The Waifu Scrolls: Skyrim
After getting Isekaied into Skyrim, I thought I knew what I was in for. Slay Alduin, save the world, not hard and I already knew the game like the back of my hand. However, there are two problems with that line of thought. Number one, reality doesn't act like a video game and number two, Alduin won't stop following me around!
Hehehe, back again with more madness! Before we begin, I have to say to a certain guest reviewer, HAVE YOU BEEN READING MY NOTES?! With that said, lets get rolling. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
Consciousness returned to me slowly and, for a moment, I thought that I might had been dreaming, but the moment my senses returned, I knew that wasn't the case. Between the feeling of the straw mattress under me, the smell of firewood and the scent of a forge coming from somewhere nearby, it was pretty clear that I was still on Nirn. I...wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that.
I opened my eyes and sat up, wincing as my ribs throbbed. I glanced down at my bandaged chest, then looked around. I was in a simple wooden bed set against the wall in a simple, stone room that was sparsely decorated with simple, handmade furniture, with a fireplace against one wall and a few screens separating off parts of the room. The fact that the windows were set high up indicated that I was in a basement. A flight of stairs in one corner likely led up to the main level.
Examination of my surroundings done, I turned my attention back to my own body. Despite the bandages wrapped around my torso and head (cliche much?), nothing seemed to hurt. I decided against unwrapping myself for now though. Now wasn't the time to risk it if I was still healing.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs made me look up as a blonde Nord woman came down the stairs and paused when she saw me sitting up.
"Oh good, you're awake," she said, "We were starting to get worried. How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad actually," I said, "Where am I?"
"Your in Riverwood," said the woman, "I'm Sigrid, the Blacksmiths wife. Hadvar brought you here after that horrible attack at Helgen."
"Hadvar...wasn't he one of the Legionaries?" I asked.
Sigrid winced slightly.
"Yes, he is," she said, "He told us about the...unpleasantness. Fortunately, he managed to convince General Tullius that you weren't with the Stormcloaks, although the fact they left you behind and took people far more badly injured was likely a part of that."
She walked over to a side table and picked up a bag she handed to me.
"Hes already returned to Solitude to report in, but he left this for you. Apparently he found it not far from where you were originally found."
"Thanks," I said as I took the bag and opened it.
The bag was clearly bigger on the inside and as I opened it, I could feel a slight tickling sensation at my fingertips. Inside was a set of robes, an elven dagger, a couple of potions, an Amulet of Akatosh, a map, a bedroll and a book titled 'Magika for Dummies' by someone called Akane Tosh. That...does not sound like a real name.
"I'll leave you to get dressed," said Sigrid, "Come upstairs when you're done."
I nodded as the Nord headed upstairs, leaving me to get out of bed and start unwrapping the bandages since I was apparently at full health. Once I was dressed, I headed upstairs where I found Sigrid and Alvor waiting for me at the table.
"Sit, eat," said Alvor, indicating to the seat across from him that was set up with a place setting.
"Thank you," I said.
I took the indicated seat and started eating the simple, but hearty stew and hard bread. I was mildly surprised at how quickly I polished off the food, having been a lot more hungry than I had expected.
Once I was done, Sigrid collected the plate and vanished back downstairs.
"Um, thank you for...all of this," I said.
"Think nothing of it," said Alvor, "I owed Hadvar a favour anyway."
His expression darkened slightly and he lent forwards.
"Tell me boy, was Hadvar telling the truth?" he asked, "A Dragon really attacked Helgen?"
I winced and nodded.
"Yeah, it did," I said, rubbing my chest, "Thats what injured me."
Alvor sighed and sat back in his seat.
"I see," he said, "Thats...not good."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"The Jarl really needs to know about this," he said, "As it stands, Riverwood is vulnerable. If another Dragon appears, theres a good chance that we could be next and, without protection, we wouldn't last five minutes. Do you mind carrying word to the Jarl and requesting assistance?"
I nodded.
"Sure, its the least I can do," I said.
Alvor nodded and stood, picking up a bag from beside the door and handing it to me. I looked inside and found that it contained some food and a waterskin.
"Here, this should last you to Whiterun," he said, "Its only about a days walk if you take the main road. Should be safe enough at the moment. The Companions recently came through and cleared out the wolves that had been troubling travelers."
"Alright, thanks a lot," I said as I put the bag inside my bag and got to my feet, "Thanks again for the help."
Alvor smiled and gripped my hand in a bone grinding shake.
"Don't mention it kid," he said "Just come by and buy some gear from me in the future, K?"
