章 46: Geri, the Connoisseur #46
Now draped in a worn cloak that covered his tattered rags and hid his face in shadow, Kaiden stood at the edge of the pathway, watching as Erik strolled purposefully toward the entrance of Northwatch Keep. The fortress loomed ahead, its imposing stone walls blanketed in frost, while the cold sea air whistled through cracks in the stone.
The entrance, a stone archway without so much as a wooden gate to bar passage, was guarded by two Thalmor soldiers, their rigid postures and gleaming golden armor unmistakably Altmer.
Kaiden suppressed a sigh, his eyes narrowing as Erik approached the guards with the confidence of a man on a leisurely walk rather than an infiltration.
He had reluctantly agreed to go along with Erik's wild plan—not only because the Thalmor had stolen his armor and weapons, but because they had spent days torturing him within the very walls of this keep. But as Erik closed the distance, Kaiden realized that Erik's "plan" was... well, less a plan and more an idea. He didn't intend to sneak or bluff his way through; no, Erik was simply going to walk in.
'Whatever,' Kaiden thought, resigned, releasing an internal sigh. 'It's too late to back out now.'
The Thalmor soldiers exchanged a glance as Erik approached, and one of them—a tall Altmer with a contemptuous glare—stepped forward, meeting Erik halfway. His expression twisted as he took in Rahgot's unsettling mask.
"Remove your mask and identify yourself immediately," the soldier demanded, his voice cold and imperious.
Without breaking his stride, Erik replied in an even, almost serene tone, "I'm here on official business. I have something to deliver."
Kaiden's eyebrows lifted as he watched the exchange, a spark of morbid curiosity taking hold. The soldier's confusion was mirrored on Kaiden's face, but the guard's skepticism outweighed his caution as he sneered. "Well? Get on with it."
A subtle smile played beneath Erik's mask. He reached into his cloak, his movements deliberate, and pulled out a dark, oval object. With a fluid, almost casual flick of his wrist, he tossed it toward the soldier.
Instinctively, the guard raised his hands, catching the object in mid-air, but his smirk faltered almost instantly. He froze, his fingers sinking into something warm and disturbingly wet. His brow furrowed as he lowered his gaze, eyes widening in horror as he registered the ghastly details: a severed Altmer head, blood still dripping from the neck, the mouth slack, and lifeless golden eyes fixed in eternal terror.
Kaiden winced, a shiver crawling up his spine as he muttered under his breath, "So that's why he took the head…"
The Thalmor guard's face turned deathly pale, his composure unraveling as the reality set in. "Wha—what is this...?" he stammered, the color draining from his cheeks as he stumbled backward, dropping the head as if it had burned him.
Before anyone could fully grasp the horror of the severed head rolling in the snow, Erik moved with lethal precision. His form blurred in the cold air, and in an instant, he was standing before the paralyzed Thalmor soldier, his iron grip latching onto the elf's face. The soldier gasped, his fear-stricken eyes meeting the calm, detached gaze of Erik.
"Nothing much," Erik murmured, voice cold and even, "I just thought you should see the face of the one who brought about your death before you joined him..."
With a grim finality, he tightened his hold, his fingers digging into the elf's skull with a force that shattered bone and tore flesh. There was a sickening pop as the soldier's head imploded, a splatter of blood painting the snow and the fortress wall in deep crimson. The elf's lifeless body slumped to the ground, leaving Erik standing alone in the thickening silence.
Kaiden could only stare, shock settling in his chest like a stone. But the moment of stillness was fleeting; the remaining guard at the gate regained his senses, his sword rasping as he drew it from its sheath. His face twisted with both fury and horror as he fixed his gaze on Erik, who merely raised an eyebrow, unfazed.
Before Kaiden could react, a low growl sounded beside him, and Geri, Erik's odd, stubby-legged mutt, launched himself at the guard with surprising ferocity.
The small dog soared through the air with surprising strength and accuracy, his fangs sinking directly into the Altmer's exposed neck. A guttural yelp escaped the guard as Geri latched on, tearing at the elf's throat with vicious, unrelenting bites. Blood sprayed across the snow in brutal arcs, chunks of flesh landing in a grotesque spatter.
Kaiden's jaw dropped, his hand frozen on the sword hilt as he watched the unlikely scene unfold. Just when he thought he'd seen enough, Serana strode forward through the carnage, her calm expression unruffled as she knelt to scoop up Geri. The tiny dog wagged his tail in her arms, licking his bloody muzzle as if he hadn't just ripped an elf's throat out.
Kaiden gaped, trying to wrap his mind around the bizarre contrast of Geri's brutal ferocity and Serana's nonchalant handling. Erik's amused chuckle snapped him out of his shock, and Kaiden looked up to see Erik watching him with a wry grin.
"I didn't bring you here to be a spectator, boy," Erik said, his voice edged with dry humor. "I gave you that sword for a reason—so take it out and do something. Anything."
