Philosophers and teachers, they always tell of the importance of reflection

This is because reflecting too late is the hardest of all

The tower had become abuzz with activity. The hows and whys of their mission were laid bare, at least, as much as was needed to get them moving. Supplies from food to restorative potions had to be procured while Muraat fired up the forge to give some last minute maintenance to their armor and weapons. It was only then that Sibylla noticed how drowsy and lethargic her camel, Karl, had been acting. She was very sheepishly informed that during the slug incident, Zelphia had nearly drained the camel dry. Do'Ravier was called to deliver some restorative spell. The camel was brought back to acceptable functionality. Do'Ravier complained that the camel later stepped on his tail but this was considered a minor grievance and quickly ignored.

"How far is this city from the tower?" Claudia asked Sharza in the midsts of the hustle and bustle.

"A day and a half west of here."

"I wonder why everyone has forgotten it." Sibylla asked outloud.

"You don't go off in a random direction of the Alik'r unless you're very adaquetly supplied. We're dead in the middle of the Alik'r and only the Bedouins know where all the water sources are; sources they jealously guard with their lives. We're already in the middle of the Alik'r. I doubt anyone has had reason to go striking off in that direction without promise of a guaranteed plunder." Do'Ravier explained.

"Which begs the question, how did you get around the desert stealing from the tribes?" Bann-Je inquired.

"Sharza learned to watch them go to their wells and to take a forgotten water flask before leaving when they were not looking." the Khajiit grinned sheepishly.
"You are both very clever and very dirty." the Argonian sniffed.

"Sharza grooms everyday so she is only clever." she retorted.

Claudia did not get caught up in the banter that so often accompanied her little group before another mission. She understood they did it to relieve stress, it was some little thing they could control, another distraction to keep them from going mad with worry. But could not allow herself that release. For one, she was already undead, there was precious little that could actually get worse about her condition. Second, that also meant it was still possible to keep the others safe, bar them from falling into anything similar to predicament she was in. That in itself was going to be difficult. From the way Sharza had explained it, she was asking them to walk into a city turned into a cesspool of squalor and disease.

And yet, there was no other choice. She could have gone herself of course but if she died then the mage of Peryite would go free and the problem would not be solved. In fact, deduct any one of their members and she felt their overall odds of survival would plummet. That was not a risk she was willing to take, even if she did consider permanent death just as good as a cure in her case. They were going to do this right and get it finished if not for herself but for the good of Tamriel.

From the safety of the far side of the tower, she watched the sun beginning to start it descending arc from the top of the sky. On the next evening she and the team she had resurrected would be striking out in that direction armed only with the knowledge that their target was possibly there and the full certainty that there would be a disease involved. Claudia felt somewhere in the cold dead space that should have been her heart a sense of shame. How could she do this? How could she ask her friends to sacrifice their safety, time and quite possibly their lives to do this? Was she being selfish?

The vampire shook her head and realized that maybe it was a little too late to be asking such questions. She was also certain that if she struck off on her own right now the three would most certainly head out and track her down, following right behind her regardless. Even if she changed her mind and decided to go off on her own at this point there was no way they would allow it. The archer should have thought of this before she even showed up.
She wondered if their journey would end somewhere out there where the sun met the earth.

Amazingly little was said the next day. Whatever communication was done, it was all that was necessary to finalize supplies and where everything should go. Instructions were given to Muraat and Sylva on how to run the tower while the rest of them were gone for hopefully would be a short time. A few spare doses were kept around for Zelphia while Claudia understood that she would need surviving off the few that would go with her, namely Sibylla, Do'Ravier, Bann-Je and Sharza. The thief was needed as a guide so they could make their way to the city. The rest were all there just so that this next chapter would be closed.
The hours just before departure are always the hardest. There is nothing that can be done yet but anticipation is hardly a meal that settles well or goes down easy. Whatever prayers they said were in silence, private and personal. Whatever thoughts they had, they went unsaid. Each of them may have muttered encouraging things to each other but it was all about making those comforting, familiar noises. At the end of the day they would be willingly walking back into danger yet again.

