Worlds Collide
Chapter 1 – The Rescue
Seven figures ran in single-file down a narrow corridor which seemed to lead through the spine of the Ayleid ruin. There should have been ten of them – one sent by each nation of Tamriel – but there were only seven. Dramas Telvanni of Morrowind and Baran gro-Oran of the Wrothgarian Mountains were standing guard outside the ruin. As two of the most powerful warriors in the group, they would be more than capable of handling anyone who might be trying to follow them in. The third missing member was Raminus Polus, the incredibly gifted Imperial spellsword sent by the Arcane University, who were now arguably the most powerful organisation in Cyrodiil. He had recently been taken hostage by an unknown group of mercenaries, but the Blades had found out that he was being held in this ruin.
This left the remaining seven to rescue Raminus from whoever was holding him captive. Seven of the best warriors and adventurers in Tamriel.
At the head of the group was Storm of Falkreath, the Nord sent from Skyrim. He was acting as the group's scout. Unlike most Nordic warriors, he favoured light armour and manoeuvrability over brute force. If somebody swung a sword, mace or axe at him he would duck to the side to avoid it and plunge his sword into his enemy's side. Very few people left an encounter with Storm of Falkreath alive.
Behind him was Agam-Na, a shy, paranoid but good-natured Argonian scholar and mage sent from Black Marsh. He had been brought on this mission for two reasons – his knowledge and the speed he could run at. He was rudimentarily skilled in the use of blunt weapons and destruction magic, but he generally relied on the rest of the group to protect him from danger. He provided brains, not brawn.
Next in line was Arzel, sent from Hammerfell. The Redguard was an absolute powerhouse, kitted out in Dwarven armour, which he had used his blacksmithing skills to make even tougher, and wielding a Claymore, also Dwarven.
Behind Arzel were Marina of Summerset Isle and Ri'Azba of Elsweyr. Marina was an extraordinarily gifted mage, and sent by her home nation because of her remarkable ability to simply create new spells on the spot, as and when the situation arose. The oldest and most experienced member of the group, she had been voted their leader.
Ri'Azba, the Khajiit, stuck close to Marina at all times. She was like a mother to him. He had been freed from slavery by her and lived with her since that day. There were three reasons why the kings of Elsweyr had chosen to send him – his agility, his unmatched archery skill and his fierce loyalty.
Behind them was the Breton sent from High Rock, Ciara Erlasia. Unusually for a Breton she turned to physical weapons rather than magic, never seen without her bow and dagger. She was, however, extremely skilled in the art of alchemy and always carried around a small amount of carefully-selected ingredients to tailor-make potions on the spot when they were needed.
At the back of the group was Meridor of Valenwood. The Wood Elf was small and nor particularly well-built but could still pack a punch with the axe which never left his side.
None of the group yet knew what their mission was, only that it was one of enormous importance for the safety of Tamriel. Chancellor Ocato had decided that all ten members of the group should be present at the briefing, which meant Raminus had to be rescued. It was also a subtle way for Ocato to make sure the group could handle themselves.
"We're coming up to a large open area" Storm whispered, halting the group. "I can see movement in there"
Marina stepped up next to him and peered down the corridor. At the end of it, a short flight of steps led up to a doorway, leading into a large atrium. The orange glow of a fire illuminated the atrium. Footsteps could be heard on the stone floor, and a lone figure was pacing backwards and forwards in front of the doorway.
"Take him down" Marina whispered. "If he sees us, we attack. Storm, Arzel, Meridor, you go first. Ciara, Ri'Azba, cover them from here"
Ri'Azba crept forwards, an arrow placed in his bow, and slowly began to draw the string back. As the figure paced past the doorway, Ri'Azba released the arrow. His aim was immaculate. The figure fell to the ground dead, the arrow jutting gruesomely from his temple, before he'd had time to scream.
"What was that?" a voice said from somewhere in the hall.
"It's Garildor! He's dead!" another voice said.
"OK, attack!" Marina whispered loudly. "Ri'Azba, Ciara, cover them!"
The Khajiit and Breton ran out into the hall, their bows raised. They positioned themselves at either side of the doorway and began firing across the hall. Storm, Arzel and Meridor ran out behind them.
There were a lot of enemies in the room. Ten at least, all wearing armour and carrying an assortment of weapons.
Ciara fired arrow after arrow across the hall into whoever the enemies were. This would be tough – they were all completely bedecked in heavy armour, against which arrows were more or less useless unless she could score a headshot. The only purpose of her and Ri'Azba's fire was to keep the enemies at bay.
"Marina! They're armoured! We need some help!"
