U.O.T.W. Chapter 293 Tricks of the Trade

• Posted by Sotek July 15, 2018 - Filed in TSC: CB Story - 1,588 views

  

   

  

   

  By mid morning, all of Jorrvaskr were awake except for Aela. In fact, it was around midday by the time she awoke. She found herself in an empty bed as Sotek had been already up and about for a good several hours. She entered the main hall to see Huinzi and Twilight sitting with Kul-et and Veezara. She could tell Huinzi and Veezara were mistrustful of each other, but everyone could see they were at least trying to get on. Twilight saw her then approached in what seemed like a friendly enough manner, which threw Aela a bit considering Twilight’s actions the night before.
  “Morning Aela. Did you sleep well?”

   

  She tried to act friendly, but she couldn’t help but glare slightly as she responded.
  “Not entirely”. She looked around for Sotek but there was no sign of him. She considered sitting at the table, but she felt pushed out enough as it was, so she filled a plate up with food then sat on the step where she and Sotek would usually sit. “Huinzi, how long are you all staying in Skyrim for?”

   

  “We’ll be heading back this afternoon. I need to ask something, if I did as Sotek requested and sent an Argonian with the banner, would he actually come to our aid?”

   

  Kodlak, who was eating at the time, put down the bread roll then called across to Aela.
  “You’re the best one to answer that”.

   

  Aela smiled and couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.
  “I’ve never known him to break his word or let us down. If he told you that he would be there, then he will be there. And may the Nine help anyone who tries to get in his way. Speaking of him being there, where the hell is he?”

   

  Vilkas pointed over to the double doors which opened out to Whiterun with his flask of mead. He also mumbled something, but due to having a mouth full of bread, Aela never understood a single word. Kodlak shook his head disapprovingly at Vilkas then answered himself.
  “He’s at the Warmaidens, making a lock and some hinges”.

   

  “Ahh, that’ll be for the door”. She got up then headed outside to try to find him. The moment she approached the market, she could see him further down the path at the workbench outside the War Maidens. Arcadia was standing just behind him, watching over his shoulder. As soon as she saw Aela, she walked briskly up to her.
  “Have you got it?”

   

  “Ermm got what?” Aela asked as she tried to look past the alchemist, so she could look directly at Sotek in the hope of him giving her an indication as to what Arcadia was referring to.

   

  Arcadia stepped to her left slightly, blocking Aela’s line of sight. She cursed as her frustration started boiling over.
  “The 300 gold he now owes me for the door, well?”

   

  Aela snapped straight back at her.
  “No, I bloody haven’t”. She however only took a few steps when she stopped. “Arcadia, yea, here. Sorry, it’s been a hard few days”. She opened her pouch then handed over the gold. Once the debt was settled, she looked down the path to Sotek once more. “How is he?”

   

  “Oh, he’s in high spirits, which is surprising considering he’s skint. Again, I might add. How is he ever going to provide for you I’ll never know”.

   

  Aela walked up behind him, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat sorry for him, but at the same time a little angry as well.
  “What in all of Skyrim am I supposed to do with you? How come you’re skint? You had a box full of bloody gold! What have you done with it all? You keep Farkas and Vilkas in mead like they are your good for nothing pets!”

   

  Sotek put the hammer down on the bench then turned to face her. He instantly saw that she was far more concerned than just angry.
  “I helped Kodlak buy the shop in Riverwood. That sort of broke my bank, as it were”.

   

  Aela moved close to him and held him in her arms.
  “Oh yes, Veezara. When are you going to see a return on it?”

   

  “Ermm, I’m not. He’ll keep a percentage and the rest will go to Jorrvaskr. So that leaves me ermm….”

  
  
  Aela chuckled as she gave him a kiss.
  “Skint. We need to get out, make some money. Here’s a thought, if Sasha wants to go to the Fighter’s Guild, why don’t we take her? We can have a bit of a wander, see what we can find”.

   

  “Sounds like a plan, I’ve nearly finished here. Once Arcadia lets me go, you want to see what enchants are on the gauntlets?” Sotek asked as he raised his eyebrow a few times, hoping to coax her along.

   

  “I thought you done that already?”

   

  Sotek shook his head then pointed to Arcadia.
  “I’ve been helping with the door. They only managed to secure it last night. Eorlund has been hounding me for the fittings. I’ll finish up here then we’ll go have a look”.

   

  At that point Adrianne came over and examined the workmanship in the
  Hinges.
  “Nice job. You know you could always do some work for me. I got loads on at the moment. Go on, get out of here, I’ll finish up”.

   

  Aela instantly grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the bench.
  “Come on, let’s go before Arcadia asks for more money”. They headed off to Dragonsreach, then sought out Farengar.

   

  Sotek showed him the gloves, which he grabbed excitedly as per usual when something sparked his interest.
  “Oh my, where did you get these?”

   

  Sotek cast Aela a quick wink then explained in his usual way.
  “Hsss, you know, the usual. A cave or somewhere. We been all over as of late. What sort of enchant is it?”

