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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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The Eight and the One

The Forsworn Retribution
Part IX - "Crownless Kings"
By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson
Original Date Written: November 3, 2015

Max woke up a little bleary, a little disoriented; the expected price of cutting out a few hours of his sleep for a watch shift. That morning was, like every other morning they had spent in the mountains, pretty tough to get up for. The unexpected chill freezing him straight down to the bone made this one particularly miserable, however. Groaning with annoyance, he pushed himself up from the ice-cold grass, bitterly remarking “Alright, whose bright idea was it to let the fire burn out? Who...” His eyes shifted around. Everyone was asleep. Nobody had tended the fire, which meant someone hadn’t done their job properly. That meant that the group could’ve been attacked in the middle of the night, and would’ve been caught completely off-guard. More importantly than that, however, when Max did a headcount, he came up one short.

He shot up to his feet, his hand snatching up his sword from the grass in the process. The fog of sleep impaired his thinking, and the detritus stuck in the corners of his eyes irritated him, but still, he wildly looked around. No sign of her. The sun had barely risen, if she left or had been taken, she couldn’t have been more than a few hours out. But, which direction? Back west? If the Forsworn had taken her, they would’ve headed back for her camp. A hostage, maybe? He was already climbing the steep ascent of the mountainside as his mind wandered to worse alternatives. Maybe there had been Falmer on the other side of that rockfall, and mining out that iron ore had alerted them to new prey. Maybe, in the dead of night, they had cleared out the rubble, themselves. Maybe they had snuck into the camp and taken Gabriella back down into their den.

No. That couldn’t be it. But, could he really be sure? How did he know anything? Maybe the time had come, maybe she had just decided to slip away in the dead of night. He was still too tired, he wasn’t thinking straight. He hadn’t even woken the others up, so that they could help. He was getting ahead of himself, he knew he needed to stop and think, but if she had been taken and time was of the essence, then...He stopped moving once he reached the plateau far above the mine, the rest of the mountain range looming before him, their snow-capped summits pointing into the sky. Had that just been his imagination, or had he heard someone moving? He looked around. Without many trees in the area, the terrain was fairly open. It didn’t take him too long before he spotted a figure in the distance, stumbling as they made the descent down the next peak over.

Was she wounded? Maximus ran, sheathing his sword at his side to get it out of the way before he started sprinting. Once he was close enough, relief unwound the tight coil that concern had put inside his chest. It was her. The long black hair, the ash gray skin, they gave her away better than her custom leather armour ever could. He didn’t call her name, hoping to prevent any potential pursuers from locating her. He just needed to get her back to camp, neither of them were any better off with the others still being oblivious of their whereabouts.

She collapsed, slamming down to her front before rolling to the side, spinning down the side of the incline for several revolutions before she helplessly turned back around, her head pointed towards the descent, her feet towards the ascent. She went still for a couple seconds, but he spotted her raise her head and look at him once she heard him approach. Her relief was palpable. Even from a distance, he saw her close her eyes, dropping her head back down as she caught her breath. He started slowing down, rolling back to a jog as he reached her side. She was already pushing herself up from the grass when he leaned over, took her under her arms, and started helping her up. “Is anyone after you? What happened?”

“I don’t remember...Nobody’s after me, I don’t think.” She mumbled, still breathing heavy as she began to rise, leaning against him for support until she was finally on her feet. Max looked her up and down, noticing the dirt and dust she was coated in from head to toe. She watched his eyes, quietly asking “...How do I look?” He smiled, a little. Looking into her eyes, he reached out and gave her a pat on the arm, then remarked “You could use a bath, but other than that, no worse for wear. What do you remember?” Gabby barely shook her head, promptly mumbling “I told you, I don’t remember...I must’ve fallen asleep during my watch shift, last night. When I woke up, I was at the bottom of a pit. I have no idea how I wound up down there, o-or who put me there, but I had to climb my way back out. I’m just glad that I got out, feels like it took forever to finally reach the top...”

Maximus glanced past her, checking to make sure nobody had followed her. “Alright, it’s fine. Come on, let’s get out of here. If you can handle a bit of walking and don’t mind some cold water after all that, there’s a spot not far from here “ ”Yeah, alright. Are the others alright? Nobody else was taken, were they?” Max shook his head, already turning to walk away. “No, everyone’s accounted for. Don’t worry about them. C’mon, let’s get you washed up.” Gabriella didn’t answer him. She didn’t even nod. As soon as his eyes left her, her entire demeanor changed. Her breathing immediately calmed back down to a normal pace. Her eyes went down to the dirt, and her head started to tilt forward. Her gamble had paid off. Max had been too worried about her, and was now too relieved to have her back, to pay close enough attention to her story.

If he had, he probably would’ve realized she was lying to him, immediately. Getting away with the lie only made her feel worse. Not only was she lying about Astrid and her bargain, but she had banked on manipulating his emotions. It was bad enough that she was being deceitful, but for him to be worried enough for her to actually get away with it...There it was, again. That twisting in her stomach, that hollow gnaw of guilt. This was the way it had to be. At least for now, she couldn’t talk about it. What would she even say? This could be the best thing for her, right? With piles of gold and a place to hide from the Thalmor, it could guarantee her future, and she had to admit...The work didn’t sound particularly difficult. She had already gotten plenty of experience, in that particular field. Maybe he’d understand...

