It has been six months since I took my new apprenticeship under the craftsman in the Maker's Tool Shop. To my surprise, the offer that was given to me sounded far too good to be true was true in the end. I was indeed paid in gold for what work I performed directly by the Craftsman himself. The first couple of weeks my thoughts largely consisted of what I could do in case this arrangement didn't work out but in time, that thought was pushed out until it was completely vanished. The Craftsman, who still kept his true name a mystery, continued to keep me all this time. That was where I was now, pounding away at the anvil to repair a customer's armor, with my instructor leaving earlier to fulfill one of his many mysterious errands. I didn't figure out what those were either and I wasn't too honestly curious. The last thing I wanted to do was sabotage my good fortune.
The door to the shop opened and I only glanced over to keep most of my attention on my work. To my surprise, it wasn't the craftsman but instead the customer whose very repair I was finishing up with. The man walked in with a thick cloak around himself, which he had on before as well, that covered up everything about his body shape. The only assumptions that could be made was that he was rather frail, since his face immediately gave away the elvish descent of this man. Not an exiled Dunmer, or Dark Elf, or a noble Altmer, or High Elf, but a mischievous Bosmer, or Wood Elf. Still, it was not the merchants place to ask their paying customer any details about who or what. The craftsman knew too many stories that ended up with an unhappy ending, recommending I only get the necessary details.
"Welcome back! We weren't expecting you so soon. Well, I wasn't expecting you but the owner should be back soon. Your order is almost finished if you want to wait a little longer." The Bosmer glanced to his left and right, making me nervous as I worked.
"Of course, take your time. I just wanted to be sure I got here as early as possible, getting an early start with my adventures later. How busy has your shop been lately?" As much as I wanted to correct the Bosmer on his statement of this being 'my shop', I let it pass since most customers said the same thing.
"Normally, only a couple days are quiet. There are many things close by that help keep the shop full on a daily basis." A couple more hits and the piece was finished. I dropped the hammer and held the chest armor up. It looked almost new without the shine of freshly molded metals but buying anything new like that was rare and expensive. Even bought arms or equipment was normally previously owned by another outside of the largest of cities in any province.
"Well, you had better hope this day is quiet or else your corpse will be discovered too quickly." The statement took too long to process before I felt a knifes edge being pushed against my neck from behind me. Unlike another that may be a virgin to combat situations, I certainly was not and my mind shifted to an aggressive thinking state.
"So, I assume you don't want to pay for this, then? Then you may have it but I can't give you something this large to you if you are behind me." Although being robbed was never too common of a situation with me being equipped while on the road, I had a few encounters with brigands demanding everything. This man clearly had more knowledge than myself in this 'profession' with the knife not leaving my neck but he expertly moved his other hand around my waist, feeling for anything that I could use as an offensive tool.
"Then you will do exactly as I say and if you do not, you will be dead. Set the piece back down on the anvil and step back with me afterwards." I was in no position to disagree and did what I was told. The chestpiece was lowered back on to the anvil and my eyes landed on the blacksmiths hammer as I did so. The closest weapon I had but with the man having my neck as his trump card, I would be choking on my own blood before I was able to get a swing out. I am certainly no pushover but I am also not a rash idiot, sort of like this Bosmer. The man pulled the knife deeper against my throat as we got farther from my closest weapon, my attention split between thinking of a plan and listening to the reckless Bosmer.
"Good. Simply speaking, you will turn towards the back of the shop and walk away. I will be gone before you turn around." It was apparent I was defeated in this situation. The craftsman would have a few good words for me when he came back and I had to give him the truth.
"What do you gain from this?" I wanted to stall but I heard the Bosmer move.
"Not everybody is an honest worker and it's not like anyone would take in my race." The Bosmer spoke as I heard him grab the finished piece. As he did, I sprinted forward to grab anything close to the forge. The closest thing was the metal poker sticking out of the furnace. I immediately grabbed it and turned only to see the Bosmer a few steps away from the door. The man moved faster than I expected but something much more unexpected happened before the thief could make contact with the door handle. The door got opened from the outside, causing the Bosmer to stop and myself as well.
"Someone is in a hurry." The craftsman stood in the frame of the door, leaving little to no room for the thief to leave with the men's relative size to each other.
