Chapter 2: Gauntlet
The voices dimmed for a second. With the creak of well-used but poorly maintained hinges, the door leading up to the barracks was opened. Neither the Bosmer nor the Altmer could see it open, but in the latter’s case, he’d heard it open and close so often that he would recognize that sound anywhere. Several boots could be heard loudly descending the short flight of stairs, along with a pair of softer footsteps, like someone wearing slippers.
“I think we should go further into the complex.” A male’s voice said.
“No, there’s no need. There are twelve guards in the room we just came from, all fully armed, fully awake and facing the entrance with their swords out. What could get past them?” A second voice countered.
“My liege?” A third voice, female this time.
“I leave it all in your hands, captain. Don’t mind me, just take care of this according to your best judgement.” A fourth voice, male again and slightly croaking.
“Alright, we’ll hide in one of the cells here.” The female decided.
The Altmer edged deeper into the alcove.
“I need you to go sit in plain sight. Don’t let anyone know I’m here.” He whispered urgently. The Bosmer looked up at him with a frown.
“Why me? If you think they’re dangerous and you’re planning to sacrifice me, no way.” She whispered back. The Altmer gave her a sudden push and before she knew it, she was kneeling on the floor in the center of her cell. She suppressed a yelp as her knee scraped against the rough floor.
“No one will lay hands on you, I promise.” The Altmer said behind her. She looked at him, but he had vanished.
“What, where did you go?”
She looked at the bars. The unknown visitors strode into view. First came a male with dark skin, bearing a fresh torch. She held her head sideways a little. When he turned to her, she concluded that he had indeed dark skin, it wasn’t merely the relative darkness of the prison fooling her eyes.
“I’ve never seen something like him. Where’s he from?” She stammered.
“This one’s occupied. A single girl.” The man said. The Bosmer now also noticed the light cast by the torch reflecting on a suit of armour.
“layered bands of metal that overlap, I’ve never seen a suit of armour like this before. The man who arrested me at the park didn’t wear something like this.” She observed. She pulled a whimsical smile. The man tensed as he saw this and his free hand skipped to the hilt of a sword at his side. When he noticed she didn’t take any action, he relaxed again.
“Doesn’t matter. Anyone coming through the door can see it from the top of the stairs, we don’t want it.” The female voice said, still out of her sight.
The Bosmer pulled her legs under her and shifted into a more comfortable position. Perhaps if she walked up to the bars, she could see the other visitors. But the dark man looked as if he would skewer her just for that. He was awefully nervous, she could practically smell him sweat, even from where she was. She licked her lips. Somehow, the scent made her thirsty. The man walked up to her celldoor and pulled at it.
“Locked, fortunately. Alright, I’ll check the other.” He said and turned his back on her.
“Also occupied. Dunmer, looks like a wreck. There are further cells down the corridor, I assume. But that would be too far, right captain?” He spoke.
It was the female who replied.
“Must be the one in charge of the group.” The Bosmer concluded.
“Yes, if we stay here, we can listen to the outcome of the fight above. There is no way out of the prison but through the door we just used. If we hide further and somehow, the impossible happens, our assailants only need to barricade this door and starve us out. At least we’ll know how the odds are if we stay close.” The female reasoned out loud.
“Alright, open the cell. We don’t have the keys, so just stick your sword in the lock and wrench it open. “She then ordered the dark man.
“Whatever you say, madam. But the pricetag for fixing this sharp beauty will be yours to pay.” The man answered and unsheathed his sword. The tone in which he’d said it though made it clear he was merely joking.
“Katana. Sharp, light, but fragile. Not suited for prolonged engagements. Not suited against heavy armour either.” The Bosmer looked to where the voice had come from, but the Altmer was nowhere to be seen.
“He can turn invisible? But…he’s not underwater.” She shook off her confusion and instead got up when she heard the lock crack. She moved in closer to get a better look. She wouldn’t miss the chance to see the Dunmer get roughed up by these knights or whatever they were. As if on cue, the Dunmer woke up from the noise. He looked up with a wide open mouth as his unexpected and armed guest tucked a toe behind one of the bars and pulled the door open, never relinquishing his hold on either sword or torch. He grinned, revealing his rotten teeth in all their glory.
“Oh, I can’t believe my eyes. A hero has come to resque me!” He said and batted away a tear. The Bosmer on the other side sighed.
“What a drama-actor.” She thought.
The dark man entered the cell and pointed his sword, the katana, directly at the Dunmer’s throat.
“Shut up, unless you want to see your blood spilled on the floor. I’m no hero and I’m not here to resque anyone….” He hissed quite loud.
“Anyone?” The croaking voice asked, sounding quite amused. The Bosmer tilted her head to the right and now she could see him. He was an old man, dressed in a nightgown and indeed wearing slippers almost as pale as she was, which said a lot, with few strands of snowwhite hair on an otherwise bald head. His face was deformed by wrinkles, his mouth was slightly opened as he breathed heavily from the fatigue merely standing there gave him. But his eyes seemed to draw her in. There was something behind them, something that she couldn’t describe.
The dark man didn’t move from where he was standing, but the way his shoulders sagged made it obvious that he felt embarrassed.
“Except you, my liege. My apologies, please forgive me.” He said sheepishly. The old man laughed and coughed.
“No, you must forgive an old man his ill-timed humour. Anyway, I’m going to enter the cell now. Please keep an eye on the prisoner.” He chuckled. His chuckling died down as a cacophony of noise erupted from the barracks.
“There they are! Get them! We prison guards may be the lowest of the low, but we’ll show them that we have the true Legion spirit!” A voice howled, somewhat muffled by the walls. The Bosmer gasped. That was the voice of the commander who had placed her in this cell. She involuntarily stepped back in surprise at her own response. She then lowered her head and closed her eyes.
“Please, let him be safe. He doesn’t know it, but I am gratefull for not being put together with that creep over there.” She prayed.
She heard an odd roar and redoubled her efforts, though she had no idea which god to pray to. Would her god save a heathen man from a faraway land?
“Haha!” Her eyes shot open at the sudden laugh and she ran back to the bars to see. She couldn’t believe what she saw. The Dunmer had thrown a loose brick at the Redguard’s head and knocked him out. Now he’d jumped out into the corridor and grabbed the old man by the neck. He held a broken shard of ceramic at the man’s throat. The dark man’s companions, both wearing the same armour as him, drew two more katanas but were unable to do anything without endangering the old man.
“Ok, now drop those butterknifes or the old coot gets it!” The Dunmer shouted. He was grinning even more than before.
“You can’t do this! It will be your own doom, fiend! Kill the man, and we kill you. Surrender, and we might let you live.” The woman spat. The Dunmer laughed again.
“Oh, really? But if I’m not mistaken, this fetcher here is very important. You won’t lift a finger as long as I can slit his throat just like that.” He raised the ceramic shard.
“Or were you thinking of healing him with a spell? I could just as easily plunge it into his eyeball directly into his brain. Good spell that can fix that!”
“What are you doing?!” The Bosmer shouted suddenly. All, except the unconscious dark man, looked at her. The Dunmer laughed. It gave her the shivers, how that laugh grated on the ears.
“Nothing special. I’m just getting out of here, one way or another. Say, girl. You can come with me of course. I’m sure they’ll let you. They’ll do anything. Of course, I am doing you a favour here and favours are meant to be repayed.” He replied. The girl shook her head, then stopped the motion. It would be a way out of this place. She’d only been here for a week or two, but who knew how much longer it would be if she didn’t take the chance. Surely the price would be worth it. He winked, and she made her decision.
“No way! I’m not selling my body to anyone for anything! Why don’t you just drop dead and rot?!” Her tirade was cut off with another roar. The two warriors looked at the door for a moment. There were no further commands, or battlecries. Only, silence.
The Dunmer looked disappointed.
“Ah, I was giving you a great chance. Oh well, plenty of girls in the outside world, prettier even. Heh, now where were we? Oh yes, you two were going to drop those swords and the….” He cut himself off.
“Hey, where did the silent guy go?” He then asked out loud. Before he could say anything else, he simply sank to the floor, dragging the old man with him due to his weight. The shard cut into the man’s cheek, but as if by miracle, it missed his eye.
There was an incredibly loud bang. Then a second bang, but this one was so soft it could barely be heard. The banging continued.
“This will hold, for a while.” The captain had rushed over to help the old man back onto his feet while her companion put the dark man onto his shoulder. Only the Bosmer wasn’t occupied with anything so only she looked at the door where the banging was coming from. To her surprise, the Altmer was standing there, and the door was wrapped in some kind of green light.
“How did you get there…the cell is locked!” She stammered. The Altmer turned to her and both corners of his mouth twitched upward just a bit.
“I’ve been places, done things.” He answered in his usual cryptic way. He glanced at the door for a moment, which now seemed to consist of nothing but cracks. The strange light now seemed to be the only thing that kept the door from buckling inwards.
The Altmer wandered over to the door of her cell. The two warriors were now watching him intently. Neither was willing to just drop their companion and draw his or her sword though.
“Identify yourself, stranger. Glenroy, arrest him!” The captain ordered. The Altmer ran a quick hand across the lock on the bosmer’s celldoor before turning around and calmly looking down on Glenroy’s brandished sword.
“For the peace of your mind, I’d rather not tell. And please, young man. Lower your sword. I am neither an enemy nor someone you should waste such a fine blade on.” He then shifted his gaze to the old man. The two locked eyes. Simultaneously, recognition dawned on the Altmer’s face while the old man looked stricken.
“It has been a long time, my liege. I assume you still remember me?” The Altmer said solemnly and bowed. The old man however, clutched his chest as his heart began to race in the grips of a growing panic.
“You!…It’s you…But you were dead!”
The others now regarded the Altmer with even more open confusion than they already had.
“Dead?” The man known as Glenroy mumbled and slightly lowered his sword. The Bosmer took her eyes off the Altmer for a moment to look at him. He wasn’t as dark as the dark man.
“Maybe the dark man is special? A warriorpriest? Does he rub himself in with mud?” She wondered. The green seal on the door began to ring. The Altmer turned to it.
“Ah, that’s a bit sooner than I thought.” He noted before turning back to the old man. He was still bleeding from the cut on his cheek, but it appeared that the wound would close on its own soon enough.
“My liege, I am here to bring you an offer.” The Altmer said.
“An…offer? I will never accept it, never!” The old man replied near instantaneously. Even though he was clearly afraid, his voice was even and strong. Glenroy raised his katana again and took one step closer to the Altmer.
“You’ve heard him. Now back into….wha?!” The warrior’s eyes tracked the blade which had broken from the hilt.
“I told you it would be a waste of a fine sword.” The Altmer dryly commented. The seal’s ringing became louder and now approached the point where they would have to yell to get over the sound. Then, the ringing was cut off abruptly, to be replaced with a deafening roar.
