First, I'd like to say that this is my first fan fiction, so criticism will be greatly appreciated.

This will be the first part of a fan fiction about the character that I will be using in a future rp that I am planning. I'll make a planning thread for that rp once I'm at least halfway through this fan fiction.

Now that that is said and done, enjoy:

Chapter 1

The sun was setting on what had been a rather normal day in the Imperial City. That is, normal compared to seven years earlier, when the imposter Jagar Tharn was in his final year of power. The effect that the Imperial Simulacrum had on Tamriel could still be seen. The current emperor, Uriel Septim VII, was not able to reunite the Septim Empire fully. It seemed very possible that the Empire would collapse any day.

For some of the noble families of the Imperial City, the troubled times seemed to be just an annoyance. With their influence and wealth, the families mostly were able to live a luxurious lifestyle. Exquisite clothing, gourmet food, almost anything that money could buy was in the nobles’ hands. The Mercius was one of these noble families, and were one of the most influential in the city. Over the years, however, they had lost popularity, and a few other nobles openly accuse the Mercius of crimes and corruption.

“That took you long enough.” Nirtunus joked as a gladiator exited the smithy in the Market District. Nirtunus was wearing a blue doublet with gold trimming and a dark blue noble’s cape with his family’s crest, a gauntlet surrounded by a laurel wreath, outlined in gold. On a fine belt he had a number of pouches, most of them filled with septims, and a long sword made of fine steel.

Nirtunus Mercius was the oldest heir of the Mercius family. He had one younger brother and a younger sister, both of which were usually at the family’s house in the Talos Plaza district. The young man was barely eighteen, and he still showed overconfidence. Nirtunus had one major flaw, and that was his temper. He had been arrested several times for assault in the past, and that trend seemed like it would continue.

“You wouldn’t want me to get beaten by that Argonian scum I am fighting next, would you?” Codus replied to the noble, a smile on his face. The gladiator motioned to the fine ebony blade at his hip. “The warrior is only as effective as his blade, no matter his skill.” Codus was wearing a brown jacket and shirt along with some tan pants. On his belt he had a pouch of septims along with his long sword.

“You haven’t even come close to getting beat, Codus. Did you really worry about getting killed by a random Argonian?” Nirtunus smirked. “Or have I been betting my family’s money on a coward?”

“Like you should be talking,” Codus replied to the noble with a slight sigh, “you may be able to hold your own against a defenseless peasant, but you would probably run at the first sight of real danger.”

Nirtunus scolded Codus as he questioned his bravery. “How do you dare speak like that to me?” He yelled, his anger getting the best of him.

Before the two continued their ‘conversation’, they were interrupted. Nirtunus was pushed aside by an apparently poor Imperial who casually walked off. The noble turned around to yell at the man when he noticed that he was missing one of his pouches.

“Thief! Thief! I’ll have your head!” Nirtunus yelled as he began sprinting after the man who had stolen his coin. The thief, as soon as he heard the noble, began to run as fast as he could. Codus followed quickly after his noble friend as the chase began.

The three Imperials ran through the Market District, knocking over people and wares. Nirtunus was surprised by the thief’s speed and dexterity, the man jumping over crates and through several market stands as he tried to lose the noble and the gladiator. The thief rushed through the gate leading to the Arena District, the guards stationed there not reacting quick enough to stop him nor the two other men running closely behind him.

Codus followed a bit behind the thief, though Nirtunus was able to get closer to the thief now that there were fewer obstacles in his way. The thief looked back at the two, not noticing that he was about to run right into the Arena wall. Nirtunus sprinted at the thief, tackling him and pinning him against the wall. He drew his sword and held it to the man’s throat.
“You will die here you scum!” Nirtunus yelled at the thief, pressing the blade closer to his throat. Before the noble could slice the thief’s throat, Codus grabbed his sword arm and pulled it away from the thief.

“You’re no killer, Nirtunus!” Codus shouted to his friend, struggling to pull the blade from the noble’s grip. “Let the guards handle this. Just take your septims and walk away.”

Nirtunus calmed down a bit as Codus spoke to him. Nirtunus, while he was violent and had assaulted many people before, had never thought about killing someone. Codus noticed this and released his hold on the noble. Nirtunus sheathed his blade, but continued to pin the thief to the wall, searching for his pouch of coin on the man’s person. After finding it, Nirtunus put the pouch back on his belt and turned back to the thief, staring at him. The man seemed to be stunned by fear, and with good reason.

“I’m sure that the guards have a nice little cell ready just for you.” The noble said to the thief as he loosened his hold on the man. Before he let go, however, Nirtunus delivered a heavy punch to the thief’s head. The man slumped down on the ground as Nirtunus began to walk away, the guards stationed at the gate rushing to the scene, Codus following him.

“Now that that is done, I believe you have a match to win.” Nirtunus calmly said to Codus as the two began to walk around to the Arena gate.

The gladiator nodded to Nirtunus as they approached the gate. “Talos protect me.” Codus sighed as he walked down into the Arena Bloodworks, a hand on his ebony blade.

Nirtunus approached the Wood Elf standing outside the Arena soon after Codus vanished into the Bloodworks. The elf knew the noble well, and grabbed a scroll on which the bets for the blue team were kept. “Ah, Lord Mercius, the bet is for the blue team again, I presume?” he asked, putting down the man’s name while speaking.

“That would be correct, my good sir.” The noble replied to the elf, grabbing the formerly stolen pouch of septims from his belt and handing it to him. “I have one hundred septims, as always.”

The Wood Elf took the pouch with a smile, nodding to Nirtunus. “Good. Head up to the stands when you are ready. I have prepared you a seat in the Noble’s Box.” The elf then turned back to the scroll, writing down the bet and placing the pouch into a large chest. Nirtunus offered a slight bow and walked to the Arena.