This is a Fan Fiction which I had had the idea of writing for quite some time, finally I have decided to make a start on it and here it is. I hope you enjoy reading it and welcome any criticism, creative or otherwise.


When Demons Come.

When Demons come, we’ll be undone
And after all the things we‘ve said, all the promises left for dead.
We’ll have no choice but to depart, and leave a broken empty heart.
For now our story has begun.
So Run.
Run when Demons come.


Run.

And so I did. I ran and ran, I never stopped running. Around the vast lake in which stars seemed to twinkle in the darkened night and the moon lighting my way, across the vast grassy plains which swayed in the soft wind and with the heat of the sun against the back of my neck. I never stopped running. But now I was tiring and could run no longer, I was so tired, so very tired, yet fear drove me onward. Fear of what was behind me, the creature that had stalked me from the start, merely walking while I ran, and yet it was always there, always behind, watching, waiting. It felt as if it had become a part of me, my shadow. My dangerous, deadly shadow. Ready to strike at any moment, ready to attack and kill.

And so I ran. Fatigue truly set in though as I reached the huge pine forest, which felt a world away from the quiet little farm I had been living but days ago. The air was still, and not a sound, not the howling of the winds, not the common chirping of the birds and the rustling of leaves as the animals jumped about joyously, nothing could be heard. The silence seemed to have svcked the very life out of the forest. The lack of sound would have been eerie to another but I had been stalked by this beast for many days now and wherever I ran the very soul of the land seemed to depart and instead be filled with an empty void of silence. Even as I moved across the leaf covered floor, which would normally crunch under the heavy footsteps of such a tired stranger, nothing could be heard.

I dreaded the silence. Yet what I dreaded more was an end to the silence. If a noise was made I knew it would be my death and so I with that thought I continued to walk, no longer able to run, forward across the dense forest floor. As I looked around me the trees themselves seemed to pity me, the wood seemed to sway and move in such a sombre, melancholy way. There was a grim feeling that seemed to fill me as I walked in that silent, empty forest.

Despair.

Sweat was dripping from my brow and my breathing was heavy and unorganised. Each step felt a little harder than the last and I felt as if I was fighting to move, fighting to continue on. My body seemed to be trying to slow, to stop and give in. With those thoughts of giving in, in my mind, I turned and looked behind me, there the gentle pine trees swayed and all was the same as when I passed, with one addition. A shadow.

The demon stood in the distance hidden. His hollow fiery eyes stared from the darkness of the undergrowth, like a predator about to pounce on his prey, a shiver ran up my spine and I knew I had to find help and quickly! Glimpses of daylight shone down from breaks in the heavy woodland but it appeared that this light was waning and that was my biggest fear. To be caught out here, alone in the dark. That fear ignited something in my bones and I continued to run forwards, I caught a second wind and began to blaze a trail through the ever silent wood. Faster and faster I continued to run, I was wary that I would wear myself out and become trapped, but the feeling of evil behind me, the sharp presence of a darkness that would give nothing more to tear me limb from limb and to gorge on my flesh, urged me onward. My body was screaming at me. Run!

And so I did.

Faster and faster I sought to break out from the endless lines of miserable trees and reach an escape, anything, a house, a person, a village. I just needed to get out. The breaks in the trees began to get less and less, and soon I found myself trembling with anguish. What if instead of breaking away from the forest, I was instead moving deeper into it?

It was then that I realised I had no idea where I was going and that I could have been moving in circles, round and round the same trees without realising. Despite what my body told me, I turned around once more. Regret hit me like an arrow and there before me I saw that the creature had moved closer, most of him was still in the undergrowth however his strange deformed arm was reaching out, his claws beckoned me. To my death. And for a moment it felt so right, my body was yelling at me to go to him when just moments before it had called me to run. But I fought the urge with every part of my body and turned and fled.

Running past throngs of trees, it was then I noticed that daylight had faded and now the dark was slowly encroaching. Earlier I would have just used the moons gentle light to guide me through the night but here that moonlight could not penetrate through the thick overgrown trees. Night would be my end and it was coming. Fast.

