U.O.T.W. Chapter 98 Cabin In The Woods

• Posted by Sotek January 2, 2016 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 962 views

  

   

  Kodlak and the two Whelps made their way past the pathway which had originally took them to the bandit tower but instead of following it they continued across the rugged terrain as they proceeded in a westerly direction. Over the gusty wind, they could hear the river as it roared over various rocks and boulders.

  In front of them, the remains of an overly large fallen tree attempted to block their path as if it was a natural barrier. There were clear signs of various tracks of deer, wolves and even rabbits which had fled upon hearing the Companions approach. Kodlak led them around the trunk of the pine tree and made his way cautiously up a rather steep bank.

  The cabin, their destination, was just a few hundred yards away now. An old woman who was sitting on a wooden chair, could be seen at the entrance. She was dressed in a black robe and hood which covered her head. The Imperial Whelp could just make out her features. She appeared wrinkly and seemed to be older than Tilma, the Jorrvaskr maid. After she had been given the warning from her Harbinger, Kodlak, the whelp kept such thoughts to herself.

  Kodlak seemed to slow down as he approached the lady. He slightly beckoned with the back of his hand to the Whelps implying that he wanted them to give the woman a bit of space so she wouldn’t have concerns over their sudden appearance before he had a chance to speak to her.

  He warmly smiled and removed his gauntlets so he could tuck them under his arm. His hand outstretched in an offering of a hand shake which aided the easing of the woman’s expression.

  “Hello, I’m Kodlak. Harbinger of the Companions in Whiterun”.

  “Hello dear. What brings you to Riverwood?” She stood up and accepted his hand with a feeble shake of her own hand. Wrinkled fingers gently held on to him with an almost frail grip.

  Kodlak beckoned her to sit back down and he pointed to the tower which now lay behind him.

  “We’ve cleared out the tower on the approach to Bleak Falls Barrow. I remembered that you chose to live in the outskirts of Riverwood. Not that I would call this Riverwood. It’s more like the wilderness”.

  She scowled at his words and picked up an old walking staff so she could rise to her feet. The staff banged into the flooring of the cabins porch as she half yelled at him.

  “Again you all bother me insisting that I move to that accursed village. Why can’t I be left alone? Why must you bother me? Go! You’re not welcome here! I tire of this. Just leave me alone damn you all. Let... me... be!”

  Kodlak stepped back in surprise at her hostility and held both his hands up apologetically. Both his wolf gauntlets fell to the floor where he left them while he appeased the woman.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any offence. Our sole propose was to check on you to see that you were unharmed by the bandits. We’re not here to remove you from your home...”

  She stopped in her tracks and looked straight at Kodlak’s face. Her own eyes seemed to stare in the distance while she judged his words with a confused expression.

  “Bandits? What bandits? The tower? You mentioned the tower?” She hobbled past him and stared up at the mountain where the now cleared tower bore down at her. “Ahh it is cleared...” She stood there staring at the mountain for a few moments almost as if she had forgotten Kodlak was even there. She turned around in a startled state as the three visitors came into focus but she quickly gathered her wits.

  “Come inside, come, come. It’s lonely out here. Not many visitors...”

  She led the way inside the cabin which was small and cramped. The amount of furnishings she had gave the hut a claustrophobic feeling especially as there was now four people inside. To the right of the doorway was a dressing table and a barrel. In the near corner was an old wooden chair which the Imperial Whelp chose to sit on. She nosed outside through the ‘window’ which was actually a hole in the wall where a few planks of wood were missing. To the left of her was a large table and a bench where the Dunmer Whelp sat. He looked up at the Harbinger who had chose to stand by the bed where the old woman who introduced herself as ‘Anise’ sat.

  “I have no refreshments to share I’m afraid. Nor have I food”.

  Kodlak held his hand out aloft and shook it dismissively at her.

  “We are in no need for your food or drink. However I have noticed that you grow a few vegetables outside. Is that all you have?”

  Anise’s hands wrapped tightly around her staff as her croaky voice cried out while a sense of panic seemed to fill her soul.

  “Robber’s, thieves...”

  Kodlak covered his face with his palm and shook his head while the Imperial Whelp sat upright in surprise.

  “No... We aren’t here to rob you... Here, take this. It’s obvious that you don’t have much. Potatoes and cabbages are one thing but you need more than that”.

  Kodlak went to hand over a pouch of gold to her but she held the staff up and eyed him suspiciously.

  “What trickery is this?”

  Kodlak sighed then gathered the Whelps together and headed for the door.

  “It’s no trick. We’ll leave you in peace. Good day to you”.

  Anise watched him for a few seconds then, somewhat surprisingly, she called out to him.

  “Potatoes... You know I grow Potatoes?”

  Kodlak stopped then slowly glanced over his shoulder at her.

