Elder Scrolls: The Anomaly

One Good Deed

I slept long, and I slept well. The cheap bed I was in was still far better than what I could ever hope to make in the wilderness. I might have stayed asleep until noon, had I not been interrupted. The proprietor of the inn, an aging ginger khajiit, was knocking on my door.

"Wake up, sleepyhead,"

His unfortunate word choice forced some uncomfortable memories into the foreground of my thoughts. My mind circled back to the night before. My failure. It immediately soured my mood. I knew it was no fault of his, but I couldn't help but start disliking the Khajiit at my door. I jerked upward, and stared off at the wall. A few more loud knocks snapped me out of my trance. 

"Wake up!"

"Urada, azhva wel'an," (Sorry, This one is awake.) I instinctively spoke in my native tongue. I was unsure if he understood or not, but it didn't matter. He got the gist of it either way. 

"Grab your stuff and leave. You rented the bed for the night, not day,"

"Jat, yes. Khajiit will get on it,"

I forced myself from my slumber's warm embrace, and onto the cold wooden floor. I stretched vigorously and yawned loudly. My bones popped and cracked, but it did little to release all the tension I had built up. I had a brief panic when I couldn't find my clothes, but I quickly remembered where I had left them. They were tucked away by the door with my bag. I put it all back on, including my brown travel cloak. 

I triple-checked that I had everything. Journal, scrolls, clothes, food, knife, and the rest. I cast my detect life spell in the usual manner - whistling. Each patron of the inn was suddenly shrouded in a mist that I could see clearly, even through the floor. It was a unique experience, and I could feel myself improving in its use. It brightened my mood a little bit and gave me the energy I needed to go forward.

I exited my room and bought some breakfast. I devoured it quickly, satisfying my hunger. It was probably cheap garbage compared to what I used to eat back home, but I either didn't realize or didn't care. I made sure to thank the hospitable khajiit on my way out. I was finally back on the road. Destination: Fanacas.

 I had made it only a dozen steps out the door when I remembered - I had a scroll of recall. Obviously, it would be frightening to people if I just suddenly vanished in the middle of the road, so I sheepishly retraced my steps back to the inn. The old khajiit gave me a strange look as I moseyed back inside. I awkwardly smiled at him and walked up the stairs, just far enough so nobody would see me. I pulled out the scroll, but hesitated to use it. What if teleportation hurts? Like, really badly?

I eventually concluded that, if teleportation hurt, I would have heard about it. Therefore, it must be safe. I held my breath, opened the scroll, and gave it a good smack. I was instantly overcome with a tingling sensation all over my body. It was like worms wriggled in my intestines. It was pestilent and sickening. I would have thrown up, but I was able to dedicate my willpower to holding it in. My vision blurred, but it was still obvious that my surroundings had changed. I went from a cramped staircase in a cheap inn to a well-lit stone room; the occupants of which were quite startled at my appearance. I was too disoriented to see much, but I could make out a human and an argonian, standing opposite each other. 

"By the hist, who's this?"

"How did- Are you...? By the eight, explain yourself!"

I tried to respond, but instead sneezed all over myself. The argonian let out a surprised chuckle, although the human was not amused. 

"Sorry," I eventually responded, "This one has... Never done that before..."

"Yes... we can tell. And as for why you're here?" Asked the human, with a gravelly voice. My vision was clearing up, so I could see him better now. His face was pale and wrinkled, and he had mopped back grey hair. He wore a blue robe trimmed with yellow. A wide enchanted sword hung off of his thick belt, reminding me that, from their point of view, I was an intruder.