Thaddeus Chapter 7: Fallen Jewel
The sky had darkened in the days since they had left Falkreath.
The pounding of hoofs on the long dirt road. The clapping of thunder in the sky. The only sounds that could be heard.
"A storm is rolling in." One of the guards muttered to the rest of the group.
Thaddeus lazily turned around and nodded in acknowledgment at the soldier's observation.
They were taking far too long to get to Forelhost. The Falmer were metaphorically breathing down their necks and there wasn't much they could do about it until they warned General Tullius of the impending danger.
At the forefront of the group sitting atop a white horse sat Jarl Balgruuf the Greater of Whiterun.
He continued to boast of past victories and glorious battles, though much of the fighting involved common soldiers rather than the Jarl himself, yet he neglected to chime in on that little detail whenever he spoke of war stories.
"…..the bandit swung his warhammer swiftly and with such force that it knocked me back, but only just a few inches. I stood my ground. Shield in one hand, sword in the other. I waited for the bandit to make only but a simple mistake. A wrong move. Then an opportunity presented itself when the bandit swung again, leaving his upper-left ribcage unguarded. A thrust my sword forward, using my shield arm to take the enemy blow, the sword plunging into the bandit. It had greatly wounded the bandit and as he lay dying, I stood over him and prayed to Talos for forgiveness. Not for my own actions, but for his. The battle was won. The rest of the bandits fled back into the mountain pass. They didn't dare attack again after that day." Jarl Balgruuf finished his tale, giving a loud war cry afterwards.
Thaddeus shook his head and returned his view forward.
He could see Forelhost now as they rode closer.
The walls had been worn down by recent skirmishes.
The place seemed to be in great disarray.
Something was off here; Thaddeus just couldn't put his finger on what it could be.
The riders lessened their pace as they came into the clearing just outside of the old ruins.
"Something is amiss. These ruins should be heavily guarded, yet it seems as though they have been abandoned. Stay cautious." Thaddeus warned as he dismounted, the others following suit.
Drawing his sword, he slowly pushed open the large doors of Forelhost.
Thaddeus was appalled and disheartened by what he saw as he entered the old ruins.
Bodies were strewn across the main entrance hall. Banners had been set aflame. Victims of whatever attack took place, hung from the ceiling, tightly knotted ropes tied around their necks. Blood splatter across the walls and floors.
"By the nines…it was a massacre." One of the guards said in shock as he entered.
Thaddeus knelt down next to one of the bodies.
"It doesn't look as though the Falmer did this. Something doesn't feel right. There was fighting, but it is unclear who fought who. Come. We must keep investigating." Thaddeus said as he returned to his feet.
The group continued through the halls, finding bodies laid out any which way. Nailed to the walls. Hanging from the ceilings. Sliced. Diced. Slashed. Torn to pieces. Something purely evil had to do something like this.
A foul smell came from the kitchen as they found charred bodies piled upon the tables.
One of the guards turned away. He threw up from the sight.
Thaddeus still couldn't help but feel like something was very wrong here.
This wasn't a Falmer attack. Everything pointed away from that. The different stab wounds, slashes. It didn't add up to the Falmer.
The door to the throne room seemed to be barred shut from the other side.
"Help me open this door." Thaddeus ordered.
Jarl Balgruuf and another of the guards joined Thaddeus at the doors.
With all of their strength, they rammed the doors, but to no avail.
Turning around, he motioned to a rather large table to be used as a battering ram.
After a few slams of the table, the doors broke open.
The bodies of Imperial soldiers littered the throne room floors.
They had been trying to keep something or someone out. But what could they have been trying to keep out?
Thaddeus slowly advanced up the stairs to the throne.
"Oh no…." He said as he found Falk Firebeard sitting upon the throne, his body heavily lacerated.
"Death by a thousand cuts." One of the guards muttered.
The doors to the throne room slammed shut.
"NNNOOOO!" Thaddeus shouted as he sprinted down the stairs.
He kicked the doors repeatedly, but they would not budge.
"Hahahahahahaha! Welcome to your greatest nightmare! Mhahahahahahaha!" A voice said.
Thaddeus and the others quickly placed their hands on their heads as they began to feel an uncontrollable pain.
"What is going on?!" One of the guards painfully asked.
"You have entered my greatest of achievements. The nightmares drove them mad. They each believed one thing or another. Some thought others were plotting to kill them. Some believed others were monsters or their greatest of fears. And then others were just victims."
Thaddeus now understood what had happened. He now understood what killed all of these people. They had all killed each other.
"You made them all kill each other through the use of nightmares." Thaddeus painfully said.
"Oh, but the game has only just begun mortal. There are now new pieces on the board that must face the nightmares or dare suffer the same fate. Quagmire awaits. Mhahahahaha!"
