Chapter 13: Night of the Hunter

"What did you mean by the hunter that helped Lucy get to Whiterun was essential to the story?" Ronan asked.

"Exactly what I meant. He appeared at a few of the randomest times, wearing armor of furs in a more ceremonial design. It reminded me a bit of Forsworn clothing, but the furs were much different. He also wore a golden mask of a Dragon Priest, but I don't know where he got it from. Whenever we saw him he had a Dwarven axe and bow, and from what I could guess he had no love for the Thalmor, the Empire, or the Stormcloaks. He most especially held no love for the spellsword Advena, who I figured out near the end was more than he first claimed."

*Advena, as he referred to call himself in this realm, sat close to the fireplace of Alvor's home, eating his bowl of potato soup in silence. It was rare for him to eat mortal food, but since he's kept himself as a Breton for so long he decided to indulge himself in living and eating like a Breton. His helmet sat on his lap and his face was hidden in the shadows, only showing off the mouth he used to eat his soup and a recently shaved jaw. He'd rather not have any of his guests see his face, lest they be hunted by his enemies to draw him out. Upon that thought, however, Alvor's daughter Dorthe came over and sat next to the fireplace right in front of his lap.

"Why do you hide?"

"Pardon?"

"You've been hiding your face from us ever since you brought Hadvar here. You either hide in the shadows to eat or wear your helmet all the time. Don't you get helmet hair?"

Advena laughed. "I don't get helmet hair. I shave my head"

"Why?"

"It helps me concentrate. Besides, taking care of my hair is too much work whenever I require bathing, so I shave it off."

"Oh, okay. That doesn't answer why you never show your face, though. Are you ugly under your helmet?"

He took another bite from his soup. "It's not that I'm ugly. It's that I'm protecting you."

"From who?"

"My enemies. I am hunted as much as I am the hunter. My primary target calls herself The Necromancer here, but there is a man native to the land that sees my presence here as an abnormality. He, along with others that serve his cause, preceive me as a threat when I walk in what they consider to be their homes. Skyrim is his home, but my presence has set him off, and now he is on the hunt. If he were to find out you or your family knew more about me, he might try to use you to catch me. If he was any more vicious, he might just kill your family for offering your hospitality to me. That is why if he's tracked me to Riverwood I must leave soon, only for your protection."

"Why would he want to hurt us for giving you shelter? Is he evil?"

"No. Unlike the Necromancer, who is evil and searching for something to use against me, the hunter only wants to ensure that the fabric of reality is kept the way it is. If he believes his prey has corrupted the minds of others or tampered with the fabric of reality, he would remove the abnormality and anything they have tampered with to protect the world he lives in. To put it simply, he would kill you if he thought I; the abnormality he hunts, corrupted you. So if I seem distant or secretive, it is only because I do not want your death on my conscience."

"Why are you an abnormality?"

"If I tried explaining that, he might come after you or you might mistake me for something I'm not. All you need to know is that I seek to do good even when my past actions seem darker than my intentions. That's all you're hearing from me, Dorthe."

As he finished up his sentence, Hadvar walked over to his cousin and the stranger that rescued him from Helgen. "I wanted to thank you again for saving me, stranger. I also wanted to give you an offer to join the Legion. The Stormcloaks need to be stopped so we can solve this dragon problem, and I think you could make a difference with us."

"As much as that humbles me, I must decline. I do not tend to work well with others and prefer to work alone. As such, I am also hunting a dangerous necromancer that seeks nothing but destruction. I've already overstayed my welcome and I must recover her trail before it has gone cold."

"Well, I guess I won't be able to stop you. Uncle's about finished with your sword."

The door opened and Alvor walked in, carrying a large sword in his hands. "Right I am, Hadvar."

Advena set his bowl down and slipped back on his steel plate helmet, standing up to receive his new gift. "It looks beautiful."

"It is. I call it Fatewielder. May it aid you in your battles as you send those that oppose you to their appointed fate."

Advena took it from Alvor's hands, giving the grip a test as he got a feel for the weapon. The hilt was golden and sparkling with the gems he granted him, and the long steel blade was flawless, matching the ancient Nord blade he gave him for reference. In some ways, it reminded him of his blade Catharsis, which could take many different forms.

