Loki was up and ready when the Nords arrived at the Sleeping Giant the next morning. Despite having been exhausted when he fell asleep, he had awakened in the middle of the night when the anxiety of his current situation had finally hit home. Before, it had been like a dream that felt all too real, but after nearly losing his arm to frostbite from that draugr fight, the reality of it all really hit home. What if I had lost my arm? What if I'm stuck here forever? Why didn't 'DA' work? Just how much like the game IS this real world Skyrim? I'm actually killing real people! These aren't just 'bandit' or 'thief', these are flesh and blood people…
His mind was running wide open and wouldn't let him sleep, so he started reading his new tomes and playing with spells to try to get his mind off the things he was becoming truly worried about. He began trying to figure out how the magic worked to begin with; how he could will the fire or the sparks into existence. Being that Riverwood and Bleak Falls Barrow had been so much more than was shown in the game, how much more was there to magic than the game allowed? And enchantments, just how far could he push the limitations? Loki was beginning to scheme some grand possibilities of what he could accomplish given his advanced knowledge of the lore, but then a thought hit him: Just how much off course can I take the storyline before i create a cause and effect that I am not prepared for? Kinda like time travel, I know the future, but could I alter it so much I create a completely different timeline and be unable to know what happens next?
They had already handled business trading their loot from the barrow the night before. Lucan had already closed up and was at the inn for a drink by the time they arrived, but he opened back up just for them since they were, after all, bringing his claw back. Loki asked him about spell tomes and more potions for the trip and was surprised when Lucan pointed him to an old trunk in the corner under the stairs. He found a small library of books inside, several tomes included: Telekinesis, Ironflesh, Detect Life, Detect Dead, Magelight, Fireball (he had been hoping for that one), Bound weapon (he was surprised to find that in this world the spell was not type specific, but he did not yet know why), and finally, thank the gods, a Fast Healing tome. Lucan said that since the nords don't much like magic, the books had been sitting there for years and in appreciation for returning his claw, he let Loki have the whole lot for just one sapphire. Loki asked about enchanted items too, explaining that they were about to embark on an adventure to find a dragonborn and put a stop to the dragons returning and needed all the help they could get. Lucan looked around and then said all he had like that was an amulet with a resist cold enchantment on it. Loki happily bought it.
By the time Hadvar and Ralof arrived Loki had already had Orgnar set the table with breakfast so they could get going as soon as possible.
"What is this? I thought you said you college guys were never early to rise." Ralof said jokingly.
"I had a hard time sleeping," Loki replied, "Too much on my mind."
"You weren't feeling guilty over killing those bandits were you?" Hadvar asked with concern in his tone. "I told you, you were just in what you did."
"No, no, it wasn't that. Just, all this, being in another world that was just a story to me before, it's a lot to take in in such a short time. I'm fine though, just have to process it all. I'll get there. I did get a lot of reading done in my spell tomes though, and I practiced a few. I just had to leave fireball out until later, this being a wooden inn and all…"
They ate rather quickly then got everything ready to leave, bid their farewells to family and friends and then set out in the direction of Falkreath, intent on hiring a carriage to Markarth and then hike to Karthspire. Passing a particularly scenic spot along the side of the lake, Loki remarked, "I'm going to build a manor here one day. Of all the places I've seen in my visions of Skyrim, this has always been one of my favorites."
"It is gorgeous here, so you are planning on staying after this is all over?" Ralof asked.
"I have no idea, honestly. I'm not sure if it's up to me. I don't know how I got here or why, and I don't know if I can go home or how I would go about doing it if I can. I can only take each day as it comes and make the most of it. After everything I've learned about Tamriel I'm both excited to actually be here and terrified at the same time. This land is far more dangerous than my home, as well as far more primitive, so that's a lot of extra work and responsibility that I'm not used to. To top it all off I'm from a place called Florida, which has a climate much like the southern end of Elsweyr near the coast, so this is too damn cold. Thank the gods Lucan had that amulet, it helps a lot."
"That is a lot to think about." Hadvar looked like he was still trying to get his head around the thought that this young man, who was once his prisoner, was from another realm. He reasoned it must be another realm of Oblivion just like Mundus. "I am not sure I would even know where to start with that."
They arrived in Falkreath by 9:00am and found a cart for hire. They didn't have time for Loki to look around the town like he wanted to, but he did manage to get a small look at the legendary cemetery and go to the Gray Pine Goods to see if they had anything they might need for the trip that Riverwood didn't have. Loki didn't care too much for the suspicious nature the shopkeeper, Solaf, had; and he cared even less for his brother Bolund's attitude towards non-Nords. Racist prick! They got their stuff loaded and back on the road to Markarth by 10:00am. Loki smiled a bit as they passed over a rocky ridge where he could see a small dark pool below, knowing there was a black door beneath the road. One day! he thought as he pulled out one of his tomes to read on the long ride ahead. As they reached the watchtower and took a left at the junction toward the mill a small red fox darted out into the road and then turned and ran straight ahead for several meters before running back into the bushes.
"You guys seriously have a lot of foxes here"
"That we do, you can get pelts a plenty." Ralof said.