The Altmer ran up into the hall. Storm, Arzel and Meridor were all charging forwards towards the enemies. They counteracted the charge, running at them brandishing an assortment of swords and axes. Three other men stood at the far side of the hall with bows, returning Ciara and Ri'Azba's volley of fire.
"Move forwards" Ri'Azba called to Ciara. "We must kill the archers!"
Ciara nodded and turned to Agam-Na, still in the corridor.
"Come on! We're outnumbered, you're going to have to fight!" she called down to him. "We'll keep an eye on you!"
Agam-Na drew his mace and ran into the hall, making sure to stay close to Marina.
Ciara and Ri'Azba began running along the sides of the hall in perfect synchronisation, mirror images of each other. Suddenly Ciara heard the familiar sound of a bow's drawstring being released, but it was coming from somewhere close. She heard an arrow slam into the ground next to her, having passed so close to her that she had felt it whip through her hair. She ducked and looked around for the source of the arrow.
There was a high balcony running along one side of the room with two figures on it, both carrying bows.
"Archers on the balcony!" Ciara shouted.
"Leave it to me!" Marina called back. A great bolt of lightning flashed across the hall from Marina and slammed into one of the archers, sending him flying backwards into the wall.
Storm, Arzel and Meridor were completely surrounded by the enemy. The three of them stood in an outward-facing circle, fighting hard and outnumbered 2-to-1. Storm was struggling to hold off two swordsmen, when one of them suddenly fell to the ground, hit from behind by a large impact. It was Agam-Na with his mace. Storm used the distraction to plunge his sword into the other man he was fighting, whilst Agam-Na examined the body of the man he had just killed – in particular his jet-black armour.
"What is it?" Storm asked. "Daedric? Ebony?"
"No, it's much lower quality" Agam-Na said. "The only other black armour ever seen in Tamriel is worn by the Blackwood Company"
The words 'Blackwood Company' resonated through Storm's mind. They were a band of mercenaries who were on the verge of being pure evil. They were known for carrying out contracts that nobody else would do. Storm remembered a member of the Fighters' Guild infiltrating them to find out why. The Fighters' Guild man was forced to drink the sap of the Hist tree, a sacred species of tree which grows in Black Marsh. The next thing he knew, he was defending a small village against a goblin invasion. When his superiors at the Fighters' Guild sent him to the village to clear up, he found the entire population of the village dead. The Hist sap had made them hallucinate and think the villagers were goblins. The Fighters' Guild member killed himself on the spot. After that day the Blackwood Company became notorious – one only used them if nobody else would accept the contract.
-----------
Outside, Dramas and Baran stood at the door to the ruin eyeing the horizon, constantly watching for anything that might be a threat. Baran was easily the most physically daunting member of the group – with his Orcish warhammer and armour he was also the most heavily armed and armoured. Dramas was like all Dunmer warriors – skilled in swordsmanship, archery and Destruction magic, and in the balanced integration of all three.
"Come on then, Dramas" Baran said suddenly. "One of each race of Tamriel. Why?"
"To be honest, I have absolutely no idea" Dramas replied, still eyeing the horizon.
"You know, I read a book once…"
"Really?" Dramas smirked. "I didn't know you Orcs had it in you!"
"Shut up, Dunmer" Baran snapped back. "It was an account of a worshipper of Boethia, the Daedric Prince. The worshipper was seeking Goldbrand, a powerful sword thought to be in the possession of Boethia. He was right, but to retrieve the sword he had to take part in a contest. Ten combatants, one from each race. The last one standing won the sword"
"You think we're here for some sort of gladiatorial competition?" Dramas said. "Then some races have a disadvantage. The Argonian is not a warrior, he's a scholar. And why are they risking our lives to rescue Raminus? No, it doesn't add up…"
"Well, the sooner they actually find Raminus the sooner we can find out why we're here…"
"Movement" Dramas said suddenly, drawing his bow. "To the North. You see it?"
Baran strained his eyes and nodded. He could see figures moving through the swampy forests of Blackwood towards them.
"Hold your fire" Baran said. "They might just be explorers"
One of the figures stopped and turned. He looked straight at Dramas.
"They've seen us" he said. "At arms!"
Suddenly, the figures charged. Ten of them at least, all wearing black armour, all burst out of the bushes and charged towards the entrance of the ruin.
"Sound the alarm!" Baran said. "We can't handle them on our own!"
'The alarm' was a spell Marina had made just before they had entered the ruin, and written on a scroll so Dramas could cast it. The spell would produce a loud, shrill sound, which could only be heard by members of the group. The instructions were simple – if Dramas needed backup, he would sound the alarm. If he heard the alarm, it meant Marina had cast it and they were to abandon their posts and enter the ruin to help.
