Part 4 here, with a nice combat scene. I do love writing combat scenes, and I think I'm much better at it than I am at writing sex scenes.
anyway, enjoy, and please review.
Kaiden opened his eyes slowly. The room was entirely dark, the single candle on the table having burnt out hours ago. Kaiden looked down at Miris, she had refused to leave him that night, sleeping on that concrete slab with Kaiden, cradled in his arms. Kaiden looked at her and smiled. Miris looked so peaceful in her sleep, so innocent, like all those years ago. Kaiden sighed, the night before had been hard, when Miris found out what Kaiden had done, she felt betrayed, she held him tight and cried, and Kaiden had spent the next few hours comforting her.
Kaiden sighed again, and moved to rise from his bed. He felt Miris' arms tighten around him.
"No. Don't leave brother."
Miris looked up at Kaiden with wide red eyes.
"I'm just getting some water."
Kaiden rose and walked to the table, pouring some water from a pitcher. Miris slowly rose from the concrete slab and stood up... before collapsing and letting out a cry of pain. Kaiden ran over to Miris and knelt down in front of her.
"Miris... what was it?"
"My... back."
"Your back?"
Miris smiled, "Why can't you sleep on a normal bed brother?"
Kaiden stared at Miris with a blank expression of his face, until she started giggling, then he smiled and shook his head.
Kaiden and Miris moved through the abandoned house, and out onto the dark street. They passed only a few feet away from a guard, who didn't even notice their presence. Up to the city walls they went, and over them, expertly finding misaligned stones to use as handholds. Kaiden and Miris moved to the edge of the forest and stopped.
"I guess we part was here." Stated Kaiden, sounding somewhat disappointed.
Miris stepped forward and hugged him, "I wish you could come with me, but the speaker insists this be a solo mission."
"A contract in the imperial city, I do envy you sister, it's rare I find myself behind those walls."
"Maybe I'll bring you back a souvenir."
Kaiden smiled, Miris hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'll be back in two nights time, goodbye brother."
With that, Miris moved off through the woods, towards the imperial city. Once Kaiden could no longer see or hear her, he looked up to the stars. It was another warm night, and for several minutes Kaiden just stood there, staring at the heavens. He seemed serene, though his mind was a mess. Despite his confrontation with Miris, he could not stop thinking about Alria. She was beautiful, there was no doubting it, but that alone couldn't cause this immense attraction... could it?
Kaiden had always thought he was in control of his emotions, but he couldn't stop thinking about Alria, and whenever he did think of her, his toes tingled, his stomach seemed full of butterflies and he began mindlessly fiddling with his fingers.
"What is it?" Kaiden asked to no one in particular, "I have Miris, I have the brotherhood, I have everything I want, so why do I want her?"
'Perhaps I want to be human?' came the reply, from Kaiden's own consciousness.
Kaiden looked down to his hands, inspecting the pale skin, then clenched his hands into fists.
"Being with her wouldn't make me human anyway." he said to himself, trying to reassure himself.
Kaiden sighed and began walking slowly through the woods. He would go for a walk before returning to the sanctuary, maybe it would help clear his mind.
Kaiden walked on for almost an hour, until he spotted a light in the distance, a camp fire it seemed. Kaiden moved up quickly but cautiously, eager to inspect the camp, and hopefully have a fresh meal of blood before returning home. He came as close as he dared to the edge of the camp and then crouched there in the foliage, watching.
An imperial man in leather armour, with an axe hanging from his belt, kneeled close to the fire, warming his hands before throwing a log onto the camp fire. He turned to face a Nord who was sitting on a small crate, looking through the contents of a bag. The Nord was outfitted with rusted steel armour, and a huge two handed axe sat by his side. Near the fire two tents were set up, and infront of the tents was a pile of blankets it seemed, except they seemed to be moving around. There was someone under those blankets.
Kaiden smiled and gripped his sheathed dagger. Bandits, no one would miss them. An easy meal, and perhaps a few gold pieces to be gained. Kaiden slowly circled around the camp, manoeuvring himself so he was behind the Nord. He was about to attack, when the imperial rose and dusted off his hands.
