Rinik sat at the makeshift desk in his cabin making adjustments to his gauntlets for what felt like the hundredth time, and that wasn't a far off count. The Dunmer was clad as usual in plain steel armour, no banner or emblem identified him with any knightly cause. Most who saw him took him to be a mercenary or bounty hunter, but Rinik thought differently, he was more of a refugee now.
The characteristic grey skin of his people sat dimly against the steel, and there were multiple scars etched onto his face which was sporting black war paint in a tribal emblem. He had no idea what the emblem meant if anything, it was given to him a long time ago by someone he'd likely never see again. He kept it up more because he didn't feel right without it now.
A warrior's ponytail pulled his long black hair away from his dark red eyes. It was a threatening look, but Rinik didn't mind, in fact it was something he almost prided himself on. In his line of work it could help to be more threatening than friendly. The tool he used in that work was tucked away in its rough scabbard on the bed. That steel sword had been used countless times since he acquired it. Now that was a story in itself, involving a camp full of bandits, a disgruntled hagraven a runaway mammoth and a member of the Morag Tong.
Rinik's current situation wasn't quite as exciting however, in fact it was anything but. Nearly three weeks he had been at sea now all the way from Morrowind, and had seen enough water and smelt enough sailor to last a lifetime.
Rinik cast his gaze over to the window as something emerged from the corner of the frame, a white blanket of snow adorned the land as it rose out of the water to meet the harsh lines of a stone wall. Good, they had arrived, one more day cooped up on this tub with a dozen angry Nords who wanted his blood and Rinik would have gone on rampage. That would have been a bad idea though, he knew next to nothing about sailing.
He got up from his desk and made to pack his bag, coin purse – check, mead – check. After that was done he fitted his sword and scabbard and exited the cabin and made for the top deck. He nearly trampled an Imperial boy as he opened the door.
"Ah, Mr Dunmer sir, we've arrived in Windhelm." The boy hastily said.
"I know." Came the clipped response from the tall warrior as he strode past the stunned boy and up the stairs into the fresh sea air. The harsh sunlight struck Rinik's eyes as he took in his surroundings, the ship was slowly pulling into port under a looming bridge to the city gates.
"Here we are then," The ship's captain, a rather portly fellow strode up alongside Rinik, "Safe and sound, just as promised." The Dunmer could practically hear the clink of gold in the sailors mind.
"Here." The elf passed the coins over to eager hands, the grin on the Nord's face was almost comical.
"Thank you very much sir, be sure to travel with us again." Rinik merely grunted in response, the captain too busy with his gold for it to register anyway.
Without a further word to anyone else, and not even waiting for the ship to be secured to land, Rinik strode over to the edge of the ship and vaulted straight over onto the dockside. Ignoring the alarmed expressions of the workers and shipmen along the dock, he trooped straight up the stairs leading to the city and entered.
He was finally here then, three weeks of travel had finally seen him into Skyrim, and he immediately wished he could go back in time. As he ventured into the city he found a sizeable number of fellow Dunmer, yet these were not the proud, strong people of his homeland. Every one of them who looked at him, he saw the same tired expression. They didn't say a word to Rinik nor did they need to, it was clear they were suffering from poverty and disease. What struck Rinik more was the reaction of the Nord inhabitants, every time he saw one pass a Dunmer there were scowls, insults, even spitting, it was clear Dunmer weren't welcome here.
Yet all that meant little to Rinik although he sympathised with others of his race, he was here to survive himself not save others. Morrowind was still recovering from the Red Mountain eruption almost two centuries ago, and there was little work to be had especially for someone like him. So he had scraped what little he could together and bought passage to Skyrim, with luck he could make a decent life here. He hadn't counted on the frosty reception though, If needs be he'd just move again to High Rock or Hammerfell, though with his current run of luck they'd both be invaded by the Thalmor and the people forced to work as slaves.
He'd cross those unlikely bridges if it came to it, for now at least he needed to find some sort of work to keep him busy if nothing else. Nearly three weeks at sea was terrible with nothing to do but maintain his weapon and armour, he'd nearly polished his blade into dust. So he made to find an inn in the city, if there was anywhere in all of Tamriel that would have work for him, it would be in an inn, they always seemed to have bounty's that needed taken care of.
Spotting one in the centre of town, Rinik began to approach before noticing a group of figures impeding his path. All Nords, they looked down on him with disgust and Rinik noticed they all sported weapons on their belts. He wasn't looking for trouble, unless he was paid for it of course, but he wouldn't hesitate to act if provoked. One of the men, likely the leader of their merry gang, sauntered towards him.
