Chapter 13 - Hitting The Road
I have never been this far from home in this world before, or should I say the orphanage. It's not my home anymore. Riften is though. Filthy as it is, I love that place, too many Argonians yet it's a place I lived most of my life in.
Opss, I almost became a bit Nordly racist here. I don't hate Argonians or anything. I am always trying to keep my cheerful yet moody personality and my otherworldly standards of thinking from being affected by the Nordic way of thinking and doing thing, but it's proving to be a challenge.
Staying in this uncomfortable carriage really hurts the body, and my butt is going numb along with everything around. It's also affecting my mood. And SPRAY BEFORE YOU SIT NEXT TO ME YOU SMELLY DIMWITS.
Dammit I'm losing to my temper once again. There are no sprays in this world. I tried to recreate them with Alchemy and Magic yet it needs a certain degree of control I haven't mastered yet, and to cast it at people, it must be a very stealthy spell.
I was known in the orphanage as a clean freak yet that was barely the normal standards of a modern world.
This world need adjustments. I don't care about being the savior of the world or anything. If I can make these people spray, I'll be a damn legend.
Back to reality and getting a better position to breath, away from the smelly fellows my sight fall upon the beauty of Riften's forest. Such a place even though it's winter and snowing it's much better than many places.
In winter the whole damn Skyrim gets to experience a snowy season, I don't remember which mod used to have that feature but that's a very natural thing in a northern region like Skyrim. The infamous bears of Riften and its hold go into hibernation so travel should be safer, if not for those damn wolves.
Winter's wolves are a mad bunch. They turn crazy because of Hunger and bite on every moving thing they see.
Carriages don't travel together but they form caravans, each caravan has its guards and scouts to guard against beasts and bandits. I also joined the guards to deal with wolf attacks.
I normally used a bow and was praised highly by the guards, the merchants in the caravan bought every wolf I put down and in no more than three days I have already gathered the coins we paid for the ride. Best business I've ever done.
It was normal to find better opportunities outside the cities where risks are involved and danger lurks into the shadow of each stone.
Things got tizzy one night and my hammer was away from me, so I had to use magic.
My favorite element is Lightning and I trained a lot with it, it resulted to make my mana denser adding that to my control which originated from Mysticism training. For that reason, my lightning sounded like the wrath of Thor. I'm exaggerating, but it will be like Thor's lightning one day.
After showing off my magic some people avoided me. Hey, I just saved your sorry butts. *sigh* Nords...
For someone who came from a different world, magic is like everything they want to know about, but for the people who live in a world of magic and be so indifferent to magic is so unthinkable to an outsider.
If these people were educated, they would know that the race that excelled in Necromancy thousands of years ago was theirs, The Nords.
Ancient Nordic ruins are filled to the brim with undead.
Forget about that now. It's camping time so let's camp and make fire. 'Gaze mine magic thee motley-minded lot and engrave its beauty in thy minds.' That was me being cocky with my Fire magic.
These people hate magic so much yet they can't help but watch me with envy, while I make fire by magic, not like their stupid way of smashing stones.
I forced my friends to learn magic some time ago, Akara loved it and focused on magic that can add protection to her while making her move fast. Smart girl, Nurina praised her greatly and allowed me to teach her. She learned Alteration and some Restoration.
Her Twin Sword style was natural and beautiful, she was like a dancer more than warrior.
Wulfur wasn't good with magic but he learned beginner fire spells for survival sake. His fighting styles is that of a shield bearer and he's good with axes. That's a true Nord for you.
Svidi was really good at illusion but she didn't show much interest. I am not that good with Illusion too, I just didn't give it much of my time.
Ysolda is a tragedy in magic, she never cared about it and had a poor talent in it.
Me and Wulfur were sharing a fur tent, I took out a note I drew things in and started showing him my latest ideas. It's a habit I developed to pull that guy's leg into something. They were mostly weapons and designs from Earth. I always try to show them to this guy so he can make what's possible from these, if he could ever make a firearm I would be so happy, this guy's talent was the real deal when it comes to blacksmithing.
He kept taking notes and was immersed on how powerful and unique these weapons would be. I even made some movie weapons like the Mjolnir and Stormbreaker.
Wulfur stopped me at a certain design that I put some effort in some time ago. It was a two-handed Hammer Axe in one. This drawing was extremely sinister. If anyone saw it the would mistake for some Daedric artifact.
