AbadomWriter
patreon
Dark Woods
🕑 Added 2022-09-19 17:09:15 +0000 UTC.
.
.
--------------
'Once the old man found what he was looking for, he opened Philip's potion and poured a little bit of it onto a silver plate.'
"..."
What is he doing?
He looks like a Chef tasting sauce...
/Sniff/
'First, the old man smelled it, and then, he tasted it with his eyes closed once he confirmed that it didn't smell bad.'
"Hm..."
'Next, he drank it all before grabbing a water bucket and…'
/Splash!/
'He dipped his face inside it!'
"..."
What an unusual old man...
But to test a Waterbreathing potion... You do just that.
See if you can breathe underwater, not really that complex...
/Splash/
'The old man lifted his head from the bucket, his beard, and a portion of his hair as well were now wet, but his gaze was now full of surprise.'
'He looked at Philip, now with another look, was that slight respect?'
"I didn't imagine you to be this capable, you have my apologies for my previous rudeness."
I don't feel bad, so the potion was properly done...
My breath does smell a bit rough... Garlic?
"It's not much…" Philip replied awkwardly
"Not much? You're undervaluing this work." The old man said honestly
"I can tell that this potion has additional effects, 2 at that, and its main Waterbreathing effect is very strong."
"I have experimented with many potions, a few of this type, so I can tell that it's Fortify Magicka and Fortify Health."
"Don't try to keep quiet." The old man said in a low tone
"..."
He surely has a lot of experience to be able to identify a potion through feeling, taste, and smell... He's at least Adept, if not an Expert Alchemist.
"Still… As for the price, I can't quite tell since I don't know how long it lasts… I'll pay for the price accordingly, so let me test it here." He said as he looked at Philip
"Be my guest, I have more Potions to sell anyway."
"More huh… You're an odd one." The old man said as he turned around
There goes my budget for the month...
I'm getting old, I was sure he was a beginner, but I was wrong as he is rather capable…
A bit more than that.
I wouldn't be able to make so many of these so fast.
It may be due to my old age, my fingers don't move as they used to, that is why I need my Grandaughter...
But even when I was his age, I was busy memorizing the books my father gave me since he didn't allow me to use the alchemy table at all.
Much less making such potions.
"I'm ready." He said as he looked at Philip
/Gulp!/
'The old man drank the potion and turned down an Hourglass with several markings.'
'And he sat down at a table next to Philip, focusing…'
…
'Every minute, the old man got up and tested to see if the potion was still working.'
'1 minute turned to 5, and the old man said:'
"It seems the secondary effects have stopped."
"Indeed." Philip replied, slightly surprised
To see when it ends and starts isn't easy, this old man has a lot of experience…
If it wasn't for the effects tab, I myself would have difficulty pointing out when it ends, much less what I'm being affected by.
'The old man checked to see if he could still breath underwater, and he found out that he couldn't anymore.'
"5 minutes as well, it seems their times are similar."
'He turned to Philip and said:'
"It is a pretty strong potion, so it deserves an equally valuable price…"
'The old man went through several calculations on his head, such as the market for such an item, and the possible ingredients used to make it...'
"970 Drakes." He said after a deep session of pondering
"Really?"
That's very close to the Value shown by the system... Around 1400.
But I can't really go like that can I?
I'm a black Merchant, so I better make use of these Skills…
"1250." Philip replied with a poker face
[Haggle Lv9 has activated]
"1170, that is already very generous, I need some room to profit." The old man replied grumpily
'He knocked on the potion bottle and said:'
"These potions don't look very good, perhaps if you had used some more pretty bottles I would've increased the prices since it would've become easier to sell them that way."
"Also, their taste leaves room for desire."
"The market is also… Well, anyone would like one of these, more so warriors than the civilians, but who can spend 1300 Drakes for 5 minutes of enhanced abilities?"
Although this isn't the point, the point is 5 minutes that could save your life...
(Septims are also called Drakes if you didn't notice yet)
"1200 for each, I'll sell you all 15, and we call it a deal." Philip said with a small smile
That would make me 18K gold richer, and also more than enough for me to recover my loses here.
And I have more options to sell… And more ingredients to buy.
There's also the value of the potion he drank, so that's an extra 1200...
