Always Lost, Always Hopeful (9) Mustn't Get Too Cocky

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






4-201-08-25 04:00
Orphan Rock, Falkreath, Skyrim


Like I have planned earlier, we head west. I intend to check out Little Vivec in pursuit of Mr. Hlaalu's quest and then travel around the western end of Lake Ilinalta (yesterday we circumvented it from the east) returning to Hviterun.

It's still dark when I arrive in Helgen. I realize I have left my followers behind. They may be much better fighters than I am, but they can't keep up with me running. I see a couple of bandits ahead. Normally I would wait for the girls to catch up, but after our astonishing success with the Orphan Rock witches yesterday, I don't even bother to sneak. I draw Nettlebane, run straight into them and kill them without any difficulty. This weapon is really great. Then my girls finally deign to turn up and we kill another couple of bandits somewhat farther away. It was a piece of cake. The only tricky part is locating the exit at the other end of the village.

At this point, I change our plans slightly. The girls have mentioned that there is a town west of us. It's Falkert, the capital of Falkreath Hold. I figure that since we're so close to it, we'd better check it out. I'd really like to see what another hold capital looks like, and it seems to be only a slight detour on our way to Little Vivec.

Hi, foxie! You can run with us. I won't let anyone hurt you.

We encounter a rather arrogant Orc on the road. Normally I would let it slide and walk the other way, but in my current mood I decide to tell him where to get off. I just feel like putting my fighting skills to the test.

He's extremely tough. Even with Nettlebane, I wouldn't stand a chance. Fortunately, my followers kindly shoot arrows into him, so with the help of the Healing  spell and health potions, I finally succeed in surviving until he's dead. We feel a bit like a group of prehistoric hunters having brought down a mammoth. But it was also a reminder that it's not a good idea to invite trouble.

Under the rays of the rising sun, we arrive at a lonely house called Pinewatch.

It looks abandoned. Or maybe it's been chosen as a hideout by a couple of bandits engaged in some shady "business"? Let's find out.

There is one man downstairs who attacks us in a blind rage as soon as he sees us. So we have to kill him. Why can't people realize that not every stranger is an enemy? We could have just sat and had a civilized conversation.

Now, since we're here and have been met with hostility, we steal everything from this house. While doing that, I notice a button on the wall. Pressing it opens an entrance behind a cupboard. It leads into a dungeon.

We pass through very big caves. They're full of crumbled stone blocks and a large number of barrels. And bandits every once in a while, just as hostile as the man in the house was.

In one fight I get knocked down. I'm scared out of my wits, but my followers succeed in defeating the bandits after a hard fight. I dread to think what those truculent unwashed barbarians might have done to us. They would have had the party of their lives – at our expense. Then again, it would have served us right. We were the ones who invaded their home just out of idle curiosity.

Did I say "unwashed"? Gods, I'm sorry. Those men are in fact remarkably clean. And there's something very ironical I have to tell you about. I've been desperately short of cash and therefore reluctant to buy soap. I've been hoping to find some in places that I loot, or at least come across ingredients from which I could brew some soap myself. Strangely enough, I've found neither. Hopelessly frustrated, I recently bought a bar of the cheapest soap. And now I've struck a real soapmine. I have found something like 30 bars of different kinds of soap here in this dungeon. And, as I said, the bandits are far from unwashed. In fact, they seem to be real cleanliness freaks. I wonder how does a rough brute living underground end up owning – and using! – such incredible quantities of soap.

We move on. Through a gantlope of terrible traps, we arrive in yet another big cave. There's a little platform with a screen. I sneak around the screen and there is a bed with a bandit, sleeping peacefully like a baby. I kill him. Then I discover it's a she. Rigel Strong-Arm she calls herself, as I gather from the letters lying about. Well, strong-arm maybe, but certainly not strong-brain, resting here in blissful tranquility while her men were fighting for their lives. Some leader!

And I'm not the only one with that opinion:

I find a few bars of soap. I look with surprise at Vera who has burst out laughing. A couple of seconds later I join her as it dawns to me. It was that Rigel woman who forced those bandits to pay so much attention to their personal hygiene. We howl with laughter, the four of us, tears running down our cheeks.

