A/N: Hey guys! Cryo here with a quick progress update and a few important things to share. First off, I'd just like to tell you that the next chapter is coming along nicely. I decided to give you all a little teaser for the events to come. I have more of the chapter written than this, but I felt this segment captures the mood quite well...

Also, I'm going to answer some FAQs once the preview's done. Enjoy, and tell me what you think!

Sand.

Everywhere he looked there was nothing but sand. Carpeting the ground, blowing in the wind... everywhere. Even with his goggles on, Roach could barely see ten feet ahead of him.

The only thing in this desert wasteland that wasn't sand was the fresh bloodstain trailing off into the distance.

And so he followed it. Roach didn't have his weapons on him, so he wouldn't be able to defend himself if some unexpected threat appeared from out of the sandstorm. He didn't know where they were. For some reason, the thought didn't bother him much. He didn't know where Ghost was, either. That was a little more unsettling.

Where was he, anyway? It had been a long time since he'd last been deployed in a desert environment. Guard duty, or something similar. Roach didn't remember. Was he in Skyrim? Nah... Skyrim was usually colder than the ninth circle of Hell.

He passed the burning wreckage of what was once a helicopter. Okay... so, he was suddenly on Earth again? How? Too many questions, never enough answers...

Roach trudged on through the howling sand.

And on...

And on...

And on...

And on...

And-

His blood turned to ice.

The crimson stain he'd been following led to something he hoped he'd never see. Something so horrible, so sickening, so... impossible, that he wanted to drop down to his knees and give up on the spot.

John "Soap" MacTavish.

DEAD.

His commanding officer lay as still as the grave, but it was immediately clear to Roach that the man hadn't died peacefully. A knife sat pierced in his heart; blood dribbled down his sides to pool around the corpse. Soap's blue eyes were open, eternally frozen with pain and fear.

It was absolutely sickening to look at.

Roach shook his head in denial. No. No, this couldn't be right. Could it? No, it couldn't. MacTavish was a legend among soldiers everywhere. Everywhere he went, there were whispers of awe and respect. He'd personally put a bullet through Imran Zakhaev's skull five years ago. He co-founded Task Force 141 for the sole purpose of taking down Vladimir Makarov, the most dangerous terrorist mankind had ever known. He'd trained both Roach and Ghost personally- neither of them would've survived this long if it hadn't been for Soap's extensive military knowledge guiding their actions.

Who was responsible for this?

Roach stood up on shaky legs and looked away from the dead captain.

He immediately wished he hadn't.

"Hrmmm... You're still alive? Guess you're tougher than you look, son."

General Shepherd brushed his blood-soaked hands on his trousers and smirked in Roach's direction. Laying at Shepherd's feet, face barely recognizable from the severe beating he'd taken, was Captain John Price- unmoving and almost certainly dead.

Roach never felt more helpless than he did just now.

"They put up one hell of a fight- I was starting to think they'd never stay down," Shepherd continued with a sigh. He was still smirking; the very same expression he wore after shooting Roach and Ghost back at the border. "You could've prevented this... maybe."

Roach stared at the American war hero, remaining motionless.

"If only you could've gotten here in time, then maybe you would've been able to save them," Shepherd taunted. "They could've pulled through and put an end to big bad me."

"Shut up. This isn't happening." Roach mumbled through clenched teeth.

"Where have you been, anyway? Don't tell me you were sent to some dragons-and-elves fantasy world where you save a princess and live happily ever after. That shit ain't real. And even if it was- heh. You're nobody special. Just a pawn in the grand scheme of things, as I personally showed you in Russia."

"I said. Shut. UP." Roach growled, clenching his hands into fists.

"Let the history books tell that Gary Sanderson and Simon Riley failed to end the Third World War... and fail to protect their superiors' lives when it mattered most."

"SHUT UP!" the soldier roared. Anger finally overtaking him, he recklessly charged forward at Shepherd, ready to rip the man apart with his bare hands.

The general's smirk only grew wider. Casually, as though he were in no danger at all, Shepherd unholstered his .44 Magnum and aimed it at his furious pawn.

"If at first you don't succeed... try, try again."

BANG!

Ominous, isn't it? Now for those FAQs:

Q1) Will Ghost and Roach eventually get more ammo for their guns?

A) Of course! I want to make this feel like a CoD fic as much as a Skyrim one. They'll find a way to resupply (sooner than you might think, heehee), and I'm honestly surprised none of you guessed the method yet, although I've heard some good alternatives. Additionally, in response to a concerned reader worrying that guns will make them overpowered, well... I'll answer that in the next question.

Q2) Will they be able to craft their own guns?

A) I thought the answer to this one would be obvious: No, they won't. Just because they've been trained to shoot a gun doesn't mean they know how to build one from scratch. Soldier and gunsmith are two very different professions. At most, they can clean and repair their weapons with the tools they brought along from Earth.

Q3) Will the dynamic duo be able to use magic?

A) No. I've checked the lore, and it seems that all creatures and beings both in Mundus and the planes of Oblivion are able to use magic. We Earthlings don't seem to factor into that account. Imagine trying to play through Skyrim without using ANY kind of magic, AT ALL. It would be an unholy nightmare! And that's why Ghost and Roach have guns; to help even the odds against Tamriel's often-hostile bullshit. Plus, I plan to show that guns won't solve all of their problems...

Q4) Will the DLCs be covered?

A) Oh, definitely! I love Skyrim's DLC content, although I'll probably skip anything from Hearthfire. They're soldiers, not carpenters or architects. I've also gotten a few questions about Serana, and I can confirm that they'll have an amicable enough relationship with her. Hell, if you guys want, I could even have her travel with them.

Q5) Which questlines will you be covering?

A) All of them, except perhaps the Civil War. I just can't see Roach and Ghost getting involved in a conflict they have nothing to do with. Unless it finds them first... nah, I dunno.

Q6) Just what the heck is Roach's problem? He's not acting like a normal soldier would.

A) That was actually intentional. You see, in MW2, Roach doesn't have much in the way of a "personality". We know next to nothing about him, other than that he's British and owns a journal. The way I see it, his personality is reflected by the player's actions in-game. I prefer to play slowly and cautiously, to think tactically and logically during a firefight; this is reflected by how I portray Roach in the story: A down-to-earth man of logic and reason. Now imagine all of that getting thrown out the window, with snowmobiles and Spetsnaz being replaced by hungry dragons and Orsimer. He's just shaken and having more trouble adapting to his new environment than Ghost, who we all know had a pretty horrible life on Earth. He'll get over it eventually.

Phew, that was a lot to cover. But before I leave for now, I have one last announcement to make: I'm starting a new project, one I've been wanting to write for a year and a half, and only now have the opportunity to start. I've gotten the full storyline set up, too, and trust me, it'll be EPIC. I'll try to have the first chapter up sometime this week, and then continue with Call of Skyrim for however long I feel like.

P.S. Question from me to you guys: Should I give Roach and Ghost love interests? Tell me what you think, and if so, who they would be most compatible with.

(1/24/16 edit) P.P.S. BRO'S I'M STUCK. What would you all rather see, a CoD Ghosts/MGSV:The Phantom Pain crossover, or a straight-up Fallout 4 story? I honestly can't decide which I want to write more. PM me whichever one you want; I'll stop at 15, majority wins.