Author's note:
My dear readers, here I am with an update. The special thank you of the week goes to the lovely Elspeth and to dear Guest, who always have very nice words for my fic. I'm glad you found Agda's adventure in Saarthal hilarious and I'm happy to see that I wasn't the only one who once feared draugrs like hell. My first encounter with undead took place while I was roaming the planes of Whiterun and a random skeleton killed me before I could realize what had hit me. Embarassing, I know, but since then I was downright terrified by skeletons - and when I found out about draugrs during my first exploration of Bleak Falls Barrow, I almost stopped playing Skyrim altogether. As for Krosis, he had me escape Spearpoint, leaving poor Farkas to battle alone with him - in case you're wondering, yes, Agda's personality is based on my own wimpy characters from the game. Anyway.
This new chapter sets the premise for the upcoming instalments, which will hopefully provide you with some nice surprises. I namely plan a certain character to pop up again in the story - also, I'm working on a very interesting meeting for Agda. In the meantime, let's find out about our girl's new adventures.
Enjoy!
29th of Last Seed, 4E 202
Whimpering, Agda stirred in her sleep. The girl felt tired and sore and bruised and had no wish to wake up. Sadly enough, someone beside her had a very different opinion.
"For Mara' sake, Agda, you've been sleeping for more than thirteen hours! I know that you've had a tiring day, but it's high time you got up!"
Surprised by that irritated remark, the young mage jolted awake. As she sat upright, the Nord noticed that she was tucked in her comfortable bed at the College. The Hall of Attainment looked completely empty and for a second Agda thought that her adventure in Saarthal had been just a very vivid nightmare. When she recognized the worried woman who had risen her, however, the mage realized that she was wrong.
"Adaeze, what are you doing here?"
"Checking on you, troublemaker, that's what I'm doing". There was a brief moment of silence, then Adaeze unexpectedly threw her arms around Agda. "You cannot imagine how happy I am to see you".
Adaeze's relief caused Agda to furrow a brow.
"So you didn't believe I would survive Saarthal", she pointed out after escaping the former thief's embrace.
"Let's say that the odds weren't in your favor, you wimpy warrior", Adaeze chuckled. She didn't even try to mask her feelings towards Agda's adventure in Saarthal, a fact that slightly upset the young Nord. "Come on, tell me what happened in those ruins: you know that I'm a sucker for details".
"There's not a lot to say", Agda replied with a grimace. "I was trapped in Saarthal for a whole day, I almost got killed more times than I could count, a draugr shouted me through a room… It was downright horrible, Adaeze. I'm glad it is over".
The other woman laughed.
"Come on Agda, you should be proud of yourself! You came out of those ruins unscathed!"
"I broke a nail, Adaeze", the mage pointed out while raising a bandaged hand. "And my mind has been scarred once and for all. By the way, what are you doing here? Civilians aren't allowed inside the College".
"I'm not a civilian", Adaeze said while pointing at her guard uniform. "I'm a warrior of Winterhold and I'm here to enquire about what you found in Saarthal". Spurred by Agda's confused expression, Adaeze resumed speaking. "Jarl Korir has been informed of your discovery and has asked his guards to investigate about it. You were brought back to the College yesterday evening and have been sleeping ever since. When my colleagues complained about waiting for you to wake up, I decided to enquire about your adventure myself".
"And why would the Jarl of Winterhold be interested in my adventure?"
"The guy's a paranoid: he thinks that the College is set on destroying Winterhold, so he wants to know more about that weird thing you found in Saarthal. By the way, I heard that even the Archmage wants to speak to you. It looks like your tiny adventure has set many things in motion, my dear".
That last sentence reminded Agda of the weird mage from the Psijic Order who appeared to her in Saarthal.
As she thought about her meeting with that strange elf, the girl was shaken by a sudden realization - her discovery had likely marked the beginning of a new era for the whole of Winterhold.
The week after Saarthal was full of surprises for Agda.
After being questioned by Adaeze and by another couple of guards, the girl was asked to visit the Archmage of the College. Savos Aren was fun and kind and sweet and seemed very excited about her discovery. Ancano, on the other hand, looked deeply annoyed by the whole matter.
