"What do you need, my thane?" Argis turned to me in the flickering light of Deepwood Redoubt. He was certainly a lot easier to deal with than Marcurio, I pondered, absently loading him up with piles of iron and corundum ingots, and some Orcish gear I'd made, but hadn't been able to get a good price for in Markarth. He donned the Orcish armor immediately, then stood before me, stolid and obedient.
"Follow me," I said.
We made our way into the ruins. Argis clanked and stomped, making enough noise to wake the dead. Literally.
"Quietly," I hissed, and he fell into a crouch, imitating mine. We proceeded. He made a little less noise than before, but not much. Maybe I could get him to take a potion, or something. At this rate, the Forsworn would hear us coming a mile away.
"Argis. You hear that?" I whispered, nodding towards where the narrow tunnel opened into a chamber inside the Redoubt.
I held up a hand to stay him, but it was too late. He charged towards the fray. "Now you'll pay!" he bellowed, and answering battlecries met his own.
"Come and face the Forsworn!"
"Forsworn forever!"
"For the Reach!"
Oh, shit. So much for my plans to thin their ranks with stealth attacks. I sighed and followed him. "Argis! Watch out for -"
BANG. He triggered a stone plate, sending a spiked, trapped door rocketing straight into my face. Pain wracked through my whole body, so intense I nearly blacked out. I collapsed on the stone floor. The battle raged on up ahead, but I was oblivious to it all, clutching my stomach in agony, blood pouring through my fingers. Sweet Dibella, it hurt! I wavered in and out of consciousness, eventually recovering my senses enough to fumble a healing potion to my lips and swallow it, tasting blood.
I got to my feet, readying my bow. Avoiding the stone plate, I crouched, peering into the chamber ahead to see Argis on his knees. A Forsworn Briarheart hefted an axe above my housecarl's head, ready to kill.
I staggered the Briarheart with my first arrow, and his axe fell harmlessly to the ground; my second arrow took him through the head, killing him.
Everything went quiet. The rest of the Forsworn lay dead or had retreated into the depths of their lair. Argis was panting on one knee, but alive. Still shaking with the pain of my injuries, I hauled myself to my housecarl's side and collapsed on my back.
"Argis," I said, staring at the vaulted ceiling. "We need to talk."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Skeever Butt [2/3]
Date: 2013-07-25 04:37 am (UTC)"Follow me," I said.
We made our way into the ruins. Argis clanked and stomped, making enough noise to wake the dead. Literally.
"Quietly," I hissed, and he fell into a crouch, imitating mine. We proceeded. He made a little less noise than before, but not much. Maybe I could get him to take a potion, or something. At this rate, the Forsworn would hear us coming a mile away.
"Argis. You hear that?" I whispered, nodding towards where the narrow tunnel opened into a chamber inside the Redoubt.
I held up a hand to stay him, but it was too late. He charged towards the fray. "Now you'll pay!" he bellowed, and answering battlecries met his own.
"Come and face the Forsworn!"
"Forsworn forever!"
"For the Reach!"
Oh, shit. So much for my plans to thin their ranks with stealth attacks. I sighed and followed him. "Argis! Watch out for -"
BANG. He triggered a stone plate, sending a spiked, trapped door rocketing straight into my face. Pain wracked through my whole body, so intense I nearly blacked out. I collapsed on the stone floor. The battle raged on up ahead, but I was oblivious to it all, clutching my stomach in agony, blood pouring through my fingers. Sweet Dibella, it hurt! I wavered in and out of consciousness, eventually recovering my senses enough to fumble a healing potion to my lips and swallow it, tasting blood.
I got to my feet, readying my bow. Avoiding the stone plate, I crouched, peering into the chamber ahead to see Argis on his knees. A Forsworn Briarheart hefted an axe above my housecarl's head, ready to kill.
I staggered the Briarheart with my first arrow, and his axe fell harmlessly to the ground; my second arrow took him through the head, killing him.
Everything went quiet. The rest of the Forsworn lay dead or had retreated into the depths of their lair. Argis was panting on one knee, but alive. Still shaking with the pain of my injuries, I hauled myself to my housecarl's side and collapsed on my back.
"Argis," I said, staring at the vaulted ceiling. "We need to talk."
***