Chapter 8: Back in Riverwood — Ver. 2.0
After heading to the Drunken Huntsman, Uthgerd and I push our way past several people leaving to the counter. The wood elf tending to the bar asks us, "Hello, my Nord friend. In the market for some hunting supplies?"
"Unfortunately, not right now. We're looking for a mercenary." I tell him. He reminds of the fact that I'm a Nord now. My brother in Talos, I did not ask for this shit.
"Ah, you mean Jenassa? She's nearly a resident of our lovely tavern here. She's right over there."
The wood elf points us to a corner. I look where he's pointing, thank him, and head to the corner Jenassa's sitting at.
"Yes, sera?" She says, as we approach.
"I hear you're the mercenary Jenassa. Can I hire you?"
"At the cost of 500 gold, you may."
I check my current funds. I have 390 gold on hand. Man, I'm kinda broke.
"Alright, I don't have the full funds right now, but I'll be able to procure the funds after." I offer her a deal. I figure if can get her to go half-before, half-after, I'll be able to pay her the full amount. And if I can't, I'll offer her double after we defeat Bleak Falls Barrow.
"Why should I go with you if you don't have the funds to pay me?" Jenassa counters, frowning.
"That's fair. I completely understand. However, I'm in dire need of your assistance and I'm willing to pay half before, and half when we're done." I raise my hands, trying to gesticulate kindness. Her face changes after she hears what I say, like a light went on in her mind.
"Hmm... If you can pay me right now, I'll accept." She's not super ecstatic, but she's at least willing to join me.
"Deal." I'm glad she accepted, because if the draugr are stronger, as I expect, then I'll just die over and over without making any real progress.
I pass over two gold bars. She hands me a hefty sack of coins. I count them out and make sure there's 50, and while I do, Jenassa goes up to the counter and says that she's now paid her tab. I presume it was a drinking tab, as while this place is a tavern, it doubles as a hunter's specialty store. Jenassa walks back to me and Uthgerd.
"Do you have your own adventuring gear?" I ask.
"I do. Haven't used it in a while, so it might be in need of refurbishment, however." Jenassa answers positively.
"Do you mind if I ask to see your weapons?"
Jenassa shows me her bow and her daggers. Thankfully, I don't have to buy her any weapons. She reaches behind her chair, to reveal a worn black leather backpack that's clearly been in use for a few years, at least. She puts it on.
"Alright, now we need to head to Riverwood." I say.
We leave the Drunken Huntsman. As we leave, the wood elf calls out, "Please come again!"
We make the 6-hour trip to Riverwood around three hours before nightfall. Halfway in between Riverwood and Whiterun, we have an early dinner of apples and bread, and I run into a problem.
The most basic and instinctual problems of humanity. I gotta take a shit. In all the movies and games I've seen, having to use the bathroom was never something needed to be done by a main character. But this was no movie or game.
I excuse myself from the ladies, leaving my helmet there, while I went over a hillock, dug a hole, and got to work. It seems that when I visit Riverwood, I'm going to have to get a trowel or something, because digging and covering up a foxhole with my bare hands is absolutely disgusting.
I'm actually amazed I've gone this long without worrying about bugs or anything from the 21st century. After all, having a phone and a 9-to-5 was practically required for life as a human, but now... Here I am killing people, and soon, monsters, like it's nothing.
Granted, the bugs aren't so much of a problem, because although there bugs like flys, there seems to be a minimal number of mosquitos, bedbugs, gnats, or cockroaches and that solves about 90% of my problems with insect life. Granted, the giant spiders are a bit creepy, but I mean, these are kind of small compared to Australia's, so I guess it's fine?
I finish up and clean with a lot of grass and cover it all up. I cast Flames in both hands and *cleanse* my hands a little bit, and wait for my armor to regenerate the skin. I figure if the heat can kill the bacteria, and my skin regrows, it's mildly acceptable to light my hands on fire. Which makes me consider, if I light my ass on fire, and the fire burns away the shit, and my armor regrows my ass, isn't that the most effective way to clean my ass? I mean, inventing toilet paper is kind of hard in a world that's still in the Middle Ages, after all.
