Stranded Beyond Hope

Chapter 2: Initiation

Krystal watched nervously as the door sluggishly opened. Standing in the entryway was a pale tall man with short raven black hair. He wore a grey suit of plated armor and had strange black paint around his eyes, which were currently in the process of glaring at her in displeasure.

“What do you want whelp?” He growled questioningly. “Only members of the companions may enter the hall.”

“I-I am h-here to see Kodlak Whitemane. I-I have a missive for him.” The vixen mumbled uncertainly, messily rummaging into her shoulder pack and hurriedly pulling out the scroll Arngeir had given her a day prior. She extended the rolled up papyrus for the man to see.

The man snatched the scroll from her paw and examined the seal. “This…is from the Greybeards.” He shifted his inquisitive gaze from the scroll and to the vixen that had handed it to him. “A strange courier…hmm, follow me.” He backed up and widened the open door, a signal for her to follow, proffering the scroll for her to takeback.

Krystal closed her pack and stepped inside, retrieving the scroll and wondering if it was too late to head back to the khajiit caravan.

The interior of the hall was an interesting sight to behold. A massive rectangular hearth filled with crackling flames lay constructed in the center and a long dining table was placed around it. Krystal thought it was rather foolish to have such a large slab of wood so close to an open flame. That was just inviting disaster.

Currently the table was occupied by a small and rowdy group of individuals. They were all yelling and laughing, gesturing to something off to the side. She shifted her muzzle and saw that two people were brawling, slinging fists at each other with abandon. They had been shouting out wagers and encouragements.

It looked absolutely barbaric. And yet…she felt her heart pound at the sounds of combat and she found herself clutching her staff tightly, claws scraping against the metallic shaft. ‘How strange…’ She shook her muzzle in consternation and twisted to the man she was supposed to be following and saw that he had a shadowy grin on his once stony features.

“Come, I am certain Kodlak wishes to speak with you.” He muttered thoughtfully as he turned down a staircase she had failed to notice in her first examination of the chamber.

Krystal moved to follow and they passed a door at the bottom, entering what appeared to be the living quarters. Straight ahead of the doors was a bunk room of sorts and she could see beds lining the far wall, the rest of the room hidden by the entryway. An older woman was absently sweeping the hall and mumbling to herself as she brushed the stone floor with her bristled broom.

As Krystal and the man followed the hallway to her right, she could hear voices at the far end, two men in a deep discussion.

“You must stop your raids against the silver hand. It will enflame their ire and only seek to bolster their resolve. If this continues I fear they will strike at the heart of Jorrvaskr.” The first voice was old yet strong, like aged leather.

“Kodlak, can you not see what they have done? They are nothing but honorless blackhearts! Have they not tried to slay Farkas and myself, and sought to steal a fragment of Wuuthrad? That is not even the most deplorable thing these monsters have done, or have you forgotten the murder of Skjor! Is that not enough to demand retribution!?” The other voice was young and powerful, projecting his passion for all to hear. “How can you calmly sit here and let these atrocities go unpunished? How can you ask me to stop after all they have done to us? Do you not feel the same rage as I?” He snarled, a sound far more bestial then she thought men or mer capable of.

The older voice responded with restraint and understanding. “Do not presume such a things young one. I knew Skjor since before you had entered this world. I feel his loss keenly, keener than any other, but there is a thin line separating honorable retribution and wild revenge, a line I fear you are close to crossing. You let your blood speak before your heart. You have taken to it, deeper than the others and if you do not control your impulses, it in turn, will control you.”

The other man sighed, going silent. When he spoke again his voice was lowered to a softer tone. “I…understand. You are right Kodlak. I still have much to learn in controlling it.”

Krystal and her guide stopped just outside the room where the voices had been emanating from. Inside, she could see a man with advanced age and pure white hair sitting at a small table. Standing opposite of him was a tall cloaked figure. Krystal concluded that he must be the owner of the younger voice.

“Go speak with Aela. Someone has come with a complaint about the local saber cat population. I think you can use this low level task to clear your head.” The old man looked over his shoulder to Krystal and her guide. “It would appear that I have a visitor. Come speak to me when you have finished.”

