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The Forsworn Retribution	By : Samson Category: +A through F > Elder Scrolls - Skyrim Views: 60892 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
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Two-faced

The Forsworn Retribution
Part VI - "Budding Champions"
By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson
Original Date Written: September 24, 2014

“...Lana...Lana, wake up...It’s almost sunset, we need to get going...” Svetlana flinched, head briefly jerking up as wakefulness struck her like a cold bucket of water. Eyes opening a crack, she could just barely make out Gabriella in the darkness, kneeling beside her. Trying not to groan, she mumbled out “Yeah!...Yeah, I’m up...” Gabriella arched an eyebrow. Giving her a friendly pat on the knee, she quietly remarked “I kind of doubt that either of us, even if we had the time, would want to sit around for an hour for a hot breakfast. I took a look in the supply pack, but...We’re pretty much empty, so I just grabbed a bowl and found as many Juniper berries as I could...It’s better than nothing.”

Svetlana gave a little groan in acknowledgement, bringing a hand to her forehead as she laid back down on the cold, rough stone. Gabriella shifted closer to Sabrina, lying on her back on the other side of the cave passage. With her legs close together and her hands folded over one another on her stomach, her body lying motionless in the dark, Sabrina looked like a cadaver awaiting a burial. Familiarity had bred acceptance, however, and that oddity had ceased to unnerve Gabriella a while before, yet it remained unusual enough to be noticed. Touching Sabrina’s shoulder, Gabriella gave her a light shake, murmuring her name.

It took a couple shakes, but eventually, Sabrina’s eyes snapped open, chest swelling as she drew in a deep, quiet breath. Considering she didn’t appear to be in a dazed, easily influenced state, she must’ve already been close to her natural waking time...At least one of the trio wouldn’t feel drained from a lack of rest. Gabriella, keeping her voice soft, said “It’s just about nightfall, Sabrina...We need to keep going.” Sabrina’s eyes briefly shifted over to the dark elf before she began to sit up. Rapidly blinking a couple times, she murmured out “Yeah...Is Lana...?” Sabrina looked over, catching sight of the priestess pushing a handful of Juniper berries into her mouth.

Sabrina smiled a little, but it didn’t take long for the reaction to die as her eyes drifted off in thought. Both of the other women noticed, but neither of them felt the need to ask. They already knew the answer...They were feeling the same thing. After chewing up and swallowing her mouthful of berries, however, Svetlana offered some words of comfort, stating “...We’ll get him back, Sabrina...I miss him, too.” Sabrina, a little stubbornly, couldn’t simply accept the gesture and let herself be comforted. Still, the fact that she didn’t throw it back in Svetlana’s face proved the reassurance had been much more soothing than she let on.

Rising to her feet, she replied “Yes, well...We won’t get him back by sitting around in a cave and talking about how much we care for him. Eat up, I’m ready to march whenever you two are...” She walked past Gabriella, a little sullenly distancing herself until she had reached the corner in the cave corridor, leaning against the stone wall with her back turned to the others. Gabriella and Svetlana watched her go, then gave each other a look. Gabriella subtly sighed as she crawled over to Svetlana’s side, scooping out a handful of berries from the bowl between them. Before tossing them into her mouth, she simply muttered out “The Thalmor are gonna pay for this...”

Bunny awoke with a start, bloodshot eyes snapping open. She pulled her face from the grass, hastily pushing herself up to all fours. For several moments, she was positively livid with herself, her jaw tightening until she thought her teeth might crush against each other. The Thalmor were gone. Fists tightening around tufts of grass, eyes screwing shut, she simply could not believe that something like this could’ve happened. Despite her best efforts, she hadn’t been able to prevent falling asleep. She didn’t want to believe that it couldn’t be helped, she didn’t want to tell herself that it had been out of her control. It had been a shortcoming, a fault, plain and simple.

She remembered seeing one of the Thalmor agents depart from the group, presumably in search of their surviving yet scattered mounts, only to return empty-handed shortly afterwards. It was at that point that the group had began pulling things from their supply packs, and then...She must’ve fallen asleep, not long after. Bunny tried to calm down by telling herself that, at the very least, it was still sunrise. They couldn’t have gotten in more than a couple hours of marching. Still, given their rigid discipline, a couple hours was disastrous enough. If she got on the path and took a look around, she might be able to figure out if the Thalmor had ever reclaimed their horses, or if they had simply continued on by foot. It wouldn’t be much, but it’d at least tell her how-

Her ears pricked up. Footsteps were approaching her from behind...An animal, from the sound of it. Four-legged, and fairly fleet of foot...No doubt a wolf. Only one, however? Wolves without packs weren’t unheard of, of course, but the animals were group-oriented enough for it to seem peculiar. Bunny supposed she should’ve considered herself lucky, a single wolf was far less of a threat than a pack, hungry for whatever flesh it could find. When it audibly took in a couple sniffs, her eyes slowly roamed off to the side. Keeping as still as she could, she spotted a nearby stone perfectly suited to her needs.

She slowly extended her arm. The wolf behind her growled, as if to warn her against resistance, ordering her to give in and become it’s meal. Her hand darted out, grabbing the stone as tightly as she could. The wolf darted towards her, coming over her back before she could roll over, breath hot and foul. It snapped at the back of her neck, hoping to clamp down for a lethal bite, but her hair obfuscated where her flesh was, and the first bite netted little besides locks. The first couple of the wolf’s teeth grazed the nape of her neck, however, providing enough encouragement for the wolf to try again.

The animal wasn’t quick enough, as in that instant, Bunny smashed her elbow back, ramming the wolf over the side of it’s skull. She managed to push it off of herself long enough to spin around, swinging the rock over as the feral canine tried lunging back for her. Baring her teeth in anger, the satisfying crunch of stone cracking bone filled her ears, the wolf briefly yelping as it recoiled further away from her. Bunny kicked against the ground and rolled backwards over her shoulder, landing in a taut squat, close to the ground. The wolf eyed her angrily, baring it’s teeth right back at her as it gave her a growl.

