Way closer to that one-year anniversary than before. Anyways, got the new chapter done, and I've got some lore to double-check on. Nothing so near as to interfere. Thanks be to xTRESTWHOx and NaanContributor
"So, Weiss?" Yang asked as they continued their ride through the swamps of Hjaalmarch. It wouldn't be long until the pair of Huntresses finally reached their destination, and she wanted to strike up some conversation. "How's Hjaalmarch treating you?"
"This entire place is filthy," Weiss complained while reapplying a cover of perfume on herself in a desperate attempt to drown out the surrounding stench, "It smells, is covered in mud, filth, and Gods know what else, and to top it off we've had to drive off ten Frostbite Spiders and a Chaurus ever since we got here."
"Yeah, that was quite an encounter," Yang nodded. The sight of Toggle goring a full-grown Chaurus to defend his rider was a sight to behold. Weiss even gave Toggle a nice helping of truffles afterward as thanks.
"Still," Weiss noted with a shrug, "there are a lot of really good alchemical ingredients here. Should be able to brush up on my alchemy a bit."
"How's that coming along, anyway?"
"I'm getting better, but I'm not nearly as good as I could be. Focusing on making magicka potions."
"Figured." Yang nodded then looked ahead. The swamp itself was covered in a dense fog, adding to the already creepy atmosphere, so she had to lead them by smell. As they got closer, the orange light of several torches finally showed themselves, and Yang couldn't help but smile.
"Ice Queen, you are in luck! We're almost here," Yang called out, and Weiss sighed in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness. They have a bath here, right?" Weiss asked, and Yang flashed a thumbs up in response. Weiss smiled and looked ahead. True to Yang's word, the orange glow of torches was visible within the fog. Weiss' smile slowly disappeared once the newly erected guard-towers and walls showed themselves. They appeared to be hastily constructed out of wood with the interiors filled with earth, a simple yet effective design. There were a few guardsmen on them, keeping overwatch on any visitors.
"Hmm, they look new," Yang noted as she and Weiss neared the structures. The guardsmen prepared to check them, only for one to recognize Yang as Hjaalmarch's newest Thane and grant them entry. None of them even spared Weiss a passing glance, and for that she was thankful.
The two made their way towards the Moorside Inn after leaving Lucky Day and Toggle with the stables and headed inside. They were greeted by the dreadful singing of an Orsimer bard, his voice completely out of tune and sounding more like growls than actual singing.
"Geez…" Weiss mumbled to herself, wondering just how such a person was allowed to go unfettered while Yang purchased the two of them a room with two beds.
"Oh, and Jonna, can we get some food as well?" Yang asked, and the innkeeper, a Redguard woman from what Weiss could see, nodded.
"Sure thing," Jonna said as she placed the malks into a lockbox, "Tonight's supper is steamed mudcrab legs with garlic bread. Nothing too fancy, but it'll fill you up."
"Sounds good me," Yang replied with a smile then turned towards Weiss. The heiress was trying to ignore Lurbuk's, as she'd come to learn was the Orc's name, singing and welcomed a chance for Yang to lead them to their room. As they closed the door, Weiss sighed in relief at the subsequent muffling of Lurbuk's 'music'.
"Thank you. Any longer and I would have shown him what actual singing is," Weiss declared, and Yang laughed.
"Hah! Something tells me that the people here would much rather hear you sing than that guy."
"Obviously. I, at least, actually know how to hold a tune. That's more than I can say about him. How is he even still here?"
"Apparently, Jonna doesn't get enough customers to justify getting rid of him," Yang pointed out, and after a moment Weiss nodded. The Moorside Inn was noticeably less crowded than the other inns she'd come across. Yang's expression then turned serious, and Weiss focused her attention on her.
"Okay, so given how jumpy everyone seems to be around here, you're going to have to be extremely careful. If people find out, I don't think even my status will be able to protect you."
"Trust me, Yang. I am more than aware of that," Weiss pointed out. "But before you suggest that I stay low, keep in mind that sort of behavior would only arouse suspicion."
"Wasn't going to," Yang clarified with a shake of her head. "Just wanted to state the obvious. Still, the sooner we leave the better."
"Agreed." Weiss nodded.
The two stayed in their room for the next hour, taking stock of everything they had and allowing Weiss the time to pull out her alchemical set and begin brewing. It was then that the smell of steamed crab wafted in through the door, and a rumbling sound escaped Yang's stomach. The blonde smiled, and then the two women walked back outside and helped themselves to a plate of food. Lurbuk was still singing, the noise grating on Weiss' ears more and more as time went on. A quick look around the inn told her that the other guests were feeling the same thing, but it wasn't until Lurbuk began murdering The Song of the Dragonborn with his voice that Weiss finally had enough.
"I'll be right back," she declared as she got out of her chair and stomped over to the Orc. Rather than try to stop her, Yang cheered her on while sipping on a mug of mead with juniper berries. Yang quickly glanced at the dark-blue berries and briefly thought about their sister team, then raised her mug towards them in a silent salute. While she hadn't finished the book about them, it was readily apparent that what they went through was worthy of such an action.
"All I'm saying is," Weiss' annoyed voice cut through Yang's thoughts, causing the brawler to turn her attention back towards them as she cracked open a crab leg and dipped it in butter. It appeared that Weiss was attempting to advise Lurbuk on how to sing properly, but the Orc was having none of it.
"Look," he interrupted, "if you think you can do a better job than me, then by all means. Until then, shut up and let me work."
Weiss growled in annoyance then huffed. "You know what? I will! I will sing the entire house down!"
"Hah!" Lurbuk laughed. "I'd like to see you try!"
"Well that was fun!" Yang said once Weiss finished up her third song and stopped for the evening, much to the disappointment of the greatly increased crowd. Lurbuk actually seemed to enjoy it and played along, strumming his lute to tunes that almost matched Weiss' melodies perfectly.
"I may have gotten out of control for a moment there," the heiress admitted with a blush.
