Goat Rider

[A:N]: Bonus chapter as promised. With this chapter the story is now at 30,000 words (60 normal pages) which is about as much as my dissertation. I am amazed it has had over 100k views as well, crazy times. Never would have thought it would have gotten so long. Now back to the story.

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The next morning saw Rictus splitting from the group. They had a good little quest and parted on good terms. The Companions decided to take the road past Morthol towards Whiterun while Rictus made his way towards Dawnstar. Rictus had given the Companions back their horse since he was simply borrowing it for the mission.

Billy the goat familiar was more than willing to carry him though. With a little trial and error, Rictus was able to figure out how to ride on his goat familiar. It turned out to be much more comfortable than he imagined. Spectral beings were quite pliable, especially when the person controlling them desires a comfortable seat. Now Rictus had a mount which would never tire and unfailingly loyal. The more Rictus thought about it, the happier he was with good ole Billy the goat.

With Billy following the road, Rictus allowed his focus to drift to the dragon priest mask. The mask looked like a standard dragon priest mask with a more bluish color. Rictus didn't really see how the mask as supposed to go on his face. There were no straps or anything like that, nor was there eye holes. Rictus still brought it up to his face just for the fun of it.

As it got near his face, there was a slight pulling sensation. Deciding to see where this lead, Rictus pressed the mask to his face. The mask stayed on his face without him having to hold it there. He could even see out of the mask as if there was nothing blocking his vision at all. In fact, Rictus could barely tell there was anything on his face at all. The mask only gave a slight pressure on his face, but nothing like what an ancient metal mask should feel like. Rictus was able to easily pull it off and stick it back on with no problems.

'So magic mask which sticks to my face with no assistance and allows me to see out of it without having eye holes…nice.'

So far, Rictus was quite pleased with it even without knowing its enchantments.

As he kept the mask on for a little while, he noticed something. The amount of draw on his mana for his familiar was less than normal. He also felt as if he had a bit better control over Billy now as well. It seemed this mask had some enchantment to help with conjuration magic. Deciding to run with this theory, Rictus tried out his other magics.

After playing around for a bit, Rictus found what he believed to be the enchantments for his new mask. It seemed to help with the cost of conjuration, alteration, and illusion spells. It was almost as if the universe knew his 3 favorite magics and decided to give him a mask which helped him with them….strange how that works out sometimes. The decrease in cost of magic was fairly noticeable, but there was also a bit of help with the control of his spells which was a pleasant surprise. Rictus was able to test out these enchantments by simply taking the mask on and off while casting the same spells.

The next thing on Rictus's to do list was the flaming familiar spell tome. He did not really remember it from the games, but that was because he quickly started conjuring atronachs and dremora since they were so much more powerful. This would also be Rictus's first spell tome.

The spell tomes were interesting creations. The good ones had an enchantment on them which allowed them to impart knowledge into the readers mind. Once the enchantments took effect, the book would disintegrate due to it not having the magic which bonded it together. Rictus really wanted to learn more about the creation of spell tomes. Mostly so he could try and learn the enchantment allowing one to instantly impart knowledge to someone. That just seemed awesome. It also explains why spell tomes were so expensive. They were only good for one person and took someone with good enchanting and knowledge of the spell being placed in the tome.

The only thing keeping rich people from being able to go from not knowing any spells to being an archmage was because the books did not impart magical ability nor experience. An example would be how someone in Rictus's old world could read all about how to play a musical instrument. They could memorize every chord to a song. This did not mean they could just pick up a guitar and play that song like a master. Muscle memory, callouses, finger dexterity, and hand eye coordination are all needed as well as knowledge on how to play a song.

Same concept with the spell tomes here. A spell tome may let a person know how they could cast fire using magic, but if they cannot even access their magic, it does them no good. Similarly, if they have a very small amount of mana, they will only manage a small spark instead of a fireball.

Still for those who were adept at magic, the spell tomes were amazing. The spell would still need practice, but it would greatly increase the speed of learning. If a person already knew a similar spell, then it would also increase the learning speed of the spell.

Rictus stopped in a clearing beside the road and began practicing the flaming familiar spell. This spell caused his familiar to be covered in flames as well as explode upon death. This would be great for battles involving large groups as long as the familiar did not die near Rictus or his allies. If only Rictus could Alter the spell, then it could be much more practical. Thankfully, his ability with alteration magic allowed him to do just that…with practice of course.

Rictus stayed in the clearing for a few hours practicing the spell and taking a long lunch break. Rictus couldn't help but be proud of his progress. There was always room for continued improvement though no matter the spell.

Rictus looked proudly on his majestic looking familiar. Billy was now about the size of an average horse, but Rictus could make it as small as a normal goat if he wanted. Billy's horns spiraled around its head and came to a sharp point a foot in front of his head. Additionally, these horns were on fire. There were additional flames fluttering around the hooves and tail. The familiar would also not explode upon death, unless Rictus wanted that to happen. The entire familiar appeared mostly black now with a fiery light emanating from inside it, instead of the normal spectral white blue. Billy appeared like a daedra version of a goat. If ghost rider rode a goat instead of a motorcycle, it would look like Billy.

