Everyone was gathering in their respective positions; five on the ground, six on the roofs. Everything was as they had planned it, not even a hair out of line. Daxos hoped desperately that this would be enough. The imperial turned to face the guards, waving his hand before returning his gaze to the front, exhaling, pushing every pained and dreadful thought out with his burdened breath. The gates could be heard slamming shut behind them, and shortly after, the sound of two hard locks. There was no turning back now. Daxos looked to Dolmas, who responded with a solemn nod, then to Alice. After a moment, his hands gripping his sword tighter, he growled out his next order. "Move out."
Daxos scanned the immediate area as they moved, darting to each corner as they pressed onward, leaving no doorframe, window, or alleyway unchecked. The town had grown eerily silent now, no doubt a byproduct of the beam of light and ground shaking command that had come after. Daxos refused to take this at face value, not willing to entertain the thought that this was already over before it had begun.
No, there was something here. He could feel it. He could smell it. The Imperial's nostrils flooded with the stench of death and blood, and he felt his lungs expand instinctively, drawing the scent deep within in his chest. His eyes drew closed as he walked, the transformation from the troubled commander to the fierce warrior finally displaying on his grim visage as his eyelids fluttered open.He was back in the fray, the light in his eyes growing darker as a result.
Back on the field,in the middle of all the broken bones and shattered hopes of years prior, He was back home. He and his team marched onward, the Dunmer leading his own charges on the rooftops above. He glided over them with the grace of a trained dancer, winding and weaving over every crevice before reaching the end of the line.
With a seemingly casual leap he crossed over onto the next roof, reaching again for a vial. This pattern continued time and again; Cross, jump, pour, advance. Clockwork. Each well timed movement not allowing for any deviation. The city may have been quiet, but there was no need to make any mistakes that could change that.
They made their way down the corpse littered path for a time with no signs of life within the walls. No shouts, screams, no creaking bones or rushing feet. It truly felt as though they were alone in this shadow of a city. But surely none of them believed it. Dolmas and Daxos both looked over the wreckage, neither of them prepared for the atrocities that were laid out bare before them despite being there less than a week ago. Neither of them were any sort of strangers to death, but this was far worst than anything Dolmas had seen in a long time, and for Daxos, worse than anything he had ever dreamed.
The bodies lined the streets almost as if they were barriers,fallen awkwardly but still far enough apart that a path between them was unmistakable. The thought that someone had come in and straightened up the dead crossed Dolmas’ mind for a moment, before he dashed it away, sure that the thought was crazier than even he deemed himself capable. Dolmas crept along the rooftops while watching the scene below grow worse as they went further in, and muttered to himself. “Who could possibly gain from all of this death?”
After some time however, something seemed to respond to Daxos’ earlier disbelief. Almost literally. A whisper rose from the deafening silence, carrying a message in hushed tones. This soft voice brought a sense of unease to both the men who led, but other than the obvious displacement of said voice, they could not be certain why. The words that rode on the wind were too softly spoken, unintelligible. Each word passed by without understanding, neither of them able to attach any meaning to the chilling words.The voice brought an initial shock and cessation of progress soon after, the group turning to each other as the pair of them halted their forward motion. The group looked amongst those they trudged through hell with, likely hoping for any sign of the source.
Though as each of them gleaned only confusion from the faces of their newfound allies, they could easily tell that whatever was rising above the creaking ruins and crackling flames was a mystery to all of them. Daxos looked around once more before he shook his head, spitting on the ground from frustration over the trouble the force behind this was causing them. No doubt something was attempting to play a trick on them, expecting them to run with tails between their legs at the first sign of strange activity.Their progress could not be impeded, not by a simple voice.
No. Not today.
Daxos made a soft click with his tongue, signaling the group to move while Dolmas waved a hand for Cosset and Bryce to follow. They did so despite this unsettling feeling, but their movement was stilted. The group was wary, and their strides shortened as a result. Still they strode, the sight of the town square building their resolve again as it came into view. There it was, where the heavens touched the earth, and somehow brought the raging city to a stand still. There were more bodies strewn about here than the path that laid behind them, wrapped around the circular plaza that lay battered before them. They littered the ground in a near perfect circle toward the center of the square, leaving a near perfect distance to what rested in the middle on each and every side.
