Tuesday, October 11, 2016

A Skyrim Story - Chapter Three

So far, Kylie has been yanked from her world and dropped into Skyrim. She's figured out a few things along the way thus far, such as Sneaking, Archery, and Alchemy (the third one has given her plenty of gold - it's a good thing her pouches are magical and can hold far more than they appear to be able to!). Last time, she also stumbled upon a fast way to travel to any locations she'd visited before. What's next for my favorite Shadow Walker from Tal'Avern with the red hair and green eyes? Let the fun, the tips, and the silly captions under the pictures commence!
 
 

Chapter Three

Magic and a Home

 
 
     Kylie awoke feeling content for the first time since being dropped into Skyrim. While there was still a trace of homesickness, it was less apparent. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she got up, walked over to the door, and headed down to the main floor of the Bannered Mare.
     Stepping outside into the crisp morning air, she took a quick look around. The marketplace was quiet, as it wasn't quite time for it to open. With her money issues solved, Kylie turned toward the palace and began to make her way up to it. She had promised Gerdur she would speak to the Jarl and request aid for Riverwood, after all. After that, she had another promise to keep - to steal the golden claw back from the thieves who had stolen it from the general store in Riverwood.
     Thieves don't steal from each other on Tal'Avern, her inner voice scolded her.
     "I'm not on Tal'Avern," Kylie reminded her inner voice. "So it doesn't count."
     Crossing the bridge that led up to the palace, Kylie opened the door, stepped inside, and made her way toward the man sitting on a throne who she assumed was the Jarl. As she approached, a dark-skinned elven woman wearing leather armor almost identical to Kylie's drew her sword and began walking toward her.
 
"You'd better have gotten the order right this time. I said
no anchovies. If you put anchovies on my pizza again..."
 
 
     "What's the meaning of this? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors," the dark elf said in a suspicious, threatening tone.
     "A dragon burning Helgen to the ground isn't  something you think he'd like to hear about?" Kylie asked. The dark elf balked at the mention of Helgen.
     "Let her approach, Irileth," the Jarl ordered. The dark elf reluctantly stepped aside, allowing Kylie to pass. "So you were at Helgen? And you saw this... dragon... with your own eyes?"
     "Yeah, I had a front row seat," Kylie answered. "With my head resting on a chopping block."
     "You're certainly... straightforward with your criminal past," Balgruuf commented.
     "There wasn't anything criminal about it. I was in a tavern, having an ale and playing Elemental Dice - which I was actually winning at for a change. The next thing I knew, I was half-naked on a cart with three men I'd never seen before, and no idea where I was at! And even though no one knew who I was or how I'd gotten there, the Imperials were still going to cut my damn head off!"
     "Elemental Dice? Is that a new tavern game I haven't heard about?" Balgruuf inquired, glancing at Irileth, who shrugged and shook her head. She'd never heard of the game either.
