How to complete the In My Time of Need quest in Skyrim

There are too many quests to count in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and some of them like to make the player think a bit. The “In My Time of Need” quest in Skyrim is exactly one of those morally questionable missions that will make the player wonder what they should do. Those two Redguard soldiers in Whiterun will wait there forever if you don’t finish this quest. So, to finally rid Whiterun of them, here is how to complete the “In My Time of Need” quest in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

In My Time of Need Skyrim quest walkthrough

Players will receive the “In My Time of Need” quest in Skyrim when talking to the two Redguard warriors at the entrance to Whiterun. You will be tasked with finding a fugitive Redguard woman from Hammerfell. Since there is no marker to show the player where to find her, most fans get lost at this point in the quest.

To find the Redguard woman in Whiterun, you will need to head over to the Bannered Mare, the tavern in the market center. You can see it in the image above. Inside, you will find a woman named Saadia. She will either be working behind the counter or in the kitchen.

If you talk to her, you will learn that she is the Redguard woman the warriors are looking for. You will now have a choice to make, either tell the Alik’r Warriors her location or help her by eliminating the Kematu, the leader of these assassins. If you talk to the warriors, you can instantly finish the quest and get 500 gold.

Otherwise, follow her to a private room and hear her whole story. You will learn that she was a noblewoman who spoke out against the Aldmeri Dominion. She will then ask you to find and eliminate Kematu, the leader of the assassins.

To find Kematu, you will first have to head over to the Whiterun Dungeon to talk to one of the Alik’r prisoners. Since now you will have quest markers, finding the Dungeon should be easy. If not, you can see it in the image below. Talk to the prisoner and then talk to one of the guards to pay his 100 gold bail. Go back to the prisoner and you will learn the location of Kematu’s hideout.

Head over to Swindler’s Den and fight through the hordes of bandits. At the end of the dungeon, you will find a cavern with a waterfall where a bunch of Alik’r Warriors are looking at you. At the top of the cave, to the left, you can find Kematu and talk to him. Kematu will tell you a different story from Saadia, in which she is a traitor that needs to face justice. It is not clear which side is telling the truth, so you will have to decide on your own if you want to betray Saadia or kill Kematu.

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To finish the quest, either kill Kematu and his crew now or go back to Saadia and lure her to the Whiterun Stables, where Kematu will appear and kill her. If, however, you find the fight with Kematu and his men too difficult, you can pretend to be on his side, lure Saadia to the stables, and kill him then.

Either one of them will reward you with 500 gold for completing the quest. There is a bug that lets the Alik’r Warriors in Whiterun still wander around, even though you got rid of Kematu and finished the quest.