12th of First Seed, 4E 47


"Three twos," said Valryn in a loud, almost boastful voice as he glanced at the dice beneath his cup. The Dark Elf was seated directly across the table from me, and Jari was seated to my left. A hefty prize of fifteen hundred septims sat in the middle of the round table, just waiting to be claimed by the winner of this game. "Your bid, Jari," said Valryn, looking to the Khajiit.

Jari lifted his own cup, looking at his dice beneath. Being a Khajiit, his facial expressions were difficult to read, thus giving him a slight advantage over us. Neither Valryn nor I could tell what Jari was thinking throughout most of the game. We could almost never detect when he was bluffing, so needless to say, playing against him was certainly a challenge.

"Khajiit bids four threes," Jari called out. There was a brief silence in the room before both my opponents turned their gaze to me.

"All right Drelas, your turn," said Valryn.

I slightly lifted the cup in front of me as Valryn and Jari focused intently on me. I had four dice at this point, as did Jari, and Valryn had three. The one die I had lost was due to a bluff I had made early in the game, which Valryn correctly called out. Looking closely at my dice, I saw I had three threes, and one six. As I pondered my bid, I knew that Jari's bid was most likely correct, and I would've been a fool to call a bluff. I could see Valryn snickering at me, there was no way in hell I was letting him win this and take all that gold on the table. I made up my mind, and promptly lowered my cup to the table before announcing my bid.

"Six threes."

Almost immediately I could hear Valryn chuckling, earning him an annoyed glare from me. I wished he would just hurry the fuck up and make his move already.

"Oh Sargoth, you really do have the worst poker face, you know that?" Valryn said in a gloating voice.

"You calling me a liar?"

"Damn right I am!" Valryn retorted. The three of us simultaneously uncovered our dice, revealing them to one another as we all began to take count.

Almost right away, I looked at Jari's dice. He had three threes, as did I, and also one one. The total of threes between Jari and I equaled exactly six, therefore making my bid correct, and I delighted in the look of dismay on Valryn's face as he realized his mistake.

"Oh by Azura, I hate this fucking game!" the Dunmer blurted out as he reluctantly tossed away yet another of his dice. I was chuckling to myself in satisfaction, and I gave Valryn a smug grin.

"I have a bad poker face do I?" I asked, trying to get Valryn worked up. "I did that on purpose, cause I knew you would call a bluff. You're far too predictable Valryn, and now you're losing because of it."

"Hey, I ain't out yet!" Valryn shot back. "I still got two dice left, so I still have a chance at that prize."

The three of us placed our dice back in our cups and reshuffled them before slamming them down on the table once more. Valryn had the first bid, and I was waiting with bated breath on what his next move would be.

"Two fives," said the Dunmer with a hint of nervousness. I knew Valryn was in a sticky situation at this point. Being so low on dice, he would try to avoid bidding higher than what he had. I realized that if I placed my bids carefully, I could force Valryn to overbid, where then Jari hopefully would call out his bluff. This was the quickest way in my mind to eliminate Valryn from the match.

All eyes were now on Jari as we awaited his bid. The Khajiit slowly lifted his cup to peek at his dice before lowering it again.

"Three fours."

My turn. I could see Valryn squirming in his seat across from me. He knew as well as I, that his turns were numbered. I peeked at my four dice, and to my astonishment, they were all fives. I suppressed a smile, trying not to show my opponents my good fortune.

"Six fives."

I looked over to Valryn once again, and I saw him take a deep breath of frustration. I knew his heart must have been pounding like a beating drum right now. If I could just get him to lose his two remaining dice, I would be that much closer to the prize sitting on the table. Valryn glanced at his dice once again, his puzzlement evident on his face.

"Seven fives," the Dark Elf muttered.

Jari's turn was next, and almost right on cue, he did exactly what I expected him to.

"This one is lying," said the Khajiit, pointing a finger at Valryn.

We lifted our cups and revealed our dice once more and began taking count. Jari had one two, two fours, and one six. Valryn had two fives, exactly equal to his opening bid. There were a total of six fives on the table, making Valryn's bid a bluff. Jari and I both snickered in delight as Valryn tossed away his second to last die.

"Getting nervous Val?" I teased.

"Bite me," he shot back.

We reshuffled our dice again in our cups, and quickly commenced the next round, with Jari taking the first bid. The Khajiit took but a brief glance at his dice before announcing his first move.

"This one shall bid three ones." Jari sounded confident in his bid, and I was next to certain it wasn't a bluff.

I peeked at my own dice beneath my cup, and I saw that I had one one, two threes and a four. For this turn, I decided it was probably best to just play it safe and bid on what I knew was there. No need to do anything risky at this point.

"Four ones," I announced.

Jari and I both looked to Valryn, who was now taking what would probably be his last turn this match. With there being nine dice between the three of us on the table, and only one of them being his, Valryn had next to no idea what either of us had. Almost any bid he made would certainly be a bluff, and if Jari called him out on it the next turn, he would be eliminated from the match. So, he opted for the only other option. The option that might have given him a chance at surviving this round.

"You're bluffing," he muttered. I suspected he would do that.

As our dice were revealed, I saw that Jari had three ones and a six. Valryn's single die was a six. My bid was correct, and Valryn was now eliminated from the match. I smiled in silence as the Dunmer angrily tossed away his last remaining die and cursed to himself.

"Whoever wins, I hope you choke on that gold!" he said as Jari and I both laughed at him.

"Oh cheer up Val, it's just a game," I replied, which only seemed to tick off Valryn further.

"I could've won that easily! I just…I just had an off day…" Valryn said in an attempt to hide his frustration.

"Yeah, sure you did," I teased. Now it was just me and Jari. The Khajiit was certainly proving to be a challenge already, but I knew that if I kept a straight head, I could beat him and claim the money.

Jari and I played on, the pressure growing with each turn that passed. The Khajiit was a sly and clever opponent, and that combined with his facial expressions being next to impossible to read, there were many times I was certain I was going to lose. I figured the beast races must make a fortune at gambling.

The game eventually turned in my favor though. Jari was reduced to a single die, and I had two. I was certain I had this game in the bag now, but I still knew that the tables could turn at any moment. Jari and I focused on one another intently as we grabbed our cups and reshuffled the dice once more. I had the first bid, and I took a good look at my two remaining dice, with both of them being sixes.

As I pondered over what my first bid would be, an idea began to form in my mind. I wasn't a fan of bluffing on the very first bid, and certainly being so low on dice, if Jari caught me that would seriously jeopardize my chances of winning. But if I could pull it off and slip this one lie past the Khajiit, I could definitely win this. I took a breath and glared at Jari right in his eyes, trying to keep as straight a face as possible.

"Two fours," I said in a calm, and hopefully confident voice. I could feel my nerves flaring inside me as I anxiously awaited the Khajiit's move. If he called my bluff, I would be down to a single die just like him, and that could very well mean him beating me.

