Foreward: Merry Xmas and Happy New Year! I'm not dead. Here's a chapter! Take it before I destroy it.
The trio slowly traveled east to the rocky hills that dotted Whiterun's east. M'rasha and Lydia were alert, hands near their weapons just in case something hostile came at them. Skyrim was still a dangerous place, especially the civil war and the return of the dragons.
As the cart continued down the road, past the numerous farms and caves, they began to relax. There were no bandits charging them, no rogue wizards casting spells in their direction, wanting their souls for their experiments, and no wild animals trying to take down the horses for their next meal. It was a pleasant, though unnerving, quiet. The only noises came from the birds flying overhead and the rushing stream nearby. M'rasha slumped back on the bench and closed her eyes while Lydia moved herself closer to Bjorlam.
"So tell me, how much is the cat paying you?" she asked the man in hushed tones.
Bjorlam turned his head and grinned at his fellow Nord. "Why? Is she not paying you?" Lydia punched his arm jokingly.
"Ow, that hurt!"
"Just answer the question."
"Alright, alright. Let's just say I got paid enough for me to buy Colovian Brandy for everyone at The Bannered Mare...for a week!" Lydia did the quick math in her head and whistled. For a simple wagon ride, that was some major coin.
"And the best thing is that she paid me way in advance. And seeing as nothing has come out to eat us, it'll be smooth sailing," stated the carriage driver as he snapped the reins. The horses picked up speed and Lydia leaned back on the seat and stared at the sky, mirroring M'rasha's pose. She hoped as well that their ride to Riften would be a peaceful one.
But the hand of Murphy's Law's stretches far and wide.
As the carriage creakily approached Valtheim Towers, a massive dragon appeared from beyond the mountain range to the west, unleashing a mighty roar before landing on top of one the spires. The leather straps shook in Bjorlam's hands as he gawked wide-eyed at the monstrous creature. The horses whinnied and thrashed in their restraints, trying to get free. Lydia and M'rasha leapt to their feet, pulled out their weapons and kept their eyes on the dragon. They hoped that the dragon would fly by without noticing them. But that was not to be. The monster turned its massive head towards the road and spotted the loaded carriage. With a snarl and a mouth full of fire, the dragon leapt off the tower and dove straight for the travelers.
"Move the cart, Bjorlam!" M'rasha picked up a golden bow and a quiver from under her seat and tossed them to Lydia. "Sheathe your sword and use this instead. Don't want you flying off into the ravine."
Lydia nodded, put away her sword, and took up the bow and arrows. Bjorlam finally regained control of the horses, jerking the reins back and then snapping them. The horses shot forward climbing up the road as the dragon passed overhead, stalking them. The dragon spat out a stream of fire further along the path, creating a massive wall of fire and cutting off the path. The horses slowed to a stop only a few yards from the raging fire.
"Damn beast! What do we do? That thing is coming back," Bjorlam yelled, trying to control the horses. M'rasha jumped off the carriage and ran towards the horses. Reaching over, the Khajiit began to undo the straps holding the animals to the carriage.
"What are you doing?" Lydia asked as she moved from the carriage.
"Horses are too scared and the carriage is too heavy," the Betmer explained hastily as she undid the last buckle. She looked at the terrified carriage driver. "Bjorlam, get on the horses and get out of here before the dragon-"
A screech cut off M'rasha's command and caused the three to look towards the sky once more. The dragon was coming back around for another dive, this time flying lower. Bjorlam's eyes were still on the dragon but he did not move, fear taking over his mind.
"Lydia, shoot the dragon!" M'rasha climbed back on the carriage, next to Bjorlam. She grabbed the man and pushed him out of the seat and onto one of the horses. The driver instinctively grabbed onto the animal for dear life. M'rasha climbed back down and grabbed the reins, fighting with the horses, trying to turn them around as the dragon approached.
"Whatever you're going to do M'rasha, do it now!" Lydia moved away from the carriage and aimed the dragon.
"Take cover!" M'rasha zapped the backsides of the horses and watched them and a terrified Bjorlam gallop back towards the city. The monster was only several hundred yards when Lydia fired the arrow. It hit the dragon square in the head and it jerked up in response. Lydia didn't have time to congratulate herself and dove out of the path of the dragon. M'rasha followed suit, throwing herself into the some of the sparse bush that lined the edge of the road just as the dragon swooped down and grabbed the carriage within its talons. M'rasha and Lydia crawled out of their hiding spots, watching the dragon fly around the tower, carriage in tow. It flew high above the bridge that spanned across the ravine and dropped the destroyed carriage on top of it.
The dragon roared again, this time spewing a fireball into the sky. M'rasha and Lydia prepared their weapons as the dragon attacked once more. The ensuing battle took longer than expected because, unlike their previous encounter in Dawnstar, this dragon stayed airborne, making it harder to hit as it attempted to burn and crush the adventurers.
They launched arrows and ice spears respectively at the creature, dodging the fire and talon dive-bombs. Eventually, like its cousin, the dragon was killed by several well-aimed arrows and spears to the throat and eyes. The dragon plummeted onto the path a few yards ahead of them, taking out the fire wall it had created.
M'rasha took out the rest of the fire before draping herself against a rock. Lydia collapsed on the opposite side of the path. Both were exhausted, breathing heavily and thankful that the fight didn't have any added difficulty. The Nord winced and began to unbuckle the heavy chestpiece. Her body was still not used to the heavier armor and she wouldn't be surprised to find bruising, but she was still grateful for the added protection. She placed the piece of armor on the ground next to her and rolled her neck and shoulders.
