The whole building shook. I was thrown out of my bed and onto the cold ground. The mage robe I'd forgotten to change out of got caught on a leg and almost ripped down the side. In my sleep induced state, I sat up slowly. A tremendous roar came from outside, bringing me back from wherever my sleep had taken me. I got to my feet and ran outside, grabbing my satchel on the way, to where others had started to gather. There was hushed chatter between everyone that stopped as I made my way through the crowd. I was a traveller, a stranger to these people; and it turned out that Nords did not trust easily. A guard, dressed in yellow armour and brown boots was comforting an old lady on her veranda. I couldn't made out any detail about the guard; their helmet refusing my vision of their face and their voice a hushed whisper.
"What happened? What was that noise?" I asked.
"Mother believes she saw a dragon," came a Nord voice. A man I recognised from the inn last night stepped out of the shadows. He had shoulder length, blond hair and wore and blue and brown tunic. A lute was strapped to his back. "I'm Sven. You stayed at the Sleeping Giant Inn last night, didn't you?"
I nodded. "I'm Vielene. Now, did you say dragon? I'm not an expert on Skyrim lore but aren't all dragons dead?"
"This one wasn't! It was as black as night and flew right over the town!" cried the old lady, her voice sounding incredibly frail.
"Mother, there is no way you could have seen a dragon. Now go back inside before you scare the town to death," Sven instructed. She muttered something under her breath but did as he said, thanking the guard as she got up.
"Does your mother usually see things?" I laughed as Sven shook his head.
"No, but she is getting old," he replied, leaning against the wooden railing around the front of the house.
"But there was that tremor. And the roar. What if it was a dragon? Wouldn't that be exciting?"
Sven scoffed. "Exciting? Haven't you heard the legends? Dragons are the harbingers of the End of Times," he told me, pushing off the railing and heading along the path. I followed in his footsteps but turned into the Riverwood Trader. Now I was up I figured I might as well prepare for my journey to Whiterun. The door creaked slightly as I pushed it open, but the two people in the shop didn't seem to notice.
"Well one of us has to do something!" a lady in a yellow dress shouted. She had her back to me, so all I could see was her dark brown hair. She was standing in the middle of the store, facing the man behind the counter.
"I said no!" he shouted back, "No adventures, no theatrics, no thief chasing!"
"Well, what are you going to do about it then, huh? Let's hear it!"
The door shut gently behind but I didn't dare move. I was scared to take one more step into the store in case I become the target of their wrath. Judging by the polished tone of their voices, they were both Imperials. Related too, I guessed from their bickering.
"We are done talking about this! Oh," he cut himself off, noticing me. "A customer. Sorry you had to hear that."
The woman walked over to a nearby table and sat down as I approached the counter.
"Did something happen?" I asked.
"Yes, we had a bit of a… break in. But we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold. In the shape of a dragon's claw."
I nodded in acknowledgment. The man wore a mainly red tunic, which complimented his darker skin tone. He had a small amount of facial hair and a short cropped hair cut.
"Do you sell spells?" I asked, the real reason I had come here. I'd grown complacent in the time I'd spent in Cyrodiil, and I needed to step up my game.
"I think I have a few old spellbooks lying around," he said, turning around to a bookshelf behind him. "You'd be better off going to the College of Winterhold, but that's where you're heading, isn't it?"
"Eventually," I laughed. "I plan on visiting some of the other holds first. See what Skyrim has to offer, practice my magic. But yes, that's where I hope to end up. I guess the robe is a bit of a giveaway?"
"It is. That orange shine's a destruction enchant, right?"
"Yeah. It's what I'm best at," I replied.
"Well, I have just the thing," he said, placing three books on the counter. He bent down and came back up with a circlet. "Just came in in my most recent shipment. Destruction enchant. I'll give it you for a cheaper price with the spell books."
I eyed the headpiece. It was a bronze colour, copper probably. Three dull red gems were forged into the front, the middle slightly bigger than the others. It had a faint orange shine like the robe I was wearing.
"How much for the lot?"
"750 gold."
I looked at the spells on the counter. Healing, lesser ward and clairvoyance. All three were useful. It was time I used learnt some restoration spells.
