Here's chapter 5!
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Chapter 5
Grun blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. He had finally managed to find his way out of the sewers and he reeked of its foul stench.
Swearing, he stripped off his clothes and bathed in the river nearby.
After he was done, he dried and dressed himself and prepared to head for Weynon Priory.
He paused.
He had just realised something.
He didn't know where the hell the place was.
He let out a roar of frustration.
He looked up at the Imperial City looming in front of him.
"Better go ask for directions," he grumbled as he made his way to the city.
However, he did not have to venture far before he ran into someone.
The woman was an Imperial, she was about in her late sixties if her graying hair was any indicator, she had burn marks on her face, but she seemed sprightly enough. She was whistling a merry tune while driving a horse cart down the road carrying all sorts of oddities.
Grun hailed her from the side of the road and she pulled to a stop.
She looked at the dwarf and shrugged.
"Good day to you, sir," she said. "Care to look at my wares?"
"Not interested," grunted Grun. "Do you know a place called Weynon Priory?"
"Weynon Priory?" echoed the woman. "I pass it from time to time."
"Could you tell me which way it is?" asked the dwarf.
"You have to keep going eastwards, which is behind you."
Grun turned and saw the Imperial City and saw the vast land rolling away behind it.
"Any idea how far it is?" he asked with a sigh.
"It's quite far, about a day's ride," answered the woman. "Perhaps you would like a lift? I'm going that way myself."
Grun turned to regard the woman and for the first time in a long, long time, the faintest hint of a smile appeared on his rough face. "That'll be nice."
"Hop on, then!" cried the women. "The name's Adrianna, what's yours?"
"Grun," grunted the dwarf.
"Well then Grun, the only thing I'd ask of you on this trip is to tell me about yourself and deal with any bandits that we may come across." Adrianna said cheerfully.
Grun rolled his eyes. "Fine."
"Of we go then," cried Adrianna, and they began their journey, with Adrianna chattering the whole way.
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Arvina and M'raaj-Dar rode quietly along the Gold Road; they had just passed Skingrad a few hours ago and were now headed to Chorrol to pay Jauffre a visit.
Schemer slept quietly in the saddlebag and Arvina quietly envied the rat, he didn't have to be out in the hot sun like she and M'raaj-Dar.
Their journey was completely uneventful, until…
Five bandits armed to the teeth stood in their way. One Nord, two Redguards, an Imperial and a Khajiit.
"Your money or your life," snarled the Nord.
M'raaj-Dar raised his eyebrows and turned to Arvina.
"You or me?"
Arvina sighed.
"Not in the mood, make it quick."
The Khajiit grinned broadly.
Suddenly, as fast as lightning he sent a fireball at the Khajiit bandit, setting him aflame.
The bandit yowled and fled towards the Rumare Lake glittering ahead.
The other four, taken by surprised, regrouped and turned to attack the Khajiit, only he was no longer on his horse.
"Looking for me?"
They turned around and saw that the Imperial was lying unconscious at his feet.
The Redguards charged at him, swinging.
In one fluid motion, he dodged the blows and was right between them. He struck out at their temples with his elbows, both of them fell unconscious.
The Nord raised his warhammer and charged at the Khajiit.
"You got a lot of fancy moves, cat!" he roared. "But that's nothing when compared to my strength!"
He brought down the warhammer on the Khajiit.
The head of the hammer stopped inches form M'raaj-Dar's head.
The Nord blinked in confusion and tried to pull back his hammer for another swing. Only he couldn't.
He found that the Khajiit was holding the warhammer firmly with one hand.
"What's wrong?" asked M'raaj-Dar amiably. "I thought I was nothing in the face of your strength?"
The Nord tried again and again to pull back his warhammer, but the Khajiit's powerful grip on it wouldn't allow it to budge even an inch.
"Guess you're not as strong as you think you are," said M'raaj-Dar, punching the Nord in the face, sending him down in a crumpled heap.
"Did you kill any of them?" asked Arvina.
"No, of course not," answered the Khajiit, snorting.
Arvina sighed with relief.
After the events two years ago, they decided to avoid killing as much as possible. Even if their life was being threatened by bandits, brigands and all the sort.
"Let's continue, then," said Arvina.
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"So you came from a place called Agradome?' said Adrianna.
"Aye," said Grun.
Adrianna had been endlessly chattering, not at all unfazed by the dwarf'silence. Finally giving up, Grun had consented to talk to her a bit, just so that she would be quiet for awhile.
"What's it like?" she asked.
"It's like a mountain risin' outta the sea," said Grun, and fell silent.
"I'm sure there's more to that?" prompted Adrianna.
Grun looked at the Imperial woman and smiled in spite of himself.
Her curiosity and sincerity had him opening up more to her.
"There are many entrances to it. The grandest of all is the main gate. Gilded in gold and diamonds, stone polished so fine a fly would not have been able to land on it without slippin'. Inside, a vast network of tunnels, each one leading to different parts, the residential areas, the forges, the mines, the armies' camp and all of them are connected the great hall. That's where the markets and shops are. That's where the palace is. A great ziggurat risin' to the roof of the cavern with statues of the Fifty Kings surroundin' it, its outer walls as white as snow, reflecting all light, makin' it as bright as day inside."
"You miss it?" asked Adrianna, smiling.
"Everyday," answered Grun.
"Do you have a family?"
"Aye," answered the dwarf. "Two girls and a boy."
"What brought you here?"
Grun stiffened. He hadn't realised that he was practically giving himself away to this woman that he barely knew. In an attempt to avoid the question, he asked another question.
"How'd you get that?" he asked, pointing at the burn marks on her face.
"House burnt down, got trapped inside," she said shortly.
Grun looked thoughtful.
"I told you about meself, what about you? You have a family?"
"I used to have one," said Adrianna quietly.
"Used to?" asked the dwarf, raising his eyebrows curiously.
"I had a husband. I had a daughter as well. My husband had been…touching her. When I found out, I was furious. That's an understatement, I went berserk. We had a fight, and in the struggle, we must have knocked over the candle I think. Set the house on fire. I survived it because when the beam of the house fell, it broke a hole through the floor into the cellar. I managed to get through the fire and into the cellar. That's how I got these marks."
"So they're dead then?" Grun said bluntly.
"My husband certainly is, I found his charred remains," answered Adrianna. "But my daughter, I'm sure she survived because I managed to throw her out into the pond beside our house. But when I searched she was gone. I've been looking for her ever since."
Grun grunted.
Adrianna turned to look at the dwarf, amused.
"You're not used to giving condolences or getting people's hopes up, are you?"
Grun snorted.
"It's a lot crueler to give false hope when there is none," he said. "It's also a lot better to allow someone to grieve over someone they lost then try to comfort them."
Adrianna laughed.
"You might be right in that sense," she said. "But false hope can become real if you never give up, and comforting someone who has suffered a loss can help them bear it better."
"Guess it depends on the person," grunted Grun. He turned to Adrianna. "You think you'll find you daughter?"
"I don't think," said Adrianna, smiling. "I know I'll find her."
Grun said nothing to that.
Inside, he can't help but feeling slightly hopeful.
Hopeful that he could find a way home.
Hopeful that he could see his family again.
Damnation, he thought angrily. I'm getting infected by this woman's hopeful spirit.
But as he pondered the thought as their journey to Weynon Priory went on, he began to think that being hopeful may not be so bad at all.
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...they're you have it...Grun and Adrianna bond for a bit on their way to find Jauffre...
Arvina and M'raaj-Dar are also on their way to see Jauffre...
the lines of fate are now intertwining (did i spell that right?)...
chapter 6 coming soon...pls tell me what you think...
