Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

"Eric! What happened to you guys?"

"Don't ask now. Please help send Madeline to the Temple of Ginalace. Skoyue and I can't walk anymore."

Lydia and I took the stretcher, and the three comrades collapsed on the side of the road. Skoyue waved to us anxiously, urging us to save his wife first.

Madeline's injuries were so horrific that the wounded soldiers and patients who were groaning in the temple were too embarrassed to cry out. Danica was also shocked and quickly asked someone to carry her to the inner room, leaving Lydia to help treat the wound and driving all the men out. I waited outside for about half an hour, and Lydia ran out with sweat all over her head and asked the priest Jensen for some potions and herbs. She said that Danica had used a healing spell to keep Madeline alive, but the situation was still dangerous. After a quick explanation, Lydia grabbed the medicine and ran back to the treatment room.

Eric and the other two also came to the temple. They were also seriously injured, but fortunately their lives were not in danger. Jensen also got busy. The healing skills I learned from Ilandur can only treat minor injuries on myself, which are of no use at this time. I can only help with some simple tasks such as cleaning wounds.

As soon as Scoyue entered the room, he kept asking about Madeline's condition and even insisted on going to the inner room to check it out himself. If this guy hadn't been seriously injured, Jason and I wouldn't have been able to stop him. Even so, he still punched me several times. I would rather travel back in time and have a boxing match with a kangaroo in Australia.

"Are you crazy? If you go in now, what else can you do except disrupt Danica's treatment? If you want to kill Madeline, just go in!"

After being scolded by Ella, Scoyue calmed down a little. Coincidentally, Lydia came out to get medicine again. Scoyue shook off Jason who was bandaging his wound, rushed forward to clamp Lydia's wrist, and wanted to ask about Madeline's situation. However, Lydia shook her left hand neatly, and her right hand turned into a palm like a knife to cut Scoyue's wrist, and shouted coldly: "If you have something to say, just say it nicely, don't touch me!"

Scoyue was still seriously injured and was no match for Lai Mei. He was even knocked off balance by the palm strike. However, he did not dare to get angry and just anxiously asked about Madeline's injuries.

"Danica is still being rescued. Do you think I should just chat with you or go in with the medicine to help?"

Scoyue hit two big snags in a row and stepped aside angrily. Jason was pulled away by Lydia to find medicine.

"Who is this woman? She's so fierce!"

Since Eric joined the comrades, no matter where he went, others were always polite. How could he have encountered such an attitude? Today, seeing the top expert of the comrades fell into the trap, he was very angry. Although Ella didn't say anything, her chest was heaving, and she was obviously very angry.

"Um... she is my attendant, Lydia. Maybe Madeline is not in good condition, and she is too anxious to save people. You two should comfort Skoyue and tell him to stop making trouble. If you really want to make trouble, please wait until Danica comes out. I don't mind accompanying you to the end."

Doctors are racing against death to save lives, and every second counts. Danica has not appeared again, and Madeline is definitely still in danger. How can Lydia smile and chat with the patient's family patiently and carefully? Who will be responsible if she dies after chatting? Moreover, Lydia and I took Madeline to the Temple of Ginalais together. She was left by Danica to help. She worked all morning, and the clothes on her back were soaked with sweat. If this is accused of having a bad attitude, then isn't it a complete bastard medical trouble?

Fortunately, the three of them were not unreasonable. They were just too concerned about Madeline's injuries and lost their minds for a moment. After I ridiculed them, they calmed down and Jason was finally able to treat their wounds. Seeing that these guys had no intention of continuing to make trouble, I ran out to buy some food. According to Tianji's custom, 10 to 11 am is the time for lunch. It was already past noon, but Danica and Jason hadn't been able to eat a bite.

As the three of my comrades ate their bread, I asked them again about the reason for their injuries. It would take about four days to travel from Whiterun to Lake Yokilin at full speed, and it was only seven days since they set out. Could it be that the dragon was heading towards Whiterun? Eric was unwilling to explain this, saying that he would tell me after returning to Yuewaska.

More than an hour later, Danica finally walked out of the treatment room, and everyone quickly surrounded her. Ella quickly squeezed past Scoyue, helped the exhausted Danica sit down, handed her a glass of malt liquor, and then carefully asked about Madeline's condition.

"She is not in danger of death for now. She has fallen asleep now. I suggest keeping her here for a few days for observation. I have other patients here. You'd better send someone to take care of her. Also, her left arm cannot be saved. I tried my best, but the injury is too severe."

Scoyue and Ella nodded and thanked him. They were obviously prepared for this outcome. They just hoped that Madeline could keep her life. It was just that a warrior who was good at using a two-handed axe lost an arm. I don't know how she will face this fact when she wakes up.

"My Lord Baron, there is nothing for me to do here. Can we go to the War Girl's Blacksmith Shop?"

I really want to know what happened to Eric and the others, but I am more curious about Lydia's attitude towards the comrades. This girl had a blank expression from beginning to end, and her attitude towards Sko Yue can be said to be very bad. From my contact with her in the past few days, Lydia is definitely not a cold-blooded person. Why is she so unkind today?

Lydia lamented over Madeline's disability. As a woman, she naturally knew what kind of hardships a warrior had to endure. Lydia said that Madeline's left upper arm only had a few muscles and a layer of skin left, and since the best time for rescue had been missed, Danica had to amputate her. Even if she could survive the weak period after the operation, she would have to adapt to life without an arm. The once majestic Jade Axe Wolf Girl would never be able to return to her prime.

But when the topic turned to Scoyue, Lydia was not so polite.

"The Companions? Tsk! What honor do they know? They are just a bunch of thugs obsessed with money!"

