《Modded Skyr*m: Real Life Edition》 Prologue - From One Game to Another With a sound not totally unlike a pod opening in Sci-fi, the full-body gaming capsule opened. Within was a young man in his early 20s. From a physical standpoint, aside from being relatively well-built, he wasn¡¯t much to look at. To call him plain wouldn¡¯t be incorrect. That, coupled with his quiet personality, made his presence greatly diminished. Marcus rubbed his eyes due to his uncomfortableness, both physically and mentally. He slightly stretched his body, but it wasn¡¯t too stiff. He had only spent an hour, named worldwide as the Utopia Hour, in the gaming pod. A little over a year ago, the first virtual reality game, called the Utopia Project, was released on Earth. The world was shocked by the sudden technological development as virtual reality had only become commonplace a few years earlier. However, the world quickly accepted the development of such technology. A few years ago, an event that was known as The Convergence occurred. People on Earth started to obtain strange and wonderful powers while others were abducted to other realities entirely. These realities seemed spawned from the imagination of humanity, and many of them were of fantastical settings. Those who managed to come back from the other realities had strange powers and abilities, and they often did not come back alone. This travel could be both ways became known worldwide when the advanced technological race called the Sylverings had a space vessel appear over a western city in the United States. Along with many others, Marcus was envious of those who obtained special abilities. He was especially envious of those who came back with the women so attractive that they could only be inspired by fantasy. Particularly, his envy focused on the one who married the Sylvering Princess even though he already had a dozen other wives. However, he had no misconceptions about himself. While he was not an introvert, his calm personality never made him stand out. His average appearance had netted him only a single girlfriend, who was rather plain herself. He had the feeling that she was only using him. It seemed that he would never be able to get out of the mire that was his life, but it seemed as if that would change. With a sigh, Marcus pulled himself out of his pod as he surveyed his rather empty room. The only sound that he could hear was the muffled sound of thunder from the storm rolling in. Next to the gaming pod were a bed and a desk with a somewhat old custom-built computer. Besides these things, he had very little because he had put nearly all of his money into the Utopia Project. Marcus gripped his fist, which now felt so powerless compared to just a few days before. The reason for his powerlessness, along with the reason why he focused nearly everything he had on the Utopia Project, was for a simple reason. Less than a minute after the first session of the Utopia Project, the holographic GUI within the game suddenly appeared before his eyes. Not only did it appear in front of his eyes, but also every other player. It turned out that the reason why the game was called ¡®Utopia¡¯ did not refer to the game itself, but because those who played the game would obtain everything they earned on Earth. Thus, it sought to close the gap between those with and without powers by removing the latter, hence Utopia. However, this game did not come without any risk. Every person was only allowed one account, and this account had several lives. The number of lives could be increased, used as currency, and reflected the number of times your character could respawn. If your character died with zero lives, you would lose everything but the items stored, including level. This is what happened to Marcus. Marcus wasn¡¯t a top-tier gamer, especially as Utopia Project was incredibly realistic to the point where it seemed to be a different reality. While his ability to fight had been above the average human, that simply couldn¡¯t cut it. He could never join the powerful guilds and eventually accepted that he could only play with his small group of friends. One of the people he played with regularly was his girlfriend. To obtain the item she wanted, she ended up trading every single one of her lives. Though the transaction went smoothly, she ran into some ¡®red players¡¯ on her way back. In desperation, she spilled the beans that she didn¡¯t have any lives. Instead of killing her, her assaulters caught her for ransom. They demanded five lives, along with the sixth for whoever brought them. As it turned out, Marcus had six lives remaining. Marcus snuck through relatively dangerous territory to meet the captors and succeeded in the transaction. Though it was a gamble, the captors did not go back on their word. The reason was simple. If the captors went back on their word, they would not continue this in the future. Unfortunately, Marcus and his girlfriend had run into another group of red players, and he had died protecting her escape. This was a tremendous setback to Marcus as he had put a full year of effort into his character and had fallen back to the starting point. Though it would be easy to reach a high level again, this setback was likely permanent. To top it all off, his girlfriend had suddenly broken off the relationship, and he had heard rumors that she had already begun to see someone else. Marcus didn¡¯t think she had ever cheated on him, but she didn¡¯t hesitate to dump them when he was at his lowest. Since this had all been recent, Marcus was still feeling relatively depressed. If not for the fact that every moment counted towards obtaining his abilities back, he wouldn¡¯t even bother to play. However, he found himself in a bit of a bind. Thanks to his previous account, he had enough money for several years, and the items in his account will be more than sufficient for the next eight months. As such, he had no need to work and no desire to hang out with his friends at the moment. Already bored, he went over to his PC and booted it up. He put on the relatively new, yet now completely outdated, VR headset and loaded the game he had put way too much time into. However, the moment the loading screen appeared, his body suddenly shook as his mind cracked as the sound of lightning crashed all around him. His entire body felt like it was on fire before he became completely cold, and everything went dark. ¡­ ¡°Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?¡± A voice roused Marcus back from unconsciousness. He groggily moved his head as his burly eyes barely made out that there was a figure in front of him. With the shake of his head, the ring in his ears dissipated as his eyes regained his focus. ¡°There we go. I¡¯m glad the process went well.¡± The middle-aged man said. ¡°What process.¡± Marcus blurted out before he noticed that he could see through his body. ¡°I¡­ Am I dead?¡± ¡°You catch on quick. Yes, you died of natural causes, though you are extremely unlucky.¡± The middle-aged man replied. After taking a few seconds to absorb the information, Marcus slumped back in his chair as his head fell back to the ceiling. He glanced around the room and wanted to be similar to an office but felt rather ethereal. However, after glancing out the window, it seemed as if the office was located in the sea of stars, further leading him to a conclusion. ¡°Is this heaven, hell, or have I been Abducted?¡± ¡°I believe the term would be Abducted. We are going to have a discussion, and I¡¯m going to customize a world for you and send you to it.¡± ¡°Customize a world? You can do that?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a new feature that I obtained after ascending his position. Oh, but where are my manners? Before now, I was known as The Overload of Dremora and Dragons, but you can call me Todd for short. As for the reason you¡¯ve been brought here.¡± Todd began as he pulled out a clipboard from nowhere. ¡°Marcus, while you haven¡¯t put the most time into Skyr*m as you have a life, you have been a great suc- *ahem* supporter as you have purchased every single version of the game. Coupled with the circumstance of your death, with death being a condition, you have been selected to be the first person to test out our new game, Skyr*m: Real-Life Edition.¡± Marcus ignored the obvious job as his thoughts spun. ¡°Why me? Why do I get this world?¡± ¡°Well, the timing worked out,¡± Todd said before he pointed out the window. ¡°You see all the stars? The stars are all rules that I can manipulate and combine to create a world, and there is no limit on the number of worlds I can create with these rules.¡± ¡°What are these rules?¡± ¡°Besides the fundamentals included in every reality, rules specific to Skyr*m, the entire world, and mods. I can manipulate them to a certain extent, but not too much. However, everything has its limits. You aren¡¯t going into a game, but a real world. Because it is grounded in reality with a setting, there are limits. For an example of the fundamental rules, there are no NPCs but actual people. For an example of setting rules, I can¡¯t put firearms into Skyr*m, even if someone created a mod for that purpose.¡± ¡°I see. Then, should we start?¡± ¡°Of course. Firstly, do you want a vanilla experience or a modded one?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Modded, definitely modded.¡± ¡°Understood. We will be setting the overall parameters here. After we are done, we will send you to a pocket space where you will have an infinite amount of time to make small changes on your own. Choose carefully because the amount you can change after will be minuscule. You can also try to contact me during that time, but I can make no promises as I will be rather busy with other players. Next is the difficulty:
  1. Ultra-Easy, where you will be born 18 years before the game begins.
  2. Easy, where you will start three years early and require 75% experience to level up.
  3. Normal, where you will start three months before the game begins.
  4. Hard where you will start the day of, either as a separate character or the protagonist.
  5. Ultra-Hard, which is the same as hard, but Leveling takes 125% experience.¡±
¡°Are those the only differences?¡± ¡°For the Ultra-Easy difficulty, you will have zero skills and won¡¯t be able to start leveling until age 8. Otherwise, only differences you make.¡± ¡°In that case, besides going to childhood again and not fully controlling my fate for that time, the only ones that tempt me are Ultra-Easy and Easy.¡± ¡°You can finalize this on your own after we go over the rest.¡± ¡°How does Leveling work?¡± ¡°More or less the same as it would be in-game, but takes into account actions and thoughts that could previously not have been accounted for. You have a few mods that change how that works, and unless you change that at the beginning, that¡¯s how it will be. This Leveling System will also help you individually. For example, if you level up one-handed, you will automatically learn how to fight more proficiently. However, this affects everyone. Additionally, as you have some fighting experience yourself, you can use that knowledge to quickly level. The System will take into account more than just the damage you deal.¡± ¡°Do the inhabitants have access to the System as well?¡± ¡°Not to the extent that you have. Besides making smaller changes to mod settings even after you start, you also have a full display as if you are in the game. This knowledge is installed directly in your psyche. You don¡¯t have to worry about seeing it unless you want to for ease of use. The other inhabitants have access to the Leveling System. However, they cannot see it or freely distribute their stats or perks. This is done subconsciously, if at all. You could do that for them if they become your followers, as outlined by one of your mods. Do you have any other questions regarding these rules?¡± ¡°Crafting items? Spellbooks? Inventory? How customizable will my start be?¡± ¡°To reiterate, you are not going into a game, but a world. Hence things that you could complete instantaneously in the game can no longer do so. Crafting will not be instantaneous. You will have to go through the process, but this is fast compared to the world you come from. Your relevant skills will automatically give you the knowledge you need, and studying will help to that end. ¡°You will have to read a spellbook, but you don¡¯t need to thoroughly understand it. Once you finish, the basic knowledge will automatically be instilled in your mind. However, depending on your prowess, that will not be a limitation, nor will the spells in the world. ¡°For the inventory, you have two options that you can decide on your own. You can make it realistic, or everyone can have an inventory skill to automatically store and carry items to the same specifications as the game. ¡°For your start, unless you pick to start as the protagonist, it will be completely customizable.¡± ¡°I understand. If I don¡¯t choose a start as the protagonist, can I still have their abilities, and will they still exist?¡± ¡°That is a yes on both unless you change it.¡± ¡°How do the mods work?¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯s the next part we need to work on anyway. Do you want me to add all the mods you currently use?¡± Marcus nodded. ¡°Great! There are a few mods that don¡¯t fit but can be semi-implemented. Because there is no limit, I¡¯m also going to add a bunch of mods that will be convenient for you. For example, you will be affected by basic needs and elements, and you¡¯ll be able to make some minor modifications.¡± ¡°How immersive will these mods be? Given that there are limitations to some.¡± ¡°There will be some changes to the setting. For example, you have a few mods installed that improve the overall look of the inhabitants, especially women. There will be cultural implications to this. I should also add that there are some changes culturally. For example, certain crimes can be committed, polygamy, etc. You¡¯ll be able to manipulate some of these to a certain extent.¡± ¡°I see. Then will these mods be implemented as they are, or as intended?¡± ¡°Could you elaborate?¡± ¡°For example, I have a mod that sets up the ability to teleport between player homes. However, I also have modded homes along with other properties I can buy. Will the mod be limited as it is, or will I be able to set up something similar everywhere?¡± ¡°By default, they will be implanted and modified as intended. However, you can make specifications before you begin. Additionally, you have access to the mod database, so you can add and change any mods you would like during that time.¡± ¡°Understood. Then how does the scaling work?¡± ¡°Scaling barely exists. As Skyr*m becomes more dangerous with certain events, others will have the motivation to become stronger. As a result, as time goes on, the overall people become stronger. However, this has nothing to do with your level. Certain areas will tend to have higher-level individuals. Your world map can reflect this but won¡¯t update unless you obtain new information. Luckily, you have mods that let you observe levels, etc.¡± ¡°What about quests and progression?¡± ¡°The System you have can track quests. However, the world isn¡¯t centered on you. Not completing a quest promptly can have consequences. While Fate will try to follow the script, your actions will create a butterfly effect. Fate and your existence will clash, and what side wins may, or may not, be left to your devices. You should consider your actions significant actions carefully. That should cover the basics. Is there anything else you like to request?¡± ¡°Yes, will I be able to return to Earth?¡± ¡°Return is the wrong word. After all, your body will be found after some time. If you want to return, you will have to ascend to become the overlord of that reality. This requires you to reach a high enough level and complete all the main storylines. Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to kill any of the deities. They exist in a constant state between all the realities that I¡¯m going to create.¡± ¡°Then, as for additional features, can I have access to the Internet?¡± For the first time in the entire discussion, Todd¡¯s smile froze. ¡°¡­ I can give use limited access through the System.¡± He said through his teeth. ¡°However, you can only receive and not send. What would you like to assess specifically?¡± ¡°The Skyr*m wiki that reflects my world, descriptions of the mods that reflect how they were implemented, and access to survival guides and videos.¡± ¡°Very well. However, I¡¯m afraid I can only give you the normal Skyr*m wiki.¡± ¡°Then can you make it so I can query the system for specific changes?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, but the answers may be vague and dependent upon the information you already have obtained to fill in the blanks. However, questions that are common sense can be freely given.¡± ¡°Can I ask for a magical spell?¡± ¡°Yes, if it¡¯s not included as a mod.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. I want a spell that would perfect the body. Killing parasites, perfecting metabolism and hormones, recovering cells, adjusting bones, removing harmful effects, etc. An all-purpose health spell that I can use on anyone.¡± ¡°... Sure.¡± ¡°Excellent. But I have a few more things to discuss.