———————————————
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.
———————————————
previous day
4-202-04-25 07:26
Keepers' Inn, Northkeep, Falkreath, Skyrim
It's a fine sunny morning. We walk around a little, but the shops evidently don't open until 9 and I won't wait that long. We run to the Half-Moon Mill (see next picture), say hello to Hert and have a wash in the river.
Halfway to Falkert, a pouring rain begins. We put on speed and are delighted to finally reach the inn. Shasien, my boyfriend of sorts, is there.
I'm not interested in sex right now, but he is very insistent, so I think what the heck. I don't fancy traveling with such horrible weather anyway.
My friend Valga the proprietress signals me from the other end of the taproom that we can use one of the rooms. Yeah, I'd rather go someplace more private, but considering the weather... At least there are almost no customers.
We do it in doggy style and it's very good, actually. I'm glad I let myself be persuaded. And Valga doesn't even charge Shasien for the room. ;-)
The weather hasn't gotten better. Well, maybe the rain has eased a little, but a thunderstorm has started. We leave for Helgen all the same, the girls and I. Can't hang around here forever.
We run quickly past that bandit place between Falkert and Helgen – so quickly in fact that not only do the bandits miss us, even their horrible trap about which I had completely forgotten reacts too slowly and the avalanche of big stones reaches the road when we are already safely away. But then I remember I'm under the orders to kill all bandits encountered, so we turn back and kill the ambushing criminals. Only two, as it turns out.
On our way to Helgen, we end up fighting another bandit gang:
I wish we could bypass Helgen, but unfortunately the mountains to our south are unpassable, so we have to run right through the destroyed village. This means another round of bandit-slaying. Then we climb into a citadel and I show the girls the place where the dragon broke down a part of the wall and I jumped, with my hands tied, onto the second floor of a house with a partially destroyed roof:
As you can see, it's still raining.
Outside the eastern gate of Helgen are three roads that go towards Riverwood, Ivarsted and Fort Neugrad, respectively. We proceed along the last one. It goes uphill and the rain is soon replaced by a heavy snowfall. Just short of Fort Neugrad (on the left in the next picture), we turn right towards the border crossing.
The snowfall lessens by the time we reach the abandoned Thalmor Checkpoint. At the Pale Pass border post, however, there's a skirmish between the Imperial soldiers and the thalmors. It's quite chaotic and hectic. We have to do a lot of running around, but finally all the thalmors are killed.
What is going on here, I ask one of the soldiers. Is it always like this? They inform me that they are attacked by groups of thalmors occasionally. But what have they lost here, I wonder. I understand they are being expelled from Skyrim and not too gently, but why are they trying to break through to Cyrodiil instead of going to Hammerfell to join the main Aldmeri forces? The soldier shrugs and suggests maybe there are different warring factions within the Dominion. Yeah, that would be good news. Well, whatever. Is it at least peaceful in Bruma County? Yes, he says, as far as he knows. Fine, we shall proceed then.
We go through the gate, run past the Fort Pale Pass and step briefly into Snowstone Rest to say hello to Erlus, Arnoth and Scruffy. There's heavy snowfall outside again and just about enough light to see the road.
We're attacked twice by bandits and see a nice fox. A brief stop at the Eastern Watchtower, and a couple of minutes past 9 in the evening we walk in through the southeastern gate of Bruma.
Just like the first time we came here, we take the first street left, only this time we walk past The Restful Watchman without entering. We pass through the empty marketplace, past the big temple and up the stairs to the Jerall View Inn. (Could have gone straight ahead from the gate, I know. Just nostalgic.)
The taproom is full of merry people. I can't find Dar'taqto, though. I walk up to the proprietor Stantus. Before I can open my mouth, he says: "No, I don't know where he is. Welcome back all the same."
I laugh in spite of myself. Lydia and Ambric are already hugging and kissing. Jordis and Jenassa have sat down next to a couple of men. "Can I do anything for you?" asks my friend the adventurer Stenar. "No, thank you," I reply, smiling coyly.
I go out to take a walk. Along the near-empty streets, I stroll past the Synod building and decide to step in. I ask Cadius how's it going and such, and he ends up telling me that they're having a bit of a problem with necromancers in the Underpall Cave southwest from here. You may remember, it's the one that had a graveyard in a cavern. We explored a part of it, but of course Cadius doesn't need to know that. I promise him I'll go and have a look one of these days. Then I take another street back to my inn, chatting a little with a female guard along the way and asking among other things if she has seen my friend Janieta (the Imperial soldier we rescued from the mage bandits). The guard says she has seen her occasionally and she can tell her I'm back in the city if she sees her. I reply that I'd appreciate it. Then I walk slowly back towards the inn. Somehow the air feels especially fresh on the street and I'm reluctant to go indoors. I walk to the Jucani house and back, and then I enter the inn after all. There is no sign of Dar'taqto and the girls seem to... how should I put it... have a good enough time without missing my company, so I just go to sleep.
next awakening
