We stood outside the door, listening to the muted voices coming from within and alternating between fidgeting and studying our surroundings. Only arriving in Anvil a few short hours previously, we had made our way more or less directly to the local Guild. Upon our arrival however it appeared that reporting to Azzan was going to have to wait; as he had a small collection of individuals who were already waiting to speak to him. So, we found ourselves waiting, choosing to remain in the upper levels of the chapterhouse rather than wandering about aimlessly.

  "They're keeping busy at least." Muttered Viconia as she leant against the wall, arms folded and scowling.

  I grinned slightly. "That they are..."

  Glancing over to her I couldn't help but feel more relaxed than I had in the past months. The journey from Glenvar had been thankfully short and quiet, and other than a brief stay in Skingrad we had continued on, leaving the darkness of that devastated county behind. It had been a fortnight since our arrival in Glenvar and the events that had followed, and we were beginning to feel the strain. For almost six months we had been travelling, and a vast majority of the time we were either on the road and had experienced fights and skirmishes almost constantly. The journey to Anvil from Glenvar had been purposely dragged out to give us some breathing space. As such and upon arriving in the port city I knew that Viconia was as thankful for the slight reprieve just as I was.

  "So I'm supposed to do what? Sit back and wait while something keeps killing my babies?"

  "I'm sorry Arvena, but I don't have the fighters to spare for at least a week or more."

  The door to Azzan's office was ripped open and the very flushed face of a dunmer woman appeared, the tight bun of hair slowly losing the fight to stay unravelled. "Well someone has to help me!" She shouted, anger and frustration eating away at her features and twisting them into an expression that could almost match Viconia's in intensity.

  Ignoring Azzan's cries from within his office she stomped past, barely pausing in stride but glaring at Viconia and I on the way past. Her anger was acid on the tongue and lingered in her wake as she left, muttering and cursing in Dunmeris the whole time.

  There was something akin to silence in the upper floors, lasting just long enough for the echoing boom of a door being slammed downstairs. It only partially hid the sigh from within the office before Azzan's strained voice called out a single weary 'Next!' with the full expectation of the issues that that word could bring.

  "Sounds like you are making friends." I said as I entered the office, moving lightly a few short paces behind Viconia.

  Dressed in a simple cloth tunic and belted pants, Azzan was wearily rubbing at his temples and glaring at the pile of documents and parchments that were strewn across his desk. At the sound of my voice he glanced upwards, the strained expression washing away into relief and genuine pleasure.

  "By the gods it is good to see you both." He rose to his feet, shaking Viconia's hand and then mine in his typical bone crushing fashion. "It's even better that you aren't some fresh petitioner or potential contract."

  "What's the matter Azzan? Three or four months ago you were complaining of the lack of work, now there's too much? Does anything make you happy?" The grin on my face and the sarcastic tone in my voice stripped away any potential offence I might have given, but I could see clearly how his eyes were starting to shrink into his skull and were red and inflamed. He obviously wasn't sleeping well. If at all.

  "Hmph. Easy for you to say. You don't have to deal with women like Arvena and her gods-damned rat problem every damn day." Blowing out a deep breath that puffed his cheeks he shook his head and motioned to one of the many cabinets within his room. "I don't know about you two, but I could do with a drink."

  "Well... If you are offering." Viconia replied, moving over and gracefully sitting down into one of the chairs near his desk.

  "No brandy I'm afraid Kaius." The metallic clunk of his Warhammer was felt through the floorboards more than heard as he shifted it to one side to open the cupboard's doors. "But I have managed to procure a bottle or two of wine that you might enjoy."

  "Wine?" I gave him a suspicious glance as he opened a tiny chest within the cabinet emblazoned with frost runes keeping its contents chilled. "Since when do you drink wine?"

  A trio of glasses appeared along with a bottle. "Ever since I won a couple of bottles in a game of dice." Pulling out the cork, he filled the three glasses and handed us one each. "This is one of Tamika's. Vintage 399. Quite an expensive drop, but I've found it to my liking."

  Like an experienced connoisseur he lifted the glass and took a sip, smiling before pressing the chilled bottle to the side of his head to assist with an obviously building headache. Both Viconia and I took our own experimental sips, finding the rich ruby liquid to be very good indeed. My own enjoyment was ruined slightly by the colouring and texture reminded me all too much of fresh blood and the fact that I would need to feed over the coming days.

  "The guild almost looks deserted." Viconia said between careful sips of her drink, savouring the taste.

  Leaning against his desk he nodded and glanced between the two of us. "That's because we are the busiest we have been in years. I can't even remember a time when I had to turn down contracts, but since the siege the coin has been pouring in."

  "That good eh?"

  He gestured about the room and I couldn't help but glance at his towering suit of plate armour hanging from its armour stand. It was strange how fleshy and mortal he appeared outside of it, almost as though there was less of him when not dressed in the steel. What was somehow more surprising was that outside of the armour he was shorter, and seemingly less muscular than myself. It was a dangerous assumption to be had though as his body was hard as iron and strong despite how it appeared.

  "We've taken on over two dozen new members in the past two months, and not a single one of them has been wanting for work. Most of our time these days has been taken over by training the militia and guard as the Countess has demanded. The rest of the time we're trying to keep our usual contracts so when all this blows over we will still have some income."

