Esil walked up the steps of Markarth alone. Marcurio had left for Riften again, and Esil didn't feel like goading him into service again. She slammed her staff into the ground aggressively as she made her way up to the keep, humming. From what she could see, there were a lot of steps, leading up to stone buildings set in the walls of the cliff. A stream rushed past her down the hill.
—
As Esil walked into Understone Keep, she looked up at the ceiling where chunks of stone had fallen down.
"Why have they not cleaned this up?" She muttered as she climbed over a piece of wall. As she walked up to the Jarl's throne, an Altmer stopped her.
"What business do you have here?" He asked.
"Going to see the Jarl. Why?"
"Just be warned, if you have any consorting with Talos worshippers, we will arrest you."
"Who?" Esil asked. She vaguely remembered one of the Divines being banned, but that was it.
"Talos, the false god. A man that became a Divine after his death. The Thalmor have been sent to remind people of our laws."
"And the Thalmor are…"
"Representatives of the Aldmeri Dominion. We enforce the White Gold Concordant."
"Awesome. Can I go now?"
"Just one question—who are you?" The Altmer asked.
"Esil. You?"
"Ondolemar." Esil nodded and ran off up the steps.
—
"I'm gonna kill a dragon, I'm gonna kill a dragon…" Esil bounced down the steps past Ondolemar and was forced to stop as he grabbed her shoulder.
"Would you do me a favour?" He asked.
"Will I be paid?"
"Yes."
"What is it?" Esil asked.
"I want you to retrieve an amulet of Talos for me. It would be in Ogmund's house."
"And I'm doing this why?"
"Has our last conversation gone completely over your head?"
"Some of it, yeah."
"We've banned Talos worship. We're going to root out every last bit of it."
"How much will I be paid?"
"Five hundred septims."
"You guys must be desperate. Fine."
—
"This is not an amulet, this is cheese." Ondolemar said as Esil handed him a bag.
"Well I can't actually see. What does it feel like?" Esil heard a pouch being opened and something pressed into her palm by surprisingly smooth hands.
"Memorise this shape. This is a Talos amulet." Esil did as she was told, memorising each lump and curve.
"Okay. Can I keep it?"
"No!" The amulet was taken away and Esil was sent back out.
—
"How about now?"
"Yes, finally. Thank you for not making it out of cheese." Ondolemar told her. She grinned, cocking her head. She held out her hand and felt a heavy pouch being put in it.
"Awesome. Thanks." She told him, pocketed it, and ran off, smashing the ground with her staff.
—
Esil crouched by the sleeping dragon, pulling back her bowstring. She shot it directly in the eye and the dragon reared up and roared, spreading its wings and taking flight. She watched its blurry form rise into the shy and shot at it again, as it circled down lower. She waited until it was hovering before she shouted one of the new Thu'um she'd learned.
"Yool!" She cried, fire spreading from her mouth and hitting the dragon in the face. She shot it with a steel arrow and grinned as it fell to the ground.
"I'm the best." She said as she grabbed the gold it had in its stomach.
—
"Jarl! I killed the dragon! Can I have my money now?" Esil shouted as she walked up the stairs. Ondolemar watched her, vaguely annoyed.
"Justiciar, she shouldn't be wandering in and out like that. Should we question her?" A Thalmor soldier asked.
"Why? There's nothing that connects her to Talos. Yet." He told her. "For now we have to let her be." He watched as Esil leapt off the stairs onto the stone ground, staggered, and ran out of the building.
