3
23 Midyear 3E427, Sixty-seven miles outside of Helstrom, Argonia
The smell of smoldering flames woke Roe from his sleep. The fire cracked and fizzled as water was poured into the pit. The noise startled him and he drew his dagger from its sheath.
"Get ready Roe, we still got about a days ride to Helstrom." Sasha offered a hand to Roe. "Dayan wants us gone in fifteen."
Roe sheathed his dagger and was helped onto his feet. It was before sunrise and Roe's legs wobbled like a new born calf. Sasha smiled and gave him a more than friendly wink before she left to collect her things. Roe hesitantly released his grip on her wrist.
From across their campsite, Dayan watched Roe break down camp. He always suspected that Sasha was attracted to Roe despite her being fourteen years his senior, at least in Elf years. Romance wasn't exactly one of his strong points though he was fairly certain that Roe felt the same way about Sasha ever since he first met her and the rest of the team in Valenwood almost five years ago. When the original team commander, Guilbert, first adopted the name Riders there were eleven members in the group. Seven years later only eight remained including Roe.
After Guilbert was killed, he was elected to assume leadership of the Riders while his brother Amir would continue to run the logistics and finances. The two were Redguards from the Alik'r Desert in Hammerfell. Dayan had served in the Imperial Legion as a counter-guerilla soldier using his knowledge of desert survival to aid the foreigners. During his last tour of duty he was transferred to an outpost on the Cyrodiil-Valenwood border. Upon leaving the service he sent for his brother to join him so that the two might begin careers as treasure hunters. His brother was four years his junior with a maturity level much younger than that. Amir soon found himself in enormous debt as a result of his love for gambling. Unable to repay the money, Amir offered his services as a hired bodyguard until this debt was settled. Dayan couldn't in good conscience allow his only brother to be used in such a manner and struck a deal that if he too were to offer his services that the debt would be halved. For three years Dayan and Amir served as Guilbert's public escort. The Breton thought it improved his image with two exotic Redguard nomads by his side. Amir and Dayan were always required to carry their weapons and dress in their traditional armour, head and face coverings included. This made for extreme discomfort as most of their operations took place in the humid tropical climates of the southern provinces.
One year into their indentured service, Mogakh gro-Oram, Toji Va'Rikijin and Elgamil joined the payroll. Mogakh had traveled all the way from Orsinium in search of some good fighting and was the only one in the Riders not to have owed Guilbert anything. He simply enjoyed the challenging contracts and the professionalism of his teammates. The Bosmer Elgamil and the Khajiit Toji Va'Rikijin, had fought together as partners for many years prior to their time in the Riders. Like Dayan, Elgamil joined out of sympathy for her friend when Toji became addicted to moon sugar. The Khajiit wasted several years' worth of earnings purchasing the narcotic and paid off his debt through service to Guilbert. The Breton purposefully kept Toji addicted, citing that "…the cat-man is a much better fighter when he's high…"
A few weeks into their second year of service, Guilbert received the services of a Nord with a drinking problem and a Dunmer in need of a new beginning. The Nord was Jayred "Ice Veins", a typical stereotype of his people: an axe-wielding drunk, massively strong, and easy to anger. He was an expert sharpshooter proficient in the use of a bow and very sneaky for his size. In addition to his fondness for killing he had an unhealthy obsession with meat, engorging himself on whatever game or pheasant he could hunt and picking away at every last piece of meat down to the bone marrow. The Dunmer Sasha fled Morrowind when she was just a teenager and met Guilbert while he was working a contract in Cyrodiil. She held her personal appearance and the maintenance of her weapons in high standard which led to rumours she was escaped royalty or the like. No one ever knew for sure because she never spoke of it. Regardless of whatever she used to do, what she did now was something amazing displaying a mastery of hand to hand combat and destruction magic. She was well educated and also the only member of the team older than he was, by three months.
Three weeks after Sasha joined the group, Guilbert named himself leader of Guilbert's Riders. In years that followed, the Breton would hire additional mercenaries including another Breton, Camilla, who died in Elsweyr, an Argonian the other members of the group called Okeedokee (for his fondness of the word) who ran off into Argonia never to return, and an Cyrod named Castus Aurencia who left the group for personal reasons.
Guilbert's Riders were a commodity because of the prowess and knowledge in all things relating to combat, acquisition, reconnaissance and forced persuasion. The contracts they accepted were difficult, but the Riders always managed to get the job done while maintaining a reputation of subtlety and client anonymity. When Guilbert died, the Riders unanimously decided to continue their work (with slight modifications to how and with whom they did business). There was of course, no demand to end the flow of coin.
Roe's position in the group was still evolving. He was not as well versed in martial arts as his teammates were, but Camilla had been the only Rider with knowledge of restoration and she died long before Roe began tagging along. Roe found himself in a support role, serving as a smith, cook, healer, and alchemist. When Dayan decided it was time for Toji to detoxify himself of his moon sugar addiction, Roe concocted a brilliant potion made from, ironically, moon sugar and pearls. In just one year Toji was back to full health and just as fierce a fighter. The day Toji emerged from his tent a coherent and much cleaner individual, Roe was hoisted into the air with praise and welcomed as the newest Rider. Elgamil was so thankful for Roe's help that she took it upon herself to teach him marksmanship, knife fighting, sneaking and camouflage techniques. By the time he was twenty years of age he was earning a full share of the profits as well as taking a full share of the danger.
Dayan could tell that his teammates were nearly prepared for their journey to the Argonian jungle-city of Helstrom. The ride would take most of the day, leaving just enough time for Dayan to meet with his contact Toby Pilson.
