ã€ŠIce-Born: A Skyrim Fanficã€‹


 The Cave

    Corpsicles

    That was the word that had been eluding me for days of half dreamt visions. It felt like days at least. The biting frost stirred my mind. No, it could only have been an hour, maybe two. I¡¯d have died again if it was longer. Faint blue, flickering orange, soft white, biting cold, corpse stench, distant, radiant warmth.

    Fire

    A smoky scent crept along the icy floor. There was a wood fire, and warmth I desperately needed to avoid joining the fate of the man across from me. He was young, younger than I was, had been? His clothes were stiff, resisting the breeze that cut into my cheek with every gust of cold air. His jacket looked like it had been quite warm, before something had put three deep gouges through it, and the chainmail beneath. Whatever had killed him, it hadn¡¯t bothered stripping him of his equipment. There was a mace holstered in his belt ring, flanged to concentrate lethal force on a narrow, blunt point. He¡¯d been caught by surprise, whatever it was that killed him had been quick.

    The soldier¡¯s throat was torn too, it looked like a starving dog had gone after it. That didn¡¯t explain the torn mail, no dog could bite through steel wire, riveted how the armor was. There was a crackle of the fire, something scraped across the ice, it sounded almost like skates. A faint shadow passed over me, my head was pointed far enough to the side that I couldn¡¯t see what had cast it, but I could see the outlined shadow.

    Man. Dead Man.

    I waited for the shadow to cross back to the other side of the fire, ears straining to follow the scrapes of studded boots. It sounded like they were beginning to echo deeper into the ice cave. I stirred, willing my frostbitten limbs to action. It was slow and sluggish at first, but I¡¯d had far, far too little experience in this new world to become a corpsicle. A blizzard had rolled in hours after I woke up on an icy plain, visibility had gone to shit, and I¡¯d collapsed in the cold. Flickers of being dragged face down in the snow drifted around in my head, the welt on my crown spoke to the Bonk!of a club I¡¯d felt.

    Whatever it was had saved my life, but the corpse across from me proved that wasn¡¯t out of altruism, as did my distance from the fire. I found my feet, my fur lined boots crinkled as the ice connecting them to the floor broke. It was a quiet noise, and one indistinguishable from the occasional pops and cracks of the fire. They didn¡¯t make a sound on the smooth ice floor, much to my benefit. The dead soldier was wearing gloves, frozen stiff, but gloves all the same. I took them off the man, flexed my hands a few times to loosen them up, and took up his mace. It had been well taken care of. The metal was polished, the leather handle had been stained with oil to keep it from cracking. Undoubtedly, the only thing cracking about it would be the target.

    With gloves and a weapon, my attention was turned farther into the cave, when a brief glint of firelight caught my eye. The soldier had a necklace, a bronze pendant of what looked to be a hammer. It was oddly familiar, a religious symbol for sure. I couldn¡¯t name it, but I knew it represented the greatest champion of humans, a conquering hero ascended to godhood. I gently took it from the corpse, and put it around my neck.

    I¡¯ll get your vengeance for you soldier. No friend of man stores corpses in an ice cave.

    With a weapon in hand, long practiced skills took hold. Prey became predator as I made my way carefully towards the fire, taking the right wall to avoid casting a shadow. I paused at the turn that led deeper into the cave, listening for the tell tale scrapes. I couldn¡¯t hear any foot steps, but there was something else. Whispered breaths, scribblings like a pencil being put to furious use, a long, exasperated sigh.

    ¡°Just as I have the materials, I run out of ink! Months in this forsaken wasteland, for what?¡± There was a haunting moan, and the jingle of what sounded like coins in a cup, or something like it. Possibly chainmail?

    ¡°Oh shut up you! You¡¯ve not got even half a brain left, what would you know about necromancy? You¡¯re only here to lift the materials.¡± That put me to a pause. It explained the corpse, it also meant there were at least two targets, possibly more. I tucked in deeper to the alcove I¡¯d found my self in, thinking of how to separate the pair. There was a second, deeper alcove on the other side of the fire. Several crates were piled up there, it looked like there was space enough to stand behind them. The fire was lit in a small stove, balanced precariously on a few cut logs. They were probably meant to prevent it from melting the stove legs into the ice. It wouldn¡¯t be so odd for the stove to topple over, especially if a mindless undead had put it there.

    My plan was moving as the thought closed, I stepped back towards the soldier¡¯s corpse before crossing to the left side of the tunnel, and slid low across the ice to avoid being seen. Thankfully the tunnel descended steeply enough that there was no chance to be seen from the deeper end. I rolled to my rear once I was even with the boxes, and kicked the stove leg nearest to me. It spun off the log, a bit of the wood splintered, perfect for looking like an innocuous accident. The stove clattered to the ground, coals and burning wood spilled out onto the ice. A large column of steam began to rise around the hot metal.

    ¡°What was that? Bonehead, that stove better not have fallen again! I¡¯ll turn you into a necklace if it has. Go check it out!¡± The necromancer¡¯s voice sounded harried, an affirmative sounding moan answered. Shambling steps were soon coming up the tunnel, scrapes abounded. The ice of the tunnel wasn¡¯t perfect, but I could see enough in the reflection to make out a head, shoulders, torso, then legs. The thing¡¯s eyes were glowing a ghastly blue. It couldn¡¯t see me in the sudden darkness, or maybe it was just too stupid to make out the reflection. There were only dim flickers coming from the fire now, just enough to see the outline of the thing as it came around the stove, towards the side that had slipped off the logs, and turned to lift it.

    I stepped out in one fluid motion, arm raised high, and brought the mace down on the back of the corpse¡¯s head. Skull gave way to steel, there was a loud crack of bone and then the thump of the corpse on the ice.

    ¡°Bonehead if you broke the damn stove¡­¡± I heard the muttering coming closer, and moved back to my first hiding place, tight into the corner. Scraping steps came, angry breaths, and then another faint shadow from a fire deeper down the tunnel.

    ¡°Bonehead! Get up! Did you break¡­¡± the words trailed off just as the source reached striking range. I didn¡¯t have space for a wide sweep, instead I opted for an elbow. The necromancer was wearing dark robes, accented with frosty lines in the folds. I¡¯d been in the very corner of his vision when I burst out of hiding. He caught the glimpse of movement, but he was far too slow stepping away. If he¡¯d stepped back, I would have overshot and he could have slipped back down the tunnel, it was a slide of ice. Instead, he tried to step directly away, backing himself into the cave wall. It only let me build up another stride of momentum before I smashed my elbow into his jaw. There were two loud cracks, one from my elbow hitting him, the other from his skull hitting the ice. The necromancer lost his footing, sliding down to the floor.

    ¡°Ow! Whad da£­¡± were the only words he managed before my foot kicked his head into the ice again. I leaned down and grabbed him by the ankle, pulling him away from the wall for a good swing. Steel reflected in the ice, terror crossed the necromancer¡¯s face as he finally realized what was happening. His hand shot up as my mace streaked downwards. Inches before impact, a blue shield leapt into existence. It shattered as my mace blew through, but I lost quite a bit of momentum. One of the flanges struck him squarely in the jaw again, aggravating the angry bruise that was already swelling. He went limp with the strike, out cold.

    ¡°Still got it.¡± I smiled to my self. He¡¯d be out for at least fifteen minutes, maybe longer. The necromancer wasn¡¯t very heavy, I kicked him down the slide that led deeper into the cave, and started to follow after him when something dinged into my vision.

    [Alert: Quest Completed]

    [Quest: Revenant]

    [Description: You¡¯ve defied death¡¯s embrace. Gather your bearings and determinethe fate of your assailant.]

    [Reward: Basic Warrior¡¯s Kit]

    ¡°What the hell?¡± I swatted at the text box, then a leather ruck appeared in front of me, clunked down to the ice, and slid down the tunnel. The boxes faded away, only to be replaced by several more.

    [Alert: Numerous skills advanced.]

    [One Handed: 20 -> 22, Sneak: 20 -> 21]

    Vague recollections filled my head. It didn¡¯t matter. So long as I didn¡¯t get stomped into the ground my questions could wait. There were more pressing things to figure out, like what was inside that ruck, and if there was any way to tie up the necromancer before he woke up. I followed along down the tunnel, enjoying the slide like a giddy kid for a brief moment.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The necromancer and the ruck had come to a stop in a wider chamber than the one I¡¯d woken up in. There was a desk, a book case, and several more crates piled around, as well as a bloody altar. How the necromancer had gotten all this crap into the cave was a question for later. My eyes turned to the ruck first, and a weapon I hadn¡¯t realized was attached to the outside. It was a simple, two handed axe. The head was a bit oversized, but the weight wasn¡¯t terrible. I leaned it against the tome covered desk, and opened the ruck. Things had gotten a bit jumbled around, but the thing that stood out immediately was the pile of armor. There was a set of iron plates, chest and back, sewn onto a fur-lined leather vest. It looked sturdy, and more importantly, quite warm. There was set of plates for the forearms, and boots that protected the feet up to the shins. They looked a lot like the boots I was wearing, just with plates affixed to them. I set them aside, preferring to look through what else had been inside. There was an interior pocket that held several small vials. Two were red, two were green, and one was a strange purple color. I found my self wondering what it was, when another one of the damned windows popped up.

    [Item: Lingering Blood Poison]

    [Description: A poison that can be applied to a weapon. Wounds tainted by this poison will bleed profusely. Remains effective if dried on the blade of a weapon.]

    Sounded like copperhead venom. I didn¡¯t know exactly where in my mind that had come from, but it was familiar. It seemed like something more suited to a rogue, but I wasn¡¯t complaining. If things could bleed, they could be killed. The red vials were minor health potions, the greens were for stamina. The rest was fairly simple. There was a small camp kit with a tent, a bed roll, mess tin and simple utensils, a wood axe, a knife, and most importantly, a length of rope. I took the rope immediately, setting the loop around my shoulder. The Necromancer was in my hands next.

    I set him down in a wooden chair, and tied him to it. I couldn¡¯t risk cutting the rope for individual bindings, so instead I just kept him nice and and tight with the whole length of it. I had him wrapped up like a fly in a spider web by the time he came around. I¡¯d taken a few liberties with some of the equipment that had been laying about too. Answers would be forthcoming, one way or another. The necromancer was muttering to himself as he gathered his wits, wondering why everything was so dark. I yanked his hood up from how I¡¯d tied it over his eyes.

    ¡°Rise and shine sleeping beauty.¡± It must have scared him, he jumped in the chair.

    ¡°Whads going on? Who are boo?¡± He struggled with the words, his jaw had swollen up badly.

    ¡°You¡¯re tied to a chair. The man who tied you to that chair was the one you intended to turn into a subservient corpse. I¡¯d suggest you behave yourself if you want to keep your head on your shoulders.¡± I let the haft of my axe land on his shoulder hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to break anything. He went very still as his eyes wandered up the blade. I assumed that¡¯s what they did, I was standing behind him and couldn¡¯t see.

    ¡°Whoa, whoa¡­ eaby now. Bonehead bound you in da snow. Bhoughts you were dead. I bon¡¯t murder pibble.¡± He was talking as fast as his swollen mouth would move.

    ¡°Don¡¯t murder people? Did I get that right? How¡¯d the soldier up there get his throat ripped out then?¡± I rolled the haft of my axe around and drew it back, pressing the blade against his cheek. He was tied in such a manner that he couldn¡¯t lean away from it.

    ¡°Droll kill. I dried do helb him, bud da droll dore him up. Ice drolls are vishus.¡± He was talking even faster now.

    ¡°An ice troll? Really? Why would a single soldier be wandering about in troll country?¡± I had no idea if that¡¯d be common or not, but trolls weren¡¯t exactly known for being friendly as far as I knew. At best, they shook down travelers for pocket change at the local bridge, at worst, they slaughtered villages and ate people.

    ¡°Why were boo all alone in droll coundry?¡± He had me there.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get smart with me!¡± I punched him in the back of the head.

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to answer my questions, or I¡¯m going to start nailing your arms to the chair. Got it?¡± I put the axe back against the table, and took up the hammer and nails I¡¯d found. I moved to where he could see me, showed off the nail, and put it in position on his right hand, hammer raised.

    ¡°God id! I hear boo!¡± His eyes were wide now.

    ¡°First, where are we?¡±

    ¡°Winderhold! Soudeasd of Winderhold! Dwo days walk!¡± He answered.

    ¡°Two days south east? Even with that blizzard that came through?¡± I raised the hammer higher.

    ¡°Maybe dree! Dree days if ids slow!¡± He quickly amended himself.

    ¡°Three days if we¡¯re slow. That can¡¯t be too bad out there. What have you been doing here?¡± I let the hammer droop slightly.

    ¡°Sdudyin! Learnin magic! I¡¯m nod drying to hurd people, I bromise!¡± He said. The half muffled stuttering was starting to get annoying. I took the nail away from his hand, reached over to my ruck, and pulled out one of the small vials of health potion.

    ¡°Drink this so I can understand you better.¡± I came around behind him, tipped the chair back, and poured the potion down his throat.

    ¡°Better?¡± I looked him over. His swelling was going down before my eyes.

    ¡°Better. Why¡¯d you give me a potion if you¡¯re just going to take my head?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m starting to believe you, partially. The story with the troll makes sense, and you¡¯re too stupid to have survived kidnapping the other man to make a corpse of him. If you had an ounce of sense, you¡¯d have slit my throat for good measure when you brought me in here. Where¡¯d the corpse come from for the one I took down?¡± I picked up the hammer and the nail again.

    ¡°He was my assistant. We were moving things off the carriage and into the cave when an ice wraith got him. It tore his arm apart. I came running and burned the thing away, but it was too late for Bonin. I¡¯m not a healer, my school is Conjuration and a touch of combat magic. I dragged him down here because we had a stock of potions, but he¡¯d bled out. I wouldn¡¯t have made it out here alone, so I raised him up. He owed a life debt to me.¡± That answered a few things, I¡¯d have to check the corpse I¡¯d clobbered over the head.

    ¡°Life debts end when the debtor dies, don¡¯t they?¡± My face stayed stony.

    ¡°He has no one to claim the body, and I¡¯d barely gotten a month of work from him. My magic was starting to run thin on his body anyways, he was falling apart. My plan was to head back to Winterhold after I finished with¡­ well, you and the dead soldier.¡± He admitted, eyes averting my own.

    ¡°I see. So, if you aren¡¯t an evil murdering necromancer, why set up shop in the middle of a frozen hellscape like this? Afraid that the locals would take offense?¡± I asked. Now I had him in a bind.

    ¡°As a matter of fact, yes. I know the taboos of raising the dead, but I am seeking the knowledge of it for good cause! The local idiots would hang me if they knew what sort of magic I¡¯d done. What? Surprised I¡¯d admit to such a thing?¡± He seemed to get a bit of courage back after he¡¯d stood his ground.

    ¡°No, not really. You academic types are a bunch of arrogant bastards with lofty ideas for the definition of a good cause. Shoot your shot, what¡¯s the cause? It better be an actual good one, or you¡¯ll be apologizing to Bonin here in a moment.¡± I stood, left the hammer and nail on the desk, and took up the pole axe again. His courage rapidly fled him as quickly as it had appeared.

    ¡°I want to help solve murders. So many times a body turns up, freshly dead, not even fully stiff. My magic experiments are focused on how to bring back a corpse, only long enough to learn of how they died. I¡¯ve heard of great wizards bringing back shades and spirits to ask them for knowledge. Grand rituals and absurdly convoluted schemes to summon the soul back from the afterlife thousands of years after death. My theory, that I have proven, is that recently departed souls are still tied to their bodies for a time. If a body is discovered within three days of death, their mind should be intact enough to question them. I was able to get a few words out of Bonin when I first turned him, but I made mistakes in the ritual, his thoughts were fragmented.¡± It struck me as one of the few practical uses of necromancy that wasn¡¯t inherently evil. It was a convenient story for him.

    ¡°How noble. Solving murders, you yourself would never murder someone, obviously. I¡¯ll ask you this. Is that the story you¡¯re going to stick with?¡± I got a good grip on the haft of the axe.

    ¡°It¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve got.¡± Sad resignation swept his features.

    ¡°Then why¡¯d your corpse assistant club me over the head when I woke up halfway here? He was dragging me face down in the snow, I tried to roll over, and got smacked across the face.¡± Genuine confusion manifested on the necromancer, and then anger. It didn¡¯t come across as sneering indignation, or a last gasp of defiance, more like he was furious with himself.

    ¡°That was my fault. I told Bonehead, Bonin, to bring any bodies he found back to me. When you rolled, he might have thought you were trying to escape. The undead are dumb and violent without proper guidance. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The necromancer let his head hang as far as it could, bound up as he was.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I let the haft of the axe settle back down onto the icy floor.

    ¡°Jurger, of Windhelm. May I know my executioner¡¯s name?¡± Jurger squirmed in the chair a bit, probably trying to get comfortable.

    ¡°I¡¯m not your executioner. Captor or jailer would be more appropriate. Call me Johannes. Hold still for a moment.¡± I walked around to a jug I¡¯d seen, it smelled like oil. I took it up, and poured a bit of it onto the sleeves of his robes, on his hood, down his back. He started bucking in horror.

    ¡°Oh just behead me! Get it over with!¡± He thought I was going to burn him alive.

    ¡°Settle down pussyfoot. That¡¯s insurance. If you try casting any of those fancy combat spells of yours, poof! Your sleeves will probably catch on fire, then the rest of your robes will. Burn up your robe and you¡¯ll be very hot for a very short time, then you¡¯ll freeze even if you manage to survive the flames and succeed in killing me. Have you got anything valuable that you want to keep?¡± I looked around the room after I set the jug down. There was a sled in the corner that¡¯d help with moving the soldier¡¯s body.

    ¡°I¡¯ve not got much gold left. There¡¯s two crates of potions, food for another month, and then my tomes. I have a camping set there, in the long box.¡± He jerked his head towards a chest that looked like it had come off of a carriage.

    ¡°What happened to your carriage? Is it parked somewhere outside?¡± I asked, remembering his story about how Bonin had got it.

    ¡°The carriage is, I set the horse loose after Bonin died. I brought the dog sled for my self for just that situation.¡± What good was a dog sled with no dog?

    ¡°How¡¯d you mean to use the sled? Pull it yourself? Maybe you aren¡¯t the entitled scholar I made you for.¡± I laughed, moderate irritation brewed up in the necromancer¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m a conjuration mage. I can summon a familiar to pull it. They are very strong.¡± He let slip. He seemed to realize his mistake immediately.

    ¡°Good to know. We¡¯ll be keeping your hands tied up for now. You didn¡¯t kill me, so I¡¯m returning the favor of not killing you. We¡¯ll work on trusting each other during the trip. Have you got any more rope around?¡± My thoughts turned to logistics.

    ¡°Forgive me if I don¡¯t help you make my life any more miserable.¡± Wrong answer. I gave him a soft thwap on the back of the head.

    ¡°Not for you, dumbass. I¡¯ve got you tied up just the way I like. I need rope to pull the sled up that ice slide, and the crates. It¡¯ll be too heavy if I load it up down here. You¡¯re going to help me pull what you want to take, I¡¯ll handle loading it.¡±

    ¡°Oh. There¡¯s rope in the camp chest.¡± Thus began the arduous process.

 Chapter Two: A Little Bit of Trolling

    It was already late in the day by the time we¡¯d gotten everything loaded. Jurger had bitched and moaned, trying to get me to let him raise the dead soldier to help. I told him, in no uncertain terms, that he would lose his head if I saw so much as a spark on his fingers. That¡¯d ended the griping fairly quickly. The sled had food, his few valuables, the camping supplies, and the dead soldier loaded on it. I guessed we¡¯d loaded it for about three hundred pounds. That had been another cause of complaints. I hadn¡¯t let him load any of his book collection. I¡¯d taken his research journals, various sheets and reports detailing his experiments, and put them into my own ruck while he was sleeping.

    If we¡¯d put even a quarter of his books on the sled, it would have gone up to five hundred pounds easily. He¡¯d been even more angry when we¡¯d left the next day. I¡¯d told him I was going to do one last look over everything, and poured out half the jug of lamp oil on his book cases. Maybe they were harmless, maybe they were tomes about summoning demons and all sorts of horrible monsters. Regardless, everything that we didn¡¯t take was burnt.

    ¡°You absolute barbarian! Do you realize how valuable those tomes were? Most of them weren¡¯t even about necromancy! They were conjuring tomes, history, poetry! I spent my almost my entire inheritance on that library!¡± It had gone like that for the first few minutes, then I¡¯d leveled the pole axe at him and yelled ¡®Mush doggy!¡¯

    Jurger had been tied to the front of the sled, he¡¯d pull it while I pushed. It kept him where I could see him, and let me control how tired he would get. Three slow days of walking would probably make for five glacial days sledding to Winterhold. The name was familiar, but I couldn¡¯t place it in my mind. The skill alerts, levels, and strange status bars that had popped up occasionally were driving me mad. I knew what they were, but had no idea why they were there, where they were coming from. Jurger hadn¡¯t given any indication of seeing the same kinds of things, so I kept it to my self. It wouldn¡¯t do for him to think I was any crazier than I¡¯d put forward. It was easy enough to ignore the strange alerts and dings after the first few hours. There was no time to sit down or look them over with a dangerous prisoner and deadly landscape.

    ¡°We¡¯ll call it here for tonight. Let¡¯s get the sled put in around that rock outcropping, we¡¯ll put a tent up and layer the snow on top for cover.¡± The camp was set a little while later, with a small fire on the stone. I¡¯d chopped up a dozen empty boxes to use as firewood, with a handful of starter logs that¡¯d soaked in lamp oil. An old cauldron, it looked like a stew pot to me, served as the firepit. The metal would stay hot for a while after the fire burned down, coals smoldering at the base.

    ¡°Don¡¯t suppose these ropes are coming off?¡± Jurger asked.

    ¡°Not a chance. Eat up.¡± I held out a sandwich I¡¯d made for him. It smelled like venison to me, with a bit of cheese and some onions I¡¯d gotten in my bag. Jurger was too tired to argue. After I¡¯d finished feeding him, he got comfortable on his bed roll and was snoring soon after. It was a testament to how he¡¯d lived his life that he didn¡¯t wake up when I tied his feet together. Heavy sleepers ended up dead more often than not.

    I found my own way to sleep a short while later, and all too quickly the morning sun was coming down on my eyes through a gap in the tent fabric. The rest of the tent was dark, Jurger was still snoring. I got the fire started up again, just enough to make breakfast. I untied his feet, again he didn¡¯t wake up.

    ¡°Jurger. Time to eat. Necromancer, wake up.¡± I nudged him with my boot. The ice cold plate against his hand did the trick.

    ¡°I¡¯m up, up master¡­ Oh. I was hoping all this had been a bad dream.¡± Jurger¡¯s sleepy voice fell.

    ¡°Nope, this is real. You are in fact tied to a dog sled, like the good boy you are. If you sit quietly while I cook, you may even get a treat!¡± I chuckled. We¡¯d eaten breakfast and had the tent put away before the sun had risen a man over the horizon. Without a watch, relatives were the best way to track time. If the sun behaved the same way here as it did in my last life, I knew it was still very early in the day. There¡¯d been no sign that it was stranger than the star I knew, but the moons were unsettling. Moons, plural. Magic hadn¡¯t surprised me much, it seemed like I¡¯d expected it somehow. Two moons scratched me the wrong way.

    It was the third day before anything interesting happened. We¡¯d been walking across rugged foothills, around rocky ravines and deathly crevasses in the ice. I could see the ocean to our north, a dreary expanse of ice packed sea. The necromancer had called it the Sea of Ghosts. To our south and southwest was a long line of jagged mountains. Near as I could tell, the traversable land was choking the farther west we went. Jurger was stronger than he looked, plowing through the snowdrifts and up the steady elevation. It was a particularly tricky slope that proved itself a fatal funnel.

    ¡°Jurger, try moving up the left side, see if you can get a grip on the rocks. If we can get the sled to put some weight on the rock I¡¯ll£­ HIT THE DIRT!¡± My shouted warning wasn¡¯t understood at first, till Jurger saw me pulling my axe off the sled. He still hadn¡¯t seen what I had, but he didn¡¯t wait. He jumped down the slope, being narrowly missed by a great white maw. The troll had crept along the snow capped stones, angling for a perfect position. They were beasts, but they were cunning when they needed to be it seemed.

    The troll had missed its mark with the opening pounce, slipping a ways down the slope. Rather than slide all the way down, the troll¡¯s eyes locked onto the rope that was following behind Jurger. We¡¯d let out about thirty feet from the front of the sled, so that he could find a way up the slope. The troll¡¯s paw struck out, grabbing hold of the rope. Jurger¡¯s line went taut a few feet before he¡¯d have made it to the bottom. Axe in hand, there was a split second to figure out what to do. The troll was a head shorter than I was, with a build like a gorilla. Tough boney plates were layered all over, I didn¡¯t like the idea of tangling with it in melee.

    I¡¯d gotten very lucky with Bonehead and Jurger, neither had been in a position to fight back, but this troll had gotten the jump on us. Jurger¡¯s yelling cemented my play. The troll had started trying to pull him back up the hill, but seemed to struggle with the idea that the sled was attached on the other side.

    ¡°Jurger! Roll over!¡± I shouted to him as I ran up the slope. He did as I asked. Steel flashed as it came down on the rope, cutting him loose from the sled. There were still two more knots binding his hands behind his back, one around his arms, the other around his wrists. I hauled him up to his feet and slid my right hand up the axe head.

    ¡°Hold still damn it! You want to get cut loose or not?¡± Jurger tried to start running as the troll looked curiously down at the rope, not quite sure what it had done to make the weight go away. I cut the wrist bindings, and took the loop around his arms.

    ¡°Jump on three. One, two, three!¡± I yanked the loop down as hard as I could when he jumped, freeing his left arm. He howled when it came loose, I¡¯d nearly pulled his shoulder out of socket.

    ¡°Drop those ropes and your robe. HEY! YOU UGLY FUCK! COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME YOU SNAGGLETOOTHED BASTARD!¡± I moved to the right, hoping that Jurger would be fast. The troll didn¡¯t take kindly to my boisterous taunts, dropping the rope and moving far to the right side rocks. The thing could climb, that was for sure. It was moving to put it self in position to leap down at me, buying precious seconds for Jurger to get loose. The troll disappeared over the lip of the rocks for a few moments. My eyes tracked to all the little cracks and crevices, the damn thing was going to sneak around to one of them.

    ¡°Where¡¯d it go?¡± Jurger ran up to me, divested of his robes. He was over eager, stepping towards the rocks.

    ¡°Jurger don¡¯t!¡± I yanked him back and started retreating. Just in time too, the troll leapt out of hiding a moment later. It landed where Jurger had been standing, snarling with bloody intent. The top spike of my pole axe thrust out, glancing off the boney ridge that protected the thing¡¯s eyes. My one free shot wasted, I drew back, ready to dodge what was sure to be a sledgehammer of a strike in return. The troll roared, rearing up to its full height before lunging. The lunge never came, as searing hot fire whipped past my head. The bolt struck the beast in the chest with a flash of steam and the stink of burnt flesh.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Keep it away from me, they¡¯re vulnerable to fire!¡± Jurger spoke as another firebolt sizzled through the air. The troll was expecting it, and ducked to the side. I raised my axe high and swung it down for the troll¡¯s arm. The troll saw that one coming too, stumbling away from the swift follow up. It ran out of options as it backed into the stone, and caught another firebolt to the knee. It was a good, crippling strike. Perfect for giving us the advantage in a straight fight like this. The problem was that now this was a straight fight, the troll couldn¡¯t climb away. The troll wobbled on its wounded limb, not putting too much weight on it.

    Now you¡¯ve gone and done it Jurger.

    The troll must have realized the same thing as I did, because it surged forwards, ignoring a third firebolt that slapped into its armored shoulder. There was no question of tanking the charge. I dove to the left, slashing out feintly with my axe. The troll slapped it away before turning to round on Jurger. The mage was furiously casting firebolts with both hands as he backpedaled, one, two, three, four, five hits in quick succession. A sixth bolt fizzled in his hand as the troll was brought to its knees. The snow was hard to move in, especially with thirty pounds of iron armor on, but I managed to find my feet before the troll did. The chance for a kill shot was perfect, the troll had its back to me.

    The thick bone growths on the troll protected the neck extremely well, and the skull looked like it¡¯d do a fine job as a wrecking ball. My usual headhunting strategy probably wouldn¡¯t work too well, but it didn¡¯t need to. My axe bit into the thickly muscled right arm of the troll, sinking six inches, eight inches, a foot into the appendage before it stopped in the bone. I¡¯d hoped to remove it entirely, but shattered was close enough. A bloodflood poured down, the poison on my axe would see to it that it kept bleeding. A problem arose when I tried to yank the axe back out, and it wouldn¡¯t give. The next problem, was the troll¡¯s furious black eyes turning towards me.

    Oh shit¡­

    I let go of the axe before the troll spun, right hand reaching for the belt I¡¯d lifted from the dead soldier and the mace held on it. I ducked the first swipe of mail rending talons, only to hear the awful noise of shrieking metal as the troll lashed out with its wounded arm. It felt like I¡¯d been charged by an angry bull as the breastplate gave out, not punctured, but dented. The world started spinning, and then there was a crash of metal and splintering wood as I hit the sled.

    Jurgur was to my right, digging through a box of potions. The mace had disappeared somewhere during my flight, and the troll still had my axe in its arm. The monster was trying to pull it out, but the awkward angle of the haft made that difficult. I tried to sit up, only to feel an agonizing flare of pain across the entire left side of my ribcage. I shouldn¡¯t have looked down.

    Oh, that¡¯s really, really bad.

    The thought had crossed my mind just as a strangled cough spluttered out of my lips, spraying blood all over Jurger. His frantic eyes turned to me, then to the troll fist dent in my armor. He had a blue potion in his hands, magic juice. I tried to tell him to run for it, but only painted the sled in blood with another hacking cough. The mage gulped down the vial, and turned to face the troll. A vortex of black and purple appeared, followed soon by an etheral howl. It hurt to look, but I saw a translucent wolf emerge, barreling towards the troll.

    Conjure Familiar, A loyal hound for sixty seconds.

    It burned into my mind, I¡¯d used that spell before. It was weak, the familiar would never stand a chance against a troll at full strength. It would buy enough time for me to pull my ruck open and find a vial of unfuck-me-juice. More flames were bursting on the troll as I coughed, cursed, and cried my way towards the ruck at the rear of the sled. Jurger was head hunting now, two bolts landed back to back on the troll¡¯s face. With any luck it¡¯d be blind.

    The familiar was digging into its leg, taking a major beating for the effort. I turned away from the fighting as the ruck came within reach, my right hand searching the inside pocket for vials. I came away with a small red one, hoping it was enough to fix the broken ribs. Drinking it was horribly painful, swallowing with a shattered diaphram was about as pleasant as eating shards of glass. The bones started to heal, it wasn¡¯t as painful as I thought it would be, but it wasn¡¯t painless either. The potion ran its course, leaving me still feeling sore, and spikes with every movement. Apparently minor healing did not go up to or include multiple broken bones.

    ¡°Jurger!¡± It hurt to yell, but the mage had ceased his barrage of firebolts for a moment. He turned to me after he¡¯d downed a second blue vial.

    ¡°The big red bottle in the chest. Drink two gulps.¡± He already knew what I wanted. The troll let out a bellow as I spun around to dig for another potion, it had pounded the familiar out of existence, but it was dead already. The half-blind monster was stumbling towards Jurger, the mage had some spell or another building between his hands. It became clear what it was a moment later, as a tremendous bolt of lightning struck the troll square in the chest. It dropped face first into the snow just as I got the big potion open.

    A few minutes passed before I was back to feeling somewhat intact. The large potion had been one brewed to heal over a longer time, rather than all at once. Jurger came and sat by me after he¡¯d summoned another ghostly wolf.

    ¡°That was a close one. I must have hit the thing twenty times.¡± Jurger breathed out with a long, slow sigh.

    ¡°Never realized those damned trolls were so hard to kill. The fire kept it from healing itself too much though. You have to immolate them to stop it completely. Do you know the spell for a stream of fire? Flames?¡± I sat up slowly from my place on the sled.

    ¡°No, I never learned it. Come to think, that¡¯d be pretty useful in a place like this. I didn¡¯t know that you had to light a troll on fire to stop its healing either. What were you before Bonehead found you?¡± Jurger asked, the excitement of the fight draining away.

    ¡°My memory is pretty spotty ever since I collapsed in the snow. I don¡¯t remember much of anything before that day. The blow to the head probably didn¡¯t help. The way I tied you up, the things I think, I must¡¯ve been some sort of man hunter. I tied you up to bring you in for a bounty. I figured there¡¯d be one on necromancers, a prize for whoever brought in the monster responsible for a bunch of disappearances. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to do that now. Don¡¯t think I could, really.¡± I looked over to Jurger as I stood up and put my hand out. He smirked.

    ¡°Not in the state you¡¯re in. Did the troll knock some manners into you?¡±

    ¡°Sorry for all that. Neither of us would have made it far out here by ourselves. Troll country ain¡¯t the place to be lonesome. Let me introduce my self the right way this time.¡± Jurger seemed to be weighing something in his mind.

    ¡°You did what you had to, I wouldn¡¯t trust a mage with an ice cave full of corpses either. Jurger of Windhelm, at your service.¡± He took my hand for a shake.

    ¡°Johannes, of fuck know¡¯s where. Come on, let¡¯s take that thing¡¯s head and get a move on. Sorry for ruining your robes, I¡¯ve got a spare cloak in my bag if you need it.¡± I made for the still smoking troll. It took a good few minutes, and some knife work to get my axe loose. The troll grumbled when it came free, but it was still in some sort of coma. Rather than let it regenerate, I took its head after three swings.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you take the head?¡± Jurger asked as we rigged the familiar to pull the sled.

    ¡°This is the only good pass we saw for miles to either side, the slope was only hard because it was two idiots pulling a sled meant for four dogs. If that thing¡¯s been attacking people on the road, the local law man will have put a bounty on it. What were the bits you cut off of it?¡± Jurger had taken the time to cut a bit more than just the head off. There were a few empty jars and vials from what we¡¯d eaten of the rations and the potions we¡¯d used, now full of troll fat.

    ¡°The fat is useful for resisting poisons. I¡¯m not much of an alchemist, but I can make some things.¡± Jurger explained. No out of place knowledge appeared to confirm or deny that.

    ¡°Useful. What are your plans once we get to Winterhold?¡± I finished the rope harness on the familiar.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve destroyed all of my research, my entire library, and you¡¯re holding on to the little bit of coin I had left. I¡¯ll probably look for a job and head somewhere else.¡± He struggled to keep his face even. When he put it like that, I had kind of upended his entire life. I reached over to my ruck, and pulled out the coin pouch I¡¯d taken from him. It had a few hundred pieces in it.

    ¡°Take it. We¡¯ll split whatever bounty there might be for the troll head, then you can go on your way.¡± There was a little bit of remorse in my voice. Not much, but some.

    ¡°We can talk about that later. If we¡¯re quick, we can reach Winterhold by midday tomorrow.¡± There wasn¡¯t much else to talk about for the rest of the day, mention of my misdeeds had put a damper on the brief comradery. Jurger was right about the timing though, we made it to the outskirts of Winterhold before the sun reached its zenith the next day.

 Chapter Three: Loyalties

    ¡°What¡¯s your business in the city?¡± A stern faced guard asked. His eyes were wandering over the troll head, and the very obvious corpse tied to the dog sled. Jurger had smartly dispelled his familiar before we made it into town, citing the fact that the locals didn¡¯t do well upon seeing ghost dogs. We made for a funny sight, pushing the sled through slushy muck up to the gate.

    ¡°Looking for a warm bed, and hopefully some pay for the troll we killed on the road. It took down this man here before we could help him, but we got his vengeance.¡± I did the talking. The guard looked at the head, and then pulled back the tarp we¡¯d put the dead soldier into. He paused looking at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s Olam, Galteir¡¯s son. He left two weeks ago. Where did he die? How long ago?¡± One of the other guards turned to ask questions. He looked at me first.

    ¡°South of the pass we came through, I don¡¯t know the name of it. It took us five days to drag the sled here, through the pass. Two days, maybe three days marching to get there.¡± I looked to Jurger.

    ¡°Ten days ago, we saw him attacked by the troll. My friend here is a tracker of sorts, he was able to figure out where the troll lived. We took some time to prepare ourselves for the journey.¡± He added helpfully. Helpful unless they asked me questions about how I¡¯d tracked it. They didn¡¯t seem interested in that though.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have the body taken to the hall of the dead. My man Rolvar here will take you to the Jarl. He has need of skilled hunters, and he¡¯ll reward you for the troll. Go, quickly now. I will make sure that no one tampers with your belongings.¡± The stern faced guard waved us through and had the others pull our sled off the road. I took the troll head by an ear, before a guard offered a large sack. My ruck was on one shoulder, the troll sack on the other. Winterhold was a dreary, run down place. Many of the buildings looked like they were barely standing up, with cracks running through the foundations and other major damage evident.

    There was something tickling the back of my mind, not just the evidence of a once fine city, but knowledge of a past experience. Magic had done this, or an earthquake that had something to do with magic. The town wasn¡¯t very large, a few streets, a handful of run down shops, and an overfull tavern. I got a glimpse of the large castle we¡¯d seen from far off, a lonely structure standing away from the broken settlement.

    ¡°This way outsider, the Jarl¡¯s longhouse is just up the street. You¡¯d be best off to show the proper respect, or you¡¯ll answer to my axe.¡± The guard warned us. The longhouse was the only somewhat decent structure in town I¡¯d seen. It looked like it had been built after whatever catastrophe happened, lacking the damage present in all the others.

    ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t think to show anything else but respect.¡± I nodded to the guard as we made our way to the door. A well armored man stood there, eyes appraising.

    ¡°Who¡¯s this you¡¯ve brought to the Jarl?¡± The man asked, paying especially close attention to Jurger. It looked like he¡¯d recognized him in a passing way.

    ¡°Two outsiders, they¡¯ve slain a troll that killed Galteir¡¯s son. Don¡¯t spread the word just yet, we ought to have the priest tell him.¡± Rolvar spoke quietly. The better equipped guard nodded, a solemn expression on his features.

    ¡°I warned Olam not to leave on his own. He was a good man. Go on, the Jarl has just finished with his court meeting.¡± The man opened the door, and ushered us through. A gust of warm air washed over my face, as well as the smells of roasted meat and vegetables. Rolvar strode right up to the Jarl, waving us to stand back.

    ¡°Jarl Korir, I bring before you two outsiders who have slain a troll. The troll killed Olam, son of Galteir.¡± The guard bowed his head and stepped back. The Jarl had been eating what looked to be a fine meal for the standards of the town.

    ¡°Present yourselves, outsiders.¡± He gestured with a free hand for us to come forwards.

    ¡°Jarl Korir, I am Johannes.¡± I imitated the bow I¡¯d seen the guard make.

    ¡°And I am Jurger, of Windhelm.¡± There was a slight tone of irritation to Jurger¡¯s voice, hopefully the Jarl didn¡¯t notice.

    ¡°Do you have proof of your claim, Johannes?¡± Korir seemed a bit more interested now, he was also sizing up Jurger, much the same as the man outside had. I opened the sack bag so that the troll head was visible.

    ¡°My! That is quite the proof. How do we know it was Olam? Rolvar?¡± He turned to the guard.

    ¡°They returned the body to us. He was mangled badly, it was a troll that killed him, most certainly Jarl. They journeyed for five days by dog sled, with no dogs, to present it to us.¡± The guards voice was a mix of bitter anger for the troll and respect to us.

    ¡°A dog sled with no dogs? Quite the task to take for a stranger. You''re a good man Johannes, and perhaps what I¡¯ve heard of Jurger is just uncouth rumor. You¡¯re welcome in my hall, you must be hungry after such a great effort. Come, sit at my table, take off your cloaks and warm yourselves by the hearth.¡± He pointed to two empty chairs near the fireplace. We found our places, a young servant girl came by to take our cloaks.

    ¡°Jarl Korir, thank you for your generosity. There is one more thing about Olam. I wasn¡¯t sure if we would be able to get back with him, so I took these to identify him.¡± I pulled the necklace from under my armor, offered it across the table, and very, very slowly, lifted the mace out, and handed it to him grip first.

    ¡°This mace, it bears the mark of the Winterhold armories. Rolvar, did Olam take a mace when he joined the guard?¡± Korir asked.

    ¡°Yes Jarl, he was quite the fighter with it.¡± Rolvar looked at the weapon.

    ¡°Keep it Johannes, as a sign of our gratitude. You¡¯ll be needing pay for the troll as well. Malur! Go fetch a purse of three hundred pieces.¡± The Jarl handed the mace back as he yelled over his shoulder.

    ¡°Thank you Jarl Korir, that is very generous.¡± The servant girl came back with two plates of food and three tankards. I hadn¡¯t realized just how hungry I was till my stomach roared.

    ¡°Generosity matched by the honor of a strong Nord arm! And the axe it holds!¡± Jarl Korir raised a tankard and took a long draw, it seemed best to reflect that. The mead was excellent, as was the food. We ate in silence, well, wordlessly is the more apt description. The meal was goat, buttered bread, fried potatoes, and some sort of green vegetable. Once I¡¯d finished with my plate, the Jarl spoke again after turning from Rolvar. The two had carried on a quiet conversation.

    ¡°Hearty appetite. Tell me Johannes, how did you defeat the troll? A great beast must have a great tale.¡±

    ¡°It had been stalking us for a while, we didn¡¯t know it was there until it struck. At the crest of the mountain pass to the south, we were struggling with the sled. Jurger was trying to find a way for us to pull it up using the rocks when the troll rose up from a boulder. I shouted to him, and he leapt away. Jurger¡¯s a quick one when he needs to be. The problem was that we¡¯d tied Jurger to the sled, and the troll took up the rope!¡± I looked to Jurger and smiled. He wasn¡¯t amused.

    ¡°So Jurger is dangling like a fish on a hook as the troll is pulling him back up, I ran forward and cut him loose. The troll wasn¡¯t the sharpest, and kept fooling around with the rope for a moment. I tried to distract it away, so that we could get it to come down between us. That didn¡¯t work. It hid in the rocks again, and tried a different angle. Jurger and I waited for the beast to attack again¡­¡± I finished through the rest of the story, regaling him with our exploits.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard you were a war mage, Jurger. I thought you¡¯d spent more time with corpses. It was you and quite a group of others that were disciplined, was it not?¡± A voice came from behind us, it was the armored guard. The Jarl grinned, like a wolf with cornered prey.

    ¡°I left the College of my own accord. I¡¯m not one of the scum like Milek or his ilk.¡± Jurger¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t angry, it was outraged. I¡¯d obviously just walked straight into the Jarl¡¯s trap.

    ¡°All the same, a convenient time to leave. There have been reports of dead men rising, skeletons attacking farmsteads, dark magic in deep caves. Tell me Johannes, and tell it truthfully or you will share his punishment. How did you come to know Jurger?¡± The Jarl asked.

    ¡°He saved me from the blizzard. I was wandering in the ice, snowblind and freezing to death. I collapsed and woke up in a cave, near a fire. I¡¯d have died if he hadn¡¯t gotten me to shelter. I may have twisted the truth when I spoke of finding Olam. He was already dead by the time I¡¯d seen him, Jurger had tried to save him from the troll, at least that is what he told me. The wounds seemed to match what a troll would do.¡± I didn¡¯t lie, I had woken up near to a fire, and Jurger had indirectly gotten me out of the storm. It was a fine line to walk.

    ¡°He speaks true of the troll wounds, Jarl. I saw them.¡± Rolvar spoke up.

    ¡°And what was Jurger doing in that cave, when you woke?¡±

    ¡°Sorry Jurger, but I¡¯m not getting dragged down with you.¡± I looked to the mage. He had a knowing anger in his eyes. The necromancer stayed silent.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°He was experimenting with bodies. I didn¡¯t see any evidence that he had killed anyone to do it, but he was scavenging those corpses that fell to nature. He had a servant, a man named Bonin, that he claims had been killed by an Ice Wraith. The corpse¡¯s arm was mangled horribly, but it¡¯d been too long, and too cold to tell if the frostbite was from an attack. I think he meant to use Olam¡¯s body as his next subject. I wouldn¡¯t let him, and told him that I¡¯d have his head if he tried. That corpse Bonin clubbed me over the head, I haven¡¯t been able to remember much of who I am since then.¡± That was the first self serving lie I¡¯d told. The clubbing hadn¡¯t helped, but I didn¡¯t remember much either way. The Jarl looked on expectantly.

    ¡°I took Olam¡¯s mace from his body, and destroyed the undead, then I beat Jurger here into the ground. I had tied him up and intended to turn him in for a bounty, but he saved my life when we fought the troll, as I told you. Neither one of us would have been able to best the beast by ourselves. For that, I cut him loose. I didn¡¯t know that he was a wanted man here, Jarl.¡± It felt like an eternity before anyone spoke. It was the Jarl that went first.

    ¡°A life for a life, it was his bad luck he came back here. Do you have proof of his experiments?¡± The Jarl eyed my ruck. Jurger finally broke.

    ¡°The dimwitted bastard burned my entire library. All of my notes, my tomes, months of work! And now he¡¯s my headsman, you were right Johannes! If I¡¯d had an ounce of sense I would have cut your neck!¡± Jurger stood, knife from the meal in his right hand. It was an exceedingly dumb thing for him to do, surrounded by guards as he was. I still had my iron plated gauntlets on too. Jurger slashed for my face, the knife skipped off my forearm. Long honed instinct took over. My left hand slid down to his elbow to pin it, while an armored elbow of my own broke his nose.

    Jurger wasn¡¯t a runt, but I was heavier than he was by a fair margin, especially in my armor. I¡¯d gotten to my feet with the strike, and forced Jurger down to the table. I got two punches into him before Rolvar had grabbed his other arm, pinning him down. He kicked and squirmed for a moment, trying to get a limb free. The Jarl¡¯s personal guard, housecarl, that was the word, was close at hand, and grabbed the legs.

    ¡°Pull him off! Now!¡± The housecarl yanked him from the table, Rolvar and I both dropped our weight into the shrieking necromancer as he fell. Something cracked when he hit the stone floor, probably a rib. Two more guards were running form the doors, axes drawn.

    ¡°Drop the knife or lose the hand!¡± one of them demanded. We were beyond words now, one good stomp led to a crunch, a howl, and a clatter as the knife went spinning under the table. Rolvar was beating the brakes off Jurger with a gauntleted fist. Blood sprayed across my face as he managed a straight jab to the mouth.

    ¡°Flip him over. Tolin, manacles. Is he conscious?¡± The housecarl asked. I kicked the necromancer in the ribs, there wasn¡¯t much of a pain response, but he was breathing.

    ¡°If he is, he¡¯s got no fight left in him.¡± I took a step back, careful to keep my hands away from my weapons.

    ¡°Take the mage to the cellar. Jarl, what of this one?¡± All eyes were on me now.

    ¡°My question, Johannes. Do you have proof of his crimes?¡± The Jarl asked again.

    ¡°Yes, in my bag. I took his notes and journal, he didn¡¯t know I still had them. I let him think that all of it burned. It seemed like a bad idea to read things about dark magic, so I don¡¯t know what they say.¡± I reached for the bag under the table carefully, and took the bundle I¡¯d tied together.

    ¡°Rolvar, send for Master Mirabelle, she may be a witch, but she was most useful dealing with those corpse defilers last year. She will be able to determine what these notes are. As for you Johannes, you seem to be a capable man. You fought a troll, you¡¯ve apprehended a threat to my people, and you protected the honor of one of my sworn soldiers in bringing his body back. What would you have of me for these services?¡± The Jarl had a scheming look in his eyes, maybe that was too nefarious a word.

    ¡°Jarl, I don¡¯t think it is my place to ask for anything more. Bringing back Olam¡¯s body was the right thing to do, and I didn¡¯t exactly bring this one in chains, like I¡¯d planned originally. The bounty for the troll, and a meal was more than fair.¡± I was tip toeing, it would be an easy thing to wind up in jail next to the necromancer.

    ¡°Nonsense, It was no easy thing to bring Olam back to us, regardless of your intention for doing it. You¡¯ve also brought me a known necromancer, when I¡¯ve received no less than four notices of missing people in my hold. These deeds deserve a reward. I have gold, I have weapons, I have horses and hounds, I have empty beds in my barracks, and I have a place in my hold for any brave man that would fight against the dead and their masters.¡± The Jarl was insistent. He didn¡¯t explicitly mention that his hold seemed to have gone to shit lately, but he didn¡¯t need to.

    ¡°A replacement or repair of my armor, a hound, and a place to rest for some time would suit me, Jarl.¡± I took my choices. The dent in my breastplate was uncomfortable to say the least. The Jarl paused for a moment, nodded, and looked to his housecarl.

    ¡°Jorman, see to it that this man gets a piece that won¡¯t buckle to a troll, and a fine hound from my pack. The barracks rooms are just there Johannes, I believe the one on the left is empty. You¡¯ll be housed and fed until the end of the month, or longer, if you so chose. I have to attend this business with Mirabelle.¡± The Jarl turned on his heel, followed by two guards, one had taken the journals from me. He turned almost as abruptly back to me. ¡°The dog sled you brought along with you, that is yours, along with any other possessions of the criminal.¡±

    ¡°Come on Johannes, let¡¯s check the armory for something that fits you. You prefer plate?¡± The housecarl, Jorman, asked.

    ¡°The sturdier the better. This old iron didn¡¯t do much for me.¡± He led me down a hall near the barracks, and into a room cramped with chests, racks, and practice dummies.

    ¡°Iron¡¯s too soft. One good swing and it¡¯ll have a dent that can¡¯t be fixed, permanently ruined. We¡¯ve got some older steel, but the men do a good job maintaining it. Here we go, try this on.¡± He handed me a vest with large steel plates sewn on, there were a few small rust spots, but all together it was a fine piece. The steel was thicker than my iron was too. It fit well enough, so did the shoulder pauldrons that Jorman added. My old armor was sent off to the room I¡¯d been given.

    ¡°That armor will hold against a troll, but you¡¯d be best off not getting hit by the damned things. Your axe could use time with a grindstone.¡± Jorman looked over my shoulder to the blade, it was tied back to my ruck.

    ¡°Where would I find one?¡± I asked, it didn¡¯t seem like they had a bench or a wheel in the armory.

    ¡°Out in the yard. We¡¯re going to head to the Jarl¡¯s stable, his prize hounds had a litter two years ago, they¡¯ve just about finished training those pups.¡± Jorman led the way to the back of the Jarl¡¯s house. The yard was enclosed with a wooden palisade, a stable made up part of the wall, there were dogs running about, soldiers training, and a horse was being shoed.

    ¡°Houndmaster! We¡¯ve got a dog to pay out today!¡± Jorman bellowed. An older man, arms and hands covered in bite scars, came out from the stable.

    ¡°Just in time, I was going to tell the Jarl that they¡¯re ready for real work. Who¡¯s this?¡± He pointed a gnarled finger at me.

    ¡°Johannes, he¡¯ll be staying in the barracks for a while. Brought in one of those damned black mages. The mage had Olam¡¯s body.¡± The Houndmaster¡¯s face softened, and then hardened.

    ¡°No! He¡¯s dead? I trained that boy with the dogs since he was barely higher than a wagon wheel!¡± It seemed that Olam was well liked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bring bad news.¡± I tried to be sympathetic.

    ¡°Not all bad, you got the bastard that killed him though?¡± The old man¡¯s eyes spoke of blood lust.

    ¡°A troll killed him, the black mage just scavenged the body. The Jarl is taking some notes to the College, we¡¯ll have the mage¡¯s head before nightfall. Johannes did a fine job bringing him in.¡± Jorman patted my shoulder. It still didn¡¯t feel quite right, being credited with the capture. It hadn¡¯t been my intent, not after the fight with the troll.

    ¡°Glad to have you son, I¡¯m Alan, most people just call me Wolfbite on account of the arms. Come on, I¡¯ll show you the dogs.¡± He brought us back to the stable, it was divided into two parts. One for horses, and one for the dogs. There were four of them, with leather harnesses bearing the same sigil as the Jarl¡¯s men wore.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got Icefoot, Torgis, Siga, and Karliene. All of them are fine beasts, trained them my self since the day they opened their eyes. Their parents are sharp ones too. Never discount the parents when you¡¯re training up a war hound, they¡¯ll help you.¡± Alan introduced the animals. They weren¡¯t dogs, they were full on wolves with white coats, black markings on their faces. Two of them came up to us, happy smiles full of sharp teeth.

    ¡°Siga and Torgis are the friendliest with me, Karliene and Icefoot are more cautious. Down girl, down.¡± Siga leapt up to lick at his face. They didn¡¯t seem like war hounds to me, not with how eager they were for scratches behind the ears. The other female, Karliene, was looking at me from a straw bed. I made eye contact with her, and wondered just how strong the dogs were. An infernal window appeared.

    [Trained Ice Wolf, Karliene]

    [Level: 12]

    [Health: 150/150 Stamina: 250/250 Magicka: 0/0]

    I blinked the window away, more memories swirling in the back of my head. I couldn¡¯t put it off forever, but the windows could wait until tonight. I¡¯d have to figure it out sooner or later. Karliene rose, and slowly came forwards. Her careful eyes tracked over me, her nose sniffed around at my hand, before she stood up to look at me on the eye level. These really were huge animals.

    ¡°I think she likes you, give her a rub.¡± Alan suggested. I did, the big dog leaned into me, paws on my shoulders before her back leg started kicking. The dog nearly fell over, but recovered with an excited spin.

    ¡°Never seen one of these hounds so sure it liked someone that quick. Karliene picks you Johannes. She¡¯s the best of the litter, with a nose for trouble too. Maybe that¡¯s why she likes you.¡± Alan laughed, the dogs seemed to have washed away the anger he had before. Another window dinged.

    [Alert: An animal companion would like to join your Party.]

    [Description: Though the choice of dog was meant to be yours, Karliene has taken a liking to you. She will follow you wherever you go.]

    [Y/N?]

    I blinked a yes in my head, and Karliene let out a long howl of excitement. Did the dog have these damnable windows too? Or maybe a magic bond? Whatever it was, it had made her quite happy.

    ¡°Easy girl, easy, I¡¯m already sore from the last beast I tangled with.¡± I got a hold of the dog and rubbed her around the neck to stop the jumping. Karliene contented herself to sit at my feet and get patted.

    ¡°Divines sent you and that dog here for a reason, must have. Take good care of her or you¡¯ll answer to me before you answer to them.¡± Alan warned as he gave Karliene a stroke on the head.

    ¡°Always loved a good dog, she¡¯ll be in good hands. I¡¯ll be staying for a while, so you haven¡¯t lost her quite yet. I doubt the Jarl would appreciate dog tracks all over his stone floors.¡± A good dog was an excellent addition to my meager belongings.

    ¡°Just come by when you need her.¡± Alan waved us off. Karliene looked a bit disappointed to not be taken on an immediate adventure.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry girl, I¡¯m off to find work for the both of us next.¡± I gave her one last scratch.

    ¡°There¡¯s plenty work to go around. We¡¯re settled on your payment now, if you need a place to store the sled, you can put it by the boxes in the yard. I¡¯ve got to find the Jarl now, but we¡¯ve some things to talk about after you¡¯ve rested.¡± Jorman left me to my own devices. It was still early afternoon, so I settled for getting my new living arrangements together through the rest of the day.

 Chapter Four: Damnable Windows, Favors Returned

    By the time I¡¯d gotten settled in, the sun was dipping below the horizon. Dinner was served with nightfall, and the guard shift changed. It was a comfortable place, at least compared to living on the ice in a tent. I was able to slip out of my armor, my jacket, my pants, and enjoy the fur covered bed. Right up until the windows struck me in the morning. They were damned persistent.

    [Alert: Overall Level Increased]

    [Level 3->5]

    [Reward: 2 Perk Points]

    [Advice: You have five unspent perk points. Spend them as soon as possible.]

    [Alert: Quest Completed!]

    [Quest: Safe Harbor]

    [Description: You have braved the ice, the snow, the beasts, and resolved the fate of the one who held you captive. You find yourself in good company, it is now time to make your mark.]

    [Reward: Ring of The Vigilant]

    [Item: Ring of The Vigilant]

    [Description: Black mages, night roamers, undead haunters beware! This ring increases the damage you deal to evil creatures, and protects you from their strikes.]

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Alert, alert, alert, alert, alert, when will it fucking end?

    The ring was silver with a golden jewel, inscriptions lined it, and it felt warm to the touch, like it had been left in the sun. I put it on my right hand while I pondered over the perks I¡¯d chosen. I¡¯d built off the skills I had, heavy armor, two handed weapons, sneaking, archery and smithing. The last was primarily for the weapon and armor maintenance I¡¯d be doing. My axe was no rifle, but it would have to do. I¡¯d looked for some that concerned perception, and come up with a few handy ones. I¡¯d need to get more of these points, somehow, someway. The level ups were tied to skill increases, I¡¯d figured that much after I got a level alert from working on my axe and gaining a point in smithing.

    The five perks I¡¯d chosen had been simple, direct upgrades. Plate Skin had increased the effectiveness of my armor somehow. It felt like it was fitted just a bit better, and seemed a bit sturdier when I wore it. The percentages and numbers were beyond me. What metric was it using? Armor points? Real, physical simulation of the steel? It was over my head and I didn¡¯t care for it.

    Marksman allowed me to burn the stamina bar for more accurate shots from a bow, which would be helpful once I got my hands on one. I¡¯d heard that hunting for meat and pelts was big business in Winterhold. Those brave enough to go out and hunt the dangerous game did fairly well for themselves. Mercenary work was another well paid job, the Jarl didn¡¯t have enough soldiers to keep the hold safe, because he didn¡¯t have the money to pay them, because the hold was too dangerous for most traders, because¡­

    It was a vicious feedback loop that the place was caught in. Criminals, bandits, rogue mages, monsters, all of them flourished in the poorly patrolled lands. That had been a key motivator for the two handed perk I¡¯d taken. Bleed Like a Lamb, so eloquently named, would cause my axe strikes to inflict horrible bleeds. Paired with the vial of blood poison I¡¯d only used a few drops of, it was a dangerous combination. Being that the cause of most of the problems, humans, could bleed, it seemed expedient.

    Traceless had been the sneaking perk I¡¯d selected, it would dampen the mark I left on the environment. It didn¡¯t specify how it would do that, just that it¡¯d be hard to tell if I had been through an area. It was more of a counter-intelligence perk than it was tactically useful, but battles don¡¯t win wars. Being hard to track was a prized skill in my former line of work, whatever it had been. Specific memories of that life were vague shadows, though my knowledge on the how of things seemed solid. Getting caught was equal to getting got. A faceless man had told me that, hunkered down in a muddy hole somewhere.

    Smithing was the outlier in my perk selections, it didn¡¯t have a direct combative or survival use. Rugged Works improved the quality of equipment that I forged or maintained, with the former gaining double the bonus. I didn¡¯t know my ass from my elbow in a proper blacksmith¡¯s shop, but maintenance was next to godliness. Another anonymous, oily faced man had told me that when I¡¯d bought my first car. I¡¯d repeated it, howled it, cursed it, and beaten it through the heads of dozens of men. Maybe I¡¯d remember some other useful maxims later.

    It was the dawn of a new day, and I had things to do after the barrage of windows ended. Breakfast was served for the guards going on duty, I got some scrambled eggs, hashed potatoes, and some sort of sweet roll. The food was agreeable to me, miles better than the dry rations I¡¯d been eating with Jurger. Food seemed to be expensive in Winterhold, a man had grumbled that he ate better on his guard duty than he did when he was free to work the rest of the year. That had led to my first idea for work.

    ¡°Rolvar, where would I go to buy a bow in town? And good steel arrow heads too.¡± I asked the guard I knew best.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have an arms shop, the last blacksmith packed up his trade in the summer. Birna would be your best bet. Her store is the two story building down the road. She¡¯ll be open by the time breakfast is finished. Failing that, you might take one from the armory. We have more arms than hands. Ask Jorman.¡± That drew a morbid chuckle from the guards.

    I followed the advice. An hour later I had a decent war bow, a quiver of sharp steel arrows, and two hundred coins spent. My next question of Rolvar, he was guarding the Longhouse today, was who to talk with about joining a hunting party.

    ¡°Galteir. He¡¯s a fur trader, hunters usually stop by his tannery¡­ Oh, you should go see him now. He spoke of wanting to meet the man who brought his son back to him. He¡¯ll find work for you.¡± Rolvar sent me off. Galteir¡¯s tannery was outside the town, and downwind. The reek of piss and quicklime was almost unbearable, Karliene did not seem happy with our first outing.

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    ¡°Go on girl, you can hang around upwind, I know this must be awful.¡± I cocked my head back up the road. The dog didn¡¯t wait. There were workers moving about, it seemed the days labors had already started. One of the men stopped me.

    ¡°Can I help you stranger?¡± He eyed the armor, bow, and axe I was carrying.

    ¡°My name is Johannes. I was the one that brought Olam¡¯s body back. Galteir sent word that he wanted to speak with me.¡± That changed his expression.

    ¡°Come with me, Galteir¡¯s in the house.¡± He led me back up the road, and to a hill overlooking the tannery, upwind of course. He knocked on the door and opened it.

    ¡°Galteir, Johannes is here, the man that¡ª¡± A second voice cut in.

    ¡°I know his name. Come in Johannes, sit with me.¡± An older voice called out. I headed inside, the tannery worker left us. The house was well furnished, and seemed to be in good repair. There was a large hearth and several fine chairs in front of it, one occupied by a grey haired man with a tankard in hand.

    ¡°Sit, sit. Riga, ale for our guest.¡± He looked into an adjoining room, there was a girl there, well dressed, golden hair, a deceptively slight build. She looked like Olam and the older man, and she wasn¡¯t a girl, but a woman, somewhere around twenty.

    ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t make a special fuss for me sir.¡± I didn¡¯t plan on drinking so early.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t special, it¡¯s deserved. You¡¯ve done a good thing for my son. I heard that you wouldn¡¯t let that monster turn him. My son goes to Sovngarde because of you. The undead have their souls broken, or so the stories go. You¡¯ve brought me back the amulet I gave him the day he joined the Jarl¡¯s guard, and for that I have something to remember his time here.¡± I looked to his left hand, the amulet was held in a tight grip. Riga brought a tankard from the kitchen.

    ¡°Thank you Riga. I¡¯m glad I was able to give some closure. A drink to his memory then?¡± I raised my tankard. Galteir nodded, and drained the last of his. My tankard was mercifully light, but I made a show of taking a very long drink, despite making only one real gulp.

    ¡°I was told that you killed a troll, probably the same troll that killed my son. Are you a beast hunter?¡± He gestured at my armor and the weapons I¡¯d leaned against the chair.

    ¡°Truthfully, I do not know. My memory is spotty, I was half dead and then clubbed over the head before I woke up in the mage¡¯s cave. Some things have come to me, others are fragments. I think I was some sort of hunter, but I don¡¯t know what kind. That¡¯s part of why I¡¯ve come to you.¡± He was the man that made the money with hunters after all.

    ¡°I can get work for you. A younger party is coming shortly for a job, they¡¯d do well to have a more experienced man with them. Your memories will return, I¡¯ve known men to lose themselves after a blow to the head. Time will heal it. Tell me, do you remember what a Horker is?¡± The man asked, tankard put aside. He was drunk, but seemed ready to talk business. An image of a large, ugly seal crossed my mind.

    ¡°Seals, they live along the coastline, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, and they make for good eating, good skins, and fine bones for crafts. We use every part of the animal here. That warbow of yours will kill a horker with a clean shot to the lungs, just don¡¯t let them get back to the water, and mind that they can fight back. I need five horkers to fill an order from the Windhelm docks at the end of the month. That means I need all five by the end of the week to get the skins treated for sailing clothes. I¡¯ll pay you well, a hundred coins for each. There¡¯ll be more jobs from the docks if we do this one right.¡± Galteir put his hand out. I shook it.

    ¡°Thank you for the work, we¡¯ll get those seals for you.¡± It seemed the deal was made.

    ¡°One last thing, don¡¯t tell the boys how much I¡¯m paying you. They think fifty coins each for a seal is a good deal, and it is, but they¡¯ll be upset if they see your pay sack is heavier.¡± Galteir winked to me.

    ¡°Understood, it¡¯s our business, not theirs.¡± I agreed. Now the pressure was on, I couldn¡¯t screw this up. Hunting an animal I¡¯d never actually seen before, what could go wrong?

    The two boys, twins, arrived a while later. They looked to be near twenty, but not a day older. Galteir gave them loose directions, the specifics of the size we needed, and the due date. I¡¯d not thought much about what Galteir had meant by end of the week, it turned out that was four days.

    ¡°C¡¯mon boys, no time to waste then.¡± I¡¯d stood from my seat when the real time table was explained. Galteir clapped his hands.

    ¡°You could learn something from this one. Take good care of him. Out with you, get on!¡± The older man shooed us out the door. There was a mule cart waiting outside the house. I heard a door open from the house again before we¡¯d gone far. It was Riga standing on the balcony.

    ¡°Hey! Good luck, be careful.¡± She called awkwardly, like she hadn¡¯t really thought it through.

    ¡°Thanks, we¡¯ll keep our eyes open Riga!¡± One of the twins waved to her. She looked nervous, but smiled and went back inside.

    ¡°So, your names?¡± I looked to the boys as we made our way to the road.

    ¡°Angven and Anglin.¡± They spoke as one.

    ¡°Great, that won¡¯t get confusing at all. Johannes. How far is it to the beach he mentioned?¡±

    ¡°A few hours by road, a day the safe way.¡± One of them spoke.

    ¡°What¡¯s the danger on the road?¡±

    ¡°Bandits, bears, wolves, cats, corpses, mages, wraiths, elves, monsters, ghosts, just to name a few.¡± That wasn¡¯t good.

    ¡°What are the most likely dangers on the roads then?¡±

    ¡°Bandits, wolves, and wraiths. Wolves are bigger problem on the way back with the blood on the wind. The mule can pull two horkers, we¡¯d need to make the trip three times, so¡­¡± The safe way wasn¡¯t an option.

    ¡°Two times, does anyone sell working dogs around here? Sled dogs?¡± I thought to the sled I¡¯d inherited and offloaded.

    ¡°Wolfbite raises the Jarl¡¯s dogs, raises working beasts on his own land.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. We¡¯re going to head back to the Jarl¡¯s longhouse and collect my sled. Two dogs should be able to pull a horker on it. Let¡¯s get it moving.¡± The trip wasn¡¯t long, and Karliene met us on the way. She¡¯d had a hare in her jaws, intact.

    ¡°Good girl! Look at that, you¡¯re a real killer aren¡¯t you?¡± I¡¯d taken the rabbit from her, much to the awe of the two boys.

    ¡°Why¡¯d she bring that to you? She¡¯s one of the Jarl¡¯s dogs.¡± They were both admiring her.

    ¡°A reward for bringing the mage in. She¡¯s mine now.¡± I gave her a scratch as she leapt into the back of the cart.

    ¡°A fine prize, those hounds sell for quite the sum.¡± Angven commented as we approached the town.

    ¡°How much? I didn¡¯t think to ask.¡±

    ¡°Four hundred pieces was the price Wolfbite gave us for one of the usual stock. Six hundred for a prize pup. Which is she?¡± Anglin followed.

    ¡°That is quite the price.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Mind your self before you mind others.¡± I didn¡¯t give them an answer, a huff ended the conversation. We had the sled loaded, and a note from Wolfbite twenty minutes later. He¡¯d given me a good price for two strong dogs, the harnesses for three. Karliene wasn¡¯t especially trained for sledding, but he¡¯d assured me that she was smart enough, and trained enough, that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    Wolfbite¡¯s home was on the outskirts of the town, and fairly obvious from the large barn behind the two floor house. A young man was working with a dog team in the back, while two younger children watched.

    ¡°Virgun? Wolfbite sent me to collect two dogs, I¡¯ve got a bill of sale here.¡± I announced my self to him. The man turned to look at me, nodded, and whistled a long, sharp note, followed by two short ones. Six dogs ran out of the barn, they were also large, but not nearly the size of Karliene.

    ¡°Take your pick, they¡¯re all able. The different colored collars are different blood lines, if you have an interest in raising a few yourself later on.¡± Virgun seemed disinterested. I picked the two dogs that were watching me the closest. Virgun hooked them up to my sled, and put Karliene in the lead. It seemed simple enough to mount the harnesses, but I had plenty to learn, so I watched carefully.

    ¡°They won¡¯t scare, but they¡¯re trained to avoid troll scent. If they start pulling away from where you want them to go, trust them. They can outrun a troll, even with a sled loaded a hundred pounds to a dog. Trolls tire out on the run.¡± Virgun advised.

    ¡°Understood, thanks for that. Anything else I should know?¡± I looked them over.

    ¡°Biter bites when he¡¯s excited.¡± He pointed to the blue collared dog. I thanked him again, and we were off. If I had any luck at all, we¡¯d come back with something.

 Chapter Five: Bloody Beach

    I stayed with the dog sled on the trip, It was a challenge to keep the dogs from running too far ahead of the mule cart. Karliene was a beast, and the other two dogs weren¡¯t slouches either. In my mind it didn¡¯t seem like three dogs, two dogs and a wolf really, should be able to pull so much weight so quickly, for so long. The mule cart kept the pace behind us for the first two hours, till the mule slowed to a walk. The dogs didn¡¯t want to slow down, but a yell to Karliene forced the issue.

    ¡°What¡¯s the hold up with the mule? Stubborn or tired?¡± I asked once they¡¯d caught up to the dogs.

    ¡°Tired. We pushed him to keep up with you. We¡¯re almost to our camp, see the rocks there on the cliff?¡± Angven pointed.

    ¡°I see it. you¡¯re tucked into them?¡±

    ¡°On the small rise under them. Keeps us out of the wind. The horker beach is just down from the rocks, there¡¯s a goat path we can use for most of the way, we¡¯ve strung ropes off the side to haul the kills to the top.¡± That set off alarm bells in my head.

    ¡°What about the blood? Wouldn¡¯t that smear the section when you haul them up?¡±

    ¡°We bleed them in the surf, the beach is rocky so it washes away pretty quick, just don¡¯t go deeper than your ankles, or the slaughterfish will take a chunk.¡± Anglin eased that particular fear.

    ¡°Do you do any processing at the camp? Skinning, gutting, butchery?¡±

    ¡°No, not here. The beach isn¡¯t just our hunting ground. Trolls and bears come around sometimes. The dogs will smell them before that¡¯s a problem.¡± Angven seemed happy with himself.

    ¡°Not always. Keep checking your downwind, bears are smart enough to come at you that way. Trolls probably are too. You take the lead, I¡¯ll follow you in.¡± I let them pass ahead.

    They¡¯d chosen a pretty good position with the rise. It was far enough from the cliffs that they didn¡¯t have to worry about something climbing down directly on them, but close enough to stay in the wind shadow. The mule settled in to a pile of frosty hay while one of the brothers got a fire going.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take Karliene and get a look at the beach, see if the horkers are around. Watch after the sled dogs.¡± I spoke quietly. My mind was shifting to the task, just as it had done before I¡¯d taken down Bonin.

    ¡°We¡¯ll keep them close around here. The fire ought to keep most of the predators away. We¡¯ll be along behind you in a moment.¡± The twins waved me on. My armor wasn¡¯t great for sneaking around, but my cloak would at least keep the reflections to a minimum. I found the ropes for pulling up the kills, and a good vantage point beside them.

    The beach was pebbly black stone, ice and salty surf. It seemed like our first day was going to come up dry, until I saw one of the lumpy grey rocks move. I¡¯d been looking at the beach for a solid five minutes, and hadn¡¯t realized that every single one of the big boulders was a horker. There were dozens of them. A low growl sounded beside me as Karliene locked on to the seal flopping in the surf.

    ¡°Easy girl, keep it low and slow. We¡¯ll get you a tasty treat. C¡¯mon.¡± I slid back off the rock, only to jump out of my damn skin. Angven was inches behind me. It took all of my willpower not to put a hook into his temple.

    ¡°Damn it boy! Don¡¯t do that.¡± I suppressed the shout.

    ¡°Thought you were some sort of master hunter, that¡¯s why old Galteir sent you along, right?¡± Angven whispered.

    ¡°He sent me along to keep you boys in check.¡± I growled at them both. Anglin was a few feet farther away.

    ¡°Horker¡¯s can¡¯t see worth a damn you know, it¡¯s noise that spooks them. How good of a shot are you with that bow?¡± Anglin smirked.

    ¡°We¡¯ll find out, won¡¯t we?¡± The fact they¡¯d managed to sneak up on me wasn¡¯t exactly surprising, they were young, light, and practiced hunters. It was the fact that they¡¯d snuck up on Karliene too that really got me. The dog had bristled and growled at them the second she saw them, probably as close as I was to pouncing.

    ¡°If you¡¯re good enough, we can take three at once, otherwise we¡¯ll take two. The horkers well scatter as soon as one gets hit. We want the ones farthest from the surf, that way if there¡¯s a bad shot, we can chase them down to finish it before they hit the water. It¡¯s lost if it gets out to the water bleeding, Slaughterfish and Ice Fin will be on it in seconds.¡± Angven ignored my snide remark. I was starting to think that Galteir had lied to me about why he¡¯d sent me out with the boys.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to let fifty pieces slip away for a bunch of fish to eat, sounds like you two have a firm plan. I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll hit a kill shot, but I can chase them down with my axe.¡± I nodded along.

    ¡°Fifty pieces? Try two hundred.¡± Anglin shook his head, only to catch an elbow from Angven. Bingo.

    ¡°Two hundred all together I mean, he pays us a bit more because we have the wagon to keep up with. Seventy five.¡± Anglin was quick on the uptake. I laughed.

    ¡°That¡¯s why he sent me along. You could learn a thing or two from me.¡± I shot a wink to Angven. The boy realized he¡¯d been had, he was the smarter one so far.

    ¡°How hard would it be to sneak up on one that has its back turned to the trail, like that big one there? If you can put arrows into two of them, that¡¯d give me a small running start before I hit the beach to get him. We¡¯re three for three if I put my axe in its neck.¡± I tried to work around my unproven archery skills. I knew I¡¯d shot before, and well, but this was big business, and I didn¡¯t want to take the risk.

    ¡°They¡¯re slow, it¡¯d take the big one twenty seconds to hit the surf, twenty five before he¡¯s gone. That¡¯s a bull though, I wouldn¡¯t tangle with him if you miss your first swing or he turns around. Your risk.¡± Angven offered.

    ¡°Can¡¯t be as dangerous as a troll. I fought one of them and lived.¡±

    ¡°Not nearly, but don¡¯t underestimate him. That one¡¯s got to be five hundred pounds, he¡¯ll break your leg like a twig. Father almost died that way a few years ago, he hit a bull with three arrows and came in to kill it with a spear. It reared up and knocked him over, he was able to break its head with his axe.¡± I took the words seriously. If a veteran hunter could be played by a bull, I¡¯d do best to watch my self.

    ¡°How about one of the smaller ones? Would an arrow slow it down enough for me to catch if you two land a second shot?¡± I looked to the smaller seals around the bull.

    ¡°Maybe, but those are his ladies. He¡¯s just as likely to stand and fight for them. Go for the bull, just be careful. You see the rocks there? You can climb down, the hand holds are solid, then we¡¯ll whistle when the shooting starts. You take off running the second our arrows land.¡± Angven settled our plan. The rocky point he suggested was well positioned. I¡¯d be able to hit the beach twenty yards from the bull, and if it turned, I could break off for the goat trail. Karliene was waiting with me, she had skipped climbing and leapt down with the grace of a leopard.

    ¡°Easy girl, just a bit longer¡ª¡± There was a whistle like a sea bird ¡°¡ªReady, ready, now!¡± We both leapt down onto the rock as two horkers flinched, snorting and flopping in sudden pain. The bull must have been sleeping, because he was slow to rise. I¡¯d gotten within ten yards by the time he turned and saw me. He hesitated, flopped forwards once, and then started spinning to face me.

    ¡°Karliene get his tail!¡± I ducked left, my dog went right. It confused the bull, but he settled for me. I slid to a stop as the bull reared, bellowing a war cry with his charge. I played hop-scotch left and right, giving ground as I went, to force the bull to turn slightly with each hop. Once I set the rhythm, I faked a long hop to the left. The Bull fell for it, putting his full force into a right turn. His tusky mouth came down, expecting to bite into my leg. My axe swung from high over my right shoulder, down for the back of his neck. It connected, a bright arterial spray fanned out and wetted my face. Karliene was coming around for a bite, but heeled instantly at my unconscious hand sign.

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    ¡°Easy girl, he¡¯s down for the count.¡± The dog turned to look at the other horkers.

    ¡°Johannes! Left side, flopper!¡± One of the twins yelled from up in the rocks. My eyes tracked to a female seal crawling to the surf, a long trail of crimson following.

    ¡°Karliene, get her! Quick!¡± I pointed to the wounded seal. The wolf didn¡¯t need a second command, we were both kicking up pebbles in the race for our prize. The wolf got to the seal first, clamping down on a flipper and dragging the wounded girl backwards. I was a few seconds behind, axe raised, slash. The horker¡¯s entire head came off, bouncing down the beach. Karliene gave one last shake to the corpse before releasing it. The twins were down a few minutes later.

    ¡°That¡¯s why Galteir sent you, by the divines you ought to be a companion! I¡¯ve never seen a horker lose its whole head, you nearly took the bull¡¯s off too.¡± Angven clapped me on the back with a big smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m a better warrior than a hunter, but the skills overlap sometimes.¡± I beamed back at him. It was the work of an hour to drag the three seals to the ropes after we bled them out. The boys had the center rope tied like a noose, the horkers apparently had bones in their tail flippers that would snag well. The forwards flippers got hooks, and then the mule would draw the body up the side. It was all streamlined quite well, the boys had obviously gotten it down to a science.

    Loading the horkers onto the mule cart was harder, they had to be half rolled, half pulled in by hand. The mule had to stay linked up to the cart as a counterweight, otherwise it would tip over. The job to load the bodies up took two hours, and the sun had started to dip.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to make fast time to beat the sun, is it worth the risk of traveling in the dark?¡± I guessed we had four hours.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make it, so long as nothing hungry stops us on the way back. Wolves will smell these kills for miles. Trolls too. Fire won¡¯t mean a damn thing if we stay here overnight.¡± Anglin nodded, but his pace had picked up as he realized how low the sun had gotten. The bull and one female went into the cart. The other female, the one I¡¯d beheaded, was tied down to the dog sled much more quickly.

    ¡°Take the mule cart in front, set the pace with the mule.¡± I called over to the twins. Anglin had the reins, Angven had an arrow knocked on his bow.

    ¡°Keep close, wolves will try to separate us if a pack comes sniffing.¡± Anglin warned. All the friendly banter and small talk I¡¯d seen them make on the first trip was gone, each one of them strung like razor wire as we headed back for the town.

    I¡¯d thought that the landscape had a sort of austere beauty on the ride out to the beach, but now I saw that for what it was. The ice plains, the rocks, the clear blue sky, the mountain foothills and the frosted peaks in the distance, it was all a siren song for the unwary traveler. It wasn¡¯t a scenic vista to enjoy, it was a lure, a distraction. Every depression and snow drift could hide a wolf pack, every ice slick stone a troll, every small clutch of trees a gang of bandit archers.

    It was that last realization that spoiled the ambush. Someone had been poor in their camouflage discipline, a glinting bit of steel caught out from the pines concealing the owner.

    ¡°Archers in the trees!¡± I called the warning. Angven saw it immediately, loosing his own arrow before the bandits could. A scream pierced the quiet, a writhing body fell into the snow with an arrow stuck in its chest. A cry rose up from the right side, bandits under white tarps leapt out of the snow, one of them hurled a javelin at me. Something possessed me to turn ever so slightly, changing the point of impact from my neck to my steel plated shoulders. The javelin skipped off with a spark, sailing off into the snow beyond.

    Karliene picked up the pace after that first javelin, outrunning what I¡¯d thought possible. The sled, my self, and the horker attached had to be nearly five hundred pounds. We were flying across the snow all the same, straight for the bandits.

    ¡°Karliene no! Left!¡± It was no use, the dog had been trained for battle, and battle had come knocking. I pulled my axe off the sled and got ready to jump. The lead bandit faltered as he realized what was happening, a massive warhound barreling down on him. He tried to turn away, bravery a distant memory, but Karliene ran him down like, well like a hound. He was still shrieking when my feet hit the snow at a sprint, a second bandit was trying to blindside Karliene.

    ¡°Hey fucker! Catch!¡± I hurled my mace at him, and caught him full force in the side of the head with it. He stumbled with the hit, he hadn¡¯t managed to find his feet by the time I was on him. My plated boot drove the air out of his lungs just as he got to his knees. He flopped back into the snow, feebly trying to raise a sword. Fighting from your back gives pretty terrible leverage, as the man learned when my axe crushed through his guard. He made an awful gargling noise while I levered my axe back out of his ribs.

    ¡°Karliene? You still with me girl?¡± I turned to look for the wolf. She¡¯d moved on from the first bandit, circling a pair of of them now with the sled and all. She was playing a very dangerous game, getting close enough for the spearman to make a jab, but far enough to dodge away. I¡¯d closed to ten yards when the spearman caught an arrow in the head, he dropped dead on the spot. I let out a howl just before I got in range of the second bandit. He panicked, lashing out with a wild strike at neck height. I planted both feet on my last bound, ducked, and exploded up into him with my shoulder. The hungry looking bandit folded like wet paper, tumbling into the snow. He was rolling with the point of my pole axe in his neck before he¡¯d had the chance to realize he was dead. A second thrust into his chest settled the matter.

    ¡°Johannes! Are you alright?¡± It was Anglin, driving the mule cart back around. Angven was slumped over next to him, his hand holding an arrow in his chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Stop the cart! Karliene, here girl, over here!¡± I whistled at the dog. She came around without hesitation, the sled leaving a bloody track from where it had crossed a blood pool. My ruck had an assortment of potions in it, I pulled the two we¡¯d need and leapt up the side of the cart.

    ¡°How bad is it Angven? You with me boy?¡± I patted him on the cheek. He groaned, but there was a lake of blood at his feet. The arrow had landed just above the heart.

    ¡°Anglin, hold him tight, he¡¯s going to buck when I do this.¡± I set the potions down and went for the knife on my belt. The arrow had gone through his vest, taking it off wasn¡¯t an option. I put a slice in the back of his vest, a long one, and then another in the shirt.

    ¡°Johannes, what are you doing?! He¡¯ll freeze!¡± Anglin shouted.

    ¡°That arrow is lodged in his aorta, he¡¯ll bleed to death before he freezes, now hold him tight.¡± I took hold of the arrow, and forced it the rest of the way through. Angven seized up, then started twitching as a more blood came out with every heartbeat.

    ¡°Snap the flights off! Quick!¡± I pointed the the feathered end of the arrow. I pulled the rest of the arrow out through the back and took up the healing potion. Angven wasn¡¯t dead till he stopped breathing, so hopefully this worked. I dumped the potion into the arrow wound, it seemed to sizzle  before the blood flow was staunched.

    ¡°Hold his head back.¡± I tossed the empty vial and took up the larger potion bottle, pouring a small amount into Angven¡¯s mouth. He swallowed it, and stopped twitching a few moments later.

    ¡°Too close. You two need some sort of armor.¡± I corked the potion and looked over the small battlefield with a relieved sigh. Four bandits were feathered with arrows around the trees, four were dead in the snow where Karliene and I had fought.

    ¡°Damned bandits.¡± Grumbled Angven. Some color had come back to his face. I took off my cloak and forced the semi-lucid hunter forwards to wrap it over his shoulders.

    ¡°Angven? Are you feeling alright?¡± His brother asked.