I ran. Once more seeking an exit to this accursed silent world which I seemed so trapped in, I tried to scream and shout but no sound would leave my mouth. I felt as if I had gone deaf and wondered if I had. I wouldn’t stop running, I decided I would continue until the end. Forward, faster and faster I moved. I felt hope, I could get out. I would get out!

Then I tripped and fell. A root of a tree had been slightly too high up and my foot had been caught under it.

All hope faded at that moment. My body began to violently shake and tears poured from my eyes, it was over. All that running, all that trying to escape and now I had finally been caught.

It was then the silence was broken.

I squeezed my eyes tight shut, not wanting to stare at the demon that was about to consume me. But no end came, no final strike, no pain. Instead I heard the trotting of a horse, I opened my eyes and then I saw a sight which surprised me, despite what I had already seen. It was a headless ghost riding a ghastly shade of a horse. It was just a blur, a momentary glance before it disappeared deeper into the woods. I had thought I was saved but my potential hero had left. I was alone.

I heard rustling of leaves and my eyes widened in horror as the demonic form moved from the undergrowth and showed itself to me. It was a demon, one from the stories that no right minded boy of sixteen years would believe, it had horrid horns and its skin was a strange, scaly red colour. Though it was not it’s strange skin, nor it’s horrid face that terrified me but its eyes. The way they stared longingly. They were no eyes I had ever seen, not glassy coloured orbs but hollow sockets in which fire could be seen. A deep dark fire that reflected my image in them.

“You’re mine.” An inhuman voice said, and the very earth seemed to shake. It stepped closer and with each drawn out step my heart began to pound and my skin began to quiver. No, no, no! My mind was screaming, Escape, run, run! But I was caught, a fly in this spider’s web. There was no escape from the terrifying beast, only death. I took solace in the fact that could be seen as a form of escape at least it would be over. I shut my eyes tightly and clenched my fists. I waited for my death and an end to this endless running.

A deep, dark scream penetrated my thoughts. My eyes flicked open to see the beast which had stood before me so tall and strong being svcked into a portal of fire and blood. It was screeching loudly and clinging on to a branch of a tree. The branch snapped and the beast fell to its knees, it scratched the surface of the floor with its long garish claws, “You‘re mine boy! Mine!” It howled and was dragged into the horrid portal, which promptly proceeded to disappear.

My eyes filled with tears both of fear and an overwhelming sense of joy. I am alive. It was the greatest thought I had ever known and yet was one that so many had taken for granted. A figure moved into my sight, a tall, dark figure who seemed to be casting a spell in one hand and was wielding a strange looking object in the other.

He stepped towards me. It was the last thing I saw.

Nice intro I like it, and demand more right now.

Glad to see someone likes it, here is the more you demanded, although I have yet to edit it for mistakes but I'm tired and just wanted to get it finished.

Chapter 2: Shazzar The Witch Hunter


I was alone in the dark. There was nothing, nothing but an endless sea of dark. I moved around, turning twisting but still there was nothing. I felt isolated and despaired. But the darkness was soon broken by a strange piercing light, this light slowly began to form floating letters. Each slowly in turn formed a word and eventually the words were floating before my eyes, I felt compelled to speak them, and as I tried to they began to glow, a intense red shone from them and I tried harder to say the words but felt as if I couldn’t. Say me! They seemed to scream. Say me!

I’m trying! I wanted to scream back and shout but I couldn’t, I couldn’t make a sound. Suddenly the words seemed to grow angry, if such a thing was possible. They began to screech, each individually causing a sound which made me want to move my hands to cover my ears before they burst, but I could not. I could not move. The words began to move closer and closer, the sounds getting louder and I felt as if I was going die. Then they slowly began to fade and a brighter, clearer light replaced them..

