FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Author's Note: This is a story that has been rattling around in my head for a while. Since I like putting myself (or other characters I've made up) in the shoes of characters that I either play or read about (fanfics, real books, etc), I always wondered "What if an elite US soldier with his gear ended up in Cyrodiil, and he was the one who was supposed to save it," after I played TES: Oblivion. I could never find anything remotely close to it so I thought, 'why not,' and wrote it myself. So here we go. Warning, this does contain spoilers, you don't want to have the game spoiled, then hurry up and finish it so I don't have to ruin the surprises.

Operation: Oblivion

I do not exist. I knew what I was getting into when I volunteered to go into Black Ops section of SOCOM, especially since I'm a Tier-One operator. What I didn't expect was, what was waiting for me. Even as a veteran operator...Nothing could have prepared me for this.

Chapter One: Confusion, Escape, and a New Objective

January 15, 2017, Prison Cell, 0547H CST (Zulu - Six Hours)

'How in the world did this happen? How did I, a US Army Special Forces Commander, end up in a medieval dungeon? Also, where did all of these creatures come from? Where am I?'

Those were the thoughts that ran through my mind as I paced around my cell. I looked at my watch. 'A little after a quarter to six, I got thrown in here at around two-one-thirty so I've been in here about eight and a quarter hours,' I thought, 'Once it gets to six, I'll do some PT. Then I'll figure a way out of here.' I continued to pace my cell. The only good thing about this was that for some reason, the guards left me my gear. I walked over to my rucksack and checked what supplies I had.

One SCAR-H assault rifle, with an ACOG 4X scope, one FNGL40-H 40mm grenade launcher, twenty seven-point-six-two thirty-round magazines, fifteen seven-point-six-two one-hundred-round drum magazines, ten forty-millimeter high explosive grenades, five forty-millimeter flare grenades in various colors, five smoke grenades in various colors, my forty-five ACP pistol, thirty forty-five ACP ten-round magazines, eight M87 frag grenades, three M81 smoke grenades, three flash bangs, three stun grenades, a silencer for my rifle and one for my pistol, a laser sight for my pistol, NVGs (Night Vision Goggles), a field surgery pack, ten MREs of assorted flavors, four M18A1 claymore anti-personnel mines with assorted equipment, two survival knives, four throwing knives, a set of lock-picks, a laptop with a solar-recharging battery, my personal I-pod, a sleeping bag, a one-man tent, and various other camping gear. Normally that would be considered a lot of stuff to carry, and extremely heavy too, but given the fact I'm Tier One Black Ops rather than regular Spec Ops, it makes sense.

Nine times out of ten, I'm on my own. No air support, no ground support, no fire support, no nothing. I'm completely behind enemy lines and need to complete my objectives on my own. I prefer it this way. A team would just get in my way. I'm a little bit of a lone wolf in that respect, hence why everyone calls me "Lone Wolf," or just "Wolf."

I checked my watch again, "oh-dark-hundred," I muttered, "Might as well get my normal morning PT done." I put my ACU gloves on and dropped into the front-leaning-rest position (the push up position, with the back flexed a little). I did ten push-ups quickly to warm up. I then started counting off.

"One, Two, Three, ONE. One, Two, Three, TWO. One, Two, Three, THREE. One, Two, Three, FOUR," I said as I went down and up with each number (A/N: When the military says ten push-ups, it means twenty by regular count, only during PT however). By the time I reached thirty, I heard movement coming from the cell across from mine. When I reached fifty, I stopped and switched to doing sit-ups, but before I start, I look over at the noise. What was standing next to the cell door sent chills down my spine. Its skin was too black to be human, and its ears were too pointed. The thing looked like a Dark Elf, if I had to guess. I then heard a voice call out from it.

"Oh look, an Imperial in the Imperial Prison. I guess they don't play favorites, huh? Your own kinsmen think you're a piece of human trash. How sad," the inmate said, "I guess the guards give you 'special' treatment before the end. Oh, that's right. You're going to die in here, Imperial. You're going to die! Imperial criminal scum like you gives the Empire a bad name, you see. You're an embarrassment. Best if you just...disappear. Hey, you heard that? The guards are coming...for you! He he he he he." I just snorted as I grabbed my rucksack and took out my SCAR-H.

"I'll remember you said that when I get out of here, you sorry excuse for a REMF," I replied as I hefted my rucksack onto my back after grabbing five clips of ammo for the SCAR, my pistol holster that I strapped to my right thigh, and three clips of ammo for the pistol. I then attached the silencer to both weapons. 'Just my lucky day,' I thought as I heard voice coming down the stairs to the right of my cell door.

