…When the Threat is Real
Syl has also created a number of escape plans and networks, including doubles, secret passages, traps as well as extensive use of her prised Elite Guard. Even I know not of all the plans she makes – Only Sheogorath can see the full extent of them, but he cannot usually be bothered.
The guards glowered at her, and indicated her to come forwards. "No quick moves though, assassin." It seemed not to matter that she was Mazken, they treated her as they would any assassin. That surprised Nerte somewhat, and it showed the loyalty of the Guard to Syl. There would be no convincing them that her death was a good thing, and she doubted they would believe her that Sheogorath desired it, although, somewhat indirectly, he did.
"The dagger, on the floor" said the lead guard, the one without the bow. She drew the dagger and went as if to place it on the floor. However, to the surprise of the Elite Guard she followed her stooping movement through with a speedy forward roll, which carried her behind a table. A dark arrow clunked into the woodwork behind her, where she had been seconds beforehand. In the time she knew it would take the guard to re-notch an arrow she had dived across the bed, and swept up her other dagger, ignoring the tied Syl double. The first guard had drawn a sword and was now rushing towards her. This was a mistake, and Nerte swung her leg in a swinging motion, catching the legs of the first guard. She went crashing to the ground and smashed through a chair as she fell, and didn't stir from her position. The other guard had her bow up, ready to release an arrow. Nerte dodged sideways, and the guard released the arrow wildly. Nerte didn't throw her daggers wildly. Both plunged into the lead guard, who dropped almost instantly. At least re-birth was not painful, thought Nerte. Getting back into condition on the other hand, was annoying.
She looked around the room and saw nothing else threatening. She vanished from sight in a bluish shimmer, not liking to be so easily spotted. Leaving the double behind, she left the room quickly and quietly, trying to think where Syl would go… She didn't really have to search far; the answer was quite obvious, now she was looking. A hole had appeared beneath a bust of Sheogorath. Apparently Syl had a secret passage out of here. Nerte had guessed she must, but had never seen one of them before. Taking a deep breath, knowing that Syl had most likely left something nasty behind if she had known she was being followed, Nerte shimmied down the ancient looking iron ladder into the patiently waiting darkness.
Concentrating on maintaining her invisibility she almost didn't see the first nasty left behind. A hulking shadow sitting off in the darkness of a dead end passage, she recognized the life signature of a massive Scalon, lying in wait, almost as well concealed as her. It had a still visible chain around its neck, which vanished into mid space, and now she was listening for it she could hear the clinking the chains as they rattled together. Nerte had heard rumors that Syl kept a number of these brutes as pets; apparently Herdir had found a way to tame them. Nerte also knew from experience that being invisible was useless against these master hunters. She had found that they could see straight through all manner of invisibility and seemed to act as if their opponents were completely visible. Perhaps they could detect the illusion magic in use, being natural masters of illusion as it was…
Nerte let her illusion spell shimmer out of existence, knowing it would not aid her but that maintaining it would hinder anything she did… Perhaps she could sneak past it the old fashioned way. All she had to do was get out of chain length and she'd be fine. Soundlessly creeping forward, for a second she thought it wasn't going to notice her. And then the corridor was filled with an ear-spitting roar. The Scalon leapt forwards, covering half the distance between them in a single leap. It appeared, its invisibility spell disintegrating as it concentrated its mind upon her. It gathered itself for a killing spring, claws reached out ready to stab and its mouth gaping open, exposing dozens of long hooked teeth. It leapt, and Nerte was ready for it. She dived to the ground and the beast overshot, and, overbalanced it smashed into the wall behind her. Before it could turn she dived forwards and stabbed at it with both her daggers. This seemed to enrage it more than harm it though, and it picked itself up and spun around to face her with much greater agility than she would have imagined that the great lizard like creature possessed. Nerte didn't hang around to find out how fast it was. She took off down the passage, away from it. She groaned mentally as she heard a crash and a rumble of rock as the Scalon broke its chain, and clattered after her. The corridor opened up suddenly onto a more brightly lit room. Syl's second nasty no doubt… A gate crashed down behind her, and a number of surprised looking Mazken Elite guard swung their weapons to bear on her. And the gate exploded behind her.