"So what..." Lydia's question fell short as she watched the dragons life essence rushed out of its body as a bright mist and flew into M'rasha's body. Lydia was in awe as her Thane's body glowed for a few moments. And then, just like in Dawnstar, the light surrounding her died, leaving a massive skeleton on the path.
Lydia stared at the smaller woman in awe. "That's still going to take time to get used to."
M'rasha pulled out a blue bottle and attempted to pull the cork off. "What? The dragons?"
"You being Dragonborn," Lydia answered as she stood up and walked over to M'rasha. "Ever since I was a child, I was told the legend of the Dragonborn, the proud Nord dragonslayer that would come and save Skyrim. And then only to find out that the Dragonborn," she placed her hand just above M'rasha's head, "Is a tiny cat."
"Hey! I never wanted this. I was busy with other things," M'rasha huffed, propping herself up and smacking away Lydia's hand. She then pointed the bottle at the Nord. "And remember, this tiny cat has already killed numerous dragons, alone, and can shout you off this ridge if she wanted to." M'rasha bit into the cork of the bottle and tugged it until it finally came out. She spat the cork out and took a swig of the potion.
"That hit the spot. Now where...is...oh no…."
Lydia walked over to her cuirass and proceeded to put it back on. "What happened?"
"Where were most of our things?"
"In the...oh." The stuff was in the carriage. The same carriage that was partly in the river and partly on the bridge connecting the towers, emphasis on the partly.
"Yeah. Oh."
"So, we'll be returning to the city I assume."
"No."
"What?" She couldn't be serious? To travel such a distance without the proper supplies, hell, without even food and water would be suicide. This wasn't Cyrodiil, where everything was handed to you on a silver platter. This was Skyrim! If the extreme cold didn't kill you, the many creatures that made their home in the wild would.
"No, we'll just be wasting more time," M'rasha said, massaging her temples. "I don't know the severity of what Riften wants and if we go back, we'll have to wait until tomorrow to leave, and this time it'll be all on foot. We're just going to have to make do with what we have and hope that we can reach Ivarstead or scavenge for items. And speaking of scavenging..." She slid off the rock and began to walk towards the massive skeleton. Lydia clenched her jaw and balled her hands into fists, staring at M'rasha's retreating form.
'The absolute gall of this cat!' If-no, when-they got to Ivarstead or an inn, Lydia was going to make sure to have a long discussion with her Thane, because she wasn't planning to die because of some stubborn cat who knew nothing about the dangers of the land. The more she thought about it, the more angry the Nord became.
Hell, she wasn't even going to wait till they got back for their talk. She marched right over to M'rasha, whose body was sticking out of the skeletal ribs. "We need to talk, cat. Wait, what are you doing? It's just a bunch of bones. What are you planning on finding?"
M'rasha poked her head out from the remains. "It's a dragon. What do they eat?"
"Livestock."
"And?"
"People?"
"Exactly."
"I don't get it."
M'rasha pulled herself out of the remains and dropped a satchel at Lydia's feet. "That is what I was looking for. Now are you going to help me out or not?"
With a sigh of resignation, Lydia moved towards the skeleton. As they rifled through the dragon's skeleton and anything it digested- clothes, rocks, skeletal remains of its past meals- Lydia asked the alchemist, "What's it like?"
"What's what like?"
"Absorbing a dragon's soul. What is it like?"
"...interesting." M'rasha stopped looking and leaned on the ribcage. She scratched her chin and, after some thought, replied, "Revitalizing. Like drinking a stamina potion when you're about to collapse. But not just any store-bought potion. It is the perfect stamina potion. Perfect ratio of ingredients heated to just the right temp, and no earthy aftertaste."
Lydia titled her head and looked at the woman like she had grown a second head. M'rasha shook her head. "Okay. I wasted that analogy on you. Okay, picture this: It's like the rush you get when you're facing down several foes and your fellow guardsman is laying wounded and you don't know if either of you is going to make it, but you're going to take down as many of them as you can and then drag them to safety."
"Now that makes more sense." Sure she was never in a scenario that specific, but Lydia did understand what the Khajiit was trying to complexly say.
"And I hear a chorus of spirits yell in my ears in some language I don't understand. Then everything goes silent," M'rasha quickly added as she crawled out of the remains.
"Spirits yelling into your ear? Seriously?" Lydia asked as she tugged herself free from the skeleton.
M'rasha slung the damaged knapsack over her shoulder and started up the hill with Lydia close behind.
"I speak the truth," the older woman admitted with a shrug, "As strange as it is."
In a show of arrogance, Lydia quickly shot back, "The truth? You mean like you supposedly told the guards about Halted Stream Camp?"
Lydia watched as M'rasha froze mid-stride. Her bravado waned slightly as the Betmer turned on her heel to face her. The look on M'rasha's face was a cross between disappointment and irritation.
"If you're assuming what I think you are, then I certainly gave you much more credit than you deserved." M'rasha resumed walking, her pace faster than before. Lydia jogged behind her and was about to question just exactly how much credit when M'rasha's hand went up, effectively silencing the woman. Lydia stared as M'rasha's ears perked up, twitching ever so slightly as she turned her attention back to the road. "It looks like our battle attracted an audience."
Lydia peered down the path, past the Betmer and spotted a group of heavily armed people heading towards them. "They don't look too friendly."
