Four days until the DeSade ultimatum expires…
Elenwen, First Emissary of the Thalmor sat in her chambers at the Thalmor Embassy, drumming her fingers angrily, glaring a hole in the wall as her thoughts churned with rage. In a matter of days, her operations had become far more difficult. Her agents at the headquarters in Solitude had been assassinated, an unknown man was chased out of the city, leading to the deaths of his pursuers, an elite squad of Justiciars had been eradicated near Whiterun, and no one had any answers to any of it. More perplexing, the Jarl of Windhelm, Ulfric Stormcloak, had been lured out of his city to a derelict inn and confronted a person of interest.
A knock on the door drew her attention from her anger. Her eyes tracked from the wall to the door as it swung open, revealing a newbie agent recently transferred from the south.
"If you have even one shred of bad news to deliver, you'd best leave now…" The woman hissed, pushing herself to her feet. "Now report."
The young man began to visibly tremble where he stood as sweat began to collect on his forehead. Elenwen narrowed her eyes to mere slits of gold as she got face to face with the young Altmer. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, waiting for the man to speak.
"Nero's group has assassinated Galmar Stone-Fist and Brunwulf Free-Winter at Nightgate Inn." The man gulped, closing his eyes tightly. "Also, large amounts of weapons and armor from both the Imperial Legions and the Stormcloak Rebellion have gone missing in the east. The garrisons near Windhelm and Riften have been completely cleared out."
"Anything else?" The woman seethed, turning her back to him.
"A rumor from Windhelm says Ulfric will be travelling to Solitude. Reasons unknown." The man replied.
"Delightful… What in Oblivion could he be going to Solitude for? It's like he's walking into his own death." Elenwen pondered, pacing the floor. "The main strength of the Legion is stationed in Solitude…"
"Could he be meeting this DeSade character?" The underling asked, tilting his head.
"And just why would he do that? Strategy would say he should have killed Ulfric at Nightgate…" Elenwen said, returning her eyes to the agent. "Unless he has some grand scheme…"
"From what I've heard, I wouldn't doubt it. He seems like the theatric type."
Waving her hand dismissively, Elenwen returned to her desk, turning her back to the door. Rocking back and forth on her seat, she seethed with anger. She snatched her glass of wine from the desk and took a large sip, tightening her grip on the metal goblet as her sight drifted out the window.
Eastern Whiterun Hold, midday…
"Well that could have gone better." Aurora chuckled, polishing her scythe. "And now you've set Solitude to drown in blood!"
"Plans change…" Nero muttered, staring at the floor of the carriage. "The people demand a victor, and I will not allow it to be either of those people."
"And what exactly are you going to do when the dust settles?" Aurora asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"There are people in place that will help things along. And if the people don't like it, well…" Nero laughed, shaking his head. "Then they can get carted off by the Thalmor."
"Speaking of…" Faust interjected, bundling himself up in his cloak. "What are you going to do about them?"
"I have a feeling your brothers will be dealing with that." Nero replied, grinning terribly. "Those two probably hate them more than I do."
"But they hate just about everything!" Aurora smirked, leaning back in her seat.
"And that is why they're so effective." Nero said, looking out the window.
The black carriage raced through the tundra, passing a battle between the Rebellion and the Empire. A grim smile crossed Nero's lips as they went by.
"Ulfric and Tullius will battle. The Thalmor will intervene, and then we strike." Nero said, tapping his foot with a dark excitement. "The more they kill of each other the better."
"Shouldn't Teiren be going to Labyrinthian soon?" Faust asked.
"Yes, he will be meeting Vega at our current destination: Fort Greymoor. It should still be under the control of the empire, and our gifts of horror will arrive early…" Nero smirked, narrowing his eyes as the battle drifted out of his line of sight. "Even without the information I wanted, outsmarting both sides won't be difficult. Kind of hard to move entire garrisons quietly."
"…We're slaughtering Greymoor, aren't we…" Aurora sighed, glancing at her weapon with a bored expression.
"It will send a clear message to Dragonsreach, and to the factions hanging around." Nero commented, shifting in his seat.
Whiterun loomed in the distance as Nero pulled himself to the roof of the carriage, deeply inhaling the frigid air as the group continued to the west. The midday sun hung heavily in the sky with no obstruction from the clouds as Whiterun came and went. The lycan smirked as he saw a wagon being driven and followed by a few members of the Thieves Guild. The cart was stuffed to the brim with what he assumed to be stolen armaments, making Nero's smirk morph into a sinister smile.
