Balgruuf the Great chapter 30 preview (Patreon)

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Cassius Aquillon

Cassius knew that Skyrim was a deeply cold place. It was situated at the far north and supposedly, its frost was magical in nature. And as such, he had prepared for it. Purchasing a fur coat as soon as he could get his hands on one. Well, he would have to march back to the merchant that sold him the coat for despite its thickness, he still felt the damn bloody cold.

"Aw, is someone getting a case of the shivers?" Mira cooed, astride her horse. Cassius ignored her jabs. The last thing he needed was some woman adding more misery to their already miserable situation. He glanced around the column and found their fellow housecarls-to-be in trying their best to keep warm in their own coats. Mira, seeing she was rebuffed, pouted and instead turned her attention to poking Gotz instead.

Cassius sighed in relief.|

They had set out from Whiterun as soon as they were well rested and well-provisioned. Despite them still being in the trial period, Lord Balgruuf was kind enough to make sure they would finish the trial with full stomachs and good horses to ride on. Others in their group saw this as a great honor, Cassius was able to see however the thinly veiled declaration of the act. Whiterun was so rich and powerful, it could afford to hand them fine horses and provisions as easily as one parted with a useless item. It also showed Lord Balgruuf's great trust in his investment in them.

Well. Better not disappoint.

The roads they travelled on were smooth and without incident. Unlike in Cyrodiil, war hadn't touched the lands he now rode on. Cassius hoped that it never will. But still, they hadn't took their chances. At day, they moved with a steady pace. At night, they would be camped and counting the stars. He had remembered the first time they had set camp, where he had attempted to get everyone to build a temporary stockade around their camp. The prospect of additional work when they all could just set up camp and rest wasn't met with cheers from the rest of their new comrades.

"But what if we get attacked at night? A sabrecat or a troll?" he reasoned out.

The others glanced at each other. "Sabrecats do not attack large groups of travelers and trolls wander in the deep woods, not the main roads."

He raised an eyebrow at them. "Do you want to leave that to chance?"

As if on cue, the howling of wolves echoed in the far distance. That was at least enough to get them moving. But still, not many were enthused at the idea of felling trees and constructing the log walls that legion camps often had. Instead, they all compromised on surrounding their camp with jagged branches. Certainly not enough to stop a motivated troll or bandit but it would at least give smaller animals pause.

The nights were always the most dangerous and anxiety filling time for any traveller. If you fell asleep, there's no telling when a hungry animal would tear you open from limb to limb. As such, they would rotate the nightwatch between them. When they had set up camp later on and had dined on a fine stew, it was his turn to be the night sentry. A duty he often enjoyed doing as he would have solitude and silence to himself. Their camp was on a incline, the road not too far from them and they had more forest to their rear. Perfectly defensible, but still he had to keep alert.

He sighed, leaning on his cot as he glanced skyward. His eyes were beheld to an explosion of colour and light. He sucked in a breath as green and yellow lights danced to and fro in the heavens, the campfire a mere flicker compared to their majesty. He had long heard of the famed Northern Lights of Skyrim but to actually see their beauty, it was a different thing entirely.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a soft voice said from behind him. Quickly, he snapped his head to turn to its source but he relaxed, seeing that it was just Mira.

"You should be asleep at this time," Cassius admonished the Breton. In response, she shrugged her shoulders as she went on to join him at his campfire.

"Couldn't sleep," said Mira, stretching out her legs as she sat down. Of course, thought Cassius.

"And Gotz?"

Mira laughed. "Fast asleep and snoring so loudly, they'd hear him from Sentinel."

Ah. So that's why she couldn't sleep.

Mira took in a breath, turning her gaze skyward. Cassius joined her, the Northern Lights too dazzling to miss. For a second, there was no other sound save the for the cracking of the fire. Mira was the first to break it. "The light show we see...It's also called Kyne's Lights," Mira said softly, equal dazzlement in her eyes. "My mother often told me stories about them, when I was younger. She had travelled extensively in her youth, you see. In Skyrim, these lights would appear at the behest of Kynareth who wished to bless the world with light."

