6.5K words.
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/Over half an hour later…/
Without much trouble, Philip and Uvrik led everyone back to the Hold through the nearby woods, the same path they had taken to reach the cavern.
No enemies or anything unusual occurred as they returned, it was a pretty simple trip… albeit depressing if anything.
The looming feelings of those around them were strong. Those they had lost and knew superseded their emotions of gratitude and happiness for being alive. Maybe not all felt like this, but there were enough to affect them.
He calculated the necromancer had taken well over fifty people. If he were to assume all undead were indeed from living beings and not sourced from nearby cemeteries and other sources, that number might surpass a hundred.
Philip didn't say much on the way back, paying more attention to his loot and surroundings as he thought about what would be the most beneficial reward to ask for from this action. With his time, he feared he would at best reach another hold with his caravan, he had to make it worth it.
At the same time, he considered ditching the caravan. Selling everything it was worth and taking a horse and dashing into the distance. With his two weeks, he even considered training as much as possible so his options increased.
If he could not make the money legally, then it would have to be through other means… with his power, if he were to add enough points into his Health Stat, he calculated that his strength would eventually surpass that of giant, as right now, with five points in Health, he was at the physical limit of a human, he couldn't see himself growing any stronger within reason.
However, his thoughts kept being disrupted, for everyone seemed eager to talk with him. Perhaps as a way to distract them from their fears and worries, they turned to him as a source of hope.
Some thanked him time and time again, others told their own stories about how they got trapped, and a few told the things the Vampire had said when they were alone.
He didn't mind it much. He conversed with them and helped ease their fears, for he knew that there was a chance they too could reward him in some way. Even if not, it wouldn't take much of his time anyway. Doing a good action like this didn't cost much, and he felt better doing it as well.
He couldn't focus very well out here in the wilderness, so his previous plans were most likely going to be revised time and time again until he decided on what to do.
With those thoughts, they returned to the Hold. Calling it a commotion was low, for as soon as they returned, and the citizens shared what they had encountered with the authorities, they were dragged inside the Jarl's house.
There, Philip and Uvrik, together with the peasants, recounter everything they had seen. How they got there, why they were there, and how it ended… with their final words, Philip surrendered the vampire and the troll's head to the Jarl, as he had cut them off moments before he left the cavern.
The Jarl was shocked to see a vampire so close to his domain. And one so bold at that… he congratulated the both of them and said he'd prepare reparations to those affected by the foul beast.
With that, he said Philip's reward would come in time as he needed to discuss the rest with his attendants. Whether that was rude or not, Philip did not care. He accepted the Jarl's words and returned to his home, ready to finish the vampire's diary he had been unable to read before.
He gave his farewell to them all, parting ways with Uvrik as well, who told him to take good care of his armor, and that he was honored to have a warrior down it in his heyday.
With a few more words, Philip left, making way for the alchemist as he had to inform him of his daughter's fate. With her, together with the others, being surrendered to the Jarl because of their contact with the vampire, they had to be quarantined… even if said actions were cruel.
Vampirism was a disease far too easy to transmit. The Jarl could not risk these people walking around… he too was under observation, but for now, he was allowed to leave.
Albeit it was clear to him that leaving the Hold wasn't within his boundaries… regardless, he didn't mind, for he did not intend to leave now.
As for the possibility of the guards inquiring about his loot… how could they? Philip had nothing on him aside from their heads. Everything else was in his inventory… and that was impossible for them to check.
With his trip completed, he went down the sunny streets of Falkreath…
...
On his way back, he removed his armor. It was full of blood and dirt, and despite his clothes also being bloody, they were much better and less flashy than his steel armor.
He would've made his way to the inn to take care of it, but he had something more important to take care of.
/Ding ding ding…/
"Welcome to… it's you, boy…"
The old alchemist looked at Philip as he arrived in his dirty and bloodied clothes, his expression turning dark by the second as he didn't see his granddaughter beside him.