M'rasha pulled her mace out, "Scavengers. From the tower, I bet." M'rasha and Lydia stood their ground as the group suddenly slowed down. Lydia spotted one of the men point at them and then yell something to the others.
"You don't think they would try and attack us," Lydia asked and motioned to the bones just behind them, "Not after this."
"Now you're giving them credit that they don't deserve." One of the men let out a battle cry and the band of six brigands ran towards the two. Lydia armed herself while M'rasha moved her free hand behind her back and conjured up a fireball. When the group was close enough, M'rasha launched the fireball. It landed in front of them and exploded, sending two of them flying over the edge and into the river below. The remaining four thugs, still recovering from the sudden blast, were quickly taken out. Lydia ran her sword through the stomach of the last bandit and pulled it out, his lifeless body joining the others.
"And that is the end of that," the Khajiit proclaimed. She began to rifle through the dead man's pockets and pulled out a rather large coin bag from one of the bodies. "I never understood why bandits carry around so much gold at once. Let's see if they have anything of use in the towers."
Lydia sheathed her sword and sat down on a nearby rock, pulling off one of her gauntlets and wiping the sweat off her brow. "Hopefully we'll be able to sit and rest without something trying to kill us."
And just as she finished her statement a green dragon flew overhead and perched itself on top of the north tower. M'rasha and Lydia stared as the dragon let out a roar before it dove for the women.
M'rasha let out a frustrated groan, pulled out her mace and prepared a fireball in hand.
"Damn it. I hate the ice. Nord, how's your quiver?"
Lydia pulled her gauntlet back on and took out her sword yet again, swallowing the pit of fear in her throat. "Almost empty."
M'rasha cursed. "And that potion wasn't as filling as I thought."
"What are we going to do?" They were already at a disadvantage, and it would be foolish to try and make it back to Whiterun and bring the monster with them. They could hide out in the tower but the buildings were old and probably would be easy for the dragon to take down. Lydia quickly glanced at the ravine, but shook her head. There was a slight chance that they could survive the fall, but unlike her Thane, she was wearing heavy armor and no doubt would sink like a rock-
"Run ahead." The command broke through her thoughts. M'rasha continued, "I'll try and keep the beast entertained and catch up with you soon."
"But-"
"That's an order from your Thane." Lydia glanced at the shorter woman and nodded. As much as the Betmer annoyed and angered her, she couldn't help but to admire her bravery and sacrifice. Lydia hooked the bow to her back and prepared to run, but M'rasha stopped her.
"One more thing, Lydia."
"What is it?"
"If we survive this, remind me to push you off a really high cliff."
A strained laugh left Lydia's mouth. "Of course, my Thane."
When she was just a child, Lydia's proud father once told her that in the eyes of a Nord (himself included), retreat was synonymous with surrender. And Nords never surrendered. But as Lydia jumped over a fallen tree and rocks and smacked wayward branches out of her way, she realized that retreat wasn't such a bad thing. Especially if it meant that you lived to see another day. And she bet her father didn't have things like dragons chasing him while he was out adventuring.
Back at the towers, as soon as M'rasha hurled a fireball at the dragon, Lydia bolted as fast as she could, which wasn't much when wearing a full set of Dwarven armor. She stumbled down the hill, forgoing the path and literally throwing herself over the stone short walls. As she picked herself up from her last hurdle, a blur of blue and brown sailed over her head and crashed into stone wall on the other side of the path, taking part of it down with them. Lydia shuffled over and pushed the rocks to the side revealing her Thane as the projectile.
"M'rasha!" Lydia crouched over the woman who appeared to be dazed and confused. Other than a small cut on her forehead M'rasha and her robe missing one of its sleeves she didn't appeared to be that injured. Lydia pulled M'rasha to her feet and guided her down the road. Only after a few steps, M'rasha began to thrash in Lydia's grip. "I'm trying to help you, you crazy cat! Stay still!"
M'rasha hissed and broke out of her hold. "Stop trying to help me and run!"
Before Lydia could even ask the ground shook and she turned her head to the top of the hill.
There stood the dragon, the membrane holding its wings together now tattered and frayed, rendering it unable to fly, scorch marks covering large areas of its torso. Gold eyes bore down on them before the dragon let loose a bone chilling torrent of ice. M'rasha pulled the stunned Nord forward until Lydia's brain caught up with her the situation and she started running out of the cat's grip to avoid the ice blast. The trees hit by the blast were turned white and many of the branches broke off from the weight of the ice. M'rasha and Lydia sprinted down the path and the dragon was not too far behind, dragging itself along the ground.
"What are we...going to do," Lydia shouted over the sound of trees being violently uprooted.
"I..don't- HEAD DOWN!" They both swerved to the right, into the woods, ducking under another ice blast. If they didn't find someplace to hide or some help (which was highly unlikely), the dragon was going to have a fitting meal. As they sprinted towards a bridge, Lydia spotted sanctuary in the form of a large stone fortress in near the road.
"This way!" The Nord pulled the Betmer off the road, into the trees, out of the way of a large snapping maw, and towards the fortress. Lydia just hoped that the guards of the region still controlled the fort. She had heard tales from travelers visiting Whiterun of massive forts being overrun with bandits and witches and monsters. She and M'rasha would have to deal with whatever was inside as long as it kept the pissed off dragon away. But first they needed to actually get to the fort.
They broke through the trees and darted across the field as fast as they could and into the courtyard of the fort. The dragon was still following them, roaring at their backs just slightly out of range for its icy breath to reach them. The courtyard was empty much to their surprise. Lydia immediately knew something was wrong. With all the noise why were no soldiers springing out of the building?
