"Smoke in the west, swirling gray skies in the east - it's the end of the world, I tell you." Eorlund Gray-Mane lamented as he looked up at the greying skies above Whiterun.

Fralia comforted her husband with a gentle touch. "I hope Thorald and Avulstein are okay..."

"I don't know... I don't know anymore." Eorlund was disquieted. "Whatever is coming, it's tryin' to finish what the Dragons started. I feel it in my bones, Fralia!"

A somber courier hurried past the main marketplace, leaving a sorrow-filled crowd behind him trailing from Dragonsreach to the Plains District. The courier was clad all in black. It was an ill omean; the death of someone important.

"GYEEAUUUGH! THOSE FILTHY BASTARDS!" Vilkas rammed his fist into the wooden column holding up the onning of Jorrvaskr. His outrage was loud enough to draw the attention of passersby. In his fury, he continued to punch repeatedly before slumping down and massaging his forehead with his hands. A sob escaped him and he looked down to the ground.

Aela, Ria, Farkas, and Kodlak stood nearby. They hung their heads sadly.

"He's taking it really hard..." Aela remarked on Vilkas' reaction.

"I don't think I've ever seen him act like this before." Ria was greatly surprised.

Kodlak was silent for the most part, but he empathized with the pain Vilkas was experiencing.

Farkas crossed his arms. "He really cared about her, you know. In his own Vilkas way."

"I-I'll rip their hearts out!" Vilkas roared loudly with a sob nagging his vocal cords. "ALL of them! I'll kill them all! One by one, I'll make them suffer for what they did to her!" he drew his sword in blind rage and hurled it across the training grounds, causing it to spin through the air and embed itself in one of the training dummies. He heaved and seethed with unbridled rage before sorrow wrested him.

"Calm yourself, Vilkas!" Kodlak tried to pacify him. "Channel that rage and bring it with you into battle."

"Why didn't she come back? She could have asked us for help, damn it!" Vilkas kicked a stray stone across the floor. "She... she never... I mean, she defeated Dragons, for Ysmir's sake, but... to be killed by a sniveling cultist? Are you serious?"

Kodlak closed his eyes. "We seldom choose our ends, Vilkas. Cura fought valiantly to the bitter end. I know she did."

Words that should have comforted Vilkas instead deepened his pain. "Why didn't she come back? We were her Shield-Brothers and Sisters!"

Aela crossed her arms. She could only surmise Cura kept her distance from them due to her religious conviction, or due to the hectic nature of her life as Dragonborn.

"What's done is done - as the Companions, we will mourn her and we will honour her memory by keeping Whiterun safe from any Mythic Dawn Cultists." Kodlak declared.

"Master! Don't we need to hold her funeral over the Skyforge?" Vilkas asked.

Kodlak shook his head. "The Vigilants will know best what to do with her body. We will honour her here, in spirit."

"I want to see her, one last time." Vilkas declared. "I... I was too distant. I want to tell her how I really felt about her." his vulnerability was a surprise to all around him. Vilkas was known as ever the stoic on general principle, but news of Cura's death had left him more than a little distraught. "The Vigilants rebuilt their Hall in the Pale, right? I'm going there. Should only take a few hours of carriage travel."

Kodlak agreed. "It is a good idea. It was her home, after all."

Farkas stood beside his brother. "I'm going with. Just in case the Vigilants get any funny ideas."

Aela decided to join as well. "I agree. We haven't had any real trouble yet, but with Cura dead, you never know."

"Keeper Carcette seemed to me a reasonable woman. But I do see your point. There is no guarantee as to how she will react now." Kodlak supported the idea.

Ria scratched her chin. "Why would they want to attack us?" because she was not a member of the Circle, she was unaware of their Lycanthropy.

"Nevermind that. Let's go pay our respects." Vilkas declared and walked out of the courtyard and into the main city.

