Two figures rode upon horses. Their long flowing brown hair feathered in the air to every step. Their slim, muscled bodies acknowledged their past experience in some sort of guild. The agility and preciseness of their actions accompanied their form. The figures appeared to be two grown women, with some intelligent and tactical minds on fighting.
The horses they rode were obviously purebred. The slick position of their joints to each and every move was precise. The long, thick coats upon both of their bodies were well taken care of, and it was very weather protective. The manes were short, yet flowed like grace. These horses made the women look like professionals.
"The Black-Briars won't miss these, Alianor."
"They get new horses almost every week, trust me, Alice they won't."
The Black-Briars were a harsh family. Always taking what they want just because they're so rich with their meadery business. They even had a manor in the Rift that is so heavily guarded, no one could even knock on the door. That didn't stop Alianor from using her sneaking skills. Not to mention, Alice had her back the entire time, just in case the plan went wrong.
"Riverwood, here we come," Alice determinedly pushed on.
Alianor dodged a few obstacles and kept up with Alice. What a beautiful dawn it became. Perfect morn to start this heist, "Where do you suppose this ship takes us, ya' know, after Windhelm?"
"Hmm... I'd think somewhere off Skyrim, but if that is true, then where is Doben?" Alice wondered about this for a minute. For a God to hide away from his own lines didn't make sense. Ever since the Doben outbreak happened, Doben basically owned the land of Skyrim, so why was he hiding away from it?
"Don't jump to conclusions, Alice. Doben is smart. He has been threatening us for a number of years, and I'd think, according to his quick actions, he wouldn't be off hiding in some foreign territory," Alianor judged.
"You're right, besides, like K'Joor said, we don't even know if he is there! If so, do we attack?" Alice imagined the situation.
"He is too strong for us. If we fight Doben, we fight with the group. Making plans on something we don't know about, or exactly where, is too pushy."
"Pushy? So you think we need a surprise attack on him, when that time comes," Alice cleared.
Alianor slowed down her horse as the path became more narrowed. She had to squeezed closer to Alice's horse, making it difficult to keep balance, "Not exactly surprise. It is likely he will know it is us there, but we could for a more logical, true plan. Once we have the information, we can take that and devise a group plan."
Before Alice's mouth and mind could form any words to say, she got pushed a bit more to the edge of the path by Alianor, she had to keep her mind focused on the road ahead.
"We should just stick to the task on hand," Alianor talked.
Alice and Alianor were part of a gang against the all mighty Lord Doben. They and their gang members K'Joor (The Khajiit, or cat man, leader of the gang), Marthar (The old wizard), Phantom Fish (The Argonian, or lizard man, who was their second mage), and Serena (The young vampire who let the gang stay at Fort Dawnguard) defended Skyrim from Dobens outbreak. Doben had taken over Skyrim after ganging up with a guild called the Crimson Swords. They murdered K'Joor's family. Once he had found out that Doben had escaped to Skyrim, he came to seek revenge, but it was too late. Doben gained many forces and took over, spreading a curse all over to command minions to kneel before him. Luckily, K'Joor and the gang had met, or else all of Skyrim would be doomed to eternal slavery.
The narrow path split roughly in two directions. Alianor stopped in her tracks. She didn't know this part of Skyrim. Alice moved around Alianor and took a left. Her days in the Legion proved her knowledge of the paths. Many battles, she had fought. It helped her remember where she was and in which hold. A captured Legion fort was around here, so, essentially, she knew where she was.
The Imperial Legion is known throughout Tamriel. They are mostly found in Cyrodiil, a country south of Skyrim. Imperials are known for their royalty, and the Legion in which protects them. They are all over the continent of Tamriel.
By mid-day, they'd be at their location, Riverwood. K'Joor and the gang had already defeated the group of Doben guards overtaking the village. Just how are they expected to get past the town was unanswered. Maybe they were just couriers, not knowing their load, they just delivered to the ship, and it's inhabitants were Doben followers. No matter, the mission said that they were supposed to sneak on the carriage and investigate the ships whereabouts to its destination. That is what they'd do.