Lydia was literally pulled out of her thoughts by M'rasha as she led her to a door and yanked it open. The two rushed inside and shut the door closed, plunging the room into darkness. Her heart was pounding so loud she didn't realize that M'rasha was speaking to her until she felt something knock against her chestplate.
"Lydia, are you okay," M'rasha asked in a whisper.
"Other than my heart ready to give out, yes. But why are we whispering?"
"Because I don't want to attract anyone or anything until we've gotten our bearings straightened out."
"Speaking of bearings, can you light something?" Lydia strained her eyes to see what was in the room but couldn't see anything. Suddenly the room was bathed in a low light. Lydia could make out some objects such as chairs and some side tables but it still was dark. "Thanks, but you have to light a few more. It's still dark."
"That wasn't me."
Lydia looked at M'rasha who was golden eyes were filled with worry as she lifted her hands to show the Nord. Sure enough, she saw no fire coming from the alchemist.
"That would be my doing, ladies."
The torches that lined the walls grew brighter revealing that they were not alone. They slowly turned to the new voice. The room they had entered was a large banquet hall and in the center was a long table. Seated at the table was a large group of people, each of them trained their yellow-orange eyes on the intruder. The owner of the voice was a man – a Nord- at the head of the table stood dressed in fancy yet slightly torn attire. The unnerving fanged smile on his face did not settle well with either woman.
"Ahem. Family, it seems we have guests. Welcome!" The man bowed low. "You're just in time for dinner."
The woman seated next to him, leaned towards them and sniffed the air.
"Hmm, a fellow Nord and what's this," the woman stood and before either of them could blink was next to M'rasha, placing her hands on the alchemist's shoulders and rubbing her face into the back of M'rasha's. "A Khajiit!"
Excited murmurs arose from the vampires. "It's been a while since we've had an Elsweyr delight," said another woman as she licked her lips.
"And this one doesn't look like she's strung out on skooma," commented another perched on top of a chair.
"I can smell the magic in her," the woman who held onto M'rasha stated. Lydia quickly glanced her eyes over and watched as clawed fingers fluttered up and down her neck. "Are you afraid little kitty?"
"Not really," M'rasha said calmly. "Not the first time I was bitten."
"Oh my, and not turned?"
"I was lucky."
"And why should I believe a tasty little morsel like you? Besides, I don't see any marks on your neck."
"Who said I was bit on my neck," M'rasha said flatly.
The woman tipped her head back and laughed, "You are a fun one. Too bad you and your friend are about to be the main course." Lydia watched as the woman bent her head down and kissed the side of M'rasha's neck. "Or maybe you secretly want this. Want to be nothing but a plaything for our kind. Or maybe you want to join us?"
M'rasha chuckled and shook her head. "If I ever want to become a vampire I hope to have a sire with more manners!" M'rasha threw her head back knocking into the vampire's nose and turned to face the dazed vampire. In mid-spin, the Khajiit pulled her mace from her hip and smashed it into the vampiress' head, sending the undead creature to the floor. M'rasha looked at Lydia and screamed, "GET OUTSIDE!"
The uproar coming from the vampires snapped Lydia out of her fear and she grabbed the handle, wrenching the door open. She sprinted into the courtyard and faced the doorway just as M'rasha unleashed a double stream of fire from her hands to keep the rest of the vampires back. As soon as the sunshine entered the room the vampires in the room hissed in pain and retreated deeper into the fort.
The Betmer closed the door and slumped against it. "I need a shower after that. And possibly a shave."
Lydia moved towards M'rasha and crossed her arms. "What was all that whole being bit by a vampire stuff? Are you-"
"It's called improvising Lydia. Had to keep them busy and think up a plan since you were busy wetting your small-clothes." M'rasha pushed herself off the door peered out into the courtyard. "Let's get out of here before it gets dark enough for them to chase us."
They walked out into the open space of the front courtyard and headed to the fort's entrance. That was until the very same dragon reappeared in front of them, crawling on top of the wall and above the only visible exit. The massive creature roared and slammed its tail into one of the nearby walkways, reducing it to nothing more than a pile of wood. The impromptu shower of wooden shrapnel sent Lydia and M'rasha running for cover under a rickety stairwell on the other side of the yard.
The dragon hissed as it scanned the grounds for its prey looking for any survivors. Lydia finally moved her hands from her head and looked at her Thane. M'rasha was grumbling and cursing in some other language but she seemed okay.
"What do we do!?" Lydia asked over the sound of the dragon destroying the fort. M'rasha was about to answer the slamming of a door interrupted them. What neither woman realized that there was a door directly across from them. And standing in the doorway were a group of vampires. Very angry, armored vampires.
"Kill them!"
M'rasha conjured up a fireball and hurled it at the vampires. It hit the top of the doorway and exploded, setting several of them on fire and causing them to retreat to the darkness inside.
"Lydia, head up the mountain," the Khajiit commanded, "I'll keep them off and give you a head start. " Lydia shook her head. "If you're thinking about taking on that dragon AND those vampires you hit that barrier harder than I thought."
"Lorkhaj's left tit, are you serious Lydia! Not even I'm that stupid. I'd be halfway up that hill already but someone is wearing heavier armor and would most likely make themselves a target. JUST RUN!"
