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….
I took a deep, steadying breath, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Lydia," I said, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. "That is absolutely not what I meant."
I grabbed the plate from her hands and quickly scarfed down the bread and cheese, washing it down with the cup of water.
"Next time I ask you to wake me up," I said, handing the empty plate back to her, "please do me a favor. Just shake me awake. And before you take that literally, too, shake me softly. No axes. No weapons. Just a gentle shake."
Lydia gave a sharp, formal nod. "As you command, my Thane."
I shook my head, walking over to the armor stand in the corner of the room. I opted not to equip my heavy steel armor today. Instead, I pulled on the set of Novice Mage Robes I had bought from Farengar. They were lighter, breathed better, and gave a solid passive boost to my magicka regeneration. I strapped my Dwarven Sword to my waist and headed for the door.
When I stepped outside into the crisp Whiterun air, the sky was still an inky, pitch black.
I yawned, my breath pluming in the freezing morning air. I know I'm exhausted from training, I thought, rubbing my eyes. But this is a whole new level of weird for Farkas. We usually start at six and grind until nine at night. Why the hell are we waking up two hours before sunrise for a standard contract?
Footsteps crunched on the gravel path leading down from Jorrvaskr.
I looked up. Farkas was walking toward the city gates, completely decked out in his usual, heavy wolf-pelt armor. Walking right beside him, looking visibly irritated, was his twin brother, Vilkas. Vilkas was wearing heavier, plate-steel armor, his greatsword strapped tightly to his back.
"I shall never understand why you insist on waking up at this ungodly hour, brother," Vilkas grumbled, crossing his arms. "We could easily do this mission later in the day."
"You know me, brother. I'm a simple-minded man," Farkas said, casually flicking Vilkas on the forehead. Vilkas swatted his hand away with an annoyed scowl. "If I can do it today, and if I can do it early... then I'll do it as soon as possible!"
Farkas turned his head and finally spotted me leaning against the fence. His rough face instantly broke into a wide, welcoming grin. He raised a hand in greeting.
Vilkas followed his gaze. His scowl deepened. "What is the new recruit doing here?"
"I invited him," Farkas said simply.
Vilkas let out a harsh, frustrated breath, clearly unhappy with the decision, but Farkas ignored him completely. He jogged over and clapped a heavy hand onto my shoulder.
"Good morning, Shiro," Farkas boomed. "I take it you slept well?"
I nodded, offering a tired smile. Over the last few days, Farkas had basically become my older brother in the Companions. He was blunt, honest, and fiercely protective of his friends. It was kind of ironic, considering I had probably seen the sharp edge of his greatsword more times than any man still breathing, but his brutal training had kept me alive in the real world.
"Good," Farkas said, his expression turning serious. "Because you need to be ready for this one. This contract is going to be a lot tougher than any of the other grunt work you've done."
"You cannot be serious," Vilkas cut in, stalking over to us. He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering critically on my thin mage robes. His disdain was palpable. "The whelp is joining us on this mission? Look at him. He doesn't even look like he can lift a proper battleaxe. We can do this without him, Farkas."
Without waiting for a response, Vilkas turned on his heel and started walking briskly toward the main gates of Whiterun.
Farkas just watched his twin go, letting out a heavy sigh. He turned back to me, giving my shoulder another reassuring pat.
"Don't mind him," Farkas said gently. "He thinks too much. Come on. Let's get moving."
….
The sun was just beginning to peek over the jagged peaks of the Throat of the World when the three Companions finally reached the entrance of the ancient Nordic ruin.
It was absolute chaos.
The stone courtyard leading down into the barrow was swarming. A group of heavily armed bandits was locked in a brutal, desperate melee against a horde of shambling, ancient Draugr. The clash of steel on rusted iron echoed off the canyon walls.
Farkas immediately drew his greatsword, his eyes lighting up with the thrill of battle. "Let's rush them! Take them all out while they're distracted!"
"Don't be an idiot," Vilkas snapped, grabbing his brother's shoulder to hold him back behind a cluster of boulders. "Let them kill each other first. When the numbers thin out, we sweep in and finish the stragglers quickly and precisely. It's basic tactics."
"Tactics are boring," Farkas grumbled, trying to pull away.
"Tactics keep you alive!" Vilkas hissed.
While the two brothers bickered over strategy, Shiro simply rolled his eyes. He stepped out from behind the boulder, completely exposing himself to the courtyard.
Vilkas whipped his head around. "Whelp! What are you doing?! We had a…"
Shiro took a deep breath.
"FUS-RO-DAH!"
