It wasn't long after Alduin awoke that Hardvak's hearing picked up several pairs of feet trudging through the snow outside the shack.
"You get a lot of visitors?" Hardvak asked.
"Why do you care?" Alduin growled back, not tensing up in the slightest as the sound of feet through snow became more obvious.
"Bastard!" Something large and heavy plowed into the door, knocking it off its hinges and sending it flying into the shack. Just barely missing the duo inside. Hardvak's gaze bounded from the door, back to Alduin, and then finally to the intruders who began filling the shack.
The first through, the obvious leader, was a tall beast of a man with heavy scars littering his hairless face. In his hands a large steel war hammer that was more than likely the culprit of the collapsed door. Flanking him were a pair of dagger-wielding Elven women with matching dark hair and sea blue eyes, and a trio of blonde, muscular men who looked so alike they could've been brothers. All of them wore shoddy armor that had seen better days and carried old, dull, and generally ill-cared for weapons. Coupled with the aura of confidence that filled the room when they entered as if they were somehow intimidating, and Hardvak was well on his way to not like these people.
"You've got some serious balls. Thinking you could get away stealing from me!" He sneered at the sight of a tied up Alduin before realizing that he couldn't have done that to himself...and that he wasn't alone. The man's gaze slithered over the other occupant in the room and one side of his mouth curled up in an ugly grin."Well damn. Good on ya old-timer. Saved me the trouble."
Hardvak's sigh filled the room. It always had to be something, didn't it? Of course, Alduin couldn't have just been up here out of sight and out of mind. "What did he do to piss you guys off?" The Nord asked rubbing his eyes.
"Bastard's taken something that's not his. Profits have been going down for Andraste knows how long, And then this monster has the balls to actually go and steal from us!" He ended with a glare towards the scaled one.
"Profits…Ah," Hardvak said with a short nod. He glanced around the room again. A total of six of them. "And just how much profit do you usually get?"
"A passing caravan. A family who gets lost in the mountains. The usual stuff." The leader replied.
Wow. Hardvak had to respect the man's honesty. He wasn't even trying to hide who he was or what he did. There was something admirable in that way of thinking. Of course, it was probably buried so low it would never see the light of day.
"Boss. Do you really think we should just…" One of the Elves started noticing Hardvak's eyes dart around them. She at least was smart enough to sense that he wasn't what he seemed. He made a note to keep her alive. Maybe the other elf too since they stood beside each other.
"Quiet Kara. It's not like this old bastard's going to tell anyone anyway." The leader interrupted with a yell before tensing up. As he lifted his war hammer over his head, Hardvak's hand shot to his sword hilt. With a roar, the man's hammer crashed into the ground right where Hardvak should've been standing. Before he could figure out that the old man had nimbly sidestepped his attack, he felt a searing pain explode from his chest that only intensified with each millisecond. He looked down to see a sharp Skyrim style steel sword impaired through both his armor and the skin it was supposed to protect.
"Havin' me tell is the least of your worries" Hardvak replied with a low growl as the man's sight darkened. Hardvak hated bandits, always had. Dishonorable bastards and bitches, preying like wolves on those too weak to defend themselves. He drew his blade back out from the man's chest with a quick jerk sending a geyser of blood from hulking man spraying to the floor before collapsing. Sword in hand, Hardvak's cold gaze then went to the others who all went pale with fear as they tried to comprehend what just happened. "Now then, how about we talk about those profits."
Hardvak's eyes shot back to Alduin who couldn't hide a small grin as blood began to spill out all over his home. His eyes lighting up at the red and barring his teeth and licking his lips. It looked like he'd never really forgotten the enjoyment of watching mortals kill each other. It must've been just as entertaining here as it was back in Tamriel.
Pulling himself back to the fight, one of the elves yelled, slashing at him with their daggers too excited to really do any damage, looking rather clumsy instead. Hardvak shifted his weight out of the way of the woman's knives before slamming his fist into one's exposed face knocking her through the air and into the wall of the house with so much force it's a wonder she didn't spill out to the outside. The other didn't fare much better, twisting around to try and attack him from behind only to gasp as the air left her body and she too was smashed into the side of the wall via a strong kick to the chest. Out cold sure, but not fatal. That took care of those two.