The Thalmor reached Agda a few minutes after her conversation with the Archmage. The girl wasn't surprised: luckily enough, Faralda had warned about the man's desire to talk to her just a few minutes earlier.
If you speak to Ancano, please be careful, the Destruction trainer had told her young pupil. I don't like that man.
Agda had been moved by Faralda's attention towards her: she'd thanked her from the bottom of the heart, then she'd reached the courtyard of the College, where she'd been immediately approached by Ancano. During the whole time of their brief encounter the man sported a fake smile that couldn't hide his dislike for the girl.
Ancano asked Agda many questions, to which the young mage replied with vague and undetailed answers. If even Faralda was worried about him, it meant that the Thalmor was up to no good; as a consequence, Agda was determined not to give him any important information. After his quick conversation with the girl, Ancano mumbled something about silly healers and retreated in his private room at the College.
Unlike that unsettling Thalmor, all the other mages of Winterhold were very impressed by Agda's behavior in Saarthal - actually, many of them were so impressed that they started thinking that the girl was the most talented apprentice the College had ever had. The Nord tried to clear that misunderstanding by explaining that she'd survived Saarthal thanks to a combination of luck, adrenaline and more luck, but no one believed her; as a consequence, after her return to the College everyone started treating her like a master of survival.
Surprisingly enough, the first one to talk to Agda with renewed respect was J'zargo. The Khajit was proud and ambitious and clearly loved boasting, but he was ready to seek advice in anyone who could help him improve his skills; therefore, he soon asked Agda to aid him with one of his experiments.
Over the following days many other people begged Agda to fulfill some tasks on their behalf. Sergius for example wanted her to enchant weapons for his customers, whereas Colette had her heal a few ill guards; Tolfdir asked her to write down her thoughts about Saarthal in a journal, while Mirabelle needed her help to brew some powerful magicka potions. Agda accepted those requests without complaining, but was slightly upset when Drevis asked her to cleanse the magical point of focus around the College. Also, the girl was downright terrified when Brelyna voiced her desire to try a new spell on her – after being turned into a chicken on her first volunteering session, Agda thought the young Dunmer to be as dangerous as a Jyrik Gauldurson himself.
After receiving one too many tasks from her colleagues, Agda was forced to make a few choices: she could help Tolfdir retrieve his missing alembic, sure, but she wasn't willing to help Enthir with his mysterious magical shaft; she was ready to assist Phinis by trapping the souls of many unlucky atronachs inside his gems, alright, but she wasn't going to dive head first into a Falmer den just to retrieve some books Urag wanted to read. But most of all, Agda wasn't going to accept any task from the local Jarl. Although Korir subsequently started calling her an Imperial moron, the young healer couldn't care less: there was no way she was going to find an old helmet in order to increase that lunatic's importance in the war talks.
Sadly enough, Agda soon had to break her vow of remaining in Winterhold until the end of the Fourth Era. When Savos Aren asked her to retrieve a few important books from Fellglow Keep, the girl could namely do nothing but nod her head in agreement and curse her bad luck between gritted teeth.
Unfortunately for the former innkeeper, even the Archmage of the College believed her to be much more lethal than she actually was.
Agda didn't feel ready to face the mages dwelling in Fellglow Keep on her own. When she complained about that to Colette, the Breton did something completely unexpected: she talked to Mirabelle, then she organized a little meeting between her pupil and the master of wizardry of the College.
"Savos and I thought that you could do a decent work on your own, that's why we gave you that task", Mirabelle said with her usual kindness and understanding. "However, Agda, we don't want you to feel uncomfortable about your job; as a consequence, you can ask one or two people to come with you. The College will pay you and your helpers a fair amount of money".
Agda was incredibly relieved by those words. Fighting the urge to hug Mirabelle, the young healer immediately ran to the barracks of the local guards and asked Adaeze for help. The Redguard accepted that quest with a smile: she couldn't wait to go on a trip with her best friend and protect her from every threat that came their way.
