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There was a time, a year or so before that moment that I would have simply straightened my back further, put my heels together and simply replied "Yes Sir, No Sir," for as long as required. As unnerving as the situation was with the amount of authority that was present in the room with me, facing down the likes of dae... |
"In respect my Lord, this Order has been founded for less than a month and a half. Those who wear the Red Diamond have only done so since then and all things considered we have been extremely lucky with what we have." |
"Oh yes." Replied the third knight. Unlike the Duke and Sir Wirile his armour was almost entirely chainmail, with only a breastplate covering his torso. He was however far more heavily covered in signs of his wealth and status, rings adorning most of his fingers and every surface of his breastplate gilded in some fash... |
"We haven’t been introduced." I said with far more confidence than I felt, taking a moment to make note of his signet rings and any other signs of his titles and status and making the gamble that he wasn’t as high ranking as the Duke. "I am Sir Desin, otherwise known as the Hero of Kvatch and the Champion of Anvil." |
The subtle barb was enough to leave the noble almost snarling but he kept his own anger in check by the narrowest of margin. "I am Sir Denos Pierlon Jaseton; Baron of Norvulk." |
My feeling of vindication was lessened despite the fury on the Baron’s face as the Duke pulled a silken cloth from his armour and laid it on the surface of my desk and began removing his gauntlets. Duke de’Leorion’s face had returned to the passive mask that he had worn but there was something in the way that he caref... |
"This Order is a disgrace." He said as the first gauntlet was placed on the cloth as though the desk itself was tainted in some way. "Your knights are an affront to every Order in Tamriel. Your Men-at-arms, when they are men at least are by far the most ill-kempt, slovenly individuals I have ever laid eyes on. You all... |
"They are soldiers." My words were practically a growl and I could feel my flesh tightening no matter how hard I tried to keep the vampire in check. |
His second gauntlet slammed into the table hard enough that I felt it through my boots and in that moment I honestly believed that he was about to draw the Sword of Arkay. "They are NOT! You have committed blasphemy and desecrated the Order of the Nine by your actions and I am thankful that you haven’t been in command... |
If all my years within the Legion had taught me anything it was when to be quiet and hold my tongue. Despite his anger and passion and the fact that he and the other two noblemen were directing it in full force at me I stood as still as a stone, my feet placed on the floor in such a way that it could not be mistaken a... |
It was a set up. A trap and while I didn’t fully understand their reasoning an identified trap was one you could avoid and so I stood in silence as the Duke continued raving for a few more minutes before running out of steam. He stood on the far side of the desk as it was flanked by the other two and I stared him down... |
"The Elder Council has elected me to be the Knight-Commander of the Order of the Nine." His voice still contained a quaver from his outburst and he was obviously flushed as he returned to speaking normally. "I understand that you and your... "knights’ have been responsible for retrieving the other six relics and that ... |
My face remained blank but I replied with another simple "Yes, my Lord’ as I knew that it was the best and safest response at the time. Sir Wirile however tilted his scarred expression in my direction as though he had been waiting for the moment to speak. "Your name holds a great weight, Sir Desin. Within Cyrodill at ... |
The Duke didn’t have any reservations at this point of showing how he felt and was practically growling like a starved animal. "Their authority, especially after seeing the horrendous state of this place and the numerous grievous mistakes on your part is the only reason why I am unable to strip everything from you." |
Every thought and part of my will was focussed on remaining impassive and calm despite every fibre of y being demanding blood. I had originally felt relieved that the responsibilities of the Order would no longer be mine but after having all of my efforts and those of the men and women who had given so much already I ... |
Dragging the chair out of the way and pausing for a moment as though he was about to sit, the Duke thought better of it and remained standing, clasping his hands behind his back. "What were your intentions with this Order?" |
This was an answer I had readily available despite how my every thought was bent towards keeping my face as impassive and blank as possible. "Train a number of cavalry and field as many infantry as I could supply and equip until such time as Umaril was found." |
"It appears you truly are a fool. The Unfeathered one is dead; banished to the bounds of Oblivion and incapable of returning." |
"And the attacks on the Church my Lord?" I said with my voice growing as cold as the atmosphere within the room. |
His gaze didn’t waver and while I refused to back down I could see a pair of hunter’s eyes framed within his bearded face. "Heretics and daedra worshippers. Once this Order has been turned into something of use we will hunt down and burn such a taint from the land. There is no great conspiracy, no returning daedra and... |