"Nah, you were fine. At least now we know why he thinks he's a great bard. Orc can play the lute."
"I think my heart nearly stopped when he started playing along to Mirror Mirror almost perfectly. He certainly has talent in the instrumental side of music."
"His singing's still league's better than mine," a gravelly voice said next to them. "Lizards like me aren't exactly known for our singing skills, though."
"Hey, Anum-La," Yang greeted the Argonian woman as she sat down at their table.
"Hello yourself, great vampire slayer. Have to say, while there was a bit of relief with Movarth's death, most folks still won't look Falion in the eye. Though now it's out of guilt."
"Why would people suspect Falion of anything?" Weiss asked. As far as she knew, he was just the local alchemist.
"A lot of people 'round here don't know the difference between a conjurer and a necromancer, and a lot of them don't care to learn the difference," Anum-La explained. "But in all honesty, while I didn't fear him, I suspected him. It's just after what happened with my old company, even my doubts have doubts."
"It's because of his night-time flower-picking," Yang brought up. "He usually gets up way late to go out in the marsh and comes back with deathbells, nightshades, and other stuff. I asked Valdimar about it, and he vouched for the guy. Said he went with him a time or two. Certain critters just aren't as active at night. Just glad the townsfolk didn't jump to conclusions."
"He probably has Igdrod to thank for that. Although, I suppose the yokels are the lucky ones. Outside of maybe Benor, the townsfolk are just that. Townsfolk. And even Benor's biggest weapon is that mudcrab he calls a face!"
Yang laughed aloud while Weiss spared a giggle before a thoughtful look crossed her face.
"I thought Hroggar was the prime suspect in that whole mess?" she asked.
"He was, as far as it concerned his family and house," Anum answered. "But just about every negative thing that crops up eventually gets attributed to Falion. Minds are being changed, slowly. Every sick patient that needs his medicines for a cure turns three hearts to him and two against him. They'll get there, eventually. The fact that there're plenty of vampires to blame everything on right now is certainly helping." Anum-La let out an enunciated laugh as Weiss squirmed a bit. Jonna then came up to them and laid down another plate for the reptilian woman. As she cracked open one leg, she looked over towards Yang.
"So, you're traveling across Skyrim again?"
"Heading back to the Rift and the Dawnguard. Got some info on vampires to give them. Gonna drop by Whiterun on the way there and see about some armor I've been working with Eorlund on."
"Oh? Sounds auspicious! Mind if I tag along? Haven't been outside of Hjaalmarch much since I got here, and while I find this little puddle the Nords call a marsh to be adorable, I'd like to see more of what Skyrim holds."
Yang looked over to Weiss, who seemed to just shrug in indecision.
"Uh, okay. I don't mind. Just make sure you're well-packed."
"I'm as packed as a brothel after the Flower Festival," she said with a raspy laugh. Yang chortled, but Weiss could only freeze and stare wide-eyed.
"Ah, she is such a cutie!" Ruby squeed as she played the tickle game with the sabrekitten. The people of Rorickstead were certainly confused when they brought Lirry in, but soon pretty much all of the children were coming to see the cub. Kjens seemed embarrassed about it having been an animal the entire time, but the fact that it was a magically-empowered mother protecting its den made the blow to his ego a little softer. Erandur was soon set with everything he needed to remove the curse, and the others continued on to Riverwood.
"She most certainly is!" M'rissi agreed while reaching into a waxpaper bag. "Here, she should be hungry." She passed over a piece of fresh meat, which Ruby then slowly fed to the kitten, who made little purrs and chirps as she ate.
"Are you sure you're not overfeeding her?" Blake asked.
"Her belly is not too big. She is afraid she might not be feeding Lirry enough."
"Any advice, Lydia?" Ruby asked her housecarl.
"I…couldn't tell you," Lydia answered truthfully. "I never even had a normal housecat. Just a few dogs."
"Gah, why would you keep such beasts?!" M'rissi shouted.
"Come on, dogs are cool!" Ruby argued. "You just have to get a good one. My corgi Zwei is one of the best and most loyal animals I've ever known. He also head-butts Grimm to death, so he's totally awesome, too."
"I still can't believe you have an Aura-trained dog," Blake groaned. "And a corgi? Who does that?"
"Taiyang Xiao Long," Ruby answered without missing a beat, a smile stretched across her face.
"Wait, animals can have Aura?" Lydia suddenly asked. The two Huntresses shared an awkward look between each other.
"Well, uh, everything technically has Aura," Ruby began. "That is, everything that's alive and has a soul. People, animals, and even plants. There's this one tree in Vale that had its Aura unlocked a long time ago and then it was written in the landowner's will that the tree would inherit itself and the land around it."
"The tree…owns itself?" Inigo asked in disbelief.
"Well, technically that tree died, so they planted one of its offspring in its place, so now it's the 'Son of the Tree that Owns Itself'."
"And that one had its Aura unlocked?" Lydia asked insistently.
'Help,' Ruby begged quietly within her mind.
"Uh-oh, she hears fighting," M'rissi said as she turned in one direction. Blake's ears swiveled and she turned her eyes the same way.
"Sounds like a battle."
"Thank the- I mean, let's go and see if anyone needs our help!" Ruby declared. She urged Chocolate Hooves to where the two cat girls indicated and soon began hearing the sounds of armed combat. Past the crest of a hill, she saw dozens of men and women engaged in battle. On one side were the red-uniformed Imperials, fighting against a ragtag bunch of Stormcloaks, most of them wearing blue gambesons, plain leather, or the rare chainmail suit with a blue cloak worn over it. The Imperial soldiers were trying to hold themselves steady, keeping up a shield wall while spears and javelins were jabbed from behind the line. Archers and mages tried to fire at enemies without harming their own while some men tried to come in at them from a flanking position. Despite the Imperials being more coordinated, Ruby saw that they were more than outnumbered in this engagement. She moved to intervene, only for Blake to stop her and instead direct them to observe.
"We need reinforcements!" Tu'kar shouted at a nearby mage.
