37 Got Hags?

--Bonus Chapter

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It was refreshing to travel alone once again. Rictus couldn't help smiling as he leisurely rode on Billy's back through the Skyrim countryside. He was absently plucking at the strings of a lute his followers had found while cleaning out the cave. Apparently, one of the bandits had thought it was worth something. He was not a true musician, but he remembered playing the ukulele and thankfully the found this lute was a four-stringed instrument. It was still quite different, but he was more messing around on it than trying to be a bard. Playing it brought up happy memories from a time gone by. Billy seemed to pick up on his summoner's mood judging by his near prancing movements.

They had already been traveling for awhile and were nearing Riverwood. It had been an easy relaxed journey so far with nothing of importance happening so far. Rictus hadn't even been practicing his magic and just enjoying the simplicity of nature and music. He did get some ideas about trying to use his magic to alter the sounds coming from the lute. It would be a fun little experiment for when he got some more down time.

The reason he was out here was because the priestess Danica Pure-Spring had requested his services. She had come with a request about retrieving a knife called Nettlebane and then cutting the Eldergleam Tree. He was then supposed to bring back some of the Eldergleam Sap to restore the Gildergreen in Whiterun. The Gildergreen had apparently been struck by lightning which severely damaged it. Rictus did wonder if it was related to him testing out the master level alter weather spell. He had just wanted to watch a storm and go to sleep to the sounds of a thunderstorm….it was probably just a coincidence, and it did not influence his desire to take the quest whatsoever.

Danica wasn't paying much monetarily, but her services were worth a lot. She was a master in Restoration magic and all the priestesses under here were skilled in the school as well. She had heard rumors about Rictus being able to restore limbs which was thought to be a lost art of restoration magic. She freely admitted this quest was her way of testing Rictus while also as a way to further his and his group's fame. Danica also offered her temple's services free of charge for the Restored if he could fix the tree. She hinted at wanting to learn his technique of restoring lost limbs, but that would be a discussion for later.

Usually, Rictus would have brought some of his followers as backup, but he decided against it at the last moment. They were still busy working around the base and expanding his information web. It had also been a bit since he was able to move by himself. Getting away from everything and traveling alone was freeing. He cared for the people following him, but they were a bit clingy at times. Hopefully Ken would not get too upset about only receiving a note as a warning.

Nettlebane was apparently being held at a place called Orphan Rock. A coven of witches supposedly lives there which could complicate retrieving the weapon. Hopefully, they would be willing to negotiate for the blade instead of resorting to violence. It was worth a shot at least. Randomly killing anyone who was at a location without at least attempting diplomacy was a little too murder hobo for Rictus. Sure, it made sense in the game, but realistically it would not work out. Killing everything does not solve every problem. It solves a lot, but not everything.

Riverwood finally came into view, and it appeared as a quaint village. As with everything else, it was a lot bigger than the game showed, but would still only count as a medium sized village. The sawmill was the most impressive aspect of the village. It was a huge operation which provided the majority of the wood for Whiterun hold. The fast-flowing river and copious amounts of trees in the area made it a perfect spot for woodwork.

The people stared at them making their way through the town. A man in dark robes riding a giant goat are not common sights for such a sleepy village. Billy was toned down from his normal fiery appearance just to make travelling easier on everybody. A goat looking like it was from the depths of Oblivion seemed to put people on edge for some strange reason.

Nothing of note happened while passing through the town. A couple of men appeared to be arguing and competing for a woman's attention, but she was paying Rictus more attention than the two of them at the moment.

A catastrophic mistake almost happened. Billy almost stepped on a chicken. A drop of sweat fell from Rictus's face at the near miss. He was not quite sure why he was so worried about it, but something about hurting a chicken here in Riverwood made him feel a strange sense of PTSD for some reason.

A trail behind some houses was supposed to lead to Orphan Rock according to his intel. It was slightly overgrown, but nothing too hindering. He should be arriving to it relatively soon. Pulling out his grimoire, Rictus flipped to the section where he kept some of his notes.

He had taken to writing things he could remember about the games timeline so he would not forget. Looking at the things he had written so far, it was a bit depressing. Many of the large events and happenings were written out, but the specific names of places were missing for most of the events as well as the exact locations as well. An example is Serana. She was locked up in a cave which Rictus believed to be on a mountain between Morthal and Danwstar. That did not really do much of anything in helping to actually find and wake her. He was still hopeful though; she was always one of his favorites in the game.