• • •
Uthgerd watches Drake as he makes his way behind a hillock. The helmet he left on the ground next to where he sat shone brightly with the oil from the maintenance he'd given it. (She doesn't know that he learned literally that morning.)
"What an employer. He's fairly handsome for a Nord, isn't he?" Jenassa asks, once he's gone. Uthgerd's face turns a slightly red, "The hell's that got to do with anything?"
"I mean, he's pretty dashing in his steel armor, isn't he?" She asks again, smirking. Uthgerd looked at Jenassa with a confused face.
"I mean, yeah, he's a bit of a looker, but why does that matter?" Uthgerd asks.
Jenassa squinted at Uthgerd. "Well, we're in Skyrim. Wasn't a proper husband supposed to be..." Jenassa shakes her head, searching for the right words. "...handsome, and having the... spirit of a warrior important, or something, to Nords? I heard how you lost to him. Didn't you say you'd marry any man who you could lose a fight to?"
Uthgerd looks away, her face turning red. "I– That was a long time ago. I mean, yeah, those things you said are great; but just because those are positive aspects doesn't mean all people look for only them in a man." Her eyes turn to a misty, dreamy-sort of look, and she continues. "I want a man that has a good head about him, a fair heart, and the wisdom to lose and learn from his losses or mistakes. A man that holds toe-to-toe with me in a fight, and not just in the physical kinds. The mental and spiritual, too. I want someone powerful enough to *dominate* me. Their strength, their looks... those are just bonuses."
" I see... So you're a masochist?" Jenassa asks, leading the conversation, interested where Uthgerd might want to go with this.
"W-what?! No! That's not what I meant! I just meant–," Uthgerd tries to defend herself.
"But you definitely just said you wanted a man who can *dominate* you." Jenassa perfectly enunciates 'dominate' the same way Uthgerd did when she said it.
"Ugh, fine! Believe what you want, but I didn't mean it that way. I meant someone I would want to stand at my side, maybe even in front of me. Look. I've always been much stronger than everyone in Whiterun. So to have someone actually defeat me in a fight... It feels good, but I don't know yet. I barely know him, anyways." Uthgerd continues exasperatedly. "While Drake did beat me in a fight, and he's smart enough to get people to help with whatever he needs helping with, so he's probably already got two of the qualities I'm looking for. But... I suppose that way wouldn't be too bad if it were Drake, either. His looks are quite nice..." Uthgerd continues, muttering quietly.
"Oh..?" Apparently, Jenassa's hearing was able to pick that up. Uthgerd blushes, and covers up her face. Jenassa cackles silently. "If I was in your position, I'd just take charge, since Drake clearly isn't going to."
Crack!
The sound of a stick breaking pops out, and the two girls look away from each other while someone approaches. Uthgerd looks away from Jenassa and tries to calm herself down.
It's Drake, with what appears to be a thoughtful look on his face. He pushes apart the growths of foliage, and moves to sit where he sat earlier.
• • •
I make sure nothing's blistering or smelling bad, then walk back to the girls and see Uthgerd looking away from Jenassa, and blushing.
"Hm? You two alright?" I ask, confused.
"Oh, we're fine. It's just a thing between us women." Uthgerd opens her mouth, but Jenassa cuts in with a coquettish grin, before Uthgerd can say something. Uthgerd seems to think better (or worse) of saying whatever she was going to, and shuts her mouth.
"Y-yeah," she agrees. "Just between us two."
I feel a little suspicious, but I leave it alone. Whatever it is, I certainly hope it doesn't come up in some weird way later.
We pack our stuff and continue on, as soon as we finish eating. Eventually, we enter Riverwood, and I take them to the inn here.
