U.O.T.W. Chapter 123 Tormented

• Posted by Sotek April 20, 2016 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 1,102 views

  

  The morning’s trailing haze seeped through the tree lines as its tendrils snaked out and slowly surrounded the camp. Through the mist a lone deer ran full bolt as an arrow shot just past its head, causing it to run even faster.

  Aela leapt over a bush and notched an arrow before she even hit the ground. She had run only a few paces when she released the drawstring. Its missile skimmed between the smallest of gaps between two tall firs and found its target, the deer’s shoulder, bringing the animal to the ground.

  Within seconds she was on top of it. Her dagger in hand, cutting warm fur, spilling hot blood. She stroked the now dead animal and whispered her thanks before skinning and gutting the creature, leaving the unwanted waste for the wolves and other animals that haunted the forest in search of prey.

  “Hircine, I thank you for your offering!”

  Wrapping the bloodied carcass in the fur, she draped it over her shoulder then staggered back to the camp.

  The bed rolls and furs were already rolled up and packed on the horses and the fire was well and truly out after it had various pots of water from the lake thrown in the middle of it dousing what little of the fire remained from the night before.

  Aela dropped the deer where she stood and gazed across the now cleared patch of land in disbelief.

  “What the hell? Breakfast?”

  Farkas shrugged his shoulders at her while Vilkas who was tightening the last of the harnesses to the horses pointed across to Sotek.

  The Argonian seemed pre-occupied. He was staring across the lake almost unaware of the other member’s feelings or even their existence.

  Aela approached him from behind but as he never turned around to face her, she ended up having to tap him on the shoulder.

  “I thought we were eating first?”

  Sotek gave her the briefest of glances and shook his head at her proposal.

  “No, not this time, we’re heading back now. Vilkas, load the deer on Aela’s horse. No doubt Tilma will be grateful of Aela’s offerings. The hall of Jorrvaskr will have venison tonight”.

  Although he wasn’t ‘off’ with her, there was certainly something amiss. She initially concluded he had found out about Red and Scarface while she was off hunting. When Vilkas picked up the carcass, she approached him and whispered.

  “He knows don’t he?”

  Initially Vilkas wasn’t sure as to what Aela was referring to but when she flashed her eyes at him; he caught up with her chain of thought and quickly laid that particular fear to rest.

  “Knows what? Oh right. Aela, it’s not you. He was like this the moment he awoke. I’ve no idea what’s up with him. His scales aren’t right though... they look too dark to me. Shut up about Scarface else he will know. Drop it; put it out of your mind. Scarface ever shows up again, you stay the hell away from him”.

  She sighed in relief and held Vilkas’s arm tightly for a bit of reassurance.

  “I thought he overheard you two talking about Red. I’ll do what you say; I’ll keep Red well out of that bastard’s way”.

  She broke away from Vilkas when she saw Sotek heading towards them and moved closer to intercept him.

  “So, ermm”.

  Sotek was busy scratching his right arm beneath his sleeve. For the first time that morning Aela realised Sotek wasn’t wearing any armor, just a miner’s shirt and pair of old brown trousers. He didn’t even have any boots on, he was walking around barefoot.

  “Sotek, I have to ask...”

  The Argonian slightly huffed as he tried to ease his scratching but the itch just seemed to infuriate him even more. He eventually stopped and gave Aela a bit of attention, although it wasn’t what she expected.

  “Aela, I know you’re hungry. We can eat when we get back. I’m not myself; I need to get back...”

  She held the side of his face with the palm of her hand and for a fraction of a second Sotek seemed to rub his cheek against her but he quickly moved away and lightly pushed her towards the stallion.

  “Mount up, we need to get moving”.

  Without even waiting for Aela or the others to even move near their horses, Sotek mounted on the mare and rode off towards Jorrvaskr, giving little care whether the other Companions caught him up or not.

  Aela’s own horse, the steed was more than capable of carrying its rider and a deer carcass while catching up with Sotek’s mare. It effortlessly galloped across the rugged terrain and easily closed the distance between them. Aela decided however to maintain a low profile so she just kept to Sotek’s pace and hung back, maintaining a thousand-yard gap.