"Well, I tried sending a telepathic message, but all I got was someone screaming about Daedra."
"What?! Who did you send it to?!"
"I don't know! I'm not that good at telepathy!"
"Then why are you the tele-" Their conversation was cut short by an ice spike ramming through the mage's head. "Damn it! Why weren't you properly behind cover?!"
"Tu'kar, he's dead, just shut it!" Kirk demanded before looking over the boulder and tossing a lightning bolt, the magic going wide and hitting nothing. "Where's Welsh?"
"Being a show-off," the Redguard pointed out while indicating the captain that had taken charge of the shield wall and was probably the only thing left keeping them together.
"Hold steady! Defendi altus! Ready javelins! We can do this, men! We nearly have them!"
"Yeah, be thankful for that, otherwise, we'll have to actually fight!"
"Like they could take me!" Tu'kar boasted, taking out his scimitar. "It's just…I'm a one-on-one kinda guy, and these Nords would totally cheat and surround me and hit me in the back. You know, scars on the back are a warrior's shame and all."
"That's not a thing!" Kirk objected before throwing another lightning bolt. "Oh, think I hit something that time."
"You mean, besides the ground?" Tu'kar mocked, and Kirk growled. The thought of shooting him with a lightning spell and attributing it to the Stormcloaks briefly crossed his mind before he discarded it entirely. He moved to sarcastically retort, only for Kobulz to show up out of nowhere.
"Hi guys, I'm back!" the Orc announced, causing his two companions to briefly jump up and shout. Once their minds registered who they were seeing, they let out a sigh of simultaneous relief and exasperation.
"Kobulz, we thought you were dead!" Kirk exclaimed.
"The word is hoped," Tu'kar corrected him. "Also, where in Oblivion were you? Did you get us some reinforcements? Warn Falkreath?"
"No, I just remembered a friend of mine lives nearby and visited him. The Centurio let me."
"What? The Centurio is… Nevermind," Kirk groaned. "Who's…your…" The man's words dropped as he looked to see a large Giant standing next to their cover, looking down at the three normal-sized people.
"Guys, this is Fruglug. We've been best friends for years. Maybe ever. Fruglug, say hello," he said toward the Giant before following it with several stretched out and deep words.
"Wait, you speak Giant? You said you didn't speak Giant!"
"I don't. I speak normal-sized. Unless I shout. I guess that's pretty big."
"What?! No! I meant the language that Giants speak!" Tu'kar fearfully pointed out, careful not to rouse the Giant's anger.
"Oh, you meant Jo'Tunn. Yeah, I know that one. My grandma taught me. Or was it Fruglug's grandma? Wait! She was both our grandma!"
For a long moment, the group stayed quiet as the battle raged nearby.
"What?!" they both screamed.
Fruglug said something in his mother tongue, which made Kobulz hum in thought.
"Nah, I don't think we really need your help. We've got this."
"What, no, hold on!" Kirk objected. "We could totally use his help!"
"People are dying, Kobulz!" Tu'kar added.
"Yeah, but his clan has rules about this and-" And arrow suddenly hit and stuck into Fruglug's arm, making him look down at it and then the direction it came from. "D'ohp, nevermind! They broke the rules!"
The next moment saw a Giant charging across the battlefield before making a small jump that landed him atop of several Stormcloaks, who screamed as they were crushed to death. Fruglug then swiped his hands through their ranks, knocking several aside.
"I'll take this Giant!" a large Nord declared as he charged forward with a long poleaxe. He swung the weapon around, but Fruglug caught it almost casually before lifting up the defender within reach. The Nord let out a high-pitched scream as he was grabbed and yanked from his weapon and tossed over the Giant's shoulders. As Fruglug continued sweeping through Stromcloaks with his pilfered weapon, the discarded Nord landed near the three, where Tu'kar stabbed him with a shout.
"Whoa!"
"What? He moved! I wasn't going to let him catch us off-guard!"
"Pretty sure he broke most of his bones. Whatever, looks like the Stormcloaks are retreating now." True to Kirk's word, the Stormcloaks were hastily retreating, with one Dunmer with a sergeant's sash shouting to his squad of Nords and a lone Argonian about how they weren't retreating, merely advancing to future victories.
"Yeah, take that!" the Redguard taunted them. "You know, maybe we should get a couple more Giants on our side."
"We'll see what the Legate says."
"Great thinking, cadet," a familiar voice said, surprising the two.
"Centurio Fleurs?!" Kirk exclaimed.
"We thought you were dead!"
"Luckily, the arrows missed all of my vital organs," the cheerful man said with a laugh before groaning. "Although, I probably shoiuld not be standing right now. Still, there are others in our Century who need medical attention more than me at the moment."
"Missed all your vit- I'm pretty sure one of those hit you in the head!"
Fleurs laughed. "That's what the helmets are for!"
"You're lucky I caught you in time," a priest in purple robes said from behind him. "Most people might have thought an arrow in the skull was the end of it, but I knew better."
"Thank you very much, healer. I hope you catch a few more like that."
"Me too. Oh, speaking of, I should get back to it." The priest ran off and began sending healing energy into both an Imperial soldier and a Stormcloak on the ground near each other.
"What a great man, willing to help anyone who needs it no matter their beliefs or side."
"Was he wearing an Amulet of Zenithar?" Tu'kar asked his comrade.
"I'm more concerned with how he's trying to heal a guy with an axe in his head."
With the battle seemingly over, the group continued on their way. "Well, that was a surprising ending," Inigo said as they left the scene of carnage. "I feel a little more wary of battling Giants now."
When morning came, Weiss and Yang set out with their tagalong riding further back on Toggle. The great boar found the Argonian woman curious at first, but soon grew used to her and trotted along as he would if it were only Weiss riding him. At first the venture seemed like any other, but the trio soon found themselves growing bored. There was a bit of hope that the Labyrinthian might hold a bit of excitement, but the trolls within were still dead and nothing new had come in since. It was as boring as it was cold, so Anum-La began regaling them with some tales of her time with the 'Honorable Eight', as her old company of fighters had been called, but soon came upon the subject of how exactly she ended up in Skyrim.
