When You Give a Man Power
Chapter 1

Brief flashes of light in between the darkness. Occasional thrumming and buzzing of what sounds like vehicles are moving around. The sounds of people walking around in large numbers. 

Hearing, seeing, and feeling all of this in-between consciousness and unconsciousness as my eyes open for brief moments. A groan escapes me as I don’t want to get up feeling one hell of a headache.

Smelling the area around me and it's horrible. It smells like rank gas coming from an open sewer grate and other times it smells like sweet but strong perfume mixed with sweat and other things intermixed with it.

The pounding in my head starts to lessen as time goes by. This is not my apartment is the first thing to cross my mind. Quite certain my apartment didn’t have these smells before, alongside the amount of noise that is overwhelming me.

Feeling the coldness of what seems to be metal and concrete finally beginning to stir and fully wake up as the headache finally fades away. Strange. All the headaches I have ever had don’t just go away like that especially when it was as bad as it felt.

my eyes open as I stand up only to close them immediately for how bright it is like I have been in the dark for longer than is considered healthy and finally see the light of the sun. It was bad enough that my arm came up to block my eyes.

Sliding back down to the concrete and plopped onto my side with a quiet groan. Feelings of confusion flit about in my mind on what is happening right now. I just went to bed at eleven after playing some games, but had to work the next day and proceeded to go to bed early. And wherever I am it is most certainly not my bed in my apartment.

Slowly pulling my arm away opening my eyes and rapidly blinking them to clear them and make it easier to see. After several painful moments of doing this, I can finally see properly. 

And what I see puts a pause on any other thoughts for some time. Looking down a rather well-lit alley. It’s even more surprising when no visible lights are around to illuminate it. My sight is better than it’s ever been, far better than even when wearing my glasses.

I have to look around in awe as this is what it has to be like for people with perfect sight. I could get used to this, though without the sight of this disgusting alley. Trash, slime, and dirt mixed with who knows what else is in this foul place. Now realizing I was lying on the ground in this place.

That realization just ruined my appreciation for being able to see again. Checking myself over to make sure no grime is on me. Thankfully after a brief brushing down, there is none though I do notice that I am not in any clothes immediately recognizable. 

Looking at myself and seeing a leather armor outfit with some plates of metal strapped to my chest, forearms, and shins. There are guns on me with two knives. Or would they be daggers?

I’m not necessarily a stranger to guns considering I owned a 9mm pistol but these were unfamiliar and not anything I owned. Yet a feeling in the back of my head says I know them. 

The daggers my mind helpfully supplied to me were in the same boat of being completely unfamiliar yet familiar simultaneously. Pulling the guns out from both of the holsters on my legs and examining them eyes widening in shock at the sight of a 10mm pistol and a sawed-off double barrel shotgun.
 
The shotgun was easily recognizable, the pistol on the other was a design I was not familiar with yet knew what it was and could list off details that otherwise shouldn’t have been known. Looking at it more, realizing it looks just like the ones from Fallout, except it’s real. The daggers are just simple iron blades, nothing special about them.

Something gets my attention when a noise breaks the silence and is quite close to me. Silently standing up and walking over to where it is coming from. If it’s a person, maybe they can help me. Just a few more steps and rounding the corner of a degraded and rusted dumpster and see someone looking through a black metal box.

However, I have to look again to make sure my eyes are not deceiving me despite my improved vision considering what is right in front of me. It was a hairy rat standing on two legs. A large humanoid rat. 

Any thoughts I had about getting any help ground to a halt as I just stared at it, with its back to me, the only form of clothing it had was brown shorts covering its legs with a hole for its long tail to come out of while having a brown leather vest with nothing else to hide its brown-furred body.

I just stand there staring at it not knowing how to comprehend what is even happening by this point. Then it stopped looking at whatever it was with its muscles tensing as it started to look behind it, seemingly sensing that I was watching it, seeing me stare at it with awe. 

“You got a problem?” It says to me with its beady black eyes staring into my own and its large teeth from the lower jaw opening as it speaks. English at that.

What the hell? Where am I, and what is this thing? Me not giving it a response seems to upset it as it starts taking some steps closer to me before it yells out, “Boys we got ourselves a kriffing tourist in here!” 

Tensing up when steps can be heard with me counting at least five others with how each step sounds to me, three coming from behind this thing and two at the other end of this alley behind me.

