The sewers stank as I trudged through slush and human waste, the dirty sewage water rising to my knees. The sounds of rats squeaking could be heard from afar, and there was no shortage of the rodents that decided to attach themselves to my leg, requiring a frequent stab every few minutes. I trailed behind three other people, with one behind me, all but one dressed in red acolyte robes, the same as me. The one in the front was a tall Bosmer lady named Aurielle, a play on the false God Auriel, or Auri-El as called in the Altmer Pantheon. Chief of the divines, Auriel was said to guide an protect us. What lies. Behind her was a stout Orc named Grofur, one of the most devoted- and brutish- members of the Mythic Dawn. Directly in front of me was Alexandre, an upstart yet humble young Breton lad. He was chosen for this mission because of his confidence; scarcely for his talent, though he was skilled in the sense of destruction magic. And lastly behind I was Taran, another Breton. He was the only one not wearing a cultist outfit, for he was not as closely affiliated with the Mythic Dawn as we were; serving rather as a contact and guide, he was an excellent swordsman and wore breeches and a baggy tan shirt. He was more of a bodyguard, but he held a torch in his hand, a fine steel broadsword at his side. We marched silently through the Imperial sewers. As I walked on, I kept reminding myself that what we were doing was incredibly important, and we had to appease the one true divine, the God of change, destruction, the one and only saviour of man and mer; Our Lord Mehrunes Dagon. For it was He who chose us as the upstanding members of His cult to be the ones executing the plan, beginning the opening act, setting the stage for what was to come. For today, we planned do something truly marvelous, something that would go down in history as the event that toppled an Empire, this one event that would make everything different;
That was right. We were going to kill the Emperor.
As we passed through a narrow tunnel and onto a stone bridge, a deep chasm beneath our feet, Aurielle halted abruptly, holding her hand up as if motioning to stand still. We all stopped behind her, and Taran poked his head out from behind me, holding the torch to his side. I heard faint sounds of terrible shrieking. Aurielle lowered her hand.
"Goblins," she said quietly in her soft, beautiful voice. "We'll have to dispatch of them quietly."
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Alexandre replied, hotheaded as ever.
"I'll put arrows into their backs while Telindil uses Illusion to fiddle with their minds."
All eyes glanced at me. I was Telindil. An Altmer illusionist/spellsword, yes, that was me. And I couldn't be more proud of who I was.
"Or we could just go in and club 'em." Suggested Grofur.
"Or I could club you in the eyes." Replied Alexandre sharply.
"You think you can take me on, runt?" The Orc jeered.
"Come at me, brute! I'll take you and all the rest-"
"Shut up, will you?" Muttered Taran, rolling his eyes.
"Yes," Aurielle commanded. "I'd prefer for you not to bicker on such an important task, especially when Goblins are in earshot."
"Oh, please," Alexandre said. "I could take on a score of them, no, a horde before my sword arm gets tired."
"Such large talk for such a little man," I said. "Best not get so sure of yourself unless you want to be the dinner of one of those wretched beasts."
"Who said you could talk, Telindil?" Alexandre frowned.
"That's enough." Aurielle said in an imposing voice. "I don't want you to kill us all with your high self-esteem, Alexandre. Let's just continue the mission."
"Fine then," Alexandre crossed his arms defiantly, but inside he knew he had been defeated. I swore, Alexandre could be so childish sometimes. He thought all of life was easy as shooting a mudcrab in a barrel. His hubris would get the best of him one day, I could tell.
Aurielle scouted quietly ahead into the tunnel, then came back.
"There's only two of them, located in a small room at the end of the tunnel. Telindil," she said, glancing at me with her green eyes. "Use your skill to mess with their minds, but make it quiet. When they're properly distracted, I'll slay the pair. The rest of you, stay here."
Alexandre sighed, and Taran looked back to make sure we weren't being followed. I took position at the front, crouched, and slowly walked into the tunnels. At the end, like she said, was a small room, with stairs at the end, going up to a ledge that would surely lead to the place we were looking for. There were two Goblins with their backs turned.
Make it quiet, I thought to myself. I knew just what to do. I lifted my black-gloved hands in front of my face, flicked my palms and suddenly red balls swirled in my hands, a mystic aura around them. They were spells specifically engineered to mess with a targets head, making them think all sorts of things, and putting them in a lot of pain. But it was also designed to do the job silently, and it made them forget how to use their vocal chords... most of the time. I made a mistake once, and the target wouldn't stop screaming until I had pierced his neck twenty seven times.
I concentrated my energy, and summoned all my magicka to these spells, curling my hands in preparation, and fired the two bolts of red energy into the backs of the Goblin pair. They both clutched their heads and convulsed as I saw two arrows pierce their backs less than a split second apart. They fell to the ground, quite dead. Aurielle emerged from the tunnel, her hood up, and collected and arrow from one of the backs. The other one's head broke when she tried to retrieve it.
"Come," She beckoned, and the rest of the group followed.
