The two of them walked leisurely along the White River, crossing several stone bridges before finally arriving at the outskirts of Whiterun.
Sio closed the book in her hand and stood on tiptoe to look into the distance.
Several farms on the outskirts of Whiterun were laid out in an orderly fashion, continuously supplying the city with fresh vegetables and grains.
Only in the fertile fields where the White River flowed could such a scene of abundance be found, right?
“Buying vegetables here is way cheaper than in Winterhold Hold or The Pale!” “Way…?” Kaye tilted his head in confusion and asked.
Sio quickly covered her mouth and made up an excuse, saying it was a “High Rock dialect.” Anyway, Kaye had never been to High Rock, so he had no way to verify it.
Leaving the wilderness and arriving in a civilized area, Sio naturally didn’t want to stay outside any longer; it was better to enter the city and rest as soon as possible!
“Kaye, keep up!
We’re going to sprint!” Sio took a head start, striding toward the gates of Whiterun.
With short legs, she naturally had to start early!
Kaye could only smile helplessly and control his speed to keep up with her—he couldn’t run too fast, or the girl would start complaining again.
But before they had run very far, the sharp-eared Sio detected the sound of fighting ahead.
Hmm…
the sounds were exceptionally heavy, clearly involving a large creature.
She slammed on the brakes, nearly losing her balance and falling forward, but luckily Kaye caught her by the waist in time.
Sio blinked and looked in the direction of the noise.
A giant, clad in animal skins and wielding a large club, was trampling the fields, facing off against a warrior holding a two-handed greatsword.
Even with the huge difference in size, the warrior seemed at ease, even managing to block the giant’s heavy blows with his sword.
But the other girl present…
looked to be struggling a bit.
Holding a sword and shield, she circled the giant, clearly unable to find a good opening.
“Warriors who are confident in themselves usually don’t carry shields, right?” Sio poked Kaye with her elbow, grinning.
“That depends.
But I do prefer using a greatsword.” Kaye shrugged, his gaze still observing the changes in the battlefield.
The giant stomped hard, making the ground shake violently; the woman with the sword and shield wobbled, losing her balance.
This forced the man with the sword to divert his attention to help her, lest the giant send her flying like a rocket.
“We have to help!
Let them owe us a favor~” “I’m right behind you.” Sio and Kaye rushed forward, intending to assist the warriors.
In previous battles, Sio had often taken the initiative to tank skills.
But this time she had learned her lesson, finding cover to hide behind as she began preparing a spell.
Whether it was Crystallized Skin or Dragonskin magic magic, both were better at dealing with spells.
Clearly, the name ‘Giant’ had nothing to do with magic!
Forget being hit by a club; even a stomp from a giant could send the small and light Sio flying three feet high!
Launching like a rocket on the spot—that was the signature experience of ‘Giant Airlines’…
Besides the basic three schools of Destruction spells, Sio surprisingly discovered…
she had a cheat code available!
It seemed that as her level increased, some spells from the original game would unlock randomly.
For example, she could now cast Ice Storm.
Clearly, this was the most logical choice!
Fire spells would set the fields ablaze, and she might be held liable for damages by the farmer; lightning was ineffective against the thick-skinned giant.
So, naturally, she had to use Frost!
As long as the giant’s speed was slowed by the cold, wouldn’t it be easy for the warriors to finish it off?
The white-haired girl’s fingertips glowed with a pale blue frost.
She cast the spell with both hands, and a freezing aura surged forward like a tide, sweeping across the area.
The giant’s speed slowed visibly.
Only…
Ice Storm was an area-of-effect spell—she had hit her allies!
The two warriors fighting the giant were also caught in the spell, their movements becoming sluggish.
Sio felt a sense of guilt crawl up her spine…
Had she helped?
She had been a hindrance!
Fortunately, Kaye reacted quickly and happened to avoid the Ice Storm.
He swung his sword at the giant’s hamstrings, causing the giant to stumble to its knees.
At the same time, an arrow shot from the side hit the giant precisely between the eyes, piercing its skull.
The giant’s body struggled for a moment before collapsing with a thud, and the battle was over.
“Good moves.
You’re qualified to be a proper Shield-Brother.” The speaker was a huntress dressed in light armor, her face adorned with painted warpaint.
She sheathed her bow and cast an appreciative glance at Kaye.
“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m not the one who makes the decisions.” Kaye said, glancing to the side.
Sio had already taken advantage of the distraction to sneak over and hide behind him.
“True.
You still have to listen to this [enthusiastic] girl.” The huntress glanced at Sio hiding behind Kaye, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
“That…
was an accident!
Next time I’ll estimate the range properly…!” Sio’s face flushed slightly as she stammered out her defense.
“Alright, alright, girl.
I wish you better luck next time.” The huntress didn’t press the matter, simply waving her hand with a smile.
“Where are you from?
Cyrodiil?
Skyrim isn’t exactly the place for an Imperial lady to elope with her servant right now…” “I’m Sio, a Breton!
And, lady…
uh, no!
We’re not in that kind of relationship!” In front of the wildly charming huntress, Sio was a total pushover—especially while flushing and stammering through her explanation.
“Fair enough, girl.
Regardless, you did us a favor.
I’m Aela of The Companions.
If you’re interested in joining, you can give my name at Jorrvaskr.
If not, you’re still welcome to visit.
We’ll have a reward ready.” The huntress, who introduced herself as Aela, called to her two companions to leave.
Watching their departing figures, Sio breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“So, what is our relationship now?” Kaye raised an eyebrow and asked, wanting to see Sio’s reaction.
“…Friends.” Sio muttered softly, crossing her arms and turning her head away.
Even though she feigned indifference, the tips of her ears peeking through her hair were tinged with a faint pink.
Well, she had always been sharp-tongued.
Kaye smiled and took his place by Sio’s side, making a “please” gesture toward her.
“Shall we be on our way then, my lady?
I hope The Companions’ gift will please you.” “I told you, I’m not a lady!” Sio grumbled and punched Kaye a few times—but she didn’t use any force at all.
Well, the truth was that even if she did use force, she could hardly hurt Kaye.
When she lost her temper, it felt more like…
acting spoiled.
“…But maybe I was before.” Sio murmured under her breath, lowering her head slightly.
After all, she really didn’t know anything about her past.
Perhaps she hadn’t just suddenly spawned into this world, but actually had some kind of backstory.
But for now, there was no need to worry about such troublesome things.
“Alright!
Forget about that!
Since you’re happy being a follower, you can call me whatever you like!
The young lady’s orders must be obeyed absolutely by her follower!” Sio cleared her throat, striking a dignified pose of a young lady.
This made Kaye chuckle.
“Speaking of The Companions’ gift, it must be Skyforge equipment!
I hope it’s made of skyforge steel, and not some other material to cheat us…” Sio grumbled to herself as she strode toward the gates of Whiterun.
And Kaye followed by her side, echoing the girl’s words.
They continued forward, bickering and laughing.