The group decided it was time to head out to retrieve the shipment of Leather, believing that it was back in the Autumnshade clearing where they spied a Cave but did not enter.
However on their way back, they heard a voice calling out to them..
" Excuse me!.. Excuse me! " A voice called, at first it sounded like what someone might say if they were bumped into, yet the second calling definitely sounded like someone wanting to get their attention.
They trio stopped and peered around, unable to see anyone but a Dunmer farmer in his fields nearby.
" Yes, Hello! Over here. " Called the voice, and the Farmer waved to them.
" Oh, it was him. " Someone said in a surprised tone.
" I heard you three dealt to the bandits that were harassing this end of the roads, that true? "
" Uh. " Ra’sava said with as much elegance as he could muster, then bravado decide to fill the absent gap " Why yes of course! We did indeed! They were no match for our prowess. "
" Oh, that’s good, do you think I could ask you a favor then? Someone robbed me last night, a Trio of hooligans. I managed to chase them out of the house, but not before they stole my wife’s jewelry and my Bow. "
" That so? Which way did they go? "
" North, there’s the Autumnshade Clearing that way, but most people steer clear of there, so I doubt they went there. I’m guessing they went up to the old mine up that way. "
" I guess we could help, we’re going that way anyway. " Sashja replied.
And so they did.
They decided to bypass the Clearing going on the logical logic that hauling around a box of leathers would slow them down, and wen’t straight for what Sashja called “Boulderfall Cave”.
But as fate would have it, they ran into some trouble before arriving.
Ra’sava stopped.
No one noticed, because it was Ra’sava.
" Wait " he said, someones near.
" Pfft, no ones near us Ra’sava, there’s only that empty shack over there " Celeyane said with a laugh.
It just so happens, that the laugh was enough and a voice shouted from inside the ‘empty shack’ " Shit! Someone’s outside! They’ve come! "
This is about the time another bout of combat started.
It was a rather amusing one, involving two sore shoulders, one on fire and one frozen.
The unlucky owner of said shoulders was…. if you were guessing Ra’sava, you’d be wrong in this instance…. a Bosmer Hunter, whom quickly admitted defeat and promptly lay on the ground unmoving.
Not because he had a rather large spear of ice in his shoulder.
Not because he had been beaten up quite badly. No.
Mostly because the woman who was ‘helping’ him, was putting him through more pain in her healing attempts than the fire bolt and ice spear to either shoulder, and he was hoping that staying still would at least in some way, help alleviate his pain.
Meanwhile, Ra’sava had a rousing sprint race against the remaining Bandit, whom of which had ripped his way through the back of the shack with his Axe (Which he had thrown at Ra’sava during the ensuing chase) and fled out the back towards the Cave.
Ra’sava eventually caught up, after watching several frozen arrows get rather close to him (but closer to the Bandit), but not before the Bandit’ fell on his face not more than fifty meters from the caves entrance, which alerted the guard placed outside, who promptly went back inside to presumably warn whoever else was in there.
" Now, you are going to tell Ra’sava who it is that is in there, and what kind of traps you have set up within. " He purred the words out with all the menace of a Senche Tiger eyeing a potential meal.
" Uh.. Ah… there is a Rock Fall Trap inside, Trip-Wire… Two Guys.. the Boss and his Brother "
Ra’sava flexed the claws on his foot which held the Bandit pinned face down to the ground.
" Is that all? "
" Yes! Yes! Don’t hurt me, I’m just doing what I was told.. "
" FIne, we will wait for the others to catch up, then we will see what we shall do with you. "
The other’s caught up a few minutes later, the Bosmer Hunter following along also.
" Ah, you surrendered too I see, good good. " Ra’sava commented after seeing the Bosmer.
" To be honest, I was just passing through when I met this guy, he said someone was out to get him. His outburst of hearing you all startled me into action before thought. "
Ra’sava blinked once. " Oh? Well then, in that case, you can watch him while we go inside to deal with the two within yes? If you are really innocent, you’ll still be here when we get back.
And if you are not here, well. We’ll have some fun tracking you down "
" _No need for the threats, I’ll stay here. _"
" Good! Then let us go and deal with these two within, and the Rock Trap. Ra’sava has just the perfect Idea. "
A rather amusing attempt at distracting the two within later….
" Damnit. " Ra’sava muttered. His plan didn’t work and all he ended up with was a sore tail and looking a little silly.
" Next time, Ra’sava will go up and cut the rope instead of trying to throw rocks at it. "
" Plan two? " Sashja asked.
Ra’sava sighed. " Plan two. " He agreed.
They drew their weapons, and went inside. Carefully stepping over the obvious trip-rope.
What happened next could hardly be called a fight. They crept inside the cave, keeping to the Darkness within, the Khajiit leading the way as he was the only one who could see in the dark.
Celeyane let out a shout.
The Brothers came running, blindly up the cave entrance, screaming their battlecry.
They stopped.
Light happened.
They were suddenly surrounded.
One of them was now belt-less and as a reaction to this, his pants had fallen down about his ankles.
They surrendered and Ra’sava had a new belt.
To save time on what happened next, the Brother’s turned out to be a pair of goons who were hired by the Bandit who the Bosmer was watching, I say ‘was’ watching, because when the group got outside, the Bosmer was laying on the ground with blood running from his lip and nose, and the Nordic Bandit had fled.
On their way back, they stopped at the Ruined little Shack and Ra’sava, not one for letting good opportunities goto waste, decided to use his charm on the Bosmer and the Brothers, insisting that working for him would be far better than being hanged or pressed into prison labor.
They all agreed, even the Bosmer, who had done nothing wrong, so to speak.
" Excellent! Then you shall work here. You shall be my.. uhh.. what do you do? "
" I can cook " Said one of the brothers.
" I can.. uhh.. play music? " Asked the other brother in a confused tone.
" If you need to ask, you’re not looking at me hard enough. " Said the obvious man of the wilds, the Bosmer.
" Right! Then you shall be the Chief Provisioner, and you shall be the Chief of Moral.. and you Shall be… the boss of them. " Ra’sava said, pointing to each one in turn, leaving the Bosmer for last. " For now! You will all remain here, while the rest of us will head back to the Clearing to find the Leather and a Bow. "
" Oh, you’re looking for a bow? " Asked the Bosmer " That Nord guy gave me this one, it’s pretty nice. "
" Ah, yes. That solves the problem of the stolen bow.. now we have both the Jewelery and the Bow, now for the leather. "
So the party returned to the Clearing and ravaged the cave, finding a box Skooma and a small Pouch of Gemstones along with a note which they proceeded to misinterpret and set out to lay a plan to catch some Skooma dealers and hopefully find the Leatherworkers leather.
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