Returning his smile I looked over the other two members of our party. Falid was dressed in his armour that he never seemed to take off, towering over us all and emphasising just how short the last member of our group really was. While anyone appeared tiny to the enormous Redguard, Detane was by far the shortest of the group with a couple of fingers of height between him and Viconia. She may have been average in height compared to other elves such as the Bosmer and Dunmer but the Breton was shorter again. Although he was far from weak or frail, his was body extremely well-proportioned and solid.

  There were several things that were extremely striking about his appearance, and while Falid's presence drew the eye, it was Detane's that truly kept it. His face was hard boned and almost reaching the point of malnourishment with well-defined cheeks that looked permanently sucked in as though everything around him displeased him. There was a hardness about his expression as he looked upon the world with cold, uncaring eyes; they were the eyes of a warrior or a killer but the scars across his face quickly distracted anyone who looked at him. While Alexi, Viconia and myself all wore our knighthood scars proudly, Detane's face was a mass of ruined tissue. While a brief glance would give the impression of someone who had either suffered grievous wounds in battle, upon closer inspection it was obvious that the wounds were arrayed in a grid like pattern that had been purposefully inflicted.

  His armour too was an oddity. Between Falid's enormous ebony plate and Viconia's and my unique armours his was a shambles. A cheap brigandine covered his torso, the leather layers sandwiching a layer of steel bars as wide and as thick as my finger woven throughout and for the most part it was tattered and rusting. In several places many of the metal pieces were simply gone, cut or gashed away in combat and never replaced. Others hung loosely where the leather had been ripped or shredded and it simply appeared as though he didn't care about the state of his equipment. That was except for the thin bladed rapier at his hip that hung like a piece of artwork, the blade meticulously polished and gleaming where it hung in a simple metal loop attached to a fading belt. If it wasn't for the fact that he had proven himself as a Knight to be allowed accommodation in the Stallion Lodge I would have simply assumed that he was an adventurer or member of the Fighter's Guild down on his luck.

  "We are travelling to Blackmarsh very soon indeed." Detane muttered, scratching at his jaw where several days of stubble grew. Everything about him appeared ill-kempt except for his waxed moustache and sword at his hip.

  "We all have the rest of today and tomorrow to prepare. Viconia and I will source most of the food and other supplies for the journey but it will be several weeks before we will return."

  "I have everything I need right here." A gloved hand tapped on the moth-eaten bag that was attached to his back and Detane shrugged. "I travel light these days."

  "I also have everything I need Sir Desin." Growled Falid as I turned to look at Alexi.

  His grin remained as large as ever as though he was joking at the entire world's expense. "I suppose I better throw a few things into a sack and drag it along. Should I bring my nightwear?"

  "You are in an awfully good mood." The growing smile on Viconia's face was also one of hidden amusement and for most people it would have left their blood running cold.

  "Of course. To tell you the truth I was getting bored being cooped up in the lodge. You can only go so long looking at the same four walls before you begin worshipping Sheogorath. If Gailer kept me here for any longer, I would have thrown my lot in with some daedra worshippers just to find a nice Oblivion portal for entertainment."

  "That sounds like you." I replied. "Good thing you're with us so we can keep a good eye on you."

  "Hey!"

  Behind me and Viconia, the voice cut through our small talk and drew the attention of all five of us. It wasn't a subtle yell either, but a few decibels softer than a battle cry to cut through the noise of a group of knights moving towards the gatehouse to take their steeds for a ride.

  The sight of the orc strolling into the Lodge grounds wasn't an unusual sight as such. Several members of the Order and a large number of the Men-at-Arms were greenskins but this one didn't belong to the Knights of the White Stallion. Sauntering across the cobblestoned square in front of the main doors, the appearance of the fully armoured greenskin drew the eye from sheer size and force of personality alone.

  It was Viconia that picked up the crucial detail that I had initially missed, as her eyes widened and jaw clenched in an effort to keep her reaction hidden. "By Shar... It's female."

