U.O.T.W. Chapter 296 Bruma

• Posted by Sotek July 24, 2018 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - #Sotek  #U.O.T.W.  - 1,084 views

  

  

   

  As they followed the road further into Cyrodiil, an icy wind started blowing from the mountain side. With it came a blizzard, but thankfully for Sasha, nothing like what they were subjected to over the past week. Sotek as usual just carried on like it was a warm summer’s day. Aela couldn’t help but wonder if he noticed it was snowing at all.
  “Brrrr, it’s cold”. She stated, trying to get his attention.

   

  “What? Oh, sorry here, take a few furs each of you”. He handed over the furs from the deer and wolves which they had killed earlier then pointed down the road. “Down there’s ermm…”

   

  Aela refused any furs for herself; her main concern was for Sasha who was suffering from the climate. The Argonian girl wrapped herself up in a fur while Aela took the lead. She walked past Sotek and smiled.
  “Dragonclaw Rock, at least according to Vilkas it is anyway. Come on, you flaming twit”.

   

  Sasha scrunched her face up as she looked at Aela’s near naked back and subconsciously gripped the fur tighter. She quickly laughed though as Sotek stuck his tongue out at Aela. She suddenly spun around in the hope of catching Sotek off guard, but she was too late for he had begun to kneel, so he could gather a few of Cyrodiil’s native flowers.
  “Now what are you up to?”

   

  “It’s got some alchemy properties”. Sotek explained as he opened his herb pouch. “Resist poison for instance”.

   

  “Yes, well... Down at Dragonclaw Rock there’s something as well”.

   

  Sotek grinned as he jokingly glared at her.
  “Oh yes? What?”

   

  “No bloody snow”. She replied with a cheeky grin.

   

  Sotek got up to his feet then rolled his eyes as he turned to Aela. She however was glaring at him.
  “You’ll do that to me once too often and I’ll have me a set of eyes in a jar”.

   

  Sotek gulped then turned on Sasha, throwing all blame onto her.
  “That’s your fault, try to keep up and stop messing about. She will you know; she’ll cut your eyes out”.

   

  The next second he jumped as he felt Aela’s dagger gently prod him in the leg.
  “Move it you moron”.

   

  Sotek smirked then whispered to Sasha, but he was careful to make sure Aela could hear every word.
  “I’d love to stay and chat, but my slave driver here wants me to hurry up. I’m only allowed to talk for five minutes a day”.

   

  Both Aela and Sasha laughed as Aela tried to kick him in the leg, but he ran off, out of her reach just a few seconds before. Sotek took point having satisfied himself that Aela’s mind was well off her leaving Skyrim, and Sasha also seemed happier since they first entered Cyrodiil. As they approached Dragonclaw Rock, two wolves ran out from nowhere. They growled menacingly then started charging at Sotek. Aela and Sasha both drew their bows, but Sotek just stood there, neither drawing a single weapon or even preparing to cast a spell. He drew a deep breath then shouted.
  “Raan”.

   

  The dragon shout rang out, but it was somewhat quieter than his others. Aela froze, she held her bow but she could feel it lowering as she watched the scene play out before her very eyes. The two wolves stopped growing, and instead of being aggressive, they approached Sotek like he was a member of their pack. One wolf slightly howled out at him, which he responded to, but he howled out a bit louder. Aela couldn’t believe what happened next.

   

  Sotek tugged at the fur of a wolf then spent several seconds playing with the pair of them as he rolled across the ground fighting them. He sat up with one wolf lolloped over him as he stroked its underbelly. He looked up to see Aela and Sasha staring at him like he was mad.
  “What? Come and say hello”.

   

  Aela was the first to approach them, the younger wolf growled slightly at her, but her own instinct kicked in. Aela instantly growled back which made the wolf back away slightly. Within a minute, Aela was sitting next to Sotek rubbing a wolf’s belly as it laid on its back.

   

  Sasha stood over the pair of them, watching them with the two wolves.
  “That’s not normal”. As she spoke she slightly shook her head. “How did you do that?”

   

  As Sotek got up, the two wolves jumped to their feet. They both watched him for a few seconds then he lightly slapped the hind leg of one and shouted at it.
  “Get out of here”. Both wolves ran off as fast as they could as they continued on their hunt. “Ages ago, near Ivarstead, Aela, Rikke and me, or rather Scarface, killed a Dragon. There was a word wall there, Animal Allegiance. I just never thought about trying it out until now”.

   

  Aela went up to him and held him tight.
  “Hey, never mind that. Are you ok?”