"Here is the plan," The group gathered round. "Up those stairs is the way to our positions. Our other agents have already ambushed the Emperor and his men, but if they have survived, we are the last chance to complete the task."
"Can I be the one to kill him?" Asked Alexandre. "I am the most skilled, after all."
"Far from it," Aurielle said. "We are sharing the responsibility."
"So what do we do?" Grofur inquired.
"I will be meeting with the other group ahead of you. Grofur, Alexandre, there should be a door on a ledge outside the room leading to the passage. Go into that door, and use the key. When you hear the signal, leap and attack. If you fail to kill the Emperor and his guards, I am trusting Telindil to finish the task." Aurielle turned to me and grabbed my shoulders.
"Telindil," She said. "I am trusting you as our last resort. You will not fail Mehrunes Dagon, is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am." I uttered.
"You will kill Uriel Septim. Make absolutely sure he is dead. For if I can not kill him, I will be dead, may Dagon save my soul."
"Understood."
"And what of me?" Shouted Taran from the end of the corridor. His wiry black hair, tied back in a ponytail, shined like oil in the torchlight.
Aurielle tossed a sack of gold across the room.
"Take this and be off." She said. "If the Mythic Dawn ever needs your services again, you will be contacted."
"Thanks then." He said, turning on his heels and walking away, the torchlight fainting as he walked on.
"Alright then," Alexandre said, stretching his shoulders. "Let's do this."
"Quite." Aurielle replied, then walked up the staircase.
It took us about five minutes to get to our positions. Alexandre needed help climbing the ledge that led to his hiding spot, and Grofur had to help him. Aurielle vanished into the darkness, leaving me to hide in my own spot. There was a hidden passageway that lead to a room, blocked by a hidden door, disguised as part of the wall. When the door opened up, I would be there to kill the Emperor and anyone in my way. Or so I hoped.
It took a good half hour until anything happened. Aurielle hadn't come back to inform us of the Emperor's death, so I assumed she had failed and been sent to the judgment of Mehrunes Dagon. I hoped he would forgive her failure and spare her soul. I heard footsteps pounding on the cold stone floor. There was a deep, old voice, that sounded like the Emperor, and a gruff Imperial one too. I could also make out what appeared to be a Redguard. I heard screams of "For Mehrunes Dagon!" As Alexandre and Grofur jumped from their positions. There was great clashing and slashing, and then I heard a shriek. It was definitely Alexandre, most likely slayed by one of the guards. Good riddance, I thought, but for a brief moment contemplated the meaning of life and how much he really was worth. My thought process was interrupted by a large growl, and then a low-pitched cry of terror. Grofur had definitely killed someone, but then I heard a shout and then a cry of dismay, as I heard Grofur crumple to the floor. I felt a twinge of sadness at his loss, being a very devoted and talented worshipper. However, blood rushed through my veins and my heart pounded through my chest as I heard quiet talking coming from beyond the wall I stood at. I heard but this;
"Find him, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion."
It was most definitely the Emperor. Without hesitation, I flicked my palm, and a yellow aura emanated from my hand. I cast the spell, raising my hand as the bound armor appeared over my body. I pulled out my dagger, cutting the rope that held the wall in place, and it fell.
I stumbled out, and saw a man dressed in a most regal purple robe, a white fur coat around his neck and a golden collar. There was a silver shortsword at his side. This man was the Emperor, Uriel Septim the Seventh. Behind him was a tanned Imperial with wiry, medium-length black hair. He wore nothing but a peasant's shirt and torn, baggy pants with pathetic excuses for sandals on his feet. The Emperor gave nothing but a blank stare.
It had all come down to this moment. Everyone I knew was dead, the only one left was Taran, who I would never be able to find after this. I had nobody to love, nothing to cherish... nothing left in life. No meaning, no value. And with that in mind, I raised my dagger, and plunged it into the Emperor's chest. He gasped, and his eyes widened as I stabbed him in the neck repeatedly. The prisoner behind him shrieked, grabbing his head.
"Stranger," I said, feeling a slight bit of pity for the unsuspecting peasant. "You chose a bad day to take up with the cause of the Septims."
Inside I did not truly want to kill him, but I knew he had to be exterminated. No witnesses allowed. He would just help the Empire to take us out. I raised my dagger as he cowered in fear, defenseless.
"NOOO!" A voice suddenly cried out. Out of nowhere, one of the Emperor's guards slashed me in the chest. My armor took most of the damage, but it knocked me back still. I readied my dagger and prepared to fire an illusion spell at his chest, when he made a quick swipe and knocked the dagger from my hands. I had time to do nothing but stare in terror as he plunged his sword straight through my stomach. I felt unbearable pain as it exited through my back, and I fell to the floor, my vision darkening.
"I will avenge the Emperor!" The guard cried, as I clutched my stomach, bleeding out on the ground. I looked up, and he screamed, throwing the sword down, piercing my armor, and striking through my neck.
And suddenly all was black.