A/N: Why, hello there readers! Orangejuicehero is back with another…Sheogorath, why did you change my keyboard into cheese?

I heard you like provolone cheese, so I got you some!

Sheogorath… that still doesn't warrant you to MESS UP MY KEYBOARD!

Whoa there pal, no sense in getting angry, is there?

There's plenty of sense to do so. Anyway, I have one OC submission from Dakatmew, so we only have one spot left.

…Want some more cheese?

GET OUT OF HERE, ALREADY! My god, he's annoying. Well, let's get this over with…

Chapter 10

4E 202

Eastmarch, Skyrim.

Isen groaned as he regained his vision. He felt something cover his mouth, and was unsure of his surroundings, but one thing was certain: his leg was healed. Pain no longer coursed through, and was instead replaced by a drought of stiffness and numbness. He must have been paralyzed with Frostbite venom.

The next thought that raced through his mind was the girls. Had Isen's captors also got to his companions? Did they somehow escape? Isen didn't know, but the fact that he wasn't dead meant that he was of use to his captors. As his vision stabilized, Isen found himself gazing down at a stone floor, covered in soot and dirt. Looking to his immediate sides, he found two men dressed in chainmail covered by a dark-blue sash. Their faces were hidden by guard helmets.

'Oh no.'

"I was wondering when you would wake up, Dragonborn." said thickly-accented voice.

Now, Isen had made many an enemy in his lifetime. Perhaps it could have been the Dark Brotherhood, or maybe the Vampire of Brittleshin Pass, but only one sick son of a bitch held the most annoying voice Isen had ever heard:

Ulfric Stormcloak.

Twilight Sparkle was a living legend back home. She had faced the Queen of Darkness, the spirit of Chaos, and the Empress of Deceit. Ponies would say that she wasn't afraid of anything; that she was invincible, but there was one thing Twilight had found both new, and incredibly terrifying:

A hostage situation.

When Twilight had woken up, she found herself in a dark, reeking room that smelled of week-old garbage, a gag across her face. Her hands and feet were tied to a simple wooden chair, as were her friends, whose chairs had been arranged in a circle. When they woke (and inevitably caused a commotion), three big, burly men in guard armor stalked over to them, their expressions hidden under helmets. At first, it wasn't too bad; they taunt them a bit and inspect them. Son, more guards came over and mingled with their comrades…

And that's when trouble started to brew.

The guards started messing with Rarity's hair, and said seamstress screamed indignantly through her gag, but was overall ignored. Applejack had delivered a solid head-butt when a wiry captor tried to touch her, and was given a painful broken nose in return. Some of the guards began placing bets to see who would get the 'first go' at her. Rainbow Dash tried feebly to break through her bonds, muttering every swear word she knew, but stopped her attempts when a huge captor stared down at her. Fluttershy was perhaps the most pitiful. She had begun whimpering when she woke up, and the newfound attention brought by the men made the shy mare break. Pinkie Pie had attempted to make conversation with the captors, but was harshly silenced by one of them.

The twenty or so guards then began to shout at each other over 'who would get who', and started attacking their friends with whatever was available: fists, shields, even a sword on occasion. Too busy watching the mass brawl before her, Twilight missed Dash look to the ceiling and let out a muffled gasp. Landing as silent as a cat, a tall, armored figure dropped down in between the girls and the fight before them. The first thing to catch the librarian's eye was the fact that said figure had a green tail. It looked like a male, but most of its figure was hidden under a weirdly-styled set of armor made of grey shards and brown cloth.

The newcomer whistled loudly to get the attention of the guards, who froze in whatever position they were in. "Now boys," the he said menacingly, "I suggest you walk away before someone gets killed."

The fighters, not getting the message, charged at the trespasser with their makeshift weapons and dove upon him. Said trespasser charged as well, unsheathing two odd-looking daggers as he did. He ran into the midst of the guards and disappeared from Twilights sight. Fearing the worst, Twilight looked away from the fight, but her gaze was forced back at the fray when a blood-curdling scream reached her ears.