  "It's about time you got yourself some honest work."

  "Hah-hah, very funny Kaius." He took another sip. "Teaching people how to soldier isn't exciting... But fuck the Countess pays well."

  Viconia smiled over the glass. "Well enough to gamble for wine?"

  "You bet, and it comes with other perks as well." The deep baritone chuckle made us all grin as he puffed out his chest proudly. "You just happen to be looking at one of County Anvil's Military Advisors."

  My drawn out appreciate whistle made all of us laugh. "You're moving up in the world."

  "Yeah, but like you two can't talk." He gestured to us and the improved clothes and equipment that we wore in comparison to the last time we had been in the port city. "Sir Desin, and Madame Viconia..."

  "You heard about that did you?" Viconia muttered. While few others would have been able to notice, I could tell that she felt somewhat uncomfortable with the recognition.

  "My dear, all of Tamriel would have heard of how the Heroes of Kvatch, Champions of Anvil, Claimers of the Light of Dawn, are now also members of one of the most illustrious military Orders within all Cyrodiil..."

  "Great." The growl in her tone was audible as she looked darkly about the room. "What about saviours of Glenvar?"

  He stopped in mid motion. "I heard you cleared a den of Vampires when you retrieved the Light of Dawn, but that didn't strike me as something you'd gain a new title for." For a moment he paused. "But then again... I wouldn't be surprised if you were awarded a new title with every hundred things you kill."

  The glance that Viconia and I shared caught his attention and he sighed, wiping his mouth and placing his glass on the desk. "Okay, I'll bite. What shit did you two get yourselves involved in this time?"

  "There was more than one coven of vampires in Glenvar." Viconia replied, staring at me intently the whole time.

  "And you killed them obviously."

  I nodded. "Yeah, but not before they had well and truly settled into their new home. The second coven had infested the Castle. Over the past couple of months, they had killed, infected or enslaved most of the Castle inhabitants and were in the process of doing the same to the entire county."

  Azzan stopped, looking between to two of us with stunned disbelief etched into his features. "I definitely haven't heard any of this. When did all this happen?"

  "We were in Glenvar a fortnight ago. Managed to get there in time to rescue a few survivors holed up in the town hall, and the hundred or so locked up in the castle dungeon."

  "How many were there?"

  "Those we saved? Or the vampires?"

  "Both."

  I shrugged, meeting Viconia's gaze. "A hundred, to a hundred and fifty survivors. And between fifty and hundred vampires and their thralls."

  "Don't forget the werewolves." Viconia added, ensuring like she had the past fortnight that everyone knew exactly what we had been facing.

  "Werewolves?" Azzan asked incredulously.

  "Almost a dozen werewolves. The Vampire leading the coven was a sorceress and she was somehow controlling the werewolves with the help of a wizard she had enthralled."

  "You killed them all!?"

  Shaking my head, I kept glancing out of the corner of my eye at Viconia. Even before the blood has dried on our swords and armour, both Viconia and I had decided on a cover story. What had really happened was not something that either of us wanted known. In any form...

  "Not really. Initially we were captured, but after a bit of time Viconia managed to break free of their spells with her magicka. The vampire matriarch lost control over the werewolves in the process and they ended up running wild. For the most part they slaughtered each other."

  "So you two simply sat back and watched..." he said sarcastically.

  "Watched from the corner of the room with our backs to the wall." Viconia added. "Anything that got too close we killed. Then, once all the noise stopped we went about picking off the survivors."

  Looking at him I smiled and added a considerable amount of sarcasm to my voice. "The Light of Dawn is extremely effective against the bloodsuckers."

  He smiled at my comment and shook his head in amazement. "I bet it is."

  "I'm surprised you haven't heard about it before now." I replied, looking over to him and finishing off my wine. "The entire county was more or less killed off. There is still several hundred people confirmed dead or otherwise missing as far as anyone can tell. Hells, even Count Albric was killed by the vampires."

  "Another Count dead?"

  "Very much so."

  Viconia placed her own glass on the desk and shrugged. "They skinned him and impaled him on a chandelier."

  Azzan frowned at that. "At this rate there's not going to be any members of the Elder Council left."

  "Not sure that is a bad thing." I replied, and the three of us chuckled sombrely at the implications.

  "If I hadn't been by your side the whole time we dived head first into Oblivion, I would have doubted that you could have survived a horde of vampires and a pack of werewolves."

  "You wouldn't have been the only one." For a few moments I remembered the reactions of Glenvar's survivors as they found themselves facing the gore and corpse filled ruins of the castle interior. Young Hadrgar especially had spent several long minutes cursing and swearing in complete surprise. His sentences and vocabulary had been reduced to the words; what, who, how, fuck, and the repeated in every possible combination.

  For Ylfgar's part he had simply stood in stunned silence along with most of the others at the sight of the hall filled with bones, corpses and ankle deep ash, blinking with his remaining eye before finally muttering "If this is what you do when you are 'just going in for a look around', then what in the hells were you going to do if you attacked the place instead?"