¡± For the first time, Todd sighed. ¡­ Eventually, an exhausted Todd sent Marcus to a parallel space in which time did not flow. For what felt like hours, Marcus painstakingly went over every single mod and setting. After all, this would affect his future. Next, he went over his appearance. While he made some subtle changes, he didn¡¯t change much, other than what his race would change. Adding muscle mass would do nothing but make him larger, and he was used to his appearance. Next was his race. Marcus had died early, so he heavily leaned toward a long-living race leading to the Elven variety. The high elves would be a good choice if going down a magical path, but there would be heavy racial tensions due to the recent war. The racial tensions would be even worse for the dark elves. This left the wood elves, but Marcus wasn¡¯t quick to choose. Some modded races prolonged his decision. Next was to decide his play style. If he went with the Ultra-Easy start, he would have more than three times as long to prepare as Easy, so this wouldn¡¯t be as much of an issue. According to his memory, the shield bash was extremely powerful, but he wasn¡¯t completely sure this would still be the case. Additionally, he was not inclined to be a frontline fighter. Additionally, since he had a chance to learn magic, why wouldn¡¯t he? In Utopia Project, he played a roguish character, which gave him some daggers, bows, and sneaking knowledge. He could utilize these skills with the magic that conjured weapons, negating the need for ammunition. Of course, the mods had also expanded magic. Necromancy had become far more viable. Of course, he was only considering what he would focus on. With his knowledge and help from the wiki, he would be able to farm levels extremely quickly. Finally, he set up his background. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t give himself an impressive background. For example, he couldn¡¯t become part of a noble family. However, the options and locations were highly varied and extremely important given how they would affect his progression. Eventually, he set everything, and his vision turned white. Once Marcus disappeared, a strange look appeared on Todd¡¯s face. ¡°Weird. Although that was the first world I assembled, why did something feel off? Almost like something foreign appeared?¡± Chapter 1 Part 1 - Hey, You Warmth embraced Marcus. Time passed, but it was so vague he could not grasp it. It was a strange sensation, similar to sleep, but the dream would never end. Marcus could not think but only maintain a sense of self in this state. Suddenly, Marcus began to feel pain. The open space became cramped, and it hurt for a time. Then, everything changed. While the light grew brighter, the area became colder. Marcus was about to fall asleep again but suddenly felt the pain on his rear accompanied by a *smack*. In pain, he cried out as an instinct and couldn''t stop. "Hey, you. You''re finally awake." A male voice suddenly sounded, triggering Marcus''s PTSD. Marcus finally settled down. He was in a highly surreal position. His body moved, independent of his will yet influenced by it. He could tell that his mind had changed to a simpler form, yet he had a sense of self unbecoming of a newborn. The thought that he thoroughly understood the language crossed his mind but was pushed back as a weak female voice suddenly spoke. "Give him to me." "Weren''t you complaining about how you couldn''t wait to get a mod to save your back? You have been carrying him for so long any-" "Give. Me. My. Son." "¡­ Okay." The man replied after he noticed the change in tone. The woman took Marcus in her arms as a tired yet sweet smile appeared on her face. It was then that the midwife, an old Nord woman, finished casting magic on the woman. "Congratulations to the two of you." She said with a bright smile. "There were no problems, and I cast basic healing to ensure it. Still, I heard of tales of the Blessed, but think I would see it with my own eyes." The man''s face hardened for a moment. "Please, tell no one. We could be hunted down if it becomes well known." The midwife''s face turned serious. "Don''t worry. I''m too old to gossip. Besides, I know how close you were with the old Jarl; rest his soul. Your secret is safe with me." The man gave a courteous bow, and the midwife left the room. Meanwhile, Marcus was internally crying. While his mentality felt more youthful, he felt disturbed about obtaining sustenance. However, he didn''t have much choice in the matter as his body seemed to seek it automatically. With love and affection, the woman gazed down at Marcus. "Do you have to name him that? Sounds more like a name from the Empire." "I''m a man of my word." The man said with conviction. The woman sighed slightly before she gently brushed the side of Marcus''s face. "Welcome to the family, my lovely son, Marcus." ¡­ Roughly a week had passed since Marcus had been born, and he had begun to fall into a pattern. Yes, he had picked the ultra-easy start. Given that he would be utterly helpless for the first eight years of life, he felt it was a bit of a gamble. However, he believed it to be important when considering everything. There was no need to make it too difficult for himself when picking the difficulty. After all, he only had one life. As such, only the ultra-easy and easy start appealed to him. The reason why he decided to gamble was time. Starting from when he was eight years old, he would have more than three times as much time as the easy start. While he would have Skill Levels with an easy start, he felt that time was far more important.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Compared to the game, the world was 20 times larger in scope, reflecting how time went faster in the game. This also affected city size, population, and the experience required to level up. By starting with ultra-easy, he ultimately gave himself the means to a stronger foundation. Time was even more of a factor when creating items such as blacksmithing or doing alchemy. These can be done nearly instantaneously in-game but would take far more time in this world. Luckily, the amount of experience required, along with the amount of time to create compared to on Earth, was drastically shortened. Additionally, the Leveling System was slightly different than in the game. Regardless of the Skill Tree, they all had a max level on top of a level. The max level was the highest level Marcus could reach in a skill tree. The max level could be increased by expanding one''s knowledge and practice. In contrast, the actual level increased with actions, similar to the difference between intelligence and wisdom, respectively. This was due to where skills came from. In myth, the stars in the sky were caused by divine entities that broke out from the mortal plane when they realized they had been tricked, trapped, and weakened by creating the mortal plane. As a result, the stars became a portal between the mortal and divine realms. One would learn the aspects of a skill tree and then communicate with that aspect of the divine realm. Then, actions would draw power from the divine to increase their level, a path to the divine. However, this process took a lot of time. Finally, Marcus wanted to increase his time to help affect the narrative. Because this wasn''t a game, Marcus now had the extraordinary ability to change many important things. However, this would not be an easy task, even with his knowledge. Many significant events, and even some smaller ones, were Fated to happen. Changing events would require a lot of effort, and that effort would not just come from himself. He could become involved with other organizations or even make his own and drastically change the course of events that would otherwise unfold. Marcus was not na?ve enough to think his actions would be enough. He wasn''t even the protagonist; the Dragonborn, though he didn''t set it up so he would have similar powers. Ultimately, he chose the ultra-easy start because it would give him more time to study and plan. With this in mind, Marcus had already fallen into a training regimen. The first thing he would do in the morning was cast the unique healing spell he had asked from Todd. Unlike the majority of all other magic, this magic did not have a fixed cost. Instead, the cost depended on the severity of what needed to be fixed. What was fixed could be decided by the caster. In other words, if he did not have enough mana for a severe problem, he could still fix the minor one. Luckily, the knowledge of how to cast the spell, along with a few others, was imprinted directly in his mind, which allowed them to cast it even though he was only an infant. Of course, doing so in secret was difficult, but he often found a way. The next thing he did was do as much of a workout as possible with his infantile body. Though he could occasionally cast his unique healing spell, he didn''t want to overdo it. Finally, he spent most of his time in the system going over various information in the wiki. Thankfully, he could also take notes with the system. One of the primary things he focused on every day was to learn the language of dragons, which were the shouts the Dragonborn was known for. Unlike the Dragonborn or others who learned independently, Marcus had a unique advantage. The Dragonborn could instantly know a word by finding it on a word wall, then using a Dragon soul to understand it. It would be like learning a character from a different language and knowing the meaning. At the very least, Marcus could memorize the words for different shouts. However, he felt a strange gap between the word and understanding. It was a strange sensation because he should know what it meant, but something seemed to block him. However, this was not a problem as he had a long time to go. This training regimen also provided Marcus with some unique information. It seemed that mana, health, and stamina regenerated similarly to the game, even with the time difference. However, there was degradation in the total amount and regeneration over time due to hunger, energy, etc. These would become important factors in the future, especially if Marcus had to fight superior enemies. Of course, if Marcus had to fight superior enemies, he wanted a playstyle best suited for that. The race he had chosen to be born as a wood elf, and there were several reasons for this. The first was their longevity. The Elven races lived a little over 300 years, though the powerful ones could potentially live up to 1000. They also had a better resistance against poison and diseases, which was extremely important to ensuring that Marcus would live to an old age. Additionally, they had the unique ability to speak with animals. While the ability wasn''t as blunt as the game, it could potentially become potent depending on how he could utilize it. Finally, the race was inherently gifted with archery, stealth, and alchemy. This meant that, by default, his max level for these skills would start high. Additionally, his parents would be capable of teaching him. Of course, this did not mean he would stifle learning other disciplines. Eventually, five years passed. Chapter 1 Part 2 "Honey, I''m home!" Father said as he entered the small home within the forest. "Welcome back." Mother replied with a smile. "Were you successful? Marcus has been looking forward to it." She continued with a smile. Father smiled as he brought out a stack of books from the sack he was carrying. "The steward pulled through, and he managed to get some apprentice-level books." "New books?" The now five-year-old Marcus asked with a smile as he quickly came out of his room. About a half-hour walk from the house was the town of Ivarstead which was near the southern border of Skyr*m. The house was relatively small, consisting of two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a dining/living room. His parents built it over a few years within the forest. That being said, they were not too far from civilized life. Ivarstead was well known in Skyr*m because it was also the beginning of the 7000 Steps. The 7000 Steps was the path taken to reach the peak of the Throat of the World, the tallest mountain in Skyr*m. At the peak of the Throat of the World resided the order of greybeards, a group of reclusive hermits who maintained the study of Dragon language. However, there was an additional reason why Ivarstead was unique, which even slightly surprised Marcus. Perhaps due to the combination of a few mods, Ivarstead belonged to a new tenth hold named (A.) and was without a Jarl. This new hold included Helgen, Iverstead, and the Throat of the World from Falkreath, The Rift, and Whiterun Holds, respectively. Ivarstead and Helgen were the only two notable civilized areas within (A.) as the rest was mountains and inhospitable terrain. This left (A.) as the smallest and poorest of all the holds with only basic agriculture and an abandoned iron mine. However, that was not the reason why it was without a Jarl. The Dominion, an island nation ruled by high elves, had blitzkrieged against the Empire, which Skyr*m had belonged to for the last 800 years. The old Jarl joined the war with one son while the other stayed behind to become the new Jarl. After the White-Gold Concordat was signed, ending the war temporarily, the old Jarl returned alone. However, to his horror, the son he left behind, his last successor, had also passed away. The new Jarl had lost his wife due to complications in delivering their son, who turned out to be stillborn. As a result, the new Jarl put a bottle to his head and pulled the trigger. The old Jarl lasted a while, but the injuries sustained during the war and the excessive drinking made him follow in his son''s footsteps. Marcus was aware of the situation of the hold because his father had fought alongside the old Jarl as his parents had lived in the area since the old Jarl was young. When it came to the specifics of these events, however, Marcus could never get an answer from his father. Currently, Helgen was being managed by a troop from the Empire. A steward of High King Torygg was managing Ivarstead. The Empire was not in Ivarstead because of the civil war between the Empire and the Stormcloaks, the latter controlling the eastern territories. Theoretically, a new Jarl should have been promoted, but Torygg had not done so yet due to hitherto unknown reasons. However, the current political situation of Skyr*m was of little concern to the five-year-old Marcus.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Marcus glanced at the books before a hint of disappointment appeared on his face. There were three books on alchemy, archery, and sneak. "No magic books or spells?" The two parents smirked in amusement at Marcus''s reaction. "Magical books are rare in Skyr*m, much less spell books, especially since most Nords are against magic and prefer metal weapons. I collected the spell books I gave you over decades. However, given how talented you are, we will take you to the College of Winterhold when you turn 10." "I guess I''ll have to wait," Marcus replied with a sigh to his parents'' bemusement. Marcus can help a chuckle in the warm atmosphere. In his previous life, his parents had died in a car accident¡­ Didn''t they? Marcus frowned as he had a slight pain in his head. This often happened whenever he thought of his past. It was a strange sensation, almost like his past life was a dream. It felt complete yet fractured, which caused his headache. "Marcus, you okay?" Mother asked with concern. "I''m fine," Marcus replied as he brushed it off. "I have a question for you two." He continued to change the subject. "What is a blessed child?" The two parents flinched from surprise at the question. "Where did you hear this?" Mother asked. "I heard the two talking about it a long time ago when trying to sleep." The two parents glanced at each other in confusion, trying to recall the conversation, but to no avail. Father paused for a moment before he slowly spoke. "A blessed child is one with a deeper connection to the divine realm than others. We knew you were a blessed child due to the starlight that pierced through the house directly into your body. Blessed children are scarce, even for a hundred years, but they have several common traits. The first is slightly accelerated physical and mental growth. You wouldn''t have realized it, but your body and mind are beyond your peers." Marcus made a slight nod in agreement. After all, his mentality was heavily influenced by his previous life, and he had noticed his body had grown faster than he expected. However, he attributed the latter to constantly utilizing his unique healing magic. "However, these are the unique things about a blessed child." Father continued. "Every race can have unique traits and powers that stem from the deity they originated from. A blessed child goes even beyond this as they can have multiple powers that are unique to them. Depending on those powers, the individual can become quite powerful. Many will take blessed children extremely seriously. After all, Tiber Septim was only a mortal who founded the Empire and eventually ascended to godhood. If a mortal could do that, so too could a blessed child. You can''t tell anyone you''re a blessed child, and you should hide your abilities until you become strong enough to protect yourself." Marcus nodded as he already understood this truth. "Thanks for telling me," Marcus said as he quickly snatched the books and went off to his room. The two parents looked at each other with a wry expression before they side. "I worry about him." Mother said. "He''s enthusiastic, but he doesn''t know when to take a break," Father replied. "He''s more than capable of beginning bow training too." "The next time he brings it up, we will start." "Having such a son is a blessing¡­ But it''s also a heavy responsibility." "Yes, but it''s completely worth it." Chapter 1 Part 3 Marcus was soon engrossed in the books his father had brought home. Until he reached eight years old, his level could not increase. However, this limitation did not affect his max level. Currently, Marcus¡¯s primary goal was to improve his max level as much as possible before he reached eight years old. Once he reached eight years old, he would focus on grinding his level. This would allow him to grow as fast as possible. Marcus also had the additional benefit of knowing what needed to be done to level up, which others could only speculate. Unfortunately for Marcus, finding the information to increase his max level beyond Apprentice