The road outside of Falkreath was almost completely deserted. The afternoon light was dim and hazy, fighting to filter through the tall pine trees and thick fog, and the animals of the forest were quiet. The young mage Anise was all alone. Except for the taking dog of course.

"You are exactly what I was looking for."

That was what he'd said. Or barked. Anise wasn't sure, though he had barked a far more traditional kind of bark just after, so maybe he had been talking. Without moving his mouth.

"Did...Did you just talk?"

"Skyrim is now home to giant, flying lizards and two-legged cat men, and you are surprised by me? Yes I just talked, and am continuing to do so." The dog punctuated his reply with another bark.

Anise had never seen a dog look sarcastic, and certainly wouldn't have thought they were capable of such an expression, but the dog before her gave her the very distinct impression that he was being sarcastic. His tongue was still lolling about, but something about his eyes and the tilt of his head seemed to say that she'd asked a stupid question.

"Let me start again." He said. "My name is Barbas, and I have a problem I think you can help with."

"Alright" Anise said slowly. "What sort of problem is it?"

"My master and I had a bit of a falling out. We got into an argument and it became a bit...heated. My master has kicked me out until I can find someone to settle our differences."

Anise understood, though she wasn't sure she liked where things were going. Sure, solving a disagreement sounded easy enough, but she couldn't think of any spells that allowed an animal to talk, which ruled out Barbas being a simple, enchanted dog. It seemed a lot more likely that something supernatural was going on, and that Anise was going to be in over her head.

"And that's where I come in?"

"Exactly." Barbas replied, barking again.

"Look, " Anise said. "I'm really not sure I'm the right person for this. I'd love to help, but I've got my own things to do, and this feels a little out of my league. You'd really be better off with someone else."

He didn't look particularly convinced.

"And I've really got my own things to do."

He continued to stare her down.

"So I really don't have the time."

Barbas huffed and thumped his tail on the ground. Then he stood and moved past her, facing the direction of Helgen. He took a few steps before looking over her shoulder at her.

"My master is Clavicus Vile, the Daedric Prince of wishes. As you can imagine, he's quite the important person."

Clavicus Vile, Daedric Prince of wishes.

Clavicus Vile, Daedric Prince.

Daedric Prince.

Anise knew when she didn't have a choice, and this was looking to be one of those times. Her only options were to abandon the dog and hope he never reunited with his master, or go with him and do her best to help. If she left him here there was a good chance that he'd find someone else to help him, reunite with his master, and then tell the Daedric Prince about the little mage that had refused to help. Clavicus Vile may be the Prince of wishes, but he was also known as a trickster. Anise had no doubt Barbas' master would get her back for her unwillingness to help, and it wouldn't be pleasant. If she did her best to aid Barbas then, when the two made up, they would likely forget all about her and she could go on with her life as a simple mage.

"Alright." She sighed. "Where is your master?"

Barbas looked about as smug as a wolfhound could.

"Not far at all." He said. "Just follow me."

With that he began to move forward, trotting along at a brisk doggy pace. Anise rushed forward to catch up, wondering if an immortal being not of this plane would really have the same idea of 'not far at all' as she did.

...

Anise had been right to wonder. It turned out that Barbas' idea of 'not far at all' was about one hour and three bandits longer than her own. When the burned gates of Helgen came into view and Barbas trotted towards them with the same purposeful walk he'd had for the past two hours, Anise spoke up.

"Barbas we can't just stroll through Helgen. The place is full of bandits now, it's too dangerous. Where are we even going?

"My master is a bit weaker when I'm not around." He explained, sitting down in front of Anise. "He won't be able to go far from his shrines, and I know he has one nearby. There's a cult that worships him at Haemar's Shame. We'll be able to communicate with him there."

Haemar's Shame? Anise thought. I'm not even sure where that is.

Anise sighed.

"Well," she said as Barbas stood and began to move forward again. "Let's at least go around Helgen, rather than through it."

Barbas looked back at her without breaking his pace.

"You worry too much."

Barbas reached the gates of Helgen and barked at them once. With no explanation that Anise could see, the gates swung open, revealing the charred and ruined remains of the town within. Barbas continued onwards, clearly unfazed by the destruction before him. Or the scattered group of bewildered bandits.

Their confusion didn't last long.