  We ended up staying for another day or two to rest up and to help the survivors the best we could. Most of the captives from the dungeons were extremely traumatised and weak from their captivity. All of them, even the extremely young had been carefully bled to feed the coven. But being released, feeling the sun on their skin again and the appearance of a full cohort of Legionaries had done wonders for them all. When we had finally bid them all goodbye they were beginning to reclaim their former lives, repairing and restoring the castle and the village and caring for the injured, distraught or otherwise weakened members. The more enterprising of them were carefully raking and shovelling the ashes of the slain vampires into barrels as to alchemists and wizards, the substance was worth more than ivory. It seemed somehow poetic that those ashes represented a fresh start and a more certain future for the region and those who chose to remain.

  "You both obviously haven't been keeping up with latest events in your travels, otherwise you mightn't have been too surprised at how we haven't heard of this yet." Azzan looked like he was still struggling to comprehend what we had achieved, and if I was being truthful I wasn't sure whether Viconia and I had yet either.

  "Things been that interesting have they?"

  "Yeah." He moved around to the other side of his desk and sat himself carefully into his chair. "Things are not going too well for the Empire."

  "We heard a few rumours and stories on the way here." Viconia replied.

  I nodded in agreement. "Mostly during our stay in Skingrad."

  "Such as?"

  Viconia and I shared another glance. "Fighting and skirmishing up on the border of Skyrim and Morrowind, Argonians migrating back to Blackmarsh... That sort of thing."

  "That's barely even a part of it all." There was a sigh from the Redguard mercenary. "It's true that the Eastern holds and House Redoran have started bickering more than normal, but that's only a tiny part of what's going on. Best way to put it, is that the whole Empire is starting to go to Oblivion in more ways than just one."

  Viconia ground her teeth together. "Is it really that bad?"

  He nodded. "You better believe it. House Redoran is no longer pulling punches anymore, not after Ald'Ruhn. They're mobilising for war and they aren't giving a shit about what everyone thinks. Especially the other houses."

  A chill ran up my spine. Years serving in north western Vvardenfell had left me more familiar with the Redoran's than the other Great Houses of Morrowind. While they were some of the more warlike of the Dunmer, the loss of their capital spelled a change to Morrowwind's political situation.

  "That doesn't surprise me." I muttered, feeling their eyes on me. "The Redoran's have always seen themselves as the defenders of Morrowind. Being unable to defend themselves against the daedra will have struck a nerve."

  "It's done more than that I'm afraid." Azzan shrugged and rummaged through some of the sheets on his desk until he found a letter opener. "They are pulling out all the stops, buying up every scrap of leather, slaughtering their netch herds and every piece of Ebony that is not required for the Imperial tithe is being smelted. They're building an army."

  "What does the Elder Council say about this?"

  Looking up at me he idly picked at his teeth with the letter opener. "The Council? All the members are too busy trying to gain power for themselves. There have been condemnations of course but it's not going any further than that. As long as they don't engage any Legion forces I doubt anything will stop them. It is however giving ideas to everyone else. House Hlaalu are quickly following suit, and Eastmarch hold and the Rift are mobilising their own forces. There have been clashes on the border and if everyone isn't careful a war will break out between Skyrim and Morrowind."

  I swore under my breath and shook my head. "What else is going on?"

  "Well, everyone in one way or another is getting ready for war. Either between the provinces or against the daedra. The Crowned and the Forebears have a semi-official truce going on, which has left Hammerfell with real peace for the first time in decades. If not longer. A few of their cities have been attacked by the daedra so it's made a lot of Redguards realise the threat they we are facing."

  "How many cities have been attacked?" Viconia was listening intently, scrunching her face with concentration as she tried to piece together the news and everything I had taught her of the provinces. She had been learning as much as she could about Tamriel the past months and I knew she was picturing the maps I had been drawing and showing her in her mind.

  "Dozens at least. Most attacks these past months have been more like raids as there have been very few portals opening. Those that do open seem to open in the wilderness rather than just outside a city's gate like what happened here. I'd bet a lot of money on the fact that your 'other' friends have something to do about that."

  Both Viconia and I knew that he was right, and he knew it too. The Blades had not been resting on their laurels the past months and the fact that most of the gates were opening away from civilisation meant that the Mythic Dawn was being hunted to extinction. This meant that they had to flee from the towns and cities and the enormous network of agents reporting back to Jauffre.

  "That's not to say that there haven't been massive attacks. Black Heights in Elsweyr, Mournhold in Morrowind, Whiterun in Skyrim and Sunhold on the Summerset Isles have all been besieged like Anvil had. Nearly all have taken damage or suffered serious losses. When the portals open in the wilderness it gives the daedra some time to rally their forces together and do a concerted attack, rather than just rushing in blindly. About the only place so far that didn't get too badly wrecked during a battle is Evermore in High Rock."

  I felt my eyebrow raise at that piece of news. "The daedra seem to have a habit of underestimating Knightly Orders."

  "You'd think that," Azzan replied humorously. "but this time no, it wasn't any of the Orders. They are preparing for war just everyone else though. I've heard that the Knights of the Rose have in excess of fifteen hundred fully fledged members. and that number is potentially growing."

