U.O.T.W. Chapter 128 Unleashed

• Posted by Sotek May 3, 2016 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 1,169 views

  

  

   

  Author's Note: Adult Themes

   

  Gloating, Greymane kicked dust and dirt in Aela’s face while he hollered at her to stand up.

  “Get on your feet, bitch! Move!” He stepped towards her and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her once again up to her feet. Her legs felt like lead and every muscle ached. Instead of fighting back, she hung there loosely by her hair, her spirit broken, her moral shattered and torn. He threw her towards an Imperial woman and bellowed his orders as Aela expressionlessly looked back at Hircine and the wolf spirit. A soft whine called out to her but she didn’t hear it, her mind was too far gone to hear anything.

   

  The Nord slammed his foot down at the spirit in an attempt to scare it off. It cried out, a high desolate cry, snapping Aela out of her trance like state. She screamed back at Greymane, yelling at him to leave the wolf spirit alone.

   

  Greymane walked towards her and raised the back of his hand. Aela’s eyes were filled with equal quantities of fear and defiance, both raging inside her for dominance. She was close to her breaking point; Greymane could see it in her very soul. Just one more push and he won.

   

  Once again the wolf spirit cried out but this time it was even louder. It started sliding backwards despite every effort it made to stay where it was. Its claws dug up the ground leaving rake marks where it was dragged backwards by an unseen force.

   

  Dark blue vapour trails broke away from the spectral wolf form and snaked their back to Omega’s corpse. Aela blankly looked on as the misty spectral wolf was sucked backwards, pulled into Omega’s body. Even Greymane watched in fascination and surprise yet Hircine seemed unfazed, except for the knowing smile strewn across his face. Aela felt confused, she turned towards Hircine but he just gave a chuckle and pointed at her.

  “Remember your task, Huntress. Remember your oath. Greymane, he is to live!”

   

  Omega suddenly screamed out in an ear piercing howl, making everyone jump in fright. In agony, he contorted wildly as his limbs thrashed about uncontrollably. The blood soaked fur dropped to the floor and disappeared into dust. Omega’s body started to split all over as a dark shape started to form within the corpse, shredding Omega’s skin like a snake. His entire body changed form, growing massively in size and muscle. Pitch black fur grew at an astounding rate as Sotek’s werewolf form which had been suppressed for too long was finally let free. Within seconds he had changed completely. No trace remained of Omega lest the pool of dusty blood left in Greymane’s wake.

   

  The black werewolf lifted his head up and let out a deafening roar marking his arrival to the world. The Imperial woman threw Aela forwards onto the ground and ran in terror as the howl filled her heart with dread. Some werewolves froze where they stood while most joined in the retreat. No longer did they feel superior. They all knew they were now the hunted, they were now the prey.

   

  The werewolf crouched down as low as he could then with a powerful kick of his hind legs; he launched himself in the air clearing the rocky platform in a single titanic leap. He crashed down on the rocky bed slamming his paws into two werewolves who were too slow to react. Bloody tears six inches deep cut through their faces and chests, killing then where they stood. The two lycanthropes fell backwards and were dead before they even hit the floor.

   

  The pitch black werewolf stood up to full height and roared out, it’s howl echoing through the cavern forcing Aela to block her ears from the deafening tone while Greymane stood there in shock at the titan who now stood before him. He himself stood at eight feet but even he had to look up to see the hateful emerald green eyes glaring back at him. Self preservation kicked in and for the first time in his life, Greymane turned around and ran.

   

  Aela realised instantly why Hircine had said stopping Sotek’s werewolf form wouldn’t be easy. All along she thought Hircine was on about Omega but now she saw the truth and it terrified her. She recognized him immediately, the three wounds above his left eye where Sotek had burned his flesh, making the three scars were as prominent as ever. She didn’t understand but she knew it was him, she knew she had to stop him, everything depended on it. She reached out to grab hold of the werewolf’s arm and as he even turned to her for a second but then he ran as fast and as hard as he could in pursuit of his prey.

