U.O.T.W. Chapter 299 To Show Your Worth

• Posted by Sotek July 27, 2018 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - #Sotek  #U.O.T.W.  - 1,269 views

  

  

   

  As Aela, Sasha and Sotek left Riverwood to head to Cyrodiil, Kul-et stood out on the street and waved them off. She stood there for several minutes as they gradually headed off out of sight. Veezara however, was the other side of the street talking to a guard.

   

  After they disappeared, Kul-et sighed heavily.
  “Oh…” Veezara turned to face her, he guessed straight away that part of her wished she was going with the others.

   

  “Hmm? What’s up?” She felt the warm loving arms of Veezara wrap around her as he held her. “They’ll be ok”.

   

  “Yes. But they’re going to Cyrodiil! Oh, what adventures they’ll have”.

   

  Veezara couldn’t help but laugh at her.
  “What? You’ve got the bug bad, haven’t you? Hmm? He’s waylaid my wife and made her an adventurer”.

   

  Kul-et gave him a playful shove as she defended Sotek and Aela as best she could.
  “What? No, they haven’t. The only places I’ve been is the Seven Thousand Steps, out on the plains. Ermm, helped kill two dragons, been in caves and living in the wild”.

   

  Veezara chuckled then headed back inside the shop.
  “That all hmm? You barely stepped outside Whiterun. Come with me, I want to show you something”.

   

  “What?” As she turned to face him, he beckoned her to follow then walked inside. Kul-et shuffled about for a few seconds until her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself following him through the doorway.

   

  Once she entered the shop, Veezara gave her the guided tour.
  “We’ll start with the bedroom and work down from there”.

   

  Kul-et scoffed at him, tapping her foot.
  “Really? I don’t think so. That’s not the sort of adventure I had in mind”.

   

  His mouth dropped open at her obvious attitude then he snapped his fingers at her.
  “Shift it”.

   

  Kul-et walked off in front grumbling as she did so, but she had a big grin on her face at the same time. The moment she stepped into the bedroom, she was pleasantly surprised. The whole room was newly furnished from bed sheets to a small dresser on the far wall overlooking the street. Veezara held her hand then took her back down stairs.
  “Kodlak… Sorry, the Harbinger had it kitted out. This room, the living room, and the kitchen. Come and see”.

   

  True enough the kitchen had all the utensils Kul-et could ever need, with an excess of baking tins in two large cupboards.
  “It would seem he knows about you and your baking, no doubt the Companions will be wanting a fresh supply of cakes every week”. On the far wall there was a small table with two wooden chairs. After examining the kitchen, she followed him to the living room where the fireplace was crackling as freshly cut wood burned which threw out a wave of warmth. In front of the fireplace was a thick fur, but behind that a bench for them both to sit on as well as other chairs and a second table, this one however was a bit bigger than the first.

   

  Veezara sat on the rug and gently pulled Kul-et’s hand down to him. They both sat there by the fire watching the flames.
  “So, what do you think?”

   

  “It’s great, it really is. There’s something you should know, I don’t want...”

   

  Veezara found himself laughing.
  “Hmm? Harbinger said you wouldn’t leave Jorrvaskr, but then I’m not asking you to. All I ask is that you stay here every so often. Come with me, there’s one more thing to show you”.

   

  Kul-et looked a bit confused as they had already made the arrangements, so she didn’t quite see what he was getting at.
  “You know I’ll stay here, I’m here for a few days now aren’t I?” She got up then followed him to the front of the shop. Once they entered the shop though, it was a slightly different situation she found herself to be in. The counter was tidied up and there were various bookcases and wardrobes nicely set up. With more than adequate shelving for a general goods store. There were even some sacks and barrels placed about to hold various wares.

   

  As Kul-et looked around she did notice one main thing that was missing.

  “Ermm, where’s your wares? You’ve nothing to sell!”

   

  “No what? Oh, yes, wares. Farkas is going to get some stock for around a week’s time. That’s when we open, but what I thought we could do was sort of head off somewhere and...”

