4E 201, Hall of Vigilants
Calixto
As the sun nearly finished disappearing under the horizon, a figure in red robes stood on a hill looking down at the Hall of Vigilants. Calixto lowered his hood before looking at the siblings beside him.
Raven held a book in his hand, the Mysterium Xarxes, as he and Ruma channeled their magic and began to chant. It was a low humming sound, as the Mysterium Xarxes began to lift into the air, now glowing like molten gold, runes pulsating with malevolent rhythm. Their hands were outstretched, weaving the impossible into being. Above the trio, the sky was rent asunder.
Calixto palmed the hilt of the Razor in eagerness as the Oblivion Gate opened and the Daedra started pouring out of the portal. The Vigilants and the Solitude guard began rousing as their leaders finally shouted orders.
The presence of the red cloaked Solitude soldiers was surprising. It certainly made things more difficult as Hold guards are much more familiar with sieges than Vigilants, whose experiences are more focused on individual combat and hunting daedra rather than army combat. The Empire's dogs had dug in quickly, forming disciplined blocks. That hadn't been part of the plan.
But it didn't matter in the end as the surprise attack was successful. They barely formed their first lines before the Scamps and Clannfears rammed into their location. The Scamps, small goblin-like creatures, swarmed into formationless hordes, throwing themselves against shield walls with suicidal glee, making way for the Clannfear's charge, the bipedal reptilian creatures, to break their formation with bladed claws and snapping beaks.
A maniacal grin appeared on his face as he saw the battle escalate. The daedric infantry were mostly made up of the Churls, low ranking foot soldiers mostly using maces and shields, clad in the black and red obsidian-like armors of the daedra. They began pouring into the gaps of the enemy line before the battle spread amongst the camps.
[Scamp, Clannfear, and Churl images]
"It's time." Calixto announced, before nodding to Raven and Ruma. "You know the plan."
Raven gave him a brief nod, eyes still locked on the hovering Xarxes. "Don't take long."
Ruma's voice dipped into a darker octave. "And don't fail."
The two of them would not partake in the assault since the opening of an Oblivion Gate requires much concentration and they may not be interrupted while doing so. Which is why the other thirty acolytes they brought will focus in their defense while Calixto entered the Hall to seek the Elder Scroll.
Ten acolytes formed up around Calixto that served as his battle guard. While he loathed having such an escort, Raven insisted, saying that not even Tiber Septim himself goes into battle without the Blades behind his back.
With a whispered spell, they vanished into the white noise of the battlefield—Muffle making their steps soundless. They slipped along the fringe of the battle, weaving through tents and corpses, bypassing most of the chaos.
Many daedra had fallen already, having forcibly returned to Oblivion. The ones that did were quickly replaced by others who are still pouring out of the gate. There had to be at least half a thousand already in the field, and to think this was only a fraction of the forces that Lord Dagon had in his fingertips.
Calixto salivated at the thought of having that much power in his control.
They had to have lost at least two or three daedra for every one of the Vigilants. It was the price of having a superior defensive position as well as the lack of a tactical approach from Calixto.
There was a reason why the attack was so blatant with no semblance of strategy. They needed the Vigilant's attention on the Daedra and the Oblivion Gate. There was no relief force, no ranks or lines from the Daedra, just an endless horde continuously pouring forth from the Gate.
This meant that the Vigilants had to focus their defenses into one direction, leaving their flanks and borders empty.
The Hall loomed ahead, quiet and still.
No defense lines. No reinforcements.
Just as planned.
They breached the interior with nary a sound. Once they were inside the building, they split themselves into teams of three to spread themselves and scour the building.
Then came the voices. Two Vigilants stood guarding a nondescript door.
"We should be out there!" one said. "This is cowardice!"
"The Keeper gave orders. We protect the reliquary. You want to go against her word?"
Only initiates from the looks of it. Not proper senior Vigilants. Calixto grinned.
He ignored all pretense of stealth and moved, his steps remaining silent through the wooden floor. The two Vigilants standing guard looked up in surprise at the sight of him, though they didn't stand a chance.
