A/N: You might have noticed that this is a ridiculously fast update period for me - it's been less than a week since my last update. It's an example of what happens when I finally pull my finger out and get down to some serious writing every night. Also, this chapter is shorter than normal at just over 8,000 words, but, then, as I always say, a chapter ends when it ends. Thanks to all who reviewed.
Commentaholic: I headbutted a wall when that unforgivable typo was pointed out. It's since been changed. Also, congratulations on grabbing the milestone of the 100th review. Roll on, 200...
ZWig: I suspect it's differences in the way we talk; Aerin could well have left the 'remind me' off, but it's her way of reminding Gorgoth that he hasn't explained what they're doing there.
Random Reader: I've taken a quick look over that site, and it definitely looks like a valauble resource, thanks for that. And I always did wonder why the Blades changed so much from Morrowind to Oblivion, so I've taken a few steps to combine them (e.g Renault's spy network that gets her info on Gorgoth's past). As for the Redguard swordsman/rogue... well, he's not much of a rogue, but, you're right: Gorgoth will meet his Redguard scar-giver later.
Anonymous Reviewer (honestly, couldn't you think up a more unique name?): I CTRL+F'd Chapter 18 and found no your/you're errors. I don't doubt that I've made some in the past, but it be a lot more helpful if you put that review on a chapter where I'd actually made those mistakes.
Well, that's that. As usual, I'll insert my comment about always wanting more reviews here. They can only help me, people. For now, read on.
Chapter Nineteen: False Dawn
Using the shortcut of riding over Lake Rumare on magically-aided horses, the group reached Cheydinhal shortly after nightfall two days after learning the location of the Mythic Dawn hideout. Gorgoth refused to enter the city, instead setting up camp north of the walls, far from any road, in order to reach the Mythic Dawn's caverns before midday tomorrow. The Orc had set a murderous pace, and both the horses and the people riding them were eager for any rest.
"I'll keep watch for four hours, then wake the rest of you just before dawn," rumbled Gorgoth, sitting down with his back resting against a tree as the rudimentary camp took shape. The only one who complained was Gnaeus; the others were either too tired to complain, or disciplined enough not to. Apart from Ilend, who chopped wood to make a small fire, the sole action taken by the rest of the party was to roll out a bedroll and crawl under their blankets. The last of their food would be eaten next morning, in the saddle.
The Orc twitched an eyebrow when Ilend slid down beside him, his back against the same tree. "I've been practising my magic like you told me," muttered the Imperial. He looked tired, but ready for action; he had clearly received good training in the Legion. "I think I can cast about three fireballs before running out of magicka, but what I really want to work on is my detect life spell." Ilend sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You say that I can cast once, and it stays for a duration, rather than maintaining it, which is more expensive?"
"The duration version is more common," replied Gorgoth. "It's cheaper and more cost-effective. I prefer the maintenance version myself; it's more reliable and magicka drainage isn't so much of an issue with me." The warrior-shaman turned his head to study the ex-guardsman. "With the duration spell, you could probably get a thirty-second effect, at the instant cost of most of your reserves."
Ilend was nodding. "I can live with that," he grunted. "I'd prefer it to be fire-and-forget. You got time to teach me?"
Gorgoth consented. The training didn't take long, as Ilend already knew a different version of the basic spell, and within minutes he was gently snoring, splayed out across his bedroll in full armour. Gorgoth settled back for another long night shift, casting a detect life spell and folding his arms. The previous night, he'd instructed Ilend and Saliith to share the guard duty, knowing that he could go into battle without a diminished performance without sleep the preceding night, whereas they would almost certainly be affected. Sleep was tempting, with a hard day's ride behind him and the tranquillity of the forest calming the atmosphere, but the Orc found that temptation easy to resist. He'd seen the results of drowsy sentries, and he didn't want it to happen to him.
The edge of the horizon was barely turning grey when Gorgoth got up and moved among the bedrolls, shaking and gently kicking their inhabitants awake. When the Orc poked Gnaeus in the ribs with his foot, the Imperial responded by whipping his broadsword out of its scabbard and swinging at Gorgoth's offending leg, but the swing was weak, and Gorgoth smoothly stepped back out of range, moving on to shake Saliith awake. Gnaeus snarled in annoyance and reluctantly dragged himself to his feet, sheathing his ebony blade.
After reducing their fatigue by washing in a nearby stream, the group mounted and started making their way through the wilderness north of Cheydinhal, eating breakfast while on the move. The lack of any roads and the untamed terrain meant that progress was slow by Gorgoth standards, but they had little inclination to talk; thoughts of the coming battle or lethargy resulting from the early rising stilled their tongues.
Lake Arrius was surrounded by gently rolling hills and open woodland, with a handful of rocky ridges dotting the landscape. According to the guidance map on the tomb back in the Imperial City, the entrance to the Mythic Dawn hideout was very close to the lake, perhaps on the very edge of it. A search was rendered unnecessary by the eagle-eyed Aerin spotted a path worn down by many footprints. Following that path, they came upon what looked like the entrance to a cave. Gorgoth's suspicions were confirmed when a powerful detect life spell revealed hundreds of life signatures below the surface of the ground. They had found the Mythic Dawn, and, by extension, the Amulet of Kings. The hunt was over: now, the vengeance began.
