It felt like they had been falling forever, but Krissy was starting to see an opening, the closer they got to it the more she could hear the sound of rushing water. It felt like heart heart was going to explode out of her chest as they got closer and closer to it.
Their screamed echoed through the tunnel and quickly stopped once they hit cold rushing water. The sudden impact of the water took Krissy's breath away, the freezing temperature making it hard for her to swim up to get air. She was finally able to get her ahead above the surface of the water taking a deep breath. She tried getting footing on the ground but the water was rushing and deep carrying them all off.
Krissy kept getting pushed back under water from the current but when she could she looked for Vilkas and Farkas. "Krissy!" She heard Vilkas call her name, it sounded like he was far a head of her. "Vilkas!" She yelled breathing in a mouth full of water. She coughed trying to grab onto something but there was nothing to grab onto, it seemed to be a rushing underground river.
Vilkas kept falling onto his back under the water, it was difficult to get a breath of air let alone to see anything with out being forced back underwater. "Krissy!" He yelled again looking behind him. The river split off into two paths, one seemed to go deeper underground and another just led straight off. Vilkas's eyes widened when he saw that Krissy was beginning to be carried away down the opposite path. "Krissy!" He shouted to her trying to warn her but all he could get out after that were coughs from water spilling into his mouth.
Krissy looked a head seeing the two paths, she saw Vilkas and Farkas get carried away on one of the paths, she tried leaping forward to throw herself on that path but it just caused her to get in the way of the wall that separated the paths, the rushing water slammed her into the wall making her hit her head hard against it knocking her out. Her body sunk down in the water being carried away on the opposite path. "No!" Vilkas yelled trying to swim against the current but it was only making him tired, his chest began to hurt from the freezing water and the several times he's breathed in water.
The water caused Farkas and Vilkas to run into each other several times, Farkas began to feel himself being dragged under water more and more, he felt it hard to keep himself up and to get any breaths of air. The rushing water threw them both off of a ledge making them fall hard onto a solid wet shallow stream, the rushing water turned into a small waterfall off of the ledge and the stream led off into a small opening on the wall far from them.
Vilkas and Farkas both coughed and struggled to breath, Vilkas tried sitting up but just fell back over feeling too light headed to do anything at the moment. "Far-Farkas...You okay?" Vilkas coughed out slowly looking up seeing his brother lay on his back gasping for air. "Y-yea.." Farkas replied turning his head towards his brother.
Vilkas's chest heaved in and out as he breathed hard and fast taking in as much air as he could at once. He closed his eyes feeling his heart beat begin to slow down and relief flow over his body. "Krissy.." Vilkas breathed out slowly sitting up. "She...She got seperated from us." Vilkas began to feel his panic rise again remembering that he saw her hit her head. 'Oh gods..' He thought to himself slowly getting up to his feet.
Farkas sat up on his knees holding his side still coughing out some more water. "That water could lead anywhere..." Vilkas said looking around, he noticed a giant opening above them. He walked over looking up at it smelling the familiar smell of Skyrim. "I think this leads outside, we need to get up there some how and see if we can find where that path led to.." He ran his hands along the walls seeing if there was anyway he could grip onto something to climb out.
Farkas got up to his feet walking over. "It had to lead somewhere right?" He said looking around for anything that could help them climb out. "By the gods I hope so.." Vilkas said quickly jumped trying to grab onto a rock that stuck out of the wall but all it did was cut into his hand. "Ah!" Vilkas cried out holding onto his hand seeing it begin to bleed. "Dammit!" Vilkas yelled in aggravation.
Vilkas looked around carefully but it seemed there was nothing that could help them, and the opening was too far up for either of them to boost one up. "That's just great.." Vilkas mumbled rubbing his forehead looking down trying to think, Farkas rubbed the back of his head looking up at the opening trying to come up with some idea but non came to his mind.
About half an hour had passed and both of them were sitting on the ground below the opening trying to rest as mush as they could before trying to get out again, Vilkas couldn't stop thinking about Krissy. 'Please be okay..' He thought to himself rubbing his wounded hand seeing that the bleeding had stopped.
They both snapped their heads up suddenly hearing voices nearby, they both jumped to their feet looking up at the opening hearing the voices get closer. "Hey!" Vilkas yelled as loud as he could. "We're down here! We need help!" Farkas yelled also as loud as he could. The voices stopped and so did their hearts for a moment when they heard quick footsteps draw near, Vilkas felt a spark of hope rise up in him. "Down here! Help!" He shouted again hearing his voice echo around him.