was extremely difficult. Every skill tree had six tiers with corresponding levels. Those levels were: Novice (0-10), Apprentice (11-29), Adapt (30-49), Expert (50-79), Master (80-99), and Legendary (100+). Even though the levels were broken into tiers, there was no significant difference between the levels other than what skill one could assign their perks. Levels earned in a skill tree will contribute to the level of the individual, which one could use to increase stats, Health (HP), Mana (MP), and Stamina (SP). The average commoner would be an apprentice, and soldiers or artisans would reach Adapt. Truly gifted individuals would reach Expert and rare individuals would reach Master. As for legendary, this was out of reach for nearly everyone. The maximum max level was 99. Reaching level 100 in a skill meant they had exceeded the limit of the mortal plane. This was nearly impossible. However, once level 100 was reached, it was possible to continue to level with additional bonuses. Eventually, the house went quiet, and the only light available was from Marcus¡¯s Candlelight spell, one of the few spells he had learned. After ensuring his parents were asleep, he quietly bundled himself up. Then, he brought up the System display and went to the power section. He carefully selected one power and mana gathered in his hand. However, unlike when he cast spells, this mana was not his. That was because this spell was a power. Unlike normal spells, power spells did not require mana but had a cooldown. Eventually, the magic activated, and Marcus disappeared. There was a brief flash of light before the scenery around Marcus changed. He had gone from a small building made of wood to a large building made of stone. The power Marcus activated was a teleportation spell to bring him to a sealed house. Marcus had no idea where this house was. It could be within the earth, on another plane, or an entirely different dimension. At least, that¡¯s the explanation the vague mod description gave. However, that did not matter. This building would act as his residence. Marcus made a quick round through the building to double-check his accommodations. Marcus¡¯s new secret home came equipped with nearly everything he could need. The basic accommodations for normal living, like a bedroom and kitchen, could house a dozen people. It also came with all the necessary accommodations for every profession. Once Marcus could start leveling, he would spend a good portion of his time within the space, at least until he turned 10 to attend college. However, this was for the future. Right now, Marcus was focused on creating a special foundation. Marcus made his way over to a storage area and browsed the containers. The one thing he noticed was that the chests were significantly larger than their game counterparts. However, this worked to his benefit. Marcus activated a new power as he pulled out a small leather pouch that he wore around his neck. He was going to utilize a mod feature that allowed the auto sorting and linking of containers. Marcus had opted not to give everyone an inventory skill. This was because he could go above and beyond it with his mods in a way that he had full control over. In other words, he and the people around him would have a unique inventory and no one else. The first thing he did was connect the leather pouch to one of the chests. The leather pouch acted like a portal to the chest where items would be stored. Anyone touching the pouch and aware of its contents could obtain said items. Luckily, the mod ignored the size of the container. It just needed to meet the criteria of one. So long as he willed an item to be stored or retrieved, it would disappear and appear respectively in his hands. However, the storage was not without limits. The first limitation was the size of the destination container. However, given the size of this chest, that would most likely not be an issue compared to the first problem, which was weight. So long as a leather pouch was on his body, he would feel the weight of whatever was in the chest, excluding the chest itself. Too much weight would be problematic as it would hinder him. Luckily, the weight was distributed over his entire body, not the pouch itself.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. After this was completed, Marcus decided to test it out. He took the book in his hand and decided to move it into his inventory. The book instantly disappeared from his hands and appeared within the chest. Marcus then took a second chest and linked it to the first one out of curiosity. To his delight, this doubled the inventory space but was useless, so he canceled it. The next thing he did was link an adjacent chest to the individual storage near the workstations. When his inventory became too heavy, he could move the items that he didn¡¯t want on his person from one chest to the other. The items would automatically be distributed through the various workstations to be quickly accessed and utilized. Marcus wanted to ensure effective inventory management due to another power, auto-harvest. Since Marcus had started his inventory management, he turned on auto-harvest, which had previously been turned off. Auto-harvest automatically collected items within a certain radius of Marcus so long as they met certain criteria Marcus could set. Currently, he set the range to the maximum and automatically collected items based on various criteria. The criteria included what they were, what they were worth, whether they were ¡®owned¡¯ goods, etc. The only real limit for what he could collect within the radius was based on whether he could obtain the item naturally. The combination of inventory management and auto-harvesting would be a tremendous timesaver when gathering resources. Unfortunately, unlike the inventory management, the auto-harvest only affected him. Happy with his work, Marcus tried his way over to a unique display cabinet. In the center of this cabinet was a house on top of the mountain. Marcus touched the house atop the mountain with a smile, and he once again disappeared. The surroundings instantly changed, and Marcus couldn¡¯t help but glance in wonder. He was in another building. This time it was the scale of a mansion, made both of stone and wood. He was now in a mansion on a plateau on the northern end of the Throat of the World. Marcus quickly went over to the home¡¯s basement and registered himself as the official owner. This house was unique because enchantments shielded it from the cold elements of the high mountain. It also had concealment magic to hide from dragons. This time, Marcus spent nearly an hour observing the overall grounds. This house could easily accommodate two dozen people and had even more complicated workstations and luxury features than his secret base. Additionally, secondary housing was provided for a garrison of 50, though this was completely simplistic. The purpose of this was to house a garrison used to defend the walls blocking the only path to the house. Marcus nodded in satisfaction but couldn¡¯t help but be a little disappointed. Even though Skyr*m was modded, he couldn¡¯t add whatever he wanted without limit. He was limited on how many mods he could have, and there were further restrictions. In this instance, he was only allowed three modded homes. He chose the three: the secret house, the mountain mansion, and the boathouse. He chose the secret house due to the teleportation spell that came with it and the safety the isolated house would provide. The mountain mansion was a prime pick because it came with a teleportation network to access any homes he obtained. Additionally, the teleportation matrix could be completely controlled by him, allowing him to move people throughout Skyr*m in the future quickly. Of course, this also had limits as only one person could be teleported at a time, and there was a cool down. However, the ability to move people across Skyr*m instantaneously was too good to pass up. The mountain mansion also came with a teleportation spell and was defendable. The final modded home was the boathouse. Unfortunately, the boathouse had to be built and required various resources to complete. The benefit of the boathouse was a fully functioning naval warship that doubled as a mobile house. However, that was a matter for the future. Overall, the three-house limit didn¡¯t bother Marcus too much. This was because he could theoretically add any property to the teleport system he owned that could also act as a home. Because this was real life and not a game, his property was not restricted. For now, Marcus needed to return home. He made his way to a familiar display cabinet. A vague structure, similar to the secret house, floated there. He disappeared only to reappear within the secret house when he touched it. The reason he had gone back to the secret house was so that he could get back home. Unfortunately, the house he was living in did not belong to him but his parents. This meant the house could not be added to the teleportation matrix. However, this brought another reason why he got the secret house. The teleportation spell the secret house came with would send the target to the secret house unless it was cast within said house. Instead, the spell target would be teleported back to where they last teleported from. Unfortunately, the teleportation spell for the mountain mansion did not have this feature. With a flash of magic, Marcus then reappeared in his room. He quietly took off his extra clothing and went back to sleep, looking forward to the future. Chapter 1 Part 4 A warming early spring breeze brushed through the forest. With the flap of its wings, a red bird ascended to the sky. This sight was not rare in the woods, but this bird acted strangely. It seemed to zigzag above the trees for a few minutes before it suddenly stopped and began to circle in one position. A deer ate its morning meal amongst its herd. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary this morning. The newly budding vegetation was delicious, and the sound of rustling trees and chirps of birds was comforting. However, the deer did not understand why it lost control of its body with a stinging pain to its side. Nor did it understand why its herd ran away as its vision grew dark. A young man approached the deer carcass. He appeared to be about 12 years old but had recently only turned nine. Marcus glanced at the deer, and, with a thought, the deer was harvested by the auto-loot feature. It took all the useful components of the animal while leaving the rest to scavengers. Marcus was about to return home but suddenly stopped at the frantic chirping sound of a bird. Of course, bird chirps were not unexpected, but the chirps stopped once he shot the deer. No, what alarmed Marcus was which bird was frantically chirping. ¡°Shit.¡± Marcus cursed under his breath as he heard the brush rustle behind him. He leaped forward, turned around, and knocked his bow as the world slowed down around him in one swift motion. His eyes locked onto the sabercat, attracted by the scent of blood, as it charged and lept in his direction. Marcus loosed his arrow, and it found its mark but was not immediately fatal. The sabercat was nearly upon him, and he reflexively began to cast the spell, but he could tell he wasn¡¯t going to make it. In desperation, he opened his mouth ¡°FUS!¡± A force of energy shot from his lips as he spoke as it struck the sabercat. The saber cat¡¯s pounce noticeably slowed enough, and it missed the timing of its attack only to tackle Marcus. The forest became eerily quiet, which only accentuated the sound of dripping blood. ¡°Marcus!¡± A male voice suddenly shouted in panic. Marcus¡¯s father rushed over from a distance as fast as he could. Even though Marcus had insisted on hunting alone, his mother had only acquiesced when his father had agreed to secretly follow. Marcus¡¯s father quickly rolled over the sabercat and revealed a grizzly wound in the abdomen. A wicked-looking sword, conjured by magical energy, was inserted into the saber cat¡¯s heart. Marcus groaned as he righted himself, as his father took a sigh of relief. Half out of spite, with a thought, the sabercat was harvested. Out of habit, he cast his healing magic to make sure he was okay as the red bird that was previously warning him landed on his shoulder. The red bird had the appearance of a Northern Cardinal, but it was abnormal. It was solid red, the size of a falcon, highly intelligent, and seemed young despite its age. ¡°Thanks, Asuka,¡± Marcus said with relief as he nudged her head. Asuka rubbed against the side of his face and expressed her relief. As a wood elf, he could communicate with animals, Asuka being one of the two he was extremely close to. It wasn¡¯t as if they actually spoke and understood one another verbally, but they could come to a mutual understanding. Asuka had become particularly attached to Marcus, especially after he continued to cast his unique recovery magic, which seemed to cause her unique changes. Marcus¡¯s father sighed as he looked at his son. ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t tell your mother if you want to go hunting again.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to,¡± Marcus replied, knowing how overprotective his mother could be. ¡°By the way, did you use a Dragon shout?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, given you haven¡¯t had any formal training, are you also a Dragonborn?¡± Marcus shook his head. ¡°No, but I have a blessing from Akatosh that is extremely similar. The only major difference between myself and a Dragonborn is that I cannot store souls to learn shouts at later times.¡± Marcus¡¯s father tilted his head. ¡°How do you know that a Dragonborn can store souls?¡± ¡°Inherent-¡± ¡°Inherent knowledge, I get it.¡± Marcus¡¯s father replied. Marcus could not help but make a wry smile at his father¡¯s immediate response. He had used that excuse many times, although his parents never suspected anything. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The ¡®FUS¡¯ was one of the shouts Marcus had learned. Unfortunately, with one exception, he could only learn the first word of shouts, and they were lackluster. The first issue seemed inherent, and it was as if he was missing something, which made progress difficult. As for the lackluster effect, it seemed as if that had something to do with his age. Shouts were inherently a burden on the body of a mortal, which was why there was a ¡®cooldown¡¯ between shouts, as serious issues could occur if used in quick succession. Hopefully, the shouts would become more powerful as he grew up. Marcus¡¯s father glanced at the harvested carcasses, completely unfazed before giving a loud whistle. No one would question anything harvested by auto-harvest. They conceptually understood it as Marcus collecting and thus wasn¡¯t strange to them. With the clatter of hooves and a loud nay, two horses quickly made their way over to the father and son. The larger and healthier looking of the two, a brown mare, made its way over to Marcus and nudged the side of his face with clear concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Cynthia,¡± Marcus said as he patted her head to cover her at the side of his slightly distressed appearance. ¡°I¡¯m going to head over to the mine before going home,¡± Marcus said to his father as they slipped onto their saddleless horses. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± The two quietly made their way towards the abandoned mine near the town. Marcus made the same round he made every month within the mine as iron or was automatically collected. Even though there was not much iron within the mine, the auto-harvest mod negated that problem. Interestingly, mines could regenerate to a certain extent thanks to the game foundation or mods. While the exact reason and mechanic were unknown, so long as the amount of ore did not exceed what one could gather within the game, it would regenerate in a month. It was possible to excavate further, but that would permanently remove the ore. To Marcus¡¯s surprise, the indigenous people did not know this. They were incapable of seeing the actual results, acting as if it didn¡¯t happen. However, this mattered little to Marcus, who had spent every month collecting iron ore for the last four years. Even though the mine was abandoned, it was still extremely large, so the amount of iron ore he collected was astounding. Marcus had plans for this ore and the rare gems he also collected in the future. Once he returned home, Marcus¡¯s mother gave him a thorough checkup. She was thorough because she was somewhat suspicious for no reason but could only relent. Marcus couldn¡¯t help but break out in goosebumps at the terrifying level of a woman¡¯s intuition before he shut himself in his room and entered his secret house. He did so because his parents were aware of its existence and had visited it themselves. Given the only way to enter the secret house was Marcus, there was no harm in letting others know. Marcus made his way to his storage and tossed them to the adjacent container to be automatically sorted. The first thing he did was prepare the leather as it would increase his smithing. The game omitted this step, but the lack of smithing knowledge and materials Marcus had at his disposal made the leatherwork extremely useful. Next, Marcus made his way over the alchemy station as he processed all the materials he had gathered. This was also something omitted by the game and had the additional benefit of increasing his alchemy. Thankfully, his mother was adept with alchemy, and she had instilled as much of her knowledge into him as she could. Once Marcus was finished, he teleported back into his bedroom and made his way to three small strong boxes. With deft hands, he pulled out lock picks and began to try and unlock the chests. Going slowly and carefully, Marcus eventually successfully unlocked them all before locking them with their keys. Interestingly, the chance of breaking lock picks seemed to correspond with how fast and how much one tried to brute force the lock. Lock picks wouldn¡¯t break as easily as they would in the game, so long as you took your time. Of course, this wasn¡¯t to say the lock picks wouldn¡¯t break. If not for the many lockpicks his father inconspicuously had, Marcus would have broken far more lock picks than he had. Eventually, the sunset and Marcus brought up the system. His days had nearly become routine since he turned eight and began to level. The first 15 levels in every skill did not contribute to his actual level to his annoyance. Thankfully, the first 15 levels were extremely easy to reach, thanks to his knowledge on how to level. Marcus was extremely potent, and archery and seeking thanks to his previous life, and these two skills were abnormally high, much less for his age. Thanks to today¡¯s grinding, he had finally reached level 14. He had put ten levels into MP, two into HP, and two levels in reserve. Assigning a level would fully restore all stats, which could be life-saving depending on the situation. Marcus glanced over the vast constellations that made up the skill tree. Some of the mods he had chosen vastly expanded the skill trees, tripling the number of perks. This allowed for far more diversity and specialization compared to a vanilla experience. It also added the additional benefit of removing many prerequisites allowing one to save points and focus on the perks that they wanted. Additionally, the number of skill points was doubled per level to another mod, allowing for a broad breadth of perks. These mods also affected local indigenous people, but they couldn¡¯t control which perks were assigned and often had many unassigned, unable to do anything with them. Most would be able to assign them by training a specific perk, but these were unknown. Marcus closed the system with a sigh as he exited his room and entered the living room where his parents were. Noting the serious expression on his face, his parents both gave him their full attention. ¡°Mom, Dad, I want to travel.