Eagles of the Sands (Part 2)

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    Eagle of the Sands

    Part 2

     

    When nightfall came, they began making their approach.

     

    Under the cover of night, they crossed through the half a mile stretch of sand that separated them from their target. They went two-by-two; each pair maintaining an eight-foot distance from the other. Going in as a large group would only increase their chances of getting detected.

     

    Niramil casted her ‘sandwalking’ spell to conceal their footsteps as they traversed the sands. The spell was a slightly altered waterwalking spell that worked on sand, enabling them to walk across it as if one would walk across water, without leaving any footprints.

     

    Arinmo was on point, carefully guiding them through the patrolling sentries. He had studied their movement patterns while they were waiting for nightfall. Occasionally he would signal a halt with a closed fist and they would stop and lie prone on the ground as they waited for a sentry to pass before moving forward. It went on until the group developed a simple mindset: stop, drop, and go. Stop, drop, and go.

     

    As they neared the village, Arinmo stopped again. He pointed at a watchtower and prompted two fingers up.

     

    Two guards. Calderin guessed. He turned his head back and motioned at the archers to come forward.

     

    Liriel obeyed followed by Rena. Both Bosmers assumed squatting positions as they unslung their bows from their backs. Liriel’s bow was the standard-issued elven hawk bow (an improved version of the regular elven bow used by Aldmeri archers) while Rena’s was a tribal-like bow made out of bone and sinew. Calderin was unsure if the difference in bow shape would have an affect in their accuracy.

     

    The Bosmers pulled out an arrow from their quivers and drew them, their eyes locking onto their desired targets.

     

    Calderin mouthed the words as he counted down from three with his fingers. “Three. Two. One. Fire!”

     

    Upon his command, the archers let loose their arrows at the two Redguards. They stumbled backwards, one had an arrow through the chest while the other through the head.

     

    “Great shot.” Rena said to Liriel, earning a faint smile from the latter.

     

    Calderin broke the celebration short as he motioned them forward. All six of them ran for the outer walls. Upon reaching, they wasted no time lifting each other up over the nine-foot tall wall as quickly and quietly as they could before anyone could spot them. Once they were in, the group quickly assessed their surroundings.  

     

    “All clear,” Niramil announced in a hushed tone.

     

    “Good. Now let’s see how far we are from the compound.”

     

    Arinmo took out his grappling hook from his belt and toss it over the roof of a nearby building. One by one they climbed up the rope. When they reached the top, they were able to get a good view of the area.

     

    “There’s the compound.” Arinmo said, pointing at the three-story building he had spotted earlier with the distinguishable red canopy at the topmost floor (though at night it resembled darkish blue). “Lots of entry points.”

     

    “As well as guards.” Calderin added. He counted at least a dozen guards wandering around the compound, not including those inside the building.

     

    “Obviously,” Niramil deadpanned. “But since when has that stopped us from completing a mission?”

     

    “It hasn’t, and it won’t.” He then turned to Arinmo and said, “Arinmo, spyglass.” Putting the spyglass to his right eye, Calderin scouted the compound in hopes of finding a way in. “There’s three entry points we can use,” He said. “The front door, the back or the side. Whichever we pick will ultimately lead to the same results.”  

     

    “Jackal dead and our cover blown.” Niramil finished with a grimace. “Well if we’re going to do this, might as well do it from the front.”

     

    “We’ll need someone to cover us when we breach in.” Arinmo added.

     

    “I’ll do it,” Liriel said, volunteering instantly. She was not one to talk much, but when she did, it was always quick and straightforward. “Over there looks promising.” She pointed at a two-story house with a tower facing the front of the compound. “Good line of sights, perfect angle on the windows… I can provide overwatch from there.”

     

    Calderin approved of the idea. Having someone on overwatch would make sure no one would get the jump on them as they clear the compound from the ground up. Liriel had the sharpest eyes in the group, so there was no doubt about it that she would be up for the task.

     

    “Rena should go with you on overwatch,” said Corvunir suddenly. He had remained quiet throughout the entire duration of the mission until now.

     

    “Two archers are better than one, you know.” The aforementioned Bosmer chirped.

     

    His team turned to him for an answer. It was his call to make. The Bureau sent two of their agents to help us. So best not make waste of their talents then. Calderin nodded an affirmative. “Rena will go with you, Liriel.”

     

    “Understood,”

     

    “That leaves you with us, Corvunir. I hope you are fine with that.”

