After the fall from the cliff he was sure he was broken. It wasn't enough that he had survived a battle against a Dwarven Centurion. That survival was hardly more than a stroke of luck too. Despite every angle he tried, the burly Nord simply failed to land a significant blow against the automaton's metal body.
Their struggle spilled out onto an observation deck overlooking the ruins after what seemed like an eternity. Every muscle in his body screamed as he blocked the merciless, inhuman blows from the centurion's hammer arm. Luck revealed itself in a simple maneuver that required only timing. Unsure if he had the strength to block another attack, he risked it anyway in an effort to draw the machine closer to the edge.
His risk led to reward as his arms allowed just one more attack. Just before the centurion could follow through with a killing blow, the Nord rolled out of the way. Having nothing to connect with, the giant machine overcompensated and lost its balance, tumbling over the edge of the deck to its doom. Though combat was a way of life in Skyrim, the Nord had never relished the taking of life. At least not until today.
Ignoring his body's fatigued and battered state, the Nord got to his feet too quickly. Almost as if in a final form of punishment, his right leg gave out, causing the Nord – heavy armor and all – to follow his foe to an open grave at the entrance of the ruins.
Here lies Agarrin; built like a stone and fell like one too, the Nord thought to himself.
How he was still alive was a mystery, but the why of the matter seemed more important. He couldn't tell what, if anything, was broken but he couldn't move and every part of his body was in enough pain that he begged to either pass out or just die. For whatever reason, the gods wouldn't hear his plea. His eyes were open but he failed to focus on even a single cloud. If pain were visible, he imagined that was what filled his vision at that moment, distorting reality. Must be what Oblivion looks like, he mused.
Agarrin had two things in his favor, small consolations though they were. One was that it was the month of Sun's Height, so freezing to death wouldn't be a worry. Second was his being hidden from obvious view. In his vulnerable state Agarrin would be easy prey for either man or beast, so perhaps he did have a fraction of fortune in his favor to have landed out of sight from both the approach and the entrance of the ruins. However, this assumed anyone would even go out of their way to explore or plunder the ruins.
Calcelmo is going to owe me double for this, Agarrin thought. If I survive.
