Chapter 1: Fate's Arrival

Victoria balled her hands into fists, and forced them violently into the recesses of her pockets. What skin she was unable to shield from the elements stung with a cruel bite, as an unnaturally chill breeze swept through the streets of the Imperial City. Loosely packed piles of white snow were suddenly kicked up violently into the air, where they caught the faint azure glow of the twin moons perched high overhead. Perhaps, Victoria thought, were it not so bitterly cold, she could appreciate the beauty of such a scene.

As it stood, however, hers was one of the few figures either brave, or more likely, foolish, enough to brave the unseasonable weather. As her large, dark blue eyes carefully scanned the streets about her, she found that her only company was the idle shadows of the tall standing buildings around her. Even the Imperial Watch, the guardsmen of the Imperial City itself, were a far scarcer sight those days, as the weather continued to worsen with each passing day.

As another breeze worked its way methodically through the stone building maze of the Imperial Capitol, however, sending loose strands of Victoria's long, bright red hair flailing in the wind, she considered that there were other reasons why the city's denizens might choose to remain inside. With that discomforting thought passing through her mind, Victoria tightened her light suede jacket around her lithe form, quickening her pace through the barren streets as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end with anxiety.

After several minutes of navigating the unforgiving streets without encountering another soul, Victoria allowed herself a brief moment of comfort as she came upon a pair of Legionnaire guards, stationed before the large metal gates leading into the Talos Plaza district. The both of them sat to one side of the gate, huddled closely around a small fire burning brightly amidst the pale midnight illumination. As she drew closer to their location, they seemed to notice her approach, and pulled themselves away from their small fire, one of them walking towards her.

"Evening, ma'am," he greeted her with a remarkable politeness, given how uncomfortable he must have been; both he and his partner wore heavy fur shawls over their standard Legionnaire armour, with the exposed parts of the metal frosty and chilled even in their appearance. "Anything we can help you with?"

Victoria shook her head, managing a slight smile across her pale features. "No, not really. I was just heading to the Tiber Septim for a late night drink," she replied conversationally, though she was shivering slightly beneath her woefully inadequate jacket; she, like most others in the Imperial City, was unaccustomed to such weather.

The guard's posture seemed to slump slightly at this news, before he turned back to his comrade. "Alright, let's get this damn thing open!" he barked with a tone of irritation. The second guard seemed to share the demeanour of the first, his shoulders visibly dropping before he made his way to the massive metal gate.

Victoria cast the first guard an inquisitive glance. "Is there some sort of problem?" she asked innocently, her head cocked slightly to the side.

The guard shook his head in irritation. "It's these damned gates," he grumbled back, as the two of them made their way to the door opposite the other guard. "They weren't designed for all this ice and snow. This one's been freezing up all day, and it's been a real pain to get it open."

"And it's not like those bookworms over at the Arcane University care enough to help us out," the second guard growled back indignantly, shaking his head. "Hell, all it'd take is one mage to come over here and thaw the damn gate out." The man proceeded to mutter something sourly under his breath.

Victoria stood back as both guards braced themselves against the massive doors, and pushed with considerable effort. "I'm pretty sure that a few frozen gates are the least of their worries, what with what's been happening in the East. Did you hear they've made it as far as Cheydinhal, now?" the first guard replied as they pushed. "Who'd have ever thought those bastards would make it into Cyro-"

The second guard stopped dead in his efforts, coughing abruptly as he gestured back to Victoria. The first guard stopped in turn, glancing back at her, before an apologetic look washed over his face. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am," he blurted out somewhat uncertainly. "I didn't mean to-"

Victoria held her hand out before her, gesturing for the man to stop. "It's alright," she replied simply, before quickly tucking her hand back into her pocket. "I've already heard some of the rumours." She cast a curious glance between the two guards. "Is it...really as bad as some people are saying?"

The two Legionnaires glanced between one another, their eyes locking only for a moment before they returned to the gate, never uttering a word. Victoria found herself falling just as quiet, huddling her body as tightly as she could within her jacket; it suddenly seemed to grow far colder in the Imperial City.

The gates slowly began to part from one another, the thick sheets of ice that had formed between them cracking and breaking away under the strain. Eventually, the gates were fully opened, revealing the snow draqed Talos Plaza on the other side.

"Let's just leave the damn things open," the first guard muttered, trudging back to the fire they'd set up beside the gate. "Ocato's orders be damned."

The second guard seemed to comply, taking up position before the fire once again, as Victoria walked up to the first guard. "Thank you," she said softly, nodding her head, though her thanks seemed to be laced with a certain degree of sympathy.

The guard stared back at her for a moment, before nodding his head in understanding. "Stay safe, citizen," he replied with an equally soft tone, before the two of them passed one another, and Victoria made her way into the Talos Plaza.

Much like the rest of the city at that point, the Plaza seemed to resemble what one would expect from a city in the frigid province of Skyrim, as opposed to a locale in central Cyrodiil. The large statue of Akatosh that denoted the centre of the district was ensconced within a large pile of snow, and long icicles hung from nearly every window. Victoria continued forward, towards one of the area's larger buildings, the words 'Tiber Septim Hotel' clearly etched upon the wooden sign that hung suspended over the door.

As she stepped into the tavern, Victoria was suddenly overcome by a wave of warmth from within the building, causing an almost pleasant numbing sensation in her extremities. Shaking the snow loose from both her coat and leather boots, she made her way towards the bar near the back of the building, and chose an isolated seat at the counter.

The bartender, a middle aged man, regarded her with a friendly nod of the head as he poured a round of drinks. "Evening, miss," he said casually. "I'll be with you in just a moment." Victoria responded with a nod of her own, before he carted his various drinks to a group of customers seated at a nearby table.

Glancing around the warmly lit tavern, Victoria noticed that it seemed to be even less populated than usual in recent weeks. Only a small number of customers sat dispersed about the interior, mulling over their drinks. As she turned back towards the counter, she could make out the hushed voices of several other patrons in the background.

"Did you hear? They've made it as far as..."

