The Hunted - Story of Irvine

[Assassin99]

If you read my post in two minutes, that puts you around the same range as the top competitors for the World Championships for speed reading. (source)
Somehow, I doubt that.

it isn't that big a post actully

 

[Katastrophe]

Part XX - Dawnbreaker​

You daedra aren’t exactly the most secretive bunch,” Irvine said, pointing over the hillside to the massive beacon of light in the sky. “Gee, you think that’s her shrine?” Barbas didn’t give an answer, apparently none too pleased with Irvine’s sudden shift in priorities. He had tried to explain that since it was on the way and so nearby, they might as well just stop and complete her task before carrying on. While having no real favorable opinion of daedra nor of their princes, he figured that it couldn’t hurt to be in their good graces.

“Look at my temple, lying in ruins!” Her voice seemed to echo throughout the mountains and it was all Irvine could do to resist making a comment about the light. “So much for the constancy of mortals, their crafts and their hearts!” Irvine and Barbas slowly descended the steps up to her alter. Based on how angelic the statue looked, it was hard to imagine her as a daedra. “If they love me not, how can my love reach them? Restore to me my beacon so that I might guide you to your destiny!” There was something about her tone, and perhaps the dark shadows that made the angelic shrine look a bit more menacing, that made him rethink his last thought. He did as he was commanded, placing the beacon gently in the arms of two smaller angelic looking statues. It shone brightly, then vertically, and then Irvine found himself soaring high into the sky.

“The token of my truth lies buried in the ruins of my once great temple,” she continued, but Irvine found it hard to pay attention. Surprisingly, he wasn’t afraid but rather amazed at the view - he couldn’t help but looking down upon all of Skyrim, the faint figures of dragons soaring across the mountains. So this was the view of the Divine. “now tainted by a profane darkness skittering within.” Irvine became aware all at once that there was still an orb of light floating before him, the source of Meridia’s voice. “The Necromancer Malkoran defiles my shrine with vile corruptions, trapping lost souls left in the wake of this war to do his bidding. Worse still, he uses the power stored within my own token to fuel his foul deeds.” At least this daedra had a moderately just cause when compared to Clavicus. Having encountered many necromancers before, Irvine had a feeling what he was up against and what foul deeds this Malkoran was up to.

“I have brought you here, mortal, to be my champion,” she continued, and Irvine couldn’t help but feel as though perhaps she had chosen the wrong person. Truly, if you were to choose a champion, would it be based on a ‘finder’s keepers’ basis? “You will enter my temple, retrieve my artifact, and destroy the defiler.”

“Doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice in the matter,” Irvine said, looking down at the ground far, far, far below him.

“But one candle can banish the entire void,” she said, almost chuckling. “If not you, than someone else. My beacon is likely to attract another soul.” At that moment, Irvine felt the force keeping him afloat fade and he jostled in midair. “But if you are wise, you will do my bidding.”

“You’ve made your point,” Irvine confessed. And so, she showed her true daedric colors.

“Then go now, retrieve my artifact and destroy Malkoran,” she said, the force holding Irvine in place strengthening. “Malkoran has bared the door, but this is my temple and it will yield to my decree! I will send down a ray of light, and you must guide it through my temple and it’s doors will open.” There was a shift and Irvine looked down, horrified, to see himself plummeting back towards the temple. Just before his feet hit the stone, there was a burst of light beneath him and his descent stopped and placed him gently on the ground.

“What in Oblivion was that all about?” Barbas asked, looking back to the sky as a strange lined continued to shine from the sky and into the beacon.

“We have to proceed into the temple, guide a ray of light and kill a necromancer,” Irvine said, turning towards the stairs. “Preferably before dark.”

“This is lunacy!” Barbas said, following Irvine reluctantly. “We should just return to Clavicus and you can just wish this necromancer dead! Nothing to it!”

