She really had believed that asking for aid for Bruma would be simple and easy. She had even prepared her statement to announce to the Counts and Countesses: "On behalf of the Blades, I come before you to request aid for Bruma. We are protecting the last known Septim heir at Cloud Ruler Temple and the cult responsible for the Emperor's death is aware of his existence. We must prevent Bruma from befalling the same fate as Kvatch. And we must not let the Mythic Dawn get their hands on our last hope for Tamriel. Will you help us by providing your best to defend Bruma's gates?"

But with each city she went to, standing in the Castle halls in her heavy Blades attire, she had been met with setbacks... more specifically, Oblivion Gates. For the duration of the two weeks she traveled from city to city, each one had been dealing with the exact same thing: an Oblivion Gate showed up near the city walls and almost all of the Counts and Countesses needed help in closing them. So much for staying out of the way of danger while dressed in heavy armor she hadn't been used to.

And as she meandered her way out to deal with the daedric threat, she felt the need to give Baurus a big kiss for the training he had given her before she left. It had come in handy for this particular assignment.


When she had started with Cheydinhal, she had already seen the sky turn red upon approaching the gates. And after talking with locals, Tala had discovered that Count Andel's son, Farwil had gathered his band of merry men and charged into the portal to defend their city. Tala already knew that if she went and dragged him back home alive, that would get instant gratitude from the Count and guaranteed help for Bruma. So before she had even gone to the castle to ask, she turned around and marched right into the Oblivion Gate to rescue Farwil and the last of his "Knights of the Thorn" (which had been one Imperial named Bremman). Count Andel had been so grateful for her heroic act that he had been willing to give her one of his family heirlooms as a prize. She had thanked him dearly for the offer, but had requested extra aid for Bruma instead, giving him her spiel and everything. It didn't take long for the Count to gather a score of men and prepare them for the journey.

After a couple hours of rest, she had headed southbound to Leyawiin while twenty men marched off to Bruma in the north.


Leyawiin had a similar problem, but luckily the only similarity between them and Cheydinhal had just been the gate. The guards were working on figuring out how to close the gate on their own to prepare for future gates that may arise. So when she had shown up to help, they had been more than happy to accompany the famed Hero of Kvatch through the towers and learn her tricks to closing the gate, rather than stick to their original plan to go running in blind. Which was to her benefit; after getting banged up in the first gate, it had been nice to have backup to assist her as she slogged through Oblivion in her Blades uniform.

Once she had helped the city guard close the gate and Count Marius thanked her and pledged aid, she had rested at the Mages Guild while her armor had gotten repaired before she headed off to Bravil.


While Leyawiin had been a breeze, Bravil had been the opposite.

Count Regulus was a real jackanape. He had that reputation. Prior to that Elder Council meeting post Oblivion Crisis, Tala's introduction to him had been during this assignment. Despite being in full Blades armor with her plea for help, he had been extremely uninterested in what she had to say due to dealing with the Oblivion Gate. He hadn't even been interested in sending his guards to help when she had offered to close the gate. To make it more frustrating, the Oblivion Gate in front of Bravil had been trickier to maneuver through and it had been riddled with more Daedra than usual. Especially Xivilai. Gods, she hated those big blue beasts. And for a moment, she had hated herself for not listening to Martin and resting until her Glass armor was repaired.

Despite successfully crawling out of that gate exhausted beyond belief and thankful she didn't die or loose limbs or armor, the egotistical Regulus had simply said, "Thank you for closing the Oblivion Gate that was threatening Bravil. I will send my guard captain, Viera Lerus, to Bruma's aid."

JUST YOUR GUARD CAPTAIN? Tala had screamed in her mind. She had wanted to open her mouth and bellow those exact words at him, but Tala realized it wouldn't have gotten her anywhere. So she had smiled, bowed, and headed to the local smith to ask for help in hammering out the dings in her armor. She would have fully repaired it if she could, but she had been so angry with the Count that day that she didn't want to be in Bravil any longer than she had to.


The next two stops had been no trouble, as they were the only two cities that hadn't needed saving.

Rather than taking the Gold Road up and over, Tala had ridden through the rolling hills of County Skingrad in order to reach the city itself. She had happily breathed a sigh when she discovered that Skingrad had successfully closed its own gate, so it meant she didn't have to do it for them. Gathering aid had been no trouble either, for Count Janus had been more than willing to provide aid. He knew that Mehurnes Dagon didn't care for "his kind" and he did not want to see his subjects killed by Dagon's servants. And because Tala had helped Janus save his wife, he saw no cause for concern in sending his best men to Bruma. Sometimes it helped to have friends in high places. Her mother had been right: good deeds did lead to good things.