The Hammer Half was as followes, a front half of a skull as the blunt hitting side of the hummer with its mouth closed, its eyes had a spike each yet it was a bit out of the eyes to cause damage while not standing out, the skull design was to make it as blunt as it can get, it was linked to the pole of the weapon by a metal that was designed to look like a thick backbone that came out from the back side of the skull.
The axe side with a sharp third of a circle with its blade a bit thicker than its inner part, yet the inner part had these bone phalanxes that looked as the link between blade part and the weapon pole through the axe's inner part.
The pole part was not straight and engraved with deathly drawings of snakes, flowers, thorns and skulls.
The drawing itself gave a vibe of death. This weapons in reality must be the favorite weapon of the Harbinger of Death.
If someone from modern Earth saw that weapon they might think it's some art design from emo or gothic culture designs or even anime stuff. But Wulfur's face was drenched with sweat once he saw it on paper.
"Which Daedric weapon is that?" Wulfur asked.
"Lord Jon's." I replied.
"Cut the crap, this drawing is evil in itself, let alone the weapon." Wulfur retorted.
"Can you make such a thing?" I asked.
"Even if I can, I won't." Wulfur was already panicking.
"Come on, once you be good enough, let's make it together. I'll enchant the axe side and the hammer side two different enchantments but once I master it the way." That was I really planning.
"Are you mad? The Vigilant of Stendarr will have our heads if that thing saw light." Wulfur cried in a low voice.
The Vigilant of Stendarr are what you call a brotherhood of fighting priests that worship Stendarr , the god of righteousness or whatever, these guys are anti-daedra and everything fun.
This guy has a point. Still "Come on, I use necromancy and they never caught the wind of me. And this weapon is when we become masters, and also when you start working in Skyforge." I pressed on his weak spot.
This guy may droll if he heard the word 'Skyforge'. The oldest forge in Skyrim. Wulfur's dream was to make weapons at Skyforge but that was not easy. The only person who can use the forge is the legendary Eorlund Grey-Mane the best blacksmith in Skyrim in this age.
One needs the acknowledgment of Eorlund Grey-Mane to use the forge or the forge may harm those who are not worthy.
Skyforge, unlike in game is no ordinary forge. Mostly the Snow Elves believed it's a relic of the gods. It also was said that it would burn those who are not worthy of it.
Hearing me telling him to make this weapon from my drawing in Skyforge when he became able to use it. He went into some day dreaming then his face twisted as if he ate something bad.
"You want to make such an evil looking thing in the holy ground of Blacksmithing? you must be out of your damn mind." Wulfur was already mad yet he never let go of my sketch journal looking left and right at the designs.
"What is this?" he stopped at a drawing.
"An Airship." I replied.
"From the name it's a ship that can fly." Wulfur made a dump remark.
"You figured that alone?" I mocked.
"How does it work?" He ignored me and asked.
"Fell the 'Balloon' that big air bag with hot air that has the nature of rising up above. As it has been already trapped in the balloon, the balloon will go up carrying the ship..." I stopped talking and began thinking.
"But?" Wulfur questioned.
"The weight of the ship is too heavy and it needs much bigger balloon to carry it. The only solution that came to mind was to enchant the body of the ship to be lighter and enchant the space inside of the balloon to be much bigger. I think the Dwemer (Deep Elves) did it like that once." I started making ideas.
"You really are nuts." Wulfur sighed.
To call me nuts, if this guy saw the flying aircrafts of another world he would lose his mind from shock.
We kept arguing about this and that until it became a bit late.
.........
After a while I felt a movement near the girl's tent. One of them were heading out somewhere.
She was sneaking yet it was away from camp. What is going on? that's not the direction of 'watering the flowers'.
I covered myself in furs and went investigating.
The foot prints were Akara's, her legs have less pressure so she wasn't easy to track.
After few minutes I caught up to her few hundred meters away from the camp and she noticed me.
"Akara was just looking for something." Akara said.
Looking for something, this was a place on the middle of nowhere. Wait a second! Don't tell me...
"Could it be, this place?" I gasped after realizing something.
"Nn. It's around here." Akara pointed somewhere and walked.
So, this place is where her family was attacked five or six years ago.
Following after her we arrived at a strange looking place, I get tensed up ready to use 'Bound Sword' but there was nothing when I used 'Detect Magic', it allows me to feel other living beings magic power by it.
