(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones everyone!)
...
"Time to head back to Whiterun, Lupin. We have a bounty to collect." The fox gave a final, enthusiastic yips, and the two of them began the long walk back across the plains, leaving the silent, desolate bandit camp behind them.
Aerion focused on the one thing that mattered most, getting back to civilization and claiming his reward. He pulled up his system interface, the transparent screen flickering into existence, and used the map panel to place a distinct, glowing marker right onto Whiterun.
Instantly, the small, ethereal arrow materialized in his field of vision, pointing him directly toward the city. It was an invaluable feature, saving him the hassle of navigating the featureless plains.
He and Lupin followed it, well technically Aerion followed it while Lupin followed Aerion, retracing their steps across the rugged terrain, the world feeling a little less hostile now that the immediate threat was gone. They walked until the dusty track gave way to the familiar, worn stone path leading to the city. Soon, the familiar sight of the Whiterun Stable came into view, its pungent smell a welcoming sign of civilization.
Aerion knew he couldn't waltz into the city and then just brings out the bandit weapons and mammoth tusks in his inventory without looking like a suspicious, well, cultist or even a god.
His robes were clean, thanks to his Restoration skill, but the mental image of him pulling an entire arsenal out of thin air in the marketplace was a disaster waiting to happen. He needed a more mundane, less out of this world method of transport, something that would explain the sheer volume of his loot.
He quickly ducked behind the stable's main building, ensuring no one, especially the stable hands or the passing Khajiit caravan guards, noticed his quick diversion. He reached into his inventory and pulled out the two big sacks he had taken from Adrienne's before.
They materialized with a sudden thump on the dirt, followed by a torrent of metal as he carefully selected and transferred the heaviest items from his inventory into the bags. Out came the Iron Dagger, the Steel Dagger, the heavy Iron Battleaxe, the cumbersome Iron Greatsword, the immense Steel Greatsword, two Iron War Axes, three Iron Swords, and six of the largest Mammoth Tusks.
The pile of metal and ivory suddenly occupying real space was immense. His inventory weight immediately dropped by a noticeable 78 KG, a blissful feeling of lightness returning to his magical reserves, but the relief was short lived.
Lupin, who had been watching the entire exchange, let out several confused, high pitched yips, circling the suddenly appearing pile of loot as if questioning the laws of physics itself. "Where did those come from?" his movements seemed to ask.
Aerion chuckled, the sound a low, strained noise. "Magic, buddy, pure magic," he muttered, knowing the fox wouldn't understand.
Now came the hard part. He bent down, gripping the tough fabric of the two sacks, and with a grunt of exertion, used every ounce of his increased physical strength, courtesy of his Stamina points, to lift them.
The sacks were heavy, forcing a primal strain in his shoulders and back. This felt far more real than the digital value on his Stamina bar. The walk back to the road was a slow, agonizing shuffle.
With the heavy burden secured, he and Lupin, now moving at a determined, slower pace, rejoined the worn stone path. They passed through the outer stone wall, crossed the wooden gate bridge, and finally approached the main gate of Whiterun.
Two familiar guards stood post, their polished steel armor glinting in the sunlight. Aerion paused, giving a polite nod.
"Hello," he greeted them, his voice slightly breathless from the effort of carrying the sacks.
The guards' eyes widened in surprise, not just at the sight of the newly arrived High Elf, whom they still regarded with suspicion, but at the sheer size of the two bulging sacks he was hauling.
"Hold, high elf," one of the Nords, a man with a thick red beard, demanded, resting a hand on his sword hilt. "What in the nine holds are you hauling there? Looks like you stole the entire forge of the Warmaiden."
Aerion stopped, careful not to drop the sacks, and let out a tired sigh. He knew this was coming, but the accusatory tone grated on his nerves. He carefully lowered the sacks to the ground, a small cloud of dust puffing up around them, and unlaced the top of one to reveal the sharp, bloody points of iron weapons and the creamy white curve of a mammoth tusk.
"This, my good guard, is my 'loot,'" Aerion explained, keeping his tone casual, almost bored. "I just finished clearing out the bandit camp at Halted Stream. Took care of the lot of them for the Jarl's bounty, and this is what they left behind for me to pick up."
The two guards exchanged a look of pure, unadulterated shock. They squinted at the pile of weapons, then back at the slight, if tall, figure of the High Elf mage.