     "Not where I'm from," Kylie replied impatiently. "Look, for some reason, I was pulled from my world and brought to yours. I don't know who brought me here, but I'm trying to make the best of it. And incidentally, almost getting executed for no reason right after I got dropped onto this world wasn't exactly a warm welcome." Balgruuf snorted and shook his head.
     "Another world! I have a hard time believing..."
     "That makes two of us," Kylie snapped. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down. "Whether you want to believe me or not, a dragon has returned to your world. And if there's one, there's bound to be more."
     "And what makes you think that?" Balgruuf asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
     "Because something similar happened on my world," Kylie answered quietly. "Maybe that's why I was brought here - because I've had to deal with them before. It's not exactly something I'm happy about having to go through again, but if that's what I have to do to get back home, then I'll help any way I can."
     "Assuming everything you've said is true, what can you possibly do to help against a dragon?"
     "I don't know," Kylie admitted. "From what I've been told, no one on this world has seen a dragon before. I wish I could say the same, but I've seen the kind of destruction they can cause on my world... and now here on yours as well."
     She grew silently thoughtful for a moment before she spoke again.
     "People are scared, and for good reason. They're looking to you for help, which is why I came here. Gerdur owns the mill in Riverwood. She asked me to come here to request aid from you, in case the dragon decides to attack the village."
     A heavy silence fell over the room while Balgruuf sat with a thoughtful expression on his face.
     "An interesting story," he said, finally breaking the silence, and turned to look at the dark elf. "I'll not stand idly by while a dragon slaughters my people. Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once. They've asked for aid and by the gods, we'll give it to them."
     "Yes, my Jarl," Irileth replied, and immediately headed for the front doors of the palace. Balgruuf turned his attention back to Kylie.
     "As for you...?"
     "My name is Kylie. Kylie Destaine."
     "Where have I heard that name before?" Balgruuf muttered, glancing down at the floor and scratching his chin thoughtfully again as he tried to recall the memory. "Kylie... Kylie..."
     "Um..."
     "Ahh, now I remember!" Balgruuf exclaimed, raising his head. "The bard, Mikael! It seems you've met him, from what I saw when he came to me wanting charges brought up against you. Black eye, swollen lip..."
     "I can explain that..." Kylie quickly started to say, and then stopped as Balgruuf waved his hand and chuckled.
     "No need. Carlotta down at the marketplace has already told me the full tale in your defense. And the young woman, Ysolda, added that you had also helped her as well. It seems you've been making an impression among some of my people already. Now, come with me, Kylie," Balgruuf instructed, getting to his feet. "Perhaps you can do me a service by assisting my court wizard. He's been looking into a matter regarding these rumors of dragons."
      Kylie followed him into the adjacent room, where a man in blue robes was hovering over a desk covered with books and scrolls.
     "Farengar, I think I've found someone to help you with your little dragon project," Balgruuf announced. "Go ahead and fill her in with the details."
 
