The sky shook above me as the deafening thunder erupted into a ferocious roar, its voice booming with the fury of a dragon itself as it crashed violently. Endless torrents of heavy rainfall poured from the black skies above as the rushing waves of the sea slammed against the decks of the Sparrow's Tear at full force. Bolts of lightning flickered and shot wildly, piercing through the billowing storm clouds like a sword wielded by the gods themselves. It was as if the heavens themselves were unleashing their wrath upon the world below, sparing nothing and no one from the assaulting downpour.
The crew of the Tear stood fast, waiting with a nervous breath as the Alinor patrol ship pushed through the angered ocean, drawing ever closer to us. The storm did nothing to hinder or deter their swift advance toward us. In fact, the waves almost appeared to be making way for the vessel as it approached, quivering in fear as if they somehow knew of the fury of the Aldmeri Dominion.
"Nelwyn, how many are aboard the ship?" Argyle asked. "Can you see through the rain?"
The Bosmer squinted his eyes as he began to scout the opposing vessel, trying to take count of those aboard.
"I can't get an exact measure of their numbers," replied Nelwyn. "I'd wager there's around sixty to seventy aboard in total."
"You've got to be joking…" Cedric said, his voice teeming with dread. "What in Oblivion could they want?"
"Gods only know," muttered Argyle. "But any situation with the Thalmor involved is almost never good."
Nelwyn continued to scout the oncoming ship as it made its way closer. The grim look on his face only grew more apparent as he keenly surveyed those aboard the patrol vessel.
"There's quite an even mix of Altmer foot soldiers and wizards," said the Wood Elf. "I can also see several Bosmer archers along the edges of the deck, and if I'm not mistaken, they even appear to have Orc berserkers as well."
"Why in the hell would Orcs be fighting for the Thalmor?" Argyle asked, perplexed.
"I would put my money on them being slaves," Nelwyn answered the Nord. "More than likely, they were captured and then subsequently forced to endure years of horrific torture and brainwashing at the hands of the High Elves. Whatever their reasons of being with the Thalmor, they look extremely well-armed and dangerous. If things go south here, they'll certainly be a handful."
I for one, was quite pleased to learn of the Orcs. There was no doubt in my mind this encounter would escalate to a full-blown fight, and it had been far too long since I had spilled some Orc blood. I could almost hear the steel of my blade calling to me, my blood running hot through my veins as I stood eager to kill both Thalmor and Orc.
The Thalmor ship had nearly reached our position now. Its large, black banners bearing the golden sigil flapped wildly against the aggressive gales of the storm.
"Drop the anchor," Argyle ordered. "We'll see what they want and perhaps try to reason with them, though I doubt that will be of any use."
"The day the Thalmor can be reasoned with, will be the day Red Mountain freezes over," Cedric muttered.
When the Alinor ship finally reached us, the Elves promptly dropped their own anchor into the water. The two mighty vessels now stood next to one another, rocking with the waves of the ocean in near perfect rhythm. I could see the faint glint of the Elven armor through the light haze surrounding us. The streaks of lightning illuminated the entirety of the ship, giving me a clear view of the platoon aboard.
"Well, here goes nothin," said Argyle. We walked over to the port side of the Tear, several other of the crew members joining us, their hands resting on the hilts of their weapons. I knew as well as they did we were probably going to need them.
"Halt!" we all heard a voice bark. A robed Thalmor wizard made his way to the side of the Alinor ship, facing us directly. Two lightly armored soldiers stood on either side of him, with half a dozen Bosmer archers at his rear. "You are trespassing on Alinor territory! Turn your ship around immediately, and divert your course away from here!" The Altmer's voice was teeming with the usual Thalmor arrogance. I would say it was even more unpleasant than the thunder crashing above us.
"Gods, just hearing one of those Thalmor cunts talk is enough to make my blood boil," muttered Cedric, several of the crew members nodding with him in agreement.
"At ease, my good sir!" Argyle replied with the most faked politeness you'd ever heard. "We are but simple travelers, looking to make port and take shelter from the storm! We mean no disrespect to your masters, or to the Thalmor!" Another round of thunder blared through the sky as a bolt of lightning struck the water. The rain only grew heavier as the entire crew of the Sparrow's Tear waited with baited breath as to how this was going to turn out.