Sibylla was fastening the straps that held all the equipment to Karl just outside the tower. All their food, water and tent supplies would be carried by the aloof beast. No one would have the luxury of riding him but there was hardly any chance of five people taking a lift on the animal, much less with their weapons and armor. It was then, out of the blue, they spotted Claudia stepping out into the growing shadows of the dusk. She had followed up on Zelphia's suggestion and slept during the day. She seemed well rested, just like someone is fully roused from a good night's rest.

"Are you ready?" Claudia asked quietly, her blue eyes glowing from under her orange hood.

"Yes." SIbylla replied, giving Carl a reassuring pat.

"Good. The others are ready as well." the vampire said as Do'Ravier, Bann-Je and Sharza shuffled outside and onto the sands.

There was a small breeze that sang in the air that night in the Alik'r. The two moons were soft orbs overhead bathing the dust in a white glow. Claudia almost felt that they were going on a simple journey rather than a mission, a journey whose destination remained undecided. She almost wished they could just do that; simply leave and go someplace where all of these troubles would be forgotten. Alas, she knew that would not be the right thing to do. Only the foolish ran from their problems for long.

The group shared glances for a moment, asking each other silently if they were committed, if they were ready to head out on this. Each set of eyes shone like jewels though those that belonged to Argonian and Khajiits were brighter. Claudia's azure eyes burned with an unearthly glow. Their arms and armor also reflected the moon, an eerie, almost deceptive condition considering that very soon they would certainly be splattered in blood and gore.

"Sharza, show us the way." Claudia ordered, no longer comfortable standing around and waiting for something to happen. Without a word Sharza nodded and began walking confidently off into the west. The others followed right behind her.

Before they knew it, an hour or two had melted away. The tower had become a forgotten speck unable to be seen through the veil of the distant dark. Sharza continued in an unwavering, confident line. Sibylla had her compass out just to ensure they were keeping course but it was all irrelevant since the Khajiiti thief seemed to have been gifted with a natural directional system that was not fooled no matter how many dunes they shuffled over or walked around.

"Tell me," Do'Ravier announced with a yawn. "Why did we choose to journey at night again?"

"Because someone in our company takes an extreme aversion to the daylight." Sibylla chuckled.

"I assume she'll be needing to hide under the tent during the day, yes?"

"I suppose that's how it works." Sibylla admitted, casting a glance at Claudia who simply nodded.

"How polite of us." Do'Ravier muttered.

They trekked for as long as they could. In some ways, the night and the stars were soothing even if most of them felt the fatigue of being up at an hour they were used to being asleep. Do'Ravier kept his eyes on the stars, considering each constellation to keep himself preoccupied. Bann-Je idly let his tongue flick in and out. He was amazed at the plethora of different scents to be tasted, even this far out in the desert. Sadly, he was not sure of what the vast majority signified. Sharza just kept her mind of the goal. She wanted to have it solved and then be done with it. She might have been a thief but she liked to think of herself as a thief with a heart of gold. (Which she might have stolen.) Sibylla was simply reassured by the beat of her heart and the rush of blood within herself. It reminded her that she was alive.

Sharza was still happily leading the way when she was told to stop. Looking around, she noticed Claudia beginning to fumble through the supplies that held the tenting to Karl.

"Why are we stopping?" Sibylla asked.

"You can't feel it like I can but it's almost dawn." Claudia replied tersely, falling backwards when she pulled the fabric too hard.

"Really? Time sure flew." Do'Ravier yawned.

"Now could you all please help me set this up?" the vampire snapped.

"What's your problem? No need to get all nasty about it." Sibylla scolded.

"You would be a little tense too if you'd turn into a cloud of ash when the sun comes up."

"Oh. Right." Sibylla sputtered, realization hitting her. The group promptly got to helping Claudia at least get a peace of mind that she'd live to see another sunset.

Claudia had long since double checked and triple checked to make sure every part of the tent was secure by the time the first rays of the sun began to rise behind them. At this point it was just a matter of sleeping the day away. Nonetheless, between old habits and the threat of bedouins and more possible slugs, it was decided that they would have to post sentries and schedule out sleeping arrangements. Do'Ravier and Sibylla drew the short straws.

