The White Sparrow [Elder Scrolls]

To The Exit

    "How long was I out?"
    "Only an hour or two, not that long."
    They navigated around the sewer system, half lost. No other creature had attacked them yet, perhaps this was a sign.
    "Did you just sit over me for that whole time?"
    "For most of it. You kept twitching and muttering, I was worried when you stopped."
    "Why?"
    "I don't know clairvoyance, you're my guide."
    Vulioth laughed slightly, it was true. Even at the moment they were plodding after a traveling orb, it was slow compared to the first one. It wound its way around a corner and stopped before a wooden door.
    Roven opened the door and the orb continued on, it was starting to dim. He watched it float sluggishly on, maneuvering with ease. The door led to more tunnels, dirt and mushrooms. They followed the orb as it moved ahead.
    Roven grabbed the hilt of his sword and listened. He had been on guard ever since their last encounter. Sure enough, a goblin jumped out and attacked their guide light, which flickered out up on contact.
    He slashed at its neck and watched as the creatures head fell to the dirt floor. She smirked and kicked a bit of dirt on it before trying to cast clairvoyance again.
    Her hand glowed slightly for a second, almost ready to cast. She concentrated hard and swung her hand out to release the new orb. Her finger tips got even brighter before dimming to a dull glow. She didn't have enough energy for it.
    "Drink this." He muttered, holding out a small blue bottle to her.
    "What is it?"
    "Potion, made it my self."
    "Why do I need it?"
    "I don't want to be stuck here for days while you recharge."
    "My recharging ability is just rusty, I'll speed up. Come on, let's just wander for a bit. We have to be close now."
    "Yes Ma'am." Roven grumbled. He was obviously getting restless and wanted out now. It shouldn't be long before they found the exit, unfortunately they would probably have to bed down here for the night. Vulioth didn't want to be the one to tell Roven about the inevitable, it was almost like poking a Flame Atronatch with a short sword. Someone was going to get hurt, no matter how delicately you approached the situation.
    "Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red." Roven started singing in a low voice,"Came riding to Whiterun from old Roriksted." He hummed the tune for a bit.
    "What was that?"
    "A song." He stated simply.
    "It's terrible."
    "Do you have a better one?"
    "Well, not at the momen-"
    "Then let me sing woman."
    She chuckled at him, he was acting like an overly-tired child. Roven was going to crash soon, she knew it. He stifled a yawn and slowly shook his head.
    They walked through the tunnels, noting that the stale scent of goblin hung heavy in the air. Roven stepped into a larger room and looked around, he kicked aimlessly at a stone; sending it sailing into a pit. Vulioth jolted as it struck a fence that had been used as a cage. This had to have been a settlement of some-sort, it had been abandoned though. They both stayed silent until they were out of it.
    "This place is giving me the creeps." Roven hissed.
    "We're almost out of it. Hang in there. Sing that song."
    "I've got another one." He chirrped and started to hum, " With three beers down, the Orc did frown, and bid the Elf goodbye. For none could know 'twas not for show, and someone had to die." He continued humming to the tune. Either he had forgotten the rest of the lyrics or he was just a little lazy.
    "That's morbid."
    "Oh yeah, it's catchy though."
    She shrugged a bit and nodded, it was pretty catchy. Vulioth couldn't remember the war songs that her army used to sing before battle. It wasn't so much singing as it was chanting with a rhythm. But it managed to rile them up enough to make them fight better.
   "So," He started, "You're a Daedra?"
    She stiffened and looked at him, he had obviously saw her change; but he hadn't brought it up.
    "Vulioth, come on. Not only did I see you, but you've lived for over two-hundred years. That's a long time for an elf, let alone a brenton."
    "So that's what I am. A Brenton." She hissed, " I didn't know. But yes, I am a Daedra. Straight from Oblivion."
    "Tell me about it." He held open a door for her and she walked through. They kept on for a few yards and came to another break in the wall; it lead back to the stone walls and dusty floors of the Imperial Escape Rout.
    "What's to tell? I came to Tamriel during the Oblivion crisis, made a life here, joined a guild for a while. I was fairly normal, I had this disguise on the moment I stepped through the gate."
    "What about in Oblivion?" He pressed.
    "I was a commander of the strongest army ever to grace the damned place. We were under the rule of Mehrunes Dagon, Daedric Prince of Destruction." She shrugged, "I gave up that life though and joined a resistance. Knights of White Sparrow. They were a group of varying races that didn't desire to be under his control anymore. They were working on the way to break through the magical barriers for just a matter of seconds. So they could run to freedom."
    He stared at her, mouth slightly open.
    "Now what about you Mr. Helgan Guard," She smirked.
    "Okay, yeah you caught my bluff. I'm not really a guard. Of any sort. I'm actually a skilled theif."
    She snorted loud and looked at him, "You're about as sneaky as a charging bull."