There were many such situations listed in his notes. The harder he tried to remember things just lead to frustration at not paying more attention to every little aspect of the game or lore. Although, on the other hand, not knowing the specifics made him more adaptable to many situations than someone who thought they knew everything to happen. He believed he would be less flustered when things did not go as he thought and less likely to only rely on prior knowledge, especially with more people here to influence the timeline.

The other Skilled were an interesting dilemma. They could prove to be a massive help and someone to rely on, or they could prove to be an obstacle to overcome. A very powerful obstacle. The situation would also change based on who had meta knowledge and how many of the original Skilled were still alive. At least one was already dead out of the few he had already met, which was 4 including himself. 25% mortality rate is not good, but much better than it could have been. Maybe more of an effort should be made to identify these people. Knowledge is power.

His thoughts were interrupted by an icy spear lodging itself in the ground before him. Looking up, he saw a couple of robed women standing on a rocky outcropping with mana primed on their fingertips.

"Turning around would be your best option stranger. You may not like the result if you refuse."

The speaker's words were reinforced by the conjuring of a flame atronach. Best not to keep someone like that waiting.

"Ah well it seems we may have a bit of a misunderstanding. I am here looking for a special dagger called Nettlebane. Any chance I could buy it off you ladies and be on my merry way? No need for violence."

A small application of mana allowed Rictus to see who else may be in the area. Besides the two mages before him, there were 7 more signatures. 2 of them seemed a bit twisted with a larger magical presence than the others. They must be hagravens. Hopefully they were not as violent and crazy as the game depicted them, else a fight was guaranteed.

The two mages quietly disputed with each other for a moment before one ran off towards the larger of the 2 twisted magical presences. A silent staring contest was going on as they waited for what would happen next. It was not a long wait.

Soon, an ugly looking face partially obstructed by greasy black hair with a bony and hunched looking body covered in feathers was looking down on him. For some reason, this did not feel like the first time meeting a hagraven and fuzzy memories popped into his head, but he shook them off to pay more attention to the now. While a bit deformed, he could still see hints as to what the woman must have looked like before the ritual to change her. Her voice sounded scratchy with a bit of a squawking undertone.

"Ah hello handsome. You will join us for a meal."

The invitation surprised him but noticing the group of witches surrounding him made the decision easy for him. It also sounded more like a demand than a request.

"Sounds delightful. It will make talks about the dagger much more civil."

His polite yet playful attitude surprised the hagraven. Most people ran in fear at the mere sight of them. While most of the time it was a smart decision on their part, it was rather insulting. His timing was impeccable though. They needed a new guest.

Rictus was making small talk with a witch leading him and Billy up the rocks and across a fallen tree towards another rocky area where it seemed they all were camped at. The witch was not really saying much and just listening to him ramble about the finer points of a well made sweet roll. During their talk, the other witches were scurrying around preparing what could have been dinner. Rictus sat down on an old stump near the campfire.

"Where are my manners. I haven't even told you all my name yet. I am Rictus. It is nice to meet you all."

There was not much of a reaction from him talking, except for one. The other hagraven which had been staying back stared at him in thought. She began mumbling to herself and pacing while occasionally looking back at him. Despite no one replying to him, Rictus kept on smiling.

While the women appeared to be preparing food, they were also sneakily getting things ready for a magical ritual. A few carefully placed bones here, a small spriggan heart there, and lines of sand surrounding Rictus were slowly but surely being placed. It was all very sneakily done, and the food prep worked as a great distraction. All the while Rictus sat patiently waiting for them while Billy made himself comfortable laying against his back.

Eventually, the women stopped preparing everything and joined him around the fire. They all seemed to be in random places, but that was not the case. Each was in a specified seat which would allow them to instantly start up the ritual.

The stronger hagraven began approaching Rictus while carrying a plate of food.

"Here you go my pretty. Eat"

The way she said things kind creeped him out and sounded a bit like the witch from the wizard of Oz. Despite all that, he still took the plate from here. Before the older hagraven could make another move, the second one shouted out.

"I remember. Are you THAT Rictus? The one who can alter appearances?"

The older hagraven spoke before he could even reply.

"I don't give a skeever's ass who he is. It is too late now. The ritual is prepared."