"Dalum-Ei founded the company to be good and to do good. To wash all the grime that stuck to his scales during the Great War." Yang nodded. It seemed that there was no corner of the continent that hadn't been affected by the war in some capacity. "As such, he'd only agree to work that didn't diminish what we stood for. But contracts have a way of leaving out the details."
"You were tricked into something," Weiss guessed. She'd heard it more than once. Here and there were tales of how a group of Faunus rioters were stopped and arrested, deaths occurring almost every time, only for people to learn later that the riot was because they weren't being paid or some necessity had been cut back, like food or running water. The SDC had to hire its own personal security forces after practically every PMC started turning down offers that were sketchy. "And you ended up doing something…"
Anum nodded slowly. "We were, and we did." For a moment, she was quiet and looking out across the mountainous landscape. "The job was simple. Clear out a cave of necromancers that were terrorizing one of the clans that resided near the border. The clan said a hatchling had gone missing, and rumors were abound of corpses stolen for experiments, and live bodies turned into corpses. When we got there, the Shadowscale, Ula-Wei, scouted ahead as the rest of us waited near the entrance. He found bear traps and trip wires. The occupants were further in, he said. Black robed mages. Chanting. The whole thing stunk like a Thalmor's wet diaper. Traps or no, bandits usually post sentries in and outside the cave. The Nord, Arnwulf, though, got tired of all the standing around. Black robes and ominous words. Good enough for him. Dalum-Ei gave the nod. Couldn't chance it. Some poor hatchling could've been on a table, about to become some sick bastard's war-puppet." Anum-La sighed at that, looking downcast as her tail curled around herself.
"Did… did you save the kid?" Yang asked.
"Sadly, no," Anum admitted with a shake of her head. "The child was on the table like Ula-Wei said, but she was already dead. The people around her were mourners. Black robes."
"Oh..." Weiss knew immediately what had happened and looked back at her, taking note of the black robes she wore above her gambeson armor.
"They were refugees from Cyrodiil. Altmer, Khajiit, and Argonian. Driven from Leyawiin. To the clans, they might as well have been wraiths." She shook her head again. "I don't know who struck first. It didn't matter. We killed them all. Well, all except one. An Imperial boy, hiding in a small crevice in the rock. I don't know who he was, or if he was even with the refugees. The boy was a mute. Part of me thought it would be better just to slay him. But another part of me saw that hatchling in the swamp, just trying to survive until morning."
"What happened after that?" Weiss asked while Yang remained silent, contemplating how such a rush to judgement led to tragedy.
"The company disbanded," Anum-La answered. "Honor brought us together, and dishonor drove us apart. Me and the healer, Elia, went north. The boy, he followed. We split up in Bravil. Don't know why he chose me. Seems to me he was better off with the Breton. But as I kept going north, he never left my side. I just kept going, figuring at some point the boy would stop following me. Got to give it to the little runt, he had courage. Eventually, I realized that I could've walked right into the Sea of Ghosts, and the little histcarp would've dove right in."
"So, where did he go?" Yang wondered aloud. She'd never seen Anum-La with a kid hanging around her.
"I was halfway through the marsh, when I decided to head back to Morthal. I turned to the pesky urchin and told him, 'All right, you win.' Imagine my surprise when I found myself talking to a patch of deathbells." Anum-La laughed at herself at that point. "There was no one there." Her eyes then locked with Weiss' who shifted at the sudden turn but didn't look away.
"You're looking at the mourning dress, right?" As Weiss nodded, Anum-La looked up at the sky wistfully. "Hm, some may ask why I'm a knight who wears cloth rather than armor. Others contend that I wear the mourners' clothes to honor the brave warriors I slay. Those in my company will tell you that I wear it to mourn the refugees who died that day, and all the innocents who die in the pangs of war." She looked back down, her eyes focused like lasers. "I will tell you that there is only one thing in this world that I truly mourn." Her face then split in a smile that revealed every razor-sharp and needle-like tooth in her maw. "My sanity!" The Argonian then laughed aloud as though she'd heard a bad joke.
Neither Weiss nor Yang laughed.
At Helgen, there was a surprising amount of rebuilding done, with more emphasis on stone this time around. The former bandits were now essentially quarrymen, and no one really noticed anything different about them. Some of the former occupants of the fortress town had returned, and had begun resettling. Onions, shallots, scallions, peas, beans, and other wintertime crops were being planted where they could, and wagons were being loaded with shaped stone to be sent for trade. With fighting in the province down to a minimum, castles and fortresses would be looking to rebuild where they could. Surprisingly, Whiterun was looking for a good deal of stone to restore its long disregarded walls, which was giving them much needed food and spirits in exchange. Falkreath was also looking to upgrade its own defenses and had sent over a delegate to see about making a deal.
"Screw this!" an Orc with a hammer and wedge in hand growled out after pulling back from the stone he had been carefully trying to cut out. "I left home because they wanted me to mine all day. Damned quarrying's no better. I'm going back to banditry!"
"Know what? I'm actually in agreement with the brute," a Bosmer woman who had been chiseling stones to near smooth said as she stood to full height. "I hate this whole work thing!"
"Yeah, this is stupid," an Argonian with a wheelbarrow full of stone chips agreed. "Why are we even doing this?"
The gates nearby opened up and let in a company of people, at the head of which was the red-cloaked Dragonborn.
"Oh, right…"
"Actually, this isn't so bad," the Orc said as he turned back to his task.
"We just need a drink or two at the end of the day," the Bosmer added as she kneeled back to the stones.
"Wow, they really turned around," Ruby observed as they came in. Larger blocks were being broken into smaller ones and then smoothed until they were almost brick-like, and then loaded up to be hauled away, all the broken pieces and chips being loaded up separately, likely to be added into mortar. "See, people are willing to work for it if they're given a chance."