And to add to her luck with having friends, on her way to Anvil Tala had decided to stop into Kvatch to see how the survivors were doing. The camp had been cleared and the townspeople were in the midst of rebuilding when she had rode in. The city still looked like a war zone, but at least the fires had been extinguished and people were clearing the rubble away from their homes. She knew the once proud city would look like a shadow of its former self for years to come, but what was left of its people had still been confident in picking up the pieces and starting over.

Savlian had been happy to see her and had asked if she needed anything during her stay. Initially, Tala had wanted to say 'no', but she had sheepishly confided in him that Martin was the last hope for the Empire and that she had been traveling to each of the cities to request aid for Bruma.

"You wouldn't happen to have any spare men lying around willing to be of service, would you?" Tala had jested.

Without hesitation, Savlian had replied, "I have few enough men to spare, but you have more than earned our help. I will send what aid I can."

The comment had caught Tala off guard. "Really? You would actually send aid to Bruma? But what about the people here in Kvatch?"

"We are doing fine here, thanks to you. Bruma must not share the fate of our city! You have our support here, friend. I hope my best soldier will be enough."

That statement had almost brought Tala to tears that day, but she had managed to keep herself composed and controlled the emotion to a grateful smile and overly watery eyes.


Anvil had been the same: help us close the Oblivion Gate and you will have support. Tala had resisted the urge to recoil when the thought of closing another Gate sunk into her mind, but she had sucked it up and did it anyway. It had been sunrise when she stepped through the Gate; by the time she removed its Sigil Stone, the sun had been setting... right along with her resolve. Tala hadn't been sure how much more of it she could take; she had been doing this nonstop since she started and it had only been a full week. What was supposed to be a simple trip had turned into a set of death defying rescue missions. At least the silver lining had been that she got her support and there were less daedra plundering the cities, but she had been getting to the point where all she wanted to do was scream and hide away from the world.

"I honor you for your bravery and service to my city!" Millona had cheerily thanked. "With Anvil safe for the moment, I will send some of my best soldiers to bolster the Bruma garrison!" There were only five men going to Bruma from Anvil that day, but Millona had rest assured, "Every soldier fights with the strength of several men. Bruma will be in good hands."

Tala had only hoped that the Countess was correct.


Despite getting a three-day reprieve from Oblivion Gates while she rode on her tobiano horse from Anvil back up the Gold Road to Chorrol, Tala had still felt exhausted by the time she reached its gates. Countess Arriana also had trouble with an Oblivion Gate sitting just outside the stables, but Tala didn't need to know that from the Countess directly. It had been plainly obvious as she rode up to the stables and led her horse into a paddock. It had also been painfully obvious that the twelve guards keeping the daedra away from the city gates were struggling to keep up. Guess who had to help them with that?

Tala had no intention of going into that particular Gate on her own, so once the threat was eliminated outside, she had told half of them to follow her through the portal. And by the time they had navigated through and closed the Gate, only four of them remained. Tala had thought those were good odds, especially compared to when she had closed that Gate with Captain Burd.

"Your reputation precedes you, Hero of Kvatch." Arriana had particularly said when Tala approached her in the middle of court. "You have done my city a great service by closing the Oblivion Gate. I will now gladly send soldiers to aid in the defense of Bruma. Consider it done."


Tala hoped to the Nine Divines that there weren't any Gates around the Imperial City. She didn't want to have to deal with one more Oblivion Gate or horde of daedra on this mission. And luckily she didn't. There had been no talk amongst the townspeople of one opening nearby as she traveled to the Market District to buy and sell supplies, and it stayed that way as she walked through the other districts on her way to the White Gold Tower to ask High Chancellor Ocato for aid.

And of all the places she had hoped for aid, she really depended on the Imperial Legion to help lead the charge. Problem was, she didn't get any aid from them that day.

Ocato had been burning the candle at both ends since the day Emperor Uriel's sons were murdered. And when the Emperor himself had been killed, it only made his job so much worse. When Tala had walked through the doors and the guards had told her that he wasn't seeing anyone, he had coincidentally been walking through the hallway to head to the main door and back in to the Elder Council chambers. She had no clue who he was at the time, and he had no interest in the kafuffle going on behind him. But as he unlocked the door to head inside, Tala had gotten frustrated with the guards trying to shoo her away, so she had to try and pull some kind of rank to get in.

