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Word count.
Original: 1,473
Re-write: 3,380
Chapter XIII
No Sympathy
Mortis
We head to the first of the spires, we've been walking in almost silence only really broken up by Serana asking if I'm alright every time I slow down or rub my arm. Her mother's words just keep playing on my mind. Keep my daughter safe. How am I meant to keep her safe when I can barely keep myself safe, that's been proven to me time and time again. I glace over towards Serana, she keeps looking back at the colosseum over her shoulder.
"Do you umm…" I pause, looking at her as we walk, clearing my throat. "Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her.
"I just thought it would go…" She answers quickly, trailing off and thinking about her next words carefully, I look back towards the spire maybe it'll be easier for her if I'm not watching her. "Better." She finally finishes. "At least I got that off my chest." She mumbles so lowly I almost don't catch it.
I hum in response and glace back at her. "Seems like it needed to be said." I step over a small pile of charred bones, stopping and looking down at them. Maybe that dragon, I shake my head, best not to think about it.
Serana walks over to me and looks down at the pile of bones. "What do you think?" She asks, I turn my attention to her. "Do you think that we… that you deserve happiness?" She just stares down at the bones, then looks up at me.
I mull over the question, glancing back at the colosseum. "When the uh… when the war started I was sent to Hammerfell to kill a Thalmor officer." I pause and look back at her, she's watching me I've got her full undivided attention. "She used to be a member of the family, had to kill her."
"When was this?" She asks, interrupting my story.
I look off to the side, glancing at the floor. "Fifteen years ago. I'd been in Hammerfell for eight months, was anxious to get home." I gesture for her to start walking again, heading straight for the spire. "They were marching Dominion forces east, into Cyrodiil. About five hundred strong."
"How'd you kill her?" She asks me.
That was the question I was worried she'd ask, I knew she would though, of course she would. "Lead a group of soldiers straight into the middle of the battalion." I grumble, she looks at me sharply. "About eighty men, none survived." We carry on walking in a deep uncomfortable silence, the only sounds being the soft crunch of the ash and dirt under our boots. "I don't deserve happiness." I mumble, Serana glances at me. "I believe you do."
We carry on in silence again. I'm certain Serana doesn't know how to respond to that. I don't think I would, I do know I don't deserve any sympathy for the weight I carry.
We finally reach the spire, the towering column of stone and metal reaching high into the eternally dark sky, I move ahead of Serana, pulling my dagger up so its half way out of its sheath. "Keep low." I whisper to her, sneaking around the wall towards an opening in the bottom of the column. I push my back against the stone wall and glance around the corner. "Five skeletons." I whisper to her. "One Keeper." I add in a grumble. "You take the Keeper, I'll hold the skeletons back as best I can." I look at her and she gives a sharp nod.
We sneak around, keeping close to the ground. I pull my dagger out fully, holding it with the blade pointed down. Serana breaks off to my left, heading for higher ground and a better tactical advantage over the Keeper. The keeper itself is massive, a towering behemoth of bone and steel armour sat on a roughly cobbled stone wall. There's a large mace at its feet that too is made of bone and steel, obviously put down when the creature sat on the wall. There's three of the charred skeletons flanking it, rusted weapons held in their hands.
Serana stops moving, keeping low against a wall. I creep up behind the closest of the skeletons, dagger at the ready. I move forward, throwing my weight into its back and forcing us both onto the ground as I drive the dagger up into the back of its skull. There's a loud crackle as Serana casts her spells at the Keeper, I glance at it as it climbs to its feet and lifts its mace.
I turn away and draw my sword in time to stop an attack from one of the skeletons. Keeping down on one knee as I raise the blade to cut the strike short. I grunt with the effort of pushing against the force and try to climb to my feet. I push against the blade and make the skeleton stumble back I look for the third and manage to slash my sword at its back as it goes for Serana, cutting its interception short.
The second comes at me again, I'm ready this time though and I block it with relative ease, stepping back to give myself some thinking space. I risk a glance at Serana, she's managing to stay out of the Keeper's reach but only just, if she can keep that up we should be able to kill it. The skeleton slashes at me and I jump back to avoid the blade that only just skims my armour, tearing a thin line in the leather, it buckles against the chainmail and I use my gauntlet to throw it off course, making the strike a lot broader then the skeleton was anticipating. It's only a small window of opportunity but I've done more with less, the skeleton loses its balance for a second and drop down and swing my sword up severing its skull.
The Keeper falls to the ground with a thundering crash, the bone armour sounding like its cracking under the weight. The last skeleton turns to Serana and I take advantage of the distraction and drive my sword through its ribs. The bones smash as the steel blade cuts through and comes out the other side. Its arm flails up, the bone fingers scratching at me, I use my left hand to stop it. The skeleton falls to the ground and I step back, it's a man on the floor, a hatchet buried in his back his head caved in and a puddle of blood under my boot. I blink and shake my head and stare back down at the skeleton. Just a skeleton.
