As Shai'ira caught up with her comrades, she half paid attention to their budding conversation. "Riverwood is about an hour's walk from here. That should give us plenty of time to talk. What brings the two of you to Skyirm?" Hadvar asked.

"Like I said back in the keep, the two of us are from Cyrodiil. Her father," Torval gestured to Shai'ira, "Is a blacksmith who's an old friend of mine; all the way back to when I served in the Great War. Business was doing pretty well back home, what with the need to rearm and prepare for the Thalmor's next invasion. Shai'ira here decided that we should try and expand into skyrim. We were on our way to Solitude." Hadvar nodded. That would certainly explain why the two of them rode into town on a cart full of weapons and armor.

Hadvar turned to face Shai'ira. "So you came here to find work as a blacksmith? Did your father teach you to work the forge?" Shai'ira dipped her head in confirmation. Hadvar turned back to face the road, when he stopped and pointed to a structure on the mountain in front of them. "See that over there? Bleak Falls Barrow. An ancient nordic ruin. People are taught to avoid those places for fear they'd be full of draugr. I used to have nightmares of those things coming down the mountain and dragging me off."

"I can certainly see why that would scare a young nord." Shai'ira said. "It's definitely imposing."

They followed the road a bit farther before Hadvar pointed out another landmark. "You see those three stones on our left? They're guardian stones, there are thirteen of them dotted across Skyrim. They're rumored to confer blessings on people. Good fortune and all that. See for yourself." Shai'ira stepped towards the three stones. She peered at the carvings on the stones, depicting a mage, a warrior, and a thief. Shai'ira was about to move towards the mage stone, when something in her mind urged her to approach the warrior. She paused, then followed the instinct, cautiously raising her hand, brushing her fingers against the cold stone.

As she made contact with the statue, she felt the fur on the back of her neck stand on end as she felt a surge of energy, a pale blue light appearing in a hole through the statue. After a moment, the light faded, and the energy dissipated. She felt… odd.

Behind her, Hadvar nodded approvingly, while Torval seemed uninterested. Her curiosity sated, Shai'ira and the two nords resumed their trek. It was mostly uneventful, except for the elk which crossed the path in front of them, which Hadvar killed with an arrow at Torval's direction. Torval skinned the creature, removed its antlers, and they pressed onwards. After a few more minutes, Riverwood finally came into sight. The walls surrounding the village were covered in vegetation, and no guards patrolled them. It was good to see that the dragon decided to ignore this village, in spite of flying in this direction. As the three passed under the wall into the village, Hadvar turned left, and moved towards the smithy there. "Uncle Alvor!" He called. The man working the forge stopped and looked up from his work, spotting Hadvar. He raised his hand in greeting, before meeting Hadvar at the top of the steps next to his forge.

"Hadvar! It's good to see you boy, but what are you doing here? Are you on leave? And who are these two?"
Hadvar shook his head. "These two are friends of mine, Torval and Shai'ira. We were at Helgen, General Tullius had captured Ulfric and we were about to execute him when a dragon attacked. We barely escaped with our lives."

Alvor shot Hadvar a concerned look. "A dragon? Are you alright Hadvar? You seem exhausted."

Torval stepped forward. "I'm afraid Hadvar isn't lying, Helgen was destroyed by a dragon." Alvor paused, considering the ramifications of this.

"If what you say is true, the Jarl in Whiterun needs to know about this. Riverwood is defenseless."

Hadvar turned to Shai'ira and Torval. "I'm afraid my duties as an Imperial soldier demand I report back as soon as possible. Can the two of you inform Jarl Balgruuf?"

