U.O.T.W. Chapter 291 A Game of Chess

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    Once everyone settled from gathering around the bar, Hulda called Sotek over to her. She eagerly held out her hand as she spoke.
    “One round of drinks wasn’t it? That’s 154 gold septims please”.

     

    Sotek gulped then pulled out a few coins.
    “Here’s six septims. I ermm… I suppose I’m washing up?”

     

    Hulda’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. She stared at the few gold coins and almost screamed.

     

    Kodlak started laughing as he watched the color drain from the innkeeper’s face. He walked over towards them and placed a pouchful of gold on the counter while Hulda angrily glared at Sotek with her arms folded in front of her.
    “Here you go Hulda. Sotek can settle with me later”.

     

    Sotek sighed a breath of relief but he couldn’t help but wonder upon what Kodlak meant when he said ‘settle’.

     

    Having spent half the evening nearly frothing at the mouth, Shadow Walker decided to take matters into his own hands. The upstart Sotek and his Harbinger had, in his eyes at least and he was sure in others as well, made a mockery of the Shadowscales. Something had to be done and he was the Argonian to do it. He got up from the table and walked over towards a fruit bowl and picked out a nice-looking apple. He then slowly made his way to Aela and Sotek who were sitting at the stone table. Apologetically, he placed the apple in front of Sotek then offered his hand.
    “It would seem I’ve misjudged you, I’m sorry”

     

    Sotek took his hand then shook it as he accepted the apology.
    “It’s understandable, thank you”.

     

    After a few hours, the Bard started singing as people started to relax. Sotek got up and placed the apple in his pocket. He pulled Aela to her feet then joined in with the dancing that was now going full swing, despite Aela’s protests. She wouldn’t dance, instead they both stood there in the middle of the inn holding on to each other. The most Sotek could get Aela to do was to slowly sway side to side. They slowly moved across the hall towards where Shadow Walker and Twilight were previously sitting. When they were well within arm’s reach of the table, Sotek pulled out the apple from his pocket and discreetly moved towards Shadow Walker’s plate. Moments later, Sotek placed an apple back in his pocket then he continued the dance with Aela.
    “What are you up to?” Aela asked.

     

    “Never you mind”. He gave her a kiss, just to shut her up then he led Aela back to their table and sat down to watch the final events play out. Sotek paced the apple he had in his pocket on the plate in front of him. Then he sat there for a few minutes watching Shadow Walker, who sat down again. When he looked at his plate, he noticed his apple had moved. He picked it up then glanced across to Sotek who sat there smiling at him.

     

    Sotek then got up then walked towards the centre of the floor. After asking several people to give them some space, he addressed Aela.
    “Aela could you change for me, there’s something I still need to do”.

     

    Aela eyed him up suspiciously but still transformed. Red slowly walked over to him, but he moved around her. A second later there was a howling roar as Sotek kicked Red in the backside.
    “That’s for nearly biting my bloody tail off”.

     

    At that moment Shadow Walker walked past them and switched the apple from his plate with Sotek’s. Meanwhile Aela changed back then slapped Sotek across the face.
    “You bastard, that bloody hurt”.

     

    “I did warn you about that, what about my bloody tail?”

     

    “Next time I will bite the bloody thing off, you halfwit”. as Aela scorned him, she started laughing. Within seconds she was in his arms, smiling broadly. They moved back to the table and sat down, then Aela picked up Sotek’s apple and took a bite from it.

     

    Sotek frowned jestingly at her.
    “Hey! That was mine”.

     

    “So sorry, here”. She held it to his mouth and laughed as he took a bite from it, but then Shadow Walker stood up. “Sotek, what would you say was the greatest weapon?”

     

    “That’s easy, an apple”. He, Aela and Twilight started laughing, but then Shadow Walker sent alarm bells ringing in the Collector’s head.

     

    “Not quite. It’s actually apples”.

     

    Sotek stared at the apple in Aela’s hand, he looked up to see the Collector’s horrified face looking straight back at him. The Collector ran over to Aela and snatched the half-eaten apple from her hand. She then scowled at Shadow Walker.
    “What the hell have you done?”