   

  The whole cavern seemed to shake from his paws thundering into the ground like a stampeding mammoth, tearing up earth and rocks as he ran. Aela screamed out desperately in the hope that he would listen.

  “Stop, don’t kill him. Come back, I need you. Scarface! Come back, stop, please!”

   

  She vainly ran behind him in a hopeless attempt to catch up with Scarface but he was too fast, even Red wouldn’t be able to match his speed. Yells and screams filled her with dread as the white stag aspect of Hircine shot past her, leaving the Huntress behind but he had just as much of a chance in catching up with Scarface as Aela did.

   

  Aela ran around the corner to a clearing where Hircine, who was now in his Hunter’s aspect form waited for her after he gave up chasing Scarface.

  “Well Huntress, you were warned. If Greymane’s killed, then you lose everything. You will be his forever”.

   

  Aela screamed out once more for all she was worth.

  “Scarface! Sotek! Please don’t kill him!” She fell to her knees in tears. Aela didn’t even know if Scarface could hear her, let alone stop his rage from taking over.

   

  Scarface ran down the tunnels as fast as he could like a terrier chasing rabbits through their warren. A few werewolves closed in to attack him but both were obliterated instantly by two massive swipes of claw and muscle. Scarface was blinded with rage, for too long had he been held back while the weaker Omega took control. Every time Sotek had transformed, Scarface tried to break out but on each occasion, instead of being able to take on his natural werewolf form, Sotek’s body was forced to turn into Omega. Each time Sotek turned, Scarface shared in Sotek’s pain and agony. Now Scarface was free, he was never going back there, never...

   

  Another werewolf blocked his path, or at least it tried to. Scarface leapt at it and threw it on its back. Blood and fur were thrown upwards as Scarface smashed his way through the corpse. He only rested to feed then with a howling cry, he was off again, pursuing his foe.

   

  Up to now he didn’t even realise the Bloodmoon was above him, filling the whole area with a reddish glow. Scarface paused and gazed up at the night sky. Distant memories flooded his mind of half forgotten dreams and twisted realities. A new scent filled his nostrils, one he was quick to recognise. Bears, he could smell bears. Images filled his mind from a fight against such creatures. They vastly outnumbered him but he out matched them in every way. The floor where he stood seemed to be awash with bloody remains from a multitude of bear carcases then, all of a sudden the images were gone.

   

  A scent snapped his mind back to the hunt. He could smell his prey, it was close. Further along the pathway he heard a strange rumbling. As he turned the corner he found the source, a small waterfall formed a pool of crystal blue water. He dropped to all fours and drank, lapping up mouthfuls whetting his appetite for food. Following the only route open to him, Scarface came across a staircase cut into the rock itself. Several steps crumbled under his weight as he made his way to the top. With each step rubble and mortar fell away forming miniature avalanches as they fell down the stairway to the floor below. He howled out, not caring if he could be heard, not caring if enemies waited in ambush. Such matters meant little, it just made things easier in the long run and he was getting tired.

   

  It wasn’t a tiredness of running, of hunting, his energy tinkered on the edge of limitless, he was tired of waiting. He wanted the grey werewolf to suffer; it was his turn to inflict pain. He wanted revenge. He wanted to kill.

   

  The truth was that with every blow Omega felt, Scarface felt it too. When Omega was flung against the rock face, the pummel of blows which Greymane had inflicted unnecessarily upon Omega’s corpse just to break Aela’s spirit in two. Red’s sprit in two. Red, Greymane struck Red.

   

  Scarface howled out once more, rage and anger causing him to spittle as he hollered out his fearsome cry.

   

  Just as he turned the very next corner, a Nordic Greatsword swung out from nowhere and struck Scarface in the chest. Blood splattered out against the surrounding rocks as Scarface fell to the side. A gaping wound across his torso caused him to howl out but he wasn’t Omega, no such injury was going to stop him. He dropped on all four paws and faced his opponent, Greymane himself. The Greatsword was thrust forwards towards Scarface’s chest but Scarface moved to the side in the last possible second. Nordic steel cut into his shoulder, slicing flesh and muscle but Scarface was undeterred.