"The Legion sent my brother to the front lines just last week..."

"It's probably only a matter of time before..."

Victoria's head drooped as she let out a soft, mournful sigh; they were all talking about the same thing, the same thing the guards had been talking about earlier. How could they not be? For what seemed like months now, the rumours had been getting increasingly worse, until now...

Victoria shook her head hopelessly, because that was exactly the way things seemed. Hopeless.

The only thing that caused her to look up from the wooden floor beneath her was when she made out the sound of footsteps just in front of her. She looked up to see the bartender had returned, now smiling warmly at her. "So, what'll it be?" he asked curiously. "Peppermint tea, right?"

Victoria paused, considering the question for a moment, before simply letting her gaze fall once again to the floor. "Just get me an ale," she grumbled back.

The barkeep seemed to pause for a moment, before complying with the order. "Here you are, then," he replied, albeit somewhat uncertainly. Normally, she would have ordered her usual tea; in the past, she had never been particularly fond of alcohol, nor of its intoxicating effects. But on that particular night, she could understand the allure of simply washing away all worries of the outside world in a drunken stupor. She gazed back up at the glass set before her, and took a silent sniff of the sickly yellow liquid within, a sour aroma quickly assaulting her nostrils. She couldn't imagine why people would drink such stuff on a regular basis.

Well, soon enough, it's not going to really matter, is it? she thought bleakly to herself. She grabbed the glass and swirled the contents, as if contemplating whether or not she was actually willing to down the vile brew. Just as she was preparing to take a long, hard swig of the stuff, her concentration was suddenly broken by another figure sitting down next to her at the counter.

"Flin. No ice," the man ordered with a calm, stolid voice. Victoria turned to face the newcomer, and get a better look at him. He looked to be Imperial, like her, though she supposed he could have been a Breton. He was markedly older than she was, perhaps in his early thirties, and had neat, dark brown hair, with an immaculately groomed goatee. As she was taking in his features, he seemed to take notice, and quickly looked back at her with a pair of piercing brown eyes.

Victoria could feel herself recoil slightly from the man's gaze.

"Good evening, ma'am," he remarked with that same, emotionless tone he'd used before, the intensity of his face revealing nothing more than his voice had. Although Victoria found the cold demeanour of the man somewhat intimidating, she had to admit he seemed to have a certain politeness about him, along with a certain charm.

"Evening," she replied somewhat sheepishly, suddenly feeling very small in the man's presence. The man turned back to the counter as the bartender returned with his drink, and Victoria found herself setting her own drink to the side, no longer so eager to make a slovenly fool of herself.

"Here you are, my friend," the bartender remarked as he set down the drink, though he too seemed somewhat uncomfortable around the man seated before him. As the stranger nodded in gratitude for the drink, the barkeep continued to eye up the man, before finally making another comment. "You know, I think I've seen you in here before," he remarked casually.

"It is more than likely. I come here often," the stranger replied, though again, his tone was remarkably cold and impersonal. The bartender shot a nervous glance to Victoria, before returning to his patron.

"Yeah, I recognize you alright. But you always come in alone, and you never talk to anybody. Always just order the same thing, and then leave." The bartender forced an awkward laugh. "What are you, a member of the Dark Brotherhood or something?" he asked comically.

The man simply stared back at the bartender. "No," he replied flatly, obviously neither amused nor insulted by the bartender's accusation. Without further comment, he continued to nurse his drink.

At this point, the bartender seemed to give up any hope of small talk. He simply moved further down the counter, leaving Victoria and the strange man alone.

Carefully, Victoria glanced at the man from the corner of her eye, discreetly noting his manner of dress. His clothing seemed rather plain and ordinary, certainly nothing like what a mage or noble would wear, and yet it was worn in such a professional manner, it made it seem somehow out of place.

Victoria wasn't exactly sure what caused her to say what she did next. Maybe she was just desperate to break the awkward silence that seemed to be building, or maybe her desire to do something completely out of character hadn't died along with her desire to drink. For whatever reason, she managed her next comment with a humorous tone.

"If it makes you feel any better, you don't look like an assassin."

She noticed the man suddenly turn his head towards her again, and she returned his gaze in turn. He seemed to silently stare at her for a moment, as if assessing her, before finally giving his reply.

"I never said I was not an assassin."

Victoria eyes widened considerably, and she could feel her heart skip a beat in her chest. "But you said-" she began clumsily.

"I said I was not a member of the Dark Brotherhood. I am not." The man arched a single eyebrow as he continued to stare at Victoria. "However, I never said I was not an assassin."

"Are you?" Victoria regretted the words as soon as she'd uttered them, her mouth moving more as a matter of reflex than in response to any conscious decision. The stranger continued to stare wordlessly at her, neither confirming nor denying anything, for what seemed like several agonizing minutes.

If Victoria had known what was coming next, however, she'd have savoured every precious second of those minutes.

There was a thunderous roar from outside the tavern, accompanied by a flash of red light that drew the attention of both Victoria and the mystery man next to her. Several more followed in quick succession, though they seemed more distant, and then there was the screaming of people outside. Victoria, the stranger, and many of the bar's patrons quickly rushed outside into the cold, to get a better look at what was happening.

Several buildings in the Talos Plaza now stood in ruins, their stone walls collapsing as red hot tongues of flame consumed them. In the sudden brilliance of the night, Victoria could make out the shapes of people running through the streets, pursued by what looked like shadows, each and every one wielding a weapon.

Victoria's heart nearly stopped, her body suddenly frozen in place as several other patrons around her gasped in horror.

"They're here!" she heard a man scream horribly in the distance, his voice frantic and wholly consumed by fear. "They're here!"

"By the gods..." the mystery man from the bar muttered under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. "It can't be..."

Victoria looked straight up as another red hot flash of light came down from the sky, smashing into another nearby building and sending it into flames. There, passing between them and the stars, was a massive black shape in the sky, bolts of magic raining down from its sides.

Victoria remained frozen in horror.

The Onyx Crusade had reached the Imperial City.

