"AAAIIIIIEEEEEE!"
The mercenary recoiled from the room as the scamp charged him and Teldryn followed while unsheathing his sword. He quickly ran the man through, curtailing the creature's shredding. The scamp emitted a disappointed sound as the now-dead man slid to the floor, its claws withdrawing from his eye sockets.
Quit your pouting, we're not done, Teldryn commanded mentally. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the immediate area so he motioned for Fethis to follow as he began to cautiously ascend the stairs to the deck. It was a fairly short sprint to the bridge, perhaps if they-
An arrow embedded into the wall next to him with a near-deafening thwack, making him flinch back into cover. Well, shit. Shouts of alarm rose up along with the ring of weapons being drawn. They just needed a momentary distraction to make a break for it. He turned to the very impatient creature waiting at the base of the steps. "Have at them!"
The scamp was off, scrambling topside to intercept the first attacker in a flurry of rabid slashes leaving the man wailing as it lept away to cause as much chaos as possible. Teldryn wasted no time slipping toward the bridge now that the bewildered crew were busy trying to get a hit on the scamp as it assaulted everything in its path, living or not. He crouched behind the sideboard to venture a peek at the Edwina. There was a good amount of confusion with some men making to disembark.
"Look out!" Fethis hissed from behind and Teldryn turned to see a mercenary charging at them with an axe drawn, others finally taking notice of them.
"Still got enough for that ward?" He dug into a pocket on his pack for his magicka potion.
The ward bloomed over them both just as an arrow hurtled their way, bouncing off harmlessly. He tore the cork off with his teeth and took a healthy swig, then passed the bottle to Fethis. "We're going to make a run for it," he said as he cultivated fire in his palm. "Keep your ward up. Don't stop."
Just as the mercenary bore down on them Teldryn stood up, flinging his fireball at the wooden bridge of the Edwina then dodged the axe swing with a spin, cleaving the assailant's head from his shoulders. Blood arced across his vision as he looked for the results of his handiwork, pleased to see the crosswalk alight and crumbling into smoldering pieces.
"Go!" he cried as he started down the bridge. The scamp was weakening but he took it as a sign that it was still having a rollicking good time. A volley of arrows- along with weak fire and ice- began peppering the boardwalk from those stranded on the Edwina. If Fethis could maintain his ward, the crates lining their path could take many of the hits. He'd trust his armor for now, and their poor aim.
Before he could turn and blast apart the bridge they'd just crossed, one mercenary that had managed to make it off the other ship was upon them with a greatsword raised high. With no time for a proper battle, Teldryn threw the fire at him instead, the force of it tossing him into the water like a sack of meat. He pushed forward, hopping over an ice spike that landed right in front of him with Fethis grunting further behind as the ward deflected hits. The way was clear beyond this shooting gallery, the workers making the smart decision to get as far away as possible.
An anguished cry behind him stopped him in his tracks and he glanced behind. Fethis' had fallen, his ward faltering as he crouched on the boardwalk with an arrow buried near his ankle. Teldryn sheathed his sword and sprinted back, charging his own ward, ducking over the old man just in time for his to fail. Grabbing the back of Fethis' shirt, he yanked him to his feet.
"Ah! Dagon take you!" Fethis grated out through his teeth.
An arrow glanced off Teldryn's helmet as he dragged Fethis over to a stack of crates near the end of the dock. He shoved him behind cover, noticing some of the mercenaries tossing ropes over the side of the Edwina to climb down before dropping as another ice spike flew overhead. The crates rattled violently from multiple impacts as he reached for the arrow and Fethis didn't have time to protest as Teldryn snapped the shaft, receiving insults to his mother in Dunmeri for his service.
"I'll tell her you said that," he quipped between breaths.
"Aughh, I'll tell her myself." Fethis was exhausted and panting with agony and Teldryn knew now that their quickest way out was to carry him.
Just as he reached for him, he felt his connection to the scamp drop and a moment later figures began to line the edge of the Caldana, bows in hand with some heading for the bridge. Fuck. They needed to pass right in front of the ship andFethis would be no more than a meat shield over his shoulder at this point. He took a breath and focused his magicka as deep violet glowed in his palm.
He had enough to bring her here. Keeping her under control? He aimed the gateway out on the shore, figuring there was plenty for her to have her way with for them to still escape should he run dry.
The clamor of the surrounding chaos faded, drowned out by the blinding screech of clashing steel and screams of battle as he reached into Attribution's Share for his quarry. The flames of her rage licked at his mind for tearing her away as the eruption of her presence filled the harbor with the tenor of a roaring inferno. Her lithe form, blackened twisted curves over churning lava, twirled gracefully within her blazing halo, unfurling a whip in a searing arc as she leveled the contemptuous white glow of her eyes on her many soon-to-be victims.
