Sonata stretched her arms as she, Kree, and Lydia walked out of the monastery, to which she recalled the map of Skyrim as she tried to determine where Ustengrav was located. Most of the ancient nordic ruins, she recalled, weren't actually located on many of the modern maps that the people of Skyrim carried, but she was glad that Kree's Imperial map had those ruins labeled for whoever carried the map. She decided to make an effort to memorize the map when she had time, so that she didn't need to keep pulling it out every time she wanted to make sure that they were on the right track.
"So, where is this Ustengrav?" Sonata asked, though as she turned to Kree for a moment her hand slipped into her pocket, where she was keeping the fragments of her necklace until she figured out a way to restore the stone.
"North of Morthal," Kree replied, unrolling the map and pointing to a small city that rested in the swampy area of Skyrim, which happened to be close to Solitude, "We'll need to return to Whiterun, where we'll turn north and then bend around a few turns in the road before we come to the entrance of the city. We should be able to reach Whiterun by nightfall and then, if we're lucky, we should be able to reach our destination by noon, giving us time to rest before marching through the marsh."
Sonata sighed for a moment before she and her friends started back down the mountain path they had taken to reach the monastery, though she knew that there wouldn't be any problems reaching Iverstead this time as they had removed all the enemies along the way. As they walked down the path Sonata took the opportunity to take in the scenery around her, admiring the cold mountain area as she never had the opportunity to be in such an area when she was on Earth. She couldn't remember much of her time in Equus, save for everything she and her sisters did to the ponies around them, but she was glad to take in something new.
When they finally returned to Iverstead they found that the funeral pyre had, after some hours of burning while they were gone, had finally burned out and the ashes had been scattered around the various planets that grew around the small village. Sonata had them stick around for a few minutes, just to be sure that there weren't anymore enemies that wanted to bring an end to her, but once she had determined that they were safe she got them heading down the mountain once more. She was thankful that they had cleared the way on the mountain path they had taken to reach Iverstead, because there weren't any enemies to hinder their progress.
All that changed, however, when they reached the fortress that they had cleared out earlier, Fort Amol as Kree called it, they found a group of green skinned creatures, all having large muscles, walking around the fortress. Two of them were carrying staffs, but the other four of them seemed to be warriors, judging by the heavy armor and heavy weapons that they carried.
"Those are orcs, my Thane," Lydia commented, standing beside a tree and informing Sonata as to what the creatures were, as she had no idea what they were to begin with, "but I have never seen one of them carrying staffs and working magic... something strange is happening in this fortress."
"Orcs and magic usually don't mix very well," Kree said, pulling her bow out, as if she knew that they were going to charge into the fortress and deal with the latest enemy, "so we had best decide what to do before they see us..."
"Imperial Spies!" one of the mages shouted, glaring at them and pointing a finger right at Sonata, before flames danced around his hand and he threw a fireball at them.
Sonata, already annoyed that the decision had been made for them, focused her magic and summoned a shield around them, allowing them to be safe from the fireball as the other orcs poured out of the fortress. She noticed that there were only six of them in total, so she decided to focus on taking out the enemies at the front of the pack while Kree took out the ones in the back. Lydia, true to herself, rushed out of the barrier and cut into the first orc that she came to, moving the creature out of the way so her companions could get a better shot at the other targets. As the orcs in the back fell to Kree's well placed arrows, be they either in the skull or the heart, Sonata focused on using her spells and sword to take out the ones that came at her.
She ducked under their swords, threw up a small shield every now and then for the weapons that she would have trouble dodging, and either cut her enemies down with her sword or blasted them backwards with her spells. Once the six orcs were finished off, and they were sure that those were the only ones infesting the fortress, they collected any gear that their enemies had been carrying, collecting the magical items that they had been carrying. While they did that Kree happened upon what appeared to be a letter, one that she was interested in reading the moment she discovered it.
"Durak," Kree read, while Sonata and Lydia gathered round her with their collected loot, "by order of Grul, the First Warlock, you and your group of warriors are to head to Fort Amol and ransack it of everything that the mages might have left behind. The Master is convinced that the mages left behind some valuable items, souls gems and what not, and has asked that you bring anything that you find back to our hideout. And if you see any spies, from either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials, you have permission to kill them. That's definitely not good."
