Chapter 590: Jonrad's Story (11): Fall of the Dark Brotherhood

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His problems had no end and in doing so, Glymet had the weird illusion that the difficulties he is up against are all set up.

The prophecy keeps coming to his head time and time again. His fate shall be worse than death. This happened a long time ago. Maybe around that time, Jonrad got a grim prophecy about his son as well.

He was in Morrowind when it happened, he was still in his short-lived relationship with Laaneth as he accompanied her for a couple of journeys and during one of them. He was really drunk that night as if he lost his head due to some stress he was having. On his way to the residence he was staying in, he bumped into an aged woman whose back hunched and grey Dunmer skin lost its luster. He recognized the pattern of her tattoos to be Ashlandic.

Once she looked into his eyes, she said that she saw a touch of fate and laughed at the drunkard who hit her asking him not to help her up. She said something about the fate of the Forgotten Fool who saved an Empire from one fate to a worse one.

With his tendency to disbelieve, he cursed at her with an indecent word which made her grin even wider saying that if she was to live to see it, his demise is a fate worse than a thousand deaths.

The words disturbed him but when he met Laaneth once again, she spoke of that foreteller woman from the Ashland who has told many accurate prophecies and is considered some sort of a prophetess in these parts making even the great houses seek her words of wisdom.

Glymet remained dismissive of it still and never believed the words of a madwoman as he thought. But day by day, month by month, crisis by crisis, it grew on him.

Like an itch he can't scratch, he rushed back to Morrowind one day to face the prophetess one last time to drive this madness off his mind. He must make sure that the woman tells him things clearer this time around.

A Fate Worse than Death, who would want any of that?

Alas, once he arrived at Morrowind and ventured into the Ashland, he was told that she took her own life not long ago. He was told that before she died, she was muttering that she would never get in the way of Fate or help anyone in that fool's errand.

Glymet, who was once thinking of settling in somewhere quiet, got his life flipped upside down. He learned that the woman was a priestess of Boethiah, a Daedra that he offended during the Great War by killing her agent. Now he is surely cursed.

He then headed out to the nearest Shrine and asked to commune with the Daedra but he was welcomed and got chased away. He visited every shrine in the north of Tamriel going through Morrowind and Skyrim all the way to High Rock until he finally settled there after running into his old friend Jonrad.

In a way, Glymet was never free from the words that haunted him. He feared that fate and thought it would be the end with him damned somewhere far in the bowls of Oblivion but after years of searching, he gave up to exhaustion.

That was until he met Alisanne and felt what he felt back then. As a member of the Dark Brotherhood, she knew too damn well that her fate is worse than death. Those who get swallowed by the void of Sithis after their death are nothing but doomed yet even with that, she still smiled when she saw the snow in Skyrim. She appreciated the beauty around her and didn't run around like a headless bug trying to find its salvation.

Why worry about Fate? She said.

Glymet asked her if she is ever worried about what will happen. She said something very unlike her.

She said that the Future is the illusion of the weak, the shackles that are meant to make them even weaker. The past is what was once a present, and the present we live in is the most definite reality which we are in control of. As for the future, it is something we never witness because we do not live in it. It is something that shall never exist because it is always a future and thus it is never going to happen. By subtracting what is real of the past and the present, only the future remains and it is unreal.

So why the worry?

The future always holds unpredictability and those who follow the myriad ways of Sithis submit themselves to the unpredictability.

Those words would always bring Glymet peace of mind.

He took in a deep breath then walked ahead to where he was supposed to be, the Eclipse gang hideout, the rivals of the Claws who hold Andronica as captive and the other assassination targets.

Just like how he did with the Claws, he did here with the Eclipse and swarms of Dark Elves jumped at him but he overwhelmed them with his mere existence and so he drew out the leader of the gang, the one known as the Baroness.

Seeing her men lying around and cornered by one man, she faced Glymet with her bodyguards attempting to solve the problem.

"What is going on out here? Let us talk like civilized people." She spoke to Glymet.

"Your people lack civility even though I told them I want to meet you." He replied.

"Meet me? Well, we are meeting but this is not the right way or the right time to arrange a meeting, stranger. Speak your business." She said.

"A compatriot of mine was hired the other day for a hit against the Claws Kingpin. She was caught and when I negotiated her release, you can imagine what the Claws wanted in return." He said.

Saying so, the Eclipse Baroness realized that she may be in grave danger since it is her head is what the Claws obviously want but Glymet continued.

"I know my compatriot is probably dead and the Claws will turn against me once I deliver your head so… this situation calls for cooperation."

And with the way he put it, Glymet added a few things about the Claws being ready for a full-scale assault tonight.

"I see." She said with both fear and respect to Glymet's ability, "If that is really the case then we have a common enemy. I will send some of my men to help you assassinate the rogue."

