Chapter 58: Ill Met By Moonlight
The first thing Aela noticed was waking up in a room. She didn't know where she was, as she was too dazed from... whatever Hermeaous Mora and Sheogorath did to her.
"Where the hell even am I…?" Aela clutched her head, trying to get rid of the skull splitting headache.
"Oh, good. You're awake."
Aela turned to see a bar maid walking in the room she was in. Now that Aela got a good look, it seemed to be an inn. Or, at the very least, in the main lobby of one.
"Who are you?" the werewolf asked.
"Narri. Some hunters found you unconscious and brought you back here to Falkreath."
"Thanks, I guess," Aela said, getting up from her seat.
Narri was about to insist she rest. "Will you be alright on your own?"
"Yeah, I'll find my way back home."
After grabbing her gear, Aela walked out of the inn. She planned to head back to the Companions until the others arrived, but she suddenly got a whiff of something.
That smell again... She had smelt it before, when they had come looking for the Dark Brotherhood. She didn't have enough time to investigate it then, but now…
She looked around to see where it was coming from, and once she figured it out, she headed towards its direction. Interestingly enough, she found herself heading for the town's guards jail. Walking inside and heading down a floor, Aela noticed a rather peculiar cell.
It looked like it was made out of a well, with clear sunlight coming from above and iron bars preventing the prisoner from exiting. Said prisoner was a shirtless man wearing nothing but short leather pants, and after a few moments, they soon noticed Aela's presence.
"Come to gawk at the monster?"
The werewolf raised an eyebrow at that. "Monster?"
The shirtless prisoner nodded, as he rasped out, "A little girl is dead because of me. Believe me, it wasn't anything I ever intended to do. I just... lost control."
Aela connected the dots in an instant. "You're a werewolf."
"I am. I contracted the curse a few years ago. Moved from place to place very often because of it. I had been looking for ways to control my transformations if I couldn't get rid of it... but it wasn't until recently that I finally managed to tame the beast."
"Do you regret killing her?" the red-haired woman asked.
"Of course I do. Not a day goes by where I don't regret the lives I took as the wolf, but I've given up on trying to find a cure. I hoped the ring would help, but all it did was bring me even greater misfortune."
That caught Aela's attention. "What ring?"
The prisoner pulled out a silver ring with the head of a wolf on it, which Aela closely examined. "This is the Ring of Hircine. I was told it could help me control my transformations. Perhaps it used to, but I'll never know. Hircine didn't care for my taking of it, and threw a curse on it. Now, whenever I put it on... the beast would come out without warning, and everything would go dark. Then I would wake up the next day, covered in blood."
Aela was silent, knowing what this man must have gone through. The Wolf should be wielded by warriors. Not civilians.
"Why are you even here if not to mock or insult me?"
Aela didn't answer, instead grabbing at the bars, and starting to bend them. The prisoner stepped back in shock that Aela nearly tore the bars from the building they were attached to.
"You're not the only one with a beast within them."
"You're… like me…" the man gasped out.
"I am Aela of the Companions. Our inner circle is like us: Werewolves."
"You're offering me a place there?" he asked.
"If you decline, our leader, Kodlack, has been searching for a way to remove the beast for some time. Should he finally discover a way, I'm sure he'll be happy to share it with you." While she didn't exactly agree with trying to remove the beast, she understood why he was doing it.
"I don't know what to say…" the man said. "Thank you."
Aela nodded, as she asked, "What is your name?"
"Sinding." The man, now named Sinding, gave his name.
"Alright then, Sinding. We must seek out Hircine ourselves. Should the ring stay with us still cursed, then only disaster will follow."
Sinding nodded, saying. "I might know where they are."
Aela grinned slightly. "Then let the hunt begin."
Sinding nodded and took the lead, as Aela followed.
According to Sinding, an Avatar of Hircine was around the woods of Falkreath. If they could find and slay the avatar, then they would gain Hircine's attention. However…
"Any idea what they look like?" Aela asked.
"I believe an elk. It fits the description I've heard before my imprisonment."
"A deer, huh? Should be easy to find…" Aela sarcastically said.
Sinding nodded. "Hircine does love a challenge."
