John simply handed over the letter and continued his blacksmithing training. Strike after strike, he shaped the iron. John's clothes were soaked with sweat from the heat and the work in the forge.
---
*Several hours later*
"Your Blacksmithing skill has increased."
Skills are easiest to level up at the beginning.
"Phew." John sighed and finished his creation: a crude leather helmet. He gave it to Alvor and trudged to the tavern.
---
*5 days later*
John packed his belongings from the tavern and headed towards Faendal's house. As he approached, Faendal emerged, fully equipped.
"Yo, Faendal. Ready to go to Whiterun?"
"Of course. You helped me, and I won't remain in your debt."
"Let's go."
John hopped onto his horse and into the saddle. Faendal mounted his own horse.
Faendal was dressed in dark green light armor, with a bow on his back and a quiver. A dagger in its sheath hung at his belt. All in all, full gear.
John, on the other hand, was dressed in dark brown light armor. A hunting bow with glass-tipped arrows in a quiver also adorned his back. There was also a dagger at his belt and several throwing knives at his sides, plus a one-handed sword on his left hip.
As for food, potions, and other supplies, they were all in bags on the horses. John and Faendal galloped down the road, heading for Whiterun. Fortunately, the Bosmer knew the way to the city, as he sometimes visited to sell bows. By the way, he collects these bows.
The journey to Whiterun was not short and would require effort. Along the way, they encountered several wolves, but dealing with them was no trouble. Sometimes they saw mudcrabs and simply ignored them. There was no point in fighting mudcrabs; it was a waste of time. As they rode along the stone road, Faendal decided to ask:
"So, why are we heading to Whiterun? Do you need to buy something, or are you just traveling?" Faendal asked with clear interest in his eyes.
"I don't know if you'll believe me. But a Dragon attacked Helgen."
"What!? You're joking, right?" Faendal's eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm not joking. It's the absolute truth. I was there and saw a huge dragon. It destroyed Helgen." John explained the true story.
"Hard to believe. Dragons are only in fairy tales."
"That's why I'm heading to Whiterun, to warn the Jarl to increase security in Riverwood."
"I didn't know. Thank you for taking this on. The people of Riverwood will be in your debt."
"It's nothing," John waved off.
---
The sun was already setting, and darkness was slowly descending. John and Faendal stopped for a rest. John lit a campfire with magic, while Faendal set up the tent.
*Thud.* John sat by the fire and watched the flames. Faendal finished with the tent and sat next to John.
John took out some dried meat and bread. He handed part of the food to Faendal. John slowly ate the meat and bread, washing it down with water from his flask. The Bosmer also began to eat. John started a conversation:
"Listen, Faendal."
"Huh?" he replied with a mouthful.
"Why did you choose Camilla Valerius?"
"Why do you ask?" Faendal raised an eyebrow.
"Just curious."
"Hmm. Well, if you insist. *Ahem, ahem.*" The Bosmer cleared his throat a little. "I arrived in Riverwood only a few years ago and decided to settle here. All because of the good location and abundant forest. There was a lot of game to hunt here. And one day, I ran into a Sabrecat in the forest."
"Wow." Surprise appeared on John's face.
"Wow is an understatement. Before I could even grab my bow, the cat pounced on me and tried to bite my neck. But I quickly pulled out my dagger and plunged it into its eye. The wounded cat jumped back and shook its head. I barely got up, grabbed my bow, and shot the cat in the other eye. The arrow hit right in the brain, killing it. It broke my collarbone and ribs. I barely made it to Riverwood, and Camilla met me. She gave me some potions and bandaged me."
"Hmm."
"Well, that's pretty much it. I was just grateful to her after that, and once I healed, I went to Lucan's shop almost every day. I bought some goods and talked to Camilla. Gradually, I fell in love with her. And that's basically the whole story."
"A very interesting story, Faendal. I'm extremely surprised how you managed to defeat a tiger."
"Heh, yeah. But that animal isn't the most dangerous in Skyrim..."
"True enough." John agreed, knowing there were dragons, liches, ghosts, and many other enemies in Skyrim.
"Well, what about you? How did you end up in Helgen?"
"Me?"
"Well, since I told my story, you should tell me something about yourself too," Faendal said as if it were obvious.
"My story is even simpler. It all started when I was caught at the Skyrim border with the Stormcloaks."
"Why were you crossing the border?"
