Chapter 3- Slayer Scrolls
Chapter 1 -Chrissy-What the Hell!
Day 1?
On a Star far far far away in an Abandoned Prison Unknown time
A piece of stale stiff straw relentlessly pokes at Chrissy's nose waking her to a moment of between. That was until the memories flooded back. Tears fell down her eyes as she remembered "The cave" filled with hordes of vampires. She fought those horrible creatures even as they murdered her new friends with sadistic glee. Her stomach clenched automatically as the image of one of those creatures slicing her stomach. Without realizing what she did she pulled up the well-worn burlap tunic she was suddenly in, with no clue as to how she came to be wearing, that thought didn't even come across her mind until she checks for the wound. To her relief there was no damage at all except for some small, faded scars that looked years old.
Other images of her falling to the ground in surface. Chrissy vaguely remembers watching the remaining slayers run up the stairs without looking back except for Faith who tried to get to her but couldn't and had to head up the stairs. New tears fell down her face as she remembers Spike activating the magic neckless and sacrificing himself to save them and the world. She was sure she was going to die as the earthquake started dropping rocks startling the creature that was about to kill her. A brief moment of relief passed as she recalls the motorcycle she had inherited, from Flo, a biker mouse from Mars, had come bursting through the cave wall with a huge drill on the front of it. The motorcycle quickly dispatched the creature that was about to kill its new human rider by running it over with the active drill.
Chrissy vaguely remembering hearing the motorcycle's A.I. beeping at her franticly. She almost thought she heard a voice inside her head yelling "Human !Get up and get on! I'll get us out of here! Just don't die! I won't survive if I lose another rider!" While it's drill stop.
After if you failed attempts, Chrissy finally had managed to get on. As soon as her bottom fell onto the seat the motorcycles AI scan the area to see that the whole it had come in on had collapsed on itself and a great chasm was starting to form. Heading off in the opposite direction and up, the bike created its own path. Most of the time Chrissy found it hard to keep eyes open with the amount of blood flowing out of her body from the claw wound on her stomach. Debris flew and fell everywhere as the motorcycle made its way through the cavern. Seeing it had no last-ditch effort the motorcycle quickly reactivates the drill and heads through a wall. Even as the drill effortlessly opens a new area and it passed through, the new cave would collapse in just mirror millimeter behind the bike's rear tire. It was at this point Chrissy vaguely remembered passing into darkness and out of darkness as the motorcycle proceeded on. At one point she was jeered from the darkness by the motorcycle hitting the turbos as it burst through a wall and up a ramp through a bright blue light with a gold ring surrounding it that was lit up. That was the last thing she could recall.
For a few moments more Chrissy laid on the wood bed that was slightly covered in straw and what was left of a stinky old fur hide, listening to the sounds around her that were mostly of draining water. A few times she thought she could hear muffled voices but not make out what they were saying. Feeling a slight chill, she finally notices she's in an old, rotted burlap style tunic, and pants which are held up by a rope belt, and her feet are wrapped with a similar material. While her long sandy blonde hair was pulled back into a low messy ponytail with a piece of cotton string.
"How the hell? How did I get here? Where is here and why am I wearing this?" Chrissy wonders.
Realizing it was doing no good to lay in the bed she gets up and notices that she is in an old cobblestone room. The damp is getting to her, so she rubbed her arms together and gets up. Chrissy grabs up the stinky hide and covers her arms.
She heads down the few steps that seemed to be a platform for the bed. She notices a couple of old wooden barrels. A type of old wood wardrobe quickly looking through it she finds nothing. Next to it she sees some type of statue, but she has no idea what it is. It kind of reminded her of Mary the mother of Christ statue she had seen at a church one time. As she is walking around the room, she finds a couple more tables a few rusty metal crates covering where she could hear the water going through. Chrissy tries to open them but fails they're too firmly attached even with her Slayer strength. Chrissy walks over to the only large door that is covered by bars rattles them a few times to realize they are firmly in place and even with her strength she won't be budging them.
Chrissy takes a seat at the chair across from the statue and stares at it intently wondering what the hell is she going to do next. She is slightly surprised as she notices that there are some candles and torches lighting the area. Wondering how the heck they're still going and how long they will continue. As she is pondering these questions, she hears a voice from the statue say "approach my child and see where your new life begins"
"I just want out of here so I can go home. I don't want a new life. I want my bike so we can ride home." Chrissy cries out while she seeks her mind mental link, she had with her bike but finds it was not gone it just seems to be blocked.
As if the deity hears her, she feels a tingle in the air and three lock picks suddenly appear in a container on the wood table next to her. Taking the lock picks, she heads over to the cell door. Remembering the voices and doubting they were friends she figures it's best hide herself deeper into the shadows and quietly picks the locks like Master Splinter taught her. Her cold trembling fingers cause her to break one of the picks. With the second one she was able to unlock it. Slowly and quietly, she opened the cell door.
Once the door was open, she heads up the cobblestone stairs for about 10 steps then comes to a flat area which consists of a wood table and chair. On the table sat an old used axe, a small dagger, a candle that is almost burnt out that was setting in some type of horn. Next to the candle sat a small, old, leather coin bag containing about 12 coins and 5 gold coins lying next to it. She picks up the coins trying to examine the design on it. She is unable to make it out.
"Do I or don't I steal? I don't feel right about it but I may need it and this looks old so I don't think anyone will care." Chrissy has a short quiet mental argument with herself. After placing all of the coins in the bag she attaches it to her belt with the short tie string on it. A very old looking skeleton key catches her attention.
"Who hell uses these old things in this day and age. Or am I in modern times? The coins look old. I was on wood a poorly designed straw bed and this place looks like an old castle dungeon and they used old keys like this so I might need it to get out." Chrissy thinks as she ties it with the leather coin purse she had placed on her belt. Picking up the axe with her right hand and the knife with her left hand she checks their weight and balance by swinging them a few times.
"Better armed than not." Chrissy tells herself while she longs for her stuff like her backpack and weapons.
Chrissy was about to move forward when she is startled by a skeleton on the floor in front of her. As she gets closer to the skeleton, she notices 3 coins and picks them up adding them to her coin bag. Chrissy crouches while moving down the small hallway. Worry fills her soul as she notices that there's no more wall that she could creep next to as it expands out into a large room that has three cells on each side. Burning torches mounted on every other stone column light most of the area. Before entering the area Chrissy scanned each of the cells. It was the middle cell on her left, she notices an eerier, blue, ghostly, human form that appears to be sleeping on a leather hide on the floor. Chrissy is about to move forward when she observes another ghost walking through a hole in the wall of one of the cells closest to her.
Chrissy quietly stalks forward and is just about to make it to the next set of stairs when she accidentally kicks a shield that was lying on the ground next to a skeleton. The sound grinding scraping sound of the round wood, metal shield sliding across the stone floor alerts the sleeping ghost. At first, she thinks it doesn't see her as she is hidden behind one of the stone columns.
"You think you can escape the dead for you too shall join the dead." The eerie voice of the ghost boomed out while it drew out a mace as it stocked towards her location. Chrissy tries to make it to the stairs but is blocked by another ghost who was coming down to investigate the sound.
Chrissy ducks just in time as the ghost in front of her slices above her head with an old broadsword. The ghost embeds its sword into the stone wall causing it focus on trying to free its sword from the wall. Chrissy quickly side steps out of the way as the other ghost bashes towards her with its Mace barely missing her but hitting the other ghost who was trying to free his sword. The impact of the Mace causes the ghosts it hit to disintegrate down to nothing more than a few shiny pieces of gold and some gooey blue stuff. The mace wheeling ghost becomes angry at the loss of the other ghost. Turning on Chrissy who had just managed to raise the axe and bring it down onto his face before he could use his own weapon in a defensive angle. This blow disintegrated the ghost in a similar way as the previous.
After doing a quick 360 of her area without moving from her current location Chrissy gave off a sigh of relief. Chrissy picks up the shield she had kicked earlier and puts it on her arm that had the knife. She then slips the knife between her tunic and belt.