Next came the trio of blondes. One raised his ax just as a quick slash of steel across his throat stopped that planned attack. The bandit fell to the ground his ax slipping from his fingers and into Hardvak's. With two weapons now, Hardvak raised them just in time to knock away the attacking swords of two other bandits who truly began to realize their predicament as frantic looks of horror grew along on faces. Hardvak let out a war cry plunging his sword through one's eye killing him instantly before head-butting the other. The only one left groaned and backed up covering his face as a stream of blood started leaking through his fingers. Hardvak pulled back his sword from the body of the dead bandit who collapsed to the ground with a thud as the one he had headbutted collected himself.
Now, the last one standing, the bandit looked to his fallen comrades and didn't even take the time to think his next actions through as he charged head-on into Hardvak's attack space. He leaned down and pulled a sword up off from the ground and thrust it toward Hardvak's chest. With a smirk, Hardvak dropped the ax and sheathed his sword, beckoning him forward. With one last yell, the man rammed his sword with all his might into Hardvak's breastplate. The strike never made it, however, and the man went wide-eyed as he stared shocked as the blade of his sword sat clasped between Hardvak's toughened palms. Hardvak's smirk grew to a grin at the man's stunned reaction before mouthing an unknowable word to the fool.
"FUS!"
The bastard shot back like he had been launched from a catapult flying right back out where the door used to be and plowing through several feet of snow. Hardvak snickered before picking the ax back up from the ground and raising it over his head to begin aiming. As the man pulled him out of the snow and started to make a run for it. Hardvak's gripped tightened around the hilt of the blade and he squinted to see through the falling snow. As the man started to gain some distance, Hardvak sighed muttering something about getting older before speaking again in Alduin's native tongue.
"WULD!"
The bandit began to laugh, happy he had survived the massacre that his crew had suffered but that laugh was cut short as the man that should've been behind him suddenly appeared in front of him sending the snow around himself and the pair flying into the air in a spectacular showing of speed. The man didn't have any time to react to the Dovahkiin raised his ax. With a single downward thrust of the arm, the last bandit fell to the ground lifeless and the snow around them turned to crimson.
Alduin's cruel laughter could be heard as Hardvak walked back into the shack.
"Enjoy the show?" Hardvak asked the smiling Argonian.
"Immensely," Alduin replied not hiding his smile. "You did go rather easy on them though. I was expecting to see the same warrior that killed me."
"Yeah? Well, he's still in here, so I wouldn't wake him." Hardvak replied tapping his chest before looking around at the bodies."Don't suppose you built a graveyard?"
"I don't exactly need that do I?!" Alduin bit back annoyed at the question.
After rummaging through the carcasses for anything of value, which unsurprisingly there wasn't much save for a few bits of gold here and there that were better left with the living then the dead, Hardvak took the bodies of the former bandits and piled them on top of each other several feet away from Alduin's cabin.
"YOL," Hardvak whispered as a wind of fire swept over the bodies and set them ablaze. He watched the pyre for a minute or so. His breathing slowing as he felt the slight twinge of regret that used to crop after every fatal battle. After decades of warfare, he had thought that feeling had been drowned out with time but meeting Alduin again; as well as all the memories of his younger days that had flooded his memories due to it must've allowed that feeling to crop back up. He couldn't exactly say he enjoyed the feeling but at the same time, he took some comfort in it. Beneath all the killing, magic, shouts, and scars he was still mortal. With that thought, he turned his back to the pyre and walked back to the house of his once long-dead enemy.
Back inside, his eyes drifted to the two newly captured bodies of the eleven women who he had taken the time to knockout rather than kill. One of them seemed like she could actually be of some use considering her hesitation. But he'd get to them in a moment.
" So, Stealing huh?" Hardvak asked over to the Argonian as he walked back inside the house. Alduin scoffed.
"I believe you mortals say it's not stealing if didn't belong to them." He replied.
Hardvak shrugged. "Fine. Want to tell me what the King of the Dovah would steal from some lowly bandits?"
"Not in the slightest!" Alduin growled back. Hardvak chuckled at the defense though inwardly he was growing slightly confused by the Argonian's antics. What did he actually have to get so defensive about? He'd put that to the back of his mind for now. He did still have a mission to complete.
"Well then, we best be off," Hardvak concluded stretching his arms to the sky and taking in a deep breath.
"We?" Alduin tilted his head.
"I told you you're coming with me." The Dovahkiin replied letting loose the breath and grinning.
"You're going to drag me out of my home? Not very heroic of you." Alduin pointed out.