Cassius nodded, listening to the story. Mira chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "Of course, I believed her. She was my mother after all. When I actually had to undergo training as a battlemage, I hard learned that the Northern Lights was just an effect of the winds of Aetherius coming in to Mundus."

"Which version do you believe in?" Cassius interjected. Mira smiled at him. "The Kynareth one of course. It's more fun."

Cassius shook his head. At that, Mira glanced at him curiously. "I know Gotz's story....but what's yours?"

"Are you always this eager to know about the private lives of others?" Cassius asked. Mira put up her hands. "Only to know more about the men and women I will be working with. It helps knowing others more, you know? And it's not as if I'm asking you tell me your entire story."

Fair enough. "I will tell you mine, if you tell me yours," Cassius bargained.

"Aha! Deal!" cackled Mira, turning over to face him entirely.

"My parents were Priests to the Goddess Kynareth," Cassius began, remembering his days in growing up in a small temple to Kynareth. "Growing up, they had taught me how to praise and supplicate myself to the Fifth Divine. They'd be a little disappointed to know I've switched over to Akatosh"

Mira nodded, listening intently. Cassius gave chuckled briefly. "They were much more disappointed when I told them I didn't want to be a priest like them but instead, become a legionnaire to serve the Empire."

"I can understand. My father was furious when I wanted to be a battlemage," Mira laughed, remembering the red look her father had when she had declared her intentions.

Cassius laughed some more. "Really now? What did he want you to be?"

Mira sighed, glancing at the fire. "All I'll say is, I wasn't interested in being an ornament."

"Ah," said Cassius, understanding on his face. "I see."

The Breton waved him off. "Oh don't worry about it. I've made my peace with the fact that I will never be able to come home."

"I'm at least happy to hear that you still have a home to come back to," Cassius said, his expression forlorn. Mira's face fell. "Divines above...you mean...?"

"At the height of the Great War, my parents were caught passing information to the Legion when our town was occupied. For this, the Dominion had them both executed as spies," revealed Cassius. Mira's eyes widened. He could see the turmoil of emotions flashing on her face. Pity. Sorrow.

Rage.

"How...How did you find out?" Mira asked softly.

"After the war," said Cassius, remembering coming home only to find a rundown temple occupied by vagrants. "A neighbor of ours had told me of what had happened. Dominion soldiers had arrived, demanding the heads of the spies that was guilty of sending information to the Legion. They threatened to burn down the town if they would not show themselves. To save their people, my parents showed themselves and were hung."

"Oh...I'm....I'm sorry," Mira professed, true sympathy in her voice. "Are you....you feeling alright?"

Cassius chuckled. "For the purposes of this conversation, then yes, I am quite fine."

At that, the battlemage gave him a soft punch on the shoulder. "Hey now," Mira drawled. "If there's anyone that you need to talk to, anyone at all, come to me, alright? I'll be here to listen to whatever it is."

"I'll think on your offer, Breton." said Cassius. "So, I told you my story, why don't you tell me yours?"

"My name is Mira, you know," Mira replied, wagging her eyebrows. She then smirked. "My story, eh? Really interested in knowing about me that badly? Aren't you coming a bit too strong, Imperial?"

Cassius rolled his eyes. "We promised, a story for a story. And if you want me to call you by name, call me Cassius. Not Numpty, or Grumpy. And please, get your head out of the clouds."

"Boo, you're no fun, Cassius." groaned the battlemage. She shook her head as she recollected her past. "I was raised in High Rock. My father was a knight, mother was a mage. Father tended to be absent in my life, often doing errands for his lord. Mother was there for me most of the time, raising my by herself. It was through her, I was able to get most of my magical training. When I was fifteen, my father had informed me that he was going to go get me married to the second son of his lord."

"Since you're here, that never go to happen, did it?" Cassius asked.

Mira laughed. "Oh yes. I didn't want to be married. I didn't want my lot to be the wife to some pompous castle brat. I wanted adventure, like my mother had in her youth. I wanted to refine my magical knowledge more, so I announced my intention to join the Legion's ranks as a battlemage and left. During that, father had told me I would never ever be welcome home again. At that time, I was fine with it. I was going to leave anyway."