  I had never met anyone before who was as tall as the Black Knight of Talos standing just to my rear, but I was used to most orcs towering over me. This one was no different and I had to tilt my head back slightly to look her in the eye. Like any decent armour, the orichalcum plate she was wore was sexless and mostly hid her body from view but there was no denying the subtle femininity she possessed. It made the fact that her shoulders were almost as wide as Falid's and that she appeared to have the strength to pull my arms off even more incredulous.

  "Youse those knights headin' to Blackmarsh on that fancy holy quest thingy?"

  "Yes. We are." Alexi said carefully, giving the orc a quick look up and down and chuckling to himself. While not small man himself, she was well over a hundred and fifty kilograms of muscle and out weighed all of us bar Falid.

  "Good. I'm comin' with ya."

  The silence that fell between all of us was only for a moment as I shared an expression with Viconia and Alexi.

  "Well. This is unexpected." Laughed Alexi. "Why do you want to come with us to Blackmarsh?"

  "I have business to the east. I heard youse lot were headin' there so I thought I would come along.

  I looked over the way that her armour was heavily battered and had seen a significant amount of fighting. The mace at her hip and the shield slung over her back were also well used and while well looked after there was no doubt that there was only so much cleaning could be done before the blood and stains were permanent. "What's your name?"

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  "Mazoga gra-Ornim."

  Viconia looked confusingly at the way that Alexi, Detane and I fell silent at her name and I carefully licked my lips. Although I didn't know much about the orcs outside of the few I had served with during the legion, I knew enough of their native tongue to translate.

  "Mazoga... the-Orc?"

  At my query she simply sighed loudly, put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm an Orc. I was born under a rock and I have no parents so I don't need a family name. Is that going to be a problem?"

  "Yes." Detane's sneer was as sharp as the sword at his hip. "We don't need a daedra worshipping pig with us."

  The temperature of the courtyard dropped by several degrees and I saw the flush of anger rise up from Mazoga's collar and darken her features. Detane's expression remained unchanged except for the fact that it became noticeably more challenging.

  "Careful little man." Mazoga's voice lowered itself almost to a whisper that threatened the worst kind of death imaginable. "I've dropped turds larger than ya..."

  "Really?" Detane stepped forward and before any of us could react or understand what he was doing, his sword had appeared in his hand like magic and the very tip of it was pressed into Mazoga's cheek. Even Alexi was stunned at how quick the diminutive Breton was and the overwhelming control that he had with his blade. "This... turd is more than equal to the task of cutting filth like yourself down to size."

  The surprise at his actions was absolute. While both I and Alexi had reacted swiftly there was several seconds before our brains reacted the to the way that Detane had drawn his weapon against a being he had only just met. We were both slow in comparison to Falid as a midnight black gauntlet suddenly clasped itself shut around Detane's forearm with all the unyielding pressure of a beartrap.

  "I believe that there are laws disallowing violence and assaulting others Sir Acqunax." The Black Knight growled. There was silence between us all and other than the sudden paling of Detane's face at the overwhelming pressure being exerted on his wrist. I was the only one with hearing sufficient to hear the way that his bones, and the armour plate protecting his forearm began creaking under the strain.

  Mazoga for her part remained still, grinning and staring at Detane with an expression positively oozing challenge despite the way a trickle of blood began making its way down her cheek. The show of his skill was impressive, as was her determination not to give an inch.

  "Release me." The rasp in his voice was the only sign of Falid's grip on his arm. Even if he wanted to, he sword wasn't budging a millimetre and it may as well have been entrapped in a boulder.

  "Not if you are going to continue assaulting every person we encounter." For a moment Detane's eyes moved to mine as I addressed him directly, before they returned to the amused expression on Mazoga's face. "Which is even if we let you come with us after a stunt like this. You are meant to be a knight Sir Acqunax. Just because you pledged yourself to us doesn't mean that we want you."

  "I'm not a knight. I'm a chevalier."

