"The destruction of Helgen won't bode well for the rest of Skyrim…" Hadvar muses, bringing my attention away from the surrounding woods as we walk down the path covered in ancient looking bricks.
Moss and plants cover them, and some are clearly ground down from the constant traffic.
I can see remnants of brick walls and even buildings devoured by nature, some small and others big.
It's beautiful.
"How so?" I ask, keeping my bow in hand just in case.
It's possibly a very old bow, as the string is falling apart and is far too rough, while the wood is cracked a bit here and there.
I'm lucky I even managed to shoot a few arrows with this thing, but I'll get rid of it as soon as I possibly can.
Perhaps I'll even Enchant my next bow, though I'd rather hide such skills...
I hate having a cool power, but be unable to use it due to it putting a massive target on my back.
The Thalmors would stop at nothing to get to me and have such power, while the College… Ugh, just thinking about Savos Aren makes me want to throw up.
"Helgen was a merchant city." Hadvar answers me, making me perk up slightly. "It was the main way to bring merchandise in and out of Skyrim since by sea is far too perilous, so now without it…"
"Resources will dwindle, people will become desperate, and panic will spread." I finish for him, then share a sigh as I reach up to pinch the bridge of my nose. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think the Dragon destroyed Helgen for that very reason."
That means that things will become so much more difficult, and that staying in Skyrim for a prolonged amount of time won't be a good option.
I need to get stronger, and fast. I need to be able to protect myself so that I can survive the incoming apocalypse.
We fall quiet once more and just keep on walking, following Hadvar down the ancient road and through the breathtaking forest filled with remnants of ancient times.
The day goes by, and the sun starts to set, but before everything goes dark Aurash spots something.
"I see smoke up ahead." She calls out, making me and Hadvar stop and look towards the sky, where indeed a column of smoke was already rising.
I narrow my eyes slightly. "Stormcloaks stragglers?" I ask, but Hadvar hums softly as he looks around.
"Or bandits." He points out. "We are close to Riverwood's mine, which has been taken over by bandits, so that might be them." Oh right, I forgot about that place.
But shouldn't the Standing Stones be first though?
"Shall we graciously take their camp for the night?" I suggest with a raised brow, earning a chuckle from Aurash and Hadvar.
"And their food too. I'm sure they won't mind." Aurash adds, making me realize that I am indeed quite hungry, especially after all this walking.
This also proves that I do not have Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body, which… I am quite glad about.
Hadvar hums, then takes the corner of the road that leads downward towards the river. "They most definitely camped by the river, so to watch the roads." So there should be a group camped by the road, and the rest are probably inside the mine.
That means that there's probably a dozen or more of them. That's a bit worrying, but we should be able to succeed if we have the element of surprise on our side.
But those thoughts fade away as my eyes land on a certain monument while we descend towards the river.
Hadvar too perks up at the sight. "Oh, the Standing Stones. Been a while since I saw them." He muses softly before tilting his head towards us. "You two should see if you can gain their blessings."
"Blessings?" Aurash asks, lifting a curious brow as she shoots a glance towards the three large stones ahead of us.
Hadvar shrugs. "We don't really know how it works, we just know that some can get the Blessings, and others can't." He pauses as we reach the front of the platform where the three Standing Stones are, then points at each of them. "There's the Mage Stone, the Thief Stone and the Warrior Stone."
"I can't tell you what the Blessings are since they are different for each person, but I know a Breton that gained the Warrior Stone Blessing, and the next day he threw down and beat a brown bear into submission."
I gape at Hadvar as he chuckles while Aurash whistles in shock.
Throwing down with a brown bear… Was he drunk or did he go look for trouble?
I shake my head and then shrug before stepping forward. "Might as well try." I hum as I walk up to the Standing Stone of the Mage, then place my hand on it.
I feel a pleasant hot current rush through me the moment my hand touched the mossy stone, and the circle by the tip lights up before shooting a faint multicolored light in the darkening sky.
[Blessing of the 'Standing Stone of the Mage' has been acquired!]
