"Yes, but not for long," Sef hears a voice he recognizes.

"Talos?"

"Yes, my child, and yes, you are dead, but you will be back with your friends soon,"

"How is that possible?" Sef asks, spinning full-circle in search of the ninth Divine.

"Every so often the Nine can choose to save one, once every one hundred years. You're just lucky enough to have died this year, and before someone more important. Now continue your quest, and avoid elves named Maglir in the future," Sef snaps up, and the Breton healer screams.

"How is he alive?" She screeches.

"A miracle," Freidir says.

"Luck," Sef replies.

"Glad you're back, Sef, but we got issues," Otis says. "Apparently it's a swarm of zombies,"

"Is that it? A swarm? I always thought it was a pack of Zombie," Freidir jokes.

"Sorry Freidir, I'm gonna have to go with Otis on this one," Bittneld says, trying to stifle a laugh. "A swarm,"

"Men," The healer mutters walking away.

"A pod? A pod of zombies?" Sef says and they all laugh, except Otis.

"Seriously, guys, a lot of Zombies, numbering in the fifties," Otis says putting his helmet on.

"Fine," Sef says rising to his feet. "Jerk," He says, lightly kicking the dead Maglir.

"That is a swarm of Zombies," Bittneld mutters.

"Yeah, a HUGE pod of 'em," Sef says, giggling.

"Seriously?" Otis scolds. "You guys are so stupid,"

The swarm…pod of Zombies stand outside the barriers of Skingrad, waiting in the sunlight.

"How does he control the Zombies?" Freidir asks.

"I don't know," Sef admits. "I would've guessed they were vampire zombies, but it's daytime,"

"I know," A voice says from behind them. It's one of the civilians, a priest at the chapel. "The reason vampires cannot go into the sunlight is because their skin burns and sears, but Zombies don't have skin, at least not the kind that burns, it decayed after their deaths. So this evil man that rules these undead has vampires bite the zombies, who can go out in the day,"

"Okay," Freidir says, rather puzzled. "And how do you know that?"

"A dream," The priest says, walking away. Then he turns around. "Oh, and most of the Necromancers in Cyrodiil are on his side now, because they can summon more undead for His army,"

"Screw that hooded guy," Will says.

"Where in Oblivion have you been?" Sef shouts at the porter.

"With the other Fighters guild members, shit, calm down," The porter replies.

"Sorry, I guess DYING made me crabby," Sef says sarcastically.

"Guys!" Dion shouts. "We need a plan,"

"Right," Sef says jogging over to Dion and Danus. The group began to run through their favorite methods of destroying an enemy when a voice booms through the sky. At first Sef believes it to be Talos, but the voice fills him with dread, and he dismisses the idea.

"Followers of your lord Daedra, Mehrunes Dagon," The voice says. "And others who wish to live through this invasion,"

"Oh shit," Otis says, foreseeing the daedra's words.

"Join the armies that stand outside your shacks, your castles, your cities. Join them and be saved. I will not credit myself with this master plan. The credit falls on one that you will call master, or the Usurper. To the agents undercover in the cities, why do you think you are alive? You are alive because I made a deal, I told the Usurper that you would be useful. If you choose not to be useful, your death will be very slow, I promise you," The voice dies, and Sef looks towards the woman called Else God- Hater. He also sees that many others are looking at her as well.

"I…" The woman says, looking distraught. "HA!" She suddenly shouts, grabbing the woman next to her. In an instant the 'God-Hater' is covered in red, spiked armor, holding a sword to the woman's neck. "Who will fight with the almighty Mehrunes Dagon?" The woman shouts, the entire city listening to her words.

"Here's one," Sef shouts, throwing the corpse of Maglir towards the daedra-worshiper.

"That's funny, but I bet more people than you think are considering my offer," She says, glancing at the corpse. Sef looks around the group, seeing many fidgety people. "See?" The woman says matter-of-factually, her voice muffled slightly by her helmet.

"I'll go," Sef hears a male voice say. The man grabs Maglir's sword, and watching his back, walks up to Else.

"Foul Fagus," One of the women says. "I can't say I'm surprised," She says.

"Don't even," Says the Imperial beggar, pointing his sword at the woman. "It's not my fault I'm homeless, and it's not my fault that none of you respected me,"

"I'm going!" An Altmer says, running towards Else, who is slowly walking towards the gates of Skingrad.

