This Open-World of Infinite Choices

BOOK ONE - CHAPTER ONE
Konbanwa Sayori!/Yuri!

19th of Frostfall

[[City of Riften]]

Soft footsteps scampered over stone, its rhythm matching perfectly with the thief's methodical breathing. With a quick glance of the eye and a bend of a knee in preparation, they easily scaled the outer city wall, taking note of the footholds they had used many times before. The hooded thief found their way to the top of the wall, crouching for balance as the setting sun was falling behind the buildings in the west. They sported a sleeveless dark leather vest with matching boots and gauntlets, its chainmail sleeves underneath shining dimly in reflection to the setting sun.

I'll have her head if she's late again…

The thought passed briefly through the thief's consciousness as they carefully ran across the thin railing before jumping towards a protruding tree's branch that was outside the city's limits. Upon impact, their arms grabbed onto the wood before pulling themselves onto the tree limb.

"Still can't make that jump, Ryoba?"

The voice came from the base of the tree. The thief groaned and made their way down the tree's trunk. When they landed on the ground with a soft thud, almost cat-like, the thief found a Bosmer with red hair just short of her shoulders snickering to herself. She wore a red bandana to help keep her hair up and was dressed in leather armor in traditional Bosmeri design. Across one shoulder was a hunting bow and over the other was a sack, which the thief discerned as a rabbit or fox she had caught today.

"I almost wish you were late now, Sayori." Ryoba replied sarcastically. They pulled off their hood, revealing their greyed face to the other elf. Tying the longer hair into a lazy ponytail to reveal the designed undercut beneath, Ryoba sighed at Sayori's light-hearted teasing. There was a time when the Dunmer thief was better at parkouring than their Bosmeri friend; however, over the years, the previously clumsy hunter learned to keep up and even surpass Ryoba's own agility.

"But… I'll still have your head for that remark."

"Wha-!"

Before the Bosmer could react, the Dunmer disappeared momentarily and felt a force wrap around her neck. She immediately dropped her sack and struggled against the force, bringing her hands up to what would be an arm wrapping around her throat.

"Mercy, mercy! Ryoba!"

Sayori heard a few laughs coming from the space behind her at her choked pleas and the grasp-like force around her neck loosened. The dark elf reappeared behind her, patting the shorter elf's head lightly.

"Come on, you know I'm only playing," Ryoba laughed. This time it was Sayori's turn to pout. She turned her back to the Dunmer, picked up her sack, and went off following the edge of the city wall.

"Meanie." Sayori called over her shoulder with a whine.

They just had to be born under the Shadow sign, she complained to herself. Ryoba always used that invisibility blessing of theirs to mess with her.

"What were you expecting?" Ryoba quickly caught up, keeping pace beside Sayori. "Did you want someone uncaring and unenthusiastic? Cause I can be that way too if you want."

The Bosmer shook her head. "No, I prefer this side of you compared to… well when you were mourning about that."

Sayori heard a hum that she could only recognize as Ryoba agreeing with her. The two held a strange silence as they walked along the edge of the city. In the distance, dim lights began to peek up on the horizon as they came closer to their night time destination: Daggercross Alley.

Shady merchants, illicit fences, couriers, rogues… Daggercross Alley was swamp of cold criminals. No guards; No law; No guild's rule. It was a sanctuary for the likes of Ryoba and Sayori. The two childhood friends grew up together in the slums outside of Riften. Sayori was lucky to have a father that taught her to hunt before he succumbed to bone break fever. Ryoba, however, had no such guidance and fell into a life of thievery and alchemy. With their combined efforts, they were able to find an apartment within Riften's walls, which proved to be much safer to live in despite the high city taxes. The two elves still spent most of their time outside the main city's walls, climbing the southeast corner of Riften where guards turned a blind eye to due to the closed down gate, and thus avoided having to pay the gate crossing fee. They sold their wares to those who were in most need of them. Sayori prioritized her meats and furs to the starving and freezing citizens; Ryoba dealt their self-made concoctions to the sick and other smuggled goods imported from Morrowind and Cyrodil to fences that offered the best price.

"Meet under the giant barrel tent later?" Ryoba broke the silence.

Sayori smiled and nodded to her Dunmeri companion as a reply and ran off like an overactive child to conduct her business. The other chuckled to themselves and walked on, stopping in front of a stall ran by an Argonian.

