Kratos stepped out of the inn the next morning to find that Lydia had already formed up the troops. He approached and quickly looked them over, nodding briefly to Lydia to signal his satisfaction. "Good. Now we hunt." They set off immediately taking the road leading south, which would eventually lead them to Riften if followed long enough.
Kratos and Lydia led them down the path in a double column moving at fair pace. The morning was pleasant and cool. Their breath steamed as they trekked further from Kynesgrove and the next several hours passed quietly as they had made good time. Kratos began to notice a feeling, a sense of something that he couldn't quite describe, that pressure on the edge of his awareness. He turned to face Lydia, "Be vigilant."
She cocked a questioning eyebrow at him, "Yes, my thane. Did you hear something?"
He shook his head, "No. But I know." She gave him a slow nod of understanding and then began to eye their surroundings with even greater attention. They continued along down the track for a time, all the while Kratos' battlefield sense grew stronger. Abruptly he raised a fist, halting the company in its tracks. He took several steps forward alone and dropped to one knee examining the stretch of road before him more closely. He waved Lydia forward, "Here." She approached cautiously and crouched next to him. Kratos brushed aside some loose dirt to reveal a patch of earth, which was stained a darker shade. "An attack happened here. Search the east side of the road for their trail." Lydia nodded to him and stood, walking back to the assembled men.
Lydia stopped before them, "Algar, Bron, Eyja." The three stepped forward, a slim dark haired Nord of medium height, a stocky Breton man, and a tall Nord woman with a short honey colored bob cut. "The cultists stuck along this path of road. Search the eastern side for their trail. We will hold nearby to not foul the trail. Be cautious and call at the first sign of danger. They may have left sentries in the area." The three scouts drew their bows and set off immediately into the woods. Lydia looked over her shoulder at Kratos who was still crouched down over the road, head bowed, touching it lightly with extended fingertips. She turned back and ordered the men off the road and into cover on the western side, letting the road act as an open stretch that would reveal the bandits if they were to attack.
The troops seen to, Lydia went back to Kratos and gently touched his shoulder. He raised his head slowly and let out a breath, "I can feel it. The battle that was here." He turned his head and looked up at her, "But there is more. My axe is close." He gestured vaguely to the east before growling, "I want it back." Kratos stood then and looked off in the direction from which he could feel the familiar presence of the Leviathan Axe.
"My thane, we will do our utmost to retrieve it…" Lydia trailed off for a moment glancing up at him, "But this seems to be more than just a search for a favored weapon you have lost."
They stood side by side in silence for a time, the quiet only broken by the occasional twitter of birdsong or breeze rustling the undergrowth before Kratos replied softly, "It was my wife's." Lydia's brows shot up as she turned her head abruptly to look at him.
She blinked and looked forward again, "I did not know you were married."
Kratos nodded slowly, "I was. Yes." There was a weight and solemnity to his words that left Lydia with no doubt that his wife was now in Sovngarde. Or wherever it was that fallen gods go. The silence descended again and held for a time before Eyja, stepped back out onto the road and quickly approached them.
She brought fist to heart in salute before speaking, "Thane, housecarl, we have picked up the trail. It appears that either they left a reserve party behind that followed them later or we are not the first to track these bandits."
Kratos let out a grunt, "The Vigilants hunt them as well. We go now. I wish to avoid the complications they will bring." Lydia nodded and went immediately to gather the men. When they were organized, Kratos gestured to the scout, "Lead on." With another salute the scout lead the party off into the wooded foothills. They had only been hiking for a few minutes when they reached the trail and Kratos immediately picked up the sign. He also noted their other scout hiding in the dappled undergrowth well before he rose from his crouch to greet them.
The Breton approached them and reported in a low tone, "This is the main trail. It appears to be a large group of men. We do not have an accurate gauge, but we believe them to be approaching 30 strong. Algar has followed the trail on ahead."