Wait. How did I know how to do that? Never mind that I’m about to get robbed if not worse if something isn’t done. Taking several steps back and raising both of my hands placatingly hoping to avoid this fight considering I’m outnumbered, “Look we got off on the wrong foot. I’m lost and don’t know how I got here, and I didn’t mean any offense. Just give me some directions and I will be out of your nice alley here.”

He? I’m assuming it’s a man, who stops for a moment and seems to ponder as he looks at me over for a second or two before coming to a decision. “The armor and weapons. Me and the boys will be taking them.” He says to me while eyeing me up and down like a piece of meat. 

Surprisingly I am not intimidated at all like how I should be. I have no issue fighting when I need to, just prefer it to be one-on-one and on my terms. If this was the old me from my childhood then I would be scared out of my mind. However, after meeting Miguel there would be no issue with me fighting them, especially when there is nowhere to run to. A part of me takes offense at what he is ordering me to do.

“Keep your hands where I can see them, you so much as move one of those hands I will shoot.” He says to me as I hear a weapon being drawn out of a holster made of leather. Looking at his hand and seeing a weird-looking pistol. A pistol that looks oddly familiar while keeping my eyes on it and him.

While trying to figure out what that pistol is the rat’s friends have fully arrived and are in their positions. Three of them stand behind him and they are rats like him, they are shoulder to shoulder with some space between them while the other two are coming from the direction I heard all the people from.

They are positioned so they won’t hit each other and keep the other two on the other end to get me from both sides and pin me in. Shows they have experience and have worked together before. Not even questioning where all this knowledge and experience is coming from since this may very well save my life.

“Keegar, go and get his weapons off him.” The leader of their group says, “And don’t go complaining about it being dangerous considering how many blasters we have on him. He isn’t going anywhere.”

Steps echo across the alley with this ‘Keegar’ coming from behind me, “Why do I have to do it?” They say with a whine. They still follow through with the order despite their reluctance and fear. I assume fear since I can hear the beating of his heart behind me sounding like a machine gun in my ears. 

“Because I said so, and Lurch is a better shot than you. I trust him to at least hit this guy, and despite how inexperienced this pretty boy here seems at playing bounty hunter I still wouldn’t trust you.” Their leader says to him, getting a laugh out of the others as they take amusement at their comrades’ embarrassment.

“Now don’t get any funny ideas here, we wouldn’t want to scar you or worse. After all, we could get a lot of credits for someone like you considering how rare your kind is, and killing you would just be a waste.” The leader says addressing me, and what does he mean by my kind? Humans are a rarity or something around here?

Keegan mumbles some colorful insults to the leader as he moves closer to me as he is reaching for the shotgun. Feeling slightly nervous as this whole thing goes down as that old friend of mine rears its ugly head again, but it melts away as a cold calmness soon envelops me. Then I react just as his hand touches the handle of the shotgun.

Spinning around faster than any of them could react, I reached out and grabbed him with my right hand and saw it was another rat like all the others. His facial expression remains the same as he is still looking at where the gun was at. 

Knocking his weapon from his hands sending it flying into the wall with a quick punch of my left arm he starts to register what is happening. Grabbing his throat, lifting him in the air, and moving him with his back facing the leader and his three subordinates.

As I move my impromptu shield into position, I casually pull out the 10mm from its holster with my free hand as if it’s second nature to me, and without looking at the target and knowing where he is. 

He is lining up a shot at me but it’s all too slow and with a pull of the trigger I move on paying no mind to the enemy behind me hearing the bullet enter his head and the sounds of bone crunching and blood impacting the walls and floor of the alley.

I don’t even acknowledge what just happened as the body is falling back while walking ahead with my shield moving forward. Glancing over his shoulder at my opponents, they are now reacting to me as they seem to hesitate at first but regain their senses as they attempt to stand and fight. 

Opening fire on my shield as he is choking with me firmly keeping my grip on his throat. He attempts to pry my arm off his throat as he grips my forearm but to no avail. When they pull the triggers of their weapons, my eyes widen briefly when red energy bolts come out of their weapons.

All the shots were absorbed by my shield as they writhed in pain for a few seconds before the third shot ended their suffering, some had a look of remorse on their faces at killing their comrade. 

Ignoring it and pushing on as steady progress is made with me moving closer while they continuously fire a wall of red bolts at me trying to get them to use up all their shots.