The first Vigilant couldn't even scream before the Razor pierced his heart and drained him dry. The second tried to speak but only gargled as his throat opened in a spray of crimson.
Sounds of combat started to emanate throughout the building. 'It seems the other groups found resistance.' It won't take long for the Vigilants to find out about him then. Time is of the essence.
He motioned three acolytes forward. "Guard the door. Let none enter."
He stepped into the room. An office—modest, filled with parchment, sealed chests, and rows of ancient tomes. He worked quickly. Shelves pulled apart. Drawers cracked open. Locks snapped. He ransacked the space, heart pounding with hunger.
'Where is it? Where did you hide it, Carcette?'
He was about to pull open the final drawer when his instincts screamed at him. He threw himself aside just as a hammer of light crashed into the stone floor, sending shards of marble and flame in every direction.
He landed in a crouch, eyes darting up.
A tall Redguard stood, his figure silhouetted by holy fire. The warhammer in his hand was made purely out of golden light, glowing like a miniature sun.
Calixto's gaze snapped to the corpses of his acolytes.
All three lay dead in the hallway. One had been thrown into the wall so hard half his body was inside the stone. Another was still smoldering, his face seared to the point it was unrecognizable. The third had his chest caved in, with a massive circular burn where the heart should be.
'So, this is him.'
"I knew you scum would try something like this," the Redguard said as he lifted the hammer and swung it to Calixto once more, who was forced to duck and backstep from the swing.
Calixto stood, raising his Razor firmly. "And you must be Isran. The heretic."
"Call me whatever you want." Isran replied. He stepped forward slowly, warhammer rising in both hands, his eyes burning an intense gold. "All I know is that I'm the reckoning for sons of bitches like you."
He lunged, and Calixto grinned, meeting him in the middle.
…
4E 201, Outside battlefield
Keeper Carcette
The Mythic Dawn were real.
No longer were they mere whispers. Not just the deranged ramblings of fringe cultists. No, they were real, and they had come back with fire and sword.
Carcette snarled as her blade cleaved through a snarling Dremora Churl, beheading it instantly with the force of her sun-empowered sword. The corpse hadn't even hit the ground before Tolan pivoted behind her, shielding her back from a Clannfear's snapping maw with a clean downward slash that nearly took its head off.
The snow-covered courtyard was a warzone—a boiling cauldron of battle cries and roars. It was chaos incarnate. Fires roared through tents as the smoke stung her eyes. Blood painted the ground in black and red. The Hall of Vigilants, once a sanctuary of peace and contemplation, had become a fortress under siege.
They had never trained for this.
She gritted her teeth, parrying another blow and driving her sword into the gut of a Churl. "We need to close that portal!" she shouted over the din. "We'll be overrun if we don't!"
Tolan nodded grimly. "They'll just keep coming otherwise. Someone's holding it open—the Mythic Dawn mages no doubt."
That was the key. She knew enough about Oblivion Gates to know they required a tether—a living conduit. Someone had to be nearby, maintaining the spell.
"Where's Isran?!" she barked when she couldn't find him in the midst of the fighting.
Tolan slashed through another Scamp with his ebony greatsword. "I saw him run back to the hall!"
Carcette's lips tightened. 'Good. which means he came to the same conclusion as I did,' she thought.
This wasn't a random attack, they were a distraction for something. She was glad he took the initiative. Though that meant the Gate—and whoever kept it open—fell to her to handle.
She spotted Captain Aldis rallying a group of guards to form a shield wall near the barricades, holding the western breach against two dozen Clannfears.
"Aldis!" she called. "You have command of the defense!"
Aldis looked up mid-swing and saluted with his sword, the black-haired captain already issuing new orders. "Yes, Keeper!"
"Tolan, with me!"
The two of them broke away from the main clash, rallying a dozen Vigilants in their wake. Their goal was clear: the Gate. Daedra surged from the portal like a tide, waves of Scamps crashing against the flanks while heavier units formed a bulwark around the central summoners.