  "If not knights, then who?"

  There was a gleam in his eye. "Orcs."

  "Bullshit."

  Slapping a hand over his heart and making the sign of Talos with his other he laughed. "On my honour. A warband of orcs several hundred strong appeared, charged the daedra, stomped them into the dirt and left. They stayed only long enough to burn the dead and pick up their wounded."

  "Bet that's pissing off all the bluebloods up there. Can't imagine their reactions at being saved by a bunch of filthy greenskins."

  "Oh... Yeah... It's only the beginning though. Good old King Gortwog is getting them all ready for a fight and they aren't sitting back waiting for the daedra to come to them. Some of the stories going around at the moment is that there is rolling thunder coming from the Wrothgarian Highlands."

  Viconia looked confused. "Thunder?"

  "Yeah, thunder. As in the kind made from of scores of smithing hammers, hundreds of bellowed orders and the tramping of thousands of plated feet." He looked between to two of us and twirled the dagger in his fingers. "I doubt there is a single Orc up there who isn't strapping on some form of armour and grabbing an axe."

  Viconia's eyes widened at the thought of the entire Orsimer race readying for battle. "Why do I suddenly feel sorry for the daedra?"

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  Both Azzan and I laughed as a ghost of a smile played across her face.

  "What about the southern Provinces?" I asked simply.

  "Bit of a mixed bag. Haven't heard much from Summerset other than rumours, but the elves have their panties in a bunch." There was another chuckle. "A little more than usual at least. They are arming themselves but there are stories of how some of them are turning to daedra worship as a means of dealing with the other daedra."

  My own snort stopped him in mid breath. "That story is older than time itself. The damn elves are always being spoken of worshipping daedra and summoning the damn things."

  Bunching and twisting, the muscles in his shoulders stood out under the tunic as he shrugged. "That's what I've heard in any case. Elsweyr is as usual full of cats running around chasing after themselves and worshipping the moon. They are still taking precautions after Black Heights was razed. Looks like every Pahmar-raht is capturing and taming every Senche-raht they can find and the rest are digging up every piece of moonstone armour they have been making these past years."

  "And Valenwood?"

  The expression that crossed his face was indeterminable for a moment before he simply shook the thoughts away. "Valenwood is an enigma as usual. The tree worshippers have been having fits for the past years since Falinesti rooted itself to the ground. Now they are saying that it a sign from their gods or something."

  "That sounds like you have heard other things." Viconia asked.

  "I have... In a way." The pause dragged on for a handful of seconds before he markedly glanced between the two of us. "I'll come back to that in a sec. I will need to explain the situation here in Anvil and why I requested the two of you to come."

  We sat quietly as he took some measured breaths, making a point of meeting out gazes with his own. "I trust you both saw how busy the city is at the moment?"

  Together we nodded and he bobbed his head along with us. "It's a little... crowded to say the least." I stated very simply.

  "Ol zhah aluin ulu plynn tangin inbau l'gow doeb d'ussta ofil'nisha..."

  Azzan smiled slightly and nodded as though he understood what Viconia had muttered, before continuing on. "It's crowded as the population has almost doubled in two months. Since the attack, nearly every village, town, hamlet and farm in the area has been abandoned from as far away as the Hammerfell border. People are terrified, and rightly so. With Kvatch so close nearby, no one is under any illusions of what a daedric attack can do."

  Leaning over the desk he gazed over the gleaming pointed blade in his hands that seemed a little large to be a toothpick. Such a item seemed ridiculous in the hands of a man who's go-to weapon was twenty kilograms of lead filled steel. "The guild has easily doubled in numbers, both from us actively recruiting and from the number of volunteers. The local guard has been transformed into a militia and is well on the way of becoming a small army in its own right."

  "How many soldiers?" Viconia voice was filled with awe as she asked the first question that came to mind.

  "Before the assault there was only about three thousand guards in the entire city. Now? Easily ten times that number. The recruits are being given weapons so fresh from the forges they are almost still glowing. Every metal worker in the city is tasked with churning out arms and armour and whatever else they need. The Countess is sparing no expense in ensuring that they are as well-equipped as they can be."

  I could feel my mouth go dry as I heard the number. While unable to match the discipline, equipment or exacting standards of the Imperial Legion, six full legions worth of Militia was a sizable force. "Obviously the Guild still has contracts with the Castle for training them all?"

  Another nod. "Indeed. Half of us are trying to teach them enough that they won't stab themselves or lop an arm off. Most are limited to training with broom handles or sticks due to the shortage in equipment. That in itself makes it interesting to turn a mass of tavern wenches, stableboys and farmhands into something resembling warriors."

  "By the Nine..." My whisper was too quiet for either of them to pick up but my expression was obvious. The numbers and the sheer scale of what was occurring was incredible and hadn't been seen in Cyrodiil since the Tiber Wars at the beginning of the Third Era.

  "That isn't the issue though. Training the militia, even in such numbers isn't a problem. We are making good progress. The real issues are what else is going on in the county. We're in a bad way and it is not going to take much for things to get a lot worse."

  "How so?"