¡± Chapter 2 Part 1 - Fort Amol Marcus exhaled deeply as his breath became visible amidst the cold air as it stung his cheek. Asuka protested his violent movements from saddling Cynthia as she tried to keep warm in his fur coat. "You have everything?" Mother asked. "Yes, yes. Besides, if I didn''t pack it, you sure did. I feel sorry for your horse." "She''s used to it." Mother replied with a chuckle. When Marcus''s parents heard that he wanted to go on a trip, they initially disagreed. After all, what parent in their right mind will let their nine-year-old child go off on a journey, much less a place as dangerous as Skyr*m. However, Marcus insisted that this was vital for his plans. After a night of deliberation, his parents eventually agreed on the condition that they join him. Although Marcus had not mentioned any events that would happen in the future, they knew he had a purpose. Would a blessed child be born for no reason? His parents did not think so. Marcus had done and had asked him to do many things that initially confused them. However, when they realized their strength had noticeably improved, they began to understand Marcus saw the world differently than them. He was a very focused individual and wouldn''t do things without a good reason, and they trusted him. "It''s so cold out. I can''t wait until the sun burns through the morning fog." "If you want to reach Fort Amol before sunset, this is what you have to do. Just be happy that we have horses, else it would take another half day." "I know. Father, are you sure you can''t help with the stormcloaks?" "I highly doubt either of us will have much influence," Father said with a sigh. "As you know, neither of us were ever part of the stormcloaks. We voluntarily joined the Jarl to aid in defense of the Empire. While some of those forces did join the stormcloaks, the majority did not. Hopefully, you will find what you''re looking for without any trouble, and they won''t care about it." "I''m not even certain it''s there, though I do not believe they will care to part with it." "Well, what are we waiting for? Daylight is burning." Mother said with a chuckle. ... The setting sun tinted the forest orange as the family of three continued silently. Having spent the last nine years together, the three left few topics for idle chatter. The only thing that kept Marcus sane was studying, else his mind, trained for constant stimulus in the modern world, would have gone crazy. Of course, the other reason for their silence was to keep a check on their surroundings.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. As a general rule, the more traveled roads were safer. However, this was usually only from wildlife. Main roads had a decent chance of containing bandits, which had become a plague in Skyr*m. Due to the civil war, the two sides focused most official military forces at strategic locations instead of being distributed throughout the land. This left pockets of space where bandits could dominate and often be ignored unless they raised too much ruckus. Of course, the civil war did more than giving bandits room to grow; It also encouraged them. Many were forced to banditry to avoid conscription or the heavier taxation needed to sustain a fighting force. Of course, the increasing refugee population from those fleeing the Dominion assault also contributed. "Fort Amol should be coming in sight shortly," Father said, breaking the silence. Marcus was about to reply but stopped when he noticed Asuka quickly flying back from scouting. Once she landed on his shoulder, she started chirping and frantically gesturing. "It seems as though there was a fight ahead, and she seems to have found dead humans," Marcus said. Both of his parents frowned at this news. "Let''s leave the horses here and go in on foot. Horses will be too high profile for us to check on the fort without being noticed." The family of three quickly left the horses behind, not worried for them as they were trained. They silently made their way towards the fort. Eventually, a rundown structure made of stone entered their sight. Hiding amidst the forest, covered by the shadows cast by the setting sun, the three peered towards the fort. "There are two individuals at the entry of the fort, one within the pathway and one above. They do not appear to be stormcloaks." Father said. "No, those are mage robes." Mother added. Marcus suddenly became startled by this revelation. The fort was recently overrun by Mages in the game, as was evident by the stormcloak bodies still strewn about the fort. Of course, this was the case in the game regardless of whenever you arrived, implying it was recent. However, this was no longer a game. The timing was far too coincidental, and the implications were tremendous. Worried, Marcus quickly queried the System. The System did not have an AI per se, but more on the lines of an assistant that could respond to questions asked. Unfortunately for Marcus, the response he got was both good and bad. The timing mages had taken the fort from the stormcloaks was, in part, because Marcus was going there, which implied that his presence could trigger events, like the player character. Thankfully, the operative word here was ''could.'' Event triggers could happen due to the rules that govern the world. Spacetime did not bind the rules, which meant that certain events could trigger based upon Marcus''s actions. These rules existed because the base of this world was a game, though it was far more flexible than one. After asking a few more questions, Marcus was relieved. While this was an example, it was not guaranteed to happen. As it turned out, other variables needed to be filled outside of Marcus to be possible. It seems that, in this instance, the stars aligned. Additionally, some of the more significant events that occurred would not do so based upon his actions alone. Marcus was thankful this was the case because, if it weren''t, he would have to change his plans drastically. He wanted to ensure that Skyr*m would not become unrecognizable before the cannon-start. Thankful for this knowledge, Marcus focused back on the matter at hand. "Well, at least we have justification for entering the Fort now." The two parents glanced at each other before looking back at Marcus. "What is the plan?" Father asked. "Follow me." Chapter 2 Part 2 Giving a wide birth, Marcus led his parents around the side of the fort. The forest had encroached upon the fort, especially on the side of their approach, concealing them. The three of them eventually found a gap large enough for three individuals to pass through. Motioning his parents to be quiet, Marcus knocked his bow and quietly entered the gap. Marcus slowly scanned his widening vision as he passed to the opening, but the first thing he noticed was not within his sight. To his left, he heard the ever faint tapping sound. Having created the sound before, Marcus knew what was causing it. Knowing there was an enemy to his left, Marcus stuck to the left edge of the gap and peered to the right. This world was no longer a game, so stealth was considerably more difficult and even more critical to remain unnoticed. Eventually, having confirmed no one was within eyesight to the right, Marcus slowly rounded the corner. There, he found a woman dressed in mage robes with her back facing him. Marcus was slightly startled when he noted the staff she had secured on her back. Thankfully, this mage was busy concocting alchemy, or the staff may have ended up problematic. Silently as possible, Marcus to game and let loose. The arrow struck true, piercing the woman¡¯s neck, and she instantly froze and fell over. Marcus was not na?ve enough to allow such a dangerous element alone, even women. The divine realm strengthened people in this world, quickly shrinking the gap between genders. Mercy to the enemy was damaging to oneself. Perhaps, if there were not the bodies of stormcloaks strewn about, he would hesitate more, mainly because the target was attractive. Of course, the hesitation would¡¯ve only been slight. Though his mind was still na?ve, the combination of pre-puberty and previous life¡¯s romantic drama rendered the female form far less attractive in his eyes. At least for the moment. Lifelessly, the woman¡¯s body collapsed to the ground. The noise from the fall did not alarm the others as they were too far away, and they did not expect any enemies to breach through that area. When Marcus confirmed her dead, he immediately locked his sites on the two mages at the entryway. Marcus had already confirmed through the system that these enemies were only level 10. Marcus was not too surprised by their apparent low levels. Given that these Mages were bandits, it was likely that they lacked the knowledge that would otherwise be available at a magical institution. This meant that their max level for their skills would be relatively low, which reflected their low overall level. Additionally, HP worked differently than it did in the game. Reaching zero HP did not guarantee instant death. Assuming an attack barely brought one to 0 HP, the exact effect would differ. If the blow were to a fatal location, it would result in death. If the blow was in other areas, the damage could be as severe as crippling or dismembering or as low as non-lethal incapacitation. However, being brought to zero HP, especially with a weak blow, would universally stun an individual for a decent amount of time. The real danger was when damage dealt far exceeded HP. While reaching zero would not guarantee instant death, this sheer shock from the injury could potentially kill depending upon the damaged area. This meant that targeting vital areas was far more critical than in the game. Of course, Marcus benefited from being able to target said areas more accurately than the game, but that was true for everyone. Coupled with their low levels, Marcus was also confident due to their lack of defense. These mages would often use magic in place of armor. This gave Marcus a tremendous advantage as their spells were not cast to fight an enemy they were not aware of. Additionally, not all of their stats were distributed as they could not directly control them. Stats would typically be distributed automatically by taking damage, casting magic, and feats of endurance for HP, MP, and SP, respectively. Given that these individuals were mages, nearly all of their stats were distributed to MP, leaving their HP no more than 120. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Additionally, thanks to Marcus¡¯s previous life, the level of his archery was substantial, and he had heavily invested his perks into it. This effectively turned Marcus into a glass cannon, more deadly when at range. These factors were his primary confidence in his ability to dispatch them quickly. Being a world where magic and the divine existed, some rules that would be taken as common sense in his original world could easily be overturned. As Marcus aimed at the mage at the fort entrance, he would overturn his previous common sense. The breath leaked out of the mage¡¯s lips as the arrow impacted his back, carving into his heart. Surprisingly, this arrow appeared to have even more penetrating power than the arrow previously fired. This was due to one of Marcus¡¯s perks, which increased his damage with distance. In the real world, this would not be the case as arrows would slow the further they traveled, but that did not affect the rules of this world. ¡°Old man, are you all right?¡± The mage atop the fort entrance asked as he moved towards the inside edge. However, what met him was only two more arrows, which seemed to be shot near simultaneously. They impacted both sides of his chest, sapping the life out of him as he slowly collapsed and crumbled on the ground. The arrows were shot by Marcus¡¯s parents, who were not far behind him. They glanced at the nearby mage corpse before glancing at each other with a worried expression on their face. As if they were going to say something, they glanced toward Marcus but swallowed the words back as he made a gesture to remain silent. Quietly, Marcus traveled up the wooden stairs to the fort¡¯s walls and entered the nearby tower. He climbed the spiraling stone staircase and gave himself an overlook of the entirety of the fort. He surveyed for a few seconds and found the only other mage within sight was atop the corner of the far wall. Without hesitation, Marcus fired another shot, effortlessly killing him. With his skills, stationary targets were easy pickings. Confident that the outside of the fort was clear, Marcus walked back down the tower as he stretched, getting used to the new weight from the items that had automatically been picked up. Eventually, he made his way back to his parents, who were checking the corpse of a stormcloak. ¡°What have you found?¡± He asked when he noted the serious expression on their faces. ¡°Even in this cold, the body still contains a trance of warmth. Whatever fight occurred here must have happened within hours.¡± Marcus nodded. ¡°In that case, we should hurry. If they took any prisoners, the longer we wait, the worse their chances.¡± The two parents suddenly snapped out of their train of thought as he glanced at Marcus with a worried look. ¡°Marcus, are you okay?¡± Mother asked. ¡°Yes? Why wouldn¡¯t I be? They didn¡¯t even notice me.¡± Marcus asked in clear confusion. Marcus¡¯s father pointed towards the nearby mage. ¡°You just killed a humanoid. Don¡¯t you feel anything?¡± Marcus was startled by the question. In truth, he had never killed a person, at least not on Earth. Within the Utopia Project, the game many claimed to be in a real world, he had killed many. As such, he was no stranger to death or causing it. However, in his parents¡¯ eyes, their nine-year-old child, who had only hunted wild game, had just killed a humanoid without changing his expression. With a confused frown, Marcus glanced at his parents. ¡°But they are evil people, right? They killed the stormcloaks. If I didn¡¯t kill him, we could be in danger.¡± The two parents looked at each other before they made a bitter smile. Perhaps a blessed child was more immune to the psychological impact of taking a life. At least, that thought gave them comfort. At the very least, Marcus had justified his killing and did not imply he would kill others at will. After several seconds, mother finally relented. ¡°All right, we should hurry. We are unsure about how many enemies are in the fort, and our archery will be greatly hindered in close quarters, so we need to be careful.