"But you were once man! Aye! And as man, you said, 'Let me show you the power of Talos Stormcrown, born of the North, where my breath is long winter.' 'I breathe now, in royalty, and reshape this land which is mine. I do this for you, Red Legions, for I love you. Aye, love. Love! Even as man, great Talos cherished us. For he saw in us, in each of us, the future of Skyrim! The future of Tamriel! -And there it is, friends! The ugly truth! We are the children of man! Talos is the true god of man! Ascended from flesh, to rule the realm of spirit! The very idea is inconceivable to our Elven overlords! Sharing the heavens with us? With man? Ha! They can barely tolerate our presence on earth! Today, they take away your faith. But what of tomorrow? What then? Do the elves take your homes? Your businesses? Your children? Your very lives? And what does the Empire do? Nothing! Nay, worse than nothing! The Imperial machine enforces the will of the Thalmor! Against its own people! So rise up! Rise up, children of the Empire! Rise up, Stormcloaks! Embrace the word of mighty Talos, he who is both man and Divine!" Heimskr bleated before the statue of Talos as the group passed by: a foreboding message, or perhaps a word of encouragement, none could be certain.


Thunder roared over the Velothi mountain range as the Skyguard and Cura's friends ran through the Rift, led by Inigo.

"It sounds like the skies are having a most painful case of diarrhea." Inigo remarked shamelessly under the growling of the skies.

"Now there's an image I didn't need. Thanks, Inigo." Lucien groaned.

Delphine glared angrily at Carcette, who was walking in front of her. "This is who you chose to lead us. Who all of you decided to place our lives in the hands of. I hope you're happy."

Carcette turned to face the nagging Breton. "Yes, because if we'd listened to you we'd most likely spend the rest of our days in hiding from our enemies."

"Hnph. At least our base hasn't been infiltrated twice under your brilliant leadership." Delphine snarled back.

Before the offended Carcette could react, Vilja stood between the two of them. "Can we all please just stop fighting already? We have enough problems to deal with!"

Inigo was happy she intervened first. "Yes. Thank you, Vilja!"

Cosnach scoffed from the back. "I've gotta admit; cat's got a good sense of humour."

Marcurio snubbed him. "Ugh, but he is such an uncultured swine."

"Oh, you just don't know Inigo yet!" Mjoll defended him. "He's just full of surprises!"

Darkeethus' eyes began to squint. "I smell... brimstone."

Annekke immediately grew nervous. "We've got to hurry! The town isn't too far from here!" she dashed ahead, thoughts of her daughter filling her mind. She hoped they weren't too late.

She knew, what with her daughter's leg injury, she wouldn't be able to run away very fast without assistance.

Shor's Stone was a small mining village on the beaten path. There were very few houses and a mine to the west. A blacksmith shop stood alongside the road and at the center of the town, near the main housing, was an outdoor cooking spit.

The town had a few guards traipsing about under the moonlight. The town would be an easy conquest for the coming Daedra.

How long Jyggalag could interfere and keep Mehrunes confined to the mountains, they did not know.

The old blacksmith Filnjar sat around the outdoor cooking pot with the miners. One of whom was a young Nord woman with short, brown hair. "How are your parents faring, Sylgja? Doing better than we are I would guess."

Sylgja took a spoonful of cabbage stew. "It's no feast in their neck of the woods either. Last time I was up there, father said they were barely scraping by."

Filnjar shook his head. "This civil war is taking its toll on all of us. Miners are some of the hardest hit."

Sylgja shuddered at the thought. "That's what scares me. I'm afraid I'll travel to Darkwater Crossing and find it burned to the ground."

No sooner had she said that than a loud explosion sounded off in the distance. The beating thumps of several hooves made way for a vision of Dremora mounted on Daedric Horses rushing in from the fields. The hooves of the horses caused the grass to light aflame as their Daedric riders readied their bows.

This army bore no banners, but they didn't need any to be identified for who they were.

As fortune would have it, Inigo and the others came rushing from the lower road into the city, seeing the horde of Daedra storming in from the fields.

The miners were alarmed at first sight, but Sylgja quickly recognized her mother among the entourage in the foreign indigo blue armour with sword in hand.

Erik the slayer looked at the large group of Dremora ahead and gulped nervously. "Boy, there sure are a lot of them..."

Vilja sidled behind Lucien, looking slightly nervous, herself. "Can we fight them?"

Esbern estimated that there were at least sixty Daedra approaching in view. The starter platoon, evidently. They were a small host, meant to test the power of Skyrim. He readjusted his helmet. "City Guards! Come! Help us defend the Rift!" he pleaded for the extra hands.

In total, they had Inigo, Lucien, Vilja, Carcette, Delphine, Esbern, Erik, Marcurio, Mjoll, Cosnach, Annekke, Darkeethus and Stenvar. Twelve people, four of whom were arguably past their prime. It would not do against sixty.