The other man’s hood gradually lowered in understanding. “Yes Harbinger. And thank you…for helping me see.”

Kodlak gave a simple nod.

The cloaked man turned to leave and Krystal managed to get a clearer look at him. His features and race lay obscured behind his concealing hood and an intricate black mask etched with silver, allowing the vixen to only see the bright pinpricks of light that were his eyes. He wore some sort of obsidian full body plated suit that molded snugly to his brawny physique and a pair of sheathed longswords was securely buckled to his left side. On his back she could see the broad hilt of a larger sword and the beginning curve of a longbow. A bandolier wrapped around his broad chest, filled with a selection of sharp looking daggers. Some sort of carry bag was slung across a shoulder and Krystal could feel several powerful enchantments suffusing the leather article. The man’s presence seemed to dominate the room, power leaking from his aura. Just by proximity, Krystal felt stronger, more confident.

In her observation she noticed that the hooded man’s eyes were steadily observing her through the holes in his mask, their color unknown and their intent unreadable. Her cheeks flushed and she pulled her cloak tighter to herself. For some reason she felt as if those eyes could see right through her. She felt something from this man, something that intrigued her. She could not place why, but she sensed the winds of fate itself were in some way tied to him.

Krystal sighed in relief when the eyes flashed away from her and the man walked towards the door. In his passing he shifted his mask to the man beside her and spoke in a low rumble as he dipped it in greeting.

“Vilkas…”

The other man nodded respectfully and moved out of the way, letting the stranger pass. Krystal followed him with her eyes as he walked down the hall and disappeared through the doors that would take him up to the dining hall. As he departed she could feel the sense of confidence she previously had fading the farther off he was.

‘A remarkable individual…very remarkable indeed.’

“Tell me Vilkas, who is this you bring before me?”

Krystal turned to Kodlak, interest in the stranger temporarily displaced. The older man had risen from his seat and approached the open doors where she and this Vilkas were standing.

“She says she has a message for you, from the Greybeards themselves.” The younger man prompted, signaling for her to step up with a light push to her shoulder.

Krystal nervously did, holding out the scroll. She hoped that whatever Arngeir wrote would be enough. She didn’t know what she would do if he refused.

The harbinger slowly grasped the sealed document, reaching for a dagger at his side and slicing it open. He gently unfurled the papyrus and began to scan the cursive script written inside, mumbling the words silently as he did. A few moments of mute reflection and he looked up from the paper, placing it onto the table beside his bed and focusing on the waiting vixen in front of him.

“Hmm, I see. This is an interesting development. What is your name?”

“I am Krystal, of Cerinia.” She replied, ducking her muzzle courteously. She tried to project a send of humility and composure.

The harbinger nodded. “And are you prepared, Krystal of Cerinia? The road to becoming a companion is not an easy one.”

Behind them, Vilkas widened his eyes in surprise at what the contents of the letter must have been asking. He was curious as to what the Greybeards’ interest and investment into this strange fox woman was. Why would they ask Kodlak to accept her into the companions? What was so significant about her?

Krystal thought it over quickly. She needed this, a place to stay and earn coin. That strange man had also peaked her curiosity, who was he? Staying here was her best way to answer that question and get what she needed. For that she would have to be.

“I am.” She replied confidently.

Kodak nodded gravely. “Very well, Vilkas…”

“Yes Harbinger?” The man inquired.

“Take Krystal out to the yard, test her skills. If she proves herself, send her back to me.”

Vilkas nodded and gestured for Krystal to follow him. The vixen turned to leave, thanking the harbinger before doing so.

“Do not thank me, not yet.” He muttered somberly, gaze returning to the letter as he heard them depart. “Not yet….”

*****

 Krystal followed Vilkas to the yard at the back of Jorrvaskr. So far everything was going smoothly, although she was concerned on this test she had to perform. What if she failed? Not only would it be humiliating, but she would also lose a chance at this position. Where could she go afterwards? What place would accept her? The vixen had no desire to encounter another individual as she had at the gates. And there were sure to be plenty more out there. But if she made it here, she would be welcomed from what Arngeir told her about them. The Companions were some of the most tolerant nords in all of Skyrim and she would be able to rely on their help in the future, if she succeeded.