"Halted Stream?" the second guard scoffed, disbelief thick in his voice. "Impossible. That group's been giving us trouble for months. There's no way a single high elf, and a little fox," he glanced at Lupin, "could take them all on. We'd have sent a whole patrol and were pushed back."
Aerion shrugged, pushing back the urge to be smug. "I don't know what to tell you, friend. I didn't see any of your patrols out there, but I did see a lot of dead bandits. And these," he gestured to the sacks, "are the receipts. I figure the Jarl won't care how I did it, just that the job is done and the bandits are gone, makin the are safe for travellers."
The guards shared another look, this one morphing into reluctant acceptance. They knew the camp had been an ongoing nuisance. The evidence, though messy, was literally lying at their feet.
The first guard let out a slow, dismissive snort. "Whatever, elf. Just don't let us catch you using that kind of gear for any criminal activity inside the city. You answer to Skyrim law here, not your fancy Altmer code."
Aerion nodded sincerely. "Of course. I understand completely, and to be honest, I much prefer the fairness of Skyrim law to the bureaucracy of the Thalmor, believe me." The honest admission, perhaps surprisingly, seemed to mollify the guards slightly a sthey never heard a high elf speak like that.
With a final, straining grunt, Aerion picked up the two heavy sacks, his arms trembling slightly from the effort. As he stepped past the guards and into the city, Lupin paused, turning back toward the skeptical pair.
The fox let out a sharp, series of what Aerion knew were threatening yips, a canine challenge to the men who had doubted his master. The guards, however, only heard a hungry pet.
"He's asking for a sausage," the second guard chuckled to his partner, shaking his head at the strange new visitor.
Aerion paid them no mind, his focus entirely on getting to his destination before his arms gave out. He crossed the stone bridge leading into the city proper, turned right, and immediately headed toward the familiar sounds of metal working from the Warmaiden's.
Adrienne was exactly where she should be, hunched over the grindstone, sparks flying as she sharpened a newly forged sword. Aerion lowered the sacks with a grateful, weary exhale that sounded more like a wheeze, the thump of the loot echoing loudly in the courtyard.
Adrienne immediately stopped her work and turned, her expression shifting from focused concentration to utter surprise at the sight of Aerion, the high elf newcomer, standing there with two full big sized sacks.
Meanwhile, Lupin, recognizing a friendly face, darted away from Aerion's feet and began happily snuggling against Adrienne's boots, letting out soft, friendly yips of greeting.
Adrienne patted the fox automatically, her eyes still glued to the mysterious sacks. "Well, hello to you too, little fellow. What is all this, Aerion? Did you decide to buy out a trade caravan or something?" she asked, putting down her sword and wiping her hands on her leather apron.
Aerion leaned against the nearest wall, trying to catch his breath. "Something like that, Adrienne. It's loot I got," he replied, his voice recovering. "I just finished clearing out a bandit camp, and I've got some haul of iron and steel weapons I need to unload. I figured you'd be the best person for the job. Would you mind checking the quality? I'd like to sell you the ones you want for your shop and... well, discard the ones you don't."
He smiled inwardly, knowing that "discard" really meant "pulling them back into his finite inventory." It was time to start making some serious money.
"Bandit camp, you say?" Adrienne raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn't dismiss him outright. She walked over, peering into the open sack, her eyes instantly assessing the quality of the weapons.
The sight of blood caked iron swords and battleaxes, along with the undeniable bulk of the mammoth tusks, lent a surprising amount of credibility to his unbelievable claim. "And which camp would that be, exactly? Looks like you hit a small army, not a camp."
"Halted Stream Camp," Aerion confirmed, trying to sound as matter of fact as possible despite the unbelievable nature of his story. "They won't be bothering Whiterun again, I can assure you. All that's left is the clean up."
Adrienne whistled low, a sound of genuine, grudging respect. "Halted Stream… that's a tough nut to crack. Well, if you did what you say you did, the Jarl will be pleased. Now, as for this scrap metal…"
She started rooting through the sacks, her hands quickly sifting through the crude weaponry. She picked up a couple of the swords and an axe, turning them over in her hands, her expert eyes judging the balance, the metal's quality, and the wear and tear.
"It's all bandit junk, mostly iron and low grade steel," she concluded, tossing one of the iron sword aside. "But I can always melt it down for ingots, or clean up the better pieces to sell to travelers. You've got a mix here, iron dagger, a steel dagger, a couple of swords, couple of axes, and of course the heavier stuff, battleaxes and greatswords. I'll take the lot of it for the materials it could provide."
