“What are these?” Lurren asked Thrynn upon seeing three stones upon a platform that seemed to have some purposes.
“One of the standing stones scattered around Skyrim. They grant you abilities as long as you carry its stone with you.” He was chewing on the stem of a wild flower while pointing at the stones.
“Golly.” She replied. “Did that hurt?”
“Huh?”
“To say so many words at one time?” She was shocked he knew how to form multiple sentences.
His arms folded across his chest as those eyes formed an unfriendly look at her. “Not as much as you will be.”
She smirked softly while studying the 3 stones then decided to test out the Thief one. “So, how many of these stones are there?”
“I don’t know, probably a dozen or more. They are associated with the constellations, if you believe that nonsense.” He wasn’t religious or followed any of the divines, though Dibella was one of his favorites and the women who followed her beliefs.
“Well, let’s go. There are bandits to hunt and I need to get this last task out of the way for the healer.”
“Speaking of that healer…” Thrynn decided she opened the way for him to inquire about her wounds and Helgen. “She said you have wounds that aren’t healed up yet. True?”
She ran one hand through her thick hair before turning to face him. “Yes, it’s true. Since I know you are curious about Helgen, the answer is also yes.”
Thrynn nodded and started down the road toward Riverwood, that he knew was on the way to Whiterun. “Try not to open the wounds.”
She shook her fist at his back and fell in behind him, watching his strong body shake the road with each step he took. One day she will have to tell him about Helgen in details. When she was able to and felt comfortable enough to confident in him.
Alan sat in his carriage and watched two people approaching the small village of Riverwood. Easiest job in Skyrim was being a carriage driver; you just sat around until someone wanted a ride. Not many folks traveling nowadays with the war and rumors of dragons returning. Still a very wealthly man in Cyrodiil owned the carriage business and the drivers were paid whether they had riders or not. The man just kept walking by Alan but the woman stopped and looked up.
“Greetings. Is this Whiterun?” She asked the driver.
Thrynn braked quickly hearing her talking.
Alan pointed at the road sign by his carriage, “Further down the road.”
“I see.” She walked over to the road sign and studied it.
Thrynn headed toward the tavern, he needed a strong drink. No one reads road signs like that.
“You have ink, driver?” Lurren asked.
“Name is Alan and no.”
“Too bad, I was going to map this out in my journal. I must remember to get some ink, never know when one may need it.” She realized Thrynn was missing and pondered if a trip to the tavern was in order to celebrate. Maybe he went to see a man about a horse or answer a call, which meant he would return. May need another drink to drown her sorrows.
The tavern was lightly filled with customers and a bard when Thrynn walked in. Most of the patrons glanced over at him then moved slightly away. Judging by Thrynn’s armor that most knew were worn by thieves, they kept their coin closer to their bodies as well. He ordered a drink from Orgnar, the barkeeper of the Sleeping Giant Inn and sat down at a table alone. When the tavern door swung open, he rubbed his forehead knowing full well what was about to happen.
Lurren strolled into the tavern tossing her smile at the males who were focused on her.
Sven stumbled over his own footing to reach her. “I’m a bard!” He landed face first into the floor with her standing over him, looking down.
Thrynn covered his eyes with one hand and just shook his head.
She stepped over the bard as she had no time for silly songs and didn’t even like bards. Why taverns hire these idiots was beyond her, they sing too loud and ruin good gossip. If they aren’t flapping their lips to some song people wish to forget, they are blowing, strumming or beating on some other instrument adding salt to the wound.
Embry was trying to bring her into focus but there were too many of her. “I don’t owe you any money, do I?” He was pointing to the image to the far right of Lurren.
“She said yes so pay up.” Lurren snapped her fingers and held out an open palm for coin to be received into.
Thrynn coughed loudly and Lurren retracted her hand.
Orgnar was busy staring at the woman when Delphine stormed over at him about another silly matter regarding the inn.
“Orgnar. Orgnar! Are you listening?” The small woman shouted at him.
“Hard not to.” Lurren certainly agreed with him on that issue with the whole tavern hearing her.
Delphine stepped up closer to the counter: “The ale is going bad. We need to get a new batch. Did you hear me?”
“Yep. Ale’s going bad.” He replied while walking over to Embry.
“I guess you don’t have potatoes in your ears after all. Just make sure we get a fresh batch in soon.” Delphine requested before moving to Lurren to inspect the visiting stranger.
