A Strange Pilgrim's Journey [[Open]]

[Ande]

Ande threw up the ward immediately, charging forward and sweeping his sword in an upward arc at Nidhug. Years ago he had only ever concentrated on magic as his only weapon out in the wilderness of Skyrim. One mistake had nearly cost him a slow and agonizing death, and since then he'd worked on his physical abilities as well. Admittedly he wasn't a trained warrior, but he knew enough to survive everything he'd ever been through.

[nidhug]

The Nord had not been expecting the charge attack from the elf. In his surprise, Nidhug was barely able to leap back before the elf's blade conjured blade could reach him. Growling lightly, he ditched the magic route, seizing his great sword with both hands and charged forward in a thrust.

[Ande]

Ande side stepped and dropped the ward, turning with his side step and using the momentum to slash at Nidhug again, this time aiming in a downward arc. His now free hand conjured another blade as he moved, trying to get closer to the Nord. He'd seen that the other's sword was two handed, making it a bit slower than both of his one handed swords combined. If he got in close, he would have an advantage.

[nidhug]

Following through with the thrust meant exposing his un-armored back to Ande, but there wasn't anything for it at this point. But continuing with the motion meant he could get out of harm's way, taking a light nick to the left side of his back instead of a full slash. However, Nidhug took his right hand off the sword, slipping it under his left arm and shooting an ice spike spell directly at Ande. Then, following the turn of his arm back towards Ande, he pivoted, both hands back on his sword as he slashed in an upwards arc.

[Ande]

He hadn't been expecting for Nidhug to actually do the smart thing and follow his momentum; most beings he'd fought weren't this well trained. And scrambled to get out of the way when Nidhug returned an ice spike instead of the sword first, jerking to his right instead of swaying smoothly and doing his best to follow the movement. To compensate he took a long step back and turned with the step, flinging the sword in his left hand at Nidhug with the momentum from the turn. The conjured sword would be as real as the ground they stood on for a few more seconds, more than long enough for it to reach Nidhug and hit home.

Ande didn't wait to see what happened, shouting "SU!" and moving forward with his one sword, both arms feeling lighter and faster as the Thu'um spread through his body. He turned his body to the side as he approached more in a fencer's stance, thrusting his sword straight at Nidhug's center and preparing to turn and summon another blade.

[nidhug]

Nidhug's eyes widened in surprise as Ande tossed his blade, quickly bringing his greatsword back down in order to knock the blade off of its intended trajectory, causing it to fall harmlessly back towards Ande's position. The Elf certainly fought like a fighter, but so too did Nidhug. The Nord fell into a more defensive position, conserving his energy as he looked for an opening.

Each thrust that Ande made was blocked with expert timing with Nidhug's Greatsword. He almost lazily added a little forward motion to each block, hoping that Ande's wrist would not be able to take the added strain to having his weapon somewhat recoiled back at him.

However, just before Ande's turn, Nidhug took a step to the right, turning and bringing his sword down in a horizontal swing, the flat of the blade aimed for Ande's middle, hoping to catch him and fling him towards the ground.

[Ande]

The deflected blocks didn't affect his wrist as he successfully held the sword as an extension of his body, keeping his wrist straight and letting his elbow and shoulder absorb the impact. Ande's eyes widened when Nidhug took the step to his right, already sensing that the sword would follow through before he actually saw it. He recoiled his sword back and held it parallel to his body inbetween himself and the other blade to protect it from the edge, unaware that Nidhug had adjusted his sword to hit him with the flat side of it.

Ande stepped forward at the same time, using his free hand to quickly grab at the butt of Nidhug's sword from above his hands, intending to use all of his and Nidhug's momentum to rip the sword out of his hand. No matter what happened though, the force of the blow from Nidhug's sword was going to knock him to the ground.

[nidhug]

Nidhug's surprise at Ande grabbing his sword and using their combined momentum to pull the sword from his hands was extreme. Now disarmed, he quickly formed an ice spike spell in each hand, quickly sending the spikes into Ande's shoulders to pin him down to the ground before quickly straddling him pulling his sacred Dragon Priest Dagger from the sheath on his left side, his left hand settled around Ande's throat, holding him tightly where he wanted him and forcing his throat into an exposed pose , the Dagger coming down to press against his throat.