“I have other plans for that wish,” Irvine said, shaking his head as he approached a door at the base of the shrine. “Come on.” Inside, the duo found bodies of long dead Stormcloaks and Imperials, their army barely recognizable beneath the decayed flesh that seemed to have ooze overtop. There was a dense, black smoke that filled the area from the waist down and Barbas did not like this one bit, coughing as best a dog could. The journey through the temple was surprisingly straight forward and defended scarcely by ghastly shades, horrific resurrections of long gone soldiers. Transferring the light’s ray was a simple enough task as well, large buttons requiring pushing in order to raise a small replica of the original beacon to redirect the light further into the temple. Ultimately, it led outside, along the cliff that lined the road to Solitude. Barbas took this opportunity to request a break, gasping for breath. When all was right with the dog, the two ventured deeper into the temple, battling more Shades and activating more beacons through an even thicker smoke until the two gained entry into the temple’s catacombs. It was here that a final beacon to be activated on a central platform surrounded by candles burned to their base. When the beacon’s transferred light opened the final door, Barbas began to whimper slightly. “Is the daedra dog actually afraid?”

“I’m not afraid,” he said, keeping his voice low. “I just don’t see why we’re doing this.” The two continued deeper but it wasn’t longer before their target was visible. The man in black robes, guarded by a handful of the ghastly shades, countless bodies spread out across the floor. Irvine motioned for Barbas to be quiet and the two headed back up the steps to safer ground. “What is it? Cold feet, big guy?”

“Not at all,” Irvine said, “we just need to plan.” He pulled out his bag and began going through his things, finally pulling out two scrolls he had been holding on to for awhile. “I’m no expert in magic... I’m not anything in magic, to be honest... but these should help.” After a few more minutes of planning, the two ventured back down the steps, strolling through the door. Malkoran turned, a ward already being summoned, the ghastly shades closing in. Just as they were closing in, Irvine activated the first scroll as a golden aura enveloped the area around them. Almost immediately, the undead ghouls turned and fled, repelled by the magical circle, leaving only Malkoran. Irvine wasted no time in activating the second scroll, a large storm atronach coming to life and immediately occupying the necromancer while Irvine began launching arrows into the backs of the fleeing ghouls, all while Barbas roared with doggy laughter within the safety of the circle. When the circle faded and the atronach gave Malkoran one final zap, Barbas fell silent as a black shade seemed to be ripped from the necromancer’s dead body as it fell, this one much larger than the others. It pulled back one hand and summoned a flaming orb, launching it at the atronach and causing it to explode in a blast of fire, the stones that created the creature being scattered around the room. Irvine wasted no time and struck the apparition in the chest with an arrow, forcing it to stumble backwards giving Barbas time to lunge into action.

He never reached the spirit. It shot forth another ball of fire at Barbas, the dog able to avoid the actual impact but the resulting explosion set it crashing against the wall, the ends of it’s fur singes around it’s left flank. Another arrow from Irvine but this time the creature hardly seemed notice. The next ball of fire was aimed for Irvine and he was able to get off one more arrow before he was forced to dive to his left, the ground where he had just been burst into flames. The hunter landed hard on his left shoulder and grunted in pain as he forced himself to roll on his back and free it, allowing him to notch another arrow and fire, striking the spirit once more. It conjured another ball of fire and raised it up over it’s head, ready to throw and Irvine ready to take it, when it let out an otherwordly howl of pain. Irvine opened his eyes and saw Barbas hanging by his mouth from the spirit’s wrist, the spell dissipating. Irvine scrambled to his feet and began slowly approaching Malkoran’s spirit, firing arrow after arrow until it finally collapsed into a pile of black smoke.

“It is done,” came Meridia’s voice, “The defiler is defeated. Take Dawnbreaker from it’s pedestal.” Irvine stepped forward through the room, Barbas at his heel, the two stepping over a venerable sea of rotting corpses to get to the last pedestal where Meridia’s light shined bright, a sword driven within. Irvine reached over the light and pulled out the sword and slowly, his vision faded to white. When he was able to see again, he saw he was once again floating high above Skyrim, the white orb of Meridia drifting before him. “Malkoran is vanquished. Skyrim’s dead shall remain at rest. This is as it should be. This is because of you. A new day is dawning, and you shall be it’s herald. Take mighty Dawnbreaker and purge corruption from the darkest corners of this world and do so in my name, so that my influence may grow.”

“I intend to do just that,” Irvine said, although the part about doing so in her name he would probably do without. However, he had learned before not to anger the spirit that holds you miles above the ground.

“May the light of certitude guide your efforts.” With that, Irvine was lowered back down to the base of the statue where Barbas sat, waiting. The two headed back to Dragonbridge where they ate an early meal and called it an early night. The next day would mean returning to Clavicus Vile.

