Hello again, everyone! Hope you guys don't mind me having taken a bit longer to post this chapter; Midterms really killed my productivity and free time. Still, I managed to get out a decent-length chapter before the month's end (this one is actually around 10k words! I've finally made good on my promise!) and Chapter 7's rewrite.
In other news, Chapter 25 got 11 reviews… which is a little surprising, given the fact that Chapter 24 got 16. So apparently you guys like reading about small towns and NPCs being burnt to ash by Dragon fire; if that's what you guys like to review about, then I'll make sure to destroy another town the next time I get a chance! :P
Anyways, onto the replies for the Guest reviews:
RedGOzilla: Yup, Varan's little drunken adventure was inspired by Grunt's mischief in ME3.
Taures: I don't think the chapter or its scenes were "X-rated" enough to warrant an M-rating. Now, if I had written something like explicit sexual congress, then yeah I'd have to bump up the story's rating, but so far the content is all T-rated (and don't worry, it will continue to be T-rated).
And that's about it. Before the chapter begins, though, I'd like to leave you all with a rather famous quote, hoping that you'll all catch the irony of it in the context of this chapter:
"…it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with, because this is to be asserted in general of men: that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely…"
—Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince.
Sofia's heart was thudding in her chest again. For once, it was not fear that made her so — it was anticipation.
The Imperial woman sat at a table in her private chambers, nervously shaking the quill in her hand over the parchment she'd written on, searching for what else she could add to the letter. Her leg still bore a wooden splint, and her normally-flowing black hair had been tied back into a bun for practicality. After a few more seconds of perusal, she decided that her letter was as good as it was going to get. She set the quill in the ink and set down the parchment to allow the ink to dry, quickly re-read the contents of the letter she'd written as she waited.
To Marius Gallus, Captain of the Kvatch Watch
I come bearing information about the whereabouts of the Dark Brotherhood's final sanctuary in Cyrodiil. I wish that I would be able to come to you personally and divulge this information, but the circumstances prevent it. I realize that an unsigned letter from an anonymous source gives cause for suspicion, so I understand if you choose to be wary concerning the legitimacy of this message's contents, but I implore you to trust in what is written — it concerns the safety of every citizen in this city, and Cyrodiil as a whole.
Deceit is not my intention. Send a scout ahead to survey the area if you must, but tell him to exercise utmost caution, or else you run the risk of allowing the assassins to slip away. I ask for no payment whatsoever in return for this information; my only aim in this endeavor is to see the Dark Brotherhood dead, and I've little doubt that you would like that as well.
How you choose to eliminate the threat is of no matter to me, but I have one piece of advice to impart: the assassins in the Sanctuary, aside from boasting mastery of stealth operations, are skilled fighters — especially Han-Zo, the Sanctuary's only resident Argonian member. He is undoubtedly the most dangerous of all the assassins, the most skilled with a blade; exercise utmost caution when eliminating him.
The rest of the message she'd written to Captain Gallus and the Kvatch Watch briefly described the layout of the sanctuary and listed the names of the other assassins. She revealed to them both of the Sanctuary's entrances, the abandoned well and the trapdoor in the forest. There would be no escape if Marius had Kvatch watchmen blockading both escape routes — the Sanctuary would become a slaughterhouse for the assassins.
Of course, that all depended on whether he would follow the information in her letter or not. She'd studied the man during her planning phase, and she'd even seen him a few times as well. His hair was thinning, and his face was becoming wrinkled with age, but he was still an intimidating man, with his strong jaw and fierce glare. He fit the look of a Guard Captain quite well, and from what she'd learned of his records he was a competent commander; if he did follow through with the information, she was confident that he would succeed in destroying the assassins.
She was also confident that he wouldn't ignore her letter; if his thirst for glory was as great as she'd heard — he was a grizzled veteran of the Great War, and a soldier at heart — then he would never give up the chance to be known as the Guard Captain that finished off the Dark Brotherhood in Cyrodiil.
Sofia had no doubt that Captain Gallus and his men would be able to dispatch of the assassins in the sanctuary easily, with all the information she was giving him… but first, she had to somehow deliver the letter directly to him without being caught, either by the Kvatch Guard or by the other assassins. The Imperial ran a finger over the scar Han-Zo had given her on her cheek; she'd end up with more than just a scar if either of those happened.
After waiting to ensure that the ink had dried, Sofia folded the parchment — she didn't have the luxury of wax with which to seal it — and tucked it into her armor's pocket before standing, her heart still beating quickly from the anticipation of what was to come. Her leg and ankle were well healed by this point, thanks to repeated magical treatment, but for the past several days she'd always pretended that they still ached her whenever she did something as simple as leave her room to eat in the Sanctuary's dining area, or read in the small library chamber.
That, along with averting her eyes from the other assassins' gazes and making a habit of rarely ever leaving her room while her leg was "healing", were two of the ruses that she'd played ever since she'd returned to the Sanctuary after the Scipio Family assassination. By this point, she was certain that the other assassins thought her broken to their will, too fearful to do something as risky as trying to rat out the Dark Brotherhood to the Kvatch Watch — which was exactly what she was going to do right now.
After removing the fake splint from her leg — another aspect of her ruse — and casting a muffling spell on her private chamber's door to prevent the hinges from squeaking, Sofia slowly pushed out into the dark hallway. Torches hung on the walls all around, but they did little to bring light into the Sanctuary. Now, at this late hour of night, the darkness was almost tangible. A few assassins were undoubtedly still awake at this time, but she had never stepped foot out of her room at this hour before — they would think she was sleeping. Casting a Night Eye spell on herself, Sofia hoped that the shadows would protect her this one last time as she stepped out into the dark hallway.
The trapdoor exit would take far too long to use; she needed to act quickly, before anybody noticed she was missing. Just because they had never known her to leave her room this late at night didn't mean that they couldn't cast a quick Detect Life spell, or even simply check her room, just to be certain. She would have to use the exit from the abandoned well.