Bunny threw aside her rock and pulled up her bow. Thanks to her roll, her quiver had spilled free it’s contents beneath her mid-movement, leaving her arrows scattered in the grass in front of her. She snatched one as quickly as she could, bringing it to her drawstring and yanking it back with all her might. The wolf only seemed to realize she was preparing an attack at the last second, trying to race for her legs all too late. Bunny let the arrow go with a quiet grunt, watching wide-eyed as the arrow dug deep into the wolf’s head, impaling itself through the creature’s most vital area. Blood squirted in a few streams as the animal collapsed, one of it’s hind legs giving a little twitching kick as it departed from the mortal world.

Bunny, breathing a little hard from the adrenaline of it all, rounded up her arrows before slipping them back into her quiver. For a brief moment, she was amazed she had survived the encounter unscathed, but quickly put it out of her mind in the hopes of not jinxing herself in future fights. The road ahead was most likely going to be a long one, and the less she found herself in tight spots, the less she’d be drained for the eventual rescue attempt. Collecting herself, Bunny made her way down to the nearby path as quickly as she could, glancing left and right as soon as her feet left grass and met dirt.

With nobody in sight, she approached the corpses lingering from the catastrophically failed ambush. Flies were already buzzing around the carcasses, but there wasn’t yet much of a smell to speak of, leaving little to put Bunny off. Crouching down by the road, she took a look around for the indents of horseshoes in the dirt, but found none. There were a few fresh footprints from sabatons, however, which told Bunny all she needed to know. The Thalmor must not have been able to find their frightened mounts, leaving them forced to continue their march on foot. Without delay, Bunny took off down the path, hoping she’d be able to cut time off from her pursuit by taking the easier route. At least without their horses, the time she spent sleeping hadn’t given them a hopeless advantage...

Shortly before resuming their march, Svetlana surprised the other two women by inviting them to join her in prayer. Sabrina flat-out refused, and it didn’t take much thought on Svetlana’s part to deduce why. Sabrina probably assumed the gods had abandoned her the moment she became undead, or that, at the very least, her relationship with the gods had become strained to the point where prayer would offer little more than a waste of time. Gabriella, while anxious to resume marching, ended up taking Svetlana up on her invitation. She had no illusions about the fact that she was well and truly terrified for Maximus’ safety, if she was resorting to prayer. The thought didn’t trouble her nearly as much as she ever assumed it would.

She joined Svetlana in calling upon the Nine, but in truth, her heart lay more in appealing to the Daedric Princes her people worshipped: Azura, Boethia, and Mephala. She prayed to Azura to give her foresight enough to make the right decisions during the pursuit, Boethia to give her strength enough to strike down Maximus’ Altmer captors, and Mephala to cause internal strife amongst the Thalmor, hopefully causing just enough discord to disorganize and slow down the group. The two of them kept their prayers short, for the sake of Sabrina’s quickly-thinning patience. Beneath the cover of starlight, the three of them departed from their temporary sanctuary and took off into the night, racing northward after their shared lover, the only reason they had to remain as a group...

Maximus dragged his feet with every step, barely keeping pace with the Thalmor. Some time before sunrise, while the group was still catching their breath after the Forsworn attack, the Thalmor had eaten their fill from their supplies. They offered Maximus none of their food, nor did he ask for any. The break must’ve lasted close to an hour, and while Maximus had been tempted to nod off, he couldn’t bring himself to leave himself any more vulnerable around the Thalmor than he already was. Now however, several hours later, he was regretting his decision. The urge to simply collapse and fall asleep was becoming nigh irresistible. Just how could these elves keep themselves going for so long, without rest?

Maximus’ exhaustion made him blurt out some of the insolence he had been keeping in check, purely due to their Thalmor standing. Rather dryly, he loudly muttered out “By the gods, don’t you people ever rest? We’ve been marching for-” The man to his right reached over, grabbed his jaw, and pushed it upwards hard enough to tilt Maximus’ entire upper body backwards. Rather nonchalantly, the man remarked “Utter one more syllable, human, and I’ll have an unfortunate amount of difficulty refraining from cutting out your tongue. Considering we need you to speak in order to interrogate you, you can understand how that’d be an issue...Or, am I giving you too much credit by assuming you possess that magnitude of critical thinking?”

Maximus’ eyes narrowed, but he said nothing as the man withdrew his hand. With the topic broached, however, Anya surprised them all by commenting “Much as it pains me to admit, he has a point. We haven’t rested in nearly a full day. We’ll need to get our strength back for when we hit the mountains. Trekking uphill through the snow will be exhausting.” One of the women sighed. “Well, when you put it like that...I suppose she has a point. We need to keep our edge, with prisoners. I’ll keep the first watch shift, the rest of you can get some sleep.” Anya’s sister-in-arms barely turned her head to the side, commenting “With the sun already up, we’ll need to find a shady spot...I’ll take the second shift, by the way. Are we all in agreement, then? We break until nightfall?”

They all voiced their agreement, and without delay, they were dragging Maximus off of the road. Maximus’ relief at taking a break verged on jubilation, but he managed to keep it to himself. Last thing he wanted was for one of them to find some sadistic torture to keep him from taking advantage of the lull. Finding a small collection of Juniper berry trees, the group settled down in the shade, but not before Anya grabbed him by the arm and yanked him down, knocking him off of his feet. She gave him a mocking look, and he answered with a cold stare, but otherwise kept his silence. A few of the Altmer dipped into their supply packs, eating light meals of biscuits and dip, washing them down with small bottles of what Maximus assumed was water.

