"Just who are you again?" Prior Maborel asked for the third time, clutching the reins of his Paint Horse.

K'Lali sighed. "I told you, I'm K'Lali, and Brother Jauffre has sent me to find the last heir to the Septim throne!"

K'Lali had to admit, the concept sounded silly each time it came from her mouth. Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected to be running quests for people she barely knew. What did she care if there was some threat from Oblivion? Let the higher-ups take care of it…

No, she scolded herself, the Emperor asked you to do this. He trusted you. All you have to do is retrieve his son. It's not hard.

"I still don't think I should let you borrow my horse, based on word alone," Prior Maborel stated.

K'Lali ran a hand through her braids. It's just this idiot who's making things difficult.

"I'm doing this for Brother Jauffre," K'Lali insisted.

"Are you a Blade?"

"…Well, no but-"

"Then I see no reason to trust you."

K'Lali stamped her foot in frustration. How could she make this fool see how important this was?

"Oh, there you are Prior Maborel," greeted another monk, approaching the arguing pair.

"Brother Piner. How goes it?" said Maborel.

"Oh! And you must K'Lali," Piner realized, regarding the Khajiit. "Brother Jauffre's just told me about you. Here, I have this book. I hope you find it useful."

"Er, thank you," K'Lali said, taking from him a heavy book with the title The Warp in the West etched in gold letters across the worn cover.

"Good luck finding the heir!" chirped Brother Piner, "Farewell, Prior Maborel." The monk left, whistling a merry tune.

Prior Maborel glowered. He was twisting the reins in his hands. "Here's the damn horse," he said, offering the reins to K'Lali.

"Thank you Prior Maborel," she said. She mounted the horse and cantered down the road, headed south to Kvatch.


K'Lali trotted down the road on Prior Maborel's horse in the late evening. The red of sunset was fading from the sky and stars were beginning to twinkle into view. K'Lali slowed for a moment to enjoy the cool evening breeze.

Suddenly, an Altmer came sprinting down the path, his tall face contorted with worry.

"Whoa," K'Lali called to him, dismounting, "What's the rush-"

"Come on! Run while there's still time! The Guard holds the road, but it's only a matter of time before they're overwhelmed."

"Overwhelmed? By what?"

"God's blood!" the Altmer exclaimed nervously, "You don't know, do you?"

K'Lali bared her fangs. "Just tell me what's happened here!"

"Daedra overran Kvatch last night! Gates to Oblivion itself!"

K'Lali faltered. The Emperor's words echoed in her mind…Close shut the jaws-

"Oblivion I tell you! And then a huge creature came out, blasting fire!" the High Elf was in hysterics now. His eyes darted around, looking at the sky anxiously. "They all swarmed around it killing…"

"Kvatch is in ruins?" K'Lali asked again, unable to believe the anxious Altmer.

"YES!" the elf screamed. He seemed on the verge of tears. "We're all that's left, do you understand me?"

"How'd you escape?"

"It was Savlian Matius…some of the other guards…they cut their way out, right through the gate. Savlian says they can hold the road…no! I don't believe him! Nothing can stop them! If you'd seen it you'd know!"

The elf made a mad dash past K'Lali, sprinting down the road. "Run while you still can!" he continued to shout. He shouts echoed eerily through the forest.

K'Lali continued down the road; sure enough, as the High Elf had said, refugees had set up tents along the road. Some wore tattered, smoking clothing, some were huddled on the ground, crying. Others tried to comfort them, and still others busied themselves with cooking or cleaning, with grim expressions on their face. From what K'Lali could see, there was only a handful of citizens remained.

K'Lali looked up the winding road leading to Kvatch. Ominous black smoke billowed from the top of the hill. Martin could still be in there…

K'Lali searched around and approached a Redguard woman, sitting in front of the dim fire.

"Do you know where Martin is?" K'Lali asked bluntly.

The Redguard woman looked up. She had soot on her dark face, and her brown, watery eyes looked at K'Lali sadly. "You mean Brother Martin? I think he gathered some survivors in the Chapel. He might still be alive…"

K'Lali nodded and rushed towards the road to Kvatch.

"Who was that?" asked the Redguard woman to her Argonian companion.

The Argonian woman looked at K'Lali thoughtfully. "No idea."

