The elf hoisted himself atop the city wall with graceful athleticism, the howling wind threatened his fall. Kelran crouched low on the wall and looked down over the opposite side. He could easily make the drop. Reaching down, his armoured hands gripped the edge of the wall and he slowly swung himself round into a hanging position. Kelran looked down and took a deep breath then let go, a hand and boot scraping down the side of the wall as he fell, showering sparks into the snow.
Kelran landed in a crouch and surveyed his surroundings whilst wiping his mask of frost. He couldn't swim across the River Yorgrim, the cold would mean his death in a day or two. There was only one option: the main bridge. Skirting the side of the wall, he could hear the crowds inside the city in uproar, even the ring of steel. Kelran reached the side of the bridge, which extended above him. Reaching up, he slowly climbed up the black stone, wary of making as little noise as possible. The cold made the climbing more difficult as his fingers slowly locked up. Within a minute or so, he was hanging from the edge of bridge and a fifty-foot drop.
Kelran swung to the right and pulled himself up. Standing and dusting himself off, Kelran looked up at the sound of blades being drawn. Three Imperial guards were looking at him, wide-eyed and bewildered. One of them stepped forward.
"Stand down, elf. You're going to come with us." he stated with a clear Nord accent.
Kelran eyed him up and down. It was the guard who had stopped him when he arrived.
"You again? I guess you didn't learn the first time..." He said with amusement, a hand reaching for his sword. Kelran gave the blade a slight tug, making the sword loose in its scabbard and the guardsmen step forward with their swords and diamond-shaped shields at the ready. The Dunmer's eyes darted from one guard to the other. They were scared, he could see the fear in their eyes, but he couldn't kill them. There was already enough to worry about.
With inhuman speed, Kelran drew his blade; knocking the sword out of one man in the same movement before striking him in the face with the pommel. Turning around to the other two, he sidestepped a swing at his chest and parried another at his head. Kelran pushed the guard back with his sword and quickly swept his leg under the other. As the Nord he had pushed charged back at him with a roar, he swung low and chipped the man's shin, causing him to flip sideways onto his back. Kelran had bought himself some time. Sheathing his blade and sighing, the Dunmer looked down the bridge, and ran.
Kelran sprinted down the length of the bridge with a hand on his sword, his robes flowing wildly in the wind as more guards tried to block his path. Arrows flew past him, shattering against the black stone as he easily swerved around the individual guardsmen who ran out to meet him in combat. Kelran glanced back as the great hulking door to Windhelm opened and two horsemen rode onto the bridge in pursuit. The Dunmer cried out in pain as an arrow pierced his leg, causing him to now limp his way towards the wilderness. His heart hammered against his chest. He could feel the warm blood soak his clothes, hear the thud of hooves on stone as the riders gained on him.
A blade struck against his arm, knocking Kelran over and showering the darkness with fiery sparks. He rolled onto his back as the second rider reared above him. Quickly pushing himself up, Kelran planted a dagger into the horse and stumbled as he turned to run. He was off the bridge now and only had to cross into the snow-covered forest ahead. As Kelran limped into the tree line, his eyes caught a glimpse of another dead horse. Had he killed that one too? He shook his head and carried on. The pain in his leg was excruciating, he had to get rid of the arrow.
Looking back he sighed with relief as he saw that he was a fair distance away from Windhelm's main bridge. The white forest was quiet and seemed relatively safe for now. Kelran limped his way to one of the many trees and leaned his back against it. He threw off the mask and let his body slump in the snow. He looked down. The arrow had pierced diagonally through his thigh, the point had scratched against his other leg too. Kelran took a deep breath and slid the grip of one of his daggers into his mouth. Placing one hand on his leg, he snapped off the arrowhead and his face contorted in pain as a fierce groan escaped his mouth. Then, wrapping a tight grip around the nock of the arrow, he pulled. Kelran groaned in pain and his eyes watered as the arrow slowly slid out of his leg. After several seconds, it came free, spewing a stream of blood across the moonlit snow. Throwing the arrow to the side, he took another deep breath. He had to stop the bleeding.
Maybe I'm mad for doing this, but its the only way...
Readjusting the dagger in his mouth he placed a hand over the wound and closed his eyes. Kelran's whole body lurched as searing heat filled the wound and the dagger fell out of his mouth, letting loose a horrific cry of pain. As the cry died down, Kelran lost consciousness.
Kelran's eyes snapped open. The pain was gone. He looked around, confused. He was lying in a bedroll but he was still in the forest, albeit seemingly further in. Kelran sat up and froze. A woman was warming her hands on a fire.