"I knew I shouldn't have eaten that broccoli and cheese last night.
Hopefully no one comes in here. At least, not until the air clears."
 
 
     "So the Jarl thinks you can help me," Farengar said. "Perhaps you can. You see, when I first heard about the dragons..."
     Oh gods, Kylie thought, groaning inwardly. He's going to drone on for hours, just like Varik does back home!
     "The short version," Kylie quickly interrupted. Faregar gave her a perturbed look, but nodded.
     "I need you to go to Bleak Falls Barrow and retrieve a stone tablet that's rumored to be interred somewhere inside... probably in the main chamber," he said.
     "What's it look like?" Kylie asked. A smile crept to the corners of Farengar's mouth.
     "It's a tablet. Made of stone," he replied smugly.
     "Smartass," Kylie grumbled.
     "Do this for me, and you'll be rewarded, Kylie," Balgruuf promised. "This is a priority now, so don't delay."
     "You know, if you've got the aptitude, I have spells and incantations which may be of use to you," Farengar offered.
     "Do I look like a mage to you?" Kylie asked, and then sighed. "Fine. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn something new and expand my horizons a bit."
     "Excellent! Well, there are several schools of magic, and all of them have..."
     "Short version," Kylie quipped.
     Farengar grumbled but pulled out a small collection of books, suggesting several that may be of use. When he mentioned the school of Conjuration had spells within it that could call upon creatures to aid her, it made Kylie think of another girl she knew named Camila (spelled with one 'l' instead of two), back on Tal'Avern. Unlike the sister of the general store owner in Riverwood, however, the Camila she knew on Tal'Avern was a mage - a unique one, at that. She was the first mage in a thousand years to walk the path of the Summoner.
     In the end, Kylie purchased two books. One contained a beginning Alteration spell: Oakflesh. The other was a Conjuration spell: Soul Trap, which Farengar said was useful if she ever thought of delving into the field of Enchanting.  
     Thinking she was as prepared as she was ever going to be, Kylie closed her eyes, thinking of the Standing Stones. One of those stones had had a depiction of a Mage on it, and if she was going to fiddle with magic, Kylie figured it might be useful. But when she opened her eyes, she was still standing in the room, with Farengar and Balgruuf both giving her quizzical looks.
     "What the hell?" Kylie muttered. "I should have zapped to the Standing Stones near Riverwood!"
     "The travel ability which I assume you're referring to doesn't work indoors," Farengar stated. "In fact, I had written an interesting paper on that recently..."
     "No time, gotta go!" Kylie called out as she hurried out of the room. "Priorities and all, you know!"
     As soon as she stepped outside the palace, Kylie made another attempt, and in a flash she was by the trio of Standing Stones. She walked up to the Mage stone, pressed her hand against it, and felt a wave of evergy ripple through her, just like when she had touched the Thief stone before.
     Confident that whatever the stones did, it was beneficial, Kylie zapped to Riverwood, rather than walk. She went through the village and across the bridge on the other side, then began making her way up a small dirt path that wound its way up the mountain, taking down a lone wolf along the way.
     In short order, a tower rose up in the distance before her. As she got closer, Kylie noticed a figure leaning against a tree, while another one appeared from within the tower and crossed the small bridge just outside of it.
     "They must be lookouts," Kylie muttered, crouching down. "Easy enough to sneak by them."
     She was almost out of earshot when she overheard part of their conversation.
     "... don't see why we need to wait. Look, there aren't even any guards down there. We could raid the village and be back before dark," the man leaning against the tree was saying.
     "You mean just the three of us, while the others are all up at the ruins? Are you crazy? If anyone from the village saw us coming, they'd run to Whiterun and we'd have this place swarming with guards within a matter of hours."
     "Then we'll just have to make sure that we don't leave anyone left alive to go for help, won't we?" the man suggested darkly.
     All thoughts of sneaking past undetected vanished from Kylie as her blood began to burn. They weren't thieves. They were bandits.
     Bandits had come into her village when she was twelve. Kylie's father had told her to hide in the woodpile behind their small house when the raid began. When she had crawled out afterwards, nothing remained of the village. The bandits had looted and burned everything, and killed everyone in the village as well... including her entire family. In the smoking ruins of the village that day, another fire had been lit - one inside Kylie. A fire that burned to see that justice was done.
     The bandit leaning against the tree barely had time to push himself away from it before Kylie ended his life. The second bandit shouted a warning and was pulling an arrow from the quiver on her back when Kylie buried both of her blades into the archer's chest. Hearing the commotion, the third bandit came down from the tower, and though he was wearing heavy armor, it did little to protect him from Kylie's vengeful wrath.
     She was death to anyone who crossed her path. The fire grew hotter within her as Kylie made her way up to Bleak Falls Barrow, where three more bandits added to her kill count outside the entrance. Throwing open the doors, she stepped inside and stalked purposely through the room, cutting down another two bandits mercilessly before heading down a set of stone steps.

"This is your idea of a romantic first date?"
"What? We've got a nice fire, I brought some wine..."
"The floor is littered with dead rats! You're so not getting to second base."