Finding the rope ladder that hung from the bottom of the well was easy with the help of her Night Eye. The Imperial quickly mounted the ladder and began climbing. She slowed down once the rope ladder gave way to the sheer stone walls of the inside of the well — she'd only used this entrance once before, so she had to be extremely careful; if she fell now, perhaps she'd break both legs. She found herself crawling up the side of the well as quickly and carefully as she could, feeling for the indentations in the stone that she would need to use to push herself up, once again thanking her experiences as a Thief.
At last, her hand grasped the ledge of the well, and she pulled herself up just enough to scan the immediate vicinity outside. After making sure nobody would see her, Sofia hauled herself out and set foot in the empty courtyard surrounding the well. She darted over to the side of the nearest building and pressed herself flat against it, her black leathers flawlessly blending in with the shadows. The Imperial took a moment to go over her plan in her head one final time. Find the City Watch Barracks. Enter without being detected. Find the Captain's quarters and leave the note where he can see it.
Simplicity in itself, she thought, deadpan.
The Imperial woman began carefully making her way towards a gray stone tower on the Southern wall of the city — the guard barracks. At this late hour, the Watch was still rather active, enough so for Sofia to find herself dodging guard patrols every so often. Her progress was slowed down by her constantly having to check and make sure she wasn't going to be spotted. She only had one close call — she'd had to flatten herself against the shadowy side of a building to allow a Kvatch guard to unwittingly walk past her, close enough for the woman to clearly make out the Wolf's head sigil on his chainmail cuirass — before she'd finally found herself at the base of the City Watch Barracks. She cast a quick Detect Life spell. A few guards were clearly awake and walking around, but most of them lay in positions of repose in their bunks. Nobody was on the ground floor.
The Imperial steeled herself one final time before quietly pushing her way into the barracks. The ground floor was essentially a large training area featuring several combat dummies, ranging targets, and punching bags. The Imperial cast a powerful chameleon spell on herself — draining a large chunk of her magicka with it — and crept up the winding stone stairs leading into the resting area.
Rows upon rows of bunk beds lined the walls; this tower alone held a sizable garrison, more than enough to slaughter the assassins. The few torches in this room were hung on the walls, except for one which was held by a guard keeping watch over his sleeping fellows. The Imperial man's keen eyes passed right over Sofia's cloaked form as she snuck past him, never noticing the slight ripple in the air barely five feet away. The gentle snores of sleeping watchmen helped mask her near-silent footfalls and the sound of her casting a muffling spell on the door leading to the third story of the tower. Sofia picked the lock with practiced ease, the sound of her work concealed by the spell, and slipped past the door without a sound.
More stairs greeted her as she went up to the third story, but no torches lined the walls of this stairway; she had to rely on the Night Eye spell she'd cast upon herself while she'd snuck through the city to not trip on the steps. The winding stairs led Sofia to a pair of stout wooden double doors, the Captains quarters. She cast a final Detect Life spell to be sure that the chamber was bereft of its owner — an unnecessary gesture, since she had made sure to study Captain Gallus' schedule beforehand to ensure that he would be gone while she infiltrated his chambers — before picking the lock. She only broke a single pick before the door opened under her push, allowing her entrance into the room.
The Captain's private chamber was sparsely decorated, as she would have expected of a pragmatic man like him; a single bed stood against the far wall, a small bookshelf sat off to the side, and right next to it sat a table with manuscripts and writing utensils, positioned so that the room's only window could allow sunlight to shine on it during the day. Sofia reached into her pocket and drew out her letter, thinking about an obvious place to leave it so that Captain Gallus could find it quickly. She swiftly decided that the best place was the desk. She cleared out the other manuscripts and placed them on neat piles off to the sides, allowing her to place her letter in the center of the table — there would be no way that he would miss it. Now to wait for his return, she thought, turning to leave.
Her heart leapt into her throat when she heard the door to her side opening, revealing the imposing figure of Captain Gallus himself, armed and armored in his Guard Captain's outfit.
Fierce brown eyes like a mastiff's bored into her, and the Imperial woman found herself frozen in shock, staring back at those dangerous eyes. Marius Gallus didn't break a step as he pushed the door open completely and advanced purposefully towards her, crested helmet tucked under his arm, allowing her to see his gray-streaked hair. The woman suddenly realized that she was still under the effects of the chameleon spell. She barely managed to slip aside just before Captain Gallus could walk into her.
The Captain stopped suddenly, and for a moment Sofia thought that he had detected her. Instead, Marius looked down at his emptied desk, with Sofia's note taking up the very center. Cocking his head to the side in a puzzled manner, the man picked up Sofia's letter and inspected it. A part of her was telling her to leave while she still could, but instead she stayed put, deciging that she wanted to see how the man would react to her letter.
At last, the guard captain set down his helmet and unfolded the parchment. His brows furrowed uncertainly as he scanned the contents of her letter. He shot an irritated glance around him, lips pursed with frustration, as if just realizing that somebody had broken into his quarters to deliver this letter to him. Before long, however, the paper had seized his rapt attention yet again. He read on, eyes quickly flitting side to side as he took in all the information. At last, he finished reading the note, and he lowered it with an uncertain look in his eyes. Pulling out a chair, the Captain initiated an intense staring contest with the parchment, his gauntleted hand scratching the gray bristles on his chin in deep thought.
Come on, please, Sofia thought, biting her lip in apprehension as she waited for the Imperial to act. A long moment passed, and the man still hadn't come to a decision. Sofia found herself becoming increasingly anxious as the seconds ticked by, mindful of her magicka reserves decreasing from having to maintain her chameleon spell. Just when it looked like she was going to have to leave, the Captain's features hardened with resolution. He shot up from his chair, grabbed his Imperial helmet, and walked out of his chambers.
"Lieutenant Vonius! Rouse the guards, we've got scum to clean in this city," she heard him command firmly, just as the door to the sleeping area slammed shut.
Sofia released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. Gathering her composure, the impact of what had just happened finally began to settle. She'd just convinced the Kvatch Guard of the Dark Brotherhood's presence in their city, and now the Guard Captain himself was going to lead a task force to wipe out the assassins. Thus began the fall of the Kvatch Assassins.
