U.O.T.W. Chapter 189 A Dire Threat

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    Both Aela and the Whelp smiled at each other then they started laughing. The Huntress coyly replied to Sotek, egging him on.

    “I love it when you’re so decisive. I tell you what; we’ll pack up the gear while you sort out the carriage”.

     

    Aela threw the Whelp a sly wink, asking for her co-operation and silence. The Whelp smiled back but as soon as Sotek glanced at her, she promptly turned around and started packing up her equipment. Sotek looked back at Aela then headed off outside. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.

     

    He made his way downstairs then headed outside and started walking towards the edge of town in search of the carriage and stables. After ten minutes of getting nowhere, he gave up and headed back to the inn.

     

    The Innkeeper, a Nord man called Thoring, was busy cleaning glasses at the bar when Sotek approached him.

    “I’m looking for the carriage. What side of town is it?”

     

    Thoring cast him a confused look and promptly looked around at the other patrons in the vain hope of finding the one who sent the idiot to him.

    “Is this a joke? Haven’t you lot got anything better to do than waste my time by asking daft questions?”

     

    “Joke?” Sotek asked. He was noticeably confused and didn’t understand the innkeeper’s reaction to such a normal trivial question.

     

    “Yes”. The innkeeper said dryly. “We have no carriage”.

     

    Sotek swore out loud, causing the innkeeper to raise an eye brow at him.

    “You bitch!” The Argonian knew at that moment why Aela and the Whelp seemed so jovial when the Huntress sent him off to find a carriage. She knew damn well there wasn’t one.

     

    As soon as he said it he heard both Aela and the Whelp crease up with fits of laughter. He slowly turned around and saw them watching him from the far corner of the room. Their backpacks were piled together against the back wall beside Aela.

     

    The two Companions had silly grins. Aela got up and came over to him, wearing an almost glowing smile on her face as she asked amidst a tittering of laughter about their transport.

    “Have you sorted one out yet?”

     

    Sotek ignored her and asked Thoring for a flask of mead. After paying for it, he asked Aela to sit down next to him.

     

    She was more than happy to do as she was asked and parked her haunches on the stool. She drummed her fingernails on the counter and slyly tapped his tail with her foot.

    “Well? Have you sorted out a carriage yet?”

     

    He turned to her and lifted up his flask of mead then, holding it close to her; he blew hard into it, blowing all the froth off the top of his drink, smothering Aela’s face.

     

    Her face turned to shock as he guzzled down half of it and calmly placed it on the bar. The Whelp sat in the corner speechless, while the innkeeper stepped back and watched.

     

    Aela picked up the half empty flask then guzzled it down her gullet. She politely called the innkeeper over to her and asked for a refill. As the innkeeper leaned over to retrieve the tankard, Aela reached out and yanked his bar cloth off his shoulder. She wiped the drink off her face as the Innkeeper gingerly passed her the newly filled flask.

     

    Instead of drinking it, Aela brazenly lifted up the full tankard and tipped the beverage all over Sotek’s head while the Argonian watched.

     

    He stayed there licking his lips, tasting the mead on his face. For good measure, Aela slapped him and smugly grinned, daring him to retaliate. She didn’t have to wait for long; the Argonian backhanded her across the cheek.

     

    Aela slowly touched the soft flesh of her cheek with her fingertip, feeling the light bruising caused by Sotek hitting her. From out of nowhere she shoved him backwards sending him sprawling onto the inn floor. He crashed into a patron who had four tankards in his hands. The man promptly fell forwards, spilling the drinks over a Nord woman. She screamed out at the two Breton’s who were sitting with her. They came to her aid by punching the startled man full in the face. The brawl quickly escalated as three miners, who the man was buying drinks for decided to pitch in and aid their new friend.