"Baurus! Lock the door! Hurry!" a voice ordered in a whisper.

"Yes sir!" came the reply. I heard several footsteps coming down the stone stairway. I guessed there were three of them. I check my weapons and saw they were both ready to rock and roll.

"My sons...They are dead, aren't they?" an older voice asked.

"We don't know that Sire. The messenger only said that they were attacked," said another voice, it was higher pitched than the other two. 'Sire?!' I thought, 'This must be the Emperor. Just my luck. Although, with what is being said, I think that there is a coup d'état might be taking place. This might be a good time to gain some trust from the government to help figure out how I got here and how I can get back. Maybe even secure an alliance with these people. Maybe,' I thought as they approached my cell. A guard in full plate armor ran up to my cell door and stood there, staring at me.

"No. They are dead, I know it," The older voice replies.

"My job right now is to get you to safety," replied the higher pitched voice. As the person came around the corner, I saw that the person talking was a human woman in full plate body armor. She was escorting another, older man in red robes. 'The Emperor,' was the first thing that came to my mind.

"I know this place...the prison?" he whispered as the two of them came to a halt in front of my cell.

"What's this prisoner doing here? This cell is supposed to be off-limits," the female in armor said, obviously the Captain of the guard or some such, if the swords, plate armor, and shields could give me an accurate technology level reading. 'Medieval ages, yeah that makes sense with what I've seen so far. This just might get interesting, although I doubt my superiors will believe this AAR (A/N: After Action Report/Review),' I thought.

"Usual mix-up with the Watch, I..." the man that was at my gate first, stuttered.

"Never mind. Just get that gate open," the Captain replied, she then turned to me and ordered, "Stand back prisoner. We won't hesitate to kill you if you get in our way."

"You! Prisoner!" the man said before I interrupted.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so by now. It's obvious you don't know what kind of weapons I have in my possession right now. If you explain what is going on, I might be able to help you," I said.

"We don't need help from the likes of you, prisoner," the man replied, a hand on his sword.

"Listen, I'm a soldier, just like you. I have no idea where I am, why I am here, or what is going on. My rank in the United State Army is Captain. My nickname is Wolf, so just call me by that. I would tell you my real name, but then I would have to kill you, as I'm in what is known as Black Ops back home," I said while I took out my sidearm and held it in my right hand, and my rifle in my left, "By the way, I could kill you from here if I wanted to, and you couldn't reach me before the last of you dropped. However, to show my good intension, I will lay my weapons next to the cell so that when you enter, I would have to fight through you to get to them." I walked over to the cell door and laid my weapons on the ground in front of them. I then backed up to the sole window in my cell. The man first by my cell then opened the door and walked in. I then noticed two other men in the plate armor run over to the Captain.

"No sign of pursuit," one of them said quickly.

"Good. Let's go. We're not out of this yet," the Captain replied as they all quickly entered my cell. The Emperor then looked at me in a calm sort of shock.

"You...I've seen you..." he said softly, he then approached me and gently touched my face, "Let me see your face. You are the one from my dreams... Then the stars were right, and this is the day. Gods give me strength."

"Alright, sir. What's going on?" I asked as I gently forced his hands off of my face, while I thought, 'Dreams? Gods? Where am I?'

"Assassins have attacked my sons, and I am next. My Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route," he said, "By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell."

"Sir, who are you?" I asked trying to see if I was right, believing that this was the Emperor.

"I am your Emperor, Uriel Septim. By the Grace of the Gods, I serve Tamriel as her ruler. You are a citizen of Tamriel, and you, too, shall serve her in your own way," he explained as if he was talking to a naive child.

"Sir, I'm sorry to say that I am no citizen of this Tamriel. I am a Unites States soldier, not one of your subjects. Anyway, why am I in jail?" I asked.

"Perhaps the Gods have placed you here so that we may meet. As for what you've done...it does not matter," he said, "That is not what you'll be remembered for."

"Sir, I will not be remembered. That's the price I pay to do the job that I do. I'm a ghost. I never existed. That, sir, is what those of us in Black Operations do. Someone else will always get the credit. I don't need someone else to tell me that I did a good job, to know that I did a good job," I said, "Now, what should I do?"

"You will find your own path. Take care...there will be blood and death before the end," he said.

"Just another day at the office, sir," I muttered

"Please sire, we must keep moving," the Captain said in a surprisingly soft voice, as my bed area slid into the ground and the wall behind it rose into the ceiling, "We better not close this path. There is no way to open it from the other side." Then she and the Emperor walked down the newly opened path. One of the guards near me walked to the secret entrance.

"Don't try anything. I'll be watching you" he said as he passed.