While he tried to keep his calm, the elderly man was losing his cool by the second, his voice cracking as his hands trembled, "It seems you're back and giving your state…"
Philip interrupted him right there, seeing he was on the verge of crying...
"Your granddaughter is unharmed, so clear up that grumpy expression from your face."
"What?! A-Abedi is fine?"
Silver stretched his neck, "She was lucky. She's in prison now."
The elderly alchemist walked around the counter, but as soon as he heard him, he felt his legs grow weak, "Prison?!"
"Uhum… just prepare me a few empty bottles and the room. I'll pay extra if necessary…"
He stepped forward, holding onto Philip, "J-Just explain it all to me already! I don't care what you do with the shop after, just tell me what happened!"
Philip let out a sigh, "It's a bit long and uh, well… It's a bit personal for her. You should discuss it with her…"
He slapped his shoulder, "Out with it, boy! I don't have all day."
He took a deep breath, "... She was having an affair with a hunter and ended up meeting some trouble when they went too far in the forest… It was a vampire who was hunting people for his experiments."
"I, together with a hunter in the woods, took down the vampire. She's unhurt if a little shocked, and is now in prison being contained so they can test her for vampirism…"
/BAM!/
In a fit of rage, he smacked his hand on the counter. Several potions rolled out around him with coins, and Philip had to move around to prevent them from falling around.
'OI!… My potions!' He thought as his forehead tensed
"So it was that bastard, Hashiv?! She's been taking a few glances at him recently ever since that festival… and she even asked me what I thought of that skeever of a man!"
He spat on the ground in anger as he stomped on his spit. "That bastard dares take her to the mountains! No wonder she was doing so many trips and coming with nothing each time! They were meeting there!"
"I told her the mountains were dangerous, and she went there regardless, and to have an affair no less!"
"Look! Look what this has caused!" He exclaimed as he turned to Philip, his eyes red as spit went down his chin
"... You don't seem to have a good impression of him…"
"BAH!! Don't even say… first, his damn job as a Hunter is extremely unreliable, he has no skills apart from that, passing most of his time wasting away fishing!"
"My daughter spent all her life studying potioncraft. One potion of hers is worth his entire salary! He's unworthy of her! Besides! There are many rumors about his past relationships, and my granddaughter deserves no unfaithful man!"
"Calm down..."
'I'm a very patient person, but I don't have the time to discuss this… go solve it with them yourself.'
"And also…"
…
The old man screamed for a few more minutes before he calmed down.
Amidst slight gasps, he continued, "Hurf… phew… Pfft!" He spat on the side again, this time inside a pot, "Alright… that was it for me today, I'm too old for this mess."
He pointed at the side room, wiping the sweat from his face with a small towel, "I've already accounted for your potions, and I must say, I'm impressed. You know quite a lot of recipes."
"I'm ready to buy most of it, but there are some I can't… Falkreath may be a Hold bordering both Hammerfell and Cyrodiil, and its true that there is a lot of trade in this region… but a lot has happened, and the tides have changed with the war."
"Trade still goes, but not as much, and even then, it's not the same… I just can't buy it all either. Also… I don't deal with poisons and venoms, and I would suggest you discard them as soon as you can." He added as his eyes narrowed
"People aren't very fond of alchemists that can make poison, and I'm talking from experience, whenever a problem related to that happens, people point at us alchemists, it isn't a pleasant experience to go through, having to prove your innocence."
"Simple, harmless, and weak poisons are okay, and some exceptions can be made depending on who is asking… but even for those, I'll have to refuse. I haven't made one in years and don't plan on making another anytime soon."
"Perhaps you'll have some luck if you sell them outside of the Hold, but the current Jarl is very strict about these ever since what happened to his brother… but you didn't hear this from me."
"... I understand… I never made any poison." He replied as his tone lowered
He nodded, walking past him, "If you don't mind then, allow me to first go visit my granddaughter… Once I'm back, I'll let you use the alchemy table for free… as a token of gratitude."