   

  Kul-et’s eyes lit up as she grabbed him and span him around excitedly.

  “Get some ourselves. But where can we go?”

   

  Veezara broke away from her grip, but then held her in his arms.
  “What? Oh. Well, a guard informed me earlier, when you were busy waving off the others about a small bandit camp not far from the Guardian Stones. Their camped out by the western road up the hillside from there”.

   

  Within the next twenty minutes, they had both checked their packs then headed off towards the Guardian Stones. Veezara suddenly realized just how happy Kul-et actually was since she came to Skyrim. As Kul-et was walking along she was slowly leaving Veezara behind.
  “Hey, hold up”.

   

  “What? What are you doing back there?” She asked with a chuckle.

   

  “Hmm? Me? It’s you! Your off on one of those blinking adventures, aren’t you? Hmm?”

   

  Kul-et laughed then gave him a smile.
  “Yea, but I’m supposed to be going on one with you. Come on, run”.

   

  Soon they heard water splashing as it ran over large rocks. Kul-et walked to the river bank then pointed out the salmon that were trying to leap up the small rapids.
  “Hey, look. That’s where Scarface and Red went fishing. They were actually catching fish in their mouths. Or rather Scarface was, Red kept missing”.

   

  Veezara shook his head at her.
  “Oh yea, sure they did”.

   

  “They did, honest. And he swiped some fish out the river for us all, the Harbinger was there and the others all saw it. Except Farkas, he got hit by a fish”. Suddenly Kul-et started laughing as the image played through her mind.

   

  Veezara looked back at the rapids then chuckled slightly.
  “Hmm. They’re not exactly like the Dark Brotherhood are they, do they always mess about?”

   

  “Mainly in Jorrvaskr, or when we’re all camping out. You’ve got to come with us all. The next trip out. Say you’ll come along”.

   

  “Ermm... They might not want me to”.

   

  Kul-et gave him a playful shove then headed further along the path.
  “Oh, don’t be daft, they won’t mind, you’ll see”.

   

  From out of nowhere, there were two menacing growls from the hillside. Veezara called out to Kul-et.
  “What? Get behind me”. The next second a wolf jumped at him from the rocky hillside.

   

  But before it could make any sort of contact, Kul-et cast a fire spell at it. The ball of fire struck the wolf and sent it tumbling down the hillside until it came to a rest on the path. The second wolf ran at Kul-et, but she swiped at its head with her axe, knocking it to the ground. A few seconds later a second fireball launched out of her hands and burst on impact against the remaining wolf, thereby killing it just as easily as she had killed the first one. She replaced her axe in its sheath then looked at Veezara.
  “Sorry, what did you want me to do?”

   

  Veezara had to look twice at the two dead wolves. He was a trained Shadowscale, but he never even got the chance to draw his weapon. “Ermm I said get in front of me”.

   

  Kul-et grinned broadly.
  “That’s what I thought you said”.

   

  Veezara chuckled as he walked past her.
  “I’ll lead for a while, it’ll help me to feel I’m still useful. Hmm?”

   

  “Oh, don’t worry, you still are. After all someone’s got to skin them, off you go”. As she watched Veezara skin the wolves and cut off various pieces of meat from the corpses, she thought back on her and the companions. “I’m sorry, I keep on about them don’t I. Sorry, come on”.

   

  She walked alongside him then held his arm as they made their way along the path. Soon enough the Guardian Stones came into view. Kul-et stopped and admired the lake below them.
  “See down there, that’s where we all camped. Me and Sotek took Aela to the middle of the lake. Oh, what Sotek did was nasty”. Instantly Kul-et started laughing. “You know her headband? It’s got water breathing on it. He made me help him drag her down to the bottom of the lake. She panicked initially then slapped him once she realised she could breathe”.

   

  Veezara looked across the lake then back at Kul-et, only then did she realise what she had done.
  “Oh crap, I did it again. Veezara, I’m sorry”.

