RAGNAROK

Based off of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Rift, near the Shadow Stone

A man walked through the woods just outside of Riften. Now, this wasn't something that never happened, but this particular man was different. A Breton male, long black hair coming down his back, and handsome at that. He wore a simple set of black robes, concealing most of his body. Atop his head he wore a sugegasa, an Eastern style hat that resembled a low cone, made of bamboo. The man walked from the city, nodding to one of the guards passing by. He continued to walk, his pace steady, looking up at the sun a moment. Soon it'd be dark. Perfect. He continued on, passing a clearing that held a powerful obelisk known as the Shadow Stone. The man had not meditated here, as his soul belonged to a different obelisk, although he didn't quite interest himself in it now. For now, his feet continued to hit the ground, kicking up a slight bit of dust as he moved. It had become dark, when the man stopped. His eyes flickered, glancing around the trees. They're here. He quickly turned to the south, and without warning, broke into a full sprint, his robes flowing behind him. Boots were a blur in the dust as he ran and ran, his breath beginning to get heavy. He finally came to a stop, and wheeled around. The dust settled, and suddenly there were 15 men and women standing there before him, eyeing him hungrily. They were all dressed in raggy clothing, stained with blood and dirt. The man tilted his head, watching them all, eyes calculating their every move. One of them stepped forward, grinning and letting out a laugh that echoed gruesomely against the trees in the woods. They were truly alone.

"Greetings, traveler. Are you in need of assistance?" Asked one of them
"He looks lost." Piped another.
"Poor lad… perhaps we can help him!" squawked an old haglike woman.

The man didn't budge, but merely reached up to his chest, unclasping the robe. The group glared between him and each other, before taking a collective step forward.

"Come now, child." Said one of the leaders, a tall man with long hair, which was either black or a disgustingly stained brown, the latter seeming the more likely as it would explain the stench of death that crept from the man. "We mean you no harm or ill-will. In fact, there's a good chance you'll survive this night. In fact, we can make you somewhat powerful. A… favor for a favor if you would." He said. The others chuckled eerily.

The man lowered his hand, the unclasped button of the robe dropping. Underneath, the faint outline of a leather holster strap was visible. The leader was immediately on the man, grabbing his throat.

"Ah ah ah, no no no no no…. shhhh.." he said, the man gagging and choking a bit, his hand reaching up to clutch at the leaders. "It's okay, child… It's okay. Vampires learn to adapt… to identify people with weapons. You see, someone like you, a mortal, has no idea how we work. How we live. And yet you still come here, with your pointy blades and worn arrows, and you try to survive in our woods. We, however, have been able to infiltrate your homes. Even carry off your young… and you are unable to stop it. Sad, isn't it?"

The man merely gagged again. The vampire eased his grip on his throat slightly.

"What say you, mortal?"

"Our… young…?"

"Ah! Right! Gaby, step forward. Bring the mortal's runt." He gestured. The vampire called Gaby did as commanded, stepping forward and throwing a child before them. The man kept an eye on him, searching his neck for bite marks. So far, none. Next, he checked the boy's face. Clean… and the best part, the boy was someone he recognized. Instantly, he reached up, and with a crunch, grabbed and crushed the vampire's hand, wrenching it from his neck and leaping back. The vampire let out a snarl in pain, before laughing, "Ohhh?! It seems this one has a bit of fight in 'em! I admire that… you'd have made a fine thrall.. Shame, really." He said.

