The Elder Scrolls: A Like Supreme
A Cyberpunk/Elder Scrolls/Witcher crossover
…
Chapter 1
The College of Winterhold.
The Dragonborn sliced through another magical anomaly with his sword. The anomaly seemed to scream in pain as it was bisected in half by the blade of his sword, and it fell to the snow in a pile of steaming magical goo. The warrior panted slightly and took a moment to observe the battlefield briefly. Members of the College, both novices and masters were engaging the magical anomalies in battle, blasting out streams of fire, lightning and frost at the anomalies that flew about, slamming their eldritch bodies into the college members. This had all started when Ancano, the Thalmor advisor (read: toady), had taken control of the Eye of Magnus and was using the artefact's insurmountable power for his own ends.
The Psjic Monks had informed the Dragonborn that he was the only one who could stop what was happening. A meeting with the Augur of Dunlain had the warrior travelling to Labyrinthian, the ancient Nord city ruin nestled deep in the frozen mountains, to recover the Staff of Magnus that would have the power to close the Eye before it could potentially destroy the world.
After a long battle with legions of undead and the Dragon Priest Morokei who commanded them, the Dragonborn had recovered the Staff and immediately made his way back to the College. It had devolved into pandemonium as Ancano's reckless misuse of the Eye had caused magical ruptures to split the borders between realms, spilling forth magical anomalies that had begun attacking everything in sight.
The warrior participated in the battle, helping his fellow college members as best he could, slicing apart the anomalies with his sword and providing healing and magicka potions to anyone who was injured in the battle against the anomalies. Mirabelle Ervine urged him to end the insanity and that was what the warrior intended to do.
Tolfdir volunteered his services to aid the Dragonborn in reaching the College and the warrior gratefully accepted the offer of the elderly but powerful wizard's help. Once the anomalies in the town had been dealt with, the pair then traversed the walkway leading to the college and they soon reached the magical barrier that barred the way. Pulling the staff of Magnus from his back, the Dragonborn raised the eldritch staff in front of him and unleashed the power of the staff onto the magical barrier barring entry.
Immediately eldritch energy shot forth from the crystal head of the staff and the stream of magic collided with the barrier in a shower of magical sparks and arcs of lightning. There was a great screaming sound as though the barrier itself were in pain but that didn't stop the warrior as he focussed on bringing the barrier down. Finally, after a tense nerve-wracking moment, the barrier was brought down, and it cracked and broke like splintering glass as 'shards' of magic fell around the College like broken glass.
Putting the staff away, the Slayer of Alduin then charged into the college with his sword at the ready and Tolfdir following closely, his hands wreathed in arcane flames.
Barging through the large oak and iron bound doors, Dragonborn and the Tolfdir entered the Hall of Elements where they found Ancano standing before the Eye of Magnus, his body enveloped in arcane magic.
"Ancano! Stop this madness! You don't know what you're doing!" the Dragonborn shouted. Ancano turned around to sneer dismissively before he replied.
"Foolish whelp! I know exactly what I'm doing!" boasted the Thalmor agent. "With the Eye at my command, the Thalmor has all it needs to wipe out both the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Legion from the board!" he declared.
"Ancano, please! Listen to reason!" Tolfdir cried "There are magics we were never meant to meddle with!" he yelled.
"Pathetic old man!" Ancano sneered, "I tire of your prattle!" Ancano then waved a hand and Tolfdir fell to the ground paralysed.
"No! Damn you!" shouted the Dragonborn as he blasted out a stream of lightning at Ancano but the magical aura surrounding the Altmer easily absorbed the lightning. Ancano waved another hand and it was only lightning quick reflexes that saved the Dragonborn from being struck by a paralysis spell. The hero of Skyrim then drew the staff of Magnus from his back. Ancano's eyes flashed with recognition as he saw the staff in the warrior's gauntleted hands.
"The… Staff of Magnus? You found the Staff of Magnus?!" screeched Ancano.
