Leaving the inn, we head towards a set of stairs leading down to a walkway around the edge of the canal running through the middle of the town. Finding the iron gate closing off the door to the tunnels under the city is easy. Remembering Keerava's warning, though, I draw my bow before carefully pushing the door open and sneaking inside.

A little way into the dark, wet interior, I hear voices coming from ahead, so ducking into an area cut out of the walls, I listen in.

"I dunno, Drahff. They'd skin us alive if they knew we were doing this." One says.

"Why are you always acting like such a big baby? I've gotten us this far." Replies another, smoother voice.

"This far? We're living in a sewer. You said we'd have a house as big as the Black-Briars' by now."

"You worry about bashing people's heads in, I'll worry about the Guild, OK?" The one addressed as Drahff responds.

"OK, OK."

"I'm going to check the entrance to the Ratway. Be right back."

Footsteps approach my little hidey-hole, and I crouch further into the shadows, hoping I can just sneak past. But Lydia doesn't like hiding, it seems – with a yell, she draws her sword and bursts out in front of the hopeless thief, who cries out for his companion as he counter-attacks. I launch an arrow at the fellow with a sigh – can't we just once avoid all this? As his corpse falls to the floor, I take all the coin I can find in his bag and continue down the dripping tunnels.

We've only gone a few steps when the other man turns the corner ahead and comes charging at us, war-axe in hand. An arrow to the knee and a sword across his chest later, Lydia and I continue through the dank passages until we come to a door, an obvious tripwire leading from a clamp across the jamb to a hole in the ground. Opening the door will release the cord, setting off whatever lurks on the other side.

I find the small hole in the clamp where the trap was set, and carefully insert a lockpick, gently wiggling it around until, with a quiet click, the cord comes loose and the clamp opens – with no side effects on the other side of the door.

Pushing it open, I find the trap was merely a ceramic lamp hanging above an oil slick. A skeever is lurking in the next tunnel, and it comes leaping out at us, fangs bared. The enchantment from the emblems has worn off, it seems. Lydia deals with the giant vermin as I loot the side room. Then, after retreating up the skeever's tunnel a short distance, I shoot an arrow at the lantern – don't want it falling on anyone else coming through these passages.

A little further on, another door reveals a room, the entrance looped with bear traps, and a ragged man lurking in a dark corner surrounded by empty mead bottles. He notices us silhouetted in the doorway, and he shouts, stands and comes running at us, his fists raised, his gloves glimmering. Enchanted gloves, huh? Where did he get those?

Personally, I think it would be rather mean to attack someone who is unarmed with weapons, but Lydia has no such qualms, and slices him open with her deft blade. He crumples, and bleeds out at my feet. Oh well. I take the gloves and pass through into the open space beyond.

An opening in the ceiling lets in enough light for plant-life to grow in the space in the middle. Picking the flowers to use in alchemy later, I continue on, slaying a thug hanging around a makeshift tavern space in the next room. An archway opposite leads to a raised drawbridge, which I lower to find it reaches to the platform we jumped down from earlier, after killing the other fellow from the entrance. At the back of the room, in an alcove, is a door, through which I assume we need to go. On the jamb is carved a symbol I haven't seen before – a diamond with a circle inside. Wondering what it means, I push the door open and pass through.

I was right. I now stand on the edge of a large cistern, and on the other side, a wooden platform has been built to house the Ragged Flagon. Passing the muscular fellow standing scowling at the entrance to the platform, I approach who I assume to be the innkeeper, who is sweeping the plank floor. Judging by the grime covering the surface, this is a futile effort.

"Got a lot of nerve coming down here. People tend to get hurt in the Ratway." He says, still focussed on sweeping.

"I'm looking for an old guy hiding out somewhere in Riften." I tell him.

"Huh – lot of old guys around. I don't really know how I can help."

"I need to talk to him. I'm a friend. His life is in danger."

This man is not so easily persuaded as those I've previously encountered. "That's a touching story." He says to the floor. "Now get out of my face."

"Please." I pull out a large handful of gold – money solves a lot of problems. "Maybe this will help your memory."

