IV
The tremendous shift from expectancy to vile reality was harsh and utterly unforgiving. It sparked in me an emotion I could at the time only hardly describe. A mixture of surprise, fear and disdain. But somewhere within lurked something else entirely. It was a sense of something catastrophically apocalyptic that crept in the bleak alleys of my mind. For the vista we beheld harboured some inherent disaster, albeit I couldn't quite place it.
Nephethys and I stood at the brink of this heretofore unknown realm of dæmoniac purport.
I scrutinized the horizon with fastidious minuteness to reassure myself that it was, indeed, the living, breathing dimension of the heinous canvas from space through which I suspected we had traveled. The very amount of similarities to it and the abominably real counterpart was staggering.
But it was only by the professional acumen from my years in the Imperial Investigative Division that I noticed some odd differences in the landscape.
For one, as opposed to the painting's portrayed angle, Nephethys and I appeared to be in a slightly differing spot. This location obfuscated partly the view of the looming mountain ridges. Aside from this, the two of us also failed to see the brooding, dark gem that was perched on top of a towering structure on a lonely island. Moreover, our gazes did not spy the half-decayed forest in its entire and complete odiousness.
The conclusions I drew thence led me to believe that we'd have to travel elsewhere to receive a proper glimpse of the world at hand. And perhaps, I thought, this was a first clue. A hint as to where we should let our feet carry us first.
Slightly dazed, I turned around and looked up into the heavy skies. The grey wall of rock that constituted the outside of the cave we had just emerged from stretched approximately a hundred meters upward, crowned by a balustrade of some proportion that slightly jutted out of the rock face. Said protrusion appeared to be chiseled from the solid stone, including the railing around the terrace's edges. From inside the caverns one could not reach it.
As intrigued as I was by those tremulous, shriveled creatures that preceded our egress into the bewildering plains of these lands, I had the implacable urge to find a way onto that balcony. With Nephethys in tow I turned right in an effort to circle around the hill in hopes of uncovering some means of ascent. And sure enough, when we, after a few minutes of treading the arid ground, reached the backside of the formation we inspected, there revealed itself to us not one, but two startling views.
After a dry gust had blown away our footprints in the brown, powdery sands, the first thing I noticed after the dusts which obstructed my vision had faded, was a flight of presumably ancient stairs. Carved into the stone itself, they wound themselves up the rather steep hill where it would meet with the sky.
On the opposite side, however, I could spy a terrible shore adjacent to, and no doubt in conjecture with, a red, foul, carnal sea with raging waves and hideously malformed silhouettes moving quickly beneath the water's surface. This body of water appeared to be limitless, completely devouring my reverent gaze all the way to the horizon's farthest point of reference.
At that moment I briefly wondered what lay beyond the sanguine gulfs and streams but dared not to think of it further, lest I discover truths meant to he hidden. Another question, still, occupied my worried mind when I tried to picture what eerie lifeforms might conceal themselves under the vile waters.
What lurketh malevolently under the sea?
I quickly banished those detestable deliberations when I heard these strange words in my head. They were not born from my own fancy, I was certain. Or did something more sinister gnaw at my sanity?
Decently overcome with an alien dread, the source of which I could in no way deduct from any one impression, I turned around to face the steps I was inclined to traverse. As I looked at them, I could observe their quite ruinous state which suggested them to be of rather old date.
Clambering up the two hundred steep, debris-infested indentations proved to be obscenely cumbersome. But the fatigue we submitted ourselves to should be rewarded.
When we finally reached the terrace I had espied earlier, I at last gazed at the full extent of the unfamiliar country below and beyond. The dark tower and its isle were now plainly visible to the eyes of the beholder, the jagged mountain ridges that - quite literally, in fact - cut into the heavens now perceptible in their true and unnatural grandeur. The forest, at last to be seen in its complete capacity and scope. But then a frightening thought snuck into my consciousness as I marvelled at the incredible scenery.
For it almost felt as if the painter had been standing where I now stood. But was all this not of the mad Lord's design? The riddles and puzzles suddenly mounted. I saw now behind the elusive curtains while I observed the broken down structures and dried lakes.
