A Cold Skyrim Night
The freezing wind of a Skyrim night was biting. While the Nords who called the land home were more resistant to the cold than most, even they were not immune to it's chill, let alone the other debilitating effects, such as numb fingers and obscured vision. The latter of which is particularly dangerous when you have someone sneaking up on you. Whether the bandit scout was aware of that fact or not when Velkric found him, he'd learn his lesson now when he awoke lying weaponless in the snow.
Velkric moved towards the bandit camp, wary of more scouts. A quick use of Detect Life was able to confirm that the lone wanderer was all the outside security he'd be facing, everyone else was inside. This is going to be too easy.
He crept closer to the walls of the encampment, keeping the number of bandits in mind. There were five of them in the camp right now, he'd dealt with the sixth and he hadn't seen any reinforcements within range to cause trouble. He braced himself against the wooden walls and drew a dagger from his belt. He pierced it through the wood and watched as the blade easily cut through the rickety fortifications. Velkric then proceeded to make a square using his knife and pushed the separated wood out of the wall, creating a small hole for him to see through.
He took note of their positionings and gear, things that Detect Life couldn't pick up on. They were all fortified with leather and fur armour and wielding no weapon of a higher grade than steel. Weaklings. Must be the outcasts of the group, or just starting a new campsite.
He climbed up over the walls and onto what he assumed was their archery platform. It gave him a great view of the camp, spotting his targets. Briefly, Velkric considered being subtle. He then promptly threw out that idea and called a spell into his hand.
The bandits were all huddled in the middle of the camp around a fire, possibly having a team meeting or just trying to stay warm. Whatever they were doing, it was disrupted by Velkric's Ice Storm spell suddenly dousing their fire and chilling them all to the bone. They spun and looked in the direction the spell came from, all of their eyes settling on him.
"Hey! Bastard!" one of them shouted, drawing his weapon as quickly as his chilled body would allow and pointing it at Velkric. Under his helmet, he smiled. The only archer among the bandits drew back an arrow and fired at him, but by that time he was already moving, on the ground and sprinting towards the five of them. He called another spell into his hand and cast it. The bandits dove to the ground as the fireball shot towards their positions, causing a small explosion in the middle of where they had been. While they were grounded, Velkric made it to one of them and kicked him in the face at full force, knocking him out instantly.
He turned and saw the other four now standing up ready to fight him, or at least that's what they thought. You're all far from ready.
Velkric easily sidestepped the sword thrust of his first attacker and countered with a jab to his cheek. He stepped back to avoid the frustrated counter swing and delivered a harsh side kick to his opponents stomach, making them double over.
With his peripheral vision he noticed the other two melee bandits advancing on him cautiously while the archer went to find a better spot to fire at him. Velkric quickly delivered a right hook to the injured bandits' temple, knocking him out and he rounded on the two bandits approaching.
He narrowed his eyes as the closer one swung his warhammer down with a mighty roar, only for it to hit nothing but snow as Velkric stepped around it. He stomped down on the warhammer with force, causing it to be ripped from his enemies hands and proceeded to deliver a sharp knee right to the side of his head, downing his enemy though not quite incapacitating them.
He then turned his attention to bandit number 5, a dagger wielder. The first swing was easily deflected off his gauntlet and the second one received the same defence. However, he then felt an arrow fly uncomfortably close to his head and impact the camp wall. The archer. Sloppy, don't ignore him!
He cast a frostbite spell, forcing the dagger wielder to shield his face from the cold before Velkric hit him with a powerful push kick to the chest, knocking him off his feet.
He then grabbed bandit number 4 who was still awake and kicking and positioned him in front of his body before he spun to face the direction of the archer. As Velkric had predicted, he'd stood still long enough for the archer to take a reckless shot and the arrow flew straight towards him, only to land right in the shoulder of the bandit he was currently using as a human shield. The snow was obscuring his vision a little, but he could almost make out the horrified expression on the archer.
Not wasting time with being satisfied in his successful defence, he tossed the wounded man aside and settled for running at the archer. Before the stunned bow wielder could recover, he fired another Ice Storm spell at him, causing the archer to dive to the ground to avoid it. Unfortunately for him, this let Velkric close the gap.
