Chapter thirteen: bleak falls barrow.
"Before we go in, what skills do you possess Calinwen?" i asked at the large double doors of bleak falls barrow.
"Destruction, restoration and a bit of sword and shield why?" she asks in return.
"Because we need a plan like a warrior, mage and archery. I can be all three, you can be one and a half while Ramiana can be two." I said while leaning against the door.
"Let me be the warrior i like it up close with my twin swords." Ramiana said with a shrug.
"All right i will fall in when you need me." I looked at her with a smile. "But otherwise i will fire from afar."Calinwen nodded and opened the door, i let Ramiana pass first before slipping behind her. "If there is a problem we can discuss it at the inn." She opened her mouth but shut it as quickly.
We saw two bandits near a fire i shot one through her neck the other fell thanks to Calinwen's fire magic. I looked at Ramiana who looked dissatisfied because she couldn't do much.
"So why a warrior, mage and archer?" Calinwen asked while she tried to open a chest.
"Because a warrior to attract enemies an archer to cause chaos from afar and a mage to support or heal the wounded." I said while looking at Ramiana from the corner of my eye.
Ramiana grunted. "Stand aside and let me lockpick it for you." She took a bodypin and wrench from her small satchel and worked at the lock. "It is easy if you know how to do it. And done."
"Could you teach me one day it can come in handy." Calinwen said looking through the chest.
"So how are you going to explain this to your superior Calinwen?" i said while walking through a corridor. "I mean getting caught in an ambush and all this?"
"not sure but i know for curtain he doesn't like me so it will easy to get me arrested for betraying the dominion, but that is not my concern now." Calinwen said while looking at a bandit who pulled the lever and gasped when small darts filled his body.
"It doesn't seem right if you want i can get you posted here in skyrim and he can't do anything about it." I walked down the stair.
"So a puzzle he these nords must be stupid to put the answer right in front of us." Ramiana said while pointing towards a face with a snake in its mouth. "And look at those pillars maybe we must align them and then pull the lever. But who is going to pull the lever?"
"I will do it, i trust that you won't deceive me in that way Ramiana." I looked at Ramiana with a smile she returned it.
"Off course not my lord i would be hated by every thalmor in tamriel, besides who will keep me safe from the legion when you perish in this forsaken tomb." She said jokingly.
"Har har very funny but aside from that shall we continue with this 'forsaken tomb' as you put it?" Calinwen said with a bit of irritation in her voice. "I have aligned the pillars with the faces so pull the lever!"
"Aye aye captain right away ma'am" i said jokingly and pulled the lever, but no darts came to my relieve. Calinwen walked into the next room and picked up a book. I felt a hand on my arm and turned to look Ramiana.
"Yes there is something bothering me and i will talk to you about it when we get back to the inn." She said sternly. I looked at her face and nodded. We continued on when Calinwen packed to book in her bag and Ramiana several soul gems. We encountered several skeevers which fell easily and then we face a giant frostbite spider and a dunmer bandit who had a golden claw which she wanted.
"So why do you want the golden claw?"Ramiana asked.
"Before i went to Whiterun i sold some stuff from helgen to the trader there who got robbed and that thing he wanted back was this claw." Calinwen said with a shrug before stopping and pointing towards a dead nord body that rose up from his sleep. "What in oblivion is that?"
"Let's just kill it shall we?" Ramiana said before charging the dead nord with her twin swords.
I readied an arrow when i noticed several more stood on their feet. I shot one of the things through his head the other fell by a lightning bolt. "So how many did you killed Ramiana i am sure i killed more than you i was counting" i said while nudging her.
"Well with the bandits counted yes but those things not." She said while pointing to two corpses. "Those two are mine."
We continued on and encountered more of those undead nords but the fell quick enough. We made a brief stop in a chamber with glowing mushrooms , we killed the troll when Ramiana went towards the bottom.
"So we wait here for here to finish whatever she is going to do?" Calinwen asked a bit irritated about the stop i just nodded and watch the ramp downwards. I walked towards the edge and see Ramiana loot a chest and started walking further in to the cave. As i turned the corner i heard a growl and readied my sword and walked further in until i saw an undead nord with a two handed greatsword charging me. I silently cursed myself for not having my shield ready i dodged the swing and stoke out towards the undead nords leg and severed his legs i rose my sword up and struck it in his undead heart.
"Here you are why did you run of?" Calinwen said to me
"I didn't run off i explored a bit further ahead." I said while Ramiana looked through the chest. "But shall we continue for whatever we are here for." They both nodded and we continued through the dungeon. The undead nords who got in our way where easy to dispose of we entered a long hallway with carvings on the wall.
"This must be the hall of stories of the ancient nord warlords who are rumored to be buried in here, wonder what it all means." Ramiana said i gave her a questioning look. "What i learned a bit about the nord history can't blame me can you?"