  “Yes, you have three Potato plants outside”.

  She hobbled towards him after she pointed to the bench.

  “You two are in my way. Sit down, you make the place look cluttered”. She then walked up to the Harbinger and beckoned him to follow her. “Most don’t know a potato plant when they see one. You wouldn’t happen to know what ails them do you?”

   Kodlak signalled to the Whelps to wait inside while he followed Anise outside to her ‘garden’. It only took him a few moments to see the trouble.

  “I can tell you straight away what your problem is... It’s frost, from the mountain. You can rectify the problem easily by improving the fence. It’s the icy winds which is affecting your crop. A wind shield would help protect them”.

  As they talked about the crops Anise’s defensive posture seemed to lessen as she warmed to Kodlak and his suggestions. Meanwhile inside the hut the Whelps especially the Imperial girl seemed to get wrestles. The girl cast her eyes around the shack and whispered to the Dunmer.

  “What a pokey little shed”

  He replied with a quiet huff as he shook his head in disdain to her blunt and somewhat poor attitude.

  “Mind your manners. They are just outside. She seems rather skittish doesn’t she?”

  She rolled her eyes as she rose to her feet and started nosing around the shack. The Dunmer watched as she slightly opened one draw and peeked inside while she tried to keep an eye on the doorway.

  “Skittish? Hell Aela’s skittish when she’s upset the Harbinger. This one is crazy... Thieves... Robber’s... I’m surprised she never called us assassins”. Her voice trailed off as she saw a pile of straw thrown alongside the bed. She quickly glanced about as if she was looking for rats or signs of other vermin. “What the hell is that?”

  The Dunmer tried to discreetly call her back to the bench without attracting Anise or the Harbinger to the Whelps antics but he quickly ran towards her when he saw her uncover a trap door.

  “What the hell are you doing? Leave that alone you daft cow... Oh hells don’t open it!”

   The Imperial girl blanked him and tugged on the handle. It opened easily but she jumped when it creaked loudly. She held tightly onto the door which was just ajar and stared wide eyed at the doorway. After a few seconds she continued in her ‘exploration’ as Anise seemed too occupied with her conversation to hear what was going on.

   The girl stuck her head down the hatch as she whispered out to the Dunmer.

  “I bet she keeps skeevers down here... Bloody hell, by the eight’s look!!” She pulled herself up then quickly climbed down the stairs without even checking to see if the other Whelp was coming over to her.

  Fortunately for her he did although not without attempting to pull her back out of the underground section of the hut.

  “Get out of there!! What are you doing? Kodlak will have your head...” He moved to the hatch as he kept a watchful eye on the entrance but the moment he peered inside the trapdoor he knew they were in trouble.

  “Alchemy table? That’s an enchanting table... Crap!!!”

  The girl glanced around the ‘room’ and picked up a scroll. The scrawling on it told her what it was straight away.

  “Summon storm atronach? What the hell is she doing with this?” A piece of parchment that was lying on a table caught her attention. The scribbling on it was some sort of note which she eagerly scanned. As she read it out aloud, the color faded from her cheeks. She then barged past the Dunmer.
  “She’s a witch!! Oh screw this!! Come on”. She rapidly climbed the steps and ran outside straight into the Harbinger.

  The Whelp bounced back a foot from the impact which did little to Kodlak except to take his attention. A loud groan drew Anise from her plants and she looked on with horror as the Whelp passed the Harbinger the note she had found.

  Kodlak snatched the note from the Whelp and was about to chastise her when something caused him to pause. Instead of simply handing Anise the parchment, he read it out to himself. His eyes owlishly peeked over the top of the letter as he spoke a single word.

  “Witch!!”

  Anise screamed out as she lifted her staff. A fireball shot out of it engulfing the Harbinger in flames.

  “Fool’s!!! No one must know my secret”.

  The flames burnt Kodlak’s face and singed his hair and beard while the Imperial Whelp ran inside the hut. The Dunmer shoved her aside as he joined the Harbinger who quickly recovered from the initial attack. A second fireball flew towards him but he easily sidestepped and watched as it roared past him.

  “Now that isn’t playing nice. No wonder you prefer to live alone”. As he responded to her attack, he drew his two handed sword and beckoned the Dunmer to his side. “Move to the side, we’ll attack in two directions. Where’s that girl gone? No matters. This hag can’t face the two of us at once”.

  Anise nodded in agreement then she started to cast a spell.

  “You are so right. Here, this should keep you busy”. As she spoke, a black shimmering portal similar to the one which Sotek would often summon up appeared except this one seemed larger.

  The portal suddenly burst into flames and threw out a wave of heat causing Kodlak who was close to it to shield his eyes as he backed away. A flame coated slender beauty of a woman stepped out then skated across the ground leaking a trail of flames in her quake. Kodlak recognised the flame atronach instantly and knew they were in trouble.

