U.O.T.W. Chapter 24 Fury Unbound

• Posted by Sotek May 17, 2015 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 924 views

  

  

   

  Outside in the training area Sotek walked straight past the tables and chairs. looking back he could see Jorrvaskr covered in blood. The stench of death totally overwhelmed his senses. On the ground Aela lay dead. Everywhere he looked there she was dead at his feet. Every sound in the night air blocked out by the sound of her ribcage being smashed apart, every single break sounded out like a thunderclap. His eyes locked onto a training dummy, and for the first time in his life that he could remember something happened… He lost all control.

   

  He ran charging up to it, drawing his axe and bought it crashing down on the right arm with all his might, smashing it into pieces. Going full bore completely blinded with rage he half turned to the left, sweeping the axe in a massive overhead arc and slammed the axe head into the left arm of the dummy. Splinters flew in all directions as it was completely destroyed. Without the slightest sign of slowing down, he spun totally around. Gripping the one handed axe with both hands, the head of the axe guided with pure hate and rage made perfect contact with the dummy’s head annihilating it spectacularly sending more splinters spreading out from the strike.

   

  As soon as the axe passed through its target he shouted. Not the typical dragon shout but as forcefully as he ever could. It screamed out of him with all his hate, fear and anger overpowering it to the extreme.

  “Fus Ro!!!”

   

  The force of the shout ripped out what remained of the dummy from the ground and slammed the remains into the wall. Never in all its construction was it ever intended to take any one of the blows Sotek threw at it. The target dummy lay in pieces completely and utterly destroyed.

   

  Sotek dropped his axe as he fell to his knees, exhausted. His body's entire supply of energy was burnt out in a devastating attack that lasted mere seconds. Without getting up he turned his head slowly towards Jorrvaskr, dimly aware that he was far from being alone. Vilkas, Farkas, Aela and the whelps were behind him, all of them standing there watching. All of them stunned by the ferocity, aggression and power. Once again Sotek put his hand in his pocket and just stayed there lightly holding whatever it was he held.

   

  The whelp who started it all turned to Farkas and spoke quietly. 

  “Hell, what’s his job here?”

   

  Vilkas looked at her angrily.

  “He teaches C-O-N-T-R-O-L”.

   

  She couldn’t help but be sarcastic at his response.

  “Well he’s not very good at it is he”.

   

  Aela pushed past the others and grabbed her by the arm tightly. Ignoring the fact that she was hurting the whelp, Aela pinned her to the wall by the throat.

  “I think he’s great at it actually, because if he wasn’t…” Then she pointed to the remains of the training dummy. “Then that!!! Would have been you… Bitch”. She then threw the whelp back, away from her. Away from the temptation to lash out at her.

   

  Farkas called out to them before the situation between Aela and the Whelp escalated.

  “Shows over, everyone inside”. He then took it upon himself to herd the whelps back into the hall.

   

  Vilkas leaned over to Aela and spoke quietly.

  “Go talk to him, but ermm take his axe first yea”. Then he picked up a splinter that had hit the door and headed inside.

   

  Aela slowly went up to Sotek picked up his axe and put it on the table. She paused for a few seconds unsure as to what she should do next. Something inside her cracked and melted causing her to kneel down beside him.

   

  Meanwhile Vilkas went to the Harbingers chamber where he found Kodlak and the Blacksmith Eorlund. He struggled to think of what to say so he decided to just go for it.

  “Ermm a training dummy’s gone”.

   

  The Harbinger was the first to respond. He glanced over towards the door owlishly.  

  “We heard the commotion. What’s Aela done this time?”

   

  “Actually she had done nothing, its Sotek. He ermm got pushed”.

   

  Eorlund asked about the dummy.

  “How bad is it? Can it be repaired?”

   

  Vilkas just looked blankly at them both and shook his head.

  “Like I said. Sotek got pushed, and when Sotek's pushed too hard...”

   

  The Harbinger finished his sentence.

  “He pushes back… Harder”.

   

  “Ermm no. Not quite pushes back”. With that he tossed the splinter on the table. “More like obliterates… There’s nothing left of it. It’s gone”

   

  Both Kodlak and Eorlund looked at each other then they both got up as one and headed outside. Sotek was still there on the ground with his hand in his pocket while his eyes were closed. He was like a statue kneeling in prayer except for his tail which twitched about. Every so often it would lift up and thump down on the ground sending up a small cloud of dust. Aela was kneeling besides him with her arm around his back holding his farthest shoulder. She heard the door open and looked around towards it, she then saw the Harbinger and the blacksmith looking at them. They both stared at the target dummies, in the space where one used to be was a shattered post sticking up about half a foot out of the ground. Scattered all around bits of wood cloth and straw, It looked like the target exploded. The blacksmith looked around at the devastation.