The bandits charged forward, swords drawn and faces twisted in savage joy. Anise conjured her familiar quickly and summoned an ice spell into each hand. The wolf familiar didn't last long, getting in about two bites before being defeated by a hulking Nord. Barbas had a Redguard women in his teeth, and soon took her down, jumping over her corpse to attack an Orc that had been about to lop Anise's head clean off. Anise back peddled furiously, trying to dash to the side so that she might reach the other end of Helgen and the gates that Barbas had been heading toward. Ice flew continuously from her hands and she kept them stretched out before her, hoping to keep the bandits at enough of a distance to ensure safety. One Nordic woman, used to the cold skyrim weather, managed to ignore the ice and push her way forward. She swung her sword towards Anise's side and managed to catch skin. Anise stumbled backwards, nearly tripping and dropped her ice spells. She ducked quickly as another swipe of the sword passed over her head, then pushed off and ran full tilt, leaving Barbas to handle the rest of the bandits or follow her. She heard the Nordic woman give chase, and heard the dying gasp of another bandit. Anise wasn't sure how many were left, but she felt certain that the dog of a Daedric Prince could likely handle it. She ran up the steps of a burned building that had been cleared out, likely to serve as the bandits main sleeping area. Anise ran through the main area quickly, feeling the Nordic woman's steps thumping closely behind her. Seeing a break in the building's wall, Anise lunged for it, ignoring the twinge from the cut in her side. She fell roughly on the ground outside, failing to land on her feet or even roll. The bandit jumped through far more gracefully, and landed on her feet in front of Anise. With no other moved to make, Anise ran forward without thinking. The bandit was just barely off balance from landing, and was thrown to the ground as Anise barreled into her. She lost her footing again and landed on her knees, crashing them into the bandit's face. The woman let out a rage filled cry, and Anise jumped up again, shoving her feet into the bandits face and using it to push off. The woman rolled over quickly to give chase, and the world seemed to move slower as Anise realized she would not be escaping. The bandit was on her knees by the time Anise had managed her first real step, and she knew her stamina would run out far before the other woman's. She was already running out of energy, and she had wasted all her stamina potions the last time she'd come this way. Anise lifted her other foot, took her next step. The bandit was lifting up off her knees, her hands leaving the dirt and her feet beneath her, her sword forgotten on the ground. She'd happily beat Anise with her fists once she was standing.

And then, suddenly, the world sped up again as the shadow of a wolfhound fell over the bandit's head.

Barbas rammed into the woman's back, pushing her down again and landing atop her with a ferocious growl. His teeth wasted no time in finding her neck, and then she was gone. Helgen went quiet. Anise, still caught in the position of a woman about to run, relaxed a bit and turned toward Barbas, bewildered by his look of contentment. It was as of nothing at all had happened.

"That was perhaps the most inelegant escape I have ever seen." Barbas barked.

...

The pair, one exhausted and one rather nonplussed, made their way out of the gates of Helgen. Anise insisted on stopping a moment to check her injury, and Barbas wandered off looking for something to entertain him while she tended herself. The cut in her side wasn't bad enough to warrant a healing potion, so Anise simply cleaned it off and wrapped some linens around it. The sun was getting a bit lower in the sky now, and while it wasn't too late in the day just yet, she felt nervous that this trip would end with her stuck after dark in the middle of the wilderness.

"Barbas!" She called as she finished wrapping her injury and rearranging her robes.

"Are we nearly there?" She asked as Barbas came trotting out of the woods.

Barbas barked and ran off down the path, and Anise was left to follow, feeling distinctly like her question had been ignored.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, with Barbas killing a couple wolves and chasing a few deer as they walked. The air began to get colder and the sun began to sink lower as they climbed a slight hill, following a twisting path through the beginnings of snow. Just as Anise had been about to snap, Barbas stopped and sat down triumphantly in front of the entrance to a cave.

"I told you it wouldn't take long" he said. "Haemar's Shame. My master's shrine lies just ahead."

Just as Anise was beginning to feel optimistic about the end of their journey, Barbas added,

"All we have to do now is go through the cult."

...

This particular cult of Clavicus Vile proved to consist entirely of vampires, none of which were particularly pleased to see a dog and a Breton inside their home. There weren't many of them, but each and every one saw fit to attack. Barbas took them all down easily enough, while Anise pelted them with fairly ineffective ice spells. Finally they managed to get to the passage that led to Clavicus Vile's shrine. Before they went in, Barbas stepped in front of Anise and looked up at her seriously.