  The Dunmer hesitated as Anise used her staff to fling yet another fireball towards him. Kodlak yelled as he prepared to engage the flame atronach while the other Whelp was nowhere to be seen.

  “Keep this thing busy... Leave Anise to me!”

  The Imperial Whelp had in fact stuck her head around the doorframe and was preparing a surprise of her own.

  “This will even the odds” She stated as she unrolled the summon storm atronach scroll. Reading the words was easy and the letters quickly started dancing around the page. The Whelp focused on a patch of ground and a larger portal then the one the flame atronach came out of appeared. Kodlak gasped in desperation as a heavy thunderous rumbling seemed to shake the very air itself as the atronach burst through the portal.

  The Whelp ran outside and pointed to the witch while she shouted out her orders.

  “Attack her!!”

  Kodlak momentarily stopped as the massive bulky form of the storm atronach pounded the very ground as it moved in towards its target, Anise.

  “What the?”

  Anise’s face faded as she glared evilly at the Imperial Whelp.

  “Thief!! That was my scroll... How dare you use it against me... Fool!! Now you will pay for your arrogance”. Both her hands glowed a bright blue as she seemed to cast a spell although at the end of it there was no effect.

  The Whelp smiled as she thought the spell had failed but her ecstatic sense of victory was short lived when the storm atronach stopped and turned around on the spot.

  Anise cackled loudly as she pointed out the fatal flaw in the Whelps plan.

  “I’ve summoned creatures for years when you were naught but an insufferable baby. You think I can’t control these puppets? Now, obey me!! Kill her!!”

  The Whelp ran back inside as the entrance exploded in lightening. She screamed as she climbed through a window and fled for the safety of the trees. While the storm atronach was busy with the Whelp, Kodlak concentrated on Anise, leaving the Dunmer to deal with the flame atronach. The Dunmer’s daggers slashed out at the sides of the atronach as hard as he could as flames enveloped him. Kodlak feared the worst for the Whelp but his natural fire resistance fought back most of the flames. The Harbinger backed away as he quickly realised the Dunmer was holding his own despite the fact that the atronach had skated around him in a tight circle. The flames that coated it tried to burn his flesh and incinerate the very air in an attempt to make him gasp for breath yet he stood his ground and retaliated in a series of blows as if he was oblivious to the scorching heat.

  Lightening exploded by Kodlak’s feet sending him backwards in an electrical blast of energy. He tried to stand up and staggered into a rock which he grabbed hold of for extra support. A wave of heat closed in from behind him as the voice of the Imperial girl screamed out at him.

  “Move!!” She charged forwards as she bought her shield up to block the fireball. It exploded upon impact with her and tossed her sideways like a rag doll.

  While Kodlak was busy fighting off the storm atronach in an attempt to reach the Imperial Whelp, the Dunmer took a chance and blindly threw one of his daggers at Anise. She side stepped with a speed which belied her age but the dagger had done its work. Kodlak saw her as she moved in his line of sight. He yelled out in rage as he suddenly bound to his side in an attempt to reach her.

  Anise screamed as the flame atronach fired off a fireball at the Harbinger in a futile attempt to protect its mistress. Kodlak ignored the flames and stuck his hand out with his blade. In a titanic show of strength, Kodlak thrust his blade into Anise’s chest singlehandedly. Straight away the flame and storm atronaches dissipated as their master collapsed to the ground. Her robes offered no protection and she succumbed to the single yet lethal strike.

  Kodlak’s sword fell from his grasp as the weight of the blade was too much for him to hold in his single hand any longer. The scorched earth showed where the flame atronach dissipated as it rejoined its fellow combatant to the plains of oblivion. The Harbinger rested on his knees as he fought back the breath which his lungs craved while the two Whelps gathered around him.

  “Where the... Where the hell did that storm atronach come from? She didn’t summon it... Did she?”

  The Dunmer stepped back out of the Imperials way. She held aloft the old burnt out scroll in her hand as the Harbingers eyes bored into her.

  “It... it was me... I didn’t think that she...”

  Kodlak shook his head angrily at her and snatched the scroll from her hand.

  “No!! You didn’t think!! You stupid girl!! Don’t you know anything about conjurers? About their abilities?”

  He rose to his feet and towered over the near terrified girl. She closed her eyes and screwed up her face as she feared the wrath of the Harbinger worse than what she did of Aela. Two light thuds made her nearly scream out as she jumped from shock due to Kodlak tapping her lightly on her skull with the used up scroll. Kodlak shook his head at her then pointed to the shack.

  “You will be the death of me... get your ass in there and see what we can take with us” He then sent the Dunmer back to collect the other two Whelps so they could assist in the recovery of any furniture.

  As the Imperial Whelp aided in the removal of the dresser, she wisely kept her mouth shut however what Kodlak said threw her totally off guard.

