Ok, so this is Whiterun. Well, I can only see from afar but from what I'm seeing, it seems that the place did not change that much at all. Maybe few of the houses inside were new but the castle definitely is still of the same shape and size. I only hope that when I arrive there, everything would not be as ancient as the time where I came from.
At least, the road is definitely new. From my time, the major roads they're using were still from the layout of the late Snow Elven kingdom.
I thought the walk would be peaceful but I was instantly proven wrong. Out of nowhere, I suddenly heard a loud grunt of a rather large being, along with the slight tremors on the ground. Seeing that it came from the direction of the small farm, I immediately ran towards the source of the noise.
There, I saw three individuals, one man and two women, fighting against a giant. The giant was already weakened from the assault of the three people that his attacks are becoming too sluggish. On a reasonable distance, there is an Imperial male and a Bosmer female watching the scene with a mix of horror and relief in their eyes.
Seeing that everything is under control, I just sat on a nearby rock and watched as the three people slowly but surely killing the giant. From the looks that the farmers gave to them, it seems that these three are some sort of adventurers or mercenaries and they were tasked to bring down this giant.
The fight finally ended when the long haired guy charged towards the kneeling giant and delivered a full swing towards it's neck, severing the huge head from the rest of its body.
Now that the show is over, I decided to leave the area. Well, ogling at a dead giant is not really my thing.
However it seems that someone else has a different plan. I saw the female archer running towards me with a bragging(?) expression on her face. Her two teammates followed behind her, both wearing the same expression.
"Well, that's been taken care of, no thanks to you!" the archer chastised me for some reason.
"Excuse me, what?"
"A true warrior would have relished the chance to fight a giant, something you are not, milk-drinker." she boastfully replied.
I'm not yet familiar with the slang of this era's Nords but this "milk-drinker" of theirs is probably an insult to a coward just like someone who is choosing to drink milk just because they can't stand alcohol yet. Well, by Nordic standards, I really am a coward. Unless if they are not capable of killing or driving away the giant, I'm not obligated in any manner to help them and have the 'glory' of playing warriors.
"That's right, I actually prefer milk over mead." I decided to play along with the insult. Besides, it's too troublesome in my era to get a decent source of honey for manufacturing my mead. There's no way I would get the chance to develop a taste for it.
"Ha! I knew it! You're face just screams 'milk-drinker'!" she continued to berate me while the two at her back began to laugh along.
Good thing that I managed to repulse them so much that they eventually left me alone. Seeing that they are also going towards Whiterun, I maintained a reasonable distance away from them to avoid any more confrontations.
However, my vision seemed to darkened when I managed to take a good look at the embroidered image at the cape of the only male of the group. It depicted an axe with its handle having the image of a Mer being stabbed by a spear.
There's no mistake, these bastards are descendants of the dragon-worshipping genocidal conquerors. The people who decided to end our race.
I quickly shaked my head, trying to remove any unnecessary anger that I'm feeling. as arrogant as they may be, they themselves are not responsible for the genocide of our race, only their ancestors which are all dead by now. However, this served as my warning to not stay long in Whiterun as I don't want to deal with them as much as possible.
Seeing the two moons now shining brightly above me, it became my signal to hurry to Whiterun and get my needed rest at the inn. With all the things that happened today, I don't think that I would want to sleep in anything other than a proper bed.
...
Sleeping at a tavern filled with Nord drunkards proved to be a terrible idea. I can even recall few instances of me sleeping in the wilderness being better that the ones I had last night. Maybe it was because of the brawl that broke out initiated by the bard and a random guy. All I knew was that the name 'Carlotta' has been brought up several times during the fight.
After I ate two servings of breakfast at the tavern, I packed my belongings and decided to make my way towards the castle that they call Dragonsreach.
On the way, I saw the huge dead tree that somewhat resembled the Eldergleam. I wanted to get a closer look at it but decided not to because I still has to deliver a message to the Jarl. Maybe later.
Upon entering the castle, I was surprised that it was constructed mostly on wooden materials. What is even more surprising is that this castle supposedly kept a dragon prisoner according to history texts. I almost did not believe it but the dragon skull on top of the Jarl's throne is a proof that a dragon is killed.
