After several minutes of hard driving Indy turned to see the soldiers had given up pursuit. Tava slowed the horses down to a steady trot. Indy surveyed the new landscape as the thick, snowy forests turned to sprawling grasslands. The cold nip in the air turned to humidity.
"This landscape reminds me of Tanzania." Indy spouted out and Tava replied with a puzzled look. Indy waved his hand off, "Ah never mind. How long till we meet this friend of yours?"
"I never said he was a friend." Tava slyly remarked, "We will be there by nightfall." Spending the rest of the day on a wagon in the Savannah wasn't ideal, but Indy simply leaned back and tipped his hat down,
"Wake me when we get there." He had plenty of other questions he could've asked Tava, but he felt a good nap was better suited for the ride. "And don't touch any of my belongings." This causes a smile in Tava.
"Please Indiana Jones, I seem to be stuck with you for some time. Why steal anything from you now, when we have an adventure ahead of us?" Without raising his brim, Indy replied,
"Just call me Indy. That's fine."
The rest of the trip went without excitement. The grasslands were much emptier than Skyrim's forests. No soldiers or trolls wandered the plains or bother the journeying duo. As the sun began to set the grasslands turned into desert. Dark fell on the sands and the cold of the desert night settled in. Tava nudged Indiana's shoulder,
"We are almost there. See, in the distance." Indy rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked through his hazy eyes to see the lights of a small village up ahead, "That is my hometown, the village of Elinhir." Tava looked to Indy with a serious and sneaky look, "Don't draw too much attention to us. I didn't mention, but when I left, it wasn't a happy send off."
"Of course you neglected to mention that. Any interesting story behind it?"
"Nope. Had to start thieving somewhere. Why not steal the holy jewels from the city temple?" The wagon entered the city and rolled down the dusty streets. Most of the townsfolk had went to sleep with the fall of night. The creak of the wagon wood and horse hooves were the only sounds in the night. "Now, this guy we are meeting. He is a little off, even for an Argonian. Don't jump around too much, he's a skittish one. He's a scholar, like you. Doesn't get out much though. Mostly keeps his nose in a book." Tava brought the wagon to a stop outside a small, two story mud brick house.
"Town reminds me of time I spent in Cairo." Indy reminisced on past endeavors while Tava picked the lock. The door clicked open and Tava let themselves in. The mud house was of modest note. A wooden table covered in left out food sat next to a smoldering fireplace. Dozens of books littered the shelves and tables. Stacks piled up from the floor. "You weren't lying. My office isn't this cluttered." Indy said as he picked up a nearby book and flipped through it. Tava stood by a set of stairs leading to the second floor. She hollered up,
"Jarthen-of-Dust! Get down here. It's Tava." There was the sound of fumbling up stairs. Indy followed the sound of footsteps to the stairs. As they started down the rickety steps the figure that created them appeared. It was the size of a man, but it had the head of a lizard. It's scales were charred light brown from years in the desert sun. Indy was taken back and reacted quickly by pulling his gun from it's holster.
"Whoa! What's that?" The lizard man saw Indy raise the strange object towards him. He let out a high yip and scurried off the stairs, quickly ducking behind a wall of books. Tava looked towards Indy with disapproval.
"Put that thing away! I told you he was jumpy around people." Indy lowered his arm and raised his brow.
"Wait, that's the guy? That thing is a monster!" Tava pulled her hood back and placed her palm to her face.
"I forget you've never met an Argonian. Don't worry Dust is one of us." The lizard lifted his head from behind the stack of books.
"Yes, I promise, I mean you no harm. I am Jarthen-of-Dust, keeper of history and lore. Most of these folks simply call me Dust." his voice was soft and his words were nervously rapid. He dusted the dirt from the floor off his faded, red robes as he looked towards Tava. Indy never broke his gaze off of Dust. "Where do you get off breaking and entering, waking me in the middle of the night, and sicking this... strange man on me?" Dust realized that Indy wasn't dressed in typical Hammerfell garb. He moved closer to the archaeologist and examined Indy. Indy was also intrigued in this lizard man. "You aren't an Imperial, face structure is wrong. Too pale for a Redguard." Dust tipped Indy's fedora up, much to his displeasure, and his words continued to rattle off faster. "Can't be a mer, no pointy ears." His long finger scratched his lower jaw in thought, "Are you a god, or Daedra?" There was that word again. Before Dust could sink any deeper into dissertation Tava interjected.
