Chapitre 4: Bandits
A day later.
"Marcus, get up." Marcus heard Aela. Groggily, he opened his eyes and slowly sat on his bed. After Skjor had a sparring match to asses Marcus's combat capabilities, which he deemed pathetic, he was led to meet with Kodlak Whitemane, the Harbinger of the Companions. Their father figure and leader in name.
Kodlak was an old man with grey hair, a bushy beard, and grey eyes. After Aela told him of Marcus's situation, the old Nord was impressed by the young man and was more than happy to lend him a room in Jorrvaskr. Most people in Skyrim that were Marcus's age would go to great lengths to get the favor of a Jarl and receive a monetary reward. Yet Marcus had only asked for a small town to receive protection when he had nothing to his name.
The following day after that, was what Marcus would describe as hellish and wicked torture. Just thinking about it would make him shiver.
"What time is it?" Marcus asked.
"It's already noon. Come on, I got us a task, perfect just for you." Aela said.
"Just give me a moment to wake up." Marcus said, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temple.
"If you are feeling sleepy, drink this." Aela threw a small vial on his lap. Marcus looked down to see a small vial with green liquid. "Nooo! This is the Devils drink!" He yelled and threw it back at Aela, who caught it with ease and chuckled at his antics.
The previous day, Marcus learned the hard way how much he hated Stamina potions. Hated was even mildly put, he despised them and cursed the creator and his entire family for devising the evil drink.
That day had started early in the morning with Skjor and Aela teaching him how to correctly hold weapons, and the correct stance for them. Daggers, swords, spears, maces, shields, everything since he was pathetic at using a weapon. Except for a bow, he was deemed not bad at that. He was hurt that the skill he was most proud of was called not bad, but after seeing Aela use a bow, he had to admit he had a long way to go. In seconds, the huntress could shoot more than a dozen arrows without pause and without losing accuracy. Unlike Marcus, who had to pause in between shots and carefully take aim.
After he was showed how to hold weapons correctly, they made him practice on the training dummies outside Jorrvaskr. That was fine and all, but whenever he got tired, they would force him to drink a Stamina potion. It worked like an adrenaline shot and restored his energy in seconds. Normally, a person can drink 2 of them a day, or if they have a stronger physique up to 3 or maybe even 4. If someone drinks more than that, he would feel extreme exhaustion and blackout, or experience other side effects. They quickly found out that Marcus didn't follow this trope and had no problem chugging them down like water. Which led to them increasing the intensity of his training.
By noon he had already drank more than what a normal person could drink in a day and had trained for two days worth. After that, he had more practical training since they deemed that his stance was no longer pathetic. They called one of the younger Companions to help them out, and Marcus had to spar against him. Which led to almost everyone from the Companions coming to watch. Every time he got hurt or tired, they would give him potions like giving away cookies. Which further led to all of them wanting to beat up the newbie. That day, Marcus learned the hard way that all of the Companions are battle junkies.
After Marcus put on the armor that Skjor and Aela got him, he left his room. The armor was a mixture of leather and iron, making it less heavy and easier to move with than the iron armor he got from Alvor. Marcus had finally learned how to put on armor on his own and didn't have to ask for help. He also had a steel sword and dagger sheeted on his hips and a longbow and quiver filled with steel arrows on his back.
Aela patiently waited for him outside his room, and the two made their way outside of Jorrvaskr. When they were passing through the main hall of the building, a good looking Imperial woman with black hair greeted him. "Marcus! Just the person I needed. I was thinking of training with the dummies, but a moving dummy is a lot better!" She giggled and placed her hand on her mouth. "Oops. Did I say that out loud?"
"Ria..." Marcus groaned, and she grabbed his arm. "Come on. Let's go train!"
"Not today, Ria. Marcus has a task." Aela said, and Ria pouted. "Fine. But you have to promise me we will fight when you come back!"
"I ain't promising nothing." Marcus said with crossed arms, knowing that if he fights one, he will have to fight all other Companions that are at Jorrvaskr at that moment. Ria stuck her tongue playfully at his response. "Meanie!"
After Aela said a few words to Farkas and Vilkas, two Nord twins who had also assisted in his training the previous day, she left the building alongside Marcus. No more than a few minutes after they left Jorrvaskr, a guard entered. He looked around for a moment before walking to Vilkas. "Good day, Companion! I'm looking for one called Marcus. I was told I should be able to find him here. The Jarl has asked for his presence in Dragonsreach. "
"You just missed him. Marcus left with Aela on a task a few minutes ago. He should be back tomorrow." Vilkas informed him.