     

    The fight rapidly spread throughout the whole inn as other patrons were drawn into the brawl. Sotek was still sitting on the floor while Aela was grinning at him with a sense of smugness to her persona. The Argonian decided to remove Aela from her high and mighty pedestal. He did so rather abruptly by kicking the bar stool the Huntress was currently sitting on with both feet. It was kicked out from under her, resulting in a shrill scream as Aela came crashing to the floor.

     

    Sotek got up and was grabbed by someone behind him. He threw his head back, smashing them in the face with his bone spikes. A chilling scream filled the inn as an Imperial man staggered to a table and collapsed underneath it. Sotek grasped Aela’s hair and yanked her up to her feet while she screamed and punched him. He forced her head down and sat on a chair, dragging Aela’s waist on top of his lap. He then proceeded to smack her backside, giving her a solid hiding while she yelled and cursed at him.

     

    The next second Sotek hollered out just as loudly. The Whelp, who was still in the corner, hiding behind an upturned table, looked at them totally unsure as to whether they were playing or not. She had to laugh though as she saw Aela lying on Sotek’s lap with his tail in her mouth as she was biting on it.

     

    Sotek threw her off, sending her crashing into a chair. She scrambled up to her feet and grabbed it then swung it at him, hitting him in the side. The chair broke into pieces against his armor but the force sent him straight into a table, breaking its legs completely off.

     

    A woman grabbed Aela by the hair and punched her full in the face. Aela quickly retaliated by kicking up with her boot, catching the woman perfectly in the crotch. As she cried out, Aela grabbed her by the throat, squeezing the very air out of her. The huntress punched her three times in the jaw, sending the knocked out girl to the floor.

     

    Sotek disappeared under a flurry of fists as two men beat him to the ground. He held his arms across his face for protection and curled up. The blows soon lessened and turned to kicks as his armor proved too much for fists. One man, a Breton went to kick him but his tail wrapped around the man’s other leg and pulled it from under him. He brought down his elbow on the second mans foot causing him to cry out in agony as three toes almost exploded from the force.

     

    At that point a guard came bursting into the Inn and grappled with Aela. She instantly retaliated by punching the guard right on the nose. It caved in, covering his face with blood which gushed down the guard’s armor. He cried out for aid as he held his nose with both his hands. Aela barely had time to make two fists as two guards ran through the door towards her.

     

    Aid came from an unexpected corner when Sotek ran across a table and dived at them. The momentum carried him and the two guards smashing through a large window to land in the dust filled street outside in a massive pile of limbs, glass and blood.

     

    This brought the fighting to a stop and nearly everyone involved quickly fled the scene; nearly everyone. Aela and the other guard both looked out of the smashed window as the Whelp came over to them. Aela turned towards her and saw an intact chair. Feeling it was too good an opportunity to miss, she promptly picked up the chair and slammed it into the back of the guard as he was leaning on the broken window frame. He yelled out as bits of chair followed him through the window and he ended up sprawling out on the street.  

     

    For a reason only known to himself, Sotek considered the guard’s tumble to be a deliberate attack on Aela’s part. As she was still just inside the window laughing at him, he decided to strike back with the only thing he had to hand. With adrenaline fueled strength he grabbed the guard between the shoulder blades and the lower back then held him up over the Argonians head.

     

    With a war cry from ancient times he threw the guard back inside the inn at a rather startled Aela. She tried to run but the guard struck her in the back, and they both slammed into the floor; his weight pinning her down.

     

    Sotek turned around to find four guards standing there with bows aiming straight at him. He pointed through the window at Aela and snarled.

    “She started it! Blame her!”

     

    Three guards went inside the inn and after several intense seconds, Sotek heard Aela screaming out at them as she swore her head off. She was dragged outside with one guard holding her arms while the other two guards wrestled with her legs.  

     

    Aela was still trying to thrash about as the guards threw her at Sotek’s feet. She stood up and defiantly snarled and hissed at the guards who were still aiming their bows at the two Companions. She glanced over to the captain of the guard and gave him a taste of her attitude.