  Azzan sighed and gestured hopelessly. "Everyone is scared, terrified of the daedra and most have left their homes and their possessions behind. Half the County is abandoned and the bits that aren't are havens for bandits and cutthroats. Maybe one in every five caravans heading along the Gold Road make it as far as Skingrad without losing part of their wares or gold from highway 'tolls'. Some, never even get as far as Kvatch. To make things even worse, the attack on the cathedral has left everyone fearing similar attacks within the city that the guard and militia can't deal with. Dealing with refugees was straight-forward, but now we also have doomsayers and prophets in the streets preaching 'end of the world this', and 'doom upon all mortals' that. Those who have come in from the countryside are left as little more than beggars and the almhouses and boarding houses are filled to capacity. A lot of them are simply living in tents on the streets. Those who join the militia are being paid at least, but its draining the city coffers like a drunkards flagon. To top it all off, we're barely one or two days away from famine and starvation at any given time."

  "What in all the hells do you expect us to do?" Viconia snapped suddenly, looking stunned and concerned at the situation. "I'm half surprised that they haven't been ejected outside the city walls at least."

  "That was considered by the bluebloods." Azzan said scornfully, and judging by Viconia's expression she had said the least brutal idea from her experiences and Drow nature. "Among other things..."

  "I bet the idea of killing off a few hundred or so, or letting them starve was thrown around."

  The moment's hesitation from Azzan answered the question that I knew had been on the forefront of Viconia's mind.

  The same ghost of a smile and the darkness in her eyes returned for a moment before vanishing. "L'shinduago zhah saph l'Har'oloth foldraevals..."

  "Anyway," Azzan continued. "The reason why I sent that message out requesting you both to return wasn't so you could come back and bust skulls. That might be a part of it but I have a worse job for you two."

  "I'm hesitant to ask what that could be..."

  White teeth flashed in his dark face. "Public relations."

  Groaning, I turned and looked at Viconia who seemed to share the same expression. Even though she wasn't entirely sure of the meaning, she knew enough of the surface and the common tongue to get the gist of it.

  "Don't you have a nice hells-portal for us to go dive into instead?"

  "Ha. But no." The grin grew wider and he was obviously enjoying himself at our expense. "With all the doom and gloom and fear in the area we needed more than just another pair of swords. The locals are going to be a lot calmer and relaxed knowing that the City's champions and the very heroes of Kvatch are here in person. By now half the city will know that you have returned."

  Nodding soberly, I remembered the expressions from some of the local guards as we made our way through the restored city gates. Our armour alone was enough to provide the city's inhabitants our identities. Both Viconia and I could see his point and knew that it was well founded. Something as simple as having us in the city would do wonders for morale and let a lot of people sleep better at night, even if it was akin to a placebo.

  "So we spend the next few days or weeks or however long walking about the city, making speeches and kissing babies? That sort of thing?"

  "Fuck no." he exclaimed simply. "I'm still going to have you both earning your coin. I have something special in mind for both of you. Especially yourself Kaius."

  My stomach twisted unexpectedly. "Such as?"

  "Well, half of the Guild is training the militia, but the other half is trying to do something about the bandits in the area. We're working with the Mages Guild and taking small squads of guards and soldiers out with us on excursions. So far it has been working well. We're burning out a few camps, taking prisoners and giving the newbies their first taste of combat in the process."

  "So you want us to tag along on a patrol and hunt some bandits?"

  "Not exactly, and not the two of you." My stomach did another mild flip-flop at his words and Viconia and I glanced at each other again. "For the most part, the bandits in the area at little more than beggars and looters. A lot of the locals and their families have been forced to crime and there have been a lot that have taken to robbing each other just to eat. There are some though that have come from further away or are much better organised. They are proving more difficult to find, let alone combat."

  Gesturing over his shoulder in the rough direction of north, he shrugged again. "Whatever ones we can take prisoner we can, and the Countess has decreed pardons in some cases. Even better, her and her cronies are doing a damn fine job at ensuring everyone is fed and looked after. That's going a long way to stopping the looting and pillaging. Those who have turned to highway robbery and banditry out of desperation are easy to find, easy to deal with and usually surrender at the first sign of a guard. The others however are becoming massive thorns in our sides."

  "Sounds like a bandit plague."

  Azzan tongued his cheek in thought. "You're not far from the truth. There are several gangs or groups that are very experienced in this area. A couple are from Hammerfell, and there is at least one group that has come all the way from Skyrim to prey upon the caravans supplying Kvatch. Between the Redguard marauders and these 'Raiders', they have been responsible for the majority of the deaths and nearly all of the attacks."

  "How many are there?"

  "Several dozen or more from Hammerfell and maybe two dozen Nords in half a dozen groups. All are very well equipped, especially for bandits, and are very good at living off the land and hiding."

  The lights were growing brighter in my mind as I realised what he had planned for me. "You need someone experienced in tracking."

  "Exactly." He nodded carefully and I saw how Viconia was listening intently while remaining perfectly expressionless. "Nearly all of us in the guild and the vast majority of the guard have lived in cities or on ships all of our lives. We couldn't find our own arses in the wilds, let alone several small groups actively hiding from us. You however, being a forester and all will be perfect and will go a long way towards helping out the others. The only trackers or scouts we have are Llensi and Rhano, and Rhano's a better trainer than hunter. They are being run off their feet and fatigue is building quickly."