The inn here, The Sleeping Giant, is a massive longhouse, with a rectangular porch that has two stairways leading up to the door. The thistles next to the stairs scratch my clothes and armor as I go up it. There's a Nord child playing with a dog on the porch, both of which ignore us as we walk to the door.
I hold the door open for Uthgerd and Jenassa, and walk in after they enter, shutting the door as I do so. We head to the counter. A blonde Nord bard plays his lute as we walk forward.
The hearth in the center of the room, combined with the talking of townspeople and the music of the life set a certain mood about the inn.
The dark-haired Nord at the counter smiles at us as he says,
"What can I get you? A room, some mead, food?"
"Do you have three rooms available for the night?" I ask.
"Unfortunately, we do not. We don't have two, either. If you all are okay with sharing a room, we do have one available, however."
I look to the women as I ask, "Are you alright with sharing one?"
Jenassa says she doesn't mind, and Uthgerd shakes her head, blushing a little. I'm starting to get a little suspicious of what they might've talked about when they were alone together earlier...
"I don't mind," She says after a second.
"Alright, we'll take it."
"10 gold," the Nord says, holding his hand out. As I pass the gold over, I ask, "Why so cheap?"
The Nord shook his head and said, "Simple. We charge by the room, not the people using it. Although if we did, we'd make more money in the short term, but we'd become disreputable. You'd be amazed at the amount of merchants and nobles that come through here with a retinue of servants and guards. Besides, I can see your coin purse. Coin's light these days, 'specially with the war going on. We're all lucky it hasn't gotten into full bloom just yet, though. Your room's the second one on the right."
He hands me a key.
"Ah... I see. That makes quite a bit of sense. Thank you." I say, as we head over to the room. Uthgerd and Jenassa immediately sit on the bed. On the other side of the room, is a chair, a desk, and an empty wardrobe. On the desk is a candelabra with all of the candles lit. In between the desk and the wardrobe is a small fireplace, burning bright and sending waves of heat out.
"You ladies can get settled, I'm going to visit a friend. I'll be back before sunset." I make sure to tell them where I'm going and what I was doing before setting my backpack down on the floor and leaving. This is a good time to thank Alvor and his family for putting up with me and Hadvar. Besides, I should build a good reputation, that way people would be more willing to trust me, and thus make doing quests easier. I mean, I am thankful, but I still should show my appreciation.
I take a small coin purse with me to Alvor's house. I knock, and Sigrid opens the door.
"I'd like to thank you for helping me and Hadvar yesterday. This doesn't exactly make up for it, but I hope it shows my appreciation." I try to hand her 20 gold, but she denies it, saying that any friend of Hadvar is a friend of theirs, and that dignity cannot be paid for.
"We have a certain pride, too, in that our family always helps those in need, if they truly need it. And you, my dear, were both at the time. If us helping you lets you become someone powerful in the future, then, by all means, rain blessings upon us when you reach that point. But for now, just accept our goodwill."
"Then I will. Thanks. Goodbye." I say.
"Good–", Sigrid starts.
"Ah, wait!" Someone says from inside the door. "Thought I recognized that voice. Hey, Drake."
It's Hadvar. He walks out of the door, then raises his arms for a hug. I give him a quick one, then back up.
"Thought you'd have left already?" I ask, smiling. This guy might be an Imperial, but he's chill, so he's cool.
"Aye, that I would have, if lil Dorthe hadn't asked me to stay for another day." Hadvar says, pointing to his little cousin inside.
"That's great. I could use your help, man." I explain. "Jarl Balgruuf's tasked me with the retrieval of a mystical stone up in the Barrow."
Hadvar says, confused, "The Barrow? As in, Bleak Falls Barrow?" His face changes to one of realization. "Shite, man. I think you're right. Talk's been going round town 'bout a robbery Lucan down at the Riverwood Trader had. Think he said the thief who stole from him escaped up there, because there were bandits up at the Barrow he connived with, the bastard."