Kratos nodded, "Good." He waved the other scout forward as well. "Carry on. There is no point in delay." That said, he set off up the trail with the two scouts, leading the main party, headed by Lydia, along the trail of the bandits. To Kratos' keen eyes it was an easy track to follow, made inescapably obvious by the additional markers left by the scout who had gone on ahead.
They continued deeper into the sun dappled wooded foothills, climbing ever higher towards the mountains. The sense of rightness of their course and the increasingly strong presence of the axe in his mind were an additional, though unnecessary, confirmation to Kratos that they were on the correct track and nearing their destination. Kratos idly waved away an insect buzzing by his face when he heard the faint sound of a rustle that struck him as out of place. Kratos fist rose and he dropped into a crouch. At his signal the other scouts did the same. Kratos slowly drew a steel dagger from his belt and began to creep forward on silent feet. He hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when he heard a whistled signal from up ahead disguised as a bird song. Kratos gestured to Eyja the scout who let out the warbling counter sign. A moment later the final scout appeared, keeping low as he came down the trail towards them.
Upon spotting Kratos he made his way over and took a knee before speaking in a whisper, "My thane, there is a cave mouth up ahead. It appears to lead into an old nord barrow. There are two sentries there now." The scout paused as the other two joined them, "We are not the first to come here. There was a battle at the cave mouth 12-24 hours earlier judging by the blood stains on the earth." He cleared his throat quietly, "The sentries… seem more like farmers. They are not hardened bandits. Hatchets and woodsman clothes only. No proper arms or armor."
Kratos let out a low rumble, and gestured to one of the scouts, "Go bring up the main party." The scout saluted and departed down the trail, where Lydia and the troops were making a purposefully slower progress up the trail. "You two will come with me. If they attempt to call out or fight, kill them." They nodded to him and then all three set off towards the barrow.
They soon came upon a small clearing with a cave mouth set into the abruptly rising stone face of the lower reaches of the mountains on the far end. Two young men were keeping watch at the cave mouth, each carrying a woodsman's axe. One sat on a boulder while the other generally puttered about. They were carrying on a soft conversation as well that Kratos and his men could not quite make out. Kratos let out a soft snort. Completely ineffective. He gestured to the two scouts who had accompanied him and they knocked arrows, settling their aim on the sentries.
Kratos waited a few moments until the two sentries focus was on each other and the conversation, before standing and striding purposefully across the clearing. His immense strides devoured the distance. He was very nearly upon them before the sitting man, barely more than a youth really, scrambled to his feet, interrupting his compatriot who was moaning about why they had to be assigned guard duty, "Wha – Hey, you, stop! Who are you?!" At this point Kratos was only a couple steps away, staring down at the startled young men.
Kratos interrupted, "Quiet. You are with the bandits here?"
The other youth replied, "Yes and you had better clear out if you know what's good for you!" He swallowed nervously eyeing Kratos' bulk and weapons. "We're not simple bandits. We follow the Unknown Daedra." Kratos eyed the two and knew of a surety that neither of these mere boys had shed blood in anger. That he knew. With an abrupt lunge he stepped forward and seized the haft of the closest boy's axe, tearing it from his grip with ease.
"Hey!" The other one took a half step forward but stopped when Kratos pointed the stolen axe at him one-handed.
Kratos' eyes narrowed at them, "You are playing at a game you do not understand. You are young fools. So go." He raised his free hand and made a beckoning gesture over his shoulder. Their faces paled further when the two scouts melted out of the trees with drawn bows trained on them. Kratos nodded, "You understand. Now run. Leave this foolishness." The other boy dropped his axe and they both ran off across the clearing. Once they had gotten out of sight, Kratos waved the scouts forward. They both released the tension on their bowstrings and immediately jogged forward, arrows still knocked. "Take up positions inside the cave mouth and keep watch. We will join you soon." After silent nods the scouts did as they were bid.
