Chereads / Fate Of A Hero / Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: Trouble — Ver. 1.0

Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: Trouble — Ver. 1.0

We all jump to our feet, and look around, equipping our gear. I pick up my larger kite shield, the Shield of the Dragonslayer, instead of my custom one. Small shields aren't fit to fight enemies as large as a troll, if what the person is screaming is true.

"Troll!" The person screams again. Footsteps echo, tapping on the cobblestone road through the forests trees.

We run out to the road, to see a small woman in a short-cut skirt and a sleeveless tunic, (more a vest really), running towards us, being chased by a troll on his hands and knees.

"Help!" She calls out to us, seeing that we're armed and ready to fight.

I jump forward, and she hides behind us, in the relatively safe place we made by blocking the troll's way to her.

The troll lifts a three-clawed hand up, before slamming it on the ground, destroying the cobbled stone under it.

I have enough time to realize what's about to happen, and think 'Ah, shit', right before it bounds forward much faster than I'm expecting and swings it's arm wildly at me. I'm unable to block fast enough, and I go flying, but not so much *up*, as I did *out*.

I must've gotten thrown, what... 30 feet? More than that? I can't tell. I was there, right in front of the troll, and then suddenly it hit me, and I wasn't.

I hear a high-pitched scream filled with fear, as I fly through the air.

"DRAKE!!"

It's Lydia.

Except I can't pay much attention to her, given that I'm slamming against the ground like a ragdoll, flipping and spinning midair having hit something, and smashing my face into cobblestone before slamming my back into something - a tree, I think. The wind is knocked out of me, and stinging pain rips through my body. I gasp for breath, and nothing comes to fill my lungs. I deepen what few breaths I can take, and grimace, shutting my eyes.

When my breath becomes stabilized to some degree, I lift my head groggily, and open my eyes. Hot tears slide down my face, but not from the pain. It's something else... Some other reason...

Adrenaline kicks in, and the pain goes away.

Ŷ̴̤e̷͚̊s̵̨̈́!̶͈̾ T̸̖̓̍̃̀̽͛h̸̡̧͇͖̤̯͛̑̓̓͝i̴̺͕͂̃̓̔̾͘s̴̖̲̿̏̒̏̆͋. Ĩ̷̱̜̺̫̮̠́̀̔s̷̨̱͙̤̭̻̠̟̬̖͍̘̫̅̽̋̀̓͠. W̴̨̝̬͎̬̼̣̠̒͐͑̕h̶̤͇͔̑̄͗͗̇̿̍̏̾̉̓͆̐̾̐́͑͝͝͝͝ȃ̶̧̢̘͖̦͍̱̜͔̞̝͍͙̝̯ţ̶͇͓͙͍͖̞̏͝. I̵̛͇͙̰̮̙̭̹̘̳͌̔͑̾̑ͅ. Ŵ̴̢̛̹͕̭̟͇̝̼̦̬̱̻͛̔̀̀́̅̌͂̇̎̎̎̊́̽͂̋̍́̅́̊̕͜͠͠ͅͅạ̸̡̛͖̥͓͉̍̌͗̈̐̌̏̀̀̄̽̉̑͝͠n̸̡̢̠̣̩͍̥̮̂͒̅̏͌̈́͜͠ṯ̵̛͇͇͖̜͕͑̈́̐̈́̔͗̂̉̐̃̒̾̓͂̀́̃̚͠!̵̰͓̤̲̄̃͐̽̒̏̐̍̂̽̐̔̉̓̏̊̐̚͘͘̚͝͝͝͝͠͠͝͝