"What did we get?" Asked the Imperial.
"Cheap jewellery, and a few gold pieces, not enough."
The Imperial rose and moved to the pile of blankets. "Well I think you're forgetting our other loot, it should be well worthwhile."
The imperial grinned and threw a blanket aside. There was someone under that blanket, a woman, tied and gagged. She looked imperial, though with somewhat elvish features, and long blonde hair.
Kaiden suddenly froze, "Alria." He whispered to himself.
The imperial lowered himself to the ground over Alria and began unbuckling his armour. Alria squirmed and tried to move away, but the imperial man had her pinned.
"No need to be afraid sweetie, I promise I'll be gentle." He said in a smooth tone, before violently ripping off her dress. "well you certainly are well endowed ma'am."
The Nord chuckled softly, as a shadow darted past him towards the Imperial. Kaiden Kicked the Imperial man in the back of the head, as hard as he could, sending the man sprawling and rolling away from Alria. The huge Nord shouted and picked up his great axe, charging towards Kaiden. He swung his enormous weapon horizontally, Kaiden deftly rolled under the attack and drew his dagger, swiping at the Nord, but his weapons was turned away by the man's armor. The imperial man began to recover and got to his feet, pulling up his trousers at the same time.
"You've walked into the wrong camp!"
The man took up his hand axe and swiped at Kaiden. Kaiden spun to face the man and leaned back, the axe missing his chest by an inch. The Nord, now behind him, attacked with a strong overhead chop which Kaiden easily sidestepped. The Imperial came in with a horizontal swipe, Kaiden ducked under it and countered by kicking the man hard in the groin. The Imperial doubled over, crying in pain, a cry that was cut short as Kaiden stepped forward and drove his dagger into the man's spine.
"You'll die for that!" Shouted the Nord.
The Huge man ripped his axe from the ground and swung it horizontally, Kaiden rolled under it once again, but the Nord kept swinging in a full circle, a move Kaiden hadn't expected. The axe came in again, and Kaiden stepped back just in time to avoid being cut in half, though the axe had still scored a hit, leaving a gash across Kaiden's abdomen. Kaiden tried to bear through the pain, and pulled out a second dagger, holding both daggers out to his side. The Nord stopped his enormous axe and stared at Kaiden.
"I'll give you one more chance to walk away, before I finish ya!" Said the Nord.
Kaiden smiled, "I'll give you the same offer."
The Nord roared and came in at Kaiden, swinging his axe from right to left. Kaiden knew he couldn't dodge under it again, the pain in his stomach was too great, and the Nord would be expecting it, but there was one thing he WOULDN'T expect.
Kaiden charged toward the Nord, letting out a roar of his own, and then leaped at him, bending his knees and lifting his legs as high as he could, the Nord's axe swung uselessly beneath Kaiden, as Kaiden came down on the man and drove both his Daggers into the base of the Nord's unprotected neck. The man lost his grip on the axe, which went flying away, he gasped for air for a moment and looked at Kaiden incredulously, before falling to the ground.
Kaiden Removed his dagger's from the man's neck, and wiped them clean. Suddenly he became acutely aware of the pain in his gut and groaned. The wound was deeper than he had originally thought, and the pain was beginning to overwhelm him. Kaiden stumbled over to Alria and fell to his knees beside her. Alria watched him without movement, as he took his dagger and cut the ropes that bound her hands, before he collapsed in a heap beside her.
Alria remained still for several moments, before having the courage to move her hand towards the vampire, slowly, expecting at any moment that the thing might rise and bite her. She moved her hand slowly towards Kaiden, and wrapped her fingers around his dagger. She cut her ropes and slowly sat up, staring at Kaiden.
"What were you thinking?" She said to him, not expecting a reply from the unconscious, possibly dead, vampire, "Were you trying to save me? Or did you just want me for yourself."
Alria recalled two nights before, when she had first met this man, this vampire. They fell asleep together, and he awoke before her. If he wanted to kill her, to drain her blood or... Alria gulped... to have his way with her, he had the perfect chance. But he didn't take it.
"What were you thinking?" She said again.