Outside the hall, she saw where she would be tested. There was a pair there already fighting, a black haired man similar to Vilkas and a woman with fiery red locks and green face paint. The man had a large two-handed sword and the woman was using a sword and shield. The pair clashed back and forth in the center of the yard, the crash of steel on steel littering the air around them.

As the two fought, Krystal noticed a figure walking away, heading up to what looked like a forge atop a cliff. It was that same cloaked man from before.

“We will have to wait until Aela and Farkas finish.”

Vilkas interrupted her examination of the man and she turned to nod, watching as the rest of the battle played out. It took a few minutes, but Krystal had predicted the end result.

With a thwack, the woman slapped the man’s sword away and hit him upside the head with the broadside of her sword, knocking him off his feet. He hit the dirt and quickly rolled back to his feet, holding his hand out for the woman to shake.

“You’re losing your touch Aela. I almost had you this time.”

The woman shrugged, shifting her red hair. “Perhaps, or perhaps you are just getting better Farkas.” She noticed the duo standing near the awning, pulling away from Farkas and heading over.

‘Who is this you bring to the yard, a newblood?”

Vilkas nodded. “Kodlak has asked that she be tested.”

Aela widened her eyes slightly and turned to Krystal. “That has only happened once before. He turned out to be a judicious choice. What is your name?”

“Krystal.”

“An odd one, I have not heard its like before.” Farkas grumbled, sheathing his large sword.

“I’m from a place far from Skyrim.”

“What brings you to our lands?”

Vilkas cut in. “Enough chatter, you can ask your questions after she passes her test.”

“Right, don’t let us keep you waiting.” Farkas and Aela moved away, sitting under the awning to await the test’s conclusion.

“Now, follow me into the yard, is that staff your weapon or do you require one of our spares?”

Krystal glanced at her staff and brought it closer. “This is my weapon.”

He shrugged and headed to the wall, pulling a heavy looking rounded shield and a sword of a rack.

Krystal clutched her staff in both her paws and waited for Vilkas to continue with the instructions.

“First, feel free to take a few swings at me so I can judge your form, no magic, just pure physical prowess. Don’t worry. I can take a few hits.” He rolled his shoulders and brought up his shield.

The vixen shifted her legs about and moved her tail backwards to safety. She studied the man in front of her and considered where to strike, somewhere under his guard. She eyed the left corner of his shield and lunged forwards quickly, swinging up the bottom of her staff and hurtling it towards his unprotected knee.

Vilkas rapidly plunged his shield down and deflected her blow, jarring her paws.  The vixen twirled to her left, smacking her staff off his shield once more. Jumping, she vaulted over him and rolled, scything her weapon towards his legs.

He jumped over her blow and twisted to face her, receiving the butt end of her staff as it jabbed him in the side and rebounded off his armor. As he stumbled backwards she brought the crown of her staff down and landed a glancing blow of his shoulder. Vilkas used the blow to twist out of range and rolled his shield up to deflect another attack.

Krystal continued her onslaught and Vilkas parried her blows as he retreated towards the wall. He surprised her on her last strike when he curved his sword around her staff and ripped it out of the vixen’s grip, sending the blue and gold rod into the air. Sheathing his sword, he caught the staff.

Krystal was breathing evenly and panting slightly. Her heart beat a steady pace and she relaxed her muscles. The fight had been invigorating. It had been quite some time since she last sparred with someone. She had been a little rusty but she was glad her skills were still there.

“Impressive, you could use a little work on your precision and power, but balance and agility are exceptional.”

The vixen smiled at the praise. She had not been the fastest back home for nothing.

Vilkas handed her staff back and drew his sword, backing up. “Now let’s see how you handle a real fight. Come at me.”

Krystal wasted no time swinging her staff at him and he deflected it with his sword, plunging the blade at her as she recovered. Alarmed, she reeled back and swiped at the approaching blade with her staff, knocking it away from its direct course. She rolled backwards and swept her staff in an arc towards his legs in a repeat move.

