Chapter 533: Side Questing

What's up Dudes and Dudettes! It's Don speaking. Sorry for the unannounced delay. Many things happened lately and I was to stay isolated for a few days due to getting close to a Coronavirus case. I am Fine thankfully but I've come to hate the basement so damn much.

Anyway, I unlocked Chapters 534, 535 and 536 on Patre0n so you can go and read them for >>FREE<< before they are published here. Here is the Link: http://bit.ly/4dx5dx ​​

Stay safe indoors!

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In his office, Jon was writing all the details about his last night's research.

The [Golden Claw] is more than just a key to open a sealed chamber, it actually possesses a number of Magical qualities on its own making it one of the weirdest artifacts Jon has ever seen.

The ancient enchanting technique resembled that of Ahzidal's but wasn't it. As the successor of Ahzidal, Jon was very aware of how these enchantments worked.

What he discovered was that the enchantment on the [Golden Claw] is not a regular user-beneficial enchantment but rather an area beneficial enchantment. It means that the claw is useful to the area around rather than being used personally.

To make it simpler, Jon understood why Lucan, Riverwood's Trader was so attached to the [Golden Claw]. The reason is simple and that is the fact that the claw brought his trade Good Luck.

It is simply a very effective good luck charm or as Jon would put it an educated term, a Blessed Item of Fortune.

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[The Golden Claw]

- Blessing of Fortune

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"If the claw was effective enough to make a simple uneducated trader feel its effect, how will such a thing affect a large scale financial establishment? say the casino or… the Investment and Trade Bank!"

Jon couldn't ignore the fact that combining this Artifact with the new Investment Banking system would be like adding wings to a tiger… or extra fluff to a cat.

It is basically cheating but there is one thing Jon knows about using Luck related magic, it always has a drawback and must be used very carefully as it is so powerful to the point where it may manipulate Fate at some points. This hedge magic was something which always intrigued Jon as he knew of many methods to manipulate it; the [Old Man's Coin] which he always carries, the [Crown of Barenziah] which was lost somewhere in Skyrim as well as praying to a Deity known by the name Sai. It is to him that the disease [Sai's Affliction] is attributed which is a strange disease that causes those who pray to Sai too often to experience bad luck instead of good, Jon explains that phenomenon as a Fateful Drawback.

Still, as an expert in the Fate subjects and the Hedge Magic, Jon would use the [Golden Claw] to manipulate any Economic Depression situations in the Dare Bank. There is nothing like using exploits now that he finally has access to one.

Still, all of this raises a very important question.

"What can the other Dragon Claw keys do?"

Jon is aware that there are 10 Claws in the game, each made of a certain material that goes from Iron all the way up to actually diamond. If these insanely powerful claws were used as keys to unlock the most important vaults to the Dragon Cult then the dragons must be the ones that made them. If his guess is correct, they may have been items of great value to the worshippers of the Dragons.

More to that, the Dragons must know about these important Artifacts at the very least.

But wait! What about the Dragon Priest masks? Aren't they just the same? Actually, they are more like badges of office now that Jon thinks seriously about it but there must be more.

"The Dragon Cult, eh!" Jon began deeply thinking but he was feeling that something is amiss and he needed to investigate more.

In the meantime, he must gather all the Dragon Claws and the Dragon Priest Masks. They exist in the old strongholds of the Dragon Cult. Most of these strongholds are still sealed shut but others were used by Nords in later ages to bury the Kings (like Korvanjund) or to seal dangerous cursed criminals (like Folgunthur).

Aside from the Dragon Claws and the Dragon Priest Masks, there was the Stone Tablet known as the Dragonstone. It would seem that this stone can be used to track down the Dragons all around Skyrim but it is not working probably perhaps due to how ancient it is.

Now, it is time to send the excavation teams. Jon won't possibly go after these things himself as most of his movements from now on will be as the Dragonborn.

