The Kill - Chapter 3: Luca

Illuso drank from his wine glass, swirling the liquid in the glass around afterward. Red liquid escaped from his mouth. His long tongue scooped it up. Pesci could have sworn he saw sharp teeth. “Are you a--”

“Vampire?” Illuso finished for him. He placed his glass down. “Yes, I am. However, I’m not sharing this gift with you. You stink. By the way, I can smell the blood from your overalls. Let me guess, you killed an Imperial, Nord, and a Khajiit. All three of them were women. Strange, your target was an Imperial man. Now how did this happen?” A smile grew on his face.

“... I’d rather not talk about it.”

The brunet chuckled. “Very well, here’s 250 Septims for your reward.”

“What? 250? I thought it would be more than that.”

“You’ll earn more once you rank higher. For now, this is all you’ll get.”

“When will I rank up?

“Ugh, give me a few minutes.”

The vampire got up from his seat and walked towards the trapdoor that lead to his brother’s room. Pesci could barely hear what was going on.

“When does Pesci rank up?” Illuso asked. “I don’t–”

“Quiet!” Prosciutto raised his voice. The green-haired man couldn’t hear him well. “Not too fast,”

After they were done conversing, Illuso returned to his room.

“Alright,” he said, pulling out a piece of paper from his coat, “there’s this one contract for you available. You are to kill a man named Leaky-eye Luca in the Imperial City.”

“And where do I find him?” Pesci asked.

“Ask someone. Now get to it. I want to enjoy my blood in peace.”

The green-haired Imperial went into the living quarters. There was no sign of the Wood Elf couple. However, he did spot Formaggio eating some cheese and crackers while Carne had some ham and steak. The cat jumped onto the table, attempting to steal the Orc’s food. He grabbed the feline so suddenly that her tail fluffed up.

“Hey, back off!” Formaggio yelled, slamming the table with his hand.

“Tell this little shit to eat its own damn food,” Carne replied.

Pesci could feel the tensity around them and wanted to avoid them. He looked around, but they were the only ones there. Formaggio’s gaze looked elsewhere and spotted him. He waved and got out of his seat.

“Take the rest of this,” he said to Carne. “Don’t want you to die of a heart attack from all that meat.”

“Whatever…”

Formaggio placed his arm on Pesci’s shoulder and walked out of the living quarters with him.

“Man, I’ll tell you what. One day, that guy will disappear. Anyways, how’d your first contract go?” the redhead asked.

“Well, I killed the guy,” Pesci answered.

“I have the feeling there’s more to it. Come on, tell me.” Pesci told him what happened. “Damn, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” the green-haired man responded. “Hey, do you know where this guy named Luca could be? You know how big the Imperial City is.”

“Oh, Luca? I know that guy! He’s part of the Thieves’ Guild, probably not anymore, and he’s a skooma dealer. You’ll find him on the waterfront or possibly in the sewers. He might be dead when you find him. He’s kind of stupid.”

“You knew him? What does he look like? You know, Illuso never told me what Styx looked like, only that he was a priest.”

“He’s ugly. He has brown hair. He kind of looks like a coconut. His right eye is leaky, too, hence the name. You’ll probably notice him right away. Make sure you take his things from his body. Oh, and tell him I said fuck you.”

“Alright, thanks for the help. I’m going to go.”

Before Pesci could leave, Formaggio grabbed his shoulders.

“Hey, before you go, sometimes the beggars can help. They’re going to ask for some money, though. Anyways, good luck!”

---

Pesci arrived at the Waterfront around noon and wandered around the shacks in the shadows of the Waterfront’s walls. This place hasn’t changed at all. The man stood in front of his childhood home, which was in disarray. There were so many weeds growing around it. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He sighed and looked at it for a while, imagining it was how it looked back then.

There were some weeds back then, too, but not as much. Pesci’s mother purposely let wild violets, dandelions, and chickweeds grow. It made their house look beautiful on the outside. Inside, there wasn’t much. Their parents shared a bed, but he and Prosciutto had to sleep on the floor due to a lack of space. And they were happy, for a time.

Their father took them to the Arena to watch the fighters fight. While on their way, a thief managed to pick their father’s pockets and sprinted away. It didn’t go unnoticed, and Prosciutto chased him down, going somewhere unknown. When he returned, Pesci noticed a small bloodstain on his tattered shirt.

Big brother, was that your first kill?

Someone bumped into Pesci, interrupting his memories. The guy was a brunet, and his right eye was teary.

“You!” Pesci shouted, causing Luca to turn around.

“Me?” He looked at him in confusion.

“You!”

Luca made a run for it, heading straight toward the Temple District and then to the Talos Plaza District. Pesci panted as he chased him, and then he rested a bit, catching his breath. As he took a short break, he heard a scraping sound. He walked to the source, leading him to the sewers.

As Pesci climbed down, he felt squirmish. Rats were scurrying around, including the aggressive giant ones. Mudcrabs pinched his ankles. He had never been down the sewers in his life, but his brother had. Perhaps he should’ve gone to his brother for advice about this contract. The sewers were a labyrinth, and eventually, Pesci was more focused on getting out than finding Luca. He was likely dead by now. And just as Pesci thought that he heard a scream echoing the sewers. Curious, he tried to find the source. It eventually led him to a bloody scene.

Bloodstains painted the walls, and a Dark Elf woman, with blood all over her mouth, was kneeling near Luca’s body. A zombie struggled to stay still beside her, limping one way, trying to balance. She then turned around to face Pesci.

“I could hear you from a mile,” she commented.

In response, Pesci began screaming and panicking, running away from her. He slid on a wet surface but quickly got up, still running and screaming. Despite being lost, he managed to find his way out, finding himself in the Arena District. Once he was out, he kept screaming and running. He exited out the Imperial City that way and entered Cheydinhal that way. He didn’t feel safe until he was in the Sanctuary.

“What is the--”

“Sanguine, my brother!” he screamed.

He went inside and slammed the door. Everyone in the Sanctuary was alerted and had their weapons drawn.

“Pesci!” Prosciutto called out. “What in Oblivion happened?”

“Um, three minotaurs were chasing me,” he lied.

“Three minotaurs are nothing,” Carne commented.

“That’s because you’re almost as strong as them,” Illuso replied.

“Can I have a glass of milk?” Pesci asked. “My throat hurts.”

Prosciutto sighed. “You’ll find some milk in the living quarters. Just don’t try to shout near the Sanctuary. We don’t need that attention.”

---

It was a dark stormy night in Bravil, making the conditions perfect for Vicente to sneak around. The torches struggled to stay lit as rain poured while the winds howled. Most of the guards were not taking their posts seriously. A beggar slept on the soggy ground. The vampire knelt, hands near his body just in case he needed to cast a sleep spell. Then, he took a bite of his neck, sucking the blood from him. The beggar wiggled around in his bedroll until Vicente cast his spell. He slept peacefully. As for the blood, he had better. Now that he had his meal, he headed back to Deepscorn Hollow.

“Wait,” Lucien grabbed his attention, stopping and surprising Vicente.

When did he get there? How long was he there? Was he always there? By the Night Mother, he’s good.

“Oh, Lucien, you scared me,” the vampire responded.

“My sincerest apologies.” He could’ve sworn he heard a slight playful giggle. “I’m thinking about who your Silencer should be. I was thinking Illuso would be perfect. After all, you have worked with him and given him your gift of vampirism.”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to play favorites.”

“You aren’t playing favorites, my friend. You gave him that gift for a reason, yes?”

“Very well, I’ll have him as my Silencer.”

“Excellent, there’s a contract for him.”