M'rasha flung her hand at Lydia and suddenly she was sailing out into the open area. As soon as she hit the dirt Lydia got to her feet, ready to chew out the Khajiit. Instead 4 rows of large, sharp teeth and the angry dragon they were attached to were in front of her. The monster let out a roar and even though she was only a handful of yards away, Lydia could feel the cold on the monster's breath. As soon as the dragon took a step towards Lydia turned tail and bolted as fast as she could to the fort's exit.
But before she could even get halfway across the yard, a ball of ice hit the entrance way, creating a frozen wall stretching across the opening. Still running Lydia pulled out her sword and as she reached the wall, swung her sword at the ice. Her sword bounced against wall with enough force that it flew out of her hands.
The nearby sound of roaring made her spin around. The dragon was now advancing, crawling to her, mouth open. Lydia wanted to run but fear had paralyzed her limbs. The Nord closed her eyes and waited. That was until she heard the sound of a fireball fly through the air. Lydia opened one eyes just in time to see the dragon's head crash into the stone wall behind her. Groggily the dragon picked its head out of the rubble, shook it and looked at the Nord. Once again it opened it's mouth and went after the warrior again. Before it could get close another fireball hit the side of the dragons head.
Furious the creature turned it's attention back towards the courtyard only to be hit again with another fireball. Lydia looked past the dragon's massive form to see her Thane on top of a wall, fireball in each hand.
"Hey ugly! I'm right here!" The dragon growled, taking an awkward step back before throwing its tail against the very parapet M'rasha was standing on. When it pulled its tail out, M'rasha was hanging onto it. With a snarl, it swung its tail frantically trying to get the Betmer off. It finally was able to fling M'rasha into a wooden wall on the far side of the fort. The Betmer quickly popped up from the rubble and yelled towards Lydia while pointing to a nearby mountain, "I'm okay Lydia! Head to the mountain! I'll be- gah!"
She was cut off by an armored vampire who tackled her from the side and was followed by a large group who popped out from the tower. The dragon growled once more and joined the fray spewing ice and snapping at anyone who got near its mouth.
With all the attention off of her Lydia knew she had two choices: She could ignore M'rasha's command, pick up her sword and join in on the fight or she could listen to her orders and start up the mountain. On the one hand this was her Thane, the woman she had sworn to protect and what kind of housecarl would she be if she left her behind. But she was going against a dragon AND vampires. It would have been okay if they were fighting only one, but both? That was certainly suicide. So she did the only thing she could do. Lydia picked up her sword and, ignoring the carnage, ran to the mountain.
Coward. She silenced the voice in her head and continued running toward the path that led up the nearby mountain. She could hear the screaming, feel the ground quake with every step as the monster rampaged through the fort. And as quickly as the shaking started, it ended and the only sound she could hear was the wind rustling the leaves of the trees.
Lydia was halfway up the mountain when she came to a stop. High above the field, she looked below. The fort was in ruins...well, it was even more a ruin than before. Giant sections of the outer walls were missing, stones, giant icicles and scorch marks peppered the courtyard grounds. And then she saw the bodies. Some were strewn about still in one piece while others were torn apart, their blood watering the grass and dirt. But there was no sign of the familiar blue and brown robe.
That's because she's dead and it's all your fault. She clutched at her head. The voice in her head was back. You could've saved her and died a valiant death, a warrior's death! But you chose to run. And then you'll return to Whiterun without your Thane and people will know. They will sing songs of your cowardice. Or maybe it wasn't cowardice at all...did you really hate that M'rasha that much?
"She told me to run!" She screamed into the wilderness. She took a deep breath and then another and felt the pulsing pain dull and eventually disappear. A loud roar cut through her thoughts and she peered over to see the dragon stalking towards the path she had taken. It looked up and Lydia quickly stepped back away from the edge. 'Maybe it hasn't seen me,' she hoped as she looked over the edge once more. Her stomach dropped as she saw the dragon climbing towards her. And it was moving fast.
She stumbled backwards and proceeded to run up the battered path as fast as her legs could take her. M'rasha was missing (and possibly dead), she was lost in a very large and expansive forest with an equally large dragon chasing her. And the further she climbed, the more her muscles were screaming for her to stop. But she kept driving herself forward, just a little more, just a little faster. She had to put distance between her and the dragon.
And because she was trying to maintain her speed, she failed to notice the exposed tree root until it was too late. Lydia's foot got caught in the plant and she fell face first to the ground. Hearing the dragon's roar getting closer and feeling the tremors grow stronger, the only thing that came to her mind was covering her head with her arms and praying that it wouldn't spot her. But the Nord felt the strong gusts kicked up by the frost dragon, a sign that the monster was only a few yards away from her. 'This is it,' she thought, already resigned to her fate once more. Soon the dragon would crush her into the ground and eat her, though she hoped that the former would kill her so she wouldn't feel the pain that came with the latter. Instead of either scenario playing out, she felt someone grab one of her legs and pull her body into some nearby brush by a rock wall, out of sight.
"Where..?" M'rasha quickly clamped her hand over Lydia's mouth. Something was on the cat's hand and Lydia had inadvertently gotten a taste of whatever it was. It tasted of dirt and ash. Lydia felt her body tingle and her mouth burn from the chalky substance. She turned her head to glare at the other woman but M'rasha had vanished. Oddly enough she could still feel the pressure on her mouth. Lydia thought this was a spell the mage had cast, but before she could ponder further the dragon had made it's way to their hiding spot. It surveyed the land, knocking over trees and pushing boulders aside. There was a moment when the dragon came so close to them, Lydia thought it would find them and started squirming in the invisible hold.