"I asked you to fetch her, not to face a vampire… nor unravel her little romantic escapade… that's far beyond what I asked. For that, you'll need little more…"
He looked at him up and down, sighing, "In the meantime, you should wash. The guards might be lenient once, but they'll throw you with the others in the gallows if you push it too much."
His response was almost immediate, "Works for me."
'This goes with my original plans. I only wanted access to the alchemy table… the rest doesn't matter.'
As he left, his mind suddenly snapped as he turned back. He walked around the counter, taking a large sack from underneath the counter.
"Here... the agreed value for your previous potions and the others you left for appraisal... I wasn't unfair about their prices, trust me… I also added a small bonus for doing this small favor for me, albeit this was before I heard about the vampire."
"I'll reward you fairly for that as well… but we can discuss it once I'm back."
He looked at the door next to the counter, "What I didn't take was left inside the alchemy room, so you can count them if you feel like that, I also left the note with the exact values in case you need it."
He reached for his beard, "And lastly, if you wish, I would like to negotiate and buy a few of your recipes... or exchange them, hohoho." He said with a small smile as he tapped his arm
""
{500 Septims have been added to your inventory}
"Oh? Thank you."
'Quite generous. The other water-breathing potions were worth fifty coins at best… I don't know the rest though. The issue is, even with this much, it wouldn't be nearly enough to cover the rest.'
'In an ideal world where I could concoct potions all day long with as much materials as I could get my hands on and sell them all for a fair price… maybe I would make enough. But right now, its far from enough.'
'I need sixty-seven thousand, and I barely have half of it in bank notes and gems.'
"Bah, say nothing else… before I start regretting it…" He said in a grumpy tone as he walked past him
He followed him outside, allowing him to lock the shop. Philip exchanged a few more words with the old alchemist before they went on their way.
…
He soon arrived at his Inn, and immediately requested a bath, putting a few small coins on the counter.
The innkeeper was a little shocked at his appearance but did as told. He ran away to prepare a cold bath, for true Nords bathe in pure water!
Just kidding… there were many ways to make a bath warmer.
"Finally, some peace."
As he waited, Philip resumed his study of the vampire's diary…
…
Not long after, he was called for his bath.
The bath wasn't anything special, just a wooden tub with water; if he sat in it, the water would reach his chest, and that was already a lot.
/Sizzle…/
At the bottom of the tub were several small rocks that bubbled strongly. A rough but reliable method, "Just what I needed…"
Using the small bar of soap he found on the side, he began cleaning himself. Once he was done, he used a few empty buckets to clean the blood on his armor.
It wasn't proper maintenance, but it would have to do.
…
After he finished cleaning himself, he put on another set of clothes he found in Eddy's closet and went to the streets.
"Let's see…"
'The man that ambushed me, Luric… He was everything Eddy was afraid of… There are two ways to see this problem. The first one, and also the one I believe is the truth, is that Luric acted on his own.'
'If it's the truth or not, I shouldn't grow complacent; people may still try to act against me regardless… Luric may have "died" to the Vampire, but if someone else come after me, I won't have another convenient solution to dispose of them as I had this time.'
"I can't delay this any longer, it seems… I'll deal with the Caravan tomorrow."
'I have to take control of things before Luric's death is made public. I don't know how connected he was, but if he had supporters or a backer, they might act once the news of his death reaches their ears… but maybe I should let them act. It would make it easier for me to take them down.'
'Regardless, according to the diary, the schedule was to step onto the road the day after tomorrow. While Eddy delayed their movements, that was only to a certain degree. The General Administrator is competent enough to run things without Eddy's father…'
'Eddy's actions only make it difficult for morale. But as it is, the caravan could operate autonomously… albeit the General Administrator's skills as a merchant are something else to worry about. Above all, without Jun's powers, the caravan wouldn't be able to keep its prestige for long, for he was in charge of getting his hands on rare and unique products to sell.'
'The day after tomorrow… if we leave right in the morning or before sunrise, that leaves me with just about a day and a half… I'm not tired, and my body has reached an incredible state. I can keep going without sleep for a little longer.'