"But now?"

Mira smiled sadly. "While I do not regret my decision to leave, I will always regret not seeing my home, my mother ever again."

"And your father?"

The woman cocked her head to the side. "What do you think I feel for that man?" she said, her voice edging on dangerous.

Recognizing a trap, Cassius wisely got the topic somewhere else. "So, you joined the legion?"

"Oh yes. I marched to the nearest recruiter there was and I demanded to be taken in. The recruiter told me to go home, citing my age and well, a fifteen year old girl isn't exactly all that impressive to look at," Mira said, almost laughing at the memory.

"What did you do?" Cassius asked.

"I tormented him with spells until he lost his patience and had me shipped off to Cyrodiil to train at the College there," declared Mira.

"There's a College in Cyrodiil?" Cassius asked with a raised brow. "I didn't know that."

"I wouldn't blame you. Ever since the Mages Guild was disbanded after the Oblivion Crisis, the Imperial Legion found itself lacking a place to recruit people for its battlemage ranks. So, they founded an Imperial College to exclusively train people." explained Mira. "It's less scholarly in its approach and more militaristic, considering it was a place to train Legion mages. But still, quite educational and I certainly refined my skills there."

Cassius could see why it wasn't as popular compared to the Synod or the College of Whispers. The Legion would consume any prospective mage that would train there and knowing mages, the soldier's life wasn't for them, the soft bastards.

"I look forward to see your college education then, Mira." Cassius finally replied. "There will be plenty of draugr and other creatures for you to test it on."

"I'm looking forward to the challenge!" she cheerily declared. "I've never fought draugr before so I'm rather excited!"

"Then go get some sleep. When we wake and move, we will be at Korvanjund by tomorrow." said Cassius.

"Aw, so eager to be rid of me? You hurt my feelings, Cassius," Mira said with mock hurt.

"Good night, mage!" Cassius said with finality, turning his attention back to the fire. The woman stuck out her tongue at him before she turned to leave.

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That very morning, the camp awoke to the usual crystal clear chill of Skyrim and to a pot of mushroom soup with cold bread. Sufficiently fed, the houscarls to be packed up their camp and set off for their quarry.

According to the map, Korvanjund was a barrow built between two valleys, and inside a system of caverns elaborately cut but ancient Nord stone workers to form an intricate tomb. Oftentimes, the elvish claims that the ancient Nords were barbarians were debunked with the complex series of tombs that were built for the dead. And speaking of the tomb...

Tall stone monuments stood like redoubts against the snow of Skyrim. Cassius glanced up at the mighty bulwarks, untold history emanating from the rocks. He wondered how Korvanjund itself would be forgotten, considering the size of such monuments but then again, the location was supposedly built in secret and any passersby would simply think the place another elaborate barrow built for some ancient Nordic Lord or Jarl.

A stir of excitement went through the housecarls to be, already many were whispering of the rewards they would get from the expedition. Cassius however was much more cautious. That very morning before they went, he had fully kitted himself with his arms and armor. Steel brigandine worn over a dark blue padded tunic, underneath of which he had chainmail over. His sallet helmet, he had also taken to wearing. Some of his comrades gave him strange looks. He didn't care for them. He wasn't going to take any chances.

"So, how do we do this?" a Nord of their group asked. Cassius remembered his name to be Karl. He wore a shirt chainmail, a thick belt around his waist. His helm was hanging loosely at his side.

"Carefully," Cassius said aloud. "I suggest we comb around the tomb first, make sure that it is secure before we head inside."

"You're too cautious, Imperial," a dunmer with bright red hair chided. Cassius resisted the urge to scowl as he faced the mer. Clad in leather armor and sporting two elven daggers, Surres Uvayren trotted his horse forward. "You would make us see enemies when there are none."

"I did not live this long by being careless, Dunmer," said Cassius, remembering the amount of times he had cheated death simply by being prepared.

"There is careful and there is paranoia," Uvayren pointed out. "Who would even find this tomb? It's deep inside the forest and forgotten by the Nords for untold millenia. Let's just put our horses aside, get the crown, and leave."