"..."
I know some people, so selling them wouldn't be a problem.
What I want to ask is... Since he's a merchant, couldn't he just hold onto them?
"... Deal." The old man said with a pained expression
{Speech 36 -> 37}
{Speech 37 -> 38}
{Speech 38 -> 39}
'A considerably large amount of knowledge regarding how to 'talk' flooded Philip's mind, from the way to sweet talk a girl, to haggling prices with a merchant…'
'It made him a bit absent-minded, but the old man wasn't paying him any attention now.'
[Haggle Lv8 -> Lv9]
[Trading Lv6 -> Lv7]
'A deal of such value was also enough for the Skill to Level up trice!'
'After he recovered, Philip was quick to say:'
"However, I have a condition." He said as he placed the potion bottles beneath the counter
"Tell me." Philip said as he crossed his arms
This is definitely a Quest...
I don't have time for this, but it's not like I can refuse.
"It's like this… My Granddaughter has yet to return, and I'm getting a bit worried." He said with a concerned expression
"She's not a child, but neither am I negligent, I know the dangers of this world very well, especially the dangers a pretty girl can suffer."
"She left a bit over 6 hours ago to collect some herbs in the forest nearby, nothing serious, nothing dangerous."
"She did this many times before, so there was supposed to be no problems…"
"As long as she doesn't stray too deep into it, the biggest danger she can face is a brown bear, but I gave her something that'll send a bear running away due to their sense of smell."
"Yet she isn't here." Philip replied
"Indeed..."
"I'll buy all of those potions for that price in exchange for this small favor, I'll even add in an extra reward if you do this for me, the minimal for such a thing." He said as he looked at the sword on Philip's waist
"Seeing that, I imagine you can handle yourself somewhat. You don't look skinny either."
"That I can, as long as it's a bear that is." Philip replied with a small smile
For now, this is all I can say.
Technique and combat experience will surely help, but that doesn't matter if my enemy hurls a lightning bolt at me, I won't even be able to react.
Or a massive fireball...
'The old man nodded.'
"While you're away, I'll also evaluate the other potions you made, we can discuss them once you're back with news of her."
'He grabbed a large red bottle and said:'
"Take this, just in case… But I'll say this right now if you don't use it, I want it back!"
"Those aren't completely inexpensive… I'll give you something to compensate, so don't you worry."
[Potion of Ultimate Healing
Completely heals Health]
"Hopefully, I won't have to use it." Philip said in a low tone
"My Granddaughter, her name is Abedi, and she normally collects ingredients in the Northern section of the city, beyond the nearest river, towards the nearby mountains."
"She never approaches the mountains, so it's unlikely she's there, so she should be near the river…"
Or so I hope.
"Understood…"
/Cling!/
'The old man dropped a large bag of coins on the table before saying.'
"There should cover about half of the potions, I'll give you the other half once you're back."
"I swear it." He said with a serious gaze
'Philip nodded, oaths were very important for the Nords after all.'
{9K Septims have been added onto your inventory}
'With a small nod, Philip grabbed the coins, turned around, and left the shop.'
I kept a few potions, so I should be fine.
But to think it would be so profitable… It makes things simpler for me.
At this rate, I may very well be able to gather enough simply by selling potions.
Of course, I won't be able to sell everything at this Hold, as the old man said, there is a limited market for such High priced potions.
Unless I make simpler potions, but would that be enough for the debt if I were to stick with lower-value potions? Likely yes, but I would have to spend the entire time making them.
If I say that I can sell an unlimited amount of 100 Gold potions every day, then I would need to make over 1000 more just to pay the debt... Just the debt...
If it takes 5 minutes to brew each on average... That would be around 3 and a half days of nonstop potion making.
I want to do other things as well, make use of this world and explore it somewhat… Even if it's greedy given my current predicament.
Since the Caravan has to move anyway, I could sell those on another Hold…
Albeit there is no guarantee I'll be able to remain with the Caravan or if I'll be able to find an Alchemy station once I'm there.
"My options are increasing, and this is what matters."
'Philip looked towards the North based on the position of the sun, still, he asked a Guard on the way before proceeding.'
…
'On his way, Philip noticed a large Church, so he got inside in order to see if he could get a blessing.'