"Looks like this is your lucky day," the man in front of me said as he walked over to the others, "Just stay out of our way." I did a quick head count, there were five of them.

"Don't worry; I'll be watching you six. Focus elsewhere," I replied as I ran over to my weapons, holstered them, and ran after the group; whether they wanted my help or not, they got it. I caught up with them easily and kept about a meter or two between them and me. They went down a set of stairs, walked through another corridor, and down another set of stairs.

Suddenly they were attacked. Three men in red and black armor attacked on the left, but the Captain and a guard intercepted them first, while two others attacked on the right but where intercepted by Baurus and another guard. The Captain and the guard fought back viciously, but were killed by the three attackers within seconds. Before any of the others could be killed, I stepped in and shot all of them with my SCAR. They dropped like puppets with their strings cut. A red mist came off of them after they died, and instead of armor they were clothed in, there were dressed in red robes. 'What the?' I thought as I checked one of them closest to me, 'What just happened?' I then ran over to the Captain and checked her pulse. She was gone. As I did that, Baurus ran over to the Emperor.

"Are you alright, sire? We're clear to move on," he said. 'These men are well trained. They just lost half of their guard and they moved on like it was nothing,' I thought, 'Good, I hate having to work with rookies.'

"Captain Renault?" the Emperor asked. Baurus looked at me and I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, Sire. She didn't make it," Baurus replied. I walked over to the guard that was killed. I checked his pulse just for form's sake, and then checked him for anything useful. All that he had was a torch and a steel short sword. I grabbed them both; despite the fact, I didn't know anything about how to use a sword. I then moved over to the Captain and took her sword. I also swept the enemy casualties after I checked them to make sure they were dead. I found a few bottles of liquid. One sniff of the contents told me it was some sort of medicine. I stored them in my Ruck and moved on.

"How could they come for use here?" Baurus asked.

"I don't know," the Emperor replied, "but it's too late to go back now."

"Don't worry, Sire," the last remaining guard said, "we'll get you out of here. They won't be the first to underestimate the Blades. I'll take point, let's move." He unlocked the iron gate in front of us, then moved to a wood door beyond it and opened it with a key. As he and the Emperor walked through Baurus turned around and faced me.

"You stay here, prisoner. Don't try to follow us," he said with a hand on his sword. He then quickly moved through the door and shut it behind him.

"You'd think after I saved their sorry hides that they would realize that I'm on their side," I growled out loud, "Oh well, if they want to get themselves killed, ain't my problem." I looked at the door and was tempted to pick it, but since they didn't want me, I might as well find my own way out. Suddenly the cave wall to my left fell down and the two of the biggest rats I'd ever seen, well at least of the four-legged kind, came at me. I let my rifle hang by its sling, since I didn't want to waste the ammunition, and drew the short sword. I swung it and cleaved the first one in two. I then jumped backwards as the second leapt at me. I swung my sword and killed it as well.

"Too easy," I said, "Maybe this sword thing ain't so hard after all." I walked over to the hole that they came through and saw a door, as well as a few boxes and chests around, along with a corpse of what I think is a goblin. There also was one more rat. I quickly attacked it and started going through everything. I found some gold in one of the chests. I looked at it in amazement. Although I knew it wasn't pure, but that was REAL gold. I had to have a few hundred dollars of gold in my hands right now. I shook that thought off. For now, I needed money. I stuck the gold into one of my ACU pockets. I then searched through everything. I find in all, eighteen gold pieces, two clubs, a rusty iron bow with twenty-eight iron arrows, a rusty iron dagger, a rusty iron war axe, a pair of rough leather boots, a rough leather thing I think is called a cuirass, a rough leather shield, two scrolls, a key, eleven old style lock picks, a sapphire, a silver pitcher, some more torches, and some yarn. I take all of it and walk over to the wooden door I had found. The door was locked. I was tempted to pick it, but I tried the key instead.

The key fit perfectly, and unlocked the door. I walked through and the other side was clear. The place had enough light, so I didn't use my NVGs, but I kept the sword unsheathed. I wanted to save my ammo since I didn't know when I would be getting resupplied. I walked around the corner when I ran into another rat. I quickly dispatched it and found another chest in the middle of the room. I opened it and found some iron armor, some more iron arrows, another bottle of medicine, some more lock picks and torches, another rusty bow and war axe. I figured I could sell it for a good sum of money, so I took all of it. When I shouldered my ruck after placing everything in it, I almost regretted picking up that Iron armor.

I then walk down a sloped path that was to the left of where I entered. Suddenly three rats ran around the corner up ahead. I took out the first one with my sword but then the two behind it turned around and stated attacking something just around the corner. Whatever it was killed one of the rats and then I saw it.

