Chapter Eighteen: Closing in on the Kill
"Everyone inside, quick!" Aldaril shouted to his crew as he jumped down from his drenched horse and ran onto the porch of the Sleeping Giant Inn. Most of the other Thalmor were already off of their horses and were quickly running up to the door. The storm continued to rage and the constant rain had flooded the river. The road had been covered with the spillover of the river and there was enough water to reach up pass their ankles. After the last man ran into the tavern, Aldaril quickly followed and slammed the door shut behind him. The Lead Justiciar did a quick scan of the room, noting that the place was full.
Most of them must've came in here when the river started to flood, Aldaril thought as he took off his helmet and propped it against his hip. The other Justiciars did the same, rain water still dripping off of their armor. The room was deafly quiet, like it had been at the Frostfruit Inn, but Aldaril was too exhausted to make a show like Erikour had done. With a stern nod towards the other inhabitants, Aldaril turned to his men and spoke in the Altmeri.
"Take a seat and relax. We're not going far until this storm blows over." Aldaril said, making his voice loud enough to be heard over the pounding of the rain. The soldiers nodded their heads and sat down at a few free tables as Aldaril continued to gaze around the room. The barkeeper, Orgnar, watched him from the corner of his eye as he conversed with an Orc woman. A smirk played across the Thalmor's lips as he placed his helmet on a table and walked over to the counter.
"Evening, citizens." Aldaril said, cutting off Orgnar's and the Orc's conversation. The barkeeper turned and openly glared at the golden elf, the smirk still on his golden lips. "I would like to rent a room for the night." Orgnar still glared at the elf before shaking his head.
"We're all out of rooms." The dark haired Nord said. Aldaril leaned forward on the counter, dropping a large bag of golden Septims onto it.
"There's three more bags where this came from if you send all of these people home." The Thalmor soldier. His gold-brown eyes flicked over to the Orc woman, noticing her odd gaze. Was that fear in her eyes? And if so, why should she be? Unless…
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. These people are here because it's safer here than in their own homes." Orgnar told Aldaril, returning his gaze back to the man. The Thalmor looked him over before standing up straight.
"Safer?" Ha, it's not safer here." Aldaril turned away from the barkeeper and looked out at all of the townspeople crowded into the inn. "Fair people of Riverwood, you are all in grave danger. I believe this man told you that it's safer here, correct?" The Thalmor shouted out over the drumming of the rain. A few people hesitantly nodded as others continued to glare at the gold skinned elf.
"Well, you have been lied to. I'm sure that all of you people realize that the river has flooded and that the second closest building to the river, besides the blacksmith, is this here inn. Now, I'm not sure if you all have realized but the water is already lapping at your front door and the floor boards will be soaked with water in only a few minutes." Aldaril explained, seeing some of the glares soften slightly.
"Now, I think it would be best for you all to go to the house that is the very farthest away from the river. If there are too many people, then the two farthest. But I believe that this man has told you to come here so he can line his pockets with your hard earned gold." The Thalmor pointed a finger at the innkeeper, feeling his open glare as the townspeople before him slowly realized that what he said was true.
"If it would make you all feel better, my men and I will escort you safely to the farthest house and make sure that you are all cozy." Aldaril said, seeing a few more people nod again. But a Bosmer man stepped forward, glaring at the Thalmor.
"How do we know this isn't some trick to raid our village?" The wood elf said, his fists on his hips. Aldaril shrugged before gesturing towards the door by waving his hand.
"Go ahead and open that door. I garauntee you that water will come in and wet all of your toes." He told them. The wood elf glared at the golden elf for a moment longer before walking to the door and opening it, a small surge of water flooding into the inn and splashing around the townspeople's feet. A few people shouted out at the feel of the cold water, the Bosmer turning to glare at the Thalmor soldier. He went to say something but a rumble of thunder drowned out his voice. The Bosmer turned away again and left the inn, the townspeople quickly following.
"Except for you, citizen." Aldaril said as he grabbed the Orc woman's arm and stopped her progress to the door. She turned her head and glared at the soldier with her orange eyes, her teeth jutting out from her bottom jaw.
"Why? I haven't done anything wrong, Thalmor." She said, pulling her arm away from the Lead Justiciar. One of the other soldiers quickly shut the door, another rumble of thunder shaking the inn. Orgnar stood behind his counter and glared at each of the Thalmor.
"What do you want with us, Thalmor?" The Nord man said bitterly. Aldaril glanced at the Nord then back at the Orc.
"I don't know. What do you think I want?" He said, slowly circling around the Orc woman. Her eyes were filled with a mix of fear and anger, but her face was all rage.
"I think you want to be moving on and leave us all alone." Orgnar hissed out. Aldaril shook his head and sighed with frustration, looking at one of his soldiers.
"Shut him up, will you?" The Lead Justiciar said. The Thalmor soldier quickly nodded his head and walked behind the counter. The barkeeper struggled and shouted as the Justiciar pushed him towards a chair and shoved him into it.