The two of them quietly threaded through the forest for a bit, when they heard a snap. They turned around to see a large white deer watching them from behind, but sprinting away.
"After it!" Alea shouted.
Lacking a weapon, Sinding was forced to transform into his Werewolf form and sprint after the elk with Aela running behind with her bow and arrows ready. "Steady… steady… now!"
THWIP!
Aela loosed an arrow from her bow which struck the deer in the leg which caused it to stagger, which was all Sinding needed to get on top of it and start slashing away at its neck, delivering a fatal wound.
"There… that should do it…"
The elk finally collapsed and succumbed to its wounds as Sinding turned back to his human form. A few moments later, a spectral version of the Elk appeared
"Like bait on a trap, you come crawling back to the slaughter."
Aela froze upon heating an unfamiliar voice. "What?"
Sinding, however, recognized that voice and turned back into a human. "It is... Hircine…"
"Indeed, I am. Tell me, packless one, for what purpose do you hunt me instead?"
Sinding immediately got on his knees and kneeled before the Daedric Prince. "Lord Hircine, I wish to beg for forgiveness. I only sought the ring to control my transformations, but I now realize it was wrong to take the ring. Please, I wish to make amends."
"Forgive you? Why should I do that? You have done nothing to earn my favor."
"I am willing to do anything," Sinding begged, his face down as he pleaded. "I surrender the ring to you, all I ask is to be free of the ring's curse."
Hircine was silent, staring at Sinding and Aela for a few moments before responding. "Then perhaps there is a task you can take in my name. There is a group of werewolf hunters to the northeast, between Windhelm and Whiterun. Hunt them down and slaughter them all, and I may consider removing the ring's curse."
Aela hummed. "That doesn't sound too bad."
"Then make haste and begin the hunt!"
So, with the approval of the Daedric Prince, the two werewolves immediately traveled north, thinking about what they were supposed to do next.
After a long day's worth of traveling, they made their way northeast and past Whiterun, where the two werewolves found a hideout being guarded by werewolf hunters.
Aela, however, recognized this area. "No…"
"What?" Sinding asked. "What is it?"
"These aren't just any werewolf hunters... it's the Silver Hand…"
Sinding didn't know what that meant. "Is that bad?"
"Very bad... They killed one of our own a few months ago. One of our best…"
Sinding nervously gulped. "What are our chances? Honestly?"
"Well, I doubt they'll expect two werewolves to attack out of nowhere, so we have the element of surprise on our side," Aela said, with a weak smile.
Sinding didn't like their chances, if these guys could take down such an experienced Werewolf, then what chances did the two of them have? "How reassuring."
"Together?"
"Together."
The two transformed into their werewolf forms and rushed towards the hideout. The Silver Hand members didn't have time to react before being torn apart by the two.
Now, to deal with the ones inside.
The two werewolves walked into the cave-like structure, and so far, no one was in sight.
They found more of the Silver Hand as they made their way deeper into the base. There had to have been dozens of them. Any Silver Hand member was slaughtered before they could act. A slash. A bite. Whatever did the job. It took them a few minutes, but they finally arrived at the last chamber where the "boss" of the Silver Hand was.
"What should we expect?" Sinding asked.
"The Skinner... he's the big boss…"
Sinding gave Aela a concerning look. "I'm sorry, the Skinner?"
"He got the nickname from skinning werewolves alive…" Well, that didn't paint a pleasant picture.
"Sounds like a pleasant fellow…"
"Then let's introduce him to his grave."
The two of them walked into the chamber, and came face-to-face with an armored man, one with dark skin and an odd haircut, one that made Aela identify him as the Skinner.
The Silver Hand leader looked shocked at two of the beasts he hunts in their base. "What the?! Two Werewolves here?! You've got some nerve strolling here like you own the place!"
"And you've got some nerve existing!" Aela shouted back.
The Skinner charged forward with his battle axes, intending to cut them down. Thankfully, charging straight ahead usually came with an easy counter: Going either left or right, and then going behind him. Also thankfully, the Skinner couldn't focus on two opponents at the same time. With the Skinner running into the figurative corner, Sinding, and more importantly Aela, we're able to give the man a Patches special. While Sinding distracted the Skinner, Aela got behind him and dug her claws deep into Skinner's back.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!" The claws pierced through the man's armor and dug deep into the man, causing him great pain.