The Altmer turned back to the door slowly. The seal had fallen and the door had blown outward in a hail of sharp woodfragments that peppered the opposite wall. Something came through, first in the form of a monstrous scaled arm with fingers that ended in sharp talons as large as a sword. The Altmer began to move towards it with a calm that seemed highly inapropiate next to what was coming through. Everyone else was on the verge of running, safe for the old man. The Bosmer did run, to the far end of her cell. Only an arm could be seen, but even that was already larger than the Altmer, who wasn’t a short person himself. Its presense was overwhelming.
A head followed. Even larger than the talons, it was a long and narrow wedge. A wedge with two rows of teeth that glistened with fresh blood. The monster let out another roar as it gripped both sides of the doorframe and pushed, cracking the walls and widening the gap. The Altmer reached the bottom of the stairs where he stopped, completely at ease. Once it was wide enough, the creature stepped through with unexpected grace and turned to eye Altmer who was closest. It opened its mouth for another roar, when the Altmer calmly raised a single hand.
“Stasis hold.”
Green bands formed out of thin air and wrapped around every joint. The jaws snapped shut again, forced together by one of the bands. The monster flared the nostrils at the tip of its beak, emitting the sound of a kettle on a fire. Its tail sweeped from side to side furiously, but it was the only appendage that could move. Every other part of its body had effectively been immobilized by the bands, no matter how hard it strained to break them. The Altmer observed his handywork for a moment, adding a second layer of the green bands wherever he deemed it necessary, before turning back to the old man.
“My liege, please hear me out. This here, is a Daedroth, a being summoned from Oblivion. It has the power to take down scores of soldiers with little difficulty, as the unfortunate prison guards found out. Its claws can cut steel, its jaws can crush Ebony, its skin is thicker than a Legionaire’s shield and if even that wasn’t enough, it has a modest magicka offensive as well. I give your Blades slim odds of surviving in battle against it, even now, when it is nearly immobilized.” He said.
He walked back to the celldoor he’d brushed his hand against earlier. The Bosmer saw him reemerge and carefully moved to the bars. When she looked to the right and saw the Daedroth for the first time in its full glory, she felt her heart skip a beat.
“What’s that…thing? I hope you rest well, commander whose name I don’t know.”
“Therefore, I’m granting you a choice. You can choose to reject my offer, in which case I will stand aside as you and your followers attempt to pass the Daedroth. If you do however, and if you somehow manage, remember that whenever there is a Daedroth, there is a supremely powerful conjurer nearby.” He began. His hands folded around the doorbolt and he pulled. The door opened.
“My offer, is a greater chance at survival. When Jagar Tharn ordered this prisonblock to be constructed, he demanded several additional features. One of them is that the walls are not lined with silver, which means that the magicka in this block is not drained. As such, spells are not inhibited, which I’m sure you have already noticed. The other feature, is a connection to Cyrodiil’s foundations. From there, one can leave the city undetected.” He continued.
“Why would I have any desire to leave the city? So you can do as you please?” The old man asked in a hostile tone. He’d gotten over his first shock and was now in firm control of himself. The Altmer frowned, the first sign of irritation he’d shown.
“Yes, so I can do as I please! That, and for your own good!”
“Girl, could you be so kind and kick the backside of the alcove? There is a small crack roughly twenty centimetres from the floor, on the left side, barely visible if you know where to look. Kick there, as hard as you can.” He asked the Bosmer. His frown had fled as sudden as it came and he now wore his expression of stoic calm. She simply stared at him.
“You knock out the greyskin from a distance. You turn invisible without water. You exit this cell without opening the door. You can put some sort of barrier on a door and use the same thing to chain that monster over there. You can do all that and you’re asking me to kick a crack? What good would that do?” She replied and shrugged.
“Why don’t you just kill it and have us leave through the front door? It doesn’t seem as if there’s anything beyond your limits.” She added.
The Altmer shook his head.
“I do have limits. A Daedroth perhaps isn’t one of them. But, there are reasons why the front door right now is not in our best interests.” He explained.
“The conjurer.” Someone realized.
“The dark priest, he’s conscious.” The Bosmer yelped. The dark man gave her a wry grin.
“I hate to disappoint you, beauty. I am no priest.” He said as he felt his jaw. His face was rather sore, but he knew that his helmet had prevented any permanent and more serious injuries.
“Wouldn’t want to either. I was not made to live a life without a warm heart that beats together with mine.” He added and flashed a wink at her.
“Hey! Don’t get the wrong idea! I may have been worried about you, but I’m not interested!” The girl pointed out. She strode to the alcove and gave a swift kick to the place where the Altmer’s tiny crack should be.
“In fact, I think I’m just going to give this a try. It’s not as if this situation can get any more awkward.” She shouted as she did so. The alcove began to rumble and she jumped back. The whole wall sank into the floor, much to her surprise.
“After performing research at the Dwemer fort of Dragon’s gate in Hammerfell, Tharn managed to develop the mechanism you just saw in action. From here, we can enter the foundations of the city. Only archeologists know of this place, and they only operate on the far side of it.” The Altmer said.
“I repeat, why would we want to follow you? You don’t hold much value to me except to further your plans.” The old man interrupted. The warriors flocked around him. Glenroy had picked up the fallen torch and now brandished it instead of his sword. Again the Altmer frowned.
“Exactly, my liege. Your only value is to further my plans. But, your continued existence is a part of them. So there. That’s why I am willing to help. I won’t give you my word for you won’t accept it. But know this. If you decide to take me up on my offer, I will guide you through this night as well as I can.” He hissed. Without wasting any further words, he entered the cell and moved to the rough tunnel that had been hidden behind the alcove.
“Let’s go, girl. I have the feeling your crime was one of ignorance rather than malice and as such, I am granting you your freedom.” He said to the Bosmer.
Once the two elves had departed, the Blades and the old man looked at the Daedroth. The titanic creature was still struggling against its bonds, to no avail.
“Captain?” The dark man asked.
“I am out of options, Baurus. My liege?” The captain turned to the old man in return.
“To choose between certain death or the guidance of one who has betrayed me before in the most bitter way imaginable. Neither choice appeals to me.” The old man replied. He shook his wrinkled head.
“Yet, I’d rather choose to follow him once more and trust in the guidance of the Divines, than jump into those hungry maws like a fool. We will follow him, captain. But we will watch him closely.” He decided after a moment of silent debate. He entered the cell and stopped at the alcove.
“To think I would actually follow his advice once more. The Divines have mysterious ways.” He muttered.
Baurus and the captain followed, but Glenroy remained behind for a moment. He kept one eye on the Daedroth at all times, which stared at him with one of its own. The Blade shivered. He could almost feel the raw hate that foul beast exuded.
“Hey! What about the Dunmer! Shouldn’t we kill him?!” Glenroy shouted. Baurus reemerged from the tunnel for one moment.
“Don’t push your luck with that monstrosity nearby, Glenroy! Let it eat him, if it’s hungry. That would be a more fitting end than a sword, if you ask me!” He called back. Glenroy took one last glance at the unconscious Dunmer before setting off after his companions in a quick run.
The tunnel was dark, rough rock on all sides. There were no cobwebs, no insects scittering about. To the Bosmer, the place also had an unpleasant scent. It smelled dead, though not in a form she was familiar with. The tunnel also wasn’t very high and the Altmer practically had to crawl. Even she had to bend down a bit. Whatever light there came from the direction of the prison was soon lost as they descended deeper. Neither said a word at first though in the end, the silence became simply unbearable.
“Umm…can I ask you something?” The Bosmer spoke up as she carefully brushed away a few sharper rocks that threatened to open her knees.
“You can ask, but I don’t know if I can answer.” The Altmer replied. The girl tilted her head to one side and wondered if she should feel discouraged by that.
“What I’ve been thinking about….I’ve been thinking about a lot actually. But one thing is, how long have you been in prison?” She asked.
“A couple of years.”
“And how long have you known about this escape route?” She pressed on.
“Roughly the same couple of years.” She rose her head in surprise and hit the ceiling.
“Ow!…But if you knew about it all that time, then why didn’t you use it?” She asked while rubbing her head.
“I should remember to keep down till I can actually see a ceiling.”
“I did use it three times before, to see if it was still open. I always returned.” The Altmer revealed. He didn’t stop to see if she was injured badly, which somewhat annoyed her. Then there was the fact that none of his answers actually explained a thing, other than that he was strange.
“But why?” She asked with rising frustration.
“As I said earlier, I was waiting.”
The Bosmer didn’t fire her next question right away. Instead she tried to piece together the clues he’d been willing to drop. So he’d been waiting and he’d kept a secret escape route at hand all the time. But now he was using it and she had the distinct feeling that this time, he would not return to his cell.
“You were waiting for the old man.” She concluded.
“True.” The Altmer admitted. She cherished her little victory at getting one answer that wasn’t too cryptic. But then, she realized that she still didn’t know why he had been waiting for the old man.
“So, who is he and how did you know he would be coming?”
She thought she was beginning to see the outlines of her hands. Were they getting closer to the other end?
“That man is Uriel Septim, the Emperor of Tamriel. Apart from being a political leader, he also has another equally important position. As all men with power, he has enemies and assassination attempts are not uncommon. Most of these attempts never even get past the front doors of his palace and those that do, are usually stopped in the main hall. Very rarely though, an assassin or group of assassins manages to elude all security. If this is found out, the Emperor relocates to a hiding place along with several elite guards. This hiding place is unsurprisingly, the prison. After all, why would an Emperor surround himself with cutthroats, smugglers and thieves willingly? No one would search for him there.” The Altmer said. It was the most he’d said to her up to now.
“Except you. You didn’t even search for him, you just waited for him to come. Why?” The Bosmer asked next. She could see her hands clearly now. They had to be getting close to an exit.
“Because, if there is an opposition out there capable of forcing the Emperor to hide, that opposition is powerful enough to slay him if he does not hide well enough. And that, is something which must be prevented at all costs.”
“But what if he decides to dance with that Daedroth or whatever you called it? You know you practically abandoned him back there. He's old, he could be senile.” She asked, despite feeling that this was a question he would not answer willingly.
“I have my reasons.” Was all he said. Just as she’d thought.
The Altmer reached the end of the tunnel and stood up straight. The Bosmer crawled out herself and skipped to his side. They were in a room made of what looked a lot like white marble, except it was littered with tiny dents and cracks. The floors, the walls, even the ceiling was made of the white material. It looked majestic and ancient at the same time. The light she’d noticed as they crawled through the tunnel turned out to be the work of a good dozen torches that were placed in their holders on the walls.
“Oh, look. A door.” The Bosmer said and planned to walk towards it but the Altmer brusquely grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.
“Don’t move.” He whispered urgently.