Gorgoth drew the party away to a safe distance and tied the horses loosely but securely to a grove of trees. Silence reigned as each of them checked over their weapons and armour, readying their minds for the trials to come. Gorgoth had reported there being at least a hundred cultists down in the caverns, which was both a source of uneasiness and grim satisfaction; they were vastly outnumbered, but, then, it was all the more for them to kill.
"If Mankar Camoran is there, leave him to me," rumbled Gorgoth, breaking the silence. "He is one of the most powerful spellcasters on all of Nirn, but I should be able to distract him for long enough for the rest of you to get the Amulet safe." The warrior-shaman drew his mace and started off down the path, motioning for the others to follow him. With the rasping of blades leaving their scabbards, they closed in on the Lake Arrius caverns.
"Selene, how good is your Illusion?" asked Gorgoth, beckoning to the battlemage to walk with him.
"How good does it have to be?" inquired Selene, her glaive slung over her right shoulder, the tip of the blade almost brushing Saliith's scales before the Argonian stepped back.
"Can you cast a powerful Chameleon spell on yourself and Aerin, while also Silencing your footsteps? It looks like stealth is going to be important, until we reach the Amulet."
Selene nodded. "I can do that."
"Good. I'll take care of the rest, and cast detect life over all of us so we can see each other. Dispel your magic when I do." Gorgoth patted the three potions at his belt to make sure they were still there, and walked up to the rickety wooden door that led to the entrance. He slowly turned and cast his gaze over the five companions that he had come to know as comrades. "It is unlikely that all of us will make it out alive," he told them, his face grim. "The odds are long. We are outnumbered. If any of you do not wish to face what is beyond that door, leave now." No-one so much as twitched. They all wore determined expressions. "On this day, I am proud to call you comrades," finished Gorgoth, nodding to Selene. The half-elf and Aerin disappeared under veils of Illusion magic. Gorgoth cast the same spell for the uncloaked remainder, Silencing their footsteps at the same time. Detect life spells came next, and finally he moved among them, casting a long-lasting cocktail of protective spells. Draining one of his potions, he threw the bottle to the hard ground and opened the door, moving into the unknown.
For those who had never experienced it, it was slightly surreal to find themselves moving in a group, not being able to hear each other's footsteps, not being able to see anyone except as a shimmering pink glow. The only sound in the moss-encrusted, wide cavern was one of quiet, tense breathing. A single red-robed agent was sitting on a chair, looking bored with the sheer monotony of sitting in the entrance to a cave all day with no distractions.
Gorgoth wasted no time. He walked up to the Imperial and snapped his neck. Taking a key from a string tied around the dead cultist's neck, he unlocked the only door in the cavern, leading the way through. A Dunmer up ahead, standing in the narrow passageway, frowned at the door apparently opening by itself. He narrowed his eyes, and evidently either cast a detect life spell, or noticed a certain shimmering in the air caused by even the best chameleon spells. The Dark Elf's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to yell for help, but Gorgoth pre-empted him by smashing his mace into it. With half his jaw ripped off and his tongue torn to pieces, the Dunmer staggered back, attempting to heal himself, but Saliith's throwing knife found its way to his heart in time to stop him.
"Move, quickly. Time is of the essence," hissed Gorgoth, not even pausing to wipe his mace clean.
The group passed quickly through the near-empty caverns, avoiding isolated groups of Mythic Dawn; bodies in the main area of the caverns would only draw attention. Gorgoth was using his detect life spell to locate a path; the largest body of life signatures was collected in what appeared to be a massive cavern just below them. There had to be at least eighty cultists in there. Relaying this information to the others, he gripped his mace tighter and started moving quicker, increasing his pace to a brisk jog.
Coming to a high ridge, Gorgoth raised a clenched fist and signalled an abrupt halt. He waved for the group to join him at the edge of the ridge, and together they looked down upon the bulk of the Mythic Dawn.
A colossal statue of Mehrunes Dagon dominated the huge, high-ceilinged cavern that the ridge overlooked. Before the statue was a stone block, occupied by a naked Argonian, evidently drugged and clearly intended as a sacrifice. A growl erupted in Saliith's throat before he checked himself. Moving further ahead, a pedestal was situated on the end of the platform. Standing at the pedestal was Mankar Camoran, his robes blue and unblemished, his face a picture of arrogance and confidence as he preached to his reverent disciples. At his right hand, just off the platform was a female Altmer, clad in the standard red robe, who bore a strong resemblance to him. The rank-and-file of the Mythic Dawn were assembled in a giant semi-circle, hanging on every single one of their leader's words. Gorgoth inwardly snarled at the sight of the Amulet of Kings around Camoran's neck; that would make it a lot harder to get back.
"I have a shot," murmured Aerin. She had an arrow fully drawn, the tip pointing unwaveringly at Camoran's heart.
"...and now, dear brethren, I go to Paradise," Camoran was announcing. The Altmer waved a hand, and a glowing portal, unlike anything Gorgoth had ever seen before, opened behind him, just in front of the statue. Camoran started to turn towards it. Wherever he was going, it would probably be impossible to follow him.
"Kill him," muttered Gorgoth. Aerin immediately released the arrow. It stabbed through the air, heading straight for Camoran's heart.