"I can't say. But I'll tell you what happened next. All the rebels, and I with them, were captured. Then, upon arriving in Helgen, they were about to execute me, but a dragon arrived. This dragon was enormous and blackish in color. With one shout, it made everyone fall. And I, taking advantage of the situation, somehow escaped."
"An incredible story."
"You bet. Barely made it out."
---
After several stories, John and Faendal became something like friends. A few minutes later, the campfire died down, and John looked at the sky. In the dark firmament, many stars and several huge planets were visible. For the first time, John was captivated by such a sight. It seemed unreal, like someone else's dream...
"Ugh. Time to sleep."
John fell asleep in the tent, and Faendal stood guard. They had agreed that Faendal would guard the first half of the night and John the second.
---
*John's Dream*
He found himself in space, amidst constellations and 9 planets. A blue mist lay at John's feet. He looked up and saw his skills.
↓↓↓
Blacksmithing 25
Archery 27
Destruction Magic 27
Restoration Magic 26
Alteration Magic 27
One-handed Weapon 28
Alchemy 26
↓↓↓
Level 3
2 skill points available
John pondered where to invest his 2 skill points.
He liked Restoration and Destruction magic the most. As for weapons, Archery and One-handed weapons were more suitable. Armor... Light armor was best for now, then he could switch to heavy. He also shouldn't forget about Blacksmithing and Blocking. But still, it was better to level up Archery and One-handed weapons first.
Pointing his finger at the constellation of One-handed Weapon, he closed his eyes and concentrated. *Puff.* One star flared up and began to shine twice as brightly.
This was the **Strong Arm** ability: One-handed weapons deal 20% more damage. Then he moved on to the Archery skill.
Also concentrating, John unlocked the **Overdraw** ability: Archery deals 20% more damage.
After improving his skills, John looked at the blue mist. He touched it, smelled it, and couldn't understand why the mist was there. Shaking it off, John summoned a book. In this book, he wrote down everything he knew. Here's an excerpt from the diary:
"4E 201, 17th of Last Seed, Sundas (Sunday), I was almost executed. But I survived and escaped. Special thanks to Alduin for distracting everyone so I could escape."
John recorded all events happening to him in this book, as well as all important information he knew about the games Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, and other games in The Elder Scrolls series. In addition, it included the lore of this universe. John tried not to miss anything. After filling a considerable portion of the diary, the young man simply sat down and began to meditate. It was unknown why, but meditation here helped John restore his mana reserves. Plus, it calmed him down a bit. After checking his attributes, John decided to sleep.
---
*The next day*
Having slept enough, John and Faendal rode for most of the day. Sometimes they let their horses rest and drink water from a small stream or their flasks. Closer to sunset, they met some strange individuals.
"So, you don't believe in Talos?" asked a tall elf in a black cloak with several golden patterns on the fabric.
"No. We don't particularly believe in gods," John replied.
"That's good," the Thalmor said with a hint of joy. "Now go where you intended. And most importantly, if you find out someone believes in Talos, report them to us. That way, you'll be of some use."
"Um, okay," John and Faendal replied.
"Farewell," the tall elf concluded with a sly smile and led his three Altmer companions away.
---
The Thalmor was not a good organization. They attacked the Cyrodiil Empire, forcing the Empire to sign the White-Gold Concordat, which included several demands: 1. The Empire recognizes the superiority of the Altmer and their right to certain lands. 2. The prohibition of Talos worship. And several others. Quite awful for the citizens of the Empire, as Talos was an important god to them. Some imperial lands went to the Thalmor. All in all, the Thalmor should be removed, but they had a lot of power.
---
After waiting a bit for the Thalmor to leave, John began:
"Faendal, try not to be seen by the Thalmor."
"Why?"
"They look down on all races except their own, and they're trying to ban the worship of Talos. If you or your beloved believed in Talos, you'd be imprisoned, or worse, killed."
"Hmm." Faendal frowned at John's words. "Is that really true?"
"Yeah. You can find out from innkeepers or information brokers. Don't tell the authorities or other people about this. It's dangerous."
"I understand." Sweat beaded on Faendal's forehead.
---
And yet, John was also nervous. After all, the Thalmor were quite powerful in magic and were formidable opponents. All because of their long lifespan and talent in magic.
They stopped for another rest and fell asleep.
The following days passed uneventfully. They woke up in the morning and rode. Along the way, they encountered wolves and other not-so-dangerous predators. At sunset, they made camp and fell asleep.
