrance and pried open the door slightly. From three spikes were flaming lynched corpses. Clannfears were surrounding the bottom of the spikes eating falling innards and other such things. The Daedra narrowed his eyes and quietly shut the door knowing the worst was to come to Elizabeth and himself...