"Done," I said, pulling the gold out of my satchel and taking the circlet from his hands. Carefully, I placed it on my head. I felt a small surge of power run through my body. The sensation disappeared as quickly as it started.
"It suits you. Goes with your hair," the woman, who I'd forgot was there, said.
I smiled at her and grabbed the books. "Is it okay if I learn them here?" I asked the man. Before he had a chance to reply, the woman was out of her seat.
"Oh, yes, please. Lucan never lets me see or do anything. This would be the most excitement I've had a in a long time."
I opened the Clairvoyance spell tome. I scanned its pages quickly. It disappeared before I even had the chance to shut it.
"That's how you learn spells? Just be reading the book?" The woman asked, looking at me eagerly.
"Yes. You have to be trained to do it, but it's really quite easy," I told her.
"And where do did it go?"
"Well, they're made by mages who already know the spell. You take a blank book and enchant it with the spell. The book simply stops existing when someone absorbs the knowledge."
"Amazing," she muttered. "I'm probably twice your age and you know three times as much as I do!"
"I've done a lot of reading," I laughed.
After learning the other two spells, I said my goodbyes and headed for the door. As I reached for the handle, I turned back around to face the siblings.
"I could help you get the claw back."
"You could?" Lucan asked.
"Sure. I was only planning on heading to Whiterun. Another day in Riverwood wouldn't hurt."
"Great! I've got some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring the claw back. If you're going to get those thieves, you should head to Bleak Falls Barrow, northeast of town."
"Thanks. I'll have it back before nightfall," I said in departing. I had barely made it out the wooden arch of the town when I heard Camila call out to me.
"Take me with you. I'm dying for some adventure," she begged.
"Lucan let you ask me?"
"Oh, Divines, no. I told him I was going to get more wood from the mill. What he doesn't know won't kill him."
I looked back the Trader, thinking about how Lucan would react if anything happened to her.
"You can come with me, but only if you promise to stay behind me. I can't have you getting injured," I told her.
"Promise!" she replied without hesitation.
And with that we set off. Birds flew overhead as we made our way across the stone bridge across the river that passed through the town.
"Those thieves must be mad, hiding out there. Those old crypts are filled with nothing but traps, trolls and who knows what else!" Camilla chattered.
I laughed. "Then why do you want to come?"
"Well, with a mage to protect me I should be fine! I do wonder why they only stole Lucan's golden claw, we have plenty of things in the shop that are worth just as much coin. Lucan found it about a year after he opened the store. He never quite explained where he got it. He's a tricky one."
"How does he know that it'll be in the barrow?" I asked.
"Like I said, he's a tricky one."
Before I had time to reply, a wolf leapt out from behind some bushes. Camila yelped. The sound had barely left her mouth as purple sparks left my hand. They flew straight into the wolf as it bounded towards us. They sizzled on contact, and the canine fell to the ground before it had time to even nip at our ankles.
"Wow. You're good," Camila expressed as we continued walking.
"Not really. That's novice stuff. I'll be casting spell much more impressive than that if I get into the college."
"I'm sure you will," she assured me as we trudged up the inclining path.
The higher we got, the more snow started to appear. Gradually it got thicker on the rock around us until it was underneath out feet. A chilly breeze blew from the mountains as a cobblestone tower loomed in the distance.
"Quiet. We'll sneak around it," I whispered to Camilla as I noticed a figure standing against a nearby tree.
"Bandits?" she asked. I nodded. "What if they're the ones who have the claw? It'll save us a trip all the way up," she suggested.
"Good thinking. Stay behind these rocks, and if I get into any trouble run back to Riverwood. Okay?" She nodded and I stood up, now in full sight of the bandit. He pushed of the tree and brandished his weapon at me.
"Stay away, mage. I'm warning you," he snarled.