The newcomer was holding his own against the swarm of guards, his daggers inflicting wound after wound upon them. Twilight could now see that the combatant resembled something like a dragon from Equestria, but shorter and wingless. The girls were mesmerized by his fluid motions, once vaulting over the wiry guard that had punched Applejack and using the poor sob as a meat shield to absorb the blows; gruesome, but effective.

Now there were only three guards remaining, the others having fallen to the lizard-like creature's blades. The large guard that had intimidated Dash charged at the lizard-man with a heavy battle axe. As the guard swung his weapon down, Bill (Twilight decided to name the creature 'Bill') grabbed the axe's shaft by both 'claws' and tripped the larger fighter by kicking into the back of the guards knee. The unfortunate fighter fell to the ground with a mighty 'thump' and yelped. Bill swung the axe down on to the man, lobbing off the head in a single swing. It took every ounce of Twilights will to not puke. The second guard uttered a war cry and charged at Bill while his back was turned. Unsurprised, Bill threw down the axe and countered his opponent by grabbing the challenger by the belt and collar, and driving him into the ground. A wet 'snap' was heard, and the guard fell lifeless to the floor. The last guard standing looked nervously at his fallen comrades dropped his tiny dagger made for the doorway, flailing his arms about as he did.

Bill chuckled and looked at the five (Fluttershy was too busy cowering in fear) wide-eyed girls before him. "Sorry about my less-than perfect entrance, ladies. Komodo's the name," he paused for a second before taking his one of his daggers and throwing across the room into the back of the fleeing guard. 'Komodo' cracked his knuckles and looked back at the girls. "And getting you out of here is my game."

There he sat; Ulfric Stormcloak, the usurper king, king slayer, and stout Nordic rebel. His chestnut hair was braided and swooped back and his goatee was prominent on his face. Ulfric wore his trademark grey fur coat with black undergarments. His blue eyes shined like pools of water. Next to 'his majesty' was Ulfric's lapdog, Galmar Stone-Fist, standing erect and alert, brandishing his battle axe.

Isen struggled against the grip of his two handlers and swore, but his muffled curses fell on deaf ears. Ulfric flicked a braid of his long hair behind his ear and tugged on his fur coat as he stood up from his throne. "You know, deep down Isen, we are kindred spirits you and I."

'You wish milk-drinker.'

"We both hate the Empire-"

'But I don't condone violence against them.'

"We both want to see an independent Skyrim-"

'Not under your rule, I don't'

"And we both fight 'til the end, just like your father."

Isen yelled another insult at the usurper through his gag and slumped down. Ulfric's grin widened and he continued his speech. "You see Isen, we can work together. We can rid Skyrim the Empire and install a new power that will rival even Talos' kingdom. Join the Stormcloaks, and we can see that happen."

Isen shook his head furiously and looked around the room for any points of escape. Ulfric frowned and knelt down before Isen. "I was afraid it would come to this." he said, "Since you don't seem to care about the greater cause, I guess your friends are of no use to me."

Isen's eyes grew to the size of saucers and he looked at the now smiling Ulfric Stormcloak. "Oh yes," Ulfric said, as giddy as a child, "Your little friends are here too, and if you don't help me…well, the soldiers do need someone to produce a suitable heir for them."

'Oh you-'

Isen screamed out in rage and yanked against his captors, cursing now that the bastard had gone back to his throne again. One of the guards hit Isen in the back of his unarmored head, and he was dazed for a second. However, out of the corner of his eye, Isen spotted something unusual. The guards near the left wing hallway were slumped up against the wall like ragdolls. Come to think of it, they didn't look like they were even slumped against the wall. Isen pondered this for a second before smiling under his gag. Ulfric frowned slightly and sat forward on his throne, wondereing what Isen found humorous. His question was soon answered.

