Power Corrupts: Whiterun (ch.32) (Patreon)

This chapter will be subjected to some changes. Nothing much, but some scenes will be expanded upon. I'll make a post at the top of the next chapter when the edits are done.

The previous chapter already had some edits: A conversation at the Riverwood Trader with Lucas was included. Also, Jericho's unlocked feature is a prospecting map mode which reveals likely places for ore. More edits will be made over time to improve the chapters.

...

The house turned out better than I expected. Probably better than it had any right to be since it was my first time working in construction, but between Hestia’s guidance and my growing skills in crafting, it turned out great. The house was larger than the others, but nothing so blatant as to be called a mansion and it used the plot of land within the village walls well.

More surprisingly, it looked like it belonged in the city. At my insistence, most of the house was made of stone with wood roofing that came together in high points to prevent too much snow from building up. Three stacked half-circles served as steps to a large front door. Beside the steps, running long the house was planted flowers that would hopefully take root and liven up the outside. 

Leading to the front door was a short winding path that led to the door, connecting the house to the main roads of Helgen. We were a bit separated from the others, but I counted that as a good thing. 

“It’s perfect,” Lili muttered more to herself than to us, but Hestia glomped her anyway.

“I’m surprised we managed in a week,” I admitted, taking the sight in. I had seen it before, but before there was always something else that needed to be finished. Now the house was finished. The outside was impressive enough, but once Hestia grabbed me and Lili and started pushing us inside, I saw that the interior was that much more impressive. 

“Everything still needs a coat of paint, but we can worry about that later,” Hestia decided. I built just about everything in here but seeing it arranged really hammered it home. From the simple tables marked with an oversized chair just for me, to the huge couch before a fireplace...it was a little bare colorwise, but the word cozy best summarized it. 

Hestia pulled out in front of us, “welcome to the Hestia familia manor! It’s small right now, but it’ll grow soon enough!” Hestia declared, giving us a wide smile. “But, for now, it’s home. Thank you, both of you, for…” she trailed off, getting a little choked up. But, before either of us could do anything about it, she smiled again with full force. 

“Well, you know. So, Jericho, when are you planning to head out on your trip?” Hestia asked, changing the subject before we could comment on it. Even still, Lili and I exchanged a knowing glance before I answered. 

“In the morning,” I decided, taking a step forward to get another view of the home that I had built. Hestia had taken it upon herself to furnish it. It wasn’t anything like I was used to -- fur rugs, tusk candles, hardwood, and stone, but it was certainly a step up from the hovel underneath an abandoned church. 

I ran my hand over the shelf above the fireplace, knowing that Hestia was going to fill it with pictures. Or portraits, since that would be the equivalent. I tried to picture how it would look in the coming weeks -- the bookshelves would fill, undoubtedly, but everything else…

I felt proud, I realized. I turned piles of stone, wood, and metal into a house. A home. 

“Is Mr. Jericho sure he doesn’t want Lili to come with him?” Lili asked, looking comically small once she took a seat in a couch large enough to hold me. 

“I’d rather you stay here to take care of Hestia,” I answered, leaning against the fireplace. Hestia’s face twisted at my logic before she shot a stern look at me. 

“And I’d rather you have a backup. You’re the one going into danger, you know,” Hestia pointed out while Lili nodded. 

“But I’m also a level 2,” I shot back. “And leaving you here alone is way more dangerous than anything I’m going to be dealing with. This place is filled with people that want what we just built, and I’m the biggest deterrent from them trying anything. With me gone…” I trailed off, my hands curling into fists before I forced myself to uncurl them to avoid giving what I felt away. 

That moment when I heard the Soma familia coming down the stairs after they had almost killed Lili. The only thing that had been going through my head after was the thought that I had made it by the skin of my teeth. If I had arrived any later, even a handful of seconds, then I could have walked into…

Judging by the look of it, Hestia realized what I was thinking about anyway. “Do you really think someone would try something?” Hestia questioned, her voice small but resigned. “Everyone I’ve met so far seems really nice...maybe a bit rough, but not in a bad way,” she added. 

