bookpower Chapter 245: Side Quest III: Just A Quick Trip South
Chapter 245: Side Quest III: Just A Quick Trip South
Chapter 245: Side Quest III: Just A Quick Trip South
We interrupt your usual program with some good old side content (had to take a break from the main story at the time of writing :P)
(General POV)
Far away from a certain cackling elf, across the Jerall Mountains that separated Skyrim from Cyrodiil, and many a moon before he blessed the world with his newest creation, his two apprentices found themselves once again questioning their life choices.
A tall Altmer wearing light armor that could be mistaken for fancy clothing, a slightly glowing lute on his back and an old blade in his hand, followed after a heavily armored Nord woman with slightly pointed ears, her eyes narrowed in a mix of determination and frustration.
"Can you tell me again why we are drudging through yet another cave?" Marco asked sourly but didn't stop following his companion "I thought we came to Cyrodiil for some family secret of yours instead of, you know, hunting down every group of bandits we come across?" Even as he complained his eyes focused firmly on his surroundings, the ancient blade in his hand held firmly in preparation to respond against any threat that might crop up.
"Come on you wuss, you saw how horrified that old woman was. How could I possibly say no?" Minthara huffed insincerely "Besides, being able to earn an honest pay while on the road is the most basic aspect of adventuring!"
"Oh, I see how it is." Marco nodded sagely "You just want to get paid. So much for the great heroine sent forth by the gods!"
"What? That's not-" She stutters indignantly.
"We ran out of the fancy rations yesterday" Marco deadpans, hiding his own frustration "It really isn't that hard to figure out."
The Nord looks away, hiding her embarrassment "It's not my fault that Reyvin refused to let us eat anything that wasn't worthy of a noble's table while we were in Winterhold. My taste buds are forever ruined!"
"Not like having a refined taste is a bad thing" The elf shrugs "Just don't see the reason you feel the need to hide the fact that you are, in fact, doing this for money."
"Maybe I just want to feel good about it?" She rolls her eyes and adds mockingly "Besides, I don't hear you complaining mister "Oh this jerky is too tough!""
"Never pretended otherwise" Marco shamelessly surrenders.
"Of course" Minthara grouses.
"Well well, what do we have here?" The mildly unsettling voice of an older man echoes throughout the cave, the two adventurers immediately moving into a defensive posture as lightly armored figures emerge from many of the hidden crevices of the cave.
"Two little brats on a walk?" The presumed leader of the bandits asks mockingly, his toothless grin making him look almost comical "Or are you here to offer tribute?" A couple of the bandits chuckle maliciously.
"I am afraid not, my good man" Marco offers him a charming smile, immediately catching the attention of all the bandits with his well trained voice and posture "For you see, your pillaging ways have brought all kinds of attention to your head and we, gracious in victory as we are, offer you the chance to surrender peacefully."
"Grehshus?" The bandit boss tilts his head, testing the word a couple more times "You some kind of fancy noble or something?"
"Close enough" Marco nods smugly.
"Tell ya what" The boss points at him "Leave the bitch here and you can leave, I don't need no trouble with nobles." A good half of the bandits make noises that would most assuredly not be acceptable in polite company, one of them even describing what he was going to do... in great detail.
Wordlessly Minthara starts twirling her hammer, her expression the image of good cheer.
"Terribly sorry to say this my good man but I am afraid I cannot do that." Marco shakes his head sadly.
Whoosh
"I am a prideful elf and leaving my fellow to your no doubt great company sits ill with me." Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh
"And besides" Marco smirks "I'd have to survive the attempt in the first place."
"Umm, boss?" One of the nearby henchmen taps the man's shoulder "I think we might want to move right about now."
Whoosh
"Nonsense!" The bandit leader scoffs "The brats are just being co-" Is as far as he gets before a flying warhammer passes through his head, showering everything around him with red and without slowing down slamming into the wall behind him, cracking it and causing the whole cave to shudder.
"Now then" Minthara cracked her knuckles, the sound being so loud and unsettling some of the bandits flinched backward "Which one of you said they were going to make me squeal?" No one answered "No one?" She asks with a raised eyebrow "I guess I will just have to make sure then."
Many of the unfortunately slow minded reprobates did not catch her meaning immediately, but that was quickly changed as her hands glowed green and blades of wind started flying all across the cave, and then the screaming started.
Her elven companion simply sat down and started playing a tune, attempting to attune it to the pained howling like a complete maniac.
"Oh thank you, thank you so much!" The old woman grasped Minthara's hands within her own and then quickly moved on to Marco "Finally we won't have to worry about those
monsters!"
"Right..." The elf scratched the back of his head "You mentioned a reward?"
The old woman looked away for a moment "Ah yes, about that..."
want to make a lie at least make it somewhat beli- UGH!" A fist connects with his face and he
falls as if his strings were cut.
Wordlessly Minthara takes the man's purse and starts walking off.
Marco groans "We are so going to get into trouble for doing that."
"He is just some nobody with more money than sense" Minthara shrugs "And I went easy on
him, no one will bother chasing us down for him."
Marco groans harder "You just had to say it."
She gives him a puzzled look "What?"
(A couple of hours later) "Stop right there criminal scum!" A guard points his sword at them "Nobody breaks the law
on my watch!"
"Oh." Minthara mutters as she sees the archaeologist surrounded by both legionaries and Bruma guardsmen and pointing straight at them with hate and fury in his eyes.
"Gods fucking damn it!" Marco practically cries as they are forced to run.
(Four months later, Bruma)
"Finally" Minthara exhales tiredly as she practically smashes the rotting doorway out of her
way and enters her ancestral home, and regrets it immediately as a tangible wave of dust is kicked up.
Waving his hand around in an attempt to not choke on the very air Marco follows after her
"You know I thought we were done after we finally managed to pay off the Count of Bruma for
punching his uncle but them bam! Orcish raid!" He says sarcastically, his expression so dead and tired he looked at least a century older.
"Don't forget the minotaur attacks." Minthara grouses, her hands already searching every
nook and cranny she could find, though she fails to stop the unbidden shudder at the memory "They were armed with proper weapons, why couldn't they at least wear a sash?"
Even Marco blanches at that one "What a way to ruin a man's confidence..." He looks into the
distance wistfully.
They turn silent as Minthara continues rummaging through her ancestral holding, the ancient
house was so well hidden in the poorer parts of the city it somehow avoided anyone finding it for an entire century, resulting in a very thick covering of dust.
So thick in fact that it almost reminded them of the Skyrim snowfall, if only far more filthy. The moment the connection was made, Minthara's Nordic instincts kicked in and she observed the entire room with far more attention, quickly finding a busted wall in one of the deepest corners of the house and pushing through it with barely any effort.
The rotten wooden stairs creaked ominously as they descended into the basement, their path
ending in a tiny room barely large enough to fit five people standing. The room was completely empty save for a small iron plaque hanging off a wall.
With great care Minthara picked the plaque up and cleaned it up with air magic, revealing a
carving reminiscent of a map and a small inscription below it no doubt made with magic "My proud descendant, you who seeks the key to both past and future, follow the path to the temple dedicated to the ruler of the clouds and all shall be revealed." Minthara reads aloud. She stares at the plaque for a silent moment before both her eye and hand starts twitching
violently, the tiny slab of iron denting slightly from the force, and then like a dam bursting both of the adventurers start cursing like sailors.
They were nowhere near done.
A stone to soothe these troubled souls!
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