Chapter 11: The Warning Howl
After a
short period of thought, the Hunter decided it would be best to head further
west, and then south towards Markarth. He was fearful of returning east due to
the terrifying dragon and the strong Imperial presence. He still had the
intention of travelling to the Stormcloaks but it may be long time until he
reaches the rebel strongholds of Windhelm and Riften.
The
Hunter avoided the grassy plain in which the Forsworn had gruesomely
slaughtered a small party of bandits. He took to the hills instead, eager to
avoid the large group of Forsworn barbarians.
Unfortunately,
the sight of a Forsworn Forager standing by the corpse of an unfortunate Nord
lowered his self-confidence. Especially as this warrior was not alone.
She
stood alongside this strange goblin-like creature. It had rugged skin, cloudy
yellow eyes and razor sharp teeth. Both of them were clearly pleased with their
kill, as it looked as if the innocent man was trapped through usage of two
cleverly placed bear traps.
While
avoiding these two enemies would certainly be possible. The Hunter decided it
would probably be best to eliminate the murderers as they blocked his intended
path west.
He had
the confidence to draw back his bow and release a single shot. The arrow
pierced the shoulder of the goblin, causing the creature to quickly face the
Hunter and unleash a deafening shriek.
While
the goblin was terrifying foe, it was slow and avoidable. The agility and skill
of the forager was far more of a threat. Fortunately, the Hunter’s aim was
slightly more accurate this time, releasing an arrow that caused the brutal
death of the warrior by puncturing the throat.
With
the death of the Forager, the Hunter returned his attention back to the goblin.
He ensured his safety by keeping his distance as he slowly crippled the monster
to death with a handful of arrows
After
looting valuables from the corpses of the fallen Forsworn, the Hunter searched
the body of the poor soul who had fallen victim to their trap. Sadly, he had
nothing of anything worth on him, so the Hunter carefully avoided the traps and
continued to travel.
Unsurprisingly,
it wasn’t long until the Hunter was attacked yet again. An Argonian suddenly
rushed out of the bushes to the left. The lizard wore the colours of the Dark
Brotherhood while it grasped two fine daggers. The Hunter was aware that he was
far more vulnerable in close combat, especially against such an agile opponent.
He
therefore threw his pride away and ran. Luck appeared to be his side as a
wooden palisade could be seen from a distance. Help would surely be found
there.
The
gate to the remote settlement was left open, allowing the Hunter to sprint
right through. Upon entering, he noticed Orcs, lots of Orcs. This was an Orc
settlement and they didn’t seem keen on helping the Hunter.
The
Orcs looked on in bewilderment as this dual daggered Argonian continued chasing
a random black robed man through the streets of their fortified home.
Eventually the street reached an end at the top of a small hill, leading into a
small mine. Rather than going into the mine itself, the Hunter bravely jumped
off the hill, landing on a small building before rolling down back towards the
gate.
Surprisingly, the agile Argonian
wasn’t interested in jumping off cliffs like the Hunter, so the reptile
assassin frustratingly turned back and rushed down the hill. This provided the Hunter a golden opportunity
to end the tiresome chase. He quickly equipped his bow and prepared for the
charging enemy.
A swift
arrow shot carved through the moist flesh of Dark Brotherhood assassin, leaving
a fatal wound in the neck of the creature. The momentum of the Argonian’s
charge propelled the body forward, crashing to the ground at the pair of Orc
feet.
A group
of Orcs soon gathered around the corpse while the Hunter, quite chuffed with
his kill, lowered his bow. In contrast, the Orcs seemed rather unimpressed with
the Hunter’s marksmanship. After a moment of silence, one Orc turned around and
gave the Hunter a stern look. Unsurprisingly, the Orc stated that he should
leave.
A mutual
feeling of awkwardness soon set in as the Hunter dragged the corpse of his foe
towards the gate. A trail of blood followed him as the Orcs remained silent,
looking on with a sense of disgust.
The Hunter
soon reached the gate and unsurprisingly it was quickly shut. He left the
corpse where it was and continued on his journey to Markarth, hoping that the
Argonian would be the only assassin to disrupt his goal.
The
area outside the Orc settlement was packed with wildlife. A group of sabre cats
lounged in the tall grasses while nearby a pack of wolves contently howled.
Fortunately
the Hunter of Blunders managed to successfully avoid these two groupings of
animals. He was relieved that he had done so as he was still exhausted from his
previous fight.
Sadly
his luck appeared to be quickly disappearing when he noticed four terrifying
creatures across the river.
A
werecat and 3 werewolves were carefully watching the river. The Hunter noticed
that these beasts were clearly clever by hunting along the riverside. When a
mudcrab floated downstream, the creatures pounced on it. The river banks were
littered with corpses that had fallen into this werewolf trap.
When
the pack crossed the river to attack a poor fox, they noticed the Hunter poorly
trying to hide in the grasses above the river. Suddenly, the werewolves quickly
turned their attention to the Hunter and rushed towards him at a terrifying
speed.
The
Hunter panicked and ran for his life back towards the Orc Fort. This wasn’t a
fight he was going to win alone.