UnslaadKrosis
Member
So, I wrote this story for FanFiction.net under the pseudonym of Vilinturuth quite a while ago. I completed this story, but didn't progress much further with the novel I was writing because of some RL stuff. Now, I'm planning on re-entering the world of FanFiction again and finally completing my novel; but I want to know what you guys think of my initial story, and get some opinions about how to actually improve my writing skills, which I'll then utilize to finally write my novel.
Anyways enough talk, here's the Soljund Incident. Enjoy!
P.S For those who want to read the original, here's the link- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10573193/1/The-Soljund-Incident
"By the horns of Stendarr; will you shut up already Perth? You know how many leagues it is from Whiterun to Rorikstead, don't you? And it takes at least one whole day of riding to reach the mine from there. So stop being so jittery." The Breton who went by the name of Tuthul told his partner, irritated.
"But they are already three days behind the scheduled date, aren't they? And by Ysmir's beard, you saw what they did to Sigrud, didn't you? The workers are talking about leaving, Tuthul, and I doubt very much that we can persuade them to stay any longer, and you know why." Perth sighed, shaking his head.
"You know their creed brother, if they said they would come; they definitely would."
"Aye, they will come alright; except when all this is over."
The two men stopped talking and focused on their mugs of ale. No one had the mood to continue this conversation further. They had been having the exact same conversation for two days now, and every single time it ended on that same note. Things had come to such a point that even the otherwise optimistic Tuthul was having a hard time believing help will come, and even if it did; reach them in time. Perth buried his face in his hands, sighing deeply, while Tuthul started unconsciously scratching his beard, fixing his gaze on the little reflection of the hearthfire on the surface of his ale, trying to imagine what would they do if the worse came to worst; they were pretty sure that help would definitely arrive today, but after the whole day of sitting at the same place and looking at the road, there was no sign of them. Maybe it was meant to happen this way; maybe their saviors got lost somewhere, or had been eaten by wild animals. He remembered the rumors that he heard the other day in Rorikstead; recently a forsworn band was being very active on this side of the Karth River. Maybe… Nah, Perth's paranoia was clearly getting the better of him today.
Outside, midnight was steadily approaching. Masser and Secunda's light bathed the lush spring terrain in a silvery paint. Luna moths and Torchbugs filled the air, flying gaily from one flower to another in their nocturnal every day journey. A soft wind blew, gently rustling the grasses caressed by the lights from millions of stars, shining like jewels in crown of the clear night sky. Inside however, a deep air of depression had settled inside the drawing room of the Miner's house; thick as the mist of the early winter mornings. It choked the fire burning in the hearth; played with the darkness of the night, making the shadows in the room darker. Somehow it even barred the entrance for the moonlight, giving the room a feel of a recently opened catacomb. There was no sound except the melancholic sighing of the two men and the soft 'thump' as the mugs were put down on the table to be refilled; mirroring their owner's mood.
The sudden rap on the door was so unexpected that it made them almost jump out of their seats in fright. The first thought that crossed their mind was that they had broken out of the mine. But Draugr weren't generally so polite so as to knock before entering someone's house. Whoever or whatever was knocking at the door wasn't a Draugr. But that didn't mean that it wasn't dangerous. They didn't answer.
The stranger knocked again, this time louder; as if he was getting impatient, and probably angry at the house owner's silence.
"Who… Who's there?" Perth finally spoke.
"We're looking for someone named Perth. This is his house, right?" the voice on the other side of the door was deep, almost like the growling of a wolf. Yep, definitely not a Draugr.
"Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
They looked at each other for a moment; signaling each other with their eyes. As Perth started for the door, Tuthul started readying a Firebolt; while Perth himself had his left hand forming the signs for a Physical Ward; precautions to be taken if the late night visitor was someone with a bit… unfriendly disposition.
Perth opened the door very slightly; so as just to take a look at the visitor. It was a man, a Nord; standing in front of his doorway with a clearly irritated look on his face.
"Who are you?"
"You Perth?"
"Yes."
"I'm from The Companions, here to solve your little problem. But we've been stuck out here for about ten minutes trying to get a voice out of you. Now open the damn door and let me in, will you? Shor's frozen bones; seriously!"
The relief the Perth felt at that sentence was so profound, that for a moment he forgot all about the door and just stood there, smiling like a fool. Tuthul's condition was likewise.
