Elise had been brushing the same spot on the floor for the past fifteen minutes. Lost in her own head.
The tavern, The Lost Crown was strangely loud with what little people were left drinking within. The air itself was stale with the stench of sweat, ale, and piss as some relived themselves in a corner. Only to then to be chased out of the place by her father.
Elise was nervous with the tension in the city following the assassination of the Governess of Summerholm. Not that Elise cared much, as far as she was concerned the woman had it coming. No, what had her concerned was that the person responsible for it had been frequenting the bar and using it to recruit people to fight in a rebellion. Which included my father and me.
She knew the stories, everyone did. When the Empire catches a traitor, they don't just hang them, they hang everyone connected to them. Which was why whenever the meetings between the so-called Sons of Sterges started she spent the night looking over her shoulder expecting this would be the night the Legion would come for her.
But even that wasn't why she was so nervous.
"Don't worry child, everything will turn out alright. It always doses in the end." Her father said, dressed in a simple brown tunic and black pants covered with a black apron.
He always says things like that as if repeating a diatribe line would make it true.
"Think he can do it?" the question came from out of nowhere, but it was one she always had on her mind these days.
"Don't know. A single boy against monsters like that." Her father shook his head sadly. "Can't give up hope though. Carrion lord can try, but he can't take that unless we let him."
Monsters was a good way to describe them, the Calamities. The five that led the conquest that had broken Callow, her home. She had never known a Callow that didn't have the Carrion Lord's boot on its neck, only the constant drunken ramblings of the veterans that visit the Lost Crown, who had lived in Callow when it still was Callow.
The slamming open of a door cut off Elise's thought. She turned towards the door hand reaching for a knife hidden within her dress for when patrons became to rowdy. Noise in the tavern stopped as all eyes turned to the door ready for anything that came out. So, all eyes were on the three figures walking through.
Elise recognized the two that entered the bar. They were regulars to the Crown Rest and should have already be at the fuckin meeting. but it was the one in the middle being carried by the two with her arms wrapped around their neck that Elise had her eyes on.
Her height was the first thing Elise noticed, even with being dragged she seemed to be of the same length as the men carrying her. Long black hair reached down to her lower back. She was dressed in a white cotton shirt under a brown leather jerkins and black breeches with matching boots. Her head lolled from side to side as the two men moved about as she was completely unconscious.
Elise hurried over to their side as the rest of the patrons tonight took notice of the group. As their presence was recognized, a deathly silence took over the room. After all it doesn't matter who you are if you walk into a room with an unconscious woman, you either explained yourself or be prepared to be stab.
"What the hells are you two doing here and just who is this I see in your arms? I swear to the gods if you have done anything to her, I will use my father's sword and lop something off!" Elise snarled at the two of them.
Now that she was close Elise could see that the woman wasn't untouched. Bruises and cuts lined her face while her clothes and the flesh underneath were cut in multiple places as they bled freely. To the point that a small puddle of blood was pulling beneath them.
"We didn't do it!" The one on the right screamed as he noticed the look in her eyes, Elsie remembered that the man's name was Beric.
"Honest we found her like this on the way to the foundry and brought her back here!" The second she remembered Liam as his name.
"Oi!" Her father shouted to get someone's attention. "One of you lads run to the temple and get us a priest her now! Elise take her to the backroom and see to her injuries till a healer gets here!"
"What happened?" Elsie asked, following her father's orders ripping off her apron and leaving it on the counter, she then led the two of them pass the bar and through to the kitchen. Elise cleared a large table of clutter "Put her there on the table."
"We were making our way to the foundry. When there was this rush of wind from an alleyway and when we looked there, she was beaten to within an inch of her life." Beric rushed to answer.
"Yeah, so being the upstanding people that we are, we decided to bring her to the best place we knew that would get her fixed up." Liam continued.
"But this was closer than the House of Light." Beric finished.
She kicked a bucket over to Liam. "Go fill that with water from the barrel in back."
"On it." Liam called out as he left.
"You," She then spoke to Beric. "Can start ripping some cloth into usable bandages."
As they talked Elsie removed the brunette's shirt. It was stuck to her skin matted with blood. She had to carefully take it off, lucky for her this was not the first time she had to remove the bloody clothes from a person. So, Elsie went to work removing the rest of the Woman's clothes. By the time she was done Liam had made it back and Beric finished making the bandages.
Elise spared the woman a second once over and any other time she would have been blushing at the amount of exposed flesh infront of her. Instead, she focused on the various wounds that adorned her. Out of all the various cuts and bruises the one that got her attention the most was what Elise could swear was a stab wound around where the heart was.
With a wet cloth in hand Elise wiped away the blood best she could, then began to clean the other woman's wounds.
Hurried footsteps behind her herald the approach of her father and a second man in the garb of a priest. Her father paused at the door while the priest moved to stand at her side.
The priest paused as he reached her, his eyes scanning the sleeping woman. Clinically assessing her condition. The priest then held his hands, aglow with light, over her. The light bathed her form and many of her wounds were seamlessly sealed shut.
Elise looked over his shoulder fascinated. A part of her was always interested in the House of Light and wanted to join as a Sister. The thought of gaining the favor of the Heavens and of service to the Light. The power to right even a single wrong, the thought alone was invigorating. But she could never leave father to take care of the tavern all by himself.
"That's strange." The priest mutter under his breath, his eyes locked on the grievous wound on her chest.
Elise leaned forward to see what the problem was, everywhere the priest's light touched the wounds closed. Expect for the single wound on the sleeping woman's chest, it adamantly refused to close.
The priest let out a sigh and touched the wound directly, his light gathered around his hand more intently to the point it hurt to look at. The wound seemed to drink in the light without change.
The priest stumbled back the light around him disappearing as he stared at the woman in shock. "Whatever has befallen this woman was not natural." He turned to father. "What has happened to her."
"Don't know some boys had found her hurt and carried her here. My daughter did her best to stabilize her while I sent someone to grab a priest from your temple." Father explained.
The priest grunted as he turned her over to her front to look at her back. There were as many injures on her back as there were on her front. Even the same stab wound that was on her font was mirrored on her back. The priest let out a quiet curse and heal those wounds as well, but just like the front that one stab wound would not heal and even now leaked blood freely.
"She was stabbed through the heart and is still alive. And this energy that I can feel coursing through her is unlike anything I have ever encountered before." The priest pointed out. "This must be reported."