Vilkas stomped on her staff, pinning it to the ground and plunged his blade at her.

The vixen refused to let go and fluidly cartwheeled to kick the weapon away with her hindpaw. Still in the motion she let go of her staff and latched onto his shield, surging over him and bringing all of her weight down with her.

The shield was ripped from his grip and she swung it into him, slamming Vilkas away to crash into a weapon rack, scattering the assortment of blades and clubs across the yard.

Krystal went to where he had been last standing and retrieved her weapon, returning it to the leisurely hold she had on it before, smirking as she watched Vilkas sluggishly crawl back to his feet.

The companion groaned and found his weapon amidst the pile. He grabbed it and his shield before walking back over to her.

“It looks like Kodlak made a wise decision. You did well newblood. Next time I shall not be as lenient.”

She had to refrain from rolling her eyes. 

“You have passed. Speak to Kodlak, he will have more to say then I.”

Krystal thanked Vilkas and headed back inside. On the way Aela approached her with a grin.

“That was excellent work. It is not often that Vilkas gets knocked down a few pegs.” The woman chuckled and roughly patted Krystal on the back.

Krystal smiled and went inside.

The people here were not so bad.

*****

Krystal returned to Kodlak and told him that Vilkas had passed her.

“I am not so surprised. I had a feeling you would. Two weeks ago a newblood arrived, and in this time he had already surpassed many who have been here for years.” Kodlak confided in her as he poured himself a drink. “Now then, before you can become a full-fledged member you must complete a task alongside one of the members of the inner circle. They will see how you measure in a true trial of battle. Until them, you have earned a place here. You may take one of the spare beds in the living quarters and store any belongings you might have there.”

“When is this next test?”

“Come to me on the eve of the next morning and I will have your quest.” Kodlak rose from his table and extended a hand out to her. “Welcome, Krystal, to the companions.”

The vixen shook his hand and smiled. She had accomplished her first step to eking out a life here. Krystal just wished she didn’t have to all of this stuff in the first place. But fate seemed to have other plans for her, she wondered if she would ever be able to return home.

She thanked Kodlak, leaving him to his thoughts and going to check the place she would be staying in. The living quarters had a decent selection of beds and she decided to take the one in the very back corner, laying her bag on it and propping her staff against the wall. She examined her meager amount of possessions and frowned. She was living thread bones at the moment, moving from one place to the other. She just wished that she had a stable place to sleep. Well that and a little privacy. ‘Well, I can’t have everything.’ She thought with a sigh.

The vixen’s stomach gurgled, reminding her of her body’s need to eat. She giggled softly, resisting the sudden urge to cry.

Varaduke had often forgotten to eat.

What had happened to that old fox? She hoped that he was safe and sound back home and not stranded somewhere in this world or another. He would not be able to survive for long on his own. He suffered from a weak constitution. She missed the wizened old vulpine.

But more than that, she missed her parents.

Without them she felt so vulnerable, so lost. She missed her father’s comforting presence and her mother’s depthless kindness. She knew that her mother would have known what to do in a situation like this and she prayed that she would have the same strength.

She had no idea how long she had been brooding until she heard a voice.

“Hey, newblood….”

Krystal looked over her shoulder and saw a woman standing in the doorway of the quarters.

“It is time for the midday meal, if you’re hungry.”

The vixen was not about to turn down a meal. Her previous tests had kindled her hunger and she wanted something harder to satisfy it. She nodded and the woman left.

Krystal rose from the bed and slipped out of the room, heading up the stairs and into the main hall. The center table was populated with everyone she had seen since she arrived, all accept the strange man that is. She noticed that he had returned from wherever it was he left and had chosen to sit at one of the smaller tables far from his fellow boisterous companions. As they caroused and consumed the feast spread out before them, he silently ran a whetstone across one of his blades, hidden eyes intently examining the cold streel. The clear high pitched tone of the rock sliding across the blade added a solemn ambience to the otherwise rowdy hall.

