Reticence Saga
World of Grey
Chapter 4: The Scourge
(Chapter type: Original)
Gerda watched from the small porch of her little farmhouse at her family in the fields. The plains of Skyrim were not an easy place to farm on. The soil needed a lot of encouragement to produce a large amount of food. The land always had a chill and winter got even worse. And that isn't even bringing up the various dangers that roam Skyrim from the wild animals to bands of bandits. Fortunately, Gerda's husband, Harold, was a very strong man. A farmer usually became very strong when he had to produce crops in such adversity. Still, Gerda was grateful there were farmhands who just as apt with a war axe as a woodcutter's axe.
Even so, the civil war could cause a lot of trouble for their little farm. Talos forbid if the Imperials and the Stormcloaks had a battle near their farm. Yes, their small family did still consider Talos as one of the Divines, but it wasn't worth fighting over. Just because the elves said that he wasn't a god didn't make it true. Still, Gerda dreaded the thought of having either the Imperials or Stormcloaks appropriate their harvest for their war effort, or worse, come to draft her men into the senseless fighting.
Fortunately, the tides of war were lapping on some farther part of the country. The only Gerda had to worry about now was the children staying out too late. All the women on this farm watched over each other's children and today it was Gerda's turn. "Children, it's about time to come in," called Gerda, "The sun is going to be setting soon."
"I want to look at the birdies more," called little Mila.
Curious, Gerda walked out to where Mila was. What birdies could she be interested in? She soon got her answer as she got close. The trees next to the farm had several large birds on their branches. It was too dark to tell what birds they were, but she heard the soft quarks and caws they made. Well, this was all the farm needed; a flock of crows waiting to gobble up all their hard-earned food. She'll have to get the men to put up a scarecrow soon. Well, perhaps the children could help. They might enjoy building the scarecrow.
But there were quite a lot of the crows, this was a very large flock. Maybe she could scare away some of them so they wouldn't get too bold before the scarecrow was built. She took a torch from one of the exterior sconces of the farmhouse and lit it. She walked over to the trees and waved it at the branches. "Shoo, go on, get, find some other field to plunder!" she yelled at the crows.
However, the crows didn't move an inch. They showed not a bit of concern towards the fire Gerda was waving at them. The light from the torch revealed something Gerda hadn't noticed before. These crows were larger than she thought and their feathers had clots of blood on them. But it couldn't be the crows' blood considering how plump they were. Her disgust towards the murder of crows increased; these weren't common crows, these were carrion crows, fattened by the fallen warriors of this stupid war. These filthy birds might not be a direct threat to the crops, but they could spread diseases that could make them all sick. She'll have to get the men to shoot at the crows until they left.
As she turned towards the field to tell her husband of the infestation, she didn't notice the crows' attention was not being focused on their livestock. Their bottomless black eyes were all focused on the children who were heading towards the house with all the attention a hawk would give a rabbit it was getting ready to swoop on. They just need to wait for the right time.
"Carrion crows? Here?" asked Harold.
"A huge murder of them, big ones too," said Gerda, "You'll have to shoot at those plague-bearers until they go."
"You sure those were carrion crows?" said Hans, one of the farmhands, "If they're so big, they might be ravens."
"Ravens, crows, doesn't make any difference to me. They need to go before they cause any harm here," said Gerda.
Suddenly, there was a shriek of fright. "Mila!" cried Gerda before she and the other men ran back. They soon saw Mila screaming as one of the black birds was pecking and clawing at her head. "Get away from her!" yelled Gerda as she waved her torch at the scavenger bird.
Fortunately for Mila, the avian let go before the torch got too close. Gerda quickly went to the crying girl and hugged her close. "Shh, shh, it's alright. It's all over."
"That's no normal crow," said Harold in a troubled voice. Gerda looked up to see the raven flying upwards like a falcon ready to stoop. It seemed to be larger than before and its eyes were glowing with a hellish red gleam. The raven let out a loud caw which started the rest of the murder cawing with all the ferocity of a wolf pack's howling before they went in for the kill.
"Take the children to the cellar," said Harold, "Bar those door and don't open them even if we knock on them."
Gerda would have questioned what Harold meant, but the flock looked ready to take flight at any moment. She raced back to the farmhouse, most of the children already inside. "Everyone get to the cellar, quickly," said Gerda as she went to the hatch that led down to the cellar. The children quickly started filing down the ladder steps.
There was a shriek of pain outside and Gerda couldn't stop herself from looking outside to see what was going on. She could see Hans swinging uselessly as several ravens descended on him, their beaks and talons quickly accumulating blood. The visage was soon blotted out by several ravens attacking the windows with great ferocity.
"Don't look back, just go," called Gerda as the last of the children crawled down the steps. She went after them and shut the hatch firmly behind them. The hatch's lock, which had been put there to keep out thieves, was locked. As Gerda was descending the ladder, she called, "Block up the cellar doors."
The children quickly barred the cellar doors and were lifting all that they could carry to build up a barricade up the stairs. The birds could fly or squeeze over this barricade, but hopefully it will keep them from opening the door. And they were definitely trying to get in. There was a sound like many carpenters hammering on the other side of the cellar doors always accompanied by the frenzied cawing of the ravens.
The children huddled next to Gerda, scared by the unexplained attack of the birds. "It'll be alright, children," said Gerda soothingly, "Your fathers will drive away those nasty birds soon." She hoped that was true, but she had a sinking feeling that everyone outside was being pecked into a bloody pulp. And the ravens wouldn't be satiated until they got everyone.