At the last second, the leader of the Mythic Dawn must have glimpsed something, or maybe Dagon really did watch over him. His body twisted, and the arrow, instead of going straight through his heart, slid on a rib, missing the Altmer's vital organ by mere inches. Choking up blood, the Altmer staggered, turning to look for his attacker, as his daughter leapt up in front of him to put up a magical shield, which skewed the path of a second arrow.
"CAMORAN!" Gorgoth's mighty roar echoed throughout the caverns, mercilessly pounding the eardrums of those next to him. He dispelled all his magic and cast more, leaping from the ridge to the platform, landing between the freshly-healed Camoran and his portal to Paradise. For an instant, their eyes locked; the Orc's cold yellow stare meeting the shocked amber gaze of the Altmer's. Hatred flickered across Camoran's face as Gorgoth's combat snarl slid into place. The Altmer sent Silencing magic straight at Gorgoth, who absorbed it and replied with several fireballs.
"FOR KVATCH!" bellowed Ilend, leaping down the path that led down to the bottom of the cavern, roaring warcries all the way. He was closely followed by Gnaeus and Saliith, the latter throwing his knives as quickly as he could draw them. Up on the ridge, Selene magically smashed aside the magical barrier of Camoran's daughter and nodded to Aerin, who sent an arrow flying towards her heart. This time, she didn't miss. A bitter smile, full of hatred, curled Selene's lips as the battlemage started raining death down upon the followers of Camoran and Dagon, who were only just turning to deal with the threat. Fireballs the size of horses vaporised footsoldiers where they stood. Others were instantly turned into ice statues, and yet more were the recipients of powerful surges of lighting jumping from body to body, leaving them twitching and jerking. Beside the half-elf, Aerin was keeping up a solid rate of fire, each arrow finding an eye, throat, or chest, ignoring armour with pathetic ease.
With the fury that only long-contained wrath can bestow, Ilend crashed into the cultists, smashing one to the ground with his shield, beheading another with such force that his head flew twenty feet, blocking a mace swing and stabbing the offending cultist in the chest, all the while shouting in rage. "That's for Jesan!" he yelled, slicing a cultist's face in two. "That's for Berich! That's for Brenman! FOR KVATCH!" The Imperial's rage simply could not be contained by the Mythic Dawn, particularly when his back was being watched by a remarkably quiet Gnaeus Magnus, who was dispatching any enemy within range with grim brutality, ebony broadsword rising and falling, slicing through cloth and armour, becoming bloodier and bloodier. Saliith was darting through the ranks, crouching low, moving with a speed that defied defences, cutting hamstrings, slicing knees, stabbing stomachs, leaving a trail of screaming, immobile cultists in his wake.
"It is hopeless, Orc!" Camoran was screaming, his face distorted, several different flows of magicka leaving his hands at once, battering at Gorgoth. "You cannot hope to challenge me! I am the exalted servant of Dagon!"
He was right; the sheer power of the Altmer was staggering. Unable to strike back due to the ferocity of Camoran's attacks, Gorgoth could only put all his energies into reflecting and absorbing individual spells, which Camoran was throwing at him relentlessly. At the same time, the Altmer still had the time to start wearing down his magical shield directly using Alteration, meaning that the Orc constantly had to rebuild his barriers. Sensing that he wasn't about to win a magical fight without aid, Gorgoth risked a glance upwards to the ridge; Selene and Aerin were busy fending off a squad of cultists that had flanked them, and even if they were available, Camoran had erected a magical barrier around the entire platform.
Gorgoth tightened the grip on his mace and started moving forward. Camoran would stand no chance if the Orc got him within mace range, but Gorgoth had to fight every step of the way; in addition to the spells already buffeting him, the Altmer saw through his plan and conjured a vicious wind, whipping and tearing at the Orc, slowing him. However, Gorgoth's progress was relentless; soon he would be within range. Neither combatant was aware of the screams of the dead and the dying, the roaring of those locked in mortal combat around them. Any distraction would mean instant death.
Camoran, sweat pricking his brow, realised that there was a far simpler way of stopping Gorgoth than killing him. The Altmer sent Destruction magic surging through the platform under the Orc's feet. Not expecting such a manoeuvre, Gorgoth was surprised as the platform collapsed from under him. He had enough time to roar once in defiance before he was dragged down with the remnants of the platform and buried under many slabs of rock. Camoran levitated over the gap in the platform, shield keeping out the clouds of choking dust, and entered Paradise, closing the portal behind him.
Their leader might have escaped, but the remainder of his troops were not so lucky. Torn to shreds by Selene's magic, the Mythic Dawn were in full retreat, harried every step of the way by Ilend, Gnaeus, and Saliith. Aerin had long since run out of arrows and was prowling the cavern floor, finishing off those who still lived. The cavern itself resembled a slaughterhouse; corpses littered the rocky ground, killed in a variety of different, painful ways. Blood was collecting in pools in the areas where the warriors had gone on their furious rampage through the ranks.
Selene wearily made her way down to the ground level. She alone of all the group had seen the outcome of the fight on the platform, and despite their decimating of the Mythic Dawn, there was no denying the fact that they had failed. The battlemage took both her potions and downed them, feeling the magicka once more flow into her, restoring her depleted reserves. She made her slow way over to the partially destroyed platform, weaving between corpses.