Of course, they yet again offered Maximus none, leaving him thoroughly parched and famished. For a brief while, he considered the possibility that he’d perish of thirst before he even reached their destination, but he found himself untroubled by the possibility. It’d save him from their questioning, at the very least. Finally off of his sore, boiling feet, Maximus quietly groaned as he laid down on his side, repositioning his bound arms until they were comfortable behind himself. He told himself he’d wait until they were all asleep, then try to work himself out of his bindings or even make a run for it, but it wasn’t very long before he quietly nodded off.

The darkness of sleep was abruptly pierced, some time later. Maximus wasn’t sure how long he had slept for, but he knew it hadn’t been nearly long enough. He instantly recognized Anya’s voice as she patted him over the chest, the Altmer woman whispering out “Wake up, Maximus...Wake up. Don’t make me drag you to your feet, Imperial...” Maximus opened his eyes, head throbbing with want of sleep, throat swollen and hot with lack of moisture. He slowly turned his head, spotting Anya’s feet near his side. He followed up her body, quickly meeting eyes with her.

She stared into his eyes and brought a hand to her mouth, vertically lining a finger across her lips. Glaring tiredly at her, he slowly raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking just why in Oblivion she had interrupted his much-needed sleep. Wasn’t it enough that she was planning on torturing and more than likely executing him? Anya bent over, grabbed him by the collar of his armour with one hand, and took him by the arm with the other. Carefully, she began pulling him upright, helping him get up to his feet. Leaning in until she was within kissing distance, she matter-of-factly whispered “Make a noise, and it’ll be the last thing you ever do. Just follow me.”

Maximus, thoroughly worn down by sleep deprivation, didn’t even think of resisting. Too exhausted to show anything other than compliance, he let her take him by the arm, guiding him to the side. With the rest of the Thalmor sleeping soundly in the shade of the trees, Anya grabbed one of their supply packs from the ground, then led Maximus further and further away from the campsite. Trying not to stumble over his own feet, Maximus walked with her for a couple minutes, dimly wondering where she was taking him. She finally came to a stop by a smooth tree stump, guiding Maximus over to it before giving him a push, somewhat roughly forcing him to take a seat.

Maximus didn’t resist glaring at her, watching her take a step to the side. With a little sigh, she sat down quite close beside him, resting the pack of supplies at her feet. Without even looking at him, she nonchalantly said “Well, we’re out of earshot, now. Try to run into the hills, however, and I’ll cut you down. I’ll bet you’re wondering what I pulled you out here for, hmm?” His voice cracked and raspy, he muttered out “You could say that.” Anya raised an eyebrow, looking over at him with an otherwise neutral expression. With something that sounded eerily similar to compassion, she said “Hm. I guess the first thing we should do is get you a drink. Give me a moment.”

Slowly, both of Maximus’ eyebrows raised higher and higher. He might’ve expected Anya to turn around and taunt him, but to his surprise, she leaned over, opened the supply pack, and started fishing around inside. Casually, she commented “Ah, here we are...Hold still, Maximus. I’m certainly not about to untie you.” She turned to him, one corner of her mouth barely raised in the slightest smirk. Just that alone, however, made Maximus’ hands clench into fists, behind him. Still, the need for water won out in the end, and he kept still as she produced her corked bottle. She scooched a couple inches closer to him, closing all distance until her side was touching his own.

She pulled the cork free with a little pop, then turned towards him. Her ghost of a smirk quickly vanishing, she reached out with both hands, bringing an arm behind him as she held the back of his head with a surprisingly delicate touch. With the other hand, she brought the bottle to his lips, slowly tilting it back so he could drink at his own pace. It was an odd way to get a drink, and even a little insulting, but after hours of harsh marching, he certainly wasn’t about to struggle. As the cool, fresh water washed between his lips, Anya quietly said “Don’t worry, you can drink as much as you need. We probably won’t get very many chances for privacy, like this, so you should make the most of it while you can.”

Maximus raised an eyebrow at her peculiar change in attitude. Suspicious, he let the first mouthful of water linger in his mouth, hoping he’d be able to taste any sort of foul play. Having a desperately-needed drink simply sitting in his mouth, however, was the ultimate torture, something he quickly came to realize before swallowing down the drink. Immediately, he became addicted, chugging mouthful after mouthful until the bottle was empty. Anya watched him with an odd sort of warmth in her eyes, a peculiar maternal satisfaction, like she were a priestess looking after a sad, injured wretch. Letting go of him, she corked the bottle, letting slip a hint of amusement as she commented “Well, you certainly needed that, hm? I imagine you’re hungry, as well.”

Maximus’ throat still needed time to recover, but his voice was already in considerably better shape. Openly suspicious, he asked “What do you want, Anya? You’re the reason all of this is even happening.” Anya, replacing the bottle in her pack, didn’t look at him as she replied. Calmly, she answered “I just want to make sure you survive this trip. My comrades apparently fail to realize that, even should you skirt expiration, you’ll nonetheless be in terrible condition for questioning once we reach our destination.” Maximus’ jaw tightened at how she avoided answering the true issue at hand. Bluntly, he snapped “Can’t help but notice you’re not denying handing me a death sentence without any evidence.”

Anya barely glanced at him. Pulling her hands from her pack, she raised them up, earning a curious eyebrow raise from him as she wordlessly removed her helmet, exposing her auburn hair. She set her helmet down by her foot, then reached up and pulled free her bun, letting down her long locks with a content little sigh. Shaking a gauntlet through her shoulder-length strands, she idly said “Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, Maximus. I have plenty of evidence. Now’s not the time for that, though. We’ll discuss it all at length, during your interrogation.” “I’m sure.” He remarked, subtly narrowing an eye at her.