Ocheeya smiled softly, easily recognizing one of her usual patrons. "Ah, the Dark Practitioner returns again. What ailment are you curing tonight?"

Frowning slightly at the mention of their black market persona, Ryoba eyes the display case to the left of the stall. "Traveling to see a close friend soon. Just getting some of my personal herbs. Oh, and if you have mugwort seeds, too. I'm running low on supply."

Ocheeya squatted under her stall in search of the ingredients. "I'm afraid we don't have any scathecraw tonight, DP, but I do have the marshmerrow and mugwort seeds if you still want them."

Ryoba reached for their coin purse. "I suppose that's fine. I'll probably have enough until I get back."

The two exchanged wares. "It's always a pleasure conducting business with you, DP. I'll be sure to set aside some scathecraw for when you return."

Ryoba gave waved behind them in thanks as they walked on to finish their other errand. The Dunmer stopped at the edge of Daggercross alley. They looked around momentarily and then leaned against a wall to wait for their contact. Another body slumped next to them shortly after, holding out a bottle in front of Ryoba's vision.

"Juniper mead from Helgen. It's been a rarity since the dragons' return."

The drug dealer shifted their eyes to the side, where a familiar Bosmeri grin greeted them.

"I wouldn't suppose you sold all of tonight's profit on that bottle, Sayori," Ryoba condemned as they crossed their arms, "you know we're heading to Whiterun soon."

Sayori took another swig of the mead, followed by a bite of a sweetroll that she held in her other hand. She spoke with her mouth half full, "I know. But you know the guy that brews these things also didn't survive the attack." She taunted the bottle in front of the Dunmer's face as she swallowed her food, "annnnd, I know how much you like craft mead."

Ryoba's eye twitched, trying to avoid the temptation and keep an eye out for their contact, but patience would not be kind to them tonight. Attempting to swipe the bottle, Sayori quickly stepped back and chugged the remaining liquid.

"SAYO-"

"Huh, excuse me?" A man cut in, causing Ryoba to freeze. The dark elf had almost burst into flames had it not been for the intrusion. Ryoba straightened themselves out as they regained their composure, and approached the man. He seemed to be a lean Nord- fitting for a courier.

"You're Ryoba? Yes?" The man asked timidly, almost shriveling up as Ryoba approached despite being taller than the dark elf.

"Present. You have my letter?" Ryoba answered with a serious monotone voice, all emotion that had been present when conversing with the Bosmer leaving their speech patterns.

The courier nodded, reaching into their pack to retrieve a rolled up parchment. After presenting the letter with a shaky hand, Ryoba pulled out a small coin purse from one of the pockets on their bandolier and tossed it to the courier. "For your troubles."

The courier said his thanks and went off, wanting to leave the sketchy area as soon as possible. Ryoba and Sayori turned and returned to the safety of Daggercross Alley. Ryoba unrolled the parchment reading its contents.

"So this friend we're meeting," Sayori began as they weaved between people, "who is he again? Someone you met during your days traveling with that Khajiit caravan right?"

Ryoba hummed in response. Sayori was about to ask another question but Ryoba abruptly stopped.

"Huh?" Sayori turned around after realizing the Dunmer was no longer walking beside her. "Hey, what's up?"

"Oh?" Ryoba broke their focus from the parchment. "Oh, nothing. I was trying to read this line but I also listening to you and walking, so I ended up reading the same line over like four times."

Sayori chuckled. Sometimes she thought Ryoba was more aloof than she was at times. "So? What does it say?"

Placing the parchment into their bandolier, Ryoba caught up with Sayori again and the two walked on. "Taiga wants to meet at Kalixa's Ciderhouse outside of Whiterun in two days time. He's already left Markarth, but is probably in Solitude by now to claim a bounty he completed recently. We can be there on time if we leave tomorrow morning."

"Ooo," Sayori commented in awe, "this is the bounty hunter friend right?"

"Yup." Ryoba punched Sayori lightly in the shoulder. "Also, if you wake up early tomorrow, maybe we can get to Whiterun early enough for us to stop by the Drunken Huntsman before meeting up with him."

The hunter's eyes perked up. "Really! Oh, I wonder if they'll have some new specialized arrows for me to try out." Ryoba could swear Sayori's eyes were glowing in excitement, "or that seasonal smoked venison we had the last time we were there! It's still early winter, they might still have some if we hurry!"

