Chapter 4: Bleak Falls Barrow

"No."

"Come on Gerdy! The heroes just returned from endless peril! We need food, and ale, and whatever else war heroes do!"

"War hero? Go and fight for Ulfric Stormcloak, and then maybe I'll call you a war hero!"

"Gerdy, Ulfric ain't no hero. He's just a glory hog seeking power."

"You dare? That's it! Out! Out! I don't care if you're Balgruff's chosen or whatever. You can sleep with the pigs!"

The door slams shut. The two of you stare at each other.

"So, you have relationship problems, I take it?"

"I just don't get it. I'm not a bad guy! I've got a big heart. Just because I don't have a sweet hard body with pecs or a beard."

"Hmm, penis envy," you write this down in your journal. "Updated my journal."

"Hey! Don't write that!"

"Giving Gerdur a hard time, Morte?" You turn to see a woman in an apron watching you with some amusement.

"Hardly, Delphine! She's just under Hod's spell!"

"If you need a place to stay, I've got a room open for you and," she stares at you with a raised eyebrow. "What are you exactly?"

"My own personal draugr bodyguard! Raised him from the depths of hell itself to do my bidding!"

"Right," she smirks. "Well come along draugr bodyguard. Way I hear it, we have you to thank for all this extra security, so you get tonight free."

You follow the woman into her own personal inn. Inside is a man at the front desk scrubbing it. He looks up and gives you and Morte the usual shocked expression.

"Jesus Delphine. Are we so strapped for cash that we're bringing the dead in?"

"These dead encountered a dragon and survived, Orgnar. Meanwhile, you can't remember to keep an eye on the ale!"

"What's wrong with the ale?" He uncorks a bottle sniffs and pulls back in disgust.

"It's going bad! We need a new batch. Go fetch it while I show the dead to their room."

"Yes maam." However just as you're about to head on in, a man bursts through the front door.

"They've taken it! They've taken my treasure!"

"Calm down Lucan. I think you've had too much ale again."

"Not drunk," he insists. "Not drunk am I! Someone robbed me lucky charm!"

"That is shocking," Morte quips. "Not sure who would look at you and think lucky."

"This is serious skull! They took me golden claw! The thieves! Came in the middle of night they did! But I saw them! Saw them running up the mountain to Bleak Falls I did!"

You and Morte stare at each other.

"How ironic," you speak up. "That's where we were headed actually."

"You are?" The man looks at you and then his eyes widen as if in understanding. "Ah but of course! The dead know their own burial grounds do they not? If anyone can find me lucky charm, it would be you!"

"Well the dead need rest too," Morte turns back towards the room. "We'll keep an eye out for it I suppose."

"Please, if you could, I would be forever in your debt. Anything I could offer would be yours!"

"Could you hook me up with Gerdur?"

The man goes quiet, his face flushing red.

"Let it go Morte," Delphine says. "If you're combing the ruins tomorrow, you'll need a proper night's rest- Oh for the Lady's sake!"

"The true death awaits us all," a man in brown robes similar to the one in Whiterun stands in the doorway holding up a book. "For a mere 500 coins, you can have this guide to the true death and get started on your journey to nothingness and absence of passion today!"

"No, no, no! No dusties here! Sovngarde for me thank you! Take your death worshipping crap and get out!"

"But you can be free of this shadow of life for only 500 coins, my lady! True and utter bliss awaits!"

"Out!" While they argue, you slip quietly into your room.

"I met one of those yesterday right," you ask Morte.

"Yep, for a people who hate life, the dusties sure are good at survival. You can find them pretty much anywhere, mourning the living."

"Mourning the living? Isn't it the dead who are to be mourned?"

"Not to them. In their eyes, it's the living who need salvation."

"Oh, so we're saved you and I."

"Tomorrow, we may be."

You wake up in an unfamiliar bed with a floating skull grinning down at you.

"Ready for another brush with death chief?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

The skull looks confused for a second but then laughs as if he remembers something. He then points to a journal by the table. After picking it up and reading it, the memories come flooding back.

"Oh crap," you mutter as you recall what you have to do.

"The skull (Morte) gives a grim smile. "Yep."

…...

The next day starts off with a long hike up the mountainside. Morte has to wait for you a few times as you pull yourself up the rocky cliffside.

"What was it you said before? That I should get legs? From where I'm floating, they look overrated."