"I think you threatening them helped," Lydia pointed out, having easily spotted the scared looks the former bandits were giving the Dragonborn.
"Maybe, but that's more deterrence for wrongdoing. Wonder if they got an inn set up?"
"Looks like that's the closest thing," Blake said while pointing out a partially restored building where a bar was set up with a large hearth nearby. Some people were taking some stones and mortar and building the outer walls even as people stopped and grabbed a bite to eat and something to drink. Tables were set around almost haphazardly with patrons ranging from old locals, the new move-ins, resting hunters, travelers, and even a couple of soldiers. Ruby decided to see if the place could at least point her in the right direction.
"Hi," she greeted the bartender. "Is there a place we can stay for the night?"
"We've mostly been staying in the old fort over there," he pointed out. "It's the one thing that didn't fall apart in this town. Imperials really know how to build it good. Can hardly believe the Goblins got them beat there."
"Oh, thanks. How about stables?"
"The other side of the fort." His eyebrows suddenly went up when he saw what M'rissi was cradling. "Is that…a sabrecat?"
Ruby looked back at Lirry then at the man. "That…is a panther."
"Never heard of a panther before." His eyes narrowed and his mouth shifted into a skeptical expression, and Ruby quickly thought up a response.
"It's a type of cat. Not much else to it. We'll just go set up for the night then." She started towards the old fort, quickly leading her team there while recalling what they found in that place the first time around.
'Oh, I really hope they cleaned it all out.'
After getting the horses settled in the makeshift stables, basically just a large room in the fort filled with dirt and scattered hay, the group went into the sleeping areas, where the most they could hope for with privacy were sets of partitions offered to them. Ruby couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious as she changed out of her armor and into something more suited to being in a town.
"Got some food," Blake announced as she and Lydia returned, some steaming bowls on trays in hand, along with few small loaves of bread and a stack of uncooked salmon fillets. A woman following them had several mugs as well. Ruby smelled a mix of venison and another meat she couldn't quite identify along with potatoes and carrots. She smacked her lips and readied herself to sit and eat, but then realized that there was no table.
"Uh…"
"Sorry, but they're all outside," the woman said, noticing her dilemma rather quickly. "We could pull that chest-of-drawers over between two beds and you can sit like that."
"Uh, what do you guys think?" Ruby asked.
"I can get one end," Inigo offered.
"Right then." The woman set down her tray and went over to grab the other end. Ruby almost whistled when she saw how her muscles popped out, but held back as they moved the furniture piece into place. She brushed off her hands and nodded as she left.
"Let me know if you need anything else, loves." Ruby nodded at the woman as she left their area, likely to serve any other patrons.
"Well, let's eat then," Lydia said as she started setting out the bowls. M'rissi made sure that Lirry got her fish before sitting at the makeshift table with the others, and then everybody began eating in companionable silence.
"You know," Ruby said after getting halfway through her meal, "I'm really happy with how this place is turning out. It's going to take a while to rebuild, but I think it's telling of a greater rebuilding." She took a drink of mulled wine and let out a contented sigh before looking over at her fellow Huntress. "Blake, I've been thinking…about the civil war."
The Faunus looked up, her ears indicating attentiveness. "What about it?"
"I've mostly pushed it to the back of my mind, since…we haven't seen anything from it. It felt more like a cold war than anything. But then…we saw that battle this morning." Ruby sighed. "Guys, be honest with me, was that…a little battle?"
Lydia looked up and nodded. "That was more of a skirmish, practically a melee with such small numbers. More than likely, it was simply where two or three patrols ran into one another. A real battle would be…much larger."
"And there's going to be a lot of battles in this war?" At Lydia's nod, Ruby sighed. "Okay, honest opinion Blake. If it comes down to it, would helping the Stormcloaks or the Empire be better?"
For a moment, Blake was silent and still. She looked down at her stew and gulped. "I… If we're being pragmatic, Skyrim alone might not be able to hold out against its enemies. And without Skyrim, the Empire would be greatly diminished, too. Unless they completely flipped it and Skyrim 'became' an empire, or took Cyrodiil's place, they'd be vulnerable. But if the Empire wins, then things… Well, things won't go back to normal, but all the resources that were focused on the civil war could be reallocated."
"What about leaders?"
"Leaders?"
"If Ulfric wins, he basically becomes the High King, right?" Ruby pointed out. "But if the Empire wins, they say Elisif should become High Queen. I…don't want to talk bad about her, but Elisif barely knows what she's doing." Ruby huffed and crossed her arms. "She really cares, but she's easily led along and makes hasty decisions. I didn't know what it was about. I just figured she was overwhelmed by it happening so suddenly after her husband died, but then I heard that they met in a tavern from some people, and while it might just be a rumor… Sorry, I'm overthinking it."
"No, it's fine. I can understand why you're worried." Blake rolled her mug between her hands. "We've all thought about it."
"Yeah, but we can't let ourselves get mixed up in this. Capric did, and now… Well, he's stuck with the Thalmor. I've just…gotta stay focused." She groaned. "It's so hard sometimes though. I want to help, but…I don't think there's really a way to help."
Blake looked down and nodded.
After rousing themselves in the early morning, Yang, Weiss, and Anum-La prepared to head the rest of the way down to Whiterun, but not before taking a long look at the lunar forge that they had slept near and try to figure out what they could about it. Both Yang and Weiss were coming up with several theories based on their experiences in magic and forging, but Anum didn't have much to say.
"This 'lunar forge' looks like any other to me. But I'm not exactly a smith. Or a mage."
"Yeah, I can see why you'd think that." Yang shrugged as she got up. "Well, unless we shovel out a bunch of coal to this place, there's no real way to figure it out. All we got is the leftovers."
"Yes, but they're worth observation themselves." Weiss looked over the sword in her hand as the three headed downstairs to where their steeds awaited them. She put the sword into her saddlebag before climbing on, and then they began riding towards Whiterun.
"That reminds me, you said you and Eorlund Gray-Mane were making something?" Anum-La said to Yang.