"I did!" the Dragonborn declared "And with it, your schemes are over!" he said as he pointed the staff towards the Eye and blasted a stream of energy at the Eye. The stream of energy collided with the Eye and the Eye closed. As the Eye closed, Ancano's magical aura faded away leaving him vulnerable. Almost immediately, the warrior was upon the Thalmor agent, his sword flashing. Ancano barely dodged each strike, trying to raise his hands to cast a spell.
The Dragonborn kept to trying to get in close so that the Thalmor lackey wouldn't be able to use any magic. Ancano in an act of desperation drew his dagger and slashed at the man who blocked the strike with his sword, but this provided Ancano with enough time to hit the Dragonborn with a telekinetic pulse which forced him back. Ancano then stretched his hand towards the Eye and cast a spell on it. The Eye opened and Ancano was then covered in magic once again.
Ancano then began throwing lightning bolts and fireballs at his foe for all he was worth. It took all of the Dragonborn's agility to avoid being hit by the destructive spells and he aimed the staff at the Eye and cast the magic of the artefact into the Eye. The eldritch magic of the staff collided with the Eye, and it began to close again. Ancano screamed in rage as he cast a counter-spell at the Eye for it to remain open. But as Ancano's counter-spell hit the Eye, it began to froth with energy and arcs of energy and lightning lashed out and there was a great cracking sound as above the Eye a tear in the fabric of reality opened and began to suck everything in.
Ancano was the first to be sucked into the blackhole and the Thalmor agent screamed in desperation as he scrambled to hold onto solid ground. The Dovahkiin acted quickly; he used his Thu'um to Shout Ice Form to anchor Tolfdir to the floor ensuring he wouldn't be sucked into the blackhole. The Dragonborn then thrust the blade of his sword deep into the ground and held on tight. The warrior's body was raised into the air as the blackhole sucked everything in the room into its gaping maw.
The Slayer of Alduin held on as tightly as he could but before he could react, his sword came free of its from its anchor and the warrior was sucked into the blackhole. The Dragonborn yelled in frustration as he was sucked into the wormhole and he struggled to try and make his way back to the Hall of Elements but as he was sucked into the blackhole, the tear sealed itself. The Dragonborn roared in disbelief as he was now cut off from his own world.
Then there was nought but darkness as the Slayer of Alduin found himself floating in a near all consuming void. The darkness seemed to stretch on forever as far as the warrior's eyes could see.
"So, this is how it ends?" the warrior said dryly before giving a grunt and adding, "Had a good run at least."
Then something or rather someone walked into view and it was a familiar sight. A tall gangly looking man wearing a finely tailored outfit coloured purple with grey-white hair and near whited-out eyes and a grin that never seemed to leave his face walked into view.
"Well, now, isn't this is a coincidence?" asked the strange man with a toothy grin on his lips.
"Sheogorath. To what do I owe this pleasure?" the Dragonborn asked tiredly having dealt with the Daedric Prince of Madness before.
"Well, I was out for a stroll and saw you were in a spot of wee bother here," the Mad God replied. "Or are you not in trouble?" he asked quizzically.
"You could say that," the Dragonborn admitted dryly. "And I suppose you're here to gloat?" he asked lightly.
"Now, what kind of man do ye take for?" Sheogorath said in mock hurt. "After the time you helped me reunite with my servant, while cutting me holiday short mind you, I think I owe ya one," he added. "Unless you want to stay here that is?" the Mad God then asked blandly.
"Where is here, exactly?"
"Och, nowhere you want to be, that's for certain," Sheogorath said. "Would you like a lift?" he then asked with a friendly grin on his lips.
"Some assistance would be nice," the Dragonborn replied with a nod of his head.
"All ye had to ask was ask," Sheogorath replied as he waved his hand before the Dovahkiin could tell him where he wanted to be dropped off.
…
Pont Vanis. Kovir.
Drizzling rain pattered gently down on the many rooves of Kovir as the citizens made their way through the winding streets of Pont Vanis. One individual in particular walked slowly through the water sodden streets, carefully and calmly avoiding the local denizens. She was a reasonably tall young woman with a slender hourglass figure and deep fiery red hair in twin low buns were hidden beneath the large hood she wore to keep the rain off her head. A pair of bright emerald green eyes were looking ahead, focused on her destination.
