"Hey, are you alright?" The message fades away. Time continues, and I find myself staring at the dust floating in the dimmed light emitting from the torch on the wall.

Without giving the stranger an answer, I pull the ragged trousers and shirt onto my body. I turn to find a bucket of water beside the bed. I look inside to find my reflection.

My auburn hair has become raggedy and matted. My fern green eyes have dark purple bags under them. But other than that, I appeared the same as I do in the real world. My eyebrows were all the same, other than for covering the scar, there wasn't a grain of make up on my face. My pale skin: freckly on the cheeks with a huge scar between my ear and jawbone, where Michael's cat once scratched me.

Michael... He lost his brother to a game by Argus. Now he's going to lose his best friend too...

No. I won't let that happen.

I'm going to find a way to win this game... if there even was a way. How do you beat a roleplaying game? Seriously. Beating Skyrim is like drawing outer space: there is no end. Even if one completes the main storyline, there's still an infinite amount of quests and missions one can do. Do I have to do all of them... and live?

"Listen," the dark figure interrupts my train of thought. "I've bailed you out. The guards threw you in here because they assumed you were mad, but I believe otherwise."

"Is my freedom your business?" I pace towards the caged wall of the cell.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?"

"I'm not going to give an answer to a stranger who's bribing me by bailing me out of prison," I insist.

"Don't you mean a stranger who was kind enough to bail you out?" God, talk about cocky.

"Just tell me your name," I impatiently request.

"Conlan," he answers. The name was unfamiliar to me. It's probably the name of a human. I knew of no NPC's by that name. Maybe he only spawns when you're a really high level. No, then why would he spawn for me? I'm probably a level negative fifty. Maybe he only spawned because of the new plot.

"Conlan," I repeat his name the way he introduced it, except sounding modest rather than arrogant. "Why did you take me here?"

"You didn't seem intimidating. You had a look of fear in your eyes, until you blacked out. I killed the frostbite spider that was chasing you, and carried you to the nearest city. They just locked you up because they thought you were mad."

"I'm not mad," I assure Conlan. "I'm afraid."

"You don't need to be afraid. I'm Skyrim's strongest warrior. If anything, enemies will be trying to take me down before you."

Wow. I can name maybe six other NPC's that give themselves the title of 'Skyrim's more powerful warrior.' Wait until I start absorbing dragon souls, I'd like him try to keep that title then.

"Don't get your hopes up," I advise him. "Your strong ego will kill you," that was a lesson Michael taught me, which he learned from Luke.

"Yeah, so will that attitude of yours." Conlan shoots back to me. The nerve of him. If I knew how to use magic, I'd probably shoot an ice spike at him.

"Are you done chatting, or can I release her now?" A guard calls from afar.

"Sorry, you may let her go." Conlan steps back, and the pinheaded guard unlocks the gate.

"Stay out of trouble, stranger." The male guard tells me.

"That reminds me, I don't know your name." Conlan states.

Crap, what do I tell him? My real name? The name I was going to name my character? My mother's name?

"I," I lie, "forgot."

"Forgot something as simple as your name?" Conlan taunts from behind me. Then, he changes to have a more understanding attitude. "Well I'm not surprised. You were practically traumatized just from that spider. It's like you fell here from another world."

My face burned up, and I tried not to freak out over the fact that his suggestion was true, and that I'm probably never going to see that world again.

We walk outside where there is more light. The sun was rising, and nobody was outside of their houses yet. Riften was just like how it was in the game. Except... it was real.

With there being enough light, I turn to Conlan to make out his appearance. He wore a set of dwarven with an Orcish battleaxe on his back. He also wore an awfully familiar mask and hood.

"That mask," I begin, "is that a Dragon Priest mask?" A Dragon Priest was probably the hardest enemy to battle in the game, besides dragons themselves.

"It is," Conlan hesitates. "I'm surprised you know what it is. Where did you learn about this?"

"I don't know," I lie, "It just seems awfully familiar, and for some reason I knew." I turn my head, and stare at the city marketplace.

Despite it's beauty, this was one of the most dangerous cities in Skyrim. Most of the Thieves Guil are under the noses of guards, and from what I remember from playing this game, thieves would cause a scene almost every other night.

"Thank you for saving me," I turn to face Conlan. "I guess I owe you."

"You have nothing," Conlan reminds me, "I don't think you can pay me back."

"You're right," I regretfully assure him.

"Actually, I do need help with something," he suggests. Oh no.

In this game, whenever someone asks for your help, you either end up going to raid a dungeon or a bandit camp to retrieve something. And most of the time, you don't even get to keep it.

"It depends on what it is you need help with," I inform him.

"It's my children," Conlan's voice goes heavy. "Their mother, my wife, recently passed. The girls have no one to learn from. No one to teach them how to cook, plant crops, clean their rooms, that easy stuff. I'm off trying to do jobs and make coin for them, and the people who live at my home aren't really good with children."

"Are you asking me to babysit them?"

"I'm asking if you could be like their mentor of life." Conlan begs, "They need someone, and you're a person who I can afford if you owe me. You look like you need a place to settle in for a while, as well. If you do this for me, you will have a home, meals, and protection."

Hm. Free housing, food, and a bodyguard? I'm about it. I'd have to be a fool to turn down such a request.

"Okay, I'll meet them. Where do they live?"

"The Pale," Conlan informs me.

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the views and positive feedback. I really appreciate it ^-^ This week has been pretty hectic for me (school and someone stole my identity ._.) so I haven't gotten down to writing more chapters for this story. I plan on doing that tonight and publishing more tomorrow. Thanks again for the support! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a lovely day/evening!