"Get your hands off of me! I said get off!" The Nord shouted, trying to stand up but a gloved fist quickly collided into his jaw, making him fall back into his seat. The first Thalmor grabbed the man's shoulders and held him still. Aldaril shook the dull throb of pain out of his hand before turning back to the Orc. Her eyes were now full of fear as she slowly backed towards the door.
"Now where are you going, Orsimer?" He said wickedly as one of the soldiers grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the Lead Justiciar. She struggled and squirmed before pushing the soldier away. Aldaril placed his hand on her jaw, holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"What's the matter, green elf? Do we scare you?" He said, his voice low. The Orc stared at him, her eyes only slightly wider before she shook her head and quickly stepped back, her glare returning to her eyes.
"I'm not scared of you slimy bastards. I could take you all on." She said defiantely, pulling out an orcish made dagger. Aldaril wasn't surprised at the blade, only glancing at it with a half concerned look.
"Really? With a flimsy little knife like that?" Aldaril shrugged and pulled out his sword, hearing a few other soldiers do the same. He held his free hand up to them. "No, just me and the abomination." Aldaril smirked with his fellow soldiers as he looked back at the Orc, her sneering glare clashing against his smirk.
"Make the first move, tyrant." The Orc said, holding her dagger at the ready with her left hand while keeping her right hand balled up in a fist. The soldier looked at the fist before looking at the ugly, green face.
A short battle shout left the Thalmor's lips as he lunged forward, stumbling slightly as the Orc sidestepped his lunge. She quickly brought down her dagger on the elf's armor. The blade bounced off and she stumbled back but quickly regained her footing. Aldaril stood back up and quick thrusted his sword forward. The Orc side stepped again and slashed out at the armored wrist, only succeeding in knicking the elven armor. The soldier quickly returned his sword to his side, looking at the green orc.
"Where did you learn to fight?" He asked her, his eyes looking over her. She seemed like the normal type of Orc but she seemed to be far more skilled than the usual rabble of Orc. That was when he noticed the chains of a pendant disappear under her shirt and he knew that his suspicions were true. The Orc saw his gaze and glanced down at her concealed amulet.
"I learned how to fight when I was fighting you scum in the war." She said, pulling on the chain and revealing an Amulet of Talos. The air in the room seemed to grow thicker as the Thalmor glared harder at the amulet and at the Orc. She had a satisfied smirk on her face as she shifted the blade to her right hand.
Aldaril stared at her hands before quickly charging forward, swinging his sword down hard. The Orc jumped back and quickly punched the elf in the face. Aldaril yelped in pain and stumbled back, his sword only grazing the Orc's shoulder. But she took this to her advantage. The green woman quickly lunged forward and cut at the Thalmor's arm, only managing a few tears in the armor. Aldaril stepped back, bringing his foot up and kicking the Orc back.
The green Orc flew back onto a table, breaking through and crashing onto the floor. Aldaril quickly ran forward, kicking her dagger out of her hand and stabbing his sword through her shoulder. The Orc screamed out in pain, her eyes glaring up at the soldier. He smirked coldly as he grabbed the orcish dagger and kneeled beside the Orsimer. He held the knife against her throat, watching her tremble with fear as he spoke.
"Now, I'm sure that you're not the Talos-worshipper we're looking for. So, maybe you can help us in our quest." Aldaril hissed under his breath, noticing that the grumble of rain had died down to a patter on the roof. The Orc glared up at the soldier, blood running out of the wound in her shoulder.
"I'm telling you nothing, you pig." She growled up to him. Aldaril glared down at her and pressed the blade into her throat. Pricks of blood welled up around the blade. The Orc gasped and resisted the urge to move her head in fear of driving the dagger deeper into her skin.
"I'd be careful of what you say to me, Orc. Just remember who has the upper hand." He hissed down to her. "Now, tell me, did a Talos-worshipper pass through here?"
The Orc stared up at the Thalmor with fear filled eyes. The golden elf smirked at the stare, watching the Orc glance over at Orgnar who was weakly looking over at them. Beads of perspiration were appearing on her forehead as she looked back up at the Lead Justiciar. She opened her mouth but she quickly spit a wad of mucus into his face.
"I'd rather go to Oblivion than tell you anything." She said, glaring up at the Justiciar. Aldaril quickly wiped the slime off of his face, his golden brown eyes glaring down at the green Orc.
"Then you shall die at my blade, you traitorous filth." Aldaril said as he leaned back and held the orcish dagger high above his head. The Orc stared at it wide eyed but she didn't let the fear freeze her muscles.
With a swift motion, the Orc yanked the sword out of her shoulder and hit the Thalmor in the nose with the butt of the sword. Aldaril cringed and fell back, dropping the dagger as his hands flew up to cover his bleeding nose. The Orc jumped to her feet as one of the other Justiciars lunged at her. She dodged the attack and quickly brought the sword down on the elf's arm, severing his hand at where her blade hit him. A swift kick in the chest sent the screaming Thalmor backwards and into the burning hearth in the center of the inn.