'I can level up mostly by raising Speech and Alchemy, but I should aim at raising other skills. Most combat skills won't do much given I'm proficient enough already… humble brag…'
'But I could rely a bit on magic. Gather as many cards as I can... The caravan is only one issue, the contract itself is the goal.'
"The plan was to move to Whiterun, passing through a few villages and small towns on the way, sticking to the main roads for safety."
'After that, Windhelm, Winterhold, Dawnstar, Morthal, Solitude, and finally Markarth, and if it wasn't obvious already, Riften is being excluded due to it being riddled with thieves, only stupid and daring merchants would go there unless they are directly associated with the Thieves Guild.'
'I would love to say I have time until we reach Solitude so I can finish the quest… but the contract limits my actions… I wonder if we'll even have the time to reach Winterhold from here.'
He reached for his head, "How rough." Philip said as he shook his head in denial
Without much ado, he opened the doors to the shop…
/Chatter!/
"YOU SON OF A $%#$^!!! YOU WANTED TO DO WHAT WITH HER?! SAY THAT AGAIN!!"
"I… Look, I'm not going to hide it anymore…"
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU DID?!"
But it seemed that things were already fiery inside the shop…
"…"
'Ugh…'
Philip decided to stay outside for now and wait for things to calm down…
…
/Around twenty hours later…/
{Alchemy 51 -> 52}
{Uh... HA!}
{Level up}
With his final potion, Philip sat down on the side with a strong headache as the memories ignited inside his mind, "There ya go… ugh… my vision is getting blurry…"
'How long have I been here, amidst these potions, mixing time and time again… How much money did I spend? I think I remember the old man screaming something about being tired of fetching me potion bottles and buckets of water and ingredients…'
'How many ingredients did I buy? How many of them did I eat?... My fingers are so black that I have forgotten what they used to look like…'
'I can barely even move… I have so many potions on me I feel like I'm underwater with their weight bearing down on me. I need rest… but I'll be fine soon enough.'
With a single tear falling from the corner of his eyes, Philip opened the Menu:
[Name: Philip Vinten
Class: Dragonborn
Level: 6(10)
Race: Human/Nord
Health -> 150/150
Stamina -> 100/100
Magicka -> 100/100
Abilities:
Battle Cry Lv7
Trading Lv9
Skills:
Resist Frost Lv6
Resist Fire Lv0
Resist Lightining Lv0
Resist Poison Lv2
Haggle Lv11
Conjure Daedra Merchant Lv1
Dragon Tongue Lv5
Fast Metabolism Lv7
Traits:
Dragon Soul
Dragon Blood
]
{Mage -> Illusion: 15; Conjuration: 15; Destruction: 15; Restoration: 15; Alteration: 15
In-Between: Enchanting: 15
Warrior -> Smithing: 20; Heavy Armor: 15; Block: 20; Two-Handed: 25; One-Handed: 21
In-Between: Archery: 15
Thief -> Light Armor: 20; Sneak: 15; Lockpicking: 15; Pickpocket: 15; Speech: 45
In-Between: Alchemy: 52}
'Given all the effort I put… just four levels don't seem like a lot. Still, eating those ingredients did have a beneficial effect. I never expect to develop Poison, Fire, and Lightning resistance.'
'Now I have resistance to the three most utilized forms of Elemental Spells. Though whether this will change much we'll have to see later. If I keep consuming wild materials like this, I'll likely raise their levels again.'
'What matters is having them at a level where I don't have to worry much about being blasted apart by a random spell. That's all I need.'
"As for the rest… they rose with use, nothing unordinary."
Philip let out a dry laugh as he closed his eyes… "Ha!" before he opened them in a hurry/
'I almost slept there… it's tempting, but I can't sleep here.'
"Urg, time to level up… before I close my eyes and sleep."
Going back to his Menu, he went to his Skill section, ready to use his stat points, Considering what happened last time, increasing my physical body strength would be ideal… I'm curious to see what would happen if I were to select it again since my body can't get any more chiseled than this unless I grow beyond my physique.'