   

  “Well it looks like a… Wait, you don’t know? Oh my, I thought with your skill that you would have it already. You’ll find it useful, if it’s what I think it is. Aela might not be the top dog anymore, so to speak”.

   

  Sotek threw him a curious glance then headed over to the enchanting table. He spent several minutes breaking through the enchant as he learned its secrets. Once he had finished he looked up to Farengar and Aela. Sotek threw the ruined gauntlets on the ground then cursed out loudly.
  “That cheating, bloody bitch”. A moment later he burst out laughing, then signalled to Aela. “Come on, I need to borrow some leather”.

   

  Aela turned to Farengar with a confused expression on her face. Farengar just shrugged his shoulders, as he looked straight back at her.

   

  The moment they reached the Skyforge, Sotek dropped to his knees in front of Eorlund and started begging.
  “Please, can I have some leathers and straps? I’ll pay for them later, please?”

   

  Eorlund backed off a step as he stared blankly at Aela.
  “What in Oblivion has got into him?” Sotek reached over and grabbed his leg as he begged again. Aela couldn’t help but laugh as Eorlund started grappling with him as he tried to get away. “Get off, you mangy dog. What the hell do you want?”

   

  Sotek let him go then stood up. He smiled at Aela who was now leaning on the anvil laughing at him.
  “I ermm, I need to make a basic leather armour set, and a neckless. Yess… And a ring as well”.

   

  Eorlund sorted out some leather pieces for him which he then used to make the armour set. Once he had finished, he gave Aela a quick slap on the backside.
  “Get yourself back to the hall, I’ll be there later. But ermm… Don’t tell the others anything about my armour set”.

   

  Aela and Eorlund both stared at each other then Aela found herself examining his Dragonscale armour.
  “Surely you’re not switching to leather”.

   

  Sotek responded by playfully hissing at her.
  “I’m not Sshirly, I’m Ssotek. Are you sstill here?”

   

  “Sshirly? Surely… For howling out loud. Moron! Ok, ok, I’m going”. She then headed off towards Jorrvaskr, growling to herself.

   

  Sotek nudged Eorlund, and evilly grinned at him.
  “Stick around, it’s going to be an interesting evening”.

   

  As Aela entered Jorrvaskr, she noticed that the Shadowscales were gone, but Kul-et and Veezara were also missing.
  “Harbinger, where are they?”

   

  He just pointed to the main door.
  “They’ve left, Kul-et’s gone with them to the gate. Veezara’s staying with us for a night then Kul-et’s heading back to Riverwood with him for a few days.”

   

  Aela looked back at the courtyard door suspiciously.
  “He’s up to something”.

   

  At that point Farkas joined in on the conversation.
  “Who is?”

   

  The Harbinger jokingly huffed then started walking away.
  “Who do you think? Aela, he’s always up to something”.

   

  By late afternoon, Sotek entered the hall. Everyone was there, including Kul-et and Veezara. Sotek stood just in front of the doorway then called out to all of them.
  “Can I have everyone’s attention please? I have a question”.

   

  Aela looked somewhat befuddled as soon as she looked over to him. Sure enough, he was wearing the leather outfit instead of his Dragonscale set. Farkas had to look twice, but then a massive grin broke out on his face.
  “What on, hey Kul-et, you two have a matching set”.

   

  Sotek simply smiled at him, but then his face turned serious except for a wild glint in his eye.
  “Who’s the best archer in Jorrvaskr?”

   

  Everyone, including the Whelps all turned to Aela. She just sat there staring at him then slowly raised her hand.
  “I am you moron, you know that”.

   

  Sotek chuckled then looked straight at her.
  “No, I never said who was the best archer, I said who is”.

   

  Aela’s eyes went wide as she snapped instantly at him.
  “I beg your fucking pardon?”

   

  Tilma, who found herself frustrated with Aela’s swearing, interrupted the conversation.
  “Aela, language!”

   

  “What? Oh sorry. Sotek, I’m not going to swear, but you have five seconds to explain what the bloody hell you’re on about. Oh, and I’m starting on three”.

   

  Sotek’s eyes locked on to Aela’s then he smiled broadly.
  “My dear, sweet Aela, it’s this simple. I bet three hundred gold, that I’m a better shot than you”.

   

  Farkas laughed as he turned to Vilkas.
  “I’m after a bit of this action. You in?”

   

  Vilkas looked somewhat concerned.
  “You are talking about archery, aren’t you?”

   

  Sotek simply nodded.
  “Yes, a bow, arrows. That thing you pull back on… The thingy?”

   

  “Drawstring… It’s called a drawstring, you incompetent twit!” Aela snarled as she stood up with her arms flapping about. She shook her head as she walked up to him. She poked him in the chest hard as she snarled. “There’s no bloody way that you’re better than me. It’s a trick”.

   

  “Oh really? Then just say I’m better than you”.

   

  “Like hell I will! Let’s make it interesting, if you beat me, I’ll, I’ll…” Aela paused. She was fired up, but her mind was a blank as to any thought regarding a wager.

