The Ice Warrior Options

[redsrock]

The Ice Warrior

CHAPTER ONE


The horrifying, ear-piercing screams ran through the night, waking me up from my slumber. Upon hearing these dreadful noises I immediately rushed from my old wooden bed and entered the hallway of the fort. The others had already risen from their own cots and were brandishing their blades while running outside.

Come, Erick! The time is now! Prove your honor and your pride!

I heard someone yell those three sentences, but I couldn't make out who was talking. But I didn't have any time think. The enemy horde was on our doorsteps and I was not about to let my people down. After seeing the others rush out into the cold night, I sprinted back into my own room and lifted the lock off of my old oak wood-chest. Then I reached for my silver broadsword and ran out into the hall to join my comrades.

Outside the battle had already commenced, and the white-colored floor had by now been stained with the crimson blood of my friends...and my enemies. I ran, creaming at the top of my lungs as loud as I could. The enemy from the northeast had at last built up enough courage to attack us without surprise. I for one was not going to let this opportunity go to waste.

The untamed Nords had made their way through our defenses and were now in our camp. There were at least fifty of them; all running around setting to fire to anything they could find. Their dirty beards and hair flapped in the wind, along with the blizzard that was coming down from the dark sky.

The first enemy I came to face was a heavy-set warrior wielding an iron war axe and a dagger of the same material. The piece of scum roared at me and got into a defensive position as I charged towards him with my broadsword held high into the air. As I neared the man he swung his axe at me but I ducked just in time and tackled him to the cold floor. Snow splashed up into my eyes but I quickly wiped it away as I hacked at my adversary's face. Again and again I slashed at his face, even when I knew his death had already come and passed.

I was too crazed with wanting revenge; too distraught to even observe the other heavy warrior lumbering towards me with a giant wooden war-hammer. The weapon hit me square in the back and I instantly dropped my blade and fell to the white canvas. Then the warrior turned my body over and I was face to face with the enemy; the despicable Nordic warrior from the north...the Skaal!

The oaf of a Nord glared into my eyes with pure disgust. He hated me and I hated him. This story of revulsion between the Imperials and the Nords has lasted for many years. And this particular battle was only one of hundreds that was sure to follow.

Then the Nord opened his mouth and began to laugh insanely. Spit fell from his mouth and hit me in the forehead. I could smell the putrid stench that was his breath; but alas there was nothing I could do. He had my arms pinned to the ground. Then, a ball of green smoke came from the mouth. It formed into some kind of animal, though I couldn't tell what it was. Suddenly I heard a deep howl, and that's when everything went black and I snapped back into reality.

"Erick...Erick, wake up! Wake up, Erick!"

A dream....it was all a dream. I could have sworn it was real; the heat from the fires, the yells of the Nords, and the impact from the war-hammer...it was all so real to me. But, fortunately I was only dreaming, and now my roommate was trying desperately to rouse me up from my delusion.

"It was a dream, Erick...only a dream!"

Finally I sat straight up in my cot with my roommate's hand on my shoulder. Melvin, an Imperial soldier just as I, was looking into my eyes with a most concerned look about his hairy face.

"You don't look so good," he said, stroking his slick and thin black beard. Melvin had always been proud of his facial hair. He always kept it neat and tidy; which the ladies loved.

"I'll be fine. I just had another dream..."

I looked outside my window to see that it wasn't snowing the least bit, and there weren't any angry Nords running around with torches. Everything was peaceful for the time being

"More like a nightmare, Erick! I can't keep living with those screams, friend. Sooner or later I'll throw you in the hallway!"

I merely laughed it off, trying to forget what I saw. For the past several days I've had some of the most dreadful dreams ever imaginable. They all started out differently, but they all ended with the same green smoke and the same howl. It had really started to bug me and I had thought about seeing a mage about it.