    ¡°Alive. Cold.¡± He muttered.

    ¡°Get going, I¡¯ll check over these bodies. Freezing is the problem now.¡± I took up my potion bottle and leapt down. Anglin nodded and called after me.

    ¡°Take their hands, bandits are worth a hundred pieces!¡± With that, he turned the cart and drove the mule forwards with a hard crack on the reins.

    My first check would be on the ones Karliene and I had killed. I scrounged up weapons, coins, and a few ill-gotten gains in packs that had been left in the depression they¡¯d risen from. There were silver rings, necklaces, pendants, among other things. It all went into my ruck, except for the hands. Those went into one of the smaller bags I¡¯d lifted. The archers were more of the same, though two of them had quivers full of steel headed arrows. It was the last bandit I checked that turned my head. He was the only one that had been wearing real armor, a chainmail shirt that had lost the fight against Angven¡¯s arrows.

    He had a pouch on him, full of coins, gemstones, rings, and a rolled piece of paper. The writing was exceedingly well formed, more so than I¡¯d expect from a bandit.

    Black Tooth, take your band out to the west road, a caravan will be coming from Dawnstar with metal. You had better keep to our deal, If I catch you skimming again, I will add your body to the corpse parade. Meet at the usual place once you¡¯ve taken the wagon, no later than 21 Evening Star. Do not disappoint me again.

    -Merkin

    That warranted investigation, but I¡¯d leave it to the Jarl. The chance to kill a bandit boss, an educated one, was too good to pass up. I tucked the note into a pouch on my belt before taking up my place on the dog sled. Anglin¡¯s cart was a dot off in the distance, and we had time to make up after the interruption.

    ¡°Come on girl, you can really let loose now. Mush! Yaw! Giddy up!¡± I drummed my hand on the sled. She looked back at me for a moment, as if to ask ¡®Really? You REALLY mean that?¡¯ before she took off. Even with all the added weight, the dogs were fast. I needed more dogs like Karliene.

    The jingling from my ruck assured that I could afford it, as did the leather sack of hands. Winterhold was a hell of a place. Some part of my mind relished in the savagery, a part from my older life. Wild Winterhold wasn¡¯t the place for those thoughts, the ice still held dangers.

 Chapter Six: Grim Tidings

    We made it back to Galteir¡¯s tannery just as the sun touched the horizon. The workers had already gone home, save for two men who lived in Galteir¡¯s house. They helped us unload the horkers into what was basically a meat locker, an uninsulated stone box with iron banded doors. They¡¯d explained it was to keep the trolls and bandits out. Galteir paid us for the horkers, laughing as he¡¯d heard the story of the beheaded one. I¡¯d asked the twins to keep the bandit ambush quiet until we spoke with the Jarl, thankfully nobody noticed the arrow hole in Angven¡¯s vest or that the blood on it was his own.

    The guards were all eating in the hall by the time I¡¯d put my dogs away in the stable and made it inside, the twins following along. Rolvar tried to flag me down, but I waved him off as I made for the Jarl¡¯s table.

    ¡°Jarl Korir, Jorman, I have something that you should know. I¡¯m sorry to interrupt your dinner, but could we speak somewhere?¡± I tried to be discrete, but all the guards had their eyes glued to me anyways.

    ¡°Johannes, certainly. Come.¡± He waved me to follow through a set of double doors behind the table. It turned out to be his own quarters, a living room of sorts.

    ¡°What is it Johannes? Something to add about the black mage? We¡¯ve already had him hung and burned.¡± Korir chuckled. It would have been more merciful for me to have killed Jurger while he was unconscious.

    ¡°No Jarl, I don¡¯t think he had anything to do with this. I went on a hunt with Anglin and Angven, out to the west¡ª¡± Angven interjected.

    ¡°We went along the road to Dawnstar, through the pass to Blackstone Beach, hunting for horkers.¡± He gave me an apologetic look.

    ¡°¡ªright, on the way back, we were ambushed by bandits. There were eight of them, led by a man named Black Tooth. We won obviously, but Angven here was almost killed. He would have been if I hadn¡¯t brought healing potions. I found this note on Black Tooth, he had orders to ambush a metal caravan from someone named Merkin.¡± I offered the note to the Jarl. He took it and read quickly. He handed it to Jorman after, and had a whispered conversation.

    ¡°A new day, a new service. It was good of you to bring this to me. You two. Angven, Anglin, you¡¯d do best to keep this to yourselves. Johannes, do you have proof of their number?¡± He eyed the smaller leather bag I was holding. I offered it to Jorman. He opened it, counted softly.

    ¡°Eight hands Jarl, as he said.¡± Jorman nodded to me.

    ¡°Not four pairs?¡± Korir grinned when Jorman had to check again.

    ¡°Eight right hands, Jarl.¡± The housecarl smiled.

    ¡°Excellent. That makes for seven hundred pieces for the rank and file, this Black Tooth has a standing bounty, I put it out on him several weeks ago. Jorman, go see to the treasury, and pull three purses for these men, five hundred pieces each. You were planning an even split?¡± Jarl Korir looked for affirmation, quick glances were exchanged.

    ¡°Johannes saved my life, those potions aren¡¯t cheap, or easy to come by Jarl. My brother and I will take four hundred each, the rest is due to Johannes.¡± Angven spoke.

    ¡°Then the debt between the two of you is settled. Clever boy, very clever. Go on Jorman. As I said you two, keep this quiet until you hear me make an announcement. These bandits almost certainly have someone in town feeding them information. We need a plan to deal with this scourge Merkin.¡± Jarl Korir leveled an imposing stare at the two before turning to me.

    ¡°Johannes, you have done me a great service with this, and I¡¯d ask you do another. You¡¯ve proven yourself an able warrior, and a thorough investigator. I¡¯d like for you to help me resolve this situation. My guards are spread thin, there just aren¡¯t enough men to raise more than the minimum to keep the town safe. You¡¯re a stranger here, your face won¡¯t be known as one of my retainers. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say for now.¡± Jarl Korir eyed the two boys.

    ¡°I could do with killing a few bandits. Thieves and murderers deserve a short meeting with a long rope.¡± I bowed my head.

    ¡°A man after my own heart. I¡¯ll send one of my servants for you in a few days. Your pay.¡± The Jarl gestured to Jorman, the man was loaded down with large sacks of coins. A brief thought of how much money the Jarl had crossed my mind, there was a good chance that he¡¯d paid me a sizable chunk of the tax he collected this month, if not more. We put our pay away into our bags, and were ushered out back to the hall. Angven and Anglin got a free meal, and said they¡¯d be ready for work just after first light in the morning.

    Rolvar and some of the other guards tried to get us to spill the scoop for them, but all three of us kept quiet. Instead, we told the story of our horker hunt. That got enough laughs that the guards forgot about the strange meeting with the Jarl, for now. After dinner, I went to my barracks room and crashed. The fatigue of a long day hit me all at once, and I was sound asleep before I knew it.

    The next day was less exciting. Nothing interrupted our hunt, and we were back to the tannery with three horkers just after noon. Galteir promised more work in the coming weeks, he was expecting to need elk hides for a regular client. The pay wouldn¡¯t be as good, but that was hardly a problem. I counted out my coins after a long, painstaking effort, and came to a total of seventeen hundred and change, plus my cut of the jewelry and trinkets from the bandits. The twins were holding onto the bandit weapons we¡¯d taken, keeping them out of sight till the Jarl¡¯s announcement.

    I decided to relax for the next few days, spending time in the tavern, practicing my archery with the twins, and anxiously awaiting a summons. The twins had a house near the college, close to the cliffside. It had obviously been rebuilt from a ruin at some point, the stone of the foundation was mis-matched and the architecture didn¡¯t match with the older buildings. Their family was a large one. Their father spent his time as a tailor, his leg had never healed right, with his wife and daughters to help. They were pleasant enough, the twins had apparently sung my praises without giving anything away. Their father had tried to corner me for answers about his son¡¯s blood soaked vest. The boys had stonewalled him with a simple ¡®Jarl¡¯s Orders¡¯ excuse. I told him the same, but that he¡¯d know in time.

    The old hunter hadn¡¯t liked my answer, but stopped pressing me afterwards. Others in town were more insistent with their questions on other subjects. The time I¡¯d spent in the tavern had introduced me to a fair few people, most of them excited to meet the man who brought the necromancer to justice. Others had different purposes.

    ¡°Johannes was it?¡± A robed figure came to sit at the table with the twins and I. He was about my age by the looks of it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, yourself?¡± I looked him over, he didn¡¯t strike me as the usual tavern patron. He was too clean, and carried himself with a silent arrogance that showed in his eyes.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Jori, I¡¯m a mage of the college. I wanted to speak with you about the things Mirabelle has been reading. In private, if we could.¡± He made a pointed look at the twins.

    ¡°Go on boys, go bother those pretty girls you¡¯ve been looking at.¡± I waved the two of them off. Anglin and Angven shrugged, and did exactly as I¡¯d suggested. Jori cleared his throat.

    ¡°Do you know anything of magic? Anything beyond the normal rumors and wives tales?¡± Jori asked.

    ¡°I might have before, but I took a blow to the head. Everything before the blizzard a couple weeks ago is a mess. I know some things about spells, but nothing more.¡± It was an honest answer.

    ¡°I see, then I¡¯ll keep this simple. Jurger was playing at some very, very dangerous magic. He wasn¡¯t like the other necromancers, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that what he was doing¡­ It was heinous. Despite his goals to help solve murders and provide a last goodbye for the dead, the magic he was using doesn¡¯t work that way. The powers that govern the undead are cruel, fickle, and greedy. Jurger¡¯s work would have solved murders, surely, but it also sentenced the souls of the murdered to an eternity of suffering. You did the right thing to turn his journals over. I just thought that I¡¯d warn you, in case you had taken a peek into his study. I wouldn¡¯t use his magic against the worst, most awful enemy. Nothing a person does in this life warrants such a punishment.¡± Jori was deathly serious. What little guilt I felt over Jurger¡¯s fate vanished. I¡¯d been right to burn his cave.

    ¡°So what of the journals? Destroyed, locked up?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Best that you don¡¯t know for certain. Be careful on your travels. Word will spread of the man who had a necromancer hung, and it will frighten those who hide out in the ice. Those bastards have burned what small amount of good will that I and some others had built in the last few years.¡± Jori¡¯s face scrunched, cold fury emanating from his clenched fist.

    ¡°I noticed the locals don¡¯t seem to hold the College in good standings. Seems a bit odd when most of the money coming in and out of the hold is from traveling wizards.¡± I spoke quietly, hoping not to anger any locals that might overhear. Galteir and a few others ran successful businesses, but they were the exception. Most of the population was barely scraping by.

    ¡°Because they know the stories of the old Winterhold, before the collapse. This city used to be a competitor to Windhelm, Solitude, and White Run. Now it¡¯s barely a hamlet. The college can¡¯t survive without help from the locals, and the locals need the college, it¡¯s a shame that we find ourselves at odds.¡± Jori lamented. His words stirred something in my mind.

    ¡°The college, it¡¯s the only thing that survived the collapse. Hundreds of homes, the Jarl¡¯s palace, entire bloodlines of Winterhold fell into the sea, it killed hundreds, thousands even. You can¡¯t blame them for looking at the mages with suspicion, when the only other theory is about a volcanic eruption that happened years earlier. It wasn¡¯t an earthquake that dropped the city, it was the storms.¡± I didn¡¯t know where the knowledge was coming from, I¡¯d caught Jori off guard.

    ¡°You know your history well. You aren¡¯t a local though? They¡¯ve been calling you the stranger.¡± Jori¡¯s brow raised.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not a local. Someone would have recognized me if I was. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m from. There¡¯s flashes of my life, things I know, like what I just said about the college, that come back to me at random. The nearest I can tell, I was a bounty hunter, or an adventuring blade for hire. I think I knew magic, but¡­ it¡¯d be dangerous to try.¡± I had been working on a story to live by, memorizing it, doing my best to keep it consistent.

    ¡°It would be. That leads to something else I wanted to speak to you about. Do you know of the Vigilants? The followers of Stendarr, hunters of the evil and foul?¡± He asked. That tickled something.

    ¡°Vampire hunters? No, not just vampires. There¡¯s something there, tell me.¡± A feeling of admiration had joined the recollection of the faction, protectors of humanity from the evil and profane arts of magic.

    ¡°Vampires, werewolves, undead, daedra, and all other abominations that roam Tamriel. They¡¯ve only really found a foothold in Skyrim, but other orders like their own exist. The Knights of Stendarr are another, they fought bravely during the Oblivion Crisis. The Vigilants though, they¡¯ve been sending their members across all of the holds. I thought that perhaps you were one of their number.¡± Jori tried to jog more memories.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I was a Vigilant, but I do like the sound of them. Why don¡¯t they send a force here to hunt down the necromancers?¡± It seemed like Winterhold was in desperate need of their help.

    ¡°I first learned magic as a Vigilant, I walked the roads, purged beast and corpse. My wanderings led me here, where I decided to learn more of magic. The reason the Vigilants don¡¯t come in force, is because there aren¡¯t enough of them. The Reachmen conjure up daedra with their blood sacrifices, the ancient barrows of our ancestors hold all manner of cursed skeletons and draugr. There are rumors of¡­ A friend sent a letter to me some months ago, saying that two master vampires had been caught and killed, one in the Rift, one near Solitude. I¡¯ve heard more rumors of other covens appearing too. Keep that to yourself. The simple answer is that something is happening in Skyrim, and the forces of darkness have grown powerful.¡± Jori sounded exasperated with the last sentence. It must be disheartening for him, having fought the things.

    ¡°The Jarl here wants to fight back against the evils, why don¡¯t you try to arrange a meeting with someone senior in the Vigilants? I know the College isn¡¯t widely respected here, but you could approach him as a follower of Stendarr.¡± I suggested. The Jarl had been generous for my own act against a single necromancer, the Vigilants might find an ardent supporter with him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve tried. He says that he couldn¡¯t support a wide campaign against the necromancers while the bandits are raiding the roads.¡± Jori leaned in very close, a slightly conspiratorial look in his eyes.

    ¡°If you ask me, it isn¡¯t because he can¡¯t afford it. He¡¯s worried that this business between the Jarl of Windhelm and the High King Torygg will become an open war. If he spends his blood and treasure to fight the bandits and necromancers, he¡¯ll be caught out of position when the war comes. The people here need a victory though, otherwise the hold will die a slow death.¡± Jori jogged another memory.

    ¡°The Stormcloaks¡­ right. The Jarls will be building their strength now, trying to be ready. Must be like that all over the holds if the rumors you¡¯ve heard are true. How they expect to fight a war when their holds are overrun with bandits, demons, and corpses is beyond me.¡± It was grim tidings. More memories crossed my mind, ending with an awful, black scaled fiend.

    ¡°Alduin.¡± I whispered to my self. Jori¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°What was that? I didn¡¯t hear.¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I think the troubles for the people are only just starting. You should send a letter to your friends in the Vigilants. Prepare for a war of their own. If the holds do march on each other, there won¡¯t be anyone but you all to hunt down the wicked things.¡± There was a man that was already doing that, far to the south.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t the first to think that. There was a split in the ranks a few years ago, some of our best thought that the Vigilants weren¡¯t being aggressive enough. A man named Isran has made fools of the rest, even if his claims were baseless at the time.¡± Jori shrugged.

    ¡°Or he saw things that the rest of you didn¡¯t want to.¡± I countered. That annoyed Jori, but he didn¡¯t argue.

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll probably find my self on a horse to the Rift before long, rumor is that Isran is rebuilding an old fort. Care to join?¡± Jori let out a chuckle.

    ¡°I might, I¡¯d also like to learn some of the magic of the Vigilants, if you could make the time. Healing, righteous spells, protection from all these foul things roaming about. I can fight bandits and beasts, mages are hard to kill when they¡¯re lighting you on fire.¡± I grinned. Jori nodded.

    ¡°I have several projects to finish at the College, but by the new year I should have time. Speaking of, I have a lesson to attend soon, I got carried away in our conversation. Thank you for the time Johannes, it was good to speak with someone who wields knowledge as well as an axe.¡± Jori put his hand out. I shook it, and the mage left. The twins came around a few minutes later.

    ¡°What was all that about?¡± Anglin asked.

    ¡°Just a talk about the troubles of the world. Come on, we¡¯ve got more mead to drink.¡± I flagged down one of the serving girls. They¡¯d hassle me about it for the next few days, but Jori was right. Master vampires, daedra worshippers, undead, necromancers, the rumors would only spread more panic among the people. If the Jarl wouldn¡¯t help to hunt down the evils directly, it may be up to a merry band of freelancers. Dungeon diving was profitable, wasn¡¯t it?

    My plans would have to wait until after the business with the bandits was done. Making a name for my self in the hold would be a good step in the right direction. Having the backing of the Jarl would be even better. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t send his own guards along, but his money and his blessing would help all the same.

 Chapter Seven: Fox In The Hen House

    It was the seventeenth of the month, the beginning of a new week, when a servant knocked on my door. She was one of the kitchen girls, and very shy. I¡¯d tossed her a coin as thanks and made directly for the Jarl¡¯s quarters. Rolvar, Jorman, and a few other scarred men were gathered up. It seemed I was the last to arrive.

    ¡°Johannes, we¡¯ve worked up a plan. These men are my retainers, Gilgar Ironhand, Molnen of the Mountain, and Hemjar.¡± The Jarl introduced each man in turn. They all wore fine armor, and carried finer weapons.

    ¡°Just Hemjar?¡± I asked, trying to break the ice. That drew more than one laugh.

    ¡°He¡¯s earned too many titles to choose from, but my favorite is Pig Crusher. It is as funny a story as it sounds but now isn¡¯t the time. The guards are gathering everyone for my announcement of the dead bandits. I¡¯m sorry, but you won¡¯t be able to claim credit. I want you to go, get the twins you¡¯ve befriended, and set yourself on the hill to the south of the road.¡± Jarl Korir began, beckoning me towards the table they were gathered around.

    ¡°We expect that whoever the bandit¡¯s informant is will leave quickly once my announcement is made. I plan to make a grand oath of bringing the bandit gang to justice, that my personal guard will be leaving at dawn, that sort of thing. I¡¯ll be inviting the town to a feast in my hall to celebrate the capture of a wanted criminal and to spread well wishes with the guards. Nobody in this town would turn down a free meal from the Jarl, unless they had a pressing reason. Still, there may be innocent travelers, so we¡¯ve laid out some bait. Hemjar rode in under cloak, and tied an old, slow horse outside the tavern. With everyone in the longhouse, it would be a simple thing to steal the horse and make a quick escape in the dark.¡± Jarl Korir had a devious smile on his lips. It was infectious.

    ¡°You should be able to see the tavern from the hill, with the aid of this ring. A gift from Mirabelle, in return for the notes you provided.¡± The Jarl produced a ring from his belt.

    [Item: Ring of Night Sight]

    [Description: This ring provides excellent night vision to the wearer, much like a cat¡¯s eye. It still requires some light to function.]

    ¡°Our entire plan hinges on your success tonight, do you understand?¡± The Jarl asked seriously. I bowed my head.

    ¡°Yes Jarl, I¡¯ll take the spy alive, where do you want him delivered?¡± The savage part of my brain was positively salivating.

    ¡°Galteir¡¯s tannery, I understand he has a very sturdy warehouse for his carcasses, and plenty of tools for¡­¡± Jarl Korir let the point trail off, it didn¡¯t need to be said. A tannery had plenty of unpleasant things to supplement an enhanced interrogation.

    ¡°Understood Jarl, I¡¯ll get him for you.¡± I made a small bow.

    ¡°Go on, before the crowd arrives. I¡¯ve had Wolfbite harness your dogs already. Good luck.¡± Jarl Korir dismissed me. I was on my sled and headed out just as the first townspeople were walking towards the Jarl¡¯s longhouse. The twins were taking practice shots on the edge of town, it hadn¡¯t taken long to find them.

    ¡°Johannes, good to see you. Up for some archery, or¡­?¡± Angven eyed the dog sled.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s time for a hunt. Get on, I¡¯ll explain.¡± I patted the sled. It was large enough for the twins to sit in tandem on the front. We headed out to the road, diverted, and circled around back to the hill the Jarl had mentioned. It had a good view of the town, the road nestled between the mountain and the sea, a perfect point to observe.

    ¡°So we¡¯re looking for a bandit spy? What¡¯s your plan for catching him?¡± Angven asked as we settled in under a white tarp, a small window dug out from the snow drift we¡¯d chosen.

    ¡°The Jarl said that he left a lame horse in an easy to steal place. See the brown and white one by the tavern?¡± It was well off in the distance, but both the boys had hawk¡¯s eyes. They nodded.

    ¡°When that horse is stolen, if it¡¯s stolen, we¡¯ll have our man. Not many horses in Winterhold, so it¡¯s the best option for a spy needing a quick escape. The dogs are faster than the horse is, if they aren¡¯t, I¡¯ll set Karliene loose to kill it on her own. After we deal with the horse, we¡¯ll run the spy down and tie him up. Simple plan.¡± That assumed there was a bandit spy, and that the announcement would scare the informant the right way. Jarl Korir seemed sure that it would.

    We could see the crowd, and heard a distant roar of applause as the Jarl finished his speech. The doors to his hall opened just as the sun began to set. I slipped the night sight ring on once the sun had vanished, leaving one moon as sovereign in the night sky. That still bothered me, but I hadn¡¯t figured out a good way to ask about the moons without drawing odd looks. It was a bright night without the ring, the moon was almost full. With the ring, the whole place was lit up like the sun had never set.

    The moon rose half way to its height before anything of note happened. The horse was still tied to the tavern, and the streets were deserted aside from the odd drunken reveler stumbling home. It was two figures in black that caught my eye, in an alley between two houses. It was impossible to tell exactly what was happening, but one seemed to be on the receiving end of tongue lashing. The taller figure thrust something into the shorter one¡¯s hands, and pushed him away down the alley. I kept my eyes on the smaller one.

    ¡°Angven, can you see those two on the north side of town? One now, the tall man in black?¡± I kept my eyes roving for wherever the small man had made off too, he¡¯d  skirted around a line of houses.

    ¡°Barely, he¡¯s moving towards the tavern. You think that¡¯s our spy?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, I think he¡¯s the spy¡¯s handler. Anglin, far east side, on the outskirts, you see the small guy moving along the fence?¡± The small man re-appeared for a moment, following a low stone wall to a barn.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got him, he¡¯s gone inside Elkin¡¯s stable. Angven, how old is Elkin¡¯s son?¡±

    ¡°Fifteen or so I think, and he¡¯s still scrawny. Hey, the tall one is heading back to the Jarl¡¯s hall. Wait, no he¡¯s gone around the back.¡± Angven dug out a bit more of our snowy window. I looked, and saw the tall figure disappear behind the longhouse. Anglin hissed.

    ¡°The small one¡¯s taken a horse. Elkin¡¯s horses are fast, and his boy is a good rider if that¡¯s him.¡± That complicated things, but not much. Karliene was faster than a horse, and so were arrows. I whistled, Karliene brought the sled up, eager to get going after napping in the snow.

    ¡°Looks like he¡¯s going for it. We¡¯ll go down the back slope and shoot his horse out from under him if we have to. All aboard.¡± I climbed on the sled, the boys rolled up our tarp and hopped on too. They hadn¡¯t had any real arrows with them while they were practicing, but I kept a quiver of good steel heads in the chest I¡¯d tied to the sled.

    ¡°Shoot the horse only, we need the spy alive, whoever it is. It also might be Elkin¡¯s son, and I don¡¯t want to kill a town boy if we don¡¯t have to.¡± I warned the twins as we made our way down the south side of the hill, the road turned around a bend ahead, there was a clutch of trees we could use for cover. An idea occurred when I saw the trees.

    ¡°Got it, we can hit a horse easily.¡± Angven assured. The two twins took up a position in the trees while I rummaged around in my chest.

    ¡°Take this rope, tie it to that tree, about head height. Don¡¯t shoot unless the boy gets by us alright? We might be able to take him without hurting the horse. It isn¡¯t Elkin¡¯s fault that someone stole it.¡± I took the other end of the rope, and crossed the road in a shadow cast by the tall pines. There was another tree that I climbed quickly, till I was level with where the rope had been tied on the other side. It was about a minute before the coconut clopping noises of the horse came around the turn. The rider was dressed in black, with a thick fur cloak billowing behind him. He was driving the horse hard.

    One, Two, Three!

    I yanked the rope line taut, it flicked the horse in the eyes before bouncing off, and caught the rider in the neck. He crashed to the ground with a high pitched squeal, the horse whinnying in fright as it clomped off into the darkness. Anglin was in the road and on top of the rider before he had a chance to stand.

    ¡°You! You¡¯d better not move!¡± He was yelling, he punched the black figure once, then twice before I was beside him.

    ¡°Take his arms, get his arms! Oh shit wa£­¡± I saw the beginnings of magic forming in our would-be captive¡¯s hands, and pushed Anglin to the ground. A bolt of ice shot out, whistling over my head, then I could smell smoke. The Rider had gotten to his feet, right hand sheathed in ice, left in flames. He was turned slightly away from me, looking at Angven, the hunter had nocked an arrow and was about to loose it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him!¡± I yelled, drawing the rider¡¯s attention back to me just in time. He spun into my hook. Another ice spike had formed in his hand, and rather than dissipate with the caster¡¯s descent into blissful discombobulation, it shot out towards me. The spike shattered on my armor, spraying razor shards of ice in every direction. I felt a sting on my face as one cut my cheek, but otherwise I¡¯d survived it. The rider dropped hard for a second time, and didn¡¯t move again.

    ¡°Angven, Anglin, are we whole?¡± I looked to the twins. They seemed alright.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine, let¡¯s see who our spy is.¡± Anglin leaned down and pulled away the black cowl. Golden hair, a lean, small build, and eyes like Galteir¡¯s.

    ¡°Riga?¡± All three of us sputtered, confused.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°How in oblivion did she learn magic?¡± Angven asked quietly.

    ¡°Probably some mage at the tavern, or a book from Birna.¡± Anglin theorized.

    ¡°That man gave her something.¡± I started rifling through her pockets, and came away with a note a minute later, it¡¯d been hidden inside the folds of her jacket. The twins had looked awkwardly away when I¡¯d shoved my hand down the front of her shirt. It was strictly business, not pleasure.

    ¡°She¡¯s our gal. Jackpot here.¡± I waved the note to the boys. It¡¯d been a warning to Merkin that Blacktooth had been caught, and the Jarl¡¯s men were coming. The signature had been someone named Dark Eye.

    ¡°What do we do with her then?¡± Angven asked. I hadn¡¯t told them the next part of the plan, they didn¡¯t need to know.

    ¡°I take her to the Jarl. Go to the feast, if anyone asks where you¡¯ve been, tell them that you went out hunting for hares. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Oh. For the work tonight. The Jarl will probably pay you again, but that¡¯s from me, for coming at short notice.¡± I reached into my belt pouch, and pulled out a few mundane rings. The twins nodded gratefully, and started back up the road after we¡¯d tied Riga to the sled.

    Galteir¡¯s tannery was deserted, save for a lone man in armor, trying to stay out of sight. It was a good thing Rolvar hadn¡¯t been sent along to catch the spy, because he¡¯d chosen a place to hide that was in the shadows when the sun had been out, but was lit up like a bonfire in the moonlight.

    ¡°Rolvar, that¡¯s not a good place to hide. The moon is out. Your helmet is shining.¡± I chuckled at him. The guard muttered a curse and came out from behind the crates.

    ¡°So you caught him then?¡± He strode forwards, looking at the sled.

    ¡°Caught her. It was Riga, Galteir¡¯s daughter. She had a note on her and everything. We¡¯ll need to question her for how much she knows, and where she learned magic.¡± I looked down at the hogtied woman on my sled.

    ¡°Riga doesn¡¯t know magic, she¡¯s never spent a day at the college.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? I bet you people know how to fuck but I¡¯ve not seen the whore house in Winterhold yet.¡± I pulled the girl up and put her over my shoulder, heading for the stone warehouse. Rolvar had been shocked silent for a moment, before sputtering.

    ¡°Wait, you, you can¡¯t just take her in there like some common bandit, she¡¯s Galteir¡¯s daughter!¡± Rolvar tried to stop me from heading for the door.

    ¡°And? She tried to kill Anglin and Angven, put a scratch on my armor with a spear of ice. I¡¯m willing to forgive that because she didn¡¯t know who we were, but one way or another these bandit bastards were using her. We need to know why. Open the door! It¡¯s Johannes, I got the rat.¡± I knocked on the warehouse. Jorman, Hemjar, and a woman I didn¡¯t know were waiting inside. We were beckoned in, where a chair had been set in the middle of the warehouse. Rolvar still looked uncomfortable, but stopped complaining.

    ¡°Nice work Johannes, who¡¯s the sorry sack of shit that I get to play with tonight? Hope he¡¯s a loud one.¡± Hemjar bore a cruel smile as I set the woman down in front of the chair. The smile changed when he saw the long blonde hair, the thin waist, and other feminine features.

    ¡°Riga. And yes, I¡¯m sure it was her, I pulled this note out of her jacket.¡± I handed the parchment over to Jorman. He looked unsure, confused, and then furious as he read it.

    ¡°This little bitch was going to try to get us all killed!¡± His voice boomed. I was untying her bindings so that I could tie her back to the chair.

    ¡°Not necessarily Jorman, not like that. I was the one that broke the seal, she probably had no idea what was written on it.¡± I lifted her up, she groaned weakly, finally starting to come around. A huge purple bruise had consumed the right half of her face already from where I¡¯d hit her. Jorman helped me to tie her up, it was done in a moment. Hemjar had a bucket of water, chunks of ice floating in it.

    ¡°Open her jacket.¡± Hemjar looked to Rolvar. The guard hesitated, scowled, and did it.

    ¡°Riga! Wake up Riga!¡± Hemjar bellowed. The girl lifted her head, still halfwitted, and caught a face full of freezing water. She shrieked, spluttering.

    ¡°What? Where¡­?¡± Another load of water doused her, soaking through the thick shirt she wore. The warehouse wasn¡¯t heated, besides the two braziers that had been lit. It was well below freezing inside. If Riga didn¡¯t start spitting out answers soon, she¡¯d freeze to death in minutes.

    ¡°RIGAAA!¡± Hemjar tossed his bucket, and stomped forward to yell in her face. The girl recoiled, fearful eyes settling on the armored man.

    ¡°What do you want? Why am I tied up?¡± She betrayed herself with a nervous glance to me. Hemjar held up the note I¡¯d handed over.

    ¡°I want to know who gave you this.¡± He was inches from her face, shouting.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ It was someone different every time. Please, I don¡¯t know what was on the letters!¡± She was shivering already. Hemjar grabbed a hold of her jacket, and pulled it down off her shoulders. She still had the soaked shirt to keep her somewhat modest, but it was the shirt that was killing her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me girl!¡± Hemjar slapped her hard, on the already bruised part of her face. It had to hurt. Hemjar wasn¡¯t wearing plated gloves, but he was a massive man. Three Rigas would barely even out a scale if Hemjar was on the other side. I cringed at the second slap, Riga was bawling.

    ¡°Answer me! Who gave you this letter?¡± Hemjar yelled again, but held back from hitting her.

    ¡°He was an elf, but I didn¡¯t get a look at his face. I could see the points of his ears sticking up under his cloak! They always wear scarves, and they only come after dark!¡± Riga cried.

    ¡°An elf? What kind of elf? Answer me girl! A Dunmer? An Altmer? Maybe one of those sharp toothed cannibals, a Bosmer?¡± Hemjar took the chair and shook it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I didn¡¯t see his face or his skin!¡± Hemjar picked the whole chair up, and made for a brazier.

    ¡°You look a little cold girl, why don¡¯t we warm you up.¡± That was where I drew the line, Rolvar did too.

    ¡°Hemjar! I saw the man she mentioned. He was tall, wearing all black, he didn¡¯t have a single bit of skin showing. He¡¯s still in the town, has to be.¡± I put a hand on his shoulder, I had to reach up to manage it. The giant set Riga down near the brazier, and turned to me.

    ¡°You should have mentioned that.¡± He hissed, looking disgusted.

    ¡°Needed to see if she would tell the truth, and she is. I¡¯ve got a question for her though.¡± I pushed past the big man, and knelt down in front of the poor girl. Her hair had started to freeze together. Jorman spoke quickly.

    ¡°Rolvar, go to the Jarl, gather up Tolin and a few other trustworthy men. Arrest every elf in the town.¡± Jorman pushed the man towards the door. The guard took off at a run once he got the door open.

    ¡°Riga, I¡¯m sorry I put that big bruise on you, I didn¡¯t know it was you on that horse. I have something for it.¡± I reached into my belt, and pulled a small health potion. I was running low on the things, most of Jurger¡¯s stock was magicka potions. I gave her half the vial, and then stood to take off my cloak.

    ¡°Riga, if I cut your hands free, will you please stay still? If you make a move, Hemjar will cut you down before you make it two steps.¡± I drew my knife. Riga nodded, fearful of the blade, but didn¡¯t do anything rash. Once she was free, I helped her to take off her soaked jacket.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m sorry, what was your name?¡± I looked to the only other woman. She was wearing the robes of a mage.

    ¡°Master Mirabelle.¡± She answered.

    ¡°Could you help her get out of that soaked shirt? She¡¯ll freeze before long. You all give her some decency, come on.¡± I looked to Hemjar and Jorman. They turned, Hemjar was giving me a foul eye as he did it.

    ¡°She¡¯s covered.¡± Mirabelle spoke. Somehow, Riga¡¯s hair had not only been unfrozen, but was perfectly dry. A soft glow was dying in Mirabelle¡¯s hand. The girl was wrapping my cloak tightly about herself.

    ¡°Riga, my question now. When I left to hunt the horkers for your father, you came out to wish us luck. You looked really nervous, I thought it was just that you¡¯d taken a liking to the twins. You knew that bandit ambush was waiting for us, didn¡¯t you?¡± I asked her softly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Not for sure. The last man that came with a letter for me to deliver said that I shouldn¡¯t go west for a few days. I couldn¡¯t say anything, not¡­ not with¡­¡± She started softly crying again.

    ¡°What did they have over your head?¡± I asked, I was sure I already knew.

    ¡°They¡¯d been giving me spell books. If the town found out¡­¡± She was back into full throated sobs.

    ¡°Then you would shame your father, and be an outcast. It¡¯d ruin your family, break your father¡¯s heart. You couldn¡¯t do that right after you¡¯d found out about Olam.¡± I spoke as kindly as I could, putting a hand on her knee. She nodded with her hands on her face. I turned to look to Hemjar and Jorman. The mountain looked disdainful, but the housecarl had a sympathetic look.

    ¡°You should have come to us Riga. A few spell books is nothing, you know that Angven was nearly killed by the bandits? If it hadn¡¯t been for Johannes, both the twins would have surely died. It was their hunting party that was attacked, not us.¡± Jorman spoke coldly. He may feel bad for the girl, but he wasn¡¯t going to let her off the hook. It was best that he handle it, rather than Hemjar. The brute clearly didn¡¯t have many reservations about hurting people. Riga looked to me for confirmation, I gave her a nod, and she went back to her sobs.

    ¡°Riga, do you have anything else that might help us find the men responsible?¡± I asked. She was inconsolable. I tried to coax her into talking a few more times, but she wouldn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to get any more out of her. What do we do? Leave her at home, bring her to the Jarl?¡± I looked to Jorman.

    ¡°She comes with us back to the Jarl. Master Mirabelle, I don¡¯t mean to ask for such trivial things¡­¡± Jorman looked to the witch, who was already drying Riga¡¯s clothes with her magic.

    ¡°She won¡¯t make it back to the Jarl without them, and you paid me for my magic. My end of this bargain is done. You, Johannes, make sure they don¡¯t burn the poor girl for cantrips, would you?¡± She looked me over, and gave a short, sharp glance to Hemjar.

    ¡°I¡¯m a hired blade, Master Mirabelle, it isn¡¯t my place to interfere.¡± I tried to give her a subtle wink. She scowled, with a slight nod of her head.

    ¡°Hired blades must have some code to live by. Good night.¡± She handed Riga¡¯s clothes back to the girl, and strode out. Hemjar gave her a nasty scowl as the door closed.

    ¡°Damned mages. I¡¯ll bring the horses.¡± Hemjar left just behind Mirabelle. That left Jorman, Riga and I alone.

    ¡°Johannes, it may not be your place to interfere as a hired blade, but the Jarl and I have spoken on it. You¡¯ve found yourself in the middle of this Hold¡¯s trouble twice, without meaning to. I¡¯m not so superstitious, but to have walked out of the snow, done such great service for the people¡­¡± Jorman made a side eye to Riga.

    ¡°It does seem odd, especially given that I¡¯ve survived it.¡± I tried to grin. Jorman nodded.

    ¡°The Jarl has many troubles to deal with, and a lack of men suited for them. Hemjar is not subtle, Molnen has other duties, and my place is at the Jarl¡¯s side. We need a hound to run this scum down before things slip too far, and you seem the man for it, if you¡¯d take the job.¡± Jorman offered.

    ¡°Why me? I understand that from the outside, it looks like I just keep whacking bandits and mages and spies, but you know the real case. I didn¡¯t go looking for any of it except for tonight.¡± My eyes went over to Riga. She¡¯d stopped crying, but was now staring silently into the fire.

    ¡°You know justice. You¡¯ve dealt honestly with the Jarl, you¡¯ve done the right thing at every turn, even if it cost you, or was hard, or wasn¡¯t your place. Olam, saving Angven, just now with Riga. If it was as simple as turning a rabid dog loose, the Jarl would just send Hemjar, but that won¡¯t do. He wouldn¡¯t have gotten anything useful tonight, you did. Your work.¡± Jorman pointed out.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just about catching the bandits. I see your point. Hemjar would probably do more damage than the criminals if the Jarl set him to the job. People don¡¯t appreciate it when the law burns down their farm. So, you want me to join the Jarl¡¯s service? A sheriff, or law man, something?¡± It fit into my own plans nicely, so long as I wasn¡¯t stuck to it.

    ¡°The Jarl¡¯s First Ranger. In better times, they were responsible for the safety of the roads, mostly trolls and ice wraith attacks, the occasional fugitive. They have the authority of the Jarl to enforce the law, and raise a force to help them.¡± It spurred thoughts of my past life, distant histories of other rangers raising a posse to hunt down the dastardly bank robbers.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need to talk to the Jarl, but I think I¡¯ll take the job. I have a few conditions of course.¡± I agreed.

    ¡°Understandable. I think I hear the horses. You¡¯d best take Riga on your sled.¡± Jorman turned for the door, leaving just the traumatized girl and my self.

    ¡°Riga, you have to come along now.¡± I walked towards her. She nodded once and stood, having gotten her dry clothes on under the cloak.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to hang me.¡± Her voice was completely flat.

    ¡°No they aren¡¯t, I won¡¯t let them. Your father is an important man around here, if it weren¡¯t for him, half the town would go hungry. Things will be okay, just keep your head down.¡± I started to steer her towards the door, but she didn¡¯t need me to. The trip back to the Jarl¡¯s longhouse was quiet. Most of the revelers had already gone home by the time we arrived, but there was one man still sitting at the benches. When his eyes found his daughter being marched into the hall, the shouting started.

 Chapter Eight: Twin Trials

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you hold my daughter for a crime she didn¡¯t commit! She felt ill, and asked to go home just after the start of the feast!¡± Galteir was howling. We¡¯d explained the basics of the situation, leading to the old man trying to take a swing at Jorman. Rolvar had grabbed the irate father and wrestled him back to a bench, but it had been downhill from there. Anglin and Angven had been kept at the hall to bear witness, both swearing that my account of events was true. When mention of an elf came about, the four bound Mer flinched. They were against the wall, under guard.

    ¡°Your daughter was witnessed by three honorable men, acting on my orders to apprehend a bandit spy! She admitted to the deed in the presence of no less than four men I trust! Must I have her confess before you again?¡± The Jarl yelled back. Galteir bit his tongue, not drunk or angry enough to call the Jarl¡¯s housecarl, and thus the Jarl himself, a liar.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so. Johannes, you were the sole witness to all of the night¡¯s events, from beginning to end. Please, give your account in full.¡± The Jarl looked to me.

    ¡°As you wish, Jarl. Upon leaving your presence, I went to find Angven and Anglin. They were practicing near the edge of town¡­¡± I walked through every point carefully, and mostly in full, up to the point that Riga had confessed to working with the bandits. Galteir had stared bloody murder at Hemjar when it came to how Riga had been beaten.

    ¡°So there we have it! Your daughter, practicing witchcraft, carrying messages for the men who make victims of my people. She is guilty as an accomplice of banditry at the very least. You know the sentence for such crimes Galteir?¡± The Jarl spoke loudly, and clearly. Galteir hung his head and muttered.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear that, speak up when your Jarl asks you a question!¡± Korir bellowed. Galteirs voice came out as a croak.

    ¡°Hanging.¡± He looked to his daughter, who had withdrawn into herself, all of her fears coming true. The Jarl turned to me.

    ¡°As the man most directly effected by her treachery, I would ask your opinion, Johannes. What should become of Riga?¡± It wasn¡¯t an accurate statement, Angven had nearly been killed, but the Jarl was making a show of it. I cleared my throat.

    ¡°Jarl, what I have to say is mercy. Riga is not guilty of anything but a young, foolish mistake. She carried messages for the bandits, yes, but she was tricked into such a position, and threatened into keeping it. She was not a willing participant. It is an old, effective tactic for cultivating information, and it is especially effective against the young, bored, and desperate. Riga met a man in the tavern, who presented himself as needing a simple favor. To deliver a letter, or to speak of the goings on around the town. Is that how you first met one of the bandits Riga?¡± I looked to the girl. She nodded.

    ¡°Your words please, speak it. Is that how you first met one of them?¡± I asked again.

    ¡°Yes, he was wearing a cloak, and the robes of a mage. He asked me to pass along a letter and a book for him, to a friend that would be coming to town in a few days. The book was a spell tome, it talked about conjuring light. He said I could read it for a while, before his friend came to collect it.¡± She wiped a tear out of her eye. I looked around the room, there was a fair mix of young and middle aged men.

    ¡°Would it be wrong for me to assume that almost every child raised in Winterhold has thoughts, desires of learning magic? To harness the amazing power of the wizards that live in that grand college they see every day? I¡¯ve never come to Winterhold before in my life, but it would seem like a normal day dream for the boys and girls shoveling manure and collecting chicken eggs day in, day out.¡± There were a few nods, the Jarl looked irritated, but he assented to it before speaking.

    ¡°True as that may be, how is it relevant?¡± Jarl Korir asked.

    ¡°Riga was a normal girl of Winterhold. When a mage offered to slip her a book about magic, she got to make that dream real. She could never attend the college, it was unseemly, it would reflect poorly on her family. What harm would a bit of secret, late night reading cause? It started with one book about mage lights, but there were more. Weren¡¯t there Riga? The next man told you to keep the book, he had a copy of it already, and as thanks for the letter, he gave you something a bit more advanced. A tome about fire magic? Healing? Maybe the ice spike you nearly ran me through with?¡± I asked her. She looked uncomfortable.

    ¡°It was a tome about fire, and how to use it. I didn¡¯t mean too¡­¡± I shushed her, she¡¯d already made my point for me.

    ¡°Jarl, they used her, she¡¯s as much a victim of the bandits as anyone else. She was young, na?ve and scared of shaming her family. Whoever these bandits are, they have someone smart or several experienced criminals with them. You have a problem with rogue mages don¡¯t you? Necromancers?¡± Hook, Line¡­

    ¡°Yes, yes there are.¡± Jarl Korir admitted begrudgingly. Sinker.

    ¡°Where better to get a steady flow of corpses than by hiring the local bandits to do your bidding, and helping them to stay one step ahead of the law? You must have sent out some patrols to hunt for bandits after an attack was reported, and you came up empty, didn¡¯t you? I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve heard of very many literate bandits either. The literate tend to come from good families.¡± I looked to Jorman. His angry eyes were all the answer I needed.

    ¡°So you¡¯d have me forgive this girl of her crimes, because she had no choice? That¡¯s what this comes to?¡± Jarl Korir asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d have you spare her life. Everyone makes mistakes, and there was no way that Riga could have seen the trap coming before she was well ensnared. Killing a young girl won¡¯t do any good. Galteir is a loyal man, he brings in wealth, work, and food to the hold. His son served you with honor. How could you put Olam¡¯s sister to the noose, Galteir¡¯s daughter to death, for being a victim of the same men you seek to destroy?¡± I ended my argument. It was a dangerous line to take, but it paid off.

    ¡°Well put, I admit I had not considered the entire circumstance. Galteir, there will be a punishment for Riga, but her life is not in question. I would have you pay compensation to Angven, Anglin, and Johannes for the risk she put them to during the ambush. Five hundred pieces to each, and you are not to stop giving them work over this. They are not at fault in any way for the actions of your daughter.¡± Jarl Korir took a stern line. There was a pained crinkle on Galteir¡¯s face, but he nodded.

    ¡°It will be done Jarl, I have money coming up from Windhelm with the new year. Thank you Jarl, and thank you Johannes, you¡¯ve now saved both of my children from worse fates.¡± Galteir gave me a hard look, a mixture of anger and gratitude.

    ¡°Justice is blind Galteir. I¡¯m sorry to say, we need Riga for what is next.¡± I looked to the four elves. Hemjar started forwards. I turned to the Jarl.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Jarl, sir, I¡¯d ask that you let me handle the prisoners.¡± Hemjar stopped, a snarl forming. Korir looked between us, then turned to Jorman. The pair exchanged a few words.

    ¡°They¡¯re yours to question as you see fit. We have a cell below.¡± The Jarl offered.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be needed Jarl. Only one of these elves is guilty. I¡¯d take Rolvar as guard, Riga to help, and I¡¯ll have them in my quarters. If you could put the rest under guard in a different room, there are some things I¡¯d prefer they only hear one at a time.¡± He nodded, and let me get to work.

    The first elf was a dunmer, a courier that was known to Rolvar. I questioned him for a while, asked him about his work, who employed him, about the feast, and then brought Riga in. She didn¡¯t recognize him, and he seemed genuinely confused when I mentioned Merkin and Dark Eye. We put him at a table near the far end of the hall, where Jorman and a few other guards were seated.

    The second elf was a particularly annoying Altmer. He was a mage, which didn¡¯t do well for his case, but he confirmed many of the things the Dunmer had said. Riga said that his voice wasn¡¯t the one she¡¯d heard, Rolvar had also mentioned that the other guards had seen the arrogant prick at the feast, ruling him out as suspect.

    The other two elves were the same story. They¡¯d cleared every hurdle I¡¯d devised, Riga didn¡¯t recognize them. I was kicking my self by that point, if I¡¯d remembered that I had a wolf, I might have been more careful about passing around the letter. Had I thought of it, I¡¯d have gotten Karliene to give it a sniff before half a dozen people had handled it. I was at the end my rope when the last elf was sat near the guards, then I saw him.

    ¡°Malur was it? You¡¯re next.¡± I beckoned him towards me, rolling with the sudden thought. Malur was a sleazy Dunmer layabout, regardless of being the Jarl¡¯s steward.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. I¡¯m the Jarl¡¯s steward!¡± He scoffed, a hint of outrage in his voice, but a flash of fear in his eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s all the more important that you come along, can¡¯t have these others thinking the Jarl¡¯s own men are above the law can we? Come on, it¡¯s just a formality.¡± I gestured for him again, the elf didn¡¯t move, crossing his arms and making an ugly face. He was stalling.

    ¡°Malur, you sit drinking my mead and my wine, eating my food, go and answer my investigator''s questions when you¡¯re told!¡± The Jarl boomed. He was looking suspiciously at the Dunmer too.

    ¡°Fine! But this is simply ridiculous!¡± Malur huffed. Rolvar stepped aside to let him into my quarters, where I¡¯d set a chair across from my bed. I took my place on the fur covers, Malur looking disdainful as he got comfortable.

    ¡°So, I have a few questions for you. First off, how long have you been Steward of Winterhold?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Several months. The Jarl keeps me around for my connections with the College. Not that a newcomer like you would know.¡± He sneered. None of the other elves had been as outwardly hostile. Even the Altmer was just a high and mighty prick, not like this. Rolvar, behind the Dunmer, made a funny look.

    ¡°What connections are those? Who are you close with at the College?¡± I asked next.

    ¡°What business is it of yours?¡±

    ¡°As the Jarl¡¯s appointed investigator, everything is my business while I¡¯m asking questions. Who are your connections?¡± I asked again.

    ¡°The master wizard.¡± Malur¡¯s eyes flitted.

    ¡°What was his name? For the record, of course.¡±

    ¡°His name is¡­ well he¡¯s a reclusive sort, he doesn¡¯t like to get out much or throw his name around, I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t tell you that. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve got this job, I can get in to talk with him!¡± Malur didn¡¯t even know the Master Wizard was a woman, I¡¯d been here for two days and known that, unless there were several.

    ¡°Alright, and where were you when the Jarl gave his speech earlier this evening?¡± Malur looked confident with the question.

    ¡°By his side of course, where a Steward ought to be! Really, what kind of questions are these?¡± The Dunmer shook his head derisively.

    ¡°And immediately after? Where were you once people began to come into the hall?¡± That caught him odd footed for a split second.

    ¡°I was seeing to the kitchens, to make sure the servants had everything in hand. It wouldn¡¯t do for the Jarl to be made a fool of if the staff was slacking off.¡± A good answer if it was true, and one that he should have taken to heart.

    ¡°I assume you have witnesses to that?¡±

    ¡°Of course! The kitchen girls all saw me.¡±

    ¡°Good. You seem to be familiar with the kitchen girls, when the first course of the feast was put out, could you tell me which one tripped with the Jarl¡¯s mead horn?¡± Killshot. Malur stuttered.

    ¡°Uh, it was¡­ the blonde girl, with blue eyes, she¡¯s always so clumsy. I¡¯ve warned her to be more careful.¡± Convenient that he¡¯d just described three of the four kitchen girls, and none of them had spilled the Jarl¡¯s mead.

    ¡°Where were you when that happened? Still in the kitchen sorting the cooks out?¡± I asked my final question. He nodded.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Good, just sit here for a moment, I¡¯ve got to get Riga to look you over, then you¡¯ll be free to leave. Thanks.¡± I stood and walked past Malur, and made a motion to Rolvar to put his hand on his axe. I mouthed the words to the guard.

    It¡¯s him.

    There was just one last thing to make an airtight case for it. Riga was sitting with her father, as she had between the times she was needed. I came to sit next to her.

    ¡°Riga, when the elf handed you that letter, what did he say? When he pushed you.¡± The girl perked up, I¡¯d only mentioned the two figures being my tip off, not how much I¡¯d seen.

    ¡°He said, um, he said ¡®You¡¯d better get this to Dawnstar quickly girl, or I¡¯ll have you skinned¡¯ it was something like that.¡± Riga spoke softly.

    ¡°You need to be sure, we¡¯re only going to get one chance at scaring the truth out of him in front of the Jarl.¡± I made sure she understood why I¡¯d asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure, that was what he said to me.¡± I patted Riga on the shoulder and nodded to Galteir.

    ¡°We¡¯ll nail this bastard to the wall, promise. Riga, when Malur comes out, I want you to look at him, storm up to him, and say those words back to him. When you see my hand rest on my mace, that¡¯s your signal.¡± I stood and walked back to where Rolvar could see me. I whistled to get his attention.

    ¡°Bring him out here. Malur, just this and we¡¯re finished.¡± I put my hand on my mace, Riga came to stand beside me for a moment, her face twisting in anger.

    ¡°YOU¡¯D BETTER GET THIS TO DAWNSTAR QUICKLY GIRL! OR I¡¯LL HAVE YOU SKINNED!¡± Riga shouted at the elf, storming up to him. The look on his face was all we needed.

    ¡°Rolvar, take him to the cell. Jarl, I thin¡ª¡± I was distracted by the brief scuffle between Rolvar and the Elf, but wholeheartedly shocked when Riga grabbed Malur¡¯s face with flame-wreathed hands. The Dunmer shrieked, bucking like mad in Rolvar¡¯s hands. I ran to Riga and pulled her off of the elf as Rolvar spun the maimed prisoner away.

    ¡°Riga! Damn it, why¡¯d you do that?¡± I wrestled her back to the table with her father as Jorman and two other guards went to help Rolvar.

    ¡°That bastard, I saw his little smile when he thought you were letting him go!¡± Riga fumed, but stopped struggling when her father put a hand on her arm.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t your place to enact the punishment. That¡¯s for the Jarl to decide.¡± I scolded her. In my own, personal opinion¡­ The Jarl spoke up.

    ¡°That was a righteous use of magic. How¡¯d you come to sniff him out Johannes?¡± Korir had come around behind us. Malur was still howling as the guards hauled him down to the cellar.

    ¡°He couldn¡¯t answer my questions, and he lied about where he was after your speech. I¡¯m sure the cooks can confirm that. He also admitted to something I knew didn¡¯t happen. If I¡¯d been torturing him, that sort of confession is worthless, people will say anything to stop the pain. Without a reason to lie about it¡­¡± I let my rationale stand on its own. Jarl Korir smirked.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done this before. Whoever¡¯s man you were before your memory was lost, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll miss you sorely. This was great work Johannes, you¡¯ll be rewarded handsomely. Jorman tells me you have some conditions before you take the position fully, but I like what I¡¯ve seen tonight. We can discuss it in the morning.¡± The Jarl turned away. I looked to Riga.

    ¡°Head home, I¡¯ll have one of the guards make sure you get there safely. I¡¯m sorry for what happened with Hemjar.¡± The girl didn¡¯t quite want to meet my eye.

    ¡°Thank you Johannes, you¡¯re a good man. I¡¯ll have your money when the Windhelm order comes.¡± Galteir answered for his daughter, who was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, I don¡¯t want your money. I¡¯ll say you paid me if anyone asks. The next coin I get from you will be for hides and meat.¡± I shook my head. Galteir nodded, a thankful smile. The rest of the night was quiet, aside from the occasional, distant howl from the cellar. Malur was getting familiar with Hemjar by the sound of it. I could almost pity the elf. Almost.

 Chapter Nine: First Ranger

    Breakfast was a storm of excited talk, questions, and congratulations. Jorman had come by to wake me up early, and I¡¯d had a fairly simple conversation with Jarl Korir about his job offer. My list of conditions was short, but non-negotiable.

    The first condition was that I decided who joined me, and who didn¡¯t during my hunt for the bandits. The twins were my first choice, their field skills suited them well as scouts, and they were eager to put more arrows into bodies. I had a few others in mind, but I still needed to ask them. One I was sure of, the other I wasn¡¯t. The Jarl had agreed to that condition without hesitation, he didn¡¯t have the men to spare for me anyways.

    The second condition, was that I was allowed to exercise my own judgement as I saw fit when it came to taking prisoners, leveling charges, and summary executions. The Jarl had paused when I went into full detail of what that meant, but Jorman talked him into it, citing my showing the night before. They needed justice under law, not retribution by roving warband. The Jarl would have me hang every single person I crossed that had assisted the bandits, but that wasn¡¯t an option. The people of his hold were desperate, and that meant plenty of good men would have turned to banditry, or at least turned a blind eye to it. Plenty of them would die too, but that was a given either way.

    The third, was that he not interfere with my methods. Magic was too powerful to pass up, and there weren¡¯t enough potions left to keep a troop of fighting men in good condition. My plan was to have two men trained in the rudiments of healing magic before we began our hunt in earnest, one of which would ideally be my self. That way we could keep each other alive even if one healer was injured. Fireballs, holy light, and wards against evil would be necessary once we went after the necromancers. I was sure that the two groups were involved with each other. Allies of convenience at the least, a single entity headed by the same villain at the worst.

    My final condition, was that the men were paid twenty pieces per diem, and that the bounties would be paid out on every bandit we killed. The Jarl had cringed when I told him my vision was a twenty man party, but he accepted the cost. Four hundred coins per day wasn¡¯t cheap, but the Jarl had time to stock up some money. I had gotten a large sum for the work in catching the spies, and an equally large sum to use for catching the bandits. There were about four thousand coins in the strongbox I¡¯d been gifted, and I still had a variety of jewelry and gems to sell.

    With our terms agreed on, the Jarl asked what my next move was for catching the bandits. That had led to a conversation about where the missing persons had been reported, where the rumors of necromancers were strongest, and where the hold was weakest. A few camps, known caves, ruins, and distressed villages had been pointed out on the map in his war room. Without a court wizard or a scribe, there was little chance to get an accurate copy. The twins would know some of the locations, but not all of them.

    I was sitting in my quarters after breakfast, trying to come up with a battle plan. The bandits were the easier target, and it¡¯d be best to focus on them for now. Small gangs hiding out in the mountains were the ideal starting point, if we could find them. The first problem to solve then, was to get a lay of the land. Proper, first hand experience. The First Ranger should be someone familiar with the region after all. I looked to my leather ruck, and started putting a list together. Food, potions, arrows, camping supplies, the vast list of things I would need for a week in the wild.

    The first step to that was to properly dig through the ruck. I¡¯d never emptied it completely, mostly because there wasn¡¯t much of a place to put the things in it. There were still a few stamina potions, the poison, dry rations, my camping kit, the hatchet¡­ and a roll of parchment. When I touched it, a window appeared in my vision.

    [Alert: Map Activated]

    [Description: This map is enchanted to remember all the locations you have visited, and to show your current position across all of Tamriel. Venturing into other planes is not supported by this map. Several points have been added from your memory.]

    I unrolled the parchment, it was about as long as my forearm and less tall. There was a marked point glowing with the name Johannes, and a small arrow under my name. I touched it, and an additional name appeared, Karliene is nearby. To the southeast, I saw what looked to be a drawn cave with the label Jurger¡¯s Hideaway. Between my name and it, was a mountain range, a point nestled in a narrow pass, Ice Troll Gap. To the west, Blackstone Beach. Farther west of that, was Dawn Star, to the south was Windhelm, as my eyes moved to the map edge, the map scrolled. I¡¯d been trying to ignore the damned windows that popped up in my vision, but if tools like these were part of it, I couldn¡¯t ignore them any longer.

    I spent some time with the map, trying to picture the points that the Jarl had mentioned on his larger map, but nothing was added. Not to be discouraged, I took the map and went back to the war room. Looking at it there, new points began to materialize on my personal map. They had circles around them, like the location was somewhere loosely inside. I¡¯d just finished when Jorman came in.

    ¡°Johannes, hunting for your first target?¡± The housecarl asked. I¡¯d tucked away the map before he could see it. It was probably worth a fortune, and I¡¯d rather not let anyone know about it.

    ¡°Yes. I think I¡¯m going to head west, towards the mountains between here and Dawnstar. The bandits won¡¯t have gotten word that they¡¯re being hunted yet, but it¡¯s too late to follow up on that letter.¡± The timing had been poor on our part. If the Jarl had dithered a little less, or foregone calling his retainers, we could have sent a hunting party after Merkin. We knew he was somewhere in The Pale though, which was a help.

    ¡°Rattling the bandits around is a good start. If they lash out, it makes them easy to find. If they run, they aren¡¯t our problem. It¡¯s the Necromancers I¡¯m more worried about.¡± Jorman tapped his finger on the cluster of missing persons and reports of undead nearest to the town to our east.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, they are the real danger, but it¡¯d be foolish to rush in. I¡¯m going to see about recruiting some specialist help for that count. Have you met Jori, the mage from the college?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Once or twice in the tavern. He¡¯s alright for a mage. What makes you want him for the job?¡± Jorman answered a hundred questions at once. If he didn¡¯t even know that Jori was a Vigilant, what else had they missed?

    ¡°He¡¯s a Vigilant of Stendarr. They hunt down necromancers and other dark wizards. He offered to train me in some of their magic, and he feels the same way you do about these scum murdering innocent farmers.¡± I tapped the report of a farm attack to the southeast of town.

    ¡°Oh, I remember him. He came to speak with the Jarl a few months ago. He made it sound like the Vigilants wanted money to help.¡± Jorman huffed.

    ¡°They¡¯re a small order, but they¡¯re good at what they do. Jori knows they can¡¯t afford to send a large detachment up to Winterhold, they probably have a hundred, two hundred members at most. Part of my plan is to enlist their help, with the promise that I¡¯ll split the bounty with them. A few war clerics with the infantry is sure to boost morale, after my men see what the Vigilants can do. I need the infantry too. It¡¯s a long road.¡± I grinned at Jorman¡¯s smirk.

    ¡°It sounds like it. So you trust the Vigilants? They aren¡¯t charlatans doing tricks for a spare coin?¡± Jorman asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re the real deal. You should hear this now that I think about it. Jori said that reports have been coming in from all over Skyrim about foul creatures. Vampires, werewolves, undead, daedra, cultists and necromancers, it¡¯s like some sort of dam broke and they¡¯re flooding the place. The Vigilants are up to their neck in shit already, and they think that it¡¯s only going to get worse if the war between the Stormcloaks and Imperials really happens. The Jarls are all worried about a war, so they¡¯re hording what soldiers they have. Care to share your opinion?¡± I looked at the suddenly anxious housecarl.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°The Vigilants aren¡¯t wrong. I¡¯ve asked the Jarl to let me take a raiding band after these criminals long before you came. He said no, because Jarl Ulfric has called on our support if war comes. The other Jarls have received the same summons from Ulfric. If a war comes, everyone wants to have their soldiers ready. I hadn¡¯t heard things were getting so bad around the rest of the Holds.¡± Jorman pursed his lips, distraught.

    ¡°Perhaps if Jarl Ulfric wants the support of Winterhold, he should send a band of Stormcloaks to assist our efforts.¡± I suggested. That brought a laugh from behind me. Jarl Korir had come in, along with Rolvar.

    ¡°An unlikely event. Jarl Ulfric is a proud man, of high standing. He doesn¡¯t answer summons, we answer his. I sent a letter to Windhelm asking that very thing after the first reports of the undead arose. The only response was that by joining the Stormcloaks, we would make Skyrim stronger together. I¡¯m not prepared to declare open support for Ulfric, not with all of these problems in my own hold.¡± Korir admitted as he took a seat at the table. It was a hard pressed situation.

    ¡°If you declare for his cause, there is a good chance that Ulfric asks for soldiers instead of sending them. If you don¡¯t, there¡¯s no chance that they come to help, but you at least have your own men.¡± I could appreciate the problem.

    ¡°Exactly. We don¡¯t even have a castle smith, damn it all, we haven¡¯t had a castle here since the time of my great great grandfather¡¯s rule. How am I to send soldiers I don¡¯t have with equipment we can¡¯t produce?¡± Korir hissed into his cup. It was another symptom of the vicious cycle his realm was caught in.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep my eyes open for a talented smith on my patrols. The country hides talent in its hills.¡± I looked to the map. There may not be a spare smith in Winterhold, but I was sure that an apprentice, or an aspiring journeyman could be convinced to come along after we settled things with the bandits.

    ¡°Worry about the damned bandits first. What of that? Have you thought up a plan?¡± Korir asked.

    ¡°Yes Jarl, I¡¯m going to take the twins west and hit a few of these suspected camps after I¡¯m sure we¡¯re ready. It won¡¯t be a major action, just a small raid. We¡¯ll kill who we can and question the survivors. I¡¯ve got something in the works for the necromancers too, but I¡¯ll need more men before we take them on. I¡¯ll handle recruiting on my end.¡± We spoke for a while longer before I took my leave of the Jarl.

    My next visit was to the College. There was a woman barring my way on the bridge. It seemed like she was the gate keeper for the place. Hopefully it was an easy thing to slip by.

    ¡°Halt there stranger. What business have you with the College?¡± The woman, an Altmer at closer look, held up her hand.

    ¡°I wish to speak with Jori, the Vigilant that is studying here. He offered to teach me some of his order¡¯s magic, and I also have a job for him. My name is Johannes.¡± She probably hadn¡¯t expected that from a man clad in steel, with a poleaxe over his shoulder.

    ¡°I see. You¡¯re the one the town has been buzzing about lately? The stranger that fought a troll, turned in a wanted necromancer?¡± She asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Can I see Jori?¡± I asked again.

    ¡°Outsiders aren¡¯t allowed onto college grounds without permission of the Master Wizard or the Arch-Mage. You will have to wait. I will pass along your message to Jori. Good day, Johannes.¡± She went back to her covered alcove.

    ¡°What was your name?¡± I asked, much to her annoyance.

    ¡°Faralda, now get going.¡± She shooed me off the steps. That shot down my initial plan for the day, but left the other end open.

    I headed out of town, towards the tannery. The other person I wanted to see, the only other mage I was on speaking terms with, had hopefully recovered. When I arrived, Galteir was working his business, scolding the workers.

    ¡°Johannes, something I can do for you?¡± Galteir asked, a slight twitch in his voice.

    ¡°I was wondering if Riga was¡­ well, if she¡¯s in a fit state to talk. I can leave if she isn¡¯t.¡± I didn¡¯t want to intrude, it¡¯d been less than twenty four hours since I¡¯d knocked her off the horse.

    ¡°Oh, well, I think she¡¯d like to see you actually. We¡¯re grateful for what you did, if the Jarl had found out, and you hadn¡¯t been there¡­¡± Galteir shivered.

    ¡°Justice is blind Galteir, but the man in charge of it usually isn¡¯t. I did what was right, nothing more.¡± I waved off his thanks. I¡¯d also let the girl be tormented by Hemjar, to work my own angle in. It hadn¡¯t gone far, but it still hadn¡¯t been necessary. Torture was used to send a message, not for answers.

    ¡°You keep being humble like that all you want, we¡¯ll remember what you¡¯ve done for us. She¡¯s inside by the fire I think, curled up with one of them spell books.¡± Galteir looked a hint uncomfortable with that, but it didn¡¯t make a difference one way or the other now, the whole town knew about it by now. Another piece slid perfectly into place for me. I found my way to the door, knocked twice, and slowly stepped inside.

    ¡°Riga? It¡¯s Johannes, your father said it was alright if I came in to talk with you.¡± I looked over the chairs near the fire, they were empty. There was a spell tome sitting on a table though. I peeked around the first floor, until I heard thumping feet from the floor above.

    ¡°Johannes? Sorry, I was¡­ never mind, what brought you over?¡± Riga called as she came down the stairs. She almost fell down the last few steps, but caught herself before I had to step in. She regained her balance, smoothed out her dress, and tucked away an errant hair. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her awkward look. She blushed just a touch, reminding me to talk.

    ¡°Oh, I came over to ask about the magic you¡¯ve learned.¡± Riga grinned, and took my hand to the chairs by the fire. There was a pile of tomes I hadn¡¯t noticed beside her chair.

    ¡°So this one is about fire, Embers To Flame: For the Novice Pyromancer, it¡¯s great. It talks all about how mana channels itself and how to use it. Not everyone can, but I bet you could!¡± She started with the book on the table.

    ¡°Is it safe to assume that you lit that fire by yourself?¡± I pointed to the hearth. She smiled again.

    ¡°Maaaaybe. I¡¯ve got this one about light, this one about snow and ice, and this one here, about healing and restoration. It has some things about protecting yourself from the undead too, but I haven¡¯t learned any of those yet, they¡¯re challenging.¡± The healing book caught my eye first. Riga noticed that, and offered it to me.

    ¡°Pull a chair closer, so the first few pages are about¡­¡± Riga was in her element, she was a real natural. Something clicked in my head with the mana exercises after the first hour. I let her keep teaching, talking out the finer points of what she¡¯d noticed, until it came time to try the easiest spell in the book. The easiest according to her at least. It was called the Lesser Ward, and it would protect against hostile magic. Something told me that four hours of instruction was unnaturally fast to learn magic, but I rolled with it.

    ¡°Ready? Envision the shield, will your magic to manifest in a protective barrier, you¡¯ve got it!¡± Riga was very encouraging. Flickers came from my hand, little sparks, until a buckler sized shield of magic flared to life. It was hard to maintain, I only managed a few seconds before a wave of exhaustion crashed on me. It hadn¡¯t seemed like I¡¯d done much, but I felt like I¡¯d rucked twenty miles while reading a dictionary.

    ¡°Woah! Here, sit down Johannes.¡± She took me by the arm and put me in the chair.

    ¡°That was, well, that was something.¡± I tried to arrange my words.

    ¡°That was incredible! It took me a week to make a light! You manifested a working ward!¡± She was over the moon.

    ¡°What can I say? I have a gorg¡ª er, good teacher.¡± I¡¯d slipped up enough that Riga noticed, but she took it in stride.

    ¡°You must be from a magic bloodline. Some people are. My father doesn¡¯t like to admit it, but we have a famous ancestor, Hidja the Storm Blade. He was a giant slayer in the third era.¡± Riga regaled me with the legend of her spell knight ancestor, and how he¡¯d saved the whole village of something or other.

    ¡°How¡¯d you like to have a legend like that?¡± I asked her as she finished. My wits had collected themselves, but there was an angry alert talking about mental exhaustion until I rested.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Riga seemed confused.

    ¡°I mean that you¡¯re young, you¡¯re talented, and there¡¯s a crisis in the Hold. I¡¯ve been made the First Ranger by the Jarl, I¡¯m going to hunt down the bandits and the necromancers that blackmailed you. I need healers and fighters. You don¡¯t have to fight if you don¡¯t want to, but you already know some of this restoration magic. People won¡¯t think bad of you if it was your magic that saved their son, husband, brother, father.¡± I pointed to the restoration tome. Riga seemed stunned, but clapped her hands and stomped her feet.

    ¡°Yes! Yes I¡¯ll come with you!¡± Riga burst out of her chair and tried to give me a hug in her excitement. It caught me off guard, I¡¯d expected her to say yes, just not with that kind of fervor.

    ¡°Steady now, we still have to ask¡­¡± Riga shot me a silencing look.

    ¡°If I¡¯m old enough to risk being hung, I¡¯m old enough to make my own choice on this. Olam was younger when he joined the Jarl¡¯s guard!¡± The force in the statement sealed the deal. Something had changed in her overnight, that was for sure.

    ¡°Fine, but I¡¯d prefer it if you left with his blessing. We¡¯ll need to get you fitted for some armor too. Do you know how to fight?¡± I asked next.

    ¡°Some. Olam taught me how to defend my self with an axe.¡± That didn¡¯t sound like much. A woodsman axe was a whole different animal to a war axe.

    ¡°How about a bow?¡±

    ¡°I can shoot, but not as well as the hunters that come by. Maybe Angven would teach me?¡± She sounded a bit nervous at that.

    ¡°The twins could teach us both on that. They¡¯re pretty good. They probably need a hand learning how to fight, I could use a touch on my own skills with the axe. I¡¯ll talk with Jorman and Rolvar tonight. Does your father need you for anything tomorrow?¡± I stood from the chair.

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish what needs doing early.¡± She assured me.

    ¡°Alright. Eat a good breakfast, I¡¯ll come by in the morning. The twins will teach us how to shoot, and if we don¡¯t have a fighter for the afternoon, we¡¯ll try some more magic. Have a good night Riga.¡± I made for the door. She looked like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it.

    ¡°Good night Johannes.¡±

 Chapter Ten: Learning To Walk

    Things started off slow for my merry band. I¡¯d intended to hit the ground running, but that just wasn¡¯t possible. The twins were prolific hunters, the fieldcraft of which lent itself well to scouts and light infantry, but they weren¡¯t soldiers. Riga was neither hunter nor soldier, and I was possibly the weakest of all in the skills we would need. Somehow I¡¯d become the head of the bandit extermination effort, with no real knowledge of the bandits, the land, the people, or the skills we¡¯d need.

    Jorman put me on my back three dozen times by the end of the first week of training. The twins caught me twice as many times as I caught them in our jaunts to the foothills, and most of the times I¡¯d caught them were generous, to say the least. Riga¡¯s instruction was going the best. In two weeks I¡¯d gotten the hang of three spells with her help, Healing, Lesser Ward, and Flames.

    Jori had come to the Jarl¡¯s hall twice for more advanced instruction, he was frankly astonished at how quickly I¡¯d pick up the rudiments of magic. He corrected Riga and I in a few of our mistakes, taught us tricks, and the Sun Fire spell. Sun Fire was a bit more advanced than the others, it was specifically for dealing with the undead. Whether those undead were skeletons, draugrs, raised corpses, or vampires, he told us it didn¡¯t matter. It would burn them like fire, and keep burning them for several seconds. The spell operated on a deeper level than raw physical damage too, it had some sort of effect on the binding that kept undead anchored in the material plane.

    They were unnatural abominations, that defied the laws of the nine divines, so keeping them manifested was the primary purpose of the magic that necromancers cast. Vampires had a different reaction to the spell, but were just as heavily effected by it. Jori had tried to explain the difference as best he could, but the amount of magical technicalities involved flew over our heads. I¡¯d eventually stopped him and just asked if it would kill a walking corpse for good, which he¡¯d confirmed. He told me that we¡¯d need more than a single spell to go after the necromancers, but he¡¯d declined joining our band for now. He had made some sort of breakthrough in his studies and needed more time.

    He planned to visit us when he had the time, but otherwise told us to keep practicing and learning on our own. Jori had left us with a gift at least, a tome titled Frost Runes: A Cryomancer¡¯s Guide. It filled a niche, the runes were effectively explosive traps that had an effect corresponding to their element. Jori seemed to think that Frost Runes would be extra powerful with all the snow and ice influencing ambient magic in the environment. The book didn¡¯t mention anything like that so far as I¡¯d read it, but I¡¯d trust the formally trained mage.

    Jorman had scoffed at the mention of the magic Jori had offered, and instead told me to put my faith in steel. The second week of training with the Guards had gone better. I still hadn¡¯t beat Jorman. He was a forty something year old veteran soldier, past his physical prime, but at the top of his game in experience. He wasn¡¯t the only guard I fought either. Rolvar, Tolin, Mikel, half a dozen others put me through the paces, as they did with the twins. It was all exhausting work, but it would keep us alive for the trial to come.

    The first week of the new year came with a speech from the Jarl. He gathered up the townspeople to tell them that the bandits, the necromancers, the monsters and the shit economy were on notice. It was the standard politician¡¯s spew, but he actually had proof for his efforts. He formally introduced me as the First Ranger, he brought Galteir forwards when he presented a new bounty scheme for the dangerous animals that had become too bold, and a signed deal with the Jarl of Riften for meat and furs in exchange for vegetables, wood, and tools. It gave him the PR victory that he¡¯d been desperately needing, but all of it would take time, months, to go into effect.

    It wasn¡¯t the only big news of the new year. My training had paid off with several levels, several large bumps in the skill ratings my windows displayed, and something I¡¯d been expecting as more memories came back.  It was the evening after the speech, and another hard day of training, that I looked over the summary window.

    [Name: Johannes of Fuck Know¡¯s Where]

    [Title: First Ranger]

    [Age: 27]

    [Race: Nord]

    [Birth Sign: The Warrior]

    [Level: 10]

    [Health: 275/275, Stamina: 300/300, Magicka: 125/125]

    Perk List

    [Perk: Plate Skin]

    [Description: Heavy armor is like a second skin to you. Your heavy armor fits better, feels lighter, and is 15% more effective.]

    [Perk: Marksman]

    [Description: You can take carefully aimed shots, focusing your concentration to hit vital points. To activate this perk, simply concentrate while aiming with a bow. Your accuracy will improve greatly while concentrating. Over usage of this perk can lead to rapid exhaustion.]

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    [Perk: Bleed Like A Lamb]

    [Description: Your strikes with two handed weapons, especially axes, cause immense bleeding to the target. Bleeding causes rapid damage over time, but only effects living beings.]

    [Perk: Traceless]

    [Description: You leave little evidence of your passing. Mundane means of tracking you prove exceptionally difficult, and only the most skilled of hunters can follow your trail. The effect of this perk increases with the skill rating of Sneak.]

    [Perk: Rugged Works]

    [Description: Equipment that you craft or maintain rusts less, holds its edge sharper for longer, and is less likely to fail. You must have had a hand in crafting the equipment, or maintained it last for this perk to take effect. Equipment is 10% more durable, this bonus improves by +1% for each ten points of Smithing skill. Equipment that you have taken the mastery perk for gains double the bonus. Current Effectiveness, +12%]

    [Perk: Steel Smithing Mastery]

    [Description: This perk gives you the knowledge of a master Steel Smith. It does not give you the skill of one. You will need to practice your trade before you are truly understand the nuances of this type of equipment. Your knowledge allows you to improve steel equipment twice as much as your skill rating would imply.]

    [Perk: Hunter¡¯s Senses]

    [Description: Your senses have sharpened to a razor¡¯s edge, increasing your visual acuity, hearing sensitivity, among all the others. This perk increases its effectiveness as you increase your level. Current Effectiveness, +10%]

    [Perk: Haft Parry]

    [Description: When you successfully block an opponent¡¯s strike with the haft of your great weapon, it throws the enemy off balance for a moment, opening them to a swift counter strike. The degree to which your enemy is effected is dependent upon your Two Handed skill. Current Effectiveness, +17%]

    [Perk: War Cry]

    [Description: You have an inspiring effect on those you would call your party members. Once per day, you may unleash a bolstering war cry, increasing all of their combat skills by 10%. For every five points in the Speech skill, this bonus is increased by +1%. Current Effectiveness, +17%]

    [Perk: Righteous Strikes]

    [Description: The undead cower in your presence. Every strike against the undead or their masters deals additional Sun damage, and leaves a burning effect. This additional damage receives double the bonus from any damage modifiers against the Undead. The additional damage is derived from your Restoration skill. Strikes against the undead now grant Restoration experience regardless of the method. Foul creatures know of your nature as soon as they lay their eyes on you.]

    I¡¯d loaded heavily on combat skills, though I had opted to try the Steel Smithing Mastery. I¡¯d gotten to looking at my steel armor, and saw a thousand little problems with the protection. Gaps in the plate, weak points in the stitching, thicker sections where they weren¡¯t needed, among others. I didn¡¯t have the workspace to make any modifications, but part of the tools the Jarl had ordered was a full smithy¡¯s assortment. They were due to arrive by wagon from Windhelm within the month. Hopefully I could play off my sudden skill as memories being jogged by the tools.

    The real killers in the new perk line up were Haft Parry and Righteous Strikes. Haft Parry¡¯s counter attack ate up stamina from what I could tell, but the split second it added to a foe¡¯s reaction time opened up all sorts of dirty tricks. I¡¯d broken Rolvar¡¯s nose with a quick elbow, and even managed to dump Jorman to the ground with a quick step into his guard, not that it slowed him down. I caught his shield to the face and gotten my own nose broken for the trouble I¡¯d made.

    The twins had been commenting on the fact that I¡¯d gotten better at covering my tracks too. Not much, but they¡¯d noticed. My sneak rating was at twenty nine, and growing quickly with each day. If I had three months to train like this, I¡¯d be something dangerous, but it wasn¡¯t meant to be. The Jarl was making noise about needing results, and he¡¯d get them soon. Our preparations were nearly complete by the ninth of the new year. The twins had spent some of their well earned pay to buy a sled, a dog team, and one of Karliene¡¯s litter mates, Icefoot.

    The two wolves had great fun with each other during our training sessions, and I was eager to see what they could do. The sled dogs weren¡¯t exactly trained for combat, but with the wolves to lead by example, we had a pack of blood thirsty hounds. They made up for what we lacked in manpower to an extent, and sadly, the sled dogs were expendable to a degree. I¡¯d bought two more my self to match the twins, and had a wooden shield mounted to the front of my sled for Riga. The idea was that we¡¯d use them like chariots for fast raids, with one of the twins shooting arrows, Riga throwing ice spikes or shooting arrows of her own. The bandits wouldn¡¯t be able to match our mobility, so we could dictate the terms of an engagement.

    My immediate goal was to wipe out a vast swathe of bandits, and force them onto the backfoot. If our raids were successful, it would force them deeper into the mountains, a dangerous place to be, or it would see them congregate in one camp, which the Jarl could launch a proper attack against. If we failed, we¡¯d probably end up dead. Once I had some success to show for my work, I¡¯d start looking for more recruits. A few men had showed interest in joining us, but the wide opinion still held me as an outsider. A good, friendly one, but an outsider all the same. Men wouldn¡¯t follow an outsider into the ice.

    That was fine, because I didn¡¯t have time to train, or the money to equip another few sleds worth of men right now. I still had plenty of my own personal money, but that was my fund for things going to shit. The Jarl had told me that I would need to equip my warband on my own if he was going to pay the sum we¡¯d agreed to, which was reasonable. That cost meant that most of the men would need help to buy a reasonable set of equipment, or we¡¯d need to capture a lot of gear from the bandits.

    The twins and Riga had provided some help there. Their fathers had the knowledge and the materials to put together a decent outfit of warm, light armor. I¡¯d bought three chainmail vests from the Jarl¡¯s armory, and put my new steel smithing mastery to use. The result was several padded white vests, a layer of chainmail sandwiched between a white top and thick linen, with furs on the inside for warmth. The twins carried shields on their sled, Riga had her ward spell. We were finally ready to get a move on, much to the Jarl¡¯s delight. Next stop, Bandit Country.

 Chapter Eleven: Bandit Country I

    We¡¯d crested the pass to the western road, Sea of Ghosts on our right, mountains to our left. Anglin and Angven were in the lead, their white painted sled blending into the background well, as did their solid white clothing, white dogs, and white head wraps. Their sled was kicking up a small flurry, but otherwise they were invisible against the backdrop of snow drifts. There wasn¡¯t much of a road to follow at the moment, a blizzard had rolled through a few days before. It was a great white desert, with ten thousand little places to hide in.

    A bird call rang from the twins, they¡¯d seen something to the left and cut hard to head for it. Something was glinting on the mountain, between the snow-laden trees. I returned their call, an order for them to give up the lead and fall in. Anglin raised his fist and pumped it to let me know he¡¯d heard. We¡¯d come up with better ways than yelling to communicate, but it was still primitive. I took us in towards the foothills, into a clutch of trees to stash the sleds. The sled dogs had learned to stay with them while we moved on foot, a good way to prevent thievery from men or otherwise.

    ¡°What¡¯d you make of the glint Angven?¡± I asked his opinion first.

    ¡°Someone waving a sword or axe. I couldn¡¯t make out a body, but the glint was moving in a rhythm.¡± I looked to Anglin.

    ¡°It could have been a bottlechime, hunters use them sometimes around their camps. It¡¯s worth checking.¡± A bottlechime wasn¡¯t something that had crossed my mind, I¡¯d thought sword like Angven had, at least after the first instant. My first reflex had been scope.

    ¡°We¡¯ll head up around the side, and try to work our way above them. Once we¡¯re close, the pair of you sneak in for a look. If it¡¯s a small camp, or there¡¯s men in the open, we¡¯ll take them and fade away. Let¡¯s get these dogs loose.¡± We were halfway up the slope when Icefoot went still. We¡¯d learned to trust the wolves, and tucked into the snow as he did. I realized why a moment later, a very slight smell wafted over us with the breeze. Sweat, soiled clothes, and blood. Icefoot let out a very quiet growl, and started move to the right. I sent Karliene with him, while us monkeys went left. The next clearing found us two targets. A pair of men in shabby armor were checking rabbit snares. I lowered my voice to a tiny whisper.

    ¡°Head shots only. Can you do it?¡± I looked to the twins. They nodded, and very slowly rose up, bows drawn. Angven¡¯s bow creaked as he drew back to full extension, one of the bandits turned to see the arrow headed for his eye. He didn¡¯t get a shout off. Anglin¡¯s arrow caught the second in the temple, both bandits were dead before they hit the ground. Neither one of them had much of interest, aside from their coins and hands. We stashed the jingly pouches at the point we¡¯d shot from. Riga left a frost rune between the bodies at my instruction. If anything came looking for them, they¡¯d get a nasty surprise. We crept forwards, closer to the camp that was materializing through the trees. The dogs rejoined us swiftly, Karliene had a bloody muzzle. We hadn¡¯t heard a sound. I called a halt while we were still a few hundred yards away from the camp.