Jari lifted his cup and peeked at his last remaining die. I could tell he was very uncertain on what to do, and that he was trying to be as careful as possible. I seemed to be growing more nervous every second, and I was worried it would begin to show on my face. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Jari finally made his move.

"Three fours."

Relief washed over me, as I knew I had just won the game. I was honestly surprised that Jari didn't detect my bluff. My plan worked exactly as I planned, and that prize money was now as good as mine.

"You're a liar," I said with a satisfied sneer. We lifted our cups one last time, and my two sixes were revealed. I looked at Jari's die, which was none other than a four. A smile crossed my face as the Khajiit tossed away his final die, and I reached over and eagerly grabbed the prize money.

"A good game, my friend," said Jari as we shook hands. "You played well."

"As did you, Jari," I replied. "I must admit you almost had me." We both chuckled for a moment, and that's when I noticed Galthar and Shadow enter the room.

"What do we have here?" the Argonian asked curiously as both he and Galthar approached the table.

"I just beat Valryn and Jari at Liar's Dice, and am now fifteen hundred septims richer," I answered.

"What?!" Galthar replied, sounding somewhat offended. "That's my favorite game! You mean to tell me you were playing Liar's Dice in here and didn't even invite me to play?!"

"Oh, sorry Gal," I said. "I figured you were probably busy."

"One piece of advice, Sargoth," Shadow began. "Is never play Liar's Dice with Galthar."

"And why is that?" I asked.

"Because nobody beats Galthar at Liar's Dice, that's why," answered Rasha, who was tidying up the bar in the background. "Seriously, he's never lost a game."

"It's true, I'm afraid," the Altmer replied curtly. "I've outwitted countless fools, and taken thousands of septims from them throughout the years. Most of my opponents possess an intellect nowhere close to mine."

"Hmm, that sounds like a challenge," I answered. The smug grin across Galthar's face grew even wider, and I wanted nothing more than to make him eat his words.

"Hold on," Shadow interrupted. "If you two are gonna play, then count me in as well."

"Very well. Just more money for me to win," replied Galthar as we seated ourselves to the table.

We each grabbed five dice as well as a cup. Shadow sat across from me, with Galthar to my left. The High Elf continued to smile arrogantly, and I couldn't wait to wipe it right off his face.

"So, what are the stakes?" I asked.

"You seem confident in your abilities," said Galthar. "But I want to see how you play with high stakes, and if you can truly put your money where your mouth is." The Altmer paused for a moment. "The buy-in shall be three thousand septims."

My jaw dropped for a brief moment. That was certainly quite a prize, nine thousand septims total. I fortunately could afford the three thousand, but that was a lot of money to lose. That was sometimes more than I made in a month. But I certainly wasn't going to back out now and look like a coward in front of everyone.

Without saying a word, I reached into my pouch and placed the money onto the table. Galthar and Shadow soon followed suit, and we proceeded to place our dice in our cups and officially commence the game.

"I can feel that gold jingling in my pockets already," remarked Galthar snidely.

When Shadow said to never play against Galthar, he wasn't kidding. And I learned very quickly that I had underestimated him. It hadn't even been ten minutes since the game had begun, and already Shadow and I were both getting our asses handed to us. I was reduced to three dice, with Shadow to a mere two. Galthar still had all five of his, and I could just hear him laughing under his breath.

"Four twos," said Shadow as he glanced at his dice. "Your turn, boss."

Galthar lifted his cup, still grinning as he pondered his bid. I had to come up with something, and fast. I wasn't going to lose out on nine thousand septims just like that. Now I knew why Galthar set the stakes so high. He knew the game would end up just like this. He saw this as just another easy payday for him.

"Seven sixes," announced the High Elf.

I knew then that I was in a tight spot. All three of my dice just happened to be sixes, greatly increasing the chances of his bid being correct. I knew that with ten dice between the three of us, at least eight of them would have to be sixes in order to make a correct bid, which was highly unlikely. Almost any bid I made would be a bluff, which Shadow would not hesitate to call out. I was pretty much fucked no matter what I did. I could just feel the sweat pouring down my brow.

As I made up my mind and made to announce my next move, the door suddenly burst open, nearly startling me out of my seat. Everyone turned their gaze to the source of the noise. It was Lorian and Ihriel, and both of them appeared to be hurt badly.

"By the Hist, what on earth happened to you two?!" Shadow nearly screamed in concern to the Wood Elves. I could see Lorian was tightly gripping his shoulder, and Ihriel clutching her stomach, trying to stop the blood seeping out of her.

"We were…we were walking…through the woods," Lorian struggled to say. "Just going for a stroll..."

"When out of nowhere…" Ihriel butted in. "These fucking bandits attack us…" She started coughing violently, blood expelling from her mouth onto the floor.

"You're saying bandits did this to you?!" Rasha exclaimed as she hurriedly began gathering medical equipment.

"Not just bandits…" Lorian replied as he winced in pain. "They had wolves…trained wolves. Whole goddamned pack of them."

"I was fending one of them off…" said Ihriel. "And…that's when one of the fuckers impaled me with a spear…right through my stomach." The two Bosmer, who had just married very recently, grabbed onto each other for support. I saw that their wounds were indeed severe, and I was frankly astonished they made it back alive at all.

"Clear off a table," Rasha ordered. "Ihriel, you lie down there. I'll treat you first. You'll be dead in ten minutes if those wounds aren't looked after now.

Shadow and I helped clear off a few tables, and Rasha helped Ihriel lie down comfortably.

"Lorian, you lie down too. I'll be with you after I look after your wife," Rasha said.

"Don't…worry about me," Lorian replied. "Just make sure Ihriel is all right."

Rasha stripped off Ihriel's leather cuirass, and I had to almost turn my head when I saw the large, gaping hole right in her abdomen. Blood was still pouring out of her, and I just hoped that Rasha would be able to save her. Lorian and Ihriel had been here since the day I joined the Serpents. They had been an inseparable couple for as long as I had known them, and I always enjoyed having them around. To have one of them, or both of them die, would be an absolute tragedy.

After wrapping Ihriel in a blanket, Rasha gave her the strongest healing potion she had. It seemed to work, as the bleeding soon ceased. The Redguard disinfected the wound and then began stitching it together.

"It's a miracle you're still alive, Ihriel," Rasha said as she worked away. "That spear obviously missed your vital organs. That's quite a thing to live through." She then reached her hand into her satchel of medical supplies.

"Damn it…" she said.

"What's wrong?" Shadow asked.

"I'm almost out of supply," the Redguard replied. "I should have enough for these two, but unless I can get more, there's nothing I can do if something like this happens again." Everyone looked at each other for a moment. "Obviously, I have my hands full here. If anyone could go out and find me some more supplies, I would be forever grateful."

