Chapter 28
Day 90
"Shadr! Report!" Shavari behind me yelled across the courtyard as I walked out from the barracks. My body ached and popped as I stretched. I had yet to put on my armor fo rthe day but I couldn't pass up wearing some comfortable clothes for once. The green tunic and brown pants fit nicely with the brown leather boots that had been provided for me by one of the people working at the smith.
"Sir! The outer wall has just been finished! Their currently working on adding walkways to it!" The redguard had upgraded his armor to a full set of iron, the helmet fitting nicely on his head. He almost looked like a redguard version of the "classic" dragonborn that I had seen in commercials a long time ago.
"Almost three months now." I whispered to myself and smiled. Rubbing the back of my neck I saw that Shadr and Shavari where both staring at me with puzzling looks. "I mean. That's good news. See that the preparations go well. Marsh-walker and the siblings are down there I assume?" Shadr nodded and I dismissed him to return to the inner wall.
"We should make sure everything is ready for when the jarl and Mjoll return." I nodded and looked out over the courtyard where two nords worked at the forge, trying to make the large nails and smaller nails that where needed for the wooden wall outside. The jarl had taken a risk by asking for volunteers and heading back to see what was left of Riften. Mjoll had taken her ten soldiers with her along with ten volunteers. That left us shorthanded but it was only for two days. Today they where set to return and everyone worked hard to finish that last bit of work needed on the outer wall. With it complete we could add on a walkway to make it better defendable. The citizens of New Riften all couldn't wait to begin work on constructing new homes.
"There's not much room out there is there." I had made my way to the tower and looked down over the work that was being done. It looked as though you could squeeze in five houses or so inside the layer that the wooden wall created around the stone construct that used to be Fort Amol.
"It's enough to matter." Shavari stated as she followed my gaze. "Hope is returning to this place." The Khajiit smiled at me when I turned to her.
"It's thanks to the efforts of everyone. If the dragonborn hadn't shown up when she did." My thoughts drifted to the khajiit who had left us just a few days ago. She had said something about needing to check on her home before she got in trouble. Was she married? If so then who was she married to that made even the dragonborn frightened?
"Everyone did something. Even you." She placed a hand on my shoulder and tried to comfort me. I hadn't been myself lately. I had put my faith in Akatosh. I had never been a religious person but since coming here there had been something watching me. I felt that something was watching me anyway. I had prayed and prayed and even cast blessings on people. Something I had never thought possible, I had seen magic I had lived through Skyrim. Then a daedric prince answers my prayers where Akatosh remained silent. Was I being tested? What was this? I couldn't think of anything in the elder scrolls games I had played that could help me in this.
"Thank you Shavari." I turned and looked back down to the people working, then to the shining blade strapped to my hip. For some reason, Shavari has been staying by my side. I only had five under my command but they where all strong willed and had purpose. The siblings lived for each other, Marsh-Walker enjoyed teaching others, Shadr loves horses and Shavari seems like she wishes to help others in any way possible. Did I have a purpose in this world? I had only ever just thought of my own survival and now I had the survivors of an entire town relying on me.
"I'll go check the supplies. I'll give you the report when I return. Get some air, it should help." She turned and headed down the steps.
"Some air huh?" I laughed and sat down on a nearby chair. Looking out over the woods I could see the fruit of our labors as there where chopped trees all around us. No places for undead to hide. We still had a large forested area North of us that we could use to help build houses and other large pockets of trees dotted the landscape as far as I could see. As I continued to take in the cool air my thoughts drifted to Zaynabi and Kharjo. They had both gone with the jarl in order to help salvage what they could. Kharjo's recovery was coming along nicely and Zaynabi believed she could heal his ligaments so he could wield a blade again. "If she could pull that off she would put most restoration magic users to shame." I laughed and looked down at my own hands. My prayers could be considered a type of restoration magic couldn't it?
"Maybe I should take a look at some of Zaynabi's books." I had wondered what it was like to wield magic. Zaynabi had aslight affinity for it but she still couldn't channel the magic without the aid of the book. Maybe I could do the same. It was as I was standing up that a thought struck me. That conjuration book that I had found near me. Had the person not been strong enough to cast it without the aid of the book? Had using the magic contained in the book erased it and left it useless? I had found a similar book inside of Mistwatch Keep, also empty. Had they summoned what they had intended to? The group that had brought me here, where they behind this like I had originally thought?
Though it only answered one of the many questions I had, it still gave me some peace. I stretched and made my way down the steps and into the courtyard.
"Sir! Marsh-Walker, Ryona and Farian are fighting!" Shadr ran up to me and began breathing heavily.
"More undead?" I drew my blade and motioned for him to follow me to the open gate in front of us. Though I had no armor there wasn't any time to struggle with putting it on.
"Yes, their few in number but I could see more coming this way." Shadr drew his new axe and grabbed a shield that was lying near the smithy. I lead the way where the volunteers where moving to open the forward gate for us.
"Close it as soon as we're through. Shadr, I want you to stay by the gate." I ordered and helped them pull open the gate.
