28 Working relationships

[A/N]: Bonus Chapter.

Ma'randru-jo was telling the truth about his background.

Rictus had kept Ma'randru-jo locked in the jail cell till the morning. Then, he snuck him out by tunneling under the city. Thankfully, Rictus did not accidently run into the sewer system while they were traveling. They soon reached the Khajiit caravan. Ri'saad confirmed Ma'randru-jo story, and everyone in the caravan seemed relieved Ma'randru-jo had finally found Rictus. They told Rictus how Ma'randru-jo had kept going on about how he would learn from Rictus.

Rictus was relieved Ma'randru-jo was telling the truth. He felt that Ma'randru-jo would fit in nicely with his plans of getting a better information network going. If all he had to do was trade some magical knowledge, Rictus was more than willing to pay the price.

"Well Ma'randru-jo, it is good you were telling the truth. I am still upset at how you tried to break into my house. What were you even planning to accomplish by that?"

Ma'randru-jo wouldn't meet Rictus's eyes and seemed ashamed of his actions, even his tail was drooping like a scolded pet.

"Ma'randru-jo was not thinking clearly. This one thought that if only he could speak to you, then you would see the passion to learn and take pity on Ma'randru-jo. This one is most ashamed of his actions and begs forgiveness."

Rictus couldn't help a small smile from creeping onto his face. He had always found the way Khajiit talked to be amusing, and Ma'randru-jo seemed to almost go out of his way to not speak in the first person. Still, Rictus was inclined to forgive the Khajiit. There was no harm done, and it was a great test for Rictus's home defense runes, which were apparently quite terrifying according to Ma'randru-jo.

"Hmm… I will forgive your trespass this time. From what you companions have shared, it was your intense desire to learn more about magic which drove you to act so foolishly. Such curiosity for learning can be a good thing, but you must be careful. You let your desire overcome your rationality. It is good to be curious and driven, but you must be careful not to go too far else you suffer consequences you were not willing to pay."

Ma'randru-jo bowed his head at Rictus's word. He seemed properly ashamed of his actions. He personally couldn't believe he acted the way he did. It was almost as if something in him was altered ever since he had seen Rictus's magic. Now though, he was much more rational. Maybe all it took was the terrifying experience of feeling like one was buried alive and slowly suffocating to clear his head.

"This one is deeply sorry his actions. Nothing would please Ma'randru-jo more than to make it up however he can. Still, this one wants to learn from you despite the previous transgressions."

Rictus pretended to think it over. He had already decided on what he wanted to happen.

"…I suppose we could work out some sort of exchange. I would be willing to teach you, but it will come at a price."

Rictus could see a change come over Ma'randru-jo as price was brought up. It seemed the Khajiit was not part of a trading caravan for show.

"Name your price. Gold is not had in abundance, but some agreement should be possible."

The slight desperation in Ma'randru-jo's eyes was telling. He may seem calm and collected, but Rictus could tell he was still desperate to learn from him.

"I do not have any need of money at the moment. I already have plenty. What I do lack, is something more valuable than a few septims. I need information. I find myself woefully uninformed about the wider state of the realm. I would be willing to teach you in exchange for you collecting information for me. Do you think this is something you can do?"

Ma'randru-jo seemed to consider the proposal. It was a much better deal than he had feared. Ma'randru-jo had been part of the caravan for a long time. He knew the value of good information. The people of Skyrim did not try and take advantage of the caravans like many other places would. Having a large network of caravans supplying information would be incredibly useful in the right hands. Ma'randru-jo knew he would be able to get some information, but maybe there was more he could do. If he facilitated talks between Ri'saad and Rictus, and they could work out a profitable deal, Ma'randru-jo may get even more benefits. Ri'saad was the leader of all the Khajiit caravans in Skyrim after all. He would have much more available information. Regardless, Ma'randru-jo knew he would be taking the deal even if it didn't work with Ri'saad.

