Ch. 38 Raid on Skywatch PT. 1

"The city seems to be in celebration your grace, of what I cannot tell but it seems impossible to get close to the temple without a fight." A male Saint said as Marius clenched the edges of the table in mild anger. He had hoped to be in and out with very light casualties but it seemed that ship had long since sailed.

"I'm willing to bet every Septim I have that Sheogorath knew that too." Marius said as the Saint and Seducer commanders snorted. "I guess we do this the hard way then."

"From the front then!" Zuhdeh said proudly as Marius rolled his eyes.

"I said I would give you all your share of mortal blood but I refuse to let civilians die in the crossfire. If they attempt to fight then fine but if they run then you will not harm them." Marius fired back as Zuhdeh narrowed her eyes and sneered at him. "Am I clear?" No response other than a continued glare. "I said, am I clear or do I need to appoint a more competent commander to lead your army?"

That wiped the glare right off her face. "No Emissary, that will not be necessary."

Marius gave a slight nod before turning back to the table. "Are the catapults prepared?"

"Ready to fire on your orders, Emissary."

"Then let's not waste time." Marius said before standing up straight. "Jansa, Zuhdeh, gather your forces and be ready to storm the gates as soon as they fall."

Both Jansa and Zuhdeh smiled like Christmas had come early. "Yes, Emissary we attack on your orders."

"Then let's allow the streets of Skywatch to run red for once." Marius said with a sadistic grin and both commanders could swear they saw his eyes become slits for a fraction of a second before they returned to their normal dark brown.

And they loved the feeling of bloodlust they felt from it.

-The City of Skywatch-

The citizens of Skywatch were boisterous in their festivities and why not? They had been told the Isle of Hammerfell had fallen to their own forces and they were about to embark on a large scale invasion of Cyrodil. Those were false but only the upper echelon of the Thalmor knew that and knew they had to keep up the superior race attitude.

Hence the celebration, it was a way to keep the sheep happy and from finding out the truth.

And then silence as a flaming boulder arced overhead as the partygoers turned their attention to the speeding missile as it obliterated part of a watchtower. Many were dumbstruck and in a booze-addled state as they tried to comprehend what just happened until the sounds of more catapults firing were heard in the dead of night. More sections of the city were leveled as the boulders found their targets and soon the streets were a mass of panic as bystanders scrambled for cover while Thalmor soldiers tried to restore order and find out what was happening.

Horns were going off as well as warning bells as more parts of the city were set ablaze and people were running for sanctuary. It was total chaos and one group of participants were more than happy to see the city go up in flames. With a grin on his face, Marius drew his sword and began the slow march toward the city with the bulk of Seducer and Saint Warriors behind him as the catapults fired on the city gates.

The defenders of the city watched as the gates erupted in a mass of fire and held their breath as a single figure walked through the fire as if it wasn't even there. A lone Imperial against the backdrop of red and orange. The Thalmor had almost forgotten their panic all together as they gazed upon one of their most hated enemies and now he had so brazenly attacked their own city?!

It was an impossibility in their minds! No mortal should even think of being so daring to attack them in this place! They were superior and he was nothing but a mere insect! Drawing their blades they rushed towards the human with hatred in their eyes and a desire to see his blood on their streets.

And then they halted as they noticed the numerous figures coming out of the fire as well. Figures garbed in both polished gold and sleek black armor with matching skin tones and slitted eyes reminiscent of the Daedric Lord they served.

And the Dragonborn stood at the head as the Daedric army halted behind him, the fire doing seemingly doing no harm to either him or the Daedra. His eyes weren't the normal dark brown he was born with, instead they were a deep red and slitted much like the namesake of his blood and they were hungry.

Hungry for blood and it didn't matter whose it was, he just wanted it.

Marius only raised his ebony sword and pointed it straight at the tense Thalmor and said one word. "Kill."

That one word and it was like a light switch was flipped in the world; one minute everything was frozen and the next the world was filled with war cries and the sounds of feet as both sides rushed against each other. The Daedra streamed around Marius as he only gazed at the town square that was being engulfed in fire and blood.

It was truly a glorious sight to behold if he did say so himself; the sight of Thalmor running for their lives or trying to fend off an army of Daedric warriors hell-bent on doing what they loved the most. Giving a slight grin, Marius held his sword to the sky and gave his own war cry and charged forward.

Chaos reigned as more flaming boulders rained on Skywatch and bodies of both Thalmor and Daedra filled the bloody streets as the Auridon Marines were becoming outmatched and outnumbered by the Daedra. Whenever they killed one, three or four would step in their place without a care in the world.

Still, they made Marius and the Daedra work for every bit of ground they could grab but there was only so many Marines to combat the Daedra. Retracting his blade from a dead elf and bisecting another, Marius turned his eyes towards the large statue in the center of the city. 'So close but so far.' he thought as the distance seemed short but the rows of Thalmor were becoming a hassle. It didn't help when there were party favors and tables set up all over the damn city making it difficult to maneuver.

Still, a favor for a Daedric Prince was definitely worth the headache. Marius only kept on grinning as he parried another strike before burrowing the blade deep into a Khajiit's heart.