Fellglow Keep was a little abandoned fort not far from Whiterun. Given the position of the building, Adaeze asked her friend Vipir for a lift. Although Agda wasn't happy about it, the thief-turned-driver reached Winterhold on a cold sunny morning and took it upon himself to lead the two girls to their destination.
"I've already seen you, haven't I?", Vipir asked after hugging Adaeze and looking at Agda.
The mage snorted.
"You basically stole me 75 septims", she reminded him. "You said that there was new fee for all those who took your carriage and wanted to join the College".
Vipir laughed.
"Oh, now I remember! Sorry about that, girl: I had no idea you were friend with Adaeze".
Despite her prejudices, during her journey Agda had to admit that Vipir was a very pleasant man. Sure, his driving style was unsmooth and sometimes downright dangerous, but his continuous chatter with Adaeze kept the mage hooked for most of the time.
Thanks to her travelling companions, Agda learned a lot about the infamous Thieves Guild of Riften, an organization that had always fascinated her to no end. When Adaeze asked Vipir about his job, the conversation got particularly interesting.
"Sadly enough, this will be my last adventure as a carriage driver", the thief admitted with a sigh. "This project isn't really working, so I'll return to Riften at the end of the week. I hope I'll be able to keep the horse with me: he's a fine fellow and he's always served me well".
Adaeze said that she was sorry for Vipir.
"Brynjolf has finally realized that his network of fake carriage drivers is completely useless, hasn't he?", she asked.
Vipir shook his head.
"To say it all, Brynjolf looked very disappointed when he told me to return to Riften. He apparently doesn't agree with the decision of destroying our network of carriage drivers".
"So it was Frey who decided to do that".
"Frey?"
Agda's question was welcomed by a quick explanation on Adaeze's part.
"Mercer Frey is the actual master of the Thieves Guild in Skyrim. He's a Breton in his fifties and a true pain in the ass. Grumpy, arrogant, annoying, cranky… Name a flaw and he'll have it".
A loud laughter allowed Agda to understand that Vipir perfectly agreed with Adaeze.
"The cunning bastard sent me to Dawnstar after I was caught on a heist and forced to pay a very high bounty", he explained.
"And now he thinks that your punishment is over", Adaeze broke him off.
Vipir grimaced.
"Not exactly, Adaeze. Brynjolf has told me that Frey wanted me to freeze my ass in Dawnstar until the day I died – his lady, however, talked him into showing me some mercy".
Rather than appreciating the irony in the fact that a man called Mercer had shown Vipir some mercy, Adaeze was way more surprised by the unexpected mention of the mysterious partner of her former Guildmaster.
"Are you telling me that Mercer Frey – that Mercer Frey – has a wife?"
Spurred by Adaeze's outraged tone, Vipir couldn't stifle a chuckle. The two thieves were completely ignoring Agda, who was desperately trying to understand what they were talking about.
"Not a wife, Addy. That woman is more of a lover to him – and a chief, if you ask me".
"I don't think I've ever met her. Is that right?"
Confronted with Adaeze's question, Vipir nodded.
"That woman is usually up and around running heists, that's why you never met her. In the last two months, however, she's been staying in Riften for longer than usual. Her sudden lack of work is a very bad sign, and so is the fact that she's taking decisions in stead of Mercer".
As Adaeze kept on asking Vipir questions about that mysterious woman, Agda started to ignore the conversation going on beside her. Lulled by the movements of the carriage, by Adaeze and Vipir's voices and by the warmth of her furs, the young mage slowly fell asleep.
Agda woke up right outside Whiterun. It was long past sunset and she was expecting to get a good dinner and a comfortable bath at the Bannered Mare – although Agda'd never been there, she was well acquainted with the flawless reputation of that cozy inn. She was therefore very surprised when Adaeze and Vipir got off their carriage and immediately headed for Honningbrew Meadery.
"We have a friend there", Adaeze explained the young mage. "He'll keep all of us safe".
"I don't understand", Agda frowned. "If we go to the Bannered Mare, the College will pay for our rooms and for our dinner. Why should we go to the Meadery? They don't even have beds for travelers!"
