Through my Blood

Chapter XVIII: Morthal's Defense

Remus walked down the street of Morthal. The people were in a total state of panic but once they recognized the man, they stopped.

"Dragonborn...!"

"He's back... he's come to save us!"

"Everybody back to their homes. Bar your doors and windows. Do not go outside, not until the sun has risen." Remus said coldly.

At the end of the road, Remus stopped by the guard house and kicked its door open. The guards inside were startled and were cowering with fear. Once they identified the man who just barged in, their mouths were open in disbelief.

"Dragonborn...? Is that... you?" a guard asked.

"It is him! That red hair! There's no mistake about it!" another guard confirmed. Cheers broke out from the guards except for one man who sat in the corner. He was bald, and his eyes were wide with shock. He appears to be traumatized.

"What are you all doing here? Where's your captain?" Remus asked harshly. Seeing the his aggression, the guards went silent.

Suddenly, the slumped guard spoke up. "He's... he's dead... he was part of... the massacre... I... we don't know what to do... I... I was there... they were too many... too many!"

Remus paced towards the man and put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. How many?"

The guard calmed down for a little bit, realizing who he was talking to, but his mind remains far from being still. "There were... dozens of them... we never stood a chance..." then he started to scream in panic. As soon as he did, a swift blow came from Remus's hand, putting him to sleep.

"Anyone know the rest of the story?" Remus irritatingly inquired. The guards looked at each other until one raised his hand.

"He... he came from the outpost. He rode all the way here, fell from his horse, then continued to run around... screaming at the top of his lungs about the outpost massacre."

"How far is the outpost from here?" Remus queried.

"I'd... I'd say it's about half an hour."

"Hm. Probably, he left the outpost when there's a fight still ongoing." he paused. "Rather... a massacre." He shot the guards a look.

"I'm sorry for the loss of your comrades. But now's not the time to mourn. You can do that later. First, we have to stay alive."

The Dragonborn got the guards' full attention. In a few seconds the guards have circled him as he started giving instructions.

"Send your fastest scout to Solitude. Ask for reinforcements. This would be a hard night and we have half an hour to prepare." Remus glanced at the guard he just put to sleep. "Where's the outpost?"

One guard responded, "South, sir."

"There are two ways to get into Morthal... one from North and one from South. Deploy a large unit to the North..." Remus started.

"North? But they're sure to hit us from the South!" an old Nord guard cried.

"I won't risk them hitting us from where we least expect it. Just let me finish." Remus continued. "Deploy around five guards to patrol around Morthal." He paused and eyed the rest of the group. "The rest of you who doesn't mind dying today... will come with me to guard South."

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Just as Remus commanded, a large group of guards made their way North. The others went on patrol. Where as he, with a small group of eight guards went South. Seven of them walked slowly behind Remus, slowly. The eighth walked alongside Remus. It was the old Nord guard from earlier.