   

  Sotek cast her a funny look for a few seconds.
  “Ermm, yess. Why?”

   

  Aela just gave him a smile then headed of down the path. Sotek gave Sasha a look then shrugged his shoulders. A second later he started following Aela before she got too far ahead.

   

  As Sotek and Sasha caught her up, Aela pointed out some toadstools.
  “What about them, are they of any interest to you?”

   

  “Let’s have a look”. Sotek walked over to the toadstools then examined them. “Yes, they ar. Well spotted”.

   

  Aela studied the landscape, although the blizzard was still raging, the weather in itself was significantly warmer. The mountains were now left behind as a vast hillside took over.
  “You got ten minutes, collect what you can”.

   

  As Sotek rummaged around Dragonclaw Rock for plants, Sasha discreetly headed over to Aela.
  “Why did you ask if he was ok?”

   

  Aela turned sharply at her. Sasha felt suddenly nervous from Aela’s intense stare.
  “I beg your pardon?”

   

  She found herself shuffling nervously as she was unprepared for Aela’s response.
  “Ermm, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to pry, it’s just. He seems far more at home here than either of us. Look at him, he doesn’t care where he is”.

   

  Aela cast a quick glance at Sotek. There was no doubt about it, he was just at home here than if they were out on the plains.
  “I’m sorry, when he learned that shout, he had a tough time on that mountain. I just wanted to make sure he was ok. Which obviously he is. Oi you, times up”.

   

  Sotek made his way back to them both then showed them the three types of plant he managed to find.
  “Here look, Motherwort Sprig, that’s resist poison. Clouded Funnel Cap, that’s got Restore Intelligence. And… Oh Aela, you’ll find this one useful, Milk Thistle Seed, that casts light on you. Here try it”. He handed over two Thistle seeds to Aela and Sasha.

   

  Sasha eyed it up suspiciously which made Aela laugh.
  “If Sotek say’s its safe then it’s safe. Here, I’ll go first”. Aela ate the seed then lit up slightly like she was carrying an invisible torch. As she walked along the trail, the area around her lit up as well. “Oh wow, that’s weird”.

   

  Sotek chuckled as he watched Aela and Sasha move about, lighting up the area as they went.
  “Cyrodiil plants must have different properties to the Skyrim ones. I’ll have to take some back to Arcadia. That’ll put me back in her good books”.

   

  Sasha stopped as something caught her interest. She pointed to a large city wall.
  “Hey, over there. That must be Bruma. Come on, let’s go”. The next second she sped up, leaving Sotek and Aela behind.

   

  Aela smirked at her then whispered to Sotek.
  “Well at least she’s eager, come on”.

   

  As they walked past the stables, the two large towers which make up the gate house, loomed overhead. Walking under the gatehouse, bought them to the large city gate. Sasha couldn’t help but comment on the size of the walls.
  “The city walls are like Solitude; this place is well secure”.

   

  Aela frowned slightly, then nudged Sotek.
  “Give me the open plains any day”.

   

  Sotek nodded at her, then approached the gate. A Bruma guard was on watch, but he made no attempt to interfere, so Sotek pushed the gate open and they all headed inside.

   

  The first thing that struck them was the vague similarities to Whiterun regarding to the architect. The buildings were mostly wooden with Stone base walls. Also, the city seemed to be made on three levels, but unlike Whiterun, who ever ran the city, their home was on a fourth level. It was however, built just using large stone slabs, unlike Dragonsreach which had a lot of wooden beams used in its construction. The other major difference, besides the massive wall surrounding the city, was the temple. Whereas Whiterun’s temple was of a generous size, it was nothing in comparison to the splendour of the massive steeple which formed the front of the temple that laid in the heart of Bruma. It was also made with stone blocks but included in its design were blocks of intricate carved marble and large glass stained windows.
  “The priestess will never believe us”. Aela commented when she looked up at the steeple.

   

  Sotek however looked up at the stars instead.
  “It’s late, let’s find somewhere to sleep. We’ll look for the guild tomorrow after we’ve explored the town”.

   

  Sasha called out to a guard as she approached him.
  “Hello. We’re looking for somewhere to stay”.

   

  The Bruma guard cast her a funny look then after deciding she was harmless, he walked over to her.
  “Well there’s Olav’s Tap and Tack, but most good folk tend to avoid that place. There’s rumours of him being involved with the Thieves Guild”. He noticed the sudden alarm in Aela’s face and gave her a discrete nod. “So, you’ve heard of this Grey Fox already? I presume by your outfits that you’ve just came from Skyrim. He’s that blasted thief everyone’s talking about. I’d love to get my hands on him”.

