Thorgrin awoke to find himself in a small cell, the walls damp and the air musty. He sat up and looked around, noticing that he was alone in the cell. He had not been chained, nor bound in any way, but merely locked behind the barred door that lay closed to his left. He tried to stand but found that his head throbbed with such pain that dizziness swept over him, forcing him to sit again. Feeling the back of his head, he felt the large swelling bump the cause of his pain.
Using the wall as support, he tried to stand again, this time succeeding. Dizziness swept over him again, and he almost lost his balance if he did not lean against the wall. Slowly, he walked over to the cell door, looking out of it. The corridor was lit by several torches that burned his eyes as he got used to the light. As his eyes adapted, he noticed that his cell looked out to the brick wall opposite him. He could not see any of the cells further down the hall, nor up the other direction. Just wall. The Dark Elf was stood outside his door, looking at him, his hood still lifted over his head.
"Hey." Throgrin said with little emotion. "How about you let me out of here? I've done no wrong."
The Dark Elf said nothing, but instead he turned and walked off, towards the exit Thorgrin assumed. He listened as he heard a door open and then close on rusted hinges, the loud thunk of a metal bar being slid into place. Thorgrin sighed and walked away from the cell door. Placing his hands on his head, he tried to determine why he had been brought here, or where he was. He remembered what the group had said to him at the inn, that they had been paid to escort him to Bravil. That must have been where he was then. The Bravil Castle Dungeons. Great. Six years he had remained out of the social network, avoiding contact with any other living man or woman, and the one night he decided to settle in a warm bed, the one night he decided to learn of what was happening, and he ended up being arrested.
Leaning his back against the wall, he let himself drop till he sat on the floor. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, thinking of a means to which he might be able to escape. An hour passed, and he had found no solution when he heard the metal latch slide open and the unseen door open upon its rusted hinges. He could hear a set of steel clad feet marching down the corridor, the Kajiit or the Orc Thorgrin guessed. He did not open his eyes, thinking that they were merely there to keep watch on him, and he placed both hands on his lap so that they could see him.
"Well," Said a voice that was clearly human. "It's about time you woke up."
Thorgrin opened his eyes and looked to the cell door, seeing a man wearing a suit of armour and a helm with a horse hair crest running down the back. Thorgrin sighed as he recognised the suit of armour. He must have been in more trouble then he thought if the Imperial Legion was involved. Leaning his head back, he waited for the Imperial to speak.
"So?" He said when he hadn't. "What am I in for?"
The Imperial smiled as he removed his helm, a soft skinned face, aged from the years of service looked at him. Soft pale blue eyes and a head of thick blond hair framing the square cut face.
"My name's Lexious." He finally spoke. "The Count thinks you are here by Imperial Order, straight from the Emperor. As far as he's concerned, your Public Enemy Number One. But we both know that's not true is it."
Thorgrin looked at him, his face showing no signs of emotion, nor signs that he cared what the Imperial had to say.
"I'm here to talk with you, Thorgrin." The Imperial continued. "I'm aware of your battle skills, of your proud history in the Fighters Guild. I know that you are a master with the axe, unlike any I have seen. I also know that you have needlessly punished your self for what happened six years ago."
"You don't know anything about me." Thorgrin turned his head away from the Imperial, not wanting to hear any more.
"I need you Thorgrin." Lexious said. "I need your skills to help save the Empire from what is coming. Now, I can't get you out of this cell through the door. But I personally requested that you be put in this cell because of a secret passage way. At midnight tonight, the doorway through will open. Follow it and your guide and we shall meet outside of the city walls. I shall send a guide there to lead you to me."
He placed his helmet back on over his head as the door opened again and a castle guard walked down to the cell.
"Is everything in order?" The guard asked with the voice of a young man, probably new to the guard.
"Everything is fine." Lexious replied. "This isn't the one we were looking for. The Nord we want has a scar on his left cheek, not his right."
"What shall we do with this one then?" The guard looked into the cage.
"Leave him." Lexious replied. "He is still a wanted criminal and will serve his time. This one is well known to us. When the Emperor learns of his capture, then he will decide on the Nord's punishment. Until then, feel him and keep him alive."
The guard nodded his head and went to leave. Thorgrin stood and ran to the bars, grabbing them in his hands and looking out at the Imperial.
"Bastard." He spat. "You said…"
"I said nothing that will concern you Nord." Lexious said before winking, as if to say to trust him.
The guard lead Lexious out of the dungeon then, the metal latch shutting once more, leaving Thorgrin alone in the cell. He let out a massive cry of anger, his arms lifted to his sides as he screamed. He did not know what Lexious has planned, but right now, it looked like he would leave Thorgrin to rot. He suddenly remembered what the Imperial said about a secret passage from that cell. He looked around frantically for the signs, testing the walls for switches or gaps where a door would be. He found none.
Giving up, he went over to the bed and lay down, looking up at the stone ceiling. With little else to do, Thorgrin fell asleep. He had no idea what time it was, whether or not is was daytime or night, but with no way to escape, not even a lock pick, then he would have to remain where he was.
After what seemed like hours, he heard the sound of stone sliding upon stone. He opened his eyes to see a door way opening in the floor, a set of steps leading down into the ground. Torch light could be seen from the darkness, glowing brighter as some one came closer. After a few seconds, the High Elf from before emerged from the hidden passage way. Thorgrin instantly thought she was there to kill him, but he spotted no weapons on her and relaxed slightly.
"My name is Avilos." The High Elf said to him. "Come quickly. Lexious awaits."
Behind her came a man that Thorgrin had not seen before, a Nord who looked and dressed exactly like himself.
"This man will take your place in these cells." Avilos explained. "The guards have not seen your face, so they will not be able to tell the two of you apart. He is an ex convict from Skingrad and has lived the life of a prisoner most of his life."
Thorgrin looked at the man and thought nothing more of him at the time. He watched as the High Elf walked back down the passageway, leaving him to decide whether or not to follow. The hidden door began to slowly close and Thorgrin found him self running to it, sliding through the gap seconds before it slammed shut. For a moment, all was dark until the light from the High Elf's torch came back around the corner, lighting the path for him.
"Come." She said to him, waving her hand before turning the corner again.
Thorgrin followed, and when he reached the corner, he saw that she had placed the torch into a cradle and was strapping her weapons back on. Thorgrin took up the defensive but lowered his arms when he watched her take the torch back and point to a pack next to her.
"These are for you." She said to him. "They are not much, and Lexious promises to get you some better stuff when we are out of here. But these tunnels are vast and dangerous. Many creatures live down here and you need to be armed and protected if you are to survive."
"You carried these things down here?" Thorgrin asked as he opened the pack
Avilos laughed and looked at him, placing her free hand on her hip.
"Have you forgotten out friend back in the cell?" She asked him. "These were his. He's lending them to you until you get your own stuff. He has a house in Bravil where we are to deliver them once you have some better equipment."
Thorgrin was amazed at what he saw. A armoured shirt of plate metal, steel by the looks off it, a pair of plate greeves, gauntlets and boots. There was an axe there as well, a fine blade, notched with runes through out it's design. It reminded Thorgrin of his once beloved blade that he had left in Bruma six years ago. He quickly strapped the armour on and lifted the axe, giving it a few swings to test the weight. Satisfied, he nodded to the Elf and the two of them headed down the tunnel.
They encountered many hostiles while down there. Mostly just giant rats and Mud Crabs, but occasionally, they would stumble across a Vampire Nest, or a swarm of Zombies. How Avilos was able to navigate through with out any of these detecting her, Thorgrin could only guess. After four hours, they managed to come to a wooden door, the smell of fresh air filling his nose and welcoming him. Avilos pushed the door open and looked at him, nodding to him as if to say to go on. Once out into the air, she made a sound that resembled a bird and smiled.
"This is where we part ways for not my friend." She said to him. "We will meet again. Sooner then you might expect."
She then took off, heading down towards Bravil, the city it self seen from where they stood. After a while, she was out of sight and the bushes behind Thorgrin began to rustle. He lifted his axe ready to defend himself and crouched down slightly. Even when the Orc came out, riding a horse and pulling another along, he did not lower his blade.
"On the defensive. Good." The Orc commented. "I like that. My name is Grok-Le-Mork. You can call me Grok."
Thorgrin did not move from where he stood, expecting the Orc to dismount and pull his mace from his belt. Grok was getting frustrated, and he probably would have drawn his weapon if Thorgrin was not needed.
"Come along then Nord." He said impatiently. "Lexious awaits you."
When Thorgrin was satisfied that the Orc was not going to attack him, he lowered his weapon and mounted the free horse. Grok kicked his horse into motion and the Nord followed after. For over an hour they rode, ignoring wolves and boar that tried to attack them. Thorgrin would much rather had fought them, and by the looks of Gork, so would he. But they continued to ride, passing the Inn of Ill Omens and then straight on until the Imperial City it self could be seen.
Turning off of the road, Gork lead Thorgrin to some Aliad Ruins where Lexious awaited for them. Thorgrin dismounted and watched as Gork lead the horses away. He turned to protest but was silenced as Lexious lifted his hand.
"We'll be meeting up with him, along with Avilos and the others, in the Imperial City." He began.
"I'm not going to the Imperial City." Thorgrin interrupted. "I don't care if you give me gold, I'm not going there."
Lexious smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's time I told you what I need you for friend." He said with a smile.