"It is a marvellous gift. Thank you." Advena placed the sword on his back, letting it slide easily through his holster. "Now I must depart. The Necromancer's trail grows colder with each passing minute."

"Are you sure you can't stay another night? It is quite dark outside already."

"I can manage, I assure you. If I let her cover any more ground, she is sure to find what she seeks."

"All right. It has been an honor to have you be a guest at our home." He held out his hand to shake and Advena met it in kind.

"It has been a pleasure." He was about to walk away when Hadvar laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You never actually told us your name."

"Names are pretty, but useless. I prefer to stay a stranger. It protects those who aid me from those who hunt me as much as I hunt them. If you want more details, Dorthe might be willing to tell you the story I told her. But now it's time I say goodbye. I can't promise we'll see each other again, but if we do you'll know it is me."

Hadvar removed his hand from Advena's shoulder, and the mysterious Breton left the home of the blacksmith, immediately walking over to the house of Hod and Gerdur. He knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer. Thankfully, it was Ralof who answered the door, acting suspicious.

"What do you want, Stranger?"

"Ralof of Riverwood?"

"Who wants to know?"

"Someone with a warning. Hadvar is in the village right now, fully recovered from the battle of Helgen."

"Gods." Ralof spoke, a worried look spreading over his face. "If he discovers me here, Gerdur and her family would be in danger."

"Which is why you must leave for Windhelm tonight. Pack anything you need and get out of town before he discovers you. Your battle with him will come, but it will not be tonight."

"And how would you know this?"

"I simply know. Now hurry. When the last battle of the war comes, only one of you shall stand on the final battlefield."

Ralof simply nodded and closed the door, leaving him alone in the dark.

But The Stranger knew he wasn't alone.

On a hill overlooking Riverwood was a masked stranger in fur skins, watching the man in the steel plate helmet leave the village. The Hunter watched his prey intently behind the Dragon Priest mask Otar; a prize gained from defeating a risen Dragon Priest with his bare hands. Savior's Hide clothed him from him home's chillier nights; yet again a prize from a glorious hunt for the Daedric Lord Hiricine, who admired his hunting skills and asked him to track down a rogue werewolf. His Dwarven axe was in his hands and he was ready to kill what his allies could not, but restraint controlled him from being a wild animal ready to charge at impossible odds. Like any predator, he must be cautious with his prey.

"So, this is the infamous Stranger Mister Key failed to kill on numerous occasions. He's been in human form for a long time. That means I might be able to kill him. I just need to remain one step ahead and adapt faster than he can. Plus my knowledge of this land gives me a greater advantage." He slipped his axe back onto his belt. "Just you wait, Stranger. I'm going to bring you down."

The moonlight shined on The Hunter before he disappeared into the trees.*

Zacharius stepped into Shroud Hearth Barrow with his sword out, ready in case he ran into trouble. He summoned his candlelight spell and descended deeper within. The place looked like any other tomb, but Zacharius didn't feel the chills he got from other tombs he had been in here. That should have been the first obvious sign towards the state of this place, but other than that there was no presence of any undead that he could feel.

"Who goes there?" An ethereal voice called out.

Zacharius made it to the bottom of the stairwell to see a ghostly image of a Dunmer. He was wearing fur armor and his face looked like Sheogorath had made him go insane. However, he was not afraid. "I am Zacharius Morrigan, son of Willhem Morrigan and the Dragonborn of legend, and I am not afraid of your threats."

"Leave this place..." The ghost spoke. "Leave..."

Zacharius shook his head and pulled the chain to the gate that blocked his path. "The undead do not frighten me so easily, specter. Depart for the afterlife now before I send you back myself!"

"Never!" The ghost jumped on top of him and-

"What in Oblivion is this?!" Zacharius asked as the 'ghost' tried wrestling him for his sword. "Ghosts cannot grab people!" He grabbed the Dunmer's arm and bent it behind his back, kicking him away and forcing him to stumble. A small journal and phial fell out of the man's armor, and his ethereal glow disappeared, leaving him a mortal mer. Zacharius put his sword back in his sheath, picking up the journal and reading it.

"Hey, that's mine!" The Dunmer tried reaching for the journal, but Zacharius put his iron boot on the man's chest, pinning him down.