Aerion smiled slightly, knowing he'd save time and effort by just selling all of these unneeded loot to her. "Sounds fair, Adrienne. Name your price for the ten weapons, the iron dagger, steel dagger, iron battleaxe, iron greatsword, steel greatsword, the two iron war axes, and the three iron swords."
Adrienne tapped her chin, mentally calculating the weight, the cost of the charcoal to melt it, and the potential resale value of the few decent pieces. She knew the demand for iron and steel ingots was constant, and bulk sales were always a win.
"For that lot of ten weapons, I'll give you 250 septims," she stated, her tone firm but fair. "It's enough for me to melt it down and still make a small profit, and it saves you the backbreaking work of dragging them all over the city."
Aerion knew this was a good price. It was far more than a typical starting merchant would offer, reflecting both her desire for a reliable supply line and the quality of his persuasion skill subtly at work.
"I accept, Adrienne," he said, nodding. "They're all yours."
Adrienne, now entirely convinced of Aerion's legitimacy, moved on to the last remaining pieces of major loot.
"Now, these tusks," she said, her eyes lighting up with professional greed. "These are high quality. But they're not my specialty, so I can only offer you the basic market price for them to turn a quick sale. I'll take the six you have left."
"How much for the six tusks?" Aerion asked. He knew they were worth a lot, and his mind quickly estimated the price he was willing to accept.
"I'll give you 690 septims for the six tusks," she offered.
Aerion gave a slight, appreciative nod. "A fair price, Adrienne. You drive a hard bargain, but I'm a man of my word. 940 septims total for everything, the weapons and the tusks. It saves me the trouble of hauling it up to Belethor's general store, and it saves you a trip out there as well."
Adrienne smiled, a genuine, warm smile this time. "Good doing business with you, Aerion. You're definitely more than just a passing scholar. Total of 940septims. All accounted for."
She walked over to her till and counted out the heavy pouch of coins, handing it over to Aerion. The sheer weight of the gold felt solid and reassuring in his hands. Aerion took the coins, and quickly integrated them into his system while acting like he puts it to his pocket, his septim count soaring.
He then pointed to the now purchased items that remained in the sacks, the ten weapons and the six tusks, and waved his hand dismissively. "They're all yours. I'll just… help you out those weapons and then tidy up the sacks for you and bring it back with me."
Adrienne glanced at the ten weapons, the six tusks, and the empty sacks, before then she nodded her head. "As you like. I'll be here if you need more work, or if you need me to forge you something better than this bandit junk."
Aerion smiled, genuinely grateful for the sale. He immediately helped Adrienne hauling the weapons and putting it beside the forge, while the six tusks being put under the work bench.
He then picked up the sacks and put it across his right shouder, before then he bid Adrienne farewell, with Lupin offering a cheerful yip goodbye, and then headed straight toward Dragonsreach. It was time to collect the bounty from Adrienne's father, the steward of Whiterun, Proventus Avenicci.
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[Main Panel] Name: Aerion Race: High Elf (Altmer) Health: 160/160 Stamina: 140/140 Magicka: 240/240 Level: 10
Skills: Animal Affinity (MAX LEVEL), Fast Skill Levelling (MAX LEVEL), Fast Magic Mastery (MAX LEVEL), Destruction (Fire/Lightning) (Level 21/22), Persuasion (Level 15), Smithing (Level 9), Sneak (Level 13), One Handed (Level 7), Restoration (Healing) (Level 7), Two Handed (Level 8), Lockpicking (Level 9), Archery (Level 7), & Alteration (Level 4)
[Inventory Panel]
1x Small Pouch = 330 Septims
1x Steel Dagger, Iron Shield, Long Bow, Potions of Minor Stamina, Philter of Lockpicking, Steel Warhammer, Small Sack, Poacher's Axe, Copper and Onyx Circlet, Steel Mace, & Mammoth Tusk
2x Gold Garnet Rings, Gold Ring, & Scroll Of Fireball
3x Silver Garnet Rings, Silver Rings, Sapphire, & Amethyst
4x Lockpicks, Potions of Minor Magicka, & Ruby
6x Potions Of Minor Healing
8x Iron Arrows
Weight: 75 KG / 370 KG
Septims = 26,356