This young woman was named Triss Merigold of Maribor, a powerful sorceress who formerly belonged to the Lodge of Sorceresses, a political and magical cabal of the world's most powerful mages who had been involved in more than their share of cutthroat political backstabbing and the like. So much so, that it had led to the mass killings and witch hunts in the Northern Kingdoms by Radovid the Stern, King of Redania.
But much of that was in the past now due to individuals who had brought about an end to the insane Radovid, not to mention the business with the Wild Hunt.
Initially, Triss had set up shop in Novigrad but was quickly forced into hiding due to the Church of the Eternal Fire declaring all mages to be witches and traitors and with eager assistance from Radovid, they had started exterminating anyone who so much as had a whiff of magic or even the slightest modicum of learning about them. Triss found herself the head of an underground movement looking to free all the mages of Novigrad and with some help from Novigrad's underworld bosses and the assistance of the Witcher Geralt of Rivia, Triss had spirited away the mages of Novigrad to Kovir where they were given sanctuary by King Tancred.
Geralt…
Geralt was a… complicated subject for Triss to put it lightly. For years she had been in love with the Witcher, unhappily so. When Geralt had been found outside Kaer Morhen with no memory of his past, Triss had, ashamedly, taken advantage of the man's amnesia, and also partly due to the belief that Geralt's other half, Yennefer of Vengerberg, was presumed dead, to pursue a relationship with him.
But as time went on, Geralt's memory came back to him and Yennefer was revealed to be alive and subsequently, the pair had gotten back together and were now more in love than ever. Of course, Geralt had forgiven Triss for deceiving him and taking advantage of his amnesiac state as he too had believed Yennefer to be dead.
But still, it was a bitter sting to Triss's heart that Geralt and Yennefer had now gotten their happily ever after. Last Triss had heard, Geralt had been given a vineyard of all things as part of a hefty reward for a monster contract in Toussaint.
But in all respects, Triss didn't have too bad either herself; she no longer had to hide her magical abilities, was in service to a sympathetic king who had given the mages shelter and the whole mess with the war with Nilfgaard and the Wild Hunt was now over.
Still, Triss did often think about her life with Geralt before. To tell the complete truth, she was lonely. The house she had received in Pont Vanis was a tad empty of human company, despite some of the servants who tended the estate and as bad as she felt, Triss felt herself pining for company.
Sighing to herself, Triss made her way through the streets as she neared a brightly lit tavern. She had decided to get out of the house and spend an evening at a tavern, hoping the mood and nearby presence of people would cheer her up. At the very least, she could get blind drunk and stumble back home with someone.
Entering the tavern, Triss felt the warm air brush over her as she lowered her hood and took in the sights of the tavern patrons, eating, drinking, singing or other such activities one would partake in a tavern. A troupe of troubadours were in stage playing a lively and merry tune and some space in the middle of the floor was cleared away for patrons to dance.
Sitting herself in a small but cosy booth, Triss gave her order to a serving girl who came back moments later with a bottle of fine Est-Est and a glass. Murmuring her thanks, Triss poured herself a glass and sipped slowly; giving a small hum of appreciation of the fine wine, Triss settled back in her seat to observe the crowd. She spotted some young couples dancing together or enjoying private intimate moments with each other; her heart panged at the sight.
Sighing heavily, Triss took another sip of her drink, hoping the alcohol would kick in and she could forget about her own heartache for a while.
"Excuse me, lassie, but is this seat taken?" a voice suddenly asked, and Triss looked up to see a rather peculiar man standing before her. He was clad in the most garish ensemble of orange and purple clothes, but they looked to be finely tailored and fit the man like a well-made glove. He had windswept silver-grey hair and his eyes where a pale silvery colour that almost made Triss think he was blind. An almost manic looking smile was on the odd man's lips as he looked at her expectantly.
"Um, no, not at all, feel free," Triss said to the odd man who gave a wide grin and sat opposite her.