"This one would be willing to agree to those terms. There is another matter Ma'randru-jo may be able to assist with. This one can put in a good word and facilitate talks with Ri'saad. Ri'saad is the head of all the Khajiit caravans in Skyrim. If you could reach an agreement, you would be able to gain significantly more information than one as lowly as Ma'randru-jo could provide."

Rictus was impressed. He had expected Ma'randru-jo to agree. He had not expected him to suggest working with Ri'saad. It would be extremely beneficial for Rictus if it worked out. Being provided information from all the Khajiit caravans would be much more useful than only getting information from 1 person. If an agreement could be made, it would be extremely useful to Rictus.

"You make an excellent suggestion. I think I will take up your offer to help with negotiations. Even if that does work out, I would still like your personal opinion on what you can learn while traveling. I am impressed by your initiative already. If you keep this up, I see us having a long and mutually beneficial relationship for a long time."

Rictus held his hand out to Ma'randru-jo. They were both smiling as they shook hands. This was hopefully the start of a long and prosperous partnership. Rictus was looking forward to what will happen with his new minion.

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Ri'saad watched Rictus make his way back into Whiterun for the second time. He had been surprised the first time he met the unusual mage, and the second time was no different. Ri'saad was not expecting to be approached by Rictus and Ma'randru-jo. He knew Ma'randru-jo had been obsessing over learning more magic, but he did not actually expect him to find a teacher.

Ri'saad had been surprised when Rictus had proposed a trade agreement for information. Not many people truly appreciated the usefulness the information a merchant could supply, especially when that merchant was the leader of a network of caravans which spanned all of Skyrim. No one really utilized his caravans for information at the moment. There was the occasional request from the thief's guild and various other factions, but they did not do this often. Rictus was looking for something a little more consistent.

Negotiations had lasted quite a long time. The value of information fluctuated greatly. There was not a static price which could be paid to cover all information. Ri'saad was pleased Rictus understood this. They eventually reached an agreement where both sides were happy.

Rictus would pay Ri'saad a flat fee every month to get very basic information packets. These packets would have some basic information about things going on around Skyrim, and they would also have a list of additional information which could be bought. There were a few different levels which the additional information could fall under which would determine the price. Ri'saad would be the one to decide which level the information would fall under. Rictus could meet with Ri'saad to haggle the exact pricing, or he could just pay Ri'saad's rate and get the information delivered.

Ri'saad felt he had gotten the better end of the bargain based off how much Rictus was paying for the information. Although watching him walk away so pleased made Ri'saad wonder how much more he could have gotten out of the mage.

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Rictus was quite pleased with himself. He was able to get the Khajiit caravans as a source of information. It did cost a lot of money, but with his skill set money was not an issue at all. Being able to turn iron into gold really helped the finances. It also helped being able to alter a septim to be what ever value he desired. This allowed Rictus to easily give out large amounts of money, and it cost him basically nothing.

(A/N: In case you do not remember, the septims here are not all just worth 1 gold. There are marked with various amounts like 5, 10, 20, 50, 100. I thought this would make sense because carrying around 1000 large coins for shopping would be ridiculous to me.)

The arrangement of paying for information was perfect for Rictus. He even made sure to pay the Khajiit extra for any potential rumors about him or if there were people looking for him. He told them he would easily match whatever anyone else was paying. The Khajiit would provide a great backbone to his informational needs. Rictus was supposed to receive the first informational packet tomorrow, and he was also going to teach Ma'randru-jo some basics tomorrow.

Rictus also had the start of a plan for getting more local information. He would start in the outer city of Whiterun. This area was where most of the lower working classed lived. The warehouse district was another big aspect there. Rictus figured with a city this size, there would probably be a decent homeless or disabled population. These were his main targets.

The homeless would be useful in gathering information regarding Whiterun. Many people ignored the homeless which allowed them to overhear things people don't usually share. Rictus didn't overestimate their reliability, but there would be hidden gems inside the information regardless. They would also work cheaply as a couple gold would go a long way for them. Maybe he would even incentivize the information by giving out more for those who gave better information.

