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As Maikau looked around, another smile broke onto his face. He knew what had caused it, now. He just didn't know how. He turned to face the Telvanni Canton, where the wizards were fighting off hordes of Daedra. As far as he had known, Daedra were easily intelligent enough to launch an attack, but to form an army would take a Warlord of considerable ability. Ordinator's corpses littered the ground, each one cut down in a different way.

He raised the bone staff, and a low, malicious laugh escaped his lips as he cast an echo spell. His voice boomed out across the entirety of Vivec, and even the yelling Daedra managed to hear him.

"Foolish Daedra! Telvanni are not a threat to you. Unfortunately, you'll not be taking Vvardenfell today! Because, unlike the Telvanni, I am a threat."

A fireball, cast by a flame atronach, came at him. He raised his staff, and it disappeared. He didn't say it out loud, but the Telvanni instantly knew that he had been born under the sign of the Atronach. Stunted magicka would grant him the ability to absorb most of the spells cast at him.

An arrow came next, but erupted in flames half-way. Then, a voice boomed out through the ranks of the Demonic beings.

"Winged Twilights! Hunt that mage down! Make sure he doesn't escape.

Now Maikau knew who the Warlord was. He knew where the voice had come from, and intended to kill him. For now, though, he had the business of Winged Twilights to attend to.

The blackish beasts came at him in four packs of ten, and cicled around him before closing in. He was ready, though. He knew exactly how to deal with Winged Twilights...

Zakkon seemed to sense everything through a veil of distorting fog. He looked at triple images of a redguard, which suddenly moved to eight times that.

He blinked, and tried to focus. He managed to get it down to only 6, but knew that that was as few as he'd be able to get it down. He watched, and almost had his entire focus thrown off again by the Redguard asking him something.

It came from 12 different directions, odd since he could only think of 10 that it could conceivable come from. However, despite the phrase being so jumbled, he managed to make it out.

He looked up at the Redguard(s), as best he could anyway, and just gave him the most incredulous look he could.

He managed to slurr through unhelpful lips, though with quite a bit of difficulty, "And why would you expect me to tell you that pretell? I'm well aware that there is power in names, and I just don't think that I'm going to freely give you mine."

(Don't worry 'bout spells. The slave bracers prevent that.)

"My insanity is the worst of my worries. I've walked with demons along the outer realms of Oblivion, traveled to the realms of the dead, and returned unscathed. Faced numerous horrors, communed with the terrible unknown, and endured pain that would have killed a lesser man. As far as insanity goes, I lost mine a long time ago, and haven't found any need for it since."

Zakkon didn't care how much they might torture him, he'd endure, for the second he gave in, and started trusting the Khajit, then he'd may as well have sealed his own death pact. Notre Dame de Mort said that trusting a Khajit would ultimately end up bringing about his final and true demise, and he had complete faith in The Lady. He had no urge to end his life now, when it'd been going so well for so long.

Zakkon was slightly incredulous as the Redguard unlocked the chains and bracers, and gave him back all of his weapons and picks. He had no idea what the Redguard saw or professed to see, but was amazingly pissed that he'd somehow discovered his name. Oh well, it must have been The Lady's will. He quickly healed himself, and used Balizars Mazed Band to get to Vivec.

He'd deal with the Khajit later, and possibly let the Redguard live long enough to know what he'd seen. For now, he had only one goal. Maikau must die, and he planned to be the one to do it.

((You make a good point, I'd personally never thought of that myself. We'll just have to see what Arnix'll make of that point I guess.))

A flash of magicka suddenly broke through the smoke and ashes of destruction that clogged the air and made it thick. As unexpectedly as it had shattered the cloaking smog, it dissippated, and grey air fell back over the land, and once again shrouded the blackened smoking ruins.

Zakkon stood in its place, and surveyed the carnage surrounding him. A smile lit on his face, and a quiet, sadistic chuckle escaped his lips. As far as he could see, the ground was covered in corpses and blood. Buildings lay in ruin, with smoke pouring from their smoldering remains. He calmly strolled down the stairs of Vivec's Palace, his smile only seeming to grow brighter as the sounds of fighting reached his ears, and bright bursts of Destruction Magic pierced the smoke.

He reached the temple, and suddenly paused as he caught a glimpse of something reflected in a pool of congealing blood. He turned around, and looked at Vivec's Palace, noticing for the first time what it had become. The water that had once beautifully fountained down into and out of the Puzzle Canals, was blood red. The cause of this was apparent, as Zakkon saw scores of citizens and ordinaters impaled upon pikes, their corpses placed all about the temple, blood even now, still flowing quite freely.

Zakkon wasn't usually one to openly laugh. Hell, he usually wasn't one to openly show emotions period. However, the blatant disrespect that was being shown to Vivec by the desecration of his temple seemed to strike a humorous chord within him. He couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh, loudly and cruelly at all that surrounded him. However, he sobered quickly, as a thought suddenly came into his head. He drew out his Daedric Shortswords, and strode forward with a purpose.

Wading through rivers of blood, and over corpse after corpse. His stride never slowed. He came upon a barricade of corpses, much to tall to just walk through. As he reached it, he started to climb. Body after body passed in front of his eyes. Khajiit, Imperial, Redguard, Dark Elf, it didn't matter, every race was here. However, there were no men in this pile. This was a group of innocent civilians, women and children, that were slaughtered mercilessly by the enemy. Zakkon cared nothing for their lives, but despite his lack of caring his face grew grim at this spectacle.

As he reached the top, he cast Tinur's Hoptoad, and leaped to the top of St. Olms Canton. From there, he could see some Winged Twilights attacking someone, someone who was holding their own. He knew that this must be Maikau, because no ordinary being could hold their own against this force. He ignored the cloaked one though, for that was not his target now. He looked into the horde of Daedra, and saw the Commander. He ran forward to the egde of St. Olms Canton, and jumped. With the help of Tinur's he soared through the air, straight towards the middle of Daedra and their Warlord.

He didn't care how many citizens were slaughtered, men, women, children, khajiits, it mattered very little to him.

Only one thing mattered, stopping this Demon before he could reach Balmora, and commit the ultimate sacrilege to the Lady by desecrating The Deathblade Manor.

His Lady had shown him mercy, and allowed him to return to the world of the living. There was no way that he would let this slaughtering fool anywhere near Balmora.

His conquest would end here, at the end of Zakkons Daedric Shortswords.

((To what degree of damage does barrier block?))