The City Guards unanimously agreed to lend a hand. "Guard Lund reporting for duty." one of six declared for his party and the other five saluted in line. Now there were eighteen people willing and able to fight.

"What's the plan, Inigo? Want me to set fire to the field?" Marcurio asked.

Carcette looked up to the gray skies above, and within the clouds, saw the face of Jyggalag.

"You know what must be done." his voice rang through the air.

Inigo was perceptive. he saw Carcette's reaction and gave her a nod. He turned to the City Guard. "We are going to hold them at bay as best we can! Bring the miners to Kynesgrove and we will meet you there!"

"To Kynesgrove? Do you have any idea how far that is on foot?" Filnjar snapped.

Vilja had an idea, right there. She took out her enchanted horse whistle, which she'd saved for occasions where it was necessary. "Bruse, come to me!"

As she called his name and played a small few notes, her lovely caramel-coloured horse materialized before her.

"Sick! That's a nifty flute, right there!" Marcurio exclaimed with great awe.

Vilja wasted no time. She quickly brought Bruse to the mining carriage, which was used to transport several pounds of ore to Riften from the small town. She tied the reins to the horse and jumped on. "Miners! On the carriage! Quickly!"

Annekke quickly broke formation and hurried to her daughter.

"M-mother! What are you doing?" Sylgja whimpered as she took her into a firm embrace.

"What kind of mother would I be if I knew my daughter was in danger and did nothing?" Annekke held her child closely, though the hug did not last long, as the storm of war was growing louder with each passing second. "Go, Sylgja! Go with Talos! I love you."

Her daughter choked a sob and hurried to the carriage, where the others had already boarded with great haste. Filnjar quickly pulled her up. "Be careful, mother! Don't die! Please!"

Annekke lowered her head and took a deep breath of relief, knowing that her daughter would be safe, at least for the meantime.

"Godspeed, Vilja! Stendarr be with you." Carcette wished upon the Nord, who kicked Bruse lightly to signal him to move.

Surprising, since she no longer formally served Stendarr.

"Watch the roads! We'll hopefully be with you soon!" Lucien called out as Vilja departed with the carriage in tow towards the south.

Author's Note: It's an uphill climb from here, folks - but we can do this! :) I recommend playing "Elder Scrolls Oblivion - Daedra In Flight" for this one!

Burning arrows rained down, setting fire to the houses as the angry scalding roars of Dremora sounded.

"Dibella's tits!" Cosnach exclaimed in horror.

"Stand your ground! They feed off of your fear, these Devils!" Inigo commanded.

The Reachman sighed. "Oh, well. If we're gonna die here, I might as well break out the Sujamma this time." He quickly popped the cork off the beverage he'd hidden in his satchel and chugged it down quickly.

Carcette curled her nose with disgust. "Typical Reachman behaviour. Face battle with a clear mind, you fool!"

Delphine scoffed. "Can't say I blame him this time."

Lucien looked to Inigo for guidance.

"Lucien, my friend, I trust in your abilities even if you are not always certain. With your mighty magic, I want you to take the left flank. Marcurio take the right. I want you two to be our artillery. Fire like hell at them!" Inigo was stern, but certain.

"You got it, Inigo!" Lucien exclaimed cheerfully. He remembered all the time they'd travelled together with Cura, Serana and Vilja, and how far they'd all come from their first meetings. His confidence only grew from there.

The mages took to their positions and began to charge their spells.

"With a master of magic at your side, you'll have nothing to fear." Marcurio boasted, showing confidence in his natural affinity for the Arcane.

"Guards at my sides!"

They did as they were bid, joining Inigo in a lineup.

Inigo turned around to face Carcette, who was fully decked in the armour, her face invisible, but her presence undeniable. He could not ask for a better partner here, save for Cura. Though, this was the woman who taught her most of what she knew in Restoration. The healing, hammer and heavy armour would make her a nightmare on the battlefield.

"Carcette, you have that big hammer, yes? Acquaint them to it. Maybe they need a good face remodelling." Inigo pointed ahead, and she walked in front. He knew in his mind that Carcette must have had experience fighting Dremora in the past - and to live as long as she had in her profession was something to be respected. He could count on her to trip them up.

