An Prolonged Love
Fandom: Elder Scrolls Series (Skyrim with DLCs)
Author: CatandKaraForever
Rating: T
Genres: Romance, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Serana's Point of View:
A heavy fog swirled around the Antares, the drops of water stinging against my face. In the distance, I thought I saw another ship, but in the midnight moonlight couldn't be sure. I narrowed my eyes, focusing in on what appeared to be a silhouette of a ship. I was right.
"Ship ahoy," I shouted, "Off starboard bow!"
I picked up the spyglass that was resting on the table next to me, using it to further enhance my view of the ship. There were figures moving around on deck, and I stared at them. There was something unusual about their movement, but before I could put my finger on it the ship vanished into thin air.
"What in Oblivion?"
"The ship vanished," Allea said, a confused tone in her voice.
"Ship on our port side," Melodia shouted, and I turned to face that way.
The ship was visibly ancient, the sails torn and scorched in places. Cobwebs coated the sides, and there were small holes in the hull. The figures were elven, as I could tell by their armor, though it was ancient and rusted, with gashes in some places. A plank dropped from the other ship, forming a bridge over to ours. The elves drew their sabers, charging at us.
"Look out!"
"Get the cartographers inside," Allea ordered, and Vilja nodded, guiding them into the cabin.
"We're under attack!"
I lunged at one of them, driving him back with a heavy barrage of strikes, which he deflected with ease as he retreated. When he stepped into the moonlight his face changed, decaying into a bare skull with strips of rotten flesh hanging off. I shivered in disgust, and he stabbed at me. I stepped aside from the blow, kicking the strange elf in the knee.
"These elves aren't alive," I said with a burst of realization with their condition, "They're some kind of undead!"
Melodia decapitated one, but it just kept coming at her. She slashed a deep ugly gash out of its chest, lunging in and stabbing it. It snarled, pulling the blade out of its chest. This particular one was still in the shadows and looked normal aside from the armor. She slashed it in two with a heavy stroke from her blade, and it turned to ash for a moment before reappearing intact on its ship. Another one leapt through the air, lunging at me. It brought its heavy broadsword down in a two handed chop which sent me staggering back. I dropped my weapon, and the elf-thing smashed me over the head with the flat of the blade. I fell to the ground, crawling backwards and towards the nearest improvised weapon I could see, a lit lantern. I climbed to my feet, grabbing the lantern and tossing it at the elf as it gave chase. The creature burst into flames, and then turned to ash.
"Fire is effective," I hissed, "Light them on fire!"
A blast of flame seared past me, lighting one of the elves on fire. I snatched up my fallen sword, picking up a torch out of the holder. I swung it around, just as one of the monstrous elves lunged at me, and the torch caught it in the side of its face. It let out a sharp cry of pain, before I smashed the pommel of my weapon into its skull, and there was a heavy crack as it split its skull. Another blast of flame burned this one to ash, and I grinned. Melodia brought her shield up, blocking a heavy war axe blow. She muttered the command word, trapping the creature's axe.
"Be wary of their weapons," Allea called, "I can sense an...enchantment on these blades and can't tell what it does."
Melodia stabbed her blade through her foe's stomach, and then ripped it free. She drew back a breath, and when she released it it was with a blast of orange and red energy that burned her foe to ash. I glanced back at the enemy ship, to see the elf not reappear.
"YOL TOOR SHUUL," Allea Shouted, sending forth an enormous blast of flame that formed a wall of flame near the bridge on the other ship, cutting off the elves from retreating.
Inigo drove his foe back with several hammering blows, but it was me that slew the creature, casting a fireball that blew its skeleton to bits. The last of the strange creatures fell as Allea blasted it apart with a fireball.
"Let's check the other ship," I said, "Make sure that was the last."
She nodded.
"You stay here," she said, gesturing to our friends, "We should be able to take down a couple of these things ourselves if it comes to it. Make sure none come up from the depths or anything."
They nodded and we pressed across onto the other ship.
"Somebody help me!"
I followed the noise, finding that though there were no more elves, there was a prisoner. I sliced his chains.
"You alright? What happened?"
"Thank Talos," he said, "Thought they were gonna turn me."
"What? Turn you?"
"Aye," he said, "The sea ghouls, they..slaughter ship crews, leave the captain alive and then they turn the captain into one of their own by transferring their saliva into the bloodstream."
I nodded.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Sigaeir Salty-Sage," he said, "I'm from Skyrim, an old exploration mission three years ago that met with disaster, we were slain by these monsters and they wanted to turn me."
"Why didn't they turn you yet?"
"I...do not know," Sigaeir admitted reluctantly, "I mean...I did have an amulet on me and it broke."
"Was the amulet enchanted?"
He shook his head.
"It was silver but no."
"Perhaps..Perhaps the silver protected you?"
"Maybe," he said.
