The Imperial army hit the Elves like water upon rock. The clash of steel and Men and Mer echoed for dozens of miles, even being heard from the Imperial City, which was trying to recover under the leadership of High Chancellor Philulanie. But the shadow of war was not far off, for if the army was routed, then the people of Cyrodiil would have to live under the reins of the Aldmeri Dominion once more. Militia were mustered, and all men and strong lads able to bear arms reported to their nearby armories.
Crops could be resown, homes rebuilt. Within the city walls, the Empire would outlast them.
...
Cassius slew two Elves with one blow, raising his kill count to twenty four. The Champion was ahead by six, his Sunderblade barely dented by the weak Elven armor. The Elves shouted war cries, and attempted to break the Imperial army, but to no avail. The shield walls of the Nords were unbreakable, the leadership of the Imperial commanders unmatched. The Redguards fighting skill was ten times that of the Elves, but don't think the Elves were completely routed. For they had magic on their side.
Raining down fireballs and lightning bolts on their foes, the mages of the Thalmor were safe up on the wall, protected by a constant stream of arrow fire.
Cassius dodged a would-be fatal strike and killed the Elf attempting to perpetrate it. He then looked at the wall directly above the gates, where a lone Elf stood. His hands were behind his back, a grin on his face.
He pulled out two sacks from behind him. When the sacks fell off, Cassius' heart dropped to Oblivion.
The heads of Seremius and Titus were in the Elf's hands, gripped by their hair.
Cassius' sword fell to his side as he locked eyes with the Elf.
The Septim then rushed forward, picking up a spear lodged in the ground. While mid-sprint, he leveled the projectile, and launched it.
The Elf was caught right in the chest, the spear going straight through him. He fell off of the wall, the heads going with.
The Champion shouted, "Hold the line! Hold the line!"
Out of the corner of his eye, the Champion saw a Redguard scrambling towards him, tripping over the bodies.
When the Redguard reached him, the dark man panted, "The Elves... they've broken through!"
"What?! How?!" exclaimed the Champion.
"They charged while we were locked in battle. The army isn't going to last much longer!" the Redguard cried.
An Elf appeared out of nowhere, trying to kill the Redguard, but was swiftly executed by the Champion.
"Tell them to fight on, my fellow man!" the Champion said, resting his hand on the Redguards shoulder.
"Yes, sir!"
The Redguard ran away, back towards his line.
ROOOOOARRRRRRR!
The roar came not from the south, but from the north.
Paarthurnax and Odahviing came down like rocks off a cliff and massacred dozens of Thalmor in their first pass.
"Press the fight, men!" yelled Cassius, as the oldest dragon alive set down next to him, crushing a few Elves.
"It appears as though this fight is desperate, much like the War against my kind many years ago," said Paarthurnax, as he sat in front of the Emperor.
"No, it isn't! For as long as the Free Folk are still free, the fight rages on!"
Paarthurnax smacked half a dozen Thalmor away with his tail.
"I do not like this... war. After this, I shall never partake in the matters of you mortals again. Far too much bloodshed," said Paarthurnax, his tone completely serious.
"Understand I do, but I am glad you are here now!" laughed Cassius, as seven Legionnaires ran past, attacking the Elves.
Paarthurnax nodded, and then lifted back off.
...
"Archers!" shouted General Tullius.
The thousands of bowmen filled the sky with arrows as they rained down death on the wall, competing with the pin-point accuracy of the Elven archers. Hundreds of Elves fell at the letting-go of a simple string.
"Cavalry, prepare to charge!" cried Rikke. All around the two Generals, thousands of mounted horses trotted forward, spears held by the horsemen. They were wearing light chainmail, and new helmets, specially crafted for the cavalry.
"Rikke, I'll lead this one. You stay back here," Tullius said, riding forward.
"No, Tullius. You have to lead the army. I can't lead them if you die," Rikke countered, catching up with him.
"Listen to me, Marese! I have not fought at all in this war, and I'll be damned if I don't today! Now step aside!" Tullius shouted at the younger Nord.
Marese Rikke knew that the chance of Tullius dying was high, but she wasn't about to stop the old Imperial.
"Fine," Rikke said.
Tullius nodded in understanding, and then yelled, "Cavalry, ready the charge!"
"Left flank ready!"