For if the artist creates such magnificence, would it not be in their best interest to have everything in pristine condition? Is it not his desire to paint its life with splendour rather than pestilence? Everything I glimpsed retained a queer sense of antediluvian antiquity that just could not be, considering how this place had allegedly been conjured into existence only recently.
A whirlwind of different forms of anxiety ravaged my mind as I dared not think to myself that which I suspected.
Nephethys eyed me inquisitively. "What's wrong?" she asked. I replied:
"What if this place hasn't been created by him? What if he only procured a means of travel to it? Opened the gate? What if this hellscape had already existed several eras ago?"
V
There was this gradually growing apprehension. The implications of my inquiries, provided my suspicions were correct, posed a conclusion more horrible than the prospect of a madman creating a world like this. Because if it is true, there is no telling what other unsaintly realms might hide beyond our conceptions. And what dwells within them.
Distressed, the two of us turned around in order to descend, but we halted our movement for but a moment. From our newly discovered vantage point, we could now with unprecedented clarity behold the shadow-plagued ocean that bothered me so. And indeed, even from here I could see no new land formations occupying the horizon. The sheer extent of it unsettled me on a primal level. A kind of fear which I could not explain but felt as if it was inherent to life. Something I had no control over. I watched the liquid undulate about, not sure if it was truly liquid or a viscous mass of dissolved flesh. A fresh wind sent odours of utmost repugnancy and foetor our way, stemming from the endless sea.
Even more disturbed, I hastened down the steps, secretly hoping to never have the misfortune of having to sail along the coagulated brine of the mucous sludge beaches that reeked so dreadfully. My Dunmer friend followed me shortly afterwards.
I took great efforts in getting away from that condemnable shore and walked forward with a rushed pace, towards the windy, arid dunes wherein the Blind dwelt. After a few meters, an out of breath Nephethys called for a stop.
"Where do we go?" she inquired. I pondered, for there were a few paths to be taken.
Straight ahead lay the barren plains of sand and skeletons, inhabited by starved and scared creatures. Said creatures made their homes in the ruins hither and thither dotting the landscape.
Off to the right were the thorny woods and broken gallows. A fort was situated within the briar-infested thicket, but only the Divines could have guessed at what would await our advent into its walls. From there up north ran a path straight to where we knew was the tenebrous tower, perched on its top and lined with horns of stone a crystal of dark radiance.
Shifting my eyes to the left hand side, I spied a few hills and cave entrances on burnt earth, among which was discernible a road to the spiky mountains.
The two of us contemplated our options. Eventually we concluded that it was probably for the best if we sought shelter first, taking our general tiredness and strained selves into account. The most immediately reachable stood straight on, betwixt the blind things and a host of ruinous architecture, accentuated by osseous remains of various sizes. From simple humanoid skeletons to carcasses as great as two bears.
Slightly dissuaded from aforementioned remains, we set out to wander the cold sands. No paved way appeared to be present. And if there once had been, I suspected the uncontrollable weather to have chafed it away long ago.
We trod the drought-stricken land, moving ever closer to the already withered cadavers and destroyed buildings. When the feeble bipeds were made aware of our presence they began to scurry off into the worn, crumbling walls of what I assumed to at one time must have been a quaint settlement, hiding themselves. While we were on our way to enter the least squalid house with the least amount of disrepair, I failed to shrug off a sense of something dreadfully malicious about this place as we drew closer to our destination.
I caught myself asking: what were those sorry things so afraid of? What had taught them that anything beyond vacancy is a threat?
Regardless of our growing concern we continued onward until we arrived at a broken doorway to one of the depraved dwellings. We were quick to claim ingress for our increasing weariness urged us to sit down and rest.
Scanning the arguably small confines of the space we found ourselves in revealed two large enough boulders for resting purposes about two meters off to the left. Further observation shewed a long cold fireplace straight ahead as well as a bare, rusted bed railing along dusty remains of what I figured to once have been an end table adjacent to it.