Effects; All Spells are twice as powerful and cost half as much.
Okay. That's just fantastic.
Thank you so much, Standing Stone.
Or Magnus.
I turn around just in time to see Aurash activate the Warrior Stone, then give a full body shudder.
"You alright?" I ask her as she rolls her neck, making it pop quite audibly a few times.
She grunts, then nods. "Yeah, though my body feels a bit heavier." She muses, rolling her shoulders a few times before shrugging and turning towards Hadvar. "What Stone did you get?"
He snorts softly, then nods towards the Thief Stone. "I can be quite sneaky when I want to!" Huh, I did notice that his steps didn't seem to make any noise back in Helgen's Keep.
He turns around and looks towards the column of smoke rising in the sky, then hums softly. "They might have seen the beams of light if they are in a clearing, so let's be careful in our approach." I nod, then fall into steps with him, ready to Conjure an Imp at any moment.
Passing the current Advancement Tests won't be hard, but it might take me a few days to rack up the kills.
Unless I can exploit the kill system and go for animals.
Though it does say 'enemies', so maybe that's not possible.
We draw closer and closer to the rising smoke and swiftly notice that it's not near the road, but more down to the left, by the rushing river.
"There's the path to the mine…" Hadvar softly says as he points to the right, right towards a barely visible beaten path in the grass that goes straight into the forest.
He slowly turns so to lead the way downward towards the river, making sure to avoid any thick foliage and watching his steps so to not make any noise.
Though after a minute we didn't need to hide our footsteps, as the roaring of the river does that for us and even more.
The small clearing by the side of it comes into view, and so does a group of six people, all clad in thick hide armor and iron gauntlets.
"Bandits?" I whisper towards Hadvar, who narrows his eyes and peeks over the bushes, the roar of the river barely letting us hear whatever they are talking about.
Two of them look completely drunk, and another two are making out in the open and look minutes away from just tearing their clothes off, while the last two are talking with each other and sitting by the fire, which has quite a few big fishes on sticks cooking by it.
"Don't look like hunters to me." Aurash muses from behind me, and Hadvar nods before narrowing his eyes.
I look back at the camp, and a plan quickly formulates in my mind, so I turn towards Hadvar with a grin. "Wanna be the bait?" He blanches, then sighs when Aurash snorts and pats his back, quite roughly at that too as he visibly flinches.
"What's the plan?" He asks, and I point towards the two by the fire.
"You'll make yourself known and see if they are aggressive. If they are, I'll take out the two by the fire and see if I can hit the drunk guys too." I then point towards the two that are making out and turn towards Aurash. "Could you go around and rush in to take care of those two?"
She looks up at the man and woman making out, scrunches up her nose, then nods and starts to slowly move so to circle around and get in position.
I turn back to the clearing, then swiftly Conjure an Imp, much to Hadvar's visible distaste for the creepy thing.
I point towards the fire and look at the Imp. "When I tell you, go and kill those two by the fire." It cackles and nods happily, then use a tree as cover so to stand up and look towards Hadvar.
It's better I aim for the drunkards, as I don't want to ruin the already cooking food that they oh so graciously are going to leave behind for us.
"I'll give you the signal." He nods and moves a bit away from me, so I breathe in, then raise my palm.
To pass the Destruction Advancement Quest I need to create ten spells, with one having already been made from when I created the Glintstone pebble back in Helgen.
But this time I need a Spell with a far bigger area of effect. And that is incredibly lethal too.
I create a ball of flame floating on my palm, it's heat tickling against my face before I compact it more and more, make it hotter, then lock oxygen deep inside of it.
Finally, I create a Glintstone glass around it, cyan and orange-white mixing and glowing together as the fist sized crystal hums softly.
Once it impacts a surface, the crystal will explode, and the oxygen inside of the flames will be released and cause a powerful burst. Plus launch shard of magical glass everywhere.
I turn towards Hadvar and give him a nod, making him harden his face before he stands and steps into the clearing, hands slightly high in the air.
