4E 201 17th of Last Seed – Ragnarok
After watching Ralof disappear into the distance, Ragnarok sat down on a rock to gather his thoughts under the shade of a nearby tree. Why had he allowed himself to be captured? It was simple enough, find a group of patrolling Imperial soldiers which were in abundance these days, Shout something about the Stormcloaks, and kill a guard or two before allowing them to subdue him. But why? He had no explanation for the sudden need to be captured by them. Something deep within him compelled him to journey down this path, and he needed to find out what. Not that he lived a particularly glamorous life as a freelance mercenary before his capture, but it was certainly better than getting himself beheaded. At any rate, it was best he find Ralof's.. Sister? Mother? Who was it he was supposed to meet at Riverwood? He wasn't paying much attention to Ralof's complaints and rants to begin with. Regardless, Ragnarok was certain it'd have a tavern he could drink and sleep in. So, he set off down the road in search of the town.
Only after a few short minutes on the path, he heard the unmistakable shuffling of steel and leather prowling in the trees. Unhooking the Imperial longbow from his back that he had.. "Found" inside the keep, he knocked an arrow and let it loose into the brush in the direction the noise was emanating. "I guess we weren't quiet subtle enough." Said the bandit leader as he emerged from behind the treeline. "Right then. Guess we'll do this the old fashioned way. Hand over your gold or your life!" Ragnarok scoffed, "Afraid you're out of luck. I don't have any gold on me, and I don't feel like handing over my life today." The bandit sneered and drew his sword "I don't like your tone, Nord. Maybe I'll cut your tongue out. See if you can mock me then!" The bandit rushed forward, only to be met with the point of Ragnarok's armored elbow in his chest. The bandit's own armor cushioned the blow enough to prevent any lasting injury, but it was not enough to prevent him from staggering backward. Ragnarok followed up with a swift kick to the bandit's shin. Only being protected by a thin layer of animal hide, his shin fractured and collapsed under the strain of the colossal blow. Falling to the ground, Ragnarok caught him by his left arm and placed it between his legs. With one leg planted firmly on the throat of the would-be thief, and the other on the ground, Ragnarok bent the comparatively small arm backward over his knee, shattering the elbow and rendering the arm useless.
Ragnarok grabbed the sword from the limp arm, but just before he was able to deliver the death blow, an arrow grazed his right shoulder. Chastising himself for becoming so easily distracted by the single bandit, he hadn't noticed the other two approaching his flank. Ragnarok scrambled behind a small rock formation to avoid the arrows hailing down from his rear and tried to come up with a method of attack. The apparent leader was of no threat with his shattered arm, but he couldn't move into the open without gaining a new piercing in the form of an iron arrow through his skull. He failed to come up with any reasonable plan before the approaching foot steps had reached him behind his makeshift cover. With no other choice, Ragnarok leapt and tackled the bandit to the ground, praying the archer had any sort of kinship with him and would not take the shot anyway. As they grappled, Ragnarok kept a close eye on the waiting archer, being careful not to give her a clear shot. Always keeping her compatriot facing her, he grasped for the iron dagger strapped to the bandit's waist and drove it between his ribs. The bandit shouted but did not relent in his attempts to strangle Ragnarok. Unable to get the bandit off of him without being impaled by an arrow, Ragnarok began searching with his hands for the gap in the armor of the bandit on top of him. Finding it near the back, where the leather strips bound the armor to his body, Ragnarok drove the dagger down into the bandit's spine, causing him to instantly go limp, but still very much alive. The female archer shrieked at the sight of her companion apparent death, she let loose volley after volley of arrows. Ragnarok crawled back behind the rocks, dragging the paralyzed bandit with him to shield him from the onslaught of airborne death.
Just as he reached his relative area of saftey amongst the rocks and trees, the archer let loose her final arrow, splintering off of the heavy plate Imperial armor Ragnarok was wearing. Painful, but not fatal. In her blind rage, she unsheathed her dagger and charged Ragnarok, who was ready for her and unleashed a kick to he stomach, sending her hurtling back a few feet. Ragnarok drew his sword, waiting for her inevitable counter attack. She charged again, unthinking and full of rage. Wildly slashing at Ragnarok, who was stepping backward, waiting for an opening. She swiped wide to her left, gouging deeply into Ragnarok's ribs, but left her defenseless before her next swing. Ragnarok took the opportunity to sever the arteries behind her right knee, dropping her to the ground. Wasting no time, he ended the skirmish by delivering a crushing blow to her neck, severing it for the most part, her head only connected to the rest of her body by a few thin strands of veins and flesh. Quickly surveying the area for any additional threats, he sat down and searched his satchel for the potions he had found inside the Helgen Keep kitchen. With only one small potion, he popped open the cork and gulped it down. While it was effective in repairing the majority of the damage he sustained in the fight, he was not fully recovered. He took a few minutes to eat the raw pheasant breast and rabbit leg he had also found. He's not sure why, but he had always found he healed faster on a full stomach.
After an hour or so of recovering, the sun had begun to set and he set on down the path again. It wasn't long before he found on outcropping of strange stones. There were three stones, almost appearing man made with inscriptions of different warriors on them. One appeared to be a mage or wizard, another was a rogueish character, and another was a stout warrior wielding an axe. Unsure why, he felt the need to reach out and touch the stone marked with the warrior. As he did, the inscription lit up, and a magnificent beam of light erupted from the top of the stone, reaching to the stars, drawing a portrait of the warrior inscribed on the stone into the stars themselves. "I really need to find somewhere to sleep. I'm obviously going insane." Ragnarok muttered to himself. He set off down the path again, and found the outer walls of the town mere minutes afterward. Upon entering the town, he could hear the rantings of an old woman shrieking about a dragon she had seen earlier that day. "A dragon! I saw a dragon!" she cried to her son, who was having none of it. "Quiet down, or people will think you're crazy!" He snapped. As her son wandered off to the tavern, Ragnarok approached the old woman who was obviously furious with her son for disregarding her. "You believe me don't you? It was a dragon!" she yelled to Ragnarok. "Aye. I saw it to. It attacked Helgen." He replied. "I may be old, but I'm not senile just yet. I knew what I saw!" she exclaimed, relieved someone had believed her.
"No, you're not crazy old woman. Though your son may be for shrugging off such a serious claim." He said. "Do you know of any place I can sleep?" She gestured toward the inn at the far side of town. "In there is drink and bed if you'd like. Though the bartender is quite the hard case. Very rude that one." She said. Ragnarok headed toward the inn, the question of why he allowed himself to be captured by Imperials that day still gnawing at the back of his mind. It could wait however, what he needed right now was a good flagon of mead and a good night's sleep.