"Over here, skeever butt!" Lydia's hand went to cover M'rasha's mouth but her hand passed through thin air and she fell over. The dragon turned back around and roared, leaping off a cliff and still trying to chase down the voice. Neither woman moved until they blinked back into view. M'rasha removed her hand from Lydia and pulled herself from under the Nord. She slowly climbed out of the brush, beckoning Lydia to follow low to the ground and head for the cliff.
They expected to see the monster rampaging around the area below them. Instead they saw the aftermath: trees broken in half or ripped out of the ground, and giant footprints that headed deeper into the woods. Lydia exhaled harshly and collapsed to the ground as her heart finally had a chance to calm down.
"I didn't think that was going to work. Glad it did," the Betmer said in between deep breaths as she sat on the ground.
"What did you put in my mouth?"
The look on M'rasha's face was blank. "You don't want to know."
Lydia stared up at the sky and noticed that the moon was starting its rise. Just how long had they been running? M'rasha rolled her shoulders, wincing. "So much for reaching Riften by nightfall. Well, at least we don't have anything-"
"Please! Help! I need help!"
A man limped down the road and stumbled onto his knees only a few paces from the women. M'rasha got to her feet and moved towards the man, kneeling down next to him. His clothing was scuffed and he had a small bloody cut near his right eye.
"What's wrong? Who attacked you?" the Betmer asked.
"My name…my name is Telrav. I'm a trader from the West. I was heading home when I was mugged by a group of thugs. They took my supplies, my money, everything! Please could you help me get them back? Else, I'll have nothing to feed my family. I-I followed them t-t-to their hideout."
M'rasha placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Of course we'll help," She vowed before facing the still-downed Nord. "Right?"
Lydia sighed. "If you say so."
"Great!" Telrav quickly jumped to his feet and started sprinting up the hill, motioning for the women to follow him. "Their camp…it's this way."
M'rasha turned to Lydia. "Should we wait for you? Or should I scout ahead?"
Lydia shook her head and waved them off. "Go on. I'll catch up once I catch my breath. Be careful, my Thane...something doesn't feel right."
With another nod of the head, M'rasha turned and the two of them jogged up the hill and soon out of Lydia's field of vision. The Nord groaned as she rose to her feet, using her sword as a crutch. Her muscles were still burning from the life-and-death sprint, but Lydia ignored the pain and moved on. As she stretched and followed their trail, she heard the unmistakable sound of a battle. Grabbing her bags, Lydia scrambled across the small bridge and up the hill. She was near the top when she heard the sound of wood splintering and then several loud voices.
"Fucking cat! She killed Jared! Let's gut 'er."
"Nah, he would have wanted her to suffer," said another voice. "Cut 'er tail off for starters. Make sure to take yer time."
Fearing the worst, Lydia dropped the bag, pulled her sword and shield and ran toward the source of the noise. At the top of the hill stood one of what the Nord assumed to be one of the thugs. When she reached the top, Lydia plunged her blade into his back. The man made a wet, gurgling noise and then went silent when Lydia wrenched the blade from his body, ignoring his death rattle as he hit the ground.
Breathing heavily, the housecarl looked up and quickly scanned the area, illuminated by a nearby campfire. The bandits had made their hideout near one of Skyrim's ancient towers. Near the stairs leading up to the tower were some benches, a table, and a few tents. And at the top of the stairs stood Telrav, looking less injured than before, holding a bow. She pulled her weapon out of the dead man and glared at the others. Telrav sneered and stroked his chin.
"Well, well, well. We were wondering if we were going to have to come and get you. Now, how about you just surrender," he stated, motioning to the side. "You don't want to end up like your friend over there, now do you? I promise that we'll sell you to the highest bidder."
Her eyes followed where he pointed. There was M'rasha, off to the side of the tower, motionless in the debris of the ruined table, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. A bubble of anger swelled up in her chest and it took everything for Lydia not to sprint forward and lop of the Imperial's head. Instead, the woman stayed silent, reigning in her emotions. She wasn't going to run this time. Adrenaline ran through her body as she gripped her weapon tighter. They would make the first mistake, not her.
Annoyed by the silence, Telrav waved his hand towards Lydia. "Fine then. Kill this one too!"
At his command, a group of five surrounded her, two of them cutting off her only exit. She slowly turned, positioning herself so she had three of them in her sight. Lydia didn't even finish one rotation before she heard a snarl from behind. She spun around in time to see one of the bandits in mid-lunge. Lydia side-stepped the rush and, in one smooth motion, rammed her sword into the attacker's neck and yanked it out. He fell to the ground, hands trying to stop the flow of blood.
Lydia quickly turned back to the remaining four attackers, her back to the tents. Two of them darted forward, poised to strike. Lydia planted her feet and used her weapons to deflect the attacks. Their swords crashed up against her own and her shield. It soon became a shoving match and, surprisingly, Lydia was winning. She quickly re-positioned herself and was able to knock one of the bandits away with her shield and, using that momentum, smashed the Dwarven metal into the other bandit, sending him tumbling to the ground.
But before she could give herself a pat on the back, she was airborne. Her body crashed into one of the tents, bringing it down around her. As she sat up, a gasp of pain escaped her lips. Lydia's entire left side felt like it was on fire and numb at the same time. It was akin to being kicked by a wild horse. She attempted to get to her knees, but a boot connected with her temple, causing her to yell in pain and forcing her back on the ground. Her vision swirled as another foot planted itself on her chest plate. She could hear the metal creak and shift under the pressure. When her vision cleared, Lydia stared up and saw a muscled Orc with a Warhammer raised high above his head, a malicious grin on his face.