I already know about the bandits, but the way Hadvar's treating it makes it sound more like a huge problem, rather than a terrible misconvenience.
"Oh?" I ask, probing for more information.
"Yeah, he said 'twas uh... Arvel the Swift, or some shite like that. Bastard was shoutin' bout knowing the answer to the wall or something like that. That's all I know 'bout the matter, really. But if you're going up there, then you've got to let me know when. I've got your back."
I nod, saying "Got it," before noticing something different about Hadvar.
"Hey, man, you got new armor!" I say, smiling, pointing to his new outfit.
It's a plate cuirass, the likes of which I'd seen before. It has a solid steel plate covering up his right shoulder and pec, diagonally and downward to the left side of his waist. The left side of his chest, however, was bare of armor except for a thick, padded tunic, and a pauldrons that covers up just his shoulder. The chainmail of his bishop's mantle pokes out the top of the cuirass. Around the cuirass are two straps and belt, holding it all together. Wrapped over the belt is a part of a dark cloak he's wearing. A large pocket is strapped to his waist, where it lies over two triangular folds of a massive padded tunic, as thick as a grandmother's quilt, if not thicker. The sleeves of his padded tunic were covered by a thick leather vambrace, with only a thin glove underneath. Instead of greaves, he wore a studded leather boot that was wrapped in yet another thick padded cloth. The outermost layer of it though, was wrapped in leather, so that it'd at least be protected from the elements. This sort of armor is almost certainly used for soldiering in the mountain forts, as it represents what soldiers of races that aren't Nord have to wear in such mountainous regions like Skyrim.
I finally identify the type of armor he's wearing – it's the Steel Soldier set from the Alternative Armors mod. But how did he get it? And why did he switch from his normal Imperial light armor? He's a soldier of the Legion, why would he change it?
"That I did. Alvor said he got the inspiration for the armor out of nowhere and had the designs written and the armor produced in only a few hours. It was crazy. After, he wanted me to wear it all and see how well it all works. And so, here I am." He spread his arms out, gesturing to his armor.
"Nice." I compliment him, nodding. I look up, and see how close it's getting to sunset. "Well, I've a couple errands to do now, so I should go."
Hadvar nods. "Best get to it, then. I'll be here for the next week at the most. Make sure you get me before you get to that stupid Barrow."
"See you in a few days then." I bid him farewell.
I head to Riverwood Trader, the general goods store where Lucan works.
When I walk in, Lucan looks and goes, "Ah! You're back!"
Lucan comes out from the counter and hands me miscolored robes and a hood with dark blue and dark red bloodstains on them. The robes shimmer, it's surface glowing blue with the light of an enchantment overlaying them.
"Here you go!" He says, happy to hand them off.
"W-what're these?" I ask.
"Robes, clearly." Lucan says. "If it helps jog your memory, you left these inside the knapsack you sold me, likely by accident. I was going to sell them to someone else and keep the profits for myself, but my sister convinced me otherwise."
The mage in the cage! I realize where they came from. I take the robes and hood from him.
"Thanks, Lucan. I forgot I was even carrying these."
"Don't thank me, thank my sister. She was the one who convinced me otherwise, as I said before. You're not listening much, are you?"
I ignore him and look around for his sister. I see her walking up the stairs behind me. She's a dark-haired Imperial wearing a pale yellow dress.
"Excuse me, may I ask you for your name?" I ask, ready to thank her.
"H-huh? My name?" She looks a little flustered, as if she were caught unaware.
"Yes."
"Oh, my name's Camilla." She offers her hand. I shake it, bowing a little.
"Thank you very much. I forgot that I was carrying those, and nearly lost a large amount of gold because of it."
After I finish thanking her, I go back to Lucan.
"Alright, how much will you pay for the robes?"
"I'll say 400 for the robes and 200 for the hood. I can get them cleaned at a cheap price, and since they're enchanted, I'll get more than that when I sell them. Gear for mages is rising in price these days because of the war."