She looked at him but didn’t voice her question. He’d whispered, so he probably wanted her to stay quiet and from what she’d seen already, doing whatever he told her to do was by far the healthiest course of action. She did not want to end up tied by scores of shimmering green bands squeezing on her joints. He motioned for her to stay at the tunnel and be ready to crawl through it. She nodded that she understood his instructions but she did not comprehend the reason behind them. Nevertheless, she crouched down and watched as he calmly walked forward, seemingly completely at ease and with no eye for his surroundings whatsoever. She knew it was a false impression though. He’d walked just like that when the Daedroth burst the door.
The Altmer kept walking till he reached the door, which consisted of several bronze bars. Once there, he looked to his left and then reached for the torch which hung there. His fingertips just touched the wood, when he suddenly swung down his hand and made a grabbing motion.
“Stasis hold.” He chanted and just like last time, shimmering green bands manifested, only this time they crawlded chaotically through the air under the Altmer’s hand. The air crackled and became distorted. The Distortion became more solid, eventually forming into a man, an Imperial, garbed in a red robe. The bands shot to the joints and clenched around them. Another green band flowed from the Altmer’s hand, which he’d apparently put on the invisible man’s shoulder. This last band settled around his head and covered the mouth.
“Just as I thought. You can come back out now.”
The Bosmer walked up to the couple, though she stopped while still three large steps away. The robed man struggled against the bands but they were so rigid, only his strained expression was any indication of the silent battle being fought.
“Why don’t you just relax? If a five metres tall Daedroth can’t break these, then how do you think you can?” She found herself speak up. The Altmer cocked an eyebrow and for a moment she was afraid he would berate her. Instead, he merely looked over towards the tunnel they’d come from. He then smiled.
“I see that you have made the right choice, my liege.” He said.
The Emperor coughed and tried to brush the dust off of his nightgown. He only managed to create even larger smears so in the end he gave up.
“It is not the right choice, merely the better of two bad choices.” He replied formally.
“Well then, I see you have managed to restrain a would-be assassin. Would you mind to ask him why he’s after me?” He asked next, indicating the much younger Imperial who had ceased his struggle by now. The Altmer flicked a finger and the band covering the mouth dissipated.
“Would you mind to tell us?” He asked. The smile he wore was rather unnerving, even moreso since it clearly wasn’t one of amusement.
“How….how did you know I was there? I won’t tell anything….I can’t tell anything!” The captive instead stammered. Glenroy waved his torch threateningly under the man’s nose. Fortunately for said noise, the flame had been stifled by the dust during his crawl through the tunnel. Glenroy noticed this himself and he swiftly corrected the flaw by taking one of the torches hanging on the walls.
“You were asked a question! If you value your face, you’d better talk.” He hissed venomously. The Altmer waved the Blade off.
“Would you mind? I believe I was the one conducting this interrogation.” He said calmly.
“And what makes you think you can do it better than I can?” Glenroy inquired in a voice that was a mixture between hostility and grudging respect.
“For one thing, my tools are somewhat more subtle than a burning piece of wood.” Was the Altmer’s answer.
“Anyway, I’ll answer your question and you will ask one of mine. Just one question.” He continued against the prisoner.
“The answer to yours is simple. There are burning torches hanging on the walls and the dust is displaced where you stand. Both are items you should not encounter in an ancient and abandoned complex. As it is, I might not have noticed a thing if you hadn’t placed those torches here. I can understand that the door must be visible in order to act as bait but still, the way you do this. Utterly inprofesional. Your plan was simple, flawed, foolish and seriously lacking any worthy thought whatsoever. Being invisible does not mean you no longer have any effect on your surroundings.” The smile vanished and he stood taller, forcing the Imperial to twist his neck back in order to see his eyes.
“Now as for my question. Beyond the Emperor, what else are you after?” He asked.
The Imperial shook his head. His skin glistened with cold sweat.
“I won’t tell! I…” A flick of a gold-skinned hand and the Imperial’s eyes half-closed.
“I…..We….we must find….and destroy….the Drago…” He never finished the sentence before his eyes closed completely and his head hung down. The Altmer felt for the man’s throat before releasing the bands. The Imperial slumped over on the floor, clearly dead.
“Now that was usefull! You switch questions to something completely useless and you kill him before he can answer!” Glenroy complained. Baurus however, frowned.
“Hmm, kill the Dragon? What is he, some kind of lunatic? After years of being unbreachable, a band of fanatics manages to penetrate the palace’s security? I find that hard to believe.” He grunted. The Altmer shook his head.
“I did not kill him.”
“Then who did?” The Bosmer wanted to know. Again the Altmer shook his head.
“Hard to say. I assume that the cause of death was a form of hypnosis. If forced to reveal any sensitive information, he will start to experience extreme stress and eventually suffer a heartattack. As for this question being useless, we already know they are after our liege. The why is irrelevant. Their other plans however, are. If we know their other plans, we can deduce why the Emperor is at threat as well.” He answered.
“So, you believe there is more behind this? Fanatics don’t kill off their own, not by hypnosis anyway.” The Captain interjected.
“I have some theories. Yet at the moment, they are still only theories.” The Altmer replied. He searched the dead man, finding a simple dagger and an ancient key.
“If that key fits on the door, it means we were supposed to fight him.” Baurus observed.
“Bait?” The Captain wondered. She drew her sword and motioned the other two Blades to do the same.
“If this one was bait, there must be more. It would make sense. Being invisible and armed only with a dagger, he might have managed to take down one of us, but never more. The Emperor would still be safe as we make sure to guard him with our own bodies. Seeing how this one is so weak, we might assume that he was merely placed there as a contingency to deal with a lone survivor or a prisoner making his escape in the confusion. A killer of witnesses. We might come to believe that he’s the only one and lower our guard.” She reasoned. The door swung open with a shriek of half-rusted hinges.
“And since there are no more torches further up ahead, we might conclude that he really is the only one.” The Altmer finished.
“I appreciate all the analyzing, but I’m afraid I lack the stamina to keep standing forever. Let us move on till we reach safety. And till then, no sword shall be sheathed.” The Emperor decided. The Altmer nodded.
“As you wish, my liege.”
They moved through the door in an orderly line. Glenroy came first, brandishing his torch which was the only source of light. The Altmer followed next. Then came Baurus and the Captain who flanked the Emperor. Last was the Bosmer, who ran back to the lit room after she’d taken a few steps. She grabbed one of the other torches and hurried to rejoin the group.
“Why is this place abandoned anyway? Sure, it’s a tad dusty, but I know some people who would pay lots of money for a quality basement. Just look at it, no leaks anywhere and we’re in the middle of a lake below sealevel.” She heard Baurus say once she caught up.
“What is that, you have dreams of going into prime estate?” Glenroy chuckled. The dark man shrugged.
“Well hey, there will come a time when I can’t swing swords with the best of them anymore. It pays to keep your options open.” He replied.
“But maybe our local font of knowledge knows something?” He continued and gestured at the Altmer. Even though the Elf had his back turned to the dark man, he seemed to know it was him who was indicated. Most likely because he was indeed the local font of knowledge, the Bosmer reasoned.
“Mostly local superstition. Superstition from after the first era, when so-called slave-queen Allessia successfully conquered Cyrodiil. The people in those days claimed that the ghosts of those who had fallen continued their battle here. Since ghosts are generally found frightening, rather than attempting to put them to rest, this place was sealed off and buried. New houses were built, generations came and went and it was forgotten till archeologists rediscovered this place half a century ago. That is, after a wall in one of the sewer canals had cracked thanks to a neglectfull mage dropping his rather explosive experiments through the toilet. And that’s the story.” He explained.
“Would there be any truth to this superstition?” The Emperor asked. His voice had an icy tone to it.
“So far, neither the archaeologists nor I have found any proof towards the presence of ghosts.” The Altmer plainly answered.
They passed another bronze door and entered a small chamber similar to the one the tunnel had led to. Too similar, it turned out.
“Woah!” Baurus shouted and just barely managed to catch the arrow with the rim of his shield, preventing it from penetrating the Emperor’s skull.
“Flanks!” The Captain ordered. She turned one-hundred and eighty degrees so that her shield now faced outward as well. One quick scan of the room revealed that they were in a disadvantageous position. There were four archers, one pair perched on each of the ledges on both sides. They were too high to reach with a sword. The only thing she and the other Blades could do was to catch the arrows with their shields and hope their assailants forgot to bring plenty of ammunition.
“Back up! Back through the door!” The Captain shouted. The Bosmer stumbled backwards, tripped and fell. The Blades and the Emperor rushed past without paying her any heed. She scrambled back onto her feet and raced after them, expecting an arrow between her shoulder-blades at every step. The Altmer was close behind, though he stopped once he was through the door. He put a seal on it as he’d done back at the prison before turning to his companions. If there was one thing the archers had done wrong, it was their decision to all fire at the same time. The time it took for them to reload was a critical one, one which had made it possible for their target to slip away.
“Seriously, for all the attitude you display in the midst of a crisis, I expected you to put them on fire or something while we were gone, not to run away yourself.” Glenroy taunted. The Altmer merely cocked an eyebrow and said nothing.
“Whining gets us nowhere. There are archers up there and I don’t like that. We’re Blades. We’re supposed to protect the Emperor against the swords and daggers, not against bows. And who is to say that those archers are the last obstacle we’ll have to face? What’s next, mages? We can’t stop fireballs with our shields.” The Captain interjected.
“Yeah, just what is Ocato doing right now? He’s the Imperial Battlemage! Shouldn’t he be here as well? He is the guy who is supposed to deal with hostile mages, it’s in his job description!” Baurus grumbled.
“I have dispatched a messenger but he returned saying that Ocato saw no need for his aid and that this could be adequately taken care off by the Legion.” The Emperor said.
“That good for nothing windbag…With all due respect, my liege, but I hope you will have a word with him tomorrow.” Glenroy hissed.
“I plan to.”
Throughout the exchange, the Bosmer had been quiet. She noticed that the Altmer was looking away, with an odd expression on his face.
“Hey, anything wrong?” She asked while the Blades began to bicker about what to do.
“It’s nothing.” The Altmer replied. The girl shrugged.
“Ok, care to tell me what an Imperial Battlemage is, then?” She asked next. The Altmer frowned slightly.
“It doesn’t matter. Forget about it.” He said.
“Huh?” The Bosmer grew a frown of her own. Something was wrong here, despite all claims to the contrary.
“Just what am I doing here, trying to hold a conversation? I nearly got turned into a pincushion back there. What’s to stop them from coming through the door? Oh wait, he put one of those green thingies on it.” She thought. She made up her mind and braced herself for the backlash she was going to unleash.
“If it’s nothing important, then it wouldn’t harm to tell me about it, would it? What is an Imperial Battlemage? Where does it come from? What does it do? You know, I’ve always been interested in foreign history. I can name you all the Pyandonea-Summerset wars of the last twothousand years, you know.”
