-The weather is looking rather nice today- I said to no one in particular while opening the doors to the manor.
Ricard was inside, at his desk studying the documents and books the captain had told him to. Deestan was staring at the bookshelf trying to find more relevant volumes and as I sat in the dining table I heard Ganlon talking to his mushrooms.
-Did you deliver my notes?- asked Ricard
-Yes, but the captain seemed to know most of it already, he asked if you already had some more information on the dragons. This time he does not want to know how they got here, he just needs help finding out how to go choppy choppy on their asses- I said
-I doubt that is how he phrased it... Anyways, I began working on that after the prophecies, technicalities and theories of how the dragons came to be. My research results in two prominent subjects, Alduin and an Elder Scroll. As the story goes, old nord heroes whose names I don't find relevant used an Elder Scroll to banish Alduin into a void of time and space; there he would be trapped forever, with no chance of escaping. But obviously they were wrong, still, I came across a prophecy, that with correct interpretation, seems to deal with the exact situation we face at the moment, here listen:
-'When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world
When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped
When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles
When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls
When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding
The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn'- said Ricard, quoting the book he had on his hands
I took the time to think, the first and fourth verses seemed to refer to the oblivion crisis and the great war, while second and third seemed to deal into the events concerning Numidium and the fall of the Tribunal. The conclusion on the last two could be considered to point out the civil war, and the firstborn of Akatosh, the norse god of destruction, Alduin...
-So what are you suggesting with this?- I asked
-These documents say that it is impossible to permanently slay a dragon, since after his body is destroyed, his spirit lingers on, able to form itself anew over the course of the years. And Alduin seems even more resistant, as it is written, he is too strong to be harmed by a regular person, being a man of reason I assume this means he can reconstruct his physical form quicker than his kin, and even then he seems to be the most powerful of dragons, making the task of harming him even more difficult. The only one who could even hope to stand a chance against this beast is the Dragonborn of prophecy, said to have the soul of a dragon, and to be the ultimate dragon slayer, with the ability to absorb the dragon's soul and knowledge once it has been killed-
-That certainly seems like a useful skill. Still, what else have you found?- I said, wanting him to give me the report Capran requested.
-Their anatomy is a bit tricky since they have not been studied for thousands of years, but from the stories about the beasts I can gather this much information. Their hides are as tough as fine steel, but that is only the top, the gut is very resilient, like the hide of a troll, but with a strong precise cut they can be harmed there, along with the bottom of the neck. For an archer the wings are also more fragile than the thick scales that cover most of it's body, but until enough damage can actually be done before making it fall, you may find yourself out of arrows. The best bet for an archer, or those brave enough to get this close is to go for the eyes, a stab there would penetrate the brain and kill it instantly. Another curious fact about the beasts that I could confirm when we saw that black one at Helgen is that they are highly effective users of magic. I had a theory about some glands at the top of the mouth, much like a serpent, but seeing as he used the thu'um like in the legends leads me to believe that not only will they be able to make use of multiple shouts, but also that wards should be an effective way of defense. I've written all of this down, you're going to take it to Lucius?- he asked.
-No, Deestan is on courier duty right now, we were tasked to find out more about the civil war. Who will be fighting for whom, the plans under the table and the best place to find all of this is with our contacts in Riften. Bryn will be more than welcome to aid the brotherhood, and we will make sure he still remembers he owes us one for dealing with Mercer- I told him, remembering that it was one of my first jobs alongside Capran, while I was still in the thieves guild.
-Fine then, don't bring your imperial uniform though, rumor has it that Riften is fighting for the stormcloak cause, and I want to keep a low profile- said Ricard as he got up and gave Deestan the documents.