She gave him another sidelong glance, but it was too quick for him to read her emotions. A moment later, she pulled up a paper package from the supply sack, wrapped up with twine. To go with it, she held a small metal jar in her other hand, secured shut with a few sliding locks connecting the lid to the body. Carefully setting the jar beside herself, she laid the package over her lap, carefully unwrapping it as she softly said “Here...Biscuits and butter. It’s not much, but it’ll fill you up. I’d offer you some meat for energy, but we haven’t touched those supplies, yet. The others would notice whatever I took.”

As if on cue, Maximus’ stomach gave a growl. Anya raised a hand, flicking it back as she smoothed some of her hair behind an ear. With a little self-assured smile, she commented “I suppose I can take that as excitement, hm?” Although Maximus’ mouth was already beginning to water with anticipation, he couldn’t help but remark “You know, the only thing you’re accomplishing with all this is making yourself feel better for what you’ve done. It doesn’t actually change anything.” Anya raised an eyebrow, giving him a glance as she opened up the package, pulling aside the paper pages like petals to a flower. Exposing a few stacks of dark brown biscuits, she dryly retorted “Really? And here I thought I was helping to make this trip easier on you, and keep you alive longer. Silly me.”

Maximus narrowed his eyes, a little. The two of them fell into silence, with Maximus simply watching as Anya took a biscuit and dipped it in the jar. Slowly giving it a little wiggle back and forth through the butter, she innocently asked “So...Your “team” of sellswords, and I use that term rather loosely...The Dunmer, Nord, Breton, and Imperial...They wouldn’t think of attempting to intercept us, would they? They wouldn’t try staging a rescue, or anything ridiculous like that...Would they?” Maximus slowly sighed through his nose. Brow gently furrowing, he muttered “What, is the interrogation beginning early? I thought I could avoid questions until we reach this Northwatch place, you people mentioned.”

The corners of Anya’s mouth briefly flickered upwards. “Innocent curiosity,” she murmured, bringing the butter-slathered biscuit over towards his mouth. He intentionally took a rough bite of the tempting morsel, sending crumbs scattering across her hand. She didn’t seem to mind or even notice, looking back down into the jar as she brought the biscuit back, wiggling the opposite side around in the topping. With a little shrug of her shoulders, Anya commented “I’ve been watching you and your team quite closely, ever since we first ran into each other. I’ve seen you take bounties, and then collect gold. Clearly, the women serving under you are competent, in their own way. It simply strikes me as a little odd that they wouldn’t attempt to save their leader.”

Maximus’ brow sank deep. Swallowing his mouthful, he coldly muttered “If you’re expecting me to extol the power of the Thalmor and go on about how you have everyone cowed, I’ll have to disappoint you. I won’t inflate your ego any further.” Anya started to smile. Bringing the biscuit back over to his mouth, she murmured “This isn’t about ego, human. I just can’t help but think...Undisciplined sellswords, few if any personal boundaries, your interpersonal relationships must be far more casual than typical soldiers.” They both began to slow down. Maximus took a slow bite of the biscuit, following it up with suspicious chews.

Anya gave a light shrug with her eyebrows, her ponderous words slowing down as she added “With an unattached man leading a team of unattached women, it seems only natural to assume that some romantic connections might blossom, some...Unbecoming fondness, above and beyond camaraderie. Affection makes people do illogical things, like attempt to attack a clearly superior force with superior strength and tactics. Were you close with your team, Maximus?...” Maximus swallowed his mouthful, some peculiar feeling welling up inside him. For some reason he couldn’t quite explain, Anya asking him about the others troubled him. The concept that her attention could potentially spread to the others...Shook him. Did he want to protect them?

Simply staring at her, there was a moment of silence before he coolly said “...No. They were just Forsworn fodder, to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m good, but I’m not good enough to take on a whole bandit camp by myself. They mean nothing to me, and I’m sure they feel the same way about me in return, as well.” Anya gave a thoughtful nod, dipping the final mouthful of the biscuit back inside the jar. “I see...Well, that’s of some small comfort, I suppose. You wouldn’t be trying to protect them, though, would you?” If Maximus was being honest, he was still asking himself that very same question.

His hands slowly clenched into fists behind him, tightening up until they trembled and turned white. He supposed...He was trying to protect them. His death, which was already all but assured, hadn’t concerned him in the slightest. But, as he envisioned the faces of Gabriella, Svetlana, Sabrina, and Bunny, bloodied and tearful under the fists of Thalmor Justiciars, his stomach went cold, and an undeniable compulsion drove him to prevent it from ever happening. He could still remember the devastated look on Gabriella’s face as the Thalmor had confronted him...Why did it haunt him?

Effortlessly calling upon his skills at persuasion, Maximus lied as casually as breathing. “Of course not. I barely knew any of them. They were only helping me for the gold, the little cowards. No tears shed on either side...Good riddance to the leeches.” Anya brought the final bit of the biscuit to him, popping it into his mouth with a little smile on her face. She almost seemed placated by his answer, put further at ease, and he wasn’t altogether sure it was purely because she had been worried of reprisal. She gave a soft hum, then looked back down as she took a second biscuit, dipping it in her jar. “Well, that’s good, I suppose...Won’t be leaving anything behind. Here, eat another. You’ll need your strength, just like us.”

Maximus wanted to bring up her false accusations once more, but decided to leave the topic be for the time being. In silence, she fed him the rest of her biscuits, smiling to herself all the while. It was still a little unsettling, the way she seemed to genuinely enjoy looking after him despite being the direct cause of his suffering, but regardless, relief was relief in any event. Maximus swallowed his pride and allowed her to feed him, washing down the biscuits with a few mouthfuls of water from a second bottle in Anya’s supply pack. Once the biscuits were finished, Anya replaced the remains of the paper wrapping in her pack, slipping in the butter jar shortly after.