She started walking after him, a melancholy look on her face. The twisting snake in her belly was growing stronger with every step. Somewhat slowly, she started reaching out for his arm. He glanced at her when she looped her arms around his, hugging his left arm to her side. She started leaning against him, tiredly mumbling out “I’m sorry, Max...” A half-smile started growing on his face. “For what, disappearing, like that? Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t your fault. You had me going for a minute there, though. I was starting to think you might’ve decided that this fight was too much for you, though.”

“Yeah, right. I’m staying, Max, whether you like it or not...You know you’re stuck with me. If you had wanted to get rid of me, you never should’ve kept me around, for so long.” Max’s smile grew as he chuckled in his throat. Giving her a glance, he jokingly remarked “Listen to you, getting all sappy. I’m starting to think you were just as worried about me.” Gabby didn’t say anything. When she loosened her hold on his arm, he slipped it behind her, bringing it around her shoulders. She held him around his waist, pressing the side of her face to his shoulder. She closed her eyes and let him guide them towards their destination, feeling just a little bit better, now. Even if he had interpreted it wrong, she had apologized. It was a trick for them both. The pit of her stomach slowly began to fill.

Max brought her to the same stream he and Lana had bathed in, the night before. After slipping out of her clothes, Gabby stepped into the water. Max couldn’t help but chuckle at the way she quaked and shivered until goose bumps were running across her skin in waves. The water was never warm, but at that time of morning, it was particularly frigid. Standing just at the stream’s edge, Max crossed his arms over his chest and teased “How’s the water? As cold as I thought it was?” Gabby turned to face him, one eyebrow raised. Her jaw chattering away, she stammered out “Why don’t y-you join me and f-find out?” He chuckled, his eyes dropping to her diamond-hard nipples, sticking out like pebbles over her areolae. “I’ll pass,” he commented.

She responded by slapping the back of her hand against the water’s surface, sending a light splash of water cascading over onto his feet. He took a step back, brow furrowing even as his smile grew. A small grin started growing on her face as she turned her back to him. Casually, he warned “I’ll get you back for that, you know.” Her grin didn’t falter. She kept her bath as brief as possible. She barely washed her hair, preferring instead to try and shake out whatever dirt was in her locks before finally subjecting herself to the most potent chill of all. She got out of the water as soon as possible after that, desperately trying to press the water out of her hair and off of her scalp. After a few messy moments of trying to dry the rest of her hair, she gave up, deciding it a futile endeavour.

Before she could start pulling her armour back on, he came up behind her, gently sweeping one hand across her shoulder, the other across her back. “The fire’s already died out,” he remarked. “You might be able to keep warm by the forge or the smelter, but you’ll soak your armour, putting it on like this. We won’t have time to spare. After some breakfast, we’re heading back west. I want us to cover a lot of ground, today. Gonna have to make up for the detour Dulusha took us on.” Gabby didn’t say anything. She barely turning her head, looking at him from over her shoulder, watching his general direction through the corners of her eyes. She kept still as he threw away the water still clinging to her skin, brushing his hands across her arms and back.

He reached around her front, sweeping one hand down across her stomach, occasionally shifting one of her breasts when he’d bring his hand back up for another sweep downwards. Watching her eyes, he quietly asked “You ready for this? It could happen tonight, depending on how quickly we get there.” She turned her head a little more, enough to actually look into his eyes. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.” She mumbled, her eyes dipping from his as she turned her head back, facing her front. Unexpectedly, the hand he had at her front tightened on her hip, firmly pulling her around until she turned and faced him. Then, both his arms were around her, his hands planting firmly over her cheeks. Holding her fast by her pert rump, he pulled her off of her feet, pressing her tight against his body.

She instinctively wrapped her arms and legs around him, hooking her ankles together over the back of his scalemail vest. Her arms loosely connected over his shoulders before one of her hands rose to the back of his head. The other slid back to his shoulder as the two met each other’s eyes, her lips left barely parted. His tone was firm, but his voice was low. “No big risks, okay? No stunts. No chasing Briarhearts into caves. We’re not doing that, again. Got it? We’re playing this one smart.” Her eyes relaxed a little, easing half-closed. “Promise me the same, and you have my word.” The corners of his mouth flickered up in a shadow of a smile. A moment of silence lingered between them. She slid her hand down his back as she leaned in, closing her eyes. He kissed her back just as lightly, but soon, it turned fiery. He eased himself down to his knees, then laid her down on her back, their lips never separating.

By the time the two of them returned to camp, the others were already awake. They didn’t feel the need to try and explain their absence. After a quick breakfast, it was time to move on. They headed back east, planning on returning to the spot they met Dulusha at before continuing on their original northern path. Gods willing, they’d reach the Forsworn camp by nightfall. The darkness would help with hit-and-run guerilla tactics, and would be a necessity for Sabrina’s involvement. Everyone’s skills would have to come into play, during this battle. Sabrina and Svetlana’s Magicka, Bunny’s archery and alchemy, Gabriella’s speed and finesse, Anya’s endurance and discipline, as well as his own brutality and resolve; these were the tools he had to work with. If he used them intelligently, it should be enough to see things through.