"No, it doesn't." Father said. "She was hurt, you fixed her up. End of story."
"Bu… but she could be dangerous." The priest stammered. "and if it gets out that I did nothing about it, I could be… punished."
Father step forward and gripped the other man's arm and placed a pile of coin in them. He spoke. "She is not dangerous, and It won't get out. I promise."
The man took the coin and looked at father then to the sleeping woman. "She is not in danger of bleeding out and the wound on her chest is not killing her, yet. If that changes find me. But this is all the help I'll give you." Then without another word or backwards glance he left.
The room descended into a heavy silence that was only broken up by the quiet snores of the woman. Father sighed grabbed the bandages from Elise and wrapped them around the woman's chest wound, as he worked, he talked.
"You two." He pointed to Liam and Beric as he draped a sheet over the woman when he was done to protect her decency. "Help me carry her to the guest room upstairs."
The two grabbed her, one by the shoulders and the other by the legs, and with father's guidance carried her up the stairs and to the guest room. One that was reserved for friends of the family or someone so drunk that they shouldn't be left alone.
Elise took the time to gather the woman's bloody clothes. They were completely ruined to the point they would have to be resewed to be of any use and so bloody that it might be best to discard them all together. She reached down and plunked the satchel up as well. It was light she noted, to light even. She flicked it open to peek inside and saw nothing.
"Hm, maybe she was robbed." Elise mused as she made her way up the stairs. They were already laying her down on a cot when she got up to them. Elise left the satchel next to the bed, the clothes she would have to throw away. She then saddled up to her father. "What do we do about her?"
"Nothing to do." Father grunted. "She stays here till she wakes up and we'll go from there."
"How long will that take?" Elise asked.
"No idea." Father said, then clapped her on her shoulder. "But have fun taking care of her until then."
"Okay… Wait! What?!"
XxX
So, for the next three days Elise responsibilities extended from taking care of the Tavern to playing handmaiden to a sleeping princess.
"This is getting ridiculous." She muttered to herself as she rebandaged the woman, who Elise has come to refer to as Sleeping beauty in her head, wounds. It was no longer bleeding endlessly as it was three days ago, but she still slathered it with a salve she picked up and had to pay a ridiculous price for. "But atleast you're pretty to look at."
And she was, her pale skin, that had taken on a sickish tone as of late, and dark hair along with the soft curves of her face gave of the impression of a porcelain doll. Elise brushed some of the woman's hair back behind her ear, as she did the woman nuzzled against Elise's hand as it contacted her face. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment giving Elise a small look at the woman's golden eyes.
For a moment Elise thought the woman would wake up but instead she settled back into a restful slumber.
"Maybe next time." Elise sighed as she took the used bandages and left the woman to sleep.
The rest of the day passed in a blur as most days did these days. The fear was still there but now it was a distant thing in the back of her skull along with the small sense of excitement she felt when the woman showed up on her doorstep. As she worked Elise took to imagining just who the sleeping beauty upstairs was. So far, she was stuck between fleeing royalty and a fallen angel.
The mussing ended as another woman walked in the tavern. She looked to be the same age as Elise, her skin tone was the light brown of the Deoraithe. She was no beauty but comparing anyone to sleeping beauty was not a stick anyone could measure up to.
The Deoraithe woman looked over everyone here and took a seat at the bar.
Elise put on her 'serving smile' and made her way to the Deoraithe.
"What can I get you today miss…" Elise trailed off expectantly.
"Your cheapest drink and my name is… Cat." Cat said with a smile as she not so discreetly gave Elise a once over.
Which was fine as Elise's own look was just as blatant. Elise smile then turned a bit more real and lasted all day as she went to work.
"Elise." Father spoke, drawing her attention. "Keep an eye on our little friend while she changes, eh? She's going to be joining our cousins for drinks."
Elise nodded, she knew what that meant, a potential new recruit and one that had to be checked out. Elise directed Cat over towards one of the rooms in the back that made up the Inn portion of the Lost Crowns Inn.
"Lucky you," Elise said, closing the door behind them. "This is the first meeting since the Governess died."
Cat made a little noise as she striped out of her armor. Elise didn't let it distract her too much as she scanned the other woman for any marks that would denote her as a member of the Empire's eyes, or in other words a spy. Elise waited till Cat was completely undressed and did her duty to examine every inch of her. The things she did for her father were tough indeed.
When she saw everything, she wa… needed to, she let Cat get dressed again. Elise noticed that the blade strapped to her side was unusual, most weapons a Callowan could get these days were hand-me-downs from older generations but Cat's looked relatively new.
Nice sword," Elise mused. "Where'd you get it?"
"It was a gift." Cat replied.
"Oh," that was a useful piece of information. "Generous lover?" Elise wiggled her eyebrows.
"Gods no. A teacher, I suppose." Cat said embarrassed and green at the same time.
"He must have liked you. I've been meaning to learn how to use one – maybe you should show me how good you're at handling yours, one of these days." Elise said, smiling wickedly. That line never failed to provoke a person and has always led to many a lesson in swordplay.
"I'm sure that would be quite the evening," She replied, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Only one way to find out," Elise smirked, opening the door and striding away into the common room. She ignored the amused look father gave her as she went back to work a skip in her step.
Eventually Cat walked out and met up with Simon one of the leaders of the Sons of Streges and left with him out the back. As she worked and night fallen Elise went back upstairs to check on sleeping beauty. Halfway there she heard wood snapping as something heavy broke down the doors to the Lost Crown Inn.
"By the orders of the Black Knight, you are accused of treason against the Tower! You all will surrender yourselves to us or die!" a heavy booming voice sounded out.
From there she heard steel leaving sheaths and the sound of combat. The sound of steel hitting steel rang out, then the sound of steel hitting flesh.
The fear that had been hiding in the back of her skull made itself known as she reversed course to make it to her father. She stopped on the last step, part of he wanted to run to her father, and another wanted to run away, but a third part had her turning around to her room to retrieve her father's old sword. One of the few momentous he had kept from the Conquest. From there she ran to the guest room reaching the side of sleeping beauty. She knew the stories about the orcs the Praes, their eating habits and otherwise. Leaving the Woman here alone would be a death sentence or worst.
"Come on if anything now is the perfect time to wake up." Elsie nudged Sleeping beauty's shoulder. If she was any stronger Elsie could maybe try and drag her away, but she wasn't able to do anything else. "We need to leave now!"
