Finally! I have finally arrived!
Took you long enough to actually contribute to the story.
At least I update faster than you.
Yeah, how's that personal fic going, Doc?
Okay, low blow. Either way, this is my chapter, which means I'm the star with our very own chapter, and by me, I mean Cassius. These won't pop up often, but they are the story of the Hero, and his own, albeit, smaller journey.
We hope you enjoy this chapter, and we promise to get back to Arlia soon.
Disclaimer: We do not own the Elder Scrolls series or any characters associated with Bethesda, we do however own any and all OC's you see in this series.
Descent into Darkness
Chapter 8: A Heroes Start
As Cassius watched Arlia and her team leave, his face contorted into a small frown. To send a person he now considered a friend off on a mission where he could not follow was not exactly his favorite idea, and even sending her with a guard still didn't ease his worries.
He knew she was competent, maybe even more so than he was behind a sword. Of course, his style was far different from her elegance, instead, charging and hoping to overpower his opponent. He rubbed his neck where in his mind's eye; he could see the blade of a Dremora nearly taking his own head.
Maybe I should learn something from her. He thought to himself as he took a seat by Martin. The young priest paid him no mind, instead choosing to be lost in his own thoughts. Cassius didn't mind, the man choosing instead to rest his head against the back wall, lost in his own memories of a different time, something near a lifetime ago.
DARKNESS
Two weeks before, Cassius sat in the barracks, his eyes watering from the sheer amount of paper work he had read that day. His commanding officer, Hieronymus Lex, had decided to give Cassius a shot at what it was to be a Captain, and Cassius Sestius had wholeheartedly agreed to the plan.
Now he regretted it thoroughly.
As he sat back in his seat, rubbing exhaustion from his eyes, he heard the door to the office open, and a small head peaked through. The head belonged to Cassius' partner and longtime friend, Gaius Morang. Where Cassius was lean and strong, Gaius was as large as any orc. His cream colored skin and scarred, stoic face made him one of the more intimidating guards that wandered the Imperial City, yet to all who knew him, he was as kind as a new priest, and as gentle as a butterfly.
"I see Lex has pushed off his work on to you." Gaius said, laughing at the steely gaze Cassius tossed at him.
"If this is what it means to be Captain," Cassius began, rising from his seat and making his way to his friend. "Then let me remain on watch till the Daedra burn us all."
"My friend," Gaius began, patting the smaller man on the back comfortingly. "No amount of Daedra could save you from your promotion." Cassius chuckled as he moved passed his partner, the two heading out of the double doors and into the market district. The night was quiet in the Imperial City, the populace now either heading home or to either of the two bars in the area. As frequenters of the Merchants Inn, Cassius and Gaius instinctively made their way to the bar in question. "How has the case in hunting the waterfront killer been?" Gaius asked, raising an eyebrow at his silent companion.
Truth of the matter was simple. There were no leads. The surviving pirates talked about a cloaked figure speaking with a Wood Elf on the day of the crime, no guards could recall seeing such a figure, and any witnesses to the crime were now deceased. Whoever had committed the crimes had been brutal, decapitations, multiple stab wounds, even stomping on the head of another until the neck gave way.
"The planning and execution of the crime states that the person is patient and meticulous," Cassius began, rubbing his hand on his brow, like he always did when he was deep in thought. "Yet the actual killings were brutal. My guess? A Nordic male caused these crimes. The raw strength of this person makes me think it's a male, and the ruthlessness of it suggests Nordic descent, in the heat of battle, Nords are more brutal than any other."
Silence filled the air as the duo made their way inside the bar, and immediately, they conversed with other off duty guards, drinking till they could no longer stomach it. Hours passed for the two Imperials, and as time waned on, so did Cassius sense of calm. He could feel eyes on his back all through the evening, and even in his drunken state, he was on alert. Or he was; that was until the seventh round of ale had taken hold of him.
DARKNESS
When he awoke the next morning, he was in a cell. His head pounding fiercely, his back in utter pain at the night spent on the hard ground. Confusion took hold as he stumbled his way to the cell door, shouting for the guard. After some time, a guard did arrive, his dull, iron colored armor, clanking its way down the hall, and suddenly, Cassius felt a panic rise in his chest.
"Guard, can you tell me why I've been placed in this cell?" He shouted as the guard drew nearer. When the guard finally was within eye sight, Cassius could catch a glint of malice in those cold eyes of his. "That's an order."