"It is also odd how the letter wasn't signed," Lydia added, noticing that whoever had written the letter hadn't mentioned his or her name at all, "and how it doesn't mention where this hideout is located. As much as I hate to say it, and I really hate to say it, but it seems like we'll be leaving those orcs alone until we can learn more about them and whatever they are working on."
"Then we had best get moving," Sonata said, storing away the staff and tomes she had found, before moving back towards the road they had been walking on, "before this group of orcs discover that we've dealt with this small group and decide to come after us."
Kree and Lydia followed after her, where they retraced their steps through the road that winded around the mountain, passing the waterfall they had passed earlier that morning and coming up to the ruins they had cleared of bandits. After some time they eventually came to the other bandit hideout that they had decided not to bother with, though they barely considered going up there as they walked across the first stone bridge on the outskirts of Whiterun. Kree then told them that they needed to cross the second bridge that was on their right, so Sonata nodded and they crossed it without delay, where they walked by a farm that belonged to one of the families inside Whiterun.
After about ten to twenty minutes they found a watchtower that was under attack by bandits, but before they could raise a hand to aid whoever they were attacking Sonata noticed that the group of guards inside the tower easily dealt with the attackers. With the situation under control they continued down the road, but this time they were stopped by what appeared to be a jester with a wagon, though the wagon appeared to have a broken wheel.
"Agh! Bother and befuddle!" the jester said, waving his arms about while staring at the wagon for a moment, apparently ignoring the fact that the three of them had approached him, "Stuck here! Stuck! My mother, my poor mother. Unmoving. At rest, but too still!"
"Excuse me, but what seems to be the problem?" Sonata asked, though while she wanted to help the man out she knew that the broken wagon would interfere with other wagons, so she decided to knock out two birds in one go.
"Poor Cicero is stuck. Can't you see?" the man, Cicero, said, pointing at the large crate on the wagon for a moment, before turning his finger to the cause of his pain, "I was transporting my dear, sweet mother. Well, not her. Her corpse! She's quite dead. I'm taking mother to a new home. A new crypt. But... aggh! Wagon wheel! Damnedest wagon wheel! It broke! Don't you see?"
"So is there anything I can do to help you?" Sonata asked, wondering if she was wasting her time while she looked at the man, who was either crazy or just annoyed by what had happened to him.
"Oh. Oh yes! Yes, the kindly stranger can certainly help!" Cicero said, his mood shifting without the slightest of effort on his part, which only made Sonata worry that he was actually insane, "Go to the farm - the Loreius Farm. Just over there, off the road. Talk to Loreius. He has tools! He can help me! But he won't! He refuses! Convince Loreius to fix my wheel! Do that, and poor Cicero will reward you. With coin! Gleamy, shiny coin!"
Sonata sighed and walked up the hill that was to the left of the wagon, leaving her companions with the jester, who she was quite certain had to be somewhat insane. She found two people staring down at the wagon, one of whom she guessed had to be Loreius while the other had to be his wife, though she noticed that the man definitely wasn't happy. When she first approached the man she found that he was angry because she, another stranger, was coming up to his house and asking something of him. She decided to let him rant until he was finished before saying what she had on her mind, which was merely asking that he do the right thing for Cicero, seeing how the farmer had named the jester before she had even said a word.
After a few minutes of back and forth between the two of them, and Loreius' wife glaring at her husband the entire time, the farmer finally caved in and admitted that Sonata was right... though as she left the farmer said that he'd be down to fix the wagon soon.
"Good news Cicero!" Sonata exclaimed, causing the man and her companions to look at her for a moment, "I've spoken to Loreius and he's agreed to fix your wagon."
"You did?! He has?!" Cicero said, before a smile appeared on his face and he did a little dance, "Oh stranger! You have made Cicero so happy! So jubilant and ecstatic! But more! Even more! My mother thanks you! Here, here. For your troubles! Shiny, clinky gold! A few coins for a kind deed! And thank you! Thank you again."
Sonata accepted the pouch of gold that the jester handed to her, which she resolved to count later, before she bid the man goodbye and headed down the road with her companions.
"That was nice of you Sonata," Kree commented, looking around for enemies while she reflected on what her friend had done for the jester, "I wonder how long he was standing there before you came along and helped him."
"I don't know Kree," Sonata admitted, sighing as she focused on the road and the task at hand, "I only hope that he reaches his destination without something else happening to him... or to his wagon for that matter."
