In Blood and Fear (Skyrim Fanfiction)

Chapter 17: Scratch Marks

Sunlight streamed through the small window, causing light to spread throughout the inn. The gentle music of a lute playing filled the room, making DrazuLiins eyes flash open startlingly. She was stunned in a dream-like state, staring into the musky room blankly. The room way fairly plain, with a small, vanity accented with a mirror covered in dust with cracks across the glass, along with a bowl of water with a cloth sitting to the side. She reluctantly stood up and stretched, feeling an agonizing pain ripple down her back. The Orc let out a quiet sob in pain and collapsed to her knees, struggling to keep herself from screaming. ghorbash woke up to her cries and crawled to the other side of the bed, gazing down at her with a horrified expression. "What happened to you?" He asked worriedly, trying to conceal his fear with concern. There was long, deep scars along her back, like claws were dragged down her body. Blood trickled down from her wound, dripping onto the floor.

He had already grabbed the cloth, soaked in water, rushing to her side. Her companion picked her up slowly and placed her on the edge of the bed. He sat behind her and dabbed the wound gently, holding onto her shoulder for comfort. He could feel her wince, shivers gliding down her back like a lightning strike. "I swear to the nine divine, it doesn't hurt as much as it looks." She joked lightly, trying to easy his worry. "Sure it does." He chuckled, but his tone was still heavy with concern. She pulled her bag onto her lap and pulled out a small pink bottle filled with a similarly coloured fluid, along with a tiny bag of crushed ingredients. "Here. I made these myself." She muttered with a dry voice. He hesitantly took them from her hands and poured the bottle onto the cloth before dumping the bag. She sighed in relief as he rubbed her back with the cloth carefully, making him relax a little. Afterwards, they both got ready to leave. She threw her wrecked dress into her bag and put on a set of Nightingale armor, but left the hood down. When she was finished, she turned around and found Ghorbash watching her curiously. "Where did you get that armor? It looks amazing." He pondered in awe. "It is a long story." She sighed before dragging him out of the building.

The light blinded them as they walked through the doors, the sun blazing down at them. Riften may have its issues, but it was still a lovely city. Flowers bloomed along the buildings, with thin trees growing in between the wooden boards used as a sidewalk. Leaves littered the streets, with vines growing on rooftops. It was built onto the lake itself, as if it was all one giant dock. It was still quiet since it was early, but merchants still called out encouraging comments to buy their wares. The Dragonborn saw a tiny flash of light coming from one of the stalls, and strolled over to see what it was. A dark blade shimmered in the sunlight. A daedric sword. She had never seen anything like it before. She had only heard of such a weapon. "You just gonna stare at it or are you gonna buy it?" Grelka sneered with boredom in an ignorant tone. "Fine." The irritated Orc growled in response as she handed her iron sword to her, along with a small bag of gold coins. "A fine blade." Grelka snickered with a permanent scowl on her face. After taking her new weapon, she showed it off to Ghorbash. "Definitely different." He giggled sarcastically. The blade was as dark as midnight, laced with a red glowing edge. The hilt was braided with a black leather, and was detailed with curvy, elegant spikes. She quickly sheathed it beside her dagger and walked along side her friend with excitement towards the gates.

Ghorbash pulled out a folded map and spread it out across the pathway outside of Riften. They agreed on taking a shortcut through the forest, instead of taking the roads. He put the map away, and took DrazuLiins hand and squeezed it tightly. "Does it still hurt? They might leave permanent scars. Do you need a minute before we go on?" He trailed off. "Don't worry about me. I'm going to be fine." She answered with a soothing tone to calm him down. He smiled at her hesitantly before she pulled him towards their destination. The forest was quiet and peaceful, but had a suspicious atmosphere. Trees towered over them, casting a shadow on them. Every step they took, they could hear leaves crunching beneath their feet. Dark clouds smothered the sky, as rain began to fall towards them. A roar shattered the silence, making the ground to shake. A massive figure flashed past them with an extreme speed. As it came into view, they knew what it was. It was the size of a mountain, with sharp wings that whipped gusts of air in their direction. It's scales were tinted a bright shade of emerald, with touches of gold.

It smashed to the ground, stirring an earthquake below the depths of the planet. It glared at them aggressively, striking fear into their hearts. Steam flowed between its knife-like teeth, magma pouring from its mouth. A dragon. She released his hand and rushed towards it, jumping onto its head. It shook and twisted, but failed to remove the Orc from its neck. She sheathed and drove her new weapon into its head, blood splattering all over her. It clawed at her as it screeched in agony. Ghorbash just watched in shock as the Dragonborn fought her foe with ease. It shot flames at him in an attack powered by the frustration that coursed through its mind. He screamed as flames overtook his body, the steel armor melting on contact. Ghorbash dropped to the ground with a thud, making DrazuLiin slice the dragons head open by dragging the blade through its jagged flesh. She sprinted to her fallen comrade with tears streaming down her face. "This is all my fault." She sobbed. "I'm........ Ok." He breathed heavily, overjoyed to see his companion. The dragons soul blasted into the Dragonborn, power pulsating through her body. She picked him up off the ground and set off for the Dawnguard Fort, with her sword in hand, drenched in dragon blood.