¡± Marcus nodded as he glanced at the door across the fort. With a nod, the three of them moved towards it. Chapter 2 Part 3 Once at the door, Father placed his ear against it. Unfortunately, there was no keyhole. Aside from residential housing, structures rarely used locks. The reason was simple; they were far too easy to pick. Compared to a modern equivalent, locks were highly simplistic. They often only blocked those who did not have basic lock picking skills. Additionally, locks were only as strong as the door for anyone determined to enter. When it came to this fort, they had opted for a barricade. A key lock required brute force to get through but could only be locked from the inside. Luckily, the door did not seem barricaded. After waiting several seconds, father motioned to the other two. One for certain straight ahead, another potential to the right, others unknown. Following several additional hand gestures, the three got ready at the door. Father prepared to open, and Mother prepared her bow. In a usual manner, Father opened the door, which swung to the outside. Sitting at a table as he went over some paperwork, the mage glanced up only to be met with an arrow to the temple. At the same time, when Mother fired the arrow over his head, Marcus did a roll to stay low, looked to the right, and fired on the other mage who had reflexively begun casting a spell. However, the mage never completed that spell. Marcus quickly glanced around the room and confirmed no one else was in it before he walked towards the back left corner cabinet. As he approached, a nearby bucket suddenly shook. Given that the bucket was his target, Marcus quickly brought up the System Interface to check his inventory. He was elated when he found the Spell Tome: Bound Bow in his inventory. This spell tome would be vital for his plans as it was centered around his future combat style. While he would always keep a bow on his body, Marcus planned to fight using this Bound Bow. Part of the reason he decided to start his life in Ivarstead was to obtain this magical bow early and for free because it was extremely powerful. The base damage of the Bound Bow was slightly worse than its daedric counterpart. Marcus had a perk that increased all his bound weapons, making its base damage the second-highest in Skyr*m. Of course, this was only the base damage. As it was a bow made of magic, it could not be improved by a blacksmith. Instead, the damage increased based upon the caster¡¯s conjuration level. While it was theoretically possible to obtain a physical bow that would become stronger, it would only be in the hand of a blacksmith that likely did not exist. In addition to grinding his conjuration and archery skill with the bound bow, the weapon would grow with him to a frightening degree. Additionally, along with the spell came conjured arrows which were the same in power as their daedric counterpart. These arrows would automatically be conjured on the bow once the string had begun to be pulled back, from a conjured quiver, or conjured in an empty physical quiver. The first had the advantage of having a faster firing rate, while the last allowed for poisons. The arrows would be coated automatically if the bottom of the physical quiver contained poison. The only apparent downside to the bound spell was that the bow could not be enchanted. However, thanks to this being reality and not a game, and with the help of a few mods, Marcus was sure he would be able to create a similar effect. However, now was not the time for such thoughts. Thankfully, there was no level requirement to learning spells, just the perks associated with different tiers. Unfortunately, Marcus couldn¡¯t learn the spell immediately, lest he read the book at least once. Given that the spell was at a tier higher than his respective level, he might have some difficulty, but only to the effect of an extended learning duration. However, he suppressed that urge after Mother motioned to express that three people were down the stairs, which led to the prison.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Quietly, the family of three made their way down towards the prison but found no more mages. Instead, they found three battered stormcloaks, each with wounds consistent with damage caused by magic spells. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re not one of those mages.¡± A middle-aged Nord said as the three of them came into sight. ¡°Two wood elves and¡­ Their child? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Passing through,¡± Father replied as he took a key and unlocked the cell. ¡°Tell me what you know.¡± ¡°Oh, thank Talos. Of course, I will tell you everything. Not but a few hours ago, we were hit by a surprise attack of those filthy mages. While they all come from several disciplines, several necromancers were among their ranks. We only had a skeleton crew here because the imperials do not have easy access to this area, which is not a high target. We lost over a fourth in the initial attack, and our fallen brothers and sisters picked up their weapons and attacked us in turn. In less than 10 minutes, we lost.¡± ¡°I see. Then why were you spared?¡± ¡°Spared? Not a chance,¡± Another man said. ¡°They took us as prisoners to be experimented on. It seems that part of the reason they took this fort was to obtain the facilities and equipment necessary for some of their experiments.¡± ¡°Experiments on what?¡± Mother asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure, but it might have something to do with necromancy.¡± The two parents suddenly frowned when they heard this news. Necromancy wasn¡¯t illegal, but it was highly frowned upon. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Father asked. ¡°Indeed. I am uncertain if they still have any bodies at their disposal, as I am unsure how necromancy works.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve come this far. Why stop now?¡± Marcus asked. The three captives looked at the boy in front of them with a confused look on their face. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mother asked tentatively. ¡°We will be fine.¡± Father turned back to the three captives. ¡°We are going to clear out the remainder of the fort. What are your plans?¡± ¡°We are going to get out of here. As far as I know, we are the last survivors. Much less being severely outnumbered¡­ Well, our wounds leave us unable to fight back. I don¡¯t believe they touch the horses, so if you could help us secure them, we would go to the nearest camp to make our port and ask for reinforcement.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do so, quickly.¡± ¡°Good. Oh, may I enquire the names of our rescuers?¡± After the two parents shared a glance, Mother whispered in the nord¡¯s ear, whose eyes shot open at her words. He was about to respond but reflexively stopped and only gave a nod. Marcus didn¡¯t know what his mother had said. However, given his parents¡¯ skills, knowledge, and levels, he already knew they were not ordinary. The two groups quickly came to a concordance and exited the prison. No other mages had exited the fort during the few minutes they had been inside, so it was a simple matter to reach the horses and send the stormcloaks on their way. The whole interaction amused Marcus. The stormcloaks were not present in the game, which meant that events could differ. The variability was worrying because it meant that there would be unstable factors in the future. However, it was also comforting that life wouldn¡¯t be predictable. As these thoughts mauled about in Marcus¡¯s mind, the three of them reached the main door of the fort. Chapter 2 Part 4 Quietly, Father opened the main door to the fort. After several seconds of listening, there were no unusual sounds. Marcus was a little surprised when he saw an enemy 30 feet away. However, the surprise was minimal as the lack of sound did not deny potential enemies. Luckily, this enemy was not facing the door. Instead, they appeared to be enchanting mage robes on an enchanting table. Quietly, the family of three made their way towards the mage. Mother broke off and moved to the right, preparing to fire up the nearby stairs should an enemy appear. They did not immediately fire upon the mage because they could not see half of the room. If there was another enemy, they could sound the alarm if they saw their comrades drop. However, the rest of the room was devoid of other people. With little effort, the distracted mage died from an arrow to the back of the skull. Marcus quietly made his way around the room to give it a once-over for loot. He heard a pair of mages conversing from above as he did so, and their words were quite muffled, which meant they were not near the stairs. With Marcus going first due to his short stature, they made their way up the stairs. Marcus peered around the stone railing to see the two mages discussing, sitting on beds facing one another. He motioned to his parents as they prepared their ambush. At the same time, both Marcus and his father stood up from the opposite side of the railing. Simultaneously, they fired at the two mages, and neither survived. Marcus glanced around the rest of the room but only relaxed once he confirmed that there were no other enemies. They had cleared Fort Amol, rather anticlimactically at that. However, there were several reasons for this. These enemies were relatively weak, and at level 10, they were only slightly better than peasants. Given that only one of the mages wasn¡¯t Nord, it was likely that these were refugees who had fled into Skyr*m. Additionally, Marcus abnormally leveled the family of three. Although he was only level 15, his ability to freely distribute his perks made him stronger than someone at the same level. The damage he could do with his archery could instantly kill someone if they did not increase HP. Additionally, he was able to distribute the perks of his parents and teach them how to grind their skills, making the two of them powerful. Additionally, all three of them were highly proficient with stealth which was extremely helpful as their foes could not resist. Eventually, the family of three did a second lap around the fort to ensure that there were no more mages around. Luckily, enough time had gone by for the necromancy spells to have finished, rendering the bodies inert. In addition, it was not uncommon for mages not to recast spells without a need, save for the most paranoid. ¡°It¡¯s getting late,¡± Mother said, breaking the silence. ¡°Indeed,¡± Father replied. ¡°Shall we stay here or use my accommodations?¡± Marcus asked. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to stay here.¡± Mother replied. ¡°Given it takes a full minute for each one of us to come back, I wouldn¡¯t want to in case we run into someone. In a best-case scenario, we will have some explaining to do. In the worst-case scenario, each of us will end up in an ambush. At the very least, if we stay here, we can barricade the doors. Although we will be trapped inside in case of an attack, we will not be caught in our sleep and have ample time to leave for the mansion.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Father replied. Having come to an accord, the three whistled for their horses. Though it would be a rare coincidence, given humanoid activity in the area, it would be possible for a sabercat to appear. Bringing them into the fort would act as a level of protection.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. After settling in, the family of three began their nightly preparations. Father moved the bodies, retrieved the salvageable arrows, and checked the other equipment. Mother took over the cooking station to make a warm meal for dinner. Meanwhile, Marcus looked at the System to check his loot. One of the excellent features of the mods was a notification log. This feature was handy to keep track of what the auto-loot took. A smile broke out across Marcus¡¯s face as he saw what he was looking for, but then it turned into surprise. Besides the Bound Bow, Marcus was also looking for the Catalog of Armor Enchantments (Adapt). It was important because it was pivotal in increasing his max level for enchantments, which he was sorely lacking. Luckily, the book was here. What surprised Marcus was that he had four other spell tomes. The first spell tome was Lesser Ward. The spell tome was an unexpected and welcome surprise for Marcus, as the ward spell would be relatively helpful. The Lesser Ward spell was cast near instantaneously, which meant that it could increase his defenses at a moment¡¯s notice should he be unable to dodge an attack. The second spell was Alarm. It would create a 150ft diameter circle at the point of cast or a target. The caster would know if one or more potentially hostile entities were within the circle. However, it could not distinguish between numbers or give direction or distance. The only other information passed to the caster would be knowing which Alarm circle was activated should more than one be active at once. The third spell was Drop Zone. The caster would create a zone of magic at a surface while deciding who the zone would affect. Any affected by the zone would take zero fall damage within it. The fourth spell was the two-handed variant of the Bound Bow spell, Bound Battle Axe. While this spell was of little use to Marcus, who only planned to dabble with one-handed weapons, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to learn it. The spell tome would not disappear when learned, which meant he could teach it to others in the future. Overall, Marcus was thrilled by the harvest. Unlike how Marcus played the game, he was being far more paranoid. His focuses were stealth to remain undetected, archery to keep his foes at a distance, and restoration and any other means to save his life at a critical moment. The reason for his paranoia was because he couldn¡¯t even guarantee he could play through Skyr*m without dying once, much less when the world didn¡¯t scale with him. He felt it was essential to take every advantage he could, which these spells did perfectly. However, the tomes begged the question, why were they here? After some deliberation, Marcus understood the reasons. First, spell tomes were not consumables. Second, magic was expanded via mods, increasing the variety of magic available. Thirdly, the mods affected the world, making magic even more prevalent, even possibly beyond the mods. Finally, although magic was not popular in Skyr*m, these rogue mages likely brought these books from other territories. Regardless, Marcus was in a good mood as he went through the rest of the loot. Aside from books, the mage robes were also welcome. Marcus planned to disenchant them later to learn the enchantments and gain a large amount of enchantment XP. The last unexpected windfall was a Potion of Brief Invisibility. Although it only lasted 20 seconds, it could potentially save his life. If he needed to make a quick escape while losing his enemies or at least buy him precious time, it would be invaluable. In the game, potions take effect immediately. Unfortunately, this was not a game. Even with his inventory, Marcus still took roughly two seconds to draw a potion, remove the cap with his teeth or other free hand, and drink it. For others, this could take upwards of five seconds as they had to locate and reach for the potion themselves. Luckily, the effects of potions were instantaneous upon swallowing. Content with his more notable loot, he glanced over the lesser bounty. Aside from alchemy materials, there were some soul gems, both empty and full, along with gold. Considering how easily he had managed to clear out the fort, the rewards were astounding. Content, he withdrew the Spell Tome: Bound Bow and earnestly began to read after he cast Candlelight. He would be able to finish reading it before sleeping for the night, though casting, he could not be sure. However, he was confident he would soon add a new weapon to his repertoire. Chapter 3 Part 1 - Trouble at the Towers The sun was high in the sky as it approached noon. The loosely cobbled path was rather lively. Birds chirped as they flew overhead amongst the trees that flourished alongside the nearby river, which itself created a calming ambiance. The occasional squirrel could be seen darting amidst the trees or the mountain on the other side. The only thing that broke these natural sounds was the sounds of horses. Three horses walked side-by-side as they began to ascend the slowly inclining road. It was the second day since the family of three had left Fort Amol. This was a great tribute to the scale difference between the game and reality. Increasing the distance by 20 times was not a joke. Of course, part of the reason it was taking so long was due to the young elf on the center horse who was currently reading. Marcus was wrapping up his third read-through of the Spell Tome: Bound Bow. He was like a student cramming for tests determined to get an A+. The third read-through was mostly unnecessary. However, Marcus took extra care in learning the spell as it was vital to him. Eventually, he closed the book, which disappeared into his inventory, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then, he extended his left hand, and magic gathered within his outstretched palm. A bow appeared in his hand with a subtle sound and flash while a quiver filled with arrows appeared on his back. Marcus''s parents glanced at each other in shock before he quickly abated with a wry smile. Bound Bow was a relatively complex spell. Even with how studious Marcus had been, it was still an impressive feat to have completed the spell on his first attempt. Marcus, however, paid no heed to his parents'' reaction as he familiarized himself with his bow. Eventually, he dismissed it only to conjure it again to make the spellcasting process more fluid. He focused so hard on the spell simply for one reason; it increased his damage by 250%. "Marcus, we are almost at the Valtheim Towers," Father said, breaking Marcus out of his practice. Marcus glanced around at the location, feeling a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. However, he quickly brushed it off to familiarity as this road was the primary way to get around the Throat of the World. "Let''s leave the horses here and scout it out. Without a garrison, it''s a likely spot for bandits due to it being a heavy chokepoint with an exit." The family quickly dismounted the horses with a quick nod to each other. After they instructed them to stay nearby, they made their way up the rest of the path. Unfortunately, there was little space to hide along this path as there was a steep incline to the left and a sharp decline to the right. There was still some vegetation and rocks that they could use for cover, but not much. Eventually, they came to a sharp curve in the road, not far from the towers. They were about to peek around the bend but stopped as they heard voices slightly muffled in the distance. "As I said, if you want to get past us, you have to pay the toll." A woman dressed in fur armor said. Flanking her was a large man, similarly dressed in fur armor, with a hand, gripped on the handle of the warhammer on his back, prepared to strike at any moment. Marcus glanced above and saw an archer atop the tower, prepared to fire at a moment''s notice. Though stronger than the mages they had previously encountered, these three bandits were not what caused his parents to freeze before instinctively reaching for their weapons. "Listen here, you barbarian, you are interfering with official Thalmor business. If you are smart, you''ll walk away." Marcus''s parents had a mutual reaction to the presence of the Thalmor, the army of the Dominion which they had fought against in the war.