When I woke up it was from a normal dream. I didn't enter the level up dreamscape. No level up, meant no dreamscape. It made sense, I was on the verge of leveling up. However I stopped myself to confirm that.
Next on my list was Meridia's beacon. I got that quest due to luck in my opinion. It wanted me to locate the beacon, checking my map it appeared to be somewhere near Falkreath. I had a good guess on where. Second thing I was gonna check was if predetermined quest items were always in one spot as well as being there before the required level for the quest.
Azura's star and Meridia's beacon could be acquired at any time. However other quests require a level cap. I knew of a place near Solitude that could help me out in this regard. All I needed was to check.
The catch to this was I was scared if Falkreath would be picked clean of quests. There were 22 players. Meaning 21 people roaming skyrim that could have massive influences on the world. I had no idea if some died or not either, I only knew they weren't in Solitude.
Another point was I needed keep my lies in order. Which meant I needed to level up my speechcraft. I also had a gut feeling learning Thu'ums wouldn't be as easy as reading my book I got. I think it required something more.
I've opened my book I got for a bonus as the only one to chose speechcraft. I understood it and everything. However despite understanding, knowing the words and even having literal book explaining it. I couldn't use shouts.
It got me thinking, and I needed to confirm that thinking. In magic I had no shouts magic tab. Second, an idea popped in my head. Secret skill trees! They technically had 2 of them that I know of. The werewolf perk tree and the vampire perk tree. Perhaps there were other skill trees. Perhaps they made some kind of skill tree exclusive to the dragonborn. I couldn't know for sure.
I grabbed my stuff and slipped out of the city. The sun was just rising and I had a lot of ground to cover. following the shore line I saw a bunch of people moving stuff from the Broken Oar Grotto. Pretty sure it was the Ice runner sailors. I moved past them, I didn't know how far this would be. Solitude was massive compared to the original skyrim. From a guess it now had a population close to 500k? I couldn't say for certain though. Tons of faces I didn't recognize, along side the ones I did.
I stopped running for a second and looked up the cliff side. I was about 50% sure the steed stone was up there. This was the first confirmation I wanted. If the standing stones worked, the steed stone was a perfect stone for said confirmation.
I got to climbing up the cliff. It was much easier than I expected, no repeated jumping up a slope mind you. However it was simple enough. Eventually I got the small plateau the steed stone sat on. A couple of bandits made the place their home, however they were still sleeping. I snuck over to the first one and drove my dagger into their throat and then I did it to the second one.
Stealth was still overpowered, it made me scared of the future. Combat was clearly more advanced then it was before, but it was easier too. Easier to die, more specifically. I tapped the standing stone and a beam lit the sky for a second as the stone lit up. Then I got a pop up.
{The Steed Stone activated. Increased carry weight by 100 and removes movement penalty of armor. Can be upgrade.}
My eyes narrowed, "upgraded?" The blessing skill tree right. I looked at my map and began moving again. I was heading straight toward Rimerock Burrow. It was the cave the Rueful axe would always be located in. The catch to this was that said axe only spawned once the quest with Barbas was activated. I didn't actually remember the name of that quest. Not like the name mattered.
I snuck past some wolves and my sneak leveled up again. Eventually though I made it to the small cave entrance. From memory there was an leveled atronach and a wizard inside. The wizard was screwed by Clavicus Vile.
The wizard was no problem, the atronach though. I sighed and snuck into the dark entrance. I peeked the corner and saw the flame atronach. I watched it for a little bit and I watched it eventually sit down. It was drawing pictures in the ground with fire.
Hm, I guess it was just a type of Daedra, so they are sentient. I waited for it to be distracted and snuck into the cave. I wasn't gonna fight it on even ground. Specially with the wizard still around.
I froze in the dark as the wizard turned, "Who's there? He turned to look at the atronach. What are you doing! You should be patrolling! Clavicus Vile that scheming wretch, he could be sending an assassin here to do his bidding any second! Go outside and do what I summoned you for!"
I raised an eyebrow as the atronach frowned. It glided out of the cave with a look of annoyance. I didn't know how fire looked annoyed, but it did have tits so what was I to question it. I waited for him to turn around.
Except the bastard began to mutter to himself. "I managed to separate him from his pet. However that shrine, those damnable vampire ruined my plan to permanently seal him there. I just need more time, that's what I need, then I can cure her. I can cure my darling daughter."
I paused, his daughter right. She had lycanthropy, she wasn't in the original skyrim. I wonder if they... I opened my quest book. It couldn't be right? There is no way right?
Hidden instincts was the name of the quest to search for the sounds coming from Solitude Sewers. The moment he turned around I moved pulling my dagger to his throat. I held it there, "Shhh, if you call out I'll slice your throat and you will never cure your daughter's lycanthropy. Tell me, is she in the Solitude sewers?"
Sebastian Lort was stiff, "Y-yes! Did Vile send you? Are you here to kill me?"
I drove my knife into his neck. "Should've just let me ask the questions." He coughed blood and his hands glowed. I kicked him in the groin and he fell to his knees. "M-My Darglglig."
He stopped moving after that and a my quest journal updated. The quest Hidden Instincts changed, Find a cure for vampirism or a way to control the changes of lycanthropy. So that answered that question. The Quest hint updated too, it seemed the quest was somewhat timed since I killed Sebastian here.
She would starve or break free in her Lycan form and rampage in Solitude. I sighed, the Atronach didn't enter the cave. So the creature didn't hear him. I looked at the Rueful axe sitting on the table. It was exactly where I thought it would be. I grabbed the axe and shoved it into my inventory.
Looking around I grabbed 2 black soul gems and a skill book. I recognized catalogue of enchantments for what it was. Second I moved around the corner to where them man slept. Smelled like death, and I shook my head. I popped open the chest and found some gold, a sapphire and more soul gems. Seemed his plan was something to do with them.
I looked back at the entrance of the cave. I was done looting so I moved silently to the entrance and peered outside it. The atronach was sitting there. I narrowed my eyes and readied my dagger for a fight. I would need to aim for the chest likely.
I froze when it waved to me. I paused, "Uh, you aren't gonna attack me?"
It shook its head and then held out its hand. A second later a small rock began to form. It then grew into a cup and it held it out to me. I grabbed the bowl thing and looked at it confused. It then clapped its hands together and dust sprinkled down into the bowl. It smiled, nodded and the began floating off.
It took me a second to process what just happened. Did it just give me fire salts? I looked at the powder and I just blinked in confusion. I was just given fire salts by the atronach. I guess he had a contract that allowed the atronach to roam more freely. Since he died it must not need to return to its plane of oblivion?
I paused and looked around, "Seriously, what the fuck?"
I put the fire salt into my inventory. I shook off the confusion as well as I could and began the walk to Solitude. I need to take a carriage to Falkreath. I had the Rueful axe I can just got to... I froze as I watched the atronach near the shore killing a hoarker.
I blinked and just began walking.