say hello to Sofia! another awesome mod character. if ya aint familiar, she speaks with a scottish/nordic accent, so just imagine that for virtually this entire chapter. you won't be disappointed. i hope.
Jorge rubbed his temples as he approached Whiterun, his head feeling like someone was trying to split it in half. Of course, drinking half the alcohol in Riverwood was liable to do that to someone. He wasn't paying any attention to the farms around the road he was on, simply fighting to clear his headache. That is, until a loud booming rumble shook his body as it reverberated in the ground. He blearily brought his eyes in the general direction of the sound to see a massive giant standing from where it had smashed the ground with it's club. Three armed warriors, two women and a burly armored Nord, were arrayed in an arc before it. None were carrying the far more advisable spear or pike for their adversary, instead, carrying long blades and one wielding a bow. That said, they had already given the giant a multitude of wounds, which was one of the safest ways to kill a giant. Make it bleed out or weaken to a point that you could kill it.
That was never his approach though. He grinned as he drew his axe, sprinting at the giant. A lot of Nords would have been calling out a battle cry or some such at this point, but given he was behind the giant, he felt a battle cry would have been detrimental to what he was planning. As soon as he reached the massive creature, he swung his axe as hard and fast as he could for the back of it's knee. His wild sprint added to the power of the swing, feeling the head drive clean through the giant's tendons. It let out a massive roar as it began to fall to its knees, Jorge using the moment to yank the axe free from its leg.
He didn't get the chance to do more though, as one of the others took it falling as their own chance, lunging forward and letting his two-handed long blade be driven into the giant's throat as it fell. The man expertly slipped aside as the creature fell, letting the creature's own weight let him yank the blade free, just as Jorge had just done with his axe not a moment before.
"Quite the axe arm you've got there, you would make a fine new shield brother!" one of the females shouted that to him as she slung her bow on her shoulder. She had dark red hair and bright green eyes, three streaks of dark grey war paint on her face.
"Companions eh?" Jorge grunted as he spoke, taking a moment to clean his axe blade on the giant's furs before sliding it back into its loop.
"I'd watch your tone stranger, we're the best warriors in all of Skyrim!" the male of the group, a Nord as large as Jorge himself was now speaking, cleaning his long blade after his killing blow.
"Oh? Maybe I'll test that!" Jorge grinned, having heard of the companions in the past. He never had much desire to join them, but he would be a liar if he stated he'd never thought about it.
"Calm yourself Farkas, no reason to get upset! And come join us in Jorvaskr, I'd be happy to spar with you anytime!" the archer gently smacked her comrade upside the head as she strode past, a younger imperial woman following her.
"Hmph. That makes two of us." The Nord grunted that out before he strode off, Jorge glancing between them and the giant's corpse.
"Eh. It does get lonely out on the road by oneself. Besides, drinkin' buddies are always good." He murmured that to himself before setting out after them.
Before he could get on the path into Whiterun though, shouting in the local stables drew his attention. "What in Akatosh are you doing in my stable woman! And by the divine where are your clothes!"
Naked woman being yelled at? How could one refuse such a tempting offer… Jorge grinned as he diverted his course, walking toward the stable. There were several empty mead bottles scattered on the path, an old crate near the actual stable. From here, he could already see the stable owner in the open air structure, shielding his eyes from something in one of the stalls.
Inside the stall was, as the shouting owner had mentioned, a gorgeous Nord woman, completely nude as she groggily sat up, stretching with out a care in the world. There was hay stuck in several places in her lavishly long black hair, several knots visible in it even from the opening of the stall. Neither of her extraordinarily light blue eyes seemed to look at the owner, barely even open in fact.
"Now what kind of fella goes about screamin' and shoutin' first thing in the mornin'! Can't ya tell when a lady's had a bit of night!?" she had several more mead bottles around her, Jorge able to smell the alcohol on her breath even from a few paces away.
"Don' ya worry about her mister, I'll get her off your property in a heartbeat! Come on you!" Jorge purposefully strode right by the stable owner, gently yet firmly gripping her upper arm and pulling her to her feet.
"But what about the mess she made! There's at least a dozen bottles scattered around my stable!"
"I'll deal with em. But say, ye wouldn't happen to have some clothes hidin' in yer house, would ye? I've got gold if ya do. Can't exactly have her runnin about nude, now can we?"
