The Dragonborn

Part 77

Jack curled himself up in Mark's arms with relief. He couldn't feel his own heart. It was like he left it on the ledge above them. His body shook uncontrollably, until he wrapped his arms around Mark's neck. Burying his face in Mark's neck, he tried to calm down. Mark kept him firmly in his arms, pressing his cheek against Jack's ear and whispering to him in a deep loving tone. "See? I told you to trust me." Jack nuzzled Mark's neck with a small smile, until Mark had to put him down. Mark withdrew his greatsword again, taking a knee beside the fallen female Orc to look her over more closely. Jack inched closer to do the same as Mark pried one of the arrows from her chest. There were so many arrows in her that Jack was a bit disappointed that he didn't get to see her in action. Mark turned his attention to the arrow, showing it to him as he grimly stated. "Falmer arrows. They must be very close. Get your weapon ready. They may already know we are here." 

Jack winced as he took the arrow from Mark to examine it more closely. He was positive that his scream had echoed and alerted them. They would be coming for them soon if they were nearby. Jack turned the arrow over in his hands, becoming distracted by the design. It was unlike any arrow he had ever seen before. It wasn't made of wood or metal. It didn't even have feathers on it. It was entirely something else. Mark picked up an arrow he found by the body, telling Jack with a small smirk. "It's interesting. Isn't it? They are made from Chaurus bugs. The shaft of the arrow is made from Shellbug. The feathers are actually shredded Chaurus Hunter fibers from their forearms. While the arrow head is the poisonous tip of a Chaurus tail. So, be careful handling that. It's very potent stuff." Jack twirled the arrow between his fingers, commenting dryly. "I take it that these Falmer aren't much for talking?"

Mark flashed him a look like he was understating it, before replying casually. "You could say that. Being tortured and abandoned down here for a few hundred years does that to ya. They only trust their own kind and from what I've heard, they communicate through growls and clicking like the Chaurus bugs that they keep as pets." Jack stopped twirling the arrow and shivered uncontrollably at the thought. He hated bugs and couldn't bring himself to imagining someone keeping them as pets. When it finally sank in that the arrow he was holding was made from bugs... He dropped it and started to wipe his hand on his pants. Mark chuckled softly at him, moving around the circular platform to look for the way forward. Jack checked over Yag's body, finding a small healing potion. Pocketing it, Jack sighed to himself. He wanted to bury the dead that he found properly... but they just didn't have the means or time. Instead, he reached out to close her eyes.

It was his small way of showing that he cared. Looking at her face, he noticed how peaceful she looked. Just like Nords, Orcs believed in dying on the battlefield in order to enter the perfect afterlife. Going so far as to pick a strong opponent in their old age to fight and hopefully die too. All just to be sure that they didn't die of some natural cause first. Looking at her, it made him slightly happy that she didn't die afraid of her death. She welcomed it. She went out like a hero in her gods eyes. She even believed that she had saved a mans life doing it. The snapping of fingers, turned Jack's attention to Mark. Mark put a finger to his lips and pointed to a ramp circulating farther down. Jack stayed low, inching closer over to Mark to see for himself. Just a short ways down the ramp, a creature was slowly making its way up to them. The creature had such pale skin that it looked to be more like decaying skin than flesh. Flesh that was stretched over a boney frame. It looked so weak and frail... Yet, it crept along like a blind animal.

It sniffed the air with a snake like nose. Its tremendously long pointed elf ears perking up to every sound. It walked slow and slightly hunched forward to let its fingers skim the ground. The creature resembled a Goblin more than a once proud race of Elves. A Falmer. Mark gestured to him, mimicking the action of loosening an arrow. A bow. Jack raised his hand to conjure his bow and pulled back the bowstring without a sound. The Falmer dropped to all fours, snaking its way around the wall to peek over the edge as it sniffed. Jack had held his breath and released the blue magical arrow. He was sure that it would hit. Only the Falmer's ear twitched and its hand shot up to snatch the arrow before it entered his temple. Jack lowered his bow in horror. Only magic wards had ever stopped his arrows. The Falmer very slowly turned its head in their direction, its thin lips curling back to show off sharp jagged teeth as it let out a small sound similar to escaping steam.