"The dead do not need money." Chrissy reasons while looking more closely at the ghostly remains she sees about 30 old gold coins like the others she had found and picks them up and puts them into the coin bag on her rope belt. Chrissy takes a closer look at the items that seem to appear as the ghostly remains started to fade away. Besides the coins she saw just the Mace and 5 straps of old leather.
Chrissy using three of the straps to secure the hide to her better as it fell off during the fight. She then ties the other two straps to her rope belt as the straps weren't long enough for her to make a new belt with. she figured she could possibly use them later.
When Chrissy tried the mace she had to jump back as the handle fell apart and the main piece drops almost hitting her foot. Chrissy looked at the sword still imbedded in the stone and realized it was way too big for her to use so she left it where it was. She became aware of another skeleton on the ground and next to it was a sword, in far better condition than the axe she was currently using. Placing the axe against the wall she picks up the sword and tests it. To her it appeared to look like something a Viking would use. It was one hand and about the length of her arm but still appear to be very sharp. It was not as balanced as the sword she had been given by Leo but it was far better than what she had on her. A white tattered piece of paper next to the skeleton caught her attention so she picks it up. Surprisingly she can read most of it.
Note:
A storm is coming, I can tell. The water leaking in has become stronger. There's no better time than now. When the storm hits the guards will be scrambling to figure out what to do with us. Amidst the confusion we need to overpower the few that will be standing guard outside ourselves and hold off the cell block entrance. We need only to hold off until I can get one of their swords and break open the drainage gate in the corner of my cell. That's where we'll make our escape everyone move downriver, and we'll try to find shelter there until the storm passes.
She thinks that the skeleton she was standing next to belong to a guard or a prisoner that didn't make it out as she places the note back on the floor next to it. Trying not to dwell on what happened in this abandoned place, she determines the best course of action would be to make sure no one snuck up on her. So, she headed back towards the cell with the collapsed wall. Along the way she checks each of the cells. One cell had two skeletons each containing 4 gold coins. She quickly grabs up the coins and adds to her coin bag. In another cell she finds a trapdoor but she's not sure if she should jump down that because she can't see too well. Not wanting to enter the darkness Chrissy heads out the cell and to the next few.
In the cell with the collapse wall Chrissy peaks through to discover a similar cell area but this one only seemed to have three cells and a walkway further down the way she saw another ghostly figure heading up the stairs. While it's back was towards her, she snuck inside and found an old wooden chest. Taking a chance, she opened it to find a blue gem, a silver amulet and another leather bag containing 20 gold coins. She puts the neckless on, slips the blue gem into the coin bag ties it next to the other coin bag on her belt. She checks the wooden barrel next to it to find 2 potatoes and 3 cabbages, once she pulled, she found 3 apples, along with 3 short strips of leather.
Chrissy's stomach determines for her that she needs the nourishment of at least one of the apples. Sitting quietly in the shadows she tries to quietly devour the apple. While eating the apple, she notices a large burlap sack and opens it. Inside of the bag she finds some dried meat that looked a lot like beef jerky. There was no bad order coming from it so she quickly takes a bite."
"It's a bit dry, but beggars can't be choosers. It's better than nothing." Chrissy tells herself as she it's it quickly.
She continues to search the bag and she finds a couple of small wood boxes of salt plus 2 more good potatoes. Once she's through searching through that burlap sacks she finds another leaning against a wardrobe. Seeing that the one bag won't be able to hold the additional some carrots, apples, another wood box that contain 2 pinches of salt that she finds. Chrissy combines both bags and makes a makeshift backpack using the strips of leather.
"Score." Chrissy thinks as she finds a pair of old worn weathered leather boots and a thick heavy leather apron. Both were stiff but warmer than what she was currently wearing. The apron slips over her current garb hitting just above her knees. While the boots were a little too big, so Chrissy uses the burlap wraps that were already on her feet as socks for them.
Just as she was picking up the shield the eerie blue figure returns. Keeping to the darkness she watches the ghostly figure as it comes so far into the room looks around turns to head back up the stair. She is almost relieved until it stops turns and looks directly at where she is hiding. Realizing that she has no other choice but to confront this ghostly apparition as it charges at her wielding an old claymore determined to take her head.
Tossing the shield at the apparitions' feet while she ran at it. This move gave her enough of a distraction to get the upper hand on him. The shield slid against the ground and bounced up hitting him in the shins while she ran and jumped onto a table continuing through the air and coming down with her sword onto the apparition's head. The apparition was so startled by the different approach that its mis steps and left its neck wide open for her to behead it. Relief enters Chrissy as the figure dissipates but strangely this one says to her "thank you".
In what's left of its remains Chrissy finds 50 gold coins. The sword on the other hand is way too big for her to wield so she leaves it where it is. She picks up her shield again than carefully heads up the stairs he had come down. At the top of the stairs in a small room she finds a skeleton on the floor with a bit of coin. Next to it, is a table with a few coin pieces lying on it and with a small old, battered battle axe. She takes the coins but leaves the axe. There is a wardrobe next to it.
Chrissy does a happy dance as she finds her old backpack in this wardrobe. Shoving her makeshift burlap backpack into her original backpack she checks to see if there's anything she can use that is warmer than what she is wearing. To her dismay she has no clothing in it to change into. She still has her Swiss army knife, a still working zippo lighter, and 3 chocolate candy bars. Chrissy is barely aware of that pack feels almost weightless. She shrugs it off to something to do with the Slayer package. Nothing else was in the wardrobe.
Next to the wardrobe was a broken bed with a small table with 6 gold coins that were spilled on it. On the other side of the room, she finds an old leather helm to keep her head warm and a wooden chest right next to it. Inside the chest she finds five hundred coins and 2 small red bottles that smelled like willows healing potions. After gathering everything she can use and placing it in her backpack and coin bag she fits the helmet on her head and continues to the next room.
This room is smaller than the previous room and in more dishevel with bookshelves leaning up against each other and their contents scattered across the floor. She picks up two of the books she can read and places them in her backpack for later. While the one she can't read she opens to see if there's anything she could make out as she opened them a power was given off then the book disappeared right before her very eyes. After it happen, she felt like she just learned a new sword technique. To see if she is right, she tries the move and gets it right the first time. She then notices a chest. Inside of it she finds 25 gold coins and a few things that she just can't use because they're not in good enough condition.
Discovering that she cannot go any further she returns to the original room with the six cells and heads up the stairwell. At the top of the stairwell, she discovers more bookcases containing a couple red potion jars that smell like more healing potions and put some in her backpack. She notices more boots, these ones seemed to be in better condition than the one she was wearing so she put them on she found they even fit better. She leaves the one she had been wearing behind. Next, she finds some old leather bracers she puts on her wrists to protect them in case she gets into another fight. They were a bit stiff, but they fit. She notices a small dresser. Checking it doesn't reveal anything she is able to use or carry so she cautiously heads up the stairs to finds a small room.
In this room were a couple of metal goblets, plates, and a jug, setting on a wood table with two chairs that were sitting next to a tripod that held a pot with embers. Chrissy checks the jug to find it half full of water so she fills a goblet and drinks up. Next, she moves to the hot embers and starts warming her fingers. While doing this she notices that they are a type of hot rocks that are slowly losing their heat. After her fingers are warmed up a little bit she heads into the next room.
There she finds A large burlap sack with 4 good tomatoes. On a shelf she discovers 2 more dried beef, 2 more potions to what she found earlier. Spending a few moments Chrissy arranges it so that all the food was in the burlap bag and attaches it to her backpack. She then continues checking the room. On a far wall she sees a shield, a bow, and another sword. She ties the bow to her backpack but leave the sword and shield as she already had some. As she turns to leave, she sees a table with a note on it she can read.
The note basically told the guards that they were either to kill the prisoners outright or leave them to drown in their cells but either way they had to die if the prison collapsed. The only good part about the note is that the writer cared about the guards enough to tell them to get out and they didn't want any of their Legionnaires to die. She returns the note to where she found it. Chrissy wonders what or where she was again at the thought of the word legionnaire. She thinks it makes sense as the ghosts she encountered wielded medieval weapons.