Foyagah. Twice the atronach in every way of any that spawned from Infernace, and each time that he brought her to Nirn renewed his conviction that she had been worth the price.
"Daedra fuckers!" Teldryn twisted to the source of the voice just in time to see Fethis lunge and bury the ebony dagger deep into the cheek of a man who'd crawled up the dock behind them. The blow had probably been aimed for the neck but he was not going to be critical, vaguely noting that the sooty man now choking on his own blood was the same one who'd suffered his fireball. He heard splashing as the men rappelling down the Edwina reached the bottom.
Time to go. Hoisting the cursing old mer off the ground and over his shoulder, he jumped off the edge of the dock as he pushed Foyagah's attention away from the scattering workers and toward the Caldana. She crossed in front of them as she skated toward the ship and with a flourish, snapped her whip along the railing, blasting away the archers as the wood splintered into scorched shards. A roiling fireball followed, exploding into the mast, embers flying onto the drawn sails and raining down on the panicking crew.
Up ahead, two ropes dropped down over the ledge of the cliff into a landing wedged between a break in the rock face about shoulder height. They were nearly there. "Behind!" Fethis coughed out as his stomach was jostled on Teldryn's pauldron. The whistling of arrows flew overhead, followed by grunts as they met their marks and Teldryn looked back to see two mercenaries that had been giving chase falling to the ground. Gods damn it, they're good.
The Caldana was completely ablaze by now, spreading to the boardwalk and Foyagah was busy mercilessly whipping anyone unfortunate enough to have come ashore so Teldryn allowed himself a breath of relief before closing the distance to the landing, all but throwing Fethis through the opening.
"Gah, fetcher!"
Teldryn huffed a laugh as he gripped the edge, planting a foot into a crevice to heft himself up. He caught movement in his periphery and shoved away from the wall just as an axe screeched along the surface. His sword and dagger were out in an instant as the assailant turned to face him.
Heifnir. "I knew you had a sense of humor, elf," the man spat, the twin side of that twinkle in his eyes lighting with challenge. He stalked close to the wall to keep out of the soldiers' line of fire with a taunting expression, daring Teldryn to make him move. He wanted to test himself.
Teldryn smirked, spinning his dagger as he backed toward the waterfall and further from the protection of his companions. "And you are more fool than I thought."
A satisfied growl emanated from the mercenary as he advanced, bristling with aggressive energy. Teldryn ducked away from an arc of the axe, the rebounding swing glancing off his sword as he parried. Heifnir roared as he swung viciously with his spiked bracer, meeting air as Tedryn twisted away then resettled into a wary stance in time to dodge another blistering swipe of the axe.
"Got myself a dancer, huh?" Heifnir spat with another broad swing that pushed Teldryn back further, encroaching on the spray of the waterfall. When the man closed in with another strike, Teldryn redirected the swing and slid his sword in at the base of the axe, catching the edge with his crossguard. With Heifnir's arm locked, Teldryn's dagger found his elbow like a striking snake. The man snarled and twisted his arm viciously, tearing an equivalent growl from Teldryn as something in his wrist popped and his sword left his hand. Teldryn jumped back instinctively, just missing being impaled in the neck by the spiked bracer and when his feet landed, it was brief as they were thrown out from under him due to the slick on the rocks. He tried to catch himself, being reminded brutally of his injury as the stinging ache exploded, shooting up his arm.
Teldryn grunted on the ground as he tried to clear his mind, ignoring the twinge of warning as he rallied his remaining magicka. He had expected the axe to drop from the man's hand after that stab, though that stab was the only reason he wasn't having his fool head lopped from his shoulders right now. Heifnir was also getting his bearings, switching his axe to the left hand as blood dripped from the other.
"I think that helmet will make an excellent memento," he said, readying his weapon in his off-hand with equal prowess. Teldryn scooted backward, baiting the man as he approached like a conquering hero. The savage swing that met Teldryn's ward sent a surge of agony up to his shoulder and he grit his teeth as he stretched out his legs and spun on the ground, catching Heifnir's ankles and twisting his feet out from under him. Teldryn let the weakening ward drop and pushed to his knees, sliding out of range of the axe as Heifnir swung from his prone position. Sabre cat was right! Shit!
Teldryn regained his feet and wasted no time launching at Heifnir as the man rolled to his knees, getting just inside the arc of the axe that finally left his hand as he was tackled back to the ground. He caught Teldryn's arm, his blood slicked grip barely managing to keep the dagger out of his throat, the edge biting deeply into his chin instead. With a feral howl, Heifnir shoved Teldryn off, sending him scrambling for purchase as he slid along the bank. The thunder of the waterfall was in his ears at the edge of the pool, the dagger leaving a swirl of blood as it was sucked away in the undercurrent and his fingers defied him as he reached for it in the icy water.
