Hello all! Sorry it took me so long to update. DoTA 2 does make me waste a lot of time, but I managed to pull this one out of writer's hell. As always, constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy!
///
Chapter 3: Shaky Start
I’ve never really noticed the beauty of the coast of Skyrim, but I suppose when you’ve just survived a natural disaster and are freezing to death, everything’s beautiful to you.
Amber rays of sunlight bore down on snow-capped evergreens. Horkers, the tusked and pudgy creatures roamed the coast. I made sure to keep my distance from them, as I know that while they may seem like lax beasts of burden, they become deadly when provoked. The chill of Skyrim’s coast pierced my bones, no thanks to the wet clothes on my back. I should’ve probably died of hypothermia by now, but something kept me from dying. A fire in my heart forced me to move forward. Is this what people call your “survival instinct”?
Finally, I reached a rustic stone lighthouse, which thankfully still had a burning fire. As I warmed myself up, the entirety of Dawnstar stretched out before me. A simplistic coastal settlement filled with wooden Nordic cabins with thatch roofs. A ship was docked in its pier. It reminded me of the doomed Skinny Horker and its passengers, which saddened me a little. After much sightseeing, I decided to actually go into the city and find some work and more importantly, food. But unfortunately, after a few steps, my body couldn’t take it anymore. My eyesight went blurry and I finally collapsed into the soft snow. The last thing I heard was a Nord man’s voice crying out for help before I fully blacked out.
I woke up in a small room, and judging by the scent of mead and roasted meat, I was probably inside the local inn. Though my head was still spinning and my body felt really weak, I managed to get myself up from the bed. As soon as I got up, a voice, distinctly Dunmeri, called out.
“Are you awake already, my child?”
Two figures walked into the room, one was a Nord clad in light blue chainmail armor and the other a Dunmer in yellow hooded robes. The former was carrying a bottle of mead.
“Drink this. It will make your body warmer.” The Nord said. I took the bottle and drank from it. Honningbrew. Not too sweet, not too thick. My body began to warm up.
“Thank you, kind sirs. I was afraid I might die out there.”
“Oh, don’t thank me. I just carried you to the inn. Erandur here did all the work, healing you and what not.” He pointed at the Dunmer in yellow. “The name’s Kai, by the way. I’m a guardsman here in Dawnstar.”
“Oh please, Kai. You’re too kind. It’s always a pleasure to help a poor soul in need.” Erandur replied. Kai sat down rather uncomfortably close to me.
“Now, lass, what’s your name, and what happened to you?”
“Well… my name is Robina Blackheart, and I just survived a shipwreck off the coast. So it all began when I decided…” Time seemed to slow as I told them everything that had happened to me so far. Boredom grew in Kai’s face, but Erandur kept listening intently. “…and then I fainted in front of you, and here I am.”
“What a tale, Robina. I thought those kinds of things only happened in the storybooks. But cheer up, my child. Sometimes the Divines frown on us, and sometimes They smile on us. Isn’t that right, Kai?” Erandur patted him on the back. Kai woke to a start.
“What? Is it over already? By the Nine, I’ve got to get back on patrol! Cheers, Robina! Nice to meet you!” He ran off towards the door, only to get hit by it as it slammed open. A burly man carrying in his arms a bleeding Redguard woman sprinted in.
“Erandur?! ERANDUR!” the man cried. He placed the woman on top of a table. She had a wound on her head clearly dealt by a mace. Everyone in the inn came round to see the severity of her injury.
Erandur rushed to the man in a flash. “What is it, Rustleif? By the gods, what happened to Seren?!”
“She was attacked by bandits when she went out to collect herbs. ” Rustleif replied. “Please, heal her!”
“All right, I’ll see what I can do.” Erandur focused his hands on Seren’s wound. Healing light sprung from the palms of his hands and the wound magically closed itself. Erandur grabbed a napkin and wiped off the blood. “Keep her head well bandaged and she’ll be back to normal in no time. Have her take time off the forge, Rustleif.”
“Of course. Bless you, Erandur. But those brutes are still out there somewhere. They must be stopped before they commit more atrocities like this!” Rustleif exclaimed furiously.
Kai went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t you worry, sir. The Dawnstar guards will get right on it. They’ll be put to justice if it’s the last thing we do.” Kai declared with bravado.
Erandur nodded. “But you both must rest. Not only for your own good, but for your child’s good as well.” he added.
Rustleif put his arms around his wife. The poor man must be traumatized after this incident. To have your pregnant wife assaulted in the open, what monsters would do such a thing? “Well, I trust you, Kai. Thank you, and you too, Erandur.” He picked up his wife, still unconscious and walked out. Everyone seemed to exhale a collective sigh of relief.
Out of the blue, Kai approached me.
“Listen, are you any good with weapons?” he whispered at me.
“Well, I’m pretty good with a bow. Why do you ask?”
“The thing is, I need someone to help me take care of those bandits. The rest of the guards are either too drunk to fight or shipped off to fight for the Stormcloak cause.” Stormcloak. A familiar word. My father told me about those Nord rebels defying the Empire and the White-Gold Concordat. From what I’ve heard, they aren’t exactly the best people to be with.
“So, what I’m thinking is you help me kill those brigands, take their loot, we become heroes and get money. You in?”
The more I thought about it, the more I became interested. It would be a great opportunity to get a taste of real combat for the first time. Though I wasn’t too keen on killing, the money and loot will definitely be useful in the days to come. Besides, I’ll kill a lot more people in the future, that much is sure. What difference would first blood really make? I mean, they’re bandits!
“I’m in. Just give me a bow.”
Kai looked very relieved. “Good. I think we could borrow a bow from Rustleif, and that armor you’ve got looks pretty sturdy. And I’ve got some potions back in the guards’ house, so we’re ready! Let’s go bandit hunting!” He seemed confident that we’ll make it out alive, so I became positive that we could actually pull this off.
Looks like I’m going for my first quest. What’s the worst that could happen?