"Hello, brothers-"
"What the fuck?!" I raise an amused brow as the two people by the campfire jump in fright at Hadvar's sudden appearance. "He's a fucking Imperial!"
"Hey, come on now, I'm just lost here and need some help!"
"We're gonna help you get to Sovengarde, you damned Imperial!" I guess that's our cue.
Hadvar sighs and drops his arms to the side. "Guess they aren't friendlies. Ladies!"
My Imp cackles and launches himself forward as I spin out of the cover of the tree and let my newly created spell fly forward.
The two drunkards don't have time to react as the large Glintstone crystal flies between the two, then smashes into the ground and explode.
I wince at the bright flash of cyan and orange flames, my Imp having already claimed a victim by the fire while the other is killed by Hadvar.
My two targets roll across the ground and remain there, faces charred black and with several holes across their whole body.
Ouch.
The quick chaos and sudden attack also allowed Aurash to swiftly rush in, bisect one of the two lovers, then kick the other one's knee in and bending it the wrong way.
Then when she fell to the ground, her boot came down on the skull, caving it in and putting an end to her life.
"Well…" Hadvar muses, scrunching up his nose towards my Imp before relaxing and flicking the blood off his sword. "That went better than I expected." I send him a look, and he has the galls to look a bit sheepish.
Still, I'm equally surprised that it actually went so well.
But I guess that's normal since we had the element of surprise on our side.
I dismiss my Imp and let it drag the corpse it was chewing on away, then sigh and relax near the fire.
Aurash comes by two, dragging what looks like a large trap dripping with water, and filled with five still alive fishes. "These guys are bandits." I blink at her in confusion as she sets the trap down, then notice the lack of the two corpses of the people she killed.
Did she toss them into the river?
"There were two corpses by the river. Pair of Hunters I presume."
Hadvar grimaces. "Hope they weren't from Riverwood…" He sighs, then shakes his head and plops down by the fire.
I look around, then perk up when I notice a very nice looking bow by one of the tents.
I walk up to it and grab it as Aurash starts skinning and cleaning the fishes inside the trap, then stabbing sticks through them and letting them cook.
I rub my fingers against the bow string, then give it a few experimental pulls before nodding. It feels better against my fingers, but it requires more strength to pull it back than the one I currently have.
Which means it's far, far better quality.
I toss mine aside and grab it, then add the few steel arrows inside the nearby quiver into mine.
This is probably the Hunting Bow from the game, and the one I had before was a simple and curved Long Bow. Which was also quite old and worn out.
This one instead is either brand new, or perfectly kept. Just what I need.
I walk up to the fire and lay it to the ground as I kneel down, then receive a look from Hadvar.
He frowns slightly, then looks around towards the tents.
I merely tilt my head curiously, but shrug when he goes to stand and walk towards the tents, then rummage through the bags inside of them.
"I was wondering…" Aurash speaks up as I grab an already cooked fish for myself, the scent alone already making me drool slightly as my stomach growls. "What were you in for?"
I blink as I take a bite of the fish, a delicious smoky but also juicy flavor filling my mouth. "Dunno. I just woke up in there." She pauses, then turns to look at me with narrowed confused eyes as Hadvar perks up.
"Excuse me?" He asks, a frown crossing his face.
I shrug. "I went to sleep in my own home, then woke up in that cell when the Dragon started demolishing the city above my head." He gapes at me, then lowers his gaze in thought.
"Well, ain't the first time someone innocent got implicated by the Imperials." Aurash snipes beneath her breath, making Hadvar visibly wince. "I don't blame you. I blame that bitch of your Captain."
I hold back a snort.
Inside the game, I always picked going with the Stormcloaks so that I could kill the annoying bitch.
Executing an innocent just because he was nearby during the ambush on the Stormcloaks.
And fucking General Tullius said nothing.
What a disappointment. The lot of them.