"So, this is all an illusion just so you could get to some treasure?" Zacharius looked down at the man. "No wonder Sheogorath seems to favor you. You honestly believe that you are the guardian of this tomb, yet you also still seek the treasure within this place." He placed the journal and the phial in his satchel, walking over to the chains that hanged on the wall.

The Dunmer immediately realized what he intended to do, and attempted to try and stop him. He tackled the large Nord and put him in a choke-hold, but Zacharius immediately flipped him off of his back. As his opponent landed on the ground Zacharius chained his wrists together in one quick motion, pulling him back up when they were secured.

"This is for your own good. We're going back to the inn and you're going to explain yourself to the barkeep. Afterwards, we'll decide what's going to happen to you." With that, he pushed the Dunmer to the door, wanting to take care of this quickly.

Somewhere out in the wilderness, Akira raised her head. Apparently, she was laying in the grass completely naked and could smell something foul nearby. She turned to see that her armor and her weapon were sitting behind her. A noise beckoned her to look back forward, and she realized Aela was approaching her. She attempted to stand, but her limbs felt like they were weightless.

"Easy, there." Aela spoke, kneeling down next to her. "Your transformation was the craziest one yet. Farkas was a challenge to restraint, but you ended up climbing over the wall while vomiting up silver dust. Whoever that man was you were interested in during your transformation knows how to defend himself from werewolves. I would've figured he was a Silver Hand, but he was dressed more like a thief."

"Silver dust?" Akira asked weakly, noticing the dryness in her throat.

"Yes. He must also be a great alchemist to have crafted something like that." She brought up a potion bottle to her lips. "Here. Drink this healing potion. You might feel better."

Akira brought her lips to the bottle and drank the cool liquid, feeling the effects kick in. Her joints felt bearable, and she was able to get on one knee. Aela then held out a stamina potion to her lips, and after drinking that she was able to stand again. It hadn't occurred to her that she was still naked until she looked back at the armor on the ground. In an instant, she began slipping back on her underclothes.

As she hooked her breast band together across her small petite breasts she felt two fingers brush across a certain spot on her side.

In an instant she immediately smacked Aela's hand away, snapping into a defensive position. Aela stepped back, surprised at the young warrior's reaction. She kept her hands raised in an attempt to reassure Akira that she was not a threat in case her wolf registered her as such.

"I was just admiring your scar. Did you earn that in combat?"

Akira looked down at the scar on her side. It was a stab wound from an iron dagger she had obtained when she was seventeen, just before Askar took her in. It was the wound she had sustained by the bastard that murdered her parents, and the dagger he used was the one carried by her. Back then she was just a girl, not a warrior.

"It's not a scar from battle," Akira spoke, "but it is the one that made me become a warrior. I was stabbed by a man that took almost everything from me in the blink of an eye." She reached for the dagger on the grass floor. "One day, I'm going to return the favor."

Aela seemed to sit there in silence for a bit before opening her mouth. "I think I understand what you're saying. You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to, but if you ever do need to talk about it we'll all listen."

Akira simply nodded before setting the dagger down and grabbing her cloth shirt, sliding it on and hiding her scar.

"Skjor and I had a celebration planned for your successful transformation. There's a Silver Hand hideout nearby that we're going to take out. Skjor went ahead to scout the place. Go ahead and finished getting dressed. I'll be waiting nearby when you're ready."

As Aela left Akira alone to finish getting dressed, she slipped on her pants before grabbing her boots. When her boots were secure, she wrestled with her chest piece. Once her armor was finally tightened to stay on her body, she equipped her belt and holster for Temperance. She picked up the dagger again, thinking about her dreaded past with it as she slid it into the proper belt loop. Finally, she slipped on her gauntlets and picked up her axe, walking in Aela's direction.

Back in Ivarstead, Zacharius was re-entering the inn, pushing forward a crazy lunatic by the name of Wyndelius Gatharian towards the barkeep. Upon seeing this, Wilhelm stepped away from his spot behind the bar. Lydia was still sitting at the table, also a bit surprised at what was going on.

"By the gods, we thought you were dead!" Wilhelm shouted. "Your spirit was always standing at the entrance!"