"It would be my pleasure, Inigo. You might say that I was born for this." Carcette smiled unseen through her helmet. Jyggalag's armour felt light like the air. Her hammer weighed nothing in her hands. There was no strain or fatigue to be found.

These fiends conspired with the Mythic Dawn, and were thus partly responsible for Cura's demise. There was nothing more that needed to be said: they weren't Daedra - they were meat to be pulverized donned in black armour.

"What shall I do, o gracious one?" Delphine chimed bitterly as she stepped up beside him, armed and ready for war.

"What you do best, Delphine - cut them to ribbons any way you like!" Inigo told her.

A determined smile made its way on her face. "My pleasure." Now he was speaking her language.

Inigo turned his attention to the humble old man. "Esbern, you have the moves of a beast! I remember in the Ratway Warrens, how you cut down those nasty, mean High Elves!" Inigo gestured ahead. "Right down the middle! Scatter their troops!"

"It's nice to be recognized." Esbern gripped his katana and walked around to the front, guarding the guards and Inigo from a twelve o'clock position, standing between Carcette and Delphine.

"Mjoll the Lioness!" Inigo called out.

"Oh! I'm here!" she raised her hand from the back. She'd seemed distracted before, but his voice called her back from the clouds.

"Let's hear you roar! When they close in, Battle Cry!"

"All right." Mjoll was ready for this fight. She feared, however, for Riften and for Aerin. Though, since the mission was to bring those two towns to Windhelm, perhaps Riften would be spared the trouble for now.

"Everyone else fight like it's your last, but stay close! Block the field so Vilja cannot be pursued!" Inigo ordered.

The Dremora picked up their pace and nocked more Fire Arrows.

"Now!"

The group launched a great attack. Esbern, even with his age, found an opening and leapt for it. With a glint in his eye, he lowered his body and launched himself forward, sword in hand, and performed a great dance of ruin through the first and second, and third, and fourth, and fifth, and sixth, and seventh, and eighth, and ninth, and tenth frontline center's warriors, cutting a straight line through their formation like a spinning bandsaw. Pieces dropped to the ground in a mess of paranormal blood and gore.

Mjoll jumped ahead and roared with the fury of a hundred Bears, striking fear into the hearts of the Dremoras.

Demoralized, the fiends hastily tried to turn their horses around as the perceived threat grew bigger and bigger each second. The small group seemed a Legion to the frightened Daedra.

Carcette lunged forward herself, and wielding the justice of Stendarr and the might of Jyggalag, she drove her Warhammer down through the Daedra rider and his horse, and putted his corpse into another rider with unnatural strength. She took no rest; instead beating and pulverizing any that dared come near her.

She never before had such vigor and strength! Not even as a Vampire. The Dremora were flies. Mere flies to be swatted by her hammer.

Cosnach flailed his sword like a madman and was knocked down with a blow from a run-by Daedric Warhammer. Annekke fired an arrow into the horse's leg, causing it to fall to the ground.

Darkeethus crept in the shadows and leapt up, snatching a Daedra off his horse by his head and then breaking his neck with a strong twist. He drew poison-tipped throwing knives and tossed them, with mild success, hitting three Dremora who strode by.

Cosnach growled as Annekke and Stenvar took to his side. "Ouch. My damn head. Oooh, they're gonna pay for that!"

Stenvar rushed ahead and cut off a Daedric horse's head with a swing of his greatsword and ducked under the rider's sword. He followed up by thrusting forward and sticking the rider through the chest.

Cosnach cast a Lightning spell at his attacker, who returned for more, and kept out of range as the fiend tried to hit him again.

Annekke was by his side, back to back. She fired an arrow, hitting the fiend in the arm, and Cosnach took the opportunity to jump up and cleave his head off.

Delphine dodged a Fire Arrow from the west flank, and Lucien fired an Elemental Bolt, knocking the first rider down. Then, Delphine used the fallen rider as a platform and jumped onto his Daedric Horse, appropriating it for herself. She felt alive again. With a smile on her face, the older Breton strode into the eastern horde to fend them away from the fields and to offer her allies a break to exploit.

Lucien summoned a Storm Atronach to help cover more ground. He moved it up to the cliff westward, and it began to fire bolts at the enemies from there.

Erik wiped his nose and quickly raised his sword to deflect a blow from a Daedric waraxe.