"Yeah, it's a special armor," she confirmed. "It's supposed to be very flexible and…grows and shrinks with you." She nodded at that explanation and grinned. "Yeah, only problem is finding something to use as a buffer padding that stretches along with it."
"You could always try Frostbite spider silk," the Argonian woman suggested. The two humans looked at her, then at each other.
"Beg your pardon?" Weiss got out.
"Frostbite spider silk," Anum repeated. "Supposed to be really stretchy and comfortable, but also very expensive. Mostly 'cause you have to get it straight out of the spider." She laughed at that. "Can't just grab the stuff they've put on the ground or their prey. Not sure what it is. I'm not a seamstress, but there's some woman in Whiterun who supposedly knows all about it. Maidengloom or something like that."
"Okay, but how do you know about it?" Yang asked.
"Got bored. Read some books. It was a terrible time, but I learned some things. Eh, let's see." The Saxhleel opened a bag and pulled out a tome that she handed over to Weiss.
"The Fauna of Tamriel: Skyrim," Weiss read the title. She flipped through some pages, pausing at one and then tracing the lines while speed-reading it. She grimaced, and then flipped pages again to land on something else. After several minutes, she closed the book and let out a huff of air. "Okay, I may have an idea."
"What is it, and why do I feel like I'm going to hate it?" Yang asked.
"Weiiiiiiiiiiiiis," Yang squeaked out as she stood under the massive Frostbite spider.
"Hurry up," the heiress ground out, magic flowing from her hand and into the spider. "I can only hold this Calm Animal spell for so long."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Reach up and milk it or something, I don't know. Just start pulling something out of the spinneret."
"I don't know what that is!"
"Pull the string out of its ass!" Anum-La yelled from the mouth of the cave.
"Oh, I hate this," Yang said as she reached up to what she hoped was the right thing and started pulling. To her relief, a thick thread of silk came out. Taking out a length and then rolling it over, Yang began to gradually wind it out of the spider and into a slowly forming bolt around her hands. "This feels so weird."
"As long as you're getting it. Anum, how're we looking?" Weiss shouted from over her shoulder.
"Don't see any others coming up yet. I'll scream if I see any, though your screams will probably win over mine."
"Vote of confidence…appreciated," Yang said through gritting teeth. "Is this enough?"
"I don't know how much will be lost in processing," Weiss told her. "Get as much as you can. Having more than enough won't hurt."
"Yeah, try saying that when you're the one under a-" Yang nearly jumped when she heard something chittering behind her. She turned back to look, and started seeing shapes moving from further down the cave.
"I think we've got incoming," Anum warned them.
"Well, I'm nearly out of magicka anyways."
"And I'm outta here!" Yang declared while running out from behind the spider and towards the entrance. She paused a moment when she realized that the thread was still stringing along, but Weiss came to the rescue and sliced away the excess still connected to the spider with Strahlendjuwel. Yang then bolted with Weiss right behind her. With the spell no longer being fed into it, the spider stumbled a bit before focusing on them. It chittered, then took up the silk extending from it before balling it while tapping its venomous fangs to it. With poison soaked through the silk ball, it launched it towards the retreating women, who just managed to dodge it. As the giant arthropod chased them out of the cave, it raised its frontmost legs and head up while reaching towards them. Before it could make it far, a large, dark-brown ball rammed into it from the side. Toggle let out a bellow as he smashed his tusks into the arachnid's body and began biting at its head. Some smaller spiders came out in time to see one of their most massive members being torn apart by the great boar and began backing away into their home in a sense of self-preservation bordering on fear. Toggle turned to them and let out another bellow and shook the green ichor from his snout.
"Whew! Thanks, Toggle!" Yang said as they came back to the boar, who was now pulling off a leg from the spider to eat. "We could have killed it, but we didn't even want to be near it. Good piggy!"
He oinked at her while chewing the crunchy leg and Weiss went over to pet his head.
"I'm going to see about getting you some extra slop at the next town," she promised him while taking a bag from his saddle, to which he oinked happily. Yang quickly put the silk into it then shook her hands.
"It feels so weird, like that kinetic sand stuff, but as strings."
"I'm sure it'll be worth it. If we're lucky, that's enough for your armor and maybe some clothes. I haven't worn silk in forever.
"Oh, is that what this was about?" Yang teased her with a grin. "You just wanted some fresh silk undies?"
Weiss was about to say something, but then closed her mouth and smirked right back.
"Get a room!"
"Oh hush, Anum-La," Weiss said to the Argonian before hopping up onto Toggle's back. "Well, let's get this to this special seamstress. Maybe you can have your armor ready for our next quest."
"That'd be cool," Yang admitted as she mounted Lucky Day.
"I never did ask what you were doing, beyond going to Riften," Anum-La realized. "But, if you need armor, it sounds like it could be interesting."
"Heading to find something at Redwater Den," Weiss explained.
"What in the world could you need from a skooma den?"
"…I'm sorry, a what?"
The five rode into Riverwood, some of the village folk waving happily towards Ruby and Blake when they recognized them. As Ruby made her way to the Sleeping Giant Inn, she briefly saw Joselyn, who she waved at, but the woman seemed to shrink into herself and barely mustered a wave of her own before slinking off. Ruby just shrugged off the encounter and continued on. Inside the inn, she and Blake headed to the secret cellar while the others all made themselves at home. Delphine was at her planning table, a sword on her belt and a few potions within reach. Her hand went to her sword impressively fast, but her tension loosed when she saw it was them.
"You made it out alive, at least," she greeted them. "Rumor mill is running though that the Dragonborn made a bit of a…display at the party."
"You said to make a distraction," Ruby pointed out with a light-hearted shrug.
"…I suppose I did," she admitted while crossing her arms. "Still, were you able to get anything useful?" she directed to Blake.
"Well, for one, they're as clueless as we are," the Faunus told her, much to the Blade's surprise. "Actually, we might know more than them at this point."