'But I kind of also want to spend a point and see what would happen if I were to improve Magicka and Stamina… I have four points… I guess I'll just spend one point on each for now. If its not enough, I can always spend a bit more.'
'I still have time, I should be able to level up a little more if I keep focusing on Alchemy. So it isn't that big of a deal… So first… Magicka.'
With a decisive push, he increased his Magicka from 100 to 110.
/FLASH!/
Philips' body suddenly flashed, bluish-white light shining from his veins!
"UGH!"
/THUD!/
Like a falling tree, he hit his head and back on the ground as he began convulsing. His muscles tensed, beneath his skin; his veins stuck out like worms, wriggling around his body.
Without a doubt, it was much tenser than last time!
…
/Half a minute passed…/
/Exhale…/
"Haa… Haa… that was… intense…" He muttered weakly as sweat flowed down his face
He looked at the ceiling, slowly feeling his body recover, "I was supposed to recover from this, not get out worse than before…"
He lifted his arm, it didn't seem as heavy as before. Despite what had just happened, his fatigue had indeed been cleansed. His eyelids weren't as heavy, and his mental state was clear, so as the pain washed away, he felt better and better.
"But… I don't feel much different."
'Starting off with Magicka may have been a bad option… If anything, I do feel… a bit healthier, I would say… It is somewhat noticeable.'
'The air also feels a bit… tingly?'
Philip tried to think about what he knew about Magicka, and a few terms came to mind…
'In some of these interpretations, Magicka is associated with life force, so that may be it. They say the Stars are gates connecting to a realm beyond, holes in the void created by entities of immense power as they fled this plane. In this interpretation, Magicka flows from this ascended plane.'
'If Magicka is in the environment, perhaps me feeling a bit weird is due to my increased affinity for it?'
'Since increasing Health directly impacted my body, increasing Magicka and Stamina should do the same in some way, shape, or form. Hence, isn't it natural to think that increasing Magicka may directly impact my talent towards Magic abilities, making me closer to an Elf in that regard?'
'Strengthening my "magical body" making me more apt for spellcasting in the same way that getting a stronger body makes me more apt for combat… but that's a rather rough assumption.'
"Just not enough information…"
He closed his eyes, "Next…"
'This time… let's stay on the ground. I'm tired of hitting my head… no matter how strong my body became, I immediately collapsed. I won't play around with it again.'
After a deep breath, he began his transformation.
/Tremble!/
His muscles contorted, moving beneath his skin like snakes. Something was shifting, readjusting…
Sounds grew louder, smells deepened, the aftertaste of the ingredients he consumed resurfaced… At the same time, his eyes turned red as his blood vessels ruptured.
His Iris became clearer, a bit more focused, more round, more… keen. While he couldn't see well, his focus lost and sweat covering his forehead, the changes were still evident.
These changes extended to his whole body. It was an all-body transformation… the hair follicles on his body fell and new ones rose. Symmetrical and far more sensitive, even here in this room, Philip could feel the coldness outside.
"Huff… haa… c-cold…"
The room seemed to have become twice as cold, and the smells… they all assaulted his nose at the same time.
He oppened and closed his hands, "I… think… ugh… I know what changed."
'I almost pucked there…'
'My senses have sharpened to an unbelievable degree. I can tell that I've also become a bit more flexible…'
He moved his legs up, and as he expected, it didn't hurt much.
"Hum… this is a familiar sensation… if I raise my senses a bit more, I might just be able to reach the same level as a Hunter."
'The increase of one point in Stamina was far more significant than one point of Health… at least that's what I take.'
'I feel like I've gone well beyond human limits with one point while even after five points in Health I'm still within normalcy.'
'Maybe those points laid the foundation for this change, but its hard to say for certain… I'll probably invest the next few points in Stamina before raising Health again. With just enough stats, I might be able to operate like a Hunter again.'