Brilliant storyline and description!!! I love the mystery about the man in the tavern. I want to know more about him its so open wiht possibilities. Good Job=D

I love it. The mystery of it, the detail of description, the strange guy.. Feels like a good book. Can't wait for chapter two.

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm almost done work on chapter 2, so I should have it up sometime tomorrow.

In the meantime, if anybody else wants to offer up any comments, please feel free.

Wow, Nova. This is great, man. Your character I know will be one I get attached to.

Jolly good. :foodndrink:

It's good, but I'm scared of the Onyx Crusade. It looks unstoppable! How are they ever going to fight it?

You got me wondering....
That's two thumbs-up.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

awsome keep it coming please :thumbsup:

Dude. Nice. I can't really offer any advice, otherwise I would. Great job.

Thanks guys, I'm glad to hear that you're all enjoying the story.

Anyways, I managed to get Chapter 2 finished, just like I said I would. Amazing, right? It's considerably longer than the first one, so I hope you all enjoy long chapters!

As always, any comments or (constructive) criticism are much appreciated. Enjoy the chapter!

____________________________
____________________________

Chapter 2: Wrath of the Crusade

A sudden wave of terror grabbed hold of the group crowded around the inn, as the Imperial City was subjected to wave after wave of violent crimson light, raining down from the ominous black silhouette circling overhead. As an abrupt sensation of panic took sway over those gathered, Victoria felt herself being shoved from behind by one of the fleeing patrons, knocked face first into the snow covering the street as the crowd rapidly dispersed, their terrified cries quickly becoming lost in the chorus of fear that seemed to envelop the city.

Even as she lay prone on the street where she had fallen, abandoned to her fate by the others, Victoria found herself almost completely paralyzed with fear, overwhelmed by the nightmarish reality of what was happening all around her. Uncertainly, she managed to lift herself up off the icy stone surface below her, her chest heavy with anxiety as she surveyed the grisly sight taking place before her very eyes. Even at a distance, she was able to feel intense heat of the flames pressing hotly against her cheeks, as a field of angry, crimson tongues roiled across the Talos Plaza, ravenously consuming the ivory white buildings that lay in their path. Perhaps most terrifying of all, however, was when she looked across the span of the Plaza, and made out the fleeing forms of citizens rushing frantically through the streets, their silhouettes blackened against the fiery backdrop, only to be struck down by the menacing black figures that pursued them, their lifeless shapes falling to the ground en masse.

The dreaded black figures continued to roam through the streets in small groups, their movements like those of shadows in the blackness of the night and of brutal warriors in the fierce glow of the flames, showing mercy to neither civilian, or to any Legionnaire who dared oppose them. As she continued to watch them move towards her with a dumbstruck gaze, their shapes gradually becoming larger and more defined, Victoria suddenly felt a sensation of distress wrap itself painfully around her heart, her muscles tensing as her blood raced wildly through her veins. In a frantic bout of instinct, her legs suddenly sprang to life, acting as if on their own as they hurried her to a nearby darkened alley still untouched by the maelstrom raining down on the capitol.

As she made her desperate beeline for the alley, her torso trembling with every frantic breath, her eyes clouding with tears of despair, Victoria could still feel some part of her rational mind at work, probing her with silent questions. Even if she could escape the Talos Plaza alive, what would she do after that? Did she honestly expect to flee from the Imperial City, from an unstoppable enemy like the Onyx Crusade? These thoughts of hopelessness, however, could find no bearing within Victoria's fear stricken mind, as she continued for the alley, fueled by adrenaline, with all the thoughtful consideration of a frightened animal.

As she moved through the narrow passage running between buildings, her surroundings becoming nothing more than a shadowed blur in the corners of her eyes, Victoria's path was suddenly blocked by a shadowed figure emerging from around a corner, a single hand quickly reaching out towards her. Panic lanced through her body as she nearly screamed out in fear, her legs scrambling in futility to stop her forward momentum. It was already far too late, however; the figure placed its hand firmly over her mouth and grabbed her by the shoulder, quickly pulling her around the corner in a single flash of movement.

Between the poor lighting of the alley, and the speed with which the figure moved, pulling Victoria's back tightly against its chest in little more than an instant, it had been hard for her to get a decent look at her surprise assailant. However, from the single glance she'd managed to get, she was almost positive she had made out the face of the ominous stranger from the bar, who had disappeared along with the others in the following commotion. As she felt his hand press down even more tightly over her mouth, his opposite arm held firmly across her briasts and pinning her form against his, her limbs suddenly burned with exertion as she attempted to break free from his grasp, her feeble attempts to scream muffled into near silence.

"Stop struggling," he said flatly into her ear, and immediately Victoria recognized the man's calm, nearly emotionless tone. She felt the leather of his glove press harder against her face, as he tightened his grip with a sudden movement. "Do not scream, do not even breathe, or I will kill you. Do you understand?"

She understood perfectly; in an instant, Victoria immediately ceased any attempts at resistance, her eyes clenching tightly shut as she simply submitted herself to the man's embrace. She silently wondered what he wanted, what he was going to do to her, even as he too remained frozen in place, not uttering another word.

It was at that moment, despairing over her unknown assailant in a doomed city, that Victoria's ears physically twitched, responding to the distinct sound of metal boots grinding against ice and cobbled stone nearby. Her eyes suddenly opened widely and she fought the urge to gasp, as she turned her attention to the darkened alley she'd been running through just a moment before, the noise growing increasingly louder with each passing beat of her heart.

A pair of figures suddenly entered Victoria's view, slowly scouring the length of the alley just mere feet away from her and the mysterious man behind her. She remained frozen in place, her breathing stopping almost altogether, and she could have sworn the rhythmic throbbing of the stranger's pulse against her cheek quickened.

Even in the faint illumination of the alley, the exact details of their appearances obscured from sight, the wickedness of the two figures was obvious in their very forms. They were both equipped with matching sets of matte, jet black ebony armour, the lifeless metal plates arranged in such a way that the armour appeared far larger, and indeed intimidating, than it otherwise would have. In a similar fashion, the weapons they brandished shared in this philosophy: a massive claymore wielded by one, and even larger two-handed hammer by the other, both forged of the same colourless material, exotic protrusions erupting along the lengths of both weapons.