Marcurio summoned a wall of ice behind Erik, causing the rider behind him to flail as his demonic horse was caused to panic.

Inigo nocked three arrows and briefly closed his eyes. Wish me luck, Cura. He opened them and released the three once the riders came to close in on Lucien, catching each of them in the head and saving his friend amidst the flames.

Lucien and Marcurio eventually stood side-by-side, gatekeeping the Daedra from the center road with Stone walls.

A Daedra leapt their barricade, but was clubbed by Carcette from below. She swatted them like flies, and crushed them like dirt.

"I can't believe it! We're... we're actually holding our ground!" Stenvar exclaimed as he danced around a spear thrust.

Carcette and Mjoll joined forces and tag-teamed a pair of riders, from above and below, taking out the horse and Dremora at the same time.

As the battle raged on, the enemy numbers were beginning to dwindle. If this was a test of Skyrim's might, they knew they were in trouble.

Delphine jousted with her swords in hand, cutting the foes as she passed by, only to eventually be impaled through her side by a Daedric spear from a safe distance. She gasped and pulled back.

The shock caused her to plummet to the floor. The world was spinning and pain wracked her body. "N-no... not like this."

Before the rider could come around again, a figure stood between them. Carcette. She quickly brought her hammer forward, stopping the momentum of the Daedra rider and knocking him down from his horse and tripping his ally behind.

Before a couple more of them could rush them from behind, Esbern made quick work of them with a vicious flurry, killing horse and rider alike. His blades dripped with blood; some of which fell into the small colonies of fire that sputtered from the onslaught. Esbern's fight was a fearsome and graceful sight to behold, and yet fear-inspiring to all who witnessed it. However, beads of sweat and deep groans of fatigue came out from him. The old man planted his sword into the earth blade-first and leaned on it to catch his breath.

Carcette helped Delphine to her feet and cast a healing spell on her. She hurried to Esbern and the old man held up a hand. "No... don't worry about me. I have a few Stamina potions." he protested and took a drink of one. Strength returned to him and he retrieved his katana from the earth that kindly held it for him.

Delphine stared at Carcette for a moment as she processed what had just happened. "Th...thanks."

Carcette gave her a nod. "We're allies. I won't watch you die." She quickly rejoined Esbern in chasing down a couple of strays who were attempting to rush around them to pursue Vilja and the carriage.

Marcurio cast a lightning bolt at a tree, causing it to collapse on the road and trip a couple more Dremora, but he was met with a sword in the back.

"MARCURIO!" Erik cried out as he rushed to his friend's aid and with a strong push, knocked the Daedra off his horse. Once the fiend fell backwards, the sword came out of the Imperial's back, causing blood to fly out. Erik followed up by getting on top of the Dremora and stabbing his sword down into his throat. He was repaid with a blade in the stomach. "Hrg!"

Lucien saw his old acquaintance take the blade in the back and hurried over as the fight unfolded. He was accosted by a Dremora who rammed him with a warhammer on horseback, sending him rolling over in the grass.

Darkeethus stole a dead rider's spear and hurried through the fire and war to guard Lucien against another assailant, stabbing the Daedra through the heart.

Inigo hissed as he became surrounded on all sides by spearmen, who were playfully twirling the polearms above their heads as they calculated their marks. The Khajiit was not going to let himself be stuck like a pincushion, that much was certain. He watched and listened and tensed his leg muscles. Which of them was about to make the first move?

Whoever it was, they'd better not miss.

Then Inigo had an idea. "FUS RO DAH!" he shouted, causing the Daedra in front of him to flinch for a second and he leapt past his horse, causing it to get stuck with three spears.

"Losers! My fleas have bigger brains than you!" Inigo taunted.

The three Daedra roared furiously and began to cast Ice Spikes at the belligerent Khajiit. Mjoll leapt in front and absorbed them with a wrathful grunt.

"Mjoll!" Inigo called out in surprise as she continued to shield him from the barrage.

"It's... hng! Nothing. I'm a Nord! Ice is nothing to us!" Mjoll winked at him between winces.

Inigo wasn't going to let her become a human voodoo doll on his behalf. He rushed out from behind her, drawing their fire his way, but dodging with haste. One Ice Spike hit the back of his shin, tearing into the flesh. "Ow! Son of a mother!"

