บท 137: Side Quest II: Vengeance
The fishing village of Kirkheim was the westernmost settlement under the domain of the Jarldom of Winterhold, like most other settlements in Skyrim it was composed of many large families living in equally large, well-insulated longhouses. A palisade wall surrounded it from three sides and a small fishing port connected it to the Sea of Ghosts.
A singular stone structure stood above all the other buildings, a tall signal tower, the summit of which was now burning brightly, informing all that could see it of the small town's plight.
The day started like most days at the coast of the merciless sea. A light fog covered the town, something its residents were not perturbed by in the slightest, and the largely fishing-focused population was starting to gather at the port for another day of hard and rewarding work on the thawing sea.
Well, it looked like it was going to be like most days, that was until old Elm started screaming and yelling about seeing ships on the horizon. The people of Kirkheim were not fools, nor were they cowards. The moment three small and maneuverable ships of unknown affiliation were seen approaching the port the residents started arming themselves, some with inherited war weapons, and others with nets and fishing spears.
The townspeople soon formed into a defensive formation, positioning themselves in such a way that only a small group of pirates could attack them at once, all the while those among them with bows or slings climbed onto the roofs.
The wood atop the signal tower was set alight before the reavers even had the time to dock, and that seemed to irk whoever was leading them as the moment the fire was lit the ships sped up and minutes later over a hundred pirates were jumping into the shallows, and upon the docks.
A dark-skinned man stood before his crew and looked over the gathered townspeople. He tsked in annoyance, not because his boys were under any threat, but because he had no idea where they kept their stock and wantonly setting the houses on fire would make the entire attack pointless.
After a long staredown, he realized that some diplomacy might be necessary to avoid wasting his men and his money, the money naturally being the more important factor, and finally addressed the townspeople "Me and my boys have come here to refill our stock of food, you give us what we want and we will leave you all with your lives." He chuckled darkly "Hells, I will even spare your boats."
The defenders shifted around, many of them not confident in even fighting the pirates much less defeating them, a wave of hushed whispers spread among them and the leader of the pirates smirked victoriously.
An aged man barked a derisive laugh, old Elm, a respected elder in the town looked down on the pirate leader from his position upon one of the roofs "I've heard about you, ye little shit." he spits "Haldyn the bloody they call you" The old man scoffs "Such arrogance from a mere pirate."
The now-named Haldyn holds back a growl at the interruption that had ceased the townsfolk's rising panic, and looks at the rest of the defenders "Does he speak for all of you?"
Before any can respond Elm interrupts once more, completely unperturbed by the flash of fire in one the Redguard's hands "You shouldn't a' come here" He grins "You will all die today."
Completely baffled by the old man's confidence he looks up and asks "If you know who I am then you also know that I am a battlemage, I wonder what gives you the impression that I can't take this little hovel you all call a town?"
The old man looks at him with pity, an almost toothless smile marring his face "The Jarl has grown wise to your reavin' ways, and so has the Archmage."
An involuntary bead of cold sweat passes down Haldyn's back "Why would the college care what happens outside its walls?" He forces a cocky smirk "Last I heard the Jarl could barely keep his people from trying to kill them all for the collapse."
"That's what ye'd like to believe innit?" Elm chortles "Ah, the folly of youth."
Haldyn barely manages to hold himself back from launching a fireball at the old man and frowns "Even if the college were to be assisting the Jarl they won't be here for a day" He points his hand at the signal tower "Even with your pitiable cry for help."
Much to his surprise Elm doesn't seem at all troubled by this information, his toothless grin even widens "Ye'd think that wouldn't ye?" his eyebrow raises conspiratorially "But what if they left the city yesterday?"
Haldyn stills suddenly, an ominous feeling suffusing his every sense 'Gods damned mystics!' He looks up at the old man now realizing that behind the silly toothless grin and simple clothes stands a veteran of multiple conflicts, the short bow in his hand glowing lightly with runes, and his eyes glowing not with mirth, but with bloodthirsty calculation.
He shivers in realization, all the while his men look at him with a mix of anticipation and apprehension. "Kill them all" He finally mutters, his men shuffle as the command goes mostly unheard, Haldyn grunts in annoyance "KILL THEM ALL!"
His men start rushing the townspeople, one of them standing in front of Haldyn just in time to catch an enchanted arrow to the head. Haldyn glares at the old man as the ancient archer starts peppering him with arrows, forcing him away from blasting the defender's formation with fire.
The two sides clash, and even while far better equipped, the pirates are still outnumbered two to one. The unwieldy fishing spears of the defenders caring very little for any protection that chainmail might offer, all the while improvised barrel lids and doors formed into a shield wall by the town's men blocked the attackers from exacting revenge upon them.
Unfortunately for the townspeople, the pirates were still far more skilled. As they finally got over the confusion of their prey actually resisting they started hacking and slashing at them with far greater speed and strength, forcing them to slowly retreat down the main street.
This opened up additional passages for the attackers, and some of the quicker ones started spreading out around the town, trying to find a way to flank them.
One such pirate, a massive Nord brute, stumbled onto a group of retreating women and children, his disgusting mind immediately jumping from the battle to what was most important to him. He was soon noticed as some of the women screamed, he chuckled darkly and started approaching them, not at all noticing the young lad standing atop the roof with a fishing net in his hands.
