Northbound Pilgrimage II

Chapter CXXIX - A Brief Visit

Now that Secunda waned once more, Bishop and Aeyrin were free to return to their original plans.

This time, they had a clear agenda. No matter how much Aeyrin might have wanted to postpone this, they needed to return to the hermit in the Sea of Ghosts and see if he had the key to Blackreach. Bishop had a point – they still couldn't be sure if the man would come through. And they couldn't be sure if the Scroll was really in Blackreach.

Regardless, the fact that a Moth Priest was currently nowhere near Sky Haven Temple was comforting. That was someone else's issue and it would likely take even longer than their hunt for the Scroll. And hopefully longer than the Companions' search for the cure.

But those concerns were out of her hands. The best thing right now was to carry on forward and see what secrets the hermit held beneath his ice and Dwemer barricades.

That was, of course, on the other side of the Province entirely, but keeping on the move was far from a bad idea anyway – they'd been camped out in one spot for way too long for either of their comforts.

And the first place that beckoned them, after three days of travels across Hjaalmarch and the Pale, was Windhelm.

They were only going to stop there for a brief visit. They wanted to resupply properly, first and foremost. They wanted to see if the Quintus had received his everlasting ice. They wanted to see whether their rescue made it to the docks with her bugs. And Aeyrin also wanted to see if Brunwulf Free-Winter was back from Cyrodiil, despite his lack of communication. Maybe he was being watched or his messages were the ones that got intercepted by someone.

One thing was for certain though – they did not want to spend a night at the cornerclub. Not a chance. After their five-day bender, they were only going to say hello to the elves at the most. They were spending one calm evening at the Candlehearth there and that was that. The next day, they would head straight for Winterhold.

When they reached the city, the unfamiliar atmosphere was palpable instantly.

It was so... different. It was much like it had been the first time they visited together. The streets were bustling again, the people seemed actually happy and carefree. It was as if the entire Butcher massacre never even happened. It was encouraging to see this. But more than anything, it was freeing to move about without as many guards hovering around. In fact, there were barely any to be seen anywhere.

Maybe they were all enjoying the calm as well in their own way.

But it was certainly nothing to be concerned about – it was a welcome reprieve to be able to walk around without the ever-vigilant eyes of the Stormcloaks on them constantly.

They headed to the markets first and bought up all the supplies that they needed. The last stop on their shopping agenda was The White Phial.

"Welcome, welcome," Quintus's voice rang through the store before he even looked up from his alchemy station. "I'll be with you in a minute."

They waited patiently as the Imperial mixed some concoctions together, until he finally put down his vials and turned towards them.

"Ah. It's you," he gave them a soft smile. "I'm glad to see you two back here. I've been hoping you would come by soon again."

"We came to check if you got your magical ice," Aeyrin chuckled at him. "And to get some supplies."

"Yes. Thank you again, you have no idea how timely it was," Quintus smiled. "Master Nurelion... he was... he was very old. Almost three hundred years, could you believe that?" His expression turned sad within a second. It was clear from how he spoke that there was no more master Nurelion. "He had dedicated his life to the Phial and so... I wanted him to see it, working, just once before he would pass."