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. From around the corner, Marcus took a glance at everyone present. In the distance, he could make out two more figures heading over the bridge that spanned the river far below that connected the two towers. It appears that the bandits had reinforcements headed their way. The bandits'' levels all varied between 10 to 15. However, they were significantly tougher than the mages due to their more physical occupations. Their stats were distributed between HP and SP, making them strong enough to survive an attack for Marcus before the Bound Bow. The real threat was the Thalmor bandits they were confronting. They were both around level 25 with a similar stat distribution to the bandits but with more MP. However, they also had the distinct advantage of Elven armor. Even with his Bound Bow, Marcus knew he couldn''t take them out with one hit, though he could come close with his maximum damage. However, he could also note the weaknesses of the elven armor thanks to his perks. So long as they were not moving, he was sure to exploit this, rendering the armor almost useless. The only other figure appeared to be someone the Thalmor were escorting. This captive had their wrists bound and led by a rope, with their head in a sack and body bound to hide their features. However, given their stature, it was clearly a child. Much less the situation, the child hostage, his parents'' hatred of the Thalmor, and his conviction in destroying them as a threat, Marcus wanted them removed. However, he was not convinced he could do so safely. As Marcus thought through the logistics of carrying out a fight, the situation suddenly changed. "They''re just stalling for reinforcements!" The Thalmor archer, who had not yet spoken, suddenly exclaimed as she readied her bow. "Kill them!" The female bandit suddenly shouted as she noted the situation became tense, and victory often came to those who struck first. However, there was a clear difference in discipline and experience between the two groups. The bandit archer had fired upon the Thalmor archer, but the other Thalmor blocked it with his shield. The melee Thalmor then turned to the warhammer-wielding bandit and charged. As the bandit began to swing his warhammer, the Thalmor bashed his arms, stunning him, and completely diffusing the bow. Simultaneously, the Thalmor archer retaliated against the bandit archer and struck him in the shoulder. The bandit archer reeled back in pain but removed the arrow before drawing another of his own. However, the difficulty from the wound was clear on his face. "Hurry up, you two!" The bandit woman suddenly shouted towards her reinforcements before she stepped back. As an archer herself, she had little experience in close-up melee. However, the Thalmor archer had her in her sights. "What should we do?" Mother asked Father. "I''m not particularly fond of helping either side," Father replied with a frown. "Then it''s simple." Marcus suddenly interjected. "Have you ever heard the expression, the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" "Yes," Father replied for the both of them, holding back the question of how Marcus knew. "Are you saying we should help the bandits?" Mother asked. Marcus shrugged his shoulders with a cocked smile. "At the moment, I only see my friends. Why would I attack my friends?" Father shook his head. "Just say wait to attack until there is only one side standing." As it turned out, the fight lasted only a couple more minutes. The Thalmor had managed to take out the warhammer and archer bandits before their reinforcements came. Unfortunately for the reinforcements, they had arrived just as their companions had lost, only able to save the female bandit temporarily. They decided to continue the attack in that split second instead of running. They made the right decision from a tactical perspective, as retreating would''ve been exposing their back to a capable archer. Unfortunately, they died regardless. "Filthy Nords." The female Thalmor spat as she grasped her lightly wounded arm. "Indeed." The male Thalmor said as he kicked one of the bandit''s bodies. "Now then, shall we see if there''s anything valuable on them?" *Thud* The male Thalmor''s head swiveled at the sound of his companion falling. His eyes met hers, now lifeless, before they locked onto the glowing arrow that had pierced her neck. Out of instinct, he immediately swiveled towards the direction the arrow had apparently come from but suddenly froze as the air escaped his lips. He looked down to the side only to see a similar arrow lodged in the gap of his armor. "Curse¡­ You¡­" He said as he collapsed to the ground as his vision grew dark. Chapter 3 Part 2 ¡°That went surprisingly well,¡± Marcus said as he lowered his bow. Both Thalmor had less than half their HP, and they had yet to heal as they had run out of MP during the fight. Coupled with the fact that they were no longer moving, they were easy pickings. ¡°I¡¯m proud of my son but disappointed I didn¡¯t get to do anything.¡± Mother mumbled as she and Father lowered their bows. ¡°You can take a shot to make sure-¡± *Twang... Thud* Marcus¡¯s sentence was cut short as his mother struck the still unmoving Thalmor¡¯s body with such speed and accuracy it even startled him. ¡°Yep, he¡¯s dead.¡± Mother said as he put away her bow, a smile clear on her face. Though Marcus didn¡¯t know, as he was well behaved, he kept a mental check not to get on his mother¡¯s bad side. ¡°Marcus, shouldn¡¯t you go help their captive?¡± Mother said, her smile not abating. ¡°Yes,¡± Marcus said as he reflexively obeyed. ¡°Why do you think they captured¡­ This child?¡± ¡°Perhaps this child, or their parents, were worshipers of Talos?¡± Father hypothesized. ¡°After all, that¡¯s the reason they claim to be in Skyr*m.¡± ¡°Their excuse, you mean.¡± Mother replied with a curled lip. Marcus paid little heed to his parents¡¯ banter as he approached the captive child. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m just going to take off the bag now, okay?¡± Marcus said in a reassuring tone when he noticed the child was shaking. Perhaps because of his tone or how youthful his voice sounded, the child¡¯s shaking abated, though it did not disappear completely. Marcus gently took off the bag, and his smile froze on his face. He had come to expect that the child would be a Nord. Given that Thalmor were escorting them, he also believed his father¡¯s analysis to be correct. However, he did not expect the child to have a pair of cat ears. However, those ears were only half of his surprise. In Skyr*m, there was a race of humanoid cats called Khajiit, one of the beast races. However, the face that the cat ears belonged to was completely human. Marcus took several seconds before he understood that it indeed was a Khajiit in front of him. The Khajiit were a unique race because they would take many different forms. However, they would be born in human appearance and grow into a specific form corresponding to the Lunar Cycle when they were born. The over 20 variations could vary between a house cat, a sabercat, a humanoid can, or the appearance of a wood elf. The Khajiit, as depicted by the game, were of the Cathay variety. The Khajiit in front of him was likely of the Ohmes-raht variety. However, some minor differences implied a variety not previously documented. The only other thing of note was that this Khajiit was female, though not obviously. She was still young, probably only slightly older than Marcus. The Khajiit¡¯s white-furred ears twitched as she put on a pitiful expression and raised her bound hands. Marcus snapped out of his surprise and gave a genuine smile. ¡°Give me a moment and cut the rope,¡± Marcus said as he slowly reached for the iron dagger at his waist. ¡°Are you all right?¡± The Khajiit subconsciously nodded, though she did not speak. Her blue catlike eyes had only glanced at Marcus and his parents but firmly locked onto the bodies of the Thalmor. The moment Marcus severed her bonds, her expression turned fierce as her young and innocent face became warped with anger and grief, though it was not directed at him. With surprising ferocity, she leaped upon the corpses of the Thalmor. She clawed at both of their faces, disfiguring them horribly. Both Marcus and his parents were concerned by the sudden outburst but didn¡¯t say anything. They had no idea the story behind how she became their captive, and she was clearly venting. Eventually, the Khajiit settled down, taking deep breaths. The exhaustion from the mental strain of her capture, and continuous travel on foot, had taken its toll. Her sudden burst of energy had nearly depleted the rest.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Marcus said as gently. He approached her, a clean rag in his hand. He reached out and took her trembling hand as he noted her fingernails, which were more like claws. They were longer and sharper than normal fingernails and seemed a strange hybrid between a fingernail at a claw. They seemed rather dangerous as they had no means to retract, which meant they could easily cause damage, which Marcus learned firsthand. In her tiredness from the adrenaline wearing down, she instinctively struck out at the hand that approached her. Marcus took a step back with a stinging pain from the claw marks that leaked blood down his hand. Luckily, his arms were protected by armor. Marcus waved down his parents, who had reflexively reached for his weapons as he cast a basic healing spell which quickly closed the wound. He pushed a smile through his pain as he noticed that the Khajiit¡¯s expression had immediately turned into panic and regret as she slowly backed off. After she made several attempts, she finally spoke. ¡°Shiro thanks you for your help.¡± She said as her voice trembled. ¡°I¡¯m happy to help, especially when it comes to taking care of Thalmor,¡± Marcus said as he pointed towards the corpse, though there was a look of doubt in his eyes. Shiro was not a name he would expect from a Khajiit, and he believed he had heard it before, but it would¡¯ve had to have been in his past life. ¡°Bad guys.¡± Show reflexively said as she glared at their corpses in hatred, sitting ready to tear them up even more. ¡°Shiro, can you tell me why they captured you?¡± Mother suddenly asked gently. Perhaps feeling more comfortable speaking to a woman, Shiro blinked cutely and nodded. ¡°Shiro doesn¡¯t know. Shiro was living with her family, father and mother, in Riften. Then¡­ then¡­¡± She said before she began to stutter, tears welling up in her eyes. Noticing her reaction, mother quickly stepped down and offered a hug. Shiro, desperately fighting back the tears, shrunk back as her eyes darted around the ground as if thinking before she eventually jumped into Mother¡¯s embrace and began crying. As Mother began to console her, Father looted the Thalmor. It didn¡¯t take long for him to pull out a piece of paper which he quickly read before handing it to Marcus. The paper read as: ¡®your orders are to investigate the appearance of a Khajiit who was born in the form of man. Should such a Khajiit exist, you are to capture them by any means necessary and bring them back for processing.¡¯ Marcus lit up the orders with a flash of fire before turning to his father with a frown. ¡°Why would the Thalmor be interested in the Khajiit?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard rumors. The Khajiit are known for their inherent stealth ability and capability of fighting barehanded. As such, they make excellent spies. Most likely, a Khajiit of her ethnicity would be highly valued for such a task. She could blend in with the Khajiit and other races fairly easily. One of the most important things the Thalmor uses as a weapon of war is information. They focused on obtaining their own and severing their enemies. Most likely, they would take her, brainwash her with torture and magic, and turn her into a loyal spy.¡± Marcus slightly frowned. He found this entire encounter to be somewhat strange in retrospect. As he pondered, he opened up the System and checked the wiki. However, he found no reference to the name of Shiro either through the normal wiki or the mods. Of course, there was the possibility that Shiro was just a normal inhabitant. Perhaps there were other mods with named characters who had similarly unique names. Those types of names could have been incorporated into this world as a result. Of course, there was also the possibility of another factor that he was not aware of. However, none of that truly mattered at the moment. The most pressing matter at the moment was to dispose of the corpses. Much less the bandits, the Thalmor would have to be disposed of properly. If the Thalmor traced it back to them by some odd chance, it would be disastrous. Marcus was sure that the shameless Thalmor would go to any lengths to obtain justice for the killing of their soldiers. Luckily, wood was abundant. It took several hours, but they eventually made a pyre and cremated the bodies after they were looted. Marcus had already made a quick run of the towers for loot and was surprised at what he found, given how small the area was and the low levels of the bandits that occupied it. He found a hunting bow and a dwarven battleaxe, both enchanted. While these weapons were useless, their enchantments were not. The bow had enchantment that dealt fire damage while the dwarven battleaxe damaged a target¡¯s SP. Additionally, the elvish light armor the Thalmor had would also be of use. While it was not wise to wear them in the short term, that would not be the case in the future. Their elvish armor was mass-produced, not unique to the Thalmor, and, while relatively rare, did exist throughout Skyr*m. As such, the only work that needed to be done would be to remove any identifying features, which he could easily do. No one would wonder why an elf was wearing elvish armor. The final notable piece of loot that Marcus obtained was a book that would increase his skill with archery. Even though his experience from his past life made his max level for archery very high, it was limited. Luckily, this book was of the expert level, which meant that he could use it to potentially reach a maximum of 79. Of course, that was only potentially. Skill books could only increase the max level by so much it was the individual¡¯s overall knowledge. If a person only obtained high-level skill books, their max skill level would be limited. Likely the knowledge of the book would be too advanced for them. It was important to have multiple sources of information as very few skill books were comprehensive. Luckily, Marcus¡¯s previous archery experience meant that he could utilize this book to the fullest, likely getting close to a max level of 79. Unfortunately, this process would take far longer than Marcus took to learn the Bound Bow spell. However, that was for the future. The immediate concern was dinner. Chapter 3 Part 3 The next stop for Marcus¡¯s route was a little under a day away, assuming that they rode the horses at a gallop. Additionally, it was in a snow covered area, making it extremely cold. As such, it was unwise to continue as none of them wanted to have to camp out in the wilderness. They also didn¡¯t want to use the secret home as they were uncomfortable coming back, potentially in a dangerous situation. The sunset was only a few hours away, so they opted to camp within the towers. For dinner, they selected fresh fish. Of course, they would use their bows, and Marcus was no stranger to bow fishing. Eventually, Marcus sat down at the riverside, exhausted. The amount of physical exertion required for the day¡¯s activities was quite intense for a nine-year-old boy, even if he was physically fit beyond his age. Marcus brought up the System to check the stats and found that he had a penalty to his overall stamina. For the penalty to go away, he would need sufficient rest. Eventually, the scent of roasted fish wafted in the area. At that moment, the rushing of water and crackle of the fire was interrupted by a loud growl. The three turned to look at the little girl who had her face buried in Mother¡¯s chest from embarrassment. Eventually, Shiro couldn¡¯t resist temptation and stood up at the skewered fish. Marcus chuckled as he took the fish and added a bit of seasoning before he handed it to Shiro. ¡°Here, eat up. I caught extra as I figured you would be hungry.¡± Shiro snatched the fish from his hand with speed so fast that it seemed out of trained reflex. She was about to take a bite but suddenly stopped before she sent an apologetic look towards Marcus. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°Not that. Shiro is sorry about your arm.¡± Marcus was surprised but eventually reached out his arm to comfort. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s fine.¡± He replied as he began to stroke her head, something he could no longer hold back from doing. ¡°So fluffy.¡± He mumbled to himself. ¡°Shiro is not fluffy.¡± She replied with her mouth full of fish. ¡°Stop touching her ears! She doesn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Then why did you start purring?¡± ¡°She¡­ She didn¡¯t start purring! That¡¯s just her stomach rumbling because she is hungry.¡± ¡°Sure thing, Fluffy.¡± ¡°Her name is Shiro, not Fluffy!