Anya suddenly let out a sharp sigh, shutting her eyes. Mouth hanging open a crack, she rolled around her jaw, then muttered with open disappointment “By the gods, I just realized something. I can’t believe we forgot to...” Anya trailed off mid-thought, closed her mouth, and looked over at Maximus with a slight tilt of her head. He raised an eyebrow, staring at her with one eye narrowed. Anya briefly frowned, sighing through her nose. “I just realized that, when we took you into our custody, we never properly searched you. Better late than never, anyway...Stand up, Maximus. I’ll search you myself, here and now.” Maximus sighed and rolled his eyes. “It’s not as if I have much of a choice, now is it?”

Anya arched an eyebrow and gave a little turn with her head, as if in confirmation, but otherwise didn’t answer. Maximus got up to his feet, and Anya clapped her hands together a few times, throwing off the crumbs lingering from the biscuits. Setting aside her supply pack, she followed him up to her feet, taking a step in front of him. He stared up into her eyes, a cold look on his face as he said “Get it over with, Anya. You’re not gonna find anything.” She raised an eyebrow at that declaration, quickly retorting “Is that a challenge? Because if I do find something, there’ll be consequences.”

Maximus raised an eyebrow, his agitation oozing to the surface as he angrily said “For the love of Mara, stop trying to feed me a soft sell like this is fun and games. I’m innocent, quit acting like you’re disappointed you even have to do any of this. I’m going to be executed, because of you. I’ll be sure to see you in Oblivion, damn Altmer bitch.” Anya took in a little breath, letting out a suppressed sigh at his insult. She tried to display a thick skin, but he could tell his words had found purchase and bitten in. Her failure to respond simply made him angrier.

Brow sinking deep, his jaw tightening up, he raised his voice, staring her dead in the eyes. “What? Nothing to say? What happened to the soldier who’d yell in my face, shove me, and call me a worthless, stupid human? What happened to the elf that wanted to see me dead?! What happened to the good little Thalmor toady, filled with ha-” Anya stunned him by suddenly raising her hands, grabbing him by either side of his face, and mashing her lips to his so forcefully it hurt them both. He closed his eyes, feeling her hot breath wash out against his cheek as she shoved her tongue into his mouth, immediately engaging him in an oral wrestling match.

Maximus almost bit down on her tongue, but quickly thought better of it...If he took her tongue, he’d receive no explanation. Anya’s breathing quickly picked up, growing huskier until she was practically panting against him. One of her hands shifted to the back of his head, further ensuring he couldn’t pull away. She was hyperactive with her kissing, so much so that Maximus couldn’t even keep up, her frenzied tongue-swirling and bashing more of an assault than anything else. After several long moments of the oral attack, Anya pulled back just long enough gasp out “I don’t hate you, you filthy, idiotic hu-”

She cut off her own contradictory statement by pushing her tongue back into his mouth. Practically trembling with overzealous excitement, she tried moving closer to press herself against him, but simply ended up pushing him over the stump until he sat down. He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow, breathing a little heavily from her unexpected passion. Her eyes were glazed, and her face had gone a few shades darker. Mouth hanging open, the tip of her tongue still poking out, she didn’t react to his fall for a moment. Eventually, she blinked, so flustered she was almost stumbling over her words. “S...Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that...Apologies...Let me...Resume my search...”

He said nothing, still giving her a bit of a harsh look. She promptly dropped to her knees, eyes and hands already homing in on his loins. Visibly swallowing, her voice was practically hoarse as she stammered out “I...I won’t w-waste time with searching illogical places. There’s only one spot you could p...Possibly hide a weapon...” She shoved her hands up under his armoured loincloth, hands darting for his trunks with all the eagerness of a dog in heat. She yanked them down his legs, pulling them around his ankles before finally throwing up his loincloth, exposing his rising pole. Her eyebrows shot up. Her eyes went wide. Her mouth hanging open in a little circle, she breathed out “Auri-El, be merciful...”

She quickly looked back up at him, lips pressing tight together in a hard line, her brow mildly furrowed. He simply stared down at her, hard expression persisting. Slowly, however, he began to smile, which only made her lips waver, the look in her eyes sharpening. It was almost as if she were offended that she couldn’t insult him, even resentful that he had presented her with something not at all unappealing. It was sort of entertaining, in a way. He hadn’t seen that kind of stubborn look on a woman’s face since his first run-in with Gabriella. She brought a hand to his shaft, wrapping her gauntleted fingers around him in a gentle squeeze.

Moisture collected at the corners of her eyes. In a soft, although noticeably indignant, voice, she said “...You’ve no idea what it’s like, being in the Thalmor...” She looked back down to him, opened her mouth, and unceremoniously dunked her head down into his lap, engulfing him between her lips. Maximus closed his eyes, briefly tensing up as the Altmer began having her way with him. Anya trembled and let out a loud moan at his very taste, the forbidden flavour of an Imperial heretic, filling her mouth with pulsating heat. Like the good little hypocritical, repressed slut that she was, she immediately began to suck like life itself depended upon it, cheeks hollowing as her soft lips slid across him.

Bunny, sweating under the sun, had been jogging down the path for a couple hours. Every so often, she’d go into a burst of speed, taking off in a run or even a sprint, yet always slowed back down to a jog before she tired herself out. The tough pace she kept gave her muscles a weary burn, but Bunny didn’t let that bother her, not with Maximus on the line. She kept her eyes on the path ahead of her as she moved, but periodically looked off the path on either side of herself; out in the open and exposed like she was, danger was possible with every step. Eventually, as Bunny passed a clearing towards her left, she glanced over. She immediately did a double-take, arching an eyebrow as she slowed to a stop.

Squinting, she raised a hand to her forehead, keeping the sun out of her eyes. It took her but a moment to discern their shapes in the shadows of the trees, a faint gasp catching in her throat as her eyes briefly widened. She ducked down and darted off of the path as quickly as she could, racing out of sight. She distanced herself from the group until she was sure she was far out of earshot, then began rushing up a nearby hillside. Once she reached the summit of the mound, she dropped down to her belly and crawled to the edge of the hill, peering down at the group so low she was practically looking between blades of grass.