"I don't take orders from murderers." Cassius was stunned for a moment, taking a step back at the response. "Do you not remember what happened you drunken idiot?" No words could be found, so Cassius simply shook his head. "You were discovered last night holding Gaius Morang's coin purse, bloodied knife your hands, and the man dead at your feet."
Cassius could no longer find words. He simply collapsed, his body falling, slamming into the ground faster than he had anticipated, and almost unable to stop himself. He couldn't breathe, and instead, the sickness of the eve before took hold and he spilled the contents of his stomach. The guard gave no sympathy, instead spitting on the ground near Cassius, who was dizzy from his ordeal.
"I didn't kill him." Cassius began to mutter, finding that he couldn't clearly remember the events of the night before, flashes of things he thought could be memory. "I would never. I'm not a murderer."
The guard left him there, not bothering to answer any questions Cassius had. So it was for weeks that Cassius sat alone in his cell, the Dark Elf in the cell over mocking him, trying his best to belittle the broken man. Fate has a funny way of working however. Fate had placed him in that cell, in that exact place, for one exact moment.
"You. I've seen you."
DARKNESS
"Cassius, wake up." Cassius was shaken from his memories, Martin removing a hand from his shoulders. "You haven't slept long, but was it restful?"
"Strangely," Cassius began, rising and stretching his muscles. "That was the best sleep I've had in a while."
Martin smiled, and passed the warrior a loaf of bread and a small cup of wine. Cassius thanked the young priest and took a large swig from the cup, draining it quickly. Cassius set the cup aside and ate the loaf with ravenous hunger, his teeth ripping into the baked good as though it was the last thing he would ever taste.
"You'd think that bread would be your last meal the way you eat it." Martin laughed as Cassius sat back, sighing in relief.
"In my experience," Cassius said, smiling at the young priest. "You eat where you can. I've even had a bit of a snack during battle, giving me something to chew on and refill my energy."
"You eat during battle?" Martin said, looking rather surprised as Cassius shrugged.
"Usually just bits of bread or cheese, nothing like an entire wheel of cheese or a whole ham. That'd be ridiculous." A large crash sounded and the whole chapel fell silent, all held their breath as another crash echoed through.
"Cassius!" Savlian shouted from the front doors of the chapel, sounding shrill. Cassius immediately made his way to the doors, Martin following close behind. Another large crash, this time followed by the splintering of wood. "The Dremora are-"
"I noticed!" Cassius shouted above the uproar as the citizens began to scream in fear as more splinters flew from the door. "We need to get these doors open and beat these beasts back!" Savlian looked as though Cassius had just asked him to run through the Plains of Oblivion stark naked. "It's either that or lose the doors entirely! Now move!" No one moved to either comply with the order, nor to disregard it; all eyes stared blankly at Cassius.
"Please," Martin began, moving forward to step beside Cassius. "If this is our best chance at survival, we must make haste." This got a response, as two men reached out and unlocked the massive doors, and two Imperial Guards ripped the doors opened before the next crash could sound, and in piled three heavy armored Dremora, each tripping over the last. All three had massive shields and swords, yet when thrown off balance, Cassius was able to force his sword through the forehead of the closest one, cleanly slaying one of the beasts without much trouble.
"We force them back!" Cassius shouted as he kicked the next in line straight in the knee, gaining a grunt of pain as it collapsed, and he forced the blade through its breastplate, killing the Dremora cleanly. As the third raised its sword, regaining its balance, three arrows struck it soundly in the chest, making it take a step back growling in pain, as a forth struck it's head and a fifth entered it's chest.
Cassius could see more on their way, at least a dozen more, most likely a raiding party from the castle and he charged out into the courtyard, Savlian to his right with his guards, and two Imperial Guardsman to his left, while two archers stood back and fired. Cassius made first contact with another one of the heavy armored warriors, blocking the first strike with his blade and parrying the second, now slicing a cut above the monsters eyes, effectively blinding it as he forced a shoulder into it, shoving it back hard. He left the blinded Dremora to the mercy of the archers, who had none for the beast, and made his way to battling the next one.
The swordsman Dremora had finished with the guardsman, cutting him clean in half at the torso and charged Cassius with all the power of a raging bull. Cassius managed to dodge just in time, as some of the debris next to him exploded when the Dremora's sword made contact, ripping through stone and wood as though it were a hot knife through butter. Cassius kicked the beast in the back of its knee, forcing it down as he plunged his sword deep into its neck.
Cassius immediately moved to the next, a Mage this time, severing its hands at the wrists and taking its head as an added bonus. And on this went, until all of the human combatants stood, each breathing heavily, some vomiting from the experience and the sight of their comrades.
