Day Two
"Your awake mister, momma and poppa will be happy to know that. My name is Kathaine, my friends call me Kat, your a friend of momma and poppa, so your a friend enough to me." Said the young child with a bounce in her voice that would have made just about anyone happy.
Shortly after the child ran off, I stood up. I don't know what the people in this shanty town did to heal me but I felt better then ever. I had just left the tiny hut when I ran straight into a rather large black and white Khajiit he snarled some sort of greeting to me before he continued on his way. 'Friendly place' I muttered under my breath as I began to look for the leader of this pride.
"Don't mind him, that's just Bonsmir he hates outsiders. Kind of ironic really, not a single Khajiit can claim that they were born and raised in a city of Skyrim after all. My name is Asselies, my kids call me poppa. I'm the reason your still walking. My healing magic is rusty but it was enough to save ya, and now I would take it as a personal favor if you would leave. We have a small stash of stuff you can have, it's in the back of the wagon, we don't want any more trouble then we already have." The word were spoken with a sense of urgency but at the same time there was an understanding.
Somehow I feel the people of this merchant convoy may have known that I was in the military, but not on the side with the victors. I didn't argue with him, I didn't try to plead to stay, I nodded at him and walked in the direction of the caravan he had pointed out for me. I opened the back and saw two small chests, one was only latched the other was locked. I started with the latched one, it contained a sword made out of iron and rough leather armor that still looked like the wolf that was killed to make it, a tattered book with a hand symbol on it, I knew it as a spellbook, and above all else in the bottom of the chest a lockpick. I took that in hand and made sure that none of the Khajiit were looking as I popped the lock on the second chest.
The second chest was the jackpot in this backwater outpost. A bow of fine craftsmanship, perhaps even elvish in nature. and perhaps 40 arrows of the same working, whit these I felt I would be unstoppable before anyone knew that there would be something to stop. I took time to don the armor and make sure that the sword was fixed tight at my side, a few tries at reading the spellbook and I learned the spill with ease. I could feel the energy of the magic flow through me and set it's self within my left hand. I knew that if a situation called for it I could wield the magic in both hands, but my time in the military taught me that sometimes a sword just worked better. I looked back at the hastily assembled shanties and then paid the helpful Khajiit no more mind as I set my first step on the road.
"Wait Mister!" I heard the young female child call out from behind me.
I thought for sure that I had just been busted. She ran up behind me carrying a ring, it looked very expensive and like something that a good person would not take from a child. She quickly explained to me that if I was ever truly lost that the onyx gem in the middle would point me in the right direction. I had no idea what she was talking about but I accepted the ring and placed it on my left hand. She padded off happily and I continued on my way. The weather was cold but not so cold that it was uncomfortable. I had no idea where I was, and no idea where I was going to go, but with all the good will in Skyrim I knew that getting back to the remains of the white gold palace was going to be awesome.
I was not on the road for more then four hours before I was approached by someone wearing armor that somehow looked worse then mine. I knew deep down that this person was not a good person, and where the was one barely armored person there was probably at least two with bows sitting just out of view.
"This is a toll road, at last check the toll is 95 gold." The Argonian bandit barked at me.
"I don't have 95 gold. I'm guessing that you do however, and if I take it from you I'm sure that one of your buddies sitting up there in that hunters nest would be more then happy if I ave it to them instead." I smiled as I spoke the open threat.
"Perhaps I can make a deal for a fellow Argonian, Skyrim is tough on us." He smiled, the words coming through gritted teeth.
I took a step past him, but something in my brain snapped. Launching a stream of fire from my left hand at the hunters nest in the tree, I turned around and stabbed the bandit, he recoiled away from me as he drew his dagger, this was going to be a good fight. Two arrows came zipping past my head from a direction that was not the hunters nest I had set ablaze, but I didn't see the location of the shooters yet. The first bandit took a big powerful swing at me, but my stab earlier must have done more damage then I thought, because he stopped short in his swing and fell to one knee. I took the opportunity and stabbed him in the head, he made a quick scream and a spurt of blood, and I took his life. Two more arrows this time one sailed wide on my right, but he second landed squarely in my left shoulder. Sure I got hit, but now I knew the location of the shooters, all I needed was a plan. I grabbed the bandit that I killed by the back of the head and used him as a full body shield as I rushed the archers. Two more arrows into the back of the already dead bandit told me that I was headed in the right direction. I threw the bandit at the first archer and a blast of fire towards the second. I kept the stream of fire going on longer then I had meant to, relishing the smell of burnt flesh and the screams of agony. The first archer was just getting up as the fire stopped coming out of my hand, I must have run out of magicka, what rotten timing. Pulling the bow off of my back and knocking an arrow as I spun on my heel I let loose the arrow and shot the bandit. It was a good shot, hitting him square in the eye, he gurgled for a moment as he fell to the ground.
"Is that All!" I exclaimed to the wildlife and the burning hunters nest.
I looted the bodies of the bandits taking their arrows and the 456 gold they were carrying. It was quite a fair bit for highway bandits, they must have taken toll from the caravan as they passed. Either way it didn't matter now they were dead and the caravan was well behind me, so this was my gold and there was no way I was going to give them a portion of my dividends. To my left there was a cliff face and to my right some sort of large creature tracks leading into the woods. I decided to stick to the path blissfully unaware of the state of the hunters nest that i had set ablaze. Just as soon as I was under it i heard the creaking of the wood, I looked up just in time to see it start to fall down it was coming straight for me. I wanted to let a scream but it came out deeper then that not from the throat, but from the chest. I felt the build up of energy before I knew what was going on. The deep-throated yell seemed to rip apart the hunters nest in an explosion of fire and wood. I looked around to see if anyone else may have seen that disappointed that I was alone. I continued down the path for what seemed to be hours before I came upon a small grouping of travelers setting up a campsite for 50 gold they let me stay with them for the night.They provided me with food water and even a shared tent, it was the perfect place to sleep.
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