Oh? Is that the case...?
"Really, Lucan? Only 200? I know you're gonna sell the hood alone for 350, maybe even more. How much will it take to clean it? Less than 20 gold? Come on man, I want at least 330 for the hood, 450 for the robes." I set up a price to begin the haggling.
"You could've cleaned them and sold them with the rest of the goods you sold me yesterday. 220 for the hood, 410 for the robes."
"I forgot they were even there. Besides, these are like brand-new, besides the blood. 330 for the hood, and for the robes, ehh... I'll take the deal for the robes (410)." I stick with the original price I set for the hood.
"Really? I think I'll stick with 220. Only way I can make a sizable profit, especially off of bloodstained clothing. You know how hard it is to clean Frostbite blood out of clothing is?"
"It isn't. It's actually fairly easy. I did it yesterday. 300." I come back with smugly.
"Dammit. That was my last argument. Fine. I'll buy for 300." Lucan frowns, crosses his arms, and goes behind the counter. The original offer was for 600, but I was able to make an extra 110 gold come with it. I'm feeling good.
He hands me the 7 gold bars and sets the 10 gold in a small bag that he tosses at me. I set the robes on the counter and I'm on my way out the door when Camilla asks her brother, curiously, "But... what's the likelihood we're gonna meet a mage who happens to need robes and a hood?"
I watch his face light up.
"Wait! Wait!" He calls at me, running around and at me. As I slam the door shut, I yell, "NO NEW OFFERS!"
I hear Lucan slam into the door, and moan out, "Dammit."
It's nearly sunset now. I guess talking with Hadvar and haggling with Lucan took longer than I thought. I walk back to the Sleeping Giant, laughing greedily at my profits. 710 gold. Lucan must like me or something because in the game, I think I only would've gotten like 40 for the hood and maybe around 115 for the robes. I laugh again. The kid looks at me with a weird look as I open the door and walk back to the room I paid for.
I open the door to the room, and my mouth drops. I was not expecting to see the two women in the middle of changing. They didn't notice me, so I shut the door quickly and quietly. The second it's shut, I lean against the wall next to the door. I wait a few minutes, then knock on the door.
"Come in!" I hear from inside the room. It's Uthgerd's voice. I open the door, to see the two sitting on the bed in their thin beige tunics. It seems like they've washed up, probably in the river nearby.
Uthgerd's hair is being braided by Jenassa, and Jenassa is wearing earrings now. I don't know where she got them from, but I pay it only a minimal amount of attention.
"Alright. Where are we going, and what are we doing?" Jenassa asks, while still braiding Uthgerd's hair. I pull over the chair for the desk, and sit on it backwards, facing the ladies resting my arms on the back of it.
"The place we're headed is called Bleak Falls Barrow. There are at least three known types of enemies we'll be facing when we get there; those being bandits, frostbite spiders, and draugr; that also is the likely order for the enemies we'll face. My quest is to retrieve an object called a Dragonstone. It's a pentagonal object about yea big." I gesture how large the Dragonstone is supposed to be. "Thus, our current mission is to clear the Barrow, and find the stone." I answer.
"Alright. What do you need me to do when we get there?" Jenassa asks.
"While we climb up the mountain, I want you to trail behind us, but when we get there, I'd like for you to scout around the outside of the Barrow. While you're scouting ahead, Uthgerd and I will set up a small base camp where we'll all rest for the day. Once you have it scouted out, we'll approach during the night, under the cover of dark. We'll sneak up on them and take them out when they're sleeping. Any questions so far?" I explain.
They shake their heads.
"Alright. That being the case, I'm going to go to the Innkeep and buy some extra food. We'll climb the mountain in two days from now, so you can get some rest if you'd like now, ladies. I'll get one more person for our little venture, and then we'll be ready."
"Ah, actually, it seems I do have a question." Jenassa asks.
