Ahalivia Thief Fic
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Ahalivia.
Chapter 10: Exploring Opportunities
I decided to head to Skingrad, to check on this alchemist I had heard would know about Nirnroot. As I arrived in down, I noticed it was a large city. Not as large as the Imperial City, but this was not some small town. I found out that the alchemist I was looking for was working out of the basement of a tavern near the center of town. I crossed a bridge and saw the two exits to Skingrad. As I continued onward, I saw the inn and went inside. The innkeeper directed me to the basement and, as I made my way through the busy tavern, I could see people cheering and drinking, laughing about some tale or joke that was being told, or drowning their sorrows in alcohol.
I made it to the wine cellar and there was the alchemist I was looking for. I showed him the Nirnroot and he began explaining to me that an adventurer a few years ago sold him a tome containing alchemical formulas. Though most were useless, one of them was rather useful; the Elixir of Exploration. Nirnroot was a critical component in the making of this product, and, he said if I brought ten of these plants to him, he could make me a potion. It was supposed to be the end-all be-all for dungeon exploration. He gave me a missive he wrote and as I read it, he told me a place that I could find it outside of town.
I left, still reading the missive. It was rather fascinating for such a plant to exist, but, since I was unfamiliar with this area, I had to begin exploring it. I exited town and continued on a path until I saw a Derelict Mine guarded by goblins. Looking for a quick score, I killed the goblins and went in.
The mine was dark, but there were the occasional fires lighting the way. Unlike the last mine I was in, the goblins here did not have regular lights in the hall ways. This could be an advantage. However, I had a hard time killing some of those disgusting goblins outside. These ones seemed to be stronger than the ones I encountered in the sewers or anywhere else. I had to be cautious.
I stalked the mine carefully and slowly, on the look out for traps and goblins. It seems as though the goblins had no idea what they had here. Some of them were not even trying to mine the veins that were exposed. After clearing a room, I shut the door and saw some silver in one of the veins. I found a pick axe and slammed it into the rock. A silver nugget fell down. I snatched it, knowing it would be worth some money. I looked around and saw some treasure chest and found some gold in them. Nothing much, but I will take it.
I continued trekking into the mine. Even though I managed to take out a few goblins, some of them swarmed at me. I did my best to dodge their attacks, but these little critters were tough. They fought with an almost animal like savagery, coming at me with maces and axes. I could only hope my armor could hold up as I fired my bow. Luckily, I had enough arrows to do the job.
After getting past swarms of goblins and navigating the narrow darkness, I came across the depths of the mine. I cleared out the goblins, but found the stench of when they are dead to be quite overpowering. Then, I felt something in the darkness. I do not know what it was, but I felt it getting closer. I used my Moonshadow ability and ran out of the mine. I figured when I got to the surface, I would escape the thing. I do not know what was down there, but I think I know why the miners suddenly left.
I decided to return to the Imperial City. This whole Elixir of Exploration can wait.
I went to the Waterfront. I think it was time that I joined the Thieves Guild, but it was morning and I was exhausted. Repairing my equipment could wait. Right now, I wanted to stop by the Bloated Float. It was an Inn on a boat and it was close to where I had to be in order to get initiation into the Thieves Guild.
Hopefully, this boat does not go out to sea…
Next Chapter:
Adventure on the High Sea…