"Hey, what happened there?" inquired Aerin, walking over to join Selene, her shortsword dripping with blood, empty quiver swinging at her hip. The Bosmer was casting an eye over the pile of massive stone slabs that created a chasm between the pedestal and the statue. She frowned as she noticed the half-elf's slumped shoulders and downcast expression. "Wait... is Gorgoth OK? Where is he?"
Selene turned towards Aerin, studied her for a second, then jerked her head towards the huge pile of heavy slabs standing before them. "In there." The Orc's life signature was a pale pink shimmering, unmoving.
It took the Bosmer a second to realise what Selene was saying. Eyes widening, she took a step back, hand half-lifting to her mouth, an expression of horror creeping over her face. "Do something," she hissed, staring at the slabs as though they were living nightmares. "Surely you can lift them off or something." The Bosmer grabbed Selene's shoulders and shook her violently. "You have to do SOMETHING," she urged, the volume of her voice increasing in both pitch and volume.
"If I move hastily, I might crush him even more," explained Selene, forcing herself to focus and moving closer to the pile. Her analysis was interrupted by the arrival of the three warriors, who immediately smelt trouble and rushed over.
"Where's Gorgoth?" demanded Ilend, his eyes hunting the entire cavern for the Orc.
Before anyone could answer, there was an ear-splitting roar of air being suddenly and violently displaced. Everyone threw themselves to the ground as huge chunks of what used to be the platform flew in every direction, propelled by the sheer power of the telekinesis spell that had removed them from their resting place. Gorgoth walked slowly from the rubble and turned, his eyes seeking the portal that Camoran had disappeared into. Though he knew that there was no chance of it still being there, its absence was still a hot poker to his heart.
"Gorgoth! You're alive!" exclaimed Aerin, jumping to her feet. Gorgoth turned, and she stopped in her tracks, her smile sliding from her face. The Orc's face was lopsided, the lower part of his left jaw out of place. His left arm was twisted and was hanging at a sickening angle; the armour all over the warrior-shaman's left side was dented and deeply scarred. However, Aerin's eyes skipped over all that and met Gorgoth's eyes. They were deep amber pits, burning with raw emotions. His cold fury seemed to pulse outwards, and the effort taken to keep him from roaring in anger was evident. Anger at Camoran, anger at himself, and anger at his failure all threatened to rip away the Orc's emotional armour.
The warrior-shaman exhaled slowly, the rage slowly fading from his eyes, his jaw unclenching. "I have failed," he muttered, his speech slightly slurred due to his broken jaw. The words seemed ripped from him, and he was glaring at the ground, evidently contemplating the nature of his defeat.
Selene was about to attempt to offer advice when pink shimmering on the edge of her field of vision caught her eye. She enhanced the range of her detect life spell and grunted. "They're regrouping," she muttered, drawing all eyes to her. "It looks like there might be a cave complex in that direction." She pointed towards one end of the cavern, where a small passageway led to some other part of the base.
"Go and dig them out," ordered Gorgoth. "I'll stay here and... see what I can salvage." They all hesitated; none could predict the actions of the warrior-shaman so soon after he had been defeated. "Go," he said, waving at them impatiently. "In narrow passageways, my magicka's scope for offense will be more limited. Go and kill all you can find." Without waiting for further response, he started off up the platform, disintegrating the armour covering his left forearm, revealing several snapped bone splinters jutting out of his green skin.
"You heard him," barked Ilend, his old Watch Sergeant training kicking in. "We still have some retribution to take care of. My sword is still thirsty!" The swordsman, his sword and armour splattered with the blood of Mythic Dawn, not to mention the blood from some of his own minor wounds, set off at a brisk jog towards the entrance to the deeper caverns. Saliith and Gnaeus rapidly fell in behind him, followed by Selene. Aerin, arrowless, brought up the rear.
Gorgoth sent healing magic to his jaw and grunted as it slipped back into place. His arm was more complicated; he had to search for fragments of his armour that might have made their way into the numerous gashes. Finding none, he sent magicka flowing through the wound, feeling the bone knit back together and set back into place. The advanced nature of the Restoration magic meant that within seconds, there was not even a mark left on his bare green forearm, which remained unblemished save for a small scar he'd obtained in a pub brawl over a decade ago. His armour for the region was gone, but it had been irreparable anyway, and most likely removing it would have meant using a heated blade.
On the altar before the statue of Mehrunes Dagon, the Argonian, apparently meant to have been sacrificed by now, was slowly waking up, groaning as the drug slowly lost its effect on his body, wincing as cramps made themselves known. Gorgoth spared him half a glance before jumping over to the pedestal. He would normally have levitated, but his magicka was almost completely drained, and all three of his potions had been smashed. The pedestal had been left undamaged by the magical duel, and Gorgoth was interested to see a book positioned upon it. Looking closer, his interest soared, and an eyebrow twitched. It was the Mysterium Xarxes.
Reaching for the book, the warrior-shaman instantly detected the evil emanating from the sacred book of the Mythic Dawn. Written by Mehrunes Dagon himself, merely touching it would likely be enough to directly attack the souls of the innocent. Unfortunately for Dagon and Camoran, Gorgoth's soul had long since been stained black with the blood of the innocent, so any corrupting effect would be negligible. Not wishing to tempt fate, the Orc quickly swept the book into the small bag at his belt. Maybe something could be salvaged from it back at Cloud Ruler Temple.