It'll get dark outside soon, but the town of Falkert can't be very far, so I decide against spending the night here. What I didn't expect is that we need more than two hours to get back to the house and onto the road. No sooner are we out that we hear loud roaring. Don't tell me it's a dragon. Yes, it is. He's attacking someone nearby. I can't understand what's going on. There can't be a settlement here. Whatever. We try to look unimportant and walk away, but the dragon won't let us. He attacks us from the air and eventually lands behind the house. I shoot arrows into him. My followers are fighting him and there are also some male voices. It's too dark to see who they are.

The hardest part in fighting a dragon is his unpredictable movement. It's practically impossible to shoot at someone who is flying directly above your head. Fortunately, this dragon is decent enough to sit on the ground much of the time, so we are finally able to kill him. I sigh with relief when I see my girls are alive and well. Those men, though, whoever they may have been, are nowhere to be found.

We return to the road to finally get going towards that damned town. And now we see what the dragon was attacking when we were coming out of the house. There's a bandit encampment nearby. They have a wooden bridge that goes across the road high above. Apparently they are sitting there, ambushing passersby. They were, I mean. They're all dead now.

Soon we arrive at the gate of the Falkert town. The guard asks me if we saw a dog on the road. What? I can tell you where you can find a dragon corpse, but I honestly can't be bothered with anyone smaller than a sabercat right now. I get rid of the guard as politely as I can and we hurry to find an inn. We all badly need a bath.

It's past 10 in the evening and the inn is full of noisy and jovial people. I approach the proprietress Valga who informs me that the jarl wants a dragon killed in a place called Ancient's Ascent and offers a reward. She doesn't quite understand why my incessant yawning is suddenly interrupted by a chuckle. I'm too tired to explain anything. Can we have a room for the night, please? Only 30 septims per person? I love this town. I love that bathroom. I love that bed. No, thank you, I don't need anything else. Good night.



next awakening






return to the table of contents

Always Lost, Always Hopeful (8) Unexpected Results

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SPOILER INFO
This fanfic novel is based on the events that occurred in an actual game of Skyrim I played. Therefore, it inevitably reveals a lot about the game.
———————————————




previous day






4-201-08-24 08:26
Uthgerd's House, Hviterun, Whiterun, Skyrim


I go to report to Avulstein that his brother Thorald might have been taken to Northwatch Keep. He says he knows the place and can show it on my map. He sits down next to me so close that our bodies touch. Then his hand brushes against mine while he is marking the location of Northwatch Keep on the map. It's very far in the northwest.

Without pulling away, I ask him what "Sovngarde" means. He says it's the realm of Aetherius where Nord heroes are rewarded by Shor with an eternity of revelry in the Hall of Valor. In simpler words, it's a place where warriors fallen in combat go after death. Their souls go, that is.

His other hand has moved up my inner thigh by now. At least I believe that spot is technically still thigh.

Well, one thing leads to another and soon I'm under Avulstein, naked. He ends up enjoying himself greatly. I do not. What is wrong with the men in this city? I'm getting disheartened.

I leave without saying anything and look up Amren to give him the sword I found and ask him if it's his father's. He replies it is and he's extremely grateful and will be happy to do me any return favor. I enquire innocently how his wife is doing. He answers vaguely, clearly disliking the topic. Looks like the rumors were right, but I'm not going to learn any particulars from him. So I drop the subject.

After a brief visit to the marketplace, it's time for me and my followers to move on.

Thank you, dear. Likewise.

Our next destination is Orphan Rock where we are going to retrieve a magic knife or dagger called Nettlebane  that is needed to save a holy tree in Hviterun. As a matter of fact, I remember Orphan Rock now. I've had many very scary nightmares of the place in the past. There are extremely dangerous witches there. I hope we can handle them, the four of us, but I'm not at all sure that all of us will survive the encounter.

Passing by the Honningbrew Meadery, I decide to drop in and ask about Raven's missing daughter. The man I happen to address, August, is extremely rude. I don't even want to tell you what he said to me. It's too disgusting. I think I'll kill him someday. Just walk up to the bastard and stab him in the back or something.

I did get a tip on the missing girl, though. I might follow up on it when I happen to be in southeastern Skyrim.

We turn onto the familiar Hviterun–Riverwood highway that runs along the riverbank most of the time. Halfway to Riverwood, we wash ourselves thoroughly in the river, because I didn't want to spend money on the bath in the city.

At the Riverwood inn, I pick up another bounty letter issued by the jarl. This time he wants some bandits killed in Valtheim Towers. Vera tells me it's east of Hviterun and it's supposed to be an extremely cool place and she's always been very keen to see it. Jenassa has of course been there and says it's just a bandit stronghold and a real nuisance to the travelers, and it's nothing awfully special, we'll see ourselves what it's like when we get there.