"What's the plan Nero?" The carriage driver asked.
"You're letting us off by the fort coming up here, then you'll come back around midnight for Teiren and three others. You will then take them to the ruins between Whiterun and Morthal, and after that, you'll take your orders from my associate Vega. Your compensation will be waiting when you return to Cyrodiil via Falkreath." Nero replied, rolling his neck. "Do try to stay alive until you leave the province."
"Well that's rather ominous." The man chuckled, commanding the horses to move faster.
The sun had begun its daily fall to the west as the black carriage approached Fort Greymoor. Everyone started making their preparations as the carriage slowed to a halt. The group piled out as Nero hit the ground without a sound.
"Plan of attack?" Fenrir asked, pulling on his mask.
"Assault number seven…" Nero muttered, adjusting his cloak. "Alright listen up! Faust, Fenrir, attack from here, Gerda and Teiren, attack from the west, Aurora and I will crush the front gate. Vega and the other two should be along shortly… Everyone is shifting apart from Aurora and myself at dusk."
The group nodded in silent agreement as they finished their final preparations. For the soon to be nine of them, a fort of glorified town guards would be no problem at all, even less of a problem with seven of the nine being in their terrible lycanthropic forms. As instructed, the carriage made itself scarce as everyone went to their designated points of attack, waiting for the last three of the group to arrive.
The hours seemed to pass at a horrendously slow rate as everyone waited for the sun to set. A grim smile crossed Nero's lips as he noticed an impossibly huge flock of ravens pass over from the north, bringing the lycan on odd sense of peace. With the sun kissing the horizon, Nero pulled an unnervingly emotionless mask from his belt, his horrible grin cemented on his face as he tightened the straps.
"Anything I should know before we won't have a chance to talk?" Aurora asked, twirling her scythe idly.
"Don't hold back. Our message must be crystal clear." Nero replied, pulling YLEM from its case. "And leave the commander of this fort alive to tell the tale."
"You're a lot more sinister than I remember…" Aurora chuckled, planting her weapon in the dirt. "Not that it's a bad thing."
"Much can change a man, along with what we're about to do…"
A vicious howl ruptured the air as the sun sank below the mountains of The Reach, sending a horrible chill down the spines of the entire fortress. The worried chatter of the men filled the air, quickly turning any conversation to that of creatures of the night and general terror, and their talks of monsters was well justified with vampire attacks on the rise along with rumors of numerous werewolf sightings.
Another howl split the air, signaling the DeSade onslaught. Nero and Aurora took off for the front gate at alarming speed, ignoring the shouts of the guards to halt. Vaulting over a spiked barricade, Nero dropkicked a guard square in the chest, sending the human tumbling end over end backwards, taking out a few bystanders as Aurora's scythe cleaved gurgling screams from her victims as they pressed into the courtyard. Another grin washed over Nero's face as he saw two black forms rushed over the wall, taking a few guards off the battlement. Kicking up a cloud of dust as they hit the ground, the true forms of Fenrir and Faust glared across the grounds, their gazes freezing the surrounding guards in their tracks.
"What the fuck are those?!" One of the soldiers screamed, tripping backwards over his own feet.
But before anyone could answer him, the two lycans began ripping through the ranks, the sounds flesh ripping and blood splashing filled the air, coupling with numerous other screams from the grounds. The speed and severity of the attack took Greymoor by surprise, and the soldiers were in such shock at what was assaulting them they put up little resistance. The screams of dying men filled the darkening sky as Nero and Aurora made their way inside the outpost, cutting down all opposition in their way.
The door of the commander's chamber flew off the hinges as Nero kicked it in, causing the Imperial to shriek in surprise as he jumped behind his desk. The polarizing pair walked in calmly, Aurora cleaning the blood from her scythe as she locked her icy eyes with those of the Imperial man. A small smile crossed her lips as she casually walked over to him, her boots clicking on the stone floor as she went.
"Who are you people?!" The man stammered, reaching for his weapons. "Why are you doing this?!"
"Well…" Aurora trailed off, inspecting her scythe. "We're taking this fort for ourselves."
"I- I won't allow it!" The Imperial stuttered, brandishing a cheap sword and shield.
"You seem rather ill equipped for an Imperial stronghold…" Nero chuckled, resting his blade over his shoulders. "Especially for being so close to Whiterun…"
"Our standing is none of your damn business, you savages!" The man screamed, trying to sound tough. "I'll take you out myself!"