Meanwhile, a Dunmer clad in a leather armor noticed the uninvited guest, me, that entered the castle while the Jarl is having a meeting with his councilor. She went towards me while unsheathing her sword.
"What is the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving any visitors!"
"Riverwood calls for the Jarl's aid. A dragon destroyed Helgen and they are afraid that they would also suffer the same fate." I answered with a straight face.
"That explains why the guards let you in. Come with me, the Jarl would want to speak to you in person."
I followed the Dunmer to the rather plain looking throne of the otherwise huge and beautiful castle. Sitting there is the one they call Jarl Balgruuf. Based from his aura, I guess that this man in front of me also had his fair share of war.
"So, you were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?" the Jarl asked.
"Yes. The blacksmith of Riverwood was worried that it will attack there next since I last saw it flying on this direction." was my response.
"By Ysmir, Irileth was right!"
"I suggest we should send troops to Riverwood immediately. There's no telling when will this dragon attack again." Irileth suggested with a serious look on his face.
"But that would only stir up trouble with Falkreath. The Jarl will assume that we sided with the Stormcloaks and are preparing to attack th-"
But before the advisor could finish his argument, Balgruuf grew tired of listening to him. "Enough! A citizen of ours requested for our aid against a literal dragon. I don't care about the brat and their damned war! Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once."
After Irileth left to gather the Whiterun guards, the Jarl turned his attention back to his strange elven visitor. He did not expect the next words that came from him.
"I don't think I have any business left here, Jarl. I would like to leave." I stated.
Well, that is what I planned. I wanted to get back to my old life of being a nomad. Maybe if I have the time, I would go visit the College of Winterhold just for the fun of it. It would be nice to learn few of this age's magic. Well the mages of Cyrodiil aren't really the best source of magical knowledge. The College of Whispers focuses on conjuration and necromancy which both are not my thing. The Synod are just, well, they seemed like they have something wrong in their minds. In short, I find it hard to learn some magic from them.
However, it seems that the Jarl had different plans for me. Well, it's quite easy to just disobey this Nordic leader and leave because I doubt anyone here is capable of stopping me.
"Wait, you've done us a great service by bringing this news to me. You shall be rewarded. However, I'm afraid I have to rely on your services once again. My court wizard is research related to dragons. With this current development, this research will be of top priority."
He then stood up. "Come, let's go find Farengar."
I don't not want to participate in any of this research at all. However, the dragons are a very huge threat to ignore especially that I really don't have anything important to do right now. Besides, maybe they'll stop pestering me after this. My journey to Winterhold can wait.
I followed the Jarl towards the room to the east. There, we found the wizard who was currently have a pile of old books on his desk. He has the look of everyone who practice solely on magic yet acts like they're the top of the social ladder.
"Farengar, I think I found someone who can help you with your dragon project. Go ahead and fill him with all of the details."
The wizard immediately tore his gaze from his book and stood up to face the Jarl. He then stared at the strange elf beside him, which is me. As tall as a High Elf but with an almost completely white skin.
"Oh, an uh... Altmer? You seem to have a paler complexion."
"I... Yeah I'm a minority. I probably died ages ago if I was born in Alinor." I lied. Well, not exactly a lie because according to history the Falmer are some sort of minority to the original Aldmer.
"Does that mean that the rumored infanticide of the Altmeri is true? Wait, we're getting sidetracked." the wizard stopped himself upon seeing the unamused faces of both me and his Jarl.
"Well, as what Jarl Balgruuf mentioned, I am researching about dragons. And let's say, an artifact of great importance may or may not be located at Bleak Falls Barrow is needed in my research. This artifact is said to be depicting the map of dragon burial sites around Skyrim. Although I have some personal interests about obtaining this map, this will also prove invaluable since we may obtain some information on where this dragons will arrive from, thus helping us in planning strategies on how to combat them."
Bleak Falls Barrow, huh? I think that's what Ralof and Hadvar told me before we arrived in Riverwood. This looks easier than I thought.
"Alright. So, what dangers would I expect from the tomb?"
"Assuming that you can get past those bandits that are camped there, it is safe to assume that Draugrs housed the interior of the tomb. Also, expect some Frostbite Spiders, they seem to be all around Skyrim these days."