***

After a long day of work, Jon met with the manager of Saarthal's museum, Silus Vesuius and the leader of the excavation team, Mjoll the Lioness. Jon saved Silus from being damned to Oblivion by Mehrunes Dagon and offered Mjoll a sponsorship for all of her adventures as long as she agreed to be hired as an excavator for the DDC. While Mjoll is more righteous than anyone else around Jon, he knew exactly what she can't refuse and offered it to her. Now she has funds and manpower to follow her around as she pursues her passion.

Jon gave both Silus and Mjoll a number of tasks, most of them are about keeping an eye on those historical sites and obtaining the Dragon Claws and anything else worth having.

After getting all that ready and done, Jon spent the following few days administering the Company, Winterhold and the Bank's construction. It was all happening at a rapid pace and the results were satisfactory until now. Aside from that, Jon was focusing on the news coming from the other Holds.

First, the rumor about him killing the first Dragon was hard to believe for some but when the news about the second Dragon were spread wide and the sight of the battle near Rorikstead was confirmed, everything started to change. The songs of the Dragonborn were heard for the first time in Whiterun taverns then traveled nationwide to Solitude and the other holds. In such desperate times, the people clung to the hope that is a Dragonborn rather than Jarls and Leaders.

Second, Riften and Dawnstar sent their envoys to Winterhold reporting multiple sightings of Dragons and requesting to establish a method of fast contact with the Dragonborn which Jon complied to without a question. He put on the [Helm of the Dragonborn] which was iconic to him and conversed with those envoys with the presence of Jonrad who dejectedly acted as his son Jonhild by standing at a visible distance. The act was a success seeing how the father and son pair were close in appearance which resulted in another fight between the two later that day.

Third and most important piece of news was the Imperial Legion. It seemed that General Tullius didn't receive the news well and mobilized a few ships towards Hjaalmarch. Jarl Skald the Elder of Dawnstar acted rashly and sent a few longboats in a night raid which intercepted the Imperial ships and lit them on fire. The losses were minimal and thanks to Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone mobilizing a relief party and stopping Jarl Skald from doing anything too foolish, the Imperials retreated on land after getting their ships completely useless.

That navel skirmish was completely orchestrated by Jon. While it doesn't seem like anything related to him, Jon had a few agents inside Dawnstar who tipped off Jarl Skald about the Imperial Ships. Jon also tipped off Jarl Idgrod about the skirmish, giving her the opportunity to take timely action and stop an open conflict.

Analyzing this situation was done by Alina who completely understood that General Tullius was trying to show off some muscles after the latest accident in Winterhold. The Penitus Oculatus agents were surely active trying to minimize the impact of the blunder but if there is anything Jon is good at, then it is his big mouth and loud voice. He bragged for three days straight about what happened that day in front of every envoy that visited him.

Soon afterward, the Imperial Embassy sent a very seasoned diplomat to Winterhold in order to see Jon's complaints about the situation and minimize the damage. They also requested an audience with the Dragonborn but Jon said he doesn't know where his "friend" is at the moment as he seemed to have gone somewhere to train. Jon just didn't want to act rash without assessing his political opponents this time first.

His decision proved to be wise when he received the background check of the Diplomats. Most of them were not just politicians but also Mages and Members of the Imperial Cult and the Cult of the Ancestor Moth.

Until knowing their motive, Jon kept his Dragonborn side away.

The pull and push situation started moving inch by inch and many words were said with no actual benefit. Jon was officially done as he finally decided to make another big scene.

"Lydia."

"My Thane."

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"How are your cat caring lessons?"

"…"

"You seem to be doing just fine. Nefertiti said that you passed as a cat person."

"Thank you, miss Nefertiti… I guess."

Jon clapped his hands as he stood off his desk.

"Alrighty! Pack your stuff and meet me at the secret Portal, Lydia. Let's do some Side Quests!"

"… Alright."

And on some day, the bored Dragonborn decided to do some Side Quests.

***

Whiterun, the hub of Skyrim's trade and its vastest Hold, a place that was torn apart by the war yet kept its core, the City of Whiterun, away from conflict and the sieges.

Jon, Lydia and Nefertiti were today's team. Jon was covering himself with a big cloak and a hood to not stand out despite his noticeable height.