'The Church was rather full, but the altars were open for all to see, so he had no difficulty approaching any.'
'It was more like a miniature shrine containing each of the 9 Divines...'
(Image?)
But as expected, Talos isn't here.
Ever since the Concordat, worship of Talos has been banned in Skyrim.
for now, most Nords must be just shocked, but over time, with the pressure from the Dominion and the fact they can't honor Talos, the pressure will build up, frustration will rise, and this will lead to many unsatisfied Nords.
All of this will culminate in the Civil War.
...
[Blessing of Arkay -> Increases your Health by 25 points]
"..."
I don't feel any different…
"Not quite..."
My skin looks a bit rougher?
"It's hard to tell." He said as he pinched his hands
Anyway, my work here is done.
I'm happy to know that I can get the blessings as per normal, yet a bit disappointed it didn't work as I wanted.
Regardless… Time to go.
'Before proceeding further, however, Philip stopped at the horse stables where no one was watching…'
'No, he wasn't here to steal a horse!'
"It's unlikely for something to happen…"
But better be prepared than sorry.
'First, Philip equipped his Iron armor…'
'Truth be told, it was a heavy and uncomfortable chunk of iron that covered his chest, and a small piece of leather clothing to protect his waist and a small part of his legs…'
I look terrible, only low-tier bandits would use this, I didn't receive a helmet, boots, not even a pair of gauntlets...
I look like a complete Buffon! A kid dreaming of being an adventurer yet being too old for that.
"I'm thankful that I went ahead and bought some things…"
A pair of iron boots, gauntlets, and a helmet, not the best there is by far, but decent enough.
It feels bad to wear unenchanted armor...
'All of this together made Philip way more pleasing to the eye.'
'Next, Philip opened his Menu and invested another point into Health, increasing it to 140!'
'Like before, his muscles started spamming, making him grunt in pain.'
"Neigh?"
'The horses looked at Philip with confused gazes, wondering what was this weird Nord doing.'
'After 30 seconds, he was back on his feet, sweaty, but full of power.'
"Phew… I feel completely energized."
Now that I think about it, even my desire to sleep seems to have dwindled after this...
Could I use this to remain awake for many days?
This is somewhat decent as my situation isn't promising, sleeping could be… Fairly dangerous.
"Enough of this, I have something to do, time waits for no one." He said as he walked away from the stable and into a small bridge that went over the river
'On his way, a few people looked at him, but with his identity hidden beneath the helmet, he had nothing to fear.'
'Even if his armor quality was on the low side of things, it also happened to be the most common and the one Nords favored the most despite how awfully simple it was.'
'Of course, a Nord wouldn't mind wearing better armor at all.'
'In the end, armor was armor, not everyone could afford it, regardless of how low tier this one is.'
'On his way, he saw a guard standing post next to the end of the bridge, so he approached him and said:'
"Excuse me, guard."
"Hm?"
"What do you need, citizen?" He asked as he turned to the side
"I'm currently looking for someone, a young woman, her name is Abedi, she periodically comes here to collect herbs, works in a potion shop.."
"Her? I know the lady. Did something happen?" He asked as he scratched his chin
"She has yet to return, and her Grandfather is worried, so here I am."
"Yet to come back? That's quite some time there lad, I remember seeing her in the morning, an eager and pretty girl, no way to miss her walking around with her large basket."
"If she hasn't returned yet… Makes sense he's so worried, there has been an increase in bandit attacks recently, albeit much further down the road, so we have yet to deal with that."
'He looked at the forest and pointed at a certain area.'
"If my memory doesn't fail me, she followed that road and most likely got into the forest through a side path, it's the only safe way of entering the forest unless you wish to dirty yourself or worse, have your feet fall into some hunter's trap."
"You can ask the Woodcutter that lives halfway through the path, I forgot his name, but he should know more about her then me, everyone that uses the path passes through his house after all."
"Thank you for the help." Philip said with a nod
"No worries citizen… Now, move along, I have a duty to comply."
"And watch your back, you never know what might hit you…"
"Heh, I used to be an adventurer like you… Until I took an arrow to the knee."
"..."
Bandits huh?
Will I truly have to fight something?
It was inevitable, at least I'm half decently prepared.
