Chapter 16: Growing the Crew II
After getting a pint of mead, I sit down with the two.
"Hiccup, Buddy! You're back! When'd ya get here?" Embry drunkenly slurs.
"Just now pal, stopping through to drop off some guards for the Jarl and investigate a rumor," I say handing Embry a spar drink I've been carrying around, "Perhaps you can help me stranger, I'm looking for a Khajit kid. Know anything about that?"
"Why're you asking? They usually travel with caravans. Didn't see any around." The merchant says with a fake look of confusion.
"Come now, you obviously know more than you're letting on. Perhaps there's something I could offer you to help me out with this?" I offer, placing a pouch of 100 gold on the table.
"Well, you don't seem that wicked to me… The only one I can think of is that curious-looking one that comes around the back of the inn at dusk. She's rather pretty, for a khajit. Anyway, if you go looking, be careful. Some rough-looking mercenaries have been asking about her as well. Name's Albret by the way, come to me if you're lookin' to trade." Albret says.
"Thanks…" I say heading out, man I didn't know pedos were in this game. Might have to kill him after I save the kid from those mercs. I think heading out of the inn towards the back when I hear a voice in a clearing not too far from the town gate where I follow the noise.
"Have you ever seen anything like it?" A mercenary says staring down at a figure shrouded in what looks to be fairly nice albeit tattered noble clothing.
The other says back, "No, never. How does she look… So human?"
"Doesn't even smell like a Khajit. Usually, you can tell." The first mercenary says back.
"Damn shame, too. I'd like to have her as my pet. I say we get a little payback for Laars and Lauri." The second mercenary says with a lecherous laugh.
"Get your head on straight! If we don't take her back, we don't get paid!" The first mercenary says cuffing the other on the ear.
"Ow, I'm not saying we won't take her back. I'm just saying I'd like to enjoy her first," The second mercenary explains rubbing his ear.
"Heh, that's not a bad idea. I want in. But we can't leave any marks, so… We'll have to be really gentle." The first mercenary laughs making my blood boil.
"If you lay so much as a finger on her! I'll make sure you draw your last breath!" I shout pulling my sword from its sheath and pointing it towards the second mercenary.
"If that's a joke, it's not a funny one. Now walk away." The second mercenary says while looking down on me… Well, not literally, since, I'm taller than him.
"I said. Step. Away." I say, staring down the mercenary as I send fire magic crackling through my left hand.
"Fine, then. I don't care to wet my blade one more time! Attack!" He shouts while I let loose a torrent of flame out at him before he can draw his great ax.
Throwing him off balance I strike with my sword while Jenassa strikes down at the first mercenary who had pulled out his bow and arrow. And Sofia emerges from the tree line swinging her sword down on the second mercenary after I dive out of the way, ending his life.
After the scuffle, I take the coins from the mercy and pull out a wanted notice, with a rough description of the strange-looking khajit girl… Woman actually, and she had a 500 septum bounty. And I realize with a closer look at her… SHE'S A CATGIRL! Not a khajit, but a beautiful young woman in her late teens or early twenties, with golden, amber feline eyes, fluffy ears and tail, long hair roughed and frazzled from days spent in the wilderness, and pouty lips.
"She didn't ask you for your help! Leave her alone!" She shouts before running off into the forest.
"Well… At least I don't have to kill Albret for being a pedo… She is cute. Girls, mind looting this rabble and selling their gear to Lucan? I've got to speak with that merchant again. " I say heading back towards the inn.
Once inside I sit down beside Albret who asks, "So, did you find her?"
"I did, and I took care of some mercenaries. I think she'll be safer now." I reply.
"Well, that's good. I'd hate for something to happen to her." Albret says taking a swig of his mead.
"Does she always react so coldly?" I ask pulling some wine from my pack.
"I believe so. She doesn't even talk to the innkeeper. Just gets her food and leaves." Albret says.
"Thanks, and you should think about setting up some trade outside of Whiterun. I've recently begun construction of an outpost near there and plan to expand trade with the Khajit caravans." I tell him, standing up to leave.
"Interesting, might head up that way soon. Thanks for the opportunity." Albret says, waving to me as I leave the Inn to be immediately questioned by some Thalmor agents.
"You there, I'm looking for an unusual Khajit. Have you seen her?" A Thalmor by the name of Ulquarion sneers at me.
"An unusual Khajit, you say? My, but that could be any one of them. They tend to be rather quirky." I snakily reply with my tusky grin.
"DON't get smart with me. You would not be able to mistake this one. Now be a good dog and tell me everything you know." Ulquarion says with their patience running thin.
"How dare you presume to speak to me like this? I'll teach you some manners!" I shout igniting fire in my left hand and lighting in my right before jumping from the porch of the in landing atop Ulquarion slamming him to the ground before blasting him with magic.
Uthgerd and Faendal who had been patrolling are quick to leap into the fray, Faendal peppering them with arrows from the distance while Uthegerd draws her great sword and rushes to my back to keep a blade from running me through.
The blade swinging near my head distracts me for a second, giving Ulquarion just the opportunity he need to throw me off and cast a teleportation spell escaping like a cowardly rat leaving his escorts to die by my and my companions' hands. After dealing with them I turn to Faendal, who just nods with a sigh and begins to strip the loot from the Thalmor agents.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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Chapter 17: Growing the Crew III
It's then that the strange girl returns to me while I plopped down on the stairs outside the Inn.
