Void's Fury, Part 4-Memory

• Posted by Grey Fox March 16, 2013 - 908 views

              “Where are we going Rez? I hate coming down here,” hollered Faendal.

              “If you keep this up, I will do nothing but complain when we go to Valenwood. You know how much I hate sentient trees,” said Rez. With that, they both let out a hardy laugh. “Fine, but this better be worth it,” Faendal said. Ten seconds later, they were there. Rez’Aleem had brought Faendal to the underground waterfalls in Blackreach. He knew how much Faendal loved the natural beauty of things, so he knew this would be right up his alley. They both walked to the edge of the rocks and sat down for lunch. When they finished eating, they both pulled out a smoke. Faendal was packing his pipe, which was a gift from Rez, with some fine High Rock tobacco while Rez was rolling a cigarette with some tobacco he had from Hammerfell. They both sat in silence for a few minutes before Faendal spoke up. “What do you see when you look at this place?”

   

         Rez didn’t need to think about his answer for long. “I see a broken down palace that has been abandoned by its creators. But it was not abandoned because of an enemy threat or some great cataclysm; it was abandoned because of their hubris. They felt that they were superior to all, including the Divines. You know that I am not a religious man, but I do acknowledge that the Divines created our world. No one, man or mer, should have that power. It is best left out of the hands of the living. All they have left behind are their structures and slave force. I also see the pain in your eyes every time that we have to kill a Falmer. I can see how someone could be fascinated by these places, but I simply cannot. The only thing worth seeing in this place is the waterfall, defiantly eroding away at this place. Maybe one day it will all be gone and the Dwemer can finally be forgotten. Until then, we have to see it as a reminder of what can happen when you pry too far into things that are beyond you.”

   

         “Shit Rez. Tell me how you really fell.” They both let out a laugh before falling silent once again and finishing their smoke. They both stood up and turned around to a horrible sight, a large group of Falmer was moving behind them. Rez held his finger to his lips and Faendal knew that meant to keep quiet. Unfortunately, the Falmer also had a heightened sense of smell and there was strong smell coming from the rocks near the waterfall. They changed direction and began moving towards Faendal and Rez. They both unsheathed their weapons and charged the Falmer head on. Rez made a large sideways sweep with his Ebony Great Axe and cut two of the Falmer in half while Faendal bashed one of the Falmer with his shield and decapitated another with his Glass Sword. Gradually, the number of Falmer started to drop. Both Rez and Faendal had killed seven.

   

         Suddenly, two Falmer came out of nowhere and grabbed both of Rez’ arms. He was a strong Redguard, but these two were exceptionally strong and he could not shake them. Faendal looked over his shoulder and saw that his friend was in dire straits. He ran over and brought his sword down on one of the Falmers’ arms, removing them at the elbow, before making a large gash on its back. Blood gushed out of the fresh wounds and the Falmer fell to his knees. Rez reached out and grabbed the Falmer by the neck. He started to squeeze with all of his strength before he pulled away his hand, removing the front of the Falmer’s throat. Rez turned to the other Falmer and slammed him to the ground. He kneeled over him and bashed him with his bare hands until the screams of pain stopped and only the squishing of the destroyed face remained.

         “Next time, watch your back,” said Faendal.

         “That’s what you are here for,” replied Rez.

         Faendal turned around to survey the scene while Rez looked for his axe. “Here it is,” said Rez. “Let’s get out of he-… Faendal, look out.” It was too late. A Falmer had snuck up behind Faendal and stabbed him through the back. Rez ran up and split the Falmer’s head in half with his axe. Blood sprayed as he removed the axe and the Falmer crumbled to the ground along with Faendal. Rez pulled Faendal up onto his knees and started slapping him in the face. “Wake up! WAKE UP!” screamed Rez. He looked down at the wound and saw that the blood flowing from it was black. “Fuck, poison. Here, take this potion. It should stop the poison so we can treat the wound itself.” Rez poured the Cure Poison potion down Faendal’s throat, but to no avail. The blood continued to run black and pour out of the elf’s body. His skin was growing whiter and whiter with every passing second. “Rez-” Faendal coughed up a black mass and tried to speak again, “Rez’Aleem, I’m done.”

         “No you’re not. Shut your fucking mouth and save your strength. Here take this…”

         Faendal cut him off, “Forget it Rez. Save it for yourself. Nothing can stop this from happening so just let it. I can feel the burning in my blood. Soon it will reach my brain and I will be gone. Let me speak with you one last time. Pay off the rest of the wedding reception to Orgnar. You know where my money is, right”

         “Yes, under the floor boards in the house.”

         “Give the rest to Camilla and tell her that I love her.” After a brief pause, he continued, “Bury me in the woods somewhere, will ya? I would like to think that my body will be food for the plants.” Rez was a complete mess while he held his dying friend up. “I will Faendal. I just…I am so sorry. From the bottom of my soul I am sorry.” After that, the rest of the words become unintelligible because of the crying.

          “You have nothing to apologize for,” Faendal wheezed. “You have shown me so many sights that I would have never seen otherwise. You taught me about politics and war. You taught me to have confidence in myself. You are the reason I got married. I owe everything to you Rez. Now, please promise me something. You will learn to live without me. Do not let my memory destroy your future. Please promise me. This isn't just for you, but for my wife and child.”

         “Faendal, I had no idea. When were you going to tell me?”