…
"Is it just me… Or everything seems… Bigger?" Philip questioned as he looked around
It's been 15 minutes since I got on this path, but I feel like I'm only a third of the way to the mountains, and I don't see the Woodcuter's house.
Although I've seen some cut trees here and there.
Not only did the cities change, but likely… All of the world did.
'Skyrim was a massive province with most of it being virgin land, untouched by man…'
'Who knows what sorts of dangers hide in those woods?'
"Oh? There it is." Philip said with a small smile
'A humble wooden house, around it he saw many cut down trees, their trunks set aside in a small pile, and their bases on the side, but he also saw a lot of smaller trees growing.'
'It seemed this Woodcutter knew how to take care of his surroundings, even if minimally.'
'He even saw a few carved benches, this Woodcutter was using the bases of the trees as seats, and as a base to carve small sculptures, he looked resourceful.'
"But I see no one." He said as he looked around
'He approached the house, and immediately saw something odd.'
'The wooden fence around it was partly destroyed, and his door was wide open.'
'In front of the door were a few piles of bones, skulls, arms, legs, ribcages…'
"..."
'Philip didn't say anything, his eyes instead sharpened.'
'He crouched on the ground, even if his Sneak Skill was low, he knew how to be silent, at least more than most.'
This is… Undead?
'The moment he approached the bones, he saw a small window pop up:'
{Search Corpse}
'Selecting the option made another window pop up similar to his, and in it, he saw a series of things…'
I have no need for a Skull… Neither a bony foot nor a bony hand…
But I'll take this Bone meal, arrows, and dagger.
'It was undeniable now, that this definitely used to be an Undead, but why was it here?'
"..."
Why can't things be simple?
'Philip remained silent, but a situation had already started to form in his head.'
Since this skeleton has arrows but lacks a bow then someone took it…
I imagine it's the same person that bled… Since skeletons can't bleed.
I can't see many tracks, only the ones caused by these skeletons and one man...
'He looked at the side, the small blood trail was leading into the forest.'
'Before anything, he checked inside the house, but apart from a mess, he saw nothing.'
'2 more bone piles, and a dropped table, the full picture than formed in his head.'
'The Woodcutter was preparing to eat dinner when he was ambushed outside by 4 skeletons.'
'He rushed back home, probably to grab a weapon, but he didn't have time to do so.'
'Using the fence to stall for time, he smashed his weapon, likely an axe to chop them down, breaking the fence in the process and using this chance to flee…'
'With a weapon in hand, he used his door as a choke point, eliminating 2 of them, but getting hurt in the process.'
'He retreated, kicking the table at the Skeletons and finishing them off before going after where they came from…'
"This guy is a true Nord, no warning the guards, just rushing in after the danger…"
This blood has yet to dry, and giving their small amount… It happened a few minutes ago at most.
He doesn't seem too injured, but I can't say for certain.
'Philip looked around the room, he had an inkling to loot everything, but he had some priorities…'
'He looted all 4 of the skeletons, there was one archer and 3 skeletons with nothing but an iron knife.'
'Rather pathetic, but this was all he needed.'
"There's a Necromancer in these parts… And a Novice most likely." Philip mumbled as he looked around
A proficient Necromancer wouldn't have his skelly boys walking around with nothing but knives… Unless he just made them.
Have some decency.
"Time to go." He said as he turned around
Wait… Oh…
'He noticed that one of the Wardrobes was a bit tilted, and taking a look behind it, he saw a full set of dusty Steel armor!'
"Oh my! It seems the Woodcutter didn't have the time to grab these…"
So I'll be bringing it with me for now.
'Philip unequipped his basic Iron armor, and equipped the Steel set in its place.'
"I feel a bit heavy… Is this what it means to have a lot of things on your inventory?"
Damn, fine, I'll leave my Iron set behind.
'Philip was starting to look like a proper Nord adventurer now.'
(Image)
'With his sword in hand, bow on his back, he moved to the forest.'
…
/10 or so minutes later…/
/Rustle.../
/Rustle.../
'The forest was silent, only the sound of the leaves moving in the wind could be heard, together with his heavy steps, crushing the twigs and dry leaves on the ground.'
"Nothing, it's gone." Philip said, frustated
The trail ended a few minutes ago… I kept going but... Nothing.
