The seven went into Sercen and split into three groups: Makenna went on his own to his library in the back, Alfonso and Thurod followed Alderich to his armory to get equipped, and Isaiah, Andlaen, and Ra'Meth waited next to the sparring mat.

Alderich gave Thurod a blunted iron axe and Fons an iron warhammer. They both received full sets of iron armor. The three then headed over to the mat.

The Orc and Nord stood on opposite sides of the mat, wielding their non-lethal but still very heavy weapons. Isaiah stood in the middle.

"You both know the rules," Osis began, "first to knock down their opponent gets the new silver axe."

Both Thurod and Fons nodded.

"Begin!" Isaiah shouted while backing out of the fighting area.

Thurod immediately swung his axe, aiming at the Nord's ribs. Fons also took a shot, but did not aim at the Orc's body. Furey's hammer hit Thurod's axe on it's side, knocking it out of the way. The Orc staggered, but did not fall. Fons used the opportunity and thrust his hammer, striking Thurod in the stomach. Thurod stumbled backwards and planted the head of the axe into the ground and held the haft to prevent himself from falling.

Thurod regained his feet and brought his axe behind his head. He put all of the force he had available to him into the swing. The shot hooked Fons' ankle and made the Nordic warrior do a front flip which would have been the knockout swing. Fons though planted the head of his hammer into the ground and used it to continue his flip. Once he landed on his feet, the hammer was removed from the ground and Alfonso's momentum was transferred to it. The huge cube of iron launched up over his head and back down straight into Thurod's chest. The Orc flew backwards and landed a dozen feet from where he left the ground.

Alderich and Andlaen immediately ran over to help Thurod up. The two then removed his cuirass, which had been flattened against his chest by the hammer, preventing the expansion of his lungs and, therefore, breathing. Once Thurod caught his breath, he walked over to Fons and the two shook hands in a show of mutual respect.

"Congratulations," Isaiah said holding out the silver battleaxe.

Fons took it. "Good fight," Thurod said to Furey, "you deserve that."

Just then, Makenna walked up. "The Ring of Wizardry," he said. "How much did you buy this for Meth?" he queried the Khajiit.

"500 septims," he replied.

Makenna responded with a cackle. "You got it cheap," he said, "this ring is worth at least 5000."

"You going to tell us what it does?" Alderich asked his brother.

"Fortifies Destruction, Alteration, Conjuration, Mysticism, Illusion, Restoration, and Alchemy by a lot," Makenna listed with a grin. "You become much more skilled in all the schools of magic."

Isaiah shook his head. "That would be Makenna's," he commented.

The Dunmer mage conjured a large fireball in his hand and threw it against the far wall of the ruin. The spell burst into a large radius explosion on impact, just short of lighting the beds on fire.

"One more time and the hideout entrance gets enchanted with a drain magicka spell, "Isaiah said glaring at the younger elf.

Makenna took off the ring and put it in his pocket.

The seven - Isaiah, Andlaen, Alfonso, Alderich, Makenna, Thurod, and Ra'Meth - started setting up for the feast they had planned that night. Makenna, Alderich, and Meth set up the table, Makenna doing considerably less work than the other two, not because he was failing to do his job, but because he had the power of telekinesis. Isaiah and Andlaen collected fruits and vegetables from outside. Lastly, Fons and Thurod were busy hauling in the deer Isaiah and Andlaen killed, as well as a pig and cow they 'found' at a nearby farm.

When they were done, the table in the center of the room looked amazing. Silver utensils, plates, bowls, and cups littered the table arranged in seven settings. In the center were large plates piled with ham, beef, and venison. Around the table were several bowls filled with several varieties of fruit. Off to the side were the makings of sandwiches including bread, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.

Alderich lit the grill and the fire under the cooking pot by simply sending small fireballs at each. Makenna meanwhile used his powers of telekinesis to drop various kinds of meats on the grill and into the cooking pot, as well as a few vegetables in the pot for stew. Meanwhile, Ra'Meth placed the center piece (and main attraction ) on the table: three bottles of Shadowbanish Wine.

The seven gathered next to the table, each barely containing themselves. Alderich and Makenna both uttered sighs of awe. Isaiah stood with his arms crossed and a look of satisfaction on his face. Fons and Thurod stood on either side of their leader with the same expression. Ra'Meth looked on with a grin that bared his catlike teeth. A tear rolled down Andlaen's cheek.

Isaiah looked around at the rest of the Cards, seeing the expressions on their faces. "What are all of you waiting for? Dig in!"

The group bolted to the table, piled food on their plates and wine in their cups. All seven ate ravenously and drank thirstily. After an hour of constant eating, half of the food and wine remained. Andlaen lay on the floor passed-out drunk.

Isaiah stood, barely maintaining his feet. "We did well today," he said, his voice still steady and powerful, amazingly unaffected by the alcohol. He continued, "We had an incredible feast, got some new armor, and drank an elf under the table," he gestured at Andlaen flat on the stone and was received by light chuckles. "We also got new weapons, Makenna got a nice new ring, and Fons stomped on an Orc," again laughter was returned. "Ra'Meth has given me a sealed message from the Mages Guild. They want us to recover an artifact from Frostcrag Spire, a tower in the Jerall Mountains east of Bruma, about half a day's trip. The artifact was stolen from the Bruma guildhall by a powerful vampire sorcerer." Isaiah paused to let this sink in. "The worst is, he stole a powerful magical artifact, so he is undoubtedly expecting company and will probably use this artifact against us, whatever it is." The group remained silent. "A bit of good news is the Guild will be lending us several mages to assist us. Makenna, you are in charge of them." The Dunmer nodded. "Everyone get some sleep, we are going to need it for this one. Oh, and Makenna, one more thing. We may need your healing in the morning, we are all going to have massive headaches." A final, light round of laughter was heard.

The group then got up and headed towards their beds, some stumbling more than others. They all settled and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Andlaen however, remained unconscious on the floor.