After she received all of her customers' orders from various Chorrol establishments, Dar-Ma soon lead James out into the Great Forest of Cyrodiil.  Little else had intrigued the raptor when in town, other than the testosterone-fuelled Fighters' Guild.  A resplendent hall of warriors and mercenaries, all united under one creed.  He even got the chance to encounter some burly but surprisingly charming orcs.  He could have boasted about his own stories like they did, but he didn't want to delay Dar-Ma for too long.  That and he wasn't sure if she appreciated boastful men.
After returning the orders back to the store, Dar-Ma and James headed out once again, the daughter taking a basket with her as they approached the southern exit of the town.  A large oaken door wrought within iron, pulled open with permission by the guards.  Upon opening, James was greeted with a most wonderful sight.
The forest southwest of the town was shimmering with dew from the night before.  Resplendently tall trees grasped towards the sky, with a bewildering variety of plants filling the gaps between them.  Such perfectly vibrant nature that the raptor had rarely ever experienced before.  Not even back in Glenn's world was the land so alive.
	"Woooow..."
	"What is it?" asked the Argonian curiously.
	"I...nothing, it's...such a beautiful day, isn't it?"
	"It is...I love the days after the rain.  The dewdrops make everything sparkle like diamonds."
	"Yeah...I just...I've never seen a place so full of green, it's practically blinding!"
	"Hhhhehehee, is it more barren up near Skyrim?"
	"Mmmmm well it IS mountains after all, not so many trees, but there are forests and all."
	"Well, this IS the Great Forest."
	"Ahhhh this place?  Nice."
	"Now, let's not delay any further."
Dar-Ma stepped forwards with her wicker basket.
	"We need some certain herbs restocked."
	"Really?  Just outside the town?"
	"Not everyone has the time to mix their own potions James.  That's why my mother's store is there."
	"Ahhhh.  So what plants are we looking for?"
	"Well, let's see...we need some Tiger Lily, St. Jahn's Wort we're getting quite low on, a little Flax would be good too.  And...Lavender and some Somnalius."
	"Cool, but uh...I dunno anything about plants."
	"Heehee, don't worry James.  You could be my...bodyguard."
	"Heh, bodyguard huh?"
	"What else could a strong warrior such as yourself do to assist a maiden?"
Both of them blushed, Dar-Ma moreso as James agreed and the two set off into the forest.  The woods were alive not just with flora but also with fauna, as evidenced by the birds and deer that sprinted spryly between the trees.  James was enraptured.  The sunlight dancing between the trees unto ferns.  The rustling of orange and purple flowers in the gentle breeze.  The light and the wind playing upon Dar-Ma's skin and dress.  Everytime he entered a new world, he felt a completely different person.
As they wandered across the Great Forest, he felt a slight twinge of pain in his ribs, which the maiden noticed.

	"Oh, are you alright James?"
	"Y-yeah, just...gimme a bit."
	"Perhaps you are not fully healed yet?"
	"No no, I'm fine, it'll fix itself."
	"Hmmm...perhaps some Monkshood will help."
	"Yeah?  What's that do?"
	"Oh it restores strength and fortifies one's endurance, should help your body toughen up a little."
	"Sounds great, any around here?"
	"Unfortunately no.  But they're more common in the Heartlands, which I have to go to anyway for Lavender and Somnalius."
	"Ahh...so uh, which way's that?"
	"To the east."  She pointed thusly.  "Towards the Imperial City upon the shores of Lake Rumare.  I never really go into the city myself, I find it far too big and busy for me."
	"Hehehe, small town girl are ya?"
	"You could say that."
She smirked sweetly, making James chuckle as she asked.
	"What about you?  What sort of place did you live in?"
	"Uhh...I grew up in a city, far away from here called Chicago."
	"Chicago?  I have never heard of such a place."
	"It's really far away, like not even on the continent, though I wasn't born there, I was born in another place called London."
	"You're not even from Tamriel?!"
James panicked slightly.  Did she figure it out?  He understood a couple of 20th-century kids doing so but a medieval maiden?!  He tried to choose his next words carefully, trying to tempt out more geographical locations out of her like before.
	"Nnnno.  I'm from an island, farther away."
	"What's it called?"
	"Uh...g-gimme a minute, my head's still a bit fuzzy."
	"O-oh, my apologies, I forgot you have not fully recovered."  She bowed politely with an apologetic smile.  "We can talk about something else, if you prefer."