The Scalon burst through and leapt upon the nearest guard. The other guards fell backwards quickly, and Nerte ducked among them. Confused, they let her slip past…
Leaving the sounds of roaring and dismayed shouts echoing through the passages behind her she became invisible once more. Now she was faced with a large octagonal room. The door at the far end of the room had been blocked with huge piles of rubble, tables, chairs… She cast around the room for some kind of passage. She found it quickly. No-one had closed it behind them, and to the left of the room a door gaped open. She ducked through, and entered onto an immense columned room. Now she recognized where the passage led. This was Xirethard. Xirethard was a large ruin just outside of New Sheoth, and Syl had taken sanctuary there before when she felt her life threatened. However, Nerte had never known she had a passage between the ruin and the city…
Syl sat at Nerte's end of the Hall, her back to the passage, facing the large front entrance. Four guards stood around her in a decidedly protective manner. She was talking to a Mazken dressed in much the same armor as Nerte – her new assassin no doubt… The assassin breezed away, accompanied by two of the guards. Apparently Syl didn't even trust her own assassin at this point…
Nerte crouched low in the shadows and slipped away from the door, and settled down to wait until an opportune moment. The assassin vanished out the far exit, and the two guards returned. Nerte cursed herself for not having brought a bow, a crossbow, a blowpipe, anything with a bit of range to it… She hunched slightly forward, a shadow in the shadows. Her target was in sight – but how to reach it?
She turned her head sharply as a new sound came to her attention. A low rasping, hissing sound. It was accompanied by a life signature she recognized. That damned Scalon again. What, was it tracking her or something? And then an insane plan sprung to mind.
She leapt up out of the shadows, invisible and the Scalon materialized out of the darkness behind her, dropping its invisibility. The five figures before them spun around, appearing for a moment transfixed. Not seeing Nerte, they simply saw an enraged Scalon illogically bearing down upon them. Then their weapons were drawn. These guards did not attempt to defend themselves, rather under the direct eye of Syl stepped forth to protect the much smaller Wood Elf. Syl herself hefted a massive crystalline warhammer which Nerte recognized as Nerve Shatter. She was shouting at the Scalon to stop, obviously thinking she could command it to stop. She lost all chance of that when two of the guards released arrows into the beast, narrowly missing Nerte. It roared, louder still, and plunged towards them, not just chasing Nerte now…Nerte pushed past the guards, and then her invisibility spell broke.
She leapt sideways as a surprised Mazken lashed out at her with a Dark Longsword. Nerte stabbed a dagger towards Syl, who with surprising ease parried with the massive weapon she held.
A guard flew across the room, propelled by the massive beast rampaging around. Nerte managed to duck a massive clubbing blow from one of its clawed fists. Rolling forwards, she knifed one of the guards who were still trying to bring down the Scalon. The last guard was snatched up by the Scalon mere seconds later and shaken in its massive jaws, like a terrier with a mouse. It swung again at Nerte, this time catching her as she went to leap away. She was knocked to the ground, and did not get up. The Scalon it turned on Syl.
Nerveshatter swung, being truly used for the first time during the fight. The sharp crystals embedded themselves somewhere in the creature's neck, and an electric current ran from the wound, doing what the thousands of cuts and nicks the creature had received during the night had not. Blue sparks flickered across the Scalon, and it struggled for a moment, and then pulled away from the weapon. For a moment Nerte thought it was going to continue the attack, but even it was now outdone. It surged forwards, but then collapsed in half lunge, with a thunderous crash.
Syl turned to face Nerte. Purposefully she strode forwards, and stated quietly "Nerte."
She paused, looking thoughtful, "After all those years of serving me you simply turn away and try to kill me…" She sneered somewhat. "No honesty among assassins it would seem afterall."
Nerte raised her head and attempted to focus. One of her daggers was still clutched in a hand… "I ceased to serve you long ago. I never enjoyed serving you. You always had those removed who showed any initiative, anyone who was outside your box. If you had been a little less harsh on any difference and a little less liberal with the use of assassination there would have been no need for assassinations at all… I took this chance, not only to end your rule in Dementia, but to aid Sheogorath…"
Taken somewhat aback Syl's expression changed somewhat for a fraction of a second from her practiced mask to an expression of surprise and anger. "Sheogorath ordered this? He sent an exiled assassin to kill me?" Her surprise vanished and her arrogance returned. "He would never do that – what reason would he have?"
"I am no longer exile…" said Nerte pulling herself up from the ground into a half upright position. "…Sheogorath reinstated me to serve his Champion." Now she would have to do it, to kill Syl. A little closer and she couldn't miss…
"He wants to replace you with the Champion, Finn," said Nerte as levelly as she could from the ground. "I am here, serving my new master, and friend. I have no allegiance to you…" And with that last statement, bracing herself to kill Syl, she threw her dagger. The blade gleamed before she threw it, in her upraised hand. Syl's eyes widened in shock and she went to move, but her reactions were too slow… It was a killing throw, Nerte wanted it over.
Syl landed in clanging pile on the ground, amour clashing against flagstones.
Nerveshatter crashed to the ground alongside her, and the crystal head exploded into thousands of fragments. Dying with it's master. And thus ends the reign of Syl, thought Nerte before collapsing once again to the ground, into darkness…