He grabbed the bow wielder by the front of his armour and proceeded to trip-slam him, smashing him into the ground with all his weight behind it. The grunt the archer made was that of a very injured man and a smirk threatened to form on Velkric's lips. However, he still had to deal with the dagger wielder who had recovered and was coming for him.
"You bastard!" he screamed, recklessly charging in with his dagger held high. Rather than dodge or use a spell, Velkric elected to just stand there and brace. As the bandit brought his dagger down, Velkric's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, stopping the attack cold. The look of panic on the bandits face was something Velkric wished he could see more often, preferably on everyone he fought.
"Wh- what are you?" the bandit asked in terror. Velkric said nothing, choosing to just deliver a brutal headbutt to the man's forehead. He was easily knocked unconscious and when Velkric let him go, his whole body slumped to the floor.
The man in black breathed deeply and observed the camp. The unconscious and bruised bodies of most of the inhabitants lay scattered around the ground and he'd be lying if he said it didn't feel good.
However, pained groans alerted him to one still being awake. He walked over to the bandit with an arrow sticking out of him and looked at his face. Their eyes met (well, his eyes met Velkric's helmet) and the bandit couldn't have looked more afraid if he tried.
Velkric reached down and quickly pulled the arrow out of the bandit. Thankfully the man's armour had saved his life, though the wound wasn't insignificant. The bandit cried in pain, then groaned in confusion as Velkric gave the area a quick blast of healing magic.
"Why?" he managed to ask. Velkric then proceeded to grab him by the front of his armour and pull him a bit off the ground.
"You might know what I want to find out" he replied simply, the helmet distorting his voice as always. The bandits' groans of confusion were then replaced by whimpers of terror as Velkric dragged him across the ground over to the camp's smithing area. They'd been working on something as he attacked so the forge was hot, perfect for what he needed.
He pulled the bandit up by the scruff of their coat and grabbed their hair, forcing their face dangerously close to the hot coals of the forge. The bandits' cries of terror were delightful.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"I want you to tell me some things. Is there any reinforcements due here within the next 10 minutes?" Velkric asked. When the bandit didn't answer, he used his free hand to heat up the forge by pulling on the rope. "You want a permanent tan? If not, start talking!" he hissed, his voice taking a guttural tone.
"No! No-one's due to come here for another day! Our job was just to get this camp started, then the boys would come and expand it!" the bandit replied.
"Good. Gives us plenty of time. Now…" Velkric yanked on the bandits hair, delivered a punch to his ribs and then forced the man's face back near the flaming coals. "Did your crew murder Friga Shatter-Shield?"
"What?"
Velkric rolled his eyes and shoved the bandits head ever so slightly closer to the coals. "Did. Your. Crew. Murder. Friga. Shatter. Shield'' he growled, emphasising each word.
"You mean the girl who was killed in the streets?" the bandit asked, sounding slightly confused. Velkrics heart sank.
Probably not him then.
"No! We didn't kill her! We wouldn't attack the city and piss off the Shatter Shields! That would piss off Ulfric!" the bandit hastily explained. Velkric sighed, the logic was sound.
"Fine. If I find you again, or any of your friends, I'll cripple you beyond repair" he replied and he threw the bandit back on the snow away from the forge.
"Wait, you attacked our camp and beat up all my friends and nearly burnt my face off, JUST TO ASK TWO QUESTIONS?!" the bandit yelled with a mixture of shock, indignance and undeniable frustration. Velkric sighed and rolled his shoulders.
"Yes. And if need be, I'll do it again."
"What's wrong with yo-" The bandits' protests were cut off by Velkric roundhouse kicking him in the face, knocking him clean out. He observed the camp, noticing the damage he'd caused.
"Haldir is going to be insufferable…"
X-X-X-X-X
Fjotli Cruel-Sea hummed to herself as she walked the streets of Windhelm late at night. It was cold tonight, snow falling from the sky, so she had picked up her pace a little more than usual. Her necklace was glinting in the faint moonlight, matching the other rings and jewelry she wore. Of course the only purpose they served right now was to remind her how cold she was, feeling the metal on her skin.
Eager to make it home quickly, she turned and walked down a dark alleyway, taking a shortcut to her home. She never saw someone watching her go there, and then start to follow.
X-X-X-X-X
"I do believe I told you so, sir" Haldir remarked almost the second Velkric walked in the door and took his helmet off.