 
      Kylie's blades slashed out again when she came upon yet another bandit who was standing in a room, looking at a locked gate before him. As his body crumpled to the ground, Kylie glanced at the locked gate, and then down to the lever that was on the floor by her feet.
     None of the bandits she had killed had the golden claw on them, which meant whoever did have it was further below, somewhere past that locked gate. With another few moments of looking around, Kylie caught sight of three stone pillars on the left side of the room, along with two symbols which were set into the wall above the gate. The third clue to the puzzle had fallen off the wall, but Kylie could still see the depiction. It was a simple puzzle.
     "Idiot," Kylie said, kicking the lifeless form by the lever as she walked over to the trio of stones. Turning them to the proper positions, she went back and pulled the lever. Once the gate opened, she continued on down a circular wooden staircase, deeper into the barrow.
     "Is someone there?" a voice called out as Kylie approached an area that was filled with cobwebs. Cobwebs meant spiders... and from what she'd seen during her escape from Helgen, the spiders on this world were not something one could merely step on and be done with it. A bit of extra protection couldn't hurt, Kylie thought, and pulled out the book that contained the Oakflesh spell from her pouch. Opening it, she gasped as a surge of power flowed into her, while the book crumbled in her hands.
     "If learning spells is that easy, I might have to learn a few more!" Kylie exclaimed before slashing through the mass of sticky cobwebs in the doorway that were keeping her from continuing on.
     "You! Over here! Cut me down!" a dark elf exclaimed from the far end of the room, struggling to free himself from the cobwebs he was trapped in as he caught sight of Kylie.
     As she began making her way over to him, a shadow fell over her. Kylie leapt back as the largest spider she had ever seen before dropped down from where it had been hiding. She retreated back through the doorway, where the spider couldn't follow because of its immense size.
     "Where are you going? Help!" the dark elf screamed frantically. Kylie ignored him as she sheathed her weapons.
     "Okay, how do I cast this spell?" Kylie mumbled, bringing her hands up. Instantly, a light blue glow appeared in each of her hands. "Whoa! That's awesome!" she exclaimed.
     Clenching both of her hands into fists, she felt the magical power swell up in each of them, and then unclenched one. The spell went off, and a thin aura of shimmering magical light surrounded her entire body. She repeated it with her other hand, and then attempted to cast it yet again, but nothing happened. She had drained her magical energy reserves.
     "Don't leave me!" the dark elf cried out desperately as Kylie made her way back up the passage toward the circular wooden staircase. When she was almost there, she sat down on the floor, too weary to move, and not really caring at the moment if the spider finished off the elf.
     After waiting for an hour, Kylie ventured back down, where the spider was clicking its mandibles excitedly. Kylie brought her hands up and cast the Oakflesh spell upon herself until her magical reserves were gone again, moved back up the passage until she felt safe enough to rest for another hour, and repeated the process until she felt as though she were halfway to mastering the Alteration school of magic.
     Remembering why she'd come there in the first place, the fire blazed up once again within Kylie. She stepped back into the room to face the gigantic spider, and slashed out repeatedly with her swords until the elephant-sized arachnid fell to the ground and lay unmoving.
     "You certainly took your sweet time! That thing could have had me for lunch while you were off fixing your make-up! Now get me down from here!" the dark elf repeated insistently.
 
"Hurry, cut me loose! I have to go to the bathroom!
I had Baco Tell for lunch and it's going right through me!"
 