A hand smacked him across the face. “Wake up,” she ordered. He groaned, lightly shook his head, and opened his eyes. Glancing around, he couldn’t see a thing. The last thing he remembered, he had been on patrol. Yes, he had...He had passed by a cave on his route, and when he heard footsteps, he had gone to investigate...Everything after that was a blank. “Good. We need to talk, you and I. If you answer my questions honestly, I won’t have any issue with letting you go. Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.” The man looked around. He wasn’t in pitch darkness, but all the same, he couldn’t see more than a couple feet around himself. Some kind of dim light was radiating out from under him, and considering he felt completely immobilized no matter how hard he tried to shift his arms, he had to have been tied up.

When he looked down, his eyes widened in panic. He hadn’t been tied up, at all. He had been paralyzed. From the neck down, he was utterly limp, utterly defenceless. His arms were completely free to move, lying over the wooden armrests of the chair like they were, but they simply wouldn’t respond to his commands. A small ball of Magelight must’ve been under the chair he was sitting on, casting a rather narrow beam of light upwards around his body, creating a curtain around him too weak to show him his aggressor.

The hand came out and slapped him across the face again, harder this time. His brow furrowed at the sting in his cheek, while his eyes focused on the arm protruding from the darkness. Bare, pale skin, no sleeve. Fingernails long, impeccably groomed, and painted black. A woman, no doubt. But, why? She pointed at his chin from below, remarking “Do I have your attention? Good. I only have a few questions for you.” The man’s breathing began to elevate, flaring his nostrils. Trying to keep his calm, he asked “About what?” She withdrew her arm, pulling it back into the darkness. “You’re one of the Reachmen. Considering the area, would it be incorrect to assume that you’re from the same clan as someone named Straight Arrow?”

The man’s eyes went confused, but the anger remained. Cautiously, he brusquely remarked “Yeah, so what?” The woman’s arm came swinging down, into the light. The man threw his head back, gritting his teeth as he choked back a scream. He had no idea where he was, but it didn’t matter. He was at someone’s mercy, this place might as well have been Oblivion. As for her, she was already beginning to enjoy this. It had been such a long time since she had toyed with someone, like this. This wasn’t who she was, she’d often tell herself, and yet it was so enjoyable, hearing their hearts race faster and faster. She could see the life inside him, flowing through his limbs like cherry fire. This old anger, victimizing someone without restraint, without the slightest pang in her conscience, it was so wholly satisfying. It was times like these that gave her a hard time telling herself that she wasn’t a monster. The guilt would come, but only later. Only in hindsight.

Sabrina twisted the iron dagger, then let go of it, leaving it embedded into his knee. Holding his thighs, she leaned over, bringing herself into the light a little better. When he raised his head and looked at her, he started breathing so raggedly that mucous began to dribble from one of his nostrils. She made no attempt to disguise her fangs, baring her teeth in wide-eyed anger as she, quite calmly, muttered “I don’t like your tone, friend. Upset me more, and we can spend the entire day exploring what it means to torture. I have all the time in the world, and very little patience for impudence.” His eyes darted back and forth between her blood-red eyes, smoldering with a cold, calculating rage. What could a vampire possibly have wanted with his clan? Was she thinking of trying to enthrall the entire camp? These freaks always had such an addiction to gorging themselves that they’d always end up biting off more than they could chew.

The light from below put intimidating black pits around Sabrina’s eyes, filling every depression and curve in her face. Leaning over like she was put her immense cleavage on display, a conscious choice by Sabrina. She wanted to give her captive the opportunity to look straight down her dress. Allowing her tremendous bust to press even more heavily against her dress than it already did was an effective interrogation tactic, she decided - sugar and salt, sweet and bitter, wonder and agony, both putting him off-guard and leaving him confused. Even if he didn’t look, her captivating bust remained in his peripheral vision, undoubtedly registering in his mind even if only on a small scale. In spite of her tremendous globes, his eyes instead remained on the tips of her fangs, peeking out between her lips as she spoke.

“I don’t mean to get upset. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten angry, like this. I’ve learned to keep a great deal of self-restraint, over the years. But, I have a very dear friend who would appreciate some answers, and I’ve taken it upon myself to obtain them, for him. If you know Straight Arrow, then you’re precisely the man I need. Please, be cooperative, and I’ll be civil, in turn.”

Sabrina brought one hand up to her chest, gently cupping one of her breasts, delicately tracing her fingers across the swell of her globe. In a softer voice, she added “I can either be your salvation, or I can be your Oblivion. Your choice.” The man glanced down into her cleavage, then darted his eyes back up to her’s. Gritting his teeth in pain, he shifted his breathing to his mouth, gave a couple tiny, rapid shakes with his head, then asked “W-What, what do you want to know?!” Sabrina lowered her hand back from her chest. It might not have been the implied reward that was getting his cooperation, but she wasn’t about to complain. She stood up straight, getting her face out of the light, leaving only her body from below the neck partially illuminated by the Magelight. Flatly, she asked “How many people are there in your camp, exactly? Give me a number, please.”

The man raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and quickly said “I don’t know, I’ve never counted everyone! It’s a bunch of families, we all live together!” He didn’t get a response for several seconds, and it swiftly had him sweating bullets. Eventually, Sabrina asked “How many Briarhearts does your camp have? How many Hagravens? How many people use Magicka?” The man’s eyes started to shift around. His breathing was calming down. Sabrina’s eyes narrowed. Bad body language, indicative of deceit. How unobservant did he think she was? “Uh...We just recently lost one of our Briarhearts, but Sun Eater volunteered himself for the process, so now we have two, again. Uh...Fff...Fuck, um...Hagravens, there’s only the one. Magicka, we have about six Ice Maidens, a-and-” Sabrina slapped her hand down on his own left. She grabbed one of his fingers, squeezed, and pulled.