     

    “Sorry, Aela, Sotek. I just couldn’t resist it. The Collector’s right of course. I poisoned the apple. It’s the speckled green frog. Highly poisonous to Argonians and Nords alike. And, there’s no cure, no antidote. Agonising death in minutes. Oh, and only a tiny fraction is needed to kill. I’m so sorry”. With a massive, sickly gin, Shadow Walker sat back down and watched as the last few precious seconds of Aela’s and Sotek’s lives played out.

     

    Sotek got to his feet then stared across the hall at him.
    “You couldn’t walk away, could you? Damn you. Damn you to Oblivion”.

     

    Aela looked up at Sotek, her eyes were wide with fear.
    “Sotek...”

     

    As he looked down at Aela, Shadow Walker took a bite from his own apple and lifted it up to Sotek as if he was giving a toast.
    “The Greatest weapon”.

     

    Sotek cast a second glance at Aela then started laughing.
    “Of course, it’s not the ultimate weapon… Mistrust is. You see Shadow Walker, if the general and Huinzi trusted each other, then they would have known that they both wanted me to eliminate the Dark Brotherhood. If you had a little trust, you wouldn’t have done what you did. By that I mean… switch back the apples?”

     

    Shadow Walker grinned at him.
    “Ha… Waste the few seconds you have with words Sotek. You switched apples with me… Well I switched them back”.

     

    Sotek grinned then walked over to Kul-et’s plate then picked up an apple. He then made his way over to the Jarl’s seat.
    “What, like this?” He then nudged the Jarl’s apple but returned Kul-et’s apple to her plate. “Please Shadow Walker, please don’t tell me you switched apples? Because I certainly didn’t”

     

    “No, you did, you switched them, I switched them back”. A second later he felt an agonizing burning from his stomach. “You bastard”. He collapsed on the floor and started foaming at the mouth.

     

    The Collector ran up to him.
    “You bloody fool. Why didn’t you leave it alone? It was over”.

     

    “Nev...er”. He then started spasming uncontrollably. Huinzi ran to him pleading desperately. “Someone help him!”

     

    Sotek cast a quick glance at the Harbinger then cursed out loudly.
    “For the love of Hircine… That would have been us, fuck him”.

     

    “Sotek, this has to stop. You said that yourself”.

     

    “Yes, but... Damn it Kodlak. Huinzi, is there a cure?”

     

    He shook his head as he stared hopelessly at Shadow Walker.
    “No, there’s nothing”.

     

    “Aww damn you all. Kul-et, keep casting a healing spell on him. Aela, give him a healing potion, one a minute. I’ll be as fast as I can”. Sotek then ran out of the inn. He bolted across the street to Arcadia’s Cauldron to find the shop shut. There was a note saying she would be back in half an hour due to a rare colored butterfly which was spotted near the farms.

     

    Sotek tore off the note and scrunched it up in his hand then threw it on the ground. He angrily hissed then pulled out a lockpick.
    “Bloody woman. What a time to gather bugs. Hisss”. He tried to pick the lock but due to the pressure and Arcadia’s ‘upgraded lock’ from the last time Sotek ‘borrowed’ her ingredients, Sotek found himself unable to pick it. He knew he was running out of time, so he did the one thing he could. A second later there was an almighty crash as Scarface tore down the door to the Alchemist’s shop.

     

    Several minutes later, Sotek came back inside the inn and moaned to anyone who would listen.
    “Now I owe Arcadia a bloody door”. Shadow Walker was still alive but unconscious. Sotek tipped a small potion down his throat then a second one. Every twenty seconds he poured a potion into Shadow Walker’s mouth. After a minute or so, the Argonian’s breathing became less rapid. Sotek cast his healing spell several times until he couldn’t cast it any more. Shadow Walker groaned out as he rolled on his side and threw up.