"Neither of you are going anywhere." A gruff voice spoke from behind her. The figure standing in the doorway was so big that he had to hunch down to fit his head through. He wore heavy armor in that Praes style that she had learned to avoid and through his heavy helm green skin could be seen.
An orc and he was blocking her only way out, or she was, Elsie couldn't really tell their genders apart. All she had on her was a sword that even now she was struggling to lift, and what she had left to help her was an unconscious woman.
"Don't even think about it, Whelp." The orc looked down at her, focusing more on the sword in her hands. The contempt was clear in his eyes. "Come quietly and you will not be harmed."
"Not until I'm dangling from the hangman noose." Elsie shot back.
"Such is the punishment for all traitors." The orc spoke without remorse.
"Traitors! You're the bastards invading our home!" Elsie snarled angrily, she then surprised herself as she charged the orc. Stuck in the door as it was Elsie got in a few strikes, but they sparked harmlessly of the orc's armor.
"Enough!" The orc roared and kicked at the same time. It's boot slamming into Elsie's chest, taking her breath away and what felt like breaking her ribcage.
Elsie fell on the floor in the kind pain she had never felt before, she crawled backwards away from the orc there wasn't even enough air in her lungs to say anything.
The orc advanced breaking the frame of her bedroom from the sheer size of it. It stood over her now, eyes wide behind his helm. Any reason it seemed to have disappearing in the wake of her meager assault. It reached for the weapon at its belt, a one-handed axe.
Elsie opened her mouth to say what she didn't know, maybe a final insult, a plea for mercy? It didn't matter because as she tried to move the orc did as well its boot stomping on her.
Her eyes bulged out of her face as she tried to scream, but all that came out was gurgles. She clawed at the foot that even now was slowly crushing her to death, her fingernails breaking against the steel armor, but the foot didn't move.
The orc raised its ax reading to bury it in her skull.
"Will you two be quiet I'm trying to sleep."
The voice was both sultry and commanding, Elsie mouth clicked shut as the orc stepped away from her and turned, she was able to take a breath as it got off of her. They both looked to the bed at the Woman sitting on it.
As she sat there cross-legged, she leaned forward in a way that let her hair as black as night act as a makeshift shirt. Her eyes the color of gold was half lidden in amusement that almost seemed to glow in the dark light.
Really, now you wake up!?
The orc stepped towards her, hand extended out to grab her. The Woman did nothing but stare at the orc with an amused smile on her face as the orc stepped closer.
Elsie closed her eyes, waiting for the scream. A scream did ring out, but it was too deep and guttural to come from a woman.
After what was only seconds but felt like hours Elsie opened her eyes. The orc was still there, but now he was dangling from the ground. Its arm the held the axe was wrenched to the side held in place by a delicate hand. It was held up by its neck with an identical hand.
"Now, normally I try to avoid doing this to everyone I meet." She said her grip tightening around the orc, its armor groaning at the pressure placed on it. "But you have to understand, I'm really hungry."
Then with about as much effort as one would swat a fly, the orc's neck broke with a sickening snap. Sleeping beauty stepped away from the orc's body and walked over to Elise. Out of the corner of her mind Elise noticed that sickly pallor skin tone sleeping beauty had developed had changed to the pale white of freshly fallen snow.
Elsie stared at her part in awe and part in fear when she spoke. "Who are you?"
Sleeping beauty looked at Elise bemused. "I have many names, but you can call me Dovahkiin, or Kiera. Actually, I would prefer Kiera actually." Sleeping beau... no Kiera's voice cut through Elsie's panic.
"But you're Named, right?" Elsie was ecstatic this was like the stories her father would tell her as bedtime stories.
My father! Elsie realized in dread. Everyone in the tavern, they still need help!
"So, I have a question for you." Kiera spoke up cutting through Elise's panic.
"What is it?" her breath came out ragged and her chest hurt from where that orc had hit it twice in quick succession.
Kiera leaned forward grinning at her.
"Where am I, and where are my clothes?"
XxX
Most people don't expect to be woken up by the smell of blood, or the sounds of screaming, while feeling as if you've been run through by a great sword. It's a good thing I'm not most people aren't me.
Focusing slightly and with an effort of will I placed a glowing palm to my chest, I grimaced when the pain didn't subside, and bit back a curse when I remembered just how I got it. I took a look around for my clothes and found nothing from the glance around the room I woke up in. but I did spot my satchel next to the bed I was sleeping in.
I made another gesture and reached out to the realms of Oblivion, a realm that exists outside of our world inhabited by creatures called daedra. Making a connection I pulled several of its lesser denizens towards creation. The shadows around the room thicken and they poured out from every nook and cranny around the room as coiled around me. The shadows covered me and as they did, they solidified becoming clothe and steel.
I took a moment to examined the outfit. A dark purple tunic that clung to my body while the sleeves ended inside a pair of thick leather gauntlets dyed black, with a leather breastplate atop it also dyed black. The pants were as black as the breastplate and ended around midthigh tucked inside black leather boots.
The material of the clothing was difficult to put into words as it was both ethereal and corporeal. I grimaced at the feeling, I had never liked wearing nothing but bounded clothing. It always made me feel like I was a step away from being naked. I'd have to find some actual clothes soon, or I could just…
A wet sounding cough and ragged intake of air drew my attention to the other concerning thing in the room. She looked about 16 or so years old, I glanced at her up and down appraising she had the potential to grow into quite the looker with her combination of blonde locks and sterling grey eyes. She also looked about a second away from dying of blood.
"Are you dying?" I asked to be sure.
She gave a weak gurgle in response.
I walked briskly to her side and plopped down next to her. My fingers danced along her form and I quickly found the problem to be a shattered ribcage, the bone fragments probably pierced something vital and now the girl was going to bleed out internally. I scooted around up to her head and propped it up on my lap. I placed a palm over her chest and as if helping her drink from a cup gently poured my power into her to repair as much of the damage as I could.
After a few seconds the next breath she took was smooth and unburden. Her eyes that were a moment ago glassy and unseeing focused on me. I saw the fear and terror in her eyes, knowing what she was going to do and knowing that her wounds weren't healed yet I tighten my hold over her. She tried to get away from me, but her body was up for it and she struggled uselessly to escape my grasp.
"Hey, hey." I murmured gently. "It's okay I got you. You're safe now."