I look away and Serana's staring at me. "You alright to keep going?" She asks from next to me but sounding like she's a thousand yards away. She looks fine not like me, I probably look worse for wear but not her. I nod my head in answer to her question. "You sure?" She asks, looking at me worried, sympathetic.
I grunt an answer, sounds like it might mean yes. "Let's go." I tell her, looking off to the next of the spires. "Still go two to hit." Then maybe a dragon, I don't say that out loud though, the less we think of that the better.
When we reach the next spire the Keeper is already waiting for us. I send Serana in first she heads up to high ground again and I try and stick low, according to Serana the first was strong but slow. I don't have to be better or stronger just quicker. I turn the corner and walk into a wide open space, crumbling cobbled walls line it and some sit in the middle. As long as I watch my footing I should be able to move around a lot quicker than the Keeper. The creature itself stands proud with a massive two handed claymore, the blade made of sharpened bone.
The sheer size and weight of the weapon should slow it down, although with that much length staying out of its reach is going to be difficult. There's none of the skeletons around this time, maybe the Keeper's prefer a fair fight, maybe it just doesn't need them. The creature moves forward, not overly slowly but not too fast. It hefts the claymore and swings it down, hard and fast I only just have time to dive out of the way, landing hard on my right arm. The Keeper's sword buried in the ground.
Serana sends some of her ice spears at the beast, it raises its arm to block what must be its face. Its other hand curls around the hilt of its claymore, I get back to my feet, holding my sword ready. It pulls and shakes the sword trying to pull it free. I take a few steps back, its armour must have some weak points. The knees and the armpits, around the neck, the usual points. Maybe I can hack at a shoulder plate. I try my luck and stab my sword into the back of its knee, it roars out in what I hope is more pain then anger. I swings its arm back and I duck out of the way, pulling my sword free as I fall to the floor the Keeper dropping to the ground as I pull it out.
I scramble away as the Keeper now down on one knee swings its sword at me, the blade so close to the back of my head that I can feel it cut through the air and a few stray hairs on my head. Another spike of ice and lightening slam into its back, forcing it to lurch forward. I get to my feet crawling the last few steps and then turning to face it, I let my head drop back and quickly let out a breath, the smart move probably would have been to become a vampire, this has just put me at a disadvantage.
Serana casts her spells again and the Keeper falls onto its hands, holding itself up as the ice drives through the bone armour and splits the plates. It raises what must be a head, a deep shadow with nothing to cast it. I stare at it, looking into the shadows and something catches my gaze. A joint in the armour, an obvious weak point. I slam my sword into the Keeper's shoulder and its arm goes limp under the impact, and then finally it goes down, spears of ice puncturing the creature's back. I take a few steps back, the Keeper doesn't stir or move, its leg twitches but it stops soon after starting.
Serana walks down from the wall she was on, she looks at the body as she gets closer. "Went down easy enough." I mumble as she comes a stop near me. The Keeper starts to move, getting up onto its hands and knees. "Get back." I grumble as it moves its hand. Serana readies herself, holding her hand out at the ready, I see frost forming in the palm of her hand. I lashes out with its arm and I'm not quick enough this time, I think I hit a wall and everything goes dark.
"Get up." She shouts, I blink my eyes as Serana shakes me, gripping my shoulder tightly. "Get up." She shakes me harder, I open my eyes properly and shift them over to look at her. It doesn't look like Serana though. It's a woman, dark red hair and blue eyes, a slight tan to her skin. "Vannius, we need to move." She touches my face and her hand is cold, ice cold.
I shut my eyes, as the hand comes away from my cheek, slapping me lightly. "How do you…?" I open them and she's gone. A pale woman with black hair and glowing reddish, orange eyes is in her place. She stares at me, looking confused as I stare at her. "What… what did you… call me?" I ask her, I tilt my head to the side and hold my gaze on her eyes.
She looks more confused than before, she opens her mouth slightly as she stares at me. "Mortis." She tells me. "Now get up. We need to move." She stands up, holding her hand out for me to take. I grab it and she helps me to my feet, and then looks off to the distance. "The last spire." She mumbles to me, pointing to it. "Then we get the scroll and leave." I nod to her, glancing at the spire. "We're almost done." Almost but not close enough.
She starts to walk off, towards the towering column of rock, the top breaks off and floats up towards the sky, a swirling mass of cloud turning around the peak. I follow her a few steps behind. "I… err." I trail off not knowing what I was going to say, I blink and shake my head. I want to tell her what's happening, that I keep seeing things, people I killed, people I murdered. I've never struggled before.
You've never had to look them in the eye afterwards.
No, no, no, no not her, not now. I feel a shiver up my spine, cold fingers brushing the bone. "There's…" Serana turns to look at me, looking at me questioningly. You'll join them if you stay here. "I wanted to…" Nothing will change it, you're a murderer and you'll always be a murderer. I stop walking and look down at the ground, I hear Serana come to a stop and I glance at her, she's stood directly in front of me. "Let's move." I grumble, gesturing to the spire.