The man chuckled, before reaching up and pulling off his robe. The group of vampires were caught in a dead stare. The man stood ready, an ebony dagger sheathed across the back of his waist. A crossbow hung sheathed on each of the man's thighs, folded up for concealment. A third and larger one hung from his back. Deep pockets full of crossbow bolts hung from his belt. A satchel also hung from his back, filled with unknown objects. The man kept the hat on, looking at the lead vampire, before reaching into the satchel and throwing numerous bottles and vials out. The bottles shattered and a brilliant light filled the forest clearing. The vampires all recoiled from the brightness, unable to withstand the light. Seizing the opportunity, the man lunged, grabbing a hold of his dagger and literally jumping onto the shoulders of the lead vampire. Leaping off, he spun and drove the blade into the neck of one vampire, falling with him onto the ground. He then grabbed one of the thigh crossbows and aimed it, firing a bolt into the forehead of another vampire. Quickly reloading, he fired another bolt that sank into the bark of a tree near another foe. The man looked at the dwarven made bolt, and tilted his head, before the bolt ignited, consuming him and another vampire in a brilliant flare. The man narrowed his eyes, pulling back on the end of the limbs, revealing bladed tips. He quickly stood and threw the weapon like an axe. The bow spun through the air, a loud and imposing whooshing sound coming from it, before it sank into the eye socket of another vampire. The remaining ones had begun to resist the light, and began to draw various blades and weapons to attack the mysterious man. The man charged into the, dagger blazing, with spurts of blood flying in odd directions. The lead vampire glared out and grabbed the boy, "Alright… we're leaving…" he said, before turning to flee. The man stopped, turning to see him leave, and snarled, attempting to pursue. However, he was stopped by a group of vampires, distracting him and forcing him to combat them. The lead vampire grinned a vicious grin, but was stopped clean in his tracks by a single blow to the head. Another man, a Nord, had appeared in front of him, clad in heavy dwarven armor. He sported a thick brown beard, numerous scars across his face, and it was apparent that under the armor, he was muscular and strong. He took another step forward and reached for his back, drawing a fairly large Warhammer. The hammer was dwarven in making, and had what appeared to be a soulgem locked about halfway down the handle. The hammer had a faint, ominous glow, matching the red glare of the gem, and it's wielder glared down at the vampire. He looked back up, and shouted, "Crow, you doing alright?"

"Oh I'm fine, Thanatos… just peachy…" replied the man with the crossbows, Crow.

Thanatos gave off a low chuckle, before glaring back down at the vampire. The vampire hissed, gripping the boy's arm. "You.. you both are doomed… better keep a better eye on your surroundings." He said, pointing into the distance to the side. They heard a low rumble. The other vampires scattered, allowing Crow to sheath his crossbows. The rumbling turned to growling, which then turned to the familiar howling of a forest troll. Crow and Thanatos braced, but soon were thrown off by the howling ceasing, turning into a harsh whining, then silence. Then the rumbling came back, sounding like loud footsteps approaching them. The brush was violently shoved aside, and before them stood a massive suit of armor, a dead troll hanging over it's shoulder. The troll boasted rather impressive armor, but the armored man was truly magnificent. The armor resembled Thanatos' dwarven set, but was much more enclosed and heavy, a good twelve feet in height. It became apparent that the armor was actually the body of an ancient dwarven automaton, the centurion. Crow and Thanatos stepped up to it, and the centurion reached to it's faceplate, removing it and revealing the face of a Nord. "Caught this bugger tied up, ready to get you guys. That's a bottle of Black-Briar Mead for me, courtesy of you." He said, dropping the dead troll aside. The armor he wore gave off occasional jets of steam from various joints. Crow grinned and shook his head. "Well done, Chaos. I'll get the drink then." He said, before turning back to the vampire. The man was shocked, the boy even more so as he watched the three assemble and surround him. The vampire looked at them, shivering, before reaching into his robe and withdrawing a roll of paper, with various runes inscribed on it.

"SCROLL!" shouted Thanatos, running forward with his hammer ready. Crow cocked back his crossbow and bolted forward as well, aiming it, "Drop it!"

The vampire merely laughed, and shouted out as the scroll ignited, consuming both him and the boy in flames, before disappearing, both of them gone.

"Sithis damn you!" Thanatos roared, kicking at the scorched earth where the two stood. "We were THIS close." He said, gesturing with his fingers. Crow crouched and began casting a spell, waving his hand to try and figure out what happened.

