Tales From Skyrim Episode VIII: “Cloak and Daggers”

A cold fog crept over Ustengrav which the moonlight had illuminated into a white blanket that covered the top of the dungeon pit.

Silence.

The only people here were either dead or still unconcious, the silence was only broken by creatures of the night hunting for food in the shadows.

Silence.

Fast paced footfall joined the hunting calls. It started to get louder.

BANG!

The doors of the dungeon swung open.

Darkwater emerged and ran into the centre of the stone pit with smoke rising off of him. Lydia quickly ran out from the doorway straight over to Darkwater and tried to pulled his burning cloak from this shoulders.

Darkwater – ‘shit, shit, shit’

Lydia- ‘hold still!’

She managed to unclasp the cloak and tossed it to the side where it continued to smoulder.

Darkwater stood up straight, brushed the dust from his armour and checked that nothing else was on fire. He regarded his now charred white cloak.

DW- aww man, my favourite cloak

Barbas happily plodded out of the dungeon.

DW- ‘What the hell was that about you mangy old mutt?’

Barbas – ‘What?’

DW- ‘I said “Barbas, don’t step on that there rock otherwise it will set off the booby traps” and you nodded and just carried on walking over it!’

Barbas – ‘you said boobies’

DW- ‘….right?’

Barbas- ‘I got distracted’

DW- ‘you’re a dog!...what do you care about breasts!’

Barbas- ‘Well excuse me for showing an interest in your passions!’

DW- ‘You owe me a cloak’

Barbas walked over to the smouldering cloak, cocked his leg and urinated on it.

Barbas – ‘There, good as new’

DW- ‘You know what…’

Barbas- ‘oooo Dragonborn is gonna have a hissy fit’

Darkwater lunged at Barbas but Lydia was holding his arm.

Lydia- ‘EITHER WAY, it doesn’t matter now, the horn wasn’t down there and all we have to show for that trip is second degree burns and a letter….so….what does it say, duck?’

Darkwater turned away from Barbas, opened the letter, darted his eyes back and forth and closed the letter.

DW- ‘we’re off to Riverwood’

Barbas – ‘yay we can see Lod, he loves me…oh, we’ll get fed that’s for sure’

Lydia- ‘You’ve done some work for the Jarl there haven’t you?’

DW- ‘What Colin?, yah just clearing up some nearby bandits and exploring someone’s sex cellar for him’

Lydia- ‘….right, I don’t…’

DW- ‘you don’t wanna know…all you need to know is that I got a REALLY NICE CLOAK FROM THERE!’

Darkwater raised his voice and looked at Barbas while he finished his sentence.

The trio headed back south to the small town of Riverwood in order to find the horn that the Greybeards tasked them with finding. They decided to take the longer route that went around the mountains in order to avoid getting lost again. They stopped back off at Whiterun for a couple of days to recuperate, stock up and to get some of Lydias wife Ria’s warm food in their bellies again. That time Barbas decided to stick close by for the duration.

                They headed back out and after selling off some of their loot, they decided they were well off enough to pay for passage on the next carriage to Riverwood which is exactly what they did.

                The carriage arrived at Riverwood by dawn. Barbas jumped out and ran into town where the local children cheered his name. Lydia and Darkwater climbed down from the carriage and walked towards the centre of town.

Lydia – ‘I guess the first place to try should be the inn?’

DW- ‘…well…yeah…would be rude not to have a drink and show our faces’

Lydia- ‘that’s not really what I meant…’

Two men stood in front of them wearing bone masks and were clearly not there for a jovial fancy dress party considering the daggers they were holding in their hands.

Masked Man 1 – ‘You there’

DW – ‘Me?’

Masked Man 1- ‘Are you the one they call Dragonborn?’

DW- ‘ no…no….what me?’

Darkwater looked at Lydia

Lydia- ‘Him? Hah, does he look like a Dragonborn?..’

DW- ‘I know right? I’m like …what?....haha’

Lydia- ‘Yeah, I’m sorry fellas, I think you’ve got the wrong guy’

DW- ‘ Lyd, lyd, can you imagine I’m all like ‘Dus, fro dah…or whatever it is’

Lydia- ‘yeah. Yeah and I’m all like wahhhh’

Lydia pretended to get blown away. Whilst the two men stood there silently looking at them both.

The second masked man pushed between them and the mysterious duo headed away from the town centre sheathing their weapons. Lydia and Darkwater looked at each other and both breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment Barbas came running around the corner.

Barbas – ‘Hey, Dovahkiin! Lods getting the beers in!’

The masked men turned around and both drew their daggers.

Masked Man 2: ‘Miraak will soon be returning!’