 

[Katastrophe]

I want to apologize for the delay in posting this. I know there's a handful of you that really are interested in this story and I'm extremely thankful for that. I also know that because I've mostly been posting 1-2 times a day, you probably have come to expect that. It's been nearly a week since my last post and I apologize. I've been sick and while I posted Part 19 at the start of the cold and got through half of 20 on the same day... this cold just kicked my ass and I was not in the mood to write.

I'm feeling much better and although I'm still hacking up some of the foulest gunk imaginable, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. I'm also debating starting another story project, one that doesn't follow the main quest and has a deeper plot with the actual character... opinions? Or should I just stick to this?

 

[Therin]

Glad to see that you're feeling better. Its unclear if you mean to finish this story as well as start a new one, or stop writing this one to start the new one. I'd be careful about starting another story. If you get into the habit of starting stories and not finishing them, your readers may be hesitant to follow you.

 

[Katastrophe]

I do intend to 'finish' this one... I'm actually talking to Rayven and Shrew about where something like this belongs, since it's not technically a fanfic and not technically a journal, either. When I say finish, I don't know how or when this will actually finish, considering it's open-ended... although, I could end this one soon, all things considered. It wouldn't even be a "and then the bandit killed him, the end" deal.

Write this off as a learning experience. Hmmm...

We'll see. I have no desire to just abandon this one without bringing it some form of closure. I just like this new idea I've been working on today because I notice I'm taking more and more liberty in what I'm writing and what's happening in the game, and I like that. It also has a lot more character development/plot/backstory to it. Working on the format now - I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[Assassin99]

1. nice post
2. like your new avatar

 

[Katastrophe]

Thank you, thank you.

And actually, I decided to make the new idea just a pure fan fiction rather then evolve the game. I'll be updating it a lot less frequently because of that, unfortunately.

 

[Therin]

Okay, well, looking forward to this story continuing, and the next story beginning!

 

[Assassin99]

Okay, well, looking forward to this story continuing, and the next story beginning!

hear, hear

 

[brovahkin!]

what is the next story going to be called? so i can look it up when you start writing it!

 

[Assassin99]

what is the next story going to be called? so i can look it up when you start writing it!

Whispers in the Night | Skyrim Forums
it's a fanfic and so far it's good.

 

[brovahkin!]

whens the next post for this story?

 

[Katastrophe]

I'm going to make it today. I realize I've been falling behind but... eh, life sucks.
After I eat dinner I'll load up Irvine and make the next post.

 

[Assassin99]

I'm going to make it today. I realize I've been falling behind but... eh, life sucks.
After I eat dinner I'll load up Irvine and make the next post.

great

 

[brovahkin!]

i like that i like that alot

 

[Katastrophe]

Part XXI - Trick or Treat​

The road back to Haemar's Shame was not filled with nearly as much adventure as the road away. There was, however, a pair of Vampires that had killed and dressed as Vigilants on the road not long past Rorikstead that gave Irvine a feeling of dread.

"Are they with the one's from Haemar's Shame?" Irvine asked of Barbas as he dug through the stolen pockets of the Vampire Vigilants. Barbas gave the other body a glance and quick examination before shaking his head.

"No, I don't think so," he said, nudging the vampire's head to get a better angle. "I think these two were just operating on their own. Ingenious, really."

"I don't think they deserve praise for this." Irvine dropped the first vampire's body back to the ground and continued down the road. "They're wicked creatures."

"Vampires are people too, ya know." Barbas picked up speed, trotting along at Irvine's said. "It's a disease like any other that kills them from the inside out. They're not like trolls."

"I can hardly tell the difference." The duo continued to trip in silence, both between each other and between the world. There was another vampire that was fleeing from the direction of Helgen a few hours after the sun had risen, but Irvine took her down long before she became any sort of threat. Irvine began wondering if that Orc back in Falkreath had been right - on top of the civil war and dragons, was there really some sort of Vampire epidemic in Skyrim? Once more, Irvine opted to go around Helgen, always better to be safe than sorry (or dead), and when they finally approach Haemar's Shame, Irvine scrambled up the cliffside to the small cove that led directly back to Clavicus' shrine. He helped Barbas up and two ate a quick meal before heading within.

