Lucky Charms [Calypso, Fria]
Most of the Dwemer ruins Fria had seen so far were built into the mountainsides, as if they were another organic and unchanging part of Skyrimâs landscape. They hung over the tundra like castles, with the greater reaches of the long-dead cities lost to time and bandits.
Not Mzinchaleft. The closest Fria had persuaded the carriage driver to carry herself and Calypso was the Hall of the Vigilant, leaving them quite the walk, but she forgot the tiredness in her legs when she saw the ruins ahead and started to stumble forward down the slope. This ruin was more like a town set down between rocky hills and piles of snow, a valley full of domed roofs, stone passages and towers.
Ideal for bandits, of course, and as that thought struck her Fria ducked to the side behind a rock. They had stocked up on healing potions and the like before they left Solitude, but she didnât plan on using them all just trying to get into the place. She waited for Calypso to join her before she whispered,
âYouâll be better at this than I am, Iâm sure. Can you tell if thereâs anybody down there?â
As soon as it was revealed that they would need to walk a good distance, Calypso regretted preparing further and bringing a more substantial packing system. Perhaps they should have brought a small cart to carry the goods, or a horse, or even a carriage of their very own. But then, one had to hire these things, and if she had enough money to do that, she wouldn't need the coin from this little job in the first place. No, she would have to simply be content with the (admittedly rather sizeable) bag strapped onto her back.Â
She couldn't help but be impressed by the giant domes stretching towards the skyline; the Dwemer architecture was a welcome relief from the harsh, jagged buildings she had come so used to seeing strewn across Skyrim's landscape. The structures looked so snug against the grassy forest backdrop; so at home. She wondered idly what purpose they would have served to the Dwemer culture, before jumping in alarm as Fria dived behind a rock.Â
She quickly followed suit, hackles raised. She rested her hand against the rock and listened to Fria, then clicked her tongue and looked back towards the ruin.Â
"Let me see," she murmured, and leaned away from the rock. Seconds passed, and no figure stepped out from the building into plain sight. But that wasn't what she was waiting for. She was waiting for a telling sound.
And eventually she heard one in the form of a loud groan, followed by a deep, muffled voice. She couldn't make out the sentence, but from the tone, it sounded like some kind of complaint. Her eyes snapped back to Fria.
"Did you hear that?" she whispered, sliding back behind the rock. "I can hear a voice. Male, gruff. One can only assume he was speaking to someone, but there's no telling how many there may be with him. Are they a group of explorers, do you think? Treasure hunters? Bandits?"
There was no way of knowing from their current distance, that was for sure. "Well regardless, what shall our plan be? Deception and spontaneity? Stab first, ask questions later? A confrontation of some sort seems unavoidable."
After all, they had to dispose of these potential competitors who may claim coin that was rightfully hers. Whoever they were, they needed to vacate the area.
