It Pays To Be An Adventurer

I'm just not ready to deal with what might be waiting for me in Whiterun, so I decided to head to Falkreath as it's about as far from Whiterun as one could possibly get. Faendal and I didn't get too far out of Riverwood before an assassin attacked me. I hadn't thought that we would encounter much more than a few rabbits en route to Falkreath, so I was wearing my regular cloth outfit when we were attacked. As the assassin closed in on me, scoring hit after hit, I called out for Faendal. He had been walking so far behind me that, at times, I believed that he might have gone back to Riverwood to try an settle things with Camilla. So, I wasn't surprised by his lack of response.

I fought back against the dual wielding assassin, power bashing him in the face in order to stagger him back so I could go on the offensive. I had him on his heels when I heard the telltale whiff of arrows being shot. Faendal had finally joined the fray. I had considered letting the assassin yield so that I could I ask him who he was working for, but before I could step back, a final arrow from Faendal hit him in the throat and he went down gurgling.

I searched the corpse and found a note that said:

As instructed, you are to eliminate Guillaume Coupe-Lacier by any means necessary. The Black Sacrament has been performed - somebody wants this poor fool dead.

We've already received payment for the contract. Failure is not an option.

- Astrid

Failure is not an option? Seems to me that the poor bastard failed pretty hard. Still, he got in some good shots. I used up all of my healing potions trying to undo the damage he had done to me. I figured that if this sort of thing was commonplace in Skyrim, we'd have to stop somewhere for supplies before moving on to Falkreath. Luckily, I could make out a small cottage in the distance. Maybe someone there would be willing to trade for supplies. I put on my Imperial armor and we headed towards the cottage

We had a quick look about the area when we got there. Apparently the place was called "Pinewatch". Nobody was outside, so I tried the door. It was locked. I looked over at Faendal and said "Looks like nobody's home". Faendal just stared at me which I took to mean that he wouldn't mind if we had a look inside. It was a fairly easy lock, so I picked it and went inside.

"You're not supposed to be in here", Faendal said. I wished he would have told me that BEFORE I had picked the lock. But, what's done is done, so I began to look around. Although there was quite a bit of cheese and meat, I didn't see any healing potions. I did, however, notice a set of stairs leading to what I presumed was a basement. Perhaps there were potions stored down there. The moment I stepped onto the staircase, I encountered a bandit! I swung my sword at him as Faendal loosed some arrows into him. He was no match for the two of us and his corpse fell down the stairs as the life left his body.

He certainly wouldn't be needing all that armor that had been left on the table in the basement, so I looted it, as some of it was better than what I was already wearing. There was a curious note among the items that mentioned wine that had been left in a bucket behind a shelf. I could hear a breeze blowing through the room, so I followed the sound to a shelf and found a button beside it. Pushing the button caused the shelf to swing open, revealing a hidden tunnel. I didn't have to ask Faendal if he wanted to explore the tunnel. I knew he'd be right behind me.

We got to the end of the tunnel to find a room being patrolled by three bandits. I crouched down and drew my bow, signaling Faendal to be ready to take down the other two once I dropped the first one. My first shot missed and the bandit looked around puzzled after the arrow hit the wall next to him. Nervously, I drew another arrow and shot. That arrow found its target, but the bandit was onto us. Instead of alerting his compatriots, he came charging towards us. Faendal finished him off with another arrow. The other two didn't notice that their comrade had been killed, so I let loose upon another bandit. This got the attention of the third who charged towards us. I drew my sword in order to battle him while Faendal continued to work on the other one with his bow.

Two bashes from the hilt of my sword staggered my opponent enough for me to move in for a quick kill with the dagger that I had in my left hand. I looked over at Faendal's opponent and saw him kneeling on the ground. "I yield! I YIELD!" he said. Those would be his last words, for I ended his life by pushing my sword through his gut. I had always heard that Nords never asked for quarter. Pathetic.

The next room led to a dining hall where we took two bandits by surprise as they were eating their evening meal. They were no real match for us and once we were finished dispatching them, I began to loot the room. I unlocked two chests, wasting nearly a dozen lockpicks on one of them. It was worth the effort, though, as it contained a pair of boots of higher quality than the Imperial ones I had been wearing. Even though these bandits weren't much for fighting, they certainly were well equipped.

They couldn't have been bandits for long, as any real bandit would surely have thought to loot the dead drugr that we found laying about. I must have gotten 20 gold pieces from doing that alone. I was shocked at how easily the bandits lived among the ancient corpses. We even found one of them fast asleep in the next room. I ensured that he would never wake up again. Nearby, there were four bandits going about their business and they put up enough of a fight that I had to stop for a moment to heal up.

The moment I drank down a healing potion, she appeared. She was clad in heavy Nord armor and wielded a war axe. The battle was joined. She put up a valiant effort, often blocking my attacks , practically anticipating my every move. Ultimately, I was victorious and sent her to Sovengarde by practically butterflying her chest open with my sword. Faendal remained silent, and, soon, I suspected why. Strewn about the room were a number of letters, one of which was from the lady's father. Her name was Rigel Strong-Arm and her father was imploring her to give up her life of crime and join the Stormcloaks. He obviously was not successful. That woman was a good fighter. The Stormcloaks could have used her. I felt for her wasted life and for the emptiness that would certainly swell within her father's heart now that she was gone. I looked at Faendal with a heart-felt sigh.

My melancholy would not last long, though, as I found a key on Rigel's corpse that unlocked a room filled with a fabulous treasure trove of gold, armor and potions. Finally, this adventuring thing had paid off. This was just the sort of haul I needed in order to start work on building my own blacksmith shop.

I Went In Dressed As An Imperial And Came Out Like This