The most noteworthy aspect of this battle was the bandit leader's irregular strength and combat instincts.
Though his methods were desperate, he had attempted an ambush and even hurled nearby objects, doing everything in his power to overcome the numerical disadvantage.
And it wasn't as if he was a simple brute who relied solely on raw power and physical size to crush his opponents.
He understood the characteristics of a greatsword and swung it with expertise. He was certainly a man who knew how to fight.
Honestly, if even a single member of our party had been missing, we likely would have lost.
Fortunately, Eloise seemed to have recovered her strength. Lydia, who had been staring intently at the leader's corpse, finally spoke up.
"If my memory serves me, there is a bounty on this man's head. His name is Hajvarr Iron-Hand."
So the guy even had a bounty. Well, considering how terrifyingly strong he was and the scars on his face, it wasn't surprising that he'd earned quite a reputation.
"What do we do after catching a wanted man?"
In the game, you'd just kill them and report back, but since I didn't know the exact procedures here, I asked Lydia for clarification.
"If captured alive, you escort them to the dungeons with the guards. If they are killed, you take the head as proof."
That's a bit gruesome. But considering there's no other way to verify the kill, I suppose it's practical enough.
"I see..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lydia used her sword to decapitate Hajvarr, drained the blood, and hitched the head to her waist.
She looked less like a noble Housecarl and more like a cannibal who had just won a tribal war.
I didn't forget to pack the man's Dwarven Greatsword and gauntlets, either.
The greatsword boasted impressive attack power, so it would be useful to sell or use, and the gauntlets were enchanted to increase the damage of two-handed weapons.
For the record, checking for enchantments was easy enough just by looking at the gear.
A specific colored aura shimmers and pulses across the surface of the item depending on the effect imbued within.
Anyway, having secured the boss's head and equipment, we proceeded to loot the valuable items from his chest.
Gold ingots, a sapphire ring, bear pelts, weapons—there was quite a bit of worth. But we found something far more interesting among the haul.
Choi Ha-neul pointed at a mysterious object and asked,
"What is this? It looks like a ball?"
Lydia and Eloise responded to her query.
"I have never seen such a curious object. It would be wise not to touch it carelessly."
"I think I've seen this in a book. It looks like an item associated with a Daedric Prince..."
Eloise's analysis was spot on. This sphere was an item called Meridia's Beacon. The moment you pick it up, Meridia's voice starts echoing, and a quest begins.
The task is to cleanse her shrine, and upon completion, she grants a unique sword called Dawnbreaker.
Befitting its holy concept, it's incredibly effective against vampires and the undead.
"I know what this is."
"What is it?"
Telling them they'd find out once they touched it, I picked up the beacon. Immediately, a bright light flared from the sphere, and a voice blasted out like a speaker.
- A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON. LISTEN. HEAR ME AND OBEY. BRING THE BEACON TO MY SHRINE!
Everyone jumped at the sudden, booming voice of Meridia.
"Gah! That scared the life out of me! What the hell is this?"
"Oh... How interesting."
I provided a kind explanation.
"It's called Meridia's Beacon. If we bring it back to her shrine, we can get a unique weapon."
"Really!?"
"A Daedric Artifact!"
At the mention of a unique weapon, Choi Ha-neul and Eloise's eyes sparkled, and they insisted we head to the shrine immediately.
However, we didn't need Dawnbreaker right now, and the location was far too distant, so I vetoed the idea.
Watching their eyes shine with pure anticipation made them look like children in the toy aisle of a department store. It was a little funny.
After that, we cleared out two more bandit dens, gathered the spoils, and returned to Whiterun.
Since the other two dens didn't have anyone of Hajvarr's caliber, the process was smooth sailing.
"I will go and report the wanted criminal."
"I'll go sell the weapons and jewels."
"Then we'll take care of the miscellaneous junk and clothing!"
Arriving in the city didn't mean immediate rest. Since we had to liquidate the loot, we decided to split up and meet at the inn later.
Even though I had to split the gold four ways, this was still significantly more income than I ever made during my days as a simple Courier.
I headed to the forge near the main gate of Whiterun.
"Is the smith in?"
"Yeah. What do you need?"
I showed him the axes and swords the bandits had been carrying. He took them one by one, inspecting the blades carefully.
Since weapons are quite heavy, I had only brought the six in the best condition. After some haggling, I offloaded them for 450 Septims.
'Now, let's go sell the gems and rings.'
I could probably sell them at Belethor's General Goods. Naturally, in this world, you have to go to the right shop for the right goods.
"You're not selling that greatsword? I'd pay a handsome price for it."
I was about to leave, but the blacksmith wanted me to sell the Dwarven Greatsword strapped to my back.