   

  He swiped out with his good paw, knocking the sword away then he lurched forwards and bit into the offending arm. Fangs like daggers crushed down, breaking through the Curved Nordic armor with ease, shattering bone and tearing flesh. Scarface flailed his head to the side wrenching the arm out of its socket. A frontal paw struck Greymane in the chest knocking him backwards onto the ground.

   

  Scarface looked over the defeated Nord. He neither felt sympathy nor compassion. He wanted his prey to suffer; he wanted his prey to know fear as Omega had. Greymane pulled himself along the ground with his good arm in a vain attempt to escape. Scarface stared down at the pathetic being who took so much joy out of making others suffer. Omega stood his ground or at least he tried to and yet this worthless creature was trying to get away. Scarface wasn’t done yet, his method of stopping the Nord was simple; he stamped down with his hind paw onto the man’s leg, shattering it. Scarface never lifted his paw up; he put all his weight on it and listened as the man screamed in agony.

   

  Several seconds later, Greymane fell limp as he passed out on the floor. Only then did Scarface step off the crushed limb. The black werewolf wasn’t done yet; he hadn’t had his fill.

   

  Aela was too shaken and exhausted to run any more. She walked along the passages and canyons while the moons shone down, lighting her way. Everything seemed a dream to her, so tranquil and surreal that she barely knew where she was, what she was doing there.

   

  Everything came flooding back when she saw Scarface approach her or rather heard him approach her. As he came into view, he had what looked like a boot in his paw. Blood dripped from the claws and fell upon the ground bloodying the soil as he made his way to her. Behind him, he dragged something. Only when Aela got close did she see who it was, Greymane’s corpse.

   

  Hircine had by now joined them in the canyon. He moved from behind Aela and shook his head disappointedly at the lycanthropic creature that stared hatefully back at him.

   

  Scarface was covered in blood from the fights as he fought his way through the tunnels yet every wound he had suffered had already healed. Irrespective of how he looked, Aela ran at him in full view of Hircine and punched him continuously in the chest.

  “You stupid bastard! What have you done, what have you done to me”. She collapsed to her knees on the floor in a hysterical state.

   

  Scarface threw the mangled body of Greymane at Hircine’s feet, while Aela screamed out at him.

  “No, please no! You bastard, you’ve damned me to hell”.

   

  Having fulfilled his hunger and sating his lust for revenge, Scarface relaxed his hold, allowing Sotek to take back the body. He howled out one last time as he transformed where he stood. Instead of dropping to the floor in agony when he changed form, Sotek stood resilient. No more would he be racked with pain during his transformations. Now he was free to resume his own form without the restrictions placed upon him. Now he was truly free.

   

  Yet Scarface’s anger still remained and as Sotek walked between Aela and Hircine, he yelled to them both.

  “Not one of you bastards said I couldn’t rough him up. You just said don’t kill the son of a bitch!”

   

  Aela fell silent and glanced at Sotek then ever so slowly, she turned back around towards Greymane. His arm was torn to pieces; there were massive gashes along one of his legs while the other limb looked as if it was crushed beneath a stampeding herd of horses. His face was slashed and cut like it was ground into the very rock face. Every piece of Nordic Curved armour he wore was ripped into shreds, leaving massive bruising all over his torso. A feint gurgling caused Aela to whimper in relief. She tried to lift herself up but she couldn’t; she was just unable to stand any more. Greymane was breathing, he was alive.

   

  A shadow cast over Aela giving her cause to look up; a friendly face smiled back at her, one which she thought she had lost. Sotek gave her his hand and gently helped her up to her feet.

  “I... I thought you killed him. I thought he was dead”. She collapsed in his arms and gripped him tightly crying tears of frustration and relief.

   

  Greymane drew a deep breath then spat out a mouth full of blood and cursed at Sotek. Although his eyelids were swollen, he still managed to stare at Aela as he struggled to whisper.

  “You, you can’t kill me. I’m the alpha, the alpha. She’s mine, mine”.

