here's chapter 7...enjoy...


Chapter 7

Night loomed over Kvatch.

The guards were patrolling on the streets, watching out for troublemakers, thieves and so on.

Several more were manning the walls of the city and the watchtowers.

In the houses, mothers were putting their children to bed; fathers were kissing their children goodnight or working hard into the night to support their families.

In the Kvatch Chapel, the priests were quietly praying.

Martin being one of them.

Outside, the sky began to turn crimson.

The guards cried out and pointed to the sky.

It was a hellish colour, red like blood yet clear like a cloudless night.

The ground began to rumble.

The guards on the wall over the entrance shouted something and pointed out.

The Captain of the city guards, Savlian Matius came out of one of the watchtowers to see what was going on.

Something began to emerge from the ground.

Years of service and experience had taught Savlian that if you don't recognise something, be on your guard.

"Close the gates and lock them!" he ordered.

His men complied.

He also gave out the order for more men to come to the walls.

"Draw your weapons, men," he said. "We don't know what going to happen."

The thing finally completely emerged from the ground.

"By the Nine…" said one of the guards.

It was huge, taller than the city walls and as wide as the wall it faced. Its frame looked, looked like it was made from tormented metal scorched black. But what was more frightening was its center.

It writhed and twisted and rippled like a stormy sea, but it was the colour of fire and blood.

Soon, smaller replicas appeared around it.

"Captain, what is it?" asked Ilend Vonius, trembling.

"I…I don't know," answered Savlian.

Suddenly, from within the demonic structures, creatures of nightmare emerged.

Some were just feral beasts, some looked magical, and others were clad in black robes and armour, screaming out orders in a terrifyingly harsh voice.

"Damn it!" roared Savlian. "Daedra! Sound the alarm! Archers, fire!"

The archers loosed their arrows into the demonic horde.

At first it looked as though the simple steel headed arrows had no effect on such horrifying creatures, but then a few of them toppled over.

"Fire at will!" shouted Savlian.

His archers responded and more of the Daedra began to fall.

Behind the walls, the citizens have all woken up and many began to flee towards the castle or chapel.

Savlian could see the young priest, Martin ushering women and children into the chapel while the others ran on.

Suddenly, he could see people dressed in crimson robes running towards the gates.

"What the…?"

The air around the robed people shimmered and suddenly they were armed and armoured. Taking the guards bracing the gates by surprise, they quickly made short work of them and began to unlock the gates.

Savlian paled.

"Those traitors!"

He turned to his men and roared: "We have to get off the walls; we'll make our stand in the city square. Go!"

As the guards responded, the flaming portal in front of the city shimmered and a terrifying machine crawled out.

"Nine have mercy…" whispered Savlian Matius.

The fall of Kvatch had just been assured.

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M'raaj-Dar stiffened and raised his nose to the sky.

"What's wrong with you now, Whiskers?" demanded Grun.

"Shut it, midget," snapped the Khajiit, sniffing the air.

"What is it, Dar?" asked Arvina.

"There's a strange smell in the air…" said M'raaj-Dar.

"That was me," grunted Grun.

M'raaj-Dar winced.

"Yours was blown away by the wind a few minutes ago," he snapped. "What a rotten smell your bowels give off…"

"Dar," interrupted Arvina. "What was it you smelled?"

"Sorry, Arvina," said the Khajiit. "Like I was saying, I can smell smoke, burning wood and stone I think but the other smell is a bit harder…familiar though."

The dwarf sitting behind him snorted impatiently.

"Very familiar," said M'raaj-Dar again.

Arvina watched him quietly.

Then, realisation dawned on the Khajiit's face and his eyes become hard and cold.

"Of course, burnt blood," he said. "Blood has been spilled and there are bodies being burnt, some of them alive."

"You can tell all that from just sniffin' around?" asked Grun skeptically.

"I have finer hearing and smelling senses than yours, boulder boy," answered M'raaj-Dar coolly.

"Which way?" asked Arvina.

M'raaj-Dar sniffed the air again.

This time, he turned pale.

"Kvatch!"

They rode to a nearby hill, and once they were on top of it, a devastating sight lay before them.

Kvatch was being consumed by an inferno.

Worse still, even from that distance they can here screams of pain and terror.

"What's that?" said the dwarf suddenly.

Arvina and M'raaj-Dar looked in the direction he was pointing and saw something that looked like metallic insect crawling into what looked like a fiery mirror.

Once it completely entered, it disappeared, leaving a smaller one behind.

The fires from the city illuminated the scene nearby.

From what they could see, tall, armoured figures marched around with monstrous creatures in front of the city gates.

Suddenly, they began to fall.

"There are some survivors," said Arvina, spurring her horse on. "Let's go."

M'raaj-Dar followed swiftly as Grun held on for dear life.

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Fire.

There was fire everywhere.

The machine that had caused it had also caused the chapel tower to collapse, which turned out to be a blessing because it blocked of the Daedra invaders and stopped them from entering the chapel on slaughtering those within.

But it had also cut of those who did not get in fast enough, leaving them to be killed mercilessly.

Martin had never seen such carnage.

He saw men, old and young being cut down where they stood, women were slaughtered equally without mercy. The poor innocent children had been thrown to the beasts to be devoured.

There was nothing he could do to save them.

He turned to the Altar of the Nine.

How could they allow such things to happen?

Did they not care about the ones who worshipped them?

He could here one of the priests preaching to the survivors about having faith, that this was all a test.

If it was, Martin wanted nothing to do with it.

If it was a test, then the Nine are sick bastards who played with the lives of the ones who revered and worshipped them.

Martin fell to his knees, his faith lost and broken.

"Brother Martin…" came a voice behind him.

He turned to see a little boy looking at him.

"Are you praying?" he asked.

Martin didn't answer.

"Akatosh will protect us, won't he?" asked the boy earnestly. "He'll come and burn those monsters, right?"

Again, Martin didn't answer.

The boy knelt next to Martin.

"I'll pray with you then, Brother Martin. I know Akatosh will save us."

Martin quietly placed an arm around the boy's shoulder.

"I know," he said, and smiled slightly when the boy began to pray quietly.

For our sakes, I hope the Divines give a damn about us enough to save us.


a little doubting is happening now...

the girl, the cat and the dwarf are on their way...

destiny is about to be fulfilled...

bla bla bla...

chapter 8...coming soon...point out any mistakes i might have made eh? (means review)...lol