When they reached the junction with the main road to Rorikstead, Loki was amazed to see one of the dragon burial mounds on the side of the road. It wasn't broken open yet, thank the gods. They passed by Fort Sungard and as they entered the valley of the Reach they were greeted by a sabre cat on the side of the road. At the first signs of aggression they loosed arrows and quickly ended the threat. They passed several travelers along the way, mostly farmers or miners it seemed, a few imperial patrols, and they noticed a forsworn hunting party watching them from atop one of the ridges, but they never made a move to attack. Loki guessed they just didn't look interesting enough, and he was thankful for that.
As they came to the bridge near the Karthspire Loki asked the driver to stop and let them off early and said he could keep the money for the rest of the trip to Markarth as a tip, because this would mean much less walking for them.
They crossed the bridge and began to scale up the side of the mountain, trying to enter the path to Skyhaven without having to pass through the forsworn camp below. It was coming dark as they neared the entrance so sneaking in was not a problem, but once inside they discovered there were more forsworn using the cave entrance as a living quarters. Loki pulled out three potions and handed one to each of the Nords, then drank his and promptly disappeared. The Nords followed suite and with the help of the invisibility potions they snuck through the cave and out the other side to the first of the obstacles to entering the temple.
First were the three pillars.
"Do you know the combination?" Hadvar asked.
"Well, yes I do, but what I can't figure out is how no one has figured this out in 1600 years. There are only 27 possibilities. They could just spin them til they got them right." Loki set the pillars to the symbol of the dragonborn and the bridge fell.
"Maybe no one else has bothered to try."
As they crossed the bridge and proceeded to the next obstacle Loki responded to Hadvar's remark. "The lack of curiosity in this land bothers me. So much to be discovered, so few looking to find it. Like seriously, your ancient ruins are built of amazing architecture, Dwemer ruins are filled with amazing advanced technology and yet you build only log cabins for homes and live lives more primitive than they did in the 2nd era. Why is that? Other than Solitude and Whiterun, Skyrim hasn't built anything substantial in millennia, and even they are centuries old now. Why is there no ambition in this land?"
Hadvar and Ralof looked at each other rather bewildered and unsure what the answer to Loki's question was. They got really nervous as Loki just strolled out over the trap pressure plates as if it were child's play. He pulled the chain to disable the trap and they walked on in silence for a bit, the two Nords not knowing what to make of Loki calling out their people for refusing to advance and remaining quiet like scolded children.
They crossed the bridges and then entered the courtyard. Before them stood the face of Reman Cyrodiil, and at their feet the blood seal they had come to test Loki's blood on.
First, we need to test the seal Loki thought, make sure not just anyone can open it.
"Hadvar, try your blood on the seal first."
"Ok, if you think it will work." Hadvar cut into his palm and dripped blood over the rings on the left side of the seal. Nothing happened.
"Your turn Ralof." said Loki, and Ralof did the same on the right side of the seal. Still nothing.
This is the moment of truth Loki thought as he drew out his dagger. He was hesitant to want to cut himself, the thought of pain was not appealing even if he could heal it instantly, the Fast Healing tome being the first one he had studied on the way across the Reach. He laid the blade in his palm and then pulled it down. IT BURNS! THAT F*****G BURNS LIKE HELL! he screamed inside his head as the blade severed his flesh and the blood began to pool in the palm of his hand.
Loki dropped the dagger from the pain and burning sensation of the cut, but he got his head together quickly and then turned his palm down and spilled the blood on the center of the seal… nothing…
What the hell, I come all this way after you put me in the role of the dragonborn and I don't even have the dragon blood! What the hell am I supposed to do now? If I can't take the dragon's soul, what is the point of killing them? And who is the real dragonborn? Loki turned and walked halfway to the chest in the middle of the courtyard with a blank look of confusion on his face before he remembered he should probably stop the bleeding in his palm. He cast a fast healing spell and closed the wound.
Turning back to the Nords he said "I'm not really sure what to do now. I was sure that would work." Just as he finished saying those words he saw the small pool of blood he had dripped on the seal slowly ran off the top of the middle circle where he had poured it and down into the crack between the center and the first ring, then the seal began to glow.
As the face of Reman Cyrodiil began to recede into the wall and open Loki and the two Nord soldiers could only stare in amazement.
"Holy shit, it actually worked," Loki muttered to himself under his breath. "Great, now I have to figure out how to kill a vicious fire breathing dragon without dying first."
"Great, it worked!" cried Ralof in an excited voice. "This means we can find the dragonborn."
"No Ralof," said Loki in a very serious tone, "it means we just did. I'm the one who opened the seal, I'm the dragonborn."
"You mean that was it? That was the test?"
"That was it, I had a feeling it was me, but I had to be absolutely sure before I let anyone know. I didn't want to get your hopes up only to fail. Oh, hold out your palms."
They held out their cut hands and Loki cast healing magic on both of them, barely even leaving a scar.
"Now, lets get inside, get a fire going, and find a place to sleep for the night."
With that, the three adventurers entered the corridor to the ancient temple of the Blades Dragonguard.