"Tilmo?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna live! I don't need to hear that you're disappointed," The Altmer shouts, hoping the barriers towards the zombies. Another man hops the barrier after them.

"Will we be turned to vampires?" He asks Else.

"Maybe, who are you?"

"The name is Reman, expert archer," He says showing her his silver bow.

The group of betrayers walks backwards towards the undead, fearing they might be shot. A small group of necromancers walk out ahead of the zombies to greet their new recruits. They talk for several minutes, then they all disappear behind the huge group of zombies. Sef hears a shout, and at once the Zombies all stomp their left feet. Sef notices that the undead are standing in rank. He sees the headless zombies standing in the front, because they have no way to transfer the vampirism.

"Alright!" Sef shouts. "Anyone one that has a bow or can shoot one step forward," Sef says, putting his back to the zombies, facing the group of fighters. All the guards, from Chorrol and Skingrad, except for Bittneld and Dion walk forward, along with the Bosmer archer, Parwen, the gro-Baroth brothers, Honditar, and a Redguard farmer. "Shoot over the first few lines of zombies; they're shielding the more powerful zombies. When the zombies reach the barriers, about ten of them will spike themselves. The other zombies will be stuck behind the spiked zombies, at that time the swordsmen will step up and stab the zombies that will be pushing behind the spiked zombies. ALRIGHT?" Sef shouts.

He is greeted by a roar of agreement. "Archers!" Sef shouts at the top of his lungs. He pulls his bow off his back and knocks an arrow. "FIRE!" He shouts, and releases his arrow. He hears the beautiful twang of arrows taking flight and sees fifteen missiles approaching the undead. Only a few of the arrows strike the front lines, the rest hit the back rows, perfectly as Sef had hoped.

Another shout comes from behind the undead and they charge towards the gates of Skingrad. "FIRE!" Sef shouts again, but most of these arrows fly poorly, many of them killing the headless 'shields' instead of the infectious ones.

Then, as the zombies close in on the gates, two fire spells come from the sides of the pod of zombies fly past the group of zombies, blowing away the wooden barriers.

"Shit!" Otis shouts.

"Move up, swordsmen!" Sef shouts and nearly all the fighters move forward, excluding the Mages guild members and a few archers. "Swords out," He says. "Give 'em hell!" The elf shouts, lining up with the other fighters. The zombies reach the swordsmen, and many are impaled by the swords. "Back off!" Sef shouts, pulling his sword out off a zombie's chest, then backs up with the other fighters, putting space between the zombies and the fighters. With the space between the two groups, so the fighters, with weapons, took their extreme advantage of reach and cut down the undead. Sef stays focused on the undead in front of him, praying that his soldiers are holding up. He notices that the undead around him, have heads, which to him meant that his fighters are winning. Sef cuts, and slashes, knowing that the longer it takes to defeat the undead, the more fighters will die. A man had once told him that undead never tired, and that they could fight until killed. Sef glances to the left to see Otis fighting side by side with Bittneld against the swarm of zombies. Sef, looking at the zombies, begins to see light, through the undead, proving that the undead ranks are thinning. Sef manages to keep the zombies at sword-length, making the undead unable to attack him. Sef fights, on, noticing the sun getting lower in the sky.

Otis, apparently noticing as well, starts to shout. "We must hurry! Kill the zombie bastards before their reinforcements arrive!"

Sef cuts down the last zombie ahead of him, and decides to risk a peek at his fellow fighters. Many weapons lay on the ground, but only a few bodies could be seen strewn about. In an instant Sef found out why some weapons had no owners. One of the injured fighters writhed on the ground, holding his neck, then, he screamed, and his skin burst into flames. Sef realized that the only human bodies he would fight after this battle were those that had been killed in some way other than infection. As the groups of undead thinned even more, Sef could see the necromancers. About ten men, clad in necromancer's robes stood there, watching the battle. The betrayers stood with them, looking rather uncomfortable standing with the dark men. The necromancers turned and walked away, the betrayers turning to follow, eager to be away from the shame they felt. As the last zombie dies, the necromancers disappear over the horizon.

"Yeah!" Sef shouts, raising his bloody sword in triumph and everyone else joins in. "Dress your wounds," He says, walking towards the castle. "Civilians and smiths, secure the gate to the castle, we'll stay there for tonight,"