"Right flank ready!"
"Charge!" yelled Tullius, as a blast from the war horns arose.
The men shouted a war cry and whisked away down the plains, rushing for the Elven infantry. Tullius held his blade in front, yelling all the while.
Rikke sat at the back, watching as the Imperial horsemen took off to join the Battle of the Valengate.
...
Cassius saw the Elves fall back and reform the battle line as the cavalry charged. The Imperial archers let off another volley, with much more accuracy. Many more Elves perished on the wall.
The Champion attacked a large Altmer who blasted him back with a sudden fireball. His Sunderblade flew from his grip, so Surobus was now unarmed. He dodged another fireball, and punched the Elf when he was in range. The Elf didn't even flinch.
"I have you now!" cried the Elf, grabbing the Champion by the throat. Surobus was lifted off the ground, when the Altmer unsheathed his sword, and held it at the Champion's stomach.
Time slowed as the blade went through the Champion of Cyrodiil.
...
Cassius watched the Elf plunge his blade into the Champion.
"Nooo!" cried the Emperor, as he ran through the battle, cutting down enemies, trying to reach the tall Altmer.
When Cassius reached the Elf, it saw the Emperor out of the corner of his eye. Right as Cassius was bringing his blade on the Elf's shoulder, his blade was met by the Elf's. The two spun out of the lock, and clashed with their metal.
Crashing through the Thalmor army like lava were the Imperial cavalry.
The Elf shouted, "I am General Aldamircil Grayious, and here is where you fall!"
With that, his blade broke through Cassius' shoulder plate, piercing the Emperor's flesh.
Cassius screamed in pain, and then, with a rush of adrenaline, pulled out the blade, still being held by the Elf mind you, and then literally snapped the metal blade in two.
Still screaming, Cassius swung Goldbrand at Aldamircil's head, cleaving it straight off.
Cassius then saw the Champion laying on the ground amid dozens of bodies.
"Champion!" cried Cassius, dropping to his knees by the wounded hero.
Surobus winced, and looked up at the dirty face of the Septim.
"How bad is it?" the Champion asked.
Cassius looked down at the wound; it was a clean stab, going straight through the body.
"It's not bad at all. Here, drink this!" yelled Cassius, pulling out an Extreme Healing Potion.
The Champion downed the whole bottle in one swig.
He drew in a deep breath, and rose slowly, energy coming back to him.
"Welcome back, my friend," Cassius said, putting his hand on the Champion's shoulder.
"Thank you. Now, to battle!" shouted Surobus, snatching up his Sunderblade.
By now, the Elves were reorganized, albeit with far less numbers.
...
Redyn had gotten his revenge on the High Elves forty seven times over by now. The Dunmer were doing surprisingly well, with even the Nords, Orcs, and Redguards taking notice. Bagamul Ghasharzol brought many foes to their demise with each swing of his warhammer. The Argonians held their own against the veteran Elves, using their tails to knock down the Elves opposing them.
"Keep it up!" cheered Redyn.
He could see the few from House Telvanni using their magic against their former overlords, and the warriors of House Redoran cutting down the Altmer.
The archers of the Dominion still brought much death to the Imperial/Argonian army, until Paarthurnax and Odahviing swooped down, pummeling through dozens of Elves on each pass on the wall.
But by now, the Elves were in disarray. They broke rank, and bolted for the gates, suffering losses that were over half of their original strength. The Battle of Valengate was over.
Cassius looked at the rising sun, and yelled, "For the Empire!"
"For the Empire!" came the call from the Legionnaires.
"For Morrowind! For Argonia!" cried Redyn, being answered by his men.
"And for Tamriel!" shouted Esbern.
Victory had come.
...
King Saken had driven the Akatosh through four Thalmor ships, splitting them in half. For an Argonian, he was really aggressive. The storm had greatly assisted the Imperial fleet, but the battle was not completely in their favor. The Elves had the best navy in Tamriel, and that was a given fact. The flagship of the Aldmeri fleet was called the Phynaster, after the patron god of the Summerset Isle, and it was a six deck monster, armed with prototype weaponry that could wipe out an entire naval squadron. It was a long metal barrel that would fire Destructive magic spells, only they were condensed into balls of energy, which would cause much more devastation.
"King Saken!" called Ataurus from the front of the main deck.
