The ash spawn crumbled to dust with an unearthly wail. The arrow that had inspired it’s demise was carried a short distance away on the breeze. Inigo leapt out from behind a large pile of rubble, his sword coming in a wide arc to cut off the head of one of their enemies.
Gaeolin stood on top of the destroyed wall, firing on the remaining creatures while Faendal took out any that he missed. “There are two more climbing down from the north east tower!” He turned to the area, his companion joining in sending a fresh volley.
“How many more of these things can there be?” Faendal dropped his bow, spinning around with his dagger to fend off an attack from behind.
“These beasts are not very welcoming.” Inigo shouted. “I have enough dust in my eyes without your help, you smoldering menace!”
The adventurers struggled against their foes. Gaeolin noted that the monsters had more organization than simple beasts. Someone was controlling them, but who? After a few more minutes of fighting, the three settled to the ashy soil to recover. There was a break in the clouds
as they waited. Shafts of warming sunlight fell over the group, lulling Gaeolin into lowering the make-shift mask on his face. He smiled up at the thin sliver of blue. “I’ll be so pleased once we return to Lakeview. All of this sand and desert is making me miserable.”
Faendal smirked. “You didn’t seem to be suffering so badly yesterday.”
Gaeolin turned to him, face deepening in color. “Do I need to remind you why I came here in the first place? The adventure is over. Now I’m ready to go home.”
“I wonder how Ma’isha is coping with your absence,” Inigo lay back, his ear twitching as dirt tried to invade, “she was quite shaken when we found her.”
Faendal looked at his shoes. “At least I managed to buy her the time to hide.”
“Shábháil tú saol.” (You saved her life.) Gaeolin felt the sting of guilt. “You did more than I did for her then. And I shudder to think what would have happened had you not been there.”
Inigo interrupted them. “My friends, why do you worry so much about things that have been resolved? Have we not reunited each other, and also ensured the girl’s safety? The pair of you have done a fantastic job considering the situation.” He gave a winning grin. “Maybe it is worth
a little positivity.”
Faendal stood. “How can you be so smart, yet so ridiculous?”
“It is an acquired skill. Or maybe I am simply gifted for these things. Anyway, we should get back to it. I fear that we are far from done dealing with these dusty devils.”
The inside of the fortress looked just as run down as they had expected. Ash had found its way inside long ago; the floor littered with broken furniture, bones, and what seemed like structural beams. Gaeolin eyed the roof with discomfort. The winds outside howled with a newfound rage.
The stonework rained tiny bits of debris upon them as they made their way inside. “Stay close to the walls,” Gaeolin hung his bow across his back, “in case the ceiling caves in. As long as we stay close, we might survive.”
Inigo wore a grimace. “This is unsettling, but to be honest I cannot think of anything I would rather be doing right now,” He followed the example set, looking more than a little concerned. Faendal looked up, falling into third place in the column.
As they explored the ruins, they encountered only a few enemies. For the Majority, the rooms were empty. Why the constructs were so willing to defend it was a mystery. Maybe there was some sort of summoner taking up residence that thought these creatures were enough to keep the superstitious Dunmer from prying too close. The trio climbed through the fort until they found what seemed to be a dead end. Three ash spawn were waiting for them at the bottom
of the stairs. Gaeolin swung his sword with all his might, cleaving the first enemy into little more than a fresh coating of dust on the floor. Inigo rolled around him to begin fighting the second, his sword being blocked by the haft of the beast’s war hammer. Faendal drew a dagger, throwing it to impale the eye of the third.
“An, ramhaid!” Faendal kicked his foe, causing it to fall to the floor. While it was down, he snatched back his weapon, slashing it across the spawn’s throat. It spluttered, clutching the wound as its body began to crumble. The room was silent as the dust settled. There was a small cell across from the stairs, the corner of a chest visible from within. Random clutter was pushed against the far end of the room. A large mass of spider webs filled a part of the wall. Inigo perked up, scanning the room with renewed energy.
“Yay! There are spiders about!” He grinned. “If there are any to squish, please let me have the honor.”
Gaeolin wasn’t listening. His attention was drawn to a skeleton on the floor. The hand gripped a small sack, the material of which was amazingly intact in spite of age. There were five gold pieces, a petrified bit of bread, anda rolled up bit of parchment. Once unrolled, he was surprised to see that there were actually four letters. The one at the top held his attention.
‘My dearest Selina,
This is my last letter. I don’t know if you’ll ever get any of them, but I’ll Keep them on me in case I am ever found. Something happened here, Selina. It Was horrible. Something’s happened at the Red Mountain but I can’t describe it. It’s as if hundreds of Oblivion gates opened all at once at its summit and it’s spitting fire and death in all directions. Fort Frostmoth has been completely destroyed. The walls are crumbling, like loose dirt. Everything smells like ash and fire. Like death. I don’t know where anyone is. I’ve been trapped in one of these lower sections of the fort and I don’t expect to be rescued anytime soon. I miss you, Selina. I want to hold you and the children in my arms and tell you that everything is going to be fine, but I don’t think that
will ever happen. Give my love to Siricus and Atia for me. Tell them their father died bravely defending the empire, so they can hold their heads high when they speak of me one day. And you my love, when you close your eyes at night, think of me so my spirit can finally come home.
Yours always and forever,
Maximian Axius
3rd Sun’s Dawn 4 E 05′
“Gaeolin, an bhfuil tú ceart go leor?” (are you okay?) Faendal looked at him with worry.
“D’fhéadfainn é seo a dhéanamh domsa.” (This could be me someday.) He tied the letters back together before setting them down. “I often wonder if I’m reckless in my work. I have a hard time convincing myself that it’s worth leaving you and Ma’isha alone like I do. What if I don’t come home?”
“We will deal with that when the time comes. There is no reason to dwell on what may never come to pass.” Faendal held his hand. “Come, let’s take care of this.”
“My friend, the spiders have hidden a door. Perhaps the key is in the cell. shall we look into it?” Gaeolin nodded, shrugging off the questions burning in his head. His friends were right. They still had work to do.
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