As I continue to take step after step, constantly with them shuffling back looking more and more unnerved, one of them starts to panic as he occasionally glances over his shoulder. Making a change of plans noting that several of them have already fired off enough shots that normal ballistic and energy weapons would have run out by now and would need to be reloaded. 

His nerve seems to break as he immediately turns around and tries to run causing another rat to turn and yell out to them. Taking advantage of the distraction with a shot to the side of their head right through their temple as they crumble to the ground the runner is shot in the back right where I hear the heart beating before silence replaces it sending them sprawling across the alley floor unmoving.

Their leader with his last remaining comrade looks more and more deranged and panicked as so many emotions flit across his face, especially his eyes. I give them this, they haven’t stopped firing their weapons. 

Each shot from the subordinate is aimed at where my feet would be since my shield isn’t big enough to cover them. Despite this, they are avoided just as he shoots ahead of my steps.

The leader of the group on the other hand has constantly shot the same spot around the neck of his dead comrade. Realizing that he is trying to sever the head from the rest of the body, taking my impromptu shield and tossing it at the two remaining rats. 

The leader was hit face first with the remains of his fallen comrade’s body and the other remaining rat had to duck to avoid it, but that momentary lapse of shooting was all I needed.

I quickdraw the shotgun and take aim before he has any chance and pull the trigger. Struck right in the chest as a spray of blood splatters the alley snuffing his life out. Running forward far faster than I ever could before as the leader was still getting the body off himself. Bringing the shotgun up and aiming at the rat as he struggles with the body.

“Don’t move,” I say in a cold voice that even makes me hesitate at the sheer coldness from it, as the rat stops his struggling and looks up at me with fear-filled eyes. Breath comes out in ragged gasps as he stays like this for a moment before I look down at his pistol still in his hand. “The weapon, slide it over to me. Slowly.”

Doing as he is told he takes his gun, puts it on the concrete, and slides it over to me where it stops resting at my foot. “Look, we weren’t going to kill you-”

“Shut. Up.” Not having none of his shit right now, and I’m certain he can tell as he clams up immediately. I don’t know what is happening to me or how I became so scary and badass. 

I have never fired a gun before despite owning a 9mm pistol. Aimed it at someone to get them to back down but never shot anyone or anything. And I just killed five people. Without batting an eye and feeling nothing about it. 

Sure they were going to steal from me and who knows what to me after that but emotions especially ones after a traumatic event are never logical especially when you kill somebody.

I don’t know how I have this armor on me or the weapons and why they all feel so familiar to me. Having no clue what is even happening anymore. And it frustrates and confuses me so much.

Feeling another headache coming over me again, and wanting to get this over with as the rat is still staring up at me with fear of what will happen now. A long sigh escapes me as helping me settle down, and the coldness that had overcome my mind lessons but only slightly. “Here is what’s going to happen.” This gets his attention as he focuses on every word as if it’s a lifeline.

“You are going to get up and run down that alley and not look back. You will not do anything other than that and if you do, I will end you. If I ever see you again, I will put you down. Do you understand me?” I say to him with more of that coldness leaking into my voice.

“Yes, I d-” He stops speaking when the shotgun barrel is leveled at his face forcing him to put the side of his head against the ground of the alley the end of its barrel brushes the side of his head as his one eye is looking at me while he shakes like a leaf with ragged breaths escaping him.

“I want you to repeat what I said,” I said quietly to him.

He manages to stammer out what I want, “I-I-I’m g-going to get u-up and run down the a-alley.” He gulps and gets some control of himself as he closes one eye looking at me before opening it, “And if you ever see me again, you will kill me. I understand and will follow everything you told me to do.”

“Good,” Raising my shotgun up and away from his head and relaxing a little while taking my finger off the trigger knowing that it’s over as he scrambles to get up he forcefully shoves the body off him as he is slipping and falling on the blood on the ground. 

He gets back up and runs covered from head to toe in blood as he runs further and further down the alley he finally gets to the other end and out of my sight when he turns the corner.

Taking the shotgun, opening it up, and popping the spent shell out of it as if I have done this before and looking for a replacement shell on me. After a few seconds of searching, I found three of them. 

Realizing I should check for spare ammo for the pistol, and find that there is no extra magazine or bullets to replace what was used. Well, looks like I need to make every shot count. That or just use some of the new weapons I just got from these guys.

After that last morbid thought, holstering the weapons back as I walked to one of the alley's walls and put my arm against it as I lowered my head pondering what the hell all of that was. 