"Ah, thank ye, very much, lass. I've travelled quite a long way here," he said as he leaned back in his seat and pulled out from his jacket a large wedge of orange cheese and bit into it. "Would you like some?" he offered the wedge to Triss who shook her head in response. "Hmm, more for me than," he stated as he took even larger bite of his cheese.
"Who are you, sir? What made you want to sit here?" Triss then asked, curious as to why this odd fellow wanted to sit her booth when there were others that were available.
"Well, I saw ye sitting there alone, looking like the loneliest bairn in the world and I thought I'd come sit a spell with ye," the man replied with a grin. "As for who I am, I am called Sheogorath Cheeseman, Lord of the Never-There," he then said with a bow of his head.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr Cheeseman," Triss said, feeling a little baffled at this odd man's name. Was this man a sorcerer? If he was, she'd never heard of him before. And as for his title, Lord of the Never-There, it sounded quite made-up, yet there was a little feeling that told Triss that it sounded like a real place. "I am…" she then tried to introduce herself to Sheogorath who cut her off with.
"I know who you are, lass. Triss Merigold of Maribor, the Fourteenth of the Hill and former member of the Lodge of Sorceresses," he said with a knowing grin.
"My reputation precedes me it seems," Triss said dryly. "But I must say that I've never heard of you before, nor have I heard of any place called Never-There," she added.
"Oh, but everyone does know me, lass," Sheogorath said with a mysterious grin. "I lurk in the back of everyone's mind, beneath the surface of every rational thought I wait, and I can bring to one brilliance or their wit's end," he added.
Triss raised an eyebrow at this; this conversation had taken a very strange turn indeed. This Sheogorath seemed to be brimming with madness and she had half a mind to cast a spell to calm the man down and bring him to a doctor.
"I wouldn't bother trying to cast one of your spells on me, lassie. Ye'd only annoy me, and you really don't want to annoy me," Sheogorath said with a grin and another bite of his cheese.
"Telepathy?" Triss asked in a guarded voice as she mentally threw up some defences around her mind.
"Oh, ye could say that, little lass," Sheogorath said with a secretive little grin. "The mind is a specialty of mine," he added.
"What is it you want from me?" Triss asked, staring at the odd man with a flat look on her face. "You obviously have a reason to be sitting here when there are other booths available. So, what is it that you want from me?"
"Truth be told, I'd like to play a game with ye," Sheogorath said.
"Gwent?" Triss deadpanned, wondering if the man before her was just plain insane.
"Oh, nothing so trite as that, bonny lass," Sheogorath said a cackle. "But if ye play this game of mine, ye could learn more about yerself and, dare I say it, perhaps even find love," he offered.
"And if I'm not interested?" Triss asked lightly, playing devil's advocate.
"Well, ye cannae do much worse than ye are right now, can ye?" Sheogorath said to her. "It's all in good fun and you might find yerself enjoying it," he added.
Triss thought about it for a moment before shrugging and said, "Well, what harm could it do?"
"Knew I liked ye for a reason, bonny lass," Sheogorath smiled as he waved his hand at Triss before she could even say anything, and she felt herself be pulled from the world and fell backwards into a void.
…
The Dragonborn awoke with a sharp gasp and intake of air as he bolted upright, panting heavily as his eyes looked around wildly as to where he was. It was night-time and the stars shone overhead and the moon was like a gleaming silver coin in the curtain of night. Slowing his erratic breathing and pounding heart with a few steady intakes of air, the Dragonborn then slowly relaxed, yet kept his mind alert in case there may be an ambusher lying in wait.
Then a sudden groan of malcontent and annoyance alerted the warrior who looked to see someone lying beside him. It was a woman with deep fiery red hair done in twin buns hanging low on her head. She was well-dressed in finery that looked elegant and yet practical all the same with trousers instead of a skirt and the boots she wore had a heel on them but still looked suitable for walking and perhaps even running in.
