I had been in Skyrim ten days, from the first look to now, the dangers had only gotten worse. And what a first look, one of the old barrow's, I had seen movement and thought that humans were down there up-keeping the tomb's of their ancestors. I was wrong, almost dead wrong, what I had seen was the walking dead. These Nord's should burn their honored dead and place the ashes in tombs, that way they stay were they belong.
I had removed their head's from their shoulders and then burned them, as I did not know which tomb they belonged to . The dead should stay dead. I never entered the Barrow, so I can only hope those dead aren't walking around.
Shyla and I camped not to far from the barrow, but as I had hoped far enough away that we were not disturbed during the night. Markarth was the closest town according to my map and that is where I had went first. I did not like the feel of the town and listened to the Innkeeper as I ate dinner and drank some ale slowly. I went over what I had heard as I lay on the hard bed, I did not like any of it. I did not think this was the Hold for me and my family, with one Orc Strong-hold already here and problem's with the people called Frosworn it did not look like a good prospect.
A civil war and two Set's of invading people, I had thought about joining the Legion, but I wanted more information on these others before I signed with the Empire. I got a description from one of the local Mercenaries, who also told me that doing bounties was a good way to make a name with the Jarls. He told me these Chiss, were as blue as I was green. This was an odd thing, as I had never heard of a people with a blue tinged skin tone.
Were these people from Atmora perhaps? It had been long, a century or two since the last invaders from there. I looked at my map first thing in the morning and decided that Whiterun would be the best place to go and listen for information, The town was central to the province, trade many travelers would go through the town. Plus I had heard that the Jarl was neutral in the civil war and he above others was trying to keep his people out of needless wars.
It was a beautiful land and I found the wide open space of the tundra to my liking, Shyla seemed to like it also, it gave her the room and flat land to run full out and she did, when I let her have her head. Her nose to the wind, her ear's flicking back and forth, listening for me to tell her to slow. I let her slow on her own, as we came up one of the watch towers and I didn't think a run into town was a good idea.
I put Shyla at the stables giving the man enough coin to give her grain for the next few days. I walked around the town and got the lay of it, listening to the locals talk. Their seemed to be at least two different guards here in town. I asked one of the men with what looked like the Jarl's crest on his uniform and he said the others where Dawnguard, they were specialized vampire hunters. Their would be more of them at night, but a few always on guard during the day, as a few different types of vampires could walk during the day.
That gave me food for thought, as that might also be a good way to earn a Name among the people. I hung around town for a day or two just listening to the peoples gossip and deciding what it is I should do. It was expensive though and I needed to get some work. I decided that the next day I would go and speak to the Jarl's steward.
The bounty the Steward gave me was simple enough and I found that some of my people had turned bandit here as well. The Bandit Chief I had been sent to eliminate was a fellow Orc. On my way out their I had noticed some Giant's and a couple Mammoths and having never seen either up close I decided to cut across the Tundra and get as close as those massive being's would allow.
Good choice or bad, I can't say, but as I got closer to them some people attacked me, they were four to my one and two of them were magic users. I felt as well as heard the arrows that hit Shyla and her scream of pain wrenched my heart. I jumped off and hoped that they would turn their fire to me as I hit her on the rump and she took off at a limping run.
I never got my sword drawn, as I was hit with two arrow's and two separate spells. As I started blacking out, I could only think of my Birth-Mother and younger brother and how I had failed them. I felt the ground shake as the Mammoth charged at the intruders to it's territory and hoped it would not trample me before I lost consciousness.
I woke to soft lips ruffling my hair and opened my eye's to see Shyla's head fill my whole vision. She whuuufed at me and I struggled to sit up. I looked around and saw by the sun that it was early morning, I had been out the whole of the night. Off a bit to my right I saw a huge bon-fire and one of the Giant's standing near it, I could hear the breathing of one of the Mammoth's close by.
I slowly climbed my way up Shyla's stirrup til I was standing, Using her has a crutch I walked around her and looked at the two arrow wounds. I pulled them out and she almost jerked me off my feet both times, but I persisted and then dug into my packs and got two bottles of healing potions out. I rubbed some on the wound's themselves and then made her drink the other, she was not happy about it. When I downed the other, I knew why, they tasted awful.
I saw one of the bodies laying on the ground and winced at the state of it, the man's head was crushed, as was his chest. Not much was salvageable from his pack, except a few trinkets and some papers, I put those in my pack and then went to the next body that I saw, it lay at the bottom of a huge boulder and from the blood stain high up, I could only assume that a giant or Mammoth had slung him there. I got more item's from her, but the armor and weapon's were broken and no good to anyone.
I did not see the other two, the mages, but I didn't look in the direction of the Giant's camp and their was a good bit of ground in that direction where they could be or they may have gotten away. I leaned against Shyla and read the papers that I had found. They were looking for someone, that was evident, but it didn't say who.
I am not sure why these Chiss would attack me and I didn't want to stop one and ask them. I'm an Orc, we are outcast enough, I could see that I would need some one to watch my back, these people didn't mind an ambush and that is something I couldn't always be prepared for.
I lead Shyla back to town, I would get my bounty money from the Steward after I sold the item's I had salvaged. Then I would look around and find someone to watch my back.
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