The sight that awaited us on the top of the rise was incomprehensible. Towering above the walls and burning with ferocious hellfire, a yawning portal sat impossibly in the cracked and broken ground. Obsidian spikes rose up as though they yearned to drag down the heavens themselves, and everywhere the blackened and scorched remains of those unlucky few who had been outside the gates when the event occurred lay where they had fallen. Terrible and horrifying the monolithic doorway into Oblivion was easily thirty metres tall, framed by fingers of magma-scorched stone that was somehow glossy and non-reflective at the same time. Ethereal flames licked and flowed up its surface, all the while roaring like a glacial storm approaching from the Sea of Ghosts with an unmatched ferocity.
Everywhere I looked death and destruction was present. The crumbled remains of what I could only assume were other portals were scattered about in front of their sole remaining sibling in front of the City’s primary gatehouse. While normally this wouldn’t have prevented escape I could see where the flame blackened stones of the other two minor gates had collapsed and fused together into jumbled heaps of masonry and dust, their metal portcullises blasted with such incredible heat that steel had flowed as water. Ropes near the small eastern gate hung slackly from the walls where those few lucky survivors had managed to escape with the aid of the city Guard but it was obvious that no one else going to be able to utilise this method of escape.
Nearer to the blazing portal the last handful of survivors were making their stand in a ramshackle barricade made from a collection of wagons and trade goods. Several of the flatbed wagons had been overturned, resting on their sides and spoked wheels and acting as walls where barrels and chests had been placed in-between them to hinder passage. The low laying natures of the chests, crates and barrels allowed the collection of armed men and women to fire a motley collection of bows and crossbows at the darting inhuman forms of their attackers.
Both Viconia and I initially stopped in our tracks at the sight. Men and women, dressed in everything from the steel hauberks and tabards of the city guard, to brigandine and leather of caravan guards and even the full steel plate of a travelling knight were hunched behind the barricades desperately fending off what were unmistakably daedra. As we rushed forward I saw one of the armoured fighters go down under the horns and claws of the frill-headed reptile, his screaming plucking at my ears as it began to disembowel him in a frenzy of motion. Other hellish creatures swarmed about the handful of defenders, the tiny impish forms of scamps; recognisable from my previous experiences against Dunmer Daedra worshippers leapt and cavorted about. They gibbering incessantly, only pausing to throw burning bolts of fire at whoever they spotted with questionable accuracy.
The defenders seemed to rally and push back, several of their number firing bolts and arrows into daedra flesh with accuracy born of desperation. The lizard thing dropped with several shafts jutting from its flesh but not succeeding on stopping it from slaughtering the man underneath. A scamp fell on its side as an arrow punched through its throat, it’s keening loud enough to make me grind my teeth at the sound. Everywhere there seemed to be foes and Viconia and I found ourselves rushing across the scorched ground to assist.
My wounds forgotten, I raised my bow and began hurling barbed shafts into any daedra that I could see, firing as quickly as I had even been trained without reducing my accuracy. A trio of scamps went down hard, thrown backwards and punched off their feet as the broad head arrows made a mockery of their infernal skin. One of their kind dropping with a squeal as an arrow rammed itself into its mouth with a puff of blood.
Viconia was almost more terrifying in battle than the creatures she faced. Breaking into a run she sprinted across the ground as though her feet didn’t need to touch the ground. Sword clasped in her right fist, her left hand was free to gesture wildly as she charged the foul creatures and blasted one of the other reptiles apart in a explosion of gore. Fireballs filled the air around her but she simply flicked them aside as though swatting away insects with bursts of magical power or blocked them on a gleaming shield of energy. Each bolt of fire would either splash away from her or patter harmless off the ward she threw up and before the foul beasts could do any more she was amongst them.