Kratos paced impatiently outside the cave, waiting for his remaining force to join them. It was difficult to wait now. It was so close. He could feel it and almost couldn't stop from reflexively reaching for it. Only a minute or two later Lydia and the rest of the troops hurried across the clearing to him.
"You are here. Good. We will avoid detection as long as possible. If you must, hit hard, hit first. Defend and support your battle siblings." He gave the assembled group a nod, "We go now."
Kratos gestured Lydia forward. She nodded to him before quickly pointing out 5 of the soldiers, "You are with me and the thane. The rest of you bring up the rear and watch our backs." Lydia turned and strode into the cave, her chosen five following closely and carefully on her heels, weapons already drawn. Kratos came after them, with the remainder trailing behind him. It wasn't long before they came across the two scouts who had gone in ahead. The scouts stayed in position bows trained down the tunnel until Lydia and the vanguard moved past, then they smoothly fell into formation with the smaller rearguard.
The company progressed deeper into the cave, moving slowly, the only sounds were low breathing and occasional accidental scuff of a boot on the stone. They descended through a rough and natural seeming tunnel initially before reaching the worked stone flags and hewn walls of an old Nordic barrow. Somewhere deeper in the complex they could hear the almost inaudible low rhythmic tone of a drumbeat.
They passed through a series of fairly linear rooms before reaching a larger chamber that had exits in each of the 4 walls, heading off in different directions. In the center was a raised dais with a table upon it covered in maps. Burial urns and various bits of clutter were scattered across the room. When they had entered the room and checked down each hallway for immediate danger, Lydia looked to Kratos expectantly. He closed his eyes and cast out his senses, reaching for Faye's axe. His path was clear.
He let out a long exhale and opened his eyes, "Rearguard. Hold this position. Keep our exit clear." He paused momentarily before looking back over his shoulder at them, "If they rout, let them flee." He turned to Lydia and the vanguard before gesturing to the doorway in the far wall. "This way." Kratos set off and the others followed after. The axe was close now. His impatience would no longer allow anyone else to set the pace. Still, he held himself back, moving with care.
They descended further passing through several broad hallways lined with recessed sconces where ancient desiccated corpses lay, each hall on a decline, leading them further into the earth. Several members of the party murmured faint benedictions upon seeing the dead, asking pardon for the trespass against their rest. Kratos ignored them, following the growing sense of the Leviathan Axe and the increasing sound of the drums.
As they neared the end of the final hall, they could hear indistinct voices calling out over the drums. The sounds came from a doorway at the far end of the final hall. The company swept up to it and Kratos did not hesitate to step through. The doorway opened up onto a platform in a very large, open chamber. From the platform the chamber descended 40 feet to its lowest point. Down at this low level was a large amphitheater cut from the rock with benches and seating rising in a semicircle around a central area with a raised dais at the far end. Stairways led down from the platform where Kratos and his soldiers waited, to the amphitheater and the platform around its upper level.
The amphitheater was filled with people looking down at the scene unfolding in the center. On the dais sat a raised altar with several bound men kneeling next to it. These bound men were wearing light robes over mail, their hoods were thrown back and each wore a pendant shaped like a drinking horn. Before the prisoners paced a swarthy man of average height and build who held a large and intricately worked bearded axe in his hands. He swept from one end of the dais to the other, gesturing broadly as he harangued the crowd before him.
The man threw his hands into the air, "They hunt us! They hunt us because they fear us! They fear the power that they know will come to us from the Unknown Prince." He shook the axe above his head. "They are terrified because we have proof of his existence and favor!"
Lydia looked down at the scene below her, there were more men than she had anticipated, nearly 40 people of fighting age with various levels of arms and armor. She grimaced at the odds and looked over at Kratos. Her eyes widened when she saw the state he was in. His teeth were bared in a furious rictus and every corded muscle stood out on his enormous frame. Abruptly he threw himself forward and leapt from the platform. Lydia watched wide eyed as he sailed through the air and hissed out, "Nine preserve us!" Kratos clenched his teeth as the wind whipped past his face. The audacity of that man to hold Faye's axe, it was beyond galling. It would not stand!