"Stop him! He's trying to steal the work I did!" The Bosmer looked up at the craftsman, who towered over the thief and had a much wider frame. He was most likely trying to find a way out without being caught but that didn't last long before the craftsman moved on his own. He lifted his food and gave the Bosmer a swift kick not into the thief's body but instead onto the chest piece I had just finished. That was more than enough to throw the much physically weaker man off his feet and far back into the shop again. The Bosmer landed with a hard thud onto his back and the equipment he tried to steal went far out of reach.
"Well, are you going to grab him or let him get back up?" I was stunned by the craftsman's pure strength that I didn't respond right away. It took a few seconds for the words to reach me and for me to react. I put the poker back into the furnace and went to the would-be thief, pulling him up and pinning his hands behind his back. "What are you so surprised about?"
"Just wasn't expecting you back at this time, it is just a big coincidence." The Bosmer was just coming to, head most likely still cloudy from the hard fall for another minute or so. "I'm sorry, I wasn't ready for an ill-minded individual."
"Don't worry about it, it is bound to happen more than once I can only imagine. Throw this waste of space out and then come back. I have something important to talk to you about." The craftsman was surprisingly stern about the request, which meant something big was about to happen.
After the forcible evacuation of the would-be thief, the craftsman was standing with arms crossed away from the forge. It was odd for him to be away from his typical crafting post and despite him being calm, I couldn't say I've seen him anything but.
"So…what is it you want to tell me?" I tried to hold my ground and when faced with typical males, it wasn't hard. The problem was that the craftsman was taller than me and clearly more fit as well. It was clearer than before how easy my life was and how much I missed being a true soldier.
"You've been under me for around half a year at this point. I could not ask for more months of your service without asking a personal question. I know how bold it is of me to ask such a thing with how much I have not told you of myself. So, I propose an exchange of info from each other." The craftsman wasn't well-versed in any trading tactics, so hearing him talking about this subject in such a well-mannered way meant he probably thought long about it. Also, proposing an exchange of info was risky since neither party was obligated to give out any information even if one side made a deal. This tactic was rarely used by anybody except for people who had some sort of history with each other.
"That is a little…forward. I don't know what sort of information you are looking for and I can only give you so much about myself." I spoke the truth. I couldn't tell the craftsman about my quest or about Ria or anything else that private.
"I don't need to know anything too sensitive, just a few basic questions. I have not had someone stay for this long and show promise to your level. We will each ask each other one question at a time and when one of us fails to answer, the exchange will be finished. Does that sound reasonable?" It was a simple question and one with many holes in it but that is why dialogue exchanges are only done between two parties with some sort of professional or personal relationship. It was possible for one party to see past lies if they felt like they were being led on.
"I guess it sounds fine. I assume you agree since you asked and I will start, then. What is your name?" It was a simple question as well and I immediately wanted to go on the offensive. The more I could learn, the easier my quest could be.
"I knew that was going to come up almost right away. My name is nothing, simply put." The craftsman spoke his answer with no hesitation but I didn't understand at all. I didn't say a thing and neither did…the man in front of me. He was apparently just waiting.
"Wait, what in Oblivion did you just say?"
"You do not know my name because I don't know my name either. I probably knew it at some point in my life but I forgot a lot of things out of nowhere. I don't know anything about my background after a certain point is all. Some people think they remember me but I never can be sure, so I ignore their 'information'." It sounded like a cliché too much and I wasn't sure if I would ever believe it entirely. I didn't know enough about this man to assume he was telling the truth, no matter how he acted towards me. Amnesia wasn't uncommon, especially with untrained and angry mages running around with their own crazy spells.
"Hm…don't take this the wrong way, sir, but I can't believe you." The craftsman smiled when I responded. He wasn't angry but I haven't seen him angry either.
"Good. Then let us continue the questions. What can you tell me about your adventure, like your destination or your goal?" Like me, the craftsman jumped straight into the important questions. I could only say the least important details but I wouldn't lie to him with those facts.
"I need to travel around Tamriel to gather certain items. That is all I feel comfortable saying." The craftsman raised an eyebrow and rubbed his chin.
"All around Tamriel? Every province will take a long while. No wonder you haven't left yet." The craftsman looked at the door to the shop and sighed. "So, what is your question to me?"
"Um…" Re-thinking the subject, I didn't have any other questions lined up. My months of work have kept me interested in only this man's origins. "What is the earliest thing you can remember?"