Also on the table was a small bag of coins that held 50 gold coins. She puts the coins in her first coin bag as it was larger. She tosses the fuller coin bags into her backpack while tying the empty one to her rope belt. She does this for two reason that, way people don't think she has any and so if she does find any more, she can put them in something quickly. Seeing that there is nothing more she can use in the room she heads back out to the original room with a small fire. Again, she warms her hands on the fire and notices a stairwell that she can head up after her fingers have warmed up. Once that was done, she cautiously heads up the stairs with a better grip on the sword and her shield up ready just in case.
At the top of the stairs, she is surprised to find that there's still lights burning but they're low. It is at this point she realizes that the mace wielder didn't fully miss her, and she is slightly bleeding. Remembering that moss is a good antiseptic she grabs up some of the dry hanging moss and places it on the wound on her arm she then uses one of the strips of leather from the burlap sack attached to her backpack and ties it so that it won't come off.
After binding her wounds, she glances around this open room that is a round room with a small pond forming due to a crack in the wall. She finds just behind the door finds a wood table with 2 burlap bags one contains 4 clams still in their shell and 4 2 by 2 pieces of slice cod. Both seem to be fresh, so she takes them and put them in the burlap bag and ties them to the under part of her backpack with the leather straps. She moves further into the room to discover more crates that are empty, a barrel with two fish that look like medium salmon swimming in it. They seem to have fallen in with the water pouring into the room from a crack in the wall. Even though she didn't like fish she figured she would need the fresh protein. She snatches them up and cuts their heads off. She then wraps them up in the empty burlap sack and ties them to the other burlap sack that contained her food.
She next sees an open chest containing a large battle axe that seem to be well worn and too big for her to use. Seeing that she had no room for it she left it for whoever may find it. Continuing in the room she finds a wardrobe. To her dismay it doesn't contain anything of use. She does find a cloth hood next to it. Taking off the helmet she places the hood on and then the helmet back on which makes it snug. She spots a couple pieces of gold coins. After picking them up she continues following the stairs up until she discovers she can't go no further as it had collapsed. She turns around and finds a door she had missed on her way up. Crossing her fingers, she pulls at the door hoping it will open. At first it didn't budge but after a few hard yanks it swung open with a high creeping sound to…
Outside the abandoned prison
A damp chilly breeze slaps Chrissy in the face which only causes her to smile as it was filled with the scent of pine trees and grass. Rain drizzling down which made Chrissy smile even bigger as she realized she was free!
Glancing around she noticed that below her was a waterfall with too far of a drop for her to jump. Behind her was a sheer cliff that was too slippery to climb due to the rain. Off to her right she noticed that she could move up a little bit, so she started to go that way. This brought her past and up above the waterfall to a small pond area that looked like it had a light undertow. It is at this point she realizes that she can't go up any further to her right or behind her as the sheer Cliff. She does notice across the water there seemed to be what was left of a shack. Half of it appeared to have been demolished by a fallen tree the size of a tanker truck. She hears someone calling for help. Thinking it might be from someone trapped inside the crushed cabin she jumps into the cold water and starts to swim to the other side. The water kept pulling her towards the water fall but she finally manages to crawl to shore just a few yards down from the cabin. She takes a moment after fighting the cold icy stream and undertow. After catching her breath she gets up but before she can check the cabin, she has a sensation in the pit of her stomach worse than any pain had ever given her just before she's attacked. The pain and some deep-down instinct told her this person wasn't of the living but was a vampire.
This vampire was nothing like the one she had faced back in Sunnydale, because it used magic. Bursts of flames jumped from its hands out towards her. She barely avoids them by jumping back into the stream to dodge the flames. Completely submerged she readies her sword and shield both of which are completely drenched. The hours of training and fighting alongside the Turtles honed her instincts so that she propels herself out of the water while rushing forward and manages to surprise the vampire with a good beheading of it.
She was quite surprised when the vampire didn't turn fully to dust as quickly as the ones back in Sunnydale did. As the vampire's body slowly disintegrating it leaves behind a few items in a leather pouch 1 red jewel, 25 gold coins and 6 lock picks. She takes the leather pouch ties it full of its items to her belt. As she finishes tying them to her belt that sudden painful sensation came back with a vengeance just a moment before she is attacked again. This time though the vampire rushes at her with a battle axe swinging towards her head Chrissy dodges to one side into what was left of the wood cabin. In a fluid motion Chrissy propels herself high up towards the vampire while bringing her sword up. At the arch of her jump plummets down shield first into the vampire's chest knocking the creature to the ground pinning it below her while she takes its head.. This creature left behind a green dagger that looked to be made of glass, along with a silver ring, and 60 gold pieces. Chrissy can feel some type of power emanating from the ring she decides it's best not to wear it and puts it into the coin bag with the other coins she just discovered.
Again, she hears someone screaming so she raises her sword and shield ready for a battle thinking that it may be another vampire. It is and isn't this time as she rushes up the hill and finds a vampire fighting with an older man and a child, who short sandy blonde hair reminds her of her brother. The vampire suddenly gets the upper hand when he slaps the child back into the cart, that had been pulled by a goat, with a sickening crunch. The vampire then proceeds to try and slice the older man's throat with its long fingernails this angers Chrissy so much that she rushes forward towards the back of the creature and with one powerful swing beheads it.
"Thank you for your help I don't know how much longer I would have been able to fend off that creature. But we must be careful there are two others." The man says with a heavy breath as he rubs his now thick bruised neck.
"No worries. They are dust in the wind." Chrissy answers with a shrug.
"How is that possible? I could barely keep that thing from killing me and mine." The man asks in disbelief as he raises an eyebrow at her ease at killing 3 vampires."
"No offence but I think you could have taken him if you haven't been distracted by him hitting your kid so I'm glad I could help." Chrissy says as she realizes her mistake and tries to change his view while thinking. "Damn for a grey-haired, bearded, old dude's body, is hotter than a Conan the Barbarian's is distracting so much that I slipped about my skills. I have got to remember most women aren't as strong or skilled as I am."
"You beat him you have first rights to what is left." The man remarks pointing to the stuff the vampire left behind. This vampire left behind which consisted of a magic staff, a leather bandolier that contained 50 gold coins, 5 lock picks and a large leather belt.
"I can't carry this staff and fight if I need to." Chrissy says while looking at the strangely shaped staff that was way taller than her. "Plus, I don't know how to use the magic do you want it? You could sell it for the trouble those things caused." Chrissy tells him.
"If, you are sure?" He asks in disbelief.
"Tell you what you take it and I'll keep this bandolier and what's inside." Chrissy says to which he agrees to then she remembers. "Crap there might be someone trapped down there. I might need your help getting them out."
"Just give me a moment to catch my breath and I'll help where I can. I am Borazon and this is my grandson, Samuel." Borazon replies as he nods toward a 10-year-old boy leading a goat and cart walking over to them.
"Hi." Samuel timidly says with a slight blush at her bright smile.
"Hi I am Chrissy. Are you okay it looks like you took quite a hit?" Chrissy says with a smile at the young boy who reminds her of her own little brother Tommy. "Don't go there, he should be safe with grandpa right now." Chrissy tells herself.
"Yeah, I am okay." Samuel mumbles.
"I am ready. Samuel, stay with Nelly and, the cart, but stay close by." Borazon instructs as he hands the magic staff to his grandson, then starts to walk to where Chrissy had pointed earlier.
Samuel nods and hides the staff in the cart under their bedrolls than goes back to Nelly who is grazing on some grass and holds on to the goats lead rope while he watches the two head down a steep incline.
The two carefully make their way down the steep incline to the cabin. Unfortunately, they didn't find anyone living. They do find a body crushed under the tree.
"There is nothing we can do for him." Borazon tells her as he notices her trying to free the body.
"But.." Chrissy says as she is trying to budge the fallen tree that was the size of a great red wood.
"Don't you will just hurt yourself. Just gather what you might be able to use quickly, as it is getting late." Borazon informs her as he makes his way back up to his grandson.
Chrissy does as he suggested and looks around the cabin. She was not thrilled at first to go through a dead man's belongings who looked like he had just recently passed away. To her it seemed different than when she took from the long dead or The Walking Dead. This seemed somehow to be dishonorable, but she understood how Borazon was right.