Rictus was still a little confused as to why he still summoned a goat, but he could not complain about the results. Besides, Billy was growing on him. At times, Rictus could swear Billy had a small spark of intelligence in his eyes. Not worrying too much about that, Rictus mounted his new and improved familiar as he continued towards Dawnstar. The ride was extremely comfortable, as now Billy radiated heat which would be very practical as Rictus was entering the colder portion of Skyrim.

After a couple more hours, Rictus started seeing some signs of civilization. Small homesteads had started popping up. Rictus was a little surprised to see people out tending the fields. The ground and weather in this part of Skyrim were not really suited for agriculture. Although, it made sense for there to be farms near the town or else they would have to rely solely on the sea for food, and it probably froze over for part of the year.

As he was passing on of the larger homesteads, Rictus couldn't help but notice a strangely painted cow on the outside of their stone fence. There were 3 men, probably Nords, tending the field under the expert eye of an obviously experienced farmer. A young girl was balancing along the top of the fence as she walked around the field. As she neared the portion of the wall near the road, she looked up and saw Rictus and Billy staring at her. She let out a scream and fell off the wall.

Before she could hit the ground, Rictus instinctively reached out with his magic and caught her. The girl stared wide eyed at Rictus and his casual display of magic. The men on the field did not react so nicely. They began to shout and storm over to Rictus with fist raised after hearing the girl scream. They stopped just short when they noticed the girl floating in the air and saw Rictus's outstretched hand. The older man seemed to take the lead.

"Release my granddaughter you foul creature. Tell us what you want, but do not harm the little lassie."

Rictus was shocked at man's words.

"Ummm I think there is some kind of misunderstanding here. I was just passing by, and the little girl screamed and fell off the wall. I did not want her to get hurt so I caught here with some magic. I did not mean to startle anyone nor do I want any trouble."

Rictus gently set the girl down as he tried to seem nonthreatening. He really did not want to fight the farmers. He didn't think it would be much of a fight, but he didn't want to be bothered by it. He was mostly just interested in that strange painted cow.

The men seemed to relax a little as the little girl was set down. She immediately ran and hid behind the older man as she stared fearfully at Billy. The older man continued to stare down Rictus.

"If you didn't want any trouble, you wouldn't have showed up here riding a Talos damned beast from Oblivion like some kind of bandit. Just leave us be, we have nothing you would want."

Rictus was a little offended they thought Billy was some cheap beast from a different plane. Billy was his hand crafted familiar, not some beast. Rictus spent hours getting the look just right. Although, he may have made him a tad intimidating. Plus, he may have been looking pretty rough. He hadn't gotten cleaned up after fighting in the dungeon. His tunic was looking very worn and had sweat stains as well as quite a few tears. Rictus was exhausted the night after the quest and excited to experiment with his new mask as well as his familiar. His mask….Rictus may have also still been wearing the mask.

Rictus got down from Billy and dismissed the familiar. He then took off his mask so they could see his face.

"Sorry about all of that. I kinda forgot those can be a little intimidating. I was just with Aela and some other Companions. We helped a woman named Anska get a scroll from some ruins."

At the mention of Anska, one of the other men perked up.

"Anska? Was she a strong and beautiful Nord woman? Likes to use fire magic and is obsessed with proving she is a direct descendant of Ysgramor? Is she okay? She said she had hired the Companions to help her with her newest breakthrough."

Rictus and the other men stared blankly at the one speaking out. The man began to blush a little bit after his outburst.

"Umm yes actually. That sums her up pretty well. How do you know her? You fancy her?" Rictus couldn't help but chuckle as the man got even redder at being called out like that.

"We only shared a tankard of mead a few times at the tavern while she was in town. I was just getting to know her better. We didn't get to do anything before she had to leave…." Trailed off the blushing man as he realized he may have said too much.

Everyone else started laughing at the young man. The tension in the air before seemed to just disappear. Based off appearance and hearing them talk, Rictus could tell that everyone here was related. The older man was the father of the 3 younger men who seemed to be brothers. As the other 2 brothers continued teasing the outspoken one, the older man turned back to Rictus.

"My apologies about the misunderstanding. In the future, you should be more aware of your appearance though. My name is Brentus and these are my sons; Erlinger, Afgar, and Rath. The little lass is my granddaughter Sif."

Rictus shook the mans offered hand.

"Well met. My name is Rictus. I was just passing on my way towards Dawnstar when I couldn't help but notice the cow by your fence. What is the story with that?"

At the mention of the cow, the family seemed to get serious.

"The cow is there in an attempt to appease any giants if they come around. They have been getting more aggressive ever since the Jarl tried to send some men to kill them. Everyone thought the men killed them since they came back with some giant's toes. Those were not all of them apparently. The Jarl tried to send some more men to investigate, but they haven't returned yet. A couple farms have been raided so far. Sometimes leaving an animal out and putting those marks will make the giants leave you alone."