Ryoba chuckled as they stopped at the base of the tree they climbed to get over the city wall. "Sure sure. But, you have to wake up early. No groaning or we might miss the morning carriage to Ivarstead."

"Deal!"

With her remark, Sayori effortlessly climbed the large tree and cleared the jump onto the city wall, causing Ryoba to groan again in jealous annoyance.

~~~[DDLC]~~~

[[City of Solitude]]

Taiga let out a sigh of relief as he entered the Winking Skeever. He had had a particularly long day, waking up before the break of dawn to leave Markarth so he could reach Solitude before the shops closed. He had several blacksmith orders he had to deliver to the Solitude docks before the trade ships left the next morning.

Should have left yesterday and just spent the night in Dragon's Bridge instead of rushing, the Nord thought to himself as he took a seat at the bar. A stocky Imperial came up to Taiga from the other side of the bar.

"Anything I can get you, sir?"

Taiga pulled a few coins out of his pocket. "Just a tankard of mead and a room for the night."

The barkeeper nodded, grabbing a clean tankard from under the bar and filling it with mead from one of the barrels on the opposite counter. Taiga set his payment on the counter as he idly looked around the establishment. It had been awhile since his last visit to Solitude, and while he was currently there on business, he did hope that he could one day visit the city for leisure. There was a lot of the city he was not able to enjoy due to his occupation.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed a man sitting in the opposite corner of the tavern that Taiga knew was his contact for the night. The two held eye contact momentarily.

"When you're ready to turn in, just tell me and I'll show you to your room."

Taiga turned back to the barkeeper, who had just set his mead in front of the prior. Taiga nodded in thanks, grabbing the tankard and making his way to where the man was sitting. The Nord mercenary took the seat opposite of the shady man.

"Ulfbyr and his gang are no more." Taiga spoke with a grave tone, keeping a hand on his tankard.

"Splendid." The man smiled slightly, though it did not match the seriousness in his tone of voice. He then revealed a sack from his lap, the sound of metal clanking against each other as it was set on the table. "This is the amount we agreed upon."

Taiga took a swig of his drink as he eyed the sack. With his free hand, he took the sack and placed it in his pocket. "It's been a pleasure."

With their business completed, the other man wordlessly took his leave, thus leaving Taiga alone at the table in the corner. He later ordered a venison stew to warm up. With all his errands done, Taiga was hoping just to relax for the rest of the night before traveling to Whiterun the following day when a woman came up to his table.

Taiga raised his eyebrow as she approached. The woman had dark hair- black but could be argued to have purple hues in certain lighting- with fairer skin than most Imperials he'd previously come across. She seemed to be dressed in ornate purple robes with silver embroidered trim. The Nord couldn't lie that she was beautiful, but her presence struck him as odd. For one, she seemed to be timid in approaching him, almost as if she was nervous in engaging in interaction. Despite her demeanor, she seemed to be of a higher class, though based on her garbs was probably not part of the Bard's College.

Maybe from the palace? Taiga inquired to himself. The woman stood before him, seeming to find her words. Taiga felt the awkwardness in the air and initiated the conversation.

"Need something, ma'am?"

His words seemed to startle the woman from her thoughts, as Taiga saw her jump at his voice.

"Oh… um, I'm sorry... I'm sorry to have bothered you, but…"

She continued to stumble with her words, looking at any direction other than straight at the Nord and fiddling with her long dark hair. Taiga finished the remainder of his stew, placing the empty bowl at the edge of the table as he waited for the woman to speak her business with him.

"You're… You are a mercenary, yes? Work for hire?"

Taiga chuckled, "Yes."

It was not like he was trying to hide himself. He was, after all, a built Nord with shoulder-length dark brown hair that desperately needed to be washed and combed. In addition, he was dressed in dark chainmail-reinforced leather armor equipping a fairly large sword that was currently slung across his back. The whole ensemble shouted "mercenary" from a mile away.

"Do you have business to be conducted with me?"

He could tell this woman was not familiar at handling these sorts on negotiations as she nodded nervously. He motioned to an empty seat at the table he was sitting at.

"Come. Take a seat. We can speak of the details over a drink."

As the woman awkwardly took her seat, looking down towards the hands in her lap, Taiga called over a tavern maid to get them another round of mead. When the drinks were placed on the table, the woman was startled again, and fumbled with her robes to look for payment.

