Art trade : Shy's little adventure

Returning at Solitude from her journey, Shy was thinking back about it. She just saved a cursed orc tribe. Their chief had to slay giants in order to restore Malacath's trust in them. Chief Yamarz died like a puppy against a saber cat, facing the giant, as Shy through it would be. She saw it at first sight, Yamarz was not suited to be chief of the stronghold, too far from being a good warrior, how he came to gain right to be chief is a mystery to her. But what intrigued her is what happened next. She returned to Malacath's shrine in the stronghold with the giant's hammer as a trophy. The daedric lord claimed Shy to be his champion and gave her a hammer, but in his voice, something felt... weird... She couldn't point it out exactly, but she felt something in her, and in his voice. She couldn't find it. Hearing steps behind her, she shook those thinks out of her head to look at its origin. This was a courier.
“Got a message for you.” he said handing her a piece of paper. “Here you go, have a good day!” he finished, departing.
How they find her everytime is an even bigger mystery than Malacath to her.
Opening the paper, she read that the Jarl of Falkreath requested her help.
It's been little time since she departed from the tribe's stronghold, she could make a detour to see what help the Jarl needed.

She finally arrived at the peaceful town of Falkreath. She entered the Jarl's longhouse and had been greeted almost immediately after closing the door.
“Ah, Shy, you're here, good.”
“Hello, Jarl, you requested my help on a matter?” she said, lightly bowing in respect.
“Yes, please follow me.” asked the Jarl.
The two of them entered the war room where an imperial Legat was.
The Nord turned to Shy with an interrogative look.
“This is the woman I talked to you about.” commented the Jarl
“Ho... Sorry, I didn't expect you to come this quick. I'm Legat Skulnar, pleased to meet you.” he said, saluting her.
She returned the salute and responded “Legat Shy. What seem to be the problem? For the Jarl to ask me to come...”
“In the last week, I lost half of my guards.” said the Jarl
“And six soldiers.” added Skulnar
“How come?!” asked Shy, chocked to hear there was such loss without any rumors spreading through Skyrim.
“One of my townsman reported weird noises from a Burrow nearby. I sent some men to investigate, but none of them returned. Then, we sent a search party with the Legate, but none of them have gave sign of life...”
“So you want me to investigate the matter, is that it?”
“Yes, I'll adjoin you one of my best warrior.”
“You asked for me, Legat?” asked a big voice.
“Ha, Sokir, perfect.” said Skulnar.
Turning to look at the newcomer, Shy saw an impressively big Redguard.
“This is Shy.” presented the Jarl. “The Legat and I want you to team up with her and go investigate the Irkbaan Burrow, search for our men, and, if possible, stop whatever is going on in here.”
“Whoa whoa whoa.” stopped the Redguard. “This girl is the warrior you were waiting for? Might as well sent me alone in here.”
“Sokir!” scolded Skulnar before getting stopped by Shy.
“If you, so much, think you can do it alone, just go! I dwell those kind of ruins all the time and have dealt with many matters. If I learnt one thing, it's that someone full of himself is the first to get killed. Continue with that attitude and I'll personally deal with your superiority!” said Shy, looking in Sokir's eyes.
The Redguard kept Shy's look.
“Sokir, you're going to be under Shy's order.” added the Legat.
“What? Why?!” he asked.
“First, she have more experience in ruins than you. Second, she's a Legat and you're a Quaester.” stated Skulnar.
While Sokir was visibly shocked to learn that what he saw like a weakling is a Legat. He didn't said a thing, instead he looked at his Legat and Shy with disbelief.
“No objection? Perfect, now go.” said Skulnar.

Sokir was still baffled and didn't said a word until they faced the Burrow.
“What happened to your full-of-yourself self?” asked Shy.
“Nothing. I just wasn't expecting you to be a Legat, sorry for earlier.”
Shy sighed, “Forget it. People underestimate me all the time. Let's investigate this tomb alright?”
Sokir silently nodded as they both entered the old ruin.
Once the doors closed and their eyes accustomed to the dark, they saw blood few meters from mummified corps.
Sokir was about to have a closer look when Shy stopped him. Unsheathing her sword, she impaled one of the corps with it.
The body moved a little, but fell dead soon enough.
“What the...?” began the Redguard.
“Draugr. Those ruins are filled with them. You can recognize them because off their weapons and blue glowing eyes. Kill them before they wake up.” answered Shy. “By the way, don't forget to look where you walk, there is often traps too.” she added.

After some more meters, they arrived at a big room filed with dead draugr and Guards.
Looking at the Nord's corps, Shy stated, “It must be the first party. The others should be more deeper.” While examining the corps, she saw weird burns on them, probably from magic, but what kind of magic could burn someone like that? It's like they burnt from the inside. Asking her partner to be cautious, they both resumed their way.