She looked around and once again spotted the window leading outside. The Imperial woman strode towards it and pushed the window open, allowing the cool night air in. She leapt down from the window and onto the roof of a tall house nearby, then ran around the side of the roof to look at the entrance of the tower. After waiting a few minutes, she finally saw the first of the Kvatch guards exiting the barracks, led by the Guard Captain himself. A steady column of about forty watchmen marched out of the stone tower behind him, armored in thick chain mail and bearing weapons of all sorts. It was good to see Captain Gallus taking the threat seriously.
Ten of them started in the direction of the well, but the rest of the guards and Captain Gallus all began quickly marching for the city gates — presumably to use the trapdoor entrance. Heart thrumming from anticipation, the Imperial woman began following the guardsmen making for the city gates. She leapt from rooftop to rooftop, soundlessly tailing the marching guards. She made it to the edge of the city and watched from her rooftop as the guards, distinguishable only by the light of their torches from this distance, exited the city and began marching in the exact direction of the hidden trapdoor in the wilds.
My job here is done, Sofia thought wearily as she watched them go. Now it is up to Captain Gallus to finish the job.
"Assassin Sofia has gone missing."
Galthor lifted his gaze to stare inquisitively at the gray-furred Khajiit that had spoken, sitting in his chair in the Black Hand's conference room. "Come again?"
Ri'Dato had a distasteful look on his face. "The Imperial. She is not in her quarters."
The Bosmer gave him a shrug. "And? What's your point?"
"She is not anywhere in the Sanctuary at all. This one believes that she has gone outside."
"Really? But she never goes outside… For what reason?"
The cat shrugged back at him. "This one does not know."
There was a pause between them. "You don't think that she's… trying to give us the slip, do you?" Galthor asked.
The Khajiit huffed out his nose. "This one finds that difficult to believe. We have made it very clear that the Dark Brotherhood does not tolerate renegades, and the Imperial is as meek as a lamb."
The Bosmer twisted his mouth grimly. "I'm inclined to agree with you… but I still don't like the look of all this. Come, let us away," he said, standing up from his seat and grabbing his steel bow and quiver of arrows. "I would be more comfortable knowing where our little Assassin has gone off to — better to err on the side of caution."
"Where do we begin our search?" asked the Khajiit as he followed his fellow Speaker out of the room, making for the main hallway.
"Her leg still looked injured, last I saw of her," the elf remarked. "I don't believe that she was still in any proper condition to use the well. Let us see the secondary exit."
"She could not have gotten far, in her current condition," Ri'Dato began as they made for the long subterranean passage leading out of the city. "This one has a good nose, too. If we move quickly, we may be able to easily catch up—"
The sound of bones noisily clattering against flagstones echoed out from the dark corridor in front of them.
Both Speakers stopped in their tracks and immediately pressed themselves against the side of the entryway to the tunnel. They exchanged astonished looks; the clatter of bones could only have come from the Dark Guardian sent to patrol that hall being slain.
The two assassins listened intently for any further signs of life in the hall. Just above the dim crackle of the nearby torches, the two could eventually hear the light clinking of armor and the ringing of boots against stone coming from deeper within the hallway leading from the trapdoor exit.
"Intruders," Ri'Dato hissed angrily, summoning lightning into his hands.
"Might be a couple of lads who got too curious for their own good," the elf whispered in reply, just realizing that there were multiple footfalls approaching them instead of only one. He notched a single arrow against his bowstring. "We'll kill them here. On my mark."
The two assassins waited with bated breath for their target to come closer, so there would be no room to miss. The footfalls began to multiply slowly, it seemed. The clinking of armor grew louder as the intruders drew closer. Soon they were within effective range of the assassins' assault. Galthor prepared to give the command. "Ready… now."
The elf stepped out of cover and loosed his arrow into the gloomy corridor just as the Khajiit sent a powerful surge of lightning down range. Galthor's arrow pinged off of something hard and metallic. When Ri'Dato's lightning bolt struck its own target, the flash caused by the lightning hitting his target's shield brought the corridor to light for a very brief moment — but it was just enough to allow both assassins to see the long column of armored men and mer filling the span of the hallway, as well as the Wolf's head sigil of Kvatch on their surcoats and shields.
"There they are! The assassins!" shouted the lead guardsman, a tall Imperial man who could have been none other than Marius Gallus himself, Captain of the Kvatch Watch. "After them!"
"The Kvatch Watch?!" Galthor shrieked as he grabbed a fistful of arrows and began launching them into the fray in quick succession, backtracking all the while. Ri'Dato stayed at his side, delivering another large surge of lightning into the corridor. One guard fell with a bodkin in his chest, and another was sent flying backwards into his comrades from the force of the lightning that struck him.
Just as the two assassins were pushed back into the large training room, Frande and Nathaniel made their entrance, weapons drawn. Just as they were going to ask what was going on, the first of the guardsmen entered the room, surging forward with shouts of "For Kvatch!" and "Death to the Dark Brotherhood!" Two guards began to assault Galthor and Ri'Dato, and two more immediately came in closely behind and started attacking the Breton and Redguard.
Frande charged towards the nearest guardsman. The Breton stepped outside of the guard's swinging sword, grabbed the man's wrist with one hand and kicked the man's supporting knee out from under him. As the guard fell backwards, Frande raised his dagger and stabbed the man in the chest. His dagger's armor-piercing tip punched right through the chain mail and into the man's heart. He barely had time to pull out the weapon before another guard was attacking him.
To his side, Nathaniel dueled with the second guard, parrying the elf's repeated blows with both his scimitar and its thick scabbard. The Redguard delivered two overhand cuts with his sword, only to have his opponent deflect both of them. Just as the Kvatch guard swung his own sword overhead, Nathaniel knocked the mer's sword aside with his scimitar and swung the scabbard in his other hand at his head. The watchmer, caught off-guard by the maneuver, was too stunned to stop Nathaniel's scimitar from slitting his throat.