"Me and Valryn will go, Rasha," I volunteered.

"Oh Sargoth, thank you so much," Rasha said with relief. "You'll both be paid well, I promise.

"Not necessary. This is for the family. Just the knowledge that this could save lives in the future is payment enough. Sorry Galthar, looks like we'll have to finish our game some other time." I took my money back from the table and placed it in my pouch.

"What exactly do you need?"

"Healing potions mostly," Rasha said as she looked through her satchel. "Some ingredients to make disinfectants would be nice as well. I don't care where, or how you get them. I just need them right away."

"Sounds easy enough," I replied. "We should be back by tonight at the latest."

I informed Valryn of the situation and met with him by the stables outside shortly after. The air was slightly nippy, but fortunately there was little wind. The sun was shining bright above us, so I knew that once we got going we would warm up significantly.


We journeyed on for about an hour, perhaps even two. The weather turned against us, much to our dismay. Fierce, chilling winds blew right in our faces, we could barely look forward for more than a few seconds at a time. The snow had begun to pick up very quickly, making the paths difficult for our horses to traverse. The surrounding trees were quite beautiful however, covered in thick white blankets of snow that glittered like crystals beneath the glaring sunlight. Had this been just any ordinary job, I would have stopped to rest several times already. But seeing what happened to Lorian and Ihriel, Valryn and I both knew that getting these medical supplies was of the utmost importance. We could not afford to waste time, and we tried to avoid resting as much as possible.

"Where in the name of Vivec are we supposed to find that much medicine anyway?" Valryn asked in frustration. I understood his sentiment. I wanted nothing more right now than to snuggle beneath some warm furs in front of a roaring fire smoking moon sugar. This snow was chilling me to the bone, and I couldn't wait to be finished with this task.

"I dunno Val," I answered. "More than likely, we'll just have to stop at the nearest village. If there's an alchemy shop, we could just rob it real quick once it gets dark."

"That's pretty much what I was thinking as well," the Dunmer replied. Just then, a fair distance beneath the sloping hills, something caught my eye.

"Look Val, down there," I pointed to the horizon.

"What is it?"

"It looks like a wagon of some sort. Let's move closer to get a better look."

We rode forth, slowly so as to not potentially spook whatever was ahead of us. Squinting my eyes for a second, I saw that I was indeed right. It was a wagon, almost certainly a merchant caravan. To my delight, there appeared to be no guards around it. From what I could see there was just a single person driving and tending the caravan.

"That's a merchant wagon," I whispered.

"Aye, I see it too," Valryn said. "And what do ya know, he looks like an apothecary."

"And you know what that means," I said, grinning to Valryn.

"He'll certainly have the medical supplies we need."

My fellow Dark Elf and I dismounted our steeds and lowered to a crouch, slinking silently through the blowing winds and snow. I could hear the lone apothecary blissfully whistling a tune to himself, completely unaware of our presence.

"So, what do you wanna do? Kill him?" asked Valryn.

"No, he doesn't need to die," I replied. "I have an idea."

I whispered my plan to Valryn, who nodded in agreement with me. If everything went without a hitch, we would be able to get those supplies without any need for bloodshed.

We advanced further down the hill, ensuring our footsteps were as light as possible. As we reached the foot of the hill, we took cover amongst the trees, keenly observing the carriage driver as he made a sharp turn around a bending road. We were now a short distance ahead of him, waiting for the right time to enact my plan. The driver was now just about to pass us, and that's when Valryn stepped onto the road.

"Excuse me sir!" the Dunmer yelled to the apothecary who stopped immediately upon seeing him. "Please, could you help me out?"

"Certainly my friend!" replied the apothecary in a jolly voice. He sounded to be at least middle-aged. It was hard to see his face with the hood over his head. "What seems to be the problem?"

"My horse died just up the hill there," said Valryn, trying to sound as helpless as possible. "Poor girl fell and broke her leg. Had to put her down just to stop the pain. Now I'm lost out here, stranded in the cold."

"I'm sorry to hear that lad," the apothecary replied sympathetically. "I'd be happy to give you a ride if you want. I'm on my way back to my shop, I have a spare horse you can have once we get there."

"Oh thank you, sir!" Valryn replied eagerly. "I'll find some way to repay you, I promise."

"Oh don't worry about that! I'm always happy to lend a helping hand. Hop on." Valryn climbed the carriage next to the driver, and he spurred his horse forward again once they were ready. The carriage began to move slowly in the snow, and that is when I emerged from my spot in the bushes and easily climbed into the back of the wagon.

The back part of the carriage was covered by a wooden roof and thick tarps, so I didn't have to worry about being seen or heard by the carriage driver. I saw several large sacks sitting in the corners of the wagon, I could hear glass bottles clanging against one another as the carriage crossed the many bumps in the road. Valryn was making idle chatter with the apothecary, trying his best to sound casual and to divert attention away from me in the back.

Upon opening the bag closest to me, I immediately saw shiny red vials sitting toward the top. Valryn was right, this stranger was most certainly an apothecary. These sacks would contain more than enough supplies for Rasha to last her for a very long time. I opened my own satchel and got to work on stealing the health potions.

I was thrown off balance suddenly when the carriage ran over a large rock in the middle of the road. I hit my head against the floor, and I couldn't help letting out a grunt of pain. The stolen potions in my bag banged together loudly before I was able to get back up and contain the noise.

"Did you hear something?" asked the apothecary, "in the back?"

Oh shit, I thought. The jig was definitely up.

"Nope, can't say I did," said Valryn, lying to the man to keep him from checking back here and finding me. "Must've just been some of your things getting knocked around when you hit that rock."

"Yeah, you're probably right," said the apothecary. "Looks like I need to be more careful."

Relief poured over me that moment, and I got back to work on looting more of the goods. Upon helping myself to more health and stamina potions, I caught a glimpse of some useful ingredients I knew Rasha would find handy. I stuffed as much as I could possibly carry. Between my satchel, my armor pockets and jacket pockets, I was able to bring more than enough supply. I knew Rasha would be grateful, and considering how dangerous I liked to live, I figured I'd probably have need of these things myself.

After realizing I was carrying all the loot I could fit with me, I stealthily leaped from the back of the carriage, making a smooth landing as I rolled graciously into the snow. I could hear the distant chatter continuing on between Valryn and the apothecary we had just blindly robbed. I made a series of short bird calls to Valryn as per our plan to signal that we were finished and the supplies were as good as ours.

"Many thanks mate, but this is far enough," I heard Valryn say to the apothecary.

"You sure, friend? My village is a mere twenty minutes away," he replied with a bit of surprise.

"That won't be necessary. I'll be fine from here, really." I watched Valryn descend from the front of the wagon from where I was hiding nearby.