    “What?”

     

    Aela spat out a mouthful of blood and glanced at Sotek. She tapped him in the chest with the back of her hand.

    “We can take them”.

     

    He looked at her and saw her blood soaked teeth and the gore which smothered her skin. He half wondered if she bit anyone. Moments later he fell to his knees in hysterics, laughing at the entire incident.

     

    A second later Aela joined in.

     

    The captain of the guard however was far from amused. He and his men just stood there watching Sotek hold Aela in his arms as they both laughed uncontrollably.

     

    The Whelp peered through the broken window shaking her head at the pair of them.

    “They are…they’re god damn crazy”.

     

    The Jarl of Dawnstar, Skald the Elder came over to inspect the scene now that the brawling had stopped. He took one look at the damage and yelled contemptibly at the Guard captain.

    “What the hell is going on here? Can’t you deal with one simple drunken scuffle?”

     

    He looked at the carnage the Companions had caused then clicked his fingers angrily at the Captain.

    “Lock them up”. He hardly bothered to actually look at the two Companions. Not that they could be recognized due to the state they were in.

     

    Both Sotek’s and Aela’s hands were bound in leather straps before they were dragged away to the awaiting cells below the main barracks. Sotek tried to reason with them but due to the fact that neither he nor Aela could stop laughing, his progress at ensuring their release was rather limited. .

     

    Due to the state they were in and the fact that they didn’t want to cause any further problems for themselves, both Companions complied with the guard’s orders. Once they were thrown in two opposite cells, the guard sat by a table so he could face Aela.  

     

    She started walking back and forth like a caged snarling animal.

    “What the hell are you staring at?”

     

    “Your armor”. The guard said in a sleazy manner.

     

    “What about it?” Aela didn’t really care if he was staring at her or not. All she wanted was to get out the cell.

     

    “Oh sorry”. The guard smirked. “I thought you asked what I wasn’t staring at”.

     

    “You want my ass then come here and get it!” She snapped back angrily. Inside she was hoping the guard would. It would only take her a few seconds to overwhelm him and unlock the cell door.

     

    Sotek knew what Aela was thinking. He had already thought of a better way so he held back a smirk and called out to the guard in an almost pleasant manner.

    “Can I speak to the Jarl please?”

     

    The guard glanced at the cell Sotek was held in and grunted at the Argonian’s interruption.

    “No! You will both be seen tomorrow. Keep the noise down”.

     

    Aela joined in with her mate and followed his lead, asking for a chance to parley with someone of importance.

    “Come on; let us speak to the captain then. We need to get out”.

     

    “Silence”. The guard yelled before helping himself to a bottle of ale from a wooden crate by the table. “You will be seen tomorrow”. He then lent back in his chair and took a long sip from the bottle and resumed his leering at the Huntress’s body.

     

    Sotek retrieved a few lockpicks which he had managed to conceal on himself when they were searched. As quietly as possible he picked the lock then he silently made his way to the back of the guard. To Aela’s amusement, Sotek tapped the guard on the shoulder and spoke in an almost trivial tone.

    “Please can I speak to the captain? I am asking nicely”.

     

    The guard couldn’t believe what he saw. He tipped backwards in shock and fell out of the chair, spilling his drink. The man scrambled to his feet in a haphazard manner and drew his sword as he stammered in surprise.

    “What the? How did you get out? Get back in there!” He pulled out his sword then prodded Sotek with the tip of it as he escorted the Argonian back to his cell.

     

    Sotek walked with a swagger, swinging his arms in a mockery of the situation. Without turning to face the guard, he tried once more and asked to see someone when he heard the cell door slam shut.

    “Aww come on; let us speak to him”.

     

    The guard locked him back up then shook the cell door to make sure it was secure before he walked back to the table; all the while he watched Sotek closely. Once he was back at the table, he picked up the now near empty bottle of ale and turned his chair around so he could watch Sotek.