She looked at me again and the fear while was still there it was now not all encompassing. She went limp in my grip and laid her head back along my lap.
"What's your name?" I asked, mostly to keep her calm.
"Elise." She said.
"Elise." I repeated committing the name to memory. "So, where am I?" I asked her.
"The Lost Crown inn." Elsie said looking better every second the conversation dragged on.
"Which is where?" I asked.
"Summerholm."
Never heard of it.
"Which is where?"
"C…Callow." Elise said as she sat up her wound all but mended.
Never heard of that either.
"Okay." I nodded. "Which is where?"
"Calerina, but surely you jest." Elsie stammered, looking at me confused.
"I have no idea where I am." I said.
"H…How do you not even know the name of the continent?"
"I was in Oblivion a few minutes ago, then I woke up here." I explained, but I was on a continent that I had never heard of, shit is more fucked than I thought. "Saving you in the process, so show some more gratitude."
In that moment, the confusion and fear disappeared from Elise's expression and was replaced with an indignant anger as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Minutes! You were asleep for three days! Days where I was stuck taking care of you. You should be the one showing me some gratitude!"
My eyes widen. "Three days?"
"Yes." She said a look of concern took over her features. "When you were found, you were a bloody mess that looked steps away from death. What happen to you?"
"Getting my ass kicked. In the end I had to escape, and somehow ended up here." I said, which I was beginning to realize was farther from my home than I initially thought. My eyes glanced over to the dead orc and his familiar style of armor.
Elise coughed into her hands and when she pulled them back the was a smattering of blood on them.
That's not good, I grimaced. There must still be some damaged left over that I didn't fix.
I wasn't as confident in healing others as I was myself, so I reached inside of my satchel. Fishing around for a second or two I pulled out a white phial. There was a unique enchantment on it that even after all the years I had it, I still couldn't crack it. A literal endless vial of any liquid that was attuned to it. If I could ever figure out how it worked, I would never have to buy ale again.
A dream for another day.
"Drink this." I said as I passed the phial to Elsie. I expected some resistance on her part, so it came as a surprise when Elise chugged down the vial without any question.
She passed the phial back to me with a quiet thanks. I watched as she turned to the orc that was about to kill her. She then began searching the room for something her back to me. I took the time to pat the orc down and relived him of his coin purse, wasn't much and the coins there were looked like nothing I've seen before.
"Oblivion." Elise said suddenly startling me. I looked over to her to see her holding a blade in her hands. "You mention that before but what is that?"
That set off bells in my head. For even the most unknowledgeable people in the ways of magic knew what Oblivion was.
"Not a what, but a where. Oblivion is another plane of existence outside of ours, some people would call it hell." I watched Elsie closely for her reaction.
"What were you doing in hell?!" She shouted, the fear was staring to come back to her again I saw.
The sound of wood splintering cut our conversation short. Elsie looked toward the sound terrified.
"We have to go, more of them could be here at any moment." Elsie stood up from her bed, sword at her side. Her arms shaking in a way that had nothing to do with the cold or me.
I held up a finger to stall her.
"Wait a moment, let me check. Laas Yah Nir" I whispered the last words as I used the Thu'um.
The Thu'um, the Voice, the langue of the dragon words of power when understood gave one an access to a vast amount of power. Power that had only increase as I got older and eaten more. A moment after I spoke the words the world around me went black then it all came rushing back giving me new clarity of the world around me. The walls around me became transparent almost and through them walls I watched as the auras, the souls of the people within both alive and dying.
Laas Yah Nir, Life Seek Hunt, the Aura Whisper with it I could see the auras of the people around me. After all the years I had use this Shout the details I could get from it had increase.
So, it was easy enough to watch as the people were gathered into three groups. The first l could guess as the legionaries that Elsie spoke of as they were the much more numerous than the others. The second would be the surviving patrons of the tavern fight, they were being forced into a carriage and were being carted off as I watched. The third were the dead, all unarmored humans. They were being put in a pile in front of the place, I'd bet as a warning.
I told all this to Elsie.
"No." the girl whispered. She grabbed my had with one of her own. "You have to save them, please!"
No I didn't, I wanted to say. As cruel as it was going out of my way to save a bunch of random people wasn't something I really didn't want to do. Afterall I could just as easily leave her here and make my was out of the city.
I didn't know the land or anything about what was going on, but still things like that has never really stopped me before. On the other hand, this tiny slip of a girl had apparently spent the last three days taking care of me a total stranger for no real reason. I could repay that kindness and expend a little effort and play the part of a hero.
Not that it ever gets me anything but more trouble than I need.
Sudden movement from outside the tavern drew my attention. The cart loaded with the survivors was leaving the area as well as most of the attacking forces. Only four people remained, all orcs. They slowly began to make their way back inside.
"Stay still. A few of them are heading up here. Probably looking for their missing friend here." I tapped the corpse with my foot. Pushing the girl away I walked downstairs into the kitchen, it was on the small side I noted. But I made it from there to the short hallway and into the tavern proper as I let Aura Whisper fade.
The place was wrecked. Brocken bits of tables and chairs littered the ground, along with broken glass. The place had that unique scent of blood and alcohol with an undercurrent of smoke from the fireplace. There was also several more people in armor heading towards the door.
They stopped for a moment as they saw me standing there.
"So, any chance that you lot could walk away and pretend I wasn't here?" I asked with a slight smile, no need to start a fight if I didn't have too.
Their faces twisted in confusion at my question, and for a moment I thought they would listen. Then the confusion gave way to determination then they rushed me. They were skilled I noted, and their armor was exquisitely crafted.
That's why it took me five whole seconds to kill them all.
As soon as the first soldier reached me, my blade was already parting their head from their shoulders. Stepping passed the headless corpse I plunged my conjured blade through the chest of the second on. As I did, I released my grip on its ephemeral hilt letting it fade away. I then reached down plucking the second's weapon from their lifeless hands. Giving the blade a quick spin, I gave it a telekinetic toss through the head of a third. With the same hand I then pointed at the fourth and last soldier standing, lightning gathering on my palm. A lightning bolt shot out a blink later taking the orc in their chest, leaving a smoking hole where their chest used to be.
As the headless body hit the floor, I felt more than watched as their souls left their bodies to go to whatever fate awaited them. But as they started to fade, I reached out and grabbed them, and instead of whatever afterlife they had deserved, I ate them. Because I am a dragon and it was my nature to devour.