Shaking off the feeling of dread she starts checking the cabin for anything she can use. In a small dresser that wasn't too far from the body she finds studded armor that consisted of a corset style hard leather and battle skirt, along with a pair of leather trousers. Hiding as best she could she quickly slips the large leather pants over the burlap ones. She was able to put the leather chest piece on over a large, long sleeved wool shirt, she had finds under the armor, without help as the fact it was design to cinch up like a corset so no buckles. She felt ridiculous but she was warmer and better protected.
Chrissy fits the bracers over the shirt so it would fit better while doing so she noticed an old fishing rod in the corner but decided not to take it. She was just about to leave when a soft, brown fur caught her attention. She leaves the old stinky hide she had been using. But keeps the straps of leather which she puts into her pack. The new fur is just big enough to put over her shoulders to keep her warmer. So that she had full mobility she puts her backpack on top of it and uses the straps from the old hide to tie it to her belt.
Once she was finished, she sees a book. Picking it up she feels a power surge through her when she opens it up. This time though instead of learning a new move with the sword she felt her hands get warm and a small puff of flames popped off for one.
"OK that's new but it's good to know." Chrissy remarks then headed back up to where the grandfather and grandson were waiting for her.
"I see you are in much better care now." Borazon says she was more fully dressed for battle and a big old grin on her face.
Chrissy just nods in agreement to him then says. "I'm not from around here and was wondering if I could tag along with you to the next settlement? In exchange I could help fight what may show up."
"We would be honored to have you tag along with us we are hoping to make River Run in a day or two then off to Falls Creek from there. We'll be passing by a road that can take you to the city of White Run if you travel with us or you can come will us to River Run. Either way you are welcome."
"I would love to travel with you thank you." Chrissy says as they start to walk up and across an old stone bridge and follow a cobblestone pathway.
Road to White Run and River Run
Along the way Chrissy notices every so often lampposts lit with candles. Most of the time she is looking around she is in awe at the majestic mountains that touched the now clear blue sky all around her. For the most part the party kept to themselves occasionally glancing around. Though Nellie would bah occasionally, startling all of them to which they just smiled and gave a soft chuckle.
They had been traveling for some time up a side of a mountain when Chrissy notices two buildings one on each side of a river connected by a stone bridge. It was at this point Borazon tensed up. This action did not go unnoticed by Chrissy and she asked. " Is there something wrong?"
"Those buildings are the Valtheim Towers. The last time I was here they contained bandits we should be careful." Borazon replied as he tightened up on the battle axe which Chrissy realized had belonged to the vampire that tried to take her head with it..
"Let me go first I'm the one with the shield." Chrissy tells him. She pulls out her sword and has it hidden behind her shield with it slightly raised as she gets ahead of them.
Borazon motions his grandson to slow down with Nelly who does so without arguing.
As they crest the top of the current hill, they are on Chrissy sees a fire with a pot on it cooking some food. Making her presence very visible Chrissy starts to approach the pot of food.
She is stopped by an armor-clad female saying "Hold it right there. You see, this here is a toll road, you're going to have to hand over 200 gold if you're going to use our it. Chrissy glances to Borazon who just shakes his head no.
"We don't have 200 gold." Chrissy tells her.
"Well, that's too bad you aren't going to have anything to pay a healer after we're done with you." The warrior threateningly tells her as she pulls out a sword like that of Chrissy's and puts up a large round metal shield.
"You don't want to do this." Chrissy tells her as she mimics the woman stance.
"I'm going to enjoy this!" The woman taunts at Chrissy.
The two warriors circle each other and occasionally try to hit the other only to be blocked by a shield. Chrissy is holding back her Slayer strength, because she doesn't want to really kill a human being, but she quickly changes her mind, as arrows start flying down from the tower at her and her two companions.
"Enough!" Chrissy cries out in an almost growling sensation that causes her opponent to step back a moment. This gives Chrissy enough time to slip in past her defenses by bashing the woman in the face with her shield then taking her sword and slicing the woman's throat. A horrible gurgling sound bloody bubbled forth from the woman's mouth.
Chrissy stairs dumbfounded at what she had just done and is about to try and help the woman but is broken back out of this by Borazon yelling for her to "Look out!" Chrissy barely manages to jump back against the wall of the first building before arrow comes flying by embedding itself into her opponent putting the woman out of her misery. Borazon is right next to her while his grandson and their goat had moved and taken cover next to a huge fallen log.
"We're gonna have to kill them because they sure won't let us pass if we don't." Borazon tells Chrissy as he notices her trying to keep from throwing up at what she did.
"I know I just don't have to like it." Chrissy tells him.
"I know how you feel." Borazon tells as a haunted look that spoke volumes of previous battles.
"It looks like they're high up there if we can get in through this door, we might be able to take them down one-on-one before they can shoot us with an arrow." Chrissy says as she glances around.
"Even though you have the shield are you sure you still want to go first?" Borazon says as he points down at her now half-broken shield.
"Damn!" Chrissy mutters. While looking around Chrissy eyes fall upon her old opponent's body and gits an idea. Using her broken shield to cover her head Chrissy runs over to the woman and drags the body back with her under the protection of the building.
"Why in the name of Talos did you bring the whole body all you needed was the shield?" Borazon asks.
"Can your grandson shoot a bow and arrow?" Chrissy asks
"Of course, he's been learning to hunt since he was just five years old." Borazon tells her.
"Good toss these to him and have him give us some cover fire but tell him to stay out of range he doesn't have to hit anything just make them think twice." Chrissy says as she yanks off the quiver and bow that had been on the body and hands it to him.
Borazon did as Chrissy told him to. The young boy takes aim at the closest bandit, in the first tower that was aiming down towards his grandfather. The boy's arrow is true to his aim and hits the bandit in the helmet. This causes the bandit to fall to his death not too far from Chrissy and Borazon. Surprising both Chrissy and his grandfather Samuel turns out to be a very good shot. Chrissy gives the boy a thumbs up. He gives her a thumbs up back but then looks at his thumb strangely as if wondering what that was all about.
"I should warn you I'm not too fond of heights." Chrissy tells him.
"Don't worry about it, lass. I don't think you'll be worrying about the heights as much as you'll be more worried about the arrows and swords coming at you." Borazon remarks back with a huge shit eating grin on his face.
Chrissy at first gives him an evil glare but then shrugs her shoulders in agreement as an arrow hits the ground next to her foot. Chrissy had just finished putting on the shield when she hears someone coming down some stone steps and prepares herself to slam up against the door as it opens. A big burly warrior burst through the door, but Chrissy grabs the door and slams it back into the guy's face with enough Slayer strength to send him flying back into the room and slamming into another warrior who was coming down the steps behind him. At that point both Chrissy and Borazon rush in. Chrissy takes on the two sprawled out warriors on the floor while Borazon exchanges blows with another one coming down the stairs.
Chrissy makes short work of the larger bandit with a quick thrust to his throat then two his bare chest directly into his heart. The large bandit body pinned the other bandit just long enough for Chrissy to do another throat thrust this time with enough pressure to take the head off. When she turns around, she sees that Borazon had already literally split into two the bandit he had been fighting and was heading up the stairs. Chrissy carefully followed Borazon up the stairs, but both jumps back as arrows fly in through the open door from across the river.
"Well, that's not good." Chrissy growls.
"There is no way we can get to them without getting shot but it looks like they are sending another over." Borazon remarks as he took a quick glance through than pulled it back just before another arrow came sailing through.
"You go high. I'll use the shield to protect your chest while I go low. We kill that bastard than use him as cover to get up to the next level and inside." Chrissy says while raising the shield to cover his chest while she stays low and with sword ready.
Borazon nods his head in agreement and raise the axe high. The bandit was not very bright as he came rushing in only to lose his head and be impaled through the heart at the exact same moment. Chrissy lifts the now headless corpse while Borazon lowers himself the same size as Chrissy. The two moves in unison side stepping up the ramp their bodies protected by one side with the shield and the other side with the human corpse. It was a slow tedious pace as they had to be careful not to slip on the blood gushing out of their makeshift shield and not to get hit by the arrows flying across the way. Once at the top they step back into a room and off to the side next to a stonewall giving them a breather from the onslaught of arrows that were mostly embedded into the corpse.