Vipir grinned in an unsettling way.
"You're right, little wizard. Malleus doesn't have beds for travelers – yet, he has very comfortable bedrolls for his fellow thieves".
Agda didn't feel comfortable about that arrangement - and she felt even less comfortable when she discovered that Malleus Maccius was the creepiest person she'd ever met. Nonetheless, the beds he prepared for her and Adaeze were soft and clean, whereas the food was warm and tasty.
"Sabjorn is in Riften, trading with a new investor", Malleus told Vipir and the two girls. "You can stay as long as you want".
The thieves thanked him, then they went to bed.
"Vipir has a high bounty in Whiterun, that's why we stopped outside the city gates", Adaeze finally explained Agda.
The young mage dramatically rolled her eyes.
"Is there a place where he doesn't have a bounty on his head?"
Adaeze laughed.
"I suppose not – he tends to run away rather than paying for his crimes, and that has allowed him to become one of the most wanted thieves of the whole Guild".
Agda frowned, but didn't ask any further question. The revelations about Adaeze's past made her feel uneasy, and so did the mentions of Vipir's bounty.
Given the time she'd spent asleep that afternoon, Agda had many troubles drifting into Vaermina's realm. As a consequence, she soon summoned a magic light and started reading a book about Conjuration. With some luck, her improvements in that field would allow her to survive the upcoming battles in Fellglow Keep.
When she finally fell asleep, Agda deeply wished she hadn't, as the usual nightmares immediately started haunting her mind.
Ever since Saarthal, Agda had been having dreams about her, Steinarius and a mysterious voice willing to enslave them - and that night was no exception.
At first Agda saw Steinarius alone in a dark corridor riddled with skeletons and charred corpses. The man was panting heavily and his grey eyes were filled with terror and rage and fear. The place strangely reminded Agda of Saarthal and had the horrifying smell of death and dust and decay.
The scenery suddenly changed, so that Steinarius was now making his way through an old building carved in marmor and bronze - a Dwemer ruin, Agda realized after a few seconds. The Imperial suddenly dived into the water filling the room where he was walking, then started fiddling with a few underwater levers. When a terrifying centurion attacked him, everything went blank. Realizing that Steinarius had been hurt, Agda wished she could wake up. Sadly enough, her dream still wasn't over.
The girl was now in a cozy bedroom in some weird inn. The furniture looked strange to her, but the objects scattered all across the place were very familiar; after a quick observation, Agda namely recognized Dragonbane, a boot coming from the armory of the Blades, a pile of dirty civilian clothes and the sword sheath she'd bought Steinarius on New Life Festival.
There was a sudden creaking sound and the Imperial walked inside the room and slumped down on the bed. When he shed his shirt and prepared for the night, Agda could see many red welts on his back, on his chest, on his arms. The girl tried to talk to him, but Steinarius seemed unable to acknowledge her presence.
Thinking he was alone, the Dragonborn retrieved a heavy black tome from his knapsack and started reading it. Everything immediately began to spin and Agda soon found herself in a new dimension, a dimension made of books and words and knowledge. The girl had never seen anything like that.
The young mage followed Steinarius through the many parts of the palace where they'd mysteriously ended up and watched in awe as the Dragonborn dispatched the creepy enemies they encountered. Eventually, the two of them were welcomed by the mysterious black-ink globe that marred all of Agda's nightmares. The girl was fascinated by the sight of its tentacles and by its sweet, soothing voice; Steinarius, on the other hand, greeted the creature with a frown and a wolfish snarl. When the globe said something Agda couldn't make out, the Imperial suddenly lost it: he attacked the black creature, but soon found himself trapped in its vicious grip.
As the powerful Dragonborn was disarmed and a tentacle was wrapped around his neck, Agda decided to intervene; yet, her spells only seemed to amuse the globe that was holding Steinarius captive. When the girl unsheathed her dagger and tried to sever the tentacles that were embracing the Imperial, the weird creature mocked her with a laughter and blocked her hands with its strong grip.
Soon, very soon, the black globe laughed at Agda and Steinarius' useless attempts to break free. Very soon you will be my slaves.