"Hey, elf," spitting the word as though it had killed his mother, "we seen you around town, that's some nice gear you got there."
Saying nothing in return Rinik took measure of the situation, five of them, two looked to be without any real experience their hands jumpy and agitated. He could take them if needs be though it wouldn't be wise to go on a killing spree when he just got into town, just let them make the first move.
"What's up elf," the Nord spat again, "nothing to say for yourself?" The group slowly approached, spreading out a little. Rinik caught sight of a guard leaving the area out of the corner of his eye.
"I mean you no harm," that drew some laughter from the men, "let me pass and we all walk away." Even more laughter though they still approached him.
"What, you think you can take us?" jeered the Nord but Rinik didn't reply, "no, you see your mistaken elf," a vicious smile crept its way onto the man's lips, "around here, it's us Nords who're in charge."
Before any more was said Rinik caught the flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively he drew his blade and parried the coming blow, his assailant stumbling as he tried to keep his balance. Taking a defensive stance Rinik saw the smiles vanish, well they knew he was capable now.
All swords and axes were drawn as they charged, leaving Rinik with little time to react. Blocking blow after blow he practically danced through the melee, never staying in one spot too long. Delivering a quick hit to a foreign blade sent it flying, and the young man fled his group. His friends growled in their efforts but couldn't break through the Dunmer's defences. Blade pointed at his heart, one of the larger men lunged at Rinik only to be swatted away in a flourish.
A break in the clash emerged, Rinik's eyes dancing from man to man daring one of them to make a move. All were breathing heavily but there was no indication of giving up not now. All of a sudden a group of guards rounded the corner, blades drawn and intercepting the coming battle.
"Hey you lot!" Called one of the guards, whose face was hidden by helmet, "what's been going on here?"
"This dark elf here attacked us!" the Nord who confronted Rinik spoke up, "he tried to murder us!"
At that moment Rinik realised he was done for, but he gave it a go anyhow, "guardsman, you can't possibly believe this tripe!" The guard looked straight into his eyes, clearly there was no way out of this one. The other guards had moved around Rinik without a single word exchanged between them.
"No it's your tripe I don't believe grey skin, now drop your weapon or we'll drop you."
Casting his gaze around quickly and thumbing the hilt of his sword, he thought better of it. Why become the very thing your accused of. With obvious intent, Rinik flung his sword to the ground and raised his hands, at once his hands were bound and he was being led off to the dungeons.
Not the best start to a new life he'd ever had.
After roughly being removed of his armour and belongings, Rinik was ever so harshly thrown into a freezing cell, likely left to starve until someone reached their limit to cruelty.
Grunting as he staggered to his feet, he cursed his jailors in a tongue they couldn't possibly understand, they got the message though and he got a fist to the gut.
"Better watch yourself elf," one of the guards taunted as they made to leave the room, "you're not in Morrowind anymore." He slammed the door behind him. Well that much was certain, he wasn't exactly popular over the border but he reckoned he'd be treated better than this.
Straining to get himself into a sitting position, Rinik immediately started formulating a plan to escape. He couldn't see a way past the bars however, if only he could trick the guards into opening his jail he could rush them.
"New here I take it?" The voice shocked Rinik for a second, he hadn't realised anyone else was in the prison. His eye followed the sound of the voice to find a Khajiit bound to the wall by his hands in the adjacent cell. His dirty rags indicated that he'd been down here for a few days if not weeks.
The dark brown cat smirked a little, "You'll get used to Nord hospitality soon enough, but where are my manners," he coughed a little and extended his tail as if to shake the Dunmer's hand with it, "my name is Sav'iik, or Sav to my friends, and yours?"
Rinik was slightly baffled by this Sav'iik, he didn't seem at all concerned at his current predicament, and he looked to be having a worse time of it than the Dunmer was.
"Rinik," he said slowly, unsure if he was being tricked in some way though he couldn't imagine how. The Khajiit smiled almost warmly and he lowered his tail which began swinging side to side casually.
"A pleasure, now what are you in for?" Rinik was struggling to get past the fact that this Khajiit was talking as though he was at a casual get together with old friends.
Rinik scoffed a little, "Ask the guards, they make their own laws it seems," the Dunmer muttered bitterly, "and you?" He returned his attention to trying to find a way out of his cell.
"Oh, I am here on business." Sav'iik said simply, that caused Rinik to pause again, what in Oblivion was going on here? He turned back to the Khajiit who was looking up at him innocently.