Admittedly, it was not easy to doze off in the shearing heat even in the early Alik'r sun. The Nord and Khajiit were beginning to think that perhaps it was for the best that they had the morning shift. The heat would only become more painful as the sun rose higher in the sky. Deep in thought, Do'Ravier realized too late that it would irrelevant to have a sentry during the peak of the day. Not even the bedouins launched attacks when the sun was at its zenith. Then, with a little dread, he remembered that the undead and the warped generally are not bothered by such petty things as intolerable heat.

The morning passed without incident though both sentries were very weary and generally frayed from the experience of standing out in the sun just outside the tent. Already their eyes had become bloodshot from the heat. They were being replaced by Bann-Je and Sharza.

"Do'Ravier would suggest remaining within the tent so not to be scorched by overhead sun." the battlemage mumbled to Sharza and they traded spots.

"That would be nice." Sharza agreed, certainly not wishing to leave the safety of the tent. They belatedly noticed that Claudia had positioned herself just off from the center of the tent. In doing so, she made sure she could safely rest without risking the possibility of someone exposing her to the sunlight when they opened the tent. It was only three days into her undead life and she seemed to be showing a knack for it. Then again,the vampire's form of sunburn is a little more catastrophic compared to that which afflicts other races. A perfect example would be the ochre color that bloomed on Sibylla's face from her watch.

"That will burn. And peel. Make sure to wash thoroughly." Bann-Je noted as she walked past him. She only grunted at him, not finding his observation any helpful to her current discomfort.

Sibylla had just collapsed and turned her head ever so carefully on the roll of fabric she was using as a pillow when she noticed Claudia stir. Since she knew this would be akin to anyone else waking up in the middle of the night, she wondered if maybe all of this activity had accidentally woken her. Taking care not to disturb her painfully tender skin, she was about to tell Claudia to go back to sleep when the vampire hissed at them.

"What is that?"

"What is what?' Do'Ravier inquired. Bann-Je flicked his tongue with an audible snap before looking out to the west, incidentally the same direction Claudia was peering at.

"Something...rotting." the Argonian announced.

In the distance they spotting a large, ungainly figure rise over the dune. Aside from the fact that Claudia and Bann-Je had sniffed it out already, they could tell that their interloper had no sense of stealth whatsoever. The only time the bedouins charged over a dune, and in so doing exposed their outline, was when their action was already committed.

"Move, Sharza." Claudia snapped, an arrow already drawn into her bow. She already had enough to concentrate on, crouched low, the bow angled so not to get tangled with anything inside the tent while close enough to her eye so she could aim. This was not one of the better conditions for shooting an arrow.

"Are we sure that thing is dangerous?" Do'Ravier asked, ears full erect and alert on his head, as best as his partially paralyzed one would allow.

"Something is wrong, I can tell." Claudia grumbled, letting the arrow fly and allow the string to sing a single harsh note within the tent.

The sharpened projectile struck the target square in its forehead. There was a sickening thud of the steel stopping at the back of the skull before the hapless victim collapsed to the ground. For a moment, no one even dared to breathe.

"Do'Ravier, Bann-Je, go check it out." Claudia ordered. The two promptly, if cautiously, moved forward to do as they were told.
The three in the tent watched in earnest as the two made a closer inspection. Eventually, Bann-Je cautiously and slowly moved his head above the peak of the dune to keep a lookout as Do'Ravier began to analyze what Claudia had downed.

"This must not be so straightforward. They're still inspecting it." Sibylla speculated.

"I knew something was wrong." Claudia murmured.

When they returned Bann-Je was flicking his tongue rapidly as if trying to catalogue whatever scent he had caught up there. Ominously, Do'Ravier seemed to be in a state of shock as if he still refused to believe what he had seen up there. Sibylla had to ask first.

"What is it?"

The Khajiit shook his head first before answering. "It's corpus."

"What?" Claudia demanded.