Caius knelt on the rough stone and idly shifted his weight, his armored knees grating against the rock. He let out a short sigh, ignoring the inane and altogether insane ramblings of the psychopath waving the axe. He had been a Vigilant all his life and a Brother-Captain for many years. He had hunted cultists and daedra across the entire breadth of the Empire. His finally honed senses buzzed as the one of the madman's gestures brought that strange axe nearer to him. It was certainly not of this plane that much was immediately and easily clear to him. What was equally obvious to someone of his experience was that this weapon was not of daedric origin either. He had come across several items in his career pertaining to different daedric princes and while each certainly had its own unique flavor, so to speak, there was an undercurrent that united them all. Each item, just like each plane, was a facet of Oblivion no matter how different Cold Harbour and Moonshadow were from each other in practice.
Caius looked to his right and saw Titus and Garvey kneeling, their hands, like his bound behind their backs. The sight drove a spike of ice into his heart. He was prepared to die, but it seemed he had not been prepared to lead his men to their deaths. The intelligence they were given had drastically underestimated the numbers of these cultists and seven of his men had already paid the price for this error. He had never seen a new cult gather numbers this quickly. Stendarr have mercy on him for failing his men and people of Skyrim.
A sudden shout shook him out of his dark ruminations. He looked up just in time to see a pale giant of a man land in the center of the amphitheater. The stone reverberated with the force of his impact, but he stood completely unfazed and uninjured. He was immense, huge corded muscles stood out like iron bands from his pale skin and his presence immediately filled the space, silencing the room. He took a step towards the dais and grated out through clenched teeth, "You have my axe. Give it to me. Now." His voice reverberated through the shocked stillness of the chamber. Caius' jaw dropped and he exchanged shocked looks with his few remaining men. That man's legs should be shattered! He should be dead or a screaming lump of broken limbs, not threatening an entire room full of mad cultists.
The cult leader let out a high cackling laugh that made the ashen man's grimace deepen before casting his arms wide and shouting down at him, "You would threaten me and attempt to steal the sign of our lord's favor?!" A ripple passed through the crowd in the amphitheater as they shifted their weight and tightened their grips on their weapons. The cult leader was red-faced and shaking in his righteous anger, a true believer. He swung the axe up, pointing it at the man standing alone in the center of the cavern, "You will die for your blasphemy! Kill him! Kill him now!" The assembled cultists leapt forward in a howling mass.
To Caius' eyes time itself seemed to slow. The pale man's arm shot out straight, hand open, every digit tense and flexed as the mob descended towards him. The tableau seemed to stand still. He could feel the call, feel an almost physical pressure, and nearly a see a titanic will reach out make itself known. This everlasting moment was shattered as the axe tore itself from the cult leader's grip and shot towards the newcomer, turning one complete rotation before settling perfectly into his outstretched hand. The mob closed in around him as he thrust the axe above his head with a triumphant roar.
The flash of light left Caius blinking at the afterimage pulsing on his retinas before a pulse of pressure and the shock of cold reached him and nearly drove the breath from his body. He had sailed the Sea of Ghosts in a treacherous winter voyage once and had sworn that nothing could be colder than the screaming north wind rushing along the black arctic water. He was wrong. It was as if in that flash of light there was for a brief moment the bleakest heart of stygian fimbulwinter, something beyond the very nature of Nirn. His breath clouded the air and the bare rock of the cavern on which he knelt was shot with rime.
Those who had been quickest to attack and nearest to him stood as icy statues, their bodies flash frozen and ruined, covered with icicles pointing away from the epicenter, driven by blast of ancient cold. Others lay scattered and insensate, clutching at their eyes or coughing up blood, the sensitive capillaries in their noses and lungs damaged by the impossible drop in temperature. The pale man lowered his axe and stepped toward the gibbering cult leader.