Stenvar and Mjoll rushed to his side, with the city guards, who were fending off enemies from all sides. However, one of the guards was struck down before their eyes.

Carcette played medic now, quickly tending to Lucien and Marcurio as Cosnach, Annekke and Darkeethus kept the remaining enemies at bay.

That was when horror presented itself: over the hills came the roaring of hooves. Esbern looked up with his sweat-stained face to see an even larger horde of Dremora riding in. They must be the main host.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Delphine groaned with horror as the memories of the end of Cloud Ruler Sanctuary flooded her mind. That awful night when all of her comrades fell upon Thalmor blades. She looked at Esbern, who was worn out. He was no longer the man he was back in those days.

"Oh... oh. We're screwed!" Lucien realized the direness of the situation as the second wave rapidly approached. "Inigo, what do we do?"

Inigo looked at his weary allies and at the mess around them, and then at the large host over the hills. He saw a number of unmounted Daedric horses, with dead riders. "Grab a horse! We make a strategic runaway! Retreat to Kynesgrove for now!" he called out. They did what they set out to do. The townsfolk were secure.

Inigo moved first with great finesse, swiftly launching himself atop a black, flaming mare. He snapped the reins and led the retreat.

The group members scattered the fields and quickly mounted the dark horses. On nightmarish hooves they sped trails of fire through the fields, sending both a message and a warning to the Daedric Hordes: Skyrim is not yours to conquer.


The Hall of the Vigilant was silent and the members within handled domestic affairs.

Suddenly, the door was flung open and Nirtius Pontanian, Irbrand Bienne and Brother Adalvald hastily entered.

"Where is Vigilant Tolan? I have some... distressing news for him." Brother Adalvald asked one of the members.

"He's out at the moment." one of the Vigilants lied.

Nirtius shook his head and looked at Adalvald. "He's lying." he confirmed.

Adalvald slowly reached for his crossbow mounted on his back and the Vigilant narrowed his eyes at him. The others surrounding them also began to glare suspiciously.

"I'll ask you again; where is Vigilant Tolan?" Adalvald demanded.

"I already told you: he's out at the moment." the Vigilant repeated more sternly.

"Stop pretending. We know what you are!" Irbrand growled with frustration. "Reveal yourselves, Mythic Dawn!"

The speaker smirked brutishly. "If you insist."

With that, they all collectively dispelled the illusions that showed them to be Vigilants and their true nature was revealed.

Adalvald leaned backwards and opened the door, signalling for the other Vigilants who accompanied them to enter the Hall, outnumbering the Cultists, much to their horror.

"Let's take back our Hall!" Adalvald exclaimed as he loaded a bolt in his crossbow.

The first cultist snarled. "It doesn't matter anyway! Lord Dagon will avenge us!" he gestured with his face towards the Shrine of Stendarr, which another cultist cut his wrist over and spilled blood on.

"What..."

"We desecrate this False God's shrine in the name of Mehrunes Dagon! May the name of Stendarr be accursed upon every tongue!" the cultist proclaimed as his ally bled to death.

Something happened then to the Shrine. It began to become enveloped in a dark, red and violet aura as the blood ran down the drinking horn and into the basin, then down to the altar.

The air grew heavy, and the true Vigilants began to shiver.

"What have you done, blasphemers?!" Nirtius shouted as the room grew darker and the hearth fire sputtered out. A cold, black wind filled the hall.

"We've fulfilled part of our duty." the lead cultist laughed. "When all the prominent shrines have gone dark, the Doom Strider shall emerge!"

"Kill them all! Deliver upon them Stendarr's -" before Adalvald could finish, a dark whisper resounded through the air.

The cultists all raised their arms in welcome. "It's over!"

"What?!" Adalvald shouted.

A black gale emerged from the shrine like a dark fog and swallowed the cultists. Their flesh was melted from their bones and the ones who were caught by surprise shrieked at the unexpected death of their comrades.

The Vigilants stepped back in horror as the profaned Shrine burst open, creating a portal, which pulled in the souls of the cultists.

The leading cultist smirked at them and waved goodbye fiendishly before succumbing to the dark wind.

When the portal closed, all that remained in that instant were piles of bones and torn fabric.

"What on Nirn..." Adalvald winced as he looked upon the macabre spectacle.

And then, to make matters worse, they heard a Yelp from downstairs.