   

  Sotek grinned as he leaned into her face.
  “You’ll do what?”

   

  She stopped for a few seconds as she tried to think but then Farkas shouted out his suggestion.
  “She’ll dance naked on the table”.

   

  Sotek quickly answered before she could back out.
  “Agreed! It’s payback for when you made us walk through the streets naked”.

   

  “Like hell I will”. She snapped when she finally found the wit to respond to Farkas’s outrageous suggestion.

   

  “Fine. Just say, ‘yes Sotek you’re the better shot’”. Sotek smirked when he said it. He knew that would make Aela bite. He just hoped it wouldn’t lead to an actual bite. With her track record, he wasn’t overly sure.

   

  Aela growled out at him.
  “You’re on, but when I win, you’re going to suffer. You’ll have to do what I say, when I say, for twenty-four hours”.

   

  Sotek laughed then started heading outside.
  “Ladies and Gentlemen, girl’s and boy’s, and She-Wolves… The yard awaits. Don’t forget to bring your gold”.

   

  He stood about fifty yards back from the target, then indicated to Aela to stand alongside him.
  “The first one to score three bulls eye’s wins. Anyone betting against me, kindly give the Harbinger your gold”.

   

  The four Whelps as well as Vilkas and Farkas all handed over their pouches. Aela threw her bag on the floor by Sotek’s feet, then she snarled out at him.
  “You start”.

   

  Sotek drew an arrow and took aim but then politely refused.
  “No, you can. Fire when ready”.

   

  Aela drew an arrow and took aim. She steadied her breathing then fired. As fast as anything, she rapidly readied a second arrow then fired it. As soon as she had let go, she grabbed a third arrow then sent it across the yard towards the target. From out of nowhere, an arrow shot out and struck it in mid-flight. Aela nearly dropped her bow in shock. She glanced at Sotek’s target to see three arrows embedded perfectly in the bull’s eye.
  “No! No way! What the fuck? You fucker! How? Tell me you bastard, how the hell did you do that?”

   

  Sotek rapidly sent three arrows into Aela’s target, far faster than what Aela was able to. Each iron arrow struck the bull perfectly. He then stood there grinning at her.
  “You going to strip now or in a minute?”

   

  She slammed the palm of her hand into his chest, pushing him backwards a step.
  “You bloody bastard, how? It’s not possible”.

   

  Sotek picked up the bag of gold from the floor then took the other bags from the Harbinger while everyone was just simply too shocked to stop him. He walked back over to Aela then nudged her at the same time he pointed to the table.
  “You owe me a dance, come on”.

   

  Aela snapped out of her shock and grabbed him by the collar.
  “How did you do it? You bloody sneaky reptile”.

   

  Sotek held her waist tightly then kissed her on the forehead.
  “You don’t have to dance naked, but I’m keeping the gold. As to how I did it, I done what Twilight did”.

   

  Kul-et walked over to the targets then pulled out an arrow, she tried to work out what he did, but she couldn’t.
  “What did she do?”

   

  Sotek pulled off his ring then threw it to Kodlak who caught it.
  “She cheated”.

   

  Aela, who had now recovered from her shock, looked over at the targets.
  “How?”

   

  “Her armour, the ring and amulet. It’s all fortified. Archery, one handed weapons, two handed, even blocking. They’ve been raised to an extreme level I might add. She’s no threat anymore, her enchants are powerful, but we know her secret. Mine aren’t that potent, but I can double them up. Aela, this armour has marksman on it, three pieces of it, so has the ring. With this armour set, my skill’s more than doubled. You never stood a chance”.

   

  Aela held her hand against his chest armour as she examined it, then slightly shook her head.
  “That bloody bitch”.

   

  Kul-et angrily turned to Veezara, who immediately shrugged his shoulders.
  “Hmm? What? I didn’t know”.

   

  Sotek called out to Kul-et and asked her for silence.
  “No one did or does. It works to our advantage that way. We keep it to ourselves”.

   

  Farkas smugly strolled over towards him with his arms swinging in pace of his steps.
  “So ermm, basically you cheated?”

   

  Sotek just grinned at him. He knew what was coming but he wasn’t prepared to back down.
  “Yes”.

   

  “Good, you hear that Harbinger? I want my gold back, as you cheated”.

   

  Sotek grinned wildly at him then growled quietly.
  “Sure, if you can take it from me”.

   

  Farkas turned straight to Kodlak.
  “Harbinger, tell him”.

   

  Kodlak just turned around and headed inside, laughing as he went.
  “Farkas, when will you ever learn”.

   

  Aela breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled as she followed Sotek inside.
  “I’m just glad I haven’t got to dance naked”.

   

  Sotek pulled her close to him. She started to blush when he whispered in her ear.
  “You can dance for me tonight. I trust you still got that robe you wore that night in the Bannered Mare? The Nocturnal robe?”

   

  She discreetly nodded as she squeezed his hand.
  “Actually, yes I have”.