Oblivion: Outlawed

Timeline: Middle of Episode 4.

He pulled up on the reins as he came near the gray-armored guard standing in the middle of the road. She had a silver sword drawn, and didn’t look happy under that helmet.

Fang did his best to stay calm. “How can I help you ma’am?”

“Where did you get that horse?”

“This horse?” he said, patting it on the head. “Why, I got it from Anvil.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she walked over, sword still drawn. “The stables outside Anvil breed white horses. It’s what they’re famous for. So you want to try that again?”

Fang tried to fight a wince from his face. Okay, he hadn’t known that.

“It wasn’t one of their stock,” he said, shrugging. “It was a sale.”

“It looks like a horse of the Legion.”

“Well, I can’t say where they got it from,” Fang admitted.

She growled, and tapped at his leg with the sword. “Off the horse Khajiit. We’re going to have a little chat about it. And if you just bought it, I’m sure the fine people at Horse Whisperer Stables would have given you a proof of purchase.”

Fang grumbled, but began to get off the horse. Why were all the female guards in Cyrodiil so damn troublesome?

“As I said, it wasn’t one of theirs, they were just-”

“Ssh!” she said, looking to the grass and trees to the side of the road. Fang silenced, and followed her gaze. The horse shook its head, and began to trot away from them.

“What?” Fang asked, putting a hand to his own sword. “What do you-”

Arrows flew from the bushes. Fang yelped, barely bringing his shield up in time to catch one. Two more helplessly bounced off the armor of the Legionnaire, and one last one hit the horse, which let out a dreadful, painful sound as it turned and ran down the road.

Fang was tempted to join it, before he saw the guard charge into the bush, yelling “for the Emperor!”

His jaw dropped. She didn’t even know what they were up against. Another arrow slammed into his shield, which didn’t give him much time to think about fighting or fleeing. Two dogs rushed out to attack him.

Well, I’m in this whether I like it or not, it seems.

He drew his sword and slammed it into the underside of one of the dog’s jaws. It didn’t kill it, but it knocked it back, stunned. The other dog bit at his leg, teeth sinking in. Fang yelled out and slashed at the dog’s side, then slammed the edge of his shield onto its head. That got it off.

Another arrow flew out from the bush, but Fang saw where it came from this time. He stabbed his sword into the dog, provoking a pained whine, and then ran towards the tall grass. Entering it, he quickly came face to face with a red-eyed Dunmer. Moments later, he also came face to face with her iron mace, knocking him rolling back out into the road.

“Ugh… ow,” he said, holding his chin.

“If you think that hurt,” she said, stepping out onto the road, “you really won’t like this!”

She brought her mace down, and he parried with his sword, the edge of the blade scraping across her weapon’s haft. He swept his legs under her, aiming to knock her flat, but she merely stumbled. Either way it bought him time to scramble to his feet…

Just in time to see another of them bearing down on him, a Khajiit woman swinging a battle-axe.

He brought his sword up, but the axe sent it flying from his grasp with a large tear in it. Her next blow probably would’ve caused him to lose a limb if her axe wasn’t stopped mid-swing by the grasp of the legion soldier.

“Not on my watch outlaw!” she yelled before plunging her ornate silver sword into the gut of the Khajiit woman, who screamed in pain. Fang took the reprieve to swing back towards the Dunmer, slashing at her. She dodged, and then charged for her own blow. Fang ducked, and then tried tripping her again. It worked this time, and she fell flat onto her face.

He didn’t let her get up, running over and jamming his blade into the back of her neck.

“Run!” the soldier said as two more Outlaws stepped out of the bushes. “Kvatch is just up the hill! Get out of here!”

“But-”

“You’ll only slow me down!” she said, before roaring and charging at the two outlaw. Fang took a breath. She was right. He wasn’t equipped to fight this sort of fight. He grabbed what he could off the dead outlaws in a flurry, and then began to run up the hill. Arrows whizzed by him, and one planted firmly into his back. He gasped in pain, barely suppressing a yell, but kept going on.

He’d go to Kvatch, get some help, and come back… he had no love for soldiers of the Legion, especially ones wanting to peg him for horse theft. But that didn’t mean he wanted one to die either.