In a blink of an eye, the two bodies were thrown to the side by an invisible force, and steel arrow's seemed to grow out of the necks of Isen's handlers. Afterwards, two figures materialized in the spot the disguised guards once 'stood'. One figure Isen recognized as steel armor-wearing Connor, the Argonian proudly wielding his ancient Nordic. The other Isen did not now. It was a woman 5' 9'' in height, her lithe form betraying her gender. She wore a black hood and cape, and her face was covered by a black mask, revealing only two blood-red eyes. The female assassin wore a black, short sleeved tunic and form -fitting black pants that led down to steel boots like Isen's, but were instead made of black steel, repeating on her gauntlets as well. . A bandolier ran across the woman's chest, holding several daggers and a quiver for steel arrows at her hip. In her hands was a simple long bow, the string drawn back and ready to fire at any moment.

Connor moved to intercept the other Stormcloaks by the main door, crashing one onto the long dining table and beheading the other. Isen removed his gag and took in a deep breath as the female assassin shot Ulfric in the shoulder and repeated the courtesy to Galmar. When the two failed to respond, Isen saw the woman drop a small green vial to the floor as she turned to help Connor.

'Paralysis poisons.' Isen deduced. Whoever these were, they didn't want the rebels dead.

Isen turned back in time to see an unfamiliar Argonian in strange armor throw Isen's sword at him. Isen caught the scabbard of Relentless and proceeded to black the downward-striking swing of a Stormcloak soldier. Drawing his weapon, the Nord thrust his sword into the Stormcloak's unarmored side. The man cried out in pain as the steel bit his flesh, and slumped in Isen's grip. The new Argonian came back with the Dragonborn's shield and knapsack, an Isen equipped them with haste. Out of the corner of his eye, the Nord saw the happiest thing in his life: the six unharmed (but most likely mentally scarred) women whom he was charged with. With renewed spirit, Isen called for the girls and beckoned them to follow him. Their smiles were of great relief to him, and he charged out to fight the Stromcloaks by the door. Connor and his counterpart shredded through the rebel defense, and they soon cut a way through to the large double doors. Spotting the escape route, the female assassin withdrew two small spheroids from her bandolier and hurled them to the floor.

In an instant, Isen's vision was replaced by grey smoke. He coughed violently before he felt someone grip the collar of his armor. He was then hurled through the air and into the double doors that blocked their escape. Cold air rushed to meet Isen as he crashed through the entryway and onto the stone street. Being grabbed again, Isen was forced onto his feet and saw the new Argonian towering over him. The assassin flashed him a toothy grin and ran to a concealed alley on the left. Connor, his associate, and the six panicking girls followed shortly after, and Isen sprinted after them when a patrol of guards coming his way.

Isen found himself on an overpass in the Grey Quarter of Windhelm, his allies holding off guards while the female archer set light to an oil-covered arrow. Hearing footsteps behind him, Isen turned to face the patrol he had ran from and stood ready to attack. One guard tried to slash at Isen's shoulder, but the attack was blocked by Isen's shield. The attacker was stunned for a moment, and Isen used the confusion to stab the Stormcloak in the neck, blood gushing from the wound. Isen glanced back in time to see the woman fire the flaming arrow into the grey morning sky. He couldn't look on though, as another guard came to engage him. The war hammer-wielding assailant sent a jolting strike down onto Isen's shield. Isen felt his arm almost break under the attack, but it held firm allowing him to parry a second attack. The soldier thrust the butt-end of his weapon into the Isen's knee, forcing the Nord to tumble. His allies could not help him, and his arms were pinned by the soldier's superior strength. As the hammer was reared back, Isen tried a last ditch effort.

"FU-"

Before Isen finished his shout, he noticed that the guard was stationary. The guard made no signs of movement. Then the Nord saw the miracle that saved him. A steel arrow was lodged in the side of the guard's neck, blood dripping from the wound. Isen rolled to avoid the falling corpse and saw that the other attackers were similarly dead.