Caius saw his opportunity and with a contortion of his hands immolated the ropes that bound his wrists. As he set to work on his feet, he saw a group of the more fanatical preparing for another rush at the pale stranger, before he could call out a warning though a wedge of plate wearing soldiers crashed into them and immediately began laying waste to the cultists. He noted that the warriors all wore red war paint reminiscent of the tattoos borne by the pale man. It was clear in an instant that the cultists were outmatched and their morale soon to be, if not already, crushed. Hearing a shout he jerked his attention back to the pale apparition just in time to see the end of his mighty leap and the flash of his axe. With a wet crunching sound the axe blasted through the cult leader's torso, hurling a shower of gore and scattering entrails in the blow's direction.
Caius stumbled to his feet and took a deep breath, rubbing a hand over his grizzled face before pushing back his jaw-length hair that was now as much grey as black. He slowly moved to release Titus. He had no illusions about his condition and he had seen what the man and his soldiers were capable of. If he wanted them dead then this cavern would still end up being their grave.
Kratos whipped the Leviathan Axe through the air, bringing it to an abrupt halt and slinging off the blood clinging the blade. He brought the blade up before his face and closed his eyes, letting out a long slow breath. It was good to have it back, to feel its familiar place his mind and have it heed his call. The bond was now bright and strong once more, shining in his mind's eye.
He had been somewhat surprised at the increased efficacy of his runic powers. Kratos let out a small grunt. Perhaps he should not be. He could feel it in the air here, what the people of this plane call magicka. It was thicker here than in Midgard. Sometimes he almost felt as if he could reach out and pull it out of the air. A ghost of a smile flitted across his face for a split second as he gazed at Faye's axe. Perhaps he should try sometime. The sounds of the chamber intruded and he heard Lydia's voice cut across them all, ordering their men to disengage and let them flee. Kratos nodded and turned, putting the Leviathan Axe in its proper place on this back.
The chamber had cleared. Between the fury of Kratos' attack and Lydia's squad cutting through them the bulk of the cult had fled as quickly as they possibly could. Kratos' gaze turned on the former prisoners who had managed to free themselves. The leader of the trio waited patiently, outwardly calm, and his two compatriots followed his lead albeit with less ease. One of them flinched when he finally spoke, "Who are you?"
The grey haired one stepped forward and placed a hand on his chest, "I am Brother-Captain Caius Valerius of the Vigilants of Stendarr. I thank you for saving my life and the lives of my men."
Kratos merely let out a grunt and turned to Lydia, "Report."
She brought fist to chest quickly, "No injuries, my thane."
"And now?"
She nodded to him, "I go to rendezvous with the rear guard and secure our means of egress." She saw the pleased cant to his jaw and smiled inwardly.
"Do so." He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned casting his gaze over the rest of the soldiers, "Well fought." Caius tensed, feeling something, a ripple in the aether, just like… No. He frowned intensely lost in thought.
Kratos dropped his hand and gave them a nod. Lydia and her men set off at a quick trot, heading back up the stairs and the passageways. Kratos closed his eyes again for a moment and took a deep breath, centering himself, relinquishing the rage that had filled him at seeing Faye's axe in the hands of another. He looked back to the Vigilants who had taken the opportunity to arm themselves from weapons dropped by the fallen cultists.
Their leader, Caius, cautiously approached him and spoke, his voice quiet, "Might I have the honor of your name? We would know to whom we owe this debt."
As always he was reluctant to part with his name. However it changed nothing. They had heard him named thane and he could be identified easily enough. He let out a sharp breath through his nose, "Kratos." He set off after his men, leaving the Vigilants in a stunned group behind him. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard them following after.