   

  Sotek’s arms wrapped themselves around Aela even tighter, supporting her as he held her against his chest. He blanked Greymane but yelled all his frustrations at Hircine, as defiantly as ever.

  “Why the hell can’t I kill him? Why must I allow that bastard to live? Why?”

   

  Hircine walked over to Greymane and laid out the facts as he saw them.

  “Red doesn’t belong to you Greymane. She belongs to me; she’s my hound”.

   

  The Daedra Lord stepped over Greymane as if he was nothing and approached Sotek. He stroked Aela’s hair and whispered to her.

  “This one is still confused. Explain it to him, make sure he understands. You have earned Red’s freedom. Tell him why the prey had to live”

   

  Aela looked at Hircine and gulped. Her voice was broken and frail from the onslaught of emotions.

  “Lor... Lord Hirc... Hircine...”

   

  Sotek hissed defiantly in Hircine’s face. He covered Aela’s mouth with his hand and spoke on her behalf.

  “To hell with you Hircine. Why don’t you tell me yourself?”

   

  Hircine openly laughed and nodded. With a big grin he prodded Aela, goading her into action.

  “I would put a muzzle on that hound if I were you. Silence him, now!”

   

  Feeling fearful once more, Aela pulled herself away from Sotek and turned on him faster than an abused hound let off the leash. She punched him in the chest and stuck a finger against his lips.

  “Shut up. Please, don’t say another word. I need you to shut up. Just... just hold me; I can’t take any more today. Just shut up and listen”.

   

  She rested her head in his chest and mumbled to herself quietly until she felt strong enough to stand on her own two feet. Only when she was ready did she break away from Sotek and carry out her Daedra Lord’s request.

  “Hircine, he said that if I want to be with you, if Red was to be with Omega then I must stop you from killing Greymane. Hircine needed to know I had control of you, of Omega..... Omega? This wasn’t about Omega at all was it? It was Scarface, Hircine can’t control Scarface! Hircine needed me to control you, your wolf form. He said Red can be with your werewolf spirit. I thought he meant Omega”.

   

  Hircine chuckled and added his own side of things to the whole situation.

  “What the Huntress says is true, in part. I can control Scarface but only directly. He is, shall we say, a lone wolf? Even when we were one fighting the dragon Scarface resisted me. He is a worthy specimen to any master of the hunt. The trouble is that he is as defiant as you, Argonian. He is stubborn; he never quits, hardly listens and is just as likely to turn on me as he is to obey!! Such raw power and yet such a fleeting loyalty is unacceptable. So, here are the facts, Hunter. I have control of the Huntress, and she, like it or not, has control of you! Aela, keep him on a short leash; I have need of him. I have need of you both”.

   

  Sotek hissed angrily at Aela but then his attention refocused on Greymane.

  “So all this was just to piss me off? Aela’s nightmares? My own? Just to make me hell bent on killing this wretched bastard in the vain hope to see whether Aela could stop me? Hircine! You asshole! You and you’re fucking games”.

   

  Hircine lowered his spear and pointed it straight at Sotek’s chest. The Argonian felt the tip of it press against him right where his heart lay beneath his ribs.

  “Games? It’s not about games my hound. You could have chosen any werewolf to take as your mate but no, you had to have her! Your stubbornness infected her like a plague. I told her to stay away but no. She’s the seventh generation of pure bloods, I couldn’t allow that potency to be set free within your veins. Just because you couldn’t change Hunter, didn’t mean my gift wasn’t there. Did you forget you carry three boons? Three boons which will never be given again? How could I release Scarface without first having asserted my will upon him? Hunts were turned inside out! The hunters became the hunted. I couldn’t allow him to be free once more without some form of control”.

   

  Before Sotek or Aela could even think of anything to say, a singular high pitch voice screeched out from nowhere, causing Sotek to groan in despair.

  “It worked though didn’t it. I told you we make a great team. Hellooooo”.

   

  Sotek kicked out at a rock sending it crashing into the passageway wall.

  “Sheogorath? Oh that makes perfect sense as to why the plan was so screwed up. I suppose you were in it from the bloody start?”

