"The pleasure is mine. I'm Fenditura, but please call me Fen. Much less of a mouthful to say if you're ever trying to get my attention." Fen let out a quick laugh before continuing "I hope you're here to delve into some dangerous Dwemer ruins, or unfortunately for you, you're in the wrong place."
Ardin simply agreed by laughing, but that wasn't the case on the inside. 'Unfortunate for me? I haven't been fortunate as of late. Whether it be awake or while I dream. Maybe I haven't won the gods favor.' The creaking of the door and the sight of his new companions brought him back to the present.It wasn't just Fen and Ardin in the room; in walked a darkly dressed imperial, the excited nord woman that he talked to at the bar, the obviously skeptical Breton man, Ardin couldn't blame the skepticism, and then the Khajiit who had just joined. "Now what?"
"Yes, I suppose 'now what' is the appropriate question to be asking right now," The Imperial said. "I am very pleased that you all decided to return, along with a new face." The man looked the young Khajiit over to see the new face that just joined. Ardin was glad, but he was also a little uneasy. The task at hand will be easier with more people, but that means more lives will be on the line, and more memories of fallen faces on his mind if they fail.
"Now, we will be departing. I want to get on the move as soon as possible, because our destinations are by no means close by. If all goes well, I would like to be out on the road, with whatever provisions are necessary, in no more than one hour." Marcus paused for a moment, letting his urgency sink in. 'Well, an hour isn’t a lot of time to gather provisions. I guess he figured whoever took it upon them to help him was already carrying light. For the best I guess. I wouldn’t want to be weighed down, if I do say so myself.'
"Also, I have realized that I did not properly introduce myself earlier. My name is Marcus Paxillius. I'll learn your names eventually, but for now, since we are somewhat pressed for time, that will have to wait. With this limited time we have, I would like to elaborate a little more on the task on hand, as it would only be fair that you all know where you're going and what exactly you're going to be helping me with." Another pause followed. Ardin nodded in agreement, then continued to listen without interruption
"We will be trekking across Skyrim in search of my father within ruins of the Dwemer. I believe I have told you all that at our previous meeting. However, there is more to this story. My father was a scholar. A Dwemer scholar, to be exact. He spent most of his life here in Skyrim researching and studying the Dwemer. I don't know what his research was about or what it entailed, but I do know that that research is why he disappeared.
"This is no doubt some dangerous territory we will be entering. Aside from the treacherous traps of the ruins we will be delving into, the staunch automatons that guard them, and the vile Falmer who inhabit them, whatever he was pursuing was extremely dangerous--dangers that we must now brave if we are to find him." Ardin began to slightly stir in his chair at the mention of the falmer and the dwarven automatons. Dwemer ruins were dark, sometimes poorly lit, and can make a man feel like a trapped animal; He does not like to feel like an animal. He shook himself out of the thought.
"Once, and even if, we locate him, I intend to continue this work. He spent too much time slaving away over this research; I can't bring myself to let his entire existence be lost and buried deep within the earth. This means that we too will be venturing into the dangerous domain that was his research, in hopes that we will be able to finish it and solve whatever mystery he was trying to solve.” Marcus was obviously set on finding his father’s research and figuring out what he was trying to solve. Ardin respects the drive and commitment, but he wanted to ask how far would Marcus go? What if the mystery wasn’t worth solving? Would the lives that could be lost be worth it? He instead decided to stay quiet and not hold up the rest of the group. 'No use making the others doubt themselves. It will be better to keep to myself, and not get attached.'
"If he is alive, which is a notion I have come to severely doubt, then we will only assist him in the completion of his studies. However, I will make mention that it has been close to year since I last saw him, and the likelihood of him still being alive are exponentially low” His head was following Marcus as he continued to talk. His leg began to bounce up and down due to the anticipation, whether it was good or bad, he didn’t know. He was just ready to get to it and get it over with.
"This is a daunting task. I know. However, questions and concerns will have to come later, as it is time to get ready to depart and hit the road. If you have any things you need to take care of, or belongings you need to gather, go now. We will meet outside the city gates in an hour. If you do not have anything you need to do, then follow me.
Marcus’s voice became fainter and fainter as he was making his way out of the Inn. “Well, let’s not waste any time.” He got up and walked out of the room to retrieve the rest of his gear; which wasn’t much. All he needed was to put his upper armor on, gather his belongings, and safely store the gifted arrowhead he received when times were better. After going to his room, and getting his armor on, he picked up his pack and the arrowhead, then remembering the happier times as he was walking to the front gate. ‘The air was cool, wind that smelled of fresh flowers, and the only sounds were of running water, friendly voices, and the clashing of steel in training. It was one of the only times where It felt almost of a dream then, as it does now. One could almost forget the good memories once a bad event overshadows it’ As he was remembering, he got what was left and went to the main gate and waited for the rest of the group.
