Chapter 6

Ice, then warmth. I was back again. I was getting used to this.

"Your pretty weak, mister Sheogorath". I smiled. Nothing. Fucking. Matters.

How did this work? Was it every time I died, I returned? What, like that anime? Do I return by death? Ignoring Aerana's question, I walked passed Ralof, and pulled the iron dagger from Gunjar's belt. With only a seconds hesitation, I reversed the grip and turned it on myself.

"What are you doing! Hey! Stop that!" Yelled Ralof. But it was too late. I violently tore it across my throat.

"Idiot!" screamed Aerana "You truly are mad!" but it didn't matter. I barely even felt the pain. My vision rapidly darkened. Once more, I felt the cold of the abyss envelope me for just a fraction of a second. Just long enough for me to acknowledge it.

And then, the light. And I was back. So I guess my next question would be, how do I progress? Do I need to get to a check point? Enter a new area? Was I stuck here forever? So many questions.

"Your pretty weak, mister Sheogorath." Fuck it!

"Thanks, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!" I chirped back. If I was stuck here, might as well take advantage of it. "It's Sheo, actually. Parents were big fans of the tux man himself. Saw the hair, and decided I should be named after him. You should see the cheese shrine. I assure you, it's very Holey." The sarcasm was so thick, you could spread it with a knife. Yet despite that, the steaming dung pile of a pun is what gave her an ear to ear grin.

"Oh, is that how it is. Daedra get a lot of shit for that growing up?"

Did…did she just make a pun? Replacing the words did ya with Daedra? Oh. Oh no. Help, I'm scared.

"IF YOU TWO ARE DONE JOKING AROUND, I would like to unbind you." Ralof called from the other side of the room.

"He's right" I said jovially. "Gunjar isn't going to pilfer himself."

"Wait, how did you-" Ralof started. But I cut him off.

"I'm a sear. I see the future." He looked at me like I was crazy. I can't remember if he's done that this loop. "For example, we have around a minute before the Captain from cart and her lacky are going to open the door." I pointed at the gate to the barracks. "We can't go any further until we get the key off her. I recommend waiting quietly be the side of the door, having them pass us, and attacking them from behind." It was a great plan. Or not. Only one real way to find out! What can I say, Assassin's creed had taught me well.

"Err, well, I suppose you did know about the dragon. Is it really the only way passed?" Ralof asked. While speaking he had untied us. I had also been putting on Gunjar's armor while I spoke. It was patchy, but it was protection. I did however, pull the Stormcloak cloth off of it. I looked at Ralof, be he didn't seem to care. I was left in fur boots, gloves, and chainmail. Thin chainmail. But chainmail.

"Well, you haven't been wrong so far. And the only other option is back outside." To prove her point, Alduin roared overhead.

I took the axe, and climbed up on the ledge of the wall. Specifically the side the light armored legionnaire would exit out of. Payback was a bitch.

Their voices echoed down the hallway. I looked over at Ralof and Aerana, they had done the same on their side. Nothing to do but wait I guess.

"Captain, we should regroup with the others! The dragon could bring down this whole keep any minute!" It was a man's voice, so three guesses who that was.

"Be quiet you sniveling fool! Do you have any idea what happens if that elf escapes! We are dead! Do you hear me! Dead! Our families are dead! Everyone we fucking know is dead! And anyone who would ask questions about any of it will disappear off the face of nirn! Would you like to take a guess as to what happens to them?! That's right! They're fucking dead! So, does your small peon brain understand why we MUST FIND THAT ELF?!" Damn, she sure had a pair of lungs on her. And that was all news to me. Maybe she had a reason for being so angry. Still a bitch, but a reason is a reason.

"Captain, does this have anything to do with the thal-"

"BE QUIET! You utter one word and I'll gut you myself! You understand me!" Wait, were the Thalmor involved in the attempted execution of the dragonborn? I feel like I would know about that.

Ugh! Why were they taking so long. How long does it take to travel down a short hallway? Were they walking? I mean, it made sense. Kinda. Not really, a dragon was razing outside for goodness sake. They must really want Aerana.

We heard the chain get pulled. The door opened. Wait for it. They passed by. NOW! I, along with Ralof and Aerana leapt down on our prey.

My axe was through the back of his skull before he even knew what had happened. The Centurion Captain had just enough time to realize they were under attack and look at me, before Ralof had lopped her head off. It rolled across the floor in a very satisfying way.

What? She was a bitch. Hope she was thinking of me.

"Well I'll be. By Shor! A-"

"Yes, yes. A sear. I know. Can we please gooooo~" I whined. I wanted to see something other than this ROOM!

"Alright, alright. Let's get the key then." Ralof tried to deal with, form his perspective, was an unjustified mood swing.

"Wait!" I called out.

"For Talos sake, what?!" He seemed to be getting angry at me. Aerana just looked on, amused.

"I want her armor. Or, just her vambraces. I said I would take her armor. I don't want to be a liar."

It was the first time I had heard it in this life time. And the first time ever I had heard it unfiltered. Aerana was laughing. I guess she thought grave robbing was funny. a bit worrying that. still, it was quite beautiful. Like the sound of a silver violin.

