A/N: Greeting everyone, so I got some good news and I got some bad news.
The Good news is I'm going to try and finish this story and if not see if I could get it adopted.
The Bad news however is I'm literally dying, I'm currently in the hospital right now when I wrote this about to go into surgery. So if you don't hear from me after this then you all know why.
Welp with that out of the way lets get this going!
= Chapter 3: The Redwater Den and On =
= Several Days Later =
Not gonna lie, the travel distance it took to get to Heartwood Mill took longer than expected. But it's for a good cause I swear! I took the time to practice what [Tier 1] magic I could use and what I couldn't and I know what you're thinking, 'isn't the magic like Skyrim's where you could use advanced level to master level spells?' The answer is a resounding no. Trying to use anything above tier 1 is a no go for several reasons, the main one being that by trying to use anything above tier 1 would cause the magic nodes in my body to 'strain' followed by massive amounts of excruciating pain.
I also found that out during a bandit camp raid… wasn't fun at all!
Near death encounter aside, I'm now a little over halfway to Level 3 now and with it i'm a step closer to getting to the next tier…
Oh! I didn't mention how the skill tree's worked didn't I? Well let's fix that shall we!
So the Skill tree works in 'Tiers'; each tier has to have a set amount of points invested into it to advance to the next tier. Right now I probably need 4 more skill points invested into the 'Mage' skill tree to go to tier 2, this is also not taking into account the other skill tree as well. Anyways I'm getting off track, the [Tier 1] spells that I could use are 1 Fire, 1 Ice, 1 Water, 1 Wind, ! Earth, and 1 Lightning. They weren't 'good' but they weren't 'bad' either and if I happened to use multiple in tandem with each other to make 'stronger versions' for less? Good for me! Though some of the names sound like they were ripped off from pokemon…
= Spell List = [Tier 1]
[Fire]Fireball: Mp cost: 16 mp: It's a freakin' fireball just throw it! Does 40 damage.
[Ice]Ice Shard: Mp cost: 13 mp: Launches small icicles at fast speeds. Does 26 damage.
[Water]Water Gun: Mp cost: 8 mp per second: Launches a continuous stream of water. Does 10 damage.
[Wind]Gust: Mp cost: 50 mp: Summons a strong gust of wind to push back your foes. Does 60 damage.
[Earth]Earth Spike: Mp cost: 90 mp: Summons a rock spike underneath your foes. Does 80 damage.
[Lightning]Spark: Mp cost: 16 mp per second: UNLIMITED POWER! Deal 10 damage.
As you can see everything is nice and balanced… yeah right! So the new elements aren't that surprising given that it makes sense to be able to manipulate the earth and control the water and wind to do your bidding.
Though now that I think about it why didn't Bethesda not add those into the equation? I mean sure if you had those types of elements at your disposal in the game I could see several ways to break the game(Even if there were already game breaking features). Oh well, I can see Heartwood Mill up ahead hopefully they're willing to trade, I'm running low on provisions.
From what I remember of this place from both my memories, new and old, they're normally two people residing here, used to be three. Currently though there is a Nordic woman named Grosta and her child, a young boy named Gralnach.
As I approached I watched as the boy, Gralnach, tensed up upon spotting me and I didn't blame him. Due to my unjust imprisonment my body went from a healthy tan of someone who grew up doing hard work outside to practically skin and bones with an extremely pale color. But hey! I'm getting better… okay maybe not seeing as I still have those damned curses.
But back to the boy and I, coughing into my fist I ask "Excuse me child but is your parent home? I would like to ask if they would be willing to trade for supplies." The boy stared at me with distrust but not open hostility for a while before running towards the house yelling for his mother. Waiting for Grosta I began to hum a tune before I heard a bang as a nord woman of decent height came rushing out of the house axe in hand followed by Gralnach.
The woman, Grosta approached with axe bared to try to be intimidating, sigh this is going to take a while…
= Several Hours Later = (Minor Lemon Warning)
…I was right that it would take a while for the woman to trust me enough to be willing to trade, it took me several times explaining that I wasn't here for trouble but just here to trade for provisions seeing that I have several furs I could trade from my hunting trips.
Shame about Grosta's husband though, she told me about how he went to Broken Helm Hollow to trade with the people there several months ago. I knew what happened to that poor sod as soon as she told me where he was going. But I'm getting distracted by what's currently happening and how I got here. As we were bartering for trade, Grosta managed to get me to work for her for a couple days in the deal. At first I tried to just get provisions and then get out of here you know? But then I thought about it and agreed after all it meant I would have a good meal for a couple of days, a nice bed to sleep on(sleeping on the ground is killer on your back btw) and also something more if I played my cards right.
And lo and behold that chance came the very first night here when Grosta and I had to share a bed together seeing as she had no guest room and I managed to sweet talk her into sharing. Well one thing led to another and here we are, Grosta laying on her back naked, her blonde hair a mess and green eyes rolling upwards, moaning as her legs wrapped around my waist as I thrusted relentlessly into her sex. Her hands were covering her mouth to try and stop her moans all the while my mouth was currently attacking her neck or breasts while my hands were either holding her hips or smacking her rear. Feeling my release coming I wrap my arms around Grostas waist and thrusted even harder before my hips stilled as Grosta shrieked as we both came.