"This one's on me." Taiga responded as he gave a waving gesture to signify that it was no big deal to him. After all, he did just get paid. "So, what kind of work are you looking to hire me for?"

"Um, well," the Imperial began, but then stopped herself. "I never introduced myself. I'm sorry…"

She took a drink of the mead before her and then took a deep breath to calm herself. "My name is Yuri. I am technically a scholar, but am not currently affiliated with a particular court or college. Most of my research is done independently. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Seaside Library that is on the coast north of Solitude, but… Ah! I'm rambling. Let me get back on track."

Taiga could see the intellect behind the girls words, but their social skills were clearly lacking.

She seems to be the type that enjoys the company of books rather than people, Taiga pondered as he watched Yuri recollect herself. He was no doubt amused by her mannerisms, but he also wanted her to get to the point of their confrontation.

"I… ugh… well, I'm looking to travel to Whiterun, as a new library is being opened in their hold. Um, the Blackwall Library, I believe. And... well, um, I require an escort. With the war and the return of the dragons, it has become much more dangerous to traverse outside of the holds' cities. I'm just unsure about making the travel on my own."

Taiga nodded in agreement. "I see. Well, Yuri, you happen to be in luck. I'm heading to Whiterun myself in the morning. I'd be more than happy to accompany you."

Yuri smiled softly at his acceptance of her offer and breathed a sigh of relief. "Great! We can leave in the morning then. Um…" She paused for a moment, withdrawing into her own thoughts again for a moment. "How much… er- what would the payment be for your services?"

The mercenary idly scratched his chin in thought, running his fingers through the 5 o'clock shadow stubble that was regrowing on his face.

"For you? hmm..."

He was already on his way to Whiterun, so having company for simply commuting together wouldn't really be worth anything outrageous unless they were ambushed. And it didn't seem like she was targeted by external parties, unless she was withholding information from him.

He placed his hand back on the tankard and took another drink. "What about this? Since I'm planning to go to Whiterun regardless, I'll hold off asking for payment until we get there. If it all goes smoothly, just treat me for my lodging while I'm there and share another drink before we part ways."

Yuri was surprised. Surely hiring a mercenary was an intimidating matter for her, but she did not expect the interaction to be so… casual. She internally cursed herself for blowing up the situation in her head. She looked awkwardly to the candle flickering on the table they were seated at.

"Um… that should suffice."

Taiga smiled and offered out his hand, "Taiga, by the way."

Yuri stared at the hand then back at Taiga and then back at the hand again for a while longer. She closed her eyes briefly and took another deep breath. When her eyes reopened, she smiled genuinely and shook Taiga's outstretched hand with a confidence she had not previously exhibited.

"Then it seems we have a contract, Taiga."


A/N: Eyo folks! Guess who's back from academia hell! So, lately I've been kinda obsessed with this game and wanted to write a little AU on it in a game I'm also pretty obsessed with. I hope my title pun got through to you guys (Skyrim is an open-world game… eh? Like the lyric… no? Okay… I'll show myself out, I know where the door is).

Hopefully, I can keep most of the character's personalities intact despite throwing them into a different setting. I've played through the game a lot by now and consume way too much about this fandom. Plus, Monika did mention in one of the DDLC secrets how the doki's have had "experiences in different worlds." (That's literally my excuse for making this AU…)

If you haven't figured out, Taiga and Ryoba are OCs that will be our "MC" personas, in a sense. I didn't really like how DDLC's MC was written so I'll be writing these two pretty differently. And don't worry, Monika and Natsuki will be introduced in the next chapter.

Also in terms of Skyrim, I will be making a lot of references to mods I've used in the past, so don't be surprised if things different from the vanilla game show up.

This fic will be going into some dark shit and some romantic shit, so hold onto your horses (cause they'll run at any sign of combat :p).

I'll go more into the characters' combat styles in later chapters, but here's some information on the armor mods I used as inspiration for the characters' armors:

Ryoba - Rough Leather Armor
Sayori - Bosmer Armor Pack
Taiga - Nights Watch Armor
Yuri - DreamBurrows Regal Assassin Armor

Don't forget to comment, I'm always looking for constructive criticism! Until then, see you guys in the next chapter!