"No, the Imperial has a point," Karl added, his face contemplative. "Nordic tombs are rarely undisturbed. It would be safer for us all if we make sure the place is secure before heading inside."

Uvayren sighed. "If you want to waste even more of your time, very well. I'd rather not stay here any longer than we have to. This place is giving me the shivers."

What with the ominous architecture and the fact that there were draugr inside, the elf did have a point. But still, better safe than sorry.

"Oh stop arguing you two," Mira declared as she stepped forward. The men turned to the Breton marching forward, her hands glowing blue with magicka as she stepped forward. She tightened her fist and the magicka glow intensified.

Her reaction was telling.

"What is it?" Cassius asked, moving forward. Cassius's instincts then screamed at him to raise his shield.

THWUNK THWUNK THWUNK

He grunted, his shield bearing the brunt of it. He glanced at the arrows and noted the aged look of them. Karl saw them and immediately, he held out his weapon, an enourmous great-axe, and yelled. "DRAUGR!"

In the distance, grey-skinned figures shambled in the dark, cold blue eyes glowing with malevolence. Throaty cries, from organs long rotten, bellowed as a commotion thundered in the distance. Cassius beheld to the sight of long dead men and women charging towards them. Their skin had long since rotten and withered. Others were clad in tattered clothing, others were in simple rags. All were sporting the signature eyes that glowed however.

"Qiilaan us dilon!" the dead howled as they bore upon the housecarls.

"Shields to the front!" Cassius yelled aloud. "Mira, to the back!" he yelled again as he was joined by the others who bore the brunt of their assault. For someone that was dead, they hit as hard as they did when they were alive. It took a lot of Cassius's strength to hold against their onslaught of axes and swords.

"Rogues and archers, take care of their bows! Two-handers, break the ones attempting to flank us! Shields, we will bear the brunt of their attack until their archers are finished! Mages, support us!" Cassius yelled aloud, The Voice of the Emperor empowering him and carrying his command to the others.

The sounds of battled echoed as the other housecarls moved to accomplish his orders. In the distance, he could see Uvayren appearing with the archers and with skilled precision dispatched the draugr archers. His daggers glinted, tearing through the flesh of the undead Nords as easily as scythe through wheat. From their ranks, their own bowmen also loosed their own, skillfully targeting the draugr in their vitals or rather, where their vitals could have been. Normally, their weapons would have simply been nothing to the undead. But a blessing from an Arkay Priest would ensure that the dead would be affected the same way as if they were alive.

"Raaaagh!" Karl yelled, digging his axe down between a draugr's eyes. Muscled hands gripped the weapon and such was his force that the undead's skull was split in two. The undead nord collapsed on its knees and Karl kicked the cadaver away, retrieving his axe. "To Sovngarde with you, undead wretches!" he roared as he swiped at two more draugr trying to flank them from the side. Next to him, Gotz was dishing out the draugr in similar fashion. A draugr tried to swipe at him. The orc instead headbutted the draugr, sending it stumbling. With practiced ease, he then levelled his weapon and crushed the draugr as easily someone would crush a melon.

"There's more incoming!" someone yelled out, stealing his attention. Sure enough, more draugr were streaming out from somewhere. Most likely Korvanjund's very own entrance.

"Mages!" Cassius bellowed.

"We're on it!" the Breton declared as her hands lit up with electricity. Before even more draugr would descend on them, streaks of lightning coursed through the air and connected through each draugr. The blue light of electricity then turned to bright red and orange as the electricity turned to connecting flames. Those caught by it immediately turned to ash.

"Shields, push! NOW!" Cassius yelled and with a mighty roar, the line pushed back against the dead struggling against them. The dead stumbled back, the living using their momentum against them. With them free, Cassius bellowed. "Send them back to Arkay!"

"Raaaagh!" the housecarls cried out.

Minutes later, the battle was won. Dozens of corpses littered the ground, each one sporting a wound that would have killed them in life. Cassius gathered his breath, his rear sat atop a nearby bench. Mira gleefully looted the corpses for what they carried. Rings of silver, gold, and other valuables were on them. Korvanjund was a tomb for royalty and each single draugr that was in it were wealthy in their own lives. Gotz stood silent over her as if he was her sentinel.