Rictus was surprised by the story. If the Jarl's men didn't show back up, they were probably dead. It sounded like the Jarl attacked first and now the giants are retaliating. Rictus felt bad for the people living out on these farms. They were not suited to fighting off a giant. The Jarl must do something soon though. It was still prime harvest time for the area before the cold set it. They had another few weeks before the start of Last Seed. The weather would change fast this far north once that time comes. Dawnstar would need all the farmers to be productive till then so the region would have enough food stockpiled for the winter.

"I am really sorry to hear about that. Hopefully the Jarl will be able to do something soon to stop it. Thank you for indulging my curiosity."

Brentus waved off his thanks as he started to get back to work in the field. As Rictus was walking away, he noticed Sif was still carefully watching him. Rictus had always had a bit of a soft spot when it came to kids. As he got to the area between the house and the field, he decided to work a little magic. Rictus raised up a lattice work of stone effectively making a domed jungle gym. He then raised up more stone and made it into a slide. One side had steps leading up to the smoothed stone slide.

The young girl stared at Rictus's creation in amazement. Rictus left with one last wave to the kid as she began to investigate her new play area.

As Rictus neared the town proper, he noticed a fairly large caravan of Khajiit. They seemed to be packing up their stuff. It was still a little strange to Rictus that the caravans were not simple a few Khajiit walking together, but an actual caravan with a lot of wagons and Khajiit. As Rictus approached, a female Khajiit with a dark grey and black coat made eye contact with him. Deciding to see if they had any good wares or news, he approached her.

"Hello. I was wondering what you had to offer. As you can see by my attire, I am in desperate need of some clothes."

The Khajiit seemed a little surprised at him approaching her.

"Ah so many refuse to talk to us. They call us thieves and smugglers. I am glad to see that you are not such a one. We have many fine clothes to fit one such as you. Follow Ahkari."

As Rictus was looking through the wares, the rest of the caravan continued to pack up their things. Rictus laid down a couple septims as he continued browsing.

"Any interesting news from the other cities? Also, are you packing up because it's time to move on, or is there something wrong with the town?"

Ahkari quickly grabbed up the septims. She then nodded at Rictus in appreciation. Not many people in Skyrim understood that coins talk.

"Hmm this one has heard rumors another Moot may be occurring very soon in Solitude. Always good for business when the rich gather. We are moving because one of the guards is convinced a deadra prince is cursing the town. So a few people get nightmares, no big deal. He is adamant though, and it was close to time to move on anyways. Besides, he is the absolutely the strongest guard especially with that shield, so I tend to listen to his input."

Rictus froze. As Ahkari had been talking about the guard, she had motioned to another Khajiit. He was absolutely massive. Rictus was a large man and quite muscular thanks to his alter body spell. The Khajiit was a head taller than him and had more muscles. He also carried a huge metal shield with spikes on it. Rictus quickly looked away before he was caught staring.

He grabbed a normal tan tunic, some black pants, and an outfit which looked like novice mage robes except they were black. Rictus quickly paid for his new outfits and a sweet roll to snack on. As he munched on his snack, he created a stone chair to sit on. Eventually, the caravan began rolling past him. The huge Khajiit was sitting on the back of the last carriage as it drove away. Rictus made eye contact. He couldn't help but wink and wiggle his eyebrows at the huge fellow before he caused the ground to swallow him up as he stayed sitting on the chair. Using magic to make an impression is always a good time.

Once Rictus was completely underground, he hollowed out a small room. He was in a good mood after messing with the Khajiit. Whether he was someone like him or not didn't matter to Rictus. He wasn't about to go out of his way to interact with the guy. Besides, Rictus occasionally took pleasure in the little things like messing with an absolute stranger.

Rictus then began to make a complicated looking glyph. His earth bending allowed him to easily make the glyph right into the stone. Rictus then reinforced the room to make sure it would stay safe. He was looking forward to spending the night back at his house in his bed. With a large pulse of magic, Rictus disappeared. His last thought about the greatness of magical fast travel.

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The Khajiit continued to stare at the spot that man had disappeared from. He had thought nothing of the man as he first approached Ahkari, just a dirty man looking for some new clothes to replace his old ones. It was a little strange he just sat there watching the caravan. He was a little worried the man may be trying to scope out his caravan for a bandit attack or something.

There was something about that last look though which was slightly unnerving. The way he seemed to know he was not originally from this place. Then before he could react, the man simply vanished underground while smiling and winking at him. He had to of been someone like him.

"But what could he mean by showing himself to me like that….."

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[A:N]: Well that was another long chapter.

How about that meeting with another "player"? Hope it was as underwhelming as I planned.

I like how I started Billy off as a joke and now he is getting to be a monster. I guess the trusty goat familiar has grown on me.

It is getting closer to time for the dragons to start appearing. Still a bit off I'm afraid. Don't worry. The Dragons are on their way....