Dramas unwrapped the scroll Marina had given to him. It was covered in Daedric script, but as a Morrowind native Dramas could translate it with ease. He quickly read out the script to himself, and as soon as he had finished a high-pitched squealing sound filled the air, seeming to come from all around. After a few seconds, it stopped.
"Best of luck to you, Baran" Dramas said, drawing his sword. The two warriors stepped forwards to brave the enemy charge.
---------------
"It's the alarm!" Marina cried. The battle in the hall was slowly swinging in their favour. Ciara and Ri'Azba had taken care of all but one of the archers, and Storm, Arzel and Meridor were now fighting three against two. Marina unleashed a bolt of magical energy at one of the Blackwood Company men – as it hit, the man's armour simply disintegrated, literally turning to dust. Meridor reacted at once and slammed his axe into the man's naked chest. The other Blackwood Company man raised his arms in surrender as a well-placed arrow from Ciara felled the archer.
"I surrender!" the man said. Arzel walked over to him, roughly pulled his helm off and held his sword to his throat.
"Drop your weapon" Arzel ordered. The man obliged.
"I'll deal with this" Marina said. "You're needed outside. Storm, Meridor, go with him"
"Only one marksman?" Arzel asked. "With respect, Marina, should Ciara not go as well?"
"You're right" Marina replied. "You should stay with us. Ciara, go with the other two"
Storm gave a subtle nod and smile towards Arzel. Arzel was one of the few people who knew what Storm and Ciara really wanted – to be near each other at all times.
"OK. Who are you working for?" Arzel said to the Blackwood Company man. "Tell me the truth and this will be a lot less painful for you"
"I do not know, and that is the truth" the man said. He was Imperial, well-spoken. "We were told by our commander to guard the prisoner, and nothing more"
"Where is the prisoner?" Arzel demanded.
"May the Gods have mercy upon me" the man said to himself. He looked up to face Arzel. "Keep following this corridor. You'll come to a door. It's probably locked, but we were told to make sure nobody reached that door. He must be behind it"
"Thank you" Arzel said. "You are free to go, but know this. If you follow us, we will kill you. If you go outside, the rest of our group will kill you. Stay here until we are all gone and you might live"
Agam-Na watched the scene unfold. He had not met the Redguard before today, but he was glad to see that they both shared the same philosophy. Men who were simply earning a living, like this mercenary, should not be killed unless it is necessary.
---------------
"OK, listen, everybody" Storm said as himself, Meridor and Ciara ran along the corridor back towards the entrance to the ruin. "We have one aim – to make sure the exit is clear for when the others return with Raminus. If we can't beat whoever's out there, the least we can do is hold them off"
------------------
Ri'Azba watched in fascination as Marina and Agam-Na puzzled with the ornate Ayleid door blocking their way. The door was forged from what looked like silver, with an effigy of a tree inlaid into it in a beautiful pale-blue crystal. And it simply would not open.
"We should have kept Meridor" Marina said. "He could have had this door open in an instant"
"If there's a lock it will yield to magic as well as a lockpick, surely" Agam-Na said.
"There's some sort of magicka drain on the door" Marina replied. "It's sapping the magnitude of any spell I cast at it, making it too weak to break the lock"
"Try dispelling the door, then" Agam-Na suggested. "Just long enough to cast another lock-breaker on it"
"Where would I be without you, Agam-Na?" Marina sighed as she placed her hands on the door. A pale green glow enveloped the door.
"I've silenced it, it should have the same effect"
Ri'Azba was transfixed by what the two mages were doing. And he had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. He did understand one thing – the word 'Varlasel' written above the door way. It literally meant 'Hall of stars' and was normally the innermost chamber in ruins like these. He had learnt that from Agam-Na.
--------------
Storm, Meridor and Ciara burst out of the ruin to a scene of absolute chaos. Dramas and Baran were both pinned down in the small porch-like structure which covered the door, trying to hold off at least ten Blackwood Company men. Behind them, two Imperial Foresters who had happened across the scene were trying vainly to help.
"Dramas! Ciara! Get up on the roof!" Storm ordered. "Meridor, Baran, give them some cover!"
With that, Storm, Meridor and Baran burst out of the porch and collided with the Blackwood Company men, forcing them backwards. As soon as they had done so, Ciara jumped up, got a handhold on the roof of the porch and hauled herself up onto the roof, then drew her bow and began firing into the Blackwood Company men. Dramas tried to do the same, but lacked the upper body strength to haul his heavy suit of armour onto the roof. He let himself fall to the ground, drew his sword and dived into the fray.