Gathering my breath I restarted our romp which went well into the night and come morning we were both bushy tailed and bright eyed before going about our day with Grosta teaching both me and Gralnach how to find which trees to cut and which to leave alone. Soon night would fall and we both would go at it again repeating the events the next day then the next and the next till the day I would leave. Giving Grosta a kiss goodbye and rubbing Gralnach's head in fondness I took my supplies and the gold I earned and continued to travel towards Morthal.
= A Couple Days Later = (Lemon End)
Redwater Den…
The skooma shack that Vampires use to gather thralls, truly it was a waste it was currently burning to ash and you may be wondering why i'm here and not heading to morthal? Well this is why.
= Quest: Cleaning out the Den! =
Clear out Redwater Den from Vampires and claim their lands as your!
Thralls: 0/14
Vampires: 0/9
Rewards: Redwater Den(Home), 1 Uncommon gacha, [Tome] Telekinesis
Failure: Eternal Servitude as a thrall, 2 Permanent curses
Sitting in a chair I pilfered, I watched as several vampires tried to put the fires out, only to get caught on fire as I launched a gust-fueled fireball at their backs or fronts when they rushed at me. Each Vampire thrall gave around 50 to 90 experience while the fledglings, the lowest tier of vampire gave 200 to 250 experience but what I wanted to kill was the vampire leaders of the den which should give me enough to level up twice if I'm lucky.
There were 14 thralls and 7 Vampire fledglings, and from what I managed to get from one of them there were at LEAST two masters among them, I just need to wait for them to come out, ah speak of the devils.
A massive chunk of burning debris was sent flying over my seated position and out of the hole came two oddly dressed vamps, a male and female pair.
= Master of the Redwater Den: Barlo Vladlor = Lvl: 30
= Lieutenant of the Redwater Den: Milavani Vladlor = Lvl: 25
…Heh… this'll be fun…
Before the fight could begin I spent a point I got from killing the mooks on [Tier 2] magic, pushing back the headache. I ignore the Vamps talking and focus on my new arsenal.
= Spell List = [Tier 2]
[Fire]Combustion: Mp cost: 80: An explosion of flame from your hand, deals 120 damage.
[Fire]Flamethrower: Mp cost: 36 per second: A continuous stream of fire, deals 16 damage per sec.
[Water]Water Cutter: Mp cost: 70: A highly pressurized stream of water, deals 90 damage.
[Water]Water Prison: Mp cost: 39 per second: A dome of water that surrounds the target dealing 10 damage per second.
[Ice] Ice Saber: Mp cost: 60 mp: A blade made of Ice, has a chance to cause [Frostbite].
[Wind]Ravaging Winds: Mp cost: 239 : A torrent of winds that ravages the target, deals 40 damage per second.
[Earth] Pitfall: Mp cost: 110 : creates a massive hole filled with earth spikes, deals 60 damage.
[Earth] Rocky Spire: Mp cost: 290 : Forms a massive earthen spire, deals 300 damage.
[Lightning] Bolt: Mp cost: 1-?: Forms a bolt of lightning in the user's hands, depending on how much mp the user uses will depend on the damage.
Both Vampires dodge as two earth spikes rose from where they were standing previously, the time for talking has passed it was now time to fight. They were actually a lot harder to hit than the fledglings which makes this annoying considering I'm using my weaker spells in tandem to keep my distance before the female one, Milvani managed to grab me and throw me into a pile of debris.
-300 HP!
Walking towards me she grabbed my hair and pulled me up so that our eyes were level "You cost us too much now, mortal. You're going to be paying us back either way now." her voice had a tinge of rage as she brought her teeth to bare only for her to scream in anguish as I casted Ravaging winds and Combustion together. The resulting explosion sent Milvani flying away and sent me deeper into the pile of now burning debris. The male vampire, Barlo rushed to my downed position not willing to take any chances, his eyes lit with hunger, his hands glowing red as he reached out at me. Charging up my Bolt I poured as much mana as I could waiting for when he got closer, he was three feet away from me now his hands nearly touching me now. Raising my head I stare into his eyes as I smile a blood chilling smile before bringing my lightning infused hand up towards his face, laughing as his eyes widened in fright before I let the bolt go free.
The bolt tore right through Barlos head and straight to Milvani who rose up burnt before she was caught in the blast that cleaved through the ruined den and into the mountain where it blew up.
700 XP!
450 XP!
Huffing I watch exhausted as both the vampire's bodies or what was left of them begin to disintegrate before I crawl out of the burning debris before falling unconscious.
= Quest Complete: Cleaning out the Den =
Clear out Redwater Den from Vampires and claim their lands as your!
Thralls: 14/14 [X]
Vampires: 9/9 [X]
(Optional) Enslave the vampires [-]
Rewards: Redwater Den(Home), 1 Uncommon gacha, [Tome] Telekinesis
= Several Hours Later =
"Ugh… my head" I groan as I bring a hand to my head, sitting up I glance around before my eyes widened as the damage I caused destroying the Den was gone leaving it to its former glory, if you could call it that. It still looked like a dilapidated house, half destroyed and half barely standing, it would take some work to get it up and running as a proper home.
