Beginnings

[A/N]: Bonus Chapter

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Rictus was happy with the progress so far. He could already tell he was greatly improving his alter body spell from all the practice on the unfortunate. He was not entirely sure how far the spell would be able to progress, but it was getting easier and faster all the time. The spell would eventually allow him to become a shapeshifter just like Mystique. Being able to change your appearance could be very useful in some not so legal activities. Rictus could tell he was not quite able to flawlessly copy someone's appearance, but he would get there eventually.

The 'Restoration', which was what the people here were calling it, was a huge success. Rictus didn't want to assume, but he was pretty sure these people would do almost anything for him. The almost fanatic look he would occasionally receive was a little unnerving but flattering all the same.

Ken was honestly a big part of why everything had gone so well. Rictus had basically made him his second in command who would handle all the little affairs. Ken seemed more than happy to do it too. Who would have thought healing a wounded veteran who had been forgotten by his family and country would make them want to follow your orders? Rictus had actually gotten really luck with him. It was almost like Ken was put there specifically to make this whole ordeal easier by some higher power. Rictus did not question it though and was simply thankful.

Rictus had given Ken some money so they would be able to keep buying food to feed all the people here and help with restoring them back to what they were before. Rictus was at first worried about people stealing his money but didn't really worry too much since he could just make more. Besides, most of the people here would use the stolen money to buy food anyways which already served Rictus's purposes.

Rictus also decided to further improve the base as well. The main thing was adding some outhouses so people could have a decent place to go to the bathroom. Connecting them to the sewer system was not difficult. He also wanted to make a small bath house. There were plenty of discarded water pumps in the dump which Rictus was able to restore. He cordoned off an area in the base where the bath would be so that people would be able to get cleaned up.

The change was starting to be quite miraculous. The addition of hope and basic hygiene could completely change how a person looked and acted. The change in such a short period of time really impressed Rictus. These people's lives had basically done a 360 in less than a day.

Rictus was still waiting on Ma'randru-jo when Ken approached him to speak privately. Ken really looked like a new man. His hair was still a little messy, but it was washed now. He walked with purpose and confidence which was lacking there before. The look in his eye was the biggest change. They were filled with purpose and determination now instead of hopelessness and resignation. Rictus thought he may know what this was about, but he was still curious as to where this conversation would lead. Ken looked at Rictus seriously as he gathered his thoughts.

"I do not have the words to thank you for what you have done. I know it may sound ungrateful at this point, but I must ask. What do you want from us? I know you said you wanted to practice your spell, but I believe there is more to why you have done everything. There was no reason to repair all of this or even stay and help out like you have done if you were only doing it for a spell. I have been around a while, and people tend to have hidden motives. What are yours?"

Hearing everything he had to say, Rictus gave Ken's words some thought before he answered him. He decided to just tell the truth. Honest was the best policy, in some situations at least.

"There are actually a few reasons. Firstly, I really do think what happened here was tragic and needed to be fixed. I find it a little ridiculous how bad things had gotten here and how no guards did anything to help. I was able to easily help, so I did. I am not the best man, but I like to think I am still more good than bad. There are some selfish reasons as well though. I did want to practice that spell. I had recently healed some people up in Winterhold with it, and I wanted to work on it. Practical experience trumps hypothetical in becoming more proficient with a spell. Also, I am not originally from Skyrim. There is a lot going on here which I do not know about, and I don't like that. Things are changing and not always for the better. A lot of important events will be happening very soon, and I want to be informed about them. I figured if I spread around some coin and maybe healed a couple, then I would be able to start building an information network. Many people overlook the poor and downtrodden which makes them great for information gathering. I was not expecting things to turn out how they did, but I am not going to complain. My final reasoning was not planned. While I do have a house in the inner city, I wanted someplace more private where I could do whatever I wanted. This area here works as a wonderful little place to fill that role. I have a student who is a Khajiit and not allowed in the city. Now I can teach him here while not having to either sneak him into the city or worry about teaching him my secrets out in the open field by the caravans."