The Companion cleared his throat.
"What the hell are you doing there standing like a buffoon there Perth? Open the bloody door and let him in!"
"Ah yes, yes! Come in; kind Sir! We were expecting you for such a long time!" Perth opened the door wide.
"Hmph, keeping us out in the cold, preparing to hurl a Fireball at us; you surely were expecting us!"
"Ah! That! Well, you see sir… umm… we thought that you were… "
"Leave them alone, ice-brain. What these people did was totally justified, and was the correct course of action to take when some stranger suddenly knocks at your door in the middle of the night. Unlike you, some people do use their brains."
The sudden voice of the woman made Perth almost jump in fright. She was so well hidden in the shadows behind the hulking Nord that he hadn't even seen her all this time. But he controlled himself just at the right time. Failing to acknowledge the presence of a member of the Companions was considered a show of tremendous disrespect. And the last thing they needed now was their supposed saviors turning their back on them due to some stupid misunderstanding. He sincerely hoped that they had overlooked the surprise on his face.
"Make yourselves at home Sir, Madam. I… I'll be right back after I tend to your horses." Perth said, as he made his way out of the house into the night, sighing in relief.
When he came back after tending to their very tired mounts, Perth saw the two 'people' sitting at their table, talking with Tuthul. His partner hadn't wasted any time, and there he was, along with the crate of their finest ale in front of the visitors. The woman was sipping it slowly from what appeared to be Perth's heirloom glass chalice. The Nord wasn't into that sort of formality; he was drinking it straight from the bottle. Well, whatever suits them.
The man was huge; even by Nord standards. He was almost twenty two hands tall; or as the fancy Altmeri units go, about two meters tall. He resembled a bear more than a man, his whole body nothing but knots of rippling muscles, and his shaggy mane of jet black, unkempt hair; with a scraggly beard and the scars just under his left eye gave him a ferocious look; like a wild beast. His huge bidenhander which covered almost three-fourths of his massive height was resting at his side.
The woman was quite tall too, but not as much as the brute. She sported an athletic build; her flaming red hair was cut to shoulder length, and she wore red eyeliner matching the colour of her hair. The eyeliner, together with the dim red halo of the flame of the hearth gave her beautiful face an air of mystery. If she wasn't wearing the armour, she could have easily been mistaken for an actress in the Imperial Theatre. But somehow it was clear that she was not someone you want to get on the bad side of. Her large, intricately designed jet black ebony bow was laid on the table, along with a quiver full of arrows.
But what set them apart from other people was their eyes. They were silver. Those eyes were the proof that they were the members of the circle, the group of the most powerful warriors of the Companions. As surprising it was; Perth was glad, very glad that two from the circle had come; apparently the Harbinger had deemed the case of their mine important enough to send the two of his best.
"Ah! The master of the house is here at last. Sit along with us and tell us the whole tale of your problem." The Nord told Perth, taking a swig from his second bottle of ale.
"Farkas, introductions first."
"Alright, alright; the name's Farkas Steelarm; though the guys back home in Jorrvaskr call me Farkas the pup; and this lady here is my shield-sister, Aela Blackblade, but better known as Aela the Huntress. Oh, and sorry for the delay. We were a bit held up by some unexpected business."
"You, you're The Aela the Huntress? By Ysmir! We have heard so much about your legendary conquests, even in this backwater province of ours! Thank you, lord Farkas, Lady Aela, to come to our rescue. We are absolutely honoured to have you as our guests!" Perth's voice was like butter. There was absolutely no sign of any of the previous irritation and paranoia in his voice.
"You flatter us."
"As for us, my name is Tuthul, and he is Perth. We two are the joint owners of the moonstone mine, Soljund's Sinkhole."
"Sinkhole! No wonder you've got problems here!" Farkas chuckled.
"Aye." Perth started. "Well, you know this mine was found very recently. The digging started a year and a half ago, and we dug up two levels. Since the moonstone veins run quite deep into the earth, we decided to dig a third one. The digging started three months ago. Everything was going quite well, until miner named Ulvar went missing."
"We found his body two days later, along with the first of the Draugr. At its first sight, the workers ran back to the surface like frightened hares. Apparently our digging had led us to an Ancient Nord catacomb buried deep inside the earth. We even called a mercenary group to clear out the pests, but only one of the eight man team came up three days later, without his left hand and eye. All others had perished in the third level." Tuthul filled them in as Perth took a sip from his mug.
