The end of the week saw us at the Riften Gate, as it was early evening, we decided to spend the night at the Inn instead of heading straight to Fort Dawnguard. Navitas talked to the Innkeeper and rented us rooms and a meal and asked if I was still interested in hiring a mage. I nodded yes and told her that I thought the old Dunmer's idea of fighting magic with magic was not a bad Idea. She got up from the table and walked over to an imperial in fancy robes, they chatted for a moment and then walked over to our table and sat down.
"Kurdan, this is Marcurio, he's a wizard. Mercenary by trade" Navitas looked at the Imperial and nodded toward me.
"With the Chiss around, I won't contract on as a single guard, it's just too hazardous. A great many of the merc bands have either left or been absorbed into a city guard, they don't want more than one wizard right now. Navitas says that you want to start your own Stronghold, very admirable and something that I would not mind helping with." he paused for a moment, looked me with an odd look, and then finished with " If you are willing to allow a Human as a full member of your tribe, I would be willing to use my skills both now and in defense of that Stronghold." Before I could answer Navitas started talking again.
"Kurdan, I never outright said that I would join your Stronghold, mostly because I won't be a part of a "traditional" one. My Heart-Sisters are a Bosmer and an Imperial, I could never be a part of something they were not. You seem to have some ideas that are not traditional, does that extend to non-Orc's being part of the Stronghold, not just tolerated as "blood-siblings" but as full members?."
I looked down at the table for a moment and thought quickly, I knew I did not want "traditional", but allowing non-Orcs as full members of my Tribe. I looked back up at Navitas and realized, that was exactly what I wanted and more to the point, needed. I needed the diversity that many different peoples would bring.
" Marcurio, you have yourself a new home, when it's built of course. Welcome to the Tribe. Navitas, you and your Heart-Sisters are more than welcome, even if Azul does not manage to cure her Vampirism, of course making snacks out of her family would not be nice. You may marry or not as you wish, I can only ask that you bring in a male that will contribute to the good of the Tribe."
The trip to Fort Dawnguard and back to Riften was quiet and mostly uneventful. Marcurio was ready to go with us by then, having found and bought a horse. We headed to Largashbur, as Navitas had heard that they were having some difficulty and that the Chief was not inclined to listen, had in fact told all the Tribe on threat of exile that they could not leave the stronghold.
We met with Atub and she said that she needed some supplies to perform a ceremony to find out why Malacath was angry with them. Navitas had already informed me of what she would need, because the Chief would not allow us back in once we had those things, better to bring them in the first place.
We ended up agreeing to help the Chief clean some giants from Malacath's shrine, which I would have done anyway, but it seemed a test of the Chief's honor, but we agreed to meet him at the cave entrance. We camped for the night but noticed that the Yamarz and another Orc left in the middle of the night.
When we got to the cave entrance, Chief Yamarz was already there and my eyes almost fell out of my head, when I saw the female standing next to him. The bits of metal she was wearing could not really be called armor and barely covered her considerable assets. I must have been staring more obviously than I thought because Navitas came up from behind me and thumped me on the shoulder and said I was going to end up in a fight over a female with the Chief if I didn't quit drooling. Marcurio coughed as Navitas went by us both and said, " If ever there was a female Orc to drool over, she would be it."
We made it to the chief who put his arm around the girl and gave me a look that said "Mine". I shrugged my shoulders, the girl had the right to be with whoever she chose and obviously, she was with him at the moment. I had the feral urge to knock the smug look off his face as they turned around and walked into the cave. I could not help but notice, the lack of... of... well anything but a couple leather straps, that held the bits of metal to the front, as she walked away.
"That is one fine ass". Marcurio whispered to me. I grunted and silently cursed the part of my anatomy that noticed how the leather disappeared between the muscled curves of that very fine ass. He had not whispered low enough, Navitas came up between us and smacked us both on the back of our heads.
"Hey, I didn't say anything!" She looked at me in disgust.
"It's not what you didn't say, it's what you were thinking! Males.. that girl is barely old enough to be out hunting, but her father gave her to Chief Yamarz like a prized heifer!.
"Fine, he comes out of this alive and I'll kill him for you and you can invite her into our tribe as another Heart-Sister, to come and go as she pleases." Marcurio was snickering.
The look she cast over her shoulder, had it been a fire spell, would have left me one crispy Orc. We followed her into the Cave and killed a couple Giants in the first area. The girl was standing on a ledge, looking deeper into the cave, and we could see Chief Yamarz nowhere. At our footsteps, she turned and looked at us.
" He left me, He drank some kind of potion and was gone.. he left me to fight that giant all by myself. I am glad you came in when you did, it was more than I could handle by myself." Navitas walked over and gave the girl a hug.
"You can come with us, we promised to help him clear the shrine, but the promise was more to Malacath than to the Chief. Why are you here with him? I know your father sent you to Chief Yamarz, but you don't look like a trained warrior." She looked down and her shoulders drooped.
" I know, I look like a Chief's favorite wife, his young play toy, the one every other wife hates. I can not help the way my body is formed." she plucked at the armor, " Chief Yamarz said he would allow me time to learn a warrior or guard's profession if I would wear the armor he brought and watch his back this day."
Naviatas dug into her pack and pulled out her hunting armor and handed it to the girl. " It isn't as protective as full armor, but it will probably be warmer than what you are wearing. You can use that hammer yes? Oh, and we can't just call you girl, what is your name?"
"Thank you, yes I can and my name is Shaimar."
"Well Shaimar, I am Navitas and this is Kurdan and Marcurio."
Shaimar proved that she could use her Warhammer, in fact, she was very good with it. The Armor Navitas had given her, did not hide all of her umm charms, but they did cover them much better. We killed four or five giants with no sign of Chief Yamarz, Marcurio said he must have taken an invisibility potion. When we finally saw him, he was standing on what looked to be the final trail down to Malacath's Shrine.
He wanted us to kill the last Giant, but I refused, not for any amount of gold, this was his challenge from Malacath himself, not ours. We stood on a ledge overlooking the pocket valley the Shrine was in. Shaimar had her hand fisted and against her mouth, I looked at Navitas and then at the girl and she walked over and put her arm around her. I edged Marcurio and I a small distance from the women and heard Navitas start talking to Shaimar in a low tone.
The Chief failed, we did not, but all of us let the girl get the last blow in. Malacath started talking to us and said that we should take Shagrol's Warhammer back to Largashbur. I told Shaimar that she could carry the hammer back, she was happy to do so, but upon giving it to Atub, who rewarded us well. Atub said that Shaimar could stay as a warrior or first wife to the next chief if she choose to. She shook her head and said no.
" No, I think I will travel with my new Heart-Sister and become a member of Kurdan's new Stronghold." I smiled at the girl when she turned and looked at me.
"Welcome to the tribe Sister." She gave me a coy look through her lashes.
" I would not go that far...Chief". It seemed I had at least eight members of my new stronghold and it wasn't even built yet.
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