Kala was still darkly fuming as she wandered over the Skyrim steppes by herself. She could have stayed with Draco, but she didn't want to be spending her time as Chip's bodyguard. She was going to show that pig-headed hypocrite of a boyfriend exactly what she was capable of on her own, nanites or not.
She glared again as the translator nanites said 2Warning: You are using CPS nanites without permission. Please proceed to your nearest NSC representative for liquidation and/or mindwipe and return to your home reality."
"Don't these things ever shut up?" snapped Kala.
"This is your final warning...CPS units are within your region...please proceed to rendezvous or you will be considered host...alert: class two magi bursts in zone...casualties detected.2 said the voice, as a distant whomph was heard alongside several screams.
"Good, let's go slice up some bad guys," said Kala.
"Negative...you are a non-combatant," said the nanite AI at that .
"The hell I'm am!" snapped Kala as she drew her ion blade.
She jumped as lightning cracked around her fist, at the same time that the nanite AI said "Alert...encoding field class 3 dete-" before they went silent.
"Finally, that stupid thing shuts up," muttered Kala, not noticing she was speaking in a different language.
She ran up the hill to see a farm in flames, several...things swooping down at people running around in terror from a distance, it looked like they were being attacked by birds, rather large birds. Were those farmers being attacked by eagles? As Kala got closer, she could hear loud quarks and caws. Those weren't eagles, those were ravens, considerably oversized ravens with glowing red eyes and a purple mist clinging to their wings.
Kala ran forward before pausing in horror as two of them grabbed one of the people and tore him in half, not even eating him before tossing him aside and going back to swooping. "If only I had some arrows," said Kala before looking at her fist and saying, "Wait, they have fire spells here, right? I can throw fire at those birds Ok...I can do this…" aiming and sending, to her shock a large ice spike at one of them .
The ice spike went through one of the ravens which gave a loud squawk before falling from the air. Kala looked at her fist and said, "Oookay...kinda the opposite of what I was going for." But then she heard an angry clamor as several ravens started flying at her.
"Uh oh," whimpered Kala before holding her hands up and sending a blast of cold air out. The ravens scattered, except one that managed a surprised caw before being reduced to shards as it froze and smashed into the ground, shattering . "Ok, did something reverse the polarity of my normal powers when I got here?" asked Kala.
The ravens by now were circling, seemingly waiting. Kala looked around before another blast shot up.
The ravens squawked as flames and arrows were being shot at them. Kala looked to see a group of armored figures coming over the hill. Their armor looked bronze, but it was a bit hard to tell in the moonlight. They were shooting arrows while the figure in the dark cloak in their center was shooting flames at the ravens.
She looked around, pausing as she thought she saw several people seemingly melting into the treeline before a cold voice said, "You...yes, you. I'm addressing you. Who are you?"
Kala turned to see the figure in the dark cloak addressing her. "Er, my name's Kala," said Kala, not really certain how to respond.
"Well...Miss Kala...what are you doing here?" the figure said coldly, the golden armored figures checking the area behind him.
"Just passing through," said Kala indifferently.
"I'm sure..." said the figure coldly before continuing with an air of interest, "Who taught you how to cast Ice Spike like that?"
"Uh, nobody really, just figured it out on my own," said Kala.
"A natural..." said the figure seemingly to himself .
"Well, I probably could do better with fire. Don't like the cold too much," said Kala.
"Nothing wrong with cryomancy," said the figure, lowering his hood.
"Yeah, but it numbs your hands," said Kala.
"You will get used to it. Of course, we will need to ask you some questions about what happened here," said the figure, a slightly gaunt High Elf.
"I'm not quite sure what happened," said Kala, "I was just passing by and I heard screaming. I rushed over here to see those farmers being attacked by...ravens."
"Ravens, you say...did you get a good look?" asked the figure, suddenly all smiles .
"Well, when they attacked me, I noticed they had red eyes," said Kala.
"Hmm...as I feared. There have been similar reports. The incompetents here couldn't even protect a Dominion ambassador," said the figure .
"You mean other farms have been attacked by those raven things?" asked Kala.
"Peasants, soldiers, even Thalmor. I was supposed to be heading to Winterhold to oversee their projects, now I am on some vermin hunt," said the elf coldly .
"You mind if I take a look at this as well?" asked Kala, "I hate to think what those birds could do if left unchecked."
"Hmm..." said the elf, apparently thinking. "Tell me, my dear, how good are you at...tracking?" asked the elf, saying the last word with some distaste.
"Ma...my last partner taught me alot about finding things that are trying to hide," said Kala calmly .
"Hmm...well, we are short on personnel and some outside experience may prove useful. Very well, you have the Thalmor's authority to investigate these attacks and find the culprits," said the elf.
"Ok, I'd like to start by questioning the witnesses," said Kala.
"Ah, I'm afraid you're not likely to find anyone with the life to tell you about anything," said the elf, though not sounding as sorrowful as he ought to.
Gerda hugged her children close, hearing stomping boots above them and the sound of Thalmor. While this meant the ravens were probably gone, she had no wish to talk to the Thalmor either.
One of the children sniffled before making a few halting breaths that sounded like the start of a sneeze.
Gerda looked horrified before covering the child's mouth just in time. An authorative voice above them said something before there was more stomping.
Gerda turned to the other children and put a finger over her lips. After a few minutes, she finally reached for the cellar door, pulling it up...and being grabbed and pulled up. "Just as Lord Ancano said," sneered one of the Dominion troops, two others in the room.
"Bet there are more of the filthy things down there," said another trooper as he climbed down. He took one look at the children and said, "Ah, their brood," as if he had just found a skeever nest.