I let out a small sigh, starting only for Lili to answer for me. “Because of Mr. Jericho, we’ve earned in a day what some people have been trying to earn for years. Lili thinks it’s only natural that there would be some bitterness directed towards the Hestia familia. But, bitterness can quickly turn to anger when fueled by alcohol and opportunity.”

“And anger can make you do things you never thought you’d do,” I added quietly. I could feel the moment I ripped Zanis apart with my bare hands. I had already one the fight, he was already dying, but I was too...angry. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to die screaming. I wanted to tear him apart and so I did. 

Hestia’s gaze lingered on me for a long moment before she sighed and nodded in acceptance. “Okay, fine...but...can you please try not to do anything too dangerous without anyone backing you up? I know you’re a level 2 now, but...I’m just worried,” Hestia admitted. 

I nodded in acceptance, “I’ll do my best. And if the task is too much, then there are the Companions in Whiterun that I can turn to.” I said, thinking it might be best to consult them anyway since this world wasn’t limited by game mechanics. The fact that the bandit leader had broken his arms because of enchanted necklaces was proof enough of that. Who knows what else had changed?

“Good...then, I guess we should celebrate our new home!” Hestia decided, moving the topic away from the fact that I would be leaving for a few days. I felt a bit bad about it -- I had hoped there would be more relaxing, but there was just so much to do. “I’ll start on dinner! You two just relax,” Hestia ordered as she skipped to an open kitchen that was stocked with both ingredients and cooking utensils. And given that she could work miracles in the kitchen in a hovel, I was really looking forward to what she could make with actual cooking utensils. 

I walked over and sank in heavily into the couch. It was weird to sit in furniture that actually fit. My gaze drifted over to an armor rack set up, my armor on display, shining after a clean with my raider sword on display. 

“Lili has been listening in on the villagers,” Lili informed, scooting closer to me to prevent Hestia from overhearing. “And Lili...if Mr. Jericho is interested in…” Lili trailed off, slightly uncertain but I offered a half-smile, showing that I wanted to hear her out to see where she was going with this. “Helgen is the gateway to Skyrim since it’s the closest to the imperial highways. Trade by sea is preferred since Skyrim is so mountainous and dangerous, but Helgen sees a surprising amount of trade coming through it.”

That was news to me as I pictured the small town’s size and population. “Really? Huh. I guess that explains why there are so many bandits nearby,” I mused to myself. After a week, I had more or less cleared out the surrounding area of notable threats. Including that old fort filled with bandits. There might have been about a dozen people that went with me, but me and Lili did the heavy lifting. 

I didn’t even have to point that out since those that went with us were all to happy to spread the news themselves. 

“Since Mr.Jericho has become an ironmonger, it’s important that we establish trade relations with other cities. The mine used to supply both Helgen and Riverwood, but since Mr. Jericho has cleared so many issues himself, more people are turning towards other methods of work to earn their right to own land,” Lili explained. “Meaning that we have a larger force to work with, which means more iron exports, which means we can afford to look elsewhere for other buyers for the surplus.”

I blinked, looking down at Lili because pretty much all of that was news to me. Scratching at my cheek, I mulled that over while Lili gave me a moment to, knowing well enough that I hadn’t given much thought into it. Honestly, I was content to let the iron mines to become a passive revenue stream but not much more simply because we had serious money with more incoming from odd jobs. 

“So, I should look for buyers in Whiterun?” I hazarded a guess, earning a nod from Lili. 

“The best person would be the leader of Whiterun. When he asks you why you want to become thane, Mr. Jericho shouldn’t tell him its because he wants to avoid laws and to gain a housecarl,” Lili said, giving me a pointed look. I cocked an eyebrow right back at her, wondering why she thought I would admit to that. Though…

Yeah, fair enough I guess. The nords preferred honesty, but there was such a thing as too much honesty. 