They soon found a corridor filed with pressure plates. Making their best to avoid activating them, Shy, unfortunately lost her balance and had to prevent herself from falling by pushing a stone from the wall. Stone that triggered a wooden ram to hit her from the side, launching her on the other side of the wall. Sokir made his best to hurry at her side.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, my armor took it all. Nothing hardier than an orc in heavy armor.” she said, getting up, her breath still a little sharp after getting cut like that.
They both resumed their trap avoiding routine and finally reached the end of this corridor.
They both sighed of relief right before they saw an arrow flying through the air, hitting a wall, and end up triggering all the pendulum-axe traps they avoided. They turned to see a big draugr. The undead was quite powerful, he blocked all attacks and almost cut the duo in half more than one time.
Shy have had enough of this, sheathing her sword, she unstrapped Malacath's hammer from her back and made the draugr take a few steps back. Seeing that, she had an idea, she asked of Sokir to go behind the draugr with her. Without a question, he managed to do it. Shy bashed at the undead, making it take few steps back again, closing it to the traps. The Redguard understood her plan and shield bashed it too. Taking more and more steps back, the draugr finally got cut in half by an axe.
The two ruin-dwellers caught their breath before getting deeper in the ruin.

Again a new room full of dead draugr and humans.
Imperial soldiers and guards. “The second party.” said Sokir. The corps were as bruised as the others were. But a awfully untouched one caught Shy's eyes. Looking at it, it was a High Elf, probably a dark wizard, his death seemed to have been caused by back stab.
“There seem to be more of this ruin than it seems.” guessed Shy.
“Take a look at that.” said Sokir, handling her an old paper.
“...And thus, thou shall be help captive from thy dead body, sleep, Irkbaan, priest of Sadonloknah...” She read out loud.
“What do you think it mean?” asked her partner.
“There is a Dragon Priest in this tomb... And he mustn’t be woke up.”
“What is a Dragon Priest?”
“A miserable pile of secret... I don't know how they survived, but some of them are like draugr. Except they have magic powers. Powerful enough to fly and fire lightnings at you. And stand most of your hit before dying and falling into dust. If someone is waking one up, we need to stop him.” explained Shy.
As Sokir loudly swallowed, Shy motioned for them to go on.

Soon enough, they heard people. At the corner of a room, they heard, “...Free you from thy stone prison. Thou shall rise again. We call upon thy. Irkbaan. Wake up from thy slumber.” called a Dark Elf, ready to cut open one of his hand with two of his acolytes.
Sokir jumped out of cover to charge at him. Unfortunately, the Redguard got hit by a strange lightning, knocking him out. Said lightning was bright blue and emanated from the dark elf's staff. Shy was still undercover, but she couldn't let Sokir risk his life like that once more. She too, jumped out and destroyed the head of one of the other wizard with one blow. The blood he dropped on the tomb made the room shake. Everyone lost balance and the sarcophagus opened, letting the dragon priest out.
While she regained her balance, the Dark Elf got on one knee and offered his staff to the undead mage.
It's decrepit hand took it. It, then, aimed at the Elf and fired it. Unleashing a even more powerful burst of energy. Electrifying the poor mage. The same burns as the bodies they found appeared on him. Some kind of blisters formed on his skin and soon, his grey skin became fully dark, and his body couldn't even move from the lightnings anymore.
The priest turned its staff to the remaining mage and fired once more. Giving Shy time to wake Sokir up.
She didn't succeeded, and stopped trying when she heard the staff no more.
Turning over to the priest, she saw it on the ground, recuperating his lost powers. She understood that the staff took him all his magic.
She prepared her hammer and said to the undead, “Need a little pick-me-up?” running to him.
She was about to deal the blow when it used a magic barrier. Upon hitting it, it blew up, blinding Shy for some seconds.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw the priest flying and heard it say, “Zu'u los Irkbaan! Hi los nid mal graag riil!”
She charged at it while answering, “I have no idea.” “What you're saying.” “Old one.” after each blow that it easily dodged. After the last hit, it unleashed normal lightnings through its free hand, screaming, “Suleyk! Vokesaal suleyk!” with his voice from beyond the grave.
While Shy was using her hammer's metal handle to direct the lightnings away the best she could, she saw a finally awake Sokir get behind the priest. He managed to hit it hard enough to disorient it.
Letting Shy run and jump in the air. She aimed for it's head, unleashing a war cry before crushing it's head with her hammer. “And stay dead!” she said, looking at it's body turning to dust.
The duo was taking their breath back while Shy commented to Sokir “You came to it at the right time there, thanks.”
“Don't mention it.” he responded, “let's get back to town, I need something to drink.” he added.
And so, they exited the tomb.
“Who do you think they where?” asked Sokir.
“Too late to ask them, you know.” answered Shy.

Back in town, they both got congratulated on a work well done and got to finally have some time to take a break.
Well, quick break for Shy, because an old enemy soon caught up to her.

The End