Zakary the Unknown: In Blackreach

  • "I think they're gone." said Sapphire. We had been hiding in the small room for about a day and it was surprising that the falmer hadn't found us. Sapphire and I had been in the wilds trying to lie low after a successful job for the Thieves Guild. We were settling down for dinner when we had seen the incoming snowstorm. We had hastily packed our food, tents and bedrolls and ran for cover. We came across a small cave and decided to stay the night there. We had ventured further into the cave and soon found ourselves in some ruins. Shortly after the falmer came. "Did you hear that?" I asked Sapphire. We sat in silence for a few minutes, listening. We heard footsteps in the distance. We got to our feet and grabbed our weapons. I readied an arrow and aimed at where the noise was coming from The footsteps got louder and a faint growling became barely audible. I held my breath and waited. A white figure came into view. I released the arrow. It flew through the air and dug itself into the elf's chest. It released a bone chilling scream before falling to the floor. In the distance came another cry and another and another. Soon the ruins were filled with the screams. Sapphire and I looked at each other, eyes wide with fear. "Run!" I whispered. We charged in the opposite direction, never stopping. We came across a small room and hid inside. We barricaded the door and waited. Neither of us slept that night, scared that the falmer would somehow find us. "I think they're gone." said Sapphire after almost a day of hiding. We slowly left the room and looked around. We walked about trying to remember in which direction we had come. We kept on walking until soon we found ourselves in a sort of tower. "This definitely isn't the way we came." murmured Sapphire. "At least there aren't any falmer down there." I replied. We started descending every so often a small spider-like mechanical being would try to attack us but it would soon find itself flying towards the distant floor. "We're going to have to jump. Don't worry it's not that far." I helped Sapphire down and jumped after her. A body was laying against the rubble we were standing on. An axe was stuck in her chest. I looked closer at the weapon. It looked familiar. I searched the body as Sapphire kept guard. There were a few Septims and a rope. We kept walking down, finding some dead falmer on the way. We delved further and further into the ruins. After a while we entered another room. It looked like a dead end. Sapphire walked towards a small pedestal. "After all this we get to a dead end! Aren't ancient ruins supposed to hold countless forgotten valuables? Why is it all we seem to find is a few corpses?" She kicked angrily at the pedestal. The floor started to shake and a staircase started to form itself around where Sapphire was standing. "Doesn't look much like a dead end now." I commented when the floor stopped trembling. We walked down and opened the door at the bottom. I don't know about Sapphire but the immense beauty of the place shocked me so much that I had to grab the wall to keep my balance. It was huge! Giant glowing mushrooms rose from the ground. In the distance I could just see some sort of a city with a big red sphere in place of the sun. "We should probably rest over there." said Sapphire pointing at a small hut. An inanimate dwemer device lay in front of the door. We cautiously entered. There was a small desk with someone's journal on it. "You should get some rest," I told Sapphire. "You haven't slept for a day." "Neither have you." "I don't need sleep." Sapphire lay down on a stone bed. "These things are incredibly uncomfortable." I smiled to myself. "Wake up! We need to leave! Now!" I shook Sapphire. "What's going on?" "Falmer!" She shot to her feet and grabbed her dagger. We ran out of the door and down the path. Falmer screamed behind us. We sprinted forwards. A colossal dwemer invention activated itself and started chasing after us too. "Over there! Look!" I pointed towards a tower. A small shadow was walking towards it. "That's where we're going!" We ran as fast as we could, occasionally ducking to avoid ice spikes and arrows. We finally reached a bridge leading to the tower and caught up with the figure from before. It turned around. "You?!?" I gasped. "You?!?" Anya gasped. "I'd have to break up this little reunion but we really should-" Sapphire stopped talking and looked down at her chest. The tip of an ice spike stuck out of it. She fell to her knees and looked up at me, her eyes watering. "No... NO!!! You can't go! Don't leave me!" Tears were streaming down my cheeks. "Thank you...for finding...me... I'll always...be...with you." A faint smile appeared on her face. She fell backwards and let out her last breath. "NOOOO!!!!!" I screamed. I got to my feet and charged towards the elves, daggers in hand. They would pay for what they did. I felt something stopping me and pulling me back. I struggled as much as I could but the invisible force was too strong and I started getting dragged backwards. "I WILL GET YOU! YOU HEAR ME? I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!!!" The tower doors closed after I was pulled in. Anya leant against the wall trying to catch her breath. "I assume that's the reason telekinesis isn't used often on live beings." "You should have left me in there..." I murmured. I was sitting against the door my head in my hands, tears running freely from my eyes. "What?" "I said you should have left me there!" I was starting to shout. "What are you talking about?" "I should be out there, defending Sapphire's body! It's what she would have wanted." "Are you stupid? You think she would have wanted you to die out there? She wanted you to escape, she still wants you to!" "She was the only one who knew me!" "I know you!" "The old me! The real me!" "I understand this is hard for you. She was your friend and you cared for her. But you can't just sit here wishing you had died too!" "You have no idea what I'm going through!" "I'm tired of this conversation. I hope you can forgive me for this." "For what?" Suddenly I felt myself relaxing as Anya bathed me in green light.

Comments

4 Comments
  • Pablo
    Pablo   ·  March 2, 2013
    Another typo?
    "Sapphire lay down on a stone bed" 

    Laid**
  • The Shadow
    The Shadow   ·  March 1, 2013
    Thanks, I write it on my phone with predictive text on and I usually forget to check if the words are the right ones.
  • Pablo
    Pablo   ·  March 1, 2013
    Well written.  Found a typo - Neither of up slept that night, scared that the falmer would somehow find us.
  • The Shadow
    The Shadow   ·  March 1, 2013
    Feedback is very appreciated :-)