Tamriel was a dangerous place. There where various dangers such as monsters and bandits all over the place, not to mention the falmer or dwemer automatons. Restoration magic did help alleviate a lot of the physical trauma, but it could only do so much. Usually, nothing could be done to restore lost limbs, but Rictus had found a way. This would provide opportunity.

People would pay almost anything to gain back a lost body part. The weirdness and loss are not something easy to describe. Phantom pains shooting up and down a leg which was no longer there. A hand that itches even though it is no longer there. Standing up suddenly only to fall when you no longer have a foot to balance with. The list goes on and on. If there was a way to return that body part, people would jump on it. They would also harbor gratitude to the person who could perform the miracle on them. This gratitude could be very useful.

Rictus was normally a pretty morally upright person. Part of him wanted to help out for free, but another part could not help but think of all the benefits which could be had. Rictus decided to go into with the thoughts of just helping people and if any of those people happen to feel indebted to him, so be it.

It did no take long for Rictus to enter some of the worst parts of the city. It was very dreary compared to most of Whiterun. The "houses" were closer to small sheds which were quickly deteriorating. The streets were made of dirt or mud and lined with trash. It did not take long for various natives to notice Rictus. The first to try something was a scrawny young man who bumped into Rictus. It was an obvious pickpocket attempt, but Rictus kept everything in his storage, so the attempt was a bust. A couple others tried, but they also didn't have any luck.

Soon enough, Rictus realized there were a few people stalking him. He couldn't be sure, but they seemed to have a bit more hostility than normal. The street becoming increasingly empty sure helped influence this deduction. Rictus could easily see there was another group hiding up in an alley ahead of him. Detect life made sneaking very difficult.

A dirty group of men exited the alley to block his way forward. There were 4 of them in front of Rictus with 3 more behind him. Their clothing was dirty and had a few holes throughout it. 2 didn't even have shoes on. They all carried some kind of weapon though. There were a couple rusty maces and few daggers. The supposed leader seemed to carry a partially rusted great sword. It seemed a little impractical to Rictus, but he guessed it was mostly to intimidate.

The leader was a very large Nord man who had better looking clothes than the rest. He was quite muscular and had small scars crisscrossing his arms and a large scar along the left side of his face. Rictus noticed how all the men had a similar scar on the right side of their faces. Rictus was a little curious how this would go. Thankfully, he did not have to wait long before scar face started talking.

"You seem to be lost my friend. Don't worry though. We would be more than willing to help you with directions for a modest price. You will have to pay the toll for trespassing onto the road of Scar's Guards."

The man tried to appear menacing, but it was lost on Rictus. Rictus had already faced much more intimidating enemies than a poor gang. He was a little impressed by their catchy name though. The leader spoke more elegantly than he expected too.

"Hmm well I think I could use some directions. Are there many people here who have lost an arm or leg? I was looking, but so far only saw normal beggars. Also, I am assuming you are part of a gang or something similar. Are there any others I should be aware about?"

The group was a little taken back by Rictus's relaxed attitude. Normally, people were scared when a bunch of scarred men with weapons suddenly appeared baring weapons. Rictus was a little intimidating with his large size and wearing black mages robes, but it wasn't like these people knew he was a mage. They saw plenty of interesting characters in these parts. Finally, the leader spoke out.

"Uh I don't think you really get what is going on here friend. You are going to give us all your money, or we will hurt you. If you give us enough, maybe we will answer your questions."

The leader patronizingly explained to Rictus who he thought may be a little dense. The leader wondered if this guy really expected them to just answer his questions like they were some kind of tour guides.

Rictus couldn't help but sigh at how this was going.

"It would have been easier had you just answered. Well, I will still be getting those answers I think."

As Rictus was speaking, the thugs noticed a strange green magical energy build up in Rictus's hands. Before they could really react, the magic pulsed out from Rictus to encompass all of them. The thugs found they were completely paralyzed. Once they realized this, panic began to set in. Even if they were not the smartest, they all knew only a powerful mage could casually paralyze all of them simultaneously.

