Skyrim
Tale of two souls
Chapter 8
The cat quickly followed the dark elf to the gates of Whiterun where she had gathered her men, the elf giving a quick speech to rally them, Ne’Ma watching from behind a post at the blacksmiths shop. Once the elf finished her little spiel to the men about honor and what not they all started cheering as they followed the elf and the cat out of the city, the young argonian following after them. The girl having had years of experience of following her father without him knowing it grinned, it was only when she followed her father when he told her not to did she finally let this this side out, the normally rather frilly girly girl that she preferred being was swept aside to do the, as her father once called, boy stuff, the young girl using her claws to climb up a poll once the group and her father had left the city through the main gates. The girls goal? To get out of the city unnoticed, knowing full well her father would have told the guardsmen watching the gate to not let her pass. Quickly up the post with practiced ease, she then began running across rooftops then to one point where the roofs finally met the wall, the cities old walls giving the girl plenty of hand and footholds as she quickly climbed up and over the walls. Once on the other side she spotted her fathers group at the far end of the path, the girl opting to run along the top of the other fornications rather then the main pathway where she’d be spotted for sure. With a swift foot and graceful step the girl made her way around the path and soon enough leaving the city behind following after her father.
Back with the dark elf and her men, the cat kept looking over his shoulder, the elf then asking as he double took for a third time,
“What are you doing?”
The cat sighs before responding, as he kept pace with the group,
“Sorry, just a bit of paranoia, I have the strangest feeling that we’re being followed.”
Looking back herself the dark elf surveyed the path they had just passed and seeing nothing out of the ordinary she then turns back to the cat saying as she does,
“I don’t see anything, come on lets focus, what can you tell us about dragons?”
The cat follows along with the group, the men listening to the cat intently as he gave them the run down of how to fight a dragon, the cat trying to not sound like he had done so before. The cat knew however that they’d be in for a hell of a fight, he had fought dragons way in the past, though the battles themselves where a blur to the cat, old memories blurred by time, he had however remembered the sheer ferocity said beast fought with, as he could recall there where a few times he almost didn’t walk out of the fight. A few of the men gulped as the cat went on trying to instruct them in how to find a dragons weak points, openly admitting that such things where often to far and to few and that they should honestly focus on surviving more then graining honor.
After some time of traveling the watch tower finally came into view, the dark elf calling the cat and her men to stop for a moment to survey the field for a moment, the elf saying as they looked on,
“Gods above, well I can’t see the dragon but it certainly looks like he’s been here. Alright people, I know things look bleak but we must keep heart, now lets spread out and look for survivors.”
The men nod, then begin their approach to the tower weapons in hand, the cat staying back to more properly keep an eye out, knowing more so then the others to keep his eyes on the sky rather then the tower. Usshin approached the tower keeping his eyes on the clouds looking for any sign of displacement, only looking away when he heard the elf calling out, she had found a survivor, the man was badly hurt but he would survive given the proper first aid. He looks up from his position where he sat against the tower, saying as the elf got close,
“No . . .g . .get back, that thing . . . Its still out there . . . Horkie and Tor just . . . Got grabbed . . . When they . . . Tried to make . . A run for it!”
The cat glanced up once more before hurrying to the man, once within arms reach healing him with a spell, the cat asking as the golden light enveloped him,
“Can you stand?”
After but a moment the man nods returning to his feet only for everyone to turn their heads as a far off sound echoed through the sky, the nord trembling as he says, the cat running from the side of the tower to look at the sky,
“Gods save us, here he comes again!”
The cat looks up just in time to see the clouds ripple as something flew through them, the cat then looking back as he realized their mistake, he looked at the dozen or so men they brought with them, many of them armed with war hammers, and any number of swords and shields, only about three of them armed with bows and arrows that looked obviously old, the cat quickly cursed his lack of foresight, these men where not armed to fight a dragon. The cat looked up as finally, with a second roar the dragon finally emerged from the clouds, making a dive at the tower. In a rush the cat grabbed his old tome from his bag saying as he glanced to the men,
“Quickly to me!”
