Tale of a Scaled Knight., An Argonian in High Rock. Options

[jack cloudy]

This probably isn't fair for Tesfiction, but here ya go. A Daggerfall-era story.

Tale of a scaled knight.

Chapter 1: Hunter and prey.

The smell of decomposing plants was enough to give a zombie a headache. Mosquetos buzzed about in thick clouds, landing on every bird, snake or other animal foolish enough to come close. Dead fish floated on the surface of the murky lake. The water bubbled as gas rose up from its depths. A particular mound of mud shuddered slightly, sending the mosquetos into a mad scramble for safety. The mound lay silent then and shortly after, the little insects had forgotten its very existence.

One pair of bloodred eyes gazed up at the castle that sat at the edge of the lake. It was tall, with a round tower at each corner and another at the centre of the keep. Its walls were so overgrown with vines, even the windows had vanished behind thick green tendrils. The pair of eyes had inspected every single stretch of vine over the past three hours. At regular intervals, the eyes had shifted up in search of guards patrolling the walls. But there were no guards, at least none that could be seen. The mound shuddered again, briefly revealing the silhouette of a large creature covered in a thick layer of mud.

Was this castle really the one it had been looking for? The creature’s instinct said it was, but its senses claimed otherwise. There was no sign at all of any inhabitants. No sign at all, except…..all the death it was surrounded by had been fairly recent. That, and the vines growing over the walls were the only plants still left alive in the nearby area. With that knowledge, it remained where it was, till night fell. While there apparently weren’t any guards, it preferred the cover of the night for its plan.

When night fell, the mound rose up and stalked away. The mosquitoes now landed on the crawling creature in search of blood to drink, but the mud proved to be an impassable barrier to their tiny snouts. Often, the creature stopped and scanned the keep before moving on. What was less than a hundred metres, it took nearly an entire hour to cross. Never once did it see a sign of guards.

Now it was up at the base of the vines and stood up completely, balancing on its hind legs. As it rose, it shook off most of the mud, revealing more of its features. It was vaguely humanoid, despite the thick tail and somewhat awkward positioning of its joints. It was covered in simple clothes and with a large curved sword sheathed on its back. This was not just a creature, but a fully sentient being in its own right. It was an Argonian and if one would have had the chance to see the Argonian’s scales beneath the mud, one would realize it was a male Argonian.

He had to get inside the castle, but the front door was overgrown as much as the walls and even if it hadn’t been, he bet it was barred from the inside. No, he would have to scale the walls and find another way inside. Before he proceeded any further though, he reached out behind his back and unsheathed the Dai-Katana he carried with him. He carefully removed the rag he’d wrapped around the hilt and leaned the sword against the vines. He also took off his gloves and threw them on the floor before resheathing the Dai-Katana.

Now, he would have a perfect grip if he was forced to draw the weapon. The Argonian pulled on the vines to test them and began to climb. Unlike his crawl to the keep, he didn’t pause during his climb. If a guard came and looked down, he would see what looked like a pile of mud clinging to the vines. What had been a disguise had now become a dead giveaway. He still hadn’t found any proof of guards, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.

Once at the top, he smoothly vaulted over the edge and drew the Dai-Katana in one swift motion, sending a spray of mud into the air. His eyes drifted from left to right. The courtyard appeared as abandoned as the rest of the castle, except for one thing. The door leading to the central tower was flanked by two burning torches. The Argonian bared his teeth in a feral grin.
“So, you wish to invite me in? Well, I can’t possibly refuse such an invitation.” He hissed into the empty air. He took a second glance at the central tower. Unlike the towers at the corners, there were no vines growing over this one. Also unlike the cornertowers, this one appeared to be constructed to be a comfortable place to live instead of being a near impenetrable barrier. There were a lot of windows, large ones, sealed off with glass. There was a balcony near the top. There were no firingslits, no grooves for boiling oil, no reinforced door. There was nothing in its design to stop an attacking army, or a different kind of intruder.

The Argonian sheathed his sword and leapt down the wall, breaking his fall with a haystack. He then dashed across the open courtyard and begun to climb the walls of the central tower.
“I can’t refuse an invitation, but I won’t walk into your trap.” He thought as he made his way to the balcony. After he’d vaulted over the railing, he drew his Dai-Katana and took a deep breath.
“Alright, I know you’re in this room. You’ve always enjoyed high places.” He whispered before kicking in the door. The Argonian rushed inside, towards the person seated behind the desk.

[jack cloudy]

Cause this one is the only story that was unique to Tesfiction. Everything else (which just means Redemption, I admit.) was already posted here. And there's a lot more posted here than there. Of my work, at the least.

But there is good news. Tesfiction is further ahead in this story than Chorrol. Oh, and I'll be posting an update over there in a moment.

PS: The following update includes a conversation that can be quite confusing.