"Exactly. It's an ancient disease but it died out about three centuries ago in Morrowind. The only reason I'm sure it's corpus is because the description fits. Massive, unnatural growth to the body and muscles, hindered reasoning ability, and I'm going to guess unreasonable hostility; just a hunch."

"But you said it died out and that it was only in Morrowind." Sibylla interjected.

"Which is why I don't understand what it's here but I don't know of any other disease that could do what happened to the poor soul up there." the battlemage flicked his spear in the general direction of the corpse.

"...Perhaps it came back when the volcano erupted?" Bann-Je offered.

"Then what is it doing here? It's unlikely because the disease was connected to Dagoth Ur who the Neravarine struck down. And the Neravarine was the only person to survive Corpus himself." Do'Ravier explained.

"...Diseases have been the common factor so far throughout this whole journey. We're on the right track. It just means the stakes have been raised. Is there any cure for Corpus?" Claudia asked.

"Haha. No."

The orange of the dusk had scarcely been a passing memory when they struck out again. The party gave a wide berth around the malformed and grotesque body of the corpus victim as they left the site. Sharza continued to lead them but this time her body language suggested she was getting nervous, a stark contrast to her usual plucky self. They were getting close, it did not even have to be stated.

The sands were just the drops of water on some hostile sea, one they could walk, but a harsh ocean nonetheless. This time the moon had trouble piercing a veil of clouds overhead. At least the sands beneath them seemed to be grains of silver. Alas, they knew they would not be walking upon a destiny of treasure.
Abruptly, Sharza hunched down and the rest followed. Sibylla even left Karl unguided and followed in their example. Motioning for them to be careful, she guided them to the top of the dune where they all peered over so each could see with their own eyes.

Under any other circumstances, the site she showed them would have been a marvelous view. Like some beacon of hope in the middle of the desolate sands, a once magnificent city lay like a dusty but nonetheless brilliant jewel in the middle of a forgotten castle. Everything seemed to be made of stone, much of it worn down and turned rough by the years of being ground down by the blowing sand. The large complex was enveloped by a thick stone wall while the tiles, statues, streets and plazas, while showing their age by the thick deposits of sand, were in relatively good condition. T

"How old is this city?" Sibylla asked.

"Rumors say that whoever lived here dwelt alongside the Dwemer." Sharza explained.

"I'd believe it." Do'Ravier said with a nod.

"Yes. Sharza only cares that it might hold treasure, especially within that main building there towards the back walls." Sharza pointed out for all of them. There was indeed a clear road leading from the main gate facing them and running through the city like a main artery. It ended at a complex that seemed to be built into the city's gates, a large and foreboding gate preventing any from entering the building.

"Is that a temple or a palance of some sort?" Sibylla inquired.

"Doesn't matter. I can hear the heartbeats of all within there. Only one beats like its bearer is devoid of disease. I'm certain it's our mage; the one named Furaldur." Claudia murmured, burning blue eyes narrowing in the dark.

"How many heart beats are down there?" Bann-Je inquired, wanting to get to the more pressing matters of potential dangers.

"More than I can count. It will be dangerous to go in there." Claudia replied.

"Is there no other way to get there?" Sibylla offered.

"There is none. Sharza sniffed the place out before. That is the only way in."

"We don't have siege equipment so if that's our only option, we're going to have to plow our way in." Do'Ravier murmured, no liking their only option.

"I say we fight our way through and then close the door behind us and lock it. That way we don't find ourselves surrounded. We take on one hurdle at a time." the Nord suggested.

"That doesn't sound good. What else is new? We can handle it." Bann-Je conceded.

"Well then, we better get ready. I'd like this to be over with before the sun comes up." Claudia announced.

The plan was simple. Karl would have to wait by himself hidden behind a dune. The front gate was left half raised for some inexplicable reason but so long as it was not an obstacle it was quickly overlooked. The group would move as quickly, if stealthily, as possible up to the main gate before scurrying as fast as they could towards the building door that they wanted to reach. If anything got in their way it would have to be fought down. Claudia hoped that they would never lose momentum. To get caught out in the main straight where all the other alleys and roads branched off into dark and gloomy residences, and where Divines knew what was lurking in there, would only lead them all into an early grave.