	"Alrighty."
With an inward sigh of relief for having evaded such a tough question, he let Dar-Ma speak about her life and how her mother had first set up her business in Chorrol.  Many names and places were dropped, all of which James noted down mentally in future should he have to bluff his way out in later conversations.  As the Argonian continued talking, with occasional interruptions of asking if she could out of fear for monopolising the conversation, James turned peaceful.  There was something soothing about Dar-Ma he could not place.
The last time he felt such a feeling was...no, thought James.  Stop thinking about her.  It's over, it's done, we don't have to think about her anymore.  You're away from there now.  This is some other place, somewhere you can forget about-
	"James?"
	"H-huh?"
	"Are you alright?  You looked a little troubled."
	"Uh no no was just thinking about something, I was uh...uhhh thinking abouuuut the city, yeah!  The Imperial City!"
	"Oh?"
	"Yeah I was uh, wondering if maybe I can go there sometime, just to check it out."
	"Well, I will not stop you-"
	"-but first I will make sure you get home safely, alright miss Dar-Ma?"
She smiled, and made the tiniest curtsy with her dress for extra cuteness.
	"I thank you, sir James."
	"Hhhahaha, that's adorable."
	"Wh-what is?"
	"Your little curtsy, god you're so classy it's adorable."
	"O-oh, really I'm just a storekeeper, not a baroness!"
	"Does that matter?  What matters is that everyone seems to like you back in Chorrol."
	"Everyone visits our store, we have all they need in their lives."
	"Right."
	"But thank you regardless for the compliment, my dear sir James."

The raptor merely blushed at such a title, and they continued onwards to the Heartlands.  To the east of Chorrol, past the Great Forest, there laid a lake.  The lake acted as something of a moat around the Imperial City, a fine city of white and stone grey upon an island in the middle of the lake.  The settlement was certainly enormous even from across the lake, with a single towering column piercing towards the heavens.
	"Woooah..."  The raptor was agasp at such a sight.
	"You have never been to the Imperial City James?"
	"Nope, never.  It's...huge, it's on its own damn island!"
	"Indeed!  The only way to enter it is through the bridge over there."
She pointed a little southwest, where a large bridge stood elevated above the water.
	"Hmmm...alright, let's get the rest of your herbs and head back shall we?"
With a nod, Dar-Ma and James collected the rest of their herbs, finding Somnalius near the water as well as Lavender and Monkshood in the surrounding plains.  On their way back however, they soon encountered a small confrontation.  Passing the ruins of a fort nearby, they were witness to the aftermath of a most terrible battle.
The fortress had long been ruined by the passing of time, stone walls randomly built up or broken down, one of which was a semi-circle.  In the midst of it all were several bodies of humans, orcs and one or two feline anthros that James was surprised at.  Dar-Ma held his arm tightly.
	"Oh...wh-what happen-"
	"Shh."
His danger sense was up as he placed a hand on Dar-Ma's snout.  But it was too late, for the survivors came out.

Only two remained, and not looking particularly healed up.  A blonde-haired human around 6-foot tall, and a similarly-tall orc.  Both were covered in blood, their armour ornately grey and resembling crocodile scales.
	"Well look what we have here," said the human.  "Two little lizards out for a stroll."
	"Please sir," pleaded Dar-Ma gently, "we are simple gatherers, we have no money to offer."
	"That's a shame.  We weren't asking for money."  The orc drew out his steel longsword, as did the human.  "We need a little...refresher after our glorious battle."
	"R-refresher?"
	"You know...something a maiden can provide?"
	"Not gonna happen buddy."
James drew out his scissors, seeing no other way out of the fight.
	"And who are you supposed to be?"
	"I'm her bodyguard, fucko.  And you either let us pass through, or you're gonna join your pals here."
	"Hah!  How noble, she must pay you well!  And how are you going to fight with such an absurd weapon?  My friend here doesn't have any hair!"
	"I cut off heads, not hair."
He brandished his blades and stepped forwards, ready for a battle as the two approached.  The maiden feared for his health.
	"James!"
	"Don't worry, I got this."
	"If you mean your death, then you definitely got THIS!"
The human swung his longsword straight for the raptor's head, but he immediately dodged inwards to the side to pierce his scissors deep into the side, but only to find the heavy armour preventing a full entry.  Despite their wounds and the weakened condition of their armour, they were still able to fight.  James backed off slightly to see the orc swing his blade downwards, forcing the raptor to dodgeroll readily to the side, swinging his out his scissors low towards the less-guarded boots.