"The lad told us that his mates were ambushed by as many as twenty Draugr, commanded by the monstrosity that is known as a Draugr Deathlord. As soon as we heard it, we decided to close off the third level. But three weeks ago they somehow managed to break down the barrier and entered the second level."
"I was there when it happened." Tuthul chimed in, "There was a booming voice, and suddenly the barrier was blown away like a feather. We ran as soon as we heard the voice. The second level closed off and word was sent to Jorrvaskr immediately. The barrier was holding until yesterday, when they broke through. The guard who was watching the barrier, Sigrud, was injured; took an arrow to his stomach. We have closed off the first level, and the monsters still haven't broken through yet. But I don't know how much long we can hold it that way."
"Hmm… about the barrier; who created it?" Aela asked.
"It was me." Perth answered. "Me and Tuthul studied as apprentices for some time in the Collegium Arcane in High Rock, before we came to Skyrim. By that virtue, I have some knowledge about barrier arts. But our knowledge about the arcane only spans to the basics, and we can only do so much."
"Excuse us for a moment." Their visitors spoke between them for a little while in low voices, and then she turned to them.
"I see… Very well; we will start investigating tomorrow, as soon as the dawn breaks. I doubt they will be able to break the barrier tonight; and we are too tired to be any good in combat. What we need now is a good rest. But just to be on the safe side, please go and sprinkle this in front of the barrier, it will make sure the barrier stays firm." Aela said, handing them a pouch.
"What is it?"
"Powdered sunlight and other elements; I had my friend in the College made this for us especially for these kinds of situations."
"Ah, I see. Tuthul, if you would please."
"Why do I have to always do these… ah, whatever." Tuthul took the pouch and went outside.
"Thank you, Companions… we won't forget this kindness ever." Perth was so happy now he could cry.
"Don't thank us before the job is done, Perth."
Very late that night, as the two Companions slept upstairs, Perth sat in his room in front of the statue of Phynaster, praying intently so that the Companions would succeed; and everything would return to normal again. He wanted to rest, but the uncertainty of what could happen the next day kept him awake; he was a pessimistic man by nature.
"Ah, dammit! This tension is making me thirsty…" he thought as he closed the door to his room and headed for the basement. He needed a drink.
Anyways enough talk, here's the Soljund Incident. Enjoy!
P.S For those who want to read the original, here's the link- https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10573193/1/The-Soljund-Incident
PART I
"They are late.""By the horns of Stendarr; will you shut up already Perth? You know how many leagues it is from Whiterun to Rorikstead, don't you? And it takes at least one whole day of riding to reach the mine from there. So stop being so jittery." The Breton who went by the name of Tuthul told his partner, irritated.
"But they are already three days behind the scheduled date, aren't they? And by Ysmir's beard, you saw what they did to Sigrud, didn't you? The workers are talking about leaving, Tuthul, and I doubt very much that we can persuade them to stay any longer, and you know why." Perth sighed, shaking his head.
"You know their creed brother, if they said they would come; they definitely would."
"Aye, they will come alright; except when all this is over."
The two men stopped talking and focused on their mugs of ale. No one had the mood to continue this conversation further. They had been having the exact same conversation for two days now, and every single time it ended on that same note. Things had come to such a point that even the otherwise optimistic Tuthul was having a hard time believing help will come, and even if it did; reach them in time. Perth buried his face in his hands, sighing deeply, while Tuthul started unconsciously scratching his beard, fixing his gaze on the little reflection of the hearthfire on the surface of his ale, trying to imagine what would they do if the worse came to worst; they were pretty sure that help would definitely arrive today, but after the whole day of sitting at the same place and looking at the road, there was no sign of them. Maybe it was meant to happen this way; maybe their saviors got lost somewhere, or had been eaten by wild animals. He remembered the rumors that he heard the other day in Rorikstead; recently a forsworn band was being very active on this side of the Karth River. Maybe… Nah, Perth's paranoia was clearly getting the better of him today.