"Let them go!" snapped Gerda, trying to pull loose before the guard could be heard "And what's this? We've got us some Talos worshippers. Don't you know that's illegal?" he sneered, tossing up a statue that smashed .
"We have the right to worship whoever we chose," snapped Gerda.
"You hear that? Next they'll be saying they worship daedra," said the other trooper.
"Take them out. The children can learn what the penalty for breaking this law is," sneered the leader.
The guards had presumed they would be left in peace, Ancano having left them to deal with any other possible witnesses to this. While his Detect Life spell had worked for the cellar, it had completely missed the four black armored figures with ion rifles in the tree. "Sweeper team 3 to warden...confirming witnesses...Thalmor are keeping this secret...looks like they are going to deal with the last few...permission for intervention," said one of them quietly, .
"Permission granted," came the reply.
"Jackson, Daniels...go down and slit those asshole's throats. I'm sick of burying their leftovers," snapped the leader, two of his figures nodding before shimmering out of sight.
Line break
"You have been found guilty of Talos worship, a heathen act in itself," said one of the three troopers, one of his fellows holding the kids while another readied his sword. Only the kids saw the shadowy shapes appear briefly in the field. "Under the White-Gold Concord, such an act is punishable with death," said the trooper.
"The accord was just a surrender. We should have kept fighting," snapped Gerda, spitting at the Thalmor.
"Stormcloak sympathizers, just as I suspected," said the trooper before there was a clutter. The guards turned to see that one of the stones had fallen off the cobble fence.
"Go check that," ordered the Thalmor to the guard holding the kids, who glared at his superior before walking into the darkness. "As I was saying, a Stormcloak sympathizer at that. We all know the sentence for that," he said with glee, drawing his sword.
"You better stop being bad or the monsters will get you," said Mila.
"Look at the runt, what an imagination? Will Talos step in to save your mother?" said the soldier smugly before he and his fellow paused as they heard their companion scream in the dark...a scream that stopped halfway through .
"Told ya the monsters will get ya," said Mila.
"Silence! Spread out!" snapped the lead soldier, to his companion, only to stop as four figures appeared out of thin air, holding what looked like crossbows without the bow part.
"Boo," said one of them in a distorted voice before a blue energy bolt shot out and took his head off. The other turned and fired his own weapon, a sound of 'BRAAAAK' heard and the last Thalmor shuddering back before slumping down.
The children were unsurprisingly glad that the Thalmor were dead now and while Gerda felt the same way, she was afraid these figures will soon turn on them. The figures were wearing helmets that revealed nothing of their faces...just a blank black material, except for two red lights. "Any others?" asked one of them in a grim tone .
"I...I think that's the last of them," said Gerda nervously.
The troopers looked at one another before turning to leave.
"Who were those men, mama?" asked Mila.
"I don't know...but I think we are going to go see your uncle in Whiterun," said Gerda .
Investigating the ravens did not start out easily for Kala. For one thing, there were no witnesses for her to ask about what happened. And considering these were flying birds, there wasn't an available trail for her to follow.
"Urgh...what I would give for a scanner," Kala muttered to herself . She wasn't even certain where she was right now. She didn't have so much of a map of the region. But she had managed to find a road and she was currently following it. The moonlight was able to let her see the few paving stones on it.
Kala sighed before sitting on a stump. "I'm never going to find those birdbrains..." she muttered before hearing footsteps . Kala looked up to see a group of people coming. She really wished she had a lantern or something. She was surprised that these people could walk in the dark so easily.
After a minute the group paused, a female voice saying, "Who is this? Sitting on a stump in the middle of nowhere?"
"I've kinda lost my way, didn't have much of a way to lose," said Kala.
"Ah, it is easy to get lost at night. We are stopping for the night. You are welcome to share the fire," said the female voice, Kala finally seeing that it was the same cat creature species that Contrinus had been turned into
"Thanks, it gets pretty cold out here," said Kala.
The cat people were apparently called Khajiit, this group travelling the region selling their wares. They were quite welcoming to Kala as well as respectful, not prying too much . They invited Kala to look at their wares to see if there was anything she could need. Kala admitted she was low in equipment so she took some time to get some essential things.
"Ok...could use a sword," she muttered looking at an iron blade before spotting a few books at the top of a pile. "Hello," she muttered, grabbing one and opening it . As she started reading the words in it, things started quickly clicking together in Kala's head. She understood how to produce fire now, not very strong fire, but definitely enough for combat uses.
"Hey! You use it, you buy it!" snapped an annoyed voice .
Kala turned around to see a brown-furred Khajiit with green eyes and a black mane giving her an annoyed look. "Sorry, I didn't realize these were spellbooks," said Kala.
"They're tomes, one use only. That Flame tome's useless now," snapped the Khajiit angrily .
Kala looked at the book she was holding and saw that the words were blurring together as they changed to red light. The red light quickly spread over the book before it all faded away. "Oops, I'll pay for that," said Kala.
"That will be 330 gold," said the Khajiit in an annoyed tone .
Kala felt around in her pockets, but there wasn't much in the way of coin. "Uh, I don't suppose I could trade you anything for that," said Kala.
"You only just started out with adventuring, haven't you?" said the Khajiit.
"Is it that painfully obvious?" asked Kala.
"Yes...leaving home without a single penny to their name...or a single weapon. You aren't a Dragonborn or a hero. You should have stayed in the Summerset Isles," said the Khajiit harshly.
Kala was almost too insulted to notice that this Khajiit had a different accent from the others, not to mention not referring to herself as 'this one' or speaking in the third person.
"Now where is it you come from, elf?" said the Khajiit scathingly .