"I don't want to hear it" he grumbled, walking past his friend quickly while handing him his helmet.
"I'm just saying. The Black Wolf attacks three separate bandit camps, brings them to ruin, and gets no answers regarding his prey. It would seem like a waste of time that could've been avoided with a little research" Haldir snarked, following him. If Velkric was less used to his butler's sass, he'd have been angered.
"With less bandits, the people of Eastmarch can feel safer" he argued.
"Silver lining I suppose," Haldir replied. But you'll be pleased to know that my endeavours have been more successful. That got Velkric's attention.
"Your endeavours?"
"Oh yes. I was able to procure a new order of grand soul gems. Filled ones too. You keep complaining about your armour's flaws, now you can make the adjustments."
"I was hoping for endeavours regarding the killer, but I'll take it. Thank you" Velkric replied with a nod. It was true, he had been complaining about his armour.
As remiss as he was to admit it, he was still a novice in the world of vigilantism, so his enchantments he'd chosen weren't the best selection. He had put enough constitution enchantments on his gear to live through more damage than what three men could take, but his stamina while fighting at high speed in fairly heavy armour was a relative concern as he'd found with longer fights, and he found he still couldn't hit quite as hard as he wanted to, so having another go at it would be very useful.
"I've been meaning to talk about this killer sir. It's been three weeks since the young girls murder. As tragic as it was, do you not perhaps think it was a one off incident?"
"Doesn't matter if it was or not Haldir. It happened, and the Shatter-Shields deserve justice. Plus this will prevent him from killing again." He turned and looked at his butler, frowning. "Are you suggesting I give up?" Unsurprisingly, Haldir's expression didn't so much as flicker.
"Of course not. But you're spending so much time trying to predict his next move, when he might not even have one. Your searching strategy might need revising" he explained. Velkric nodded, it was sound advice.
"I'll consider that. Thank you." Haldir nodded in reply. At this point of walking they'd reached the study. Velkric walked over to one of the bookshelves and pulled on an inconspicuous looking book, hearing it click like it had many times before. Across the room, a panel in the wall shifted, sliding across to reveal a secret passage, the entrance into the secret basement. Obviously Velkric's house had a regular basement, but what extremely rich man didn't have secret passageways in his house?
"If you don't mind sir, I was hoping to discuss a matter with you" Haldir said. Velkric glanced at him.
"Go ahead."
"The Black Wolf is developing something of a reputation now. It's been seven weeks since you first set out on a cold Skyrim night. Six weeks since you left an attempted sexual offender crippled outside of the Palace of the Kings. Three weeks since you beat up the brother of Galmar Stone-Fist, a close friend of Ulfric Stormcloak."
"Thank you for the recap of my accomplishments. What are you saying?" Velkric asked, confused. He noticed Haldir stop, so he did the same, turning to face his friend.
"You're starting to garner a reputation sir. Even if you don't directly get acknowledged for your deeds, there are rumours flowing about a man in black who shows up to stop criminals, and disappears in the dead of night."
"That's the idea. The Black Wolf will become a nightmare to the criminals. A ghost story they tell each other around the campfire. Except I'm no mere story" he replied, smiling at the thought.
"It leads me to wonder what your intentions are here sir, that's all. Are you trying to become an urban legend? Or a hero?" That got Velkric thinking.
"A hero? Like the Hero of Kvatch?"
"Indeed sir, though perhaps on a smaller scale. Someone revered by the public, whose name will live on after you die."
"That fame would make it harder to act in secret. And it might compromise the scare factor, if the Black Wolf is a well known celebrity."
"But having the support of the people would make it easier to act at all. Instead of lurking around in the shadows, you could actually, well, talk to them. Maybe even get the guards on your side, as opposed to hunting you" Haldir suggested, looking like he was resisting the urge to pace up and down. Velkric sighed. The idea was appealing, but he'd long since cast aside the idea of cooperating with the local authorities. If he had considered that idea, he wouldn't have become what he had in the first place.
"I didn't decide to become the Black Wolf with the intention to become a hero, Haldir. I need to be able to do what no hero can. Already I'm a criminal" he pointed out, knowing his recent behaviour (and assaults) were sufficient proof of his point.
"In the eyes of the law. But in the eyes of the public? Already that Virene girl admires your other persona."