The Orc ignored the burning elf's screams as two more Justiciars jumped at her, their swords extended. But with a few parries, the Orc kept their swords at bay, not noticing the Lead Justiciar stand up behind her, the orcish dagger once again in his hands. The Orc lunged forward and stabbed a Thalmor through the chest, pulling the sword back to strike again but a sudden pain flooded through her neck and spine. She screamed out in pain, dropping the elven made sword as she felt the orcish dagger drag itself down her back. Her eyes bulged out in pain as she slowly dropped to her knees, her body spasming at the pain flowed through her. The light began to dim as the Orc felt her blood flow freely from the gash in her back, her dying form falling forward onto the floor and laying still by the hearth.
Aldaril panted with extursion and rage as he glared down at the corpse. He let the dagger fall out of his hands, hearing it clatter to the floor. His gold brown eyes looked up at the burly Nord in the chair, the hatred glowing brightly in his eyes. The Nord returned the look of hatred, his fingers gripping the arms of the chair. The Lead Justiciar picked up his sword and wiped it clean on the Orc's clothing before walking towards the man.
"I'm giving you one chance, Nord. Did a Talos-worshipper come through here?" Aldaril said, his voice filled with venom and anger. The Nord started to speak but the Thalmor quickly raised his sword and placed the tip against the man's throat. "Watch your words. I'm in no mood for your games. Just tell me and I will leave your people alone."
Orngar glared at the elf before him and then at the others in the room. Even though the Orc had killed two of them, the Nord knew he couldn't take on eight Thalmor. Looking back up the blade of the sword, the Nord sighed angrily, gesturing with his hands that he would tell what he knew. Aldaril smirked tyrannically before lowering his sword only slightly, keeping it ready for any attacks.
"Yes… A Talos-worshipper passed through here the other day. He and his companion killed a dragon that was about to raze the town. Gro-Gluk was watching over them and she was about to leave town but then the storm hit…" The Nord explained, glaring at the Thalmor. The Lead Justiciar nodded with an evil grin on his golden face.
"Who was his companion? Where were they heading?" Aldaril questioned. Orgnar shrugged, staring at the elf.
"They didn't say where they were going. They were headed west. As for his companion, I don't know her. I think she was a Khajiit but I didn't get a good look at her." Orgnar explained, tensing slightly as the blade was raised to his throat again. "I swear, that's all I know." Aldaril smirked and nodded.
"I know. But your use is over with." Aldaril said wickedly. Orgnar's eyes grew wide before he opened his mouth to protest. But before he could utter a sound, the elven made sword quickly cut the Nord's head clean off his shoulders. The Lead Justiciar smirked as the head rolled to the floor, picking it up and tossing into the fire. He looked around at the other Justiciars.
"Search this place and the Orc's house. Try and find any information you can on who these traitors are. Got it?" The Lead Justiciar commanded. The other Justiciars quickly nodded their heads before splitting up and doing as their leader said.
Aldaril stared at the dead bodies of his companions, sighing sadly as he walked over to the one with the chest wound. His body was slowly losing heat, the light in his eyes had already dimmed and disappeared. Kneeling beside the body, the Lead Justiciar whispered a prayer while he closed the soldier's eyes, crossing the dead elf's arms over his chest. He sighed and stood up, staring at the burnt corpse in the hearth. There was no way that he could give him his prayers to Aetherius. Aldaril could only hope that he would make it.
The Lead Justiciar's gold brown eyes glanced at the other two corpses in the room, his eyes hardening at their sight. He walked over to the Orc's body and went through her pockets, hoping to find something useful. She had been carrying a few bundles of parchment that the Thalmor confiscated from the corpse. After finding nothing else, he picked up the body and tossed it into the burning hearth. It was at this time that Aldaril realized that the rain had ceased, or it was at least falling light enough that he didn't hear it over the sizzling corpses and popping of the fire. The Thalmor turned to the Nord's body and checked his body, finding a rolled up map and a hidden Amulet of Talos in a hidden pocket of the corpse's jacket. Aldaril glared at the headless body before deciding that the body was clean of any other evidence. He picked up the corpse and tossed it into the fire, watching as embers flew up into the air.
The air grew thick with the stink of burning flesh and death but Aldaril ignored it. He slowly strolled behind the counter and grabbed a bottle of Black-Briar, uncorking it and gulping down most of it quickly. He wiped his lips with the back of his gauntlet before walking over to a table and sitting down at it. The Thalmor took out the map he had found on Orgnar's body and unfurled it, using a few empty tankards to keep it unfurled. It was a map filled with annotations and arrows. The gold-brown eyes of the Lead Justiciar stared at the piece of paper in confusion before he realized what it was. It was a map revealing all of the Stormcloack hideouts in Skyrim. A wicked smile crossed the Thalmor's lips as he drank the last of the Black-Briar Mead.
"These scum won't know what hit them…" Aldaril muttered under his breath, the air stinking with the stench of death, sizzling corpses, and Thalmor tyranny.