Jorge winked at the man, who glanced between the two of them before grumbling out some unintelligible affirmation or another. He started to walk out of the stable, shaking his head.
"That's a good man!" Jorge grinned as he called that after him, just before feeling the woman's arm rip out of his hand.
"Now who gave you permission to come stridin' on in here and put your hands on a lady!" she crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him, not actually making any attempt to cover herself.
"I thought I'd help a lass out of a bind! Besides, where would ye be if I hadn't."
She seemed to grumble to herself for a few moments before speaking. "I guess it would be a heck of a weird spot."
"So, once we git ya some clothes, ye should be good right?" Jorge raised an eyebrow at her as he spoke, surveying her gorgeous and fit body once more. She had several scars on her body, though none looked particularly serious. They were almost all former cuts, at least one looking like an arrow puncture, all well healed.
Be mighty hard to let a lass like this one off on her own! She's got a few good scars, and by her muscles, she can handle herself! Just what I like in a lass!
"Just going to leave me after that?"
"Well, yes lass. I can't just drag a lady 'round my business! Too many bandits bein' beheaded for that!"
"Well Jorge, I can handle a few bandits! I promise I'll pay you back for getting me outta this bind if ya let me tag along with ya?" her voice was boastful and proud, yet some of her softer tones were almost pleading. Too proud and boisterous in fact for Jorge to even notice her use of his name.
"I aint got no way of knowin' that! Let's git these bottles cleaned up!" he scooped one of the bottles up, rolling it into his hand until he could read the label on it.
Huh… Black Briar mead. Good stuff. Not soft kicking either… no wonder she's missin her clothes!
"But… uh… I'm injured! You wouldn't leave an injured lady all by herself would you?"
He rolled his eyes now, a smirk on his face. Pretty desperate resorting to a lie that thinly veiled, aint she? She does sorta seem the capable sort. Those scars sure show her fair share of scraps, and I was just thinkin' how borin' fightin' alone gets…
"Lass, there aint a mark on ye!" he figured it could be fun to string her out as much as he could.
"Uh… It's internal!"
He nearly cracked up laughing at that, tossing the bottle in his hand in the empty crate he could only assume was what she brought the bottles here in.
"Look lass, this isn't my first time 'round Skyrim."
"But… uh… ah screw it. It's gotten boring traveling alone! I promise, let me travel with ya, and you won't be disappointed!"
"Say I do let ye join me, how are ye gonna fight?"
"Well, I once attended the mages college in Winterhold… until they kicked me out. So I can blow stuff up with the best of 'em!"
Huh… most Nords hate magic… Jorge though was mostly indifferent toward magic. He never understood those who practiced it, but he could admit, throwing fireballs and such around did always sound fun to him. If only to cause mayhem.
"And if you get me a blade, I'm pretty handy with one!"
"Oh, so you expect me to feed ye, cloth ye, and arm ye?" he turned to face her, planting his hands on his hips.
"What!? No, I didn't mean it like that! I promise, I can make my own money, I just… might need a hand getting started again…" she rubbed the back of her head, not making eye contact with him.
"Alright. Ye like to drink, out drink me in the tavern tonight, and I can make an exception." He crossed his arms as he grinned at her.
"Deal!" she returned his grin in kind.
"But first, ye got a mess to clean up, don' cha'?" his grin grew even more as her grin shifted into an annoyed glare.
"Now don't you think you can go about ordering me around now!"
"Eh, guess I'll go drink all the booze myself then!" he turned to leave, only making it two steps.
"Alright, alright! I'm pickin' up the mess!"
"I once shot an elf right in his backside while drunk! It was a total accident of course, but boy, ya shoulda heard his yowl! Ah, I couldn't stop laughin' from it!" the woman Jorge had found in the stable earlier was already slurring her words a little, having downed as many bottles of mead as Jorge had. She was keeping up with him, drink for drink, unlike some of the patrons who had tried to join their little drinking game, now sprawled across the tavern.
"Now how'd ye go and do that?"
"Oh… I'd had a few drinks and drunk ol' me thought it was a good idea to go for a hunt! So there I was, all drunk and bleary eyed, when I spotted movement off in the trees. I thought it was a deer or somethin', and I was too drunk to think about it too much! So I loosed an arrow at it! Next thing I know, I'm hearin' an elf hootin' and hollarin' about bein' shot in the rump. I couldn't stop laughin' to know what ended up happenin' to him though!" she was grinning as she shared her story, taking another swig of mead, her cheeks blazed red in the warmth of the tavern.
