Chapter 52: Winterhold Dilemma

The process was not easy.

I had to detect any aura behind or under the rubble before moving anything. The Atronachs moved the rubble but I had to send a 'Mouse Familiar' to check for any survivors before moving anything.

Time passed and I started running low on juice. But most of the rubble was moved already.

Thankfully I started feeling a lot of Magicka reactions behind the rubble. I could make a guess how far was left and started putting more power in work.

It is a good training for supplying energy and controlling summons. Still, I could foresee a lot of energy will go on healing, not that I am complaining.

Finally and after three hours of digging, I reached the end of the tunnel and the people inside started hearing the outside.

Making sure that everything was okay in there, I told them to move back as far as the can and commanded the Atronachs to go all out.

I didn't even go into the tunnel as another collapse may happen but the work was done.

The tunnel was clear and the people inside rushed out. One thing I noticed that there were many young people.

From what I heard before this mine was one of the few sources of income besides fishing and hunting. There are few people who worked in lumber but few trees grew in the hold to begin with.

I could understand why the people were shocked when an incident happened. What I couldn't understand why the Jarl took the matter indifferently. I also am also not sure if I ask around or not.

As the miners were out of the mine's inner chamber, I 'Banished' the Atronachs away and readied myself for the healing process.

Broken bones, torn muscles, dislocations. I could say my knowledge of healing was enriched with all this work.

What I noticed, however, was that the next day has already come. And no guards yet.

Heh Heh! This hold is so done for.

The food I brought was already eaten and no one was in any critical stage now.

Looking around the mine for a while I noticed something at the area of the collapse.

It was something that blended nicely with the ice around it but it gave a colorful shine when the light fell on it.

I wanted to touch it but the area was a bit risky.

"Oldman! Can you come here please?"

The Mine Owner heard and came running, "How can I help you, sir mage?"

"That! Is that an ore?"

"Hmmm! Aye, that's a crystal-like ore that we discovered here, it breaks easily so we don't think highly of it."

Hmm! I am guessing something.

"Do you have a sample?"

"Yes, there is one right here." The man went to the side and brought a crystal. "Here."

I was right! It's a Soul Gem.

That is a Geode Crystal Vein!

Strange! These veins are rare and only can be found in large Dwemer Runes like Blackreach.

"I'd like to buy these crystals, old man! Anything you mine from it, sell it to me."

The area quieted down for a while, even the miners who were in pain stopped making noises.

"All of it?" The old man asked.

"As long as I can buy it. Haha!"

These people smelled coin and started to look excited for some reason.

"Could it be something of value, sir mage?"

Oh! This might make the chance go.

I approached the old man and whispered to him.

"This is a crystal for rituals! If the Jarl knows of it, he may close the mine. This thing can only be utilized by mages and it has little value as an ore. If you meet me at the 'Frozen Hearth', I'll offer you a good price for supplying it."

This was a good deal actually and the man understood that! Uncle Delvin taught me that the best deals are the ones when you and your contractor are holding daggers are each other.

I can pay him and he will keep me stocked with empty Soul Gems but other mages can't know about it. If he supplied another mage, I will destroy his business by ratting him out to the Jarl.

Aaaaaah! I smell the rotten sewers of Riften this far already.

After giving the man a brief summary of the soul gems and checking on the miners, I left the mine with a wide grin.

And look who it is! The twenty man rescue party are making an appearance. let's give them another scare!

Conjuring another Fire Mare was no problem. I wanted to give it wings but let's leave that when I am able to conjure a higher quality Atronachs.

"Hyaaaa!"

The shouting would affect as usual but it gave the required sound effect.

And as expected, the guards ran out of the road again.

I'll take the journey easy and enjoy the view of ice and snow in the morning.

Heading north back to the town, a mountain was on my left.

Looking up at it, I couldn't help but smile.

An incredibly large monument was built and could be seen miles away, this was the 'Shrine of Azura', a powerful Daerdric Prince and the lady of twilight.

I think I'll visit it soon, very soon.

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I went into Winterhold riding on the Fire Mare not caring about anything. Some people actually started hiding. Yes, Run from the bad Mage.

Sigh!

This town is hopeless.

The 'Frozen Hearth' was right on the corner so I banished the horse and went there.

The place was a bit empty, only a few patrons and the Innkeeper.

"You are that mage that went to aid the guards! How come you are here so fast?" A middle-aged woman asked me.

From her appearance and the baby she was carrying, I guessed that is Haran, an NPC and the wife of the Innkeeper.

"I reached there before them and finished the rescue, healing, and everything! They barely arrived before I come out of the mine."

Not humble at all! I am planning to take full credit with benefits from the Jarl if I can.

"By the nine! Did you make it there and back in half a day?"

I made a gesture with my hands as if I am explaining something and said, "Magic!"

"Aye, thank you sir mage. May the gods watch over your path!" said the innkeeper, who was a blonde middle-aged man called Dagur.

"Right innkeep, the food I took yesterday is still unpaid for."