"Are you daft, Nord?!" the Thalmor wizard bellowed with utter contempt and smugness. "The Isles do not welcome travelers, and especially not rotting lowlife vermin such as yourselves! I am not going to warn you again! Turn your ship around and go back the way you came!"
"Eat pig shit, worm!" yelled a crew member from behind us. Several of the others were becoming visibly riled up, with a few men even drawing their weapons.
"Easy, lads!" Argyle commanded, gesturing to his men to calm themselves. The Nord regained his composure and turned back around to face the Elves.
"I don't know who you think you are, and frankly I don't care!" Argyle responded to the Thalmor, his voice suddenly growing cold and stern. "You will not speak of my crew in such a horrid manner! I had only hoped to resolve this in a peaceful manner like honorable gentlemen, but it is clear you Thalmor are having none of it. We're passing through, and that's all there is to it! You can take your warnings and shove em up your golden little arses!" The crew cheered behind Argyle, their prideful shouts for their Captain ringing through the air as they began waving their weapons toward the night sky. Every man aboard the Sparrow's Tear was becoming ensnared by lust for blood and death, all of us eager to send these pompous Elves to their watery graves.
"Keep talking Nord, and you shall find yourself as well as your crew at the bottom of this ocean as nothing but corpses to fester and rot!" the Thalmor wizard shot back.
"Your threats don't frighten us, milk-drinker!" Argyle barked back, his anger rising. "If it's a fight you want, you've got one! Nobody threatens the crew of the Sparrow's Tear and lives to tell about it!"
The cheering of the crewmates grew to almost a roar as the thunder erupted in the sky once again. Fury, wrath and bloodlust burned like fire within the eyes of everyone aboard the ship. The crewmen stood hardy and proud, standing completely fearless and battle-ready with weapons in hand. The Elves across from us were now visibly enraged, much like this storm that seemed to only grow worse by the second.
"You are a bigger fool than you look, Nord!" boasted the Thalmor wizard. The Altmer made a subtle gesture with his hand, and more Bosmer archers began to form rank. Standing in a straight line, the Wood Elves simultaneously brandished their bows and kept their arrows at the ready, awaiting the wizard's order to attack.
"Last chance," said the Altmer wizard with a deathly glare. "Turn around now and save yourselves, or face the wrath of the Thalmor!"
Argyle merely smirked at the Elf's threat. "Cedric! Why don't we show our friends here a little something special? Raise the war banner!"
The Breton hastily made his way to the mast of the ship and began to pull on the length of rope that the banner was fastened to. The banner rose higher and higher up the length of the mast as Cedric pulled the rope, flailing wildly against the stormy gales as it flew proud atop the Sparrow's Tear. The men continued their warlike cheering as they eyed the light-golden banner. I then saw that displaying this banner was meant to serve as the final, ultimate provocation to the Thalmor. For at the center of the swaying fabric, stitched with the utmost elegance and care, was none other than the face of the god Talos himself.
"Talos be with us!" cried several of the crewmen simultaneously as they raised their weapons in the air. I looked over at the Thalmor across from us, and if they were angry before, they were absolutely seething now.
"Heretics!" the Thalmor wizard cried. "I want that ship lying at the bottom of the sea, and its crew slaughtered! This blasphemy will be punished!" The line of Bosmer archers promptly nocked their arrows to their bows and prepared to fire upon us. I felt my own heart racing inside my chest as I awaited the first hail of arrows from what I knew would be many.
"Take cover lads!" Argyle ordered, and the crew had no hesitation in heeding the command. Everybody hit the deck, and Nelwyn and me took cover together behind a stack of crates and barrels.
"No going back now buddy," Nelwyn muttered to me as we crouched as low as we could get.
"I can't wait to kill me some fucking Orcs," I said with a small snarl. "It's been too long."
"Not a fan of Orcs are ya?" Nelwyn said with a sneer. "I certainly won't ask your reasons, but be careful my friend. Those berserkers look like they mean business. It is likely that years of enslavement under the Thalmor has made killing the only thing they know how to do."