M̸̨̛̰͙̭̟̲͚̞̱̘͍̞̮͉̭͖͚̲͇͊̑̉̽̈́̔͋̂̍͊͂̋̓̈́̉̔̆͑̋̄́̾̍̏̎͘͠͠ý̶̧̧̨̢̤̫͎͈̘̣͕͙̖̰̬̤͙̱̤̳̰̲͓̳͓͈̱̭͇̹͖̀̈́̇̓͛̾̿̔̚͜͜ͅ ̷̢̧̨̭̱̱̖̦̗̖͔̞̩̻̖̺̩͇̘̠͉͖̗̞̳͈̩̼̮͕̖̟̭̼͈̯̺̰͈̉͆͊̊̅̾̅̈́͊̀̀̎̋̈́́̈͘͜͜v̸̢̢̢̛͕̝̥̪͚̪͕͍̯̖̼̱̖̜͇̼̦̘̰̱͚͚̝̲̪̦̣̗͕̤̫̘̻̤̭̈́̉̌̋̃̄́͘͜i̷̧̡̨̡̪̱̣̺̦̝̮͓̣̪̤̫̠̞̺̞̞̣̐́̇̏͊͆̉͆̿̉̽́̿̀̓̇͑̄̊̎̍͋͑̆̊̾̔͂̈͛̿̅̓̕͠͠ͅc̶̢̨̧̧̨͕̣̰͉̭̭̯͎̤̠͉͓͈̳̞͔̱̯͔̯̤͎̰͛̀̅͂͒̾͒̀̒̑͌̾̃̆̂́͒̃̋͒̈͝͝ͅt̵̢̢̛̛͉̖͙̲̅̄̔̆̆̿̾̃͒̂̆̈́̓̃̓̂̂͑̋́͆̊̎̄̒̀̈́͐̈̂̄́͌͗͂̇̐̚ơ̸̡̡̗̼̙̩̻̩̞͙̳͈͔̯̩͈̮̲̘̾͂̎̽̓̀͗̈̈́̓̃̋́̔̊͋̎͆̓̏̅͊͐̍̿̈́̽́́̀̚͝͠ͅŗ̶̨̢̛̘̻͍̙̬̝̱̯̜̼͎͛̅̿͐͗̅͗̏̈́̇͋̓̏̾͛̉̀͗̐͐̀̾̓̈́̿͝ͅy̸̧̡̧̢̧̢̭̬̗̥̳̬̺̭̠̲̮̤̠̥̙̹̟̰̭͙̞̞̩̞̯͔̓͐̂̊̔̎̈̓̐͊̐̈̀̈́̓̆̽͋̀̐͊̇͐̐̈́̈̾̃̊̌̕̕͠ ̵̛̛̖̯̼͈̯̗̙̤͎̖̻̣͌̑͂̇̅̑̈́̓̍̇̂͗͑̆̏̐́̍̀̆͊̽̅̒͑̈̄̓̔̔͂̆͋́̑̀̈́̕͠͠ͅi̸̧̧̨̧̨̢̼̬͎̞̗̩̲̹̤͎̜̤̦̪̭̲͖̝̣͇̖̫̻̹̤̪͈͔̔̄͊͗̈̊̈̉͐́̅͜͠s̷̛͔̻̻̭̙̱̫̼̩͖̱̰̘̭̰̐͑̏̋͑̄͐̈̀͂̐̀̈́̒͊̑̾̈́̾̐̓̒̑̆͑̔̔̕̕̚͝͝ ̶̢̨̨̛̩͇̭̘͈̤͚̝͖̲̹̳͙̥͓̳͎̖͎̲̤̹͓̯̩̳̄̇͐͒̌̀̒̃̍̅̓̿͂̋̑̿͊̓̊͑̏́̽̏̈́̓̒͂̀͗̕̕͘̕͝ͅͅą̶͙͔̫̯͉͎̜̗̜͔̌͂̆̈́̆̈́̿̑͋̽͛̔̈́̔̈́̅̄͒͆̋͛́́̚̕̕͘͝t̵̛̮̊̿̀̓̒͌͊͌̀̏͠͝ ̶̨̢̛͓̯̤̭͓͙̘̹̞͖̭̳͉̙̫̻̩̲̹̱̞̞̺̦̮̬͔͇̲̖̮̰̜̠̤̰̫̖̄͌͐̉͊͋͛̎͋̍̏̍̏͛͆̄͠ͅͅh̵̡͊̽̓̉͌̈͒́̏̊̄͗̀̎̉̄̕͠͠ạ̴̱̫̤̳͗͌͆̐̓̆̃͊̒̏͒͐͗̒́̇̈̍̈́̎͋̉̀͋̔͘̕͝͝͝͠ņ̶̧̨͇̖͍̮̝̩̩̭̰͖̗̳͉̺̤̝͍̺̭͔̭̪̥͍͓̩̣͍̯͙̇̒̀̈́̎̅̌͆͋̏̾̊́̏̎͒̂́̏̈́͋̋͜͠͝͝d̴̨̛͇̞̣̫͖̖͖͎̰̮͍͚̣̻̜̮͎͊̈́͛̓̂͛͐̈͋̍̆̀͐́͐̾͘͝!̶̨̨̢̺̳͇̠͚̪̮̹͍̬̦͖͖̺͔͓̣͙̝͓̦̈͒͋́͑̒̃͋͆̉͒̉̐̈̀̏̀̈́̚̕͝͝ͅͅ

I shake my head to clear my thoughts, and sweat flings off my head, but soon that shaking turns into something outside of my control. My head vibrates, and my eyes...

Red light filters through the trees ahead of me. Colors start to flip and go haywire. The trees turn from green to blue, and the people in front of me take on hues of red. This change... it feels like there's such a palpable difference, I can taste it, feel it..., cut it. Rip it from limb to limb. Snap it's head into a limp sphere of meat. Flay it's skin and salt the muscles themselves, before forcing it to walk across burning coals. Rend it's flesh from an image of health and vitality to something ugly, broken, destroyed.

