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Word count.
Original: 1,922
Re-write: 3,245
Chapter XVI
Hunting
Mortis
I push the brush out of the way and look for any signs off footprints, any sign of a camp fire. Isran wouldn't let Serana head out by herself with the Scroll and she wouldn't let him have the Scroll. Luckily Delvin has a lot of books, quite a few on the subject of the Elder Scrolls, told me about the Ancestor Glade in the Jerall Mountains, in the south; filled with Ancestor moths, somehow they allow you to read the scrolls. I walk through the trees as fast as possible, I managed to pick up a trail a few days back but now I've lost it.
There's chatter up ahead, I duck back behind a tree, hide in the moonlight. There's two men in a clearing, a small camp fire between them. They're wearing Dawnguard amour. They stiffen and stop chatting as I near them, one turns to face me, crossbow ready. I walk out with my hands up, palms facing them. He holds it up higher, flexes his fingers slightly. "Stop." He orders. I comply, not really planning on getting shot by a person I'm trying to help.
"Where are the others?" I ask him, keeping my hands up. He tilts his head to the side slightly and looks back at the other man. "I was doing jobs for Isran, I've come to help with the Scroll." The other nods and he looks back to me.
"Attacked by vampires." He tells me, not sounding to angry. "Got separated." He drops the crossbow down slightly. Still high enough to shoot me if need be.
I nod to myself, makes sense. If the Harkon's men could track me and Serana down then a group of Dawnguard should be no problem. "Serana have the scroll?" I ask, letting my arms fall to my sides. He nods. "Any idea where the others went?" I grumble.
"No." The other mutters walking over to stand by the one with the crossbow. "No idea where she went, been trying to find her." I look off to the side and nod to myself. Wonder where she went after the vampire attack. I look back to the two Dawnguard, the one with the crossbow isn't really paying me attention any more. She and her. He said she and her. I take a few steps closer and draw my sword, he swings the crossbow up and manage to cut the draw string and stop it from firing. The other goes to pull his own crossbow round but I slash my sword at his armour and knock him off balance.
The first draws his axe and swings at me, the blade cuts into my armour as I move back, leaving a long tear in the arm. He moves forward, swinging it at me as quickly and broadly as he can as he moves towards me. I wait for him to swing it passed me and then use my cross guard to hold it back as I push my shoulder into him, he staggers back slightly and I bring the blade up, stabbing him in the chin and through the head. I look at the other man as he holds his sword. The first one turns to dust as I hold up his now lifeless body on my sword.
He pulls a shield round and grips it tight as I take a few steps to my right and flex my arm slightly. Sword in his left hand and a solid looking metal shield in his right. He rushes forwards and lashes out with the sword I bat it to the side and slash back with my own, he raises his shield and my sword bounces of it with a loud clank. He tries to hit me with the shield but I slam my sword into it to knock it off balance, he swings the sword at me and I duck back, raising my sword just in case. The two swords tap into each other as I stumble back out of his reach. He slams the edge of the shield down at me but I scramble out of the way, it hits the ground and digs into the dirt. I take a swing at him and he uses the sword to block as I manage to force him backwards and abandon his shield.
He stumbles back and looks me up and down. I get back to my feet properly. He stares me down and looks over to where his mate fell. He glances back to me and throws his sword and helmet down into the dirt, then unfastens his armour and lets it fall to his feet. "I saw him slaughter countless men." He tells me. "Any mortal that can kill a warrior like that is deserving of my respect." I ready myself and push my foot back as I ready my sword. "I will enjoy earning your death." He tells me.
He rushes towards me and take a swing at him with my sword, a strike that should connect but he manages to grab the blade in his left hand, I see some blood run down the cold steel as we both fight to move the sword. I put my other hand on the hilt as I try to put more force behind it, he grits his teeth and I see his arm shake as he continues to push down. He brings his other hand up and grabs me by the throat, I take my other hand off the hilt and grab his wrist as he finally succeeds in pushing the blade down, he throws me onto my back and I land hard on the dirt. Draw my dagger almost as soon as I slam down, he quickly jumps on top of me and wraps his hands around my neck. I push my forearm against his neck and try to push him off me, try and get my dagger into a position where I can drive it into his stomach.
