This Open-World of Infinite Choices

BOOK ONE - CHAPTER TWO
Flames of Freedom

20th of Frostfall

[[City of Riften]]

The crate Ryoba was sitting on creaked softly as they adjusted their seating position. The wooden box was stationed outside the small apartment they shared with Sayori. The early morning sun had only began to creep above the rooftops of the eastern buildings, the sunlight getting into their eyes as they read an alchemical journal they had recently purchased from the library north of Riften, The Lettered Skeever. As the sun continued its daily ascent, Ryoba bookmarked their place before standing from their perch. Blowing out the lantern that they had used as a reading light, they silently entered their abode.

Ryoba and Sayori's dwelling- a place the two liked to call the Backstreet Den due to its size and location- was nothing lavish. In fact, it was far from being so; and yet, was a large improvement from the shack they had lived in during their childhood. It was a single room made up of stone walls. To Ryoba's immediate left was a bookshelf where most of their personal belongings were stored. Books and alchemical ingredients primarily lined the shelves, as well as the pack they would be bringing along on their journey to Whiterun. In the far corner next to the bookshelf was their alchemy station. A small amount of space was freed up in the back end of the small room where Ryoba would lay out their bedroll. The small apartment could only fit one bed, which Sayori was currently fast asleep on.

Ryoba slipped the book they had been reading into the pack before opening a small box on the shelf above it. Inside it were several vials filled with a semi-transparent teal liquid. They took one of the vials out before closing the lid and grabbing the box. They took the box to Sayori's pack that sitting on a chest stationed above the head of the bed and stuffed it inside. Following the task, Ryoba turned to the sleeping Bosmer and shook them softly with their free hand to wake her.

"Rise and shine. We gotta hit the road."

An annoyed groan came from the Bosmer. Refusing to wake, she turned their back to the Dunmer. Ryoba sighed to themselves and shook a bit harder.

"Come on Sayori, you said yesterday you'd get up."

"Nnnnnrrrrggggggg," Sayori groaned again, curling herself into a ball.

Ryoba rubbed their temples. They were too tired to deal with this today, especially this early in the morning. Had it been any other day, they would be okay with Sayori sleeping in, but they had to travel today.

"I'll buy you a snowberry crostata for breakfast if you get up."

Sayori flipped over to her other side to face Ryoba, still snuggling the fur blankets close to her body.

"It's too early," Sayori yawned, "Can't we just take the afternoon carriage to Ivarstead?"

"You'll feel better after you take your medication," Ryoba reasoned before yawning themselves, "I promise, you always do."

"But it burns~" Sayori whined as she sat up. It was only then that she realized how tired Ryoba looked.

"Hey… Ryoba," Sayori spoke, her tone becoming more concerned. "Did you not sleep again last night?"

Ryoba glanced at Sayori before handing her the vial in their hands. Avoiding the question, they stood up and grabbed Sayori's pack, placing it on the bed next to her.

"I'll sleep on the carriage there," Ryoba spoke with apathy. "Take your medication. I'll buy us breakfast while you get ready."

Ryoba left their dwelling, leaving Sayori to mentally prepare for the taste of her daily medication. She always did feel uplifted after taking her antidepressants- a serum Ryoba had worked on perfecting after months of research and experimentation- but the taste was absolutely vile, especially after learning what went in it. Elves ear and a polished wolf eye would never compliment each other, even if there was juniper and moon sugar mixed in. Sayori was certain of that.

She washed out the sour taste with some leftover water in her waterskin and got up to slip into her armor. Opening the chest next to her bed, she found the leather armor there just as she had left it the night before. After putting the armor on, she fell back into bed and fought the urge to fall asleep again. It would be so easy to lose consciousness and let time pass her by. At least she didn't feel so helpless when she was asleep. She could avoid the lifestyle she had, having to struggle day in and day out just to get enough coin to keep herself alive. Why was it so expensive just to stay alive? Having to pay for food, for the Backstreet Den, for Riften taxes. It'd be easier just to die.

But, she couldn't really do that either. If she were to let herself die, then she would be leaving Ryoba to suffer alone. Knowing how long they've struggled together for years in Riften's harsh economic system, she couldn't just do that to her closest friend. No, not just a friend. They were family.