     

    The Altmer agent nodded slightly. “I am,”

     

    “You sure about that?” Calderin had made a once-over of his equipment. Apart from the throwing knives sheathed on his sash, the Altmer agent seemed to possess no sort of weaponry at all. Calderin made the assumption that he was a mage, but he didn’t look like the scholarly type.

     

    “Yes,”

     

    “Okay, then. Now everyone knows what to do. I don’t think a second reminder is needed. Now let’s get to—”

     

    Uuuuuhooo.

     

    The group nearly jolted when they heard the sound of a horn blowing.

     

    Calderin’s face went pale as he heard the sound of footsteps and cries from below. “No.” He muttered gravely. “There’s no way they know we’re here. We covered our tracks well. Too well.”

     

    “We did,” Corvunir agreed, his face stone-hard and composed. “That horn. It wasn’t meant for us.”

     

    Calderin and his team looked at the agent, confused and relieved at the same time. Then one of them said, “What do you mean by ‘it wasn’t meant for us’? Then who is it for?”

     

    <<<<>>>>  

     

    They got their answer when they saw dark shapes coming from the southwest, approaching the village at a crawling pace. The shapes formed into tall four-legged hunchbacked creatures which Calderin  immediately identified as camels. They were carrying sacks and crates strapped over their humps, and they weren’t travelling alone…

     

    Walking beside the camels were men. Men on horseback, men on foot, nearly twice the number of the camels.

     

    “A caravan,” Calderin said, disturbed. “They were waiting for a caravan to arrive.”

     

    “Daedra take them,” Niramil scorned. “How are we not told of this? The reports didn’t make any mention of a caravan coming tonight.”

     

    “I count thirty-two men, ten on horseback.” Arinmo said, looking through his spyglass.

     

    That’s a lot more than we can handle. Calderin thought. “Let’s see what this caravan is up to.” Hopefully it might lure the Jackal out from his compound.

     

    The caravan poured into the village from the western entrance. The men of the village came out to greet them, helping them unload their luggage. Calderin and his team scanned the crowd from on top of their rooftop, unnoticed, crouched down behind a sandstone fence. There was no sign of the Jackal. No Imperial wearing a modified Imperial Legion officer’s armor with red cloth.

     

    Where are you, Janus? Come out and show us your hide so we could put an arrow between your eyes.

     

    “Miraz!” A voice boomed from the crowd. It came from an Imperial who was hugging a Redguard. “It’s been a while, old friend.”

     

    “Indeed it has been, Remus.” The Redguard was burly man wrapped in cloth with steel revealing underneath it. “The journey has been very tiresome for me and my men. Just this afternoon I lost three camels to dunerippers. Damn sand sharks.”

     

    “I’m sorry to hear that, Miraz. Come, Janus has sent me to invite you into his compound.”

     

    So you’re his errand boy now, eh?” The Redguard chuckled. “Lead the way then.”

     

    As the two men walked away, Calderin slumped down behind the wall and sighed. “This is turning out to be more difficult than I thought.” He muttered before turning his eyes towards Corvunir. “You knew of this didn’t you?” His tone bearing enmity. “Didn’t you?

     

    “Yes,” Corvunir admitted.

     

    “Then why didn’t you tell us about it?”

     

    “Because it was not of your concern.” The agent said. “You have your objectives, and we have ours.”

     

    “Fucking Bureau. Cryptic as always.” Niramil muttered.

     

    “Well it’s our concern now seeing as we have to deal with them.” Calderin argued.

     

    “Corvunir, I think it’s best we tell them.” Rena said, placing a hand on her colleague’s shoulder. “Just a bit.”

     

    The Altmer gave her sideward glare before reluctantly giving in. “The caravan was carrying a high value target along with weapons and supplies for the Alik’r soldiers. Rena and I were sent in to capture him, dead or if possible, alive. In short—”

     

    “You four aren’t the only ones here with a wanted man on their list.” Rena finished, smirking.

     

    Calderin was annoyed at this sudden revelation. He did not like it when people withhold information from him, especially if they were crucial to the success of a mission. But this was the Aldmeri Intelligence Bureau he was working with here. They always seem to have motives behind motives. “So I guess the whole ‘mutual interest’ thing was just an excuse for you two to be here then?”

     

    “Not entirely true,” Corvunir revealed. “We were actually told to assist you and your team in any way we can, and we are going to do just that.”

     

    Calderin gave the two a dubious look. “Very well then, but from now on you follow my orders, understood?”