He turned to her and remained silent for a long time. It frightened her and she edged backwards slowly in a subconscious attempt to avoid his gaze. He looked as if he was in pain.
“Err…nevermind. I didn’t say anything.” She giggled nervously.
“There is no Imperial Battlemage, nor is there any order that provides them. Tharn made sure of that. Wiped them all out.” The Altmer suddenly said.
The Blades interrupted their discussion.
“Hey, did you just say something?” Baurus asked. Glenroy pushed his helmet back a bit and wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he looked at the two elves.
“So, did you just claim that Ocato is not the Imperial Battlemage? I mean, he does carry the title openly.” He wondered out loud.
“Ocato has never visited the Battlespire, has he? If he hasn’t received his training from there, he is not a Battlemage.” The Altmer said. The Emperor gestured at the seal on the door.
“Is there any other way out of here that does not take us past four archers and perhaps more ambushes further up ahead?” He asked.
“Is it just me, or is he really happy to change the subject?” The Bosmer thought.
“None. I am now convinced that the assassins are making use of the same route I was planning to use. There is one other solution however. I could create a path.” The Altmer said.
“And is he really happy to go along with it? Hmm, touchy subject, isn’t it?”
“Which leaves us with only one thing. The archers. We can’t have witnesses.” Glenroy noted. The Altmer looked at him silently and nodded.
“Very well. I’ll take care of them.”
“Wait!” The Bosmer yelled as the seal on the door was dispelled. The Altmer stopped and turned.
“It’s one against four and they’re up on a ledge! You’re gonna get killed!” She whimpered. The Altmer sighed.
“That is not what you believe.” He observed.
“Ehm…well….yeah. Ok, so I think you’ll be back in all of five seconds. But you’re going to kill them, aren’t you?” To this, the Altmer did not respond.
“Well, of course he is. What else did you think he was going to do, give them a lecture on the sociological differences between Cyrodiil and Stros M’kai?” Baurus said in a half-joking way.
“But……” She tried and fell silent.
“I hate killing. How can anyone be so cold about it? It’s just wrong. The only way to die should be in a bed, saying goodbye to your great-great-great-great grandchildren after playing with them for one last time. How old are they? I saw their faces….forty, fifty? They’re so young I bet they don’t even have kids! Or is it different with the round-ears? Do they think that a violent death is the only one that is right?” She thought.
To her surprise, it was the Emperor who knew what was going on in her mind.
“I will not try to justify my own existence. But if we allow them to live, they will warn their accomplices and a large hunt will start. Till I have reached safety and till I am surrounded by scores of dedicated soldiers, I cannot afford word to come out.” He said.
“Please take the necessary precautions…that is all I ask.” He added to the Altmer. The mage nodded and ventured through the door. Not a sound was heard till his return. And when he returned, he said only one thing.
“It is done.”
The Emperor nodded.
“Good. And about that path?” He questioned. The Altmer gestured off to his left at one of the many intersections they’d previously passed.
“In there.” He said in a neutral tone and began to walk.
“It just doesn’t touch you, does it?” The Bosmer hissed. The Altmer froze. Of all, it was the girl who was the most shocked at her own reaction.
“You just walk in there, kill four people for no good reason and now you pretend it never happened!” She continued venomously.
“Woah, careful. There was a good reason, a really good one.” Baurus tried, but to no avail.
“No reason is good enough for murder! It’s the lowest of the low things one can do! And he did it not just once, but four times! On purpose!” She snapped.
“We might want to keep our voices down for a while, lest more assassins track us down and force even more bloodshed.” The Captain warned urgently.
“I do care.” The Altmer muttered. Everyone fell silent and watched at him as he stood with his back turned to them.
“I care, but that doesn’t matter. I have no time for a weighted heart. Not now, not then.” He began to move again.
“Now be quiet. If you don’t want to come, that’s your problem. But if so, your lifespan will be greatly shortened.” He added. The Blades and the Emperor followed quickly and, rather hesitantly, the Bosmer followed as well.
“You monster. Don’t think I’m just going to shrug and forget about it like you do.”
“So, where does this path lead to and why do you think that the assassins won’t have this one blocked off?” Glenroy asked after a while.
“Because it leads to a dead end.” The Altmer replied. Roughly a hundred steps further, the corridor did indeed end in a round chamber. There was little that hinted at its purpose, except what looked like a sealed well in the center. Strangely enough, the floor was flooded by a few centimetres of water which dripped from a tiny crack in the walls.
“This wall is now the only thing between us and the lake. If I open the crack wider, water will rush in and flood the entire network of corridors and chambers. After that, it will take something that can breathe water for indefinite periods to explore this place. The Emperor will be assumed to have drowned, which will hopefully remove the other assassins from the equation.” The Elf explained.
He pressed a hand on the crack and veins of white energy trailed from his palm, crafting a web on the wall. The light intensified as the gaps between the tendrils were filled and the Altmer stepped back. A barrier appeared as a dome over the group, while the now completely solid circle of light continued its work. At first it was uncertain just what it purpose was, but it soon became visible that it was moving back and where it had gone, the wall was no more.
“Such magicka.” The Emperor mumbled.
“My liege?” Glenroy said. The old man seemed unaware he had been spoken to.
“Passwall. I’d outlawed that spell.” He continued. He then shook his head.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at you having knowledge of that. But still, it is more subtle than I’d expected.” The Altmer looked at the old man over his shoulder.
“A sudden explosion would have been too suspicious when seen from the outside.” He said. He looked up at the ceiling for a second.
“Passwall isn’t to my preference either. After the outlawing, every mage was forced to destroy every scrap of evidence of the spell and vow never to cast it again. Sure, crime-rates dropped to nearly half in a month, but still….Anyone who sees this spell and knows it for what it is will know one of my kind is here.” He looked at the passwall which was still working steadily.
“All other alternatives would have been even more obvious.”
The passwall had carved through the wall in its entirety and began to dissolve into its individual tendrils which shot back into the Altmer’s hand, slowing slightly as they passed the barrier. Even as the spell faded, water rushed in through the gaping hole, washing away the dust, buffeting the air, roaring like a pack of demons. The barrier was the only thing that kept the torrent from consuming the group.
As the ancient foundations of the city was filled with water, the flow gradually slowed. The Altmer stepped forward and the barrier followed, forcing the others to stay with him. A lone and curious Slaughterfish swam into the addition to its habitat and gawked at the strange green dome. It nibbled on it for a moment but, after finding out it was inedible, it moved on to explore. Once outside, the Altmer cast another spell and they began to float upward, the dome becoming a sphere as they left the bottom of the lake.
“Well, there goes my plan of selling quality basements. Pumping out the water will suck up all the profit.” Baurus contemplated as he took a last look at the hole in the wall they’d came from.
Several minutes later, they stood at the edge of the lake, the Bosmer standing a bit further from the rest. The island with the Imperial city on it was visible in the distance like a low mound swarmed by fireflies.
“Do we part here?” The Emperor asked. The Altmer nodded slowly, as if he was in deep thought and only following the conversation with half an ear. The old man hugged himself for warmth and motioned for the Blades to follow him.
“Well then, I shall be returning to the palace now. I’m sure we’ve led those assassins on the wrong trail. I’ll be fine.” He said.
“Don’t.”
The old man stopped but did not turn to face the Altmer.
“I know who you are, yet still I am willing to give you the advantage of doubt. You have preserved my life there. I am giving you a chance to leave in peace. Take that chance. Now, farewell.” He spoke and started to move again when the Altmer intervened. He intervened by performing a Stasishold on both the Emperor and his Blades.
“What?!” The Captain grunted.
“You! What is the meaning of this?!” She shouted. The Altmer ignored her and closed in on the Emperor. The Bosmer now noticed that no one was paying her any attention. She ran for the lake, unhindered.
“My liege, I will only ask you once. Go in hiding. These assassins have breached all of your security once. They can do so again.” The Altmer pointed out. The Emperor was the only one who did not struggle against his bonds. He chose to show his defiance through his words.
“I can reinforce that security. I did not ask you to make my decisions for me! Now release me!” He whispered without fear. The Altmer shook his head.
“I can’t do that. You are merely a pawn in a game played by greater beings. Yet you are an important pawn. You are the queen of the chessboard. If you are lost, the future will look bleak. So I no longer ask you, but I command you. Take your Blades and go in hiding. Do not return to live till I allow you.”
The old man shook his head feverishly.
“No! No, I shall not listen to you! No more! I have listened to you before, and you have betrayed that trust. I will no longer abide by the will of a fiend who will lead us all to our doom!” He shouted.
“My liege, please heed your words! We cannot protect you!” The Captain warned.
“I’m proud of my skill at the sword, but it is of little use if I can’t move even a single finger.” Baurus cut in.
“Well and yeah, I don’t even have a sword for that matter. A certain gold-skinned fellow snapped it.” Glenroy added grim.
The Altmer stepped back.
“Fine then! I’ve tried to be gentle with you but I see you are as stubborn as ever. I will give you one last choice, one last.” He spoke. The very air around him appeared to be colder, so great was his presence.
“Either you flee and hide in a place of your own choosing, or I’ll come for you and send you to a proper place myself. And you know what that means.” He hissed. The Emperor glared but didn’t say a thing. He then turned his head to his city.
“Am I supposed to leave the Empire in your hands?” He asked.
“Yes.”
The old man sighed.
“As its Emperor?” He asked next. To this, the Altmer shook his head.
“I have no need for a crown and a pretentious title. All I desire is the freedom to move and play the game without being hindered by having to protect a wrinkled old man from his own stupidity. I don’t understand it. But maybe it is your stubbornness that makes me give you a chance to choose for yourself, Uriel.” He said, but without the sting his words could have had. Uriel managed a smile.
“I was wrong. You have changed, though I can’t judge if the change has been good or bad. For the better or the worst, I leave this place in your hands.” He decided.
“Do not betray my trust again. For I swear, I will send every single Legionnair, every normal man, every woman and every child old enough to carry a sword. I’ll send them all after you if you betray me again.” The green bonds vanished.
“Send them, if I walk the wrong path. For now then, farewell, lord of Tamriel.” With those words, the Altmer walked away to the city.
The Emperor kept watching till the Elf had been swallowed by the darkness of the night.
“Let’s not dawdle. We’re going to move swift. Glenroy, procure a few horses. Baurus, grab some clothing for disguises. Ask the beggars for help. Tell them: A fire has broken out, and there are not enough hands to carry water. Captain, you stay with me.” He ordered. Baurus chuckled.
“A code? I suppose that answers how those beggars have managed to stick around despite the Legion’s best attempts at arresting them all. They’ve been on your payroll all the time.” He noted.
“This is no time for jokes, Baurus. Please hurry. As for the Elf…” The Emperor looked around but soon gave up.
“Never mind her. By the time she can tell anyone about us, we’ll be long gone. Now get moving.”
