Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

With my comfort, Helgi's emotions gradually stabilized.

This girl had personally experienced the overwhelming attack of the Markarth Legion, and was deeply worried about the strong challenge that the Snake Cliff Ridge tribe would face. She had hoped that by studying the texts recorded by the Nords, she could find a way to unite the tribe's will and jointly resist the invaders. Unexpectedly, she failed to find a solution, but came to an unexpectedly bad conclusion.

"Brother, if the tribe is gone, I will become a worthless orphan. Will you still take me in?"

Ok?

"Who said you were worthless?"

Helgi forced a wry smile and curled up in his chair again.

"Aunt Annis told me everything. You took me in so that you could help me become the matriarch of the tribe in the future, so that we would always be allied with you. Isn't that right?"

I felt a headache. How come Annis, this old woman, has no sense of manners when she talks? How can Helgi, who is so young, understand their twists and turns? Besides, I didn't take this girl in for such utilitarian purposes. My original plan was to hope that Helgi could completely break away from the bloody and barbaric tribal customs. But now it seems that it is not easy to make a person deny his origins and convert to the so-called civilization. What's more, a nation that has created the Blood Eagle Punishment has the nerve to call itself civilized?

"What would you think if I told you that I didn't tell your aunt the truth?"

The expression on Helgi's face was complicated, seeming to be a mixture of surprise, confusion and relief.

"I must admit that I knew very little about the Reachmen before I met you and Ms. Annis. Moreover, the scene of our first meeting, even when I think back on it today, was not so pleasant. Do you remember how you introduced those heads to me?"

The little girl smiled awkwardly.

"I can't believe you. Some bad guys wanted to bully me because I was young."

"I understand. I thought you were crazy at first, and then I guessed that you were too deeply influenced by the bloody culture of the tribe. It was not until we were in the cave that you told me about your life experience, and I decided at that time to help you escape from your past. I never thought of letting you return to the tribe, let alone rely on you to control allies. I do hope to promote an alliance between Falkreath and the tribe, and I still do so now. But I think that if the two sides do not have common interests as a basis, it is impossible to establish a stable cooperative relationship based on the personal relationship of one or two people. And a qualified patriarch will not let his feelings override the interests of the tribe."

"Brother, are you saying that I can't be a qualified clan leader?"

I rubbed the little girl's head.

"I hope you can choose the life you want to live according to your own wishes. Helgi, you are still young, there is no need to decide your future so early."

Helgi sighed quietly.

"Aunt Annis would be unhappy if she knew."

"So don't tell her. This is a secret between you and me. If I don't tell her and you don't tell her, who else can know? I told Ms. Annis that you still have a lot to learn and the situation in the tribe is so complicated. She won't rush you for the time being."

It was getting late, so I coaxed Helgi away and packed some things to take with me. Since there was nothing to do at home, I planned to set out early tomorrow morning and go to Sunshine Garden Fortress to meet Moira.

Stein went with me again, but I left him in Falkreath City to be responsible for Donna's security. I always felt that Sam was hiding something from me, but I couldn't find a way out. However, the two guys seemed to have some friendship. If he had something that was inconvenient to say to me, he might not be able to tell Stein. As for whether these words would reach my ears, Stein was not a fool and should know the consequences of deceiving me.

In order to conceal my true intentions, I did not visit Danger. I simply said hello to Donna and took a detour to the Pinewood Watchtower. After complaining to Lorak about the trouble-making ability of the tiger caravan, I wasted half a day discussing the postpartum care of sows with Matisse at the Lake View Farm. The next morning, I wandered around the south bank of Lake Irinata for half a day before taking a boat to the north bank. Before being soaked by the sudden heavy rain, I dived into the woods and followed the direction I remembered to find the cabin where Annis had lived in seclusion before. Obviously, someone had been here not long ago. Judging from the cat hair all over the house, it was probably Hayou and his friends.