"Tsk tsk…" Nero sighed, tapping a finger on his mask. "Your garrison of seventy men has fallen to nine… What's one more?"
The human's eyes narrowed as he put on his helmet, steeling himself for battle. A low, sinister laugh crept from behind Nero's mask as he was flanked by the rest of his group, Fenrir and Faust having changed back to their human forms. The commander visibly shook in terror as the hulking lycans eyed him up, their fanged grins gleaming in the low light.
"So, you're all here to kill me then? Go ahead and try!" The man shouted, banging his sword on his shield.
The man's actions forced a laugh out of everyone gathered, making the commander shudder more. In a flash, the man's instinct took over, making him push past Aurora and lunge at Nero. The man's expression went from anger to fright as his blade seemed to pass right through the lycan's midsection. Nero tilted his head to the side as he brought his arm in, binding the blade between his forearm and his armor under his cloak. His ghastly blue eyes locked with the commanders as he slowly brought his masked face nose to nose with his new opponent.
"Inform Balgruuf of what happened here this night, and let it serve as a warning to all that hail the Emperor." Nero said, grabbing the smaller man by a buckle on his armor.
In one slick motion, Nero threw the man out the door on his ass, chuckling madly as the human scrambled to his feet. A slick grin crossed Nero's lips as he pulled off his mask as his eyes met with the man as an almost violent aura filled the air. No words were spoken as the human dashed off to complete his mission.
"That was almost too easy…" Rurik growled, peering into the hallway.
"A few escaped their deaths…" Fenrir muttered, pulling off his mask. "Do we eliminate them?"
"No." Nero replied, affixing the mask to his belt. "A witness or two will work in our favor."
"And what of this place?" Maksim snarled, raking his claws across the stone wall.
"Rumors of horror will spread, and our job will be that much easier." Nero chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "But time is running short… Wake the dead, we shall meet you in Solitude."
"Understood, brother…" The older twins said, making a hasty exit with Teiren and Vega.
"What about us?" Gerda asked, leaning on the wall.
"Four days until my demands expire and the restless dead invade the capital… We shall make for Solitude and await the pestilence…" Nero said, his tone darkening the room. "We'll have to run, hope you didn't eat too much for dinner."
With a bored expression, Nero waved the rest of his group out as he took a last look around the commander's chambers. He shook his head in disgust as he pulled a few pieces of paper from his pocket. The lycan sighed heavily as he placed the bits of parchment around the room, his ears catching the footsteps of his companions making their way out.
Sliding his mask over his face once more, Nero rolled his eyes as he stood in the doorway. With a snap of his fingers, the pieces of paper burst into a vile black flame, seeming to suck the heat from the room as the burned. The lycan strode down the hall, tossing out pieces of his cursed parchment as he went. The black flames lapped the walls as he made his way to the front entrance, the halls and rooms behind him, crackling with an unholy light as he opened the door to the courtyard.
"Is that really necessary?" Aurora asked, polishing her scythe once again.
"Everything I do is part of the plan…"Nero replied, looking to the yawning abyss of the night sky. "The Empire and those fools of the rebellion will know the suffering of our dear homeland… We must speak for those who cannot…"
"But what of the victims of your narcissistic rampage?"Gerda laughed.
"Collateral damage is unavoidable and of no consequence. The people will learn, or die." Nero replied, spinning his cursed blade between his hands. "The Empire and that damn rebellion will weep tears of blood in the name of peace!"
"Doesn't sound too peaceful…" Faust said, sprawled out on the ground.
"Peace without blood, peace without death, peace by itself, is not possible." Nero growled, placing the cursed blade back in its case. "Now, we should probably get going. Word should be spreading sooner rather than later."
Masser and Secunda lurked behind the thickening clouds over the tundra of Whiterun as Nero and company rushed over the land like a plague. Their footsteps crushed into the ground as they made their way toward Solitude. The small settlement of Rorikstead passed in the blink of eye, giving way to the Karth River valley, with Dragon Bridge looming as the moons set. The eyes of the guards locked onto the group as they ducked into the inn to rest.
