Of Shadows and Dragons
by TheLastWaltz
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is the property of Hideaki Anno, Gainax, Studio Khara, et al. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, is the property of Todd Howard, Bethesda Gameworks, Zenimax Media Inc., et al. I'm not making any money off this fic, but if asked to remove this story, I will.
Indicates either speech through a radio or thought speech.
Chapter 2: Maya Pt. 1
Cold. That was Maya's first thought as the frigid temperatures shocked her awake. Opening her eyes, she instantly shut them as the salt water stung her eyes. She held what little breath she had left as she kicked for the surface, which was mercifully close. Her head breaking above the waves, Maya swiftly looked around and saw that the shore was also close by. The air above the surface was just as cold, causing Maya's teeth to chatter as she struggled to find the energy to propel herself to the shoreline. The cold was rapidly sapping her strength, but the effort managed to generate enough body heat to keep her moving. Carried further towards the land by the waves, Maya's boots dug into the rocky terrain, her shoes crunching loudly against the sea gravel. She fell to her knees, the small pebbles cutting into the fabric of her tan uniform slacks. Her body pitched forward, coughing and hacking up any of the brine she might have taken into her lungs and gut. She shakily rose to her feet and looked around, taking note of what looked like an old shipwreck to her right. Aside from that, Maya saw only slate-gray mountains, clusters of tall pines, the walls of a small city to her left, and to her right, a lighthouse, barely visible in the distance through a thick cloud of fog.. Maya wrapped her arms around herself, shivering as the wind began to pick up. Knowing she needed to find shelter soon, Maya headed towards the shipwreck. As she drew closer, she noticed a small raft of flotsam floating in the water next to the shore. A collection of deck planks, crates, and what looked to Maya like three massive rats. The ship loomed larger in her vision upon her approach. The ship's timbers were heavily weathered, and starting to crumble. A deep gash was evident in her hull, the edges of the hole poking out just above the surf.
Maya rounded the prow of the ship and noticed a large rock formation that appeared to be perfectly level with the top deck at its pinnacle. The name of the ship was carved into the timbers just below the top deck.
"The Brinehammer…" Maya whispered before turning around at the sound of shifting sea pebbles, seeing only a fat, walrus-like creature with three tusks pausing to regard her with casual disinterest, letting out a loud snort before continuing to waddle on its way. Nonplussed by the beast, Maya gripped the first level of rock and hauled herself up, doing her best not to slip on the slick rocks. Steadily she climbed, the soles of her boots thankfully providing enough purchase to assist her in her ascent. Reaching the top of the rocks, Maya looked around at the terrain and up to the sky. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, Maya estimated that the time of day was roughly mid-morning. As the day brightened, Maya could see another ship off in the distance, its sail still furled. To her right, the lighthouse was now even more visible, its fire still burning brightly. There was also a massive stone arch, upon which sat a blue building whose details Maya was still too far away to see. Maya turned to look behind her and saw only a vast ocean with islands of ice and bare dirt. Sighing to herself, Maya stepped onto the deck with a grunt as she compensated for the boat's severe list. Visually scanning the deck, Maya found nothing of worth before heading into the sheltered section that sat in the middle of the deck. Upon entering, Maya saw nothing worthwhile there either, save for a flight of stairs that led below decks. Deciding to follow the stairs downwards, Maya reached the door in a few moments. Twisting the knob, the door remained shut. Trying again with a little more force, the lock slowly gave way, squeaking against the salt and moisture induced rust that had stiffened it's internal mechanism. Bumping the door open with her shoulder, letting out a small grunt, Maya staggered back as the smell of human decomposition hit her like a physical wall. Lifting the collar of the black turtleneck she wore under her uniform jacket, Maya stepped inside the heart of the ship.