We waited only a moment longer for the Dominion to make their first move. Sure enough, the unmistakable sound of bowstrings snapping simultaneously rang through the mist-filled air. The volley of arrows descended upon us like rain, whirring as they cut through the blackness of the night. Lightning danced through the sky once again, soon accompanied by the sharp thud of dozens of arrows landing and piercing the ship.
I was startled as one arrow cut straight through a crate I was hiding behind, missing me by mere inches. I grabbed the arrow's tip and upon closely examining it, I saw that it was a light, glistening green color with a hint of gold. The arrowhead sparkled ever so slightly as it sat wedged inside the wooden crate.
"Glass arrows…" I muttered as Nelwyn took a quick look for himself.
"Damn, these are quite well-made," said the Wood Elf. "Regular steel arrows hurt bad enough, but you get hit by one of these bad boys, you ain't gonna have a fun time." Nelwyn reached into his quiver and pulled out several jet black arrows and handed them to me. "Fortunately, I'm also a skilled fletcher. You'll be hard-pressed to ever come across a set of ebony arrows as finely crafted as these, I assure you."
I graciously accepted Nelwyn's arrows as I drew my bow. Fortunately for us, none of the crewmen were hurt from the Thalmor's barrage of arrows, and now it was time for retaliation. Everyone sprung back up from their hiding spots, and soon nearly everyone had a bow in their hands.
"Arrows at the ready men!" shouted Argyle as the Nord drew his own bow. Forming a straight line similar to the Thalmor forces, Argyle's men all took a firing stance as they awaited their Captain's order to attack. I stood next to Nelwyn, nodding silently to one another for good luck.
"Give em hell boys!" bellowed Argyle. That moment, our arrows took to the sky, gliding elegantly through the rain like hawks chasing down their prey. I looked on as I kept a close watch on my arrow, my heart still racing furiously. The men of the Sparrow's Tear must've had better aim than the Thalmor, because several Elves dropped dead to the ground as our arrows made impact. And I smiled as I saw my own arrow hit one of the Orc berserkers square in the throat, sending him toppling like a sack of bricks.
"Good shots men!" Argyle exclaimed with praise, and that was soon met with cheerful roars from his crew. Nelwyn and I looked one another, the Bosmer giving me a smirk for the Orc I had killed.
"Fine shot Drelas," Nelwyn said. "The less of those savages we have to deal with, the better."
The sky began roaring with thunder once more, its immense, crushing voice felt like it could deafen even the mightiest of giants. An enormous wave formed in the ocean, spurred onward by the gusting winds. Gracing the waters with an almost elegant motion, the wave then slammed into the Tear with severe ferocity. The ship threatened to topple on its side into the waves several times as it shook side-to-side from the sheer force of the wave. The entire crew, including myself were now drenched and soaked to the skin. The Thalmor wasted no time and promptly took advantage of our unexpected disorientation.
A second storm of arrows were let loose from the bows of the Bosmer archers. Whizzing and slicing through the air with a shrill death cry, the glistening glass arrows soared toward us. By the time any of us realized what was going on, it was already much too late. None of us had time to take proper cover from the volley. In that split second before the Thalmor's arrows made their impact, I could swear my heart stopped.
Screams of pain and terror echoed through the thundering sky. Four of Argyle's crew were struck by the hail of arrows, streams of blood running swiftly across the deck. I saw the fear that sparked in the men's eyes as they looked at what were now corpses of their fallen comrades.
"Hold fast lads!" Argyle said in an attempt to encourage everyone and get them together again. "You're not gonna let these pointy-eared milk drinkers get the best of you, are ya? Come on men, get yerselves together and send em screamin to the bottom of the ocean!"
The men seemed to find their courage again, and everyone moved back into formation and took a firing stance.
A second volley of arrows was unleashed upon the Thalmor forces, and once more, screams of pain filled the air as several of them fell dead. Nelwyn's arrow struck a Thalmor mage right in his heart, while mine took out one of the Bosmer archers. They were growing to be quite a menace, and I knew that if they were eliminated, that would put a serious damper on the Thalmor's ranged capabilities.