Something inside me is snapping, a revolting, horrid part filled with the urge to slaughter and cause destruction, and whatever it is, is something completely capable of doing so. My attention from my evolving vision is turning into an unnatural hostility towards the troll, that much I can tell.

No, wanting to kill the troll is natural, but this level of hate towards it... That's not... That *can't* be a human level of hate, right?

My head and chest starts to heat up, as though something were lit on fire inside of me. I can feel it burning me from the inside out. My head starts to glow, and I can tell because the light from it is being reflected onto the ground. Then, with a loud popping sound, my vision disappears. Thankfully, I feel nothing, which I'm fairly sure is not supposed to happen when your eyes explode, but something catches my attention. It's what I see, or rather, *don't* see.

My vision doesn't turn black as would be expected... No, something else happens: I see nothing, and I don't mean a completely black field, nor a blinding white space, or even a black background speckled by molding red spots like when you shut your eyes on a bright day. The concept of 'sight' itself has vanished from my being. If I were a computer, I'd phrase it like this: the loss of the hardware has simultaneously lost the software attached. Like my eyes were a hard drive with the files to access it on it.

In any case, two things I can be sure of are that my eyes were objectively changed and I felt an amount of heat I probably shouldn't have been able to stand before they exploded. Therefore, the obvious conclusion would be that my head had reached a temperature where my eyes have exploded, without (somehow) incinerating the rest of my head along with it. I think. That's what makes sense to me, at least.

Why do I feel like I have so much time to think clearly? Is it because I can feel no pain right now? Is it also because my breath is being restricted, and I'm focusing on anything that distracts me from the apparent loss of my senses? I can't tell.

I can hear Lydia fighting the troll, dodging it's attacks, but it sounds almost as if I'm much farther than I am. It roars, and jumps into the air. It lands, and beats the ground, before roaring again. I can hear the stones of the road being crushed from here, despite how quiet my ears feel. What? My ears...?

Oh, no. Were my eardrums melted, too?Is that why the sound of fighting feels muffled? No, I can't think about that. I have to help her. I have to help.

I try getting up, but I'm being held back by something. I try feeling around for what's stopping me, but my sense of touch is pretty much gone as well, with my skin on my hands fused, but besides that, I can't reach very far, and my arms are stuck in odd angles. I think the skin of my arms has melted, and ended up cooling into a restrictive cast made of flesh.

I grit my teeth, and force my arms apart, despite everything telling me not to. Something splashes onto my face. It's probably blood. The mold tears free, and I reach around, feeling for something, anything. Something is in my chest, no, more like my stomach, a tree branch, maybe? It protrudes through my lungs and sticks out at least a foot. Wait, what - my lungs?!

How am I still alive? I should be dead. Unless...?!

The branch inside me, despite the cracks in it's bark, created a well-sealed surface on my front and back, one good enough that it's keeping me alive, but only if I stay still. But if I don't get it out, I'll die from... Well, a lot of other reasons.

Starvation, dehydration, bacteria. My intestines, liver, and the rest of my guts, or at least what's left of them, spread across the tree branch up to me. My lungs not getting enough air, despite them still attempting to pump hard enough to let me live. I don't think I really *can* survive this.

I stop trying to remove myself, and let my arms hang freely. Pain rips through me for a second, and I feel the hot, vicious pain of the tree inside me, my melted skin, my exploded eyes, my attempts to survive what looks to be my death, tear me apart for a second, before a wave of thermite-level explosive heat blasts through me. I gasp, even harder than I already am, and would have cried out in pain, if not for the fact that I'm practically running on fumes and couldn't make a sound.

Something bites at the edge of my mind, and I feel it whisper.

Ÿ̸͙̯̽ǒ̸̘̐ǘ̴̱̀ ̴̥̼̊ć̸̱͆a̶͔͗ͅn̶̥̽n̶͖͑o̷̜̜̕ṱ̷̈͆ ̷̞̐ć̴̬̺ò̶̱̭͊n̷͚̿̑t̸̪̟̿a̸̘̓i̶̛͈n̵̳͗ ̷̙͇̔m̵͇̹̂e̸͎͠.̶͒͜

Ṇ̷͒̀͌͠o̵͍̫͌̒̇͠ ̵̦͙̹͖͘m̶̰̆ả̶̟̣̟̣̀̾̆t̶̯̯̬̠́ț̷̺͊̽̚e̴̟̅̕ͅŗ̸̞̰̼̄ ̷͈̓͂h̷͈͉͚̎̒̏̚ő̸̤͠͠w̶̢͇͊ ̷̠̠̈́̍͋͝h̷̙̠͈̎̒a̶͕̭̅r̶̨̲͉̘̎d̷̤̤̪̬̋ ̵̧̨̻͉̽y̶̫͘o̸̥̜͐͝û̷̜̥̎͝ ̷͈̰͊͐t̸̛̯͉̜̻̄̓̚r̷̞̎̔͊y̴͉̳̗͔̓͋,̷̻̠̭̭̄̈́ ̸̲̳͑̉̋̚n̸̡͈̭̘̈́́̓̃ó̶̻̽͒̃ ̸̼͗̒̊ḿ̸͕̤̓a̷̢͉̗̥̽t̵̨͚̪͈͑t̸̞̍ę̷̬̩͙͒̃͘ŗ̶̬͔͚͗̏̾