"What is going on here?!" I whispered loudly as I watched the zombie attack and kill the last rat. I sheathed the sword as it started coming after me, fast. I yanked up my SCAR-H and put three rounds through its head. I looked at it.

"Yeah, it's dead," I said aloud, then it hit me about what I just 'killed,' "Or at least it's dead, again." I then walked on. I took cover at the corners. That engagement with the zombie had really shaken me. I didn't want to have to fight another of those things. The passageway was clear so I moved up rapidly. I then took the corner again. I looked down the sights of my SCAR as I cleared the room. Another rat was down there with a chest. Not wanting to waste the ammo, I took out the sword and let my rifle hang by its sling. I moved into the room and slew the rat easily. I checked the chest and placed the two bottles of medicine and two lock picks into my ruck. I then moved forward again. I ran into two more rats that I took out with the sword and moved on.

I came across this open room with two rats in it. In the middle of the room was a helmet, a shield, some food, and on the other side was a chest. I took out two of my throwing knives and used them to kill the two rats. I picked the knives up as I passed their corpses. I also picked up the equipment lying around. I left the food. I wasn't that desperate for food, and it looked like it had been lying there for a few weeks at least. I went over to the chest and opened it. Inside were some more gold, that I quickly pocketed, and another rusty war axe. I put the axe in my ruck and kept moving. My ruck was definitely starting to weigh me down, so I wouldn't be running anytime soon but I could still move; thank you extreme leg-murdering PTs.

I went up on the stairs on the left on the other side when I got jumped by a third rat. He managed to score a hit on my dragon scales armor, but he did no actual damage. I shrugged off the blow and slew the beast.

"Freaking rats..." I muttered as I moved on. I came into another room. There were two paths to the next room, both in the same direction; just one closer to me, and the other farther way. I walked down the one closest. A few feet down that path, there was a small path cut to connect the two paths. Along the path there was a small notch cut into the wall. In it were two gold coins, which I quickly snatched up, and I continued on. I ran into another rat, which was dispatched with a swing of the sword. I then looked to the left.

The two paths formed together into another room and to the left of the paths was another hallway that slopped downwards. I walked down the slop, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sack lying in the darkness in a small alcove. I moved over to it and opened it up. Inside was another bottle of medicine and three lock picks. I stashed them in my ruck and moved on. In the next room, I found no exit save a hole in one wall. I peered through the hole into the tunnel. It was lit like the room I was in, but something about it put me on edge. It felt man-made, or at least as man-made as things get around here. I quickly debated on using the sword. The debate ended quickly. I sheathed the sword and aimed my rifle down the tunnel. I moved down the tunnel carefully. I put on my NVGs to help cut through the gloom. I cut the pie on one corner, and then did it again on the next when I found a rat. It saw me as I saw it and moved to engage me. I stepped back and let my rifle hang as I yanked out one of my survival knives. It ran around the corner and jumped at me. I dodged around it and stabbed at it with my knife.

I scored a solid hit on its back. I then yanked out the blade and stabbed it again. This time, I nailed it in the head and cut through its skull easily.

"Hooah, easy kill," I whispered as I cleaned my knife off with the rat's fur. I then continued to move forward, my rifle raised and my knife sheathed. I saw another room up ahead that was a lot better lighted. When my NVGs picked up the increase of light, they automatically shut off. I pushed them up and crept closer, trusting in my years and years of stealth skills developed on the battlefield. In my line of work, the ability to remain undetected was so critical that it was the difference between mission success or failure, life or death. Since I joined Black Ops, there has never been a mission that I didn't need to remain undetected. I then noticed another rat come around. I didn't want to mess with the thing so with a muffled snap; the thing dropped dead, its brains leaking out of the new hole in its head. I noticed a pile of bones off to the right. I crept over a searched through it. I found a ruby, some gold coins, some more lock picks, and another chest. I opened it and found three more bottles of medicine. I then turned around and focused on what was near the fire. I didn't know if anything was there, but I didn't want to take the chance.

I sneaked around to the right, staying in the shadows, and keeping my rifle ready. In the light, I saw string hanging from the ceiling. On those strings were skulls. I couldn't tell if they were human or not. I crept closer, checking every area for any hostiles. When I felt I was close enough I rushed into the "room" and cleared it. It was empty, but there was a door embedded in the cave wall, on the far side of me. I then take a look at the skulls. 'Definitely human skulls,' I thought with disgust. I take out my survival knife and cut them down.

I then moved over to the wooden door. I opened it slightly and peered through the door. Another tunnel, this one leading downhill, towards another room was on the other side.