    ¡°You two, head south up the mountain, watch out for wild life. Riga and I are going to lay a spread of runes in this tree line. When you come back, bypass it and come back around from the east so you don¡¯t hit one, alright?¡± The twins nodded, and slipped off into the mountains with their hound. It was remarkable how fast they could get lost in the snow. I¡¯d completely lost my sight of them within a minute.

    ¡°Riga, we¡¯re going to make a fatal funnel. This right here is the throat of it. We want the bandits to come in from this point here. People will opt to go through the widest, best gap in the trees. Crawl along.¡± I explained my methodology to her. They weren¡¯t land mines, but they were close enough. Riga had put six of them down when we heard a voice carry through the trees.

    ¡°Oljin! Come on, lunch stew¡¯s ready!¡± The man was about a hundred yards away. We waited for a few seconds, there was no answer.

    ¡°Oljin! I know you can hear me you drunk! Come on before it gets cold!¡± I crept around a tree to get a look at the bandit. He was starting to get nervous, his hand drifted down to the blade on his belt.

    ¡°Riga, start making noise like a dying man. Groan, moan, softly. Bring him over here.¡± I left the girl to figure it out. She shot me a look, but did her best imitation. It was alright. The bandit didn¡¯t hear it at first, then Riga let out a slightly louder groan.

    ¡°Oljin? Oljin where are you?¡± The bandit looked worried, and started towards the girl. I was on the backside of a snow drift, ten yards to her right. The bandit wouldn¡¯t be able to see either of us until he was very close, too close. I had a hand on my axe covering, ready to loose the blade the moment he was close enough. Ten steps. Seven. Five. Four.

    ¡°Oljin?¡± One. The bandit had his back to me, taking short, hesitant steps toward Riga. I was up and moving, axe raised high before he registered my steps. The bandit was quick, I had to give him credit for that, but he was defending against the wrong thing. He raised a leg to kick out, expecting an animal, and caught my axe with his spine. His head tumbled off, rolling in the snow. I knelt down, quickly chopped his hand, and slipped down next to Riga.

    ¡°Put a rune next to his body. The men in camp will have heard him yelling. They¡¯ll come looking in force now.¡± We gave up the position in the tree line for one on a low rise, about where I¡¯d thought the twins would come back through. It had an overlook on the funnel we¡¯d created, and I drew my bow to string it up. Riga did the same.

    ¡°They¡¯ll either walk through that funnel or follow the bandit¡¯s tracks. once we start shooting, they¡¯ll bolt into the trees and hit the runes. Just be patient.¡± I settled the girl. She had an eager excitement drumming her fingers. It took a few minutes, but soon enough there was a party on the other side of the trees. They split, three following the man¡¯s tracks, two went through the gap in the tree line. I waited for the two to be in the open, and tapped Riga. We both rose over the lip of the rise, and loosed a pair of arrows. My shot hit just low of center mass, Riga hit hers in the leg. They both went down screaming, which prompted their friends to crash through the trees.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    One rune went off, then a second, with the third confused man emerging into the middle. Riga and I rose up for a second shot, but a pair of arrows tagged the last running bandit¡¯s back. My attention went to one of the bandits wounded by the frost runes. She was crying, her legs instantly frost-bitten, and trying to drag herself out of the trees in a daze. Riga loosed her shot first, and sunk the arrow fletching deep into the bandit¡¯s shoulder. Mine went high, driving uselessly into the snow behind the she-bandit. I heard the whistle of another arrow, it must have been the twins shooting from the other side of the tree line.

    ¡°Easy, let¡¯s see what happens now.¡± We waited for a minute, then two. The bandits we¡¯d wounded were laying in the snow moaning. Riga¡¯s leg shot was trying to scoot away back into the treeline. I tapped her to put another arrow into him, he caught it high in the chest and stopped crawling. My gutshot was slowly rolling back and forth. He wouldn¡¯t move, but it¡¯d take him a long fucking time to die.

    A bird call, this time a mountain owl sang through the trees. It was Anglin asking us to rally up with them. Riga, Karliene and I made our way through the rocks higher on the mountain, and came in behind the twins. Angven waved us forwards without looking, the snarky git.

    ¡°What¡¯d you see in the camp?¡± I asked as I settled behind a rock.

    ¡°The five of them were sitting around. When you took the loud one, they got worried. The camp was pretty simple, just a few tents and a rope line with bone chimes. They¡¯ve got a horse tied up we could take. Nine bandits in our first raid isn¡¯t bad.¡± Anglin answered.

    ¡°We¡¯re sure that¡¯s all of them?¡±

    ¡°No one else is in the tents, No recent tracks leading away. There aren¡¯t enough tents for a bigger group to be out raiding the road. I¡¯d say we got them all.¡± Angven nodded his certainty.

    ¡°What about the ones you shot? We shot two dead, one¡¯s hurt bad.¡± I peeked over the rock. Angven pointed out the other bandit that had hit a rune, he was nailed to a tree with an arrow in the neck.

    ¡°We put arrows in the one that made it to your side, so if he¡¯s dead, that¡¯s all of them. Eight dead, one survivor?¡± Angven asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the run of it. Let¡¯s loot the place and take the prisoner back to the Jarl as proof.¡± We got to work again, pillaging the camp first, taking the horse, and tying up a chest of loot to the saddle. The dying bandit was last on the list, he¡¯d tried to move, but hadn¡¯t gotten far.

    ¡°Hey there friend. Seems you¡¯re in a bit of a bind there, with that arrow sticking out of you.¡± I kicked him in the leg, drawing a pained grunt. There wasn¡¯t much blood for how long he¡¯d been bleeding.

    ¡°Please, help.¡± He asked weakly. The pain must have sucked. The cold too.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you, if you answer my questions. Deal?¡±

    ¡°Anything you want! Just get this damned arrow out of me.¡± He got a bit of fire in his voice.

    ¡°Not so fast. Which gang are you with?¡± I stepped on his leg.

    ¡°What does it matter? They¡¯re all dead but me.¡± The man groaned as I started putting weight down.

    ¡°My foot¡¯s going to start going higher till you answer the question.¡± I moved it up to his thigh.

    ¡°Gah! Damn you and Merkin¡¯s lot too. We¡¯re the Snow Caps, you ought to know that. How much did Merkin want for our territory?¡± The man chuckled through the pain.

    ¡°He¡¯s cleaning house after that business with Black Tooth. Apparently you boys on the western road aren¡¯t pulling in enough bodies for his other business, so you¡¯ve been volunteered for the corpse parade.¡± I took my foot off the bandit, there was real fear in his eyes now.

    ¡°Wait, wait we never agreed to that! It was gold only!¡± The bandit protested.

    ¡°Huh. Guess that¡¯s why this plot was cheap. If you aren¡¯t in the body business, who is around here? I don¡¯t like competition.¡± The threat of fates worse than death was far, far better than torture. The bandit sang like a drunken bard.

    ¡°The Wraiths! They¡¯re camped just on the other side of that mountain. Oh gods just get this arrow out of me and I¡¯ll show you where they are. Bastards don¡¯t care about who they take, so long as it pays.¡± He moaned.

    ¡°How many of them are there? Ten? Twenty?¡±

    ¡°No, not so many. Maybe a dozen at most. They¡¯ve got two mages though. Shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you, you must have twenty good men. How about one more eh?¡± The bandit was begging now.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never taken bodies? Surely you¡¯ve had to kill a few on the road. Why pass up the gold?¡± I didn¡¯t give him an answer.

    ¡°I never killed a man that didn¡¯t deserve it, and I¡¯ve never harmed woman or child. Most travelers give up without a fight if you got the numbers after all. The things Merkin¡¯s selling those bodies for¡­ that¡¯s not the business I want to be mixed up in. If it weren¡¯t for his gang I wouldn¡¯t be up in these hills¡­¡± False recognition dawned on his eyes, then horror.

    ¡°I mean¡­¡± He thought we were Merkin¡¯s killers.

    ¡°The Jarl will be very interested in what you have to say about Merkin and his gang. Angven, get that arrow out of him and bind his hands. Riga, once he¡¯s bound you can heal him.¡± I smirked at the bandit. He scowled in confusion for a moment, then it hit him.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t a bandit.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m worse. I¡¯m the new law man around these parts. Anglin, finish up with their hands, our new friend can keep his for now. You¡¯d best behave yourself, or I¡¯ll put that arrow right back into you and leave you bound up on the ice for the wolves to eat. Understand me?¡± The bandit nodded, a new horror slowly coming to his face. He was expecting someone like Hemjar. He¡¯d probably end up with Hemjar if he didn¡¯t cooperate fully. Maybe he could fill in the map for us. On that thought, I reached into my cloak for where I¡¯d kept the map tucked.

    The Bandit Camp? marker had shifted to Snow Caps Camp, Cleared. It was a helpful little thing. I looked nearby for another camp marker, to see if the Wraiths were one we¡¯d known about. There wasn¡¯t one, but a quick few questions about that camp with the bandit put a new marker down, with a small circle of error around it. I was tempted to go take a look now, but if we turned back, we could still make it back to Winterhold before nightfall.

    I decided to get while the getting was good. We¡¯d plundered a fair fortune from the camp, five hundred pieces or so, some old armor, a few steel weapons, a very talkative prisoner, and a journal on one of the dead ones. A brief skim showed the woman hadn¡¯t been very educated, and the journal was mostly personal. It was still worth reading when I had the chance.

    The twins tied the bandit¡¯s horse to their sled, the bandit himself was bound to mine. We¡¯d make it back to Winterhold before long, and then we¡¯d be back out here. The Wraiths sounded like a promising lead on finding the necromancers. Time would tell.

 Chapter Twelve: Bandit Country II

    The prisoner had needed a bit of convincing, to the point that I¡¯d tied a noose around his neck and tossed a rope over the main beam of the Jarl¡¯s hall that night. Handing the other end of the rope to Hemjar and letting him hoist the bandit two feet off the ground had led to a quick turn in the bandit¡¯s priorities. In exchange for every last scrap of information he had, he¡¯d been sentenced to a life of hard labor for the Jarl. That meant moving heavy rocks from one side of the yard to the other, being used as a punching bag by the guards, rented out to locals for grunt work, that sort of thing.

    It was a good deal in my opinion. Hemjar wanted to make a public spectacle of his execution in the most painful ways possible. The bandit had filled in our map, and then taken a few away once I¡¯d made it clear that false information would see him executed on my return. He¡¯d pointed out four gangs, moved two of our suspected sites, and mentioned some attacks that he¡¯d heard about, but had left no survivors to tell us. The most important bit of information he had was that Merkin operated out of an old barrow on the south side of the mountains, and that he was a Dunmer. That technically put him in the Pale, but Dawnstar didn¡¯t seem to be in any hurry to capture the filth.

    My party had stayed in the barracks rooms that night, and now we were heading back out just as soon as we¡¯d gotten a good breakfast. Our target was the Wraiths first. It wasn¡¯t meant to be a total extermination, though that would be a possibility depending on how cooperative they were. The next three days objective was to hit as many of the bandits as quickly as we could, with maximum casualties inflicted. Thinning out their numbers before they caught on to the fact someone was hunting them was key.

    We¡¯d made it back to the Snow Caps camp before midday, and the bodies were mostly where we¡¯d left them. Some had been chewed on by the wild life, some had been dragged away, but there weren¡¯t any new human tracks. We kept on to the mountain that our songbird had mentioned, and stashed the sleds in a clutch of trees just as the sun started its downwards arc. The whole pack would be coming with us this time, eight dogs and two wolves.

    The twins found a good path through the mountainside that kept us in the trees, right up until an absolutely rank stench wafted over us. It smelled like a corpse pit, and really, that¡¯s what it was. The sled dogs went skittish almost immediately, abandoning us to head back to the sleds.

    ¡°Troll cave, watch it.¡± I pointed to a gap in the rock ahead. Anglin and Angven were in the lead as usual, and slowly started backpedaling. We¡¯d almost made it. Almost. A roar sounded from the overhang above us, and then the grating of claws on stone heralded the beast''s descent. The troll landed in between us, kicking up snow with a thud. I already had my axe in hand, charging for the beast. Three steps, a swing, and a spray of blood saw the first blow landed. I¡¯d cut a gruesome line across one of its arms, prompting an angry screech. It swiped out at my head and missed, three long claws shredded the air where my throat had been a moment before. I stepped into its guard with a another slash, swung my axe upwards, under its arm, and into its chest. The Troll stumbled backwards, and took me with it. My axe was wedged between two ribs, and I¡¯d made the mistake of holding on this time.

    Whistling arrows were feathering the furry beast as we both tumbled into the snow. Anglin and Angven¡¯s shots were careful, opting for the least likely to hit me rather than the most deadly. The troll landed on its rear, rolled, and spun on all fours in the snow, then leapt forwards for me. My landing hadn¡¯t been great, but I¡¯d gotten back to my feet in time be knocked back on my ass. The troll¡¯s tackle felt like a pile of bricks had hit me, but nothing broke. It raised a fist to turn me into bloody pulp, my mind was racing for a way out.

    Kick!

    My axe was still stuck between the ribs, and the haft was effectively a giant lever. I kicked the wooden handle with all my might, twisting the axe blade a solid fifteen degrees inside the troll¡¯s ribcage. It twitched with the pain, opening its mouth to scream. A stream of fire washed over its head at that moment, melting fur and skin straight off the bone. It didn¡¯t manage to roar, all the air in its lungs had been sucked out to fuel the flames bathing it.

    Something, two somethings rammed into the side of the beast, knocking it off me. Gleaming steel rained down on its flank as the twins battered it with their blades. Angven¡¯s axe cleaved a rib, Anglin¡¯s sword thrust deep into the troll¡¯s back, Riga launched an ice spike that exploded on the troll¡¯s skull, razor shards flying every which way. I was able to get to my feet in the confusion, draw my mace, and beat the daylights out of the troll as it tried to recover. What had started as an ambush ended as a slaughter, chunks of flesh, blood, burning fat, and broken limbs were all that remained of the troll.

    Lots of little monkeys beat one big monkey.

    ¡°Everyone alright?¡± I asked as I pulled my axe out of the troll¡¯s ribs. The blade was starting to become a liability. The shape of it lent itself well to removing arms and legs off of people, but the size meant it was liable to get stuck in something big. I¡¯d have to fix that before it got me killed.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine, you¡¯re the one that got tackled by the thing.¡± Anglin breathed out a long breath.

    ¡°Armor held, and the padding your father made did its job. I¡¯ll be sore tomorrow.¡± I brought my axe high, and took the troll''s head in one chop.

    ¡°Keeping it for the bounty?¡± Angven asked, somewhat amused.

    ¡°No, making sure the bastard doesn¡¯t somehow get back up to fight another day. Always finish off a troll. They can heal faster than you¡¯d believe. That was a whole lot of noise, think the bad guys heard us?¡± I asked as my eyes tracked over the twins. Their white cloaks were ruined, so was mine, troll blood was streaked every which way all across them.

    ¡°Probably heard the troll, but they¡¯re noisy hunters. The bandits aren¡¯t likely to come looking for it, especially if they know this cave is here. I¡¯d have a man watch the mountainside to be safe, but I wouldn¡¯t go asking for trouble.¡± Angven reasoned.

    ¡°Alright. Ditch your cloaks, that blood won¡¯t come out. We¡¯ll move in slowly to get a look at them, but if they¡¯re on edge we¡¯ll pass it over for now.¡± I pulled off my cloak, and threw it into the troll cave as we passed by. The twins did the same. It was the best place to ditch them, nobody in their right mind would willingly go into a bloodstained cave entrance surrounded by bones. The white cloth hadn¡¯t been cheap, but thirty pieces was the cost of doing business.

    The bandit camp was far more difficult to spot than the first one had been, even the twins were surprised when we finally realized what we were looking at. We¡¯d chosen an overlook above the supposed spot, looking through the trees, trying to spot smoke or glints of metal. Finally Anglin groaned softly, tapped my shoulder, and drew a box around a particular clutch of trees. He drew the box with his fingers, then a roof.

    ¡°Clever fuckers, built their huts into the trees.¡± I realized what the bandits had done. The camp had a few wooden huts built in the cover of the pines. The snow laden branches broke up the outline and didn¡¯t leave much of the huts exposed. Closer inspection revealed a wooden palisade connecting the huts, disguised with more pine branches. It was a hard target for just the four of us, unless we could pull off the same trick twice.

    ¡°Think we could coax a few of them out?¡± I asked the group.

    ¡°Maybe. If we do, we can kill the ones that fall for it with arrows.¡± Angven solved the easy part. When all you have is a bow¡­

    ¡°Alright smart boy, how do we get them out?¡± Anglin teased his brother. I had an idea forming in my head, but Riga was going to hate it.

    ¡°They sell bodies to Merkin. They¡¯re a bunch of depraved monsters, they probably like to have their fun with some of the people they can take alive¡­¡± I looked to Riga. She was confused at first, then tilted her head, a scowl forming.

    ¡°Johannes, what¡¯s going in that mind of yours?¡± She asked, a brief hint of worry in her voice.

    ¡°Well, a camp that¡¯s probably full of men, alone up in the mountains, and a helpless, gorgeous girl comes bumbling through the trees, begging for someone to save her. She collapses right in front of the gate, exhausted and defenseless. I¡¯d bet those men in there race each other to you.¡± I floated the idea. Riga didn¡¯t like it.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way they fall for that.¡± Anglin said.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never been with a woman, have you?¡± I chuckled at Anglin. He went red, but stayed quiet as Riga bristled.

    ¡°Trust me, those idiots will fall for it. Anyone dumb enough to get into the business of selling corpses to a man that doesn¡¯t mind making them himself is stupid enough to fall for a honeypot like this. Let¡¯s figure out the best angle down there.¡± It was our best shot. We made our way around, circling the camp from the west to get a look at the other side. The palisade fully enclosed the camp, there didn¡¯t seem to be any particular weak spot.

    We kept to the plan in the absence of a better one, with the twins splitting into two firing positions. The wolves would stay with me, and Riga would ditch her weapons, pack, belt, armor, everything that could give the game away. She wasn¡¯t particularly happy about giving up her armor, but I told her to trust her ward.

    ¡°Alright Riga, you¡¯ve got the plan memorized?¡± I went over it with her one more time.

    ¡°I stumble forwards, begging for help, collapse in the middle of that field in front of their gate, a bit off to the side, and wait. When they get close, I blast them with flames. The twins will start shooting, and then I wait for you and the wolves. Once we kill all the ones that came out, we¡¯ll get close, set the wall on fire, then we run. The twins will feather anyone that tries to get a shot off from the wall. Did I get everything right?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Perfect. You¡¯ll do great, just remember, they need to get close enough to you to block the view from the wall before you set them on fire. Go on, when you¡¯re ready.¡± I patted her on the shoulder. She nodded, steeled her self, and broke from the trees.

    She started off quietly, moaning and crying, slowly building until it seemed like she was having a full on mental breakdown. There was some commotion from the bandit camp as they watched her. Riga was doing a great job of feigning exhaustion. She stumbled, dragged her feet, before finally collapsing in the snow, sobbing. The gate to the camp opened, I counted seven men walking fast. Two more were on a platform next to the gate with bows. I guess they weren¡¯t quite as stupid as I¡¯d hoped. The twins would see them.

    ¡°Hey now, hey now, what¡¯s wrong girl? Did you get lost in the mountains?¡± A big man at the head of the bandits asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s a pretty little one, ain¡¯t she?¡± One farther back was eyeing her like a dog eyed a steak.

    ¡°Pretty as could be, little snow fox.¡± Another agreed. They were a few steps too far. Riga muttered something I couldn¡¯t make out.

    ¡°What¡¯s that? An Ice Wraith killed your husband? Speak up.¡± The bandits laughed to themselves, it was a nice touch to lure them closer. Riga pretended like she was trying to stand, putting a hand in the snow. I saw the flames start, puffs of steam rising. The lead bandit leaned down to her, and caught the spell full force in the face. He clawed at the fire, his cloak and jacket had lit, and the rest of the bandits tried to jump away as Riga swept her hands over them. The twins loosed their shots, nailing the two archers on the gate.

    Time to make use of that Warcry.

    I roared as I stood from the trees I¡¯d covered in, the wolves already bounding ahead. The bandits were caught flat footed as Riga doused them in fire. Some managed to get away with just an arm or a leg burning, and rolled in the snow to put it out. One braved the spell, raising a shield against it. He almost managed a swing at Riga when one of the twins put an arrow in his leg. Karliene was on him in a flash, flailing her head back and forth once she¡¯d gotten hold of his throat.

    Icefoot pulled another bandit back down into the snow as he tried to run for the gate. Riga had changed tacts now, finishing off bandits with ice spikes. One rolled, and manifested a ward just in time to avoid being skewered.

    ¡°Geek the mage!¡± I shouted to the twins. Neither of them had a good angle on the prone bandit, but Karliene heard me, and somehow understood. She went for his casting hand, ripping bloody shreds out of it. Riga tried a spell, but it fizzled. Instead, she reached into the folds of her jacket for a steel dagger, and fell on the mage in a fury. The two girls tore him to pieces by the time I got there with my axe. There were still a few bandits rolling in the snow, some trying to stand. I put my axe to work. Stabs with the point ended two of them, a third caught the blade in the collar bone down to his heart.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°That¡¯s one mage, drink a magicka potion.¡± I looked to Riga. She took the offered vial, drained it, and seemed to regain some sense. I counted out the dead and dying bandits, plus the two on the gate.

    ¡°That¡¯s nine.¡± I whistled, telling the twins to move up with us. If there were only a dozen of them to start, we had the numbers now.

    ¡°Anglin, I want your shield up front with me. Angven, protect Riga.¡± We moved forwards to the gate. It wasn¡¯t all the way open, but wide enough to fit through single file. Anglin was about to step into it when I grabbed him by the shoulder.

    ¡°That¡¯s a funnel. Watch.¡± I used my axe to hook onto the gate, and pulled it open a touch more. A burst of fire exploded around my axe head, a fireball meant for the first man in line. Anglin stepped into cover behind the gate, but I charged through with my axe in one hand, my left raised with a ward. I¡¯d expected to fight a mage, and got something a whole lot worse.

    A woman wreathed in fire, floating just above the ground, spinning and dancing in the air. Another fireball shot out, splashing on my ward. It cracked, but held. A second fireball, then a third, my ward broke. I hadn¡¯t stopped moving forwards, closing the distance with the burning lady.

    [Flame Atronach]

    [Race: Lesser Daedra]

    [Level: 5]

    [Health: 115/115, Magicka: 80/175, Stamina: 50/50]

    The tag popped up above its head as I wondered what the hell it was. It raised a hand as the distance closed to a melee, only for an ice spike to buzz over my shoulder and slam the daedra in the chest. That spooked it, the thing zipped to my right before I could change direction. It loosed a fireball back towards the gate, probably at Riga. I slid to a stop, eyes tracking around for other threats. I couldn¡¯t see the other mage, but they had to be nearby.

    I heard the clash of steel and a sizzling pop of flames, Anglin and Angven had managed to close with the Atronach. Something in my head twitched, a distant memory of one of those things nearly killing me. Atronachs did their best to take you with them when they died.

    ¡°Break off! Make distance with it!¡± I shouted to the twins. Angven¡¯s axe slammed home into its head, and the flames started to glow brighter. Anglin had grabbed his brother, and was in the process of throwing themselves flat when the Atronach exploded. A wave of flame washed over the pair, they had their faces in the snow. I was moving towards them when a white hot bolt of lightning hit me square in the back.

    My entire body seized up stiff as a board, and I face planted into the snow. I was still trying to get my legs to move when a screaming Riga slid to a stop above me, casting a ward in one hand and flames in the other. There was an alarmed shout, another crack of lightning, and then I was being dragged away by my stiff arm. I saw Anglin and Riga storming into a burning hut, a bright flash, a scream, and then I was outside the gate. Angven was saying something to me as I got my twitchy legs working.

    ¡°Johannes! Are you alright?¡± Angven was asking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine! Help them.¡± I tried to focus on the healing spell, but that lightning shock had made a mess of the mana I could usually call on. It was a roiling mass, like the ocean in a storm. It took a few seconds before I managed to get the spell going, but with it, the searing pain across my back slowly went away. I didn¡¯t manage to heal it completely, but it was enough.

    I walked back into the camp, to see Anglin kicking the shit out of the mage on the ground. Riga had a burn across her neck, but was dishing out a beating to rival the boy¡¯s. Angven was about to join in, when I cleared my throat.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! We need a survivor.¡± I spoke loud enough to be heard over the burning hut. Riga gave the mage one more good kick before letting it rest.

    ¡°Aside from a bit of burns, are we intact?¡± I looked over them all. The twins had a bit of light scorching on the back of their armor, but seemed to have survived.

    ¡°Riga got kissed by a burning log in that hut, how are you feeling?¡± Anglin kept his eyes on the mage while he asked.

    ¡°Crispy, but I¡¯ll live. How about this one?¡± I walked up to the mage. His arm was cut open and bleeding, there was another stab wound in his stomach.

    ¡°Dying, hopefully.¡± Riga started to try to kick him again, but Angven stopped her.

    ¡°Anglin, tie the mage up. He¡¯s got time before he bleeds out. Riga, fix yourself up, you don¡¯t want that burn to scar. Once the mage is bound, I need you to fix him. You can kill him later.¡± I turned my eyes to the other huts. One was noticeably larger than the rest. I motioned for Angven to follow me in. It was a mess inside. A cot, a chest, an ugly but functional desk. I threw a magelight onto the ceiling so that we could see.

    There wasn¡¯t much of note, but I could see that an ink pot had been spilled, a few loose pieces of paper were scattered around. Someone had hidden or destroyed their journals. I was willing to bet big money that it was the mage we had tied up. There were a few disturbing pieces scattered about. Human bones, some looked too small to have come from an adult. Any thoughts of sparing the mage left my mind after a few glances at a nearly intact set of foot bones, they hadn¡¯t finished fusing together. I tried to push the thought out of my head, and turned to the treasure.

    The chest itself was big money, over a thousand pieces had been stashed in a smaller lockbox inside. There were spell tomes too, three of them. A dagger caught my eye as I was digging through, it glowed a brief purple when my hand touched it.

    [Item: Steel Dagger of Soul Trapping]

    [Description: When a target is struck by this weapon, their soul is tethered to the nearest suitable Soul Gem. If they die while tethered, their soul is trapped within the gem.]

    [Effect: Cast Soul Trap on Target.]

    Soul traps, soul gems, magic items, something buzzed again. The soul gems were an intrinsic part to the creation of enchanted equipment, they were used as fuel for the magic. They were horrific, sending souls to the¡­ It hit me like a truck, the Soul Cairn, the Ideal Masters, the spirits doomed to spend eternity wandering the gray wasteland after their souls were bartered to make a flaming sword. It took a very rare kind of soul gem to send a sentient, sapient being to the Soul Cairn, and I was looking at one. The black gem had been underneath the dagger, wrapped in a cloth. I took it out, and put it on the desk, along with the blade.

    ¡°Is he conscious?¡± I asked as I came back out from the hut.

    ¡°You won¡¯t get any answer from me, scum!¡± The mage hissed.

    ¡°Great. Well, I¡¯m going to make this real simple for you. Where are your papers? I know you moved them, where are they?¡± I squatted down to be at eye level with the mage. He sneered, reared his head back, and spit blood at me.

    ¡°That was a bad idea. Left or right mage?¡± I wiped the blood off my face.

    ¡°What kind of infantile question is that?¡± He tried to spit at me again, but Riga kicked him in the mouth before he could. A few teeth went flying.

    ¡°Hey Riga, do you think it hurts to regrow teeth?¡± I looked to her. She shrugged, and cast the healing spell on the bandit mage. He groaned, but it didn¡¯t seem like a worthwhile method of torture.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you again, otherwise we¡¯ll let Riga decide. Left, or right?¡± The mage looked a bit less confident now, but stayed quiet.

    ¡°Alright Riga. Pick one of his hands for me. Anglin, could you drag that stump over here?¡± I gestured.

    ¡°I pick his right hand.¡± She smiled. Anglin dragged the stump into position, while Angven held the man¡¯s bound hands in place on it.

    ¡°Last chance to give me an answer without blood, mage.¡± I hefted my axe up.

    ¡°To Oblivion with you!¡± Wrong answer, again. I swung my axe down, and took off both of his hands. That oversized axe blade really was inconvenient at times. He screamed, but it only took a few minutes for him to settle down after I¡¯d had Riga heal the stumps. She wasn¡¯t talented enough to grow a hand back after all.

    ¡°Alright mage, now that we both know what the score is, we can keep going with the removing bits and pieces of your anatomy till the moons come up. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary, and you certainly don¡¯t want to be left as a meat sack rolling across the ice do you? Wolves will be around before too long with all this blood.¡± I sat across from the mage. He wouldn¡¯t look at me.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m gonna cut to the chase because you obviously think that even if you die, you¡¯re going someplace right? Who¡¯s your lord?¡± It was a reasonable conclusion from the Atronach summoning.

    ¡°I serve the King of Strife!¡± There was a new defiance in his eyes.

    ¡°Alright, well, you aren¡¯t going to Coldharbour buddy.¡± I stood and walked back into the hut for the knife and gem. The mage¡¯s eyes went wide when he saw them.

    ¡°Oh yeah, you know what these are. Tell me, what do you think it feels like when the Ideal Masters decide to devour your soul? Do you think it hurts? I haven¡¯t heard much, but I know that there¡¯s stories from a few necromancers that there are souls from the Merethic Era that haven¡¯t been eaten yet. How does that sound? Ten thousand years of waiting around for an eventual death to some cosmic horror?¡± My hand flicked out and cut his cheek, a purple tether line manifested to the black soul gem.

    ¡°Wait! Wait! Listen, I burned the papers! But I can tell you things!¡± The mage¡¯s sudden change of heart was telling in itself. Riga and the twins had taken an unconscious step back from the pair of us.

    ¡°Things like what? I¡¯m on a hunt for Merkin and his little gang of amateurs. You¡¯d better have something good or you¡¯ll be serving as my walking foot stool for eternity.¡± More memories were starting to come back, things about necromancy, vampires, elder scrolls.

    ¡°Merkin is expecting a big delivery. There¡¯s a refugee mob coming from Morrowind, one month! We¡¯re supposed to head over the mountain in a few days to meet with the rest of them, then we¡¯re marching over the White to some ruined tower.¡± The Mage spoke fast, eyes glued to the black gem and the purple tether connecting him to it.

    ¡°How many gangs is the rest? Two gangs? Four? I need numbers mage.¡± I let the dagger drift closer to him again.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! There¡¯s got to be at least fifty fighters for a job as big as this. Merkin doesn¡¯t like taking chances, or leaving witnesses!¡± The mage quickly tried to supply an answer.

    ¡°How many Dunmer are coming with that refugee group?¡± That would be a good proxy for how many soldiers Merkin would bring.

    ¡°A hundred, two hundred maybe. I only heard half the story. Enough to fill six wagons or more with bodies.¡± That was bad.

    ¡°Well, unless you have anything else to offer¡­¡± I stood.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to deliver the bodies to the necromancers in the east! A big group of them are held up in an old barrow. Yngdaril or something! That¡¯s everything I know!¡± The mage watched as the tether connecting him to the gem disappeared, and breathed out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°You certainly turned out to be useful. Tell you what, I need someone to send Merkin a message. You¡¯ll have to be careful, seeing as you don¡¯t have any hands, but you still have two feet. When you see Merkin next, tell him the Hounds send their regards.¡± I walked around behind him.

    ¡°The hounds send their regards, I¡¯ll tell him, I swear it!¡± The Mage¡¯s voice was giddy with relief. It was incredible how quickly a smart, desperate person could turn into a stupid, hopeful one.

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to let him go? Johannes, what the¡ª Oh, damn.¡± Angven started to protest, right up until I jammed the soul trapping dagger into the mage¡¯s heart. He jerked, hissed in surprise, and slumped forwards. A bright purple light was sucked into the black gem I carried, and the gem itself began to glow faintly.

    ¡°Johannes¡­ What was that?¡± Riga¡¯s fearfully curious eyes kept moving between the dagger, and the gem.

    ¡°That¡¯s part of the process for how enchanted weapons are made. You have to trap the soul of a creature with the soul trap spell, very creative names. If the creature dies while the spell is in place, their soul gets sucked to the nearest available soul gem. Like this one.¡± I lifted the black soul gem to her.

    ¡°That thing ate the mage¡¯s soul?¡± Anglin¡¯s eyes seemed fearful of the crystal.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just holding onto it for now. Once this crystal gets used though¡­ It¡¯s dark magic to use black soul gems. Just know that this bastard is going to be punished beyond anything that the Jarl or Hemjar could ever devise.¡± I stuffed the gem into a bag on my belt.

    ¡°How did you know all that stuff? You knew he was a daedra worshipper, you knew the realm of whichever one he worshipped, you mentioned something about the Masters?¡± Riga asked questions in rapid fire.

    ¡°Slow down Riga. I don¡¯t know how I knew that. It came back to me when I saw the black gem. I¡¯m still piecing it all together. This mage served a Prince, I won¡¯t say his name, but he¡¯s one of the nastier ones. As for the Masters¡­ It¡¯s complicated. They have some sort of realm like the Daedra, where the souls trapped in black soul gems end up. It¡¯s called the Soul Cairn, and it¡¯s one of the worst fates you could possibly have. The souls wander a wasteland for thousands of years, until the Masters decide to devour them. That¡¯s what I know, and I don¡¯t think anyone else knows much more than that. Very, very few people have ever survived going there.¡± I paused, regretting that I¡¯d shared that.

    ¡°Riga, it¡¯d be best if you kept all that to your self. People start asking questions when you know things that you shouldn¡¯t, and that¡¯s not the sort of attention that any of us need. I¡¯m going to ask Jori about what these bandits would be doing with black soul gems. They¡¯re very rare.¡± It was a mistake to tell Riga what I knew, that was obvious the second I¡¯d started, but truthfully, I still couldn¡¯t remember why I knew all this stuff. Tamriel wasn¡¯t the world of my previous life, that was obvious, but I could remember things about it more clearly than the life I knew that I¡¯d lived.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ You must have been some sort of witch hunter before you came to us.¡± Anglin spoke first. Riga was still digesting everything I¡¯d told her.

    ¡°That, or maybe one of the Necromancers.¡± Angven was trying to make a joke, but realized it was in poor taste. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Come on, let¡¯s see what¡¯s worth taking and get out of here before the sun gets too low. There¡¯s two more camps to raid, we can hit one more before the sun sets and still have time to put distance between ourselves and the scene.¡± There wasn¡¯t a whole lot worth taking beyond the immediate valuables. There were a few steel weapons that found their way into bags, helmets and chainmail, but none of the bandits had been wearing heavy plate. It was all for the better, heavy plate would slow us down.

    We paid our respects to the next bandit camp, and found it deserted aside from two men. They¡¯d been loudly talking about how they¡¯d spend the money they took from a murdered family, and caught arrows for punishment. One of them mentioned a nearby village that the rest of the gang was extorting before Angven put another arrow in him. We weren¡¯t looking for prisoners now, this was a punitive raid. The camp had a fair bit of loot in it, enough to load down our sleds with.

    With the knowledge of a local village being harassed by the bandits, we were left with a dilemma. The village was a couple hours away by sled, nearly a day¡¯s hike by foot, which meant the bandits were probably going to stay there overnight. Nothing good happened after dark, that was a universal truth. If we made for the village, we¡¯d be going into a fight tired and blind, but if we didn¡¯t, it was a certainty that the villagers would suffer for it.

    ¡°We¡¯re the Jarl¡¯s Rangers, it¡¯s our job to stop cretins like that from raiding villages. I say we make for the village as quickly as we can.¡± Anglin cast his vote. Angven agreed. I agreed with them too.

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯re going to stash everything heavy here, take only what you need for a fight. Riga, how are you feeling as far as spellcasting goes?¡± I looked to our mage. She¡¯d cast a lot of magic today.

    ¡°I can do some healing, but don¡¯t expect much.¡± She looked like she was ready to fall asleep.

    ¡°Rest on the trip as best you can.¡± She¡¯d need it.

 Chapter Thirteen: Midnight Riders

    The village was farther than I¡¯d expected, being at the very farthest edge of the circle on my map. We¡¯d been riding for three hours by the time we got there, and the sun had set already. The moon wasn¡¯t bright, and there was only one of them again. I¡¯d figured out that the smaller one, Secunda, orbited the larger, Masser. Secunda would disappear for a few days, not because it was behind Masser all the time, but because it was under the horizon. That was my working theory at least. If Secunda was actually orbiting fast enough to be doing full circuits around Masser in less than a week, the gravitational forces should have ripped both moons, and Nirn, into pieces.

    That was my old life talking, that didn¡¯t account for the fact that the moons were literally the corpse of the god that had created Mundus. Jori had taught me the basics like I was a particularly stunted child, a source of great amusement to Riga. Magic meant that none of the vague recollections I had of orbital mechanics meant a damn thing. The moon wasn¡¯t bright, and there was only one of the fucking things, which suited me just fine tonight. My night eye ring meant that I could see as if it was still dusk, despite only a sliver of Masser providing light.

    The twins followed me onto a hill overlooking the village, where we dismounted the sleds and settled in for a look. From a distance, everything seemed fine in the little clutch of houses. Smoke rose from chimneys, there were lights in the windows, shapes moved behind them. Careful observation showed a blood-stained patch of snow along the center road, and I could just barely make out a body hanging from the balcony of what seemed to be a tavern. We were too far to hear anything over the howling winter wind, but I was sure it was nothing pretty. The bandits had mentioned that there were seven men in their gang that had left, and I¡¯d questioned them separately. Seven on three wasn¡¯t great odds, but the bandits hadn¡¯t just spent the past month being trained by Jorman.

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan Johannes?¡± Anglin asked, he had his shield strapped to his arm already.

    ¡°They¡¯re all in the tavern. I expect there¡¯s a few locals, probably girls, that have been taken captive. Maybe the bar man and his family. They¡¯ll be drinking up the ale, sun¡¯s been down long enough for them to be drunk. There¡¯s no room for subtlety here, they have hostages and we don¡¯t know where. I¡¯d say we barge in, blades shining. Kill all of them who won¡¯t surrender.¡± Every second wasted was a chance for another local to get killed.

    ¡°That¡¯s settled then. Let¡¯s go.¡± Angven jumped back onto his sled. I gave one last look at the village, but nothing came to me. It¡¯d just be a battle.

    ¡°Riga, when we go in, I want you to stay outside with a bow. If anyone comes out of that tavern, armed, that isn¡¯t one of us, you put them down, alright?¡± I looked to the girl. She started to protest.

    ¡°I can fight! I trained just the same as you did!¡± She huffed.

    ¡°Riga, you¡¯re half my size, and there are bigger men out there. Your place isn¡¯t in a melee with men that can pick you up and break you over there knee with one hand. I need you intact so that you can help me heal the locals, especially if there¡¯s a local girl that¡­ Listen, just hide on the balcony of the house across the street, Karliene will be with you. If things go bad, you come up here and take a sled all the way back to Winterhold, tell the Jarl what happened. I can make it an order if you want, but you¡¯re not coming into that tavern with us.¡± I put my foot down. Riga bit her tongue, and took her bow from the sled.

    We made our way down the hill, and stayed in the darkness as much as possible. The night eye ring blended the dark and lit areas almost perfectly, so I ended up having to take it off so that I could tell when I was in the light. Riga crossed the street, and carefully got into position, my wolf beside her. Angven was first in line, shield and axe ready. All we had to do was turn the corner, bust in the door, and start chopping.

    ¡°Ready? Push!¡± I tapped him on the shoulder. We ran for the door, Angven pulled it open, and I was inside. The man closest to the door looked confused as he saw me, an all white figure trailing frost. The man was armed, a mace on his belt, but his armored jacket was open. I drove the point of my pole-axe into his heart, toppling the man out of his chair and forcing him to the ground.

    ¡°Who the!?! Arms! Fight!¡± Another man in the back yelled, he had one hand on a local girl, the other was reaching for a sword. I counted four bandits, including the one that had yelled, which left two unaccounted for. The twins charged in to control the center of the room, another bandit caught a steel blade on his brow before he¡¯d managed to get out of his chair. After that, it was a brawl.

    Angven caught an axe on his shield and kicked a bandit away, Anglin slashed one across the arm. Two charged for me, one was a bit closer. He had a sword drawn back for a thrust. The second one was still fumbling with the axe on his belt. The swordsman closed in, I raised my axe, timed the parry, and bashed the man in the face with my haft. He stumbled into a table, blood streaming from his broken nose, and didn¡¯t have time to bring up his guard. His arm dropped to the floor still clutching his sword, a bloodsoaked axe blade flashing in the hearthlight. The second man was on me next, he ducked the thrust of my point and brought up a swipe with his own axe.

    The strange feeling of possession coursed through me as I stepped to the left and leaned back, letting his axe blade skip off the steel plate of my armor. My foot lashed out for his knee as he passed by, steel shin boots won. The man was trying to get back to his feet when Anglin was forced over a table, shield raised in a desperate defense. The yelling bandit had a dagger, stabbing and swiping for the boy¡¯s face. I raised my hand, and made my first combat use of Flames. They swept over the top of the shield, burning the flesh off the bandit¡¯s arm. His face caught some of it as well.

    ¡°Finish him Anglin!¡± I yelled, before turning back to my own bandit. He crashed into me before I¡¯d gotten around to face him. I felt a cold sting and warm blood where a dagger sliced into my arm. A different possession took hold of me, one from my old life, and I let my axe fall to the ground. My right arm lashed out at the hand holding the dagger, grabbing at the bandit¡¯s wrist. He tried to pull back, but wasn¡¯t fast enough. My left hand went for his collar, and then I spun, curling down towards the ground. The bandit flew over my shoulder and slammed into a table, he started screaming something awful.

    The bandit had landed on a decorative piece, a spiked helm in the middle of the table. The spike had punched through his leg, and his free hand was trying to pull it out while we wrestled for the dagger. Something brushed against my leg, and a massive white shape grabbed hold of the bandit¡¯s face. Icefoot started shaking with every ounce of muscle he had, until there was a loud pop and the bandit¡¯s arm went limp.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Good boy! Good boy!¡± I left the paralyzed bandit where he hung off the table edge, Icefoot still mangling him. Anglin and Angven were fighting three on two, the other bandits had appeared from a side room. I knelt down to take up my axe again, when one of the twins went down hard, a sword stuck in his leg. Icefoot saw it, and went into a frenzy. The bandit that had gone in to finish the job paled in terror as the massive dog lunged and took him to the ground.

    Two on two now. The remaining twin swung his sword, it was Anglin, and caught the bandit across the face with it. The man shrieked, but his friend tried to take advantage of the opening Anglin had left. A mace crashed into the boy¡¯s shoulder, but left a conveniently exposed arm in the path of my axe. It severed at the elbow, blood jetted out and splattered across Anglin¡¯s white vest. The twin spun, and bashed the rim of his shield into the disarmed bandit¡¯s mouth. The man faltered two steps, tried to raise his hand, and lost two fingers when Anglin jammed his sword forwards. The blade sunk six inches into the bandit¡¯s throat, withdrew, and plunged again into his chest. The bandit slumped down, trying to hold his throat closed with missing fingers.

    ¡°Angven! How bad is it?¡± I asked the downed twin. He was trying to pull himself up on a table.

    ¡°Missed the bone I think, gods that hurts.¡± He flopped into a chair. Anglin was making sure all of the bandits were dead. A little gasp sounded from beneath a table in the corner of the room when Anglin finished off the bandit that had lost an eye and a nose to his sword. I bent down to get a look, two girls were huddled together against the wall.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you can come out. We¡¯re the Jarl¡¯s men. We aren¡¯t going to hurt you.¡± I gestured for them. They seemed nervous, but slowly slid out from under the table.

    ¡°Are you two hurt?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ but, Girda¡­¡± One of the girls ran for the side room. The other was petrified once she got a look at the gore splattered every which way. The floor was coated in blood. Three bandits had their throats sliced, or shredded, open, two suffered severed arms, and a plethora of other wounds were just adding to the mess. Icefoot let out a blood thirsty howl, his face stained red. The girl looked like she was about to faint.

    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t look at all that. Come over here.¡± I stepped towards her, and tried to bring her to a chair facing the door, the only direction that wasn¡¯t completely drenched. We had to step over two bodies. I went to the door as I spoke to the girl.

    ¡°Just sit right there. Riga! Riga come in here, Angven¡¯s hurt but we¡¯re alive.¡± I opened the door partially, not wanting to expose my self in case our mage was feeling jumpy. The girl¡¯s hand shot into the door way almost immediately, she¡¯d been standing right outside.

    ¡°I thought, never mind. See to the twins.¡± I pointed her towards Angven. Riga paused as she stepped in, sharing a similar look to the girl I¡¯d put facing the door. I saw a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye when I turned to look back outside, someone was peeking out from a house across the road.

    ¡°Hey! You!¡± I stepped into the door frame, revealing my self fully. I knew I had to look terrible, but that was a simple fact of fighting in melee. It was especially true when I specialized in bleed damage and limb removal. The figure in the door stepped out themselves, it was a man.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The man asked cautiously, he was hiding his right hand behind the door frame.

    ¡°Johannes, Jarl Korir¡¯s First Ranger. We came to help after we heard about the bandits. Are there any others in town?¡± I stepped into the street. The man still seemed unsure, but stepped out himself, a fine axe held loosely at his side.

    ¡°All of the bandits were in the tavern. My Daughter¡­ Were there any girls?¡± He couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask about bodies.

    ¡°Three girls, two I¡¯ve seen are fine, just shaken by the fighting. Come in. Anyone else in the village listening, come out! The bandits are dead!¡± I shouted. The man across the street hobbled over, he had a bad limp in his leg. Once he got into the light, I could see that he¡¯d been beaten bloody by the bandits.

    ¡°Go along inside. I have a healer if you¡¯d like.¡± I motioned at his face.

    ¡°Thank you Ranger.¡± He bowed his head, and went in. The girl by the door wasn¡¯t his. A few more people came out, a couple, an old woman, two younger boys. All of them had been brutalized somehow. The couple were the ones I got the best answers from.

    ¡°This village isn¡¯t the largest, but is this really all there is? No more people hiding in their houses?¡±

    ¡°There are a few, but most of the men have left. A mammoth herd was spotted, they¡¯ve gone to hunt one. I¡¯m beginning to think the travelers that mentioned it were lying.¡± The woman scowled.

    ¡°By chance was it two men? One short, looked like an Imperial, the other tall, blonde, scar over one eye?¡± I asked, thinking back to the two bandits we¡¯d executed at the camp.

    ¡°Aye, that was them. Bastards.¡± The man spat. One of his eyes was swollen shut.

    ¡°I can fix that if you¡¯d like. I¡¯m no master mage, but I know the basics.¡± I pointed to his eye. He assented, it took a moment, but I managed.

    ¡°Thank you friend. Maybe I¡¯ve been wrong about mages.¡± He grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯m no mage, not like that. Just useful things I¡¯ve learned. Who was he?¡± I pointed to the body that I¡¯d cut down from the tavern¡¯s balcony.

    ¡°Hrolfin, the owner of the tavern. Poor Girda, she doesn¡¯t have any family left. Her mother died last winter. Hrolfin was one of the Jarl¡¯s thegns, he led the town. Always made sure that everyone had enough to eat.¡± The man grimaced at the body.

    ¡°Why¡¯d they kill him?¡±

    ¡°He came out of his tavern with an axe, and took a swing at one of the bandits. He might have killed a few, the cowards feathered him. We ran out to fight, but they had the numbers and we didn¡¯t see them coming. They arrived just after the sun set.¡± The man pointed to the two arrows stuck in the body. We¡¯d been an hour late, a single hour.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t get here sooner. The Jarl sent us out to hunt down the bandits, we only found out about your village by chance. We¡¯ve wiped out three bandit gangs in the mountains in the past two days.¡± I made a gesture to the south.

    ¡°Three gangs? Where are the rest of your men?¡± The man seemed surprised.

    ¡°This is it. The guards are spread thin. I had to recruit local children to even have a party with me.¡± I smiled at Angven and Anglin, who were talking with the two young boys that had come along to see what the commotion was about.

    ¡°Dangerous children. I¡¯d offer to join you, but after this, I don¡¯t know that we could afford to lose any more men in the village. We¡¯re only forty here, a dozen men of good fighting age, and eight of them are chasing ghost mammoths.¡± The man scowled again at the bodies we¡¯d piled on the side of the tavern.

    ¡°It¡¯s true everywhere. There either aren¡¯t enough men, or there isn¡¯t the money to outfit them. On that, we took a few hundred coins from these scum, it should go to you people here. The bounties for the bandits will pay our due.¡± I thought to the small fortune we¡¯d stashed. Split evenly, it¡¯d pay the four of us over a thousand pieces in the gold alone, probably two thousand with all the equipment, gems, and jewelry.

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you. It should go to Girda. She¡¯ll be without family. For a while at least.¡± Girda had been the worst off of the three girls the bandits had taken. It hadn¡¯t gotten too far, but she¡¯d tried to stab one of the bandits after they killed her father. That had earned her a beating and a half. Riga spent most of the night with her. The healing didn¡¯t take long, but the girl needed someone present.

    We left the village the next morning to collect up the bit of gold I¡¯d promised them, and made it back by midday. Our sleds were fully loaded with equipment, and we needed to report back to the Jarl with the information we¡¯d gotten. It was a long trip, just at the edge of what we could make by nightfall, but we managed. Dinner was just wrapping up by the time we came into the hall. Jorman had to do a double take as he saw us, our armor was still covered in blood stains. The guards stared as we made our way up to the Jarl, it must have been the smell.

 Chapter Fourteen: Magical Means

    ¡°Johannes, you¡¯re a sight. I hope that means there are less bandits to deal with along the western road.¡± The Jarl chuckled happily. He wouldn¡¯t be smiling for much longer. I handed off the bag of nineteen hands to Jorman.

    ¡°Less bandits, more problems. We know where Merkin¡¯s headquarters is for sure now, we know his next major move, and we¡¯ve wiped out two more gangs of bandits, including one that confirmed my suspicions. The bandits are working for the necromancers.¡± That led to a mixed expression.

    ¡°Also, a village, Icehome, was raided by one of the bandit gangs. We got there an hour after the bandits, and managed to kill them all. Only one man of the village died, your thegn Hrolfin. He tried to fight the bandits and was shot dead before they hung him from his own tavern. I gave over some of the treasure from the gang to his daughter, Girda. The bandits¡­ tried to have her, but it didn¡¯t get that far before we¡¯d arrived. The men of the village are few in number, but they¡¯ve offered to support my efforts as best they can.¡± Jarl Korir¡¯s expression simmered into rage.

    ¡°Damn these bandits to Oblivion! Hrolfin was a good man. These hands, they include all of those who killed him?¡± The Jarl gestured at the bag Jorman was still counting.

    ¡°All of them that I know of. We executed two of them at their camp, and caught seven more in the village. There should be nineteen hands total.¡± That soothed the Jarl¡¯s temper. He pushed the last remnants of his food around on his plate.

    ¡°What of Merkin?¡± The Jarl asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s planning to ambush a group of refugees as they cross the border into Skyrim. There¡¯s some sort of tower or ruined fortification over the White River where they expect the refugees to rest. It¡¯ll include a large portion of Merkin¡¯s muscle, maybe all of them. I¡¯d guess fifty to a hundred armed men. They¡¯re going to move the bodies of the refugees by wagon to an old nord barrow, a Yngdaril or something, the bandit I questioned didn¡¯t sound sure of the name. It could be hundreds of corpses, enough to overwhelm every village between here and the river. Not to mention what they¡¯ve already taken.¡± It was everything I knew.

    ¡°The tower will be Ashwatch, the old fort there has fallen into ruin. It¡¯s a common stop for the refugees as they head down to Windhelm. As for the barrow, there are dozens, maybe even hundreds of old tombs through the mountains. We couldn¡¯t be sure which they mean without the proper name. Your friend at the College, Jori, he may be able to help.¡± Jorman scratched at his chin as he spoke.

    ¡°And you say that fifty, to a hundred of these bandits will be participating in the attack?¡± Jarl Korir looked worried. If he armed every able bodied man in Winterhold, he might have even numbers with them. If he called up every man from the nearby villages, that would give him a hundred at the most.

    ¡°I only had one source on that number Jarl, and he was a crazed daedra worshipper. I believe that the attack on the refugees is real, but the numbers involved are the pertinent question. I can try to disrupt them while they march, to hit them hard with raids, but that¡¯s a dangerous game when there¡¯s only four of us. I¡¯ve only got so many tricks to use. The bandits we fought weren¡¯t expecting the law to come after them, they will be by the time they head off for the refugees.¡± I pointed out. Jarl Korir gritted his teeth.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need help. Let me worry about finding more soldiers Johannes, you¡¯ve done well, better than I could have ever asked for. Get yourselves something to eat, and rest. Are you planning to head back out in the morning?¡±

    ¡°Not immediately, I need to speak with Jori at the College about some of the specifics I¡¯ve discovered. I think there¡¯s more to what the necromancers are doing, but its not worth speculation until I can talk to someone who knows how these filth operate. I¡¯m also going to ask for him to send a letter to the Vigilants. They¡¯ll send at least some men to help fight if it means stopping a horde of undead from rampaging across Skyrim. Thank you Jarl.¡± I bowed.

    ¡°I should be the one thanking you. I have to admit, the Vigilants seem like they are the best option for matching the necromancers. Find out what you can about the enemy¡¯s plan, I trust you to make good use of the time we have.¡± The Jarl sent me off with my marching orders.

    Sleep came quickly, despite the miasma of swirling thoughts that plagued me. The black soul gems didn¡¯t bode well, I doubted it was a one off find. Whether they meant to make enchanted weapons and armor, or they had some other purpose was beyond me. Soul gems had to have some use beyond making magic items, and it couldn¡¯t be a good one. The confirmation that the bandits were working with the Necromancers only exacerbated that.

    Plenty of Necromancers ended up getting themselves eaten by the Ideal Masters and the Soul Cairn in their pursuit of ever more powerful undead creations. The Masters only dealt in one currency, sentient souls, and the only way for mortals to handle that currency was in black soul gems. Merkin was probably planning to cut a deal with the Masters, or maybe he was just sourcing the souls for someone who was. Neither were good for us.

    It was just after dawn when I walked up to the College¡¯s gate, Faralda wasn¡¯t at her place yet, so I sat on the steps until I heard her approach. She was less than amused to see me there. Before she could speak, I held up my left hand, and pulled the black soul gem out of my bag.

    ¡°I found this in a bandit camp, I know what it is, I know what it does. I need to speak to Jori about it now. If these necromancers are making deals with the Masters, it¡¯s very quickly going to become your problem too.¡± That stunned her into silence for a moment.

    ¡°Hand it over, I¡¯ll take it to him.¡± She put her hand out.

    ¡°Not happening. I¡¯m the Jarl¡¯s Ranger, and I know a bit of magic now. Let me in unless you want to suddenly find that no one is willing to sell food, parchment, ink, or anything else to the College.¡± I put the black soul gem back in my bag. Faralda¡¯s eyes smoldered. She was on the verge of saying something exceptionally rude when a voice came from behind me.

    ¡°Ranger Johannes, I don¡¯t think that even the Jarl has the courage to threaten the College directly. What¡¯s your need for getting inside?¡± I turned to see Mirabelle walking towards us, a heavy sack over her shoulder.

    ¡°This. I need to speak with the Vigilant, Jori.¡± I showed her the soul gem. Her eyes widened slightly.

    ¡°That is a reasonable excuse. You have my permission to visit the College as you please, so long as you cause no trouble. Shall we?¡± Mirabelle gestured to the bridge.

    ¡°Master Mirabelle! I must protest this¡ª¡± Faralda was silenced by a hand from Mirabelle. Her mouth was still moving, there was just no sound coming out.

    ¡°First Ranger Johannes has proven himself a friend to mages in Winterhold, and his cause is a noble one. The lapse of our own vigilance is partly to blame for the dangers facing Winterhold now, it is the least we can do to right that wrong. I will not hear any more on it. Mind your post Faralda. Come now Johannes.¡± Mirabelle waved me forwards. The bridge was in a poor state to say the least, I worried that it¡¯d give out with a strong gust of wind. The College itself was supported on a great pillar of ice, left to stand alone where the rest of the great city had once gathered around it.

    ¡°Incredible place.¡± I commented as we approached the gate.

    ¡°It has stood for thousands of years, through one crisis or another. Forgive Faralda, she is very protective of the College and the body within. Too many men in armor like yours have looked down on her for what she is.¡± Mirabelle walked into the central courtyard, the stone structures surrounding it were massive. For all that it was called a college, it was more aptly described as a fortress.

    ¡°An Altmer battlemage in Skyrim won¡¯t find many friends these days, Thalmor or not. She should open her eyes to that fact and cut those men as much leniency as they cut her.¡± I answered. Mirabelle grimaced, but did let out a slight chuckle.

    ¡°Be careful what you have to say about the Thalmor. There is one here by the name of Ancano. Suffice to say, we probably share similar views towards them. He¡¯s here as a liason to the Arch Mage, you are smart enough to figure that out.¡± Mirabelle shook her head. Something buzzed again, a great blue and gold orb, glowing with magical energy.

    ¡°You should, er. It¡¯s best I don¡¯t voice that particular thought.¡± I¡¯d been about to say that they should kill the knife ear before he had the chance to kill them. Mirabelle grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought it my self. Come now, Jori is usually into his studies before dawn. I will allow you access to the Arcanaeum, on the condition that you can behave properly.¡± Mirabelle led me towards the largest of the three structures.

    ¡°I understand Master Mirabelle. Thank you for this, I know that it is a rare privilege for an outsider.¡± We entered the Hall of Elements, the name having been plucked from the lost pieces of my memory.

    ¡°You may not have been a mage with the College, or a known noble in Skyrim, but you are an educated man Johannes. I believe that there is far more to you than can be readily seen. The divines work in mysterious ways, it is no coincidence for you to have arrived when you did.¡± Mirabelle turned right, towards the library. I didn¡¯t exactly know what to say after something like that, so I kept silent. The mages weren¡¯t just skilled with their spells, many of them would have come from educated backgrounds. It wouldn¡¯t do any good for Mirabelle to run circles around me in a conversation, I was at least smart enough to see her words for what they were.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to see what the nine have in store for me then.¡± Mirabelle bristled slightly, her head snapping to the right. A high, haughty voice rang out.

    ¡°Which nine would those be? Nine local girls in the tavern? Nine dogs in the alley? Or eight divine beings and one nord delusion?¡± Ancano was sitting at a table as we entered the library proper. Ancano the Thalmor agent, sent to keep a close watch on the college.

    ¡°I was thinking the nine men sharing your mother in the stable out back, knife ear.¡± It was the wrong thing to say, but oh my it was worth it.

    ¡°You insolent nord scum!¡± Ancano got to his feet, hand flickering with one spell or another. My hand was on the soul trapping dagger. He¡¯d get a spell off before I closed the distance, but I¡¯d probably live long enough to open his throat in two places.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Oh, sorry, I forgot that she prefers the horses.¡± I pushed him just a little farther. The elf took one step forwards, only to run into a strong ward.

    ¡°Enough! You are both guests of the College, and I will not tolerate any fighting. You aren¡¯t meant to be in the Arcaneum without approval Ancano, and I don¡¯t remember giving it. Off with you. Now.¡± Mirabelle pulled me to stand behind her, and manipulated her ward to force the Altmer back down the hall and out of the library. She turned to look at me once he was gone.

    ¡°Johannes, have you lost your mind? Ancano is a Thalmor agent, he could send a letter to the Justiciars and have you arrested by his word alone.¡± Mirabelle was whispering, but her tone was a shout.

    ¡°Let them come. I have bigger problems to worry about than a bunch of golden armored elves trying to sneak up on me in white snow. I won¡¯t anger him anymore, and I apologize. I let my words get ahead of my mind.¡± I dialed back, realizing that needling the elf made problems for Mirabelle.

    ¡°You¡¯d better not. He¡¯ll be fuming about that little joke for weeks.¡± Through her scowl, I could see the barest edges of a smirk.

    ¡°Johannes?¡± A quiet voice called over, Jori was looking surprised to see me. Mirabelle nodded her goodbyes as the man approached.

    ¡°Master Mirabelle has allowed me to visit you here at the college. I¡¯ve found some things that you should know about. Is there a private place we could talk?¡± I looked around. There were various doors here and there.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been working in a small study. It¡¯s cramped, but it¡¯ll do.¡± Jori led me back to the mentioned room. It was piled with books, scrolls, and an alchemy set crammed into the very back. There was barely space for the two of us to stand, until he moved several piles of books.

    ¡°So, what is it? Another journal or note?¡± Jori asked. His eyes widened as he saw the soul gem. When it pulsed, he went white.

    ¡°That¡¯s a loaded black soul gem! Where¡¯d you get such a thing?¡± He reached for it. I drew it back slightly.

    ¡°Easy, I found it in a bandit camp, they called themselves the Wraiths. One of their number was a worshipper of Molag Bal. By the looks of these books, you¡¯re also doing some researching on him.¡± I noted at least two tomes with the name Coldharbour in the title. He looked a bit embarrassed, but nodded.

    ¡°A friend reached out to me, a Vigilant. He¡¯s been following the trail of an ancient vampire. He asked me to help him devise a weapon to fight them.¡± Jori pointed to two potion vials, holding a bright golden liquid.

    ¡°Liquid sun light?¡± I asked, half joking. Jori looked taken aback.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± He asked excitedly.

    ¡°That was a wild guess. It¡¯s glowing, golden, and you said it was a weapon against vampires. Does it work against other undead too?¡± I had my own uses for such a thing.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to test it in the field, but the college had a sample of vampire blood. When the potion touched it, it burst into flames but there wasn¡¯t any heat. It didn¡¯t burn me when I put my finger into it.¡± That was useful. It didn¡¯t ring any bells in my head though.

    ¡°That was your breakthrough then? Getting a working formula?¡± It was certainly a major bonus to have.

    ¡°It was. The only problem is that the ingredients are very hard to source. It cost me three hundred septims in the ingredients just to make those two bottles. I don¡¯t suppose you have a source of frost salts the measures in the tens or hundreds of pounds?¡± Jori frowned.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t say I do. What would frost salts have to do with liquid sun light?¡± That seemed a bit counter-intuitive to me.

    ¡°It is a tertiary ingredient. Frost salts bestow a weakness to fire on the victim. In my tests, the version that did not use frost salts was a third as effective. It is cheaper to produce, but¡ª¡± I held up my hand.

    ¡°Then damn the frost salts. You don¡¯t need a poison that is lethal on its own, you need a weapon coating that can be produced in bulk, and issued out to every single Vigilant. How effective do you think that would be if it was delivered by the point of a sword or the head of an arrow into the guts of a vampire? It¡¯d burn them from the inside out. If you could come up with a way to change it into a gas, you could flood their crypts with it during the day, they¡¯d have no escape.¡± Jori wasn¡¯t a soldier, he was a mage and a scholar. He took my words in stride.

    ¡°That¡­ That would be more helpful than my line of thinking. You must be from the southern knightly orders. They are more militant than the Vigilants are.¡± Jori grinned.

    ¡°Maybe. I still don¡¯t know much of my past. My own history is frustratingly thin. I do know about this thing though. The bandits are working with the Necromancers, and I think that they¡¯re planning to make a deal with the Masters of the Soul Cairn.¡± That shocked Jori more than anything I could have said.

    ¡°What do you know of them? The Vigilants have been trying to scrounge up every scrap of information we possibly can on their motives.¡± Jori reached for a journal and a quill.

    ¡°Not much. Just that they have powerful necromancy, and they only deal in sentient souls. They¡¯re probably not corporeal entities anymore either, the stories of the Soul Cairn go back to the first era, possibly farther. Most people who go to them end up as harvested souls themselves. It¡¯d be an effort in futility to try to kill them or lock them away somehow. They aren¡¯t the problem, the problem is that our necromancer pals have black soul gems, and a massive group of refugees is coming from Morrowind that they plan to attack. I wanted to ask you what soul gems can be used for, besides making magical equipment.¡± I set the gem down on the table. Jori finished jotting down what I¡¯d said, it wasn¡¯t much to go on. Jori turned his eyes back to the gem.

    ¡°A gem like this can be used in place of a sacrifice. With the right knowledge, powerful dark rituals could be performed without the need to hold several hundred living captives. If what you say is true, it sounds like the necromancers want to knock out two problems at once. The soul would be fed into the ritual to power it, while the bodies of the dead could be the subject. The College keeps a vault of tomes locked away deep beneath the ice, they are the evil, the dark, the profane. There was¡­¡± Jori¡¯s eyes slid away from mine.

    ¡°Some of these necromancers were thrown out of the College a few months ago. I¡¯ve pieced that much together. What happened to provoke that?¡± I had a feeling I knew.

    ¡°One of the adepts here, his name was Milek, asked for access to the vaults to confirm his suspicions about the nature of the Draugr. The Arch Mage declined, and told him that such studies were forbidden to students. Milek didn¡¯t like that answer. A few weeks later, there was a loud rumbling below. I don¡¯t know exactly how he did it, but Milek and half a dozen others had broken into the vaults, and stolen the tomes. The Arch Mage and several others tried to stop them, but they escaped somehow.¡± Jori kept his voice low.

    ¡°Milek, he wasn¡¯t by chance a Dunmer, was he?¡± I had a real name now.

    ¡°He was, do you think¡­ Oh we¡¯ve been fools. Merkin. Mer Kin. All of the students that joined him were elves. It isn¡¯t a name of a person, it¡¯s their damned leadership!¡± Jori made the same realization I had.

    ¡°A council of elf necromancers preying on nords. Like there wasn¡¯t enough trouble already. They have to be dealt with, but when I do, there¡¯s going to be consequences for the Hold.¡± My thoughts turned to Jarl Korir¡¯s opinion of the Stormcloaks. He seemed to be sympathetic to Ulfric¡¯s cause already. If it turned out that a bunch of elves had been victimizing his people, it¡¯d draw a firm line in the snow here. The refugees from Morrowind were already straining the tolerance of nords all across eastern Skyrim.

    ¡°Filthy politics. I joined the Vigilants because we rose above that sort of thing. For the good of all civilized people.¡± Jori huffed.

    ¡°A noble aim, we can worry about that later. What sort of ritual do you think they¡¯d be trying to accomplish with a load of black soul gems and a pile of dunmer bodies?¡± That brought Jori back to the point

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t say, not without knowledge of the tomes they stole. They could be raising a band of powerful undead, they could be trying any number of life extending rites, or trying to open a portal, or barter for elder knowledge with the daedra. They could be trying to make powerful magical items to further their own abilities, and keeping the bodies around for foot soldiers. You¡¯d need to capture one of the higher ups to be sure.¡± That was about what I¡¯d thought he would say. When the only evidence you had was fuel, it was just about impossible to say what sort of machine someone would put it in.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see what I can do. Capturing one of the leadership won¡¯t be easy. Our best chance will be to ambush them just before the attack on the refugees starts. Can you send for the Vigilants? Short handed or not, we need their help to stop this before it spirals out of control. The Jarl should have sent his soldiers after the necromancers the second they stole those tomes. The College should have policed their own.¡± The trailing end was a bit angrier than I¡¯d meant to be, but Jori was nodding.

    ¡°The College tried to pretend it didn¡¯t happen. What was just one more band of villains in the wilderness after all. I¡¯ll write to Adalvald, he¡¯s the one I¡¯ve been brewing this for.¡± Jori motioned to the bottled sunlight.

    ¡°Do it, and send it by a fast horse. The Jarl promised to find some extra fighting men for us, but we need mages. There¡¯s something else. The necromancers are working out of an old barrow to the east. I think it¡¯s on the ice plains overlooking the sea, maybe the mountains, but I couldn¡¯t be sure. The name is something like Yngdaril. Do you think you could look through the books here for me?¡± It wasn¡¯t much to ask, hopefully.

    ¡°Yngdaril¡­ You said it¡¯s to the east? Could it be¡­ Hidja¡¯s rest?¡± Jori turned to dig through a small pile of tomes behind himself. The name struck my mind, I¡¯d heard of a Hidja before.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of Hidja, that¡¯s one of Riga¡¯s ancestors. How¡¯d you know that one?¡± It was fortunate, but it probably meant it was tied to his other research. If vampires were involved¡­

    ¡°The Jarl sent a discrete request to the college several years ago, when I¡¯d first arrived here. I have it here in my journals¡­ Here! Yngdaril is likely to be the resting place of the Helm of Winterhold, several of the old heroes were buried there. There¡¯s a few other barrows on the list, but this one¡­ Bastard!¡± Jori spat the word with such venom that I rocked back, the noise had startled me.

    ¡°Milek that devious little shit heel! We were both novices at the time, and the job to research the helm was given to me. He was studying the barrows too, so we helped each other. He¡¯d have known about Yngdaril, and the powerful Draugr said to be inside.¡± Jori looked like he was about to start pulling his hair out.

    ¡°Easy Jori, that¡¯s great information. Do you have it on a map?¡± I asked him. The Vigilant nodded, and slid his journal over. A rough map from Winterhold was drawn on one page, it looked like a journey of several days. It really wasn¡¯t that far from where Jurger¡¯s cave had been.

    ¡°Well, with that part handled, what about a barrow south of the mountains? Somewhere in the Pale. Part of the Merkin, maybe Melik himself are supposedly working out of a barrow in that direction.¡± Jori threw up his hands.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help you there. I don¡¯t remember the names, but I remember at least a dozen large ones are rumored to be scattered about the mountains. If you had to search every single one to find them, it¡¯d take months. Some are small, clan or family barrows. The ones for nobles and warrior kings are larger, but Skyrim¡¯s an old land. We¡¯ve lost more to time than we have today. If you have a name, or even some random details, I could narrow it down.¡± It seemed my next goal was set. I stood, and started to reach for the black soul gem, but thought about it.

    ¡°Can you do anything with this?¡± I pointed to the gem. Jori grimaced.

    ¡°I can, but that¡¯s evil magic. Spending the soul of some unfortunate for a magical blade¡­¡± Jori felt the same way that I did about it.

    ¡°I can assure you, the soul trapped in that gem deserved it. Remember the daedra worshipper I mentioned?¡± Jori¡¯s eyes widened, and then he looked slightly disturbed.

    ¡°You did that? You filled that gem?¡± He seemed taken aback.

    ¡°There were bones in that camp Jori, small ones too.¡± I hadn¡¯t looked too especially hard at the skeletons before we¡¯d burned the camp, but I knew what I¡¯d seen. Jori looked like he was rolling marbles in his mouth, trying to think of something to say.

    ¡°That¡¯s an awful thing. I still don¡¯t like these gems¡­ but I can make an exception, if you¡¯d leave your axe.¡± Jori nodded, his mind decided. I pulled it from the leather loop I¡¯d added, and handed it over.

    ¡°What can you do with it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a great enchanter, but I know a few. I¡¯ve learned the enchantment for lightning, fire, and turning the undead. Other mages here would do a better job, with more variety, but it would cost you a hefty sum.¡± Jori looked over the axe blade as he spoke. I reached down to my belt, and found a pouch of septims. It wasn¡¯t a fortune, but I¡¯d brought a few hundred pieces for greasing wheels.

    ¡°Take this, make an axe that can light things on fire. Call it a thank you for the help, and an investment in more of that liquid sunlight you¡¯ve been working on.¡± I sat the heavy bag of coins on the table. Jori smiled, and put his hand out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll put the coin to good use. I¡¯ll have the axe done by the morning.¡± I took his hand, shook on the deal, and made my way back out of the college. I passed by Ancano in the courtyard, it was a good thing that looks couldn¡¯t kill. For a moment it seemed like he would follow along, but the elf was a patient killer. He¡¯d wait until there was an opportunity that didn¡¯t involve striking me down in the middle of Winterhold. More likely, it¡¯d come in the form of a Justiciar death squad.

 Chapter Fifteen: The Frozen Coast

    Things moved slowly after my talk with Jori. We managed a few more successful raids, captured a half dozen prisoners, and made a fortune in bandit anatomy, but it was just chipping away at a mountain of a problem. Jori¡¯s enchantment on my axe was a massive upgrade, despite his claims that it was hardly worth the title. Most of the prisoners had come from a single bandit camp, they¡¯d surrendered after I set their leader on fire in the same swing that beheaded him.

    I wanted to try striking at the camps south of the mountains, we had a few more locations, but Jarl Korir reined me in. He¡¯d made a good point that several villages had been attacked, and still needed investigating. It¡¯d been the right call, despite my desire to wittle down the number of bandits that could be sent against the refugee group. There was a village near the coast that we¡¯d traveled to first, it was nearly as large as what remained in Winterhold.

    The locals called the place Frozen Wharf, and made their living on the sea. They fished in the shallow waters and ice flows that made traversing the Sea of Ghosts so treacherous. The ice fin and horkers seemed to make the bulk of their work, though they also sent hunters inland and logged the forest nearby. I¡¯d nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw what the ice fin really were, they were a cross between a shark and an eel, with light blue, razor sharp fins. The locals called them ice wraiths of the sea, on account of the chilling aura the fins had. The needle thin teeth filling their mouths were used as harpoon barbs and for sewing clothes, the scales and fins for various alchemical concoctions. The locals were the first I¡¯d seen that really seemed like they had a good thing going in the frozen wasteland. If it weren¡¯t for the undead spilling out of a cave nearby.

    ¡°First Ranger, glad to see the Jarl finally filled the position. Come on, get out of that cold.¡± An older woman beckoned me inside. I¡¯d been directed to a large house, with whale bone decorations lining the outside.

    ¡°Thank you, would I be right to say that you¡¯re Bellin¡¯s wife?¡± I nodded to the woman, and made to take off my cloak. She batted away my hands and took it herself, she exuded doting grandmother energy with every motion.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Kirste. My husband¡¯s just gone down to the wharf, I¡¯ll send for him. Please, sit by the fire. Ale? Mead?¡± She asked, when a very deep, salt scoured voice rang out.

    ¡°No need to send for me, I saw the Ranger¡¯s party heading for the tavern. Mead for the both of us I think. So, what¡¯s the name of the Jarl¡¯s new ranger?¡± A man that had to have been a titan in his youth came from the back door of the house, bedecked in thick furs and holding a great pile of wrapped meat that smelled of horker.

    ¡°Johannes, I¡¯ve heard that you have a problem with corpses that won¡¯t stay dead.¡± I tried to stand back up, but the tall thegn waved me back down, and took a seat next to me. The chairs were all made of finely carved whalebone, as the decorations were outside.

    ¡°Aye, and if that weren¡¯t enough, they¡¯re scaring off the horkers along the beach. We got a few good ones today, but the Jarl expects ten loads of smoked horker meat a season for that new deal with the Rift. You have a bit of a legend before you, you know. Johannes, The Horker Head Hunter.¡± The old man chuckled as his wife brought around two tankards.

    ¡°I¡¯d hoped that maybe the bane of bandits, or noose of necromancers might have taken off first.¡± I shook my head. Apparently it wasn¡¯t often that a man took a horker by beheading it with an axe. Bows, javelins, spears and harpoons were the more common method.

    ¡°If we got the names we wanted, that would take half the fun out of the story. I wished I¡¯d been called Bellin the Troll Slayer, instead I¡¯m Bellin the Pungent. I swear, you get swallowed by one whale¡­¡± It took a while before we¡¯d both stopped laughing.

    ¡°In any case, about these undead. It started a few months ago. A strange man came about, asking of shipwrecks. He was a Breton, so we thought he was a scholar from the College, or some other milk drinking trade. He got the answers he wanted, paid well at the tavern, bought a small boat and disappeared. We figured the sea took him, he didn¡¯t seem the sailing type. A few weeks after that, one of the hunters was caught in a blizzard, and had to hunker down in a cave until it passed. He claims that men were walking out of the surf, with great glowing eyes like the tales of Draugr. We¡¯re people of the sea, a properly superstitious bunch, but that was a bit far fetched. Then we heard of the attacks on another nearby village, Sea Crest, about a day¡¯s walk from here.¡± He took another drink from his tankard.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t so far fetched after that attack I take it?¡± The man shook his head.

    ¡°No, especially not after Roggi was nearly killed by one. He heard his goats getting upset with something, and went out with fork, thinking it was a fox or something like it. A skeleton nearly put a sword through his head. Roggi made all kinds of noise, his brother Aldis saved his life. I¡¯ve fought Draugr before, but this wasn¡¯t one of them. The Draugr still have skin, muscles. This was just a pile of old bones, with a layer of salt on them.¡± That was at once a relief, and a terrible bit of information.

    ¡°The strange man found his ship wrecks then. You¡¯ve tracked them to a cave though?¡± A plan started forming in my mind.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a few hours walk along the coast, the skeletons are thick enough that you can see them wandering about if you take a boat out at night. Blue flickers out in the darkness. With the good wind, we could make the voyage in an hour if you¡¯d like to see it tonight. The sun will be setting soon.¡± The old man looked to the fading light outside.

    ¡°I¡¯d like that. My party is small in number, it¡¯d be best to get a count of what to expect. They don¡¯t come out during the day?¡± Jori had mentioned that most undead were weak to sunlight, even if it didn¡¯t kill them outright like it would for vampires. Most avoided it on instinct.

    ¡°No, we¡¯ve looked. The eyes are always heading towards a particular cave on the coast. The mage is probably calling for them at night, so they won¡¯t be seen.¡± Bellin finished his mead, I¡¯d hardly touched mine.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t in the mood for drinking, hand it over, I don¡¯t waste good mead.¡± He motioned for the tankard. I handed it over and stood.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go tell my people of the plan. Should we meet you here, or on the wharf?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Meet us by the wharf at sunset. My sons and some of the other young men will join you for crew. I imagine some of them would like to help you. We haven¡¯t had a good fight for them to prove themselves in quite some time. It doesn¡¯t do to be sea faring warriors, with no war to fight.¡± Bellin grinned as he started on the second mug of mead.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take every set of fighting arms I can. We¡¯ll be there. Thank you Thegn, and thank you ma¡¯am.¡± Kirste already had my cloak in hand, I didn¡¯t resist when she put it back on me. They were good people, and if their sons could fight, that was fine by me.

    Skeletons were low tier undead, animated purely by the will of their master. Draugr had some substance, and some could be extremely dangerous. I wasn¡¯t so worried with the skeletons, a good axe or mace would shatter them. I happened to have both. There was a bit of a crowd around the tavern, more than I¡¯d expect even for a village the size of Frozen Wharf. The reason became evident as I got closer. My group weren¡¯t the only outsiders that had shown up.

    ¡°Gromm! What are you doing here?¡± I called over to the man I¡¯d spoken with after the fight in Icehome. He was wearing fur lined armor, with chainmail sleeves and a good steel helmet under his arm. A few other men I didn¡¯t recognize were with him, talking to the twins.

    ¡°First Ranger! After the hunters returned, we told them what happened. We decided that the best way to keep the village safe, was to kill those rotten bastards before they could attack us again. We don¡¯t have much to offer, but four good, armed men doubles your number.¡± He pointed to his companions. They were all outfitted the same as he was, with shields, axes, one had a large hammer.

    ¡°I won¡¯t turn down the help. How¡¯d you get here though? We¡¯ve hardly been in town longer than an hour.¡± I came to stand on the porch of the tavern with him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get inside, I¡¯ll tell you the whole story.¡± Gromm led the way to a pair of tables that had been stuck together. Riga and the twins had taken one side, while Gromm¡¯s three had taken the other. I found my place with my own team, while Gromm took the side opposite me. A few locals had taken tables nearby, trying not to be too obvious with their eavesdropping. Gromm started his story once he¡¯d gotten a mug of ale in his hand.

    After we¡¯d left the village, it¡¯d been two days before the hunters returned. They¡¯d been furious with the trick, but grateful that the Jarl¡¯s men had come to help. Most of them had been helped by Hrolfin at one time or another, and wanted vengeance for what had been done to his family. They¡¯d loaded up their sleds, and sent the best they had. We¡¯d missed them at Winterhold by two hours, but they¡¯d pressed on through the day and night. The fact they¡¯d been able to catch up to us so quickly spoke to their motivation. The four of them were with me till the scourge was put down it seemed. The tavern was completely packed by the end of his story, and nobody was trying to be subtle about listening in.

    ¡°We¡¯re glad to have you. But you might want to keep it to one drink. We¡¯re heading out to get a look at the troubles around the village at sunset. Thegn Bellin is the local headman here, he just gave me the whole story.¡± Gromm¡¯s hands clenched with excitement as I explained the situation, a few locals started muttering towards the end, and six of them came over to our table.

    ¡°First Ranger, I¡¯m Jorn, this is my younger brother, Lodor. Bellin is our father, he sent us along to introduce ourselves.¡± The man was about my age and size, with a good set of steel armor and a fine greatsword. His brother was equally well equipped, though he seemed to prefer the nordic standard shield and axe.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Johannes. Good to meet you. How much of that story did you hear? Both of them I mean.¡± I put my hand out to Jorn. He took it, and cocked his head at Gromm.

    ¡°He spoke highly of you. From the sound of it, things could have gone a lot worse for his village if you hadn¡¯t raced to help.¡± That got a solemn nod from Gromm.

    ¡°The bandits would have burned the place to the ground. We weren¡¯t in a fit state to fight. Hrolfin was killed like a dog in the street. Cowards.¡± Gromm finished the last of his drink.

    ¡°The sun will be setting soon, why don¡¯t we head to the wharf? My father has a boat ready for us.¡± Jorn pointed to the door. A few local men stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯d join you!¡±

    ¡°My sword may be dusty, but it¡¯s sharp!¡±

    ¡°Those damned skeletons nearly killed my brother!¡±

    There seemed to be no shortage of volunteers in town. That was a good sign for things to come, but I had already gained ten fighting men unexpectedly. I raised my hands, quieting the clamor.

    ¡°The best thing that you men can do, is shake the dust off your armor if you have it, or make the arrangements to get your hands on some. There are larger threats to the Hold than a cave full of skeletons. Save your strength, I¡¯ll most likely be back to ask for more of you to help soon. We will destroy them all.¡± That put questions on all of their faces, but they didn¡¯t put any of them to their voices. Instead, there was a low drumming on the tables as a few men started patting their hands. We were seen out to a chorus of well wishes, and a few tagging along to speak with the locals Jorn had brought.

    ¡°Son, who¡¯ve you brought me? The Ranger said he only numbered four.¡± Bellin was looking over Gromm.

    ¡°Men from the last village he helped, they rode in just behind Johannes. We¡¯ve fourteen fighting men now.¡± Jorn raised his hands as if to present us. A high voice called to correct him.

    ¡°Thirteen fighting men, and one fighting woman!¡± Riga made sure to account for herself. The twins picked her up, as if to display a trophy.

    ¡°So it is. Don¡¯t let the boys give you any trouble young lady. I reckon you¡¯ve killed more men than they have.¡± Bellin shot me a questioning glance. I nodded. Riga had gotten her hands dirty on the last few raids, adding to the tally from the first two, the bandit woman she¡¯d shot, and the man she¡¯d shredded with Karliene. The wolf was trailing along behind us, playfully nipping at Icefoot.

    ¡°And two wolves.¡± I whistled for the dogs. Karliene sauntered up, tail wagging. She knew what it meant when a bunch of armored men were all gathered together.

    ¡°And two wolves¡­ A company for the skalds to write about. Come on, the boat¡¯s ready and I¡¯m getting cold out here. Jorn, I¡¯m trusting you to bring them all back intact. Johannes, you may be the Jarl¡¯s man, but this is my boat, and my son Jorn is her captain. Whatever comes of tonight, he makes the decision when it concerns the sea.¡± Bellin didn¡¯t leave any room, and I didn¡¯t need any. That was a rule I was well familiar with, and it was a good one.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. I¡¯ve never even been in a boat, as far as I can remember. Jorn¡¯s the captain, we¡¯re the passengers.¡± I agreed. Bellin seemed satisfied, and saw us off. The older man was letting his son take the challenge. He was a good leader, knowing when to step aside for the next generation. Jorn had the thing well in hand, he¡¯d grown up with sea legs.