Reaching into the inside pocket of her jacket, Maya fished around for where her miniature flashlight would have been, only to find nothing. Cursing, Maya dug further into her pocket. Still nothing. Apparently the Angels had deprived them all of whatever modern technology they had with them before depositing them wherever the hell they are now. There were some torches and oil lamps still burning, but they light they gave off was dim at best. Grimacing, Maya stepped forward and pulled one of the torches from its brace on the wall, raising it above her head. Moving around the corner, Maya found a tall standing cupboard, bolted to the wall. Yanking open the drawers and the main compartment, she found little save for some rolls of fabric, wooden plates, and crude iron flatware. Using the torch she held to relight an oil lamp on the ceiling, Maya saw she was in the ship's dining room. That explained the table service in the cupboard, she reasoned, as she moved back to the hall she had just left. She kept moving forward, opening a couple of barrels along the way, finding several apples, one of which she took a bite of, only to spit out as it had definitely gone sour. She also found equally rotten cabbages and tomatoes, and a sack of flour infested with weevils. Further down the hall, Maya let out a sharp yelp as she came face to face with her first dead body. Next to the body, on the left and right respectively, were a dark wooden shield, braced with iron, an iron dagger, and a spear made of wood and iron, with leather strips wrapped around the shaft from the base of the blade all the way down to the hilt of the shaft. The body itself was already too badly decomposed to determine how it died, but it appeared that the body was a female, roughly Maya's size. Hearing some faint scratches and series of clicks behind her, Maya whirled around and saw an exceptionally large gray crab with a body shaped like a rock scuttling towards her. Maya shrieked loudly and leapt backwards as the crab continued to advance, picking up its pace and taking a swipe at her with one of its large, heavy claws. The junior lieutenant cocked her arm back and hurled the torch at the crab, which let out a shrill cry and backed away from the heat as Maya's throw was dead on, hitting the crab in the face. Maya's eyes flicked between the body and the crab, and made her choice. Sprinting forward, Maya grabbed the spear, grunting at it's heft, and stabbed the blade towards the crab, giving its shell a glancing blow. The crab lunged forward again as Maya pulled the spear back for another strike. The claws nipped at Maya's feet as she spun the staff end over end, bringing the heavy blunt rear of the staff down on the crab's shell. The strike hit home with an audible crack, the crab visibly wounded and disoriented as Maya righted the spear and drove the blade through the crack and twisted. A jet of black ichor spurted from the wound and the crab finally lay still. Panting with exertion, Maya pulled the blade free and leaned against the wall before finally resuming her search of the ship. She bent over and picked up her torch, which was thankfully still burning, before finding another cupboard to rummage through. This time, Maya found a book.
"Catalogue of Armor Enchantments?" Maya mumbled to herself. Enchantments? She wondered to herself as she cracked the book open. Suddenly, her vision swam and she felt wobbly on her feet as her mind filled with the knowledge of various enchantments and how to apply them. Was that magic? Maya queried herself, but having the sinking suspicion that it was. When Maya was a child, her parents had taken her to see a magician, but even then she had known that those tricks were just sleight of hand and misdirection. The angels on the other hand, had dropped her in a world where magic was a genuine and potent force. Exhaling slowly, Maya put the book back where she had found it, before continuing aft. She soon found another of those damned crabs, but made short work of that one, despite the spear being still cumbersome in such small quarters. Luckily, in this cabin Maya found a small end table next to the bed, which contained a pouch with fifty septims inside. Opening the small leather bag, Maya took out one of the coins and looked at it. Given that it had the profile of a man's face stamped on the front, Maya assumed it was the heads side of the coin. "The Empire is Law. The Law is Sacred." Maya read quietly, before flipping the coin over, noting the odd insignia of what looked like a dragon. "Praise be Akatosh, and all the Divines." Humming in consideration, Maya put the coin back in the pouch and set the pouch on top of the table. On the opposite side of the room was another large cupboard fastened to the wall. Walking over to that piece of furniture, Maya dug around again, finding what looked like some rudimentary blue robes, cinched with a leather belt and collar, with bandages along the arms. Next to the robes were a pair of fur-lined boots. Seeing as how it was the only usable clothing she'd found and her uniform was now dried and scratchy from the salt water, chafing her in a deeply personal manner, Maya peeked her head out of the cabin briefly to ensure no one was around to watch. 'Not that I've seen a single person since I arrived.', Maya thought to herself before shutting the door and stripping out of her uniform. Her boots might not be too out of place, but the rest of her uniform certainly would be, judging by the rudimentary armors and clothes she'd seen on the corpses of the people on this ship. Maya folded her uniform neatly, before pulling on her new robes, feeling an incredible rush of power, like a bolt of electricity from her head to her toes, as she got dressed. Something at her very core felt stronger, but simultaneously angrier and more violent. The feeling unsettled Maya, but she chose to simply deal with it as she looped the dagger into her belt before she opened the cabin door and stepped out.
