Deathbeds[✓]

13;

Bishop stalked through the room with quick steps, barking orders for Valga to keep the people indoors. No one would question, of course, hearing stories of how Helgen fell to Alduin in a simple afternoon.

He was out the door and he looked around for Anais, seeing her in the street near the Jarl's longhouse. She was accompanied by the town's guards, shooting arrows at the red-scaled dragon swirling the sky above. Dragon fire consumed some of the buildings already, burning against the heavy rain in plumes of black smoke.

Bishop ran to Anais just as the dragon opened its mouth to spew fire down upon them. Bishop slipped to a stop as a trail of fire went straight through his path. He pulled arrows from his quiver and took aim at the beast.

It landed on top of the trader, its enormous weight causing shingles and support beams to shatter and splinter. It lowered its head, scanning the town, yellow eyes narrowing in Anais' direction.

Seeing Bishop, Anais ran for him, dodging charred cobbles and burning grass with her sword. She skitted to a stop next to Bishop, grabbing his arm to keep herself from slipping on the wet stone pathway.

"Joor zah frul!"

Blue mist enveloped the dragon as it threw its long neck back and roared to the sky. It lifted itself up from the building, large wings pushing Anais and Bishop to the ground with a gust of wind as it rose into the sky.

Bishop helped Anais to her feet and followed the dragon's path out of town when it landed outside the west entrance. Bishop fired an arrow into its eye and it roared in pain, retaliating with a stream of fire.

Bishop dodged the fire behind the stone entrance way, breathing heavily and wiping the rain from his eyes. He heard someone yell in pain.

Anais held onto her arm, her sleeve burning along with her flesh as she narrowly escaped the fire breath. She held her bicep to her body, feeling blood and charred flesh there. She wasted no time to regain herself, fight through the stinging pain, and charge for the dragon before it could ascend into the sky again. She was thankful the beast had left town and not done further damage to the buildings or citizens.

She dodged arrows from the guards and Bishop, met the dragon and brought her sword up in an arc to slash its other eye, disorienting it. It lowered its head and Anais grabbed one of its large protruding horns along its forehead to lift herself onto its neck. It swung its head wildly to shake her, but Anais held tight to her sword and with both hands, she brought her blade down into its skull.

It raised its wings and threw its upper body back. Anais lost grip of her sword and tumbled down the back of the dragon, the scales and spikes tearing at her clothes and flesh before she fell onto the road and rolled into the grass.

She heard it roar its defeat, a Nirn-shattering sound as it fell heavily onto the road, sending dust and dirt and bits of stone into the air.

When the dust settled, Bishop went to the dragon, not seeing Anais nearby. The scales of the dragon erupted into flames, its soul leaving its body. He followed the direction of the soul stream with quick steps and found Anais in the grass, sluggishly standing and holding her left arm tight to her body. Blood and pus oozed from a blackened wound, scratches and bruises adorning her skin. Gods, she looked like she'd just escaped Oblivion.

Bishop felt his throat tighten, words and breath leaving him at the sight of her.

"Bishop-" she coughed into her free hand. Bishop blanched at seeing blood on her lips and hand.

"Ladyship," he didn't hesitate to pick her up in his arms and bring her into town. Guards followed, marveling at the damage the dragon caused and at its skeletal remains. He snapped at one of them, "where's a healer? She needs healing!"