His entire arm lurched out from his body, a wet rip filled the air, followed by a faint pop. He couldn’t hold back a brief scream. As his arm flopped back down to his side, falling off of the armrest, Sabrina threw her arm out behind herself, letting something small hit the cave wall. She came back into the light, her bloody hand grabbing him by the throat. She pushed his head back, choking him out of his yelling as she brought her face over his. She kept her voice down, muttering “Stop lying to me. You know what is undoubtedly one of the greatest perks of vampirism? I’m strong enough to rip a man’s arm straight out of it’s socket with nothing but my bare hands. Let’s not be so hasty straight away, however. Ask yourself this: am I going to allow you to lie to me nine more times before I leave your hands completely useless?”

The man had tears in his eyes from the pain. As she let go of him, he groaned out “Th...Three Hagravens...Oh, gods!...One of the Briarhearts uses Magicka...Just the six Ice Maidens, I swear!” Sabrina nodded and let go of his throat. Taking a step back from him, she asked “What kind of fortifications does the camp have? Have walls been built around it? Is the camp inside an old fort, or ruin?” He shook his head, unintentionally throwing around sweat clinging to his bangs. “I-It’s just a normal camp...Fur tents on the mountain side, b-big fire pits for warmth...” He screwed his eyes shut and bared his teeth, holding back a shout of pain as he huffed and puffed. He could still feel his finger, as if it were still there. It felt like the dagger in his leg was slowly prying off his kneecap. If only he could move his arm, he’d yank it out and cut her damn throat.

He shook his head again, blurting out “That’s it, I swear! What in Oblivion could you want from me, other than that? What else could I tell you? What does a vampire even want with us, anyway?!” Sabrina held her hips. Staring down at him, brow furrowed deep, she calmly stated “Nothing at all, really. Personally, I have no quarrel with your people. However, my friend does, and I’ve promised him my aid. That’s more than you need to know, you aren’t the one asking questions, here. How many of your clansmen are veterans of the attack on Markarth, some time ago?”

The man raised an eyebrow. Clearly, he thought it an odd question. “W-What? How should I know? Uh, wait, let me think!...S...Some of the fathers and mothers, I guess? The older ones, maybe about...Uh...” Sabrina brought her hand over to his, again. His eyes widened. Panicked, he exclaimed “N-No, wait! Maybe eight! E-Eight, yeah! They’re old enough, they must’ve been there, at the time! Can’t be more than eight, nobody else is old enough!” “Eight is more than enough,” Sabrina softly answered. She slipped her hand away from his, and he sighed with relief. Yes...Eight could be enough, for Max. Eight people directly involved. Eight lives directly responsible. Eight for one, eight to repay two.

There were a couple seconds of silence, the only noise being the man’s ragged breathing. Eventually, he risked asking “...Are you going to kill me? Y’know, if you kill me...I’m already late for my check-in, you know. If you kill me, when they come looking for me, they’re going to be especially upset to find my corpse.” His brow slowly began to furrow. Sabrina said nothing. She just began crossing her arms under her bust, listening attentively. His jaw was setting tighter. The guilt of giving away information was sinking in, it seemed. “I’ve told you everything you wanted...Just let me go, get as far away from here as possible before my clansmen track you down, tie you to a pole, and start sunbathing, with you. If it’s still daytime, then you’re stuck here for quite a few precious hours.”

He arched an eyebrow, his stare up at her beginning to turn into a glare. “If you let me go, you’ll have a better chance to get out of here. People won’t go looking and find us, together. I’ll have to get back to the camp before I send people out after you, instead. Could buy you a couple hours.” He let out a bit of a breathless chuckle, snorting back in that leaked mucous as he shook his head. Clearly, the endorphins were kicking in. That irritating undercurrent of amusement persisted throughout his words as he added “A vampire, around here. Who would’ve thought. You came to a bad place, friend. We patrol these lands, we own these lands.” Anger began to mix into his voice. Narrowing an eye, he began glaring up at her. His grin was the straw that broke the camel’s back. “Gonna have to sleep some time, lady. We might even find your dear friend, too.”

Sabrina smiled. She gave a little chortle, then breathed out “I’m not going to kill you, friend...I’m even going to let you go, too. But, there’s just one more thing I want you to do, for me.” The man gave a somewhat jittery nod, mumbling “Sure, whatever. If you’re smart, this won’t be a last request.” Sabrina gave a little grin. She stepped closer to him, reached out, and placed her hands on his shoulders. With a deliberate slowness, she said “It’s the six of us against an entire camp...We need every advantage we can get. You know what we could really make use of?...A man on the inside, creating a distraction.” “What? Are you insane?” He blurted out. “That wasn’t an offer,” she snapped, a bloodthirsty grin splitting her face in two. “That was an order.”

His eyes locked on her’s. The red in her eyes made him feel warm all over. The whites of her eyes were so clear, they were practically glowing. She grabbed the side of his head, pushed him over until he was kissing his shoulder, opened her mouth wide, and brought her head down. He didn’t even shout. As she took from him, so too did her Gift spread into him, and as bits of his mind melted away, so too did her will supplant his own. When she pulled her head back up, she took a few slow steps back from him, raising her hand to sweep her thumb under her lip. The Magelight under his chair finally went out, leaving them in complete blackness. “Now,” Sabrina murmured, “Rest up...And go home.”