"Great question. I can remember around fifteen years ago. Although I don't know my exact age, I have estimated at about thirty. I remember waking up in a town near WIndhelm in Skyrim. Thankfully, a group of friendly Nords found me rather than marauders or bandits. I was taken and raised in the city and was almost instantly interested in the smithies of the land. I don't remember exactly who I was taken in by or who my original trainer was and I doubt they would remember me. That is because I left without anyone knowing and for some reason came here. I don't know what force had me choose this place as where I ended up but as you can see, this the current state of my life. That is the bulk of it." I was almost entranced by this man's story. He told the story with a proud tone, despite it being short. "So, my only other question. When will you be leaving to go on your quest?" That was a good question. I didn't forget what I was supposed to do but it certainly wasn't on the top of my mind at this point.
"I don't know. I was hoping soon but…" The craftsman shook his head and put a rough hand on my shoulder.
"Then I will give you a going away gift, something that will hopefully help you get to where you need to go." The craftsman stood up and I reflexively did as well, grabbing his arm. It wasn't a hard grip and I felt my feminine side showing at this point. I don't know what it was that brought it out but it might have been someone helping me for once without asking. It was a rare occurrence as both a former soldier as well as a…well, until recent changes, a political figure.
"You don't need to do anything of the sort! I am not going to take anything you give me." I spoke with confidence but the man who I was speaking to held his position without wavering.
"You might not but I will offer it regardless." The craftsman continued walking and I didn't stop him this time. My hand gradually loosened as he took steps away until it fell back to my side. I don't know why he would feel the need to give me anything for working such a short time and I was surely going to continue arguing. Giving away merchandise that could be used for gaining gold was not a smart business decision, no matter who you were or how well the shop was doing, in my opinion.
"Fine." I followed the man to one of the corners piled high with boxes and barrels. He almost did so effortlessly but I remembered what were packed into those section of boxes. It wasn't weapons or jewelry. What were in those crates were armor that was being transported elsewhere for some reason. I didn't know of any wars or large-scale conflicts going on but then again, Jagar Tharn could be doing anything right now. I did hear rumors of small towns around Tamriel losing their economic stability but they were far and few between. I haven't gone out of the city limits of Belkarth Guard since I started assisting in the shop.
"It's a good thing you don't pay a huge amount of attention when you are crafting some pieces. I had these hidden for quite a while." The craftsman was shuffling the heavy armor, apparently looking for something I had previously done but I would have remembered the reason.
"Sir, I don't know which pieces you are speaking of. I don't make it a habit of forgetting what I did or the reason for the item." The craftsman chuckled at my response. He had found what he was looking for, pulling out a large, specially made chest piece I had done not terribly long ago. A couple of weeks for a Redguard soldier. It was clearly a female as the chest was shaped to accommodate the figure.
"What are you going to do with that?" The craftsman carried the armor with one hand and pulled me to the center of the room with his other, a smile on his face. I wasn't about to fight his grip, knowing full well I couldn't get out even with my strongest moves. In a physical fight, I was no match against a man the size of the craftsman.
"You'll see. Hold this." The craftsman held the piece out to me and when I took it, he left to the same containers to search for something else. The plate piece I held should have been sent out last week, which was weird that I held it now. It was asked to be made of a stronger metal than just iron, a very rare request seeing as only the rich or truly determined asked for such a strong material.
"Wait…it was meant for a Redguard soldier outfitted for a female body…Did you make up a person for me to craft this?" I questioned the man who had found what he had looked for this time much quicker. He was walking back with two pauldrons that matched the chest in material. Unlike weaker metals, though, the pauldrons were made to include layered arm protection. It took a lot of skill to make plate and I didn't actually do the entire process on my own. The craftsman had walked me through the process orally while I worked. They came out surprisingly well in my opinion but, as expected, the craftsman gave me a higher compliment.
"No, I didn't do such a thing. I asked you to fashion these for a female Redguard warrior and you did exactly that. I just never specified a name but that isn't unusual. So, warrior, what do you say to trying on your gifts?" I was stunned by the cunning of the craftsman. I didn't bother to ask questions about the pieces I create and that was how he got me. I didn't put it together because I wasn't expecting this situation so soon.
"I…No, I won't accept these! You need to sell these and get more coin!" I pushed the plate chest I was holding back at the craftsman, whose smile disappeared as he sighed.