Orgnar gave Lurren the once over as he came up to her and Embry.
“Give me another drink! And rounds for my lady friends here!” Embry declared while sweeping his hand in the air to indicate where all his imaginary ladies stood.
“Coming right up.” The rough voiced barkeeper said. “”We got rooms and food. Drink, too. I cook. Ain’t much else to tell.” He informed Lurren before returning to the counter.
Lurren sat down by Thrynn and inquired why were they in the tavern when clearly no bandits were in here.
“I’m getting drunk.” He informed her.
“Why? I can’t have you drunk while on the job.” She informed him back.
He looked at her sideways, “It’s not my job, Agent Lurren.”
Her one finger struck the air to make a point about his employment. “Technically that is incorrect.”
Thrynn covered his eyes with one hand and just shook his head. “What do you mean?”
“According to the guidelines of the rules and regulations for OBIS, which I do believe was written by Indigoblade. This is the boss man in case you didn’t know.”
“I knew. Thrynn moaned and followed it with a long drink.
She was digging out several journals from the knapsack. “While I have never asked him directly about the author of these so called guidelines, considering he is so wishy-washy I would not expect a straight answer.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling.”
Flipping through the notebooks, she tossed several back into the knapsack and kept one out. “So, here on page…” Lurren counted the pages until she reached the same one they were on. “23.”
Thrynn couldn’t take it anymore, “Just how many pages are there in that guideline book?”
“Well, that is a very good question. I’ll count them.” She flipped back to page one and proceeded to count each and every page.
In the meantime, Thrynn got up and ordered six more bottles of mead and returned to the table with them. He made sure they were far away from Lurren and kept them under close lock and key.
She slammed the journal shut and declared the OBIS guidelines contained approximately 203 pages. “That did not count the blank pages found in the front and back.” She explained the findings to Thrynn. “If we were to include those pages, I believe the total would be more about 300.”
“Lady, that is utter nonsense. How could a book contain 93 blank pages?” He wondered.
“Agent Lurren, please.” She had eyed one bottle of mead that called her name but was under the watchful eye of the bodyguard. “The part that involves you is stated and I quote.”
“You are going to quote from memory?” A stunned Thrynn asked.
Her eyes narrowed at him, “Of course, I am. Got a mind like a steel trap door, what gets in, doesn’t get out.” One finger was pointing at her head.
“I can believe the latter part.” He stated before finishing off bottle number one of the six.
Lurren leaned on the table, trying to stretch out and get one of those drinks begging for her to partake in. “Since you are following my lead and I am an agent of OBIS, that automatically makes you my employee.”
Thrynn slammed down his bottle of mead causing some of it to fly out the top and splash around them. “Say what?!” He was standing over her, towering down with eyes burning with outrage. “Look here, I do not work for you or this boss man or even that division. This is absolutely ridiculous and you are just plain nuts!” He grabbed the bottles and stormed outside. “I need some air.”
Lurren waited until the door was slammed shut before she started laughing.
The rest of the tavern stood quietly, watching the interaction then figured it was some lovers’ quarrel and went back to their own business.
She slid over to the counter and looked up at Orgnar, who was busy cleaning the countertop. “You have any ink?”
He stopped for a moment to look at the woman then dropped out of sight momentarily. One hand appeared from nowhere and placed an inkwell atop the counter. Orgnar popped back up shortly afterwards and pushed the ink to Lurren.
She had the book opened and quill prepared to update her notes.
To Do List – Update Four
1) Go to Skyrim – check!
2) Go to Riften – check!
3) Find Ralof – anywhere, everywhere
4) Go to Whiterun
5) Speak to some Jarl in Whiterun
6) Find Brynjolf in the marketplace – Riften – check!
7) Talk to Sapphire about some robbery gone good for her and bad for another – Riften – check!
8) Find that person in Riften she needs to talk to.- Found – Check!
9) Speak to that sobbing boy about being debt free – Riften Stables – Check!
10) Speak to the Rockjoint merchant – Riften (personal task to save lives!) – Check!
11) 5 Ice Wraith Teeth – Meat merchant who wants me killed by these bastards – Riften.
“Want to hear about some rumors?” Orgnar asked.
“No.”
“Looking for work? I have some leads.”
She looked up at him, “Bandits?”
“Huh?”
“Never mind and the answer is no.” Lurren returned to her note writing.
“Not an adventurer, huh?” The barkeeper remarked.