There, outlined perfectly by the charred ground where the beam had landed, sat the body of what seemed to be a warrior, clad in steel ornamented armor, one hand still barely clutching the battle axe he had no doubt carried into battle against these monstrosities. This was not the most interesting feature of this man, who dead with his arms and legs outstretched and flat on his back. No, it was what had no doubt transpired after the his last stand came to an end. The man's chest was split open, his rib-cage and heart exposed to the world. The rib-cage looked broken in some places and cracked in others, while his innards were strewn about him in a gruesome fashion, the once necessary organs lying beside him half devoured. Could this have been the champion the voice had beckoned? Was even he so quick to fall to these walking disasters?
Daxos grimaced and looked away, disgusted at the sight before him. He glanced to the others, Dolmas' and Alice's teams remained on their final respective rooftops before the square began, while his group stood about him before the carnage. He spoke softly as they gathered closer. "Spread out and see if you can find anything of note. Dolmas, Alice, keep your team's eyes open, but stay out of reach." He ordered, beginning to step over the corpses as he went toward the center. "We step on somethings toes and it won't end well." He moved about the square like the cadavers were bear traps, each step careful and calculated as he made his way toward the broken hero. When he finally managed to progress through the scattered carcasses he cautiously toed his way to the man, kneeling down to get a closer look as he reached his side. The others of the ground team spread out to look among the other dead, while the ones above watched solemnly, waiting for any sign of coming trouble.
Dolmas peered over the ground team, his hand clutching at his satchel carefully as he watched them spread out amongst the sea of corpses. He was not nearly as put off as some of the others at the sight of the carnage surrounding them. He had been all across Tamriel, and had seen things just as outlandish as the scene before him. Still, the god awful smell was not something he could ever get used to.
As Dolmas lamented over the burning of his nostrils, any remains of silence or inactivity were swiftly broken. Out of Dolmas' peripherals a puff of white smoke flashed, causing the mer to shift suddenly only to find nothing next to him where the white plume had once occupied. Dolmas looked to Cosset and Bryce, his questioning gaze showing his curiosity. Surely they weren't pulling some sort of prank. Not at a time like this.
The smoke then returned, this time on the rooftop Alice and her team occupied, before once more disappearing on the wind. Her group looked about, bewilderment staining their expressions as they turned to the elf, as if he somehow knew what they did not. He shook his head in response to their wordless inquiry, his attention then darting toward the center where Daxos was kneeling, investigating the fallen hero. As he did, he spotted the smoke again, this time appearing right above Daxos, who was too caught up in his investigation to notice. Dolmas stepped forward and called out, coming close to the roof’s edge with his warning. "Daxos, look out!"
Daxos looked up as Dolmas' warning came quickly leaping away before the smoke crashed down around the could-be champion's body. The smoke then began to billow outward, wafting over the body of the warrior, along with every corpse in the square. The smoke rose just high enough to eclipse the sight of each and every body, leaving even those above the ground unable to see what exactly was happening below. But this confusion would not last much longer. As the smoke continued to weave over the ground grunting and groaning began to emanate from beneath the haze. Shortly after, the smoke began to shift and break in spots, the corpses that lay beneath it now rising above to greet the new arrivals.They shambled up to their feet, their aching bodies retching and reeling as they arose.
However, they did not acknowledge the existence of the group right away, despite the sounds of brandishing steel and the preparing of magic that surely met their rotting ears. The bodies remained motionless, all looking out in different directions, not uttering a sound. What were they waiting for?
As Dolmas surveyed the happenings on the ground, his eyes caught onto one detail that Daxos couldn’t see as the imperial slowly circled his way around back to where the rest of his team stood. The smoke wafted about the warrior in the town’s center, refusing to touch him for even a moment. Dolmas eyes squinted, his interest piqued as to what that could mean.However, his curiosity did not lay unanswered for long. In a moment, the swirling fog began funneling into the warrior’s exposed chest, filling the man’s body with whatever dark magics this smoke was capable of. The reaction was not immediate, but once it began it wasn’t going to stop.