As I opened my eyes I had to blink a few times before they adjusted properly to the light. I was warm, extremely warm, that was the first thing I noticed. Then the smell, a sweet, sickly smell that made me smile. I was staring up at a white ceiling, a lamp hung from it and upon closer inspection it looked wooded and rotting. I tried to sit up but felt constrained by something, or perhaps someone. I began to cough at that moment, spluttering I tried to move my hands to my mouth but found them bound to the bed in which I was lied. I was worried by this but took comfort in the fact that the bed was at least quite comfortable.

“Now boy, try not to move too much.” A deep, manly voice said, I moved my head to the left and before me a tall, dark man stood. His ivory skin shone from the light of the lamp and he was dressed in strange attire, long flowing grey robes and he had a hood pulled over his face, though the sleeves were rolled up. “I think now you have finished thrashing, I’ll unbind you from the bed. Wouldn’t want you to think I was some sort of villain.” He laughed as a said this, a deep booming laugh that was almost infectious and brought a smile to my face.

I tried to speak but the man placed a finger to my lips, “Conserve your energy boy, I’m surprised you’re even up.” The bindings on my hands and legs were then released and I sat up, I was wondering as to why I had been bound, the man had mentioned something about thrashing? I tried to speak and ask him but before I could the man said, “I had to bind you, you were thrashing wildly throughout the night. Here, you look hungry” He trusted a bowl of soup towards me and I moved my hands to hold it. It was true, I felt a sudden pang of hunger and realised I hadn’t eaten in a long time, I was ravenous. I was about to gulp down the sweet smelling soup before I peered into the bowl and it reminded my of the soup my ma used to make. Mother. I convulsed at the thought and hurled the bowl across the room, tears burst from my eyes and I began to sob.

It hit me. The memories of before, what had truly happened to my family. That damned scroll! “Lad,” The man said in a soothing voice, “Calm down lad.”

I began to shake again. The man pulled back his hood to reveal a lean, thin face, he had high cheek bones and his nose looked like it had been broken more than once. His eyes were especially sad, the blue orbs stared at me with a quiet, reserved melancholy. He moved forward and as I shook wildly he began to tie me to the bed once again. The man turned and left the room.

I felt as if I was to drown in the tears, the dark deep despair that filled me thanks to that vile, evil act.
All people want more, it’s a fact, it can lead to great things at times and other times it can lead to evil. I wanted too much and this greed was my downfall.

The man returned, he was holding a small vial and in it there appeared to be a strange, dark liquid. “I didn’t want to have to use this.” He muttered solemnly, and then clasped hold of my head with surprisingly strong hands and forced the liquid down my throat. My instinct was to spit it out, it tasted disgusting and I wanted it out of my mouth immediately. “Swallow.” He said softly and I did. The liquid was strangely warm and I felt it go down into my stomach, I suddenly stopped shaking and felt extremely calm. “Now boy,” the man said as he picked up what seemed to be a stool, perched on it and leaned forward towards me. “First things first, what is your name?”

“Will.” I had spoken. For the first time in at least three days I had spoken, it felt strange to hear my voice. It sounded tired and scratchy and suddenly I felt exhausted once again.

“Will? How interesting.” the man spoke slowly and in a strange manner, his accent was odd. He obviously wasn’t a native to Skyrim, then again nor was I. “Now Will, do you mind telling me as to why a Dremora Lord would be chasing a young boy across a forest?”

I glared at him and tried to sit up before realising I was once again tied to the bed and couldn’t move. “Where am I?” I snapped, ignoring his question. I became increasingly anxious as to where I was and wanted to move as soon as possible. For all I knew, I could have been sat in some shack in the middle of nowhere about to be murdered. The man seemed to recognise the panic I was undergoing and smiled softly. “Relax,” he said, “you’re in Falkreath, in Dead Man’s Drink. It’s an inn.”