Normally, the Dragonborn wasn't a man who judged others by their appearance alone, but if he did, he wouldn't have anything negative to say about this woman. Her eyes flickered open to reveal swirling orbs of emerald green and she had some freckles on her face and her skin looked radiant in the light of the moon and stars. Her lips looked soft and full, and her cheekbones were soft yet sharp and angular looking. Her eyes then locked onto the warrior's and it was a long moment they stared at each other when the warrior made the first attempt to speak.
"I am called the Dragonborn. Who might you be?" he asked.
"Triss. Triss Merigold," the redhead replied as she slowly sat, rubbing her head. "What is your name?" she asked.
"I am the Dragonborn," the warrior stated out of fact rather than pride.
"That's not your name."
"If you are asking for the name I was given at birth, then I do not have one. I was found as a babe in arms on the steps of the imperial orphanage and designated orphan number thirteen."
"You're an orphan?" Triss asked in surprise, her eyes going soft with pity.
"Yes," the Dragonborn said bluntly. "It was only when I slew my first dragon that I was given the title of Dragonborn or Dovahkiin in the dragon language," he explained.
"I see," Triss said with a slight nod of her head. She then looked around and added, "Well, I have no notion as to where I am, and I suspect you don't either." She looked at the Dragonborn and asked, "How did you get here? A portal of some kind?"
"I was attempting to stop Ancano from misusing the Eye of Magnus. Something happened and I fell through a void into darkness, and it was there Sheogorath found me."
"Sheogorath?" Triss latched onto that titbit of information. "I met someone named Sheogorath in Pont Vanis!" she exclaimed. "He said he wanted to play a game with me of some kind," she recounted. "I'm guessing you know who Sheogorath is, right?" She looked at the warrior who nodded in response.
"Aye. Sheogorath is the Daedric Prince of Madness and Lord of the Never-There," he explained.
"Daedric Prince?" Triss echoed. "What is a Daedric Prince?" she asked.
"I think explanations are best kept for later," the warrior said as he looked past the redhead and saw dust clouds approaching. "It appears we have company," he remarked as the roaring sound grew louder as the dust clouds grew closer. The noise grew so loud it was almost deafening to both Triss and the Dragonborn.
What made the dust cloud were in Triss's eyes were metal carriages that moved of their own volition without any horses or even oxen to pull them. There were large and small carriages; the small ones had two wheels in a single vertical line and held aloft a single rider whereas the larger carriages had four wheels and housed two or more passengers. Those who rid in these carriages were a motley assortment of leathers and armour.
The riders then circled around Triss and the Dragonborn, the dust and sand being thrown up around them. The warrior gently moved Triss behind him and put a hand to his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Triss flexed her fingers, preparing to cast a spell.
Then the carriages all stopped, but they growled almost menacingly like wild beasts preparing to pounce on unwary prey. Seated atop a small two-wheeled carriage, a man spoke in a loud almost uncouth voice, "Well, lookie here, boys and girls! Fresh meat!" This statement was followed by hollers, whoops and cheers as the riders all leered at the Dragonborn and Triss. "Long way out here for two fancy looking cosplayers," the leader said conversationally as he got off his two-wheeler. "You prolly don't know the lowdown of the sitch," he added.
"So, what if we don't?" the Dragonborn said calmly though Triss could hear the tightening in the warrior's voice.
"This is Raffen Shiv turf, fancypants!" the leader growled out. "Anyone who wants to go through our turf has to pay a toll!" he stated.
"And what is your price for us to walk through your land unharmed?" the Dragonborn asked.
"Everything you got, big boy," the leader said and he looked at Triss and added, "Your little friend will have to pay too and we got something more than money in mind for her." His words were followed by catcalls and leers.
Triss then conjured a ball of magical flames in her hands and said, "Get any ideas and I'll gladly burn you alive!"
The sight of flames in the sorceress's palm had all the thugs muttering in fear and wonder.
"You're a mage?" the Dragonborn looked at Triss in surprise.
"You never asked," Triss said simply before she looked at the leader of the Raffen Shiv coldly and added, "If you don't let us leave unharmed, I'm going to burn every inch of your skin off!"
"Heh, kinky," the leader said with a grin despite himself. "But the ways I sees it, there's almost two dozen of us, all chromed up and there are two of youse! Pretty bad odds, wouldn't you say?" he added.