ẗ̶̟͙́̾̍h̸͖̩̅̉̕ė̷̶̤̩̝̣̳̙̀̽̀͘ ̵̧̖̰̆͗͗͌weakness ̸̧͍̆̋̕ȏ̸̟̣͔̥͒̿f̸͎̯̺̜̉́̅̈́ ̸̪̾̑y̶̤͕̺̥͆ǒ̵̧̡u̷̺̞̗͋̕r̴̬̕ ̷̯̞̈̕m̸̙̱̃ǫ̷͓͕́̍͘r̷̙͈̈̔t̴̨͓̓͠à̴̧̞͊͐̉͜l̴̨̢̿̋̒̈́í̷͉͙̦t̷̝͇̱̀͒͋͘ẏ̷̻͗̚̕!

What, in the holy name of Jesus H. Christ was that?! Aw, fuck no! I seen this shit back in horror movies. I ain't gonna get possessed by this mothafucka, am I? That's the third time I heard that creepy-ass voice. I ignored it twice, but now I gotta pay attention.

Once is a incident, twice is a situation, and three times is a problem. That... thing, is the source of that unnatural rage and hatred I felt prior to my eyes exploding.

Speaking of Sithis, everything's sorta turning black and fuzzy, like I'm about to fall asleep an' go to meet him. Wait, wasn't there like a medical thing about not letting trauma patients fall asleep, or something? I probably shouldn't care about... that..., given I'm... about to... die, tho-...

.....

[] Sithis condescendingly says.

I sigh and sit up, right before my eyes widen and I wince, groaning out "Ah, fuck."

My body's perfectly fine, despite my last situation, but I've got what feels like the worst of migraines right now.

Thank God...? Sithis...? Well, I thank whoever made this place dark. If it was any brighter here, I'd want to die again.

I slowly lay back down, and call out to the shadows, angrily.

"Ay, bruh. We got beef, or sum'n? Why, the, FUCK, is there a goddamn demon in my head?"

[]

My anger fades slightly, my migraine disappearing completely, but I can't just let it go. "Okay, that's what it is, but why? Why did you put it in me? And why is it telling me it wants to escape? And how did you, what'd you say...? *Steal*, Dagon's power? Doesn't that like... violate an unofficial agreement between the Princes to not steal power?"

Sithis snorts. []

Sithis starts speaking faster, at a rate hard to understand.

[]

I'm still trying to process what he's saying, but he continues on before I get the chance to say anything.

[]

I fight the urge to yell at him, and calmly ask him what the hell's he's going on about.

[]

[]

"No, wai-...!" My voice cracks out, but reality 'loads' before I can say anything else. (I decided to start referring to that period of darkness before I am respawned as 'loading' because of it's similarity to the games' style of loading you from an earlier save).

I'm sitting in front of the fire, and the group looks at me in confusion.

"No, wait... What?" Ja'Rado echoes me, his massive eyebrows bent down in a confused frown. Despite his lion-like face, it's somewhat easy to tell his facial reactions.

I'm about to answer, playing it off like I just lost my train of thought, before a woman's shouts cry out though the forest once again.

"Troll! Troll!"

Shit. I forgot about the troll. I rush to equip my gear, as do the others. My mind races as I pick up my swords and shield, and place my helm upon my head. Where did Emeric and Ja'Rado go when I died trying to kill the troll last time around? I didn't catch much sight of them last time, so I wasn't able to tell where they went or what they did. This time, though, I'll need to take be sure of everything.

"Emeric, Ja, can you guys search around for any other creatures in the area, and if there aren't any, protect that woman while Lydia and I deal with the troll? We don't need that woman doing anything stupid, especially when there's a troll about, if what she says is true."

"Do anything stupid? Like what?" Emeric asks, confused, sliding his sword into his sheath.

"Like stabbing us in the back or something. Thieves and bandits are s'posedly rampant here, we're in the Hold of the Thieve's Guild, after all."

"Fair enough, that." Emeric swings onto Ja's saddle and rubs his head. "Let's go, friend."

They bound off into the woods, and disappear in the brush.

A scream rips out through the air, the woman no doubt, and Lydia and I run out to the road. The troll stands in the middle of the cobbles, beating his chest and letting out a roar. The woman is on the ground in front of it, crawling backwards towards us.

I sprint over, bearing my shield up and Shout. "Wuld!"