"Somehow, I'm fine with that," Hardvak replied pulling Alduin back onto his feet and getting behind him.
"Where too exactly" Alduin spat back. "The nearest cliff?"
"We'll start with the bandit's hideout," Hardvak said finagling with the Alduin's bound hands.
"That's at the bottom of the mountain pass! I'm not going back down there." Alduin yelled.
"Why not? The World Eater suddenly get bashful?" Hardvak asked picking up a knife that had flown out of the hands from one of the women.
"This is my home! You're not going to make me…." Alduin started
"Go back to Skyrim?" Hardvak finished. Alduin words got caught in his throat as the ropes that bound him fell to the ground. His crimson eyes blinked in confusion as Hardvak walked back in front of him. "Look, I don't want to waste the energy dragging you kicking and screaming from your little shack, and I for damn sure aren't just gonna leave you here unsupervised. So what if I were to, say bring you with me when I go back to Tamriel?"
Alduin's eyes narrowed before asking"Are you saying you'll find a way to…"
"No chance in Oblivion," Hardvak replied swiftly and with finality. "Your lucky I don't kill you so don't push it. But I will bring you with me when I go return. Unless you'd prefer Alduin's estate?" He ended with a laugh.
Alduin looked away with a huff as he considered his options or lack thereof as Hardvak bent down to clean his blade. As if the twenty years here weren't humiliating enough, he was now helpless against the man who caused it. He hated Hardvak more than any mortal ever could and even though being in his very presence disgusted him, he might be able to make this work in his favor. He didn't know how yet, but the possibility was there. A first in his entirety of time spent here. And to top it all off, the sight of the other mortals had told him that this place was no longer safe.
Hardvak looked up just in time to notice Alduin quickly glance over to the door he had come out of last night during the blizzard. "Anything in there you want to bring?"
"Just one." The Argonian sighed as he walked over towards the closed-off room in the shack. He disappeared behind the door for a good moment before appearing once again on the other side, this time with a leather pack strapped to his back.
"Anything interesting?" Hardvak asked.
"Not to you I'm sure," Alduin replied moving past him and out into the snow. When Hardvak didn't join him, he looked back to see him nudging the pair of elves who still sat tied up. His confused look at the Nord was short-lived as he realized that his namesake still held true.
"C' mon. I didn't hit you that hard." Hardvak grumbled kneeling down and giving light smack to each of the elves, trying to bring them back to reality. When one's eyes started to twitch, he stopped. It was the same one who had been concerned before the attack. Kara? Was that it?
"Kara right?" Hardvak asked as the elf groaned trying to open her eyes.
"Boss?" She asked clearly not remembering how the fight went.
"Afraid not," Hardvak replied tapping her on the shoulder to try and speed along her recovery. It worked and she slowly opened her eyes to see Hardvak staring back at her.
"Y-You..."
"Name's Hardvak." The Dragonborn replied with a nod of greeting and a welcoming tone that made it seem like the fight never happened. "And you're Kara, which leaves her..." Kara's eyes followed Hardvak's finger towards the other female elf. Kara bit her lower lip, clearly nervous about the entire predicament. True, they weren't tied up but if her instincts about the man still proved true, they didn't have to be for him to inflict further damage.
"Not that talkative huh?" Hardvak said taking a knee. "Can't say I blame you. The group's gone. Leader's gone. Only you two alive. It doesn't exactly paint a good picture does it?"
Kara's eyes darted over to her friend and then back to him. Just barely keeping her composure, but putting up an admirable fight to the eyes of the seasoned veteran.
"So, what do you think is going to happen next?" Hardvak asked keeping his tone completely blank. Kara's body began to shake and a fearsome rage took over. With a speed that surprised him, her hands shot to the steel sword attached to his hip. A second later he feels the cold steel up against his neck.
"If you think you're going to do anything to her..." Kara started, her voice dripping with a vengeance that he had heard only a few times in his life.
That told him he needed to know. Those two weren't just associates. He felt a small swell of pity for the girl and what her thoughts must've been but at the same time, he didn't like metal being up against his throat.
"ZUN" He whispered. The sword flew from her hands and crashed to the ground safely away from her grasp. Her eyes went almost pure white at the shock and looked down at her hands which now shook from the force it had taken to take the sword from her grasp. Still, doing her best to look defiant he forced herself to look into Hardvak's face trying her best to not show any fear. It didn't quite have the effect she hoped.