    It was a good night for the trip, both moons were shining down, and the clouds were thin. I had my night eye ring, but the locals seemed to be able to steer around the ice without much trouble. The four sailing men brought to crew the ship were helped by Jorn¡¯s party, occasionally dipping the oars into the frigid water, or working the small ship¡¯s sails. Gromm looked a bit nervous, eyes staring out at the greater expanse of ocean beyond.

    ¡°What has you so interested to the north?¡± I came to sit by the man. He broke his trancelike gaze and seemed a bit embarrassed.

    ¡°Old legends, the less fortunate of the ancestors, the victims of old pirates. The Sea of Ghosts didn¡¯t get the name for being safe. My grandfather used to tell me tales of longships full of draugr rising up from the waves, pillaging ships by night and adding their hulls, and crew, to the fleet. Stories to scare children.¡± Gromm tried to laugh it off.

    ¡°Not always. Yngol was led astray by the spirits. Mighty Ysgramor himself fought them, and broke them over his knee. The sea ghosts are not to be taken lightly, but they don¡¯t venture into the shallow waters. Turn away, don¡¯t look out to sea. That¡¯s how the sea ghosts trick you.¡± Lodor, the younger brother, was behind us working the rudder with another man. Gromm paled a bit, but took the advice, instead turning to Karliene, who had settled by my feet.

    ¡°My, but aren¡¯t you a fine hound. The village children miss having her around, even if it was just for a short while.¡± Gromm patted the dog between the ears. Karliene had run the children ragged playing all manner of games with them while I settled things.

    ¡°She enjoyed herself with them too. She¡¯s bred to work and fight. She doesn¡¯t do well left sitting around. Icefoot¡¯s been keeping her company, the sled dogs don¡¯t like to play with her, she¡¯s too big.¡± I laughed. Karliene didn¡¯t mean to, but she¡¯d beaten all of them up anytime I¡¯d tried to take the pack out for something fun. She beat me up too, she was stronger than she had any right to be.

    ¡°The Jarl¡¯s houndmaster, it¡¯s still Wolfbite?¡± Lodor asked.

    ¡°Yes. he¡¯s getting older, but I¡¯d say he has a few good years with the dogs left.¡± That put a grin on Lodor¡¯s face.

    ¡°He sent Jorn and I pups for our tenth birthdays. I¡¯ve wanted to ask him about getting a proper hound like you have. Are there any left of their litter?¡± Lodor pointed to Karliene and also Icefoot, who was sitting with the twins towards the nose.

    ¡°Two, Siga and Torgis. There¡¯s about a dozen others in the kennel that aren¡¯t the Jarl¡¯s personal hounds. Jarl Korir wants six hundred pieces for the prize pups, four hundred for the normal stock. I could put in a word for you to hold one of them if you¡¯d like.¡± I offered. Lodor smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the coin, I imagine we¡¯ll have more by the time all of this is done.¡± Lodor made a world encompassing gesture with his hand.

    ¡°Aye, we might. Do you think you want to stay with us after this fight with the skeleton master is done?¡± It was a bit early for the question, but Lodor nodded vigorously.

    ¡°I¡¯m a second son, we make our own names. Fighting for the Jarl¡¯s First Ranger is a good start to that. I¡¯m not the only one in the village that thinks that either.¡± Lodor nodded at two men working the sails.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be needing fighting men for the days to come. You¡¯ll get your wish sooner than you think. Woah, over there.¡± I was looking over my right shoulder to Lodor when I saw them. Blue pinpricks in the darkness. Lodor strained his eyes, as did a few other men that heard me.

    ¡°Sharp eyes ranger. You¡¯re right. I count six.¡± The other man at the rudder said. His count was low, way too low. I couldn¡¯t see the eyes, but I could see the blue glow hiding among the rocks by the virtue of my ring.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve got a dozen, fourteen¡­ There¡¯s at least twenty of them scattered up and down the beach. Jorn!¡± I called up to the captain. He was at the nose, calling orders to his oarsmen. He tapped a man on the shoulder to take his place, and came back to me. I pointed out at the blue dots, and he nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯re still a few miles from the cave, but that¡¯s about what I¡¯ve seen every night. They can¡¯t all be new. There¡¯s been more and more of them every night. When it gets close to dawn, they¡¯ll head for the cave. We could strike now, while so many of them are far away. We¡¯d have half an hour or more before the closer skeletons could reach it, an hour for the farthest.¡± Jorn pointed to how rugged the beach was. It was true, the skeletons I could see clearly were struggling on the rocks. What wasn¡¯t true, was that it would be easier to hit them now. It was bait.

    ¡°No. Look at where they are. They¡¯re standing on top of the highest rocks they can find, or the ones farthest out in the surf. They aren¡¯t wandering. They¡¯re patrolling. They¡¯re not very sensitive, so they won¡¯t sound the alarm when we¡¯re out here. That¡¯s the necromancer¡¯s trip wire, to sound an alarm if anyone tries coming up the beach. There will be more inside. Enough to slow us down and trap us between whatever¡¯s defending the cave and the ones coming back. Can you sail us in right here?¡± Sometimes the best way to avoid a trap was to purposefully set it off.

    ¡°You just said that¡¯s a trap, the skeletons will start to sound the alarm if we get too close. Why would you want me to sail closer?¡± Jorn asked, confused.

    ¡°If I can see twenty skeletons here, and we¡¯re still miles away, that means there¡¯s probably another thirty or forty along the beach. There will be more up on the cliffs, protecting the overland route. There¡¯s probably even more on the far east side of the cave. How far is Sea Crest from there? Would it be easier to come by boat, along the beach, or to attack from inland?¡± I was trying to come up with an estimate.

    ¡°Sea Crest doesn¡¯t have a good harbor, the sea breaks on the cliff. The only way to get to the cave would be for them to come over land for a half day¡¯s march, around the back side, and out onto the beach to the west of the cave. There¡¯s a trail down the cliffs a short ways from here.¡± That was good news.

    ¡°Alright, that thins out the numbers I had in my head. I¡¯d guess there¡¯s twenty up top, twenty here, and twenty more between that trail and the cave. Sixty skeletons total, enough to stop a small force trying to push into the cave. What I want to do, is draw those skeletons in to us. How many archers do we have?¡± That led to a quick count of the bows, arrows, javelins, and other ranged weapons on the boat. It came out to six bows including the two the twins had brought, and about three dozen harpoons for hunting horkers. That left eight of us to fight on the beach.

    ¡°I can take the boat in, if you have a good plan Johannes.¡± Jorn looked dubious at the prospect of taking four to one odds.

    ¡°You yourself just said that it¡¯d take half an hour or more for the skeletons to move back to the cave. The same is true for the ones up above and farther down to get here. Angven and Anglin can make a hundred yard shot in strong wind, I¡¯ve seen them do it. We¡¯ll pick off the ones we can, while the rest of us fight on the beach. The rocks form natural funnels. We thin them out here as best we can, and if too many start coming, we get back on the boat and leave.¡± That seemed to get Jorn on my side, until Angven spoke up.

    ¡°Johannes, I can make a hundred yard shot when I can see what I¡¯m shooting at. It¡¯s too dark tonight for that. The full moons won¡¯t come for another week.¡± Angven cocked his head towards my hand. I nodded, and handed over my ring. Jorn just looked more confused. Angven handed the ring to him.

    ¡°Put it on, it was a gift from the College to help Johannes.¡± Angven looked to me to make sure it was alright, and I nodded. Jorn put it on and gasped.

    ¡°This, this is incredible.¡± He looked out to the beach, and gasped again. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of skeletons¡­¡± He took the ring off, and handed it back to Angven.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been fighting against three to one odds or worse for the past few weeks, against men. Skeletons aren¡¯t as dangerous as men are. We¡¯ll be fighting two to one, maybe three to one here. I¡¯ve got a few tricks too.¡± I patted my axe. Jorn nodded and walked over to the mast, patting a carving there. It was Talos¡¯ mark.

    ¡°Bring us in! Lodor, drop our anchor three ship lengths out and run the rope to the turner. Furl up the sails, oarsmen, to your benches.¡± The boat turned in sharply as Jorn brought us in closer. Angven was standing at the prow, just beside the captain. The ice flows were thin, but sandbars were trouble. The low draft of the ship was on our side though, there were no bumps. Angven started to knock an arrow, when I came along behind him.

    ¡°Angven, dip your arrow in this.¡± I held out a glowing gold pot. He smiled, coated the arrow head, and let it fly. We were close enough to see the golden tracer merge with a set of blue eyes, and the resulting burst of flame. Angven managed two more shots before the skeletons raised the alarm, their compatriots burning with golden sun fire. A low wail started all along the rocks, I could see some of the men paling at the increasing number of ghastly voices picking up the tune.

    ¡°You hear that? They¡¯re howling in terror! Let¡¯s send these bones back to the dirt, where they belong! Sovngarde or Glory!¡± The men grinned, and took up the chant. I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s boots hit the beach first, but Jorn and I were at the head. Blue eyes were coming out of the darkness towards us, rattling bones and the clanking of rusty mail heralded yet more out of sight.

 Chapter Sixteen: Reconnaissance By Fire

    Flash!

    We¡¯d made a wedge on the shore when bursts of starlight exploded over the beach. Burning embers of magelight danced a dozen yards above us, and were quickly followed by two golden bolts slamming into the closest skeletons. They burst into flames, casting more light around. The skeletons shrieked as Riga¡¯s handiwork reduced them to ashes, competing violet and gold snakes writhing across the old bones.

    ¡°Hold the line! Shields front!¡± I took a position behind Gromm, while a few others with two handed weapons found a shield bearing battle brother. Jorman had done more than just train me with weapons. I¡¯d learned a few standard tactics for fighting as a small unit. All of the men that had come along were warriors, they¡¯d know what to do. Riga sent another flare farther up the beach, revealing the bodies of a half dozen skeletons. Gold tipped arrows began raining down on them, the twins and the other skilled archers picked them apart before they¡¯d taken another three steps.

    ¡°Easy, don¡¯t get too excited.¡± I called to the melee line. A few men were taking steps forward, wanting to charge in and finish off the burning skeletons.

    ¡°Angven, do you see any more coming?¡± I called back to the boat.

    ¡°Left side, a few hundred yards, twenty or so. We¡¯ve got some farther off, coming down the trail. I count ten that way.¡± Angven answered, sending another arrow at each group. The golden trace was almost as useful as the fact that they set the skeletons on fire. Jorn was a ways down the line, and called over to me.

    ¡°We don¡¯t want to risk them joining together. If we take the closer group, the archers and your mage can protect the ship. We can be back here before any other skeletons reach us.¡± Jorn made a good point. We could hold against thirty skeletons coming right at us without too much trouble, but it¡¯d be a problem if they joined up with a larger group from the cave. A hundred skeletons would overrun us.

    ¡°Angven, keep the ship safe! We¡¯re going to take the eastern group. We¡¯ll be back in ten minutes.¡± I set the clock.

    ¡°Not a bone past the first stone!¡± Angven replied. Lodor and a few other men would stay too. The ship was in good hands.

    ¡°Line, left!¡± I called. The men were a bit clumsy, some understood the order faster than others, but we made good time once they¡¯d all figured out that I meant for them to just turn ninety degrees, and advance in single file. I took the front, while Jorn stayed in the middle. Gromm and I had ended up on the far left of our wedge, so I stayed just behind him and one of Jorn¡¯s men.

    ¡°Gromm, Adis was it? When we meet the skeletons, I want you two men in the middle. You two, you¡¯ll be the wings. Gromm, Adis, when I shout ¡®Breach!¡¯ I want you two to fold inwards, and the two handers will charge out from the middle. We¡¯ll break the skeletons in half, and the rest of you follow behind to clean up.¡± The plan was crude, but very simple. Three men, Jorn was one of them, would join me for the charge. The path between the rocks was narrow, only allowing four, maybe five men across. Our four shields were arrayed at the front when we turned a corner and came face to skull with the skeletons. They were still ten yards away.

    ¡°Shields up! Halt!¡± I yelled, my hands spinning. I threw a mage light into the air, it wasn¡¯t as neat as Riga¡¯s, but it did the job. The skeletons clacked and rattled as they realized what was happening, their boney feet slapping the pebbly gravel between us. The first skeletons collided with our front rank, bounced off, and then got pressed in by the weight of the force behind them. Axes flashed, maces swung, Gromm and the front line pulverized four of them.

    ¡°Breach!¡± I shouted, and the two center pieces folded to their respective sides. A pile of skeletons stumbled into our charge, utterly off balance. My axe hit one through the collar bone, down into the salty spine, and broke it apart in a flash of golden orange. The ring on my hand pulsed, a warm light seeming to pour into my weapon as the blade bit through the cursed bone. I decked another skeleton with the haft as I brought the blade back around for another swing, carving through the horde as they tried to reform. The other men, one each with a hammer, axe, and sword, all did their part. They knew that we had to punch through all the way to the other side, otherwise we¡¯d be mashed between the skeletons and our own shield bearers.

    ¡°Stendarr witnesses us!¡± I came up with something, anything to keep the fervor and momentum going. We were half way through. A skeleton swung its hand axe for my neck. I parried it, took the entire arm off, followed through, and scattered another¡¯s skull over the beach. Another tried to raise its shield, like it could stop two hundred forty pounds of angry, heavily armored man. None of us swung at it, it was just knocked flat and trampled into dust. Finally, I saw the other side. The last skeleton in the line stopped, screeched, and tried to dodge away from us, only to smash its own skull into a rock. The skeleton fell apart, bones rolling off in every direction. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh, and think to my self.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Does that count as suicide? Workplace accident?

    The rest of the men had followed the plan well. The shields had surged through the skeleton column and bludgeoned them to pieces behind us. We were now arranged in another file, with a few men still putting their axes and maces into the skeletons that hadn¡¯t completely disintegrated.

    ¡°Hold! About¡­ About face! Turn around damn it!¡± I hesitated on the order. It was such a strange thing, past memories told me it was the proper order to turn around, but it wasn¡¯t a combat order. It was a parade order to an army I¡¯d never been a part of. There wasn¡¯t time to consider it, but a few questions were answered in my head.

    ¡°You heard the Ranger, back to the ship!¡± Jorn¡¯s voice shook me out of my memories. We weren¡¯t far, it¡¯d taken six minutes to get here, fight, and turn around. I jogged to the head of the line, feeling the weight of my armor with every step after the short fighting sprint.

    ¡°How¡¯s that¡­ How¡¯s that for a first fight?¡± I asked Jorn after I caught my breath. He had a smile as wide as an ox.

    ¡°A good one. We crushed them.¡± Jorn had a note of pride in his voice.

    ¡°And we¡¯ll crush the next ones too. Come on people, move it!¡± I hollered back down the line. Some of them were most assuredly not in shape, if the hundred yard jog was anything to go on. They huffed and chugged back to the boat, where a new pile of broken bones had formed.

    ¡°Where¡¯d these come from?¡± I looked up to Angven. He pointed west.

    ¡°Just up the beach, they came out from the rocks and tried to charge the ship. We cut them down, but a few got close. The oarsmen killed three.¡± Angven cocked his head at the men, sitting proudly around the nose, improvised weapons in hand.

    ¡°Honestly, oars aren¡¯t bad. Lots of leverage and reach. How close are the ones from the trail?¡± My eyes tracked south, but I couldn¡¯t see any blue eyes.

    ¡°I lost them a minute ago, they turned towards the west. Maybe they heard your fight?¡± Angven guessed.

    ¡°Maybe so. Get set in for another wave.¡± I patted the hull of the ship. It was exactly what happened, as the skeletons wandered out piecemeal from the direction we¡¯d just arrived. It was an easy fight, the archers got most of them before Riga could, the melee line didn¡¯t get to see anymore fighting.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be all of them, could it?¡± Jorn asked after we¡¯d sat for an hour. We¡¯d gotten a rough count in the mean time, and come up with forty one and forty six. It was a good enough range for me.

    ¡°It might be. We¡¯ve thinned them out. Let¡¯s get back on the boat, and head for the cave. We can hold off shore and let these guys rest. The running took it out of them.¡± I pointed to a few men who were starting to show the strain of standing in their armor. Jorn nodded, and we loaded back up on the longboat. With a scrape and huff from the crew, we were pulled back out to the water. The trip up to the cave didn¡¯t take much longer, fifteen minutes put us three hundred yards off shore, looking at the entrance. Dozens of glowing eyes were peering out of the darkness, nestled in the rocks and ice.

    ¡°That¡¯s a bad idea.¡± Lodor spoke first after we¡¯d started picking them out.

    ¡°It¡¯s a terrible idea. Those ones up higher are archers. If we close in to shoot, they¡¯ll rain arrows down on us. We need to hit them from above and clear them off those rocks. If we got rid of the archers that way, we could sail right into the cave mouth. Does anyone know if this cave has a second way out?¡± I looked to the men. They shrugged.

    ¡°We don¡¯t make a habit of poking around in old caves.¡± Jorn¡¯s expression told me all I needed to know.

    ¡°Skyrim¡¯s an old land. There could be anything in there.¡± I took Jori¡¯s words for my own, agreeing with Jorn¡¯s sentiment. ¡°What about the land around here. Are there many other caves? Crevasses in the ice?¡± A new plan was forming in my mind. One of Jorn¡¯s men, the one that had been with Gromm in the shield line, spoke up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve hunted the forests further inland from here, there are crevasses. In the summer, the ice caverns melt and lose their roof. Most of them will be frozen solid now, but there might be a second way in. See the cliffs? It¡¯s rock, but towards the top, that¡¯s all ice. The cave has an ice roof. Your mage could make a second way in.¡± Adis pointed to the cave mouth. He was right, I couldn¡¯t see a stone overhang, it was just ice. That might change farther inside, but it was worth investigating.

    ¡°Going looking for a crevasse now would be dangerous. How deep are the snow drifts? Up to our knees? Higher? We might find one by stumbling into it. Let alone fighting our way inside. We could fall a hundred feet or more.¡± Angven caught Adis¡¯ eye. The hunters shared a silent conversation.

    ¡°There¡¯s a man in Sea Crest. He explores places like this. He¡¯s old now, but he used to go looking for places like this all over Skyrim. Maybe he knows.¡± One of the oarsmen spoke. There were two or three hisses.

    ¡°Mad Moth is an old fool. Half of those stories are lies, the other half are exaggerated.¡± Another spoke up. I turned to Jorn.

    ¡°Do you know anything about him?¡±

    ¡°Just that he used to be the adventuring type. Not all of his stories are lies, my father says he did really go into some places, he has the scars and the trophies to prove it. We¡¯d have to turn back for the Wharf. I¡¯m not taking the ship by Sea Crest in the dark, we¡¯ll break up on the rocks around the point. It¡¯s getting late anyways, we should rest, and come up with a new plan in the morning. Turn us around! Back to the Wharf!¡± Jorn made up his mind before anyone could argue. I didn¡¯t much feel like it either, he was right. We¡¯d been on the sleds for eight hours, and now we¡¯d spent three hours fighting and sailing.

    ¡°We should see if any of the men from Sea Crest would fight. If they can hold the high ground, we could sail right into the cave. How long is the trip if we go by boat tomorrow?¡± That led into a whole new conversation on the journey back. It was longer with the wind blowing easterly, but the men took turns with the oars. We¡¯d have a working plan of attack by tomorrow night, and the cave would be ours by the night after that.

 Chapter Seventeen: Cold Warriors

    ¡°Sea Crest off the bow!¡± One of the sailors called it as we came around a particularly nasty point. The water was a lot deeper around the point than the rest of the littoral zone, with jagged rocks just below the surface. Jorn had steered us as close to the ice sheet as he could manage, trying to avoid the worst of the rough water and rocks. On the cliff edge there was a stone structure sticking out. The aged fortification looked like a keep and bailey castle, though the bailey wall was only stone foundation, with large timbers making up the majority. The place must have been razed ages before, maybe even eras. Skyrim was an old land after all.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take the ship around to Ghost Watch, and put in on the beach there. Lodor, you have the ship.¡± Jorn let his brother take over the rudder and motioned towards me.

    ¡°So what do you think of the cave, now you¡¯ve seen it in the day?¡± There was a hint of fear, or maybe anxiety in his voice.

    ¡°An assault by night is still the best choice we have. Those rocks around the mouth are going to be a pain in the ass to fight over. You¡¯re sure we couldn¡¯t sail the ship right in?¡± I¡¯d already asked Jorn that twice, and he was just as firm this time.

    ¡°Not without knowing if the rocks continue below the water. They¡¯d rip our keel right out from under us. That¡¯d be a real pain in the ship¡¯s ass. I think that your idea for finding a second exit is best for us. Anyone fleeing out from the front would make poor time over the beach, and if it turns out a ship really could sail in and out, we can leave a few men aboard to chase them down. Did you have any luck puzzling it out last night?¡± Jorn kept to his line. I did have a new plan, but it was dependent on getting men from Sea Crest.

    There had been plenty of volunteers at Frozen Wharf, but there were other considerations. If things went sideways and a bunch of us ended up dead, it would cripple the town to lose eight or ten men in their prime years. Spreading out the risk among several different towns would make it unlikely for any one of them to lose more than two or three sons. Avoiding the situation that had happened to the Pals was just as important as getting rid of the necromancers for the future of the hold.

    ¡°I have something in the works, but let¡¯s talk with the headman at Sea Crest first. We¡¯ll need his help to pull it off.¡± The coast was brutal around the point, and we had to put in a mile off from the town where a small stone jetty had been constructed. There were a few men guarding it, but they let us pass once they saw the pendant I¡¯d been given by the Jarl. The hike up the beach was short, but the terrain was difficult. If the locals knew that someone was coming from the water, they could rain arrows and stones down on the attacker for hours.

    The town itself was centered around the old keep, it didn¡¯t look like the old Nordic construction I¡¯d seen in Winterhold. The castle was probably an Imperial fortification from a past era, or something even older. The outskirts of town was littered with farmsteads, or at least I thought they were. I wasn¡¯t sure if Winterhold ever really thawed out enough for farming, especially out on the coast. The seperation between the houses only made sense if they were farming plots between them, otherwise it would have been safer to cluster up with everyone else around the castle. The locals were friendly when we walked into town, some of them recognized Jorn and Lodor.

    ¡°Up there is the headman¡¯s house.¡± Jorn pointed to a slightly larger hall, with a wooden palisade around it.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t live in the castle?¡± That seemed odd.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s an Imperial garrison. I heard they turned tail and ran west after Jarl Ulfric¡¯s soldiers ambushed the imperials in Eastmarch. I think the place is empty.¡± Jorn shrugged as we made our way up the muddy street. That had been a major blunder on part of the Imperials if it was true. They should have reinforced it, and started patrolling aggressively if they wanted to hold onto eastern Skyrim.

    ¡°Jorn! My, you¡¯ve grown since I last saw you, when was that? Four, five summers?¡± An older man interrupted his guest as we approached. He wasn¡¯t as old as Jorn¡¯s father, probably early fifties, and he still had some fight in his bones it looked like.

    ¡°Nine, I think. I was eighteen when we hunted that bear.¡± Jorn smiled as he strode up to the man.

    ¡°Ah, age hasn¡¯t been kind to my memories, one too many hits to the head I think. Who¡¯s this you¡¯ve brought along?¡± The man gestured to the rest of us.

    ¡°Johannes, the Jarl¡¯s First Ranger. He¡¯s come to solve the problem along the coast. These are his men, and a woman.¡± Jorn looked to Riga, who had been about to open her mouth.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a pleasant surprise. I was just talking with Kalor here that we¡¯d probably need to handle it ourselves. Johannes, good to have you. I¡¯m Fenrik, Thegn and Headman of Sea Crest. Come inside, we¡¯ll talk over a drink.¡± Fenrik rose and said something to Kalor before beckoning us into his house. Unlike most of the other well off families, Fenrik¡¯s home was plain. The furniture was sturdy, but not decorated. The stonework and carpentry of the house was solid, but there were no carvings or adornments.

    ¡°Sit, sit. So how can Sea Crest help the Jarl¡¯s Ranger?¡± Fenrik¡¯s house did have one thing going for it, four tables around a large hearth, and a wall taken up by kegs of mead.

    ¡°We¡¯ve had a look at the cave where the skeletons are coming from, and destroyed fifty of the abominations along the beach. We were hoping that Sea Crest could send some men to help us clear the cave proper. The mouth is overhung by ice and rocks, with skeleton archers standing guard. We have fourteen fighters to storm the cave with, but that doesn¡¯t leave any to spare for clearing off the rocks.¡± I outlined the basic problem.

    ¡°So you want to attack from two angles then? You men take the front entrance, while I take a force over the ice to clear the cliffs and make sure the bastards don¡¯t have an escape. That¡¯s a good plan.¡± Fenrik caught on quickly at least.

    ¡°I¡¯d be sending along two of mine, four if you count the dogs. A healer and an archer.¡± I pointed to Karliene and Icefoot, who had curled up in front of the hearth. Fenrik nodded, and leaned down to give Icefoot a scratch. It still boggled my mind that the same dog I¡¯d seen break a man¡¯s neck and tear the throat of another was wiggling excitedly for a belly rub.

    ¡°Good boy, that¡¯s a good wolf aren¡¯t ya? So who will be joining us then?¡± There wasn¡¯t a question about if he was coming, just who I wanted to send.

    ¡°Riga is a healer, she¡¯s very talented, and she can help if you run into any mages squirting out the backside of the cave. She¡¯ll have Karliene. Anglin is the archer, this one, he¡¯ll be bringing Icefoot.¡± I pointed at the right twin. I could really only tell by their weapons. The wolf cocked an ear at hearing his name, but otherwise content with the belly rubs.

    ¡°Good, that will round our number out to ten. When do we leave?¡± Fenrik seemed eager for a fight.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d thought there might be more to it than this¡­ If you¡¯re ready to leave at a moment¡¯s notice, then we¡¯ll head out tonight. If you have dog sleds, it shouldn¡¯t take more than two hours to reach the cave.¡± It was a blessing, I didn¡¯t want to let the necromancers have a single second more than necessary to prepare.

    ¡°We have sleds. Kalor is going to round up fighting men now. We¡¯ve been training men ever since the first attack by the skeletons, at full strength we could bring thirty armed and armored if you think it¡¯s needed.¡± I¡¯d found my extra soldiers for the refugees too, if they were willing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need quite that many tonight. What¡¯s our number, twenty two now? If you have sleds for more, I won¡¯t stop you from bringing them, but our boat is getting a bit crowded.¡± I also didn¡¯t want something awful to happen and plunge two dozen of us into the water, or fall for the same trap. The cave would probably be tight confines, a huge mob of soldiers wouldn¡¯t do us much good beyond replacements for the wounded.

    ¡°We¡¯ll bring a few more then, enough to deal with the rocks and a few on sleds to hunt down any that might come out a back way.¡± Fenrik settled his own plan just as two girls brought a round of tankards out. A drink or two wouldn¡¯t hurt before sun down, it might be the last one for some of the men gathered around. I nodded to Fenrik before I stood.

    ¡°Drink what you will, but if any of you men are too drunk to fight tonight, I¡¯ll tie you to the prow of the ship for a week! Get some rest before we set out, we¡¯ll hit them at midnight.¡± I took up one of the tankards, and chugged as much of it as I could. There was a chorus of cheers from the men as they joined in. I turned back to Fenrik before I got any farther into the drink.

    ¡°I heard a rumor about a man that lived here, his name was Mad Moth, or something like it, an adventurer.¡± Having someone with firsthand experience wouldn¡¯t hurt. Fenrik grimaced.

    ¡°He caught a fever before the new year, old fool thought he would be fine. By the time he asked for help he was dying. Didn¡¯t make it through the night. He had some old books, I took them, he didn¡¯t have any family left. They¡¯re yours if you like, I don¡¯t care much for writings. Just don¡¯t tell anyone that it¡¯s because I can¡¯t read.¡± Fenrik smiled at the hushed words. So much for a guide.

    Fenrik was a good host, with mead, meat, and beds for the lot of us. Only two men had to be wrangled back from a drinking contest thankfully. The mead wasn¡¯t exactly strong either, most of them would be sober by the time we hit the beach. Jorn and Lodor had taken over policing the group, so I found a quiet corner with a comfortable chair to nap in.

    Poke.

    Poke!

    POKE!

    ¡°Huh?¡± I was roused from my dreaming by Riga.

    ¡°Sleepy? Jorn¡¯s heading for the boat. Fenrik¡¯s men are about to leave.¡± I must have been asleep for longer than it felt like. The men were checking over their armor and weapons, a few were praying.

    ¡°Just a bit. Have you got everything you need?¡± I rose from the chair, regretting my choice to keep my armor on. Everything was a bit stiff.

    ¡°I have the potions you gave me, my bow, my axe, two days of food, it¡¯s all there, just like we packed it.¡± Riga nodded. She¡¯d learned how to pack a field bag and her belt with both eyes closed.

    ¡°Good, go find Anglin, make sure that you¡¯re on a sled with him. Angven, Gromm!¡± I called over the building noise in the longhouse. The pair of them came around, followed by the other men from Icehome

    ¡°Finally awake?¡± Angven grinned.

    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®Finally awake, Boss?¡¯ to you. Has everyone eaten and gotten their gear together?¡± I checked over my own belt, my bag was still on the ship.

    ¡°Except for you, there¡¯s a plate waiting by the hearth, should still be warm. Boss.¡± Gromm tacked the word on as an after thought, drawing a snort from Angven.

    ¡°Great. Where¡¯s Fenrik?¡± I made my way over to the mentioned plate and started shoveling food into my mouth.

    ¡°Outside with the dog teams. He¡¯s got half the village riding with him. Do Anglin and Riga really need to go with them?¡± Angven asked. The twins hadn¡¯t been separated before.

    ¡°Riga does, because they don¡¯t have a mage. I don¡¯t know any of those men, so Anglin needs to go to keep Riga safe. Icefoot is going with them to help track down any runners.¡± I left out the part that I didn¡¯t want both brothers in the same group, just in case one of us got wiped out. Seeing the destruction that a few amateur ice runes had been capable of, I didn¡¯t want to know how nasty other forms of magic could get.

    ¡°Alright. Are we heading back to the boat now?¡± Angven didn¡¯t sound entirely happy with the arrangement, but that was the last thing I was worried about.

    ¡°In a moment. I need to talk to Fenrik about coordination. Gromm, we¡¯re going to be the spear tip going into the cave, so make sure everyone¡¯s ready for a real fight, meet us outside after you do one last check. Angven, come with me. Jorn! Are your guys ready?¡± I called over to the eager warrior. He was tightening down his brother¡¯s straps.

    ¡°We¡¯re ready Ranger.¡± That accounted for my section.

    ¡°Come on, there¡¯s a few things we need to straighten out with Fenrik about coordination before we head for the boat. The conversation didn¡¯t take long, and I made sure that his best archers were solid on the plan. They¡¯d each been given a small jar of radiant gold jelly, a little bit of sunlight to hold on to. Before an hour had passed, we¡¯d pushed the boat back out, and the oarsmen were taking us around the point in the fading light of the day.

    The mood on the boat was eager, not fearful or brooding. Our exploits the night before had instilled a sense of superiority in the small band of warriors. They were boasting of how many skeletons they¡¯d kill, and how many fair maidens they¡¯d be telling their glories to. Some of the smarter ones were quiet, knowing that what faced us tonight was a completely different beast than a few disorganized skeletons on the beach. Those were the ones I spent the time to talk with.

    ¡°Adis, if you sharpen that axe much more you¡¯ll run out of blade. What¡¯s on your mind?¡± I sat by the man. He put his whetstone away and sat the axe back in its ring on his belt.

    ¡°The cave. We¡¯ve seen the outside, but we have no idea what might be inside of it. How many skeletons did we destroy on the beach? Forty?¡± At least he didn¡¯t try to save face.

    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s a good count I think. There were more around the cave mouth. So you¡¯re worried that we might be horribly outnumbered?¡± I kept my voice down so that only Adis could hear.

    ¡°That, and some of the stories of what lies deep in Skyrim¡¯s caves. Many of the ancestors were not so fortunate in the journey from Atmora, the coast is littered with barrows and tomb sites. We may find more than we bargained for inside.¡± Adis tried to keep his face stony.

    ¡°Too late to turn around now. A dozen of us will have to be enough. Just worry about keeping your shield up and axe ready, I¡¯ll worry about what¡¯s deeper in the cave. If it¡¯s any reassurance, I¡¯ve been training with a Vigilant of Stendarr, and this ring is blessed by the divine to destroy evil things. You saw some of the skeletons explode into flames last night?¡± I asked him. Adis smiled and nodded.

    ¡°That was partly this ring¡¯s doing. The skeletons won¡¯t stand a chance before us, and neither will any of the other foul things in there. Just keep your head, and watch out for the people around you.¡± I wasn¡¯t much for motivation, but magic trinkets and super soldiers had a way of raising morale, even if it was mostly smoke and mirrors. We settled off the coast an hour after nightfall, and waited. Then we waited longer.

    ¡°They should have been here by now. Do you think they got lost?¡± Lodor asked his older brother.

    ¡°No, Fenrik knows this land very well, so do his hunters. They¡¯ve probably run into a delay of some¡­ What was that?¡± Jorn pointed up to the cliff overlooking the cave. A blue flash had lit up the edge. We were too far away to hear anything, but a golden ember struck out next. Some might have thought it missed its intended target, and plonked into the water a few hundred yards short of us. It had landed exactly where it was meant to.

    ¡°To the oars! Take us in!¡± Jorn yelled across the deck. Part of Anglin¡¯s job was to get a gold coated arrow into the water as our start signal. Angven was stringing his bow to respond in kind. More arrows started flying over the lip of the cliffs, some obvious misses, others were more carefully aimed for skeletons down on the beach. A half dozen or so archers were pouring the fire on to the helpless skeletons, caught by surprise from the unexpected angle.

    We¡¯d lit lanterns and made ourselves obvious on the boat, to distract from our friends coming by land. It seemed the trick had worked, because by the time the ship hit the beach, hardly any skeletons were left to oppose us. We still had to march the last two hundred yards to the cave, but that was the easy part.

    ¡°Jorn, I want you and the other two handers in the middle. If we hit a line, we¡¯ll try the same trick as last night to break through them. Lodor, I want you at the tail with three men, all shield carriers. That way if we do get surrounded, we can hold the line. Gromm, fall in behind me.¡± We¡¯d already spoken about our formation twice, but reinforcing it one last time wouldn¡¯t hurt. I took my spot at the head of our column.

    Rotten bones littered the trail, evidence of ones that had fallen from the rocks above. The moons were still in the middle of of their cycle, but there was enough light to make it even if I hadn¡¯t had my ring. A bird call sang down to us as we approached the cave mouth. Anglin and Riga were peering down the cliff.

    ¡°How¡¯s it down there?¡± The twin called.

    ¡°We¡¯re heading inside! Keep it tight, and keep watchers along the beach!¡± I answered back. Angven whistled a hawk screech up to him, it was their ¡®be careful¡¯ call. A seabird answered, re-group quickly.

    The cave was mostly dark, but I could see the flickers of torches burning deeper inside. Angven lit a torch of his own as we passed into the cave, white salt build ups gave way to faintly blue ice decorating the rock, and finally covering it once we¡¯d put the sea behind us. Jorn had been right about bringing the ship in, sharp stones hid just beneath the water of the cave, and it didn¡¯t look natural.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Watch for traps, stones raised too high in the floor, trip wires, things that might swing down from the roof or out from the walls.¡± I warned the men around me. There was evidence that skeletons had been through recently, probably retreating when the attack started. Freshly slushed snow and muck ran along like a path, the torches in sconces still had plenty of life left to them.

    The cave had been wide at the mouth, but it was steadily tightening up, the ice covered stones forming a long, gradual choke towards the end. The shape of it could have been natural, but what I knew about that didn¡¯t matter for the same reasons my knowledge of the moons didn¡¯t matter. Magic really made a mess of things that way. I was less worried about the mechanisms behind Skyrim¡¯s cave creation, and more worried about how quiet everything was. We could still hear the sea lapping at the rocks near the cave mouth, chainmail clinked, boots crunched on ice and loose rock, but there was no sound suggesting the enemy was near.

    ¡°Lodor, Jorn, hold your men here, it¡¯s going to narrow down to a one man choke. I bet you that the point where it opens up is going to be crawling with archers. Gromm, keep with me, but I¡¯m going to stop you in the tunnel once I can see the end.¡± There was no point to going in blind when I could use a ward to cover my self for a brief look.

    ¡°Johannes, you¡¯re the Jarl¡¯s First Ra£­¡± I held up a hand to silence Angven.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m going in first. It¡¯s my dumb plan, and I¡¯m going to be the one that pays for it if this turns out to be a terrible idea. Give me a torch, don¡¯t light it.¡± I held my hand out for the stick. Adis handed one over. My axe was back on the boat, the tight confines of the cave lent themselves better to the mace. I already had the weapon in my right hand, ready to pulverize any undead we came across.

    Just as I suspected, the ice tunnel shrunk down to the point that only one man could fit comfortably, turned sharply twice, and then immediately opened out into a large room. It was pitch black in the tunnel, even with my ring I could barely see a thing, but the room was lit by torches. Four pillars stretched to hold up the ceiling, they were coated in ice, but the positioning was intelligent design. Something shifted in one of the corners, it was just a miniscule clinking noise.

    I reached over with my mace hand, and snapped my fingers together to make a small spark under the torch. It lit up easily, and burned brightly, a meteor coming down to land in the middle of the room. The clinking became a stamping of feet as a dozen skeletons rushed out from their places. With the tripwire sprung, there was nothing to do but give ground.

    ¡°Gromm back up! Back out!¡± I shouted down the tunnel. The skeletons were all too willing to oblige my plan. The first to dash into the tunnel caught a glowing ball of sunlight in the ribs, the magic seemed to bypass the rusty chainmail it wore. The skeleton burned with holy fire, the health bar over it¡¯s head dipped from thirty to zero in just a few seconds. A second skeleton dashed over the still burning remains of the first, blind to any concern but introducing its blade to living flesh. The abomination swung lazily for my neck, my plated arm rose to block while my mace raced up for its chin. The skeleton¡¯s skull popped free, trailing golden embers.

    [Righteous Strikes Activated]

    The skeletons didn¡¯t stand a chance, not when they were being forced to fight me one on one. My armor was more than a match for their weapons, and they were just too slow. Half a dozen smoldering skeletons littered the tunnel by the time I¡¯d made it back to Gromm and Jorn¡¯s men. They made short work of the remainder, the skeletons were too stupid to avoid running straight into an ambush.

    ¡°If it keeps like this¡­¡± Jorn had a smile on his face, hidden behind the steel helmet he¡¯d donned. I shook my head.

    ¡°It turns into a barrow, don¡¯t jinx us. Keep your eyes out for traps.¡± I didn¡¯t wait for an answer before pushing back into the tunnel. The torch I¡¯d thrown was still burning, and lit the place well enough to get a good look at the walls. A semi-familiar feeling washed over me as I saw the puzzles along the wall. Ravens, whales, moths, bears, all on rotating stands. Above them were icons to the matching animal. An iron gate blocked the way forwards.

    ¡°What are these?¡± Angven asked as he looked over one of them.

    ¡°It¡¯s a puzzle door. Don¡¯t let the simplicity fool you, they aren¡¯t meant to keep us out, they¡¯re meant to keep the dead inside. Look around for murder holes. If we get the puzzle wrong there will be arrows, or fire, or something else nasty.¡± I spotted one as I spoke, aimed at the lever to open the gate.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of these before. There should be¡­¡± Lodor trailed off as he found what he was looking for, a small stone button. As he pressed it, a grinding noise shook the floor, and a puzzle piece turned. It matched the icon above now, Lodor seemed happy with himself.

    ¡°Lodor, match up all the symbols. The rest of you, don¡¯t fucking touch anything in here, and don¡¯t wander.¡± A case of nervous excitement started to creep into the back of my mind. The traps in places like this were man stoppers, easily capable of killing a careless intruder. Fire was my biggest concern. The men that had come along were well armored, but flames would burn through the gaps and make a lot of wounded.

    ¡°Johannes, they¡¯re ready.¡± Lodor was standing near the lever.

    ¡°Jorn, keep your party here, keep our exit open. Gromm, with me. Hit it Lodor.¡± I nodded to the second son. He muttered a quick prayer, yanked the lever down, and jumped away. Nothing happened at first, and then the noise of a clanking chain echoed out from the iron gate. It rose slowly, and very, very loudly. Anyone waiting for us deeper inside would know the score now.

    Gromm and the rest seemed reluctant when the gate finished opening, I couldn¡¯t blame them. Beyond the gate was a frost encrusted corridor, dark and still as a grave. The only noise to be heard was my boots crinkling on the thin layer of ice that had formed over the floor. Then another set of boots, and another, as Gromm¡¯s men worked up the courage to follow me. One of them lit a torch, holding it high to cast some light ahead. I threw a mage light out with my free hand, the ghostly blue-white sphere stuck itself to a door, twenty or so yards distant.

    ¡°Hold!¡± I put up my hand after seeing how long the corridor was. Great stone sarcophagi lined it, some broken open, some still closed. The dead were one concern, the floor was another.

    ¡°What is it Ranger?¡± Gromm asked. I let out a puff of flames from my hand, melting the ice in front of us. A circular stone was laid in the middle of the floor, decorated with old runes. Memories stirred again, of poison darts, fire, logs swinging down, axe blades, claw arms in the walls.

    ¡°Floor triggers. Like I said, they aren¡¯t meant for us, they¡¯re meant to cut down the dead that might rise. Take it slow and steady.¡± I made sure they could see the stone I meant, and melted a path around it for the rest to follow. Four more trap triggers were in the floor between us and the door at the end. The door wasn¡¯t locked, and as best I could tell, there wasn¡¯t a trap strung to it on our side. I opened it carefully, just enough to fit a hand through, and borrowed a sword from one of Gromm¡¯s men to feel around the edges for a tripwire.

    ¡°Step back, get on the left side.¡± I started to open the door wider, when a hail of loud thuds smashed into it. Our good luck seemed to have run out as the arrows kept pouring on. It sounded like four shooters at the least, maybe six for how slow the skeletons were. I tried to push the door back shut when a stone slab pounded itself into the ground behind us.

    Just fucking great, Draugr too.

    ¡°Mind the triggers! Fight against the walls!¡± I shouted a warning as pale, desiccated hands reached into the gap between the door and the wall, trying to push it open. The first Draugr had come out of his tomb now, sword in hand. The men faltered for a moment. A bolt of sunlight took that Draugr in the mouth, setting his whole head on fire.

    ¡°Fight god damn you! Don¡¯t just fucking look at them!¡± That was all the encouragement the men needed. Gromm charged the burning Draugr, catching its sword on his shield. A second man swung low for the thing¡¯s knee, toppling it. One of Gromm¡¯s men slammed into the door with his shoulder, helping me to keep the Draugr on the other side from spilling in. Heavy foot falls were running down the corridor for us, Jorn and Lodor¡¯s party were following the trail I¡¯d melted in the ice.

    ¡°Jorn! The coffins! Break open the coffins and kill the sorry bastards inside!¡± I tried to keep the fight from descending into complete chaos. If any of those trap triggers got kicked, we¡¯d be in for a world of hurt. Jorn heard me, and set his men to the task. Right about then, a glint of steel in the corner of my eye caught my attention. One of the Draugr was trying to stab me from the other side of the door. The tip of the blade drew a line across my cheek, a sting and the warm drip of blood.

    ¡°Gah! Cocksucker!¡± I stuck my hand around the door frame, and willed a jet of flame out of my hand. Raspy shrieks roared out from the other side as the draugr were set alight. The weight against the door sagged until we were able to push it shut.

    ¡°Grab that urn! Yeah, drag it here, there we go.¡± I helped pull a jar the size of a man into place before the door, it was heavy enough to keep the draugr busy for a while.

    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding.¡± The man that had helped me with the door pointed out.

    ¡°Hadn¡¯t noticed, now don¡¯t just stand there!¡± I spurred the man back to action. Gromm and the rest of his men were fighting a quartet of draugr, slowly pushing them back to a mob that Jorn¡¯s lot was fighting. There was a pained cry towards the entrance, and then an angry shout. One of Jorn¡¯s band, a man with a warhammer, smashed a draugr clean off its feet. The body flew up, then back a few feet, and landed squarely on one of the trap triggers. I was too far to do anything but watch, no words of warning could have been understood.

    The man was dashing forwards to put the draugr down for good when a cluster of spikes shot out of the ceiling, wickedly sharp spearheads fit for a bear punched into the man¡¯s back and came out the front, nailing him to the draugr. His chainmail hadn¡¯t stood a chance. The man hung limply, gargling out his last.

    ¡°Watch out for the damn traps!¡± I shouted to Gromm, he¡¯d seen what had happened to the man and managed to stop his troop from advancing any farther. The draugr were still blindly backpedaling, one of them hit the next trigger. A blade like a scythe swung out from the wall, chopping two of the corpses in half. The third was skewered on the point of the blade, and slammed into the stone wall. Jorn¡¯s mob seemed to have caught on to the danger, because they were fighting in place, unwilling to risk hitting another trigger.

    The draugr were either too stupid, or too apathetic to worry, because they hit both of the remaining triggers. Darts and fire finished the last set of them to come out of the coffins, while we just stood and watched. The banging on the door had died down too, it seemed that the ones on the other side had gotten bored.

    ¡°Jorn, anyone injured on your side?¡± I called over to them once the last of the corpses were dealt with.

    ¡°Just Fendil, he¡¯s dead.¡± Jorn pointed to the man that was still impaled on the spikes.

    ¡°We can¡¯t help him now. Take a few moments, get your men ready, there¡¯s a whole lot more of those bastards on the other side of this door. We¡¯re just going to have to fight our way through them.¡± I looked to the door we¡¯d blocked off. Hopefully the barrow wasn¡¯t too deep.

    ¡°Jorn, your lot is going in first this time. Gromm, keep your men back and counter any move the corpses make. Angven, keep that bow handy, I¡¯m pretty sure the next room will have two levels.¡± It was a guess, but my mind told me it was correct.

    Gromm and I hauled the urn out of the way once Jorn¡¯s group was lined up for the door. They hauled it open, and dashed forwards. The draugr were nowhere to be seen at first, not hiding in alcoves or creeping behind dusty pillars. Something creaked from above us, a cut out in the stone wall that overlooked the door. For what it¡¯s worth, I did shoot first. The glowing ball of sunlight took the archer in the chest a moment after he loosed his own shot.

    The arrow wasn¡¯t aimed for us, but the clay lantern pot hanging above us. The bottom of the pot broke out, dropping a wick and a bucket¡¯s worth of lantern oil. I¡¯d been fatefully slow coming through the door, and avoided the incendiary payload. Adis and another man weren¡¯t so lucky, they¡¯d stopped directly underneath it and were bathed in the oil.

    Woosh!

    The two men became their own funeral pyres, thick white smoke pouring off them as they ran forwards in a panic. To make a confused situation worse, more arrows started to rain down from the second level. The floor was on fire between the door and where Jorn had ended up, I could see the man fighting a draugr through the smoke. Lodor was trying to protect his brother from the archers.

    Fucking necromancers¡­

    I pushed Gromm back enough to get a running start, and leapt over the flames. It was no easy feat for a man in heavy armor, but I cleared it with a few inches to spare. A few scorched draugr were sprinting out of a corridor we hadn¡¯t been able to see from the door, ancient weapons ready for fresh blood. I fired off a pair of spells, igniting the leading draugr in vengeance for Adis. My mace caught it across the jaw, a puff of dust and bone splinters followed the weapon¡¯s arc.

    Tink!

    The other Draugr roared when they set their glowing eyes on me, like my mere presence enraged them. One drew its axe high, while the other tried to circle around my right. Black iron met blued steel, a shower of sparks sprayed my feet as the axe blade narrowly missed my shoulder. The flanker caught an elbow to the face while my left hand tried to snatch it by the sword arm. There was a crash somewhere behind me, and the clanking of two swords sliding across each other.

    ¡°Ranger! Duck!¡± Gromm¡¯s voice shouted over the chaos. I was tangled up with the draugr, but I had the mass and pulled us both down to the floor. A golden tracer shot through the space my chest had been in before, and flung itself into the axe wielding draugr. The corpse burned from the inside out, radiant death flickering beneath the rotten skin. It stuttered for a step, and then a second arrow hit it in the nose. I had my draugr in a headlock, with my other hand wrestling the sword away. It was a few seconds more before I managed to get a satisfying crunch from the thing¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Shoot the archers!¡± I tried to give Angven an order, but he was two steps ahead of me. Two bodies, more accurately. I felt my ring burning brightly on my finger as I got back into the fight.

    You better be enjoying this Stendarr.

    Jorn and Lodor had managed to beat back their rivals, severed limbs and broken bodies littered the floor around the brothers. Where the twins had learned hunting and stalking, the pseudo-nobles had learned warfare. It really wasn¡¯t even a contest once they¡¯d found their rhythm. Draugr would rush forward, only to lose an important piece of anatomy to Jorn¡¯s greatsword or Lodor¡¯s axe. My eyes tracked towards the walls, looking for any more doors, or stairs. It didn¡¯t seem like there was a direct route up to the second floor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get bogged down here! With me!¡± I shouted to the survivors of our group. The Draugr were coming out of the corridor I¡¯d tried to block off, but they were thinning out. Angven, Gromm, and a few of the Icehome men joined me at the front, carving a path through the fodder. The corridor we were following was lined with empty cut outs, graves the draugr had stood out of. It made a long turn to the left, ramping up to the second level that the archers had shot at us from. There was a T-junction at the top, but the right side had caved in.

    ¡°Hey, Johannes.¡± Lodor called from the rear of the line.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I didn¡¯t want to stop and lose our momentum.

    ¡°There¡¯s a chest stuck in the rubble here¡­¡± I turned to see the junior brother reaching out to it.

    ¡°DON¡¯T FUCKING TOUCH IT!¡± I yelled back to him. His hand was hovering an inch from the chest, reason and realization crossing his eyes.

    ¡°Right, sorry.¡± He turned to start forwards. I kept up, when a thunder crack and a pained cry rang out from the rear. I spun, expecting to see Lodor sprawled out, but it was one of Jorn¡¯s men. His hand was stiff armed out to the ceiling, smoke wafting off his palm. There was the imprint of seared flesh on the chest where the man had touched it.

    ¡°Do you think I was just trying to be an asshole? This place was designed to be a death trap before the fucking necromancer moved in. Everything is trying to kill you in here! Don¡¯t touch a fucking thing!¡± They¡¯d learn the hard way if they didn¡¯t want to listen the first, second, or third time. The man was being helped back to his feet by Lodor, he was lucky not to be dead.

    The doorway to the second floor was open, the doors having been pulled off at some point in the past. One of the archers that Angven had nailed was sprawled out, charred to the bone from the waist to the neck. It was a testament to Jori¡¯s studies, and an excellent field test. The other draugr archers weren¡¯t much better off, they¡¯d been reduced to cinders and messy piles of ash. The one that I¡¯d hit with a spell was just a bare set of boney legs and half a skull.

    ¡°Remind me to thank our friendly Vigilant next time we see him.¡± I nodded to Angven. The younger man smiled, kicking one of the dead draugr with his boot.

    ¡°You should have asked the College if they had any more of those fancy soul gem things. Could have gotten my self something nice with all this shooting here.¡± Angven looked over his handiwork. There was something stirring with that, but I wasn¡¯t sure of it. Draugr had been human once, I wasn¡¯t sure if they still had souls to trap or not.

    ¡°Next hunt. Come on.¡± I started towards the only door I had found, a big metal banded thing that looked like it was ready to fall off the hinges. It opened with a groan, resistant to any kind of movement. There weren¡¯t any tripwires or traps around it that I could see, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any magic coming off the frame. I pulled it the rest of the way open, slowly, but there was nothing but a long hall that sloped back downwards. There were traps in the floor, but we were far enough from the frosty hell outside that ice wasn¡¯t a problem.

    The torches on the wall were all freshly lit, brightening the space up. The corridor turned twice before leveling out into a straight hall, with a round stone door at the end. The door was broken into a few segments, more pictograms decorated it. The walls were covered in carven histories of warriors, priests, dragons, burning towns and runic sigils. I would have taken the time to really get a close look at them, if it weren¡¯t for the pedestal standing before the puzzle door.

    ¡°Fuckers¡­ They¡¯re waiting for us on the other side.¡± Lodor put my own thoughts to words as his eyes fell on the claw resting on the pedestal, and the note next to it. I raised a hand to keep the rest of them back, and slowly came forward, a ward primed in my left hand. Caution invaded my limbs, eyes scouring the floor, walls, and ceiling for anything, even the slightest sign of a more recent addition to the deadly traps. I couldn¡¯t find one, and took the last few steps forward. I snatched the note and brought the ward to full strength as I leapt away. The anticipated explosion never materialized, so I dropped the ward before it ate away too much of my magical strength. My eyes turned to the note, it was written in blood.

    Speak of All and Nothing. The First and The Ultimate, The Creator and The Dread of The World, and you will find what you seek! Death, the death of the world!

    ¡°What the hell is this shit?¡± I read over the note twice, hoping for some spark or stirring in my head. Not even a little buzz, not even the barest hint of a house fly was forthcoming. I turned over to Lodor, who was probably the best educated of us, and handed the note to him.

    ¡°Figure out what this means, but don¡¯t say it if you think you know the answer, tell me first so we can be ready.¡± I turned back to the claw, it was a bronze shaded orange, that did bring something to mind.

    [Smithing Mastery Activated!]

    [Corundum Claw]

    [Description: The key to an ancient Nord barrow, made of once fine Corundum, now worn and weathered.]

    It wasn¡¯t as useful as I¡¯d hoped, I knew what the thing was and how to use it. Extending my frail magical sense towards the pedestal again showed just as much as it had before. Nothing.

    If this thing stabs, burns, or blows me up, I¡¯m going to be pissed¡­

    I took up the claw, jumped back, and brought up the ward again, but nothing happened. Turning the claw over showed a bird, bear, and moth from claw to palm. I wasn¡¯t exactly satisfied that my entire world wouldn¡¯t become a blazing inferno or a pin cushion for poison darts, but it seemed like the necromancer¡¯s game was a different one. The door dials were easy enough to figure out, just press them in, and they spun. I got it situated the right way before turning back to Lodor.

    ¡°Any luck?¡±

    ¡°No. No idea what it could mean. What about the door?¡± Lodor offered the note back to me. It tucked it into a pouch on my belt, and lifted the claw.

    ¡°The dials are in the right position, just need to use the claw to open it. Everyone ready?¡± My eyes roved over the band. We¡¯d started with twelve, now there were nine, and two were walking wounded.

    ¡°Ready as we¡¯ll be. Open it.¡± Jorn had done the same. It was bad luck that all three of the dead were his. Adis and the other man hadn¡¯t survived long after being scorched, though nobody had commented on the arrows that hit them from a level angle. It was a mercy, but I knew I¡¯d need to talk to Angven about it. Those thoughts had no use for me right now, it was just the claw, the dead, and killing that damned necromancer on the other side.

    The claw sunk into position, there was a muffled clunk from the mechanism. The grating stone wheels spun to unlock themselves, it was a horrible noise, but the stench from the other side was worse. Behind the rows of skeletons was a dark robed man, standing on a raised dais. There was a Nord woman strapped to a slab in front of him, struggling with her bindings.

    ¡°Ah! Company has finally arrived. Be quiet girl, servants are seen, not heard!¡± The man raised a dagger, and plunged it into her chest. One great thing about the scholarly, arrogant types, was that they assumed a grand display like that would buy them time for a monologue.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I only have a meal for my self, human bod£­ AGH! AHH! AHHHHHH!¡± The bastard had been looking at the poor woman he¡¯d murdered, and caught the bolt of sun fire directly to the face. It was a reflexive action on my part, I didn¡¯t expect the bolt to be quite so effective against a normal man. It was once the fire spread across him and scorched his skin black that I realized how pale he was. Wonder was answered by a status bar a short moment later.

    [Blooded Vampire]

    [Race: Undead Breton]

    [Level: 35]

    [Health: 233/290, Magicka: 220/225, Stamina: 150/150]

    [Status: Burning in Righteous Fire]

    Great.

 Chapter Eighteen: Righteous Fury

    ¡°Die and stay dead!¡± The skeletons hadn¡¯t waited long after I¡¯d set their master on fire. A small army of rotting bones was swarming forwards, heedless of the danger posed by a warband of irate Nords in heavy armor. One crushed skull, a pulverized rib cage, a gout of flame, they dropped like flies. The Vampire was still howling and cursing somewhere above us, he¡¯d retreated after getting the better part of his face melted off.

    ¡°Angven, stay close to me and be ready to shoot that fucker!¡± I yelled over the melee. One good shot to the vitals would roast the vampire from the inside out, it was just a matter of angling Angven for the kill. Gromm was to my right, bashing a path up the stone steps to the raised dais.

    ¡°Ranger, here!¡± He spared a moment to wave for me to follow. It nearly cost him his head as a skeleton swung a sword for his neck. Jorn and Lodor were holding the dozen or so skeletons on the other side with their last retainer, they¡¯d be quick to follow us up. Gromm bullied his way through the last two skeletons on the stairs, one was sent on a brief flight over the edge.

    Once we¡¯d made it to the top, the vampire was nowhere to be seen. There was a door flung open farther in, but there was also a side passage that looked like it was almost natural. Between the two was a semi-circular wall, with harsh runes carved in the stone. Of more immediate concern, were the six coffins to either side that had decided to open, and the sarcophagus in front of them that was slowly grinding apart. A skeletal hand took hold of the lid, and finished throwing it to the ground. A draugr the size of Hemjar sat up in it, blue eyes turning to stare at me.

    [Gronvir, Draugr Scourge Lord]

    [Race: Undead Nord]

    [Level: 22]

    [Health: 240/240, Stamina: 275/275]

    [Status: Rising]

    ¡°Aav dilon, volaan!¡±

    The draugr rasped something out, reaching down between its legs for what I assumed was a weapon. The fire was already building in my palm, arm extending¡­ world spinning? One moment I¡¯d been about to launch a bolt of sunlight at the draugr before it could get clear of the coffin, the next I was thrown bodily by a rushing wave in the air. I clanged off the stone wall and down a few yards to the hard floor, I could taste copper running over my lips as I picked my self up.

    Gromm and his men were fighting for their lives at the top of the stairs now. Angven was at the bottom, fresh cuts and bruises evidenced a tumble. He¡¯d probably gotten caught by whatever the hell it was that hit me. The brothers had finished off the skeletons on the far side of the room, and were running towards the stairs.

    ¡°Gromm, give ground! Back down the stairs!¡± I didn¡¯t have a shot through the men at the top, but if they¡¯d just move a little bit¡­ The giant Gronvir forced them back with the haft of his axe. A rolling mess of chainmail and groaning men nearly crushed Angven as he was finally getting back to his feet. The boy was fast on the uptake, dancing to the side just in time. Gronvir was marching down towards the tangled mob, the lesser corpses following behind. Every part of me hurt after my own flying lesson, but I had to power through it. I thought to the ever present, infinitely annoying status windows and health bars to check my own for the first time.

    [Health: 215/275, Stamina: 193/300, Magicka: 118/125]

    It seemed about right. At least one of my ribs felt like it was bruised, I was getting tired from the heavy armor, and I¡¯d flung a spell not long ago. Gronvir had taken two more steps down the stairs, hefting his great axe over his head. Magic swirled in my hands, bereft of my mace I didn¡¯t have another option. My aim was off, but it did the job. One sunny spell splashed on the beast¡¯s shoulder, another missed and engulfed a draugr following close behind him. Gronvir stumbled as the magic hit him, fouling his swing on the Icehome man at his feet. Shining steel reflected in the sunlight as a keen blade connected with Gronvir¡¯s over-extended hand.

    Jorn had joined the fight, leveraging his sword¡¯s reach to protect the men still trying to scramble up. His strike should have left Gronvir¡¯s hand on the floor, or still gripped to the axe. The corpse was resilient though, and shrugged off the blade with just a deep gouge. The fire burning along his arm was the real killer, the stench of charred flesh billowed off in the smoke. Just like with the lesser draugr, the sun fire seemed to feed on undead flesh, like it was just kindling before a wildfire. Angven was up and moving, but had lost his bow somewhere. That hadn¡¯t slowed him down, a steel dagger dripping gold was held in a reverse grip by his side.

    ¡°Cursed bastard! Burn!¡± Angven shouted, ducking low and slashing the dagger against a bit of exposed flesh on Gronvir¡¯s knee. An inferno erupted in a blink, chasing up the ailing corpse¡¯s side. One of the draugr tried to swing down at Angven from the stairs, missed, and caught a stab in the calf for his trouble. I¡¯d managed to find my mace rolling behind a small urn, and came back around to see Jorn readying a swing for a kneeling Gronvir¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Zun!¡±

    Jorn¡¯s arms started the motion to behead the draugr while his sword went flying out of his hands, over his shoulder, and whizzed off into the darkness. The momentary confusion was all the opportunity Gronvir needed, snatching up a dropped draugr blade from the ground. Jorn started moving too late, and caught a plate fisted hook half in the jaw, half on his helmet. Before he could fall, Gronvir had him by the shoulder and jammed a foot of steel between the man¡¯s hard plates and the chainmail skirt protecting his legs. The beleaguered giant wobbled on his feet, still burning, before throwing Jorn to the ground with the sword still stuck in his mail.

    ¡°Gah!¡± Lodor flung himself at the draugr with every bit of fervor he could muster, and planted his axe in Gronvir¡¯s neck. The blade bit through bone and flesh, rendering the draugr nearly headless. The last of the draugr on the stairs were burning piles of rotten flesh, courtesy of Angven¡¯s dagger and my spells.

    ¡°Jorn! Jorn you still alive?¡± I slid to a stop next to the impaled soldier, he tried to say something but only gargled up some blood.

    ¡°Angven, Lodor, hold him down, if he squirms it¡¯s going to make this a lot harder!¡± I got a hand on the sword and straddled his legs, the other men sat on his arms and held him to the floor. The sword was stuck in his abs, the clenching muscle didn¡¯t want to let go. The positive side was that they were holding in most of the blood that should have been spilling out on the floor.

    ¡°Jorn, look at me, Jorn. You need to relax, just relax your stomach. I can¡¯t get this damn sword out if you keep holding it in. I¡¯ll fix you, but I need you to help me out here.¡± The man nodded faintly, and I felt the sword dip just a touch. I stood and pulled, and got enough of the sword out before he could clamp down on it again. It smelled awful in the chamber, smoke, blood, charred, rotting corpses, shit and bile. Jorn managed a half scream as the blade came out, Lodor was babbling to his brother to calm down. It struck me that it was a miracle any of us had survived this far.

    Gromm and the Icehome men weren¡¯t career soldiers, just levy trained men that might spar a few times a year. As much as they were supposed to be vikings, Skyrim had been at peace their entire lives. Maybe a few were legion trained, or had served their time in the Jarl¡¯s guard, but it didn¡¯t seem like it. Jorn and his brother were the exception, maybe the retainers they¡¯d brought along. Three of those men had been killed by traps, not the draugr. I pushed that out of my head as my hands found the last health potion I had on my belt.

    ¡°Lodor, make sure he drinks that.¡± A different form of golden light swirled in my hands, snaking its way towards the gruesome wound under Jorn''s armor. It was hard to see exactly how bad it was, but the sword was evidence enough. It felt like I was working for minutes when my spell fizzled. That was less of a problem, there was a mana potion on my belt. I came away with a glove covered in sticky blue, the damn thing had shattered. I stuck my hand into Jorn¡¯s split chainmail, feeling for fresh blood, but I found scar tissue. Jorn groaned lightly as he sat up.

    ¡°You¡¯re a miracle worker, Ranger.¡± Lodor calmed down almost at once, seeing his brother was talking. I stood and drew out my mace again. The vampire had five minutes at most in a head start.

    ¡°Maybe. Stay in the rear. Angven, where¡¯s your bow?¡± I looked over to the young hunter, he had his axe and shield ready.

    ¡°Smashed when I fell.¡± He followed along behind me, but keeping a bit more separation this time. Gromm and the other Icehome survivors were hesitant to follow us at first.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, what about that vial of sunlight? Any left?¡± My eyes started looking for any sign of which way the blood sucker had gone, and found a bloody hand print on the doorframe.

    ¡°Not much.¡± That was a near tragedy. Jori had only made four vials of his newer concoction. He¡¯d given two to me, kept one, and sent the fourth along with our letter to the Vigilant. If the vampire made it to the surface, Anglin might have gotten a shot on him.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do it with steel, I¡¯m not much for magic right now.¡± I felt drained after trying to heal Jorn, I¡¯d get a few bolts off, but not much more. Deeper down the corridor was a study of sorts, with dissected draugr and foul looking tomes scattered about. Nobody needed to be told about the ¡®No Touching!¡¯ rule again. Beyond the study was a stone wall and what would have been a well concealed escape path, had it not been standing open. A spiral staircase was just inside the door frame, our target just beyond¡­

    Trap!

    I dug my heels in right before I stepped through the gap in the wall, wondering what had prompted that thought. There was no tripwire, no oddly colored stone, no trigger to be seen. Angven whistled a short call, asking what it was.

    ¡°Not sure, maybe I¡¯m just being¡­ Nope. Look at the third step.¡± I pointed to the stair, there was a very, very subtle glow coming from the underside.

    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re getting sharp. Rune trap?¡± Angven stooped down to get a better look. I reached out with my waning magical ability, it felt like the lightning bolt I¡¯d been hit with.

    ¡°Lightning. Lodor, you see that big rock along the wall? Haul it over here. Good, you see that third step? Throw the rock at it.¡± It was the last bit of magic I¡¯d be able to pull off, but it was worth it. Lodor chucked the stone, dove away, and my ward went up as the stone smashed into the wooden step. The rune went off with a crack and a blinding flash, electric feelers danced across my ward for a split second. Aside from the missing step, the staircase was fine. We had to take it slow just in case, which turned out to be a waste of not so precious time. The damage had already been done by the time we got to the top.

    ¡°Halt!¡± A spear leveled itself at my face as I came around the landing of the stairway. A frightened young man was shaking behind it, the tremors of fear evidenced in the bobbing head. I slowly lifted a hand, and pointed the spear away from my face.

    ¡°Easy, we¡¯re friends. Where¡¯d the vampire go?¡± I tried to speak softly, the boy was just about ready to piss him self.

    ¡°Vampire? It went out into the snow¡­ Killed a score of us. The headman¡¯s dead.¡± The boy slumped with the weight of the words, speaking it had made it true for him. I looked beyond the boy, and saw six shrouded bodies. Most were big, grown men that had been torn apart by claws and magic. One was very slim, short, and an almost dainty hand was peeking from the cover. I pushed my way through the boy, his troubles forgotten, and knelt down to pull the shroud back. The blonde hair, blue eyes, and white vest I¡¯d been expecting weren¡¯t there. It was a girl, but she wasn¡¯t Riga.

    It was a needed relief, though I knew immediately that I¡¯d made a mistake. There was an older man, about forty, sitting next to her. He looked about ready to put his sword in my neck for disturbing the body. I pulled the shroud back over her before he made a move.

    ¡°Sorry about your daughter.¡± She¡¯d been a gristly sight. Half her face was missing, and two long gouges had punched through her neck. The girl had been dead before she hit the ground. The man didn¡¯t answer, he just went back to sharpening his sword. The small exit opened into a short, somewhat natural looking ice cave, and then out to the snow. A few men and a pile of sled dogs were gathered around the entrance, spears and swords held ready in case the vampire came back.

    ¡°He won¡¯t be back around. Did the sledders chase him?¡± I startled them from their silent sentry.

    ¡°Four sleds, the Ranger¡¯s people, Kalor, a few others.¡± One of them said without turning. The wind had picked up outside, snow flurries abounded.

    ¡°Damned fools. How long ago?¡± I knew Karliene and Icefoot would outrun all of the sleds, and those two wolves wouldn¡¯t give up the trail.

    ¡°Not long. Blood¡¯s barely frozen on old Fenrik¡¯s sword. He gave that bastard a mortal wound.¡± The man turned to look, and only seemed slightly surprised to see me.

    ¡°Thought you were dead Ranger.¡±

    ¡°Not quite. The vampire set the draugr on us when we caught up to him. Big motherfucker of a corpse nearly killed Jorn. We lost three dead inside, more wounded. Are the six inside the only ones you lost up here?¡± I turned to look back into the cave for a moment.

    ¡°Aye, a few are hurt, but they¡¯ll live. You said that thing was a vampire?¡± The man¡¯s face remained stoic, but his tone twitched at the end.

    ¡°A strong one. We¡¯ll need a cure for everyone who¡¯s been hurt, to make sure they don¡¯t turn. We have a few days before they¡¯ll start going bloodthirsty. Nasty creatures.¡± That was a problem I hadn¡¯t spent much time thinking about. We¡¯d need curative potions by the gallon if vampires were going to be a common threat from here on.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to go after them?¡± One of the other soldiers, another younger man, seemed frustrated.

    ¡°In this? Hell no. If I¡¯d made it to the surface before they¡¯d left, I¡¯d have told them not to chase it. That abomination has all the advantages out here. Not to mention the fact that two of the fastest dogs in the hold are chasing it down, I¡¯d never catch up. We¡¯ll have to wait till sunrise before we can move. If that vampire is feeling spiteful, he¡¯d pick us off one by one tonight.¡± Seeing in the dark with my ring only leveled a narrow piece of the board, I wasn¡¯t dumb or suicidal.

    ¡°Wish you¡¯d been around with all your smarts Ranger, maybe we¡¯d have stood a chance! Nobody mentioned there was a damned vampire in the cave!¡± The younger man snapped. The older was raising a hand, but I waved it off.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was a vampire inside, just that there was probably a necromancer. You can be angry, but save it for the cretins that didn¡¯t just fight their way through a barrow.¡± Enough bruises had been made tonight. The younger man huffed, and stomped back to the barrow exit. The rest of the night was quiet. The men brought a bit of firewood into the cave from their sleds, I lit it up with a spark from my hand. I managed to get a bit of sleep after doing what I could for the other injured.

    Our luck was that the non-fatal injuries were mostly minor, bruises and slight cuts. One man had taken an ugly gash across his arm from the vampire, but it healed well with magic. He¡¯d need a potion or magic to purge the disease just in case. The sun had been up for an hour or so when someone kicked my boots.

    ¡°Up, up. Oh, Riga. Glad you all made it back. Any luck with the vampire?¡± I blinked the sleep out of my eyes.

    ¡°You tell me boss.¡± Anglin tossed a sack into my lap, stained red with frozen blood. I opened it, and there was a half scorched head inside. A small smile crept across my lips.

    ¡°Nice work. Any losses?¡±

    ¡°None dead, one of Fenrik¡¯s men got bit but he¡¯ll live long enough to get back to Jori.¡± Anglin took a seat on the cave floor across from me.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Riga, can you check over all the injured? I was pretty much spent by the time I came out of the barrow.¡± I started to get my bearings back. The fire had burnt down to coals, but there was enough light coming in from the cave mouth even without my ring.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen to them already. We¡¯ve got the sleds loaded up, just waiting for you before we leave.¡± Riga put a hand out for me, but I thought better of it. If I let her try to pull me up, she¡¯d be the one moving.

    ¡°We need to get the bodies from the barrow first.¡± I stood, drawing a slight scowl from Riga. I went out and spoke with the Seacrest men, their part of the job was done. The healthy ones turned for home with their dead, while the injured ones stayed with us. They¡¯d come back to Winterhold to get checked for any signs of vampirism. That left my merry band to plunge back into the crypt. It was careful work, disarming the traps that we could and avoiding the others. Looting the place was a temptation that was hard to fight, especially after Angven knocked over an urn full of ancient coins.

    ¡°Riga, you can sense magic better than I can. Work with Anglin, take what you can, but don¡¯t touch anything you aren¡¯t sure about.¡± I decided we¡¯d better get something for the families of the dead. Angven and I retraced our steps back through the crypt, checking for loot, and wrapping up the bodies we¡¯d left behind. Lodor tagged along, not wanting to sit around.

    ¡°They deserved better than that.¡± Lodor said after we¡¯d finished wrapping Adis and the other burned man. Angven flinched just a touch at the words, but I don¡¯t think Lodor noticed.

    ¡°They did, but life¡¯s a mean bitch. Do you still want to join us for the next part?¡± I tied off a rope to Adis¡¯ feet.

    ¡°What else is there to do? You said there were worse things than this cave. If that¡¯s true, we¡¯ll all need to join up with you. What are those worse things?¡± Lodor asked. I paused, unsure of which line to tell him at first.

    ¡°There¡¯s a gang of necromancers working on something, they¡¯re going to ambush a refugee caravan coming from Morrowind. Hundreds of bodies to use for rituals. Our friend Jori, one of the Vigilants I mentioned, has heard rumors of several vampire covens forming across Skyrim. To the south, a former Vigilant named Isran is rebuilding an old fort, claiming that dark forces are about to overtake Skyrim. I¡¯ve remembered flashes of¡­ well, they¡¯re bad. Really bad.¡± I decided not to break the news about the full extent of the vampire menace that was coming. That was a conversation to have with Adalvald before he got himself killed in Dimhollow.

    ¡°And we¡¯ve been worried about this business with Ulfric and Torygg¡­ Life really is a mean bitch.¡± Lodor finished tying his rope to the other man¡¯s feet. Angven was scrounging up coins, gems, and anything else worth the weight when he called over to me.

    ¡°Ranger! I think I¡¯ve got something for you.¡± He¡¯d disarmed a trap guarding a chest, and was holding up a sword. The blade pulsed an angry red every so often, accenting the orange-bronze Dwemer metal it was made from.

    [Dwarven Short Sword of Rending]

    [Description: This sword has been enchanted to cause major wounds to the target, even a minor cut becomes a gruesome slash. Deals additional damage from both the strike and bleeding.]

    ¡°Looks like you get to have something nice after all. Keep it, you found it and I¡¯ve already got an enchanted axe.¡± I gave Angven a thumbs up. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack from the excitement.

    ¡°Really? This sort of weapon is worth its weight in gold!¡± Angven had a note of disbelief in his voice.

    ¡°Yes, really. It¡¯s all yours. We¡¯ll have quite a few of them by the end of this. If you¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll find some armor too.¡± I pointed to the pouch on my belt that we¡¯d been stuffing soul gems into. We kept up with the looting and recovery for another hour or so, and we did come away with a few more enchanted items. I¡¯d have to sort them out once we¡¯d gotten back to Winterhold, but there was a bit of something for everyone in the core group, even the new brothers that¡¯d be joining. I only had one thing left to do on the way out of the barrow.

    ¡°Johannes?¡± Riga called after me when I started towards the word wall. There was no glow, no chanting, yet.

    ¡°Just want to check this over. Riga, you keep a journal don¡¯t you? Write down this inscription.¡± I came to a stop in the midst of it, willing the runic script to start glowing, for the weird chants to start in my head, but there was nothing. Riga copied down the runes carefully, looking my direction every so often with a curious eye.

    ¡°Seems I¡¯m not a dragon born, tough luck.¡± I gave up when Riga finished her writing.

    ¡°Why would you¡­ What is this?¡± Riga looked at the wall again.

    ¡°The language of the dragons. Back when most of these barrows were built, the dragons ruled Skyrim as gods. This is the work of their priests. Jori might be able to translate it. The dragonborn can read it like it''s second nature, part of the gift from Akatosh.¡± Riga stopped for a moment, looking over the inscription again.

    ¡°And you thought that maybe you were one?¡± Riga grinned.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve got some sort of divine intervention going on. Feels like it at least.¡± I thought to the ring with Stendarr¡¯s blessing. It seemed a lot more powerful than the enchanted rings I knew about. If the God of Righteous Might took issue with the bad shit going on, it seemed like he¡¯d named a champion to me.

    ¡°That¡¯s a question for the priests. Come on, these bags are getting heavy.¡± Riga reached out for my arm, and pulled me towards the exit. Looking over the vampire¡¯s study, it seemed like we¡¯d cleaned out everything of note. Riga¡¯s ruck was just about overflowing with tomes for Jori and the Vigilants to have a look at. With a bit of luck, the vampire hadn¡¯t thought to destroy the important things.

    We left by the back way, I didn¡¯t want to risk someone finding a trap with their feet. The walk to the beach didn¡¯t take too long, the boat was still sitting just off shore. There¡¯d be plenty to do once we got back to Winterhold.

 Interlude I: Who?

    Something had been bothering me since things settled down on the ship. There was time to think then, to decompress from the blood and the terror of fighting through the barrow. I¡¯d been pushing the thoughts away every time they crept in, every time they poked a hole in the veil, but now it was too much.

    Why had I thought that the Nords of Skyrim were meant to be Vikings? Northmen who lived and died by the sea, from lands that couldn¡¯t be found on Nirn. Tamriel wasn¡¯t the land of my last life, I knew that. Why do I know, not suspect, or see a connection, but absolutely know that the Nords are a caricature of the Vikings from the world I was really from? The question was driving me mad. The answer was there, somewhere, infuriatingly ethereal when I tried to snatch it.

    It was the same when I thought back to other things over the past few weeks. I had memories of fighting a war much more dangerous, albeit much more mundane, than what I faced here. There were flashes in the darkness of tracers flying over my head. The woosh and the roar of steel dragons, jets, raining death on a scale that would never be believed in Tamriel. I¡¯d been on the receiving end of those dragons, diving and ducking between ruined buildings, hiding in the sewers, but I didn¡¯t know why.

    Every time I narrowed in on the specifics, it drifted away, blown in the breeze. The only thing I was sure of, was that I had died. I¡¯d been sitting in a subway station, there were beds and wounded everywhere. There was something in my hands, a medallion, a badge, maybe a medal, then the ceiling caved in, and I¡¯d woken up face down in the snow. I couldn¡¯t help but shake the feeling of some higher power deliberately blurring what I could remember.

    There wasn¡¯t any other explanation. If I¡¯d been hit on the back of the head hard enough to scramble my mind like that, it was more likely that I¡¯d have ended up as one of Jurger¡¯s corpses. There really wasn¡¯t a whole lot of wiggle room between concussion and vegetable when it came to brain damage. It tended to be relatively minor, or life changing, not whatever this was. I still knew how to fight like I had from my past life, I could strip down a rifle if one were to materialize in front of me. My instincts for traps, tracking, and tactics were all intact, but the personal memories were all but gone. I couldn¡¯t remember what my parents looked like, their names, who my friends were.

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    If it wasn¡¯t a Divine playing with my head, I had to be the luckiest unlucky bastard around. That was another thing I knew. The Divines, the Daedra, the angels and demons of this world were indisputably real, and took action. They interfered with things here, it wasn¡¯t blind faith when people prayed to Akatosh or Mara. They had real, hard evidence that their gods were watching. Every village and town across all of Tamriel had been the victim of some sort of daedra at some point, and they remembered it.

    It also meant that the religious wars weren¡¯t just ideological, they had real, physical effects on the world. When a major temple or shrine was destroyed, a holy artifact misused, it could have world shaking implications. That was a flash that I hadn¡¯t been too happy to remember. The damned Thalmor were playing with fire, a fire that would destroy Mundus if they were right.

    Every time I thought of those gold tinged cunts, the urge to stomp them out of existence reared up in my head. It wasn¡¯t just plain old racism, or that they would kill us all if they had the chance, it was an outside urge. Whether that was Stendarr, Lorkhan, or another of the Divines spurring it, there was no way to know. It didn¡¯t do much good to dwell on the tangled mess of memories and implications in my mind.

    The reason I¡¯d pushed it all away to begin with was the fact that there weren¡¯t any answers to come to. It was like putting a puzzle together with half the pieces, and only a few of them fit together. The important part was that I was alive, I had a goal, and there were people depending on my help whether they realized it or not. The damned vampires were trouble several magnitudes higher than a few necromancers playing with corpses, and it seemed like I¡¯d be forced into dealing with them too. It was all too much to think about at once, so I opted for a tried and true method of stress relief, I went back to sleep.

 Chapter Nineteen: Broken Masquerade

    The boat ride back to Frozen Wharf didn¡¯t take long, a fortuitous shift in the wind cut my nap woefully short. If we weren¡¯t operating under a crunch to get the possibly infected men to the college, I¡¯d have kept us in town overnight. As it stood, shifting drivers halfway would let us get to Winterhold just as the dawn shift of guards was rising. It was too much a risk to have a half dozen vampires turn all at once, so we only stopped long enough to explain the situation to Bellin and get Jorn home.

    Jorn needed to rest, magic healing wasn¡¯t perfect. I¡¯d also given him the task of picking six more of the men from his town, volunteers only. He¡¯d join us in Winterhold with his new contingent while Lodor and the surviving retainer, Harald, would keep on with us. The revelation that at least one vampire had been working with the necromancers was a startling one, and left too many troubling possibilities with the refugee ambush upcoming.

    The trip back was cold, miserable, and tiring, but we made it in time for breakfast. The guard was changing as our caravan drew up to the gatehouse, Rolvar was picking crumbs out of his beard. His nose hadn¡¯t quite healed right when I broke it, leaning ever so slightly to the right. He¡¯d complained about that half-heartedly, until I offered to break it again the other way to see if that fixed it.

    ¡°Ranger! You¡¯ve come back with friends!¡± He greeted us, giving Karliene a pat on the head.

    ¡°That I have, and more will be coming. Thegn Bellin¡¯s son is assembling a small troop from the Wharf, Kalor of Seacrest is going to meet us with ten good men. What¡¯s happened here?¡± It was the dawn of the fourth day after we left for Frozen Wharf, hopefully some of our other calls for reinforcements had been answered.

    ¡°A miracle, see those banners?¡± Rolvar pointed to the Jarl¡¯s longhouse, and I wasn¡¯t sure whether to be excited, or mortified. Blue and white bear heads were fluttering next to the usual three pointed crowns. The Stormcloaks had arrived.

    ¡°Jarl Ulfric?¡±

    ¡°No, he sent one of his bannermen, Kai Wet-Pommel, and a company sixty strong. Proper soldiers, all of them!¡± Rolvar sounded happier than I¡¯d ever heard him. Not to let my misgivings show, I nodded.

    ¡°Strong arms and good steel won¡¯t be wasted here. What about the Vigilants? Have any of them come to help?¡± The mages were honestly the more valuable reinforcements, sixty soldiers could have been drawn up from the locals. Maybe the Stormcloaks were better trained, but I¡¯d seen firsthand that martial training didn¡¯t mean shit against magic.

    ¡°None yet, but it¡¯s a long ride. You should see the Jarl, he¡¯s been talking about introducing you to the Stormcloak commander since they arrived.¡± Rolvar stepped away, much to Karliene¡¯s dismay, and waved us into town.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see him soon, we have some injured men that we need Jori to see to. I¡¯ll be on my way to the Jarl as soon as they¡¯re taken care of.¡± I nodded to Rolvar, and whistled for the dogs to start forwards again. The rising townspeople made way for us, not eager to be run over by a mess of sleds.

    To say Faralda was angry was like saying Winterhold was a bit smaller than it used to be. The Altmer bristled as I approached, raised her voice when I explained what I needed, and was on the verge of flinging a spell when I told her I was going in regardless of what she thought.

    ¡°Johannes!¡± A familiar voice called from the bridge. Jori was trotting along, a somewhat confused look crossed his face when he saw Faralda¡¯s hand smoldering.