'Even if its beyond this world's standards, Gamerverse can make the impossible possible. Even now, my Traits affect me, is it too much to assume those aspects are not carried here as well?'
'What exactly stops me from performing Quickening or even my nameless martial art here? As long as its connected to my Soul, I should be able to bring it forth!'
'The only barrier I need to cross… is the one set by Gamerverse itself… however… I need to consider what would happen if I were to cross it.'
'I already know Gamerverse has some degree of awareness. If it knows that its settings are invalidated by my powers, it may pull some stunt to make me suffer like before… this was a concern I had when Falpurgiana first crossed with me, albeit I didn't have the time to think it through given how hectic things have been since then.'
"I don't even want to think about that…" He said as he touched his forehead
'I can already think of what will happen once I go back from this world… the shower of notifications that will ensue… and the mayhem that will come from that.'
'After all of this ends, I might take a whole week just to do nothing but sleep.'
Philip slowly pushed himself off the ground, drying his sweat with a towel before moving on to his next stage:
/Thud!/
With a heavy sound, a large table fell at the room's corner. It was the enchanting table he looted from the vampire's cave!
"I can still push alchemy a bit further… but learning this is a gateway to so many things… I just can't give it up."
'I dont know how far I can go with this, but I'll give it my all.'
'Magic isn't viewed well in Skyrim, but Enchanting is probably the least disliked art of all magic schools. And while I'm far from making a flaming sword, I should be able to do a few things with what I have with me.'
'In essence, enchanting is about putting a Spell/Magic effect into an item, adding magical properties to it. There are many forms of Enchanting, but I'll be considering the common form spread throughout Skyrim, and this form can be summarized in five steps:'
"First, you get Knowledge of how to cast a specific Spell onto an item; pretty much, you need to know how to enchant."
"Second, you get an Enchanting Table. It acts as a conduit for your work."
"Third, you get a Soul Gem."
"Fourth, you fill that Soul Gem with a Soul."
"Finally, you get an item, anything, and enchant it."
'To learn how to enchant, you can do it in many forms. I'll simply go with the simplest. I already have the basics inside my head. The process is simple enough to do… to break the enchanted item, allowing the runes and methods to flow into my mind naturally.'
'How does this work? I don't know… I only know through my memories that it works, and that's all I need to know. Maybe once I reach a high enough stage, I'll understand, but right now, its pointless.'
'There's a lot more to the modern enchanting process itself… given you're not exactly enchanting anything but borrowing power from some almighty entity in exchange for the Soul within the Soul Gem… but enough talk.'
"I have four enchanted objects. The Ring of Fortify Conjuration, the Vampiric Ring of Drain Health, the Amulet of Fortify Conjuration, and the vampire's clothes."
'I can shatter them to learn their enchantments, but these enchantments aren't very marketable… only Drain Health has some uses.'
'As for the items I can enchant, I have a few pieces of jewelry and other items… why not try something? Even if I waste these Souls, I can always get more with the Soul Trap spell. My only fear is the requirements, Soul Trap is no beginner spell and may need a foundation to be put into practice.'
'I can memorize the book's contents well, but putting them into practice and making up for what I don't know is something else entirely. Besides, with this system, I might be able to learn spells automatically once I meet the requirements… but for this one, I need 25 in Conjuration.'
'I'm still 10 points too far.'
Philip took out the robe, two rings, and the necklace from his inventory. Following the little information he had, he activated the Enchanting Table, guiding its magical flow by channeling it…
It was difficult to explain; it was akin to a new sense. This was the only way he could put it into words…
Philip was thankful that he had invested a single point into Magicka, making this process that simpler. He felt more at ease manipulating these foreign forces, as if he was reawakening something he had forgotten, like a man relearning how to ride a bicycle.
/Crack!/
With a loud noise, the robe flashed in dark red light, and many runes appeared on its silk before they all broke down into beautiful light particles.
"Ugh!"
At the same time, a great deal of information flowed into Philip's head. Akin to a movie, he learned how to inscribe those runes, but not why they were used.