K'Lali jogged up the road, passing a downfallen priest. He held a torch and muttered to himself sadly, "Where is our protection? Where are our gods?…"

K'Lali turned her head away from the priest. She couldn't stand to be in the presence of these people; lost people completely void of hope.

There is hope, K'Lali told herself, I just have to find Martin.

As K'Lali climbed the sloping path, she couldn't help but notice a change in the sky. The stars faded away, and the heavens became alive with a blood-red light. The wind had picked up, too. Gales now battered the Khajiit and thunder rumbled all around. K'Lali could think of only one word to describe it: apocalyptic.

As she reached the crest of the hill, she finally saw it: a huge, glowing portal blocking the city gate. A few guards stood at the ready twenty feet away from it. They had set up a wooden barricade to waylay the attacks, but their feeble attempt seemed pointless next to the fiery portal. As she watched, she saw several small daedra pour out. They were scamps, short brown daedra with snarling teeth and pointy ears. From their claws, they shot fireballs, screeching at the guards. One guard fell, his body ablaze. The remaining three guards dispatched the scamps with arrows.

K'Lali, against her better judgment, came closer to the gate.

"Stand back, citizen!" One of the guards ordered. He appeared to be in charge. "Go back to the encampment with the other survivors! We'll hold the road!"

The guard had a military style buzz cut. He held his bloody sword at the ready. The cuirass he wore was white and bore a wolf face as it's crest. He glared angrily at K'Lali.

"Come on! Out of the way!" he ordered again, more angrily.

"What happened here?" K'Lali asked, gazing at the gate once more.

"We lost the damned city, that's what happened! It was too much, too fast. We were overwhelmed. Couldn't even get everyone out. There are still people trapped in there," he glanced, frustrated, at the gate. "Some made it into the Chapel, but others were just run down in the streets. The Count and his men are still holed up in the castle and now we can't even get back into the city to help them, with that damned Oblivion Gate blocking the way!"

K'Lali's cat ears flattened against her head. "What will you do?"

"The only thing we can do. We'll try to hold our ground, that's what," he turned back to his men just another few scamps climbed out of the portal. "Now get out of here, this is no place for a citizen!"


The guards charged forward, their captain, Savlian Matius, at the lead. They cut down two scamps, but another two came from the portal to take their place. Savlian slashed at one and it angrily ripped at Savlian's cuirass. Savlian lost his balance and toppled over. Two scamps swarmed around him, tearing at his armor, trying to get at his flesh. He tried to fight them off, holding up his shield, but soon grew too weak. The scamps pounded at his limbs-

A scamp squealed as it's head was lopped off. The other scamp was momentarily distracted, and Savlian used this chance to spear the scamp with his sword. Savlian was helped to his feet by his savior.

"Thanks," he grunted.

"Don't mention it," a female voice replied.

Savlian looked up, surprised to see it was the Khajiit citizen who had assisted him. "You-"

"Do you need any help?" the Khajiit asked. "I've got some combat experience."

Savlian chuckled in spite of himself. "You want to help? You're kidding, right?"

The Khajiit woman hissed angrily at the captain.

"Alright, alright! If you're serious, I could definitely use your help," Savlian surveyed the Khajiit before looking back at the gate. "It'll likely mean your death though."

"K'Lali does not run away from death!"

"Okay, K'Lali, I need that Oblivion gate closed. While it still stands, I don't dare leave the camp undefended. Are you willing to try and close it?"

"I suppose. How?"

The captain scrunched his face in thought. "I don't know. But it must be possible because the enemy closed the ones they opened during the initial attack."

Merandil, another guard, nodded pointing at massive red spines that stuck up out of the ground. "You can still see the marks, with the Great Gate right in the middle," he added.

"D'you think the others are still alive in there, Captain?" the last guard, Jesan Rilian, asked.

"I don't know," Savlian answered, "all we can do is send K'Lali in." He faced the Khajiit again. "All I can say is…good luck. It's a brave thing you're doing."

K'Lali nodded and stepped around the barricade, walking in measured steps towards the glaring Oblivion Gate. She looked up at it, braids flowing behind her in the rough wind, then proceeded directly into the red portal.

"Good luck!" Savlian called again.

She looked back one last time, eyes glinting, as if she knew something Savlian didn't. Then she disappeared into the portal.

Merandil shook his head. "That cat is crazy."

Savlian grunted in agreement. "Brave, though. Crazy, but brave."