"What is it, Imperial?!" replied Saken, his eyes fixated on the seas ahead.
"Do you see the Aldmeri flagship?!" asked the Dragonborn.
Saken peered into the fleet, and saw the Phynaster wreck the Redguard ship Gilane.
"The six-deck?! Aye, I do!"
"This sounds like suicide, but I want you to plow us right into it! Straight through the main deck!" shouted Ataurus.
"Certainty of death, small chance of success... what are we waiting for?!" laughed Jonah, pushing a Thalmor soldier over the side.
The Argonian king stared at the massive ship, and then nodded, gritting his teeth.
"Forward we go! For Argonia!" cried Saken, thrusting his fist into the air. He turned the wheel, changing the Akatosh's course to where it would collide with the Phynaster.
The Aldmeri flagship let out a full broadside, impacting on six Imperial galley's and two fellow Elven vessels. But the Akatosh pressed on.
The sailors onboard saw what was going on, and many protested.
"What in Oblivion are we doing?!"
"We're gonna hit that beast!"
"Change course! Change bloody course!"
An Elven galley roped onto the Akatosh, and marines climbed over the sides, only to be massacred by Ataurus and Jonah.
The Phynaster was getting closer very quickly, and it launched another broadside, this time impacting on the Akatosh, ripping holes through the masts.
But it was too late.
The Imperial galleon smashed into the Phynaster, breaking through the starboard side. The front of the ship lodged itself in, linking the two vessels.
"Prepare for boarding!" came an order from the Aldmeri ship.
"Ropes! Get the ropes over the top!" cried Ataurus.
Sailors threw grappling hooks onto the Phynaster's railing, tightening themselves.
Legionnaires immediately started climbing up the ropes, and were greeted by the marines on board.
King Saken let go of the wheel, and started climbing a rope.
Jonah and Ataurus by then were already fighting on the flagship.
Ataurus cut the legs off of one unlucky Elf and then followed that up with the beheading of two mer standing alongside one another. With a quick shout of Unrelenting Force, the Dragonborn blasted ten marines over the side and into the sea.
Saken was dual wielding two steel swords, and used them expertly, being able to take on four mer at a time and still come out victorious.
All around the Phynaster, ships clashed, with splinters of wood flying every which direction, and the screams of men and mer alike shrouding all other noise aside from the storm, which was dying down by now. It looked like the Dominion had the edge, unfortunately for the Imperials. In the distance, the remainder of the Elven fleet could be seen sailing towards the battle. If they arrived, all would be lost. The Phynaster would have to be sunk, and Ataurus knew this.
The Aldmeri marines fought on, chopping down Legionnaires left and right.
Then, the door to the Captain's Quarters swung open, and out stepped a tall, slim Altmer, with long silver hair. He held no weapon, and wore no helmet.
He held up his hand, and blew in a whistle.
The fighting ceased.
The Altmer walked over to Ataurus, who still had his weapon out, and said, "I am Admiral Noriron Alkinian, of the Aldmeri Dominion Navy. You must be the Dragonborn, and you the King of Argonia, and you the King of Hammerfell."
The three nodded in agreement.
"I am assuming you know that this battle is futile, correct?"
"No it is not. We shall fight you to the death, for what comes will be the death of us all!" Saken shouted.
"Yes. Yes it shall. I know of what you speak. Akavir is coming. And believe me, I did not wish for this war to come again," Noriron said.
"So.. so you wish not to fight?" Jonah asked.
"No, I do not. This fleet is loyal to King Highlock, but above all else, they are loyal to me. The ships in the distance are led by a fool of an Admiral. Should this ship be taken and used against them, maybe they'll head back for Alinor," said Noriron.
Ataurus raised an eyebrow. "Is that an offer, Admiral?"
Noriron winked and said, "One I believe you cannot refuse."
...
One hour later, the bulk of the Aldmeri fleet came within distance of the Phynaster, which was surrounded by a thick fog. As the lead ships came in close, hundreds of ships came from the fog, flying Imperial colors. The Aldmeri fleet was demolished in no more than fifteen minutes.
As the remainder of the Aldmeri ships retreated for Alinor, Ataurus, Jonah, and Saken stood watching them.
Beaming, Jonah said, "I think... I think we've just won the war."