The publican finally looks up at me. "Well, when you put it that way… I think I do know the old guy you're talking about. He's holed up in the Ratway Warrens." Not sure what he means by that. "Hardly ever leaves the place – has someone bring him food and such. Crazy old coot, from what I've heard. For that to stand out down here, he must really be off his nut." With that last comment, the man returns to his sweeping, only to be interrupted by one of his patrons calling his name from across the tavern.

The door I can see in an alcove at the back of the area must be the one I need to take to find these 'warrens'. Pushing it open, I crouch into a shadow and pull out my bow – there is a Thalmor wizard standing opposite me, luckily with his back to where Lydia and I are currently hiding. Maybe I am too late after all.

In the shadows of a room which I can see through iron grids covering the arched windows, I can see another Thalmor lurking. Damn. Hoping they don't see me, I draw an arrow to my cheek and launch it at the robed figure, and watch in dismay as the projectile clatters into the wall ahead of him. I quickly loose another as the wizard turns to see where the arrow came from, this one hitting him in the side.

With a cry that alerts the fellow in the room beneath, and another that I can't see at the moment, he casts a ward and prepares a flame spell in his other hand. Too late – my third arrow passes through his ward and into his shoulder; his falling body collides with the soldier rushing around the corner, making him trip straight into Lydia's steel. Ha!

The third one appears as we round the corner into a corridor approaching a room with a bed tucked into the corner, a fire opposite and the body of a Nord lying slumped against the foot of the bed. The elf cries out as he charges towards us, cutting through a tripwire and swinging his mace at me as a spiked iron ball swings across the doorway behind him. Lydia is quick into the fray, swinging her sword to catch his weapon before it smashes into my face. Using this opportunity, I swing my orcish blade across his legs. The Thalmor stumbles, and Lydia slices through his neck like a hot knife through butter.

Through the room beyond, which turns out to be a rather large L-shaped one, we enter a circular passage sloping gently down into the room beyond the iron grids that I could see from the entrance. In one of the alcoves to the left, there is another ceramic lamp, so I tip it off of the small hook holding it aloft above the small gap in the floor beneath, and mentally nod when I hear it smash and the whoomph of igniting oil from the room below.

Along another passage, across a balcony above the floor of the first room, through an armoury and into a meeting room, the table in the centre covered with gold and an enchanted war-axe slammed into the middle. In the corner of the room, a chest sits beneath another carved symbol, this one a lined square inside a diamond. Inside the wooden container is a bow, the name 'Dravin' etched into the wooden limbs. This must be that farmer's bow. Tucking it into my satchel, along with the war-axe and the gold, I push open the door on the other side of the room and slip through.

Beyond the door, I find a corridor, an iron gate in the right hand wall. Finding the gate locked, I insert a lockpick and carefully pick the lock, letting the gate swing open when I'm done.

The gate leads into a large room lined with smaller ones, from inside of which come the voices of the occupants. They don't sound too accommodating. One is listing various items over and over, while another tries to draw us over for a 'tasty meal'. Judging by the blood smears on his vest though, I don't think we will be doing any of the eating.

One door, however, seems much sturdier than the others. Knocking on the door, I step back as the view hole door is slid open.

"Go away!" says the wrinkled man within.

"Esbern? Open the door, I'm a friend."

"What? No, that's not me; I'm not Esbern. I don't know what you're talking about." The fervency of that denial only confirms his identity.

"The Thalmor have found you; you need to get out of here." I try to persuade him, to no avail.

"Oh, how reassuring! Most likely you're with the Thalmor and this is just a trick to get me to open the door!"

"Delphine said to 'remember the 30th Frostfall." I think that's what she said. Nevertheless, it seems to have had some effect.

"Ah, indeed, indeed. I do remember. Delphine really is alive then? You'd better come in then and tell me how you found me and what you want." With that, the view hole door closes, and from inside comes the scrapes and clanks of many locks being opened. Soon, the door is pulled open, and after Lydia trudges inside after me, I push the door closed again.

"So Delphine keeps up the fight, after all these years. I thought she'd have realised it's hopeless by now. I tried to tell her, years ago…" Esbern says as I turn back to face him.

"The Thalmor have found you." I repeat my statement from before. "We need to get out of here."

"Yes, yes, you said; but so what? The end is upon us. I may as well die here as anywhere else. I'm tired of running."