"Man, this place is an infantryman's nightmare," I mutter as I step through. I keep the rifle raised and slowly creep down the tunnel. To the right of the tunnel I found several pieces of debris, along with a barrel and a small crate. I peek inside both and find nothing of value. To the left was another corridor of stone in this never-ending cave-system. I crept forward and pressed against the cave wall. I saw a goblin standing a bit away and faced away from me. 'Too easy,' I thought, 'This is why you need to be disciplined enough to work on the basics. He's about to learn the hard way.' I raised my rifle up, and with a muffled cough, the goblin drops to the ground, a fine red mist flying from its head.

"Chalk up another KIA," I mutter as I creep towards the newly killed goblin. I check him over for gear quickly. I pocketed two more lock picks and kept trekking through the cave. I stopped when I noticed another fire. I quickly rushed in and found it empty. I sweep over everything I see and find a mortar and pestle, another bottle of medicine, and a chest. I move over to the chest. It was locked so I pulled out my lock-pick set and get to work on the lock. I easily pick the lock and open the chest. Inside were twenty more gold coins, three lock picks, and two torches. I pocketed all of them and kept moving down the tunnel. I ran into another long corridor but on the other end of this one was another goblin. This one was well armed though. 'Oh well, my gun still beats its mace,' I thought as I aimed and quickly dropped it. I checked it and found a bear pelt, I believe, and some more gold. I pocketed the stuff and kept moving.

I scanned the room that goblin was in, and the first thing I noticed was that there was a rope that was at about mid-shin height strung across the room. 'Wow... That is one of the most poorly hidden traps I have ever seen...' I thought as I shook my head and scanned around the room for whatever it triggers, 'I guess they could make it more obvious if they put a bright neon orange sign hanging over it that said, "trap below," if they wanted, but they don't have the technology for that yet...' I then set my ruck and other equipment on the ground and low crawled over to the line. As I turn to lay myself parallel to the tripe-wire, I took out a survival knife and quickly cut the cord. I then pressed myself into the ground as hard as I could to avoid whatever that triggered. I felt something just graze my back, but not enough to hurt me. I then quickly roll to my left and roll back to my gear. I push myself to my feet and sheath my knife. I looked at what the trip was.

The trap was to drop massive stone maces on whoever triggered it. I was lucky to have been able to dodge it, those stones must have weight a few hundred pounds each. My armor may have protected me from the puncture damage, but its momentum would have definitely broken a few bones. I quickly throw on my gear and move on. I kept my rifle for my primary weapon. 'This cave system is starting to piss me off. How do I get out of here!?' I thought as I moved forward, past the trap, and into the next room. The first thing I saw was a large bonfire going in the next room. A little further away, was a stack of logs. To my left was another tunnel. I chose to check out the tunnel. It angled to the right after around ten feet, and kept going for another forty. I could barely make out a chest sitting on a table at the far end of the little tunnel. I quickly moved over to it. I checked it, and it was locked. I quickly take out my lockpick set and get to work. It was an extremely easy lock to pick, and I opened the chest. Inside were six iron arrows and two old lockpicks. I stashed them in their appropriate pockets and I followed the tunnel back to the 'main' tunnel I had pointed out earlier with the large bonfire.

Whatever it was using for fuel, burned hot. I felt sweat leap to my brow as I passed by. I moved slowly towards the logs when I noticed that they were set at the crest of a hill. At the bottom of the hill were two goblins, one armed with a bow and the other with a small axe. I let a feral grin appear on my face, and quickly moved over to the logs. I quickly pushed the logs down the hill and watched them roll into, and over, the goblins.

"More easy kills. Where's the challenge in this?" I asked out loud to myself. I quickly moved down the hill and checked the archer for anything valuable. I pocketed six more Iron arrows, two lockpicks, and a rusty Iron dagger. I checked the other goblin and found only two lockpicks. I pocketed those and looked for its axe. I moved one of the logs out of the way, and found it. It was a rusty Iron axe, but it was still worth something, so I pocketed it. Since I wasn't going to be coming back here, anything I left behind was going to go to waste. Everything had some sort of monetary value, and I needed the money. Just beyond the two, now dead, goblin corpses I found two chests. I quickly moved over to them and checked them.

