Kristoff was heading to the ice fields to check on things and try to get his mind off of what happened the night before without much success. He was worried about Anna,that was easy to figure out and the fact he was thinking about what Mannimarco maybe doing to her didn't help out any.
"I hope whoever this "agent" is can find her fast..." He grumbles as the sleigh bounced along the trail,completely unaware of the creatures that were stalking him. The man leading the demons grimaced as he watched the mountain man passed them by.
"Yes...he'll be a perfect specimen for my master's experiments." He said in a satisfied tone before motioning for the demons to take their positions as he catches up to the sleigh,waiting for the right moment to strike. He crouched down in the bushes as Kristoff grew closer and closer as fire flickers in through his fingers before looking to his minions to see that they were in place.
When he was close enough,the man corners him with a wall of fire,making Sven slide to stop and almost throw Kristoff off as the demons emerge from the blaze with their massive swords drawn. Kristoff reaches for a weapon as they approached,his eyes widening when he got a good look at them.
The creatures had ashy skin which was decorated with blood red war paint,pitch black eyes,short but distinguished horns poking out from the top of their head and wore nightmarish black and red armor that was covered in spikes. He stuck close to the sleigh in case they went after Sven until the man who trapped them steps into the circle with a knife in one hand and a strange black gem in the other.
"Yes...yes! The king of worms will handsomely reward me for bringing him such a fine specimen." He said sinisterly as he and the demons start cornering him by the sleigh,each of them ready to strike him down while the necromancer prepares to take Kristoff's soul.
He strikes at the demons only for his axe to snap in two when it struck one of them,making the creature pin him down while his master placed an evil enchantment on the mountain man,who was wrestling to free himself from the monster's grasp.
The necromancer was about to plunge the knife through Kristoff's chest when a few spectral arrows bite through the demon's armor and made him snarl before letting Kristoff go,who was watching the creature in confusion. The necromancer looked to the demon then back at Kristoff before another barrage of similar arrows assault him and his demonic minions.
He raised a ward in an attempt to block the arrows only for them to pierce it and bite into his limbs. "Gah! Show yourself!" He called out furiously until they noticed an even more intimidating silhouette standing on the other side of the blaze before drawing a sword which looked like it had lightning dancing along the blade.
The necromancer glares at the shadow before firing ice spikes and lightning bolts at it only for it to evade the lightning and use his sword to deflect the ice spikes then send a bolt of lightning into the circle,which bounced from the trees,arcs through the demons and to the necromancer,putting him on his knees and staggering the demons long enough for the caster himself to walk through the fire wall.
All eyes went to the outlandish looking warrior who was wearing a set of armor that looked like it was made from the scales of some massive creature and were accompanied by gauntlets and boots that resembled the armor the demons were wearing and topped off with a horned helmet of the same make that completely covered the man's face.
He simply looked between Kristoff and his adversaries as he tightens his grip on the lightly curved,outlandish long sword and waits for someone to make a move. "Well,what are you waiting for?! Kill him!" The necromancer ordered as the demons charged towards the warrior.
The man took a breath and stood his ground as the demons attempted to overwhelm him before one finally reaches him and prepares to cleave his sword through him until he catches the blade with his own then plunges a dagger in his gut,moves the massive blade out of his way then flings long slivers of ice at the other two while the first tries to regain his footing.
"Argh!" The first demon roars as the other two swing at the man before he parries their attacks,slicing one across the stomach then skewering the third with his ally's blade and severing the second's head without missing a beat. Kristoff's jaw dropped while he watched the duel then looks to the necromancer who had crawled to the side and was trying to heal himself as this strange warrior and the last of the demons each took a defensive stance.
The two opponents begin circling each other as they wait for someone to make a move,neither of them showing any signs of fear or retreat before the demon utters a frightening roar and charges towards his enemy,who had his eyes locked on him and grips his sword with both hands.
The demon raised his sword as he continued his charge and brings it down towards his adversary until the man catches it again,lunges forward to twist then rip the dagger out of the creature's flesh,fling the giant blade to the side and pommel strike him in the back of the head,making him stumble forward as he sheathes the bloodied knife.
The creature caught himself before he fell and swings his blade back around only for it to clash with his opponent's sword once again,eventually leading to the adversaries viciously slashing at each other as the two outlandish blades clash and spark with each hit and occasionally hitting their mark,however the blows didn't slow either of them down.
The man strafes around the demon as it swung it's sword at him again,hitting him in the leg and bringing him to one knee. "Rrrr." He snarled as the demon raised his sword to take his enemy's head only for him to drive the lightning laced blade through it's armor and drag it down before grabbing one of the spikes on it's shoulder and use it to stand back up and ignoring the wound on his leg as the demon staggers back to his feet.