More guards poured into the room, quickly overwhelming the Dark Brotherhood assassins. Ri'Dato, fighting with a bound sword, knocked aside two different watchmen's blades and just barely managed to deliver his own riposte, but instead of slitting his enemy's throat open his sword merely split apart a few of the rings on his chain mail. Before he could pull away from the attack, a mace blow to his side shattered his ribs, and an overhead cleave from the nearest guardsman ended the downed Khajiit's life. Galthor, seeing his fellow assassins being overwhelmed, decided to abandon the fight and run for the well, leaving Nathaniel and Frande to fight the other guardsmen alone.
The elf quickly found the ladder going topside and all but leapt for it, with two Kvatch watchmen hot on his heels. Galthor sneered down at them as he quickly climbed out of reach, ignoring their threats and infuriated oaths. He felt the gentle breeze of night as he neared the opening. The mer finally grasped the rim of the well and pulled himself out, only to be greeted with the sight of ten angry guards leveling their spears at him. Galthor had only a moment to gape in shock at them before multiple spearheads entered his body from all sides. The skewered mer's grip on the well's rim loosened, and a moment later Galthor's corpse slammed against the floor of the Sanctuary again.
With only Frande and Nathaniel left still fighting in the training room, the guards began to disperse throughout the sanctuary, intent on leaving no survivors. Two guards, an Altmer and an Imperial, charged down the nearest hallway and came upon a locked door. With a wave of his hand, the elf undid the lock with a spell. The guards opened the door, revealing a shadowy chamber. The two exchanged determined looks and entered the room with shields upraised and weapons at the ready. To their surprise, however, there was nobody inside.
"What the devil? There's nobody here," the Imperial remarked as he stepped into the chamber.
His Altmer comrade looked around with a confused expression. "But the door was locked. Why the hell would a door be locked if someone wasn't insi—"
A long, slender dagger suddenly entered the mer's throat, cutting off his speech. The Imperial man turned around, only to have the same needle-like point shoved into his neck. Han-Zo pulled the dagger out and stabbed him again in the throat, before pushing the gargling man to the floor. The Argonian spared the two Kvatch guards a final baleful hiss before grabbing Voidbringer and running out of his room.
He already knew what was happening; somehow, the Sanctuary had been compromised. He didn't bother thinking of how it happened — he needed to get out, now. If he moved quickly and quietly, perhaps he could escape the Sanctuary without being noticed. The well entrance was probably being watched; his best bet of escaping now would be the secondary exit, leading out into the wilds outside the city.
The Argonian ran down the hallway in the direction of the trapdoor exit, encountering a single Kvatch guard along the way. The Imperial darted at him with a mace, swinging overhead. Han-Zo deflected the mace, kicked the man backwards, and delivered a one-handed, overhand swing with his bastard sword into the guard's chest. The Daedric blade cut deeply, rending the chain mail open and causing the man to bend double. Han-Zo used the momentum of his swing to gracefully flip over the jackknifed man, land on his other side, and smoothly transition into a final stab that drove Voidbringer's tip through the guard's mailed stomach and out his back. Ripping the blade free — eviscerating the Kvatch guard in the process — Han-Zo resumed fleeing down the corridor.
Stepping into the training hall that made up the center of the Sanctuary, the Shadowscale was just in time to see an Imperial guard armored in steel plates throw Frande off his feet with a backhanded shield bash and then stab the Breton through the chest with his arming sword, as well as two Kvatch guards pulling their blades out of Nathaniel's lifeless body.
Noticing his entrance, every Kvatch guard in the room suddenly turned to face Han-Zo in unison and began advancing upon him. The Argonian held his ground, gripping his bastard sword tightly, ready to fight to the death. Before the watchmen could come to grips with the Shadowscale, however, the guard that had just slain Frande shouted out, "Men, halt!"
The confused guards came to a stop, glancing over at the one who had just given the order. Shaking some red droplets from his sword, the Imperial man rose to full height and glared directly at Han-Zo with fierce brown eyes. Those eyes narrowed contemptuously at the Argonian in black leather armor. "Do you know who I am, assassin?" he growled. His voice reminded Han-Zo of a snarling wolf.
The Argonian pretended to think intently for a moment. "Either you're the landlord come to collect the overdue rent… or you are Captain Marius Gallus of the Kvatch Watch. You're ugly enough to be him, at least."
The Imperial's scowl deepened. "You think yourself humorous?" Captain Gallus asked, stepping over Frande's corpse. "We shall see how many jests you have left after I gut you like a fish."
"You seem to be mistaken, Captain. You made the error of stepping into this Sanctuary and killing my fellow Dark Siblings — if anybody dies this night, it will be you."
"Is that so?" the Captain sneered. "You have quite the bravado, despite being trapped like a rat in your own little hole. You won't be leaving this place alive, reptile — I'll personally see to that. I'm going to make you pay for what you people did to the Scipio Family… and for what you did to my friend Ultim Vigilem, the former Guard Captain of the Imperial City."
Han-Zo gave the Kvatch Guard Captain a toothy grin. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but Ultim did not die by my hand, but by my student's. Fortunately for you, I'll still provide for a suitable challenge," he hissed, running a taloned finger along Voidbringer's length.
The Captain was not impressed. "If anybody interferes, they'll hang in the gallows," Marius barked, glaring at his men. The other guards gave each other uncertain looks, but they stepped away from the two all the same, forming a ring around Han-Zo and Captain Gallus as the two contestants dropped into their combat stances. The Imperial and Argonian stared each other down as they inched closer to each other, waiting for the first blow to be delivered.
Han-Zo darted forwards with a swing aimed at Marius' leg. Marius hopped away from the strike and lunged. Han-Zo parried the blow and circled the arming sword to strike his arm, but the Imperial maneuvered his sword to block the counter. As Han-Zo pulled away, Marius darted forwards with a slash. The Argonian rolled under Marius' arm as he slashed, and before he had even come to a full stop, he pivoted towards the Captain while delivering a backhanded swing. Marius turned back at the same time, bringing up his steel shield in time to stop the weapon.