One of them was locked so I opened the unlocked one. I found four bottles of medicine and stashed them with the rest. I then picked the locked one and opened it. Inside were six iron arrows, and a lockpick. I stashed them and got ready to move on. There was only one exit and it lead into a well light tunnel. I shouldered my rifle and move cautiously towards it. Inside the tunnel, I looked around and couldn't find the source. 'Another mystery lost to science,' I thought as I continued on. On the other side of the tunnel was a very large and spacious cave. I noticed to my left a goblin. Since I wasn't exactly hiding in the shadows, I was spotted by it at the same time. It cried out an alarm before I dropped it with a shot to the head with my rifle. I scanned around and noticed a few more goblins, three of them in total. In the middle of the room was a pit, and the goblin heading towards me was my first target. Another head shot, another kill. The second was coming at me from the right. I shifted my aim and dropped it with two shots to the chest, splintering the bone armor it had been wearing. I looked down my scope at the last goblin across the pit from me. It was dressed like a shaman. I didn't spare it a second thought as I took its life with a single seven-point-six-two round to its head. I quickly searched the area for whatever I could find. I came up with nineteen gold pieces, a mysterious gem, a small ruby, a small sapphire, a small topaz gem, a rusty short sword, a gold nugget, an iron long sword, two hammers, and another silver vase. I stuffed it all into whatever pockets I could find, and attached the long sword to my belt. It took a few seconds for me to get used to that sword on my right side, but I did eventually get used to it. I also grabbed the goblin shaman's staff. Someone out there would want such a trinket, so it had some use beside just that of an ugly paperweight.

I walked kiddy-corner from the entrance and found an exit to the chamber. I pushed my NVGs back over my eyes and walked into the long dark corridor, weapon shouldered. The tunnel went up for several meters and then angled sharply to the left. I sliced-the-pie around the corner, and found another steep incline. At the end of the short tunnel was another door. I quickly moved forward and barely noticed a chest hidden behind a small stone cropping and a wooden support beam. I opened the chest and found seven iron arrows and two lockpicks. After pocketing them, I opened the door and continued through.

Another dark, dank, and creepy cavern with an incline was awaiting me on the other side of the door. I sighed as I continued forward. Up the incline and the room turned to the left. The room then turned to the left again, but then immediately went to the right. At the end of the lightening hallway was a hole in the wall. I pushed my NVGs up again and looked out the hole. It was a small drop to the floor. I sighed as I sat down and pushed myself off the ledge. I landed with a grunt and collapsed to the ground due to the weight of my gear. I quickly pushed myself back to my feet and shouldered my rifle.

"We find a defensible spot and protect the Emperor until help arrives," I heard a voice say. 'It's those guards from before,' I thought as I quickly moved over toward a ledge next to some stone columns in the room to my right.

"Help? What makes you think help will get here before more of those b*******? We need to get the Emperor out of here," another voice said.

"Here they come again!" yelled the first voice accompanied with the sound of swords being drawn. I shoulder my weapon and see one of those armored assassins drop from the ledge across the room from me. I put a bullet into him as he landed on the ground, never to get back up. The two guards were engaging another of those assassins at a doorway in front of the Emperor. I quickly drop to the ground with a grunt and run up behind him.

"Sir, get back, this way," I said as I let my rifle hang, drew my sidearm, and pulled him away from the melee. I aimed one-handed at the ledge, waiting for another to drop, my other hand kept the Emperor behind me. I heard a gasp come from where the two guards had ganged up on one cultist, and then they backed up and one put his sword away. Both of them approached me with recognition in their eyes.

"D***** it's that prisoner again!" said the one in the doorway as he walked toward me with his sword drawn, "Kill him. He might be working for the assassins."

"Try it, and that will be the last mistake you'll ever make," I growled as I shifted my aim onto the threatening Blade.

"No," the Emperor behind me said as he walked around me and in front of the offending Blade, "He is not one of them. He can help us. He must help us."

"As you wish, Sire," the Blade said as he sheathed his sword. The Emperor turned around and faced me.

"They cannot understand why I trust you. They've not seen what I've seen. How can I explain?" He said softly, "Listen. You know the 'Nine?' How They guide our fates with an invisible hand?"

"'Nine?' I've never heard of that religion. I'll tell you right now, it ain't mine. I believe in one God, but that's as far as I'll go with that. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this point, sir," I said.

"I've served the Nine all my days, and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens. The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one of them a sign," he said, "I know these stars well, and I wonder... which sign marked your birth?"

"Which ever sign was up on March third, 1984," I said, jokingly "Sir, you seem to forget that I'm-"

"The signs I read show, the end of my path. My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come," he said, interrupting me.

"Sir?" I ask, confused by this sudden interruption.

"Your stars are not mine. Today the Thief shall guide your steps on the road to destiny," he said. 'Thief?' I thought, 'Well, that's an interesting "sign" to be born under... Probably wouldn't be my first choice but...oh well. Not like I believe in all of this astro-crap anyway. I wonder, just for kicks and gigs, if he...'

"Can you see my fate?" I asked.