     

    Aela was the other side of the room and now the guard had his back to her. Seizing her chance, she pulled out a lock pick from one of her gauntlets. When Sotek made her armor, he had the foresight to add two lockpicks in each wrist section as part of the armors design. He remembered Aela’s vulnerability when she was captured by the Silverhand. It was an experience he was determined to avoid her having to face ever again.

     

    With all the skill she possessed, Aela picked the lock to her cell and with bated breath, she slowly pushed open her cell door. Unlike Sotek though, she only took a few steps outside the cell before she called out to the guard.

    “Excuse me but my cell is open. Shouldn’t it be shut or something?”

     

    The guard turned around in fright and just stood there watching her in disbelief. Meanwhile Sotek quickly and quietly picked his cell lock again. Seconds later he tapped the guard on the shoulder, causing him to shriek. He turned around and saw Sotek right behind him and screamed in Sotek’s face before he fled by running outside.

     

    Barely two minutes had passed when the captain of the guard came inside with three guards by his side. He watched in amazement at Aela and Sotek who were both sitting at the guard table. Both captives were lazily leaning back in their chairs supping on two bottles of ale.  

     

    Sotek lazily lifted up a third bottle and openly offered it to the captain.

    “Have a drink with us. Look, it’s obvious that thing’s have got slightly out of hand but I am sure we can sort this misunderstanding out”.

     

    The captain kept his eyes on Sotek but slightly turned his head to the guards. A single hand signal marked the inevitable.

    “Kill them”.

     

    Sotek jumped up on his feet, dropping the two bottles to the floor. He shouted out at the guards as they ran towards him while Aela guzzled a second mouthful of alcohol, content to let Sotek handle things.

    “Fus Ro!”

     

    The force shout slammed into them sending them all crashing into the wall. Sotek as quick as anything ran straight at the captain who was still suffering the effects of the shout. The Argonian’s momentum flung the captain backwards where he rolled on his side, too stunned to put up any fight.

     

    When the Jarl of Dawnstar came down to the cells, he was somewhat surprised to see the three guards locked up in two cells while the captain was pinned down on his chest by a chair which Sotek was sitting on. Aela was still sitting on a chair, resting her feet on a small table. In her hand was a second bottle of ale.

     

    The Jarl Composed himself and held back the fit of rage which he felt. He waited for several seconds so he had complete control over his emotions lest he did or said something unbefitting for a man of his position. When he felt more at peace he moved to the centre of the room and addressed the two Companions although at the time he was painfully unaware of who they actually were.

    “Well, you’re not typical bandits are you? Who are you to come waltzing in here and disrupt my city without a care?”

     

    Aela glanced at Sotek and tapped herself in the chest, telling him that she wanted to answer the Jarl. Sotek nodded back at her and held out an open hand, allowing the Huntress to proceed with her response. She screwed up the corner of her lip, clearly showing that she wasn’t impressed with what she saw what so ever. She ignored the Jarl’s question and asked one of her own.

    “And you are?”

     

    The Jarl’s hands tightened into fists but he tried to remain calm. He had the guards to dish out punishment; there was no need for his own hands to get dirty. The trouble was that half of the guards were locked up in his own cells.

    “I am the Jarl Skald. Now, who the hell are you?”

     

    Sotek rose to his feet and signaled Aela to be quiet. He approached the Jarl while beckoning the man to step closer so they would meet half way. He then called Aela to his side so when he spoke in a hushed whisper, he knew she would be able to hear.

    “We are agents sent by Ulfric. He want’s to know….. He demands to know if you are genuinely prepared to stand by him when the rebellion arrives here in the northern territories of Skyrim. The trouble is, from what we have seen, I don’t think you will be needed. I’m not sure what help you can be. To be honest, I think Dawnstar would be a hindrance”.

     

    The Jarl practically exploded. He yelled back, forgetting his composure and his position in the city.