Why do I feel nothing about killing those people? I know full well I’m not a psychopath or a sociopath, I had plenty of empathy for other living things. I would go out of my way to avoid hitting squirrels on my way to work for crying out loud. So why do I feel nothing now?

Sinking into a sitting position and turning around to sit down with my back pressed against the wall not caring anymore about all the grime on the walls, between my crisis and my being partly covered in my shields blood has numbed me to the filth. The headache is getting worse and worse as it pulses. 

I bring my gloved hands up to my face, rubbing circles across my temples in a vain attempt to make the pain go away because I don’t like sitting here in an alley at the scene of some murders that I just committed, and I need to find help. 

Getting up I move to find it and figure out where I am at. Giving up on easing the pain, I take two steps before the pain amplifies enough to bring me to my hands and knees. It feels like someone is pouring molten metal into my head. My hands dig into the concrete as it cracks and splinters and tears stream down my face.

And as quickly as the pain comes, it goes away leaving an odd sense of clarity that I didn’t have before along with relief at it being over. I slump over onto my side and take ragged breaths as I feel relief at it being over.

And getting some answers to some of my questions. I feel all the memories pouring into my head. Memories that are mine yet are not.

The memories played out before my eyes, showing two lives I lived with the first being a survivor searching for my son as I at first brought peace and prosperity to the Commonwealth as I helped anyone I came across if I had the time. Eventually, he retook the Castle as General of the Minutemen.

But as time went on I saw how despite killing as many raiders as I had along with the Minutemen at my command it was never enough. Raiders always popping up in some form or another endlessly no matter how many we cut down.

Feeling despair at everything being for nothing as the fighting never ended, a creeping realization started to form as I journeyed to Nuka World. Then I could put words to this revelation. The criminal element will always exist no matter what. But it could be controlled. Channeled and kept in check. 

So I abandoned my old ideals and made a deal with the devil as I became the very thing I had once grown to hate to bring about a better world. A raider with a small band backed me as I proceeded to attack and take over some of the very settlements I had helped build and made them into what they were. 

Not all of them but enough to keep the raiders under my command content and make them into a force to keep other raider groups in check. I however will always be haunted by the look of betrayal Preston gave me when he saw what I had become. The Minutemen were not oblivious to a new group of raiders becoming a force to be reckoned with within the Commonwealth. 

This is why they gathered a sizable group of men that made me both proud and saddened knowing what was going to happen. I sent some of the raiders I had personally trained to harass them and lure them where I wanted them. They came and despite knowing it was a trap came in and made us work for it as they fought like hell. 

Preston of all people was leading these men and women and by the end of it with most of my former soldiers dead along with no small amount of my raiders I had Preston brought before me. He immediately recognized me and believed I had died in Nuka World as they lost all contact with me. He took control of the Minutemen refusing to let it fall apart like it had before my time as General. 

Most of the Minutemen lying dead on the ground with their weapons and ammo taken as our own as he gazes at me with sorrow-filled eyes with a simmering rage building beneath it. I had my men not harm him as I talked to him. Telling him this is the only way. Explaining everything to him.

He just stood in silent fury for a time as he told me I had betrayed everything we had stood for. Tarnishing what I represented to the people. And to him… I told him this was the only way. 

That I was sorry but I can’t and won’t stop. I have come too far now after losing my wife. And Shaun becoming what he did and seeing all my efforts in vain after all this time and loss. 

And he swore that he wouldn’t stop coming for me and he would bring an end to me. I calmly stared back as my raiders brought their weapons up at the declaration of his threat, not shooting without my orders thanks to the discipline I had drilled into them. I promised him I wouldn’t kill him no matter what and that I was proud of the man he had become and to lead the Minutemen without me. 

I let him go and true to his word he came for me multiple times as my raiders and the Minutemen clashed over numerous battles and skirmishes it became a draw between our two groups. We won some and lost some, but never truly wiped the other out. I could have, but that wasn’t what I wanted. There needed to be balance. 

Leading up to another massive battle this time my men wanted to attack Hangman’s Alley several scouts gave us intel on what to expect as we prepared our forces to attack as most of my forces were ready to charge the only entrance into it. Then it all goes dark just before my order to attack.

The next thing I see is a land of snow and ice, where I am about to be decapitated only to be saved by a dragon of all things. Alduin the world eater no less. I realized it when I saw him in the memories. I never got to face him or any dragons for that matter.