"No! I will not be defeated by a mortal!" The demon shouts before charging his adversary again and try to cleave him in two. The blades clashed once again and the man parries the demon's assault then flips his sword around before the blades lock.
The demon bashes his opponent's blade in an attempt to disarm him,however he managed to catch each blow until he found an opening then catches one of the demon's arms before dashing to the side and lopping it off.
He tosses the severed arm to the side as the demon roars in pain before sticking his sword in the ground and approaching his wounded opponent. The demon tries to crawl away as he got closer until the man eventually sinks one of his clawed gauntlets through it's throat then lifts him from the ground.
Kristoff was still in shock from what he saw and now even the necromancer who attacked him was watching the display in complete fear as the man reaches through the demon's chest and tears his heart out,making it's body go limp in his grasp before simply dropping it.
He turns his attention to the necromancer with the demon's heart still lightly beating in his hand until he crushed it then starts moving towards him,snatching his sword up as he did while he tried to escape only for the man to fire a light green ball at him that stopped him in his tracks and brought him to the ground.
Kristoff's jaw dropped when he saw the act and looks towards the man as he cleans the blood from his sword then sheathes it before dragging the necromancer's motionless body to the sleigh. "Is he...?" Kristoff stutters hesitantly.
"Paralyzed..." The man replied simply before chunking his prisoner onto the sleigh,which kind of ticked Kristoff off. "Hey,what are you doing?!" He yelled,making the outlandish warrior turn his attention back to him. "He might know something,like where Mannimarco's keeping your girlfriend for example." He answered,making the mountain man look between him and the necromancer curiously.
"I'm guessing you're Ulfric's agent..." He said simply before the man nods. "You could say that,I wouldn't consider myself an agent,though." He answered,making Kristoff raise his eyebrow curiously. "Then,what would you consider yourself?" He asks,making the man shrug.
"A coincidentally gifted wanderer who served under Ulfric's banner to liberate his homeland from a crumbling empire that's being controlled by power hungry elitists." He answers simply. Kristoff studies the man after hearing his answer and thinks for a minute.
"So,if you're not exactly working for Ulfric then why'd you agree to come here on his behalf?" He asks. "Because he suspected the thalmor would view any communications between Skyrim and Arendelle as a potential threat to their plans and would probably drag you into our war,one way or another." He answered calmly,making Kristoff nod lightly.
"Would they really do that?" He asks,making the man laugh. "You met Mannimarco...he ain't anywhere near as discriminate as the thalmor and trust me,that's saying a lot considering he wants to set the world on fire." He answers sarcastically. Kristoff just shrugs then looks to the necromancer who was fortunately still paralyzed.
"How long is he going to be like that?" He asked curiously,making the man follow his gaze. "Long enough to make it back to Arendelle,or at least get to the gates." He answers before going to check the demonic corpses for anything useful.
"And if it wears off before we make it?" Kristoff continued. "We'll worry about that when we get to it." The man answered bluntly as he places different items and even a few coins in his knapsack. Kristoff studies him curiously for a minute before nodding contently.
"Fair enough..." He said simply before going to check on Sven,who was watching their mysterious savior. "You alright,buddy?" He asked before the reindeer nods. "Yeah,I'm fine now." He answered for Sven,making the man look up curiously and raise his eyebrow under his helmet.
"Just when I thought I've seen everything..." He said to himself before returning to the sleigh. "So,where exactly are you headed?" He asked,making Kristoff look back up at him. "I was heading out to the ice fields to check on my workers until he showed up." He answers as he motioned to the necromancer,making the man nod a bit.
"But,I can take you to Arendelle,we're still pretty close and I want to find Anna." He said in a kind of quick tone. "Sure,why not,you're decent enough." The man said with a shrug,making Kristoff raise his eyebrow before he chuckles.
"Something funny?" He asked curiously,making the man snicker a little more. "Ironic...I'll tell ya later." He said simply before sitting down in the sleigh,propping the necromancer up next to him. "You just sit back and enjoy the ride." He said as he pats him on the back.
Kristoff studied him for a minute as he boards the sleigh when he remembered the fire blocking them in. "We still have a problem..." He said,making the man look around before stepping off the sleigh for a minute. "You might wanna duck..." He said simply,making Kristoff nod before he and Sven hunker down.
The man went to the middle of the trail and sends a few small ice storms one after another in a circle around him to extinguish the flames. When the path was clear,he goes back to the sleigh and taps Kristoff on the back.
"Alright,all you now." He said before sitting next to the necromancer again,making him sit up then snap the reins and urge Sven back to Arendelle. "By the way,I never caught your name..." He said as he looked back at his new companion.
"Hjalti,most people call me Stormblade,though." He answered,making Kristoff nod a bit. "Kristoff." He introduced himself,making Hjalti nod in return. "Nice to meet ya." He said. "You too." Kristoff said before turning his attention back to the trail.
