After my less than welcoming stay at the inn, I launch the key at the innkeeper without so much as a thank you. I head down to the docks once again, and scope out the workers. Out of the blue, a shady looking marshfriend approaches me and introduces herself as Deeja. She tells me that she has some work available that could satiate my need for gold, and that if I was interested, to head north to a small bay where her crew was docked. I figure I’d take her up on her offer, and made my way over.
After following a beaten dirt road into yet more jungle, dealing with a few bandits with a few arrows and my fancy hidden blade, I finally find the bay. A tiny settlement, I pull up my hood and make my way past the countless deadbeats who call this shanty their home. Deeja had managed to get there before me, and I can only guess she took a shortcut.
“I see you decided to take me up on my offer then?”. Her voice was very raspy, even for an Argonian.
“Yeah. Pretty nice place you got here.” I said sarcastically.
“Oh, this isn’t our home. My brother, Jaree-Ra, is up in Skyrim, and he needs someone just like you. If you’re still interested, we’re on our way back up, should be there in the next few days.”
“......Sure” I said, a bit ambiguous. A period of slight awkwardness began to brew, and sensing this, I made smalltalk. “So, what do you call yourselves?”
“The Blackblood Marauders” she answered, rather plainly. Before I had time to reply, she spoke again. “We have knowledge of an unguarded cargo ship making its way here from the Iliac Bay, just a bit north. We’re going to capture it, and steal their goods. You in?”
I hesitated. I’d never been on a ship as big as this, and certainly hadn’t intercepted an Imperial cargo ship before. I’d worked on ships all my life, but I wasn’t a warrior by any standards. I could handle myself, but that was it. All ships I’d been on before were pretty battle-free, I was only made to repair the hull and fix up the masts and flags. Even with this cool but tattered armour, my skills would really be put to the test.
“Of course I’m in, why else would I be here?”. I almost had to swallow my fear after saying that.
“Good, get yourself on board then lad”. Her entire persona was quite threatening actually. The way she moved, spoke and looked at me, all made me feel uncomfortable. I should really learn to do that.
I made my way up the gangway and onto the deck. I found an old Breton named Crescius near the helm, and asked how I could make myself useful. “Go fetch Galmar Stone-Skull. I gave him my last leg of goat for him to be my...my test subject. Big brute of a Nord, just went down the gangway.” I found him picking his nose down by the docking area. I had to refrain myself from getting a lead and dragging him up.
“You Galmar? Crescius wants you.” I followed him up, closing my nostrils as I caught a whiff of him.
“Now, stand there, and stay very still.” Crescius commanded. A green flowing orb appeared in his left hand. As the orb hit Galmar, he froze solid. “Hah, yes!” Suffice to say, I was more than a bit unsettled by Crescius’ joy at having nearly killed a man.
“What was that?” I ask.
“A good old paralysis spell”. Took me a month or so to perfect, but there you go!”
I needed to learn that. As far as magic went, I was pretty flimsy. I could heal myself, heal others, cast a basic flames spell, and an alteration spell I learned as a hatchling named ‘Oakflesh’, which I told was the protection of the Hist, but that was my absolute limit. I seldom had need for magic, despite the fact I found it amazing. After a hefty sum, he agreed to teach me the spell. No matter how hard I tried though, I just didn’t have enough energy to cast it. Crescius said that, in exchange for one of my old rings, which apparently fortify my health, he’d give me a ring that fortified my magical ability. Bargain.
With the help of Crescius’ ring, I managed to amplify my rather pathetic magicka enough to make the green orb appear in my hands. I let it go at a passing gull, and it dropped out of the sky like a stone. It really took it out of me, but oh boy was I going to have fun with this. Feeling a bit more prepared, I told Deeja I was ready to sail.
At least, I hoped I was.