After Ryoba's parents were killed by the Thieves' Guild, it was her father that took them in. They grew up together almost as siblings would. Ryoba would always be there to get Sayori out of binds when she was training to be a huntress. They even came up with a medicine to help her cope with the depression she struggled with daily. It was something Sayori was eternally grateful for, though the Bosmer wished that she could help Ryoba in return. They had always just blown their issues off and simply say that her company was more than enough; that having someone they cared about be there with them no matter what hardships were to be faced was enough help for them. Sayori hoped to fulfill this to the best of her ability. She always put on a happy face for the two of them to help lighten the situation. Perhaps, despite all the suffering they went through, the fact they could still enjoy certain moments that made it worth the hardship.

Sayori heard the door open and close. Though faint, she picked up on the alluring smell of the freshly baked pastry that had been brought to her. She grinned and popped up to a sitting position to meet Ryoba's gaze. They chuckled a bit at her sudden movement.

"And here I thought you fell asleep on me."

They set down the wrapped crostata on the small table pressed up against the foot of Sayori's bed. The wood elf scooted to the edge of the bed while Ryoba took their seat on the single chair on the opposite side of the table.

"I brought some herbal tea as well, if you'd like some."

Sayori had already bitten into her crostata, nodding furiously in glee as she kept the pastry in her mouth. Ryoba poured two metal cups with the hot tea before unwrapping their own breakfast: a simple loaf of bread. The two continued their breakfast together, conversing about their itinerary for the next few days as they finished off the rest of the herbal tea. After the meal, the two donned their packs and set out to the stables to catch the morning carriage to Ivarstead.

[[City of Solitude]]

Taiga was adjusting the saddle to his steed as Yuri came up to meet him. The two had agreed to meet at the stables that morning, hoping to reach Rorikstead by nightfall.

The large Nord nodded in greeting to the scholar before him, "Good morning. I hope you slept well?"

Yuri nodded slightly, but upon noticing that Taiga did not see her nonverbal response, cleared her throat before speaking.

"Um, yes. It will be the last time I will be in the luxury of my own home for quite some time. Strange, how only now I took so much notice to the luxuries I have so often taken for granted."

Taiga chuckled as he tied his pack to one of the sides of the harness, "Indeed, but I'm sure you'll enjoy Whiterun as well. It's good to see new things, go new places. It's good that you're traveling at least once in your life."

This time Taiga noticed Yuri's timid nod. She was still reserved to him, even if they were simply traveling together under an escort contract. It was his hope to at least help her open up; such a shy attitude could easily be taken advantage of by brigands and other filthy ilk. Opening a sack he had attached to his belt, he pulled out an apple and approached the Imperial.

"Here," Taiga held out the apple towards the dark-haired woman, "Maybe you can feed Aedan a snack before we leave. It'll get him used to you, though he can get easily startled."

Yuri stared at the apple in Taiga's hand before glancing over to the horse behind him. Aedan was sniffing the ground at his feet, his dark brown mane fluttering in the slight wind coming from the docks. She was apprehensive, but took the apple nonetheless and approached the horse slowly. She was both afraid for herself as well as for accidentally frightening the animal. As she drew closer, Aedan picked his head up, noticing the apple in Yuri's outstretched hand. He curiously sniffed at the fruit before taking it with his teeth. Yuri jumped back slightly as the apple was pulled out of her hand. She heard a chuckle behind her.

"We'll work on it," Taiga laughed. "But it's good that Aedan wasn't startled. It's a good start."

"Right…"

After Taiga attached Yuri's pack to the opposite side of the saddle, they decided it was a good time to head out. Easily mounting the horse, Taiga helped Yuri get situated behind him. The journey to Rorikstead was mostly a quiet one. Taiga was preoccupied with steering Aedan in the right direction while Yuri was taking in the new scenery. It was not so much as awkward, but rather the silence between them got rather boring after an hour or two of traveling on the open road. They made a quick stop in Dragon's Bridge for lunch but was quick to get back on the road if they wanted to reach Rorikstead by nightfall.

"You don't talk much do you?" Taiga pointed out at some point along their journey, "I mean, even at lunch, you just had your face in a book the whole time."

He felt Yuri fidget behind him as she became tense at the sudden interaction.