With the rooms purchased and everyone settled in, Nero took a seat in the corner and cast his gaze on the fireplace. His eyes scanned the room as the early morning light began to creep in through the windows above. A heavy sigh escaped him as he pulled off his mask and set it on the table. Nero finally allowed his mind to wander for the first time in days. His relaxation was momentary, however, as three men dressed in odd looking Imperial armor. Nero's eyes narrowed to mere slits of blue in the low light as the three sat across the inn from him.
Without a sound, Fenrir appeared next to Nero, kneeling beside him.
"Brother…" Fenrir whispered. "Do you know who those humans are?"
"They look bothersome." Nero replied, cracking his neck.
"Penitus Oculatus… The Emperor's personal guard." Fenrir said, leaning on Nero's chair. "Something big must be happening if they're here."
"I doubt the Emperor would send his dogs after us… Hmm…" Nero trailed off, pulling at his beard. "Take Faust, find out where they're staying and find any information you can."
A slick grin crossed the younger lycan's face as he slipped back into the shadows. Nero moved from the chair to an adjacent table without the agents taking notice. Poking at the food put out, the lycan listened in on the Emperor's guards as their lips loosened with their early morning ale. An hour or so passed as the three kept talking, revealing a host of interesting information: The Emperor himself, Titus Mede II, was currently in Skyrim, the Dark Brotherhood had botched an assassination attempt on the Emperor by falling into a trap and killing a body double, the Brotherhood had all but been destroyed, and now all of Haafingar and Solitude were on high alert.
Pushing himself to his feet, Nero shook his head as he walked back to his room, shaking off the odd look of the innkeeper as he slipped into his room. Flopping onto the bed face first, the lycan sighed heavily as he pulled the pillow over his head. Things were getting more and more arduous as the time ticked down, adding to everyone's agitation. It felt as if he had just closed his eyes and he was awoken by a commotion in the main room. A low growl escaped his throat as he slid out of bed and stalked to the door. Putting his ear to the door, his eyes narrowed as he heard a heated exchange between the three agents of the Penitus Oculatus and what sounded like agents of the Thalmor. Nero cringed heavily as his name was mentioned and his whereabouts.
"We know he's here!" One of the Thalmor shouted. "How is it that you idiots missed him?!"
"It's not our job to look for bandits!" The man shouted back. "You know why we're here, and obviously we have more pressing matters to deal with!"
Nero's eyes rolled in his head as he slid on his mask, shaking his head with a quiet sigh as the argument outside his room turned into a brawl. Cracking the door open, Nero peered through the slit, slamming the door as an errant lightning bolt streaked past his room. Popping the door open once more, Nero was about to make his escape, but was stopped cold by Faust and Fenrir sliding across the floor into his room. Slamming the door behind them, the twins panted heavily as they put their weight to the door.
"What in the plains of Oblivion is happening here?!" Nero snarled, pulling on his cloak.
"The royal guard and the Thalmor are obviously fighting about something." Fenrir replied.
"You don't say…" Nero growled, stalking back to the door. "Move."
"We can't risk getting involved in this!" Faust interjected, getting in between Nero and the ruckus in the other room.
"Well we better get outside before Gerda brings the whole place down…" Nero trailed off, pulling his hood over his head.
All the color drained from the twin's faces as the realization hit them, realizing the even greater danger of Gerda without any sleep. Quickly throwing the door open, the three lycans gasped in horror, seeing Gerda already in the main room.
"And just why are you interrupting my beauty sleep?" The red head asked with a sleepy yawn.
"Hey!" The Thalmor shouted. "She's one of them!"
Cocking an eyebrow, Gerda covered another yawn with her hand, shaking her head slightly as two of the Thalmor approached her.
"Blah blah whatever fireball." Gerda yawned again.
With a flick of her wrist, the lycan launched a fireball that smashed into the Altmer's chest, the small explosion blowing the target and the Penitus Oculatus into the far wall. Using the momentary chaos, Nero and the twins made a dash for the door, spying Aurora doing the same thing. The smell of scorched hair hung heavily as the group escaped into the midmorning sunlight, only to find a battle between the Thalmor and the Royal Guard engulfing Dragon Bridge. Crossing his arms over his chest, Nero growled as he leaned on a support beam on the porch. Gerda exited the inn in a cloud of smoke, coughing slightly as she got her bearings.
"Well this is a fine mess…" Nero sighed, tilting his head toward the woman.
"Is this all for us?" Gerda asked, dusting herself off.
"I doubt it. The Emperor is in Solitude, Dark Brotherhood something or other, I wasn't listening too hard." Nero replied, shaking his head. "We'll have to fight our way out, as usual."