The body began to convulse, shaking and rocking violently as the dead man let out a roar of pain and rage, his body shifting and morphing. The bones of his rib-cage began to jut outward in an awkward fashion, until they resembled a row of elongated tusks, closing ever so slightly around the gaping hole that lied at his center. Flesh began to rip and tear, his muscle tissue and bones exposed as they too began to shift and change, contorting the frame and build of the man as he rose to his feet, his hands clutching his changing form in pure agony. The man began prying at his armor, tossing it away as his bloodied fingers finally dug into its crevices, exposing more and more of his grotesque form. As more of the man’s decaying anatomy came into focus, the more disgusting the view seemed to become, every inch of his body festering right before their eyes.
After another moment of this horrific display, the town fell silent again, the former warrior started to straighten up, firmly grasping its worn armament that had previously sat forgotten at it's feet. The sinewy figure looked out to face Daxos with rotting eyes, his head snapping furiously to the side as he looked upon the shocked imperial. With a low growl, a word slipped out from between the “lips” of the creature.
Loran…
The Imperial stood in stunned silence, baffled as to how the creature obtained the knowledge of his family name. The man who the creature came from looked like no one he had ever seen or spoken to before, yet it knew who he was. What in the hells was happening here?
But soon, the creature’s eyes met Dolmas, who stood tall on the perch of the roof. The figure froze, his head snapping violently to the opposite side as the yellow orbs glanced over the elf. The figure’s following response to Dolmas, however, was far less pleasant. It hobbled forward on still weakened legs, letting out a harsh growl as it’s next word left its broken mouth.
HLERAYN!
After the sound of Dolmas’ surname pierced the heavens, the creature crouched low, letting out an ear piercing screech that seemed to jar awake the other reanimated corpses that stood among him, all of them now looking to the group on the ground with a look of savage hunger. Each of them let out their own shriek, they all immediately rushed the group on the ground, ready to bring them down without any hesitation. Daxos called out for the others as the monsters rushed their position. “Stand in formation, don’t let them overwhelm you! Give them everything you’ve got!” With this, his sword fell into one hand as the other began emit a crimson glow, a familiar flicker of magic dancing over his fingertips as he looked to the monstrosities that were closing in. He growled low, his hand bashing into his chest. The spell began to take effect, Daxos’ eyes darkening and face contorting beyond recognition into the epitome of rage. He took his sword in both hands and let out an inhuman roar, rushing out to meet these creatures head on, hopefully with his team in tow.
Dolmas called over the commotion to his team, and heard Alice do the same for hers. His eyes glanced over Cosset and Bryce. “Strike down on them now! Don’t let the others get overrun!” He looked to the creature toward the back of the group of horrors, who returned his gaze with another hate-filled screech. “I’ll try to keep that thing busy while you do.” With that he slid off the roof, one blade drawn with the other reaching into his satchel. The creature looked on to the elf as he circled around it, sidestepping, his hand reaching into the satchel for a different kind of concoction. One with a little more oomph.
YOU WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH OUR MASTER’S PLAN! YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HERE, HLERAYN.
The creature called out to the advancing Dunmer, his jagged yellowed teeth bared for the Elf to see. Dolmas did not falter in this however, instead returning the look with a smirk. “Funny. I was about to say the same to you.” As he grabbed the bottle and looked upon it, he smirked, before taking the vial and smashing its contents over his chest. As he did so, his body slowly began to make a change of it’s own. Slowly he began to spark and crackle, the contents dripping over him and allowing this spark to spread. As the lightning enveloped his form, his motions and fidgets began to increase in speed, almost as if time had begun to speed up, but only for himself. He used this newfound quickening as he cocked his head to the side in a mocking fashion back to the creature, who snarled at the gesture. Dolmas took a moment to further distract the creature, making sure that the thing only had eyes for him. “When we get through with you, your master will be next. You both will pay for what you’ve done.” Then, after another step, his head cocked again, his eyes flashing as if a change had taken place in him, his lips curling into a darker grin. If someone had looked to Dolmas now, they wouldn’t be able to compare him to the man they had met in that tent just a short while ago. No. This was something different. Something far, far worse. The elf then spoke again, the horrifying grin not leaving his face.
“Don’t you fret for a second, my friend. I’ll be sure to thank your wonderful master for letting me gut you allll over again.” With a loud cackle, he leaped for the creature, the weight of both blades coming down in a hard stroke.
With that, the group's first test had begun.