A few hours passed. Maximus and the others made it back to their old campsite around noon, then continued on their original northern path. Everyone was fairly quiet, but unlike their original departure from Sabrina’s den, this time around, nobody felt crestfallen over the silence. This time, it was clear to everyone that they were in hostile territory. They were closing in on an isolated camp, scouts would have free reign to range as far as they wanted and patrols could be over any crest, free to focus on defence rather than avoiding drawing attention to themselves. Speaking would just make too much noise, they were already at risk as it was, marching about in a group during daylight hours, like they were.

The steep mountain range to their left and front, climbing into the western and northern skies, the great expanse of the Reach and Haafingar to their right, Skyrim beyond, this could’ve been as deep into the wilds as Maximus had ever been. This was the domain of the Witchmen. Nobody but the Bretons walked these lands, now. Max eventually took Bunny aside, walking separately with her from the others for a bit of a quiet chat. He cut right to the chase, telling her that he had something he needed her to do to help everyone with the upcoming battle. If it made her uncomfortable, he said, he’d understand, but the fact remained that her skills could’ve proven a great boon to their efforts. She affirmed that she was willing to do anything, and told him she was more than willing to take his direction, as always.

“Well...I need you to make poison, for us. It’s an advantage we can’t ignore.” Bunny glanced over in his direction, eyes lingering downwards. They never stopped walking. Maximus watched her face, calmly adding “You know better than anyone the kind of numbers we’ll be dealing with. We’re gonna need everything we can get to even the odds. I know it might make you uncomfortable, considering-” “No, it’s fine. When do you need it?” Bunny curtly asked, raising her eyes to his. “As soon as possible. After sunset is fine, but as far before sunrise as possible, if it can be helped.” Bunny nodded, looking away in thought. Taking in a breath, she sighed out a mumble, absentmindedly thinking aloud. “Okay...Um...Right, okay. I think I could get my hands on the ingredients for a poison or two. We already have Juniper berries, so...Uh...Yeah, alright.”

Maximus gave half a shake with his head, curiously commenting “It doesn’t bug you, me asking you to do the same thing Straight did?” Bunny looked over into his eyes. She gave a light, brief shake with her head, a smile growing on her lips. “Nope, not at all. Why would it? It wasn’t the poison-making that I had a problem with, it was them wanting it, and what they’d do with it. If I’m going to collect what I need, though, I’m gonna have to go, right away. Some of the stuff I need, you can’t find this high up, and most of the ingredients are from fish, anyway. It’s been a while since the last time we found a stream, but if I go down the mountainside, I’ll find what I need in the Karth River, for sure.”

“Alright, that’s fine. Get out of here, Tiger.” One corner of Bunny’s mouth rose in a half-smile. She lightly cleared her throat, then said “Well, uh...One second. There was something I wanted to tell you, actually. I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff, lately.” He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, wordlessly prodding her on. Bunny raised her hands for a few moments, somewhat nervously coiling and playing with her fingers before dropping her hands back down, forcing herself to stop. With subdued confidence, she said “I need to stand up for myself, more. If there’s just one thing I’ve learned from you, it’s that people who actually try to get what they want, get what they want. I need to be...More obvious about the things I want, and especially the things I don’t want.”

He nodded. Bunny raised her eyebrows high, looking at him with resolve in her eyes. “You can’t just...You can’t just trust that people aren’t going to cheat you. Nothing in life is ever going to just be fair, to you. If you want anything for yourself, you need to be direct. Take it, if you need to. Some people won’t leave you alone. Some people won’t listen to reason. Sometimes, you need to be, um...Well, direct.” She relaxed, a little. Her eyes fell half-closed as she added “At first, I was a little, uh...A little uncomfortable about the idea of going back to the clan. They were a bad family, but they were still my parents and siblings, right? Well...Then I remembered them throwing me out to die, and abandoning me when I was captured. I’m just repaying the favour, now.”

Her voice started to go a little small. “You’d never do that, to me. You and everyone else have been a better family to me than my own clan. And, besides...I realized, along the way, that if I didn’t help them with their plan, they’d just come after me. If they figured I had ruined their plan, they’d scour everywhere between the Reach and High Rock, looking for me. So, I’m ready for whatever we need to do. This is my best shot at peace, and I wouldn’t be able to do it, without you. It’s thanks to you that I’m even alive, today. So...Thank you, Max, and...I love you.” She stepped closer to him, touching his arm as she went up on her tippy-toes. She pressed a kiss to his jaw, then started to walk away, heading east towards the nearest descent. Max raised an eyebrow, pausing as he watched her go. “You’re welcome,” he answered, before she went out of earshot.

“Sabre, you gods-damn fool, where in Skyrim have you been? You were due back hours ago.” The man came to a stop, his slow, lumbering steps thudding hard against the ground. The Forsworn at Straight Arrow’s sides eyed him up and down, looking at him with suspicious curiosity. His skin was paler than usual, his ginger hair was matted down with sweat, and his green eyes were listless. Evidently, he had been attacked by something - not only was he missing a finger, but it looked like something had bitten into his knee, leaving his leg riddled with rivulets of dried and fresh blood. Even more troubling, he was without his weapon. His disgraceful state made Straight curl her lip up.