   

  He walked up to her and held her hands in his.
  “Don’t b, hmm? It’s been years since I heard you talk about your family like that, they’re your family. Next time you all go off, I’ll come along as well, I promise. If memories like that make you laugh, then I want to be there and make them with you”.

   

  Hand in hand they followed the trail around the Guardian Stones then they headed further up the Hillside. Further along the path, Kul-et found herself facing a junction. One path headed off towards the west, and it just started sloping downwards. While the other route continued southwards but also trailed higher up the hillside. Kul-et looked along both tracks then turned to Veezara.
  “Ok, which way?”

   

  Veezara lent back on a large boulder and shrugged his shoulders as he answered.
  “You tell me”.

   

  Kul-et dropped her shoulders then mumbled until she saw he was jesting with her.
  “Oh, you git. Ermm we’ll go west?”

   

  “Yes, but tell me why?”

   

  Kul-et gave him a big grin as she answered.
  “Because I’m sick of hillsides”.

   

  He laughed then led her westwards.
  “Hillsides? Hahaha… Fair enough, but we got to go quietly. They’re around here somewhere”.

   

  Soon enough they saw the bandit camp. It lay hidden behind large boulders, rocks and trees which provided cover from the pathway. One bandit was busy chopping wood while the other two were cleaning their weapons. Veezara took charge and gave his orders.
  “Right, we’ll shoot the two with the weapons then we’ll shoot the third one. You take out the one with the hammer”.

   

  Kul-et never argued, she was happy to take his lead. They both quietly drew their bows and took aim. As he counted down he whispered to her. “Three, two, one, fire…”

   

  Both arrows flew true and slammed into their perspective targets, sending the bandits toppling backwards as they simultaneously collapsed on the ground. The third bandit gasped in shock. A second ago he was happy and secure, knowing his friends were there with him and in the blink of an eye he was alone, helpless and in extreme and immediate danger. In a panic, he dropped the axe as he tried to flee the scene. He had hardly managed to take three steps when two arrows struck him in the back. The force of the double impact sent him flying forwards into a boulder which he was hoping to use for cover.

   

  Feeling pleased with herself, Kul-et slapped Veezara on the back as she started heading into the camp.
  “Come on, lets loot them”. The next minute she literally screamed out as she spotted a small wooden chest. “Dibs, it’s mine!”

   

  He jumped a bit when she yelled, then sat on one of the bandit’s chairs as he watched her pick the lock.
  “You Companions really take this looting business seriously, don’t you? Hmm?”

   

  She stopped picking the chest as she looked over to him.
  “No, we ermm… Get away, it’s mine all mine…” As she spoke, she threw her arms around the chest, preventing anyone from going near it. She started laughing as she turned her attention back to the lid of the box while Veezara gathered up a few choice pieces of weapons and armour.

   

  Inside the chest was an old iron helmet. When she lifted it up though, something caught her eye. In the corner of the chest was a round, silver, polygon sphere, about the size of a small melon.
  “Hey, look at this”.

   

  Veezara looked over to her then started making his way to the chest. When Kul-et reached in and picked it up, Veezara started slowing down, not dawdling but literally slowing down like time was coming to a stop. The next second he was paralyzed. Kul-et span around, above her a single hawk was flying past but that too became frozen as it hovered in the air, motionless.

   

  From out of nowhere, a loud female voice boomed out from all around her.
  “Another hand touches my beacon. Return it to me, bring it to my temple which has been defiled. Kill the intruders who raise those that rest so they may sleep in peace once more. Return my beacon and my guiding light will show the way. Slay them and I will make you my champion”.

   

  Kul-et panicked. She shrieked and threw the beacon back in the chest and slammed the lid.
  “Fuck, oh fuck. Come on, were out of here, now!” She got to her feet then started heading out of the camp, practically running as she headed off towards Riverwood.

   

  It took her a good few moments to realize that she was actually alone. She looked back at the camp and almost screamed. Veezara was still motionless, exactly as he was when she first picked up the orb.
  “Oh fuck! Veezara, please? Don’t mess me about, come on… Fuck!”