"No suppose i can't. And i won't for that matter. Look at that door maybe we can open it with the claw?" i said while tracing the door with my hand.
"Yes look on the palm of the hand there are three circles with beast in it hmm let's see, a bear an moth and an owl like on the door but they don't stand correctly." Calinwen commented before pushing one circle to watch it turn and continued to do with the rest. She slid the claw into place and turned, she took a step backwards when the circles turned and the door shook violently down.
"Well that's solved what are we looking for precisely?" Ramiana asked when the door was gone completely into the ground.
"A stone tablet of some sort possible in the main chamber where we are going now i think." Calinwen replied uneasy.
"Well let's spread out and find it." i ordered them before heading towards a chest and looked in it.
"Do you hear that?" Calinwen asked.
"Hear what exactly because i hear nothing." Ramiana said from somewhere.
"Me neither." I replied closing the chest.
"It comes from this wall." Calinwen said while cautiously stepping closer towards the wall. After a brief second she murmured something i couldn't hear. A sarcophagus opened up beside me and revealed an undead nord with more armor on then the other undead. The undead nord was quicker than the average undead we killed so far, he shouted something in a language i couldn't understand. I got hit by a wall of ice and fell towards the ground. Calinwen and Ramiana fought in union Calinwen set the creature ablaze and Ramiana cut him in quick succession. The iced started to melt after a while and i could stand up and i grabbed my sword which fell when i was engulfed in ice, i strode towards the undead nord and stabbed him from behind in his heart.
"Well that was unpleasant note to self don't get engulfed in ice." I said jokingly. "I am cold and exhausted."
"You did nothing but to lay on the ground in ice." Ramiana retorted.
"He is exhausted because ice magic takes away ones energy reserve but it will come back in time." Calinwen explained Ramiana. I took a cloak from my bag and wrapped it around me.
"Ah maybe this is the stone we need." Calinwen said while looking at a stone tablet and stuffed into her bag. "Shall we go back?"
We both nodded and we traced our steps back in silence. We arrived at the front door when Calinwen said we could stay here for the night before heading towards Riverwood and then Whiterun? Or we could just head towards Riverwood and meet each other in Whiterun?"
I looked at Ramiana. "Well i would rather sleep at the inn in Whiterun we have our stuff there." she said and i nodded.
"Then we will Head towards Riverwood and grab our horses, and meet you in Whiterun when you are able deal?" i asked Calinwen. "O and don't worry about our share what Ramiana has is good enough you keep the rest." She nodded and we walked towards Riverwood.
We said our goodbyes to Calinwen and rode towards Whiterun, i looked at Ramiana and chuckled.
"Why are you chuckling?" Ramiana asked angry.
"Because of you Rami but pray tell me what is wrong between you and me hmm?" i asked with a serious face. "About you being a half breed and all?"
"I heard your soldiers talking about a half breed won't defeat a superior bred mer. I know I ain't a full mer or a full redguard, but come on i help you and still those back talks."
"Let me tell you a story about a girl who joined us a long time ago, when i am done think about what the core of the story is deal." I said.
"Deal but this won't be an analogy for the girl being me right?" Ramiana asked curious.
"No off course not." I said smiling. "This happened four years ago i was sixteen and the legion was already two years old."
"Sir the new recruits are in the courtyard." A commander said to me.
"Good let us see what they can do." I said while standing up and walking towards the courtyard. "What can you tell me about them?"
"The usual sir outcast lower class nobles some even farmers." The commander replied. "But there is a girl who is quiet but she is very young compared with the rest. What we can tell she is raised on the streets in an unknown village but she was caught several times stealing and she is also a suspect in a murder case."
"Is the case resolved or not?" i asked while pushing the doors towards the courtyard open.
"No sir they don't have a lot to go on shall i investigate further?" the commander said while stopping at the edge of the platform.
"Yes do that but first point me towards her." I said after a though.
"She is standing right there on the left corner." The commander pointed at a young girl maybe what fourteen years old. "Okay that is all you are dismissed. The commander bowed and turned on his heels and walked away.
I nodded towards the instructors to begin the procedure.
"Recruits of the red legion you will be trained mercilessly those who can't handle it anymore must ring this bell once and then you will be send home." The instructor shouted. "The person on your left side will be your partner, you will be pitted against soldiers of the legion. So meet your partner and talk know yourself and him to succeed this training."
I watched the recruits train for a while when a commander came up on me. "Sir the scouts are ready to complete their mission."
"Good tell them to scout but do nothing else and report as soon as they found a suitable cave." I said without taking my eyes of the training. The commander left me and the instructor came towards me. "Yes is there a problem with the training?"