"Aye, pretty bad odds," the Dragonborn said seemingly in agreement as he glanced around at the bandits before looking at leader and adding, "You should've brought more."
"Eh?" the leader didn't get a chance to say anything further before his head was severed from his neck as the Dragonborn's sword slashed through bone, flesh and muscle at blinding speeds. It was a full five seconds before the bandits could react and four more fell to the warrior' blade. Triss reacted as well as she flung fireballs at the bandits, the destructive spells setting them and their vehicles ablaze. Explosions made themselves known as the metal carriages were destroyed in sprays of metal splinters and flames.
The Dragonborn moved like a wraith through the throngs of the bandits, the smoky blade of his sword severing limbs or piercing vital organs. Then one of the bandits flexed his arms and from each forearm a long blade sprung out; the bandit then seemingly disappeared in a flash of movement and suddenly reappeared in front of the Dragonborn who managed to block the sudden strikes with his sword. The arm blades of the bandit lashed out rapidly like a massive scorpion striking with its stinger. The Dovahkiin avoided the strikes where he could, but the blades scraped against his ebony forged armour, skating off with screams of metal on metal and sparks flew as the sharp edges grinded against the volcanic metal.
The next strike from the bandit's arm-blade was stopped cold in its tracks and the Slayer of Alduin then quickly noted the sockets from where the blade came from. With a rapid slash, the warrior rendered the arm blade useless as it fell to the dust with a clatter. The bandit stared at his ruined weapon in dismay before lashed out with his remaining one only to have his arm severed at the shoulder by the Dovahkiin's sword. With a scream of pain and shock, the bandit fell to his knees, clutching the bloody stump where his arm connected to his shoulder. He did not live to contemplate this very long as the Dragonborn then chopped his head off with a powerful thrust.
Triss flung fireballs for all she was worth, but as she did so, she could feel it getting harder and harder to draw upon the Source. The sorceress could only surmise that the Source of this world was very limited and she could very well use it all up before this conflict was over.
Then sharp clicks alerted Triss as she saw a line-up of the bandits all aiming their stranger crossbows at her. Then the Dragonborn stood in front of Triss protectively, grabbing her and shielding her with his own body as the bandits pulled the triggers of their weapons. With a thunderstorm of cracks and bangs followed by flashes of fire from the bandits' weapons, projectiles collided against the Dragonborn's armour with loud shrill screams of metal ricocheting off the onyx armour.
The sound was deafening in Triss's ears like the sound of standing within a roaring waterfall and her breath was short and her throat had locked as the sounds of those weapons firing upon her and her sudden protector deafened her.
Then the staccato died down and Triss then felt the Dragonborn stand to his feet, her ears were ringing as she heard muffled voices and by the time her ears had stopped ringing and she stood up, she looked to see the Dragonborn standing atop a pile of corpses, his amour spattered in blood and his sword stained crimson. Normally, Triss wouldn't bat an eyelash at the sight of a warrior standing victorious over his foes. She'd seen similar sights from Geralt, but she couldn't help but think that this warrior looked very much like the image of a god of war for he certainly looked the part of it.
"Are you alright?" the Dragonborn suddenly asked her and Triss gave a little start as she heard the calm almost soothing timbre of the man's voice.
She must've been gawking as the Dragonborn then wiped the blade of his sword clean before sheathing and spoke to her, "Are you hurt?" he asked her in a calm slow voice, his tone almost sounding concerned.
"Y-Yes! I'm fine, thanks to you," the redheaded sorceress managed to find her voice to give out a response.
"That is good news to hear," the Dragonborn said with a nod of his head before he looked around at the carnage they had wrought. "A tad messy," he added wryly.
"We did cause a bit of a mess," Triss said with a sheepish smile on her lips. "At least it's over now," she added.
"But for how long?" the Dragonborn looked at her and Triss had to admit that he had a point.
Then the sound of more those strange vehicles was heard and the Dragonborn put a hand to his sword and Triss readied another fireball in her hand.