Scarring a grievous wound into the orc's foot, the beast grunted and slightly limped, but kept his ground as the human charged towards the raptor with a swing.  James dodged, but was thrown off by a second equally brutal swing towards him that struck his leg, not deep but enough to bleed down his jeans.  Undeterred, the raptor swung back in return, opening his scissors to scar straight down the weakened back armour of his foe.
A roar of surprise was his reward as he wasted no time in plunging straight into the crack of the armour, but his foe turned quick enough to back away and allow the scissors to glance off hard upon the front of his armour.  James unbalanced himself with his thrust, but recovered himself by pushing the scissors into the ground and swinging himself around.
Building momentum up like before, he swung his legs out to slash across both of the marauders' faces, his lethal raptor claws turning their cheeks red with blood and temporarily blinding them as they protected their heads.  The orc charged forwards with a bullrushing tactic, right when James was about to recover from his spin, slamming into his back and making him roll hard.
Dar-Ma panicked, but James shouted at her to stay back, before he rolled to one side and got back on his feet fast.  His back was clearly bruised, but he still stood tall with blades at the ready, held in both hands and facing forwards like a claymore.  The marauders did the same as they charged at him together, thinking he couldn't possibly handle both of them.  They were nearly right.

James knew he couldn't take down both of them like this, but he noticed they were not running shoulder to shoulder.  Waiting for his moment, he ran towards them before sliding between both of them and quickly getting back up to stab straight into the human's weakened back armour.  The human roared with anguish as James forced open his scissors and snapped them back shut within his opponent's body.
Cutting again and again, blood poured down his blades and onto the ground, before James was satisfied that his foe had been dealt with.  He pulled his scissors out and was ready for a last blow, but the human managed to pull out one final surprising swing, twisting his body around to slam his longsword straight into the scissors with all of his might.
It was successful enough to send it spinning out of James' hands and end up hitting one of the rock walls, leaving the raptor unarmed and defenceless as he fell from the force.  The orc grinned at his friend's last dying action, and readily charged towards James with sword held high.  But the raptor was ready with a thought in mind.
	"Night-night lizard!"
	"NOT YET!  BURN!"
Bringing his hands up, he shot out a powerful stream of flames, like that of a flamethrower straight into the orc's face.  With surprise and sudden searing pain on his face, he backed off with sword held across his face to guard himself, grunting as his cheeks started to boil and burn somewhat.
Enough time and distraction for James to sprint towards his weapon, snatching it back up before charging straight towards the orc, roaring only at the last moment as he opened his scissors and slammed them shut around the orc's longblade.
Pulling back hard, the orc instinctively pulled back in turn, and after a small tug of war, the raptor lunged forwards with a roar the moment the orc pulled back in reflex.  His scissor points thrusted past the blade and straight into the thick green neck, splitting the throat open.
It didn't decapitate him, but it certainly cut deep enough to make him struggle and gasp thick choking breaths at the sudden disconnecting of his windpipe, cleaved in two as he gurgled and clawed desperately at his throat.  The raptor disdainfully pulled back, and pushed him down, letting him die on his own, blood and oxygen spurting from the half-sliced throat, the orc's eyes rolling up into his skull before his hands fell dead.

With his foes defeated, he sheathed his blades, hoping that he looked badass while doing so before turning towards Dar-Ma, asking:
	"You alright?"
	"I...y-yes.  Th-thank you!"
	"No problem.  Let's get back to your mum alright?"
	"A-alright but...you're bleeding!"
	"Nnngh...yeah but I'll be fine, just-"
	"No no, please, allow me."
She brought out from her basket a roll of bandage, bringing James down to a stream nearby to wash his leg wound first.  The cold water seared across the open wound and bled into the river, making the raptor gasp hard before she wrapped her bandage around it, tying it firmly.
	"W-wow....that's a bit better, thanks."
	"I never leave home without a few supplies," said the Argonian with a proud sweet smile.  "You never know when someone may need help."
	"Hehehe, fair enough then.  Nnngh...oh god my back."
	"Oh, of course, let me see."
She sat him down upon a rock near the stream before examing him better, the raptor sighing as he tried to relax.  His back was bruised all over, but not horrendously so.  Despite her relief at it not being grievous, she took safety measures by gently rubbing some ointment from her basket upon it.
