The Manor

Volume III

By Leon21CS

Note from the Author: This book is in sequence to both The Woodcutter's Wife and The Cabin in The Woods, respectively.

The harsh winter took its toll on the supports of the manor. The walls creaked with the stress of the powdery snow and the violent winds. This home was surely new, as everything was neat and unused. Its owner was new as well, a traveler of Skyrim, still learning the ways of the unforgiving land.

The traveler took no time sorting his things, deciding what to take with him on his exploration, and what to leave. He let the fire go, his home needed to warm. He closed his door, locking it behind him, breathing in the crisp morning air. The traveler was ready to experience the world. With his pack on his back, he mounted his horse, Shadow, and slowly set off towards the forest.

The traveler took no time achieving his goals for the day. With his recent interest in alchemy, ingredients awaited his grasp. After gathering, he would set up a camp for Shadow and him to stay, enjoying the environment and a book. This piece of literature was based off of these very forests, a dark tale of murder and fear.

The dark approached and the traveler settled down next to the fire, his shelter made and ready when he grew tired. Deep within the book, the traveler heard a strange noise: the faint scream of a woman. He quickly grabbed his dagger, stood up, and searched around for what had made such a noise. The traveler yelled out into the distance, needing to know who or what was in the black reaches of the forest. Being away from his home, the traveler knew that he was quite vulnerable, but he had courage. He was not going to let this occurrence stop him from resting. The night was cold and dark, but the traveler made it through it, though his dagger was close by.

Shadow seemed disturbed in the morning. Upon further investigation, Shadow had scratches all along his sides. But, what seemed strange is that some of the scratches formed a symbol, looking like an upside-down triangle with a circle at its lower tip. Knowing a fair bit of alchemy, the traveler soothed Shadow’s wounds with a mixture of local ingredients.

The traveler crept deeper into the woods, being very wary of what was around him. Though he was startled, he was ready for anything that could come at him. The day went by quietly, but the traveler knew that something was wrong. That night, he did not sleep; he knew that he had to get to his manor as quickly as he possibly could. His eyes grew heavy as the night progressed, eventually closing. He woke up to a woman crying in the distance. But what was worse is that he could see a faint shadow in the distance of what looked like a human, slowly passing by, dragging one of its legs. He yelled at the figure, frozen in the fear of what it could be. The figure flew towards him, a scarred woman, screaming, carrying an axe in her hand. The traveler ran from the camp, mounted Shadow as quickly as he could, and rode off at an alarming pace.

The manor was in sight, and although Shadow was tired as well as the traveler, the horse brought the traveler to their home. The attack had shaken up the traveler, but he was glad to be home. He made sure to secure all of the openings to the manor and he settled well, the warmth welcoming him.

He managed to get some sleep, but he awoke to a terrible scream at his door. The woman had followed him. The fire suddenly went out and the front door of the manor burst inward. The winter air flew through the entryway as the traveler heard a bought of laughter from beyond the darkness. A woman slowly limped through the door, dragging a woodcutter’s axe behind her. The subtle scraping of the floor boards followed her moans of agony as she moved, getting closer to the traveler. The traveler remembered his brief training at the College of Winterhold and fire burst into his hands. He lifted his hands as energy welled up inside of him. He sent an immense fireball towards the woman. The fireball crashed into her ghostly body and she exploded into black ashes, her cries growing quieter as the ash settled. The morning light slowly crept in through the door. The traveler got up from his position on the floor, shaken and confused. The apparition may have been gone but one thing remained: a bloody woodcutter’s axe.