Kala gave her an annoyed look and said, "Perhaps I should be asking the same question, cat."
"Elswyn." said the Khajiit coldly .
That place didn't register anywhere in Kala's knowledge, but she was able to recall some basic knowledge about this planet. "I'm from Cyrodiil, if you must know," she said.
"Ah...so what bring you here?" said the Khajiit coldly .
"To show my stupid boyfriend that I'm capable of going out on my own," grumbled Kala.
"Ah...young lovers' argument," said the Khajiit with what seemed to Kala like glee.
Kala glared at the Khajiit and said, "I don't see why it should be the business of some cat woman whose name I don't even know."
"I've had more than a few names in my time. Ra'mige is the one I have at the moment," said the Khajiit .
"Fine, Ra'mige, unless you're a counselor of some type, I don't need to hear your romantic advice," snapped Kala.
Ra'mige just smirked evilly before saying sarcastically, "Is there any more of my tomes you wish to read?"
"Not unless you have a tracking spell," said Kala sarcastically.
"I think Clairvoyance will suit your needs," said Ra'mige.
"Ok, show me," said Kala, holding out her hand .
Ra'mige placed a book in her hand with a symbol of three entwined circles on the cover. "It's a simple Illusion spell, one even you ought to be able to manage," said Ra'mige.
"Anyone told you, that, for a cat, you're a total bitch?" said Kala scathingly as she took the book.
"I've been called worse things," said Ra'mige. Her tone was casual, but her unsheathed claws was most likely a good indication that Kala should curb her insults.
Kala glared before checking her pockets and tossing her money satchel over. "There, that should be enough," she said darkly
Ra'mige counted out the coin and said, "Hmm...barely. You should consider doing some bounty work if you're gonna last long in this country."
"Oh, go smoke some catnip," snapped Kala, stalking off.
"You might want to watch that tempter," said Ra'mige.
"I'll blow off steam whenever I feel-" snapped Kala before Ra'mige made an underhanded gesture and a light blue-green orb of light struck Kala in the back.
Kala's eyes crossed before she said in a slurred voice, "Your head is all...like...furry."
"Of course it is," said Ra'mige, not surprised by Kala's response, "Why don't you head on and start looking for a few bandits to fill up your pockets. You can stop by later here for more weapons and tea."
"That's...nice...kill all the raven birdies," said Kala in a drunk voice before turning and staggering off past the amused caravaneers, one saying "This one see's Ra'mige has honed her Illusion spells."
"I have, but I haven't reached the top yet," said Ra'mige, "I could reach the Master level if only I could find out how."
"The College of Winterhold probably has someone who can tell you," said another Khajiit.
"Getting in requires an invitation and my Illusion spells aren't strong enough yet to make them think otherwise."
"Why do you not get a colleague to recommend you?" asked one of the other Khajiit while tending the fire. A flash of light was seen nearby before they all said 'Fireball' in unison.
"The problem with that is I have no colleagues, well, anywhere," said Ra'mige.
"You can always make new colleagues," said the Khajiit, "You just have to be certain that you befriend someone who could get into the College."
"Like that's likely to happen," said Ra'mige dismissively.
"True, this one thinks it will be hard if you hypnotize every rude mage that buys from you and sends them charging into a giant's den or bandit pit," said the fire-tending Khajiit before they heard running footsteps and paused in surprise as a bandit, missing his boots ran by, screaming with his hair on fire.
"Hmm...that one shows potential. I'll be looking forward to her coming for tea," said Ra'mige.
A few minutes and several more spell blast flashes later, Kala staggered back to camp, a mad look on her face and her arms full of bandit gear and some pyromancer robes . "Ok, how much can I get for this?" she asked.
"Hmm...that can get you a new set of armor, a choice sword, and, since the hour is so late and there is no inn nearby, a roof to sleep under tonight," said Ra'mige. The other Khajiit nodded, a couple moving up to make room for her at the fire.
"Nah, I think I could do this looting all night," said Kala before Ra'mige tossed a lesser Calming spell over her head which rained down like glittering powder. Kala yawned before saying, "Then again, all that blasting takes it out of a girl."
The next morning, Kala woke up to find that the caravan had apparently moved on, though they had left a satchel of supplies for her as well as some leather armor and the staff from the bandit mage she'd looted .
"Ok, I think I'm ready to get started. Let's see if the Clairvoyance spell does what it's supposed to do," said Kala. She snapped her fingers and a wispy blue trail appeared on the ground pointing in a certain direction. "Gotcha," she said, stalking along the trail.
Seems Kala hadn't figured out all the details of her new spell. Turns out, she was mostly thinking of hunting for more loot. The Clairvoyance spell led her towards a chest, which was in a bear's cave. The occupants were not happy about her intruding.
"MAGICSUCKSMAGICSUCKSMAGISCSUUUUCKS!" she screamed as she fled at high speed .
When Kala eventually shook the bears, she tried the Clairvoyance spell again, keep the subjects of birds firmly on her mind. However, she was also hoping for something safer, so this time the spell ended up leading her to a chicken's nest.
"Ok...try three," she said evilly, the spell sadly homing in accordingly. Unfortunately for the nest of vampires, Kala's patience had ended by that point.
"Ok, well, at least I got to blast some undead," said Kala, "But I'm still nowhere close to finding out what or where those ravens are."
She stomped round the corner...and paused. Ahead was what looked like a small hamlet...or what had been a hamlet. She could already tell something was wrong on account that the roofs of the houses looked torn apart. At the end though, the bodies...or parts of bodies in the street were a definite clue. "Oh...oh…" managed Kala, walking slowly through the ruins.