The hearts thumped in their throats, save for the vampire's, the closer they got to the gates. All eyes were on Sharza who was still leading the way. All of them were wondering where all the foul creatures the thief had mention went off too. Claudia had informed them that they had heartbeats of some sort but like the corpus beast rotting several dunes away, there was something "wrong" with them. The moment they crossed the threshold of the gate and all of them felt adrenaline coursing through their veins at an accelerated rate. Where were the corrupted denizens of this city?

"We should stick to the shadows." Sharza suggested hurriedly soon after they entered through the gates.

"No. Do not do that." Bann-Je interjected quickly, all of them still moving as fast as they dared without causing too much noise.

"Why not?" Claudia demanded.

"Normally I would agree but..." the Argonian flicked his tongue again before his eyes narrowed. "You might get pulled in and never return. Beware, they come." and with that, the Argonian became opaque and practically disappeared before their eyes.

"Get ready." Claudia hissed as ghostly chills ran down their spines. They did not have to wait for long.

The first couple of lumbering shadows scarcely emerged from the nearby streets before Claudia sent arrows in their direction. Her abilities now preternaturally empowered by her vampiric senses, she was hitting her targets with remarkable efficiency and lethality. However, for all her deadly speed, she could not keep up with all of them. Lightning bolts began to arc through the air as Do'Ravier joined in. The problem was immediately transparent; their attackers were much too big and hardy, their muscles overgrown and bursting the skin they wore.

"Sibylla, we're take down any that show up front, you try to keep them off our rear." Claudia told the Nord. The warrior simply nodded her helmet, keeping her shield raised and ax ready. Quietly, she smirked behind the metal casing. It was both disturbing and amusing watching the shambling corpus beasts trying to chase them only to have their limbs go flying off due to some unseen force. Bann-Je's work was always impressive.

"Divines above, how long does this road go?" Do'Ravier snapped, starting to feel his magical energies being taxed to their limits.

"We're not even halfway there!" Sharza blurted.

Growling, Do'Ravier downed a flask before readying his spear. He dared not use another elixir when they had only just started. At this point, they were going to have to depend on Claudia's archery skills while he did his best to keep any other attackers off with his polearm.

They jumped when they heard Sibylla's shield clang against something hard.

"Sorry, Bann-Je let a beastie get too close." the Nord reported, pieces of flesh and ichor dripping from her shield and ax. The Nord turned around again, their sentinel against anything that would threaten them Through her visor, she noticed thin shapes starting to form in the sky. Her stomach dropped.

"Do'Ravier!"

"What?"

"We have arrows! Some of them are shooting at us!"

With a start the Khajiit turned around, his paws raised. The angry shards that were descending upon them subtly changed their directions and cascaded off to their flanks. Growing with the knowledge that it was unlikely they would be getting any respite, the Khajiit turned to Sharza.

"Are your telekinetics any good?"

"No and look at the gate ahead; it is glowing. Sharza is certain it is a warding spell preventing any from entering. She will have to dispel it."

Do'Ravier growled before coming to a conclusion. "Keep your heads down from now on."

"We're almost there, just hold on!" Claudia called. She took some relief knowing that there were no more enemies ahead of them, only the door keeping them from their objective. Unfortunately, there was now the multitude of enemies behind them. She got to work returning her own arrows at them.

"Are Corpus victims usually this aggressive and unrelenting?" Claudia asked their battle mage, observing that sometimes despite Bann-Je stealthily taking off limbs some of the tougher brutes continued moving towards them until the took a fatal wound.

"I am led to believe that from the books but I don't understand how some of them are shooting arrows at us. They're suppose to lose their sanity and faculties, not keep some of their skills." Do'Ravier grumbled in dismay.

Their enemies must have been former bedouins seeking refuge in or around the ruins. Most of them still had their dark and billowing desert robes but all of them were in a sorry state. It was clear that whatever hold they had on sanity had long since gone, the ravages and agony of the disease having long since parted them with their souls. Their flesh had turned into a putrefying color while their muscle and bone had grown out of proportion and became disjointed, cracked open, cancerous and rotting. Whatever remnant of a person that remained behind those feverish eyes, they had all been reduced to mindless beasts, the spirit having long since left Nirn.