At least that is what they thought until an arrow comes flying by their heads hitting the wall just above them. Without thinking Chrissy takes the dagger from her belt and tosses it in the direction the arrow came from without even actually looking. The dagger hits its mark right into the heart of the would-be assassin slash bandit.
"I will check the rest of the area to make sure we don't get any more surprises." Chrissy tells him. Borazon agrees with the nod of his head and the tightening of his hands on the battle axe. Chrissy cautiously climbs the wooden rickety stairs all the while trying to just focus on watching for any adversaries. All the while she kept thinking. "Don't these guys believe in handrails."
The next level she doesn't find any living beings she noticed another set of steps and heads up them all the while trying not to hyperventilate at the height. At the top of those stairs, she thanked her fear of heights because, she had been desperately grabbing low to the rickety old stairs when an arrow flew over her head, and she had to duck down.
"Did you find anyone?" Borazon calls up.
"It looks clear up here." Chrissy called down.
"Well do you have a plan to get us over there so we can take those guys down?"
Chrissy checks the immediate area for anything they could use she finds two quivers each containing 20 arrows. She then checks the body, grabbing up his bow and quiver with about 12 arrows in it. Retrieving her knife from his chest she gave a disgusting squeamish face as the knife came free with the wrenching pop.
"How many do you figure are over there?" Chrissy asks as she leans on the wall next to him
"There's at least four and they're all Archers." Borazon answers.
"Damn that means none of them are going to be rushing over here." Chrissy remarked than asks. "Is your aim anything like your grandsons?" while holding up the bow and quiver of arrows she had retrieved.
"I guess we'll have to see?" Borazon answers.
"Smartass." Chrissy mutters under her breath then says. "Cover me as I rush over there since I have the shield."
"And you're not liking of heights?" Borazon with a slightly teasing voice.
"As some smart ass once said I should be more concerned with them trying to kill me." Chrissy jeers back with a glance over her shoulder towards him, while taking a modified running stance with the shield in front of her.
Focusing on the door across the single person, stone, handrail-free, bridge Chrissy takes a deep breath and rushes forward in the most direct line she can. Using Slayer speed and strength she manages to get halfway across the bridge, when she impacts a solid object that just happened to be a person shooting directly at her new metal shield. The powerful collision sends the bandit archer flying backwards so far that he plows into another Bandit standing just inside the doorway.
Unfortunately, this causes Chrissy to lose her footing and start to fall. As she is falling, she's screaming "No! No! No!".
Just as she's about to fall off into the river below her hand clasps a center column to the archway in the middle, preventing her from falling completely. With quick thinking and even quicker hands and feet Chrissy pulls herself back into the middle of the bridge.
"You okay out there, lass?" A slightly worried Borazon calls out as he watched in horror Chrissy almost fall to her death but ends up clawing her way back on the bridge and now was lying face first in the middle of it.
"Yeah." Chrissy mutters.
"Then why the are you just lying there?" Borazon asks teasingly.
"I am enjoying the craftsmanship of this stonework!" Chrissy sarcastically yells back as she stares down into the stonework of the bridge.
"Move before you get shot!" Borazon orders her as he shoots at a green archer on the roof of the other building while his grandson provides cover fire against the archer off to the side.
"I am really starting to rethink why I saved his ass. And I am really hating who ever design this bridge." Chrissy mutters as she retook her modified runner's stance so that the shield was in front of her. Chrissy ran across the rest of the bridge at such a speed she hadn't even known was possible for a Slayer.
"Oh no, not again?" The Bandit archer said just before Chrissy send him flying back into his buddy yet again.
The two bandits hit the wall on the inside of the second building with a sickening crunch. Chrissy was not to far behind than but stops short of running into them this time. By the time the two finish sliding down the wall Chrissy is standing over them.
"Bad choice you boys made." Chrissy tells them neither one of the stunned men have a chance to respond before she stabs into their throats than to the heart. She climbs the stone stairs to her right at the top she sticks her shield out. An arrow hits the shield, and it bounces off. Chrissy has just enough to time to glance out to see where the Bandit archer was before she had to duck her head back in.
"Oh, hell this guy is fast." Chrissy mutters.
"Show yourself so I can shoot you." He taunts.
"Why don't you come in here so I can shove this sword down your throat, you sleazy rat." Chrissy yells out.
"How dare…" The bandit starts to yell back but is simultaneously hit by two different arrows one to his neck and the other to his side. The Bandit was dead before he hit the ground.
"You will pay for that!" The last Bandit screamed as he ran down the ramp towards Chrissy who had just stepped out to check on the Bandit archer.
This Bandit startled Chrissy because he was huge and green. For a split second she thought she heard him say "Smash!" Chrissy barely manages to raise her shield up high enough to block the blow from the biggest battle axe she had ever seen. The green bandit was so strong that the more pressure he added the farther she went down to one knee. As much as Chrissy tried, she couldn't get out from under his pressure that was until Borazon came rushing out with his own axe chopping at the guys arm but missing as the Bandit moved back just in time.
"You! Traitor!" The Green bandit screamed at Borazon as he attacked him.
"Me? I left to raise my grandson." Borazon yelled
"You were a Storm Cloak!"
"Not after Ulfark accused my boy of siding with the Empire because he won't join the Storm Cloaks. Ulfark order his men to burn my son's farm with him, his wife and unborn child in it." Borazon screams as he slices at the green bandit's head.
Chrissy was about to try and help but stops at the Bandit next words.
"He was a traitor just like you. You left before we burned your kids place to the ground." The Green Bandit laughed as he dodged Borazon attack than took a swing at Borazon.
"You helped to burn my boy!" Borazon cries out as he slapped away the axe with his own than back hands the bandit in the face causing him to stagger back.
The green bandit spit out blood than sneers at Borazon. "Of course, I did traitor!"
"I am no traitor, but you are murder of my boy!" Borazon angrily yells out.
"You left the night before we were attacked by a band of Legionnaires!" The green bandit yelled.
"Captain Ralih ordered me that morning to scout the northwest area and that's where I was and what I was doing. When I returned, I found what was left of our men being killed by those so-called Legionnaires, but they weren't. They were mercenaries dressed as Legionnaires. You were nowhere to be found. Where were you? You, Kazaron, are no orc. A true orc would have stayed behind and fought to the dying end for an honorable death! Instead, I find you here and now with these bandits killing innocent people along the road!" Borazon sneered at Kazaron.
"I am an orc! And that is why those stupid humans are dead!" Kazaron tells.
"You are playing both side!"
"No, I am having more humans kill each other!" Kazaron laughs
"Not anymore!" Borazon yells as he slices off Kazaron's left leg than his right.
"You can't do this!" Kazaron screams out in pain.
"I am going to watch you die a slow and unhonorable death." Borazon said as he watched with cold eyes one of the men who murdered his son slowly dying before his eyes.
"He is the one who raped momma and killed my pa." Samuel screamed as he ran past his grandfather and started kicking Kazaron. Samuel kicks so much, what was left of Kazaron fell over the cliff and into the raging river below than it fell over a 300 ft waterfall.
Nothing was said as Borazon took his crying grandson into his arms for a hug. To give them some privacy Chrissy heads up the ramp that Kazaron had come and check to see if anyone else was there. She was thankful that no one else was up there on the first level she then heads up to the last level through a rickety staircase. It is here on this highest level she takes a deep breath and looks around. To her far right she thinks she makes out a city but is not sure. And for the first time in her life the height didn't scare her as she stared towards the setting sun.
After about an hour she heads down and to see if two were still hugging. The rain that had left return but brought a friend for lighten flash and thunder boom not too far off. Chrissy figured they should make plans to stay the night. Heads out the door to go down the ramp she notices 2 overflowing rain barrels and next to them falling off the sheer Cliff was a torrent of water. Using this freshwater coming off the cliff Chrissy does her best to clean off the blood all over her. The thought of staying near the dead bothered her so after cleaning off as best she could she had it out to deal with them. To her surprise she finds to Borazon was already picking through the bodies. To see if there was anything they could use.
"Looks like we are staying." Chrissy says to which Borazon who just nodding in agreement. "You know I can take care of the bodies."