Outside, midnight was steadily approaching. Masser and Secunda's light bathed the lush spring terrain in a silvery paint. Luna moths and Torchbugs filled the air, flying gaily from one flower to another in their nocturnal every day journey. A soft wind blew, gently rustling the grasses caressed by the lights from millions of stars, shining like jewels in crown of the clear night sky. Inside however, a deep air of depression had settled inside the drawing room of the Miner's house; thick as the mist of the early winter mornings. It choked the fire burning in the hearth; played with the darkness of the night, making the shadows in the room darker. Somehow it even barred the entrance for the moonlight, giving the room a feel of a recently opened catacomb. There was no sound except the melancholic sighing of the two men and the soft 'thump' as the mugs were put down on the table to be refilled; mirroring their owner's mood.
The sudden rap on the door was so unexpected that it made them almost jump out of their seats in fright. The first thought that crossed their mind was that they had broken out of the mine. But Draugr weren't generally so polite so as to knock before entering someone's house. Whoever or whatever was knocking at the door wasn't a Draugr. But that didn't mean that it wasn't dangerous. They didn't answer.
The stranger knocked again, this time louder; as if he was getting impatient, and probably angry at the house owner's silence.
"Who… Who's there?" Perth finally spoke.
"We're looking for someone named Perth. This is his house, right?" the voice on the other side of the door was deep, almost like the growling of a wolf. Yep, definitely not a Draugr.
"Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
They looked at each other for a moment; signaling each other with their eyes. As Perth started for the door, Tuthul started readying a Firebolt; while Perth himself had his left hand forming the signs for a Physical Ward; precautions to be taken if the late night visitor was someone with a bit… unfriendly disposition.
Perth opened the door very slightly; so as just to take a look at the visitor. It was a man, a Nord; standing in front of his doorway with a clearly irritated look on his face.
"Who are you?"
"You Perth?"
"Yes."
"I'm from The Companions, here to solve your little problem. But we've been stuck out here for about ten minutes trying to get a voice out of you. Now open the damn door and let me in, will you? Shor's frozen bones; seriously!"
The relief the Perth felt at that sentence was so profound, that for a moment he forgot all about the door and just stood there, smiling like a fool. Tuthul's condition was likewise.
The Companion cleared his throat.
"What the hell are you doing there standing like a buffoon there Perth? Open the bloody door and let him in!"
"Ah yes, yes! Come in; kind Sir! We were expecting you for such a long time!" Perth opened the door wide.
"Hmph, keeping us out in the cold, preparing to hurl a Fireball at us; you surely were expecting us!"
"Ah! That! Well, you see sir… umm… we thought that you were… "
"Leave them alone, ice-brain. What these people did was totally justified, and was the correct course of action to take when some stranger suddenly knocks at your door in the middle of the night. Unlike you, some people do use their brains."
The sudden voice of the woman made Perth almost jump in fright. She was so well hidden in the shadows behind the hulking Nord that he hadn't even seen her all this time. But he controlled himself just at the right time. Failing to acknowledge the presence of a member of the Companions was considered a show of tremendous disrespect. And the last thing they needed now was their supposed saviors turning their back on them due to some stupid misunderstanding. He sincerely hoped that they had overlooked the surprise on his face.
"Make yourselves at home Sir, Madam. I… I'll be right back after I tend to your horses." Perth said, as he made his way out of the house into the night, sighing in relief.
When he came back after tending to their very tired mounts, Perth saw the two 'people' sitting at their table, talking with Tuthul. His partner hadn't wasted any time, and there he was, along with the crate of their finest ale in front of the visitors. The woman was sipping it slowly from what appeared to be Perth's heirloom glass chalice. The Nord wasn't into that sort of formality; he was drinking it straight from the bottle. Well, whatever suits them.
The man was huge; even by Nord standards. He was almost twenty two hands tall; or as the fancy Altmeri units go, about two meters tall. He resembled a bear more than a man, his whole body nothing but knots of rippling muscles, and his shaggy mane of jet black, unkempt hair; with a scraggly beard and the scars just under his left eye gave him a ferocious look; like a wild beast. His huge bidenhander which covered almost three-fourths of his massive height was resting at his side.
The woman was quite tall too, but not as much as the brute. She sported an athletic build; her flaming red hair was cut to shoulder length, and she wore red eyeliner matching the colour of her hair. The eyeliner, together with the dim red halo of the flame of the hearth gave her beautiful face an air of mystery. If she wasn't wearing the armour, she could have easily been mistaken for an actress in the Imperial Theatre. But somehow it was clear that she was not someone you want to get on the bad side of. Her large, intricately designed jet black ebony bow was laid on the table, along with a quiver full of arrows.