“Third no.” She looked up smiling at the man.
Some woman spoke to Lurren’s back, “They say a dragon attacked Helgen. Sounds like hogwash to me.”
Lurren froze hearing those words and flipped around to find a small Breton woman staring back at her.
Delphine started sweeping with one eye still on the strange woman and said no more.
To break the stalemate, Orgnar offered more information than Lurren wanted forced on her. “There have been whispers. A boy, up in Windhelm, name of Aventus Aretino. Been trying to contact… the Dark Brotherhood.”
She grabbed her notebook off the counter and left the tavern. The cryptic message wasn’t cryptic to her but only when she was ready would action be taken.
Thrynn was sitting on the bench with two kids talking to him.
“You’re new around here, so I’ll go easy on ya, but don’t get on my bad side.” The young boy told the giant sitting before him.
“Thanks, kid.” Thrynn replied before taking a drink.
The lad loved to boost, “Once I nailed a septim to Lucan’s doorstep. He went crazy trying to figure how to pick it up. Man is so cheap.”
The little girl with the boy giggled, “Your father knew it was you and laughed and laughed over it. Huh, Frodnar?”
“Yep, he loves my pranks. Never gets mad even when I put those bugs into his stew one night. He yelled at Orgnar about it and refused to pay for the meal.”
“Trust me, kid, I know someone who would make your pranks look like child’s play.” Thrynn offered as he reached for bottle number four.
“We are children!” Dorthe declared as she stomped down on Thrynn’s foot.
“Thrynn? Can we go now?” Lurren interrupted his moment of pain from the little girl’s foot attack. She really needed to get to hunting bandits and after Whiterun, that was what she intended to do.
He was more than ready to get out of this miserable place and head back to Riften. Whatever thin line of patience he had left was slowly eroding away; luckily the mead was helping his mood. “Let’s go then.”
She was quite sure that the sound behind her came from Thrynn as he tried to walk normally.
He had to grab the porch’s pole to steady his balance; apparently that mead got spread around his system when he stood up a bit too quickly. Swinging around the pole like some tavern patron that had too much to drink and wanted to impress others with dirty dancing, Thrynn slid from porch to steps and failed to impress. Not even the kids who just laughed before running off to play Tag with Thrynn being It.
Lurren walked away to capture some bees she spotted nearby, hoping the drunken brute catches up with her.
Thrynn managed to regain his composure after a few failed starts and swayed slightly side to side as he walked to Lurren. “Eggent, Lurin, repulling fur dotea!” His face wore a lop-sided grin as he leaned toward her, shaking one finger.
She tried to not laugh but finally lost it. Her laughter filled the small town of Riverwood as she finally felt some of her sadness lifted.
He decided the wall would better support him than his own feet and managed to find his way safely to it. Perhaps tomorrow he will regret this decision but tonight, he needed to be drunk. One moment life was so okay living inside the Cistern to what happened here and where am I. How does a woman like her come into Skyrim and the whole place falls apart? Maybe it isn’t her but whom she works for. One angle of this odd situation to consider as Thrynn slowly began to slide down the wall.
Lurren decided she should apologize to Thrynn for Helgen and explain what happened there. “Thrynn, I know we don’t know each other, except we do know each other however not in a long term relationship.” She was creeping up on a unsuspecting bee while talking to him. “Of course, I don’t mean a relationship as in one but a friendship even though we aren’t friends by any means.” Her hand snatched the mini-wasp and promptly released it. “Ow, that stung me!”
Thrynn nodded in agreement though her words were not processing in his ears.
She was inspecting her palm for damage control. “But it does not mean you need to be uncivilized toward me. Proper upbringing should instill these traits and frankly, yours need work. What I am trying to say is things have not gone per my mission book. Have you ever dealt with Indigoblade? Let me tell you when those T’s aren’t crossed, he lets you know. One time, I recall him….
“Wit tree deers found, tea pork did crown, ann sid tea Elk goosebye” The noise seemed to be emitting from Thrynn who was now halfway down the wall.
She spun around and demanded answers. “What was that?”
Thrynn clicked the corner of his mouth against his teeth while firing one finger at her. “Pandit tong fur ya.” Then he promptly fell over and passed out.
Lurren stood there looking at her useless partner, unsure of what to do with him. Deciding Whiterun must be close per the road sign further back; she calculated that by the time she got there and back, Thrynn would still be in place. It was worth a try.
Skyrim and the Bandit Hunt 