My life has changed. This may be my last entry. For a while, at least. I am somewhere in the mountains on the border between Skyrim and Cyrodiil. I am tired, freezing, starving and burdened with a great responsibility. But I will not shirk it. It is time to take control of my life.
Let me step back a little, several days ago now I think. After leaving Morthal, I followed the road towards Dragon Bridge, hit the cross-roads at the river and then turned south. My journey was surprisingly quiet, the weather stayed clear and it was not too cold. Falion had given me a new set of mage robes, boots and a cloak with a few provisions, and these held me in good stead over this time.
I was intending to make for Falkreath, to see if I could pick up some work, preferably non-violent, make some money, make a life. It was smooth sailing for a while until I approached a narrow gorge to the west of the central mountain range, when three fur and rag clad brigands stepped from behind some rocks by the roadside and blocked my path. The leader, a huge bare-chested Nord brute with yellow teeth grinned and pulled a wicked looking battle axe from the sling on his back.
"Hello little girl," he leered at me. "Would you like a sweet-roll?" His goons guffawed. Without replying, I pointed the Rose at the path in front of my and Narhaz burst through the barrier between worlds.
"I SEE ENEMIES!" he screamed with glee. He leaped forward and struck the Nord's head from his shoulders with a single blow of his daedric sword. The other two thugs took one shocked look and ran screaming back down the road, with the maniacally laughing dremora hot on their heels.
I ran to keep them in sight. Only a short way up the road and around a bend was a fort spanning the gorge, swarming with bandits. A group of them had already engaged Narhaz and he was being feathered with shafts and sword blows were ringing off his armor as he was swamped by assailants. He would be overwhelmed in a matter of seconds. Several bandits looked up to see me standing in the road. They raised their weapons and charged howling at me.
After all I had been through, this was to be my end. The indignity of it and all the indignities I had suffered so far in Skyrim came bubbling up into my chest, turning churning fear into burning anger. I would not die like this. I would go down fighting. No more running, no more idiotic antics.
I raised my hands and looked at the space between them, imagining a weapon with which to smash my attackers. They were closing fast. I shut them out concentrating with all of my mind, soul and body. There was a loud hum, and suddenly a huge glowing crossbow snapped into existence between my hands. There was a long chain of bolts feeding into the firing chamber which trailed down on to the ground. The weapon was light as a feather!
The bandits were almost at arms length. I raised the weapon without aiming and fired. And all Oblivion broke loose. The cross-bow bucked rapidly in my arms as a steady stream of shining crossbow bolts erupted from it and sliced into the oncoming bandits. They literally exploded in great crimson showers of blood and gore and splintered bone, spattering me in blood.
Up ahead, Narhaz was down on one knee as the bandits rained blows on him. I opened up on them as I charged. Mystic bolts came screaming at them as the crossbow made a loud CHUG-CHUG-CHUG!! Bandits flew in all directions, rocks were powdered, palisade walls splintered.
Howling and berserk I sprinted into the bandit's camp, spraying bolts wildly. Bandits scattered as bloody holes were punched through bodies, heads dissolved, limbs flew and a red mist permeated the air. More bandits came running from a nearby hut and several tents. I sprang up onto a table and strafed the crossbow back and forth across the oncoming mass. CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG!
"RAAAAAAGGHHH!!! DIE MOTHER-F****ERS!!!" I screamed. The bandits simply ceased to be as the bolts tore through them, leaving piles of bloody pulp strewn about the camp. I continued screaming and firing for another several seconds after all of the bandits were dead, and then stood there on the table, chest heaving, heart pounding. A battered looking Narhaz walked into the ruined camp looking at me with one eyebrow raised. He gave me a curt nod and then vanished, along with the crossbow.
I rested for about an hour in the bandits camp that now looked like a slaughter house, trying to gather my thoughts. I eventually got shakily to my feet and continued up the road to towards Rorikstead. The sun was still high in the sky, so I decided I would be damned if I stayed there again and bi-passed the village and up into the valley between the hills defining Falkreath hold's northern border.
After a few more hours of walking, I saw a signpost pointing to Falkreath and thought to myself that I could make the town before dark. It was twilight already. I was making my way past some road-side ruins when I suddenly heard a whistling sound and then a weighted bolus came flying out from the mist and snared my legs, causing me to collapse to the ground. I struggled onto my back when a booted foot slammed onto my chest, pinning me to the ground and I found a curved sword at my throat. Several shadows emerged from the woods, standing over me. One, deeply cowled, stepped forward staring down at me.
"It's you," came a raspy wheeze from the hood. "I didn't have to find you after all. You came to me. Thank you." The figure pulled back the hood revealing a horribly burned face, melted, nose-less, drool hanging from lipless jaws.
"Let me offer you his head, Astrid," said the tall Alik'ir warrior whose foot was holding me down. A small girl with the glowing eyes and grinning fangs of a vampire stepped forward.
"Let me drain his blood!" she cried in a piping voice. A huge werewolf loomed over me, slavering jaws working.
"Let me devour his flesh, my wife!" he growled.
