Luke Velaryon: The Last Dragonborn C9 (Patreon)

Chapter 9: Escaping Helgen Part IV

With a roar, Ralof charged straight at the Captain, axe in one hand and shield in the other. The captain met him head-on, her sword flashing as steel crashed against steel. 

The two legionnaires reacted right away, both of them moved to attack Ralof, not letting their Captain face Ralof alone, but Hadvar stepped between them, not allowing them to attack the Stormcloak from behind. 

His shield slammed into the nearest soldier, forcing the man back before he could reach Ralof. The second legionnaire shifted directions immediately and engaged Hadvar, imperial sword meeting imperial sword. 

The battle split into two separate fights: on one side of the room, Ralof clashed with the Captain, dancing around one another; on the other, Hadvar faced the two legionnaires. 

“Traitor.” The legionnaire said through clenched teeth as their blades clashed again and again, sending sparks into the air between them. 

“My duty,” Hadvar said, his sword locked with the legionnaire’s, trapped in a contest of strength, “is to Skyrim’s people!” 

Luke hesitated a moment before rushing forward to help. He had never faced anyone in battle, not a real battle where one puts their life on the line, that is, he had spared thousands of times, but this time, if he loses hold of his blade, he won't lose a duel; he will lose his life. 

One of the legionnaires saw him coming and broke away from Hadvar, turning towards him. The soldier moved with frightening speed, his mace coming down in a brutal overhead strike. 

Luke barely managed to raise his shield in time. The impact exploded through his arm, shooting pain from his wrist to his shoulder. Luke hissed as the force drove him backwards and nearly tore the shield from his grip. He stumbled and dropped to one knee. 

Gods, he thought, the man was strong. Far stronger than any sparring partner Luke had ever faced. Was he using magicka or was that natural strength? He could not say and did not have time to think much about it either. 

The legionnaire stepped forward, pressing the advantage, but Luke did not let him advance, he thrust upward with his sword, aiming for the man’s leg where armor did not cover his skin. The soldier lowered his shield, catching the blade with it. Wood and steel scraped together for a moment before the soldier stepped to the side. Before Luke could recover, the soldier counterattacked with a horizontal blow aimed at his head. 

Luke jerked backwards, and the mace missed his face by inches as he fell on his butt on the floor. The soldier tightened his grip on his mace and attacked him once more. Luke scrambled to raise his shield. 

Another jolt of pain shot through his arm as the mace crashed on his shield. The legionnaire drew back for another strike, and Luke thought he was done for; he could barely move his shield arm, so there was no way he would be able to block it, as his mind raced for a solution Ralof slammed into the legionnaire from the side. 

“Get up!” Ralof barked. 

Luke did not need to be told twice, he scrambled back to his feet, hissing as pain shot through his shield arm as he moved. The shield remained on the stone floor since he could barely move that arm, so it would be useless anyway.  

From the corner of his eye, he spotted movement and turned his head, raising his sword with his good arm. Captain Livia was heading towards Ralof, who was clashing against the soldier who had nearly taken Luke’s life just half a minute ago.

No, you won’t, he thought. 

Luke did not allow her to attack Ralof from behind, stepping in and blocking her sword with his. This time, he focused on his magicka to make himself stronger, and was fortunate he did, because even with that, he struggled to stop her. These soldiers are either unnaturally strong or very good with their magicka, he thought.

The captain had changed her focus onto him, seeing him, the less experienced fighter, as the easier target. 

"Time to cleanse the Empire of its filth."

He did not have time for an answer as her sword flashed toward his ribs, and Luke barely reacted in time, blocking it with his sword. Steel rang against steel, and the impact rattled his teeth. The captain followed with another strike, which Luke scrambled to block. 

Again and again she attacked, and he barely blocked, each time the impact pushed him a step backwards. His defence was clumsy, but even so, he kept blocking her attacks one after another.

Captain Livia pressed forward relentlessly, a smirk growing on her face. She was good, far better than he, and she knew it. 

She is toying with me, Luke thought with his teeth clenched as he blocked a strike aimed for his left shoulder. That strike was followed by another, and then another. Each impact sent pain through his bruising sword arm, there won’t be long until his sword hand will become as injured as his shield arm.

A faint toward his head drew his blade high, but the real attack came low. He barely jumped sideways, and even so, the edge of her blade scraped across his thigh, sending burning pain through his leg. Luke hissed through clenched teeth and stumbled, losing his balance. 

The captain immediately surged forward to finish him. Her shield slammed into his chest, and the blow knocked the breath from his lungs, sending him crashing onto his back. Pain exploded through his ribs, and before he could recover, she stepped over him and raised her sword high, reversing her grip for a killing thrust. For one terrifying moment, Luke found himself staring up at the descending blade. Time seemed to slow as the blade inched closer and closer. 

No. 

Not like this.

Not here.

He can not die-

Not today! 

He still has to avenge Arrax, he still has to return home-

With a surge of magicka, Luke rolled away, the killing blow missing his face by inches and burying itself in the stone floor instead. 

“Get up, Luke!” Ralof shouted from the other side of the room. 

The captain ripped her sword free and tried to cut him once more before he could rise to his feet, so he tried to roll away, but he hit a wall.  

“Fuck!”

Before she could strike him, the Stormcloak crashed into her shield-first. The captain staggered sideways, but she recovered very fast and turned to face the Stormcloak just in time to block his axe. 