"Not bad for your first draugr fight," Karl said, sitting down next to him.

"There will be more of these bastards deeper inside the tomb," Cassius sighed, leaning back against the wall.

"Quite. Which is why, we must advance silently lest we wake up the mountain of dead," said Karl, glancing at the fallen draugr below them. "Thank the Divines we didn't have Draugr overlords joining the attack otherwise, it would be much more difficult."

"Draugr overlords," Cassius said, testing the word. "Those are draugr which can use the Thu'um, yes?"

Karl nodded. "Generally, most barrows are guarded by the usual draugr we see here, hulking undead. However, the deeper we go into barrows and the more important it was to my ancestors, the more impressive the draugr become."

"So we can expect thu'um capable undead waiting for us deep inside the barrow," finished Cassius. Karl nodded, his great-axe leaning against his shoulder.

"And since this is a royal barrow...." Karl trailed off. Cassius didn't need to be a genius to see where he was getting at. He already could imagine it.

"We're going to have to do this carefully," Cassius mouthed his earlier words. Karl smiled.

"Oh yes. That's why this is a test of strength and cunning !" He said with bright cheer as he stood up. "Come, come, Imperial! Glory awaits us!"

Cassis sighed, as he stood. A part of him wanted to stop and cut his losses. But he had already given his oath and he wasn't going to run. He was going to be a housecarl or die trying.

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And of course with their luck, the first Draugr they met was an overlord.

"RO DAH!" Shouted the Draugr Overlord. Cassius raised his shield to protect himself from the incoming force but like the snow elves of old, he discovered that no weapon on Tamriel could ever hope to stand against the sheer power of the Voice. He found himself and the other housecarls lifted high into the air and slammed against the far temple wall.

The air left his lungs as he collapsed face first on the dusty floor. He forced himself to stand back up on shaky legs. He could not afford to be down not while the Overlord was marching forward.

Despite him being dead, Cassius felt as if the thing was alive enough to glare at them with supreme disdain.

"Sovngarde Saraan!" the Overlord cackled as it marched forward, preparing to Shout at them. Gotz quickly got to his feet, his muscles bulging as Berseker Rage coursed through him. "No one bests an orc!" he bellowed as he quickly closed the distance between himself and the draugr. The undead Nord was faster however and Shouted at the Orc. The Orsimer was unceremoniously thrown back by the literal voice of the Divines and a loud crash echoed as he landed ontop some other men.

"Mira!" Cassius called out.

"On it!" the Breton affirmed as a whip of lightning wrapped itself around the Overlord's neck. A long rotten hand wrapped the whip and tightened its grip. "Oh no you won't!" Mira declared as streaks of electricity coursed through the whip. If the Overlord was alive, he would have screamed as its body was flooded with lightning.

"Karl! Now!" Cassius roared as he got to his feet. "Victory or Sovngarde!" the Nord yelled out as he closed the distance between themselves and the Overlord. With a mighty swing, he embedded his axe...into the Overlord's chest.

"Why did you not aim for the head!" Mira screeched. Their other mage quickly got to work and lobbed balls of fire, setting the Overlord alight. Cassius wasn't idle as well, casting a Restoration spell at the Overlord.

The combination of fire and Arkay's hands did more than enough to dispatch the draugr and soon, a pile of ash replaced what was once a overlord. Karl's axe clattered on the pile noisily. He bent over the retrieve it but not before spitting on top of the ash pile.

Much later, Cassius resisted the urge to cough and hack. Someone else couldn't stop themselves however and began coughing. It was understandable why, considering the air inside was damp and it smelt of bitumen and tar. Every single step that he had to take, it felt like he was stepping on something that was about to give way. Frankly, they almost lost some of their people due to an old piece of wooden floor that collapsed underneath their weight or through a misplaced stone.

Still, they had to press on if they wanted to finish the quest and get their reward.

At first, Cassius worried that they would have to traverse the halls of Korvanjund in complete and utter darkness. Karl however wasn't worried when they opened the barrow's doors. Inside, it was lit just as well as if people lived there.