"He says he's an American. Says he doesn't belong to Tamriel, or this world." The bookworm perked up at this new info. He quickly scurried from Indy and rummaged through a pile of books.
"Hmm, not familiar with the American race. Not an Oblivion walker. I have done research about legends of men sent across dimensions and times." As the words sped off his forked tongue, he found the book he was searching for and started flipping vigorously through the pages. The air was filled with dust from the aged pages. "Here," Dust showed the page to Indy. Surprisingly the book was in English. Indy went intoresearch mode,
"And by the might of Akatosh... Akatosh?" Dust followed along with him,
"The Dragon god, lord of the Nine Divines. Well, Eight now, but I find little intriguing in the politics of the present." Indy continued.
"That a gauntlet descended from the High and gained man the power to jump his plains to another, but never reach the High. For those men or mer worthy can take it deep to Tamriel's heart of stone. Heart of stone?" Indy and Dust pondered that last meaning.
"I'm not sure what they mean, referring to that heart of stone. It could mean the digging to the core of Tamriel, possibly the castle of the Empire. I've got other thoughts about what it means, but I'd need more research. Much more research." Dust ran back with the book and started crazily filling through more of the old tomes. Tossing some to other desks and other to the floor, "But that isn't what concerns you yet. First you must find the gauntlet mentioned. It will be most hard to find. Likely lost in the ages..." Tava who had stood in the shadows while the two scholars hashed it out stepped up as Dust went into a nervous ramble,
"Dust, Dust! Where is this gauntlet at? I know you know where." Dust stopped and inhaled a heavy breath through his scaly nostrils. His words slowed down some,
"Yes, yes. I've located the location of an old Dwemer ruins that seems to be my best guess. According to books I've read, the Dwemer that recovered the gauntlet guarded it jealously. You know how those Dwemer..."
"Dust, stay focused. Where are these ruins at?" Tava kept the Argonian on task.
"Ah, you'll like this Tava. The ruins are west of here, in the interior of Alik'r." Indy looked towards Tava, unsure of what Alik'r was. She answered,
"Alik'r Desert. 400 miles of shifting sands and huge buttes. Surviving it is a rite of passage to a Redguard. That's a day's journey ahead of us. We're better off resting here to night, getting supplies in the morning." Tava started towards the door.
"Where you headed?" Indy asked. Tava raised her hood over the sly smile.
"I'm going out for a drink." That didn't sound like too bad an idea to Indy, so he followed. The duo left Dust to finish scanning through books.
They walked down the dusty streets to the one other building in town with lights still burning. Indy stuck his hands in his jacked pocket to avoid the cold chill.
"How about you give me back my grandfather's pocket watch, doll." Indy looked over to Tava. She laughed softly as she pulled the watch from her cloak.
"I wasn't sure what this was, but I figured I could turn it for some gold." She tossed the watch back to Indy, "Here take it. The gold I borrowed from Dust will be enough." The two entered the tavern, "Go, enjoy the bar." Tava motioned Indiana to the bartender as she headed towards the other end of the saloon. Indy took a seat, laid his fedora on the bar, and waved to the tender. His strange hat and duds made him the center of attention at the bar.
"Ain't seen any of your kind roll in here." the bartender stated. Indy cracked a half smile, he was tiring of being asked that question.
"I'll just have the house special." the tender poured Indy a tall glass of ale. Indy took a swig, it was bitter, but his mouth was dry from the desert. He polished off his first rather quickly and motioned the bartender for a second. The barfly next to Indy noticed his intake.
"You seem to be quite the thirsty man." Indy swallowed down his mouthful and replied,
"Yeah, you wouldn't believe the day I've had." The barfly retorted with a humble chuckle.
"You look like an adventurous type. How bout we see who can hold their liquor better?"
"I like to know the name of people I drink with?" Indy smiled back.
"My friend's call me Sam Guevenne. You can just call me Sammy." Indy liked the sound of a friendly competition of spirits. As he started to agree, a burly man approached the bar on Indy's other side. His long gray beard dusted the counter top as he turned to Indy.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Indy saw the old man looked weathered from years of conflict and he had a scar that ran across his eye that was whited out. He felt he was receiving sage advice. Indy turned back to 'Sammy'.
"Sorry, but I think I'm drinking alone tonight." The barfly shot a look of anger at the bearded man, then at Indy.
