[indent] [right] [img]https://i.imgur.com/dm9oddh.png[/img] [sub][h3][b]Wayrest[/b][color=gray][s], High Rock[/s][/color][/h3][/sub] [sub][h3][color=gray][s]1900,[/s][/color] [b]Last Seed 21[/b][color=gray][s], 4E 205[/s][/color][/h3][/sub] [/right] [/indent] [sup][sup][hr][/sup][/sup] [indent] "You shall not pass!" Those were the final words and Gustav was not getting through the gates of Wayrest. The company had spent most of the day traveling from Wind Keep, only to be denied by the throng of soldiers. The mercenaries weren't the only ones barred from entry. Those guarding the gates, currently troops from Northpoint, were on alert after a supposed corsair retaliation this time yesterday. Visitors were not allowed to enter. "No passage?" Ariane inquired. Gustav shook his head. The company had already been denied entry at the northeastern gate and the western gate, and they were stuck outside of the southern gate. Bribes didn't work, not for a reasonable amount, at least. They would have to camp outside, or head back to Wind Keep. Then they need to apply for a permit, and judging by the talks of impatient merchants, it would take at least a week to process. Wayrest was occupied by many armies, and all them remained dug in. Ariane sighed. But just as she was doing so, a man introduced himself, seemingly out of nowhere. "I see we have crossed paths again, and my assistance would be valuable for the second time." "Who are you?" Gustav narrowed his eyebrows. "And where did you come from?" "We may not have met, but Lady Ariane and I had the pleasure of working together in the past." This man, short with dirty black hair, but defintely Nordic looking, wore Breton style steel armor. Though said armor fit him poorly and several patches hinted its origin as loot from a deceased ex-owner. "After all, I got this company out of Windhelm." "Ander." Ariane shook her head. "Survived the Kamals and cleaned yourself up, but still conniving as always." "Come on now, Ariane, my work may not be as sophisticated as your magic, it is nevertheless critical." Ander boasted, looking extra smug about it. "Just ask our pal, Farid. Where is he anyway?" "Dead." Ariane stated. "For a month now." "Unfortunate." Ander looked less smug. "Well, Slick-Teeth, or whatever that Argonian spellsword's called, can vouch for me too." "Tsleeixth is also dead." "Oh." Ander scratched his dirty hair. "There's always Rozalia; she's an insider. Surely she-" "She's dead too, not that it's your business" Gustav interrupted, impatiently. "Look, whatever you're trying to sell, sell it." "Damn, didn't know so many are gone." Ander was solemn. "Well, you need to get inside the city and I have the metaphorical key. But first, what should I call you?" "Gustav." "Of Solitude?" Ander's eyes lit up again. "I robbed your sto-I mean, I read about your shrewd dealings." "Uh-huh." Gustav crossed his arms. "Anyway." Ander cleared his throat. "For a small fee, I can get you inside the city and find you a safe place to stay in." "Keep talking." Gustav was intrigued. "All your need to do is watch you head." [/indent] [hr] [indent] [right] [img]https://i.imgur.com/uDOSoNc.png[/img] [/right] [url=https://youtu.be/Ja4v-qiFvBg][i]Bonk![/i][/url] "Ow! What the?" Gustav rubbed his forehead. He just bumped into something, hard. "Told you to watch your head." Ander smirked. "Could have told me we're going in the sewers!" Gustav grumbled. "What are you doing here anyway? My boots are all drenched in gods-know-what." "First of all, we're going through a secret passage." Ander set down his lantern, one of few sources of light (alongside some mercenaries' torches). There was the occasional hole leading up, but the sun was too far set to cast light into it. "It wouldn't be so secret if I go yammering about it." "And second, this is a rainwater duct." Ander examined the sewer walls. Gustav couldn't see what; this section was not wide enough for two people. "The sewage tunnels are deeper and swarming with slaughterfishes." Ander picked up his lantern and continued forward, but Gustav dragged him back. "Still haven't answered everything." "I'm no longer with the Thieves Guild, if that's what you're wondering. I'm good as dead to them when I got caught in Windhelm." Ander shrugged. "Just know that both you and my new employers covet the opportunities of a wartime city." "Such as looting the deceased?" Ariane perked up from behind Gustav. "They didn't seem to object." Ander shot back. "I bet you got that shiny wand from a corpse too." "A pile of ash, actually." The tunnels were shorter going forward. Someone of Gustav's height had to walk hunched, while shorter individuals like Ander could stand upright. To Gustav's (and Oren's) relief, they soon came across a junction tall enough for most to stand, and wide enough for two people. One side of the junction inclined up, while the other went down. There was a burning torch on the wall with the sharp scent of sterilizing agents. While Ander checked his map, Gustav took a cautious step toward the downward path. He was rewarded with an odor so pungent, that he nearly vomited his lunch. "That's the waste sewage." Ander pointed out. He led the mercenaries to the upward path. "Here's a shortcut." A few twists and turns later, the mercenaries found a round [url=https://i.imgur.com/hllm1OA.jpg]cistern[/url] ahead. Its ceiling was three stories tall, and had grates showing the darkening sky above. The water was deeper inside, which looked about knee height for Gustav. Several pillars supported the room. Strange purple vines grew on the walls. "They say the vines weren't here before the Corsairs." Ander noted. "Invasive species brought in by Bosmer pirates." Ander scanned room. His gaze fell on the barely visible center, where a platform held an unknown figure. Said figure was...eating? "Quiet down." Ander's voice was suddenly a whisper. "There's people hiding down here from time to time, very bad people; avoid them." "So, do we go back to the sewage tunnels?" Gustav asked. "I'll try to skirt around this one." Ander whispered back. "Follow me once I reach the other side, one at a time." And so Ander set out with the tip-toe precision befitting of a thief. He hugged the wall, shuffled carefully to avoid splashing water and kept his lantern partly behind his back. The figure in the middle didn't notice him, until he was halfway through. There was a large vine growing from the wall into the floor, and a portion of it was above water. Ander carefully stepped over it, but at the last second, the vine seemingly twitched. It tripped Ander. He fell straight into the water, and his lantern went out. When he emerged again, soaked and only visible by moonlight from above, the unknown figure was staring straight at him. The figure growled; Ander bolted for the exit. The figure writhed and contorted. Its muscle rippened, nails grew into claws, skins hardened into scales, a tail lashed out, and it became always twice as big. It was a werecrocodile. Ander almost reached the exit, but the werecrocodile leaped there before him, blocking his exit. It swiped its claws at him. Ander jumped back, narrowly saving himself. Then the werewcrocodile charged. Ander dived to his side, avoiding the attack. The werecroc stomped, but Ander seemed untouchable as he rolled away. However, Ander's poor-fitting armor was laden with water at this point. He got up dazed and heavy, and stared down a rapidly approaching tail swipe. The swipe was so powerful, that it sent Ander flying across the cistern. He smashed straight through a pillar and stopped by the wall behind it. Amid the crumbling of bricks came the sickening crunch of bones. Ander wasn't getting back up. The werecrocodile hissed and paced around the cistern. Luckily, it didn't seem to notice mercenaries watching from the entrance. [/indent]