"Er… not usually no. I apologize if it seemed as if I was ignoring you."

Taiga chuckled, "No harm done. Guess it makes sense for a scholar type. So, are you originally from Solitude?"

"Yes, born and raised within the city." Yuri was still a bit uncomfortable with socializing, but perhaps the small talk would help pass the time easier as they went along their way. "It's the first time I've traveled outside of the hold. With everything I need being available where I lived, I found no reason to leave."

Taiga hummed in response. "You're missing out on quite a lot. In my line of work, you get around quite a bit. Every hold has something unique to offer. For example, Whiterun has its plains; Falkreath and the Rift with their forests; the Pale and Winterhold with their snow capped hills. There are a few Dwemer ruins there as well. I'd reckon you'd like to get your hands on one of those automatons."

"Me?" Yuri replied in shock. "No no, I'd rather not."

As a nervous tick, she began fiddling with one of the longer strands of her hair with one hand. "Reading about Dwemer technology is indeed interesting, though I doubt it'd be something I'd like to encounter in person."

"Well, it's not like I'd let you go in alone," Taiga reassured. "Clearly, you don't look like you can handle a combat situation on your own… despite owning a rather impressive dagger collection."

Yuri almost physically recoiled in shock and had to find her balance on the horse. Taiga laughed to himself, but slowed the horse down to a slower walk before checking on Yuri.

"I caught a glance of one of them when you were peeling an apple during lunch," he pointed out. "Didn't really expect someone like you to own such high quality blades."

"It's… more of a hobby, really," the Imperial tried to explain, the embarrassment clearly shining through in her voice. She noticed the nervous quiver herself and took a deep breath to calm down. Her following statements rolled off her tongue with more confidence as if she was speaking of something she was truly passionate about. "The craftsmanship that goes into fine weaponry is… well, alluring, to say the least. The amount of effort that goes into an ornate blade is truly a work of art, even if it was designed with the idea of slaughter in mind. My skill set… it's not the most optimal with fighting head on. If anything, I would prefer to avoid it if I can."

"That's fine," Taiga replied. "After all, you did hire me to take care of any fighting we may encounter on our way."

"Though I do hope we won't have to deal with any such encounter on our journey."

"That would be ideal. But in the meantime…" Taiga pulled out his utility dagger attached to his hip and gave it to Yuri to look over. "Tell me what you think of this one."

Yuri took the blade in her hand. At first glance, the blade was simply designed to be used as an utility blade. Though it could be used in combat, it was obvious that this was not a weapon that would be brandished at the beginning of a fight. Yuri, however, was more attuned to the finer details retaining the blade. Great care was taken into sharpening the blade itself and could slice through skin as if it were paper. It's handle was wooden, but had been stained and polished to a glossy finish.

"It's a very well-made dagger, clearly custom-made. Many blades today are made for the sake of having enough metal to arm soldiers for the war, but this was very clearly smithed with presentation in mind. You keep it very good condition as well."

"I take a lot of pride in your comment," Taiga answered over his shoulder. "After all, The dagger was made by yours truly."

Yuri gasped in awe. "You mean to say, you smithed this yourself?"

"It's just a side job every now and again. Got a lot of tips from many different blacksmiths I've encountered in my journeys. Though, these days it's easier to get pay wielding a blade than it is smithing one."

"I see."

Yuri handed the blade back to Taiga. They continued again in silence before Taiga noticed smoke rising in the distance. As he commanded Aedan into a faster gallop, Yuri became concerned as she also took note of the smoke on the horizon.

"We need to hurry, I think there's a farm up that way. Hopefully it's not another dragon attack."

"Wouldn't we have heard the roars?" Yuri tried to reason, the fear starting to boil up inside her. "Or seen it flying around?"

"Maybe, but we should check to see what happened regardless."

[[Town of Ivarstead]]

"Ryoba, you butt. Get up!"

Sayori was furiously shaking Ryoba's unconscious body, which was laying on the floor of the carriage. A loud annoyed groan came from the dark elf as they pulled their hood further down to cover their face from the sun.

"The carriage driver wants to leave!"

"Fine, fine. Stop your yelling, Sayori." Ryoba yawned as the struggled to get up and slipped as they climbed down the carriage. "It's too early to be yelling."