"My dreams grant me no opinions of success. Their compass ventures not beyond the doors of death. But, in your face. I behold the sun's companion. The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness," he said, "With such hope, and with the promise of your aid, my heart must be satisfied."

"You have it, sir, but I will see to it that today is not the day you die. You needn't fear death while I'm here," I said, trying to bolster the old man's confidence that seemed to have disappeared after we parted ways.

"I don't fear death, though no trophies of my triumphs precede me. But I have lived well, and my ghost shall rest easy. Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour. In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death...To face my apportioned fate, then fall," he said. 'Okay...That fell on its face...' I thought, I then banished the thought from my mind.

"Where to now, sir?" I asked as I holstered my sidearm and held my rifle.

"I go to my grave. A tongue shriller than all the music calls me. You shall follow me for a while, then we must part," he answered before he turned away from me and started to walk toward the door.

Baurus then walked up to me, handed me a torch, and said, "You may as well make yourself useful. Here, carry this torch and stick close."

I shoot a glare at him, and he backs up slightly. I think he got the message that I'm not one you order around and tell to "make yourself useful." I place the torch with the rest of them and search the bodies quickly. I find one bottle of medicine and stash it with the rest. I stand next to the Emperor as we move through another tunnel. When the other guard opens the door, I aim my rifle over his shoulder. It grates on my nerves to be moving as slow as we were, but I didn't exactly have a say in the matter.

The next room was dark enough that I flipped down my NVGs. I had a feeling that we were going to be ambushed soon. The room had several stone pillars in it, and the room was split into two floors. To our right, as we walked by the pillars, was a staircase that connected the two floors. I stayed on the top floor and provided overwatch for the group. I noticed a crate, not too far from where I was crouched. I quickly open it and pull out ten iron arrows and four lockpicks. I focused back on providing overwatch, assuming that we were about to be ambushed. My hunch was proven correct as two men jumped from a ledge that was hidden from my view.

"Action front!" I yelled out as I aimed my rifle and fired twice. One of the assassins dropped, bleeding from two bullet holes in his head. The other was quickly taken down by the guard on point. I quickly moved down the staircase. As I did so, I heard another fight break out and end before I could get down to that floor. I searched both bodies that were on the floor that I knew about. They were completely clean. I then searched the third assassin that I didn't see before I moved and found another bottle of medicine. I stashed it and quickly caught up with the group, which had moved on without me. I shook my head a little at the lack of attention and accountability this group had, but I could understand the pressure they were under and that they didn't care a lick about me.

As we turned a corner, I heard a, "Die you scum!" come from the man on point. I was blocked from engaging by Baurus so I turned and watched our rear. I heard Baurus then start running so I turned and moved as fast as I could to keep up with him. No such luck, as I was quickly left behind. I couldn't see any hostiles, so I held my fire and moved forward. I then decided to let my rifle had by its strap and pulled out my short sword. By the time I caught up with the group, all assassins were dead on the floor. A quick search of the three turned up only another bottle of medicine. I then noticed another box shoved in a small alcove. I opened it and found another three bottles of medicine. I quickly formed up with the group and we continued forward, though a door.

The moment we entered the room, I had a bad feeling about it. The guard on point shared my feelings.

"Hold up. I don't like this. Let me take a look," he said. He then walked down the stairs in front of us and looked around the room as I moved to provide him and the rest of the group cover with my rifle.

"Looks clear. Come on, we are almost through to the sewers," he said after a quick check. 'It isn't clear, it feels like an ambush,' I thought, 'and why does it always have to be a sewer?'

"I don't know, I think we might be walking into an ambush here," I said as I walked beside the Emperor. No one acknowledged my words and my anger against the group burn just a little hotter. I hated when I was ignored, especially when on the battlefield. We continued forward until we ran into a locked gate. 'Bingo, key the ambush,' I thought as my rifle snapped up and I started to scan the area.

"D*****! The gate is barred from the other side. A trap!" the point man yelled.

"No really, figure that out all by yourself?" I asked sarcastically, "Over there is the only way forward, it looks like it's the best defensible position. Sir, we need to get you in there!" I quickly grabbed the old man by the arm and rushed him into a small stone room. Before he entered, I rushed in the room and swept the area, completely clear. I went back to the entrance and quickly pulled the Emperor in, the two guards quickly followed.

"It's a dead in. What's your call, sir?" Baurus asked.

"They're behind us! Wait here, sire," the other guard said quickly. Baurus moved over and looked me in the eye.

"Wait here with the Emperor. Guard him with your life," he said. I nodded and took up position between the Emperor and the entrance. The two guards quickly rushed through the entrance and defended that side as the assassins attacked en mass. The Emperor suddenly grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. He forced an amulet into my hands.