I could no longer ignore my mind’s hissed warnings, or the fact that every time the hilt of the Sword of Arkay revealed itself from behind his head my gaze was drawn to it. While I knew that he and presumably Sir Wirile and Sir Jaseton believed what he said was true, Viconia and I especially knew better. Their attitud... |
"Very well, my Lord." |
Silence fell between the four of us and the Duke stood still, his eyes slowly moving from my head to my toes and taking note of every detail of my armour. His expression was unreadable but I could see the way that he lingered over certain portions of my armour, especially the breastplate and daedroth scales. Unlike hi... |
"The other Relics." He said after some time. "Where are they?" |
"Secured in the Undercroft, my Lord." |
Crawling up my spine, the look that the three men suddenly wore made me tense and the vampire growled in the depths of my mind. Despite the situation the charged tension in the air was potent and I found myself reading for an attack while struggling my body to remain still, especially when Sir Wirile’s hand came to re... |
"Very good, at least you can do something right." Looking between the two other nobles, the Duke gave a slight grin of triumph before giving me a smile that reminded me of a slaughterfish, or Viconia about to commit some form of violence on some hapless individual. "The Relics are pivotal to our efforts and my claim t... |
Caught off guard from his sudden question, I felt myself start and twitch before I could control my expression again. "Taxes, my Lord?" |
"By the Nine, what kind of Noble are you? Taxes! Septims! Money that will be required to operate an organisation of this magnitude!" |
"The Church is providing a percentage of their tithes towards maintenance and operating the Order. Once a month a caravan will arrive bearing the relevant amounts." |
The news seemed to please the three men, and their reactions somehow put me even further on edge when I thought that I couldn’t become any more concerned. "That’s a start, but judging from your words you haven’t collected any from the... squatters here." |
"The people here are craftsmen and labourers, otherwise they are men at arms. There are a few with families but they all contribute to the Order." |
"Then they can contribute by making donations to their faith." I couldn’t bring myself to believe that the "donations’ that the Duke spoke of would be voluntary and I found myself gritting my teeth that were increasingly tingly. "Cedrccer, see to it." |
Sir Wirile’s grip on the pommel of his sword turned into an amused tapping and the smile that creased his face was not pleasant. "Your will be done." |
"As for you "Sir’ Desin, you will take us to the Relics." |
Between their reactions, their opinions and my gut feelings I felt myself stiffen and a decision had formed in my mind even without needing to consider it. "I must apologise my Lord, but that is not possible at this time." |
More than just Sir Wirile’s hand tightened on his sword and I found myself itching to grip Sunchild at my hip. The Duke’s expression turned dark, then cold and while there was no outwards sign of it for the moment there was anger building under the surface. |
"The undercroft is secured behind a door and after we secured the Relics last month it... broke." |
"Broke? Surely something as simple as a door shouldn’t impede the progress of such an "esteemed’ individual as yourself? Take a few of the animals you call "soldiers’ and bash it down." |
"I would have already done so, my Lord, but the door is enchanted. This entire building is over two hundred years old and has been abandoned for most of that time, but the magicka is powerful. None of those here have any experience with magicka and I have been in liaison with the Mage’s Guild for assistance." |
Despite the lie, it flowed off my tongue as easily as breathing and I felt myself relax as the three men accepted it. The undercroft and the door was enchanted, and still just as powerful as it had been when Viconia and I had discovered it but the only thing keeping the door closed was Sir Amiel’s signet ring attached... |
"Finally, you speak some sense." Clicking his tongue in thought, the Duke looked between me and Baron Jaseton. "We will no longer need to deal with the likes of the Guilds but it pleases me that you don’t affiliate with such people. Denos, how about your pet wizard?" |
"Mayvraud is an illusionist, but I will dispatch him to make an assessment." |
"Excellent." His attentions turned back to myself and he couldn’t have made it any more poignant without holding a loaded crossbow at my chest. "I want full records and details of all finances and expenditure provided to me before last light." |
"I shall send for the scribe, my Lord." |
For a moment it appeared as though he was going to speak but instead he straightened a little more and turned his back to me. "You are dismissed." |
The sword of Arkay was in full sight, secured to his spine with leather straps in its leather sheath and I found myself almost salivating at the sight. There was definitely something unusual about the sword and I had to physically drag myself and my gaze away from it to leave the room. It was almost impossible not to ... |
As I made my way out of the building I could feel the writhing of my cheekbones and teeth under my skin and struggled not to turn, enter the room and drag the sword away from the Duke. The vampire desired it more than blood and it was only this thought and the vampire’s natural inclination of self-preservation that st... |