   

  At that point the three of them cast funny looks at each other, as not one of them knew what the guard was talking about. The guard looked at their perplexed faces then shrugged his shoulders at them.
  “Anyway, like I said, most folk will head over to the Jerall View Inn. Now that’s a nice establishment. That’s over yonder”. He pointed up the path which led to the middle level buildings.

   

  Sotek gave his thanks then discussed with the others his plans.
  “We’ll hit Olav’s first, let you two warm up a bit. Once we’ve sussed the place out, we’ll go to Jerall View. We’ll have a drink there as well and then you can decide where we get a room for the night”.

   

  Aela cast a quick wink at Sasha then she turned to Sotek and looked at him straight in the eyes.
  “Sounds like a plan, you’re buying”. Sasha laughed at him as he dropped his shoulders, before giving out a huff and grumbling under his breath.

   

  Olav’s Tap and Tack was a small building which was literally next to them. Inside, it was homely, almost like Breezehome. The decorations were pretty basic, and a few bottles of various shapes stood on some shelves while a fireplace dominated the room. There were just two old wooden tables with a few chairs dotted around each of them. Aela’s eyes fixed on the fur rug in front of the fireplace.
  “Dibs on the rug. Come on Sasha”. She immediately sat on the rug and dropped her pack by the side of it, fortifying her newly won territory.

   

  Sotek approached Olav who greeted him warmly.
  “Hello there”. He peered over Sotek’s shoulder at Aela and Sasha then grinned. “I guess you won’t be needing a table then”.

   

  Sotek laughed as he turned to see Aela snuggling up to the fire.
  “No, but we will have three of your finest, and three hot meals if possible”.

   

  “Sure, the drinks are on their way, but the meals going take a while. I wasn’t expecting anyone at this hour”. Olav stated apologetically.
  

   

  “Do you have any rooms available?”

   

  “Yep, I’ve the two rooms. They’re quite small though. Ten gold for each room, nine gold for the meals and six for the ales”.

   

  Sotek looked at the Nord who stood in front of him and studied him carefully, no doubt he was in with the Thieves Guild. But Sotek couldn’t help but wonder if it was a different guild altogether.
  “Here, forty gold. As the hours so late”.

   

  “Why, thank you kind sir. Three drinks coming right up”. He poured out the drinks and served them to the group who were all by now siting by the fireplace.

   

  Aela, as usual, was sitting between Sotek’s legs with his tale wrapped around her. As she sipped her ale she looked around the inn once more.
  “We’ll stay here tonight”.

   

  Sotek sighed as he pointed to the door.
  “We agreed, we’ll check out the other inn first. No, we’ll drink up, eat, then we’re off”.

   

  Aela couldn’t help but frown. She made a funny voice which caused Sasha to giggle at her.
  “Drink up, eat then we’re off. Yes sir, certainly sir. Men sheesh”.

   

  Sotek poked her in the ribs which made her jump and squeal, but at that moment Olav came over to them. “
  Your meals ready, I’ll serve it on the round table. Oh yes, and your rooms are both ready as well”.

   

  Aela froze then slowly turned around and stared at Sotek.
  “Sasha take our drinks… Now!” Sasha took the drinks from them as Sotek gulped loudly. The next second Aela pushed Sotek on his back then started beating him up, laughing as she did so. “You bastard, you already made the arrangements”. Sotek wrapped his leg around her then threw her on her back. Within a few seconds she found herself pinned underneath him as he smiled broadly at her. She tried to keep a straight face but then she started smiling as she whispered to him. “Tell me you love me, and don’t say I smell of trolls”.

   

  “I don’t love you, you smell of wolves”. Upon hearing this, she lifted her knee up and caught him between the legs. Instantly, he rolled over.

   

  She jumped on top of him and held her nails against his neck like claws, threatening to rip out his throat.
  “Tell me”.

   

  Feigning desperation, he opened his eyes wide and blurted out the words Aela wanted to hear.
  “I love you”. He then cast a look over at Olav who was smirking at him. “I do love her, she told me I did”. The next second he received a slap across the face.

   

  Aela got off him then went to the table and sat down as Olav bought their meal over to them. Once they ate, both Aela and Sasha bought another round each. They all sat by the fire as they drank, then finally they headed to their rooms. Aela paused when she stepped inside. The room was small with a single bed in the far side of the room. Sotek saw her face half frown as she entered the doorway.
  “This ok?”

   

  “Yea, it’s small, but cosy. Come on, let’s get some sleep”.