Author's Note: Almost out of this arc, I think. Also this is NOT an OC I introduce here, but anyone with some lore-chops probably can pinpoint who they are supposed to be. He's going to be a friend and ally and once enough of y'all have guessed his name I may tag him in the story. And furthermore this is proof that not every event and side-quest will wait for the Main Protagonist to get there before beginning. Which could mean anything in the future from a successful Potema cult to early vampires to a Dark Brotherhood without a Speaker. So with this y'all are caught up to what I have posted on AO3!
Chapter 16: Well Met By Moonlight
With a deep sigh Harry set off down the mountain. He sorely missed his Firebolt at the moment, it would have been a simple thing to fly over one of the rockier outcroppings that blocked the mountainous terrain nearby from being a proper pass through the mountains, but alas this world had a decided, though Harry might admit it was through no lack of trying, that flight of such kind was impossible.
So unless he figured out how to sprout wings here and now, Harry was forced to descend tired, drained, and exhausted down into Falkreath Hold.
Harry's state did not allow him to take in and properly appreciate the beauty of the wilderness the way he normally would.
The Dursleys had not really been the camping types, so except for some trips into the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts Harry had been fascinated with the wild landscape of Skyrim in his first year in the realm.
Had he been paying attention the pine forests and mists that covered the hills of upper Falkreath would have amazed Harry. Each tree towered as high as the tallest tree in the Forbidden Forest and every boulder and hillock would have been a new and interesting discovery through the cover of the mist.
Quite unfortunately Harry was not in the proper state to enjoy the scenery. More unfortunately the young mage was not in the proper state to see or sense the danger coming his way either.
A blur of dark grey punctuated by a howl came hurtling at him from the cover of the fog, only the barest of wards were thrown up to protect himself and he was sent hurtling ten paces away and into a rocky outcropping on the side of the path.
He grunted as dirt rained down on him from his impact and blearily he tried to focus his eyes onto his attacker.
It was a hulking werewolf, standing at least twenty hands tall at the haunches, with slobbering chops full of razor sharp teeth.
And it was staring at Harry like he was the next meal.
"Oh for the bloody-sake of Stendarr's hairy sack!" Harry bit out the nastiest and most relevant curses that sprang to mind, immediately moving to roll to the side and attempt to get some kind of defensive spell up.
The beast pounced and a hasty and basic Protego just barely allowed Harry to deflect it, and only due to it being unprepared, he doubted such a shaky construct could hold it next time.
A growl punctuated the next pounce, and Harry actually dove underneath the creature's leap in order to come up behind it and have the time to shout, "Protego Perma!" and summon his most efficient type of shield.
A light hunting spear appeared in his other hand with a purple and eldritch glow, Harry was not going to sword fight this monster.
That being said his knowledge of spears pretty much amounted to "Stick them with the pointy end".
Over the next few moments Harry was forced to deflect three lightning quick claw swipes and attempted and failed to jab at the beast an equal number of times.
This werewolf was nearly three times as broad and sturdy as Lupin's werewolf form and was noticeably more vicious. Harry was not sure he could take it in melee on his best day, let alone exhausted as he was.
Then suddenly an arrow seemed to sprout from the beast's shoulder and it howled and whirled around in fury.
A young Redguard man, perhaps just a few years older than Harry, emerged from the misty treeline, another arrow ready to fly.
"I have found you Sinding! I trusted you and you killed that girl and escaped all while I was trying to help you with your blasted curse!" The man yelled across the taiga, giving Harry enough time to back away and exchange his spear for crackling lightning.
The werewolf's ear twitched at the sound and it intelligently let out a vicious howl that caused both Harry and the Redguard to flinch slightly, giving it the small opening to flee back into the forest.
In haste the Redguard loosed an arrow at the now named Sinding as he retreated and Harry was forced from his positioning to raise his shield, though the arrow flew wide of him as well.
The Redguard cursed and then lowered his bow and made his way over towards Harry.
"Well met, traveller," He began, "I am Faisal al'Elinhir. Mercenary, bounty hunter, and adventurer," Harry shook the man's proffered hand.
He stood a solid five inches above Harry's five feet and eleven, about average for a Redguard he knew. He wore sturdy chainmail and pauldrons in the fashion of his people and wielded both the bow and a sword and shield in a strange style, involving dark metal though not ebony, a red rubied guard in a circular shape, and a strangely engraved kite shield. Harry could only assume it was a style from Craglorn, as that border region of Hammerfell jutting up against Falkreath was where the city of Elinhir was located.
"Harald Secret-Fire, of Whiterun and formerly Camlorn. Aspiring battlemage and I promise I am a seasoned adventurer, I simply was not expecting to be ambushed by a werewolf after clearing an entire barrow of bandits and draugr!"
Faisal laughed in appreciation, "Oh I can relate to that, I once got caught bathing in a stream by a territorial spriggan after clearing out a rogue necromancer over in Craglorn! And Harald? A Breton with a Nordic name? What luck to meet a fellow half-Nord! My father was a Nordic adventurer whom my mother took a shine to, and they say the rest is history!"
They found a small ridge for them to rest upon as Harry recovered.