"By the Nine," Martin said as he stepped out into the chaos surrounding him. His eyes were wide with terror, and he took in the whole scene better than the guardsman surrounding him. He finally turned his gaze to the bloodied Cassius, and looked far more impressed than one should have been. "You slaughter eight of those monsters!"
"You have to be quick." Cassius recalled the words of his Elven companion. "The beasts are slow, and if you can dodge one blow, they leave themselves open to a counter attack." Cassius sheathed his blade and made his way to the Imperial Guardsmen and Savlian, each speaking quickly.
"We must retreat and hold back up in the chapel." One of the Guardsmen said, his wide eyes as large as dinner plates and his armor heavily dented. "We must wait for backup."
"I'm afraid that's no longer an option." Cassius said as he made his way forward, Martin once again at his back. When protests began to erupt from the man, Cassius raised a hand. "We cannot risk them tearing that door down," Cassius said as he motioned to the chapel. "Doing so would just create more unnecessary bloodshed. We need to secure the castle courtyard, our reinforcements must be saved for the final charge."
"You're insane!" The Guardsman said, now backing away from the older man. "You'd send us all to our deaths!"
"If your life saves all of those innocents inside, I'd gladly sacrifice it." Cassius said casually. "I'd give mine for the protection of the innocent, isn't that what you signed up for?"
"I didn't ask for this!" Cassius grabbed the man by his forearm and held on tightly, preventing the Guardsman from moving away from him.
"Welcome to war kid," Cassius growled as the younger man stared at him in fear. "None of us asked for this to happen, yet we're here, and we're the only ones who can stop this from getting out of control. If I can brave the fiery Planes of Oblivion themselves without turning into a shriveling coward, then you can handle a damned courtyard!" Cassius dropped the man's arm, quickly stepping around him, and Savlian and the second Guardsman moved to follow, Martin following behind them. The young Guardsman simply collapsed into a heap, sobbing hysterically.
"We need a small guard to remain here." Cassius said as Savlian stepped up to his left. "At least four or five, the archers need to remain as well, they provide the best support for the main defense."
"Are you certain this is wise?" Savlian asked uncertainly, wringing his hands together slowly. "Should we fail the civilians will be sitting ducks."
"We could evacuate the civilians now." Martin said, and Cassius shook his head slowly.
"I have considered doing so, but the only problem is if they attack now. They could send another raiding party at any time, if the civilians are caught in the crossfire, we'll lose more men trying to guard them in the open than in the chapel, which has two defensive positions at either door."
"And when we take the courtyard?" Martin asked hopefully. Still, Cassius shook his head.
"I'm not going to take any chances with these bastards." He then turned to Savlian, who was currently issuing some men to guard the chapel while they began preparations for storming the castle. "Savlain, we need to bring an extra sack of potions and weapons for the able bodied men here."
"They can have the weapons of some of my fallen men," Savlain said, turning back to the field. "Just return those, these men died with a sword in their hands, and so they should be buried with one."
"There are potions in the back." Martin brought up, motioning towards the chapel once more. "I'm not exactly an alchemist, but there should be potions of healing back there somewhere."
"Good, fetch all that we can, we're heading out in ten minutes, and hopefully we can catch up with Arlia and her team in time to form another strategy." Savlain and Martin began moving out, but Cassius grasped the priests arm quickly. "I need to ask a favor of you Martin."
"Anything my friend." Martin said, turning to face the once imperial solider. "Whatever it is you desire, I will do my best to help with."
"You wouldn't happen to have 3000 Septims would you?" Cassius asked, now earning raised eyebrows from Martin. "I mean, I know it's wrong to ask the church for money, but I'm in desperate need here."
"Why do you need so much?" Martin asked, squinting at Cassius suspiciously. "You aren't in debt with the wrong sorts are you?"
"No, just Arlia." Cassius said, scratching the back of his head lightly. "You see, I had to bribe her into helping me, and I promised her 3000 Septims, and I'm actually a broke man."
"You promised her money you do not have?" Martin said in surprise, now smiling a bit at his new comrade. "At least she seems the type to not hold a grudge easily."
"A mercenary has a lot of uses for money." Cassius said, now smiling back. "She may allow me some time to pay her back, but a small donation to my cause helps."
"I can offer you only what is in the chapel, will 500 Septims work? Martin asked, and Cassius nodded, sighing in relief.
"That's good enough for me." He said, now stepping into the chapel. "We're moving out soon, everyone; make ready to capture the courtyard!"