They saw a head pop up over the opening, it was a Khajiit's head, M'aiq's head! Vilkas couldn't believe it. "Hello friend!" M'aiq called out with a cheerful tone. "Of all the people.." Farkas whispered not believing his eyes for a moment. "Does M'aiq's friends require help?" He asked raising an eyebrow at them with a wide smile on his face.
Vilkas smiled wide at the sound of his voice. 'Never thought I'd be happy to see this fool!' Vilkas thought to himself. "Yes we need help to get out of here!" He called to him. "Allow M'aiq and other friends to help than!" M'aiq said turning his head and more Khajiit's appeared looking down at them, they seemed to be a traveling caravan.
They threw a rope down the opening to them, Farkas went first and than Vilkas climbed up the rope. He pulled himself up on the ground and looked up seeing a clear blue sky, he smiled in relief realizing how much he missed the open sky of Skyrim. Vilkas stood up taking in a breath of fresh air and than looked to M'aiq giving him a glad smile. "Thank you for your help." He said looking at all of them.
M'aiq smiled flicking his tail around. "Anytime friends!" He said cheerfully. "You two look like you've had a rough time." An older Khajiit walked over to them handing them some supplies. "Hope this helps, free of charge." He smiled at them both. "This is the one that M'aiq was telling you about, the one who looses women." M'aiq said looking over at the older Khajiit, the others around them began to chuckle.
Vilkas furrowed down his eyebrows at him already feeling annoyed but he was too grateful at the moment. "We actually need to find her and fast! You wouldn't of passed another opening or something that had water leaving out of it?" Vilkas asked feeling his panic return. The Khajiits exchanged looks of confusion and consecration as they thought to themselves trying to remember. "I believe not too far from here we saw a cave with a river rushing out of it." The older Khajiit pointed in the direction. Vilkas and Farkas both said their thanks and goodbyes to them and quickly rushed off in the direction they pointed them too.
The rushing water did lead out of a cave and turned into a deep but calm river farther along it, Krissy slowly floated to the shore of the river placing her on the wet ground. Krissy was able to regain some consciousness once she felt herself on land, she slowly looked up hearing footsteps rush to her and panicked voices surround her.
She slowly raised her head looking up seeing two blurry faces stand over her, from the voices she could tell they were both male. One an older man and the other seemed to be a young man probably close to her age, but she didn't have enough strength for anything else, she just laid her head back down onto the ground falling unconscious again.
Vilkas and Farkas finally made it to what seemed to be the right cave. "I think this is the one." Farkas said looking at the river that poured out of the cave. 'Oh gods I hope she's okay..' Vilkas thought to himself feeling his stomach twist and turn. "Come on she's gotta be here somewhere...I hope." He whispered the last part beginning to walk along the river.
They searched carefully along the river and in the river but there was no sign of her. "Do you think the river could of carried her off somewhere else?" Farkas asked looking up at Vilkas. "No I don't think the current is fast enough now to do that." Vilkas said looking around carefully.
He turned his head seeing something gleam in the wet soil, he furrowed down his eyebrows walking over grabbing it. "This is Krissy's necklace." Vilkas said holding it up examining it. "Well that's a good sign right? That means she's okay right?" Farkas asked walking over looking at it. "Maybe..But where is she." Vilkas said sighing looking at the ground. "She could've started to head back to Jorrvaskr to look for us." Farkas said patting his brother on the back trying to make him feel better.
Vilkas sighed again looking around once more. "Yea." He said walking away with Farkas behind him. 'You better be okay..' Vilkas thought to himself only feeling worse than before. He looked down at the necklace in his hand and than placed it in his pack.
Krissy slowly opened her eyes feeling throbbing pain in her head, she blinked away her blurry vision. She winced at the pain from her muscles as she sat up. She looked around in confusion seeing she was in a bed and in a small room. 'Where am I?' She thought to herself, she tried to get up from the bed but the pain in her body was too much, it felt like she had been throws up against a rock wall repeatedly.
The sound of a door opening and closing was heard from the other room, Krissy froze hearing footsteps draw near, she could feel her heart beat increase as she awaited who ever was coming to walk in. She heard the foot steps come to a stop right in front of her door and she heard voices just outside the door.
The voices stopped and the door slowly began to open, Krissy clutched the blanket tightly trying to think of a plan to jump and run. But she didn't need to, a familiar blonde headed face popped up from behind the door greeting her with a smile.