"I see. It would be appreciated if you sent him to Dragonsreach once he comes back." The guard bowed and left.
At that moment, Aela and Marcus were passing by the tent owned by the short elf selling bows. He said. "Mind waiting for just a moment? I want to check something out."
"No problem. Just make it quick." Aela watched as he walked up to the elf. The small Wood Elf looked a bit on edge, but in just a few moments, the two were excitedly talking to each other with Marcus holding a composite bow and testing it out. Shortly, Marcus returned the bow and shook hands with the elf. He returned to Aela with a grin on his face afterward.
"What was that about?" Aela asked him. Curious why he looked so happy.
"Forindir sells a good variety of bows that are pretty good quality as well. He seems to love bows, just as much as me, if not even more. He showed me one of his best works and promised to sell it to me at a discount if I manage to gather enough septims before he leaves. Which is in a month." Marcus explained.
"You love bows?" Aela asked.
"Very much! I've practiced using one my entire life, and I was quite proud of my skill until I saw you using one." Marcus answered, and Aela smirked at the praise. She preferred being complimented on her skills rather than her looks. Quite a lot of people had told her how beautiful she is and tried forcing themselves on her, which mostly ended with them having a broken nose or arm.
"Anyway. What's this task about?" Marcus asked.
"We are going to take out a bandit camp." Aela told him.
"A bandit camp?" Marcus asked and gulped. "We are going to capture them?"
"No. We are exterminating them." Aela said.
"So, we are going to kill them all?" Marcus asked with a shiver. He knew that at some point in time, he would have to kill another human being again, but he didn't think it would come this fast.
Aela saw his expression and understood his situation. She had seen that same face on a few younger Companions. Very, very few since most of them were more than ready to charge in such a situation, but she had still seen it. "Bandits and raiders are a plague that needs to be removed! They are scum and have no honor."
Absentmindedly, he asked while trying not to think of what's to come. "Is there a difference between raiders and bandits?"
"Yes." Aela said. "Raider will raid a caravan, steal everything they can, and run away as fast as possible. Bandits will raid a caravan, kill all the men, rape the women, steal everything they can, and run away as fast as possible. Raiders are the lesser evil, but evil nonetheless."
Hearing her, Marcus took a deep breath. If he was going to kill, at least it was someone who deserved it. It would still be hard, but at least he won't feel as guilty. He remembered a phrase Aela told him yesterday, and he started repeating in his mind. 'To live, you have to adapt to change, that is the way of the wild.' In a few moments, he asked. "Where is this bandit camp?"
"Somewhere to the east of Whiterun. They've been spotted taking refuge in a mountain cave there. We should be able to reach it within a few hours at a walking pace." Aela looked towards the sky and judged the position of the sun. "We'll probably be spending the night in the wild."
"What? Where are we going to sleep?" Marcus asked. He certainly didn't mind spending the night alone with Aela, but he would much prefer to be in a comfy room.
"On the ground." Aela looked at him as if it wasn't obvious. "Unless you want to chug the, what did you call it again, ah yes, the Devils drink, and walk back to Whiterun without daylight. Although I wouldn't have a problem with that, I still think it would be best if spend the night in the wild. You can learn a thing or two that way." She said with a teasing smile.
Marcus groaned, but if he had to choose between the two, he would go with the lesser evil. "Fine." He would do whatever it takes to avoid drinking the wicked drink. Even if that meant that he would be spending the night alone, with a beautiful, very beautiful, and also a dangerous young woman. Definitely, the lesser evil of both options.
"What? You're not happy with spending the night with me?" Aela teased.
"No!" Marcus denied far faster than he would have liked. "It's just... I've never slept in the wild before. Always been in a bed."
"Good thing I'm here to teach you then." Aela said as they continued walking towards the bandit camp. On the way, they talked about mostly trivial things, but Marcus learned a few things about her. Apparently, Aela had been trained to join the Companions ever since she was able to hold a weapon since every female from her family line was part of them. Before she joined them, she had lived in the woods with her father, hunting everything she can.