Hardvak's laugh echoed all around the shack. "Coming on a little strong there Kara. At least let me buy you a sweet roll first." Hardvak smiled reaching behind her. Her body froze waiting for something that never came. Instead, she felt a firm, friendly pat on the back. "Take care."
"W-What are you doing?" She asked.
"Letting you go." He replied with a grunt as he straightened back up. When did taking a knee to become such a pain? "Take care of your friend." He said tilting his head towards the other elf.
"But...but..." She was so stunned by the action that she could barely move. Hardvak sighed at her confusion.
"Look, I don't like bandits." He said. "Never have, never will. But you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders. And I always try to be a little merciful to those who can benefit from it." He turned his back to her and walked towards Alduin who still waited by the door. "A word of advice though." Hardvak's voice took on an eerie quality as he stopped just outside the shack. His laid back friendly tone swallowed up by one much colder and threatening. " Don't let me catch you doing this shit anymore. My mercy has its limits."
Kara could do little more than stare as a wave of fear unlike she ever felt before swept through the room. Paralyzing her and making it perfectly clear that his advice was to be heeded. And then just like that, it was gone. Vanished, as if it was never really there. He waved back to them, his last gesture to the pair before focusing back on Alduin.
"So, lead the way." He said waving out towards the wilderness. Alduin, who had just looked at the exchange with mild annoyance at Hardvak's mercy started his journey that would hopefully prove to be more fruitful than the past ten years in this wretched realm.
"You forgot your sword." Alduin pointed out.
"Nah. They're gonna need it." Hardvak shrugged. True enough, that particular sword had been forged in the Skyforge itself so anyone else it might've been more valuable than an entire chest of gold. But to him, it was a sword like any other. And he certainly had no shortage of those.
The trip down from the mountains went quickly which was a welcome change of pace from the days previous of just wandering from Frostback to Frostback. And as the stars began to pop into appearance above them, the most unlikely pair in Tamriel history finally came to a decent-sized fort nestled perfectly at the bottom of the mountain and overlooking what looked like a small village surrounded by rolling hills that seemed to spread out in almost every direction.
"Not a bad view," Hardvak said slightly awed by the sight, his look hadn't changed much save for a new almost pure emerald green glass sword strapped to his side.
"You traveled to a realm outside Mundus to take in the views?" Came the reply from Alduin.
"Problem with that?" Hardvak asked not even looking over to his traveling "companion" but taking notes of the wording. Outside all of Mundus? Those Dwemer really were crazy. And how did Alduin know they were outside Mundus? His own knowledge about reality was a little rusty but Mundus was supposed to be all of reality.
Alduin growled in annoyance. "I don't know why I'm surprised. You're just as big of an idiot as you were when we first met."
"From you, I'll take that as a compliment." Hardvak's gaze then turned over to see the fort itself. It's dark grey outer walls stood about twenty feet high and shielded a large stone building behind it though he couldn't make any guesses what it looked like besides matching the walls in color. "So, armed to the teeth with bandits?"
"You took out their leader back at my house." Alduin specified. "But there should still be about twenty of them living there."
"Only twenty?" Hardvak asked surprised. "I'd assumed they at least had fifty down there."
"Shall I go back down and count?" Alduin asked annoyed. "I don't remember exactly how many are there but my point is they don't have for the fort's defenses."
Hardvak looked back to the fort with a glint of disappointment in his eyes. "Damn shame. Could've been fun."
Twenty one drunk, sloppy bandits had called that fort home and by midnight their remains were splattered all around the walls, hallways, and various assortments of furniture that littered the inside of the fort.
"Not a drop of talent between them," Hardvak grumbled sitting down next to a newly lit fireplace nestled in the corner of what had been the leader's room. Surrounding him, three newly headless bodies of the former occupants. Alduin for his part looked like he was having a good time just outside the room as the sound of bodies being dragged across the floor reached Hardvak's ears.
"You burying them?" Hardvak asked.
"No." Alduin scoffed grabbing a pair of feet attached to one of the corpses in the room.
"Burning them?"
"I can't breathe fire anymore... remember?" His irritated voice continued as the dragging of flesh across wood rang through the room.
"How's that work exactly?" Hardvak asked, his confusion about Alduin's predicament rearing its head. "You can still talk so why does your thuum not work?"
"I don't know! You tell me!" Alduin said dropping the feet of the carcass and taking a breath. "YOL!"