 
     "You're the one who stole the golden claw from the general store in Riverwood," Kylie growled venomously. It was a statement, not a question.
     "Yes, yes, I have the claw! And I know how it works!" the dark elf replied. "Cut me down and I'll share the treasure with you!"
     Kylie brought her swords down, one on each side of the dark elf, cutting him free. He dropped to the ground, sighing with relief. After a moment, he stood up and chuckled.
     "You fool! As if I'd share the treasure with..."
     He never noticed the hatred burning in Kylie's eyes. He was a bandit, nothing more. That was all she needed to know. It didn't matter that she was on another world. She was still a Shadow Walker.
     Kylie thrust both of her swords all the way to their hilts into his chest. As the dark elf's eyes widened in shock and he sucked in one last, gasping breath, Kylie pressed her body up against his and placed her mouth next to his ear.
     "Justice has been served."
     Pushing him back, Kylie yanked her blades viciously out of the dark elf's body. He was dead before he struck the floor.
     After wiping her blades clean, Kylie sheathed them and then searched the dark elf's body. Finding the golden claw, she slipped it into one of her pouches. Seeing the other spell book she'd purchased from Farengar in the pouch, Kylie brought it out and opened it, relishing the feeling of power that surged into her as the book's  knowledge burned into her mind, while the book itself crumbled away.
     "I should have tried this Soul Trap spell on you," she said, glancing down at the dark elf's body.
     As if in response, a black and purple light appeared in both of her hands, surprising her momentarily. Curiously, she clenched her fists, felt the magical power gather in her hands, and flung one of them out like she was throwing the energy at the body.
     Despite the dark elf already being dead, a faint purple aura appeared around his body. Kylie released her other hand, and the effect was not only repeated, she felt a little more knowledgeable in the Conjuration school of magic.
     She spent the better part of the day practicing. At first, she could only cast the spell a few times before needing to rest for an hour, but at one point, her understanding gave her added insight and she was able to cast it repeatedly before needing to rest. Given enough time and patience, Kylie knew she could master Conjuration and cast any spell within the school once she'd learned it.
     "Alright, if this thing leads to some kind of treasure in here, I might as well explore a bit further," Kylie decided after awhile, pulling the claw out of her pouch for a moment to take a look at it.
     She delved deeper into the barrow, discovering that it was an ancient burial tomb - one where not all of those who had been laid to rest were content to remain at rest. It took her only moments to realize that the undead weren't like those on her world. These were faster, able to move as easily as they had in life. Some even had magical abilities. Still, they proved to be little more than a nuisance, as were the few traps she came across along the way. Eventually, Kylie entered a rectangular room with a large circular bronze door at the far end.
     "Oh look, another puzzle," Kylie muttered, seeing the carvings set into the door. Pulling out the claw, she turned it over and found the door puzzle's solution on the back. Within moments, she had turned the carvings on the door to match what was depicted on the back of the claw, inserted it into the holes in the center of the door, and gave it a twist.
     As the door unlocked, Kylie pulled the claw back out and slipped it back into her pouch. She had promised to return the claw to the owner of the general store in Riverwood, after all. The door rolled sideways, revealing a large, long cavern behind it.
     Kylie made her way to the far end, where a single stone sarcophagus rested on a platform. A curved wall etched with markings that Kylie guessed were some form of ancient writing stood behind it. However, it was the large chest next to the sarcophagus that Kylie was interested in.
     Opening it up, Kylie was disappointed to find only a few items of any value inside it. Some were magical however, which made her think of Farengar having mentioned something about Enchanting. 
     Kylie grabbed the items she was interested in, closed the chest, then paused and cocked her head slightly, hearing a faint, almost undetectable sound - almost like chanting, except there were no words. Turning around, she took a step toward the wall with the strange writing on it. As she did, the sound grew a bit louder.
     "Weird," Kylie said, and cautiously stepped closer to the wall.
     Suddenly, several of the symbols flared brightly, and a blinding light shot out from the wall, striking her in the forehead. She cried out in alarm as the symbols seemed to sear into her mind, and then with a booming crash, the lid of the sarcophagus flew up as the occupant within awoke and crawled out, hefting a giant two-handed sword as it did.
     The undead was considerably stronger than the others Kylie had encountered, but within minutes she had put it down for good. Sheathing her weapons, Kylie saw almost immediately what it had been guarding: A large tablet. Made of stone.
     "This is what Farengar wanted me to get?" she asked in disbelief, looking it over with a critical eye. "It looks like a map that's probably nothing more than the locations of all the best taverns in Skyrim!"
     Shaking her head, Kylie pulled the magical pouch from her belt. Loosening the drawstring, she opened it up. The pouch expanded until it was the size of a large travel bag, which she slipped the stone tablet into before pulling the drawstring closed. The sack shrunk back down to the size of a pouch, which she tied back to her belt before heading up a set of nearby stairs and through a short passageway. To her relief, the passageway led back outside to a small ledge on the side of the mountain.
     Out in the open once more, Kylie didn't hesitate for a second as she called upon her travel ability, zapped to Riverwood, and headed for the general store.
     "You're back!" the owner exclaimed when Kylie stepped through the door. "Did you find my claw?"
     "Yeah, it's right here," Kylie replied, taking it out of her pouch and handing it over to him.
     