The bodies she found were savaged almost beyond recognition. There were plenty of bodies that had been pecked into a bloody pulp, but there were also bodies marked with claws and torn into several pieces. "These ravens are getting too bold, too strong," said Kala with worry.
"You're right," said a voice behind her, causing her to jump and spin to see a figure in black plate armor
The man seemed to be human, though his skin had an almost unnatural pallor that contrasted greatly with his ebony hair.
"Who are you?" snapped Kala, immediately mistrusting the person .
"I am Sir Corvin, a wandering knight," said the man, "I have been seeking a place where great deeds could be done. Seems my search is near its end."
"You saw what happened here?" asked Kala, backing up a little .
"I only saw a great murder of ravens flying away from here," said Sir Corvin, "They had already flown away by the time I reached this place."
Kala looked down to see a sight that made her frown...a discarded teddy bear. "Which...direction did they go?" she said in a cold voice .
"Up towards the mountains," said Sir Corvin, pointing, "They probably have a nest high up at the peak."
"Good, people will see the fires more clearly," snapped Kala .
"Perhaps you could use a hand. These creatures seem to be quite vicious," said Sir Corvin.
Kala opened her mouth to reject it immediately before she realized she was by herself...and despite everything, Matt's advice of not rushing in halfcocked applied. "Sure..." she said .
"Excellent," said Sir Corvin, "I hope you have some experience with dealing with flyers."
"You could say that," said Kala with some personal amusement .
"Well, we better not wait long. I'd rather not be caught on the mountainside after dark," said Sir Corvin.
The trip up the mountain was, to kala, quite awkward. Corvin didn't have very much to say. Kala couldn't shake the feeling something was up with Corvin. Her first instinct said 'vampire', but vampires couldn't walk around in broad daylight, right?
"You don't talk much, do you." she said calmly, looking around .
"I spend much time by myself. I am not in the habit of communing beyond what is necessary," said Sir Corvin.
"Well...where do you come from? Why are you following these monsters?" said Kala a little annoyed .
"I come from a pleasant little town called Raven's Rock, which is quite far from here," said Sir Corvin, "I follow these creatures because they intrigue me. I want to find out more about them."
"They viciously murdered that town. All that needs learning about them is how to kill them," snapped Kala .
"Considering how vicious these creatures are, leaning how to kill them would be an excellent challenge," said Sir Corvin.
"I set them on fire and they'll drop like everything else," said Kala smugly .
"Have you actually used fire on them?" asked Sir Corvin, sounding smug.
"I killed one with an Ice Spike," said Kala with a grin .
"Fighting with ice and fighting with fire are two opposite things," said Sir Corvin dismissively.
"Fine, I'll freeze em instead!" snapped Kala as they walked onwards before an animalistic howl was heard. "Is that them?" asked Kala.
"No, that's a troll's roar," said Sir Corvin.
"What?" said Kala in confusion before a rock clonked her on the side of the head, several trolls jumping up and down and hooting like reptilian apes .
"Looks like we'll have to take care of this nuisance," said Sir Corvin as he drew a war axe.
Kala got up again at that. "Not a chance...I can deal with-" she began before another rock hit her in the face, the trolls apparently finding it very amusing .
Kala staggered a bit, nearly falling off the mountain path. Sir Corvin grabbed her hand and said, "Stay down until you've recovered."
"I said...I'm fi-" began Kala before one much larger rock squished her. "Ok...I softened them up," she rasped .
Sir Corvin shook his head and said, "Quite disappointing. I was hoping to see more of a spark from her."
The trolls, having the average IQ of rice pudding, didn't care about this, choosing instead to lunge at Corvin . The black knight's war axe sliced deeply into the trolls' flesh, the beasts soon falling to his blows.
After a few minutes, the trolls were either dead or fleeing. Corvin turned to the rock. "Such a shame. Saved me so-" began before the rock moved slowly aside, a dizzy-looking Kala standing up.
"Tis but a scratch, milord," she said dizzily .
"You have endurance, if not speed," remarked Sir Corvin.
"The weasels sing Portuguese," gibbered Kala, her eyes looking in different directions .
"It seems your head has ample room to be filled," said Sir Corvin.
"That will be 5 coconuts, doctor," gibbered Kala .
Corvin sighed before lightly pushing Kala. Not surprisingly, she fell over unconscious. Just then, a raven flew down and landed on his shoulder before cawing. "Can you try to talk more civilly?" asked Corvin.
The raven gave him an annoyed look before jumping down onto the ground. Shadows obscured it as it grew in size and shape. When the shadows parted, a woman with a similar appearance to Sir Corvin was standing there. "You should just kill her now and be done with it," she said.
"She was crushed by half a ton of rock. Somehow I think she is harder to kill then she seems. It will be more interesting to see if we can drive her to create some food for us," said Sir Corvin calmly.
"We're more than capable of feeding ourselves," said the woman.
"Yes, but we draw too much attention. Entire farms and hamlets being emptied at night does not go unnoticed," said Sir Corvin, "Not when it's being done by a murder of ravens. And how long before you leave a survivor and the Imperial Legion is sent in? Or the mages?"
"We grow swiftly in power. There were plenty of children at that last hamlet to feast on," said the woman.
"That is worse. Antagonizing the other races is why there are so few of us now," snapped Corvin, a black energy pinning the woman to a tree.
"Antagonizing the other races were why our kind were created. We do the work of our goddess but what protection does she give us?" snapped the woman.
"She gives no protection to anyone," snapped Corvin, before adding, "Now...if she becomes trouble I will deal with her. Move the others before we get there." The woman gave him an annoyed look before turning back into a raven and flying off.