The vixen stopped at the top of the stairs, watching the man as he worked. Why was he so different than the others? So far all of the companions she had met were sociable and unruly. He was their exact opposite, silent and intense.

Her observation continued as he pulled the stone away and examined the newly sharpened blade, running a gloved thumb leisurely over the honed edge. With a discreet nod he rotated the hilt in his grasp and sheathed the blade with a hiss, leaning back into his chair and folding his black and silver plated arms over his chest, his hooded visage staring thoughtfully into the hearth’s sizzling flames.

Krystal could feel the man’s pensiveness, requiring little help from her powers. He did not look like the man that had been in a shouting match with Kodlak early that day. She idly wondered if this is what he truly was like. Why did he interest her so?

With a shake of her muzzle she headed towards the table, spotting Aela sitting near the head on the left side. Since she was a woman and had been relatively friendly, Krystal chose to make her seat by her side. The vixen pulled out the chair and slid in. Moments later, an elderly woman, the same that had been sweeping the floor previously, laid down a large dish in front of her, piled up with food. She thanked the woman and looked at the spread laid out before her, muzzle watering at the delectable sight.

Her plate was heaped high with a thick venison steak, a baked tuber, and what appeared to be some sort of dumpling. Krystal picked up the utensil at her side and dug in, looking to Aela as she did so.

The woman was absolutely wolfing down her meal. It was…unsettling.

Aela took a drought from the goblet beside her plate and turned to look at Krystal, an open grin lying on her face.

“Hello there newblood, I heard that Kodlak accepted you. Three cheers for our newest member!” She raised her goblet in the air and Krystal watched in embarrassment as the others on the table took up her call, shouting the vixen’s name. And yet, even as she felt self-conscious she could not help but smile at their actions. It was nice to be recognized. And she felt more comfortable around them. They were not exactly what she was used to, but they were far from terrible.

Krystal once more looked away from the enthusiastic table and towards the silent man. He had not participated in their cheers and she was unsurprised to see him sharpening his other longsword.

“Pay no mind to Fenris. He has always been like that, since as long as any of us have known him.” Aela explained as she noticed the object of Krystal’s attention.

“Fenris?” She inquired, having finally put a name to the man. “Why is he so…different?”

Aela adopted a thoughtful expression.

“Fenris is of a different breed, one who prefers his solitude. He is an individual of few words. That aside he is still an honorable warrior and one of the finest to join the companions in living memory. Few have slain a dragon, and even fewer have lived to tell the tale.”

“He killed a dragon?” The vixen gasped in wonder. She easily recalled the fight she had witnessed between Parthanax and Alduin. For anyone to be able to combat such creatures was beyond extraordinary.

“Indeed, this was shortly before he joined the companions. One of the ferocious serpents had attacked the watchtower outside the city and he and a contingent of guards went to intercept. The guards did not survive, but he did, returning covered in blood and a dragon’s skull mounted on his horse.”

“It is a tale worth telling!” Farkas boomed, the drink in his hand sloshing as he gestured with it.  “The whole city heard the battle, the roars of the dragon, the clash of steel, and the ground’s final tremor as the great beast fell from the sky, its hide rent by many a blade stroke and pierced by a hail of arrows. It was a glorious day. I only wish that I had been there to partake. Alas, I was already away on a quest, and missed it all.”

That certainly sounded impressive.

“I cannot recall the last companion to slay a dragon in our history.” A woman at the opposite end of the table wondered.

“The last companion to slay a dragon was sometime during the dragon war, Najda.” Vilkas informed her.

“You would know brother. Vignar is the only one who rivals your understanding of our history. You spend more time in the pages of a book then battle I fear.” Farkas chuckled, the rest of the table soon following.

“If you believe that to be true, why don’t you put that to the test?” Vilkas suggested. “I would be glad to dissuade you if that thought.”

“Perhaps another time, for now let us drink to our newblood, she who bested you in the ring!” Farkas gave one last rebuttal for them to laugh at.