    ¡°Jori, just the man I needed. Remember that research you were doing for our friend? I have some unfortunate victims that might need a bit of a solution to that problem that doesn¡¯t involve burning alive.¡± I pointed to the long sleds the wounded had piled up on. Jori narrowed his eyes, cocked his head, then recognition flashed in his eyes.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh! Of course, um¡­ Faralda, unless we want a vampire outbreak on the doorstep of the college, it¡¯d be best to let the wounded men inside.¡± Jori leaned close to quietly disclose the nature of the sickness they were suffering from. Faralda balked, started to form an angry rebuttal, but thought better of it as her eyes tracked the number of armored Nords she had already irritated. I looked over them my self, several men already had hands on pommels and grips, Riga had taken a careful step in front of the twins, both had their bows strung.

    ¡°For the good of the College, and the people of Winterhold, I will¡ª¡± Her face contorted like someone had just branded her. ¡°¡ªmake an exception.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the smartest thing I¡¯ve heard you say Faralda. All of you injured, come with me. Leave your weapons, all of them, or you¡¯ll answer to me. Not even a dagger, understand?¡± I looked to the skeptical nords. Faralda was everything they hated about mages. An arrogant elf, wielding power they couldn¡¯t understand or match by their arm, that would have left the poor and the unfortunate out to die to protect her snooty little club. One by one, they started piling up blades, clubs, axes, and everything else that could be perceived as a weapon.

    ¡°Good, come on now. The rest of you, head to the Jarl¡¯s hall and get something to eat, find a bed, whatever you need. Riga, could you pass along that bag of things we wanted to give to Jori? I¡¯ll be around soon.¡± I dismissed the rest. Riga looked jealous, she had asked a thousand questions about the college after my first visit. I promised her that I would ask Master Mirabelle if she could come along next time I saw her.

    Jori led us across the bridge, through the courtyard, and into the great tower to the right, The Hall of Countenance if my memory served. We made it a few steps inside when an older man was nearly trampled by our troop.

    ¡°Oof! Jori, what¡¯s the¡­ Jori, who are these men, and why were they allowed on College grounds?¡± The man smoothed out his ruffled robes, a curious eye measuring us up.

    ¡°They¡¯re the First Ranger¡¯s men. They encountered a vampire, these men need to be examined to be sure they weren¡¯t infected. First Ranger Johannes has been allowed to come and go as he pleases, and with the exceptional circumstance, Faralda allowed them in. I¡¯m taking them to the apothecary.¡± Jori made a quick, nervous explanation.

    ¡°Vampirism you say? How interesting! I was quite the alchemist in my days as a student here, I tell you! Everyone used to come to me for focus potions before an examination. Oh, the septims I made¡­¡± The old man chuckled to himself, still blocking our way.

    ¡°And? Were you going somewhere with that?¡± I asked the elderly mage. That seemed to snap him out of his recollections.

    ¡°Oh! Right, my apologies. I meant to offer my help with a cure if any of your men should need it. Disease cures are a trivial thing, if you¡¯d like the help. Where are my manners, I¡¯m Tolfdir, instructor for Alteration here at the college.¡± The wizened old man put a hand out to me.

    ¡°Johannes, thank you sir, we¡¯d appreciate that. Wouldn¡¯t we?¡± I looked to the nords. They feigned enthusiasm.

    ¡°Oh, of course Master Mage!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d be in his debt, surely.¡±

    ¡°Well then, after our friend Jori here. To the apothecary!¡± Tolfdir let out an amused chuckle, like dealing with six possible vampires was just a fun diversion. I liked him. The area we were led to had beds, alchemy and medical implements on one side, and a wall full of stained glass windows on the other with a door in the middle.

    ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we see our guests to a comfortable rest. Pick a bed, any bed, Jori or I will be around to see to you.¡± Tolfdir raised a hand, and lit two hanging braziers with arcane orbs. They released soft golden light, it was warm and felt natural. It reminded me of home, a scorching sun on endless plains of grass and the occasional cedar or pine forest.

    Four of the men immediately recoiled, trying to shield their eyes. Clever old man, that was certainly a way to get a diagnosis. Tolfdir chuckled again, waved his hand to replace the little suns, and soft moonlight bathed the room in a blue white. Jori had taken up six small vials, and a small blade. The scholar wasn¡¯t very smart, at least in practical terms. I had to jump between him and the first man he approached.

    ¡°Easy Jori, why don¡¯t you explain what we¡¯re going to do before you come up to a man, a man who just fought for his life, with a knife.¡± I took the knife from him. The Seacrest man settled a touch, but still eyed the mage with suspicion.

    ¡°Right, sorry for that. I need a small, a very small, amount of blood from each of you. Just enough to fill these little vials. I have a potion that is made to counter vampires, you might have seen the Ranger use it. If it attacks your blood, you¡¯re infected. We¡¯ll have a potion brewed up to cure it before lunch.¡± Jori spoke to the room. Tolfdir was already plucking ingredients from the cabinets above an alchemy kit.

    I went around to the men one by one, making small cuts for Jori to collect the blood. One perked up almost immediately when we bled the first, his nose twitching. It was a good thing we¡¯d come back straight away, I didn¡¯t much like the evidence of how fast the disease could take root. Once we had our samples, Jori took out his bottle of golden light, and tested each in turn.

    ¡°You, Grimvald wasn¡¯t it? You said the vampire barely scratched you.¡± I asked as his blood sample burned. He hadn¡¯t even needed any help from Riga or I, it looked like a cat scratch.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, hardly touched me. Didn¡¯t seem like I should speak up when you asked about injuries, but I thought it best.¡± The man confirmed. Every single one of the samples burned. Jori, Tolfdir and I shared a concerned look. The elder wizard beckoned us to his work over the cauldron.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯m no expert on vampires, but I thought that it was actually a fairly difficult disease to contract. Most of what I¡¯ve read in my years say a proper bite, or ingesting their blood is required. Isn¡¯t that the conventional wisdom Jori?¡± Tolfdir deferred to the Vigilant.

    ¡°Yes, it is. All the books I¡¯ve read suggest the infection rate from claws and some forms of vampiric magic is one in ten, even less for minor exposure. Only one of these men was bitten, Grimvald¡¯s scratch hardly broke the skin. Johannes, how powerful was this vampire?¡± Jori seemed extremely concerned.

    ¡°He was what you¡¯d call a Blooded. No new creature, but not a master, probably not strong enough to start his own coven. There¡¯s dozens of different sorts of vampires though¡­ a book, I can¡¯t remember the name¡­¡± Something buzzed in my head furiously, there was a book about all the known vampires, surely they¡¯d have it here in the library.

    ¡°Immortal Blood! It was written sometime before the Oblivion crisis, there¡¯s a man, a man named¡ª¡± I stopped my self as the memory finally unlocked. The man in that book was real. It was written like fiction, but the book was a true account, and the victim was here in Skyrim, turned predator.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°A man named?¡± They both noticed the abrupt halt. I turned to my bag, and the bag of tomes Riga had handed over. I pulled the bloody sack out of my ruck, and handed it to Jori. He opened it and gagged. Tolfdir took a look, let out a hrumph and took the bag from the younger mage. I searched through the tomes, looking for something that might be a journal. Tucked against the side, there were two thinner books, bound in simple brown leather, and lacking a proper, printed title.

    Opening them, I saw that they weren¡¯t written in any alphabet I could read. I handed one to Jori, and one to Tolfdir. ¡°Can either of you read these?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Bretic! It¡¯s not a dialect I¡¯ve seen, but I do know enough of the language to be dangerous! Jori, be a good student and watch the potion, would you?¡± Tolfdir sat in a chair, flipping through the pages of the journal. Jori handed the other journal back, shaking his head.

    ¡°Master Tolfdir, could you look for the name Movarth? In signatures, maybe a self aggrandizing passage about ruling the world, you know, psychotic vampire things.¡± I thought back to the attempted monologue. That drew a full laugh out of the old man.

    ¡°Just Tolfdir is fine, Ranger Johannes. I¡¯ll see about it, but it may be written differently than it would have been in Common.¡± Tolfdir went about his search, humming a tune. I told the injured men to get some rest, and that we¡¯d have the potion brewed up soon.

    ¡°Jori, have you gotten a response from Adalvald?¡± I took a seat next to him.

    ¡°Two days ago, a courier left me a letter at the tavern. Adalvald said that he¡¯d been able to gather three others, good men and women. With some luck, he¡¯d meet two that are supposed to be around Windhelm. Keeper Carcette may send more behind him, but four vigilants is already a huge commitment. Last I was told, we were celebrating a hundred and fifty across all of Skyrim. I¡¯ve been the lone Vigilant assigned to Winterhold for five years now.¡± Jori kept his voice quiet.

    ¡°Seven Vigilants would be a boon well and above anything I expected as it is.¡± It was great news, especially if the extra two could be found.

    ¡°But that only makes six¡­¡± Jori seemed confused.

    ¡°Uh, you, that¡¯s seven.¡± I tapped on his head with my knuckles. Jori swatted my hand away.

    ¡°Right.¡± Jori looked slightly embarrassed, and nervous.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I just haven¡¯t been on the roads for a long time. The Vigilants have always needed me digging up information in the Arcaneum, or working on potions, or finding forgotten magic. I haven¡¯t actually fought since I came to the college.¡± Jori was focused on the bubbling cauldron.

    ¡°So? I¡¯ll spar with you, I¡¯m sure that a few other mages around here could run you through a refresher course too. You¡¯ve got to have a copy of Magic Fighting For Dummies around here somewhere.¡± I tried to encourage him. It wasn¡¯t the best news.

    ¡°Magic Fighting For¡­ Oh.¡± Jori realized it was a joke. ¡°I¡¯ve trained in my magic, to be sure that it works and to figure out how difficult it is. A mage that doesn¡¯t do magic is just a scholar with an obnoxious title. I meant that I haven¡¯t actually been in a real life or death fight. I came to the college for a reason.¡± Jori looked away again, but there was something vacant in his eyes.

    ¡°I know that look, I¡¯ve held that look before. You can¡¯t stop fighting, the world won¡¯t let you. If you want to imprison yourself in this place, you¡¯re giving up the rest of your life. You¡¯re coming with me to fight, even if I have to drag you behind the damn sled. Doesn¡¯t do any good to have the best read Vigilant cooped up in a stone box when there are literally dozens of threats coming out of the woodwork. You said it yourself, there aren¡¯t enough Vigilants to deal with all of it. We can¡¯t have you sitting around.¡± I took a harder line, one where there wasn¡¯t much space for him to wriggle around the point.

    ¡°I know that! You¡¯d think there¡¯d be a lot more Vigilants with all those threats, wouldn¡¯t you? People joining the cause because something terrible attacked their farm or village? They do, thirty new initiates joined the same year that I did. Ten of us are still alive Johannes. Ten.¡± Jori snapped, his usually reserved, cautious demeanor thrown by the wayside. There was a real fire in him if it was stoked right. Maybe it was immoral, goading him into what I wanted, but if he liked calling himself a Vigilant he had to actually get out there to look around.

    ¡°Settle, settle. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to take away from the things you¡¯ve seen, fought, and survived. Don¡¯t take what I¡¯m about to say the wrong way. I¡¯m not trying to pin it on someone else, but nine of us died to take down that vampire on the coast. We were completely out of our depth going into that barrow, dealing with the traps, the draugr. You being there probably wouldn¡¯t have saved some of them, but if we¡¯d stopped that vampire before he had a chance to run for the surface, five good men and a young girl would still be alive to fight the next battle.¡± Anger was a response I could work with. Jori was afraid, or maybe guilty, but that meant he knew that he should be out there, he should be fighting. The mage slammed his hand down on the table, any pretense of quiet argument gone.

    ¡°Not trying to pin it on someone else? It sure sounds like you¡¯re blaming those deaths on me! That if I¡¯d been around to use my magic and fix everything with a wave of my hand, the vampire would have died before it could hurt anyone. That¡¯s what you¡¯re saying Johannes, and that is putting the blame on me!¡± Jori howled. That was the expected result, but something clicked in my head at his words. It was something that forced me to deal with all the gristly truths I¡¯d been trying to ignore, and all the worries I slept away. I couldn¡¯t help but be mad right back.

    ¡°No it is not! It¡¯s my damn fault Jori, It¡¯s mine! I took thirty some odd people on a half baked mission to take out a necromancer, and maybe capture one of the Mer Kin. I don¡¯t know what the hell I¡¯m doing half the time, most decisions I make are a hunch on some fragmented memory I barely understand. I¡¯m fucking broken, I know some things, I don¡¯t know others, and I don¡¯t know why! I¡¯ve got a barely competent Jarl pinning all the hopes for his hold on my back. I¡¯ve got these horrid visions of things that are going to happen if I fuck it up, and nobody, not a single fucking one of you in this entire god damned place was doing a fucking thing about it before I came along. Do you realize how stupid that is? A college full of the most talented mages for a thousand miles in any direction, NOBODY DOING A FUCKING THING! A Jarl with most of the power of a king, hundreds of men across the place he could call up for service and a whole armory to equip them with! DRINKING IT ALL AWAY! LIKE IT WILL JUST BLOW OVER! The two men who claim to be rightful rulers of Skyrim, giving a single shit about a major hold before it reaches a boiling point? IMPOSSIBLE! There are at least six different fucking groups that could have gotten their shit together and solved this before now, before it became a crisis threatening thousands, THOUSANDS, of people. And at the end of the day who¡¯s the one spearheading the effort? A random fuckin¡¯ nobody with brain damage.¡± Jori didn¡¯t deserve the tirade, it wasn¡¯t anger at him.

    The situation I found my self in, being responsible for a whole lot of people, the focal point of unfucking all of Winterhold, was the one I¡¯d been worried about when the Jarl offered me the job. I¡¯d told my self that it¡¯d just be a few bandits, a bad mage here and there, then it¡¯d be smooth sailing after the right people got hung. Discovering that it was actually a conspiracy of well educated rogue mages employing a coordinated network of brigands as their proxies? That had not been part of the plan. Two village chiefs were dead, dozens of civilians, and a growing number of soldiers. To top it all off, even if I was successful in wiping out those rogue mages it¡¯d probably kick off a race war when the local nords found out it was all elves that had done it. What was a little bit of genocide against people that had absolutely nothing to do with what they were blamed for?

    Some of it could be my fault, some it sure as shit wasn¡¯t. Fenrik and that young girl would still be alive if I¡¯d had a better plan than launching a frontal assault against a fortified position. Hrolfin would be alive if I¡¯d been more aggressive in my first patrols and wiped out those bandits before they left for their raid. Of course, they¡¯d also probably still be alive if that fucking fool Korir knew the first thing about stomping away raiders and insurgents. Jorman and twenty guards probably could have carved a devastating chunk out of the bandits months ago if he¡¯d been allowed. I was torn away from my thoughts when Jori finally said something. I hadn¡¯t even noticed that he¡¯d been shocked quiet by the outburst.

    ¡°Nothing that you said is wrong. Plenty of people are to blame for this mess before you are Johannes. You¡¯re doing what I should have done the second Milek stole those tomes, what the college should have done to clean up our own mess. Jarl Korir should have been concerned with it long before you turned up. And for your point about me going to help you, you¡¯re right. More than likely, I could have waved my hand and fixed things. Everything you fought in that tomb was undead, wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve spent the past five years learning the best ways to destroy them.¡± Jori¡¯s anger had settled, he was a more reasonable man than I was. I still had the urge to keep screeching about it all. Thankfully I was a touch too old, and a touch too self conscious of the other mage in the room.

    Tolfdir had closed the journal, and was listening intently. The men in the beds were pretending to still be asleep, but I knew they¡¯d heard it all too. I¡¯d been very carefully trying not to let on too much about what I really thought about the whole mess. Avoiding topics, picking answers, trying to keep it straight between what I knew, and what other people knew that I knew. Now I¡¯d messed that up pretty much completely, with a strange mage to boot. The only way it could be worse was if¡­ There she was, right on cue to cement the tremendous error I¡¯d made.

    ¡°Master Mirabelle! I¡¯d hoped you would come our way. First Ranger Johannes has brought us a most fascinating exercise.¡± Tolfdir acted as if I hadn¡¯t just thrown a shrieking fit like a toddler, gracefully taking control of the conversation before Mirabelle could get a word in.

    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard. Faralda said it was six possible vampires. Do we know how many are afflicted?¡± Mirabelle was calm in conversation, but awkward in body language. She hadn¡¯t looked at me but for a moment when she came in, and seemed to be making a point of it not to look at me again.

    ¡°All six of them Master. We have a potion brewing, enough to cure all of them, and leave some left over. Ranger Johannes killed the beast that infected them, but I think it would be best to have some extra stock on hand.¡± Jori pointed to the cauldron.

    ¡°A good plan, set the remainder into doses fit for curing the early stages of vampirism. Johannes, those are yours, I expect you¡¯ll need them. Jori, consider this a special assignment you can do to make up for the alchemy ingredients you¡¯ve used up around here. I want two hundred doses ready before you leave, you can use the bulk brewing cauldron in the Hall of Elements.¡± Mirabelle didn¡¯t falter, not one single bit, but she¡¯d given up her hand. She¡¯d heard not just the yelling, but probably our whole conversation before it. Jori wasn¡¯t so quick in conversation, he¡¯d probably realize it in a few hours, or when he laid down to sleep.

    ¡°Of course Master Mirabelle.¡± Jori went to jot down the order on a piece of paper, Tolfdir raised an eye brow at me. He may have been old, but that just meant he¡¯d had a very long time to hone his mind. Mirabelle caught that and decided that looking at me was inevitable.

    ¡°Thank you Master Mirabelle, I appreciate the help. I¡¯ll take anything I can get.¡± Jori knocked something over on the table, he must have realized her slip up with that prompt. Mirabelle nodded.

    ¡°The Arcaneum is open to you, if it would help your endeavor. I have a short list of books that might help with vampires, if Jori hasn¡¯t read them already.¡± Tolfdir and I both grinned at that.

    ¡°Once I have the time, I¡¯ll certainly take you up on it. I do have a favor to ask, if I could.¡± That caught Mirabelle¡¯s attention. She was probably thinking it was about sending someone along to help me.

    ¡°Yes? Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°The girl, Riga, she¡¯s learned some magic, and she has a thousand questions for me anytime the College is brought up. I hoped that you might let her on the grounds, to see the school. Once this business is done, I think she¡¯d make an excellent student.¡± There was no point pretending like Mirabelle hadn¡¯t heard the full extent of what we were up to.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any harm in it. Tell her to be at the gate, just after dawn tomorrow. Unless you have business with her, she could spend some time as a student before you go out again.¡± Mirabelle actually smiled. She probably saw a bit of herself in Riga. They both had iron spines and the wit to rival it, if their magic was anything to go on.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be there.¡±

    ¡°I look forwards to it. I¡¯ll leave you to your work. Tolfdir, your first class is starting on the hour.¡± Mirabelle looked to a clock I hadn¡¯t noticed. It was the first one I¡¯d seen.

    ¡°Ah! Of course. I was on my way to prepare the lesson when I ran into Jori. I¡¯ll be on it Master Wizard. Ranger Johannes, a pleasure to meet you, and best of luck. I¡¯ll stop by to check on your men here after the noon break. Good day.¡± Tolfdir smiled, shook my hand again, and followed Mirabelle out the door. That just left Jori and I.

    ¡°Sorry for the yelling. The rest of that bag is for you, but I also have to go. The Jarl will have heard that I¡¯m back by now, and he won¡¯t be happy if I keep him waiting.¡± I made a curt nod to the mage.

    ¡°You said what you needed to say. I¡¯ll be ready to leave when it¡¯s time. Go on, I¡¯ll keep my eye on these men here.¡± Jori patted the small knife I¡¯d used to take the blood, it had a gold sheen on the blade now. It was an unfortunate precaution, but an understandable one.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back tonight to check on them. Thanks for this Jori.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the job of the Vigilants, and the right thing to do. Doesn¡¯t hurt to keep the Jarl¡¯s Ranger on side either.¡± He grinned. At least he hadn¡¯t taken anything personally. I waved and made my way out. Now it was time for the second uncomfortable conversation of the day.

 Chapter Twenty: The Bear, The Crown, The Hound

    ¡°Johannes! Come here good man!¡± Korir bellowed across his hall the second I came into sight. A few guards and some of my company were sitting around the tables, a drumming of hands started. It was praise I didn¡¯t deserve. Pyrrhic victories shouldn¡¯t be celebrated.

    ¡°Jarl Korir.¡± I bowed as I reached the table. The Jarl had his hand out, I took it and was pulled into a firm shake.

    ¡°Sit, sit down! Your men told me the short version of the story, Lodor here has grown like a weed from the last time I saw him, my father still ruled then.¡± Jarl Korir motioned to the young man. He turned an awkward shade of red.

    ¡°I suppose they want me to tell the long version then.¡± I took a seat across from the Jarl. Korir motioned for one of the serving girls, she hurried over with a pitcher of sweet smelling mead. For once, I took the tankard without hesitation.

    ¡°That¡¯d be a good start, what happened exactly?¡± Korir was excited, he¡¯d probably only heard the good parts.

    ¡°We found the source of the skeletons plaguing the eastern shores, I enlisted the help of the men at Frozen Wharf and Seacrest, and we planned our attack for nightfall. I took a force by sea to the mouth of a cave, your thegn, Fenrik, took the Seacrest men by dog sled to cut off any possible escape. His force cleared the cliffs of archers and set a defensive perimeter. I took the men from Icehome and the men of Frozen Wharf into the cave. We battered our way through a paltry guard of skeletons, and found a barrow.¡± I paused there to take a drink.

    ¡°A barrow? The things are like skeevers, look into any dark hole and you¡¯ll find one.¡± Apparently my company hadn¡¯t told the Jarl anything, unless he was just being polite.

    ¡°It was fairly small, we solved the puzzle to enter and found ourselves in a long hall. The draugr ambushed us there. One man died to a spike trap, he was from Frozen Wharf. We beat back the undead, and made our way deeper. The draugr were waiting for us, and they lit two of my men on fire with an oil lantern. We kept on, and made our way to the puzzle door, into the main chamber of the barrow. That¡¯s where things went wrong. It was a vampire inside.¡± The way that Jarl Korir¡¯s face paled, I was sure that nobody had told him even the slightest specifics.

    ¡°A vampire? What did you do? Is it dead?¡± At least the damned imbecile had a proper fear of the wretched things.

    ¡°Dead as a door nail, but that part came later. He sacrificed a woman, we took her body back to Frozen Wharf hoping someone could identify her. The arrogant scum tried to gloat, so I set him on fire with the magic Jori taught me. He ran away, and sent the skeletons to fight. We fought through them, skeletons aren¡¯t too much trouble. It was the damned Draugr inside the tomb chamber. A big one named Gronvir rose up. He shouted, not yelling, a dragon shout, like the old dragonborn did. He knocked me off the stairs, Angven too. Gromm and the Icehome men stopped the draugr from overrunning us immediately, but that big bastard¡­¡± I killed the rest of the tankard, and shook it for the serving girl.

    ¡°He knocked all four of them down the stairs, would have killed a few if it hadn¡¯t been for Jorn. I hit Gronvir with a spell, Jorn used the opportunity to take a swing. Angven stabbed the big beast in the leg and brought him down to his knees. The bastard let off another shout right before Jorn could take his head off. Knocked Jorn back and ran him through with a sword. Lodor took the draugr¡¯s head with that axe on his belt a second later. Jorn lived, but he¡¯ll need a few days to recover.¡± I paused again once the girl had refilled my drink.

    ¡°A few days? You must have fed him one of those health potions then.¡± Korir was irritatingly ignorant of the tools he had at his fingertips. He¡¯d grown up in the shadow of a legendary school of magic, so had all these other nords. I wondered how many of them had died because nobody knew a simple healing spell.

    ¡°That, and all the healing magic I could manage. If it hadn¡¯t been for both, Jorn would have died. By the time I got Jorn stable, the vampire had escaped. We chased after him but the damage was done. Fenrik is dead, so are four of his men and a girl barely old enough to look at boys.¡± Yeah, nobody had wanted to break that news to the Jarl. His intrigued, still mostly positive demeanor melted in a heart beat. The tankard in his hand flew across the hall, his chair kicked across the floor.

    ¡°Bastards! I¡¯ll have their damned heads on spikes!¡± I¡¯d seen Korir angry, but nothing like this. Jorman leaned over the table while the Jarl was busily destroying everything in reach.

    ¡°Fenrik was his lifeguard when he was a boy, they were close friends. You¡¯re sure he¡¯s dead?¡± Jorman spoke softly.

    ¡°Shredded by the vampire. He played a big part in killing it, but it was too little to save his own life.¡± Jorman shook his head. I could tell that to Jarl Korir, that alone was the biggest catastrophe of the mission.

    ¡°So his line dies. Fenrik¡¯s first wife died trying to bring their son into the world, the boy didn¡¯t make it either. He only took a new wife at the Jarl¡¯s insistence. What of Kalor? Where is he?¡± Jorman was keeping an eye on the Jarl, who had gone after an expensive looking cabinet.

    ¡°Rounding up a troop of soldiers to meet us on the march to Ash Watch. They should still have twenty or so men fit to fight. I took six of them to the College, every one of them was cursed by the vampire, but they¡¯ll make a full recovery with the help of the mages.¡± Jorman took that in stride. He was as biased as any Nord against the mystics, but he could appreciate the utility. Jorman was pragmatic as any career soldier ought to be.

    ¡°How many are you expecting to join you? We have one hundred here.¡± Jorman nodded his head towards a table of guards I didn¡¯t recognize.

    ¡°Thirty two fighting men including my self, eight mages if the Vigilants live up to their word. I¡¯d call it thirty six.¡± Who knew that helping out the villagers was a good way to build up a fighting force in a short time? I¡¯d sure as shit done more for them in a month than Korir had in years.

    ¡°Good, very good. I¡¯d better make sure the Jarl doesn¡¯t destroy any more priceless heirlooms of the hold.¡± Jorman nodded, and went to wrangle in the noble. One other man I didn¡¯t recognize was still sitting at the table, dressed in furs. He noticed me looking at him.

    ¡°Ranger, I¡¯m Kai Wet-Pommel, Jarl Ulfric¡¯s man. You killed a draugr lord?¡± He was big, arms like oak branches, and an axe larger than my own was leaning against the table next to him.

    ¡°Lodor killed it, we all helped.¡± I put the credit where it was due.

    ¡°But they were following you when they killed it, your command. You would have put the thing down if it weren¡¯t for the power of its Thu¡¯um.¡± Kai used a word I knew, but hadn¡¯t remembered yet.

    ¡°Maybe, I might have gotten split in half. We killed it, and Jorn nearly died trying. I wouldn¡¯t have liked my chances at taking it on alone.¡± Kai shrugged.

    ¡°Draugr Lords were heroes once, four on one is a fair fight. You¡¯re the one that¡¯s uncovered this whole mess here. What do you think is waiting for us at Ash Watch?¡± Kai put a hand on the haft of his axe, running fingers over a carven bear head.

    ¡°Dead men, bandits, and their masters. Do you have scouts watching the ways east?¡± If he did, he¡¯d be more competent than most of the people I¡¯d met.

    ¡°Aye, on fast horses. We¡¯ll know when the scum march. Jarl Ulfric has another company patrolling the western shore of the White River before the tundra. There¡¯s only two good places to cross the river north of there, and only one good path through the mountains for as many wagons as you said there¡¯d be. My wolf hearts will shadow them.¡± He was exceptionally competent, from a command perspective at least.

    ¡°If you have that many scouts looking, do you think it would be possible to know when they¡¯re fording, and hit them with sled raiders? They¡¯ll be vulnerable in a narrow choke like that. Every one of my men will be on sleds, snow cavalry.¡± That brought a smile to Kai¡¯s face.

    ¡°Our infantry won¡¯t catch them until too late, but my best men came by horse. We could press them against the river before they¡¯re ready, maybe even rout the bandits.¡± Kai¡¯s lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Thirty or so from me, how many horsemen do you have?¡±

    ¡°Fifteen to ride with us. The Jarl here has a few good horses. We can run them down with fifty, round about.¡± Kai and I discussed further details of the plan for an hour or so.

    He wasn¡¯t enthused to hear about the possibility of undead marching with the bandits, but he did like the idea that it meant they¡¯d probably march by night. It made them vulnerable on the flat snow between the mountains and the river. It basically shook out to his men taking the role of lancers, while my troop would slide in behind them to rain arrows and magic into the confused bandits. A single pass like that could kill off thirty or forty of them. With the forty bandits we¡¯d killed already, there was a good chance that we could shatter them with a strike like that.

    Kai had gone off to talk with his men about the new plan while I waited around the hall for the Jarl. Idle time and plentiful drink was a dangerous combination. The drunken disgruntled thoughts that wouldn¡¯t abate did lead to me sliding some puzzle pieces together. Lodor was commiserating with me when it struck.

    ¡°Lodor, when did that vampire show up in the tavern at Frozen Wharf?¡± Cogs were spinning, slowly.

    ¡°A month or so before you did. Why?¡±

    ¡°A month or so ago we killed a bandit spy here in Winterhold. We asked him a bunch, searched his quarters, turned his whole life upside down to shake out answers, but he¡¯d burned all of it. Riga¡­ never mind, but we know bandits were passing letters through the tavern here. It¡¯d take a few days walking to Frozen Wharf.¡± We hadn¡¯t been looking for bretons when we were sniffing out a spy. The Jarl had mentioned we were going to slaughter the western bandits in his announcement before the feast.

    ¡°You think you missed one then? The vampire I mean. What does that matter now? They¡¯re both dead.¡± Lodor seemed confused.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the vampire might have gotten a letter out. Come on, we have a courier to find.¡± I stood, slightly wobbly on my feet. With some luck, the Dunmer I¡¯d interrogated would be in town again. He¡¯d told me that Winterhold was his mid-month stop, so I had probably missed him already.

    The tavern wasn¡¯t very busy, most people that would have been drinking their troubles away had been put to work by the Jarl¡¯s deal with the Rift. It was a marked improvement, new goat pens had been built around the edges of town, a village a bit to the east had a wharf for fishing boats that were being built with the Jarl¡¯s coin and timber cut by men the Jarl hired. Maybe I was a bit too harsh on Korir, he was doing some things right.

    ¡°Dagur, is that Dunmer around? The courier I mean. He stays here when he¡¯s in town, doesn¡¯t he?¡± I walked up to the bar man.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen him lately Ranger, usually he¡¯s here by now. May be an elf but he braves the cold like a proper son of Skyrim, not even the blizzards would usually slow him down so much. A day, two? He¡¯s almost a week late.¡± Dagur explained, before reaching under the counter to offer an ale. I waved it off, my time for a drunken stupors was all used up.

    ¡°You tell him to find me if he comes round Dagur.¡± I patted the bar top before I turned to leave. Lodor was still confused.

    ¡°Johannes, what¡¯s all this about?¡± Lodor asked as we walked back to the Jarl¡¯s house.

    ¡°We¡¯ve killed or captured a lot of bandits Lodor. Think it¡¯s coincidence that a vampire starts calling up skeletons out of the sea right when the Jarl sends out a party to kill the hired help?¡± Lodor didn¡¯t know the whole story yet, about the kinds of tomes that Milek had been looking for. That vampire had been able to command the draugr, or at least get by them without being attacked. It wouldn¡¯t bother a vampire at all to travel by night like the undead would need.

    ¡°Wait, hold on. Are you saying the vampire was replacing their losses?¡± Lodor was starting to understand, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure it was about replacing losses rather than just growing their army. It was all a drunken hunch. We made it to the Jarl¡¯s door when I¡¯d thought up an answer.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the Jarl¡¯s map, I want to show you something.¡± We had markers for where people had gone missing, where the bandit attacks were, where the undead were sighted, and dates for them too. The Jarl wasn¡¯t yelling and breaking things, but he wasn¡¯t in the main hall either. Gromm was up though, chatting with Tolin the guard.

    ¡°Gromm, Tolin, I need some sober eyes to look at something and tell me if I¡¯m crazy.¡± I called over to them as I kept on for the war room. The pair shared a funny look, but hurried up behind me. Luck was on my side, maybe, when we went got to the map. Jorman and the Jarl were looking over it, discussing something.

    ¡°Ranger, I was just about to send for you. Sorry for my¡­ my indiscretions earlier.¡± Jarl Korir put it politely.

    ¡°It happens to the best of us Jarl, I had to do a bit of screaming and shrieking this morning too. I don¡¯t mean to interrupt, but I think we might have a problem. A very big problem.¡± I strode over to the map. The Jarl wasn¡¯t pleased at the news, but waved for me to go on before finding a chair.

    ¡°Here, at Mountain¡¯s Seat, we had a report of two people, a man and his son, going missing sometime around the fifth of Evening Star. A week later, a logging camp was attacked in the night here, one missing, three dead. The survivors said the wounds were like a troll had done it, but the noises didn¡¯t sound like a troll and a blizzard was blowing through, so no tracks to follow. One week later, we catch Malur as the bandit spy, two days later a man says his wife is missing from this village a days walk to our east. Jorman, you went to investigate that, was there any sign of bandits, skeletons, anything?¡± I had connected three points meandering towards Frozen Wharf, at the right time.

    ¡°Nothing, but there were wolf tracks where I thought she should have been. The man said his wife had gone to collect herbs in the forest not far from their home, he was out fishing, plenty of people saw him. Where are you taking this?¡± Jorman was keenly interested, probably because I¡¯d indirectly claimed that he missed something.

    ¡°Around that time is when the people of Frozen Wharf said a strange Breton, the vampire we killed, showed up. A week later, skeleton attacks in Sea Crest and Frozen Wharf. The vampire had a woman captive. Riga looked her over before we wrapped up the body, she had wounds from the vampire feeding on her.¡± That drew a disgusted scowl from everyone present.

    ¡°You think that vampire did all of this, all of these attacks? Why so long between them though? He could have made it to Frozen Wharf before the new year.¡± Jarl Korir had a point, but I had the answer.

    ¡°Everyone has told me that there are ancient barrows absolutely riddling the mountains. Dozens at least, more likely hundreds. Mountain Seat and the logging camp are nestled in the foothills, how far do you think the nearest barrow is to any of them? It can¡¯t be more than a few miles.¡± Jorman and Lodor tensed up, realizing exactly the point I was getting at.

    ¡°Blood sucking bastard! If he had two weeks to ransack through them Johannes¡ª¡± I held up a hand to cut Lodor off for the benefit of those who hadn¡¯t gotten it.

    ¡°Jarl, that vampire had some measure of control over the draugr in the barrow outside Frozen Wharf. Lodor was about to say it, but he could have handed over hundreds of undead to the necromancers. We know that Milek is working out of a large barrow on the south side of the mountains. Judging on where this trail starts, I¡¯d say it¡¯s nearby Mountain¡¯s Seat. My friends at the college are trying to translate his journals, but it¡¯s an old, rare form of Bretic. We might have a target by the time we stop the ambush on the refugees. There¡¯s also the other barrow we know about to the east, Yngdaril. I think that¡¯s where the vampire intended to end his journey before the ambush.¡± I laid out the far fetched, loosely supported idea I¡¯d come up with. If I was back in my old life, someone would have played the devil¡¯s advocate, correlation not meaning causation, but that didn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°You¡¯ve out-done your self Ranger¡­ you really have.¡± The Jarl put on a slightly forced smile, but there was some genuine emotion in there. I held up my hand, for the last bit of bad news.

    ¡°There¡¯s one other thing. The courier that usually stops by Dagur¡¯s tavern, he¡¯s gone missing. If my memory serves, he left the day after the feast. I think the vampire was here, in Winterhold, when we sniffed out Malur. Dagur says the Courier is never this late, not even with bad storms, and he¡¯s a week overdue. If the vampire sent out a letter warning the Mer Kin that we were going to start targeting the bandits, they may have sent other necromancers to raise bodies from other tombs. We should send messengers to every village, every logging camp, every place we know about that borders the mountains, and ask if they¡¯ve seen anything strange.¡± The assembled men collectively groaned, save for Lodor, he¡¯d already gotten that far.

    ¡°So what are you saying? That the mages have hundreds of corpses ready to fight us? Or that it¡¯s a risk, at least?¡± Jarl Korir was rubbing his temples.

    ¡°That¡¯s the short of it, yes.¡± I¡¯d spared him all the details about how I wasn¡¯t sure if they could move the draugr out of the barrows, or if they¡¯d be stuck raising the other corpses as skeletons, he wouldn¡¯t understand. The draugr weren¡¯t just combat automatons, they had been bound to their barrows for a reason. It was debatable if they were really undead like zombies and skeletons were, or something else.

    ¡°I¡¯d been about to celebrate and offer you a reward for your hard work Johannes, but we¡¯d best save that for later.¡± The Jarl sat back down and reached for a tankard.

    ¡°No sense celebrating when things can still go sideways.¡± I agreed. What the Jarl had thought to give me as a reward was a curious question. Going off what I¡¯d seen of the hold, and how much money I had, the only man liable to be wealthier was the Jarl himself. He didn¡¯t have any enchanted blades or armor, there was no point to give over soldiers or equipment when I¡¯d built my own warband. Whatever it was, it would be better given after this mess was handled.

    There were some questions of logistics, and specific formations for our upcoming march to the river, but most of it didn¡¯t concern me. My job was to act as the leading edge of the force, using the high mobility of the sleds to clear the path ahead and eventually join the Stormcloak cavalry for a raid. The Jarl had been happy to hear that I¡¯d gotten along well with Kai, especially that we¡¯d come up with a plan to break the back of the enemy before they crossed the river.

    I excused my self from the talks once I¡¯d said my piece. I was dead tired after sledding through the night, dealing with the infected men, and everything else. The comforting furs of my bed were calling out to me, and that¡¯s where I was determined to be until dinner.

 Reflections, Questions And Other Projects

    Howdy all y''all, sorry for the tease of a second chapter coming up today. Just wanted to say thanks to all of y''all reading, commenting, rating the story. I''ve posted some of my writing in the past, but I''ve never really gotten a good reception like I have here on Royal Road. Part of that is the platforms I''ve used, a lack of consistency on my end, and the fact that a lot of my early stuff really was hot garbage. I didn''t expect to get any traction at all with this story, but I wrote the first 15 Chapters up to Frozen Coast before I started posting. It surprised me the other day when I checked the follower count to see that we''d jumped from ~50 to 81, now it''s sitting at 109 as I''m typing this.

    With that being said, some of the lateness with chapters lately has been me scrambling to write, edit, go back and re-write, edit again to get the chapters out when I said they''d be out. Not to criticize any other authors on the platform, but I do write bigger, more substantiative chapters than a lot of the other stories get. Keeping up with 2500-4500 words twice a week, working 40 hours, and running a table top game on the weekends hasn''t left a lot of time for anything else to be honest. I''m enjoying writing this story, so this isn''t some sort of soft disclosure that I''m going to up and disappear, just that sometimes the chapters will be late. That leads into the other thing I want to get at.

    I kid you not, I''ve written well over two million words in the past four years of writing. I started off with a very rough, crudely planned, shitpost of a sci-fi story called Shadows In The Belt back in 2020. I had posted that on here right about whenever my account was made, but deleted it before posting Iceborn. It really wasn''t reflective of my writing quality, or the universe it was supposed to be set in anymore, because I''ve mostly finished a second story in that universe, Hard Knock Life. That story isn''t as good as Iceborn is either, but it''s miles, miles above Shadows or any earlier writing. I''ve got six or seven different variants of LitRPG story with a big chunk of words (50K-100K) written on them, I''ve got three more traditional Sci-fi/Fantasy stories, I''ve got two of those LitRPG''s converted to not be LitRPG''s, it''s a whole dumpster fire in my writing folder.

    With all of that writing just kind of sitting there, I want to try posting some original work that isn''t confined into a fan-fiction of a 14 year old game. There''s plenty of variety in what I''ve got to touch something up, and I''ve narrowed it down to a short list of work that I think can be salvaged into something worthwhile. There''ll be a poll down at the bottom of this chapter with a few titles and keywords, whichever one gets the most votes by the end of the month will get back on the docket for a re-write and a chapter every so often. All of these stories have a substantial amount of material already, anywhere from 50-100K words. Below is a short summary of each story''s introduction.

    Hard Knock Life (Non-LitRPG, could be described as a Progression Fic, but not too similar to the stuff on this site, weak to strong MC)

    HKL is set in my own original soft sci-fi Black Skies universe. It follows a 19 year old Richard Dunbar, freshly graduated from Space Mechanic? school, as he signs up for his first job, along with his best friend. Things seem to be looking up for him, he''s got signed on for a big contract, he''s doing what he always dreamed of, and the new guys he meets on the ship are pretty cool. Sadly, as the title suggests, things are not to be so upbeat for long. His ship and crew are ambushed when they arrive at a derelict mining station, leaving Ricky as the sole survivor. Alone, stranded, with nothing but the corpses of his friends to keep him company, he sets to work, determined to escape. He may have survived the ambush physically, but something wrathful starts building in his mind.

    The Blood Games: Corporal Wayland or The Blood Games: Dayne The Deathless

    A bit on the setting here, then we''ll get to the story specifics. The Blood Games are my take on a sort of battle royale LitRPG. Strange entities, some may call them gods, others call them patrons, or a thousand other titles, bring the dead to compete in what can only be described as the Murder Olympics. The Red Handed God, Cane, calls those who have killed a sapient being to his arena when they die. It doesn''t matter if it was an accident, a job, a duty, a crime of passion. The Champions of the Blood Games are killers one and all. The games vary in size and scope, with most being a relatively small affair, but not the games of Wayland and Dayne. They''ve both been called to the Ten Thousandth iteration of the Blood Games. A hundred million champions, fighting it out over twenty thousand years, on a world hundreds of times larger than the earth. They aren''t the only poor souls trapped there though. Monsters, demons, and civilized fodder from a hundred thousand realms of reality have also been slammed into the Games. Only the best five million champions can win, woe to the rest.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Corporal Wayland (FPS / Tactical RTS inspired LitRPG, Relatively High Powered MC)

    Corporal Wayland is a soldier from far into our future, trained to fight in an environment saturated with high technology. He finds himself dropped into a ruined city, overrun by murderous machines. His training kicks in immediately, Survive, Escape, Evade. It doesn''t take long for him to make contact with the enemy, nor does it take long for the drones to be rendered to smoking wrecks. He meets other champions from a time long before his, before the humans of Terra had taken to the stars. Neither of the men he meets are soldiers, just unfortunates dropped into the rubble strewn hellscape with one goal, survival. Slowly, more and more Champions begin to rally around the future commando, seeing a worthy, if callous leader. Fortunately, Wayland can do a lot more than just pull his own weight, provided those other champions make themselves useful.

    Dayne The Deathless (LitRPG, Totally not a rip on Shadow of War, promise. High Power MC, major drawbacks)

    Dayne Reed, a wanted fugitive that was never caught. Before being summoned to the games, he was a man that had wanted to live a normal life, but government bureaucrats pushed him one step too far. When a large construction project was planned to run right over the top of the land his family had lived on for centuries, he refused. A man in fancy slacks and an expensive tie told him it''d be an offense if he stayed, so he shot the paper pusher, and the government agents that came after him. Go big or go home, words that Dayne seemed to live by from there on out, not that he lived very long. A string of assassinations and one bad accident in the woods later, Dayne finds himself brushing dirt and dust off strange clothes, in a deep, dark forest. Psychotic terrorist, or hero against government tyranny, none of that matters anymore. Dayne was raised in the woods, and quickly sets off to find the nearest settlement. Along the way, he comes across a girl, a gnome girl, who turns out to be from the same time as he is, if a little younger. Dayne gets the pair of them to the nearby settlement, and fulfills a very similar role to Johannes in Iceborn, but his dungeon dive goes horribly, horribly wrong.

    Ngl, I lifted a lot of my plot beats for Iceborn from Dayne''s story, and the next one down. If you want more of this kinda stuff, from a different perspective, Dayne and Bastion have you covered.

    Bastion of Malice (Fantasy Isekai, lots of dwarves, diggy diggy. Weak MC with unlimited potential, if he''s willing to kill for it)

    One of the first, if not the first, fantasy stories I tried to write. A man with an unknown past finds himself in a pitch black cavern, stinking of corpses, in a body with strange proportions. He takes a weapon from one of the dead, and realizes it isn''t strictly human. There''s no sign of what killed the band, but that doesn''t seem like a worthwhile thing to investigate. Wandering through the tunnels, our intrepid hero comes to a grand staircase, a true marvel of engineering. It goes up and up and up for what seems like miles, and no sound came back from the rock he kicked off the side. There is a little glimmer of light, the scent of smoke rising up from a deeper level. With the evidence of civilization, there doesn''t seem to be another good path forwards. More than just dwarves are lurking the staircase though, a lesson that the hero learns when he turns in at an abandoned tavern for the night. He doesn''t have a book yet, but the first grudge is made.

    Those are the four stories that I think have legs to stand on their own. They do all kind of bounce off each other, I re-used good ideas from some to reinforce others. Bastion and Dayne influenced a lot of Iceborn''s story so far, distilling those elements into something that fit Skyrim''s setting. A friend of mine told me I''ve been trying to write the same fantasy story for four years, and he really wasn''t wrong. If you''ve read down this far, thanks for stopping by, and I''ll be doing my best to get the next chapter out on Friday. Have a good evening.

 Chapter Twenty One: Quartermastery

    The day after we¡¯d gotten back, I decided to sit down with my growing treasures. Dividing up the loot from the Barrow proved to be somewhat difficult, I¡¯d never had to do more than divide by four until now. Jorman had recommended paying out the loot like a mercenary company would, via shares. He¡¯d explained it as the company itself gets a quarter share of the total, that paid for food, repairs, healing, and new equipment. The captain, me, usually got anywhere from four to ten shares. I opted for six. Veterans of the company, the first to join and those who fought the most battles, got half as many shares as the captain, the rest got one share, and the wounded got two, dead got three.

    A quarter share for the company at large amounted to just over fifteen hundred septims worth of loot. Jorman and a guard familiar with the ancient coins were a tremendous help with that end, they had a good idea of how much everything was worth. The other three quarters of the loot, divided by the seventy three shares I¡¯d come up with, meant each share was sixty five septims. It was quite the pay for one night of work. A ten pound sack of flour, a live chicken, or fifty pounds of firewood all ran about one septim. A wild night at Winterhold¡¯s tavern cost about a septim per person too. Sixty septims was about what an average laborer could expect to make in a month according to the twins, Galteir paid his tannery workers three a day if they hit their marks.

    I came away with three hundred ninety septims worth of loot, but I didn¡¯t take it in coins. For me, it was all soul gems. I may have cheated the company a bit too, because it got most of its share in enchanted items to be distributed out to those best fit to use them. The major objective was to deal with the necromancers, but I was hedging my bets for the future too. I had no intention to let some levy trained farmer from the village of Bumblefuck FrozenArse walk away with an enchanted weapon or a magic ring.

    Those goodies were going towards the men, and woman, that I suspected would follow me down the road to wherever I ended up after this business was done. On that, there had been a little bit of loot for everyone. I¡¯d given a ring to Riga, the weird pop ups had called it the [Ring of The Hawk]. It allowed mages to recover their mana faster, and learn more easily. It was a natural choice, really. Mirabelle had narrowed in on it at once when I walked Riga to the gate of the college. Apparently that specific magic used to enchant things like that had been lost a long time before, and they were quite the prize.

    Though the recipient wasn¡¯t around for it yet, there¡¯d been another ancient ring to hand out. Jorn would get his [Ring of The Bear] whenever his contingent arrived from Frozen Wharf. The bear was Tsun, Nordic god of trials, and shield to the fox, Shor, also known as Lorkhan. The ring had a bolstering effect on the physical might and resilience of the wearer, it made sense for Jorn to get it. Lodor was no slouch, but his older brother stood a full head taller and weighed at least forty pounds more, not to mention his skill with that greatsword he was so fond of. A bit of extra steel plate, and we¡¯d have a proper nordic knight.

    Angven had already gotten his sword, and Anglin hadn¡¯t been far behind his brother in getting something valuable. A cloak had been wrapped up in a sealed jar, with intricate lines of silver threaded in to the black fabric. Despite the fact that it should have been shiny and stick out like a sore thumb against snow, it was damned near impossible to spot the boy when he wanted to be sneaky now. The [Cloak of The Spider] was probably the most valuable thing we¡¯d found in the whole barrow. It caused a blur to form around the wearer, blending into the background. The other side of that was that the cloak imbued a venom into his weapons, so long as his enemy was not aware of him. How that sort of magic worked, I had no idea. Why not just make all of his strikes venomous? How did the cloak know if the enemy was aware or not? It was spooky bullshit, but as long as it worked I wouldn¡¯t think about it too hard.

    Lodor had found his own prize as well, a steel reinforced round shield in one of the coffins. It had been identified as a [Bastion Shield] and lived up to the name. Lodor had been skillful with his axe and shield he¡¯d brought into the barrow, but even Jorman had trouble getting around his defense now. The older Nord had told the younger to put his faith in his own arms, not arcane witchcraft, prompting a friendly duel in the yard. Lodor blocked or countered every strike Jorman put to him, until Jorman knocked him into the mud and kicked the shield away. Jorman had stopped short of kicking the downed man, he¡¯d made his point. Seemed that skill boosting magic still ran into hard physics, sometimes.

    There weren¡¯t any other fancy pieces to share out, but if there had been, it would have been the same people getting them. Gromm was a hard fighter, and seemed to be better trained than the men that he¡¯d brought, but I doubted he would stick around after the necromancers and bandits were dealt with. This was an unfortunate interruption of their lives, even if it was profitable. For Gromm, every night he spent with us was a night away from his wife and home. Harald, the retainer that had come along with Lodor, was a different story. He was one of the other second sons that the young noble had mentioned.

    There were a few of those around Winterhold too, now that I¡¯d made a name for my retinue. News had spread quickly of our triumph against the bandits of course, especially with the prisoners we¡¯d brought back, but killing a vampire was a cut above. While I¡¯d been out distributing the pay, a mess of young men had come around, asking to join up. The first had seen the pay sack I¡¯d handed off to Harald in the tavern, clinking with coins. He was a logger, lean from being underfed, but strong where it mattered. Elsborn, that was his name, had done his stint with the city guard, and had his father¡¯s old mail coat and axe. I¡¯d made a critical error from there.

    ¡°If you can fight, and you¡¯re willing to sign on for a while, I¡¯ll take you. I can¡¯t promise the pay will be consistent, but I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re housed, clothed, and fed so long as you ride with us.¡± I put my hand out to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll fight, and I¡¯ve got nothing to hold me here. No inheritance, no wife, my father¡¯s passed and my brother runs the sawmill. The talk is that you¡¯re fighting for the hold Ranger, and you¡¯ve protected three villages already. Joining up to fight whatever devils they are will keep my family safe, the gold won¡¯t hurt either.¡± He took my hand and shook it. We talked a bit longer, I told him to come by the Jarl¡¯s longhouse in the morning so we could get him some extra equipment. A new fur coat, a semi-uniform set of clothes like the twins, Riga and I wore, a helmet, an extra blade, a pack for his supplies, the usual things a soldier would need. That was the error. Everything I¡¯d planned to give him, just to make him useful, would have cost two months wages at least. The new clothes alone were something a local might only buy every few years. There were a few other men in the tavern that had seen and heard the whole thing, and could smell the goat leg, buttery potatoes, and eggs Harald was having for lunch.

    By the time I¡¯d gotten everyone paid at the end of the day, no fewer than a dozen men had asked to join my party. It really couldn¡¯t be called a party at this point, next time we marched it¡¯d be a warband. Some of the men were too old, others were still just boys. Three of them were the right age, with the right situation for me to consider. I told them to come by the longhouse in the morning. The four new men were a sign of things to come, if we won. It¡¯d be a long time before there were jobs and positions that could beat the dangerous, but exceedingly well paid position of a mercenary. There was a reason that it was tied for the oldest profession. Killing and fucking would be in demand until the heat death of the universe.

    The four men were waiting at the door the next morning, bright and early. Two of them had armor, three of them had a weapon on their belt. Jorman was going to be training a few guards, and the freshly recovered men from Seacrest, in the yard after breakfast. Jorman laughed as he saw the four trailing behind me like ducklings.

    ¡°Johannes, you aren¡¯t supposed to feed the stray dogs around here. They¡¯ll never stop following you after.¡± The housecarl eyed each man.

    ¡°That just sounds like making a friend for life.¡± I countered. Jorman conceded that point with a shrug.

    ¡°They want to join up, I need to see if they''re worth the pay. Elsborn here says he was a guard for a while, but the rest I¡¯m not sure of.¡± I pointed to the only man that had both a weapon, and armor.

    ¡°Elsborn¡¯s a mighty axeman, he can hold his place in the shield wall. Orryn, Thalin, and¡­ sorry boy, I¡¯ve forgotten your name.¡± Jorman paused at the youngest one.

    ¡°Virgar, sir.¡± He was a bit nervous with his answer.

    ¡°Virgar, you¡¯re the thief¡¯s son.¡± Jorman changed his look a bit, but not for the worse. ¡°Your father will be back soon, a few more weeks.¡±

    ¡°You can keep him.¡± There was a lot of venom there. Jorman turned back to me.

    ¡°We¡¯ll put them through the paces. Come on now. Shields and trainers, take your pick.¡± Jorman led us through the morning¡¯s exercise, along with a contingent of the Stormcloaks. Elsborn was every bit as good as he¡¯d claimed, the rest were a work in progress, but good enough. It was just about lunch time when we finished, and I took the new recruits to the tavern. I¡¯d promised to keep them fed after all. Next was to the twins¡¯ house, to get them measured for new, all white clothes by the family of tailors. We¡¯d also kept the massive stock of captured weapons and armor there, for lack of anywhere else to put it.

    Chainmail, helmets, steel blades, belts, packs, gloves, bits of steel armor, if it fit, I issued it out. Angven and Anglin had both gotten the best pick of it already, having seen what happened to Jorn. Both of the twins had trended towards a heavier kit than just the vests we¡¯d had made. Angven had snagged an old steel cuirass, his brother a brigandine jacket. Steel helmets were one thing we had plenty of, so everyone got one. Once the smithy was assembled, and I had some free time, I¡¯d see about more fur lined brigandine jackets. It was one of the many things I was looking forwards to once this mess was over and dealt with. There was still more to do, and the sun had a few hours before it set.

    To say that I tricked the company was a bit too much, I¡¯d just told them we were going to do something that would make them fight better. With all my magic and the growing legend around me, I couldn¡¯t fault them for thinking it was going to be some sort of blessing or magic potion. It didn¡¯t change the fact that they were huffing, puffing, and cursing my name after the fourth lap around Winterhold. By the sixth, we¡¯d lost half the company, they were strewn about, barfing up whatever they¡¯d eaten or keeled over trying to catch their breath. By the eighth, I was just about ready to join them. Karliene and Icefoot were disappointed by our lack of fortitude, the two wolves had been literally running circles around us the whole time. Riga found us laying around like corpses in the Jarl¡¯s hall.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°What happened?!?¡± Riga fast walked over to me, the exhaustion and fatigue had left a mark.

    ¡°We ran.¡± I put on a bit of a haggard voice, it wasn¡¯t hard.

    ¡°Ran? From what?¡± She sat next to me, concern clear in her voice.

    ¡°Laziness¡­ Heh! We ran around the town for a few hours.¡± I laughed. Jogging wasn¡¯t a common past time it seemed. A few muttered curses sounded from the rest.

    ¡°You just ran?¡± Riga seemed confused.

    ¡°Need to get these guys in to shape. Running helps with that. Riga, meet the new guys.¡± I gestured at the four recruits.

    ¡°You and your strange ways. I thought you were training in the yard this morning.¡± Riga and I chatted for a while about what they were teaching her at the college, she showed off a new spell that she called Enduring Ward. It kept a bubble of protective magic around her, but it wasn¡¯t as strong as a focused ward spell. It was hard to get her to stop once we¡¯d got going, she couldn¡¯t stop gushing about the college.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to teach me that radiance spell once you get it down. An anti-undead magelight sounds useful.¡± I smiled at Riga as we ate. Dinner had come around, and the hall was packed. Stormcloaks, guards, my company, the Jarl was feeding a small army. How much he¡¯d have to send to the Rift would be a question if this kept up for long. The Jarl was probably eager to get the whole thing finished and done with. He¡¯d groaned when I came by to get the pay for my company the past month, it had totaled out to a little over a thousand pieces. My earlier suspicions about the state of the treasury seemed to be playing out.

    After dinner, I excused my self and fell into bed. Every part of me was going to be sore in the morning, but the merciful embrace of sleep let me put that off. Images of armored warriors surrounded by darkness had been plaguing my dreams, terrible howls and bloody snow. A different kind of nightmare hit me in the face when I woke up. It seemed I¡¯d been putting off the funny windows again for too long.

    [Level Increased, 13->19!]

    [Multiple Skills Increased!]

    [6 Challenges completed!]

    [8 Perk Points Available]

    [...]

    [...]

    [...]

    [Quest Assigned: Corpses of The Coast]

    [Quest Completed: Corpses of The Coast]

    [Quest Assigned: Death March]

    The incessant windows piled up, one after the other, and they wouldn¡¯t let me swat them away this time. It seemed that whoever, or whatever was behind them, really wanted me to read through them. The skills I¡¯d gained weren¡¯t anything to scoff at. The list seemed to prioritize the skills I was actually using the most.

    [Restoration: 46]

    [One Handed: 38]

    [Two Handed: 49]

    [Heavy Armor: 34]

    [Block: 35]

    [Stealth: 42]

    [Speech: 36]

    [Smithing: 27]

    [Destruction: 31]

    The rest weren¡¯t much to look at, even archery was still pretty poor. I¡¯d done enough shooting to be familiar again, but I wouldn¡¯t be winning any competitions. I¡¯d started on a theory about what the skills really meant, but it wasn¡¯t worth dwelling on until I had time to prove it. The next thing to look at was the perks. It seemed that I¡¯d stopped gaining them on level ups, instead I was getting them for challenges, and I¡¯d gotten two for finishing the quest I hadn¡¯t realized I was on.

    I¡¯d told my self that I was going to pay more attention to the windows after I got my hands on the map, but it hadn¡¯t really gone that way. For all I¡¯d bitched at Jori for not helping, I had something to answer for as well. The perks I had access to were horrifically powerful, I doubted even a master enchanter could replicate. Had I bothered to check before we went into that cave, maybe some of the others would have lived. Restoration was my first look, after seeing how close we¡¯d come to losing Jorn and some of the other wounded.

    [Blessed Healing]

    [Description: Your healing spells can now fight off disease and poison. The strength of this effect is directly tied to your restoration skills. Especially dangerous toxins and diseases are difficult to cure, but can be staved off for a time. Your healing spells deal additional damage to the undead.]

    Easy buy.

    [Corpse Hunter]

    [Description: You can now detect and track undead auras with great efficiency. The strength of this new sense is directly tied to your Restoration skill. Any perks, abilities, or racial traits effecting the senses will provide a benefit to this perk. The base range of this sense is one hundred feet, with an additional one hundred feet per ten points in the Restoration skill. Undead may be able to detect your aura if targeted by this sense.]

    Yes please.

    [Crippling Counters]

    [Description: When you counter attack with a two handed weapon, it results in brief, excruciating pain to the target. This may cause targets to drop their defense, stumble, or otherwise present you with another opening to strike. Only targets that can feel pain are affected. The degree of pain experienced is governed by both your skill with Two Handed weapons, and the severity of the strike. A serious blow may cause an enemy to instantly fall unconscious.]

    Bandits and trolls are gonna love that.

    [Disarming Defense]

    [Description: Parries, counters, blocks, and other defensive measures that result in direct contact with an enemy weapon are much more likely to knock the weapon away, or at least unseat it from the foe¡¯s grip. To activate this perk, simply will it to happen with your action. Overuse of this ability can lead to rapid exhaustion. The effectiveness of this perk is figured by comparing the relevant enemy weapon skill to your Block skill, along with several other factors.]

    Gronvir isn¡¯t the only one that can do that trick now. I don¡¯t even have to say anything!

    [Stalwart Plate]

    [Description: Heavy armor that you wear distributes the force of a strike much more efficiently, softening the impact and effectively increasing the strength of all hard armor. This perk does not reduce the energy or force of a blow, it simply disperses it across a larger area. The effectiveness of this perk is tied directly to your Heavy Armor skill.]

    Fuck physics, they¡¯re for pussies.

    [Bone Breaker]

    [Description: Attacks with one handed weapons, especially maces, are much more likely to break or fracture bones and other hard structures. Bones that you break never result in a clean fracture, but are instead a jagged, splintered mess. The effectiveness of this perk is tied directly to your skill with One Handed weapons.]

    Crunchy.

    [Prospector]

    [Description: You gain an innate knowledge of ores, gems, and stone. The methods of extracting, refining, and creating usable materials is known to you, but the skill must be learned normally. Items crafted with materials you have wrought are 10% more effective.]

    Effective how? HOW? Magic horse shit. Does that pass on to enchantments? Or just sharper, stronger blades? Sturdier walls? Take your charlatan vagueries and blow them out your ass spooky window.

    [Enduring Flames]

    [Description: Fire spells leave a residual flame on everything they hit. This effect can be triggered at will, the flames will persist even in the absence of fuel. You may cast any form of ice or water magic to put them out. Enemies struck by any spell that inflicts damage via fire will continue to burn well beyond the usual duration of the spell. Your skill in destruction determines the longevity of the flames.]

    I was happy with the selections I¡¯d made. I kept to my pattern of loading combat potential pretty heavily, but I had made a few choices to help with exploring, and a possible career outside of murder for hire. The undead sense was one of those things that was unbelievably powerful, just being given away. Same with Enduring Flames. If I was any other pyromancer, it¡¯d be helpful, but not great. With Sunfire as my most used spell, and all the extra damage against the undead that I got, it was absolutely lethal.

    Prospector was me doing a bit of future preparation. Winterhold undoubtedly had massive amounts of mineral wealth beneath the snow, the ice, the mountains. Half-remembered ore veins along the coast flashed in my mind, silver and iron. That was just the sort of thing the Hold needed. A few miners, a few smithing apprentices, a land grant from the Jarl, and I could fill a very profitable niche in the arms trade in the months to come. There was just one window left in my vision.

    [Quest Reward: Nordic Foot Knight Armor, Stuhn¡¯s Blessing]

    I paused before accepting the reward. It was very, very unlikely that I¡¯d be able to play off having a brand new set of armor as salvage from the barrow. There was no one that I could have bought it from, and it¡¯s not like I had a bag of fine possessions before I came to Winterhold. Any doubt of the nature behind the strange windows had disappeared. Stuhn, the nordic name for Stendarr, had to be pulling the strings. Collapsing in the snow, conveniently along the path of that undead, Bonin. Finding my way to Winterhold, being ambushed by those bandits, everything to this point. How much of it was pure chance? I wouldn¡¯t bet on any of it being entirely coincidental. Granted, Stuhn didn¡¯t exactly have to nudge things too hard either. The hold was fucked up enough that it wasn¡¯t too hard to believe it had all been by chance.

    So what to do about the armor? Last I remembered, the bag and the ring had appeared in a golden flash. It was quite the spectacle. It may be easier to just accept the reward where people would see it. It was beyond a doubt that Stuhn, or Stendarr, whichever, had picked me for a champion. I could come across as crazy, the sole witness to a miracle, and make the honest claim that it was a gift from the gods. Or I could steer a conversation the right way¡­

    Adalvald and the Vigilants would be arriving to Winterhold soon. How would they feel about a living saint walking among them? It had to be worth something. I was stuck with the responsibilities I¡¯d accepted either way. I was going to purge the hold of undead, I was going to fight the Volkihar, and I was going to get saddled with some sort of title or another from the Jarl for it all. That¡¯s what I expected at least. Maybe I¡¯d catch an arrow in the head at the start of our charge on the river. It didn''t seem like there''d be much harm in orchestrating a miracle at dinner.

 Chapter Twenty Two: Stuhns Witnesses

    There was no luck with the Vigilants the rest of that day or the next, so I spent the time doing what I could to whip my company into shape. Training with Jorman, jogging, a bit of archery, mundane first aid, calls and signals. We didn¡¯t have much time, but I made the most of what there was. I¡¯d give half the fortune I¡¯d made for just another week to train up the soldiers I had, but that wasn¡¯t the way of things.

    The four new recruits didn¡¯t want for enthusiasm, despite their groaning and moaning after the training. Lodor had fought them two on one, beating Thalin and Virgar bloody. Elsborn and Orryn gave him a run for his money, winning two bouts, losing two bouts, then the noble knocked Orryn out cold with an uppercut to the jaw. One on one, Elsborn was out matched. The guards and Stormcloaks got good entertainment out of our fights. Riga had taken a day off from the college, and put a bit of advanced healing magic to use. We were only using wooden weapons, but bruises were made, noses broken, teeth lost. Riga fixed us all up good as new.

    The girl had seemed to be a natural student ever since the first time I¡¯d gone to see her, and it was shining now. The ring was undeniably a great help, but she was talented her self. While Lodor had been fighting the newblood, she¡¯d handed off the ring to me, and a book titled Bane of The Blood Feeders, A History of Vampire Slayers. It was part history, part biography, and part spell tome. There wasn¡¯t much time for me to read through the historical aspects, but the spells mentioned within were exceptional. Some I knew of, others I didn¡¯t, but they were all dangerous for the undead.

    I had a choice to make when it came to learning the spells. It¡¯d taken me days of practice to wrap my head around the simplest of spells, despite my quick grasp of actually using magic. With two days before our planned march, and the ring¡¯s help, I could probably figure out one of them. There were a dozen spells I wanted to learn. Stendarr¡¯s Aura would be powerful for any future barrow delves, where it would fill a corridor, but we¡¯d be fighting in the open first. Vampire¡¯s Bane was an excellent crowd control spell, the sunlight explosions would wipe out swaths of skeletons and lesser undead. Both were at the top of my list to learn next, but didn¡¯t quite make the cut. It wasn¡¯t a killing spell, or one of the combat blessings, but a mark. The spell wasn¡¯t one I¡¯d ever heard of, at least my memories didn¡¯t call anything to mind.

    Inquisitor¡¯s Mark was a short ranged spell, requiring direct sight of a target. It would burn a golden sigil into the skin, and link the caster to the branded victim. Unless the sigil was wiped away with some pretty high tier banishment magic, the caster would be able to follow it across enormous distances. If the target tried to cut the sigil out, or otherwise destroy the mark, it would immolate them. Enduring Flames meant that it was incredibly unlikely that those I marked would survive trying to rid themselves of it.

    My goal was to master the spell, and mark one of the necromancers during the attack. With a bit of luck, they¡¯d scurry away to Yngdaril, where I could repeat the process with another. It was something I¡¯d learned growing up, before I was ducking and diving between bombed out skyscrapers. Hunting feral pigs on a ranch, letting one live with a tracking collar, they were the Judas Pig. The pig would run away, wander about, and eventually join a new pack somewhere nearby. Sometimes the Judas pig died, but it was simple enough to bait and trap another. The hogs hadn¡¯t been a problem after the second summer of that technique. Sure, sometimes a migrating pack would show up, but the infestation had been annihilated.

    That memory had come back to me when I¡¯d been in the bath, thinking of the best ways to find which barrow the Mer Kin had taken as their base of operations. Trying to search through dozens of barrows, even with my new sense of the undead, would take weeks or months. We¡¯d take dozens, maybe even hundreds of casualties in the effort. It¡¯d be a lot easier to just let one of the necromancers conveniently escape after we captured some. A sleeping guard, a poorly maintained lock, a lapse in the patrols, any number of circumstances could be arranged to make that happen. We¡¯d even be traveling fairly close to a mountain pass on our way back to Winterhold.

    Every moment I had spare I spent practicing the spell, trying to master it. For such a relatively simple purpose, it was a lot harder than I had expected. The book mentioned forming a sigil in my mind, and imbuing it with magic I¡¯d channeled for the spell, but I didn¡¯t know anything about magic sigils. Did the shape and geometry matter? Surely it did, otherwise there would have been at least one dick carved on the enchanted items we¡¯d found. The book didn¡¯t have any examples of powerful sigils, but it mentioned that each was unique to the mage who formed it. Riga promised to find me a book about it in the morning. It was a problem with trying to learn magic piecemeal. There were probably a hundred or more useful things that I didn¡¯t know.

    I was on the verge of throwing the book across my room in a fit when I heard running, clanking steps headed my way. It was Rolvar, partially out of breath. He¡¯d been stationed at the gatehouse again today. The guard panted, held up a hand, and finally stood back up to his full height.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± I grinned, none of the other guards were scurrying about, blades drawn, so it couldn¡¯t be anything bad.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­. The Vigilants. The senior, Adalvald, is making for the college, but one of his party is coming to meet with you. You specifically, not the Jarl.¡± Rolvar had to take a few more deep breaths, he hadn¡¯t taken up the offer to jog along with my company, and now he was paying for it.

    ¡°That¡¯s great news, I¡¯ll be out in a moment!¡± I waved the guard off. I didn¡¯t have any fine clothes, but my armor and vest had been cleaned. First impressions were important, and I hoped to make one that carried the word warrior. It¡¯d help sell my plan for later, that was my hope at least. A suit of fantastic armor appearing in a golden flash probably didn¡¯t need much other support.

    I found the Vigilant sitting at one of the tables with Rolvar, and she was not what I expected. Jori, and my memories, suggested they were just another band of robed mystics, wandering the roads in search of trouble. The woman at the table wasn¡¯t immediately evident as one, with her back to me. It wasn¡¯t until I came around to sit beside Jori that I saw the feminine style of her breastplate. It was finely made, no simple soldier¡¯s cuirass. A visored helmet was sat on the table in front of her, an equally well made longsword sat on her hip. None of it seemed to be in the nordic style, at least not one I recognized. Where the swirls and rune carvings should have been, there was blocky engravings in common across the collar.

    By The Light Of Dawn, Stendarr¡¯s Might Is Known

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a knight to be with the Vigilants. Ranger Johannes, and you?¡± I sat down across from the woman. She nodded, and offered a brief salute, hand across her chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m no knight, but my father thought it fit that I should be protected if I was going to run off on a damned fool errand, his words. Vigilant Hania, or Lady White Oak, depending on the company. My father is a borderlord on the southern edge of Falkreath, in the Jeralls. Not quite Skyrim, not quite Cyrodil. Nord by blood, Imperial by custom.¡± Hania introduced herself. I liked her already.

    ¡°A noble lady, run off in a man¡¯s armor to chase down devils and corpses? A tale as old as time, truly. If as many of the men around here¡­ Best I don¡¯t finish that.¡± A gave her a sarcastic grin. She took the joke well, but her expression turned sour a moment later.

    ¡°A noble lady? Please, the border towns are shunned by both the jarls of Skyrim and the pompous cunts in the Imperial City. We¡¯re either northern barbarians, or southern cowards that folded to the Thalmor.¡± She took up a tankard.

    ¡°Sounds like you have a bigger bone to pick with the southern cowards. Next time one of them gives you lip, remind them who founded the empire.¡± That got a snort out of her.

    ¡°They dance around that as best they can. Enough about that. I came to ask about the state of things since Jori¡¯s last letter. He said that you¡¯d gone off to investigate a situation along the coast. You must have been successful?¡± Hania got down to business, the red flush from laughter slowly draining away.

    ¡°Successful, yes, but not without losses. We destroyed the undead marching out from a cave on the coast, and killed the beast responsible. It was a vampire, playing with Draugr. I don¡¯t think I need to say much more to explain how big of a problem that is.¡± Hania¡¯s residual grin dropped to a grimfaced stare at my words, her tankard frozen halfway between the table and her lips.

    ¡°Did Jori share what Adalvald has been working on the past few years? Or what we¡¯ve learned recently?¡± Hania was speaking very quietly, leaned over the table. I looked to Rolvar, and shook my head for him to leave. The guard seemed curious, but found somewhere else to be.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t, but I know. You¡¯re searching for a vampire, tied to a prophecy.¡± That alarmed Hania even more, but she didn¡¯t deny it. I was putting everything on the table for her, as I¡¯d planned to do with Adalvald. It didn¡¯t make much difference who heard it first.

    ¡°How do you know that? Adalvald has hardly told the Keeper what we¡¯ve been up to. Did you steal Jori¡¯s letters?¡± Her tone turned accusatory.

    ¡°No. Did Jori mention how my memory is a bit scrambled?¡±

    ¡°He said something about that, yes. That you were captured by a necromancer, but you broke free and turned the tables. You nearly died from exposure, you took a hit to the head. Did I get all that right?¡± She was confused, but she did have a good memory.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been remembering things from my life, slowly. Some things that I thought were memories aren¡¯t. I¡¯ll explain it all once Adalvald can hear it, but I know that you¡¯re looking for an ancient vampire, from the Volkihar clan. They know that too, and they are going to send killers after you. I don¡¯t know how soon, but I¡¯ve seen it. Adalvald, Tolin, dead in a crypt. The Hall of The Vigilants burnt to the ground, vampires roaming the land in packs. It¡¯s going to start happening soon.¡± Truthfully, I didn¡¯t know how much of that was accurate, because Hania and Jori were no where in my memories before I¡¯d met them. Surely Jori would have helped fight the vampires? He would have run south to join the Dawnguard after the Vigilants were splintered. Maybe he had been targeted and killed on the roads before he got there.

    ¡°Visions then? We¡¯ve only just found the name of the crypt, but haven¡¯t been able to translate¡ª¡± I held up a hand.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I can tell you the name, and where it is, but we have bigger concerns. If the vampire we killed was a Volkihar, they could have an army to overrun the holds if the knowledge to control the draugr gets back to them. Thralls and the usual undead are bad enough, we don¡¯t need them calling up dozens of dead heroes.¡± Hania was going to speak, when a voice cut her off.

    ¡°First Ranger! Who is our guest?¡± Jarl Korir had come around, followed closely by Jorman, and more distantly by Kai. I stood, and held my hand out to the lady knight.

    ¡°Vigilant Hania, perhaps Lady White Oak, of the southern borderlands would be more appropriate. She came to announce herself, but we were carried away with our shared goal. Her senior, Vigilant Adalvald, will be joining us¡­¡± I looked to Hania, she stood.

    ¡°Tonight. He had a pressing matter with Vigilant Jorileif. Jarl Korir, a pleasure.¡± Hania¡¯s courtly manners kicked in, offering a short bow. Jarl Korir appraised her, and the armor she wore.

    ¡°Lady White Oak? Your father, he¡¯s Lord Fenvald of the Jagged Mountain, is he not? We¡¯ve met once before. The High King¡¯s ascension feast.¡± Korir smiled warmly, his bias for martially competent nords showing through. Maybe it was just because she was a good looking woman.

    ¡°I was still a girl, hiding behind my mother¡¯s dress. Sorry to say, I don¡¯t remember meeting you.¡± Hania put on something of a forced smile. Jarl Korir waved his hand dismissively.

    ¡°Well, as you said, you were hiding behind your mother¡¯s dress. Your father pushed you forward to say hello. You don¡¯t seem to be so shy anymore.¡± Jarl Korir nodded towards the blade she wore. The Jarl took the time to talk her ear off for the better part of the afternoon, it seemed he rarely got noble visitors, real nobles that is. He¡¯d done the same thing with Lodor, up until he realized that the younger man did not have any fun gossip, or the rank to talk as a friend. Lady White Oak however, was a different matter. She was far enough removed from Skyrim¡¯s pecking order to talk freely, and she was apparently the heir to her family¡¯s titles, lacking brothers.

    The sun was just about set, dinner almost ready, when the rest of the Vigilants joined us. Hania and I were on the verge of running out of polite chuckles when Jori waved to me from the door. He was good at showing up when he was needed most.

    ¡°Jori! Come, introduce the Jarl to your friends and companions.¡± I made a loud call to the door, breaking the incessant, petty small talk the Jarl, now joined by his wife, had been making. I avoided the old bitch to the best of my ability. Jarl Korir at least tried to do the right thing, sometimes. His wife was insufferable, incompetent, ignorant, and all of those things loudly.

    ¡°Ranger Johannes, Jarl Korir, I¡¯d like to introduce a dear friend, and respected member of my order. Vigilant Adalvald mentored me in my first years on the roads, he¡¯s the wisest man I know.¡± Jori tried to give the elder man a worthy introduction. He was dressed in the robes of a healer, an amulet of Stendarr proudly displayed. Thaena, the Jarl¡¯s wife, hissed at the sight, muttering something under her breath. She would rather die than accept the help of a mage. I got a pass from the old crone, because I wore armor and swung a blade. That was the working theory anyways.

    ¡°A pleasure, Jarl Korir. A fine hall you have.¡± Adalvald strode forwards, bowed well, and nodded to the rest of us. He ignored the look of disgust he got from Thaena.

    ¡°Kind words. We¡¯re thankful to have you Vigilant. My Ranger has told me many good things of your order, and your friend here, Jori, has been very helpful to him. I wasn¡¯t sure that you would make it before we left.¡± The Jarl offered his hand to the mage, who took it without hesitation. We were reseated at the Jarl¡¯s high table as the first courses of dinner were served. The Jarl had a pig butchered for his table, given that there were three important guests now. He was keeping up appearances he couldn¡¯t afford. Looking at the portions the guards were getting, they were smaller than usual. Not much, but it was noticed.

    ¡°So, Jori tells me that you and your Ranger have been quite successful in persecuting these miscreants so far. I was sorry to hear that several of your sworn men have given their lives, but you have put a beating on the criminals.¡± Adalvald started a conversation as the first of the main course came out. I was seated two chairs to the right of the Jarl, Kai had gotten the place of honor.

    ¡°They feast in Sovngarde now, with our fathers and gods.¡± Jarl Korir hadn¡¯t had any other outbursts, but in the days since I¡¯d told him of Fenrik he had seemed on edge. It was part of the reason I¡¯d gone along with his inane babbling earlier. He needed the relief.

    ¡°Rightly so, brave men, one and all. Jori told me some of what¡¯s gone on here, but I¡¯d like to hear it from the source. First Ranger, would you mind telling the tale from your perspective?¡± Adalvald listened intently, between bites of tasty pork. For all his faults, Korir kept a good kitchen.

    ¡°¡­morning after we dealt with the barrow, Anglin there, the one on the left, came back with the vampire¡¯s head. Later tonight we¡¯ll get him to tell the story, it¡¯s a good one. Everything of note after that, Jori was witness to.¡± I ended the tale.

    ¡°You¡¯re a scythe before wheat Ranger, everywhere you¡¯ve gone, evil men and foul creatures fall.¡± Adalvald raised a goblet of wine to me, and drank it down. For all that I was getting tired of retelling the same stories over and over, I was glad that he asked for a full account.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but it seems I was sent here for a reason. I¡¯ll be glad when I stop being a scythe, it will mean all the troubles are done.¡± I grinned, and sipped my own cup of mead. Hania had been keeping a careful eye on me through dinner, she hadn¡¯t had the chance to share anything with Adalvald yet.

    ¡°Be it by chance or by divines, we¡¯re glad to have him.¡± A drunk Korir reached over to pat the table near me, almost knocking over Kai¡¯s cup. Adalvald leaned back towards me.

    ¡°So, tell me a bit more of this business with your memory. I¡¯ve studied healing for quite some time, perhaps something could be done for it.¡± Adalvald held up a hand, letting the soft glow of a healing spell shine. Being that Adalvald was here to help, all but Thaena kept a positive expression. The mage was too old, and too sharp to not realize how much of a social misstep it was.

    ¡°Like I explained. I remember being on the ice plains, collapsing in the blizzard, and then being clubbed over the head. Some things have come back to me, histories, knowledge, skills, but my personal life is non-existent. I can make guesses about who I might be, but unless someone¡¯s heard rumors of a missing witch hunter¡­¡± I let the joke make its rounds.

    ¡°Time may heal the gaps, but I find it all too fortunate for the people of this hold that such a capable man was delivered to them when they needed him most.¡± Adalvald looked between the Jarl and I. It was the perfect opportunity.

    ¡°I had made a joke to Riga in the barrow, after all the business with the vampire was settled. We were in front of an ancient world wall, one that held the words of power to a Thu¡¯um. I was only slightly disappointed to find out I wasn¡¯t a dragonborn when I couldn¡¯t read it. I may have missed the blessing Akatosh, but perhaps it¡¯s the work of a different div¡ª¡± I took that moment to accept the reward, between syllables. The serving girls had cleaned up our plates by that point, leaving the table bare. There was a flash, and a pop as a bundle of armor dropped to the table.

    It had appeared directly in front of me, the helmet was effectively making eye contact. The only problem was that I had been sitting at an angle, and the armor had landed between the Jarl and Adalvald. Both immediately had their eyes glued to it.

    ¡°¡ªine¡­ Well¡­¡± I tried to act surprised as the two men looked at the bundle. The Jarl was about to speak when a voice boomed out from the helmet.

    ¡°RISE CHAMPION OF STUHN!¡± There was a long pause, even I was rocked back into my seat. In my moment of hesitation, the Jarl¡¯s eyes went wide with excitement. He stood, and reached a hand out for the helmet. There was a flash, and a howl of pain from the Jarl. The hall was quiet aside from brief murmurs, then the voice came back.

    ¡°YOU? YOU WHO HAVE FAILED EVERY TRIAL OF MY BROTHER TSUN? WHO¡¯S LINE HAS FAILED EVERY TRIAL OF THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS? FOOL!¡± As the voice in the helmet berated the Jarl, I got a good look at his hand. It¡¯d been burned badly by a brief touch. Adalvald was watching him too, a dangerously curious look in the Vigilant¡¯s eye. Being burned by a gift from Stuhn, Stendarr, was not a good sign. I¡¯d give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume it was a reprimand for claiming what wasn¡¯t his.

    ¡°NO! I mean my champion! The one who has walked through snow and ice, who has fought and destroyed evils both mortal and undead! He who has shirked no challenge and proven his faith!¡± That left Adalvald to look at me.

    ¡°I do not believe our lord Stuhn is referring to me.¡± The old Vigilant nodded towards the helmet, and the fact it was looking at me. I rose, and took it up. The helmet was a skullcap with a centerline ridge, starting just above the oval shaped eye holes. Ornate gold decorated the lines of the helmet, with inscriptions that I mistook for dragon runes at first. Mirrored engravings decorated the sides, whales, with armored soldiers marching beneath them. On the forehead, above the eyes but at the base of the ridge, was a circular golden embossment depicting the sun. Beneath the eyes was a steel plate to protect the nose and face, chainmail hung down from it and around the rim of the helmet. It didn¡¯t burn me either.

    While I took my time looking the helmet over, I could hear a growing chorus in the background. A hundred men had just seen the Jarl burned and berated by a talking helmet, the same helmet that I¡¯d picked up with no issue. Before I could say anything, the voice spoke again. It was loud enough to be heard through the hall, but not quite the booming from before.

    ¡°Don this armor champion, and smite the foes of my people! I remember the days when we marched together with Shor, and I will not leave them to suffer the deeds of wicked things! March to war, march against ruin!¡± An urge to put the helmet on overcame me. It fit perfectly, and felt right. I paused for a few seconds, to see if the voice had anything else to say, but nothing came. I looked over the hall, some men that had left dinner had streamed back in after hearing the voice. A hundred fifty or so had witnessed the affair in part or in full. Seeing them all, the surprising way that my small miracle had gone, I couldn¡¯t remember what I''d planned to say. Luckily, someone else did. Hania rose from her spot across from me, and drew her sword.

    ¡°Wherever your march takes you, my blade will be there!¡± The lady knight lifted her blade, the fire of zealous fervor in her eyes. She looked down the Jarl¡¯s table first, and then back to the hall. Lodor and the twins stood first, but the rest of my company were quick behind. Adalvald was slower, but stood and offered a bow. The rest of the vigilants were quick behind him, Jori the most enthusiastic of their number. More men, mostly guards but some Stormcloaks, rose as well.

