A Kiss Before Dying - Alternate Ending to Oblivion Dark Brotherhood

1: This Corrosion

(banner art: Bravil by 89Red on DeviantArt)

**NOTES: cw: blood/gore/murder obviously. I added some things and projected a little bit on to the main character so I'm a kinda nervous about posting... but I hope you like it!

Reminder in case you don't remember what happened in the db questline before this point: the Hero of Kvatch (HoK, and in my story is named Matuul), had been carrying out contracts normally through the Cheydinhal sanctuary, the meanwhile you hear rumors about a traitor in the group, an "assassin among assassins." Lucien Lachance meets with you privately and says he's a Speaker for the Black Hand (Part of the highest rank/group in the guild) and orders you to "purify" the sanctuary by murdering everyone in it. Technically this is breaking a tenant but Sithis is chill with it because its for the preservation of the Dark Brotherhood as a whole, and The Black Hand knows you aren't the traitor because you were recruited after suspicious activity had started. The HoK goes about their business doing contracts for Lucien Lachance now, communicating via dead drops. The HoK is completing one of these contracts when...

The rocks of the cobblestone street grow wet while a dark elf finishes drawing their knife across poor Ungolim's throat.

The Dunmer's blood turns to ice as a familiar shadow draws near.

Instead of letting the freshly dead body drop to the ground, Matuul is forced apart, shoved by a strong pair of hands. Lucien Lachance, The Speaker, is between the startled dunmer and the body, and his face was distorted into a hateful and vengeful expression. It had been a long time since Matuul had felt this kind of fear. Matuul's face went pale and his limbs became heavy as he received a resenting glare, and then Lucien's harsh, angry voice entered his ears saying

"No! No, I'm too late! I thought I could get here in time, thought I could stop you!"

Matuul's stomach churned while his mind raced trying to figure out what the fuck was going on, what the fuck happened?

"By Sithis, what have you done? What madness has claimed you?" Lucien Lachance took a step back as if disgusted. "You have betrayed me, you have betrayed the Dark Brotherhood! Why?" His anger and grief hit Matuul like a ton of bricks; his disoriented heart sunk through the floor.

Lucien approached and pinned him against the base of the statue. The setting sun cast a shadow with the buildings of Bravil over where they were standing. Lucien's expression changed as the shadow darkened his face. "I'm here to end your miserable life. To..." His ranting slowed. Before Matuul had been avoiding eye contact with The Speaker, but now he did the opposite.

"But... I can see the confusion in your eyes."

I guess I have a fairly expressive face, same as him.

Lucien's voice was smoother and slower now: "You... you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

No shit dude, Matuul thought. But all he said was "No! What are you talking about?" The dunmer then sedates his aggression. A little bit. Something is still horribly wrong, and he's terrified.

Lucien takes a breath and replies "You carried out the first two contracts I gave you, killing Celedaen and the Draconis family. But then, betrayal! Instead of taking dead drops, you've been systematically killing off all of the members of the Black Hand!" Lucien's deep voice is full of venom. "My fellow Speakers and Silencers, cut down. And now Ungolim, the Listener himself."

Matuul slumps to the ground as the weight of the situation falls on him. He puts both hands on his forehead and mumbles out "But I was only following orders..."