"Yeah… Her." Hadvar scoffs too, then shudders in disgust. "The greatest boot-licker I've ever seen." He then pauses, then turns towards Aurash and chuckles softly. "I'm pretty sure she wanted to execute you because you sent her flying during the ambush."
Aurash pauses, then throws her head back and barks out a laugh. "She's the one I sent flying?! No shit she was glaring at me so much!"
I raise an amused brow. "Now that's a story I want to hear."
The tall woman on the other side of the fire chuckles softly and shakes her head. "I'm a mercenary. I was paid by a widow to return her late husband's sword to the Companions in Whiterun, as he was one of them, and it's a tradition of the Companions to keep the swords of their fallen Shield Brothers in Jorrvaskr."
"I had just crossed the border when a group of Stormcloaks ran out of the forest, startling me and… well, I beat their asses into the ground. And then that bitch appeared and demanded I stand down and surrender for 'colluding with the Stormcloaks'." Hadvar groans loudly, looking like he really wants to bury himself alive at this point.
"I obviously said 'Fuck no.'… So she charged at me with her sword, and I booted her in the guts and sent her flying into her pals. I only surrendered 'cause he and a whole bunch more of Imperials came in."
I couldn't help the few giggles that escape me as she finishes speaking.
That's a sight I'd love to see!
"Ah, here!" I hum and perk up as Hadvar fishes out some light fur clothes from one of the bags inside the tent. "Flora, these should fit you." Huh, that's very considerate of him.
"What? You don't enjoy the view?" I raise a brow at him as I stretch my long legs out, then snort when he chokes and sputters.
I shake my head and stand, putting the half eaten fish back against the fire. "Thanks, I was getting tired of this potato sack." He sighs and walks past me as I grab the change of clothes, then go into the woods to change myself.
My chest giggles free as I toss the potato sack to the side, making me blink and look down at it.
I have a mole on my right breast, and they are quite soft and jiggly.
Huh… Nice.
I've always disliked my previous body. I always felt like… I wasn't meant to look like that.
That it was wrong, and not mine.
Yet now, even though I don't fully know how I look like, I feel fantastic. Like this body was meant to be mine.
That this is how I was meant to look like.
It's… weird, and I don't understand why I feel this way.
I shake my head and sigh, then check out the fur clothes.
One was a thick, short-sleeved fur shirt, with the inside being filled with fluffy white fur. Probably for cold weathers.
The other is a pair of shorts, just like the shirt, plus an armored skirt that is longer on the right side, reaching down to the knee while the left side is halfway there.
I put them on, sighing softly when I feel that they are a bit tight on me, but I can't really do anything about it for now.
I reattach my quiver on my lower back, then narrow my eyes.
Just in case of emergencies…
I bring out five Steel Arrows from my quiver, then gently breathe in and bring them near my lips. "Yol."
Wisps of orange energy flow out and attach themselves to one of the arrows, making it release a faint orange glow as Runes appear on it's shaft.
I repeat the process with the remaining ones, then grab one of them and hum softly.
I wonder if I can put more than one Enchantment on them, or if I have some sort of limitation.
I hum, then shrug. "Fus." This time the wisps of energy are a very faint blue, but just as they start attaching themselves to the shaft of the arrow, it starts crumbling in my hands.
I scrunch up my nose in distaste, but then just shake my head.
Was it because I can't put it on, or because the material isn't strong enough?
I look down at the ground, then raise a brow in interest as I see the Steel head of the arrow laying there.
I pick it up, then Enchant Yol on it, followed by Fus.
It cracks slightly, but remains usable, albeit it's probably for a single use.
I see, I've been going at it the wrong way then.
I'll remove and Enchant the arrow tips, then put them back on so to not put any strain on the wood.
The material needs to be strong enough to handle the Enchantments, and perhaps even dense enough.
I presume that an Iron Sword will be able to handle at least three, maybe four Enchantments on it, due to the size and density.
This arrow tip is too small, so of course it wouldn't be able to handle so much power.
I hum, then put away the arrows and the iron tip before going back to the others.
We then ate till we were full while chatting a bit, but both Hadvar and Aurash soon started getting drowsy.