  “I’m pairing you up with Sotek and Aela as soon as I get the chance. You know she isn’t one for fools so when you find yourself with them, shut that trap of yours. The other Whelps, they won’t like it either ‘cause they will see it as a reward. I wouldn’t see it that way if I were you though. I promise you, both Sotek and Aela will resent it as well”.

  She loudly gulped under his scrutiny while a sick feeling tried to overwhelm her stomach.

  “So it’s punishment then?”

  Kodlak sighed then sat in the chair that survived the blast of electricity from earlier.

  “Not punishment and I sincerely hope that you don’t see it as that. Sotek has ermm... He uses magic far more outside the realms of Whiterun and I hope that he can teach you about the spell classes. What you did today was nearly disastrous but I can’t lay all the blame on you. You have an eagerness which surpasses your understanding and your skills. We need to curb that eagerness and up your understanding... Before you hurt anyone so no, it’s not punishment. Please, don’t see it as that. Aela, she will certainly make it feel like punishment though”.

  The girl nodded despite the fact that her stomach was doing somersaults. An idea occurred to her so she blurted it out without giving it an ounce of thought.

  “Why not send me out with just Sotek? Aela don’t use magic so she would serve no purpose”.

  Kodlak burst out laughing and slapped her on the shoulder in jest.

  “This is your problem. You don’t think. Aela will resent you being there. What do you think she would do if she knows you and Sotek are out on the plains and she is stuck in doors?”

  The Whelp gulped as the color drained from her cheeks. She saw the others approach them and she quickly replied.

  “She would flipping kill me”

  Kodlak nodded discretely then gathered up the four Whelps.

  “Try to use that brain a bit more hmm? Right you lot. Let’s get this furniture shifted”.

  All the Whelps groaned as one except the Imperial who muttered to herself well within the Harbingers range of hearing.

  “Join the Companions and see the world... Through the eyes of a slave... crap!! Sorry”.

  Kodlak tapped her hard on the head with the tip of his finger then gave her a stern warning.

  “Best not let Sotek hear you say that. He’s opposed to slaves and with good reason...”

  One of the other Whelps picked up on what he had said and questioned him about it.

  “Was he a slave?”

  Kodlak sighed in his reply.

  “That boy? A slave? Hell they would have skinned him alive by five. No he has never been a slave. But he has grown up in Vvardenfell. That’s a bad place for a young Argonian to grow up in. I’ll not talk about it anymore and none of you pry either. Any of you!! Now all this furniture, we’ve a long way to carry it so let’s get moving”.

  As they cleared out the cabin and the underground chamber, the Imperial Whelp found a vial of healing potion which she offered to Kodlak.

  “Harbinger, I found this and thought you could use it. You hurt your leg on the walkway in the tower...”

  He took the bottle and bite off the stopper with his teeth before smiling warmly at the Whelp.

  “Thank you. Yes it will help”. As he drank it, his face screwed up from the taste and he spitted out the last few drops which lingered in his mouth. Gahh, they taste ghastly... Give me Danica’s healing hands any day”.

  The Whelps chuckled as her face seemed to react to the Harbingers expressions as well.
  “I can’t stand them either. The Companions don’t seem to mind them though”.

  Kodlak shrugged his shoulders then picked up a large cooking pot and strew it over on his back.

  “Yes well. They have no taste and they drink Sotek’s. Wonder what his tastes like?”

  One of the other Whelps, the blond haired Nord, called out with his answer to the puzzle.

  “His tastes great. He mixes them with Juniper berries”

  Kodlak stared at the empty vial for a few seconds before tossing it back inside the now empty shack.

  “You’re kidding me? And she gave me this old crap?”

  The Nord just nodded and passed over a bottle of healing potion to the Harbinger.

  “Yep. Here, I’ve got one if you wish to try it”.

  Kodlak pulled out the stopper and could instantly smell the Juniper berries which Sotek had so painstakingly added to the mixture. One swig of the healing potion told him all he needed to know. A low growling threat rang in the Imperials ears.

  “Move!”

  It was well into the evening by the time they had managed to shift all the furniture to the opposite side of the river. Bjorlam was there along with his cart and the two Whelps who had happened to come across the barrel that had washed downstream earlier that day. It took a good half hour to load the cart and another hour and half to reach Whiterun’s stables. A few guards helped them to unload the furnishings and so it was just before midnight that the weary Harbinger and the six Whelps managed to sit at the table where Tilma served them a broth of vegetables and rabbit.

  Kodlak tore into a loaf of bread and dipped it in the food as Tilma eyed the furniture.

  “Oh my! Surely all of this wasn’t in the tower? Where did you get it all from?”

  Kodlak shrugged his shoulders and guzzled on a cold and much needed flask of mead.

  “From a cabin... in the woods”.