    That won¡¯t cause a political clusterfuck¡­ especially not with what I¡¯m about to say.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure why I¡¯d been delivered to this place, my memories lost and seemingly no history in the Hold. Now I know, and I intend to live up to the task I¡¯ve been given. A blight is spreading across Skyrim, not just this hold, and I intend to drive them out! All you brave who would rise to the call, your blades are needed!¡± That provoked several more men to their feet, an even mix of guards and Stormcloaks. Rolvar was among them, Tolin too. A quick glance to my left revealed a grinning Kai, and the Jarl barely containing his temper.

    ¡°Who am I, or even Jarl Ulfric, to defy Stuhn¡¯s calling?¡± Kai shrugged, and then stood to address the Stormcloaks that had risen.

    ¡°You men swore oaths to me, to carry my banner and fight my battles, but such things do not account for the gods calling upon your strength. We will fight together against the bandits, as we¡¯ve trained. Afterwards, I will release you from your service to join the Champion.¡± Kai sat back down, a few more of his number standing. I¡¯d poached a quarter of his force.

    Of the guards, about half of them had stood. Rolvar had already promised to join us once his term of service ended in the spring, along with a few others. Half of the guards in the room was more than the Jarl kept on hand in the city usually. Almost all of the ones that had stood were from that contingent, the ones that had seen the results of my effort the most. It gutted Korir¡¯s experienced force, the ones I¡¯d been training with for the better part of two months now. All eyes turned to Korir after the Stormcloak commander had sat back down.

    The Jarl was on the verge of an apoplectic fit, the thin silver goblet in his hand buckling. When the weight of those eyes landed on him, he lost it. There weren¡¯t any words, just howls as he stormed off to his chambers. His wife shot me a venomous glare, ushering their son back to the quarters alongside her. There¡¯d been some harsh words about the Jarl, but he may as well have hung himself with that.

    Once Thaena slammed the door shut, a ripple spread through the hall. Nobody wanted to be obvious, but word of that tantrum would make the rounds by sunrise. Turns out, there could be a lot of harm in small miracles at dinner.

 Chapter Twenty Three: Long March

    ¡°We¡¯re set to leave Champion, the sleds are loaded, we¡¯ve seen to everyone as best we can.¡± Hania called over from her steed. She had a fine horse, a massive nordic breed. Adalvald was mounted as well, but the other Vigilants had come on foot. They¡¯d be hitching a ride on our sleds. We¡¯d bought out every dog team the neighboring villages had to offer, and it¡¯d still been a close call. The dogs hadn¡¯t figured into my original formula for expenses, Wolfbite had made sure mine were fed and cared for while we were in the city. That had ended with the Jarl pointing out just how many new dogs were around the morning after the feast.

    ¡°Good. No friction with the passengers?¡± The Vigilants and my company had mostly gotten on well. The Jarl and the Stormcloaks on the other hand¡­

    ¡°Nothing important, gripes for elbow room. They¡¯ll survive.¡± Hania smiled. The knightly woman had scarcely left my side since the fateful dinner, much to Riga¡¯s annoyance. I hadn¡¯t confronted it before now, but I knew Riga felt a bit more than friendly towards me. Under different circumstances, happier ones, maybe something would come of it. Suppressed affections hadn¡¯t gotten in the way of anything we needed to do, but with a perceived rival now, Riga had been a bit prickly.

    ¡°Like we have before. Johannes, did anyone check the straps on your armor?¡± Riga had made a point of using my name anytime she had to say something to me in front of the other woman. It was petty, and so far Hania hadn¡¯t risen to any of it. Riga was making her point.

    I was here first, and we¡¯re much closer than you will ever be.

    ¡°Yes, you did, twice.¡± I couldn¡¯t suppress the smirk. She hadn¡¯t forgotten, it was just another barb. It forced me to realize that I¡¯d recruited a three kids that wouldn¡¯t have been old enough to drink back in my life. Riga was smart, motivated, and capable, but she was also young, ambitious, and eager to please. The twins were the same, but they¡¯d already spent time risking life and limb on the ice, years before I¡¯d shown up. I whistled to Karliene, the dog was nipping at Icefoot on the next sled over. She went to attention immediately, looking back at me.

    ¡°Get to your sleds, we¡¯re moving!¡± I was answered by a round of cheers, one of the loudest came from Jorn. He¡¯d arrived the night before, with more men than I¡¯d asked for. News that I had been named as Stuhn¡¯s champion didn¡¯t surprise the man, but it had inspired the men he¡¯d brought along. The entire company was riding high from the whole incident. A proper nordic hero, that¡¯s what Jorman had called me when I spoke to him about what had happened.

    Everyone except for the Jarl had something nice to say for me after the dinner. The Stormcloaks were a bit more pensive in their support, probably orders from Kai to avoid any worse tensions. The Jarl had been humiliated in front of a hundred fighting men, a hundred men that had answered his call for aid. Mutters and camp whispers had spread around like wildfire afterwards. I¡¯d taken my entire company out onto the snow for some practice with the dogs, and used the opportunity to thoroughly, and firmly put my foot down about that sort of thing. It had worked to an extent, but my ears couldn¡¯t be everywhere, and it wasn¡¯t exactly in my best interest to completely quash the talk.

    I had no ambitions or designs for the Jarl¡¯s seat. Governing the hold sounded dreadfully boring, and I didn¡¯t have time for it in any case. That hadn¡¯t stopped some from questioning why such an incompetent fool sat in the high chair, while a champion was doing the work. The men from Seacrest had been a problem there, the ones that had heard my outburst to Jori. It had gotten out that I had some choice words for the men in charge, and they hadn¡¯t been quoted well. It would be political, and likely physical, suicide for the Jarl to come out with any harsh words for me. That hadn¡¯t stopped a major wedge being driven between us. His own guards were questioning him, almost openly.

    The Jarl hadn¡¯t fought, hadn¡¯t risked life and limb, he hadn¡¯t gone into the darkness for his people. A stranger had. Two of the Jarl¡¯s sworn men were dead, and what had he done? Thrown a tantrum like a toddler, howled hollow oaths, while the real warriors had gone to plotting a proper vengeance for them. The Jarl hadn¡¯t rallied men with his martial valor and strength of will, he¡¯d cut a political deal with the Stormcloaks to save his hide. He¡¯d been scorned by Shor¡¯s own shield-thane. Those were the words swirling around before we left. It all served to build my own image of legitimacy, a man worthy of their support, but it would cripple the Hold in the long run. I wasn¡¯t going to depose Jarl Korir, it¡¯d be a disaster if some sort of succession crisis happened. It would be for the better if the Jarl won a rousing victory that he could claim as his own.

    Korir must have thought the same thing, because the Jarl himself announced he would lead the effort against the bandits. If he proved to be a competent field officer, all the better. I didn¡¯t want to undermine his rule, I didn¡¯t want the Jarl to fail, but I wasn¡¯t going to get a score of good men killed for his ego either. Maybe Stuhn¡¯s words had spurred something in his heart, maybe it was fear of being deposed, but the Jarl had taken the field. He had marched out with the infantry at first light. Kai and a retinue of his best riders had left just after him, to link up with the scouts that had been tracking the bandits through the mountains.

    My job, up until we were sure the bandits were going to attempt a crossing, was to secure the flanks of the infantry column during the march and screen the route ahead. It was simple, and I doubted that we¡¯d have any problems. The wildlife wouldn¡¯t try to make a move against such a large group of men, not even trolls were aggressive enough for something so stupid. My concern was that the necromancers knew what we were up to, and had a counter.

    With all the possibilities spurred on by our recent revelations, there was a thick fog of uncertainty rolling off the mountains. Kai¡¯s scouts hadn¡¯t seen any evidence of a large undead force, just the bandits we expected. It was hard to say what their true numbers were, the last report said there were forty and growing by the day. The mountains were rugged, and provided quite a bit of cover for small bands. The scouts had used that to their advantage, avoiding direct contact. A consequence of the terrain was that we didn¡¯t know much about the state of affairs south of the mountains.

    The Pale was a different hold, with different leaders and different problems. The Jarl had sent a letter to his counterpart in Dawnstar, asking if there had been reports of banditry on the south side of the range. There¡¯d been no response. It was a week¡¯s ride to Dawnstar on a fast horse, without having to worry about storms or any other delay. There was also the chance that the Jarl didn¡¯t deign to answer. Korir wasn¡¯t held in high regard by the other Jarls, ruling over a ruined city and an icy wasteland didn¡¯t command respect.

    Without a response, we had no idea if there¡¯d be more bandits coming up from the south. The attacks on the western road had died down after my reprisals, whether that was because I¡¯d killed the majority of them, or they¡¯d retreated was difficult to say. There were some attacks to the east, but those had stopped a short while later, about enough time for the bandits to have gotten word they were being hunted. Those thoughts were doing their rounds in my mind when we caught up to the infantry. Jarl Korir and his personal retinue were mounted, about a dozen men in heavy armor, at the head of the column.

    I whistled a call to Anglin and Angven, I¡¯d nominated them to lead a screen in front of the infantry, and a dozen sleds split from our force. Jorn and Lodor took to the wings, leaving just a handful of sleds and our two riders with me as a rear guard. Jorman saw us coming, and had trailed behind the force to meet me.

    ¡°Champion, how are things behind us?¡± Jorman seemed a bit on edge.

    ¡°Quiet, you guys probably scared off the wildlife. Anything going on here?¡± I took a look out across the white plains. We¡¯d reach the pass that Jurger and I had taken by midday tomorrow.

    ¡°Nothing to worry about. The snow isn¡¯t too deep and the weather is clear. That can change quickly though.¡± Jorman looked up and down the horizon. His eyes settled on the mountains to our south. The stretch of land east of the Winterhold was a narrow choke, the city itself sat in the shadow of an offshoot from the main range. At present, there was only about fifteen miles between the sea and the mountains. It¡¯d widen out the farther east we went, but we were in a strategic killbox until we made it through the ridges that led to the more open, expansive ice plain.

    ¡°You¡¯re worried that we¡¯re going to get hit tonight, aren¡¯t you?¡± I asked quietly. Riga was sitting on the nose of my sled, and only the two mounted Vigilants were close enough to hear me. Jorman nodded, and pointed to a pair of peaks in the distance.

    ¡°Giant¡¯s Door pass runs to the south there. It¡¯s steep, but wide enough for a wagon to travel through. Unless there¡¯s been a rockslide, a force could come up from the south. We¡¯ll be five or six miles from it when the tents go up tonight. Have the¡­¡± Jorman looked at the Vigilants present, and rephrased his question.

    ¡°Adalvald, have you made any progress with the journals Johannes found? About what the Vampire had been doing?¡± Jorman asked. Adalvald had spent the time since the dinner well, assisting Jori and Tolfdir with deciphering the vampire¡¯s writing. Adalvald held his tongue for a moment, looking at the men around. Jorman slowed so that he would be close enough for a whispered answer.

    ¡°Yes, we have. He did raise some undead, but the draugr remained stubbornly loyal to their crypts. The vampire could only render them neutral to his presence. The skeletons were passed off to the other necromancers. It didn¡¯t seem like the vampire had made much progress with them. That was why he sought out the shipwrecks along the coast. The barrows are meant to serve the Dragon Priests, and the bodies within are well guarded against outside tampering. It seemed the vampire wasn¡¯t able to raise many of the non-draugr bodies.¡± Adalvald and Jori had told me as much the night before, but he¡¯d left out a key part of what the vampire was trying to do.

    ¡°Skeletons are less dangerous, and easy to see coming in the dark.¡± Jorman let out a relieved breath. The draugr had been a major concern, being that they could fight at a level on par with the levy troops. Some of the larger barrows were rumored to hold hundreds of the damned things.

    ¡°Less dangerous, yes, but numerous. Given that the scouts haven¡¯t seen any evidence of the skeletons yet, we should be on guard.¡± Adalvald may have looked the part of a scholar, but his scars spoke for his experience. The man had been slashed, stabbed, burned, shot with arrows, bitten, mauled, and walked with a subtle limp. Jorman agreed with short nod.

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    ¡°I¡¯ll set a guard around the camp. If you would spare some of your Vigilants, it would surely help us all the sleep better.¡± Jorman had started to come around to the mages after he saw the blades and history of violence they wore on their skin. Many of them donned chainmail under their robes, and kept good steel on their belts. Jori had surprised me the most, he¡¯d joined us at the sleds in halfplate. It was equipment suited for long travels on the road, while still providing good protection.

    ¡°Of course. I have a few tricks for spoiling a raid by night that may be of help.¡± Adalvald raised a hand, a red ember glowing in it.

    ¡°I hope we don¡¯t have need of them. Master Mage, Champion, I should be getting back to the Jarl¡¯s side.¡± Jorman gave a respectful half bow before tapping his horse in the flanks. That left Riga, Adalvald, and Hania still around me. Jori was on Lodor¡¯s sled, the young noble had taken a liking to the reclusive scholar and had a barrage of questions for him.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t mention what the vampire was really after.¡± I noted to Adalvald.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t seem relevant. The beast was serving two masters, his true work wasn¡¯t to the necromancers here. I have kept my studies a closely guarded secret, even from other Vigilants. If you deem it that the locals need to know¡­¡± Adalvald deferred to me. It still struck me as odd. He was far more experienced, but I was the one that had been chosen.

    ¡°No, they probably don¡¯t need to know that part. Small town gossip means it wouldn¡¯t stay a secret for long. Have you come up with any plans on how to deal with the problem?¡±

    ¡°Jori¡¯s first response was the best in my opinion. Seize the tomes and destroy them, hunt down any copies or journals detailing further study and burn them too. I understand that Tolfdir asked Jori to return any stolen property, but we cannot take that risk.¡± Adalvald spoke the same that I¡¯d thought my self. If the College wanted their books back, they should have gone looking themselves.

    ¡°Finders keepers. If the vampires get their hands on the original tomes, we¡¯ll be in deep trouble. The only thing that keeps necromancers from raising up entire armies is the fact that the strongest undead tend to fall apart. Draugr-like undead roaming the land is a recipe for disaster.¡± That was what the vampire had been after, the tomes that the Mer Kin had stolen from the vaults of the college.

    They were deep studies into the nature and creation of the draugr, and how to replicate them. Preventing the rot and decay of a corpse, and retaining some degree of intelligence, was difficult magic to put it mildly. Gronvir had been capable of using the magic he held in life, and aside from looking ghoulish, was almost completely intact upon rising. It wasn¡¯t as simple as the crude forms of necromancy, a spell channeled into the hand and flung at a corpse. The draugr had been ritually sacrificed, or buried, sworn to the service of their priest. The vampire had speculated it was the willingness that made the binding between servant and master so strong.

    ¡°Agreed. The ability of vampires to make thralls is bad enough, they can be broken from their trance. I have never yet known a draugr to be freed from their slavery by any other means than outright destruction.¡± Adalvald grimaced at the thought. Vampiric thralls couldn¡¯t persist through the ages to serve their master after a thousand years had passed. A Vampire that could go into hiding with an army, only to reappear at the head of their host would be a never-ending threat.

    ¡°We have a good idea where those tomes might be though. Yngdaril was the barrow you suspected, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Hania asked. Jori had narrowed down the search area for the barrow quite well, and a marker for it had appeared on my magic map. I had a plan to disguise the near perfect navigation in the works too.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Once we smash the bandits against the river, we¡¯re turning back to the northwest to clear the place out. The prisoners we can take should be able to give us the location for the other barrow, south of the mountains. Then we¡¯ll be rid of these bastards for good.¡± If everything went according to my plan, or at least close to it, every one of the Mer Kin would have their head on a spike by the end of next week.

    ¡°Stendarr willing.¡± Hania smiled, raising her amulet to her forehead.

    ¡°His champion walks with us, I¡¯d say that¡¯s a clear sign.¡± Riga leaned over the sled to pat my hand. Hania didn¡¯t say anything, but I noticed the corner of her lip curl up.

    The rest of the day¡¯s march was a boring affair. Snow, ice, more snow, more ice, passing mountains, whistling wind, marching feet, clanking armor, even more ice and snow. Tents were raised, fires lit, stew pots set to simmer, cold sentry dug outs covered with white tarps as the sun set. My company had taken the southern side of camp, with the interest of keeping our dogs between the sleeping men and the most obvious avenue for an attack. I¡¯d sent two dog teams each to the other three sides of camp, hoping that their hearing and sense of smell would spoil any approach that evaded Adalvald¡¯s protections.

    The Vigilants had drawn alarm lines in the snow a few hundred yards out. If an undead crossed them, they would shoot up magelights to warn the sentries. Ice wraiths, wolves, trolls, and living men could cross them unmolested, but Riga and I had laid a field of rune traps just inside the line. If anything hit the runes, the crackling noise and bright flash would sound the alarm just as well.

    The other three sides weren¡¯t as well protected, but we¡¯d extended the minefield out to catch a pretty wide front. They¡¯d dissipate by midday tomorrow, so we weren¡¯t leaving anything behind for an unfortunate hunter to find with his feet. At dinner I sat with my company, listening to the men tell stories and sing the occasional song. A few men from the other contingents came around to listen to the daring tales Adalvald had to share. My favorite was one that he and Jori had handled.

    They¡¯d been called upon by the villagers of Rorikstead, who believed a werewolf was stalking out of mountains to attack the village at night. Terrible yells, howling roars, claw marks on the sides of their homes, it had tormented the village for five nights. Jori and Adalvald tracked the beast back to a hollow in the mountains, and opted to go in at first light, when it would be sleeping. Instead of finding a werewolf, they found a juvenile bear, and the remains of rucksack. Shattered vials were littered around the place, leaving a distinct scent in the air.

    The bear had attacked a Khajit caravan, judging by what they found in the ruck, and stolen a bag full of skooma. The bear had broken a few vials open, drank the drug, and gotten itself addicted. Of course, when it ran out of skooma, it started having withdrawls. The bear was smart enough to connect the vials to people, and started searching the nearby village for more. Adalvald was able to use his healing magic to set the bear right, and went back to the town. The house that had been worst damaged turned out to be a skooma den.

    The men had roared with laughter at the tale, some cursed the Khajits and their drugs. I slipped away to the line of dugouts as the men settled in to sleep. Angven and Harald were talking quietly with each other when I slid inside.

    ¡°Boss.¡± Both the men nodded to me as I came to sit on the floor of the dugout.

    ¡°How¡¯re things? Can you see alright?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Moons are bright tonight, the snow reflects it pretty well. We¡¯ll see everything coming a long time before they can sneak up on us. The fires in the camp are a nice distraction too.¡± Angven nodded to the bonfire the Jarl had ordered built. Rather than backlight the line of sentries, it was bright enough to ruin the night vision of anyone looking towards the camp.

    ¡°Good to hear. Make sure you get some sleep tonight, share the shift. If it gets too cold in here, trade out with one of the sentries at the edge of camp. They¡¯re sitting with their backs to a fire.¡± It wouldn¡¯t do for any of my men to freeze to death out here.

    ¡°Thank you, Champion.¡± Harald nodded, he was a bit stiff around me. I hadn¡¯t spoken with him much before, and now I was an agent of the divine. Angven and Anglin had only gotten a touch more formal. Hopefully I could find a happy middle ground between zealous fanatics and casual conversation with the men that¡¯d chosen to follow me. Respectful deference suited me just fine, but I didn¡¯t necessarily want a cult of righteous crusaders following my word as gospel. That was something I hadn''t thought about too much before enacting my little miracle.

    ¡°Keep your eyes sharp, and if you see something, don¡¯t hesitate to sound off. I¡¯m going to check down the line.¡± I patted Harald on the shoulder and slipped back out of their hole. It was the same with the rest. Don¡¯t freeze, keep one man awake, and don¡¯t be afraid to raise an alarm. I¡¯d rather wake up the camp than find a horde of skeletons slitting our throats in the night.

    Once I¡¯d finished my rounds with the sentries, I headed for my tent. The way we¡¯d set things, sled crews would share them, so I wasn¡¯t exactly surprised to find Riga sitting by the fire outside. Hania sitting next to her did surprise me, especially with the fact that they were both smiling. I wandered into the firelight, behind Riga, and motioned for Hania to be quiet. To her credit, she didn¡¯t give me away. Riga kept prattling along.

    ¡°...I¡¯ve learned a ton in just a week! A week at the college and I feel like I¡¯ve learned a years worth of magic studying on my own. When did you£­ AH!¡± I had leaned in very close behind Riga, to the point that my breathing had startled her. She hadn¡¯t just been learning from the College, she spun around with her dagger almost fast enough to stick me with it. Almost. I caught the girl¡¯s hand as it was coming up, a grin on my face. The palm into my ribs was the part I hadn¡¯t expected, the lightning in the palm, rather. There was a brief crackle as my legs tried to buckle, and my weight came forwards onto Riga. There was an ¡®Eeek!¡¯ that came from a disputable source, obviously a champion would never make such a sound.

    ¡°Johannessss.¡± Riga grumbled as she propped me up. Hania grabbed me by the arm and took most of the weight, standing me back up on my still wobbly legs.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting quicker.¡± I managed to hiss out the words, electric tingles still radiating out from where I¡¯d been zapped.

    ¡°And you¡¯re getting dumber, sneaking up on me like that.¡± Riga wanted to hold her scowl, but couldn¡¯t. Hania had a grin a mile wide.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try that trick with me, Champion.¡± She tapped her plated knuckles to the steel on her thigh. Gauntlets were a weapon all on their own.

    ¡°I¡¯m dumb, but not that dumb yet.¡± I agreed as I found a seat next to the fire.

    ¡°Are you sure about that? You have gotten thrown around by two trolls so far.¡± Riga smirked. She had me there.

    ¡°Hania¡¯s a lot more dangerous than a troll. You are too, came as a bit of a shock to realize that.¡± We sat around talking for about half an hour before I called it a night. I tucked my self into the corner of the tent, head away from the flap. Riga was less picky about her position. She had an easy time of getting out of her armor, just the vest and padded leggings. It was only a short ordeal to strip my self out of the new set. It buckled together for the most part, and split open like a clam shell to pull the torso and shoulder plates off. A side effect of putting the torso buckles in places the enemy would have a hard time reaching was that it was damn near impossible to take the armor off by my self. The arms were a bit tricky, but the legs I could do my self. The straps and ties for the chainmail sections weren¡¯t so bad once I got the gauntlets off.

    ¡°For as much as the ice and snow really sucks, I¡¯d rather wear that armor in this than somewhere like Hammerfell.¡± I commented once I¡¯d gotten the last pieces off. I¡¯d need a proper squire soon enough. Riga¡¯s help was welcome, but felt inappropriate. Sharing a tent did too, but it hadn¡¯t seemed like a good idea to suggest Hania and Riga share before.

    ¡°I almost don¡¯t believe that a great desert could be just over the Druadachs.¡± Riga put a name to the western range that I hadn¡¯t been able to remember.

    ¡°Hammerfell isn¡¯t all desert. Most of it is actually forests, jungles, and grassland, especially on the border. At least a thousand miles to the next desert from here. You know you live in a desert too, just a cold one.¡± Riga started to say something, stopped, then started again.

    ¡°Deserts have sand.¡±

    ¡°No, deserts don¡¯t have rain. How often does it rain here?¡± That stumped Riga. She was smart, but things like that weren¡¯t taught on a farm, or at the college. It also put her to sleep thinking about it, and I joined swiftly behind her. We had a long few days ahead of us, and I intended to get as much sleep as I could.

 Chapter Twenty Four: Howling Dark

    ¡°Kai, how¡¯re the scouts doing?¡± I looked over some of the riders behind him. They looked a bit worse for wear. Dried blood painted their armor, and two horses dragged wrapped riders behind them.

    ¡°We¡¯ve had better patrols. We thought we¡¯d put the bandits behind us. They killed two sentries just before dawn, bastards disappeared back into the mountains before we could chase them. They tried ambushing us again on the way down the mountains, we caught four of them.¡± Kai tossed me a bag, he¡¯d taken their heads. Losing two of our experienced riders wasn¡¯t great, but the Jarl had brought up more cavalry than we expected. We still had more mounted power than we¡¯d originally planned to.

    ¡°Any sign that they kept on you? I know it isn¡¯t easy to hide on the ice plains.¡± I looked out at the horizon. The trail that the horses had left could be seen for miles.

    ¡°Left a hook for them in the forest, but none followed. I take it that means they¡¯ve joined the main host.¡± Kai spat on the ice. I could hear the distant clomping of horses coming up from the infantry column. Kai hid a scowl as he saw them, he''d not been impressed by Korir so far.

    ¡°Jarl.¡± The stormcloak dipped his head.

    ¡°Kai, what happened?¡± The Jarl nodded towards the bodies, Kai explained again.

    ¡°What of the main host of bandits? Are they still in the mountains?¡±

    ¡°They couldn¡¯t have made much ground, a few miles at best. We¡¯ll beat them to the river by a full day if we ride now. Toban counted sixty bandits, five in robes.¡± Kai cocked his head back to the man on his right, a grizzled looking nord with a frozen gash on his arm. Something told me that he¡¯d turn down any offer of healing with a line like ¡®I ain¡¯t bleeding, am I?¡¯

    ¡°Sixty five afoot for thirty mounted, easy pickings.¡± The Jarl counted those on horse back.

    ¡°Seventy mounted, eighty once we meet with Kalor, Jarl. The sleds aren¡¯t fit for a charge, but they are fast.¡± Jorman respectfully corrected the man. Korir forced himself to look over my sled, and the rest of the screen that had met Kai¡¯s scouts.

    ¡°Eighty, if they were to be with us. Champion, I¡¯ve been considering our options. You and your lot have been harping on about the dangers of the necromancers being left to their own devices in the barrows. Your plan to track one of these scum to their hole is a sound one, with a flaw.¡± The Jarl had a very smug look on his face. Smug looks and incompetence very rarely went well together.

    ¡°And that would be?¡±

    ¡°If we let one get away to lead us to the crypt, they¡¯ll be ready and waiting. You yourself admitted that part of the difficulty in your attack against the vampire was the fact that he was ready for you.¡± The Jarl did have a point there.

    ¡°My plan would have seen us descend on Yngdaril the moment we knew where it was. Jori¡¯s studies suggest that ruins of it still stand above the ice. The necromancer wouldn¡¯t make it to the doors. Unless you think they¡¯re fast enough to outrun an Ice Wolf.¡± I pointed to Karliene. I¡¯d already accounted for the failings of my first plan. Speed, surprise, and violence were the key to storming a fortified position. There was no way around the problem of a frontal assault, but that was just the way of things with the barrows. Unless a battalion of sappers were to mystically appear in my lap, the front door was the only option.

    ¡°All the same, I think it would be better if we tried to attack both at the same time. You¡¯ve proven yourself capable in finding those who would like to stay hidden, I¡¯m sure you can manage without being led by the hand.¡± The Jarl was trying to get rid of me. I knew why, and from his perspective, it was perfectly reasonable. His perspective was that of an arrogant, incompetent, desperate fool, but I could understand it. If I partook in the charge, and it was successful, I would get the credit because I planned it. The Jarl needed a win here, one that he could claim without issue.

    ¡°Jarl, that wasn¡¯t the plan. I need your cavalry to screen the area around the barrow, otherwise there is a real risk that some of them escape. If I have to leave half my force outside on sleds, we¡¯re only going in twenty strong.¡± It was better than the dozen I¡¯d had on the coast, but we¡¯d only expected a single mage there. We had no idea how many were inside Yngdaril, how many guards they would have, if the draugr had been pacified the same way. There were too many unknowns to go changing the plan that I had carefully thought out with Kai.

    ¡°That also doesn¡¯t leave us with an escape Jarl. The sleds were meant to put pressure on the bandits after our charge. Lancers don¡¯t stand and fight, they charge and retreat. Without some sort of diversion, they¡¯ll have thirty seconds or more to shoot us in the back.¡± Kai was doing his best to stay respectful, but the growing growl in his words could be heard. The Jarl wouldn¡¯t hear it.

    ¡°Mounted men have always been worth five times their number! Countless battles were won by a small cavalry force routing thousands of the enemy, I think we can handle twice our number in brigands.¡± That broke Kai¡¯s patience.

    ¡°Small, elite bands of experienced cavalry atop warhorses, yes! Not a handful of half trained riders on saddle horses and whatever armor we could scavenge! How¡¯s this for history, during the battle for the Imperial City, can you tell me what happened to the Second Legion¡¯s lancers?¡± Kai¡¯s anger made him honest, and his men didn¡¯t take offense to any of it. The war with the Imperials hadn¡¯t started yet, this would likely be their first real charge in combat. The blunt rebuttal had caught the Jarl offguard.

    ¡°They charged the Thalmor center, and carved a swathe through them, one of the fe£­¡± Kai cut the Jarl off.

    ¡°They were butchered! The Imperial infantry faltered when Thalmor skirmishers cut them off. The best riders in the Empire were killed to a man when those same Thalmor skirmishers shot their horses out from under them! That is what happens to a poorly supported charge in the day light! We expect them to make their crossing in the night! How are we to see them and plan our approach without the Champion¡¯s night eye ring? Without his mages to shoot lights in front of them as we begin our charge? How are we going to stop their mages from lighting us on fire? Would you risk the lives of our entire force simply to put your name on a victory that wouldn¡¯t be needed if you had done your damn duties before now?¡± Kai wasn¡¯t this Jarl¡¯s man, and Korir had fucked himself so thoroughly that there wasn¡¯t much to be lost in humiliating him at this point, from Kai¡¯s perspective at least. A better Jarl would have drawn his sword, and challenged Kai to an honor duel right there. The thought probably crossed Korir¡¯s mind, his hand tensed on the reins of his horse, but he probably also realized he would lose.

    ¡°That¡¯s settled then, we¡¯ll stick to the plan.¡± I nodded to Kai, and started to whistle to the dogs.

    ¡°Johannes! You swore an oath to serve as my first ranger, and you have not been relieved of it! Your loose words I could forgive, your call to my soldiers, I could forgive, but this will not stand! You will do as I command!¡± The Jarl was bellowing for everyone to hear, his voice would echo across the ice for miles. It surprised me. He was right, I just hadn¡¯t expected him to have the balls to call me on it. Jorman looked incredibly uncomfortable, shifting in his saddle.

    ¡°You damned fool. Johannes could challenge you for your seat here and now and not a man in the entire hold would question him for it.¡± Kai was angrier than I was, and seemed to be on the verge of fighting the Jarl himself. Jorman trotted his horse forwards, trying to put himself between the two before a blade could be drawn. I held up my hand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want his seat. The Jarl needs to lead his people to victory. I did swear an oath to the Jarl, to be his ranger and follow his orders, but I had a condition to that oath. I was to be allowed to fulfill my duties as I see fit. You can honor that oath and not change the plan I¡¯ve come up with, or break the terms of it, and I¡¯ll ride in behind your charge anyways. You can have your glories Jarl, I¡¯ve made plenty of my own.¡± Korir was discovering new shades of red and purple at the words, but I had him in a bind. Ten seconds felt like ten years.

    ¡°So be it! After this affair is done¡­¡± The Jarl left the other words to hang. There¡¯d be a reckoning, a price to pay, something something, I¡¯d need to find somewhere else to live. If both of us survived. The Jarl turned on his horse and joined back with the infantry column, as did the rest of his retinue. Hemjar was the last to turn, and he was giving me the same look that he¡¯d given Malur before torturing him to death.

    Thirty Six Hours Later

    ¡°I count seven wagons, make it eighty men. No idea on mages or not. No undead. Even numbers¡­¡± I whispered to Angven. Kai¡¯s scouts had caught up to the bandits three hours before, and shadowed them until they were five miles from the river. The men would have to disembark from the wagons when they got to the river or they¡¯d risk plunging a whole dozen men into the frigid waters if a wagon sunk.

    Eighty of us were hiding on the backslope of a low ridge, watching the twinkling torch lights move across a moonlight blue plain. Adalvald and Hania were going to be at the very head of the charge, ready to throw blinding lights in the faces of the bandits. They were much more practiced than I was, and assured me they could make all the light go one direction. The lancers would skewer as many as they could, then break off to clear a lane for my sleds. We¡¯d start our charge first, but on the far right flank, turn ninety degrees left, and deliver a minute long broadside down our single file line of battle.

    We had twenty nine sleds now that Kalor had joined us, twenty four had come for the charge, and a few were loaded with two passengers. The other five sleds were with the infantry, hauling supplies and keeping dog teams to protect the camp. Our best archers, and all the mages, were in shooter positions. My rough math said that we¡¯d fire off a little over three hundred arrows on our pass, who knew how many spells. If a fifth of the arrows hit their marks, the bandits would be shattered, not counting magic or the ones that the lancers killed.

    ¡°The ford is just a mile off from there. See the rise?¡± Kai was belly down next to me.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Split Tree Rise, this is Split Tree Ford. The ford is just before the hill. I¡¯ll break my lancers off to the left, around the hill, and come back around for another pass if I think we could survive it. We won¡¯t have lances, but an axe from horseback will kill a man all the same.¡± Kai hashed out the specifics we¡¯d left vague.

    ¡°Good plan. If we kill a lot of them in the first run, I¡¯ll circle my dog teams back around, dismount, and lead an infantry push from the right flank. We¡¯ll catch them between our shields and your horses.¡± I agreed.

    The first charge.

    ¡°What will be the signal for a second charge? You¡¯ll be in a better position to see them when we need to decide.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send up a green flare for you to line up your charge, but if you see a red flare, break it off before you meet them. Hania, did you hear that?¡± I whispered to the woman sitting slightly down the slope.

    ¡°I heard you. I¡¯ll respond when I see your light. Same color?¡± I nodded to the woman.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be good. We have half a mile of open ground between us and the bandits. I¡¯ll let you call the charge Kai, keep it subtle. The later they hear us, the better it is.¡± I patted the Stormcloak on the shoulder, and started back for my sled. Karliene could smell the fight coming, she was getting antsy.

    We waited in nervous silence for what felt like half an hour, but really couldn¡¯t have been anymore than five minutes. Kai came running down the hillside, jumped onto his horse, and let out a wolf howl. The accuracy was uncanny, Karliene, Icefoot, and all the other dogs went rigid for a moment, then it was a chorus effort.

    AWWOOOOOOOOOOOO!

    So much for subtlety¡­ AWOOOOOOOOOO!

    Kai had been right to howl, the bandits were running around in a panic as our baying wolves sounded off. All they would be able to see was a tremendous snow flurry rising across the darkness. My sleds were in a double column to start, we¡¯d do our best to merge in the turn. Kai¡¯s cavalry were riding hard across the light snow cover, lances ten feet high held ready, banners dancing, hooves stomping, men and dogs howling. A bolt of flame struck out from the wagons, and met a blue shield five feet ahead of the riders. Two bolts, three, four, seven, ten, the necromancers had gathered their wits and started shooting. Half of the bolts were caught, a lot of them missed, but two riders had gone to the ground in smoldering heaps. Returning fire struck back as Adalvald narrowed in on the wagon that most of the spells had come from. A fireball three times as large blistered the air to answer, the wagon burst into an inferno. Three flaming pillars ran out of it, screaming their last to an uncaring night.

    Let¡¯em fucking burn.

    The bandits that had taken cover around the wagons broke, terrified that their wagon would be next. They were blinded by a series of floodlights suddenly turning on in front of them, bathing the whole scene in golden radiance. The lancers lowered their weapons for the final approach. More spells flew both ways. Crackling thunder burst out from behind one wagon, answering flames rendered it to a funeral pyre. A cluster of eight men were running for the river. Four riders ran them down first, skewering, trampling, and slashing at the bandits. None of the eight made it to the river.

    On the other side, I could see a brilliant battle of magic raging near the lead wagon. I whistled my dogs left, it was time for us to turn in and add our own might. A ward went up in time to catch a mighty bolt of lightning, the resulting flash was blinding in it¡¯s own right. Three wagons were burning now, and the horses attached to the rest hadn¡¯t waited around to find out if they were next. It was utter chaos by the time I¡¯d brought Riga into range. Dying men, panicking horses, blood thirsty oaths, lightning, fire, it was every bit of the intensity of the worst memories I had.

    ¡°RIGA! BURN THE WAGONS! NO ESCAPE!¡± I called over the auditory onslaught. I wasn¡¯t sure if she heard me, but a group of bandits were trying to climb into the back of a wagon that hadn¡¯t gotten moving too fast yet. Riga put up both of her hands, and unleashed a jet of flame like I¡¯d never seen before. Skin, fat, hair, fingernails, eyes, it all melted under magical flames, but she was melting their chainmail into their charring, splintering bones. One man tried to dive out of the wagon. The image of his flopping, fleshless arm seared itself into my memory, as did the arrow catching him in the lungs a second later.

    There was a howl of pain from somewhere behind me, a dog had been hit. Arrows started whistling for us, the surviving bandits tried to put up some kind of defense. They were caught in the open now, the wagons gone and the river at their backs. A throng of them were right at the shore, archers hiding behind a shabby shield wall. They should have kept running.

    ¡°Sweep their legs out from under them!¡± I called out to the sleds behind me. I saw Angven draw back, and one of the men with a shield fell a second later. There were too many arrows flying back and forth to say for sure, but I¡¯d chock it up to the young hunter. A moment later there was another fireball, less impressive but every bit as deadly. It slammed into the ground just before the bandits, tongues of flame ripping between their legs. Half a dozen of them immediately lit up and abandoned their positions. That tore the formation, the hole let dozens of arrows through. I started to turn my company around for another pass, There were only thirty or so bandits left.

    No magic came out at us from the now running bandits, either the mages were dead, spent, or smart enough not to single themselves out. We stopped our sleds fifty yards from the bandits, the archers shooting down the slow ones. I sent a green flare up and grabbed my axe.

    A green flare answered, I could hear horses charging down the hill. I got a good look at them before they slammed into the bandits, and it didn¡¯t look good. A third of the riders had been killed or at least knocked off their horses in the first charge. What was left of the bandit mob was running for their lives, out towards the water. Some of them might make it knee deep before something caught them. Most of them wouldn¡¯t.

    The bandits stopped and tried to form a line when they saw the horses coming back in for them, a few had spears from what I could see. Lightning and fire broke on their shields, horses drove men into the ground as they fell on them, steel shone and flashed in the light. The passengers on our sleds hit the ground running, blades and magic ready, the drivers turned our dogs away back to safety, save for four great beasts. Karliene, Icefoot, Siga and Torgis had their harnesses undone, the four siblings forming a pack in the middle of our line. Jorn and Lodor would get their money¡¯s worth from the hounds they¡¯d bought.

    We managed a somewhat coherent charge into the maelstrom, thirty or so dismounts formed a wedge behind the wolves. I¡¯d ended up on the far right side of it. I could hear Jorn barking out commands from the point, he¡¯d been in the middle of the line. We crashed into the rear of the bandits as they were still trying to fight off the stragglers of the horseman. Some of them had noticed us, and broke for the river. I caught one of those men in the neck, having gone wide.

    The bandit saw me, and raised his arm like he had a weapon or shield to block with. His ice and mud stained sleeve quickly turned crimson, the axe blade kept on going. The other bandits heard his shriek, turned to look at me, and tapped into the last bit of strength they had. If it¡¯d only been me, they might have gotten away. The twins had been near the head of the line when I brought us back around, and both saw easy prey. Angven and Anglin had their bows, and went about their job dutifully. Routing bandits fell on their way to the water, full of arrows. I went for the fighting core of the bandit line, a dozen or so were still standing.

    Jorn and his contingent were battering down the center of the bandits by the second, Gromm had started moving to encircle them on the right. I ran past the far side of the Icehome men and finished the pincer. Lodor, Jori, and the Seacrest men had gone around the left. A bandit threw down his sword in front of me, and sank to his knees. They¡¯d had a long time to desert the necromancers, and there were plenty of wounded ones strewn about already. The bandit caught a running kick to the face, Grimvald pounced on him before I could bring my axe down. A second bandit tried to put a sword in Grimvald¡¯s back, but was forced to defend himself as the spear point of my axe drove for his face. I knocked his weapon aside and hooked my axe on the back of his shoulder, dragging him down into the muck. His leathers didn¡¯t stand much a chance when I dropped my weight through the axe blade, into his ribs. I came up face to face with Jorn, both of us halfway through a strike.

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    ¡°Stop! Stop fighting! We got them all!¡± Jorn and I both started yelling before we could have a serious friendly fire incident. Two men had to be pulled off each other, a vigilant and one of Jorn¡¯s new guys. After they were seperated, and we checked that no bandits were sneaking off, the fight was won.

    ¡°That was a fucking slaughter.¡± The noise had died down. A crackling wagon, groans and moans of the dying, the screams as we finished them off, the soothing voices of the vigilants picking out our own wounded and doing their best to heal them.

    ¡°Bandits aren¡¯t soldiers. If they¡¯d organized a spear wall, there¡¯d be a lot more of us on the ground.¡± Jorn pulled his sword out of crispy corpse.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. ANYONE SEE A MAGE? WE NEED ONE ALIVE!¡± I called out to the soldiers. I wanted one of the fuckers. An answering call came up near the river¡¯s edge, where Kai had finished off the last set of runners.

    ¡°Got one here Champion! He¡¯s breathing!¡± It was Grimvald and the Seacrest men hauling him over. Grimvald offered a bag.

    ¡°Had this on him, cradling it. Must be important.¡± I took the pouch and dug through it. Tomes, journals, a sack of coins, a knife, a glowing soul gem, a spare robe, rations, some rings and other jewelry¡­ valuable stuff.

    ¡°Bind his hands. You, check him for weapons, quick.¡± I reached down to my belt, and the very special dagger I had there. The mage had been slashed across the back, shot twice, but he had a few more seconds, especially with how the cold slowed down the bleeding. Once the mage was bound, I cast just enough healing magic to bring him back around.

    ¡°Hey fucker. You with me?¡± I backhanded him hard.

    ¡°Kill me! Kill me you craven whoreson!¡± The mage spat blood back at me. I¡¯d done this song and dance before.

    ¡°Grimvald, I think our friend here needs some water.¡± We took him under the arms, and put him on his knees in front of the river.

    ¡°Grimvald, you grew up by the sea. What¡¯d they say about drowning? Bad way to die?¡±

    ¡°Terrible. It takes long enough that you can think about it the whole way down, so it goes from the few that survived. The salt in the water burns your lungs, you can push it out at first, then you get too deep.¡± Grimvald kicked the mage face first into the river and held his head under a booted heel. The mage didn¡¯t make any bubbles at first, he was holding his breath. I kicked him hard in the ribs, that made bubbles, or screams. We hadn¡¯t taken the arrows out of his back. I let the mage stay down for twenty seconds, struggling.

    ¡°Let him up. Alright mage, I¡¯m going to ask you one more time nicely. Are you with me?¡± The mage didn¡¯t say anything. I grabbed him by the shoulder, and pulled him out into the water farther, just above my ankles.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you ever learned water breathing, did you? You could really fuckin¡¯ use it right about now.¡± I¡¯d drawn my mace out, and slammed him in the stomach with it. Grimvald didn¡¯t need any prompting, he kicked the mage forwards and held his head completely under the water. That ice cold clarity had to be a real bitch when you were drowning. The mage started to weaken after about forty five seconds.

    ¡°Let him up. Hey, are we having fun yet? Or do I need to start cutting fingers off? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a slaughterfish or two around. They really love the soft parts. Nice pointy ears like you¡¯ve got, they¡¯ll come sprinting. Swimming. Swinting?¡± I looked to Grimvald. He didn¡¯t make a sound, but he had a dumb grin to match the dumb joke.

    ¡°This is fun to you, dog? Laugh when your home burns, when the dead march!¡± The mage was having a chuckle of his own.

    ¡°About that, see, we already burned Yngdaril. Nasty fight to take the place, I¡¯ll give you sick fuckers your due, but we took it. Even got the Helm of Winterhold too. Did you dumb bastards even realize what you had?¡± Gambling had never seemed like a good idea, but it certainly paid tonight.

    ¡°Lies!¡± Desperation and rage mingled in his voice.

    ¡°Nope, but see, there is one thing we need from you. There¡¯s a barrow south of the mountains that some of your friends might still be hiding in. If you tell me where that barrow is, exactly, I¡¯ll cut you loose, and I won¡¯t send the dogs after you for one hour. Crossing the river, no blood trail, it¡¯d take them a while to catch your scent. You make it to Morrowind before we catch you, and you¡¯re gone, I¡¯m not going into your territory.¡± The mage was a dunmer, with a bag full of tomes. I wasn¡¯t counting my chickens yet, but I¡¯d say there was a damn good chance we scored big.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Yngdaril is the only barrow.¡± That earned him another minute under water.

    ¡°Hey! Go get a few bandits and keep them alive! Look for well off ones, good armor!¡± I yelled back to Grimvald¡¯s men. They took off running, we probably didn¡¯t have much of a supply left when it came to dying bandits. If he wanted to keep playing dumb, I''d get it out of the bandit chiefs.

    ¡°Alright, I know for a fact that you have a barrow south of the mountains. I¡¯ve gotten that out of five different prisoners, none of them were prompted for it. I¡¯m going to ask you one more time, politely, before that offer about Morrowind expires. Then we get to decide how horribly you die. Where is the barrow? You lie, you¡¯ll be screaming next week.¡± The dunmer almost took too long, but when he did speak, it was calm and collected.

    ¡°Half a day south of some village, Mountain¡¯s Seat I believe. There¡¯s a rock formation in a large clearing between the mountains. It isn¡¯t a rock, it¡¯s a ruined statue. Around the base you¡¯ll be able to see dragon runes. West from the statue there¡¯s three peaks, walk towards the middle peak. It leads into a valley, there¡¯s a goat trail rising up the right side, take it and double back two thirds of the way up the mountain. You¡¯ll see a stone cairn there, and a cave to your north. The barrow is inside. Now live up to your deal.¡± We¡¯d scored big. Either the dunmer had told the truth and consigned his compatriots to death, or we¡¯d come up with a very smart, very creative one, who¡¯s name rhymed with Vivec. I was leaning towards the latter.

    ¡°One last thing, if it clears, I will cut you loose.¡± I wasn¡¯t lying to him. I¡¯d give him a running start, but he wasn¡¯t making it to Morrowind, not with the twins and the wolves on his ass. Grimvald and I hauled him back to the scene of the massacre, a dozen bodies were being wrapped up.

    ¡°Who¡¯d we lose?¡± I asked Tolin, the guard rode with Korir¡¯s party. He¡¯d had his back to me, but his face contorted into a rage when he saw the prisoner.

    ¡°BASTARD! YOU KILLED MY COUSIN!¡± Tolin lunged for the dunmer, open handed thankfully. Grimvald jumped between us, the bigger man held the guard back long enough for a few others to help.

    ¡°I¡¯LL STRING YOU UP BY YOUR INTESTINES YOU KNIFE EARED, GOD SLAYING £­!¡± Tolin was dragged away howling. Hania came by to see what was going on.

    ¡°Hania, where¡¯s Jori?¡± The Dunmer went stiff in my hands for half a second, and I¡¯d made a mistake. His hands were bound, but I was behind him. A gout of flame roared between us, breaking on my armor. It only hit me for a second or so before I got my ward up, but that was enough. Milek was trying for a runner, the ropes binding him were on fire, and a healing spell was going in his hands.

    ¡°SHOOT HIM! SHOOT THAT FUCKER! DON¡¯T LET HIM GET AWAY!¡± I looked around for a weapon suited to throwing, but came up dry.

    Twang

    The arrow arced up, back down, and hit the elf in the thigh. He went to ground hard, rolling in the snow. My best, most beautiful bitch in the whole wide world was on him a second later. Karliene had hold of his arm, and looked fit to tear it right off. The other arm was a problem. Milek raised a fist full of lightning, there was nothing I could do.

    Twang

    The fist was nailed to his neck, along with all the lightning it held.

    Bzzzzt!

    AREEK!

    ¡°Karliene!¡± The dog went down with him, twitching. Hania was there a second later, the woman had been hot on the elf¡¯s heels. I expected her to drive her sword into the elf¡¯s neck, but she went to the dog first. That freed up my hands. Others were right on me, Jori included, but that bastard had crossed a line. I slid onto the elf, dagger in one hand, black gem in the other.

    ¡°Meet your masters!¡± The steel blade punched straight through his neck, into the bone, and out the other side of his spine. Milek tried to scream something just before he met the blade, but I only caught gurgles. A second thrust into his throat, a third, a fourth up through the mouth and into the bottom of his skull, a fifth into the eye socket, and a great purple light filled the gem.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with my dogs!¡± I put a few more holes in him afterwards, I lost count. Jori, Riga, and Anglin had to pull me off of the butchered corpse. It took a few moments before I was back with it. Hania was still knelt over Karliene. The wolf¡¯s tail was wagging, but she had a nasty scorch around her muzzle.

    ¡°Will she make it?¡± It was the only thing I was concerned with. My dagger was still stuck in Milek¡¯s corpse, but my right hand found my mace.

    ¡°She¡¯ll have a bad scar there under her eye, and she shouldn¡¯t pull a sled for a while, but Karliene will be fine.¡± Hania didn¡¯t look away from her work. A purple glow drew my attention. I¡¯d dropped the soul gem when the others wrestled me off the corpse.

    ¡°Johannes, where¡¯d you get that?¡± Jori asked as I stooped down to pick it up.

    ¡°My cut of the barrow loot. The vampire had three of them, two filled. This makes three. I won¡¯t ask you to do the work with them. That¡¯s Milek, isn¡¯t it?¡± I pointed to the corpse.

    ¡°It is. We got Calus, Viren, Ramoth, and a nord I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s four of the Mer Kin. One more at Yngdaril, one more south of the mountains¡­¡± Jori trailed off, but there was a real glimmer in his eyes. We were winning, and we were winning hard and fast. There weren¡¯t any survivors to lead us to Yngdaril, but Milek was too dangerous, too wiley. We¡¯d be on them in the morning anyways, courtesy of the magic map.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be dead this time next week. Where¡¯s Kai?¡± I called out for the Stormcloak twice before a troop of horsemen rode out of the dark.

    ¡°Champion. Saw you going after the elf with that dagger.¡± Kai nodded to the body.

    ¡°I need him drawn and quartered. You have horses, I have rope.¡± I pulled the loops off my belt. Kai¡¯s smile always had a tinge of malicious intent, mostly the work of a scar. This time, it was real.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have him in pieces.¡±

    ¡°Keep the head, take it to Jarl Ulfric. He¡¯ll get a kick out of it I think.¡±

    ¡°More than a kick. Are you committing to us?¡± Kai sounded hopeful.

    ¡°No. Kai, I agree with Ulfric on many things, but theres another war boiling up under all of this. Listen to the Vigilants.¡± I wanted to say more, but I couldn¡¯t. It didn¡¯t help that there was no sure thing about the truth behind Ulfric¡¯s motives. Religious freedom, power hunger, a Thalmor agent? The damned elves were no slouches with magic, and the magic did exist to enthrall someone. The vampires were proof enough for that.

    ¡°Stuhn lays your path. When you win your war, join us.¡± Kai had stepped off his horse, and patted my shoulder.

    ¡°Mine¡¯s a war without end, unless you know a convenient way to erase necromancy from existing.¡± Kai shook his head.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t say that I do, but we¡¯ll put a dent in it. The filth will think twice before coming to these lands from here on. Go on Champion, others probably have need of you.¡± Kai turned me away as he set to the task I¡¯d asked of him. I found a seat on my sled, Hania walked Karliene over to me a while later. Icefoot and the other wolves trailed behind.

    ¡°Take it easy on her, she¡¯ll be back to normal in a few days.¡± Hania patted the dog as she curled up next to me on the sled. Hania found a seat on the other side.

    ¡°Thank you, Karliene was the first friend I made here.¡± I scratched the dog between the ears. She had a spiderweb scar wrapping around her muzzle, down below the left eye.

    ¡°She¡¯s a strong beast, a good friend to have.¡± Hania reached over to scratch Karliene¡¯s chin. The wolf was far too large to be a lap dog, but it didn¡¯t dissaude her from trying. Karliene wiggled forwards, close enough to where she could be adored by the both of us. Hania giggled, a noise that really didn¡¯t mesh with her look.

    ¡°And three more, to boot.¡± I waved towards the other three wolves that were sitting nearby, a silent sentry for the sibling.

    ¡°A shame I hadn¡¯t brought any coin, I had my eye on Siga before Jorn bought her. At least Karliene can keep company.¡± The dog rolled in my lap, happy for the affections.

    ¡°So you¡¯ll be staying on then, after this mess is done?¡±

    ¡°I swore to it. A living champion of Stendarr walking the land, I can¡¯t think of where else I¡¯d go. You¡¯re going to be where the fight is, if this is any evidence.¡± Hania waved a hand to the carnage at large.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be good to have you¡­ Don¡¯t know if Riga will say the same.¡± I decided to broach the subject while Doctor Riga was busy.

    ¡°Ha! She¡¯s young, with a bonafide hero that saved her life. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯d be any different under the same circumstance. I followed a Vigilant out of my father¡¯s keep for similar reasons she¡¯s following you.¡± Hania¡¯s tone was pleasant, but I saw a bit of pain cross her eyes.

    ¡°What was his name?¡± I didn¡¯t need to ask about the reasons, I¡¯d been around that block once or twice, even if I couldn¡¯t remember their faces.

    ¡°Mathis. He was a few years younger than you are, but strong, bold, and kind. He was killed in the Reach last year. Hargravens.¡± Her tone hardened slightly at that.

    ¡°Rotten bitches. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hargravens were a horror, birdy old crones.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry for. Mathis died doing what he thought was right, there just weren¡¯t enough of us. He burned the coven so we could get out. As for Riga, if you do have in interest in her, don¡¯t die a heroic death. Living heroes are better.¡± Hania¡¯s tone told me that was all she had to say on it. Before either of us could break the awkward silence, Adalvald strode out of the darkness. Hania stood up, giving Karliene one last scratch before excusing herself. Angven and Anglin had been coming from the other direction, but I held up a hand. Adalvald looked to be a bit perturbed, but kept an even tone.

    ¡°Champion, Jori has told me some troubling things.¡± The older man was speaking softly. The twins probably heard him, sharp as they were, but that didn¡¯t matter. I rose from the seat I¡¯d found on my sled, Karliene whined as I gently pushed her off my lap.

    ¡°Come on. We can talk about it away from prying ears. Most of them.¡± I gave a signal for the twins to follow, but keep their distance with my fingers. Adalvald followed me out into the snow a good ways before speaking.

    ¡°You know what this is about?¡±

    ¡°The soul gems, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡­ but also the brutality of this¡­ this massacre¡­ Stendarr is the god of Righteous Might, Merciful Forbereance. Stuhn taught the values of taking prisoners, the rule of law, showing mercy to the vanquished foe. These were men, not demons. You had them butchered like rabid curs.¡± Adalvald sounded more curious than disgusted, but both were present.

    ¡°Have you ever found a child¡¯s bones sitting on a desk like a fucking decoration, Adalvald? I have. Have you seen a pack of bandits stalk out of their camp to rape a helpless woman? I used that against them, and killed them to a man. Men like these. They were on their way to do that to a whole caravan of refugees. There is a time, and a place for mercy. We don¡¯t have the luxury of taking prisoners right now, giving them a trial, feeding them. Not for men like this. Not right now. This was hardly a campaign and Jarl Korir struggled to feed one hundred fifty men for a week. How many of them should I have let live? Ten? Twenty? As many as we could feed? If Korir was¡­ Where the hell is the Jarl?¡± I wasn¡¯t yelling, hissing, or even taking a hostile tone before that question came to mind. He¡¯d been riding at the head of the charge, right beside Kai and Adalvald.

    ¡°Struck by an arrow, but he¡¯ll live. His house guard took him back to the ridge. For the rest, yes, I¡¯ve seen things like that, and we did kill most of them. These men were on their way to do it again. I know that food is hard to come by, here especially. I did not expect Stuhn¡¯s champion to be so¡­ so brutal, so calculating. Perhaps Isran was right.¡± Adalvald sounded unsure of himself, stuck between doctrine and works.

    ¡°Damn right he is. I may be brutal, I may not live up to every expectation you have for a Champion of Stendarr, but you haven¡¯t seen the things I have, or the evidence that they really will come to pass. Isran hasn¡¯t either, but his methods work, he survives. I¡¯ve seen you die. I¡¯ve seen your order massacred by the dozen. We have time to stop that, but we need to unify. This fragmented bullshit with Isran and Carcette ends, right now. The mess that we¡¯re dealing with here is nothing. There¡¯s a war on the way, and we¡¯re still waiting for our hero. That hero¡­ It isn¡¯t me. I¡¯m the help.¡± That took Adalvald by surprise, I could see him realize, slowly, that there wasn¡¯t an ounce of hyperbole to my words.

    ¡°Who is that hero?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who he or she, is, but they¡¯re coming.¡± I wondered about that, would the Last Dragonborn be another reincarnate? Or someone from this world? Whoever they were, I hoped they would take their sweet time. I didn¡¯t want to start worrying about dragons yet.

    ¡°I see. If you¡¯re the help, we are truly in dire straits.¡± For every bit I wished I could exagerrate, Adalvald made up for in understatement.

    ¡°And Winterhold¡¯s poorer than it used to be¡­ Oh, these are for you, Milek¡¯s tomes. Make sure they¡¯re the ones that we¡¯re after before you burn them, and do not let them out of your sight.¡± I handed over the bag of books. I¡¯d shaken out the loot already and stashed it on my sled. Adalvald bowed his head and took them.

    ¡°Of course. This has been an enlightening, and troubling, conversation Champion. I¡¯ll keep a mind to your words.¡± Adalvald and I walked back to the sleds, they were being loaded with the dead, and the loot. A few mounted men were coming back from the north, two wagons in tow, and more horses. I recognized the man leading them, it was Molnen, one of the Jarl¡¯s men I''d met when I first took the job to find the spy.

    ¡°Thegn.¡± I waved to him as the wagons pulled in. Angven and Anglin were still hovering nearby, but seemed to realize that I wasn''t going to be left alone long enough for idle conversation. They kept a healthy distance.

    ¡°Champion. How did things go here after we left?¡± Molnen¡¯s eyes wandered to Kai, the Stormcloak was rousing his men with Milek¡¯s head.

    ¡°Bloody, but we found what we were looking for. That¡¯s the ringleader¡¯s head over there. That¡¯s his leg. That¡¯s his arm¡­ I had the body drawn and quartered. The Jarl could make a mighty warning, nailing those bits around the Hold. Figure there¡¯s enough bandit heads for every village to get a few to display.¡± It was grim, but it would dissuade any banditry for months to come. Molnen laughed.

    ¡°You¡¯re a brutal one, I would have expected it from Hemjar. After that show with the tanner¡¯s girl, I figured you¡¯d be too soft for that kind of thing.¡± Molnen stepped down from his horse and took a seat on a crate that had been pulled from one of the stricken wagons.

    ¡°Times for mercy, times to send a message. These men were killers, they¡¯d have raped and murdered their way through the caravan with or without the necromancers pulling their strings, if they¡¯d known about it.¡± I used the same defense as before. It would send a louder message if we¡¯d done it Hemjar¡¯s way, keeping a few alive to make a spectacle of, but that wasn¡¯t the right message to send. Wanton barbarism at the Jarl¡¯s command would only cement him as cruel and stupid. This way, the bandits had died fighting to commit their crimes, a swift and fitting end.

    ¡°That¡¯s the truth. What¡¯s next for your contingent? The barrow?¡± Molnen looked over the growing number of men returning to the sleds.

    ¡°We¡¯ll set out at first light. They need to rest before I send them to fight again, we all do I think.¡± I pointed to his bloodied plate.

    ¡°The Stormcloaks are marching through the night, but the rest of us will sleep well.¡± That caught me offguard.

    ¡°What? Why would they do that?¡± They¡¯d been marching all day, they had to be dead tired by now.

    ¡°Kai has other orders. Windhelm can¡¯t take anymore refugees, the Jarl doesn¡¯t want them coming here either.¡± It was a struggle not to stand up and scream.

    ¡°What are they going to do? Butcher them?¡± There was millenia of bad blood between the Dunmer and the Nords, but I couldn¡¯t imagine that even Ulfric would go so far as to massacre civilians. Especially not while he was still trying to gain support.

    ¡°Not specifically, just to turn them around and march them back over the border. Kai is going to set in at Ashwatch for a while. Morrowind may still belong to the Empire on paper, but they¡¯ve not been an Imperial province for a century in practice. The Stormcloaks are secessionists in any case, and don¡¯t think that Skyrim has any responsibility to the foreigners, foreigners that our fathers fought half a dozen wars with.¡± Molnen shrugged, he had more pressing matters closer to home.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to get very, very ugly if the Stormcloaks close the border. Desperate people won¡¯t hesitate for long. They¡¯ve already got fire and Argonian steel at their backs. What¡¯s a Nord blade to their front?¡± It wasn¡¯t my problem, politics weren¡¯t what I¡¯d been chosen for. I¡¯d already adopted the struggles of one people, and it was stretching my mind to breaking. I couldn¡¯t fix everything. Molnen agreed with my words in any case.

    ¡°Windhelm has jobs, money, a longer growing season. If those refugees had come here, we¡¯d already be fighting a war with them. Hemjar would have slaughtered dozens. Pick your battles Champion. Stuhn called on you to fight for our people, your people. You may not remember who you are, but you¡¯re a Nord.¡± Molnen let that point hang, it was a fair one.

    "Stendarr fights for more than just Nords, but I see your point."

    "It was Stuhn that named you, not Stendarr. He could have appeared by his Imperial name, we would have known him, but he appeared as Stuhn. He called to the times we Nords fought beside Shor, against the elves. Why would Stuhn have done that if he thought you owed any service to the Dunmer?" I hadn''t considered that. Molnen wasn''t much older than me, but I got the same kind of feeling from his eyes as I had from Adalvald and Tolfdir.

    "He wouldn''t have." I admitted, putting my mental decision to words.

    "So don''t trouble your self with it. You have enough facing you already..." Molnen grimaced ever so slightly, realized it, and wiped his face clean over the course of a second.

    ¡°Any advice for the trouble I already have? Seems like you have something to say about it.¡±

    ¡°Hemjar¡¯s going into the barrow with you. The big man¡¯s clumsy, doesn¡¯t always watch where his hammer is going to land. An accident might happen if you don¡¯t watch out for it.¡± Molnen spoke quietly enough that nobody else would hear him.

    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ll keep my eyes open. Thanks Molnen.¡±

    ¡°Champion.¡± Molnen nodded, stood and got back on his horse.

    Accidents can happen both ways, to multiple people.

    "So, how are we going to kill the big bastard first?" Anglin appeared over my shoulder, throwing his cowl back.

 Chapter Twenty Five: Camp Talks

    The night¡¯s trials and revelations left me with fitful sleep. I woke up twice, ensnared in some awful vision of things to come. By the time the sun rose, I¡¯d been up for an hour at least. The short conversation with Adalvald was the thing that bothered me the most.

    I had been on the fence about what I should tell him, and stayed there. If he¡¯d pressed me for more information, I probably would have told him. That would come up sooner or later, but the mage had enough to chew on with the tomes, my words, and the raid we¡¯d be embarking on in the afternoon. Yngdaril was only a few hours away by sled.

    We¡¯d lost some dogs during the broadside, others had survived but were in no state to pull a sled. Thankfully we didn¡¯t absolutely need every bit of speed for what was next, and we could pack a few extra men onto the sleds with intact dog teams. I was making the rounds of our ad hoc encampment when I ran into the most recent arrivals.

    ¡°Kalor, I didn¡¯t see you after the battle.¡± I sat down on a crate near the fire he was stoking.

    ¡°Aye, I took two sleds to make sure that none of the bandits fled south. If Molnen did a good job in the north, we caught every single one of them. How did things go afterwards? I saw the head mounted to the stormcloak banner. Fitting.¡± I was regretting that decision slightly. I didn¡¯t have a drop of remorse for the elf, but it was an angry choice, not one I would¡¯ve made with a clear head.

    ¡°That was Milek, the leader of the necromancers. We caught him by the river, he tried to run when I wanted Jori to ID him.¡± My brain was still trying to boot up for the day, Kalor made a funny look.

    ¡°ID?¡±

    ¡°Identify him, sorry. Jori knew Milek when the cur was still studying at the college. The dunmer knew the game was up if Jori laid eyes on him, he scorched my armor and nearly killed my wolf. He didn¡¯t make it far.¡± Some of that anger came back, but I let it settle.

    ¡°Good riddance, filth like that... we didn¡¯t even know the whole story before you came along you know. We knew there were undead sightings, some hunters shared stories about missing people. The Jarl didn¡¯t think it prudent to panic the people of the hold.¡± Kalor raked a few coals angrily.

    ¡°Really? Every day, a new failure with that fool.¡± Kalor stiffened, realizing what he¡¯d said, and my response.

    ¡°I¡­¡± I held up a hand before Kalor could try to walk back what he¡¯d said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about that blustering drunk or what he thinks anymore. Fenrik and Hrolfin, dozens of other people would still be alive if he¡¯d gotten off his lazy ass and done his job. There was something I wanted to ask you Kalor. Do you think the people of Seacrest would mind if I moved into the imperial fort there? I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll be staying in Winterhold proper for much longer.¡± My original plan had been to ask the Jarl for the keep as a reward, and the right to prospect minerals. Given that the old fort was well behind where the Stormcloak-Imperial frontline was going to be and Korir needed money, it seemed like a winning prospect before.

    ¡°From what I saw last night, you¡¯d be welcome. Rather it be you and other local men than stormcloaks.¡± Kalor eyed the other side of the camp. The stormcloak infantry had arrived a few hours after we finished burning corpses, and dropped into bed rolls on the spot. They hadn¡¯t moved on yet, but something told me they wouldn¡¯t be allowed much more sleep.

    ¡°Aye, the bears aren¡¯t a bad lot, but the Champion would make for richer company.¡± Grimvald stalked out of his tent, speaking softly in the early morning light. One of the other men from Seacrest followed behind him, bedrolls in hand. They set up across the fire, Kalor grinned and nodded along with the man¡¯s words.

    ¡°Richer, no doubt. Not a man in the Hold has finer armor than that, and if the guard talk is to believed, nobody has a larger horde either. Sorry Champion.¡± Kalor bowed his head, realizing he may have overstepped.

    ¡°It¡¯s no secret, the Jarl paid me well, I took plenty from the bandits, and the barrow. With all this loot here¡­¡± I looked to the pile of crates that had been stacked by my tent, and realized that Anglin was sitting there, wrapped up in his cloak. The blur gave him away, now that I knew what to look for.

    ¡°You sneaky little shit.¡± I looked at him. The other men paused, following my eyes. Kalor saw him first through the cloak.

    ¡°How did you...?¡± The older man was baffled.

    ¡°Cloak of the spider, hides me when I want it to. One of those things that we took from the last barrow. Johannes is rich, richer than the Jarl and the next richest man by a mile. Earned every last coin of it too. We¡¯re a long way from the beach Ranger.¡± Anglin took a seat on one of the nearer crates.

    ¡°The thought had crossed my mind.¡± I tried to avoid the talk. The men marching were poor, lean, and mean. They respected me now, it wouldn¡¯t do to stoke any envy with them.

    ¡°Is it true that you handed off a years pay to a girl you¡¯d never met before?¡± Grimvald asked. Kalor smacked him upside the head, but I waved off the tongue lashing to follow it.

    ¡°Girda, Thegn Hrolfin¡¯s daughter? I made sure that she wouldn¡¯t want for anything, till she finds a husband, or something else to do. I took it from the bandits that killed her father. Speaking of¡­ wait here for a moment.¡± I stood and made my way back into my tent, where I¡¯d stashed an iron lockbox. I came back out, and passed it to Kalor.

    ¡°Can I trust you to make sure that gets to the family of your dead? That¡¯s their share of the loot from the barrow. I have more, for the men that were there but didn¡¯t join us for this. For you and the ones that did join us here too.¡± That seemed to stun Kalor to silence, Grimvald too, despite the fact that I¡¯d paid him already.

    ¡°Why?¡± It was my turn to be surprised. Kalor¡¯s question was the last answer I¡¯d suspected.

    ¡°They may not have gone into the barrow, but they died in the effort. I asked for your town¡¯s help, and you gave it. You didn¡¯t have to, the Jarl told me to solve the problem, even if it was on your door step.¡± It seemed straight forwards to me.

    ¡°We weren¡¯t your retinue then, we didn¡¯t swear an oath or have any kinship with you, and we aren¡¯t your retinue now. I¡¯m not turning it down, but you don¡¯t rightfully owe us anything, we¡¯d thought it was a call for service from the Jarl, one we¡¯re bound to answer. You are still the Jarl¡¯s first ranger.¡± Kalor¡¯s answer seemed obvious in hindsight. There was a silver lining to my mistake, literal and figurative.

    ¡°The Jarl may not put any value on your lives, but I do. You followed me, your family and friends died for it, and that isn¡¯t fair to you, or their widows, or their children. Why should they go hungry or cold because their husbands and fathers and brothers died to some wretched beast? If I had been faster, they¡¯d still be alive. I can¡¯t bring them back, but I can look after what they left behind.¡± Silence reigned for a long time.

    ¡°That¡¯s what Fenrik would have done.¡± Grimvald spoke first. Kalor nodded.

    ¡°Exactly what he did do, three times that I know of. Once a party of hunters disappeared, another, a fishing boat, third was bandit raid on a small farmstead¡­¡± Kalor looked over his shoulder carefully before speaking again. ¡°Kargrin, the youngest man I brought, his parents were killed by that raid. He came along to pay back the debt to Fenrik. He always made sure the boy had what he needed, trained him like a son too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard, well, I don¡¯t want to bring up black memories. I¡¯m not surprised to hear that though, given how well respected the old headman was.¡± The Seacrest men agreed silently.

    ¡°So, what about this castle you want?¡± Anglin shifted the conversation back on track. Kalor caught my attention and patted the lock box, closing that question out. Grimvald and the other men both seemed eager to hear about my plans for the old fort.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need a place to barracks the company, Seacrest is in a good position relative to the other places I¡¯m interested in. I also want to go looking up and down the coast, I have a book¡­ One second.¡± I got up again, and went for the book I¡¯d stuffed in my ruck. Riga was starting to stir.

    ¡°Are we marching?¡± She asked in a sleepy voice, Karliene grumbled next to her, having been woken up by the girl¡¯s shifting.

    ¡°No, breakfast soon though, sleep a little longer if you want it.¡±

    ¡°Baconnnn!¡± Riga¡¯s stomach rumbled on cue.

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± I walked back out to the men around the fire, and saw Kalor already digging through a box of food. Other men were starting to do the same around the camp, scents of cooking starting to waft over.

    ¡°Make sure you put some bacon on, doctor¡¯s orders.¡± I took my spot back on the crate. Grimvald held up a hand, and reached to the bag he¡¯d brought out of his tent. The man had a block of sliced, fatty horker meat that would do well. I waited till we had the cooking in hand to explain my plans that had prompted the book.

    ¡°Jori gave me this a few days ago, it¡¯s a mineral survey of Skyrim done by a third era scholar. My interest in the keep isn¡¯t just Seacrest¡¯s location compared to other settlements. This, let me find the page, here. That¡¯s a survey of the coastline east of the city. Silver, iron, and corundum. What¡¯s better than a good steel blade for killing monsters?¡± They may not have known much about magic, but everyone knew the folklore.

    ¡°Silvered steel blades.¡± Kalor smiled.

    ¡°And arrows, armor, sanctified blessings. We have everything we need to set up mines along the coast. Frozen Wharf has shipwrights, Seacrest has a large forest in the foothills, there¡¯s plenty of men looking for work, and I heard a story about an ailing mine that somehow missed every known ore vein in Winterhold. The keep has a smithy, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I looked to Kalor.

    ¡°Yes it does. You¡¯re full of surprises Champion, are you going to run the smithy yourself?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a learning experience. Do you have a smith in Seacrest? Or did the legion do that?¡± I fully intended to get my hands on a hammer and anvil, but instruction would be helpful.

    ¡°The legion smiths did work for us when they could, no smith could keep his shop open with them undercutting prices.¡± Grimvald grumbled. A new voice came up.

    ¡°We have a spare smith with us now. Harald¡¯s father runs the smithy in Frozen Wharf. He¡¯s gifted with steel.¡± Lodor came to sit by the fire, trailed by the mentioned man.

    ¡°That the truth of it Harald?¡± I looked him over.

    ¡°Yes Champion, I¡¯ve been working iron and steel since I could see into the forge.¡± He answered quickly.

    ¡°There, we have a smith too. Now we just have to round up a few miners and loggers to supply the materials. There¡¯s a few men in Winterhold that are looking for steady work, I turned them down from the company. Any other ideas?¡± Grimvald waved a hand to catch my eye.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Loggers we already have in Seacrest, they¡¯re hardly working. There just aren¡¯t any orders for wood, so don¡¯t worry about that. Miners might be more challenging. We don¡¯t have any real mines in the hold, aside from the one you mentioned, but you can probably hire some men from Dawnstar, plenty eager for better pay the last time I was there.¡± That struck a separate thought in my mind. I¡¯d probably need to go meet with Carcette at some point, and I¡¯d need to get around the mountains to do it.

    ¡°I have some business to look into in that direction once everything here is settled. A supervisor and a few experienced work crews will be a good start. Food is going to be another problem.¡± That drew a snort from Anglin.

    ¡°Build a fishing boat, my brother and I can bring in elk and horkers for plenty, but I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re Ysmir himself, I¡¯m not working a mine.¡± Angven echoed his sentiment. Where the other twin had appeared from, I had no idea.

    ¡°You¡¯d be wasted down there. No, you two are going to be training scouts and archers. Kalor, you¡¯re a strong fighter, where¡¯d you learn to fight?¡± I wasn¡¯t going to send my company half trained and under-equipped against fucking vampires again, that was for sure.

    ¡°On the Red Ring Road, I was in Fenrik¡¯s company, under General Jonna. We fought for a week, I picked up this scar from an Aldmeri boy¡¯s dagger.¡± Kalor drew back his sleeve to reveal a long cut across his right arm.

    ¡°And you beat that elven fool¡¯s head in with your shield! Kalor fought with the legion to retake the Imperial City.¡± Grimvald boasted. Kalor shrugged, less enthusiastic about his own deeds.

    ¡°I stayed with the legion for a few years after the war. Bandits were a problem, so were the Reachmen and the goblins. They put Fenrik and I in the borderlands between Cyrodil and the Rift towards the end. I was discharged as a lower legate, hunting down bandits in the Jeralls with half a company.¡± Kalor¡¯s history didn¡¯t exactly surprise me, he was about the same age as Jorman, which would have put him at eighteen or nineteen when the Imperial City fell. I just hadn¡¯t put much thought to it before.

    ¡°Well, Kalor, I know you said you aren¡¯t part of my retinue, but I will need someone to help train these men, and you¡¯ll be nearby. The pay¡¯s good.¡± Kalor smiled at that.

    ¡°That will depend on who we get as a new headman. Fenrik didn¡¯t have children, so the Jarl might name one of his thegns, or let us pick one from the town. I will keep the offer in mind. Jorn and Lodor would be good choices in the meantime. Both are skilled fighters.¡± Kalor pointed to the suddenly self conscious Lodor.

    ¡°They¡¯re on the list, but I think I¡¯ll have too many troops to train after this for just the two of them. Gromm is headed back to Icehome I think. The other seasoned fighters I know are already sworn to the Jarl, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d let them go to come work for me.¡± That left a few awkward looks around the fire, there were a dozen men from my company hanging around the wings now, and all of them were perfectly aware of my strained relationship.

    ¡°You¡¯re a champion of Stuhn, send word that you need strong warriors, and they¡¯ll answer. We have several veterans among the ranks of the Vigilants as well.¡± Adalvald strode towards the fire with Hania behind.

    ¡°Adalvald, Hania. That¡¯s something I hadn¡¯t considered yet. I didn¡¯t want to drag too many of your order away from the roads, or ask too much of you.¡± I waved to them as they found places near the fire. Breakfast was almost ready. It must have been the smells drawing them in.

    ¡°From our conversation last night, I thought you would have some new methods for us. I intended to send out letters to those vigilants I know the whereabouts of, some twenty of us could be gathered next month. Our place should be with Stuhn¡¯s champion.¡± Adalvald leaned in to get a long whiff of the bacon cooking.

    ¡°They¡¯d be welcome. After your showing last night, I can¡¯t think that anyone here would disapprove of a few more healers and spell swords.¡± I looked to two men that I¡¯d seen wounded, they¡¯d been treated by Vigilants. They both nodded their respects to the senior mage.

    ¡°They fought well, and tended the wounded better.¡± Kalor made his position known. There was a round of agreement, a few subdued cheers for the mages. Breakfast was ready by then, hot food stifled the conversation for a while. I made up a plate for Riga, and took it back to the tent.

    ¡°Riga, food¡¯s oh, I can uh¡­¡± I¡¯d walked in on Riga getting a fresh shirt on. She was covered by her blankets, but it was more bare skin than I was comfortable with.

    ¡°You fight draugr and necromancers, my arms aren¡¯t going to kill you Johannes.¡± Riga smiled as she put the shirt on.

    ¡°No, but£­¡± Riga shot me a look.

    ¡°The first night we really met you knocked me out and stuck your hand down my jacket. You know what¡¯s under there.¡± The way she was smiling, I knew I must have gone a crimson color. I gave her the plate of hot food, trying to come up with something clever.

    ¡°Yeah, it took me a while to find that letter, it wasn¡¯t exactly out in the open.¡± Riga just smirked. Where she¡¯d gotten that newfound confidence¡­ Hania. That must have been what the pair of them were grinning about the other night. Riga hadn¡¯t exactly been shy before, but I was thinking it wasn¡¯t entirely an accident that I¡¯d seen what I had.

    ¡°You were favored by Stuhn, I was by Dibella. Thanks for breakfast, I¡¯ll be out in a minute, unless you can stand seeing¡­¡± gasp! ¡°Thighs!¡± She lifted her blanket a touch.

    ¡°Get dressed, you can show off your thighs later.¡± She was pretty, smart, loyal, and I¡¯d be lying if I said there wasn¡¯t some reciprocation. Any other woman and I¡¯d have to be worried if it was purely because of what I was, rather than who. Riga dropped the blanket back down as I turned to leave.

    The men were starting to tear down their tents, Jorn and Kalor barking out orders. I went after the last few bits of breakfast, a strip of elk meat, some buttery toast, bacon, it made a good sandwich. Karliene had followed me out of the tent, drawn by the smells. She got the last two pieces of bacon. I found the man I was looking for near the sleds.

    ¡°Gromm! Did you get something to eat?¡± The man was supervising the drivers, harnessing up the dogs.

    ¡°Horker and fried fish on our fire. A good meal, for a good fight coming.¡± Gromm let one of his guys finish up the sled they¡¯d been working.

    ¡°Good, there was something I wanted to ask. You mean to go back to Icehome after we purge Yngdaril, don¡¯t you?¡± I gestured to the west.

    ¡°I¡¯d hoped to. It will have been nearly a month by the time I get back. My daughter is a handful to deal with, I wouldn¡¯t want my wife to go too long alone. Why? Do you need us for longer?¡± Gromm looked a bit worried.

    ¡°No. You¡¯re free to go home as soon as we finish here, I¡¯ve got enough men to go south of the mountains and hunt down the last barrow. My question was more about if you want Icehome to stay as your home. I¡¯ve ridden the ice around it, I¡¯ve seen the coast there, it¡¯s barren, bleak, and hard. Poor living.¡± Gromm shrugged, he couldn¡¯t deny it.

    ¡°So? My family¡¯s lived on the western frost for a thousand years. Where else would we go?¡± A few of the other men from Icehome had come forwards to listen.

    ¡°Seacrest. I have plans for the Imperial fort there, and I¡¯ve got a good lead on some promising ore veins along the coast. There¡¯ll be jobs for logging, mining, in the smithy, training my company or joining it, hunting for meat and fur to feed all the new workers that¡¯ll come. It¡¯ll also be safer, things are going to get worse before they get better.¡± Gromm rolled the words around in his head for a moment.

    ¡°Life on the ice is hard, and I don¡¯t doubt your claims, but I can¡¯t abandon the rest of the village. Do you think that Seacrest would be willing to take forty new mouths to feed?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t need to feed you. If that¡¯s a problem, I¡¯ll buy the food until we can get something self-sufficient going. Building houses wouldn¡¯t take too much time either. By the summer, Seacrest will be the busiest town in Winterhold.¡± It was claim that really didn¡¯t even seem like a boast to me. Winterhold proper had a tannery, a few shops, and the college, it wasn¡¯t hard to beat. With the amount of money I¡¯d be spending, and the coin my troops would have to put towards shopping, Seacrest would be a beacon for anyone that wanted a better life.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask around the village, and send one of these men ahead if we take the offer. Icehome¡¯s a dying village, as much as I hate to admit it. There were three hundred of us a century ago, the old foundations are still buried under the snow. What¡¯s a village come to when they sell the cut stone of abandoned houses?¡± Gromm sneered at himself.

    ¡°They come to a decision to pack up and move. A hundred years ago Icehome was on a major trade route between Winterhold and Dawnstar, now you¡¯re just on the ice. If you send one of your men, I¡¯ll send him back with wagons to collect your people and property.¡± I put my hand out to Gromm.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to convince the older folk, but something needs to happen to change our fortunes.¡± Gromm shook on it. That turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. Then again, if the Champion of Stuhn tells you to move somewhere safer, you ought to listen. An isolated village like Icehome could be torched in one pass by a bored dragon.

    ¡°Big changes are coming to this Hold, I promise you that. I intend to change the fortunes for everyone.¡± I patted Gromm on the shoulder, he just gave me a curious look.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see. Get the dogs ready, we¡¯re moving when the sun rises a man high.¡± I pointed to the disk, about waist high on the horizon. Gromm nodded, and whistled for a few other men to start helping with the sleds. I saw the four rookies, Virgar, Orryn, Elsborn, and Thalin, all join in.

    Now I just had to go find Jorman, and get him to handle the cavalry. I ran into Kai along the way, he was rousing the stormcloaks from their short rest. Luckily they didn¡¯t have much farther to march, Ash Watch was only a few hours over the river.

    ¡°Setting off again?¡± I asked the commander.

    ¡°Aye, sorry we can¡¯t join you at the barrow. Jarl Ulfric wants us to turn back the dunmer before they get too far into Skyrim.¡± Kai seemed genuinely remorseful that he wouldn¡¯t be finishing the raid with us.

    ¡°What happens if they don¡¯t turn around?¡± I looked over the blue coated soldiers getting their armor on, checking packs, sharpening blades. They¡¯d missed the big fight, now they were headed to stop a column of those they probably believed were their ancestral enemy. They¡¯d be eager for blood.

    ¡°Hopefully they won¡¯t make that mistake. There¡¯s no honor in a senseless slaughter, but I have my Jarl¡¯s command. They do not stay in Skyrim.¡± Kai saw the expression on my face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start a war you can¡¯t finish. You¡¯ll have to kill them all, man woman and child, and secure the silence of seventy odd men. If you don¡¯t, the other Dunmer will hear about it, and they will retaliate. Try not to let it come to blood.¡± I offered my advice. Kai took it in stride.

    ¡°Merciful Forbearance then, as there¡¯d be nothing Righteous to our Might.¡± The stormcloak put his hand out.

    ¡°Keep that sentiment close. Blood begets blood, and Ashwatch isn¡¯t much of a fortification these days, nor is seventy men an army.¡± I shook the man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Wise words Champion. Hopefully we¡¯ll cross paths again.¡± Kai turned back to his soldiers, marshalling them for the march over the river. It was a different sight in the day. We¡¯d set camp on the ridgeline overlooking the ford, the mountains in the east and the softly rolling hills on either side of the valley were gorgeous. It was hard to imagine that everything to east was just ashen hellscape. Kai wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the Dunmer out for long without violence. He wouldn¡¯t need to, not once the dragons and the civil war started, the flow of refugees would slow to a trickle with that word reaching back.

    I found Jorman sitting on his horse, at the northern end of the ridge. He didn¡¯t look pleased to see me, but I couldn¡¯t blame him for that. He was caught in a foul position, between duty and common sense. I stopped next to him, looking towards the Sea of Ghosts.