Picking up her torch once more, Maya kept moving towards the rear of the ship, coming upon the corpse of someone who was apparently crushed by shifting cargo. One of the crates had broken open, and inside it appeared to be an empty knapsack. Reaching inside the crate, careful not to cut herself on the jagged wood, Maya snatched the bag and looped it over her shoulder. Behind the fallen crates sat a few rocks that had seemingly fallen from a shelf mounted on the wall. Picking one of the stones up, Maya saw veins of metal running through the rock. Deciding not to weigh herself down too much, Maya left them behind and followed the passage around a bend to the opposite site of the wreck. Another mudcrab came out of the second room to her left. This time, Maya used the spear to flip the crab over, then speared it through the underside. Proceeding into the next cabin, Maya found an unlocked chest with another twelve septims. Adding those to her purse, Lieutenant Ibuki followed the hall to the end, where she found one cupboard tossed onto its side, where it had trapped someone beneath it, if the skeleton was anything to go by. Inspecting the detritus from the bookcase, Maya found some books. "Horror of Castle Xyr, Imperial Report on Saarthal, Nords Arise, Song of the Askelde Men.." Maya set these aside as the glint of something blue caught her eye. Moving aside a wooden bowl that had fallen on top of the object, Maya found a medium sized object, a three-tiered oval with strange designs, and a blue gem in the center. Reaching out to touch it, Maya felt another rush of power that left her feeling greatly invigorated. Lifting the item and turning it over, Maya read the inscription on the base. "Blessed be Kynareth, whose breath is the winds, and whose tears formed the sea." Maya set the sculpture back down, and turned around. Finding more barrels and another staircase down, Maya moved towards the stairs but stopped once she saw that they led down into the water. Deciding not to get wet a second time today, Maya turned around and explored those barrels as well, finding something that looked and smelled like salted beef, before heading back around the corner of the passage.
Shortly after, Maya exited the ship into the bright midday light. She exhaled and inhaled, taking in the scent of the sea. She decided to leave her uniform in the cabin where she had changed clothes. Lastly, she decided to take the fur boots as well. Not hearing the sound of any motors or engines, Maya correctly deduced that she would be walking everywhere. Figuring that the boots she arrived in had too much heel to be stable while walking on uneven terrain, she had ditched those as well. She hopped off the deck and back onto the rocks, following the path she'd previously taken up to the ship, back down to the shore. Though the clothing she'd picked up provided her with some degree of warmth, they did nothing to fill her stomach. Grumbling, Maya set off, deciding to make for the small town off to her left. After roughly fifteen minutes, Maya's feet finally touched the worn cobblestones of the poorly maintained road leading from Dawnstar to Solitude. Hearing the ringing sound of metal nearby, Maya ascended a small hill next to the road, but was immediately stopped by a lean man wearing armor of leather, studded with chain mail, and the same insignia of the dragon she'd seen on the back of the coins in her pouch.
"What's your business here, citizen?" he asked. Standing five feet, ten inches tall, the man cut an imposing figure as he stood in front of the nearly five-four lieutenant. "This is a military camp, not a place for civilians. Be on your way." he commanded, to which Maya briefly hesitated, hoping there wasn't a language barrier.