The shuddering of the platform and a scream from the Argonian whipped the Orc's head around. The statue of Dagon was falling to pieces, huge slabs of stone crashing to the ground, causing the entire cavern to shake and reverberate. Sitting up on the sacrificial slab, the drugged Argonian had stood no chance of dodging, and was promptly crushed under the pugnacious head of the deity of the Mythic Dawn. Gorgoth's sole reaction was to raise a hand to protect his eyes from the dust. He cared nothing for the unfortunate sacrifice; the lizard had been stupid enough to get kidnapped in the first place. The Argonian had deserved whatever fate decided to send him, which in this case was a massive slab of carved rock.
After waiting for the dust to settle, Gorgoth jumped off the platform and headed down to the passageways that his comrades had disappeared into. There was killing to be done.
"They won't be wheat to our scythes this time," growled Ilend as he led the way to where Selene informed him was the biggest gathering of life signatures. "We've lost the element of surprise, which is the most powerful weapon in warfare. Remember that these arse-kissers have some fanaticism, which partly makes up for their lack of discipline. Stay focused." The narrow passage meant they were forced to walk in single file; Selene just behind Ilend, directing him, and Saliith behind her, with throwing knives at the ready. Gnaeus was attempting to shake blood from his broadsword while on the move, and Aerin somewhat nervously guarded their rear, feeling vulnerable now that she was out of arrows. The protective spells that Gorgoth had cast over all of them had worn off, and Alteration wasn't Selene's strongest point, meaning that they were all relying mostly on their own armour.
"We're coming up on what appears to be the first cavern," warned Selene, voice low, hands starting to glow a cool blue with frost magicka. "Looks to be at least fifteen of them in there."
"Split up as soon as possible," instructed Ilend, before raising his shield and rushing into the cavern. An unarmoured cultist spotted him immediately and raised his arms. Ilend instinctively raised his shield and half-closed his eyes, which almost certainly saved his sight as a fireball exploded against his shield. Wincing from the agony of the red-hot metal branding his forearm even though his chainmail gauntlet, Ilend snarled and rushed forward, pushing his shield into the chest of the Altmer. The mage screamed in pain as his flesh started sizzling. An armoured cultist appeared to Ilend's left, but a throwing knife entered the side of his head before either of them could move.
Two frost bolts curled around Ilend and slammed into two cultists just in front of him, turning them to ice statues instantaneously. Selene turned and reflected another fireball back at its caster, resulting in a Breton roaring in pain as he was burnt to a crisp. Seeing no other mages present, the half-elf saw no need to waste further magicka and leapt into the fray, blunt end of her glaive knocking a cultist's feet from under him and bring down the two-foot blade to impale him as he futilely attempted to rise.
Saliith had already hamstrung two cultists, and ducked under the maces of another pair, running up the wall, backflipping off it, and thrusting both his blades deep into a cultist's chest. Kicking the twitching corpse off his blades, the Argonian parried another mace jab and kicked the agent in the head, doing no damage except to his own foot, but staggering the enemy, setting him up for Gnaeus to decapitate him. The old Imperial, his age proving no barrier, was slicing through the cultists with ease, his blade almost as sharp as Ilend's daedric longsword. It seemed that the main purpose of the Mythic Dawn's summoned armour was to provide an aura of intimidation and to offer limited protection; in battle, it was largely ineffective against well-trained warriors with adequate weaponry.
The Mythic Dawn's typical reliance on numbers to break their outnumbered opponents simply was not working; in the small cavern, their quantity could not break down the sheer quality of their attackers, as individually, the Mythic Dawn agents were weak. Only Aerin was having any real trouble; most of her weapons training lay in ranged weaponry, and while she could wield a blade with some skill, her lack of strength and experience made her vulnerable. A large cultist, a Nord, had her backed into a corner and was hacking away at her with his axe. Only an intervention by Selene spared the Bosmer from getting a wound worse than the shallow slash across her stomach.
Within minutes of Ilend's entry to the cavern, all fifteen agents were dead. However, as the Imperial had warned, they had not been so much of a pushover; Gnaeus and Saliith required healing for deep gashes to their ribs from glancing mace blows. Ilend waved off the battlemage's offer to heal his burnt forearm, claiming that it would take too long, and that the pain was manageable. Blood leaking from a scalp wound and the flickering torchlight made the swordsman's face look like a bloodied, snarling mask even more intimidating than the metal masks worn by the Mythic Dawn. The group moved on.
After hewing down two stragglers in the passageways, Selene signalled a halt, as just around the corner, six cultists were evidently hoping to ambush them in a small widening in the tunnel. From the way they were crouching, they were all clutching weapons, but that didn't rule out the presence of a mage. Ilend motioned for Gnaeus to move up beside him, and told Selene to get just behind them. The Imperial suggested a Silencing spell to mask their footsteps, but Selene pointed out that they'd probably already been heard anyway, and a detect life spell was likely. Ilend shrugged and led the attack.