However, as fierce and angered as Nidhug was, he hesitated, the blade pressing against Ande's throat in a piercing motion, it was lightly pressed against his skin, enough to add pressure but not to slice into his throat. Breathing heavily, he glared down at Ande, somewhat wanting to make the killing blow but something was staying his hand.

[Ande]

To say Ande had been alarmed at the ice spikes would have been an understatement. Ande let out a gasp when he hit the ground, arching his back sharply and trying to get back up. The ice spikes stopped any sort of elevation concerning his shoulders though, and the robe he wore held him down by those two points. Adding Nidhug on top of him ruined any chance of getting up quickly, Ande's hand instead going for Nidhug's forearms to try and keep him away from his throat. But while he could practice sword techniques, he'd had almost no one to practice grappling with, and he quite frankly sucked at it.

Ande let out a short cry of protest when the hand settled around his throat and squeezed, his head tilting back compliantly to expose his long neck. He had jerked and struggled out of reflex until that cold sharp point rested against his neck, forcing him to instead tense and freeze as he was, having to strain slightly to see Nidhug due to the angle his head was forced into. Now he stayed still, panting as best he could with the hand around his throat.

[nidhug]

Nidhug paused for a few moments, watching Ande as he breathed from the exertion that they had just undertaken. This was the first time since the battle with the Stormcloaks that he had his hand around someone's fate. That sort of power did not sit well with Nidhug and especially since Ande had only been defending what he loved. Bending down while still keeping the dagger pressed to Ande's neck he smirked, whispering into his ear.

"You're a much better fighter than I expected... Now, we're both going to stand up, nice and slow, and you're going to keep still and quiet. I need some sort of levrage against Vokunulov and you'll do quite nicely," Nidhug said, his voice low and raspy.

Slowly, he let Ande up, moving his hand to pull the two ice spikes out of his clothing, all the while keeping the dagger at Ande's throat. Once they stood, he pulled Ande's back to his chest, one arm holding him tight, the other keeping the blade of his dagger pressed against Ande's throat.

"Why don't you summon the Grandmaster... I'm sure he'd respond much better to your voice. Shout for him," Nidhug stated, whispering into Ande's ear still.

[Ande]

The warm breath next to his ear made him arch and shiver, especially since it was so cold. Not to mention his elven ears were more sensitive than that of a man's.

Ande stood up very very stiffly, eyes sharp for any sort of escape route available. But none made themselves obvious, and he'd flinched when Nidhug had spun him around and held him to his chest, both arms pinned to his sides by the non-dagger hand. As for the dagger hand, Ande tilted his head up when the blade contacted his skin again, making him hold very still in Nidhug's hold. He swallowed and felt the sharpness of the dagger even more.

He shuddered again when Nidhug spoke against his ear, feeling goosebumps run up the back of his neck. Their brief conversation from before came back to him; Nidhug wanted to deliver a message to Vokunulov. At this rate, he'd get his throat slit and then the message would be delivered. There was no point in that.

The elf mustered a deeper breath and grounded himself as best he could for the shout, trying to pull as far away from the knife as possible and pressing more against Nidhug, "VOKUN UL OV!"

[Vokunulov]

It was more often than not in the present day to hear the power of the mortals thu'um, but rarely did they ever come so near. The ancient dragon did not stir, nor did he truly yet awaken from his deep slumber. None had approached him in quite some time, so it seemed as if the only moment to rest before the storm began was right then. The promised day, in which entailed the end of days, rapidly approached. Even if Alduin was defeated by the Dragonborn who rose up against him, the soul of a god could never be absorbed and the Destroyer of Worlds would rise up again. It all seemed rather petty, Alduin, Nordic God of Destruction and prophesied slayer of mankind, had been unsuccessful in his every attempt to enslave the mortals. The other dragons were blinded and ruled by fear, but Vokunulov was not. If Alduin had been successful, should he have shown that he was truly as omnipotent as he claimed, the Grandmaster of the Greybeards would have never betrayed him. Vokunulov saw Alduin's weakness... when a great danger erupted, there was always an unsung hero to rise up against him. It happened every time Alduin had appeared thus far, and Vokunulov doubted that it would change...