Kala groaned at that, coming too to see Corvin. "Did we win?" she groaned.
"We certainly did," said Corvin in a cheerful as he clapped Kala on the back. He soon winced in pain. The girl's back muscles were harder than they look. 'Is she some kind of daedra?' he thought before slowly drawing a dagger. 'Still...no reason to take risks,' he thought before stabbing her, the iron blade snapping and just leaving a small mark which Kala scratched, muttering about mosquitoes.
Corvin looked at his snapped blade with surprise and said, "Are you trained with Heavy Armor?"
"Not really. Why do you...aw, your dagger broke. You need a better supplier," Kala said, turning and seeing the broke weapon .
"Yes, well, it wasn't worth much anyways," said Corvin.
The duo's trip was quite eventful for Kala. It seemed various things tried to crush or otherwise destroy her. Luckily, to her happy finding, her experiment resilience, at least for the moment, was still active. Though there was a lingering concern about how long until she had acclimated fully to the reality field. High Elves looked easier to squish than some of the other races she's seen.
Corvin also seemed for some reason to seem angrier every time she survived each accident . Kala still hadn't gotten the idea that Corvin might be a vampire. Maybe he was one of those daywalker things she heard about. But there were a couple of way she could be sure.
She had a few ingredients for cooking, including one she knew would reveal the truth. To that end, she was cooking a broth for the two now they had stopped for the night .
"You needn't make anything for me. I tend to...fast during my quests," said Corvin.
"Nonsense," said Kala happily, pouring some into a bowl and passing it over. "Unless you have something to hide. Pointy teeth maybe?" she said sweetly.
Corvin gave her an odd look before taste the stew. His eyes popped open and he dropped the bowl to grab at his throat, making horrible gagging sounds.
"Hah! I knew it! Where's that stake?" snapped Kala triumphantly before pausing, sniffing the broth and taking a sip...
"Ok...I'm never cooking again," moaned Kala as the two walked up the path .
"I've eaten carrion that was tastier than that," said Corvin before wincing.
"It wasn't that bad," said Kala before covering her mouth and running into the bushes again . Corvin sighed. It's a good thing that girl had took him figuratively than literally.
She staggered back at that, before growling, "We must be almost there."
"I should hope so," said Corvin.
The apparent camp came into view at that, a large cave with what looked like a campfire in front of it. "Ok, it's daylight, which means they ought to be weak, right?" asked Kala.
"No, I wouldn't say so. We must show caution," said Corvin .
"Right," said Kala as she drew her sword.
The two headed into the cave, Kala wincing as she stepped on something that crackled. She looked down to see a couple of bones on the cave floor. More than a couple and not all of them were animals'. "Oh good lord," she moaned, walking onwards .
"Yes, voracious, aren't they?" commented Corvin.
"Yes, I...wait, how would you know?" said Kala, pausing at that .
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" asked Corvin, "You think they just picked up all these bones to decorate their cave with?"
"I suppose you have a point," said Kala.
"Let's hurry. We don't want to spoil the surprise," said Corvin.
"Surprise?" said Kala, looking back at him .
"Our surprise attack, of course," said Corvin. Kala span at that as several men and women walked out of the shadows, one holding a crossbow .
"I knew it! I knew there was something wrong about you!" snapped Kala.
"I suppose. Then again, I knew the Thalmor had hired trackers to find out where we lived. I never thought they'd hire such a trusting fool," sneered Corvin .
"Like I knew I was volunteering to go sniff out a coven of vampires," said Kala.
"Vampires? Is that what you think we are?" asked one of the men mockingly.
"Well...he hates garlic," snapped Kala, pointing at Corvin who said "No, I just hate your cooking. Ever consider a career in poisoning?"
"I don't do a lot of cooking, alright? So, what are you then if you're not vampires?" asked Kala.
Corvin smirked and said, "Tremble in fear mortal, for you stand among the Valravns."
Kala just gave him a confused look and asked, "The what?"
"The Valravns, the Wings of Decay, the Corpse-Swallowers, Namira's Hounds," said Corvin with growing frustration at Kala's lack of reaction, "Surely you've heard of a Valravn."
"I told you we were becoming too obscure," said one of the women.
"Never heard of you," admitted Kala, before readying an ice spell .
However, a crossbow colt went into the back of her hand before she could fire. "See? I told you we should have killed her," snapped one of the women.
"Why? Live prey is so much more fun," sneered Corvin .
"I call dibs on her heart," said one of the men only for Corvin to make an angry corvine squawk at him. "We save the hearts for those who need them," said Corvin sternly.
"Fine..." snapped the man who had wanted the heart, his hands turning into avian talons. "I still want part of her," he sneered...before a lightning bolt hit him and reduced him to dust.
Kala turned to see several of the elves from before charging into the cave. Several of the men and women let out squawks before they started changing shapes. They didn't simply turned into ravens, but creatures that looked like someone had made a griffin but used raven and wolf parts instead of eagle and lion parts.
"Destroy these abominations!" snapped the leader, the Ancano guy from earlier, casting another bolt of lightning at them .
The Valravns took to the air, squawking and snarling with rage. Some of them swooped down upon the elves and some of them got lucky gory strikes. However, the cave meant that they could not get too high, making the easy targets for arrows and destruction spells . The Valravn soon swooped down and started carving a way through the elves. Several were badly wounded, some fatally. But plenty were able to make to the mouth of the cave and fly off.
Ancano looked around to see Kala holding her injured hand. "Well, it seems you are a good tracker after all," he said, waving to one of his men to get a red potion out .