The cat threw open the tome quickly turning to a page in it and chanting some magic words, then conjuring a rack weapons, ethereal bows with quivers of arrows, the cat then saying as he started handing them out,
“Aim carefully, they’ll vanish once you’ve run out of arrows.”
The men nod, those without bows quickly grabbing one as finally the dragon was in range, breathing a gout of fire at the cat’s location, forcing the old mage to drop his spell book and hold out his spare hand to set up a barrier like ward to protect against the flames. In a flash the last man had grabbed a bow from the rack, finally allowing the cat to use his right hand yet again, the rack he had conjured vanishing once he had removed his hand from it. The elf then called out to the men to follow her lead, the lot of them readying a volley as the dragon circled around once more, the elf then shouting “FIRE!” at which point the men let loose a volley of arrows in the dragons direction, only on or two making contact with the dragons hide, but it didn’t look like the beast had taken any real damage. The dragon flew low, to let out another gout of flames his intended targets being the men on the walls, but was stopped by the cat as said being lobbed a few fire balls at it, the dragon glaring at him, knowing just by the look of him who the true threat was, the dragon then turning to attack the cat, knocking some men from the wall with his tail as he whipped it around. The dragon attacked with more fire, making the cat shield himself with another barrier, the dragon then flew into a hovering position using his wings to stay in the air as the beast said, in his dragons tongue, the cat however familiar with the language, how he could not remember,
“You seem vaguely familiar warrior, have we met in the past?”
The cat looks up to the beast saying in response,
“I’m not sure dragon, but enough talk, I doubt you actually have plans to stop your attack and I‘ve no interest in speaking as well, so let finish this.”
The dragon chuckles, kicking up dust as he took to the skies once more, making another round to attack the men again, both the cat and the group readying a second attack. As fast as it went the dragon was back again with more fire, setting a wall of it ablaze where several men stood forcing them to jump from the wall lest they be incinerated.
This back and forth battle lasted for some time with the cat and the Whiterun guards trading attacks with the dragon, till finally the beast grew bored of toying with them with his flames and landed with a loud thud, the men with their arrows exhausted and those with conjured bows having dissipated grabbed their weapons, readying for the true fight. The dragon roared as he approached several men charging the beast to its amusement, thinking that they could handle a dragon the same way they’d deal with simple bandits, by charging in, the beast quickly making short work of one man by cleaving him in two with his claws then backhanding the other away as if he was as rag doll. The dragon watched as they all quickly learned from their mistake, and approached much more carefully and tactically then the first time. The dragon snapped at a few of the men as they tried to approach, then finally it began, the men and the elf finally got close to the dragon, attacking it with their blades and hammers, the dragon responding in turn fighting back with claw and fangs, tail and wings, swiping at them or batting them away or trying to use his tail as a bullwhip. Usshin used his magic at range to support their attacks, trying to limit the dragons movement, forcing it to recoil where it could have counter attacked, several of the cats spells hitting the dragon at random points on its body. The beast grew aggravated, using his flames to set the ground aflame to force the men to have only one way to attack him, from the front, breathing fire that quickly formed a wall of flames, forcing them to come around rather then go through. This proved to be a near costly turn for the mortals, the dragon grinning as the men where forced to face the dragon head on rather then coming in from the sides while a few drew his attention, and as they tried to approach the dragon was able to attack without having to watch his sides, swatting at the men, knocking some away, cutting others. It quickly became a game to the dragon, he was enjoying toying with them, knocking them around like rags, they where not much of a threat to him in a frontal assault. Usshin moved up onto a far wall, his goal, to strike at the dragon with his magic from behind and with his unnatural agility he was effortlessly able to do so forcing the dragon to turn his head to look at the cat as several blast hit the dragons back. The dragon shouted what the men could only guess was a curse at the mage, who let off a smug grin to the beast. However at that moment the winds changed, the dragon stopping his attack, swatting a few men away before lifting his head and smelling the wind, the dragon then saying once more in the dragon tongue,
“What is this smell, . . . No it couldn’t be”
The beast looked beyond the small battle field, and stopped what he had smelled, hiding behind some rocks watching the battle unfold, was Ne’Ma, the young argonian then looking up to meet the dragons gaze. The dragon growled before booming in the human tongue this time, his rage apparent,
“Dovahkiin!!”