Memorization, but not understanding — however, that was perfect for him.
{You learned Fortify Magicka from destroying this item}
"Phew… That was interesting… I bet a decent enchanter would've marveled at this process… but all I can do is look at these runes with curiosity."
'They sure are pretty, if a little creepy.'
"Next."
Philip broke all the items with a beautiful smile, the candle lights and the eerie green light from the table shining on his face as he completed each disassemble…
(Image?)
{You learned Fortify Conjuration from destroying this item}
{You learned Drain Health from destroying this item}
{You learned Fortify Conjuration from destroying this item}
He collapsed to the side, supporting himself with one hand as he reached for his head with the other, 'Ugh… while it's the same enchantment… it's not exactly the same thing. In-game, this wouldn't be possible… but this is reality… these two enchantments may do the same thing, but they aren't equal.'
After that, he took out the filled Soul gems… "The Souls inside these are likely… from the forest creatures outside of his cave."
'The Vampire had no Black Soul gems, but he was researching how to make one. Thankfully, he didn't succeed, so he didn't harvest any of the villagers and travelers' Souls.'
'Only Black Soul Gems are sturdy enough to contain a complex Soul. That was why he needed one to complete his ritual, only a soul of considerable power would be enough of a price to conjure a Flesh Atronach.'
'Right now, I have five Petty Soul gems filled with small souls, the worst of the worst… but they'll have to do.
"Instead of making offensive enchantments, its best to enchant items."
'I'll enchant three rings with Fortify Magicka, one ring with Fortify Conjuration, and my steel sword with Drain Health.'
'This will make one ring for each hand and a sword, the rest I'll sell. Same enchantments don't work well toghether, so its best to throw them away… besides, no one here likely needs an item enchanted with Fortify Conjuration anyway…'
"Focus."
...
/Sometime later.../
"Hm..."
'Is the kid still there?'
With tired eyes, the old alchemist turned his face to look at the alchemy room, 'Sigh, what's wrong with kids these days? One worse then the other…'
He looked a bit melancholic, 'Perhaps... Is he trying to forget about his fathers death by drowning himself in Alchemy?'
"I hope he doesn't overwork himself..." He mumbled as he walked to the counter, "But what do I do now?"
'It's been… since forever. I don't remember this story ever being this empty… He bought almost all of my ingredients… troublesome boy, now I can't even work.'
'I can sell the potions, but it feels a bit hollow...'
/Creak.../
Just as the old man went to clean his counter with a wet towel, Philip got out of the room... What happened next was pretty standard, with the old man complaining heavily about... everything.
Philip listened for a while, but he soon turned a deaf ear to it.
With a sneaky smile, he offered to sell a few more potions to the old man, but he wasnt interested.
Feeling a bit defeated, Philip said goodbye to him, it seemed his time here had come to an end.
"... Thank you."
From the second floor of the shop, a young lady stared at his back as he walked down the street.
She would remember this day for a long, long time...
...
Walking down the streets, Philip wondered what to do next, 'There should be some other potion shops around.'
'Also, there's the reward for defeating the vampire... maybe I can use this favor to request a few spells from the Jarl's court magician... even if I can't, I can always buy them from him.'
'The enchanting went fine without issues, so maybe I can sell a few of those items to him too?...'
As Philip was lost in his own thoughts, someone approached him from the side. It was a man running around with a small leather bag...
"Hey, you! I've got a letter for you!"
"Huh? Me?"
'Why me of all people?'
The courier looked at you from head to toe before saying, "There's a lot of conflicting information about your appearance, but I'm certain its you!" He said with a smile as he raised an eyebrow at his face
"Then again, I saw you leaving Hygfars Potion Shop, and I've been waiting here for a while... would you be Eddy?"
"Yes... that's me..."
"Excellent!" He said as he took a small paper from his bag, reading it, "I didn't want to get this late, so... this is for you, a direct letter from the Jarl! Something about what happened yesterday and, uh, woah! A Vampire!"