Their souls entered mine, to join the ocean that I've created out of my other countless vanquished foes. The first thing I noticed as I always did was the taste of them.
The taste of a soul was like nothing else I've ever experienced. It was a sheer rush of unadulterated pleasure that spiked throughout me as their energy suffused my entire being.
"Ah." I moaned and wrapped my arms around myself as I shuddered in pleasure at the feeling that always came when I feasted like this.
This was always a dangerous thing for me to do and one that I never did lightly. For whenever I did it a part of me would always start to empathize with Alduin. Because if eating souls felt this good then why should I stop feasting on them on every opportunity I could find.
Still though the taste from the souls of mortals didn't compare to that of a Dovah's. My reaction after killing my first dragon was so graphic that Irileth and the guards that accompanied her couldn't look at my on the way back to Whiterun without blushing.
Laughing to myself as the high I felt receded I dived into the memories of the ones I killed. I could only take fragments from them taking them in as quickly as I did, but those fragments had their uses if put to work properly.
Mostly I focused on the languages they knew. I had already taken what I could from the one I had killed in Elise's room. That was the only reason I was able to communicate with the girl in the first place. That and what they knew about the people in charge.
As I digested the new information flooding my brain, I took the opportunity to examine the stock that Elsie kept under the bar. I could hear the footsteps of Elsie as she made her way to me.
"What are you doing?" She asked incredulously at me as I was crouched beneath the bar.
"Getting a drink." I explained to her as shown her the unbroken bottle I found. As I took a sip from it through, I had to resist the urge to spit it out on the ground. "Taste like horse piss."
I finished it anyway though, as to waste beer was a grave sin.
"But what about…" Elsie trailed off as she stepped forward and took a look around the tavern. "No."
I recognized the look of lost on her face, as her whole world was seemingly taken away. It was a feeling I have felt myself way too many times in my life.
"Who are these guys?" I asked her to give her something to do.
"Orcs, monsters that serve the Legions of Terror, under the command of The Carrion Lord Black Knight. Servants of the Dread Empress Malicia." Elsie said as if she was reading a document.
"I know what Orcs are!" I snapped at her. I then felt bad as she flinched at my tone. "But a Legion is it?"
I could still remember the time I was part of the Imperial Legion, still was technically as I was never fired, nor did I resign.
By the time I had made it to Skyrim the civil war had reached a fever pitch. So intense was it that even after the Dragon Crisis was avoided, they kept on fighting. It was getting to the point where both sides were going to kill each other to the last and to end the chaos I joined the Imperial Legion. Eventually I was given the rank of Legate, though it was a special kind of position that I was in. One where instead of leading anyone I was instead sent to failing fronts and was told to turn the tide. In a way I was used less as a soldier and more of a weapon and that left a bad taste in my mouth. After I had killed Ulfic, I gotten drunk and ended up in an abandoned house in Windhelm. Where I met an orphan. So, if it is an empire, I'll be fighting that would make Elsie and her people the Stormcloaks.
"We need to move." I told her a I polished off the bottle. I could have been kind, I know, but in times like these clear goals can sometimes work wonders. "You know a way out of the city?"
She looked up at me, from where her eyes had fallen over the fresh corpses. Her eyes were blank, as if she was closing herself off from the world. Before I could say anything, she shook herself free of the mental spell she was under.
"Yes, but what about the others? We have to save them!" As Elsie spoke, she made her way to the door stepping around the fried orc.
"This is why I hate having followers with me." I reached out and grabbed her by the back of her neck before she could leave the tavern.
She tried to pull free from my grip when that failed, she turned to me and fierce grey eyes tried to stare me down. That didn't work any better. She growled as she struggled in my grip. Her eyes looking from me to the door outside and just like that the fight went out of her.
I had to catch her as suddenly she went limp in my hands. Elsie started to let out this mournful gasp, her eyes never leaving the door. We sat there together on our knees as I followed her gaze and saw that from our angle, we could easily see the pile of corpses the Legion and left outside the door.
There was one in particular that drew my eyes. Almost on the top of the pile laid down on his back. Body bent in a way that let us get a good look at his face. A gash in his neck that nearly took his head off. My eyes were drawn to his pale grey eyes as they stared out into the void, Elsie then began to wail.
I buried her face in the crock of my neck trying my best to muffle her cries. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders as she let the sword drop down behind me. We stayed like that until she tears ran out.
"We need to go." I told her forcing her to look at me.
"But everyone." There were tears in her eyes as she spoke and she fought against my grip to look at her father.
"They'll be fine until the morning, so we have until then to rescue them. But for now, we need to leave." I stood from where we fell and forced her to stand with me.
"Okay." She spoke quietly, her eyes finally leaving the sight of her father.
I gave her back the sword she dropped, she took it without a word and together we left the tavern behind.
XxX
"This way a little further."
"R... right behind you."
Elise led our journey through the city of Summerholm. Which was oddly quiet except for a few small areas of fighting, that even now was rapidly falling silent. It seemed as if most of the people of Summerholm were staying inside to avoid the skirmish. It was strange that for expect few it was as if no one else in the city had any fight left in them. For the most part they just had to avoid the patrolling legionnaires, which was always easy with my Aura Whisper.
But none of that was as strange as the fact there was only one fucking moon! Just glancing at that singular heavenly body in the sky was panic inducing, but I couldn't help but feel myself drawn to it.
In a way it could be possible. There were many a mage who argued that Mundus, the world was just another plane of Oblivion. So, it stands to reason that this place was something similar.
Although there were others that argued that Mundus was the center of a wheel so to speak with the eight spokes being the Eight Divines that crafted it and the outer edges were Oblivion. In that example I supposed it could be said I was on another wheel entirely.
But that would mean there could be other wheels. Also, the rules of Mundus were defined by the Eight Divines. So, if this was another world, it could be operating under completely different rules. Which could mean!
Gah! I ran my hand through my hair feeling like my head might burst. I spotted movement ahead of us and dove behind some cover in an alleyway.
So here we were hiding in an alleyway waiting for the current patrolling party to pass us by. Now I could have killed them but that had the chance of drawing a lot of attention and the last time I challenged an entire city I ended up here.
I glanced at Elise and saw as she glared daggers at the patrolling legionaries, here hands clenched tight around her father's sword. She looked seconds away from attacking them.