The place was as if a storm struck on a small scale. Big trees were thrown down and some had many claw marks and damaged badly. even though these marks had many damage marks. Time seemed to have healed most of it. Yet the place was in a havoc as if a small battle has happened here.
"What can do such a mess?" I was in a daze from the sight yet I noticed Akara trembling with expressions akin to agony on her face. I couldn't say I was in her position before to understand such sadness. I only tried to calm her down or pat her shoulder but she didn't respond at all.
Looking at the place, I was really scared of what can do such a thing. I know that some creatures are crazy strong such as Mammoths and Giants but that's was too intense.
"A Black Bear." Akara said with hatred chucking her voice.
"Wasn't it bandits?" I remember the story that I was bandits who attacked Akara and her caravan.
"A Bosmer (Wood Elf) was riding it, and he had people with him, they were bandits." Akara kept speaking while pointing at some places.
So, a tamer wood elf with a group of bandits operated here? And his tamed was not any bear. It was a Black Bear.
Bears in Skyrim are; Forest Bears the brown normal ones, Snow Bears which have white fur but much stronger and faster (they are not polar bears) and Black Cave Bears which are larger than normal bears and crazy strong. This area's damage fit the description of a Black Bear.
A Bosmer (wood elf) tamer is a good tamer but this time the tamer is a bandit. It will be nasty finding such a tamer in the forest.
I tried to comfort Akara until she calmed down and started praying.
I left Akara to her prayers and surveyed the surroundings once more. I don't think I can do such a sight even if I go all out.
........
Back to the camp. Akara was a bit spiritless after going to that place and went directly to sleep.
Wulfur felt me coming and questioned about what happened, I told him that I followed Akara for a walk and he started to make 'fufufu..' while glancing at me with some laughing eyes. "Go to hell" I punched the insolent fellow and sent myself to dreamland. Before I sleep I noticed that my sketch journal was still with Wulfur. That meant he's interested in the stuff in it. Perfect.
Next morning, we moved and arrived at Shor's Stone. That took us three days.
If Riften in the game was a small sample compared to its full version in reality. Then Shor's Stone was a complete different story.
This town had a mine and three or four buildings in game but the real deal was a proper town. A big travelers' inn, a stable, many houses, a big iron mine, a large industrial grade smelter, a forge and a wooden wall surrounding the whole town with a guard post.
That was a proper town ladies and gentlemen. We left the carriages and headed for the inn. The town was bustling and busy with travellers but we found a place.
After a while I went out alone on some exploration, Wulfur wanted to take a look around and the girls had no interest so they stayed in charge of the food.
I took Wulfur around and started looking everywhere.
This place was amazing, we entered the mines, saw the smelter and the forge.
I looked for any presence of the Thieves Guild in town but it seemed the guild's decline was taking its toll on them and they even couldn't expand to the next town.
Returning on sunset, we ate together and kept arguing about my sketches till the night.
I made new sketches from some games and manga.
Well that was a way to spend time.
The next day we went early to buy supplies and went to the carriages, the others came a bit later and we hit the road once again.
We headed north and it was a calm ride.
After we camped for a day we kept heading north and then headed west with the crossroads.
After that it was a sight to behold. The road between The Rift Hold and Eastmarch Hold had a beautiful view over the sulfurous pools and rocky crags of Eastmarch.
The Rift Hold was few hundred meters above sea level but the Eastmarch Hold was under sea level so the road was horizontally on a slope.
We camped in camping spot near the road and headed to our next destination the next morning.
After descending the slope, we were officially inside Eastmarch Hold and our next stop was Darkwater Crossing, the new mining town.
Unlike Shor's Stone this was a new mine which was still undeveloped and barely had any features of a town.
Even though we were at winter, the weather in the place was warm and good. If the place was not full with Giant tribes and predators, a resort city would have been built here long time ago.
The mine here was a corundum mine which was a good metal for crafting. The one who discovered the mine was its current manager the beautiful adventurer Annekke Crag-Jumper.
She settled here with her husband and daughter which was 11 this year. I know about all that because Annekke was in the game. A quest giver and a potential follower.
After looking around in the inn, I forced the girls to follow us this time.
I know some good stuff about this place. First, we went to see the mine, there were also a farm and campsite. Strange enough the miners lived in these camps as the weather here was exceptionally good and the nature was lovely so no one cared about houses for the time being, as the village needed some development first.