"We shall." Torval said. Alvor invited the trio inside to get some rest, but Shai'ira remained behind, requesting access to Alvor's forge, so as to use the bear and elk skins to craft herself some clothes that fit properly, to which Alvor graciously obliged. Torval spent some time telling Alvor about himself and Shai'ira, pausing every now and then to take a bite of the bread and sips of wine Alvor and his wife had provided him. Once he was sated, he thanked them for their hospitality, assured Alvor that Riverwood would see aid, and took his leave. He checked on Shai'ira, who had tanned the hides, had used a dagger to cut several leather strips, and was in the process of crafting herself leather armor, forgoing a helmet, so as not to hamper her hearing. Leaving her to her work, Torval decided to enter the general store, catching the tail end of an argument between the building's occupants, a man (who Torval surmised was the owner of the establishment) and a woman, both of Imperial descent, and who seemed to be closely related, if their argument was anything to go by . But he heard enough to determine that something had been stolen. He approached the shopkeeper.

The man immediately shifted his body and changed his tone to appear more appealing to a customer. "Welcome to Riverwood trader, what can I interest you in traveler?"

Torval placed both his hands on the table separating them. "You can tell me about what the two of you were arguing about. Was something stolen?" He asked.

The shopkeeper's demeanor changed, becoming sheepish, almost embarrassed. "Well.. er, uh yes, yes we did have a bit of a… break in. The thief only stole one thing though, an ornament, solid gold, a claw."

The woman spoke up. "I don't know why they only stole the claw, we have plenty of things in here worth more than that thing." Thieves who weren't after gold? That was intriguing. Torval pushed himself up from the table he'd been leaning on.

"I can't go out of my way looking for it, I have to meet with the Jarl of Whiterun, but I'll do what I can." The shopkeeper nodded, slightly disappointed Torval couldn't make any promises, but was grateful all the same.

"I have some coin coming in from my last shipment. If you find the claw, I'd be happy to give it to you." Torval nodded, and left the shop. He checked on Shai'ira once more.

"How's the armor coming along?" He asked. Shai'ira looked up from her work.

"It'll take about another hour, before I'm finished."

Torval spread his arms in impatience. "An hour!? What am I supposed to do until then?"

Shai'ira shrugged. "Something productive. Clean the blood off your equipment. I overheard somebody say they needed some firewood. Maybe you could earn us some gold." Torval huffed, and waved a hand at her in dismissal. He knelt down by the river running through the village downstream from it, and washed the blood off his hammer and armor. Once that was finished, he walked across the bridge, heading towards a pile of wood he'd spotted while he was washing his armor. He picked up the axe near the pile and began chopping.

He toiled away until Shai'ira approached him, donning her freshly crafted armor. Torval looked up at her, and nodded approvingly. "You look well. That armor suits you."

Shai'ira purred at the compliment. "You ready?"

Torval nodded. "Just a moment, I want to get paid for this before we go."

"Right." Shai'ira said. "I'll wait for you just outside the village." With that, she stepped away. Torval, packed up his pile of firewood, brought it to the man who worked the mill, Hod, and sold it for a tidy sum, receiving three pouches, each filled with septims. But before he regrouped with Shai'ira, he met with Alvor.

The nord smith dipped his head in greeting. "What do you have for sale?" Torval asked. "I'm looking for a steel mace, if you have one." Alvor nodded, and entered his house. A minute later, he returned, carrying a mace and its sheath in one hand, a bag in the other. He offered both to Torval.

"Here." He said. "Your mace, and some food for the road." Torval nodded in thanks, and reached for one of the pouches of gold for payment. "Oh no, you don't need to pay, consider these a gift for saving my nephew's life." Torval looked as though he were going to protest, but silenced himself. Once Alvor went back inside his home, Torval placed a pouch of gold on a bench outside Alvor's house, and rejoined Shai'ira.