That is not good at all.
"How long has Praes been in charge of your country?" I asked mostly to avoid thinking about anything else.
"Twenty years." Elise replied curtly, her eyes not wavering from the legionnaires.
"And you're only now fighting back?" I questioned her.
"We have always been fighting back, but the Conquest of our home saw that almost all of our military and people of fighting age killed. It is only now that we have a chance to fight." Elise growled anger clear in her voice, she started to inch forward, and I doubted if she even noticed.
The girl's anger was justified, I thought. But if that anger wasn't taken care of it could fester it would consume her whole. I've seen that done to too many people, even myself on occasion. But still for an entire generation of soldiers to be killed, it would have mean that the current generation of people here would have lived their entire lives with a boot on their neck.
"Hey." I whispered harshly at Elise. "Look at me."
She did so reluctantly. Her teeth clenched as she kept stealing glances towards the legionaries.
"You need to calm down. If you tried to go out there, all you'd accomplish is getting yourself killed."
"But, you could…"
"Get myself killed trying to protect you and fight them at the same time." I cut her off. "Calm down, deep breaths in and out."
Elise followed my words and took several breaths, the rage boiling her blood cooled slightly.
"You know quite a bit for a tavern girl." I said, reaching for something to alleviate the tension around us.
"The Lost Crown inn served mostly veteran soldiers that survived the purge of our Kingdom's military. They get drunk and talk." She shrugged her shoulders. "I listened."
I glanced out around us and saw the patrol had passed us by.
"Okay there gone, let's keep moving, Elise."
We once again began our trip through the city. With every turned we had to take could possibly lead to a dead end and how the width of the street was wide enough that there was no cover from anyone on the roof same, it gave the interpretation that this place was built like a way to trap an army within its walls to set up a killing field.
"Where are we headed exactly."
"Summerholm has an entire wall built around it and has only two entrances. But there are gaps in the walls and paths leading to them that only someone who lived in the city would know. My f…father made me memorized where they all were." Elise answered curtly, her voice lightly stammering at the end.
A few minutes later we found ourselves in another dead-end. No doorways or windows that I could see, but up along the roof I could spot the arrow slits that were built into the wall angled towards us.
Elise stepped towards the foremost wall her hand sliding along it until she seemed to catch on something. There was then a sharp click as a section of the wall receded and slid opened. It reminded me of something that the Thieves Guild would build within the city walls for smuggling goods through enemy nations.
A rush of wind and the pounding of heavy footsteps were all the warning I had.
I turned at the sound, one hand was raised magic gathering on it and spreading out infront of me as a barrier. The ward, a magical shield, half formed as the head of a hammer larger than my head smashed through it.
My ward slowed the hammer for a moment, but it was enough to let me jump back as it hit the ground. The impact creating a small crater in the solid stone ground. Several footsteps could then be heard from up above along with the sound of multiple crossbows being prepared. I didn't pay much attention to them, my eyes were on the woman in front of me, the one who swung the hammer in the first place.
Elise backed away slowly as to not draw attention to herself. Her hands gripped tightly around the sword, she was shaking uncontrollably staring at the woman in abject terror.
She stood taller than some Nords and Orcs I have ever met, it made me wonder if she was part Giant. Covered in thick heavy plate armor, in what I was beginning to recognize as the typical Praes Legionnaires style. Her face was visible showcasing her masculine face, with light brown skin and hair. Her bright blue eyes were calm as she regarded me.
I didn't know her, but the souls of the recently deceased within me did. The Captain, The Black Knight's right-hand woman, and faithful hound.
"So." I called out cheerfully. "How can we help you?"
She smiled, the kind that showed of her sharp pointed teeth. She rested her massive warhammer on her shoulder. "Someone killed my men, and I tracked their killers here. You wouldn't happened to know anything about that, do you."
I thought carefully about how to answer.
"She did it." I pointed at Elise.
"What!?" Elise looked at me betrayed.
"Really?" Captain looked unconvinced.
"She is the only one with a sword." I helpfully pointed out.
Captain chucked a bit under her breath "Turn yourselves in and your deaths will be painless. Don't and I'm going to have to be the one who ends you. And that will be a painful end."
I made a show of thinking about her offer before I replied with. "Nah, think I'll take my chances at killing you."
She sighed, she looked resigned almost sad. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."
There was no signal but the soldiers above us open fired at us. Elise was next to the opening, but I was too far away to reach it or her before she was filled with bolts. I spun towards her the sudden movement kicked up a rush of wind. I reached out towards that wind with my will and amplified it. The gust caught Elise in the stomach and sent her through the tunnel.
"Run!" I shouted at Elise as the doorway began to close. "I'll catch up with you soon." I promised.
The girl was crying again I saw as the door clicked shut. With It closed it was impossible to tell where it began, and the rest of the wall ended. I continued the spin, twisting the wind to act as a barrier and defecting the bolts away from me and harmlessly clattering on the ground.
The Captain had shot forward at the same time I turned to save Elise. She broke through my barrier of wind like it was a summer breeze and attacked. She swung her hammer at me as if it weighed nothing. She moved at such speed that I had no time to move.
So, I didn't.
"Feim." I whispered, and the moment before the hammer could hit me, my body took on a blueish tint and became transparent. The hammer hit me dead on and then passed harmlessly through me, and the bolts fell to the ground as I partly faded away from the world.
Captain hesitated in that moment and I took the opportunity to stepped forward and through Captain. My body then regain its form in time for me to stomp down on the inside of Captain's knee. She fell to the ground. Gathered lightning in my palm I aimed at the small of her back.
As I shot a bolt of lightning at her back. Captain was already moving, spinning on her knees she dodged my spell. The lightning only hitting her right pauldron harmlessly fizzling out, enchanted armor I assume. She continued her spin backhanding me away from her. It was a glancing blow, but it sent me to the ground.
As I was knocked away from her, I kept rolling backwards. Since as soon as I was away from Captain. The people above began to fire at me with their crossbows. Captain was too fast and strong for me to let anything distract me in this fight, so I decided to deal with them first.
"Yol."
Fire gathered within my maw as I let out a stream of flame that set the surrounding rooftops ablaze. Through the fire I could hear the panicked screams as the soldiers tried to put out the flames or escape from them. But for now, the constant stream of bolts stopped raining down on me. My vision wavered then for a moment as I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. I had to shake my head to clear the cobwebs.
