18: Rain

The stables were small and smelled like feces, which was not surprising given it’s occupants. Most of the horses in there were poorly groomed and lazy. They were all a dirty brown, except for the one the old man had told me I could use. It was the only well groomed horse in there and trotted around the stable quite nicely. I went up to it and it gladly followed my tugs at its reins. I pulled myself up into its saddle, and tried to accustom myself to it. I had never been very good at riding horses, but it was not too hard for me to make it move. The saddle was quite comfortable, and I was soon off on my way.

The road brought me past a wayshrine to one of the Nine, but I decided to keep moving, it was getting later after all. The road wound down towards the Imperial City, and then made a sharp turn towards Skingrad. I admired the construction of the Imperial City as I rode by, the sun just starting to dip down towards the horizon. I estimated that it was about four o’clock, and pushed my new horse onwards.

As I neared Skingrad, the skies began to darken. I cursed my luck and pushed my friend onwards, racing to reach Skingrad before the storm broke. The walls came into sight, and I thought that I might make it in time. I came so very close, and the sky opened up onto me as I rounded the last bend in the road. Luckily, the bridge that led to the castle was above me, and kept me fairly dry for a moment. I refused to slow my horse down though, and got him into a small stable area outside the gates. I jumped off and tied him to a pole and ran to the gates, pulling them open and resting for a moment in the dry area beneath the Gatehouse.

The rain pounded down for quite some time, but lessened enough for me to make it to a lodge. I couldn’t make out the name when I was outside because the sky released its drenching payload before I could make it inside. I squelched as I made my way to the bar; a stiff drink was what I needed after that downpour. The Orc behind the bar welcomed me to the Two Sisters’ Lodge, but my temper was as sour as the weather. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s getting soaked. I peeled off my shoes and left them by the fireplace, hoping they would dry soon. I returned to the bar when the Orc barmaid had prepared my drink, and downed it quickly. I asked her for a room, and after an exchange of gold for a key, I made my way up the stairs and opened up my room. It was pleasant, and at ten gold it was a great deal. I shut the door and pulled off my soaked clothing. The rain outside showed no sign of stopping, so I laid myself down to sleep for a while; it was getting late anyway.

It was still raining when I woke up. I cursed my luck and sighed. If the rain didn’t let up soon, I wouldn’t be able to make it to Kvatch in time to meet the Dark One! I pulled on a dry robe and made my way down to the bar. My shoes were almost dry, so I put them on and got some hot food from the barmaid. I finished, and heard the rain stop! I paid for my food quickly and ran upstairs to gather my things. When I returned, I gave my key to the barmaid and stepped outside. The rain seemed to have stopped for good, and the early morning sun was peeking out through the clouds! I thanked the gods and jogged out to where my horse was.

The stable had kept him mostly dry, although the ground was practically a river at his hooves. I mounted him anyway, and set off towards Kvatch.

It was not too long of a ride, and I reached the path leading up towards Kvatch at about 11 o’clock. But something was wrong. The sky was cloudy, and smoke rose from Kvatch’s walls! I pressed my horse on, and met a hysterical man running along the road. He was screaming about how Kvatch was gone! Something about how Daedra had attacked in the middle of the night and destroyed everything! I left him to rant and rode as fast as I could along the road. Soon I came upon a camp of disheveled people, many of them weeping, and I assumed they were the survivors. I slowed only a little as I passed through the camp, and then continued up the winding, rocky path towards the fortress like city of Kvatch. It was perched at the top of a mountain, and the climb was not easy for my horse on the wet ground, but in time I reached the top to find horrors.

The ground was charred beyond belief, and spires the color of obsidian rose from the ground in places. I looked towards the gates, but all I saw was a huge, steaming portal that burned with unholy fire. I could not make out much behind it, but it looked grim. The portal was flanked on either side by obsidian spires with lava running down them, and I was immediately reminded of the portal I had been the creator of years before. But this portal, it was twenty feet high! I didn’t think anything that big could be sustained for any amount of time!

There was a small group of soldiers holding off several Daedra, and I rushed to their aid. There weren’t many of them lurking around, and they were dispatched quickly, but the soldiers seemed to have lost all morale, and they looked extremely tired. I approached the captain of the guard and see where I could put my spells to use…