A Stranger in Skyrim
Chapter 36: Shriekwind
By: N3k0
In which a short battle leads to something worse.
Mariah rested overnight in the inn, although she still didn't precisely sleep with all the nervous energy coursing through her. The Wolf seemed content to doze, half-asleep but ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Her strength never really waned - she had more endurance now than she had ever before, so she had to assume she was doing something right.
She was excited to hunt, eager for bloodshed.
That wasn't like her; she wasn't normally an aggressive person ... was she?
She couldn't tell where she ended and the Wolf began anymore.
How much of this had been pent up, hidden beneath a perfect mask of politeness? She had every right and reason to let go of that now - so was the Wolf just a clever excuse to be what she'd really always wanted?
She barely touched her breakfast, heading out in the gray light of predawn. The innkeeper had given her rather specific directions, and she found the old tomb easily.
A rusty gate barred the entrance - it wasn't even locked, though it screeched as it opened. She winced.
Well, there was no help for it. She drew her sword and pushed into the tomb.
Hopefully her enemies were heavy sleepers.
It took several long moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, as the front doors fell shut.
She saw golden eyes.
"What do we have here?" The woman's voice was a purr. "Are we lost, little one?"
The woman's eyes were mesmerizing, as she lightly stroked Mariah's cheek with her hand.
Her skin was icy cold.
The woman inhaled at the base of her neck, breathing in her scent as she held her close. Mariah had never thought of herself as a particularly sexual creature, but ...
Fangs flashed in a hiss.
"Eugh!" The trance was broken immediately. "Werewolf! Disgusting!"
The vampire slapped her across the face, knocking her into the wall. She heard a sickening crunch.
"Well fuck you too," she spat blood on the ground, glaring up at the woman.
Her bones ached as they cracked and twisted into new shapes.
The woman fled, leaving her to the agony of the change, the slow, grinding transformation from human to Wolf.
She felt her heart racing, beating faster and faster.
Claws split her fingertips as her teeth worked to burst free from her mouth.
A long muzzle protruded from her face, her skin moving to cover it like so much clay. Her sight went dim and gray, until the darkness lit up around her.
She writhed in agony, clawing at clothing that was now far too tight. The fabric ripped free easily enough.
A sickening sensation overcame her abdomen as her organs shifted. Her ears moved up the side of her head, growing long and pointed, while a long, soft tail pushed out behind her.
Finally, thick white fur rippled across her body, covering every bit of visible skin.
It was the work of maybe a minute, though to her it seemed that hours had passed.
She rolled onto all fours, as the far door burst open again. A soft growl as the woman returned - surrounded by dead things, skeletons and draugr.
An arrow pierced her shoulder, and she roared, charging at the group.
The battle was a blur of bones ripping away from tendons: arms, legs, and skulls were liberated from their skeletal bodies, until at last nothing stood between her and the vampire.
She leaped at the woman, who narrowly dodged. She bared all of her teeth in a feral grin, whirling.
Claws met soft flesh. Blood that seemed almost black sprayed the Wolf.
The scent of her terror was intoxicating.
She ripped and tore, shredding the fine silks as easily as the flesh under them, as the vampire covered her face with her arms, trying to protect herself.
This did nothing to discourage her.
She bit the woman's neck, bone crunching under her powerful jaws. She shook her head once, twice, and the woman's head pulled free of her body in a spray of blood.
"That's quite enough from you."
She looked up, and over, and met the man's eyes.
Her entire body froze.
The elf walked towards her, his steps measured. "I see you've broken my toys."
She whined, softly, unable to move her limbs, barely able to breathe.
"How unfortunate for you."
He ripped the arrow free of her shoulder, blood splattering.
She was agonizingly conscious of everything she couldn't do, as the elf easily hefted her three hundred pounds of dense fur and muscle as though she were made of light feathers instead.
Couldn't tear his arms from their sockets. Check.
Couldn't rip out his organs. Double check.
Couldn't snap his head from his body. Triple check.
He chuckled his amusement, and she whined again. She didn't really like the idea of being completely at the mercy of an angry vampire.
He wandered through the winding hallways of the tomb, disabling every trap between them and whatever unholy goal he had in store for her. The tomb was eerily silent, save for her soft breaths and his light footsteps. It was black as pitch, the darkness only broken occasionally by candlelight.
They came to a room that smelled intensely of blood and death. There were candles distributed all throughout the room, lighting the macabre scene. A pile of corpses lay beside a blood-stained metal table.
He ever-so-gently laid her down against that table, tying thick leather straps around her arms and legs to keep her still.
Gazing deep into her eyes, he smiled.
The transformation to human was excruciating, even more so as she was kept spreadeagle throughout.
"Go ahead and struggle," he murmured, licking his lips. She found herself freed from the magical restraints, though the physical ones held her tight. "I'll enjoy watching you suffer, little girl."
She fought against the ties, tugging with all her supernatural might, kicking and thrashing. All she managed to do was dislocate her shoulder in her sudden and frenzied attempts to free herself. He grinned as she gasped in raw pain.
"How delicious."
An arrow pierced his skull, from his right temple to his left. He cursed, holding his head with his hands. He turned to look at his assailant, and a wood stake speared him through the chest. He melted into so much dust.
"Well then," Aela said evenly. "It looks like I'm just in time."