It was a bit difficult to make them out, given their dark robes, but she was certain it was the Thalmor. When she spotted their supply pack and, better yet, the one remaining soldier in bright Elven armour, the group’s identity became glaringly obvious. Bunny’s brow furrowed as she looked around the camp a bit more, examining it further. There was no bonfire, so the group couldn’t have been planning on staying for long. On top of that, one of the soldiers, as well as Maximus himself, were missing from the campsite. Bunny’s first instinct was to let her anxiety get the better of her, but she simply closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and steadied her nerves.

Maybe Maximus had just needed to relieve himself, and a guard was watching him so he couldn’t try to escape. That had to have been it, and even if it wasn’t, Bunny had finally tracked them back down. She had made progress. Bunny inched back and rose to a knee, but paused before she went further. She glanced back, expression cold. She was in a perfect position to assassinate the Thalmor mages, but...Without knowing where Maximus was, she didn’t want to risk alerting them to her presence and endangering him. She stared at the Thalmor for a moment longer, then got up in a crouch and slipped away.

Staying elevated, Bunny followed the clearing deeper towards a nearby mountain, peering around for any trace of Maximus. It didn’t take her long to spot a pair of figures, although it took her a minute of manoeuvring to get close enough to make them out. As soon as she could properly identify them, her eyes went as wide as saucers, her jaw dropped, and colour flushed her face bright red. Never, not for even a single second, had she ever expected to find one of the Altmer giving Maximus a mouth massage. What, in the name of Dibella, had led up to this?

Down on her knees, hands on his thighs, head bobbing up and down in his lap without shame, this particular hatemonger was obviously engaging in...A bit of innocent pipe de-clogging, that was all. A bit of in-depth moisturizing for an irritated area. Maybe the supplies were running low, and she thought she’d use Maximus for an all-natural protein shot. Unless, of course, she was really wondering how many licks it took to get to the gooey center of an Imperial Creamsicle. But then, that would make her an atrocious hypocrite, wouldn’t it? And, weren’t the Thalmor infallible, all-powerful, and incapable of anything beneath righteousness? Oh, the juiciness of it all was enough to make her bite her lip!

Some part of Bunny felt wounded, and wanted to fire an arrow right down into the woman’s back for slurping on private property, but the rest wanted the show to continue...For various reasons. Maximus was leaning his head back in apparent ecstasy, so he’d surely be upset with her if she interrupted his fun. The Thalmor soldier’s career-ruining, and possibly execution-warranting, moment of temptation shouldn’t end so soon...She should wallow in her lies and see it through to the explosive finale. One of Bunny’s hands drifted downwards, and almost without realizing it, she began pushing against her loincloth, touching herself through the fur.

Her fat little pearl of a buzzer was already aching for attention, shedding it’s hood as it stood firm and proud. Amidst the intensifying throbs of need, she could feel the moisture collecting on her lips, seeping through her ridge until it flooded her valley. That stupid Altmer down there, she didn’t even know how lucky she was...Bunny would do anything to trade places with her, right then and there. She could probably do a better job at it than some uppity, pretentious elf, anyway! The young woman’s eyes glazed as she followed the Altmer’s bobbing head. She was...Sucking rather hard, wasn’t she?...No wonder Maximus was enjoying himself, so much. Bunny nibbled on her bottom lip again, shifting her hand to the side before slipping it up under her loincloth. Yes...It’d be best for everyone if she waited until the finish...

Anya gave an unabashed moan, spitting and drooling down his shaft, getting him as slick as possible as messily as possible. She took a break from her attempts at drenching him, pulling her head back until just the tip was between her lips. She shifted her hands, bringing one to his shaft to hold him steady, the other rubbing up and down across his stomach. Mercilessly swirling her tongue around the head of his pole, a little smile on her face all the while, she looked up towards his face, slurring out “Luh ow ah me! Luh ah me, Hahiyus!” Maximus raised his head, looking down at her with a tight jaw, eyes already clouding with pleasure.

Anya smiled more, gazing up into his eyes as she rapidly flicked her tongue back and forth across the underside of his tip, briefly paying special attention to the eye of his member. She swallowed some drool, then gave his tip a big, slow kiss, making eye contact with him all the while. She pulled back an inch, then seemed to change her mind, briefly closing her eyes as she moved back for a second kiss. Maximus closed his eyes, giving a little sigh of delight as a tremor ran up his spine. Anya shifted his manhood upwards, pointing it towards himself. As her head dunked lower, he heard her voice come up in a mumble. “Filthy human, making me service you like some common whore!...How dare you!...”

Her voice devolved into a moan as she pressed her mouth against his undercarriage, lapping her tongue against his skin. Maximus’ breathing slowly began to pick up, watching the High Elf try to suck his orbs into her greedy mouth, his rigid, spit-slick meat-stick stretching out across her face. Anya was huffing through her nose as she tasted him, letting out a breathless giggle as she finally sucked one of his orbs between her lips. She had a bit of fun for a few moments, loudly sucking the reactor back and forth between her lips, but eventually decided to let him slip with another breathless titter. She gave his undercarriage a couple big, sloppy kisses, promising them she’d draw out every drop possible.

She grabbed his thighs, panting with excitement as she pushed them further apart, giving herself more room to work. She glanced up at him and flashed him a grin, giving another chuckle before dunking back down, impaling her face over his throbbing tool. Maximus briefly tensed up, jaw tightening as Anya got back to business. Holding him by the thighs, she bobbed her head like a piston, pumping half of his battering ram between her lips. Sealing her mouth around him like a vacuum, every hard draw back made her cheeks hollow, and every dunk inwards made a squelching sound as his tip impacted with the back of her throat. Who would’ve thought this Altmer soldier could give such fantastic head? Seeing was believing.