"It's late afternoon! You were the one that wanted to leave early to get to Ivarstead."

The Dunmer rogue stretched out, their back cracking as they worked the kinks out of their body. "You're right, you're right. I wanted to try some of the town's special brew before we headed to Whiterun."

Sayori pouted, "You woke me up early this morning so you could drink some craft beer in Ivarstead?!"

Ryoba shrugged in response, "What else did you expect from me? It's a wheat wine ale that I've wanted to try for some time."

The two elves made their way into the inn. A few patrons were already sitting around the fire and listening to a Breton play the lute. Sayori took a seat near the fire to listen to her play while Ryoba made their way to the bar.

"What will if be for you?" The bartender asked as Ryoba took a seat at the counter.

"Ivarstead Special."

"So you've heard of our secret brew. Usually only the locals know about it."

"I have a lot of connections." Ryoba said plainly as they tossed the payment on the counter.

"Well, as long as you don't go around spilling our secret all across Skyrim. We only make a small batch at a time."

"Not everyone in Skyrim has the taste to appreciate artisan alcohol." Ryoba reasoned, reminding themselves of all the mindless drunks they've had to interact with on previous heists. This, however, was no heist. Just a honest quest to enjoy some good brew.

The bartender laughed happily, "One Ivarstead Special coming up then."

When Ryoba received their drink, they moved to a table closer to where Sayori was, who was still happily enjoying the company of the bard. Sayori was always the more social of the two, so the Dunmer wasn't surprised that their Bosmeri companion would easily befriend others. Another man sat across from Ryoba and offered to play cards with him. Not being able to refuse the bet, Ryoba accepted. It went on for a few rounds, but after a several tankards of beer on the other man's end, Ryoba easily took advantage of his inebriation to coax higher bets out of him.

Sayori had been talking to this bard all afternoon. She found out that her name was Monika, and while she longed to leave Ivarstead to travel Skyrim, she never had the money or strength to do so on her own. She occasionally visited The Lettered Skeever as well, much like Sayori and Ryoba; it seemed that the library was also a haven for her as the monotony of real life became overwhelming. Sayori was ecstatic about her new friend and wanted her to meet Ryoba.

"You should travel with us, Monika!" Sayori burst out in glee, "We're going to Whiterun tomorrow to meet up with one of Ryoba's old friends and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you tagged along."

"Well, I wouldn't want to impose," Monika replied modestly. "Though, it would be fun to actually visit one of the major cities. Are you sure they wouldn't mind?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out!"

"You cheating elf!" A booming voice screamed behind the two of them, causing the two to turn their heads. "There's no way you could have won that hand with a pig!"

The Dunmer replied with a sly grin, "Well, you're the one that folded at the last second. It was all on you."

Sayori glanced at Monika with a worried face. Monika wanted to intervene, but a part of her wanted to see how the situation would play out. Instead, she reassured the other elf. "If it gets too hairy, we'll step in. But, I think you friend's got a handle of the situation."

The two looked back to the situation. Both Ryoba and the drunk Nord were on their feet; the Nord initiating the first punch. Ryoba was able to dodge it by taking a step back and was trying to avoid attacking back or else the situation would escalate even more.

"What? Won't even engage me in a proper fight?" The drunk taunted as they staggered forward, sizing up the shorter elf. Ryoba simply stood their ground, though Sayori knew under their straight face was boiling anger.

"You dark elves are all like that. Devious, sneaking thieves only out for other people's coin!"

Without warning, the Nord shoved Ryoba across the tavern, where they stumbled over one of the chairs which had a book resting on it. As the seat toppled over, the book was thrown into the fire.

"Ah!" Monika suddenly yelled out, "my songbook!"

Sayori instantly noticed a personality shift in Monika as she became infuriated. Monica stomped over to the drunken man and pushed him back with all her strength. He staggered a bit and was a caught off guard by the interruption.

"What's your problem, Heiik?! You're always coming here getting drunk off your ass, challenging outsiders to cards; but, the moment you get one up'd by them you put the blame on them! Nobody here's falling for your games, Heiik!"

As Monika was busy scolding Heiik, Sayori ran over to Ryoba to make sure they were alright.