"As you wish," said the apothecary joyfully. "Was a pleasure meeting you." And with that, Valryn made his way back to me as I watched the carriage slowly fade into the distance.

"You get the stuff?" asked Valryn as I emerged from hiding.

"Fucking right I did," I said with glee as I showed him all the supplies I had stolen.

"Wow, good work Drelas! Good work," Valryn said to me with praise.

"Makin a new friend were you?" I teased the Dunmer.

"Eh, I honestly feel a bit bad for the guy. He's gonna get back home and realize he was duped, and half his supply is gone. Definitely makes me feel a bit guilty. What about you?"

"Me, feel guilty? Are you kidding? Who transports that much medical supply by themselves without so much as a guard? The idiot was practically begging to get robbed. Maybe this'll serve as a lesson to him for the future." The intense rush of success was still running hot inside me. Guilt was the last thing on my mind right now.

"Maybe he couldn't afford guards," Valryn said. "And especially not now that much of his supply is gone."

"Ain't our problem Val," I replied, growing tired of this conversation. "Let's get some rest, and then head for home and get this to Rasha. Remember, this is for our friends. They need these supplies. Hell, we'll probably need them. There's nothing to feel guilty over."

"Yeah, you're right."


The afternoon soon turned to Dusk. The sky shone a vibrant red on the horizon as the sun slowly descended into the coming darkness. Light flurries blew all around us, swirling through the cool, frigid air in blissful harmony with the calming breeze. The dancing flames of the small campfire we had started had done wonders to warm my body and soothe my spirits after the job we had just pulled off. As I held my hands close to the fire and could feel them warming up, I was lulled into a silent tranquility, where all my thoughts simply ceased to be. Perfectly calm and composed, I was certain I could have fallen asleep right there.

"Hey, Sargoth, I've been thinking," Valryn said out of the blue.

"Uh-oh," I said with a small chuckle to myself.

"Hey come on, I'm being serious!" the Dark Elf snapped back at me. "I've been thinking a lot about my life. Ya know, how I got here, what I want to do with the rest of my life, try and discover my real purpose and all that stuff. I mean, this is good and all, but let's be real, Sargoth. Nothin lasts forever. Someday, all this has to end. What am I gonna do when that happens? What are we gonna do, I mean? Whatever happens in the coming years, I hope we can still be friends."

"Me too, Val," I answered as my best friend's words began to burrow inside my mind. "We've been brothers over twenty years now, and we've been to Oblivion and back. That will never change, not as long as I have a say in it."

I saw Valryn smile at me for a moment. "You know it's funny, but the more I think about it, the more I think I actually might like to settle down with somebody. I mean…like, actually find a nice girl, marry her, have kids, raise a family, ya know? Just live the simple life."

I couldn't help but laugh and look at Valryn in utter disbelief. "You? Valryn Sarenthis, the biggest womanizer in all Tamriel, who has thrown countless women away like old, stale bread the whole time I've known him…wants to get married? And commit to one person? By Azura, maybe the world is ending." We both burst out laughing as we enjoyed some cool refreshing drinks we brought along the journey.

"I know it's weird to hear me say it, considering how I've lived. But it's true," replied Valryn. "As I grow older, I realize that your relationships with the people closest to you should be of the utmost importance. Building and maintain connections with people, forging lasting memories, sharing moments of joy and sorrow, and being there for them. That's what life is really about. I mean trust me, I still love sex as much as the next guy. But I've realized that's not enough for me anymore. I want to love someone, Sargoth. I want someone I can share my life with. Someone who will love me for who I am, for my strengths and flaws, and I them. Someone I can hold, and protect, and cherish with every fibre of my being. I want…I want what you and Anora have. The intimacy, the romance, the warm feeling of being with someone you love. I want that, I really do."

I definitely wasn't expecting to hear this so suddenly from someone like Valryn. Relationships and close intimacy were never his thing. But people of course do change as they grow through the years, and perhaps Valryn was beginning to show remorse for the way he so casually used the women in his life. Perhaps he was beginning to see that charming his way into getting easy lays was leaving him feeling empty and hollow inside. Perhaps this was a true, genuine moment of growth and maturity for Valryn.

"I've also been thinking a lot about my ma lately," Valryn started again. "As I'm sure you do."

"Every day Val," I answered solemnly. "Not a day goes by where I don't think of her. Honestly, you, Anora and my ma are the only things I ever think about."

"I've always felt bad about what I put her through in my younger days, growing up. I mean, she was right to throw me out. I was out of control and headed down a bad road, and I guess she just couldn't handle me anymore. I've never been angry at her for what she did. I'd like…I think I'd just like to make amends with her, eventually. Assuming she's still alive, that is. I want to say I'm sorry, and that I still love her. That's all."

"I think that would be a good idea," I said.

"I'm just afraid," Valryn said with uncertainty in his expression. "What if she's still mad at me? What if she doesn't want to see me? What if she…she really does hate me? Like I've always feared?"

"She doesn't hate you, Valryn. She's your fucking mother. I'm sure she would be ecstatic to see you again after all this time."

"You, you really think so?"

"Absolutely," I said, trying to sound assuring. "Like you said, relationships with the ones you love should be of the utmost importance in your life. I think you should try to patch things up with your ma, while you still have the chance. Gods know I'd give anything to see mine again, even if only for a minute."

The crackling of our campfire could be clearly be heard in the air, the sky gradually darkening as the moons began to shine through the thin grey clouds looming above. There was silence for the next couple minutes, nothing but the sounds of the woods and the wildlife preparing for their peaceful slumber as nightfall approached.

"Yeah, you're right," Valryn began again. "My ma ain't gonna be around forever. One of these days, I intend to head back to Morrowind and try to make things right with her. It'll be difficult, and it might not even end well, but it's something I need to do anyway."

"All you can do is try, buddy."

"Hey, Sargoth?"

"Yeah."

"Those bandits that attacked Lorian and Ihriel. Do we know where they headed afterwards?"

I thought for a moment. "I think Lorian said something about seeing them come from a cave, less than a mile or so from home. That's where he said they were attacked. Why?"

"Well, don't you think we should maybe go after them? Take them out?"

"You sure about that Val? I mean, knowing what they did to Lorian and Ihriel, they nearly killed them. I don't know if that's exactly a wise idea."

"Oh we've fought our way through far worse than bandits! I'm certain if we stay quiet and keep the element of surprise, they won't stand a chance! Besides, it's only a matter of time before they ambush somebody else unfortunate enough to cross paths with them. And they may not get away like Lorian and Ihriel did."

"That's a good point," I agreed. "Yeah why not, no better way to end a productive day than killing a group of bandits. Not to mention the good loot they'll probably have. Let's head there now, I'd like to be back home by midnight."

