Chapter 6

Day 17

Traveling on the road didn't feel as dangerous as it did before. Maybe it was due to the eight, armed soldiers I had been traveling with. Anyway, it had taken us less than a full day of walking to reach the imperial encampment at the mountain pass. Two large towers where across the river from one another, connected by a bridge. The imperials had a large number of tents and campfires just a little ways away from the towers. There were also two makeshift gates on the road the looked as though it would serve as a starting point for the walls to go around them. It looked like they where going to make walls that connected over to the nearby mountain and stop at the river, a basic looking fort.

After being greeted by drawn swords, it took some time for the group of soldiers to explain their delay and the loss of their captain. As well as explain why I was there.

They where surprised to find that a priest of Akatosh would agree to come to assist in military matters. From what they had been saying I gathered that most priests of Akatosh thought themselves better than others. Was it because the head of the Nine had blessed them? It was something that I don't think I would ever understand.

"Y'know. I never got your name." The young soldier commented as he helped me to set up a tent. We where to meet with the commander of this operation when she returned from scouting.

"It's Darius." I replied using my real name. I figured it would only be useless to try and make a fake name for myself, as I don't think I would ever remember it.

"I'm Yval. Sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner." He extended his hand after we had finished with the tent. "A pleasure to properly meet you." I said with a smile and took his hand. It was refreshing to see such manners in this world. You never saw such introductions or even a hint of manners in the game. Then again that was the game and this was my new reality. After setting up both our tents I was brought to the infirmary area. Apparently both bandits and stormcloaks alike had attacked the group of soldiers. It took all I had not to vomit at the site of the men. Some were missing limbs and others had large gashes across their bodies.

"Darius! Over here." Yval called to me as he knelt before a man who lay on a fur blanket that was coated with blood. "He's lost too much blood. He'll be in Sovngarde soon." The other man seemed to take some comfort in hearing that he would be in the great hall of the Nords. I knelt by the man's side and grimaced at the large wound across his chest. It didn't look fatal at first but I could see scorch marks in the skin around the wound. Either some kind of poison or magic had entered the man's body and looked to be shutting down his internal organs. I bent my head low, my face now covered by my hood and felt a familiar power.

"I ask that you guide this man to Sovngarde. Let him know peace and feel no pain." I prayed and heard that familiar, "your prayer has been heard." The man then closed his eyes and smiled, his chest stopped rising and he sighed one last time.

Hours and many prayers later I found myself on the outside of the camp. I stared at the small stream that flowed down to the river from the mountain. I had never expected things to turn out this way. It had maybe been a little over two weeks since I had been "summoned." I still had yet to look through the book that the mages had used but I didn't think it would help me right now. Maybe after helping the imperial army I would be known to some people where I could talk to court wizards about it? But it would sound crazy trying to explain my situation and who knows what they would do to me. If they believed me it could be worse.

My mind had been busy thinking of all the crude methods that the mages of the college might use to experiment on me when I heard footsteps coming up from behind me. Without thinking I had reached into my sleeves and pulled out my dagger, turning to face the person behind me.

"Careful there!" I heard the familiar voice of Yval, bringing me back from the dark parts of my mind.

"S-sorry." I replied, putting the dagger carefully back in it's sheathe.

"So you're full of surprises." Yval mused as he eyed my sleeve.

"Had it fashioned for me back in Riverwood. Everything alright? How are the wounded holding up?" I asked, worried about the people I had been tending to all afternoon.

"They are doing okay. Most have calmed down and they say their pains is mostly gone as well."

"That's good." I smiled.

"But that's not why I was looking for you. They need a search party to go out and look for the commander. She's been gone much too long. They want to send the four of us that weren't wounded to go looking for her. The other soldiers here are busy with the construction of the fort and gathering resources." He looked very troubled by this idea. "I'm worried, the commander had ten of her best soldiers with her. What are the four of us going to do if something had happened to them?" I looked at him a moment before sighing heavily.

"It looks as though the people in the infirmary are doing okay. I'll go with you and do what I can to help you search for her. It shouldn't take too long and I can return to tending the wounded when I return." I wasn't sure what aid I could offer them but the look on Yval's face told me that I made the right decision. The people of Tamriel are very religious and for a priest to be traveling with them it must be some kind of high honor. "Let me grab my satchel and we will be on our way." Yval nodded as he left to tell the others that where in his group. Why was I putting myself in more danger? Being in an Imperial camp was bad enough, now I was going to venture off with four soldiers to find a rather large scouting group? Maybe this playing priest thing was getting to my head or something. I knew I was not invincible and I did not believe that Akatosh would save me from harm. I swore to myself that I would try not to get myself in harms way again, but I knew better. There was always danger in Skyrim.