"Really?" she asked with a hand to her chin. "You're sure about that?"
"We did get some info, though." Blake took out two of the dossier copies and handed them over to the Blade. "Found a member of the Guild in their dungeon. They were trying to find out where someone named Esbern is hiding from them."
"Esbern?" she nearly shouted, surprise and relief filling her voice as she looked up from the document with his name on it. "He's alive? I thought the Thalmor got him years ago. That crazy old man…" She nodded and set the papers down. "Figures the Thalmor would be on his trail, though, if they were trying to figure out what's going on with the dragons."
"What're they after him for?" Ruby asked.
"You mean aside from wanting to kill every Blade they can get their hands on?" Delphine asked with a smirk. "Esbern was one of the Blades' archivists, back before the Thalmor smashed us during the Great War. He knew everything about the ancient dragonlore of the Blades. Obsessed with it, really. Before the war, he kept raving on about 'the return of the dragons,' and how they would bring about the end times. Nobody paid much attention to it back then. I guess he wasn't as crazy as we all thought."
"Wow, so you thought they were the masterminds, and now they think one of your guys knows something," Ruby pointed out.
"Yeah, the irony's thick there, I know, but at least this time we're on the right trail. Even so, we've got to find Esbern before they do. He'll know how to stop the dragons if anybody does. Do they know where he is?"
"Riften seems to be the best guess," Blake pointed out. "The guy I saved mentioned he might be in the Ratway."
"Sounds about right. It's probably what I would've done if I was lower on options…" Delphine seemed to think it over a minute before nodding. "Alright, at the very least, you already have some connections there. Brynjolf should be able to point you in the right direction. Oh, and when you find Esbern, if you think I'm paranoid, you may have some trouble getting him to trust you. Just ask him where he was on the Thirtieth of Frostfall. He'll know what it means."
"Thirtieth of Frostfall," Blake repeated to herself a few times. Ruby looked back to her and then to Delphine again.
"There's something else," the Dragonborn began, unsure how to break the news to the Blade.
"What is it? Someone find you out?" Delphine asked.
"Kinda, but not really. I ran into a Thalmor agent there who… Well, it's kinda weird. He's from our homeland."
"I don't think you ever mentioned much about your home. Not to me at least. What's so special about this?"
"Okay, so he basically knew all about us." Delphine's eyes went wide at that. "No, he doesn't know about you, I think. But he actually helped us get the information, and even saved Blake. Well, Blake could've handled it, but he saved her the trouble."
"He also saved Malborn," Blake added. "His name is Capric Thorn."
Delphine's eyes widened. "You're kidding? Thorn? Capric Thorn? That elf is from your homeland?"
"You know about him?"
"Vaguely. I know that he got a lot of Thalmor out of the Imperial City when the Emperor retook it. Coincidentally, they were all the ones just open-minded enough to consider Bosmer their close seconds and were willing to award him his position. He also had a hand in the suppression of several rebel cells in Elsweyr and Valenwood. A lot of that had been the hard work of the remnants of the Blades. He's ruthless, and his information gathering is second to none. He found where so many Blades were hiding and took them down before they knew what was coming, not to mention the local rebel leaders. What exactly does he want with you, though?"
"In his words, he was sent to deal with the dragon problem," Ruby told her. "He said that he's getting his resources in place to find out where they are, as well as the Word Walls that help me learn Shouts faster."
"So then, he knows about the Dragonborn. At least, what makes the Dragonborn special." Delphine nodded at that. "I don't like this, but try to keep on his good side if he communicates with you further. But be careful. There are reasons he was able to become a Thalmor and stay one."
"I will be, don't worry. He already pointed me out to one thing, though. It's called Shriekwind Bastion, and he said that it seems to have vampires living in there. Know anything about it?"
"Admittedly, not much, though I do think I heard some old codger tell a story about it once. Something about how the shrieks of Lamae Bal can still be heard. Might be superstition, but if vampires really are lurking around there…make sure you go prepared."
"I'm always prepared…usually."
"And that will make it so I can wear the armor without pinching," Yang finished explaining to the elder woman. Lillith nodded as she ran some of the silk through her finger.
"Well, this will be enough for that much, at least. Yes, just enough." She laughed a bit and gave the young women a smile. "You know, I actually don't know if anyone else is left alive who knows how to spin it anymore. I had hoped that dear Ingun would come to learn, but she's gone and stuffed her nose so far into the cauldron she's liable to turn green." Lillith then let out a sigh. "Well, all right then, for this much I'll need… Let's just say five hundred septims, hm?"
"Seems fair. I imagine this would be quite labor intensive," Weiss remarked. "I can go and get you an ebon from the bank, then."
"Yes, but afterwards, would you mind staying around and listen to an old woman droll on? Haven't had any good company in a long time, and the stableboys only visit to demand their pay."
'Oh, she owns the stable?' Yang thought. 'That's why the symbol on their office looks like a loom.'
"Of course. We'd be happy to," Weiss replied with a polite smile, then turned to leave. As she made her way out and up to the bank, Lillith opened up a drawer and took out a piece of long, thin cloth with some faded writing on it.
"If you'll hold still, I'd like to get your measurements."
"Oh, well, I was figuring you could just fit it to the inside of the armor."
"I will, but I'm also fitting it to you. Besides, I'd rather do this all at once."
Yang decided it was better not to argue and just stood at the ready while the elder woman began taking measure of her arms, height, and legs.
"Well, aren't you blessed by Dibella?" the woman laughed after seeing her bust measurement. Yang laughed with her.
"Yeah, yeah. People will say I'm blessed, but they aren't the ones having to manage these girls."
"Oh, trust me, I understand. You might not know it looking at me, but I was quite the beauty in my youth."
"Oh, I believe you," Yang replied with a wry smile.