  Trying to ignore the strange expression growing on Viconia's face I tried to get my head around his intent. "You want me to go out looking for the bandits, find where they are and report back."

  "Yep. That's the overall gist of it. You find the bastards, and then lead a team of guards and guildsmen and a mage or two back to them to do the heavy lifting. Now I know that after fighting vampires, werewolves, and daedric incursions that you'd be able to handle a few drunken Nords and Redguards by yourself, but please try to let everyone else earn their keep... Okay?"

  "What about me?" Viconia added very softly. "Am I going to be stuck babysitting?"

  "Don't worry Vicky, you won't be bored." The gleam in his eyes returned once more. "You might be the public face for the guild and showing everyone that the Champions of Anvil are in town, but I'm not getting you to do this because you are prettier than this dumb bastard."

  The faintest hint of a smile creased her face as he gestured to me.

  "Part of their training is patrolling the streets and helping the more experienced members of the guard. There's a lot of tension in the city at the moment and this week alone we have had to break up or stop five separate incidents that nearly turned into full blown riots. There's going to be plenty of fighting to keep you entertained while you have a break from Kaius."

  "I could use with some time to myself." She said simply, smiling coldly and somehow not letting it reach her eyes which seemed somewhat concerned at the prospect.

  "Part of the issue that we have in the city on top of everything else is that there are a number of travellers arriving and staying in the city. Pilgrims, if you can believe it."

  "Why are pilgrims travelling to Anvil?"

  He looked me dead in the eye. "The Cathedral is not the only one to have been attacked in such a way."

  Both Viconia and I looked at him stonily and waited for him to continue. Using the point of his letter opener he made gestures as he spoke, drawing a map of Tamriel out of the air with deft movements. "Similar attacks have occurred in Skyrim, Wayrest, Vvardenfell and Hammerfell. Each time it has been the same story; everyone inside at the time died, their bodies ripped apart and used to desecrate whatever altars or holy artefacts lie within. Those responsible have somehow always been able to escape or vanish before anyone can arrive."

  "So no one has been able to tell who's behind it all?"

  He shook his head. "Only guesses and rumours; the usual currency for these sorts of things. One of the guards at the Castle I play dice with has been part of the local investigation. Its seems that despite the other attacks; this was definitely the first that occurred."

  "Was he able to tell you anything more?" Viconia asked, watching his hands move about as he used the gleaming dagger to articulate with.

  "She, and not much I'm afraid." The tanned skin seemed to go a few shades darker for a moment and I wondered whether dice was the only interest they had. "They have ruled out any involvement from the Mythic Dawn, which only makes things even more confusing. Just when we thought there wasn't any room left for murdering cults and assassins this goes and happens. They've also ruled out the Dark Brotherhood and a number of other parties that may have been responsible, but instead they have come to a dead end. The best guess that anyone has had, is that daedra are responsible but it doesn't seem to fit the modus operandi of the lot besieging the Empire."

  "Mehrunes Dagon is not subtle. If he wanted a chapel desecrated, he'd just raze the entire city and be done with it."

  "On that everyone seems to agree with you Kaius. They've ruled out the Prince of Destruction but otherwise there could be any number of alternatives. The Church of the Nine has got a lot of enemies within Tamriel and beyond."

  "Any pattern anyone can determine?" Viconia's eyes narrowed as she listened and I realised that she probably had more experience with attacks on temples and faith and the darker side of worship. Especially from her time as a priestess of Lloth.

  "Other than that the only temples or centres of worship that have been attacked have belonged to the pantheon of the Nine. Besides the Cathedral of Dibella here, the others have been dedicated to all of the gods. In fact, the only one of the Nine who hasn't had a temple or something attacked has been Talos."

  My snort raised his eyebrows. "Only a matter of time by the sounds of things."

  "That's what everyone seems to be thinking at least. In the meantime, there have been a lot of pilgrims and faithful travelling here and the sites of the other attacks. Some are travelling from all over Tamriel and most are arriving little better than beggars themselves. The only benefit from them is that other than the odd demagogue or firebrand trying to stir things up, they are helping keep the peace and are generally helpful and calm. What will be surprising, is that you aren't the only Knights in the city at the moment."

  "Really?" I exclaimed, somewhat surprised. "What knights? And from which order?"

  "Several." Azzan's expression changed to mild confusion tinged with annoyance. "They are mostly travelling alone but there are a handful of smaller groups around as well. They are here for the same reason as the pilgrims; they all heard about the attack and decided to come to Anvil. Not sure what all these god-botherers plan is or what they think they can accomplish by coming here, but having Knights strolling about makes our job easier."

  "Is the cathedral reopened yet?"

  Again he shook his head. "No, and it won't be for some time. By the order of the Countess it is to be closed until further notice."

  "Any explanation as to why?"

  "Nothing official. "Carefully lowering his voice he glanced to the door at our backs, before continuing in hushed tones. "Unofficially, my 'friend' has told me that what happened in there hasn't changed since the day it happened. The bodies haven't been moved or taken for burial due to the current state of everything in there. Nothing had decayed and the blood is still as fresh as what it was when it was pumped from the arteries of the priests and acolytes. Even Carradil and the other mages are at a loss."