I let out a sigh of relief and allowed myself to relax slightly, I was still bound though and on edge, I wondered if this man was lying. Without a word, he realised the ropes around my legs and arms once more and allowed me to move. The first thing I did was sit up and get a proper look around the room I was in. I was sat on quite a comfortable single bed, which obviously must have been stocked with feathers to be this relaxing. The room itself seemed quite bare, there was a bookshelf which held copies of an assortment of stories and others, one which caught my eye was ‘The Lusty Argonian Maid’, I had heard about that particular book. There was a wooden table, on which I greedily eyed some food and my stomach growled with hunger, and besides the bed was a cabinet, for storing clothes no doubt.

The man seemed to hear my stomach grumble and brought forth another bowl of soup, “The Innkeeper was far from impressed that you smashed his bowl but I told him you had the fever and he seemed a little less bothered.” I grabbed the bowl and downed the soup avidly, my hunger seemed insatiable, “More.” I said, my mouth still half full of soup. He brought over a plate filled with bread and various different meats. “My name is Shazzar,” he said handing over the plate and bowing graciously. “I would like an answer to my questions but I am willing to allow you a small time to recuperate before pressing you further, in the mean time I shall go down and listen to the Bard sing, perhaps he’ll know a new song by now other than that accursed Ragnar the Red or the tiresome, Age of Aggression. I swear most Bards in this land think they can get away with only knowing two songs.” He walked out of the room then rambling on.

I left the warmth of the bed then and stepped foot on the cold hard wooden floor. I turned and opened the dresser and grabbed some of the warmer clothes I could find, I chose a grey tunic and some brown pants along with black shoes. There was also a pouch which I picked up and slung it over my shoulder, I decided it would be useful for storing things with. I then turned and moved to open the door but to my dismay I found it already open and a girl to be stood there, staring. She was a tall girl, with deep, black hair and a pale complexion. I felt myself go red, “You weren’t there the whole time were you?” I demanded stepping back.

“Oh relax little boy, it’s not like there was anything to see.” She giggled and flicked her hair.

I snarled, “Get out. Now!” I felt my cheeks flush and no doubt they turned bright red, the girl merely laughed and moved into the room, there was something about what she was wearing that intrigued me, a plain dress and black pointy shoes. The pointy shoes drew my interest, I had never seen a girl wear ones such as them before. “Rosaline.” the girl said holding her hand out to me, “A pleasure to meet you mister. I only came here for my book,” she moved over to the bookshelf and from the bottom shelf plucked a dark looking tome, “I left this here last time I stayed, I best be off. I’ve got errands to run.” and with that she scampered out of the room as quickly as she had left, as she did so however she dropped a small, ornate looking comb. “Wait!” I yelled, but it was too late.

I stepped out of my room in order to follow her but there was no sign of the odd black haired girl with pointy shoes. As I stepped out of the room, the sweet sound of a lute being played and the high, gentle voice of someone singing what sounded like ‘Ragnar the Red.” There was the delicious smell of bread being baked and the scent of mead clung to the air but that was common in most inns. I stepped out from the doorway and down some rickety little steps into the main area of the Inn. In this area stood a bard singing his song with three revellers sitting round drinking mead and mocking him, “Come on,” they jeered, “You can do better than that.” In the centre of the room a nice fire was roaring and heating up the entire establishment. The place seemed quite busy but it was not hard to spot the man who had saved me standing in the corner, he was the only one of his kind in the place and a dark clad stranger was hard to conceal. I motioned to move towards him but he spotted me and came over to the steps.

“Ah, I see someone is up then.” He grinned, “Now would you prefer to find somewhere quieter to answer my questions?” His tone suddenly becoming serious and looking quite sympathetic.

“I would prefer that yes.” I said sullenly, the thought of answering this mans questions frightened me somewhat. I had repressed the memories of what had happened and continued to avoid them but now I would have to come face to face with the cold, hard truth. “Follow me then,” he said leading me out of the establishment and into the open air, “Ah Falkreath, such a quaint little village.” he said and I smiled, little was not exactly how I would have described Falkreath. It had quite a lot of different houses and buildings and being used to only the barn and the farmhouse it was somewhat a shock. The streets themselves were bustling and full of life, various merchants were trying to peddle their wares and one tried to stop Shazzar, whom I was following, but he ignored him and continued on up the muddy path.