"Ya know Sargoth," Nelwyn began. "It really ain't easy, seeing my own kin fighting for these lunatic High Elves. To know how brainwashed they must be to take up their cause, all the bullshit propaganda and lies that have slowly turned them into little more than mindless slaves. That's not to mention having to actually kill them. I'd be lying if I said this isn't mildly heartbreaking."
"You can't think of them as your kin, Nelwyn," I replied, taking notice of the worry and hint of guilt in his eyes. "They're the enemy now. If you don't kill them, they won't hesitate to do so to you."
"The man I'm chasing," I continued. "He used to be a dear friend to me. He was the leader of the group I had been a part of for over two decades. When he first met me, he gave me the chance for a new life. He gave me a purpose, and he gave me the closest friends and family I had ever known. And now, thanks to that same man's treachery, mostly all of those friends are now dead. The same man who gave me a new life, was the one who utterly destroyed it and left it in shambles. The day I learned of his allegiance to the Thalmor, that was the day he became my enemy. True, we were friends for many long years, but none of that matters now. I won't rest until I have his head, until I have served justice and avenged my friends who died for his betrayal."
Nelwyn looked over at me and surely must have noticed the fury in my expression, and the tension writhing within me.
"I'm sorry for your loss, friend," said the Bosmer as he laid a hand on my shoulder. "If anyone in Tamriel has reason to hate the Thalmor, it's you. And you're right, those Bosmer are no longer my kinsmen. These Elves are but shadows of what they once were, and thus must be destroyed."
We rejoined the others soon after, who were preparing to send forth another storm of arrows to the Thalmor forces. Even more Elves soon fell to the deadly hail of arrows, and I saw Argyle's men growing all the more encouraged.
Just then, I caught glance of several Altmer soldiers carrying grappling hooks, securely fastened to long steel chain-links. The Elves gave the hooks a mighty toss, and they firmly attached themselves to the hull of our ship.
"Swords!" commanded Argyle, immediately seeing the Thalmor's change in tactic. Seven or eight more hooks buried themselves into the deck, and the crew of the Sparrow's Tear braced themselves as the Elves swiftly swung over on the chains and easily climbed aboard the deck.
The shrill chime of weapons clashing rang through the air, accompanied by the ever growing voice of the thunder that beat nearly like a drum. Around a dozen Thalmor soldiers had already boarded the ship, and they were soon reinforced as more of their forces swung over with the grappling hooks. Argyle's men formed a tight defensive formation as they faced off against the Elves, and it's a good thing they were all well-trained, or I doubt any of them would've lasted long.
Me and Nelwyn opted to stay back with our bows and provide support from the rear. The Thalmor had the same idea, and several of their Bosmer archers were still firing upon us. We had to be rid of them before they slowly picked off all the crew.
Argyle's crew were holding up well so far against the Dominion. They had killed off the first wave of Elves that had boarded the ship, and they were able to kill anyone who tried to climb aboard via the grappling hooks. But the Thalmor are nothing if not crafty, and soon enough they pulled another trick from their sleeve.
All the Thalmor wizards amidst the ranks suddenly lifted their hands. Bright, vibrant tendrils of magic began swirling in their palms as they charged the energy of their spells. I couldn't tell what spell it was the wizards were conjuring, but I assumed them to be offensive and braced myself for the inevitable attack. What happened next however, I was not expecting.
The Altmer mages suddenly cast their spells upon their own forces. A fair bulk of the Thalmor platoon were now shimmering with a faint glow as the magic swirled around them. Then suddenly, to the shock of myself and all of Argyle's crew, the Thalmor soldiers were then literally lifted off the ground and were now standing freely in midair. The mages had cast none other than the Levitation spell upon the soldiers, and they were hastily making their way to our position.
"Brace yourselves lads," said Argyle to his visibly nervous men. The levitating soldiers were also being protected by shield and ward spells from the wizards as they made their way over, so stopping them with arrows or magic was pretty well out of the question.
"I knew they weren't going to go down that easy," Nelwyn muttered as we readied our weapons. "This is where it really gets fun."