"Yes sir!" Shadr moved in front of the gate when it was opened enough for him to squeeze through. I did the same and told the others to close the gate. I looked around and could see Marsh-Walker and the siblings fighting off a group of gray corpses. They seemed to be doing well but I could see another group of ten shambling their way towards them from the extended tree line. I charged forward with Meridia's blade in both hands, bringing it to my side to swipe at the nearest monster.
It burst into flames, the heat hardly affecting me anymore as I had gotten used to using the blade these past few days. I moved on and slashed at two more, the cuts that formed on their gray chests exploded in flames, engulfing the rest of the body. I had to jump back as three more came up behind the charred corpses.
"How many more of them?" I tried to get a quick count but noticed more coming out from the tree line. "Another attack?!" I grimaced and cursed our luck. If this was another coordinated attack then we wouldn't last with the majority of people gone from New Riften.
"Pull back! Back to the gate!" I shouted and ran over where the others where finishing off their attackers.
"What is it?" Marsh-Walker hefted his large blade and turned to look at the gathering horde behind me. "Ah. This can't be good." He huffed and motioned for Farian and Ryona to head to the gate. "What's the plan?" Marsh-Walker wheezed as he readjusted his grip on the two-handed sword.
"Getting old there?" I laughed and looked back. The undead I had seen coming out of the woods now looked to be doubled.
"Maybe. Should just leave this fighting to you all. Maybe take up sewing." He laughed and looked to make sure the others made it to the gate.
"We'll follow them into the gate. Try and do what we can from the walkways they've managed to put up." I started back stepping towards the gate, still trying to count the numbers.
"Their not stable at all. The best we could do is try and funnel them through the gate by holding it open only a little." The argonian seemed to be a tactician for me. His ideas always landed us out of hot water. Just who had this person been before? The questions would have to wait though as our situation hardly called for conversation. We both made it back to the gate and slammed it shut.
"I want everyone back behind the main gate. Marsh-Walker, go with them and tell Shavari to head here as soon as possible. I also need a new sword. Can't have our new walls catching fire." I sheathed Meridia's sword and turned to the siblings. "Catch your breath while you can, I need you to be ready." They both nodded and went over to a corner and sat down. "Shadr, we're going to funnel the undead through the gate. We'll need to be quick and end them as they walk in. I'll need you ready to slam the gates shut in case anything goes wrong." He nodded and headed over to the gate to get himself ready.
I turned and saw Marsh-Walker enter the inner courtyard, a few minutes went by and Shavari ran out, her bow and an extra sword in hand.
"Behind you!" She tossed me the blade, notched an arrow and sent it flying above me. I turned and saw the arrow make it's mark in a small gray head peeking over the wall. "We made it high enough! How are they doing that?" She yelled and fired another arrow as another one tried to make it over. The others where gawking as the undead began to crawl their way over the walls and land in front of us in heaps.
"Don't let them near the Keep! On your feet!" I drew the steel sword that Shavari had thrown me and ran towards the gray-skinned monsters that where trying to get up. I swooped down and be-headed two of them then turned my attention to another that had just fallen down. I didn't have time to think about how they where doing this. Farian and Ryona where back on their feet as two undead dropped from above their heads. Marsh-Walker was back with two more people wielding swords. I recognized them as the people who worked the smithy.
"Aim for the heads!" I slashed down and ended another undead monster. I was able to move much faster without my armor and I didn't feel myself getting worn out as fast as I normally did. Moving around I was able to help everyone as they battled on.
"More coming from the woods!" Another person shouted from atop the tower.
"Hold out! We need to end them here or they'll get to the keep!" I shouted and continued to slash away at the undead that fell from the walls. Everyone was tired, I could see it as they tried to continue fighting. At this rate we would all die. I drew Meridia's sword and switched so it was in my right hand. "Everyone back to the keep! Now!" I yelled and ran over to the inner gate. "Close the gate when they get in!" I yelled to a young women trying to help the others with the gate.
"What about you?" Marsh-Walker protested when he came up behind me.
"I have a plan. Just go!" I shouted and shoved him inside the gates before he could protest again. I motioned for the others to follow, each hesitated before following my orders and going inside. They shut the gate behind them, leaving me with the undead that continued to pile up.
"I can't believe i'm doing this." I shoved the steel sword in the ground by my feet and held Meridia's blade in both hands before me.
"I don't normally pray to daedra but I need to kill them. You hate undead and i'm wielding this sword in your name. Give me the power to kill them. Allow me to do your bidding and end these monstrosities." The sword felt even hotter in my hands than normal as if waking up from a deep slumber. It felt alive, excited and accepting of the hands that grasped it. The gem on the blade began to shine brighter than before. "Everyone back away from the walls!" I yelled as loudly as I could and shoved the blade deep into the ground. Fire poured out of the blade, engulfing me before I knew what I had done. The sound of an explosion rang around my ears as I held firm to the sword the fire not affecting me at all. My eyes shut tightly as a warm feeling washed over my entire body, as if all my aches and pains where gone.
"You have done well. Accept my blessing, my new champion." A women's voice came from all around me, as if coming from the fire itself. I held tightly to the sword, not wanting to let go for fear I'd be engulfed by the flame as well. "Rest now, there is much to be done in my name mortal." With her last words my grip loosened and everything went black.