But Melvin wasn't going to let me do such a thing. He figured the mages would think me insane. Such dreams were a sign of lunacy, you know. But I just couldn't help it. I wanted to know what they meant; if something was going to happen to me. I've talked with Melvin about it hundreds of times, but he doesn't seem to think anything is wrong. I wished I could feel the same way.

"So...was it the smoke again?"

"Yes."

"The howl as well?"

"Yes."

Melvin had jumped back into his bed by now, but when I told him it was the same dream, he turned around to meet my sweaty face.

"I know I've said this just a few seconds ago, but you look awful, Erick."

My friend's ‘kind' words weren't doing me any good. I couldn't keep living like this. At that very moment I told Melvin I was going to talk with the local mage first thing in the morning. He got out of bed and stretched his arms into the air.

"Where you going?" I asked him.

"Taking a piss, if that's okay with you," he said playfully walking out the door, closing it gently behind him.

I was lucky to have a friend like Melvin. I remember the first time I met him here in this desolate snowy island of Solstheim. It was three years ago then, just shortly after I had arrived from the mainland. Melvin was always the smartellic type. He never let anyone tell him something he didn't want to hear, but he was always one to voice his own opinion.

And you know what; I almost feel grateful for getting sent here to Fort Frostmoth. Sure, I'd be much more comfortable back in Caldera, stealing ebony again. But what good would that do me? By coming here and working my tail off I've become a better man and a better human being. No more thieving for me; my life as a criminal was over the moment I set foot on this island. Since then it's been a lot of hard work, but at least I can say I now have control over myself.

But Melvin...well, he's different story. Though he's stopped his skooma addiction, he's also still a heavy drinker. Mazte is his favorite and I could almost bet you a hundred septims there's a couple bottles of it under his bed right now. But at least he can control when he drinks. It's not like he does it in broad daylight. No, he's way smarter than that. If you ask me it's his intelligence that's allowed him to survive so far. Everyone has their own personal attribute that compliments themselves. Melvin's is his charm and intelligence, and mine is...well I'm not quite sure just yet.

Captain Falx Carius seems to be respectful for my hard-working nature, but that has only gotten me the title of "Captain's Pet" from the other soldiers. Of course, none of us are really soldiers. Everyone knows Fort Frostmoth is where all the trouble makers go to spend the rest of their lives working for the Empire. It's not really that much work if you ask me; a little bit of construction, a little bit of mining, and some other minor chores.

The life of a prisoner isn't so bad I guess, but I can still can't help but wonder if there's something else out there for me. I realize that my life as an inmate is eternal, but still...I've got a feeling something's about to happen. Something big...but I just don't know what; nor if it's good or bad.

"You still awake?"

Melvin had walked into the room and flopped onto his bed. It was likely a little after midnight, and I had awoken my friend from his sleep for the third night in a row.

"I'm sorry, Melvin. I'll...I'll wait on speaking to the mage if you want me to."

"Yes, I'm glad to hear it, my friend. Do NOT tell them about your dreams, Erick. It will only lead to more problems. They'll lock you up in a cell, and before you know it they'll throw you out into the wild. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

No, that didn't sound like a good life to me. Perhaps my dreams would fade away?

"Don't worry, I'll keep quiet."

Only time would tell.....

This post has been edited by redsrock: Feb 7 2008, 05:11 AM

[redsrock]

CHAPTER TWO


I went back to sleep shortly afterwards, though I’m not exactly sure why. I finally dozed off by around three o’clock, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get as much shuteye as I would have liked. At six o’clock a heavy knock at the bedroom door woke my roommate and I up.

This was our daily morning ritual. We woke up at six, bath, ate a light breakfast, and then went to work until six in the evening. Then we bathe again, eat dinner, and the rest of the night is ours. Lunch is mixed in somewhere in between, but that varies with what activities are going on during the day.

“Ugh!”

Melvin tossed the pillow violently at the door, just as he did every morning. I guess you could say the pillow-tossing was his is own little ritual. I sat at the edge of my and rubbed my medium length brown hair. I had a terrible headache, no doubt caused by the nightmare.