"Stupid bitch," he taunted. Instinctively, she covered her head with her arms in a futile attempt to block the inevitable blow. But it never came. She slowly opened one eye and moved her arm only to see a familiar dagger protruding from the Orc's neck. A hand grabbed the hilt of the blade and yanked it from the dying Orc. He fell to the ground, revealing a wounded M'rasha clutching her side. Her once impeccable robe had so many slashes, it could be used as bedding for a litter of pups. She hobbled over to Lydia's feet and placed herself between her and the remaining thugs.
Another Orc grabbed his axe and darted for the Betmer. "You'll make a fine rug, cat!"
M'rasha's face remained expressionless as she clenched her fist. Her entire body, robes and all began to glow white. The Orc was unimpressed with the display and brought his axe back and swung down, planning to split the Khajiit in two. Lydia screamed at M'rasha, trying to get to her feet but there was no way she would get to her in time. The axe came down as soon as M'rasha brought her arm up and Lydia was sure that it would be severed. There was a large gash where the axe met her arm and a trickle of blood flowing from the wound. If her Thane was in pain she hid it well. M'rasha held up her other hand toward the Orc and Lydia watched as five long icicles shot from her fingertips and pierced the Orc in the neck. The Orc dropped his weapon and his hands went to his neck. He fell to his knees gurgling, trying to stop the bleeding. He looked to his comrades and lifted one of his arms towards them. His eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled onto the ground, a pool of blood appearing beneath him.
The remaining two bandits could only stare at his corpse as M'rasha pulled the axe from her arm and began slowly approaching. They took a step back in fear. The conman scowled. "Why are you cowering? That spell will wear off before she has time to hit you! So kill her!"
That seemed to bolster their confidence and they moved to take out the injured alchemist. But by this time Lydia had gotten to her feet and was ready to fight, especially now that the odds were a bit more even. She rushed at the female bandit and tackled her to the ground. The two rolled around in the dirt until the bandit was finally able to buck Lydia off.
Lydia stumbled onto the ground but quickly rolled onto her knees. The bandit was already on her feet and charging towards her. Lydia quickly looked around and spotted her sword. She rolled out of the charge and grabbed her sword just as the bandit came at her again. Lydia wanted until the bandit was close enough and she leapt, sword pointed out. She tackled the woman and they fell to the ground once more. Lydia pushed herself up and looked at her opponent to she her lifeless eyes staring back, her sword embedded in her stomach. Lydia grabbed the grip of her sword and used it to push herself to her feet.
The sound of a painful groan made Lydia turn just in time to see the other bandit dead, his neck snapped at an unnatural angle. The Khajiit stood and slowly faced the ruins.
Only Telrav was left.
"My men!? You'll die for this!" Enraged and sputtering curses, the Imperial sheathed his bow, ran at the women with a dagger in hand. Lydia squeezed prepared to end his life, but M'rasha calmly grabbed her sword and forced her hand down. M'rasha then held out her other hand toward the charging man and shot out an icicle. The frozen shard sailed through the air with blinding speed and accuracy, piercing Telrav's leg and causing him to stumble and fall on his side. Wincing in pain, his hand went to the shard to pull it out, but he couldn't find purchase on its slippery surface. His attempts became more frantic as M'rasha slowly limped toward him.
"Please! Have mercy! I had no choice!" He groveled still trying to pull the now-bloody icicle out. By now the Khajiit was in front of the man and Lydia watched as M'rasha placed a hand on his shoulder in an almost reassuring gesture. She whispered something to the Imperial and a second later, the conman erupted into flames, lighting the dark campsite.
Lydia couldn't help but cringe at the man's screams as he rolled around in a desperate bid to put out the flames. Telrav blindly moved towards the tower before rolling himself right over the edge of the ridge. His body made a sickening crack as it hit the rocks below. She walked over to the cliff and peered over the edge. Telrav's body was still smoldering among the jagged rocks. Sighing in relief, Lydia sheathed her weapons and twisted her neck. Her body would be aching when morning came. At least the pain in her side had lessened. She turned around and panic set in when she saw M'rasha slumped against a barrel. Lydia rushed over to the woman. Her eyes were closed. Lydia reached out to touch her face but M'rasha's hand darted out and swatted it aside. "I'm not dead."
"Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down. M'rasha opened her mouth ready to let loose a scathing remark but a pained moan escaped instead. It was then she realized that the wound on M'rasha's arm was still bleeding. Lydia tore off a strip of cloth from M'rasha's robe, pulled the Betmer's hand up, and quickly wrapped the makeshift bandage around the cut.
"Okay, we're safe. You can do your magic and heal yourself."
M'rasha looked at the Nord and slowly shook her head. "Can't."
"Come on, cat. This is no time for games."
"I can't do magic if I don't have any energy to call on," M'rasha wheezed. She placed her uninjured hand on top of the barrel and tried to pull herself up but she could barely stand on her own.
"Don't go hurting yourself more. Give me your other arm." Lydia pulled the Betmer to her feet and led her over to one of the benches. Wincing, M'rasha sat down while Lydia looked around the camp until she spotted a healing potion on one of the nearby tables. Grabbing it, she yanked the cork out and handed it to the injured woman. "Here, take this."