"Next time, don't," I retorted as stream of flames shot from my hand. The bandit cried out and fell to the ground, his weapon rolling down the hill. The noise must have alerted his companions, because soon another bandit with a bow ran out from the tower. She pulled an arrow from the quiver and fired. I narrowly dodged it and ran towards her, flames spilling from my hand again. She screamed as her skin burnt and fell off the stone bridge she was standing on. I cast Oakflesh as I headed into the tower. I felt the magic solidify around me like piece of armour. I jumped back as I rounded the corner, almost being taken out by a third bandit's mace. Knowing I didn't have time to take her out with a spell, I summoned a sword into my hand. The purple weapon crackled into life and I parried a second attack. I went low and sliced at her legs. She cried out as she began to topple over. I swung the sword in my hand and sliced it across her chest before she hit the floor. Blood gurgled out from the open wound onto the wooden floor. The bandit opened her mouth to scream again but nothing but more blood came out. The already dark armour she had on was now three shades darker.
I dispelled the sword and stepped over the bandit who was now jerking slightly. I made my way up the outside of the tower on a wooden ramp, then up a flight of wooden stairs that lead me to a chest on the top of the building. The winds tore at my robe as I got to the last step. I pulled my arms around me and knelt down, sheltered slightly by a small wall. I pushed the lid of the chest open and rummaged through its contents. A few gold pieces (which I took), a potion of stamina and a sword. I slammed the lid shut in disappointment and made my way back down the tower.
The third bandit's eyes had started to glaze over now, but blood was still trickling from her chest. I tried my best to avoid the puddles but ended up leaving a few red tracks in the snow as I made my way back to Camila.
"No claw," I announced as I approached. She was crouched over the first bandit I'd killed, holding the axe he'd dropped.
"I guess we'll have to keep climbing then," she said, using the axe to motion to the path up the mountain.
I scoffed. "Not with that in your hand; put it down. I can't let you get in the action in case you get hurt," I told her.
"I won't get in the way. It's just so I have protection," she reasoned.
I sighed and nodded, motioning for her to walk. We trudged through the snow while Camila swung the axe back and forth, getting used to the feel of the steel. Harsh winds blew against us the higher we got. Snow battered against my robe and my vision became mostly white. I could barely see what was in front of me when we finally reached the barrow. Old stone steps led up to a large platform, but I pulled Camila away as I heard voices. I raised a finger to my lips and looked around the corner. A lone bandit was coming down the steps towards us.
I leapt out from behind the wall and hit him with a blast of fire. With no chance to protect himself, he was down in a matter of seconds. I ran up the steps before his cries gave his comrades a chance to arm themselves. There were a great number of the steps to climb and by the time I made it to the platform I found two bows pointed at me. I ducked behind a pillar to as the bandit to my right let an arrow fly. I heard it bounce off the stone behind me and slipped around the pillar to avoid being hit by the other bandit's arrow. I stifled a scream as I came face to face with the hard-faced Nord that had fired the first arrow. I reacted a second before her, and my flame-engulfed fist connected with her face before her dagger reached my neck. She fell to the ground with a screech, clutching her burnt skin.
An arrow soared straight passed my head. It whistled past my ear as I turned to fight the other bandit. She was still a distance away. There was no way I could get to her without being hit by an arrow. As she nocked another arrow I held my hand out in front of me. A deep purple void appeared for a second then vanished, leaving in its place a spectral wolf. It charged for the bandit and before she had time to register what had happened it had latched onto her leg. She screamed and screamed as it bit into her, blood spouting all over the dark stone.
I turned my attention back to Nord at my feet. She was starting to stand and I quickly swiped the dagger from her hands. It barely weighed a thing, and I plunged into her stomach before she had a chance to try and snatch it back. Blood trickled from her mouth as I twisted the weapon, making sure she wouldn't be getting up again.
"Coast is clear!" I called out to Camila over the howling wind. I dropped the dagger by its owner and silently thanked the Divines for my robe remaining bloodless.
I turned to the huge metal doors at the end of the platform that lead into the temple. I started to walk towards them as I heard Camila reach the top step. Her footsteps weren't exactly light.
"Do you do this kind of thing a lot?" she asked as we approached the doors. They had been etched with Nordic carvings and symbols.
"Not at all. It's thrilling, isn't it?" I sung.
Together, we managed to shove one of the doors open. It was heavy, but moved fairly easily for an ancient temple. Someone had to have opened these recently.
The first room was like a cleared out space. It was dimly lit, but I could see a light flickering behind a pillar in the centre of the room. It cast dancing shadows on the crumbling walls. The air in here was frigid. Camila was shivering slightly as we made our way past a few dead skeever on the ground. Two more bandits stood around a cooking pot above a fire next to a staircase. I took them out easily, using an altar behind them for cover. An unexpected burst of flames dealt with them in no time.