"Please forgive me, as I'm not from here. But I saw a town not far from here, and I'd like to know how to get there. Do you have a map you can spare?" Maya asked, silently thanking for the Angels for not leaving them incapable of communicating in a land she'd never seen before. The guard paused upon hearing her speak, then turned back around to face her.
"You're not from here?" he queried, then stopped as he finally took note of her features. "One of the Akaviri? By the eight! I'd never thought I'd ever meet one!" he exclaimed, looking at her in wonder. Akaviri? Maya thought. Apparently whoever they were were analogous to Japanese or other Asian races. Realizing he was staring, the soldier quickly regained his composure before continuing. "Unfortunately, I don't have a map to spare, but there are two cities near here. Dawnstar," he said, gesturing in the direction Maya was originally traveling. "And Solitude." he finished, gesturing towards the massive stone arch with the blue building atop it. "Dawnstar is closer, about half a day's walk, but smaller. Solitude is further, maybe a day and a half if you stick to the roads, but is a lot bigger, as it's the capital of Haafingar Hold, and the entire province of Skyrim. Thankfully, the roads have signs every so often, so you shouldn't lose your way too badly. How did you come here, if you don't mind me asking?" the soldier queried. Maya blinked, and tried to come up with a story, despite knowing she was a terrible liar.
"I'm a scholar. I was sailing to Skyrim for research when the ship I chartered was struck by a great storm. I was struck in the head by debris and thrown overboard. I was carried ashore by the tide, and now have nothing save these clothes and whatever coin I managed to scavenge from that shipwreck over there." she said, gesturing to where the Brinehammer sat. Well, at least it wasn't a total lie, Maya reasoned.
"I see…" the soldier stated, his eyebrow slightly arched. "Well, in any case, now you know where you are. I don't mean to pry, but how many septims do you have on you?" he asked. Instinctively, Maya took a step back and placed her right hand on her spear. The soldier snorted and then laughed for a few moments. "Hah! It's good to know you're at least a little self-aware. Some folk are fine to trust, but never tell someone you just met how green you are. Secondly, you weigh about as much as the air. I could knock you on your ass in three seconds flat. Lastly, my commander's standing four feet away from me, and has likely been listening in the entire time. You're not worth being put to death for robbing the citizenry and dishonoring the Empire." the soldier stated matter of factly. "In any case, if I were you I'd head to Dawnstar. Rooms and food are far cheaper than in Solitude. Capital cities mean capital prices. Take care, traveler." the soldier said, finally turning away
"Thank you." Maya said, turning away as well and descending the hill, back towards the road. Upon reaching a T-junction in the road, Maya did indeed find a sign with a lantern dangling from the top. Pausing to read the worn plaques of wood, Maya learned that if she turned left, she'd reach Dawnstar, Winterhold, and Windhelm. If she proceeded straight, she'd reach Dragon Bridge, Solitude, and Markarth. Deciding to follow the soldier's advice, Maya turned left and began following the road to Dawnstar. She made it halfway there, as the winds began to pick up, when she heard the sounds of growling coming from behind her on the right. Slowly, Maya turned around and saw the form of a snarling wolf. Grimacing, Maya lowered her spear into position. She could already tell this was going to be a much harder fight than the mudcrabs on the ship. No sooner did the thought cross her mind before she found herself tackled into the snow by a second wolf that had attacked her from the side and sank its teeth deep into her left wrist. Maya screamed loudly in pain and anger. Shit! She should have known there was more than one. Wolves are pack hunters. She should have known better! The two remaining wolves lunged, one of them sinking its teeth into her ankle, though the thick fur protected her from its piercing fangs, she could still feel the pressure of its bite. The final wolf circled around her and bit deeply into her shoulder through her robes. The wolves shook their heads violently, trying to tear the flesh from her body. Cursing her own stupidity, she yanked her dagger from its holster in her belt with her right hand, driving the knife to the hilt