I chuckled.
"Sure thing. See ya!"
I waved to Sigurd and a curious looking little girl who was peering out from behind her mothers skirts from the top of the stairs leading downstairs and left the house. For a moment, I eyed the Riverwood Traders, momentarily tempted to see if I could pick up the Golden Claw quest, before I dismissed the thought. This wasn't the game, so there was no guarantee that something bad wouldn't happen. I needed to get the message to the Jarl now, not waste time faffing around like I normally would do in the game.
Besides, I'd get the Golden Claw regardless, so I could probably get something out of it later.
I left the village and headed down the road, keeping one eye out for anything nasty that might jump me. Fortunately, nothing did and the first part of the trip passed by without incident.
At about noon, I stopped for a bite to eat just off the road. As I sat there and chewed on the slightly hard bread, I couldn't help but notice that I felt remarkably good considering how far I'd walked without a break. While I wasn't exactly unhealthy, I also wasn't exactly in shape, so I should be at least a little out of breath and my feet should be hurting, but insteadI felt like I could run all the way back to Riverwood without issue. Guess getting Isakaied came with a fair few perks.
I decided not to think about that too much for now and instead extracted the book from my bag and started reading it as I finished my meal. The book was, as you might expect from the title, a basic introduction to Magic. It covered the basics of finding ones Mana and how to draw it out, which I'd already figured out by accident and, much more interestingly, how spells were cast.
At its core, the phenomenon known as Magic is the act of taking ones imagination and making it real through the expenditure of Mana to make changes to reality. To produce magic, one must be able to exercise control over their Mana and the Magic power it materializes to achieve an intended outcome. For most people, that is fairly limited, either due to lack of power or due to being indoctrinated into the ideal that Magic is limited to the 'Schools' and spells found within them. In truth, those are merely a crutch that, while useful, drastically reduces the potential of ones Magic.
It is also important to note that, while one can get by on simply imagining the end result, a much more potent outcome can be generated by fully understanding and considering how one gets to said end result. For example, an understanding of how and why fire acts as it does will make generating fire spells easier and the results far more potent.
I stopped reading at that and slowly put the book down, thinking hard. If Magic really did work that way then even the most basic level of scientific understanding could amplify a spell to insane degrees. Hell, there were a number of Isakai stories that worked off that very principle. It could potentially mean that I could do far more than simply using the known spells from the Elder Scrolls universe. It would be interesting to see if I could pull off wind or earth Magic or if they were impossible here for other reasons.
I pushed away that thought for now. I could create entirely new branches of Magic later, for now, I needed to see just what I could pull off with what I knew existed.
I held out my hands and focused, creating a ball of fire with barely a thought. A flick of my wrist sent a simple blast of fire at a nearby rock, creating a patch of soot but not doing much else. A basic flame spell, useful, but not very powerful. I closed my eyes and focused, adding to the simple image of a burning pyre I was using to manifest the spell to include my understanding of how fire is produced and picturing more oxygen being drawn into the flame. As I did, the flickering light leaking through my eyelids stabilized, then turned blue and, when I opened my eyes, I found myself looking at a brilliant blue flame floating above my hand. I examined the flame for a moment, then pointed my hand at the same rock and released it. The resulting spear of blue fire hit the rock and barely even slowed as it melted straight through it and nearly set the forest on fire before I cut off the stream.
"Welp, that works," I said as I examined the glowing hole in the rock, "I wonder what else I can do?"
I considered that thought for a moment, then closed my eyes and added hydrogen to the ball of fire in my hand. This time, I picked a rock further down the mountain and released the ball of rolling flame.
The resulting explosion knocked me flat on my back and shook the trees hard enough to make them shed needles everywhere. I stared up at the sky for a moment, before pulling myself together and sitting up to stare at the destruction I'd wrought.
The rock I'd aimed at wasn't there any more. It was gone, along with a good chunk of the ground around it, which was still glowing faintly as the snow around it quickly melted away. I stared at the mess, then looked down at my hands. That...was a lot more destructive than I was expecting. Still incredibly cool though, not to mention useful for my future fights. I bet even Dragons would have a hard time shrugging off a blast like that.
As an added bonus, the Mana cost wasn't even all that high. Possibly due to the fact I was drawing the fuel from elsewhere, rather than using my Mana directly? It was a possibility, but not one that I could easily test. It did carry with it some interesting ideas I could try in the future though.
Unfortunately, there wasn't really time for more experimentation because I did have an appointment of sorts to keep, so I repacked my bag and continued on down the road.