     

    “Of course.” Both the agents replied.

     

    “Captain, are we really going to continue on with this mission?” Arinmo asked.

     

    “Yes, Arinmo. Unless that is you want the Jackal to live and have more Aldmeri soldiers die in this forsaken wasteland.” He didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. “Then we move now.”

     

    <<<<>>>>

     

    They slithered their way towards the compound like snakes, two pairs of two. Niramil went along with Arinmo, leaving Calderin with Corvunir. They split up, going through alleyways and avoiding patrols, shrouded in shadows the moon had casted down upon.

     

    The number of guards patrolling around the compound had increased, but their awareness had turned dull. The arrival of the caravan gave them a sense of security. A false one at that. It made sneaking around much more easier than Calderin had expected.

     

    The four regrouped at the eastern side of the compound. Slowly they crept along the wall and towards the corner. Calderin peered his head out and saw two Redguards holding spears, guarding the front entrance.

     

    He pulled back and looked up at the building adjacent to the compound. There stood two short figures, Liriel and Rena, bow in hand and providing overwatch for them. He signalled the Bosmers to take out the two Redguards.

     

    The arrows flew so sudden, the Redguards had not felt them punch through their bodies until they had looked down at their wounds. Calderin and Arinmo quickly pulled them away from sight and hid them behind the wall.

     

    Liriel and Rena resumed overwatch as the rest approached the front door. Calderin placed his ear on the door. He could hear chatter from inside. The voices indicate three men.

     

    “Niramil, blast it open.” He ordered.

     

    The mage’s hand glowed red hot as she prepared to blast the door open with a concentrated fire spell. “Better get ready,” She said, grinning. “Because this is about to create some noise.” As her hand touched the door, it blew inward in a loud cracking boom.

     

    Splinters of wood scatter across the room, alerting the three men inside. Arinmo rushed forward, bringing out his twin shamshirs. He twirled through the first two like a dancer, his swords an extension of his arms. They sliced through the Redguards like air. The third Redguard was taken down by a crossbow bolt. They were all dead in a matter of seconds.

     

    Calderin was surprised at the crossbow bolt as none in his team carried any crossbows. He looked to Corvunir who was doing something with his left hand. Upon closer look, he was actually loading a bolt into a small crossbow-like device underneath his bracer. A wrist-mounted crossbow? How come we never have one of those?  

     

    “How long do you think we have before every Redguard and Imperial in the village swarm this place?” asked Niramil.

     

    “We can think about that later.” Calderin pulled out his sword, a glittering steel sabre of Elven make, and pointed at the stairs. “For now, we go up.”

     

    The guards on the first floor had their weapons drawn and charged at them on sight. But they were put to an abrupt halt as arrows flew through the windows, killing two of their men.

     

    Calderin silently thanked their overwatch as he, Arinmo and Corvunir attacked with Niramil providing support from behind with her spells. He lopped the head off a Redguard with one single cleave before driving his blade into another. Nearby, Corvunir parried a blow from an Imperial with his shortsword (Calderin had not even notice him carry that weapon until just now) before countering with a series of quick slashes across the chest that would rival even Arinmo’s work.

     

    “Careful, we got more upstairs.” Niramil warned, using her detect life spell to scan the upper floor.

     

    And she was right. The moment Calderin step foot on the second and topmost floor, he was met by an Imperial charging at him with a gladius raised high above his head. He blocked the attack with his sabre and redirected it to his right, using the Imperial’s momentum against him. With a quick upward cut, he slashed the Imperial’s stomach, leaving his bowels spilling on the floor. Arinmo and Corvunir took care of the rest before Niramil finished off the last two with a surge of lightning from her hands.

     

    “Over there, door on the far end!” Calderin shouted, leading the way through the corpses of dead guards.  

     

    The door was glowing from inside. Muffled shouts of commands were heard as Calderin and his team braced the doorway. “Niramil, blast it open.”

     

    The mage nodded, but before she could place her magicka-concentrated hand on the door, Corvunir grabbed her forearm. She snapped an angry look at him.

     

    “I have a better idea,” The Altmer agent reached into his sash and presented a strange spherical device the size of his palm. It looked Dwemer in nature though Calderin, who had seen all manner of Dwemer objects in his lifetime, had never seen something like it.

     

    “Does the Bureau supply every of its agents with toys?” Calderin quipped. “What does it do?”