“What’s the story I’m running with, then?” I questioned, knowing that Lili had one prepared. She smiled slightly before she answered. 

“That you’re trying to earn favorable trade deals, and the rights to expand our businesses. Because of Mr. Jericho’s ability, we know there are other veins of metals available nearby, so it’s technically the truth. This will enrich his own holdings, and by making you thane, it will bind you closer to him -- meaning, rather than you asking to be made thane, he’s asking you to become his thane to prevent you from going to one of his rivals,” Lili explained, her voice low. 

I nodded, accepting that logic easily enough. It made sense. And, given my natural abilities and my growing reputation as a problem solver, I would be the natural choice for the position. 

“Good idea,” I complimented, offering Lili a smile. “We’re lucky to have you because I know I wouldn’t have thought of any of that,” I admitted easily enough. 

Lili flushed at the compliment even as she shook her head in disagreement. “No, Lili’s the lucky one. Lili...Lili is just happy that she can repay what Lady Hestia and Mr. Jericho have done for her,” she said, looking away. “And Lili is glad to use Lili’s experiences for something good.”

She stole a glance at me a moment later as I started to recall spots where we could find other minerals and metals. I had ideas, but it was clear that the game and the actual world weren’t one to one ratios in terms of size. The prospector map mode would help things out a bit, though.

“Mr. Jericho knows a great deal about this world, correct?” Lili asked, looking up at me. I nodded in confirmation. 

“In theory. What I know for certain is a bit in the air, though, so I can’t trust it too much. Things are already different from what I remembered. The walk to Riverwood was supposed to be something like five minutes or less. For normal people,” I added.

“Does Mr. Jericho know anyone that could help us? Or...join the familia?” Lili questioned, bringing my thoughts to an issue I had thought about. 

I gave a slow nod, “I can think of a few, but I’m not sure how it would work out and some of them are attached to some things...well, I’d be kicking a hornet’s nest if I approached them without a plan,” I explained. The most glaring was Serana. If I woke her up early, that could draw the attention of her father, and given how overpowered being a vampire lord in the game was, I’m guessing it was going to be more so without cooldowns.

Lili nodded in acceptance. “Now that things have settled, we should look into expanding our numbers,” Lili said more to herself than to me. Her brow was furrowed in thought about the next challenges that our familia would face. I agreed with her about that, which was why I wanted a housecarl like Lydia. I would have to make sure that their personality matched up, but given that they were willing to follow the dragonborn into every dark crevice in Skyrim, then I was hoping that they would protect Hestia while I couldn’t.

“Hm…” I hummed, an idea starting to form in the back of my mind. I had picked several months ahead of the start of canon because I wanted to give us a break before any craziness happened, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t prepare as well. A civil war was coming on top of dragons returning, ontop of the other insanity of the main quests and several side ones. 

What was that quote? Chaos was a ladder? 

Well, that didn’t mean I couldn’t build my own ahead of time.

…

I fell into my bed, savoring the feeling of not having my legs dangle over the edge. The fur covers tickled my face as I heard Hestia sigh in relief before she did the same right next to me. The bed was so large, it was more like two queens put together than anything else. Stuffed with feathers -- it was no Tempurpedic mattress, but it was miles better than a lumpy couch that was too small. 

I shifted my face was I was looking down at Hestia, to find her grinning back at me. “A week ago, and I would have said that this was impossible.” 

“That we have a house in a new world or a bed big enough for me?” I asked, turning onto my side. Hestia’s grin turned into a full-blown smile as she let out a huff of laughter. 

“I meant the first, but the second was pretty unlikely too, now that I think about it,” Hestia commented as her hands reached out towards me. Her eyes became half-lidded as her hands roamed over my arms, just touching me. My lips tugged into a grin as I realized where this was leading. 

After all, beds were far more comfortable once you broke them in. 