"You know what legs come with? Hands. I hear it's popular with the ladies."

That wipes that smirk off his face. Pulling yourself up to the top, you finally come face to face with the ruins.

"What's the story about this place?"

"An old Nordic tomb, built as a place of worship to… something."

"To dragons?"

Morte looks shocked. "Is that a fact?"

"I don't know, but if we're here to find something about dragons, it must be a place with information about dragons. And what better place to find such information than a place of worship?'

Morte thinks for a second. "That's a curious thought. Guess you do have some brains."

"I have a brain. It just chooses to go blank sometimes. Shh!"

You hear someone talking over the next ledge. Sneaking across and peeking over, you see a group of men huddled around chatting angrily.

"A draugr robbed you? Are you serious?'

"I swear it, boss. Snatched it right out of my hands and went charging in there."

"Could it be after the treasure? I ain't never heard of a draugr taking interest in anything except slaughter."

"The draugr are corpses, right," you ask Morte quietly.

"Right. Animated corpses usually found in dark places like this. Dangeorus and violent to be sure. But I've never heard of one stealing something. That's new."

"As is this. A talking skull!" You look to see you've been spotted and the men are now rushing you.

"The dead are trying to ambush us! Let's put them back in their crypts!"

You suddenly get a vision. You're in a desert, a fellow redguard is charging at you with a spear. You sidestep the man and swing your sword through his arm severing it.

The man falls over but you see the rest of his squad charging. You hold your sword steady, ready to meet them when you hear a voice call out.

"My love, duck!"

You do duck and a sword goes over your head stabbing one of the charging men in the stomach. You thrust your sword backwards into the man's knee. An arrow then flies into the eye of another man about to leap. A fellow redguard woman leaps into the fray. You find yourself back to back, fighting off the traitors until at last you two are the only ones left standing.

"Behind," the woman yells out. You thrust your sword backwards taking out the stray sneaking up on you.

"You're getting sloppy," the woman comments.

"You dare question my skill after all this time?"

"I'm just saying, you would be dead if not for me."

You sigh. "I suppose so."

"You suppose? You wouldn't have even made it this far without me!"

"Yes, yes. I know. I could do without my whole army," you turn smiling inward. "But not without you, my sweet."

"Sometimes, I think, you don't appreciate all I've done for you."

"Oh but, I do," you lie leaning in close. "I do love you. More than anything else. I do this all for us. For our life together."

Her doubt disappears as she falls for your lie. "I can think of a way you can repay me," she leans in.

"Of course." You lean in too.

"I love you," she whispers wholeheartedly.

"And I love you," you lie. "Deinorra."

"Mmph, chief. Chief!"

You snap back to the present, finding your lips pressed against Morte's, his eyes wide.

You quickly pull back as he coughs and spits.

"What the hell? First you go all ninja warrior on those guys, and then we're making out?"

"I didn't- I didn't know-"

"Yeah, clearly you don't." He looks to the sky as if in prayer. "Why oh why did my first kiss as a skull have to be from him?"

"I thought- I thought you were someone else. A woman."

Morte shakes his head. "So in addition to being amnesiac, you're also insane. Good to know you'll have my back in there."

"No, I wasn't even here! I was elsewhere in a desert, fighting men with a woman."

"Well unless you can be in two places at once, I don't see how that's possible. From where I stood, you were taking all those guys out like a pro, and then got a celebratory kiss from me without my permission!"

"I swear I was there! It was real!"

"Like a memory," Morte pauses to think. "We can discuss this somewhere else besides a cold mountain top. Let's get in there, grab this stone thingy and get out. Aela awaits!"

A great start to cave spelunking.

…...

Much of the journey through the ruins is in relative silence. Morte is probably still embarrassed from that unfortunate incident back outside. You catch him staring at you a few times, only to turn away blushing. At least you think he's blushing. But without skin, it's hard to tell.

You meanwhile are lost in thought regarding that vision. Who was that woman? And why did you feel nothing when you kissed her? You're too lost in thought to even notice the stunning work around you. Not to mention the bodies of bandits you come across.

After about ten minutes of walking, you try to open up some dialogue with Morte, when you suddenly find yourself walking through… spider webs?

"Uh oh," Morte mutters. "I know what made this."

"Hhhhhhhhhhhhhppppppppppppp mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm."

