An Prolonged Love
Fandom: Elder Scrolls Series (Skyrim with DLCs)
Author: CatandKaraForever
Rating: T
Genres: Romance, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Allea's Point of View:
I woke with my arms tied behind my back, sitting against a tree. I blinked, looking around. My companions were also tied against trees. Aside from small amounts of blood where they'd been struck over the head they looked unharmed.
"You're awake," I heard a woman say, and a moment later she came into my view.
"Who are you? What do you want from us?"
"I apologize for assaulting you and your group," she said, "We wanted to be able to find out your..intentions without the risk of assault."
"Don't you think a civil conversation would have been easier if you hadn't knocked us out and tied us up first?"
She leaned against her staff, her face an emotionless mask.
"What brings you to our land?"
"We're..explorers," I said, "Our expedition bears no soldiers, only adventurers who seek to find new lands. Obviously, we succeeded in that."
"What's your reason for seeking new lands? Greed? Destruction of your own land? What?"
"Curiosity," I offered questioningly, "We assumed there must be more land than just Tamriel out there, well besides Tamriel and the Summerset Isles I mean."
She stared me in the eyes, her gaze piercing my soul.
"Very well," she said, propping her staff against another tree next to her and dropping her hand to her waist where she wore a strange ivory colored dagger.
She pulled out the weapon, and for a moment I stared at her, expecting her to slice my throat.
"Relax," she said as she knelt in front of me, "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to cut you free of these ropes."
I nodded, and she did so. I rubbed my sore wrists, and she turned to Serana and did the same. Serana readied an ice spell as she stood up and I waved at her.
"Serana no. This is all a misunderstanding."
She narrowed her orange eyes and relaxed, releasing the spell without launching the projectile. The others were still unconscious, until they were cut free.
"Relax," I told them as they twitched towards their weapons, "Everything's alright..I think."
"I hope we did not deliver any serious injuries," the staff-wielder said, "Our intent was to incapacitate not injure."
"What was the point of assaulting us? And how'd you take us down so quick?"
"Surprise, mostly," the hooded woman said, "Getting the jump on the cat-man was tricky though."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Calista," the one with the staff said, "Sister Calista of the Order of Isoi."
"Sister Alylyssa of the Order of Isoi," the hooded woman said, hanging her strange weapon on her belt.
"What is that thing?"
"What?"
"Your weapon," I said, pointing at Alylyssa's waist.
"Oh, right."
She took it off her belt.
"It's called a nunchaku," she said, letting me get a good look at it.
It was two rods of the same ivory colored material as the dagger, joined by a metal chain.
"A nunchaku?"
"Aye, it's a very old weapon, at least the nunchaku in general is mine's fairly new only 5 years old," she said with a small laugh.
I chuckled, but then a shadow pulsed by. I glanced up quickly, to see nothing. I assumed it was a large bird or fast moving airborne animal, until Alylyssa gripped her weapon tighter.
"What?"
"There was something...wrong about that shadow," Calista said, "Keep your eyes open people."
I nodded, my hand dropping to the hilt of my blade. Calista readied her staff, looking up quickly. I followed her gaze, just in time to see a line of black energy dart into the sky. Another shadow pulsed through the sky.
"Isoi protect us," Calista muttered, her face going white as she clenched her staff tighter, "Not again… The shadowmen!"
"Shadowmen?"
"Come on, no time to explain we have to get back to our temple," Alylyssa said, gripping her nunchaku tight and taking off running down the road. Calista sprinted off in pursuit.
"I guess we should follow them?"
I slid to a stop, as I took in the scene in front of me. Calista and Alylyssa were locked in battle with several shadowy figures at once. Shadows seemed to pour off the figures' flesh as they fought. I ripped my sword free of its scabbard, summoning a ball of flame.
"WUULD NAH KEST," I Shouted, the Thu'um carrying me forward.
I caught one of the shadow-figures by surprise, my blade slicing through its throat. I expected it to fall away, but it just hissed at me and pressed forward, bringing its own blade, which appeared to be black steel with shadows coming off the blade, forward. My blade rang loudly off the shadowy weapon, and I kicked it in the knee. A blast of white flame surged forward, burning the shadow away.
"Your blades are useless," Alylyssa called to me, "The shadows are only vulnerable to silver weapons and magic!"
Alylyssa smashed a shadowman's skull with a single heavy blow from her nunchaku, and Calista summoned a wall of white flame between herself and her foe. She pulled back, gripping her staff tightly as the wall of flame collapsed. She sent a large bolt of white flame into the shadowman's chest and it fell backwards, a gaping hole in its chest.
"YOL TOOR SHUUL," I Shouted, my fire breath dissolving one of the shadows.
I felt a cold burning and a sharp pain in my back, and I turned, grimacing. A shadow warrior had slipped up behind me and drove its blade through my back. I ripped the blade free, passing out.