I reached out as well, placing one hand on her hip as my fingers began to pull up the hem of her dress. Hestia flushed eagerly as her hands stopped caressing my arms in favor of going to unbutton my pants. “We’ll have to be quiet because of Lili,” Hestia said, getting up enough so I could pull her dress off of her. 

Familiar full breasts were freed from the white dress. The pale orbs capped with a light pink nipple that hardened into a point. Unlike the first time we were together, she felt no shame in displaying her breasts to me, just as she felt no embarrassment when her hand wrapped around my hardened cock once it was free of the cloth pants that trapped it. 

“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?” I asked, rolling over so I hovered above Hestia before my lips descended onto her collarbone, my fingers hooking around her panties before I took them off. Hestia breathed in contentment as my lips began to worship her body, her hands curling into my hair as the other ran along my shoulders. 

“Hush, you,” Hestia admonished, earning a smile out of me as my lips descended until they latched onto a nipple. Hestia’s breathing hitched, then again as my hands went onto the move. They hooked around her waist, eagerly squeezing the soft flesh of her firm ass before one finger slipped into her pussy, finding it slick already. 

“Oh!” Hestia breathed, my finger curling inside of her and attacked the places that I learned that she loved. 

“See?” I asked, my thumb grinding down on her clit. Hestia moaned even as she reached out to give me a slap on the shoulder for being a smartass, but I effortlessly caught her hand. Then grabbed her other before pinning her hands to the bed. Hestia bit her lip to keep in a moan, her hips grinding against the palm of my hand to seek out more of my touch. “Oh? Don’t care for a bit of backtalk? I guess I should put my mouth to better use then.”

With that being said, still keeping her hands pinned, I lifted her bottom half up with a hand. “W-what- Oh!” Hestia breathed as I dragged my tongue over her slit, my free hand going to play with her nipples as my tongue slipped inside of her wet tunnel. Her thighs clamped down on the side of my head, her moans leaking out despite her best efforts to keep them contained. 

Hestia was easy to please in the first place, but after two weeks, she was about as backed up as I was. In no time, her arousal flooded from her pussy, dripping down from my chin as droplets traveled down on her front and back. I dragged out her pleasure by tugging at her nipples and tormenting her clit. She released a blissful cry of pleasure as she came, and I forced her to cum again in quick succession, never letting up. 

Her sweet moans were music to my ears and I wanted to hear it throughout the night. I was gone for a week, and I had to leave for a few days, so I owed her plenty of orgasms already. And I had better make up for lost time. 

“Jericho, I need you,” Hestia breathed, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to get control over her breathing. Her deep blue eyes were half-lidded, filled with lust. My cock ached at the sight. I raised myself up while my free hand went to my dick so I could line myself up with her entrance. 

“And I want you,” I told her with so much honesty that it hurt. I pushed my hips forward, both of us sharing a low groan as I entered her. Hestia eagerly accepted me, grinding her hips to take me even deeper. Her legs wrapped around my waist, but I knew her curls had curled from pleasure since I could feel the familiar sensations of her walls cumming, trying to milk my cock of its seed. 

“Jericho…! It’s been too long,” Hestia muttered. And that I was in perfect agreement with. It had been far too long since I felt Hestia’s naked body pressed against mine, of bringing her pleasure that she couldn’t handle. I really did have to make up for lost time, and then some. 

With that thought in mind, I lifted Hestia with ease, finding an angle that I knew she loved and I began to fuck her. She pressed her head against my chest, breathing harshly with each thrust as her hands held onto me for support. The room was filled with noises of her pleasure and arousal. She was so easy to please, so it wasn’t long before a wetspot had formed on the bed, my lap similarly soaked with her cum. 

I slowly worked to my first orgasm, all the while a worry started to gnaw at me in the back of my mind. The entire reason why Hestia gave the okay for me to sleep with other girls was because of my endurance problems -- as in the higher my stats became, the longer I could last in bed. And my stats had increased several times since we made that decision. 