It was still agonizing to speak, but Straight wasn’t about to show weakness to the others. Bad enough that her broken teeth had given her a slight speech impediment, but a lisp, she could live with. Speaking around her small mouthful of medicinal herbs, she remarked “...You look like shit, Sabre. What happened, did a skeever pass you something nasty? Should’ve kept your eyes open.” Sabre barely shook his head, the movement of which nearly sent him swaying. “N...No...” He croaked out, prompting some of the others to narrow their eyes in confusion. Straight’s brow slowly furrowed as Sabre mumbled out “I don’t remember what happened...I woke up...In a cave, or a mine...I don’t know how I got there...I...I feel like I’m gonna puke...” “Oh, c’mon. I thought you were tougher than that. Stop being so dramatic. It’s just a finger, you’ll live.” Straight callously remarked.

One of the Forsworn at her side glanced at her, then muttered “I don’t know, Straight. He looks pretty exhausted. You were joking, but now I’m seriously starting to wonder if he caught something, out there. Could be Ataxia. Maybe he was stupid enough to poison himself, by accident.” Straight glanced at him, pressing her lips tight together in a small frown. Another of the Forsworn stuck out an arm, snapped their fingers by Sabre’s face, and said “Hey, look at me. Did you eat any mushrooms, while you were out there? You weren’t stupid enough to eat a Nirnroot, were you?” Sabre slowly shook his head. His arms started quaking, prompting him to feebly wrap his arms around himself, the man even beginning to hunch over, a little.

As the man’s jaw began to chatter, Straight’s frown grew, one of her eyes widening in bewilderment. “I didn’t...I didn’t eat anything...I’m f-freezing...Something’s wrong...” “No doubt,” Straight dryly commented. Another of the Forsworn nodded to the side, then said “Go on, then. Could be Bone Break Fever. Might as well go see Moira. Get out of here before you pass it to the rest of us.” Sabre nodded, then started shuffling away. Straight turned and watched him go. Once he was out of earshot, one of the Forsworn closest to Straight looked at her and asked “So...This patrol you wanted us to go on. When did you want it done?”

Straight looked over at him. She needed a second to tongue some herbs out of the back of her mouth, but then she was muttering “Tonight. We’ll be gone for a few days, probably. I know the territory we need to search, it’s a bit south of Markarth.” “Has Sun Eater okayed this trip?” Another Forsworn asked. Straight’s brow furrowed deep, but instead of glaring at the man, she looked up the nearby hill. The tall tent loomed high above, separated from the rest on a small plateau near a sheer mountain wall, not far from the Hagravens’ brooding grounds. Barely moving her lips, she muttered out “I haven’t seen him, since the ritual. It’s fine, though. I’m sure he’d give it the okay. I embarrassed myself, coming back without my sister...We’re gonna set that right.”

Turning her head back to him, she stared into his eyes, resolutely ordering “Sundown. Be ready. We’re leaving after sunset, and we’re not coming back until either we have Bunny with us, or we have her head on a stick. Got it?” They all nodded, then began dispersing, each walking off in different directions. Straight looked back up in the direction of her father’s tent. Funny how things had changed, so quickly. From warlord to Briarheart, he had ascended. He had offered himself to the hags, and they had accepted. He was more than he used to be, and yet, she was sure he had left behind just as much as he had gained.

All for revenge, he had sacrificed for strength. His flesh and mind had been sundered for power. Straight looked away, beginning to walk towards her own tent. Her eyes locked on the dirt, her brow began to sink. His humanity in exchange for fighting the occupiers?...Was Sun Eater even the same man, anymore? Surely her mother had supported his decision. She still had the scars from the ousting of Markarth. Straight couldn’t question his resolve, but...Had it really been worth it? She supposed she’d ask him, the next time he showed himself. Maybe his newfound strength make the difference between victory and defeat, in the upcoming liberation. Maybe he’d join the same annals as Red Eagle, and stand a legendary hero.

“Is that...What I think it is?” Anya mumbled aloud, her brow furrowing. Everyone looked over. Maximus slowly raised his eyebrows. Svetlana took a few steps closer, raising her eyebrows high. Her lips began to stretch into a smile. She gave Anya a sidelong glance, but it was Gabriella who voiced the remark on Lana’s mind. Gazing at the shrine, she muttered out “I guess the Empire hasn’t destroyed every single one.” Anya stared at the faraway shape, absentmindedly mumbling “...This deep in Empire territory?...How did this one go unnoticed?...” Max barely glanced in Anya’s direction, then muttered “It’s miles into Forsworn territory, and it’s halfway up the mountain border. I’m not surprised, at all.”

There were a few seconds of silence. Max stared at the imposing figure, ahead. Just before him lay a nearly imperceptible path, walked into the grass by pious feet in better times. At the top of the path, at the peak of the steep ascent, was a small shelf in the mountain, just barely big enough to accommodate a shack. There, waiting for those who would come, waiting for true believers and those who did not fear persecution, was a shrine of Talos, the Hero-God of all Mankind, He who conquered Tamriel and founded the Third Empire, He who ascended to divinity upon His death. Slowly, Max put one foot ahead. Then, the other. Anya’s eyes shifted to him. She spoke his name, with confusion. Gabriella and Svetlana both looked over at her, watching her carefully. Anya’s jaw tightened, just a little. She took a step forward, cautiously warning “It could be a trap, Maximus. Maybe people are watching it?”

