'It looks like I can stack a lot of stuff on my backpack, but I still will need a lot more room for all the shit that I can get and sell.'
Selling stuff was the best way to level up my speech. The downside was that I had to sell things separately. Still, my money problems would only bother me until I can partner up with Tyrion… it was about to check if Lannisters truly shit gold.
On the first day of my journey, I found a bunch of herbs, selling them was an option, but not leveling up my alchemy would be stupid… still, I found some animals along the way that I could have hunted if I had a bow. The only thing that I could do was to use flames and put some rabbits on fire since the range of the spell was ten meters.
Traveling on foot had its advantages, freedom of movement, chances to gather ingredients, and the occasional rabbit for dinner—but it came with harsh trade-offs. By nightfall, I realized I wasn't going to make it to the next village. The road stretched on through open terrain with no lights in the distance and no sign of shelter. Worse, the air began to turn bitterly cold. I pulled my cloak tighter, trying to ignore the chill, but soon I heard the first drops of rain tapping against the dirt.
Within minutes, the light drizzle turned into a steady downpour. The dirt road became mud, and the cold seeped through my boots and clothes. I ducked under a patch of thick trees, hoping the leaves would give me some cover, but it wasn't much. I thought about using flames to start a fire, but even with magic, wet kindling and no dry shelter would make keeping it alive a losing battle. Without proper cover, I was stuck, soaked, shivering, and alone in the dark. I wasn't going to die from one miserable night, but it was a grim reminder that this world didn't care if you were Dragonborn or a nobody. Nature would beat you down all the same.
'Ugh… this is annoying, to say the least. I guess I need to get used to sleeping rough in a place like this, given my profession.'
I had a decent cloak that could protect me from the rain to some extent. I found a decent tree to take over as well, so I could take a break and look for cover from the rain. As expected, living in the North didn't suit me, even though I am a Nord.
The worst winter had yet to come, and it would actually take almost two decades, but it was better to get my own place in the south. I was a bit hungry, but that much I could endure, so I sat down and hugged my knees to rest my body. If anything, the cold helped made me feel sleepy, but the surrounding darkness made me feel tense as well, like some night walker could jump toward me at any moment and from any direction.
Before long, despite the cold and the tension, I managed to drift into a restless sleep. The weight of the day and the biting chill eventually wore me down. But my rest was short-lived. I woke suddenly, senses sharp, as I heard wet footsteps crunching softly nearby. I didn't move, not a muscle, just listened.
The rain had stopped at some point, and the silence that followed made the footsteps even clearer. Someone was coming, moving carefully through the dark woods. That struck me as strange. Out here in the thick of night, with no moonlight to guide them, it should have been nearly impossible to find anyone without making noise or stumbling around. Whoever it was, they weren't just wandering blindly. And now, I had a decision to make: stay like this or find out who was sneaking through the night.
'Bandits? Or deserters? I guess the rumors of war would make people panic…'
It was a bit too soon to do anything drastic. Those who would do that were definitely low lives. In any case, I decided to pretend that I was still sleeping and not moved a single inch. I could hear only hear a pair of footsteps. It would be troublesome if they had a bow, but I could handle things to some extent if I played my hands right.
In the end, I didn't hear the sound of bowstrings moving… it would have been too convenient if they had it. In the end, they stopped when they were a few meters away from me and probably looked at each other before moving in opposite directions. That complicated things for me, but not that much. Once I could tell that both of them were within range, I activated flames on both hands and emptied my magicka, burning both of them at the same time.
"What?"
"Wahhhh! Wahhhhnh! It is burning, it is burning!"
Their clothes were a bit wet, so they didn't burn that well, but the flames and the heat spread through their bodies enough to make them flinch in pain. I used that chance to get up with my sword in hand and quickly choose the enemy on my left side who was trying to extinguish the flames on his left arm. He looked at me with shock and trained to block the attack with his sword, but my iron sword cleaved through his left shoulder, almost reaching his heart. The feeling of cutting flesh didn't make me stop. I just pulled my sword and then turned around, only to see the other enemy almost attacking me.
I raised my sword and blocked the thrust attack that he aimed at my stomach, and sparks flew in all directions when the blades touched each other. Still, I was pushed backward, and I almost lost my footing thanks to the fact that I was weaker than the remaining enemy… he noticed that and then couldn't help but grin.