Hardvak gazed over him, searching for anything resembling magic from the word. There was nothing. Not even the speck of an ember. Hardvak ran his fingers across his chin. "Wow. You weren't joking"
Alduin didn't waste his energy with a reply, save for a pitiful look of sadness at himself as now deflated former Dovah went back to dragging the remains out of the room before vanishing altogether. Whether it was his incredibly sappy heart, or if that display was genuinely sad. He had to admit he started to feel the tiniest amount of pity for the creature.
His talks with Paarthunax, Odavhing, and Durnevir over the years had always driven home the fact of how it was a dragon's nature to shout with words of power. To have that ability, taken...Well, it must've been soul-destroying.
The Argonian returned some minutes later, his rags freshly soaked in blood. Looking like he had just had another meal, via dead bandit.
"You know, you and Namira would get along," Hardvak grumbled slightly disgusted at the sight.
Alduin's eyes went wide with indignation. "If you're talking about that repulsive, vile, creature then..."
"Prince." Hardvak corrected for him mid-sentence. Alduin's fists shook with annoyance before sitting down with a huff on the cold stone floor.
"Oh get over it." Hardvak chuckled, stepping out of his chair to stoke the newly ablaze fire. "Besides, Namira isn't that bad. Mora's way worse if you ask me."
"Mora?" Alduin's voice rocked with curiosity. A strange tone coming from one who was once so powerful. "You had dealings with him?"
Hardvak's eyes took on a cold glaze as he gazed into the crackling flames. "You could say that." He half-whispered. Alduin grew a small smile at Hardvak's growing lack of pleasure. Looked like he found something he could hit him with. He opened his mouth to make a jab, but he was stopped short but Hardvak. "How well did you know the Daedric Princes?"
Alduin smiled and a sense of pride took over his voice. "They knew their place."
Hardvak's laugh rang throughout the room, confusing Alduin but still not ruining his nostalgia. " All the Daedric Princes bowed to you?" Hardvak asked stifling his laughs as he wiped a tear from under his eye.
"Of course, they did!" Alduin exclaimed. "Every dragon in Tamriel bowed to me. Why shouldn't they?"
Hardvak crossed his arms in amusement, walking back to his chair. It wasn't so much that he doubted Alduin words, but rather the sight of all the Daedric Princes bowing their heads to the World Eater was just a funny image. One he'd never really thought of till now...and it didn't hurt that Alduin was probably over exaggerating just a bit. "Whatever you say, Alduin." Hardvak sighed.
Alduin took his victory with a nod and seemed to get lost in his own nostalgia as a long comfortable silence filled the room. It was only broken again when Alduin brought himself back to reality. "What exactly are you planning to do here?"
"End a war," Hardvak replied nonchalantly. Making it sound more like a simple chore rather than the gargantuan task it would be for any other mortal.
"Any particular reason?" Alduin asked.
"Someone asked me to," Hardvak answered, folding his arms behind his head. "And besides, war isn't good for anybody. Look what happened to you."
"You think you're funny?" Alduin growled not appreciating the joke.
"I'm hilarious," Hardvak replied with a smile. "But I'm also getting older. So I think I'll approach things a little differently this time."
"How exactly? Unless you can call up an army of mortals to fight behind you, I don't see….." Alduin started.
"I talked to a mage a few days back. He said this land had its own dragons inhabiting it. I'll convince them to help me end this quickly." Hardvak explained. He had expected Alduin's eyes to widen in shock but instead, they seemed to narrow in a way he couldn't really describe.
"You're gonna enslave the dragons of this world."
Hardvak glared at Alduin and replied with such a powerful tone of voice that it seemed to make the whole room shake. "I am not." Alduin didn't dare respond as long as Hardvak held the glare, fearing some sort of attack if he did something that foolish. After a moment or two, He finally broke his stare with Alduin and looked back to the fire. "I know you hate me and believe me, the feeling is mutual. But I'm not like that. I never was."
Alduin had no clue how he was supposed to react to those words so he settled for staying silent turning his ruby gaze to the flames. The pair of them sat in silence for a good while. Each seemingly trying to ignore the other presence before Alduin's ears picked up on a series of calls from outside the fort. Hardvak's hearing proved just as good as before Alduin moved to stand up, he was on his feet and moving down to the fort's entrance.
As Hardvak pulled open the gate, he was greeted with the faces of four thin individuals wearing what looked like farmer's clothing. Each on a different color thankfully and each looking confused at the sight of Hardvak's face as one spoke up.