The clash between them was vicious, axe and sword met time and time again with a shower of sparks as neither gave ground.

Luke forced himself back to his feet. From the corner of his eye, he saw the corpse of the soldier Ralof was facing earlier, and not far away, Hadvar finished off his opponent. The legionnaire attempted a desperate thrust after being cornered, but Hadvar knocked the blade aside with his shield and drove his sword into the man’s chest. 

The soldier collapsed, and without wasting a single second, Hadvar sprinted towards them. 

The captain saw him coming, and fear crossed her eyes. Luke had been easy prey, she had toyed with him, likely driven by arrogance or cruelty, and she was confident about defeating Ralof, even if they were quite closely matched, but with Hadvar joining the fight… Now she was facing three opponents, well, two and a half. 

She retreated a step, raising her shield high. 

“This is your last chance, Hadvar. Abandon this foolishness and kill that Stormcloak. Do that, and I might overlook your treason.” 

Ralof barked a laugh. 

“Hear that, lads? Now that the odds aren't in her favor, suddenly we're talking about mercy and second chances." 

“Treason?” Hadvar shook his head. “My duty is to the people, as should yours be, yet you're still worried about Stormcloaks. Shor's bones, woman, get your priorities straight.”

Hadvar attacked, and she met him head-on. Their shields collided with a thunderous clash, and at the same time, Ralof swung his axe from the side. The captain twisted and caught the blow on her sword, but doing so opened her guard against Hadvar, whose sword slashed across her arm. 

The captain gritted her teeth as blood began to flow from the wound, but she did not let that hinder her, she struck back right away. Her sword glanced off Hadvar’s shield before turning toward Ralof, and in that moment, Luke, who had been watching the fight from the sidelines, saw an opening.

The captain wasn’t looking in his direction, her attention split between Ralof and Hadvar, whom she saw as the real threat, so she either discarded or forgot about him. Either way, Luke did not let the opportunity go to waste. 

He charged at her as fast as he could, gripping his sword firmly. The captain noticed him at the last moment and turned her shield to block the attack creating an opening for Hadvar who slammed his shield into her side, throwing her off balance 

Ralof’s axe crashed into the rim of her shield, tearing it from her grasp and sent it spinning across the room. As she stumbled backwards Luke reached her, with his sword thrust forward. She managed to twist but she accomplished little, it was too late to fully dodge the attack, and Luke’s sword, originally aimed for her chest, pierced her side instead. 

She cried out and staggered. Hadvar drove his shoulder into her, pushing her more onto the blade. The captain gasped, and her sword slipped from her numb fingers and fell to the floor. 

Luke twisted the blade and yanked it free, taking a step back. 

Blood poured from the wound, and she staggered for a moment before falling to her knees. 

Ralof stepped forward, with a kick he sent her sword skidding away, and then looked her in the eyes.

“For Gunjar.” He raised his axe and drove it into her neck. Blood sprayed across Ralof’s armor as the axe drove deeper into her flesh. Captain Livia toppled forward and did not move again. 

For a moment, the three of them simply stared at the corpse. 

Luke was breathing hard, his heart hammering in his chest, his shield arm felt numb, and each movement sent pain shooting through it. His wounded thigh burned, and sweat stung his eyes. Yet despite the pain and the exhaustion, he had never felt more alive. His blood was singing in a way he vaguely remembers from eight years ago, when he took Aemond’s eye. 

A distant roar echoes through the keep, snapping everyone back to reality.

Ralof yanked his axe free, and the captain's body slumped fully onto the floor. 

“We need to move,” Hadvar said. “The passage is this way.” 

Luke glanced once more at the dead captain before turning away.  

Whatever else she had been, she had been a formidable warrior. Had they faced her individually, she would have killed them one by one. They only won because she wasted time toying with him, giving Hadvar and Ralof time to finish off their opponents. 

He was alive because she had made a mistake and that left a bitter taste in his mouth. Next time, his opponent might not be so foolish.

If he intended to survive in this world, he needed to become stronger. 

“You did well, cub.” Ralof ruffled his hair before handing him a reddish potion. Luke accepted it gratefully and downed it in a single gulp, doing his best to ignore the foul taste.  When his body began to mend, he breathed more easily. 

Healing potions, he decided while following Ralof and Hadvar deeper into the keep, were one of the greatest inventions in existence. 

There would be time to think about getting stronger later.

If he survived Helgen.

***

Author's Note: How was the battle?

Luke is well-trained, but he is still only thirteen years old, and Imperial soldiers are no joke. While he has years of training, his body lacks the strength, endurance, and instincts of a fully grown warrior. Plus, there is, how to put it, martial prowess tiers. The best warriors in Nirn are monsters who can kill mages, monsters, and even challenge gods. While Planetos' best warriors could take, at most, a few dozen average opponents at once, and we are talking Arthur Dayne tier, so just a handful. 

On top of that, Luke is still learning what magicka is and how to use it. Unlike him, the people of Tamriel have grown up in a world where magicka is an ordinary part of life. Even those who are not mages often use it to enhance their bodies.

Professional soldiers receive formal training in these techniques. They have spent years learning how to channel magicka instinctively alongside their martial skills. Luke is a fast learner, but he won't instantly master every single technique or spell. It will take time before he can use magicka in battle as naturally and effortlessly as the warriors of Tamriel do.