   

  Sheogorath appeared sitting cross legged. He was hovering in the air around eight feet up. Aela bent over to look at him as he was upside-down.

  “Well I want a rematch and Hircine said no. So I had to come up with something didn’t I. Least you’re out of that stinking cave”

   

  Aela looked back at Hircine and scratched her head in confusion.

  “Rematch? Cave? What bloody cave?”

   

  Sheogorath pulled down on Aela’s chin and stuck a piece of cheese in her mouth, silencing her. He grinned across to Sotek and chuckled.

  “That’s a great way of shutting her up! It works great on the other one!”

   

  Sotek held his head in his hands and slowly shook it as he tried to make sense of everything.

  “What other one? Oh forget it. I’m too tired for this crap”

   

  Sheogorath who was now grinding Hircine’s nerves as well as everyone else’s threw a book at Sotek. He pointed to it and grinned.

  “Read a book, it explains everything”.

   

  Sotek wearily picked the book up and opened the cover. He flicked through several pages but each page was blank.

  “This book is blank!”

   

  Sheogorath started laughing as he pointed to Sotek.

  “Of course it’s blank. I never said read that book I said a book. There is a difference you know. 16 Cheeses of Madness ... I’ll let you guess which one. What a wonderful game we’ll have when you try to find it”.

   

  At that moment a piece of cheese flew through Sheogorath’s head. Aela cursed as she moved alongside Sotek. Despite her cocky attitude, she was still feeling somewhat shaken.

  “Damn, next time”.

   

  Sheogorath disappeared from view. Sotek had hoped he had returned to his realm but the Argonian couldn’t be sure. He turned his back on Hircine and led Aela towards the entrance of Bloated Man’s Grotto but Hircine called them back before they even took three steps.

  “The Bloodmoon falls yet the prey still lives. You have not completed your hunt, Huntress”.

   

  Sotek whirled around and approached the still breathing form of Greymane. Despite his injuries he still clung on to life. Sotek pushed him aside and retrieved an empty vial. He took one sniff of it to realise what Greymane had done.

  “Slow effect healing potion. He lays here all still and quiet while his body heals over. You crafty bastard! I forgot all about you”.

   

  Greymane pulled himself up a bit and glared across to Aela. He knew his ploy hadn’t worked yet he was still playing for everything.

  “Kill me you arrogant bastard. Take your petty revenge but know I am a true son of Skyrim. You’re nothing but a renegade slave”.

   

  Sotek pulled out his dagger but a firm hand stopped him. He looked up to see Aela holding his arm.

  “If you kill him, then he goes to the Hunting Grounds. Let him live, we’ve slowed him down. One day we’ll stop him”.

   

  Greymane started laughing despite the pain it caused him. He smiled evilly at Aela and gave her a wink.

  “Listen to your bitch. One day I’ll claim her, and you will be forced to watch!”

   

  Sotek grabbed him by the hair and glared back at Hircine. An ethereal blade formed in his hand and he shoved it deeply into Greymane’s chest. Aela looked on horrified but all of a sudden Greymane’s soul was sucked from his body and pulled into Sotek’s backpack.

   

  Sotek took out the Black Soul gem and chuckled.

  “I would like to see you try!”

   

  When they got back to the clearing, Sotek walked right up to Hircine and hissed.

  “Oopssss. It sseemss he won’t be going to the Hunting Groundss after all. Aela the Huntress, I think sshe deserves something for all this trouble don’t you? After all, you want me to behave, do you not?”

   

  Hircine grinned back at him and nodded.

  “See that you do hunter, see that you do”.

   

  The Daedra Lord disappeared and a fine mist took his place. It quickly spread out across the clearing; a fine light blue mist which spread to the far end of the cavern. Through it, the two Companions saw a shadow run past. The white stag, Hircine’s beast aspect. It bolted through the mist and slowly faded from view. As it ran towards the cavern wall, the rock face seemed to shimmer then fade.

