34 2.23

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As it turned out, Lucian did not have that many spells. He only had one of each school. Moreover, it was only Novice Rank Spells.

In the end, I got a new bag filled with 800 Septims, as well as another bag in which were the 5 Spell Books, only for the Golden Claw, two enchanted items and two rubies.

I left his shop with even more stuff on myself than when I entered… For god's sake, I have three bags on my back!

I did not go to the blacksmith in front, however. While I did need a better weapon than a thousands of years old sword and some armor, Alvor was nothing more than a small village's blacksmith. I doubt he would be able to sell me anything really worth it.

Moreover, I was less than two hours away from Whiterun, which housed the best blacksmith in all of Skyrim… so yeah, I passed on that.

Waiting outside, however, were my three Helgen companions.

Addressing them, I asked, "Yes?"

Ralof said, "We were about to go get a drink at the Sleeping Giant, wanna come?"

"Sorry, I have to go to Whiterun, and I have an appointment." Which was technically true, I had to leave this world and meet with Sarah.

Hadvar looked hopeful as he said, "Whiterun? That's good! Could you pass on a message to the Jarl for us then, please?"

Glancing at the Dragonborn, I asked, "What would that be?"

"You must tell the Jarl about what happened, so that he sends men here. I understand you have an appointment, but Riverwood doesn't have anyone protecting it."

I shrugged, replying, "Yeah, sure. I intended on getting the bounty for this guy's head anyway," I slapped Loraine's head, "so I'm going to Dragonsreach anyway."

Hadvar finally smiled, and thanked me.

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The road to Whiterun was peaceful, as I did not even get to see the companions slaying a giant in the fields. I guess these are reserved for the Dragonborn. Speaking of which, he really is taking his time, still being in Riverwood.

Although, I guess, that's good for me. In the game, the players do everything very quickly, because they have no reason to wait for days and no need for rest, but since the Dragonborn was taking his time here, that would allow us to exchange for more days to train, without missing events.

Funnily enough, when I got into the city, the guards did not warn me about the city being closed. I guess having a severed head hanging at my hip was intimidating enough.

Whiterun, as expected, was larger than in game. It was still, however, split in three parts: the plains district, where most businesses were as well as some houses, the cloud district, home of the infamous Nazeem, as well as the two noble houses of the city, Battle-Born and Grey-Mane, and Jorrvaskr, ancestral home of the Companions.

Finally, the third part, and my current destination, the top of the city, Dragonsreach.

The guards looked at me cautiously as I climbed the steps, and as I got closer, asked, "What is your purpose here?"

Lifting Loraine's head, I said, "To turn the bounty in, for once. Also, I have news about the dragons."

The moment I spoke about dragons, the two got fidgety as they quickly stepped to the side, saying, "The Jarl will want to speak with you."

I nodded, and stepped into the castle.

The insides were surprisingly similar to the game, even in size, as two long tables stretched across the throne room, with a slightly elevated throne at the other end of the room. On it sat Jarl Balgruuf the Greater.

The moment I entered, I felt like every pair of eyes was drawn on me, vigilant.

As I reached the end of the long tables, a dark elf standing next to Balgruuf coldly warned, "That's close enough."

I smiled politely and bowed slightly, "Greetings, Jarl Balgruuf."

Lifting my upper body, I saw the Jarl analyzing me with narrowed eyes. In response to my greetings, he asked, "May I know why you came to me, your sword out of its sheath?"

Tapping the sword against my shoulder, I replied, "Because the sheath got ruined, so I've been forced to move around like that. As for why I'm here… well, I have news for you and a head for your steward."

Saying that, I grabbed the head of Loraine, and turned to the steward, Proventus Avenicci, and threw the head at him, saying, "That's Loraine the Skinner. I've also wiped out most of his gang."

Proventus was taken aback by the head suddenly flying at him, and although he managed to catch it, he looked like he was about to puke.

Ignoring him, I turned back to the Jarl, adding, "I was in Helgen when the dragon attacked."

Balgruuf, who had been looking rather uninterested, instantly sat straighter as he asked, "You were in Helgen? Are you sure it was a dragon and not some Stormcloak attack gone wrong?"

"I told you, I was there. The dragon razed down the town in a matter of minutes, before flying off in Riverwood's direction. Thankfully, it didn't make a stop there, although some of the inhabitants saw it too. Which is why I'm here, I was asked to ask for guards on their behalf."

Balgruuf looked shocked as he muttered, "By Ysmir, Irileth was right…"

He started whispering with his council, and when he was done, he looked at me sternly as he said, "You have done Whiterun a great service, by not only warning us of the danger but also wiping out a dangerous criminal's gang. You have deserved a reward, and so I shall gift you an armor from my personal collection."

Saying that, he got up from his chair, nodding at one of his guards who ran off, and turned back to me, "While your armor is brought to us, I may have a job for a man with your… talents."

Knowing where this would lead me, I smiled, "I would be happy to help."

Balgruuf nodded, and led me to his Court Mage.

"This is Farengar, my Court Mage. He has been charged with researching anything related to these dragons."

The mage barely even registered our appearance, and only when Balgruuf called for him did he look at us.

"Farengar, I believe this friend could help us with our problem."

The mage looked at me with narrowed eyes, saying, "I do need someone to fetch something for me. Are you familiar with Bleak Falls Barrow?"

Tilting my head, faking surprise, I replied, "I do. I just cleared it."

Farengar froze for a moment, before asking, "You wouldn't have happened to find a strange stone? It is black, and…"

Taking the Dragonstone off my back, I asked, "You mean this?"

Farengar's eyes grew comically large as he held the stone, "You really have it! What a wonderful coincidence!"

He tried to take it, but I kept a firm grasp on it as I said, "I had to get through a hundred bandits, hundreds of Draugrs, and a Frost Troll to get this, you know. I'm not just separating with it for nothing."

Farengar rolled his eyes and replied, "If you want a reward, just speak with the Jarl."

Turning to look at Balgruuf, the man looked shocked, but he quickly returned to a more formal expression as he said, "Ah, yes, of course. Hum… your sword looks rather old. Why not add a weapon from my collection too?"

I let go of the stone, smiling, and before long, I found a new enchanted sword, as well as a brand new armor.

The sword was an Elven Sword, with a Lightning Damage enchantment on it. As for the armor, it was also Elven, a chest piece, enchanted with a Resist Poison.

Now, I didn't even need to find Eorlund anymore.