"Deal."

There was no trusting the Claws, there was no trusting the Eclipse either. With this deal, Glymet can now double-cross the Claws before they double-cross him.

That night at the south bridge of Bravil, the Kingpin and some of his men waited for Glymet who was supposedly coming towards them with the head of the Eclipse Baroness. He was indeed carrying a head that belonged to a female Dark Elf but this was a traitor that the Eclipse Baroness executed the other day.

Glymet stood away from the bridge and spoke loudly.

"I don't see my compatriot." He shouted.

The Kingpin smirked and nodded.

"Bring the assassin." He said.

The Claws seemed to be upholding their word for the moment as Glymet was still out of reach but as soon as the beaten and tied up Andronica was brought up, he started approaching.

Once he saw Andronica, he nodded towards her.

"You alright?"

"I am sorry. I got sloppy, let them get the drop on me. It won't happen again." She replied.

"I know." He nodded and turned to the Kingpin throwing the head on the ground, "Your kill."

The features of the head were deformed thanks to what seemed to be an intense fight so the Kingpin could only speculate.

"At least you were useful." He said, "Still, one problem remains."

Glymet and Andronica felt the bloody intent coming from the Kingpin.

"The assassins tried to kill this one once. It does not pay to take risks, you understand?" The Kingpin smirked before giving the signal, "Kill them."

Immediately, a series of shouts and screams could be heard atop the roofs nearby as all the Claws ambushers were being ambushed. Immediately, Glymet cast a lighting spell that pushed the Khajiit who was holding Andronica back into the river and rushed to save her.

"It's the Eclipse! We have been betrayed!" The Kingpin shouted.

"You call this a betrayal?" Glymet was offended by the double standards of the Khajiit as he faced his sword in hand.

In such a close distance and with the hostage secured, the two assassins can finally run amok causing havoc and killing the Kingpin.

With one strong push, they overpowered the Kingpin and his guards pushing one of them into the river and stabbing the other before Glymet finally managed to run past the Khajiit and stab him to death while Andronica beheaded him in vengeance for her capture.

As the two assassins were finished with the Kingpin, they watched as the fight intensified even further and the Claws were hell-bent on avenging their fallen leader with the Eclipse gaining more ground. It was time to cause more chaos.

"Many thanks." Andronica said to Glymet, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go finish off the Eclipse Leader. The Night Mother commands it, after all."

"I'll cover for you."

And with that, a bloody night of screams and horror fell over Bravil as a slaughter was happening in every street. During that night, both the Eclipse Baroness and the Claws Kingpin were confirmed dead when the Count's Knights went down to clear the streets.

Still, the Gang War never calmed down and in these times, the Dark Brotherhood and Alisanne had to stay in their sanctuary and guard the Night Mother day and night.

However, the news that Garnag delivered to her about the man named Uther, who was seeking the Listener, upset her. She soon told Glymet why.

"When I was a young woman, my father was an abusive brutish man. His cruelty led to the murder of my mother. I ran for my life and he chased me to no end until I joined the brotherhood, swearing that someday, I would use the assassin's arts to end him. His name is Uther Nere, and now, I know he's in Bravil. At long last, the Night Mother has given me permission to end his life. I need you to find him. But don't kill him, just lure him to me. His life is mine."

He can do that.

This situation has turned into a matter where there is nothing but wrong. An abusive father, a killer daughter, a band of thieves, a group of assassins. Whichever side, it is damnation upon damnation but little did Glymet care.

His personal justice made him stand with Alisanne against Uther and thus he went to meet the old man.

Uther Nere was suspicious of Glymet at first calling him "wayward" but that was all put aside when Glymet revealed the location of the sanctuary to Uther Nere. The man's eyes lit with killing intent and madness as he called upon his men.

A lot of mercenaries were gathered when Uther ordered and he immediately marched towards the Brotherhood Sanctuary.

On the other hand, Alisanne was prepared but the numbers were overwhelming. The assassins were good at doing their job, killing the attackers and defending the sanctuary.

But the flood of bodies was endless. The main building was taken after a dozen Assassins died, the tunnel underground was easy to defend but a fire overwhelmed the defenders and the smoke started choking them, the sanctuary halls and rooms were raided but they were not easy to defend, and finally the inner crypt where Alisanne waited.

Many Mercenaries and Assassins stood against each other in the final stand as Alisanne was sitting on a barrel while holding two swords and waiting for a man to walk ahead.

Uther Nere stood between the mercenaries

"At last... the Night Mother's Crypt. Men, burn everything to the ground! And you, Glymet, kill the Listener!"

Alisanne, who was on the other side with what was left of the Assassins, widened her eyes in shock.

