Chapter 9: Creatures in the Night

Justiciar Erundil...

Incredible. The Valley the Dragonborn had led us to was something to be admired for sure. I wasn't sure who created the archways and temples, but they were definitely impressive. They must have been made by one of the extinct species of mer. Certainly humans could not have made such wondrous monuments.

My men and I didn't stay long, however. We tracked the Dragonborn down and watched as her and her companions stepped through some sort of portal from the other end of the river. I recognised the woman with her. The Thalmor kept a record of the companions the Dragonborn travelled with, and this woman was one of her latest. As for the pale elf, I wasn't sure who he was. I was too far away to see him clearly, but the armour he wore was definitely unique. In fact, I had never seen anything quite like it.

My top priority was bringing back the Dragonborn alive, but I decided to wait. Where ever she was going was obviously important and could be valuable to the Thalmor. Considering the artefacts like the Staff of Magnus she seemed to acquire, there was no telling what powerful weapon she might be after. I didn't want to waste the opportunity.

It was dusk when I ordered the men to go through the portal. I and Corelas, my apprentice, followed shortly after. The mountain we were met with was unfamiliar to me. There were no tracks to follow as I guessed that they were swept away by the unwelcoming storm. I had a hunch that the Dragonborn and her company travelled down the mountainside in search of shelter, and so we did the same.

The storm never lifted, but like the superiorly bred mer that we were we endured the harsh conditions and found shelter in a half-buried cave. The men sat by the fire and I stayed close to the mouth of the cave, waiting for the storm to clear so we could carry on with our mission. If we hurried we could catch up with the Dragonborn before she was lost for good.

All of a sudden I heard an almost inaudible snap come from deep within the cave. The other men barely heard it; too preoccupied with their own thoughts. I on the other hand knew better. I didn't become one of the best agents the Thalmor had for over two centuries by just following orders. No, I had experience. Experience in survival and magic. I knew to never let my guard down, and to always expect the unexpected. Years of capturing and mercilessly killing those who opposed the Thalmor had not only gave me a reputation that was both feared and respected, but also enhanced my abilities. The splash of water; the light scrape of bone against the ground; the stench of blood in the air; I knew these all too well, and I knew almost immediately that we were not alone. The slight movement within the shadows made me realise what I had led us into. How could I make such a carless and fatal mistake? I should have known from the moment that we stepped into the cave what waited for us.

That's when it came: the deafening, ear shattering scream.

I had only heard that terrible wail once, and that was in the bowels of a Dwemer ruin. The morphed creatures were inhuman, sightless beasts that craved nothing but blood and violence.

One by one the creatures crawled out of the darkness. These were not the Falmer I had come across back in Skyrim. No, these were more elf-like. Their eyes weren't shut; their bodies weren't fully hunched over and some of them had traces of white hair that was still intact. However, they had deathly pale, blood stained skin, jagged fangs and gangly bodies.

"Men, to arms!" I yelled, but it was too late. The onslaught had already begun.

One of them sprung from the wall and snatched Corelas. He struggled to free himself from it's hold. With one precise move I swung my hand out and fire enveloped the creature. Corelas darted away from it. Lightening and ice formed in his hands and he began using his powers against the creatures. The rest of my men drew their swords and charged ahead.

I revelled in the cuts and gashes my blade made as it came in contact with the beast's skin; causing it to wail. More crimson painted the snow and cave walls with each slash. I took no time in burning them alive, blistering and melting their skin as swiftly as mead ignites when touched by fire. The beasts tried to retaliate, catching me off guard and lodging a dagger into my shoulder.

"You will die for that!" I yelled.

The sudden jolt of lightening from my hand threw the abomination far back and I took the chance to pull out it's dagger and plunge it into it's chest, aiming specifically for the heart. It gave one last pained growl before throwing it's head back and drawing it's final breath. However, the battle wasn't over.

Three more creatures remained, already have killed two of my men; their heads separated from their lifeless bodies. The anger and hatred grew within me, powering my attacks as I dealt heavy blows to the creature's heads and chests. I noticed that they wore parts of strange, almost elven-like armour, but there were obvious weakness points that I used to my advantage. I grabbed a nearby bone sword and swung it from left to right in a feeble attempt to distract them while I used my other hand to freeze the weak points of their armour. Once the points were frozen solid the armour clung to them, making it harder for the creatures to move. The rest of my men did the final attacks and it wasn't long before the creatures lay on the ground; as dead as humanly possible.

I gave a heavy sigh and ran my hand over my shoulder. I walked over to the nearest pack and gulped down the last health potion.

"Magnus give me strength, get this thing out of me!"

"Master Erundil, we must do something." Corelas insisted, motioning with his head to the injured guard.

On closer inspection I realised that the dagger in his side had already done too much damage. He held the bone dagger at the hilt as if it would somehow help with the pain. I bent over and forced the dagger from his rib. He cried out but I quickly silenced him with one swift slash to the throat. The other men stood stunned; not fully comprehending what I had done. I wiped the sweat from my brow and threw the dagger away.

"Better to die now, then to be a burden and kill us all."

I turned my attention back to the creatures.

"Why did you do that?" Corelas asked.

I shook my head and looked him in the eye. "We have no health potions and I am out of magicka. He would have died. Better to end his suffering now then let him endure it."

Corelas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What were those things?"

I bent over one of the bodies and examined it. "These differ from the Falmer I have come across. They have the physicality's of the Falmer, but the way they attack is different. These were weak."

"Weak? They killed three of your men!"

I nodded. "Maybe so, but you have not seen Falmer when are threatened or are on a hunt. The way these moved was sloppy. Normal Falmer are almost impossible to hear. They use not just their legs but also their hands to move about and are almost always in a crouched position. Look at their spines. They aren't curved. This suggests that these spend the majority of their time standing up right, like we do."

"What are you suggesting, sir?"

"I'm trying to say that maybe this is a primitive form of the Falmer that occupy the ruins of Skyrim."

His mouth dropped. "But, that's not possible. Is it?"

I gave a throaty chuckle. "Dragons have returned to the land of Skyrim after thousands of years and you still believe things can't be possible? A fool would ignore the evidence that is in front of them. I am no fool, Corelas. We better be more cautious. Something strange is at work here, and I intend to find out what."