The entire room was approximately seven meters in total breadth and as such suitable for our temporary tenancy.
Nephethys and I took a few steps further into the inside, aiming for the two pieces of rubble, when we heard something move within the chimney directly above the woodless fireplace.
With apprehension drew we our weapons, ready to end the life of whatever hid itself in the walls. More violent shuffling could be heard, faint dusts and fumes trickling down the tight quarry. The cobblestone wall at my blade's tip, I fiercely rammed my boot against it whereunto the fragile frame of one of the blind creatures tumbled down to hit the floor with a noisome crack. In its defense, it clouded our vision with a bloody mist before limping outside. Its leg had definitely been compromised from the fall.
The two of us followed its movements. Just before we would avert our gazes from it to turn around and get some rest, we witnessed a prodigious shadow speed by, seizing the famished biped after which it left a sanguine trail in its wake.
"Great", Nephethys remarked, "We seem to have just beheld the reason for their fright".
Whatever the incredibly fast shade was it appeared to be the source of the omnipresent anxiety among the indigenous life forms around these parts. Judging by the remains of its victim, that monster employed a kind of force past our abilities to combat it.
She and I looked at each other while an oppressive feeling of insecurity made our blood quicken. How naïve to think only harmless beings would roam this strange country!
Gnawing hunger encroached ever so slowly but we could not allow ourselves to rest easy with an imminent threat at hand. The slightest lapse in concentration could mean our demise. As such, abatement was impossible to consider.
A few disconcerting moments later, heavy footfalls on the ground outside disturbed the fine, powdery layer that sat on top of it. Its sound got carried by the winds which themselves appeared to increase in their intensity, accompanied by a feral grunting and growling. An almost wet breath slowly closed in on us as we stood there, unmoving, in trying to not arouse the animal any further.
We snuck away from the door frame with almost comically careful steps, out of its line of sight should it peer through it. Queerly, I hoped for the monster to be greater than its already large shadow implied. If the walls held fast when brutal assault is applied, it could not enter to rend our bodies if the opening didn't permit it to.
The in- and exhaling came ever closer. As we were both hidden away, we were unable to behold its likeness when it strained its nostrils audibly to pick up our scent.
Without warning, an ear-shattering roar made me stumble away from the wall I was hugging. I tried closing my ears with both index fingers while dizzily rocking my head slightly from left to right. The malign power of its voice was enough to paralyze us in fear. A few seconds passed and I regained my composure. Still somewhat hazy, I scouted through a crack in the brick wall to find out more about our horrifying foe.
My limited field of view prohibited me to make out every minute detail but what I saw sent my mind reeling in an act of misguided self-preservation.
A thing of gargantuan size, coated in white fur with black stripes here and there. Huge claws, an order of magnitude suggesting to be twice that of a regular sabre cat from the Nord's homeland. Long streaks of saliva steamed in the creature's trails.
Before I was able to receive a look or two at its head and face, a maddening howl broke the silence and interrupted my observations. In another instant, it appeared to have flung itself against the building with all its might in order to bring it down. A long, thick horn was thrust into the crack I had mere seconds ago used to peek outside, the beast's shoulder threatening to destroy our shelter.
Small bits of debris rained down on us, the wooden support beams of the ceiling bent with raucous moaning.
The beast hurled itself a second time at the wall, causing one of those beams up above to break apart and only barely to miss Nephethys' head. The roof shook violently at the loss of the stabilizing log.
Before long, it caved in. A cataract of heavy stone, planks and straw burying us underneath. Another hateful growl reverberated within our heads as the storm increased in velocity.
VI
We kept still for what felt like an eternity. Buried alive and with troubled breathing, we hoped that the roof that just came down would sufficiently mask our scent and the ever more powerful winds dispersing any remnants thereof. A wave of relief brushed over me as I could hear the slow paws retreat to an unknown location.
When I began shifting and wading through the ruinous remains I noticed how I was largely unharmed apart from a few bruises here and there.