That was a mistake, as Captain took that moment to hit me with her hammer. Before the impact I desperately tried to gathered as much magicka as I could within me fortifying myself, it was the only reason I was still conscious as I was bounced off the wall and onto the ground.
It was a hard hit, but I've been hit harder.
Pushing myself up with one arm, as the other one wouldn't do want, I told it to. Blood spilled from my mouth and on to the ground. I braced my foot along the wall and took a breath.
"How about we stop fighting and work out our difference in another way." I grinned lavishly at her and the rest of her octuplet sibling she brought with her.
"I'm married." She said flatly her right pauldron black and smoking.
"And?" I asked honestly confused.
"With two kids." She added.
"I'm not hearing a no." I told her grinning with blood staining my teeth.
With what I hope was a blush of embarrassment on her cheeks and not hopefully anger she charges at me, at the same time I shout.
"Wuld Nah Kest!"
Wind gathered at my feet sending me forward far faster than I could move, and far faster than Captain thought I could. As I reached her I flipped myself around and planted both my boots on her chest.
The impact of my wind enhanced dropkick sent flying her out of the dead-end and into the neighboring wall. The rubble fell around her almost burying her underneath. That kind of hit I gave would have turned most people into pulp, but Captain was already starting to stand again pushing the largest of the rubble off of her with one hand none worst for the wear.
"By the gods woman will you just stay down!" I shouted out at her, kicking up from the ground I stood and glared at her.
But she didn't listen to my request and instead charged me again. Captain growled as she neared and mirrored her. Just as we were about to clash again…
I turned and ran away.
Captain let out a startled squawk and took a swing at me, I duck as she did the hammer only tasting air as I charged the wall. I charged the wall at the spot I threw Elise though and a moment before I would have eaten a face full of stone I shouted.
"Feim."
My body once again took on a blueish tint and as I hit the wall, instead of crashing against it I harmlessly walked through it and the tunnel behind it.
The tunnel behind the wall had an almost mining shaft looked to it. With carefully excavated stone and the walls propped up by wooden beams. There were runes carved into the wooden beams that give of a faint light to illuminated the path forward.
I took it all in as I sprinted down the tunnel, funneling magicka into my body to increase my speed. I ran for a few minutes before I came upon the Elise as she was carefully making her way forward.
Since I was making no such efforts, she heard me coming long before I saw her. But at the speed I was moving I was upon her before she could properly react. As it was the moment, I neared her, Elise turned with her Father's sword raised and nearly took my head off.
"Woah!" I backed away and raised my hands.
Elise blinked rapidly in apparent shock at my appearance. She lowered the sword as she recognized me. Her lips wobbled a bit as she took a shaky step towards me and wrap her arms around my middle in a hug, the blade clattering on the ground.
Argh, this was stirring up all kinds of maternal instincts that I didn't need right now. I rubbed the top of Elise's head until she calmed down.
"I thought you were dead." She whispered, her voice thick with fear.
"Oh, please. It'll take more than a woman with a giant hammer to take me down." I chuckled as I took another look around the tunnel, but even with the lights I had no idea how long it extended. "Do you know where to go?"
"Yes, we just have…" Elise turned to point when she remembered her arms were still wrapped around me. She let go of me immediately and turned around, grabbing her sword as she did. Then without looking back at me Elise started to walk forward. "I've walked the path before it shouldn't be too long."
"That reminds me." I turned to her. "Your dad was with the Thieves Guild."
"A lot of people visited the Lost Crown Inn and when they couldn't pay in coin, they'd pay in stories. One of those stories were about this tunnel." She said.
"Paying in stories, hm. Doesn't seem like the way to make a profit." I observed.
"It wasn't about the coin. Father said…" Elise voiced hitched. "it was about providing refuge to people sick of living underneath the Tower's shadow."
Tower?
A distant rumble echoed off the walls. It was the repeated sound of metal slamming against stone from behind us.
"Ah, they're trying to break through into the tunnel." I realized, which would be bad as then they would just follow us no matter where we go.
"What do we do?" Elise asked.
"I have an idea." I said, taking a step forward.
"No!" Elise snatched my arm as I moved keeping me in place. "You can't leave again."
"I'm not going anywhere for this." I said with a laugh. Extending a hand, I reached out with my will and gripped several of the load bearing wooden planks in a telekinetic hold. Then with a single heave I ripped out the support structure of the tunnel.
The walls and ceiling began to groan and sag as the earth hurried to reoccupy the space is moved away from. I turned and gave Elise a pat on the back as I sprinted down the tunnel and away from Summerholm. From the hurried footsteps and muttered curses, I knew Elise was right behind me.
XxX
We immerged an hour later from the collapsed tunnel, hacking up a lung and completely covered with dirt. I glanced around the area, the exit of the tunnel was in a clearing surrounded by trees. The wind whistled around us making the branches in the thicket groan ominously.
I turned to travel further away from any more patrols when Elise crumpled to the ground. I hurried to her side and righted her. A quick glance told me all I needed to know, the girl was exhausted and wouldn't be up for traveling for some time.
Another reason why it was always easier to travel alone.
"Come on." I said to her as I got her to her feet. "Let's find a place to stay for the night."
It took a few minutes and we had to walk off the beaten path but eventually I found us a place that was inconspicuous enough that it would take a second glance to see if someone was there.
Placing Elise next to a tree I dug a small hole into the ground. When the hole was big enough, I reached out to Oblivion and called up a tiny Flame Atronach. It appeared in a burst of arcane flame in the appearance of a burnt black metal orb with cracks throughout it that pulsed with flames. It gave off little fire but gave out a low light and was able to warm the tiny campsite.
"Sorry." Elise muttered.
"It's fine." I replied. "Thirsty? Hungry?" I asked.
"Yes." Elise said, she didn't look towards me but to the pulsating Atronach. Her chin was resting atop her knees as she hugged her legs to her chest.
Reaching into my satchel I pulled out a chalice and held my hand over it. With a tiny bit of focus and a minuscule amount of power, I converted my magicka into water that slowly filled the chalice. Water that tasted a lot better than what you could get from a river or pond.
When the chalice was filled, I passed it over to Elise who gave me thanks and drank from it. We sat there in silence for a few minutes enjoying the quiet. She paused as she drank looking from the chalice to my satchel and then to the clothes I was wearing.
"How?" She asked gesturing to everything.