On to the next chapter
The voices dimmed for a second. With the creak of well-used but poorly maintained hinges, the door leading up to the barracks was opened. Neither the Bosmer nor the Altmer could see it open, but in the latter’s case, he’d heard it open and close so often that he would recognize that sound anywhere. Several boots could be heard loudly descending the short flight of stairs, along with a pair of softer footsteps, like someone wearing slippers.
“I think we should go further into the complex.” A male’s voice said.
“No, there’s no need. There are twelve guards in the room we just came from, all fully armed, fully awake and facing the entrance with their swords out. What could get past them?” A second voice countered.
“My liege?” A third voice, female this time.
“I leave it all in your hands, captain. Don’t mind me, just take care of this according to your best judgement.” A fourth voice, male again and slightly croaking.
“Alright, we’ll hide in one of the cells here.” The female decided.
The Altmer edged deeper into the alcove.
“I need you to go sit in plain sight. Don’t let anyone know I’m here.” He whispered urgently. The Bosmer looked up at him with a frown.
“Why me? If you think they’re dangerous and you’re planning to sacrifice me, no way.” She whispered back. The Altmer gave her a sudden push and before she knew it, she was kneeling on the floor in the center of her cell. She suppressed a yelp as her knee scraped against the rough floor.
“No one will lay hands on you, I promise.” The Altmer said behind her. She looked at him, but he had vanished.
“What, where did you go?”
She looked at the bars. The unknown visitors strode into view. First came a male with dark skin, bearing a fresh torch. She held her head sideways a little. When he turned to her, she concluded that he had indeed dark skin, it wasn’t merely the relative darkness of the prison fooling her eyes.
“I’ve never seen something like him. Where’s he from?” She stammered.
“This one’s occupied. A single girl.” The man said. The Bosmer now also noticed the light cast by the torch reflecting on a suit of armour.
“layered bands of metal that overlap, I’ve never seen a suit of armour like this before. The man who arrested me at the park didn’t wear something like this.” She observed. She pulled a whimsical smile. The man tensed as he saw this and his free hand skipped to the hilt of a sword at his side. When he noticed she didn’t take any action, he relaxed again.
“Doesn’t matter. Anyone coming through the door can see it from the top of the stairs, we don’t want it.” The female voice said, still out of her sight.
The Bosmer pulled her legs under her and shifted into a more comfortable position. Perhaps if she walked up to the bars, she could see the other visitors. But the dark man looked as if he would skewer her just for that. He was awefully nervous, she could practically smell him sweat, even from where she was. She licked her lips. Somehow, the scent made her thirsty. The man walked up to her celldoor and pulled at it.
“Locked, fortunately. Alright, I’ll check the other.” He said and turned his back on her.
“Also occupied. Dunmer, looks like a wreck. There are further cells down the corridor, I assume. But that would be too far, right captain?” He spoke.
It was the female who replied.
“Must be the one in charge of the group.” The Bosmer concluded.
“Yes, if we stay here, we can listen to the outcome of the fight above. There is no way out of the prison but through the door we just used. If we hide further and somehow, the impossible happens, our assailants only need to barricade this door and starve us out. At least we’ll know how the odds are if we stay close.” The female reasoned out loud.
“Alright, open the cell. We don’t have the keys, so just stick your sword in the lock and wrench it open. “She then ordered the dark man.
“Whatever you say, madam. But the pricetag for fixing this sharp beauty will be yours to pay.” The man answered and unsheathed his sword. The tone in which he’d said it though made it clear he was merely joking.
“Katana. Sharp, light, but fragile. Not suited for prolonged engagements. Not suited against heavy armour either.” The Bosmer looked to where the voice had come from, but the Altmer was nowhere to be seen.
“He can turn invisible? But…he’s not underwater.” She shook off her confusion and instead got up when she heard the lock crack. She moved in closer to get a better look. She wouldn’t miss the chance to see the Dunmer get roughed up by these knights or whatever they were. As if on cue, the Dunmer woke up from the noise. He looked up with a wide open mouth as his unexpected and armed guest tucked a toe behind one of the bars and pulled the door open, never relinquishing his hold on either sword or torch. He grinned, revealing his rotten teeth in all their glory.
“Oh, I can’t believe my eyes. A hero has come to resque me!” He said and batted away a tear. The Bosmer on the other side sighed.
“What a drama-actor.” She thought.
The dark man entered the cell and pointed his sword, the katana, directly at the Dunmer’s throat.
“Shut up, unless you want to see your blood spilled on the floor. I’m no hero and I’m not here to resque anyone….” He hissed quite loud.
“Anyone?” The croaking voice asked, sounding quite amused. The Bosmer tilted her head to the right and now she could see him. He was an old man, dressed in a nightgown and indeed wearing slippers almost as pale as she was, which said a lot, with few strands of snowwhite hair on an otherwise bald head. His face was deformed by wrinkles, his mouth was slightly opened as he breathed heavily from the fatigue merely standing there gave him. But his eyes seemed to draw her in. There was something behind them, something that she couldn’t describe.
The dark man didn’t move from where he was standing, but the way his shoulders sagged made it obvious that he felt embarrassed.
“Except you, my liege. My apologies, please forgive me.” He said sheepishly. The old man laughed and coughed.
“No, you must forgive an old man his ill-timed humour. Anyway, I’m going to enter the cell now. Please keep an eye on the prisoner.” He chuckled. His chuckling died down as a cacophony of noise erupted from the barracks.
“There they are! Get them! We prison guards may be the lowest of the low, but we’ll show them that we have the true Legion spirit!” A voice howled, somewhat muffled by the walls. The Bosmer gasped. That was the voice of the commander who had placed her in this cell. She involuntarily stepped back in surprise at her own response. She then lowered her head and closed her eyes.
“Please, let him be safe. He doesn’t know it, but I am gratefull for not being put together with that creep over there.” She prayed.
She heard an odd roar and redoubled her efforts, though she had no idea which god to pray to. Would her god save a heathen man from a faraway land?
“Haha!” Her eyes shot open at the sudden laugh and she ran back to the bars to see. She couldn’t believe what she saw. The Dunmer had thrown a loose brick at the Redguard’s head and knocked him out. Now he’d jumped out into the corridor and grabbed the old man by the neck. He held a broken shard of ceramic at the man’s throat. The dark man’s companions, both wearing the same armour as him, drew two more katanas but were unable to do anything without endangering the old man.
“Ok, now drop those butterknifes or the old coot gets it!” The Dunmer shouted. He was grinning even more than before.
“You can’t do this! It will be your own doom, fiend! Kill the man, and we kill you. Surrender, and we might let you live.” The woman spat. The Dunmer laughed again.
“Oh, really? But if I’m not mistaken, this fetcher here is very important. You won’t lift a finger as long as I can slit his throat just like that.” He raised the ceramic shard.
“Or were you thinking of healing him with a spell? I could just as easily plunge it into his eyeball directly into his brain. Good spell that can fix that!”
“What are you doing?!” The Bosmer shouted suddenly. All, except the unconscious dark man, looked at her. The Dunmer laughed. It gave her the shivers, how that laugh grated on the ears.
“Nothing special. I’m just getting out of here, one way or another. Say, girl. You can come with me of course. I’m sure they’ll let you. They’ll do anything. Of course, I am doing you a favour here and favours are meant to be repayed.” He replied. The girl shook her head, then stopped the motion. It would be a way out of this place. She’d only been here for a week or two, but who knew how much longer it would be if she didn’t take the chance. Surely the price would be worth it. He winked, and she made her decision.
“No way! I’m not selling my body to anyone for anything! Why don’t you just drop dead and rot?!” Her tirade was cut off with another roar. The two warriors looked at the door for a moment. There were no further commands, or battlecries. Only, silence.
The Dunmer looked disappointed.
“Ah, I was giving you a great chance. Oh well, plenty of girls in the outside world, prettier even. Heh, now where were we? Oh yes, you two were going to drop those swords and the….” He cut himself off.
“Hey, where did the silent guy go?” He then asked out loud. Before he could say anything else, he simply sank to the floor, dragging the old man with him due to his weight. The shard cut into the man’s cheek, but as if by miracle, it missed his eye.
There was an incredibly loud bang. Then a second bang, but this one was so soft it could barely be heard. The banging continued.
“This will hold, for a while.” The captain had rushed over to help the old man back onto his feet while her companion put the dark man onto his shoulder. Only the Bosmer wasn’t occupied with anything so only she looked at the door where the banging was coming from. To her surprise, the Altmer was standing there, and the door was wrapped in some kind of green light.
“How did you get there…the cell is locked!” She stammered. The Altmer turned to her and both corners of his mouth twitched upward just a bit.
“I’ve been places, done things.” He answered in his usual cryptic way. He glanced at the door for a moment, which now seemed to consist of nothing but cracks. The strange light now seemed to be the only thing that kept the door from buckling inwards.
The Altmer wandered over to the door of her cell. The two warriors were now watching him intently. Neither was willing to just drop their companion and draw his or her sword though.
“Identify yourself, stranger. Glenroy, arrest him!” The captain ordered. The Altmer ran a quick hand across the lock on the bosmer’s celldoor before turning around and calmly looking down on Glenroy’s brandished sword.
“For the peace of your mind, I’d rather not tell. And please, young man. Lower your sword. I am neither an enemy nor someone you should waste such a fine blade on.” He then shifted his gaze to the old man. The two locked eyes. Simultaneously, recognition dawned on the Altmer’s face while the old man looked stricken.
“It has been a long time, my liege. I assume you still remember me?” The Altmer said solemnly and bowed. The old man however, clutched his chest as his heart began to race in the grips of a growing panic.
“You!…It’s you…But you were dead!”
The others now regarded the Altmer with even more open confusion than they already had.
“Dead?” The man known as Glenroy mumbled and slightly lowered his sword. The Bosmer took her eyes off the Altmer for a moment to look at him. He wasn’t as dark as the dark man.
“Maybe the dark man is special? A warriorpriest? Does he rub himself in with mud?” She wondered. The green seal on the door began to ring. The Altmer turned to it.
“Ah, that’s a bit sooner than I thought.” He noted before turning back to the old man. He was still bleeding from the cut on his cheek, but it appeared that the wound would close on its own soon enough.
“My liege, I am here to bring you an offer.” The Altmer said.
“An…offer? I will never accept it, never!” The old man replied near instantaneously. Even though he was clearly afraid, his voice was even and strong. Glenroy raised his katana again and took one step closer to the Altmer.
“You’ve heard him. Now back into….wha?!” The warrior’s eyes tracked the blade which had broken from the hilt.
“I told you it would be a waste of a fine sword.” The Altmer dryly commented. The seal’s ringing became louder and now approached the point where they would have to yell to get over the sound. Then, the ringing was cut off abruptly, to be replaced with a deafening roar.