"Business?" the Dunmer asked flatly, to which the Khajiit merely nodded. By Azura, Rinik wished he was still in Morrowind. "What sort of business would get you in jail?" He was becoming more intrigued with this strange cat now, maybe he'd gone mad with repeated torturing or whatever these Nord's did in Skyrim, but somehow Rinik didn't think so.
Sav'iik smirked again and Rinik was shocked to see his hands come down from their shackles, "A special kind I suppose," The Khajiit stretched his arms like an overgrown house cat as Rinik continued to stare dumbfounded, "can you fight?" The cat asked as he got to his feet and proceeded to pick the lock on his cell.
Rinik's senses returned to him, "Of course I can … but w-why didn't you do that before?" The Khajiit looked back at the Dunmer with an almost scolding expression.
"Khajiit need someone to give me help, there's only one way out of this place," He pushed the door of his cell open and proceeded to start on Rinik's door, "so, that makes you Sav'iik's new best friend."
A moment later and the swung open with a faint creak yet Rinik didn't move, merely eyeing the Khajiit warily. "Why are you so quick to trust me? You don't know me."
Sav'iik thought a little then shook his head a little sadly, "I do not trust you, but I could use you, there's a difference."
"And if I don't want to be used?"
That elicited a small chuckle from his fellow inmate, "Then remain here, I'm sure these local Nord's would be happy to keep you company for a time, till they get bored with you." Rinik wasn't sure just what Sav'iik meant, but either way this Khajiit was offering him a way out of this place, he just had to get his hands a little dirty.
Rinik nodded and exited the cell, "Alright then, what's your plan?"
"Simple, call for a guard, jump him, storm through to freedom." Sav'iik stated happily, already crouched in position on one side of the locked door to their cells.
"It took a long time to make that plan did it?" Rinik muttered as he too got into position, barely believing he was taking part in this, by Azura was he missing Morrowind right now.
The Khajiit smiled at the Dunmer, "Oh yes, I almost had to write it down as well." Before Rinik could say another word, Sav'iik shouted out for a guard in a convincingly pained shriek.
Rinik readied himself and after a few long moments he could hear keys clinking on the other side of the door. As soon as they heard the lock release, the door lazily swung open. A Nord guard lumbered through, not in any rush to investigate Sav'iik's death cry. As he realised that the cells before him stood empty, Rinik sprang into action and rammed the guard into the metal bars cleanly knocking him out.
"Good work, but there will be more" Sav'iik set about stripping the guard of keys and coin as Rinik took his sword.
Quietly, they approached the stairwell that led to their freedom and ventured into the corridor beyond. A solitary chest lay pushed against the wall which Sav'iik got open in no time at all.
"Ah, there you are," the Khajiit sounded pleased as he fidgeted with some weapons and armour, "and I presume this is yours?" He held up a steel sword and bracers, and the rest of Rinik's armour was lying in the chest. Both men got dressed into their normal attire, though Rinik wouldn't call his companions armour normal. The Khajiit was now clad in dark brown leathers, with a low hood and too many pockets and straps for an average armour. That and his unnatural skill with locks seemed to confirm Rinik's suspicions, though he didn't voice them.
Both now armed and protected, they approached the next room yet Sav'iik stopped short of opening the door, instead listening for something. "Guards," he paused and listened a little more.
"How many?"
"Plenty," The Khajiit unsheathed his dagger, "Ready?" The Dunmer nodded and Sav'iik got up and kicked the door open, both men rushed into the room.
Had they not been poised to fight for their freedom, the scene laid out in front of them would have been pretty comical. One guard was in the middle of getting dressed with a further four more were having a game of cards on the table. All of them turned their heads at the same time to see the newcomers storm the room.
One guard was killed before he even had a chance to raise his blade, and once the momentary shock had worn off, the others grew hungry to avenge their comrade. The resulting fight became more than a little bit dangerous, these men obviously more skilled than the thugs who had attacked Rinik only hours before.
Two guards a piece forced both Khajiit and Dunmer into the corner of the room, parrying and blocking for their very lives. Once settled into the rhythm of combat, Rinik began slowly pushing out of the corner of the room and forcing the guards onto the back footing. Sav'iik seemed to be doing the same, out of the corner of his eye Rinik saw a guard stumble back from the Khajiit.
Over the chorus of metal and grunted efforts a gurgled cry caught everyone's attention, one of Sav'iik's attackers went down clutching the shredded remains of his throat. The great cat snarled as he looked to finish the second guard.