The final spire has steps wrapping around it. The Keeper isn't at the bottom, must be at the top. Serana goes first, her knife ready in one hand and a spell ready in the other, I follow her closely my sword held up and ready.
She stops once we near the top, peaking around a corner and quickly ducking back as an arrow cracks off the stone wall. I lean back to avoid the broken shaft as it flies off and grazes my face, the splinted wooden shaft scratching my cheek. Another arrow follows the first, Serana pulls her foot back quickly, the arrow striking where it sat a moment before.
I take a few steps back, there's a small partially collapsed pillar opposite us. "See that." I mumble to her, she nods staring at the pillar. "Distract the Keeper." I grumble, she gives a sharp nod and turns the corner, casting her spells as quickly as she can. I break away and run across, getting behind the pillar and pressing my back against it.
I look back at Serana and she ducks back behind the corner. I swing my bow from off my back and pull an arrow from my quiver. I nock it and pull back, turning around the side of the pillar I aim the bow as quickly as I can. The Keeper gets one off quicker then I manage to and its arrow cuts into my left gauntlet, as I pull back into the cover of the pillar and release the arrow, it hits the Keeper in the chest and although it doesn't break the armour the impact makes it stumble back a couple of steps.
Serana runs at the Keeper, casting her spells as it retreats up a set of stairs. I drop my bow and pull the arrow free from my gauntlet, it didn't break the skin. I stand up and run after her, drawing my sword as I do. The Keeper swings its bow at her and she ducks under it, I stop the swing with my sword, the bone bow arm slamming into my steel sword with a heavy clunk. I step back as the Keeper pulls the bow back, Serana casts her lightening at it, forcing it closer to the edge of the towering spire we're on.
The Keeper tries to swing the bow at her again but she cuts it short, sending a spear of ice into the arm and smashing the bone into two. I move in quickly as Serana ducks back, kicking it in the thigh as hard as I can, I stumble forward as the Keeper goes over the edge, plummeting to the ground below. Serana grabs my arm and pulls me back.
"That's the last one." She mumbles, I look at her she's got cuts next to her right eye, small chips of ice embedded in her skin. I reach out and pull the biggest one of them out she flinches slightly as I do, I stop and hold it between my fingers before letting it drop to the floor. "Come on." She says, looking back to the colosseum. "Quicker we get the scroll, the quicker we go home."
There's a roar. It sounds far away but it echoes around us, its ear splitting and almost seems to shake the tower to its foundations. I walk over to the edge of the spire and stare off in the direction it came from. There's another roar and a plume of flames in the distance, rising into the sky and lighting it up in a magnificent orange and blue.
"Maker… Durnehviir." Serana mutters from behind me. The fire stops with the roar, the flames pulled back to their source. I look back at her. "We need to move." She mumbles stepping back slightly.
I rush to grab my bow, Serana following close behind. "Go and get the scroll." I tell her. "It'll head this way, no sense us both dying." I lift up the discarded bow and walk back up the steps, she stops half way on them and looks at me. "Get the scroll and head back to the Dawnguard."
"What?" She asks hurriedly, demanding my attention and answer. I walk back up the steps. "Mortis." She says to my back, she grabs my arm to stop me. "I'm not leaving you to face a dragon by yourself!" She shouts at me. "If we leave now we'll have a chance." I pull my arm away from her and carry on up the steps.
"Your mother asked me to keep you safe!" I shout back at her, standing at the edge of the tower, with my bow held low. "I told her I would and I will." I grumble more to myself then to her.
She grabs my shoulder and turns me around. "I don't need protecting!" She shouts back at me, getting in my face. I glance back towards where the roars and flames came from, there's more fire, less this time.
"I know you don't." I mumble staring at the flames in the distance. "But I'm doing it." I turn back to face her. "Now leave." She doesn't make a move, just stares at me, deep into my eyes. She looks like she's going to plead with me. "Are you stubborn or just thick?" I snarl at her, getting closer. "That dragon will kill us both and then we would've died for nowt." I look back to the flames, the dragon, Durnehviir is rising into the sky. "Go get the scroll and get back to Nirn." I look back at her. "Stop Harkon or die here and now." She looks back and forth between me and the colosseum, I grab her upper arm. "Go! Now!" I shout at her, she nods and breaks off into a sprint, heading down the spire.
There's another roar, a deep rumbling roar that shakes me to the bone. Durnehviir is heading towards me, his massive wings carrying his body through the sky. I stand on the very edge and look down, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm myself. I look back up at the terrifying creature in the not too far distance. Most people might pray to the divines or whatever they might believe in, I just hope Serana makes it and maybe I'll have a quick, painless death. I nock an arrow and raise the bow, close my eyes and exhale.