"You just let him shove you around?" Sayori asked as Ryoba sat up, cradling their head as a light headache started coming on.

"It's about picking your fights. And he lost that hand on his own."

"You better hold that silver tongue of yours before someone finds out and cuts it off."

"Aww, but Sayori," Ryoba playfully moped, "then I wouldn't be able to taste mead anymore."

The wood elf laughed, punching the other elf lightly on the shoulder, glad they were alright. "If it's not the coyness that kills you, it'll be the alcohol."

"Not the worst way to go."

"Um, excuse me," Monika interrupted as she came up to the pair of elves. "Sorry about that. Are you alright?"

"Dandy," Ryoba answered as they got back on your feet. "You definitely put that guy in his place."

"Nothing a calming spell couldn't handle," Monika explained, "But, I did give him a piece of my mind beforehand."

Sayori hummed and motioned towards the fire, "Sorry about your book."

Monika frowned in disappointment, "That was nearly a month's savings to buy that book."

"Urm-" Ryoba cut in, "I could buy you a new one in Whiterun. It was, well, partially my fault."

Sayori and Monika both smiled. The Bosmer grabbed onto Monika's arm and began to jump in excitement, "Oh, Monika, you should come with us! We can buy you a new songbook and you can finally travel Skyrim like you wanted!"

Monika smiled in embarrassment at Sayori's excitement, but then turned to Ryoba. "Would it be alright with you?"

Ryoba shrugged, "I don't see why not. Besides, Heiik's the one paying for your travels."

They tossed a rather hefty coin purse at Monika, who was stunned at the response. Ryoba chuckled again, "Just think of it as part of my debt to you. It was a waste of a perfectly good book after all."

"You're… a good person, Ryoba," Monika said as they clutched the coin purse.

Ryoba only sighed, "That entirely depends how you look at it, I suppose."

"We're all going to Whiterun!" Sayori cheered, seemingly oblivious to the interaction that had just transpired. "I'm so excited! Monika, you're going to love it! There's this tavern that has this really good seasonal smoked venison that you just have to try while we're there! That is if they still have some when we get there."

Both Ryoba and Monika laughed at the happiness Sayori displayed. Perhaps the extra company wouldn't be so bad for either of them.

[[Whiterun Hold]]

A Strawberry blonde Nord bent over panting as she took a break from pushing the grain mill. Natsuki had been working for the better part of the afternoon and the fatigue was starting to sting her muscles. Though she cursed her father for forcing her to do the more physical of the farm's work, the petite Nord woman secretly hoped that all the effort would help her grow stronger. She wanted to hate her mother for passing on such frail genes; but in truth, she just would have liked to have met the woman. Had she not died in labor while giving birth to Natsuki, perhaps her father wouldn't be such a stick in the mud, drowning himself in mead and releasing his frustrations onto his only child. She could have had a normal life growing up in the wilds Skyrim.

As Natsuki took a swig of water out of her waterskin, she grumbled angrily to herself. She was a grown adult now, and she would have left this forsaken farm if her father did not have an iron clutch on her life. Rorikstead was less than a half day's travel, and Whiterun was not far off either.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard what sounded like magic being casted not far off, the smell of burning quickly reaching the mill. Eyes widening, Natsuki ran out of the grain mill to find that the northern field of crops were lit on fire. Cursing loudly to herself, Natsuki ran to the water pump to fill a bucket of water, hoping that maybe it would help douse the flames. The fire was spreading much too quickly and Natsuki realized her plan would not work on her own. She needed help. She ran to the house to get her father, the only person that would be in the vicinity. As she ran past the chicken coups, she caught a glimpse of a man standing above the corpses of the freshly slain poultry. Anger filled Natsuki's mind believing this was the man that set the crops on fire, and threw the bucket in her hands at the man. However, her throw was short and the bucket simply rolled on the ground in front of the man. He wore a horned helmet and standard iron armor commonly seen throughout Skyrim. It would be hard to distinguish who the culprit was if she were to report the crime. The man simply stared back at Natsuki momentarily before looking down at the chickens and began repetitively squatting over one of corpses.

"What in Sheogorath's doing is this?"