"Well, it took a while and a couple of dead ends, but I did find those...whatever they were," said Kala.
"Valravns...daedric servants," said Ancano coldly as Kala drunk the potion...just as the soldier pulled the bolt out .
Kala winced before the wound healed up. "I'm guessing they're pretty rare," said Kala.
"Indeed, thank to us and the empire. They feed off the war dead. They first appeared during the Great War. Since then we have been busy dealing with them. I was supposed to be in Winterhold..." snapped Ancano .
"Well, they're taken care of now, right?" asked Kala.
"Hardly. We've eliminated several of the Sated Valravns, but there are many Unfed that probably are still around," said Ancano.
"Sated and Unfed?" asked Kala.
"Valravns are not able to take on human form so simply. A Valravn has to consume a human heart, preferably a child's, before able to so much as fly by daylight, let alone change forms."
"So how do we stop them?" said Kala.
Ancano looking surprised, "And why do you think you can help?"
"Because those birds nearly made supper out of me and I owe them some payback," said Kala.
"Plenty would choose to avoid those creatures for that reason," said Ancano thoughtfully, "You have a sturdy spine, there's no doubt about that."
"I saw what these things did to that hamlet at the bottom of the hill. I'm going to help put them down," snapped Kala .
"Indeed. Your bravery is commendable, but your skill might not be able to keep up with it. The Valravn here were struck down because the Thalmor are well-trained. You would need a special weapon to keep up with them," said Ancano.
"Then give me one, cause I am going to burn them with or without you," snapped Kala .
"I doubt you could fight them even if you had Ravensbane," said a Thalmor soldier.
"What's Ravensbane?" demanded Kala.
"A legendary staff, said to have been crafted specifically to fight Valravns," said Ancano, "No one has seen it in years, but it is rumored to be in Skyrim."
"We just need to roast them," snapped Kala before another golden armored elf ran in. "Lord Ancano, the Valravns have been sighted, a farm to the east."
"We must move swiftly," said Ancano, "Those vermin will be desperate to make more Sated."
Corvin looked around as his brethren tore the small farm apart. "Pah...hardly enough to make half a Sated," he said in an annoyed tone, walking through the fields before seeing a scarecrow .
Corvin gave an instinctive jump backwards before reprimanding himself. He was no simple bird that be scared off by a manikin. He walked forward, intending to smash it before grabbing the support stick and squawking in pain as a sizzle was heard .
Corvin stared at the scarecrow and said, "It can't be." Perhaps it was merely the wind doing it, but the scarecrow's head slowly turned around to face Corvin.
"The staff was destroyed. It's impossible!" he snapped, readying a spike made of darkness to smash the scarecrow . The wind seemed to blow again to spin the scarecrow all the way to face Corvin. Corvin couldn't explain, but a paralyzing fear soon gripped him.
A voice echoed, "Namira has abandoned you, abomination."
Corvin gave a squawk and said, "You know nothing, scarecrow."
"I know enough. I know if you touch this staff, you will be sent to Oblivion," said the scarecrow .
"I need not touch you to destroy. You're only wood and wood burns," snapped Corvin.
"This staff only resembles wood," laughed the voice .
Corvin responded by blasting the scarecrow with flame. However, even the old rags it was wearing refused to catch fire.
"Your executioner comes. Make your peace with your daedric master," laughed the voice before vanishing.
"I see a dozen of them...3 inside the house...I think they have crossbows," said a Thalmor soldier calmly, surveying the area below. Ancano and his men, with Kala in tow had arrived too late to save anyone but it seemed Corvin and his pals had chosen to use the remote farm as a temporary roost for the day .
"What is it with these overgrown crows and farms?" asked Kala.
"They're remote enough that they are able to feast without taking more than they can handle," said Ancano, "But the way they've been growing, they'll be able to move on to small towns before long."
"Oh lord, we have to stop them here," said Kala grimly .
"Agreed. Those Valravn are not going to give up without a fight though," said Ancano.
"We can catch them in a hail of arrows and Atronachs," said a soldier calmly, "They won't know what hit them."
"I don't know, won't they be expecting that?" asked Kala.
"They expected it the last time, corporal," said Ancano grimly .
"The only way to take these things down is to hit them fast and hard," said the corporal.
"Your predecessor thought the same," said Ancano, before he said, "We approach slowly and silent. Then we hit them with the full power of the Thalmor." Ancano turned to Kala and said, "I assume you're not that skilled with being stealthy."
"You're confusing me with my boyfriend," said Kala sourly.
"We shall see," said Ancano coldly.
Kala carefully picked her way through the field, her clairvoyance spell allowing her to see where the other Thalmor were. But she wasn't completely confident about the upcoming battle. Spearing a bird with an icicle was a lot easier than a raven-wolf monster who'd be more active in attacking her.
She paused beside a scarecrow surrounded by scorched ground in time to see a fireball shoot at the farmhouse. The others had started firing. "They will fail," said a voice suddenly, seemingly in her head
Kala jumped and looked around.
"Who said that?" she demanded.
"The one who can help you send these monsters where they belong," said the voice .
Kala looked around before looking at the scarecrow. "Er, are you the scarecrow?" she asked.
"I speak through it. It houses the one weapon created by me to end these creatures," said the voice .
"You mean Ravensbane?" asked Kala before pausing, "Ravensbane, a scarecrow, that should have been so obvious."
The scarecrow immediately blazed with blue fire, the rags and straw burning away to show a staff with a black gem housed at the tip. "Behold...the Ravensbane. Take it and destroy these daedra in my name."
"Er, what's your name?" asked Kala.