"Unfortunately, I was also a bit of a troublemaker. And I was more the type to lead others into relationships. Just ask dear Fralia how she met Eorlund. By the time I decided to settle on a single man, though, it was a bit too late. I wasn't worried though. Had a pair of brothers I suspected might give me a niece someday, but all I got was nephews. Well, I thought perhaps one of them might have a girl someday. Darvil might have even picked it up himself. He was always a gentle one." She wrote down all the measurements she had just taken, Yang noticing how she did it almost without looking at the paper. "But then the call to war came, and when everyone else's family was returning, my nephews and grandnephews never showed. Part of me hoped that at least one of them made it and just resettled, but my heart always feared the worst, you know. Now it's been so long that I suppose it no longer matters. Still, I can't help but imagine what we used to be. The Maiden-Looms used to be as big and influential a clan as the Battle-Borns, the Gray-Manes, the Silver-Bloods, or even the Black-Briars. Now there's only me, tending to the ranch and stables."
The older woman smiled. "Oh dear, look at me. I promised I'd drone on to your friend, but here you are getting her earfuls."
"No, it's fine. I'm sure it helps to get things like that off your chest," Yang answered sincerely.
"Certainly, but you're not the first one I've regaled that particular story to." At that, the door opened and Weiss reentered with a black coin in hand.
"Here you go, ma'am. Payment in full."
"Ah, thank you," she said as she took the ebon. "That'll get me a few more bales of hay to stock up on." Lillith then took up the bag of silk fibers and nodded as she looked into it. "Good, good. Alright, come here dears," she indicated for them to follow her over to a spinning wheel. "I'll show you how we start this. First, you'll want to break off a small bit, and start with the fold."
"Things I did not imagine learning today: spinning silk, a potato hash recipe, and Maven Black-Briar's teenage squeeze," Yang rattled off as she and Weiss went to the room that Anum-La had rented at the Bannered Mare. They half-expected to find her awake, but instead walked in to her lying on her stomach and sleeping.
"Guess she was more tuckered out than we thought."
"Might have something to do with the weather," Weiss supposed. "Morthal was a good bit warmer than Whiterun, and there are already patches of snow building up around here."
"Hm, sounds about right. I wonder if Argonians…" Yang paused a moment and looked directly at the left wall of the room. Weiss raised her eyebrow and followed her gaze, and a moment later she started hearing a rhythmic thumping sound. Yang started to chortle, while Weiss looked panicked.
"Oh gods, please tell me I'm not hearing-" a hitch-pitched moan cut her off and the blonde sputtered into laughter. Weiss threw up a silencing spell and Yang slapped a knee before exiting the room with her and closing the door behind them.
"These walls are supposed to be soundproof," Weiss ground out.
"Sorry, Snowdrop, looks like they didn't factor in superhearing." As Yang laughed a little more, Weiss stormed off, causing the werewolf to calm down and start after her friend in worry. "Weiss?" she called out to her, but the other girl continued stomping away until she got to Breezehome. Yang followed her in and up to the master bedroom, where Weiss plopped herself into the lounge chair and hugged her knees up to her chest. Yang looked at her for a moment, noting the disconcerted look on her face. The blonde then reached over and turned around the desk chair before sitting down across from her friend.
"Weiss, is everything okay?"
"I just…really didn't want to hear that."
"Weiss, it's okay to be embarrassed about it. I might have been embarrassed under different circumstances."
"It's not embarrassment, I…," Weiss paused for a moment then took a deep breath, "I'm scared."
Yang was struck by that revelation. For a moment, she tried to wrap her head around just what Weiss meant by that. "Scared of what?"
"Of…myself. Of what I might do. I already lost myself once when you tried to cure me with Lycanthropy, and that was with hunger. I…don't want…" Weiss winced, and slowly stretched her legs back out to put her feet to the floor. "Do you know the story of Lamae Beolfag?"
"I…know she was the first vampire, made when…Molag Bal raped her."
"That's not the end of it." Weiss sat up straight and took a deep breath. "She was found by nomads who tried to heal her and save her life, but they couldn't. After a time, she died, and so they prepared her a funeral pyre, but when the flames went up, she awoke. She massacred the women and children, then…raped…every…man to death."
Yang stared forward, wide-eyed. She'd never heard that part of the story before. She always thought it just ended with Molag Bal leaving the poor woman to die. Weiss continued to stare forward, her expression blank before looking straight into Yang's eyes.
"Yang, if a pious, maidenly priest can be changed so much as to do…that, then what does that mean for someone like me? What horrible things am I capable of?"
"Weiss, don't think like that. You wouldn't-"
"I've wanted to," she quickly shot out, cutting Yang off with surprise. "Not all of that, and certain not to that extreme, but… That time Ruby walked in on me and J'zargo kissing? That's all we did, but there was something in the back of my mind, telling me to make him…mine. To use everything and take everything. I thought… I hoped that it was just…fetishistic thoughts, but after being taken into the Volkihars' fold, something else is in there." Weiss ran a hand along her head, pushing her hair back. "And it gets loud, sometimes. I can't say my craving for blood increased, but I certainly want quality. And…other things. And now I'm afraid of what I want." The vampire seemed to sink into herself with that. Yang started forward but saw Weiss flinch and paused in her steps. She looked at her friend for a long moment and blinked slowly before walking out of the room.
Alone, Weiss clenched her teeth, feeling the certain displacement her fangs had on her jaw and loathing it all the more. She felt the sting of tears in the corner of her eyes and nearly gave in when she heard a dog-like whimper. The heiress looked up to see a large, golden-furred wolf head, connected to a massive body.
"Yang? Wha-" Yang suddenly pushed her head up against her and rubbed her affectionately, letting out another whimper as she did. Weiss reached up and felt her hands going through fur and then come back and go again. Barely realizing it, she began petting the large canine person, her tension dissipating like steam in the wind. Yang's eyes looked up to her, slowly turning from blue to lilac. Reflected in them, she could see her own eyes, glowing a light orange that slowly changed back to their original blue. Yang's tail began wagging and she pressed her snout to Weiss's belly with a doggish groan. Weiss let herself smile and gently hugged her friend's neck.
"Thank you," she whispered.