"Sounds like it was a fun adventure lass!"
"Oh it certainly was Jorge!" she loudly laughed as she finished speaking.
Wait… she just called me Jorge… We aint even exchanged names yet, how does she know mine?
"Alright lass…" he downed the entirety of his mug before loudly banging the empty on the counter. "How do ya know my name lass? I don' recall swappin' names with ya?"
Her grin slowly faded as her eyes went wide. "Oh fuck me…" she groaned that out as she dropped her forehead to the bar, making an audible thunk on impact.
"Well, it's a little early in the night to speakin' of that little lass!"
"Oh! I didn't mean literally! I just… uh… well… I've kinda sorta been followin' ya for a while now…" she sat bolt upright for a moment, wincing as she finished.
"Now why would ya be doin that lass?" He smirked at her, the tavern keeper finally getting around to filling his mug. He gestured the mug at her in thanks, his focus still on his drunk companion. "I mean, sounds like there's a story there."
"Uh… not as much as you'd think! I just heard about this strapping Nord drinking all of the booze in Skyrim and I thought it would be fun to try an' tag along… I kept missing the chance to talk to ya though, then you headed to Helgan and well… lets just say Helgan and me don' mix well. I might have gone for a midday stroll through town with about as much on as you found me in today…" she winced again as she finished.
Jorge let out a deep and resonating laugh, unable to hold it in. "That's quite a reason to be kicked outta a town!"
"Oh, it was certainly a fun time! Besides, it wasn't the men who made me afraid to go back! Their wives would have killed me!"
Jorge managed to stem his laughs for a moment to take another swig while she was talking. As odd to hear that she had been following him for awhile was, it really didn't bother him. If anything, he was disappointed she hadn't talked to him sooner.
"You aren't angry at me for following you, are you? Or creeped out or-"
"Nah, 'hat reason do I got to be? A pretty lass such as yourself following me is a dream come true!" he winked at her before finishing his mug once more.
"Oh! I didn't mean it like that! I just meant it was getting boring to wander about by myself!" she was panicking again, Jorge just smirking.
"Well, Lass, I still think you are forgetin' somethin' rather important…" he banged his mug on the counter again, finding himself wondering if he had enough coin to fuel the drinks both he and this woman were downing.
"I am?"
"Well, Lass, if ya really want me to let ya stick 'round, I aint gonna call ya lass the whole time!"
"Oh! I'm such an idiot!" she smacked her forehead with a free hand, letting out a small chuckle. "My name's Sofia!"
"Good to meet ya Sofia! Now, what do ya say to meetin' them companion's tomorrow? Gotta pay for all of this booze somehow, right?"
"Sounds like a plan to me! It might be fiscally smart to share a bed tonight then…"
Jorge just smirked at her, the tavern keeper filling his mug again.
"I… I didn't mean it like that!" she panicked again as she realized what she had said, Jorge letting out a bellowing laugh once more.
Jorge's head pounded as he shambled out of the tavern, fingering his now virtually empty coin purse. Sofia had passed out only moments before him, the tavern keeper taking her up to the only room for rent. He, on the other hand, had literally slept where he passed out, slumped against the bar. Admittedly, it wasn't the worst night he ever had. At least he had slept there, after all.
"Ugh… the morning after always makes me regret drinking so much!" Sofia blurted that out as she staggered along beside him. Now that she was clothed, if the shabby tunic and pants counted as clothed, it was much easier for him to keep his attention off her.
"Well, I can think of one good solution." He said that as he popped the cork off a cheap wine bottle, taking a long swig of it before passing it to her.
"Oh… more booze certainly works…" she grinned as she took her own swig before passing the bottle back. The next few minutes followed this pattern as they walked for the cloud district, the slight buzz of the alcohol washing away the pulse pounding head ache. It did nothing for the lead like muscles though. Once in they had passed through one of the run down gate houses dividing the higher end cloud district from the main district, it was not a far walk to the literal 'boat house' that was the companions home.
Being a boat house meant the building was quite literally built out of the hull of a boat, the keel being the apex of the roof, with the overturned hull acting as the roof and walls. Many buildings had been built to mimic this architectural appearance in white run, being that the mead hall the companions called home was in fact older than the fort at the top of the small mountain and the city sprawling below it.