The Mythic Dawn was relying on the element of surprise; they all jumped out of the shadows at once, bellowing warcries and shouting curses. Unfortunately for the first two, they lacked the element of surprise, and were cut to pieces by Ilend and Gnaeus. The next cultist was so large he blocked the path of his comrades. Being both outnumbered and outfought, he was disarmed with contemptuous ease by Gnaeus, before the two Imperials proceeded to cut off both his arms and finally his head. The next cultist clawed his way over the falling body and put all his strength into a swing at Gnaeus. Stepping back to avoid the blow, the old hermit let Ilend slide his blade into the agent's exposed ribcage. The other two cultists turned to flee, but were shattered by Selene's ball lightning before they took three steps.
"Six more paying for their crimes," grated Ilend, stepping over the corpses, barely refraining from spitting on them.
"Ten more in a cavern up ahead," reported Selene. "I think one looks like a mage, but you can never be sure with life signatures."
"Lead, with a shield in place," Ilend told her. "Saliith, do you have any knives left?"
"All gone," rasped the gladiator. "I should have recovered them after that mass slaughter..."
"No time for regretting anything, pondscum," barked Gnaeus, his sword held erect in front of him. "Focus on killing as many as you can with what you have. No sense in pining after what's gone." Saliith's eyes flashed with anger, but he held himself back. Starting an argument now would only aid their enemies.
Selene stepped out into the cavern, and immediately two massive fireballs impacted on her shield, shaking it and almost destroying it. Ilend, Saliith, and Gnaeus rushed around her and leapt into the fray. Selene sent Silence spells towards the two mages; one hit, but the other had enough sense to reflect the spell back at the battlemage, who ducked. The Illusion magic impacted instead on Aerin, who arched an eyebrow at the odd feeling but was otherwise unaffected. That eyebrow arched even more when a collection of arrows, tipped with daedric steel, appeared in her quiver. "Only just thought of that," muttered Selene in explanation.
Glad of finally having something with which to seriously hurt the cultists with apart from her twin shortswords, Aerin smiled and shot down the two enemy mages within seconds. Most of the rank-and-file were already lying dead on the floor, but two were going back-to-back with summoned maces that appeared longer than normal. Unable to break down their effective defence in the small area, Ilend and Gnaeus stepped back and let Aerin pick off one with an arrow in the eye. Saliith shoved the falling corpse out of the way, kicked the surviving agent's mace aside, and sliced his throat open.
"Where's the next lot?" Ilend asked Selene, hefting his shield and leading the way down the next passage. This time, it was Aerin following directly behind the Imperial, arrow nocked and eyes alert.
"Next left. Seven of them." The group turned down the left fork of the passageway and entered a small cavern. Aerin swung outside the cover of Ilend's shield and quickly sent an arrow flying punching through a cultist's chest plate, before jumping back behind Ilend. Saliith, Gnaeus and Selene surged past. Gnaeus sidestepped a clumsy lunge by his sword-wielding opponent and plunged his broadsword deep into his chest. Saliith spun past two confused cultists, looking more like he was on a dance floor than a hostile cave, and buried his blades in their backs. Selene spun her glaive overheard, decapitating one cultist and staggering another with the blunt end, who was promptly taken care of by Ilend cleaving his head in two. The last agent left standing whimpered and dropped his mace, raising his arms in a futile gesture of submission. Apparently, even the fanaticism of the Mythic Dawn sometimes failed in the face of the primal urge to stay alive. Ilend calmly walked up to him and stabbed him in the stomach, stepping over the falling body, leaving him to die slowly.
"Apart from a few stragglers, there don't seem to be many left nearby apart from one big group just over there," observed Selene, pointing at the face of a rock wall. "Must be some way there. There's at least twenty of them." Ilend was turning to find a way, when Selene frowned. "There's something... odd... happening," she muttered, staring at the life signatures. They were fading with alarming speed. "Either they've learnt how to teleport, or they're being slaughtered." Distant screams echoing down the passage supported the latter theory.
"I think Gorgoth might have found them," rasped Saliith. "I doubt he'd have stayed moping on that platform for long."
Not wanting the Orc to get all the kills, despite the considerable body count he'd achieved already, Ilend immediately set off in search of the carnage, following the sounds of the dying cultists. They eventually emerged into a large cavern that had clearly been used as a sleeping quarter; bunks were carved into the rock walls of the cave, and the moss and lichen had been scraped away. Gorgoth was standing in the centre of a pile of shattered bodies, holding an armoured agent aloft by the throat. Eyes flickering towards his comrades, the warrior-shaman grunted in greeting, bringing his left hand up to join his right. Twisting the cultist's neck brutally, Gorgoth completely shattered it, then completed the job by ripping his head off.
"Our work here is done," intoned the Orc, tossing the head and body aside and ignoring Selene gulping squeamishly. "We have dealt a devastating blow to the Mythic Dawn. There is nothing else for us here. We are leaving."
"And how do you intend to get out of here any time this year?" asked Ilend, somewhat angry that his revenge was being cut short. But even he was forced to acknowledge that Gorgoth was right; hunting down the last few stragglers would be wasting time.
In response, Gorgoth pulled a small rock hanging from the ceiling by a thick rope. A deep, grinding sound emanated from somewhere, and the cavern floor began to vibrate suddenly as one of the rock walls started to slide into the ground. The open gap showed a direct path back to the entrance to the entire cavern complex, with daylight visible at the end of the passage. Sprawled on the floor was the corpse of the doorkeeper, his neck twisted so that his face was staring at the ceiling even though his body was lying on its stomach. Apparently, no-one had been through the passage since they'd arrived, or Gorgoth's handiwork would have at least been moved.