    ¡°How¡¯s the Jarl?¡±

    ¡°We stopped the bleeding, but we can¡¯t get the arrowhead out of his leg. Hopefully it will heal on it¡¯s own.¡± That was very, very bad.

    ¡°It won¡¯t. You need to get that arrow out of him. Did it hit the bone?¡± I turned to face the Housecarl. Jorman¡¯s face was calm, almost detached.

    ¡°Just below the knee. We can see the arrowhead, but it won¡¯t come loose. Not even Hemjar could get it out with a set of smith¡¯s tongs.¡± Arrowheads were a bitch like that.

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t get that arrow out of him, he¡¯ll be dead in a week. The wound will get infected, the rot will spread into the bone and the blood. Has Adalvald seen to him?¡± That drew a reaction from Jorman.

    ¡°No. I was sent out from the Jarl¡¯s tent for suggesting it. The Jarl wants nothing to do with mages, magic, potions, or otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Then he¡¯ll die an idiot. I¡¯m taking my riders to Yngdaril, take the Jarl back to the infantry, they aren¡¯t far behind us. Any cavalry that can be spared are appreciated.¡± I turned to walk away. If the Jarl wanted to rely on horrific medieval medicine, that was his choice. It¡¯s not like there was miracle magic healing and a very studied practicioner of it in the camp with us right now. It would save me the trouble anyways. Hemjar wouldn¡¯t be planning to kill me without the Jarl¡¯s consent.

    ¡°Hemjar, Molnen, and a few of the guards are going to come along with your men.¡± Jorman didn¡¯t hesitate with his answer. I waited to see if he would make any uncomfortable faces or awkward movements, but he didn¡¯t. Jorman didn¡¯t know. He was too close to me to have been trusted with that, and he never would have gone along with it.

    ¡°Glad to have them. I¡¯ll see you in Winterhold when I go to collect my things.¡±

    ¡°Renouncing your position?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t take orders from a bitter old man. After Yngdaril, my work for him is done. I agreed to hunt down the bandits, and kill the necromancers. I¡¯ve done that, and I¡¯ve been given higher duties to see to. If the Jarl does survive that arrow, it won¡¯t be long before another minor problem becomes a major threat, and he can beg his new patron for help.¡± Jorman shook his head.

    ¡°Where will you go?¡±

    ¡°Seacrest, I¡¯m taking the fort there. If the Jarl wants to stop me, he can fight me for it, with whatever men he has left.¡± I looked over the camp. The stormcloaks had broken down their tents and were forming up to leave. My men were just about the same way, only the Jarl¡¯s contingent still had tents up, few as they were. We¡¯d outrun the Jarl¡¯s infantry, they were twenty miles away at least, leaving just his house guard here. Truthfully, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to overwhelm them, kill the Jarl, and return with the Helm of Winterhold. I needed people to see Hemjar trying to kill me first.

    ¡°He¡¯s in no position to stop you. Even if he hadn¡¯t been wounded.¡± Jorman admitted with a sigh. The long suffering housecarl was sworn to the fool¡¯s service, regardless of what he really thought.

    ¡°No, he isn¡¯t, and nobody else is using the castle right now. Are you sworn to the Jarl, or his family?¡± Maybe I¡¯d be able to poach the best fighter in Winterhold if the Jarl let that arrow fester.

    ¡°His family.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, like I said, I¡¯ll see you in Winterhold. Tell Molnen we¡¯re heading out in a short while.¡± I finally finished my turn back to the camp. Yngdaril awaits.

 Chapter Twenty Six: Yngdaril

    ¡°Two sentries down, andddd, three. Good work Anglin.¡± I watched from a clutch of trees as the guards were cut down by the cloaked killer. Yngdaril had been built into a hillside, spattered with light tree cover. Those of us with white cloaks and covers had moved in from the backside after a tundra eagle screeched an all clear. Anglin had killed two men in the trees, now a third in the ruins of an old tower. Two more were cooking something down in the pit of the burial mound, another pair were sitting with their feet up, watching the eastern horizon. They wouldn¡¯t last long.

    ¡°Angven, Grimvald, you¡¯re up.¡± I tapped the other twin on the shoulder. He drew out his dagger, and scurried up the stairs that lead up the side of the mound. Grimvald was behind him, mirroring his motions. Angven went for the left side bandit, sneaking in behind his chair. The larger, meaner man from Seacrest had his axe ready, spun to spike his victim. Angven leaned in, got a chokehold on his bandit, and stabbed the man four times in the chest. Grimvald wasn¡¯t so clean. He drove the spike of his axe into the other¡¯s temple, dragged him off his stool and crushed the mans throat with a punch. Angven rolled his kill down the side of the mound, there was hardly a noise as the corpse landed in the snow.

    Twang!

    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡± Twang!

    Thump.

    ¡°Last two are dead Boss.¡± Anglin called down from the ruined tower, unstringing his bow.

    ¡°Good work. Hania, Jorn, Grimvald, Jori, Gromm. We¡¯re the point. Molnen, Hemjar, I want you and the guards to hold here for now. Lodor, Adalvald, take the rest of who we have, hold behind us, but be ready to charge in. Twins, you keep your eyes open up here, call it out if you see runners. Karliene, you be a good girl and help them.¡± I patted the wolf on the head. For all Hania said, she seemed just as eager as ever.

    We started down into the pit, two black iron doors were set into the weathered stone. They had tool marks around the edges, recent ones. The necromancers had probably needed to break the rust and ice off the doorframe. Lodor¡¯s lot pulled the two feathered corpses off to the side as I got to the entrance, reaching out with my newly acquired sense.

    [Corpse Hunter Activated!]

    I could feel the wretched things, some moving, some slumbering in their tombs, some standing watch over the important chambers. Dozens of draugr, a hundred weaker presences, and something so dark and vile I recoiled when I touched it. I could feel a bloodthirsty, ravenous animal down there, and it was not happy.

    ¡°Gah¡­ fuck¡­¡± The presence made me want to vomit, the sense of anger, fury, and bottomless hatred was something I¡¯d never expected.

    ¡°What is it Johannes?¡± Jori asked as I felt those hungry eyes looking through hundreds of feet of stone.

    ¡°Another vampire, but this one, he¡¯s pissed. He¡¯s not moving¡­ and he saw me too. I¡¯ll explain later, I can feel undead when they get close to me. Sometimes they can see me if I look too hard. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in any position to be a problem.¡± The vampire felt like it was desperate, starving, maybe imprisoned.

    ¡°That¡¯s, well, I guess that¡¯s a useful power for Stuhn¡¯s champion. Lead the way.¡± Jori made to put his hand over the door. I pulled my helmet down over my head, it was time to finish things. The door groaned open, revealing a torchlit hallway.

    ¡°Slow and steady, eyes open for traps.¡± The hall sloped downwards, turning gradually into a clockwise spiral. It leveled off for doorways about half way down. Aside from the crackles of the torches, there weren¡¯t any identifiable sounds. I motioned for Hania and Grimvald to follow behind me on the left, Gromm, Jorn and Jori followed the right side wall.

    Hold here, listen.

    I motioned for Jorn with hand signals when we reached the doors. He nodded, sword held ready. There was something coming from behind my door, my helmet was screwing up the noise.

    Something here. Hold the hall. You two, follow me.

    I reached out for the door handle with my left hand, mace ready in my other. The door made surprisingly little noise, just a small scrape against the floor.

    ¡°Oy! Oy! You fuckin¡¯ gits! This is my ti¡ª Oh shit! Shit! SHIT!¡±

    ¡°AAH!¡±

    Crunch!

    A scarred, bare chested man leaned out from around a corner, waving his fist at me as I¡¯d opened the door. It took him a few moments to realize I was not who he thought, and that was enough to close the distance. He stumbled back from the corner to reveal he wasn¡¯t just bare chested, but completely naked, and quite excited. The flanges of my mace crushed his skull, leaving a fist sized crater in his face. The scream had come from my right.

    A woman, just as scarred and marked by rough living, was trying to roll off of the bed. I hesitated for one second, one and a half, she was going for a dagger on the table. She took my shoulder between the tits, and sailed into the wall. I¡¯d hoped that would have knocked the fight out of her, but I wasn¡¯t that lucky. She tried to grab at my helmet, clawing at the eye holes and mail. She opened her mouth to scream something, and caught a fistful of hollers with her teeth. I grabbed at the woman¡¯s throat, hoping to choke her out. A bright flash of steel drove itself into her ribs once, twice, three times. The she-bandit seemed surprised, shocked, and then terrified with each stab Hania put into her. The woman writhed, desperate to escape, but her resistance slackened off after the third stab found her heart. I let her drop against the wall.

    ¡°I had her handled.¡± I turned to face Hania, she was wiping her blade on the bed covers.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have hesitated if it was a man.¡± She pointed to my first victim.

    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t have. Lets¡ª¡± There was a noise of the other door opening, I could just barely see over Grimvald¡¯s shoulder. A younger guy had a confused look on his face as he saw us, and then it went rolling off his shoulders. Jorn¡¯s sword cut clean, the body finished taking a step before collapsing. A body covered in chainmail, that was now rolling down the hall trying to catch a head wearing a steel helmet.

    Clank-clink-clank-clunk-clink-dink-donk-clunk-bonk

    Jorn had moved into the doorway, there was short scuffle followed by a decisive thump as a second body hit the ground. Jori had started down the hall, trying to catch the noisy corpse, but stopped when a shout sounded.

    Just fuck my shit up, yeah, that¡¯s fine.

    ¡°Back to the hall!¡± I ran out, ready to raise a ward. Jori must have had the same thought, because his left hand was extended out, flickers of blue dancing on his gloves. The shouts got louder, and more distinct, then the helmet rounded the corner and the shouts stopped.

    ¡°Push push push!¡± I flung a green flare back towards the door, a cavalcade of stomping feet came rushing behind us. We made it to the bend, and there was nobody to be seen. I could feel the draugr farther down, starting to stir with the excitement, but draugr don¡¯t shout and yell. There was a wooden double door on the left, the outside of the spiral, and alcoves on the interior. The alcoves weren¡¯t big enough to hide in.

    ¡°The doors. Jori, you know a spell to blast them open?¡±

    ¡°I do!¡±

    ¡°Lodor, keep going, block anyone from coming to join us.¡± I pushed the young noble past us, along with the line troops. Jori put both his hands up, a furious blue swirl was spinning between them. It launched out to hit the seam between the doors. The wood froze solid, a heavy layer of ice and frost on top.

    ¡°Back up!¡± Jori shooed us away as his right hand flared with fire, his left with a ward.

    Steam explosion, nice. Steam explosion¡­ Shit.

    ¡°Back off, back off! Shields up!¡± I brought up my ward, so did Hania, and gave Jori the space he needed. A fireball ripped into the ice he¡¯d built up on the door, there was a loud bang and the noise of wood splintering, along with some alarmed shouts. A few bits of shrapnel bounced off my ward, but nothing too big. Jori was quick to follow up his breaching, lightning feelers danced through the air, the odd smell of ozone rapidly filled the hall.

    ¡°Go go go! Jori!¡± I pushed forwards, and got the mage¡¯s attention before he could zap me. Jori drew out his axe, advancing into the ruined doorway. Hania took his right side, throwing a fireball at a black shape moving in the steam cloud. An arrow bounced off my ward, Jori shot some god awful crackling blue orb to answer it.

    ¡°Jorn, take the right with Gromm, Grimvald, left with me! Hania, Jori, middle!¡± We split into three pairs, rushing out of the swirling steam. Arrows deflected off my ward, some off the lower plates covering my legs. Panicking guards were rushing to get armor on and weapons from racks. The room was a barracks, with bunk beds, a hearth, a few tables and chairs, all thrown into disarray. What it had been before the bandit occupation, I couldn¡¯t tell from a glance. Tall pillars held up a high roof, but there was no balcony or second level.

    One man lunged out from behind a pillar, a half strapped brigandine jacket flapping open. His sword missed my head as I ducked left, stepped into his guard, and caught him with a cross to the nose. His head snapped back, blood already pouring down his face. I reached my mace over his right shoulder, took hold of it with my left hand around his back, and spun him to the floor. Something hit the mail aventail covering my face, I could taste blood, but nothing had stuck me. I saw a woman drawing her bow back again. My ward forced her to aim low, not that it would do any better. The bandit I¡¯d tossed was starting to get back up when my mace caught him in the back of the head.

    ¡°Grimvald, kill that fucking archer!¡± Another arrow skipped off my ward, then an axe spun towards the shooter. She had to have heard me, but that didn¡¯t help her reflexes. The axe hit her in the chest, just below the collarbone. Grimvald leapt over the bandit I¡¯d been dealing with, moving to finish the job on the archer. I spared a glance to the center.

    Hania was fighting off two bandits with her longsword, one lunged, she was fighting off one bandit with her longsword. The second man stumbled, then convulsed as a lightning bolt seared into chest. His chainmail didn¡¯t do him any favors, grilling a pattern of rings into smoking flesh. I kept moving forwards, only a few steps behind Grimvald. The warrior made a wide step left at the next pillar, dodging the axe waiting behind it. Grimvald¡¯s counter was lightning, the rim of his shield punching out to check the bandit¡¯s advance. Grimvald wasn¡¯t small by any measure of the word, the force of his shield stopped his foe cold. I wasn¡¯t small either, six foot something of plated Nord took the odd-footed bandit at the hips, I landed on top of him.

    ¡°I yie£­¡± Too late for that. Grimvald slid to a stop beside me, another axe in his hand, I held the bandit down. Two chops, one in the face, one at the neck, and the bandit wasn¡¯t a problem anymore. Hania and Jori had pushed to match us, fighting a small group that Jorn and Gromm had forced into the center. Grimvald and I closed the encirclement, the bandits hadn¡¯t stood a chance.

    ¡°Wait! Stop! We yield!¡± A tall, lanky bandit threw down his weapon as we pressed the last three of them to the wall. The other two, another man and a woman, also threw down their blades. Gromm stepped in to pick them up.

    ¡°How many mages are there down below? I¡¯m going to count to three, and I want all of you to speak the answer at once.¡± I put my mace back in its belt ring. The bandits looked to each other.

    ¡°One. Two. Three.¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    ¡°Three!¡±

    ¡°Two!¡±

    ¡°Interesting, so two of you say two, one says three. Which of you doesn¡¯t know how to count?¡± I had a feeling I already knew where the discrepancy was coming from.

    ¡°Wait! Wait! There were three, at first, but we haven¡¯t seen the third one, not for weeks. He didn¡¯t leave out the front way, and he hasn¡¯t come up for meals either!¡± The odd man out spoke.

    ¡°Describe the missing mage. Just you, you other two stay quiet.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s tall, uh¡­ I think he¡¯s old, really old, he talks with a strange accent, uh, he¡¯s always covered up, head to toe. Wears red robes, with a sort of cowl thing, and a mask.¡± That sounded exactly like a Volkihar to me.

    ¡°Did any of your guards go missing? Maybe the weakest, or someone who had fucked up?¡±

    ¡°Lucky! Er, Lakke, a Redguard. He was from some gang out west, they chased him out of the mountains around Solitude. He got caught sleeping on watch, we haven¡¯t seen him since.¡± Three was quick to volunteer. I looked to the woman.

    ¡°You, how long ago was that? When did you last see Unlucky?¡±

    ¡°Two, three weeks.¡± Word would have gotten out that we¡¯d killed the other vampire a week or so ago. If the other two necromancers had figured it out, they might have chained up the other one.

    ¡°You get to live a little while longer. Come on.¡± I grabbed the woman, and passed her off to Hania. Grimvald and Jorn each took one of the men. Back out in the spiral, Adalvald, Molnen, and Hemjar were waiting.

    ¡°You lot can fight.¡± Hemjar nodded towards the dozen or so corpses we¡¯d made in the barracks.

    ¡°We¡¯ll save some for you, don¡¯t worry. Grimvald, take over the topside, I want all of these prisoners alive, and intact. No accidents, no runners, understand?¡± Grimvald huffed, but nodded.

    ¡°Understood, all of the prisoners will be waiting for you Champion.¡± Grimvald pushed the three up the corridor, I sent two Seacrest men with him.

    ¡°Hemjar, Molnen, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s too many traps in here, so come on and join us. Tolin, I want you keeping our way out clear. Don¡¯t touch anything.¡± I shuffled the formation a bit. The traps that would have usually been in the floor weren¡¯t present, and the architecture didn¡¯t seem to match the dragon era barrows. Not this part at least.

    ¡°I was starting to think you¡¯d have us sit out all the fun. Would¡¯ve liked to crush a few of them.¡± Hemjar pointed at the dead.

    ¡°If I¡¯d let you up front, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten any prisoners. Lodor! Any guests coming to join us?¡± I reached out again, sniffing for draugr.

    ¡°None yet. We¡¯re ready.¡± The men of Frozen Wharf and Icehome had formed a double line of shields to block the entire corridor.

    ¡°Slow advance, watch of for traps and tripwires. Don¡¯t touch anything!¡± The veterans of the first barrow dive chuckled at that, but they kept the shield line going, down and deeper. There were a few other small rooms, embalming chambers, storehouses, and two burial rooms with newer coffins. By the look of them, they were more recent than the usual sarcophagi found in a barrow.

    ¡°Jori, you can read Nord runes can¡¯t you? What does this say?¡± I looked over the prominent one, it was large and well decorated. Jori came up, and quickly had a grin on his face.

    ¡°Here lies Hidja Giant Killer, the Stormblade. Hero of¡­ It¡¯s a unique place name, I couldn¡¯t tell you what the sound is supposed to be.¡± Jori kept reading.

    ¡°Riga knows, she told me the name of the village. This is her grandfather a few dozen generations back.¡± I looked around the room. There was a chest tucked into a back wall, and a sword embedded into the stone behind it.

    ¡°Hidja, Hero of many, lived for¡­¡± Jori was scribbling down notes as he spoke, but my concern was the sword.

    [Giant¡¯s Bane]

    [Description: Forged millennia ago, this blade is legend. It was once wielded by a Nord Hero, Hidja, and others before him. With it Hidja slew seventeen giants, their souls further fueling the power of the blade. Lightning, ice, and thunder follow in the wake of every strike.]

    ¡°Certainly earned the title of Stormblade¡­¡± I spoke more to my self than any one else, admiring the weapon. It was more than simple steel, there was a blue tinge to the metal, but I had no idea what it could be. I started to reach for the blade when Jori yelled.

    ¡°DON¡¯T TOUCH THAT!¡± I felt like a dumbass, breaking my own rules.

    ¡°Woops. I didn¡¯t touch it.¡±

    ¡°Good, it¡¯s protected. Were you not listening?¡± Jori looked a bit annoyed.

    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t. That¡¯s a mighty blade.¡± I looked it over again. For someone the size of Riga, it was a bit big. For Hania or I, it was on the longer side of longsword, but shy of a greatsword.

    ¡°It is, but it¡¯s guarded by an enchantment to prevent theft. Only Hidja¡¯s kin can take it without getting something nasty. The magic¡¯s still strong.¡± Jori closed his eyes, probably focusing on the magical energy surrounding the blade. My sense for magic still wasn¡¯t great. I could tell if it was there, but that was about it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have Riga take her inheritance if she wants it. She could do with a fine blade to call her own. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to be lady knight like Hania here.¡± I nodded to the woman. She was inspecting the painted history on the wall, reading the runes under it.

    ¡°Hidja was a mighty man. I see where Riga gets her spirit from.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were Imperial by custom?¡± I pointed to the runes.

    ¡°That just means I was given a book to go along with the sword. My father leans more to the Nord side, my mother the Imperial. I learned to read the runes alongside Common. My father¡¯s keep has murals like this, relics from our ancestors. Come on, more floors to clear.¡± Hania motioned for us to leave.

    There were more rooms down the spiral, but no draugr or bandits inside. I doubted there were any more hirelings to deal with, twenty of them was already more than I had suspected would be present. The spiral ended with another set of iron doors, these had the distinctive dragon runes, the door frame looked far more like what I expected of a several thousand year old tomb. There was the distinct feeling of trouble on the other side to match.

    ¡°Mages front. We¡¯ve got a mess of draugr on the other side of these doors. Two dozen at least. Skeletons high, on the balconies. How many archer do we have?¡± I looked over the men, half a dozen or so reached to start stringing their bows. They all had quivers full of arrows that had been dipped in Jori¡¯s refined form of liquid sunlight. It was denser, almost like a gel, suited for staying on a blade.

    ¡°You six, go to the middle, second line. Jorn, Lodor, I want you and the men from Frozen Wharf on the left. Hemjar, Molnen, you and the guards take the right. Hania, Adalvald, Jori, you vigilants with us, we¡¯re crushing the middle. Archers, shoot down the skeletons as you see them appear. The rest of you, shore up the sides if we start faltering. Kalor, Gromm, see to that.¡± There were about three dozen of us, each more than a match for the draugr on the other side, it was the damned skeletons above us I was worried about. If they started chucking oil lamps, it¡¯d be Adis¡¯ fate for all of us. Once everyone was ready, I reached for the doors.

    Three, two, one!

    I pulled both the doors open, Jori and Hania both had wards covering me. I was glad for it, the hail of arrows and javelins threatened to turn me into a pin cushion. One foot in front of the other, that¡¯s all I had to do. Maybe a shout of encouragement.

    ¡°SEND THEM BACK TO THEIR TOMBS!¡±

    [War Cry Activated]

    The front rank of draugr were all grunts, their shields raised and rusty iron just behind. They melted under the radiant onslaught the vigilants unleashed. Bolts of sunfire ignored chainmail, explosive novas splintered shields, golden auras caused undead flesh to char and smoke. Even the vigilants seemed surprised at the efficacy of their magic. It was probably a rare thing for so many of them to fight as one unit.

    The second rank of draugr ignored the plight of the first, stepping over smoking corpses, great weapons at the ready. I slipped an axeblade, sparks flying off my plate, and broke the ribs of its wielder with my mace. Golden light flared with the impact, my ring burning hot as I brought the mace back around shatter the corpse¡¯s jaw.

    Skrrriiinnkk!

    The battle axe wielding draugr collapsed, blue lit eyes giving way to singed black bone. My helmet was ringing with the metallic buzz of a turned blade, it came by for a second thrust, this time at my neck. A full suit of plate meant swords weren¡¯t too terribly effective, I knocked the blade off course with my forearm. It was time to try another of my new additions. Incandescent death spilled out of my left hand, dousing one, two, three, and four corpses to the right. They may have been undead, but fire was something that could spread universal panic. The draugr flailed and screeched as enduring flames scorched them head to toe.

    A tremendous hammer tore into the flaming mob, knocking a head loose, shattering a rib cage, and fouling a third¡¯s footing. Hemjar thrust his hammer forwards, knocking the third to the ground. The beast of a man crushed the draugr¡¯s skull under his boot, all the while preparing another strike to smear a corpse across the floor.

    ¡°Fight! By Stuhn¡¯s Light we¡¯ll have their fucking heads!¡± I yelled above the clashing metal and shattering bones. There was a scream from the left, crimson blood glistened on several draugr blades. I loosed a pair of bolts into the next draugr, determined to lead by example. Arrows scratched my plate, blades scythed the air where my neck should have been, spear points burst a ringlet of my mail once, maybe twice, an axe hooked my ankle.

    Smoke had begun to fill the room by the time we pushed halfway across, fire and lightning were our best weapons against the dead. That smoke was choking us, blinding us, concealing strikes. That was how the axe had snuck around my leg. A big draugr, a Scourge, had waited for my attention to shift left, and tried to yank me off my feet. He nearly got me, a second draugr spoiled it. The creature grabbed a hold of my shoulder, pulling me back up for a waiting dagger. I was in no place to stop the strike, arms flailing to find a balance.

    A sword took the hand holding the dagger, a rapid fire burst of golden beams took the head. Jori materialized on my right, put an arm out to steady me, and caught an axe with a ward. Back to my feet, I spotted the draugr that had tripped me trying to slip away to the back of the line.

    ¡°No you don¡¯t! Jori! Kill that one! There!¡± I pointed out the too smart undead. We both hurled a flurry of spells at it, but there were too many lesser draugr between us. It slipped away back into a corridor at the end of the chamber, then I lost sight of it. We had the numbers now, three quarters of the way across the floor, half a dozen draugr left, three, none.

    ¡°A damn good fight!¡± Hemjar crushed a draugr with his hammer, just to be sure it was dead. He was bleeding in a few places, superficial wounds.

    ¡°Headcount! Who¡¯s down? Who¡¯s dead? Kalor, secure that door!¡± I turned and saw the old warrior first. He waved his fresh reserve forwards, shields ready.

    ¡°Two wounded on our side.¡± Jorn called, his blade was absolutely coated in viscera.

    ¡°One dead, Mikel, just a few bruises otherwise.¡± Molnen stood from the dead guard¡¯s body. He had a spear driven into his chest, a lake of blood had spilled across the floor, heart shot.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Two need to be taken to the top, but we¡¯ve got them stable. They¡¯ll live long enough for Riga to tend them. A few new scars for the rest.¡± Hania was crouching beside a vigilant and one of Gromm¡¯s men.

    ¡°Can you men limp to the top if someone helps you?¡± I looked at the pair. They nodded, I sent them off with Jorn¡¯s less injured men to help. The extra armor I¡¯d handed out and absolute magic supremacy was paying dividends. One dead, four wounded, against¡­ fifty undead? It was hard to tell the fading auras apart, so many had been broken and fallen on top of one another. Reaching out to the deeper sections of the barrow, there was a drought of draugr. I¡¯d make it ten, powerful ones, but still only ten, and fifty skeletons. The auras all blended together, we¡¯d see how right I was.

    ¡°Champion! Over here.¡± Lodor whistled for my attention, but quickly stepped back, gagging. He had been standing in an off shoot doorway, one that probably didn¡¯t lead any where important.

    ¡°What is¡­ Oh¡­ Oh that fucking smell.¡± I wanted to vomit in my helmet. The room was piled high with metal cages one one side, there were three slabs for preparing the dead on the other. Bones, blood, reagents, and a pile of black soul gems decorated the slabs, half mutilated corpses had been stuffed back into the cages. If it hadn¡¯t been for the smoke and the blood of the fight, we would have noticed the stench sooner. It was cold in the barrow, but not freezing, the bodies had started to slowly rot.

    ¡°By all nine divines¡­¡± Adalvald swore something to himself.

    ¡°Lodor, close that door. We¡¯ll burn it after we finish this.¡± I turned to look to Adalvald, then the men that had slowly come forward. ¡°No prisoners. You hear that? NO PRISONERS! Anyone living beyond that doorway is a dead man walking, I don¡¯t care if their heart still beats! Stuhn will have his justice!¡± Not many of the soldiers had gotten close enough to see what was behind the now closed door, but they didn¡¯t need to.

    ¡°NO PRISONERS!¡± The words were echoed across our company.

    Down and deeper we went, and we spotted our first traps. They were the usual floor plates, but the stone had been melted and fused together with surrounding tiles. It was simple and expedient, the raised triggers couldn¡¯t spring the traps if they couldn¡¯t fall. It would take too long in an assault, but exploration¡­ I filed the thought away for later. There was one more chamber between us and the main burials, split by an underground stream. Two bridges had fallen into it, I didn¡¯t fancy our chances of jumping over it, not in heavy armor. It was flowing fast, and deep by the looks of it.

    ¡°There¡¯s got to be another way around.¡± Indeed, their were six doors leading off in various directions. One of them had to have a second path. I could still feel the draugr, and more importantly, the crazed vampire, so I doubted the other mages had fled. They wouldn¡¯t have left the vampire alive to rat them out, or seek immortal vengeance.

    ¡°We could split into teams, search for a route.¡± Lodor suggested.

    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s a good way to end up lost and ambushed. How much rope have we got?¡± Kalor looked around. I had rope, so did Jorn, Lodor, all the men that had joined my first barrow raid. It¡¯d been extremely helpful in testing for traps after we cleared the place.

    ¡°Enough, probably, I¡¯ve got a hundred yards here.¡± I patted the tight bundle on my belt. It wasn¡¯t fit for holding the weight of a man, better for bundling up loot.

    ¡°We can tie off one end here, hook it around one of those pillars. Wading across will be slow, but we could do it.¡± Kalor put his idea forwards.

    ¡°We¡¯d also all be freezing to death on the other side.¡± Molnen vetoed it. I thought the same.

    ¡°Mages can warm us up, can¡¯t they?¡± Kalor displayed the same ignorance of magic that most nords did, but his heart was in the right place.

    ¡°It¡¯d be a waste. Magic is like a muscle, use it too much and you get sore.¡± Jori put it into simple terms. Kalor shrugged.

    ¡°Use the rope, tie it off outside the door we pick. Don¡¯t go wandering off into any natural caverns, never know what we might find in there. If any doors are blocked on our side, do not, under any circumstance, open it. I¡¯d rather not meet my first Falmer today.¡± I put the two ideas together. The word of falmer sent shivers down several spines. The nords were familiar with the scary stories of their youth.

    I split the lot of us into several teams. A vigilant would be with each, just in case of magic traps. I didn¡¯t have to re-iterate the no touching rule, but I did anyways. The door farthest ahead on the right was my pick, with Hania, Jorn, and Kalor following.

    The barrow had started to go to ruins this far down. Time, water, and neglect had not been kind to the old stone. It led into a catacomb, skulls and bones packed loosely into the walls, some spread across the floor. There were some more complete skeletons, weathered and beaten, that Hania said were too damaged to be raised. Despite that, chalky marks gave evidence as to where all the ones trying to kill us had come from. Molnen just about stabbed me when we met each other at a junction, their door had also led into the graveyard. We split there again, running our rope around theirs. That way, we could find each other if we needed too. It was now or never for Hemjar to make his move.

    The catacombs ended in a large open chamber, stone rubble strewn across the floor from where the ceiling had caved in. Dirt and debris was spared from the walls, much to Hania¡¯s delight.

    ¡°You know, we¡¯re probably the last people that are going to see this.¡± I gestured at the murals. Mountain peaks draped in dragons, the gods watching their subjects from on high. Lower, were cities and temples built into the mountain sides. Priests gave tribute to their scaled overlords. Armies clashed below, in the fields between mountains. It really was incredible work, even if it had been made by deranged cultists that were still a pain in my ass today.

    ¡°It¡¯s true. Soon we won¡¯t even have first hand relics of what a dragon looked like. I know they were evil, but it seems a shame to let them fade away somehow. I¡¯d love to see one.¡± Hania¡¯s scholarly side was showing.

    ¡°Be careful what you wish for. Not all of them were evil, but we¡¯d be better off if they stayed a memory.¡± That drew odd looks from Jorn and Kalor, but a downright worried one from Hania. She cocked her head at me, I shook mine. I wasn¡¯t going to break the news about dragons just yet. Vampires were bad enough. I looked around the chapel, for lack of a better word, and saw two doors near the back, one led in the direction that should have been over the stream, the other back towards the catacombs.

    ¡°Come on, more doors to search.¡± I started towards the left side. A groan sounded from the right, then a crash. Hemjar¡¯s hammer broke through the old wood and rusted iron, a second and third blow knocked it right off the hinges.

    ¡°Seems you caught up.¡± Jorn tried to banter with the big man. He stepped through the wreckage, trailed by Molnen and two guards I didn¡¯t know well. There was no sign of the Vigilant that should have been with them.

    ¡°Aye, caught right up to you. No thanks to Molnen here.¡± Hemjar scowled at the other thegn. He came to a stop in front of me, hammer planted in front of him.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Lyana?¡± Hania was quick.

    ¡°Oh, she got tired, took a rest. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Hemjar flexed his hand, there was a bit of blood on his knuckles. Hania started forwards, I put out a hand to her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Molnen, what happened to Lyana.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s unconscious, not dead. She doesn¡¯t have anything to do with this.¡±

    ¡°This? What the hell is going on?¡± Jorn was slow on the uptake, Kalor was already checking his shield.

    ¡°The Jarl¡¯s gotten tired of me, I think. You two, what were your names? Actually, I don¡¯t give a shit. Step aside and there will be no hard feelings.¡± I looked over the guards. Both were older men, scarred from previous battles. Probably the best men Korir could trust. They faltered a step, looking to Molnen and Hemjar.

    ¡°No hard feelings? I don¡¯t think there will be any either way. You¡¯ll be dead you treacherous snake.¡± Hemjar hefted his hammer.

    ¡°Treachery?¡± I shook my head. The amount of embarrassment I¡¯d caused the Jarl was enough for him to want me dead, honestly. If he¡¯d gone totally off the deep end, I guess he could believe whatever he wanted.

    ¡°Like it wasn¡¯t obvious? You happen to come into the Jarl¡¯s hall with the body of local guard, his killer in tow, then you just so happen to catch his sister in the act of helping those who had killed him? I don¡¯t believe it for a second. You had Malur framed with her help, nobody wanted to believe the poor little bitch was in on the whole thing. Malur would have sniffed you out. I have, and your witch whore will be next!¡± I¡¯d heard enough.

    ¡°Hania, let me borrow your sword.¡± I handed off my mace to the Vigilant, she readily obliged.

    ¡°So because I didn¡¯t let you torture an innocent girl to death, and I, rightly, made you look like a fool, you¡¯ll go along with this crazy story the Jarl has come up with? Did you ask the Jarl to kill me, or did he ask you?¡± Hemjar was going a bit red in the face. Molnen was just shaking his head.

    ¡°Enough of this insanity! Hemjar, you¡¯ve always been dumber than horker shit, but you can¡¯t believe this! And you Molnen, you¡¯re the smartest man in the Jarl¡¯s service.¡± Kalor stepped forwards, without a weapon drawn.

    ¡°Kalor, don¡¯t involve yourself in this. I don¡¯t know what manner of magic trickery he¡¯s been using, but I will find out soon!¡± Hemjar took one step forwards.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe a word of it. I was hoping to avoid this. The only thing that will come of it is death for Hemjar, and probably the Jarl too.¡± Molnen stepped back from the coming fight. Hemjar spun, furious.

    ¡°You! YOU! Craven bastard!¡± Hemjar sputtered, the two guards looked unsure of what to do at that point. If they jumped in, so would Hania, and they¡¯d seen her roast a half dozen draugr with a thought. Kalor and Jorn probably gave them pause too, but they could kill soldiers. They didn¡¯t have a counter for a mage.

    ¡°Either throw down the hammer, or fight. I have necromancers to kill sometime today.¡± I twirled Hania¡¯s sword in my hand, getting a feel for it. It was exceptionally well forged, and I knew she kept a razor edge on it. I reached down to the purple vial on my belt, and let a few drops run down both sides of the blade.

    ¡°Cowards, one against four then, I¡¯ll kill you all!¡± Hemjar turned back to face me.

    ¡°One on one, no magic. The rest of you stay out of it.¡± I corked the vial, and put it back on my belt. Hania growled.

    ¡°If he puts a mark¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stay out of it. Trust me.¡± I pushed her back, then it was on. Hemjar charged.

    I backpedaled slowly, hopping one foot to the other, just like I had the last charging bull. Hemjar was big, strong, and dangerous, but he had a lot of inertia, just like the horker had. I made one big jump right, one left, one ri¡ª left and back, leaning away, Hemjar missed by a few inches, I drove the point of Hania¡¯s sword at his ankle. My aim wasn¡¯t great, I cut a neat hole behind his shin plate. I ducked the backswing and swiped for his bare arms. Hemjar knew it was coming, and pulled his guard in.

    To Hemjar¡¯s credit, he didn¡¯t react at all to the pain of the shallow stab, and he was firm on the leg. Blood stained his boot, nothing major. His momentum had carried him away, and I knew better than to follow him. He circled, leaving a trail of blood droplets on the stone floor. He twisted towards a lunge, sidestep and counter, blocked, our second exchange was bloodless. Hemjar may have been a dumbass, but he knew how to fight with his hammer. I could end the fight with a blast of flames, but that would be underhanded trickery to most nords. I¡¯d win with the blade.

    Giving up the initiative to Hemjar was a dangerous game. He was larger, had a longer reach, and vastly more experience than I did, but I needed him to swing first. One good counter, a strong slash, and he¡¯d stumble.

    ¡°Hit me!¡± Hemjar bellowed, beating one hand against his breastplate. I was too far, he was trying to bait me into the spike that tipped his hammer. I feinted a step forwards, but kept my weight on the back leg. The hammer shot out, scraped over my shoulder, I made a sloppy chop from a high guard. Hemjar took the bait, turning into a step forwards to slam the haft into my helmet, too slow. A bleeding line drew itself under his right forearm. The slice wasn¡¯t deep, but it didn¡¯t need to be. There hadn¡¯t been much room, or time for a proper slash, but he¡¯d put his arms out. I drew the sword back into a close guard, running the blade under his elbow to wrist.

    Hemjar hissed with that one, and jumped back, putting the point of his hammer forwards. A short thrust at his face kept him back. Blood was seeping between his fingers, staining the already ruined floor. Hemjar shifted his hip, just as he had before the last two lunges, I was moving with him. The hammer came at a horizontal, towards my ribs. It was a mistake, the tip of my sword was moving a lot faster.

    I swung for his neck, the haft barely came up in time to stop it. It didn¡¯t stop the blade from sliding down the length and removing all four of his left fingers. Hemjar screamed that time, stumbled, choked, it was over. He had his intact hand wrapped around his throat, trying to hold in the river of blood I¡¯d let loose. My blade had flicked back up, three inches of razor steel carved into his neck. Jorman had taught me that trick.

    ¡°You should have put the hammer down. Or worn chainmail.¡± I stepped back from the ailing giant. He gargled something.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Eelging.¡± He croaked, a spray of blood came out with the word.

    ¡°Eel? Oh, you mean healing? Magic healing?¡± I shook my head at him.

    ¡°EELGING!¡± Hemjar took one faltering step forwards, lost his balance, and sank to a knee.

    ¡°Champion¡­ You can save him.¡± Kalor spoke first.

    ¡°I could forgive his baseless claims, I could forgive him trying to kill me, but threatening Riga, that won¡¯t stand. You die.¡± I took his head, the body clattered to the ground. Nobody made a move for a few moments.

    ¡°Molnen. You saw this. Jorn, Hania, Kalor. Was this righteous? Merciful?¡± I turned to Hania, offering the sword back. She took it, but Kalor spoke first.

    ¡°Oathbreakers are put to death. The Jarl broke his to you, Hemjar carried it out. This was justice. More merciful than what Hemjar would have shown you. I still don¡¯t believe it though.¡± Kalor shook his head.

    ¡°The Jarl¡¯s been slipping for years. Drink and despair. The other Jarls don¡¯t take him seriously, the Hold is worse than it¡¯s ever been. What little he had was burning down around him, then a stranger walks out of the ice and sets things right faster than we¡¯d get a response from the high king.¡± Molnen walked forwards and stooped next to Hemjar¡¯s head.

    ¡°Fenrik¡­ He mentioned that the Jarl was troubled, but sending an assassin after one of his sworn men? Even a newcomer, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Despicable. My father had a man flogged to an inch of his life for taking a bushel extra in tax from our farmers. Johannes carried out his duties, as agreed. It¡¯s no fault of his own that the people here whispered, strong men saw a leader to pledge themselves to.¡± Hania sounded a step away from screaming fury.

    ¡°My father won¡¯t let this go unanswered. Johannes saved my life, he risked his own for people he¡¯d never met. What are you going to do?¡± Jorn turned his eyes to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to walk into the Jarl¡¯s hall wearing the Helm of Winterhold, and throw Hemjar¡¯s head at his feet. Maybe foot. If they don¡¯t pull that arrow out of him, there¡¯s a good chance he¡¯ll be dead or crippled by the time we get back. If he¡¯s alive, I¡¯ll call him out for his crimes, and demand that he forfeits his position, if his wife is the new Jarl, I¡¯ll do the same. I doubt the other headmen and thegns will be too pleased to hear he ordered another killed.¡± I looked to Molnen.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t. Only one other headman joined us, from Salt Stone. Thegns though, there¡¯s a few important sons that will be running to their headman fathers at the first chance. Jorn isn¡¯t an oddity. Kai spoke the truth of it when he said no man would question you taking the Jarl¡¯s place. Especially now, even more so if you know where the Helm of Winterhold is.¡± Molnen raised an eye brow.

    ¡°It¡¯s here. Jori tracked it down to this barrow. I think that¡¯s why Milek chose this place to work from, he knew about Jori¡¯s studies. My guess is that they were going to do some damned fool thing like trying to take over the hold, the helm would have helped with that. Doesn¡¯t matter now, they¡¯ll all be dead soon. Speaking of, we have a path to find. Come on, and keep quiet about all this until afterwards. Hania, do you mind¡­¡± My words were cut short when Molnen picked up the head, and stuffed it into a bag.

    ¡°That works. You two, are you still going to try something fucking dumb?¡± I looked at the two guards. They shook their heads, figured they liked them where they were.

    ¡°Good. Go get Lyana, and bring her back here. If she¡¯s any worse than unconscious, I will kill both of you.¡± I sent them off, they were back two minutes later. The Vigilant was breathing, and cursing after a quick check over from Hania.

    I was able to convince her of the benefits to merciful forbearance, but she refused to let the guards or Molnen walk behind her. The door to the left opened into more catacombs, as I suspected, and spit us out on the other side of the stream. Most of the rest were already waiting for us.

    ¡°Catacombs on the other side?¡± I asked Jori.

    ¡°With space for thousands. We were lucky. If Milek had gotten here¡­¡± Jori let the thought hang. It would have been an unstoppable catastrophe if the Mer Kin had been able to raise every single one of the skeletons. Weak as they were, they could have crushed us by numbers alone. Not to mention whatever they had found elsewhere. The barrow on the coast hadn¡¯t had catacombs like these.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead, and the other two cretins are about to be. Did you send anyone looking for us on the other side?¡± I looked back to the door we had come from.

    ¡°No, we figured that you¡¯d stopped in the temple like some of us did. The murals are incredible.¡±

    ¡°Hania said the same thing. So everyone¡¯s ready? Where¡¯s Gromm?¡± I looked for the man.

    ¡°Holding the path open on the other side. Seemed prudent. Can you feel anything sneaking around?¡± Jori motioned to the chamber at large.

    ¡°No, they¡¯re all down below, in the main chamber. Ten draugr, fifty or so skeletons. I¡¯m expecting another draugr lord down there, maybe multiple. They¡¯re wicked things.¡± One of them was a challenge, but if there were several, a few of us were going to die. The mages would be trouble too.

    ¡°If they burn, we can slay them.¡± Adalvald appeared from the swirling rabble of soldiers.

    ¡°They burn pretty good, especially with Jori¡¯s bottled sunlight.¡± I gestured to the glowing flask on his hip. Most of the vigilants had coated their weapons with it, the rank and file too.

    ¡°Ah, you mentioned that Angven crippled one that way, yes? A dagger.¡± Adalvald recalled.

    ¡°That he did. If we¡¯d managed one good hit to the thing¡¯s face, I doubt Jorn would have been stabbed.¡± I looked to the man, he¡¯d recovered well since then.

    ¡°If they didn¡¯t have skin like boiled leather and bones like iron, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten stabbed either. My strike should have taken the thing¡¯s hand off.¡± Jorn huffed.

    ¡°Perhaps that giant¡­¡± Adalvald looked around, confused.

    ¡°He won¡¯t be joining us. I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± I cut off Adalvalds question before he could ask. Hemjar¡¯s absence would be noticed if we stalled here.

    ¡°All of you! This is the final push! We¡¯ve broken the back of their resistance, they have nowhere left to hide but the bottom of this grave. Let¡¯s bury them in it, shall we?¡± I roused the men, and a few women. Thirty or so, eight of us mages, against sixty. The numbers lied, being that most of the enemy were skeleton warriors, but it could still go poorly. A few men still had the broken shafts of arrows sticking out of their chainmail, dried blood from minor wounds staining their hands.

    The corridor leading down into the main tomb was a corpse hall, with cut outs in the wall for the more honored of the dead. Most were empty, but some were still wrapped, others had mismatched piles of bone. Counting off the spaces, I started to realize that there should have been a lot more draugr, an order of magnitude more. The alcoves for the dead stretched eight high, on both sides, and kept up all the way down to where the puzzle door should have stood. Sixteen, thirty two, forty eight, sixty four¡­ two hundred eighty eight¡­ I counted the columns as we went. Maybe they¡¯d never been filled, maybe some of the bodies had only been good for skeletons. There were still more graves in this one tunnel than I¡¯d counted undead in the whole barrow.

    We stopped at the bend that lead to the puzzle door, fifty yards from where I felt the nearest undead. A peek around the corner, the door was open. A single draugr, about my size, was stood there with a greatsword forward. His eyes flicked to me immediately, sword tip drifting in my direction. There were more draugr, and skeletons, deeper into the chamber. They were waiting for us.

    ¡°It¡¯s not an ambush¡­ not really. They¡¯re going to shoot at us the whole way down this hall though.¡± I drew back around to look at the rest. The mages weren¡¯t spent, but it¡¯d been a mighty effort in the first fight. I didn¡¯t want to tire them out by warding our advance.

    ¡°I have a solution to that.¡± Adalvald stepped out, raised a fist, and threw a blinding sun down the hallway. The groaning shrieks and raspy howls proved the efficacy of the trick.

    ¡°Quick! While they¡¯re blinded!¡± Adalvald drew his sword and headed the charge. I followed suit.

    ¡°Charge!¡± Getting through the kill box fast was as good a solution as any. The first arrows started raining down on us as we reached the puzzle door¡¯s tunnel. Grave alcoves gave way to carven histories, and then to a wall of angry corpses. I felt three arrows bounce off my plate, one skimmed the mail over my neck. My ring pulsed angrily, sniffing out the death stench lingering on the arrow shafts. Adalvald met the sword wielding draugr head on, the still reeling undead had tendrils of smoke rising from its armor.

    I didn¡¯t have the luxury of enjoying Adalvald¡¯s skill at swordplay. Skeletons were surging in to fill the gap after their first layer of defense had been foiled. Easy prey, they would fall, pulverized and brok£­

    Zzzaapp!

    The lead skeleton raised its hand, and lightning coiled on boney fingers. My ward was still forming when it hit, the half baked spell shattered. Magical backlash coursed in my hand, it felt like I¡¯d taken hold of a burning hot log. The skeleton started to channel a second spell, I was faster. Flames rendered bone to charcoal, and the skelemage didn¡¯t do much to block the stream from incinerating those behind it either.

    The tide seemed to be without end, but I knew that couldn¡¯t be true, we were pushing them back, the floor felt like it was made of rollers with all the bones being scattered about. I¡¯d seen two draugr go down, three more were fighting on my left, two on my right. A duo of skeletons splintered under my mace, then I saw him.

    [Molsoraak, Draugr Death Lord]

    [Race: Undead Nord]

    [Level: 37]

    [Health: 460/460, Stamina: 325/325, Magicka: 180/180]

    [Status: Engaging You]

    Fuck.

    Molsoraak¡¯s armor was a cut above, pitch black like¡­ It was ebony, so was his weapon, a great axe meant for hewing men to pieces. A lane cleared, his lessers making way for the king. I found my self wishing I¡¯d brought my own axe, the mace in my hand was not fit for the task. It was a lesson that would probably be learned painfully.

    ¡°Kren sosaal us dilon! FUS!¡±

    The kinetic wave rippled through the air, there was no way to move left or right, I ducked and planted my feet. It hit like a troll, rocking me back, but I managed to stay upright. By the time I¡¯d stood, Molsoraak was charging, axe raised high.

    ¡°Fuck you too buddy!¡± I flung a sunbolt at his knee, the armor covering it surged with magical protection. A purple aura intercepted the spell, flames washed over the leg but didn¡¯t catch.

    Double fuck.

    My first plan spoiled, I fell back to the tried and true. The enchanted dagger on my belt glistened gold, the mace would carry righteous flame in its own right, I stepped into the man-splitting strike, hoping to catch the haft instead of the blade. Crushing force slammed down on my shoulder, even the trolls hadn¡¯t hit that hard. The clang of steel on ebony rang from Molsoraak¡¯s helmet, but I knew it was a bad swing from my mace.

    Before I had the chance to slip out from under the axe, I felt a sharp point digging into the chainmail covering my armpit. The death lord hooked me with the blade, it felt like a giant had picked me up. Bruises, clattering steel, my vision was spinning to the floor, skeletons and men, the ceiling, a blue spear scraped inches from my right eye. I landed on my knees, and for once I came up with both my mace, and dagger still in hand. A skeleton prepared another ice spike, half the distance closed, three quarters.

    Crunch!

    One more skelemage down. Pounding steps were close behind me, I dove right, and came up to catch an ebony plated fist in the temple. Back down, I could see Molsoraak in all his might. The damn draugr had to be eight feet tall at least, his axe was more akin to a halberd. It was held high over his head, from my back there wasn¡¯t anywhere to go. I dropped my mace and dagger, hoping to spoil his aim. Twin jets of flame spilled out of my hands, it was the only thing I could think to do.

    ZZZAAAP!

    Just as the undead lord made to bring his axe down, a tremendous surge of lightning blasted him from behind. The impact lit the whole chamber in competing blue and purple, my ears were ringing with the roar. Molsoraak bellowed something too, but I didn¡¯t catch it. He spun, enraged that someone would have the gall to hit him. Adalvald was stood there with two crackling hands. Now was my chance.

    Molsoraak¡¯s back plate was glowing cherry red where the lightning had struck, a neat hole punched into it. More importantly, the faint purple aura of whatever enchantment protected him was gone. I raised my hand, and put two bolts of sun fire on top of each other, and that hole. Molsoraak stumbled forwards, tongues of flame erupting from his collar. What was it Kai had said? Four on one was fair against a draugr lord? I pushed the thought aside, and took up my dagger.

    The deathlord charged Adalvald, the spear point on the end of his axe leveled for the old mage¡¯s head. A concentrated blue disk popped into being, forcing the blade off target. All I needed was for the draugr to keep his back to me for a few more seconds¡­

    Clang!

    Searing pain shot through my left leg, and I was sliding across the ground again. A look showed why, there was an axe sticking out of my shin, embedded by the spike. A pallid grey arm was still holding onto it, a whole draugr had been drug along with me.

    ¡°Motherfucker that hurts!¡± I drew back my right leg, and kicked the snarling draugr in the mouth. One kick, some teeth, two kick, few teeth, three kick, no teeth. Dead hands tried to snatch at my good leg, faltering with each successive heel that met the thing¡¯s head. Finally there was a crack, and I was ankle deep in draugr brains. The arms went limp, their flailing ended with the blendering of the frontal lobe. The axe in my leg was still a problem. It¡¯d punched clean through my armor. I reached down to it, preparing for the pain.

    [Armorbane Ancient War Axe]

    [Description: An Ancient Nord War Axe with the Armorbane enchantment, it¡­]

    I didn¡¯t bother reading the rest. I¡¯d had a need, and the world had provided. With a mighty scream of agony, it came loose. I could feel the wet heat of blood pouring down my leg, two seconds of healing would have to be enough. Molsoraak had Adalvald on the defensive now, I could see the old mage faltering. Some incredibly brave, and incredibly stupid man tried to charge into the fight, Molsoraak kicked him across the chamber. The other grunt troops were keeping a healthy distance, finishing the skeletons and lesser draugr.

    I was on my feet, hobble-charging the death lord from behind. He lunged forward with a stab, nearly skewering his vigilant foe, then the haft whipped back around for my helmet. A fast thinking, not at all panicked, stumble spared me from another head ringer. The spike of the war axe bit into the draugr¡¯s ebon plate, scraping a gouge in the metal. It found purchase at the seam between back and waist, punching through to the hip. My fortunate stumble meant that almost all of my weight went into the strike, dragging the draugr off balance. We both crashed to the floor.

    ¡°Gahaghah!¡± Molsoraak landed on my legs, and two seconds of healing had not been enough. The big, heavy fucker was snarling, snapping and punching at me before we¡¯d even hit the ground. Golden flame was spreading across his left side, righteous strikes proving their worth yet again. My right hand free, there was only one thing to do in a fist fight with the giant. I lit him on fire, again.

    Fwooosh!

    There were screams, bellows, clangs of metal on metal, hisses and pops of melting flesh, cracking bones, the last thing I saw was a black plated fist headed for my jaw.

    <hr>

    ¡°Why does he always insist on getting into a fist fight with these things¡­¡± Riga was knelt down over the Champion, tending to his almost healed face. The chainmail hung around his helmet hadn¡¯t done any favors to stopping Molsoraak¡¯s last punch. All the teeth were grown back, the bones healed, but he¡¯d have a long scar where his jaw had broken the skin.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t know any better. He¡¯d beat the daylights out of most men in a brawl. Has. I¡¯ve seen it.¡± Angven grinned, his brother laughed.

    ¡°Rolvar¡¯s still sour about his nose. Didn¡¯t you tell us he broke a draugr¡¯s neck in the first barrow, bare handed?¡± Anglin asked.

    ¡°He did, got the bastard thing in a hold and damn near pulled its head off.¡± Gromm vouched for the tale.

    ¡°Was that draugr three heads taller than him?¡± Riga groaned, looking down to the other scar the Champion had gained. It was a rough triangle a few inches below the knee, puckered skin raised from where the spiked axe had put a hole in him. There were smaller cuts, scrapes, and bruises too. A small slice on his lip, a purple welt over his right eye where Molsoraak had dented his face plate inwards, a big brown and yellow splotch on his ribs. He¡¯d survive it, but he¡¯d need to sleep for a while.

    ¡°No, can¡¯t say that it was, but Johannes did win this fight too. He¡¯s alive, the draugr is burnt to cinders. I¡¯d say he did pretty good, all things considered.¡± That drew a few laughs.

    ¡°The damned mages held Jori and I up. By the time we¡¯d finished with them, Johannes had pulled one of Molsoraak¡¯s eyes out and stuck his dagger in the other.¡± It burned at me that I hadn¡¯t been at his side. Adalvald had been there, and spent the last dregs of his power to heal the Champion¡¯s myriad wounds. The old man would be asleep for a week. I put one last stroke down the blade of my sword, smoothing over a few burrs that had formed.

    ¡°Where is Jori?¡± Riga looked around.

    ¡°He¡¯s taken a few of the other Vigilants to help loot the tomb. Clearing out magical traps and the like. The place is massive, it might take us a few days to properly sort through it all.¡± Honestly, it could take weeks to properly see about the barrow, but for stealing everything that wasn¡¯t nailed down, days would do. The soldiers milling about the hill were already sorting boxes being hauled up from below. Kalor, Jorn, and Lodor were keeping a careful eye on the proceedings, making sure that nobody got any ideas to skim off the top.

    ¡°We should take him back to Seacrest. He needs to rest.¡± Riga didn¡¯t care much about the treasure, Johannes had made her the wealthiest woman in the hold by quite a margin already. One more reason for her feelings to the man.

    ¡°He can sleep just fine here, don¡¯t worry over him too much. I healed up in a tent under four feet of snow last winter. Logging accident.¡± Grimvald showed his arm, a jagged scar evidence of an ill felled tree. Riga glowered at him, but didn¡¯t push the issue.

    ¡°Keep a good watch on him Riga, he¡¯ll be awake sometime tomorrow. Grimvald, I need your help with something. Come on.¡± Johannes trusted the man, and he owed his life to the Champion¡¯s connection to the college. If it weren¡¯t for that, the man would be a blood thirsty monster.

    ¡°Aye lady, how can I help?¡± Grimvald followed after me, back into the pit entrance of the tomb. I waited until we were out of ear shot of the men hustling back and forth, picking over the burial jars and bandit barracks.

    ¡°Jori and Johannes think the Helm of Winterhold is inside this tomb, and we need to find it before someone else does. Jori¡¯s already searching for it. The necromancers probably hid it deeper down, maybe in the main burial chamber. That¡¯s why we had the rest start from the top and work their way down.¡± That caught Grimvald¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Suppose that¡¯s going to be the Champion¡¯s revenge for the Jarl sending Hemjar after him? Seizing the seat for himself?¡± Grimvald and a few others had caught onto the big oaf¡¯s absence after the big fight. Molnen had displayed the head, and explained what had happened. The Champion¡¯s company was less than pleased, the two guards that had been part of the plot were bound to trees outside next to the bandit prisoners.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you what his plan with it is. I don¡¯t think he wants to be Jarl, but he won¡¯t let Korir get away with this.¡± I wouldn¡¯t either. Korir had committed a heinous sin, and Stendarr would have his justice.

 Chapter Twenty Seven: Consolidation

    ¡°This place is a wreck.¡± I looked over the hall of the fort. The imperials had destroyed what they couldn¡¯t take. Splintered furniture was piled up in the middle of the room, half burned books and maps had actually choked the hearth. Nothing was worth salvaging, sadly. We¡¯d had to send Angven over the wall with a rope, the gates had been barred from the inside.

    ¡°But the structure is sound. Mostly. Looks like they gave up trying to sabotage the beams.¡± Kalor pointed to some obviously chopped timbers running across the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t enough to compromise the building on its own, but that hadn¡¯t been the point.

    ¡°They managed to do what they intended to. If they needed to siege down the castle, those beams would give out under a bombardment. They didn¡¯t finish the job because they were hedging their bets on retaking the place. Looks like your loggers will have plenty of work from me. Do you have any builders worth the title here?¡± The stone was fine, mercifully.

    ¡°My father can see to getting these repaired. He¡¯s no southern engineer, but he knows his business.¡± Grimvald spoke. Kalor agreed.

    ¡°Ingar has worked on the keep for the Imperials. He¡¯ll be able to set it right. Furnishing the place will be more difficult, those are all the bunks.¡± Kalor pointed to a section of the debris pile.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be feather beds, but at least everyone has a bedroll to work with. Bedframes won¡¯t take long. What about the kitchens?¡± I followed Kalor through a side door. They were mostly intact, but the chimneys needed to be cleared. The legion certainly knew how to fuck with things in a way that wasn¡¯t crippling, just annoying. The pantries were entirely bare, save for some skeever shit.

    The armory was next on the list, I didn¡¯t expect anything to be left. There wasn¡¯t, the racks for armor and weapons had been smashed too. The iron bar door to get into the cage had been melted strategically. Hinges, locks, the bottom bar that ran across the floor was a puddled lump of iron to stick the door shut. For the time being, I had Riga finish the job. She melted the door right out of the frame.

    ¡°Get rid of all this shit in here, and pile up the loot we took from the bandits and Yngdaril. I¡¯ll need to do payroll before too long, I know the men are eager for their shiny stack of gold. Grimvald, go get your father, show him the place, and get him what he needs to start fixing things, be it money or labor. Angven! Take your brother through the fort and clear out the skeevers that have settled in, I don¡¯t want any damned rats eating through our supplies, thin as they are.¡± It wouldn¡¯t be a ton of work, but in hindsight I should have expected it. The Legion abandoned the fort because they were worried about getting cut off, it made sense that they¡¯d leave it in a poor state.

    ¡°Champion.¡± Adalvald appeared from a doorway that led deeper underneath the castle.

    ¡°How¡¯re the cells? Usable?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve set Lyanna and Hinbald to keep a watch over our¡­ guest. He¡¯s still quite angry.¡± Adalvald had been a very busy man after I¡¯d taken a nap, but he¡¯d done well. He¡¯d spared the vampire, and locked the bastard into an iron banded treasure chest. A bit of blood made sure the vampire wouldn¡¯t go completely nuts, but I could feel how pissed off he still was. Given that vampires didn¡¯t need to breathe, sleep, drink water, we¡¯d kept him chained up in the trunk.

    ¡°Really? Thought he would have liked the improvised coffin. No bites or scratches when you moved him?¡± That had been a concern, after we¡¯d seen what happened on the coast. Six for six was completely unprecedented for vampiric infections.

    ¡°None. I bound him in Stendarr¡¯s chains¡­ It¡¯s a spell that binds the undead, lest they incinerate themselves. Any use of his vampiric powers will burn him, the more he tries, the harsher the flame. He¡¯s currently manacled by both hands and feet to the wall, the cell doors are sturdy. Lyanna and Hinbald both have experience with vampires.¡± Adalvald assured me.

    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll deal with him soon, don¡¯t let any of the rank and file wander down there.¡± I¡¯d give a speech, and tack that bit on at the end. The men knew we¡¯d captured the vampire, but I¡¯d rather they didn¡¯t get curious. I¡¯d need to brand the beast with my sigil soon. If he tried to escape, we¡¯d hunt him down. Seeing as Adalvald had that in hand, I kept on with my tour.

    The barracks area was large enough to house a hundred soldiers, more if we repurposed the store rooms. The bailey was fit for training, though it wasn¡¯t like we lacked for space. Seacrest was a large village, but it was compacted together for the most part. Walking fifteen minutes from the castle put us out in the snow. I found Harald and Lodor at one corner of the bailey, poking around the smithy.

    ¡°How bad is it?¡±

    ¡°That lump of iron used to be the anvil. The forge and the furnace need to be repaired. I can have it running by the end of the week Champion, I just need to send word to my father for tools.¡± Harald sounded confident.

    ¡°Good. How much will it cost to get you the tools you need?¡± I thought to all the things a smithy should have. Hammers, tongs, anvil, bellows, grinding wheel, dozens of little things flashed through my head, courtesy of the steel smithing mastery I¡¯d picked up.

    ¡°My father will provide, he always said he¡¯d give me what I needed to start my own smithy.¡± Harald bowed his head.

    ¡°No.¡± Handouts from father to son were fine, if that¡¯s what this was, but it wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Champion?¡± Harald looked nervous.

    ¡°This will be your work, but you¡¯re working for me. I¡¯ll pay your father his due. How much would it cost for a normal person to buy everything you need from your father?¡± I had money, plenty of it, and I intended to spend it.

    ¡°Five hundred septims should be enough.¡± Harald spoke after thinking for a moment.

    ¡°Easy. I¡¯ll pay your father six hundred to get it done quickly. Rest, get something to eat, then you¡¯ll be leaving with Jorn in the morning. I¡¯ll be behind you shortly, with pay for the work. Lodor, if you want to go with them, you can, otherwise I can find something for you to do around here.¡± There wasn¡¯t much to do for the moment, aside from clearing out the trash.

    ¡°I suppose this will be my last chance to see my father and mother for a while?¡± Lodor asked.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be far, but we will be busy once this place is repaired. Training soldiers, patrolling the ice, prospecting the coast. I wouldn¡¯t mind if you went to visit them sometimes, but not when I need you here.¡± It was half a day¡¯s ride to Frozen Wharf. He¡¯d have time to spend a day with his family if he wanted it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with them, you¡¯ll be coming too meet with us once things are in order here?¡± Lodor asked in return.

    ¡°I will. I need your father¡¯s help for the dealings with the Jarl. It shouldn¡¯t be more than three days. We spent enough time at Yngdaril to put the Jarl on edge already.¡± The time had been worth it, if our haul was anything to go by, but it did make for a tight schedule. The Jarl would be expecting Hemjar to come back with my head any minute now, every day that passed would drive him further up the wall. If he was still alive, that arrowhead had enough time to kill him by now.

    I let to the two men get back to¡­ well nothing really. The next stop on my list was the commander¡¯s quarters. The fort had been built strictly for military use, rather than a feudal estate, but it had plenty of rooms for the officers. The largest of them was reserved for the legate, occupying the top level of the keep¡¯s tower. Unlike the rest of the fort, it had been left untouched. There were the dregs of burnt papers and scrolls in the fireplace, but the bed was intact, the furniture completely fine.

    ¡°Clever fuckers, very smart.¡± I shook my head at it. I didn¡¯t need to go looking to know that all the other officer¡¯s rooms would be the same. While the rank and file slept on hard stone floors, the commanders of whoever took the fort would be warm and comfortable inside. The Legion were no slouches, they knew how to put their enemy down without fighting.

    I checked for traps, but came up dry. There was no blade hidden in the mattress, no runes printed on the underside of the table. They had probably decided against it, in case a different commander was sent to retake the place. It would be an awful waste to accidentally kill their own men. I did find a note, perfectly folded, and well written, sitting on a study table before a large window overlooking the bailey.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    To whomever it concerns, do not become too comfortable. The Imperial Legion will return, and we expect to have our fort back. Enjoy the view.

    ¡°Maybe you should have stayed, and I wouldn¡¯t have had to clean up this mess. Twats.¡± I crumpled the note and threw it back on the table.

    ¡°Left one of those here too?¡± Riga was standing in the door way.

    ¡°Seems so. Have you picked out a room?¡± I pulled out a chair at the large table in the middle of the room, and offered it to Riga. She took it as I found a chair across from her.

    ¡°There¡¯s two smaller rooms on the other side of the tower, mine has a nice view of the sea.¡± Riga nodded. They were meant to be adjutants rooms from what I¡¯d seen of it. Small, close by, but still worthy of an educated officer.

    ¡°Who¡¯s claimed the other one?¡±

    ¡°Nobody yet, but Hania seemed interested.¡± Riga frowned slightly.

    ¡°She¡¯s been watching me like a hawk since I woke up. Probably wants to stay nearby. Don¡¯t look so worried, she¡¯s not interested in me like that. She¡¯s devoted to her cause, her god named me a champion.¡± I waved away the lingering grimace on Riga, she started to go red.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried¡­¡± She shifted to crimson, trying to hide her face by playing with her hair.

    ¡°Sure, not worried. Anyways, we¡¯re going to be headed back to Winterhold while Kalor and Grimvald get things started here. I don¡¯t know which way it¡¯s going to go, but if you want to see your father before we get settled in here, this will be your last chance for at least a little while.¡± I changed subjects, much to Riga¡¯s relief.

    ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t really thought about that¡­¡± Riga frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

    ¡°What have you been thinking about lately? Aside from killing necromancers and bandits.¡± I got a grin out of her.

    ¡°I really enjoyed the time I spent at the College. I was thinking, I¡¯d be more useful if I knew more magic, you wouldn¡¯t worry about me so much. I know what I need to learn, and this ring is something special.¡± She held out her hand to show off the piece, she rarely took it off.

    ¡°I figured that¡¯s what you¡¯d be leaning towards. If that¡¯s where you want to be, I say go for it, live that dream you¡¯ve had. Live up to your grandfather¡¯s name, Riga the Stormblade, or maybe something new? Storm Maiden? Lady of Lightning?¡± I smiled to her, which brought out another flash of crimson.

    ¡°I¡¯m still getting used to the blade. It¡¯s bigger than the ones Jorman had me practice with, I need to get stronger before I can really swing it.¡± Her hand fell to the pommel of the mentioned weapon, hanging on her belt. Even hanging at an angle, it nearly dragged along the floor as she walked. Riga was a little lady. Fierce, but little.

    ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯m going to run the company through the first of our real exercises. If you stick to them, you¡¯ll be strong enough to wield that sword in one hand. You may be a mage by trade, but a good left hook will take you a long way in life.¡± I raised my fists in a mock boxing stance. Riga just laughed.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t mind if I spend some time at the college? I want to stay here, and be useful, but I know that you¡¯ll be busy with Jori and Adalvald, I don¡¯t want to take their time up with lessons.¡± Riga¡¯s voice took on a mix of emotions. She seemed happy, but nerves and a bit of sadness seeped in too.

    ¡°No, not at all. I think it¡¯d be good for you to get some formal education, and take some time for yourself. You¡¯ve done better than I could have ever asked for the past few months, but I know it wasn¡¯t easy. I asked you to do things that would be hard on a veteran soldier.¡± I hadn¡¯t broached the subject with Riga, mostly because she hadn¡¯t seemed too bothered with the death we¡¯d left in our wake. It was true she had an axe to grind with the bandits, but she had killed a lot of people. My count was a dozen at least, mostly with fire.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad¡­ Really, I¡¯m not, I¡¯m not trying to play it off, but this is the world. There¡¯s horrible people out there, I¡¯d rather kill them all off than hide from them.¡± Riga held up her hand when I started to interrupt.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m just a common girl, not a soldier like my brother was, my father isn¡¯t some hero, it¡¯s hard to believe the things we¡¯ve done. I wouldn¡¯t have believed it if someone told me last summer. Someone had to do it, I¡¯m glad you asked me to come along.¡± Riga looked conflicted, but I didn¡¯t want to press on the issue too much. If she said she was fine, and she wasn¡¯t fighting tears talking about it, that was good enough for me.

    ¡°If you do need someone to talk to about all of it, I¡¯m here. Killing people is a hard thing to start doing. It wasn¡¯t easy for me either.¡± The memory started to form as I spoke the words. Riga must have noticed something about my face.

    ¡°My brother and Rolvar used to talk about their first fight until the moons were setting. Olam never mentioned the fact that he shook and felt sick for days after to anyone. Once he got over the worst, he looked like that when he thought about it.¡± Riga pointed to me. I shrugged.

    ¡°Mine was messy. Olam¡¯s must have been too, with the weapon he used.¡± I patted the mace. It had served me well, and I¡¯d been good about maintaining it as well as Olam had.

    ¡°You remember? You saw my first kill, with the bow. The snow caps? Ice caps? The bandit woman. Tell me about yours.¡± Riga leaned in towards me. I had to think quick¡­

    ¡°I remember it, and what I did years ago, before I ended up here. I was a guardsman, not sure where. Someone reported that a few men had been bothering people outside of a, er, tavern.¡± No lies, a State Trooper was about the same job as the Hold¡¯s guard¡­ minus the paramilitary aspect, usually.

    ¡°I was sent over to make sure nobody had been hurt, and see about the men causing trouble. When I got there, two men were bleeding. They¡¯d gotten into a fight with the gang over a woman, the two men had been stabbed. My partner and I got a description, and managed to find where they went. I had¡­ The best way to explain it is a crossbow, I think. Not a weapon used here in Skyrim. Anyways, they had locked themselves inside a room at a motel, sorry, that¡¯s kind of like a tavern where you¡¯d rent a room for the night. We heard a woman yelling inside, so we went to kick the door in.¡± The door had actually been too sturdy with the lock. I¡¯d put a shotgun slug through it before Keith had thrown his two hundred fifty pound ass at the door. Normally we would have waited for local cops to show up, but with a possible hostage¡­

    I paused, Keith. I could remember a real person from my old life. That country boy should have been a linebacker, but ¡®I weren¡¯t no good for college, not enough for college ball.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile at the memory. Riga looked confused at my barely contained giggles. Keith had been a lot smarter than his drawl let on.

    ¡°Sorry, I just, I remembered my partner. He¡¯s the first person I¡¯ve been able to remember from before. I thought about something funny he used to say. We got into the room, four men were inside, a woman on the bed. Two were armed, so we told them to drop their weapons¡­ They didn¡¯t listen, one of them tried to draw on us. I put a fist sized hole in him, then it went crazy. Two of them tried to tackle Keith, he killed one, knocked the other unconscious. The fourth made a move for the woman on the bed, I shot him but he lived.¡± It was a fucking disaster, truth be told. Two dead suspects, one had a shotgun slug lodged in his spine, the woman wouldn¡¯t stop screeching when she saw all the blood. Granted, three of the men had warrants, all had served time before, but it had been a shitshow afterwards. Two fairly new, junior cops shooting up a motel room made the headlines.

    State Troopers Go In Guns Blazing!

    ¡°There was a big investigation about how we should have handled it better, that we broke half a dozen rules to go after them instead of letting the locals handle it¡­ Different world.¡± I put up my hands at Riga¡¯s confusion. Nordic justice was pretty straight forwards for kidnapping and rapists, axe meet neck.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s ridiculous. They had the woman in the room, they¡¯d attacked two men already. You should have killed all four of them.¡± Riga tried to make sense of it. It was the same thing that more than a few people had said afterwards, corpses don¡¯t testify. Known criminals charged two uniformed cops, had knives and a hostage, and got shot, that would have been the end of it.

    ¡°If the same thing happened now, I probably would. Not like anyone¡¯s going to question the champion of justice, right?¡± I had to careful about that kind of precedent. It was the reason I¡¯d taken hostages at Yngdaril. Adalvald had been right, I could admit that now. Even if it was likely the three bandits would end up dead anyways. I¡¯d give them a trial.

    ¡°No, not likely, not when you¡¯re the one that bothered to go and do something about it. The local lord really took some issue with how you rescued the woman?¡± Riga sounded mad now, the kind of confused anger when something doesn¡¯t make a lick of sense.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the past, nothing to do about it now. They weren¡¯t the only men I ended up killing, plenty came later, and there wasn¡¯t much question with them. Shouldn¡¯t be getting hung up about all this, we just won a huge victory, we¡¯ve got money to hand out to the men. We should do something fun for the company, celebrate.¡± I pushed my private considerations away. I was a world apart from being able to atone for any mistakes I made before, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯d made many here. I had people here that I could do better for in any case. Riga nodded, still thinking about something, but then stood.

    ¡°I seem to remember that Fenrik kept quite the collection of mead barrels¡­¡± The girl reached a hand out to me, a smile replacing her disgruntled look. I took her hand, she tried to pull me out of the chair, and my prophecy came true. She tumbled forwards, a clank sounding as she fell into me.

    ¡°Ow!¡± Riga rubbed her head where it had thumped into my breastplate. She tried to right her self, but her cheeks went red when she realized what exactly had happened. She¡¯d ended up not quite sitting in my lap, but close enough. Before either of us could say anything, a new voice strode in.

    ¡°Champion, I think I¡¯ll be taking the other¡­ Oh, sorry! I¡¯ll make sure nobody bothers you.¡± Hania stopped cold, took in the scene, and turned on her heel, closing the door behind her. I could hear her laughing all the way back down the stairs. Riga looked mortified.

    ¡°This is hardly the worst thing she could have walked in on¡­¡± Teasing Riga was fun, but the questioning look she gave back, well, I¡¯d made my bed. That¡¯d be for another time, maybe.

    We went looking for Kalor to see how expensive it would be to buy a few barrels of mead, and get hot food sorted for a good dinner. The answer made Riga gasp, she wasn¡¯t used to being filthy stinking rich yet. I still didn¡¯t have a great grasp on what money was worth here, so I just shrugged and paid for it. A few hundred coins was a small price for throwing the first party for my company. Chickens and goats would curse the day I moved into Seacrest.

 Chapter Twenty Eight: Kingmaker

    Our timing had worked out almost perfectly. The sun was dipping below the horizon, the guards would be changing shifts, the Jarl¡¯s hall would be full of his men, either getting off guard duty, or about to take over the night shift. Karliene slowed to a stop at the gate, eagerly awaiting pats from her favorite guard.

    ¡°Rolvar. You look surprised to see me.¡± I stepped off the back of my sled, hands empty. The guard had a deeply conflicted expression.

    ¡°The Jarl said you were dead, killed during the fight for the barrow.¡± Figures he would try some underhanded shit like that. It still lets him claim me as a martyr.

    ¡°Ah, greatly exaggerated. I did get beaten bloody by a Draugr again, but that was after the Jarl tried to have me killed.¡± I traced my hand over the still fresh scar on my jaw. Rolvar twitched, as did two of the other guards close enough to hear.

    ¡°Champion, I don¡¯t mean to call you a liar¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth. Jarl Korir sent Hemjar and I, and those two.¡± Molnen pointed to the two would be assassins, bound on the sleds. ¡°To kill the champion during his attack on Yngdaril. Johannes won, Hemjar is dead, and we have six witnesses. The Jarl betrayed his oath to his sworn sword, and spat in the face of the gods. I would suggest that you stay here Rolvar, don¡¯t get involved.¡± Molnen looked to the other guards, none of them made any move.

    ¡°I¡­ Do what you must.¡± Rolvar stepped out of the gateway. I stepped back on to my sled, and whistled for Karliene. There were more sleds behind me, Hania, Jorn, Lodor, their father, the Twins, Kalor, Molnen and the prisoners, Grimvald and two men from Seacrest, Gromm and his men from Icehome. Riga was sitting on the nose of my sled, she¡¯d gotten very quiet, and very still as soon as Winterhold had come into view.

    The town was quiet, the streets starting to thin out as the sun set. Everyone would be at home, or in the tavern, somewhere protected from the biting cold. We left our sleds in the street, the twins would keep a careful eye on them. There was no guard on the doors to the Jarl¡¯s hall, and few people around to take notice of us.

    ¡°Champion, you still haven¡¯t told us what your plan is.¡± Molnen had been pestering me about that for days. He¡¯d find out as it happened, just like everyone else would. I reached into my ruck, and drew out the Helm of Winterhold. It had been hidden in the main burial chamber, in a chest tucked away behind a book case. It wasn¡¯t an impressive thing, just a steel helmet, with Winterhold¡¯s coat of arms etched on the front. It would be recognized though, the inscription across the brow and the obvious age left little room for argument.

    ¡°My plan is to save this Hold from an incompetent fool. Is everyone ready?¡± I looked at my assembled group, and handed the helm off to Jorn. Mages, old nords, young warriors, nobles, peasants, and prisoners. It seemed about right. There was a round of nods and affirmatives, then all there was to do, was to open the doors.

    At first, not many people took notice of me. As the rest started to filter in, the conversations and scraping of forks died down, murmurs started, and finally the high table¡¯s lively conversation died. It was quiet enough to hear a mouse for a moment, until one of the guards stood.

    ¡°The Champion lives!¡± A few men started the celebratory hoots and table beating, but stopped quickly when they realized none of us were smiling, and more than one hand was resting on a weapon. I kept right on going, up to the Jarl¡¯s table, and came face to face with Korir. He¡¯d seen better days, he was pale to the point of gray, and his face was haggard, but he wasn¡¯t dying. Yet.

    ¡°Jarl, you don¡¯t look happy to see me. Perhaps Hemjar would cheer you up?¡± I reached down to the sack tied around my belt, opened it, and dumped the head out into his dinner. Jorman jumped to his feet, hand on his sword, but not drawn.

    ¡°What is this?!?¡± The man was loyal to a fault.

    ¡°Really Jorman? You knew I wasn¡¯t dead. Why would the Jarl spread that lie if he expected me to come back alive? Hemjar did his best to make sure I didn¡¯t, on the Jarl¡¯s order.¡± I turned back to Korir. The fear that had filled his face was gone, now it was fury.

    ¡°Lies! I was told you were¡ª¡± I didn¡¯t hold back, I slapped Korir full across the face with a plated backhand. Jorman started to draw his sword, but stopped as Hania beat him, the point of her sword hovering an inch from his neck.

    ¡°Jorman, I wouldn¡¯t be here if I didn¡¯t have overwhelming proof, don¡¯t get yourself killed for this miserable drunk. Molnen, the prisoners?¡± I turned to the thegn, he brought our two prisoners forward for all to see. Korir was suitably cowed for now, an angry welt swelling on his cheek.

    ¡°These two men, along with Molnen himself, were ordered by the Jarl to kill me. Molnen warned me of the Jarl¡¯s intentions, and these two men saw reason.¡± I reached back for Hemjar¡¯s head. ¡°Hemjar did not. He tried to ambush me in the barrow. He admitted to everything that Molnen had warned me of, and then went on with his task alone. We fought, he died. I have six witnesses here. Jorn, son of Thegn Bellin, Lady White Oak, Kalor of Seacrest, Molnen, and these two men. All of them will tell you that I am telling the truth.¡± The tension in the air, the disgust, the anger, but more importantly, the belief. The guards in the room believed me.

    ¡°Liar! I would never order such a thing! You have murdered my thegn, now you come with lies and conspiracy to seize my titles!¡± Korir rose behind me. I noticed he still had both legs, he must have gotten magical aid, a shame.

    ¡°Where is your proof that you did not order it?¡± I turned back to the Jarl.

    ¡°The gods have spared my life, why would they have healed an oathbreaker? Your lies and deceptions will end here!¡± Bad choice of words Jarl¡­

    ¡°The gods had nothing to do with your healing. Jorman, you went and got the Master Wizard didn¡¯t you?¡± The huscarl looked uncomfortable.

    ¡°I did, the Jarl¡¯s wound would have killed him otherwise.¡± Honest to a fault too.

    ¡°So, the gods didn¡¯t spare you. You have called on them though. If I am lying, let them strike me down by your arm, prove to your people I¡¯m a fraud, a liar, that you were right to send a pack of killers after me. You seemed so righteous before, why the fear? Surely the gods know your innocence. Come on, clear a space.¡± I waved my assembled witnesses away. I¡¯d prepared for having to talk it out, prove my claim, the whole courtly affair, but it seemed we could do it the Nordic way.

    ¡°You would have me fight, while I still recover from my injuries!¡±

    ¡°You seemed fit enough to call me a liar. I¡¯m challenging you, let the gods say who is telling the truth. And don¡¯t you dare name a champion to fight in your name, this is a matter for us. Or are you a coward, in addition to being an incompetent drunk?¡± I stepped down to the floor in the middle of the hall. Korir had no choice.

    ¡°Jorman, sword.¡± Korir stood, he didn¡¯t seem shaky at all, magical healing would have fixed him right as rain. The huscarl turned, mindful of Hania¡¯s blade still held ready, and fetched a blade leaning against the Jarl¡¯s seat. My hand found the haft of my axe, I held it down at my side. I¡¯d specifically not worn any of my armor for this. Korir would have thrown it in my face, and I didn¡¯t want to wait for him to put on his own.

    ¡°To be clear, I am challenging Jarl Korir because he broke his oath to me, has called me a liar despite the honorable witnesses I¡¯ve brought, and because he is a fool that will drive this Hold even further into the ground if he¡¯s allowed to keep his seat. I am challenging him to prove my words are true, and to take his seat as Jarl. I do not want his seat, and I had no inclination to take it before now, but he is weak, cowardly, and stupid.¡± I made sure I would be heard throughout. Korir stepped down to meet me.

    ¡°How dare you insult me in my own hall! Enough! You will not have my Hold!¡± Korir finally seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, raising his sword. Long trained, but ill-practiced form took hold of his arms. Korir tried for a lunge high. His age, and drinking, showed in his speed. He was faster than Hemjar, but he wasn¡¯t nearly so heavy or strong. I knocked his blade off course, it spun out of his grip, and that was the fight. A single swing from each of us and Korir was face down to the floor, an oversized axe blade stuck in his shoulder.

    ¡°So dies Korir.¡± Bellin, Jorn¡¯s father, let out a sigh. I levered my axe blade out of the deposed Jarl, it¡¯d severed his spine just below the base of the neck. All eyes were on me now.

    ¡°I did not want this!¡± I pounded the butt of my axe into the floor, just to be sure everyone was listening.

    ¡°And yet there you stand, Jarl of Winterhold, over the corpse of the last. What will you do now?¡± Molnen called from his place to the side. I looked to Jorn.

    ¡°Jorn, the helm.¡± I beckoned him towards me. I took it, and held it high.

    ¡°This is the Helm of Winterhold. We recovered it from Yngdaril, I have fought, and won my challenge against the Jarl. If any of you have a reason for why I should not be Jarl, speak it. I will not hold it against you.¡± I looked to the guards, to Molnen and Bellin, to Jorman, nobody seemed to have anything to say. Save for the newly made widow.

    ¡°Murderer! You have no right to this place!¡± Thaena, Korir¡¯s wife, started screeching from the table. I turned.

    ¡°Jorman, I have no ill-will towards Korir¡¯s family, they will not be harmed, but I don¡¯t have the patience for this.¡± Jorman didn¡¯t need any further prompting. Thaena pitched a screaming, shrieking fit as Jorman hauled her off back to the private quarters of the hall, but nobody else had anything to say.