The inn which didn't exist in game was built early to attract travelers and develop the place faster.
after the tour, the sun was still up and we were not really tired. I went to a guard and asked him about directions in the area north of the place.
Taking notes of what he said I drag the scared lot into the wild lands while promising them a good adventure.
Ysolda and Svidi wanted to turn it down but this was for their own good so they got dragged.
After an hour we reached a cave. I conjured a familiar and commanded it to explore a head.
[A/N: I forgot to mention about this spell, it's Conjuration School for those who doesn't know and the familiar in game is a ghost wolf]
Familiars can be used for exploring more than fighting and they have many forms. As long as one can comprehend a certain animal's behavior and habits, then one can make a perfect replica as a conjurable familiar.
As the control was easy they were better than atronachs in scouting. Atronachs needed more control and had to stay close the caster.
My familiars were few other animals that I watched on documentaries in my past life, which greatly surprised Nurina. I can make dolphins, sharks, eagles, small birds and cats. My favorite was Falcons and Cats so I used them to explore a lot.
Now I used a Cat to run inside the cave and controlled it while reading its mind.
I confirmed the location and marked it on map.
"This place is called the Eldergleam Sanctuary, a holy land for the goddess Kynareth and the most beautiful spot in Skyrim as far as I know. This is also a place where pilgrims happen so don't touch anything in there" I informed the guys behind me and went into the cave.
Akara was curious so she was on my tail, Wulfur followed not really interested about anything as long as it's not related to blacksmithing. Svidi and Ysolda was too afraid to enter yet what made them more scared was to be left behind so they came.
I casted a 'Candlelight' spell and a hovering a bright white light sphere above my head. every one stuck close as we got into the cave's tunnel and followed silently.
A minute later light shone at the end of the tunnel and the scene completely changed.
I saw that in the game but..... I lost my words completely.
The game didn't give this place any justice.
How to describe what I saw in words was just so breathtaking that I fall in love from the first sight.
This place was a true place to comprehend nature to its purest form.
"So that what you meant with a holy ground." Wulfur exclaimed.
"Man, I only read about it in one of Nurina's books. I made preparation to not be amazed but that's just too much beauty. Am I even worthy to enter?" I was making a dramatic speech.
"Of course, as long as no one means harm to the sanctuary, anyone can enter." A voice replied to me.
There stood an old woman in a yellow robe. A priestess of Kynareth it seemed.
We nodded and passed the bridge over a small water creek. The sanctuary was in the heart of a hill that guards the place. The space was uneven but there was a road and man-made bridge around the entrance. Once you pass you will come to a vast garden that can be mistaken for a paradise with so many trees and exotic herbs. I could feel few presences concealed in the trees. I recognized them as Spriggans, are tree spirits that take the form of female humanoids. They possess moderate intelligence, but despite being revered they are usually hostile towards travelers. Spriggans have their own unique language, which can be learned by scholars and used to calm the creatures. They can be considered the Agents of Nature.
They are usually found protecting secluded glades and groves all over Tamriel, often blending in with the plant life and catching trespassers unaware. Spriggans attack with their long, sharp fingers as well as their teeth, and have the ability to poison enemies. They have incredible regenerative abilities, resulting in adventurers often having to defeat them several times before they remain dead. If threatened, they can call nearby woodland animals to aid them in battle, and some even have the ability to magically summon black bears.
Looking around the place we saw some ridiculously large roots coming down from a high place. Top of the roots was a tree, not as large as its roots but it was still a big tree. That was it.
"This is The Eldergleam." I and the priestess spoke in unison.
I made an "ehem." and apologized for interruption. She smiled and said it's fine.
We approached the roots and I touched them also I activated 'Detect Magic', the felt inside Magicka inside them were like an ocean.
"The Elder Gleam is maybe the oldest living thing known to this day. The energy in the roots just now was the real thing. These roots also are too mysterious, I don't think I can harm them even if I tried to." I declared my discoveries to the lot.
"Really? At all?" Wulfur was amazed.
"Yeah, this root maybe harder than metal itself. The magical effect in its magicka is 'Resistance' of the holiest level." I said.
"You know a lot." The priestess spoke after she followed up to me.
"Yeah, I am trained as a mage." I said. The priestess nodded and stood in silence.
"So, nothing can harm this tree." Ysolda asked while immersing herself in its beauty.
"Maybe Alduin The World Eater." I said. That was true though.
"Your nonsense about dragons again." Svidi complained.