"Neat," observed Aerin, a small smile appearing on her face as she appreciated the convenience of the shorter route out. "Let's get outta here. I could use some sun."
Within seconds, the party was emerging from the caverns and blinking in the sudden sunlight. The sun had found a rare gap in the clouds, and its reflections were shimmering on the surface of the lake. No-one immediately left for the horses; the departure of adrenaline from their systems was making them think about the big picture for the first time. While they had taken no casualties, none had left the caverns unscathed; each bore the blood from several minor wounds, most of which had been healed.
Gorgoth wandered off alone and found a ridge overlooking the lakes to kneel on, running over the events in his head. Saliith went to check on the horses, while Selene sat down on a nearby rock and stared off into the distance, deep in thought. Ilend went down to the lake, where he started washing the caked blood, both his and the enemy's, from his skin and armour.
"So, does it feel better?" inquired Aerin, joining him, idly picking up a stone and skimming it across the water. The Bosmer had escaped largely unscathed, only a bloody smear across her stomach betraying any signs of the hectic fighting she'd partaken in. "You finally got the revenge ya were looking for; does it make a difference?"
Ilend stared into the bloodied water, at his grim-looking reflection, for some time before answering. "I lost many good friends, many comrades, that day," he muttered, speaking slowly. "Jesan, Berich, Brenman... too many to list." The Imperial's eyes were blue ice as he raised his head and stared out across the expanse of the lake. The gore-covered swordsman was clearly out of place in the tranquil beauty of Lake Arrius. "This won't bring them back," he continued turning to face Aerin. "But it makes me feel a bit better, knowing that they have, in some part, been avenged." A smile attempted to pluck at the corner of the Imperial's face, but his grim demeanour quickly returned. "The Mythic Dawn have paid their share of the debt. Now Dagon has to pay his."
Aerin spluttered in disbelief. "You? Take on a Daedric Prince in the name of revenge?" Her tone was incredulous. "You're a good swordsman, Ilend, but ya won't survive that."
Ilend spun to fully face her, and she kept up her gaze, despite his still-open scalp wound leaking blood down the left side of his face, lending him an intimidating air. "I won't be alone, Aerin," he growled. "Most of Cyrodiil will stand with me. You, Gorgoth, the other cities, the Legion..." Ilend spread his arms wide. "We'll make Dagon pay for Kvatch by teaching him a very painful lesson. Stay out of Nirn." The last sentence was delivered emphatically in a harsh tone of voice that meant business.
Aerin hesitated for a second, then waded into the lake, moving over to stand beside him, wincing as the cold waters lapped up to her waist. "You're still bleeding," she muttered, pointing to the gash on Ilend's forehead. She also knew for a fact that the burn on his arm still hadn't been healed, most likely because his skin was now glued to his armour, meaning that it would take more than a causal healing spell to put right.
The Imperial frowned, then put a hand to his temple, looking genuinely shocked when it came away covered in blood. "You know, I never noticed," he sighed, passing his hand over the wound again, healing it. He looked back down at the Bosmer, who was looking distinctly uncomfortable as the cold waters of Lake Arrius seeped through her leathers. "It wasn't your fault that you missed Camoran," he told her, prompting a look of surprise and an arched eyebrow. "He obviously has Dagon's own luck, as well as his magic. You can't blame yourself for him dodging."
Aerin sighed and looked down at the surface of the lake, biting her lip. "I should have gone for his head," she mumbled. "Any arrow fired by Trueshot can penetrate an Orc's skull, and it wouldn't have mattered if he'd turned..."
"Remember what Gorgoth says?" asked Ilend, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Never regret anything. It's a waste of time. You did your best. We all did." A small smile managed to appear on the Imperial's face. "Hey, we effectively wiped out the Mythic Dawn. That's something to be proud of." He shook her gently, attempting to coax her out of her self-depreciation. "Come on, you're still the best archer I know. Let's get out of this bloody lake; I've heard it might fuck up your bladder." The Bosmer allowed herself to be guided back onto dry land by the Imperial, who was falling back to his Watch Sergeant training, this time to inspire a dispirited comrade.
Meanwhile, still sitting on her rock, Selene didn't even register Gnaeus's presence as the old Imperial sat down on a similar, nearby rock. "You look glum," he observed, holding up his broadsword to make sure he'd cleaned it properly before sliding it smoothly back into his scabbard. His tunic was stained with drying blood, and several tears marked where enemy weapons had found his flesh on more than one occasion. "Helps if you talk."
The half-elf sighed heavily. "I thought that this might help the pain a bit," she explained. "But it doesn't. At all." She buried her face in her hands. "And all this time I've convinced myself that it'd get better when the Mythic Dawn were destroyed..." Selene let out a low groan. "I've just realised they weren't really all responsible for Whiterock. That was done from Oblivion, not from Cyrodiil..." Her shoulders slumped even further, and another moan escaped her lips.
"Well, crying about it won't help matters," barked Gnaeus, reaching over and pounding her on the back. Unfortunately for him, his bare fist landed on her chainmail upper armour, which was rough enough to graze his hand. Ignoring the stinging, he continued with his tirade. "So you were under the illusion that false hope inevitably gives you. Get over it." The Imperial stood and started pacing. "No use in despairing about the past when you can be focusing on the future. Don't look back with regret when you can look forward with determination." Gnaeus drew closer and forcibly separated her hands from her face, pulling her straight, and resisting the urge to wince when she glared at him. Even with tears streaking her face, she could be as intimidating as her father at times.