“You alright, Erick?”

“Yeah…just another headache,” I said as I slowly rose from my bed to get a couple of towels for bathing.

“Your bath will probably help. Just hurry up so I can get in myself!”

I took my towels and clothes outside the hall. I walked all the way down and entered the bathing area and entered my rooms bathing area. Every room had their own ‘stall’ sort of speak. Even with being here for threes years now, I was still getting used to bathing in front of other men. I understand it’s a ‘manly’ type of thing, but I don’t know. Melvin always made sure to poke around at my ‘bathing shyness’.

As I bathed I thought about the nightmare I had last night. Surely it was a sign of things to come. It just had to be; why else would I have the same visions over and over? It was really irritating me that I could figure it out, but I guess it really didn’t matter. Life would of course go on.

When I entered my bedroom Melvin was reading over a letter. That was one thing that really got me. Melvin, being the heavy drinker he was, still found time to read; and he did it constantly!

“What are you reading?”

“Just a letter I’m sending home to Winona.”

Winona was Melvin’s girlfriend from Balmora. He loved his girlfriend dearly and always wrote her at the end of every week, informing her of what was going on here at Fort Frostmoth. It was nice to see Melvin have a soft side, because most of the time he was somewhat of a smartellic. Though I don’t think he means to come off as cocky; it’s just his confident and intelligent nature.

“How’s she doing, Mel?”

“Alright, she says she wants to move to Chorrol, in Cheydinhal. I don’t know about that. I mean…she has family there, but I still don’t know if that’s a good decision.”

“Don’t worry, buddy. By the way, the bathing room is yours now.”

“Thanks, Erick. It took you long enough,” he smiled. Then he jabbed me on the left shoulder and took off with his clothes and towels.

I walked over to my tall cabinet and opened it up, revealing my Imperial uniform. It consisted of an Imperial chain mail cuirass, chain main greaves, with pauldrons and bracers to match. Then of course I had a pair of heavy black leather boots. I also had an Imperial helmet, but Captain Falx didn’t make us wear it fortunately. I simply wore a dark green hood to keep the snowfall off of my neck.

When I was dressed and ready, Melvin had made his way back from bathing. I waited outside for him to get dressed, and then we walked outside to meet the other inmates. Every morning Captain Falx would make a small little speech about the previous days, and then he’d send us to our duties.

There were several different jobs, and usually you stayed on the same job until it was finished. Melvin and I have been part of a mining group of five inmates for the past couple of days. I cave just to the northeast has signs of ebony and we’ve been digging feverishly since we found the cavern.

“All right, alright, gather around and keep quiet…quiet….SHUT UP!”

The Captain’s patience was already wearing thin and it was only seven o’clock in the morning. So we all quieted down and met around him; all twenty-six of us. Just a week ago there were thirty of us, but four died in a cave collapse not too far from here.

“Yesterday didn’t go as well as it should around here. We really didn’t get much accomplished, and I think it’s because all you people want to do is loaf around! Stop the chatter and get some work done! I want a full report on today’s activities at the end of the day. Now, everyone step up and I’ll give you your orders.”

We walked up to the platform Captain was standing on, and he gave us the usual, “Head over to the cavern. I want some of that ebony found today!” He yelled, waving a figure in our faces and handing us a set of keys that unlocked the cavern entrance.

“What does he expect; that the damned orbs will just magically show up?” Melvin said quietly as we walked away from Falx.

“Simmer down, Melvin, he just doesn’t want Empire brass showing up and seeing nothing getting accomplished,” I said laughing.

“But we’re prisoners? How much work ethic can we possibly have?”

Melvin and I walked along the path to the cavern, and when we arrived our other three mining-partners were waiting for us: The Khajiit male, J’Dato; the Argonian male, Teemee; and the Dunmer female, Madila Eraleth. All three workers have been with Melvin and me since we started about a week ago.