Camila looked in a chest by the fire as I got a better look at the room. The whole place looked as though it would topple down any second. Tree roots had forced their way down from the roof and roots grew over most of the walls. My footsteps echoed of the walls as I paced.
"Not in here," Camila reported, shutting the lid of the chest. We made our way down the steps in front of the fire. The bottom ended in a corridor and we followed its bends until we came to an opening. A lone bandit strode towards a large lever in the centre of the room. Directly in front of the lever a metal gate stood firmly in the ground.
There was a click as the bandit pulled the lever, and arrows flew out of the walls. He didn't have the chance to step back before they struck him. He fell; killed instantly.
"See, traps," Camila said as we walked into the room.
Fallen stone littered the floor in here. Directly above the gate, two faces and a hole where a third one used to be were mounted on the wall. In place of a gaping mouth, there were carvings of an animal. The face that had fallen from the wall was a few inches to the left of the lever.
I turned to the left of the room. Three small pillars with animal carvings stood in small individual alcoves.
"Look how similar the animals on the faces are to these ones. There's got to be some kind of connection," I said, more to voice my thoughts than anything.
I walked to the pillar further to the left. Gently, I placed a hand on it. With the sound of grating stone, it moved slightly. I withdrew my hand quickly. When nothing deadly happened, I used both hands to turn the pillar. I spun it around all the way until it was back in its original position.
I glanced back at the faces. An idea hit me and I spun the pillar in front of me. I moved to the right, matching the carving on each pillar with the carving of the face in the corresponding position.
"What have you done?" Camila asked as I dusted my hands over, stepping away from the last pillar.
"They all match now. See, the face on the left has a snake on it, as does the one that would have been in the middle. The one on the right has a whale on it," I told her.
She nodded slowly as she understood what I was saying. "So, now we pull the leaver?"
"We pull the leaver," I confirmed, placing my hand on it.
Camila visibly jumped as I pulled the contraption down. I braced myself for arrows, but instead the gate in front us began to rise. Beyond it lay a small area with old linen wraps littered on an obsidian table. A hole in the ground lead to a wooden spiral staircase.
Slowly, we descended. About halfway down I heard the scurrying of little feet. Suddenly a skeever charged up the stairs. I ducked to the right to avoid it as it jumped at me. I sent a burst of flames after it. I spun around and used both hands to send out a stream of flames in front of me as two more ran towards us. They collapsed in front of us, their fur smouldering.
"Come on," I said to Camila as I stepped over them. Her eyes had grown wide and her breathing was much more rapid. Maybe letting her come with me hadn't been such a good idea.
I couldn't see much of the room at the bottom of the stairs. The walls were covered in cobwebs. They climbed up and around everything. Something had spent a long time making all of these.
"This place just gets creepier and creepier," Camila mumbled as we slowly walked through the chamber.
"Is…. Is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling? I know I ran ahead with the claw, but I need help!" came a rough voice from ahead.
Camila and I turned to each other. "The claw!" we exclaimed, both rushing forward through the rest of the room. As we rounded a corner the walls were no more. Nothing but web covered the room. A thick chunk of web blocked us from getting to whoever had called out. A quick stream of flames burnt through them. We both piled into the next room and stopped in our tracks. This place had even more webs. The large cavern had eggs sacs scattered around the sides of the room.
"I don't like this," Camila whispered.
"What? Who are you? Oh, never mind. Cut me down before that thing gets us!" the voice shouted.
We both turned to see a dark elf in standard bandit armour. He had been caught in a web, and was struggling to get down.
"What thing…?" I asked, approaching him cautiously. Camila stuck close to me.
"It doesn't matter, just get me down!" he yelled.
"It does matter. All your bandit buddies are lying dead upstairs so you can either tell us what's coming or we'll leave you here," I snapped.
His stubborn expression suddenly changed as is red eyes opened in fear.
"No. Not again. Help! Get me down!" he screamed whilst looking at the ceiling.
I only had a moment to register what was happening before I grabbed Camila and pulled her out of the way. Seconds later, a huge frostbite spider crashed down from the ceiling.