Max barely looked over his shoulder at her, then continued walking. Anya took another step forward, her eyes widening a touch as she added “It wouldn’t be the first time a shrine of Talos had been used for a trap, Max. You shouldn’t be doing this-” “Don’t make this awkward.” Gabby muttered, slowly walking past Anya. Svetlana folded her hands together, over her stomach. Stepping forward until she was right next to the Altmer, her eyes were down on the ground, yet she kept an eyebrow raised. In a soft voice, she calmly stated “You’re not a Thalmor soldier, anymore. Nobody’s forcing you to take part. You don’t have to join in, and you can think it’s wrong, if you choose to. But, don’t try to stop us, Anya. This is the eve of our greatest battle, and this is our God of War.”

Anya’s mouth began to hang open. She watched Svetlana slowly walk past her, following in Gabriella’s footsteps up the trail. One of Anya’s hands slowly clenched into a tight fist, at her side. After a moment, however, she loosened her grip. Her jaw tightened, a little. Stubborn humans. She didn’t budge from her spot. Max kept looking at the shrine as he ascended the incline. The large sculpture had been lovingly crafted out of a charcoal-gray stone, easily standing over a dozen feet tall. The likeness of General Talos, Tiber Septim the Emperor, was of an athletic man, nimble-looking yet chiselled with muscle. His likeness made His heritage out to be somewhat indeterminate, but given the territory and culture that had crafted this particular shrine, it was largely unavoidable that the statue would be given some Nordic facial features.

Talos was depicted as a bearded man with a grim, fearless countenance. A winged helm on His head, a cloak about His shoulders, He wore a chainmail tunic over His body, while His calves were covered over in studded shin guards connected to a pair of sandals. Max’s eyes followed His arms, going over the studded leather bracers around His wrists and forearms, ending at the narrow Gladius He held secure under His fists. His depiction had Talos standing over some kind of long, beaked serpent, one of Talos’ feet placed firmly upon the side of it’s body, pinning it to the ground. The point of His blade was aimed down at the serpent’s face, a threat it evidently did not appreciate, considering it was depicted hissing up at the Emperor.

Max rose to the top of the incline, coming within half a dozen feet of the shrine. Looking up into the statue’s face, he met the great general’s eyes, locked downwards in the direction of any newcomers. Max raised his eyebrows. His jaw eased open, but his mouth stayed closed. As Gabriella reached the top of the incline, she saw Max ease himself down to a knee, his head dropping until he was looking at the base of the shrine. She stopped walking, blinking a couple times as she kept a respectful silence. When Svetlana reached the top of the ascent, she, too, kept a slight distance from Max. Unlike Gabriella, she bowed her head, joining Max in silent prayer. Gabriella looked over her shoulder, giving Anya a look. The Altmer hadn’t moved a muscle. She simply stood at the base of the hill, watching them from below. Gabriella looked away. You could lead a horse to water, but you couldn’t make it drink. Suited her just fine. If Anya wanted to hold on to her intolerance, then so be it.

The shrine remained silent for several minutes. Maximus eventually unsheathed his sword, then thrust the point into the dirt at his feet, leaving the sword standing in front of his face. He left one of his hands over the pommel of his sword, holding it in place. He closed his eyes. He had never personally expected anything of the Nine. He was just one man, he had never been selfish enough to expect that any of them should have any influence over his life, let alone directly do anything for him. He often didn’t think of what they had asked mortals to do. He had always dealt with his problems his own way, either through his own charisma or through the manipulation of others. He was far from perfect, but if there was one thing he had done right in his life, it was that he had never shirked from his goals. He had never ran from his responsibilities or given up on his ideals.

He opened his eyes. Raising his chin, he looked up into Talos’ eyes. Slowly, he rose to his feet, resting both hands on the pommel of his steel sword. It doesn’t matter how you live. It matters how you die. He had never faltered, no matter the odds. He had never abandoned his struggle. Should he perish, he would surely go to Sovngarde, walking with those heroic and courageous, sharing with them the tale of his vendetta at Shor’s hearth. However...This might not have been his time. In fact, this may have been his finest hour. He was a tactician, a strategist, and he had skilled individuals who would follow his command, people he wanted to bring back alive from this ordeal. He didn’t ask for guidance, and he didn’t want protection. He didn’t need it. He had confidence in himself. However, should he fail...If Talos saw fit to shield them, he would be grateful.

He was lover to Gabriella. He was friend to Svetlana. He was paramour to Sabrina. He was teacher to Bunny. He was ally-in-arms to Anya. Yes, even Anya, the Altmer who wouldn’t even approach this shrine, the woman who had tried to sentence him to death for the very thing he was doing right then and there. She was remorseful, and she deserved the new life she had planned for herself. That new life had been put on hold to assist him in his retribution. If He saw fit to protect her, he would be thankful. A leader was only as good as his soldiers, and these women had helped bring him to where he was, now. His glory was their glory, too. Max was going to do everything in his power to see they lived through this ordeal, but he couldn’t be everywhere on a battlefield, at once. He was just one man.

Max kept one hand on his sword as he stepped forward. He reached his free arm out, pressing his palm against the platform at the base of the shrine. Neither Gabriella nor Svetlana turned their heads when they heard the faint clanging of armour. Svetlana opened her eyes, looking up to the face of the shrine. Gabriella watched Max look over his shoulder as Anya rose to the top of the path, slowly walking up between the Dunmer and Nord. Anya looked up at Talos’ face, then bowed her head. Like Svetlana, she folded her hands together, in front of herself. An uncomfortable silence lingered for several long moments. In a subdued voice, she eventually murmured “...Auri-El, shield me.”

