Chapter 2: Assassins in the Secret Passageway

Nightshade couldn't believe her dumb luck. An adventure, finally! She wondered what was going on and where this tunnel led, for she had no weapon.

The young Dark Elf had caught up with the guards and Emperor Uriel Septim. They looked alert.

The mushy tunnel had ended at what looked to be ruins of sorts. Nightshade was uneducated, so she asked the Emperor, "Where are we?"

"These are ancient Ayleid ruins from before the empire. They were inhabited by Ayleid High Elves before they went extinct, you could say. The Imperial City itself is a sort of ruin, and is sitting on top of one."

"Wow." Columns and parts of walls had fallen to the ground, but it was stable, or at least what was standing was stable. Everything was made of white marble and still shined even with the little torchlight, like they had absorbed the light that had once been there.

Just as Nightshade had finished looking at everything in awe, there was a clang of metal and an, "Arrg!" from the Captain ahead. A person had lunged at her from atop, and soon two more joined him.

The men, or presumably men, were dressed in odd armor. It was some sort of dark metal with designs and holes. Beneath it was some sort of red suit, but all of them were wearing the same helmets that masked their faces well.

The older Redguard, named Glenroy, was fighting with Baurus, the other guard, against another person. The other was killed by the Emperor rather skillfully.

The dunmer watched in a stupefied shock as the three ambushers were killed. She had seen dead bodies plenty of times before at the arena, but never so close and in so much detail. As the others began to move forward she noticed that the Captain was among those lifeless on the ground. With mixed feelings she picked up her slightly bent sword called an Akaviri Katana and decided to use it to survive the rest of this journey.

"Ok, prisoner, don't follow us anymore. For all we know, you can be working with these assassins." Glenroy growled, and disappeared behind a door. The Emperor looked at her, then followed suit with Baurus. Gods, so many questions and yet her source of answers had abandoned her.

She stumbled around the ruin for a while, admiring the marble. Tiles had been lifted out of the floor, revealing dirt underneath, and there were indentations in the white walls, like arches.

Nightshade suddenly heard a loud bang near a wall the door was next to. She jumped to see two huge, filthy rats. These weren't city rats she'd seen that could be killed with a frying pan. No, these were huge. Standing on their hind legs they probably reach her hip or higher.

It was too late to hide. The rats had caught her scent, and pounced at her. She drew her sword and jumped back, avoiding the large, dirty claws and the pointed fangs. She slashed wildly, slicing one, but the other kept jumping back. She needed a better plan.

The Akaviri Katana stopped as Nightshade got a better grip. She held it in front of her with both hands, threatening the rat to come any closer. It bared its fangs and jumped, but she was just as quick. The sword slashed its neck, and then she ended its life with a stab upward.

Nightshade really liked this blade, and decided to go through the tunnel the rat made.

The tunnel led to a sort of cave filled with mosses and mold but mostly dirt. It seemed like someone dug it out and used wood planks to support it. It was dark, so she had to stumble around, and then she found a hole, similar to the one she went through, that led back to a ruined room made of white marble. She jumped down onto a raised sort of platform, making a path in the middle, and on the path were the Emperor, Glenroy, and Baurus. She wondered if they would notice her, until something rushed past her to the path below.

It was another ambush from people that looked exactly like the last. This time, feeling she had more confidence, she jumped into battle and started swooshing the katana around. One of the assassins got her shoulder, so she was forced to block all the other moves, until Baurus saved her.

"Another attack," Glenroy snarled, and then noticed Nightshade. "It's that prisoner again. Kill her; she might be working for the assassins!"

"No!" The Emperor stepped up. "She is on our side." He turned to look at her. "They do not understand what I've seen."

"What have you seen? Who are these assassins? What is this place? Why are you ditching the city? Why—" Nightshade was cut off when the Emperor raised his hand.

He sighed. "You deserve to know. I have had—dreams about today, that lead to my fate. Today is the day I join the Gods."

Nightshade eyes widened. "What? You mean, you're going to die?"