He grins and I stab him in the stomach, he pulls back slightly and I try and move up slightly. He hold me down and I head-butt him, my forehead slamming into his nose, there's a loud crack as it connects and he grabs me, forcing me down. His hands back around my neck as he slams my head into the ground. He puts more pressure on my throat then he did before. My vision starts to swim slightly as I struggle for breath. He grits his teeth as his own blood runs out of his nose and down his face, drips onto my own face as he leans down closer to me. I twist my Dagger and force it in deeper, he pulls back slightly and I kick my leg up, managing to throw him off, my dagger slides out as he rolls to the side.
I climb onto him and stab my dagger into his neck, severing the artery and cutting the wind pipe. I pull the blade out and he starts to gurgle on his own, dark blood. I stand up straight and pick up his discarded crossbow, pulling the small quiver of arrows off his belt as lays on the grounds, struggling to try and hold in his rapidly draining blood. He turns to a cloud of dark dust as I stand over him.
Serana got away, with the scroll hopefully. She's not thick, she must've put some ground between her and Harkon's hunters. I do a quick search round the clearing the vampires were in, find the two Dawnguard warriors, stripped of their weapons and drained of their blood, I behead them and move on as quickly as I can. There's a faint trail look like boot tracks, well made boots, like the ones Serana wears.
The sun beats down, casting deep shadows between the trees. Serana must have found shelter somewhere along the way, or she's already reached the Ancestor Glade. I grip the crossbow a bit tighter as I follow her trail. "Move!" A gruff voice shouts from somewhere close by. I raise the crossbow and duck down as I move behind one of the tall trees and hide behind some of the thick shrub. I move around, keeping low until I can see who shouted. A large Orc, donned in orcish armour, commanding a group of ten, there's a woman at the back of the group, hands chained together and a sack over her head. Looks like she's hobbling, a chain attached to her shackles is being pulled by one of them. She's wearing Dawnguard armour, lighter then what most of them use.
"Oi." A man shouts coming out of the treeline, he's tall, wearing rough leather and furs. "Harkon's dogs are dead." Must be the two vampires I killed. "Must be that cunt or those Dawnguard cunts." He calls over. "Fuckin' thralls." Not them then, Serana must still be on the move. "Maybe that cunt knows somethin'."
The orc moves towards the back off the group. "Get her on her knees." He orders. Walking over to her as they push her down. He pulls the sack off her head, throttling her head as he does. It's Sorine Jurard, her face is heavily discoloured with bruises and dried blood, one of her eyes is swollen shut. "Where is the bitch?" He growls at her, she leans forward, almost falling over. She answers but from my position I can't hear her or make any of it out. She looks up at him as he crouches down, she spits some blood at him it lands on his face and armour. He stands up and looks down at her, she looks up from her position on her knees.
He takes a few steps back and the man from before with the leather and fur armour walks towards her. An iron mace in his hand. "If you're not goin' to answer." He calls as he lifts the mace up, resting it on her head as she looks down. "Then you're not much fuckin' use." He lifts it up and slams it down into the top of her head. She screams loudly, a blood curdling scream that tears through the air. Her scream is cut short as the mace slams into the side of her head and from the looks of the blow snaps her jaw and breaks her skull even more than the first hit. She falls onto her side and he grabs her and moves her onto her back, then hits her again in the face, the mace breaking the front of her skull. He follows it up quickly with another hit and it caves in her skull. He stands up, leaving the mace embedded in her now smashed skull.
"We have a trail!" The leader shouts. "Move!" He shouts at them, growling out the word, the man grabs his mace, pushing his boot against Sorine's lifeless body as he pulls it free. The group follows their trail, if they felt the need to question Sorine then the trail must be hard to follow.
I move out of my cover behind the shrub and trees and walk over to the body. I crouch down and look at her, what remains of her face. There's no way to tell who she was any more, her head is just a torn up mess of bone and ripped up skin and muscle. Her ankle looks like it's twisted painfully to the side, her wrists are bloody and the skin torn around the bases of her hands. How long was she with them? I start to head the same way they went, if they're going after Serana and if they can track her then it'll be the quickest way.
The forest is dark at night, the light from the moon only just illuminates parts of it, nowhere near the whole thing. The group move quickly, following the trail that they have, must be easier to follow then it was before; means we're getting closer. If I'm going to stop them, I'll have to do it now. I let the crossbow drop and sling it round my back, draw my sword and move to catch up to them. All eleven of them.
They're stood in a clearing, look to be taking a break or making camp maybe it's too dark to follow her tracks. I take a deep breath and walk towards them. "Oi!" I shout, they turn to me as one. The Orc steps towards me. I point my sword at him. "You." I rasp. "Only you."