"So what do you suggest I look forward to, Magnus?" she hissed, her voice pure venom. "What do we have to fight Dagon with? Nothing, that's what! We've failed!" She spat the last words and lurched to her feet, walking away towards where the horses were tied. A deep voice stopped her in her tracks.
"We have this."
Slowly, Selene turned. Gorgoth was standing just behind the rock she'd been sitting on, holding out a strange-looking book. It was off-white in colour, and appeared to be a thick tome of some sort. The daedric lettering on the front, combined with the aura of evil that appeared to surround it, confirmed her suspicions. "We have the Mysterium Xarxes?" she breathed, hardly daring to believe it.
"You know of it?" asked Gorgoth, returning the book to the small bag hanging from his belt. The damage to the warrior-shaman's armour, under the light of the sun, looked even worse than it had in the cave. In order to get his arm reformed, the entire left gauntlet had been disintegrated, and sizeable dents on the left side of the breastplate must have been causing him considerable discomfort. The left pauldron had been rammed into the side of his neck, and was slowly rubbing away at the skin, slowly causing an angry weal to appear. Gorgoth didn't seem to notice.
"The one thing we had on Whiterock was a well-stocked library," explained Selene. "I know a bit about it, but not all that much." The half-elf looked up at Gorgoth eagerly, starting to feel less pessimistic. "Could we use that against Dagon?"
"I'm not sure," responded Gorgoth. "Right now, all we can hope to do is report back to Cloud Ruler Temple with what we have. Assemble at the horses."
Selene needed no further encouragement, and scrambled off up the slope. Gnaeus stayed for long enough to give Gorgoth a sharp look, then walked off in the same direction at a slower pace. Gorgoth looked out across Lake Arrius, his hand tightening over the book in his bag, ignoring the pulsating evil that throbbed under his touch. "This isn't over, Camoran," he growled softly, turning to return to the horses.
Saliith grunted in pain as he reached up to clean a stray spot of his blood off his horse's mane. A wound he'd passed off as negligible before had turned out to be more serious than expected; he suspected that his kidney had been nicked by the agent's blade before he'd sliced the man's throat. The Argonian had already cleaned most of the blood off himself and his battered scale armour, but a slow, steady trickle of blood continued to seep from that wound down his right leg. He wasn't willing to waste a potion when healers were nearby, and resigned himself to waiting in pain for Selene or Gorgoth to arrive.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long, as Selene soon appeared and healed the wound as soon as he asked. It left a nasty-looking gash in his armour, but it was nothing that Gin-Wulm couldn't fix. Gorgoth appeared soon after, clutching his belt bag for some reason. Saliith finished looking over his horse, whom he'd named Gladiator – though the aged bay wasn't much of one – and started untying him.
"Where are those two bloody young whippersnappers?" asked Gnaeus, his head swivelling in a futile attempt to locate Ilend and Aerin. "Just like the young to decide to hold up those who know better. I hope they're not having sex under a bush." The Imperial harrumphed and descended into unintelligible grumbles.
"Down there, coming this way," replied Gorgoth, pointing to an area without even looking in its direction. Apparently, his detect life spell was effective even on the fringes of his peripheral vision. "And as you owe your life to Aerin, you might want to make allowances." The old hermit's head whipped around, and he fixed Gorgoth with a glare, demanding an explanation. "She shot Camoran's daughter, who otherwise would have at least muted Selene for a couple of minutes. Without Selene's magical support, you'd have been overrun by their numbers."
Before Gnaeus could reply, the Bosmer in question appeared, emerging from a grove of trees, looking in far higher spirits than she had when they'd left the cave. Ilend, scratching at some drying blood on his face, followed her. "So, what's our next move, big guy?" she asked Gorgoth.
"We deliver the Mysterium Xarxes to Cloud Ruler Temple," grunted Gorgoth, patting his belt bag. He ignored Aerin's look of confusion. "It may be our only way of getting the Amulet of Kings back, and I intend to follow every lead even if it takes me to the end of the world. Mount up." Within minutes, spurred on by the Orc's determination, the group had left Lake Arrius behind. Their leader might have escaped, but most of the Mythic Dawn lay dead in their headquarters. There would be no new dawn for them.
A/N: My most action-packed chapter for a while, I really hope it's speedy creation didn't hurt the quality, as I quite like this chapter. One thing that I should inform you about is the character survival rate; it seems high right now, and that's because it is: not only did no main character die in that very dangerous battle, but many NPCs have survived that shouldn't: Captain Renault, Glenroy, and Menien Goneld spring to mind. Fear not, however, if you're that sort of person who dislikes everyone surviving impossible odds: People WILL die before this fic is out, and quite a few of them; you've probably never read my Valkyria Chronicles oneshot, but in that, only two of the characters survive. Killing characters gives a sense of realism; you wouldn't expect EVERYONE to survive the Oblivion crisis. And, no, not even Gorgoth is safe...
Once again, review. Not only does it help me, it also inspires me to write more, and write it faster. Go on, click the link below this author's note...