As the Argonian stepped back, the Guard Captain charged at Han-Zo and lunged again with a quick overhand slash, but the Argonian stepped backwards and knocked the sword aside in midair. He then quickly grabbed his weapon in a half-sword grip and moved into Marius, smashing the side of the Guard Captain's crested helm with Voidbringer's pommel. The Imperial stumbled backwards a single step, quickly regained his footing, then slashed at Han-Zo with an infuriated growl — only for his broadsword to cleave through empty air as the Shadowscale leaned back to avoid the strike. Han-Zo hastily stepped away, but the Imperial stood his ground.
The two warriors warily began to circle each other. A rivulet of blood ran down Marius' temple, but the flinty Captain did not seem to notice or care. Han-Zo's face was a mask of black stone, betraying none of his thoughts or emotions as he constantly adjusted his guard and stance. The guardsmen all around watched with bated breath, none of them daring to interfere in the fight and face Captain Gallus' wrath — or the edge of the Argonian's Daedric blade.
The Imperial suddenly charged forwards and slashed at the Shadowscale. Han-Zo leaned to one side, avoiding the strike, then slashed at him in reply. Marius lifted his shield high to stop the sword before it could gain momentum, then stabbed at Han-Zo's midsection. The Argonian twisted his body enough for the blade to merely scape his black leathers. He performed a backwards roll to disengage, just in time to avoid another cut from the Guard Captain's broadsword.
"What was that you said earlier about gutting me like a fish?" Han-Zo taunted as he regained his stance. "I suppose you never expected this fish to be quite so slippery."
Instead of replying, Marius charged forwards again. Han-Zo attacked first with an overhead cut, but Marius simply raised his shield, blocking the attack and then ramming the Shadowscale in the chest. Instead of being knocked off his feet from the charge, Han-Zo regained his footing and allowed the Guard Captain to run past him before he could capitulate on the brief opening. Marius skidded to a halt, then turned towards the Shadowscale, swinging his broadsword overhead. At the same time, the Argonian stepped forwards and brought his own blade up in reply.
Guard Captain's hand was cleanly severed at the wrist when it came down upon Voidbringer's edge. As Marius screamed in agony, Han-Zo gripped his bastard sword in two hands like a spear, charged forwards, and delivered a final thrust into Marius' neck.
Voidbringer's tip went through the man's neck and came out the other side. The Imperial's eyes flew wide open, uttering a choked cry of pain as the Daedric weapon was sheathed into his throat. Dark red wisps of magic flew from the skewered Imperial and into the black sword as Voidbringer's enchantment drained him of his vitality, until the Argonian withdrew his blade and allowed Captain Gallus' limp corpse to hit the floor.
Han-Zo looked around at the shocked expressions of the surrounding guards. "I tried to warn him," the Argonian remarked with a smirk. The smirk disappeared when the guards all began advancing towards him, ready to tear him apart like feral dogs.
"Looks like the fun's over," Han-Zo remarked as he allowed lightning to build up in his hand. The Argonian pointed his lightning-wreathed hand at the nearest guard, then cast the thunderbolt spell. The lightning penetrated the thick chain mail and sent the charred elf's corpse flying backwards. The guards paused for a moment to stare at the flung body in shock, but in that window of opportunity the Argonian had already taken advantage and cleaved an awestruck guard's head apart. The sound of metal and skull being hewn by the Daedric blade galvanized the watchmen into immediate action.
Han-Zo shot another lightning bolt at an approaching guard, striking him down instantly, before delivering a low sweep with his blade that chopped another man's leg off. The Argonian spun around to parry an Imperial's mace, grabbed the man, and twisted him around just in time for his comrade's halberd to punch through his hauberk. Han-Zo fired a lightning bolt into the vulnerable halberdier's chest, before firing one directly behind him into the chest of a guard that had tried to catch him unawares.
The Shadowscale raised his sword to block a polehammer's overhead strike before kicking its wielder back. While the mer stumbled away, Han-Zo ducked under another guard's sword swing and simultaneously delivered a low slash that severed the offending man's leg at the knee. As the screaming Imperial fell, Han-Zo twisted around to parry the polehammer again, before firing a lightning bolt at the mer's head at close range. Without looking behind him, the Argonian delivered a backhanded swing that cleaved a surprised Imperial's throat open, then fired another lightning bolt that killed the stunned guard standing next him.
Han-Zo immediately raised his guard again, but none of the guards dared step closer, keeping their shields raised before him. The Shadowscale smiled as he noticed the nervous looks about the remaining watchmen; they were afraid of him, enough so to momentarily forget about their still-considerable numerical advantage.
The Kvatch guards quickly regained their wits, however, and this time they advanced in formation; the shield-bearers crawled towards him with their defenses raised while the halberdiers took up position behind them, holding their polearms in an overhand grip so that the spiked ends of their weapons were poking out from between each pair of shields. Han-Zo grunted with annoyance. There would be no way for him to kill them all and escape; but now there were fewer of them, and he could see the hallway leading to the well exit from a gap between two of the approaching guards.
The Argonian powered up the most powerful bolt of lightning he could muster in one hand and cast it at the guard standing between him and his escape route. The massive surge of lightning slammed into the steel shield with a bright flash, causing the rest of the men to shield their eyes in response. When they next looked back, the stricken guard was lying on the ground several feet away, groaning weakly, and Han-Zo was completely gone.
The Argonian, under the cloak of his Moonshadow ability, fled down the corridor leading to the well, hearing the shouts of alarm coming from the guards he had just escaped. He encountered more watchmen as he ran through the corridor, but each and every one of them rushed past him without taking notice of his presence.
Counting his blessings, he pressed on, dodging more mail-armored men and mer as they charged through the hallway in a futile attempt to intercept him. Before long, he reached the well itself. Sheathing Voidbringer to climb faster, Han-Zo leapt at the rope ladder, grabbed onto one of the lower rungs, and began to scale his way towards freedom.