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The journey from the Loreius Farm to Morthal proved to be much harder than what Sonata had originally thought it was going to be, mostly because of everything that happened along the way. Shortly after they had left the farm, and came to a crossroad, Kree had pulled Sonata and Lydia into one of the bushes, allowing them to watch a group of heavily armed orcs marched down the road. Sonata noticed that one of the orcs carried a banner of sorts, one that appeared to be made from a sickly green material and had an imprint of a hand that was surrounded by flames. The three of them agreed that the orcs needed to be stopped, but Sonata didn't like the idea of having to deal with a fourth enemy until the other three had been taken care of.
They followed the road once the warriors were out of range, to which they eventually came to another fortress that appeared to be overrun by bandits, but Kree noticed something and had them hide beneath the wooden wall that had been recently thrown up. They all froze as they heard someone walking near them, each of them worried that they might be found out and have an entire fortress of bandits on their tails.
"Lord Grul requires an update on your progress," someone above them said, to which Sonata recognized the voice of an orc talking to someone else.
"We have sent our latest batch of captives to the location that the Master desires," a second voice, one that revealed that the speaker was another orc, replied, "Lady Vespula and her vampires have been spotted around the area, always searching for holes in our defenses, but never long enough for us to find them. When do we strike her and her cursed kin down?"
"In time Zorgak," the first voice said, to which Sonata heard what she assumed was a scroll exchanging hands, "Lord Grul has received word that there is a new Dragonborn in Skyrim, whose purpose is to fight the dragons and defeat them before they can bring about the end of days."
"Ah yes, I have heard the rumors as well," the second voice, Zorgak, commented, which was followed up the sound of the scroll opening, "So, what does the Master want us to do about her? Kill her? Capture her?"
"Don't worry about her too much," the first voice said, though there was what appeared to be a soft chuckle that followed, "Lord Grul has special plans for her and her companions. I suggest you read that scroll and prepare yourself accordingly, because there's no telling when the Master will be done with that special 'project' he's been working on."
"As you say, Lord Aggronak," Zorgak said, pounding a fist on his chest before the two of them departed from the wall.
Once Kree was sure that the coast was clear the three of them got underway, making sure that none of the bandits or the orcs aligned with them spotted the three of them. When they were a safe distance away from the fortress they finally relaxed and resumed their travels, heading in the direction of Dawnstar until they came to a fork that allowed them to turn left. They followed the path through the snowy area, making sure to take care of the wildlife that decided to attack them while also hiding from the orcs that they occasionally saw. While they walked toward Morthal Kree had to wonder what all of the orcs were doing and what their master, the mysterious Grul, had planned for all of Skyrim.
When they finally arrived in Morthal, and they were sure that there weren't any enemies in the immediate area, they quickly descended into the city and passed by the group of people who were gathering in front of a large building, before they entered the inn. Once they were inside the inn they finally relaxed and rented the room for the night, allowing them to get the sleep that they would need if they were still going to be tackling Ustengrav. As they started to relax, where Lydia cleaned off her weapon after a hard day of killing enemies that would have killed her Thane, Kree noticed that Sonata seemed to have something on her mind.
"Something wrong Sonata?" Kree asked, wondering what could be bothering her friend this time, though she knew that the orcs they had encountered might have something to do with it.
"Six forces want me dead," Sonata sighed, sadly looking at her friend for a moment, while she wondered what she had done to deserve the wrath of so many enemies, "The dragons want me dead before I can put a stop to them ending the world, which I'm supposed to do thanks to an ancient prophecy that the old nords left behind. Bandits merely want to kill me and steal what I have, but will try to make sure that I'm taken out if I threaten them too much. The cultists want me dead before I find their master, this mysterious Miraak, and put him down before he can conqueror whatever island he's on at the moment. The vampires... well, I'm honestly not sure why they want me dead, but I can assure you that they do. The draugr want me dead because I'm trying to learn the secrets that they have been left behind to guard. And now there's the orcs that, or some reason, want me dead as well.
What have I done, in the week that I've been in Skyrim, to deserve the wrath of so many forces?"
Kree had no way to explain what was happening to her friend, other than to say that it was the curse of those who sought adventure, but decided to say that statement. She did, however, have something in mind that could make her friend feel better.
"It doesn't matter why they are hunting you," Kree said, smiling at her saddened friend, "because the three of us, together, will stand against everything that they throw at us and we'll tear them down. We'll make sure that anyone who wants to get rid of the Dragonborn will suffer and regret the day that they challenged you and your friends, so turn that frown upside down."