   

  “When he said obliterated I thought he was exaggerating, damn”. Then he went inside.

   

  The Harbinger saw Sotek's axe on the table, he picked it up then followed Eorlund inside Jorrvaskr. Everyone was in the hall sitting there watching the Harbinger.

  “What the hell was that about?” He demanded.

   

  Farkas walked up to the Harbinger, gulped then replied.

  “Aela”.

   

  The Harbinger shot a look at Vilkas.

  “You said she had nothing to do with this”.

   

  Farkas spoke up in Vilkas’s and Aela’s defence.

  “She didn’t do anything but she’s at the heart of it”.

   

  The Harbinger looked at Farkas hard.

  “How?”

   

  He went up to the Harbinger and talked quietly to him.

  “That day we held his trial, we told the story about it. He said she was an archer… He said she died”.

   

  At that moment the maid entered the hall and called the Harbinger over to her. They went downstairs for a few minutes to Sotek's room. There she explained about Sotek’s nightmares. He never told her about them but she heard enough from him sleeping to know what they were about.

   

  The Harbinger returned to the hall and stood there for a few minutes thinking before going back outside.

  “Aela, come here please”. Despite her hearing the Harbingers call, Aela just sat there holding on to Sotek.

   

  “Aela! Come here”. He called out louder, commanding her to move, but in a way as not to be too angry.

   

  She slowly let Sotek go, got up and walked over to the Harbinger. Once she was standing next to him he whispered quietly.

  “Has he said anything?”

   

  She turned to Sotek and slowly shook her head.

  “Nope, not a word”.

   

  Kodlak sighed as his eyes fixed on Sotek’s back. At this point in time he didn’t even know if Sotek was aware that he was there at all.

  “Ok… In about twenty minutes bring him inside”. He then handed her Sotek's axe.

   

  After about half an hour she turned to Sotek and gently pulled up his arm.

  “Come on we got to go… He’s waiting”.

   

  Sotek got up to his feet, faced the door and started to walk slowly towards it.

   

  Aela expected him to pause at the door, like she heard him do from the others when she arrived back from the temple. Sotek put his hand in his pocket, let it go then suddenly sped right up. He threw open the double doors and boldly walked right inside. She had to increase her pace to catch up with him.

  Inside, the hall was empty except for the Harbinger. Sotek walked up to him, only stopping when he was about three feet away from him.

   

  Seemingly totally defiant to the atmosphere and the whole situation, Sotek starred straight into Kodlak’s eyes, ready to receive any punishment or verdict. Aela hurried inside, her heart sank the moment she saw them face each other. She really expected all hell to break loose. She then saw supplies and furs at the main doors to Whiterun, at that point she feared the worst.

   

  The Harbinger took half a step to Sotek then rested his arm on Sotek's shoulder. Without taking his eyes of him he called Aela over to where they both stood.

  “You two have certain issues that needs working out, that is obvious. What is also obvious is that you can’t work them out here.” He spoke loud and clear but at the same time his tone was controlled.

   

  Aela`s voice was husky, as she spoke she felt a tear on her cheek.

  “Harbinger…you can’t...”

   

  With that she just stood silent unable to carry on.

   

  Sotek just stood there, silently waiting.

   

  “The pair of you, load up what you need and get the hell out of here. Sort it out... I want it buried; while Jorrvaskr is still standing”. He was angry, not at them as such, but he felt unable to help them. It was that which he felt was hard to handle.

   

  Sotek just walked undeterred to the supplies and picked up all he could carry leaving behind what little that was left for Aela to bring. Without even turning around, he stood at the door and silently waited for Aela. 

   

  She slowly went over to the remaining supplies and picked up the few items which Sotek had left for her to carry. As they went to leave, the Harbinger called Sotek over. He went to the Harbinger and stood like before totally undeterred right in front of him. Kodlak saw many back down from him. Aela did all the time despite her fire and the anger she held inside. Even the Jarl on occasion had backed down, in rare occasions. Everyone in Jorrvaskr did, everyone without exception, everyone.

   

  Except Sotek.

   

  Kodlak just couldn’t help but think Sotek just didn’t know how to. He thought back to what he first told the companions, Sotek would never lay down, not ever. He put both hands on Sotek's shoulders and whispered to him.

  “Keep her safe”.

   

  Sotek just nodded, but something about him made the Harbinger feel that Sotek with such the simplest of motions just swore an oath he would protect Aela with his life.