Instead, I journeyed and grew stronger throughout it, especially when I found myself in the Thieves Guild going on a journey to collect all of the stones of barenziah when I learned of what they were. 

I accomplished this along with taking care of Mercer Frey and getting the Skeleton Key from him. Kept my original uniform after joining the Guild and forgoing the Nightingale armor despite loving its design felt it was too eye-catching and unique to use in public areas. Plus my old uniform has more sentimental value in it considering all it went through alongside me.

Much like him I saw the value in it and kept it despite knowing the consequences that would come from it. Even knowing my betrayal of Nocturnal and knowing Karliah would one day come for me it was too valuable to pass up. 

I accepted that one day I would be rewarded for my deeds and as such I would live my life how I wanted to before that time came. And make it difficult for whoever would be my executioner when that time came.

With that chapter of my life finished with bringing the Thieves Guild back to its former glory of course without Nocturnal's treasure being returned to her. I didn’t use it like Mercer Frey had out of fear that she would sense it and my former colleagues would have an easier time finding me. Save for the occasional lock that needed a special touch.

With the key in my possession, I felt restless and pondered on what I should do next. Then it came to me when I was staying at an inn in Markarth after dealing with a guy almost murdering a woman as soon as I walked in through the gates. Managed to save her and she later showed her gratitude that evening in her home.

After that, I got myself a room at one of the many inns in the city as the innkeeper helpfully supplied me with gossip of a boy attempting to summon The Dark Brotherhood when asked about any interesting gossip. I decided I wouldn’t mind to go check it out and maybe make some coin while helping the kid out. The only downside was that it was in Windhelm. 

However, that became irrelevant as that particular adventure ended up taking some interesting twists and turns with it all ending with me as The Dark Brotherhood’s Listener of all things.

I learned a great deal along that adventure particularly how to assassinate someone more efficiently and effectively while in broad daylight, tracking and gathering information along with running an organization like the Brotherhood which was different when compared to the Thieves Guild. And many more things that I would come to learn.

I would occasionally go out to the Mages guild in between contracts and my journeys, but only to acquire spells I thought were of some use when I had reached high enough in my skills and thought myself ready to get some new useful spells that would help me. 

As the memories go on of me going across Skyrim from adventure to adventure and the occasional bedding of certain women that caught my interest, eventually they come to an end as I make a final journey to Castle Volkihar when rumors had reached my pointed ears of the Dawnguard being formed as I take Serana back to her father and home. 

Despite being an Altmer and being capable of living around a thousand years I still fear that ticking clock of me eventually dying to old age. After all, I have become so powerful for the express purpose of ensuring nothing kills me. Albeit in ways aside from brute strength and skills with weapons despite having the potential to do so never felt the need nor want to do so. 

Why swing a pointy metal stick slightly better when I can just sneak up and slit their throat or shoot an arrow or just throw lightning at them if all else fails? By that point just swinging a sword around seems more dangerous and puts me at a far greater risk.

No, I became powerful initially to enjoy life but as time went on across my journey and that one defining moment of helping Azura with her artifact I saw what Malyn was trying to do to live just a little longer with Azura’s Star as he corrupted it made me realize the true reason. I didn’t realize it initially but after stopping the man I pondered on it.

And I came to my realization. I was becoming stronger because I didn’t want to die. Wanting to enjoy life was just a part of that greater desire. To keep living my life and enjoy it eternally without anything being able to stop it and halt the wagon of fun.

And a chance to easily stop the death toll of time? And gain some added benefits that would come at a cost but one that I could one day weasel my way out of as I am with Nocturnal? Of course! Sure if I die I will go to Coldharbour. But that is unlikely considering how powerful becoming not just a vampire, but a Vampire Lord will make me. 

Screw the Dawnguard, they wouldn’t be capable of granting me a better reward than what Harkon could. Once I have what I need if I need to kill Lord Harkon then so be it. Which will become a great deal easier after getting my reward for returning his daughter. 

I don’t like my odds of fighting him when normal vampires are bad enough. The few times I battled them were some of the closest fights I have ever had as a simple Altmer. So with that, I walked in and claimed my reward as I ogled Serana a few times when I thought she wouldn’t notice before Harkon bestowed the gift to me as he took on his vampiric form. After that, the memory ends.