He stood up and expected to face the female assassin that had rescued him, but was greeted by empty air. Instead, Isen spotted the three assassins and his six companions running along the Grey Quarter rooftops. Before them, on top of the west wall of the city, were five hooded figure with bows, sniping nearby guards. As arrows whizzed by his head, Isen began to run as well, hopping along the wooden roofs like a rabbit. Arrows continued to fly near him, one pinging of his armor. When Isen came close to the wall, an assassin reached out his or her hand. Reacting quickly, Isen took it and was pulled over the stone barrier. Then Isen found himself plummeting to the snowy ground. As he rushed to the ground, he felt a calm aura wash over him, like a river flowing over a rock.

Then, his vision went black.

Northern Eastmarch, Skyrim.

Twilight had been sitting in the spacious, damp cave for nearly an hour, and Isen had yet to wake up. Fluttershy had been checking up on him few times, but nothing seemed to stir the unconscious Nord. Reactions to the rescuers among the six were pretty mixed: Applejack had been keeping up a conversation with Komodo for a while now, the farmer usually questioning the lizard-man about how he was so strong for a pon-person with his build. Rarity, who had spent most of the time complaining about the current conditions, took to criticizing their attire. Rainbow Dash was in an 'arm-wrestling' competition with a grey-skinned humanoid and had lost all but two rounds. Pinkie Pie had been insisting on hosting a 'Thank you for saving us' party for the people, but was turned down. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was in a discussion with a short woman about the healing qualities of potions.

The saviors themselves were quite odd. They wore apparel that exposed them to the cold elements outside and were armed to the teeth. Seven of them had bows and another nine had what Twilight guessed were short swords, but they all carried a curved blade that reminded her of the katanas worn by the guards in Neighpon; the only difference being that all of them were black hilted and were in a black scabbard.

Instead of asking them about it, Twilight busied herself with an interesting conversation with whom Twilight assumed to be the leader.

"Illusion magic is unique in its own way." The woman said through her thick accent. Twilight couldn't read the woman's expression through her mask, but the two red eyes showed focus. "It takes more training than Restoration and is not as easy to learn as Destruction. It took me five years to learn it by myself, but it paid out in the end."

"Why by yourself? Was there no one to teach you?" Twilight questioned.

"Yes. I was in captivity for most of my childhood, but after five years of experimentation, I mastered an invisibility spell. One day, when a guard came to feed me, I snuck into a corner and used the spell. As he came in to fine me I snuck up behind him, grabbed his sword," the woman made a slashing motion across her neck, "And cut his throat."

"That's probably the weakest guard I've heard of." came a tired voice. Everyone it the room turned their heads to see a fatigued Isen stand up from his spot. His head was wrapped in bandages and his arm was slumped at his side. He looked at the woman next to Twilight and smiled.

"So who may I thank for the rescue, because Connor couldn't have possibly have staged that."

A short lizard-man objected and sent the whole room into a fit of laughter. When it subsided, the leader stood up and moved toward Isen. "You can thank me." The woman said as she removed her hood and mask.

She was a strikingly beautiful woman. Her auburn hair reached to her shoulders and covered most of her left eye. The most noticeable feature though was the strange markings surrounding her right eye. It showed a circle with the head of an eagle, lion, and dragon at intervals, like a snake eating itself. Over each head was an arrow of a different color; gold, blue, and red, respectively. A line formed a circle that meted up with the base of the arrows, making a double image.

Isen chuckled and went to shake the woman's hand. "Never pegged you as the leading type, Trinity." he said.

Trinity shook her head and held out her hand. "Payment first, reunion later." was her short reply. Isen rolled his eyes and reached into his knapsack. Twilight expected gold to be exchanged, and was earnestly surprised when Isen pulled out a knife! The Nord removed the steel gauntlet from his right hand and cut the bare flesh in a quick stroke. In an act that shocked the girls, Trinity took hold of Isen's hand and began drinking the blood from the resulting wound. After a few seconds, Trinity stopped and licked her lips. "Ren himmel." she said after a few moments.