He was just about to grab one of the younger lasses and have some fun when he suddenly felt like he couldn't move, it took him a moment to realize he was lying on the ground covered in a net, with a group of women with sticks and clubs looking down at him with death in their eyes.
His end was neither fast nor was it pleasant.
Back on the docks, Elm had long since climbed down the roof, his elderly appearance completely hiding the immense strength and speed of an ancient Nord warrior he wielded, as he started cutting any pirate that had the sheer gall to attack him, all the while forcing Haldyn to evade his rain of arrows, the Redguard growing more furious by the minute.
Finally, the defender's formation broke and an all-out melee erupted on the singular large street. Haldyn smirked at the old man "Look what you have brought upon your own people" he spat on the ground "You could have just given us what we wanted, but you had to be a stubborn old fool, and now young men are dying because of it."
Instead of being shaken by this fact Elm scoffs "Aye, they died well and are now in Sovengarde with their ancestors" The old man's eyes shift to the side for a moment and his toothless grin spreads further.
Haldyn looks up just in time to see a war galley smash into one of his ships, and completely sunder it, it is at this moment that Elm charges him with axe and dagger completely overwhelming the Redguard's middling skill with the saber.
The pirate leader manages to keep the old man away with his magic, forcing him to dodge flames and enhancing his own strength to keep up with alteration.
The war cry of "FOR WINTERHOLD!" Resounds on the shore as heavily armored guards disembark and attack his men from the rear, all the while arrows and scorpion bolts fly from atop the warship.
He manages to evade an axe strike and parry the dagger heading for his throat, he goes to slash the old man but a bloodthirsty cry of "HALDYN!" makes him turn around just in time to intercept a man-shaped missile trying to impale him.
Thorfinn's eyes are bloodshot as he gazes at the man who murdered his father all those years ago, only his training and ingrained discipline stopping him from madly slashing at the Redguard.
The pirate takes the opportunity to chug down a potion and start casting spells on himself, and that moment is all he has as the two Nords start attacking him in tandem, pushing him on the defensive.
There is no time for spells to be cast, as the melee turns into a blur for all those involved. Elm's attack is as unrelenting as Thorfinn's, one guided by experience and the other by fury and raging magical power.
Half a dozen pirates retreating from the main battle join their leader in an attempt to free him up long enough for all of them to flee, they are all systematically cut down while only managing a couple of shallow cuts on the old man.
Yet those shallow cuts soon turn into greater wounds as Haldyn focuses on Elm while Thorfinn is distracted by cutting apart the final pirate.
The old man does his best to hold his enemy off but his strength leaves him rapidly, giving the Redguard enough time to start gathering Magicka for a fireball.
As Thorfinn rushes Haldyn once again his eyes meet with Elm, who without a hint of hesitation grabs the young man and shoves him out of the way of the incoming fireball. Still burning, and without even letting out a grunt of pain, Elm throws himself at Haldyn who impales him on his saber on instinct.
Thorfinn is stunned for but a moment, and then his rage and training overwhelm him as he throws himself on top of Haldyn and starts stabbing, and stabbing... and stabbing.
A dark chuckle wakes him from his frenzy as his eyes snap to Elm who is lying on the ground, parts of him completely burned while others bleed profusely. The young Nord needs no spell to know the man is not surviving this day.
"Good w-" The old man coughs out blood "You did good kid" He smiles despite the raging pain "I am happy to have seen another hero be born before I left these lands for good."
Thorfinn shakes as he kneels next to the old man, completely forgetting the body of his nemesis. His mind is assaulted by doubt and emptiness, the rage he lived by leaving him completely as he gazes at the man who sacrificed himself to save him.
Elm grabs his hand with the last of his strength, and gazes at the clear sky "Sov-n-gard..." he breathes his last.
---
Edrassa finishes healing yet another wounded Nord who thanks her profusely, most of the pirates were dead or dying at this point and those that weren't would soon wish for it.
She walks toward the shore, stepping past the steaming bodies of the pirates she cooked alive within their armor. The guards give her respectful nods as she passes them, she seems to have made an impression... then again crushing a man's skull with a thin wooden staff would impress even the least violent of people.
Is this how her Lord feels most of the time? She has to admit, it is not a bad feeling...
Soon enough she finds her way to Garm, who is busy looking down at the shore "To think I'd miss the glorious end of Elm Eye-bite by a moment..." He sighs and goes to join his men, not before looking at the Dunmer next to him "Go and make sure the kid is doing fine."
She rolls her eyes at the command but still obeys, she finds Thorfinn kneeling above who she presumes is the Elm Garm mentioned, he seems to be holding a jagged green dagger, no doubt of Orc make "Thorfinn" She nudges him but he does not respond.
His eyes seem empty, completely void of any wish to go on. She holds back an eye roll and asks "What happened?"
"We won" He states simply.
"So why are you wallowing down here and not celebrating as most of your people usually do?" She asks with just a tiny bit of mockery.
He shrugs weakly "I avenged my father yet I feel so... empty" he looks at the body of Elm "I even had an old man sacrifice himself for me."
This time she does roll her eyes "Of course you would mope even after winning" She sighs and pulls him up by the shoulders "Come on then, I heard mead tends to solve most of these problems."
He shrugs weakly as guides him toward the town 'Why do all the handsome ones have to be either monsters or idiots' she thinks bitterly as the guards and townspeople let out a loud cheer welcoming the slayer of Haldyn.
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