"No. I can do it. This is Janus he was another one of those that killed.. Why don't you gather stuff from here. This place seems to be the best to weather out the storm." Borazon says
"What about Samuel?"
"I set him to find anything we could use and bring it here."
"Nelly?"
"I'll take care of her when I deal with the others." Borazon replies with a haunting voice that spoke volumes of the pain he was feeling. It was that tone that Chrissy new all too well as one who had to deal with the death of family and those that caused it.
"Okay. See you in a few." Chrissy says even though she wants to say more but knows there was nothing she could say that would help. Because of the previous conversation Chrissy understood that what had happened was very emotional for him and it was something he had to deal with on his own because there was nothing she could do. She did understand what it meant to lose someone because of the bringers killing her parents.
Chrissy heads back up the ramp and comes back to the main level to better check the area. She checks the large table had 4 bread loathes, 6 raw carrots, a box of salt that contained with 4 pinches. Her nose catches the smell of roasting meat over a crackling fire inside a stone fireplace. On shelves were some large wheels of cheese. Off to one corner she sees a large bed like what she woke up in. On a night stand next to the large bed Chrissy finds a journal belonging to the fallen bandit leader Kazaron, along with several wanted posters. She immediately recognizes the bandit leader and a couple of the others on the posters.
Chrissy picks up the journal and posters placing them on the main table in the room for Borazon to read later. Heading back towards the bedroom area she discovers that on the other side of the wardrobe are two Single small beds. Each had a night stand next to it that contained unlit candles.
Seeing rain coming down from the top Chrissy goes up and closes the hatch. As she was coming down the step, she notices several chests hidden under the stairs behind some old wood barrels. Chrissy opens the first barrel and finds 5 dried large roast leg of goat. She moves it to the side and opens the next half full of about 20 apples and 10 cabbages, 15 carrots. The next barrel contained 30 bottles with a label saying Black bear Mead on them. She moves that barrel out of the way and pulled open the first small chest to fine it full of 12 leather bags filled with 200 coins each, several different charms, a large bag of various uncut gems. In the next chest she finds 1 huge white saber cat cloak and 1 large size saber black cloak along with several fine different sets of clothes of varies sizes and styles.
As she is looking at the clothes a noise startles her so badly, she picks up her sword from the floor where she had placed it and almost threw it at Samuel. A startled Samuel stumble through the door with a very large bag almost dropping it at Chrissy's reaction.
"Sorry. Here let me help you with that and put it on the table?" Chrissy said as she got up and helps Samuel with the bag that carried so much stuff that it was bigger than himself.
Chrissy and Samuel are placing the items from his bag and from the chests onto the table when the door is roughly kicked open and Chrissy goes for her sword but stops. A very drench Borazon, arms packed full of items, comes in followed by a wet Nelly slightly struggling with her cart which was way fuller than the last time Chrissy had seen it.
"The campfire is out. I stripped the bodies and hid them. On the way back I barricaded the doors from the inside of the other tower and this one so we shouldn't be disturbed. "Borazon informs them as he drops his load of items next to the table.
"That's great. There is some meat roasting on the fire. I was just about to cut up some cheese and bread. I also found some mead if you're interested." Chrissy says as she shuts the door behind him. Samuel gives his grand father a quick hug then runs over to Nelly and proceeds to unload her cart and place the items next to the table.
"Yes. I am. Thank you." Borazon says as he sits down for a moment.
"I'll get busy on setting up for the food. Take a breather for a few than why don't you two get cleaned up a little before we eat." Chrissy says as she nods towards Borazon's bloody shirt.
After a few minutes Borazon grabs up a few sets of new clothing from the table and a bar of what look like old style lie soap from the bottom of the cart. He then motions for his grandson to come with him and they step outside. While the two were outside getting cleaned up Chrissy quickly chops up several heads of cabbage, carrots and apples, places them in a big metal bowl then sets it in front of Nelly who happily starts eating. She then proceeds to pull the large, big roast off the fire and place it on a metal plate in the middle of the table. She fills 3 metal cup she found on a shelf with water and gets out a bottle of the mead she had found earlier. She then starts to fill three plates with a helping of cooked meat, baked potatoes that she found next to the fire, some carrots, bit of the cabbage, some slice cheese and a couple small loaves of bread. Just as she finishes Chrissy sees the Borazon and Samuel walk in and gives out a whistle of appreciation towards the two.
"Why did you do that?" Borazon asks.
"Because you two look a lot nicer than earlier. I would say you two could almost pass as gentlemen." Chrissy explains with a smile as she nods towards Borazon's nicely fitting shirt and new breachers, along with Samuel's clothes even though they were bit big for him, but they were in far better condition than what he had been wearing.
"I can't say the same about you passing as a lady in your current garb." Borazon remarks back as he looks over her makeshift, mismatched, armor and clothing that was still slightly covered in blood.
"I didn't have any soap if you guys wanna finish up I'll get cleaned up. I'm not sure what I can change into." Chrissy remarks while eyeing the clothes on the other side of the table.
To which Borazon holds up a bar of soap and hands it to her. While Samuel runs over to the clothes and picks a light blue woman's fine tunic and gives it to her. Chrissy starts to blush at the twos gifts but takes them from them and gives them a kiss on the cheek each just before she heads out the door to get cleaned up.
"I am glad we met her." Samuel tells his grandfather while he pets Nelly.
"You and me both. I honestly don't think we would have been able to take this bandit group down if she had not been with us". Borazon remarks as he looks over at the large pile of armor, he had taken off the group in disbelief.
"You could have beaten them all by yourself." Samuel states easily as he looks at his grandfather with pride.
"Maybe in my youth but not at this age because I'm sure feeling it." Borazon says as he cracks his shoulder with a loud pop. "There is something special about that young woman. I have fought alongside and against strong women before in the past but none as strong or as fast as her. She seems a pit reserved about talking about it. Let us not push but if she want to talk we will listen without judgement?"
"Okay. I like her. Do you think she'll stay with us?" Samuel asks as he walks over table.
"I don't know. But to be honest I think she has a greater calling. We are privileged to know her. Let us enjoy our time we have with her and cherish it." Borazon tells his grandson as he ruffles the boys hair causing him to smile.
Behind the shut door outside Chrissy grumbles to herself while she is stripping out of the makeshift armor. "Well at least its dark so no one can see.. Damn, it's getting cold…" She was glad that she had a type of linen bra and panties on but stripped out of them too. Biting her cheek, she quickly drenches her whole body in the water coming off the mountain rocks. "Shit that water is freezing." Chrissy hisses when she steps out and quickly uses the soap to lather her body up then quickly rinses it off. She than puts her under garments back on followed by the new outfit Samuel had given her.
"Damn I need a hairbrush." Chrissy remarks while trying to brush out her hair with her fingers just before she heads back in and is greeted by Borazon and Samuel giving off a whistle in appreciation at the beautiful sight before them.
With a slight blush Chrissy does a complete 360 to show of the light blue tunic dress that completed her form in every way. "Thank you so much Samuel you picked out the perfect size and color." Chrissy says.
"I thought it matched your eyes. You are welcome." Samuel quietly replies.
It was at that moment that Chrissy's stomach demands food.
"Why don't we eat?" Borazon laughs.
The three finds a seat at the table while Nelly munches on her cabbage and carrots. As Chrissy is about to dig in, she is stopped by the two others staring at her. "What?" Chrissy asks as she is about to take a big bite of the roast meat.
"We should give thanks to Talos for not just surviving the battle but winning it." Borazon says.
"Okay who is Talos and how do we give thanks?" Chrissy asks
"Talos was once a man known as Tiber Septim who founded the Empire and withstood the voices of the greybeards to learn one of the prophecies. He became known as the Dragonborn thus making him upon his death the greatest hero god."
"I didn't believe in a god until I saw the evil out there and how God gave us heroes. I am not talking about those with powers but regular beings who just step up." Chrissy tells them as she thought back to her friends back on earth both human and non. "So, if you are honoring a hero, I am cool with that."
"Yes, we are by the battle we had and this feast. Talos thank you for this bounty and friends! Praise be to Talos!" Borazon says.