"Hello again, mysterious Dunmer!" she said with a bright smile. Kelran stared at her. This was certainly not what he had expected to see. Elara was clad again in her leather armour, although this time she actually wore the wooden bow and quiver too.
Kelran stood up, shaky on his right leg and sat down next to the fire.
"Why are you here, Elara?" He said sternly, warming his hands against the flames.
She looked at him and tilted her head, "Well, to help you obviously."
"I don't need your help, girl-"
"Oh really? Is that why you got shot while trying to escape from the Imperial Guard?" she snapped sarcastically.
Kelran grunted, "I handled it."
The Dunmer looked at his leg. The robes were still sodden with blood but the wound itself was clean. Elara sat cross-legged and looked at where the arrow had pierced the elf's thigh. The skin around it was contorted and scarred.
"How did you um, stop the bleeding?" asked the Breton, her face showing her uncertainty.
"Cauterisation."
"What with?"
Kelran raised his right hand and Elara watched with wonder as flames curled around the black armour. The flames died and he dropped his hand.
"So, you never actually told me your name…" she said, seemingly occupying her attention with her recurve bow.
Kelran looked at her with a firm expression.
"So I didn't."
"Would you tell me?" she asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
He narrowed his eyes and sat in silent contemplation. This woman, as annoying as she was, had helped him. However, he barely knew who she was. He could take no risks.
"Perhaps, tell me about yourself first and we shall see." he said, leaning back with an attentive look. Elara smiled and nodded, shuffling to get a bit more comfortable.
"Alright, mysterious Dunmer, we'll take turns then. I am Elara Ashcroft and I was born in Camlorn in High Rock. For quite a while, just about all I've done is travel; Hammerfell, Cyrodiil, Skyrim… I've been all over." She cast her eyes towards the fire and Kelran watched the reflection of the flame in her blue eyes, "I have no magical ability, unlike most Bretons, but I've gotten pretty nifty with a bow since I was around ten years old." Elara shrugged her shoulders, "that and I ain't really religious. Oh and I love lavender dumplings." She added with a girlish grin.
Kelran maintained a serious composure despite Elara's attempts at humour. Deeming her safe, he sat forward.
"I am Kelran Arathi of House Telvanni. I am an Inquisitor of Resdayn and I was born in Sadrith Mora on the eastern side of Vvardenfell."
Elara looked at him expectantly, "Is that it?"
"For now." He stated, looking over his left arm.
The sleeve had been slit where the first horseman had struck him, revealing a completely armoured arm plated in ebony.
"Surely you get hot wearing armour under those robes?" she mused.
Kelran smirked, "Not quite…"
He stood up and removed the bandolier around his chest, then slid off the robe. Kelran's body was unlike any other. He stood there in the snow with ebony plating strapped onto his black pants above his boots. Standing shirtless, it looked as if Kelran had sleeves built of ebony, accented with golden runes, but the underlayer pulsated with an odd red, almost volcanic light. Elara stared in strange fascination. Kelran's body possessed scars but his arms were not his own.
"One thing to note about the Inquisitors of Resdayn, Miss Ashcroft, is that many of us have artificial limbs." He said, stretching out his black-armoured arms. The veins at his shoulders were discoloured and unnatural where flesh stopped and metal began.
Elara sat motionless, fascinated but confused, "But, how is that possible? You can't build limbs that work with people like that."
"On the contrary," he said, putting back on his black and red, ebony plated robes, "you can."
Kelran sat back down, "Have you ever been to Solstheim or Morrowind?" he asked, to which she shook her head.
"In Dunmer territory, debris from the Red Mountain can be found relatively easily and some of the rock has...magical potential." he explained, making various gestures with his hands.
"The current Archmagister of House Telvanni, Neloth, had been experimenting with these rocks which he named 'Heart Stones'. He found that they work similarly to the Briar hearts used by the Forsworn in the Reach. Put simply, House Telvanni managed to use Neloth's research to perfect artificial limbs by using these Heart Stones and Azura knows how many enchantments."
Elara couldn't stop smiling in fascination but then her brow furrowed.
"What's an Inquisitor of Resdayn anyway?"
"None of your concern."
"Why are you in Skyrim?"
"Again, none of your concern."
Several minutes of awkward silence passed between them. Kelran sighed and stood up.
"Look, if you're wanting to accompany me all you need to know for now is that I'm looking for something here in Skyrim. The other Inquisitors are in the other provinces of Tamriel also looking for any sign of it. Does that satisfy your incessant questioning, girl?"
Elara looked taken aback and a pang of guilt hit Kelran as she looked down and nodded.
"Good." he said, sliding on his engraved, ebony mask.
"Then pack up, time is not on our side."