How pathetic of me, to lose a trail...
Shit, where am I now?
'He looked up, but it was difficult to see the sun, the trees blocked most of his view.'
'Trees all around, he was certain he didn't move in circles, he wasn't a novice at this.'
I made many marks on my way here, so finding my way back will be pretty simple…
But I can't turn back until I find that girl.
Do I have to go in blind?
I miss the Quest marker...
/RUSTLE!/
/CAW!/
"Hm?"
'Suddenly, a flock of birds rose into the sky, being startled by something.'
"It has to be there." Philip said as he rushed forward
…
/Huff… Huff…/
/CLANG!/
'In the area, Philip was running to…'
"Damn abominations!" A Middle-aged Nord exclaimed as he swung a mace down
/Crush!/
'He hit a skeleton right in the chin, breaking it and making its head spin.'
'But the Skeleton simply grabbed its head, looking at him with its cold, flickering soul lights.'
/Fwoosh!/
/Clack!/
'As the sound of an arrow pierced the air, the Nord raised his Steel shield, blocking it.'
"Huff…"
They're clunky, but it's a tad too many.
I'm too old to swing this multiple times over…
'Around him were 6 Skeletons, and below him were the bones of at least 4 more… All with their Skulls smashed.'
'He was holding himself well, but his age has caught up to him.'
"I hate these foul creatures, cut their head and they'll reattach it while looking at you dead in the eye as if mocking you."
I used my emergency potion, but I'm now worse than before.
'He smiled.'
"So be it, I was getting tired of that life, cutting wood and carving away with no purpose."
I was born to fight, I became myself as I fought…
May this be the way I fall!
"FOR SOVNG…!"
/CUT!/
'From behind the archer Skeleton, an armored man suddenly dashed from within a bush, piercing its skull with his sword!'
/Fwoosh!/
'He wasn't done as he quickly threw 3 knives, one at each Skeleton near him, hitting their spines, and causing their heads to drop.'
/Clack clack…/
'While they regenerated, he ran to the last 2 skeletons, who were still trying to fight with the Woodcutter.'
/Smash!/
'The middle-aged man didn't stay there agape, he grabbed his mace and furiously slammed it at the Undead, and when he raised his head again, the other one had already been taken care of by the newcomer.'
"This..."
'Before he could ask, the man turned around, walking to the 3 fallen Skeletons stomping on their heads so they didn't rise again.'
'He was extremely calm as if this was nothing special.'
"..."
'The Woodcutter didn't know what to say, he could only stay there, agape, as the man clad in Steel armor destroyed the skeletons.'
"Here, you're severely injured." Philip said as he gave the old man his second strongest potion
"I… Thank you." He said in a deep tone
It seems I still live… New scars for my collection.
"It's too early to thank me." Philip said as he looked around
"You must be the Woodcutter, right?"
"Hm?... Yes, I am Uvrik, the sole Woodcutter in this section of the woods, the last one that remains may be a better way to put it."
"The sole one?"
"Yes, others don't take shelter in these woods due to their proximity to the mountains, Troll and Bear encounters aren't uncommon, and most prefer to stay away from such dangers…"
"But to think it wouldn't be a Troll, nor a Bear, but the Undead that would end up wounding me so much…" He said as he shook his head
"Let me ask you a question, did you see a girl pass through here?"
"A girl… Are you talking about Miss Abedi?"
"So you know her, do you know where she is?"
"..."
'Uvrik sized Philip up and down before saying:'
"Look, I'm extremely thankful for you but…"
"Don't misunderstand." Philip said as he interrupted him
"I'm here under her Grandfather's request, she has yet to return, don't you know anything about that?"
"Yet to return? How odd, she came in with… !"
"Is something the matter?" Philip asked with a frown
He knows something.
"Yes, I'm afraid so..."
"Abedi was with her boyfriend, a young hunter named Hashiv, if they have yet to come back… Especially after this happened… I assume the worse may have befallen upon them."
"This is troublesome since I was expecting you to know where she is." Philip asked as he crossed his arms
"That isn't entirely wrong… Follow me, I'll say the rest on the way!" He said as he turned around
"..."
Fine, first... I'll loot these guys.