"The mortals know me as Kynareth. Now act in my name...and duck," said the voice, Kala looking surprised before ducking just as a Valravn slashed at her head.
Kala barely dodged it, but another blow knocked it over. The Valravn landed nearby, its raven and wolf legs getting ready for a pounce, but first it took some time to gloat in a familiar voice. "So you found the Ravensbane, it'll avail you little. A staff can't be wielded without hands," said the Valravn with Sir Corvin's voice. Kala tried to grab it only to yelp as Corvin knocked her back. "Ah, ah, ah...we can't have that," he said, a small red cross moving up his chest, Kala looking to see a red dot in the treeline.
"You know, my ex was right: villains talk too much," she said scathingly.
"You're right, why talk when I can feed?" he laughed before a purple bolt hit him in the chest, causing him to literally dissolve into dust.
Kala smirked and said, "Quote the Valravn: nevermore."
She looked back at the treeline to see, to her own unnerving, several more of the red dots, before she took the staff. "Ok, let's see if this thing is as great as the legends say it is," said Kala before firing a ball of light at a Valravn. The Valravn turned in shock, only for the ball of light to burn a clean hole through it. Kala's looked in shock at Ravensbane before saying "I love this stick." in awe .
The Valravns soon noticed Kala and several broke off to attack her from different directions. Two more of the purple bolts shot from the treeline, one of the Valravns reduced to dust while another lost her wing, screaming as she fell Of course, that one still had her legs and she used them to charge at Kala much like a wolf would. Kala yelped and aimed the staff, a beam of light energy shooting out and vaporizing the Valravn .
But Kala forgot to watch her back and one Valravn charged her from behind and knocked her forward, the staff flying out of her hands. "Your heart will taste soooo good," it hissed in a distorted voice before pausing, the Valravn and Kala looking to see a black armored figure, with a teched out helmet that Kala spotted as NSC tech walking towards them.
"I would not do that, beast," it said in a distorted voice .
The Valravn snarled before leaping at the figure. The figure just sidestepped, grabbing the Valravn by the head, a red glow coming out and what looked...like steam coming out the Valravn's mouth and ears...and eyes, a gurgle heard before the figure let go, allowing the luckless monster to crumple, drooling from its mouth .
"Did you just-" started Kala.
"Fried its brain? Yes," answered the figure, "We want at least one live one to study."
"Sir, we should move out before the locals see us properly," said another trooper before the figure said "The last I checked, I was the warden, not you. I'm sure Miss Triseptus can handle a few questions before we leave her."
"How do you know my name?" asked Kala.
"We had you and your team tagged the second your ship entered the sector. This is a quad max penal colony," said the apparent warden as his men dragged the drooling Valravn away .
"We were here to find someone who was put here without trial or cause," said Kala.
"Everyone's here for a reason. I suggest you find your boyfriend and call for evaq. We chose this world cause of its unique aggressive reality field," said the warden calmly .
"He's not my boyfriend!" snapped Kala.
"Doesn't matter. You can leave here or I'll arrest you al for trespassing in a DARKRIFT facility and you will have all the time in the world to stay here," said the warden, the group waking into the treeline, leaving Kala holding Ravensbane .
"I'll leave when I'm good and ready," grumbled Kala. But then she shifted her attention back to the Thalmor.
Ancano walked up at that. "You survived...makes two at least," he said scathingly .
"Well, I did have pretty good skills," said Kala.
"Indeed, I am obviously in need of a new bodyguard. The job is yours, given you have proven your worth," said Ancano coldly .
"What's the pay?" asked Kala.
"50 gold a day, 20 extra if you locate things that will aid our mission," said Ancano calmly .
Kala was pretty sure that was very low pay, but she didn't have money right now. "I'll take it," said Kala.
"Very good. First we will head to the embassy, get you properly kitted out. Then we head for Winterhold. The mages there are researching something of interest to the Dominion and we will claim it as such," said Ancano .
"Yeah, sure," said Kala absently.
"Remember, you serve the Dominion, do not betray us," said Ancano coldly .
"I expect the same from you," said Kala.
Ancano glared at that. "And I am sure we can increase your discipline too."
"I'd like to see that," said Kala with a laugh.
"Oh trust me...you will," said Ancano.
Savos Aren looked at the letter and said, "So, you're one of the Thalmor's most skilled wizards?"
"Yes, I have been sent to act as your new advisor," said Ancano smugly
"And what would we need advice for?" asked Savos.
"The Dominion does not need to explain that," said Ancano loftily .
"Well, I suppose we could keep you here for a while, but there won't be much for you to do up here," said Savos.
"I'm sure I can find something," said Ancano, stepping aside to show a hooded figure in golden armor, "My bodyguard will also need a bunk."
"Very well, I'm sure we have beds to spare," said Savos.
Ancano nodded before waving his new assistant into the college. He'd been right when he said he'd make sure Kala would be a model of loyalty. She'd apparently never bothered to check armor for curses.
There's another chapter and one that's using almost totally original material. In case you were wondering, Valravns are actual mythological creatures, though rather obscure ones. They haven't been used in Elder Scrolls but I thought that since a lot of Skyrim borrows from Scandinavian mythology, they would fit in well here. It made sense to me for them to be connected to Namira considering her sphere of influence includes the gruesome and the foul. Kynareth's opposition to them is due to her being the benevolent deity of the sky and animals.
Now we've seen what Kala had been up to between parting from the group and joining the Thalmor, though the later was hardly voluntary. It may take a while for this chapter to be brought up later in the story, but it will provide some important background later. The next chapter will be back where we left off so keep an eye out for it. Please review.