I burst forward, and slam into the troll. I got the idea for this sort of attack after I learned that the laws of motion don't exactly apply to me while I'm Shouting, or at all, really. However, they do apply to everyone else. This means that once I hit the troll, I effectively hit it with like a truck, which means that the troll would go flying, which it proceeds to as soon as I make contact.

For now, the woman's out of immediate danger, so I reach a hand out to the woman, and help her up.

"You... you're the Thane that was most recently at Ivarstead, right? The, uh... Thane of Whiterun, right?" The woman worriedly asks, shaken.

I nod, taking off my helm. Lydia approaches us, her sword and shield out.

"Thank the Nine I found you." She lets a sigh of relief slide out. "I was sent here to tell you that the town guard needs your help. There're trolls, at least two of them, and we've people missing, the most notable of them being the guard captain. We can manage without them for now, but we'll need your help in their rescue. Currently, they're somewhere in the forest, but they're lost, and chances are high that they're injured."

Shit. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. Damn it. Fine, I'll play your game.

Lydia looks to me. "My Thane. The troll is returning."

Oh, fuck me! Why's it luckier than I was when it hit me? I hit back, so it should die, too. I mentally groan, but accept the situation. The troll has high regeneration, so it only makes sense.

"Right. We'll help, so move back. Get to safety." My tone was soft but firm.

The woman nods, and runs away.

I unsheathe my sword and swing my shield around my shoulder, to my back. No point in trying to defend something that'll send me flying anyways at best, and crush my bones at worst. What I need to do is maximize my slaying capacity.

I re-equip my helm and cast Oakflesh, before heating up mine and Lydia's swords with Flames. With my Flames in my left hand and my glowing sword in my right, I'm ready to battle with the troll.

The troll clambers over to us at a much faster pace than I anticipate, and swings a club-like arm at me, which I dodge under. It wasn't fast, but it wasn't slow, either. If I lose focus, I'll easily die again.

As I dodge under it's arm, I make a long but narrow cut along it's chest, before spraying Flames over the troll. As soon as the Flames make contact, the troll's fur bursts alight, like it was covered in gasoline, and the troll goes apeshit fuckin crazy.

It starts screaming and runs around, as if this were some cartoon, some Looney Toons bullshit. It's arms go up in the air and it runs around, before slamming into a tree and starts bashing it's head in. The tree dents at first, before cracking, then completely snapping into two giant pieces.

Having split the tree with its skull, the troll looks around wildly, before seeing us again. It bares it's teeth at us and growls, curling its lips, before stalking forward on all fours.

I ready more Flames in my hands, and it stops, clearly wary of the threat we pose. I throw Flames at it, and it moves back, using it's longer arms to swing it's body back. One of it's arms was pulled back too late, and it catches fire. The troll yelps out in pain, and whacks it's hand trying to get the Flames off.

The troll calms down as the Flames fade away before turning to us again, and bellowing out a bass-filled noise like a gorilla's roar combined with a cat's hiss. It then runs towards us, and starts obviously preparing to swing it's arm.

Right before it reaches me, Lydia jumps in front of it and takes the hit it swings with her shield. She flies back, probably in a similar manner to the way I had, when I got hit.

"Lydia!" I cry out, surprised. Now, why'd she go and do a damn stupid thing like that?! Shit! Fuck! I have to kill this damn troll quickly now, or Lydia might be in... well, a lot of trouble, to say the least. My heart starts to beat even faster than it currently was.

Having gotten rid of one of it's enemies, the troll slams the ground, once again destroying the cobbles. Seeing this, I get a spark of genius, and skirt my way around the troll moving farther up the road. Once the troll is done celebrating it's victory, it follows me, waddling it's oversized upper frame over to me with it's too-small legs.

It slams the ground as it waddles, with a twisted look on it's face. I ain't an expert on reading troll faces, but this one is definitely looking pretty friggin' arrogant.

I ready Flames once more, and the troll's brow twists, it's eyes widen, and it bares it's teeth.

I tune my magic so that the Flames will spread out over a wide area, and lunge forwards, casting it. The troll scrambles backwards, and I slash my sword at the flaming troll, cutting a gaping hole across it's arm. The troll growls, and takes a step backwards.

"Don't like this shit, huh?" I ask it. I raise my arm, acting as if I was going to cast it again.

The troll takes another step back, and I lunge forward again.

The troll expected the attack though, and swings at me, to my disadvantage. The hit grazes my arm, spinning me around, and throwing off my balance. My face smashes into the stone, and my eyes reflexively snap shut.

I try to open my eyes, but my vision remains black. I need to get up, up and away from the... What was I fighting? I know I was fighting... I know I need to get away from it, it's dangerous, but my arms won't move, either.