M'rasha tilted her head up, and slowly held her hand out. Lydia gave her the bottle and watched M'rasha down most of the contents before suddenly turning her head and spitting it out. "It's mead. Really bad quality, too," she snarled, tossing the bottle to the ground, "I bet all of them are filled with mead." M'rasha closed her eyes and let out another pained groan.
Lydia knelt down next to the woman, took off one gauntlet and pressed her hand against M'rasha's stomach, much to the alchemist's displeasure.
"What are you-"
"Sshh." Lydia hushed the Thane as she carefully and methodically moved her hand over M'rasha's stomach, gingerly pressing down ever so slightly. When she pressed down near her injured arm, M'rasha let out a gasp and scooted away from Lydia, almost falling off the bench.
Lydia grabbed M'rasha and pulled her back so that they were face to face. "I'm going to check your stomach for wounds."
M'rasha's eyes were still closed, but she nodded. Lydia undid the sash and opened the robe. She lifted the hem of M'rasha's green undershirt and saw the giant purple bruise forming on her side.
"That looks painful..." Lydia let go of the shirt. "Looks like we'll be camping here tonight."
"No."
The Nord looked at the wounded woman in disbelief. "'No?' Did you injure your head as well? You're wounded, and we have no supplies. The best plan of action is-"
"To continue forward," M'rasha finished. A frustrated Lydia rubbed her face.
"Do you really think we're going to find anything of use in this camp or in the tower?" M'rasha's question broke the Nord out of her thoughts. "They were third-rate thugs led by a man who could only tempt would-be heroes and take whatever they had on them."
"Those third-rate thugs took you out pretty quickly," Lydia mumbled softly.
"That's because I didn't know they were Telrav's thugs until I felt the arrow in my shoulder." M'rasha winced and clutched her injured side. "But by all means, go check the tower and see if there are any supplies. I'll wait here. It's not like I can do anything else."
"Fine." Lydia rose to her feet and climbed the staircase leading up to the ancient tower. From the outside, the building itself looked structurally sound but inside was a whole different story. The floor was had eaten way and with every step she took, the wood floor sank. She feared the floor would give way and she'd fall to her death on the cliffs below.
Pushing the morbid thoughts to the back of her head, she began searching the few dressers and pots for anything that could help. She grabbed what she could, bolted back down the rickety staircase and ran out the door before the floor could shift once more.
Once again on solid land, Lydia quickly thanked Talos for keeping the floor in one piece. As she walked down the stairs, she checked the items in the bag that she grabbed. It was just a bag full of knick knacks - a soulgem, some gold, a skull and yet another bottle of ale. Surprisingly, the Betmer was right. Even though it was dangerous to move on, they had to. There was nothing here, not even any food. Lydia returned to the campsite but saw no sign of M'rasha.
"M'rasha!"
"Over here." The reply came from some bushes nearby. Lydia walked over to the brush and pushed some of the branches away. M'rasha was lying on the ground, chewing on something. "Have fun raiding the tower?" M'rasha asked smiling, her teeth stained blue.
Lydia had a pained look on her face "Why is your mouth blue?"
"Ate a flower."
"But why?"
M'rasha lifted one hand which held another blue flower and shook it."Because flower holds many secrets, and to know these secrets you must eat the flower."
"M'rasha." Lydia was not amused. But the Betmer continued.
"This flower is good, like eating those ashes was good...also to make a flower crown in the future."
"You fed me ashes?!"
"Focus, Lydia."
"Actual ashes, from a dead person?"
"Well, a dead vampire if you want to be-"
"Am I going to become a vampire?! You might as well kill me-"
A handful of dirt smacked her in the face. The Nord hacked and coughed and brushed the soil out of her eyes before glaring at the Thane.
"Now that I have your attention, no, you are not going to turn into a vampire, yes I put ashes in your mouth and they helped us evade the dragon, and now I'm eating flowers so that you won't have to carry me all the way to the next town...unless you really want to."
"I do not."
"Good. Now help me with this?" M'rasha rolled over until she was next to one of the corpses and began to remove the armor.
"Taking armor from a dead man?" The additional question, 'have you know shame?', formed in her head, but she kept silent and helped the Betmer pull off the armor. It was worn in some places. "Are you sure? It doesn't look like this armor is of the best quality."
"It's better than…nothing. Besides my robes are ribbons at this point, and it's not like he's going to need it anymore."
M'rasha stood up and began disrobing. When she took off the ruined robe, Lydia noticed that the light green undershirt had a large gash across her stomach, stained red.
"That looks bad."
M'rasha let out a chortle. "It's not as bad as you think." Lydia placed her hand near the wound and watched as her Thane yelped and pushed her hand away. "Okay, okay. You are right, it does hurt. Help me put on the armor."
Lydia nodded and helped M'rasha put on the cuirass, tightening the side straps while M'rasha strapped the gauntlets to her forearms. Lydia handed her the dented steel-plate helmet. M'rasha gripped the table behind her and pushed herself to her feet. She stretched out her hand towards the knapsacks and Lydia watched as they flew into her Thane's hand. She tied the helmet to one bag and tossed the other to Lydia. "Okay, it's time we get back on our way. We need to get to Riften, and we've wasted enough time."
M'rasha patted her on the shoulder before hobbling down the path. Shaking her head, Lydia followed it with, "This is a bad plan."
"Well suck it up, because that's what we're doing."
Lydia grumbled under her breath, "Stubborn cat."
"I heard that. Now c'mon ice-brain."
Lydia grumbled and followed the limping Khajiit down the hill, leaving Nilheim, Telrav and his group to the elements.