The howls of the wolves echoes throughout the forests of Falkreath as Masser and Secunda were high above the midnight sky. Below, the only lights that were visible were the lanterns near the roads and the crackling flames of a campfire positioned between two withered trees whose shadows resembled a Hagraven’s claws. There was an individual,an Imperial clad in steel plate armor and wearing a cloak to protect him from the cold night. The Imperial was sitting near the campfire, gazing at the flames as his mind went into another realm. A Dunmer appeared from the darkness of night carrying a pile of deadwood to keep the fire lit.
“You’re meditating or something Axius?” the Dunmer snapped Axius from his thoughts with his thick Morrowind accent as he dropped the firewood near the fire.
“More or less Sero, I was trying to remember home.” Axius replied with calm expression.He looked like a typical Imperial soldier, clean- shaven face with short hair that didn’t reach the length of his neck.
“Ah, I know that feeling. I miss my hometown of Blacklight but if I stayed there, I wouldn’t be the sellsword you know today.”
Sero gave a faint smile then joined Axius at the campfire pulling out a bottle of Sujamma, a type of alcohol in Morrowind from his knapsack and began to drink it slowly then giving it to Axius only to be politely turned down by him.
After two sips from his Sujamma, Sero gave Axius a question.“You know, I’ve told you about my backstory. Why not you tell me yours?”
“Well since there’s nothing left to do, fine. I’ll tell you my story.” answered Axius as he move closer to the fire.
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“10 years ago I was living in Skingrad, home of the finest wine in Cyrodiil. I spent most of my days at the vineyards outside the walls of the city or what was left of it after the Great War. As like all the rest of the Imperial provinces, the Thalmor enforced their rule here due to the White-Gold Concordat, but there aren’t as many Justiciars as in Skyrim.”
“One day, three Thalmor agents arrived at my home.They burst through the front door and grabbed my mother and father.They accused them of being Talos worshippers but I knew they weren’t, and that the elves simply wanted to kill them for their involvement in the Great War.”
“During the Great War, my father was Benedict Revan who.....”
“Wait wait,your father was Benedict Revan,THE Benedict Revan? The youngest and most brilliant tactician who fought during the Battle of Red Ring?!” Sero interrupted Axius narration after spewing his Sujamma at the campfire causing the flames to roar up skywards.
“Are you done? Because if you heard about him then I’m sure you know why he was captured.” Axius gave Sero a sullen look before continuing his narration.
“Anyways, Benedict Revan was a brilliant tactician. At the age of 26, he became the youngest Legate in the history of the Imperial Legion.When the preperation for The Battle of Red Ring began, my father was one of Emperor’s advisors and he was the one who proposed the plan to retake the Imperial City from three sides. He was with Emperor Titus Mede II when the battle commenced and dueled Lord Naarifin in single combat, although he let the Emperor take all the glory in an effort to improve the soldier’s morale after the battle.”
“So your father was by the Emperor’s side during the battle. So, he must of seen him wield Goldbrand then?” questioned Sero with curiosity as his bottle of Sujamma was almost empty.
Axius gave a chuckle before replying, “Yes and no, you see Emperor Titus Mede II wielded a replica of Goldbrand in order to strike fear into the hearts of the Thalmor. Unfortunately the blade broke during the assault but luckily the Emperor carried an extra sword. My father told me that the day before....” Axius’s cheerful expression then turned depressed as his mind brings up the moment his parents were executed.
“Hey Axius!” Sero gave a concerned look and waved his hands infront of Axius as he tries to bring him back to reality.
“Sorry, my mind was clouded a bit” responded Axius as he tries to regain his senses.
“Where was I? Oh right, despite the Empire’s victory, the Thalmor ultimately won the war due to the signing of the White-Gold Concordat. My father disagreed with the signing especially with the disbandment of The Blades because my grandfather and his father before him served in The Blades. This made him a target for the Thalmor but his ties with the Emperor made him nearly untouchable, well that is until 20 years later.”
Axius tries to muster some courage while continuing, despite his mind playing the images of his parents lifeless body hanging from the gallows.
“They dragged my parents to the center of the city where the gallows were. As their necks were around the noose, the Justiciar declared them worshippers of Talos. The crowd tried to plea for their release but a couple of elven swords pointed towards them silenced any thoughts. And with a single pull of the lever, they’re.....they’re dead.” Axius closed his eyes, shedding out a small tear as the images slowly faded away from his mind.
“I’m sorry for your loss sera. But how did you manage to survive after the whole...ordeal?”
After weeping his tear, Axius answered Sero’s question with a cold expression.
“After the execution, my uncle, Ignacius Cornell came. He told me that my father wanted me to go with him to The Monastery should anything happen to him or mother. At first, I didn’t know what kind of monastery Uncle Ignacius was talking about. But after arriving there, it set me on a course to where I was today. For the next 10 years I spent training both physically and mentally to hone my skills as a crusader of light. I was sent to Skyrim after hearing about Daedric activity there. And that’s why I’m here.” Axius finished his story with a small sigh while staring down at the ground.
“ Even after destroying a Daedric artifact, I feel like there’s more to be done here.”
Axius then stood up, stretching his back before going into his tent.
“We should get some sleep then move at dawn.”
Sero let out a yawn before nodding at the Imperial and heading back to his own tent. But before they could close their eyes, a loud howl interrupted them.
“Damn wolves, that’s the third time they howled tonight. Is it mating season or something?” Sero was irritated by the sound. His red eyes grew tired, needing the sleep they require but the howl kept them awake for too long.
“No, that howl was too loud for a wolf. Judging by the sound and distance, I think that’s our bounty.” Replied Axius in a calm manner.
“Oh good, atleast we know where he is tomorrow. Lets just go back to sle...”
“The more we wait, the more innocent lives will be killed by Hircine’s beast!” Axius cut Sero’s line. Despite being tired, his cause to root out evil kept him awake that night.
“Well I don’t suppose you have a night vision potion since it’ll be stupid to hunt a werewolf in the middle of the night?”
Axius then picked up a vial from his backpack and tossed it to Sero which he caught. As he read the label, he began to mumble to himself.
“I shouldn’t of ask” responded Sero
“Happy now? Come on, it’s time to hunt the hunter”
Axius then grabbed his mace and shield from his tent followed by Sero with his katana. They proceed into the dark woods with the moonlight being their guide. As they went inside, two figures carefully watch them from nearby.
“I think we found the perfect place for him, don’t you think Marshall?” said a shadowy man. The upper part of his face was covered by the shadows of the trees surrounding him.
Beside him was a hooded man wearing a pair of steel gauntlets and boots with strange engravings.
“He’s still not ready for the trials ahead.” Said the hooded man in a formal tone suggesting that he was middle aged.
“Well he destroyed the Skull of Corruption and stopped a cult of cannibals in Markath. Not bad for an Initiate don’t you think?” He told the Marshall as he smiled.
“Might I remind you who you’re talking to?” The Marshall raised his voice but not too loud to attract others.
“I said he’s not ready and that’s final. Let us go back”
“Fine, sir” reluctantly said the man as he cast a spell from his right hand. They then vanished in a white light.
Author's Note:
So this is my first blog post for AMOST and I don't know if this counts as a short story. Probably gonna expect a lot of errors but we all learn from them. This first post was made to test out my dialogue skills. Next one would probably be more on the line of writing about combat. Oh and sorry if it's a bit lore hostile.
Comments
Ermmm.....
On a seriouse note, this is good for your first... more
You know, when blogs go up.
I really need more coffee. LOL