"What do you mean, 'the end is upon us'?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet? What more needs to happen before you all wake up and see what's going on? Alduin has returned, just like the prophecy said! The dragon from the Dawn of Time, who devours the souls of the dead. No-one can escape his hunger, here or in the afterlife! Alduin will devour all things and the world will end. Nothing can stop him. I tried to tell them; they wouldn't listen, fools. It's all come true… all I could do was watch our doom approach."

"Alduin… the dragon who's raising the others?" I ask, feeling a little scared now. Even Lydia looks a little worried.

"Yes, yes! You see, you know; but you refuse to understand!" Esbern looks a little relieved to have finally got his point across.

"You're talking about the literal end of the world?"

"Oh, yes. It's all been foretold. The end has begun; Alduin has returned. Only a Dragonborn can stop him, but no Dragonborn has been known for centuries. It seems that the gods have grown tired of us. They've left us to our fate, as the playthings of Alduin the World-Eater."

"It's not hopeless, Esbern. I'm Dragonborn."

"What – you're..? Can it really be true – Dragonborn? Then – there is hope! The gods have not abandoned us! We must… we must…" Esbern pauses to catch his breath. "We must go, quickly now." That's what I've been trying to tell him! "Take me to Delphine; we have much to discuss. But give me…just a moment. I must gather a few things." He trots off around the small room, picking up various items. I assist in packing up his belongings, and soon the room is empty and we are ready to go.

Outside, there are various noises that, when the door is opened, are revealed to be another small troop of Thalmor. They are quickly dealt with, helped by Esbern's summoned Flame Atronach.

The rest of the trip back up to Riften is quiet. When we emerge from the canal walkway, however, a Khajiit wearing mere farmer's clothing attacks us, crying something about crossing the Thalmor. Poor cat burns to death in seconds. In its pocket, protected from the flames, I find an interesting note.

I have good reason to believe the target will be coming to Riften in the next few days. Discretion is preferred, but elimination of the target is of the highest priority. The usual restrictions on exposure are lifted – you will be reassigned outside Skyrim if necessary, without penalty. Do not fail me. – E. Well, it's pretty obvious who 'E' is. Should have sent a more competent assassin, Elenwen.

Outside the city, I head back to the farm – the sign at the beginning of the little track reads 'Merryfair Farm' – and approach the Dunmer owner, who is feeding the chickens.

"So has my bow turned up yet?" He asks by way of greeting.

"I found your bow." I hand him the weapon, and he grins, slinging it straight across his back.

"That's it; you found it! I don't know how you got it back, and I don't want to know. Frankly, I don't even care. I'm just so glad to see it again. Here – this is all I can afford to give you as compensation. I hope it is enough."

I thought the bow was the only thing of value Dravin had – he's given me a small handful of gems! What did he do, prise them off of his wedding ring or something? The strange citizens of Skyrim!

Returning to the road, I follow it down to a fort standing right over the road, occupied by bandits. The dilapidated sign informs me that we have arrived at Fort Greenwall. The bandits soon notice us, and so we fight back, Lydia with her sword, I with my bow and Esbern summoning his Atronach.

Deciding to clear out the interior as well, I push open the door next to the forge and creep inside. There aren't that many bandits inside, so I we manage to get them one by one. At the bottom there is a webbed off staircase, the other side of which is inhabited by several giant spiders.

The fort is soon empty and waiting for its next tenants to move in. Continuing on down the road, we find the small mining settlement of Shor's Stone, and a little way beyond, a watchtower, guarded by the corpse of a guardsman. Oh dear.

Inside, the weapons are scattered on the floor, and the stairwell is decorated with the bodies of his companions. On the table opposite the entrance I find a note which explains what happened.

Akar, We've word of a band of Legion soldiers advancing on your position. Reinforcements are on the way. Talos guard you. Damn the Empire.

While on the road, we are attacked by various wolves, and a bear. While we are struggling with the bear, night falls and we make the rest of the journey in the dark, dodging past the Valtheim bandits when they are distracted by an elk dashing past. Just after we pass the bridge across the river, we are attacked by a mad Bosmer, his blade whirling and a spell in his other hand. He soon lies, bloodied and charred, at my feet, his satchel full of potions and a little gold.

It's a bit too late to meet up with Delphine now, so I lead my companions to the Bannered Mare, and rent the room. Letting Esbern have the bed, I slump into a chair on the balcony and eventually doze off.