He led me into the graveyard of all places, “This is the quietest place I can think of,” he said softly and seated himself on a bench located on the far side of the graveyard. As I walked between the many graves a chill ran down my spine and I found my self becoming quite concerned. Despite this concern I still sat with the strange man and allowed him to ask me his questions, “Right Will, I would like to ask you about last night. Are you ready?” He sounded genuinely concerned and I found it quite odd how much this man had done for me, a total stranger. I nodded and prepared myself for the bombardment of memories that was about to flood through the mental dam I had built.

“Why were you being chased by a Dremora Lord?” he said this carefully and slowly. The question hung in the air like a bad smell. I breathed slowly and spoke, “It happened quite some days ago you see. I live on a - I cut myself off there and felt a rush of memories, my family and I, caring for the crops, chasing the sheep around as a child, - used to live on a farm, I was a curious young boy and one day a traveller visited our farm, he was starving and my mother allowed him to eat with us. We gave him food and shelter for the night and in return the man left my mother with a scroll, the only thing he had. He said that it was worth a great sum of gold and that he was returning this way soon, he said if we still had the scroll in our possession he would take it off us and pay us instead. “

“That scroll haunted my dreams, from the moment it arrived I could not stop looking at it. It was just so, so very interesting. I had to read it and it was two nights prior to the man leaving that I decided I would.” I bit my lip at this point and clenched my fists it was especially painful to remember this, and it felt as if I was psychically being stabbed. “I found the scroll in my father and mother’s room, I stole it and ran out into the yard in hopes of not being caught. I tore the seal off it and the words inside it,” at this I began to tremble, “the words inside it seemed to come.. Alive. The words called me to say them, they were magical.”

“After I spoke the words aloud I knew I had done something wrong. The ground itself seemed to split in two and out of the gap crawled the.. The Monster. It spoke to me at first and I demanded that it would take me away from the farm, which I had been so bored of, and bring me to a life of adventure. In response to this it laughed and claimed not to be some mere genie but said it could all be done, all I had to do was take.. Take this.” I still had it with me, it was gem, a huge gem which glowed with a darkness inside it, I carried it around my neck on a chain. I showed Shazzar that gem and his face dropped.

“You took a black soul gem off a Dremora?” he spoke slowly and made it sound as if it was the most outrageous thing he had ever ehard. I merely nodded in reply, it was hard to remember these things, I had done something so very, very wrong.

“Once I took it. The creature laughed and I backed away, it was then that Father awoke and seeing me speaking to a demon he attacked with his woodcutting axe. The demon just swiped away the blind and, and then he.. He. Killed. Father.” My eyes grew very wide at this and Shazzar seemed very sympathetic. “He then decided to set fire to the house and I watched as Mother and my brothers burned. He was going to get me next so I ran. Far away.” I stopped speaking then and Shazzar grew very quiet.

“Where exactly was your farm?” He asked.

“It was near Riften, we had quite a good place set up. Before it was destroyed.” I said and the black man seemed shocked, “You ran all the way from Riften? My, my boy you are a determined one. Hmm, I have to say, you are lucky I came when I did and that I stopped. I gave up a particularly disturbed ghost for you.”

“A ghost?” I wondered aloud, “Why were you chasing a ghost?” I asked thinking back to what I had saw, the blurred ghost rider. I had thought it a figment of my imagination.

“I am Shazzar,” He said standing up from the bench and facing me, “The Witch Hunter.” He bowed low and graciously.

This is a beautiful piece if I may be so kind to say. The intro was fantastic, kind of made me grip my seat a bit

I look forward to what you have coming up next O.O

Nice chapter! A few minor mistakes, but you already know of them. Your narration could be improved, but i like youre characters ^_^

That was really good. I liked the cameo with the ghost in the first part and the way you tied it up in the second. Keep up the good work