D-Day : The Day of the Dragon
CHAPTER 1: In The Beginning
The Oblivion Crisis had been over for about a year now. Life in Cyrodiil had by now settled back to normal. The gates had stopped appearing and the statue of the god Akatosh in his dragon avatar had long been a popular attraction for the travellers passing through the Imperial City. The bards were busy composing songs even to this day and I remember a particular favourite, 'The Fall of Dagon'. Indeed, Mehrunes Dagon had fallen and it was all thanks to two men, the Champion of Cyrodiil, Matthias, and the son of the late Emperor Uriel Septim, Martin. The story is widely known, even my previous home, a small settlement hidden in the Valus Mountains, heard of it. So the story goes that Martin broke the Amulet of Kings and transformed himself into the avatar of the god Akatosh, a fiery dragon and broke Dagon's neck in a swift blow. I don't know how accurate that was but it seemed a bit too exaggerated to me.
But that is the past and the past was at my back as I shouldered my rucksack and headed towards God-knows-where on a seemingly foolhardy quest to make a name for myself in a world. That wasn't the complicated part. It was easy for an adventurer to make a name for himself, just bash a few goblins for some villagers and they hail you as a hero. But no, I wanted the real glory. There came the problem. Cyrodiil has seen the best warrior they had seen in years. And he came in the form of a Khajiit. The leopard-men were well known for being thieves and murderers and here was the Champion of Cyrodiil, a Khajiit. Matthias was the best and he could beat even the toughest in a few minutes without a scratch on his armor but with blood on his blade. I could only watch from afar. I was also a Khajiit and the world would see me as a wannabe, trying to be the Champion they all knew and loved. My cheeks burned with shame for a few moments as I left my decrepit shack behind in the village and headed towards new horizons. I never looked back. I guess I should have as my 'adventure' didn't go as planned.
I headed towards Bruma where the great Battle of Bruma had occurred. I relished the chance to pretend to drive my blade into an imaginary Dremora's chest. As I galloped silently into the mountains that were bathed in the first rays of sunlight, I thought of what kind of adventurer I would make. Certainly my low-grade iron gear and rusty steel longsword could not match the Champion's but I hoped to make some gold and trade it in for a new set of gear.
Bruma loomed ahead as snow started to fall. I had no problems identifying the battle site. The siege machine that had tried to destroy Bruma had toppled as the Oblivion gate collapse and made quite a landmark. To my surprise however, there was a Dremora Churl standing over the corpses of the fallen warriors. My heart gave a little jump as I saw there were two Blades amongst the dead.
The Blades were the secret guard of the Emperors, or the Dragonborn. It was not easy finding where they operated or even their identities. Rumours were a bound that my hero, Matthias, was a Blade but they were just rumours. I decided to make a little gold and best that Dremora in combat. I charged towards him and watched as he pulled a Daedric mace out and faced me. We strafed around each other for a few long seconds before he charged and I was knocked on my back. I couldn't breathe for a few moments in surprise, even though my breath had been knocked out by the sudden blow. Suddenly my heroism turned foolish and I knew I was not getting out of there alive without preferably decapitating the Dremora.
I gulped and hastily got to my feet but was knocked down again. This time the Dremora pinned me to the ground, his mace raised above my wispy straw-coloured hair. I glanced up in horror but noticed a boulder above the Dremora. I had to act fast. Breathing hard, I thrust my sword at the rock, a hopeless attempt at dislodging it. Fortunately for me, it loosened as my sword struck it. I kneed the Dremora in the stomach and pushed him off me as I dove for my trusty blade. He roared and gave chase. My hands were sweating and I was shaking uncontrollably as I grasped my blade. A few times it almost slipped but I held on to it like a lifeline. I rushed up to the road leading to Bruma and swerved off it. The Dremora had taken a faster route, a narrow ledge leading right up to the boulder. I panicked and hastily rammed my shoulder against the rock. It moved slightly. The Dremora was gaining. Then with a colossal effort I literally threw myself against the boulder and it dislodged, hurtling down towards the Daedra who gave a strangled cry and rolled down the hill. I heard a sickening thud and a cracking sound before I too rolled down the hill mainly in an exhausted faint.
I remember awakening to my horse bending over me. I grasped his thick strong neck and staggered to my feet, still shaking. After a swig from my waterskin, I felt a bit better. I gazed at the bodies around me and looked at the Blades in particular. Their skeletons were turned in different ways although I saw two steel arrows lodged in one's armor. After a few more mouthfuls of water, I bent down beside one whose gear was still intact. The other had lost his blade and I could not find it no matter how hard I tried. The armor was dull and rusty with age. But the gold trims were still beautiful and the overall set was pretty impressive. The blade was a two-handed sword and it felt good in my hands. The metal used to make the blade was sturdy and had lasted all this while. The handle felt rough and even my sweating shaking hands didn't drop it. I still don't know what possessed me to do it but I removed the dead Blade's armor and put it on myself. I left him as he was, a skeleton, and pleased with the armor, I mounted and trotted my horse towards the stables.
At the stables, I suddenly felt afraid and removed the Blades armor. I looked at the sword and hastily put it on the ground. I removed my armor and slipped on my old iron gear. It didn't feel as good to my disappointment but I didn't want awkward questions raised in Bruma. But the sword was not packagable and I had to slip it on my back.
