Chapter 4: Kironsni

The city of Caldera came into view after about three days. I asked around town about a cave called Kironsni, according to a Bosmer it was straight west of town, and the door was built into the north side of a mountain. I began west, along the mountains. After a while I found an old wooden door on the mountainside, "Death awaits all who enter." was scrawled on it, the warning appeared to be written in blood. I looked back at the Pack Guar and hoped they wouldn't wander off.

The door let out a creak as I entered. A lit torch by the door and endless darkness was all I could see, it reminded me of Vivec during the storm, but I had a faint idea of where I was going then. I took the torch from the wall and slowly ventured into the dark unknown. The path went straight a few meters, and then ended.

"A dead end?" I thought, looking left and right to see if it was just a corner. "I know I didn't pass a door or hall, I slid my hand against one wall and kept an eye on the other on my way down here. There must be a switch or something." I examined the wall, feeling around for a switch or lever. Time passed and the torch dimmed, "Nothing, it must be further back, or this isn't even the right cave." I sighed and leaned against the wall.

There was a click and the wall to my left slid to the side, revealing a path deeper into the cave. There was a light at the end of the new tunnel. I threw the torch down the path leading to the exit, so if anyone looked down the tunnel they wouldn't see me. I readied my bow and began toward the light, there were voices coming from the room at the end of the path. I stood in the shadows a few feet from the doorway and listened to the voices coming from the room.

"Why did we have to get assigned to this boring job?"

"Because we failed our last mission, remember?"

"True, but it was much too difficult for us in the first place. He should have expected us to fail."

"Why does he want that thing so badly anyway?"

"You didn't know? It belonged to his great grandfather."

"It must be a rusted hunk of junk by now if it's that old."

"You don't have a memory do you?"

"I remember what I'm supposed to do, not why."

"It's enchanted, and his great grandfather was known to be one of the greatest necromancers on Vvardenfell."

"And he wants to be one as well?"

"Exactly, he thinks the staff will make him even more powerful."

I only heard two voices, until a third, oddly familiar voice shouted "Would you two keep quiet, I'm trying to get some sleep here! Who gives a damn about Harnaten and his obsession with necromancy anyway."

"Sorry boss."

"Yeah, sorry, but do you really have to keep yelling at us for every little thing? So some Breton took you down with a lucky shot, don't take out your rage on us."

"Dammit! I said never mention that again!"

"Boss, what are you doing? H-hey.. calm down!" there was a loud crash followed by the clunk of metal against stone

"Boss, you... you broke a crate... on his head."

"He was lucky it was empty. I'm going back to sleep, don't bother me unless we're under attack."

"Yes sir."

A door slammed shut and silence filled the cave.

I crept forward, there was a ledge with stairs leading into the pit-like room to the right. The room was lined with crates and barrels. Someone in full chitin armor was laying on the floor surrounded by broken chunks of wood, there was an Imperial wearing a green robe standing over him.

"You need to learn how to think before opening your mouth." I heard him mutter before he turned and walked into a back room. I crept down the stairs and saw two doors, listening outside the door next to the stairs I heard a faint snoring, the Imperial went through the other and the person in chitin armor was still unconscious on the ground.

"That's all three of them?" I thought "This equipment must not matter much if they left people like this to guard it."

I searched the crates as quietly as I could, armor, arrows, weapons, there was a bag full of scrolls, an open barrel with nearly a dozen claymores poking out of it, "I've never seen this much equipment, how many of these stockpiles could they have?"

"Ugh, what happened?" I jumped, the person in chitin armor was waking up! I grabbed my bow and an arrow, taking aim at his head.

He looked up at me, "Who're... an intruder!"

He rolled out of the way as I took the shot, quickly climbing to his feet. It was easy to see that he was off balance because of that blow to his head earlier, I shot another arrow, hoping he wouldn't get lucky twice. He didn't, in an attempt to dodge he stumbled and the arrow pierced the front of his helmet.

"AHH! My eye!" he fell onto his knees and pulled the arrow out of his eye as the robed Imperial came charging out of the back room.

"Aroth what happened!" he looked at his wounded ally and then me, "You're... Sir! Get out here! It's the enemy!" I grabbed another arrow from my quiver, the Imperial held up his right hand and shouted "Maeol censekrab slenc nerudo!"

A black orb shot from his palm, it was far too fast for me to avoid, I was struck directly in the chest. The blow didn't feel that strong, but after that spell hit, my strength seemed to vanish. "What... the..." was all I could mutter before falling to the ground and blacking out.

When I awoke my arms were tied behind my back, my legs were tied to a stake that was jammed in the ground and Magebane had been taken. I had been put in a small room, a couple candles and a door were all I saw. "Not again, what is it with all the tiny dark rooms on the accursed island? This one doesn't even have a bed! Of course it doesn't have a bloodthirsty psychopath either, that's a plus." I sighed and began trying to free myself from the rope.

As I struggled I heard something hit the ground, looking back I saw my dagger laying on the floor.

"They didn't search me? Idiots." I grabbed the dagger where the blade and hilt met, carefully trying to cut the rope around my wrists. After a couple minutes I managed to sever the rope, freeing my arms. The door at the other end of the room creaked open, the person wearing chitin walked in carrying an arrow in his right hand. "You're awake, good." As he walked over to me I noticed he was no longer wearing the helmet, and had a piece of cloth wrapped around his head that covered his left eye.