	"Is this better?"
	"H-h-hhhhoooohhhhhh...that's....really nice, thank you."
	"Are you able to walk?"
	"Oh please, I can walk all the way to Skyrim like this, I travelled way worse."
	"Heehee, if you say so James."
Putting her supplies back in her basket along with her collected herbs, Dar-Ma got up with James as they walked back together towards Chorrol, taking greater care to avoid forts in case of future attacks.  James however was not above looting the bodies of those he had slain out of curiosity, in order to get some of the local currency, having none of his own.
Dar-Ma could not say much against such simple logic, and let the raptor do so, but turning away while he did for she felt somewhat uncomfortable at relieving the dead of their personal items.
By the time they reached Chorrol, it was nearing sunset, and the forest turned darker in its greenery to become impossible to traverse through.  The only other thing of interest was Dar-Ma's collecting of Steel Blue Entoloma mushrooms, which she explained were only found in the Great Forest, and were highly sought after for restoring one's magicka.
As they re-entered Chorrol, they immediately headed for the Northern Goods and Trade store, with Dar-Ma's mother welcoming the two.
	"Welcome back!"
	"Hello mother!"
	"Hey miss."
Despite James' best efforts, the limp was unmistakeable.
	"Oh, what happened?!"
	"Some thugs tried to rob us, but I fought them off."
	"Bandits?!"
	"I guess?"
	"Are you alright Dar-Ma?"
	"I'm fine mother," said the maiden happily, "Sir James was so brave in defending me from them, but don't worry, I treated him well."
	"That's good to hear but where did you meet such rogues?"
	"Um...near Fort Nivel..."
	"Why in Tamriel did you ever go there?!"
	"We needed some Lavender and Somnalius, mother!  I was-"
	"No wonder you were out so late.  And here I was thinking you were guiding our guest around."
	"Bu-"
	"Dar-Ma!"
The maiden frowned and turned shamefully away from her mother.
	"As much as I appreciate your efforts in getting me those herbs from the Heartlands, you know I was ordering them and they would arrive within the week."
	"I...I thought it would help...and I had James with me."  The mother sighed with exasperation.
	"I know dear...but you barely even know him, how could you place your trust in this stranger so readily?!"
	"Mother!  Why would you think he was anything else?!"
	"Oy...my dear, you are far too trusting.  Have you already forgotten Hackdirt?"
The very name made the younger Argonian buckle at the knees, holding her hands close to her lips shakily.  James said nothing, letting the two talk it out.  As much as he felt slightly offended by Seed-Neeus' remark, he did agree with her in that her naivety would be trouble.
	"N-no...I haven't."
	"Then please, for your mother's sake, be more careful.  I don't want to lose you-"
	"M-mother please, never say such a thing-"
	"I know..."
With little else to say, Seed-Neeus hugged her daughter tenderly, the younger sighing as she held back tears, letting them rub off in her mother's clothes.  After they both calmed down, Dar-Ma said softly:
	"Forgive me mother."
	"It's alright.  Now, you have your chores to do."
	"Yes mother, thank you."

As Dar-Ma tenderly walked back downstairs, the older Argonian approached James.
	"Um, listen I didn't know-"
	"It's alright.  My daughter tends to be rather headstrong, and something of a romanticist.  I'm afraid that has only turned even stronger since Hackdirt."
	"What happened at Hackdirt?"
	"She was making a delivery to there, but while doing so she was kidnapped.  Apparently there...there was a cult...who..."
She could barely finish the sentence, the very thought of which made her shudder.  James put a hand on her shoulder.
	"Hey, it's okay, you really don't have to tell me everything, I understand."
	"Well, in any case she was rescued, thank the Nine, by a most wonderful hero.  The very same one they call the Champion of Cyrodiil, one whom I am forever in the debt of."
	"Wow...who would kidnap a girl like Dar-Ma?"
	"Terrible people that's who.  But no matter, she is safe now.  And I must thank you for keeping her safe when accompanying her."
	"Hey it's no problem miss Seed-Neeus.  But uh...I do agree with you on what you said."
	"Oh?"
	"About not trusting strangers.  Even me."
	"I hope I did not offend, it's just I-"
	"No no you didn't, you're right.  I mean I'm a nice guy, sure, but not everyone is right?"