Svetlana, looking off into the distance, softly answered “Mara, preserve me.”

Gabriella calmly said “Azura, watch over me.”

Max looked back over at the shrine. “...Talos, guide me.”

Another few moments of silence filled the area. Eventually, Max dropped his hand from the shrine. As he pulled his sword out of the dirt and sheathed it, Anya confronted the elephant in the room, at least for herself. With an open, honest expression, she slowly said “...I don’t care whether I was right about you or not, Max. I don’t care whether this is a belief you’ve always held, or if this Talos worship is just a spur of the moment thing...Honestly, I don’t care, anymore.” Maximus slowly raised his eyebrows as he turned around, facing her. Anya met his eyes. “I just want to get away from it all. I never...I never had the banning of Talos in my heart.” Maximus raised his hand to silence her, but she didn’t stop.

Raising her eyebrows, she added “I genuinely don’t see how a mortal, human or Mer, could become a god, and yes, part of me does think that it’s just humans deifying an ordinary man, but...You once told me that you don’t think anyone should be killed for something they think. I agree. My track record doesn’t support it, but I do. You need to understand, there was no stopping it. Dissent was silenced, even in the Isles. I never wanted to be on the receiving end. What could I have possibly done to fight it? I know that part of me went along with it because I didn’t want to be a victim. Finally being on the receiving end of this has...Made me more sympathetic. You know that, don’t you?” “I know,” Max stated, his eyes wearily falling half-closed. He noticed the front of Anya’s throat tense as she swallowed.

She gave a fidgety glance over her shoulder, then asked “Very well, then. Could we please leave here, now? Call it offensive if you want, but it’s making me very uncomfortable, standing so close to this thing.” “Fine. I’m done here, anyway.” Max answered, beginning to walk away. As he reached Anya’s side, he raised his arm, planting his hand on her pauldron. Turning his head enough to look sidelong at her, he lowered his voice as he pointed out “By the way, I asked Him to protect you, too.” “...You didn’t have to do that.” Anya looked over at him as he started smirking. “It’s the thought that counts,” he remarked. The corners of Anya’s lips barely sank in a disapproving grimace. But, then her voice was softening, too. “Well...Thank you.”

His smirk grew into a grin. “Don’t thank me, just yet. If I turn you loose before I add “Altmer” to the list of creampies I’ve baked, I’m gonna be pissed.” “Max!” Gabby indignantly blurted out, her brow furrowing deep. Anya’s throat visibly tensed, again. Well, that changed the mood. Her nostrils flared uncontrollably at the rude innuendo she very clearly understood, all too well. Svetlana grinned like a lecher, openly chortling at the dirty talk. Anya’s voice cracked as she tackled the unseemly situation as best she knew how, stammering out “I-I don’t think I follow what you mean, by that.”

Max’s grin went from ear to ear, his eyebrows arching high with amusement. Holding back a chuckle, he remarked “You’ll find out soon enough, don’t you worry.” He dropped his hand from her shoulder, gave her crotch a little pat, and started walking down the slope. Her entire body jerked away from his hand, out of raw shock. He dared to touch her there? In public, in front of people? Anya just stood there as Svetlana walked after the others, clearing her throat and running her fingers through her bangs, preening herself in an obvious attempt to regain her composure. Gabriella was already sulking and scowling, and Max was just chuckling and telling her not to be jealous. Such incivility...

It was minutes from sunset when Max stopped walking. His eyes widened, a little, as his jaw tightened. He dropped to a knee, crouching low to the ground. Glancing left and right, he hissed “Get down, all of you! Listen!” The others did as he bade, dropping low. Gabby held her breath. Footsteps. Maybe a kilometer out in the distance, smoke rose into the sky, billowing out from some bonfire over the hill standing before them. The presence of fire was enough to tell Max that they were about to step on a hornet’s nest, but the footsteps were just as troublesome. A patrol, maybe, and his team was down two members. They couldn’t risk it, they couldn’t afford alerting the camp. Max quickly looked around for somewhere to hide. Where in Ysmir’s name were Sabrina and Bunny?

(Author's Note - Hey guys, here’s a new chapter for you all:). So, the chapter opens up with Max getting a bit of a scare, but he eventually finds Gabby, fresh from, according to her, climbing her way out of that grave we found her in, at the end of the last chapter. She guiltily lies to Max about what happened, and manages to pull the wool over his eyes before the two have a private moment. After that, we find out where Sabrina had disappeared to, during the last chapter. On Max’s behalf, she captures and interrogates a Forsworn scout for information, then turns him into her thrall before sending him on his way. I wonder how that will play out?...

Before being sent off for poisonous ingredients, Bunny asserts to Maximus that she’s learned from him to be more straightforward and direct, and to make it obvious what she wants and doesn’t want. As her first order of business, she tells him she loves him, then scampers off. We see Straight, then, who, instead of being suspicious and doing the smart thing of raising an alert and ramping up patrols in the area for enemies, berates Sabrina’s thrall for being weak, allowing him to go deeper into the camp. Finally, the chapter ends with the group finding a shrine to Talos, which Max uses to ask for the God of War’s blessing, specifically to protect his lady friends. With the Forsworn camp mere minutes away, and without Bunny to guide the group through the terrain, the group may have walked into the lion’s den a little unprepared...Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter:D!)
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The Forsworn Retribution