With that the dragon tore away from the men and the elf leading them, Usshin growing pale as he saw what the dragon was after, Ne’Ma letting out a silent scream as she fled from her hiding place, the dragon using his wings to pick up speed and was quickly upon the girl. It was all the girl could do to avoid the beasts claws as it attacked her with what could only be pure hate. Usshin jumped from the wall, He had to get to her, the girl was no match for a dragon, he needed to get to her and fast. He used all of his speed, moving faster then he had in a long time, the men and the dark elf trying to follow after, said elf shouting,
“HURRY! Protect that child!”
The dragon continued his attack, swiping at the girl, trying to bite her, and to her credit she managed to dodge several attacks, but when she jumped to avoid a low swipe the dragon knocked her back to the ground, stealing the air from her lungs as she landed with a thud, looking up in terror as the dragon said, lifting his claws to end the girl,
“Die Dovahkiin!”
Usshin rushed to the girl, the fear of losing her filling his heart, the fear of being alone again scaring him more so then anything ever before, at which point, the cat did something he thought he’d never do before, something he wanted to keep hidden from everyone, something he had sworn never to let see the light of day; Grabbing an old and faded scroll from his bag as he rushed to the girls side, the cat chanted a strange magical verse, ending as he saw the dragon was about to end the girl. Ne’Ma closed her eyes fearing her end was at hand, tears filling her eyes knowing now why her father told her to stay, she could only tremble as she saw the dragon bring down his blow, only to close her eyes as a loud metal slam echoed in front of her. Looking up in front of her, was her father the cat quickly being wrapped in a magical black armor, shielding the girl with a dark jet black shield, the cat scowling at the beast who looked dumb founded for but a moment, then saying as it backed away from him, ,
“I thought so, it is you, Traitor.”
Finally a helmet enveloped the cats head, The armor itself was clearly a mix demonic and draconic, mixing unnatural metals with dragon bones, it let off an chill that seemed to sink right to the bone, as if it was the chill of the grave. The dragon took another step back unsure how to handle this turn of events as Usshin looked down to Ne’Ma, the cats eyes glowing with a red aura, his gaze petrifying the girl more so then the dragon did, the cat asking as he looked back to her, the girl barely able to identify her fathers voice for how distorted is was by his own power,
“Are you ok, Ne’Ma?”
It took a moment but then the girl nodded the cat then looking back to the dragon who took another step back, the cat saying as he drew a sword from the air then gripping it tight,
“You would dare try to take that which is more precious then life to me away, for that you will pay dearly.”
The dragon growls, shouting in response as both began a charge against one another,
“Have at you Traitor!”
There was a clash as the dragon’s claws met the cats shield, at which point the cat pointed his blade to the ground, said something in a language the girl did not know, at which point a wraith pulled itself from the ground, the unnatural creature then attacking the dragon as the cat forced the beast off his shield blasting him with yet more magic. The girl watched as her father fought, she’d never seen him like this before, his every move was vicious, every move not aggressive, and when he finally drew blood reveled in it, its like he wanted to kill. The girl watched as the cat forced back the dragon yet again, making the space between it and Ne’Ma grow wider, Usshin then shouting to the group of men and the elf as they came to try and assist him,
“No, GO back! Return to the tower and stay there!”
The elf looked for a moment but nodded and ordered her men to return the tower, Usshin then saying as he looked back to Ne’Ma,
“Ne’Ma come here, quickly!”
The girl nodded quickly doing as she was told and rushing to her fathers side, at which point the cat glared at the dragon as he then said, the very words making the girls body react the same way it did when she saw the word wall her eyes becoming reptilian slits,
“Strun, Bah Qo!”