Sitting on the roof of a nearby house, Sofia watched as the guardsmen took up positions around the well. She'd wanted to follow the guards over to the trapdoor entrance, but she knew that they would undoubtedly spot her if she'd tried, so she had contented herself with observing the guards trusted with watching over the well.
For a long time she sat there, with nothing happening. The guards at the well suddenly became excited, exchanging looks and a few words before they all huddled tighter around the well, their long spears couched at chest height. At last, the woman saw a head with a crown of upstanding auburn hair pop out of the well — that must be Galthor, she thought. The elf gaped in shock at the sight that greeted him, before the guardsmen all thrust forth with their spears.
Sofia felt a rush of elation as she watched the elf's corpse bonelessly slip back into the well. She wished she could see the looks on the other assassins' faces as they were also slain, but she contented herself with imagining their expressions of shock and fear as they were cut down by the Kvatch Watch.
For a moment, she couldn't believe that this was all happening. It all seemed surreal, almost too good to be true; she had finally done what she had once passed off as a hopeless endeavor — she'd liberated herself from her bondage. The Dark Brotherhood could not keep her prisoner anymore. She was finally free again.
So what now? she suddenly asked herself, her elation quickly fading. What would she do now that the Dark Brotherhood was gone? The only reason she'd joined them in the first place was because it had been the only thing that she'd had the proper skills for — which was still partly true, now that she thought about it. Her skills had been oriented towards thievery for most of her life; she still didn't know how to do much more than pick pockets, stay out of sight, scale buildings…
And fight, she suddenly realized. If she had learned anything during her time in the Dark Brotherhood, it was how to effectively wield a sword. She didn't have that skill back when she'd been a thief — maybe now she could be a sellsword, or try applying for the Fighter's Guild…
That train of thought came to a halt when her attention was seized by a commotion down at the well again. The guards were wildly gesticulating at the entrance of the well. A few of them held their spears at the ready, their body language hinting at uncertainty or confusion. One of the guards that was forming the ring suddenly had his spear knocked aside, and a moment later he fell down for seemingly no reason, with such force that it looked as if he'd been kicked.
Sofia's breath caught in her throat, and ice ran through her veins. No. It can't be, she thought hopelessly, casting a Detect Life spell on herself regardless, praying that she would not see what she dreaded seeing. It was all in vain. Her free hand clenched into a tight fist when she saw the Argonian-shaped life signature fleeing down the narrow streets of Kvatch.
Han-Zo escaped, she thought bleakly.
For a moment she sat there on the rooftop, staring at Han-Zo's life signature flitting through the gaps between buildings as he fled. A rush of fury swept over her. Without further delay, she cast her Chameleon spell again and began pursuing the Argonian by the rooftops. She had worked hard thus far to ensure that the Dark Brotherhood in Kvatch would be destroyed; she refused to see her plans to go anything less than full completion.
The Imperial woman followed Han-Zo's life signature as he fled down the streets towards the market district, jumping across rooftops as she gave chase. The Shadowscale came upon a large pile of shipping crates and began to climb them so that once he'd reached the top he was able to grab onto the window sill of a nearby house and begin scaling the building, managing to reach the top and resume his flight across the Kvatch rooftops before she could catch up.
Undaunted, Sofia followed after him, unwilling to give herself away or attack until she was certain that he would not suspect that he was being followed. She tailed the lizard all the way to the edge of the city. Once he'd reached the last house before the city walls, he dropped from the roof and made his way to the base of one of the watchtowers on the city walls. When he reached the door to the tower, the Argonian cast an unlocking spell and entered. Sofia entered the same doorway shortly after in pursuit.
Renewing her muffling spell just to be certain she would not be heard, she attempted to follow him all the way up the tower, but he was surprisingly fast in taking the stairs up. She found herself falling behind despite her best efforts, and by the time she'd reached the top, she had lost sight of him completely — the only thing keeping her on his tail was her Detect Life.
A chill breeze swept over her as she stepped out of the tower and onto Kvatch's city walls. The Imperial woman's gaze locked onto the nearest life force, crouching atop the crenellations of the wall like a gargoyle a few yards away. Heart thrumming from anticipation, Sofia reached to her side and drew her xiphos from its scabbard — the rasp of steel against leather was completely nullified — and swiftly approached the Argonian. Han-Zo remained completely oblivious to her presence as she neared, apparently taking interest in something on the ground below.
Just as she raised her sword for an attack, the Shadowscale cast a spell on himself, lowered himself onto the side of the city wall, and let himself drop. Instead of plummeting like a brick, he began to gently float down to the ground, forty feet below.
Staring at the Shadowscale's descent, Sofia vehemently muttered an oath — she didn't know a featherweight spell she could cast to follow him, and if she dropped from this height there was no hope for her to survive the fall. It seemed like there was only one other option for her to take: climb down the wall. She knew she could manage it, but it would take time, perhaps long enough for Han-Zo to slip away. She would have to take that risk, it seemed.
With an irritated growl, Sofia sheathed her xiphos and began determinedly climbing down the side of the tower using whatever footholds in the stone she could find, hoping that she would still be able to catch up to the Argonian before he could make good in his escape.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Han-Zo all but ran for the stables at the front of the city, just before the gates. If he was lucky, the watchmen posted on the walls there would not take note of him as he took his horse and fled. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side this time.
When he reached the front of the city, he was greeted with the sight of three Kvatch guards idly conversing just a few yards away from the stables, with their own mounts standing nearby. They would not help things, but neither would he allow their presence to hinder his escape. The Argonian stealthily approached, the combination of his Moonshadow's active effects and his muffling spell meaning that he was able to reach the stables without the nearby guards catching wind of his presence.
After searching for a bit, he managed to find his mount, a black stallion. There was a padlock on the door to its stall, but Han-Zo simply waved his hand and easily unlocked it with a potent spell; breaking and entering was child's play for a veteran assassin, especially in such a cheap stable like this. It took him a few minutes to fully bridle and saddle his horse. Once he was ready to go, he glanced outside; the guardsmen didn't seem inclined to leave anytime soon. He wasn't going to let that change his plans. Without further ado, the Argonian mounted his courser and dug his heels into its flanks.