He tried not to watch the Altmer’s head, moving back and forth in his lap. Given that she was sucking hard enough to give a Dibellan priestess a run for her money, paying her no mind was a particularly difficult task. Anya wasted zero time on putting on a show, or even taking her time and letting him really enjoy himself. For her, it all seemed to be about the payoff, the finish, the sticky reward she had to coax out of him. It was all her fantasy, and she needed that ultimate culmination to feel fulfilled. Maximus endured for a minute, listening to her coos, her slurping, her smacking lips. Her breath came out in burning waves, washing over his crotch faster and faster as Anya worked herself into a lather. She was like a machine!

He finally looked down at her, eyes fogged over, mouth hanging open a crack. Anya had been staring up at him the whole time, eyes lewdly sparkling, lips dragging and slipping along his shaft with every harsh suck. Now that she had his attention, however, she tried something new. She took in a deep breath, plunged her head down, and tried cramming him into her throat. Maximus groaned, one eye briefly closing at the sensation. Anya stared up at him, tears quickly running from her eyes at the strain. Mouth stretched wide around his pleaser, she couldn’t help but bare her teeth, head trembling as she kept trying to ram herself down. Another inch...Then another...And, then-

Maximus sighed, hanging his head back, again. Anya’s eyes were dazed and confused, the loss of her oral virginity leaving her more than a little ecstatic. Her throat began to visibly bulge as she pushed him further and further into her gullet, a few choked coughs and gurgles spitting out from around his shaft. She almost made it to his base before she pulled back, panting hard for air as she looked up at him. Breathlessly, she said “S...Sorry...Couldn’t do th...The whole thing...” By way of an apology, she gave him another batch of kisses, tittering as each one made his rod twitch away from her lips.

Then, he was back inside, and Anya was back to business. After a couple days without gratification, Maximus couldn’t hold out for long. Anya’s undeniably cum-hungry approach left him groaning at the end, signalling Anya that her effort had paid off. Her eyes went wide with glee as soon as he started spurting, quickly rolling back into her skull as the sweat droplets on her forehead ran down her face. Finally! This was it! This was what she had wanted! She pulled her head back until just his tip was between her lips, then began to suckle fiercely, using his manhood like a hot, burning straw down into his cream reservoirs.

Maximus groaned as the flames slowly subsided, a tremble running down his spine as he finished pouring a damningly large load into the Thalmor soldier’s accepting mouth. She had been sucking so intensely at him for so long, not only had his pole been coloured crimson, but tingling waves ran across his crotch in the afterglow. Breathing hard, he opened his eyes, looking down at her. Her cheeks puffing a little, she gazed right back at him, maintaining eye contact in an undeniable symbol of submission. She let his tip slip from her lips, but only once she was sure she had drawn out every single last drop of his payload. Turning her face up towards him, she opened her mouth, happily showing off the milky white puddle he had left in her mouth as if it was some kind of trophy.

All around her mouth and down her chin, she shone with spit and drool. Shiny trails from tears went down from the corners of her eyes, yet she couldn’t have been happier. She made a show of swirling her tongue around, mixing his batter to and fro so he could appreciate his own handiwork. Then, she closed her mouth, and started swishing his seed back and forth, getting a proper taste of the heretic jizz she had long coveted. Her eyes closed next and, after two small gulps, her throat tensed with a third big one, one final swallow sending the rest of his discharge down to her belly. Anya, smiling dreamily, rested for a few moments, then gave a quiet hum as she slowly began to pull his trunks back up to their rightful position.

Maybe it was getting her daily dose of sticky throat that did it, maybe it was simply the relief of giving in to her inner slut, but either way, Anya spoke with a genuinely complacent, pleasant tone. “There...You probably needed that even more than food and water. You’re not hungry, thirsty, or horny, anymore. I’ve taken care of all your needs, so I expect you to be able to keep up without any complaints when we begin marching, again. Alright?” Maximus simply stared at her as he caught his breath, slowly raising an eyebrow. It wasn’t as if he had had a say in what had just happened, now, was it?

She glanced away from his eyes and, after a moment, quietly sighed out “Oh, don’t look at me like that...I’m just being a considerate escort. W-What escort with dignity or class wouldn’t have done the same?...Now, stand up, we should get back to the camp before anyone wakes up. I’ll let you get back to your sleep...” Maximus quietly began to rise to his feet, letting Anya grab her supply pack before she took him by the arm...Much more gently, this time around. Maximus let her guide him back towards the camp, but as they walked, he subtly watched her through the corners of his eyes. Could he potentially use her attraction to him as a means to escape? Could he manipulate her buried desires? It might’ve been his only hope...

As Maximus was busy being molested, Gabriella, Svetlana, and Sabrina hid from the sun in another temporary shelter. This time around, their rest was even less peaceful, and they found themselves too anxious to sleep for more than a few hours. Sabrina tried encouraging the other two women to take advantage of their wakefulness and go on without her, and although they were tempted to follow her advice, they ultimately decided against it. As Svetlana pointed out, the entire reason they were in that particular situation was because they needed Sabrina. Leaving her behind, even by a few hours of marching, would simply defeat the purpose.

Sabrina gently raised her eyebrows, quietly saying “Well, alright...But, I can’t help feeling like I’m holding you two back, especially now.” Gabriella, her face lit up by the nearby bonfire the group had set up, held her grumbling stomach as she sat nearby. Glancing over at the corpses of the cave’s previous inhabitants, a few Frostbite Spiders, lying piled in one corner, she commented “We need you for this, Sabrina. We’re probably going to rely on you to handle most of the fight. Safest way to fight spells is with more spells, you know.” Sabrina sighed through her nose, replying with a light “I know...But, still...”