The sheer kinetic force of the Shout tore through the courtyard like a hurricane. The shockwave slammed into the chaotic melee, throwing bandits and Draugr alike through the air. Bodies smashed violently against the stone walls of the ruins. The sickening sound of snapping bones and shattering armor echoed across the mountainside.
A few of the heavier Bandit Marauders groaned, miraculously surviving the impact, and tried to push themselves up off the dirt, grabbing for their dropped weapons.
Shiro didn't even draw his sword. He calmly raised both hands.
[Spell Cast: Sparks (Dual Cast)]
A blinding, continuous stream of high-voltage electricity erupted from his palms, arcing across the courtyard. The lightning leaped from bandit to Draugr, chaining between the survivors and cooking them alive inside their armor. Within five seconds, the courtyard was dead silent. All that remained was a smoldering, twitching pile of bodies.
Farkas stepped out from behind the boulder, an absolutely massive, delighted grin spreading across his face.
Vilkas, on the other hand, looked furious. He marched up to Shiro, his jaw clenched tight. "What in Oblivion were you doing?! We had a plan!"
Shiro just shrugged, looking entirely unbothered. If Vilkas is going to act like an ass, then let him be one, he thought.
Ignoring the older twin, Shiro walked over to the smoldering corpse of the Bandit Chief. The man was wearing a heavy set of Nordic carved armor, clearly the leader of the group. Shiro knelt down, quickly looting the body for gold and potions, when his fingers brushed against a leather-bound journal tucked into the chief's belt.
He flipped it open, scanning the hastily scrawled pages. Most of it was garbage, complaints about the cold and bad mead, but the final entry caught his eye.
Day 4
Since entering the ruin... which we thought would make a good base... we have been met with constant assaults. Not just from a rival group of bandits entrenched in the deeper depths, but from endless waves of Draugr. The strange thing is... the Draugr seem to be completely ignoring the other bandits. They're only attacking us.
I don't know how much longer we can hold the entrance.
The rest of the entry devolved into panicked, illegible scribbles.
Suddenly, Shiro felt a shadow fall over him. He triggered his [Presence] skill and immediately realized Vilkas was standing right behind him, trying to subtly read the journal over his shoulder.
Without turning around, Shiro casually held the journal backward over his shoulder.
Vilkas paused, looking slightly embarrassed at being caught, but he quickly snatched the book. He skimmed the final page, his brow furrowing in deep concentration. "Draugr ignoring bandits... That smells like Necromancy," Vilkas muttered, turning away to confer with Farkas about a new strategy for the interior.
While the brothers talked, Shiro got to work. He moved methodically through the courtyard, looting the dead bandits and Draugr for every septim, gem, and valuable weapon they carried. He was so focused on filling his inventory that he didn't even notice Farkas walking up beside him.
"You ready to head in, whelp?" Farkas asked, a bloodthirsty gleam in his eye.
Shiro quickly stashed a handful of gold coins and stood up. He reached down to a dead bandit and picked up a heavy, banded iron shield, strapping it tightly to his left arm. He drew the golden Dwarven Sword with his right.
He looked at Farkas and gave a firm nod.
"I am your shield, brother," Shiro said, bringing the heavy iron up into a defensive guard.
Farkas's grin widened. He reached over his shoulder, drawing his massive steel greatsword, and held it out in front of him, ready to strike.
"And I your sword, brother!" Farkas boomed.
Vilkas walked up between them, drawing his own broadsword. He rested the flat of the blade against his shoulder. The irritation from earlier was gone, replaced by the calm, focused intensity of a true Companion. He looked at the dark, gaping maw of the dungeon entrance.
"We are the Companions," Vilkas said, his voice dropping into a solemn, echoing chant. "We don't ask for long lives. We only ask for a home, and for friends. We fight the fights that no normal man would dare to take."
He turned his head, looking at his brother, and then at Shiro.
"Do we back down from a fight?" Vilkas asked.
"No!" Shiro and Farkas answered in unison.
"This life is not an easy one," Vilkas continued, gripping his sword tighter. "But we are brothers-in-arms. And brothers will fight for one another until the end of our days."
Shiro nodded. He knew the words. It was the ancient oath the Companions swore before stepping into the darkness.
Vilkas turned back to the heavy wooden doors of the ruin. Without hesitating, he raised his boot and violently kicked the rotting wood off its heavy iron hinges.
"Let's take this dungeon down."
Shiro and Farkas charged in first, taking the vanguard to absorb the initial assault, while Vilkas expertly took the rear, managing their flanks and watching the shadows for any signs of an ambush.
….
Hey guys if u like the fanfic and want to read ahead by 10+ Chapters or just want to support take a visit on my patreon.
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
http://patreon.com/Marin_kitawaga