Valnor and Nyph stood behind Lergo from a distance, still skeptical about what the mage said he could do.
There were one hundred training dummies all in a group, with Lergo facing them about a hundred feet away. The mage began chanting loudly with both hands raised to the sky. The sound of his voice got louder and louder as the spell gained in intensity. A swirl of black clouds appeared over the dummies, and Lergo stopped chanting. When the cloud stood still over the targets, he slowly put his hands down and walked back to Valnor and Nyph.
"Just wait a second." he said with a wink.
Immediately after Lergo turned around, one hundred bolts of lighting came down, hitting every single dummy - a powerful spell to say the least, but it had taken the mage over thirty minutes to cast it.
Valnor and Nyph stood speechless as Lergo walked towards his tent, mumbling about how hungry he was.
As soon as the utter amazement subsided, Valnor grew more serious. "I think it's time to begin the attacks on the tribes again." he said to Nyph once Lergo had gone.
He had raised quite an army - not large enough for any full-scale war, but more than enough to eradicate the ashlanders. They had gained more people by hiring sellswords, and had kept them here with fulfilled promises of plunder - they had raided many a daedric shrine, dwemer ruin, and even some of the old dunmer strongholds. One such stronghold, Rotheran, served as their home for now.
"Start with the Erabenimsun. They have to be dealt with first, before they hear that we are acting again. If we start with another tribe, they will hear of the attack from word of mouth, and prepare. I would like to see them unprepared." Nyph said with a smile as he stroked the edge of his dagger.
Valnor shrugged. "Hmmm...your idea may work, though the Erabenimsun camp is a little far away from Rotheran."
"It will be a long way to get to any of the camps." Nyph replied. "But this way, we get rid of the most difficult tribe while our numbers are at their highest."
"I'll think on it." he said, walking back inside the fortress to eat some dinner.
Nyph still stood outside, watching as a hundred straw dummies burned in the distance.
Valnor had indeed taken Nyph's adivce. The very next morning they were moving towards the Erabenimsun.
Nyph walked at the front with Lergo and Valnor.
"Do I lead the attack again?" Nyph asked, obviously eager for some killing.
"Yes, Nyph. You will take care of the perimeter guards as usual." Valnor replied. "But do not get caught again." he said, giving the assassin a threatening glare.
Lergo finally piped up. "I can cast a chameleon spell on him." he suggested. "Less chance of anything going wrong.
Valnor looked at the skinny wizard. "Do whatever needs to be done, but do not use the new spell - I want you well-rested to be able to cast it later."
Lergo nodded.
Valnor gave the order to set up camp, an order that was promptly obeyed. He looked at his map, and was confident that they would be close to the ashlander camp by the next night. He planned on attacking when the tribe was asleep - no scout would catch his army in time, because they wouldn't stop and wait for the darkness, but would arrive just in time.
At least that was Valnor's hope.
Valnor's timing was perfect. His army went into their positions swiftly, ready to attack when the signal was given. The darknesss hid the army from the eyes of the ashlanders.
It hid Nyph even better. The assassin grinned in satisfaction as the fourth guard fell in a pool of his own blood. Only one more, and he could give the signal. Nyph crept behind the last guard, silent as a shadow. his red eyes lit up in anticipation of the kill. Nyph's job was a thrill. As the blood poured from the ashlander's throat, Nyph let out a sharp, high-pitched whistle.
Nyph watched as the army mercilessly cut into the Erabenimsun ranks. He smiled at the fact that his old tribe was finally eradicated. He had a lot of smiles as of late.
Han-Ammu, the recently-appointed ashkhan fought with all his strength, though he was no fighter, once stripped of his magical belongings given to him by the one seeking to be named the Nerevarine. His eyes grew wide as a claymore stabbed through his stomach.
"And so the tribe falls." Valnor remarked as Han-Ammu fell to the ground.
The remaining Erabenimsun were allowed to run - it was only a few women and children, maybe one warrior.
Nyph walked up to Valnor, who was surveying the scene, proud of his victory.
"One down." he remarked to the warrior.
"Three to go." Valnor finished for him. "Who's next?" he asked with a grin.
Nyph sat smoking his skooma pipe in Valnor's tent accompanied by Valnor and Lergo.
"Ahemmusa." Valnor said flatly. "All we have to do is go north and east, though we have to be careful now that they are inhabiting a daedric ruin."
Nyph nodded his agreement, more intent on his skooma than on any kind of discussion at that moment.
Lergo nodded as well, actually agreeing with Valnor's logic. just as he opened his mouth to voice his approval, a scout burst through the tent.
"Valnor!" The scout said in a breathless voice. "The Urshilaku...they are having a large celebration of some sort."
"And...?" Valnor asked, obviously not wanting to be disturbed for such a petty bit of information.
"They have a new hero." The scout answered. "Supposedly, he fulfills an ancient prophecy."