The Altmer turned back to the door slowly. The seal had fallen and the door had blown outward in a hail of sharp woodfragments that peppered the opposite wall. Something came through, first in the form of a monstrous scaled arm with fingers that ended in sharp talons as large as a sword. The Altmer began to move towards it with a calm that seemed highly inapropiate next to what was coming through. Everyone else was on the verge of running, safe for the old man. The Bosmer did run, to the far end of her cell. Only an arm could be seen, but even that was already larger than the Altmer, who wasn’t a short person himself. Its presense was overwhelming.
A head followed. Even larger than the talons, it was a long and narrow wedge. A wedge with two rows of teeth that glistened with fresh blood. The monster let out another roar as it gripped both sides of the doorframe and pushed, cracking the walls and widening the gap. The Altmer reached the bottom of the stairs where he stopped, completely at ease. Once it was wide enough, the creature stepped through with unexpected grace and turned to eye Altmer who was closest. It opened its mouth for another roar, when the Altmer calmly raised a single hand.
“Stasis hold.”
Green bands formed out of thin air and wrapped around every joint. The jaws snapped shut again, forced together by one of the bands. The monster flared the nostrils at the tip of its beak, emitting the sound of a kettle on a fire. Its tail sweeped from side to side furiously, but it was the only appendage that could move. Every other part of its body had effectively been immobilized by the bands, no matter how hard it strained to break them. The Altmer observed his handywork for a moment, adding a second layer of the green bands wherever he deemed it necessary, before turning back to the old man.
“My liege, please hear me out. This here, is a Daedroth, a being summoned from Oblivion. It has the power to take down scores of soldiers with little difficulty, as the unfortunate prison guards found out. Its claws can cut steel, its jaws can crush Ebony, its skin is thicker than a Legionaire’s shield and if even that wasn’t enough, it has a modest magicka offensive as well. I give your Blades slim odds of surviving in battle against it, even now, when it is nearly immobilized.” He said.
He walked back to the celldoor he’d brushed his hand against earlier. The Bosmer saw him reemerge and carefully moved to the bars. When she looked to the right and saw the Daedroth for the first time in its full glory, she felt her heart skip a beat.
“What’s that…thing? I hope you rest well, commander whose name I don’t know.”
“Therefore, I’m granting you a choice. You can choose to reject my offer, in which case I will stand aside as you and your followers attempt to pass the Daedroth. If you do however, and if you somehow manage, remember that whenever there is a Daedroth, there is a supremely powerful conjurer nearby.” He began. His hands folded around the doorbolt and he pulled. The door opened.
“My offer, is a greater chance at survival. When Jagar Tharn ordered this prisonblock to be constructed, he demanded several additional features. One of them is that the walls are not lined with silver, which means that the magicka in this block is not drained. As such, spells are not inhibited, which I’m sure you have already noticed. The other feature, is a connection to Cyrodiil’s foundations. From there, one can leave the city undetected.” He continued.
“Why would I have any desire to leave the city? So you can do as you please?” The old man asked in a hostile tone. He’d gotten over his first shock and was now in firm control of himself. The Altmer frowned, the first sign of irritation he’d shown.
“Yes, so I can do as I please! That, and for your own good!”
“Girl, could you be so kind and kick the backside of the alcove? There is a small crack roughly twenty centimetres from the floor, on the left side, barely visible if you know where to look. Kick there, as hard as you can.” He asked the Bosmer. His frown had fled as sudden as it came and he now wore his expression of stoic calm. She simply stared at him.
“You knock out the greyskin from a distance. You turn invisible without water. You exit this cell without opening the door. You can put some sort of barrier on a door and use the same thing to chain that monster over there. You can do all that and you’re asking me to kick a crack? What good would that do?” She replied and shrugged.
“Why don’t you just kill it and have us leave through the front door? It doesn’t seem as if there’s anything beyond your limits.” She added.
The Altmer shook his head.
“I do have limits. A Daedroth perhaps isn’t one of them. But, there are reasons why the front door right now is not in our best interests.” He explained.
“The conjurer.” Someone realized.
“The dark priest, he’s conscious.” The Bosmer yelped. The dark man gave her a wry grin.
“I hate to disappoint you, beauty. I am no priest.” He said as he felt his jaw. His face was rather sore, but he knew that his helmet had prevented any permanent and more serious injuries.
“Wouldn’t want to either. I was not made to live a life without a warm heart that beats together with mine.” He added and flashed a wink at her.
“Hey! Don’t get the wrong idea! I may have been worried about you, but I’m not interested!” The girl pointed out. She strode to the alcove and gave a swift kick to the place where the Altmer’s tiny crack should be.
“In fact, I think I’m just going to give this a try. It’s not as if this situation can get any more awkward.” She shouted as she did so. The alcove began to rumble and she jumped back. The whole wall sank into the floor, much to her surprise.
“After performing research at the Dwemer fort of Dragon’s gate in Hammerfell, Tharn managed to develop the mechanism you just saw in action. From here, we can enter the foundations of the city. Only archeologists know of this place, and they only operate on the far side of it.” The Altmer said.
“I repeat, why would we want to follow you? You don’t hold much value to me except to further your plans.” The old man interrupted. The warriors flocked around him. Glenroy had picked up the fallen torch and now brandished it instead of his sword. Again the Altmer frowned.
“Exactly, my liege. Your only value is to further my plans. But, your continued existence is a part of them. So there. That’s why I am willing to help. I won’t give you my word for you won’t accept it. But know this. If you decide to take me up on my offer, I will guide you through this night as well as I can.” He hissed. Without wasting any further words, he entered the cell and moved to the rough tunnel that had been hidden behind the alcove.
“Let’s go, girl. I have the feeling your crime was one of ignorance rather than malice and as such, I am granting you your freedom.” He said to the Bosmer.
Once the two elves had departed, the Blades and the old man looked at the Daedroth. The titanic creature was still struggling against its bonds, to no avail.
“Captain?” The dark man asked.
“I am out of options, Baurus. My liege?” The captain turned to the old man in return.
“To choose between certain death or the guidance of one who has betrayed me before in the most bitter way imaginable. Neither choice appeals to me.” The old man replied. He shook his wrinkled head.
“Yet, I’d rather choose to follow him once more and trust in the guidance of the Divines, than jump into those hungry maws like a fool. We will follow him, captain. But we will watch him closely.” He decided after a moment of silent debate. He entered the cell and stopped at the alcove.
“To think I would actually follow his advice once more. The Divines have mysterious ways.” He muttered.
Baurus and the captain followed, but Glenroy remained behind for a moment. He kept one eye on the Daedroth at all times, which stared at him with one of its own. The Blade shivered. He could almost feel the raw hate that foul beast exuded.
“Hey! What about the Dunmer! Shouldn’t we kill him?!” Glenroy shouted. Baurus reemerged from the tunnel for one moment.
“Don’t push your luck with that monstrosity nearby, Glenroy! Let it eat him, if it’s hungry. That would be a more fitting end than a sword, if you ask me!” He called back. Glenroy took one last glance at the unconscious Dunmer before setting off after his companions in a quick run.
The tunnel was dark, rough rock on all sides. There were no cobwebs, no insects scittering about. To the Bosmer, the place also had an unpleasant scent. It smelled dead, though not in a form she was familiar with. The tunnel also wasn’t very high and the Altmer practically had to crawl. Even she had to bend down a bit. Whatever light there came from the direction of the prison was soon lost as they descended deeper. Neither said a word at first though in the end, the silence became simply unbearable.
“Umm…can I ask you something?” The Bosmer spoke up as she carefully brushed away a few sharper rocks that threatened to open her knees.
“You can ask, but I don’t know if I can answer.” The Altmer replied. The girl tilted her head to one side and wondered if she should feel discouraged by that.
“What I’ve been thinking about….I’ve been thinking about a lot actually. But one thing is, how long have you been in prison?” She asked.
“A couple of years.”
“And how long have you known about this escape route?” She pressed on.
“Roughly the same couple of years.” She rose her head in surprise and hit the ceiling.
“Ow!…But if you knew about it all that time, then why didn’t you use it?” She asked while rubbing her head.
“I should remember to keep down till I can actually see a ceiling.”
“I did use it three times before, to see if it was still open. I always returned.” The Altmer revealed. He didn’t stop to see if she was injured badly, which somewhat annoyed her. Then there was the fact that none of his answers actually explained a thing, other than that he was strange.
“But why?” She asked with rising frustration.
“As I said earlier, I was waiting.”
The Bosmer didn’t fire her next question right away. Instead she tried to piece together the clues he’d been willing to drop. So he’d been waiting and he’d kept a secret escape route at hand all the time. But now he was using it and she had the distinct feeling that this time, he would not return to his cell.
“You were waiting for the old man.” She concluded.
“True.” The Altmer admitted. She cherished her little victory at getting one answer that wasn’t too cryptic. But then, she realized that she still didn’t know why he had been waiting for the old man.
“So, who is he and how did you know he would be coming?”
She thought she was beginning to see the outlines of her hands. Were they getting closer to the other end?
“That man is Uriel Septim, the Emperor of Tamriel. Apart from being a political leader, he also has another equally important position. As all men with power, he has enemies and assassination attempts are not uncommon. Most of these attempts never even get past the front doors of his palace and those that do, are usually stopped in the main hall. Very rarely though, an assassin or group of assassins manages to elude all security. If this is found out, the Emperor relocates to a hiding place along with several elite guards. This hiding place is unsurprisingly, the prison. After all, why would an Emperor surround himself with cutthroats, smugglers and thieves willingly? No one would search for him there.” The Altmer said. It was the most he’d said to her up to now.
“Except you. You didn’t even search for him, you just waited for him to come. Why?” The Bosmer asked next. She could see her hands clearly now. They had to be getting close to an exit.
“Because, if there is an opposition out there capable of forcing the Emperor to hide, that opposition is powerful enough to slay him if he does not hide well enough. And that, is something which must be prevented at all costs.”
“But what if he decides to dance with that Daedroth or whatever you called it? You know you practically abandoned him back there. He's old, he could be senile.” She asked, despite feeling that this was a question he would not answer willingly.
“I have my reasons.” Was all he said. Just as she’d thought.
The Altmer reached the end of the tunnel and stood up straight. The Bosmer crawled out herself and skipped to his side. They were in a room made of what looked a lot like white marble, except it was littered with tiny dents and cracks. The floors, the walls, even the ceiling was made of the white material. It looked majestic and ancient at the same time. The light she’d noticed as they crawled through the tunnel turned out to be the work of a good dozen torches that were placed in their holders on the walls.
“Oh, look. A door.” The Bosmer said and planned to walk towards it but the Altmer brusquely grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.
“Don’t move.” He whispered urgently.