     

    Sotek got up to his feet then shook his head.
    “It looks like the green frog isn’t a hundred percent after all. We should have let him die”.

     

    Huinzi sat back in his chair. Perspiration rolled off his forehead. He looked up at Sotek and nodded at him.
    “Thank you”.

     

    Shadow Walker rolled on his back. He looked straight at Aela. Even in his state, he hissed with contempt and loathing.
    “That should have been you, bitch. You’ll never be free of me, I’ll hunt your whore down, Sotek. She’ll never be safe”.

     

    Sotek cast a quick glance at Aela, then he looked down at the apple on the floor. When he looked back at Shadow Walker, all he could see was the mocking grin of Greymane. Aela had lived under his shadow for too long and now Shadow Walker cast a new threat over her.
    “Yes, Shadow Walker, she will be!”

     

    A second later he changed form. Scarface looked down at Shadow Walker then simply stamped down on his head. Instantly his skull shattered as it was crushed under forty stone of bone and muscle. Sotek changed back and looked at the bloody mess on the floor and sighed.
    “Here we go again. Ermm… Oops? Huinzi, Twilight, what do you want to do? If you want to fight, then let’s just do it. I cannot be fucking arsed to run around you two again”.

     

    “Fight?” Twilight asked as she closed her eyes from the gore.

     

    “Do we call it a dreadful misunderstanding? Or do we kill each other?”

     

    “He was a fool, he deserved what he got”. With that simple statement, Twilight washed down the nasty, choking taste in her mouth.

     

    Sotek looked across the hall at the body lying there.
    “Agreed. I think the party’s over”.



    The Jarl pulled Sotek’s arm then pointed to the corpse.
    “You’re banned from any open engagements. Every time you’re there, someone gets killed”.

     

    Sotek smiled at him. He didn’t know why he said it, but he was too far gone to care.
    “Thanks for reminding me Jarl. Tomorrow, we’re having a dinner in your honour. You are going to attend, aren’t you?”

     

    The Jarl made Aela smile as his face was completely horrified at the thought.
    “No Sotek, I most certainly am not”.

     

    Seconds later there was an ear-piercing scream from outside. Sotek gulped then glanced at the inn door.
    “Oh hell… Arcadia…”

     

     

Comments

6 Comments   |   Meli and 6 others like this.
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  July 10, 2018
    And... I am caught up. Woah. That didn't take me long at all. Alright, back to Caladran's story. 
  • Karver the Lorc
    Karver the Lorc   ·  July 9, 2018
    "Poor Arcadia, poor Shadow-Walker"... pfffft. Poor door, man! Poor door! Am I the only one who cares about the door here? They deserve a better treatment ya know, they should be free of the opression of their cruel masters. Namely werewolves. Why can´t th...  more
    • Ebonslayer
      Ebonslayer
      Karver the Lorc
      Karver the Lorc
      Karver the Lorc
      "Poor Arcadia, poor Shadow-Walker"... pfffft. Poor door, man! Poor door! Am I the only one who cares about the door here? They deserve a better treatment ya know, they should be free of the opression of their cruel masters. Namely werewolves. Why can´t th...  more
        ·  July 9, 2018
      #doorlivesmatter
  • A-Pocky-Hah!
    A-Pocky-Hah!   ·  July 9, 2018
    Well that was a waste of potions... :/
    By the way, I'm surprised Shadow Walker didn't die of potion overdose. 
  • Ebonslayer
    Ebonslayer   ·  July 9, 2018
    Poor Arcadia. Her door was torn apart by a werewolf and her potions stolen, and she'll find out it was to save an assassin that was only minutes later curbstomped by the person who tried to heal him.
    • Sotek
      Sotek
      Ebonslayer
      Ebonslayer
      Ebonslayer
      Poor Arcadia. Her door was torn apart by a werewolf and her potions stolen, and she'll find out it was to save an assassin that was only minutes later curbstomped by the person who tried to heal him.
        ·  July 9, 2018
      Had a big chat wih Aela about this chapter. She preffered death by stomp. Bit gory but effective.