Chapter Three
~ ~ ~ Titan of the Ashlands ~ ~ ~
I could only stare up at the dragon above me, mine and it’s mouth agape. It’s chest incurvated inward as it sucked in a breath before a sound louder than a thunbderclap rang through the air, knocking most of us down to the earth. I was stunned for only a few moments, but even through my haze I could see that we were in trouble.
Helgen was at war. Fire and flying rocks rained down from the heavens, smashing into buildings and setting them alight. The sky itself was crimson, like blood; clouds swirling and the dragon circling he city, roaring and screeching it’s terrible cry. Flames poured from it’s mouth as it razed the town. The Imperials were mobilizing quickly, the General screaming orders at his soldiers.
And here I was, like an idiot, watching them!
My feet acted of their own accord and I scrambled up and bolted, following the Stormcloaks I saw earlier. They were heading towards a nearby tower, the one I heard be called Ralof leading them there. Fate was against me, as I slammed into the door to the tower, only to find it has been locked shut. Filthy s’wits! I threw my shoulder against it and it buckled, but I was pushed back. Panic was filling my mind, I was out in the open and my hands bound.
"In here, hurry!"
A woman’s voice was calling amongst the sound of chaos. My head swivelled and I saw her, a young blonde Nord directing men, women and children into the building beside the tower. Our eyes met and her hands beckoned towards me, inviting me further. I must have hit my head pretty damn hard for I never would have done this otherwise… I ascended the worn steps of the tavern before me and I was pushed inside before hearing the click of a lock.
The tavern was the same as many others I have seen during my travels. Fur pelts adorned the walls and elk antlers hung from the mantle as proud trophies from Nordic hunts. I walked in slowly and I felt every face in the room turn to me. No Imperial soldiers were here now, just ordinary men and women suiting up into armor and drawing weapons as they prepared to join the defence. Some of them were staring at me, like I was a filthy maggot who just crawled from the eye socket of a rotting netch corpse. Some were even whispering and if my hands were not bound, at least one of them would have gained a punch in their ugly fucking faces.
I could hear the dragon roaring outside but I was busy moving away from the sound. The door flew open and some of the citizens raced out, bellowing barbaric war cries with their swords and axes raised to the skies. Those that remained behind were huddling under tables or in the corners, muttering to themselves, mostly young women, children and the elderly. Only one warrior remained, a beefy man with a mop of dark hair, and I was getting glared at by him.
“I know you!” he suddenly shouted, and with only a few short steps, he was in front of me, fuming. I felt his giant-ass meat-hooks for hands grab me by the shoulders mere moments before he slammed me into the closest hard surface.
A small ‘oof!’ escaped my lips as the Nord lifted me by my shirt, tearing it a little. I snarled and I swung my leg into his side, only for pain to shoot through it as I hit his armor. “Let go of me!”
“Yer one of them prisoners!” he boomed. “A bandit! You’re part of the Iron-Hunt Clan who took over Embershard mine!”
"Better that than a filthy barbarian like you, Nord!" A growl-like grunt broke through my lips and I spat straight into his eyes. “And I didn’t do shit!” I added on.
He swore loudly in disgust and I was tossed to the ground, skidding along and rolling onto my side. I had barely looked back up at the angry Nord before a loud noise rocked the air around us.
CRASH!
I could barely hear the screams of terror ringing around me and then there was nasty squelching noise. I kept my head down, fearing the worst and then, all of a sudden, the noise stopped… All that I could hear was the muffled roars of the dragon outside.
Opening my eyes, I saw that the inn was now gutted by fire and meteorites. Most of the inhabitants were dead and those who were not were long-gone. My tormenter now laid dead upon the cold floor, a beam from the ceiling above laying square across his now shattered back.
Stupid idiot deserved it. However, now I was alone and caught in the middle of a battle I didn’t want to be in! I got to my feet, shaking and looked around, tugging at my bindings on my wrists. Thankfully, a dagger was on a shelf nearby and I managed to use it to free my hands, with minimum injuries. I took the blade too, keeping it close.
I didn’t like small blades. Too small, too easy to miss. If I wanted to kill someone, the bigger the better I say. And blades were too clean too, what I really needed was a big, long and thick…
“Warhammer!” I almost shouted as I spied one over in the corner, leaning against one of the only still standing walls. It was of Nordic craft, as expected, constructed of pure steel with leather wrappings around the handle. Lifting it into my hands, the familiar weight returned and I did a few practice swings around me. Yes, this will do nicely.