    “A hindrance? This is an outrage!”

     

    “Is it?” Sotek stated flatly. He wasn’t fazed at all with the Jarl’s yelling. He had been with Aela way too long and nowadays yelling seemed part of the normal day to day events. “Your men aren’t that well trained for starters. We have been locked up three times and the only reason you got us down here in the beginning is because we wanted to see what the cells look like. Your men are weak and have no backbone. Just the two of us held back what? Three? Four of your guards? And then your captain had the grace to allow me to rest my boots on his back. No! No, things will have to improve”.

     

    The Jarl eyed the Argonian carefully. He couldn’t see Ulfric allowing an Argonian to be an agent yet the Argonian before him certainly acted like one. He also had to admit that someone like Sotek would be able to move around Imperial holds without arousing suspicion.

    “You don’t look like Stormcloaks”.

     

    Sotek laughed and slapped him in the shoulder, shoving him back a foot.

    “Haha! Do you think we would have received the same treatment if we wore our uniforms? Don’t be such a fool. Look, it’s this simple; are you prepared to stand by him? Yes or no?”

     

    Whichever way the Jarl looked at it, he knew Sotek had a point. He found himself all too easily believing the Argonian and he relaxed his guard by sitting down in one of the chairs by the table. He watched them for a few seconds before committing himself to Ulfric’s side in the rebellion.

    “Yes, we are ready. We are more than ready. My men are on standby even at this very moment. We only await his word for the attack”.

     

    All Aela had to do was look tough and keep her mouth shut while Sotek laid out the groundwork for their deception. Looking tough was easy for her. The issue she had was remaining silent. She spoke without thinking, almost stopping Sotek’s heart from beating.

    “What attack?”

     

    The Jarl immediately became suspicious and rose to his feet once more. He signaled to three other guards and his captain who had by now regained his sword and freed the other men from the cells.

    “If you two were who you say you are then you would know of the attack. I presume that you don’t so who the hell are you?”

     

    Sotek’s guts flipped over in somersaults as Aela’s words echoed in his head. He managed to hide his own thoughts though and quickly came back with a counter. He just hoped it would be feasible and that it would be enough to sway the Jarl back into believing him.

    “We should know of the attack? Well that depends on which attack you mean! What? Which attack? Ha! I’ll let you in on a little secret. There isn’t one attack. There are actually going to be three simultaneous ones. Why the hell do you think Ulfric needs your men?”

     

    The Jarl backed away and almost bowed down in front of Sotek as if he was Ulfric himself.

    “My apologies. We all know of Ulfric’s ambition but this is such a bold move. I assure you my men are on standby. Even now they are making their way towards Whiterun. Jarl Balgruuf doesn’t expect a thing”.

     

    Aela wisely kept her mouth shut although she couldn’t help throwing Sotek a look.

     

    Sotek laughed but he wished Aela had calmed down. He would have felt much better if she wasn’t looking like she was on the verge of transforming and allowing Red to go full psycho mode like there was a Bloodmoon above them.

    “Whiterun! That Balgruuf is a fool. Serve Ufric well, he will be looking for a replacement for Whiterun. You never know. Now, tell me; how many men have you sent?”

     

    Once again the Jarl was suspicious although by this time he didn’t quite know what to think.

    “Ulfric knows how many”.

     

    Sotek sighed as he covered his face with the palms of his hands. The groan was long and drawn out; but only because it gave him time to think of a suitable response. Something came to mind which seemed to fit the need perfectly.

     

    Kodlak once asked him how many furs he and Aela had collected. He stated they had already told the Harbinger that they would get ten. Kodlak’s response was simple. ‘I know how many you were looking for. I’m asking how many did you actually get?’ This gave Sotek the perfect answer to the situation he found himself in.

    “He knows only how many soldiers you intended to send. I’m asking how many have you actually sent?”