What's that sound? Grunting? Roaring? That doesn't sound like anything I'd hear in a movie or tv show about animals. Wait. I'm outside, aren't I? That's probably not a good sign.

Whatever that hell it was, I need to get away. Only... I can't move my legs. They won't stop twitching. Alright, well, if I can't move my legs, then I need to move with my arms, which... are also immobile, it looks like.

Wait! Yes! I can move them, barely. I need to push myself up. First, my elbow. Bend it. Bend, you stupid shit! My arm's jittery. Shaking. Weak. But I have some tentative hold over it.

Now, I need to fold the arm in half. Yes, I got it! Now, my shoulder. Rotate the arm, so that it's under me. No! Shit! Fuck! Stop! Stop! No, gravity, stop fucking working! I need you to work with me here. Not against me. Not against me...

Fuck me... I'm tired. My body hurts. I can... Get to my knees. I force my hand against the ground, and push against the world. Up I move, a foot, then the rest of the way.

"Now... Back." I grunt out, trying to slide my body back against my knees.

I see the troll out of the corner of my eye waddling up to me, and grimace.

"No, don't you fuckin-" I spit out, glaring at it, right before the troll raises it's arms above it and it roars, before swiftly slamming it's fists down.

...

Where am I? There are orange and red trees around me, and a darkening sky above. Ow... Shit. My head just hit a rock. Why are there rocks under my head? That doesn't feel right. I don't think I'd lay down on a... Well, shit! I think I'm being dragged. Did I piss off some kinda gang or something when I was visiting my cousin? I remember he always... He always... He...

What was I thinking? I feel like I just... I had something, something important. And I just lost it.

Whatever. I've got more important things to worry about, in the here and now. I need to figure who's dragging me. Maybe if I figure out who it is, I can convince them to maybe *not* do that. I try sitting up.

Wha...? What the fuck is that? Some kinda greenish... Brown... Nah, that's just shit-colored. Well, whatever the fuck it is, it's taking me somewhere. I don't know what it is, but I already don't like it. It smells like absolute crap, too, like something died on it. Or... It ate something dead. Both are equally disgusting options.

I retch, as I imagine I'm to suffer the same fate.

I can't remember... Anything, really. No, that's not true. I know who I am. My real self, not the...

Shit. What was I thinking? Where was that thought going? 'Not the'... What? The sentence I just thought of was 'My real self, not the', then I forgot what I was saying.

My real self... My real self... I have an alter ego? Or is it just the 'me' I present myself as, like the metaphorical 'mask' everyone wears in front of others? I don't think that's it.

Hmm... No, drawing a massive blank on whatever I'm trying to remember. Rather, my head's actually hurting the harder I think. It feels like everything is sorta getting cloudy inside my head, like it's being stuffed with cotton.

I finally realize what the thing dragging me is, before yawning.

It's a troll, from Skyrim. Why am I being dragged by a troll? How did I get here? Questions echo through my mind as I try to figure it out. Speaking of the troll, dragging me, why do I have armor, like I'm some kind of cosplay outfit?

I yawn again. Why am I so tired? You know, despite how it seems, being dragged through a forest is fairly comfortable, besides the occasional rock. Ow! Speak of the devil.

Hey, why am I being dragged? It's pretty late, isn't it, shouldn't I be heading home or something? Home? ... Wait just one goddamn minute! I haven't seen my house in a while! (I think.) At least, I feel like I haven't...

My thoughts were slowly making me shut my eyes, and draw me ever closer to sleep. And something else. Something was encouraging me. It feels weird, like I ate something wrong, but instead of making me have to shit, it's making me want to sleep.

Luckily, with the thought I just had, (and the rock hitting my head), I was able to bring myself back from the brink of sleep.

I need to stand up. The longer I'm down like this, the worse I'm feeling.

"Hey... Coul' you, aaah... Le' me gooo?" The words slur out of my mouth drowsily.

The troll dragging me looks back to me, before wrenching me forward. I catch a horrid whiff of it's stench.

"Urgh..." I retch. Dark spots fly around in my eyes, and I try to sit up, but I can't. I'm pulled forward even harder again, and forced to roll over with my face now dragging on the ground.

I'm dragged not much farther until my legs are finally dropped, and the troll disappears. With it disappears the sense that I'm about to fall asleep - and it's stench.

However, the sounds of growling, roaring, and hissing emerge from the area around me. A few thuds and crashes later, and I'm being dragged again.

I'd have gotten up and ran away in that small window of time the troll wasn't dragging me except for a few major problems: I don't know where I am, or where to run to, nor do I know if being in whatever forest I'm in is even remotely safe to begin with. Considering the sounds of what just happened, I don't think so. At least with the troll dragging me, I'll have some protection. Although, that's not guaranteed for long, considering the smell of the dead things hanging on the creature.