Twirling and twisting, never stopping or ceasing in her attacks she flowed with a liquid grace and not ceasing in killing while any enemies remained in range. A scamp dropped howling as it’s guts opened and spilled its foul slimy entrails everywhere, another was fried with a well-placed bolt of lightning and several others lost their limbs in spiralling arcs of ichor. She could not be stopped by such creatures and between her, myself and the handful of survivors who rushed forward to support us there were few daedra remaining.
I was fascinated by the collection of people who had chosen to make their stand before the roaring gate to Oblivion. City guards, mercenaries, and travelling warriors stood side by side with cooks, bakers, daytalers and beggars. As the guards and more professional individuals hacked and fought with all their might and skill, the everyday citizens fought just as hard, if not more so against their daedric adversaries. As I fired another arrow into the chest of a squealing scamp I watched as the portly figure of a blacksmith, still dressed in his apron and thick leather gloves charge the burning figure of a flame Atronach as it glided and danced across the ground. Crying with fear and determination he ignored the creature’s fiery blasts, deflecting one of its fireballs with the saucepan lid he wielded as though it was a buckler before getting close enough to smash it bodily into the ground his smithing hammer.
The sounds of battle died off as the last of the daedra were brought low. Dozens more bodies of similar creatures were scattered between the gate and makeshift barricade, most of which occupying a wide semi-circle around the position and the handful of defenders who still survived. As far as I could see less than forty were left standing with a pitifully small amount of wounded laying behind the protection of the overturned carts and wagons.
One of the guards, armour stained and its wolf’s head tabard torn and burned staggered over to Viconia and I, glaring at the two of us with a mixture of annoyance and pity. He was exhausted, shield hanging limply on his arm where it had obviously been for hours now, and his sword was so heavily stained with daedric blood that he struggled to force it into its scabbard.
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“This is no place for you.” He stated simply, exhaustion removing any trace of pretence from his voice or mannerisms. “You should get out of here.”
“We came to help.” I replied, moving forward and slinging my bow over my shoulder. “I’m Kaius and this is Viconia.”
“I’m Commander Matius, and I don’t really care who you are.” With a grimly glove and sleeve he wiped his forehead and did little more than rearrange the filth plastering his skin. Grunting, he placed the nasal helm back over the padded coif protecting his head and motioned at the towering maw of the Gate. “But if you are stupid enough to hang around then it’s your funeral.”
He extruded a bitter form of determination, the loss of the city and all that had happened obviously overwhelming him to the point pushing him to his utter limits. However, unlike the dozens if not hundreds of fleeing refugees streaming away from the city he and these few had chosen to make their stand.
“What’s the plan then commander?” My question resulted in a hacking laugh of one who’s lungs now contained more than their fair share of ash and dust.
Spitting and knuckling the phlegm from his lips he shrugged. “The plan? We’ll try to hold our ground, that’s what the plan is. If we can’t hold this barricade then these beasts could march right down the roads and slaughter everyone they come across. We have to try and protect the few that are left. It’s all we can do until the Legion arrives.”
“You’ve sent for help?”
“Of course we’ve sent for help! Did someone take a dump in your skull? A runner was sent to the western messenger post as soon as we got over the walls. But it’s at least a four-hour march from Fort Wariel so I don’t expect to see a Legionary any time soon.”
“Well you have one here now.” I replied bitterly, ignoring the sense of cosmic amusement underlying my words. “Just what in the name of the Divines happened here?”
“We lost the damned city, that’s what happened.” He sighed as the toll on his body of obviously fighting for a dozen hours began to wear away at his reserves of willpower. “It was too much, too fast. We were overwhelmed and could barely get anyone out. Talos’ balls, we could barely even get ourselves out and there are Gods-knows how many people are trapped in there.”
“I can’t believe that the entire city is dead. There will be survivors.”
“Well some made it into the Cathedral from what little we saw from the walls but dozens, if not hundreds were just run down in the streets. For all I know the Count and some of his guards are still holed up in the castle.” His entire body shook with rage as he gazed across over the walls and the gate blocking the last entrance into the city. “We’re too exhausted from the fighting and there are too few of us to scale back over the walls and get to the castle, let alone retake the city.”