"No," whispered Astrid. "He is mine." she looked down at me with sunken eyes. "You left me in this state, between living and dead. Now I repay the favor. You will be my thrall!" she laughed and then trailed off into a wheezing cough. "Nazir, the blade." she commanded. The Alik'ir stooped down and drew the blade of woe from my belt. He stood and went to pass the blade into Astrid's good hand when he was hurled forwards by a bolt of lighting which flashed from the woods and into his back, knocking Astrid down.
Several more blasts of magic came crackling from the darkness, followed by barbed feathered arrows and beast-like screams. The assassins scattered as a horde of savage, screaming Forsworn came charging from the woods. Astrid regained her feet just as a fireball caught her in the chest, throwing her backwards, engulfed in flame.
"Not again!!" came her strangled cry as she rolled away, down an embankment. I struggled to my feet and made for the road towards Falkreath just as a naked Forwsorn wearing a deer's head for a helmet stepped into my path.
"Not so fast, Chosen One," he snarled as he hurled a green burst of energy at me. My body went rigid and the world went black.
When I came to, I was propped up against a damp rock wall inside a voluminous cavern, which could only be described as a scene from Oblivion. The walls were decorated by body parts, both human and animals, there were pools of blood, heads on spikes, and braziers of hot coals burning, illuminating the cave. My wrists were tightly bound and they were numb from a lack of circulation.
As my vision and hearing came back to me, I realised I was surrounded by a dozen cackling Hagravens! My back went rigid.
"Look Moira, your husband is back!" screeched one of the creatures with glee.
"Shut up Esmerelda, you bitch!!" screamed another familiar looking Hagraven. Several nearby Forsworn warriors chuckled.
"Shut up the both of you," growled a deeper, more ancient voice. A taller Hagraven was standing with its back to me, peering over a brazier. It turned and I saw it holding something wrapped in rags in its arms. It turned and stared at me, cradling the bundle to its wrinkled, lank breasts. I started in shock. It was HER!
" We meet again, Vianto my love. My chosen one!", it rasped. My heart leaped into my mouth. A pitiful wail emerged from the bundle in its arms. "Ohh," the Hagraven crooned. "He's hungry again." She leaned over the bundle as she brought it up to her mouth. Then she regurgitated noisily as the bundle made a high-pitched "Cheep-cheep-cheep!" sound. My stomach twisted and I retched.
"Aww, daddy wants to feed him too!" she leered. Two Forsworn hauled me to my feet and cut my bonds. Then they dragged me over to the Hagraven. My knees felt weak.
"Behold your son!" she cried, and placed the bundle in my arms. I wanted to look away, but couldn't. I looked down, pushed back the dirty rags and there was...
The most beautiful baby I had ever seen. He was a perfectly formed human baby, and had my eyes. I felt terror mixed with wonder. There were no words to say. The hagraven cackled.
"One, big happy fam..." she was cut short by a loud commotion outside the cavern. There were war cries, screams of pain and ring of steel on steel. The surrounding Forsworn drew their weapons and rushed to the cave entrance. I hugged the baby to my chest as a host of steel-clad warriors came hurtling into the cave, hacking left, right and centre. The lead warrior was swinging a huge steel greatsword in a bloody arc, cleaving through the forsworn, blood plastering his black hair to his head.
"Fark Arse?!" I cried in disbelief. He stopped in his tracks and stared at me.
"YOU!" he yelled, looking at me, the baby and the hagraven's standing behind me, fireballs forming in their hands. "KILL THEM ALL!!" Farkas roared. I was right in the middle! I looked at the baby and his blue-grey eyes stared back at me. Then he let loose a scream that shook the walls and dropped every warrior and hagraven in the cave to the ground, hands and talons clapped over their ears in agony.
Except for me and the baby's mother. The baby continued to scream and all on the floor continued to writhe. I backed away towards the cave exit.
"Don't you dare," growled the Hagraven, liquid fire dripping from her claws.
:"No way," I replied. "I'm not letting you have him,"
"He is mine. Yours. Ours. You cannot escape your fate, Vianto."
"You can't throw that fireball at me, you can't risk the kid!" The hagraven screeched in fury.
"You dare defy ME?! I am the Reach-Mother!! I was the first and I will be the last! There is no escaping me!!"
"I can try!" I yelled, stepping behind a brazier and kicking it with my foot. A cloud of hot embers and ash went flying over the hagraven's clawed toes and she shrieked in pain. I bolted.
Outside the ground was littered with Forsworn bodies and several companion's horses stood nearby. Clutching the wailing child to my chest, I hauled myself into the nearest horse's saddle and galloped into the night.
So here I am, in the frigid wilderness, with my baby son. Gods I wish there was an easier way to feed him. And I'd trade my soul for a conjure diaper spell. And Narhaz is a useless babysitter. But I will work something out. I may be cursed, but I won't be damned.
I am Vianto, the Witch Hunter!!
Comments
I had a lot of literal lol's throughout this series, encore!
In fact, these make me consider turning Camvor's Misadventures into a mini-series.
@So... more