[color=eeed24][b]Non's Nook, a road in on the road to Kings Guard, just a few days before .[/b][/color] He sat at a small table to himself. The mug of ale in his hand was the sixth he had drank in the last half and hour. [color=ed1c24]”Pisswater.” [/color]he mumbled. [color=ed1c24]”It is all fucking pisswater in this backwater shitstain of a tavern.”[/color] He mumbled underneath his breath as he took a swig of the lukewarm ale. His eyes roamed the room, looking for shiny cityguardsmen. He was itching for a fight. and The way petty militia men always acted he knew he would get one. So far, no such thing had happened. It was then he spotted a couple of the shiny bastards, throwing their weight around and making a ruckus. One of them smacked the ass of a young raven haired barmaid as she passed their table. She yelped and almost dropped her tray but the Dunmer shot his hand out to steady her His other steadied the tray without thinking or looking her way. [color=ed1c24]”Who are those people.”[/color] He asked conversely. ”W-what? Oh, those assholes. That is Dayle and his two goons. They work the gate mostly. Word is that he is squeezing people from coin on the side. Nasty bunch. Don't get involved sir..” But her last words was lost on the Dunmer for he had already risen to his feet. He strolled on over. The three garrison guards looked up in confusion. ”Can I help you, duskfucker” Dayle, who was by far the larger of the lot, spoke. [color=ed1c24]”Duskfucker. That was a new one”[/color] The dunmer admitted as he looked down disapprovingly at them. They thought he was playing the fool to make a ass out of them. In fact he was looking over their weapons. One of them had rested his pike on the pillar just behind him. It would have to do. He had proffered the thick but short heft of a short spear. But he could do this with a pike. [color=ed1c24]”I would suggest you lot leave the establishment.[/color]” He said as he took a chair and sat down. ”Or you do what you piece of shit sa-” He got half way trough the word sand when he saw the Dunmer yawn. ”Boring you am I?” The man rose. Angrier at being ignored then being asked to leave by some random nobody. The Dunmer looked up at him trough one lazily open eye. [color=ed1c24]”Are you leaving, Or did you remember that your mother is home alone.” [/color] ”You.. What!?” The man grew red in the face as he stood up to stare down at the seated dunmer. [color=ed1c24]”You know. Alone, without a man. I bet her legs spread like the arms of the Divine Seven at mass.”[/color] Valen said as he got up, stepping to the right, just within reach of the pike. The men were eyeing one another as the leader, dayle reeled back his hand in a punch. ”You..:” Dayle began to spit as he just barely kept himself from taking the last step and escelate things further “You son of a-.“ [color=ed1c24]”Aye. I mean. I may prefer the company of men, but I bet even I be welcome. Maybe I should help the poor dear out.”[/color] Valen said with a grin. The guard roared and punched. The blow was sloppy and slow, more of a drunken haymaker then anything resembling a trained fighters punch. Valen dodged it with ease, ducking righ as it missed it's mark entirely. As The Dunmerstepped aside to the man’s right he swept the pike from the pillar. He whirled it over his head as he tested its balance and weight on instinct. With a grunt he swung it in a wide arch adn smashed the elbow of one Dayle with the shaft of it. The guard yelped as he dropped the blade he was drawing from a sheethe at his waist. From there, it was a blur. Other had begun fighting around, a bar brawl was apparently underway independent of the four men. At one point, he lost his spear and proceeded to bludgeon Dayle to death with his own helmet. By the time the guards arrived to aid there beset breathren and break up the fight, Valen was long gone, and so was several bottles of the establishments finest wine. --------------------------------------------------- [color=eeed24]A few days later; On the eve of the centaur attack. Kings Guard[/color] He had run out of wine. And so he had quested for more in places he should not traverse. Places where guards still knew his face. And now he was about to pay for it. ”Judgement day asshole. We've been looking for the fockin' asshole who took down Doyle. You are either coming with us to hang, or you are dying right here, stuck like a pig.” A rather large man with a heavy pike in his hand spat out. His face belied the fear of a man faced with what was a trained and apt killer. Valen stood lazily, his spear aimed at one of the guards, a shield in his other hand. Counter to him, Three men stood in a half circle, spears pointed at the man who looked like Dunmer had just woken cold turkey from a eleven day bender. Which, coincidentally, he had. ' Valen was once a proud and noble Dunmer. Stronger, faster, better then any imperial in every way of the word. At least, that is what he had been told. Yet here he stood, head throbbing like the Deadras had gone five round of 'kick the mortal' with it. And three guards all ready to skiver him should he try any funny business. [color=ed1c24]”Your form is sloppy” [/color]He said to nobody in particular.