into the torso of the wolf that had latched onto her wrist. Her right hand coated in its blood, the wolf yelped and released Maya's wrist, limping away before collapsing into the snow, dead. Maya kicked the other wolf attached to her ankle in the snout, causing it to yelp and back away. Maya forced herself to her feet, with the last wolf now hanging off her back, still affixed to her shoulder from behind. She stabbed at one of its paws, causing it to let go. Cursing again, Maya realized that she needed to finish this fight quickly. The blood loss was making her a little wobbly. Growling back at the wolves with a rage she had never known before, Maya forced herself to lift the spear. Her teeth were grit as the wolves crouched to spring at her once again. The one she had kicked in the face leapt first and she thrust forward to meet its charge, spearing it through the throat, a jet of crimson exiting the back of its neck and dripping down the hilt of the blade. Shaking the wolf's corpse free, the last wolf limped in a circle around Maya instead. The wound to its paw proving too painful for the wolf to leap with. Maya shifted her stance, waiting for the wolf's next move. After what seemed like an eternity, it leapt for the last time. Maya was able to sidestep it this time, slashing at the wolf's side, causing the wolf to sail wide of Maya and impact the snowbank with a muted thud. Lieutenant Ibuki moved cautiously to the beast, which lay panting in the snow, its eyes glazed over. It glanced up at her, before its breathing began to slow. Maya raised her spear, and drove it downwards into its skull, putting an end to the wolf's suffering. Wincing at her own wounds, Maya tore one of the bandages from her forearm and tied it around her wrist to staunch the bleeding, which was now making her dizzy. Grunting, Maya now used her spear as a staff, using to to support her as she tried to make her way further down the road to Dawnstar.
After another half-hour of limp-walking, Maya felt her consciousness begin to waver. A steady trail of bloody droplets followed her from the site of the wolf attack. Just to the left side of the road sat a small round shelter. Maya shambled towards the building and found her way inside. Nothing but a skeleton with what looked like a halberd planted between its shoulder blades, a small knapsack, an empty fire pit, and a stone podium. Shaking her head, Maya staggered towards the knapsack and upended it, letting the contents fall to the floor. An odd collection of berries and plants, a small bottle, three medium sized bottles, some sort of crystal, and a pair of books. One with a gold laminated cover and what looked like a stylized bird design. The other book had a dark grey cover with what looked like a burning hand. Looking at the small bottle, Maya read the label. "Potent Potion of Health?" Swiftly, Maya yanked the cork out of the bottle and downed the whole thing, feeling a bright rush of energy. Suddenly, Maya's aches and pains had eased. Unwrapping her blood-soaked bandages, Maya saw that the wounds inflicted by the wolves had mostly disappeared. Going back to the gold book, Maya read the title on the spine. "Healing…". Maya opened the book, and felt another rush of energy that started in her heart and drifted down to her fingertips. The book in her lap then dissolved into blue motes of light. 'Heal', Maya thought to herself, raising her hand to the sky. Instantly, she found herself enveloped in a bright light, which found her aches and pains dissipating even more quickly. However, after a few seconds, the light disappeared, and Maya found herself even more exhausted. Sighing, she turned herself to the gray book. "Flames." she muttered, opening the book and experiencing her fourth burst of energy that day. The same violent impulse she'd felt when she'd put on the robes returned with a vengeance. Holding her arm straight out in front of her, she thought of a single word. 