"They teleported… long distance judging by the sheer amount of magicka in the air. Aura signature seems to be Solitude." He said. Lucky he was a Breton. Magicka was a bit of his specialty. He was able to detect elements, type of spell, and in this case, destinations of certain spells by reading the remnants of the magic. Solitude was a major city out in the north-western section of Skyrim, considered it's capital by the Nords. It was also where the Imperial set up shop, spreading it's influence throughout the country. "How they got ahold of a transportation scroll is beyond me.. that's a mountain of septims right there, let alone how difficult it is to find a mage who can write it…"

"No matter. We now know the boy's whereabouts. Given his ties to the Black-Briar's, I doubt the vampires would be stupid enough to harm him. The best we can do is go back to Riften and let the client know. Then we set a course for Solitude." Thanatos said with a grunt, sheathing the Warhammer and crouching by one of the other vampires, idly ruffling through pockets.

"I'll return to the Excalibur. I need to get the armor serviced and readied. Send a bird when you're ready to go." Chaos said, replacing his faceplate, and turning, stomping away loudly. Crow and Thanatos glanced at each other, before heading north towards Riften.

The Rift, Town of Riften, Black-Briar's Residence

"What do you mean they got away? Have you any idea who I am? What good are you as mercenaries if you can't even capture a BOY?!" snarled their client, Maven Black-Briar. Maven was a very influencial part of Riften. She had the Thieve's Guild under her command, the assassins of the Dark Brotherhood within her reach, and to add to her importance, she was also the Jarl of Riften, a title similar to the ruler of a particular hold. Maven was not shy in terms of her title, and was known to be very ruthless to those who got in her way. And now, her sights were set on Crow and Thanatos, who stood before her.

"If I'd wanted failure, I would have sent an orphan. The thieves guild is not built to handle this mission, and the Brotherhood would take far too long to contact, although that seems to be my main course of action now… would you get your damn feet off my table?" she snapped at Crow, who was lounged back in his seat, feet kicked up. He merely glared at her, before rolling his head and turning to Thanatos.

"Aye, we were tasked with this, and weren't able to succeed just yet. But let me just clear something up now, Maven." Thanatos said, leaning forward in his seat. "You said we were going after a group of bandits, nothing worth mentioning. Firstly, these weren't bandits, they were vampires."

"What difference does it make?"

"It makes plently in terms of preparation!" Thanatos snapped. "Secondly, you said they were ill equipped. How then, did their leader successful conceal and then use a damn teleportation scroll. You could equip an army with enough weaponry to take the Imperial City with the amount of gold needed to get one of those scrolls." He added. "Which leads me to think that something doesn't add up. Either you expected us to get the jump on them, get the boy, and bring him to you… or you expected us all to die in the process." He said.

"You think that I, Maven Black-Briar, would fall short of my word?"

"That's typically how folks of your profession gain their profits, no disrespect intended." Thanatos replied cooly. Crow chuckled and shook his head, reaching up to adjust his hat.

"I want my half back. I paid you half in advance. I want it returned until you get the boy."

"No refunds, lass." Crow said firmly, looking up at her. "Didn't read the contract? It's stated right in there. Rest assured, we'll get the boy back no problem. It's just a matter of time. Until then, we'll need to prepare, train, and make our way to Solitude…."

"Solitude?!" Maven said, snapping back in annoyance. "Do you have any idea how long it takes to get there, even on horseback? That's weeks of traveling."

"Aye, if ye do it on horseback. But we've something better, lass." Crow said, patting his knees and getting to his feet.

"True. Just leave it to us, Maven. Sit back in your chair and we'll do it all for you. Just have the rest of the payment ready before we return, or we'll have a real problem." Thanatos advised her.

"It that a threat?" Maven asked.

"Mmm, no. It's a promise." Thanatos snapped back, before he and Crow exited her hall.