"One out of a city's population. Maybe even a country's population if word of me has spread. I wouldn't hold out on becoming a legend."
"It's just something to consider sir," Haldir replied with a sigh. Velkric nodded, then continued walking.
"I know. But I'd rather spend more time catching this murderer."
"Well, I can't fault your focus at the very least."
"Hmm." With that, Velkric had made it into his headquarters (he'd made sure the passage was fairly long so anyone unauthorised coming in would take longer to reach the base proper).
His base in his Eastmarch Manor was still a modest thing (compared to the grand plans he had for his future lairs), containing little more than a forge, enchanting table, alchemy lab, several chests of supplies and a few stands for his equipment, but it served him well when he was in the area (after he'd cleaned out the skeevers).
He finished taking off his gear and placed it on an empty armour stand, stretching his now-freed muscles. "What's the latest around the place Haldir?"
"If you mean your manor, everythings in order sir. If you mean Skyrim, well, that's a whole other story."
Velkric chuckled a little. "Of course it's turbulent. Would be boring otherwise. Give me the rundown."
"Well, there's more Stormcloak skirmishes happening across the land" Haldir began, bringing a little notebook out of his pocket and quickly flicking through it.
"Right, Civil War incoming."
"I certainly hope not."
"Me too, but it seems inevitable. Next?"
"You've a letter from Maven Black-Briar."
That got his attention. "I do?"
"Yes. She's requesting a meeting. About a business arrangement I believe, she sees you as a potential partner."
"I'm flattered. 20 septims says she poisons the refreshments."
"I'd rather not lose part of my salary on such an obvious wager if it's all the same to you."
"Naturally. Anything else?"
"Reports of increased Thalmor activity, a couple letters from nobles asking about various matters of unimportance…" Haldir trailed off, sorting through his notebook.
"I'll get to them later" Velkric replied tiredly. "Being Velkric Silverdawn is exhausting at the best of times."
"Such is the price of wealth and influence sir."
"I know. Thanks for that dad" he commented to no-one in particular.
Suddenly a small shrill noise sounded from a crystal implanted on the wall of his base. "It would seem you have a visitor. The wards do their job well," Haldir commented.
"Either that or they picked up some bandits trying their luck. Do you want to get it or shall I?"
"Fear not sir, I'll see to it. As is my job after all" Haldir replied with a shrug. Velkric nodded in thanks.
He sat down in his second favourite chair and glanced at the pile of letters at his desk.
"I thought you might prefer to do the reading here. I shall be back momentarily" Haldir said, walking back down the corridor.
Velkric sighed and began flicking through his correspondence. It was mostly nobles asking him for various business deals or shady propositions.
Since coming back to Skyrim Velkric had made an active effort to rub elbows with as many people as possible to build contacts and reputation, whether in person in Windhelm or through correspondence, but he had underestimated how annoying it would be to keep up that facade. Meeting people was a chore, dealing with unscrupulous businessmen who thought their money gave them divine rights was worse. Though to be fair, I do use my considerable amount of money to sneak around at night and beat up people. Huh. I see the contradiction.
More worryingly was the message from Maven Black-Briar. This was a woman who was cunning, ruthless and undoubtedly evil. Velkric hadn't actually been to Riften yet, he'd been sidetracked by the murder of Friga, but he'd heard of her influence long before that. She practically ran Riften, probably had ties to the Thieves Guild (another group he'd yet to encounter) and now she wanted to speak to him. The only question was how long he could reasonably ignore her before accepting, he didn't want to get her ire just yet.
He was snapped out of his worries for the future by Haldir rushing back into the room.
"Sir, that was a courier. I have news." he said. Velkric frowned. Haldir looked worried. He almost never looked worried.
"What is it?"
"Fjotli Cruel-Sea. She's been murdered."
And the plot thickens! Well, I say thickens. More like someone just straight up gets shanked and the world has to pick up the pieces.
Tried my hand at some more Black Wolf action this chapter! We get to see him against some opponents who can kind of fight back, and they do a commendable job at making him try, seeing as he's still a little new to this whole "take on large groups of enemies and don't die but also don't kill them" thing. He's got a no kill rule, in case that didn't come across. That being said, he's fine with leaving you with half your bones broken, in true Batman fashion!
Next time... Someone gets knocked out, someone commits breaking and entering and someone shouts an unusual expression.