"Ah, you've returned!" The voice of Vile rang out throughout the shrine. "And you've brought the axe! And my dog! Splendid!"

"I've done as you asked, Clavicus," Irvine said, holding out the axe. "We had a deal, and I expect you to honor it."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Clavicus let out a small laugh at Irvine's renewed confidence. "A hero and his companion retrieving an ancient artifact for the prince! It's almost... storybook! But it would be a shame to give away a perfectly good axe as that, wouldn't it? Tell you what - you can keep the axe, but only if you use it to kill Barbas!"

"WHAT!?" The dog yelled, suddenly taking a few steps back. "Clavicus, why you....!"

"Quiet, pup! Let our young hero decide your fate!" Irvine wasted no time in choosing, tossing the axe at the feet of the shrine, much to the relief of Barbas.

"I shall not be your maniacal tool, Vile! I came for my wish - not to be a pawn in your game!" The axe clattered to the floor, knocking over the offerings left by the vampires. "Take your axe, and take Barbas!"

"Hmph, spoil my fun," Vile said, his voice sounding like that of a disappointed child. "Have it your way. On the bright side, with the mutt back, I'll finally be restored to full power and there's a whole world waiting just for me!"

"I knew I could trust you," Barbas said, nudging his head against Irvine's hand who gave him a small pat.

"Yeah yeah, it's all very nice. Dog gets master, master gets cosmic axe, everyone's happy. Just get over here, mutt." Irvine looked at Barbas who looked back between Irvine and the statue.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure I keep my end." With that, there was a flash of light around the axe and Barbas and two vanished. Another light flashed from the side of the statue, and then a large, stone Barbas was there.

"Ah, that feels so much better!" Vile yelled out, his voice continuing to ring throughout the cave. "You forget just how nice supreme power feels until you've been stuck in a cave for a few years!"

"And what of our deal, Clavicus?" Irvine was growing impatient. Had he simply been used once more? Made into the tool of those with more power than his own?

"Ah, yes... our deal. Your wish. Let's have it then!" Irvine thought for only a moment before he made his request.

"This Dragonborn business... people thinking I'm their hero... I don't want to be anyone's hero. I just want to have my life. Can you do that, Clavicus?"

"Can I do that? Ha!" His laughter echoed through the cave in the most uncomfortable way. "It's already been done, friend!" The laughter continued and Irvine, confused, began looking around as if an explanation could be found somewhere in the cave. Oddly enough, it could, but not to him.

"Already done?" Irvine asked, shouting to be heard over Vile's laughter. "Explain yourself!" As if on cue, Irvine suddenly began another coughing fit, blood once more sputtering out, the pain forcing Irvine to his knees and the spectacle causing Clavicus Vile to laugh only louder.

"Oh, not feeling well, are we?" he asked, barely audible through his giggling. "Almost as if you're insides are dying, isn't it?" Suddenly, it all became clear - where this sickness had come from, how it had come so suddenly, and what Vile had planned. "Oh yes, yes yes yes yes yes!" Vile's laughter continued, gleeful beyond the capacity of normal men.

"What have you done to me, Vile!?" Irvine shouted, another coughing fit causing him to unload a large amount of blood into the snow at his side, a display that only added fuel to Vile's fire.

"What have I done?" he asked, his laughter subsiding. "I have done nothing but grant your wish!" Irvine rose to his feet and began to clumsily climb the stairs. He needed to leave this place, to escape Vile, to get back into the fresh air. "I asked you to do as I say and there'd be no tricks, but you couldn't kill Barbas! So surprise, friend!" Irvine made it to the top of the steps and fell to his hands and knees, his insides churning within. "You don't want to be a hero any longer, fine! See how many people seek your aid now! Seek how many people call you their savior!" Irvine rose once more, half running and half falling towards the exit.

"See how many people like you as a vampire, Irvine Delaroso!"

 

[brovahkin!]

AMAZING!! Had a feeling he was a vamp, this will add a twist on how he looks at things

 

[Assassin99]

JESUSSSSSSSS WHAT A TWIST!