Preparations were made quickly for both of us, Ricard was sure to grab a spare surcoat with a Whiterun insignia to cover the imperial emblem on his armor, and I wore my old thieves guild clothes for the trip, they were a bit dusty and a little loose. Guess some pounds were lost after all that time training with Capran. We said goodbye to Deestan as he was on his way towards the sanctuary to deliver the research notes to Lucius, and passed by Ganlon as he was collecting some herbs on the side of the road, he seemed to be counting the ants as they passed on the plant, whispering an individual hello to each one of them.
The road to Riften was long and tedious, on the first day we got to Whiterun and spent the night at the drunken huntsman, well at least I did, last I saw Ricard he was with a lovely young lady, chatting her up at the bannered mare, you could almost see the hearts coming out of her head as she sighed and gasped at every story he told. On the next morning we took our horses and continued on the road to our destination, turning back I saw a girl waving a handkerchief at Ricard from the top of the walls, and the charming breton waving back at her. Along the road we began to talk, I asked him what big advantages he saw in heavy armor, as in my opinion it just made you unnecessarily slow.
-Well you see friend, the first part about combat in heavy armor is intimidation, a target that is wearing no armor makes you more confident, as even light strikes can harm him. Now before you can tell me they are also easier to dodge, this does not matter when intimidating, seeing a person in a heavier plate can make the attacker fear a charge more, not be so sure of his attacks and worry too much about penetrating the plate, and not enough about his defense. The second advantage is that, of course, I'm better protected all around, and I can afford to trust my armor to block some weaker blows and not spend my energy on the dodge. I admit it is a strange armor choice for an assassin, but with muffle spells I’m able to sneak just as well as cause some chaos after the first strike- he said, providing interesting points, but still not managing to convince me.
As we reached the gates of Riften one of the guards approached us and asked for a tribute, I recognized him, an old friend of the thieves guild, I introduced myself. He was surprised, said I had lost weight and asked how was business.
-Oh you know friend, with the war, we get an awful lot of contracts. Funny thing is, none of them actually come from the fighting sides, they are mostly from people wanting others dead and using the war as an alibi- I said
Continuing our conversation, I asked him about the other members of the guild, I was curious about how Karliah was settling in after the trouble with Mercer, and what was Bryn up to, as the guild seemed to be finally seeing better days. After some chatter he opened the gates for us and we marched straight for the bee and the bard, looking to get myself drunk as soon as possible, I've been sober for far too long. Inside there was the usual crowd, some bards telling stories, old friends from the guild, and the wenches lurking around the less sober men, looking for customers. We sat down and ordered a drink, Ricard thought it was appropriate to drink some of the local Black-Brair mead, but I was content with my customary spiced wine. My partner seemed to have already forgotten the tender words of love he spoke to the nord girl at Whiterun and was already getting better acquainted with another young girl, an imperial with brown hair and pretty green eyes, chatting her up with his tales of wonder.
The rest of the night escapes my mind, I woke up with one of the girls from the night before next to me in the bed and a mild headache disturbing me. Passing by Ricard's room I noticed some faint giggling inside, better not disturb him... I waited for him downstairs while having breakfast, and shortly after I finished my sandwich the breton showed up with a trace of a smile on his face.
-Well friend, I certainly had a pleasant evening, and judging by your miserable face and raging migraine I’m sure you did as well- he said, with a stupid smile on his face I wanted to wipe away.
-Don't you ever get drunk?- I asked, noting his lack of a hangover.
-Friend, I know my limits, and I was only tasting the fine mead this town has to offer, not actually trying to numb my senses, why, if I had done that I would not have had such a reinvigorating time last night- He answered.
-Shut up, by the way, finish already, we need to find the contact to gather the information we need- I said while getting up to my room to get properly dressed.
We got to the point of exchange, far from the city guards, and waited for the contact to bring the information we wanted. Eventually he appeared, the thieves did not want to give me his description to avoid their spy's identification and possible capture. He was a khajit, wearing fine clothes and accompanied by a big brutish orc, his bodyguard probably.
-Greetings, you must be the buyer, my name is Dar'ruk, pleasure to meet you...
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