Natsuki asked herself in confusion, but concluded that this crazed man was not worth her attention at the moment and ran into the house to get the help of her father. When she got into the living space, she found the old man passed out on a chair facing the fireplace with several bottles of mead scattered at his feet. Natsuki second guessed herself for a moment, thinking it would be better if she handled this on her own rather than facing the angry drunk that was passed out before her. But this was not a one person job, so Natsuki swallowed hard and approached her father.

"Father, a crazy man set fire to our crops!" Natsuki roared as she frantically shook her father, "We need to deal with the fire before it burns the whole farm down."

Natsuki's father pushed the smaller woman away, causing her to stumble against the dinner table and knocking it over. He groaned in annoyance as he struggled to get up from his chair.

"Girl, you have some nerve waking me up. Why do you think I put you in charge of the farm work, you good for nothing child?! Can't you figure things out on your own in that small brain of yours?"

A blinding rage began overtake Natsuki she saw her father's feet stop in front of where she lay. The last thing she would remember was the feeling of her father picking her body up by the collar of her shirt before the rage fully consumed her.

—

Taiga pulled on the reins to pull his horse to a stop in front of a farm. In a heartbeat he jumped off of the steed and ran straight for the burning crops. The flames had spread to most of the farm and even at his level of frost magic, he knew that there would still be significant damage by the end of it. Shooting forth sprays of frost magic from his hands, Taiga began dwindling the flames to a controllable level. Yuri was unsure how to help and instead stood by Aedan in hopes to keep the horse calm as it became increasingly unsettled by the flames.

A loud smash and female scream was heard coming from the house on the land and Yuri shot Taiga a worried glance. The flames by now were dwindling down to smaller embers, so Taiga began running towards the house.

"Continue working the flames while I check the house! There should be a water bucket and pump somewhere on this farm!"

Yuri nodded and quickly tied Aedan to a fence post to keep him from running away in fear before running in search of a water bucket. As Taiga neared the house, he unsheathed his sword and carefully made his way to the door. The Nord warrior took a deep breath to steady himself and proceeded to kick the door down with force. He was stunned at the sight that greeted him. A Nord woman was crying in one of the corners of the house, rocking back and forth as she shook in fear. The corpse of an older Nord man laid in the middle of the floor, his face clearly beaten to a pulp and shards of a broken mead bottle stuck out from his head and torso. The upper half of a bottle was lodged into his stomach. Taiga carefully approached the Nord woman, holding his hand out to denote that he had no intention of hurting her.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

When Taiga knelt next to the crying Nord, he noticed dried blood stains covering her knuckles. Several bruises were starting to darken on her skin, some going over older faded bruises, and her hair was sticking up as if it were forcefully grabbed. She could not stop crying to give him a proper response, but it was clear that the woman was abused by the man. What had transpired must have been an act of self defense. This was no place for them to stay, and it didn't seem that anyone else was on the farmland. Taiga carefully wrapped his arms around the young woman, which caused her to flinch at the contact.

"Don't worry. I'm just going to carry you out. We really shouldn't stay in a place like this. Whatever this man did to you, you're free now and he can't hurt you anymore."

Natsuki was taken back at the words of this stranger, but for some reason the fact slowly settled in and she nodded to show him that it was okay to pick her up. As Taiga carried her out, Natsuki came painfully aware of how sore her body was, but she had no more tears to shed. Her memory was blurry, but she was certain of one thing: she was no longer under her father's grasp.

A/N: So I'm hoping I can get in monthly updates for this AU. Semester started back up again and I know for a fact I will be swamped with things, but I will do my best to keep this fic rolling. I have a lot already planned for this fic and it would be a shame if I never got around to writing it all.

More Skyrim mods were highlighted in this chapter, and many will be highlighted throughout the writing of this fic. If anyone recognizes any of the mods I reference and/or uses them let me know! Monika and Natsuki have some strange characterization starting out, but I've planned some stuff with them later on in the series, especially Monika!

Don't know if anyone has noticed, but the Dragonborn will be making a few appearances in this fic, but not in the ways you'd expect. ;)

Though I've already planned out the pairings for this fic, what do you guys think will be the pairings? Cast your bets in the review section!

Also shout out to 'The Admiral of the Ships' for being my right hand in making this crossover come to life.