"Bandit cave should be just up this hill. We are going to take a small break here. To make sure we are rested before going after them." Aela said after they reached a hill. She sat on the ground, pulled some stale bread and a piece of jerky, and handed them to Marcus. Knowing what he was about to do soon, he didn't feel like eating and wanted to refuse, but she was having none of that. "Eat!" Aela said while staring at him with her fierce grey eyes, and he had to comply.
Half an hour later, when the sun was already starting to dim, Aela got up. "It's time. Remember, use your bow when they are far away, and use your sword when they run at you." She said and already had a bow and arrow in her hands. Marcus followed her example.
"Good. Now, let's go, and keep your eyes open." Aela said, and they quietly ascended the hill. They reached a large rock with a bush next to it. She raised a hand for them to stop. Using it as a cover, she took a peek towards the cave. Aela returned back to Marcus, placed her head on his shoulder with her lips practically touching his ear, and she whispered. "Two bandits around a fire. One sitting, one cooking. I aim for the one standing, you for the one sitting."
They were going to try and kill the two without making a commotion. Aela could probably handle the two and however many they are in the cave by herself, but they weren't doing this for her. This was for Marcus.
'You can do this, Marcus. You can do this!' Marcus thought and repeated a couple times. 'To live, you have to adapt to change, that is the way of the wild.' He nodded to confirm that he is ready.
The two quietly walked out of their cover with their bows ready and arrows drawn, and Marcus finally got a glimpse of the two bandits. One was stirring a cookpot with his back turned towards them, and the other was sitting on the ground, looking at his nails.
Marcus took aim, and the world slowed down to a crawl. 'They are scum. They rape and murder people. If they are not put down, they will continue to prey on innocent people.' He tried justifying what he was about to do, but that didn't make him feel any better.
With time nearly frozen, Marcus was able to see the bandit clearly. Face and hair stained with dirt. Dirty and badly made leather armor, but he was alive and kicking. And Marcus was going to change that. His heart twisted into a knot, thinking what he was about to do, and before he could change his mind, he released the arrow. 'I'm sorry.'
Time returned to its normal pace as the arrow flew towards the bandit. It lodged itself in his throat, and he looked towards them with wide eyes. He opened his mouth, but no words came out of it. He gurgled once, spat out some blood, and fell on the ground as life left his eyes.
Aela's arrow accurately pierced the other bandit's head, and that one didn't even get the chance to see his killers. He weakly fell on the ground with a thud.
Marcus hung his head down. He couldn't look towards the person he had just killed. 'I'm sorry. If I didn't kill you, you would continue killing innocents before someone else kills you. I'm sorry. It had to be done.' He knew that this wasn't Earth. He knew that death was a normal occurrence here. He knew all that, but that didn't mean that he liked it. He tried his best to justify what he had just done, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
'To live, you have to adapt to change, that is the way of the wild.' He kept repeating the phrase as tears formed in his eyes. But this wasn't the time for crying. He swiped them away and followed after Aela. She was crouching and peeking inside the cave, which was a bit further ahead. The coast was clear, so she beckoned for Marcus to follow her. Aela wasn't the biggest fan of this sneaky approach. This was how you were supposed to hunt prey, not scum, but she was doing it for him.
They entered the cave tunnel, and after it curved to the right, they spotted a man sitting on a chair. The small cavern was lit up a by single candle that was on the table in front of him. Since there was only one bandit, Aela motioned with her hand for Marcus to take the shot.
Marcus took aim with his bow when the man turned towards them. For a moment, he froze, thinking they have been spotted. He panicked, expecting the man to shout and alarm the rest of the bandits, but he did no such thing.
"Rodulf, is that you? Boss said he wants to meet you at the summit once you are done cooking." The bandit said, and Marcus noticed that his eyes were pure white. 'He is blind!' He thought. That simple fact made this even harder for him. He turned towards Aela with pleading eyes, but she raised her hand with her thumb sticking out and swiped it across her throat.
"Rodulf, are you trying to play tricks on me again? If you continue doing this, the boss said he won't let you enjoy the next women we capture." The bandit said. "Instead, he will allow me to have som..." He never got finish his sentence as Marcus's arrow lodged itself between his eyes.
'To live, you have to adapt, that is the way of the wild. To live, you have to adapt, that is the way of the wild. To live, you have to adapt, that is the way of the wild.' Marcus took a few deep breaths to calm himself and followed after Aela, who was already sneaking ahead of him.