But besides all those factors, my limbs are numb and limp, and I honestly can't even tell if they're even usable right now. Considering the pins and needles I started to feel as soon as the troll let go, I don't think I'd have made very far anyways.

The troll pulls me past what it fought, and I see the twisted, mashed silhouette of the body of a spider the size of a car. Suddenly I'm glad that I didn't run away. What would happened if I ran away only to meet a bunch of those? It's getting pretty damn dark, so I'd rather stay with my slight chance of survival.

Besides the monstrosities this forest is clearly hiding inside, it really doesn't help that my limbs don't exactly look like they're bending the way they'd normally bend. My left arm is in the shape of an L with my wrist facing up, and my right leg, the leg I'm being dragged by, doesn't look right. It looks like my ankle is completely crushed.

It doesn't hurt, though. Neither of my injuries, I mean. I can't tell why though.

The abnormal sense of falling asleep is forcing me to rebel against it, but... I can tell... That I'm faili... ng.

....

•                 •                 •

"Mara, Dibella, Akatosh, please protect him." Lydia prays in a light whisper. "Please let him still be alive."

After she took a hit that was meant for her Thane, (an unnecessary one, she knew), she flew into a tree - a soft, mulchy, dead one that was already being gnawed down by termites, luckily. The reason behind why she took the hit was fairly stupid, and Lydia hates herself for it, but it was because she didn't like how much danger her Thane was in, and wanted to help the fight in some way.

Unfortunately, not only did she distract the Thane by her... removal, but her distracting him indirectly led to him taking a hit he didn't need to, causing him to not only lose against, but allowed the troll to turn him into a hostage.

She watched from over 30 feet away him being struck to the ground, and cried when he forced himself up to his knees, clearly suffering and in pain, only for his back to be smashed in by a happy troll.

With one move, she practically sentenced her lover to death. And that wasn't even the worst of it.

Just after the troll knocked Drake out, a group of the town guard came in, led by Ja'Rado with Emeric on his back. When they approached the troll with weapons out, the troll picked Drake up by his armor, and held it's claws to Drake's neck. Everyone quickly realized that if Drake was still alive, they couldn't approach the troll without him dying.

With the troll holding the Thane hostage, the guards stopped their attempts to approach and let the troll go free, with Lydia's Thane being dragged behind.

It quickly became obvious that this troll was one of the more intelligent ones.

Of course, Lydia tried to run to Drake to attempt to save him herself, but the guards stopped her before her fear for Drake's life cost him his life. But now...

"It's smart." One of the guardsmen sighed out. "Too damn smart."

Lydia's walking next to a guardsmen, their lieutenant, if she remembers right. They're walking to the inn of Ivarstead, to meet with the citizens and town guard and decide what to do.

Lydia tried to remember this guards' name. "Er, uh... Josef?" She tries out, thinking that that name probably wasn't it.

The guardsmen sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's Johann. They, they don't even sound the same. What?"

Lydia bites the inside of her cheek. Memorizing Johann's name wasn't exactly a high priority for her. "Sorry... Um... I want to go and search for my Thane. I want to get him back. Please, I need your help."

"You've said that. You've said that quite a lot already. Four times, actually. In the last two minutes. I realize you want to go and get him, but things are obviously, clearly, not as simple as that. Here, tell you what." Johann's tone was tired. He's dealt with these situations in the past.

Johann stops, and turns to face her. "You stay for the meeting tonight, and we'll figure something out. The trail they took is still right and fresh, and your... giant cat friend might be able to help. But for now, I've got funerals to deal with and men to find. That quick search we did after the troll dragged your Thane away proved useless, seeing as your Thane is still a hostage. But so long as he has value, the troll won't kill him. And clearly, it knows we're going to hunt it. That's why it took him with it. He's going to be fine. For now."

After saying that, and patting Lydia's shoulder, he heads inside the inn. As soon as he opened the door, bright light shines out onto her, and loud shouts and arguing punches into her eardrums. Johann quickly attempts to take control of the situation, and then the doors slammed shut.

'For now.' Those words echoed in Lydia's head, and she stood still, dead in her tracks.

She knows that what Johann said was right, and exactly true, and it made sense logically, but it didn't emotionally. It just hurt to hear and know that she couldn't do anything, and the best thing to do right now is to calm down.

There's so many thoughts running through Lydia's head, but the biggest was 'It's my fault'.

Her fault. She jumped in the way of a hit that she knew Drake was able to dodge, and by doing that she made him worry, and distracted him from the fight he was in.

Her fault. She saw Drake's face and heard his shout as she flew away. She *knew* and could see absolutely clearly that he was terrified for her, but couldn't risk going to her. If he tried, it wouldn't only be his life he'd be losing. She'd be dead next, and maybe the woman he sent to Ja and Emeric would be dead, too.

Her fault. The sight of Drake's injured body, trying to get up with barely any strength, and the troll smashing his body to the ground echoed through her eyes.