"What? But I thought…"

"You thought you had a loyal assassin, the most skilled you'd ever seen? No, my dear. Your trusted lieutenant has been my agent from the beginning! Now, my friend, fulfill your contract. Kill the Listen…"

Just as those words came, Glymet's blade was swung diagonally towards Uther's neck who was but an arm away from him yet in a second, a magic sigil stopped the blade from claiming Uther's head.

Glymet realized that Uther was taking caution against him and thus he moved as fast as he could.

*Bang*

All of a sudden, a smoke bomb exploded between the assassins and the mercenaries. No one knows who threw it but its appearance marked the beginning of a mad Battle.

Tides upon tides of Mercenaries and Assassins rushed in the room and mercilessly killed each other forcing Glymet to retreat against a wall but as soon as he saw an opening, he rushed towards Alisanne.

"You alright?" He asked while she held her injured shoulder.

"I am. Where's Garnag?" She asked.

"There!"

Garnag the Orc was wounded and probably lost his right eye but he was kneeling down trying to protect someone with his own body.

Glymet and Alisanne got to him only to find him mumbling words of insanity over the shredded corpse of Andronica.

"Snap out of it, Garnag." Glymet shouted as he dragged the Orc away.

"No! Andronica! I shall accompany her to Sithis. She won't die alone." Garnag shouted over the death of his lover.

"Garnag, listen to me. You're hurt! Get the Night Mother to the safety of Cheydinhal! We will hold these mercenaries off!" Alisanne spoke, "This is your final order, tell them to find a new Listener… then you can join Andronica… and the rest of us."

Garnag looked at Alisanne with broken spirit but in a last act of defiance, he nodded and rushed through the secret corridor.

"Alisanne. You go too." Glymet tried to push her away.

"No." Alisanne laughed and with a bloody face, she smiled at Glymet and held his face before getting a little close, "Mother told me tonight I see Sithis, tonight I am greeted in the Void by eternal silence. Tonight, I die and take him with me."

Madly, she rushed towards Uther Nere and started cutting his mercenaries left and right. Glymet couldn't let go and charged with her, not sure what he was fighting for at this moment.

He saw Light where she saw Darkness and in that Light guided him that direction thus whoever stood in his way was to be cut down. Each time he gets closer, someone tries to block the Light off him but he would just cut right through.

The two of them finally got to Uther.

"Father! For long long years, I have awaited this!" Alisanne shouted in pure madness.

"As have I. I knew while you lived, I would never be safe. Come, let us end this once and for all!" Uther took his staff and his sword and rallied his mercenaries against the last two remaining assassins.

Glymet felt the Light of Alisanne brighten even further and she was as if winged with brightness. The Wings brightened further and in a moment, the two looked at each other knowing what was happening.

Fire!

Like a wave, like a burst, like a dragon breath.

It burned everything.

It burned the Mercenaries.

It burned Uther Nere.

It burned Alisanne.

And they all answered to the flame.

Glymet stood in a daze as the fire burned brightly and without any hint of will, he dropped to his knees.

He only needed to raise his gaze to see who was there.

Jonrad.

Jonrad Firemane was standing on the opposite side of the burning corpses retreating his blade and returning it to its sheath.

Glymet was like someone who woke up from a nightmare to a worse one. He would have walked into the fire but Jonrad rushed and stopped him.

Even for those who wandered deep into the darkness, light was something they would seek all the time. But some would mistake illusions to be the light and blind themselves to deeper darkness.

"And so, the Dark Brotherhood falls." Jon said looking at his father whose face was lit by the golden dancing fires.

Jonrad nodded.

"As I said… Uther Nere wanted to kill his daughter but sure as hell they went to Sithis together."

"Still, the Brotherhood lives on." Jon added.

"It would take more than just Fate to get us rid of the Brotherhood." Jonrad replied in agreement.

"Not sure if this is a tale of victory or defeat." Wulfur added.

"As I said, boy. Some tales have no heroes. Only people in the darkness searching for a glimmer of light." Jonrad added, "By killing the Listener, I have fulfilled my Seventh Labour but it would take eight years for Glymet to forgive me."

"Eight years?" Jon asked, "Was it that year when we first met in Dawnstar?"

"Yes, that very day." Jonrad nodded.

Everyone went silent as they all understood that this story was meant for Jon.

Right now, he is the one operating against the Dark Brotherhood and he has many plans for them. What Jonrad wanted to say was that down that path, there will be no light.

It took ten minutes for those who were gathered around to start standing up and going down the tower or returning to their rooms around. Those who remained behind were only Jon and Jonrad.

"You know…" Leon spoke, "Your Labours were a piece of cake compared to what I have been through."

"Now you're complaining?" Jonrad laughed.

"I just feel it is not fair." Jon protested.

"Well… take that up with Azura." Jonrad pointed towards the large shrine overlooking the mountain range south to New Saarthal.

"Nah, I'll pass."

"Pussy."

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