"Fine, I will respect your decision." The craftsman did exactly that, taking the piece I was holding still and walking back to deposit what he had brought out. I did feel guilty not accepting the items but I knew they would be wasted if he were to just give them to me. "Why don't you go take the rest of the day off? I know you will say no but I'm not as much requesting it as telling you your services aren't required for the rest of the day. You need to enjoy yourself." This wasn't surprising to hear since the craftsman would occasionally let me leave for the day even though I didn't want to most of the time. I had to admit, though, having some time to myself was a very welcomed respite.
"That I can agree to. I will see you tomorrow, then." The craftsman nodded and I left the shop, the sign hanging on its iron bar beside the door lightly swinging. It was still early but I didn't feel like doing anything, rather doing something I rarely considered.
The Crimson Chasm was far from empty when I entered from the chilly outside into the familiar warmth inside. It wasn't packed but with the income that came from myself as well as whatever was in that potion bottle, the building got upgraded and it seemed to attract the much-needed attention. I was barely noticed when I came in but that was something I enjoyed. I didn't want unwanted attention, even after this long of being more than just a drinker of the Inn. I took a seat at an almost empty table, keeping myself as far away from people as possible without standing out. I sighed and closed my eyes, holding my head in my hands.
"Your item came back from the Guild. Are things going bad for you?" My eyes slowly fluttered open and I twisted my head a little to the side to see who was behind me, although the voice gave it away. Sader was looking down at me, his always intimidating eyes locked on me.
"I'm fine, just a little stressed. Thank you for carrying out my request." I spun around in my stool to return Sader's stare. He wasn't too intimidating when you get used to his look but along with his muscular bulky body, he was more than intimidating enough. It was a pretty rare trait for Redguards to not have a large amount of muscle despite whatever body size they were born into.
"Of course. They didn't tell me anything specifically about what they did but I do know that they found something. It's written here. Do you want a drink before you pack it in for the night?" Sader handed the scroll and the folded note over to me but I didn't immediately read it. I wasn't going to let the other patrons see what I had and I wanted to be prepared as well.
"That would be glorious. Give me a whole bottle of your most flavorful stuff. I don't want to get too drunk." Sader nodded and left to get what I asked for. I turned back to put the scroll on the table. It didn't look any different from before, the edges being fringed and looking like an older piece of parchment with no obvious difference at the first glance. The folded note was written on the typical decorated paper of the Mage's Guild that no doubt had some specific words I wouldn't know. I wasn't intelligent in the ways of magic, combat being my only formal training.
"Do you mind having a conversation for a brief moment?" Sader came back to the table with a bottle and two cups along with. I wasn't one to deny the company of someone who I knew and enjoyed having around.
"Of course. Take a seat." I smiled as best I could but work made it hard like usual. I would feel worse tomorrow, I could feel it already.
"Thanks." Sader sat across from me and opened the wine, pouring himself and I some. "Do you know the mages well?"
"No, not at all. I don't deal with magic, never did." It was an odd question to start with but probably not unusual to a typical bar patron.
"I noticed. I think it's time I told you about who gave you that." Sader pointed to the scroll. It just occurred to me that I had completely forgot to ask about why I was given the item. It was not a huge problem at that time but now that I had a step forward in this quest, I was thinking about it more.
"Right, I meant to ask you about that at some point or another."
"Do you remember that Redguard you escorted to the Mage's Guild from here?"
"I think so. It has been a while, so his name escapes me. I know him and his kid were a mysterious duo. Haven't heard about them since then." Sader seemed to get directly to the point still, not a fan of small talk in between.
"Indeed. They probably left Belkarth Guard a while ago but before the father left, he handed me that very scroll and told me to deliver it directly to you. I couldn't say no since he gave me quite a bit of compensation, more than just a typical courier job would pay especially since he was no more than a minute away when he met me. All he said to me on that day was to make sure you didn't lose this or give it away. It is more important than it looks according to him. I didn't think I had to tell you that since you seemed to be responsible enough." Sader took a full cup of wine after speaking. It was much more than he normally said by a large amount.
"Ah. Then I guess this sheds some more light on what this could do?" Sader just shrugged to my question. His enlightenment was apparently run out but it did make sense, at least.
"The mage gave you the information you paid for, so look at it whenever." Sader finished his portion of the wine, leaving me with about half a bottle when he went back to occupy the bar. I didn't know if I would be able to swallow the remainder but it wouldn't go to waste as long as other people were in the bar.