"I'm sorry, but you deserved it." Marcus whispered faintly, and Aela heard him. 'He apologized for killing someone?' She looked at him oddly and remembered what happened when he met the Jarl. Instead of asking for a reward for himself, he asked for others to be protected. The Jarl called him a good man, but he was too good to a fault. If she hadn't seen that interaction between them, she would have assumed that Marcus is mocking the bandit he killed. But seeing his watering eyes, she knew that he was truly sorry for what he had done.
"Let's... go on." Marcus whispered faintly. He knew that if they stopped now, he would run back to Whiterun as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to learn how to live in this new, foreign world, and it was now or never. He didn't like it, but he didn't have much choice in this matter.
Aela saw the pain in his eyes and clasped his shoulder. She gave it a light squeeze and opened her mouth, but no words came out of it. She didn't know what to say. She never had to go through this. To her, killing was as simple as breathing. For the first time in her life, Aela wished she was a bit better with words. She turned around and led him deeper inside the cave. After going through another tunnel and climbing some wooden steps, they heard two people speaking inside another cavern.
"Today was a good haul!"
"A good haul indeed! We got mead, food, and a wench to play with. Shame she didn't last long enough for me to have another go with her."
"True! She wasn't that bad looking. I could have gone another time with her as well. But that blind fool Ulfr dared to ask to try her as well. Just because the boss is his nephew, he thinks he has some special privileges or something."
"Fuck him and cheers for us!"
"Cheers!"
Anger boiled inside both Marcus and Aela. For Aela, this was the first time she ever listened to bandits talk. She was disgusted at how little honor they had. If looks could kill, all the bandits in Skyrim would have died at that moment.
Marcus was also infuriated and blinded by rage, he made a mistake. He pulled an arrow, and without waiting for Aela to synchronize their actions, he shot one of the bandits.
"What in Oblivion!" Yelled the other bandit and turned towards them. Before he could shout anything else. An arrow shot by Aela pierced his head. Rather than being annoyed at Marcus's action, she felt slightly proud of him. The past couple of bandits, she had to, in a way, force him to kill them, but this time, he did it on his own.
Unfortunately, the yell of the bandit brought attention to them. A bandit popped his head from another tunnel and spotted his fallen comrades. "Intruders!" He screamed, and a total of five bandits ran out of the tunnel.
Aela shot one of them down, but they quickly reached the two. Knowing that his bow would be useless in this situation, he threw it away and unsheathed his sword and dagger. It was four bandits versus the two of them, but thankfully, they were still in a tunnel so they couldn't be surrounded by them.
A bandit dressed in leather armor of poor quality and holding a rusty looking iron sword, rushed at Marcus and swung his weapon. Marcus was momentarily frozen. The arc of the sword was easy to read, and he knew that he should parry it with his dagger. The Companions had taught him how to parry strikes coming from different angles, but just because he was taught, didn't mean he could actually do it. Add into that, he was frozen for a moment, he didn't have the time to even attempt parrying it.
So Marcus did the next best thing he could think of. He raised his left hand and used it as a shield to block the attack. The sword pierced his armor and drew blood, but that was it. It got stuck in his arm. The weapon was too dull and rusty to chop his hand. Marcus bit his cheek in pain but attacked with his own sword. He stabbed the bandit in the chest. His weapon easily pierced through the leather armor and came out of the bandit's back. His steel sword was a high-quality one made by the best blacksmith in Whiterun. Marcus pulled his weapon out, and the bandit's lifeless body fell on the ground.
Meanwhile, one of the bandits had attacked Aela. She gracefully moved out of the way. In one swift motion, she stabbed the bandit in the throat with her twin daggers and decapitated him. Another bandit lunged at her, but she jumped far higher than any human should have been able to do. She somersaulted over him, and before he realized what had happened, his head was already on the ground.
At that moment, the last bandit, who unlike the rest had a shield, was already swinging his sword at Marcus. His left arm hurt like hell with the iron sword still lodged inside it, but on pure survival instinct, he raised his sword to block the strike, and Marcus barely managed to hold onto his weapon.
The bandit didn't play fairly, though. He kicked Marcus in the groin and bashed him with his shield. Marcus fell on the ground, but before the bandit could finish the deed, Aela was already behind him. In one swift motion, she lopped his head off.