Now that I had leveled up...there was a very real possibility that I wouldn’t be able to cum. And that scared the hell out of me. 

“Jericho, I-I-I want to take the l-lead,” Hestia forced the words out, holding onto for dear life. For a moment, I worried that I was too rough with her. After all, for the past week, I had slept with a level 5, who could handle everything I could dish out and a great deal more. But that wasn’t the case. 

I shifted out positions so that my back was leaning against the backboard with Hestia straddling my lap. She took a moment to gather herself before her hips began to move. I kept my hands on her hips to help her along, but she found a practiced rhythm as her walls squeezed down on me, trying to milk me of my cum. 

I abandoned any thoughts of self-restraint in favor of savoring the sensations Hestia was bringing me. And, to my utter relief, I felt an orgasm brewing in my balls, tightening as they prepared a load. Hestia seemed to sense it, her hips shaking as fast as she could manage while her hands braced against my shoulders. 

A sheen of sweat covered her, drops of it traveling down her body, circling around her sizable breasts. Her gaze met mine, willing me to cum and the need expression on her face made my cock throb -- the vacant look of her mind overwhelmed with ecstasy, but the silent demand in her breathless moans that demanded for more. 

I gave it to her. Releasing a low groan, I unleashed myself within her. Hestia lost control of herself, throwing back her head and releasing a deeply satisfied moan as I painted her insides white. Her head smacked into my chest while her breasts pressed into my stomach, so she could probably hear my heart pounding at my ribs. 

“Jericho…?” Hestia questioned, breathing heavily as she cuddled against me, my cock still inside of her but I willed it to soften. I didn’t want to ruin the moment by making Hestia feel as if she hadn’t satisfied me. “When you’re traveling...and you meet someone…-”

“I’m not going to cheat or-” I interrupted, wanting to feel a bit insulted, but it was hardly fair if I did. With Eina, it was a bit of a gray area but that didn’t excuse the fact that I had fucked up since I was horny. 

“Not that,” Hestia quickly interrupted me, “but...if something does happen...I mean…” She trailed off, taking a moment to sort her thoughts out and I didn’t press her. “If you find someone out there in the world...and they’re the kind of person that you think should join our familia...then it’s okay if something happens,” Hestia decided. 

“Our old deal won’t really work since you’re...going to be gone for so long,” Hestia muttered, doing her absolute best to crush me in a hug. “But they have to be people that’ll join our familia. Someone you can introduce me to with pride and they’ll be a good fit, not just because they have big boobies or butts, okay?” 

“I promise,” I agreed easily enough. “Honestly, I’m more concerned with make sure that we’re okay and prepared for what comes next than sex.” That, and I wasn’t too sure who would fit those criteria. Serena came to mind, but I was hesitant to go for her because of the reasons listed earlier. Who else was there? Delphine? Except I haven’t forgiven her for pulling that bullshit with Parthanax -- I’d pick dragon bro over the Blades any day of the week. 

So, outside of Serana, there weren’t exactly a lot of go-to choices like Danmachi did. And that was fine with me. I was here to grow stronger, get some serious upgrades in regards of equipment, and establish our home here. Sex...honestly, it was so far down the priority list it wasn’t even on it. 

“Good,” Hestia muttered, letting out a content breath as her eyes drifted shut, hearing the truth in my words.

“I thought I was sentenced to the couch once I was done building the place?” I asked, settling in. I didn’t need to sleep, but it would be a lie to say that I didn’t enjoy doing it on the occasion. Hestia hummed like she was considering it for a moment, but it conflicted with how tightly she was holding onto me as I shifted so I could bring up the covers. 

“I’ve decided to change your sentence to endless cuddling instead. You’d better do a good job of it, or I’ll change my mind again,” Hestia warned as wrapped an arm around her, settling into the broken in bed. Hestia adjusted herself so she was comfortable, and in no time, she was fast asleep. 