Hours passed by, and to the ladies, it seemed only minutes. With all the conversations, and ranting, they barely even kept track of time. Alice led most of the way, while Alianor just gave advice every once and awhile. It was calm and soothing, and strangely, less outbreaks of Doben were seen. It was a good sign, yet very questionable.
To their surprise, the horses held up greatly. The long journey made everyone tired. They thought they'd stop at Riverwood's Sleeping Giant Inn, but maybe they'd sleep on the ship. It would take a bit to get there if this place was not able to be accessed by land.
Arriving in Riverwood almost an hour after noon. The carriage was parked right by the North entrance of town. The entrance that lead to Whiterun and then Windhelm. The carriage drivers must be catching a quick drink before they'd leave. Perfect timing.
"Alice, I say we unlock that trunk in the back, and you'll hide in there,"
"What about you?" Alice questioned.
"I'll make sure it's nice and safe for you on the way, and then, I'll hide in that bag over there," pointed Alianor.
"Sounds legit to me," Alice shrugged.
Sneaking around to the carriage, Alianor began to pick the lock to the trunk. Easy, yeah, extremely easy! This definitely wasn't her first time picking locks. Just a quiet click sound opened the chest. Alice got in. It was a tight fit with all the supplies inside. Alianor fastened it so it wouldn't look suspicious. Then she opened the bag. It was full of coal. Was Doben powering something? She got inside, and surprisingly, it wasn't fully packed, so it did make a bit of room for her. Tipping over the bag, hiding the unfastened top, she waited.
A few minutes later, the carriage started to move along the bumpy road. The air became cold and crisp. Windhelm wasn't too far. An hour later, they felt the sudden stop of the carriage. Some guards were talking, and unloading the load. Alianor, now black from the coal, blended in with the rest of the bag. Being picked up, the strong man tied the bag back up and carried it through the gates. Alice was carried by two women guards afterwards. Passing through town, they were taken towards the docks. The girls and the rest of the load were about to be loaded on the ship.
A long trip lay ahead of them, time to catch up on sleep, as that was the plan. The girl's containers were placed in the under part of the ship away from the crew's beds. They should be safe, knowing this, they both went to bed.
A loud bell rang from outside, they must be there. Being rudely awaken, the ship was quickly unloaded, and everything was taken to a dark room.
Waiting until it was quiet, Alianor sliced open her bag and got out. She brushed herself off and helped Alice. They were in a small shed. They could tell because instantly, they felt the cold from the outside leek in. peering out the frosty window, a giant glacier island lay before them. It almost looked like a fortress, and that they had carved into the glacier as their hideout. Not believing their eyes, they kept a stare. Doben was planning something big if he was secluding everything out here.
Everything in the tiny shed was broken to bits or stowed away untidy-like. Each time the blizzard wind blew from the outside, it felt like the whole place would cave in. You could feel the floors boards rattling uneather your feet, even in the heavy armor that Alice wore.
Alice busted down the doorway outside. It nearly came flying right back at her from the disastrous wind that blew from the outside world. Not to mention the face full of snow she got as a greeting.
"Alianor, come on, we have to go!" Alice said.
"I know, I know. I am just making sure I have everything I need," she paused checking her pouches and everything, "I don't want to find out that I've lost something because of his blasted trip."
Sighing, Alice tugged Alianor along, outside, and into the open wasteland. Snow after snow after snow, it seemed. The land just wouldn't stop. You could just barely make out the gigantic ice mountain off in the distance. Smoke blew from the tops of the place, polluting the air with some sort of gas.
"Looks industrial to me," Alianor said.
"Industrial? I heard only the dwarves were that advanced," Alice blinked, not really believing her eyes, "even then, how does Doben have it? The dwarves are long since extinct, anything past the big war against the falmer, there is no trace of them."
Falmer, they were once beautiful snow elves. They were until put to slave work by the dwarves, forced underground, away from sunlight and outside world. Their senses became so vague, they became blind, and even lost their hearing. Though their sense of smell increased. Dumb things, they are, but in a way, smart. They adapted to their new appearance and livelihood.
Alianor sighed, "We never know what he is up to, do we? It's almost like he can watch us, every single moment of our life," she puffed out some air, it crisped in the air.
Tension grew between them, floating in the air, heavily. Alice looked down at the snow that covered her boots, "We have to keep going..."