I couldn't blame them. They lasted quite a lot, especially since they survived and escaped from a Dragon that was rampaging through the city.
Must've been tiring, plus all the constant combat they went through only added to the load on their shoulder.
"Take a rest, I'll keep watch." I tell them both, still feeling at the top of my game, not one bit tired.
Is it because of my species, or because of my Magicka?
Or maybe because I woke up a couple of hours ago.
They both take me up on my offer and pick one of the tents each, then crash down and start snoring softly in just a few seconds.
I smile softly and shake my head, then grab my quiver and set it beside me.
I keep my guard up as I take out all the arrow heads, then Enchant them all with Yol.
While instead I Enchanted the arrow shafts with Wuld, the Speed Shout taught by the Greybeards in the game and used to pass their test gate, and the one during the mission they give the player.
And then I never used it again after that.
I lift my bow, load a Wuld arrow, aim at a tree, then release it.
My eyes widen when it whistles through the air, then stabs halfway into the tree.
Huh…
Well, that's wonderful. I can't imagine the power it'll pack with Yol on the head, or even Fus, but that'll surely be very lethal.
On second thought, I kept half the arrows with only the shaft Enchanted with Wuld, while the other half has Yol also Enchanted on the tip.
Now all I need is to create an Enchanted Weapon, and then I can pass the Apprentice Advancement Test for the Enchanting Skill.
I hum and glance at the other Advancement Tests quests, then scrunch up my nose.
The easiest one to pass right now is the Alteration one, depending on how long Oak Flesh lasts.
I call upon the Spell and watch as a green crystal forms in the palm of my right hand, though nothing happens even after it finishes glowing.
I tilt my head, then crush it and watch as the energy inside of it rushes across my whole body, then turns a light brown color.
I feel a warm rush go through me, and I can tell that I am quite a bit stronger than before.
I lay still and count down each second, then hum when it actually fades away after one minute. Just like in the game.
I can't help but smirk at that.
I cast it again, then walk to the last free tent and close it, then lean my right hand inside of it and create a few more Candle Lights inside of it, clearing that part of the quest.
Well, this will be easy.
I go to start on working on something else, but pause when I feel someone enter my Magical Domain.
It's a man, from what I can feel. Tall, muscular and armed.
He sneaks at the edge of the woods, using a tree as cover, and I act like I don't know he is there.
As I keep an eye on him, I create an arrow made out of Glintstone, albeit just it's creation takes quite a bit out of me.
Perhaps the more detailed a Spell is in the creation, the more it ends up costing.
Good thing I have that Blessing then, because I probably wouldn't have been able to create it otherwise.
I turn my head and look towards the now retreating man, catching a glimpse of dark blue cloak before he disappears from sight, then stand and follow after him.
I keep him at the edge of my Magical Domain, Glintstone arrow in hand and ready to be launched.
I call upon the Bifrost Skill and coat the Glintstone arrow with the purplish-blue light particles, the hair on my neck standing on end just by looking at that light.
It's dangerous.
I lift my head as the Stormcloak in front of me reaches the road, and a deep voice reaches my ears.
"Hroki, what's the situation?" I approach the man named Hroki from behind, keeping myself low so to not get spotted just in case.
"Saw a fuckin' elf by the fire, and two others sleeping in tents. We can take 'em." No you can't.
I pull back the arrow, then release it, fully assured that at such close range I won't be able to miss.
My arrow whistles through the air and pierces through his back, then violently explodes within him, leaving behind a bloody hole, which kept expanding as the Bifrost light swiftly corroded more and more of his flesh and clothes.
Yeah, the Bifrost is horrifying.
I Conjure my Imp and let him rush forward as the corpse crumbles on the ground and I step out of cover.
There's just two more Stormcloaks on the road, most definitely stragglers from Helgen that managed to escape after us.
I don't draw another arrow, as I doubt I can hit a moving target, and instead decide to use the Bifrost once more.