I stayed up for some time after, mulling everything over. From the first step I would be taking once I reached Whiterun, to the many I would be taking after it. Comparing what I knew from the game compared to what I knew about the lore. There were so many things that had contrasted with the game mechanics, I couldn’t help but feel some apprehension. 

In the end, I ended up staying up well into the night before I eventually decided to close my eyes and sleep. 

… 

It was meant to be a day and a half walk between Helgen and Whiterun, but I managed to sprint the distance in about half a day instead. It was still twelve hours of nonstop running, which was boring as all hell. Even still, it would have been worse to actually walk the distance. I chose to wear my armor rather than anything more casual -- I didn’t run into anything on the way, but I had too many memories of random bears wandering in to kill me back when Skyrim was just a game. 

Whiterun itself was far bigger than memory suggested, and it was becoming increasingly clear that I shouldn’t trust my meta-knowledge. I googled it once awhile ago, and there are something like five thousand NPCs in total in all of Skyrim. Including bandits and the like. Only about a thousand of them had unique dialogue or actual names. 

As I neared, just looking at the skyline of the city, it was clear that the population of Whiterun was over ten thousand. Couldn’t tell how many people lived there just by eyeballing the place, but it was a proper city. It still had nothing on Orario, but it was easily ten times larger than Helgen. 

The high walls looked ancient, but strong. Like an army of a million would just bounce off of them. Outside of the city was a winding road made of cut stone, with dozens of farmsteads surrounding it. Off to the right, near where the river ran, was another small grouping of buildings that belonged to a brewery. 

Whiterun was raised, flowing upwards on a hill until the keep could be seen far above the walls, imposing. Almost challenging anyone to take a shot at it. The walls remained high enough to protect the interior, but I could see some rooftops and the skyforge that belonged to the companions. In all, it was an impressive sight. Whiterun looked like what I expected when I pictured a castle. 

However, there was one significant problem I noticed as I slowed down. My gaze lingered on something that shouldn’t be there at all. Standing above the rooftops outside of Whiterun was a giant. It almost looked like a middle-aged man, in a way, only blown up to ridiculous proportions. Standing around twenty-five feet tall, its face was covered in an ill-kept brown beard, its greasy brown hair was slicked back, revealing too pale skin covered in furs that belonged to animals. 

In its hand was a massive club that looked like it had once been a tree trunk, but it looked like it was smashed into shape after years of use, yet somehow not breaking. 

Below, from what I could see between the houses, were warriors dressed in armor. One hung back, carrying a bow that she fired. The arrow slammed into the giant’s eye, making it stumble back, but it was far from dead. The giant unleashed a deep roar, bellowing in pain as it brought down its club. It smashed through a building, reducing wood and stone to splinters and rubble, yet the club remained whole. 

I couldn’t tell if it killed any of the warriors. Others were joining the fray, I noticed as I began to run towards the giant, my mind racing just as fast as my feet. This event happened with the Dragonborn when they approached Whiterun for the first time. That was meant to be months away, and unless there was another giant attacking the city then my worries about the timeline grew. 

Even still, I pushed my thoughts to the side as I rapidly neared the giant. I leaped over a small fence meant to house animals, landing in the middle of a street, behind the giant. Three warriors stood before it -- two of them in carved nordic armor, while the third hung back, perched on top of a building with a bow in hand. 

Aela, Farkas, and Ria. The first two I knew in theory, while the third was about as non-descript as they came. 

Farkas glanced at me, nodding to show that he noticed me. At that moment, I sprinted forward, my sword at ready. I crossed the distance between us in the blink of an eye. Aela fired off a shot at the giant, distracting it, so it was unaware of my presence right up until my blade punched through the back of its knee. The giant roared in pain as it dropped to a knee involuntarily. 

As it did so, I ripped my blade to the side, practically severing the limb with a splash of blood upon the cobblestone road. There was gallons of the stuff pouring out. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have bothered me in the slightest, but my mind was filled with a moment back during the War Game. Back on the steps, before the Soma familia had broke. When they had just thrown themselves at me, stabbing into gaps of my armor and trying to kill me. 