Sonata smiled at that statement, but deep inside she knew that Kree was right, that the three of them could easily stand against everything that wanted to tear her down. Once she was finished with her Dragonborn training she'd pick one of her enemies and see what needed to be done with making sure that they failed in whatever they were planning. She had the strangest feeling that she'd have to deal with the orcs first, but she decided to wait and see what fate decided to throw her way this time.
She only had to wonder what the mysterious Lord Grul wanted with the people that his forces captured, though she knew that, whatever that reason was, she would eventually find out.
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Dushnikh Yal, one of the wild orc strongholds, had seen a change in leadership when its leader, Chief Burguk, had been slain in single combat by the leader of a group of orcs that had come out of nowhere. His body was now a shriveled husk of its former glory, as his opponent had drained his body dry until his life essence was gone and he was dropped onto the ground. His people would have fought against the orc that had slain their leader by cheating, for they were fairly certain that the opponent had cheated, but they had been forced back by the twisted magic the orc commanded. The vile green orc was hunched over just a bit, but he was dressed up in a pair of robes that had six spikes attached to its back... spikes that had one skull near the top of the top.
The orc also carried a staff that had three skulls near the top; the bottom one was definitely an orc skull, the middle was the skull of a nord, and the top was the skull of what many assumed was an altmer.
Once the orc had asserted his position over the stronghold they had taken over, which had been easy in his mind, he called in his soldiers and they overran the stronghold, building a base of operations that would allow them to stay out of sight until the time was right. A decent amount of his soldiers were currently in the process of building a massive gate in the mountain that was behind the stronghold, as per his orders. The path from that area also passed by the perfect area where he had built his hut, where he could work his dark magic in peace and prepare for the next stage of his plan.
"Lord Grul, I have returned," Aggronak said, walking into the hut for a moment and kneeling before his Master, who turned around from the vile green fire he had been staring at.
"Ah, Aggronak, you returned as swiftly as you promised," the orc said, a small grin appearing on his face, which disappeared seconds later, "What news do you bring?"
"Zorgak said that his captives are on their way here," Aggronak replied, bowing his head as his Master turned towards him, "he also indicated that Lady Vespula is spying on his forces, looking for holes in his defenses. He wishes to know what must be done about the vampires in his immediate area. Durak's group, on the other hand, has been slain by someone..."
"Hmm... it is unlikely that the Dragonborn is aware of my plans," Grul commented, turning back to the flames for a moment as they swirled around and revealed a vampire, "though I do believe its time that we deliver our ultimatum to our little vampire and her coven. Tell her that she either accepts my terms and joins my growing horde, or she'll become just another enemy for my soldiers to wipe from the face of this world."
"As you wish, my Master," Aggronak said, keeping his head bowed as he prepared for the other question, "And what of your plans for the Dragonborn?"
"Leave her be for now," Grul answered without hesitation, waving his hand as if to dismiss his subordinate, "Her powers are weak at this moment, thus her soul is weak and not useful towards my ultimate goal. Let her continue her training against the other forces that call Skyrim home... I'll be waiting for her when she's done with them."
Aggronak nodded and backed out of the hut, determined to draft a letter for Lady Vespula to read and make her decision on, leaving his Master to do whatever he usually did. Grul, on the other hand, smiled as he reached into the green flames, allowing them to bend under his will and reveal what he had been hiding inside the flames; two large rubies that were surrounded by gold. They had been broken off of the necklaces they had been attached to, though inside the rubies were the creatures he had defeated the moment they had come after him. An image flashed on both of their faces; the one on the right baring an image of a young lady with a bushy hair, though the other one had a young lady with what he assumed were ponytails.
Grul had to admit it, but Adagio and Aria had proven to be quite powerful and had taken an entire day to defeat in battle, though he had succeeded in the end and had bound them to the pendants they had worn, restoring the broken stones to their former state and trapping their wearers inside. He had only learned their names when he had discovered the power inside of them, but they were the final pieces of his puzzle... one that Sonata was the key to unlocking everything. Once she was powerful enough he would reveal his hand to her and she would bend under his demands, though he was fully prepared to take her down in battle as well.
He kept his grin as the flames sealed up the moment he removed his hand, all he had to do was wait a little bit longer and he would have his victory over everyone.