I found a relatively dry corner and waited quietly for the rain to pass. The weather in Falkreath is like this, the rain comes quickly and goes quickly. This is especially true in the summer, sometimes there can be three rains in a day. This climate makes the land here always moist and soft, which is naturally very good for water-loving crops, and the mushrooms carefully cultivated by the tiger people are also very useful. However, the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, things buried in the ground are easy to rot. Not only is the yield of crops such as potatoes not high, but Lund's attempt to grow ash yams was not very successful. Moreover, the ancient Nord tombs that are scattered throughout Skyrim are extremely rare in Falkreath, so I have never found a good opportunity to make a fortune by robbing gold and tombs.

I shook my head vigorously, trying to get rid of these strange thoughts and the rain on my hair. The most important thing at the moment is to stabilize Moira, let her know the terrifying nature of Tullius, and if necessary, help her see how to organize the defense of the fortress. This is a very challenging task for me. After all, I have little experience and I am not even capable of commanding a small team to fight. How can I know how to arrange a defense line?

When the rain abated, I headed west along the northern shore of Lake Irinata. This area was a sparsely populated forest, with only occasional traces of hunters camping. There were no roads, and muddy tidal flats were everywhere. It was probably not a wise move to spend the night alone in such a harsh environment, so I had to move forward under the stars until I was far away from the lakeshore. I found a corner that was leeward, spread out my blanket, and took a nap. The beasts in the sky seemed to prefer to hide during the day and come out at night, and sleeping during the day was much more peaceful. I simply made tea and hunted in the afternoon to conserve my energy, and when the sun set, I packed my luggage and continued my journey.

After walking for about an hour, I came to the official road. The rest of the journey was much easier. I just had to follow this road to the west and I would reach the cliff south of the fortress. I still remember there was a cave there. It was from this cave that Helgi and I escaped. The valley was quiet and peaceful without the chirping of birds and insects in the evening, but I, who often travel far away, would not be deceived by illusions. The grass and bushes on both sides of the road rustled, not because of the naughty summer night breeze, but because of the wild animals lurking in them.

I waved the spear in my hand a few times, bluffing, and quickened my pace. I walked like this for half a night, and even though I had enough sleep during the day, my eyelids felt heavy at this moment. In the distance, the Sunshine Garden Fortress was like a dark dragon perched on the top of the mountain, enjoying the cold moonlight.

Suddenly, the dragon woke up!

A fireball was like a sleepy eye. There were faint shouts of killing in the air...

I cheered myself up and rushed towards the hill on the south side of the official road at full speed.

Judging from the sound, this should be just a small-scale encounter, not a full-scale attack by the regular empire army. Even so, I still feel a chill. This General Tullius, is he too fast? From the time he took over Morningstar City to now, it has only been three weeks. What's more, the number of standing troops in the hands of the lords of Skyrim is very limited, and most of the soldiers are temporary conscripted farmers. I'm afraid Tullius's troops are no exception.

These armed peasants cannot serve for long periods of time, especially in Skyrim, where the climate is bitterly cold and the window for farming is extremely short. If you miss it, you will end up with nothing for the whole year. Tullius had previously sent Lucius to raid Falkreath in the winter month of Evening Star, which is December. As for the action he took Ulfric captive last year, it was at the end of the last planting month, which was late August. But that was an ambush carried out by elite troops, and Tullius had all his battle mages on board, so he probably didn't mobilize a large number of conscripted legions.

It is the middle of the year, June, which is the busy farming season. I have always believed that unless the general is so crazy that he wants to attack the Sunshine Garden Fortress even if a group of people starve to death next year, he will not launch an attack before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

I hid halfway up the mountain, watching the battle below. It was still dark, the twin moons were obscured by dark clouds, and the battlefield was covered by the huge shadow of the castle, making everything dark and unclear. But what was certain was that neither side had many people. There were only six people on the Rich tribe side, led by a female mage. They were surrounded on a small hill by enemies that outnumbered them by three times. Although the enemy had a large number of people, they clearly lacked the means of long-range attack, and several attacks were repelled by magic and bows and arrows.