However, I could always sell it later, so I kept it for now in case it proved useful. After finally selling the last of the jewels and rings, I entered The Bannered Mare.
The others were nowhere to be seen, so it seemed I had finished my errands first.
I ordered a Honningbrew Mead and sat down at a table. Then, I began to review my future plans.
First, I intended to join the Companions to train my swordsmanship and Archery. But before I could learn skills, I needed to raise my stats.
My physical specs needed to reach a certain level before I could master advanced techniques, which meant increasing Magicka, Health, and Stamina.
If you asked me what stat I needed most desperately right now, it would be Magicka. Because my Magicka was too low, I couldn't summon high-ranking undead.
It was such a waste to finally get interested in Necromancy only to be unable to use it effectively.
To raise my stats, I could level up through hard work, but I also had my cheat-like ability: Quest Rewards.
I couldn't touch the main quest because of the Dragonborn, but side quests were fair game. Therefore, I would help the residents of Whiterun as much as possible to boost my stats.
'What were the side quests in Whiterun again?'
Finding the amulet in the Hall of the Dead, the Gray-Mane and Battle-Born conflict, bringing a tusk to Ysolda, persuading the man hitting on the widow...
That was all I could remember for now. The Gray-Mane quest was complicated and dangerous, so that was a pass. I'd need a mammoth tusk for Ysolda, but mammoths were high-level mobs in Skyrim and protected by giants, making them even harder to hunt. Pass on that too.
'The other two quests should do.'
I drained the mead in my hand, wiped my mouth, and went to find Carlotta—the widow who was supposedly getting hit on by all the local men.
Since she had a daughter to provide for, she ran a stall in the market in front of the inn. I approached her and struck up a conversation naturally.
"I hear there's someone making a nuisance of himself. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Carlotta stopped organizing her goods and looked up.
"Help? You certainly can. The man you're talking about is Mikael the bard. He knows perfectly well I have a daughter, yet he keeps making unwanted advances. I'm sick of it."
It was exactly the same as in the game. I replied to Carlotta.
"Then I'll go have a word with this Mikael."
"Exactly! Go give him a stern talking to."
- Ping!
[Quest Started!]
ㄴ Persuade Mikael.
Reward: 10 Health Points
'The reward is small since it's an easy quest, I guess.'
It was a bit disappointing, but it couldn't be helped. Still, getting a stat boost just for having a conversation was something to be grateful for.
I approached Mikael, who was playing the lute at the inn. Being a bard, his music was actually quite beautiful.
"Hey. Bard friend."
"Yes? Do you have a request?"
"No. That's not why I'm here. You know Carlotta, the woman who sells jewels in the market? I'd like you to stop bothering her."
Mikael looked surprised and asked,
"Oh! My. Has Carlotta seduced you too? I'm sorry, but I'm currently courting that woman."
It was incredibly annoying how he kept interpreting things his own way. I could see why Carlotta hated him.
"No, that's not it. Carlotta hates your guts, so she asked me to handle this. You understand?"
I spoke roughly, dropping the polite tone entirely. But Mikael wasn't backing down.
"Forgive me, but you cannot stand in the way of our love!"
This guy really wasn't going to listen to reason. I grabbed Mikael by his collar.
"You'd better give up before I give you two black eyes to match that lute."
"Gah!"
With a Stamina of 150, my raw strength was roughly 1.5 times that of an average man. Overpowering a guy who did nothing but play instruments was easy.
"I... I understand..."
Mikael finally gave up. I was about to head back to Carlotta to report my success when someone stopped me.
"Hey. You there, Nord."
The voice was from a woman with a deep, boyish tone.
I turned around to see a female mercenary clad in heavy plate armor with a massive Steel Greatsword on her back.
Uthgerd the Unbroken was staring at me, her face scrunched up in clear dissatisfaction.
In the game, she always sat in the corner of the inn, and you could recruit her if you beat her in a brawl.
"What?"
I replied irritably. I wanted to finish this quest before the others arrived; I didn't have time for her.
"Bullying a defenseless bard isn't exactly honorable, is it?"
Apparently, her sense of justice had been triggered, and she was blocking my way.
"Ugh... Look, mind your own business and keep walking."
I gave her one final warning, but it didn't work. Instead, she made an unexpected offer.
"Tell you what. I want to teach you some manners. We'll have a fistfight. If I win, you apologize to the bard. If you win, I'll give you 100 gold."
"Ha! Fine."
I should have walked away then. Why did I do it?
"Your footwork is sloppy."
"AGH!!"
As Uthgerd's fist slammed into my face and I watched my own teeth flying through the air, I deeply regretted the past self who couldn't keep his emotions in check.
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