Alexi and Viconia had not gone far, and judging by their expressions they, and anyone else within earshot had heard a majority of what had occurred. Viconia looked ready to storm into the priory with Dragonbane in hand and deal with the three noble’s in her own manner, and while Alexi was smiling there was a shadow be... |
"It went well I take it?" |
"Define "well’?" |
"You didn’t kill anyone and you haven’t been arrested, so I would consider that a victory." |
As I stepped out into the sunlight, I tried and failed to ignore the collection of people crowding just outside of the priory’s gatehouse. Many had gathered to see what would result from the arrival of the duke and his entourage and the fact that the Order had changed commanders but at that moment I felt bitter and on... |
"Enough that I want to know why you haven’t killed them." Viconia growled. "Want me to?" |
"As satisfying as it would be, I don’t think it’ll solve anything." I replied. |
Alexi nodded, his cheerful expression at odds to the chill of his tone. "Kaius is right, and from here we need to tread very carefully. This is now the battlefield of politics and we are very much at war." |
"Glad to know that I’ve gotten myself into a fight that I am utterly inexperienced in." |
"You did well." Viconia’s voice was just as cold as Alexi’s and they both shared a mutual nod of agreement. "They were baiting you and you didn’t take it." |
"I think you scared them Kaius." |
Moving through the crowd that parted as we left the priory, I glanced at Alexi and saw that he was being serious for once. "How the hell did I scare them?" |
"Believe it or not, but you can be extremely intimidating sometimes. You have this way of staring at people that makes you look like you are going to... I don’t know, rip them apart and eat them or something." Only Viconia would have seen my sudden apprehension but Alexi was too busy looking ahead to see my surge of u... |
"As long as they don’t see how terrified I am then we will be fine then." |
Both he and Viconia laughed lightly but none of us were in pleasant moods. "We need to take this very carefully. You are a threat to them, and while I don’t know what they hope to accomplish, having the likes of Cedrccer here means it isn’t going to be good." |
"I told them that the Relics are locked in the undercroft and the door is broken." |
"Good." he nodded. "I’ll tell the others to keep their mouths shut." |
Stopping in place in a portion of the tents that was for the moment quiet and lacking people, I gave him a pointed stare. "I half expected you to want us to throw our support behind the Duke." |
Alexi chewed on his lip and carefully looked around us. "Before he arrived yes, that’s exactly what I would have advised but something’s wrong with this whole situation." |
"Besides the fact that the Sword is... tainted somehow?" Viconia’s expression was that of someone sucking on a piece of lemon and the fact her hand was on Dragonbane told me all that I needed to know. |
"Glad I’m not the only one that could feel that." Rubbing at his face for a moment he used the metal creases of his gauntlets to scratch under his jaw. "But that’s not the only problem. Most of the knights that arrived here are from the Host of the Horn, and Cedrccer is one of their Knight-Captains. He’s not someone w... |
"How well do you know him?" |
"Well enough to say that if you shake hands with him, ensure you count your fingers afterwards. The man is a snake in every sense of the word and is one of the most renowned tournament fighters in High Rock and Hammerfell. He’s got more victories under his belt than I do and that’s saying something in itself, but most... |
"So we’re in deep shit?" |
He nodded, only once but once was enough. "Very. The Host of the Horn are a band of thugs and legitimised strongarms. Oblivion take them, they are known for extorting the locals." |
"So we’re going to expect to see the like here?" |
"Indeed. There’s enough of them that they equal our number of knights. Unfortunately, there are going to be many in our ranks that will obey and join them. After all, de’Leorion is a Duke, and now our commanding officer." He paused, his face going slack for a moment before having another, closer look at the tents arou... |
"Agreed." All of my fears, concerns and anxiety was churning through my stomach and I almost felt as though I was going to vomit. "Why can’t things be as simple as going to battle?" |
"The world would be less interesting." Viconia chuckled under her breath, one of her deep, husky laughs that never boded well for anyone. "Looks like some of our new acquaintances are getting settled in." |
Following the direction of her gaze, I saw a pair of knights being escorted by their Men-at-arms and others who were obviously their personal servants moving about as though taking in the sights. Their laughter was loud over subdued nature of the priory and the unusual lack of construction going on and my annoyance gr... |
There were not many people in the tents at the moment, most were crowding around the larger concentrations of the new arrivals but around a corner a familiar figure appeared and I felt myself grow tense with recognition. Of all the individuals capable of further complicating things, Detane was on top of the list. |