And then he could feel it, deep in his bones... the summon, the binding words that urged him to come... tempting him to follow. His name was as much of a shout as any other, the three words that were his to hold. It was difficult, however, to go when the shout sounded so... obscure. There was an uncertainty in the summoner's voice, a present danger that the old dov could feel in the air. Though he was unsure of what it was, there was a thickening tension on the mountain below. Vokunulov only left the safety of his meditation in great curiosity, though it made him remember the last time one had called out to him. A powerful mortal, back in the days only remembered by what an author chose to inscribe, had dared challenge him. Unfortunately for the mortal, Vokunulov had not been so kind. But that was the day everything hand changed, for he was the last mortal the ancient dragon had devoured. But past memories were not important, not matter how much his true nature pleaded with him to return. Vokunulov was not sure that he would remain the wise and gentle leader the Greybeards looked up to forever...

As the crimson dragon spread his aged wings, the membrane between each of his elongated fingers fluttered in the chilling breeze. Since the thu'um had come from a close location, Vokunulov did not have to travel far before he found what he had set out to find. The dragon circled over the two, bright eyes focused on the tiny figures below. He did not land when he finally understood the situation, a dragonborn held hostage and the danger held the handle of the blade. Vokunulov recognized the Altmer right away, Ande, if he recalled correctly, was his name. The two had spoken maybe once or twice before, so the old dov remembered him.

"Aam.... Aan nivahriin paal... Krosis... " The sound rumbled through his throat as his eyes glanced between the two. Vokunulov did not no the face of Ande's assailant, but assumed he was the reason he had been called. "Why have you summoned me, hokoron do vokun fahdon?"

( Translastion: "Hmmmm.... A cowardly foe... sorrow..." and "Why have you summoned me, enemy of shadow [my] friend?"

[nidhug]

Nidhug kept the dagger at Ande's throat, but allowed him the room to Shout for Vokunulov. However, he was not about to let the Elf go. Alduin had informed him much into Vokunulov's character, about the fact he wouldn't harm someone innocent. So Ande had become Nidhug's shield and would remain his shield while he spoke to the ancient traitor.

"Vokunulov! Come down and speak with me, or I spill this Altmer's lifeblood on the snow!" Nidhug said in a loud and clear voice. "I've a message for you from your old master, Alduin!"

Of course, Nidhug would wait until the dragon landed in order to speak fully with him, to introduce his mission. He likely would not follow through with his threat of killing Ande, but the threat still had to be present in order to keep both in line. Nidhug was a master at manipulation, his long years of training to lead the Children of Alduin cult had given him the skills required to find his opponents weaknesses and exploit them, whether that be a physical or psychological weakness.

[Ande]

Ande stood rigidly in Nidhug's grip, trying to stay as far away from the knife as possible while still maintaining his own balance. There was nothing he could say to either of them right now as the sooner their conversation was over the sooner something else would happen. Whether it be Nidhug slit his throat or used him as a hostage to get off the mountain alive with Vokunulov watching.

Plus Ande was feeling rather ashamed that he'd been taken hostage in the first place, regardless of the fact that Nidhug was a better warrior than himself. He hadn't been bested in years, and his ego took a bit of a hit that someone so young compared to himself could defeat him in a fight.

[Vokunulov]

The entire situation greatly amused the ancient dovah... the fact that Nidhug thought he had some kind of a power over him was rather humorous. Vokunulov didn't understand why Nidhug thought that he cared for the Altmer, the dragon did not have attachments like the mortals had. He did not truly form bonds with those who made the pilgrimage to seek him out and to him mortals were just that... mortals. They died all of the time and only those they knew ever wept at their loss. To Vokunulov, the death of a mortal was much like a tree falling in the forest far away. Did he hear it? No. Did he care? Not particularly. Even though Vokunulov did enjoy their company, he had little compassion for the mortals. He shared his knowledge with them and many of them abused it... that angered him considerably...

"Release him first," Vokunulov told Nidhug, still hovering near to them. "Let him go... let him leave this place, and we shall speak further."

Despite the fact that Vokunulov didn't particularly care what happened to Ande, there was really no reason for him to die. The Altmer had done nothing wrong and death was not something that he deserved so if it was avoidable, the old dovah intended to do his best to make sure Ande didn't die.