     

    The Jarl readily accepted Sotek’s answer. He himself had come across numerous occasions when supplies and equipment have been promised yet all too frequently the actual amounts differed. “Fifty men, fully equipped”.

     

    Sotek walked up to him and held onto his shoulder tightly. He began walking away from the guards and Aela as he whispered in the Jarl’s ear.

    “Excellent. Can you send more?”

     

    The Jarl looked at him as if he was half crazy yet the Argonian’s confidence sucked him in all to easily.

    “More? Ermm, we can maybe send a detachment of twenty but it will leave Fort Dunstad weak”.

     

    Sotek nodded at him and shook his hand.

    “Good! Send them. We’ve other people who can help at the fort.  You might actually be useful after all”.

     

    Leaving the Jarl where he stood, Sotek snatched Aela’s hand and led her towards the stairwell after they re-equipped all their weapons. He made his excuses and left the cells behind.

     

    Once they were outside, he whispered to the Huntress, after cautioning her to remain calm.

    “Let’s get the hell out of here. We need horses and fast”.

     

    Once they were rejoined by the Whelp, the three Companions paid for three horses at the city’s stables then headed westwards and disappeared into the wilderness.

     

    A few miles after travelling through the woods and forests, Aela stopped and turned to Sotek. Her face said it all.

    “We are being followed”.

     

    Sotek brought his horse to a stop and ordered the others to do the same. They quickly hid in a large corpse of bushes where they prepared their ambush once the horses were tied to a tree several feet behind them. They watched as four guards rode into sight then Aela gave the signal to fire. The three Companions opened up, letting loose a volley of arrows. Two guards fell under the onslaught, causing the other two to try and break away. They had hardly moved ten feet when a second fusillade cut down the enemy forces before they could even draw a single blade.

     

    Now that the three Companions were in the clear, Aela snarled at Sotek with a vicious spiteful hatred towards her ‘new found enemy’, Ulfric.

    “Whiterun! That pissed up arrogant bastard of a whore Ulfric, is marching to Whiterun. What the hell are we going to do?”

     

    Sotek quickly checked the corpses and with the Whelps help, they gained two quivers full of iron arrows. He then left the Whelp to divide them up as he conversed with Aela over the whole situation.

    “First thing we do is keep calm! We’ll head to Solitude and talk with the general. He must have some sort of plan; after all he can’t allow Ulfric to gain Whiterun. He knows it’s central to Skyrim. If Ulfric holds that then he’s as good as won. Hey Whelp, mount up. We’re out of here!”

     

    The three riders galloped off, leaving the other horses free to return home while their owner’s bodies lay half buried in the bloodied snow.

     

     

Comments

7 Comments   |   The Sunflower Manual and 9 others like this.
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  August 16, 2017
    Thanks for the read Ebonslayer. my apologies it took so long to respond. 
     Sotek certainly has a silver tongue, the slippery serpent.
  • Ebonslayer
    Ebonslayer   ·  August 14, 2017
    So that's how Ulfric gets on Sotek's bad side? Interesting. Sotek is a true master of Speech.
  • Aela The Huntress
    Aela The Huntress   ·  February 4, 2017
    Bloody amazing inn brawl. I laughed so much when you read it to me. The cells were funny too.
  • Valierus
    Valierus   ·  January 24, 2017
    Sotek is extremely cunning, even for an Argonian. I love it.
    • Sotek
      Sotek
      Valierus
      Valierus
      Valierus
      Sotek is extremely cunning, even for an Argonian. I love it.
        ·  January 24, 2017
      Sotek is cunning for a typical male Argonian, somthing which is highlighted throughout my story. I'm glad you noticed and are enjoying it. His weapon skills though...  not so great. 
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  January 23, 2017
    A barroom brawl and stormcloaks. Nice.
  • The Sunflower Manual
    The Sunflower Manual   ·  January 23, 2017
    All that's missing from the brawl scene is some proper music. Preferably with saxophones.