"So Hircine has asked you to hunt down Sinding? Are you sure you can no longer remove the curse and allow him to live peacefully?"
The Redguard hummed frustratedly, "He has already betrayed my trust once! If he had simply remained in the cell I could have cleansed the ring and returned it to him and helped him escape to live peacefully as I had planned!"
"Do you not think perhaps when his transformation came upon him he was simply scared of the guards? They likely did not take kindly and thought it an aggressive action," Harry retorted.
His new friend nodded, "I suppose we could attempt to cleanse the ring, but that requires Hircine's favor, and he has made his desires known. And all this asides there are other hunters after him as well!"
Harry nodded, understanding where he was coming from, "Then either way we need to find Sinding. Whether to finish the job ourselves or to give him a final chance at redemption,".
An hour later, enough for Harry's magic and stamina to properly recover, they were off on Sinding's trail.
Luckily for Harry it was in the direction he had been planning to move around the mountains to return to Whiterun anyways, he had come out of the barrow far to the west, where it was quicker to cut around the mountains that way than head back to Riverwood, though he would return with Lucan's claw eventually.
The tracks led to a stoney tunnel leading into a grotto within the mountains.
They could already hear sounds of the hoots and hollering of frenzied hunters and disciples of Hircine within.
"The hunt begins without us, friend!" Faisal stated, drawing his bow.
"Well let's not disappoint, we save Sinding and then try and give him a chance to redeem himself? To return to the light?" Harry pulled out his trusty staff of fireballs, some area of effect attacks may dissuade the frenzied hunters.
"Agreed," They entered the grotto together.
A viciously mauled Khajiit lay near the entrance, "He is too much for them," Faisal offered, and Harry nodded grimly.
Running forwards and through the winding and rocky paths of the inner grotto they passed more deceased hunters. An orc, a Nord, and another Khajiit. All within the first hundred yards.
Finally they came to a bushy area of the grotto abutting a small cave pond. Two fearsome looking Nords, another orc, and a Redguard woman had Sinding surrounded.
"Not so fast!" Harry cried out as he sent a fireball hurtling into their backs, his aim was almost perfect, he sent two of them flying, burned a third, but he also singed Sinding slightly.
"Oblivion take us…" Faisal growled as he put an arrow into the chest of the standing orc and Sinding leapt upon the bodies of the fallen Nords, tearing into them viciously.
But, as they approached, it appeared that Sinding's werewolf bloodlust was up.
"Sinding, we are willing to give you one more, cha-" Faisal was cut off as the Redguard woman scrambled to her feet and attempted to flee, only to be viciously pounced upon from behind by the werewolf, her neck crushed from behind in his vicious jaws.
"Harry I think Sinding has lost himself!" The Redguard barely managed to get the warning out and exchange his bow for his sword and shield before the beast formerly known as Sinding turned his enraged eyes upon them and leapt once more.
Harry cursed as Faisal batted the werewolf away and lashed out with his sword. The young mage quickly summoned Prongs to block the exit and prevent another escape, he then spent a precious few seconds placing up Ironflesh and Protego Perma and sent a bolt of more focused lightning into the beast's back.
Sinding howled in pain and rage, the clenching of muscles from the electric current allowed Faisal to cut a clean gash along the right pectoral of the werewolf.
With renewed rage Faisal was put onto the defensive, catching claw and tooth upon his shield.
"Any, time Harald! I can heal and ward, I promise!"
With that call Harry decided to throw caution to the wind as his partner suggested and he began dual-casting a very special spell. It was his first Expert-level spell, and so far the only one he knew, though Farengar argued that his Protego Perma and Patronus both warranted that designation, too.
Lightning crackled in his hands and he condensed it as much as possible to avoid added or splash damage to Faisal the way other shock based spells might do.
"Fulmenaga!" He cried and launched forward not a Lightning Bolt but a vicious Thunder Bolt that slammed into Sinding's back and crippled and almost outright killed the creature.
As Harry dropped to one knee he saw the tip of Faisal's sword exit the back of the creature's neck, certainly finishing it.
Harry looked around the cave, "This...feels terrible,".
Faisal sighed and removed and began cleaning his blade, "Indeed friend, I feel like there were no victors today,".
A white spectral wolf swirled into being above Sinding's corpse. It glanced at Prongs curiously but then turned its attention back to the pair of warriors.
"Why nonsense, Hunters! That was the best hunt I have seen in ages! You turned it inside out and all about! And what vicious finality there at the end! A boon for each of you I think!"
"I defy you, and your vile tasks!" Faisal bit out, "I did this for myself! He was a danger to all around him!"
"Oh so you may think," The spirit of Hircine replied, "But you continue to impress, and you will continue to amuse as well, I wager. Go forth with my Blessing,".
The final word was said with such finality that it echoed through the grotto and with a burst of white light the spirit disappeared and two things were noticed.
The ring upon Faisal's hand glowing.
And a suit of light leather armor next to where Sinding's werewolf body had been previously. All that remained was his decapitated head as a grim trophy, or perhaps a taunt or warning.
"Aye…" Harry said, eyes full with weariness and distaste, "Nobody was a winner on this night,".