The first thing that met them upon going out of Breezehome was the sight of an argument between the Guards and two Alik'r warriors as Breezehome is actually close to the city gate.

"Look, you've already been told you're not allowed here. Turn around and go back the way you came." A Guard said.

"We're causing no trouble. All we ask is to look for her." Alik'r warrior #1 said.

"I don't care what you're doing, after what happened you're lucky I don't toss you in jail. Now get lost." The Guard replied.

"We will be back. This is not over." Alik'r warrior #2 said.

As the two Alik'r warriors were about to leave, they saw Jon and assessed him to be a mercenary. In actuality, Jon was trying to give off that impression.

"You there. We are looking for someone in Whiterun, and will pay good money for information." The Warrior spoke to Jon.

"Is that so, friend?" Jon put on the airs of a Nord and nodded, "Let's see if I can help."

Long story short, these warriors are looking for a Redguard woman who escaped Hammerfell some time ago and probably not using her true name. Jon knew this boring quest very well and wanted to play it in a different way. In the game, this quest is all about finding the Redguard woman and handing her over to the warriors or assisting the woman to kill the warriors.

Sounds simple enough? Nope. In the history of video gaming, this quest in particular was like an unscratchable itch to many as no one knew who is right and who is wrong. Is the woman truly a hunted criminal or are the warriors actually assassins sent after her? Whoever the bad guy in this story happens to be an agent to the Aldmeri Dominion which is something Jon doesn't tolerate. Sadly, the game doesn't spare a single goddamn hint other than mild behaviors and baseless speculations of both the hunted woman and the leader of the warriors.

After accepting to help the Warriors, Jon directly headed towards the Bannered Mare Tavern in Whiterun's Market. Along the way, he met with a beautiful single mother called Carlotta Valentia who was as charming as the game described her to be. Jon had to beat up the bard harassing her and gained a sack of potatoes as thanks.

Back to the Redguard Woman quest, Jon knew the woman's identity to be Saadia, the inn maid in Bannered Mare. He approached her silently and did the same script from the game but when he tried to ask her more than what she said, she claimed that she was tortured by the Aldmeri Dominion after the fall of the city of Taneth and pointed to the large scar on her face.

Jon said he would help her and indeed he went out searching for the Redguard Warriors until he tracked down their den and confronted their leader, Kematu. Jon didn't kill Kematu as Saadia requested and agreed to lure her outside the city for Kematu and his warriors to capture her.

Once that was done, Jon started altering the game events from this point. He suddenly attacked both Kematu and Saadia, knocking them out and throwing them in a room inside the Haven Cube.

From that point, Jon started interrogating the two using [Lust]. He played them well until they broke to the effect of the desire to tell the truth and it was surprisingly a better plot than what the game offered.

Was it Saadia who betrayed Hammerfell and sold the city of Taneth to the Dominion?

Was it Kematu who was hired by the Dominion to hunt down Saadia for speaking against them?

"The answer was both. Both of them are agents for the Aldmeri Dominion… Well, in Saadia's case, she was." Jon said.

"…" Lydia looked at him as expressionless as she was the other day.

Jon decided to continue the conversation with himself.

"Well, you should say 'But, my Thane. As much as you are handsome, you must be mistaken. Why would those abominable spies hunt down each other?' … or something along those lines."

"…"

"Oh, but here where you are not seeing the bigger picture, Lydia. During the Great War, Saadia indeed betrayed the city for the Dominion in order to rule it under them. No one found out about her deal until the Dominion left Hammerfell and gradually, those who didn't resist the Dominion were weakened politically. She tried to get support from the Dominion once again but when they refused, she threatened them to expose their political secrets so they sent Kematu after her. In the end, they are all just some traitors scum."

Jon finally declared the situation and clapped his hands together. Neither Saadia or Kematu were to survive what comes next as Jon incinerated them without leaving a trace.

"Case closed! Let's get some cold honey mead for tonight."

A slow start for Jon side-questing but who knew the next quest would turn into a freaking war… Lydia was feeling it for some reason.

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