  Turning I gave Viconia a pointed glance until she looked at me. Shrugging, she tucked some of her white hair back behind the circlet she wore around her forehead. "My money would definitely be on Daedric or some other form of what you would consider to be darker magicka. Someone was making a point and going to a lot of effort to do so."

  "That's also the consensus. There's writing marking the central altar that has been written in the blood but so far no one has been able to translate it."

  "Velmer?" I asked Viconia, and she shook her head.

  "Lloth doesn't do subtle when it comes to dealing with cults and upstart gods. Even her followers wouldn't have bothered within leaving a statement as such. A few impalements and a public immolation have been far more suitable and they wouldn't have been so concerned with escaping without being seen."

  "Speaking of people's expertise." Suddenly interjecting, the letter opener was dropped on the surface of the desk with a clatter. Quickly but carefully, Azzan began rifling through drawers with wooden scrapes echoing through the room. "I have something I want your opinion on Kaius."

  "Anything interesting?" I said, amused as he exclaimed as he found what he was looking for and lifted it from its storage.

  "You will probably think so." He replied, placing the rolled up bundle of cloth on the desk and carefully unwrapping its contents. "Tell me what you think."

  Leaning forward, I looked over the tiny collection of what first appeared to be sticks, until I realised what I was looking at was in fact a small collection of shattered arrows. Broken in several places, and made up of a handful of separate shafts, they appeared unusual and felt strange as I picked them up.

  "Is this... Bone?" Viconia exclaimed as she too plucked one from where it lay. The eagle's feather had been affixed to the end with what looked like some type of silk and it had been snapped two thirds of the way down its length. Like hers, mine was from a light brown substance that was definitely not wood.

  "Yeah." I held up mine and studied it carefully. The shaft was from a single carved length of bone, whittled from a thigh bone or something similar. Instead of what I considered to be the normal pointed tip, the broadhead was wickedly sharp, carved into a sharp, flat V shape with a pair of razored tips that had been blunted and ruined from an impact. Whatever it had hit had left tiny hint of blood staining the grooves, and the shaft was broken midway. Instead of steel it had been carefully carved from flint and somehow treated with some unidentifiable substance to further improve its durability.

  "These are Bosmeri." My words were met with a bobbing of Azzan's head as I looked over the small collection. "Traditional make too. That's unusual. I thought that most Bosmer use modern arrows."

  "They are definitely Bosmer, and yes, usually they do use less primitive arrows. The Fletchers here in Anvil make a huge amount throughout the year and constantly export them to Valenwood. There's some serious coin in that trade."

  "Where did you get these?"

  "Three days north there is a small settlement. The locals abandoned it as soon as they heard about the siege. A group of necromancers had taken up shop there, until someone using these arrows decided to kill them very quickly and very precisely."

  "What were necromancers doing around these parts?"

  "Well ever since the ban, those wanting to mess around with the dead have had to go into hiding. Anvil and Kvatch counties are the best places of late to hide out; plenty of dead, lots of elbow room and the guard are too busy running around after bandits and daedra worshippers to bother them." For a moment he looked like he had taken a bite out of a rotting apple. "There was almost a dozen of them in the town, complete with the usual assortment of skeletons, zombies and undead. Didn't help them much though."

  The letter opener stabbed in my direction and at the arrow in my hands. "That one you're holding was pulled out of the mortar of the inn. Whoever had loosed it, had enough strength to draw a bow powerful enough to punch through someone's skull and over thirty centimetres of rock and cement."

  My whistle momentarily hid the surprise and further stab of unease in my guts. "Unless they fired it from point-blank range they would need a bow with over a hundred and forty pounds of draw strength."

  "Huurwen said the same thing." He agreed. "She was the one who came across the village. It took her a few hours to thoroughly check the place out. Whoever had been responsible had been in and out and killed the whole lot of them in a very short space of time. Those arrows are the only signs of who was responsible and it took her a lot to find them. The 'mancers had mostly been killed by arrows, but every shaft had been retrieved and even the arrowheads were cut out of them. Those who hadn't been shot had been knifed."

  "Plenty of cut throats then?" Smiling, I looked up at his serious face and my humour vanished.

  "Not a single one." Shaking his head, the words dragged themselves from between his lips. "These were no amateurs. Cutting throats is messy and you can easily make a mess of it. Those few who were knifed were stabbed. Very precisely too. In the armpit, between the ribs or right under the ear."

  The tap-tap-tap of a finger against the little hollow where his jawbone met his neck and ear left me nervously rubbing at mine. It in particular, was the spot that foresters were taught in the Legion to kill unsuspecting foes. A hand over the mouth, gripping tightly to cut off any scream, a blade would be jammed in deeply, severing all the major arteries and if done at the correct angle would also jam into the base of the brain. If not instantly fatal, it would leave the victim unable to scream, move or breathe and death would quickly follow.