Soon enough Kratos and the Vigilants trailing after him arrived at the crossroads chamber. Kratos nodded in appreciation as he entered the room, noting that none of the sentries at the other three doors so much as glanced in his direction, keeping their gazes focused on their respective watches. He approached Lydia who was conferring with one of the soldiers, "Report."
Lydia grimaced, "We have three wounded, one more seriously than the others. The routed from our battle gave them no trouble, but they saw heavy fighting from reinforcements from elsewhere in the complex." She took a breath to continue but was interrupted by a loudly cleared throat.
Caius stepped forward, "I apologize for interrupting, but my brothers and I have some skill in healing. We may be exhausted but please show us to your wounded. We will do what we can." Kratos' appraising gaze fell on the Vigilants again and Caius met his amber-eyed stare without flinching. Kratos gave them a curt nod and led them over to the three wounded in the far corner.
Kratos took a knee beside the first man and examined him for a moment, with a snap of his fingers he caught the man's eye, "You will survive." His words carried forceful certainty and again Caius caught that same unsettling shift in the aether. Kratos repeated a similar process with the other two wounded before standing and turning to Caius, "Do what you can for them."
Caius nodded before gesturing his two brothers in Stendarr forward. They knelt and began to work what healing magicks they could. After their own battle and physical wounds, it was not as much as they would have wished. The Vigilants may be a militant branch who subscribed more to Stendarr's justice, but as with all of the God of Mercy's follower's, healing was a skill they trained and cherished. After a few minutes had passed with the chamber lit by the golden glow of restorative magicks, Caius straightened, "We have done what we can for them at this time. If nothing else they should be safe to move."
Kratos gave him a slow nod before turning to his own people, "Lydia take five and form the vanguard." He examined the wounded again, "We need two to carry him, the others will be able to walk. I will see to it nothing follows us. We move." Lydia began to bark a few orders, calling out names, and soon they set off, with Kratos bringing up the rear.
Soon enough they came out into the sunlight, blinding after their stint underground. Before the party's momentum could abate Kratos called from the rear, "Continue. We make for Kynesgrove immediately."
Lydia nodded as she gestured the men forward, "We have driven the bandits out into the woods. I don't relish the thought of spending the night out here with them or giving them enough time to prepare ambushes. Keep your eyes sharp."
"Vigilant." Caius' head jerked around upon hearing the gravelly bass rumble. "You may travel with us as far as Kynesgrove." Caius nodded, equally ready to be out of the man's unsettling presence. Something disturbed him despite the fact that he had rescued them.
"I understand. From there we shall make our own way." Kratos gave him a gruff nod and then promptly ignored him, returning his attention to the surrounding woods.
After the first hour they were back on the road and making reasonably good time back towards the town, despite the wounded. On their trip through the woods they had stopped briefly to fashion a makeshift stretcher from tree limbs and cloaks, which had sped their pace significantly.
Lydia fell back to Kratos' side at the tail of the column. They marched on in silence for a time before she spoke, "You do not seem overly pleased to have the Vigilants in our company." He simply shook his head. She waited still looking at him, one eyebrow cocked.
Kratos glanced over at her again, before letting out a sharp exhale from his nose, "I am not." She smiled.
After another minute, "Why is that?"
Kratos reached up and scratched at his beard before answering, "They follow this Stendarr. I have no business with the gods or their followers, girl." When she did not answer, Kratos let out a small rumble and looked over at her only to find her looking back with a bemused expression on her face. He raised one eyebrow at her.
She grinned, "I hope you see the irony in that."
He snorted, "I do not."
AN: This one definitely took longer to get out than I was originally planning. Not because of any difficulty with the story, just physically. I had PRK done recently (like lasik but way longer/worse recovery) and so seeing anything on my computer has been pretty difficult. So, apologies if there are more editing errors than usual, but it is what it is.
If you're reading the story and enjoying it or just have something to say please take the time to leave a review. I appreciate hearing from all of you.
Until next time.