[color=ed1c24] ”With a slouching posture like that, I could sweep your legs, take your spear and run your comrade to the left through with my own. The last doltsmight kill me but you would still be two men down by the end of it. Whom of you wish to die first.”[/color] ”There is three of us. And you are cornered.” A young man wearing a ill fitting piece of armor spoke. [color=ed1c24]”Aye? I am. Thank you for letting me know, imperial. How old are you.”[/color] Belen answered as he took a battle stance. Shield raised and his spear in a overhand, throwing kind of grip. ”....Twenty two.” The guard, who was the youngest of them by a long shot, answered. The Dunmer barked out a laugh that was as humorless and dry as his throat felt. [color=ed1c24]”Twenty bloody two? I spent half that killing Argonians twice your size as they tried to raid. I Pissed stronger things then you is likely allowed to drink boy.”[/color] The Dunmer scoffed. Just then, there was screaming. Something about centaurs. The men looked wildly about and Valen chose that moment to strike. He moved like a viper, his shield blocking the big mans spear that was thrust at him from the right as he used the alleyways left wall to keep from being flanked. He stabbed the young guard in the foot as he slunk to his left, putting the now crippled young man between himself and the other guards. The poor man went down clutching his now defunct foot as the other guards tried to scramble and attack. The alley was to tight for them to spin arond with their pikes. His spear however, was much much shorter and made for getting in close. He tackled one and slashed spear in upwards stroke over the others face. The unfortunate soul went down blind and screaming. The weight of the third mans pike hit his shoulder with a grunt. It was to long to smash with anything pointy but the shaft was plenty heavy and unpleasant and Valen was lucky it didn't breaks his collar bone. With a grunt he grabbed and pulled it down to his right as he smashed the edge of his shield right at the mans unprotected teeth. The guard crumbled, clutching his face. Looking around, Valen noticed he had taken all three. All in all it was over in the matter of a minute. The distraction having likely saved Valens life. He stepped over to the young man still clutching his foot. The man looked up in terror but Valen simply reached down and took the boys coinpurse. [color=ed1c24]”Thanks.”[/color] He said as he ran out of the alley. He was met by chaos in every direction. The Dunmers red eyed looked about himself as he heard hooves and screams and crying. He payed it no heed. He had been witness to far worse. He strode trough the streets with a purpose. That purpose was to find someone to take him with them out of there. He spotted a group of ragtag misfits. Among them a truly gigantic orc and a Altmer. He would not look out of place alongside them and they were heading out which meant that they were his best chance. The guards would be busy for a while with the centaurs so he decided to liberate a horse from the garrison stable. It was a easy enough task, men where dying left and right and one horse thief was no big deal. He made sure the party had moved on a bit before he set off after them. He didn't wish to startle them and give away the fact that he all but stalked them out. He rode silently the road they had taken out of town, and kept himself well out of sight. When they stopped at a farmstead he set camp quite a distance away. But never so that he would not note their departure. ---- [b][color=eeed24]Camlorn [/color][/b] Like this, he had followed them without being seen. He had soon realized where they were headed, and after that he could go at his own pace. By the time they had arrived to Camlorn, he was only an hour behind. Asking around it was easy to find what Inn they stayed at. Such a strange group was hardly difficult to remember. As he entered the Inn, his eyes scanned for anyone of the strange party. The Dunmers Spear was resting on his back, his shield over it. His bow hung at his side as well and as he took a seat not to far from his potential new travelling companions, he raised his had to catch innkeepers attention. ”Ale.” He said as he fish out the coin purse he had stolen of the guard a day prior.