On the way to the blacksmith shop, Lai Mei did not hide her contempt for the Companions. In her opinion, a soldier should show his bravery on the battlefield, and serving the lord is the only way to gain honor. Mercenary organizations like the Companions only care about money. They will serve whoever offers the highest price. They do not consider national justice or patriotism. Can such behavior be considered honor?

Lei Mei said that a long time ago, the Companions had actively participated in the politics of Skyrim and fought for the honor and interests of Whiterun, but now the organization has lost its soul and is only a shell, degenerating into a mercenary group that only cares about money. The Companions like to brag that they were the first to settle in Whiterun, but so what? What are they willing to do for Whiterun today? The Graymane family, who controls the Skyforge, is even unwilling to forge weapons for the Whiterun guards, and some of their family members have joined the Stormcloaks and become enemies of Whiterun!

"I know that the Baron has friends in the Companions. I am not saying that they are not good people. But the bald old man today, I know him, he is a member of the Circle, people like him should have led the Companions to pursue true honor."

I was speechless. Lydia stood on the official side of Whiterun, so it was normal for her to have such an opinion. She believed that the grassroots members of the Companions had done nothing wrong, and it was the decision-makers who led them astray. But in the game, the prophet Krako explained that the former Companions almost encountered a catastrophe because they actively intervened in official affairs, which led them to stay away from politics in order to protect themselves. This kind of thing is a matter of each party saying their own thing, and both sides are based on their own interests, so it doesn't matter who is right or wrong.

There are two conclusions I can draw from this.

One is that Balgruuf is not a tough and skillful lord. It is hard for me to imagine that there is an armed force in my territory that does not obey management and is likely to collaborate with the enemy. If such a force exists due to historical issues, I will spare no effort to weaken it, or at least insert a few nails and smash it from the inside. The army should be in the hands of the monarch, or in the hands of a democratically elected or republican government. Mercenaries are always unreliable. But from the plot shown in the game, Balgruuf did not make any efforts in this regard, allowing Vegina of the Gray Mane family to secretly accumulate forces against him under the cover of the Companions.

The second conclusion is that the Companions do not follow traditions as they claim to. The founder of this organization is Ik the River, one of the Five Hundred Heroes. As a close friend of Ysgramor, he could not be indifferent to the political affairs of Skyrim. The early Companions must have been Ysgramor's political and military allies. However, in the long years that followed, this organization gradually adjusted its survival strategy according to its own interests. Whether it was staying away from political disputes or accepting the blood of wild beasts, it was enough to prove that it was not rigidly following the rules. The so-called tradition is just a rhetoric waiting to be sold.

In this case, in the current chaos, is it possible for the Comrades to make changes again?

I think there is such a possibility. The Companions in the game split after Krako's death. The successor prophet has little experience and low prestige, and the brothers Ella and Wilkas go their own way. Such an organization has no future. If I can support Eric to take the position in the other world, is there a chance that the Companions will become my allies? If we get the support of such a force, Tullius should be more restrained when facing us, at least he will not randomly send a small army to conduct law enforcement raids as before.

The bad mood that Lei Mei brought with her in the temple was swept away when she entered the War Girl Blacksmith Shop. She stretched out her hands, holding her shield flat, and looked at the emblem engraved on it by Adrian, just like an ordinary girl holding her beloved doll. Nords generally prefer plain and cold colors, but the colors I chose for the emblem are gold and red, for no other reason, just to make it festive.

Lydia has made it clear that she is willing to follow me to Falkreath, so this time I came here to say goodbye to my bestie. Adrian told me like a big sister, and I talked about business with Ulfberth. Although the mineral resources in Whiterun are not as good as those in Reach and Falkreath, there is no shortage of iron ore. But since the outbreak of the civil war, Balgruuf has retreated to defend the city, and the northern Broken Stream Camp and the southern coal mines have been occupied by bandits, and the price of iron ore has increased five or six times. The supply of corundum originally purchased from Eastland was directly cut off, which made the business of War Girl even worse.

Adrian has been complaining that he has no chance to compete with Erlund Graymane on an equal footing, because the Companions have monopolized the iron ore shipped from Morningstar City. The situation has improved after the War Mad Family recaptured the coal mine, but it is still not optimistic. Since Balgruuf has decided to fight against the Empire and the Thalmor, the Skyforge is likely to start accepting orders from the lords. Once Erlund fully releases its production capacity, the current market share of the War Maiden will be quickly eaten up. This is why Ulfberth is eager to find me to open up sales in Falkreath.

At present, the only thing we can promise him is the order. We have not found any ore veins near the Blood Throne, so we can't help with the iron ore supply for the time being. But according to the content of the game, Knife's Ridge can produce a large amount of corundum and iron ore. The bandit leader of this camp has colluded with Sidger, and I have always hoped to eradicate him. But then again, with my current strength, it is definitely not enough to act alone and take down this den, but if I have to rely on the power of Danger or Dad, wouldn't that be a pity? And once Knife's Ridge is recaptured, it will be meaningless to continue looking for ore veins in the Blood Throne. I own 50% of the shares of that mine, how can I cut my own flesh with a knife!

It was getting dark, and the Adrians obviously had no intention of keeping us for dinner, so I said goodbye and took Lydia away, who was still reluctant to leave. While the market was still open, I bought some blood-replenishing and muscle-building medicines, and then headed straight to Yuevaska. Lydia was sent back to Dragon's Reach to pack her luggage. I had been in Whiterun for too long, so I decided to leave for Falkreath tomorrow. Before leaving Whiterun, I had one last thing to do.

I want to find out what happened to Eric and the others.