Chapter 5 – A Dark Night
When the group returned to Chorrol there was still thick snow covering the ground, almost 2 feet deep in some places. Few guards were on patrol outside the city, and those who were were sitting in the guardhouse rather than standing outside the gate.
Inside the city gates, most of the snow had either been cleared or melted by alchemical means. Ice covered the cobblestones, making them slippery underfoot. When the group reached the Great Oak, Lando stopped them.
"Thank you for your help, everyone" he said. "You may return to your homes, once again victorious"
Lando began to walk towards the castle. Alaina followed him.
"Go and get some rest, Alaina" Lando said to her. "I'm just going to tell the Count that we have arrived back safely"
"I'll go and put the kettle on, then" Alaina said as she turned round and began walking in the direction of the Armitage household.
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"An amazing story" Count Wavrick said. "But we have numerous matters to discuss. The first is, of course, where all this snow is coming from"
"I've been thinking about that" Lando said. "You'll recall that I told you about the Nord missionary, who told us that the Greybeards would help us in battle?"
"You believe it was them?" Wavrick asked.
"Possibly. I have seen with my own eyes how powerful Alteration can be in the right hands. I'm sure it can be harnessed to create a bit of snow"
"I'd hardly call this 'a bit' of snow, but I understand how you are thinking. You need to find out if this is possible, though. Perhaps the Mages' Guild needs to be consulted on the matter"
"Good idea, I shall go to the guildhall immediately"
"No, Lando, we need to go to a place of higher authority. Someone needs to go to the Arcane University"
"In the Imperial City? Such a thing is quite risky, don't you think?"
"Yes, but it must be done. In any case, nobody can perform this task until the snow has cleared. Anyway, thank you for your report, Captain, you are free to go"
Later that night, the Armitage household
Something was wrong with Alaina. Lando could tell. She had been untalkative since the aftermath of the battle of Chorrol, and was being unusually cold towards Lando. He thought about this as he lay in bed, trying to get to sleep, Alaina doing the same next to him, and came up with a very simple solution – it was simply that time of the month.
Then, he heard voices outside, coming from the guards, communicating with each other across the town.
"Several figures are approaching the town, north gate"
"Man the gate, alert orange"
"Who would make a journey to Chorrol in weather like this?"
Lando began to get out of bed. "I'd better go and make sure everything's alright"
"Why?" Alaina complained. "Don't you trust the guard to handle it by themselves?"
"I do, but you know I lead from the front lines" Lando replied.
"Don't you think you are too brave for your own good sometimes, Lando?"
"What do you mean?"
Alaina climbed out of bed. "Everywhere you go, you end up putting yourself, and me, in danger! I've lost count of the number of times I've been close to death over the last month!"
"I don't ask that you come with me everywhere, Alaina" Lando said, placing an arm on her shoulder. "Knowing that you love me will suffice"
"Lando, I only helped you fight the terrorists in Morrowind because you promised that you would take me somewhere safer when it had all finished! And where do I end up? Somewhere where the political corruption doesn't matter anymore because everything is buried under four feet of snow!"
"Alaina…"
"It's over, Lando. I am returning to Morrowind"
Alaina strode over to the door, walked out of the room and slammed the door shut. But as she did Lando heard other sounds.
A bow being fired.
A scream of pain.
Voices. "They're heading for the castle! Stop them!"
"Alaina!" Lando yelled. "Don't go outside!"
He hastily pulled on his Mithril mail-coat, picked up his sword and ran as fast as he could downstairs. He saw the front door wide open, and Alaina running down the street towards the south gate. Then everything happened at once.
A cloaked figure leapt out of the shadows and tackled Alaina to the ground, another running up to her and sharply hitting her on the head with a club, knocking her out. The two men began to quickly drag Alaina towards the south gate.
Lando made to run after them but a powerful pair of hands gripped him from behind. He felt cold steel touching his neck, and a voice.
"Tell us what we need to know and this will be a lot less painful for you!" it whispered.
"What do you need to know?" Lando said, adding a fake element of fear to his voice. He knew what was going on.
"Where is Count Wavrick?" the voice whispered. Lando suddenly leapt backwards, slamming his attacker into the wall of his house, causing him to momentarily slacken his grip. This was all Lando needed – he wrenched himself free of the attacker and drew his sword.
"Thanks for telling me your plans" Lando said coldly as he plunged his sword into the figure's chest. His attacker was an Imperial man, wearing a black robe, and carrying a bow in addition to the dagger.
Lando ran as quickly as he could towards the south gate. The other two men, also wearing black robes, were still dragging Alaina towards the gate. The two guards at the gate ran towards them. One was hit in the side of the head by an arrow fired from somewhere in the shadows, and the other hit between the eyes by a small crossbow one of Alaina's attackers had drawn from his robe.
Suddenly Lando lost his footing on the ice and fell to the ground.
The south gate swung open and Alaina was dragged out as Lando tried to regain his footing.
"He's the guard captain! Take him!" a voice shouted. He heard footsteps running towards him. He drew his sword and turned round, just in time to block an axe being swung at his head by another of the robed figures. The robed man tried to swing his axe horizontally at Lando but Lando ducked, jumped to the side and drove his sword into the robed man's back.
"Lando! Lando!" He heard Roman's voice coming from nearby.
"Roman! Who are these people?" Lando called back into the darkness. Roman reached Lando's side and stopped.