The stallion obeyed without hesitation, bolting out of the stall and out into the darkness of night. Almost as soon as he'd cleared the stables, the Imperial watchmen took note of the Argonian that had clearly just broken into the stables at this hour and began mounting their horses, calling for him to stop. Han-Zo paid them no mind as he rode his horse out of the city limits as fast as possible, losing sight of even the city's towering keeps as he took the downwards path leading away from Kvatch.
An arrow suddenly whistled past his ear; the mounted guardsmen had caught up to him, and were now firing at him with bows from horseback, still shouting for him to stop. The Argonian shot a lightning bolt at the guards in response in hopes that they would break off from the chase, scything down a nearby tree when it made contact. The three guardsmen flinched from the sudden attack, but they were swift in recovering, all three of them loading their bows and loosing a flight of arrows at the fleeing Argonian.
The black stallion screamed and fell as two broadheads found their way into its hindquarters, roughly throwing Han-Zo off his saddle. Despite the brutal landing, he managed to quickly rise to his feet just as the mounted guards reached him. As he drew Voidbringer again the guardsmen quickly encircled him, two of them aiming their bows at him while the final guard unsheathed his falcata.
"Stay your weapon, Argonian!" the sword-armed watchman barked. "You are under arrest, for breaking and entering, and for assaulting men of the Kvatch Watch. Come quietly, or we'll be forced to cut you down where you stand."
Han-Zo responded with a lightning bolt to the chest that sent the man flying off his horse. Before his body had even landed, the Argonian rolled forwards in anticipation of the other guards loosing their arrows at him, managing to successfully avoid the projectiles. The two guardsmen immediately dropped their bows and drew their blades before charging at him. Han-Zo parried the first man's falcata before rolling out of the way to avoid the second's.
The two mounted watchmen wheeled their horses around and charged again. This time, Han-Zo waited for the first guard to come near before swinging Voidbringer at the incoming mustang's head. The Daedric blade cleaved deep into the animal's thick skull, granting it an almost instantaneous death. As both horse and rider fell, Han-Zo turned and leapt at the second approaching watchman with a high slash. The Imperial's eyes widened in shock, releasing a surprised gargle as Voidbringer's blade tore his throat open. Han-Zo watched as the watchman scrabbled at his neck for a moment, blood seeping through his fingers, before slumping to one side and sliding off his saddle with a heavy thud.
The Argonian stared at the dead man before turning to look at the last remaining watchman as he struggled to free his trapped leg from underneath his dead horse. Han-Zo purposefully strode up to the man and shot him his most baleful snarl. He lifted his Daedric sword and plunged it into the man's mail-armored chest without difficulty, waiting for Voidbringer to sap him of all his vitality before finally pulling out the bloodied weapon.
Han-Zo looked around at the carnage he'd wrought; three dead guardsmen, and two downed horses; one dead, the other — his stallion — injured but still alive. By the look of things, the fall had broken one of the beast's legs; it was beyond healing at this point. With a muttered curse, he walked over to it and quickly ended the thing's suffering by bringing Voidbringer down on its head, spattering himself with horse blood. The beast jerked once before lying still forevermore.
"Damn it all," Han-Zo rasped furiously as he pulled his sword out of his horse's skull, gripping the hilt of his weapon with suppressed rage. This was all quickly becoming too much. Fleeing from Imperials who wanted to kill him, with the threat of death harrying him from seemingly all directions, reminded him all too much of The Flight, as he'd come to refer to it — the flight of him, his fellow Shadowscales, and all the Shadowscale initiates from Legion forces after they'd discovered their base of operations. He still remembered those dark days, remembered seeing the only people he ever could have called his friends, his fellow Shadowscale Trainers, cut down by Legionnaires, seeing all of his hard work in training new assassins in the tradition of the Shadowscales go to ruin right before his eyes…
Feeling his anger threatening to overwhelm his better judgement, the Argonian took a meditative sigh to allow himself to cool down; Shadowscales never allowed their emotions to get the better of them — they did not lose their temper, they did not give in to despair, they did not even shed tears. They were not mere assassins; they were the few, they were the feared — they were Sithis' chosen.
The grip on his weapon loosened as his body began relaxing slightly. Rational thought began returning to him; he could not stay here any longer. With all the commotion the watchmen made in chasing after him, there was no way the ones patrolling the walls at this hour didn't hear them — more mounted patrols would pass by soon. He had to get out of here, now.
With that thought in mind, the Argonian sheathed his weapon and began jogging down the Gold Road. Aware of how his heart was thrumming from the battle with the mounted watchmen, he made sure to pace himself; after all, without a horse he now had to make it all the way to the nearest city — which would be Skingrad, if his memory served correctly — by foot.
It would be no easy feat given his lack of supplies. Cyrodiil's forests were teeming with game, however, so he could hunt down a deer or boar if the opportunity arose. There were also plenty of farms between here and Skingrad; he supposed that he could steal some food from them, or perhaps waylay any unsuspecting travelers he came across. Once he'd reached Skingrad, he could use what money he did have on him to purchase proper supplies, then maybe steal a horse without being detected and leave before any guards caught wind of him.
And then what? he asked himself. There is no more Dark Brotherhood for you to serve; your fellow Brothers and Sisters all serve Sithis in the Void now. You are a wanted man in Argonia, and there are no other sanctuaries for the Dark Brotherhood in Cyrodiil…
He then remembered about the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary in Skyrim, the one that Varan had left for so long ago. Yes, he could go there; surely, they would allow him to enter their ranks after he explained the situation. He wondered how the Falkreath Assassins would react once he told them that they were the final vestiges of the Dark Brotherhood in Tamriel…
His thoughts were cut short when a dark blur suddenly dropped from the nearby treetops and landed right on top of him. As the weight of his attacker smashed him into the ground, the Argonian hissed in pain as he felt a dagger punch into his shoulder. Despite his fall knocking the wind out of him, Han-Zo was still able to raise his arm in time to stop the rondel dagger from stabbing into his throat, and with a swift jab he managed to stun his attacker enough to be able to kick him away.