If she just restrained herself, Drake could be here. No, she told herself. He *would* be here.

Her fault. Her fault. Her fault. It's all her fault.

Lydia shivers, and grabs her arms. Hot tears bead at the edge of her eyes, and slide down her face. She lets out a shaky breath, before a sob breaks out of her mouth. She covers her face in shame, before walking back to Daryon, who's now tied to a tree near the town.

She hugs Daryon around his neck, and rubs her hand down his mane.

"Daryon, wha' am I gonna do? I dunno what to do! I can't go and find him, and I can't fight the troll! I'm s'ared i's gunna kill Drake! I can't let that happen. I'm just... Oh, I dunno!"

"Well, to start, you could stop crying, take a deep breath, and head back to the inn. I'm no miracle worker, but I'm sure if you do that, we'll have a lead on getting him back. Or at least an idea. Or something. Tell you the truth, they need you. You're a Housecarl. That puts you higher in rank than most everyone here. 'Cept maybe that guard captain, but he's a bit, uh... indisposed at the moment."

Emeric's words wake Lydia from her fit, and she looks to him.

He's leaning against Ja, who's nodding to his words.

"Tis true, what Emeric said."

Lydia lets out a short laugh. She takes a deep breath in, before letting it all out. Their nonchalant attitude almost scares her.

"Thank Shor you two are here. I'd have gone crazy worrying about everything. Are you... no, nevermind."

"What?" Emeric says, confused.

Lydia smiles, tears still in her eyes. "I was just wondering if you two were either crazy for not worrying and feeling scared at all for Drake, or are just confident he'll be able to escape, 'nd kill the troll, or something?"

"Oh, it's a combination of both. Of course we're afraid he might die, but it's because of what we've seen so far that we're sure he'll figure something out. Besides! He's the Dragonborn, as you Nords call him. It's clearly his destiny for him to succeed, otherwise the world is doomed, apparently. So, it literally cannot get any worse, should he die." Emeric was emphatic.

Lydia was confused, to say the least. "How exactly is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Ja laughs. "Isn't it obvious? Besides being your lover, he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders. It's clear that he'd do everything he can to ensure his own survival. It is because of that, that we are confident in his survival. He has no choice."

Lydia falters.

Lydia takes a breath, as if she were going to say her next thoughts aloud, but decides against doing so.

''Being my lover?' What? I don't know if he truly *loves* me, though... I mean, he definitely cares about me, but... loves? I even told him that I'd be fine if he didn't accept me.'

She shakes her thoughts off and wipes her eyes.

"Hey." She says, gesturing towards town. "Let's head back."

"Mm." Ja nods, and turns around, Emeric hopping onto his back.

Lydia pats Daryon's head a final time before jogging up to the two.

------------------

Funds: 950 septims

Weapons:

💠 - Orcish Sword of Paralysis

💠 - Blade of Whiterun (Ebony longsword, 3rd Era, 10 points Frost damage/5 to Stamina/ slow)

💠 - Quicksilver Throwing Knives {x5}

💠 - Nordic Daggers {x2}

- Elven Bow, Unstrung {x12 Elven Arrows, 1x Ayleid Arrow}

- Orcish Sword

Apparel:

💠 - Refurbished Steel Helm (15% more armor)

💠 - Steel Armor (HP Regen. Injury Heal Rate 25%↑, Light Wound Heal 50%↑)

💠 - Spiked Steel Gauntlets (+20 extra H2H damage)

💠 - Refitted Steel Boots (15% more armor)

💠 - Custom Quicksilver buckler (18% more armor)

💠 - Winter Cloak (20% Cold Resistance)

💠 - Snow Bear Greatcloak (50% Cold Resistance)

- Shield of the Dragonslayer (Kite, 40% Fire Resistance)

Potions:

- Mysterious Potion {x3}

Food:

- Basket of Fruits and Vegetables; {onions x3, apples x5, leeks x2, potatoes x6, head of cabbage x3, carrots x4, loaves of bread x3}

- Salted Fish Fillets (Salmon x5, River Betty x3, Silverside Perch x4, Histcarp x3, Slaughterfish x20)

Books:

- Stack of Stormcloak notes and letters to family {x15}

- Letter to Thrynn & Torturer's Ring

- Spell Tome: Sparks

- Spell Tome: Oakflesh

Scrolls:

- Scroll of Blizzard

Supplies:

- Backpack

- Bedroll / Mountain Bedroll

- Cooking pan

- Waterskin

- Metal Bowl

- Torches {x3}

- Tent

- Pitons

- Climbing harness

- Rope (200 ft.)

- Hiking Staves {x2}

- Ice Picks {x2}

- Bar of Soap

Miscellaneous:

- Lockpicks {x1}

- Vial for Mysterious Potion

- Golden Claw

- Potion bottle remains