The two figures slowly continued their patrol down the length of the alley, deathly silent save the sound of their gear grinding against the stone beneath them as they continued past Victoria and the stranger, apparently oblivious to their presence. Just as they were about to leave Victoria's vision, however, the closer of the two figures, the massive claymore clutched in one hand, glanced back in their general direction, disturbingly still except for the motion of its head. Victoria silently willed her heart to stop beating for fear it would give her away, as her own eyes locked with the nightmarishly dark red ones of the Dunmer. The figure's eyes seemed to scan the general area from behind the recesses of its malicious looking ebony helmet, the remainder of its facial features lost within the bulk of its headgear. It continued to scan for a brief time, before being summoned by a low pitched grunt from its larger comrade ahead, and finally made its way forward.

Victoria's blood felt white hot as it rushed through her veins at an alarming rate. She remained rigidly frozen in place, drawing in short, shallow breaths through her nose as the stranger behind her kept his grip tight around her, her eyes never once leaving the alley. After several agonizing moments of waiting for the figures to return without incident, she felt the man's hold on her suddenly ease, and she cautiously allowed her limbs to relax in turn.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully." The stranger behind Victoria spoke once again, and again, she found herself stunned just how calm and collected his voice was, even after the reality of almost being discovered by a pair of Onyx Knights. "I am about to let you go. But you must remain calm. Do not scream, do not run away. If you do, they will find us. Do you understand?"

Victoria carefully nodded her head in agreement, even as she fought with the part of her mind pleading with her to run as fast as she could away from there. Just as he'd said he would, the stranger released her from his grip, and Victoria struggled not to bolt from where she stood that instant. Instead, she took a deliberate step forward, further into the darkened alcove, before slowly turning around, coming face to face with the mysterious man before her.

For several seconds, the two of them simply stared at one another in silence, even as the terrible orchestra of the Imperial City's downfall played all around them. As the stranger looked back at her with an indifferent expression, Victoria found once again that she was able to speak.

"Who the hell are you?" she growled, her face flushing hotly with fear and confusion, and perhaps even frustration. "What the hell is going on?"

The man addressed her with a cool expression before replying. "My name is Slade," he eventually told her with an even tone, before deftly darting his head back into the alley, scanning in either direction before returning his attention to Victoria. "As for what is happening..." His eyes seemed to narrow slightly, though his voice remained stolid as ever. "The Onyx Crusade has reached the Imperial City."

Victoria felt a cold, hard lump form in the pit of her stomach, as the harsh reality of the situation was blatantly pointed out for her. Desperation and frustration were forced to the wayside, as a heavy feeling of dread seemed to weigh down on her body, and her gaze fell uselessly to the ground.

"Then it's over," she whispered, shaking her head as her eyes began to sting with tears. She clenched her hands tightly into fists, and felt her fingernails begin to dig into her palms. "And we're all going to die..." A lone tear traced the curvature of her cheek, and fell silently to the ground below, freezing as it struck the earth.

"Not necessarily." The unexpected response caused Victoria's eyes to widen with surprise, and she looked up to see Slade staring into the alley with a thoughtful expression on his face, as if gazing past the dull grey buildings to see something she couldn't.

"What do you mean?" she asked, a faint spark of hope suddenly finding life deep within her. "Please, Slade, if you know any way out of here..." Her body seemed to come alive again with a newfound source of vigour, however fleeting it may have been, as she regarded him with pleading eyes.

Slade looked down to meet Victoria's heartfelt gaze with his own calculating one, before nodding in what seemed to be approval. "Very well. I believe I may have a plan to escape the city, and you may accompany me, but it will require full cooperation on your part. You will do exactly as I say, exactly when I say. Do you-"

Cutting him off before he had the chance to finish, Victoria grabbed his hands with her own, nodding profusely in agreement. "Yes, of course I understand! Completely!" she replied with genuine gratitude, though she was still careful to keep her voice low.

Hesitating for a moment, Slade gently withdrew his hands from hers, before quickly checking the alley once again for any sign of activity. "It is clear. Follow me," he ordered flatly, before quickly dashing out of the alley and towards the cover of a nearby building, Victoria close behind in pursuit.

The two of them managed to make their way through the piling ruins of the shattered metropolis with considerable speed, darting between points of cover through the open expanse of the streets. For her part, Victoria was just able to keep pace behind Slade as he manoeuvred towards wherever it was that they were going, and even then she was sure that he was slowing down for her sake. Whoever the man really was, he moved with an uncanny agility and precision that would have gone unmatched by any but the most hardened Legionnaires.

Eventually, the duo managed to reach the familiar locale of the city's Market District, having avoided detection by what seemed like dozens of the Onyx Knights roaming the city. Having strained to keep pace with Slade for that length of time, Victoria found herself nearing the limits of her physical endurance, the sound of her pulse like violent thunder coursing through her ears as she was driven onward out of self preservation.

In the ambient orange glow that seemed to bathe the area ahead of them, flames pluming from the abandoned shops that dotted the ruins, Victoria could make out dozens of motionless bodies along the length of the street, both Legionnaire and civilian alike, discarded weapons scattered amongst the site of their demise. In spite of the pang of sympathy she felt for those lying dead before her, Victoria could not help but to also feel a sense of relief, albeit guiltily, as the path before them seemed to be clear of the Onyx nightmares that had plagued them until then.

Dutifully scanning the area ahead of them, and apparently coming to the same conclusion she had, Slade turned back to Victoria and insistently pulled her to cover, between a nearby set of relatively intact shops along the side of the street. "We can only afford to stop for a moment. Catch your breath while you can." The statement took the form of an order, and clearly one for her benefit rather than his; he seemed perfectly capable of continuing on, as he scanned the street ahead for any signs of activity.