Kaiden blinked, caught off guard by Erik's casual tone. He took a deep breath, fingers finally closing around the weapon's hilt as he nodded. He was no stranger to combat, but the intensity of Erik's methods, and the sheer disregard for finesse, was something new.
Erik didn't wait for a response. Without a word, he turned and walked through the archway into the fortress yard, his steps deliberate and unhurried despite the shouts of alarm now ringing through the keep. Inside, Thalmor soldiers shouted orders, some brandishing weapons while others cast wary glances at Erik's advancing form.
Cries of "Intruders at the gate!" echoed around the stone walls as soldiers rushed into formation.
But Erik remained unfazed, his eyes narrowing with a predatory gleam. He assessed the Thalmor soldiers gathering in the yard, and with a dangerous calm, he spoke over his shoulder to Kaiden, "These are the people who've been torturing you for days... go wild and don't worry about a thing..."
Kaiden's frown deepened as he glanced up at the Thalmor archers lining the battlements above, their sharp eyes trained on him and his companions, bows drawn taut with lethal intent. The archers moved with well-practiced precision, arrows nocked and ready to rain down from above.
"Don't worry about a thing?" Kaiden muttered, wincing as he eyed the archers' drawn bows. "That's easier said than done. They're not wood elves, but their bows are just as deadly."
Erik chuckled, his tone light despite the looming threat. He turned to Serana with a mischievous grin beneath his mask. "Would you kindly…?"
Serana sighed, rolling her eyes in exaggerated exasperation. "And here I thought you were supposed to be escorting me, not the other way around."
Despite her words, she stepped forward without further protest, placing Geri on the ground with a gentle pat on the head before shifting her focus to the archers above. Erik's eyes glinted with a blue glow beneath his mask, watching the surge of magicka gathering in Serana's body as she channeled her spell.
A droplet of blood welled from beneath Serana's fingernail, lifting delicately into the air. It hovered for a heartbeat before gliding forward, expanding and twisting with potent magicka. Erik watched in fascination as the droplet transformed mid-air, blooming outward into a transparent red wall that solidified just as the Thalmor archers released their volley of arrows.
The incoming projectiles struck the blood barrier with dull thuds, each arrow ricocheting off its surface to clatter uselessly on the ground below.
Erik raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed. "Hemomancy, huh?" He murmured to himself, a slight grin forming under the mask. "I never bothered with it beyond theory since I lacked a certain talent... but now…"
He raised his hand, magicka swirling and crackling at his fingertips as he focused on the blood seeping from the bodies of the two dead Thalmor guards. With a low, rumbling incantation, the blood lifted from the fallen elves, coalescing into a floating sphere above his open palm, dark red and pulsing with raw energy.
With a quick jolt of his wrist, Erik pushed a surge of his own magicka into the sphere, which began to churn and swell with violent intensity. It hovered ominously, a dark orb of blood and power, before splitting into two smaller spheres.
Erik sent a wicked smile Kaiden's way, and with a subtle flick of his fingers, the blood orbs shot forward, speeding toward either side of the battlements where the archers clustered.
The two orbs shot forward, gliding through the cold air until they hovered just above the Thalmor archers positioned on the battlements. As they drifted closer, their ominous effect became immediately apparent.
Dark tendrils of blood began to snake out from the eyes, ears, and mouths of the archers within range, drawn inexorably toward the orbs as if by some dark gravitational pull.
The soldiers, helpless to resist, convulsed as their very lifeblood was siphoned away, the once small orbs swelling and pulsing with every additional drop of blood absorbed.
Some of the archers, gripped with terror, tried to fight back, letting arrows fly at the menacing spheres. Yet each arrow simply passed through the orbs as though they were mist, leaving not a scratch on the dark, writhing masses.
The orbs continued their harvest, swelling larger and darker until all that remained of the Thalmor archers were shriveled husks—bodies twisted and dry, their skin taut over bones like the remains of some ancient mummified corpse.
Then, with a chilling silence, the orbs paused, shimmering with a sinister glow, before shooting downward.
They merged midair, forming a massive sphere of blood that loomed above the elven mages who had gathered below, each of them raising their hands in desperate attempts to cast protective spells. But before a single shield could manifest, the orb burst, exploding in a furious shower of blood-spikes that rained down like scarlet javelins.
The spears tore through the mages' ranks, punching through their robes, piercing hearts, throats, and spines with ruthless efficiency. The mages fell where they stood, the ground around them now painted a gruesome red.
Erik turned to Kaiden with an almost casual air, gesturing toward the remaining five Thalmor soldiers, who stood paralyzed with horror and disbelief at the massacre before them. "You should be able to handle those five, no?"
Kaiden nodded grimly, his grip tightening on the hilt of the sword Erik had given him. He didn't need any further instruction; with a steely look in his eye, he charged forward, his boots crunching against the snow as he closed the distance.
