Septimus sighed for the nth time today.
“Man, how long has it been since I last cried?
Felt great actually; I should do it more often”.
With a light slap to his cheeks for moral support, he focused on the present.
“Alright, let’s see, I’m in Tamriel now, after the war ended, so the events in Skyrim are probably just about to start, or maybe they’ve started already.
Who could I even ask if the dragons have…
uhh”
Suddenly he fell silent, straightened his back, and looked around; seeing no one, he relaxed slightly yet stayed somewhat alert.
‘I shouldn’t talk out loud; you never know who’s listening, and in this world there are seven big bad demons called the daedra that can probably hear me muttering to myself’
Nodding, Septimus scoffed and scratched his head; it felt quite itchy, the lack of hygiene probably wasn’t helping.
‘Only quiet introspection from now on, no more talking out loud, ever.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that my soul is my greatest possession at the moment, and having some demon gods aiming for it due to spouting some future knowledge would be very, very bad’
‘First off, I need to understand the world I’m in.
In the games, it’s a savage world filled with danger but also full of wonders and adventure; several entities are constantly planning for ways to end the world, while others, usually heroes of legend, fight to protect it’
‘Soon another battle will take place between the legendary Dragonborn and Alduin, the big bad dragon.
First question for myself is what do I want to do in this world, should I get involved with the story, is there even a story to get involved with?’
After a long moment, Septimus nodded to himself.
‘ Yes, I should try to get involved, even if not directly.
I know a lot of things about current-age Skyrim, the location of treasures and ancient artifacts that could probably get me set for life.’
‘Not to mention knowing the personalities, identities, and future of some of the most important people in the region bar the Dragonborn’
With that decided, he got up and went back towards the farm to see if the residents returned.
Seeing it still empty, he looked at the sun; it had passed midway, so he assumed they would be back soon.
Walking to the well, Septimus pulled another bucket of water and started washing up; he had caked mud in places he didn’t even know of.
Now somewhat clean, he leaned on the well’s edge while his mind started wandering again.
‘The second thing is about myself.
Am I willing to take a life?
Even in my old world, if it was in self-defense, I would’ve said yes, but here I will have to become the aggressor; I can’t wait to be attacked and then just see what happens.’
‘This world is merciless.
Assuming it is even remotely similar to the games, it is packed with things trying to kill me; the old bugger at the entrance even told me he found a dead body just in those trees over there’
He looked towards the entrance of the farm where he and Garis talked; he was no longer there.
‘And even if I decide to abandon modern morals and embrace killing, how would I even kill anyone?
The closest thing to a weapon I ever held is a kitchen knife, well except for…’
Cutting himself off, Septimus started laughing.
“Damn, the prophecy is true; all roads lead to stealth archer!
I used a bow in youth camp some twenty years back!”
‘Ok, that’s enough of that.
I know how to shoot a bow, kinda, at least the basics; it wasn’t even that hard, and killing from a distance is much better than up close, makes it feel less real, I guess’
While still musing, he started hearing voices coming from behind him; the villagers had returned.
Looking towards the voices, he saw the residents; there weren’t many, barely ten or so of them, not to mention they all looked related in some way or another, probably three or so generations taking care of the farm together.
As they spotted him, every single one focused on him, and they all eyed him suspiciously while approaching; the women, of which there were three, quickly made their way inside while the younger men went to put away the tools they were carrying.
The man leading them, who was incidentally the oldest, said while eyeing his potato sack clothes.
“Who are you, stranger?
What are you doing here?”
Septimus squared his shoulders and answered in a steady voice.”I am called Septimus, sir.
I’ve had a run-in with some bandits nearby, lost my way, I’m just here to ask for some directions”.
The elder’s nose scrunched at the word bandits.
“Not bandits again; they are like a plague.
Call in the guards, and they run away only to come right back some days later.”
Septimus nodded quickly, agreeing.
“I know, what can I say, it’s just bandits being bandits; I’m lucky they left me alive”.
“Hmm, yes, yes”.The elder nodded back.
“And where do you want to go?
I’ll tell you this first, lad, I feel for you, but you’re not welcome here; we’ve got more than enough mouths to feed!”
Septimus already didn’t really like how the man looked at him, although it was justified, and now his words didn’t help with the first impression.
“So, I know how this might sound, but do you happen to know how to get to Skyrim?”
The elder’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Skyrim!?
Why would you want to go there?
It’s packed full of unclutered barbarians and graverobbers”.
‘Think fast, why do I want to go there?’ Septimus did a very slow blink.
“I happen to have family in Skyrim; I’m hoping to move there and make a new life for myself!” Septimus said, lying to the elder to his face.
“It’s as good a reason as any”.
The man turned and pointed the way they came, to the opposite entrance to the farm from the one Septimus initially took.
“Head that way until you reach Hackdirt; the road gets more rugged, but you’d make it by tomorrow.
Watch out for wolves and the like.
Following that, keep going, and you’ll reach Chorrol.
From there, ask around; the merchants that I talk to tell me they sometimes head to Skyrim.”
Hearing that, Septimus couldn’t help clapping his hands once.
“Great, thank you for letting me know.
Do you think if I make a run for it I’ll reach anywhere by nighttime?”
The man shook his head.
“No, no chance.
It may look bright out, but we’ve only got some two hours of solid daylight left; you won’t make it halfway; you’d have to camp out”.
His words didn’t bode well for Septimus and his current somewhat lacking attire, of a potato sack and sandals.
“Alright, listen, sir, I know you said I can’t stay, but could you maybe make an exception and let me stay the night in the shed or something?
I’ll be out of your hair by tomorrow morning?”
“Don’t plead with me, lad; them are the rules: no strangers on the farm.
If I see you here once the sun sets ill chase you out myself!” With that said, the elder turned around and went inside the house; coincidentally, it was the one where he stole the food from.
‘And now I don’t feel bad anymore, fuck you too old timer’
With a frown on his face, Septimus started making his way out of the farm, giving it a final look around.
To his surprise, he noticed something: outside the shed the two boys went to store the tools in, there was a wooden crate.
Now, the crate itself is not interesting but the item on top of it was.
‘A waterskin!
One of the boys must have left it there while storing the tools away.
He quickly made his way there, swiped it while also trying the shed door; it was locked.
He then jogged to the half-full bucket of water, gave the waterskin a quick rinse before plunging it inside the bucket to fill up
Once full, he hid it as best as he could and headed towards the exit of the farm.
Passing by the wooden fence surrounding it, Septimus gazed at the shoddy mud road cutting through the fields and straight up a hill, into the woods before taking a deep breath.
‘Let’s get out of here before any of these people notice anything.
The last thing I need right now is to get mobbed for swiping leeks’