The two bustled through the snow. They're legs sunk in deep with each and every step, making it difficult for them to free each foot. The icy snowflakes stung their face. Blinding vision, the snow poured down like it was weighted with iron. It would be hours before they'd manage to get to the mountain.
The ice cold winds struck the girls head on. This not only made them become extremely chilly, it also made them unable to walk through the snow easy. As if walking through snow was hard enough, the winds just beat down harder. They had to still be in Skyrim, but so far north that it was nearly impossible to survive, not even a Nord, though none of the girls were. It became a struggle to make it to the fortress.
Trying to keep her eyes peeled, Alice marched on. Snow and tiny ice shards flew into her eyes. She had a high chance of frostbite.
It seemed as though hours had passed by, and they could still not make their way to the fortress. Even then, the girls had many doubts that it would be any warmer in there. It was made of ice. How cold could it be though? As far as Alice knew, they had saw smoke coming from that mountain. It had to be steaming hot inside.
"Alice, where are you?" Alianor shouted, but the air was just wiping away every word.
Alianor looked around, the storm picked up to the extremes. She couldn't see a thing.
Alice rushed towards the way she thought was towards the mountain. It was like a maze with no walls.
Morning had hit, two faces lay in the ground of white snow. Little to no breath escaped their lungs. It was useless. It was worthless.
"Alice, leave me. Go find Doben," Alianor muttered.
"Alianor, I can't do that, you know this."
"Go, I will be okay. Just leave!"
Alice sat up, brushing her hair away from her cheeks. Chestnut locks separating from pearl white skin. She took a look around herself. She hadn't gone far at all because she could still see the dusty old shack in the distance. The sky was a lot clearer now. The storm had died down over night. She could possibly make it to the mountain by dusk.
Alianor lay in the snow, blank. Her light armor wasn't enough protection against the blasting winter. Alice had never experienced this type of cold, and she traveled all over Skyrim, which was known for its frozen wastelands.
Getting up, Alice looked at the mountain. She mindlessly started walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, until her legs sored to the bone.
Hours after hours she treaded amongst the snow. The mountain kept getting nearer, and the anticipation skyrocketed.
"Heave! C'mon! We don't got all day!" A busty old man yelled. He had a really heavy barbaric accent, and he wore a worn down shirt and dust covered cloth pants. He was huge, and strong. His chest hair popping out from the top of his shirt.
"Sorry! M- ma'am... I mean sir! I mean boss!" a cowardly young man yelped. He seemed fragile, and his skin looked frostbitten. Compared to the bigger man, he was a wimp.
"Oh, and you!" the large man looked to Alice who was walking up, "You must be the slum fetcher. Now where's the loot? I thought I told ya to fetch it hour ago!"
Alice smiled, this could be a good disguise to get in safely, "Oh yes," she put on her best barbarian accent, "It seems some Horkers marauded the shed."
"Whatcha talkin' bout? Ya mean there's no coal? The Horkers wanted the coal?" the man thought, "quite odd if ya ask me..."
"Yes, Horkers, big tusks and all, tearing through sacks and pouches like nothing! Seen it for me own eyes!" Alice was pretty good at putting on a mask. It was fun, yet terrifying. SHe could get caught at any moment.
Horkers were like walruses. Big scary creatures. Nothing an old wack could do. All over Skyrim, chefs made Horker Stew, Horker steak, and even Horker pie, but it's not a favorite.
"S- sir?" the small man asked.
"Don't ya see we're talkin'? Go make yourself useful and work!" the strong man grunted.
The cowardly man slumped away, hiding behind a small crate. No one hardly noticed at all.
"Well, that's a shame. Might as well get back to the old slumfest, huh?"
"Uh, yes sir!" Alice nodded at the strong man.
Alice was about to ask where this slumfest was when the man walked away. She felt a tap on her shoulder and shivered.
"Miss, um... I know w- who you are," the cowardly man shrunk back scared as Alice raised a brow, "surprised boss didn't notice. If you don't mind me introducing myself, I'm Kev, but people just call me Wimpy," he pretended to laugh, "I say we work as a team, you know? I help you, and you get me out of this place," Kev made hand motions, hoping to get his idea across.
