5

"You see the Orc at the bar?"

"The one that's been eyeing us all night? Yeah, why?"

"I recognize him. He's one of Toby's errand boys."

"You think he's here somewhere?"

"Doubtful."

"Jayred," Dayan turned towards the Nord "bring him outside."

Dayan and his team stood up from their table inside a small roadside tavern on the way to Archon. One by one they collected their weapons from the bouncer and filed outside into the warm dry night. Jayred was the last to leave, remaining at the table until Dayan left the bar. Outside, the Redguard could hear the sound of cracking wood and screaming women. From one of the windows of the tavern, the bouncer broke through the glass and landed on the ground unconscious. Several Argonian ladies rushed out from the tavern followed by Jayred clutching a pint of mead in one hand and an unconscious Orc in the other. Jayred Ice Veins gulped down the frothy beverage and disposed of the glass. He held the Orc from his belt and carried him like baggage to some nearby stables. Dayan remained at the entrance of the tavern, taking a few seconds to retrieve a tobacco pipe from his pocket and light it.

Roe was still out in the wilderness, presumably serving as a loyal soldier to his majesty the Emperor. The Redguard was more anxious than worried to see the return of his teammate. Toby Pilson had purposefully and maliciously endangered the Riders. Dayan was determined, driven, to find Toby and make him pay for this betrayal. No matter the cost. He breathed in deeply, allowing the smoke to seep its way out from his mouth as he exhaled.

There was work to be done in the stables behind the tavern.

On the ground beneath Jayred's boot lay an unconscious Orc, a large purple and blue welt was forming just above his left eye. Jayred kicked the Orc trying to wake him.

"I think he is dead." Toji remarked.

"Dammit Jayred you killed him." Amir scolded.

"He's not dead, I just busted him up real bad. It was awesome." Jayred chuckled.

Elgamil took her canteen and poured some water onto the Orc's face. The splashing water made him twitch and his eyes fluttered. Jayred picked him up and slammed him belly down onto the ground shoving his knee into the Orc's back. Nobody made an attempt to stop him as they all simply watched Jayred unsheathe his dagger and cut the Orc's ear off.

The Orc screamed in pain, swearing in his native tongue asking why this was happening, what had he done to deserve this and the like. Jayred turned the Orc onto his back and stuck his knee into the Orc's chest. The Nord brandished his dagger, parading it in front of his captive's face. The begging continued as Jayred caressed the blade down the Orc's neck and chest down towards his stomach.

"Okay! Okay! For the love of Azura please no more!" The Orc cried.

Jayred looked to Dayan for what questions he wanted answered.

"Where is Toby?" He asked in a calm monotone voice.

The Orc grunted. Dayan motioned for Jayred to cut him.

"I don't know! I'm just a runner! I was here to meet a client! I swear!"

Jayred sliced the Orc across his cheek.

"Who is your client?"

"No! Please no!"

Jayred smacked him across the face.

"Tell me."

"Jacobi Duvall! Payment for a job he did down south!"

Dayan and Sasha exchanged glances of concern. Jacobi Duvall was one half of the infamous Duvall Brothers, a mercenary group known for their brutality and fondness for taking and torturing prisoners.

"A job at a mining camp?" Dayan clarified.

"Yeah that's the one."

"Toby set us up to take the blame for that bastard Jacobi's handiwork." Amir concluded.

Dayan pressed his foot into the Orc's neck. The prisoner squirmed and gasped for air but Jayred firmly held him down.

"Tell me where Toby Pilson is."

"He left Argonia three days ago!"

"Where did Toby go?" Dayan asked.

"I told you I don't know!" The Orc insisted.

Dayan believed the Orc was truthful. If he couldn't find the Bosmer who ordered the attack, he would settle for those who actually carried it out.

"You said you were meeting Jacobi?"

The Orc shook his head.

"He never comes himself. I met with one his lackeys fifteen minutes ago. I think he's camped nearby."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

Jayred sliced the Orc across his chest and abdomen. The Orc cried. Jayred clamped his hand over the Orc's mouth, muffling the screams.

Dayan repeated his question.

"West of here on the north side of the river. Thirty or so men. Please, please no more!"

Jayred looked at Dayan for his next orders. Dayan nodded and without a second for anyone to react, Jayred thrust his dagger in the Orc's skull. His balled fists went limp and he stopped struggling. The Nord didn't even clean off his knife before sheathing it.

The reconnaissance team returned from their scouting missing at around three o' clock in the morning. The Riders were all awake, dressed for battle and eager for retribution.

"How does it look?" Jayred inquired about the enemy position.

"They are camped across the river and they have very little cover. We keep them suppressed with arrow fire and they will eventually have to come to us. Wading across that river will slow 'em down. We can do some serious damage then." Dayan explained.

"How many enemies can we expect?"

"We're outnumbered as if that's anything new. I counted thirty-five." Dayan looked to Sasha who concurred with a nod.

"But we're still going in? Right?" Jayred asked, like a child eagerly awaiting his parents' permission to open a birthday present.

The Riders waited Dayan's approval.

"We attack at sun up tomorrow."

The remainder of the early morning hours were spent in near silence. Each Rider checked over their armour and weapons as they had done thousands of times before. Dayan and Amir were dressed in their tribal garb - dark maroon and white turbans wrapped around their faces, sand coloured plated armour decorated with foreign symbols covering their bodies. Their armour was lightweight, better suited for their guerilla fighting style. This weight advantage, while at the cost of physical protection, gave them immense flexibility and speed.

All shades of red, dark purple and black decorated Sasha's Morag Tong style armour. Dayan didn't think anyone else had noticed, but the Redguard was familiar with the unique style of armour and weapons used by the Dark Elf assassins known as the Morag Tong. Elgamil and Toji had similar types of protection. The Bosmer used a material called chitin in her body armour while her Khajiit counterpart treated his netch leather cuirass by boiling it in water and oil. It was no contest that, at least when they fought in the woods and jungles, Mogakh stood out the most. His shiny heavy-plated Orcish armour, horned helmet, and large circular shield made him better camouflaged as a rock. Nobody else in the group could have worn, let alone fought in this cumbersome getup. Mogakh was very strong and rarely came out of a scuffle with a scratch on him. Jayred owned no such fanciful armour and slept, ate and fought in the same bearskin armour he wore since joining the Riders years before.

Amir sat quietly in meditation with his weapons laid across his lap, while Sasha was shadow fighting nearby, practicing her martial arts movements against invisible enemies. She moved elegantly, her eyes closed, her actions deliberate and slow. Every third or fourth step she pretended to attack an enemy with an imaginary shock or fireball emitted from her palms. Mogakh was nowhere to be found as usual. His pre-battle routine included going off in the woods to get himself angry. Toji and Elgamil sat together on a large fallen tree. They ate, talked and eventually Elgamil found herself napping in the Khajiit's lap. Contrary to expectations from the group Jayred "Ice Veins" sat quietly checking over his gear, playing the drawstring of his bow like an instrument.

Dayan stretched his arms and legs, already having spent several hours preparing for the attack. Confident he was ready, he turned away from the group to venture for some privacy within the woods before they departed for the Duvall camp.