"Please, I'm here on official business from the Blades. I was sent here by the Grandmaster to speak with the High Chancellor."

"From the Blades, did you say?" Ocato had said, turning around to face them. He then looked at the guards and flicked his wrist to wave them away from Tala. He then looked at her and motioned her to come forward. "Jauffre sent you? What's this about? Quickly, now."

"Bruma is in trouble. The Mythic Dawn- the cult responsible for the Emperor's death- is planning to open a Great Gate in front of Bruma to weaken its defenses and take out Cloud Ruler Temple. We have Emperor Uriel's last son... and they know he's hiding there. We need more defenses to help us close the Gate, otherwise we might loose. Will you send aid to Bruma to help us?"

Ocato had been eerily quiet for a long time with a deep frown and a saddened expression in his eyes. "This is terrible news. Under normal circumstances, I would dispatch a legion or two to Bruma immediately. But the circumstances are not normal, are they?" He then shut his eyes and roughly rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been pleading for troops for Cyrodiil for weeks, but the generals assure me that the entire Imperial Army is already fully committed. Besides... I'd have a full-scale political crisis on my hands if I tried to pull any troops out of the provinces. I'm sorry, but the cities of Cyrodiil will have to fend for themselves for the time being."

Tala wanted to beg, but she could see he was tired, worn out, and out of options. And she didn't blame him for it. "I see... thank you, High Chancellor. Should... well... if the circumstances change, even if you sent one or two good men to Bruma, that would be greatly appreciated. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Then the two of them nodded to one another before they had both turned and walked through separated doors.

It had been disappointing that she couldn't get Legion aid, but at least the entire journey hadn't been a complete bust. The other cities were sending help. Not all was lost. And at least she didn't have to close a Gate this time.

However, as she walked out of the tower, she had come face-to-face with a Khajiit and a Nord in tattered clothing waiting just ten feet from the door. In an instant, they had cast spells and bound themselves in black and red Daedric armor and weapons. Mythic Dawn agents.

The guards had noticed this as quickly as Tala had, so when she had drawn her sword, the guards had theirs unsheathed and ready to fight alongside her. And the civilians walking the streets had quickly fled to get out of the way as the enemies clashed with one another.

In the midst of that battle, Tala couldn't help but find it amusing that these Mythic Dawn agents had chosen to come after her. They had to have known that it was her closing those Gates all across Cyrodiil, otherwise why would they have been there? And secondly... she had spent the last week and a half doing nothing but closing Oblivion Gates and dealing with Daedra. What made them think they were going to win?


In speaking to High Chancellor Ocato, that had completed her task to gain aid for Bruma. Now, she could return to tell Jauffre the good news.

When she arrived, Cloud Ruler Temple had never looked so cozy. As she walked through the doors, the Great Hall never looked so inviting. And the enormous welcome she received from the Blades never felt so rewarding. Clearly word had traveled all across Cyrodiil if they had been aware of her work with the other cities because every last one of them felt the need to applaud her for her success.

"You have truly outdone yourself, Tala." Jauffre had warmly congratulated. "I have received word from the Countess that the aid you gathered from the other cities will be more than enough to keep the walls safe. You really are a hero."

Tala's face had flushed red and she looked away. "Thank you. But I was just doing what I was tasked."

"I heard you had to close Oblivion gates in every city to ease the burden enough to even get the aid." Jena had commented with a smirk. "That couldn't have been easy."

"I didn't have to close a Gate in every city... Skingrad took care of theirs before I even got there."

Laughter filled the hall in response to her humbleness, and she hadn't helped but laugh with them. The crowd had then dispersed as everyone returned to their duties and Tala walked further into the Hall to take comfort by the fire. Since her absence, the chairs had been moved away from the circular space in front of the fireplace and red paint had been drawn in various symbols across the floor. She hadn't a clue what it was initially, but she later would learn that it was a summoning circle needed for the ritual.

"Clearly someone's been busy." Tala had commented aloud.

"Not as busy as you."

She had turned her head to see that Martin had come out of the East Wing with a bottle of wine in one hand and two goblets in the other. Of all the things she had appreciated seeing the most, his smile had been the first on her list.