The journey to the bandits' cave didn't take long at all. Remembering what Lorian told me, Valryn and I were able to quickly pinpoint the exact location of the cave, and we were now in cover amongst some thick bushes. A lone bandit was standing only a few feet from the cave's opening, surely patrolling the area for any passerby. I dispatched the man quickly with a single, stealthy shot with my bow, and upon ensuring the coast was clear we crept to entrance.

"Wolf droppings," I said as I looked beneath my boots. "The Bosmer said these bandits had trained wolves. This is definitely the place." I scanned the area quickly for any other hidden threats before turning to Valryn again. "Okay, the plan is simple. We stay hidden, we stay quiet. Avoid any traps, and kill everything in here. We get in, we get out. Nothing to it."

"Sounds good," nodded Valryn in agreement. We began making our way inside, bracing ourselves for what was inside. "Hey, Sargoth."

"Yeah."

"When we get back home, I want a rematch at Liar's Dice."


We slowly pressed our way forward through the depths of the dark, misty cave. The cave looked quite ordinary, just like any other that you would find in the wilderness. The ground was damp, small droplets of water fell from above, occasionally landing in my hair, much to my annoyance. At first, this place looked nothing like a hideout for a group of thieves, and there certainly were no signs of life. I figured that this was probably intentional, to perhaps lure unsuspecting travelers into blindly wandering inside, just looking for a safe spot to rest for the night.

Surely enough, I was proven correct. Standing on top of a wide, rocky ledge, was a bandit staring off into the distance. A dark grey wolf was standing next to him, I could clearly hear its deep, famished breaths as it surely waited anxiously for its next meal. I silently drew my bow, gesturing for Valryn to do the same.

"You take the bandit," I whispered. "I'll get the wolf." It was of the utmost importance that the wolf was killed. If it spotted us, it would surely alert the entire cave, and we would be swarmed in a matter of seconds.

Valryn and I carefully steadied our shots, and only seconds later, the bandit and his pet wolf were no more. So far so good, we were still undetected with no one aware of our presence. If we could just keep this up until the whole gang was taken out, we'd be back home in no time.

As we journeyed further on in the cave, that's when we began to see the obvious signs of this being a hideout. We came to a small, ramshackle room that contained a few small tables with chairs, as well as a bar. Shelves and cabinets lined with all sorts of alcoholic drinks sat along the walls. Piles of food were strewn messily on the floor, most of it badly rotted as I caught a whiff of the stench. Investigating further, we came upon what looked to be a living quarters. Several bedrolls were laid on the floor, almost all of them drenched in stale mead and probably piss too. A few treasure chests were lying about the area as well, no doubt filled with lots of shiny trinkets.

"There's got to be more of em around here someplace," Valryn whispered to me. No sooner had the Dunmer spoken, that we heard footsteps rapidly approaching our area. The loud thumping of boots was accompanied by whistling. We took cover in a dark corner, waiting for whoever was coming to show themself. A female bandit soon came into our view, taking a seat at one of the tables facing away from us. She reached for a bottle off the table and carelessly began chugging away. Once certain she didn't see us, I nodded to Valryn, who then silently drew his dagger and snuck over to her in a low crouch.

Valryn moved like a ghost in the darkness as I watched from the corner of the room. The bandit was singing to herself, conveniently masking the sound of Valryn's footsteps. Only inches behind her, the Dark Elf sprung to his feet, and with a mere flick of his hand, he slit the woman's throat. She gasped and gurgled as a stream of blood shot from her throat to the floor, and she plumped to the floor as death took her. Valryn sneered as he looted some money and a potion from her corpse before I moved over to him.

We moved on from that room and pressed forward down a narrow corridor. We noticed several tripwires along the way, which we dodged effortlessly. I was rather surprised at the low number of bandits we had encountered so far, but I knew better than to drop my guard now. Surely more of them were ahead, standing guard against outsiders.

We found ourselves in a much wider hallway that stretched down quite a distance. Looking to the sides of the walls I saw rows and rows of prison cells, the corpses of previous unfortunate victims lying behind the barred doors, stripped and looted. Continuing to the end of the hall, we turned a corner where we were met with more cells. Not being able to help thinking about these people's last moments as the bandits ended their lives, I found myself just wanting to get this over with and leave already. I knew these bandits had to die before even more innocent people suffered the same fate.

I was snapped out of my thoughts suddenly, by the sound of weapons being drawn. Valryn and I spun around to meet the sound, and two bandits wielding large battle-axes were running straight at us.

"Well well!" one of the men boasted. "Looks like we got a couple lost puppies!" I swiftly jumped out of the way as the attacker's axe narrowly missed my head. I drew my sword, spinning it in my hand as the bandits stood across from us, giving us a cold, deathly glare.

"Don't you lads worry," began the other man. "We'll kill ya nice n' quick before helping ourselves to yer stuff!" The man swung his axe at Valryn, the Dark Elf sidestepping from the weapon's path. He then drew twin daggers from his belt and kicked the attacker to the floor. The other man charged at me, and I engaged him in battle.

I took a quick swing of my sword at my attacker, which he easily parried with the hilt of his axe. With a vicious growl, he swung at me again. As I watched him raise his axe high above his head, I rolled to the side as he savagely struck the ground, his monstrous weapon creating a large gash into the ground. His momentum was thrown off from missing me, and I was able to get a quick slash at the man's leg. The bandit howled in pain before slightly backing away from me.

"Yo boys! We got us some troublemakers here! Get yer lazy asses down here now!" the man bellowed. I then heard the sound of more footsteps rushing towards us, and the unmistakable howl of a wolf accompanied them.

More bandits than I could count began to storm the room, their eyes filled with utter greed and hatred, their weapons brandished, hungry for blood. Valryn and I stood fast, just waiting for the attackers to make a move. And then, before I could even react, the wolf charged into the room, and pounced right on top of me.

The force of the vicious dog sent me toppling to the ground. Its loud, ferocious barks nearly deafened me as it bared its bloodied teeth at me. I could hear the bandits laughing as I struggled against the ravenous creature as it desperately tried to chew my very face off. I continued to wrestle against the wolf, its drooling maw ever closer to me and my strength waning. Just as I thought I was about to serve as this dog's dinner, Valryn was able to make his way over to me. He gave the wolf a firm kick in its abdomen, yelping in pain as it promptly jumped off of me. Before the wolf could retaliate, Valryn hurled a dagger straight into its open jaw, sending the beast tumbling to its death. I gave my friend a nod of thanks, and that is when the bandits began to yell and growl in anger.

"Enough! This ends now!" shouted the bandit standing front most of the pack. At his command, the whole group charged at us as their blood boiled like lava. This, I knew, was going to be the battle of a lifetime.

I raised my hands, trying to conjure a fireball even in my panicked state. I hurled my spell at the group, and fortunately a few of them fell from the bite of the flame. The echoes of their cries echoed through the stone halls, and I narrowly avoided a claymore going straight for my head.