"Fuck!" One of the two remaining Stormcloaks shouts as the cackling Imp charges at him, catching him unprepared, his greatsword still stuck to his back.
The other Nord seems a bit familiar for some reason, but I ignore that and launch a bolt of Bifrost forward, aiming for the ground at his feet.
As I do that, I mentally send the Hunting Bow into my Inventory, freeing my other hand and swiftly creating the Flame Glintstone Bomb I used not too long ago against the drunkards.
I launch it towards my Imp and his opponent, who had managed to lock the small creature down and was punching the shit out of it.
Only for a glowing hot crystal to smash against his face.
I use the same hand I used to launch the bomb to create a Lesser Ward, blocking quite a few hot shards of glass launched by the explosion.
The last Stormcloak wasn't so lucky though, as he dodges the bolt of Bifrost by jumping straight towards the explosion.
So he ends up screaming in pain as hot glass punches into his body, making him collapse on the ground from the pain.
Huh, ripped his right cheek open… Ouch.
"Who knew I was such a cold-blooded killer." I muse softly, then shrug. Whatever took me here also fucked me up quite badly.
"You bitch!" The Nord screams at me, making me sneer as I approach his downed form.
Took them down so fast they couldn't even draw their weapons.
I guess surprise attacks are my forte? Or perhaps they are just that overpowered…
"I prefer 'Witch', but to each their own." I shrug towards the fallen Nord, then crouch down beside him and smile coldly.
"Unfortunately for you, I need a guinea pig for a few things. So… don't die on me too quickly, will you?"
The look of sheer horror and terror on his face just makes my smile grow.
XxX
[Quagmire]
Soften the ground and turn it into a near liquid state, making anyone that steps on it sink down. The more they struggle, the faster they sink.
[Mage Light]
Launch a glowing orb of light forward. It will stick against any struck surface.
[Stone Flesh]
The upgraded version of Oak Flesh. The defense and strength boost are far greater, but it comes with added weight unto the caster's shoulders.
[Alteration: Adept Advancement Test]
Activate Stone Flesh at least 30 times. (0/30)
Use Quagmire to trap any being at least 50 times. (0/10)
Create an Apprentice Level Alteration Spell. (0/1)
Heal at least 20 wounds. (20/20)
Age a plant by more than fifty years. (50/50)
Fully drain the vitality of ten plants. (10/10)
Create Ten different Spells. (10/10)
Summon your minion/s at least five times. (5/5)
I flick away the screen before me with a relaxed smile, quite happy with the gains I had last night before Aurash woke up to take watch.
I made good use of that Nord I captured, then used him to heal twenty wounds to clear that part of the Restoration Quest before letting my Imp kill him and take his corpse away to add another kill to his count.
We didn't bother to even try and clear the mine of the bandits camped in there after we woke up.
We had more important things to do, plus I doubt we'd be able to safely take on more than a dozen bandits at once. Maybe.
I'd rather not be too overconfident.
Plus, that bitch of Delphine lives here, no? Why the fuck doesn't she do something herself?
Once we reached Riverwood, everything went by very quickly.
Alvor, Hadvar's uncle, took us in and let us fill our bellies before giving us some grim news.
"The road towards Whiterun is blocked. Large group of bandits settled down by the road" Alvor told us with a grimace. "Some of 'em sneaked into the village and stole shit all over the damn place. They hit Lucas's store pretty badly. Stole that Golden Claw of his."
So the Dark Elf that the player 'saves' in Bleak Falls Barrow this time has a massive group with him.
"One thing after another." Hadvar sighs, cursing under his breath before turning towards me and Aurash. "It's not a problem for me since I have to go back to Solitude and can take the other road, but you two are going to Whiterun, yes?"
Aurash nods, a small grimace on her own face. "I have to finish my job, plus I might as well bring word of what happened in Helgen to the Jarl there. Have him spread the word."
Alvor nods gratefully towards Aurash. "I was just about to ask you if you could do that. I will compensate you of course." His gaze then falls as he rubs at his beard. "You could go by Bleak Falls Barrow, go up the mountain and go down from the other side…" That makes me perk up slightly.