The Argonian and the Khajiit were the ones that slowed us down, but not because they were lazy. In fact, the two were actually very useful workers, but the two hated each other more than anything. It was the Argonian and Khajiit rivalry that’s been going on for centuries. I still don’t know why Falx assigned them to the same project, but I didn’t have the nerve to ask him why.

“It’s about time, you two. We’ve been waited for nearly ten minutes!” Teemee hissed teasingly.

“Shut up ‘ya smelly lizard, we were the lasts in line!” Melvin said while jokingly shoving the Argonian out of the way.

It was a good thing Teemee had a nice sense of humor, because Melvin was constantly pounding out joke after joke. It’s like he had a big book of Argonian jokes or something. And I have to admit, they were rather funny.

But J’Dato on the other hand, well…he wasn’t the same. His attitude was tolerant at best. He was always complaining about having to work with us, but I just shrugged it off since he was a good worker. Melvin never spoke to J’Dato if he didn’t have to, and well I guess that’s the way with all of us as well. J’Dato was simply too standoffish to have a conversation with.

Melvin unlocked the man-made door to the cavern with a set of keys that we received from Falx and then we all walked in with our picks, shovels and barrels. The torch’s lights were getting a bit dull and Melvin relit them, all twenty of them. The cavern wasn’t really that large, it was only a long hallway as of now; roughly fifty yards long. Most of the torches were set up to where the digging took place, which was at the end of the tunnel.

“Let’s go to work, boys…and girls,” Melvin said looking at Madila. The Dunmer elf was very confusing. She’s never really spoken besides saying things like ‘okay’ and simple words like that. She didn’t seem to have an attitude or anything like that, but she also didn’t seem to even want to talk to begin with.

So we started our digging with the picks and shovels. The rock was very hard and we had to use all of our strength to even break the surface. We’ve been digging hard now for about three straight days and we’ve barely cleared ten feet of this rock. Falx wants up to pick up the pace, but it was a lot harder than it looked.

As I was chipping away I thought I saw something gleaming in the mess. As I looked closer the object appeared to be purple, a darkish color. After digging more and more I pried it from the rocks and sure enough, it was ebony!

“Hey, look what Erick found!”

I held the heavy mineral in my hand, fascinated by what I was looking out. The piece of ebony was very pretty, and looked to be rather expensive. It was of course still in its raw form, and soon it would be shaped into something useful, probably jewelry.

“Hurry and take that to Captain Falx, Erick! We’ll stay here and keep digging.”

I waved goodbye to Melvin and hurried out of the cave, actually sprinting in fact. I ran all the way back to the fort, and Falx was talking to another Imperial man dressed in Imperial silver armor. When I stopped near Falx and the Imperial man I was panting heavily. Holding that piece of ebony and running at the same time wasn’t an easy task.

“Erick, what are you…by Talos, you’ve found it! Ha! Excellent my boy, is there any more of it?”

“Not…yet sir, but we’re…still digging,” barely breathed.

“Well that’s wonderful! It’s about time you found some!” He said while putting his armored arm around my shoulder.

“I was just talking to Falco Galenus here, you know, the man in charge of running the settlement Rave Rock? Well, he says he’d like to borrow a few of my men, and I think I’ll send you to help him out. How’s that sound?”

I didn’t really know what to say, so I just nodded.

“Very good, Erick. From now on you and the other four will report to Raven Rock. There is no need to speak with me in the morning, though I do wish for you to stick around for my little speeches. Don’t worry about the cave; I’ll put another group on it. Now, here is Falco. He will show you to the colony.”

Falx introduced me to the man and then walked inside the fort to do whatever he was going to do.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Erick.”

I stuck my hand out in front of him and we shook.

“That’s some very nice manners, Erick, especially coming from an inmate. I’m very impressed. Shall you take me to your cave?”

I nodded and led the way.

“Captain Falx speaks very high of you, Erick. Did you know that?”

“No, I did not, sir.”