"Praise be to Talos." Samuel repeats
Chrissy mumbles the same. They all start to dig in until. "Where is yours and Samuel's mead?" Borazon asks.
"Where I come from ones under a certain age aren't allow to drink, I didn't know if that applied here." Chrissy says.
"You both were great warriors in battle today you deserve a warrior's drink." Borazon says as he gets up and walks towards the barrels and glances in to each one until he finds the barrel containing the mead bottles. Borazon grabs up to and places one before each of them.
"Thanks." Chrissy says as she opens hers and takes a small sip of the mead followed by a huge drink of water.
Samuel follows suit expect he takes a deep drink and coughs up the whole swallow. His grandfather just laughs a little and speaks. "You'll get used to it boy."
"Don't worry I'm not much of a drinker either." Chrissy whispers to the boy with a wink as she takes another small drink with a huge drink of water after.
Samuel copies Chrissy example but still give a small cough after the first sip.
"I am a little worried." Chrissy states between bites as she is staring at the loot they had.
"About?" Borazon asks after finishing off his bottle of mead and opening another.
"All this stuff. It's stolen could be arrest for, having it?" Chrissy says as she points at their haul.
"No." Borazon finishing his plate then begins to add more food to it.
"Are sure?" Chrissy asks again to think about all the times her and the turtles set up thieves to be caught by the cops by making sure they were tied to their ill-gotten gains.
"Yes, it's the law of bounty here." Borazon simply answers.
"The law of what?"
"The Law of bounty. If there is a bounty on a bandit anything they steal becomes part of the bounty." Borazon says as he holds up the wanted posters.
"What if they didn't have a bounty?" Chrissy asks and she fills up her empty plate.
"A bounty or not if they are a bandit their illegal gotten gains become their bounty." Borazon explains after a big swallow of mead. "If someone wants to contest what you have. They have first chance to buy it back but they must have put out a bounty for items return long before it surface back up they and would have to go before a jarl and have them request it back if you don't sell it back to them."
"How .. don't know … law of Bounty?" Samuel asks with a mouth full of food.
"I am sorry I didn't understand you with your mouth full of food." Chrissy laughs.
"I ask how come you don't know about the Bounty law?" Samuel asks after he gups down his mouth full of food.
"Well, I am from a really long way away." Chrissy answers as she is about how much of her past should she reveal.
"How far away?" Samuel asks.
"I am not sure exactly but really far away." Chrissy answers which causes Borazon to look at her questionably.
"And you don't have the bounty law?" Samuel asks in awe.
"Nope." Chrissy says as she licks the juice from the meat off her fingers.
"Then what happens to the bandits and what they steal?" Samuel asks as he copies her.
"The police investigate the crime and arrest the person responsible. They go to court and the court determines what happens to them and the items." Chrissy explains.
"What are police?"
"They enforce the laws and arrest criminals, like bandits and murders." Chrissy answers.
"So, they are like those so-called Peacekeepers we have." Borazon spits out.
"I take it you don't like them." Chrissy says as she hears the venom in his voice.
"No." Borazon sneers.
"I understand but remember they aren't perfect." Chrissy says between bites. "So, Samuel what do you want to do when you get older?"
"I thought about joining the Storm Cloaks before but… I am thinking about joining the Empire." Samuel says at his last statement Borazon slightly cringes.
"I understand. Maybe there is another option." Chrissy says as she sees Borazon's reactions.
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Just remember if you keep your eye open for options is all." Chrissy answers.
"What about you?"
"I am just going to try and find a way home. I just don't know where to start." Chrissy answers honestly with a look of sadness.
"Well, there is where you start." Borazon tells her.
"What?"
"Simple. Samuel asked you where you are from. Start there." Borazon tells her as with a look saying, "You can trust us."
"I am from the United States of America." Chrissy answers thinking. "Telling them that much info can't hurt."
"Where on Tarmial is that?" Samuel asks.
"I don't think it's on what you call Tarmial. I am from the planet Earth." Chrissy answers
"Ouch. That really must be far." Borazon says with a belch and laugh.
"You don't seem surprised?" Chrissy asks.
"We have various types of beings here and they don't all come from here. Some stay some well I don't know they just aren't here anymore." Borazon says with a strange look on his face but than asks. "Do you know how you got here?"
"No. I just remember waking up in a prison locked prison cell. Do you know how where they went? Or how they got there?" Chrissy says as she decides just to tell them.
"No, I don't all I know is they are gone. I don't even know if they left or just died. What prison?"
"I don't know the name of it but everyone else was dead in it. It collapsed in a storm and some of the prisoners tried to escape during it."
"How do you know that if you were locked in a cell?" Samuel asks as he finishes his plate with a belch.
"I found some notes. One was from the prisoners and another from the guards." Chrissy answers as she takes a drink of water.
"How did you get out of the cell?" Borazon asks as he stands up and straightens his back.
"That is the weird part. I swear I heard a woman's voice from a statue ask me what I wanted for a second life. I just said I wanted out so I can get home to my brother." Chrissy explains as she leans back in her chair.
"What was the statue wearing?" Borazon asks as he finishes off his second mead and sits down.
"Well, she was dressed in some kind of hooded robe and standing like this." Chrissy says as she gets up and demonstrates the way the statue had been posing.
"The statue sounds like of Lady Mara is Divine of Light, Life, Chance and so much more. Then what?" Borazon explains.
"3 lockpicks suddenly appeared on the table I was sitting next to. I used them to get out of the cell. When I got out of the cell there were ghosts, I had to fight. I gathered what I could. I did find my old back pack. When I finally got out, I fought some vampires then met you and Samuel." Chrissy tells them.
"From what you said and where we were I figure you came out the old Empires prison?" Borazon deduces as he takes a drink of water.
"I guess." Chrissy says with a shrug.
"There was rumor about one collapsing over a hundred years ago." Borazon tells her.
"With way you ask questions you should be a police detective." Chrissy tells he with a bright smile.
"What's that?" Samuel asks.
"A police detective investigates crimes they are usually above a regular police officer who patrols the streets." Chrissy explains as she ruffles his hair.
"Interesting thought." Borazon says.
"What about you Borazon what's your plan?" Chrissy asks.
"Samuel and I were going to visit an old friend of mine in Falls Creek to look for work. He is the Jarl. So, I might be able to work for him. If I work long enough for him, I might be able to purchase a place to live." Borazon explains as he picks at some of the food.
"Why can't you just purchase land out right I am sure with the gold we got here you would have enough?" Chrissy asks.
"It's not that simple especially since the war began. The Jarls are the only one who can grant permission for individuals to purchase land. Most of them require you prove your loyalty to them and the community. Even with all this it may not be enough gold. Land isn't cheap. Then there is the cost of supplies to build." Borazon explains as he picks off his fingers.
"If you do get a place, what are you going to do with it?" She asks as stakes a sip of water
"I know a little about farming, but I know some about raising livestock, especially horses. It will be a better life than war and fighting." Borazon explains with afar off look on his face.
"True. Do you think this friend of yours might be able to help me?" Chrissy asks hopefully.
"He might. Though there is a rumor of trouble in his area." Borazon tells her.
"So that means you'll come with us?" Samuel happily says.
"For now. Why don't we go through the loot now so I can get so rest." Chrissy suggests with a yawn. "I am not much of a drinker why don't you take the mead."
"That's fine that black saber cat cloak is too small for me and too big for Samuel why don't you take it."
"Okay but only if Samuel takes this smaller fur cloak, I found early I just won't be able to handle the weight of both." Chrissy said causing Samuel face to light up at the thought of a fur cloak of his own.
"Since we'll be travel to gather for a little bit, we can store most of the food in Nelly's cart along with the armor we aren't going to use."
"Sounds good to me. I don't think my first garb would be good and as lovely as this is it won't last long in a fight so do you think there is any good armor I could have there?
"I' know!" Samuel says excitedly as he goes pulls out of the pile a few pieces.
"I love your taste." Chrissy says as she looks carefully at the pieces that consisted of a leather and black mail female chest piece that looked just a little too big in the front.
"Don't worry lass I am sure you'll grow into it." Borazon laughs which causes Chrissy to give him an evil glare than laugh too.