Once in town, I booked a room for myself in a lower-class inn. The innkeeper was decent but I hurried to my room all the same. In my haste, I didn't notice a Khajiit watching me from the shadows of the inn. I also didn't notice as he followed me after putting his mug on the table. The armor was laid out on my bed and I looked at it, admiring the craftwork. I was about to lift up the cuirass to inspect a strange marking on it when someone threw me on my bed with a powerful force. I looked up as the armor went flying and there was a Khajiit in front of me. He quickly turned and bolted the door then stood in front of me, eyes narrowed. I took in his stocky powerful appearance with a mixture of awe and terror. He breathed heavily but he wasn't drunk and he cast an imposing aura.
"Who are you?!" I cried in terror as he reached down and stuffed the cuirass right under my nose. My whiskers tingled as I saw that strange marking on it that I was seconds away from examining.
"You see this little runt? This is the armor of the Blades! And not just any Blade, he was the ex-Grandmaster of our sect and he fell in the great Battle of Bruma. You dare take his armor and display it proudly for all to see? You dare take his weapon which he fell many a Daedra with and flaunt it around?" His force was a little raised but controlled although angry. I stared up into his eyes and had to look away, ashamed.
"I'm sorry! I was passing by and I saw a human-like Daedra and I... well... killed him and then I don't know what happened to me I just took his armor and..." I just drew to a stammered stop.
The Khajiit lifted his eyebrows as he heard my frantic confession. "You killed a Dremora? You're just a cub you. Maybe you do have skills, hmm."
I could only watch him from my frozen position on the bed. I wanted to shout that I was just a fraud, it so happened the rock was there, it was pure luck. But I couldn't. He gave me a look that made me feel like I was being scanned inside and out.
"I offer you an offer to join the Blades." He finally murmured softly. I looked at him in disbelief.
"Yes, I would love to join the Blades!" I almost cried but he was quick to reprimand me.
"Hush you! Our enemies are all around us. I will tell you more, later, but first you need to remove all your personal belongings from your rucksack, turn out your pockets and stand still." He growled.
I was only too happy to obey this strange request and as I removed my measly collection of items from my rucksack and turned out my pockets, I began to have a good idea who this strange man was. My belongings fell on the bed with a thud and at last I removed my sword and laid it on the bed gently. He watched with a serious expression on his face.
He set to work, examining each of my items and feeling my pockets to make sure I didn't hide anything. He made me lift my arms and ran his hands down my body like a guard would if you were arrested. I didn't move, didn't say a word. It seemed like a century before he finally stepped back.
"Very well, you have passed. You are not one of them. Follow me."
I kept silent and tried to figure out this confusing scenario. I stuffed everything back in place again, hoisted my rucksack over a shoulder, and followed him towards the door of the inn. Then I stopped and thought about the ten gold that I had forked over for my room. I didn't have much gold and it felt wasted.
"What's wrong cub?" He turned and looked at me.
"Err..." I tried to reply but it might sound selfish. I turned away and gestured for him to continue.
Suddenly he turned to the innkeeper. "Olav, how much did you charge this youngling to stay here?" I froze and tried frantically to make him see that I wasn't overcharged but he didn't listen.
"Ten gold, you know the usual Matt."
"Thanks." Matthias turned to me and grinned crookedly.
"I guess you know who I am now huh? Here, take fifty gold." He fished in his coin bag that hung from his belt. I heard the rustling of coins that told me he had far more than just fifty gold in there. He held out the money in his outstretched palm. I couldn't say no and he looked as if no was the wrong answer.
I nodded my thanks and he pushed open the door to reveal the bustling city of Bruma. After that we moved swiftly. He headed towards the stables and mounted his horse, a fine black stallion. I saw him tip the stablehand as he waited for me. The man grinned at Matthias, making me think he was a regular around here. My horse was at the end of the corral. He was a normal bay horse, not so fast but pretty strong. I mounted him and gave the stablehand five coins. He tossed it in his pocket and continued to enjoy his break on a bench.
My horse shied away from Matthias's black horse that didn't seemed too bothered.
"Come on. Houdini won't bite." Matthias called impatiently.
I coaxed my horse, Bashir, to move but he wouldn't and held his ground until Houdini and Matthias were far ahead. Then I tapped his flanks a little harder and set him off at a gallop up a discreet stone path leading up to the hills after them.
The snow that was falling thickly obscured my view but soon I saw a great stone fortress loom up over my head. I stared in awe but as my eyes passed over the watchtowers, I noticed two guards watching us. Suddenly, I felt afraid.
A/N : Sorry if it's so cramped. I'd appreciate reviews, etc. etc. criticism is also welcome. Hey, nothing's perfect so theres bound to be something wrong. :). Oh, actually this is just some backstory on Silas. A prologue I guess. Chapter 2 continues from here, Chapter 3 is where the real story begins. They're up already, Chap 4 is coming. I also have a Harry Potter story coming along although it doesn't involve most of the original characters.
Disclaimer and Credits : I do not own The Elder Scrolls 4 : Oblivion. Matthias is my main character in the game. Houdini is his horse, Bashir is his other horse.
TES 4 : Oblivion belongs to Bethesda Softworks and I hope it stays there. They rock :D.