  Despite only being a few minutes behind, by the time Aela reached the Whiterun stables, Sotek was having what seemed to be a heated argument with the stable owner while the stable lad sat on the fence, keeping well away from the ‘debate’.

  Aela dismounted and led her horse to the boy so she could tie the stallion to the fence.

  “What’s going on?”

  The lad, who looked somewhat flustered, pointed across to Sotek’s horse as he replied gingerly.

  “Well, the Dragonborn... Sotek. He wants to sell four horses but Mr Skulvar won’t buy the four horses as he has no room for them and there is only one horse. With yours, there’s now two, see? Sotek is pushing for the four to be bought but Mr Skulvar won’t until he has seen them. Personally, I’m hungry and I want to go to lunch. Wanna apple? I got two!”

  He unwrapped a bundle of cloth to reveal two apples, a sweet roll and a lump of hard cheese. Aela smiled at the boy and ruffled his hair. Such a meal reminded her of when she would sit on the steps of Jorrvaskr and await the Companions return from their escapades when she was just a Whelp. Kodlak would buy a selection of cakes and there would always be a ‘special’ cream bun for her.

  “Thanks”, she stated as she took an apple. Her hand slipped into her pocket and pulled out three gold coins which she placed on the fence post for the boy. “There you go, be off with you and buy yourself a flask of milk”.

  The lad’s eyes lit up and he bound off the fence and started running towards the main gate. He yelled back at Aela with a cheeky grin.

  “I ain’t no milk drinker. I’m old enough for ale!”

  Aela leaned against the post and started laughing at the lad just as Vilkas and Farkas caught up. Vilkas brought his horse to a stop alongside Aela and whispered to her.

  “What’s going on?”

  She stated sniggering as she replied.

  “That’s what I asked. All I was told was…”

  She went to answer as best as she could but Sotek beat her to the punch.
  “About time! Look, four damn horses! Count them, one, two, three and four!” He briskly walked towards Aela’s horse and untied it before leading the animal to the Stable owner. Sotek pulled the man’s hand out and stuck the end of the reins in it before clenching the hand around the leather strap. “Vilkas, make the deal!!”

  Sotek then turned his back on everyone and walked off towards the main gate in what seemed to be a foul mood. Aela watched him as he headed through the large portcullis archway and decided to give chase.

  “This is about me and Red. The bastard knows”. She burst into a run to chase him but when she drew near; she slowed right up and followed behind while she built up the nerve to talk with him. “Sotek! Can we talk, I... stop... please?”

  He cried out despairingly, raising his hands and face up to the gods, questioning his very existence.

  “Why me? What the hell did I do?” His head lowered down so his chin was resting against his chest and his arms flopped by his sides. Turning around, he wearily looked up at Aela’s face to see her staring blankly back at him. “Sorry, I’m just feeling... What? Ok....”

  He walked up to her awkwardly like he was trying to show compassion and restraint while his whole body seemed to scream out with the infuriation he felt. When he was finally standing in front of her, Aela happened to chance upon seeing small patches of blood on his miner’s shirt. These red marks were little more than blotches yet they were all along his sleeves and chest.

  “Are you hurt?”

  Irrespective of where they were, she tugged his shirt out of his trousers and lifted the rugged shirt up over his chest. She gasped in surprise at his chest which was smothered in scratches. Trails of blood moulded together where he had scratched so hard with his claws. Although she didn’t know why he was itching so much, she knew it was causing him a huge amount of annoyance. Her voice lost its nervousness as empathy filled the void.

  “Oh Sotek... why do this to yourself? Hold still”. She unfastened her flask from her waist and yanked off the stopper while she pulled on one of Sotek’s bone spikes to lower his head. His eyes closed as he rolled his head around his shoulders, enjoying the cold water as it covered him. “We’ll get these clothes off and sort you out. This is the poison isn’t it! Jorrvaskr, now!”

  He never answered her but his eyes shone with defiance. The moment he felt her palm stroke the side of his face though he cracked and dolefully rested his temple on her shoulder. She caressed the back of his head for a few seconds before taking his hand and leading him through the gate.