Victoria complied quickly and without protest, supporting herself against the stone wall of one of the buildings as she drew in several deep, exhausted breaths, her lungs burning with fatigue. "Slade...where exactly...are we going?" she managed to ask between breaths, a curious expression on her face. She realized that up to that point, she'd been following him blind, but now, she found herself wondering about the details of his plan.

"We are going to the Imperial City Prison," he replied matter-of-factly, showing only the back of his head to her as he continued to scan the market ruins. "The details are unimportant, but we should make our way there with some haste, and before any more of the Onyx Knights find-"

Slade stopped himself midsentence, as the telltale shuffling of metal armour sounded from the shadows, somewhere deeper within their chosen hiding place. Alarmed, Victoria quickly jumped back from the source of the noise, as Slade adopted what seemed to be a battle posture, poising his hands expertly before him as though ready to fight unarmed, should the need arise.

Much to Victoria's relief, however, the figure that slowly approached them didn't share the silhouette of the ebony clad Knights. That said, the unmistakable shape of its metal armour was undeniably familiar all the same.

"Well met, friends," greeted a deep, exhausted voice, as the Legionnaire's outline slowly grew into focus. "It's good to see a couple of friendly-"

"You're going to tell me who you are. Now," Slade demanded with a voice of iron resolve, his hands flexing in preparation.

As the Legionnaire stepped out from the shadows, the exact details of his features finally became visible to Victoria. The man was obviously of Nordic descent, possessing the typically large facial features, broad shoulders and prodigious height one expected from his kind, considerably larger in every respect than either Slade or herself. He looked to be perhaps a few years Slade's senior, clean shaven and with a head of messy, unkempt dark brown hair.

"Knight Errant Leofric, with the Legion," the man replied with a nod, setting the tip of his battered silver claymore against the ground once he'd gotten within a few feet of them. "I'm glad to see the two of you survived. I thought I might be the only one left alive in this part of the city, aside from those...things."

Before Victoria had the chance to reply, Slade quickly cut in, ignoring any manner of pleasantries whatsoever. "Knight Errant, it is imperative that I get to the prison, as soon as possible," he insisted with uncanny authority, having dropped his battle stance. "Is there anyone else left from your unit?"

Leofric's grime caked features warped with bitter regret, as he shook his head. "The others didn't make it," he told them grimly. "We tried to make a stand here in the market against those damned monsters, keep them from getting at the civilians," he explained sombrely, and Victoria followed his gaze to the bodies scattered upon the street behind them. "We tried to fall back and regroup, maybe wait for reinforcements, but..." He shook his head miserably in defeat, and slammed his gauntlet into the nearby wall, strands of hair obscuring his face as his head drooped low.

Victoria stepped cautiously towards the Legionnaire as he cursed sourly under his breath, and gently placed her hand against his dented metal gauntlet in empathy. "Leofric..." she said softly, albeit uncertainly, and the Nord glanced up at her with a pair of pained, dark green eyes.

"We have to keep moving," Slade informed the both of them simply, before promptly turning around, and making his way back into the supposedly empty marketplace. "If we're to have any hope of escaping the city, we have to get to the prison now."

Victoria watched Leofric's eyes flare with a sudden surge of anger, as he blindly charged after Slade into the street, Victoria following quickly after in turn. "What the hell do you mean, escape?" he growled as he passed in front of Slade, blocking his path. "You're talking about abandoning the whole damned city, aren't you?! And how did you come by all of this information on escaping, anyway?"

Glaring back at Leofric with a neutral expression, Slade held his ground before the much larger Nord, undaunted. "Listen to me carefully, Knight. We are hopelessly outmanned by the enemy here. Even if we could somehow manage a victory on the ground, they can attack us with impunity from the air," Slade pointed out, gesturing to the black shape that had begun circling the Imperial Palace at the very heart of the city. "They've no doubt blocked all ground based exits, and soon the underground tunnels beneath the prison will be attacked as well. If we're to have any hope of surviving this, we need to move now."

Victoria stood a few feet back from the two men, utterly dumbstruck by what she'd heard. How could Slade possibly know so much about what the enemy was doing? And what was all this about underground tunnels, beneath the prison? Before she had the chance to voice any of these concerns, however, her focus was suddenly drawn by the furious sound of metal slamming with violent force against the street behind her; much louder, and indeed much faster than even one of the Onyx Knights could produce. She watched Leofric's eyes suddenly widen with horror, as he abruptly pushed Slade off to the side of the street, before lunging at Victoria. The sheer bulk of his heavily armoured form colliding with hers was enough to force the both of them to the ground, seconds before she watched the end of a hardened ebony flail pass through where her head had been just before.

Within a matter of seconds, Leofric pushed himself off of Victoria, getting to his feet as she did the same. Across the street, Slade seemed unhurt as well, getting back up as all three of them turned towards their attacker, now at the end of the street, blocking their passage towards the prison.

A massive, ebony clad figure sat silently before them, mounted atop a large warhorse, patches of dark brown hair visible through the beast's heavy sheets of black metal armour, covering the bulk of its form. The figure atop the steed swung in its hand a large, cruel looking flail, heavy enough even to punch through Leofric's armour, she was sure.

"Tremble before us, sons and daughters of Tamriel," the figure growled at them malevolently, its low pitched, grating voice almost certainly that of an Orc. "Cower before the unstoppable might of the Onyx Crusade!"

Whipping its flail into a violent fury, the figure charged towards them once again, its steed screaming in a fit of vehement rage.

Excellent, friend. I look forward to the next chapter.

Blooming heck! How do you learn to write like that!

Nova rules the Fan-Fiction Department, friend.

Very Impressive work. Great plot + Great Writing = Win.

Definitely worth reading. I hope you intend to write it to the end; we don't get that a lot here.

The pace of your writing is a bit slow, making it hard to describe fast-pacing scenes. It's still decent writing though. Keep it up.

WOW


This is fantastic.

I really hope this continues for a long time
Please let me know when the next installment is in.


stephen

Wow, thanks for the awesome replies, guys! I'm stoked to hear that you're all enjoying the story so far.

You should be expecting them . Come on stop being modest hehe.