"Hardly surprising… Oh well." Gerda yawned, stretching her arms out wide. "Shall we?"
Aurora stepped from the smoky inn, rolling her scythe over her shoulders with a smirk on her face as he bloodied weapon dripped with every step.
"By the Gods…" Aurora chuckled, slamming the end of her scythe into the dirt below. "Why can't we ever make an easy escape?"
Gerda and Nero shrugged, surveying the ongoing battle before them. A smirk crossed Nero's lips as he snapped his mask into place, pulling YLEM from the shadows of his cloak. Twirling his weapon, the vile blade gleamed in the late morning light. Pointing YLEM to the north, the twins, Gerda and Aurora began ripping through the ranks with inhuman force. The sound of splashing blood covered Nero's footsteps as he calmly walked from the Inn to the outpost of the Penitus Oculatus. Smoothly evading a vicious axe swing, Nero shook his head as he drove two armored fingers into the eyes of his attacker, bringing them to their knees with a hideous, blood freezing scream.
Before Nero could even get to the door, the commanding officer, Maro, kicked the door from its hinges. The Imperial's face was twisted into a scowl as he walked off the porch, pointing his weapon at Nero with an overwhelming conviction. The blazing enchantment on the weapon shined brightly as the sun hit noon, visibly distorting the air with heat as Maro drew closer.
"I don't know who you are, but I have a feeling you're somehow responsible." Commander Maro growled, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, I suppose you wouldn't be completely wrong in that assumption." Nero replied, dropping his weapon over his shoulder. "Not completely wrong, but still wrong."
"Enough talk. I have more pressing matters to deal with than some bandit." Maro sneered.
"As you please…"
The lycan smirked behind his mask as Maro lunged at him, swinging his blade with reckless abandon. Minimizing his movements, Nero held back a laugh as he could see the rage building behind the Imperial's eyes with every missed swing. Finally countering with his blade, Nero growled viciously as the weapons slid into a deadlock, bringing the man and beast face to face. Their eyes locked for what seemed to be an eternity, until Nero got bored with the situation. Shifting his weight, Nero sneered as Maro's footing was disrupted. In the momentary slip, Nero kicked the human's legs out from under him, bringing him to the ground with the crash.
Maro let out a pained scream as Nero plunged his blade straight through his stomach, splitting his spine in half. The lycan let out an almost sadistic laugh as he ripped YLEM from the human's guts, sending an arc of blood skyward.
"Such a shame…" Nero grinned, bringing the tip of the blade to Maro's chin. "If this is all that is protecting His Excellency… Hmph."
"You'll never get to him." The man coughed, spurting blood as he attempted to speak. "You'll never get through the guards."
"As if I'd waste my time slaughtering a puppet emperor." Nero laughed, slipping the end of the blade into Maro's mouth.
The sounds of battle drowned the mumbling of the human as Nero released the blade from his hand, only to smash both his fists into the guard, driving the blade through Maro's skull. With a sinister howl, Nero ripped the blade from the convulsing corpse. The wolf in human clothing dashed through the chaos, slashing wildly as he went. The battle roared as the group fought their way out, leaving the Royal Guard and the Thalmor to destroy each other. The sounds of the fight faded into the serenity of the woodlands as the lycanthropic revolutionaries made their way to Solitude, and the end, one way or another.
"So those damn elves know about us, that much is certain." Nero grumbled, fiddling with his mask. "I wonder what Solitude will hold for us…"
"Only death is certain, but I'll be damned if it is ours." Faust chuckled, idly spinning his dagger in his hand. "What of the other four?"
"They should be right on schedule barring any other intrusions." Nero replied.
"Think they'll be able to do it?" Fenrir interjected.
"With Vega and Teiren there it should be no problem. Rurik and Maksim know some dark arts as well."
Finally regrouping north of Dragon Bridge, the supernatural brigade continued their trek to the capital under the blessing of the midday sun, cutting down the seemingly random appearance of more Thalmor troops as they pushed to the north. Two and a half days remained, with no clear answerers on either side of the conflict. Both the Empire and the Rebellion were as stubborn as they were passionate, and the machinations of the Thalmor grew more shadowy by the day. Solitude would be the proving ground, and the streets would run red as the sky turned black from the fires of true rebellion.
END: Claws of the Thalmor
Next Chapter: In The Name of Justice?! Appearance of the "Hero"