Adalvald hurried down the stairs behind the hearth, taking care to avoid the Shrine area altogether.

When he made it downstairs to the dungeon he heard the sounds of a violent struggle between three men.

When he got closer he saw Tolan; his robes torn to rags and his eyes wild with Nordic rage. "NO! NOT AGAIN! NEVER AGAIN!" he roared as he grabbed a remaining cultist by the throat and crushed his diaphragm between his strong fingers.

"Vigilant Tolan! You are alive!" Adalvald exclaimed with relief.

"Barely... they opened my cell to bring me upstairs... for a sacrifice. Then I heard your voice. I was... not gonna have that." Tolan huffed and heaved for air. He cast a healing spell on himself. "Adalvald... where is the Keeper? Is she..."

He was in a cell. That explained a lot, Adalvald thought. They couldn't do much in the Hall without locking the lion away.

Brother Adalvald solemnly shook his head. "Ill tidings, old friend. Ill tidings. Come, I'll explain as we go outside." He placed a friendly hand on his cohort's back as they walked up the stairs.

As soon as Tolan's eyes fell upon the main hall, he shuddered. "What on Nirn? What did they do?!"

"They profaned Lord Stendarr." Nirtius stated angrily.

"Nirtius Pontanian!" Vigilant Tolan extended a hand for a shake, which the older man took graciously. "It's been a while, eh?"

At that moment, Vilkas entered the Hall of the Vigilant with Kodlak behind him.

"Whoa! What happened here?" Vilkas asked, noting the destruction, the bones, and the busted altar.

"The Mythic Dawn." Irbrand stated. "Do we know you?"

"The Companions. Cura was among their number, or so I've heard." Nirtius went off of hearsay he'd heard in the region.

"Yes, I remember them. That was during Cura's werewolf days..." Tolan recalled.

"But they did help her, and us, catch Odahviing, so we shouldn't consider them enemies." Brother Adalvald reasoned.

"Why are you here?" Tolan demanded as Aela, Farkas and Ria entered.

"We have come to pay our respects to our fallen Shield-Sister." Kodlak said.

Vilkas nodded firmly. He felt that there was too much left unresolved between them. He couldn't just let it go.

"Fallen?" Tolan's face contorted with confusion and concern. He immediately looked to Adalvald for an answer.

"Cura is at the Beacon. Let's leave this place and I'll explain everything." Adalvald insisted.

"What happened to your... Shrine?" Ria asked before they walked out.

Brother Adalvald appointed seven Vigilants to watch over the Hall in the meantime.

"I think they want to attack the prominent Aedric Shrines in the province."

"Then we have to guard Whiterun! It's full of them!" Aela stated. "I have no doubt in my mind that those weasels will go to the Shrines of Talos, Arkay and Kynareth next."

"By Ysmir!" Kodlak realized the truth in her words as they made way to the fields. "Of course! Without the Shrines, the Aedra's protection will be taken away from us!"

"...And the forces of Oblivion..." before Vilkas could finish the sentiment, a great rumble shook the land beneath them and the mountain above them.

The giant Statue of Mehrunes Dagon that loomed over the Pale began to glow with red light and crumbled into rocks, revealing an Oblivion Gate underneath it.

The cultists sacrificed themselves to activate it in the Hall of the Vigilant. All that they needed to do was remove Stendarr's protection over the perimeter.

"Uh, oh. That really doesn't look good." Farkas pointed out the obvious.

"Carcette probably didn't remember it, but I remember Moric Sidrey warning us about that statue. He didn't trust it. That was why he stationed the Hall there." Adalvald recalled their history.

The portal immediately began to flood with Dremoras, Clannfears, Spider Daedra, and Daedroths, who began to make their way down the mountain, but eventually stopped to convene on the upper cliffs - to plan their attack accordingly.

Farkas took a few steps back. "What do we do, brother? I, uh, I'm not good at counting, but I can see that there aren't enough of us to fight them."

Vilkas choked on his words as he watched the insurmountable horde arriving.

"We go to Dawnstar and get reinforcements! This is not a battle we can win alone!" Kodlak advised.

Aela scoffed. "I'll bet you regret getting rid of your beast blood now."

Ria gasped upon hearing this, and Tolan and the other Vigilants glared at the Companions.

Adalvald and Tolan knew it already, but now it was just confirmed.