"DIE!" Aela roared. "DIE FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
Aela then threw him against the wall so hard, they sword they heard multiple bones break in an instant. The Skinner caught up blood as he looked at the monsters with pure hate, "You'll… never be… human…"
With that, the Skinner took his last breaths.
"This guy was a werewolf hunter?" Sinding asked.
Aela had to agree with his remark. It had never been that easy with the Silver Hand... "I'm almost... surprised at how easy that was…"
"I'm with you on that one."
Although... after going through everything I have with the others... have I grown stronger than I expected? Aela wondered. She had fought dragons and vampires, and who-knows-what-else, maybe a madman like the Skinner was just nothing compared to foes like those…
A few minutes later, Aela and Sinding left the hideout in their human forms. As they walked, Sinding asked the first question since they exited the cave. "So, now what?"
"I don't know…" Aela said. "I suppose I'll either be returned to where I was before, or I'll have to wait for the others to come get me."
Sinding raised an eyebrow. "Others?"
"I was with a party of warriors. We were summoned by two Daedric Lords for some kind of test or something. I presume Hircine was also involved."
"Why would he do that?" Sinding asked.
"That is for us to know, mortal."
The two werewolves turned to see the avatar of Hircine walking to them.
That saves us a walk… Aela was glad they didn't have to run miles back to the forest of Falkreath.
"You did well, turning the hunt on the hunters," the godlike elk said.
Sinding blushed. "Oh, um, thank you."
"I shall forgive you for taking my ring, wolf. However, you will not receive another chance." Hircine warned the man.
"Understood!" the werewolf said, giving a salute.
Turning to Aela, the God of the Hunt noticed a certain turmoil within her.
"You are disappointed in your hunt."
Aela nodded. "It felt… too easy… I almost thought it was a trap."
"Your experiences with the Chosen Undead and the Dragonborn have allowed you to grow even stronger than ever before. You are too strong for your normal prey, and it brings you dissatisfaction."
"So it wasn't a trap."
"It was not. They were weak and defenseless against a true predator."
Aela huffed. "That's quite reassuring."
But even if she acted calm, Aela knew the Daedric Prince was right. She had grown too strong, and the Silver Hand was no match for her now.
"So. What happens now?"
"You have earned my Ring in its full glory. You will have access to the full potential of your beast with absolute control." The Ring of Hircine glowed for a second before it returned to normal.
Aela nodded and accepted the ring with honor. "Thank you, Lord Hircine."
Aela turned to Sinding, knowing he needed some directions. "Go to Whiterun and talk to the Companions. Ask to see Kodlak and that Aela sent you."
"I will. And thank you; for everything." Sinding gave his thanks and started walking away to Whiterun.
"Now go forth. There is greater prey to hunt." The Daedric Prince of the Hunt proclaimed.
"Right…"
That was all Aela saw before she was blinded by a flash of light…
…and being returned to the Mansion.
"Hey, you," Patches said, smiling cheekily. "You're finally awake."
Aela groaned. "Ugh... I'm back…"
Patches took a step back and let Aela get up. "Not the first one, actually."
"Who else is back?" the werewolf asked.
"Me, you, and Onion Knight Jr."
"So... Oscar, J'zargo, Emilia, and Subaru are still missing…"
The bald man nodded. "Yep."
Aela sighed. "Let's hope they're doing well…"
Author's Note: Not gonna lie, when we first wrote this, I thought the Skinner was a pasty-skinned, greasy long-haired, dagger-loving creep, kinda like a worse-looking Dahmer. It wasn't until we were adding more details when I looked up what he actually looked like, and I was quite surprised. (Yeah, turns out, the Skinners' race and even gender is random in every save file, so we just went with the most basic we could.)
(And there goes the third trial. It wouldn't have made sense for anyone other than Aela to do Hircine's quest. Also, Sinding got a happier ending than in game, where you either kill him or leave him alone in the wild. Glad we got to do him more justice.)
Kifhjoofff: Ram es la reina del descaro. (Siempre. Ella es una reina maestra del descaro.)
Just fan (Guest): I have no idea who Oblivion is. (Same.)
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- Ernalore & Infinite the Celestian