"No sir allot of good recruits but that girl over there she does nothing and her partner can't train with her but i can't say why." The instructor said. "What shall we do?"
"Get one of the other instructors train with him and leave the girl alone she will be pitted alone against the soldiers alone." I said with a sigh. "And the boy will get another recruit assigned to him from the company who just completed this training pick the worst of them would you."
"Yes sir!" the instructor said and walked away. My eyes fell on the girl who stood near a tree.
I turned away and walked towards my office. My thought went back several years when i first started the red legion veterans of the dominion forces who failed the training because it was tough. Every day training, sometimes during their sleep a special training.
Several days passed without any problem the recruits train vigorously.
"Sir the scouts are back but there is a slight problem." One commander says.
I let out a sigh and rub my temples. "Tell me."
"The scouts have found several good places but one is captured in a cave not far from here, we don't know how many bandits are in there." He replied to me.
"How did it happen?" i asked.
"He got to close and was ambushed and they took him alive the other scout came here at once." The commander replies.
I took in a deep breath. "Okay tomorrow you will take several soldiers and clear it out and get that scout back here at once. Now dismissed."
After the commanders left i sat down and took the rapport of about the murder case. The suspect was seen fleeing the house of the murdered noble at the night of the murder, she also been accused of several thefts around the coastline and noble houses we don't know where she came from if she has any family or not we can't tell.
I put the rapport down and rubbed my temples and decided i was going to bed. The next day i watched the training again. The instructor came towards me. "Sir we are missing for recruits. Three boys and the troublesome female recruit." I chuckled at the nickname of the girl.
"Let it be we will punish them when they are found. But let the recruits fight each other in groups of four." I said while looking at the instructor with a stern look. "And how did they get out without you knowing?"
"I don't rightly know maybe during guard shift. Other than that i have no clue." He replied me.
"Damn it all how many times have i told you that you must wait until the others are at your place before you can go." I snapped. I turned towards a soldier. "You there get me every commander at my office now!" the soldier in question ran off as soon as i was done. The commanders were already in my office." Gentleman it has come to my attention that the guard shift is not going smoothly. So from now on when the shift comes the guards will leave when the relieve has arrived not sooner."
The commanders nodded. "Sir is there something else?"
"Yes be on the lookout for four recruits who have disappeared when you find them bring them to me." I said the commanders left and i worked the rest of the day. In the evening the commander i sent got back.
"Sir we have returned with the scouts and for recruits. Shall i bring them in?" he asked i nodded in reply.
After a short while he returned with three of the four recruits. "Where is the fourth one?" i asked
"He is being treated he was injured." The commander said. "This one can explain." He pushed the girl forward.
"We went towards the cave in the night and saved your scout he got shot when he jumped in front of Me." she said with a defiant look.
"So whose idea was it? To go to a cave without my order?" i said with a hint of anger n my voice. "You could have been killed."
"It was her idea we opposed it but she forced us to go or she would hurt us badly." The one recruit said recruit said.
I looked towards the girl. "Wait in the hallway i am not finished with you yet." My voice left no room for debate. After she was out of the room i turned towards the two recruits. "you two claim it is her fault you did something reckless you could have done something but no you are scared for her now you missed a day training did something i didn't order you to do and on top of it all you blame others." I took in a deep breath. "And what do you say in your defense?"
"What we did was wrong we could have done something-."One recruit started.
"You didn't feel what she did to me it was her idea and i won't fall for her." The other said.
"- but she lead us well and was concerned about us when we fought i do not regret going with her but i do regret i put the blame on her." The first one said looking ashamed.
I stood up and looked at the commander. "Get these two out of my sight let them complete today's training twice over for their absent." The commander walked away with the two recruits and i started walking towards where the injured recruit was. As i walked the hallway i let the girl follow me. We arrived shortly the injured recruit and i let the girl wait outside. I talked with the injured recruit about what happened at the cave and whose idea it was.
"So tell me why did you follow her, you do not put the blame on her but rather protect her why?" i asked after he was done talking.
"She wanted to save the scout not for you but his family, and she reminds me a bit of you sir she cares for those who follow her and if she is going to get punishment i will stand with her and receive my part." He said with a fire in his eyes. I looked at the recruit some more and i knew he was loyal to her.
"Thank you for your answer now heal up you will be back in training soon." I said while slowly making my way towards the girl.
She looked at me with her head raised high. "I accept the consequences of my actions my lord but i couldn't let that scout die he could have had a family and i didn't want his kids suffer the same fate as mine."
I laughed at her. "Train this week you will have a special assignment at the end of the week compete it and i will know your place." I saw her smile. "But before you go what is your name?"
"It is Mirvanye my lord, can i go train like the other two." She said.
"Yes but do not mention anything of a punishment or anything else i said to you." I said. "you are dismissed.