All priests were by law and religious rules qualified users of restoration magic and medical practice. The reason for this was the same one as why I was pestering this guy instead of learning on my own, patients. Between infection, disease, accidents, battle, monsters and training people needing a healer were always abundant and went to a place they could trust to treat them right, the temples. Actual restoration magic was secondary for me here the main thing was developing a reputation in Riften as someone who learned healing from the most legit of sources.-
The reason for this? Thieves. These people couldn't exactly show up in front of a temple healer in full thief armor and not expect the guards to show up. This meant more often than not these people had to delay treatment until they could change or simply couldn't get treated at all and die. If I learned healing and extended service to the thieves through Vex for a profit everyone walks away happy. Yes my entire plan to accumulate wealth was just to exploit the dark part of societies downside.-
I hadn't forgotten my sword sitting within my soul at the moment but unlike day to day things weapons were VERY expensive. Even a single iron dagger of not great quality ran a price of sixty to seventy gold, the good ones can run all the way up to one fifty if the make is good enough. I'm not even going to mention anything enchanted because those things were pricey enough to make my teeth itch looking at the tags on them. Forget my sword for now though I still needed money to buy spell books in other schools, ingredients for alchemy, lessons in alchemy, enchantment and smithing and finally extra funds for higher quality food ingredients to start cooking for myself.-
That last one was do or die important because food in this world is so damned plain it was killing my foodie soul every bite I took. Most food was simple in seasoning and preparation. Salt, onion, garlic and honey were basically it, at least as far as I've seen. Most meals were roasted meats and vegetables or stew of some sort. Bread and cheese was around sure but flavorful that stuff was not. And the deserts! By the gods the deserts! They were so uninspired or basic it was painful to even think about. -
No, I had gone long enough without a decently seasoned meal and wanted to rectify this posthaste. Maramal might have been exasperated at the sudden teaching gig thrust on him but he didn't skimp out at all. He taught basic first aid with bandages, splints, poultices and stopgap restoration spell work. He showed me how to clean a dagger for surgery and even how to use the [Lay on hands] spell to diagnose an injuries severity. He showed me veins and arteries, organs and bones over the next month.-
By the end of it the man even offered me a job as his assistant after I had learned most of what he could teach without years of experience. I politely rejected his offer since I valued my freedom and that would all but vanish if I accepted. Don't be mistaken now, temple jobs were incredibly strict and once you were onboard getting out was not easy at all. He was disappointed in my choice but told me to go with Mara(this worlds version of god bless you). I took a couple of days to relax after that before hunting for Vex.-
Standing at the edge of the bustling city market in the center of Riften I watched carefully for the telltale dirty blonde almost bleached hair that was uniquely Vex's. The girl now young woman was a bit cocky when she stole as she never covered her head. To be fair I hadn't ever seen her get caught either so her confidence wasn't exactly unwarranted. Over the past two years she'd been a rare visitor to the market which I assumed was because she'd started moving on to break-ins and burglary jobs. that was what she excelled in most according to the game so I knew it was only a matter of time.-
After two hours of waiting during the busiest part of the day I was about to call it a day when I caught that hair of hers moving into the alley leading to the thieves guild's hidden "backdoor" in the graveyard. I moved as quick as my seven year old feet could take me and without care if I was detected. As a result it didn't surprise me at all when she ambushed me from the shadows.-
"Listen hear brat. I don't like it when people follow me and I like it even less when it's the same person twice." she said with narrowed eyes and a deep scowl as she pressed me firmly against a wall by my shoulder.
"Would you prefer I walk into the Flagon and loudly tell everyone I'm looking for you?" I asked calmly.
She scoffed "Please your stones haven't even dropped yet. You'd never get even close to the Flagon." she said as she let me go "Clearly you want something so spill it. You want someone else snuffed out or something?" she demanded roughly as she crossed her arms.
"The opposite actually. I've learned the healing arts recently and happen to know it's a service your people would find valuable. No questions asked about the injuries, just coin paid and wounds treated. Nice and simple." I said pressing the full prowess of my Speechcraft skills.
Her eyes stared at me as if trying to pry open my soul to lay my every secret bare for a full awkward two minutes before she sighed.
"Fine, I'll take you to Gallus. It's his call if the guild takes your offer or not. After that don't chase after me if you value not being in pain." she said annoyed before turning to walk out of the alley back towards the market.
"You might as well go to the graveyard entrance of the guild." I said making her stop and snap her head around to glare at me like a cat with it's tail stepped on.
"How do you know about that!?" she hissed fiercely.
"Relax. I followed a few different members of the guild a few different times only for them to vanish in the graveyard. I hid and waited after that and figured out there was a secret entrance to the guild in one of the mausoleums." I explained honestly.
She groaned at that "Those idiots! We keep telling them to stay cautious when they return to the guild for this reason exactly! At least it's only you that knows." she said angrily.
"You say that like me knowing doesn't matter." I pointed out.
"Heh, you've been tagged long ago as a potential future guild recruit. You are too damned talented, everyone wants a piece of the pie that is you in the city. We are all just waiting for you to grow up first. Even the brotherhood showed interest once word of your murdering that old hag reached them." she said clearly thrilled at how caught off guard i was by this revelation.