"Dear, that's far too dangerous…" Sigrid whispers towards him, making me raise a confused brow.
"I know, but what else can we do?" Alvor asks her. "You saw how massive that thing was. Everyone did. Plus we need help clearing the bandits too…"
I hum softly, then speak up. "What's dangerous about Bleak Falls Barrow?" I ask, making them turn to look towards me.
I know that it's an ancient tomb… But it shouldn't be so dangerous, should it?
Especially if we aren't even going to enter.
Husband and wife share a glance before Sigrid looks towards me with a heavy look in her eyes. "We have a legend around here, from when the crypt was first sealed."
"It says that the master that sealed himself in the crypt Conjured a beast of Helheim to guard the entrance hall. A Hel Hound." Both she and Alvor shiver at the name of the beast.
"Helheim?" I question with narrowed eyes. One of the Nine Realms of Nordic Mythology. Why is it here?
Hadvar is the one that answers my question. "One of the Realms of Oblivion, where Evil Souls go once they die, to suffer from the horrible, cutting cold winds of the endless icy plains." He explains, a harsh frown on his face. "Hel Hounds are one of the many beasts that guard those Evil Souls during their torment and punishment. They can spew flames that melt Steel in seconds."
Now that's horrifying.
"If you can provide us with some good horses, we can just rush by the crypt. There's no need to open it." Aurash informs them, making the husband and wife share a glance before nodding to each other.
"Give me an hour, I'll go prepare the best steeds Riverwood has to offer." Alvor says as he goes to stand, then pauses. "Honey, could you prepare some food for them? It'll take them days to reach Whiterun."
Sigrun nods and stands herself. "I'll prepare some warm coats for you two girls too. That mountain is very cold."
Aurash nods to them both in thanks before pausing, then turning towards me. "You're coming too?"
I shrug with a lazy smile. "I'm a stranger in a strange land. Hope you don't mind if I stick with you for a while." I'm gonna be your sidekick for a while, woman. So get used to my existence.
She hums, then shrugs. "Having a mage watch my back is always welcome." She then smirks and sends a teasing grin towards Hadvar. "Plus, us fellow innocent prisoner's must stick together!"
Hadvar groans and slams his head against the table, making us laugh at his expense.
The rest of the hour goes by quickly, and we soon meet by the gates of Riverwood near the bridge to cross the river.
Alvor and Hadvar are there waiting for us already, two large horses right beside them.
"-and nobody came to deal with the issue?" I raise a brow as me and Aurash approach the two, two large fur coats resting on our shoulders.
My feet still very naked.
It took quite a bit to convince Sigrun that I don't need boots.
For some reason, just the thought of wearing footwear makes me want to throw up.
A Nymph thing I presume.
Alvor shakes his head. "They stopped by nearly two moons ago. Just when the group of the Blades that stopped by the inn left towards Falkreath."
Wait, what? The Blades?
They still exist? How?
Ugh, my knowledge of this world is going to be useless, I just know it!
"Couldn't happen at a worse time…" Hadvar sighs before turning to face me and Aurash. "Well, I guess we part ways here." He says softly, placing his hands on his hips. "For all that's worth, I'm sorry for what my fellow Imperials did to you all. We really should be better than this…"
I wave away his concerns as Aurash shrugs. "We are safe and free, so that's what counts." He sighs again, a small smile on his face before he shakes his head, then lets us mount our horses.
"There's a forest right on the other side of the mountain." Alvor tells us once as I grab the reins of my horse, somehow feeling the happiness and excitement coming from him. Plus I can also hear him speak...
'A daughter of Kynareth graces us with her presence!'
'We won't disappoint you and your companion, my lady!'
I chuckle under my breath and stroke his mane as I focus back on what Alvor is saying. "You can reach the other side in just an hour. Path ain't steep and it's beaten, just watch out for the crypt."