"Ulfric and...another friend of yours said something about you having some kind of power...and that you conjured that storm last night." He inquires as the sleigh bounces across the trail. "Long story,I'll tell you and the queen about it when we get to Arendelle. Nothing personal,I just hate repeating myself." Hjalti answered simply,making him nod contently. "Don't worry about it." He said simply,kind of cutting his eyes back to him every now and then.
"Anything you can tell me about yourself?" He asks,making Hjalti shrug a bit. "Depends,whatcha wanna know?" He asks,making Kristoff shrug. "What kind of work do you do back in Skyrim? I mean,other than fighting for Ulfric." He continues curiously.
"Freelance,mostly depends on what kind of mood I'm in." He answered,making the mountain man think for a minute. "So,a sell sword?" He asked,making Hjalti shrug. "Sometimes." He said,making Kristoff give him a confused look.
"Huh?" He asked before the "agent" laughs. "Like I said,it depends on my mood..." He said,confusing Kristoff even more. "I'm an adventurer." He elaborated. "Oh...gotcha." He replied,making Hjalti shake his head a bit. "Arendelle doesn't see wanderers often,I take it." He inquired,making Kristoff shrug a bit.
"Nobody that's actually called themselves that." He said before Hjalti shrugs. "Hm,fair enough." He said,making Kristoff study him again while keeping his eyes on the trail. "Don't take this the wrong way,but...you're a strange man..." He said calmly.
"Had some strange experiences." Hjalti answered simply,making Kristoff raise his eyebrow. "You mean stranger than necromancers,undead and demons running around?" He asked in a confused tone before he nods. "You ever been in the mind of a dead,homicidally insane monarch?" He asked in a calm tone,making a strange look cross his face before studying him again.
"Can't say I have..." He said simply,making Hjalti nod lightly. "I wouldn't recommend it,but if you want a good cup of tea or some damn good mead without going to Sovngarde,pretty decent place to stop." He said,which made Kristoff study him more.
"Really?" He asks. "Yeah,just don't go through any archways..." He answers simply,making the mountain man nod contently and turn his gaze back to the trail. "So,what's the strangest thing you've ever done?" He asks,making Hjalti smirk under his helmet.
"You don't wanna know..." He said simply. "Why not?" Kristoff asks. "Let's just say I've had things in my head that just ain't suppose to go there..." He said with a laugh,making Kristoff shrug lightly before he noticed Arendelle past the treeline.
"There it is." He motioned to the relatively decent sized,but simple city,making Hjalti stand up a bit and scan it. "Hmm,pretty sturdy,kind of reminds me of Solitude,just lower land." He said calmly,making Kristoff look back at him as he sits down.
"It's not much,but the people are friendly." He said calmly before Hjalti shrugs. "Every city's got their milk drinkers." He said,making Kristoff study him again. "What now?" He asked. "Galmar hadn't used that one on anybody yet? He must like you and trust me,that's saying something." He said before they heard the necromancer grumbling and noticed him starting to move around a bit then turn his attention to Hjalti.
"How dare you?! My master will make you pay for...!" He started before Hjalti cracks him across the head and knocks him out,almost knocking him off the sleigh before catching him and leaning him back up in his seat. Kristoff looks back and raised his eyebrow before he shrugs his shoulders.
"Hell,if you wanna listen to him rant,I can wake him back up." He said before Kristoff shakes his head. "No,that's fine." He said as they cross the bridge leading to the gates. The guards stopped them when they reached the other side and study Hjalti and the necromancer curiously.
"What happened to him?" One of them asked,motioning to the necromancer. "Fell out of a tree." Hjalti said,making the guard study him. "And it knocked him out?" He asked suspiciously before he shook his head. "No,he was whining too much,so I had to...sedate him." He answered simply. The guards looked between each other for a moment then back at Hjalti before shrugging and opening the gates.
I'm not even going to ask..." Kristoff said to himself as he pulls into the stables,stepping off to let Sven loose when they stopped. Hjalti steps off the sleigh and examines the city curiously. "Hmm,interesting." He said simply before looking to the castle,raising his eyebrow curiously when he noticed the ice decorating it.
"Talented,ain't she?" He kind of mutters before Kristoff returns to the sleigh. "Who?" He asked,making Hjalti look at him. "Your queen...she do that?" He asks,motioning to the castle. Kristoff looked at the castle then realizes what he's talking about.
"Oh,yeah...wait,you know about her...?" He started before Hjalti nods. "Hell,anybody who's studied magic long enough knows how to recognize it's handy work...and it usually ends up being the first thing I notice." He said calmly,making Kristoff shrug before looking at the necromancer.