---
*4 days later*
John and Faendal reached Honningbrew Meadery. It was located southeast of Whiterun. Whiterun itself was close, about 900 meters from the meadery. Even from that distance, it was clear that Whiterun contained several hundred houses and possibly had a population of 1000 or more people. This was quite different from its in-game counterpart. Well, what else can you say? Game conventions.
---
John bought 3 bottles of Honningbrew Mead. *Thump, thump, thump.* Approaching Faendal, he asked:
"Want some?"
"No. I don't usually drink."
"As you wish." John shrugged. "More for me then."
*Gulp, gulp.*
"Woah. Excellent mead."
---
Strong yet sweet alcohol filled John's stomach. This mead was clearly excellent.
After drinking some mead, they continued riding. A few minutes later, they were at a field where cabbage was grown. This was Pelagia's Farm.
*Thud-whoosh.*
A giant was in this field. Around 3.5 meters tall, humanoid. It had long, powerful limbs with thick skin and strong muscles. Grayish-brown hair was matted on the giant's head. Although at the moment, it was attacking a group of warriors who, working as a team, were excellent at repelling the monster. A woman with red hair particularly stood out. She was dressed in iron armor, and claw marks were drawn on her beautiful face.
John decided to help them and shot the giant several times in the back. But the giant was clearly barely holding on, and after a minute, it fell dead. *Thump!*
---
The red-haired woman quickly ran towards them.
"Excuse me, but we could have managed without you."
"Oh. I just decided to help."
"That's noble of you. But... you're quite skilled with a bow."
"Yes, I learned from an experienced hunter," John said. At his companion's words, Faendal became proud of his student. He doesn't forget his teacher after all.
"You could join the Companions in Jorrvaskr. You have potential."
"And who are the Companions?"
"You don't know!?" The girl stared at John in surprise.
"Um, no."
"They are brothers and sisters in arms. We fight all sorts of problems and are mercenaries. Being among us is a great honor."
"Oh, cool. I'll think about your offer."
"Of course. It's quite an opportunity."
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Aela. Aela the Huntress."
"And I'm John. Uh... just John."
"Alright. Now, we're leaving."
---
The group of Companions left and removed the giant's corpse from the garden. It was a shame a few cabbages were damaged.
"Listen, John," Faendal began.
"What?"
"I've been thinking that I can give you some lessons for free."
"Oh, thank you, teacher."
"Besides... did you see Aela's eyes?"
"Yeah. They seemed normal."
"That's not what I mean." Faendal was a little embarrassed. "I mean she's smitten with you!"
"Faendal." John placed a hand on the Bosmer's shoulder. "Did you actually drink that mead?"
"Why would I!?" Faendal exclaimed. John looked at him suspiciously. "Well, just a little."
"Haha. Faendal, she definitely didn't fall in love with me. At most, she thought I was special."
"But that already mean—"
"Enough about this," John interrupted Faendal. "You shouldn't drink. Let's go. Whiterun is just a stone's throw away."
---
Slapping the reins, John and Faendal galloped towards Whiterun.
Stopping at the stables and leaving their horses there, they headed into the city.
The city walls were 2-3 times larger than Riverwood's. In addition, several guards patrolled the fortress, monitoring the situation outside the city. Finally reaching the gates, they were met by a guard with a question.
"Why have you come to the city?" It seemed that if they didn't answer, they'd get punched in the face.
"We came to inform the Jarl that a Dragon attacked Helgen."
"What!?"
"It's the absolute truth. I was there and saw the dragon with my own eyes."
"If that's the case, then come in. You should go to Dragonsreach immediately."
"Of course."
---
Two guards opened the gates. The two companions entered the city. A wave of noise greeted them. Even though the day was nearing its end, people were going about their business. The city itself was very different from its in-game prototype. Every house was made of wood. The nearest weapon shop was about 15 meters long and had 2 floors.
John surveyed his surroundings and was surprised by the number of houses, the multitude of people, and the bustling activity. Faendal, however, paid no attention to it. He had been here sometimes and was already used to the atmosphere of this city. Together, they first entered the Sleeping Giant Inn. The smell of delicious food mingled with strong alcohol. Several drunkards were drinking, while others simply ate their food and watched the fire. Various conversations popped up occasionally. They sat at the nearest table and ordered a roasted boar. The Dragonborn decided to talk to Faendal.