Ken contemplated everything just told to him. It was significantly more than he was expecting. He did not think he was going to get the truth so easily from Rictus. He was expecting just some simple answer and to be brushed off as had happened so many times before to him when questioning a superior. Instead, he was told the truth and Rictus's thought process. Rictus was a little surprised when a small smirk appeared on Ken's face.

"Well, that was more than I expected. It seems I really am destined to this kind of work. I appreciate your honesty with me. I already owe you a debt for all you have done, and I honestly feel better there is actually something I can do to repay you. I am sure everyone will also feel the same way. We Nords are a proud people. We prefer work overcharity."

Rictus could see a small weight lifted from Ken after this. Having something to work towards gave a huge morale boost to the man. Ken had basically agreed to gather information and keep him informed without Rictus even formally asking him to do it. Rictus was curious about what Ken meant when he mentioned 'this kind of work.' It would be something to investigate later.

Rictus told Ken more about what he wanted to happen. It was fairly straight forward. Ken would oversee consolidating the information. They would have people bring them bits of information they overheard or interesting papers they "found." These people could be rewarded with food or money depending on the value of what they said. It would mostly be up to Ken to decide on what those payments would look like.

Rictus had also tasked Ken with looking out for the orphans. If there was the need for it, Rictus would make a shelter for them to go to be safe. It would be monitored to ensure the safety of the children. No Grelod the Kind here.

The final side project Ken would oversee was training some of the Restored. Rictus thought it would be a good idea to start teaching these people self defense so they could put up a fighting chance in case something happened again. Rictus knew there would be a lot of fighting soon and any extra preparation would go a long way.

Ken was happy with his new roles. He was already feeling younger than he had in years. It would take a little bit of time to grow into the role for gathering information, but he already had some related experience with that. He was very excited to be training people again. He had loved training new recruits in the legion, and he now had a lot of eager volunteers to learn what he knew. There were some other disabled warriors he was familiar with which would be getting an invitation to join him as soon as possible.

Ken could tell Rictus did not fully understand what he had done for the people here, especially those whom he had healed. Others would be thankful for how Rictus had stopped Klipple, or how he would pay them for information. The ones like Ken who had been healed, were more than thankful. They were devoted. Saving a dying man's life and giving him new purpose is a powerful thing, especially to those who had nothing before. There were bound to be some who were not as trusting, but the vast majority were now firmly loyal to Rictus. Rictus had saved them while no one else in this city, or even all of Skyrim, even acknowledged their suffering. Rictus had acknowledged it and solved it. The people here would not forget such an act. Ken was interested in seeing how far the boy would go in this life, and he knew he would do whatever he could to follow his orders.

Rictus was disappointed in one thing. Everyone here had abysmal levels of mana. He had been hopeful to find a diamond in the rough he would be able to make into a Min…*cough*…. disciple. Everyone here could barely even use magic. Sure, Rictus could have still chosen one of them and made them into a decent mage, but that would be a waste. Rictus would rather have one truly powerful mage than a handful of mediocre ones.

Rictus did notice something a little peculiar while searching for potential magical recruits. Rictus had increased the mana used for his detect magic spell just to increase the range of sight in case there was any hidden/lost magical items in the trash. There seemed to be slight difference in color to the magic Rictus observed. He wasn't 100% sure and would have to wait to see more mages to get a more concrete evidence since these people had abysmally low magical aptitude. He was hopeful these colors could represent something akin to magical affinities. It stood to reason people would be better suited for one kind of magic over the other. Rictus would have to pay closer attention with his detection spells to get a better idea of it all.

Soon enough, Rictus noticed a decent sized magical presence making its way towards his base. It seemed Ma'randru-jo had finally been led here. Ma'randru-jo seemed to be in good spirits as he moved with a happy bounce to his step and his tail seemed to be moving around happily. Rictus also noticed a package in his hands which Rictus assumed to be some of the initial information he was promised.

Ma'randru-jo quickly made his way over to Rictus once he saw where he was sitting and began to rapidly greet Rictus.

"This one greets Master Rictus. Ma'randru-jo has been looking forward to learning from one such as you. The location is unusual, but it does not matter. Ri'saad sends his greetings and the information requested. Ma'randru-jo is sorry to be pushy, but when can this one start learning?"