Rictus then went towards each of the paralyzed thugs and caused the earth to rise and solidify around their legs so they could not move. He saved the leader for last. By this time, scar face was beginning to panic. It was definitely not supposed to play out this way at all.

"Now that everyone is acting more civilized, I will ask again. Are there many people who have lost a limb? And are there any little gangs I should be aware about? Where are they based and what do they do?"

The leader trembled under the Rictus's gaze. There was a sort of apathy there which lead the leader to believe this mage would not care about ending his life if he did not get answers soon. With a wave of his hand, Rictus dispelled the magic on the leader so he could speak.

"Ah…um… we are terribly sorry master mage. We had no idea or else we never would have bothered you. There are some of those crippled around here. More than there used to be that is because of one of our rivals. We are Scar's guard. We stay around the houses and people pay us to keep the street clean. Then there is Willow's watch. They stick mostly to the warehouses. Finally, there is Klippel's Cripples. They are a right nasty bunch. They can be found near the dump."

Rictus was impressed by this guy. He actually apologized and even answered his questions. It was strange how he mentioned there are more people crippled than normal. Rictus was also very impressed by the names of the gangs. Rhyming is tough.

"Hmm Klippel's Cripples…are they the rivals you mentioned who are increasing the number of cripples? Why would they do that? Why haven't the guard responded to that sort of thing?"

Scar face laughed despite the situation.

"The guards? They don't even bother coming here, much less the dump. The only people being affected are the really poor and beggars. Why would the guards take any kinds of risk for those people? I doubt they even really know it is even happening. Even we don't bother going there. Nothing of value in the dumps."

What he said made sense to Rictus. It seemed things weren't too different than on Earth. Many policing forces don't bother to visit places deemed too dangerous or worthless. He was still curious as to why they would cripple people instead of just killing them.

"Why would they cripple people instead of kill them?"

The thug just shrugged.

"Dunno. Not really our tuff or problem. Think it may just be the way they punish people. May even just do it for fun. Can't really tell with them. They know better than to mess with our area or the people who pay us."

Rictus nodded. It seemed as if this guy really didn't know what they did. Regardless, it would be worth investigating. It sounded interesting at least. Plus, if he could get revenge for the people being dismembered and heal them, they would really be indebted to him.

"Well, it seems like they will be my next target. I appreciate your cooperation. I think I will let you live despite you trying to harm me. If you could get someone to show me the way to where this other gang is located, I think we could call it even."

Rictus finally released all the trapped thugs. They quickly backed skirted back in fear of Rictus. The leader was quick to point out the scrawniest boy who had been one of the ones tailing Rictus. The rest quickly scattered leaving just the young man and Rictus.

"I don't know why you are just standing around. We got places to see and people to question. Lead on."

The young man couldn't help but feel dread welling up inside of him. He was now at the mercy of a mage who could easily paralyze an entire group of gangsters, and he was leading that mage into the worst part of the entire city which was filled with horror stories. He really should have listened to his mother and not joined a gang.

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[A/N]: I originally had Rictus meeting up and recruiting Jenassa, but I didn't like how it fit into the story at that part. Instead we got Rictus going to the bad part of town and meeting some small time gangs. I personally found it much more entertaining.

Also, kudos to GWied00 for guessing almost exacted what happened in regards to the follower...did you read my notes or something? That can't be the case since I obviously do not keep notes or else there wouldn't be so many inconsistencies with the story.

In case anyone didn't know or remember, Ma'randru-jo is a character in the game. He is not an option for a follower and a relatively minor character. I happened across him while playing and thought, that's a weird name. He also allowed me to write about him without having to worry too much about butchering his character since he is so minor.

Some people may be disappointed with the first official follower, but life is full of disappointments. Ma'randru-jo will most likely not be a traditional Minion and follow Rictus around all the time, but only time will tell how prevalent he will be in the story.