She looked at him but didn’t voice her question. He’d whispered, so he probably wanted her to stay quiet and from what she’d seen already, doing whatever he told her to do was by far the healthiest course of action. She did not want to end up tied by scores of shimmering green bands squeezing on her joints. He motioned for her to stay at the tunnel and be ready to crawl through it. She nodded that she understood his instructions but she did not comprehend the reason behind them. Nevertheless, she crouched down and watched as he calmly walked forward, seemingly completely at ease and with no eye for his surroundings whatsoever. She knew it was a false impression though. He’d walked just like that when the Daedroth burst the door.
The Altmer kept walking till he reached the door, which consisted of several bronze bars. Once there, he looked to his left and then reached for the torch which hung there. His fingertips just touched the wood, when he suddenly swung down his hand and made a grabbing motion.
“Stasis hold.” He chanted and just like last time, shimmering green bands manifested, only this time they crawlded chaotically through the air under the Altmer’s hand. The air crackled and became distorted. The Distortion became more solid, eventually forming into a man, an Imperial, garbed in a red robe. The bands shot to the joints and clenched around them. Another green band flowed from the Altmer’s hand, which he’d apparently put on the invisible man’s shoulder. This last band settled around his head and covered the mouth.
“Just as I thought. You can come back out now.”
The Bosmer walked up to the couple, though she stopped while still three large steps away. The robed man struggled against the bands but they were so rigid, only his strained expression was any indication of the silent battle being fought.
“Why don’t you just relax? If a five metres tall Daedroth can’t break these, then how do you think you can?” She found herself speak up. The Altmer cocked an eyebrow and for a moment she was afraid he would berate her. Instead, he merely looked over towards the tunnel they’d come from. He then smiled.
“I see that you have made the right choice, my liege.” He said.
The Emperor coughed and tried to brush the dust off of his nightgown. He only managed to create even larger smears so in the end he gave up.
“It is not the right choice, merely the better of two bad choices.” He replied formally.
“Well then, I see you have managed to restrain a would-be assassin. Would you mind to ask him why he’s after me?” He asked next, indicating the much younger Imperial who had ceased his struggle by now. The Altmer flicked a finger and the band covering the mouth dissipated.
“Would you mind to tell us?” He asked. The smile he wore was rather unnerving, even moreso since it clearly wasn’t one of amusement.
“How….how did you know I was there? I won’t tell anything….I can’t tell anything!” The captive instead stammered. Glenroy waved his torch threateningly under the man’s nose. Fortunately for said noise, the flame had been stifled by the dust during his crawl through the tunnel. Glenroy noticed this himself and he swiftly corrected the flaw by taking one of the torches hanging on the walls.
“You were asked a question! If you value your face, you’d better talk.” He hissed venomously. The Altmer waved the Blade off.
“Would you mind? I believe I was the one conducting this interrogation.” He said calmly.
“And what makes you think you can do it better than I can?” Glenroy inquired in a voice that was a mixture between hostility and grudging respect.
“For one thing, my tools are somewhat more subtle than a burning piece of wood.” Was the Altmer’s answer.
“Anyway, I’ll answer your question and you will ask one of mine. Just one question.” He continued against the prisoner.
“The answer to yours is simple. There are burning torches hanging on the walls and the dust is displaced where you stand. Both are items you should not encounter in an ancient and abandoned complex. As it is, I might not have noticed a thing if you hadn’t placed those torches here. I can understand that the door must be visible in order to act as bait but still, the way you do this. Utterly inprofesional. Your plan was simple, flawed, foolish and seriously lacking any worthy thought whatsoever. Being invisible does not mean you no longer have any effect on your surroundings.” The smile vanished and he stood taller, forcing the Imperial to twist his neck back in order to see his eyes.
“Now as for my question. Beyond the Emperor, what else are you after?” He asked.
The Imperial shook his head. His skin glistened with cold sweat.
“I won’t tell! I…” A flick of a gold-skinned hand and the Imperial’s eyes half-closed.
“I…..We….we must find….and destroy….the Drago…” He never finished the sentence before his eyes closed completely and his head hung down. The Altmer felt for the man’s throat before releasing the bands. The Imperial slumped over on the floor, clearly dead.
“Now that was usefull! You switch questions to something completely useless and you kill him before he can answer!” Glenroy complained. Baurus however, frowned.
“Hmm, kill the Dragon? What is he, some kind of lunatic? After years of being unbreachable, a band of fanatics manages to penetrate the palace’s security? I find that hard to believe.” He grunted. The Altmer shook his head.
“I did not kill him.”
“Then who did?” The Bosmer wanted to know. Again the Altmer shook his head.
“Hard to say. I assume that the cause of death was a form of hypnosis. If forced to reveal any sensitive information, he will start to experience extreme stress and eventually suffer a heartattack. As for this question being useless, we already know they are after our liege. The why is irrelevant. Their other plans however, are. If we know their other plans, we can deduce why the Emperor is at threat as well.” He answered.
“So, you believe there is more behind this? Fanatics don’t kill off their own, not by hypnosis anyway.” The Captain interjected.
“I have some theories. Yet at the moment, they are still only theories.” The Altmer replied. He searched the dead man, finding a simple dagger and an ancient key.
“If that key fits on the door, it means we were supposed to fight him.” Baurus observed.
“Bait?” The Captain wondered. She drew her sword and motioned the other two Blades to do the same.
“If this one was bait, there must be more. It would make sense. Being invisible and armed only with a dagger, he might have managed to take down one of us, but never more. The Emperor would still be safe as we make sure to guard him with our own bodies. Seeing how this one is so weak, we might assume that he was merely placed there as a contingency to deal with a lone survivor or a prisoner making his escape in the confusion. A killer of witnesses. We might come to believe that he’s the only one and lower our guard.” She reasoned. The door swung open with a shriek of half-rusted hinges.
“And since there are no more torches further up ahead, we might conclude that he really is the only one.” The Altmer finished.
“I appreciate all the analyzing, but I’m afraid I lack the stamina to keep standing forever. Let us move on till we reach safety. And till then, no sword shall be sheathed.” The Emperor decided. The Altmer nodded.
“As you wish, my liege.”
They moved through the door in an orderly line. Glenroy came first, brandishing his torch which was the only source of light. The Altmer followed next. Then came Baurus and the Captain who flanked the Emperor. Last was the Bosmer, who ran back to the lit room after she’d taken a few steps. She grabbed one of the other torches and hurried to rejoin the group.
“Why is this place abandoned anyway? Sure, it’s a tad dusty, but I know some people who would pay lots of money for a quality basement. Just look at it, no leaks anywhere and we’re in the middle of a lake below sealevel.” She heard Baurus say once she caught up.
“What is that, you have dreams of going into prime estate?” Glenroy chuckled. The dark man shrugged.
“Well hey, there will come a time when I can’t swing swords with the best of them anymore. It pays to keep your options open.” He replied.
“But maybe our local font of knowledge knows something?” He continued and gestured at the Altmer. Even though the Elf had his back turned to the dark man, he seemed to know it was him who was indicated. Most likely because he was indeed the local font of knowledge, the Bosmer reasoned.
“Mostly local superstition. Superstition from after the first era, when so-called slave-queen Allessia successfully conquered Cyrodiil. The people in those days claimed that the ghosts of those who had fallen continued their battle here. Since ghosts are generally found frightening, rather than attempting to put them to rest, this place was sealed off and buried. New houses were built, generations came and went and it was forgotten till archeologists rediscovered this place half a century ago. That is, after a wall in one of the sewer canals had cracked thanks to a neglectfull mage dropping his rather explosive experiments through the toilet. And that’s the story.” He explained.
“Would there be any truth to this superstition?” The Emperor asked. His voice had an icy tone to it.
“So far, neither the archaeologists nor I have found any proof towards the presence of ghosts.” The Altmer plainly answered.
They passed another bronze door and entered a small chamber similar to the one the tunnel had led to. Too similar, it turned out.
“Woah!” Baurus shouted and just barely managed to catch the arrow with the rim of his shield, preventing it from penetrating the Emperor’s skull.
“Flanks!” The Captain ordered. She turned one-hundred and eighty degrees so that her shield now faced outward as well. One quick scan of the room revealed that they were in a disadvantageous position. There were four archers, one pair perched on each of the ledges on both sides. They were too high to reach with a sword. The only thing she and the other Blades could do was to catch the arrows with their shields and hope their assailants forgot to bring plenty of ammunition.
“Back up! Back through the door!” The Captain shouted. The Bosmer stumbled backwards, tripped and fell. The Blades and the Emperor rushed past without paying her any heed. She scrambled back onto her feet and raced after them, expecting an arrow between her shoulder-blades at every step. The Altmer was close behind, though he stopped once he was through the door. He put a seal on it as he’d done back at the prison before turning to his companions. If there was one thing the archers had done wrong, it was their decision to all fire at the same time. The time it took for them to reload was a critical one, one which had made it possible for their target to slip away.
“Seriously, for all the attitude you display in the midst of a crisis, I expected you to put them on fire or something while we were gone, not to run away yourself.” Glenroy taunted. The Altmer merely cocked an eyebrow and said nothing.
“Whining gets us nowhere. There are archers up there and I don’t like that. We’re Blades. We’re supposed to protect the Emperor against the swords and daggers, not against bows. And who is to say that those archers are the last obstacle we’ll have to face? What’s next, mages? We can’t stop fireballs with our shields.” The Captain interjected.
“Yeah, just what is Ocato doing right now? He’s the Imperial Battlemage! Shouldn’t he be here as well? He is the guy who is supposed to deal with hostile mages, it’s in his job description!” Baurus grumbled.
“I have dispatched a messenger but he returned saying that Ocato saw no need for his aid and that this could be adequately taken care off by the Legion.” The Emperor said.
“That good for nothing windbag…With all due respect, my liege, but I hope you will have a word with him tomorrow.” Glenroy hissed.
“I plan to.”
Throughout the exchange, the Bosmer had been quiet. She noticed that the Altmer was looking away, with an odd expression on his face.
“Hey, anything wrong?” She asked while the Blades began to bicker about what to do.
“It’s nothing.” The Altmer replied. The girl shrugged.
“Ok, care to tell me what an Imperial Battlemage is, then?” She asked next. The Altmer frowned slightly.
“It doesn’t matter. Forget about it.” He said.
“Huh?” The Bosmer grew a frown of her own. Something was wrong here, despite all claims to the contrary.
“Just what am I doing here, trying to hold a conversation? I nearly got turned into a pincushion back there. What’s to stop them from coming through the door? Oh wait, he put one of those green thingies on it.” She thought. She made up her mind and braced herself for the backlash she was going to unleash.
“If it’s nothing important, then it wouldn’t harm to tell me about it, would it? What is an Imperial Battlemage? Where does it come from? What does it do? You know, I’ve always been interested in foreign history. I can name you all the Pyandonea-Summerset wars of the last twothousand years, you know.”