“Oh yes, he has nothing but good things to say about you. And you friend…Melvin I think?”

“Yes, his name is Melvin.”

“He says you are hard workers, and in fact he says your whole unit is made up of hard workers. I came to Falx asking for assistance at my colony and he did not hesitate to mention you and your group.”

I felt very proud of myself at that moment. I never knew Captain Falx felt that way about us.

“What you’ll be doing in very similar to what you’ve been doing for the past week. I have my own ebony mine in Raven Rock and I fear I do not have enough workers as of now. But with you five I think I’ll have enough.”

We continued walking towards the cave, and when we made it inside I saw a barrel that was full of ebony.

“Erick, as soon as you left we kept finding the stuff!”

Melvin was very enthusiastic, but also curious as to whom I had brought with me to the cave. Falco cleared his throat loudly, trying to get everyone’s attention. When all of the shovels and picks had been dropped to the floor, and all eyes were on him, we spoke.

“My name is Falco Galenus. Captain Falx Carius is lending me you five to help at the settlement, Raven Rock. I have my own ebony mine there and young five are going to be digging for ebony.”

“But aren’t we doing that right now?” Melvin asked.

“Yes, but I needed more workers for my mine and Falx chose the five of you. Now, come with me and I’ll show you to the colony.”

We left all of our stuff and joined Falco as he walked along a dirt path towards the colony. It didn’t take us long to get there, only about twenty minutes or so. When arrived I was simply astonished by the settlement. It was thriving with people everywhere. I never would have guessed it to be so populated. That last I heard of Raven Rock it was still in its construction stages. Obviously that stage ended long ago.

“What do you think?” Falco asked us.

“Absolutely magnificent…” Teemee said, almost as if he were in a trance.

“Well, we’ve worked very hard and now look at it. Isn’t wonderful? We have housing for all the inhabitants, a general goods store, an armory, a clothing store, a food store, a bar and inn, even a small tower where our five Imperial guards stay! It’s an honor to be the ruler of this colony. I couldn’t ask for more.”

He then took us to the mine itself. Through the first set of double doors we came to what looked like a lobby area of some sort. There were all kinds of equipment lying about, and around that stood about thirty men, all Imperials, Nords, Bretons and Redguards. They eyed us suspiciously, almost questionably in a way. Then Falco said, “Here are our new workers!”

There was no applause from the crowd. They just continued to stand and stare at us like we were freaks. Then one of them, a Redguard, said, “You mean to tell me that you got a group of criminals to work? Why, they’ll steal the ebony and keep it for themselves!”

The place erupted into chatter, with fingers and whispers being shot towards us.

“Now, now, settle down. They will not cause a problem. Captain Carius assured me that these five are his best workers. There is nothing to worry about, I promise you.”

They continued to talk loudly and shout, and then Falco yelled, “QUIET! Get to work now, it’s already noon and we’ve yet to start digging.”

Falco was scratching his head as his men walked into the mine with shovels and picks in hand. Clearly he was not expecting his men to act so rude.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that. They…just have to get used to the changes, that’s all. I swear to you they are all good men.”

Then Melvin stepped up. “I’m sure they are, sir. I don’t blame them for being critical of us. It’s only normal. I mean, hell, we are criminals after all.”

Falco patted Melvin on the shoulders and then showed us to the mine. It consisted of what looked like one extremely long tunnel. And on the sides of the walls were large holes that led to rooms. I took it that was where the digging took place. And sure enough I was right, as Falco led us into the first room on our left.

“Here you are. Picks and shovels are over there, and the barrels are aright there. I here this particular room is ripe with ebony, so get digging!” He said cheerfully.

Falco left the room and we were by ourselves. At that moment I wished we were back at Fort Frostmoth.

“Great, now we have to put up with all of them,” Melvin said, pointing out into the hall towards the other rooms.

“It won’t be as bad as you think, Melvin. It’s not like we’re living here or anything.”

“Yeah…thank Talos for that!”