The dark elf and her men got to the tower only to look up as the clouds in the sky started to churn, blackening, till finally a bolt of lighting struck from the skies. The clouds where quickly whipped into a violent storm, rain clouds bursting open and lighting striking rapidly and precisely, The dragon looking up as a bolt then struck him, shouting in pain the dragon then made a move to attack again, only for the cat the slam him with his shield, stopping him in his tracks. Usshin then quickly grabbed up Ne’Ma, and then set her against the rocks laying his shield over her in a way to shield her, the cat then saying,
“Stay here, the shield will keep you safe from the lighting. I mean it this time, do not move from this spot till I come get you.”
The girl nodded hiding behind the shield, as Usshin returned to the fight, the dragon being stuck by lighting more and more, its wings burned and no longer able to carry him, the beast was bloodied and knew it was defeated but still it fought, making one last lung at the cat who jumped despite the armor he was wrapped in, landing on the dragons neck, it tried to shake him off, but it was no good, after a moment the cat shouted as the dragon tried to shake him off,
“Fus Ro Dah!”
The resulting blast knocking the dragons head into the ground, at which point, with sword in hand the cat made the final move; as the dragon lifted its head, the cat slid the blade to its neck, and slit its throat, the dragons blood flowing freely from the wound till finally the dragons laid low its head, beaten. The clouds overhead clearing and the dragon began to bleed out the cats rage at the creature spent and once things finally ended and the sounds of the battle finally faded and all that could be heard was the sound of the wind whipping about did the girl poked her head out from around the shield, looking over to her father, the cat who’s armor was turning back into a black mist, said mist collecting great gobs of the dragons blood, the shield too becoming a black mist at which point it all amassed in front of the cat in a black and red mass at which point the cat once more sealed it back into the old scroll, the tucking it away in his bag where it had been. The girl walked over to her father as did the men and the elf who had left the tower behind, the cat looked down to the dragon, as the creature looked at the girl saying one last thing before its end,
“Dovah. . . . Kiin. . .”
The dragons head then hit the ground, the beast exhaling its last breath in a pool of its own blood. The moments after where quite, both the elf and the nords looking on as the girl hid behind her fathers leg, looking on the dead corpse of the dragon till suddenly it started to burn, a strange energy whipped around it as flesh and scale where burnt away, the strange energy then flying to and wrapping itself around the girl, till finally the body was left not but bone and the energy had been absorbed. The girl felt light headed as her eyes returned to normal, her father then scooping her up, with a light chuckle, saying as he held her close,
“The irony, I have muted the dragon born.”
The girl held on to her father, the cat feeling more like her only safe haven at that moment. The men approached and talked with the cat for a little while one bring him back his tome which he put back into his bag at which point the men started gushing, going on about legends and such, the elf then saying afterwards as she approached the cat,
“I’ll take things from here, you should return to Whiterun and tell the Jarl what happened.”
The cat nods still holding Ne’Ma in his arms and turned from the dragon and the tower, hearing Irileth say to which all the men let out a groan,
“Alright men, lets get this Skelton out of the road”
Usshin and Ne’Ma both shared a laugh as they left them behind. The trek back to Whiterun was a peaceful one, neither father nor daughter said a word, Usshin holding the girl close, as Ne’Ma quickly grew tired, the hour alone being enough to tired her let alone what she just went through. The cat walked up the fortified path to the main gates of Whiterun, where the guardsmen nodded to him and opened the gates for him to pass, then all stopping as a sound filled the skies, a sound that easily could fill all of Skyrim at once, what started like the sound of a crack of thunder quickly turned to words, which echoed from the sky,
“Do . . . Vah. . . . kiin!”
It ended with yet another crack of thunder and then silence once more befell Skyrim, Usshin looking down to Ne’Ma who’s slit-ed eyes where locked on to the tallest peak in the region. With that said and done the father daughter pair entered Whiterun once more.
~end of chapter~
","pools_count":1,"title":"ToTs ch8","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"text/rtf","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"2","rating_name":"Adult","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"5","name":"Strong Violence","description":"Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"2","views":"132","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}