     

    “It’s better if I show you.” Then to Niramil he said, “Blast open the door, and wait till after the flash of light before entering.”

    Flash of light? Calderin was just about to comment on that, but was interrupted as the door blew open in splinters and Corvunir threw his device inside.

    The flash of light came, followed by men shouting, “I’m blind!” and “I can’t see!”.

     

    That was their cue to come in. As Calderin entered the room, he caught a glimpse of two crossbowmen positioned near the back of the room. He realized that Corvunir had actually saved their lives with that device of his. I really need to get one of those. He said to himself before hacking away at the blinded occupants until all that was left was a single man in modified Imperial Legion armor, Janus Mero.

     

    The man who was on High Command’s most wanted list for nearly a year was now standing right in front of him, firm and proud as a last stand of defiance towards his assassins. His steely blue eyes were cold and hard.   

     

    Before Calderin could do anything, Corvunir went upfront and pinned Janus up against the wall, his right hand grabbing hold of the man’s throat.

     

    “What in Oblivion are you doing!?”

     

    “Don’t,” Corvunir advised. “You’ll have your turn once I’m done.” He then looked at the Imperial’s eyes with his own of molten gold. “Where’s the agent?”

     

    “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Elf.” Janus struggled under the Altmer’s iron grip. His feet were inches above the floor.  “And I’m sure as hell not going to tell you if I did.”

     

    “Wrong answer,” Corvunir said before throwing the Imperial down on the ground and stabbing him through the shoulder blade with his shortsword. Janus let out a painful scream.

     

    By the gods, Calderin was shocked, not by the third degree interrogation (that was normal for the Bureau to do), but by how calm Corvunir appeared when carrying it out. He has done this many times before.

     

    Corvunir pulled Janus’s hair and asked again, still maintaining his calm yet chilling voice. “Miraz ibn Arshad. Where is he? I saw him enter the compound.” When there was no answer, he twisted the blade and let the wound deepen.

     

    “L-left,” Janus had managed to say. “Miraz left the moment he heard the fighting. But it’s too late now.” He chuckled despite the pain. “He’s gone, and soon we’ll begin the next stage of our plan. We’ll drive every one of you Old Marys back to the Isles, with or without the Empire’s help.”

     

    “A valiant goal, but pointless in the end.” Corvunir pulled his blade out, letting the man scream one final time before he collapsed. “He’s all yours.”

     

    “So much for personally assassinating him,” Niramil frowned, disappointed.

     

    “Technically he’s not dead,” Arinmo remarked. “Just incapacitated. Severely.”

     

    “Why don’t you two watch the windows and notify me of any movement? If the fighting hadn’t attracted the guards, no doubt the screams will.” Calderin said, cocking his head back at his two team members. It had came out more as an order than a suggestion.

     

    After they left, Calderin looked down with a bit of remorse at the barely breathing body of Janus Mero, blood seeping out from his shoulder wound. I had hoped to end him with a stab through his heart. But this would do. He aimed the point of his sabre at the back of the man’s head and thrust it forward.

     

    Janus Mero, the Jackal, was no more. Another name ticked off from High Command’s list.

     

    Calderin took his scarlet cincticulus - a waist-band - as proof of his demise, though it would’ve been better if he had actually been the one to deliver it. Technically he did, but it felt more like giving a dying horse the gift of mercy. Still… proof is proof. He then turned to Corvunir who was standing out near the balcony. “Why are you standing there?”

     

    “You caught your prey, but I haven’t.”

     

    “So you’re going after this Miraz person, huh? Then I wish you luck.”

     

    “Luck?” Calderin saw the puzzled look on the Altmer agent’s face. The word seemed foreign to him. “Luck is merely the perception of the mind of those who think nothing bad can happen in life. That is a false perception.” He stated with a hint of sadness in his tone. “Only our actions determine whether if we are ‘lucky’ or not.” Corvunir took three steps back before breaking into a sprint.

     

    Calderin realized what he was going to do. He’s going to jump from the second floor!? No way he’s going to survive, not without breaking his legs. But the Mer jumped anyways and then… he disappeared.

     

    He couldn’t believe it, the Mer disappeared right in front of his own eyes. Calderin ran towards the edge of the balcony, expecting to see a half-alive Altmer with broken bones splattered on the ground, but no there was none. Instead, he found Corvunir running across rooftops, disappearing and reappearing in a blink of an eye.

     

    Who in bloody Tamriel is this mer? He asked, astonished and frightened at the same time before he was interrupted by Niramil calling out to him.

