U.O.T.W. Chapter 90 Crossed The Line

• Posted by Sotek November 14, 2015 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 1,027 views

  
  Sotek awoke to a wolfish high pitch cry which happened to be Aela yawning. As he pulled himself up he hissed angrily at himself for forgetting about his shoulder. A torrent of pain shot across his chest nearly making him cry out louder than Aela did when she first woke him up.
  As he nursed his shoulder, his thoughts turned to his shirt, or rather the lack of a shirt.
  “Where the hell in Oblivion is it?”
  He looked around the floor but there was no sign of it until Aela sat up as well. Her armor was piled up on a small table leaving her in nothing except her loincloth and an old miner’s shirt, his shirt to be precise. He vaguely remembered giving her it to wear when he woke up earlier to find her shivering. The roof of Jorrvaskr wasn’t fully weather proof and once the fire pit died down the temperature in the hall could easily plummet.
  Opposite them, sitting at the large table were both Kodlak and Tilma. They suspiciously observed Sotek as he had slept but now he was awake, the Harbinger took the opportunity to ask some questions.
  “We didn’t expect to see you two in the hall. Is your room infested with Skeevers or something Aela?”
  Aela wearily lifted her head up to try to meet his gaze but she quickly gave up and slumped back down on the furs. Moments later her head disappeared as she wrapped herself up.
  “Talk to me in the morning”
  Tilma tutted loudly as she began to prepare breakfast as best she could with the few kitchen utensils which they managed to recover from Red’s rampage the week before.
  “It is morning young lady... young whatever you are”.
  Aela threw the fur off her head then glanced around the hall. Satisfying herself that no one else was about she gritted her teeth at Tilma as she snapped at her.
  “I’m a she-wolf who’s feeling rather hostile. If it’s bloody morning then wake me in the afternoon. Goodnight... Morning... What bloody ever!!” She then dropped to the floor like she was made of stone and buried herself in a cocoon of wolf fur.
  Sotek found her whole attitude amusing and chuckled as he explained about the night before.
  “We didn’t get to sleep until the early hours, all of us. Tilma can we have a cooked breakfast in say, two hours time?”
  The maid promptly slammed the breadknife down on a chopping board as she glared across the hall.
  “You want a cooked breakfast? Cooked in what may I bloody well ask?”
  Sotek looked straight at the Harbinger and smiled smugly.
  “Oh that’s right; you don’t know yet do you. Cooked breakfast for everyone please. Two hours... Off you both go, bye!” He then waved at the Harbinger and Tilma as if he was dismissing them. With no further word he tucked himself around Aela and closed his still tired eyes.
  Kodlak sat back and tried to work out exactly what Sotek was up to. He drew a blank so he decided to investigate the Undercroft along with Tilma. Especially as the Whelps would have usually been up by now.
  The moment Tilma entered the storeroom, she was speechless. Three bookcases held the sacks which previously littered the floor and a multitude of baskets sat in a row alongside various barrels. A selection of different utensils were all hanging up above the kitchen counter along with a collection of pots and pans. In the kitchen cupboard were various piles of wooden plates and bowls, all cleaned and scrubbed ready for use. Sotek even added a new large basket which contained kindling wood for the stove.
  On inspection of the bedrooms, Kodlak found himself lost for words. They counted the six beds which the Whelps were still sleeping in along with the six bedside cabinets. Farkas had a barrel of mead as well as a table and two chairs for both him and his brother while Vilkas had all his weapons stored on two racks instead of being piled in the corner of his room. Aela had a small table and a few chairs along with a wardrobe for her nightshirts which in reality were Sotek’s miner’s shirts. In Sotek’s room stood two bookcases, cleaned and ready for his Alchemy supplies along with four piles of wooden bowls to store them in. Each of  the Companions also had a chest in their rooms as well.
  Kodlak’s biggest surprise was his own quarters. Especially the double bed.
  “Where the hell did he get all of this?”
  Tilma shook her head as she glanced back along the corridor to the stairwell.
  “Never mind where he got it from. Who the hell is going to come knocking on our door expecting it all back?”
  Approximately two hours later, the hall of Jorrvaskr was bustling with excitement as it was the first time in a week when everyone was served a hot breakfast. As the Whelps tucked into fried egg and bacon, they looked at each other like they were kings and queens. The hall was their realm and Tilma was the servant. At least she was until she demanded that the whelps cleared off the table then their ‘precious realm’ soon shattered around them as reality burst out forthwith.
  Instead of eating with the other Companions, Sotek had his meal on the step as per the usual. Once he finished his breakfast, he sat the plate upon the table and looked at everyone in turn. The last two to receive his attention were the two who wanted it the most, Kodlak and Tilma. The Harbinger sat back in his chair with his hands resting on the table top as he patiently waited. When Sotek did make eye contact with him, he expected some sort of ‘grand story’ while Sotek explained what he had done to get the furniture. Instead of this though, Sotek looked both him and Tilma right in the face.