A goblet was pushed into Krystal’s paw by Aela and she watched as they toasted her again. Not wanting to feel left out she tipped the contents of the chalice into her waiting muzzle. Whatever it was that she had been given, it was tasty. She could taste the faint tinge of alcohol but it was overpowered by the mellow essence of honey and a spice of some kind. The vixen quickly downed the entire contents and placed the empty goblet onto the table, her head spinning slightly. There might have been more alcohol in the drink than expected.

‘This is good.’

Her goblet was not empty for long, the woman from before topping it up.

Enjoying the heady drink, Krystal drained half the goblet as she listened to the others boasts of their past and recent exploits, stories that many had heard countless times, but continued to tell and listen.

The vixen had little experienced with alcohol, only having consumed few beverages of its like during special occasions back on Cerinia. So she was unprepared for the effects of drinking more than a cup. Her muzzle became flushed and she panted softly in the hot environment so close to the fire, feeling the heat more than before. She quickly discarded her cloak, draping it across the back of her chair to relieve some of the heat. A pleasant feeling floated in the front of her thoughts, few of which were focused on her home.

‘Th-This place…es…not so bad.’ She decided as she looked for her drink, she wanted a little more of that pleasant flavor. She reached a paw over the table and to her drink. As her paw found it, she knocked it over, spilling the remaining liquid onto the already disordered and messy table. The others were similarly along in their consumption but they had more experience with being tanked-up and were still mostly lucid.

She frowned sadly. ‘Aww, I kn-kn-knock…dropped it.’

Krystal decided had enough for now and pulled her chair back to stand up. As she made it to her hindpaws the world and her senses spun sending her stumbling to the ground. She would have smacked her muzzle against the warm stone of the longhouse but she was suddenly swept up in a pair of strong hands.

“I think you have had enough for one night, fox.” The man cautioned as he stopped her from keeling over.

“Th-thank you...”  Krystal mumbled in gratitude, trying to stand up on her own and failing. The vixen tripped, falling roughly against the man’s chest. “I c-can walk on my own.”

“Sure….” The man sounded wholeheartedly unconvinced.

As she tried and failed to walk on her own for the fifth time she heard the man sigh, the gust of warm air from his lungs tickling her triangular ears. She felt one of his hands brush down her back and over her firm rear and bushy tail, following the curves of her slender legs as the other traveled upwards. Krystal shuddered at the intimate contact and reddened.

What was he doing?

Once his hand was under her knees he smoothly lifted the vixen into the air, holding her close to his solid torso and supporting her back gently, letting her legs dangle uselessly in the air. Krystal’s slow mind at last realized that he was going to carry her.

“Thanks…” She muttered weakly, holding tightly onto his arms to steady herself. The world still felt as if it was spinning on a top.

The man offered no response and journeyed away from the table and to the stairs. He carried the plastered vixen down the steps and through the door, heading towards the living quarters.

Krystal was surprised to find that she felt comfortable in his arms. More content at that moment than in any bed she had slept in since she arrived on this world. She sleepily burrowed her muzzle into the crook of his arm and rested it on his solid muscles, a faint purr rumbling from her chest. The vixen’s tail lazily fluttered against his waist and she wrapped her arms around his to get more comfortable.

The man shook his head at the sight and stopped at the bed she had placed all her stuff on. He methodically shook his arm to relinquish it from the vixen’s tight grip, using it to clear the bed and pull the furs back. The task took him a few minutes but he finally managed to get her into the bed and off of him, the last part of his body attached to her being his right arm.

As he moved to remove his limb, she wrapped her paws around it and buried her muzzle into his palm. “Wait, please don’t.” She murmured drowsily, nuzzling his hand affectionately, not wanting the feeling of safety and security to leave. “Don’t leave me.” Krystal whispered fiercely, holding onto him like her solitary lifeline.

The man gazed down at the vixen and inhaled deeply. With a heavy sigh he lowered himself to the ground beside her bed, leaning against the cold bricks of the stone wall. The sconces in the room had died out long ago, leaving the chamber shrouded in darkness.

Krystal smiled softly, rubbing a paw across his hand as she drifted off to sleep. Just before slumber claimed her, she risked a peek and caught a glimpse off a pair of warm golden orbs hovering isolated in the darkness.