"If this works out, I'll make sure you're rewarded." He said "Just don't trust any offer he tries to make you...okay?"

Anise was surprised by Barbas's worry. Was he afraid for her, or for himself? Either way, she trusted him more than she trusted his master, so she had no problem agreeing.

"I'll follow your lead." She said.

"When you get in there, just say you have a request for him. Then ask him to take me back. Simple"

Anise feared it wouldn't be quite as easy as all that, but she nodded, and together they went down the passage.

The shrine was a large cavernous area, with stone steps leading down into it, and a large statue of Vile himself in the center. Anise made her way down the steps and stood before the statue, taking in the fresh meat that had been left before it as an offering. There were also a few coins and a basket of fresh apples, shining in the flickering light of the candles placed on either side of the statue. Anise stared up at the statue and cleared her throat, uncertain of how to begin.

"My Lord, Clavicus Vile. I have a request I would ask of you."

"By all means, let's hear it," A man's voice echoed all around her, with no clear source. It had an accent similar to Barbas', but more refined. Though the tone seemed genial enough, there was something about it that made Anise nervous.

A sinister undertone, maybe? A hint of something twisted? I'm not sure.

Clavicus Vile continued to speak.

"It's the least I could do, since you already helped me grant one final wish for my last worshippers. They were suffering so from vampirism, and they begged me for a cure. Then you came along and ended their misery! I couldn't have planned it better myself."

Anise could hear the twisted smile in those words, and knew she would not trust this Daedric Prince. He would grant your wishes, surely enough, but it was almost never in the way you had wanted. Anise resolved to not be tricked by him, and to follow Barbas's lead in this. He may be the Daedric Prince's companion, but she felt that Barbas had little motivation or desire for trickery.

Oh, what have I gotten myself into?

"So," Clavicus went on, "What is your hearts desire? What kind of deal can we make?"

Anise heard the anticipation in those words, and the greed. He was looking forward to seeing what mischief he could make next. Anise hoped she wouldn't be giving him the satisfaction.

"I request that you take Barbas back. Into your service. My Lord." Anise stuttered, uncertain of the proper way to address a Daedra.

"That insufferable pup? Forget it. No deal. I'm glad to be rid of him."

Anise felt her heart sink. Had all this been for nothing? What would Barbas do now? Would he follow her about, barking at her and giving her sarcastic replies until she grew old and died? Worse yet, would he wander alone for centuries, until his master finally took him back? Just as Anise was about to ask again, Clavicus spoke.

"Even if it does mean that I'm stuck in this pitiful shrine. At the back end of...well, nowhere." The voice paused a moment, as though he was thinking carefully.

"I suppose there is a way he could earn his pace back at my side. Maybe. No promises."

Barbas stood, looking pleased, and Anise felt her optimism returning.

"There is an axe," Vile continued. "An incredibly powerful axe. Powerful enough that I could have quite a bit of fun indeed. If you bring it to me I'll grant you my boon. No strings attached, no messy surprises. At least not for you."

Barbas looked quite pleased at this task. Anise was a bit more concerned. This didn't exactly sound like something she wanted in the hands of a Daedric Prince. Then again, he could probably get it anyway once he had Barbas with him, as he'd be at full power again. Before anise could wonder if getting Barbas and Clavicus Vile back together was really such a good idea, the Daedric Prince spoke again.

"The axe is resting in Rimerock Burrow. Barbas can lead you right to it. Little mutt might even earn his pace back at my side" he muttered.

Barbas barked at Anise and stood, walking towards the back of the cavern towards the exit there. Anise guessed that her audience with the Daedric Prince was over, and she followed Barbas to the back of the cavern, pulling the lever there to open the bars blocking the exit. Fresh air kissed her cheeks as she stepped outside, and Anise was pleased to see that the sun was still in the sky. It was low indeed, but she might have just enough time to make it to Riverwood before it was too dark. She turned to Barbas.

"We'll have to stop by my home in Riverwood for the night. I won't travel through the dark. How far is it to the axe? Can you show me on my map?" She pulled her map from her satchel and spread it out on the stones beneath her. Barbas looked it over before placing his paw on the map, on a spot just outside of the imperial city of Solitude.

All the way on the other side of Skyrim.