  Aela presumed that Sotek would obey and head straight to Jorrvaskr so she wasn’t impressed to see him head towards the forge. Then again neither was Sotek.

  The moment Adrianne saw him, she placed the tongs which she was using to heat up an ebony blade, on the anvil and waved him over towards her as she called out.

  “Ahh Sotek, I need a word. This armor the Harbinger left here. You can’t go piling up a cartful of crappy gear here and expect me to buy it! Now, I’m interested in a few pieces mind so we can make a deal. The silver blades, six of them. Two Greatswords and tat. 80 septims for each of the two swords and 140 for the four smaller blades. Oh there’s a shield there... I’ll give you 50 septims for the shield. I’ve no calling for the armor, it’s a bit dented and the straps worn... Oh shall we say 30? As for the rest of it...”

  Sotek ached and his head was thumping, the last thing he needed was Adrianne in one of her moods. As she spoke, Sotek glanced over to the pile of weapons and armor but he couldn’t even remember where he had got it from. He certainly couldn’t place the silver Greatswords, completely forgetting that it was Aela and Vilkas who collected them for him. Blankly he gazed at Adrianne and spoke in a quiet broken voice.

  “Huh?”

  Adrianne huffed and carried on working the ebony as she repeated herself.

  “The Greatswords? Oh Sotek, wake up. You’re not usually this slow minded. Greatswords, 160 gold; Swords four of them!”

  The truth was all Sotek wanted was to be left alone. He took the bag of gold which Adrianne had placed on the workbench and headed off along the pathway towards the market.

  “That’s fine, it’s yours”.

  Adrianne stopped what she was doing and cast a peculiar look towards him but the Argonian was already walking away from her.

  “It’s mine? What’s mine? Sotek?”

  Without turning around, he called back to her, not particularly caring if she could hear him or not.

  “All of it. You just bought the lot”.

  Aela glanced over her shoulder at Adrianne who looked just as baffled as she was. Just as they were nearing the market, Danica happened to chance across them. She was in the process of buying fruit from Carlotta when she saw Sotek in the corner of her eye.

  “Oh Sotek! Belethor asked if I would keep an eye out for you. Something about Scrolls. Are you alright?”

  Sotek groaned out loudly then slowly turned towards Danica. His tail which was usually full of life lay limp and cut a small channel in the dust as it dragged on the ground behind him. He leaned towards her as if the effort of stepping closer was too much for him to bear. His tone was heavy, slow and quiet as if he was trapped in a half existence between life and slumber.

  “I hate you!”

  Her hands dropped to her sides in shock as she stared dumbfounded at him while Carlotta lowered her head, having no idea where to look. Aela half smiled at Danica apologetically as Sotek shuffled around and slowly walked towards Belethor’s shop. Even before he had stepped inside the premises, he was yelling for the shopkeeper.

  “Belethor? Belethor damn your arse? Aww!!”

  Belethor rose up from behind the counter where he was sorting out a collection of scrolls and rings. The same scrolls he wanted to discuss with Sotek.

  “There’s no need to shout”.

  Sotek hissed back as his tail rose up and slammed on the wooden flooring.

  “Then answer! Whatss you wants with him? Me?”

  Belethor glanced across the shop floor. His eyes flicked between Sotek and Aela as he tried to work out what Sotek had said.

  “Huh? Who? Oh him, as in you, yes. The scrolls, three hundred septims for the scrolls and three rings?”

  Sotek groaned loudly as he started scratching his arm again, causing yet more blood to leach through his shirt. He looked back blankly at Belethor and tried to concentrate on the deal but the reality was that he had no idea what Belethor was on about. He tried to picture the scrolls but the strain was just too much for him.

  His voice rose in pitch along with the volume as he cried back at the shopkeeper.

  “Scrolls? What bloody scrolls? Three hundred? Really? I can’t do this, whatever, fine. Have Sigurd bring them to Jorrvaskr”. His final act was to toss the bag of gold that Adrianne had given him on to the floor. The jingling of gold coins made Belethor’s eyes light up as the pouch full of septims landed a few feet away from his reach. Ignoring Aela, Sotek turned around and walked outside, slamming the door behind him.