"Marcus!" Aela crouched down next to him and opened a pouch specifically designed for potions. It had small compartments where one could store up to six vials. She had four Health and two Stamina potions inside it. Aela quickly grabbed one of the Health potions. Before she poured in his mouth, she removed the iron sword stuck in his arm.
"It hurts!" Marcus said weakly. Whether he was speaking about his arm or what he had done, she didn't know. Aela was at loss yet again. She didn't know what she is supposed to say in this situation, and she was never good with words. In the end, she cradled his head in her arms and stroked his hair with the four dead bandits surrounding them. Marcus was breathing hard but shortly calmed down from her actions. It was soothing and comfortable. As much as he enjoyed it, they couldn't stay like that, however.
Aela helped him to his feet, and she opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, another bandit popped out of the tunnel. This one was wearing iron armor from head to toes. On his back, he had a large greatsword.
"What is the meaning of this!" The bandit raged as he saw his dead underlings. "You will pay for this!" He shouted in anger.
Marcus, knowing that he couldn't parry to save his life, quickly grabbed the shield of the last bandit. His left arm still hurt from the wound he received, but it was only that. He could freely move it.
Marcus was prepared for a tough fight, but then Aela suddenly sprinted at the bandit. He would have never imagined someone could move so fast. She was nothing but a blur. In an instant, she reached the bandit, and before he could even react, she stabbed her dagger in the small openings of his helmet. The bandit fell on the ground, not even knowing that he had been killed.
Aela stood still after that. Marcus wasn't sure what she was doing, but in a moment, she turned around and walked back to him.
"We are done. That was the last one. Let's get out of here." Aela said. He wasn't sure how she knew that, but he didn't question her. He wanted to leave this place as fast as possible.
On the way out, tears formed in his eyes. He was no judge, jury, and executioner. He was a simple man in a not so simple world. His body shivered at what he had done. He had killed, and he hadn't done it in self-defense.
Once they were out, the sun was nowhere to be seen, and the two moons silently watched over Skyrim. They reached the place with the fire, where they killed the two bandits. At that point, he couldn't take it anymore and silently sobbed.
"Stay here. I will be back shortly." Aela said. She threw a nearby log in the fire to keep it burning and dragged the two corpses inside the cave afterward. She figured he would need some time alone, and she also had to dispose of the bodies. No point in leaving resources for a random Necromancer that might pass the cave.
Marcus didn't know what to do. He wanted to take his mind off what he had done. But there were no video games or movies to watch in this word. Nor did he have a book that he could read. So he did the only thing that came to his mind. He sat on a boulder nearby and sang.
After Aela gathered all the corpsed in one place, she threw a torch on them. Done with disposing of them, she left the cave. On the way, she spotted a bedroll and took it with her. The moment, she was out, Aela heard Marcus.
"Country roads, take me home
To the place, I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads..."
Aela had never heard this song before, but she found it enjoyable. She stayed quietly behind him and waited for him to finish the song without interrupting him. 'He is more suited for a bard.' She thought once he was done. She walked up to him and sat next to Marcus on the boulder. His eyes were red, but he was no longer shivering. Singing had somewhat calmed him down.
"That was a nice song. Do you know any other?" Aela asked, surprising Marcus with her question. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed she was next to him.
"I... do, but..." Marcus said softly.
"Sing it. You have a good voice, I would like to hear it." Aela requested.
"It's a bit..." Marcus didn't finish what he was about to say as Aela said. "Just sing it."
"Okay. Here goes nothing." Marcus whispered and took a deep breath.
"Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire
I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire..."
Aela chuckled when he was done. "This was the first time someone tried courting me with a song."
"What?" Marcus asked. "This is not what I..."
"I know. I was joking." Aela said with a smile. "It's getting late. One of us should go to sleep while the other keeps watch. We can swap after a few hours. Do you want to be the first to watch or sleep?"
"I... don't think I can sleep right now. I will keep watch." Marcus weakly said.
"That's fine with me. I'm a light sleeper, but make sure to keep me safe. Wake me up when you feel like sleeping." Aela said and made her way towards the bedroll.
"I will, I will protect you with my life if I have to." Marcus's words made her turn around with a raised eyebrow. The comment was odd and unexpected.