Valryn and I stood back to back, the bandits now circling around us, sneering as they drew closer and closer. This wasn't looking good for us. We were hopelessly outnumbered, we were tired and growing weak. And now, we were surrounded. It was then that I began to regret ever coming here.

"We'll be okay, brother," Valryn whispered as he looked to me over his shoulder. "We'll be okay." I wished I could believe him. I really, really wished I could believe him.

I looked on, scared and weary, as our attackers taunted us as they continued to circle around us. I could just see the bloodlust in their eyes, the insatiable need to kill, the unending, sadistic desire for pain. I raised my sword, preparing one last, hopeless defence against the ruthless onslaught I knew was going to follow. From the corner of my eye, I could see something coming straight for me. I instinctively turned my head quickly to see what it was…and that's the last thing I remember. Before I could even process what happened, before I had a chance to even dodge the attack or defend myself, everything suddenly went black. As quick as light itself, my vision went utterly dark, my senses all shutting down simultaneously. I have no idea what happened directly after that. That blow clearly struck me right in the head, knocking me out cold as I tumbled to the floor, leaving me completely at the mercy of the bandits.


I can't say how long I was out for. I figured it had to have been at least an hour, if not longer. What I do know however, was that upon waking up, my head was throbbing and aching with a pain I can scarce describe. I still couldn't see yet, but I could feel the inside of my head pounding and burning, like a volcano was literally erupting from within me. This was certainly worse than any hangover I had ever experienced, and I wanted nothing more that moment than just to die, so the pain would stop.

It took me around a minute to fully come to, and once I could see again, I immediately noted that I was lying on the cold, wet floor of a prison cell. My armor had been stripped off of me, and all my goods, all my money, all my gear, was gone. After making sense of the situation and coming to grips with what happened, I started to examine my injuries. Fortunately, next to the agonizing blow to my head, there was no other serious damage done to me. My ribs ached slightly, but it was at least tolerable. It was then, in a sudden moment of panic, that I looked to my left index finger, and much to my relief, my mother's wedding ring was still there.

"Sargoth…psst, Sargoth!" I heard a voice whisper, which I soon made out to be Valryn. I squinted my eyes and looked through the bars of my cell door, and I saw Valryn standing in the cell directly across from mine.

"V-Val?" I said, firmly rubbing my head as the throbbing continued.

"Hey…you okay buddy?" the Dark Elf whispered across to me.

"M-mostly…yeah," I muttered weakly. "Fuck, what happened Val?"

"It happened so fast," Valryn replied. "One second you're standing behind me, then the next, I see that war hammer going right for your head. I tried to warn you, but the handle of the weapon had already struck you before I could say anything. You went down like a sack of flour…and now we're here."

"Goddamn," I said as the pain in my head wouldn't let up. "Did they knock you out too?"

"No. After you went down, I surrendered right away. I knew I'd be a fool to take them all on by myself. I was expecting them to kill us both to be honest, but obviously, that's not the case. I was worried you wouldn't wake up."

I looked around the dark cell for a moment as I was still waking up. I cursed to myself for letting this happen. This was not how this was supposed to play out. This was supposed to be a simple stealth elimination of a gang of lowlife bandits. We should've been on our way home already, carrying the loot and spoils of our triumph. Not locked in a dank, dirty jail cell with all our gear missing. I couldn't believe that this was happening, that all this was actually real.

"So now what?!" I asked as I finally got to my feet and leaned against the wall. "Our gear is gone, we have no weapons. And we're stuck in these cells. What the hell do we do now?!"

"I don't know, Sargoth. I don't know," Valryn answered. "This ain't good at all. But something's gotta work out. We'll get out of this alive, I know we will. You and I are the ultimate team, there's nothing we can't handle."

"Fuck I hope you're right Valryn. I hope you're right."

It was then that the thud of footsteps began to echo through the corridors, coming in our direction. My heart started racing inside me, threatening to leap from my chest. I could feel my face getting drenched as puddles of sweat poured down my brow. The footsteps grew louder and louder, until four of the bandits could be seen standing outside our cells.

"Well, that certainly was quite a fight you put up!" one of the men said, in a rather sarcastic, condescending tone. "But in the end, ya proved to be no match for us! Yer gear is all ours, and both of you are caged rats now." The man came closer to my cell, staring right at me through the bars, trying to intimidate me.

"I gotta ask though, why would you come here? What in Oblivion would give you the audacity to come bargin into our home, hopin to take on a whole gang of ruthless killers?!" I could feel the man's rancid breath on my face as he bared his rotted teeth at me.

"You nearly killed our friends," I said, snarling at the man. "Two Wood Elves, who had done you no wrong in any way. You ambushed them, and nearly claimed their lives! We're here to make you pay, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let these goddamn bars stop me from doing just that!" My head started throbbing again as my voice raised. The anger in me was rising, threatening to explode any second. I was going to kill every one of these sons of bitches for what they had done to us, as well as Lorian and Ihriel before us. I would have their fucking heads before this was over.

The bandit facing me laughed menacingly, his steel armor barely visible in the darkness.

"That's quite a threat to be makin lad, considering your current…predicament," the man was smiling as he spoke. "Normally, we just kill any intruders who come here and be done with it, but you two gave us quite a struggle. We're gonna do something different, something we've never done before." The bandit stepped back a ways as he still laughed, my anxiety shot right up as I wondered what they had in store for us.

"Because you made it so far into our little hideous, and actually managed to kill a few of our men, we've decided that your skill should be rewarded. That's why instead of killing you both outright, I'm going to give one of you, one of you, the chance to walk out of here alive." My heart skipped a beat after that, and the other bandits began to chuckle sinisterly.

"One…one of us?" Valryn asked. I could tell he was just as terrified as I was.

"What do you mean?!" I demanded, my anger returning. The bandits merely continued their laughter.

"Open the cells and bring these two upstairs," the first bandit ordered the others. "Time to show you our little…surprise we've prepared for you." One bandit each came up to our cells, unlocking the doors with their keys and yanking us out. Valryn and I were then led up a set of stairs, with two bandits in front of us, and the other two behind.

We were brought to a small room which was almost completely bare, save for a wooden square table with two chairs on opposite ends. Valryn and I were ordered to sit in these chairs, and we reluctantly did so. We looked at each other as we sat at the table, full of fear and uncertainty at what was going to happen next. Upon learning that the bandits were planning on letting only one of us go, I was utterly dreading what was to come in the following minutes. My best friend and I just stared at one another, in stunned silence, as the terror dwelled and grew inside both of us.

One of the men approached the little table and laid down a wide tray, which I saw had ten shot glasses sitting atop of it. They were all filled with mead, and Valryn and I looked at one another in confusion as we tried to make sense of what was going on.