You hear slurred speech coming from a chamber blocked off by a thick webbing. Rushing forward, you hack at the webbing until it comes apart, letting you into the chamber.

You look all around until you see a figure covered in more webbing on the other side of the chamber. You can't make out their face, but you hear them speak again.

"Llllllllllllluuuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkkkkkk uuuuuuuuuuuuuuutttttttttttt."

No sooner do you hear whatever the hell that is before a shadow comes over you, followed by a massive spider.

"Frostbite spider," Morte yells. "Don't let it bite you chief! This thing's got serious venom!"

The monster comes limping at you. You can see it's missing one of its legs. It lunges at you but you manage to back out of range of its fangs.

Morte comes up from behind and gives it a bite of his own. Much to your surprise, it actually appears to do some damage. The beast attempts to turn around and grab the pesky skull (hey who can blame it) giving you the opportunity to stab it in the mouth, slaying the beast.

Morte spits out the bit of spider in his mouth and grins at you.

"Huh, guess I choose the right prisoner."

"Hhhhhhhhhhhhhppppppppppppp mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm."

Hearing the figure in the webbing call out again, you rush over and start hacking to set them free.

"Morte give me a hand here!"

Nuh uh chief. Have you ever eaten spider webs? No amount of floss'l get that out."

Eventually you hack enough webbing to pull the prisoner free. As the figure coughs out web in their mouth, you hear an audible gasp from Morte.

"Get away chief. Get away now."

Unsure what he fears, you turn back to the….. corpse standing up. If people thought you were ugly, they had clearly never seen an actual dead body.

"Draugr!" Morte rushes to your side. "We traded one monster for another!"

"Duuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnn bffffffffffffrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddeeeeeeee."

You pause as this woman's corpse raises her hands to her sides in a gesture of what you assume to be peace. Looking closely, you think you can see worry etched into her face

"Chief, what are you waiting for? This is a draugr! Mindless savages! Don't show them mercy, because they sure won't show you any!"

"Ppppppppppplllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssss, nnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooo."

Taken aback by the concern in the corpse's words and expressions, you decide to the stupid thing and approach her despite Morte's objection.

"You can talk. Do you understand me?"

She nods.

"How can you talk? Morte here says draugr can't."

"Ssssssssssskkkkkkkkkkkkkkoooooooooooollllllllll ttttttttttttttooooooooollllllllkkkkkkkkkksssssss."

"Skull talks?" She nods.

"She's got a point there Morte. If you can talk, who's to say they can't?"

"It's not the same. Draugr are made to be mindless. In all the centuries, there's never been a case of a sentient one."

"Wwwwwwwwwiiiiiiiiiiii eeeeeeeeeggggggzzzzzziiiiiiissssssttttt."

"Well this one can clearly think and respond. Even if I don't know what she's saying."

"Mmmmeeeennnnn nnnooooo hhhuuuurrrrrmmmm."

You listen closely. If you pay attention, you can make out words.

"Say that again."

"Mmmmeeeennnnn nnnooooo hhhuuuurrrrrmmmm."

You slowly piece it together.

"Mean no harm. You mean no harm."

She nods in relief.

"Who are you?"

"Ssssssstttttttttuuuuullllllll Mmmmmmmmmuuuuuuurrrrrrrrriiiiii."

"Ok, I assume the second part is Mary. But I can't determine the first."

"Ssssssstttttttttuuuuullllllll."

"Stool," asks Morte. She shakes her head. "How about stall?" Not that either.

"Stale," you say. She nods her head.

"Stale Mary," repeats Morte. "Someone did not like this chit."

"It's nice to meet you Mary," you say. You think she smiles in response. "Why are you here?"

"Llllllluuuuuuuukkkkkkkkiiiiiiinnnnnngggg fffffffffuuurrrrrrrr oooooooooorrrrrrrrr dddddddddddeeeeeeeedddddd (Looking for other dead).

"Other dead? You mean other draugr?"

She shakes her head. "Ddddddddddeeeeeeeeeedddddddd lllllllikkkkkkkk mmmmmmeeeeeee. Aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwaaaaaarrrrrrr (Dead like me. Aware).

"There's other sentient dead? And you think they're here?"

"Hhhhhhhhhhooooooopppppp (Hope)."

Another thought suddenly springs to mind.

"Mary, some bandits outside were talking about a draugr robbing them of something. Was that you?"

