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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
4-202-02-10 04:50
Proudspire Manor, Solitud, Haafingar, Skyrim
We have a bath and then walk to the inn to eat breakfast there and hopefully get to socialize some.
There are a couple of sailors and the bard Lisette. They say they've already eaten, so we ask them to just sit with us. I'm in high spirits.
When it's gotten light outside, we walk to the harbor and, after some searching, succeed in finding the boat that weird man Rashid told us about some time ago. I have decided that we'll go and check out his quest today. I'm interested in it because Rashid has hinted it might take us to, or at least close to, High Rock.
The boat we've found is indeed a boat . There's barely room for the four of us to sit down. It has to be something magical, because obviously no one in the world would be crazy enough to travel on open sea in this.
I use the weird magical object Rashid has given me and indeed after a few moments of complete darkness we find ourselves on the shore of a continent or island with palm trees and such. We can see several wooden huts, mountains in the distance and a furious battle going on on the shore in maybe 30–40 meters' distance from us.
Clearly, it's going to be a matter of minutes, if not seconds, until we'll be spotted, so we hurry to get out of the boat and ready our weapons.
However, the combatants clearly consider us a minor threat. Observing them more closely, we're seeing not only humans but also animals and black creatures who resemble small trolls. One side seems to be hostile to us and the other one friendly. Either that or they simply haven't noticed us yet.
At any rate, no one is attacking us. Clearly, the smartest thing for us to do is to put our weapons away and wait it out.
In order to not get in anybody's way, we retreat to a wooden structure in about a hundred meters' distance. It's got staircases going to the upper floor, but it doesn't offer any good shooting positions, which is why I prefer to return to the ground.
Eventually that battle ends and we go to check out the bodies. There are half a dozen survivors who don't attack us. In fact, most of them evade us when we approach and none would talk more than a word or two.
Could it be that their native language is different from ours?
Whatever. We circle the island which is not very big. Arriving back where we disembarked, we notice a small ship off the shore. We swim over. There's no one there. I think we can navigate this ship to reach another island we're seeing at some distance.
That island is inhabited by bandits who attack us, so we have to kill them. We find exotic fruits and some skooma-smoking implements. There don't seem to be any more islands, so we return to the first one.
I begin to wonder what are we doing here killing people just to help that retard Rashid to get rid of his enemies. Jordis reminds me we haven't attacked anyone – they attacked us without even bothering to ask who we are and what we want. Those people who chose not to attack us are walking around on the island going on with their lives, unmolested by us.
She's right. Now, what about that slightly nicer house in the middle that has an actual door (round as it may be)? We kind of overlooked it earlier.
I go in first and am attacked by a mage. He's got me in a bad position – I'm blocking the doorway, so my followers can't help me. But I kill him eventually. Wasn't so bad. A couple of more people rush in from other rooms, but we kill them instantly.
We're greatly amused to see this poster on the wall:
Exploring the other rooms, we find a couple of corpses who must have been dead already when we came. Yet, even with all those dead bodies, this house is really very nice.
And the bed... Gods, the bed! It's even more inviting than the one at the Alinor brothel.
Too bad it's only early afternoon. I must come back here someday to make love on and sleep in this fairytale bed!
We find various notes in the house suggesting that the man named Gwindor who attacked me just as I entered was an arch-enemy of Rashid. We also find evidence that the man and the woman whose dead bodies we saw in one of the rooms were a married couple enslaved by Gwindor to work at his home as servants, and the man was planning on killing him. Apparently he was found out before he had a chance.
At any rate, we're returning to Skyrim. This is clearly not High Rock, because High Rock is at about the same latitude as Skyrim, so it can't have a tropical climate. And even if this is southern High Rock, there's clearly no way for us to get to the mainland from here.
That man is one of the survivors of the big battle before.
Our boat is close to the right edge of the picture, behind that green bush.
Our boat is close to the right edge of the picture, behind that green bush.
In no time, the magical boat takes us back to the shore near Solitud. Rashid is in his camp nearby, sitting and sharpening his sword. I tell him I killed an important-looking dude named Gwindor and a number of militant angry people. Rashid thanks me cordially and then just goes on sharpening his sword.