     

    “Calderin, we got company!”

     

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Comments

11 Comments   |   The Sunflower Manual and 4 others like this.
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  February 3, 2017
    I don't know about Assassin's creed or ghost recon (Why would I ? no werewolves) but this definitely had a stealth faction feel about it. It's usual to see one or two stealthy members but a whole group working side by side. It's almost like the Dark broth...  more
  • Karver the Lorc
    Karver the Lorc   ·  January 31, 2017
    Ghost Recon meets Assassin's Creed in Elder Scrolls. That sort of vibe I got here. Pretty epic. I really liked the magic here and these Altmer are quite badass. How come they didn't win the war, right?
    • A-Pocky-Hah!
      A-Pocky-Hah!
      Karver the Lorc
      Karver the Lorc
      Karver the Lorc
      Ghost Recon meets Assassin's Creed in Elder Scrolls. That sort of vibe I got here. Pretty epic. I really liked the magic here and these Altmer are quite badass. How come they didn't win the war, right?
        ·  January 31, 2017
      Boom! Finally someone caught the reference! :D
      Yeah I kinda based the AIB on the Tom Clancy games, mostly Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell.


      Perhaps maybe they would have won the war if they didn't stick so much with their 'superio...  more
      • Karver the Lorc
        Karver the Lorc
        A-Pocky-Hah!
        A-Pocky-Hah!
        A-Pocky-Hah!
        Boom! Finally someone caught the reference! :D
        Yeah I kinda based the AIB on the Tom Clancy games, mostly Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell.


        Perhaps maybe they would have won the war if they didn't stick so much with their 'superior' magic and invested mo...  more
          ·  January 31, 2017
        Rainbow Six was first thing on my mind but then I recalled Tom Clancy's stuff. Though it is interesting to see Altmer using Dwemer stuff. It's almost...heretical :D
        • A-Pocky-Hah!
          A-Pocky-Hah!
          Karver the Lorc
          Karver the Lorc
          Karver the Lorc
          Rainbow Six was first thing on my mind but then I recalled Tom Clancy's stuff. Though it is interesting to see Altmer using Dwemer stuff. It's almost...heretical :D
            ·  January 31, 2017
          Karver, my friend. You just gave me an idea. But it's not really Dwemer in origin. It's just made of Dwemer parts that's all. Does that still count as heresy?
          • Karver the Lorc
            Karver the Lorc
            A-Pocky-Hah!
            A-Pocky-Hah!
            A-Pocky-Hah!
            Karver, my friend. You just gave me an idea. But it's not really Dwemer in origin. It's just made of Dwemer parts that's all. Does that still count as heresy?
              ·  January 31, 2017
            I'm mostly joking, I really have no idea how would your Altmeri Joe looked at that. Dwemer were heretics, Chimer were heretics, Talos is heresy, whole world is heresy. It's difficult to see where the line becomes blurry with a view like that. "Why use her...  more
            • A-Pocky-Hah!
              A-Pocky-Hah!
              Karver the Lorc
              Karver the Lorc
              Karver the Lorc
              I'm mostly joking, I really have no idea how would your Altmeri Joe looked at that. Dwemer were heretics, Chimer were heretics, Talos is heresy, whole world is heresy. It's difficult to see where the line becomes blurry with a view like that. "Why use her...  more
                ·  January 31, 2017
              Well it's a good thing the Altmer don't have a magic nuke hiding somewhere in their Isles to purge Tamriel of heretics. Else it would be something like this.

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEGo41443iI
              • Karver the Lorc
                Karver the Lorc
                A-Pocky-Hah!
                A-Pocky-Hah!
                A-Pocky-Hah!
                Well it's a good thing the Altmer don't have a magic nuke hiding somewhere in their Isles to purge Tamriel of heretics. Else it would be something like this.

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEGo41443iI
                  ·  January 31, 2017
                xD Yup, that pretty much nails it xD
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  January 30, 2017
    Mission accomplished, sort of. :D
    • A-Pocky-Hah!
      A-Pocky-Hah!
      The Long-Chapper
      The Long-Chapper
      The Long-Chapper
      Mission accomplished, sort of. :D
        ·  January 30, 2017
      I wouldn't call it an end just yet.  ;)
  • The Sunflower Manual
    The Sunflower Manual   ·  January 30, 2017
    I loved the scene with the Dwemer flashbang; makes the Bureau agents seem much more tactical.