But what set them apart from other people was their eyes. They were silver. Those eyes were the proof that they were the members of the circle, the group of the most powerful warriors of the Companions. As surprising it was; Perth was glad, very glad that two from the circle had come; apparently the Harbinger had deemed the case of their mine important enough to send the two of his best.
"Ah! The master of the house is here at last. Sit along with us and tell us the whole tale of your problem." The Nord told Perth, taking a swig from his second bottle of ale.
"Farkas, introductions first."
"Alright, alright; the name's Farkas Steelarm; though the guys back home in Jorrvaskr call me Farkas the pup; and this lady here is my shield-sister, Aela Blackblade, but better known as Aela the Huntress. Oh, and sorry for the delay. We were a bit held up by some unexpected business."
"You, you're The Aela the Huntress? By Ysmir! We have heard so much about your legendary conquests, even in this backwater province of ours! Thank you, lord Farkas, Lady Aela, to come to our rescue. We are absolutely honoured to have you as our guests!" Perth's voice was like butter. There was absolutely no sign of any of the previous irritation and paranoia in his voice.
"You flatter us."
"As for us, my name is Tuthul, and he is Perth. We two are the joint owners of the moonstone mine, Soljund's Sinkhole."
"Sinkhole! No wonder you've got problems here!" Farkas chuckled.
"Aye." Perth started. "Well, you know this mine was found very recently. The digging started a year and a half ago, and we dug up two levels. Since the moonstone veins run quite deep into the earth, we decided to dig a third one. The digging started three months ago. Everything was going quite well, until miner named Ulvar went missing."
"We found his body two days later, along with the first of the Draugr. At its first sight, the workers ran back to the surface like frightened hares. Apparently our digging had led us to an Ancient Nord catacomb buried deep inside the earth. We even called a mercenary group to clear out the pests, but only one of the eight man team came up three days later, without his left hand and eye. All others had perished in the third level." Tuthul filled them in as Perth took a sip from his mug.
"The lad told us that his mates were ambushed by as many as twenty Draugr, commanded by the monstrosity that is known as a Draugr Deathlord. As soon as we heard it, we decided to close off the third level. But three weeks ago they somehow managed to break down the barrier and entered the second level."
"I was there when it happened." Tuthul chimed in, "There was a booming voice, and suddenly the barrier was blown away like a feather. We ran as soon as we heard the voice. The second level closed off and word was sent to Jorrvaskr immediately. The barrier was holding until yesterday, when they broke through. The guard who was watching the barrier, Sigrud, was injured; took an arrow to his stomach. We have closed off the first level, and the monsters still haven't broken through yet. But I don't know how much long we can hold it that way."
"Hmm… about the barrier; who created it?" Aela asked.
"It was me." Perth answered. "Me and Tuthul studied as apprentices for some time in the Collegium Arcane in High Rock, before we came to Skyrim. By that virtue, I have some knowledge about barrier arts. But our knowledge about the arcane only spans to the basics, and we can only do so much."
"Excuse us for a moment." Their visitors spoke between them for a little while in low voices, and then she turned to them.
"I see… Very well; we will start investigating tomorrow, as soon as the dawn breaks. I doubt they will be able to break the barrier tonight; and we are too tired to be any good in combat. What we need now is a good rest. But just to be on the safe side, please go and sprinkle this in front of the barrier, it will make sure the barrier stays firm." Aela said, handing them a pouch.
"What is it?"
"Powdered sunlight and other elements; I had my friend in the College made this for us especially for these kinds of situations."
"Ah, I see. Tuthul, if you would please."
"Why do I have to always do these… ah, whatever." Tuthul took the pouch and went outside.
"Thank you, Companions… we won't forget this kindness ever." Perth was so happy now he could cry.
"Don't thank us before the job is done, Perth."
Very late that night, as the two Companions slept upstairs, Perth sat in his room in front of the statue of Phynaster, praying intently so that the Companions would succeed; and everything would return to normal again. He wanted to rest, but the uncertainty of what could happen the next day kept him awake; he was a pessimistic man by nature.
"Ah, dammit! This tension is making me thirsty…" he thought as he closed the door to his room and headed for the basement. He needed a drink.