The steel armored bandit who had done most of the talking at our jail cells, whom I assumed to be the leader, stepped beside the table, grinning as he looked at the both of us. I could tell that whatever this was, this was going to be purely for their amusement and sick pleasure. The man cleared his throat before beginning to speak.

"If the two of you will look on the table, you'll see ten glasses in front of you, each filled with regular, ordinary mead. At first glance, this may look like just a fun, harmless ol' drinkin game. But I assure you, this game is far from harmless." The man laughed, as did the rest of his cronies standing idly by. I could feel myself starting to shake profusely. I tried my best to keep my cool, but I knew right then, that I had never been scared so shitless in my entire life.

"You see," the bandit leader continued, "one of these drinks is laced with a hint of Jarrin Root. In case neither of you know what that is, it's a tasteless, odorless herb, and it's one of the most deadly poisons in all of Tamriel. Anything unfortunate enough to ingest this deadly plant is subjected to an almost instant death." The bandit revealed his yellow teeth again as he gave us a sadistic grin. I knew then what this "game" was, and I felt nothing but a wave of pure dread crashing over me.

"No…you can't be serious," I said in a pleading tone. "You can't do this, please! Don't do this…"

The bandit glared at me, still chuckling and smiling. "The game's quite simple. The two of ya's will take turns drinkin' from the glasses, and you'll keep drinkin' till one of you drops dead. Whoever's still alive gets to leave in one piece." The laughter of the bandits in the room commenced once more, echoing into my mind, threatening to drive me insane. I felt like every ounce of my being was being savagely devoured away by fear, like I was being swallowed from the inside out. Me and Valryn looked at one another again, unable to believe we had gotten ourselves into this. We both knew there was no getting out of this, that there was no escape. We were now nothing but playthings to be used for the sick pleasure of this gang. Valryn looked to the tiny shot glasses in front of us, and I saw a tear escape his eye.

"Aw what's the matter lads?" the bandit leader asked in a mocking voice. "It's just a game! Be thankful I ain't killing both of ya's, and am generously giving one of you a chance to leave here alive!" I glared with burning fury at the man, wanting nothing more than to rip him limb from limb and watch him suffer and writhe in pain. He placed his hands on the table as he leaned over it, glancing at each of us.

"Now, drink!" he barked. The rest of his gang began to cheer incessantly as they drew their weapons and recklessly waved them through the air. Me and Valryn could only stare at the table in terrified silence, as our captors continued to cheer and taunt us relentlessly. This was it. This was going to be the end of one of us. Twenty years of undying friendship, twenty years of being partners for nearly every job, twenty years of saving each other's asses time and time again. Twenty years of fond memories, full of happiness, laughter, danger, excitement. Twenty years of being there for one another, providing comfort when one of us needed it, and picking each other up when we fell. Twenty years, Valryn and I had been as close as brothers, and had changed each other's lives in a way neither of us could ever begin to describe. And it was all ending here. Everything we had been through, all the successes and triumphs we had, all of that had now come down to this.

"I said drink!" the bandit leader bellowed again, drawing his knife and waving it in our faces. "Don't try my patience, or I'll gut you both where you sit." I took a deep breath as I looked down at the table, and then at Valryn. We had no choice but to play their twisted game.

"I'll go first," I said, reluctantly. Giving hardly any thought, I reached for a glass in the middle of the table. My hands never shook so violently in my life. I had to exert unimaginable effort just to not spill the drink as I grasped the glass in my hand. I then slowly brought up my hand, as I raised the glass to my mouth, the terror inside me still eating me alive. With one quick movement, I downed the drink, jerking my head back as I swallowed. I slammed the glass onto the table, knowing full well that I could be dead in a matter of seconds.

Fortunately, it was not so. I was still alive. The poisoned drink was still sitting somewhere on the table. I heard the bandits murmuring to one another, and the leader let out a quiet chuckle.

"All right, your turn," he said, looking to Valryn.

Valryn was shaking worse than I was. I could see nothing but pure horror in his tear-filled eyes. He knew this could very well be the last drink he ever had. As his trembling hand crossed the table to grab a glass, I desperately began trying to concoct a plan of escape. I had to do something, anything, to get us out of here.

The Dark Elf took a glass next to the one I chose, and he stared at it in fear before bringing it to his mouth. Just like me, Valryn chugged the drink in one movement, slamming down the glass as he swallowed the mead. Those next couple seconds felt as long as a millennium as I waited to see if Valryn had taken the spiked drink, waiting to see if he had drunk his last.

A small bit of relief came over me seconds later as Valryn yet lived. He put his hands over his face as he let out a deep breath, and the gang of bandits began their taunting once more.

"All right you," the bandit leader said to me. "Drink."

I was somehow able to regain my composure and force myself to calm down. If I was going to try and come up with something, I was going to need a clear head, free of any panic or worry. I took another breath before reaching for the glass sitting furthest to my right. My heart raced again, as I knew this could be it for me. Like last time, I swiftly raised the glass and forced down the drink. I threw the glass to the floor, shattering to pieces as I swallowed the mead.

Two drinks I had taken, and I was still alive. Seven glasses remained, the chances of one of us drinking the poisoned one increasing as the game progressed. The rowdy chants of the bandits only grew louder, doing nothing to ease my overwhelming anxiety. I knew this game was only going to become more agonizing as it went on. On one hand, this isn't how I wanted my life to end. I still had so much I wanted to do, so many places I wanted to see, so many new experiences and challenges I wanted to undertake. I didn't want to die here, not while I was still so young. On the other hand, Valryn was my best friend. The entire time I had known him, I would have given my life to save his without a seconds hesitation. He brought so much joy to my life, he was there whenever I needed him. It would absolutely destroy me to have to watch my best friend die right in front of me. No matter what happened, there would be no good outcome to this. This game wouldn't end until one of us died, and whoever "won", would forever bear that pain and loss.

It was Valryn's turn once again, and the Dunmer reached for his second drink. He appeared to be a bit more calm, and he promptly downed the drink as the bandits cheered and laughed around us. Six drinks now remained, the fear in me taking a firm hold once more as I proceeded to reach for the fifth glass. The cheering grew in volume as I swallowed my third drink.

Five drinks were gone, and five now were left on the table. The spiked drink was still sitting amongst the remaining glasses, just waiting for one of us to ingest it and meet our death.

The drinking game pressed on, Valryn and I both eliminating more of the glasses, and still neither of us dying. The feeling of panic and dread inside both of us only worsened as the number of drinks on the table dwindled. We knew that if we didn't think of something soon, one of us was going to be a dead man.

Only two glasses remained, and it was my turn. Quite frankly, I'm still amazed to this day that we even managed to make it that far. Eight glasses had now been eliminated, leaving me now with a fifty percent chance of drinking the spiked glass. I eyed the glasses endlessly, because at the same time, I knew the end of this game was near. As I decided on a glass and slowly gripped it off the table, I knew that if this was not the poisoned drink, then Valryn was doomed. If on the other hand, the drink currently in my hand was the one to spell my death, then Valryn would be free.