    ¡°So, no challenges. That¡¯s good, because I only have a few things to do as Jarl. First, there are several villages lacking headmen and thegns. My first appointment as Jarl, is to name Gromm of Icehome a thegn for his courage, skill, and selfless actions. I would ask that you look after Girda as well, given the manner her father died. Second, Kalor. I don¡¯t know if there are any other notable people in Seacrest, but if you want the job, you can have it, or you can organize a vote. Whatever, I leave it to you. Also, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯d do it anyways, but Fenrik¡¯s young widow, make sure she is taken care of. I will help in any way that I can. I don¡¯t know that any other villages lost their leaders, but if they have, we can figure that out later. Also, any wives, children, or otherwise dependent people of those who died fighting, I will see to their needs. That follows with what I have next.¡± I turned back to Kalor, but looked around the room quickly.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°The Imperial Fort in Seacrest. I¡¯ve already claimed it, my company is rebuilding it as we speak. I am officially stating here, that it is mine. If the Imperials want it back, they can come and take it. With that, I am also claiming the rights to mine and prospect for metals along the coast. I will be hiring men and ships for the job. Spread the word, there will be plenty of work in Seacrest by spring time, and I will see to it that every man that comes looking for a job will be fed, sheltered, and paid fairly, whether as a soldier in my company, or working the mines and ships. The wives and children I mentioned earlier are welcome as well. Now, most importantly¡ª¡± Molnen stepped forwards.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but what of Korir¡¯s wife and son?¡± That was a good question.

    ¡°What belonged to her, is hers. I don¡¯t want Korir¡¯s money, I don¡¯t want his horses, dogs, heirlooms, none of it. The matter of the Jarl¡¯s longhouse though¡­ It is her home, but it is also the seat of power in the Hold. She¡¯ll need to find a new place to live, but I won¡¯t put her out in the cold until she¡¯s sure of a place for herself and their son.¡± That seemed to satisfy the people with rank to care.

    ¡°That is fair.¡± Thegn Bellin, the eldest man present, nodded. I gestured for him to join me.

    ¡°Now, finally, I said I did not want this position, these titles. I have more important things to see to as Stuhn¡¯s Champion. I will not lie to you, hard times are coming. Even without the Stormcloaks and Imperials, there are grave dangers to Skyrim, and I intend to stop them. You guards here that don¡¯t join my company, train hard, be ready, strong arms and sharp steel will be needed, and it will be the effort of everyone in Winterhold that saves you. Trust the Vigilants of Stendarr, the Dawnguard, and Stuhn¡¯s Witnesses. We will fight for you, but you must fight for your self too. That being said, I cannot take the Jarl¡¯s seat. Thegn Bellin, I name you as my interim successor, on the condition that a moot is held to elect a new Jarl, or confirm your position.¡± I held out the helm to him. A mixture of emotions shot through the old man, before setting on a determined expression.

    ¡°You honor me and my family, Champion.¡± Bellin bowed slightly before taking the helm.

    ¡°Thank your sons. I¡¯ve seen them fight, they followed me without fear. They were ready to give their lives for their people, and you trusted them to show their capabilities when we cleared the barrow on the coast. Your village is one of the most successful in the Hold, you have years of experience, and Jorn would make a good Jarl if you win at the moot. I don¡¯t know any other thegns I¡¯d trust to take the position, Fenrik if he had survived, but he didn¡¯t. I don¡¯t know how long it would take for a moot to be convened, but that¡¯s your problem now.¡± I smiled, and patted him on the shoulder.

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯d need to wait a month at least, long enough to send messengers. Will you vote in the moot?¡± Bellin raised a fair point.

    ¡°I think¡­ Only if there is a tie. I won¡¯t speak for, or against any of the candidates either. I¡¯d rather avoid a small civil war in the Hold that I just finished pulling out of the fire.¡± I just needed someone else to deal with all the bullshit of running a hold, without driving it into the ground.

    ¡°Sound reasoning. I should start my duties then. You men. Take Korir to be seen to by the priests.¡± Bellin didn¡¯t waste time, a good sign. Two guards hefted the body off and out of the hall. It felt like they took the weight off of my shoulders with it. Everything I¡¯d sworn to do when I arrived was done, finished. The bandits were dead, the necromancers shattered, and a better ruler for the Hold had been found. It hadn¡¯t been easy.

    ¡°You¡¯re a strange one Champion.¡± Grimvald found me sitting in the room that had been mine, picking over the two chests full of loot. I had a third one sitting in my quarters back at the castle too.

    ¡°Just noticed?¡± I closed the chests.

    ¡°No, but I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve ever met a man who would just give away a Jarl¡¯s title.¡± Grimvald took the chair across from me.

    ¡°I have very little use for it. My duties as a Champion are going to take me all over Skyrim for months at a time. The people here need a Jarl that can focus on them, and put the Hold above all else. I can¡¯t do that for them, and I don¡¯t want to either honestly. I¡¯d really enjoy being able to relax in my new castle and spend all this gold on liquor and women.¡± I put my feet up on one of the chests, smirking at the reaction I¡¯d gotten. Grimvald stopped laughing a while later.

    ¡°That¡¯s certainly not what I expected of Stuhn¡¯s chosen. I can¡¯t say that I would do different in your place though.¡± Grimvald reined himself in.

    ¡°First chance we get, we¡¯ll go on an adventure with black jack and hookers, promise.¡± I laughed. Grimvald looked a little confused. ¡°Gambling and whores.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that Champion. What are your plans for the next few months? I know you¡¯ve already started with the plans for mining and expanding the smithy in the keep, but where are your travels going to take you?¡± Grimvald had a curious expression.

    ¡°In the immediate future? Back to Seacrest. We¡¯ll get things started there, train the new recruits that are sure to pour in at the promise of gold and glory. Once the roads are a bit less harsh, I¡¯m going west to Dawnstar. We¡¯ll hire foremen and miners to exploit the ore veins we find, and send them back to Seacrest, then it¡¯s south to the Hall of the Vigilants. There¡¯s now three orders of fighting men dedicated to Stuhn in Skyrim, and that means we¡¯re wasting a lot of effort and manpower doing the same things. Keeper Carcette of the Vigilants is a very talented, very skilled mage, and her followers are more than just warriors, but they are very few in number. My goal is to get them to either join us in Winterhold, or take a stronger position in Whiterun Hold. There¡¯s an abandoned fortification there, Greymoor.¡± I stretched back, thinking through my plan.

    ¡°They¡¯re vulnerable in how they operate right now. They send one or two Vigilants to wander the land and cleanse it of evil. They¡¯ve probably lost dozens of their order to bandit ambushes and wild animals because the fools were alone. We don¡¯t have the time to train two hundred mages again, and if the Vigilants keep going how they are, almost all of them will be dead before the next winter. You¡¯re one of the men I planned on taking with me, so I may as well tell you the whole story¡­ Fuck, let me gather up everyone, time y¡¯all learned the things I¡¯ve been having visions of.¡± I¡¯d already discussed most of it with Adalvald, the key points at least, ignoring the fact that in my visions it was the last dragonborn leading the fight. Still hadn¡¯t told them about the dragons.

    The guards had all left, aside from the few standing watch over the hall. Jorman had managed to get Thaena to calm down and go to sleep, so he joined us at the table. I sat to Bellin¡¯s right, as he was the new Jarl. Everyone else was sat across from us.

    ¡°There¡¯s some things I need to tell all of you, though you¡¯ve all heard bits and pieces. The strange recollections I have of things, information that there is just no possible way I should know, regardless of who I was before I found my self in Winterhold. There¡¯s one that I¡¯ve kept close to my self, only Hania and Adalvald have heard it.¡± I looked to the knightly woman, she was all ears.

    ¡°We¡¯ve encountered two vampires in the effort against the necromancers. The first was in the barrow near Frozen Wharf, the one that killed Fenrik. The second, we captured in Yngdaril. Being that Anglin removed the first one¡¯s head, we didn¡¯t get to question him, but we did end up with journals and tomes. Those proved that he was a member of Volkihar clan, they¡¯re the most ancient vampires in Skyrim, that I know of. They¡¯ve been around since the second era at least, before the Septim empire, before many of the holds we know today were properly founded. The second vampire is also a Volkihar. He hasn¡¯t been very talkative, but he wears their mark. I intend to get the answers out of him one way or another, but their involvement has erased any doubts I had about my visions.¡± Bellin looked uncomfortably at Lodor, who seemed to be the only one to recognize the Volkihar name besides Hania.

    ¡°The Volkihars are led by a vampire named Lord Harkon. He pledged himself to the Daedric prince Molag Bal, and in return, was made into a pure breed, along with his entire family. He has a wife, Valerica, who has been missing for thousands of years. Harkon will never find her. His daughter however, Serana, has also been missing, and they are looking for her. Hania and Adalvald have been too, but they didn¡¯t know her name, or where she is hidden, or the fact that she¡¯s still alive¡­ well, not alive, she¡¯s a vampire, but you get the point. The reason that both Valerica and Serana have hidden themselves away is to prevent Lord Harkon from bringing about an apocalypse. He¡¯s obsessed with a prophecy that one day vampires will snuff out the sun, and bring eternal darkness to Nirn, freeing them of the largest weakness they have. His wife and daughter are a bit smarter than he is though, and realize that won¡¯t help vampires. They¡¯ll die, either when the world rises up to smash them, or by starvation with everything else. Plants need the sun to grow. People and livestock eat plants, vampires eat people.¡± It was probably asking a bit too much of the Nords to listen to an in-depth description of photosynthesis, but everyone knew that plants need sunlight for some reason.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ And you know all this from visions?¡± Bellin had a note of disbelief in his voice. Hania answered.

    ¡°He¡¯s been right about every single thing he told us, things that Adalvald and I have spent years collecting and piecing together. Nobody aside from the two of us, and Jori, would have known. Jori said he hadn¡¯t spoken a word of it to Johannes. If I hadn¡¯t seen what I have of Johannes, I wouldn¡¯t believe him either, but he has been sent by Stuhn for a reason.¡± Hania backed me up.

    ¡°Thank you. Now the more pressing matter I¡¯ve seen, is that someone is going to wake Serana from her hiding place. Adalvald dies there when he¡¯s ambushed by vampires, the Vigilants are hunted down, nearly exterminated. My goal is to prevent that future from happening, before it has the chance to. Without Adalvald¡¯s journals, the vampires have next to nothing in regards to fulfilling their prophecy, but Harkon sees the state of Skyrim, he knows that now is going to be his best chance to make a move for it. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re already aware of Adalvald¡¯s work, but if they are, we can¡¯t waste any time. I want to head them off, get the Vigilants in order, unify a fighting force that can take the war directly to the Volkihars before they make a move. For that, I need soldiers, equipment, supplies, money, and every bit of help I can get.¡± I looked to the assembled notables. Bellin, Molnen, and Kalor all looked between each other. Molnen nodded first.

    ¡°I can help in some ways. We have the ruins of an old tower and wall in the village. It could be our west watch to your eastern position. The mountains aren¡¯t an impassible barrier, but they are dangerous, and ill-suited for larger groups to pass through. We can at least host a garrison, feed and shelter some of them, be a safe refuge for patrols. The outlying families and those in the village itself, maybe sixty men could be pressed to service in an emergency, twelve full time.¡± Molnen offered, I¡¯d take it.

    ¡°That¡¯s generous. I¡¯ll do what I can to help rebuild the fort there. I plan on turning Seacrest into a new industrial heart for the Hold with time. If you have any spare sons of smiths and carpenters, they¡¯d be welcome, paid well. I¡¯m going to use my money as a tool, just the same as a hammer. Gold and steel wins wars. Jarl Bellin, I¡¯ll need ships too. A lot of them. I don¡¯t expect your shipwrights to work for free, but if we can come to a deal¡­¡± Bellin raised his hands.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have your ships. An investment now will pay in the future. I imagine they¡¯ll be pressed into service as merchants first, moving your metal and workers, warships later?¡± Bellin smiled at the word warships.

    ¡°They will. The faster, and the more they can carry, the better.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you raiders fit to sack a kingdom. Jorn, Lodor, you¡¯d best brush up on your sea legs, the Champion will need Captains. I can have the first ship built by the spring, two more by the first days of Midyear, so long as you can get the iron and timber we need. They¡¯ll carry fifty warriors each with empty holds, but you will need to wait for the ice to melt to get them out of our harbor, the ice will be thinnest near the end of Last Seed.¡± Bellin had a proud look, one that probably only came about with the thought of seafaring adventure.

    ¡°Midyear will be the soonest I could arm a hundred fifty men I think. By the seventeenth day of Last Seed, every Volkihar needs to be staked in the sunlight, total victory. Six months.¡± Six months till Alduin sacked Helgen, and the Last Dragonborn would be known. With luck, I¡¯d be sitting in Riverwood with the last of the Emperor¡¯s Blades on that day, Harkon would be ash, and his daughter would be lost to time, along with the Elder Scroll she carried.

    ¡°What happens on that day? Is that the day they complete the prophecy in your visions?¡± Hania seized on the scrap of information.

    ¡°No. That¡¯s the day our hero emerges, and that hero does not need to be distracted by a bunch of fucking corpses trying to kill the sun. In the same vein, we do not need to be distracted by the things our hero is going to be busy with. If we don¡¯t end the vampires by then, we¡¯ll have much larger problems. Speaking of, Bellin, if Jarl Ulfric comes along demanding troops from Winterhold, don¡¯t turn them over. You¡¯ll understand when he comes begging for your reserves later. Also, there¡¯s a certain pointy eared cocksucker I need to kill that might cause problems with the Thalmor, so don¡¯t be surprised if a bunch of angry elves show up in a few weeks, maybe months.¡± That caused more questions, but I wasn¡¯t ready to answer any of those yet. Our new Jarl had succinct words on the Thalmor subject.

    ¡°The elves can go fuck themselves. We¡¯re sons of Ysgramor and servants of Talos, we beat them bloody twice, we¡¯ll do it again.¡± I liked Bellin.

 Chapter Twenty Nine: Housekeeping

    ¡°Adalvald, how¡¯s our prisoner been the past few days?¡± The older man was on watch when I got to the dungeons. He shrugged.

    ¡°The wretch alternates between complete silence and bursts of feral screeching. I¡¯ve checked his chains twice a day, to be sure he hasn¡¯t somehow wriggled out of them, but they hold firm. Hania told me that you know far more about their kind than you let on, even to me.¡± Adalvald sounded slightly disappointed.

    ¡°Times are changing, we¡¯ll have plenty of time to discuss that later. If you want to hear more, you¡¯re welcome to join me. I¡¯m going to get my answers out of the vampire today.¡± I held up my dagger and the last remaining black soul gem I¡¯d gotten my hands on. Yngdaril had several, sadly most of them had been filled already. Adalvald grimaced.

    ¡°Jori mentioned your fondness for that tactic. I can¡¯t say that I approve of it.¡± His words were more polite than his expression suggested.

    ¡°Death and pain don¡¯t mean much to immortal beasts. They know their master will call them to his plane, unless something else gets them first. The other Masters are strong enough to contest the claim on their souls though. We aren¡¯t in a position to give up a weapon against them.¡± It was a distasteful tactic, but I hadn¡¯t come up with anything else that would scare an answer out of those that didn¡¯t fear a normal death.

    ¡°As you say Champion.¡± Adalvald¡¯s tone told me I¡¯d hear more of it later. He could bitch and moan about my tactics after we¡¯d won, and he was alive to do so. Adalvald opened the door holding the monster, revealing a dimly lit cell. The once-man had been stripped down, just a scrap of cloth to keep him decent, to prevent him from being able to hide anything. The room was completely bare, given that he didn¡¯t need to eat, sleep, use the bathroom, or anything else. He kept letting his head hang despite the loud noise of the door.

    ¡°Do you really think we¡¯re going to fall for that?¡± I leaned against the wall across from him. Adalvald took a position out of reach, but between us. The vampire didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Speak beast! you aren¡¯t fooling anyone with this.¡± Adalvald sounded impatient, a bit of his anger seeping in.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a mage replicate a little ball of sunlight, vampires didn¡¯t seem to like that much. You¡¯ve done the same. Care to give an example to our guest?¡± I looked to the Vigilant. He nodded, raising his hand.

    ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯ve caught me. Suppose it was too much to hope for against vampire hunters.¡± The vampire straightened out, calm and composed.

    ¡°Must have gotten yourself out of a few tricky situations against city guards with that.¡± I twirled my dagger.

    ¡°Oh, more than a few. Four hundred years I¡¯ve roamed, yet you are the first to have surprised me. Congratulations. You must be the Champion I¡¯ve heard whispers of.¡± The vampire nodded his head towards me, and my armor.

    ¡°That I am. Sorry I haven¡¯t been around to properly introduce my self, there were other matters more important. I have questions for you.¡± The vampire smirked.

    ¡°And what do I get for answering them? I doubt that release is on offer.¡±

    ¡°Well, you can avoid quite a bit of pain and suffering, but I won¡¯t lie to you, I have no intention of letting you leave this cell alive except to stake you in the sunlight. Death comes in many forms though, some quicker than others, some long and lingering.¡± No reason to beat around the bush. A vampire that had lived for centuries knew the score.

    ¡°Fuck you then. Kill me.¡±

    ¡°I was hoping you would say that. Give my regards to Milek.¡± I revealed the black soul gem, and started towards the vampire. He stiffened immediately, a slight look of concern on his face.

    ¡°Woah! I think that maybe we got off on the wrong foot Champion.¡± He recovered quickly, trying to play off his fear.

    ¡°Oh? Really, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s at least a few people that¡¯d really like to hear from you¡­ they¡¯ll be disappointed.¡± I leaned back against the wall.

    ¡°Perhaps. So, your questions?¡± The vampire¡¯s eyes kept wandering between the dagger and the soul gem.

    ¡°What were you doing with the necromancers?¡±

    ¡°Looking for the methods and techniques of creating a draugr, obviously. Your friend there made it quite clear that he was after the same things we were.¡± The vampire sneered at Adalvald. Whether that was the whole truth, or just a convenient cover¡­ Huh.

    ¡°Suppose you¡¯ll need dependable servants when the sun winks out. What was the solution for blood?¡± The vampire kept it cool, but his sneer went from unconscious to forced, a little twitch.

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talk£­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit. Harkon is obsessed with the prophecy, bringing the world to its knees. I¡¯m a Champion of Stendarr, would I have been brought here if something crazy like that wasn¡¯t happening? He may have succeeded two thousand years ago if Serana hadn¡¯t gone missing.¡± I let the vampire in on just how much I knew. He would¡¯ve paled if he was human, instead, he sighed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Harkon¡¯s plan is for the prophecy, but he¡¯s even more fervent than usual about it. He says that the chaos among the cattle leaves them weak, that there¡¯s never been a better time than now. He¡¯s searching for Serana again, but I don¡¯t know why. You seem more well informed than I am. How is that exactly?¡± The vampire tried to get back to comfortable ground, I ignored his question.

    ¡°What does Harkon know about Serana? Is he close to finding her?¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t my place or my task.¡±

    ¡°Really, you hadn¡¯t heard anything going on? I find that hard to believe.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you should take a look at a map of Skyrim, it¡¯s a big place if you hadn¡¯t noticed. I¡¯ve not been around to hear Harkon¡¯s ravings for months.¡± He had me there. It took a week to reach Dawnstar from Winterhold, Morthal probably another week, two to get around the Reach and up to Solitude, then a boat ride. A month of traveling just to arrive unless he¡¯d taken a ship, unlikely in the winter. It seemed that was the end of the Vampire¡¯s utility.

    ¡°Adalvald, do you have any questions for him?¡± I looked to the elder mage.

    ¡°Only the ones I¡¯ve asked already. Where are the tomes? The ones that were mentioned in your journals. You¡¯ve claimed ignorance, but that is a lie.¡± Adalvald had calmed down, and spoke as if he was asking the weather.

    ¡°I sent them off with a skeleton when it became apparent that the others were on to me. It wasn¡¯t long after that the necromancers made their move. It was daylight, I had no space to manuever. My next memory is being chained up much like I am now, then you arrived. I¡¯ve lost my connection to the skeleton. It could be anywhere, or nowhere, covered in snow. I doubt the tomes will be found again.¡± The vampire shrugged. He seemed remarkably calm about the whole thing. I didn¡¯t know how much we could believe, but at the end of the day it didn¡¯t really matter all that much. I knew enough of the key items and actions Harkon needed to take to be successful, and I¡¯d already denied him the most important one.

    ¡°So, what now? You burn me and celebrate one less creature of the night?¡± The vampire leaned back against the wall. I turned to Adalvald.

    ¡°Do what you want with him.¡± I left the elder mage to handle the vampire. There was a flash of gold before I¡¯d even gotten out of the room. Burning was a horrible way to go, but the noises the vampire made, it must have been an especially shit end for them. Too bad. I went looking for the next batch of scum to take care of.

    ¡°Grimvald, are these three earning their meals?¡± I stopped in the main hall, where new timbers were being put in to repair the place. Our bandit prisoners were there as well, consigned to hard labor for the foreseeable future.

    ¡°They had some lip to give at first, but they¡¯re learning fast.¡± He pointed a club at one of them, the man had a lump on the side of his head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t beat them unless they do something to deserve it. Thieves and murderers they might be, but I need them fit to work.¡± I looked over the trio. Until more labor started coming in, we needed all the extra hands we could get. Grimvald¡¯s father had rounded up plenty of local men willing to work, but split between repairs, logging, and the hunting parties being led by the twins, every available, able bodied man had been hired.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Aye Champion, I¡¯ve kept the stick to my self mostly.¡± Grimvald tucked the implement back into his belt.

    ¡°How long till we¡¯ve fixed the main beams through the place?¡± I looked up at the ceiling. It looked like half of them had been replaced here, but the damage wasn¡¯t exclusive to the hall.

    ¡°My father has some of the men working on the higher floors, and the barracks. Two days and we should be done with the important pieces.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll trust you to handle this then. You three, I don¡¯t want to hear about Grimvald smacking you around, so don¡¯t give him any reasons to. You live as long as you don¡¯t cause problems.¡± I reminded them of the deal. Banditry, robbery, murder, all of them were grounds enough for an execution, but Winterhold had other traditions, like working prisoners in mines off the coast. It wasn¡¯t as bad as Markarth¡¯s system, well, maybe it was, maybe it wasn¡¯t. Cidhna mine was pretty damned brutal from what I knew about it.

    The prisoners nodded meekly, and went back to their work. It was about time for lunch, then I¡¯d be training with the company men in the courtyard. The first few days of it had been rough for everyone, but within a few weeks, I¡¯d be able to push them twice as far with half the pain, different pain. They¡¯d all be a lot stronger, so we¡¯d probably end up with more sparring injuries, nothing the vigilants couldn¡¯t fix. Speaking of them, I noticed that they were conspicuously absent from the training ground after we¡¯d eaten.

    ¡°Hania, where are the rest of the vigilants?¡± I looked around, maybe they¡¯d chosen a corner to gather in, they were still a bit insular.

    ¡°Pursuing other tasks. Jori is teaching several classes of advanced magic, Adalvald has been lecturing about vampires, some of them have enjoyed the tavern in town.¡± Hania looked slightly annoyed with them.

    ¡°Gather them up, bring them here. If we¡¯re going to work together, we need to train together, and that goes both ways. Men from the company will start sitting in on lessons about magic after this.¡± Combined arms meant we¡¯d all need to know what the others could do, how to compliment each other¡¯s strength.

    ¡°They won¡¯t like that¡­ This will be fun.¡± Hania grinned, and turned on her heel. We started with calisthenics, which had ended with me giving up my explanation and just telling them to do it. After the stretching, I had them jogging around in circles, jumping jacks, lunges¡­ The vigilants were all gathered up and looking on incredulously as I was explaining the concept of a burpee.

    ¡°Kind of you all to join us.¡± I stood and turned to them. One of the vigilants, a man named Bertram, stepped forwards.

    ¡°As the champion asks, we will listen¡­ Why are we here?¡± He sounded confused.

    ¡°Because we¡¯re training, and you volunteered to join us. That means training with us too. Those robes won¡¯t do too well for the task.¡± I pointed at his attire. Bertram looked over to Jori, then to Adalvald, the older man had a grin a mile wide.

    ¡°We are mages, not soldiers.¡± Bertram protested.

    ¡°Does that mean you won¡¯t be marching, or following along behind soldiers, and needing to keep up with them? Vampires fight up close, blades, teeth, and claws to go with their magic. You need to be ready for that. Drop the robes.¡± I turned back to the thirty odd soldiers. ¡°So, a burpee is£­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s freezing out here!¡± Bertram kept up his whining.

    ¡°Then you¡¯d better get moving. The rest of us are getting cold listening to your bitching.¡± Winter was coming to a close, but there were still a few storms to come before spring.

    ¡°If vampires have gotten close to us, your soldiers have fai£­¡± His protests were cut short with a light jab to the mouth.

    ¡°Magic didn¡¯t help you there. Try to zap me, come on.¡± I¡¯d closed the distance with him to make my point. Bertram flushed red, and lightning came up in his hand. Nothing terrible, but enough to hurt. I caught it with my ward and kicked his knee out from under him. He brought his hand back for a spell, my boot crunched down on it.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead. Magic is helpful so long as your enemy isn¡¯t in your face. You saw what the fighting was like in the barrow, close, claustrophobic, confused. We¡¯re going to fight in a lot more places like that, against things a whole lot more dangerous than draugr and skeletons. If you don¡¯t want to learn how to survive, then you can go and die with the rest of the vigilants that don¡¯t join us.¡± I turned my eyes to the vigilants that had shared Bertram¡¯s sentiment, to make sure they knew my words were for all of them. ¡°Just like all the others that have died because they didn¡¯t have a clue what they were doing. Your magic is strong, but your tactics leave a lot to be desired. Before I can fix that, I need to fix you.¡± I put my hand down to Bertram. He grumbled, and stood up himself.

    ¡°So, drop your robes and find a place, or die. Your choice.¡± I gestured first at the company, then the open gates. Lyanna was the first to fall in, her experience in the barrow had probably been remarkably similar to what I¡¯d done to Bertram. All but two of them joined, with Bertram having been pulled aside by Adalvald. The younger of the two was heatedly arguing, Adalvald was exuding stern grandfather energy. Finally the younger angrily started to strip out of his robes.

    ¡°Adalvald, you¡¯re the only one that doesn¡¯t necessarily have to join us. Not be rude, but your age is£­¡± He held up a hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been fighting longer than you¡¯ve been alive Champion. I know how to strengthen my self, even in my advanced years. I will see to it. Perhaps you can teach me something new.¡± He fell in with the rest, though slightly off to the side.

    ¡°Alright then, so, a burpee is a bitch, to put it simply, and y¡¯all are going to learn to love them.¡±

    Several Hours Later

    ¡°Harald, how¡¯s the repair going on the smithy?¡± I found the man after we¡¯d finished the closing jog around the outer walls. Harald looked like he was ready to fall over and die.

    ¡°Few days, I¡¯ll have it ready Champion.¡± He breathed out, clutching at his side.

    ¡°Put your hands on your head and walk around, breath in your nose, out your mouth, the stitch will go away.¡± I showed him what I meant. ¡°But that¡¯s good. Jorn and Lodor are getting their father¡¯s ships ready to serve until we have our own, we¡¯ll have plenty of ore for you to work with soon. Have you found an assistant?¡±

    ¡°Kalor introduced me to Kargrin, the younger boy that came along with us. He¡¯s eager to keep with the company, and could use a trade.¡± Harald¡¯s eyes tracked towards the milling crowd, to a tall, but lean and lanky kid.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be helping around the smithy when I have time. I could use a trade aside from this too.¡± I patted the mace on my belt. Harald nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple thing to learn, but it takes years to master. When you go to Dawnstar, you might ask after some of their smiths too. They have quite a few, for pounding out ingots from the mines. I¡¯m sure that plenty of them would like the chance at making something else.¡± Harald¡¯s suggestion was a welcome one. We¡¯d end up with more metal than hands to work it if a tenth of the survey I¡¯d gotten was accurate.

    ¡°That¡¯s good advice, thank you Harald. If you need a hand repairing the smithy, let me know. And if you see them, tell the twins to come find me.¡± I turned for the keep. Dinner was cooking already, horker steaks and eggs by the smell. Vegetables were getting lean this late in the winter. Karliene was sitting patiently at the door of the kitchen, tail wagging as I approached.

    ¡°How you feeling big girl? Hungry after all that running?¡± I scratched at her head. She had healed from the indirect lightning, and taken to making friends with all the new people around, especially the cooks.

    Arooo-rooooooo!

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought. I¡¯ll make sure they cut you a nice big piece. You should learn about chewing though. Inhaling the whole thing isn¡¯t healthy. You better not be eating skeevers either, those things are disgusting.¡± Karliene looked away for a moment, a guilty glint in her eye.

    I hadn¡¯t figured out exactly how much she understood, but she wasn¡¯t like the other dogs. Icefoot was just as smart, but he didn¡¯t understand the twins the way Karliene could understand me. I hadn¡¯t thought about it much, but I knew it had something to do with the strange window that had appeared when I picked her.

    ¡°Come on. If you promise not to eat any more skeevers, I¡¯ll have the cooks fry up a piece of fat off the meat.¡±

    Arrooooo!

    I did as promised, and got Karliene the cut she wanted. Dinner was loud and boisterous, with the company still in high spirits after our success. They¡¯d also gotten paid, nearly two hundred pieces of gold each, for a week of work. Garrison pay would be quite a bit lower, but they also weren¡¯t paying for food or equipment.

    ¡°Johannes! Look what we got!¡± I heard Angven calling over the noise. His party had left early in the morning, and looked to have been very successful.

    ¡°You were supposed to hunt the elk, not the thing hunting the elk!¡± I called back with a chuckle. He had a bear¡¯s head in his hands, massive thing.

    ¡°Oh, we got that too!¡± He tucked the head under his arm, and hiked a thumb over his shoulder. The hunters had an elk tied on a sled, dragging it towards the kitchens to be butchered. We wouldn¡¯t be going hungry any time soon at least, not with that much meat.

    ¡°Great work. You know I¡¯m not paying you for the animals, right?¡± I asked. Angven laughed as he passed off the head, and came to sit closer to me, lowering his voice.

    ¡°Not worried about that, I caught my own prize.¡± He offered over something wrapped in cloth. I opened it, revealing a dagger built in the old nordic style.

    ¡°Another barrow?¡± I asked quietly.

    ¡°Small one, up in the mountains. The bear had made a lair in the cave before it. Thought I¡¯d ask how you wanted to handle it. Probably won¡¯t be the same kind of treasure trove as the other ones, but it could be worth exploring.¡± Angven tucked the dagger back into his bag.

    ¡°Let me think about it. If there isn¡¯t much risk, we could send a smaller team to clear it out. The veterans.¡± A smaller team meant less shares.

    ¡°You, my brother, Hania, we could take it ourselves. Each of the large barrows we¡¯ve come across had a lord¡¯s fortune inside, if this one had a quarter of that, we¡¯d be rich.¡± It brought my thoughts to mind about how to keep paying for everything. I had three months of budget without tapping into what I¡¯d set aside for my self, I still needed to pay for the other three months.

    ¡°We¡¯re already rich. You¡¯ve got enough meat for us for a while, take Grimvald and Hania to check the barrow tomorrow. If it¡¯s not too dangerous, go for it, otherwise come back here and we¡¯ll make a plan.¡± That brought a smile to him.

    ¡°Got it boss.¡± Angven started to leave. I waved him back.

    ¡°There¡¯s some other things I wanted to talk about, but we¡¯ll wait till your brother is here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been sitting here for a while.¡± Anglin spoke from my left, whipping his cloak away.

    ¡°I never should have given you that fucking thing.¡± I grumbled. The twins just laughed.

    ¡°So? What¡¯ve you got to tell us?¡±

    ¡°About how we¡¯re going to kill a bunch of blood suckers, and some elves too. We need to train a few men, enough for each of you to lead a team of them, and one vigilant each. Did either of you ever practice the things Riga taught you about magic?¡± The twins shared a look.

    ¡°Not really.¡± Angven admitted.

    ¡°Alright, well, that¡¯s less than ideal, but we have time. There¡¯s some magic you should learn that can help keep you sneaky, and even if the vigilants don¡¯t like it, there¡¯s another school of magic that¡¯s too valuable to dismiss. Have you ever heard of a Familiar?¡± I got into my plans. Asymmetric warfare was the oldest form of war, and we¡¯d be teaching the vampires and the gold plated cunts a thing or two about it.

 Chapter Thirty: Fortunes of The Tide, Unavoidable Obligations

    ¡°Iron, iron as far as I could see!¡± Angven held up a lump of ore for us to get our eyes on. After a week in Seacrest, we¡¯d headed for the Wharf, and taken out two of Bellin¡¯s ships for prospecting. Jorn and Lodor had taken their father¡¯s advice to heart, and done well preparing their crews. Today I was with Jorn.

    ¡°And you thought that old book was lying, said ¡®I¡¯ve grown up on this coastline my whole life! There¡¯s no iron there!¡± I grinned to the captain. Jorn huffed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say there wasn¡¯t any, just that I thought someone else would have found it by now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, someone did, and they wrote it down in a book.¡± I waved the survey at him. We were just past the coastal barrow, between Frozen Wharf and Seacrest, where a particularly large vein of iron ore supposedly snaked along the cliffs. Angven had taken a small party ashore with Harald, with ropes and picks to take samples.

    ¡°Angven! Come over here and explain in detail where the seam is for me.¡± I beckoned him back to the ship. I¡¯d borrowed Lyanna for a scribe, she was properly educated, and had better hands for it than I did. We gathered at a table below deck, a magelight cast to help things along.

    ¡°There¡¯s a passage between the rocks left of where we ran the ropes, about two men wide. The ice above is going to give when summer comes along, but we can have the mages melt it away before then, get rid of the risk. It leads down into a cave. There were some junk scraps, barrel bands, so I¡¯m pretty certain it¡¯s the spot your book mentioned. Two tunnels branch out inside, that¡¯s where I broke this loose.¡± He set the big chunk of ore down, black with a handful of metallic sparkles.

    ¡°How big were the seams inside?¡±

    ¡°Huge. The tunnel walls all looked like that, so did the inland side of the cave chamber. I don¡¯t know about how much iron was actually there, but if this whole rock is iron ore, must be quite a bit. All the rocks on the cliffs are grey and black.¡± Angven poked the ore again. Harald spoke up.

    ¡°The iron is great quality, two or three to one, with some pockets that look nearly one to one.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means that for one pound of iron in ingots, we only need two or three pounds of ore. We¡¯ll have to smelt it a few times to get everything out of it, but that¡¯s why we¡¯re building extra furnaces. With a seam like we saw inside, the mine could last years if it goes deeper. Just what I saw is thousands of pounds, even more.¡± Harald looked delighted with the prospect. We¡¯d need every last scrap to pound out armor for everyone. My arms were going to be sore.

    ¡°Close by too. The sooner we get those miners, the better. This ship can carry a load back and forth once a day if they can fill her.¡± Jorn looked around the cargo hold. Iron ore was heavy, I wondered if the ship had the tonnage for that. The whole thing couldn¡¯t have been more than ten.

    ¡°That won¡¯t put you too low in the water? The swells are pretty nasty under the castle.¡± I¡¯d watched them from the top of the keep, and from farther away back during our first boat rides, and then again this morning when Jorn had taken us back around the point.

    ¡°Not the way I¡¯d load her. The spring storms can be bad, but if we keep it near the ice things shouldn¡¯t be too dangerous. It¡¯s such a short trip, we can avoid the storms that might blow in.¡± Jorn sounded confident. He was the local captain, so I¡¯d trust him.

    ¡°Hopefully your brother is just as successful finding the corundum deposits. Lyanna, have you got this deposit marked out?¡± I turned over to her.

    ¡°Yes Champion, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find again.¡± She showed what she¡¯d been working on. It was a rough sketch of the coastline, with the rock formations done in detail, including the ropes Angven had used.

    ¡°Great. Jorn, do you have a banner or¡­ That¡¯ll do. If we can cut a few strips and tie them off to the ropes, that¡¯ll make it easy.¡± One of the sailors offered over a blue tarp.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tie them off.¡± Angven took the tarp and headed back above.

    ¡°Which site are we looking for next?¡± Jorn asked, nodding at the survey.

    ¡°The silver veins here. You didn¡¯t go on foot for them yet, have you?¡± I opened the survey to the page I¡¯d marked.

    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t. Figured you would want to see them yourself anyways.¡± Jorn had a good sense for that.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll keep going west and then turn in at Frozen Wharf for the night. Lodor should be back tomorrow, then we¡¯ll have a good idea of what to start with.¡± The silver was a key factor in all of this. The book said it was a moderate vein, with the chance for a major deposit deeper down. I was hoping that it would be mostly above the surface, in the cliffs. If the vein went downwards, we¡¯d have a hard time with the water, especially with the spring melts coming.

    Several Hours Later

    The silver vein was middling. Sometime between the book being written and now, it had been found and mined. Nobody had any idea when exactly, but the scraps of cloth, an old skull, and a rusty imprint on the stone that looked like a pick said it had been a hundred years or more. The take had been minimal, but it also showed they¡¯d dug out the upper layers first, like I¡¯d hoped to do.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s something.¡± I frowned at the ore lump. We didn¡¯t need very much silver, strictly speaking. Just enough to lace the steel and get some effect on target with the weaponry we¡¯d be forging. I¡¯d hoped that there would be enough to mint silver ingots, and make the whole operation pay for it self. The quality of the ore and the difficulty we¡¯d have mining it said that wasn¡¯t going to happen.

    ¡°You mentioned a second deposit off the coast, hopefully Lodor finds it.¡± Jorn tried to find the silver lining to the situation.

    ¡°A small one, that will need its own work crew, a route in dangerous waters, and strain our ships. If we can pull a few hundred pounds of silver out, it¡¯ll be worth it, but this one was the better bet. It would probably be better to just focus on this one.¡± I weighed my options.

    ¡°I took enough ore here to smelt it out, I¡¯ll be able to tell you more about the quality then.¡± Harald hefted the sack at his feet.

    ¡°About that, remember that I asked you to build a furnace separate from the rest, to blow the smoke easterly?¡± I eyed the ore with disdain.

    ¡°Yes, we finished it a few days ago.¡± Harald seemed a bit confused by it still.

    ¡°Good. This silver, make sure that you only smelt it in that furnace, and don¡¯t handle the ore without gloves. It¡¯s lead-silver, and the lead will cause all sorts of health problems. I don¡¯t think magic can fix them either, unless it will pull the lead out of your body.¡± The lead was going to be a bitch to deal with. Sadly, knowing the idea behind a gas mask, and being able to actually build a functional one were worlds apart. I doubted there was any way to get a mesh fine enough to catch lead particulate with the technology available.

    ¡°If you say so Champion.¡± Harald didn¡¯t put up any resistance. The nords had already dealt with more than a few outlandish claims from me, that pretty much all ended with just fucking do it this way, alright?

    ¡°I do say so, lead poisoning is a bitch to deal with. I doubt that a cure disease or cure poisoning potion¡­ huh¡­ maybe that would work.¡± I trailed off, Lyana¡¯s quill scribbled something down.

    ¡°I can make a poison cure potion. Not great, but good enough to be useful.¡± She offered with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be helpful. We still don¡¯t want to smelt the silver ore in the normal furnaces, it¡¯ll blow the lead all over the keep. The land east of the keep is going to get contaminated either way, but I can¡¯t do anything about that.¡± At least there wasn¡¯t a river, I caught my self again. The White should be far enough away that the lead wasn¡¯t an issue, and it ran south to north anyways. A few hundred pounds of lead spread out over thousands of square miles, it¡¯d be fine. The miners were the ones I was worried about.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that lead could poison people.¡± Harald shrugged.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like a spider or snake bite, but it¡¯s poison all the same. It¡¯ll make you crazy, give you cancer, all sorts of nasty shit. Hopefully the poison cures work.¡± It wasn¡¯t the same weight that I felt going into the barrows or hunting bandits. A good plan there could alleviate a lot of the danger, but mining lead and smelting it? If the poison cure potions didn¡¯t work, I¡¯d be consigning the miners to an almost guaranteed slow decline into insanity and major health issues. Then again, I did have that new perk about healing disease and poisons, maybe that would help. I was getting really tired of the shit options I had to work with.

    Frontal attacks against the undead, torturing information out of crazed cultists, capturing vampires¡­ And it was going to get worse before it got better. Fucking dragons man. I¡¯d been in my head a bit too long. Harald waved his hand at me to snap me out of my thoughts.

    ¡°Alright Champion?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, just thinking about other ways around the lead thing. Adalvald or Jori might have some ideas, maybe even the men from Dawnstar.¡± I got back to the point at hand.

    ¡°My father might be able to help too. We might make a new kind of furnace to stop the lead from swirling around so much.¡± Harald offered.

    ¡°That¡¯d be a good idea. Jorn, I think we¡¯re done here. Go ahead and take us back to the wharf.¡±

    9, Sun¡¯s Dawn, 4E 201

    ¡°Took you long enough to get back Lodor, sight seeing?¡± I chuckled as he found a seat at the table. Jorn had put us up in his family¡¯s house while we waited. We¡¯d been about to leave and go looking for Lodor¡¯s ship when it was spotted coming back in.

    ¡°Something like that. We found two barrows off the coast. One was small, we cleared it out and took the treasure inside.¡± Lodor threw his chin over to the crates that some of his men were stacking. I looked to Anglin, and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged, but opened his cloak to show off a new axe, a purple glow on the blade. That made for two teams taking initiative of their own. The bug had bitten them all it seemed, knowing how much wealth was to be had in the old tombs.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°What¡¯s the take look like?¡±

    ¡°Four thousand septims in coins and gold, a few enchanted weapons and rings. Anglin seemed to think that we¡¯d be keeping most of it.¡± Lodor had a suspicious tone around his words.

    ¡°He¡¯s right. Angven found another barrow last week, took a few of ours to go check it out. The deal we made was that the company gets a quarter share, with a preference for magical items. Soul gems, enchanted items, potions. Things that we can¡¯t just go and buy easily. He did mention that part, right?¡± I looked at the crates. Lodor nodded.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t find many soul gems, but there was a rack of enchanted weapons. Should be three left, and only our tested fighters got one.¡± Lodor nodded to the four men that had come in behind him. They¡¯d all fought at the river and Yngdaril.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me, show me what you¡¯ve got.¡± I gestured at the weapons. Lodor pulled out a steel sword from his belt. It had a thick spine, a single edge, the blade bulged a bit at the end, and frosty air seemed to drip off the cutting end. Fitting for a captain.

    [Chilled Nordic Cutlass]

    [Description: An ancient weapon of fine manufacture, this cutlass will cause flash freezing when it cuts flesh.]

    ¡°Not a bad weapon. Don¡¯t cut yourself with it, you¡¯ll lose the finger to frostbite.¡± I turned to the axe Anglin had.

    [Sparkblade Steel Axe]

    [Description: This axe calls lightning to smite the foe, electrocuting them and disrupting the flow of magic within their body.]

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°Powerful. What about the second barrow?¡± I got a good look at all their weapons. The men had a mix of ice and lightning enchanted swords and axes.

    ¡°It looks larger, like a fortress almost. We fought on the steps and killed a few skeletons, but it isn¡¯t like the other ones we¡¯ve found. Yngdaril was large, but it was pretty clearly just a mass burial. I don¡¯t know what this one is. We pushed into the first room, and heard a voice from deeper in the barrow, promising glory. That was bad omens writ large, so we stopped and ran back to the ship.¡± Lodor explained.

    ¡°Smart, I wouldn¡¯t poke that place again if I were you. Maybe if I can find the time, we¡¯ll go back and investigate it. What about the ore deposits?¡± I turned to the most important matter.

    ¡°We found a deep corundum vein on the island with the first barrow. Iron too, plenty of it just sitting on the surface. The silver wasn¡¯t as good as we hoped, the rock face it was supposed to be in collapsed at some point, and now high tide washes over the spot we¡¯d need to mine from. A storm would wipe away any camp we built there. We picked over it and took what we could before the tide came in. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth the trouble.¡± Lodor walked over to one of the crates, and pulled out a hunk of silver.

    My mind started tingling looking at it. Lead had been bad, this one was a sulphur compound according to the knowledge I¡¯d inherited from Prospector. The more I thought about it though, I knew how to get it without some awful cloud of sulphuric acid forming. That was actually pretty unlikely, but the refining would smell like shit. Salt water, copper ores, and¡­ fucking mercury. That was how to refine it. My face must have betrayed me, because Harald spoke up.

    ¡°What¡¯s in it this time?¡±

    At least Jorn got a laugh out of it.

    12, Sun¡¯s Dawn, 4E 201

    ¡°Champion, I think we¡¯ve got our first pack of newcomers.¡± Hania pointed towards the open gate. Ten men, half as many women, a few kids too, leading a few dogsleds and goats. They looked a bit haggard, but who wouldn¡¯t be after trudging through knee deep snow? I let my mace fall back into its ring, and motioned for Grimvald to take over the training we¡¯d been doing. Kalor was already walking out into the street from his house.

    ¡°Hello!¡± I raised a hand and walked towards the group. A few raised hands back, some were turned to the new headman.

    ¡°Kalor.¡± I nodded to the older man. The men of the group had all turned to look at me, wearing my mostly repaired armor, sans helmet. ¡°Here for work?¡±

    ¡°Aye, are you the champion, the one that killed Korir?¡± A larger, scarred man asked from the lead. He looked to be about forty.

    ¡°Kill one Jarl and it¡¯s the only thing they know you for¡­ That¡¯s me.¡± I muttered the first part mostly to my self. The scarred man grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯m Koljan, this is my clan, what¡¯s left of it. We¡¯re mountainfolk. Bandits attacked us some weeks ago, burned our holding. The new Jarl in Winterhold said that there was a place here for people willing to work.¡± Koljan looked over the town, and the castle.

    ¡°There is. Kalor here is the Headman, we¡¯ve chosen some spaces around the village for new houses, and plots farther out for farms if that¡¯s your trade.¡± I looked over the men, they didn¡¯t seem like farmers. They were too hard, too weathered, even for nord farmers. Koljan¡¯s answering smirk said I¡¯d gotten it right.

    ¡°Headman. My clan is wasted in a farm field. Jarl Bellin said you needed smiths, miners, warriors, and had the coin to make it worthwhile. He also mentioned that you hunted the bandits that burned our home. Did you kill them all?¡±

    ¡°To the last. We chased them to the White and charged them down. We killed another set of them in an old ruin. I haven¡¯t heard back from the west yet, but a thegn named Molnen was going to go hunting for another gang of them held up in the mountains. We haven¡¯t gotten our forge running entirely, we need to find the miners to get the ore first. If you¡¯re willing to fight¡­¡± I pointed back up to the castle, and the men that could be seen through the gate. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of open bunks in our barracks.¡±

    ¡°We trade steel with the smiths in Windhelm, our holding was built atop a small mine. Show me the place, and we can do the work.¡± Koljan put his hand out. I took it.

    ¡°There¡¯s a man you should meet then, he¡¯s the captain of the ship that will be hauling the ore back here. We¡¯ll find places for you to stay in the meantime. A meal¡¯s cooking now, let¡¯s get out of the cold.¡± A lucky break. If I could convince the men in the Whistling mine to give up their claim, we could really get things started.

    <hr>

    [Level Increased, 22->31!]

    [Multiple Skills Increased!]

    [3 Challenges completed!]

    [4 Perk Points Available]

    [Quest Completed: Death March]

    [Quest Assigned: Ancient Depths]

    [Quest Completed: Ancient Depths]

    [Quest Assigned: Divine Judgement]

    [Quest Completed: Divine Judgement]

    [Quest Assigned: Call To Arms]

    [Multiple Quest Rewards Available!]

    The windows were pissed, that was my assumption. I¡¯d tried to swat them away as usual when I went to sleep, putting it off, but it wasn¡¯t to be. The windows appeared in my vision even when I closed my eyes, swore at them, told them to piss off, they refused to leave.

    ¡°Why now? What is so pressing that I need to deal with you immediately?¡± I grumbled as I sat up in bed.

    [You refuse to learn how to use this gift, and so it must be forced on you. It is a refreshing change from those who constantly beg for help, but no less irritating.]

    The response from the windows caught me off guard, they¡¯d never done that before¡­ had they? Usually I sent them away on reflex as soon as they appeared. I rubbed my eyes, and looked at the message again.

    ¡°How long have you been able to talk?¡±

    [From the beginning. You would have noticed if you hadn¡¯t slapped, spat, and sworn these messages off. It¡¯s a miracle you¡¯ve survived this long. Accept the rewards, and do read the quest notes this time.]

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked questions before! Where were the answers then?¡± I angrily sputtered.

    [Instructions and answers have been swatted away, spat or cursed at 97 times.]

    ¡°¡­Woops. Sorry Stuhn.¡± Everyone made mistakes. I didn¡¯t know anyone that had made the same mistake ninety seven times, but who was counting, right? I swatted that window away and turned to the answer.

    [I am not Stuhn.]

    ¡°Then what the hell are you? Why does nobody else have this?¡± I waited for a while, but no answer came. ¡°Hello?¡±

    [Quest Rewards]

    [Death March]

    <ul>

    <li>Blackfire, an improvement to your axe. A spike has been added to the backside. It is now an Ebony weapon.</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li>Karliene is no longer a simple wolf.</li>

    </ul>

    [Ancient Depths]

    <ul>

    <li>Vengeance, Olam¡¯s Mace is now an enchanted weapon, delivering powerful concussive strikes.</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li>Aura of Dawn, allies in your presence fight with unrivalled determination, foul creatures find it painful to exist near you. Effect increases with level.</li>

    </ul>

    [Divine Judgement]

    <ul>

    <li>(1) Ascendant Perk</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°What the hell is an Ascendant perk?¡± I wondered to my self. A new list appeared, showing about three dozen options. They weren¡¯t simple things, like blocking a little better, or being a bit sneakier, or any of the other perks I¡¯d picked so far. They were things that seemed undeniably superhuman. Sure, I¡¯d already picked a few like that. Corpse Hunter was a supernatural power, no doubt about it, but it was fairly limited in scope.

    Another difference of these perks, was that they were tiered. Some had five, others had three, a single one of them had nine. Some were physical, like Ascendant Physique, which promised a body to rival the gods if it was completed, another, Ascendant Wisdom, was focused on the mind. There were thirteen others, each devoted to one of the major birth signs, The Warrior drew my eye, as it had a golden outline, and one pip was already filled in it.

    [The Warrior is your birthsign, you already benefit from the first tier of this perk, and require only two additional points to complete it.]

    ¡°Interesting.¡± The rest of the birthsign perks all had five tiers. Reading through the effect of The Warrior, it had ingrained some sort of instinctual knowledge, how to fight, how to make the best use of a weapon. It explained how I¡¯d picked up the blade skills so fast. Jorman had been an excellent instructor, and I¡¯d already known a fair amount about fighting hand to hand, but Hemjar should have flattened me.

    Two months is nothing compared to twenty odd years, maybe more. A flash came through my head, of professional fighters being trounced by one time street urchins with ten times as many fights under their belt, because they¡¯d been thrown into the ring once a week since they were eight years old. I¡¯d always wanted to see the fights in Bangkok.

    The memory nearly took me out of it, but I brushed it away. More nonsensical recollections served nobody¡­ Though I knew the name of how I tended to fight now. Muay Thai would probably be devastating in a world that still fought primarily in melee. Nobody else had managed to keep up with me in hand to hand, not even Jorman. I turned back to the perks.

    The two that called to me the most were Physique and The Warrior. I read a bit more deeply on both of them.

    [Ascendant Physique]

    [Description: Those who follow this path will gain the strength of giants, and the resilience of dragons. With each tier unlocked, you will become stronger, faster, and more durable, until you have reached a point nearing divinity. At the first level, most see their strength double, their height grown by a full head and can continue to fight with wounds that would kill lesser men.]

    It was tempting. The carnage unleashed by the vampire that had killed Fenrik was telling. It had torn into the burly Nord like he was tissue paper, and thrown him nearly ten feet, all the while fighting, clawing and gnashing at the rest from what I''d heard. If I was planning to fight a beast like that, and to continue fighting things like Draugr lords, I needed to be stronger and tougher. Molsoraak had come very close to killing me, twice, and he was nowhere near the top of Tamriel¡¯s food chain. The next phase of The Warrior was interesting too.

    [The Warrior]

    [Description: Those born to this sign find their trade in blades, armor, and other tools of war. They learn faster, achieve greater heights, and can perform unbelievable acts on the battlefield. Additional levels of this perk increase the maximum rating of all associated skills by (50) and the rate at which you learn them by (+50%) per level. All perks stemming from these associated skills have their effect multiplied by (2.5) per level of The Warrior]

    ¡°That¡¯s not even fair¡­¡± I reached out a hand, trying to find the window that showed my skills and perks. I found Two Handed, it had increased to sixty three. One handed had made a massive jump to sixty eight. The effects of my perks were all hovering between twenty and thirty percent, not that it meant a damn thing to me. The definition of effectiveness had remained elusive. Then again, maybe I¡¯d swatted the explanation away. Looking between the two perks, and not being able to make a decision, I turned to Karliene.

    ¡°Whatcha think girl? Give muscles to my muscles, or hit people with sticks better?¡±

    Arrroooooo!

 Chapter Thirty One: The Road Ahead

    19, Sun¡¯s Dawn, 4E 201

    ¡°Feels strange, not taking the dog sleds.¡± I looked over the group I¡¯d gathered.

    ¡°The snow will be melting by the time we come back, dog sleds aren¡¯t going to do well on a muddy track.¡± Hania called from her horse. My own was a big critter, sized to fit my new frame.

    ¡°Doubt they¡¯d be able to pull your heavy ass Johannes.¡± Angven snickered. A few of the men, those I¡¯d picked to join the twins, suppressed their own chuckles.

    ¡°Not everyone can look this good.¡± I flexed in the morning sun. Harald had put a lot of effort in to re-shape my armor and add additional bits to it with my sudden growth. He¡¯d gotten it done on time, if a bit lesser in quality than the original. All the clothes I¡¯d bought from the Twins¡¯ father had needed to be re-tailored too. I was happy for the substantial boost to my size and strength, I just wished I had gotten it a little sooner. Maybe before I¡¯d spent two hundred septims on nice clothes.

    [If you knew how to read, perhaps that could have been prevented.]

    I glared at the window. They¡¯d popped up so often with skill and level up notices that I¡¯d gotten accustomed to just sending them away. Now I at least read the things, and whatever entity controlled them was an asshole. The fact that it was reading my thoughts was only mildly disturbing. I figured it wouldn¡¯t take too long before I went back to ignoring them out of reflex. No response to that huh?

    ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see the look on Riga¡¯s face.¡± Anglin grinned. Wish I had my helmet on.

    ¡°Behold, the champion who fights vampires, bandits, and thousand year old undead, flustered by the mention of a girl.¡± Angven laughed.

    ¡°I¡¯m also the one that fills your pockets, so you might think about what you¡¯re going to say next.¡± I gave a mean glare at the twins.

    ¡°The insolent youth, truly a treasure of leading.¡± Adalvald chuckled before turning to the pair of them. ¡°You boys should show respect to a champion of Stuhn, even if he is your friend. Especially when he could throw you into the next hold.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Adalvald. Is everyone ready?¡± Without any more smart comments, everyone assented. The twins were riding shotgun on two of the wagons, with the rest of the unmounted men in the back or driving the wagons. There were five wagons total, three were going to break off at Icehome, we¡¯d gotten word from one of Gromm¡¯s men that they¡¯d be taking my offer. They¡¯d be in time to help sow the fields around Seacrest, fell trees, build their own houses and work in the mines. Honestly, I¡¯d hoped for a little bit more time to get things ironed out, but Kalor had been happy to take the lead as Headman.

    ¡°Off to Winterhold then.¡± With a creak and a Yah!

    ¡°Johannes, why are we heading back to Winterhold instead of straight over the mountains? We need to head south don¡¯t we? It¡¯d be easier to go south first and loop back around.¡± Lodor asked after we¡¯d been on the move for a while.

    ¡°To check in with your father and Molnen. It¡¯s only been a few weeks, but I want to know if they managed to root out the other barrow. If they didn¡¯t we¡¯ll be taking a detour before Dawnstar. I¡¯d rather head straight for Carcette, but we need to get our smiths and miners from somewhere, the sooner the better. We¡¯ll also be stopping at the Whistling Mine, see if they¡¯ve gotten my letter. I think they¡¯ll be happy to actually get some iron out of the ground for once.¡± I grinned. Lodor nodded.

    ¡°Timing matters.¡± The young noble got it.

    ¡°Yep. Can¡¯t have your brother sitting around with nothing to do. Harald and Koljan¡¯s people are dead in the water till we get a reliable work crew for all three mines. Hopefully the Whistlers can work the iron mine we found, then Koljan¡¯s people will go after the corundum. The silver is less important at first, we can make steel armor and arrowheads.¡±

    ¡°Jori and I finished a huge batch of his liquid sunlight last night too.¡± Lodor seemed proud of himself.

    ¡°I heard you were down in his workshop. Thinking of becoming an alchemist?¡± I leaned in a little closer, with a hushed voice. ¡°Or do you just think Lyanna is cute?¡±

    ¡°Is both an answer?¡± Lodor grinned.

    ¡°A good one. Have you picked up any magic from the pair of them yet? You¡¯ve hardly left Jori alone when you had the time, and you¡¯ve gone to every lesson that the mages put on.¡± I hoped for a positive answer.

    ¡°Lights and Sunfire. Jori seems to think I¡¯d make a good mage with practice.¡± Lodor lifted a hand and tossed a little orb into the snow.

    ¡°You would! Not many can pick things up so quickly. He¡¯s a fast study Champion.¡± Adalvald called from behind us. I turned to him.

    ¡°What about the others? Any luck with Dumb and Dumber back there?¡± I cocked my chin at the twins. Adalvald smirked.

    ¡°Some. Lights is always a good place to start with magic, and they¡¯ve both managed to conjure them. The rest of their practice has gone slower. Lodor, if you¡¯d like, I¡¯ll teach you a spell that would serve you well, with that shield you¡¯re so fond of.¡± Adalvald offered.

    ¡°Gonna teach him how to make it a boomerang?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure where the quip had come from.

    ¡°What¡¯s a boomerang?¡± Lodor asked.

    ¡°A stick that comes back to you after you throw it.¡±

    ¡°Why would I throw my shield? That seems like a good way to get stabbed or feathered.¡± Lodor furrowed his brow. He had a point.

    ¡°Indeed, but no, I was thinking Stendarr¡¯s Shield. It¡¯s a spell adjacent to Stendarr¡¯s Aura and alteration magic. It can be used to imbue armor rather than project the field around the caster. Think of it as a temporary enchantment. If you block a strike from an undead creature or Daedra, it will cause a magical backlash on the target, like a weak form of Sun Fire. It won¡¯t stop the strike from hurting you, it just punishes the thing that did it. Perfect for using on a shield.¡± Adalvald offered. I looked to some of the other men, plenty carried shields.

    ¡°I think that sort of magic should be standard issue. Is it hard to learn?¡± I asked, I¡¯d been building up a short list of spells that I wanted everyone to know.

    ¡°Not particularly, once you¡¯ve learned the foundations around it. Sunfire, a lesser ward, and oakflesh all have similarities to it.¡± Adalvald was worth his weight in gold.

    ¡°Great. Sorry for butting in there Lodor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯d love to learn it. We¡¯ll have time in the evenings I think.¡±

    ¡°Certainly.¡±

    21, Sun¡¯s Dawn, 4E 201

    ¡°Champion.¡± My favorite elf was waiting precisely where I expected her to be.

    ¡°Faralda.¡± I nodded to her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown since I last saw you.¡± The Altmer seemed curious, and on guard.

    ¡°Just a few inches. I¡¯ve been sleeping upside down, stretched me out a little.¡± The Altmer remained stoney faced as ever.

    ¡°Go on then.¡± She stepped aside with a scowl.

    ¡°Great to see you too.¡± I kept on going, only for Faralda to try stopping my second. I felt the crackle of magic forming in time with the shink of a longsword being drawn.

    ¡°Faralda, Hania, Hania, Faralda. As fun as it would be to see a spellsword dismember a battlemage, I¡¯d rather not see any body parts today. She¡¯s a Vigilant Faralda, a friend of Jori¡¯s and Adalvald¡¯s second. Go on and show her some magic Hania.¡± I grinned at the scene unfolding. Hania¡¯s sword was about two thirds of the way drawn, Faralda had a ball of fire in her hand.

    Hania slowly raised her left hand, a shape coalescing into a fox. It was a bit pointed, but Faralda stepped aside. Hania had a shit eating grin a mile wide as we crossed the bridge.

    ¡°Antagonizing the elves? Or just showing the old gods some love?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Both. Faralda knew me from the first time I came here with Adalvald, she just likes to flaunt what little power she has. If she was nicer, they wouldn¡¯t put her out in the cold every day.¡± I¡¯d never thought of it like that.

    ¡°You think they all hate her as much as she hates us?¡± I laughed.

    ¡°Why else would a senior mage get such a terrible post?¡± Hania had a good point.

    ¡°Fair point. The question then is why does she stay?¡± We left the question to hang as we reached the courtyard. There were a few students around, but not the one I was looking for. We did turn a few heads, armored nords weren¡¯t exactly the most common sight at the College. Especially one that looked half-giant.

    ¡°Champion! My, it feels like its been a year since we first met with all the excitement!¡± Tolfdir, one of the instructors, called over from the doorway that lead into the Hall of Elements.

    ¡°Tolfdir, good to see you. I¡¯ve certainly been busy. How are the students treating you here?¡± I closed the distance and put my hand out to him. Tolfdir shook it, his own hand comically undersized.

    ¡°The same as always, headstrong and sure of themselves. Confidence is a helpful thing, until they confidently light themselves on fire.¡± The old mage chuckled.

    ¡°I¡¯ve run into some of that with the vigilants that joined me, though they have come around to my own lessons.¡± The vigilants, even though they all knew their way around a sword, had made great progress in the past week. It¡¯d be months before I was satisfied, but the fighting men would need just as long to wrap their heads around magic.

    ¡°Oh? How did you manage such a thing?¡±

    ¡°I punched one of them in the mouth. Hard to bitch and moan with a split lip.¡±

    ¡°My! I don¡¯t think I could get away with that here. They won¡¯t even let me use itching spells for punishment anymore.¡± Tolfdir¡¯s grin made it hard to tell if he was being honest or joking.

    ¡°What has the world come to, not even an itching spell? Surely they used to light your pants on fire for slacking off.¡±

    ¡°And worse! I suppose that you¡¯re here for a reason?¡± Tolfdir straightened.

    ¡°Looking for Riga, and the Master Mage.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Riga has been a most promising student, though she hasn¡¯t exactly been here for very long. I hope you don¡¯t intend to whisk her away again so soon.¡± Tolfdir seemed to have some genuine concern.

    ¡°No, just to say hello. We¡¯ll be here in Winterhold for the evening, but I¡¯m intending to leave as soon as the sun rises again.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, she should be studying with Instructor Neloren, our illusionist. She¡¯s taken to conjuration too, in the most unusual spells.¡± I heard Hania¡¯s armor clink as she stiffened.

    ¡°Like what?¡± The lady knight asked, only a touch hurried.

    ¡°Familiars mostly, beyond the simple wolf and raven that most bother to learn. She has been trying to summon a troll, a bear, among others. Her skill at banishing magic is growing too.¡± That brought a grin to my face. She¡¯d taken my advice to heart. We were going to be fighting beasts that specialized in throwing disposable minions at us, it would pay to have some of our own.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Are they as strong as the real thing?¡±

    ¡°Not quite. She¡¯s had trouble keeping the trolls manifested for more than a few minutes, and preventing them from attacking the first thing they see. Instructor Gestor had to destroy two of them from what I heard. The bears are slightly more docile, but also hard to keep.¡± Tolfdir smiled.

    ¡°Suppose that accounts for the banishing magic then?¡±

    ¡°Quite. Given some months, I think that she will have a mighty retinue of ghostly beasts to protect herself with. But you were looking for Master Mirabelle as well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are some things I wanted to speak with her about.¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I will take you to her. This way Champion.¡±

    Tolfdir led me into the hall of elements, and towards the Arch-mage¡¯s quarters, before stopping short of them and taking a side door. We hadn¡¯t been standing before the final door for more than a moment before Mirabelle¡¯s voice called out.

    ¡°Enter, Champion. Thank you Tolfdir. Why don¡¯t you take Hania to go find Riga?¡± An amused looking Tolfdir nodded.

    ¡°At once Master Mirabelle. Hania, if you would.¡± He gestured back the way we¡¯d come. Hania looked distraught.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll come looking for you in a while.¡±

    ¡°Champion.¡± She nodded, but didn¡¯t seem happy about it. I entered the office to see Master Mirabelle behind her desk, a series of tomes floating around her.

    ¡°Multi-tasking?¡± I took a seat across from her.

    ¡°Searching for a very particular thread left by second era scholars. I¡¯ve made it a hobby of mine to critique their work and see what they missed.¡± Mirabelle let the tomes close and settle on her desk.

    ¡°Hindsight is always twenty twenty.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°A saying, there¡¯s a mundane test for gauging someone¡¯s eyesight. Twenty twenty vision is the standard for healthy eyes. Probably don¡¯t need such things around here.¡± I caught my self. Two slips in as many days, I was losing my edge. Then again, everyone thought I was strange enough already.

    ¡°Ah, well I see your point. All three mages who wrote these tomes studied clairvoyance, and came to similar conclusions by varied methods. Maybe you would have something to add? Clairvoyance does seem to be a gift of yours.¡± Mirabelle played her hand.

    ¡°How long have you had the listening spell in the Jarl¡¯s hall? I did buy those books for a reason. Clever stuff, I have to admit.¡± I played my own right back. Before I¡¯d left from Winterhold, I¡¯d visited the Arcaneum and bought a small fortune¡¯s worth of tomes, mostly focused on things useful for surveillance and stealth. I¡¯d been curious about what other sorts of magic there were, beyond the immediately useful destruction spells.

    ¡°When I was asked to assist in finding the bandit spy, it seemed a convenient resource.¡± Mirabelle admitted.

    ¡°I doubt the Arch-Mage endorsed that. He seems content to maintain the isolationist position of the College.¡± That drew a mild flicker of irritation from the mage.

    ¡°Tread carefully with your words Champion. I won¡¯t tolerate any insolent remarks. We are not as spineless Korir was.¡±

    ¡°I mean no disrespect, but I can¡¯t say that I approve. The College has unleashed two disasters on the hold in less than a century, and done little to clean up its own mess. Milek was one of yours. He killed over a hundred people. The current opinion of the College is poor, to say the least, and I¡¯m creating an alternative to the money that you bring in. That isn¡¯t meant as a threat, or a warning, its just a statement.¡± I calmed the mage before she could take offense.

    ¡°Your point?¡±

    ¡°You need a public relations win more than Korir ever did. When I threatened Faralda about the locals supplying the college, that was a bluff, they couldn¡¯t afford to do it. This time next year, they won¡¯t need your money, which means that a lot of locals around here will start asking questions about why they tolerate a dangerous bunch of mages living on their doorstep. The Arch-Mage may think he¡¯s being inoffensive and not bothering anyone by keeping the college shut off, but he isn¡¯t. He¡¯s painting you as a bunch of mysterious, unpersonable wizards that occasionally spawn a catastrophe. Ignorance breeds suspicion, suspicion leads to resentment. It doesn¡¯t help that Nords have a history of getting the raw end from mages. You know I¡¯m right, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have listened in on the Jarl¡¯s conversations.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a threat, Champion. You are building an army. You¡¯ve played a part in the gristly executions of several mages so far. To me, it seems like you¡¯re about to make an ultimatum.¡± Mirabelle, sharp as ever.

    ¡°I am, but it¡¯s not one where I¡¯m the thing you need to worry about. You and the Arch Mage will be dead this time next year anyways. Ancano will kill you both because of a discovery the College makes. When we kill Ancano first, the Thalmor will retaliate. I think you would like to have the locals on your side when that happens. I already have a plan to take him off the board, but I will need your help. At least your blessing.¡± I laid it all out in the open. Mirabelle remained silent for over a minute.

    ¡°How do you know that? It sounds like you¡¯ve just made up a creative story.¡±

    ¡°You already have the answer to that. Clairyvoyance as you called it. Divine visions, memories that haven¡¯t been made yet. I don¡¯t know what the hell it is, but I do know, and I¡¯ve been right so far.¡± I shrugged before continuing. ¡°I¡¯ll help you take care of your Thalmor problem, and keep you alive. In return, I need your master enchanter to work with these.¡±

    I reached down to my belt and dumped several dozen black soul gems onto the desk. Mirabelle¡¯s eyes widened. Each one, save for Milek¡¯s, represented an innocent person that had been sacrificed for some awful purpose. I didn¡¯t like the idea of using them, but they were too valuable to ignore. It was enough to outfit six men in the finest magical armor and weapons that could be produced today.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t like this Champion. The Arch-Mage will never consent to a guest of the college being harmed, especially not one with such backing.¡± Mirabelle looked very uncomfortable. Seemed she was willing to make jokes, but not really see them through.

    ¡°I could just walk out there and kill him right here, right now. You claim ignorance, I¡¯m banished from the college, and I find someone else to enchant the equipment I need. Good luck dealing with the locals when they decide that they¡¯re tired of your shit.¡± I started to gather up the soul gems. Mirabelle held up a hand.

    ¡°What do we find that provokes the Thalmor?¡±

    ¡°The Eye of Magnus. The Psijic order takes an interest, Ancano wants to seize it for the Thalmor, Arch-Mage Aren tries to stop him, you help, you both die, someone else puts Ancano to the sword. It¡¯s a fucking disaster. We can avert two of those things by getting rid of the elf before he does something stupid. I¡¯ve got a fairly straight forward plan for that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ The Eye was lost after the Night of Tears.¡± There was something in her eye, a real worry.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already found Saarthal?¡± I made a guess. The way she stiffened up said I¡¯d gotten it right.

    ¡°There is no possible way that you could know that. The Arch-mage and I have kept it to ourselves.¡± Mirabelle kept her tone steady, but the weight she was putting on the desk spoke to other emotions.

    ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know how I know, I just do. So, will you help me or not? I¡¯ve already given you a big edge towards staying alive.¡±

    ¡°I need to speak with the Arch-Mage.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll expect an answer when I return, I¡¯m not sticking around for long. I expect to be back in a month or so. I¡¯ll be making my moves with or without your help.¡± I gathered up the soul gems and stuffed them back into a bag.

    ¡°Good luck Champion.¡± Mirabelle gave an absent minded wave as I stood and left. Harald and Koljan would have the first batch of new arms and armor ready by the time we got back, hopefully.

    I found Hania and Riga in the courtyard, the two had chosen a slightly secluded corner to sit in. Hania grinned when she saw me, and elbowed Riga. The girl looked confused at first, then shocked.

    ¡°Johannes! You¡¯re so¡­! How¡¯d you get so big!?!¡± Riga stumbled over her own words.

    ¡°Woke up like this a few days ago. Come on, I want to talk to you, but not here.¡± I gestured for them to follow me. Riga looked a bit curious, but she could wait. I stayed quiet till we reached the twins¡¯ house. The pair of them were sitting in front of the fire, catching up with their sisters.

    ¡°Johannes, the Jarl¡¯s expecting you for dinner.¡± Angven spoke first.

    ¡°I figured. Lodor¡¯s still at the hall?¡±

    ¡°He is.¡±

    ¡°Shit, alright.¡± I hadn¡¯t been sure of Mirabelle¡¯s magic listening before, and turned around abruptly.

    ¡°Something the matter?¡± Hania asked.

    ¡°Nothing we can¡¯t solve quickly. Riga, Tolfdir mentioned that you¡¯ve gotten good at banishing magic. Would that work on a rune?¡±

    ¡°It should, they can be delicate unless they¡¯re set into something, like an enchantment.¡± Riga explained.

    "I can help with that." Hania lifted a hand, something swirling in it.

    ¡°Good. We have some housekeeping to do. You don¡¯t feel anything funny in here, aside from the enchanted weapons, do you?¡± I decided to make a sweep of the Twins¡¯ house while we were here. I couldn¡¯t feel anything, but that didn¡¯t mean too much with how poor my senses were, and how many enchanted items were adorning me.

    ¡°No, nothing really.¡± Riga looked around, appraising. Hania nodded in agreement. Anglin gave me a funny look.

    ¡°Something we should be worried about?¡±

    ¡°No. The master mage put a spell in the Jarl¡¯s hall that lets her listen to things. I doubt she¡¯d have gone to the trouble of doing it here, she wasn¡¯t interested in me so much as what was going on in the Hold. Come on Riga.¡± It was a short jaunt back to the Jarl¡¯s hall. Bellin and his son were seated at the high table, the place had a cheerier atmosphere than it had before, new decorations and banners.

    ¡°Champion! I feel snubbed, you went to see¡­ ah! That¡¯s understandable.¡± Bellin winked as he saw Riga behind me. Lodor had a smirk.

    ¡°Of course, now before we get to talking, you¡¯ll have to entertain some of my strangeness. Riga?¡± I let the girl take the lead, she was slowly walking around, eyes roving over the hall.

    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Bellin asked, his interest flicking between us.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once we find what we¡¯re looking for.¡± It didn¡¯t take long.

    ¡°Clever woman.¡± I held up a small statue, it was a marble figure with golden bits of decoration. It had been from the time before the collapse, a warrior holding an axe and shield bearing Winterhold¡¯s crest. Rolvar spoke.

    ¡°It was supposedly a gift from the College.¡± He sounded bitter.

    ¡°It¡¯s a fine piece of history. A word to the wise Rolvar, always be skeptical of gifts from mages. Especially ones that seem to have no interest in you, until they do.¡± I set the figure back on the shelf behind the throne. It had been imbued with several types of spells. Riga didn¡¯t know what they did, but I was pretty sure I knew. Audio and visual surveillance, maybe some sort of spell to let it move.

    ¡°Bastards. If they want to know what we think, all they had to do was walk down here! I¡¯ve sent two letters to the Arch-Mage and gotten nothing in return. Not even a recognition of the fact that the Jarl has changed!¡± Bellin was furious. He had every right to be. The mages may have been an ancient and storied institution, but they were in his lands.

    ¡°Savos Aren is a stereotypical mage, hidden in his study and rarely leaving it. He had nothing to do with this, he doesn¡¯t give a damn about what happens out here. To him, if it¡¯s across the bridge, it isn¡¯t his problem. This was Mirabelle¡¯s doing, and she did it because her hands are tied by the Arch-Mage. She would be more pro-active and outward facing if she could, I think.¡± I tried to steer the conversation to be less hostile.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if things across the bridge aren¡¯t his problem when it¡¯s a damn catapult¡­¡± Bellin grumbled, but sighed as the anger left him. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to worry about these mages. You¡¯ve solved that problem for me, for now at least. Tell me, how are things going in Seacrest? Lodor tells me that Koljan¡¯s lot found you.¡± The Jarl sat back down in his chair.

    ¡°They did, and we¡¯ve drawn up a plan to get to work. The Whistling miners agreed to my terms, they¡¯ll have iron on your ships soon enough. Thanks for letting us borrow them. The hull you¡¯ve had laid down looks good too, by the way.¡± I took a seat across from him.

    ¡°Ah, just following what we agreed on. It will be good to have our own mines, instead of being put over a fire by those parasites from Dawnstar. Lodor says that will be your next stop.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the plan, but I wondered how Molnen¡¯s done? Any news?¡±

    ¡°None yet. He mentioned that he¡¯d have a courier come our way by the end of the month.¡± Bellin shrugged.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be making a detour at Mountain¡¯s Seat. I was skeptical of letting him handle it in the first place, even with his claims of having a healer and holy man. We killed all of the ringleaders that we knew about, but we also found a few black mages with the bandits. One mage and some militia aren¡¯t enough to take down a barrow.¡± It¡¯d been a mistake letting Molnen do it alone. I should have sent Hania and Grimvald, a few other experienced men.

    ¡°Molnen is a clever man, and eager to make a good account of himself. You¡¯ve shaken things up here Champion, lots of room for new thegns and new ideas. The young ones that were thinking of joining Ulfric have all heard of what you did, and see a cause closer to home. The favor of the gods too.¡± He gestured at my armor. It didn¡¯t look nearly so nice as it had when I first got it.

    ¡°I can¡¯t promise any blessings, but if there are more men like your sons willing to fight, I¡¯ll happily take on more trained warriors.¡± I looked around the hall, there were a few of them it seemed like, men in finer armor than the usual guards. I recognized a few from the cavalry that had joined Korir.

    ¡°You hear him.¡± Bellin called to those present, that had been poorly hiding their listening. I waved a hand at them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get up now, I have other things to handle. If you want to join, you can head to Seacrest like everyone else. You¡¯ll be paid and trained like all the rest. If you do well, I¡¯ll learn your names then.¡± I headed off any over eager noble sons. They quietly gathered up at one table, no doubt planning the trip.

    ¡°Bellin, there¡¯s some other things I wanted to talk about.¡± I leaned over the table and lowered my voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to lay the foundation for getting rid of our local Thalmor agent. His name is Ancano, he¡¯s ostensibly an advisor for the College, but he¡¯s a spy. The College wants him gone, but they¡¯re hesitant to move against the elves openly. Have you found anything about Korir dealing with the Thalmor before I came along?¡±

    ¡°Two letters. One was addressed to the Jarls of Skyrim, reminding them of their duty to enforce the treaty. The second was a warning, that evidence of Talos worship had been reported in Winterhold. Korir didn¡¯t seem to have responded to it, but there will be Justiciars coming soon, no doubt.¡± Bellin kept quiet, but his opinion on the matter was plain as day.

    ¡°Unless they cause an immediate problem, don¡¯t rise to any bait. Don¡¯t let them kill anyone. I¡¯m going to leave Anglin here, along with men I¡¯ve trained in some unique methods. They¡¯ll make the elves disappear in the snow. The Thalmor don¡¯t have enough agents to occupy all of Skyrim, there won¡¯t be more than two of them, but they may have soldiers for escort. Eastern Skyrim is a dangerous place for elves these days.¡± I pointed to the Stormcloak banner hanging from the rafter.

    ¡°That it is.¡±

    ¡°Riga, that¡¯s part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I¡¯ve had Jori and Adalvald training the twins on magic, if you could keep that up with Anglin, I¡¯d appreciate it. It¡¯s mostly illusion, and some conjuration, like I wanted you to learn. Same reasons too. Jarl, we may need to borrow some extra soldiers from you if the Thalmor are moving in a large group, but the ambush it self will be Anglin¡¯s job. The idea is to catch them between towns where they won''t be missed for a while. Riga, with your banishing magic, you might be useful too seeing as you¡¯ll be in the area. They¡¯re liable to set up the same kinds of magical defenses around their camps as the Vigilants did for us. You could cut a hole in that perimeter.¡± I started into my plan. Bellin seemed keenly interested at the suggestion of some elf murder.

    ¡°Jarl Ulfric sent a summons for soldiers from Korir, once the business with the necromancers was done. I sent a reply telling him that the seat had changed hands, and that we were still hunting down the last of their ilk. Should I let him know that we¡¯ve got our own plans to resist the Thalmor?¡± Bellin asked. I hadn¡¯t told him what I knew about Ulfric¡¯s involvement with the elves, long ago as that had been.

    ¡°Nothing specific, just that you have interests that need to be handled closer to home. There are going to be a lot of people interested in what¡¯s going on here, and we still have a few months before anything else will distract them.¡± I kept it vague. Still hadn¡¯t mentioned the dragons.

    ¡°As you say then. I¡¯ll trust your judgement Champion, but this secrecy around what you¡¯re preparing for doesn¡¯t give much to work with. What is your plan for the Thalmor? Ambush them, what else?¡± Bellin looked a bit annoyed with me, but understanding at least.

    ¡°Take their fucking heads of course, I intend to return the favor for all the Blades they killed and send a wagonload of skulls to their embassy. Stamp Talos¡¯ mark on them for good measure.¡± That would get their attention, especially the Imperial dragon that would be underneath it. A lot of attention. Whether it would work for my ultimate goal, I had no idea.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Bellin¡¯s eyes had gone wide. Lodor finished.

    ¡°That will start another war. There¡¯s no way the Thalmor would believe the Empire had nothing to do with it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Better than letting Ulfric start a war that kills thousands of Nords and Imperial Legionnaires. What do you think the Thalmor will do when the fist of the Empire is fighting a bloody civil war, the legions out of position and a great deal of blood and treasure spent? Would you rather march on Cyrodil or Summerset?¡± I let the point hang. Bellin stayed quiet for a while.

    ¡°Is this what you¡¯ve been trying to hide? Something you saw?¡± Bellin asked.

    ¡°Part of it. The war that Ulfric is going to start will tear Skyrim right down the middle, and it¡¯s exactly what the Thalmor are hoping for. Skyrim provided the army that let the Empire take back Cyrodil, the Nords have always been the core of its strength by being a deep reserve of hardy soldiers. If Skyrim is exhausted by a civil war, you can bet that the Thalmor will launch a new invasion when it will hurt the worst. This plan stays between us, nobody else Jarl. Even if you don¡¯t win the moot, though I hope you do. Ideally, my plan with the Thalmor won''t take off until after the vampires have been dealt with.¡± If Bellin didn¡¯t sign on to my plan, it was pretty much dead from the starting line. I¡¯d still do my best to kill as many Thalmor as I could, but it may prove tricky if he¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ll back you. It¡¯s a better plan than Ulfric has at any rate. Better to die atop a pile of dead elves than drown in our own blood.¡± Bellin thumped the table. He looked to Lodor with tired eyes. ¡°Seems the Champion¡¯s going to give you plenty of opportunities to make your own name.¡±

    ¡°Seems so.¡± Lodor nodded, a grim understanding on the younger man''s face.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been following him for a while, nobody knows mine yet.¡± Anglin spoke up from my right.

    ¡°Damn it Anglin!¡± I jumped that time.

    ¡°Sorry boss, you said I should practice being sneaky.¡±

 End of the Line

    Howdy everyone, so as the title suggests I don''t intend to post anymore chapters of Iceborn. It has been fun writing the story, and seeing y''all in the comments, getting proof that my writing is actually pretty good, but it comes down to the fact that I need to get my shit together. I don''t want to trap my self into the patreon writer niche that I''ve seen a lot, where I need to put out two, or three, or four sloppy chapters a week to appease my subscribers. I don''t want to compromise what I want to write about to cater to an audience, which is another pitfall of career writers. With that in mind, I''ve come to the conclusion that writing for a living would drive me up the wall. Writing as a part of what makes a living though, is doable.

    I''ve been on and off learning how to code for the better part of six years. Making mods, playing with game files, writing minor bits of code to bugfix stuff. In the past few months I''ve gotten a lot more serious about that, and scraped together some money to start courses on game development. They''re going great, I''m about four weeks ahead of what the online syllabus says I should have done and it hasn''t been hard. I''ve mostly been aware of what the courses are teaching, I just didn''t know how to really string it all together. My goal going forwards is to finish my course, and start work on a game I''ve thought about making my whole life. I''ve looked around on Steam, on GoG, Epic, all the big storefronts, and nobody has made the game that I want to make. There''s games that come close, but nothing quite like what I want to do. I know the game would be popular if I can turn vision to implementation, because those similar games are pretty successful. I don''t want to spoil the idea, but it''s a bit of a mix between a sandbox RPG, a top down shooter, and a tactical RTS.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    One of my good friends has already volunteered to help with the art side of things, we''re both 20-something trying to get out of similar issues. I''ve been putting together what we would need to actually make a game. I''ve got the loose background lore written, I''ve got prototypes for some game systems already working, I have the engine and coding language chosen. It''s going to be a long road to actually getting something cohesive and playable, but for now I''m pretty confident that it''s something I can manage.

    My main goal here is to just get something, anything going that will break me out of the cycle of ''Hey I got my money straight!'' -> ''Shit Happens Immediately!'' -> ''Fuck I''m broke again.'' that I''ve dealt with since I was 14. I thought that might have been writing, and I have enjoyed it, but I don''t think I could make it as a writer by writing what I want to. A game on the other hand, there''s a thousand eyes looking at even the niche, spaghetti-code indie games out there. Everything I''ve put effort into in my life, I''ve been good at, so I figure I may as well try it. In any case, thanks for reading my story, and I hope y''all have a good one.