The man irritates me, so I give his bottom a slight kick. He looks at me with an expectant smile, as if wanting to ask: "Is there possibly something you want?"
"Where is our reward?"
"Sure, you will get your reward," Rashid replies with a cordial smile. "But I have to sharpen this sword. Can you come back in half an hour, please?"
"No," I explain calmly like to a child. "You will give me my reward now and sharpen your sword later."
He lays the sword aside and makes a broad gesture with his arms. "Of course, if you insist! I am not some kind of a swindler!"
Strangely enough, that's precisely what I suspect he is.
Rashid stands up, sheaths his sword and explains that he has his money hidden nearby, in the direction away from the city, and motions us to go first.
"You go first!" I say somewhat less calmly.
"No, please, after you, I insist!" He makes a half-bow and smiles brightly, but as my girls quietly surround him from all sides (with the mountain in his back), his mien turns serious.
"You were not planning on attacking us from behind by any chance, were you?"
"No-no-no!" he bleats, falling on his knees. "I swear I was not going to harm you. I was going to scarper. I'm terribly sorry I have no money. I'll get you some if you will give me some time."
"Pfft!" I roll my eyes and then say with a sigh: "I am not giving you any time. You are going to strip naked right now and give us all your gear as a punishment for trying to cheat us. We will leave you some clothes and the key to the boat and you can either travel to your islands or go to the city and find something useful to do to earn a living."
He stands up and looks quickly from one to another. I think his hands are shaking as he suddenly pulls his sword and runs at Jenassa who happens to stand in the southerly direction.
That was a bad mistake. She kills him easily.
The day is still young (or at least not too old), so I think we can reach Karthwasten today in spite of the difficult terrain.
We say hello to the soldiers at the Haafingar Stormcloak Camp and then run along the riverbank for a change instead of ascending to the road. The banks are very rough, though, which is why we soon end up swimming across to the eastern side and then climbing uphill after all. A little ahead of my followers as always, I notice some kind of a ritual site. There's a mage absorbed in work at his Alchemy Lab. My special power Sense of Smell leaves no doubt he would attack me if he noticed me. So I just shoot an arrow into his back. As I step closer, a bandit jumps out of hiding and charges at me. I get to hit him once with my sword. Then Lydia and Jordis appear as if out of nowhere and the bandit is pierced by ice spikes. It was done with absolute perfection. The girls and I are in a flawless combat formation at 120-degree angles to each other around the bandit, with Jenassa behind Lydia and Jordis, ready to attack anyone who might want to try to join the battle. This was pure beauty.
I realize we've ended up at a stone's throw from Dragonbridge. As we'll need to get back to the western bank of this big river anyway (Karth, is it? Should be), Dragonbridge will be an ideal place for getting across.
We exchange a few words with the women on the marketplace and then proceed southwest without wasting any more time. The foggy hills of northern Reach are really beautiful at the time when the sun is beginning to go down.
Halfway to Karthwasten, we get to kill a dragon. Not too evasive one this time. Then I choose a route along mountain slopes which my girls complain is really difficult and uncomfortable, but it takes us to Karthwasten the fastest.
When we arrive, it's not dark yet. Even the blacksmith's shop is still open. The general store has already closed, though.
We drop by the inn and check out the mines.
Those yellow thingies on the wall up there are silver ore.
Then I ask the girls if we should travel to Morpork now or spend the night here. I mean, it's practically night now, but we'd only have to travel by main roads.
The inn in Morpork has a much nicer bath, says Jordis cautiously. Right! I had forgotten about it for a moment. I shall certainly appreciate proper washing facilities. Of course I understand Jordis has an ulterior motive for traveling to Morpork without delay, but what could I possibly have against it?
So let's go. Be well, good people of Karthwasten!
In spite of the clouds, the weather is nice and warm. I'm really enjoying our trip along the highway without any incidents whatsoever.
Having arrived in Morpork, Jordis quickly disappears with Hreinn. The rest of us look around in the taproom. There are a few new faces to whom we say hello and ask what they do and such. I'm particularly fascinated by a Khajiit man who has a curious name Zeugini and most captivating blue eyes. Too bad he's not in a talking mood. Besides, the innkeeper's daughter Hroki keeps looking at me like she wants to kill me when I'm near him.
So I back off and go have an early night.
next awakening
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