"Who are they?" he called to Storm.
"Blackwood Company! We don't know who they're working for!" Storm replied as he sickeningly plunged his sword into a Blackwood Company soldier's eye.
---------------
The door sprung open, and Arzel and Ri'Azba ran inside. The room was empty.
"I don't think they were expecting such a big rescue party" Arzel said. "Most of their men must have been in that last room"
"Come on, let's find Raminus" Marina said.
Agam-Na looked around the small room they were in. Two corridors led off from it.
"I imagine this is standard Ayleid architecture" he said. "One of these will lead to a main hall, the other will lead to a balcony overlooking it"
"Let's split up" Marina suggested. "Ri'Azba, come with me. Agam-Na, you're with Arzel"
"Come on then, Professor" Arzel said. "Let's hope we pick the safe route"
Arzel chose the left-hand corridor and ran down it, Agam-Na following him. Marina and Ri'Azba ran down the other corridor.
They both arrived at their destinations at the same time. Marina and Ri'Azba emerged, like Agam-Na predicted, on a small balcony overlooking a large hall, which Arzel and Agam-Na appeared in. The room was empty, apart from one person – Raminus Polus, tied to a chair in the centre of the room. Arzel ran over to him and began carefully cutting the ropes with his sword, whilst Marina and Ri'Azba retraced their steps, emerging shortly in the hall.
"Did they not leave anyone to guard you?" Arzel asked as he cut the final bond. Raminus shook his head.
"They all left through the secret exit" Raminus said. "I overheard them talking. They thought they could ambush you by going outside then back in through the main entrance. Where are the others?"
"Outside, fighting off the ambush" Marina said. "Where is this secret exit? We need to get outside and help them"
"At the back of this hall" Raminus said. "I presume it emerges somewhere near the main entrance"
Agam-Na was deep in his own thoughts. He was thinking about the balcony the Blackwood Company archers had attacked them from. They had passed no other doorways that would have led to that balcony, so the passage to the secret exit must have led to it…
"Marina, sound the alarm" he said suddenly. "I've got an idea"
---------------
For the second time that day, Dramas and Baran heard a shrill ringing in their ears. By the looks on their faces, the other three had also seen it.
"It's the alarm!" Meridor exclaimed. "They need our help!"
"Fall back inside!" Storm ordered. "Dramas, Ciara, give us some cover!"
Dramas and Ciara let loose a stunning volley of arrows and fireballs directed towards the Blackwood Company soldiers, eventually ducking down into the porch themselves and following the other three into the ruin, the Blackwood Company hot on their heels.
They ran into the large hall where the earlier battle had taken place. Another doorway lay opposite them, leading to a descending staircase.
"Straight ahead!" Storm called out to the group. They sprinted across the hallway towards the next door, Ciara and Dramas still trying to hold off the Blackwood Company soldiers.
The mercenaries followed them into the hallway… and all of a sudden, a colossal fireball slammed into the ground in the middle of their group, killing two of the six and knocking them all off their feet. Just as one regained his footing, a bolt of lightning hit him, causing him to convulse wildly before he dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Storm looked around, both confused and amazed. What he saw was Ri'Azba, Marina and Raminus standing on the balcony they had been attacked from earlier, hurling everything they had at the Blackwood Company soldiers.
Using their own tactics against them, Storm thought to himself. That had to be one of Agam-Na's ideas.
The three remaining Blackwood Company men did not stand a chance. Their armour could block swords, maces and arrows but not magic, and they were picked off one-by-one by Dramas, Marina and Raminus.
-------------------
The walk back to the Imperial City was long, and the cold winter's night did not make it any easier. But the group where in high spirits – they had completed their mission and were about to find out why they had all been gathered here.
Arzel walked up to Raminus. "So, how did you manage to get captured then?"
"You tell me" Raminus replied. "The last thing I remember was walking through Green Emperor Way, on the way to the magic shops in the Market District because I needed some soul gems. Next thing I know I'm in that ruin"
"They must have knocked you out cold and dragged you from the city" Arzel said. "But how could the guards not have noticed?"
"They could have used an invisibility spell, they could have bribed the guards..."
"Oh, you need this" Arzel said, handing an amulet to Raminus. It was forged from the same green volcanic glass that the extremely rare weapons and armour were made from, and had a diamond carved into the shape of a ten-pointed star in its centre.
"The rest of us are all wearing one. I had to give this one to you. Ocato's orders"
"What are they for?"
"Well, tomorrow we're going to find out"