He stopped just before actually reaching the cloaked person and levelled his sword.
“Turn around, slowly.” He ordered.
“This is High Rock, quite a ways from the Black Marsh. What is an Argonian doing here?” The person simply asked in response.
“I could ask you the same. Now turn.” The Argonian said. The other chuckled.
“Root, oh Root. Are you still restricted by your honour?” He questioned in a mocking tone of voice.
“I will not strike from behind like a coward. Now turn!”

“So basically, you’re saying that as long as I don’t turn around, I’ll live?” The Argonian mused. Root bared his teeth and tightened his grip on the sword.
“You’ll live either till the moment you turn, or till the moment my patience runs out. Either way, you die.” He hissed. The seated Argonian stood up slowly but kept his back towards Root.
“You are rather presumptious, but I can’t deny you are a stubborn one, to chase me all the way here.” The Argonian muttered.
“Alright, I’ll play your game.” He added and turned. Root swung with all his might.

The grey cloak ripped under the blade, but he did not feel any resistance of flesh underneath. Quickly, Root reversed the grip on the Dai-Katana and stabbed backwards. This time, he did feel the familiar resistance. There was a shriek of pain and a splatter of blood.
“You should have placed your anchor farther away. Teleportation does you no good if you leap right into my blade.” Root said, yanked free his sword and spun around while swinging it horizontally. Scales parted and bone cracked. The mage fell backwards and hissed in agony. The swordsman risked a fast look at the wounds he’d caused. He’d cut through the palm of his opponent’s right hand and severed three fingers. His last attack had cut across the ribs, cracking the chestbone. Neither of the two wounds was lethal, but the latter had the potential for it. Even a single deep breath could snap the chestbone completely now and puncture the heart.

Root placed the tip of his sword at the other’s throat.
“And now, you die.” He whispered.
“Wait. Don’t do it. At least, call me by name.” The fallen Argonian pleaded. Root’s eyes blazed with a held-back fury.
“Giving you a name would mean I give you a soul. You are not worthy of one.” He sneered and stabbed. The Dai-Katana stabbed down into the floor and stuck in the wood.
“Tsk, you can’t kill what you can’t strike. You are strong, but your potential is lost on this primitive obsession with iron. I congratulate you on your effort, but I won’t die today, Root.” The wounded Argonian laughed before stumbling out of the door and starting to descend a staircase.
“Wait!” Root shouted and pulled with all his might to free the blade from the wood. Looking back, he realized that if he hadn’t stabbed with such force, he could have wrenched his sword free and attacked before the other got a chance to slip away.

For a moment, he considered giving chase but he opted against it. His foe was wounded and slow, so it would be easy to catch up if nothing opposed him. However, from previous experience he knew that there would be hefty opposition to stop him from going down the stairs. Skeletons and zombies, the previous inhabitants of this place. Taking them all down would slow him considerably.

No, taking the stairs wasn’t an option for the same reason he’d climbed to the balcony earlier. He finally freed the Dai-Katana and made a move towards the balcony, but stopped and stepped back involuntarily. A large fire had erupted in the doorway. Black and charred pieces of steel were suspended by the fire, like some hideous skeleton. Root backed up further.
“A creature of fire? Can’t kill it with my sword.” He thought and winced.
“So I have to take the stairs in the end.” Despite his annoyance, he gave the creature a quick salute before running for the stairs. While not a single blow had been exchanged, the thing had bested him and deserved the honour of being recognized. He just hoped it wouldn’t give chase.

Scarcely five steps down, he was greeted by the first skeleton. Root didn’t falter and flung himself ahead, slamming into it with his full weight and scattering the bones all over. The skull bounced down the steps, still grinning. The Argonian paused for a moment to regain his balance before pressing on, following the trail of blood his enemy had left behind. More skeletons rushed up to meet him, only to be struck down by fists, feet and tail, not by the sword. They were hard to hit with a blade and even then, a single impact with a blunt tool could scatter their bones much more effectively than even the largest sword. While it wouldn’t kill the undead warriors, without their bones tied together, they could do nothing.

Root actually laughed when he found the first zombie, roughly halfway down. Zombies were easier, if they still relied on their physical musculature. This one was still fresh and did. The sword sweeped up and down, cutting tendons and severing flesh. The corpse staggered and was sent down the stairs with a light kick.
“Halfway down and nothing is going to stop me, unless another of those fire-beings is waiting for me. I should find another path, a quicker one, just in case.” The Argonian thought. He turned and ran up for a bit, till he reached one of the windows. Bending down, he picked up a skeletal leg and used it to bash in the window. He then climbed through while ignoring how the glass shards cut into his hands and feet. Outside, he quickly climbed down and dropped the last two metres. He then waited.

Ten minutes later, impatience got the better of him.
“He should have reached the door by now. Hmm, maybe he did worsen his wounds and died? I can’t rely on hope though.” He hissed to himself. Warily, he stepped forward and pulled the doorbolt. The door opened easily, revealing a small chamber that was empty safe for a circle of burnt-out candles. Root sighed and put the Dai-Katana back in its scabbard.
“A circle of teleportation. Damn. I should have known.”