It would be a slog. But they had no choice.
They fought their way through, carving a path toward the Gate.
Just as a Clannfear came barreling towards her from the smoke, Gunmar of the Dawnguard came rushing in and blocked the charge with his runic round shield. He took the charge head-on. Runes along the steel flashed bright blue and a shockwave exploded outward, knocking Daedra flat and sending the Clannfear flying.
Gunmar roared. "Go, Keeper! We'll cover your advance!"
Crossbow bolts zipped past Carcette's head, felling half a dozen Scamps before they could flank her. She turned to see Sorine, already reloading another clip of custom bolts into her crossbow. Agmaer came by Carcette's side, covering her left. The Dawnguard were here. They were holding.
'Stendarr bless them all.'
Carcette pressed forward with Tolan and Agmaer, the young Nord holding his axe tightly but showing no fear. The dozen Vigilants quickly engaged the human acolytes—who were all covered in spectral daedric armor—clearing her a path.
Ahead, surrounded by a circle of the red robed fanatics, stood two figures at the heart of the Gate's power.
Two Altmer siblings, golden skinned and white haired, chanting in unison as the Mysterium Xarxes hovered in the air above their heads.
"Raven and Ruma Camoran," Carcette whispered. "So they are alive."
Her palm burned with holy power as she summoned a Sun Bolt and hurled it toward them. But a shimmering ward deflected it harmlessly into the snow.
The siblings looked up—and grinned.
Three nearby acolytes raised their hands, chanting darkly—and from the ground erupted a second flare of red light. Out of it stepped three Dremora Lords, towering seven foot tall demons and armed with massive greatswords.
[Dremora Lord image]
Gunmar let out a war cry and engaged the one on the left. Tolan sprinted to intercept the second. Carcette was about to rush the other before Agmaer pulled her aside. "Keeper, allow me! You have to get to the portal!"
"What?! You aren't—!"
"I'm still a Dawnguard!" Agmaer screamed and charged with everything he had.
Carcette had no time to argue as firebolts whistled through the air towards her. She raised a ward as a clear barrier of energy appeared on her palm. The shield buckled at the impact, but it held. More acolytes came—but she was faster. Her blade flashed, cutting through robes and flesh alike.
As the last acolyte fell, she saw her opening.
Her longsword turned golden as she channeled light towards it, aiming for the girl. Ruma Camoran was forced to let go of her spell as she summoned a blade of Daedric metal, black as sin and pulsing with red.
Their swords met in a shock of holy and unholy magic. Carcette's blade with sun-imbued power smashed against Ruma's—who winced at the impact and staggered back, clearly unused to such force.
Raven shouted something in panic, and the Mysterium Xarxes surged violently.
A burst of uncontrolled magic backlashed.
BOOM
Raven screamed as he was flung backward. His robes caught fire. His hands were burned and blistered as the front of his body was covered in soot and ash. The ring on his finger splintered into pieces. The Xarxes fell to the snow, sizzling as black ichor dripped from its binding.
"RAVEN!" Ruma shrieked.
But Carcette gave her no room to mourn. She came forward, unrelenting.
"Your ancestors failed," she spat. "And so will you."
Their blades met again, light and shadow screaming as they collided.
…
AN: Here we go, the first major battle between factions. Vigilants vs Mythic Dawn, Stendarr vs Mehrunes Dagon.
The Vigilants have always been first and foremost hunter-type fighters. They scour the landscapes to find daedra and purge them from their hiding spots. They're not professional soldiers who were trained to hold a formation and participate in sieges.
This difference came apparent in this chapter, where the Hold guards and Aldis proved much more valuable in the defense, while the Vigilants were better in individual combat.
We'll pull back from this to see what's going with Kiera and Gerron again, before coming back to draw in the aftermath.
As always, more chapters are available on my Pat_reon. Chapter 42 should be available by the time this chapter was posted. Just look up my name and you'll find me.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Cheers!