  “Nope, I can’t face you two yet. I need a swim”.
  Before anyone could say or do anything at all to stop him Sotek had exited Jorrvaskr and was heading straight for the pool of water near Dragonsreach. With no reservations what so ever, he dived straight in and swam under the surface for nearly half an hour.
  By the time he re-entered the hall, Tilma had prepared a clean shirt and a pair of his trousers along with a recent polished pair of boots.
  “Get your tail downstairs and get these on. Afterwards we’ll have this talk which you seem so keen on avoiding”.
  Sotek watched the Harbinger who seemed content in allowing Tilma to lay down the law. He just sat in his chair and waited, what really bothered Sotek was the fact that Aela was sitting next to him. He knew there was no getting out of it this time.
  “I won’t be long”.
  Being true to his word, Sotek was only gone for around ten minutes but by the time he came back upstairs Proventus was already in the hall laying down the law.
  “It’s not acceptable. How dare he!! An Imperial fort?”
  Sotek murmured to himself as he picked up his pace.
  “Oh I’m so in the mood for you today”. He bound across the wooden flooring then literally yanked Proventus’s arm, pulling him away from the Harbinger.
  “How dare I what?”
  Proventus tugged his arm back away from Sotek’s grasp and literally yelled in the Argonians face.
  “You upstart. You took the Companions to Fort Greymoor, an Imperial Fort and stripped it bare of furniture. You deny this?”
  Sotek paused for a few seconds as he weighed up Proventus’s words. Deep inside him though something stirred. It wasn’t happy at being shouted at and it felt threatened. Only one course of action seemed to fit. He had to push back, push back harder than he was being pushed.
  Without even thinking Sotek leaned into Proventus, literally forcing him back against the door.
  “That Imperial fort was a bandit stronghold. We killed over ten bandits. If it’s an Imperial Fort then where in Oblivion were the soldiers? If it’s so important then where is the garrison and why did they allow bandits to use it as a stronghold? Stop wasting my time you pathetic worm”.
  Sotek suddenly felt an iron like grip on his good shoulder. He turned around to see the Harbinger standing alongside him, and he wasn’t happy in the least.
  “Get your bloody tail and go and sit down. What the hell’s up with you? Proventus!” He stopped yelling then gently ushered Proventus to a table away from Sotek where just the Harbinger and Proventus could talk. Kodlak laid everything before the administrator, leaving him in no position to argue.
  “I’ve spoken to Aela, Farkas and Vilkas. Now we both know that Fort Greymoor is no Imperial fort. It may have been in its prime, but a soldier hasn’t trod a single step in its grounds for over a year. It was until yesterday a bandit stronghold. Now if the military governor wants to place a force there then all well and good. Heavens forbid if the Stormcloaks should take it. They could take the entire region! Send word to General Tullius, tell him that the Companions have cleared out a nest of vipers from its depths. The furniture we had taken isn’t fit for firewood. It’s old and half rotten. Go, send your letter but remember this... If there is a reward for the retaking of the fort and or for the killing of the bandits then I expect to see it. Good day Proventus”.
  Under the Harbinger’s owlish stare Proventus buckled. His flustering was aided by the simple truth that he knew the Harbinger was right. The fort had been abandoned nigh over a year ago and it was little more than a derelict.
  “I... It... Oh very well. I shall indeed write to the General”. He turned towards Sotek and waved a finger at him. “This is far from over. You’ve crossed the line...”
  Sotek’s reply was a single loud defiant ‘Hiss’.
  Once Proventus left the hall, Aela who was sitting at a far table approached Sotek with the offering of emotional support. She sat alongside him on the step which he had moved to so he could lose himself in the flames of the fire pit. He was only dimly aware of her hand as it rested on his good shoulder.
  Sotek himself knew he acted rashly and he all too quickly bit at Proventus’s taunt. Without lifting his head up, he spoke to the Harbinger.
  “You handled that well”.
  Kodlak snapped straight back at him. His voice held its form but everyone knew he was angry.
  “You certainly didn’t”. He paused long enough to take in Sotek’s posture, although he couldn’t tell anything from Sotek’s face, the way his head was slumped down, and the fact that his tail was all but dead told him all he needed to know. Sotek was fully aware that he screwed up. “Ok… Proventus, find a chink in his armor, you need to. Why does he rattle you so much?”
  Sotek smiled as he threw a wink at Aela.
  “Cause he’s a pompous moron. I don’t know. I’ll… aww rats”.
  Aela burst out laughing due to Soteks first comment which only caused Sotek to snigger as well. He was just thankful that the Harbinger never heard it.