'Burn'. Suddenly, a jet of flame erupted from her hand and belched out from the entrance to her shelter. Yelping, Maya cut off the flame almost as soon as it started. Chuckling to herself nervously, Maya sat back down as her stomach began to growl. Ugh, she needed something to eat. Today had just been too fucking much in her opinion. Reaching into her bag, the junior lieutenant pulled out that chunk of salted beef she'd picked up on the Brinehammer. Holding it close to her nose, Maya took a whiff. It didn't smell rotten at least, so Maya took a bite and chewed it slowly, ready to spit it out if necessary. Deciding the taste wasn't all bad, the beef had a grassier flavor than the meat back in Tokyo-3. Probably owing to all the synthetic feed they used back there. Still, the saltiness was overwhelming, and Maya needed something to wash it down with. Taking a look at the other bottles from the skeleton's bag, she took a quick glance at the labels. All of them were labeled Black-Briar Meadery. Maya had heard of mead, but never had the opportunity to try it. Slowly, she uncorked the bottle and took a swig. The sweetness of the honey coupled with the slight alcoholic burn offset the saltiness of the beef. There was too much meat for her to eat in one sitting, so she stashed the rest in her bag, along with the other two bottles of mead. The sun was starting to lower in the sky, and Maya hoped to make it to Dawnstar before dark. Grunting, Maya raised herself back onto her feet and left the shelter. Back on the road in seconds, Maya finally made it to Dawnstar by 7 pm. She would have made it sooner, but was rendered completely awestruck at the sight of Masser and Secunda in the heavens. A world with two moons. Maya could have scarcely imagined how beautiful such a thing could be. Or how beautiful the universe in general was. Sure, Hubble had sent back plenty of photos, but to be out here, experiencing it for herself was something entirely different.
Maya walked into the Windpeak Inn, taking note of the simple wood interior, with long benches on the sides of the room and a long central fire pit down the middle of the room. Three small guest rooms were also there, two on the left and one on the right. Behind the barkeep was a staircase heading down to the cellar.
"Welcome to the Windpeak Inn! We got warm food, a warm fire, and warm beds!" called out Thoring, a Nord of medium height with brown hair that was prematurely balding. Maya blinked and walked over to Thoring's wooden counter.
"Thank you." Maya replied. How much for a bath and a bed?" she asked, looking over at him politely.
"About thirty septims, miss." he replied, to which Maya nodded and fished out the requisite money, laying the small stack of coins on the counter. Thoring made a quick job of counting the gold and then reached under his counter and laid two keys on top. "The one on your left is for the bath, the right is your room." he said, gesturing to the closest room on Maya's left. "The bath is in a separate room in the cellar." he said. "Have a pleasant evening." he said, beginning to wipe down the counter. As Maya descended the stairs, she could have sworn she heard him excitedly whispering something about the Akaviri. Sighing, Maya opened the cellar door, then the bathing room door. Closing and locking it behind her, Maya stripped once more, leaving her robes in the basket. Examining the places where she had been wounded, Maya realized that while the wounds had healed, there were still some visible marks on her skin. Not deep enough to be scars, but she definitely didn't have those blemishes before. Turning her attention to the bath itself, Maya noticed that there was no separate area for washing. Instead, much like western baths, you had to clean yourself in the same water you soaked in. Grumbling, Maya stepped into the mercifully hot water and sighed happily. There was a variety of soaps with different colors and scents. On a whim, she chose the blue soap, feeling strangely energized, before realizing the different soaps must each have different magical effects. Putting that aside for now, Maya simply soaked in the water for a few minutes before exiting the giant wooden tub. Dressing herself again, she left the bathing room and headed upstairs, aware that all eyes were on her as she heard the whispers continue. Deciding rather to go directly to her room than stay outside and mingle, she closed and locked the door behind her again. She dropped her knapsack off on the chair next to the small table in her room. She then took off her boots and dropped them next to the cupboard in her room before seating herself on the edge of her small bed. She blew out the candle that sat on the end table next to her bed and curled herself under the fur blanket, immediately falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.
A/N: Chapter two! Yeah! We're now on our way. So, in this chapter, Maya's gone from the Wreck of the Brinehammer, to the Windward Ruins, to Dawnstar. I wanna thank everyone who read and those who reviewed. You folks are the best. Next chapter will be a Shinji and Rei chapter.