Marcus wasn't facing her and didn't see her questioning look, but he turned around and continued. "Those bandits. They went out with the intent to harm and kill others. That means they should have been prepared to be killed as well. I can't do the same. But I decided... I will protect those that I care about and those that deserve it with my life. If I have to kill others to protect them and keep them safe. I will. I will do it, so they don't have to stain their hands." Marcus explained mostly to himself rather than her. Today, he lost a small part of his humanity, and his mind, in his own twisted way, tried to justify his actions. And that was the conclusion he came to.
'To live, you have to adapt to change, that's the way of the wild.' If he was supposed to be this Dragonborn, he would have to adapt to his new role. Or he will lose his life, and thousands of innocent people could end up dying because of him. This could have been nothing more than a trap made by the madman since he did say he would like to see Marcus's slowly brake apart, but he was already falling in that hole.
'Protect me?' Aela didn't know how to feel about those words. This was the first time that someone had said that they will protect her. She had an uncomfortable feeling in her chest, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.
Unknowingly, he had stepped a bit closer to her, but he was still a distance away. "If you come closer, you might need to protect yourself from me." Aela said with a grin.
"Sorry." Marcus stepped back and turned around.
'Idiot.' Aela thought as she laid on the bedroll. Her heart was beating a bit faster than it should have, considering she hadn't done anything that special today.
Hours later, Aela woke up. The stars were still illuminating up the night sky. Marcus was sitting nearby, next to the fire. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked.
"I... didn't feel like sleeping." Marcus said softly.
"Go to sleep!" Aela said.
"But..." Marcus didn't get the chance to protest. "Sleep! Now!"
Aela could be very scary when she wanted to. Without saying another word, Marcus got into the bedroll and fell asleep within seconds. He was exhausted, more mentally than physically, but he was exhausted nonetheless.
Sleep came easily to him, but not nicely. Within minutes, he was turning around restlessly with his lips pursed and eyebrows knitted. Marcus was obviously having a nightmare, but Aela didn't know what to do. After a moment of hesitation, she sat next to him and started stroking his hair. Marcus visibly relaxed, but his lips were still pursed. At least he wasn't turning around restlessly anymore. This task definitely didn't go the way Aela had expected.
Once the sun chased the moons aways and shined upon Marcus, he woke up.
"You should go back to sleep." Aela said from next to him.
"I can't." Marcus shook his head. He didn't want to go back to sleep. The madman didn't appear in his nightmare, but all of the people he killed were there. Sleep wouldn't come easy to him again. "I want to go back to Whiterun."
The return to Whiterun was a silent one, and within a few hours, they passed the gate of the city. On more than one occasion Aela wanted to say something, but whenever she opened her mouth, no words came out of it. Shortly after entering Whiterun, they reached Jorrvaskr. Once they entered, Vilkas called out to him. "Marcus, the Jarl was looking for you."
"The Jarl?" Marcus asked.
"Yes, he wanted to see you. You should go to Dragonsreach." Vilka said.
"I see." Marcus said, turned around and robotically made his way towards the castle.
Aela, on the other hand, sat on a chair in the hall and started absentmindedly eating some breakfast. Her mind still on the events that happened last night. Skjor sat next to her and asked. "How'd the task go? Dealt with the bandits?"
"We did. It didn't go as expected, but we eliminated them." Aela answered.
"Anything substantial happen?" Skjor asked.
Aela thought for a moment, before saying. "Marcus tried courting me." As soon as her words left her mouth, Skjor already had his greatsword in his hands. He knew who was going to die a gruesome death today. Before he can run after Marcus, Aela grabbed his hand to stop him. "I'm joking." She said, but her mind drifted to the words Marcus told her. 'I will protect you with my life if I have to.' Aela wasn't a weak little girl that needed protection. She was a hardened warrior, but even though the words came from someone weaker than her, they sounded nice. Nicer than expected.
After leaving his weapons to the guards in Dragonsreach, Marcus was led to the Jarl.
"There you are, Marcus! I heard you were on a task with one of the Companions. Did you return just now?" Balgruuf greeted him.
"Yeah... I just got back." Marcus replied tiredly.
"Would you mind telling me what you did?" Balguuf asked, seeing his tired expression.
"We went to... deal with a bandit camp near Whiterun." Balgruuf stood up from his throne and shook his hand after hearing him. "Thank you, Marcus! You've done another great service to Whiterun!"