"You took my eye with this arrow, so now I'll take yours with it!" he paused, waiting for me to respond. I looked at the ground for a moment and started laughing. "What the hell are you laughing about?" he reached down, grabbing my throat firmly with his left hand "Tell me! What's so damn funny?"

I looked up, "I feel a bit sorry for you, you're having horrible luck today. You got hit with a crate, lost an eye..." I took the dagger in my right hand and thrust it into his neck. "And then you got stabbed in the throat, poor guy."

I cut the rope binding my legs and walked over to the door, it was slightly ajar. Opening it a bit more I saw a door across from the one I was at and table in the middle of the next room with three chairs around it. There was a basket of bread on the table, and shelves along the wall held many other types of food. I walked slowly into this room, looking around for my bow. I didn't find it, just a bunch of food and liquor. I grabbed a bottle of Flin that was sitting on a shelf and took a drink, "One down." I thought, glancing at the next door "Two more somewhere beyond there."

I pocketed the bottle and took a deep breath, grasping my dagger. Listening at the next door I heard someone humming, I opened the door as quietly as I could, given the condition of the ones in this cave. Peeking around the corner I saw the robed Imperial pacing in the large room full of equipment. I scanned the room for Magebane, it wasn't very far away, just a few feet from the door, leaning on a crate.

I closed the door, walked back to the dimly lit room and searched around the guards corpse for the arrow he had been holding. It was not far from his body, I put my dagger away and picked it up. Returning to the door, I took another peek at the Imperial, he was still pacing and humming. I waited until his back was turned and dashed over to my bow. I grabbed it and set the arrow in a flash, turning to the Imperial who, for some reason, probably his humming, hadn't heard my footsteps and still had his back to me. I didn't bother with fighting fair, it was clear by that spell he used earlier he was a necromancer, and as far as I was concerned people that defile the dead deserve no mercy. He let out a yell and fell to his knees as the arrow lodged itself into his back.

The Imperial looked back at me, "How..." he began say, before I interrupted him

"Shut up. There are three groups of people I hate..." I said, setting down my bow and sifting through the weapons in a nearby crate. "The ASP, Necromancers and slave owners..." I pulled a well made bonemold axe out of the crate. "And you sir, are two of the three." I walked over to the wounded Imperial and held the axe over my head. "Hold still and maybe it won't hurt much!" I said as I swung the axe down, cleaving his head off.

After sliding the headless corpse against the wall, I heard something clapping together. That familiar voice from earlier echoed throughout the room,

"Heh, well done. I'm glad you have some genuine skill and not just luck." I turned toward the exit, that seemed to be where the voice was coming from. "Or maybe..." a figure stepped out of the shadows, polished bonemold armor shining in the torchlight, "My allies were just weaklings." A Dunmer looked down at me, his spiked red hair, his bonemold armor, that icy stare, it couldn't be him.

"That's..." I stuttered "That's not possible, I killed you!"

He just laughed. "You can't kill me so easily! You got lucky back in Sadrith Mora! When that spell hit me I was knocked out for a while, but most of my soldiers fled before I awoke and my mission was proclaimed a failure. It got me demoted, to this hell hole, with those fools... it makes my blood boil, that a weakling like you was the cause of my biggest failure!"

"You done jabbering Rodran? Because I'm not in the mood to listen to your whining! If you're angry just kill me if you can!" I shouted, throwing the axe at him and running to get my bow.

I snatched my bow and looked back at Rodran, he had drawn his sword and was already at the foot of the staircase. I reached for an arrow, forgetting I didn't even have my quiver. Rodran rushed me, swinging his sword in rage, I managed to deflect his sword with my bow, but my dagger was out of reach. I conjured a shockball in my right hand and threw it at Rodran, it stopped him long enough for me to get my dagger. I continued to use my bow as a makeshift shield, attempting to find an opening for a quick stab, something on the ground behind him caught my eye, it was the Imperials head. I let my guard down for a moment and felt Rodrans sword hit my arm. It cut through my robe and pierced my armor, it didn't go very deep, but it was enough to make me drop Magebane. I ducked under his next swing and ran behind him, cutting his left palm on the way. I ran over to the Imperials head, grabbed it and threw it at Rodran. He was able to block it, but he didn't see me charging until I was almost next to him. I crashed into his chest shoulder first, knocking him onto his back. He dropped his sword and I thought I broke my arm, that armor was harder than it looked. I began an incantation for the best shock spell I knew, it was about as powerful as the one I used on him last time. He went for his sword as I finished the spell, sending a blast of electricity at him. He was weakened, but still conscious, I went over and stepped on his right hand with all my might, breaking a couple of his fingers. He screamed, scrambling to his feet and running toward the exit.

"Damn you!" He shouted as he ran away. "I'll be back, you won't survive our next encounter!" he vanished into the darkness.

"I thought I was a coward, oh well, it saves me some energy." I mumbled, staring at the exit.

After tending to my wounds I looked over at the sword Rodran left behind.

"A Katana made of Bonemold? That's rare." I set it with the other equipment and went out to get the pack guar, setting torches along the path outside. They hadn't gone far, one was sleeping near the door and the other two were wandering around nearby. I lured them into the cave, loaded up the weapons, armor and whatever else was in there and began my long trek back to Suran.