Once again, the rest of the trip was relatively peaceful, with only a brief scare from a mangy looking wolf I scared off with a blast of fire to break the monotony. Still, I have to admit that it was somewhat of a relief to finally reach the foot of the mountain and see Whiterun across the river. Enhanced stamina or not, I'd still walked a long way and I was ready for a sit down.
After taking a moment to drain the last of my water skin, I made my way down the path past the Honningbrew Meadery towards the main gates of the city.
A very loud crash and a shout of exertion and pain from the fields just off the path made me pause, just in time for a heavily armoured man with a warhammer to come flying across the path to land in a thorn bush. The fact that he almost immediately started getting up, albeit a little unsteadily, despite the large crater in the center of his breast plate was testament to the mans strength. Or boneheaded stupidity.
Whatever the case, I looked in the direction the flying man had come from and frowned at the sight of three warriors duking it out with a rather angry looking Giant. I haven't forgot this event of course, it was something practically every Skyrim player knew by heart, but unlike in the game, it looked like the Companions were having some trouble. Guess plot armour existed for more than just the Dragonborn.
The Giant was clearly both injured and very angry, with flushed skin and bleeding cuts all over its body, as well as a number of arrows sticking out of its thick skin. It was flailing around with its massive club, preventing the two melee fighters still engaging it from getting close as Aela peppered it with more arrows, which was clearly just making it angrier. I glanced down at the injured Companion who had nearly hit me as he stumbled a few steps, then fell to his knees. Yeah, he wouldn't be much help until he healed, even if he was a Werewolf, and the Giant was starting to get uncomfortably close to hitting the others.
After a moments thought, I shrugged and summoned my Mana. I had no intention of joining the Companions at this time, but I liked all the characters and having a group like them friendly with me could be very useful. I charged up my blue fire spell and readied myself to fire.
"Hey, I suggest you move!" I shouted.
The still fighting Companions glanced my way, then one of the melee fighters, a young woman with fiery red hair armed with a shield and sword, grabbed her comrade and dove to the side as Aela rolled behind a rock. The Giant looked a little confused for a moment, before my spell slammed into its chest, leaving a faintly glowing, fist sized hole straight through it. For a moment, the giant Humanoid stared down at the hole, before a second blast put it out of its misery by obliterating its head.
I let out a sigh and released my grip on my Mana as the giant collapsed, before turning my attention to the Companion at my feet, who was starting to regain his barings. Assuming I remembered my Skyrim lore correctly, he was Farkas.
"Need a hand there?" I asked, offering my hand.
Farkas glanced up at me, a calculating look on his face, before he accepted my hand and let me pull him to his feet.
"Thank you stranger," he said, his voice a little horse.
"Get that armour off before you suffocate Farkas," said the red-headed Companion as she and Aela approached.
Farkas grumbled something under his breath, before wincing as Aela poked him in the side as she started cutting the ruined breast plate away. While her comrades were doing that, the red-head turned to me and looked me up and down. As she did, I returned the favour.
She wasn't a character I recognized, but I was far from an expert in Skyrim and my time spent exploring every nook and cranny was limited, so it wasn't entirely surprising. I knew for a fact she wasn't involved in this scene, but that didn't mean much because this was reality, not a game limited by programming.
She was a gorgeous Nord woman, with close cropped red hair that was braided in such a way that it almost resembled horns and white face paint forming stylized wings on her cheeks. She was wearing a rather impressive set of Nordic Carved Armour, minus the helmet, with the leather under armour dyed a dark red and carried a steel sword and shield that matched her armour.
"That was a rather impressive spell," said the woman, "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that."
I blushed slightly and ducked my head.
"Thanks," I said, "Its something I came up with while experimenting."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"An original spell?" she asked, "Thats impressive for one so young."
"Um, thanks," I said.
The woman looked like she was about to ask something else, but was interrupted before she could.
"Hey Kara, we need to move!" said Aela as she hoisted Farkas to his feet, letting the injured man lean heavily on her, "Farkas needs to see a healer and I need a drink."
Kara nodded and turned back to me.
"Are you headed to Whiterun as well?" she asked.
I nodded.
"Yes, I have a message for the Jarl," I said.
She frowned slightly.
"I suggest you come with us then," she said, "The cities under lockdown thanks to these rumours of Dragons floating around. You won't be able to get in without someone to vouch for you."
She her frown deepened slightly at the mention of Dragons.
"That might be for the best," I said, "I really don't fancy getting turned away after coming all this way."
We had to wait a moment as the Companions last comrade finished talking to the farm owner to get the payment for dealing with the Giant before heading out. We had to move a little slowly thanks to Farkas' injuries and I momentarily considered offering to heal him, but quickly decided against it. I didn't really want to start experimenting with Healing Magic on someone I rather liked and who had a lot of very dangerous backup. Besides, its not like the slow journey was that much of a problem.
Even with the added burden, it didn't take us that long to reach the main gates of the city where we paused for a moment while Kara spoke to the guards. One of them shot a look my way, but the red-headed Companion said something that seemed to mollify him and we were quickly waved inside.
"Well, I guess this is where we part ways," said Kara as her comrades continued on towards Jorrvaskr, "If you have time, stop by Jorrvaskr at some point. I'd be happy to share a drink with you."
"Thanks, I might just do that," I said.
We shook hands, me hiding a wince as she squeezed hard enough to make my bones creak slightly, and the Companion headed off after her...companions, leaving me alone to make my way up towards Dragonsreach.
It didn't take me long to realize that the city was larger than its depiction in the game. It wasn't massive, but it was larger than the 20 buildings that were present in the game, giving it a feeling that it was the capital of one of the most prosperous Holds in the region.
As I made my way up towards Dragonsreach, I passed a small clearing between the buildings where a group of children were gathered, all crowding around one of the buildings looking up at the roof where a leather ball was stuck behind a decorative dragons head. Judging from the disappointed mutterings, it was pretty clear what happened. I paused for a moment, then shrugged and wondered closer. There was a good chance that one of the kids would do something stupid to try and get the ball back, getting hurt in the process, so I might as well help out. Sure enough, as I got closer, I spotted a girl getting ready to climb the building.
I flexed my fingers and reached out with my Mana. Telekinesis was a lot easier to use than my blue fire spell, so it was easy to grab the ball and lift it from the roof.
"Maybe don't go around climbing roofs," I said as all the kids turned to me with wide eyes, "You're a lot more likely to get hurt than get your ball back."
"I'd be fine," said the apparent leader of the kids, a blonde girl with twintails who had been about to start climbing.
I smiled and tossed her the ball.
"Maybe so, but its better to be safe than sorry," I said, "I doubt anyone wants to end up stuck in bed with a broken leg after all."
The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, before nodding.
"Thank you," she said.
I grinned.
"No problem," I said, "Have fun!"
I waved and continued on through the city, leaving the kids to their play.
It didn't take long after that to reach Dragonsreach. As I approached the doors, one of the guards stepped forwards and held up a hand.
"Hold stranger, what is your business?" he asked.
"I have a message and request for the Jarl from Riverwood," I said.
"Regarding what?" asked the guard.
"Dragons."
The guard twitched slightly, then glanced at his partner and looked back at me.
"Alright, you can enter," he said, "The Jarl is currently absent, but Irileth will want to hear this."
He opened the door, letting me in. I entered the hall, idly wondering what was important enough for the Jarl to be away from his seat of power before I pushed that thought aside as I made my way up the hall to where the Dunmer Housecarl stood by the empty throne.
As I approached, Irilith scowled and moved to intercept me, a hand on the hilt of her sword.
"You there, why are you here?" she demanded, "The Jarl isnt accepting visitors."
"Alvor sent me," I said, "Riverwood is in danger."
Iriliths scowl darkened.
"As Housecarl, my job is to deal with dangers that threaten the Jarl and his people," she said, "Now speak, what is the problem?"
"A Dragon has destroyed Helgen," I said.
Iriliths eyes widened and she finally relaxed enough to take her hand off her sword.
"So the rumours are true," she muttered, "Thats...not good."
She thought for a moment, then fixed me with a sharp look.
"The Jarl is currently absent, but I can at least send some men to keep an eye on Riverwood in case something happens," she said, "Anything else will require the Jarls seal. For now, I suggest you talk to Farengar. Shes been looking a matter related to these Dragons and...rumours of Dragons."
I frowned, but before I could say anything, the Dark Elf turned on her heel and marched off in the direction of the Wizards lab, forcing me to hurry to catch up.
"Farengar, get out here!" shouted Irialith as she marched into the lab.
In response, there was a high pitched yelp from one of the rooms off the main lab, followed by a loud crash and what sounded like an entire cupboard's worth of pots and pans falling to the ground. Irilith sighed and rubbed her forehead as the racket continued for a moment, before the door to the store room slammed open and disgorged a small avalanche of alchemical tools, books and soulstones, as well as a figure clad in purple robes with a pot on their head.
"Farangar, what are you doing?" growled Irilith.
Farangar slowly pushed the pot up, revealing, not the slightly condescending Nord I'd expected, but instead a youthful woman with brown eyes, long, brown hair and fair skin. I did my best not to react, but that became rather hard as the Wizard sat up, revealing that her purple robes were more than a little tight across the bust area.
"Ah, I was just...tidying up a little?" said the gender flipped Wizard.
Irilith sighed and shook her head.
"Whatever, thats not important," she said, "You said you needed some help with your research into Dragons, yes? Well, this man has some experience that may be useful."
Farangars eyes sharpened slightly as she turned her attention on me. I blushed slightly and rubbed the back of my head.
"Well, experience is a bit much," I said, "The only experience I have with Dragons involves nearly getting barbecued at Helgen. I am a fairly decent Mage though."
Well, that was technically true, if a little misleading.
"Is that so?" she asked, "Well then, I might be able to get some use out of you."
She got to her feet, moved over to the table, which was buried under a mountain of scrolls and scraps of paper and started rummaging through them.
"You see, I need someone to fetch something for me," said the Wizard, "Well, when I say fetch, I really mean delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there."
I tilted my head on one side.
"And you need me for that?" I asked, "Couldn't you send some guards or hire the Companions?"
Farangar snorted.
"Not likely," she said, "We're currently short staffed thanks to the civil war and the Companions are a little leery of delving into Nord tombs. Plus, they don't exactly like me very much for...various reasons."
I sighed.
"Alright fine, I guess it can't hurt," I said, "What do you need?"
"I've been researching Dragons for a while due to...personal reasons," said Farangar, "I began to search for information about dragons, where had they gone all those years ago? And where were they coming from? I ah, learned of a certain stone tablet said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow, a 'Dragonstone,' said to contain a map of dragon burial sites. Go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find this tablet, no doubt interred in the main chamber, and bring it to me. Simplicity itself."
"So long as you consider delving into Draugr infested dungeons simple," I deadpanned.
Farangar snorted and waved a hand.
"If your a half decent Mage, you shouldnt have any trouble," she said, "Draugr are dangerous, but like all Undead, they are vulnerable to fire."
I pulled a face.
"Fair enough," I said, "Still not smart to go in alone though…"
"You could try getting some help from someone in town," said Farangar, "Or try at Jorrvaskr. You might have more luck than I did."
"Worth a try I suppose," I said, "Alright, I guess I'll take the job."
Farangar smiled and clapped her hands.
"Excellent, I look forwards to hearing of your success!" she chirped.
With the quest accepted, I left Dragonsreach and started making my way back down from the Clouds District. Once I was in the square that held the Gildergreen, I stopped and looked up at the sky with a frown. It was getting dark and I really didn't fancy braving the mountain in the dark. Besides, I needed to stock up on supplies and see if I could hire some help from the Companions. After a moments thought, I decided to put off heading out for the next day. Besides, I was still tired from the journey, not to mention hungry. With that in mind, I headed to the Bannered Mare where I found a hot meal and room for the night.
As I settled in for the night, I couldn't help but think of my old life back on Earth. However, I quickly pushed it aside. It might not be entirely healthy to ignore that particular pachyderm, but for now, I was perfectly happy to do so. There would be plenty of time for that in the future. Probably.
I sighed and turned over, burying my head in the pillow and letting myself drift away.
And with that, this is done. I'm actually giving this serious consideration into continuing this idea. Its rather different from my normal fare, but I'm enjoying it. We'll see. Anyway, onto the quips.
I'm drawing from a few other stories for how Magic works in this version of Nern, primarily Wise Mans Grandchild because I like how its depicted there. However, there will be some original twists thrown in here and there.
So, anyone want to guess what I have in mind with Kara? Heres a clue, shes not an OC.
To be clear, there is a reason why Farangar is a woman here and no, its not for any obvious reasons. I only plan to genderswap three characters who aren't Dragons and one of those I'm not 100% sure of yet because he won't be popping up for a good long while. Oh, and incase your interested, Farangar is now a clone of Wiz from Konosuba.
I originally planned for one more scene in this chapter, but various things caused that change, not least of which being the fact I want to get this done tonight and its nearly one in the morning. I am so glad I don't have to work tomorrow…
And with that, I'm done. Mainly because I'm not sure how much longer I can concentrate. Next time, our first moment of real Isekai style humour, a bit of character bonding and possibly Bleak Falls Barrow. Should be fun. Don't forget to leave a review!