"I could create some entertainment another way." Sammy grinned as he turned to the man sitting on his other side, "This strange fellow here," pointing at Indy, "says your mother was troll dung, he says." The man was angered by this. He jumped from his stool and swung a fist at Indy. Indy quickly stood up and returned a swing, punching the drunkard in the nose. He stumbled back into a table, spilling the table's drinks. The angry drinkers charged up from the table and the whole tavern turned into a chaotic brawl. Indy had to duck a jab from his front when a bottle smashed across his back. Indy swung around and caught the bottle wielder with a haymaker. Another man tackled Indy against the bar. Indy heaved in pain as he gut punched the patron and struggled him to the floor. He picked himself up only to catch a fist on his chin that staggered him back into two other brawlers. They caught Indy and he cracked a nervous smile. He had to duck quickly causing the two to clock each other. Indy looked across the bar to see a big, fat man wearing his fedora. The man sent a full belly chuckle at Indy. Indiana charged the man with all his might, but he bounced off his massive belly and hit the floor. While on the floor, a swift kick to the knees sent the fat man sailing down like a tall redwood. Indy scooped up his hat and jumped back into the brawl. He grabbed the collar of someone and turned them around. It revealed Tava with handfuls of gold coins and necklaces.
"You had to go and start a bar brawl. These bloated drunks were loaded with coins." Tava pushed Indy aside and throat punched a man charging at them. Indy grabbed Tava firmly by the arm and lead themselves toward the door. They made it into the dark of the night while sounds of busted bottles and smashed chairs emanated from the tavern. The two hustled down the street and made their way inauspiciously back into Dust's house. The lizard was still deep in his books, he didn't look up when he spoke.
"Get in a fight it sounds like. I can smell the spilt ale on your clothes and the ruckus can be heard from here. Never had much of an aptitude for such shenanigans. Anyway, I've been working on pinpointing the Dwemer desert ruins and deciphering the "heart of stone"." The two kept walking heading towards the stairs.
"That's nice Dust, we'll go over it in the morning. You have some rooms up there for us?"
"Yes, the two rooms at the very end. I shall be down here researching all I can throughout the night." Indy was following Tava up the stairs when he looked over to the Argonian a little loose from the ale,
"I applaud your commitment to academics. Wish my students were that diligent."
The two made it to the rooms at the end of the hall. Indy looked over to Tava.
"This has been one eventful day for sure. Wait till Marcus hears this story." Tava's shimmering green eyes gazed back at the rugged archaeologist.
"Well, your day doesn't have to end yet." Indy's half smile returned.
"Awful forward aren't you, sweetheart? Seems unfitting for a thief." He asked her. She pulled her hood back to reveal a playful smile. She tipped up Indy's fedora off his brow. "Well, if my research of this period and culture is to be complete..." They went into one room, Tava had to clear the bed of several dozen books. Indy threw his hat casually on a shelf and slammed the door behind them.
Morning dawned on the desert town. Tava woke up alone in bed. She pulled her clothes back on and headed down the stairs. Indy and Dust had spent the early morning pouring over more of the ancient texts. She climbed over books and helped herself to the coffee near the fireplace.
"Well, our friend Dust here has found the ruins in the desert. They are pretty deep in the desert, but we should be able to reach them." Indy informed the still groggy thief.
"Mmm, yes. It just took walking through a couple old Tamrielic languages to triangulate where the ruins remained. Nothing too bad when you know what your doing." Dust gloated, "The professor here is a quick study, course he got a late start. You two seemed quite busy at night." a hint of smug entered the nervous voice, "I hope my books are still in good condition."
"Don't worry about those books Dust. They weren't in good enough condition to steal in the first place." Tava jested the lizard.
"We'll want to get some gear for the desert work. Maybe some shovels, picks, brushes. The wagon should serve us nicely. I have no ideal what's in this Alik'r Desert, so maybe some weapons." Indy laid the plans out. Dust shot a look at Tava.
