Huntressing

After Michael is shown the new recruit beds under Jorrvaskr, the Companions hold a short ceremony in the main hall which is followed by a celebration... Mainly, many, many drinks. Of which Michael mostly avoids, as he needed a clear head for what he planned to do tonight.

During this, he did get better acquainted with the other Companions, Specifically, Vilkas, Farkas, and Aela, the latter of which seemed more interested in fighting him than talking, but progress was progress.

Farkas himself didn't have much to say, but listened intently when Michael spoke of his time in Falkreath, hunting bandits and his run-in with Vampires, this particular story catching the ears of a few other people.

He got to know Jackle a bit as well, the prideful Orc deigning to lower herself enough to his level so they could converse as 'equals'. He learned a bit about Orcs and the various Orc Strongholds speckled around Skyrim, she spoke of her home, Narzulbur in particular, a place she had fled after her father, the chief, tried to have her married to her brother Mauhulakh.

Orc Strongholds were more tribal than most other settlements in Skyrim, with only the Chief being the one allowed to sire offspring, if anyone else wanted the right they would have to beat the Chief in combat and claim the position as their own... Jackle's father, however, wished to try and keep the power in the family... Others were angry over this decision, but they weren't strong enough to fight against it.

Even among Orcs incest is frowned upon, so she defeated her brother in single combat and left, refusing to be part of her father's schemes any longer. Apparently, not long after she left, her brother had killed her father and took his place as chief and sent a letter to invite her back... Which she refused with a passion.

The jolly afternoon soon came to an end, and everyone not passed out drunk already heads to bed so that they'd be ready for tomorrow. Michael stays up in the hall, ignoring the stinkeye Skjor was sending his way... Apparently, his induction without the Harbinger's opinion hadn't settled well with him, leaving him with a dislike for Michael...

Regardless, once Michael was left on his own, he got his equipment ready while using Cloak and Dagger to turn invisible before heading out of Jorrvasker and into the nighttime city.

Despite it being an hour til' midnight, people still seemed to be milling around... The curfew was still in effect, but that didn't stop the drunkards from getting their fill of mead at the local tavern. It was actually a common occurrence to see the guards go back and forth between the jail and the bar with a new person being dragged behind them... He idly wondered if there were enough cells for all the people they were jailing.

But, he supposed it was better this way instead of allowing them to wander around alone and risk getting butchered by the murderer.

Speaking of the murderer, Michael's best option to catch them currently was to head to the last place they'd been spotted. An alleyway near the orphanage apparently... He didn't know where the orphanage was however, so he'd have to look around for a bit.

Eventually, he does find the place, and after scouting around for a couple minutes, does find the alleyway that smells like a slaughterhouse. The murderer wasn't gentle with their victims from what he could tell, the blood spatters that reach two and a half meters high on the nearby wall showed just how brutal it had been.

Whoever it was must've been incredibly strong, maybe stronger than Michael when enhanced by his Gandalfr runes... A Vampire maybe?... Maybe not, no smart blood-sucker would draw this much attention to them.

It couldn't be a conjured Dremora either, as those guys would've just charged straight towards the guard barracks in an attempt to kill as many people as possible. So, he really had no clue at all.

He did have one other options... The Vessel of the Hunt. But, that'd mean coming out of invisibility and revealing himself to Whiterun. He'd probably get thrown in jail for wandering around at night. He was brand new to the city, so it wouldn't take much to pin the crime on him.

No, he'd do it tomorrow morning if he couldn't find anything tonight. He'd certainly not risk using the Vessel anywhere near the Companions... He didn't need them on his back, or with their fangs around his neck.

Michael continued to sneak around the city, keeping an eye out to see if the murderer would strike again... Unfortunately, this doesn't occur, or at least, he isn't aware of it if it did. With no results to show, he heads back to Jorrvaskr and climbs into his new bed, ignoring the rather loud snores from his other recruit buddies.

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The next day Michael is awoken bright and early by Jackle who almost dislocates his arm as she pulls him out of bed. "Wake up, it's time to train." she grouses, herself not happy at how early it is. The Companions don't usually have such strict schedules, but for new recruits, it's best to get them ready for combat as soon as possible, as you never know when you'd be sent out on a job.

Grumbling to himself, he does as he's told, coming out into the training ground where the other recruits were sparring... Only to then get dragged to the side by Aela, who immediately demands a duel from him... Apparently, Vilkas had been impressed by him and let the others know, which made it Michael's problem as Aela now wanted a piece of him... Or to be more specific, her pound of flesh.

So, both of them stand off with one another, both dual-wielding and both favouring a more agile style of combat. Needless to say, with his runes he was far, far less skilled than any of the Companions were, along with the fact he was weaker than they were... Nords really had an unfair physical advantage over everyone else... Barring maybe Orcs... Or maybe it was the beast blood that ran through her veins that improved her strength?