By: The Orange Mask
I woke up in the Bee and Barb, feeling refreshed. I jumped out of bed and picked up my pack, a smile on my face and determination in my strides. The innkeeper seemed startled by my change in mood from yesterday.
“Well, you’re in a chipper mood, aren’t you?” She said, her eyelids drooping lower even as she spoke.
“I feel damn better than I did yesterday, that’s for sure.” I said as I walked out of the inn. I had gone straight to bed after my little chase yesterday; despite having slept all day, I was ungodly tired last night. I hadn’t even had any drink, I thought to myself as I stepped out onto the walkway.
I looked ahead of me to find two wooden catwalks, separated by a dirty, stagnant canal. Joining the walkways was a small, creaking bridge whose underside was coated with mold. From what I remembered about Riften the building near the other catwalk was the Bunkhouse, and below was the lower walkway and my final destination: Elgrim’s Elixirs. I stepped out onto the catwalk and started down the narrow staircase that joined the lower walkway and the rest of Riften.
I climbed down the sloped, decrepit, rotting staircase as carefully as I could, afraid that I could get sent into the water with a false step. When both my feet were planted firmly on the last step, I smiled, knowing I wouldn’t get my books wet. I hopped off the last step and onto the lower catwalk, only to have a board give way under me.
I flailed my arms, trying not to lose my foothold (toehold would be a more appropriate term) on the board in front of me. I pulled myself into a ball and lunged forward, intent on keeping my pack, my satchel, and myself all completely dry. The adrenaline from the incident made my breathing shallow, although I was hardly out of breath. I strode about three steps past the broken plank before my destination was before me.
The alchemist’s shop was a dank looking place: the arch around the doorway was blackened with mold, as was the sign. The usual potion shop logo had worn away years ago, replaced by a faded beige splotch with several deep cuts in it. Years near the water hadn’t done the door any good: the iron bands that held the door’s planks together had rusted away in some areas, leaving me wondering how the door was still standing.
Carefully, I pulled the rusty handle outwards, the door somehow swinging with it. An old scraggly voice beckoned me in.
“Ah, a customer! Come in, come in… I’ll be out in a moment, just finishing up a potion…”
I entered the musty, dank store and spied a nearby chair. I thought better of sitting down, though. A look around the shop gave little insight into the shopkeeper’s personality: the walls were cluttered with shelves, and the shelves with various and sundry alchemical ingredients. As I drank in the shop’s sights, an old man rounded the shop’s stone façade. He was small and frail from age, and the few strands of hair he had were in his thinning moustache.
“Welcome to Elgrim’s Elixirs, and all that malarkey. Now, are you going to buy something?” The old alchemist may have looked frail, but he talked like a shrewd businessman.
“Elgrim, I presume?”
“You presume correctly.” The old man smiled; he obviously took pride in his name. I explained my reason for being there, only to see him scowl and pull his hat over what remained of his eyebrows.
“Boy, look at this place: I’ve been living like a hermit these past few years, with far too much spare time on his hands and far too many ingredients to experiment with! What could you possibly expect me to know about the damned Thieves’ Guild?” Elgrim went on like that for several minutes while I looked around his shop. Seeing nothing of interest, I stepped outside while Elgrim yelled at me.
“Don’t you dare close that door on-“ The door slammed shut with a thud and a shudder as wood jiggled between the rusted iron bands. I sighed, out of ideas, as I began to tour the lower walkway of Riften.
The area was quiet and dark, even in the late morning sun. Barrels floated in the stagnant canal, carrying the scent of rotting fish onto the walkway. I stepped past the broken board and staircase, focusing on the ground in front of me. As I turned the corner, however, I saw another pair of feet, clad in fine shoes as his torso was in robes. I looked up to see a pair of blue eyes, surrounded by black fur. He gave me the same look as he had before, and he knew he’d been discovered.
“Admetus!” I bellowed, my voice echoing off the walls.
Admetus turned around and ran, fast as he could. I followed, carefully watching the planks below me. I didn’t dare set my pack or satchel down, so I was slowed down quite a bit. Admetus turned another corner and I heard a gate crash open. I redoubled my effort, trying to understand why he was running from me and where Claudia and Wulden were.
When I finally turned the corner, any trace of Admetus was gone. I sighed and started toward the upper walkway again. Then, I noticed an alcove jutting into the stone wall. A gate swung out, betraying the one who had used it last. I smiled and strode, proud of my find, to the alcove, only to be blocked by yet another obstacle: a large, armored obstacle.
“Hold it. This here’s the Ratway. If you don’t have any business down there, it’s in your best interest to stay out.” The massive Nord towered over me, scowling menacingly. I was not impressed.
“Did you see a Khajiit pass through here a minute ago?” I asked.
“That depends. How much coin have you got?” Straight to the point, as I expected. I thrust my entire coin purse into his extended hand.
“There’s 200. Let me pass.” I smiled inwardly, hoping I had incited some guilt in the man. My hopes were dashed when the coin purse disappeared behind him. He moved aside to let me through and smirked.
“You know, I’ve never found it nice when you take someone’s coin…” I said, silently casting a fury spell in my hand.
“So?” The brute replied, drawing his sword. “They don’t call me Maul for nothing. If you want your coin back, come and get it.”
“Oh, you’ll find I’m more than capable of doing so…” I said, pulling my war axe out. I readied a paralysis spell in my hand, thinking about how often I’d used it these past few days.
To be continued…
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