Through Darkest Times: Book One

Chapter Thirteen: Ustengrav

I woke up on a small bedroll in Gerdur's house. I felt a lot better. I was well fed and hydrated. No one else was here, probably out working right now. I put on my boots and grabbed my knapsack. It felt a little light, so I went over to the general goods store. I restocked on my supplies, potions, food, and cloth. I walked out of the village and was on my way to Hjaalmarch. As usual, it was beautiful. The weather was nice and the trees were absolutely breathtaking. Sometimes I wish I was born in Skyrim, there's so much spirit here. I was making my way down the stone path and past the meadery. As I walked by the stables, there were people farming and tending to the horses. I love horses. I used to own one before I was exiled, a beautiful white steed. Used to take her out riding all the time. Her name was Winter. Cheesy horse name I know, but I was six years old. I know this journey was going to take me a couple of days. There is a small town called Morthal, capital of Hjaalmarch. Maybe I could stay there for a night before I go to Ustengrav...

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Three Days Later

Morthal was a very nice little town. A little depressing but nice. I walked by the Jarl's Longhouse, and there were men arguing. I paid no attention to it, probably best that I didn't interfere. I walked over to the inn. It was small on the outside and small on the inside. Once I walked in, a Redguard woman was there to greet me. She was wearing a long dress, which was a little dirty. Her skin was dark and her face was pretty, and she had curly dark hair that was pinned into a bun.

"Ah, a visitor, what brings you to Morthal?" She asked, smiling.

"Just passing by. I'd like to rent a room please." I said, taking out some gold.

"Sure thing," she said, taking the gold, "I'm glad someone is passing by. Not very many visitors here these days."

"Why is that?" I asked, having a seat at a barstool.

"Well, for one thing, it's the war, no one is traveling these days. And another thing is all the strange supernatural occurrences." She said, cleaning a mug.

"Supernatural occurrences?" I asked, suddenly grabbing my attention.

"Oh yeah, just a few nights ago the little house next to us burnt down on mysterious circumstances, some claim it was a witch who possessed the family to kill themselves." She said, her eyes wandering.

"That's horrible..."

"Yeah, it is." She said, putting the mug away.

"Well, I better get some sleep," I said before getting off the stool.

I walked over to my room and closed the door. 'Damn, all these weird things keep happening. Maybe it's just all speculation.' I stayed up a little while thinking about what that woman said. But it wasn't long before I fell asleep.

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The Next Morning

I awoke to a lute being played. 'What a peaceful sound.' I walked out of my room and noticed an Orc playing the instrument. That's something you don't see very often, Orcs typically don't take up the profession of a bard. It was still nice all the same. I walked out the door of the inn and pulled out my map, which somehow reminded me of Tailsin. By now I'm used to him making some smart ass comment or constantly being beside me, but now that's not the case anymore. I sighed and looked at the little dot that Arngeir put on my map. Ustengrav was not that far from Morthal, it was just through the swamp. I walked down the wooden steps and over the stone bridge. As I walked through the swamp I noticed a copious amount of Deathbell. This area is very good if you're an alchemist looking to kill someone. It was very damp and cold, and the swamp wasn't pretty either. Giant frostbite spiders habit the area, making it even less pleasant.