  Aela ended up staring at the door with a feeling of dismay. As she started heading outside, she was stopped where she was by Belethor as he picked up the pouch.

  “That’s the quickest profit I made all week”.

  Aela slowly turned around and approached the counter. Her finger tapped slowly and steadily as the color in Belethor’s face drained.

  “These scrolls, remember I can gut you faster than a fisherman can a fish. Tell me, how much are they worth?”

  Belethor threw the pouch on the counter in front of her. Dejectedly he answered.

  “Top septim, around 450 but I need to make a profit!”

  Feeling completely lost, Aela opened the pouch and peered inside. There were well over 300 septims inside it leaving her studying Belethor in an attempt to work out the figures.

  “If you want a good profit, which is fair enough then why are you selling the scrolls for just 300? What the hell are you up to? More of your blasted scheming?”

  Belethor watched the gold slip out of his fingers. He sighed as he held his hands up to her.

  “I wasn’t selling them; I was supposed to be buying them. I owe Sotek 300 gold…”

  Aela dropped a single septim into the pouch. It seemed to fall slowly then the clink of gold echoed around the shop.

  “You what? You slimy bastar…..”

  At that precise moment, the shop door opened and Danica the priestess walked inside. Her robes draped across the floorboards leaving trails behind as the rim disturbed several layers of dust. It wasn’t a case of the shop being dirty, for Belethor had an assistant who for all his troubles, swept the floor regularly. It didn’t matter what Sigurd seemed to do with his broom, all he achieved was to scatter the dust from one spot to another.

  Assessing the situation in a single glance, Danica beckoned Aela to her with the authority of a revered grandmother.

  “Aela, come here child. Give me the pouch of gold”.

  Aela warily approached the priestess and handed over the gold, obeying Danica’s request.

  “It’s Sotek’s!”

  Danica smiled back at her and gently held her hand.

  “I know, I overheard. Now, tell me child. Sotek has seen Adrianne as well, yes?”

  Aela bit her lip and nodded back in response.

  “Yes, I have no idea what went on there. Nor does Adrianne”

  Danica softly pushed Aela’s back, guiding her towards the doorway.

  “You leave the gold to me to sort out. Sotek, go find him. Take him home and see that he gets rest. Tell the Harbinger I’ll stop by later before the evening is done. Something ails Sotek, his scales are awfully dark. We'll sort him out”.

  Aela’s eyes narrowed as she stared back at Belethor then she headed outside.

  Across the market, Sotek was standing by the fruit stall, slumped against one of the supports. He was holding the side of his head in his palm and both eyes were tightly shut while Mila tugged on his trousers. As Aela closed in, she could hear the fruit seller’s daughter ask Sotek about his shirt.

  “You’re bleeding. Ma his shirts covered in blood. Have you been fighting?”

  Carlotta shooed Mila away to the other side of the stall so she wouldn’t pester Sotek.

  “Mila, those apples need turning, you can’t leave them in the sun all day and not turn them”.

  Mila cast a quick look at Sotek then scurried off to the wooden crate of fruit.

  “Maa I want to hear about dragons”.

  Carlotta wagged her finger at her daughter and sent her off.

  “No, leave Sotek alone. He’s not feeling himself. Maybe another day he’ll tell you one of his stories”.

  Sotek sighed a breath of relief as he felt the young girl’s grip release him so he could walk away. He took three steps when a child’s hand tugged on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Mila smiling back at him. She placed a red apple in his hand then ran back to the stall. Sotek called out to her as he pulled out two coins from his pocket.

  “Mila, here you go”.

  She turned towards Sotek and a big broad smile filled her face as she chuckled.

  “It’s a present”.

  Sotek smiled back at her then headed to the stone steps which led to the Winds District. He stumbled on the bottom step but Aela was close at hand. She quickly grabbed hold of him and helped the Companion steady himself. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she took some of his weight to ease the climb. As they made their way up the stairway, Aela’s voice changed from one of empathy to one of a more dominant nature.

  “Now we’re going home”.