-With Alduin-

"HE IS WHAT?!" Alduin roared angrily as her mother only gave her the smallest of sighs. "HE DARES TO MAKE ANY MOVE WITHOUT MY INPUT AND IN THE ENEMY'S OWN CITY NO LESS! DRAGONBORN OR NOT, HE IS DEAD WHEN HE RETURNS!"

"Peace my daughter, calm yourself and just enjoy the show." Mara said calmly as Alduin continued to steam but was unable to act. "You will appreciate what he does in the end."

"We'll see." Alduin muttered as she continued to view the Dovahkiin in the fight. Still, seeing him covered in blood and gore did bring out her more...exciting thoughts. Maybe she would hold off on killing him for a bit.

-With Marius-

'Note to self, never piss off a Saint or a Seducer.' Marius thought as he saw a few of the aforementioned races delightfully playing with an Altmer. Well, maybe more like stabbing repeatedly as he tried his hardest to escape his captors to no avail. They purposefully missed every vital spot for maximum effect as the elf was reduced to begging for it to stop after a bit.

It wasn't his problem though as Marius turned back towards the statue and began to cleave his way through; a chopped arm here and a beheading there but still the Thalmor fought back at every corner. Marius actually began to sweat a little as their numbers slowed but didn't stop. Their tenacity was admirable, futile but admirable even as their attempts failed to stop his movement.

"Die Imperial dog!" He heard from his left before a Warhammer nearly crushed his head as he leapt sideways to avoid the blow. An enraged Khajiit stood snarling at him as he lifted the Warhammer back onto his shoulder and glowered at Marius with hate-filled eyes. "You dare attack my home?! You dare bring hatred to this place?!"

"Says the faction that brought it to us first." Marius replied as the Khajiit growled but didn't retort. Instead it lifted the Warhammer and charged, intending to crush Marius's head beneath its weight. Without thinking, Marius brought his shield up to block the attack but then forgot a very important rule about hammers; the impact was fatal but a blocked strike can be just as painful.

The shield held but the impact sent harsh vibrations through Marius's arm and he could feel the bones rattle in his shoulder from the impact. Gritting his teeth, he flung his shield up and staggered the Khajiit but true to its name, he recovered quickly and moved away from the arc of Marius's sword cutting through where he was mere moments ago.

Now Marius was curious; Khajiit prefer either daggers or short swords with a bow to complement their speed and agility but this one was using a very heavy weapon and yet still maintaining their nimbleness and quick reflexes at the same time. "Who are you, so I may know who's head will be hung on a pike in front of the gates come tomorrow."

"This one's name is of no consequence Imperial and it will not be my head but yours!" The Khajiit said as Marius frowned. "Your race is nothing but warmongering barbarians masquerading as upstanding citizens, you want nothing more than to bring us back under heel with nothing but clipped claws and shamed voices; we have flourished since your Empire downfall and now you want to restore your own status quo. Not as long as I draw breath!"

"As if the Thalmor have any room to talk. They've clipped your claws even worse than us; you worship the ground they walk on yet choose to remain ignorant of what they really are even if it's staring you right in the face. They didn't bring back Messur and Secunda, all they did was give your race a light show when all that happened was just a complete eclipse of both Moons, something that happens once every century. No mortal, elf or otherwise, has the power to make planets disappear or reappear at a whim." Marius explained but the Khajiit scoffed.

"Empty words and false pretentions. This one will hear no more of your lies!" The Khajiit said as it reared back but Marius gave it one last parting shot.

"Run back to your Elven master like a good little slave before he loses another cat." Marius quipped as the Khajiit lost all sense of control.

"I WILL ENJOY SMEARING YOUR BLOOD ALL OVER THE CITY DOG!" The Khajiit roared before lifting the Warhammer and bellowing loudly for all to hear.

"Emissary, Your orders?" A Saint asked it approached Marius while keeping an eye on the enraged Khajiit. "Shall we cut it down?"

"No, continue to advance towards the city center and have the spell casters begin their work." Marius said as he cracked his knuckles. "It's been a while since I had the chance to cut loose."

"By your will, Emissary. Make him suffer all the deaths to my sisters."

"I plan on it, now move out and keep up the pressure." Marius replied as the Saint nodded a bit stiffly but moved to relay his orders. All around him, the Daedra streamed past, giving the two fighters a wide berth while Marius hefted his own sword and pointed it at the Khajiit. "Your first mistake; I am not a dog! I am Dragonborn!"

"Then come Dragonborn! Let's see whose claws are sharper!" The Khajiit roared before charging with reckless abandon.

Marius set his face into a sneer and charged back, the Dov in him roaring its desire for Khajiit blood for daring to compare a cat's claws to a dragon's.

It was a slight that wouldn't go unpunished.

Ok, I know this is late and I missed the deadline but you can all thank work for that. Literally, after I put out that AN I was placed on a service call that lasted two weeks out of town. The good news, I clocked 80 hours one week and 60 the next. The bad news is I was away for a while and had to recollect my thoughts to finish the chapter, in addition to losing power thanks to Hurricane Irma. Still, I am alive and kicking but work, which should've slowed down but it has only increased, is taking a toll.

I am happy that everyone understood what has happened in the last few months and your support is what keeps writers like me going. As I noted, keep your grandparents in your mind and make sure to visit them whenever you can. You never know when the day comes that might be the last.

I miss you Grandpa, fried fish isn't the same anymore.