  Kodlak rolled his eyes as the two Companions tried to stop their giggling. One thing he decided upon was that there was no point of furthering the episode with Proventus. That would return another day anyway. If nothing else, that was one fact he was sure of.
  Instead, he turned his attention to Aela, catching her by surprise.
  “Aela, can you clear the hall please”.
  Feeling somewhat troubled by his request, she whipped her head around towards him.
  “What everyone?”
  Kodlak took a sip of his flask as he pointed to one of the trainees.
  “No just the whelps”. As one and without any further prodding, the whelps got up and headed downstairs. The Harbinger picked up a chair and sat near where Sotek was so Aela moved away and leant against one of the pillars. Vilkas and Farkas were sat nearby at the long table and silently looked on. Kodlak cleared his throat then motioned to Aela to sit next to Sotek as she was just standing there not knowing what to do. “You said that we should talk, you Aela, and myself. I think now would be a good time... So, let’s hear it”.
  Sotek took a deep breath then explained as much as he could from the moment he became the black wolf.
  “We have made some progress concerning Greymane. However we have also fell somewhat short of the mark in other areas. He was the one who sent the Assassins after me, two of them, from the dark brotherhood. That was confirmed by ermm, let’s just say it was confirmed. Hircine’s allowed me to become a werewolf, but that’s a bit odd”. He stopped and paused letting the information sink in. “My arm, it’s useless... I can’t even cast fireballs from it, let alone wear a gauntlet”.
  He noticed Tilma’s face fill with concern just as much as the Harbingers was. They were both equally worried and didn’t even try to hide the fact. Sotek found this to be particularly upsetting as he couldn’t belay their fears.
  “Don’t sit there and ask me what I’m going to do, I don’t have the slightest clue. Everything’s falling into place and it’s looking more and more like I’m going to be the looser”.
  The Harbinger sat there watching him, listening to what he had to say. However what Sotek had told him didn’t fill him with confidence, so he tried to provide some himself.
  “Well, that’s a first, you’re lying down”.
  “Lying down?” Sotek laughed at the mere thought of it. “Just because I feel I’m going to be the looser, don’t mean I’m going take it, or make it bloody easy for anyone else; I don’t lie down. However, that being said I don’t have a clue as to what to do”.
  “Well I’m glad you’re still prepared to fight. You know we’ll give you all the support we can”. With that the Harbinger gave a warm smile.
  Upon hearing these words, Sotek’s tail started flapping about and his eyes seemed to glaze over as he pondered upon Kodlak’s words.
  “What did you say?”
  “Ermm I said we will help where we can”. He couldn’t help but notice that Sotek seemed to act funny on the remark.
  Sotek shook his head as a big smile covered his face. At least the Harbinger presumed it was a smile due to the tone in his voice.
  “That’s not what you said. You said support... I got to go”. Without giving any further explanation, he left Aela’s side and headed out to the courtyard.
  The Harbinger turned to Aela for answers but she just shrugged her shoulders. It was clear that she was none the wiser as was anyone else.
  “Ermm, no idea. Harbinger, don’t expect much when he turns to his werewolf form”.
  Kodlak felt somewhat puzzled by her comment and exchanged confused glances with Tilma. They both knew what it meant to Aela now that Sotek was a werewolf, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she should be more eager. Something wasn’t right.
  “Why is that? You don’t seem too keen on him showing us his werewolf form. I thought you would be far more eager. Is there something we should be aware of?”
  She didn’t know where to look so she stared at the Harbingers wolf armor boots.
  “Yea, he’s different... It’s not my place to say anything, just don’t judge him”.
  Kodlak just nodded but her comment did little to stop his mind from turning with curiosity. He decided to simply play along until he saw Sotek form for himself.
  “That’s fair enough. Now, are you and Farkas available for a quick job? There are a few wolves in the area, to the north. It would seem that they are after the farmer’s chickens”.
  She gingerly rose to her feet but her eyes fixed on the doors to the training yard.
  “Yes we’ll take care of them. Harbinger, keep an eye on Sotek for me. He’s feeling vulnerable; I don’t like him like this. Come on Farkas, the sooner we’re out there then the sooner we get back”.
  By now, Sotek was at the Sky forge in a discussion with Eorlund about his blacksmithing skills.
  “So tell me, how hard can you make leather?”
  The Blacksmith put down his hammer and looked at him questioningly.
  “How hard do you want it?”
  Sotek picked up an old iron chest piece and rapped his knuckles against it.
  “As hard as iron. Can you do it?”
  “What the hell is that for? It won’t flex or anything. You might as well use iron in the first place”. It was then that Eorlund noticed the scars on Soteks shoulder. He then seemed to have an inclining on what Sotek was after.
  “You want it for armor?”
  Sotek shook his head and smiled.
  “Not exactly. Here, this is what I have in mind”.