"Still speaking old Nordic, I see."

"Always have been." replied the woman.

It was at this point that Trinity noticed the confused looks of the looks of the six women spectators. She smiled sheepishly and wiped some blood from her mouth. "I almost forgot to introduce myself. The name's Trinity Bjornstad, leader of the Kommendera av den Blӧdning Ek," Trinity smiled widely, revealing two sharp teeth on the top of her mouth, "And deadliest vampiric assassin this side of the Jerall Mountains."

"Assassin!" cried Rarity. The other girls seemed equally as worried. Having a killer amongst them was a big no. Isen saw the worried looks on the girls and stepped in to reassure them.

"Hey, she's not going to hurt you. She helped us get out, so the least you can do is hear her out."

"B-but she killed all those people! Why couldn't you reason with them? They weren't bandits." rebutted Fluttershy, who was now hiding behind the tall form of Applejack. Trinity rubbed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She huffed indignantly and started shaking. Isen cursed himself; she was having a temper flare.

"Because they were more likely to rape and kill you than to actually listen to some gud-tuomita kadotukseen reason!" she screamed. Fluttershy whimpered and ran behind Rainbow Dash.

Dash, quite pissed at the way Trinity replied to Fluttershy, responded. "Hey! That doesn't give you the right to-"

She wasn't able to get far in her argument when the angry assassin turned to her. "Oh, it gives plenty of tuomita kadotukseen reason to be angry," yelled Trinity, "I am a vampire. That means I can't stand in the sun, go near garlic, and now I have to drink blood to keep me from going rabid! So don't tell me 'I have no right', because I have plenty of-" before she could go any further, Isen violently spun her around and punched her right in the nose. Her head flung back and she went limp for a second before regaining her footing. Trinity cracked her nose, which was most likely broken, and took in a deep breath.

"Sorry about that." She said sadly, "I have anger management issues." She sighed and looked at the blank-faced Nord before her and smiled sheepishly, flinging a stray hair out of her eye.

"So," the vampire said, "Where were we?"

Unknown, Skyrim

Legion paced wildly around the small room he called home. It was a tiny little area that had once been a Dwemer library, but most of the books were in tatters. It suited Legion as it constantly searched for knowledge. This desire puzzled the construct. It always wondered why its thirst was never quenched.

"Oh, who knows?" Legion whispered in his multi-voiced tone.

The doors to the small chamber were then opened by a hooded figure. It kneeled before the construct and looked up at its crimson figure. "The dragon was unable to defeat them, my lord. The Nord with them is the Dovahkiin of legend." the man spoke frantically.

"I know, Yahkiil. It was merely a test. A wise man once said that 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.'"*

Yahkiil showed no signs of understanding and instead pressed the argument. "Because of that little stunt, Nachtmar has been severely weakened! It will take weeks for him to recover!"

Legion grabbed the man's neck and lifted the mortal off the ground. The construct closed the distance between them until it could see the mortal's terrified face. "Do you take me for a fool?! I knew the risks well before you did. I will secure the Bearers by any means necessary, even if it means sacrificing Albtraum's powers!"

Legion dropped the terrified man and waved a black, misty hand toward the door. On cue, two guards in silver Daedric armor moved behind Yahkiil. "Now," said the construct, "Prepare the Black Sacrament. The Brotherhood is our best chance of success now."

Yahkiil stood up slowly and bowed before his master. "But my lord, who will be the sacrifice?" he asked nervously.

The sick laughter of a thousand voices filled the small room as Legion raised an open palm in the air. "You will suffice." Legion said as it closed its palm. Yahkiil screamed one last time before his world was darkened forever.

*Sun Tzu, the Art of War.

A/N: Another chapter is finished! I can't believe I was able to do this over STAAR testing!

And let me guess, your STAAR scores are complete crap?

Sheogorath, get out of my house! Anyway, Old Nordic is basically Norwegian, Finnish, and Swedish thrown together for those who were wondering.

Bye!