I laughed at her. Let's wait few more years and see how you respond.
"If an unholy artifact were to be used it may do harm, but on what cost. You will conjure the wrath of nature and its guardians. Maybe Grelod's kitchen knife can do the trick though." I said something and covered it with a joke. The guys laughed when I made a joke about Grelod.
The priestess looked at me with dark expressions but I ignored her.
After a while we went away from the roots to the garden and stayed for a while.
"You know too much young man." the priestess came close and said.
I looked at her and smiled, "Don't worry, I can't afford the enmity of Kynareth priesthood. And who would want to harm such a beauty."
"You mages are a wicked bunch." The priestess turn and was about to leave.
"Can I meditate here for a while?" I asked the priestess.
"Of course, This is what the place is meant for anyway." She sighed and left after replying.
I activated my magic and sent out all the magicka in my body till exhaustion. It really was a painful feeling to be with no magicka.
I then activated 'Magicka Absorbing' spell on both hands and made the target is the space around me.
My body started absorbing energy so fast that I was full in no time but after I finished I emptied my Magicka pool again, and kept repeating the process for two hours.
This training is something I copied from cultivation novels in my past life and thought of doing the same with Magicka. The result however was amazing and it has gone completely compatible with Mysticism School. My Magicka pool was enlarged by that training many times before but I feel that the results this time are extraordinary.
I opened my eyes happily to find a strange sight around me.
Roots has grown around me and it felt like nature is clinging onto me.
My friends were laughing and say plants grew on my as if some sort of a dork. Seriously?
Couldn't you at least tell me.
I looked around to find the priestess was looking at me strangely.
"What did you do just now?" She asked.
"I forced my energy out and let it regenerate from the energy of the surroundings." I replied have the truth, I actually absorbed forcefully from the surroundings, and irlt was much more than one time.
"What is the use of that?" She asked.
"It heals the body and the soul." I made up some b*llsh*t.
"Would it hurt the surroundings?" She asked again.
"No, you actually give energy and take back energy. The energy you gave will be changed by the higher quality energy of the space to a higher level and you gain new energy. It's a good thing for both mages and nature as you renew both your energy and the nature's" That was the truth.
"Amazing!" The priestess exclaimed in wonder.
Of course it's amazing, it's my personal way of training. And you just got the commercial grade version.
After a short while I urge my friends out while freeing myself from the small plants that grew on me.
Heading out through the tunnel I made another 'Candlelight' but something strange occurred. The light sphere was so strong and bright that it hurt our eyes, even though I used the same amount of Magicka like last time.
I dispelled it and made another one with quarter the output and it was just about right.
I got what happened after few fast experiments. My Magicka didn't just increase, it also became denser and with a higher quality.
This is incredibly amazing.
I just don't have more Magicka, I also don't need to spend it as much as before. Perfect.
I'll celebrate with a 'Sweet roll' and some 'green tea' later.
Our next spot was the hot springs. Yes, there are hot springs when there are sulfurous pools.
In game it was a place with few hunters grouping and bathing but this place has no one, and there was still sun.
With the cold winter this place was akin to heaven. I marked two spots and made on for me and Wulfur and the other for the girls.
Bathing like this is a bless no matter how hot the water was. I just wanted to do another Magicka training here but was too lazy to do anything.
With my progress today, I can focus on training my control and the Illusion school I ignored this far.
Just when the sun was about to set. We headed straight to Darkwater Crossing and went right to sleep.
The day after we headed towards Valtheim Towers traveling along Black River and the up to White River and approached Valtheim Towers in another three days.
During this journey we were going to run into a bandit ambush but I discovered them through my Falcon Familiar and the guards rained them down with arrows.
I've never killed a soul yet, other than beasts. I'll have to do it one day but I am still in some mixed emotions about it.
A day later we arrived at Valtheim Towers.
It's a military place with a very high strategic importance as it is the best place to pass between the east and the west of Skyrim.
There are only two other passes. One was the rocky road in the south between Helgen and Ivarstead. The other one was in the north in the barren frozen land of the Winterhold and The Pale Holds where nothing lived for miles.
Valtheim Towers was modded with a mod called 'Tactical Valtheim' which made it into a fortified location.
Travelers were allowed to stay for half a day with no trade meaning what so ever unless between them.
We rested for a while and finally made our pass to our last destination in the first half of our journey 'Whiterun Hold'.