"It was a ruse." Zacharius spoke, tossing Wyndelius over to the counter. "He's been trying to break into the tomb because it has some kind of treasure. His only problem was he didn't have a claw to open the door."

"A claw?"

"The claw!" Wyndelius yelled, trying to lash out at Wilhelm before Lydia held him back. "You've been hiding it under my nose all this time, haven't you?!"

Lydia smacked him in the back of the head. "Be quiet! People are trying to sleep."

"Can't be quiet. Need the claw! Give me the claw!"

Zacharius sighed before he punched Wyndelius across the face. "Shut your mouth before I shut it for you." He turned back towards Wilhelm. "He claims you guys might have the claw. Is he telling the truth?"

"He might be." Wilhelm walked back behind the bar. "So, how was he able to make himself look like a spirit?"

"He made some kind of potion that made him look like a spirit. It's quite a complicated process, but after a while either the phial or his frustration towards not knowing where the claw he wanted was, Sheogorath touched his mind or something."

"The madgod!" Wyndelius shouted. "You must be him! I see that aura of insanity around you!"

"Didn't we just tell you to shut up?"

Wilhelm returned from underneath the counter with a dragon hand-shaped silver key with some sapphire claws sticking out of the fingers. It reminded Zacharius of the golden claw from Bleak Falls Barrow. On it were the symbols of the moth, the owl, and the wolf, which was likely the combination for opening the legendary door.

The claw's reveal made Wyndelius struggle so he could take it, but Lydia's strong grip kept him from going anywhere, so he eventually stopped as Zacharius was granted the claw.

"Thank you." Zacharius nodded as the claw was handed to him. "I think I'm going to investigate what's behind that hall of stories. Probably draugr, but I've fought them before. They wouldn't be too much trouble."

"All right. What should we do with the milk-drinker over there?" Wilhelm pointed at the crazed Wyndelius.

Zacharius looked at the Dunmer before looking back at Wilhelm. "Maybe we'll make him watch while we investigate the tomb. Then we'll hand him to the authorities."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll hold him on a leash while you and your friend take care of the draugr."

"Sounds good."

Lydia and Wyndelius groaned at the gentlemen's conversation and the results that came with it.

*Up upon a mountain, Jornada kept climbing in her mortal guise, ignoring the cold wind that sent chills through her body. She was never used to cold places like this, as she preferred to travel to realities with warmer climates. Skyrim's cold weather, however, was not her idea of a good time. The last time she had stepped into this world, she had been a crazed monster, but this time her personality had fully materialized. And that meant she could call upon aid from the Daedric Princes.

Already she was heading for the shrine of Mehrunes Dagon. Apparently, he had almost destroyed the world two hundred years ago shortly before her first visit. The man responsible for helping The Stranger kill her the first time had also helped stop him from executing his plan, so she figured he would be willing to help. Of course, the fact his shrine was on top of a mountain was the part that annoyed her. Her hood was barely keeping the cold out of her face, making her grimace every time a nasty gust of wind blew over her vulnerable, mortal body.

She finally reached the shrine after a period of cursing at the cold.

The shrine was nothing more but a stone table and a door that obviously led to some kind of room. There was nothing remarkable about it at all, aside from the Daedric energy that emulated from the stone. Jornada let her fingers slide along the stone, which was warm to the touch. No snow lay upon its surface, which was unusual compared to the rest of the mountain. Jornada sat on the table and threw her entire body on its surface, laying down on the table and closing her eyes to tap into the energy to commune with the Daedric Prince.

As Jornada opened her eyes, she had found herself in the realm of Oblivion. Mehrunes Dagon stood in front of her in his terrible form, and she was in her own terrible form right in front of him. Two of his arms rested on his hips while his other two arms were crossed over his chest as he stared at his new visitor.

"Who are you?" He commanded.

"I am a demoness by the name of Jornada Del Muerto, which means Day of the Dead in a language that you will never hear of. I was the one who tried to contact you."

"Ah, so you are the one who sent the message to Molag Bol and I? What is it that you want?"

"I seek aid from you. There is a being disguised as a man that has been my sworn enemy ever since I was created. I seek the power to destroy him for good."

"And why should this concern me?"