The Thalmor soldiers raised their swords in a desperate attempt to defend themselves, but Kaiden moved with brutal efficiency. His blade cut through them one by one, each swing precise and decisive, leaving no room for mercy.
As Kaiden dispatched the last of the Thalmor, Serana dropped the blood barrier she'd maintained, the shimmering red wall fading into nothingness. She stepped up beside Erik, arms crossed as she looked him over with a wry smile.
"Not bad," she admitted, cocking an eyebrow. "But you didn't need to use quite that much blood for the spell… a bit excessive, don't you think?" Her smirk grew, a challenging gleam in her eyes. "You still have a lot to learn."
Erik rolled his eyes beneath his mask, but there was a hint of respect in his tone. "As I am now, it's impossible for me to match you in blood magic," he said, his voice straightforward.
It wasn't false humility, or an attempt to flatter Serana—merely a fact. Vampires were especially talented in Hemomancy, and pure-blooded ones, like Serana, were unrivaled hemomancers, a power that thrived in their very essence.
Erik, who had been turned by Serana herself, had inherited some of that power, but he was all too aware that his own skills in hemomancy could never rival hers so long as her blood was purer than his.
Serana watched him, a faint smirk of amusement on her lips. "At least you're honest."
"Don't get used to it," Erik replied, his voice tinged with a dry humor. Then, his expression shifted, a cocky glint lighting up his eyes behind the mask. "You're gifted in blood magic, but I'd bet I could still school you in any other field of magic."
Serana's eyes narrowed in mild irritation, her lips pressing together in a barely contained smirk. She wanted to counter Erik's self-assuredness, but pride kept her from making too much of a fuss.
She had watched him enough to know his talents were nothing short of exceptional—he wielded magic with an almost reckless ease, seamlessly blending spells from every school and merging even the most obscure incantations to create effects that surpassed anything she had seen in her long life.
Yet, Serana wasn't about to admit defeat so easily, not when there was a better way to sidestep his smugness.
"Hmm, that Kaiden… he's not half bad," she muttered, a tinge of reluctant approval coloring her tone as her gaze returned to Kaiden. "He's nowhere near my father's skill with a blade, but… he has promise."
She watched with interest as Kaiden deftly sidestepped a Thalmor soldier's strike, spinning his sword and delivering a swift, clean beheading. Blood arced in the crisp morning air, a fleeting stain against the pure snow.
"Is that why you brought him along?" she added, casting a sidelong glance at Erik.
Erik merely shrugged, watching Kaiden's handiwork with a detached, almost assessing eye. "Useful people ought to be put to good use," he replied. "I see potential in him—discipline, skill, and more importantly, grit. I'm thinking of taking him into my service."
The suggestion was almost offhanded, but Serana could tell he meant it. She knew Erik's undead minions were tireless soldiers, but they lacked finesse, limited to following orders as they were, and unable to interact with the living.
Kaiden, however, was different. As long as Erik guided and trained him well, he could become an invaluable asset—one whose reliability and discretion would complement Erik's more intricate plans.
Serana crossed her arms, casting Erik a thoughtful look. "But what if he's unwilling?" Her voice was mild, but her eyes sparkled with intrigue as she watched Kaiden finish off another Thalmor, the blade driving smoothly into the elf's heart.
Erik's expression shifted to one of wry amusement, a smirk playing on his lips. "Then we'll part ways amicably. I'm not foolish enough to force someone into my service only to end up with a knife in my back for my efforts...."
Serana snorted, rolling her eyes in that familiar way that hinted at both irritation and amusement. "If the Thalmor are as powerful and influential as you say, then he won't last long on his own anyway. They'll hunt him down without mercy."
Erik gave her a dismissive wave, clearly unconcerned. "If he's not one of mine, then his fate doesn't affect me." With that, he began striding forward, boots crunching over the frozen ground as he headed for the heavy doors leading into the fort's interior. "Enough about him. We have more pressing matters."
Serana shook her head, casting him a half-smile as she followed, the faint creak of the iron-bound door mingling with the echoes of her footsteps. Meanwhile, Geri trotted alongside, his tiny legs churning with enthusiasm as he sniffed at the lifeless corpses strewn around.
His tongue lolled as he panted, stopping here and there to inspect the fallen elves with something approaching puppyish delight.
"Your pet seems unusually excited about our company," Serana noted, nodding toward Geri, whose stubby legs carried him around the scene with boundless energy. He gave a bark of satisfaction, nudging at a corpse with his nose.
"Geri's a connoisseur of carnage," Erik said with a smirk, giving the corgi an approving pat on the head. "Nothing makes him happier than a battlefield full of corpses to sniff around. Isn't that right, boy?"
Geri barked again, the sound sharp and echoing in the cold air as he bounced after Erik and Serana. He weaved between their legs, moving just ahead with his stubby, determined trot, as if leading them himself into the fort.
...
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