No, it's not a him, Han-Zo thought suddenly as he finally caught sight of his recuperating assailant, feeling a rush of anger as he realized who his would-be murderer really was. Sofia, clad in her Dark Brotherhood armor, quickly regained her footing and readied the bloodstained dagger in her hand.
"Not so fun to be ambushed when you're unwary, is it?" Sofia sneered, passing her dagger to her left hand so she could wield her xiphos in her right. "How do you like the taste of your own medicine?"
"Bitch," he snarled, putting a hand to the bloody hole in his shoulder as he rose to his feet. The dagger had penetrated deeply; he couldn't move the arm without feeling intense pain. He could try and wield Voidbringer in his left hand, but she could close the distance before he could pull the blade out of its sheath.
"For once, you didn't call me wench?" she deadpanned, readying herself to fight. "Somebody's getting creative with the insults, I see."
Han-Zo raised his left hand and fired a lightning bolt at her without warning. The Imperial was swift in reacting, rolling out of the way and lunging at him with the xiphos. It was difficult to move quickly after having had his breath knocked out of him by her midair attack, but he still managed to dodge two of her slashes before darting forwards and landing a punch on her cheek. Sofia was sent reeling to one side from the impact, but before he could grab her she'd danced out of his reach.
She immediately returned to her offensive, slashing at him with the xiphos again. He leaned to avoid two overhand cleaves, and hopped backwards to avoid her dagger lunge. When she attempted to follow up with a lunge from her xiphos, he darted forwards and landed a kick into her stomach. The woman staggered backwards, extending her sword in front her to keep him at bay as she recovered.
"Come on! Can't keep up with a one-handed, bleeding Argonian?" he taunted as they began to circle each other like pit dogs, trying to goad her into recklessness.
Scowling furiously, she charged at him with an overhand cut which he easily avoided, then followed up with a backhanded slash which he ducked under. When she tried to swing at him again, he caught her incoming hand before darting forwards and smashing his forehead against her nose, feeling the cartilage snap under the force.
She released a growl of pain, but before he could react, the woman darted forwards and plowed into him, sending them both rolling down the slope on the side of the road and into the forest, grappling and wrestling through the shadowy underbrush in an attempt to get an edge over the other, until Han-Zo managed to get in position to kick her off of him. Sofia yelped as she landed, but she quickly shot to her feet and turned back around to face him again, dark red rivulets of blood running down her broken nose. A thin line of red ran down Han-Zo's nostril as well, from the tumble they'd just gotten out of.
"You're pathetic," the reptile spat as they returned to circling each other again, brushing aside the effects of blood loss taking its toll on him as another might brush aside an irritating gadfly. "I'm the one who got stabbed in the arm, but you're the one with the broken nose and the bruises. I cannot believe I actually wasted my time trying to train you. Can you even use that blasted weapon of yours properly?"
With an infuriated cry, Sofia charged at him, whipping her arm forwards to throw her xiphos at his head. The Argonian rolled to one side to avoid the flying blade, stopped at a crouch to kill his momentum, and turned just in time to see Sofia holding her dagger in an ice-pick grip, stabbing down at him. Han-Zo caught her dagger hand in midair with his left while moving into her, delivering a jab to her face with his right despite the acute pain from moving it. While the Imperial was stunned, he grabbed his own dagger from its sheath and plunged the long, slender blade into her belly.
Sofia cried out as the dagger's needle-like, armor piercing tip was stuck into her gut, her knees buckling from the pain. Her rondel dagger clattered uselessly onto the ground. Han-Zo pulled his dagger back out to stab her again, this time sending her to the floor in a pained heap. He pulled his weapon out and stepped back to observe the supine, bleeding Imperial as she pressed her hands to the stab wounds in her abdomen. He pulled his lips back in a sadistic grin when she allowed her head to fall back. Breathing heavily the Imperial turned her head to grimace at Han-Zo as he approached.
"You know, I was wrong about you, Sofia," he began casually as he kneeled beside the bleeding woman. "You're not quite as weak of constitution as I'd initially believed. Then again, this wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong about someone — I'm not a very good judge of character sometimes."
He smiled at her. "You've proven yourself to be stronger than you look. I never thought you had it in you to try facing me. I should be proud of you, my student."
"Go… to hell…" Sofia groaned, glaring at him with tearstained eyes.
He gave her a light chuckle as he raised his dagger, admiring the cold glint of the weapon's deadly needle-point blade in the darkness. "Oh, the only place I'm going right now is Skingrad. But you, on the other hand… you get to face the Wrath of Sithis in the Void."
He stabbed her in the chest. The Imperial released a choked gasp as the dagger punched through her leather armor again, shutting her eyes in shock and pain. Han-Zo leaned forwards so his face was hovering mere inches over hers, and hissed, "May none remember your name."
When Sofia's struggles finally ceased, Han-Zo pulled his bloodstained blade out of her chest. Sheathing the weapon with a pained grimace, he finally summoned his magicka to heal the wounds he'd received during their fight. He was not especially proficient in Restoration, but his magic got the job done; the dagger wound in his shoulder closed, and the tiny drops of blood stopped dripping down his nostril.
The Argonian glanced down at Sofia's body. She was as good as dead now. Nobody passing by the road would even notice the body; the only thing that'd be finding her here would be the wolves. At last, Han-Zo began making his way back onto the Gold Road, leaving the traitorous Imperial behind. He would continue on towards Skingrad, and once he'd gotten himself proper supplies and another horse, he would make his journey to the only other Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary he knew that existed: the Falkreath Sanctuary in Skyrim. He knew the fastest ways around Cyrodiil — he would be there before long.
He smiled, wondering how his former pupil would react when he saw him again. Oh, Varan… you're going to be in for such a surprise.
End A/N: And that's the end of the chapter. Hope you guys found that entertaining to read.
You know, I think that now would be a good time to point out that this fic is nearly at 200 reviews. I'm going to have to do something for you all when we reach that milestone! Now that you have your incentive, please review!