"I hope one of those cups is for me." She had said with a soft smile.

His smile remained as he set them both down on a table that was placed beside his personal table in an L shaped fashion... and luckily it hadn't been loitered with books and papers yet. "Shall I pour us both a drink, my friend?" He politely asked.

Tala had put her helmet and sword on the opposite end of table and sat down beside him. She gladly took the first cup filled with wine and just took a minute to breathe in its scent.

"If my memory serves me right, I think you had assured us that you were going to keep the danger to a minimum while you were gone." Martin had coyly commented before sipping on his own wine.

"Yeah... I assured myself that I wouldn't be in danger either. Apparently I attract Oblivion Gates like flies to manure. I'm actually surprised I survived closing that many Oblivion Gates wearing heavy armor that I'm not used to wearing. Can't wait to get back into my light armor." She then looked over at the symbols on the floor and added, "I see that you have made some progress while I've been gone. How goes deciphering the Mysterium Xarxes?"

"I'm close to understanding the complete gate-opening ritual. The final section is almost within my grasp." He said with a rather confident smile and demeanor.

"That's great! Did you find the next item we need?"

Martin had nodded. "Yes actually. The third item we need is a Great Welkynd Stone. You may have run across lesser Welkynd Stones- they are fairly common in Ayleid ruins- but a Great Welkynd Stone will not be easy to come by. They have been plundered one by one over the years, due to their great value to mages and occultists."

Tala had frowned. "That will make my search pretty complicated if they're difficult to come by."

"Not necessarily. There is only one place that is rumored to still contain one: the ruins of the Ayleid city of Miscarcand... a place where many have perished seeking its Great Stone. But nothing else will do, so you must succeed where all others have failed."

Tala's frown had remained while she closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Well at least I'm not running around Ayleid ruins for weeks at a time and coming up empty. I'll get it. Don't worry."

It had been Martin's turn to frown. "Be careful, my friend. I know you have braved many dangers already, but Miscarcand is not to be taken lightly."

"Why is that?"

"Miscarcand was the capital of one of the ancient Ayleid kingdoms which flourished in Cyrodiil before the rise of Men. It is said that the ruins are still haunted by the vengeful spirit of its last king. True or not, it is not a place to enter lightly."

Tala had thought about it for a long moment before nodding. "I will be careful. I have never heard of Miscarcand before. Perhaps I should take the time to learn more before I head there."

"You might find 'Glories and Laments Among the Ayleid Ruins' useful. I have the library's copy if you need it." Martin had then rummaged through his pile of books and papers before he found the one he wanted and handed it to her.

"Thank you." She had said while taking the book. "It'll give me something to read while I rest up for a little while."

Martin had simply smiled and nodded before he took another sip of wine.

There had been silence for a moment before Tala had felt like she was in his way, so she stood up and said, "I'll let you return to your work. Don't want to interfere. I'll get to reading and preparing for Miscarcand."

Martin's smile had faltered at her words. Before she walked away, he had interjected with, "You interfere with nothing. I'm needing the reprieve from the Xarxes. I haven't left it alone since you've been away. It would probably do us both some good to rest for a little while. I would be delighted if you stayed."

Tala had felt her cheeks flush with a rush of heat. If she didn't know any better, she could've sworn he had been asking... no, pleading her not to go. The feelings she still had for him came creeping up from her chest and made her ears burn. She had tried her best not to read into it and pushed the feelings back down. Why... why did she feel so strongly for him when all he could see in her was a friend to pass the time with?

She turned to look at him and a soft smile had appeared without her even trying. "Very well." She had said before retaking her seat beside him. She then grabbed her goblet to swirl the wine around and stir up its flavor before taking another sip. "This is good wine. I needed this." She had murmured.

Apparently Martin had heard what she said, for a chuckle had escaped his throat while he shook his head. "So tell me about your journey. How are things on the outside?"

Tala had then proceeded to tell him about her travels, starting with Cheydinhal and all the way around the map. She let him know how Kvatch was doing, and mentioned Ocato and the little hints of political trouble he had slipped in their conversation. Martin had asked a couple of questions here and there, but for the most part he simply listened. After spending the last several weeks being everyone's savior, it had been nice to sit down and converse in peace.

And all the while, she had silently thanked Martin for the company. Tala had always felt so comfortable in his presence. Even if they were just friends, she still felt very safe and secure so long as he was around.