"Magic?" I said.
She looked to have more question when the sound of a snapping branched echoed around us. We froze in place.
"Come on." I muttered. "Can't I catch a single break today."
I waited as the sound of footsteps came closer. A mental command had the Atronach waiting to change and lunge at whoever came by.
I expect a well armored Orc to come charging through the brush but instead a kid stumbled out. He was dripping with water that matted his black hair to his and partially covered his green eyes. Dressed in leather armor covered with a long brown leather coat.
He was also trying to hold shut a deep and bloody laceration that stared at his right shoulder and ended near his left hip. He took a few more steps towards us and then fell face forward unconscious.
Elise let out a gasp as she recognized the kid.
I on the other hand could feel a headache coming on as my right brow started to twitch as I made my way over to the boy kicked him over and started to take care of his wounds.
The moment his wound shut close, the boy's eyes snaped open and he took a swing at me. I caught the blow in my palm before it could touch me easily enough but had to pause at the amount of power that was in it and from a position where it wasn't possible to put any force in a strike.
"Rude." I said as I stepped away from the kid.
"Who are you?" He barked, like an annoying puppy.
"You should introduce yourself first before asking others you name, Rude boy." I told him.
"The Lone Swordsman." Elise said looking intently at the kid. "Why are you here? What happen tonight? The Empire came for us like they knew we were there, how?"
"The meeting place was attacked." The Lone Swordsman said as he wove a tale about how that the newest recruit brought to the Sons of Streges, the name of this current rebel group, was a Praes spy that then led the Empire's Legion of Terror to their doorsteps. A fight had broken out and then a fire. he was able to get out, but he had no idea of how many of the Sons of Streges were able to make it out or if they were killed. Afterwards he fought the spy, lost, and was tossed into the river. Climbing out of it he stumbled around lost in the dark till he saw our camp light.
"Cat, you said the spy's name was Cat?" Elise asked, the horror in her voice was strange to hear.
"Yes?" The Lone Swordsman looked confused as well.
"Deoraithe features, with black hair and brown eyes?" Elise was rocking back and forth now.
"Yes. You met her?" He leaned forward scrutinizing the girl.
"She was at the Inn. My father contacted the Sons to bring her in. I checked her for the eyes, but she didn't have none!" She was getting hysterical.
"Eyes?" I asked him.
"Eyes of the Empire, spies that work for the Enemy. They are known to have a tattoo of an eye somewhere on their person." His answered as his scrutinizing eyes turned from Elise to me.
"What kind of a spy gets a marking that says, 'I'm a spy.'" I snorted at the concept.
"They don't." He confirmed. "A trick by the Carrion Lord, to get us to let are guards down. So, he can strike."
"She's Callowan!" She denied.
"She is the Black Knight's Squire!" He shot back. "She has betrayed her people for a seat at the Enemies table!"
"So serious." I muttered.
"She led them there then, to you, to me, to my father. My father is dead because of her. My home is gone because of her." Elise hunched over; fist clenched so tight that blood was starting to drip down them. "Everything is her fault."
"Okay! Enough of that! I still have to rescue these Sons of Streges apparently before they're executed, and I can't do that without a good night sleep. Which goes for you two as well." I pulled out bundles of cloth from my satchel and tossed it to them.
The Lone Swordsman caught his bundle and looked at me as if I were insane. "There being held in the middle of Summerholm, under watch by the Legion. Even if you could get to them there is too few of them to fight their way out, and to many of them to sneak out. It's impossible."
"Eh." I took a good look around committing the place to memory. "I got an idea."
"What is it?" he challenged me.
"If I told you it wouldn't work." I admitted. "I need you to take Elise here and get far away from Summerholm."
"No! This is my home and not yours, so I'm going to fight for it." Elise glared at me.
"Hm." I turned to the boy. "You wouldn't mind dragging her with you?"
"My sword is still somewhere in Summerholm and I can't leave until I find it." He smirked at me. "So, I guess I'm coming with you."
"Fine, fine! But I'm not going to be able to protect Elise. You'll be own your own when the fighting starts if a fight happens anyway." I told her.
"I'm fine with that." Elise replied simply.
"Bed both of you." I spoke with the same tone I had to use to wrangle the pack of children I had found myself with during my days in Skyrim.
The land of Skyrim was a rough and unforgiving place. Where death had a habit of creeping upon you when you least expect it. As such Skyrim had an abundance of orphans. In fact, it was meeting one such orphan that had set me on a dark path.
But seeing as there was an abundance of orphans, there was also a need for someone to take care of them. Unfortunately, one of the heads of an orphanage was sadly killed I took it upon myself to watch out for the little ones and seeing as I had a castle almost to myself. I renovated it and turned it to an orphanage of all the lost children in Skyrim.
That was a fucking mistake as the little monsters drained my coin dryer than a bottle of skoma in a Khajit camp. I ended up washing my hands of the entire mess and leaving it all to Grelod's former assistant, Constance and the Jarl of Solitude, Elisif.
Last time I checked up on it the place had become a widely respected Institute. Made famous for its connection to me.
The two of them look as if to say something else but, instead chose to comply without protest. The events of the night more draining than either one would admit. When I was sure they both were out I spoke.
"Lucien"
The shadows around me became that much darker and colder as a figure stepped out from behind the tree I was sitting against. He stood there dressed in a light armor of black and muted red, a hood covered his face leaving it entirely in shadows.
"Listener." Lucien spoke like we were old friends, because in a way we were. "Your orders?"
"Keep watch over the area and make sure no slits my throat in my sleep." I told the ancient specter.
Without another word he stepped into the shadows and disappeared from my senses. One more thing left then.
I've gotten sloppy I realize with disdain. Years without a proper enemy or a challenging fight, has allowed me to grow lazy and my instincts to dull. After all what was the point of swinging a blade or using a spell when all it takes to win a fight is to say a single word. If the fight against The Captain was allowed to continue, I could have lost and been killed. I didn't even carry around a proper set armor, or weapons anymore.
I groaned silently at the fact that in my home was a fully enchanted set of dragonbone plate armor and full assortment of weapons made of the same material that was collecting dust in my home. Too heavy and bulky to wear and carry around every day when there wasn't any need to.
With a sigh I let my head rest against the cool tree bark. As I stared up at the single mocking moon, I did something I haven't done in years. Meditate on the Rotmulaag - the Words of Power.