"Everyone thinks I don't know why this thing is so special.
Joke's on them, because I've known for awhile:
It's a back-scratcher! Duh!" 
     
 
     "Thank you! I'll... I'll never forget this!" the store owner said and handed Kylie a small pouch filled with gold. Kylie smiled and nodded before heading back to the front door. As she opened it and stepped outside, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the store owner grab the claw and use it to scratch the middle of his back, a blissful expression etched on his face.
     Kylie zapped to the front gates of the palace next and stepping inside, headed over to the room where she'd met Farengar. He was speaking excitedly to a woman who was leaned over his desk, skimming through a book as Kylie walked in.
     Despite wearing a hood, along with leather armor that looked identical to hers, Kylie recognized the woman easily enough. It was the innkeeper from Riverwood. Catching sight of Kylie, the woman cut off Farengar during what was probably about to be a long-winded, boring explanation.
     "You have a visitor," she said quietly.
     "Hmm? Ahh, it's the woman who was going into Bleak Falls Barrow!" Farengar exclaimed. "You didn't die, it seems."
     "Bite me," Kylie replied, handing him the stone tablet. "Here's the rock you wanted. And if my reward is a long, boring story about how it was made, why it was in there, and what an amazing paperweight it's going to make for your research papers..."
     "Farengar!" Irileth called out insistently, rushing into the room. "A dragon was sighted near the western watchtower! The Jarl needs to speak to you immediately." She flicked a quick glance at Kylie. "You should come too," she added.
     "A dragon, how exciting!" Farengar exclaimed as he headed for the doorway.
     "Yeah, real exciting," Kylie muttered under her breath as she followed the other two up a nearby set of stairs to where Balgruuf was waiting.
      After hearing about the dragon sighting from a guard who had been stationed at the tower, Irileth went to gather some men, while Farengar returned to his room, leaving Kylie and Balgruuf alone.
     "You have more experience with dragons than anyone else here, Kylie. I'd like you to go to the watchtower with Irileth. If that dragon shows up, I'm sure they're going to need your help," Balgruuf said. "But I haven't forgotten the aid you've given us already in retrieving that..."
     "Paperweight?" she offered. Balgruuf chuckled.
     "It seems like little more than that to me, too," he admitted. "Farengar believes it to contain vital information about the dragons, though. In any case, for your help, I've instructed my steward, Proventus, to allow you to purchase property within the city. If you're so inclined."
     "A house? Here?" Kylie asked, bewildered. The thought that she might be stuck on this world had crossed her mind before, and she'd considered doing such a thing... but she knew that Skyrim could never be her home. She didn't belong on this world. Deep down, she wanted to return to where she did belong - Tal'Avern.
 
Pros:
Cheapest house on the market
Cons:
No electricity, running water, bathroom, washer or dryer,
refrigerator, microwave, television, dvd player, computer,
radio, Playstation, Xbox, cable, cell service, or Netflix.
 