He grins wide and walks closer to me. He has two axes hanging from his belt but he pulls a large war hammer from his back. "If you want to die, then I'll kill you." He tells me. He rushes forward and swings his hammer, it's too big and there's too much weight behind it to block. I raise my sword and step back, parrying the swing as it sails passed me, taping against my sword. I take another step back and swing my sword around, going in with a quick strike, he brings the hammer up and uses the handle to block the blade.
He pushes forward and I move back as he swings the bottom of the handle at me, I block the strike and he swings the other end of the hammer at me, I have to jump back to avoid it. I keep moving backwards, look for an opening. His hammer has too much reach and the sheer weight and force behind it makes it difficult to block. His armour slows him down, weak spots around the knees, elbows, neck, thighs and lower stomach. No helmet. The heavy orcish made iron armour will manage to absorb any strikes.
"Little man retreating?" He growls, I spin the blade in my hand, readjust my grip. He moves at me again and swings the hammer as fast as he can, I move back and let him swing. I move to the side, head towards a tree maybe I can put something between us. Get rid of that hammer, I move behind the tree as he swings again. The hammer slams into the trunk and the wooden handle snaps with the force. I move in towards him quickly and slash at him, he manages to pull one of his axes free and block the attack. He follows it up and swings his right axe down at me, I slide my sword along the axe blade and let it hit my cross guard. He swings the other and I block it, letting the other fall passed me, he raises his arm to stop the attack. The steel blade runs against his bracer, he grabs my shoulders and throws me against the tree, my back slams into it and the hit winds me.
I fall onto my hands and knees as he walks away from me. "Just fuckin' kill him." One of them shouts, I look up at that man with the mace. The Orc stands opposite me, his axes ready. I get back to my feet and grip my sword, move it high and keep my sword low; might be able to get him to swing high as I go low. I rush at him and he grins widely as he swings both axes at me, swings them high. I duck down and push my right hand forward, stabbing my sword into his lower stomach. I stand back up straight and push the blade into his impaled up to the hilt. He drops the axes as he gasps in pain. I put my hand on his back and move my hand so I'm holding the sword the opposite way round, I move around him and drag the sword through his stomach, pulling the blade free.
He falls onto his knees as he loses blood quickly. The one with the mace runs at me lets out a war cry as he runs. He swings the mace at me still running, I parry the attack and he swings it again. I jump back and swing my sword at his right hand, the one holding the mace. I can't cut his hand off because of a bracer on his wrist so I aim at his fingers. The blade makes quick work of them and I cut off each of them, the mace drops out of his hand as he cries out in pain. I step back and stab down into his chest, he drops down as I pull the blade out.
There's a brief wait, I can get my breath back as I wait for the next one to attack. I quickly look them all up and down, none of them have a bow or a cross bow. I put my hand on my cross bow, move it around so it's in front of me. Three of them run at me, I raise the cross bow but before I can fire one of them gets hit by a spear of ice. One of the others turns to where they came from and raises his shield to block the spears, the other continues running at me. I fire the cross bow and the bolt slams into the gap of his helmet, hits him in the eye. The bolt clanks loudly against the back of the helmet.
The man with the shield has his back to me and I run behind him, drawing my dagger I slide the razor sharp blade along his throat. Serana comes out of the tree line, sending another spear of ice flying straight for one of the other hunters, it stabs into him and throws him to the ground. Another runs at me and swings his sword, I block the attack and follow it up by cutting down into his thigh. There's another scream as one of them is hit with Serana's lightning. The last three charge her, she cuts two down with her ice, the last one she hits with her lightning. He stumbles into her and she stabs her knife into his throat.
The first one she hit with lightning tries to swing a battle axe at me, I move out of the way and swing my sword into his face while his guards down. The blade cuts through his eye socket and kills him almost instantly. I turn to the man I hit in the thigh and drop to one knee as I slam my sword down into his stomach. He screams and curls up as I force it through his body and into the dirt below him. I let go off the hilt and rest both my hands on the cross guard, let my forehead hit the pommel as I lean on the sword.
I sit there for a minute, let myself rest while I catch my breath. I look up at Serana, she walks towards me, I stand up and put my boot on the man's chest, pull the sword out. She comes to stop in front of me. She just stands there, staring at me.
I don't really want her to say anything but I'd prefer it to the silence.
There's a chapter, might fix grammar and all that jazz later.