Despite it sounding so simple, it was anything but that as the memories of both those lives played out before me every detail was so vivid as if I had lived it for both of them. My memories supply some answers. 

The Skyrim character I had done that run with was a newer one that I never got any dragon shouts or killed any dragons because they never spawned since I never went to Bleak Falls Barrow with the following questline that would get the dragons to spawn.

I was attempting to get all of the stones of barenziah for the first time and did and kept the skeleton key like I always do since it’s nice not having to break a lock pick and make grinding lockpicking easier. 

And made sure to acquire the Black Star since free grand soul gem near the beginning of the game. Besides that, I just role-played a character I had made which was a High Elf. 

Same with my Fallout character, I just tried to focus mainly on getting Shaun while killing most of anything that got in my way while helping those that I could and becoming the General only to betray that and become a raider once I got to Nuka World. 

After all of that, I get up realizing I still don’t know where I am. Figuring out where I am is a priority, though I stop and look over at the dead bodies, particularly eyeing the weapons I will be keeping and the others I could just find someone to sell them to. 

As I get up and walk over to examine the weapons, I notice the smell of something sweet and enticing in the air and I am surprised how I missed it before. It smells so sweet. Stopping as I smell it wafting off of me, I hold up one of my fingers and slide it along my other forearm as it gets some of the blood off of it. My eyes zero in on the oh-so-sweet nectar.

Opening my mouth and with my tongue about to lap it up to get a taste I grind to a stop, realizing what I am about to do and close my mouth while taking the offending finger that I look at with disgust and bend down to wipe it on the shirt of one of the rats.

Okay, that almost happened. So, I think I can confirm that I am indeed a vampire. Would explain my enhanced senses and me about to drink the blood of one of these things. 

Who knows what diseases I could get from that? Wait… I don’t get diseases anymore. I can’t even be poisoned. Heck, last I checked I don’t even age anymore. I guess besides the whole blood thing being a vampire isn’t so bad.

Finding something to at least be happy about, considering this whole situation I am in I have to find something to ease the tension. Walking over I took a robe from one of the rats used and made a makeshift sack to put most of the weapons in while looking them over. 

Some look unfamiliar while the leader's pistol looks the most familiar, yet I still can’t place it. As I put them in the sack, ideas start going through my head on how they work and what modifications I could do to the ones I keep.

This makes me pause as I hoist the sack over one arm, realizing that I was smart compared to other kids from school and long after I left high school but not smart enough to have all the ideas and theories run through my head with all kinds of complicated science and math. 

Just more to unpack as I start to ponder on this, my thoughts go to the special attribute system from Fallout. I may have gained that along with the correlating skill number values and ‘perks’ that my two characters had. Well… That’s something I suppose?

Walking over to grab a rifle left on the ground as I look over the ground I see my reflection in a puddle of blood. What I see makes me pause. I see long golden strands of hair cascading past my shoulder with sun-kissed golden skin with eyes like sapphires staring back at me. I even have a neatly trimmed dirty blond goatee.

This… is my Altmer character. Even looking at the armor it’s a mix mash between my old Thieves Guild outfit with elements of my Fallout outfit sprinkled in. All of it is worn and well used but taken care of as I hold my arms up and properly look the outfit over as a part of me feels fondness and nostalgia at looking at some of the parts.

Each one a memory flashes in my mind of each battle or fight where I took a hit both early on and later in my career. As rare as the latter would be, it did happen from time to time. 

Lowering my hands down I look at the face of my character, “I guess this is my life now.” I speak only to myself and the dead in this alley as I hear a warm charismatic voice greet my ears. 

Done with checking out my reflection I look over at what the lead rat was scrounging inside of I see a black metal box. Old habits kick in as I go to it and check it over to make sure no traps are on it. 

Satisfied with what I see, I step over to it. I try to ignore the stench of the dumpster with all the overflowing trash coming from it mixing with the still sweet smell of the blood mixing with it.

I walk over and lift the lid. Looking inside I see a note next to the items that immediately gets my attention before looking over my loot. A cracked black crystal in the shape of an ornate star that I recognize as Azura’s Star that I had helped corrupt. 

The other is a simple yet eye-catching key that is very familiar, which I recognize as Nocturnal’s skeleton key immediately. I would have to be blind and incapable of using any of my senses to not recognize that key with how long I traveled with it.