I took great pains to dig myself out but thankfully, the house still stood. Nephethys was likewise occupied with emerging from the pile. However, her injuries were of more serious concern. A sharp rock must have scraped off a large portion of her left forearm's skin while simultaneously breaking it which resulted in a jagged bone protruding from inside her flesh. The hot blood was dripping down, quickly coating the straw that lay scattered about.
When she finally freed herself I saw her grimace at the burning pain. She cursed loudly, seemingly for a moment forgetting that there roamed bloodthirsty entities outside.
We exchanged worried looks before she asked: "Can I request a favour of you?" with broken countenance. "Anything" I replied under my breath. "My tibiæ", she said, " They're enchanted to sap a victim's life force, do you remember? If I could just…". She stopped speaking at my corroborating nod. I knew what was about to happen but it was the only way to prevent her demise.
She fell silent at what she was about to do. Uncertain if it was right. But I needed to ensure her survival. After all, such a ghoulish wound will be her undoing if we did nothing about it. If left unattended, Nephethys would expire from either blood loss or disease very soon.
Slowly making her way through the debris, her hair disobeying in the shrieking gusts that encircled us and made small particles fly around, she closed in. A sorrowful expression took over her face as she gently lifted her leg and prepared herself to hurt me. "I'm sorry, Thorus", she aspirated with watery eyes. Suddenly, her blade slashed my right arm. A deeper than expected cut made the blood flow freely. In the next moment I felt my strength decline while I observed my friend getting reinvigorated by those evil enchantments. Through magic, her bones aligned with each other perfectly while flesh and skin sought each other's propinquity in order to heal.
"By Sithis, I…" was all she said before she tore apart her mask and cut off one of the belts of her armour to provide a bandage. She applied it quickly and with surgical meticulosity to staunch the flow.
Now, however, I truly needed to rest. I've slept not, eaten not and was now partly bereaved of my very life force. I harboured no grudges against her though, for I knew what was at stake and what consequences would have ensued if I had not consented to helping her in this way. And after all, patching up a narrow cut was not as difficult as to mend bones broken in the most fiendish way with missing skin and exposed flesh. It appeared, too, that Nephethys' hunger had been appeased also by this unholy act of blood magic. A practical albeit terrifying side effect of her enchantments.
I carried myself over to where the two boulders had been prior to the collapsing of the roof. The two of us brushed away the remains of the once intact ceiling and finally sat down.
She watched as I grabbed my pouch wherein I had stored the gory provisions. It was now clear to us that we could not hunt and kill whatever beast had compromised our temporary dwelling. And so I had to resort to the only source of food that was at my disposal.
As murderous and as evil as the Dark Brotherhood was, the blasphemous crime I would commit in but a few seconds was not on their agenda. Even vampires stay away from such hideousness. Only a werewolf could not get nauseous at the gruesome imagery that would soon unfold.
The first bite was putrid. Riddled not only with a taste of profound bitterness and noises of the most odious quality while chewing, but also with self-doubt. Moral questions and pictures of dismembered bodies reigned over my feverish mind when I started gagging and coughing right after gulping down the first piece. It was not long before I regurgitated, tiring me even further. The process of ingestion now more strenuous than it was beneficial. But I had no choice. In utter turmoil I resolved to toil. And as I toiled and toiled, Nephethys, too, became sick at my perpetual vomiting, plunging me in unbearable torment.
I had been chewing my seventh bite by the time it stayed in my stomach.
This ghastly meal was an experience most harrowing. And even though this action was completely irredeemable, I needed to survive and not starve. When my hunger finally ceased, my skin was already in a deathly pallor. I could barely think. Talk, even less.
Nephethys swiftly gathered the straw from the caved in ceiling to spread it out over the rusty bed railing supported by a few broken wood beams. She then motioned me to lie down and rest. And rest I was in dire need of.
I stumbled towards the makeshift bed and laid myself on top, limbs outstretched. It took only a few seconds for me to fall asleep amidst the mourning gales that screeched eerily in between the cracks and holes of the dark bricks around us.
As my eyes involuntarily closed, I saw Nephethys, smiling. Her hand softly stroking my head, she whispered into my ear: "Sleep well, my love".
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