"I'm glad I kept it after all." Vilkas snarled. He could feel the animal stirring inside him, crying out for Daedric blood. The Vigilants around him were unsure of how to approach the matter, though a few werewolves felt benign; maybe even beneficial at the current time.

The combined forces of Vigilants and Companions made a break for the city of Dawnstar. They had to get the Guards involved for this. Along the way, Adalvald would deliver the heart-wrenching news to Tolan.


Inigo and his host rushed through the valleys of the Rift. Sounds of fury slammed the earth behind them as the Dremora legion stormed the plains like violent, raging bulls.

"Damn it! They're catching up with us! There's no stopping them!" Delphine growled in frustration.

"I've got this; don't you worry!" Marcurio targeted part of the nearby cliffs with an Elemental Bolt, causing rocks to rain down on the path behind them, creating a blockade as they took to the upper cliffs.

The Dremora were halted for the moment, but this only led their archers to aim their bows up over the rocks and fire their flaming arrows.

A burning arrow rained down and struck Carcette's horse in the back leg, causing it to panic and derail over the cliff with her on tow.

"Carcette!" Lucien cried out as he attempted to grab her. His hand gripped the sharp pauldron of her armour, causing his hand to get slit open at the palm. "Agh!"

Delphine grit her teeth as she watched the fall from afar. But she had to keep going.

Carcette's yell grew lower and lower as she and the Daedric Horse plummeted into the pond down below.

Inigo whipped his head around and gasped. He was ready to turn around to try and get her, but the cliff was too steep, and the Dremora broke through the barricade, stampeding over crushed stone.

"Sons of bitches!" Cosnach hurled a fireball back at them, but the leader formed a Ward and guarded against it.

The dread army retaliated, firing fireballs and lightning bolts en masse in attempt to slay the party. One bolt struck Annekke, knocking her and her horse down. As soon as she hit the ground she cried out in pain as her left arm was broken backwards. Darkeethus, her friend, turned his horse around and quickly scooped her up off the ground with great care and diligence before the Dremora could catch her. This generous act cost him a spear in his back as one of the fiends tossed it into him from a distance.

Inigo wondered how much easier this would be if Cura were with them. She could have just lined herself behind the party and 'Fus Ro Dah'd the lot of them off the cliffside.

A Dremora copied their maneuver, striking boulders up above them, causing the rocks to rain down, hitting Esbern, Mjoll, and Erik.

Erik took the least of it, as he was quick to maneuver aside, but his right shoulder was pushed down by a heavy stone and broken, causing him to cry out on impact.

"Esbern!" Delphine cried out to her cohort, who had masterfully sliced through the stone with his katana before contact was made. However, it resulted in his blade being broken.

Mjoll's horse ran around haphazardly in a panic as she was slumped over on it, unconscious.

A horrifying sight came ahead of the group: the vague look of a Dragon flew over in their direction from the front with its mouth open.

With a loud gasp, Inigo ducked his head down and the others ducked as quickly, knowing what was coming.

"DRAGON!" Delphine called out as the lizard looped through the air and headed towards the Dremora Horde.

"YOL TOOR SHUL!" the wyrm blasted the dark legion with fire, causing them to fall back. The Dragon roared and flew in a paraloop, and then swerved, spewing more burning trails of fire from its maw.

The more Inigo watched with his night vision, he realized with a light heart just who it was. His fear was replaced with great joy and excitement upon recognizing the figure before them. "Paarthurnax! That is Paarthurnax! We are saved!"

"Deydra vokul kent dir! I will not allow them to harm you. Do as you must, fahdon of the Dovahkiin!" Paarthurnax declared in a tender, protective voice.

Delphine stubbornly drew her bow, pointed at Paarthurnax and nocked an arrow, but Erik pushed it down. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing? He's on our side!"

"He's a Dragon! The only side he serves is his own!" Delphine yelled.

Inigo came up from behind her and whacked her on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. "Do what you must, Paarthurnax! Thank you very much for your assistance!" he expressed before leading the horses forward.

Paarthurnax continued to blast fire on the Dremora Legion, causing them to turn and run, and he chased them through the air.

Minus Carcette, with a greatly wounded Mjoll, Erik, Darkeethus and Annekke, and fatigued Esberrn, the group forged onwards to Kynesgrove now that they had some room to move forward.