Then slowly approaching was another of the strange carriages, by itself, and painted different colours to those of the bandits transportation. The carriage stopped a short distance and a door opened and stepping out was a young woman with dark hair done in a braided topknot hairstyle. She wore a leather jacket and practical if worn looking clothing and she held a similar weapon to what the bandits wielded, although it looked much bigger and longer than what the bandits were armed with.
"Are you friend or foe?" the Dragonborn called out to the woman.
"I heard the sounds of gunfire and came to investigate!" the woman hollered back. "This is Raffen Shiv turf! What are you doing out here?" she asked as she slowly approached.
"We somehow found ourselves out here," Triss replied as she dissipated her fire spell and dusted off her hands. "Neither of us know where we are," she said.
"Are you nomads? Did you get separated from your clan?" the topknot haired woman asked as she looked at the corpses with cautious eyes. "Did you kill all these gonks by yourselves?" she then asked as she looked at the carnage with disbelief in her dark eyes.
"They provoked us," the Dragonborn said simply.
"I see," the woman remarked nervously. "I'm Panam. What are your names?" she asked as she slung her weapon over her shoulder.
"I'm Triss Merigold, and this is the Dragonborn, no name known to him or me," Triss said for them.
"The Dragonborn?" a raised eyebrow sprung up on Panam's brow. "What kind of name is that?" she asked as she gave a little chuckle.
"It's what people called me when I slew my first dragon," the warrior replied as he relaxed his grip on the hilt of his sword.
"Dragon? What kind of shit are you smoking, and where can I get it?" Panam asked with a laugh this time.
"Can you tell us where we are?" Triss asked moving the conversation to safe waters.
"You're in the Badlands outside of Night City," Panam told her. "I was doing a run and I cut through Raffen territory when I heard the sounds of gunfire and found you two," she then said. "Musta been a couple dozen of these guys and you two killed them all," she remarked as she looked around. Her eyes suddenly glowed orange and the Dragonborn quickly unsheathed his sword. "Whoa! Easy there, big guy! I ain't trying to netrun ya! Just scanning you," she explained.
The Dragonborn relaxed slightly but did not sheath his sword regardless. After a moment, Panam's eyes returned to normal and she said, "Damn… you two have got no cyberware at all! Where are you two from?" she asked looking at the Dragonborn and Triss in confusion.
"Perhaps we should move this conversation elsewhere?" Triss suggested helpfully. "Somewhere more conducive to conversation. And I think we could all do with a strong drink," she said.
"Yeah, prolly right 'bout that," Panam said as she looked around again before looking at the pair before her and added, "You two can hitch a ride with me into town. I'll finish my run and then we'll see about getting something to drink."
"Lead on then," the Dragonborn said as he sheathed his sword and he and Triss then entered Panam's carriage while Panam climbed into the driver's seat. Then with a rumble and deep growl, Panam's carriage came to life as she shifted gears and drove off away from the grisly scene of the dead Raffen Shiv gang members.
…
An hour later, after finishing her job and delivering the package to the client, Panam Palmer took her two passengers to the nearest watering hole from where she dropped off the package, El Coyote Cojo, a little dive bar in the Glen of Heywood district. The bartender Pepe had brought out a large bottle of tequila with some glasses and put them on the table in front of Panam and her two passengers.
After thanking the barman, Panam poured herself a shot of the alcohol and spoke, "So, you two killed a gang of nearly two dozen Raffen Shiv by yourselves, you've got no chrome whatsoever on either of you and suffice to say, neither don't have any ID I can pick up on," she recounted the facts. "Mind telling me who you two are?" she asked before she downed her shot of tequila in one go before pouring herself another.
"I think it's a little hard to explain, Miss Panam," Triss admitted as she ran a hand down her face tiredly.
"This is Night City. All kind of shit has been seen and heard here," Panam said with a crooked grin. "So, go on. Surprise me," she challenged.
An hour later and when the bottle of tequila was now down to dregs, Panam, a little drunk but still very much aware looked at the nameless Dragonborn and the sorceress Triss Merigold with surprise in her dark brown eyes.