 

[Katastrophe]

Part XXII - The Turning​

Irvine fled from Haemar's Shame, the laughter of Clavicus seeming to following him the entire way out like wicked tendrils that threatened to reach out and snatch him, dragging him back to that shrine, to that horrid reality. But Irvine kept running and ran right out of the cave and slipped, stumbled, fell to the road below with a crack, and everything went black. There was just that laughter, taunting and malicious and completely lacking in any sort of remorse or pity. Mockery in it's purest form, taunting him from the darkness of his own subconscious. He suddenly became very aware of his insides, how they were twisting and roiling beneath his skin as they slowly died and converted into something between life and death, some eternal abomination on Tamriel. Irvine resigned himself momentarily, half accepting of is fate but in reality was simply too exhausted. He was literally being dragged to the brink of death, left to teeter there, and there was nothing he could do. Irvine Delaroso, by all accounts, was dying.

A figure formed within the blackness before Irvine's subconscious, a man created from a black mist in his own image. His armor, however, was not leather nor any material that Irvine recognizes, it's colors of red and black made in multiple layers. There was a villainous eloquence about it, he had to admit. His demeanor was different but most of all, it was the eyes. Orange eyes, glowing bright against the darkness. The formed him moved closer, the eyes seeming to glow brighter, growing bigger. Closer and closer, bigger and bigger, and all Irvine could do from within his own mind was watch and wait as those two eyes grew so large that they seemed to become one, and then... sunlight.

Irvine's head was pounding and, upon quick inspection, bleeding slightly, a small pool having formed on the cobblestone road. How long had he been out for? The sun was high in the sky now, so perhaps a few hours? Thankfully, the laughter of Vile had stopped eve though it seemed to continue within his own mind. Was he going mad, or was there more to this wicked game being played? Irvine stood slowly, bracing himself against the rocks and began looking around. Assuming this was all true, how does one go about curing a disease like Vampirism? More importantly, how does one seek out such knowledge without getting attacked on site? It was a fine line that Irvine now walked, and for all intents and purposes, he was blind.

He began running again, shaking loose the last remnants of Haemar's Shame and back on the road to Falkreath. The road was completely deserted the entire way and not far outside of Falkreath, he came back across the bodies of the few bandits Irvine and Barbas had killed and he thought of the dog. Had Barbas known? How long had he known? Why had Barbas let this happen? They had a deal and, for a brief moment, Irvine cursed himself for not killing that damnable dog when he had been given the chance. Even though, would Clavicus have kept his arrangement? Would Irvine's vampirism, a disease that had been in his body for days now, been cured or would have he simply let the disease go on? Had Irvine's participation in this quest been rigged from the start?

He ran through Falkreath, passing familiar faces who called out to him without a second glance. He needed to get away and divines forbid that Orc from the Dawnguard still be in town. He ran further down the familiar road, his muscles burning for relief but none would come. Irvine ran as though the disease was behind him, not within him. Running would cure this disease, because he wouldn't be caught by it. That was when he collapsed against a tree stump and vomited, the grayish bile tinted red with more blood. Irvine ran the back of his hand over his mouth and felt a prick. Examining his hand, he had indeed drawn blood, a careful finger examining his mouth to find the culprit. He found it quickly - two sharp fangs where his canines had been. This disease could not be escaped.

"Ivy!" Irvine ran further, ran faster, into the woods. "Ivy! Help!" There was no answer, even as Irvine approached Hunter's Rest. Inside, it was empty. Wherever she was, she hadn't been here in a few nights, perhaps not even since the last time he saw her. There was a moment where his concern for her wellbeing trumped his impending death, but another round of crimson bile brought his focus back on himself. Then, just like that, standing near the cabin's door, it happened. His insides seized, his eyes burned, his skin began to crawl and burn. Irvine collapsed to his knees, clutching at the sides of his head as it seemed ready to burst. He began thrashing from side to side as if being beaten by some invisible giant. He clenched his teeth, his new fangs extending past his lips. He fell to his hands and knees and began to crawl into the cabin, his skin cooling the instant it touched the shade from the building, though the tingling persisted. Inside, his thrashing grew worse and the pain kicked itself up a few notches. There was yet another round of bile, splattered across the wooden floor of the cabin, and then his insides began to settle. His body seemed to chill, though his outer skin still crawled as if caught in the web of a spider. He was soaked in sweat, his body breathing deep, full breaths. He struggled to sit up but fell, and that was that. Once more, his world went black.

 

[Assassin99]

poor irvine