Svetlana got up to her feet from her nearby spot. Taking in a quick, deep sniff, she said “It’ll be fine, Sabrina...Although, now I’m wishing I had remembered to get back your cloak from Bunny, before this mess started. Anyway, Gabby, since you got the food last time, I’ll go out and search, this time...It’s too bad Bunny isn’t here. Some venison, right about now, would be heavenly. Kind of hard to catch a deer without a bow, though...” Gabriella’s stomach audibly growled at the mere mention of a hot, meaty meal, a slightly desperate shine filling her eyes as she looked over. Lightly, she answered “Anything at all will do. You sure you don’t want any help? Twice the hands, twice the scrounging.”

Svetlana shook her head, making her way towards the exit. Before slipping into a nearby cave corridor, she looked back and said “No, don’t worry about it. Stay here and rest. I’ll take care of it, this time. Maybe the search will tire me out, enough, to get some more sleep...Can only hope, anyway...” Gabriella and Sabrina were both quiet as Svetlana departed. If Gabriella had looked over at Sabrina, she’d rather easily be able to tell that something was on the vampire’s mind, but as soon as Svetlana left, her eyes simply went to the bonfire. Sabrina waited just long enough for her to be certain that Svetlana was gone, then turned her eyes to Gabriella.

She gently cleared her throat, then asked “Gabby, can I, erm...Ask a favour of you?” Gabriella looked over, a curious sheen filling her eyes. Giving a blink, she answered with a slow “Well...What kind of favour?” Sabrina’s brow gently furrowed. Her eyes went down to the floor, and she fidgeted somewhat uncomfortably. “Ahh...Well, um...You see, ahem...” Her mouth hanging open a crack, she raised her hands, nervously smoothing her hair behind her ears. Gabriella watched her all the while, an eyebrow slowly rising at the odd display.

After a couple seconds of silence, Sabrina finally sighed and said “Would you help me with...You know...My clothes?” The idea put a little frown on the Dunmer’s face. Gabriella briefly narrowed her eyes in confusion, then repeated “Your clothes? What do you mean?” Sabrina glanced at Gabriella’s eyes, but couldn’t maintain eye contact for more than a second before looking away. She cleared her throat again, then clarified. “What I meant is, could you help me find more clothes to wear?...Could you help me find a few specific things? And, maybe help me with my m...Makeup? I could likely benefit from some advice...” Sabrina’s face began to turn a bit pink, and her voice shrank as she added “I want to be pretty...For Maximus. I want some beauty tips...If you have any, that is.”

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. Quite bluntly, she asked “Really? But, I thought you didn’t like your new body? Don’t you want to find a way to go back to your old self?” Sabrina’s pallid face slowly began to flush a darker sizzle at the question. Practically whimpering, she said “D-Don’t make this any harder for me than it already is, Gabby. I know what I said, before. Things are...Things’re a little different, now. Now, I’m not so sure...” The colour began to drain back out of her face, and her voice became more confident as she finally met Gabriella’s eyes. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to counter the ring’s enchantment for over four years, now, and I haven’t made much headway...Something tells me the search won’t be ending, any time soon. Given my immortality, however, time isn’t really much of a concern. My relationship with Maximus, on the other hand...”

Gabriella gave a subtle sigh and quickly asked “Don’t you think Lana would be the better person to ask? I mean, she’s the Dibellan priestess. Being beautiful is part and parcel, in that temple.” Sabrina’s eyes widened, and she gave a quick, suppressed shake with her head. Raising her voice, she blurted out “Gods, no! She’d just take advantage of me, again!” Gabriella simply raised an eyebrow, giving Sabrina a cockeyed look in response. Sabrina nervously nibbled on her bottom lip with a fang, briefly glancing off to the side. After a moment, she gave a quiet sigh through her nose, then softly admitted “...The last time I accepted Lana’s help with something, she, eh...She kind of went overboard. You’re my only chance, Gabby. Please? I’ll pay you back, somehow!”

Gabriella’s mouth hung open, for a second. She made a little sound, a word that died before it was born, then looked off to the side. She gave a heavy sigh, then reluctantly said “...So, clothes and makeup...Anything else?” Sabrina immediately developed an excited smile. “You mean, you’ll help me?” Gabriella raised an eyebrow, eyes going half-closed as she flatly replied “I didn’t say that. We haven’t talked a price, yet. First, tell me exactly what you want.” Sabrina tried not to look discouraged. With a somewhat sheepish voice, she said “Well, you know...What clothes to wear to look good. I don’t have much in the way of a wardrobe, considering I wholeheartedly resented my new body, before I met you all...I’ll need help actually getting clothes, too, since most shops are only open when I’m asleep.”

“Alright...And makeup, too? Don’t you have makeup of your own?” Gabriella asked, briefly gesturing at her own mouth as she glanced at the black lipstick Sabrina was still wearing. Sabrina raised her eyebrows and gave a nod, her eyes brightening as she said “I do, yes, but I’m only just now beginning to get the hang of applying it. I’m a little more confident about my makeup than my clothes, but I’ll still take advice, if you have any.” Gabriella shrugged with her eyebrows, turning her attention back to the crackling bonfire, once more. “...Alright, fine, but you realize we won’t be able to do any of this until we get back to Markarth, right?”

Sabrina nodded, smiling widely with relief. “I know, it’s not in the here or now. My focus is entirely on getting Maximus away from the Thalmor...But, thank you. If you ever need anything, just let me know, and I’ll try to help. I’d really like to look my best, you know?” Gabriella’s eyes shifted over until she was looking at Sabrina through the corners of her eyes. One corner of her mouth began to curve upwards. “I’ll remember that. I can’t think of a price, off the top of my head, but...If I ever need a favour, I’ll know who to turn to...”
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The Forsworn Retribution