"She saw what you did. You didn't turn her in. Why?" She asks curiously.
"It's against my policy to turn in runaways until I know their side of the story. Are you hurt?" I ask offering her a potion for the slight scrapes and wounds she's acquired living in the wilderness.
"She's fine! She doesn't need your bandages or silly potions!" The girl huffs at me in exasperation.
"Alright, alright, I was just asking," I say taking a sip from the health potion.
"She wants to know why you are concerned with her? Why help a person you don't know?" She curiously asks while tilting her head.
"Heh, surely you're not suggesting that I pass by a pretty girl in trouble doing nothing, do you?" I cheekily flirt with a wink.
"Pretty…?" She asks, "Flattery will get you nowhere with her! So don't even try it!" Obviously flustered.
"Okay, okay, settle down! I just want to hear your story… For now." I smile.
She looks to me with confusion and mistrust before finally speaking up, "Her story? She… She doesn't know! Not even her name! Why can she not remember anything?" She exclaims frantically.
"Hey, take it easy! No need to panic. Just tell me what you do know." I say calmly trying to soothe her.
"What DOES she know… There was a kind elder that helped her, but with what?" She says beginning to tap her chin, "After that, she was running! Briars, bushes and dogs!" She quietly whimpers before shouting, "Loud dogs barking after her! She HATES dogs!"
Catching herself she corrects, "Er… She means… She was terribly angry at them! They made her mad, but she had to run, because it was raining, and she hates being wet! She's not scared of anything terrible!" She asserts obviously talking about the rain and not the dogs.
"I see… So, you were running away from someone?" I ask.
"She thinks so, yes." The girl nods, "She found some shelter, an old tower, and spent maybe a week there, hiding… From the rain, of course!" She says making me snicker, "Don't laugh at her! When the bar- rain had stopped. She left from there and ran until she ended up here, in this town."
"And that's all you can remember?" I ask.
"She remembers a satchel! She left it in the tower, because she was in a hurry! Maybe that can tell her who she is!" She exclaims excitingly, "You can take her there! And she will keep you safe from the mean old doggies around there!"
"Huh, I'd be happy to help. But…" I tapper off realizing that the Bannermist Tower is in the exact opposite direction to Riften.
"Mreow? Will you not help her?" She sadly looks down with her ears flattening down, with sad kitten eyes that would put Puss-in-Boots to shame.
… Why did I have to be a weeb in my past life? I can't fuckin' say no to her… URGH, Lokir will understand if I'm a couple days late, right? I'll just stop by Falkreath to pick up that quest and a thaneship while I'm at it before double-timing it to Riften, it'll be fine?
"Errgh… Fine, I need to head that way soon enough, shouldn't be too troublesome to shift my schedule around so we can head there first. Just let me talk to Gerdur for a moment before I'm ready to go. And here." I say tossing the 150 gold I found on mercenaries. "Use this to trade in those noble clothes for some traveling clothes, armor, and a weapon. Tell him ta give you the Malborne discount and he should treat you right."
"Hreow? How does she use these shiny, clinkies?" She says happily tossing the pouch around, causing me to sigh and turn to Faendal who is trying hard and failing to hold in his laughter.
"Faendal… Please help her while I go talk to Gerdur." I ask him.
"Sure, my friend. Should I pick out her undergarments as well or do you want that privilege?" I snarkily remarks making me throw one of my bolos at him which he dodges and runs off with the strange girl who doesn't understand what Faendal's jests were implying.
Walking on I head to the mill where I find Gerdur and her husband hard at work, when I shout to her, "Gerdur! Come on down and see your favorite house guest!"
Making her smile and head on down from the top of the mill, "And who might that be? It can't be Silvantus, because he just left for Whiterun and he said he wouldn't be back for a few months" She says jokingly glaring at me.
"It's Commander Malborne now, a lot happened in three days that made it feel like three months. I'm here to make a deal for lumber before heading on towards Riften, but I got something new to deal with so I'll be needing to make a detour to Falkreath." I tell her while resting on the old stump near the mill.
"Is that so? How much lumber do you need?" Gerdur asks getting straight down to business.
"Hmmm, probably 100 timbers? At least for now, might need more in the future. I know that's about a thousand gold, but I was hoping you could give me a discount on account of saving Ralof's life and working in the mill for cheap?" I say with a ruggedly handsome smile.
"Hmmm, alright… But I want to become your exclusive lumber dealer." Gerdur smiles.
"I want a 70% discount," I demand.
"You're insane, 30%." She counters.
"Of course I am, that's never been in question 60%." I shoot back.
"Eh, true, 40%." She counters.
"50% and you handle the cost of shipping, that's my final offer," I say offering an ultimatum.
"Hmmm, you've got yourself a deal, Commander," Gerdur agrees before extending her hand.
"Good," I say with a smile before shaking her hand and handing over the 500 gold leaving me with only about 400 septims after leaving 4,000 with Lokir to handle constructing the outpost.
"I'll be heading out then, I have to deal with that thing in Falkreath now," I say turning to leave.
And it is then, me, Jenassa, Sofia, and the strange girl pack up to leave Riverwood and begin our trek to Falkreath… Man, I should really get a horse… But I don't know how to ride a horse… Shit, I wonder if Lokir could teach me, he was a horse thief after all.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
10 Power
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