The ship was soon crawling with Thalmor agents in what only seemed to be a matter of seconds. They quickly spread their ranks around the deck as they bombarded Argyle's men with offensive spells, forcing them to split up and break their defensive formation. A good few of the crewmen were fortunately adept with magic, and were able to shield a decent portion of our forces with ward spells and counter the Thalmor mages. Nelwyn and I still decided to not jump in the middle of the fray yet, instead opting to remain behind the scenes and pick off the Dominion soldiers with our arrows. I would occasionally hurl a burst of flame to accompany my arrows.
Nelwyn and I made an efficient and deadly duo, and several Thalmor fell beneath the piercing might of the Wood Elf's ebony arrows. Looking back over to their ship, I could see the group of Orc berserkers slowly trudging over to our position by aid of the levitation spells. My heart grew heavy with rage and contempt as the hulking brutes stomped through thin air, clad head to toe in steel-plated armor.
"They'll do serious damage to our crew if they aren't dealt with swiftly," muttered Nelwyn.
"They're strong, heavy, and sturdy," I said. "They're also slow, overconfident, and as dumb as a brick. No one's ever killed an Orc by being stronger than them, only smarter."
The Orcs finally came aboard the ship, landing with a thud as their boots hit the deck of the ship. Simultaneously, they unsheathed enormous claymores that easily surpassed me in size, and certainly Nelwyn. The Orcs soon joined their Thalmor masters in the heat of battle, trying to look as intimidating and fearsome as possible. The men of the Sparrow's Tear fortunately had good heads on their shoulders, and knew well enough not to charge the berserkers head-on.
A single arrow suddenly whizzed past my head, nearly close enough to graze the skin on my face. I nearly fell on my rump from the startle, and I had to take a second to calm myself and get it together. I looked across to the Thalmor ship and I soon saw a Wood Elf archer lowering his bow and reaching for another arrow. That shot was far too close for any level of comfort, and if I didn't get him first, his next shot may very well not have missed.
The Elf's next arrow never even made it to his bow. My draw was far quicker than his, and before he could react, my arrow had already taken to the air and soon buried itself in his throat. I smiled as spurts of blood foamed from the Elf's mouth, and he dropped dead only seconds after.
"Good job friend," complimented Nelwyn. "Come, let's help the others."
One Orc had fallen to Argyle's blade. The man was swift for a Nord, and he fought damned well with a sword. I'd wager he had never read a single spell tome in his entire life, but thankfully Cedric was leading a competent defence against the Altmer mages. Me and Nelwyn hastily rushed over to back up Argyle, eager to end these Orcs.
The three of us stood together before one of the towering Orcs. His helmet had all but obscured his face, not a touch of skin could be seen from all his armor. His claymore was certainly fearsome and could easily take any of our heads clean off should we not have been careful. I feared not however. All that armor weighing him down would leave him barely faster than a sloth. And the armor itself was rusted and visibly worn in several spots. That hunk of metal had certainly seen better days, and I wagered that with one strong, well-placed strike, this Orc would be just how I like all Orcs. Dead.
The berserker let out a cry and charged toward our trio. He made a powerful first swing, which we effortlessly dodged. Chips of wood flew through the air as his monstrous blade slammed against the ground. Nelwyn was able to land several light, quick strikes with his twin short-swords. The Orc regained his balance, and just as expected, made another hasty charge toward us.
The Orc's blade struck only air once more, and he let out a grunt of fury. I attempted to make a quick retaliation strike as the Orc staggered, but he unexpectedly regained his footing faster than I anticipated. He suddenly swept me off the ground and knocked me on my back with a swift kick of his foot. Pain shot through me as my back slammed against the deck. The Orc stood towering above me, chuckling as he whirled his greatsword with just one hand.
A fierce battle cry bellowed from the Orc's mouth as he proceeded to raise his sword above his head. With all his fury and strength, he then charged at me, the ground shaking around us as his boots hit the deck again and again. I waited for just the right moment before making any move. The hulking berserker laughed again as he went to swing his blade, and that was when I rolled out of the way at the last possible second.
The Orc's greatsword once again missed me, I could hear the grunt of surprise and frustration that escaped him. Before he could take another swing at me, I quickly swiped my dagger from my belt and buried it into the back of his leg. His armor was particularly weak in that spot, and I made certain to use all the force I could muster in my strike. The Orc bellowed a deep cry of pain as he collapsed to his knees and dropped his weapon. A thick stream of blood was already beginning to gush from the wound. Nelwyn did not hesitate to follow through with an attack of his own, and plunged his short-swords into the Orc's chest. And with one final, precise horizontal swing of my sword, I cut through the berserker's neck, and I was soon smiling with glee as I watched his head roll from his shoulders.
Me, Argyle and Nelwyn took a brief moment to retrieve our strength and catch our breaths. The storm was still raging on all around us, the thunder still clapping as bursts of lightning seemed to flicker and dance about almost endlessly. The rain had only grown heavier as the battle progressed, and I damn nearly thought the waves would capsize the Sparrow's Tear entirely.
"Good fighting, my lads," Argyle complimented us. "Come, we must help the rest." The Nord took hold of his blade once more and hurriedly made his way towards his men. I looked down proudly at the corpse of the Orc berserker, saying nothing, but only smiling as I took a second to revel in the joy of his death. I spit on his lifeless body, and then quickly joined the others in the battle.
Rivers of blood flowed across the ground as men fell on both sides. Shrill screams echoed through the night, cries of agony and final gasps for life ringing through the rain, almost as loud and deafening as the thunder above us. The entire Thalmor platoon was aboard the Tear at this point. Trained and skilled Argyle`s men may have been, the Thalmor`s superior numbers and sheer strength were beginning to take its toll on our forces. We had led an impressive, valiant defence against the Elves up to this point, and we had managed to reduce their ranks by more than half. Argyle`s crew were falling at a rapid rate however, and none of us were as well-trained in the arcane as the Altmer. Bursts of flame, spears of ice, and surges of lightning cut through our crew as the Dominion unleashed the ferocity of their magic. The outcome of this fight was beginning to look grim for the men of the Sparrow`s Tear, and I knew that at this rate, it would only be a short time before we became nothing but corpses to be thrown to the sea and swallowed by its black abyss.
What happened next, some of the men may certainly have called a miracle. Me personally, I don`t think I would ever have gone so far as to label it a 'divine intervention', but I do have to admit that had it not have happened, none of us would have lived to see the next morning.
"Hit the deck!" I heard the voice of Argyle cry as the surviving crew struggled to retain our morale. The Nord's order was obeyed without hesitation. Everybody leapt for cover on the deck, and that was when I saw another mountainous wave headed right for us.
The Sparrow's Tear shook with nearly the force of a small quake as the wave slammed into the hull of the ship. As the immense weight of the sea crashed against me, I felt as if all my senses had suddenly abandoned me. In those brief moments I felt like I had been broken away from reality itself. I felt as if the ocean was going to swallow me whole, along with the ship and everyone aboard it. I thought for sure this storm would make corpses of us all.
I can't say exactly how long that whole ordeal lasted. The only thing that mattered was that the wave did eventually subside, and all of our remaining crew miraculously survived. I rushed to my feet as quick as I could, and the rest of the men recovered not long after.
The Thalmor on the other hand, they could not have possibly been less prepared for what happened. They were so focused on winning this battle, so hell-bent on exterminating the lot of us, that they somehow failed to take notice of the colossal wave coming for us. Not a single one of them took cover like we did. They stood directly in the path of the sea, and this was their undoing.
Those that weren't swept off the ship outright, were left disoriented and in disarray as they lay panting and gasping for breath from the relentless assault of the wave. There were a few who tried to stand, but they merely collapsed again as the last of their strength and resolve ebbed away from them, and the true reality of their sudden, crushing defeat began to dawn upon them.
Argyle's men made their way over to the decimated Thalmor forces, standing triumphantly over them as they now lay defenceless, their eyes teeming with humiliation. Argyle was standing over the same Thalmor wizard who insulted us at the beginning of this encounter. The look of utter shame and disgrace on his face will be forever etched into my mind.