"Draugr do more than guard their barrows," Karl explained. The Nord had forgone his battle-axe for a smaller war axe. Sensible as they were going to be fighting in smaller spaces. "They maintain it; lighting fires, cleaning urns. The duties you'd expect from cleaning graves,"

"Some maintenance," Mira grumbled, having her foot give out under her when they walked over a wooden floor.

Karl only laughed. "They're undead corpses, not live craftsmen. You cannot fault a slaughterfish for not knowing how to climb a tree."

"That allusion doesn't even make any sense," the mage complained. Karl shrugged his shoulders, continuing to make his way forward with the rest of their party. Since he was the more vocal of their Nords and had basically volunteered himself in being their guide, the housecarl's to be essentially let him lead the way. Every move he made, the party followed.

For a supposedly straightforward journey, the temple had too many winding paths that led to nowhere or simple corridors that contained far too many traps. Asides from Draugr which they dealt with quietly or as quietly as they could, the halls were filled to the brim with treasure. Gold coins from the old kingdoms, jewelry that ranged from simple copper rings to more elaborate and shinier baubles. Many reacted to it with unrestrained greed. Mira was particular in her naked looting of what she could get and admittedly, Cassius helped himself as well. His excitement was kept moderate however as the more elaborate treasures meant that they were growing closer and closer to the royal crypt.

That and they just rounded into a deep portal that rounded into a far hallway.

Cassius had been to many places in his life that inspired great awe and respect in him. The hall which they now travelled in was one of those. At each side were stone images carved into the stone wall, each depicting moments from ages past.

"Woah," Mira whispered, awe in her eyes as she marched forward to examine the carvings. Others joined her as well while some pushed through the hall.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Karl, pride in his voice. Cassius said nothing, his eyes planted at Mira excitedly poring over the wall carvings while Gotz simply stood sentinel over her, his expression grim as usual. Karl continued, his eyes turning towards the other carvings. "And the elves say that our ancestors were incapable savages." Cassius replied, disdain in his voice.

"Look at that Gotz! That's the Return!" Mira chattered excitedly as she moved to the next panel. On it were carved depictions of Ysgramor and his Five Hundred leaping from longships while uncorrupted Snow Elves marched to meet them.

How very Nordic, Cassius mused.

"Over here!" came the voice of their Dunmer. All eyes turned to him and they could see Uvayren bent over a great door at the far hall. Said door had three interlocking panels before it, each one depicting an animal. At the very center of it were three small holes. Cassius strode forward to where Uvayren was, his eyes glued to the holes.

"The entrance to the Crypt," Cassius said aloud, remembering the layout of the map they were given.

"And inside, where our target is," the Dunmer said on one knee. His attention was focused on the holes. From his clothes, he produced a lockpick. Cassius didn't need to be a genius to know the Dunmer's intent. "Now, step aside and be quiet if you want this door opened."

Just as the Dunmer inserted the lockpick into the first hole, Karl stepped between the two of them and pushed in a claw like device in the holes. Noiselessly, he turned the panels slowly to match certain animals. With the last panel set, he retrieved the claw and stepped back. A clicking sound echoed in the hall and for a moment, Cassius feared a trap. Instead, the panels simply realigned and there was a small shake as the door slowly opened itself.

Uvayren blinked for a few seconds before returning his pouch to his belt. "Or, we can have that."

Cassius instead glanced at Karl. "What was that?"

The Nord held up the device on his hand. "A Dragon Claw. These are the keys that allow us access into the inner sanctums of most barrows. On these, you can find the code that will turn the doors."

A sense of curiosity gripped Cassius. "May I see it?" The Nord nodded as he handed the ebony-black device to him. Cassius took it and noted how light it seemed to be. He twisted it over, inspecting it and eyeing the animals aligned. "The tombs and other places for the dead I found, their puzzles were much more complicated than this," Cassius commented.

Karl shrugged his shoulders. "That, I can't answer you. I only like to hit things,"

"Fair enough," remarked the Imperial as he handed the claw back. "What happens if you get the combination wrong?"

