The Skyrim Pirates (A Skyrim Fanfiction)

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The trek to Alftand was an … interesting experience, to say the least.

Journeying the length of Skyrim was a tedious and dangerous occurrence at best.

But then throw in three annoying travel companions – one extremely infuriating - and you’ve got yourself a full-blown nightmare.

By the time we reached the looming, snow-covered dwarven ruin, I was close to abandoning them and travelling to Riften to beg Brynjolf for forgiveness. I shuddered against the blizzard, cursing the snow. Sometimes I wondered why I hadn’t stayed in Cyrodiil, despite the war.

“There it is – isn’t it beautiful?” Mercer asked, scanning the crumbling ruin with hopeful eyes.

“I prefer forts,” Gudlin grumbled in a low voice to Crusher, who shrugged and looked unconcerned by the ruin.

I stepped up to the edge of the cliff which the ruin was precariously built on, and looked down at the trail of unsafe, rotting wooden bridges below which led to the entrance – a cave about halfway down the cliff’s face.

“Please tell me that there’s another way inside…” I pleaded, and sighed when Mercer smirked and started toward the steps that led down the first bridge.

“I didn’t think so.”

I dutifully followed, with Crusher and Gudlin close behind.

The bridge wavered beneath my feet, and Gudlin snickered as I paused, uncertain.

“You’re not afraid of heights are you, dragonborn?” He mocked, and I scowled.

“If I were you, I’d shut your mouth right now.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because you’re aggravating someone with the power to blast you off this bridge and send you into oblivion,” I replied sharply, mentally preparing to use my thu’um.

I figured that a simple “fus” would do the trick and send him spiralling down to the icy ground below. I drew a breath just as he reached for his sword.

I yelped as Mercer suddenly grabbed my arm from in front and yanked me forward, causing me to stumble across to the other side of the bridge behind him like a naughty child. Gudlin laughed out loud, while I grimaced. Crusher scowled and shoved past us all, impatient with our slow pace, and marched into the gaping cave mouth.

Mercer shoved me forward into the inky black opening, stone-faced.

The inside of the cave was fascinating – it was completely made of ice, and a little further down the passage revealed that it led directly into the ruin itself.

We happened to stumble upon two Khajiits arguing further into the cave. One of them killed the other, before noticing us and giving a savage snarl. He leapt forward, and then crumpled to the floor as Crusher swung his warhammer like a baseball bat and knocked the cat out of the air in one swipe.

There was a small journal on the make-shift bedding. I picked it up and pocketed it – I could use a bit of entertainment and new reading material.

“Dwarven ruins are notorious for their deadly mechanical guardians – make sure you’re silent, or we could end up facing off a hoard of dwarven spiders,” Mercer informed us as we neared the first room of the ruin, and he dropped into a crouch.

“Maybe Gudlin should go first then – he’ll surely catch the spiders’ attention, and distract them long enough for us to slip past,” I suggested innocently, and Gudlin growled something incomprehensible, but he knew I was right.