"I can go no further. You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants. He must not have the Amulet of Kings! Take the Amulet. Give it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son," the Emperor said quickly, "Find him, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion."

"Wha-? Why-" I said quickly before an assassin came from a small alcove and stabbed the Emperor in the head.

"Stanger," he said as he pulled out the blade, during which I made a quick plan on how to take him out, "You chose a bad day to take up with the cause of the Septims."

"Not as bad of a day as you're about to have," I said as I let go of my rifle and body checked him to the ground. I yanked out a survival knife and jammed it into the assassin's jugular vein, cutting open it and his throat. "Die, prick," I yelled as I pulled the blade out. I then rushed over to the Emperor's side and checked his pulse. Dead, just like the old coot said. I let out a sigh and closed his eyes in respect. I went and search the assassin's corpse and found another bottle of medicine. 'Why do all of these assassins have all of these bottles?' I thought to myself as I tossed the thought from my mind. I had a job to do, the last wish of a dead man. I'm honor-bound to do it or die trying.

"De Oppresso Liber," I said softly as Baurus rushed into the room.

"No...Talos save us..." he said as he check the late Emperor's pulse and confirmed what I already had. He then turned to me with a shocked look on his face. "We've failed. I've failed... The Blades are sworn to protect the Emperor, and now he and all his heirs are dead," he said solemnly, then suddenly he perked right back up, "The Amulet. Where's the Amulet of Kings? It wasn't on the Emperor's body. "

"I have it, he gave it to me," I said as I showed him the Amulet still in my hand.

"Strange he saw something in you. Trusted you. They say it's the Dragon Blood, that flows through the veins of every Septim. They see more than lesser men," he said calmly, "The Amulet of Kings is a sacred symbol of the Empire. Most people think of the Red Dragon Crown, but that's just jewelry. The Amulet has power. Only a true heir of the Blood can wear it, they say. He must have given it to you for a reason. Did he say why?"

"He gave me a set of orders too, yes. I'm to take it to Jauffre," I said.

"Jauffre? He said that? Why?" he asked.

"There is another heir," I replied, "A hidden one, maybe as an contingency plan for something like this."

"Nothing I ever about. But Jauffre would be the one to know. He's the Grandmaster of my Order. Although you may not think so to meet him. He lives quietly as a monk at Weynon Priory, near the city of Chorrol," Baurus explained.

"How do I get there?" I asked.

"First you need to get out of here. Through that door must be the entrance to the sewers, past the locked gate. That's where we were heading. It's a secret way out of the Imperial City. Or it was supposed to be secret," Baurus said before he handed me a key, "Here. You'll need this key for the last door into the sewers."

"The Sewers?" I asked, not looking forward for that section of this hike.

"There are rats and goblins down there...but from what I've seen of you. I'm guessing you are an experienced Bard. Am I right?" My jaw dropped. Was none of these guards listening when we first met?

"Negative, Captain 'Lone Wolf,' United States Army Special Forces. You can just call me Wolf. I'm an elite black operations officer," I said, "I thought we covered this when we met."

"Sorry, must not have been paying attention. In any case, you won't have any trouble with rats and goblins," he said awkwardly, obviously reeling from his pride being knocked down a notch or five.

"Should be just fine," I said, "After the sewers, then what?"

"You must get the Amulate to Jauffre. Take no chances, but proceed to Weynon Priory immediately. Got it?"

"I don't think you should be questioning me. Between the two of us, you're the rookie here. I've seen more combat in the past ten years then you'll ever see in a lifetime. Got it?" I all but growled at the offending Blade. He held up his hands in a gesture of peace and apology.

"Just needed to make sure. The Emperor's trust was very well-placed," he said.

"Now what about you? What will you do?" I asked.

"I'll stay here to guard the Emperor's body, and make sure no one follows you. You'd better get moving. May Talos guide you," he said in farewell.

"Take care of yourself Baurus. I'll see you after this whole mess is over, HOOAH!" I called out as I shouldered my weapon and pocketed the Amulet in one of my ACU's cargo pockets. I climb into the alcove where the assassin came out of and saw that it had a fake wall. I walked through the short passageway and stepped into the room on the other side. I quickly cleared the room and moved forward. The hallway turned to the right and then opened up to a small room; the barred gate that we ran into on the right and a wooden door to the right. The door was locked, and the key that Baurus gave me fit it. I quickly unlocked it and went through the door. It lead to a small corridor and at the end was a manhole cover. I walked up to it and moved the manhole over. A putrid stench assaulted my nose and I fought back a gag. I quickly went down the hole and reset the cover over it. 'Why is it always a sewer?' I thought with a groan.