         “When we got back to Riverwood. Do you promise?” He squeezed Rez’ arm this time. Rez wiped away the tears from his face and cleared his throat. “I promise, Faendal.”

   

              Faendal smiled at Rez and then his grip loosened on his arm. Rez looked down at his friend. He was gone. He moved his hand over Faendal’s face and closed his eyes. He sat there for a long time listening to the waterfall splash and echo off of the walls of the cavern. Finally, he stood up and straightened himself. He checked the dead for any items he might need before putting his bag on his back. He leaned down, picked up Faendal’s body, threw him over his shoulder and started walking towards the Tower of Mzark. He stepped onto the elevator and kicked the lever so that it would take him back to the surface. His mind was completely blank and he felt numb. He laid Faendal on his horse and got up on his own. Then, he made the trip back to Riverwood.

   

              It was late when he arrived. It must have been 2 am by his estimates. Everyone was asleep except for the people in the Sleeping Giant. Rez tied the horses to the post and carried Faendal’s body into the Inn. When the door opened, everyone turned to see who was walking in and fell silent. Rez walked to the table in the center of the room and laid Faendal down. Just then, Camilla and Lucan walked in. “Rez’Aleem, where is Faen- NO!” Camilla’s scream filled the Inn and seemed to shake the walls. She ran over to the table and sat next to her dead husband, trying to wake him up. “Why won’t he wake up? What happened? Come on Faendal, wake up.” She started thumping him on the chest when Rez finally put his arm around her.

              “He’s gone Camilla. There is no bringing him back.”

              ‘You’re lying. LIAR!” she yelled. “Please wake up. Please wake up. PLEASE!” she pleaded. Lucan came over and put his arms around her. He pulled her to a table and sat her down. “Will you get him out of here Rez?” Lucan asked sternly. “Don’t just leave him there like he’s a piece of trash. Take him to the shop. I will be there shortly.” Rez did as he was told and moved the body to the Riverwood Trader. He cleared a space on the counter and laid him out there. He waited for Lucan for at least hour before he decided to go back to the Inn. When Rez walked in, everyone was gone. He called out, but no one answered. He knew something was wrong. He exited the building and began calling for someone. Eventually, he found the group down river where Lucan was out in the water. “What’s going on?” asked Rez, as he pushed through the crowd.

              ‘It’s Camilla. She’s…” Orgnar turned his head towards Lucan and stopped speaking.

   

              Rez jumped in to the river and swam over. Lucan was trying to get Camilla out, but the current was strong and he could not get her to shore. Rez grabbed both of them and dragged them out of the water. Lucan immediately jumped over to Camilla and began to pump the water out of her chest. His attempt to save her was in vain. She had been gone for too long. “What happened?” asked Rez.

              “Sven. He came over and started pissing on Faendal’s memory right in front of her. When Camilla finally told him to go away, he yelled at her. He said that he couldn’t believe that he once had feelings for her. That Faendal had tarnished her somehow. When she told him that she was with Faendal’s child, he went ballistic. He told her that she was trash and would be happy to never see her again. After that, he walked out of the Inn. Camilla, she looked like she just ignored him. She said that she needed some air and she went outside. After five minutes, I decided I would go check on her. When I came out, she was gone. I looked around, but couldn’t find her. I knew that she liked to walk to the bridge outside town, so I walked towards it. That’s when I saw her in the water.” Lucan began to sob.

   

              “I couldn’t get to her Rez. She went over the rocks and I ran down here to find her. By the Gods, why is this happening to me?” Lucan screamed. Rez placed his hand on Lucan’s backt comfort him. Then, he leaned close to Lucan and whispered into his ear, “I have to go take care of something Lucan. Please take care of yourself.” Rez stood up and started walking back to town. When he was out of sight from the crowd, he broke into a full sprint. He ran to Faendal’s House and opened the door. He grabbed the gold from under the floor and took it to the Inn. Then he left the rest of it next to Faendal’s body in the Trader along with his sword, shield and bow. He stood there with the body for a few seconds and walked towards the door. He opened the door, looked back and said “Goodbye, my brother” as he walked out the door.

   

              No one was back in town yet. Now was his chance. He walked over to Sven’s house and kicked in the door. Sven jumped out of bed, “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t just come in here…” He was cut off by Rez’ boot meeting his chest. Rez grabbed the axe from his back and started smashing furniture into bits. Sven’s mother was caught in the middle of one of these swings and let out a loud shriek as she died. Sven saw this and darted towards Rez. You son of a,” Rez grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the floor. He flung Sven at the wall and watched as he began to bleed from the glass he had fallen on. “She killed herself tonight. This is all because of what you said to her. I’m here to return the favor.” Rez then grabbed his crossbow and took aim at Sven. Sven lifted his hands up in front of him, “Please don’t shoot. I had no idea that this would happen. Please,” he cried.

   

  Rez’Aleem did not listen to him and squeezed the trigger. A bolt flew through the air and into Sven’s hand, pinning it to the wall. Then he shot another bolt into the other hand. Sven continued to plead for his life, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Rez headed for the door and stopped. He turned around and knocked over a lantern that was full of fuel before tipping his helmet at Sven and walking out. He waited for the house to be completely on fire before he headed to the Hammerfell border. Sven’s screams stuck with him until he reached the mighty Alik’r Desert.