As Torval approached, he extended the mace towards her. She raised her hands in protest. "Take it." Torval insisted. "When it comes to defending yourself Shai'ira, eventually you're going to need to use your arm, instead of your spells. Take the mace." Reluctantly, Shai'ira extended her hand, and gripped the mace. She gave the weapon a few halfhearted practice swings. The weight was focused almost entirely around the head of the mace, as well it should be. She attached the sheath to the belt around her hip, and slid the mace into it. The two then proceeded north to Whiterun. As they sauntered down the stone road, Torval opened the bag and peeked inside. He saw a loaf of bread, a cheese wheel, and some cooked meat, providing them with enough food for several days. Satisfied, Torval closed the bag. Their trek was mostly uneventful, with only the odd wolf or two who was easily scared off by the duo. They followed the road out of the forest around them, Whiterun coming into view. A grand visage of a fortified city atop a hill. They continued onwards, passing Honningbrew meadery, before they spotted a giant in the distance. Torval rolled his shoulder, placing the bag of food on the ground, and readied his hammer, charging ahead. Shai'ira was reminded of the weight of the mace on her hip, and for a brief moment considered using it, but decided against it, not feeling like getting stepped on by a giant today. She focused, conjuring electricity around her hands, and rushed forward, joining her comrade. As she drew closer, she spotted three warriors surrounding the giant. One, a woman, who was armed with a sword and shield, stabbed at the giant's leg, which, of course, accomplished nothing. The giant lashed out with its leg, striking the woman's shield, sending her crashing against the low wall surrounding the farm, smacking her head against it, taking her out of the fight. A second warrior, a man armed with a steel greatsword, lunged forward, and, with a savage swing, embedded the sword in the giant's shin, its weight allowing it to do significant damage.

The giant lurched forward, shifting its weight to its other leg. The third and final warrior, also a woman, was armed with a bow and arrows, which, due to the giant's size, would normally be no more effective than bee stings. The archer's skill however, more than made up for her armament. As the giant turned to swing at the man who'd wounded it, its face was vulnerable for a split second, which was all the time the woman needed. She fired an arrow, and it flew true, embedding itself in the giant's eye. The giant wailed in pain, stumbling backwards, trying to gain sure footing. That was when Torval reached the giant. He skidded to a stop, planting himself, before he swung, striking the giant in the back of the knee of its wounded leg. The giant fell to its knees, and Shai'ira seized her opportunity. She charged a lightning bolt, and unleashed it, the bolt striking the giant in the center of it's skull. The attack toppled it over, its face charred and smoking. The warrior with the greatsword, seeing his opportunity, raised his sword above his head, and brought it down on the giants throat, burying itself halfway into the creature's neck. With the giant felled, Shai'ira moved towards the warrior the giant had wounded, who was struggling to get up, and seemed like she was about to vomit. She knelt in front of the woman, and placed her hands on either side of her head. The woman seemed confused for a moment, but was quickly relieved as her trauma induced nausea subsided. The woman gazed at Shai'ira. "Thank you." She said, relieved.

Shai'ira smiled, and stood. She turned to see Torval had already joined her, and, after Torval retrieved the bag of food he'd left behind, they proceeded to the city gates. As they walked, Shai'ira looked at Torval. "Who were those people?" She asked.

"The Companions." He said, as if that should mean anything to her.

"Who are the companions?" She continued, slightly annoyed.

"Little more than a band of mercenaries, no matter how much they tell themselves otherwise." Torval said, his disdain for the group showing itself.

"Ah I see." Shai'ira said, deciding to drop the subject.

Their conversation finished, the two reached the city gates. Just beyond them, Shai'ira could see what seemed to be a relatively bustling nordic town, villagers walking to and fro, carrying clothes, food, and various other goods, as well as children running recklessly through the town narrowly avoiding adults, who didn't have the time to reprimand the little humans before they darted off.

Before they could enter the city, a guard approached Shai'ira. "Khajiit aren't allowed in the city. If you want to peddle your trinkets, you'll have to do so outside the city walls."

Shai'ira paused, stunned, before she spoke up. "I'm not a merchant," not anymore anyway. "I have news from Riverwood, I need to see the Jarl."

The guard scoffed. "Sure you do sneak-thief, and I have a beautiful wench waiting for me back home. You're still not allowed inside, now leave."

Torval moved forward, rage radiating from him. Shai'ira stopped him with a look. She didn't see how ripping the guards arms off would improve their situation anyway. "There must be something I can do to convince you to let me inside the city." She insisted.