Rictus could not help but smile at the excited Khajiit. He was happy Ma'randru-jo seemed so ready to learn from him. Rictus quickly pulled out a few pages from his storage. The casual display pulling the items from his storage set Ma'randru-jo's eyes ablaze with curiosity. Ma'randru-jo felt his choice had been justified seeing Rictus use such complex magic.

Rictus handed the pages to Ma'randru-jo.

"These pages are some of my thoughts on Alteration magic. While I know some other magic, I will teach you some of the intricacies of this school of magic. There is so much potential in alteration, and I am still learning more about it each and every day. I am looking forward to teaching you what I know. You are the very first person I have decided to teach so I am looking forward to learning from you as well."

Rictus reached out and patted Ma'randru-jo's shoulder once he was done talking. When Rictus's hand contacted Ma'randru-jo, there was a strong magical pulse.

Ma'randru-jo felt a strange itching sensation over his heart. He could also feel a slight change to his mana pool. It seemed to have grown. Ma'randru-jo did not know many alteration spells, but the couple he did know seemed to suddenly make more sense in his mind. He realized there were some ways to his thinking and casting which were hampering the full potential of the spell. Ma'randru-jo did not fully understand yet what he had been granted, but he knew it was something special. He knew following Rictus was the correct decision.

Rictus was also surprised by the magical pulse. He could feel a spot of itchiness near the bottom of his neck, but it quickly faded. He could also magically sense Ma'randru-jo more deeply than he could before. It was as if he would be aware whenever Ma'randru-jo was near him or the general direction Ma'randru-jo would be located. It was a very interesting feeling which felt completely natural for some reason. On a whim, Rictus decided to try and check Ma'randru-jo's magic affinity again. Before, his magic signature gave off more of a reddish tint. Now, the signature was a dark green color with a bit of red around the edges. This would definitely require more study in the future.

"Well. That was new. Now how about we begin with some defense spells? I know that is not what you are most passionate about, but we can work up to that. Got to make sure you can protect yourself first."

Rictus then began teaching Ma'randru-jo about some novice alteration spells while focusing on defensive spells like Oakflesh. Rictus really did want to make sure his first Minion could protect himself. There were many dangers in this world after all.

It was honestly a little amazing how fast Ma'randru-jo was picking up what Rictus was teaching him. They did not have any spell tomes currently, but Ma'randru-jo still was able to learn Oakflesh in no time at all it seemed. They continued to work through all the novice level alteration spells in no time at all. Rictus made Ma'randru-jo keep casting until he was thoroughly exhausted from mana expenditure.

The sun had set awhile ago by the time Rictus decided to end the lesson. Ma'randru-jo could barely lift his paws to cast at this point. Still, Ma'randru-jo could not keep the joy from his face. He felt he had improved his magic more in these few hours than he had done in years. He knew the pace would slow down significantly once they started working on higher level spells, but the progress so far was intoxicating.

A couple of the Restored had to help led Ma'randru-jo back to the caravans in the dark. He only left after Rictus promised him they could work on some more spells tomorrow. Rictus couldn't help but appreciate the enthusiasm. Rictus actually had fun teaching him alteration magic. He was glad they only worked on novice level spells since he could cast them with no effort and for hardly any mana. He was still tired from all the previous spell work healing. Rictus was exhausted now by this point.

Rictus really wanted to go through the information packet, but he knew it would be better to review it once he was rested. He was excited to see what he would learn. Maybe there would be things involving other Skilled like him. Skyrim was a big place, and a lot was currently going on.

Rictus was very surprised when Ken told him that they had prepared him a place to sleep here. Rictus had been planning on going home, but the hopeful looks of the Restored caused him to decide against it. He would get a little sleep here before reviewing the information. Tomorrow would be busy again. Maybe he would see what the Companions were up to tomorrow night? Rictus could go for one of their nightly feasts they always seemed to have.

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[A/N]: Well things were not initially planned to go this way, but it just kind of happened while writing. I think the direction he seems to be taking is kind of fun.