I looked at him and felt my own conviction begin to burn brightly in amidst all of the death and carnage. “Well, you have us at your command. We’ll do whatever we can.
“Well unless you can find a way to shut that damn thing and give us access to the city again you’re going to be stuck holding the barricade with the rest of us.”
“It is possible.” Viconia suddenly said, her voice filled with an unusual echo as she stared off into the blazing portal. Both the guard commander and I took an involuntary step backwards as the crackling energies around her seemed to perceptibly build. With eyes glowing brightly in the enforced twilight of smoke and haze she twitched involuntarily and withdrew her senses from whatever seer ability she had been utilising. “The portal is sustained by an artefact within the realm beyond the gate. Removing it will close the gate.”
“That’s tantamount to suicide!”
I couldn’t help but agree with him even as Viconia continue staring and studying the portal. “Has anyone else tried entering the gate?”
“Commander Ausonius led a counter attack after we had climbed down the walls with a small contingent of the town guard. The attacks from the portal have lessened considerably since then but I can’t say whether that is a result of his actions or not.”
I licked my all-too-dry lips and stared into the gaping wound in reality. Every conscious thought in my head was screaming at the insanity of such an idea, but the overwhelming thirst for blood was drowning out all but the loudest and most pressing of thoughts. It was all I could do to ignore the fact that I could hear and feel the heartbeats of all those around us, and somehow I could taste the lifeforce flowing under their skins. The heady sensation of their flesh and blood; made ever more succulent and tempting by the fermentation of fear and adrenaline flowing through their veins. I knew I was dangerously close to the precipice and diving head first to certain death in the depths of Oblivion itself seemed to be a better choice than succumbing to the taint corroding my soul.
“It must be possible.” I murmured, eyes rolling over the terrain and desperately trying not to look at the pulsating veins visible in the flesh of the men and women around me. “It looks to me that there were several other portals open besides this one.”
Matius looked to where I was pointing and nodded. “There were. Two others this size in front of the side gates further along the wall, and one easily three times their size. You can see the marks of the greater gate between us and this last one. Look, I can’t and won’t order you two to your deaths. We will hold the line and wait for the legion to send reinforcements. By then we’ll have the strength and the manpower to do something.”
The several moments of silence seemed to drag on for eternity and I could feel the fear in my gut being overwhelmed with the increasing desire to drag these men and women down and tear their throats out with my teeth. Closing my eyes against the building pressure in my skull I controlled my breathing and ignored the fact that everyone within earshot was listening and watching both Viconia and I intently.
Words failed me and I spat harshly on the ground, reaching back and drawing another arrow from its quiver and trying not to think about the lunacy of my actions, or the fact that there were only a few shafts left. Matius openly gaped, as did the handful of defenders around us as I stepped over the barricade and began striding towards the roaring portal into Oblivion.
Viconia followed without hesitation, although I knew that I had merely started walking forward before she could and that she was going to enter that fiery gate whether I went or not. Weapons in hand we made our way several paces from the singed and broken wagons and barrels, the guard commander jogging forward briefly before we could go too far.
He came to a stop beside me, face grim as he regarded us both in a new light. “Good luck.” The statement was simple but overwhelmingly honest. “If you get in there find out what happened to Ausonius and the others. Get anyone alive out of there and try to close this damnable thing. We’ll wait for you both.”
My smile was grim and I knew he realised that I was fully aware of our chances with such actions. There was the briefest of nods to Viconia and I before he stepped back, rapping his fist against his chest before hurrying back to the barricade to prepare for the next daedric assault.
Viconia and I strode to the towering inferno blocking all passage in and out of the ruined city, feeling the whipping of winds plucking at our clothing as it tore into and blasted out of the portal. The ground was crackled and burnt underfoot, stones turned to glass from incredible heat and the destruction seemed complete. Taking a breath and not allowing myself to think about my actions, I ducked my head and stepped forth into Oblivion.
