I do not own The Elder Scrolls in any way. Bethesda does.
Sona held her breath, waiting for the treacherous sound of footsteps. But nothing disturbed the silence. Clutching her weapon tightly, she continued down the long, dark corridor. The ruins ran much deeper than she'd guessed and she'd already lost herself within them. The winding corridors and darkness were deceptive, the whispers coming off the walls frightening. She could not turn back. This was the only way of survival - and that thought the only sane thing keeping her body going forward.
The path took a turn and continued further down. Her hairs stood on end. Too deep. Fear tugged at the edges of her mind and her heart raced. She shouldn't be going further down. Danger lurked in the deeps. Death.
She paused briefly, waging her chances of finding another path in the maze without running into her pursuers. Her eyes warily glanced at the walls around her. They had been furious enough to follow her inside. To which depths would they follow for revenge? If they dared disturb the ruins too greatly, they'd all find death quickly.
She continued further down, the patch even and without steps. The leather shoes made no sound on the hard stone and gave no trail to follow. It didn't take long before she reached another turn towards her right and took it, stretching her luck even further. Her heartbeat stopped when she saw the flickering of a torch and red eyes staring up at her.
There was but a friction of hesitation before the torch hit the ground and the silver glint of a sword closed in on her.
Sona ducked and rolled sideways, instinct kicking in. Her body met the wall, halting her movement. The sword came down again, accompanied by a wild, high-pitched cry. It barely missed her as she stumbled towards the room with the flickering torch on the ground.
In one fluent motion, she pulled a throwing knife out of its sheath and aimed at the dark elf. He raised his shield and shrugged the knife off effortlessly before he lunged at her crouching form. Her muscles constricted almost painfully to avoid the hit and vault away. Once her feet met firm ground again, she shifted her weight back and pushed her body up to the heavily armored enemy. This was her chance.
She lunged at him with one fast move. Her sword found its target and cut a straight line across the exposed neck as he turned towards her. Blood spurt out into her face, blinding her. She stepped back as quickly as she could, wiping away the blood with her sleeves. A faint metallic taste filled her mouth as some of the blood found its way inside.
All she heard was shiver arousing gurgling, spitting and the coughing gasping for air. A sword dropped to the ground with a loud, clattering sound. The echo violently tore through the silence. The seconds felt like eternity when she blinked her eyes open and watched the Dunmer succumb to his impending death. Unnecessary painful, she thought. But it was either him or her. Sona stood above him and watched as a red puddle formed around his head. Her mind never halted in thinking. Get away! it screamed at her, when the torch's light flickered in his dead eyes.
Then everything happened very fast.
She heard a dangerous hiss from behind and spun around. Searing pain erupted from her side as something pierced her body. She barely caught the cry from escaping her lips. She jumped away and held her waist. The leather was ripped in a straight cut and the cold immediately gnawed at the exposed flesh and tissue.
The fiery gleam of his eyes lured all her doubts and fears to the surface. His face a mocking grimace that was even more fearful in the unsteady light flickering across dark tattoos and sharp horns. He spun his sword once before he raised it to strike again. The spikes on his armor glistened sharply with the movement. Dremora, something echoed in her mind. They'd disturbed the place.
Her eyes widened. Fuck, fuck, fuck! She backed away from the creature and his strike missed her by a hair. What had she thought, bravely running into this ruin? She couldn't fight against it. She couldn't win. She couldn't flee. Shouting reached her from above, dreadfully close and her heart sank even lower. They found her. Shit, they found her!
All her senses screamed survival. An animal cornered, the mind in fear's grip. She looked around frantically, keeping distance from her attacker. The footsteps were just behind the wall. Seconds.
It was then she finally noticed the statue inside the room and ran for it, shamelessly turning her back to her enemy and fleeing the moment she found an escape. This was a lost cause.
She leaped onto the platform, slipping over plates filled with gems and gold. Fear for death led her body to new heights. Blood rushed past her ears, dulling the pain with each move she made, panicky climbing the statue. Survive.
Her blood smeared the statue the higher she got but she never lost hold. Two familiar voices shouted inside the room. Someone screeched wildly. Curses. Her name. She bit her lip and reached higher yet again. Survive.
"You may not die by my hands, Sona, but you will die!" Her head snapped in his direction just in time to see his blonde hair disappear out of sight as his iron staff broke in two under the powerful blow of the Dremora. A loud explosion followed their escape. The entire structure trembled wildly.
She held onto the neck of the statue tightly. Stone cracked, rips crossing the whole room. Debris crashed down around her. Her legs slipped off the statue, dangling and weighing her down when she struggled to keep hold. A bestial scream drowned the noise. She coughed as dust entered her lungs. Everything turned pitch-black.
Then all movement stopped. An eerie silence spread across the room.
Her head spun and another coughing fit shook her body. Her arms hurt but she never loosened her grip. She'd literally clung to her life. And she was still alive. Relief flooded her despite the situation.
After seconds of silence, she pulled herself up with great effort until she rested on top the statue's head. Her body ached all over as if she'd crawled through hell and back. But she had no time to rest. Adrenaline still rushed through her blood and she intended to make the best of it; to flee as long as the pain was subdued.
Then a guttural scream tore through the darkness.
Her hand immediately flew to her weapon and her eyes scurried through the room. A cold shiver ran down her spine when the scream downed to painful moans, the agony palpable in the strained voice. She gulped, now hating the darkness that had been her dangerous safeguard when she'd walked into the ruin. This voice didn't sound human.
It was then that a familiar orange pair of eyes appeared in the dark and glared into hers with such intensity that she shrunk back. He roared at her, wrath fuelling the fire in his eyes. His deep, rough voice filled the room with shouts that bounced off the walls. Even if she didn't understand him it was clear that he was cursing her very existence, that she was at fault. Within a daedric ruin the threats felt real no matter the language and she wished to be someplace other as soon as possible. When red runes began to glow on the walls surrounding her, she knew her luck had finally run out.
Cursing turned to a scoff and the moans stopped completely when the runes pulsed madly. The air thickened and buzzed, aligned with the intensity of the red. Her heart pumped wildly, living to its fullest as best as it could in the last few minutes it had left. She couldn't move her body, had no control over it. Fear immobilized her.
Fury filled her mind and she saw red in front of her eyes. The fierceness swallowed her. Sweat streamed down her face.
"Do you seek your death so soon, mortal?"
She searched for the source of the voice but quickly realized that it came from inside her own mind. She coughed weakly. Her hand reached up to her throat and she gasped for air where there was none. What do I-
"I will crush you where you stand!" he roared. Sona choked miserably and her eyes rolled upward. Murderer. That one word filled her entire being. She clenched her eyes close tightly but his presence was still there, nestled deep inside her head. Her heart was ready to burst through her chest. This was the end. Tears ran down her cheeks.
Blending white exploded in front of her eyes.
This is the rewritten first chapter, for any rereading the story. Shorter but much more dense, in my opinion. For anyone new: Welcome and stay awhile!