The Darkness Approaches

Tales from Cyrodiil, episode 13; takes place immediately after the events of Market Day.

### Synopsis

Kajidoh and Zelos battle on the bridge that leads into the Imperial City. They each display impressive feats of combat, able to dodge, parry, and strike at each other swiftly and elegantly. Eventually, Zelos retreats off the bridge; Kajidoh initially presumes him dead, but the samurai proves him wrong.

While Kajidoh is staring down the bridge at Zelos, Engo appears behind him. The young assassin explains Vath's plans to host a tournament where each combatant's entry fee is an item of great value: for example, Kajidoh's recently acquired Sunder. He also tells Kajidoh that Vath has chosen the Imperial City as his venue. When Kajidoh protests, Engo battles against him, quickly overpowering the High Chancellor. He is impressed by the amount of resistance Kajidoh offered; though he states Vath does not want him to kill Kajidoh, he decides to beat him within an inch of his life. He does this by using an incredible magic spell that summons meteors from the sky, nearly destroying the bridge and rendering Kajidoh unconscious.

From under the bridge, Zelos sees the change in the sky and decides to investigate. Tyrin and Benji arrive on the scene to assist their wounded boss. Their threats against Engo fall on deaf ears as he proves he is unafraid of the two incompetents. He is however surprised to see Zelos, wondering how he survived his battle with Vath. He reiterates that all who wish to attend the tournament must bring their legendary artifacts; any trace of him then vanishes, including the red sky. Everything is back to normal. Zelos turns on Tyrin and Benji, shocked at the state Kajidoh is in. Before he can get any answers out of them, they flee.

Returning to the Ancient Towers, Zelos contemplates Engo's words. He is concerned over how someone could manage to beat Kajidoh senseless in the few minutes it took him to get back to the bridge; he also wonders what someone so powerful could want with the legendary artifacts. He questions Ruined-Tail about the mission the gods had given him, and what Kajidoh wants with them. Ruin was unable to give him any clear answers. While Zelos remains lost in thought, Cleon and Captain Blue come in the room and begin their usual banter, causing Zelos to go upstairs for some peace and quiet to think.

Back in the Imperial Palace, Kajidoh is reflecting with frustration on his encounter with Engo. He snaps angrily at Benji and Tyrin when they try to help him and draws his sword in suspicious paranoia when Shawn startles him. Shawn suggests that Kajidoh put his many Mythic Dawn guards to work in the palace. Kajidoh is hesitant to begin with, not wanting everyone to know his connection with the organization. Shawn then suggests he give them new armor to disguise them; Kajidoh gleefully agrees with the idea, naming this new military force, "The Elite Legion." Then he turns his attention back to the artifacts.

Hunter asks Kajidoh why he is so afraid of Vath. A series of disjointed scenes follow. Splashes of water. A house under a rainy sky. An upside down hallway ending with a display case. Within the display case, a ring. A circle of candles. Running down a dark cavern. A door marked with a daedric O. On the floor before the door, a deep black sword. Turning around, there is an Ayleid statue and a hammer on the ground. The camera rushes through the hallway to reveal that the scenes in the cavern had been from Kajidoh's perspective. The screen cuts to black, and an evil laugh is heard.

Kajidoh shrugs off Hunter's question, informing Shawn and Hunter that they are now in charge of the Elite Legion. He then laughs maniacally to himself, stating that Vath is the one who will not survive the coming encounter.

### Trivia

This episode contains both TeamUDF's favorite and least favorite fights in the series. He was extremely pleased with how the battle between Zelos and Kajidoh turned out, including a number of well-timed animations and good banter.

On the other hand, he was very displeased with the fight between Kajidoh and Engo, disliking both the sound quality and the NPC interactions. He also disliked how the meteor scene turned out, though he was unable to come up with a better solution.

As of this episode, Gruntman took over the part of Engo.