As one of the members of our group who wasn’t a knight, Man-at-Arms or directly affiliated he had been absent for most of the morning and in fact this was the first time that I had seen him since our brief chat the day before. As he always did he was moving about with a purpose and ignoring everyone and anything in hi... |
Of the reactions that was typical of the short Breton, freezing in place for a moment before turning as quickly as he had appeared was not what I was expecting, and was unusual enough that it caught the attention of the two knights. It was also impossible not to notice their moment of recognition, their conversation s... |
"You there! Hold!" |
For a brief second it appeared that Detane was about to run but after a second’s indecision he ground his heels into the ground as the small collection of Men-at-arms moved to surround him. There were only five of them, dressed in mail and blue and silver surcoats flapping as they obeyed the gestures of their lieges b... |
"The divines be praised." One of them exclaimed, his face breaking out into a smile that was not at all pleasant. "Isn’t it amazing who you run into when travelling the world?" |
Both of the knights, like their accompanying men-at-arms were dressed in the same pattern of heraldry with only a few minor variations. Besides the symbols or marks of their own noble families and heritage, their heraldry matched that of Baron Jaseton. "Indeed it is." Scorn and arrogance dripped from every word of the... |
Instead of the usual arrogance and disdain for everyone and everything around him, Detane was standing as still as a statue and not reacting. While we were not far away and watching with growing confusion at the knight’s actions and his reactions, he was facing away from us and we couldn’t see his face. |
"So this is the darkened corner of the world that you have slunk to. Looks like Tamriel is a small world after all." |
Detane remained silent and unnoticed to the knights and their accompanying servants Viconia, Alexi and I had shared a glance and began making our way closer. |
"You look good scum. Too good in fact." A mailed fist came down on his shoulder and gripped Detane tight and yet he didn’t react, standing still and keeping his head lowered to the ground. Without needing to see or hear anything else, this uncharacteristic reaction made me feel even more concerned, even before the fir... |
The solid blow rocked Detane’s head back and if not for the grip on his tunic he would’ve sagged at the knees and collapsed. Even before he had begun to fall the two knights had unleashed a flurry of blows, smashing him in the chest and stomach and punching him again in the face before I reacted. |
"Enough!" I roared, bursting into a sprint and seeing the way that the handful of men-at-arms tensed and dropped hands to weapons at the approach of Viconia, Alexi and myself. The five soldiers moved to put themselves between us and their lords and the now-bleeding Detane. "What in Oblivion’s name is going on?" |
There was no deference from either the two knights or from their servants and one of the men-at-arms had begun dragging his sword free before the tip of Alexi’s sword was pressed under his chin. It had been the fastest I had ever seen the sword-champion move and his skill was not lost on any of those who witnessed it. |
With blood staining his mailed fist, the first knight tilted his head and smiled at me in such a way that made me want to rip his jaw from his skull. "It appears that slum has an infestation, and we are doing our civil duty in removing it." |
"Not like that you don’t." I growled as I burned a hole into the soul of the soldier who stepped closer to me despite the threat of Alexi’s sword at his comrade’s throat. "That man belongs to me." |
"Really?" One second Detane was lolling about in the knight’s grip, the next he fell as he was let go. Only his groan of pain and the way that he rolled over showed that he was still conscious. "Then it appears that this place is as decadent and corrupt as we expected if such scum exists in the employ of people like y... |
Whether it was the stress of the morning and everything that had happened or not didn’t matter, but the two men-at-arms closest to me stopped in place and visibly began shaking as my will pressed into their minds. After everything the vampire was close enough to the surface that I could taste the scent of blood on the... |
"That man has proven his loyalty, and unlike yourselves he isn’t in the habit of assaulting others without cause or reason." Another stare sent shivers down the spines of all looking at me and I was struggling to keep my emotions in check. "Nor do they impede a Knight-Captain or superior officers." |
The recognition was slower in the two knights but the men-at-arms each took a step back with the exception of the one with Alexi’s sword against his flesh. He especially was looking increasingly worried and audibly sighed with relief when the blade finally lowered. |
"What crime deserves this as punishment?" Viconia hissed with all the presence of a deadly viper, almost willing them to make a move that would allow her to butcher them where they stood. |
Unfortunately for her, the two knights were either oblivious to her threat or were too arrogant or foolish and ignored it. "Murder." Said the second with considerable relish, turned and scuffing an armoured toe in the dirt at Detane. "Of a woman and her two children." |
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