She pauses for a second thinking, then nods. She pulls out of her pocket a golden treasure shaped like a claw.

"That'd be old Lucan's lucky charm," Morte says.

"Mary, did you steal that from Riverwood." She shakes her head.

"Bbbbbbbbbaaaaaaaannnnnnndddddddduuussssss (Bandits)."

"Why did you do it Mary?"

"Nnnnnnnnnniiiiiidddddddd iiiiiiiiittttttttttt tggggggggggeeeeeeettttttttthhhhhhhhhh iiiiiiiinnnnnnnssssssssiiiiiiddddddd (Need it to get inside.)."

"Uh hello? We're already inside," Morte shouts.

She shakes her head again.

"Deeeeepppppppuuuurrrrrr. Dddddddddduuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrr lllllllaaaaaaccccccccddddddddd. Ccccccccccccllllllllaaaaaaaaaaa kkkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiii (Deeper. Door locked. Claw key).

"And you think the dead like you might be there?" She shrugs.

"Well Mary. We happen to want something in this place too. And I'm betting it's behind that door you're referring to. What say we work together to get what we want?"

She thinks for a second, then nods her head in agreement.

"Great," You write this information down. "Updated my journal."

"All right! Woo!" Morte whistles. "Finally a little feminine power to this macho group! And dead too! Baby, we're going places!"

She gives you the usual look people do when he says stuff like that. You make a cuckoo signal with your hands, and she giggles.

…...

You press on further into the temple, relative silence. Except for Morte who of course can't resist chatting up the newest addition to you ragtag little team. It tends to be a mostly one-sided conversation, especially since Morte can't understand her speech like you can. It's quite amusing. Until Mary offers a warning.

"Bbbbbbbbbbeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiinnnnnnndddddd yyyyyyyuuuuuu (Behind you)."

Indeed behind you from out of nowhere you see a corpse similar to Mary running at you with a sword. This one however shows no interest in friendliness.

"I don't suppose these are the nice dead you're looking for?"

She shakes her head then hearing growling in front, she turns to find two more charging.

"What's this," Morte shouts. "You dare challenge the mighty Morte? Who men want to be and women want to be with? I died once berks! I shan't die again! Have at thee!"

With this he lunges at one of the corpses biting it in the neck. The creature roars in pain and starts thrashing trying to force the skull off. Meanwhile its partner runs over to help but gets stabbed in the throat by Mary.

Morte looks surprised. "Damn I sure know how to pick them."

She smiles maliciously.

You meanwhile are parrying with your own draugr. He's a toughie you observe. There's no fear in those eyes, no doubt of success. Only the will to spill blood.

Fortunately, you picked up a bit from that vision you had outside and in the end your redguard training prevails. Taking a minute to observe your kill, you then turn to the others.

"Monster," Morte shouts at Mary. "Killing one of your own kind!" They both snicker.

"So these are what most draugr are like," you observe.

Mary nods. "Cccccccuuuuuuurrrrrrrsssssssddddd. Ccccccccuuuuurrrrrrttttteeeeddd. Iiiiiiiinnnnnsssssaaaaavvvvveeeeeeeddd ttttttttggggggggaaaaaaarrrrrr (Cursed. Corrupted. Enslaved to guard)."

"Draugr are dead Nordic soldiers, twisted by magic to serve as personal soldiers," Morte adds on. "The dead don't need food, water or anything really. Just a simple spell and they'll do whatever you want."

"Really," you raise your eyebrow. "You could've fooled me."

Morte grins. "Hey, you know no one can tell me what to do chief. I go where I want, do what I please."

You roll your eyes. "I know. I should just get my own draugr battalion and fire you."

"Ah, but what draugr has my impeccable taste in women's clothing?"

You and Mary laugh your asses off as Morte quickly realizes how that sounds.

Pressing further in, you find several traps laid for you, including swinging axes, trap doors, and oil lamps falling from the ceiling that cover the oil covered ground in flames. This does lend some credibility to that arrogant mage's hypothesis, as well as Mary's. Someone wouldn't put all these traps here unless there were something well worth guarding.

You eventually come out into a wide open chamber. There's a lot to watch for in here you observe. The ground is covered in oil, a plate for a swinging door with spikes lies nearby, and the passage out also contains swinging axes.

"Sheesh, the welcome mat's all laid out for us. How much further?"

"Close Morte. Hang in there, just a little further."