	"Indeed.  Thank you for being so understanding."
	"It's the least I can do for the two of you not letting me freeze to death in the woods."
	"Ha ha ha, I see...I appreciate it nevertheless."
She bowed to the raptor, who bowed back to her in turn.  He was getting the feeling that he would be doing a lot of bowing in his time here.
	"So um...is there anything else I can do for you miss?"
	"Not at the moment thank you.  You have already done plenty for protecting my daughter and for that I thank you, again."
	"Hehe, really, no worries.  But uh...um...I dunno how long I'll be staying, and it's getting dark."
	"Oh, well the Oak and Crosier across from us always has a bed to spare."
	"Ohhh yeah.  Well good thing I got some money then."
He patted his satchel which jingled with the coins from the marauders' bodies, before deciding it was late enough for him to try and more fully recover from his new wounds.
	"So uh, I guess I'll sleep at the inn and head on to the Imperial City.  Dar-Ma told me it was a big place, might be something I can find there."
	"That would be a good idea."
	"Alrighty, see you around miss."
	"I certainly hope so.  Good night sir James."
	"Night!"
Walking downstairs, he decided to check up on Dar-Ma before leaving.  After all it would be rude not to at least say goodbye.  Gently knocking on the door, her voice allowed him inside as he opened.  She was standing beside a row of shelves, thumbing a pendant of hers while checking inventory.
	"Uh, Dar-Ma?"
	"Oh!  Hello James."
	"Heyyyy.  Listen, I'm gonna go sleep over at the uh...Oak and Crosier?"
	"Oh, do you have money?"
	"Yep, no worries.  I'm thinking of going to the big city when I get up, so if I don't see you before then, I just wanna say night night."
	"Oh how sweet of you!"
She put down her notes and gently walked up to the raptor, hugging him softly.  James was certainly surprised, but he returned the gesture.
	"Hehe, th-thanks."
	"Thank you again for your assistance today."
	"Yeah, your mum thanked me like three times, I get it."
	"Heehee!"
	"So, you okay?"
	"Of course I am James.  Don't let that little thing with me and mother upset you, it has nothing to do with you."
	"Don't worry, she told me.  I'll uh, just head on over to the inn now.  Night Dar-Ma."
	"Good night James.  I hope to see you soon."
	"Me too."
With that, he left the shop truly, and made his way across the street towards the Oak and Crosier.  The inn itself was certainly nice, with a female feline tending to the bar in the center of the hall, a variety of food and drink on display.  A stairway half-squared around her right up to the rooms, with dining tables underneath the rooms to the left.
	"Welcome to the Oak and Crosier," said the feline.  "This one is Talasma, your hostess.  Our rooms and food are at your disposal."
	"Ahh, hi there, I'd like a room please."
The feline's ears pricked at the unusual tone of the apparent Argonian before her.
	"Very well...that will be ten gold please."
He fished into his satchel for the correct number, glad that he had enough before he was given a key.
	"Your room is at the end of the hall upstairs.  Sleep well."
	"Thanks."
Making his way upstairs, he entered his room and sat down on the bed, locking his door.  Feeling rather pleased to have his own room for once, even if temporary, he felt the wonderfully comfy bed despite the size of his rectangular room.  He could stretch himself out and just barely reach both walls from bed to bookcase.  There was also a desk in the corner which made him feel rather stately and important.  But for now, he decided to rest.
Taking his jeans off, with a little half-smile at the new cut in them, he placed them in a drawer along with his shoulder guard, before putting his scissors upon the desk.  Slipping into the bed covers naked, he began to ponder on several things, now that he was alone with himself.
Firstly, how long did he plan to stay here?  He was already feeling comfortable with the medieval lifestyle thanks to his time with Glenn, but he was still unsure if he could find anyone able to assist him.  Secondly, would Dar-Ma be okay?  In the day he came to know her, he was already enchanted by her enigmatic presence.  Whenever he was around her, his heart felt uplifted, vibrant with confidence and warmth.
It wasn't just him either, according to the dispositions of her customers.  He sighed to himself, letting thoughts turn blurry, occasionally slipping off into lewder ideas now and again, try as he might to not spoil the Argonian maiden's purity within.  But with that thought alone, his mind betrayed him with the only other girl he knew to be just as sweet and pure.
Scowling to himself, he went to sleep at last, letting the exhaustion of today take over as his wounds slowly healed through the night.