"Should've let us pass, laddie," Argyle said with a proud and mocking tone. The wizard could only scowl in seething rage as Argyle practically gloated over him. "Take a good look at our fine Talos banner. Look upon the face of the god you so abhor, that you deny, that you hold in contempt. Because that's going to be the very last thing you and your pathetic soldiers ever see. I may not be a religious man, but even I can appreciate the irony of all this."
The wizard looked up at Argyle, coughing violently for several seconds as he tried to speak.
"Oblivion take you…worm," he snarled.
Argyle scoffed. "Oh you'll be there long before me, friend." Argyle grasped his blade, and plunged it right through the Altmer wizard's mouth. The rest of us wasted no time in finishing off the remaining Thalmor. I could see the relief in the faces of the men at this such unexpected, and fortunate turn of the battle. We had come so close to meeting our deaths. The Sparrow's Tear was no doubt in rough shape from this entire ordeal. Sturdy as it was, the storm had taken its toll upon the ship, and we needed to find land soon so we could repair the damage. We promptly tossed the bodies of the Thalmor men into the sea, left to be swallowed and devoured by the swift current of the storming waters.
"We won a great victory today, my friends," Argyle spoke loudly to the remaining crewmen. "But that victory did not come without great cost. Many good men died tonight. We will mourn them, as will their family and friends. Their loss is regrettable, but we must remember their sacrifice was not in vain! We did more than kill some Thalmor milk-drinkers. This victory will send a message to the Aldmeri Dominion! A message from those who will not tolerate their oppression, who will not stand for their bigoted ideals and deluded intentions! They think they can go anywhere they wish, killing anyone they please. They think they can force their beliefs on the good people of Tamriel, and no one will stand up to them! Well they're wrong, my friends. You showed them that tonight. We showed them that their crimes will not go unpunished, and you should be proud of that!"
The men cheered and roared in joy as Argyle spoke. We were all in relief that we came through this alive and that we would live to see another day. There was still this storm to worry about though, and we had to get to the safety of land soon before the Tear was consumed whole by the ocean.
We sailed with all due haste to the small island Nelwyn mentioned before we ran into the Thalmor. Upon reaching the island, we docked the Tear at a safe spot, and about half the crew were put to work on repairing the damage wrought by the storm. The rest of us gathered the bodies of those who had fallen, and giving them the best burial we could under these circumstances and commemorating their brave sacrifice tonight. A prayer of safe passage to Aetherius was spoken, followed by a moment of silence in remembrance.
Argyle allowed me to retire early afterward, and I wasted no time in getting to my room. I quickly dried myself off from all the water, and got changed into some fresh, dry clothes. I plopped into my bed soon after, and for the first time in what seemed to be forever, I had a proper, peaceful night's sleep.
I slept well into the afternoon of the next day. The Sparrow's Tear had been long fixed, and we were on the open water once again. Most of the crew had decided to relax today, and they certainly earned it after the hell of last night.
I was suddenly awoken by a knock on my door.
"Sargoth, I got something to show you," said Nelwyn as he opened my door and came in.
"Whatever it is, can't it wait?" I asked, still groggy and fatigued.
"Just come on up to the deck, I promise it won't take long," the Bosmer insisted. He left me alone again, and I reluctantly forced myself up from the bed and followed him outside.
My eyes took several moments to adjust as I stepped outside onto the deck. The sun was shining in the sky, though a few dark clouds still remained from the turmoil of last night. The water was rippling quite heavily as the Tear sailed along, and I made my way over to Nelwyn at the helm of the ship.
"What is it, Nel?" I asked, still somewhat half-asleep.
"There it is, Sargoth," said Nelwyn, pointing someplace a good distance ahead of us. I had to squint my eyes to see what he was talking about. It took me a second to see that far ahead, but once I did, I instantly felt a plethora of emotions beginning to rush inside me.
"Is that…?"
"Welcome to the Summerset Isles, my friend," said Nelwyn as he put an arm around my shoulder. "The home of the High Elves."
Anybody here played The Elder Scrolls Online yet? I personally have zero interest in playing the game, but I'm still curious as to other people's opinions of it and would like to hear any thoughts of those who have played it.
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you liked the chapter.