I showed some of my friends who also play oblivion and morrowind and they said it was fantastic.


so keep it up mate.

Here's the latest update to the story, guys. This chapter is a bit shorter than the others were, but I think you'll see why I left it like that once you've read it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy it, and as always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

____________________________
____________________________

Chapter 3: What Lurks Beneath?

Victoria's heart fluttered fearfully in her chest as the enemy rider barrelled relentlessly towards them, raising his flail to attack. In a single moment of fear and panic, she turned tail and ran, scrambling desperately to the relative cover of a nearby garden. As soon as she was inside, she quickly ducked behind a low rising fence and looked back to see Leofric close behind her, seeking refuge as she had.

Slade, however, remained standing in the street.

The Knight rampaged towards him at a frightening speed; no doubt if he'd tried to flee like the others, he'd have been run down. Yet even as the great armoured steed let loose a baneful, ethereal scream, Slade remained undaunted, his stolid demeanour unbroken as he subtly bent his limbs in silent preparation.

With an exaggerated swing of his arm, the Knight attacked; his massive flail was suddenly airborne, spiralling towards its intended target. With uncanny agility and speed, Slade reacted in turn, pivoting his body to the side as he attempted to evade the fast moving projectile.

The chained weapon struck a glancing blow, grazing against Slade's flattened chest. Though he'd avoided the bulk of the weapon's terrible weight, he nevertheless staggered from the impact, albeit for only a moment. That moment, however, proved to be all the rider needed; closing the gap between the two combatants in a heartbeat, the Knight swung at Slade with a massive, closed gauntlet. Unable to dodge the attack, Slade was suddenly thrown into the air, sent down the length of the street in a clumsy arc before crashing several feet distant.

"Slade!" Victoria cried out, her face lined with horror as she attempted to rush out to him. She felt herself quickly restrained, however, and looked back to see Leofric holding her from behind, even as he too looked on with widened eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" she berated him, writhing against his armoured grasp. "Let go of me, Leofric! We have to get out there and help him!"

"No!" Leofric shot back, eyes widening as his grip tightened. "No, we have to h-hold back...s-stay alive until the reinforcements come!"

"He'll die if we don't do something!" Victoria replied frantically as she fought against him. "Please Leofric, let me go!"

"Leave me!" Victoria suddenly looked back to the street to see Slade sluggishly rising to his feet, his every movement obviously pained. "You'll move faster without me! Go now!" he ordered.

"You heard him, kid!" Leofric growled, before slowly dragging Victoria back, deeper into cover and away from the street. "We don't stand a chance against that thing. We have to get out of here while he keeps it occupied!"

Victoria felt utterly helpless, uselessly struggling against Leofric's grasp as he dragged her away, watching as Slade calmly turned to face his executioner. I'm abandoning him, she thought to herself, a bitter, contemptible feeling rising up in her chest. He saved my life, and I'm just leaving him to die like all the others...

Victoria growled incoherently under her breath, clenching her hands into angry balls at her sides. She abruptly brought her head back into Leofric's face, hitting him square in the nose. His grip on her promptly loosened, and she made full use of the opportunity, wrestling free of the Legionnaire's grip and making a mad dash for the street. She awkwardly picked up a discarded silver longsword before taking up a position between Slade and the quick approaching Onyx Knight.

"I told you to leave me!" Slade roared at her from behind. "Get out of here, while there's still time!"

"Dammit kid, what the hell are you doing?!" Leofric cried out from his cover.

As Victoria clumsily clenched the longsword in both hands, arms trembling, she asked herself the same question: what the hell was she doing? She knew, as well as the others apparently, that she didn't have a chance against the Knight. She was throwing her life away, condemning herself to the same fate as Slade, and for what? Some feeble, pitiful attempt at bravery...

I'm no hero... she thought bitterly to herself.

Her heart sunk deep in her chest as the Knight approached.

Something changed, in the final moments of the rider's charge, just as his racing fist prepared to make the killing blow. In an instant, Victoria was suddenly grasping her blade with only one hand, her control immaculate as she plunged the sharpened blade through a break in the enemy mount's armour, deep into its neck. She quickly sidestepped the failing mass of the beast as it fell lifelessly to the ground, dragging its rider forward along with its own corpse from their combined momentum. Even wounded as he was, Slade managed to roll out of the path of the massive bulk, righting himself as Victoria rushed past him in a mad, silent fury, heading towards the downed rider.

The Knight had managed to free himself from beneath his mount by the time Victoria reached him, as unarmed as his female opponent. He quickly noticed the young woman's racing form, and lashed out with his gauntlet, striking at her behind her veil of bright red hair. She recoiled from the force of the blow, stumbling backwards, but quickly recovered, and glared back at the Knight with an untamed ferocity beneath her glassy, crystalline blue eyes, a single streak of crimson blood snaking from her nose.

The Knight lurched forward with another jab, but Victoria managed to outmanoeuvre him, ducking beneath his punch and darting around behind him. The armoured figure just began to turn as Victoria securely placed a hand on either side of his massive helmet, and twisted it violently to the side. There was a sickening snap from within the recesses of the Knight's armour as his body jerked for a moment, before falling limply to the ground next to his fallen steed.

Victoria remained deathly silent, her entire body heaving with every breath as she looked down at the two corpses, her face hidden from the world by a fiery veil. Something gently gripped her shoulder, and like a feral animal she spun around, regarding Slade with a distant, disconnected glare.

Slade too remained silent for a moment, simply gazing back at her with a curious expression. "Who are you?" he demanded flatly.

Blinking rapidly, the lustre slowly returned to Victoria's eyes, and she looked back at him with a confused, fatigued expression. "Slade?" she asked uncertainly, her body swaying weakly. "What...what happened? Are...you..."

The last thing she remembered was collapsing in the street.

Did not see that one coming :blink:

I've been happily lurking here, waiting to see where this was going, and just enjoying the set up.

Set up complete now I'd say! Thrown me for a loop already

This looks good, and you've set up a really exciting pace so far.