Grabbing them I place the key in one of the most secure pouches that I had always used for the key, and head over to another rat take its shirt, and tie it up to make a makeshift satchel for the star considering I have no room for it on my outfit. Making a mental note to get better ways to carry these around I focus on the last object of interest being the note.

“To ‘Corvo Attano’.” What? That is not my name. But it is. I realize much to my chagrin that I named both characters after playing through the Dishonored series for the first time and went with Corvo’s name. 

But my name is… The name my parents gave me is- I can’t remember my real name. I can remember my parents' faces and the man who I considered more of a father and parent to me than my birth parents but none of their names. 

The few friends I had I can’t remember their names and even the bullies that were the worst of the bunch I dealt with. No names but perfect images of their faces.

I can’t even remember my name. I suppose it’s not the worst thing I’ve dealt with by this point. My shoulders slump down before I refocus on the rest of the note, “Next to this note, you will find two items of interest to you. Know that both of these items you can only use once, and they are gone forever.”

That part gets my attention. That is infuriating, considering both of these become nowhere near as powerful as they would be with that limitation. “I wish you the best on your journey and know that these two items are the only things that will be given to you, and you will not receive any help besides these items. You have thirty days to use them, or they will be gone forever. Use them wisely!” And that is the end of the note.

No name was given on who did this or anything. They don’t even tell me where I am. I have thirty days to use these, and I can only use them once. I sigh to myself as I pinch the bridge of my nose trying to suppress my growing anger and frustration on just what is all of this.

After I take a few calming breaths with my new memories and instincts helping with that, I notice something is happening and watch as the box and note still in my hand turn to dust as it all falls apart. 

Brushing my gloved hands off, I start walking to the area with people still moving around and talking. However that brings up a good question now that I think about it. Why didn’t anyone call the police or the equivalent when the shooting happened?

I mean, the shots were loud and what is strange is how people are still around after the shooting. You would think they would have run away from it. I guess I will find all of that out when I exit this alley as I smell chemicals and other things in the air getting stronger as I get closer. Oh boy, a heavily polluted area that could give me cancer. Just what I needed on top of everything else.

At least I’m immune to that since Vampire for the win. As I walk closer to the alley, I realize that my being a vampire, is not necessarily a win now with one big weakness I forgot I have now as I look at my new nemesis. The sun. 

I see sunlight at the end of the alley. No one walks by at the end of the narrow alley entrance despite me hearing them, but I stop. I can’t see anything except the dirty smudged side of a building across from me with no defining features thanks to the light.

What do I do now? Hesitating for several minutes I just stand there hidden in the shadows as I ponder on my dilemma. Do I just wait here till night? I don’t want to do that though, but it’s either that or just getting annoyed at the light. It won’t incinerate me since I’m a vampire lord and not a lesser one. 

I finally decided on a compromise after much deliberation for several moments. Even though it won’t harm me it still is annoying and incredibly uncomfortable to walk in it. 

Not helped by the fact I couldn’t recover from being injured or regain my magicka or stamina. One of the reasons I had to get better at archery and sneaking when I am on long journeys with no way to feed. I take the light gauntlet off of my hand and see how it’s tanned but golden in coloration with no blemishes or anything.

I try not to focus on the feeling I am about to expose myself to as I arguably am about to do something dumb. I take my index finger and slowly reach out to the light. If I get that feeling, I can just duck back into the alley and wait for nightfall if I have to.

Knowing that I need to stop babbling and get this over with, I slowly move my finger forward. As the anticipation of what is going to happen mounts, I stay just a millimeter away from the light my mind helpfully supplies to me as I hesitate. 

Sweat beading my forehead. The stress and anticipation are killing me. I stay like this for several seconds. Finally, having had enough I sent it the rest of the way.

Nothing. Sweet, sweet relief floods me. It’s there in the sun, with no uncomfortable feeling or feeling like my very being is getting compressed and shoved down! Not even feeling weakened at all now that I think about it. I smile with glee, happy that I don’t have to fear such a crippling weakness. 

That happiness stops and turns into confusion at how I am not feeling anything from this. This should at least do something to me since both my original memories of what little I knew of Elder Scrolls lore and my memories from Skyrim tell me that this should be doing something to me.

I will take it regardless considering I can walk among other people in the sun, but it’s confusing. Either way, with me confirming I’m not going to be harmed when I step into the sun, I take my first steps out of this alley, and I feel the breath taken out of me on what I see before me as I take it all in.