The melee continued until the remaining guards grew weary, they had skill but they lacked endurance. Rinik and Sav'iik pressed home the advantage and soon their enemies lay dead on the floor.
Rinik stood in silence, fully expecting a further wave of men to come surging from any door though none did. The Khajiit meanwhile was already looting the men of their possessions.
"Not bad," The cat genuinely sounded impressed, "I'm glad it was you they threw into that cell and not some normal thug."
Rinik chose to ignore that comment, "Must you do that?" The Dunmer asked tiredly though his companion continued regardless.
"Of course, it's what I'm here for," The Dunmer muttered something about being disrespectful before turning away. Sav'iik rummaged through the pockets of two other men before Rinik heard a delighted cry. "Aha! There you are," Rinik glanced over to see the Khajiit delicately holding a small rolled up piece of parchment.
"Wait, that's why you were in that cell?" Rinik said in disbelief, it was an awful lot of trouble to go to for a note.
"Oh yes," Sav'iik carefully placed the parchment in one of his pockets, "A very important message the guard captain had on him."
Rinik did a double take.
"The guard captain?" He exclaimed looking quickly between the Khajiit and the body of the blood soaked Nord on the floor, "we just killed the guard captain?" Rinik never had a problem with killing people, it's what he did for a living most of the time, however he didn't like killing important people in a new land when he was already in trouble with the law.
Sav'iik looked confused at Rinik's distress for a moment then it dawned on him, "Oh yes, you may want to leave Windhelm for a while, or indefinitely," the Khajiit gently patted the Dunmer on the shoulder, "come, let's get out of the city then." The stunned Dunmer turned to stare after his companion as he calmly left the room.
Damn cat, he thought.
Thankfully thought Rinik, the journey to the outside of the city was not nearly as adventurous as their little escapade within the city jail. Mainly thanks to the cover of night and Sav'iik's innate stealth skills. More than once had he prevented the Dunmer from walking straight into the line of sight of a city guardsman.
"So," Rinik started as they crept through a blackened alley, "are you some sort of an assassin or something?" Sav'iik turned back to glare at him, obviously the wrong thing to say.
"Thief actually," the cat said casually before he and Rinik broke from cover to cross a street, "I don't work with the Dark Brotherhood."
"Yet you kill your targets." The Dunmer stated, annoyance creeping into his voice.
Sav'iik laughed slightly, "He wasn't a target, this message was, but he would have proven dangerous to a lot of people regardless. So, I removed that threat … or rather we did."
Rinik scowled at the Khajiit's words, "Well thank you for including me in your little war or whatever this is about." Sarcasm oozing from every word.
Sav'iik however, merely chuckled, "Your welcome, I should get you signed up."
"No thanks," The Dunmer stated hastily, "I came to Skyrim to start a new life not take part in a war." The pair was close to city gates by now, he could see them opened for an incoming supply caravan.
Another chuckle, "Well you chose the worst place in all of Tamriel for that, Skyrim is in the beginning of a civil war." Rinik cursed under his breath, he had heard of rising tensions within Skyrim's borders, but never imagined it would escalate into a true civil war.
The unlikely duo halted their conversation as they approached the city gates, "Not this way, through the docks, follow me." Sav'iik sped off down another street with the Dunmer right behind him. They had to avoid another guard as they got to the water front but they looked to be in the clear.
At the end of the dock Sav'iik got into a small row boat and quickly undid the moorings, "Come on." He whispered as guards patrolled the bridge directly overhead. Rinik entered the boat and as quietly as possible, began to gently row up the river and deeper into Skyrim. The pair didn't go very far and just beyond sight of the city they beached the boat on the frozen bank.
"Not bad for a night's work," Sav'iik seemed genuinely pleased with himself as they strode towards a nearby road, well enough away from the city by now to be spotted "Here, take this," He tossed a coin purse in the Dunmer's direction, "for all your help."
"Thanks," Rinik stated gruffly, "next time don't drag me into your crazy, revolutionary plans."
The cat laughed at that, "Oh I'm not in the revolution," He didn't add anymore to that and began to make his way up a snow covered hill, "goodbye my friend, be sure to grab a drink if your ever in Riften." He gave a jaunty salute.
Rinik returned it half-heartedly and stared after the Khajiit for a while, wondering just what had happened in the last few hours. Then he merely shrugged and set off on his own journey up the road.
He checked the coin purse to see how much he had earned in his first Skyrim job, he noticed a familiar tear in the rim of the bag. This was his own coin purse, and he definitely remembered having more than five Septims in it.
Damn cat.