Today, we're going in the opposite direction. This mission is on the request of the priestess of Kynareth, not of the jarl. It's not for monetary reward, just public service.

Our destination is on the other side of those mountains:

These houses are not really askew. They look like that because things become round when very close to the edge of a picture.
The technical term for it is "spheric distortion" or something like that. I know it looks ugly, but I can't do anything about it.

I find my boyfriend Hadvar. There is no time for sex, but I ask him about Orphan Rock.

He says there is no direct way to the southeast. We'll have to bypass the mountains from the north and then west. The road will pass by Helgen quite close, but we won't need to actually enter the village. Helgen, as you probably remember, is where my "adventure" began a week ago.

Before we leave, I arrange to be alone with Jenassa. I want to know what Lydia's story is.
"She's a foundling," Jenassa informs me. "The city guards chasing some bandits picked her up I don't know where. They took good care of her. Lydia had much better luck than that Lucia kid."
"You've known Lydia since she was brought to the city?"
"Yeah. Although I never cared much about her. I mean, she was just another Nord orphan girl. I had lots of things on my mind without her. I actually spent much time out of the city. But the word was she was enjoying herself among all those swords and shields. And eventually she became a woman, if you know what I mean. Young and innocent, with male warriors her only family..."
I nod.
"And then someday, somehow, she found out what decent girls aren't supposed to do."
"Oh!"
"Right. But the strange thing is no one has been holding it against her. The guards still adore her like they used to, and other people avoid bringing her past up."
"So, does she have anyone right now?"
"Not as far as I know." Jenassa supports her forehead on her hands pensively. "I've been talking more to her in the recent years, but not so much about personal things. She's always been curious to know about my work outside. Adventures, as she calls it. And I've been having the impression that she can't really talk about anything else but weapons and fighting. She's been trying to build a normal relationship but... yeah, I don't know. We haven't really been talking about those things. She certainly isn't sleeping around the way she used to. That's all I know. Or, actually, there's one more thing. Other women have been saying she's very self-conscious about her..."
"... breasts."
Jenassa nods. "I don't know, maybe somebody has said something to her."
I wouldn't be surprised. Men can be very cruel occasionally. I mean, not cruel. Hurtfully thoughtless.
"Jenassa?"
"Yes?"
"What do you think... Look, I'm just going to tell you an idea, okay? Maybe it's good, maybe it's bad..."
"Sure, Laura, go ahead. I won't laugh."
Yeah, you don't much. "I know a spell that can increase a woman's breasts. Should I offer to use it on Lydia?"
"Are you sure it works?"
"Well, the spell feels right. You know, the way you you feel when a spell is a real spell."
"Yes, I know the feeling." Jenassa falls silent for a few seconds. "Well, my guess is you'd make her the happiest woman in Skyrim."
"I'd love to make her happy."
"But I've never heard of such a spell. Where did you learn it?"
"Well, Jenassa, I'd like to tell you, but unfortunately I don't remember."
"Oh, of course. I'm sorry Laura. I keep forgetting." And now we both laugh.
"No problem. Thanks, Jenassa. Let's get going."

Lydia and especially Vera are dying to know what we were talking about, but I cut their questions short and check all their gear thoroughly instead, talking with mock military harshness. And then we set out without any further delay. We're late enough as it is.

A heartwarming view from a bandits' nest that happened to be in our way.

It's already dark when we arrive at Orphan Rock. Sneaking closer is hopeless. The witches notice us from an incredible distance. They're not all that difficult to beat, though.

The glowing creature on the right is a temporary helper spirit conjured by one of my followers.

Rune traps on the ground are far more dangerous. I walk into two or three and take heavy damage each time. Then the witches are dead, but there's a horrible humanoid creature called a hagraven on a nearby hill. It takes me quite an effort to find a way up there, and the hagraven is really tough to kill. My followers who were extremely helpful making short work of the witches earlier are now stumbling in darkness somewhere below me, so it's just the hagraven and me. With great effort, I finally kill her. It's on her corpse where I find the enchanted dagger Nettlebane  we've come here for. Rather than some kind of a tool for sacred rituals, it turns out to be a really strong weapon, seemingly better than the enchanted sword I've been using so far.

There are tents with sleeping mats nearby, apparently the home of those witches we killed. I decide we'll spend the night here.



next awakening






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