  "Knowing that most 'mancers in Cyrodiil were once members of the Arcane University, I asked Carradil to have a look into it. This particular group had called themselves the Putrid Hand and had a particular interest in artefacts. Daedric, Ayleid and the like. Apparently the Mage leading them; Lien Valeth, had been booted out of the University for not only practicing necromancy, but also trying to steal a few things from the vaults."

  "What happened to him?"

  "Stabbed in the brain while taking a shit."

  With unease crawling and worming its way up my spine, I remembered the tales I had heard during my time within the Legion. Foresters had their own campfire stories and the more popular and well known were always about hunters and individuals with similar skills to our own. There were those who were known of by every forester and were almost legends within the Empire.

  "Rangers..." I breathed.

  "Yeah. There's some of them in the area, and they are keeping out of sight."

  Snorting again, I handed back the arrow and folded my arms. "That goes without saying. There is a running joke in the Legion; If a Ranger kills someone in a forest, does it make a sound?"

  Glancing between the two of them, Azzan shrugged his shoulders and Viconia simply stared at me.

  "No. It makes a corpse."

  Azzan sighed loudly and Viconia gave me a glare usually reserved for when I overcooked a meal or did something she found stupid.

  "F'sarn helothannin'in xuil biu mal'ai..." She muttered darkly under her breath, sarcasm dripping from every word as she handed back her own arrow. "Who are Rangers? And are they that stealthy?"

  "They are the epitome of stealth." Azzan replied before I could and gave me a wink as he did so. "They are the eyes and ears of Valenwood; the scouts, skirmishers and assassins. As the stories go they are also the guardians of the forests and of the Silvenar."

  "They sound like the Blades."

  Cutting Azzan off in mid breath, I returned the favour and Viconia rolled her eyes at us. "In a way. The Blades learned from, or at least they use the Rangers as an example to strive towards. They can travel unseen throughout the Empire but usually they never leave Valenwood except during times of war."

  "Well Kaius... This can be classified as a time of war in a lot of ways."

  "But not the kind of war that would result in Rangers travelling into Cyrodiil. At least not without a host of Warsmers at their backs."

  "Rhano had one speak to him last week."

  Involuntarily, my jaw dropped and I stared at him. "No way."

  "You know Rhano. He's many things, but he's never been able to tell a decent story in his life."

  I couldn't help but agree. Rhano was a solid, dependable warrior but he wasn't the most imaginative of individuals. "What exactly did he say happened?"

  Pressing the tip of the letter opener into the desk, Azzan idly spun it by flicking the blade with his finger. "He was out scouting for bandit camps when all of a sudden this Wood Elf appeared out of nowhere. He says that one second he was by himself in one of the forests to the North of the Brina Cross Inn, and the next the Elf had appeared right beside him. Scared the shit out of him apparently."

  "Did they talk to each other?"

  "Not much. Rhano said that the Bosmer had simply told him not to go in the forests between Fort Wariel and Sutch as his safety wasn't guaranteed."

  "That sounds like a threat." Sighing to herself, Viconia stretched out and rolled her neck in an attempt to ease some of the tenseness from riding Ultrin.

  "Rhano didn't think so. He said that it was more like a friendly heads-up rather than an implied threat. The settlement full of dead 'mancers is roughly in that area, and he seems to think that the Rangers are searching for something around there. Whatever their intent is, he didn't get anything else out of the Elf. He told me that before he could even finish turning around or say anything the Ranger just vanished. Like 'poof'..." He made a flicking gesture with the fingers of his free hand. "Gone..."

  Chewing on the inside of my cheek I thought over the implications. "Did he investigate any further?"

  "Nope. and so far he hasn't had any intention of going back out there. That's another reason why I need someone else experienced and willing to hunt bandits. His nerve is a bit shot after having that damn elf get the jump on him like that."

  I blew out a deep, long breath and looked over at Viconia. It wasn't visible to Azzan, but both of us were suddenly very uncertain about separating for any period of time. Going by the look in her eyes Viconia especially was feeling distinctly uneasy.

  "What sort of timeframe are you looking at needing us here?" I asked, feeling her gaze burning into mine.

  He shrugged again. "A week or two. Maybe more. Once we get a handle on the bandits and take out the more organised groups the guards and the guild will be able to manage the rest. Otherwise after what you both have been through, Anvil should be a bit of rest."

  "How soon do you need us to start?" Soft but with a strange steel-like hardness creeping into her words, Viconia's gaze moved from me to Azzan.

  "How soon can you be ready?"

  It was my turn to shrug, and Viconia looked between us for a moment. Almost imperceptibly she took control over feelings and apprehension, crushing them deep inside before nodding. "Tomorrow."

  "Well, looks like I've got few rough nights ahead of me." Creasing my face, my smile hid my own apprehension as Azzan positively beamed.

  "Excellent. I knew I could count on the both of you." He rubbed his hands together and carefully rolled up the broken remains of the arrows into the sheet of cloth. "I'll talk to you tomorrow morning and give you directions on where our camp is and where to report to Huurwen. Otherwise use this time to get ourselves settled in again and ready. I know I feel better with you both back in the city, but please don't do anything dumb while you're here."

  Nodding in both of our directions his grin grew even larger. "Try not to get yourselves in too much trouble while you're here. There's enough craziness in the area without you going looking for more of it."