Gwenneth Gut-Ripper's History part 5

A Bosmer & seven Orcs

As Gwenneth later learned, the female Bosmer was named Leanawen, and had been stalking Gwenneth for a week without her ever noticing. Leanawen had been intrigued by this lone Nord woman living in the wilds, seemingly in harmony with her surroundings. Then when she witnessed Gwenneth getting attacked by the bear, she had chosen to save her life, had dragged Gwenneth to her own house, and made use of her knowledge of nature to heal her.

Leanawen

Gwenneth and Leanawen became close friends, and they lived together in the wooden cabin for years, hunting together, fighting together, and learning from each other. Leanawen would always use a bow, and the stealth attacks she did with it were of the greatest interest for Gwenneth, and soon Gwenneth was able to do some decent shooting with a bow.
Leanawen also would occasionally use fire spells, which was at times confronting for Gwenneth, seeing how most of her family had died from fire, but also intriguing. Could Gwenneth one day harness power over the element that had caused her and her family so much misery? It took months of training, and the fireball Gwenneth could produce was barely enough to kill a rabbit with, yet it provided Gwenneth with a strange sort of comfort, being able to control that fireball hovering just over her hand.

Then one morning, Gwenneth got woken by Leanawen. "Gwenneth, I want you to have my bow"; Leanawen said, and that's when Gwenneth noticed the packed backpack. "You're leaving? But, but ...you'll need your bow...and, and..."; Gwenneth replied. Leanawen pointed at a large thigh bone sticking out of the backpack. "New one in the making, don't worry. The time we were destined to be together has passed, I must move on. You'll understand soon enough." Gwenneth nodded like she understood why, though she didn't. She was once alone again...

Gwenneth watched as Leanawen disappeared into the distance, then spent all day aimlessly wandering around the nearby forest, confused, crying, and eventually angry. She felt like punching the first person she would meet in the face, for no reason other then to get rid of the emotions she was experiencing inside. Then she noticed the Orc bandits. She had seen them before, when carefully exploring a cave she'd found near Lake Arrius. There were seven of them, so she had wisely backtracked out of the cave. Now they were walking along the forest path, a few of them holding torches as the sun was already setting.

Gwenneth watched as Leanawen disappeared into the distance,...

One of the Orcs was lagging behind the rest of the group, and Gwenneth hid in a bush and waited for the last one to pass her, then snuck up behind him in a manner that would have made Leanawen proud, and stealthily slit his throat with her carving knife. She quickly dragged him into the undergrowth next to the path, and routinely made his possessions change ownership.

Somewhat relieved she made way to her house in the darkness, the long way, in order to avoid the rest of the Orc group. But as she got close to her home, she saw the torch lights near her cabin. Under cover of the rocks she snuck closer, and six Orcs were watching the cabin, their backs turned to Gwenneth. Then she noticed the flames inside... "Not again!"; she thought. Her tools, the letters from her brother, Leanawen's bow... , all falling prey to the flames...
Gwenneth bit her lip in an attempt to make no sound, then when she saw the flames whip out of the door opening of her cabin, she had a vision.


A bluish ghostly figure walked out of her ablaze cabin, and it clamped 3 more ghostly figures under its arms, dropped them, fell over and disappeared into the ground.
Something that had been slumbering deep inside Gwenneth since the day she was born awoke. It made way to her throat, and left her mouth as a sound. It didn't sound anything like Gwenneth's own voice, it sounded like a dragon's roar...



A bluish ghostly figure ...



 As she roared, Gwenneth jumped the boulder she'd been hiding behind, and launched forward to the closest Orc. He never knew what hit him as Gwenneth decapitated him with one powerful swing of her axe.

The second Orc had only begun her attempt to turn around when Gwenneth's axe hit her full force in the side of her chest.

The third Orc had no chance to draw his weapon, as Gwenneth slashed his belly, literally spilling his guts.

The fourth Orc had drawn her mace by now, but it was no use to her as the arm holding the mace was no longer attached to her body, and Gwenneth quickly finished her of with a second axe swing at her hip.

The fifth Orc held up his warhammer in order to block Gwenneth's heaved Axe, but Gwenneth swung the axe behind her, then down alongside her leg, to hit him full between his legs.

The sixth Orc must have been the wisest, for he ran. Though to no avail, as it's hard to run with a thrown axe lodged in your neck.

 

The fifth Orc held up his warhammer ...



That night Gwenneth slept under the stars, and in her dreams, she had a ghostly vision of her mother speaking to her. "Gwenneth, you've earned your title when you were eleven years old, now the time has come to earn your name, and bring happiness to the Nords by relieving them of the impending doom that is upon them. Return to Skyrim." When Gwenneth woke the next morning, the first thing she did was turn her gaze Northwards as she righted herself. And with determination as never before she crossed the Jerall Mountains once again. Within a matter of days she reached the border of Skyrim...