Thinking about it, Alice nodded, "sure thing, Wimpy. On one condition. You will show me everything this place is hiding, or else I will not hesitate to cut your throat out," she stopped her pretending, cutting off the accent, and being completely serious.
Kev ignored the fact that she had called him Wimpy, and motioned her to follow him, "come on."
Inside steamy, moist air hit their faces. Golden pipes and pistons were at work. They pumped and pulled everything in unison. You could smell the metals being melted and furnaces burning. Coal dust covered the floor, laying it in black powder. Clicking and clacking of pickaxes on hard stone echoed through the walls, and lanterns, torches, and even barrel fires flickered, lighting up the room.
"Doben, our leader, is building a weapon of mass destruction in hopes of enslaving all for Tamriel once and for all," Kev motioned his hand around the room, "He's had us working through this all for months now."
Alice tensed. Anger split through her and she wanted to slay Doben at that very instant, "where is Doben now?"
"His lair. He comes out around midnight to do inspections with the guards. No one has ever seen the master's face, he keeps a helmet on at all times. Some think he's the devil himself. One of the Daedra," Kev whispered, almost talking to himself, "but that's just talk."
After walking throughout the industry, Alice and Kev discussed a plan to slay Doben. They each agreed that at midnight, they'd sneak to Doben's lair and wait for him to come out. Kev suggested disguising as Doben's two body guards, but Alice didn't think it was safe.
At midnight, Alice and Kev sneaked around the dark corners of the industry. They made it to Doben's lair by a secret tunnel system Kev said was once used as an escape route before this place became known as Doben's hideout.
They reached the lair, hearing the loud voice of Doben echoe. The place shook and quaked under his might.
Kev whispered, "they sealed off this entry way with a makeshift wall," he brushed his hand over the cobblestone then peered through a hole, "You can take it down easily, but I'd wait for the right moment. See? Look through this peephole."
Alice peered through the tiny hole, seeing a dark skinned outline of a man. His skin was almost purple. His eyes were crimson and his hair was jet black. Large horns stuck out from his head, curling slightly inward.
"He is daedra..." Alice muttered.
How could he be Daedra? There are only 16 Daedra princes, Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Jyggalag, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Meridia, Molag Bal, Namira, Nocturnal, Peryite, Sanguine, Sheogorath, and Vaermina. It was nearly impossible.
Alice busted down the wall with her bare hands, taking out her trusty sword and running towards Doben.
"Doben! I demand to know who you are!" she shouted, "I won't hesitate to kill you!"
A loud echo scattered through the room. It was Doben's laugh, "I am Doben, you said it yourself."
"No, what race are you?"
"Doben.. that is what I am. My people come from a place farther than your gods. Throughout the universe there is a war. A war for the enslavement of mortals. Four eras on your planet had they fought. Now, I am here to win it all!" Doben laughed in victory. He pulled a lever and a loud bang sounded.
"Are you insane? What have you done?" Alice pleaded.
"I set off my weapon of mass destruction, so unless you defeat me, my curse will reign all over Tamriel," Doben laughed maniacally as power rushed through his soul, powering the machine.
Alice stabbed her sword right through Doben's stomach. A grunt escaped as Doben lost his breath. Alice pulled out the sword, and kicked him down, slicing right through his skull, "enough damage has been done..."
Guards piled in and drew their swords in a fight to defend their master Doben. Through all the commotion, a loud blast of fire soared everywhere as bodies flew against walls. Kev stood up from a transmutation circle of ember, he helped up Alice.
"You can do magic? I had no clue... well done Wimpy!" Alice shook hands and walked to the burnt Doben. They had won.
Months later, Alice, Alianor, Kev, K'Joor, Marthar, Phantom Fish, and Serena were granted a ceremony at the Blue Palace in the royal, summer city of Solitude. Kev was no longer called Wimpy, well not by anyone but Alice. Alianor lived through the cold, though she retired her adventuring days. K'Joor settled down with his wife Taz and made a family together, and Phantom Fish moved back to their homeland with his sister to begin a new adventure. As for Marthar, he sits in the inn every evening telling stories of this great adventure. Anyone who buys him a drink can listen to the tale of brave men and women on the fight against evil, and how a team working together can defeat any foe.