 
     "I know you miss your own home," Balgruuf said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And I believe you'll find a way back there. But you have a home here as well now, Kylie. You've earned it, as far as I'm concerned. Talk to Proventus, and he can make the arrangements. Get yourself some rest, and then meet Irileth at the watchtower tomorrow."
     "I... thank you," Kylie replied, not knowing what else to say.
     She went down the steps in a daze. Why would she want to buy a house in Skyrim? But then the answer dawned upon her. Having her own home meant her own bed, not a rented room. It meant a place she could return to whenever she needed to take a break. It meant a place where she could store things safely. And though it was hard to admit, if she couldn't find a way back to her world, at least she would have a place of her own on this one.
     And if you meet anyone you're attracted to, you can go there to...
    "Shut up," Kylie muttered. Her inner voice didn't finish the sentence, albeit reluctantly.
     Reaching the bottom of the steps, Kylie decided that it probably was a good idea to have her own place. Seeing the Jarl's steward, she walked over to him and purchased the house that was for sale next to the Blacksmith's shop near the front gates of the city, along with all of the furnishings. No sense in having a house without decoration, she thought.
     Taking the key Proventus held out to her, Kylie left the palace and headed back through town, stopping outside the front door to the house... her house.
     "Breezehome," Kylie said, looking down at the small inscription on the key. "Gods, I hope that doesn't mean the place is drafty."
     Unlocking the door, Kylie stepped inside and was pleasantly surprised with what she saw. Though it was a small house, it was comfortable. A fire pit burned in the middle of the room, while a long table rested behind it near the right wall, which had been piled with food as a welcoming gift. Behind the stairs, the single room to the left held an alchemy table, several ingredients and books, and a large storage chest.
     Heading up the stairs, on the left was a small loft room, and down a short hallway to the right, the doors opened up into a fairly large room with a dresser on either side of a double bed. Another storage chest sat against the left wall, and just to the right of the door was a small circular table with several chairs. Sitting on the rightmost dresser next to a bottle of wine was a large, delicious looking sweet roll, which Kylie immediately gobbled down.
     "Now I don't have to worry about anyone stealing my sweet roll!" Kylie laughed.
     Opening the storage chest, Kylie removed the gems she had 'liberated' from the Argonian near the shipwreck the day before. She had planned to make use of them, but other things seemed to keep coming up, pushing those plans back.
     "Tomorrow," Kylie insisted. "Tomorrow, I'll go help fight that dragon, and then..." She paused and glanced down at herself. "And then get some better armor and weapons."
     Kylie unbuckled her armor and took it off piece by piece, unstrapped her swords and leaned them up against one of the dressers near the bed,  then crawled into the double bed and pulled the thick fur blankets up around her.
     There's enough room in the bed for...
     "Shut up," Kylie muttered. Her inner voice grew silent, once more leaving the suggestion unfinished.
     It had been another day filled with several things that had been familiar enough reminders of Tal'Avern to cause the homesick ache within her to return. But there were other things that were new experiences for Kylie as well, which helped to dull that ache. Slipping her arms out from under the blankets, she took a look around the bedroom.
     She had a place to call her own. It was something new, something she'd never had before. Looking down at her hands, Kylie called one of the spells she had learned to mind, and a light blue glow surrounded them. Balling her hands up, Kylie felt the power gather in them. When she released the spell, a shimmering layer of magical protection surrounded her. That was something new for her as well.
     The dull ache disappeared, understanding that she needed to focus on something else: the new things that she'd found on this world which she'd never had before on hers.
     "Magic and a home," Kylie murmured softly, a small smile touching the corners of her lips as she drifted off to sleep.
    
 
* * *


Tips in Chapter Three:
1.) Alteration to 50 - a bit time consuming, but well worth it, as at 50 you can have 2 points in the tree's Magic Resistance perk - that's +20% MR on top of any other racial bonus you may have, depending on what race you initially choose. Also at 50, you can put a point in Adept Alteration, which will be extremely helpful in the next chapter (does that technically count as another hint?) ;)
2.) Conjuration to MAX (if you so desire and have the patience) - Soul Trap works on dead bodies, and can be done basically anywhere. Initially a bit slow, but once you put a perk point in Apprentice Conjuration (25), it cuts the magicka cost in half.
3.) Buying Breezehome - Yeah, it's small and doesn't offer much, but it's worth getting for several reasons. First, sleeping there for any length of time (even if it's just an hour!) grants you the Well Rested bonus for 8 hours (game hours, not real time), which gives you an additional +10% skill speed increase if you have either the Thief, Mage, or Warrior stone active, bringing those affected skill increases up to 30%. Secondly, you have 2 chests for storing things like crafting materials or items that you craft and want to enhance with enchantments before selling. Lastly, location. It's right next to Warmaiden's, which makes it perfect if you've got things to buy or sell there but are carrying so much that they weigh you down. Having to walk all the way up to the Skyforge to sell stuff just sucks, and if you're overburdened, fast travel isn't available.
 
 

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