I liked it. Once I had tied my pilfered equipment, I saw that Ralof had grabbed her shield and her sword. I decided I wanted the man's sword. Avoiding the puddle around his head, I pulled it out of his sheath. Oooh. Pointy.

"Can we go now, please?" Aerana said, waiting by the door.

We walked up to her and started to descend. "I should warn you not to engage the Imperials up ahead. The ceiling will fall to crush them. " I said as we entered the hallway. Sure enough, they saw us. And we had just enough time to register they were there, before they were crushed by several tons of stone.

I didn't feel bad. It was a mostly painless death. I would know.

"What do we do now?" asked Ralof? And I realized it was directed at me. And I then it struck me, I did it! I made it past the tower! Ok. Think.

"We can cut through the storage room here" I gestured to the door " and just go around. We can also grab a few supplies, potions, a bit of rations. That sort of thing. But there's another two Imperials inside. Then after that, we'll make our way to the torture chamber. There, we can meet up with some Stormcloaks reinforcements. After that, we need to make one final push through the imperial rear guard. They guard the exit entrance."

Aerana looked like she was suffering from information overload. Which was fair.

Ralof on the other hand had a very thoughtful look on his face. "Is that all the opposition we face?"

Was it? Oh yeah! "There's also a frostbite spider nest, and a cave bear, though, we can probably sneak past the cave bear." I was not looking forward to either of those. The spiders more than the bear. Ralof seemed to share in my plight.

"Hate those damn things. Too many eyes." He muttered.

With a game plan in mind, we opened the door a crack. We were in luck. Only the heavy armored soldier was in the room. And he was distracted. I put my finger to my lips in a "shh" motion.

Then, with the confidence of a man who couldn't die, I snuck up behind him. By the time he noticed me I was swinging for his neck. It glanced off his helmet, but he fell back anyway from turning so fast. He hit the wall with the weight of a man in full plate armor. He neck made an odd pop noise and he lay there with his head at a weird angle…Good enough!

I was so amused by this, I was almost stabbed. The second Imperial had snuck up behind me, and was one stab away from making me reset. Who does that anyway? Sneaking up on someone while their back is turned.

Rude people, that's who. Thankfully, Aerana shot hit in the face with fire. So problems solved.

After that was taken care of, it was simple enough to just take the suckers sack(ha!) And be on our merry way. He had been ever so kind in packing it for us, and it wasn't like he needed it anymore.

It was then we heard the sound of fighting. Crashing, and yelling. We entered the fray, myself with my sword, Aerana with magic, and Ralof with himself. It was already an uphill battle for the Imperials. The mage was giving everyone the most trouble. His apprintice fell quickly. But the old man was shooting lightning left and right. Unfortunately for him, he was old and enfeebled. He couldn't contend with out numbers. He never even saw the war hammer that met with the back of his skull. Shame, he more than anyone else here deserved to suffer.

The Stormcloaks went on ahead, 6 strong, to try to secure a root for our escape. Ralof thought we could grab a few more goodies before we departed however.

"Hey," he called our attention. "there's something in these cages. Take these picks and see if you can get them open." He directed this at Aerana. I don't have any idea where he got those picks, and asking the wood elf to just pick a lock seems kinda racist.

Surprisingly though, or maybe not, she got to work. I suppose stereotypes exist for a reason.

"Fuck."

"Shit"

"Damnit."

"Arg, so close!"

"Oh come one!"

And with that, she was out. "Guess it remains locked away. Shame." She said. Slightly disheartened.

I looked hard at the cage. It was rusted all around. The hinges looked weak. "Can I try?" I asked.

She looked at me. "With what, your pin-shaped package?" Ouch. That was mean. I understand she was frustrated, but that was mean .

Well, only thing to do is prove her wrong. Walking over to the armory in the corner of the room, I hefted a war hammer. It was SOOO heavy. It was perfect.

I walked back over, hammer dragging ominously behind me. Aerana, and even Ralof seemed to understand what I had in mind. She quickly moved out of the way. Ralof even laughed at my obvious plan.

I hefted the hammer over my shoulder, before bringing it down on the top hinge. It buckled easily. Then once more, and the top hinge was broken. Two more swings for the bottom hinge and the door fell off the frame.

I hearted the hammer over my shoulder and turned back to Aerana. "What do think of my package now?" I said with an eye brow wiggle. Her mouth gapped. "Ha!" I said pointer at her

"Y-you cheated!" she accused.

"And yet, it's open" Ralof interjected. "I'd say the lad succeeded."

"Ralof says I won" I said petulantly.

The man had a nice set of robes on him. They were enchanted to Increase Magicka. I think. He also had a spell book with him. I wanted to read it but-

"We don't have time for your to read a book! We've been here long enough." Aerana said. Sure her decision was in no way influenced by the fact that I won. I pocketed the robes and book for later.

This was it. The big battle. Stormcloak vs Imperial! The final showdown of Helgan. Or, it would have been. Had the other Stormcloaks not taken care of the token Imperial resistance. As it turns out, the world does not sit and wait for the dragonborn and handsome party to walk into flagged events.

Well that was foreboding. Wonder how Movarth was doing. Or Potema. I'm sure it would be fine. Since when had ignoring an issue ever lead to things getting worse.

"To the forstbite spiders!" I proclaimed. "Onward."

Aerana grinned. Ralof grimaced.

What could possibly go wrong.