"Here too." Tommy says as he continues to get things out like a thick, black, fur lined, leather pants looked like they might be a little long but would fit well. Last but not least some thick leather black boots and hard greives to go with.
"This is great my turn to choose for you two." Chrissy says with a laugh at everything Samuel had piled on her. "Lets see you too only had that cart and few things on it but I am betting you need.."
"What do you think she'll choose for us?" Samuel asks his grandfather excitedly.
"I don't know."
"Here is a good strong leather backpack for each of you." Chrissy says. "Samuel here you are very good with bows so here is what looks an even better bow and about 40 arrows. You could be one hell of a sniper."
"What's a sniper?" Samuels says looking at his new bow.
"It's a person trained to take down the enemy from a distance and not be seen." Chrissy explains.
"Grandpa, here is I think you should have this." Samuel says as he grabs up the battle axe that belong to his parents' killer.
"Are sure?" Borazon solemnly.
"Yes. I know you will protect innocent people with it instead of killing them with it." Samuel beams at his grandfather.
Borazon takes up the axe and gives it a few swings. He then looks at it carefully and mumbles.
"What?"
"This has a spell on it. It says that it steals the strength from the it is being used against and gives it to the wielder." Borazon explains.
"Well, that explains." Chrissy sneers.
"Explains what?" Borazon asks.
"How he was so much stronger than the rest. That ass was using my own slayer strength against me."
Samuel asks. "What's a slayer?"
"Yes, speaking of which you are much faster and stronger than any warrior I have fought alongside. How is that. You don't carry any magical items that would do that." Borazon points out.
"Back home a chosen girl is given a little added boost of strength, speed, stamina, and weapons skill to be able to fight the undead. It was supposed be only one at a time, but an evil was killing off all those that might become chosen. With the help of a powerful good witch all those that could did become slayers and we took the fight to him. There was a big battle and I got injured and thought I was going to die but my bike saved me and somehow I am here." Chrissy explains.
"That explains why the vampires got upset with us and demanded to know where the chosen one was." Borazon tells her.
"They must have sensed my arrival. I sure could sense them." Chrissy disgustingly remarks.
"Then you're being here is no mistake."
"Great I just want to get home." Chrissy cries out in grief as she still has not had much time to grieve the loss of her parents and her worry for her brother as she didn't even know if he had made it to their grandpa's.
"What's a bike?" Samuel asks
"It's like a metal horse."
"We haven't seen a metal horse."
"I think I feel it but it's far away." Chrissy says after she takes a deep breath and reaches out for her link with the bike.
Seeing her grief Samuel decides its best to get back to splitting the loot. "Hey Chrissy, this sword is made of glass, and it too has a blessing of something on it."
Borazon looks at the ruins on it as says. "Makes the blade wielder stealthier."
"Cool that will help but it looks very breakable."
"Glass is actually stronger than iron and steel."
"Wow."
"But it is also very rare."
"So, it would make me more of a target.?"
"Just keep it sheath until you need it." Borazon says as he puts into a dark leather sheath and hands it to her.
"I'll take it but here Samuel you take this glass knife. I already have a knife and you can use it like a sword until you get bigger."
"Thank you." Samuel beams.
"Grandpa look at this." Samuel says as he holds up a glass smoke pipe and small wood box filled with some dry leaves.
"You can have that I don't smoke." Chrissy says as she steps back from the odor coming from the box.
"I haven't smoke that in years… It helps with aches." Borazon remarks at his grandson's gift.
"If it is anything like what we have back home it does more than that just don't get to wasted." Chrissy laughs.
"I'll save this just before we go to bed." Borazon says as he gently places them into a pouch on his belt.
By candle, torch and fire light they spent the next few hours eating, drinking and splitting their new loot. Laughter boom throughout the tower when Samuel tried to fit into some armor that was way too big for him. Chrissy even taught Samuel how to stitch up his new pants and shirt so they would fit and when he got bigger, he could let them out so they would still fit. Borazon sees Chrissy eyes a nicely fitting thick belt which already had a few pouches sewn in it, so he puts it on her.
Samuel finds a leather armor shirt that he put on Nelly declaring her a war goat as he explained that a bandit had been sneaking up on him but Nelly headbutted him over the waterfall. After that Borazon declares that Nelly got to keep her new armor. Chrissy gave Samuel a big hug when he found a couple of bars of soap and gave her one. The boy blushed and his grandfather laughs. "Enjoy it while you can." Samuel just smiles back and tries to hold back a yawn, but it won out.
"I think it's time we turned in for the night. I am going look for a place to relieve myself." Chrissy yawns.
"Use the bucket on the side of the wall next to the stairs, that's what it is for. Samuel and I will go outside for a few minutes." Borazon says as he gets up, with Samuel following behind. Just after he opens the door, he lights up his pipe and goes outside.
Chrissy uses a candle to light the way to where Borazon said the bucket was. Bs the smell, Chrissy could tell he was right about what it was used for. She quickly does her business and realizes she has one problem. No toilet paper.
Seeing she has no choice she runs out to her old clothes and grabs them. Using her knife she slices her old burlap tunic into strips and uses one. She leaves the use strip in the bucket and two others on a table next to the bucket for her companions. Back in the main she puts the rest of the strips into one of the pouches on her pack. It was a few minutes later the males come back in.
"Has it stopped raining?"
"No."
"Then how are you so dry?"
"We just stayed under the overhang." Samuel answers.
"Samuel and I can take the smaller beds and you can have the bigger." Chrissy says as she places her backpack and other things next to the far small bed.
"If, you are sure?"
"Yeah, I am sure." Chrissy answers as she climbs into the bed and covers up with her new cloak. Unnoticed by Samuel but not by Borazon Chrissy slips a knife under her pillow.
Samuel follows suit but climbing into his own bed under his new cloak. While Borazon checks the bar on the door than heads for bed but places his new battle axe close than gets under his own new cloak. Nelly lays down in front of the door as if she is on guard while munching on what was left of the cabbages and carrots.
Samuel woke screaming at the crack of loud thunder that shook the tower. Chrissy jumps out of bed with her knife ready to slice and dice anyone when she heard him screaming. A half dress Borazon came running around the wardrobe battle axe ready to behead an intruder. While Nelly just laid in her spot, eating a cabbage leaf while looking at the dumb humans.
When Chrissy sees it's Samuel being scared because of the storm she lowers her knife.
"Samuel it's okay." Chrissy says as she carefully approaches the young man.
"No, it's not. I am scared and I shouldn't be." Samuel sniffs.
"Who says you shouldn't be? Storms scare me too. Plus, I really don't like heights." Chrissy tells him.
"Really?" Samuel asks in disbelief.
"Yeah, just ask your gramps." Chrissy answers.
"Yeah, she's hates height so much I had to yell at her to move." Borazon says as puts down the axe walk over to the table and grabs up a jug full of water and pours some into a cup. He then hands the cup to his grandson. "We all get scared."
"Even you?" Samuel asks after drinking some of the water.
"Yeah, even me." Borazon answers a he sits next to his grandson.
"What are you scared of?"
"I lost your grandma. I lost your father, and I am scared of losing you." Borazon tells him.
"I love you too, and I am scared of losing you too." Samuel says as he hugs his grandpa.
"Why don't you two stay in the big bed." Chrissy says as she urges them towards the other part of the room. The two follow her suggestion and head for his bed.
Chrissy just smiled at how much the gruffy warrior cared for his grandson. Chrissy put another log on the fire than headed back to bed. Chrissy tosses and turns most of the night but mainly laid in bed listening to the sound of Nelly eating and Samuel occasionally kicking Borazon who would take it in stride that is until he got kicked in a not so fun place for a male. This made her both smile and sad as she remembered the nights she stayed with her little brother when he would wake up from nightmares. Tears started free falling from her eyes and there was nothing she could do about it. The memory of losing her mom and dad within moments of each other filled the empty blackness of the room. Tommy screaming the blood both human and non.
Authors Notes: What fate awaits ? More to come.. I know I am doing a lot of reloads of the chapters but it's only to correct errors, make it flow better expand area's that didn't sound right. Enjoy.