"He is aiding the descendant of the mortal that was responsible for Mankar Cameron's failure in helping you enslaving Nirn."

"Yes, I remember. Mankar has suffered for eternity for his failure." He waved his hand over in the direction of an old man shoved through a pole, still shrieking in pain even after stabbed completely through his entire body. "And I cannot touch Caleb Secus because he has ascended to become the Madgod, Sheogorath. Why does he protect his descendant?"

"I am not sure, but his smell indicated he was the descendant of Caleb Secus. I know because Secus aided him the first time I was here. Back then, though, I was no more than a monster that Hiricine had his hunters chase after. So if you can grant me power to destroy The Stranger, I will ensure that your revenge towards Caleb Secus is complete as I eradicate every descendant with his bloodline."

The Daedric Prince rubbed his chin with one of his hands. "There might be a way, but you will have to work for it. Seek out Silus Vesuius in Dawnstar. Vaermina might also have a weapon you could gain access to. Do what Silus wills, and you shall receive the dagger in kind after you end his miserable life with it."

Jornada gave off an evil smile. "It will be done, Lord Dagon."

"Good. Return to the shrine when you have done as he asks. There is one step before killing him that will require you to return here. After he dies, we shall converse again."

Jornada bowed. "I look forward to it." She slowly began to disappear and returned to her normal body.

As her eyes opened again she was back on top of his shrine. She pulled her mortal form off of the sacrificial table and looked in the direction of Dawnstar. It would be a long walk in her mortal guise, but in her true form she could stay in the shadows of the night and be there by morning. With that thought, her armor began to form around her, removing her black robe and Dunmer features. As soon as she was completely back in her normal form, the cold no longer affected her as it had in her mortal flesh.

She ran down the mountain at the speed of a dragon towards her next destination.*

Within Shroud Hearth Barrow, Zacharius was spinning the rings on the door to the hall of stories around to the positions the claw had revealed. Lydia was standing guard right behind him, with her sword and shield at the ready. Wilhelm held Wyndelius with the strength of an ogre as he continued to try and wiggle free of the man's grasp.

"Why did we bring the crazy guy again?" Lydia asked, obviously annoyed at that decision.

"Because I want to make sure this guy realizes his pursuit of a great treasure in this tomb was a waste of time. The last time I went through a door like this, all it taught me was the first word of Unrelenting Force, and it also held the Dragonstone. Otherwise, there's nothing special in any of the chests that may be lying around."

"So you think there's another dragon word behind this door?"

Zacharius inserted the sapphire claw into the slot. "I know there is." He twisted open the lock and the door moved downward. In a moment, Zacharius had placed the claw back in his satchel and had his sword and dagger ready. Thankfully, there weren't any draugr immediately through the door, but caution was always necessary. "Keep close, Wilhelm. Lydia and I can handle the dead, but you guys could still get lost in here."

Once he finished speaking, he took his first step through the door.

Back at Gallows Rock, Akira was taken aback by the hanging werewolf carcass she caught sight of. It wasn't something a newly turned werewolf would like to see on her first mission as a werewolf. But her thoughts on that matter were swept aside when Aela swore.

"Shit! The coward's locked herself in. We'll have to take the long way around to get to her."

Akira turned and faced Aela. "Who exactly are we going after?"

"A woman named Krev. She's one of the leaders of the Silver Hand. Killing her will weaken the others. Be careful, though. They call her 'the Skinner'. I don't think I need to tell you why."

Akira looked back at the dead werewolf. "Yeah, I think I get it." She pulled Temperance off of her back. "Let's get to that bitch, then."

Aela pulled her bow off of her back. "You're not too subtle. I like that. I'll keep my distance and kill the ones that try to flank you."

"And I'll behead every one of those bastards that tries to stop us."

Aela smiled as she kicked open a side door that led to a second pathway through the fort. Two guards were immediately at the bottom of a stairwell, and they took notice of Aela as she loaded her first arrow. She pulled the string back and released, making her mark in the first man's throat. The second guard was about to strike when Akira swung her axe straight into his abdomen. The guard fell to the floor as she removed her weapon from his flesh, rolling to the bottom of the stairs with his friend.

"Impressive." Aela spoke.

"What? That's all you can say? That was brilliant!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Shield Sister. Let's go." Aela walked down the stairs and Akira followed, rolling her eyes at the huntress when she wasn't looking. Akira did think that she might have been a bit too excited with this mission despite the whole threat of getting skinned by a Silver Hand legend, but she really thought Aela could have given her more credit for what she just pulled off.

Then again, the woman had been a Companion longer than Akira, so maybe she wasn't so easily impressed.

With that thought in mind, Akira immediately jogged through the place, cutting down another member of the Silver Hand in the process. Aela followed her patiently, shooting arrows into targets Akira wasn't focused on to protect her Shield Sister. Every swing and block was giving her muscles a burn as Akira decapitated a Silver Hand with a greatsword. She loved this part of battle, when her body responds to her movements. It meant she was getting stronger. Stronger than she was yesterday. Stronger than she was a week ago.

Stronger than she was when Roderick the Bull took away all that she had loved five years ago.

That thought immediately distracted her. Roderick. She never tried thinking of that son of a bitch and the atrocities he had committed, but suddenly his name pops up again in her mind? Why? Why now? Is it because she's come to this realization that she's pushed herself to become a warrior because she wants to destroy him?

An arrow flew by her head and hit a Silver Hand in his eye before he fell to the floor dead.

"Hey, Akira?" Aela snapped her fingers in her face, and that's when Akira realized she had been standing still. "You kind of froze there for a second. Is something wrong?"

Akira let her arms unlock from their statue-like pose. "No, I'm fine. Why?"

Aela crossed her arms. "We know you're lying."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "We?"

"My wolf and I. Our wolves have personal spirits that try to communicate with us. We work in harmony both in human and wolf form and we can even have conversations. Agna senses your wolf might have tried to contact you through the use of suppressed memories."

Akira flinched, grasping the side with the scar from her stab wound. Her face was in shock and Aela realized she might have set her off again.

"Sorry. I understand if you don't want to talk about it now, but I'll listen to whatever you have to say, as will the rest of us." She placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, calming Akira down a bit. It reminded her of how Askar had constantly offered to talk to her about what had happened, as he was immediately on the scene pulling Roderick off of her. The bastard had still escaped and Akira just couldn't talk about it to him even though he was there. Why?

Because she wanted revenge, and she was too ashamed to say it.

"You're too kind, Aela, but right now we should clear out this place of the last of the Silver Hand. I promise I won't freeze up again."

Aela removed her hand. "Okay. Let's finish this hunt."

Back inside Shroud Hearth Barrow, Zacharius and Lydia had finally made it to the depths of the tomb with their guests. They had to fight through a number of undead to get to it, including a Draugr mage to solve a puzzle, but they had made it through with no injuries to speak of. Wyndelius had tried to run in terror twice, but he never got far. Within the current room Zacharius could see a lot of sarcophagi, along with a word wall like he had figured.

Then he heard some coffins open up.

"I thought this would be a challenge." He pulled out an ice spike spell and began flinging his magic at approaching draugr. Lydia bashed away another draugr that approached, and it fell into the water, not rising up.

"These things might be allergic to water." She spoke as she stabbed another one.

"Good to know." He swung his sword at a skeleton and it fell apart, scattering the bones across the floor. More draugr continued pouring out of their coffins and eventually a sarcophagus in the center of the room burst open, revealing a tougher boss.

Wyndelius cried and attempted to flee, but Wilhelm was standing firm even when he himself had worries this new challenge would come after them.

Once the other draugr had been dealt with, Lydia and Zacharius ran towards the draugr lord, fighting sword to axe as he swung his massive weapon of battle at the masked Nord. Zacharius immediately dodged the swing, rolling under him as he swung his sword into the undead fiend's leg. The Draugr Lord stumbled and Zacharius faced towards the water as he took in a breath.

"FUS-RO!"

The draugr stumbled towards the water, but he didn't fall in. Lydia, however, immediately swung her shield at the draugr's face, knocking it straight into the water.

"Teamwork right there." Zacharius spoke happily. "Nice swing, Lydia."

"Thank you, Zacharius."

Zacharius placed his sword back into his sheath and walked towards the word wall, hearing the chants of those from Sovngarde fill his ears. A particular word glowed on the wall and he felt its knowledge start pouring into him, letting him feel peace and a caring feeling towards animals.

KAAN!

Zacharius's upper body went limp for a second before he pulled himself up, breathing out as he felt the new shout be absorbed into him. Of course, without knowledge on how to utilize the shout he couldn't use it, which meant he'd have to find and kill a dragon. That would probably be easy if the dragons were loose again, as one dragon may eventually cross their path or attack a village or farm they pass by.

"Well, Wyndelius, it looks like your act was all for nothing." He turned to face the crazed Dunmer and the barkeep that held him. "So what do you think, Wilhelm? One for the stories?"

"Definitely one I will tell in my bar, that's for sure." Wilhelm laughed. "Imagine the look on a customer's face when I say I saw the Dragonborn in action."

"I think many people will get a kick out of that." Zacharius smiled. "For now, though, let's give Wyndelius to the guards and get some sleep. Lydia and I need to leave for Morthal in the morning."

"Will you stay long enough to have breakfast? I'll make it free of charge since you helped solve the Barrow problem."

Lydia looked at Zacharius. "I'm good with that."

Zacharius faced Wilhelm. "Sure. That would be okay."

"Do I get free breakfast?" Wyndelius asked.

Wilhelm chuckled. "Yeah, the guards will give you free breakfast in your jail cell."

Wyndelius groaned as Wilhelm pushed him towards the secret exit out as he followed Lydia and Zacharius.

Akira and Aela had finally made it to the final door after killing what could only be called a small army of Silver Hand members. There was only a large door between them and Krev the Skinner. Already Akira was picturing how the fight would turn out. If Aela could keep her distance with her bow-

Aela immediately charged in with her sword and shield, causing Akira to break out of her thoughts. The reaction that Aela had given off wasn't typical of her stoic personality, and Akira found herself charging in after her. She caught up to Aela only to realize she was witnessing something horrifying.

Skjor was on his knees with a Nordic sword across his throat, and the woman named Krev the Skinner was ready to slide it across his neck. Aside from that, he had already been bloodied and torn, and large pieces of flesh hanged off of his body, still bleeding his lifeblood across the floor.

"Aela..." He spoke weakly before Krev slid her sword slowly across his throat.

"No!" Aela yelled as she charged forward, blocking incoming arrows from archers that appeared out of nowhere. Akira immediately snapped into action, knowing that she needed to give Aela some cover from those archers. The first one she reached tried to release an arrow towards her chest, but Akira swung her axe fast enough to split the bow in two as rammed him to the ground. The second archer turned to face her, and shot an arrow in her direction. Akira reacted by grabbing the first archer, using him as a shield to stop the arrow from hitting her.

Akira looked at Skjor's lifeless body on the floor and Aela's battle against Krev, realizing that the outlook wasn't good. Aela was holding her own, but Krev had pulled out a war axe in combination with her sword, giving her better access to attack Aela. Akira looked back at the second archer, and she pulled a dagger off the first archer. With a flick of her wrist the steel dagger flew straight at the archer's head, making its mark and killing him. The third archer shot an arrow at Aela's leg, and her roar of pain was instantly recognizable. With that in mind, Akira rolled over and faced the third archer, sucking in a breath as she spoke the word of power.

"YOL!"

The archer immediately was hit by a ring of fire, running around as he burned to death. Akira smiled for only a second before she realized that Aela was on one knee. Krev had her weapons across Aela's neck, ready to swipe and remove her opponent's head. And the look on Aela's face seemed to say that she was ready to die after seeing what Akira had suspected was her lover die right in front of her.

Akira couldn't let that happen.

In an instant, she jumped up and tackled Krev, moving the weapons away from the emotionally defeated Aela's neck. Krev pushed her off after they collided with the floor, and Akira jumped back on her feet, ready to kill the woman in front of her. She was focused on nothing more than killing Krev, and she had no idea why. All she knew is that she wanted to kill.

Perhaps it was safe to say her wolf wanted to kill.

Krev immediately swung at her, but her battleaxe blocked the incoming sword, twisting it away from Krev's hand and flinging it away. Akira jabbed a knee into Krev's stomach, knocking the air out of her before Akira's axe was wrapped around her neck. In a fury, Akira continuously headbutted her until the woman responsible for the deaths of so many werewolves fell to the floor dead.

Akira panted in triumph as she looked at what she had done, slowly losing the adrenaline that poured into her veins as she turned to face Aela. The woman had pulled the arrow from her leg and crawled over to Skjor's lifeless body. His bleeding head was cradled in her lap and she was crying, ruining her war paint.

"You should probably bandage your wound." Akira spoke softly.

Akira seemed to pay no mind.

"Aela?"

"Why didn't you let me die?" Aela growled.

Akira was confused at this. "What do you mean?"

"You saved me from Krev when I was finally ready to join my love in Hiricine's hunting grounds. Why did you save me?"

Akira swallowed. "Well, I didn't want you to die. Kodlak would probably already feel loss at how Skjor has departed from this world, but how would he react if two of his best warriors died? How do yout think he would feel if he found out you let yourself die? How do you think Skjor would feel-"

Aela shot up at the mentioning of Skjor's name, grabbing Akira's throat and hoisting her up in the air. The Nord woman was stronger than Akira thought, and her attempts of removing Aela's grip from her throat were only met with growls.

"Don't you dare say what Skjor would have wanted for me! You didn't know him like I did!"

Akira tried to breath so she could speak. "I know what you're going through, Aela. That scar you saw? That was given to me the day my parents were murdered right in front of my eyes. I considered ending my own life so I could join them, but Askar was wise and told me something I never forgot. The dead do not wish for their friends and loved ones to join them in the afterlife so soon. They would want them to live for as long as they can, honoring the memory of the dead through their actions. Skjor would rather wait for you for half a century than have you join him so soon after his own death. So don't be so eager to join him. Instead you should live for him."

Aela's face slowly went from angry to sad, and she lowered Akira back to the ground. Akira rubbed her throat and attempted to breathe again as Aela crouched back down to Skjor's body.

"Please, give me some time alone with Skjor before I say goodbye. Then, we'll discuss our plan for getting rid of the Silver Hand."

Akira simply nodded and turned back towards the corpse of Krev the Skinner. The dead woman looked about Akira's height, and her armor was an alignment of dark cloth and silver armor plates carved in a ceremonial design. There were many bear carvings that decorated the armor, and Akira seemed to be drawn to it. Without changing her expression she dragged the body out of the room, stripping the armor off of her dead opponent.

After removing her own armor she slipped on the dark cloth over her body and put the armor pieces on from the boots up to the shoulder guards. She tightened the gloves and strapped her axe to her back. Finally, she grabbed the Nordic helmet and placed it on her head, feeling like she had finally been reborn as a stalwart warrior. It was pretty much a fantasy, but the armor said she was anything but a fantasy, and that was something she took pride in. The fire in her soul burned greatly, and she felt ready to take on the world.

And when she found him, she knew she would make Roderick the Bull pay for his crimes.

"Sounds like you and Akira had quite your share of adventures."

"We certainly did, Ronan. Her soul burned with a fiery passion, but deep within her were flames of vengeance. Whenever we fought bandits she would always get lost in a battle frenzy. It was only until much later that we found out about Roderick the Bull, her greatest tormentor, and the pieces of the puzzle that was Akira Vanius finally fit together for the rest of us."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I got another chapter for you. I should also try to work on my Assassin's Creed story a bit, but I've just been in a Skyrim (and Dragon Age) kind of mood. Now if it looks like I tried avoiding writing scenery for the missions, it's only because I still haven't gotten a new TV or WiFi in the dorms yet so I couldn't really look up reference for that. Anyways, though, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and as always you may leave a review with your opinions. Trust me, I read them.

Also, I felt like adding in that scene where Aela was considering having Krev die only because of the sad news of Robin Williams's passing. I won't call him a coward for getting depressed to the brink of suicide, but I really wish that he could've looked back at all of his accomplishments in life with making people happy and saw a reason to stay with us a little longer. If I could have said one thing to him before he died, I would have said his performances helped brighten the lives of many others that were down, and that he should consider himself a hero for all of his accomplishments. Now Genie's free.

Damn it. I'm getting misty-eyed at that. Just go ahead. Leave a review guys. I need something to distract me.