He turned to her and remained silent for a long time. It frightened her and she edged backwards slowly in a subconscious attempt to avoid his gaze. He looked as if he was in pain.
“Err…nevermind. I didn’t say anything.” She giggled nervously.
“There is no Imperial Battlemage, nor is there any order that provides them. Tharn made sure of that. Wiped them all out.” The Altmer suddenly said.
The Blades interrupted their discussion.
“Hey, did you just say something?” Baurus asked. Glenroy pushed his helmet back a bit and wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he looked at the two elves.
“So, did you just claim that Ocato is not the Imperial Battlemage? I mean, he does carry the title openly.” He wondered out loud.
“Ocato has never visited the Battlespire, has he? If he hasn’t received his training from there, he is not a Battlemage.” The Altmer said. The Emperor gestured at the seal on the door.
“Is there any other way out of here that does not take us past four archers and perhaps more ambushes further up ahead?” He asked.
“Is it just me, or is he really happy to change the subject?” The Bosmer thought.
“None. I am now convinced that the assassins are making use of the same route I was planning to use. There is one other solution however. I could create a path.” The Altmer said.
“And is he really happy to go along with it? Hmm, touchy subject, isn’t it?”
“Which leaves us with only one thing. The archers. We can’t have witnesses.” Glenroy noted. The Altmer looked at him silently and nodded.
“Very well. I’ll take care of them.”
“Wait!” The Bosmer yelled as the seal on the door was dispelled. The Altmer stopped and turned.
“It’s one against four and they’re up on a ledge! You’re gonna get killed!” She whimpered. The Altmer sighed.
“That is not what you believe.” He observed.
“Ehm…well….yeah. Ok, so I think you’ll be back in all of five seconds. But you’re going to kill them, aren’t you?” To this, the Altmer did not respond.
“Well, of course he is. What else did you think he was going to do, give them a lecture on the sociological differences between Cyrodiil and Stros M’kai?” Baurus said in a half-joking way.
“But……” She tried and fell silent.
“I hate killing. How can anyone be so cold about it? It’s just wrong. The only way to die should be in a bed, saying goodbye to your great-great-great-great grandchildren after playing with them for one last time. How old are they? I saw their faces….forty, fifty? They’re so young I bet they don’t even have kids! Or is it different with the round-ears? Do they think that a violent death is the only one that is right?” She thought.
To her surprise, it was the Emperor who knew what was going on in her mind.
“I will not try to justify my own existence. But if we allow them to live, they will warn their accomplices and a large hunt will start. Till I have reached safety and till I am surrounded by scores of dedicated soldiers, I cannot afford word to come out.” He said.
“Please take the necessary precautions…that is all I ask.” He added to the Altmer. The mage nodded and ventured through the door. Not a sound was heard till his return. And when he returned, he said only one thing.
“It is done.”
The Emperor nodded.
“Good. And about that path?” He questioned. The Altmer gestured off to his left at one of the many intersections they’d previously passed.
“In there.” He said in a neutral tone and began to walk.
“It just doesn’t touch you, does it?” The Bosmer hissed. The Altmer froze. Of all, it was the girl who was the most shocked at her own reaction.
“You just walk in there, kill four people for no good reason and now you pretend it never happened!” She continued venomously.
“Woah, careful. There was a good reason, a really good one.” Baurus tried, but to no avail.
“No reason is good enough for murder! It’s the lowest of the low things one can do! And he did it not just once, but four times! On purpose!” She snapped.
“We might want to keep our voices down for a while, lest more assassins track us down and force even more bloodshed.” The Captain warned urgently.
“I do care.” The Altmer muttered. Everyone fell silent and watched at him as he stood with his back turned to them.
“I care, but that doesn’t matter. I have no time for a weighted heart. Not now, not then.” He began to move again.
“Now be quiet. If you don’t want to come, that’s your problem. But if so, your lifespan will be greatly shortened.” He added. The Blades and the Emperor followed quickly and, rather hesitantly, the Bosmer followed as well.
“You monster. Don’t think I’m just going to shrug and forget about it like you do.”
“So, where does this path lead to and why do you think that the assassins won’t have this one blocked off?” Glenroy asked after a while.
“Because it leads to a dead end.” The Altmer replied. Roughly a hundred steps further, the corridor did indeed end in a round chamber. There was little that hinted at its purpose, except what looked like a sealed well in the center. Strangely enough, the floor was flooded by a few centimetres of water which dripped from a tiny crack in the walls.
“This wall is now the only thing between us and the lake. If I open the crack wider, water will rush in and flood the entire network of corridors and chambers. After that, it will take something that can breathe water for indefinite periods to explore this place. The Emperor will be assumed to have drowned, which will hopefully remove the other assassins from the equation.” The Elf explained.
He pressed a hand on the crack and veins of white energy trailed from his palm, crafting a web on the wall. The light intensified as the gaps between the tendrils were filled and the Altmer stepped back. A barrier appeared as a dome over the group, while the now completely solid circle of light continued its work. At first it was uncertain just what it purpose was, but it soon became visible that it was moving back and where it had gone, the wall was no more.
“Such magicka.” The Emperor mumbled.
“My liege?” Glenroy said. The old man seemed unaware he had been spoken to.
“Passwall. I’d outlawed that spell.” He continued. He then shook his head.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at you having knowledge of that. But still, it is more subtle than I’d expected.” The Altmer looked at the old man over his shoulder.
“A sudden explosion would have been too suspicious when seen from the outside.” He said. He looked up at the ceiling for a second.
“Passwall isn’t to my preference either. After the outlawing, every mage was forced to destroy every scrap of evidence of the spell and vow never to cast it again. Sure, crime-rates dropped to nearly half in a month, but still….Anyone who sees this spell and knows it for what it is will know one of my kind is here.” He looked at the passwall which was still working steadily.
“All other alternatives would have been even more obvious.”
The passwall had carved through the wall in its entirety and began to dissolve into its individual tendrils which shot back into the Altmer’s hand, slowing slightly as they passed the barrier. Even as the spell faded, water rushed in through the gaping hole, washing away the dust, buffeting the air, roaring like a pack of demons. The barrier was the only thing that kept the torrent from consuming the group.
As the ancient foundations of the city was filled with water, the flow gradually slowed. The Altmer stepped forward and the barrier followed, forcing the others to stay with him. A lone and curious Slaughterfish swam into the addition to its habitat and gawked at the strange green dome. It nibbled on it for a moment but, after finding out it was inedible, it moved on to explore. Once outside, the Altmer cast another spell and they began to float upward, the dome becoming a sphere as they left the bottom of the lake.
“Well, there goes my plan of selling quality basements. Pumping out the water will suck up all the profit.” Baurus contemplated as he took a last look at the hole in the wall they’d came from.
Several minutes later, they stood at the edge of the lake, the Bosmer standing a bit further from the rest. The island with the Imperial city on it was visible in the distance like a low mound swarmed by fireflies.
“Do we part here?” The Emperor asked. The Altmer nodded slowly, as if he was in deep thought and only following the conversation with half an ear. The old man hugged himself for warmth and motioned for the Blades to follow him.
“Well then, I shall be returning to the palace now. I’m sure we’ve led those assassins on the wrong trail. I’ll be fine.” He said.
“Don’t.”
The old man stopped but did not turn to face the Altmer.
“I know who you are, yet still I am willing to give you the advantage of doubt. You have preserved my life there. I am giving you a chance to leave in peace. Take that chance. Now, farewell.” He spoke and started to move again when the Altmer intervened. He intervened by performing a Stasishold on both the Emperor and his Blades.
“What?!” The Captain grunted.
“You! What is the meaning of this?!” She shouted. The Altmer ignored her and closed in on the Emperor. The Bosmer now noticed that no one was paying her any attention. She ran for the lake, unhindered.
“My liege, I will only ask you once. Go in hiding. These assassins have breached all of your security once. They can do so again.” The Altmer pointed out. The Emperor was the only one who did not struggle against his bonds. He chose to show his defiance through his words.
“I can reinforce that security. I did not ask you to make my decisions for me! Now release me!” He whispered without fear. The Altmer shook his head.
“I can’t do that. You are merely a pawn in a game played by greater beings. Yet you are an important pawn. You are the queen of the chessboard. If you are lost, the future will look bleak. So I no longer ask you, but I command you. Take your Blades and go in hiding. Do not return to live till I allow you.”
The old man shook his head feverishly.
“No! No, I shall not listen to you! No more! I have listened to you before, and you have betrayed that trust. I will no longer abide by the will of a fiend who will lead us all to our doom!” He shouted.
“My liege, please heed your words! We cannot protect you!” The Captain warned.
“I’m proud of my skill at the sword, but it is of little use if I can’t move even a single finger.” Baurus cut in.
“Well and yeah, I don’t even have a sword for that matter. A certain gold-skinned fellow snapped it.” Glenroy added grim.
The Altmer stepped back.
“Fine then! I’ve tried to be gentle with you but I see you are as stubborn as ever. I will give you one last choice, one last.” He spoke. The very air around him appeared to be colder, so great was his presence.
“Either you flee and hide in a place of your own choosing, or I’ll come for you and send you to a proper place myself. And you know what that means.” He hissed. The Emperor glared but didn’t say a thing. He then turned his head to his city.
“Am I supposed to leave the Empire in your hands?” He asked.
“Yes.”
The old man sighed.
“As its Emperor?” He asked next. To this, the Altmer shook his head.
“I have no need for a crown and a pretentious title. All I desire is the freedom to move and play the game without being hindered by having to protect a wrinkled old man from his own stupidity. I don’t understand it. But maybe it is your stubbornness that makes me give you a chance to choose for yourself, Uriel.” He said, but without the sting his words could have had. Uriel managed a smile.
“I was wrong. You have changed, though I can’t judge if the change has been good or bad. For the better or the worst, I leave this place in your hands.” He decided.
“Do not betray my trust again. For I swear, I will send every single Legionnair, every normal man, every woman and every child old enough to carry a sword. I’ll send them all after you if you betray me again.” The green bonds vanished.
“Send them, if I walk the wrong path. For now then, farewell, lord of Tamriel.” With those words, the Altmer walked away to the city.
The Emperor kept watching till the Elf had been swallowed by the darkness of the night.
“Let’s not dawdle. We’re going to move swift. Glenroy, procure a few horses. Baurus, grab some clothing for disguises. Ask the beggars for help. Tell them: A fire has broken out, and there are not enough hands to carry water. Captain, you stay with me.” He ordered. Baurus chuckled.
“A code? I suppose that answers how those beggars have managed to stick around despite the Legion’s best attempts at arresting them all. They’ve been on your payroll all the time.” He noted.
“This is no time for jokes, Baurus. Please hurry. As for the Elf…” The Emperor looked around but soon gave up.
“Never mind her. By the time she can tell anyone about us, we’ll be long gone. Now get moving.”
On to the next chapter