"Uh, sir is lord Balor available?" The one in the brown shirt asked.
Hardvak looked at the four, taking in their figures and fearful nature in each with a blink before yelling back up to Alduin. "That big asshole back in the Frostbacks, was he called Balor?"
"I guess," Alduin yelled back sticking his head out from the window. Hardvak nodded before looking back towards the bystanders. "Sorry, Balor bit off a bit more then he could chew," Hardvak said with a friendly smile.
"Perhaps lord Kellrig is available?" The one in the green asked. His voice sounding much more worrisome.
"Who was he?" Hardvak asked.
"He carries a silver war ax." The farmer continued.
"Oh! The elf bastard who lived in the dungeon. Had a thing for amputations." Hardvak nodded in realization. The men nodded nervously before Hardvak shook his head as he kept his smile. "No, he's dead too."
The one in the red shirt spoke next as he put two and two together. "Sir, did you kill them all?"
"I'm pretty sure, yeah," Hardvak said rubbing the back of his head. The eyes of the men widened to the size of dinner plates, and the one in green suddenly yelled.
"You what?!"
"Hearing off?" Hardvak asked right back. "They're dead."
"You….You idiot." The man who had just yelled continued to rail at him ran his hands through his head. "Andraste, help us."
"Did I miss something?" Hardvak asked as he felt a sudden wave of fear sweep through the group.
"Stranger. The men who owned this fort owned this village and us as well. They're part of a much larger group." The one in the red replied.
"How much bigger?" Hardvak asked, leaning against the door and still not nearly as panicked as the men thought he should be.
"One hundred at least." Another one said. This one wearing the dark brown shirt and a straw farm hat.
Hardvak's face lit up as if he had just been handed a present. "And when will they be back?"
"They're coming back in the morning!" The green-shirted one yelled out. "And once they see what's happened, they'll….."
"I'll take care of it." Hardvak finished simply before looking to the blue-shirted one who had remained relatively silent. "Just to be safe though, I'd gather your people and move them into the fort until the whole thing is settled out. Can't be too careful after all." Hardvak said turning his back to them. "The kitchen's decently stocked so help yourself."
"Wait, what do you mean…" The one in brown asked again.
" I said I'll take care of them. Relax." Hardvak said with a wink, before looking upwards. "Alduin, get your ass down here." He called out.
"Why in Oblivion would I do that?!" A voice yelled back.
"Because I will gladly come back up there and toss you out that window if you don't," Hardvak yelled back. He could feel Alduin seethe behind the wall but that also let him know he would join him momentarily. He turned his attention back to the farmers."After I take care of the rest of them, I'll need you four to explain exactly where we are and help me figure out my plans from there."
"But HOW are you going to fight a hundred men on your own?! " Green shirt yelled out again. Hardvak sighed at the man. Did he really have to explain everything to this guy?
"By picking up a sword and swinging it," Hardvak replied simply moving past them and out of the fort towards the village that surrounded it. The four men had no clue about what just happened. So much so that they ignored the second, much more scaly figure who walked past them grumbling several curses along the way. The pair moved through the village quickly and stopped just a few feet outside as Hardvak sat down in the middle of the road.
"So, just to be clear. There's a fort with high walls and giant door back there. And you just walk out of it to wait in the middle of the street." Alduin pointed out.
"What are you complaining about? No sense in waiting behind a fort. All it's going to do is get in the way. It's the reason I didn't kill you at Helgen." Hardvak replied.
"You didn't kill me at Helgen because you were too weak," Alduin growled sitting down in the dirt a few feet away from him. "And I was too stupid to kill you, so here we are."
"Yeah. Good times." Hardvak smiled staring out into the road that went up and down through the hills before vanishing from sight. If he was honest, a lot of this was starting to feel like the good times of days gone by. Striking out on his own to traverse a new and strange land, finding some asshole bandits, killing asshole bandits, rummaging through dead bandits pockets and walking through dead bandits fort. He was actually starting to wonder if the gods had run out of obstacles to throw at him so they just decided to hit repeat. Whether that was true or not, Hardvak didn't really think it mattered. People still needed help and he'd be damned if he didn't try to lend a hand if he could.
And so the hours passed. Dark slowly began to transform into light as the star-filled sky began to vanish. Changing from black to red as the sun began to peek its head over the hills. Alduin yawned at the sight and cursed yet again. "Yeah. Really stopping that war aren't you?"