It was the young man that lived in the small town of Rorikstead, he was just a bit older than her. He walked into the room wearing his normal farming outfit, she examined him closely, she noticed a few dirt marks on his face and his familiar blue eyes. It was good to see a familiar face even if she really didn't know him that well, she couldn't remember his name. She had only said a few words to him when ever she would pass through Rorikstead.
Krissy furrowed down her eyebrows moving her eyes away from him a bit. 'Does that mean I'm in Rorikstead?' She thought to herself in confusion. "It's good to see you're finally awake." He smiled at her cheerfully, she just moved her eyes back to him looking him up and down. She didn't really know what to say, he blinked feeling a bit awkward. "Uh, we found you washed up by a river on our way back, I we might just loose you it's good to see your okay." He rubbed the back of his head giving her another warm smile.
Krissy blinked looking away a bit. "Where are we?" She finally spoke looking back up at him. "We're in Rorikstead, we found you quite a ways from here." He replied examining her. 'So my guess was right..But how?' She furrowed down her eyebrows again looking down at her hands that were wrapped in bandages. "You're probably confused by all this which I didn't really expect any different you had quite the head injury." He pointed at the bandage wrapped around the top of her head.
Krissy reached up slightly touching it and winced in pain when she placed her fingers on it, she slightly looked back up at him feeling a bit bad because she didn't remember his name. "You also probably don't remember me." He scratched the back of his head looking away. "I'm Erik, we've spoken a few times before when you would come through our town." He smiled grabbing a pitcher full of water and a cup pouring the water into it, he handed her the cup.
Krissy gratefully took the cup and quickly gulped down the water. 'Now I remember him, I saw him arguing with his father the last time I was here.' She wiped her mouth feeling water escape her lips a bit, she looked up at him. "How long have I been out?" She asked him tilting her head a bit. "About a day." He said taking the cup back and placing it on the small table, Krissy furrowed down her eyebrows and felt her heart stop for a moment. 'A day?!' Her heart began to beat right up against her chest and she felt her stomach turn as panic began to rise in her. 'But where's Vilkas? Farkas? Did they make it out?' Questions swirled through her mind, she felt like she was going to be sick.
She began to feel anger slowly rise up as she suddenly remembered Eleanea. 'I've gotta find where she went, I've gotta find Vilkas and Farkas!' Krissy quickly jumped to her feet but the minute she got onto them she quickly began to fell. Erik caught her in her arms before she hit the ground. "Woah! You're not ready to get up yet you need more rest!" He said guiding her back to the bed. "N-no I gotta." She tried to object but her head began to throb even more, she no choice but to let Erik put her back in bed.
Erik pulled the covers back over her, he grabbed the pitcher of water pouring water into a bowl. He grabbed a cloth dipping it in the water and ringed in out, he sat down on the bed next to her and carefully placed it on her forehead over the bandages. Krissy felt her eyes become heavy, she slightly looked up at him finding herself slowly fall back asleep.
Vilkas and Farkas finally returned to Jorrvaskr, they slowly walked up the steps out of breath. They felt their legs begin to give out and their strength to fail, they pushed open the doors walking in seeing some of the companions inside. Aela looked up and quickly got up seeing how badly they looked. "Are you two alright? What happened and where's Krissy?" She asked him quickly sitting them down.
Vilkas and Farkas exchanged quick looks, Vilkas looked at her with a panic written on his face. "You mean she's not here?" He asked worried. "No she's not why?" Aela furrowed down her eyebrows examining them. "I need to go back." Vilkas quickly got back up but Aela grabbed him by the shoulder stopping him. "You're not going anywhere, you look like you got got ran over by a mammoth for divine's sake!" She shouted pushing him back down into the chair.
Aela turned to a couple of companions instructing them to go get some medical supplies, she turned back around examining them both. "Now tell me what happened." She demanded looking at them both confused and worried.
While they explained everything that had happened Aela gave them food and water. She cleaned the dirt off of their wounds and scrapes and than bandaged them up. "And so you have no idea where Krissy is now?" She asked sitting down in a chair in front of them, they both sadly shook their heads looking down. "That's why I need to go back." Vilkas said quickly looking up.
Aela shook her head. "No way, you both need rest and to get your strength back before anything. Maybe she's on her way here, you should wait and see if she shows." Aela said placing her hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down. "She's right Vilkas." Farkas said slightly looking over at his brother. Vilkas just sighed and got up slowly making his way to the stairs.
