Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-5824038-20150203191459/@comment-5583506-20150212205757

(It's already in its climax. The army's leader is dead, though Maximilian himself stated that his death would mean little for the remainder of the siege. The three sisters have been taken out of function, thus decreasing the maximum death count the city would have suffered if they would have been allowed to fire. There are just a couple of minor ships left firing upon the city and releasing troops. All in all I would say that at least half the army has been decimated. Leaving 1000 -1500 men left to deal with. Still a force to be reckoned with.)

Victorius and the rebels looked appalled as the horrendous explosion shook the very foundations of the city.

"By... all the Gods", murmured the captain.

Clouds of fire surrounded the burning wreckages. Smoke and fumes were rising from the loosened pipes. There was little left of the three sisters one would call a ship. Yet the driving force of The Bastard's Edge had successfully put the ships out of balance and was steering them down towards some mountain slopes south of the city.

The captain removed his hat. "He... he was a good man. A true fighter. I just wish that he didn't have to give his life to ensure the destruction of the three sisters."

"We don't know if he is dead!" said Victorius. "Wraith could be alive and..."

The captain looked at him somberly. "Take a good look at that inferno, soldier. If Wraith survived that with lethal wounds all over his body, he will certainly live up to his name if he manages to come back from the dead."

Victorius bit together. "He can't be dead! We need him! Without him our entire cause will fall into shards! We have seen here today what noblemen with too much power and wealth can do on their own! Isn't that enough? We owe it to Wraith to at least look for him before we pass him of for dead!"

"I suppose", sighed the captain. "But for now, we will have to leave it at that. There are plenty of vessels left to deal with and the city isn't going to defend itself. Let's fire upon them from above!"

The Imperial nodded. "Agreed. As soon as the city has been saved we will look for Wraith among the wreckages."

"Don't keep your hopes up, boy", said the captain and pointed towards the still floating ships. "In a matter of perhaps ten minutes or more those ships will ram the mountainside. If he is still alive by now, I doubt that he will be after the impact."

-

A troop of soldiers marched up the hills on the outskirts of the city walls. There stood a dark, gloomy and very old mansion, yet despite its uninviting atmosphere there was a certain charm to it, hinting that it had once been a glorious place to behold in its youth.

"Captain?" asked one of the soldiers. "Just what exactly is this place?"

"The Ghost-Wolf estate", he replied. "This place was marked as one of Maximilian's priorities for conquering. Within dwells the presteemed Lady Valkyrie Ghost-Wolf, last descendant of the Ghost-Wolf legacy. She is a force to be reckoned with for sure, that wolf bitch. It is said she boasts the finest intellect and minds in the entire Empire and that her services are sought after by many. Yet she still she serves the common man. A traitorous whore to our cause in other words."

He shrugged. "And bad dogs need to be put down, if they can't be convinced."

"I understand", said the soldier and smirked.

"Alright, men! Ready your guns. We will approach her with threats of death if she refuses to co-operate and if she refuses... well... have fun with her in whatever way you seem fit."

"CHARGE!" roared the soldiers as they came trampling in onto the mansion grounds.

As the captain stepped right on a loosened waystone there was a clicking noise to be heard. Suddenly from the ground a small metallic cylinder jumped up from beneath the cobbled pathway. It gave off a faint buzzing noise before exploding into shrapnels in front of their faces, killing several soldiers at once.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed the captain as he watched several men die. "The bitch anticipated our attack?" He snarled. "Storm the mansion!"

Yet the further they rushed in onto the battlegrounds the more traps left their hidden places and killed even more soldiers in their wake.

The captain kept rushing, ignoring the many deaths behind him. He intended to reach the front doors of the mansion if he so had to reach them without any remaining limbs.

Suddenly gunshots were heard. Once from one window a couple of seconds later from another. Someone was still in the house, firing upon them.

''Must be that wolf bitch! ''he reflected.

As several shots caused yet another line of soldiers to fall dead with their heads in shreds, the captain kept going. Another trap jumped up behind him, exploded and tore his left arm off.

He screamed within his helmet and landed by the footsteps of the mansion from the impact. He looked at his severed arm, blood came gushing out. Out on the mansion grounds there were a few more stragglers crawling around in the mud with one or more limbs dislocated or entirely missing. Shots were still fired upon them from within the mansion, rendering them still and lifeless for good.

The captain bit together in a grimace of restrained anger. He kept crawling with his severed arm, kept crawling towards the mansion doors. There was no way he was going to die now when he was so close.

His right hand reached for the mansion doors. But before he could take any action, they opened on their own, revealing a dark-dressed Dunmer with a multi-barreled rifle in his hand. He had a smug smile on his lips.

"Gastas", he explained and made an elegant bow to the captain. "Former master marksman and butler to the Ghost-Wolf family."

"You..." The captain's eyes were trembling with a mix of rage and confusion. Why wasn't Valkyrie Ghost-Wolf at home.

"I am afraid you must have missed my mistress", said Gastas. "She is currently out on the streets, probably having a blast exterminating your remaining forces, captain."

That couldn't be true! The Council needed her... No. They needed her talent... Her gift... He had failed his mission...

The captain spat blood. "I promised... I promised myself that I would reach the doors... if I so had to sacrifice a limb or two..."

Gastas shrugged, gave the man a noble smile and then pointed the orifice of the rifle towards the captain's head. "And you made it. Congratulations."

A single gunshot echoed over the district, yet it couldn't be heard by none. It was drowned in the infinite number of other sounds one would only encounter and hear in a battle... or a hell on earth...