Marcus looked at him weirdly, and Balgruuf explained. "Due to the ongoing civil war, bandit activity increased in Skyrim. With the Dragon running about, it's bound to increase even further. Sadly, due to the current state of the war, I can't send out my guards to deal with the bandits. Thankfully, there are good men like you who take it upon their shoulders to eliminate them."
Marcus wasn't sure how to feel about that. In a way, he already resolved himself to kill if it meant that he will protect the innocent, but it felt weird to be thanked for killing someone. It didn't feel right.
"I understand that you just returned, but my court mage has another task for you. Follow me, let's go meet Farengar. He is eager to see you." Balgruuf said and led Marcus to a room in his castle.
Farengar, a Nord mage, was sitting on a chair with a book in his hand, surrounded by multiple towers made of books. His eyes were red, and he had bags under them. Ever since he learned that the magical creature known as Dragon has returned to Skyrim, he hadn't slept for even a minute. He was too engrossed in the subject and didn't want to waste any of his time on mundane activities such as sleeping. The mage didn't even hear the two enter, nor did he hear Balgruuf clearing his throat.
"Farengar!" Balgruuf yelled and snapped him out of his trance.
"My Jarl?" Farengar looked up to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you enter. This book was simply fascinating."
Balgruuf shook his head but didn't reprimand him. He knew the antics of his court mage, and he also knew that he had been researching about Dragons without sleeping the past few days. "This here is Marcus. You said you have a request for him?"
"Ah, yes." Farengar looked up for a moment. "Bleak Falls Barrow. Dragonstone." He said and looked down.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Marcus asked, irritated from the lack of explanation.
Farengar looked up and let out a tired sigh. "You have to go to Bleak Falls Barrow as soon as possible and retrieve a stone with a map of Dragon burial grounds. Anything else that you need?"
After thinking for a moment, Marcus said. "Potions. I need potions. Mainly Stamina, but a few Health potions as well." Marcus was tired. He wanted to find a secluded corner and sit down without anyone bothering. But if this Dragonstone is important, then... he would have to go and retrieve it now.
"How many?" Farengar asked and pointed his hand towards a big pouch in the corner of his room. The pouch levitated and flew in his hand.
"As many as you can give me." Marcus answered.
"Wrong answer." The mage said. "Drinking more than a couple potions a day could lead to severe side effects. Each potion you drink leaves a certain amount of toxins in your system, and it takes some time before those toxins are cleansed from your body."
"Yeah? Well, tell that to my body. I drank more than a dozen Stamina potions the other day and nothing happened to me. Now, give me potions." Marcus was in a very bad mood and had no desire to argue with the mage.
Farengar's eyes shine brightly as he stared at the young Nord in front of him. He had seen someone drink six Stamina in one day, and the poor fellow's heart exploded. Now, this one claims to have drank more than a dozen? He wanted to dissect his body and see what makes it tick, but now was not the time. Maybe he will get a chance in the future.
"I hope you are not lying. Because I need that Dragonstone as soon as possible." Farengar said and pulled out four Health and Stamina potions. He put them in a smaller potion pouch, albeit bigger than the one Aela had, and gave it to Marcus. He grabbed the pouch, pulled out one of the Stamina ones, and immediately drank it. After that, he returned the vial to Farengar before leaving.
Balgruuf stopped him on the way out. "Marcus, wait. One of our guards will be going to Riverwood. She will be traveling by horse to deliver some supplies to them. You can ride with her to reach the town faster. And..." Balgruuf looked at Marcus's tired posture. He had just gulped a Stamina potion, but he was mentally drained from the night before. "I will order her to come with you to Bleak Falls Barrow. It's not a good idea to step inside a Nordic ruin by yourself."
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
nogainjustpain
nogainjustpain I hate writing AT's because they end up super long, but I feel like I have to say this.
Marcus is slowly losing his humanity, but he will not turn into a Shirou Emiyaa. He will not try to save everyone including his enemies. He will only do whatever it takes to protect those he cares about and those he deems innocent. And the reason why he can drink potions like crazy is due to his dragon blood, nuff said about that. I also wanted to include Bleak Falls Barrow in this chapter, but I got lazy, bite me.
Now, onto the more important part. The songs are a reference to an Irish cult lea... I mean cool Irish youtuber. Greetings, fellow cult... friends, to those who know who I'm talking about.
And lastly, I hate paragraph comments because I can't see which paragraph they are referencing.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone