2019-10-08

Always Lost, Always Hopeful (77) I Saw, I Found, I Felt



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SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is largely based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it's inevitably a spoiler.
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previous day






4-201-11-02 02:07
Treva's Watch Escape Tunnel, Treva's Watch, The Rift, Skyrim



We explore the dungeon and arrive in what looks like the interior of a fortress. Here and there are bear traps, most of which I succeed in avoiding.

The bandits are generally not too dangerous. I particularly like a large room where I stand on an edge and there are three bandits below me. I manage to shoot one, but the others are outside my line of sight. Soon one of them runs out of the cover into the open and I can shoot him, and after some waiting the third one follows his example.

naked body of a dead Argonian man with golden brown skin color lying on the stone floor
This is what a male Argonian looks like. I've never seen one naked before.

We are gathering very much loot here. Surely some of it will turn out valuable too.

In one of the rooms, we find three dead bodies lying on the floor in a heap. They are probably the bandits' prisoners, but I have no way of knowing if they are of any relation to that unfortunate dork Stalleo who sent us here.

Finally, we're back outside – in the small courtyard of a fortress. The enemies are everywhere around us, but I'm very efficient with my bow. Even standing on the ground, I succeed in hitting several bandits who are on the ramparts.

When there don't seem to be any alive enemies left, I notice a lever. It opens the gate. Stalleo and his bodyguards who have been impatiently waiting for some time now storm in. Have we seen his family, he asks. I reply we haven't. As concerns that heap of dead bodies – I'll let him find it when I'm not there.

Stalleo gives me a spellbook as a reward and I hurry with the girls to nearby Sunguard City.

It turns out rather poorly equipped with crafting facilities, apart from which the smithy is a complete and utter bitch to find. I can see there's a Blacksmith's House and I can hear the distinctive clanking of a blacksmith, but where the hell is he? No passersby to ask either.

In case you should find yourself faced with the same problem, this is how to get there: if you enter through the southern town gate, turn right immediately. There's a staircase between the stables and the town wall.

Once you're up, turn left. Walk on and you will soon see a very-easy-to-miss little staircase on your right. It leads up while the street itself goes straight ahead and eventually down another staircase.

Go up that small staircase instead and the street will lead you to the smithy – for what it's worth, without a grindstone. Maybe it's cleverly hidden somewhere, but I'm not going to spend another hour or two looking, and the smith and his assistant have gone home to have a lunch break or something. So I just use what's there – the tanning rack, the workbench and the anvil.

It's also strange how some traders idle around somewhere in the early afternoon instead of attending to customers. Come to think of it, I even like this relaxed attitude they have here. But the downside is, of course, that I can sell only very little of my excess loot. And maybe I shouldn't always tell you about shopping at such length?  ;-)

We now run southeast, to check out an Orc village called Largashbur that should be there. Later today we'll be in Bitchen, a large trading hub as you know, where I coincidentally have several calls to make before proceeding northwards to Shor.

On the road, we encounter two men, one of them a really good-looking Orc. Strangely enough, they're completely uncommunicative. Somewhat later, I get lucky, though. There's a male Khajiit trader. It's evident he's selling that narcotic drug known as skooma, but I don't care. He's handsome and cool.
road going through birch forest, a Khajiit man standing on the road in dialgoue with the protagonist
You don't know how right you are. You've got something I just have to have. But it's not in your inventory.

After I've sold him everything he can afford to buy, we go off the road and make love among most beautiful yellow-leaved autumn trees. We have to kill a couple of wolves and a bear first, though, so they wouldn't come to disturb us. With my followers on the lookout in different directions (and well out of sight), I get one of my life's biggest dreams fulfilled. My lover refuses to tell me his name, but I don't mind. His penis looks... well, I'm not sure I could bring myself to taking it into my mouth, but when I can't see it, it feels awesome, as does that lovely furry feline body.
[series of 2 pictures you can click through; click on the first picture to make it big, then click again to see the next picture etc.; press  Esc to return to the text]


It's a wonderful experience, particularly enchanced by his ejaculation lasting incredibly long.

We exchange a strong passionate hug, wish each other well and walk away in opposite directions.

Largashbur is not too far. There's no happiness there.

As is usual for Orc villages, Largashbur is surrounded by a protective fence made of upright logs rammed into the earth. Their tops are sharpened. In that fence is a gate. Near the gate, a giant is in a fight against an Orc. This begs the question why is the gate open and the fight is taking place outside. Why didn't the Orcs just keep the gate closed and shoot arrows into the giant from the rampart?
path leads to Orc stronghold, a giant fighting an Orc just outside the gate; birch trees with yellow leaves
I'm not sure what that blue glow is. Possibly some kind of battle magic.

After a moment of hesitation, I begin to shoot arrows into the giant. I know I told you I don't want to kill giants anymore, but this is different. Generally speaking, I don't prefer Orcs to giants, and if this combat took place somewhere along the road, I wouldn't get involved. But I want to check out this village, so I have to help them thwart the attack.

Some of the villagers are very grumpy and tell us we're not welcome. A woman named Atub is more receptive. She informs us Largashbur is cursed and the chief is ill. Sensing their weakness, giants keep attacking them. Atub, being the village alchemist, needs to perform a ritual to beg Malacath (the Orcs' protector deity) for help. For that, she needs a Daedra Heart and Troll Fat. She can't get them herself, because the chief won't allow anyone to leave the village. That's why she asks me to get those things for her.

I'm loaded with Troll Fat, but unfortunately I have no Daedra Heart on me at the moment. I promise her that when I find one, I'll bring it here. (It's not really the heart of a daedra, of course, just a certain alchemy ingredient. As I've told you, daedras are not biological organisms and therefore don't have organs.)

Me and my followers take a quick walk around the village, trying not to annoy anyone. The prevailing mood is gloomy.

Soon after we've started running towards Bitchen, we notice a curious fortress up on a hill, but it's already too dark to go and explore it. Bitchen is not far, though, and we'll only have to follow the road, and the moon is giving enough light anyway. As long as it's not going to rain, I'm perfectly happy with our current traveling conditions.

Lydia catches up with me, leaving Jenassa and Jordis somewhat behind.
"Layra, do you mind if I'll sleep with someone in Bitchen?"
"Why, of course not. How could I?"
"Well, it might be someone you don't like."
I stop and look at Lydia, making my expression as horrified as I can, and exclaim: "Maven Black-Briar??"
"Get out of here!" Lydia shakes her head, laughing. "It's a man."
"There are very few men whom I don't like."
Lydia raises her eyebrows.
"Yeah, it's not really true, I just thought for a moment it sounded witty. Never mind. Who is it then?"
"Maul," Lydia says cautiously, looking at me like a dog ready to run before you can hit him.
"Maul? You mean Maul, the..."
"Yes," she interrupts me. "The man who stopped us just inside the city gate when we first arrived in Bitchen."
I find it highly amusing. "Why, go ahead. It's always good to have an agent in the enemy camp. Just don't get gang-raped. I mean, unless you want to."
Lydia grins slightly. "If I want it, then it's not rape."
"Yeah, I know. Where are..." I turn my head. "Oh." Jenassa and Jordis have stopped out of earshot. "Let's go."

Just short of the city, we discover the Snow-Shod Farm. From there's it's a stone's throw to the southern gate of Bitchen.


In the midst of the usual bickering in the palace, I learn that the jarl has complete trust in Maven Black-Briar. I manage to grab the steward Anuriel's attention for a moment and report to her on the destruction of the dragon at Autumnwatch Tower. As soon as I've received my reward, I leave this serpents' nest and go to Elgrim's alchemy shop. Elgrim and his wife Hafjorg have already gone to sleep, but Hafjorg doesn't mind my knocking them up as she's happy to get the ore sample I brought her from the blacksmith in Shor. After that it's time for me and my followers to get some sleep too.

Lydia sleeps with us, after asking if I'll let her use our house tomorrow while I'm shopping. She'd rather not go to Maul's place, wherever that may be, especially not at night. Of course I agree it's a sensible precaution.



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