"Hey, I need something to get my name out there. And mopping the floor with a large group of bandits is a good start." Hardvak defended.
"Keep telling yourself that," Alduin said curling up on the ground. "Not that it matters. In the end, you mortals always need something to fight."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hardvak asked narrowing his gaze at the lying Argonian.
"Even if you stop this war, another one will start up soon enough. Then it stops. Then it starts again. It's just a circle really." Alduin said with a yawn that transformed into a smile hidden from Hardvak's view. "At least when you worshiped me, you were too busy to kill everything in sight."
"Oh, like you were so damn peaceful." Hardvak shook his head, annoyed at Alduin's words. "Do you even know many people you've killed? How many good, honest people died because of you?"
"How many ants have you killed Hardvak? How many good honest ants died because you stepped on them?" Alduin replied with a mocking tone. "That's the type of question your asking me. And I'll tell you this." Alduin took a pause as Hardvak listened. "No race of ants ever went extinct when I was in charge."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hardvak grumbled, not liking Alduin's tone.
"I killed mortals, sure." Alduin freely admitted. "But I never drove anything extinct, like say the snow elves."
Hardvak froze at the mention of the long lost people. His mind flooding with memories of cutting down, hundreds of "snow elves" in caves all across Skyrim. Alduin chuckled at the hero's silence. " What? No witty comeback for your Nords genocide against them?"
"Nords didn't kill the snow elves." Hardvak defended, a regretful sadness growing in his voice but still keeping his honest core.
"Really?" Alduin snickered, not buying it. "Then who did?"
"The Dwemer," Hardvak admitted. Alduin grumbled something under his breath that sounded like "Figures" before he continued. "But that's not exactly true either."
"Oh, so you didn't kill them. And neither did the Dwemer." Alduin's frustration was beginning to feel palpable. "Who. Did. Then?"
"Everyone," Hardvak replied, quietly. Alduin scoffed at the answer and decided it was a useless challenge to get a true answer of the Nord. Before long he drifted off into any realm of sleep that would have him. Leaving Hardvak alone to stew in the depressing recollection.
It wasn't like it was a happy subject. The war against and the subsequent mutilation of the snow elves was perhaps one of the darkest moments in all of Tamriel history. It was a war sure. One they had initiated, no less. But that didn't matter to him. No matter who started what, no race of people should've had to endure what they did at the hands of the Dwemer. And it was foolish to say that the Nords didn't have a hand in what happened to them. Justified or not. He had made his peace with that fact a long time ago but the dark thoughts and swells of pity still lingered. Which did him no good at the moment.
He needed something to lighten him up.
Hardvak's eyes flew up to the crimson soaked sky. Nice pretty sky. He thought. Been a while since I've seen something that... Red. A small smile spread across his face as he remembered the tune he had heard played countless times across his homeland. That song always managed to make him feel better. "There once was a hero named Ragnar the Red who came riding to White Run from old Rorikstead….."
The sound of horse hooves on the horizon reached his ears. They were getting close. He leaped back to his feet.
"And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade as he told of bold battles and gold he had made."
The sound of loud yells soon followed as a large group finally came into view. Probably close to a hundred men on horseback.
"But then he went quiet did Ragnar the Red when he met the shieldmaiden Matilda who said..."
The men could now clearly see him sitting on the road but it didn't look like they were going to stop their galloping.
"Oh you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed."
Hardvak drew his sword as the group still galloped on and even increased their speed. He could get a few glimpses at their faces now. All confidant if a little tired but still containing plenty of energy to run down a nobody on the road.
"And then came the clashing and slashing of steel as the brave lass Matilda charged in full of zeal."
One of the horsemen began to get a good lead from the rest and darted straight forward Hardvak, drawing his sword from his back and hoisting it in the air. His smile was bloodthirsty and whatever pity Hardvak might've had for the man vanished when he saw it.
"And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no more. When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor."
A shockingly loud FUS RO DAH" was heard back at the fort as several people who were making their way inside suddenly felt powerful force magic erupt from just outside their village. Leaving them little to wonder other than just who in Andraste's name that man is
/N: And I think I'll call it a chapter here. Not really much to say other than it was a blast to write and a pain to nail down the interactions.
Hopefully, you guys thought it was good. :)
Anyways, hope you all are enjoying the holidays and hope to see you back here next time.
Special thanks to Philoween Aster for being a badass beta.
See you later