  Alexi snorted loud enough for everyone to hear and his customary grin had returned. "Disenfranchised eh? Let me guess; it was because of your wonderful people skills and unyielding spirit of cooperation?"

  Detane's face became flushed with anger and I stepped forward, spearing everyone with an expression I had last used against a group of fresh legion recruits. "That's enough from everyone. Detane, whether you belong to an order or not doesn't matter to me. You pledged yourself to Viconia and I and in doing so pledged yourself to recover the Shield of the Crusader. Now there is nothing in this world or beyond that means that we have to necessarily take any of you." My eyes met each of them in turn and I ensured that all of them present knew that I wasn't just talking to the Breton with his hand engulfed by a black gauntlet. "Viconia and I have already recovered three of the relics on our own. I have confidence that we would succeed in the fourth but as I have nearly died in the process I especially would prefer if we had some help. But... if we don't work together then I will leave you all here without a moment's hesitation."

  Carefully, I turned and looked between Dartane, Mazoga and the towering Falid. "Do we have an understanding?"

  Detane's expression soured as though he had bitten into something rotten before carefully nodding. Alexi and Falid did the same as the Black Knight released his grip on the batted vambraces on the Breton Chevalier's arm. As the blade lowered itself from where the point had dug into green flesh, Mazoga was grinning ear to ear with immense amusement.

  "Not even a knight. Pah! Even I'm a knight!"

  "The same goes for you Madame Mazoga." I said, rounding on her with a snap in my voice. She started at the sound of my voice and the way that I had taken a few steps towards her, looking over her armour for any traces of heraldry or markings. "What Order do you belong to?"

  "None."

  The silence that fell was deafening and I squinted in confusion as I looked at her. A tenseness that filled her and for those few seconds her eyes were moving everywhere but meeting anyone's gaze.

  "Who is your lord then?"

  She sniffed loudly, rubbing at the shallow cut with a crude but heavy gauntlet that smeared the trickle of blood into her cheek. "I'm a free knight. I don't have or need a Lord."

  As he had shown before, Detane had snapped at her proclamation and his face had contorted with rage. "There is no such thing as a knight without a Lord!"

  "Detane, shut up." I hissed and he quietened again as I turned back to Mazoga. "So I'm guessing that you haven't been officially knighted?"

  There was a shake of a head, minute but still enough to leave the dozens of ponytails and braided decorations jingling together.

  "Well then. I'm sorry to say that you aren't technically a knight." Her expression darkened and I could sense the building anger at my words and the insult they implied but I ignored it. "But it is highly likely that over the coming days that Viconia and I will be recognised as Knight Commanders which means that we will have the opportunity to do something about it. Whether you are a knight or not has no effect on your fighting ability so you are more than welcome to join us."

  The strangulated sound from Detane's throat was clearly audible even as the hints of a smile creased Mazoga's face. I turned and looked at him as well, nodding in his direction. "Same goes to you Detane. Disenfranchised or not doesn't matter to me as long as we all work together. We are heading into the most dangerous of regions in all of the Empire where two in every five Legionaries die in the first year of serving. We cannot and will not abide anything that will threaten our chances of success or survival as we can't afford to. If you don't agree to this, then this is where your part in this quest ends."

  Again I ensured that all present were aware that I wasn't just speaking to Detane and I smiled grimly at the expressions on Alexi's and Falid's faces. I gained the feeling that I had earned some favour or respect from the red headed swordsman and the towering Redguard which went a long way to soothe the hammering of my heart at the responsibility that had found its way onto my shoulders.

  Thankfully I wasn't truly alone and Viconia made her presence felt from where she had been sitting back watching everything that was unfolding with the utmost amusement. She moved over to my side, flashing a mouthful of white teeth at the small group before us with enough intensity to make them all look somewhat uneasy.

  "Al t'yin. Now that Kaius has said his piece, perhaps we might all start considering just how we are going to dive head first into a million kilometres of stinking marshland?"