I took a deep breath, and slowly brought the glass to my mouth, my hand shaking uncontrollably. The bandits looked on with twisted excitement, eager to see if this was the drink that would end the game.

I was mere seconds away from chugging my final drink, when in a sudden, split second decision, I hurled the glass at the bandit leader. The man yelled in pain as the glass shattered in his face, and that's when I leaped from my chair and swiped his dagger resting on his belt. Before him, or anyone else could react, I took a firm grip of the leader, and smoothly slit his throat. Blood splashed onto my face as the man fell dead to the ground.

The rest of the gang standing about the room drew their weapons in a panic. I was able to swiftly maneuver my way over to a Nord bandit and impale him straight through his chest before he had a chance to attack me. I quickly grabbed his sword as he died, and the rest of the bandits ran at me.

Valryn joined the fray upon processing my unexpected attack on our captors. He took the sword of the fallen bandit leader. None of the bandits had seen him yet, and he drove his sword through the one closest to him. The ranks of our captors started thinning, and I began to think we actually had a fighting chance.

A door across the room burst open with more bandits who must have heard the commotion. Valryn and I stood against one another as the reinforcements poured in, surrounding us as the anger stirred in their eyes.

"I was not expecting that, Drelas," Valryn whispered to me. I knew that what I had done was probably stupid and reckless, but at the time, that was the only opportunity of escape I saw, even if our chances were slim to none. I was going to do everything in my power to get me and Valryn home safely. I was going to take absolutely any risk.

I looked on at the bandits standing across from us, knowing we were once again severely outnumbered. In a situation like that, I knew there was only one thing I could do if we were even going to have a chance of escaping. I focused deeply within myself, conjuring my anger and energy together. Our captors looked at me, puzzled at what I was doing, and that is when I summoned the flames of Ancestor's Wrath.

As the cloak of flames surrounded my body, the bandits backed away in fear and despair. I charged ferociously at the large group, killing two of them with my sword, and engulfing several more within the searing flames emanating from me. I delighted in watching the flesh melt from these scumbags. Valryn soon followed suit, and the battle soon turned in the favor of the two now flaming Dark Elves.

As more bandits fell, more just kept pouring in to provide reinforcements. Ancestor's Wrath is powerful, but it drains much of your energy and can only be kept up for about a minute at the most. I could feel the flames beginning to die around me, so I had to make the most of it. I decapitated a bandit with a spinning strike, and I ducked as another swung at me. I kicked him to the ground and impaled him through his back. Valryn spun his sword in his hand, and stabbed another of the attackers through his neck. A couple more bandits fell to our flames, I could see their morale was shrinking.

I had high hopes for victory now. We had severely thinned the numbers of the bandits, and it was only a matter of time before me and Valryn finished off the last remaining ones. We had this fight in the bag, or so I thought. The flames of Ancestor's Wrath dissipated from the both of us, and that had taken a staggering amount of our energy. And that is when everything changed. That is when the tables were turned against us once more.

Four more bandits rushed into the room, and I was gathering my remaining strength to defend myself. The attackers charged at me, with Valryn running to my defence. We fought gallantly, despite much of our stamina being depleted. I sidestepped as a bandit thrust his blade at me, and I was able to counter it and make a clean swipe across his chest, killing him. Unfortunately, my victory was to be short-lived. For it was then, that I heard a pained scream come from Valryn.

I looked over to my best friend, to see him fall to his knees. An arrow had struck his right thigh from an archer who somehow slipped past us. The Dunmer winced and yelled in pain, blood could be seen seeping through his pants onto the floor.

"Valryn!" I yelled In horror as he tried to pull out the arrow. The situation only grew worse from there. As I was watching Valryn, I had also let my guard slip, which the bandits were more than eager to take advantage of. One of them ran at me, and with the handle of his sword, struck my temple which sent me plummeting to the ground.

"Get them up!" I could vaguely hear one of them say in my disoriented haze. I'm pretty sure I was only half-conscious that moment. Everything seemed to be one big blur. I felt a pair of hands forcibly grab me and hoist me up off the floor. I knew we were dead meat now. My plan had failed, and in doing so, doomed us both.

"Take them to The Pit!" I heard the same man order. Valryn and I were then roughly led out of the room and down a hallway.

My vision quickly returned as the bandits forced us onward. We descended several flights of stairs, and upon reaching the bottommost room, we came to an abrupt stop.

Ahead of me, I could see what looked to be a fighting arena in the center of the room. The area was circular and wide, filled with gravel and dirt. A tall, metal cage was enclosed all around the arena. I shuddered at the sight of this place I then figured had to be this "Pit" they spoke of.

"Welcome to your doom, you fucking scum," one of the men said with a snarl.

The door to the Pit was unlocked, with Valryn and I being pushed inside and the door locked again. One of our captors tossed two swords into the arena, and I could only stare at them in utter disbelief.

No. No. This isn't happening, I thought. This can't be what I think it is.

"Pick them up!" the man ordered us. "You know how this works. Two enter the Pit, but only one shall leave. That door doesn't open again until one of you is lying dead in the dirt."

"FUCK. YOU." I bellowed at the top of my lungs. "We are not fighting each other! We aren't playing your twisted games anymore!"

"Then fucking starve to death in there!" the man shouted back. "But if one of you still wants a chance at freedom, this is how it will be done!"

I looked at Valryn who was visibly shaking, his expression was one of pure shock and trepidation. I could feel myself trembling, struggling to stand, like I was using literally every ounce of strength within me to keep from passing out.

Reluctantly, I reached down and grabbed one of the swords, no longer able to hold back the tears now running down my face. Valryn did the same, and I could feel the dread and anguish coursing through him, for I felt it in me as well. Never, in a million years, would I ever have thought I would be forced to fight my own best friend to the death. After everything we had endured and been through together, this was really how it was all going to end?

We gripped our swords in our hands and stood across from one another, both of us still struggling against the onslaught of tears. I don't think either of us was fully able to come to grips of the situation. Neither of us could accept that this was real. No, it couldn't be. I refused to believe this was really happening. How could I ever fight Valryn, let alone kill him?

For what seemed like an eternity, Valryn and I merely stared at one another, our red eyes showing nothing but agony and hopelessness. Our hands shook, barely able to hold the blades we had been given. This was the man I would have gladly given my life for to save his. But now, with this tragic turn of events, I was going to have to take his life in order to save my own.

"All right maggots," said the bandit who gave us the swords. "No rules. The fight ends when one of you is dead. The winner will be spared and allowed to leave."

I looked and saw him sneering at us as he stood beside the cage of the arena.

"And the loser's corpse, will be fed to the wolves."