She then channeled a red sickly-looking mana into her claws as she reared back to stab them into Rictus who had just been watching everything going on.

He eyes widened when a spike of ice appeared mere inches in front of his nose. He wasn't nearly as surprised as the older hagraven who currently had the spike firmly stuck in her chest though. The shock on her eyes as she turned around to look at her betrayer was quite satisfying.

The other hagraven did not even pay her any attention. She was focused on Rictus as she waited for his answer.

"Yep. I suppose I am THAT Rictus. I am curious as to how you have heard about me though. I wouldn't have thought your group to be one to trade gossip with townspeople."

A light started burning in the hags dull black eyes at his answer.

"Fix me, and I will give you the dagger."

A smile slowly came to his face at the request. It was quite obvious what she wanted. He reached his hand out for a handshake to complete the deal.

"Sounds like a deal to me. I am glad we were able to keep it civilized my fair lady. I also took the liberty of piling all the sand you all dropped into one big pile. You really should be more careful where you place such things. It almost looked like it was supposed to mark out a ritual, but that is just silly."

The rest of the witches were in shock at the whole confrontation. They could not believe all that had happened so suddenly. One moment they were about to make a sacrifice to change one of them into a hagraven, and the next their leader was killed and made a deal with a strange man.

His final words also had some terrifying implications. He had somehow moved all the sand marking out the ritual without them noticing it. This required masterful magical skills. They were distracted by the ritual, but it was still quite a feat for none to notice it. His words also implied he knew what was going on the entire time, yet he was able to stay calm and collected despite the threat to his life. Being surrounded by 7 witches and 2 hagravens would generally make even the most powerful of mages a little nervous, but this man showed none of that. They all began to fear what he must be capable of doing.

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Rictus was quite happy with how things turned out. He sat on Billy's back while studying Nettlebane which was telekinetically floating in the air. The coven was much more accommodating after his secret magical display and the hagraven betrayal. The betrayal had been a surprise, but it did make things a lot easier. He was easily able to detect they were preparing a ritual and knew the hagraven ritual required a human sacrifice. He even was able to watch as the younger hagraven cast the ice spike through the chest of the other one about to try and attack him. The closeness of the spike was a bit surprising, but he was prepared to take a hit since his armor spells activated and buffed up.

All his planned defenses and attacks were not needed though. It was always nice when people could make mutually beneficial trades like this. He also had made a new contact with a coven of witches which would more than likely want him to fix any of the other hagravens after they changed. When he mentioned the location of his base and how his followers were there, he missed the look shared among some of the witches.

The alter body spell had worked like a charm on the hagraven. She was still not attractive, but it was significantly better than before. Her face was the largest improvement with it looking more like a normal woman's face. Her body was also normalized and no longer looked hunched and malnourished. There were still feathers along her forearms and shoulders. Rictus scaled down her taloned hands to be a bit more useful for fine details while retaining their deadliness. He did not mess with her feet much beyond streamlining them since he personally thought they were kinda cool looking.

It seemed the other witches were more excited about the change into a hagraven than before. Apparently, being able to gain more magical powers while not turning into a hideous looking demi human was a big deal. Rictus was a little tempted himself honestly. It would require a lot more investigation though before he did any strange magical ritual to edit himself like that. His plans to alter his own body with other creatures' abilities were totally different.

Rictus was now on his way to retrieve the Eldergleam sap from Eldergleam Sanctuary. He decided his leisurely travel was now over. It was now time to speed things up by flying the rest of the way there. It was significantly warmer this far south so he would be able to travel longer without rest here compared to near Winterhold.

Thinking of Winterhold. It was about time to go back there. He had been gone for a little while now and was curious about all the changes. It would also be a good idea to get Morrigan to make him a fully enchanted outfit. He would have to see what she demands for her services, but it should be worth it.

Once in the sky, Rictus could see Helgen still standing. It would not be like that for much longer. It would probably be close to this area that they found Ulfic and the dragonborn. A slight bit of worry began to fill his mind at that thought. He soon shook it off though. There was no chance he was the dragonborn and about to be captured.

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[A/N]: Well I wanted to let you know I have actually decided on the dragonborne. It won't be too many more chapters till the first glimpse of them happens, maybe 3 or 4? Hopefully it won't ruin the story too badly, but those things happen sometimes so if it does sorry in advance. If it is too bad, maybe I will let Alduin actually win. He could use a victory.