I had a few things to do before I could start my journey to High Hrothgar. The first thing on my to do list was talk with the khajiits. So I moved in the direction of the docks. While I walked I thought about my other tasks.
The quest chain that involved Canary had updated. The quest log only told me to check up on her and the imperial legion. I had a few thoughts about what it could be about and the next steps of the quest. Unlike the old tomes, quests now seem to be on a certain time table. This quest chain felt like it would take some time.
So I could put it off since it was suggesting I should check up with them. Which left my deal with Jarl Elisif. I had my own reasons to kill Erikur. His connections to the thieves guild, the dainty sload and the Thalmor were all problematic to me. Though ultimately he does betray his thieves guild connections.
Thinking about it I actually have one more thing I need to do. I wanted Sybille to make me some magic scrolls. I had also wanted her opinion with dawnbreaker. My life, well afterlife was on the line. I could trade the study of Skull of Corruption and The Razor if she was willing. I wanted some strong destruction spells or thrall spells. I could do that after dealing with Erikur though.
I had arrived at the docks and looked over the dead man's dread. A fairly pirate like name for a trade ship. However it worked nonetheless. I mean it made the ship less likely to be attacked. Ri'saad and a Khajiit I had never seen before were talking.
"Hello Ri'saad, who is this?" My greetings were met with toothy grins.
The new Khajiit bowed his head. "I am Khem'ja. I come from down south, I will be the leader of the new sea caravan."
Khem'ja, I committed the name to memory just in case. Giving a smile I asked, "So the rest of the crew will be experienced sailors?"
Khem'ja nodded, "Currently my partner is taking care of our kin. However we will have a total of 17 crew members. Though we might need to grab more in time. The crew was determined before I saw the vessel."
This Khajiit was more eloquent then others. They even had an accent I obviously couldn't pin point. None of that really matter though as I focused on the fact they said partner. "You said you had a partner and kin?"
Khem'ja smiled, "Yes, she is with our kitten exploring the ship. I also took a look at the tree you want us to... export. Yes, export. We will be able to sell the sap at 500 gold per bottle. Mostly thanks to a woman from Whiterun providing most of the starting materials. I must ask though is your business associates fine with all this?"
That was a good question, I already had an answer though. Sorex was fine with it and we decided not to tell Corpulus. Since it was easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. So the whole business plan was kept a little quiet. it was legal though, so it didn't matter too much.
I asked, "So you two have almost everything?"
Khem'ja nodded, "Yes, Ri'saad even has an argonian joining the crew."
I raised an eyebrow, "How was that possible? I can't think of any argonian that would willingly take part in our business."
Ri'saad laughed, "His name is Sand-in-Pockets, his life was saved by a cat named Heral'ra. The two have been inseparable since. Heral'ra is a healer and Sand-in-Pockets acts as his bodyguard. From what I remember Sand-in-Pockets was a banished Shadowscale. He was banished because..."
Khem'ja jumped in when Ri'saad was in thought. "He was banished for not killing a target." Khem'ja paused as Ri'saad burst into laughter. Ri'saad spoke again, "Ah, yes. I remember now. He was sent to kill a priest. The same priest later adopted Heral'ra who later saved Sand-in-Pockets. Years later they joined the caravan wanting to travel the world."
I smiled at the story. That was certainly a feel good story, I had to wonder who the priest was and how old Heral'ra and Sand-in-Pockets were as well. I nodded, "So, the rest of the crew?"
Khem'ja nodded, "Most are Khajiit servants that worked on ships. However I am an experienced ship captain. So no need to worry."
I nodded, "Great! I will leave you to handle things."
They both nodded and I was left to my own business. I thought about the other things I had to do and walked closer to the docks. I unequipped my armor and stripped down. I left my pants and belt on though.
I ignored the looks of the guards and varying dock workers and dove into the water. The water was fine and I could see pretty clearly. However I couldn't hold my breath for long so I dove down quickly and found the sealed chest. I grabbed it and yanked it out of the dirt. I couldn't naturally pick the lock so I chose this method instead.
When I resurfaced I took a deep breath. I threw the chest on to the dock and climbed up shortly after. A guard walked up and asked, "Wh-What are you? What is in the chest?"
I gave a shrug, "No clue, I saw it underwater and its locked. It is most likely some kind of lost cargo. If you don't mind I can find out where it came from."
The guard nodded, "Hmmm, Alright. I'll come with you to turn it in."
A new quest appeared and I held back a smile.
The quest told me to find the owner of the chest and any who may be involved. It was an open quest to so I could skip steps easily. "No problem, if it is lost cargo it will be important to find who's it is."
The guard nodded and he picked up one side of the chest. While I picked up the other. We started walking and the guard made some small talk. "So how did you see it under water?"
I shifted the chest slightly to show of the still shiny lock. "I saw a shimmer in the water. When I took a closer look I noticed the chest. Since I am starting my own trade business I couldn't help wonder about it. I figured I couldn't just leave it down there."
The guard nodded, "You are a good person Vek. Speaking of your business though... Are you sure about employing those Khajiit?"
I gave a nod, "They have the mercantile experience, trading with people who don't always like them."
The guard nodded and we walked along with minor discussions about how the Solitude was doing. Eventually though we reached the Castle Dour. Captain Aldis looked at me and the guard with a funny face. "Aye, Vek! What are you doing with that."
I smiled and motioned to the guard. He took the opportunity saluting to Aldis. "Vek found this chest underwater at the Solitude Docks. As you can see it is locked. So it is unknown who it belongs to or what is inside it."
Aldis rubbed his beard, "So it is lost cargo." Aldis looked at me with an accusation, however first he pointed to the guard. "You are dismissed."
The guard nodded and began running back. Aldis looked at me and asked, "You know who it belongs to don't you?"
I smirked, "You know me all to well. It belongs to Safia of the Dainty Sload."
Aldis raised an eyebrow, "Those louse? Were the Black-Bloods not enough for you?"
I laughed, "Not after them. Let's head in and crack this chest open. I need to check in with Canary anyway."
Aldis gave me a freindly accusation. "You are scheming something?"
I said nothing and walked into the Castle Dour with the chest. Captian Aldis following behind me.