"How are we going to get him to the castle?" He asked as Hjalti went over to the sleigh,draped the man's limp arm over his shoulder and starts dragging him. "Problem solved." He said to himself before joining Kristoff. "Alright,lead the way." He said,making the mountain man study him for a minute before leading him to the castle.
It wasn't long before they reached the courtyard and Kristoff would occasionally look back at Hjalti,watching him drag the unconscious necromancer along with him before the guards stop them at the door. "No weapons in the throne room." One of them said before looking towards Hjalti.
"Fair enough...uh,just a second..." He said,kind of muttering to himself afterwards as he looked around before his gaze went to Kristoff. "Here,hold this for a second." He said as he drapes the necromancer's arm over his shoulder then starts fiddling with his sword.
They just watched patiently as he removed the outlandish weapon from his side and hands it to the guard before reaching around behind his back and pulling a lightly curved dagger with a leather wrapped handle then placed it on top of the sword.
Next,he reached behind his back again and pulls a war axe that looked like it was carved from ice and gives it to the guards,making Kristoff study the weapon curiously before he pulled a massive greatsword from his back that looked like it was forged from some kind of bone with light serrations decorating about a foot of the blade and placed it with the rest.
His eyes widened when he saw the monstrous sword as his gaze went back to Hjalti as he starts digging through his pack. "Okay,let's see,I think that's it..." He mumbled to himself before pulling out what looked like a flaming spider.
"Do you consider this a weapon?" He asked before showing it to the guards,who jumped back a couple of feet when it's leg twitched. "Uh...keep it." The one who was holding his weapons said quickly,making him nod before putting it away and draping the necromancer's arm across his shoulder again then removes the man's dagger and hands it to the guard.
"Okay,I think that's it." He said as the guards and Kristoff study him curiously before they went inside to be greeted by Kai. "Is everything alright,sir?" He asks Kristoff before noticing the outlandish looking man accompanying him and the incapacitated man draped across his shoulder.
"We need to see Elsa." He answered simply as Kai examined Hjalti,raising his eyebrow curiously as he did. "Very well,come with me." He said simply as he leads them into the throne room,looking back at Hjalti every now and then before opening the door for them.
Elsa was talking with Ulfric and Serana when they heard the door open and noticed Kristoff accompanied by a man in strange armor with another hanging off of him as they approached her. Serana smirks and shakes her head when she noticed Hjalti dragging the necromancer beside him before she noticed Elsa looking at her.
"Is that him?" She asked calmly,making her nod lightly. "That's him. Without a doubt." She chuckled before they turned their attention back to the three men,who pretty much bow in unison. "Queen Elsa,I'd like to introduce you to Hjalti Stormblade of Skyrim." Kristoff said,trying to sound formal which made Elsa chuckle lightly before turning her attention to Hjalti.
"And your friend...?" She asked him,motioning to the necromancer. "One of Mannimarco's lackeys...figured he might know something." He answers before sitting the man down in a chair,which made Elsa raise her eyebrow a bit.
"What...happened to him?" She continues curiously,making Hjalti chuckle a bit. "I think he got hit with a rock or something,I don't know." He answered wittily before Kristoff kind of shakes his head. "The guy tried to kill me,he had some kind of demons with him...then he showed up,killed the demons and...paralyzed him." He said in a kind of hesitant tone as he motioned to them.
"Is he still...?" Elsa started before Hjalti shakes his head. "He woke up on the way back..." He answered simply,making her nod lightly. "Okay,then. How long until he wakes up?" She asked. "We can wake him up right now,if you want...he ain't gonna be in a good mood,but we don't need him to be." He answered simply before she lightly shook her head.
"No,that's okay...guards,take him to a cell." She said as she motioned to the necromancer,making two guards approach and drag the limp body to the dungeons. Hjalti looks to Ulfric,who gives him a light nod. "Stormblade." He greeted him as he nods in return.
"My king." He greets in return before turning his attention to Serana. "I see you made it here alright." He said calmly,making her nod a bit. "Could have made it sooner,but yeah." She answered before he nods. "Well,better late than never,right? Besides,at least we know what we're dealing with now..." He said contently,making Elsa study him curiously.
"And...what exactly are we dealing with?" She asks curiously,making him look towards her. "I hope you're ready for a history lesson..." He said simply before she nods lightly. "Whatever helps me get my sister back and protect Arendelle." She said calmly,making him nod contently.
"That's what I like to hear..." He said as he pulls up a chair and joins them...
Don't give me that look,I'm gonna pick it up there...
Figured I dragged this one out long enough and wanted to kind of use the next chapter to
kind of elaborate on who and what Mannimarco (And possibly the dragonborn as well.) for anybody that's kinda new to
"The Elder Scrolls" that way nobody will be completely lost,I mean,come on,gotta keep it kinda mysterious,don't I?
Idk,anyway,see y'all next chapter...