"How can we ask for such a thing?! This was for the rescue. Now the girl Elishka can stop crying."

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Finally mentioned her. Still, why did his wife made a stiffened face when he said her name? Sigh!

What a tiresome world!

"Can I see that Elishka please?"

"Eh! Ah! Yes. Woman, go wake her up!"

I think I don't have to bother about husband and wife for now.

I sat at some place on the side and ordered food from Dagur until Elishka comes.

And here she is.

"Are the girls safe sir mage?"

"Everyone made it alive and smiling, no thanks to any guard."

"Thank you, sir, truly."

She looked relieved.

Her big eyes, rounded face and sinful body make people mistake her age for older, but I remember Zena (another bathhouse girl) telling me that she isn't thirty yet.

"What is the story with these girls?" I asked.

"They are some girls who grew up in the town, some whose family perished or their sole relatives ran from Winterhold."

"So you helped them find a job in the mine?"

"The old man there is a good patron and he used to be a friend to pa years ago."

"Hmmm!" He is indeed not a bad person, he also was not the mine owner from the game.

"Zena told me you would go to your hometown to get married."

"Ah!" Elishka exclaimed and made a smile that carried some self-mockery, "That indeed was the plan."

"And?"

"I was planning to rebuild my old house and get married to a boy I used to know but the house wasn't built and the man ran away years ago."

Oh! I was actually asking about her life so I can show friendliness and ask her about something else, but the conversation went to a wrong direction.

"So, you'll just stay here? Not going back to Solitude?"

"Pa and Ma were buried here, I'll just stay. And I don't have the money to go anywhere anymore."

Her face was stiff and she was looking away with no expressions at all.

This conversation is not going anywhere good.

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay sir mage, we owe you a great debt today and we will pay it any way you wish!"

'We'? She didn't say 'I'. What a turndown! Not that I care anyway.

"Fine!"

As I said that I evoked a spell and cast it on myself, this was a circle spell. In the game they appear with a halo around the caster but in real life, it just affects how wide the caster wants.

This was a 'Muffle' spell that makes no one outside the circle listen to what's in.

Elishka saw the spell and was confused.

"Now no one can hear us!"

I said showing no expressions. Elishka seemed to get worried so I'll just go straight into the subject.

"Now tell me everything, all you know about Winterhold."

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Winterhold, Once a capital of Skyrim and now is nothing but a town even smaller than some places I visited in my travel.

It's history goes back to the second era as much as the college itself.

Some said that Shalidor built it alongside the college but there is no historical proof about that.

Now in this day and age the total population of the hold itself doesn't exceed three thousands in small villages and isolated areas.

Korir the Jarl, is an anti-magic fanatic on the surface. But the truth is far greater.

These few thousands are oppressed by him for his personal gain. The guards he recruited are akin to his watch dogs and there are three hundreds of them, sometimes he hire people from outside the hold.

He have a very profitable business going on. It's called 'The Chill', known from the game as the strangest prison in Skyrim yet it was easy to break out from.

Despite the Jarl's anti-magic act, he hired a dark elf called Malur Seloth to keep 'The Chill' guard with 'Frost Guardians', which are basically 'Frost Atronachs' but they stay there ground and attack anything on site except what the caster mark as safe.

'The Chill' itself is a cave located on a big island north-northeast of the College of Winterhold. The island is rich with minerals. From the game, I remember it has gold, silver, iron and corundum veins.

the island also was inhabited with a big variety of wild animals making it into a good place for hunting.

'The Prisoners of 'The Chill' were Korir's personal slaves. Unlike the game, the place was only accessible by a boat. Even if escaping the chill was easy, good luck swimming.

Korir was just a tyranny and he just hated how much how can he not influence the college. I lived in the middle east and saw the same sort of tyrannies.

Still, I don't know how can Korir just stay without any supervision from the High King. How can the so-called hero Ulfric accept him as an ally.

Elishka was a bit intimidated by magic like most Nords so she spilled the beans quickly.

What I also discovered that she got intimidated by the Jarl that he wouldn't sell her back her old house if she didn't pay the taxes of the five years she left the town for as well as 'additional fees' to retrieve her house. That left her with a little money to do any rebuilding after that.

"So, what is the usual business normal people can do in this hold?"

"Lumber but we have no mill, hunting and fishing are a bit better, last thing is the old Whistling Mine."

"Why is it called Whistling Mine?"

"It Whistles." She said as if is something natural.

"So, a mine that Whistles, hunting and fishing, then the lumber business with no mill."

"There is also some building crew but no one really builds anything."

"Damn! If I sum this up, then we already have everything to start from the 'Dark Age' in an 'Age of Empires' game."

This was truly something that I found funny in this god forsaken town.

"I don't understand."

"Nah! Just something from my past life."

"Past life?!"

"Heh heh! Have I told you about the dragons before?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went back to the college and made my preparations. I gave Elishka some tasks and told her to finish them for me and she will get paid.

I have an interesting business idea at last.

It all came around nicely.

Now, let's take over Winterhold.

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