"Quite impressive I must say. Though things seems to be getting worse each day..."
The courier gave him a small paper and a large sack. It had a small stamp on the side, it was indeed the Jarl's seal...
"Talk about a crazy day... hm... nothing else." He tapped his bag and closed it, "Looks like that's it, gotta go!"
And without a single extra word, the man left.
"..."
'I didn't expect to meet the fabled Courier like this...'
Shaking his head, Philip read the note. It was mostly a thank-you letter, congratulating him for his efforts. The sack in his hand contained a grand total of 3000 Septims for successfully ending the vampire and saving those affected by it.
It also confirmed a few other things, informing him of the Hold's actions to solve this issue.
"... While I was in the potion shop, they sent guards to confirm the situation..."
'It's not much but its something... but now the Jarl doesn't owe me anything... sigh. I spent too long developing my alchemy.'
Philip folded the letter and put it in his pocket before looking at the end of the road.
...
/Sometime later.../
Philip used the next two hours to walk around the city. He sold some of his useless items to clear some space, gaining a small sum, and he also exchanged some of his gems for gold since they were useless for him in that state.
Finding the other Alchemy shop was easy, and like before, he bought a large sum of ingredients while also selling some of his potions to make up for his spending.
He didn't expect things to go so smoothly, but it seemed that what he did had already spread, and considering this potion shop was owned by Hygfar's apprentice, it was clear its owner saw him in a good light.
These actions all caused his Skill to rise considerably:
[Speech 45 -> 46]
{Uh... HA!}
{Level up}
[Speech 46 -> 47]
[Trading Lv9 -> Lv10]
[Speech 47 -> 48]
[Speech 48 -> 49]
[Haggle Lv11 -> Lv12]
'Ugh... even after selling quite a bit of my junk, I'm still full of crap... I feel like I'm just as heavy as before... I'll stop by the inn first to unload.'
... Later, he passed through the Jarl's manor. He talked with the guards, and they led him to the Court Wizard as he requested.
After talking with the Court Wizard for a little while, he successfully made a deal.
He sold him some of his potions, and even a few ingredients for Gold, and a few more items. Even if he didn't make much on selling the ingredients, it was fine if it meant making the deal go through.
In fact, this was something Philip had thought about doing before. The Hold was massive, with tens of thousands of citizens. With a good enough eye, one could potentially buy items in one place and sell them at another.
Even if his profit was minimal, what mattered was making the gold flow. The more gold passed through his hands, the greater his Skill became.
In exchange, he acquired many Soul Gems of Petty and Common quality, a few weak enchanted items for him to break later, and several Novice Level Spell books so he could start leveling other schools of magic.
[Speech 49-> 50]
Overall, the court magician was pretty direct and a no-nonsense man. He got what he wanted, and as soon as they were done, he kicked him out.
Perhaps it was due to his recent actions that the man even went to meet him. He felt that, had it not been for that, this meeting wouldn't have gone as smoothly.
In either case, he wasn't affected by his rudeness, for he got what he came here to get.
...
With everything finished, Philip sat on a bench in a small open area, stretching his legs as he rested.
"There's only one thing left."
'Deal with the damn Caravan, and start moving. There is still around an hour before Battlecry comes off its 24-hour cooldown. Once that is ready, I'll visit them at the inn they're staying.'
'I hope they cooperate... even if not... I'll be ready.'
'I still have four stat points. I'll use some of them and leave the others for emergencies.'
"Time to take back what's mine."
He got up from his bench, walking to a nearby smith. He needed a shield, and a few other things... and maybe a new bow since the one he had was... terrible, to say the least.
...
/Meanwhile.../
"Ugh... come on!... I can't wait anymore..."
A woman screamed into the endless void...
"I'm going mad!!"
...
.
.
.
Notes
Thank you for reading.
About two more chapters left before the end of this arc... at least on the original story.
I'm uncertain how I'll add the new sections I've made and how large they'll make this arc become since I also removed quite a few sections as well, but we'll see.
See you later with the next chapter. Peace!