The guard sighed, exasperated. "Fine. There's a band of bandits that's been troubling the countryside to the east. Take care of them and I'll let you inside."

Shai'ira relaxed, relieved. "Do you know where their hideout is?"

"Follow the road across the river to the east, keep going, and you'll arrive at Valtheim Towers, that's where we believe they're squatting."

"Thank you." Shai'ira said as she bowed her head. The two turned and took their leave.

"Milk drinker." Torval growled under his breath.

As they followed the guards instructions, heading eastward, Shai'ira spoke up. "I'm not sure about this."

Torval gazed at her as they walked. "Not sure about killing the bandits you mean?" Shai'ira nodded. Torval sighed. Shai'ira's compassion was admirable, and was certainly born of noble intentions, but there was a point where mercy and compassion could cross the line into naivete.

"I understand what you mean. When I fought in the Great war, I saw more than my share of cruelty and brutality. But you need to learn that violence, while always ugly, is sometimes necessary. These bandits have been raiding farms and villages, and killing innocents. We don't have to take pleasure in killing them, in fact we shouldn't, and doing so would turn us into monsters, but we can't allow them to continue."

Shai'ira nodded sadly. "I understand." She sighed. "Okay… okay."

After a few more minutes of hiking, they spotted the towers the guard spoke of. From their position, they could see figures moving across the stone bridge connecting them. As they drew closer to the tower, they spotted one figure sitting on a chair, cooking something in a pot. The person looked up from their work and saw the two approaching, they got up, and intercepted the duo. From this distance, they could see it was a woman, wearing crude hide armor. She held up a hand as she approached. "Hey you two, this is a toll road, you need to pay if you want to use it." Torval nodded, and withdrew one of the pouches of gold from his belt. He tossed it to the bandit.

As the woman moved her eyes to track the bag, and moved her hands to catch it, Torval made his move. He lashed out with one of his fists, striking the woman in the throat. She gasped, unable to breathe. Torval then gripped her head, and forced it down, bringing his knee crashing into her nose, breaking it. He then pushed her to the ground, unsheathed his hammer, and brought it down on her skull, blood, bone and brains exploding outwards from the wound. Shai'ira swallowed the lump in her throat, and Torval turned to address her. "Get you mace out girl, in tight spaces like those towers, you'll need it." Shai'ira did as she was told, and slid the steel mace out of its holster. The weight of it felt… good, almost reassuring. Torval retrieved the key attached to the woman's belt, and used it to open the door to the tower. And the two entered. They spotted a chest and ramp on their right, decided they'd come back the chest later, and proceeded up the ramp. They exited the door at the top and found themselves outside, the stone bridge to their right (as well three furious looking bandits) and a door to their left. Shai'ira proceeded through the door to the left, and Torval took to the bridge, facing down the three bandits.

As shai'ira walked through the door, she heard a yell on her left, and threw herself forward, a sword slicing through the air where she'd been only a second ago. She landed on her hands and knees, but quickly regained her footing, and spun around, spotting a young looking nord wielding a greatsword. Before she could make a move, the man sprinted towards her, swinging his sword in a downward strike. She dodged to the right, and countered by swinging her mace, striking him in the side of the jaw, dislocating it. The force of the blow through the man to the ground, wounded, but alive. Thinking quickly, Shai'ira descended upon him.