Look forward to reading more

This was hot. I'm loving this so much; you have no idea. :foodndrink:

WOOOOO!
I'm lovin' it!

Keep it comin' Nova!
:thumbsup::goodjob:

Well, the answer to Slades last question is obvious, isn't it?

Just wanted to say that my current plan is to start work on the next chapter tomorrow, and to have it out by this Friday. I would have started work sooner, but I've been struggling with that most insidious of addictions...World of Warcraft.

Also, glad to see the fight scene went over well!

Chapter 4: Final Epitome of the Fallen City

A dull, throbbing pain seemed to radiate through Victoria's skull as she gradually came to, barely fighting back an intense feeling of nausea. Incoherent and disoriented, she was at a loss as to her exact location, though she was able to make out the gentle gushing of running water nearby, and a faint chill which seemed to wrap tightly around her body. She made a futile attempt to move, to get up off the cold, damp stone beneath her, to which her limbs twitched lethargically in protest.

As her senses began to recover and the pain in her head intensified, the last few moments of Victoria's consciousness came rushing back to her. She vividly remembered launching into a feral rage, her body moving almost as if it had a will of its own, her limbs darting about at speeds unmatched by all but the most grizzled of warriors. She recalled not only fighting, but killing an Onyx Knight, using her own two hands in personal combat.

Perhaps most terrifying, however, was remembering how she had felt. A gut wrenching confusion, of being both herself, and yet somehow, not herself, as though some unseen influence had blended its will with hers. Her entire body shuddered with unease; it was a horrible sensation, to feel almost as if you had become somebody else.

"Well, looks like you weren't hurt too bad in that little scuffle after all, were you kid?" a familiar voice asked from nearby. "I guess you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Victoria blinked uncertainly, clearing her darkened vision, before making out the armoured form of Leofric standing over her, looking down at her with an expression of distaste.

"Leofric?" Victoria asked as she rose slowly to her feet, taking in her surroundings. The massive, darkened passageway seemed to stretch on into shadows in either direction, with water rushing down its length in a small canol along the floor. "Where's Slade?"

"In a minute," the Legionnaire muttered back, moving threateningly towards her. "But first, you and I need to talk."

Victoria's feeling of unease only continued to grow as she stepped back, away from the massive Nord. "Talk about what?" she asked, edging nervously towards the wall. "Where's Slade, Leofric?"

"Why the hell didn't you say something earlier?" he growled, his eyes suddenly alive with anger. "If you could fight like that the entire time, then why were you running like some damned coward, instead of helping protect the city!?"

Victoria backed sheepishly into a nearby wall, genuine fear now taking hold over her. "Please, Leofric, you have to believe me, I didn't know-"

She was abruptly cut off, as the hulking man, his eyes bulging, lashed out, and grabbed her by the throat. "Don't lie to me!" he roared angrily, his enraged cries echoing through the length of the tunnel. "How many of us died because you refused to fight!? How many did you leave behind so you could save yourself!?"

Clutching frantically at his metal gauntlet, Victoria could feel Leofric picking her up off the ground. "Please, I didn't know! I-" She kicked her legs uselessly as she gasped for breath. "Leofric...you're hurting me..."

Just as suddenly as it had begun, Leofric's grip on her neck was suddenly released. She fell to the ground as Slade seemed to materialize from out of the shadows, jumping the much larger man and twisting his arm at an unnatural angle behind his back. Leofric had just enough time to cry out in pain before Slade forced him to the ground, face first into the nearby body of water.

"Slade!" Victoria cried out with relief, forcing herself back to her feet. "Are you alright?"

He calmly glanced up at her, nodding curtly even as he held his opponent beneath the water's surface. "Thanks in no small part to your intervention," he replied coolly. He glanced back down at Leofric as he pulled the man's head out from beneath the water. "It would be a terrible inconvenience for me if I was forced to kill you, Knight Errant Leofric," he explained simply. "I should think you owe the young woman some semblance of gratitude."

Leofric spat as he violently shook his head. "You saw what she did! How she fought!" he shot back defiantly. "Maybe, if she'd fought alongside the other Legionnaire's, she-"

"She would be dead," Slade replied. "Do you honestly believe that an individual, regardless of how skilled, can repel an enemy force of that size? She took the only sensible action, as did we all."

The subdued Legionnaire gave one final, half-hearted attempt at breaking free, before he was finally released. He rose sadly to his feet, his bitter glare darting between both Victoria and Slade. For a moment, it seemed he was about to say something, but in the end he simply muttered something incoherently under his breath, before marching into the distant darkness.

Victoria turned her attention back towards Slade as he calmly stood back up. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "If you hadn't showed up when you did..."

"I find myself forced to agree with him. At least, in one regard," Slade replied. "It would have been useful, had I known the extent of your abilities."

Victoria looked back at him with a pleading expression. "Slade, please, you have to believe me," she began earnestly. "I don't know what's going on any more than you do! I thought..." Her gaze fell to the floor. "I thought for sure we were both going to die..." She looked back up, to see Slade evaluating her with a thoughtful glance, as if trying to determine whether or not she was telling the truth.

"Perhaps," he finally replied, his gaze relaxing somewhat. "Regardless, I believe your earlier demonstration, intentional or not, more than warrants continued observation. And you've also reminded me of an important lesson."

"Oh?" Victoria asked curiously.

"Assume nothing."

A weak smile taking shape across her features, Victoria nodded in approval, before the two of them continued down the length of the tunnel, Leofric's silhouette barely visible ahead of them.

"You have yet to answer my earlier question," Slade mentioned casually, glancing at her. "Who are you?"

Victoria hesitated with her response, realizing that in the chaos of their hasty escape, she'd never told the man her name. "Victoria," she finally answered. "I work...I used to work in one of the pawn shops, in the Market District."

Slade seemed to mull the answer over, before nodding curtly. "Very well, Victoria. Let us continue on," he insisted, his pace quickening. "The city is still under siege, and time is very much of the essence."

For some time they navigated the underground sewers, following the path of the flowing water as thunderous tremors shook the walls around them. The ancient architecture, having stood the test of time for centuries, crumbled into dust as the city above was blasted into rubble.