    "Ouch." He walked on, noting their surroundings, he opened a door for her.
    She glanced up, surprised. They had walked further then she thought, they were close to the exit now. Very close.
    They passed through more rooms with blood spots on the wall. She chose to ignore them, although it was hard to not try and picture what all went down. Who died there? Who was hurt? Who did the hurting?
    Sometimes there were just questions you didn't want answered.
    They walked to an opening in the room, a side room. A small side room at that.
    "Dead end. Come on, there's a gate out there."
    "No, there's a way through this room. It's faster. But it goes through the sewers."
    "How do we get through?" His nose wrinkled at the thought of the sewers. She didn't blame him, being waist deep in the Imperial City's Sewer water really didn't sound fun to her either, but it's faster.
    She walked over to the wall and pushed on a panel. It popped open and fell off it's hinges. She went to look at Roven, but her eyes caught a spot on the wall. It was a brown splatter mark, dulled with age. She bit her tongue, that was blood. This was where the emperor had fallen, the spot where the amulet was given to a prisoner and the prisoner was set free. It was the turning point in the war.
    "Come on, Vulioth." He hissed, stepping through the opening.
    She closed her eyes and followed him, her stomach was threatening to get rid of the apple she had eaten. Vulioth pulled herself through and swallowed hard before placing the stone slab awkwardly back in the opening.
    Roven looked at her expectantly, watching as she hid their passage way. She looked back at him and groaned.
    "No."
    "But why?"
    "I need to save my power for the sewers. This won't be hard to navigate you baby, come on." She walked ahead and hummed to herself. It was a lullaby her mother had sang to her, well not really. But it always managed to put her to sleep. She had all but forgotten the lyrics, only the tune was present in her mind.
    They walked on, soon coming to yet another door. Roven opened it with his key and coughed as the overpowering stench of sewers hit him.
    "Oh dear Talos, that's terrible." Roven choked.
    "Hold your breath." She walked to the cover and yanked it away, revealing a ladder down to the bottom.
    She crawled down first, Roven on her heels. Everything looked green down here, possibly thanks to the bad lighting. She gathered up her power and let loose the small guide orb once again. It floated lazily down the path.
    They were making great progress, but Roven was falling fast. He would stumble every once in a while; but he refused to stop. She started to fall back with him, to be there if he fell off a bridge or into a grate. It was a task that she had to do, and the light even slowed down to accommodate their new pace.
    Soon they were walking over a narrow bridge, it was the only place in the whole system that was illuminated rather well. She looked down and nudged Roven towards the gate on the other side. They were almost out, it wasn't time to sleep now.
    Vulioth ended up hooking Roven's arm around her and letting him lean on her. He wasn't as heavy as he looked, perhaps he was a skilled thief. She didn't dwell on it too much. He was struggling to keep up now, even the light seemed impatient.
    They cruised down a longer hallway when she smelt it. Fresh Air, well fresher air. It was cold and welcoming, wafting towards her. She longed to run towards it, but kept her grip tightly on Roven. He seemed to perk at the air though and was rushing as fast as he could.
    The orb stopped at the end of the hallway and lit up the surrounding area. A iron gate filled the opening, barring them inside. It was rusted shut, but thats what happened when you don't have people going in and out all the time. She aimed a kick at the lock and struck it as hard as she could. It groaned but didn't break apart.
    "Allow me." Roven slurred. He untangled himself from her and stood in front of the gate.
    "You sure you can break it?"
    "Don't worry. I got this." He put his hands together and the temperature in the room went up. He was going to blast it off its hinges with a spell. This could get dangerous. Vulioth took a step back, narrowing her eyes against the heat.
    Roven slowly pulled his hand apart and a fireball started to form. He waited until it was about the size of a cabbage and unleashed it on the lock; which melted and fell off in a red blob. He grabbed the gate and swung it open, jumping through the opening and over the melted metal of the lock.
    Vulioth followed and together they ran down the remaining bit of the tunnel and out into the night. They were finally out of the sewers, out of the city, but they still weren't away from danger. They had a long way to go, this was just one big step towards total freedom.
-------------
Author's Notes

Okay, yay they're finally out!! Eugh this was a difficult chapter to write. I ended up replaying the game up until exiting the sewers and watched a few walkthroughs. It was worth it though. Oh!! And for the record, I am going through to fix my mistakes, but I'm using a bluetooth keyboard with my iPad; It doesn't automatically correct my mistakes. Ehhhhhohwellllll okay.

Well I'm really excited for the next bit of this, it's going to be a tad adventurous! HAH. Anyway, stay tuned for it. Until then my pretties!!