Torval was faced with a more precarious situation than that which faced Shai'ira. The narrowness of the bridge ensured his opponents could only engage one at a time, which worked to his advantage, but the bandit directly in front of him was armed with a decent shield, which, coupled with the unwieldy nature of Torval's hammer made for a challenge. If Torval's strikes were blocked, it would create an opening for the bandit, and would likely result in Torval's death. Thinking quickly, Torval glanced down, at the bandits unprotected legs, and before the man could react, swung. The blow caught the man in the knee, shattering the joint, and causing the leg to bend unnaturally. Torval gripped the man by the head, and tossed him aside, throwing him from the bridge into the roaring waters below. The second man wielded a battle axe, and he rushed forward, trying to cleave Torvals skull. Torval stepped to the side, with no room between him, and a deadly fall. Reacting quickly, Torval placed his left foot forward, stepping into the bandit for leverage, and shoved roughly, throwing him from the bridge as well. The bandit missed the water, and instead landed on the ground with a wet splat. The third and final bandit was a woman armed with two axes, and wearing steel armor, her superior equipment suggesting she was the leader of this band of brigands. Torval and her gazed at each other balefully, each daring the other to make the first move. Before either of them could however, a fireball flew past Torval, striking the woman in the head, knocking her to the ground. Torval spun around, and saw Shai'ira, fire burning in her palm. Lying in front of her, was one of the bandits, his hands weaved together above his head. Before Torval could comment, he heard a whimper, and turned to face the woman Shai'ira had attacked. Evidently, she'd survived, her face seared and burnt to a crisp by the blast of fire. Torval moved to end her suffering, but Shai'ira stopped him.

"Wait!" She yelled, "I might be able to help her." Torval was about to protest, the words forming in his mouth, but they only came out as a sigh. "Watch this one, and make sure he doesn't try anything." Complying, Torval squeezed past Shai'ira on the bridge, and stood over the man she'd captured. She didn't kill him, but she did eliminate him as a threat, having stripped him of any weapons he'd been carrying. After a brief moment of annoyance, he did see the wisdom in her actions. After all, they did need proof they'd cleared the bandits from the tower. And a prisoner was certainly proof.

As Shai'ira approached the woman, and saw what devastation her spell had wrought, she felt a pang of guilt stab her chest. It would have been better, she thought, to just kill her outright then do this to her. Shai'ira grabbed the two axes that had fallen, and examined them briefly. They were orchish in fashion, and would probably fetch a tidy sum from a merchant. Before Shai'ira attempted to heal the bandit leader's wounds, she took a moment to make sure she didn't have any hidden weapons. Finding none, Shai'ira began her work.

Burns were more difficult to heal than other wounds, since they outright destroyed tissue, as opposed to cutting it. This meant that a healing spell couldn't knit flesh back together, or mend bruises, but instead had to encourage the growth of entirely new flesh. Difficult, but not impossible. Shai'ira muttered a brief prayer to Lady Mara to aid her, and got to work. As her magicka flowed through her, and into the wounded bandit, the burned flesh began to flake off, and was slowly replaced by fresh nerves, muscle and tissue. The bandit wailed in pain, the new tissues being exposed to the frigid Skyrim air. After several minutes, Shai'ira withdrew her hands, her work finished. Shai'ria breathed a sigh of relief, hearing faint breathing coming from the bandit. Her eyes opened, and gazed at Shai'ira. The bandit sat up slowly, but made no other movement. Shai'ira carefully maneuvered around her, taking great care not to turn her back to the bandit. "That's all of them I think." Torval said. Shai'ira nodded in agreement. If there were any others left, they wouldn't pose any significant threat anyway. The duo escorted the two bandits out through the tower, and Torval stood guard over the two prisoners while Shai'ira rummaged through the chest they'd seen earlier. While they were waiting, the male bandit looked at his leader out of the corner of his eye.

"Come on, it's just him right now, we could take him!" The man whispered. His superior remained silent, however. Having your face melted off tended to knock the fight out of people evidently. Seconds later, Shai'ira rejoined Torval, brandishing a few precious gems. Torval nodded approvingly, and they escorted their prisoners back to Whiterun.

Once they'd returned to the city gates, prisoners in tow, Shai'ira approached the guard. "We took care of those bandits for you, and we brought these two back as proof." Shai'ira said, not bothering to hide the smugness she felt upon seeing the shock on the guards face.

"I… fine, fine, we'll take these two into custody, and you two can enter the city. But I'm keeping my eyes on you Khajiit."

"Then I hope you enjoy the view." She retorted. And with that, she and Torval had finally reached Whiterun.