"We're there! Just let Sharza do her work!" the Khajiit announced, wasting no time trying to discern the manner of spell barring their path. The fur on her paws stood on end. There was a strange and very dangerous enchantment on the door. She would have to be careful.

"Hurry, Sharza!" Do'Ravier hollered, driving his spear into the head of a rushing corpus stalker.

"Please wait, this is dangerous!" the thief retorted.

The group continued holding the line but they could tell the noose was tightening around them. Bann-Je's opaque outline, once invisible in the gloom, was now become easily visible as he weaved and danced his way through the murderous crowd. His ethereal blades would snap into existence, slice off a head or limb, and then dissipate just as quickly as it appeared. He moved too quick to be caught but the press of the mob was beginning to bear on him and eventually it would become impossible move through them. Determined, he feverishly continued dicing, trying to keep the worse of the numbers off the forlorn group in front of the door.

Sibylla quickly found her niche alongside Do'Ravier who was now only sparingly firing off bolts of lightning. The battlemage preferring to use his spear at the moment, Sibylla added her powerful ax blows where the Khajiit could not promptly execute a target. When the arrows would rise overhead it was only her quick instincts with the shield that protected them and Sharza. Claudia, her senses alert to a degree that no human could hope to have, was sending her arrows on dreadful flights that usually ended up as fatal to the target no matter how hardy their constitution was. However, for all their skill and ability to work together, they were going to be overwhelmed by the raw numbers.

"I got it!" Sharza shouted with relief. The solid door recoiled up like a gate allowing them to enter.

Without a word, the group retreated as a unit behind the threshold of the door. Claudia shouted outloud and Bann-Je emerged from the mob dashing past them with a flip and hurrying on the tail end of his comrades.

"Throw that locking mechanism!" Claudia shouted as soon as they entered, still letting arrows fly. Sibylla and Bann-Je immediately went for it while Do'Ravier hurried an exhausted Sharza to safety. It was in that moment that he felt something went splatter on his face.

It all happened in a moment. Sharza was suddenly on the ground with a thud. The battlemage continued to pull her away from the door into perceived safety, only vaguely registering the feathered arrow sticking out of her back. He heard her whimpering as he continued to drag her along.

"It...hurts...It hurts so much..."

Do'Ravier began to panic when he noticed the location of where the arrow landed. Apparently, the demons not only could take a lot of abuse, they could launch an arrow at such force it could impale a human straight through the chest. No sooner had he brought her behind a wall did he started to channel all the healing energy he had into knitting her flesh.

"Sharza, hold on! Just hold on, Do'Ravier can still-"

"...Sharza will tell her little sister you sent your love..." the thief breathed.

"Hold on!"

"...Sharza can't...it's getting...dark..."

"Do'Ravier cannot fail your family again...he already lost your sister and couldn't do anything!"

"...You...were always very good...Sharza was happy to know you..."

"You're not going yet!"

"Please...don't be angry with Sharza..."

"Do'Ravier never was, do you hear me?" the battlemage protested.

"It's not...so scary anymore..." the thief sighed before falling silent.

Blue light flashed and jolted along the walls but Sharza did not stir. Sibylla bit her lips and knew that no matter how skilled the healer, an arrow through a person's heart was something no one could come back from. Do'Ravier growled through tears as the energy flowing from his paws came to a halt. Claudia promptly slapped his paws as he reached for another elixir.

"It's over." the vampire told him.

The Khajiit glared at her but knew there was no point in arguing. He fidgeted for a bit but finally sighed, trying to decide what to do next. Gently, he touched the head of his departed friend.

They took a minute to catch their breaths as Do'Ravier carefully placed the body in a sheltered place and crossed her hands across her chest. That finished, he gathered his spear and walked up ahead.

"Are we ready? I want to finish this now."

Claudia nodded at him and stepped in front of him, taking the role of leading the way.

"I've been wanting to finish this for years now." before leading them into the gloom.