"Sounds like you need a blacksmith. Luckily you still know one." This statement caused Tava to roll her eyes,
"Great, I assume you are insinuating that my uncle is still Elinhir's blacksmith?" Dust shook his head in agreement. "We need to start leaving now then. Our family isn't the most forgiving, and most my family doesn't approve of my career. We get there before everyone starts their days. Maybe we can persuade my uncle not to turn me in." Indy grabbed his satchel and hat, while Tava slipped on her long over cloak. Dust spoke to Indy,
"I haven't found the meaning of the 'heart of stone' yet. You can't leave yet." Indy stood in the door and looked back,
"Once we find the gauntlet we'll come back here. Have that ready for us by then. I have faith in you." Indy started to follow Tava out the door. He quickly grabbed a book laying on a nearby end table, "And I'm borrowing this book." Dust raised his hand to stop Indy, but he had already left the door. The duo loaded up into the rickety wagon, most of the original Legion supplies had been used or sold off. They rode down the street towards an open aired blacksmith shop. Before they approached, Indy looked back over to Tava. "I'd like to have my pocket watch back again. The one you took last night." Tava let out an embarrassed smile as she handed the watch back again. The wagon stopped up at the shop. Tava kept her black hood pulled down low as she approached the shop. She jumped from the wagon, with Indy in tow. The shop was anchored around a huge fire pit. A tall, dark man was hammering a blade out on an anvil. The disgruntle tone in Tava's voice was thick enough to slice with a knife.
"Shazem." The man turned his shoulder at the utterance of his name, "I need your help." His face was as cold and stern as the steel he forged. He wiped his hands on his dirty apron as he walked towards them.
"Tava Doulek. By Satakal, you have quite some nerve showing here. Then again, no one ever accused you of being timid." His face was hard and pitted from years at the anvil. Flames blazed in the thief's eyes.
"I did what came naturally. It's all I had when father left and mother was in temple. I don't remember you offering much help." Her words cut as sharp as her dagger. Anger filled his face of steel. He yelled loudly at Tava, but the words were in a tongue Indy couldn't decipher. Tava pressed her face closer to the blacksmith, yelling even louder in the unknown language. Soon their argument turned into a chaotic screaming match. Indy may not understand the language, but he figured they were just swearing at each other by this point. Indy stepped up, in between the two.
"Hey, alright. Family affairs are best not aired in public. Ah, about the task at hand." Both the Redguards looked at Indy sternly, yelling in unison,
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Shazem the blacksmith turned back to Tava and spoke in English again.
"I should turn you into the guards right now, you dirty thief. And this strange man. What is he, even?" Risking another scolding, Indy stepped forward.
"I'm an archae... adventurer" Indy chose a more local term, "We are headed to an ancient tomb that entails a long trek across the vast Alik'r desert. The tomb, deep in the ground, will be dangerous, deadly. Your thieving, no good niece may not return from such a perilous journey." Indy added as much grandeur as he could to sell his point. Shazem crossed his massive arms to hide his interest. "Now, if we want a devil's of a chance in reaching this tomb we'll need some shovels and picks." Shazem turned from the two and started to walk back to his smoldering anvil. Tava started after him, furiously yelling until his hand went up in silence. Indy caught Tava's coat tail to hold her back.
"I will give you, sell you, the stuff you need. Here," Shazem handed Indy two shovels and picks, which he handed to Tava, who in turned tossed them into the wagon, "And you'll want these for the travel. The desert, she is a dangerous place." Shazem handed Indy a giant great sword. Indy hunched down at the weapon's shear weight. He looked back towards the blacksmith's weapon wall. He spotted a much shorter, simpler looking blade. His voice strained from the weight as he asked.
"What about that one?" Shazem pulled the blade from it's rack.
"This thing? This is no sword of an adventurer. As I crafted this one the steel shatter, making the blade too short. It was not of good proof." Indy took it anyway and inspected.
"This will be just fine. It's a machete. I'm familiar with them." Shazem was puzzled.
"A machete? I've never heard of such a blade." Indy sheathed the machete into his belt and just nodded.
"Do you still have my scimitar?" Tava grunted at her uncle.
"Yes. I keep it in my personal chest." He pulled a delicate and elegant curved sword from a trunk, "Hoping you would return to it one day when you saw the foolishness of your ways." Shazem lectured as he handed her the sword.
"You'll take that dream to the Far Shores too." Tava snarked as she snatched the sword. She turned and started a casual walk to the wagon she whispered to Indy, "Start walking. Now!" Indy turned to follow and then they both broke into a run. Shazem, who had been tending his fire looked up.
"Get back here! You owe me gold! Curse you! Damn you to Oblivion!" The wagon sped off before he could give chase.