"They call themselves the Nightblades! They're from the Legion!"
"They took Alaina! What's the situation in the castle?"
"Endrich and Marus have got the Count and they're barricaded in the north tower. We're trying to clear all the Nightblades from the castle!"
Lando began running as quickly as he could on the ice towards the south gate. "I'd appreciate it if you helped me save Alaina!" he called back to Roman. Roman began following him, sword in hand.
They ran out of the still-open south gate, but they were too late. Alaina and the two Nightblades were nowhere to be seen. The Black Road, which led to the Imperial City, had had all the snow shovelled off it or melted alchemically.
"They're taking her to the Imperial City!" Lando exclaimed.
"Follow them if you will, and I shall help you" Roman said.
"We will need more men. We must go and find Endrich and Marus!"
"Very well"
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Lando and Roman ran into Chorrol castle to a scene of chaos. Dead bodies, both of guards and Nightblades, littered the Great Hall. One guard stood nervously on watch by the throne.
"Hermius, what has happened?" Lando called to him.
"I think I am all that's left!" Hermius replied. "I do not know if the Count is safe, and I am too afraid to go and look!"
"Three of us are better than one or two" Lando said. "Come with us, Hermius"
Lando, Roman and Hermius all raced down the corridor towards the north tower. They reached its door – in front of it stood four guards, bound together with rope and stripped of their armour and weapons.
"Don't come closer, Captain!" one of them shouted. "It's a trap!"
No sooner had he said it when Lando felt an arrow slam into his collar-bone – most of the impact was drained by his Mithril jacket.
"Get them!" Lando shouted. He turned round – two Nightblades stood before them, both with their bows raised. Roman and Lando charged towards them, whilst Hermius drew his bow and took aim.
Hermius and one of the Nightblades both fired exactly at the same time.
The Nightblade's arrow hit Hermius in the forehead, causing his head to snap gruesomely backwards at 90 degrees.
Hermius' arrow hit the Nightblade directly in the chest. As he was wearing no armour underneath, the arrow pierced through his chest and killed him instantly.
Roman lunged forwards brandishing his shortsword and drove it into the chest of the second Nightblade.
Lando ran over to the door to the North Tower and banged on it with his fist.
"Endrich, Marus! The castle is safe!"
As Roman began unbinding the other four guards, a heavy bolt was moved behind the tower door and it swung open. Lando ran straight in – Endrich, Marus and Count Wavrick were all inside and safe.
"Endrich, Marus, we have business in the Imperial City! The Nightblades captured Alaina! We must intercept them immediately!"
"I fear they will not have taken her to the Imperial City" the Count said in a worried tone. "The ruin of Fort Nikel, near the City, was turned into a prison for heretics and those who rallied against the Empire. But I believe it to be something much worse now. No prisoners have ever returned from there"
"Then we must travel with even more haste!" Endrich said.
"Let's go to the armory" Lando said. "We need weapons – lots of them"
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Roman, Endrich and Marus stepped out of the armoury, armed with seemingly enough equipment to take on the entire Imperial City. Roman and Endrich were carrying Elven claymores and shortswords and Marus a Dwarven mace. All three were decked in heavy steel armour and were also carrying bows on their backs. As they stood outside the armoury, two people joined them. The first was Lando. He was now wearing his full suit of Mithril armour, not just the cuirass, and was carrying three weapons – his glass longsword, an Elven shortsword and Alaina's Dwarven crossbow.
"I figured if we're going to break Alaina out she might as well be armed" he said.
The second person was a young mage who introduced himself as Carius Mendius.
"Excuse me, Captain, but I could not help overhearing your mission" he said to Lando. "I have something that may help you"
"What is it?" Lando asked.
"In my studies I have recently learnt how to master the art of summoning fire. I thought it might help you forge a path through the snow"
"Excellent" Lando said. He saw the mage was wearing basic Elven armour, no more than a cuirass and greaves, and was unarmed.
"The armour is my father's. He said I should wear it, as it would protect me well"
"Can you use a sword?" Lando asked, handing his shortsword to Carius.
Carius took the sword from him. "Captain, in these times everybody must know how to use a sword"
"One more thing" Lando said. He opened the palm of his hand – in it were five silver rings, illuminating the palm of his hand with an ethereal blue glow.
"They shall grant us the gift of night-eye. They are my father's, he made them with the intention of selling them and he would like them back"
"But there are only five rings" Marus said. "What will we do when we find Alaina?"
"We will thank ourselves lucky that all five of us have made it that far alive" Lando replied. "Come, we are wasting time!"
The five raced down the Black Road towards the Imperial City, Carius hurling great fireballs ahead of them, causing the snow to disappear in an instant in the billowing flames. Lando knew this would be visible for miles in the clear night. They would have lost the element of surprise – this would have to be a full-frontal assault.
Eventually they reached the sharp descent towards the Red Road which circled the Imperial city. In the glow coming from the city, and the dawn light, they could see an amazing sight. Lake Nibenay was frozen solid.
Ahead of them, the foreboding shape of Fort Nikel loomed up. All wearing their night-eye rings, they scanned the outline of the fortress for an entrance.
"There" Endrich whispered. "See the large tower? There is an opening at the base, leading into a courtyard"
"It's dangerous" Lando replied. "It will act as a choke point, it'll be swarming with guards. But it's the only way in. Gentlemen, we have a fortress to attack!"