"Hm?" What could she be curious about?
"Ah, yeah. Are you going to be sleeping in the bed with us, or on the floor, or what?"
"... W-what? I-I'll be sleeping on the floor." I was confused for a second, but then realized what she meant. I blush a little.
I hurriedly left the room and went to the counter. I paid 20 gold for a basket of fruits and vegetables. Before walking back inside the room, though, I took a few deep breaths and got some firewood.
I walk back inside to find what looks to be both of the ladies are already asleep. I set the firewood and basket down. Two of the three candles on the candelabra are out.
I take off my armor, roll out my bedroll, and lay on it. I shut my eyes, and stay still, but can't fall asleep, so I pull out the spellbook I've had in my backpack this entire time. I head to the desk, pull out the chair, and start flipping through the book.
The candlelight from one of the candles is more than enough as I read about the essence of lightning type magic. I read parts of it out loud, as I try to understand how to cast Sparks. I cast Flames as I read it, letting the flames on my right hand dance while turning the pages with my left hand. The light flickered back and forth, but started to die out as I read out loud a page from the book.
"The compression and sudden ejection of Magicka propels certain aspects of lightning magic but without certain other aspects, lightning magic fundamentally cannot exist. In the previous chapter, a large aspect of lightning type magic was explained, such as the control of temperature, (granted the novice spellcaster will not be able to heat Magicka to even a tenth of the degree required) and the grounding of forces. This book will now explain the theory of electromagnetism."
What? This world has knowledge of electromagnetism? That... That should be impossible. I continue reading.
"There are tiny things in existence, so small they cannot be seen with the naked eye, that make up everything. These tiny objects are called atoms. These atoms have three parts to them called ions: a proton, a neutron, and an electron. Protons are positively-charged ions, neutrons (as you may suspect) are neutrally-charged ions, and electrons are negatively-charged ions. Why the third ion is not named 'negatrons' is unknown, but the creator and main supporter of this theory seemed to favor the term especially. Below this passage is the creator's representation of what such an 'atom' may look like.
Now, a simplified example would be the clouds and the ground. The ground contains a negative charge, and the clouds hold a positive charge. Lightning is merely a bridge, jumping between the two. It is not dissimilar to rubbing a fur lying on the floor, and shocking someone when you touch them. Indeed, that too is lightning, but on a millionth of the scale."
It was even an explanation the level of a middle schooler from Earth would know. I extinguish my Flamesas my eyes travel further down the page. The image under the passage looks exactly like a molecule of hydrogen. I quickly check the author's name.
The author was a man by the name of Atreyu Odiin. I'll have to remember to search for his name if I ever go to the Mages' College.
Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder.
-----------------
Funds: 820 Septims
Weapons:
💠 - Fine Steel War Axe (+15 extra damage)
💠 - Nordic Daggers
💠 - Quicksilver Throwing Knives {x5}
- Hunting Bow, Unstring/Wrapped {x25 arrows}
Apparel:
💠 - Refurbished Steel Helm (15% more armor)
💠 - Steel Armor (HP Regen. Injury Heal Rate 25%↑, Light Wound Heal 50%↑)
💠 - Spiked Iron Gauntlets (+15 extra H2H damage)
💠 - Refitted Steel Boots (15% more armor)
- Winter Cloak (20% Cold Resistance)
Food:
- Basket of Fruits and Vegetables; {onions x3, apples x5, leeks x3, potatoes x5, head of cabbage, carrots x4, loaves of bread x1}
Ingredients:
- Giant's Toes {x10}
Books:
- Stack of Stormcloak notes and letters to family {x15}
- Letter to Thrynn & Torturer's Ring
- Spell Tome: Sparks
Supplies:
- Backpack
- Bedroll
- 50 feet of hemp rope
- Cooking pan
- Waterskins
- Metal Bowl
- Torches x3
- Tent
Miscellaneous:
- Lockpicks