After almost eight hours of riding, the dense jungle finally seemed to be thinning out. The Riders showed visible fatigue. Even Dayan and Amir, who as nomads were accustomed to long journeys on horseback, were glad to be free from the thickets. The Redguards understood that while there was a sense of urgency to arrive at their destination on time, the horses dictated speed and length of travel. In the Argonian homeland a rider had to factor in climate conditions such as temperature and humidity as well as topographical circumstances like thick vegetation, marshes, bogs, and other impassible terrain. If careful planning was not taken, travelers were almost certain to become lost.
Dayan and the Riders were two hours past their final resting point, a fairly unimpressive halfway home wayside to a long abandoned and overgrown trail and were under one hour away from Helstrom. The city was nestled in a valley with a large river flowing through the jungle to the north, around the town to the east and down south emptying into a large bay. From their vantage point a few hundred feet high above the valley, the Riders could see the city; an oasis of civilization among a sea of green trees and brown river water. Helstrom was surrounded by a wooden palisade securing within it an abundance of mud-clay brick huts and several buildings with reed thatched roofs billowing smoke from their chimneys. The southern portion of the city was a large harbour open to the bay. As the sun began to set behind the valley walls, Dayan could see the hundreds of small fishing boats pulling in for the day.
Because the harbour was outside of the palisade, it was regarded as out of the city guards' jurisdiction. A few Argonian thugs hired by local gangs, roamed the docks armed with clubs and fishing spears. The real guardsmen were huddled in their safe zone by the city gates keeping tight control of what passed through. Fortunately for Dayan, he would not need to enter the city. If Toby Wilson was still in Helstrom he would be in the darkest corner of the crappiest run-down bar on the docks.
"Dayan!"
"Toby." The Redguard replied coldly.
"Please sit, you want a drink? Maybe a meal? My treat! Come on!"
Dayan's doyen, business contractor, was elbow deep in a plate of crabs, his fingers coated with butter and speckled with bits of meat.
"No thank you."
Unlike his predecessor, Dayan conducted his business in a professional manner, arriving to meetings on time and always getting straight to business. Having been three weeks since the Riders completed their last contract, funds were running low. Amir and Dayan knew there weren't many doyens to be found in the Argonian homeland, at least any who could pay the Riders' asking price. Dayan secretly regretted having to accept jobs through Toby.
Toby Pilson was a Bosmer by birth and an Imperial citizen by naturalization. He had spent much of his life in the Imperial City living off of his parents' money. Always the entrepreneur and self-serving scumbag he first began as a skooma dealer selling the deadly poison but never using. Eventually he expanded his repertoire to include illegal batches of whiskey, outlawed potions, and other narcotics like moon sugar. It was Toby who offered Toji's indentured service to Guilbert several years ago after he had hooked the Khajiit on the drug.
This alone would have been enough for Dayan to run him through with a blade, but Toby was connected and well funded. The Bosmer received percentages of profits made on all contracts in north-central Argonia. Killing him would only result in Dayan losing a large client base.
"You're always so serious! Drink with me! Cyrodilic Brandy, two glasses!" The Bosmer ordered.
"I said no thank you Toby."
"I wasn't asking Redguard." Even for a Bosmer, Toby was an intimidating fellow.
His two Orc bodyguards were also a menacing sight to behold, but Dayan kept his cool and accepted the drink. The sanguine liquid burned Dayan's throat as he gulped it down.
"Now, on to business my dark skinned friend."
"I am available for a contract."
"Which is why you've come to me I imagine?" Toby joked leaning back in his chair.
"Yes."
"You always come to good ole Toby don't you? Toby gets you the best because…well you and your bestial group of lowlifes are the best. Send an animal to do animal labour eh? Like my good friend the cat-man and his whore." Toby licked his fingers and washed it down with a gulp of mead. "How disgusting. But not you and I my friend! We're sophisticated types. That's why we feast on Brandy and crab and plot and scheme while that collection of pigs you work with feed from the trough. So while the swine dine, let us be civil and talk of business."
The Bosmer picked up a piece of crab meat and greedily shoved it inside his mouth, chewing noisily to annoy Dayan. He picked up another piece and dangled it like a worm on a hook in front of the Redguard.
"I give you work, you do the work." Toby smiled. "I dangle the cheese and the rat eats the cheese, yes?"
Dayan drew his dagger and stabbed the large crab sitting half-eaten on Toby's plate. The table shook violently spilling pieces of meat and drops of butter and mead. Toby and Dayan locked eyes. The Redguard brought the crab to his mouth and took a large bite, then placed the dead crustacean back onto Toby's plate and sheathed his blade. Several tense moments of slow chewing passed. Dayan swallowed his bite, then reached across the table and pulled the plate away from Toby.
Toby cried out in anger. His two Orc bodyguards moved forward, their hands fastened around the handles of their swords. The Orcs began to draw their weapons when they suddenly noticed Amir and Sasha seated several feet away. Their beady green eyes were fixated on the ball of fire Sasha was toying with in her hands.
"You Bosmer are carnivores, right Toby? So how do you like your meat?" Sasha asked still playing with the flame. "Medium rare or well done?"
The Bosmer motioned for his Orcs to stay their weapons. Satisfied that Sasha had made her point, Dayan now assumed control of the conversation.
"I am the best because I work with the best, don't ever forget that. Treat me like dirt if you wish, but please do not speak ill of my teammates. You give us work and we make you money so you can pay for exceptional personal protection and delicious crabmeat. Everybody wins. So tell me my man, what work do you have for me today?"