'A few more arrows, bows, daggers, and ingredients.'
'Uvrik was slightly confused to see the young adventurer crouch near each skeleton and do nothing, but he thought that he was simply investigating them and kept silent.'
…
/5 or so minutes later.../
"You trusted me too quickly." Philip said in a low tone
"That may indeed be the case, but I'm but an old man, what can you gain from tricking me?"
'He looked at Philip and asked'
"Perhaps that steel armor you're wearing?"
"!... So you noticed..." Philip replied as he looked away
This is a bit awkward...
"It's all too simple to connect, I've had lots of such experiences..."
'He seemed a bit remorseful and nostalgic as he finished this line.'
"But regardless, as long as you can make good use of it, then it's fine, take it, treat it as a reward for saving my life this time, I'm not someone to leave my debts unrepaid.."
"Instead, hear me out." Uvrik said as he pushed a branch from his way
"I know this forest like the back of my hand, and the direction Abedi and Hashiv went was the same as where these Undead came from."
"Previously, I was attacked in my home, but midway through my investigation, I was ambushed by another group, this time 10... You know the rest."
"I'm not young anymore, without proper armor, these 10 Skeletons are more than enough to take me down..."
"Is there anything in that particular direction?" Philip asked
"I'm… Not quite sure. Halfway through the forest, there's a small river that comes from the mountains, I never went further than that as it was too dangerous for me to explore."
"Long were my days as an Adventurer. But that doesn't mean I'm unaware of my situation, I know a few paths to cross those mountains, adventurers do pass through here every once in a while, like you."
"Be it to hunt a Troll, Bear, or something else... Albeit, most fail, never to come back."
"With this many undead, either it's a Necromancer, or something more… Dark."
"Let us pray it's the first since otherwise, Abedi and her boyfriend are unlikely to still be in this world."
"Not that this is any better…"
"..."
'Philip remained silent, truth be told, he felt slightly embarrassed since he was using this old man's armor…'
'He decided to keep quiet for a little longer.'
…
/10 minutes later…/
'They traveled through the forest, arriving at the small river Uvrik mentioned.'
'It was rather shallow, but Philip wouldn't try passing through it deeming how cold that water likely was, it was very likely to be below 0 degrees, literally freezing.'
"Look." Uvrik said as he point at the mountain
"..."
I knew that wouldn't be the end.
(Image)
'Philip saw a large creature fighting a group of Skeletons… It was a creature with long white fur that looked like a monkey.'
'It had tree blue eyes and a mouth full of large teeth, it was extremely muscular and its skin was rough and somewhat scally…'
'It was a Snow Troll, one of the apex monsters of these lands!'
"It seems whoever has taken refuge in this place and has decided to proclaim it as his territory, and that Troll isn't very pleased about that." Uvrik said as he saw the Troll destroy the Skeletons
"There is no need to take it down, let it exhaust his forces, however, we can't stay too long here either…"
"There, the Undead are coming from there." Uvrik said as he pointed somewhere close to the Troll, there was a path that went deeper into the mountain next to the Troll
'They couldn't take that path, so they would have to find another way up the mountain...'
"Then let's go."
He's pretty much doing what I was thinking…
There is indeed no need to take this down, a single Troll is more dangerous than a few Bears together.
Let it exhaust his forces and then go after whatever is the cause of all of this.
'Silently, the two walked further upstream before crossing it by jumping at a few rocks.'
'They took a rather dangerous path on the rocks, but they managed to reach a clear area…'
"I didn't know there was a cave here…" Uvrik said as he looked at the hole in the mountain
"It's likely this Troll's home… But now someone else's here…"
/Clack clack!/
'Just as they talked, another small group of Skeletons made their way down the hill to where the Troll currently was.'
'However, Philip also realized that they were all unarmed, it seemed the Necromancer was without resources…'
"..."
Is this the power of a single Necromancer?
It was barely possible to control a few Undead in-game, but here…
Or is there more than a single one?
'Questions filled Philip's mind, and even a bit of hesitation…'
/Step…/
'But the ice was literally and figuratively broken when Uvrik took a step forward in the snow, saying:'
"Now's the time, before another group comes."
"Let us pray to the Divines that none of those Skeletons are theirs."
…
.
.
.
Notes