   

  Aela gasped in surprise. On one side was a vast pine forest which she seemed to recognise while to her right came the soft trickling sound of a crystal blue stream; one which Red would often drink from when she dreamt of the Hunting Grounds. She turned to Sotek and held his hand, squeezing it to get a reaction, any reaction so she knew she wasn’t imagining it.

  “We’re…. This is…”

   

  Sotek guessed what she was doing and he pried his hand away then slapped her on the backside.

  “Snap out of it. Yes, we’re here, you’re not dreaming”.

   

  Aela slowly turned towards him, hardly daring to take her eyes off the stream in case it disappeared from view lest she found herself back at the cavern.

  “We’re here? How?”

   

  Sotek looked behind him and saw the cavern wall. He chuckled as he held Aela in his arm.

  “We won’t be for long. Shush, listen!”

   

  In the distance, they heard various howls from a massive pack of spirit wolves. Gradually the pack came into sight, or rather the two alphas did. They stood taller than the rest and they were well in the lead, but they stopped running when they noticed Sotek and Aela watching them. The first Alpha wolf, the smaller one of the two, approached Aela. She had to look twice at the wolf that stood in front of her.

   

  It was the Alpha bitch but what really threw Aela was the fact that the bitch had three light gray lines going across her face like painted scars. Aela slowly sank down to the ground and her hand covered her mouth as if she was trying to catch her own breath.

  “By Hircine, it’s me, she’s me”. The she wolf approached her as she knelt down to it. A single paw was offered which Aela held in her hand and tenderly stoked it then the wolf spirit started licking her face as if she knew they had a bond. Aela couldn’t help but cry, at the same time she was laughing. She tried to speak but she couldn’t, she was too overcome with emotion.

   

  The other Wolf who was stockier and half a foot taller than the bitch just stood there at the edge of the mist, watching. A hunter’s horn sounded out, causing the male Alpha to growl at the female, telling her to move herself. She licked Aela’s face once more then ran to the male wolf. She jumped up at him and playfully bit into his neck, forcing him to fall to the ground. He started rolling around dramatically like he was badly wounded, whining as he did so. The female just barked at him but then the horn blew a second time. Instantly the Alpha male was on his feet; he gave out a long heavy howl which the female Alpha joined in with. A chorus of wolves howled out in unison and in the next second the two wolves broke into a charge following the stags trail. Within moments a whole pack of wolves followed behind them.

   

  Aela just sat there watching them run off in the distance, until the mist cleared and they found themselves inside the cave once again. Even then she stayed there until every hint of the mist had dispersed.

   

  She wiped her eyes and then smiled at Sotek. He helped her up to her feet and whispered in her ear.

  “You believe me now? I told you Red was here”.

   

  She hugged him tightly. Her eyes still watering from the emotion.

  “Yes you did…’sniff’ Even your wolf spirits a bloody wussy”. This was one of the few times during the whole incident where Aela laughed. Inside she felt more free than she had done since the nightmares first started.

   

  By the time they both exited the cave, the sun had already risen beyond the Throat of the World Mountain. Aela found she had to blink heavily due to the soreness in her eyes from her crying. She needed time to grow accustomed to the bright suns glare but Sotek sank to the ground and sat there cross legged facing the west with his back to the sun. Aela turned around in surprise to see him sitting there. She sat alongside him then gazed off towards the north.

  “Your camp fire’s down there and I’m too emotional to head back yet. Why don’t we rest up there for the afternoon? We’ll head back this evening if you want”.

   

  As Sotek’s eyes started to clear, he agreed all too willingly. He needed time to get his head around things and he suspected Aela had questions for him as well.

  “As long as you don’t cook anything”.

   

  Feeling somewhat hungry herself, Aela readily agreed.

   

  As the fire was built within the copse of trees, collecting extra firewood proved an effortless task. Aela set out by herself to kill a rabbit and in no time at all she returned from her successful hunt.

  “Hey, I’ve two of the furry bastards”.

   

  Sotek clapped his hands together mockingly.

  “Hircine will be so proud of you. Aela the Huntress, rabbit slayer of the Hunting Grounds”.