He rolled to his back to catch his breath, both hands pulsing with a myriad of tortures, almost making him lose focus. Almost. Heifnir's form advanced through the mist, having regained his axe. He pressed a boot onto Teldryn's chest, blue eyes shining coldly within the crimson mess of his face.
"A worthy opponent." His tongue darted out to taste the blood on his lips that were curling into a contemptuous grin. "It honors me to send you to your ancestors."
Heifnir couldn't see Teldryn's smirk as he raised the axe, a moment later his silhouette lighting up as his body was wrapped in flames, obscuring what was most assuredly a very surprised expression. The cry, though, was loud and clear as he was yanked backward by the flaming whip into Foyagah's grasp, the anguish in his voice escalating as she flooded him with her glorious fire. All at once, there was silence but for the roaring of the water and the crackling of her presence as the man's ashes drifted from her spindly fingers.
Took you long enough.
She turned her white-hot gaze on him, fuming. He quickly mustered whatever he had left into his bone-chilled hand, his head pounding as he sent her back to Oblivion.
He fell back onto the rocks, limp, trying to find a part of himself to center on that didn't hurt. Failing at that, he comforted himself with the evident improvement in the endurance of his magicka. Black smoke swirled into the clouds and he followed the trail down to the harbor where everything flammable was being consumed relentlessly. One of the soldiers was headed his way, feet slipping a little as he neared. Teldryn let out a hoarse laugh, halting with a groan when his ribs protested.
"Boethiah's Bloody Bags! I climbed down as fast as I could but..." The guard huffed. "That atronach was..." He stopped, composed himself with a small cough, then reached out a hand. "You alright, Serjo?"
Teldryn eyed the outstretched hand. "Ah, not yet." He started pulling off his gauntlets as he sat up. Gingerly.
"Where are your weapons?"
"Fuck if I know," he groused, grimacing while he shoved off his right bracer to examine his wrist. Broken, for sure, like a gods-damned novice. He could feel it swelling though thankfully, it didn't seem too serious. He held it up to the guard. "Make yourself useful."
It was midday by the time Teldryn fell into a heap against a boulder on the overlook. It was hard to tell the time exactly as the already cloudy sky was darkened with the plume rising from the harbor. They'd had to spend a little time fishing his dagger from the icy pool, though luckily his sword had not gone very far down the brook that outlet into the sea.
"Now that's a smoke signal, hm?" one of the guards quipped, settling down next to the campfire.
They would not be able to rest long, as there was bound to be a couple of investigative parties incoming.
"Quite," Fethis answered briskly, leaning forward from his seat on a log to warm his hands near the flames. He rested a weary look on Teldryn. "Perhaps not the wisest idea to obliterate their only means of leaving the island."
He pressed the back of his head against the rock, rolling back and forth slowly, enjoying the cool pressure. "I'll keep that in mind next time I'm carrying your ass out of a hail of arrows."
"After leaving me in the dust to get shot. It will be a long time before this stops smarting," Fethis grumbled as he rubbed his wrapped ankle. "If ever."
Teldryn flexed his wrist, wincing at the lingering ache. "You're alive aren't you?"
"Hmph, after such a pointless endeavor, too. Would have been better to have torched them from the beginning."
Teldryn didn't quite agree with that. Fethis had gotten them the audience with Hert and the way the man had talked- along with the other discrepancies- scratched at something in his brain. If their interest was solely the mine, he would not have expected that sudden escalation, nor the heavy mercenary presence. They were after more than silver, that was a surety.
"N'chow," Fethis cursed. "Must we always leave ash in our wake?"
Teldryn studied the old man's scowling face for a moment, then glanced between the two guards who'd paused their activities. He snorted, unable to hold back his laugh and the guards joined in, their merriment growing as Fethis pressed his lips together to keep his smile at bay. Finally, when it looked as if he'd lose the fight, he threw his hood over his head to cover his face.
A/N: When all else fails...BURN EVERYTHING! :D
I'm sure I'll be back in this chapter making revisions but I'm exhausted in pretty much every way at the moment, so this is what I have for you! Alas, I'm going to have to take some time to really plan out the final events of this book which I expect I'll be able to finish at around 70 chapters as I thought. And worry not, a sequel is coming! I'm estimating my next update will be 11/1 to give me plenty of time, but if I'm especially productive I will post earlier! I just have a lot of other stuff going on this month so the story would definitely suffer if I kept up the current pace.
Also, I've made some revisions to the last two chapters, one in particular from last week's that caused a fair bit of head-scratching. JEEBUS! :P
Thanks for reading!