Several torches lit up on the castle, and it was obvious that someone had noticed the situation here. The besiegers also realized that if they continued to delay like this, they would be at risk of being attacked from both sides. The strong man leading the team shouted loudly in a language I couldn't understand. Four people broke away from the main force and ran towards me, apparently intending to bypass the castle and enter the Whiterun Territory.

"Stop them! Quick! Shoot them!"

I recognized the voice. The wizard leading the team was Helgi's aunt Annis!

Several arrows were shot at the fleeing squad, but they were all blocked by the shields. The attackers took advantage of this gap to launch a new round of charge. The Rich people had to give up intercepting the squad and concentrate on dealing with the enemy in front of them. I threw my luggage on the mountain, held the spear upside down in my right hand, and gathered magic in my left hand, rushing down the mountain. After the spell was finished, the frost elemental blocked the way of the four-man team. When I got closer, I could see clearly that these guys were orcs.

The orc running in the front couldn't stop at all and ran into the arms of the ice element. Before he could come to his senses, an icicle as thick as a tree trunk came crashing down with the sound of wind. His companions behind him reacted very quickly, swinging their war hammers in the middle and taking the heavy blow. The two guys who were originally at the back hurried forward and took turns hitting the ice element with their shields. The four of them fought hastily but were not panicked. They cooperated well, but unfortunately they were all blocked by the big ice block in front of them and didn't notice my existence at all.

With a "puff", blood splattered everywhere.

The spear came out from the ribs of the ice element and pierced a bloody hole in the thigh of an unlucky guy. After the strike, I did not hesitate. My front hand was like a tube, my back hand was like a lock, and I kept the spear on my waist. I just hid behind the ice element and kept stabbing. The four orcs had never seen such a rogue fighting style before, and they were soon in a panic and everyone was injured. In fact, this official road is not narrow. If these people could disperse and pull left and right at the first time, I would never have taken advantage of them so easily. But now they are already at a disadvantage, and it is not easy to turn the tables.

The leader who was commanding the siege of Annis soon discovered the situation here and sent five more people to support. Just at this moment, a group of Reachmen rushed out of the cave where Helgi and I had escaped. The leader was a sturdy man wearing an exaggerated deer horn leather helmet. He glanced at me, then waved his two swords and led his men to rush towards the reinforcements. The orc leader roared a few times, and the group of people actually abandoned the seriously injured and retreated decisively.

How can the Reachmen be kind? The sturdy man raised his sword and killed the three orcs lying on the ground, then turned around and attacked the four people I had knocked down. I took a step forward, raised my spear, and pushed his sword away.

"Don't kill him! Catch him alive!"

Judging from the actions of these orcs, they are not planning to attack the castle, but want to pass through here, which is probably to pass on a message. Considering that the Imperial Legion often recruits orcs, I guess these guys' destination should be Solitude. In this case, of course I have to catch a tongue and ask.

Unexpectedly, this Rich man seemed to not understand what I was saying. He held down the tip of his spear with his left hand and thrust his right sword straight at my face. I was also enraged, and my spear trembled as we fought.

"Stop! Locke, Dehengu, stop! And you, don't shoot!"

Aunt Annis' voice was hoarse. She had just been besieged by a powerful enemy. Although she had not suffered much due to the advantages of terrain and firepower, the enemy's last wave of attack was extremely fierce. Her team was injured, and the old aunt was no exception. However, she still forced herself to move forward and asked us to stop.

I made a feint and forced the guy named Dehengu to retreat, then turned around and jumped to Annis' side and saluted respectfully.

“Greetings, dear Ms. Annis.”

The old lady nodded, and told her men to tie up the four orcs and take them back to the fortress. Dehengu snorted at me, but had no choice but to sheath his sword and lead his men to clean up the battlefield. While there was no one around, Annis lowered his voice.

"Is Helgi all right?"

"She is currently living in the Bloody Throne Fortress. She is safe. Please rest assured."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was asked by Lord Danger to come and see Chief Moira."

Annis sighed.

"Then be careful what you say. She just lost a battle and is in a bad mood."

"I know that. In fact, at that time, Helgi and I were at Snake Cliff Ridge..."

"What did you say?"

The old lady grabbed my wrist and her eyes widened.