Only to be utterly slaughtered in return. I had ripped Zanis apart with my bare hands, but with my new level 2 strength and a new sword, I had hacked the Soma familia to pieces. 

That moment of hesitation nearly cost me. The giant swung back at me with the back of its hand, taking a wild swing with its club that carved a line through house supports and it was that sound that brought me back. 

I reacted on instinct, lashing out with my sword and slicing through its arm, sending the free half flying. I seized the opening that the giant gave me, and darted forward to bury my sword into its chest. The giant groaned in pain, then it shrieked when I yanked my blade to the side after Aela fired another arrow into the giant’s remaining eye. Even still, the giant lashed out at me with a hand, but it was a mile off, attacking where I used to stand, not where I was. 

My grip tightened on my blade, gritting my teeth as my eyes landed on the creature’s neck. My bloodied sword flashed forward in a Power Strike, biting into its neck. My arms jolted when my sword hit its spine, but the blade pushed through it in a flash. The giant's head was severed, its stump of a neck was pumping out blood like a broken fire hydrant before its heart got the memo that it was dead. 

“Fuck,” I cursed to myself, blinking away more memories with a shake of my head. Perfect Memory was...biting me in the ass at the moment. I could recall all too clearly what I did to the Soma familia, only this time there wasn’t a red mist smothering my mind to gloss over the details. Some of those people…

“Well fought stranger. Can’t say I’ve seen a giant beheaded before,” Farkas greeted, making a show of lowering his two-handed axe. He glanced over at the growing pool of blood and the head that had rolled away. “Messier than I thought it’d be,” he commented with an uncaring shrug of his shoulders. 

“Thanks. Sorry for stealing the kill, but I had the opening and I didn’t want any more damage done to the place,” I offered. Kill stealing was a big no-no back in Danmachi. Less so here, apparently, because Farkas simply shrugged in acceptance. 

“You didn’t just kill one of your kin, did you?” Ria asked, cracking a smirk as she took off her helmet, revealing tanned skin and dark hair. She was pretty in a nontraditional way -- her features more striking than beautiful, but she had her own appeal. 

I let out a huff as I took off my helmet, “not that I’m aware, no.” I agreed, wondering just how many times I would end up hearing that joke here. At least it was better than asking me how the weather was up here. 

Alea approached from the back. She looked similar to how she did in the game -- the facepaint and the fur armor along with a strikingly beautiful face that gave off an amazonian vibe. She was also tall. Not as tall as me, but she was in the ballpark of 6’5, or taller. She nodded as she approached. “Impressive. We’re members of the Companions -- Alea, that’s Farkas and this one is Ria. What do they call you?” 

“Jericho,” I introduced myself simply. “I have to say, this wasn’t what I expected to find when I arrived at Whiterun for the first time,” I admitted easily, fishing for information. This wasn’t supposed to happen for months. I had picked Skyrim because of certain assumptions I had made -- in the game, everything took place in a single year according to the official timeline. From Alduin to the College to the assassination of the emperor, to every sidequest. The DLC took place after that year.

Instead, things were happening out of order and the only thing I could be certain about was that Aludin wouldn’t be burning down Helgen for a couple of months. Otherwise, I paid good credits for nothing. 

“It was a giant exile from its tribe that caught a taste for blood,” Farkas explained. “Then grew bold enough it started to hunt around the edges of Whiterun.” He glanced over at the corpse, taking a step back when the blood threatened to touch his boots. “Bold, but stupid, apparently.”

“We were hired to take it out by the Jarl,” Alea informed, catching my attention. “As the one that struck it down, you’re entitled to part of the reward,” she decided, earning a firm nod from Farkas and a much more reluctant one from Ria. 

Well then. That worked out perfectly, didn’t it?

“Lead the way.”