He nodded. "Yes, but not you. You will live on to save Cyrodiil, for my sons have been killed by these assassins I hardly know about. The Imperial City isn't safe for me, so the Blades urged me to leave, but it's already too late for me."

Nightshade felt terrible, but he went on. "What sign of the stars are you born under?"

"The Shadow."

"Really? Then may the Shadow guide you."

The Emperor turned away to talk to Glenroy, who looked annoyed. Nightshade wondered if the Shadow would protect her. She didn't even know if she was born under the Shadow, the stars that were above the sky the night you were born. She had asked Owyn once, when she heard one of the local city people talk about it. But he was sort of fidgety that day. He seemed nervous talking about it, so he could've been lying.

"All right," Baurus had walked up to her, his brown face was higher than hers, but by a smidge. "Keep this torch to make yourself useful."

"What are the Blades?" she asked. He looked at her oddly. "We are the Emperor's body guards, protectorates of the Dragon Fires."

"Dragon Fires?"

"You've never heard of them?" She shook her head. "Well, they're the eternal fires that must be lit by having an emperor. If Uriel Septim dies, so do the Dragon Fires."

"Ah." Well, that must've been pressuring.

"Come on," Glenroy called to them, and the two ran to catch up to the Emperor and Glenroy.

They walked on in silence, their footsteps eerily echoing off the walls. Nightshade held the torch close, nervous that anything could attack at any moment.

Glenroy walked up to a gate made of rusted iron. He tried to open it, but failed.

"Damn, it's barred on the other side."

"A trap," Baurus started to look around, but noticed a different passage. "We'll have to go down there."

Glenroy frowned, but nodded. The Emperor was quiet. Nightshade thought he was worried if his end was down that hallway.

They walked the place narrow and claustrophobic. She bit her lip, scared, knowing they all wouldn't make it. There had to be an ambush at the end of the hall.

They walked through a large room, then came up to a small room with another hallway. "We're close now," Baurus said, but then he was barreled over. The assassins had finally struck.

"Stay here and protect the Emperor," Glenroy commanded her, then shouted, "For the Emperor!" and charged into battle.

Emperor Uriel Septim spoke to her. "My time has come. You are the only hope of Cyrodiil now. Take this," he took off his red, diamond-shaped stone and gave it to her. "This is the Amulet of Kings. You must take it to Jauffre. He knows where my last son is. The jaws of Oblivion have opened and the Lord of Destruction is ready."

"No, wait—"

An archway behind the Emperor had opened, and an assassin stepped silently out.

Everything suddenly seemed to move slowly with every movement exaggerated by time. Nightshade began to feel sick and light-headed.

The assassin silently slit the throat of the Emperor. He fell, his velvet robes stained with blood. He fell, the floor soon turned red. Nightshade blinked, the assassin was charging at her now. Something in the back of her mind told her "Take out the sword! Take out the sword!" but it was too faint. She was going to die. She was going to die…

No. She opened her eyes to see Baurus run in and stab him in the heart, where the armor deteriorated and red robes showed.

After a minute or so, Nightshade just felt shaky and shocked. Glenroy never came back in. Baurus checked the Emperor's pulse.

"I've failed. We've failed…" he muttered. "We were supposed to keep the Emperor safe, and now he's dead." He looked at his chest. "The Amulet of Kings? Where is it?"

"He gave it to me," Nightshade held out the red pendent.

"Hmm, he saw something in you, trusted you. What's your name?"

"Nightshade. He told me to find Jauffre, for he knows where the last heir is."

"Jauffre? He's the Blade's Grandmaster, highest rank. He is in Weynon Priory near Chorrol, and if there is another heir, he'd know.

"Here, take this key. It leads to the sewers, and the sewers lead out. I will stay here to protect the Emperor's body."

"Thanks," Nightshade took the small key. "Good luck."

"Same to you." Baurus watched her go through the secret passageway, looking sad at the Emperor's body, and disappeared out of the ruins.