"Damn! If I didn't think you were telling the truth, I'd say you two could make a lot of eddies making the next fantasy flick!" she stated.
"It's up to you to judge for yourself whether we have told you the truth or not," the Dragonborn said as he fiddled with his shot glass. He had taken one or two shots of the tequila and he still looked very much sober; he'd barely made a face when he downed his first shot.
"Yeah, well, since I came to Night City with my clan, I thought I'd seen and heard everything," Panam said. "Heh, don't know what everyone is gonna think when you tell them you're both from different worlds," she added with a chuckle.
"Yes, well, I'd very much like to find a way home truth be told," Triss said as she eyed her tequila shot apprehensively; she taken a sip of the alcohol and nearly spat it out gagging at the taste and hadn't touched it since.
"As would I," the Dragonborn said in agreement.
"Well, I don't know of anyone who might be able to help you two," Panam said regretfully. "Only people who could you two out would be one of the Corporations in Night City, but I wouldn't go near them if I were you," she warned.
"Why is that?" the Dragonborn asked.
"You're kidding me, right? Corpos like Arasaka and Militech are the reason the world has gone to shit," Panam said to him. "America's still recovering from the last Corporation War," she added.
"Sounds a lot like home," Triss said dryly.
"Yeah. I won't stop you if you go to one of the Corps to find a way back home, but I'd give you a friendly piece of advice to not trust them at all," Panam said to them before she looked at the nearly empty bottle in front of her and gave a sigh.
"So, we're stuck here," the Dragonborn said rather than asked.
"Seems like you two are stuck here," Panam agreed. "But, this is Night City. A Corp wouldn't be your only avenue of finding a way back home. And from the look of you, big guy, you'd find a lot of work as a merc," she said to the warrior.
"What am I supposed to do? Just sit on my hands and do nothing?" Triss asked sarcastically.
"Eh, I'm sure you'll think of something," Panam said to the sorceress with a grin. "Either way, you'd both find something to do in Night City," she added.
"What kind of mercenary jobs are out there?" the Dragonborn then asked.
"Plenty, but first thing's first, you'd need a fixer to get a gig," Panam told him.
"What is a fixer?"
"A fixer is someone who acts as an agent or intermediary between a client and a merc. Someone has contacts, resources and connections in their sphere of the city to supply mercs with work and fix a client's problem," Panam explained. "And lucky for you, I happen to know one of the best fixers in all Night City," she said with a smile.
"And what is the name of this 'fixer'?" Triss asked.
Panam gave a little grin before giving the answer.
…
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! First chapter of this is done and dusted! I hope you all enjoyed the very first Elder Scrolls/Cyberpunk crossover. There's not many crossovers for Cyberpunk which isn't all that surprising to me since Cyberpunk is still very much in its infancy years so to speak and doesn't quite have the clout Elder Scrolls does in the fanfiction world. But that isn't to say that there aren't other Elder Scrolls/Cyberpunk fanfics out there, there's probably some on websites like AO3 or Wattpad, but I haven't looked, so I'm just assuming I'm the first person to write such a crossover.
And in case it ain't obvious, this story is also a crossover with Witcher as Triss is a part of the story. I'm thinking that she could get into Fixer work, mostly working with Dragonborn helping him find work while trying to find them both a way back to their respective worlds, plus I've got in my head a Dragonborn/Triss pairing, maybe Panam too or a female V too.
Timeline wise, this story is set about a year or two before Cyberpunk 2077 and I could delve into the Edgerunners anime with Dragonborn and Triss helping David and his crew and maybe changing their fates. I haven't watched an actual episode of Edgerunners, but I am fully aware of how the series ends and the characters fates, so maybe with the Dragonborn and Triss in the crew, David and Lucy could finally be on the Moon together? But like Johnny Silverhand says and I quote, "Here, for folks like us? Wrong City, wrong People." End quote.
Anyways, leave a review if you liked this new story of mine and maybe leave a follow and favourite if you want to see more of this. Depending on my mood, I could write out another chapter if this first chapter is well received.
And that's about all I have right now, so I'll leave this here and catch you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.