-1The Jaws of Oblivion
Chapter Twenty - The Mysterium Xarxes
Lake Arrius wasn't so much a lake as it was a pond. The door to the caverns overlooked the lake, where Aldric currently stood. The view was pretty, but within the caverns, the Mythic Dawn awaited. He stepped through the door and closed it quietly behind him.
The Redguard checked to see that he had everything: armor, glass longsword, potions in his rucksack, and the dagger concealed within a special sheath he made for his right hip. He pulled it out, placing the tip up against his forearm to conceal it. He was ready.
He proceeded down the corridor, hung a left, and emerged in a decent-sized room. Stalagmites, both large and small, took up the left side. On the right was a little alcove, possibly a door. To the left of that, was the cult's doorkeeper.
Aldric waved from the far side. "Hello! I come seeking the Mythic Dawn," he called out, slowly advancing.
"Then my friend, you have found us!" the doorkeeper replied, a big smile on his face. "Welcome. If you seek to become an acolyte of the Mythic Dawn, you will need to give all your belongings to Harrow in the next room." The man stepped toward the potential member.
Aldric himself took another step closer, the knife itching for blood. "Hold on, why do I have to give all my things up?"
The doorman frowned. "I'm afraid that I can't discuss that to new members. Please proceed to the next room and speak to Harrow."
The dark-skinned Knight Brother pointed to the door, hoping the doorkeeper would follow his hand. "This door?" he asked.
The doorman turned his head in frustration at the Redguard's stupidity, which would be his last mistake.
Aldric grabbed the back of the keeper's head, push it downward, and plunged the dagger into the back of his neck, severing the spine. Before the man could scream, the farmer's palm covered the doorkeeper's face and he pushed him to the ground.
He swiftly searched the man's robe and produced a key. He inserted it in the door and he heard a voice, assuming it to be Harrow.
"Welcome, newest acolyte," Harrow said pleasantly, walking right around the corner into Aldric's dagger. The surprise on the Dunmer's face and his futile struggle served to further accelerate his death.
"The key to the shrine, please," Aldric said quietly. "I'm not fucking around. One twist of this knife and you'll die."
Harrow handed him the key, then Aldric pushed him into a nearby wall, leaving him slumping to the floor and clutching his heart.
"Thanks." He put the key in the next door, marked as "Shrine/Antechamber", and stepped through--Harrow bled to death, without ever alerting his comrades.
00000000000000
At the end of the long road that led to Cheydinhal was an abandoned cabin half-hidden behind a grove of trees. It was perfect for observation, and within spitting distance of the Imperial City.
Nargon and Luwin, scouts by trade who also spied for the Dark Brotherhood, both awoke at the same time, ate together, and trained together. What differed was how they carried out their jobs.
On a normal day, Nargon would circle around north of the Imperial City and Luwin would go south. They'd meet up at the Wawnet Inn near the city isle, and then head west together. People paid them for escorts and information on Cyrodiil's various locales. The Dark Brotherhood would receive information in regards to potential clients and targets.
But this morning wouldn't be a normal day.
While quietly eating their breakfast, the twins were at ease and that ended the moment a dark-armored man plowed through the cabin's door, leaping over the table and putting a knife to Luwin's throat.
"Who the fuck are you?!" Nargon exclaimed, drawing his shortsword.
The man casted a Shock spell, sending the Wood Elf crashing into a shelf on the other side of the cabin.
"Why did you lie!" the man asked. "Why did you lie to the Brotherhood!"
"Falvis?" Luwin asked incredulously, his eyes going wide.
"Who else would it be, you filthy tree-climber?"
"Well, damn it, couldn't you be more polite?" Nargon grunted, struggling to stand.
"No." Addamastra stood and sheathed his dagger. "I needed to get your attention."
"Well, you certainly got it…" Luwin's voice trailed off as he stood. "Look, we knew the moment we had a courier give our report, we knew we fucked up. We had actually seen Aldric ourselves, but that was after we sent our report. So we didn't lie to you, okay."
The Dark Elf simply nodded and gestured to the table. The Bosmer twins sat on one side and Falvis sat across from them. He placed a bag of gold on the table, sliding it forward with his fingertips. "That's 1,000 septims. I need you two to perform a mission for me."
The Bosmer pair looked at each other, then to the gold, and finally to Falvis. "What would you like us to do?" Luwin inquired.
"I need Aldric eliminated," the assassin said. "I'd do it myself, but I have a contract to fulfill. As Laendril requested, he wanted him to die in prison. That didn't happen, so the contract is incomplete. I need you two to kill him."
"Do you know who he is?" The Hero of Kvatch! He won't be easy!" Nargon squealed.
"That is correct, but you Wood Elves know how to plot and scheme, so get creative."
The twins hated the man's prejudiced words, but protesting would be futile. Luwin grabbed the bag and fastened it to his belt. "We'll do it. Where was he last seen?"
"My sources say that he was last seen heading toward Lake Arrius," Falvis said. "Supposedly in search of a Daedric cult." He shrugged.
"We know the area well," Nargon said. "There's some caves up by the lake, if I remember correctly."