"And stop before entering the forest for the day. That place is very dangerous during the night." Hadvar adds his own advice, receiving a thankful smile from me and Aurash.
"I hope we meet again, Imperial." Aurash tells our ex-companion with a grin.
She receives one back. "I hope it's under better circumstances!" Aurash barks out a laugh.
"Me booting your superior in the guts ain't good circumstances?" I snort as Hadvar and Alvor share a good laugh.
"May the Nine watch over your travels."
"May they watch over yours travels too."
And with a flap of our reins, we leave the man and his uncle behind, a smile blooming across my face as I instantly fall in love with horse riding.
I blink as Aurash fixes the bag of food over her shoulder, then it suddenly disappears before my eyes.
What?
"Dimensional Storage!" Aurash tells me, barking out a laugh at look on my face. "What? Jealous?"
I give her a look, then make the dagger I stole from the torturer appear in my hand.
"Oh come on!" This time I am the one that laughs.
She shakes her head as our horses run side by side, taking a turn and starting their run up the mountain path. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something." I hum as Aurash speaks up, then turn to face her, letting her go on. "I know it's rude, but I hope you won't take offense." She pauses slightly, then points at her ears. "You a halfling?" I raise a brow at the term.
"Half-Elf." Aurash says, using another term that I actually understand this time.
Of course my ears bring me trouble…
"You could say so." I don't directly answer the question, then glance at her. "Why you ask?"
She shrugs. "Never met another halfling." I raise a brow in surprise. "Mother was an Orsimer, father was a Breton. Got magic from him, but not his talent." Huh, that's too bad.
"I think it's better like that." I say with a smile, gaining a confused look from the taller woman. "I'd be terrified to face someone like you using the Flesh Spells from the Alteration Magic School." She lifts a hand, then slowly lowers it.
"You know what? You're right- Whoa!" She suddenly pulls at the reins of her horse, so I do the same and instantly look towards the road.
And my eyes widen when I notice the large patch of snow starting ahead of us, with dozens of clear horse tracks on them.
"Think it's the bandits?" I ask Aurash as she frowns and glares at the tracks before us, which for some reason instantly fill my 'Track ten animals' mission for the Archery Advancement Test…
I mean, I'm not going to say no but… Is this even considered tracking?
"Most definitely, else Alvor would have told us if any resident of Riverwood came this way." I nod, then put my bow around me.
"I can cover us with magic if we need to, so we can just run past them." Aurash gives me a thankful smile before flapping her reins once more, so I do the same and follow after her.
The snow becomes thicker and taller as we near the top of the mountain, and as we reach the top we are greeted by a horrifying sight.
Corpses everywhere. Horses, humans and other races, plus some large light blue skinned humanoid monsters.
"What the fuck happened here...?" Aurash whispers as our horses slow down and approach the massacre.
It doesn't seem to have been done by a fire wielding beast, but instead it's like… a scuffle between the blue monsters and the bandits.
"What are those blue-skinned monsters?" I ask Aurash as I stare at the fat humanoid creatures. I don't remember ever seeing them in the game.
Aurash glances at them before answering. "Ogres, Half-Jötnars. Good Frost Mages, but incredibly dumb." There's another Norse Mythology term…
"Looks like they got into a scuffle with the bandits." I hum as Aurash lifts her gaze, then comes to a stop with her horse as her eyes widen.
"Flora." I hum and perk up, then follow her gaze. "The crypt is open." The massive doors that should be closed are indeed pushed wide open…
And just as we take notice of that, something steps out from the darkness beyond those doors.
An enormous wolf with pitch black fur and glowing red eyes comes into view, fearsome jaw glowing with white-hot light as the air around it distorts from the heat inside of it.
It was the size of a building, if not bigger, and I notice a strange collar around it's neck.
The massive hound growls, releasing hot air and embers with each breath it takes.
And then it howls, a bone chilling sound that I'm sure even the people of Riverwood could hear.
So the Hel Hound actually exists...
A.N. Meet the new Fenrir. She don't bite, I promise!
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Toodles!
