Disclaimer/AN: Ti, Galeron, North-Wind, Ajax, Phoenix, Void are all MY!!!!!! Characters, but everything else is morrowind related.
A voice devoid of emotion spoke that one phrase, "I will now break the shield, the doorway shall be unsealed. The kings will pour out the door. And come to Vvardenfell once more."
Ajax sat bolt upright so suddenly was the transition from sleep to awkeness and lying down to sitting that his head swam a bit and he calmed his breathing to steady himself. He shouldn't have been surprised. He had had this dream since the start of winter. Now that it was the very middle and coldest part of winter he should have gotten used to it. It wasn't scary or anything, so why did it bother him so much?
The spell-blade turned around and saw a frost giant on the horizon. Apparently the frost giant saw him and started running toward a scraggly path of rocks. Before he knew it there were boulders pummeling his makeshift camp. Ajax immediately shook off his sleeping bag and did a sideway roll behind the nearest tree, grabbing his chain mail and claymore. He decided to distract the Frost giant's attention by summoning a creature. He slipped a small statuette out of his belt pouch and whispered and arcane phrase. A scamp stood in the snow before Ajax in mere seconds ready to please his master. Ajax signaled the impish creature to attack the giant and smirked as the scamp ran off shrieking its abyssal language at the attacker.
Sprinting and rolling again Ajax was able to dodge the boulders until the scamp got close enough to use melee attack on the giant. He saw a deep gash appear on the giant's leg as the scamp took it by surprise. Roaring in pain the giant took its crude club from its belt and did a downward chop to the scamp's unguarded head. Normally there would have been a shattering of the skull and an explosion of gore, but the scamp was from another plane of existence. The club had no effect and the scamp stood there unfazed and unnerved.
The giant though, stood bewildered with mouth agape. Ajax had bought enough time and went in a charge singing a Nord song of battle as his blonde hair rippled past in the chilling wind. He swung his claymore and felt it bite deeply into the giants flesh. He drove the blade clean through the giant's thigh and jumped quickly to the right as a club came smashing down where he once was. Ajax slipped a dagger statuette and spoke a few syllables and in seconds clasped the hilt of a summoned spiritual dagger. He slammed the hilt into a pressure point on the giant's back and the massive back lurched forward out of reflex. Ajax's enchanted boots and acrobatic skills let him jump strait up onto the giants back were he quickly ran to the head and grabbed a handful of the giants unruly silver hair. He forced the colossal neck back and drew a clean slit on the giant throat. Jumping back off of the giant Ajax dismissed the scamp and watched as the monstrous humanoid fell dead.
Ajax walked over to the dead body and retrieved his claymore. Wiping the sword on the giant's tunic he noticed that the giant had some strange potions he could not identify. The closest town was Suran and he had heard there was an alchemist there. He could find out what these potions were and continue his mercenary carrier there. After being banned from Peligad for assault he was ready for a nice inn, soft bed, warm food, and a good flagon of ale.
The bar was noisy and an uproar, but that's what every bar is like. Ajax pushed his way through the crowd towards the bartender. "I'm looking for the town alchemist," he stated.
The bartender flashed a yellow and brown teethed grin. He wheezed when he spoke like he had a throat problem.
"Don't ya know? The alchemists been dead for months. Killed by an assassin, he was. No one really misses him though. He was a thief that one. Stole half the town's money in an epidemic saying he would make healing potions. Bah! He spent it all to upgrade his already huge mansion! The lying rat!"
Ajax was a bit unsettled, but thanked the man anyway. As he walked out of the bar into the cool night, Ajax could hear some muffled shouts coming from the alley. Drawing his claymore Ajax carefully stepped toward the direction the shouting was coming from. He saw a man bending down on his knees, head in his hands sobbing. Ajax slowly approached the crying man. He was within 6 feet of the man when he heard a sound like a sword coming out of its sheath. Ajax instantly realized that he had been played for a fool. This ruse was more like an ambush than anything else. The crying man wheeled around battle-axe in his hand. Ajax was surprised, he definitely head a sword clearing its scabbard. Where was the sword? A moment later he felt something slicing threw his back. There it is, Ajax thought before falling to the ground. Darkness was starting to creep into his sight and he was almost unconscious when he saw a blinding flame of blue appear in the dim alley. Then he knew darkness and nothing more.
Ajax expected the underworld to be boiling hot, or freezing cold. He also thought that the underworld would look like a barren field. He didn't expect to be in a small cottage with a fire crackling. The Nord tried to sit up, but was only given a lance of pain through his body and a clouded head. The second try was just as painful and disorienting, but he did manage to sit up. He rubbed a hand where the wound had been. He only felt a slightly dry spot of skin.
"Oh good, you're awake," said a voice that seemed to be surprised. "I didn't know if you would make it through the night."
Ajax swiveled his head around to see an orc clad in healers clothes. He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yes I know," said the orc, "An orcan healer is an odd profession." "But it is the only reason you are alive."
Ajax suddenly felt ashamed, this man had save his life and Ajax hadn't even thanked him. "I'm sorry, I'm just- I don't usually…. Um… thanks… for saving my life."
The orc bowed and said, "It is my duty as a healer to help those who need it."
"Well, I think I know of a way I can make saving my life to you." Ajax said with a grin forming across his face.
Void carefully considered Ajax's idea, "I save your life and you pay me back by telling me to accompany you to an ebony mine for half the share of raw ebony."
Ajax thought Void was backing out and quickly said; "Ebony is worth a lot… why… just one piece is about 160 gold."
Void looked puzzled, then the orc threw back his head and laughed. "Just what I would expect from a Nord. A life for gold." He laughed again shoulders shaking. "I don't mean and racial offense Ajax. I'll gladly go on this "adventure." Suran has been too quiet too long."