Falvis pulled out two blue bottles from his satchel and set them on the table. "These are special Chameleon potions that will make you invisible indefinitely unless attacked. You drink them, and it won't run out. Just don't get attacked. This could create some…interesting possibilities."
All three men smiled, and Luwin spoke: "Yes, yes it does. You have a deal."
"Good," Falvis Addamastra replied, standing. "If you'll excuse me, I have a contract in Anvil." The Dunmer left without another word, leaving the Bosmer twins to plan their attack. They would do it--the Brotherhood assassin would kill them if they didn't.
00000000000000
After Aldric made sure that all the Mythic Dawn guards were dead, he pocketed the dagger and faced the door to the shrine.
Within was the Mysterium Xarxes…the Amulet of Kings…and Mankar Camaron. Here was where it would end. Everything that had brought him here had begun, in one way or another, in this shrine. Aldric would go back to farming in Morrowind and put all of this behind him.
But things will never be normal, he thought sadly. The things you've seen…the changes you've undergone.
He stopped. This whole journey had been positive, right? Aldric felt it had been. With that, he quietly unlocked the door and entered in a crouch.
A vast chamber was before him. He crept up to a stalagmite, peeking down into the center, and taking note of a slope on each side of the upper level he was on. Each slope led to the lower floor.
In the center was an altar made of stone. On the floor below and in front of the altar stood three Mythic Dawn acolytes. His mind took all of this in, as well as a set of stairs in the northwest corner.
But it was all secondary in regards to the main behind the altar: Mankar Camoran.
His long black hair was slicked back, resembling a lion's mane. His blue robe glowed in the strange light of an Ayleid chandelier…as did the Amulet of Kings around his neck.
"Damn," Aldric whispered. How was that possible? Only a member of the Septim bloodline could wear the amulet!
Next to Mankar was a woman who looked similar to the so-called Master…a daughter perhaps? A few feet behind them was a stone slab with an Argonian lying upon it. A ritual sacrifice? he thought.
Mankar kept speaking about "the coming Dawn," how Mehrunes Dagon will walk the earth and bring about the rebirth of Tamriel, and how the ignorant masses--blind to the knowledge of the Mythic Dawn--would be cleansed and reeducated. He also mentioned that all rebellions would be swiftly crushed.
Then a flash of blue light, thin as a twig, materialized into the room between the Argonian and Mankar.
"I must go now to Paradise," he proclaimed. "I will return at the coming of Dawn. For now, I leave you in the care of my daughter Ruma."
The blue light began to rapidly grow, and Aldric was running out of time. There wouldn't be enough time to reach him, but he did spy the Mysterium Xarxes still on the altar.
He pulled his glass long-sword from the sheath and leapt off the edge.
00000000000000
Luwin patiently sat atop the wooden beams that supported the cavern entrance, while Nargon hid behind a boulder a few feet away. Both had quaffed down the special potions Falvis had provided and took up positions near the cave entrance.
Luwin cradled the bow in his arms, sitting with his legs crossed and tapping his foot anxiously.
"How much longer?" Nargon rasped loud enough to be heard.
"I don't fucking know!" Luwin replied. "Be patient, brother."
"You know I was never the patient sort."
"Well, at least try," the Bosmer archer hissed. "And shut up! The plan won't work if he hears us."
The waiting continued.
00000000000000
When Aldric jumped, he aimed at the acolyte all the way to the left and put all his weight into the overhead blow that knocked the cultist down.
"Assassin!" Ruma cried.
"Kill him!" Mankar shouted as the portal to his Paradise (whatever that was) began to surround his body.
Aldric rushed for the altar but before he could read it, the portal exploded. He was thrown off his feet, as were Ruma Camoran and the three acolytes. Then it felt like the chamber collapsed on top of him as chunks of rock and granite detached from the ceiling.
00000000000000
Both twins perked up and Luwin, in his sitting position, almost tipped over the side as the mountain (where the innards of the cavern resided) seemed like it was rumbling.
"What the hell was that?" Nargon yelled.
"Good question," Luwin replied. "We stay in position, though."
00000000000000
Aldric found it hard to stand due to all of the fallen debris scattered about the chamber. A thick cloud of dust choked the room. He looked to the stone slab, barely able to see it, but could tell that the Argonian was gone. But the Mysterium Xarxes remained on the altar, untouched and unscathed. A reminder of the dark power that had created the book.
He grabbed it without second thoughts and stuffed it in his satchel. At least I got something out of this, he thought.
Ruma and the three cultists began to stir, coughing from the amount of dust clogging the room. Aldric saw her look to the altar, then to him, then finally to the ledge he had jumped down from. He in turn looked there too, and saw five Mythic Dawn guards at the top in their armor.
"Get him!" Ruma screamed. "He has the Xarxes! Send out the alert and kill him!"
Aldric recalled the stairs that had to lead somewhere. He was only one Redguard and the odds of taking out nine crazed cultists weren't in his favor.
As the five guards came down the far side of the chamber, the farmer did the only sensible thing he could do: he ran.