I feel my body swaying but I’m not moving. I am still but seem to be traveling. I can hear foot steps walking through dirt and brush. A sudden jerk to the side and I realize I am moving but not walking. My hands are bound and I can’t see but I know I am in a cage. I know because they’ve put my in here before. I don’t know how long it’s been but I know it’s longer than I’d like. I can hear talking between two figures but I don’t understand the language. The cage stops and it is dropped to the ground. I see a sudden faint spark of light and a fire forms. It might be night. I assume so because I see very little through the blindfold and have not seen light until now. I am so hungry, I am so thirsty, and these feelings do not fade as I hear them chomping and drinking. Why are they keeping me alive? What is the purpose? They attacked us first and killed the others. Why am I still here? I drift of to unconsciousness in hopes that I will not wake up. I dream of home. I dream of Valenwood and all of its beauty.
I awake on the ground shaking. There is shouting and shuffling of feet and blades. Through the blindfold with the help of the fire I can faintly see three figures. Two engaging with one in a fight until a flash of light that lasts only a moment much brighter than the fire light and with that, there is silence. I see the faint fire light and standing there is one. The figure begins to walk towards the cage holding me inside. I try to move away but the bars only allow little movement. The figure lowers with hands on the cage. My heart races and I ready myself for death as I hear “click” and the door opens. I hear a voice “you’re alright, you can come out. I am not here to hurt you”. My hands are unbound, I don’t know how, the figure never moved. I slowly pull off the blindfold and now standing by the fire is a nord male looking through the belongings of my captors. Very weak I cautiously crawl out of the cage. As I exit it feels as though I am feeling the breeze on my face for the very first time. “Come sit, you must be hungry” I hear as if someone was talking in my ear but it’s only this man and I, and he isn’t near me. Beaten and sore I walk towards the fire where this man is now sitting. On my way I look to the ground and see them, the two large Orcs laying on the ground bloody and lifeless. “These Orcs aren’t very good cooks but it’ll do” the man says as I sit across from him. He hands me a meat piece of whatever they were eating and without hesitation, exhaustion leaves me and I eat and eat fast. While I eat and drink, we talk.
His name is Alvren, he had been following the Orcs and me for a few days waiting for an opportunity to attack them and free me just out of wanting to do the right thing. He knows the ways of combat and magic. His wife and son had been taken in the same way I was and he swore to help those in the hands of slavers. Fascinated by his knowledge I asked to train under him and learn what I could. He agrees to train me and after years of training and following him he breaks me of traditional Bosmer laws and ways.
What seemed to have been months have really been years. Forty years to be exact since the day Alvren rescued me from the Orcs. He has grown old and ill. I do most of the hunting and gathering for us now. On this one particularly gloomy day I went out in search of herbs to help ease his illness that has rendered him weak and unable to travel far. Darkness begins to take the night as I return to our camp. Lightning strikes the skies and thunder follows slightly after. It’s strange, the night arrives faster than usual this evening. I am approaching closer to camp and there is another flash of lightning in the sky, there is thunder but I only hear a scream. I begin to run and as I get closer to camp the sky gets darker. I can see our fire through the tree line and I stop after I see a few unusual shadows being cast by the fire. Hiding behind a tree I peak around to see Alvren laying in the dirt. I begin to break cover to go to him and help him up until I see another walking to him. A very large Orc stands over him holding a battle axe. I take cover with eyes still trained on the Orc, I pull my sword and ready myself to attack. I come around the tree still out of sight of the Orc and I lock eyes with Alvren and hear “no, do not approach”. I stop and see more figures approach him. Two Khajiit and an Argonian. A flash of lightning and I see. One Khajiit white and brown colored fur with two swords sheathed on its back. The other Khajiit similar color with left eye missing hold a bow in its hand. The Argonian green in color with a dagger sheathed on his left and sword in its right hand. Looking and planning an attack I get ready to jump out and hear “so.....little gold, hardly any treasure, nothing of interest to us” as a fifth comes out of the tent. An ash faced tall and slim Dunmer walks out and stands over Alvren. “I see two bedrolls but only you are here. So.... where is the other?”. The Dunmer asked. “Gone. Days ago.” Alvren replied. The Dunmer kicks Alvren. I take a step... “snap." A twig breaks. The Khajiit holding the bow quickly points an arrow in my direction as I duck out of sight. “Well....I think we are done here. Sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you. Let’s go” the Dunmer says as he and others begin to walk away. Alvren, laying in the ground begins to in get up. “Oh wait....I forgot one thing." The Dunmer walks up to Alvren and crouches down, pulls out a dagger, it looked almost snake like. He looked into Alvren's eyes and hands the dagger handle to him. I will never forget these words. “Now....would you kindly remove yourself...” Alvren’s face changed from pained to blank as he thoughtlessly grabbed the dagger and slit his own throat with no hesitation. I jump from the trees and at that moment a blinding flash of light takes the area and when I regained my sight, they were gone. Only Alvren lay there dead. My mentor, my friend. Dead.
For ten years I’ve been searching for them. For the first eight of those ten years I followed stories and clues to who they might be and have almost come up with nothing. I heard stories of travelers meeting their end in the same manner as Alvren. One witness I talked to, talked about the night being so very dark and the lightning storms that happened during the attacks. Perhaps they control the lightning to get travels to stay together in their camps. I joined the Companions 2 years ago in hopes to help my investigations, and it did. I have names for the Khajiits. Daharr the one eyed Khajiit and his brother Sindrin. They are said to frequent Riften randomly from time to time. This brings me closer to finding the Dunmer and avenging Alvren.
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