The pair made their way up to the building, Jorge throwing the door open as soon as he reached it. Several people were sitting around a large table, enjoying a breakfast of meats, cheeses and breads, even a few bowls of fruit. One of the figures at the tables immediately noticed them, a small smile expanding on the woman's face.
"I see you actually decided to show up! Kodlak is down stairs, he'll decide if you are fit to join us!" the red haired woman he had met the day before didn't leave her seat as she gestured to a stair well near where the 'bow' of the ship used to be. "And we might have room for your friend there too!"
"Oh, no! I don't have any interest in joining myself, I'm just here with my partner!" Sofia blurted that immediately.
"Oh? So you two are married then?"
"WHAT!? No, no, no, no, I didn't mean it like that! I meant traveling partner! That's all!" she rapidly waved her hands in front of her, completely wide eyed.
Jorge let out a bellowing laugh as he shook his head, heading down the stairs and through what appeared to be a small housing space. At the end of the hall was an open door, seeing two Nords wearing very similar custom armor to one another. He made his way over to the them, seeing the way they ceased their conversation as he approached.
"Ah, who's this now? Someone looking to join us?" the older of the two spoke as he shakily stood, resting his hand on the hilt of an arming sword. The man was giving Jorge a warm and welcoming child.
"Eh, thought it might be worth a try." Jorge shrugged as casually as he could manage.
"Not the typical response of a Nord with a fire burning in his heart!" the older man pounded his chest as he spoke, his eyes almost glaring at him, as if he was making him a challenge.
"Well, I never said I was a typical Nord, now did I? don' get me wrong, I love a fight as much as the next Nord, I just don' much care for the pleasantries between 'em."
"Hah, that's more like it! Vilkas, take him up to the yard. If he is capable, he's one of us." The older man was grinning as he gestured to his much younger companion.
"I've never even heard of this whelp, what makes you think he's worth anything?"
"Smart as you can be boy, you still haven't learned to judge a man. Sometimes, the famous seek us, others come to us to seek their fame. It makes no difference to us as companions Vilkas."
"I guess so. Well whelp, lets go test that axe of yours!" he jumped to his feet as he spoke, scooping up a long sword from where it was leaning on the wall. He led the way back up the stairs and out the doors opposite the ones Jorge had entered through.
While they were passing through the main hall though, he spotted Sophia wedged between two of the companions at the tables, a mug in one hand and a piece of bread in another as the trio blared out 'Ragnar the Red' at the top of their longs. While the two younger people with her sounded utterly horrendous in their rendition of the folk song, her voice was clear and surprisingly beautiful compared to theirs.
Wow, I didn't expect her to be able to sing. He nearly muttered that to himself as he slipped out of the back door. Once back there, he found a small yet nice out door patio, followed by a small training area. Once the pair reached the training area, Vilkas, yanked his sword clear of his scabbard.
"Alright, let's keep this nice and simple. Just take a few good swings at me, don't worry I can take it." He spoke as he assumed a ready stance, both hands on the blade, point toward Jorge.
"Are ya sure about that? I've killed more than my share of folk?"
"Just swing whelp." Vilkas snarled that out in an almost straight animalistic fashion.
"Alright, ye asked for it!" he slipped his axe from his loop, tossing it lightly to catch the weapon in a proper grip. As soon as he had done so, he whipped the axe toward vilkas, the fellow Nord nearly being unable to stop the swing. As soon as Vilkas' blade connected with Jorge's axe handle, Jorge yanked the axe toward him, hooking the blade under the axe head as he directed the blade away from him, clearing the way to sink a left hook straight into Vilkas' jaw.
"Gah! Shit that was a punch!" Vilkas shouted that out as he staggered a few steps back, clutching his jaw. "That's enough for now. Say, you want to go on a job now?"
"'O course I'd love ta, What's the job?" Jorge dropped his axe back into the loop on his side, smirking at Vilkas.
"Oh, nothing crazy." He slipped his sword away as he responded. "Just three or four bandits around Rorikstead causing some trouble. Think you are up to it new blood?"
"Bandit's ye say? Sure, why not?"
"Alright, may your feet be swift, brother." Vilkas clapped Jorge's shoulder before he disappeared inside the house.
Well, let's grab a bite and Sofia, then let's hunt us some bandits!