Valnor sat down, and began to stare off into the distance as he thought about the implications. Was it the Nerevarine he had heard so much about? Would the Incarnate be helping the Urshilaku get their revenge? Did the Urshilaku know who and where they were? There were too many questions, and Valnor seriously thought about going for the Urshilaku next.
"Leave us." Valnor ordered the scout. When the intruder left the tent, Valnor turned to his advisors. "So do we change course for the Urshilaku?"
He was answered with a simultaneous "no" from his associates.
"If they have the Nerevarine fighting for them..." Valnor warned, leaving the implications unsaid.
Nyph sat up, putting his pipe aside. "There are numerous prophecies, some made up by ashkhans just to bolster his own position. I highly doubt it is the Nerevarine, more than likely someone form a lesser prophecy."
Valnor turned to Lergo. "What do you think?" he asked, wanting to know the wizard's opinion.
"I have to agree with Nyph." Lergo began. "You cannot automatically assume that the person they are holding a celebration for is from one specific prophecy. Have you ever studied prophecy?" Lergo asked, trying to explain. "There are millions, no billions, of prophecies. To assume that it is one specific one, without even knowing the person's exploits is rash at best."
Valnor nodded, content with the explanation for the time being, though he left out his main concern - the Nerevarine Prophecies were thought to be almost complete. He doubted that even he could stand up to Lord Nerevar Reborn...
Nyph kept to the shadows of the daedric ruin. After the days of travelling, his job was almost relaxation. He crouched in a dark corner, waiting for a couple of the Ahemussa children to pass by. He had a much more important job this time around. Since the Ahemussa had no ashkhan, their only leader was a wise woman. One that did not have long to live.
Satisfied that the rowdy young ashlanders were far enough away, Nyph crept farther into the ruin. He peered around a corner to see the wise woman sitting in front of a large statue of a daedra prince with her legs crossed, obviously in some sort of trance. Creeping up behind her, Nyph was startled as the wise woman turned around to regard him, her eyes pure white instead of the typical red of dunmer. Nyph had only heard of this in bedtime stories his mother used to tell him - the wise woman was being used as a vessel for the ancestors.
Her face showed no emotion as she spoke to the flustered assassin. "It is prophecied that I will die, along with my tribe. But one will come to restore it." Then she smiled an evil smile. "And to destroy you."
Nyph was honestly scared, but that didn't stop him from smiling as he stabbed his dagger into her exposed neck.
"Prophecy was right about two things." he said confidently, all traces of fear gone.
He crept back outside, under the satrs and met up with Valnor.
"My task is done. Make sure yours is as well." Nyph said, not feeling that it was necessary to speak of what happened in the shrine.
Valnor lead half of his force into the ruined shrine, and soon a fierce battle began inside the dark, purplish walls. Valnor smiled grimly as he cut an ashlander in half at the waist. He charged at yet another dunmer, and quickly overpowered him.
Leaderless, the confused Ahemussa were soon falling. Valnor pulled his claymore out of a screaming ashlander's stomach as he looked around to survey the scene.
"Hunt them all down!" he yelled. "I want no survivors."
The rogues soon lost all order as they slaughtered, raped, and plundered all that was left of the tribe. All but one young ashlander who had been ordered to run to the other tribes as an example. A drunk rogues idea, no less.
As Valnor inspected the halls, he gave the order to make camp. This would be a nice place to stay and rest, he figured. Until it was time to deal with the Zainab.
Nyph came up on Valnor, his share of plundering done. "Here's one for you." he said with a lewd smile as he pushed a young dunmer girl toward towards Valnor.
Valnor frowned. This was a touchy subject between Valnor and his assassin. If Valnor had his way, all kinds of plundering would be strictly forbidden. Nyph had convinced him otherwise - his entire army was nothing more than oucasts that lived for those very things. It was key to keeping them organized.
Valnor didn't even answer Nyph, instead he glared at the skinny dunmer until he walked away. With the girl of course.
While Valnor was undeniably cruel and merciless, he was hard as iron when it came to keeping his honor.
The dunmer warrior went into his tent and stared at the map, planning exactly how he should approach the Zainab.
Valnor stepped in his small boat to leave the island. He looked all around him to make sure that all the boats were together and heading the same direction. Satisfied, he took his claymore off his back and set it down beside him as he sat down. The sea was unsually calm that day - the surface was as smooth as glass. The bright, sunny weather seeemed to be reflecting everyone's mood - happy.
In about an hour, all the boats were on shore. The rogues left the boats there, and immediately began their march for the Zainab.
Nyph caught up to the fast-moving Valnor. "What's the plan?"
"Kill them." he answered. The Zainab weren't exactly a formiddable foe; their ashkhan was not well versed in the art of battle, and everyone knew it.
Nyph smiled. that was always the best plan of action.
(c)2005 Dantrag