Shaking my head I look around as I notice the bodies were gone, most likely when the damage to the den was undone. Walking up to the den I enter the hatch and am greeted with the site of a tunnel leading into the mountain. Traversing the tunnel I came to the den proper with its halls wafting red mist from the hookahs in the booths, passing those I make my way further into the den and into the 'production' room. From the catwalk I could see the entrance to the ruins where 'Red Water' comes from.
Traversing through the 'production' room I note several barrels of moon sugar as well as several other ingredients used in brewing. Making a mental note to come back for those later I head deeper into the ruins where the 'Red Water Chalice' resided.
= Redwater Chalice(Tier 2) =
Rank: +C (Rare) (Consumable)
Item Description: A Chalice of blood that distilled its 'essence' into the waters of Redwater turning them red. Consume the blood to restore health over time at the cost of sanity. Vampires are immune to this side effect. If mixed with skooma, it makes the target susceptible to an influence be it minor or major.
Staring at the chalice floating in the air I shrug and place it in my inventory before walking back and leaving the brewing ingredients and equipment as I'm in a rush to get to morthal.
Leaving the den I checked the [Home] tab which contained all of my properties and how to upgrade them. For Redwater Den to be upgraded I need 12 'servants'(Read: Slaves) thinking about it for a while. An idea began to take root and with that idea came a quest…
= Quest: Subjugate the people! =
Gather and subjugate 12 people: (0/12) [-]
Rewards: Servants, Redwater Den upgrade, 3000 exp
Failure: - 10 to all stats, 2 minor curses
Readying myself I set out to begin collecting 'servants', I knew of several bandit camps in the area, starting small I made my way to one of the less renowned bandit camps in the rift. Along the way I brought out the telekinesis tome and began reading to learn one of the more busted spells out there.
[Mind]Telekinesis: Mp cost: ? per second: Allows the user to manipulate objects with their minds. Depending on the size of the object depends on the amount of magic needed.
Finding out that bit of info was worth reading it, even if I got a headache from the info dump the tome gave. Looking up ahead the pass I spot the first bandit held up in a tree stand, with a smile I approach ready to begin the subjugation process.
= A Hour Later =
…This is a lot harder than I thought, for one the bandits I subjugated were idiots and easily moldable. After a couple minutes of persuasion the problem came in the form of their leader the brigand named Troust. A tough nut to crack at first before I forced him to drink from the Redwater chalice, it was there that things got more interesting. After several rounds of torture and his sanity waning he to became moldable for me to do with as I please. Getting the seven out of twelve bandits was good and it's about to get better as the brigand, broken in mind became my current taskmaster when it came to my servants and when asked if he knew where I could find more bandits to subjugate he lead me to a massive encampment of over thirty people.
The raging battle that took place there was not unexpected, killing the mages was the priority then the subjugation began. Their screams would've scared me if I wasn't so jaded to it all. The encampment leader, another brigand named Frigg, same problem as Trost, took several doses from the Redwater chalice to become moldable, after which she became my second taskmaster. Reigning in the subjugated bandits when they got rowdy, leaving that encampment with a total of eighteen 'servants' I was content. Before having the servants tear down the encampment for supplies and taking a steel greatsword I begin the long journey of taking it all back to the den.
Arriving back at the den I set about having the actual house around the entrance fixed up so I don't have to worry about it falling on me when I tried to enter it.
= Quest: Subjugate the people!: COMPLETE! =
Gather and subjugate 12 people: (18/12) [X]
Rewards: Servants, Redwater Den upgrade, 3000 exp
…and with that I leveled up, which meant 1 point into [Weapons Proficiency Tier 1] which allows me to wield Tier 1 weaponry which meant steel weaponry. Though now that I think about it I probably could have wielded steel weapons just not as good with the Proficiency bonus.
[Weapons Proficiency Tier 1]: Grants the user the innate knowledge on how to use Tier one weaponry properly. Tier one weaponry can now be wielded with half stat requirements. Grants a weapon damage increase with using Tier one weaponry.
Grinning ear to ear I pulled out the steel greatsword I went about inspecting my new weapon, it had some chips and bevels along the edge but other than that it was a good starting weapon. Placing the greatsword on my back I gave orders to Troust and Frigg , keeping the place in order till I returned.
With that finished I went about traveling to Morthal, a place I can use to seclude myself from the rest of the world.
= Ivarstead: Two Days Later =
As I walk into the town carrying an injured nord woman bridle carry who I found near the river being attacked by trolls, who are dead now you could say I'm not surprised when several guards and a very worried nord hurriedly approached.
"Reyda?! Reyda! Please be all right!" The nord yelled hysterically as he cupped her face, the guards though had their weapons drawn at the ready.
I really should have seen this coming.
[Chapter End]
So thanks to all those who have read this story as I don't know if I'll make it through the surgery. So from the bottom of my heart thank you all.
If I do make it through the surgery though I'll try to continue this story.
This is TheWolves1331 signing off.