The expression on the Nord's face told him everything he needed to know. People started to move into the chamber but he bid them to stop. They all turned to him.

"What?" Mira asked. "The crown's in the other side,"

Cassius looked pensive. "Do you all actually want to fight the damn things in there? Remember the Overlord we fought?"

The housecarls glanced at each other then back to him.

Not a single one dared step past him onto the chamber.

"Now what?" Mira whispered, not daring to speak any louder as if she could wake the dead.

"We take the crown and go home," grunted Gotz, his weapon slung over his shoulder. "Are you all housecarls or cowards?" That remark netted him a glare from some of them. The Orsimer glared back however.

"Easier said than done," Cassius stepped in. "I'd rather we all not have to fight a room full of draugr. Did you forget that overlord we fought?" His remark of the Overlord earned him a growl from Gotz. Mira sympathetically patted his shoulder

.

"Did you lot forget that you have a rogue in your midst?" Uvayren declared, speaking up and breaking the deadlock.

"You're going to nick it?" Mira asked with a raised eyebrow. Uvayren gave her an incredulous look. "You all don't want to fight the damn draugr don't you all? Have the mages enhance me with their most powerful invisibility and sneak spells and I'll get the crown,"

The housecarls glanced at each other, considering the offer.

"Let's nick the damn thing," Mira once more repeated. "Whoever is in favour, say aye."

A chorus of ayes echoed in the hall.

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They ascended the stairs into the chamber slowly. Entrance revealed to a massive grand chamber. At the centre was a raised dais with three thrones flanked by two coffins. On the ceiling was a brazier burning and filling the room with light. At the sides of the chamber were more coffins and niches filled with either resting draugr or actual bones.

Cassius scanned around to look where Borgas could be and sure enough, he could see a draugr with a crown made of iron and bone seated between the two thrones. Perhaps that was Borgas?

Cassius didn't want the Dunmer to go in there alone and offered to be his lookout. The Dunmer nodded, feeling secure with someone watching his back. Mira tagged along as well since she was their strongest mage.

Despite his bravado, Cassius could clearly see the Dunmer was rattled. What with his fingers constantly ticking. "You're not getting second thoughts now are you?" Cassius whispered.

"Shut up and give me the bloody enchants already," the Dunmer whispered back. Cassius held out his hands in surrender as Mira quickly threw every Sneak and strongest invisibility spell she knew at the Dunmer. The dark elf vanished from their vision but Cassius could still feel the elf's presence making his way towards Borgas.

Thankfully, the old Nordic king was still fast asleep. Cassius's breathe matched with Mira as they silently watched the outline's of Uvayen's figure tiptoe towards the throne.

Every single sound was deafening. Every small movement, it felt as if it was strong enough to wake the dead.

Their hearts beat so loudly in their chests, Cassius could hear it.

He sighed however when he could see the Crown on Borgas's head being slowly lifted....

A wet slick sound echoed in the room as blazing blue eyes opened. First, it glanced at the floating crown, then in a painfully slow turn, towards him and Mira.

"HIN LAH AAL SPAAN HI NOL FIN NAHL," King Borgas bellowed in the ancient tongue. "NUZ ZU'U LOS SE FAAL DIIL!"

Mira quickly stood on his feet and lobbed a ball of fire towards the seated king, engulfing him in flame and burning what remained of his beard. "TAKE THE DAMN CROWN AND RUN!" she yelled tossing another ball of flame at the draugr before running off back into the hall.

Cassius only ran after her if Uvayren made it out and sure enough, a floating crown of iron and steel was hastily floating away from the rising Borgas. The two coffins by the throne flew upon as two ornate Draugr stood from their stone beds. From the niches, the other draugr were also waking up and in the back, he could hear the roaring of awakening draugr

.

"WHAT ARE YOU BLOODY STANDING FOR, IMPERIAL. FLY YOU DAMNED FOOL!" Uvayren's voice rang aloud as the still invisible dark elf ran past him.

Cassius did not wait any longer as he turned, the entirety of the crypt rising behind him.

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A/N: This chapter is yet incomplete. Will finish it more with the coming days.

EDIT 1: ANd finally, this is complete.

What do ya'll think?