"I'll deal with the spider, you cut him down and get the claw from him," I told Camila swiftly as the spider began to turn around.
Before it had the chance to realise Camila was there, I ran past its left. It looked like one of its legs had been damaged, maybe by the bandit Camila was freeing, so it was slower than me. As I got behind it I came to a halt, my boots skidding along the ground. I was suddenly very grateful for the circlet Lucan had sold me as I shot flames from my hands again.
"I don't have anything but the axe to cut him down with, and that's too bulky. I might hit him!" Camila called out over the spiders shrieks.
I grimaced and shot a firebolt over the spider, knowing very well I wouldn't last much longer now. I felt my power drop significantly as the firebolt soared towards the web holding the bandit in. The stream of flames coming from my other hand faltered briefly. The spider seized the opportunity and charged at me.
"Viel!" Camila cried.
There was a sickening crunch and then the spider skidded along the floor towards me. I dived out of the way just before I was taken out like an unsuspecting elk. I turned to watch the creature collide with the wall, a dull thud echoing through the cavern. An axe stuck out of the spiders back.
"Where did you learn to throw an axe like that!?" I exclaimed, grabbing the weapon from the spiders abdomen and rushing towards Camila.
"I help out at the mill when business is slow," she said bashfully. I began to congratulate her, but was cut off by the bandit.
"That's great and all, but your lousy attempt at a fireball only got me halfway out of this web. Now cut me down before anything else comes," he demanded.
"Hey, it was a firebolt," I corrected him, "And I'll get you down, only if you promise to give us the claw."
"Fine. Help me down and I'll show you what it's for," he grumbled.
"I don't care what it's for, we want it back," Camila interjected.
"By the Divines! You have no idea the power the Nords have hidden in here. And the claw unlocks that power."
I furrowed my brow. "What kind of power?"
"Ancient power," the bandit replied, a look of desire in his eyes.
"You can't be listening to him, Vielene! We just came for the claw," Camila insisted.
She was right, the only reason we were here was to get the claw back. Everyone knew that ancient sources of power were bad news.
"Right. So, I'll cut you down and you'll hand over the claw. Deal?"
"Deal. Just get me down from here!"
I cast a small amount of fire on the remaining threads. Now I'd given myself time to recover from the spider fight, I had no problem tapping into my magicka. The webbing had barely broken when the dark elf took off.
"You fools, why would I share the treasure with anyone?" he sneered as he ran deeper into the barrow.
eC amila and I gaped. We exchanged a brief look of disbelief before we took off running after him.
"Come back, thief!" she yelled down the hallways as we chased him.
Our heavy footsteps thumped at my ears as we tore through the barrow. I had to twist my body as we ran to avoid hitting obscure bits of stone. I was just readying a spell for the next time I caught a glimpse of him when the halls opened up into a larger room. Camila and I both stopped in our tracks as we looked out into what looked like a catacombs for the Nord dead.
"Akatosh save us…" Camila breathed.
In each catacomb, a rotted, body lay. And some of them were waking up. Camila and I stood frozen as we watched the Draugr crawl from their tombs. They dragged with them black swords that looked to be ancient. They ran after the bandit. We watched him take out one, but two others were upon him as he turned.
He was down in a matter of seconds, and then the draugr turned on us. Their faces were twisted into a permanent snarl and their blue eyes burned into me. I threw a firebolt at one before it had the chance to start moving again. It hit the column of stone behind it and fell to the ground.
"Hand me the axe," I said to Camila as I stepped in front of her as the second undead ran towards us. She did as instructed and I readied the weapon.
The draugr had its sword held high as it neared. I swung the axe, and the metal sliced through its neck with ease. I guess years of decay made your body part weak. The draugrs head rolled to the ground and its body collapsed at my feet. I turned to Camilla, dropping the axe.
"Get the claw from his body and let's get out of here," I breathed.
A/N
Thanks for reading my first fanfic! I'm terrible at sticking to an update schedule so I don't have one, but I'll tell you this: I probably won't update this soon. I just wanted to upload the first chapter to see what reactions and criticisms I got, so please leave your feedback! If you like this want want more, let me know and I might upload another chapter soon than planned!