Ahalivia Thief Fic
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Ahalivia.
Chapter 20: Anvil Exploration
After hitting the sack at the Count's Arms hotel, I decided to take a little walk around the surrounding area of Anvil. Of course, the fort was first on my mind. As I crept through the near dawning hours, walking through the tall grass and approached the top floor of the exterior of the fort, I could not help but feel a little excited. An abandoned fort ruins, hopefully I could find some treasure.
I perched on the top and saw a bandit with her back turned to me. I tried to take aim, but another bandit, this one a bowman, saw me and opened fire. I dashed behind cover and fired my bow above him, using the platform I was on as a shield. I kept firing my iron arrows and he dropped quickly. The first bandit I saw came at me with a war hammer and I quickly flipped out of the way. I dashed and fired my bow, attempting to hit her. She also fell quickly. I healed up with my magic and ransacked the bodies for anything useful. Then, I skulked inside the fort, which was Fort Strand.
Fort Strand was just like all the other fort ruins I had been to; dark, dingy, and creepy. I continued on my way, seeing a marauder in the dark. I shot at him and he tried to come at me, but I dropped him quickly. I noticed the equipment he had on was unusually well maintained. It was also very heavy, even for a marauder or bandit. I had a bad feeling about this and I had to be careful as I skulked into the darkness.
I continued onward throughout the fortress, noticing traps and seeing a training room not too far from where I had entered. These marauders were not normal; there was something about them that made them seem more disciplined. They might have had some precious loot lying around too, but I had to figure out of it was worth it.
I managed to find the leader of the marauders and a cohort. I laced my arrows with some poisons to weaken them. It seemed to do little good against them, but I did manage to beat them both without alerting anyone else. One of them had a Long sword of numbing. It had to be worth some money. However, another had a mace. It was inscribed Rockshatter and it had a name on it. Maeva.
Now, Maeva was a girl's name, and the two guys that attacked me did not look like any Maeva. I decided to keep it for a while and try to track down this Maeva.
I decided to leave the fort. Those last two bandits were not so easily defeated, and it would be safe to assume that the bandits were much stronger than I originally thought. Not pushing my luck, I left.
It was about morning and I decided to explore a bit more. Taking out a new bow I had acquired from the bowman outside, I wandered around the amber waves of grass around Anvil. I could smell the sea air from here. It was an intriguing smell, and it did appeal to me somehow. As I walked across the fields and onto the dirt road, I managed to find a cave. I dare not go in it, however, as I see several headstones near it. I figure there are undead creatures in that cave and I am not properly equipped to take them out. I decide to head into another direction and come across this camp called Troll Candle Camp. There, I met an archer and she told me that she was hunting out in the area for pelts. I shrugged, seeing as how she did not have anything on her person and returned to Anvil.
I went to the weapons shop and sold and repaired some equipment. I then asked about the mace and the blacksmith told me that, outside of town, there was a woman who had mentioned that it was her mace. There was a farm, so I decided to check it out.
I found Maeva on her farm, working. I asked her about the mace and she was surprised that it was returned to her. She then told the story of how her husband had run off to join a bunch of bandits to make it big. It must have been the guy I killed. She noticed the look on my face and was not surprised. Maeva then paid me a part of the dowry; 200 gold pieces. I then walk away and return to town.
Deciding to stay for another night at the Count's Arms hotel, I rested and, in the late afternoon to evening, explored the docks. One of the shops I found was unlocked all the time. This might come in handy, later. I walked onto one of the ships and saw a High Elf Sorceress named Varulae frantically running around. She told me she needed a crystal ball that was an heirloom at the bottom of the ship, called the Serpent's Wake, but something had killed the crew and now were haunting it. I said I would do it; figuring it should not be hard to trick a ghost.
I slipped inside and skulked down the stairs and into the cargo hold. I could hear the ghosts wail and moan as I did, and I managed to get to the cargo hold with surprising ease. I found the chest and, snatching the crystal ball, dashed back before the ghosts could have a chance. Once I was out, the High Elf Sorceress put a seal on the door. She thanked me for retrieving the heirloom. As a reward, I received the captain's cutlass Redwave. I liked it, but it would fetch a pretty penny.
I decided to rest at the Count's Arms hotel again. After indulging in some quality wine and food, I decided to pay a visit to my forger and see if he was ready with that letter…
Next Chapter:
Taking Care of Lex (the conclusion)