Inside the Blue Palace, we were paying our respects to Jarl Elisif and reporting on the situation.
"Is that truly the case?"
Elisif looked shocked at my report, seeking confirmation.
"It is the truth. Necromancers were performing a summoning ritual within the abandoned ruins inside the cave."
I answered, kneeling properly on one knee before the throne.
"So Varnius was telling the truth after all."
"We must take action at once!"
The court stewards and nobles began to clamor.
"Don't worry! We did a thorough job of cleaning the place out before we left!"
The Dragonborn's outburst left everyone stunned, but a moment later, a disgruntled noble spoke up with suspicion.
"And why should we believe your word? You lot look rather suspicious to me."
Elisif waved a hand to calm the room.
"Actually, I have already investigated your background. It was a necessary procedure to ensure you were trustworthy."
She then acknowledged us as reliable people, citing our recent enlistment in the Imperial Legion, the recovery of the crown at Korvanjund, and our distinguished service at Whiterun.
"And one more interesting thing—rumors have been circulating that the citizens of Solitude have been receiving your help."
With a benevolent smile, Elisif expressed her gratitude on behalf of Solitude for my good deeds.
Thanks to her endorsement, the atmosphere shifted instantly. The noble who had just doubted me even offered an apology.
It was time to deliver the heavy news.
"They were attempting to summon Potema."
The room froze. Even Elisif's kind smile vanished instantly.
"My gods. To think you prevented the return of Potema... Hiring you was truly the right choice."
Falk Firebeard, the steward, let out a sigh of relief. I hate to break it to him, but Potema hasn't been completely defeated yet.
Still, I kept my mouth shut. No need to ruin the celebratory mood.
"And there is something I wish to ask of you personally," Elisif said, her expression growing somber.
"For my late husband, Torygg... could you place this horn at a Shrine of Talos?"
Torygg's Horn. This was the essential quest to become a Thane of Solitude.
[Quest Started!]
ㄴ Place Torygg's Horn at a Shrine of Talos.
ㄴ Reward: +20 Maximum Stamina
Increasing Elisif's favor and getting a stat boost? There was no reason to refuse.
After accepting the Jarl's request and offering our farewells, we used a teleport to jump straight to Legate Rikke.
—Vwoom.
We materialized at the campsite where Rikke was leading her troops. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw us.
"Haha. It's just us."
"You surprised me. I didn't know you had such tricks up your sleeve."
Rikke seemed genuinely startled but quickly regained her composure and issued our next set of orders.
To retake the Rift, Rikke had already sent an informant into Riften.
According to the intel, Anuriel, the steward to Jarl Laila Law-Giver, was associated with the Thieves Guild.
Our mission was to find evidence of her corruption and use it to blackmail her for information.
"Understood. Leave it to us."
"Good luck to you."
Having received our orders, we headed for Riften. Rikke's outpost was near Ivarstead, making it a fair distance from the city.
Since the journey would take a while, I and my party members chatted to pass the time as we made our way toward the Rift's capital.
Eventually, the gates of Riften came into view, along with two guards standing in front.
They were wearing the light armor characteristic of Riften guards, adorned with purple cloth.
As we approached the main gate to enter the city, the guards spotted us and spoke up.
"Halt, travelers. You'll need to pay the 'visitor's tax' if you want to enter the city."
Exactly like the game—rotten to the core. That was Riften in a nutshell.
The Black-Briar family held the real power here, and the criminal scum of the Thieves Guild lived like parasites in the city's sewers.
In the game, you're forced to interact with them because you have to speak with Brynjolf during the main quest, but I had zero desire to get involved with those people.
It wasn't just them, either. Scooma dealers were hiding out in the Riften docks. The title 'City of Crime' really did fit this place perfectly.
Of course, there was a city even more screwed up than this called Markarth, but I didn't have any desire to go there either.
It wasn't strictly necessary for the main quest, after all.
Regardless, Riften is geographically close to Cyrodiil and is one of the most important cities after Whiterun. Taking the Rift was essential if we wanted to win the war.
"What kind of tax is this? This is blatant extortion."
I spat out the exact dialogue choice from the game. The guard looked flustered and made a 'calm down' gesture.
"Whoa, keep it down, will you? Fine, fine. Just go on in."
We passed through easily enough. I was about to walk into Riften with a relaxed smile when the guard opening the door suddenly stared hard at my face and slammed the gate shut.
"Now that I look at you... you look familiar..."
Wait, this line—
"You must be mistaken..."
I played dumb, hoping for the best. But the guard's face filled with certainty as he grabbed my wrist.
"My eyes aren't deceiving me. You're the one from the wanted posters!"
"What?! You've got to be mistaken! There's no way Mister would commit a crime!"
Ha-neul shouted at the guard. In her momentary agitation, her magicka reacted, causing an orange aura to flicker around her body.
The thing was, this wasn't some frame-up or misunderstanding.
I don't know if anyone remembers, but I did kill Klimmek back in Ivarstead. It looks like someone found the body and reported me.
"I believe there's been an error. There is no way this man is a wanted criminal."
"Th-That's right!"
Lydia and Eloise chimed in to defend me.
Ignoring them, the guard drew his weapon and spoke in a commanding tone.
"By order of the Jarl, I am arresting this Nord for murder. If you keep resisting, I'll toss all three of you into a cell as accomplices!"
"Ugh..."
Ha-neul bit her lip in frustration. No matter how strong we were, we were powerless against the law of the land.
"Mister!"
Ultimately, I was led away by the guard to the dungeons.
And so, I ended up incarcerated in the Riften Jail. Naturally, my belongings and equipment were confiscated, and I was thrown into a cell wearing nothing but rags.
Walls covered in filthy stains, a blanket that smelled of mold, and a chamber pot filled with gods-know-what...
The interior design really drove home the point that they didn't give a damn about prisoner rights.
"Ha... I'm screwed."
I thought I could just pay a fine and be on my way like in the game, but they told me my sentence hadn't been finalized and I had to wait for a trial.
I had things to do in Riften, and now I was being held up like this.
I considered opening a portal and making a break for it since I could still use magic, but I shot the idea down. Heading to Whiterun or Solitude buck-naked wouldn't help me accomplish much, and it would only increase my sentence.
"Heh heh... A fresh face. What are you in for?"
Sibbi Black-Briar, who had been enjoying the prison life in the cell across from me, struck up a conversation.
I wasn't in the mood for talk in this dismal situation, so I ignored him and leaned against the wall, staring blankly out of the bars.
That's when I spotted Brand-Shei sleeping in a cell diagonally across from mine.
'Wait? Why is he in here?'
Brand-Shei, the Dunmer merchant, only ends up in jail during the first Thieves Guild quest when the player and Brynjolf frame him for a crime.
But I hadn't even set foot in Riften before now, let alone joined the Thieves Guild.
That meant someone else had already made contact with Brynjolf—
'Just what the hell is going on?'
My head felt like a mess as I lay down on the bed.
I lay there on my stomach, deep in thought, never dreaming that I would meet a most unexpected person in just a few moments.
**
Meanwhile, while I was rotting in a cell, the girls were scrambling for a way to get me out.
"Waaaah... what are we going to do?"
"We need some kind of breakthrough."
Ha-neul wailed, sprawling out on the ground. The others were just as frustrated.
As they stood nervously at the entrance of the jail, a figure appeared.
"How pathetic. You call yourselves his companions and you can't even handle a small matter like this?"
A woman clad in black light armor with a hood pulled down low spoke, her arms crossed in disappointment.