Despite my confidence with the weapon, I fear my situation is growing more grim. While the heat around me did not bother me, the raging of the gutted inn was a very big problem. I was no longer sheltered and I needed to move before the whole place collapsed!
A clattering on the wood above my head tells me that people are upstairs on the second floor. From a hole nearby, a Stormcloak soldier leaps down to the ground, her red-hair flying in the wind. She barely glances back and pushes through some loose boards to the outside world. I hear someone yell for her and by the time I have followed, all I can see is a man and a boy cowering by the ruin.
“Gods guide you, Hadvar!” called the older of the two, a balding Nord in simple furs, to a fleeing Imperial soldier who was… Escorting the Stormcloak? Shit, they have their priorities sorted… I couldn’t help but think and snigger internally.
The old Nord looked to me and I could see surprise was etched upon his weathered face. His eyes flick to my hammer and then back to my face. The boy looks equally as startled, but also curious as well. “Well, c’mon then…” he finally said to me. “Let’s get going!” And with a beckon of his hand, he led me and the boy through an alleyway, the wood of the buildings burnt and scorched, the stone crumbling and broken.
Helgen was losing its fight. The dragon screeched and roared, setting alight the city and pillaging it of inhabitants. Imperial archers and mages fired their arrows and magic at it, but it had no effect. Screams were echoing, children were crying and worst of all, it looked as if we were going to be dragon shit.
The black beast was over us in an instant and there was nothing me of the Nord could do. The fiend swooped down like an oversized bat and between its talons, the man was snatched up like a rabbit on the plains. The dragon did not feast on him, oh no. I could only watch as the dragon soared high above the clouds and let the man drop from it’s grip where he fell to a grisly death.
The boy looked to me desperately and for a brief moment, I almost felt a pang of pity for the pale-skin. “Wh-wh-what do we do now?” he stammered, frightened out of his wits. “Hadvar said he would keep me safe!”
I didn’t know what to say and simply pushed him on, heading to cut through yet another building. A dead Imperial was in here, a nasty wound on his throat and beside him, a Stormcloak with a sword through his chest. Even amongst dragons, the two factions still found a way to squabble.
Kneeling down, I reached for the Imperial and pulled his leather mail away from the corpse while the young kid whimpered and carried on like a lost puppy in the corner. While I was still an apprentice smith, I knew that most armor could fit to my size fairly well with minimal adjustments needed. The gauntlets were tight but could be loosened. Boots were a size too small and squished my toes, however it was bearable. The cuirass and that stupid skirt were too big, meaning I had to use some of the leather from my hammer to form a tight sash around my waist. Finally, I deduced that Imperial helmets were NOT made for elf heads.
I smirked as I made my way out of the room, happy with my impromptu disguise. While not perfect, this would protect me briefly if I ran into trouble on the way out of this cesspool. I didn’t notice the kid behind me until he grabbed my wrist.
“There’s an exit here, a hole in the wall!” he shouted, but I shrugged his hand away.
“Alright, let’s go!” I grumbled and ran, ran as I heard an almighty BOOM behind me. I turned slightly and my mouth dropped.
The dragon… He had landed behind me!
I didn’t know how big he was. Bigger than a netch or a silt-strider and wider than three long-boats end-to-end. His scaled were pitch-black and his eyes were crimson like blood. Spikes and spines ran down his body, longer than an average sword. My eyes traced every detail, marvelling at the beauty of such a creature and so terrified I swear my drawers were going to be soiled.
“Meyye! Tahrodiis aanne! Him hinde pah liiv!” it boomed, it’s wide maw opening wide. “Zu’u hin daan!”
RUN! My mind screamed and I obeyed, turning away and bolting away from the beast as it took to the air. I kept low, praying he wouldn’t dive down to snatch me up too, nor breathe fire upon my back.
Pushing forward, I dived through the new exit of the city and was suddenly surprised by a steep hill beneath my feet. I skidded down and fell onto my face, before I rolled to the bottom in an exhausted heap. The boy was still there, bloodied from scraped knees and his clothes dirty. He wandered towards me. “Can you take me to Riften?” he asked. “My grandfather lives near there!”
My ears twitched and I turned to look down at the Nord. And then, I laughed. “Forget it, kid! You’re on your own!” I pushed him out of my way as I rose from the ground. “You’re a burden to me and it’s time you learnt not to be a bitch.”
I strode away, my shoulders shaking and then I ran, ran in a random direction with no indication where I was going. And then, I realised something now…
I was a wanted criminal. Skyrim was at war. And worst still, a dragon was loose!
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Comments
Great job developing you characters; the unknown, Sabina, and Titan all come across as full and unique people.