"You said that twenty minutes ago," he whines. "This dragonstone better be worth it. Also there better not be any more draugr. Me and Mary here are enough."

As soon as he says that, nearby coffins swing open and draugr climb out advancing on you.

"Me and my big mouth. I don't think we can take them all this time."

"Yyyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzz tttttttttrrrrrrrrrrrsssssssssssss (Use traps)."

Heeding her advice you point up at the lamp hanging from the ceiling.

"Morte knock that down! Mary, get them to activate that trap door!"

Morte cheerfully floats to the top and dislodges the lamp from the ceiling, sending it falling to the ground where it causes the oil to burst into flames, frying all the draugr unfortunate to be standing there.

Mary meanwhile runs over to the swinging door, jumping over the activation plate. The other draugr however lack her intelligence and step onto the plate, and wind up with a face full of spikes.

You raise your sword to join in the fight but then realize that the traps did indeed deal with them all.

"Thanks for the hand chief," Morte calls down. "Really appreciated you sticking your neck out for us there."

"I've done enough of the heavy lifting I think," you call up. "I think it was your turn."

Proceeding through the following passageway, you come across a long hallway at the end of which lies a door with symbols of various animals on it.

"Zzzzzziiiiiissssssttttttt (This it)." Mary pulls out the golden claw and holds it up to the door. You hear a click followed by the door opening. Within you see what appears to be a tear in reality itself, appearing as a blue hole.

"Ah now I understand. The claw's a portal key."

"A portal key?"

"Yeah. See chief. Portals like this can be found all over Tamriel. They can be anything from a door like this, to an object like a rock. Usually though, people don't know it because they don't have their key. Every portal's got something that makes it tick. It's usually an object like this, but it can even be the mood you're in or what you're thinking. And in this case, this claw is more than a decoration. It's apparently a key that lets you into the really secret chamber. It's probably been passed down as a family heirloom or something. No wonder that loony Lucan wants it back."

Nodding in understanding you take a step through the portal ahead of you and find yourself in another large open chamber.

Mary runs ahead looking around for any sign of the dead like her and you rush to help. But after a few minutes of searching, you come up with nothing except some gems and a bottle of poison.

"Nnnnnnnnnnoooooooottttt hhhhhhhuuuuuuuurrrrrr (Not here)," she says sadly. "Nnnnnnnooooooo dddddddddiiiiiiiidddddddddd lllllllliiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkk mmmmmmmmmmmm. Llllllllooooooonnnnnnn (No dead like me. Alone).

You put a comforting arm around her shoulder when Morte calls you over to the nearby wall.

"This seems very familiar," he mutters to himself. Taking a look in to see what he's talking about, you suddenly feel very off. As if knowledge is being jammed into your head.

The instant the experience passes, a coffin behind you opens up and an armored draugr with an axe comes out.

Not even thinking, you immediately use the knowledge you just learned and yell with all your might. A blast of wind comes out of your mouth and hits the draugr in the chest, sending him flying back.

Morte and Mary both look shocked, especially Morte.

"How did you do that? I never told you about that! Did you remember? You know what? Never mind! Fus doo rah!"

Morte yells and again sends the draugr off his feet. As he struggles to get to his feet, Mary stabs him through the heart.

"Wwwwwwwwwwuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrr hhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy (Where are they)?"

But the corpse is now effectively that: a corpse with no story to tell.

As Mary stares down at her mindless brethren, you turn to Morte for some questions.

"How long have you been able to do that?"

"For ages! But I thought you already knew!"

"How could I know? Did you tell me?"

"Well, no. But I used it once during out escape from Helgen. When I saw you do it just know, I assumed maybe you remembered!"

"I didn't remember, because you left that part out apparently! I just learned it now from the wall over there!"

"A shout enscribed on a wall," Morte shakes his head. "That makes no sense. Shouts are taught from a teacher. They don't just leave them lying around for anyone to find. Come to think of it, you shouldn't be able to have done it even after seeing that. It took me years to get a shout that good. But you just took one look and poof! Instant master!"

"Zzzzzzzzzzziiiiiiisssssss yyyyyuuuuuuuussssss (This yours)?" You turn to see Mary holding up a stone tablet. Taking it from her hands, you see the tablet has writing on it. You can't make it out, but you can make out the image of something on it.

"That looks like a dragon. I think we've found what we came for Morte."

"Llllllllllkkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiii uuuuuuuuu (Lucky you)," Mary mumbles.

You lay a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Mary. I guess some legends aren't true."

"Iiiiiiissssssssssss ttttttrrrrrrrrrruuuuu. Hhhhhhhheeeeeeerrrrrrrrddddddd ffffffffffrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmm ffffffffrrrrrraaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn. Eeeeeeeelllllllssssssssswwwwwwooooorrrrrr (Is true. Heard from friend. Elsewhere)."

"Chief," Morte calls from a passageway above. "I think I found a way out!"

"All right. Be right there!" You take a last look around and notice a large treasure chest. Opening it, you find some gold, lockpicks, a necklace, and some kind of amulet. Feeling in the mood for hoarding, you pocket it and follow Mary up the passageway.

You find Mary has already pulled a nearby lever, opening a nearby door. Following it through, you find yourself back outside, where dawn has now settled.

"Well, we got what we wanted in the end. Guess it's back to Whiterun for us." Morte floats and looks over the side of the mountain. "I think I see a path down this way. If we follow it, we can be back to Whiterun by this evening."

"Really? I thought you'd take any opportunity to visit Riverwood and Gerdur."

Morte pauses for a second. "You know. I think that ship has sailed. I can't keep holding out a candle forever. Think it might be time to move on."

"Why that's very mature of you-"

"Plus who needs Gerdy, when I've got Aela? And no stuck up Hod to stand between us? Oh I can't wait to get back and receive a hero's welcome!"

"Gggggggooooo lllllluuuuuuukkkkk (Good luck)," Mary says heading the other way.

"You're not coming with us," you ask.

"Nnnnnnndddddddd rrrrrrreeeeeettttttttuuuuuuunnnnnnn iiiiiisssssss (Need return this)," she holds up the golden claw, "nnnnnnnnnn ffffffiiiiiiinnnnnnn ddddddddeeeeeeeeddddddd lllllllliiiiiiiikkkkkkk mmmmmmmmmm (and find dead like me)."

"We could help you Mary. You don't have to do this alone."

She shakes her head. "Nnnnnnnoooooootttttttt wwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeelllllllccccccccmmmm nnnnnn ttttttttttooooooooooowwwwwwww. Hhhhhhhhhvvvvvvv yyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuurrrrr ooooooonnnnnnnnnneeeeeee pppppppppttttthhhhhhh (Not welcome in town. Have your own path)."

"I don't know," Morte grins. "We stand out like sore thumbs and we got by okay."

"Nnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeddddddd ffffffiiiiiiinnnnnnn ddddddddeeeeeeeeddddddd lllllllliiiiiiiikkkkkkk mmmmmmmmmm. Tttttt ddddddddduuuuunnnnjjjjuuuurrrruuuuuuussss eeeeeeelllllllssssssssswwwwwwooooorrrrrr (Need find dead like me. Too dangerous elsewhere)." She gets another thought. "Nnnnnnn uuuuuuunnnnnnnsssssstttttttaaaaaannnn mmmmmm (None understand me).

You want to convince her otherwise, but she seems to have made up her mind. Besides you can't help but agree. You doubt she could fit in like you and Morte can, strange as that may sound.

You smile sadly and reach out your hand.

"We appreciate your help Mary. I hope you find what you're looking for."

She smiles back and shakes your hand in return. "Yyyyyyyyyuuuuu ttttt. Mmmmmmmbbbbbbb ssssssseeeeeeeeeee gggggaaaaan uuuuuuuttttttt ttttthhhhhuuuuurrrrr (You too. Maybe see again out there)."

"I certainly hope so. Good luck Mary."

She gives one last nod and turns down the mountain towards Riverwood.

"Hey wait," Morte calls out. "How are you going to return the claw?"

"Sssssssnnnnnniiiiiikkkkk (Sneak)," she winks and takes off.

"That, at least I can understand," Morte says and turns to you. "Shall we? That magician prick is waiting for us."

"Not to mention that priest and dustman who wants my body."

Morte laughs. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder."

You take one look back but Mary has already disappeared down the hill. You do the same in the opposite direction, putting as much distance between yourself and the Barrows as possible.

"Hey chief, I just had a thought."

"Mmm?"

"If Mary returns the claw, we don't get that reward Lucan promised us. Do we?"

"Fuck."