¡± The parents chuckled as they sent each other a relieved glance. They were worried that Marcus wouldn¡¯t associate with his peers, given their reclusive lifestyle. This worry furthered when they went to Ivarstead. Marcus was always far more interested in learning than playing with others around his age, so he appeared antisocial. Thankfully, however, it seemed that he was neither antisocial nor social but capable of adapting to his circumstances. Eventually, the four finished their meal. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Mother asked. ¡°It sounds like the next place you want to go may be dangerous, and it not be a good idea to bring her.¡± ¡°Shiro is not weak. She can take care of herself.¡± Shiro protested vehemently. The implication of her being weak struck a sore spot. Marcus pondered for a few seconds. ¡°Assuming we utilize the horses to the fullest, we have another option. The mountain mansion is not far from here. I can send us to the mansion, and we can reach our destination before evening tomorrow, clear it out, and then I¡¯ll send us back.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡± Mother replied. ¡°She¡¯s telling you she can fight! Her mother taught her!¡± Shiro protested again, clearly disgruntled. ¡°What weapons do you know how to use?¡± Marcus asked. ¡°She will doesn¡¯t use those clumsy weapons. She uses her claws.¡± She replied as she made a scratching gesture with her hand to look fearsome but only look cute. Noting that Shiro seemed to be insistent on the matter, Marcus set up and went to the side. ¡°Show me.¡± ¡°Show you?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s spar.¡± ¡°Spar?¡± Shiro said before she quickly shook her head. ¡°Shiro doesn¡¯t want to hurt you again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you hurt me, we will stop. If you don¡¯t, you can¡¯t come with us.¡± Perhaps because of the repeated inclination that she was weak or the worry of being left alone, Shiro didn¡¯t protest again. Instead, she immediately attacked. Her movements were stiff and slightly clumsy, but the structure underneath was undeniable. Marcus could not help but be slightly surprised. He knew the Khajiit were well known for the martial arts, but such complexity couldn¡¯t manifest itself in a game. Her movements were surprisingly swift and seemed inherently deceptive. However, her mastery was not enough for Marcus to fall for her faints. ¡°It seems she was serious,¡± Father said as he watched the spar. ¡°Though it is still a bit clumsy, it is a Claw-Dance, though I know not which. I didn¡¯t pay enough attention to the Khajiit during the war. ¡° ¡°I¡¯m seeing a problem.¡± Mother replied. ¡°Indeed. Even I can tell her fighting is too patterned, and it¡¯s like she¡¯s repeating drills. She does not have the capacity for a real fight currently.¡± Mother shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. Who taught Marcus martial arts?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Father couldn¡¯t help but blink twice in surprise. Eventually, Shiro stamped her feet. ¡°Enough! Why can¡¯t she hit you? She is not weak.¡± She said with a pout. Marcus came up and stroked her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You are stronger than I thought, Fluffy.¡± ¡°Her name is Shiro, not fluffy!¡± She replied as she stomped off. Marcus could not help but chuckle as he saw Shiro storm away. For some reason, he just wanted to tease her. Marcus was a little surprised at how well she had fought. It would¡¯ve been dangerous if not for his basic martial arts training from his previous life. His level of martial arts was not particularly high. At most, it would only catch others off guard, and he likely wouldn¡¯t win a fight with a seasoned warrior. Eventually, they began to pack their camp, much to the confusion of Shiro. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Why are we packing camp?¡± She finally asked once they were prepared to leave. Mother smiled at her gently. ¡°Shiro, do you want to see a magic trick?¡± ¡°Magic trick?¡± She asked with confusion, though her eyes peaked with interest. ¡°Go hold Marcus¡¯s hand and close your eyes. As Marcus took Shiro¡¯s hand, he gave his mother a blank look. Though he understood why she wanted Shiro to close her eyes, the handholding was unnecessary. However, he could guess by the look in his mother¡¯s eyes that she was using this as an opportunity to get over Shiro¡¯s ¡®anger.¡¯ Marcus didn¡¯t reply as magic power began to form his free hand. He began to cast the teleport spell to the mountain mansion targeting everyone, including the horses. ¡°Is the trick ready yet?¡± Shiro replied, clearly getting impatient. ¡°Just a few more seconds, be patient.¡± Mother replied gently. ¡°Just remember, if you feel something pull you, let it.¡± Shiro frowned but neither replied nor opened her eyes. However, a few seconds later, she felt a strange pull as if to draw her away. She was instinctually frightened and began to resist but stopped when she remembered Mother¡¯s words. The moment she stopped resisting, everything changed. The air suddenly became significantly colder, and the sound of birds and running water ceased. ¡°You can open your eyes now.¡± Mother said. Shiro opened her eyes, and they suddenly snapped wide open along with her mouth as she stood, frozen from shock. Though it was nighttime, the area she was standing in was well lit by magic lanterns. She glanced around in wonder as her cat eyes focused on the sight. She could tell she was fairly high up on the side of the mountain on a large plateau. There was a large mansion in front of her, and behind her was an assortment of facilities. In the distance, she could see a gated wall that blocked the road that came up to the mansion. Near the wall was a building that seemed like it could house many people with an adjacent stable. Closer, there was an assortment of targets and dummies for practice. Nearby, there appeared to be a fully functional smithy and a few other facilities designed for item creation. Nearby was a large fire pit surrounded by tables that seemed to be used for outdoor gatherings. ¡°How was the magic trick?¡± Mother asked with a smile. ¡°Amazing.¡± She replied, still coming to terms with the sudden location change. ¡°That¡¯s right, but you have to keep it a secret, or it won¡¯t work again. Shiro began to nod enthusiastically, which prompted the others to chuckle. Eventually, three led Shiro into the mansion. ¡°This is amazing! Shiro has never seen such a big house!¡± Shiro said before she quickly scampered through the house. ¡°There¡¯s another smithy in here with lots and lots of rocks! There¡¯s also lots of magic stuff and potions. What a big kitchen! There are so many bedrooms! What a huge bath!¡± ¡°Speaking of baths, I¡¯m going to take a shower,¡± Marcus said as he made his way towards the bathing room. ¡°We should too.¡± Mother replied. ¡°Shiro, would you like to take a shower first, and then we can go in the bath?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Thankfully, there were several segregated showers, so they did not have to shower together. ¡°This shower is so strange. How does it work? How is there warm water?¡± Shiro asked mother as the two of them had showered together. ¡°We don¡¯t know all the specifics, but we know that it was designed with some advanced technology. It taps into the magical leyline that runs into this mountain for power, so there are many magical effects.¡± ¡°She sees¡­ She thinks.¡± Shiro replied. ¡°Hey, the house is so big, but there¡¯s no one here. Does anyone else live here? Do you have more family?¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t have more family.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Shiro replied with a sad tone, thinking of her situation. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m grateful we have each other. You see, Father and I are both orphans, and I only have brief memories of my parents while he has none of his. He grew up in Riften while I grew up in Whiterun. He started traveling and eventually made his way to Whiterun. We met when he was trying to buy potions. Both of us being wood elves, a rare sight, we hit it off and eventually went traveling and have been together ever since. Eventually, Marcus was born, and we became a happy family of three. Well, I suppose now we are a family of four.¡± ¡°Four? You mean, Shiro too?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°She¡­ Shiro would be happy.¡± She replied with a trembling voice. ¡°Then welcome to the family.¡± A complex expression came across Marcus¡¯s face as he overheard the ladies¡¯ conversation. The expression was not related to Shiro, but because of the story that Mother had recanted. When he modded this reality, he didn¡¯t just indiscriminately add mods. He could modify something on his own, within limits. For example, he could modify certain past events so long as the result did not deviate too far. He could change things that would not cause the butterfly effect to exceed Fate¡¯s reach; change the micro so long as the macro wasn¡¯t affected. However, these seemed to be unintended consequences. Marcus had spent what felt like days in his room making tweaks to the world, one of which was his parents¡¯ backstories. He hadn¡¯t been as specific to say they were both orphans but had mentioned that they were culturally independent of their ancestral roots. This was because he couldn¡¯t stomach some of the wood elves¡¯ traditions. He noted that this was an unintended consequence of modifying the setting and had to be careful when interacting with other people and locations he modified. He began to keep a mental note of his changes and how they could affect the world around him, but his thoughts soon became muddled. Marcus turned off the shower as the day¡¯s events finally caught up with his young body. He dried himself off until he made his way to his bed. His parents had claimed the master bedroom, so he made his way to a unique lofted bedroom. The steps seemed particularly daunting this evening, but he persevered until he made his way to his bed and fell asleep. Marcus fully expected to sleep soundly but was groggily awakened as someone slipped into his bed. ¡°Shiro? What are you doing?¡± He asked, still half asleep. ¡°She¡­ Nothing¡­ She was worried, yes? She was worried you were cold and lonely, so she wanted to keep you company.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Marcus replied, too tired to protest. Shiro gingerly made her way into the bed and lay down next to him. Marcus subconsciously reached for the source of warmth next to him in his sleep and loosely hugged her. She froze up in shock but soon relaxed. Her eyes, well-attuned for the dark, focused on his young face as the day¡¯s events plaid back to her mind. The fear and despair that plagued her heart had so quickly disappeared. Skyr*m was a cold and unforgiving place, but she had found a place of warmth and safety that she cherished now more than ever. As she slowly fell asleep, a single thought filled her mind. She wanted to become stronger so she could protect her family. Chapter 4 Part 1 - Fellglow Keep ¡°Even though the sun is out, it¡¯s still so cold.¡± A lighting mage complained as she shivered in her robes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe those guys, making us keep watch just because we are weaker than them. Bring that flame atronach closer.¡± ¡°All right, just don¡¯t get burned.¡± A conjuration mage said as she bade the flame atronach, an elemental daedra, to come slightly closer. ¡°Ah, That¡¯s better. Seriously, I wished I learned the conjuration arts, or at least fire magic. Skyr*m is already so cold. Why does our base have to be colder?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t help it. With our meager talent, it would take far too much gold to enter the College of Winterhold. This life may be hard, but at least it¡¯s better than begging. Even though some of our actions aren¡¯t the most upright.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The lightning mage replied with a nod. ¡°At any rate, this atronach sure is useful. Considering you summoned it so long ago, I¡¯m surprised it is still here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because it¡¯s not doing anything. So long as it isn¡¯t fighting, it can stay here indefinitely with only my MP regen. However, if it were fighting, it would use more MP than I can provide, which would cause it to dissipate eventually.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still incredibly useful, especially as a portable heat source.¡± ¡°It is. However, you need to make sure to keep your distance if they were to get killed, as it would cause a massive ex-¡± *fshump*. The conjuration mage¡¯s words were cut short as she saw an ethereal arrow sticking out of the atronach. ¡°Oh, shi-¡± *BOOM*. An explosion of fire engulfed the two mages as they both began to scream in pain as the stench of burning flesh filled the air. Eventually, the burning sensation was replaced by a cold one. The two Mages glanced at their chests and saw two normal arrows sticking out of them. [[I should have been a beggar.]] From a distance, Marcus glanced at the two mages. Unfortunately, he was too much of a glass cannon to attempt to apprehend them without harm. Plus, it was nearly guaranteed that they would have blood on their hands, and Marcus was not one to take chances. After confirming that the alarm spell was no longer triggering, Marcus and his parents made their way towards the entrance of Fellglow Keep. A clunking sound could be heard from the other side of the door, indicative of tempering metal. Standing over a workbench, a mage wiped the sweat from his brow. He toiled over a desk with various simple tools and basic weapons that he had somehow been able to forge using the makeshift smithing area. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they are making me do this.¡± He mumbled to himself. ¡°I¡¯m a mage, not a blacksmith. Just because I¡¯m a blacksmith¡¯s son doesn¡¯t mean I know how to do it. Seriously, I ran away because he didn¡¯t want to inherit the family business.¡± Suddenly, his body seized up, and his breath became locked in his lungs. In pain, he glanced down to his chest. Protruding from it was the tip of an arrow that had never been forged. The sight was forever burned into his memory before his vision went dark, and he collapsed onto the ground. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.Marcus¡¯s eyes scoured the room as he looked for anything of importance that his auto-loot missed. Eventually, his glance fell upon an unusual gem sitting in the corner of a table. His eyebrow slightly twitched as he recognized the gem. Some annoying memories flowed through his mind. However, he eventually picked up the gem and put it in his inventory. The moment he did so, a familiar sound echoed in his mind, one he had not heard since he came to this world. For the first time, Marcus had a quest. The quest Marcus had received was to identify the gem and collect any others. He glanced at the screen and closed it before continuing to look around. One of the modifications he had made was to increase the potency of unique items and artifacts. However, he did not know to what extent. From his experiences with the game, Marcus already knew what this gem was a part of and how it was extremely lackluster, especially with all the trouble it took to complete it. He put it in the back of his mind and continued on. Quietly, the family of three made their way back down the steps from whence they came, having cleared the floor above. They approached the door, now on the right, but, suddenly, both of his parents simultaneously pushed him back with a strange expression on their faces. Marcus was confused for a moment but understood why when he recognized that there was a male and female voice that were making sounds that painted an interesting picture. Slightly amused by the circumstance, Marcus tilted his head with an innocent expression. ¡°What are we waiting for? They sound preoccupied, so now is a great chance to strike.¡± Mother and Father glanced at each other. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of this. You wait here.¡± Mother said. Marcus could only obediently nod and stand aside. After what sounded like a very brief altercation, the room eventually went silent aside from some scurrying around. Marcus wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest. These Mages were not significantly stronger than the other mages he had run into before. It seemed that the more central area of Skyr*m had an overall lower level than the fringes. ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Marcus asked as he peeked inside the room. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Mother replied as she finished covering up the female mage. Marcus looked inside but saw no male body, only a pile of ash on the floor. ¡°At the very least, she was a necromancer,¡± Father replied, noting Marcus¡¯s line of sight. Marcus nodded. Whenever a reanimated body died, it would turn into a pile of ash. This was an inherent part of the spell that was tied to the world¡¯s rules. With rare exceptions, a reanimated body turned to ash to prevent it from being reanimated repeatedly. Of course, some underlying mechanics justified this, but Marcus did particularly care. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving.¡± Chapter 4 Part 2 Having completed clearing the section of the keep, they continued on. Down the corridor, the sound of small talk could be heard, slightly muffled, as two Mages were eating breakfast together. These two Mages happened to be tucked away in a corner, which made them slightly more difficult to take out. Luckily, both were so distracted by the conversation and food that neither could put up a fight. The next enemy was even easier to take down. He was alone reading a book on a pedestal on the other side of the room. The next thing he knew, he had three arrows sticking out of him before his vision went black. Marcus nodded in satisfaction as he glanced at his skills. His conjuration and archery experience was rising sharply compared to normal. While he had previously raised them by hunting in the past, the constant small encounters he was not going through were far more efficient. With a smile on his face, he made his way over to the nearby chest. Unfortunately, aside from some academic materials and potions, there was only one item of note, a book. This book, The Doors of Oblivion, was one of the two items Marcus had come to find as it was an adept level book for conjuration. Given that conjuration affected his primary means of attack, it was extremely important. Content with his acquisition, the family continued on into the dungeons. The first thing that came into their sites was a Nord coffin. However, the slight mumbling off the side revealed that not only the dead were about. With deft accuracy, Marcus killed the necromancer that was studying, thankfully facing the other direction. However, the sudden noise that filled the room, notably the coffins opening, made for an eerie experience. Just as Marcus was about to continue, the necromancer''s body began to rise from the floor. Momentarily startled, Marcus quickly went into action as he rolled past the opening, found and took aim at another necromancer that was hiding around the corner. The words of help were forever locked by the arrow that pierced the necromancer''s throat. Marcus frowned slightly as he dismissed his bow and instead conjured a sword. There were half a dozen skeletons in the room, and they were all making their way towards him. It wasn''t extremely uncommon for undead to appear naturally, without interference. While there were varying factors in their creation, it was not so strict to be an uncommon sight. This was one of the reasons why it had become custom to cremate bodies, though none dared to touch those already dead out of respect and fear of superstitions. These were the reasons why the halls of the dead were so closely guarded and maintained. However, the skeletons before Marcus were most likely not natural. If they were, they would have risen with the intrusion of the necromancers and subsequently attacked as the undead, at least those who were not sentient, would automatically attack the living. Most likely, there was some sort of magic tied to a sacrifice, of which the first necromancer Marcus killed would fit, reanimating on skeletons. Luckily, even though they were outnumbered two to one, Marcus wasn''t worried. Necromancy was one of the areas he had heavenly modded due to its lackluster use in the game. As such, he had a decent understanding of it. The skeletons, and other skeletons in general, were extremely weak. Their movements were easy to read, and they required at most two strikes to be destroyed. Their lack of teamwork quickly became apparent, and they were quickly dispatched. Having confirmed that the nearby enemies were taking care of, Marcus quickly went into his inventory and found two spell tomes. The first, Raise Zombie, was what he expected to find and the other of the two books he had come to obtain. While looked down upon, necromancy was not illegal and the ability to create meat shields out of defeated enemies would be useful, at least as a distraction. However, the other spell tome was a welcome surprise. This Spell tome contained the spell Pale Shadow. Pale Shadow would create an image of a targeted enemy to attack them for 10 seconds, though only with 1 HP. In the absence of dead bodies, or just for fun, this would create a useful distraction and trump card in the future. Content with his loot, and not planning to go further, Marcus hesitated for a moment before deciding to continue on. Though he had obtained what he wanted, there was always the possibility for more. More resources, more spells, more of anything that would increase his survival rate. To be blunt, these current stages were extremely easy and Marcus worried that he would be put in ever increasingly dangerous situations. Slacking was not something he wanted to do, especially with his life on the line. The next enemy proved to be as simple to defeat as the rest. An arrow to the neck was all it took, same for the next mage found in the jail area. Neither was capable of retaliation or even noting his existence. Having continued on, Marcus came across a locked door, which he promptly unlocked along with the locked chest behind it. Unfortunately, there is nothing notable except for a robe that had an increased mana regeneration enchantment, which he already had. At the very least, it would be worth some gold.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Eventually, the smell of blood began to fill the air. Marcus peeked around the corner and saw a mage contemplating over a table on which there was a dead khajiit. Even though he had an excellent shot, Marcus didn¡¯t take it. So long as the mage didn¡¯t move, it would be difficult for Marcus to be discovered. Marcus didn¡¯t take a shot because the room was fairly large, and others could be present. Once he reached the edge of the doorway, Marcus confirmed another individual in the room. Given the menial physical tasks the mage was doing and his weaker stats, it was most likely an apprentice. Though he couldn¡¯t see more of the room, Marcus did not go further as he would be far easier to spot. He signaled to his parents, who quickly got the message. With three swift arrows, two bodies fell to the floor. Marcus quickly assessed the room, along with the loot, but aside from some simple healing potions, there was nothing of real note. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Mother said as she began to assess the bodies. ¡°Half of these bodies are vampires.¡± ¡°Is that strange?¡± Marcus asked. ¡°Very strange.¡± Mother replied with a frown. ¡°Vampires are fairly rare in Skyr*m. Even though some definitely exist with a few dens scattered about, they are difficult to find and rarely active. Likely, these were freshly turned vampires.¡± Having said that, mother quickly glanced at the contents of some alchemical vials. ¡°I believe we can rule out there being an actual vampire here. This appears to be the blood of a vampire. Most likely, the necromancers were experimenting with or required vampire bodies to test their necromancy. I imagine that the reason why half of these bodies are vampires is that they died too quickly in the process to become useful for materials or experiments.¡± ¡°How crazy do you have to be to create these evil creatures,¡± Father said with a frown. ¡°Are all vampires evil?¡± Marcus asked. His mind was running quickly as he was trying to ascertain his parents¡¯ view on vampires, as it could affect his plans in the future. ¡°Of course they are.¡± Father continued. ¡°They are the spawn of a Daedric Prince, cannot be considered among the living, and require blood as sustenance.¡± Marcus tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand. Why would having a certain parent make you evil? There are good and evil living people, and we eat meat all the time, which isn¡¯t that different from blood.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because¡­.¡± Father began as he tried to think of a way to explain it. ¡°If I became a vampire, would I become evil?¡± ¡°You absolutely cannot become a vampire.¡± Mother said with a serious expression on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not going to. I was just asking the question. Would I become evil?¡± Both parents gave each other a worried look as they tried to think of a suitable answer. Eventually, mother tentatively answered. ¡°No, at least not right away. However, the increase in power, immortality, and requirement for blood would likely adversely affect one¡¯s mentality.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is there can be good vampires, but they would be the exception and not the rule.¡± ¡°I¡­ I guess.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine, and it¡¯s just like how most bandits are evil. Either way, we are still not done.¡± The family of three quickly continued on to the next room. Within the cages were several other bodies, notably also vampires. After making a quick side trip to pick a locked chest, which contained little but some gold, Marcus made his way to the last three Mages in the keep. They consisted of one relatively powerful mage and two fairly weak female mages. Luckily, they all seemed somewhat distracted and were easy to dispatch. Marcus quickly went through the loot before he became ecstatic. Amongst the loot was a Spell Tome for Bound One-Handed Weapons. This particular spell was due to a mod expansion for the bound weapons. Marcus already knew the bound sword spell, but that was specific to the sword. This was an upgrade of that spell. It allowed for the conjuration of any one-handed weapon, notably dagger or sword, along with allowing the caster to wield them in both hands. For Marcus, this spell tome would be incredibly useful. Even though dual wielding was not of interest, the ability to conjure a dagger was. This was because several perks, most notably those related to assassination, only worked for the dagger. Given how stealth was already an integral part of his combat style, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to increase his potential. Happily content, the family of three continued their way through the keep. After trudging through the waterlogged part of the keep and killing a couple skeevers, they finally made their way back to the open air. After making a quick check, Marcus promptly teleported to the Mountain Mansion. Chapter 4 Part 3 Given that they had left shortly before daybreak, it was currently only slightly past noon. Thoughts of lunch filled Marcus¡¯s mind, but they were momentarily abated when he glanced across the room. He saw Shiro panting heavily adjacent to a fairly beaten-up training dummy. ¡°Training hard?¡± He asked as he approached. The expression of drowsiness and disappointment quickly faded from Shiro¡¯s face as she turned around. ¡°Marcus! Welcome home!¡± Marcus was slightly taken aback by her choice of words but smiled as he patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s good to be back.¡± Shiro¡¯s ears slightly twitched, and she mumbled something under her breath, but this time did not object to his intimacy. Not wanting to interrupt the two of them, mother resolutely made her way to the kitchen. Father collapsed on a nearby chair. Marcus also wished to collapse into a chair as his young body was also exhausted. The combination of the days riding and the extremely high mental taxation due to the numerous encounters, though mostly danger-free, had left him quite tired. However, he quickly made his way over to his inventory and proceeded to sort out his loot along with Shiro. By the time they had finished, lunch was ready. ¡°So, what are your plans now, Marcus?¡± Mother asked as they sat down at the table and began to eat. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay with following my whims?¡± ¡°You were so fervent about going on your journey that we knew we couldn¡¯t prevent you from going, so he went along to make sure nothing was wrong. So far, you have given us no reason to doubt you, and we trust you. Besides, it¡¯s not like we have any other plans for the immediate future other than being your parents.¡± Mother replied. Marcus couldn¡¯t help but be slightly embarrassed and thankful that his parents were so open to the whims of a 10-year-old child. ¡°Well, for the moment, I¡¯m planning to spend two weeks off. I want to learn the spells I¡¯ve acquired along the way, read the conjuration skill book, and make some armor for Shiro.¡± ¡°Shiro gets armor too?¡± ¡°Yes, if you want to come with us, you need to stay safe.¡± A big smile appeared on Shiro¡¯s face as she continued to stuff herself with food. Even though she was such a young girl, she proved to be quite the foodie. ¡°And after that?¡± Father asked. I plan to go to Whiterun for information, primarily about the current status of the Embershard Mine. Then, if all goes well, I hope to find myself a decent instructor for smithing.¡± ¡°Smithing.¡± Mother said with a frown. ¡°I know you¡¯re a fast learner, but aren¡¯t you concerned with spreading your attention over so many different fields? Besides, it¡¯s a little strange for a wood elf to be a smith.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will act with discretion,¡± Marcus said with a nod. Marcus noted something unique about him from previous conversations, especially about spells. Even the most talented spell casters would use no more than five spells. This wasn¡¯t because they were all that they knew but because the finer intricacy of spells required memorization to cast. The more spells one learned, the more difficult it would be to cast them on demand. However, perhaps due to full access to the menu, Marcus did not have this limitation. As soon as he learned a spell, the system burned that spell into his memory. In a sense, it was almost like he had a perfect muscle memory.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°How much further have you planned?¡± Mother asked. ¡°Fairly far ahead. I¡¯m looking for someone to teach me and smithing in the long term to ensure that I have good equipment and can do the maintenance myself. In the short term, I can make money from smithing and alchemy. I plan to gain enough reputation in Whiterun to meet the court wizard and purchase spells. However, it isn¡¯t like I can just walk in. I would need at least some reputation for entrance and then a significant amount of gold to purchase spells, which I have neither. Both parents nodded as they listened to Marcus speak. They had stopped second-guessing how or why he knew information or concepts that he should not have had any contact with. After lunch, Marcus quickly began to delve into the conjuration skill book. Thanks to his current travels, his conjuration skill had gone from 26 to 28/29. His biggest concern at the moment was to increase conjuration¡¯s max level to 30 because there was a perk he wanted. Unfortunately, he was having a difficult time leveling conjuration. To be put in simple terms, the conjuration skill only leveled up when a spell was active in combat. While this was retroactive, as you gained experience if you entered combat with an active spell, it was still incredibly difficult to level. Because combat was a vague term, Marcus had tried several experiments. Using his parents, he had gone into an active stage of combat with them, and it worked at first. However, there appeared to be a cool down as he only gained experience once per day from any non-hostile combat. Additionally, there seemed to be a heavy experience penalty as well. This meant that he had to seek out enemies to level efficiently. To compare, the two levels he gained from his recent adventures were nearly six months of work. This was why he had made so many hunting trips. Hopefully, he would be able to level up soon, especially because level 29 was not too far away. ¡­ ¡°How does Shiro look?¡± Shiro asked as she twirled around. ¡°You make my shoddy work look beautiful,¡± Marcus replied with a smile. He had just finished putting together the final touches to some simple hide armor for her. ¡°It¡¯s not shoddy, and it¡¯s very nice,¡± Shiro replied. ¡°Well, at least it is to your liking. We will be leaving early tomorrow, so make sure you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Shiro jubilantly replied before she dashed off to prepare. Marcus can help but shake his head with a slight chuckle. Shiro had ended up becoming a welcome interruption to his life. Before now, his life had been routine and repetitive. Not that he had a problem with it, it was just a nice break. Over the last two weeks, Marcus had continued his grinding on top of learning the new spells. He had improved his alchemy and smithing slightly and had increased his conjuration max level to 30. Now he only needed to reach that level. Marcus made his way over to his inventory to check its contents. Within it was a large sack that carried many potions and poisons. Thanks to the amount of time he had spent in the wild, automatically looting alchemical materials, he had created an incredible stockpile. Experience gained, and alchemy was unique because it was related to the gold the value of the potion created. To upgrade his alchemy quickly and efficiently, it was in his best interest to figure out the most expensive potions he could make with easily found materials. Luckily, the wiki proved quite useful as it contained a tool. He could take the materials he had a plethora of and sort the potential resulting potions by their monetary value. There were several potions and poisons that Marcus had focused on. He had created many MP debuff and slowing poisons in the poison category. Marcus intended to keep these poisons on his person, as the primary would be useful for fighting mages. The latter would be useful for preventing enemies from approaching. Unlike the game, poisons would be difficult to sell by their nature. Marcus had created frost resistance, HP and MP regeneration, and bartering buff in the potion category. The first two were going to be the focus of Marcus¡¯s selling. The frost resistance potions were an especially hot item because they also helped against the bitter cold that Skyr*m was known for. The HP and MP potions would also be desired by Mages who often had little of the first and never enough of the second. The barter potion did not have a large market, and Marcus didn¡¯t focus on them. Overall, Marcus had chosen these alchemical creations because they would be of some use to him on top of securing the initial funds he would require. After ensuring he had all of his required items for the trip, Marcus decided to take the rest of the day off and call it an early evening. Early in the morning, they would set out for the city of Whiterun.