The Pact: Chapter 2
#2 of The Pact
This story contains material not appropriate for people under the age of 18. You have been warned
Not affiliated with Bethesda Softworks.
Ivan rolled over onto the top of the large cliff face, laying on his back and gasping for breath at the effort of the climb. He looked back over the edge after a bit, "Damn..." he whispered. As a thief he was a skilled climber, but this...nobody, let alone a weak Imperial like himself, should have been able to climb that precipice, "Let alone in the middle of a blizzard," he said to himself.
He then glanced back towards the glacier and immediately threw up his hand with a cry. The wind, which had been merely an annoyance on the ground, was now kicking up loose ice shards, one of which had caught him in the face, "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" he yelled over and over again as he clutched his bleeding face. He turned his back to the wind and reached into his pack to pull a potion.
Using his hand to catch the run off he slowly began to poor the red liquid over his wound. It stung, but soon there was no trace of the cut. "Note to self," he said as he capped the bottle and rubbed his face with the still wet glove, "Don't do that again." He then turned, using his hand as a visor, and crawled towards the vague shape of a mound on top of the otherwise perfectly level ice shelf.
He stood up and leaned against the ice, letting his gloved hands glide over the surface until he felt a crease, the door. He pulled out his dagger and began chipping away the ice, slowly revealing the metallic ebony surface beneath. Slowly the strikes became second nature, and his thoughts began to drift back to when he'd first come to this god forsaken place...
-One week ago-
It had been an unusually sunny day at Fort Frostmoth when the thief had arrived, but that did little to help his mood as he stepped off the gangplank of the small skiff, nearly retching as he stumbled onto dry land. An argonian stepped up and grabbed him to keep him from toppling off the small pier, "Alright be you?"
"I'm fine, just not very fond of boats."
"Boat is better than this ice hole by far. Though come, sit, rest you need."
"Thanks," Ivan said with a small smile as the argonian led him to a nearby crate, "And you are...?"
"Basks-In-The-Sun am I."
"Pleased to meet you."
"And who be you?"
Ivan glanced left and right, being one of the most notorious thieves in the empire did have its disadvantages, he decided to try something, "I am one who wears and walks in the shadows." The lizard man's eye's widened, he'd understood the code-phrase.
"Work for the Grey Fox then you do."
"Yeah."
"Well, best aboard the boat again you go. Nothing there is of value here. Checked I have. Either barbarians with nothing or guards with too much there be. None else."
"Thanks but I..." Ivan was interrupted as the khajiit captain of the skiff behind him shouted out.
"My payment! You owe me fifty septims!"
Ivan turned and stood up, facing the cat, "We agreed on twenty-five."
"That was when there where no guards around. Now pay me my money...or do I need to inform the authorities of your identity...Ivan..."
"Ivan..." Basks-In-The-Sun said questioningly, before his maw dropped open in shock, "Not Ivan Li..."
"SHHHHHH!" Ivan hissed, looking around a bit to see if anyone had heard before turning back to face the smirking khajiit. With a sour face he counted out the coins and slammed them into the captain's paw, "Bloodsucking mongrel," he hissed to him.
"Sticks and stones, Imperial...a due." The smiling cat said before turning and walking away, tail swishing back and forth in victory.
Ivan sat back down next to Basks-In-The-Sun, who still had his jaw open, "You'll want to close that, else the fishermen might mistake you for the catch of the day."
The argonian snapped out of it, "Ivan Lightfoot," he whispered, "truly you are?" Ivan nodded, Basks-In-The-Sun became ecstatic, "A-A-An honor it is, truly. H-Heard so much about you have I. O-On an assignment for the Grey Fox himself you must be on! O-Or for Nocturnal. O-Or..."
"Shhhh, calm down...now...do you know where the coldest glacier of the highest mountain is?"
"K-Know not I do, great master thief. To ask some of the locals, have to you would."
"Ah, well, thanks anyway for keeping me from taking a swim...in fact...here," he said, tossing the lizard man a coin, "Buy yourself some brandy..."
-now-
Ivan had cleared the door, he was gasping a bit at the effort; the ice had been thick. A shard of ice bounded off his leather armored shoulder, reminding him that he needed to get inside. He pushed against the door and it glided open soundless...wait.
Ivan grabbed the door and moved it back and forth a bit, the hinges were silent, someone had oiled them...recently. He stepped inside cautiously before shutting the door behind him, leaving him in darkness...no problem, "Eyes of Eventide," he whispered, and suddenly he could see, he couldn't do much magic, and the spell wouldn't last long but he'd be able to see which was he had to go. He could see the start of a spiral staircase at the other end of the small entryway, and it was only then that he realized how warm it was in here. He removed his thick coat, gloves, and scarf and set them in the corner, no need to over-encumber himself without need.
He slunk towards the staircase and began to descend, creeping along the wall within the darkness, silent as a ghost's shadow. As he reached the bottom, his night vision began to give out...but...surprisingly there was a fire coming from around the next corner down the hall, "Oh, this is not good..." he whispered as he slunk forward along the wall. He strained his ears, hearing feet pacing on the other side he slowly glanced around the corner.
He saw a creature, black fur all over its body, pacing back and forth, it hadn't sensed him. "What the..." he thought but then his eyes widened as he realized what the creature was, "HOLY F***EN SHIT!!!" he ducked back around the corner, heart beating fast. "It's true!" he thought "The old man was right..."
-two days ago-
Ivan knelt on a straw mat, across from an old man, "Please, drink Imperial." The elderly Nord said, handing him a steaming bowl of horker broth, a soup made from the blubber of a seal like creature.
"Thank you," Ivan said, trying to smile, he'd tasted the stuff once before, and while filling and good to keep the body warm, it tasted like and had the consistency of scribe's paste, though he daren't refuse, lest he offend the old man, who was far nicer than the other Nords that he'd encountered.
He was in the hermit's cottage, a few miles north of Skaal village, where, after the inhabitants had discovered that he was an Imperial, the inhabitants had chased him out of the village with swords drawn and torches blazing, so the cottage, while basic and in the middle of nowhere, was a welcome change, even if he had to eat horker broth to be polite.
He grimaced internally as he lifted the bowl to his lips and...was pleasantly surprised. While the oily consistency hadn't changed, the taste was much better than the first time he'd had it, a bit like gamey meat with a sharp vinegar aftertaste that lingered even after he swallowed. "Wow," he said, "That was...good!"
"You didn't expect it to be so?"
"Well...no...I've had horker broth once before and..."
"Where?"
"What?"
"No where. Where did you have it before?"
"Oh, well a woman back at Fort Frostmoth said that I should..."
The old man burst out laughing, "That explains it! No offence, but Imperials have NO cooking skill what so ever! Did it taste like glue?"
"As a matter of fact it did."
"She cooked it too hot, burned the flavor out of the meat, but...you were going to ask me something?"
"Oh," Ivan said, he'd forgotten for a moment, "I'm looking for something in the mountains."
"What exactly?"
Ivan hesitated, "I was told that I would find a treasure."
"There are quite a few treasures up in the mountains that I know of but...care to be more specific?"
"It was to be in the coldest glacier, on the highest mountain."
The man's face grew somber and grim, "Imperial you know not what you say. The glacier is cursed. I urge you to return home and never think of it again."
"I'm afraid that that's not an option."
The man sighed, "I am a shaman, I have felt ill winds blowing from those mountains. I will point you in the right direction if you cannot be dissuaded, but know this, half-men walk this earth, werewolves! They spawn from that glacier and terrorize this place. No treasure is worth facing them!"
Ivan didn't believe him. He'd been hearing rumors of werewolves, vampires, curses, prophesies, and talking mudcrab merchants ever since he'd first arrived in Morrowind. It was simple superstition, leftover from old religions, there was no such thing. The old man just couldn't be right...
-now-
Ivan was wishing that he'd listened to some of those 'simple superstitions,' but as he calmed down, he began to think rationally. "Okay," he thought, "I've got three options. First, wait for the werewolf to turn back into a human...to long. Second, sneak up next to the werewolf and cut it down from behind...no, he was a thief, not a murderer, there was an innocent person beneath that fur. That leaves three, sneak by and hope to Nocturnal that it doesn't turn around...not great, but it's my best shot."
He looked around the corner, waiting for the beast's back to turn...then moved. He moved silently towards the tunnel on the opposite side of the cave. He was going to make it, he...the werewolf whirled around yellow eyes gleaming with bloodlust. He threw up his arms and squeezed his eyes shut, braced for death as the beast charged. Then...nothing...
Slowly he opened his eyes; there was no werewolf in front of him but Nocturnal, in her more usual form of a woman with dark hair, "Hello Ivan."
"Uh...hey. Am I...you know...dead?"
"No silly mortal, and you wont be, at least not tonight."
"Care to explain?"
"I...I don't really know where to begin."
"Uh, at the beginning. I thought that was obvious."
"Alright, you've probably been hearing rumors since you came to this island. About werewolves and ancient forces becoming active and the like. Hm?"
"Go on."
"Well one of those 'ancient forces' approached me with a deal, for an alliance."
"I'm guessing you took this deal and that it has something to do with me entering this frozen glacier and getting eaten by a werewolf."
"Heh, having you eaten was never part of the deal at all. You see, when two celestial beings decide to be allies, the best way to make the deal solid is to..." Nocturnal trailed off, her face flushing.
"Is to what?" Ivan's eyes narrowed.
"Is to...do a little matchmaking between our followers."
Ivan's jaw dropped, "You mean, that beast...and I...are supposed to..." Ivan couldn't even finish, "No! No way! There is no force on Tamriel or Oblivion, no amount of pleading, no reward that could make me ever, EVER..."
"Not even...immortality?" Ivan froze.
"What now?"
"Immortality Ivan, I told my new ally that you wouldn't accept anything less than daedrahood as payment." Nocturnal said to him.
"So if I...do this for you...I get immortality, as a daedra?"
"That and so much more Ivan. I looked through all of Hircine's closest follow..."
"Wait, wait, wait...you made a deal with Hircine? With HIRCINE?"
"Yes and..."
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR F***ING MIND?!!! He's the lord of the hunt! The prince of eternal winter! The patron saint of murderers! The guy is a bleeding maniac! He'll stab you in the back as soon as he gets what he wants!"
"You're only right about the first of his titles Ivan and, while he is the daedra of the hunt and thereby of nature and thereby of chaos, he won't go back on a deal, especially with someone so key to his plans."
"Care to explain?"
"His minions, werewolves mostly, can only operate at night. The night and the shadows are my domain Ivan; without my allegiance his earthly forces are next to useless. He can't afford to backstab me."
"Fine."
"Now as I was saying, you'll get far more out of this than immortality. I searched through Hircine's followers for someone compatible with you, someone that you wouldn't have to be with, but a person that you would want to be with."
"So you're saying that that bloodthirsty, psychotic furball that I saw is like...my soul mate?"
"Well, yes and no, you see, part of the 'signature' on this celestial 'contract' is that both Hircine and I have to leave a bit of our power on each of you by altering you somehow, both mentally and physically." Ivan tried to interrupt that would never let Hircine invade his mind but Nocturnal cut him off with a hand gesture, "Listen for a moment Ivan, I was very clear on what he could and could not change about you. First, while to be one of his followers you must be a werewolf, I've changed the enchantment a bit so you'd be more comfortable with it. You'll be able to change at will, instead of being forced to change, your body wont be as thrown together as the body of the werewolf you saw, much more planned out and natural looking, you'll still be capable of speech while a werewolf, and you wont have to kill to sate your bloodlust or even have bloodlust at all, that was a deal breaker for me, I know that you dislike killing."
"And my mind?"
"You'll gain advanced perceptions, becoming more attuned to nature, even in human form, but your personality is to remain relatively untouched, although there may be side effects from being a werewolf. Other than that, your mind is to be untouched."
"And her?"
"What?"
"Seems like all of the change is going to be happening to me," Ivan said, "What happens to her?"
Nocturnal smiled, "While Hircine works on you, I'll be working on her. I'll make her more civilized and be sure to make her body, both in normal and in werewolf forms, beautiful and perfect to go with you."
"What'll she look like?"
"Oh I'm keeping that as a surprise. However I'll tell you this, she's young, beautiful...and a khajiit."
Ivan's eyebrows lifted, "Reeeeally? I didn't think that a khajiit could become a werewolf."
"Rest assured they can and she is. I know what my favorite thief likes Ivan." She winked at him and smiled, and Ivan couldn't help but smile back, "Just remember Ivan, it's your choice."
As the vision started to fade, Ivan shouted out, "How do I say if I accept or not?"
"Well it's really dependent on if she accepts first. If she does, the moment will present itself, you'll know what to do!"
The vision ended and suddenly Ivan was staring at claws, inches from his face. After a moment the claws pulled away, the werewolf looked him over for a moment, seemingly thinking about what to do. Ivan took the opportunity to take a look at her as well.
The fact that she was female had been somewhat difficult to ascertain when he'd first seen her. While up close he could clearly make out her womanhood, it was mostly covered up by fur and hard to see from a distance, her breasts were little more that small swellings, the nipples barely visible, and she was hunched over, as if she were top heavy. All in all, not a very sensual looking creature, still Nocturnal did say that she'd be beautiful if he accepted.