"So, where exactly are you leading us, anyway?" Leofric asked sourly, turning towards Slade. He'd remained silent since their earlier encounter, but Victoria continued to keep her distance from the arguably unstable Legionnaire.

"As I explained earlier, there are a series of underground tunnels beneath the prison compound," Slade replied with a matter-of-fact tone. "Given the close proximity between the market and the prison, the sewers seemed an ideal means of infiltration."

"Wait a second," Victoria shot in, suddenly inquisitive. "Why would anybody put underground tunnels beneath the prison? And just how do you know about them, Slade?"

"They were meant to serve as an emergency escape route, of sorts." Slade promptly slowed his pace, and began scouring the surfaces of the nearby brick walls, as if searching for something. "If the need ever arose, the Emperor could secretly leave the city through the tunnels. Obviously, such information was closely guarded."

"I thought I heard something about those," Leofric piped in. "Used during the Oblivion Crisis by the Champion, or some such nonsense. But I also heard that they were completely blocked off by the Elder Council."

"Let not the left hand know what the right is doing, Knight Errant," Slade replied cryptically, running his hands along the surface of a perfectly ordinary, rusted torch affixed to the brick wall. "The Elder Council decided to keep the tunnels intact, in case they were ever needed again. They simply ensured that the few people who knew about them were convinced they'd been rendered useless." He began to twist the metal protrusion, and the brick wall next to him began to part, revealing a room filled with ancient white stone on the other side.

"But Slade, that still doesn't answer how you know about them," Victoria pointed out. The man replied with little more than a silent glance, before making his way through the veil of dust and into the tunnels on the other side of the wall.

The trio navigated the ruins of the underground labyrinth, which Victoria noted looked suspiciously Ayleid in construction. The bright, ivory coloured pillars that surrounded them seemed to emit their own gentle, ethereal light; a definite improvement from the monotone, darkened sewers they had just managed to escape.

For several minutes they hurried through dozens of interconnected corridors and rooms, many of them with multiple levels and a host of different doors. Victoria quickly lost track of where they were, or where they'd entered the ruins, and simply followed behind Slade, the rhythmic clanking of Leofric's armour close behind her.

I wonder if he's a member of the Blades? she asked herself, as her eyes remained focused on Slade's back. It was obvious, even to her, that this wasn't his first time navigating the underground passages. How else could he find his way through them so perfectly? And he would have to be somebody important, to have access to the tunnels if they were as big a secret as he'd made them out to be-

A sudden groan, from somewhere deeper in the Elven catacombs, caused Victoria to stop dead in her tracks, her thoughts suddenly focused solely on the source of the sound. Leofric, on the other hand, must not have made out the noise over his armour, and promptly bumped into her from behind. She turned back to face him, and he regarded her with a quizzical look.

"What's the hold up?" he asked, a certain irritation to his voice.

Victoria gestured down one of the adjacent corridors as Slade doubled back to rejoin them. "I heard something," she explained, glancing between the two men. "Over there. It sounded like a person, maybe." In the silence that followed, there was another pained groan from further down the passage.

"You think somebody else made it out of the city?" Leofric asked, slightly uncertain. Saying nothing, Slade cautiously moved forward into the hall, the others following behind.

As they drew closer towards the source of the noise, Victoria was better able to make out just what it was she was hearing. The agonized moans of whoever was down there were broken apart by long, gasping breaths; she had a feeling that if somebody else had survived the attack on the city, they wouldn't be alive much longer. As they came upon the source of the noise, and the pale light of the underground tunnels washed over the Altmer's prone form, Victoria had to stifle a gasp of surprise. She recognized the Elf.

It was Chancellor Ocato.

The dying Altmer glanced up at the three of them, clutching at a bloodied hole in the chest of his dark blue robe. His other arm was wrapped tightly around a small, cylindrical black container, clutched to his side with perhaps even more effort than he grasped at his wound.

"Chancellor," Slade began, quickly tending at the Altmer's side as he assessed the man's wound. "Where is your escort? They were to see you safely from the city."

The aging Altmer shook his head dismally. "Dead," he replied with a raspy voice. "We were ambushed just outside the entrance to the tunnels. They managed to hold them off long enough for me to escape, but..." The Elf managed to stifle a violent cough as misty pink foam ebbed at the corners of his mouth.

"Slade...Chancellor Ocato, you know him?" Victoria asked.

"Slade?" Ocato's features seemed to break into a weak smile as he faced the man. "Is that the name you're going by these days?"

"Chancellor, we don't have time for this," Slade insisted, placing his arm behind the wounded Altmer's back. "We have to get you to Chorrol. If the rest of the Elder Council has been captured or killed, then you-"

The Chancellor launched into a fit of violent coughing, and Slade quickly withdrew his arm. "No," the Elf replied weakly. "I won't make it out of these tunnels, let alone all the way to Chorrol." He shook his head. "No...it is too late for me."

"There may still be time. If we can get you to a-"

Ocato quickly cut Slade off, taking the small cylinder and thrusting it into his hands. "You must get it to Chorrol," he commanded simply, nodding his head. "Keep them safe, my friend. If the Onyx Crusade manages to get them..." The Altmer's head began to lilt, and his eyes fluttered feebly. "It's up to you...now..."

Slade stared silently at Chancellor Ocato as the Altmer's body grew deathly still. "I understand, Chancellor," he finally replied, placing the cylinder securely under his arm.

Victoria watched in silence as Slade delivered one final nod of respect to the fallen Chancellor, before gesturing for the others to follow. "Come," he ordered, moving ahead. "No doubt the Onyx Knights will be here shortly. We have to move quickly, and get to Chorrol."

"Chorrol?" Leofric asked, taking once last glance at the Chancellor before quickly following alongside Victoria. "Wait just a gods damned minute! What in the blue hell are we gonna do at Chorrol!?"

"Ideally?" Slade asked ahead of them, leading the way out of the tunnels. "Find a way to stop the Onyx Crusade."