   

  She walked slowly back into the camp and stared at the chest cursing out at it as she examined Veezara. He just stood there like he was a living statue staring blankly into space.
  “Oh crap, come on wake up. Move, please, damn it Veezara”. She started trying to pull him by the arm, but she couldn’t move it one single inch. Kul-et dropped to her knees as she fought back the tears, then she found herself once more, staring at the chest. She pulled herself up to her feet then cautiously approached the chest once more. She slowly lifted the lid up then stared at the orb for several seconds. After glancing at Veezara she gulped then reached down and picked up the orb for a second time.

   

  “What you got there? Hmm?”

   

  “Ahhhggg… You stupid, bloody bastard!” She ran to Veezara and threw her arms around him. “You stupid, bloody bastard, you scared me”. The next second she burst into tears.

   

  He held her in his arms, tightly trying to figure out what had happened. But for him time never stopped, it never even slowed down.
  “What’s the matter?”

   

  She pulled herself together slightly, then cast a false smile at him. “
  You just made me jump that’s all. Come on, let’s get going”.

   

  She started heading back along the path to Riverwood, but Veezara looked across to the chest which was now laying on its side due to her knocking it over when she jumped.
  “Hey you, there’s a gem there. Look”.

   

  Kul-et shouted out at him as fear gripped her heart once more.
  “No, leave it!”

   

  “But it’s only a garnet, look”. He picked it up then showed Kul-et. As he showed it to her, he realized she was a bit pale.
  “Come on, let’s get back. You’ll feel better after a good hot meal inside you”.

   

  They made their way back to Riverwood, but all the way there Veezara kept a close watch on her. Kul-et tried to show that she was ok, but inside she was shaking.

   

  Later, that same evening, Kul-et was sitting on the rug by the fireside with a strong drink. Veezara sat just behind her and held her in his arms. She moved his legs apart slightly then sat between them as she laid into his chest. Over the next ten minutes, due to the events of earlier and the alcohol, she started falling asleep. After a few more minutes had past, he picked her up in his arms and took her to bed. He stayed awake for a few hours watching over her, but she just slept all through the night.

   

  While she was sleeping, Kul-et dreamt, but all her dream consisted of was a vision of the shrine. All Kul-et could see was the entrance which was sealed shut. She would place the beacon on its pedestal then a beam of light would break a seal and the door to the shrine would open. Then the whole sequence would start again in a continuous cycle.

   

  The next morning, Kul-et awoke with a start. Despite sleeping the whole night, she felt tired and drained. She wearily made her way downstairs to find Veezara in the kitchen cooking.
  “Sorry, I can’t eat”.

   

  “How are you feeling?”

   

  “Awful, it’s not the night I was expecting. I just kept dreaming of… Can we go back?” She asked pleadingly.

   

  Veezara, who suddenly found himself feeling confused, looked over to her.
  “Err, what? You want to go back to the camp?”

   

  “What? No! Jorrvaskr, I need to see Sotek. Don’t ask me why, please. I just need to speak with him”. As she talked, she never looked at him once. Her eyes were fixed on the door.

   

  He could see she was practically begging with him, so he nodded back to her.
  “Oh… Sotek… Yes, but only after you eat”.

   

  Kul-et held her sides as she felt her stomach tighten.
  “I’ll eat there, honest”.

   

  He found himself sighing then he agreed.
  “Oh… Ok. Let’s get going”. Within ten minutes of Kul-et waking up, they were heading out of Riverwood and making their way to Whiterun.

   

  Author's Note :-

  1.

  Having a bit of a play with Veezara's speech. In game he seems to be full of "Oh, ermm... Ermm. Hmm?" Ect so I'm giving that a go to make his speech stand out from other's and to give him a bit of character. If anyone has any other sounds, noises or words he can use as a 'pause' when he speaks then feel free to comment and suggest.

  2.

  The ending of this chapter feels rather weak and bland. Mind is on a full blown sprint with other chapters so if anyone has a few ideas of tweaks then feel free to suggest them.