At that point she turned away and paced for a few minutes, until she finally glancing at him one last time and got down on all fours, ass high in the air, tail to one side. He weighed the pros and cons for a bit longer before finally deciding that the rewards seemed to outweigh the risks...barely.
"Alright, lets get this over with," he said, whishing that he could simply say "yes" to the deal. This would not be pleasant. He removed his shirt, boots, and pants before standing behind her, laying his hands on her back and... "Wait...something's not right," he thought, feeling at her back. She was tense, nervous, not aroused at all. Ivan knew that the experience wouldn't be very enjoyable, but with her tensed up like this it could be downright painful for both of them. He supposed he couldn't blame her, considering the circumstances. Still, he'd have to get her relax.
He leaned forward, slowly running his hands up her back, beginning to knead at the taught muscles. She growled, glaring back at him, obviously not in the mood for foreplay. "Look," he said, "I'm not any happier about this than you are. But you've got to relax, otherwise it's going to feel worse and it's probably going to take longer." She sniffed defiantly but lowered her head and let him continue.
He moved over her body, massaging and rubbing every part of her that was the least bit tense, till finally there were only two places left untouched, her breasts and her pussy. He leaned down on top of her, cupping the small mounds in his hands, squeezing them and rubbing at her tits to get her wet, "Ready?" he asked, positioning himself. She snorted as a disgruntled yes, but he could tell that, underneath, her body was responding well to the stimulation.
He penetrated her and was amazed at how tight and hot she was, beginning to thrust into her slowly, in and out. She began to make noises that were a combination of pleasurable moans and growls. The pleasure was intense, far more intense than it should have been with both of them being as reluctant as they were. Ivan began to speed up, enticing moans and the occasional howl from the werewolf.
Suddenly, Ivan felt as if he head was being split in half. He let out a cry of pain that was copied by his partner, a voice echoed in his head. "So, this is what she's given me to work with hm?" the voice said, sounding annoyed, "Let's see here." Memories flashed through Ivan's mind, some that were clear as day, others that he didn't evn know he had. His great heists, his meetings with the grey fox, his first steps, his time on the streets, his father beating his mother in a drunken rage, when he'd joined the guild, the fall of his noble family, his real name...all of this flashed through his mind as Hircine rummaged through it, and his body automatically continued f***ing the werewolf, "Interesting..." Hircine mused as he brushed across the memory of his vision in southern Vvardenfell...
"That's private!" Ivan yelled within his head.
"Fine, I've got all the info I need to get to work anyway. Don't mind me Imperial, just enjoy the mating while I change you." Suddenly, Ivan became aware of many things. The musk in the air of the female underneath him, the sound of her panting, the warmth of her need overwhelmed him. All that mattered, was to keep mating with her, to pleasure her, to fill her with his seed and have her carry his pups.
His reservations gone, Ivan began to rut in earnest, his hands caressing her body, his tongue tracing her ear, his hips slamming against hers as he continually thrust against her. She struggled a bit, shaking her head, as if trying to ward off an invader in her mind, but soon she was trusting back against him, squeezing his dick inside her, rubbing against his belly as a female should.
The true changes began to there bodies, spreading from the crotch out. Ivan's pubes turned white as fur shot up his chest, stopping as it reached his shoulders and then spreading out, turning to grey. The fur moved down his legs as they cracked and reshaped, becoming digitigrade. The fur spread out over his arms as his hands and feet gained pads and claws in place of nails. His cock turned red and pointed as it continued thrusting, an unused sheath forming at its base. His muscles became more defined but not overly so, leaving him strong but lithe and attractive. Finally, as a new, bushy tail burst from his spine the fur moved onto his face, which pushed out into a muzzle as his hair turned the same silver-grey as his fur.
The female's body was altering to. Her ragged, coarse pelt became soft and sensual. The hunch in her back disappeared as her rather boney body became soft, curvy and cute, her waist tightening as her small breasts became perky C-cups and her ass became sexy and heart-shaped; a perfect hourglass figure. Lastly, her muzzle lost its fearsome look, becoming beautiful and alluring as her yellow eyes changed to a sensual emerald.
Finally, her walls spasmed around Ivan's cock as she let out a howl of orgasm the transformed Ivan joining in the howl as his knot tied the two together and he spewed his seed into her awaiting womb. As they lay there, enjoying the afterglow, they felt little twinges as the daedra made last minute alterations, but all that mattered, all that existed for them, at that moment, was each other...