Unfinished Business IX

He is actually a she…

And she is a tanned and toned bombshell. Caramel skin with her own pale, spider web-like patchwork of battle scars barely hidden by her rough spun peasant's tunic, which is also struggling to hold back her curvaceous tits that threaten to rip open the burlap covering with a single mighty flex.

The same can be said about her voluptuous ass that shakes the earth with each step. After several mesmerizing moments, I'm finally able to tear my gaze away from her extraordinarily endowed body, much to the relief of my weakened heart. Which I'm certain would've stroked out had it not been for my gamer's body ability.

My eyes then fall upon her face, which is slightly obscured by her chestnut brown locks, but it looks similarly well crafted with smooth cheeks, lightly dusted with freckles on either side of her button nose.

Her eyes are a solemn, earthy tone and upon locking with them I finally notice the substantial scar that runs from the top of her right eyebrow, across the bridge of her nose, and ends on the left side of her chin, which practically splits her face in two with the deep albeit fully healed gash.

"Is something wrong, Cagebreaker?" She asks in confusion, breaking me from my enraptured trance.

"Uh, yeah. You can just call me Silvantus. What's your name? Where are you from?" I ask after awkwardly coughing.

"Of course, Cagebreaker Silvantus. My name is Atris. I'm descended from a clan on Solstheim." Atris replies not getting it at all.

I sigh before slowly hobbling my way over to a dying fire with a cooking pot perched above it, before tossing a piece of firewood on with a slight bit of strain, to breathe some life into the fire while Atris stares at me with interest.

"Why are you cooking in such a state, Cagebreaker Silvantus? If you are hungry I can scavenge something from nearby or we could eat the ingredients raw." Atris offers with a perplexed look that faintly reminds me of Crimson.

I laugh before dismissing her suggestion, "Nah, I promised my kids I'd cook them breakfast. And figured it'd be better to make a simple stew while I'm able instead of breaking my promise to them."

This leaves Atris quietly stumped before asking with a tilt of her head, "If you have children, why was your mate not in your pack? Did the Silver Hand kill them?"

"No, nothing like that. I'm kind of... Trying to find a mate?" I say awkwardly as I stir the stew.

"As for the kids, I was traveling and came across them, and I chose to adopt them. We haven't been together long, but I want them to learn the value of giving your word. And the only way to do that is by example. So despite how terrible I look and feel, I'm going to do as I promised so long as I've got the energy to do it." I explain to Atris as I finish cooking in silence as they stare at me.

After about twenty minutes the stew is done and I turn to Atris, "I'm going to head up and get some sleep, you can have a bowl if you'd like. We'll go shopping tomorrow for armor, weapons, and whatnot, until then you can guard the camp or get some rest. We're safe here." I reassure her as I walk toward the Tower to get some much-deserved rest.

Luckily the tower entrance was made into a ramp instead of a staircase allowing me to shamble up it without much strain… At least until I see the interior staircase and realize with horror that the sleeping area is on the second floor.

"By Talos… I'm fucked…" I complain as I begin my perilous climb up a flight of stairs, that might as well have been High Hrothgar.

I drag myself up the last step as I've been left with no other choice but to crawl as I'm terribly out of breath and I'd swear my health bar was decreasing if I wasn't constantly checking it.

After spending several minutes just gathering my breath I finally get the strength to stand up on my own and head to check on the children when I see a sight that chills my blood.

A shadowy figure stands looming over the bed of Sofie and Lucia who had decided to bunk up together.

With a hood pulled low over their face I'm unable to determine any of their features aside from the glint coming off their dagger as they precariously juggle it over the heads of my kids.

My heart wrenches as I'm frozen in place, running through as many scenarios as I can about how I'm going to rip them to shreds in spite of my current condition.

After a moment I decide magic is the only way to go and I start to gather an ice spike in my hand behind my back when they grab their dagger out of midair and hold it to their lips in a silencing motion.

"Shhh... Don't want to wake them. I would ask what took you so long to get here... But I see you had an eventful night." The figure says before pulling down their hood.

Making me pause for a moment before releasing my ice spike to dissolve into nothingness as I sigh in relief at my recognition of this masked figure.

Her hood falls down to reveal a middle-aged-looking dunmer woman with high cheekbones and a pointed nose with charcoal black hair.

"Yeah, I had a shitty night, and yours could've been about ten times worse if I didn't recognize you. Karliah... Now help me get my crippled ass up to the roof so we can talk in private without disturbing the children." I say dismissively sticking my arm out as Karliah who stares at me with a raised eyebrow before shrugging and helping me up to the Tower's roof.