...
I immediately left the castle and made my way back to Riverwood. Luckily for me, there is a carriage near the stables that is available. On the way, I also saw ten Whiterun guards riding on their horses and were also going in his direction. Although I doubt that ten is enough to stop a dragon, I think it's mostly to make the people of Riverwood feel safe.
When I arrived, I immediately went to ask around about the location of the general store to buy some goods for his probably long journey.
If what the court wizard say is correct, those dead Nords are the ones from his time. Either that or a couple years after those three Tongues 'defeated' Alduin. That means that even their undead form should be a challenge for me, especially if they will attack in groups. That also means that getting good supplies is a must.
As I opened the shop, I was immediately slapped by the sound of the people inside who were arguing about a stolen something.
"Well, what are you going to do about it then, huh? Let's hear it!"
"We are done talking about this!"
I was a bit distracted about the commotion that when I entered the door, I forgot to duck. This resulted in a loud bang of my head hitting the door jamb due to my height. I should have expected it from a human made door.
"Son of an Atmoran whore!"
The commotion gathered the attention of the siblings, stopping their argument. Well, this is embarrassing.
"Ah! Uh... Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
"No, don't worry about it. So, you already heard the fact that some thieves stole something here. I can assure you that we still have products here to your liking. Do come in." The Imperial store owner invited me.
I only bought a few easily consumable foods and some potions just in case things go south. However, I noticed that the store was mostly still intact like no thief has entered it despite the siblings' argument sounding like the thief has been here just recently. There are still a lot of valuables left here that would fetch a nice price.
Ugh, I hate my curiosity. Now, I won't be settled until I find out what was stolen from them. "I don't mean to meddle but what happened here?"
"Damn thieves, they stole our family heirloom, an ornament of pure gold shaped into a dragon's claw. I heard they retreated to the Bleak Falls Barrow, hope the Draugrs kill them."
I guess it wouldn't hurt if I'll get a look of this claw. "Wait, Bleak Falls Barrow? I was actually going there myself. If I happen to see it there, I'll bring it back to you."
"Really? There's some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring our claw back." Sweet.
...
Ah, the snowy mountains of Skyrim, just the thing I missed this past three years... or four eras, technically. While I do like some warmth of hearth fire, there's always something special for me whenever I'm in a snowy place.
Well, I am a Snow Elf so that's kinda understandable. What I don't understand is why these bandits are camping here outside of snow covered burial tomb. Sure, no one in their right minds would visit here for no reason so this place is a good hiding spot. However, this place is just not a practical living area.
Anyway, since there is also an issued bounty for these bandits, I might as well clear out this area.
Using my sun magic, I threw a small ball of magicka near them which then bursted into a flash of light, blinding all of them at once. While they're distracted by the literal burning sensation in their eyes, I rushed towards them and brought a dagger towards their necks, ending their life with just one stab each.
It was quick and easy, a technique I developed during those times that I was still being chased down by the bloodthirsty Nords of my time. Unlike them, I don't like to tear my foes limb by limb in a drawn out battle just because it's not practical for me. Well, it's not practical since most of the time, I have to fight many individuals at once while also trying to escape and live for another day, I cannot afford to be worn out in just a fight with only one person.
As I traveled inisde the tomb, there was nothing there that I couldn't handle so far. The only "threats" there are those two who are guarding the entrance to the tomb proper and that idiot guy who ended killing himself with poisoned darts by not solving the rather simple puzzle correctly. By the way, none of them had anything that resembles the golden claw.
However, it seems that I just jinxed myself. While going deeper into the tomb, I noticed the increasing amount of spider webs I passed by. And judging by the thickness of the individual thread of the webs, this one is enormous. I guess the court wizard was correct after all, Frostbite spiders are all around Skyrim these days.
With that, I prepared myself for a sudden encounter with the enormous arachnid. They're very dangerous creatures because of their long ranged poison and their hard exoskeleton. I brought out my antidote potions and tied them on my hip for a quick access to it if necessary. And with response to its exoskeleton, I imbued my arrows with a good amount of lightning magic to augment their piercing capability.
Indeed, the Frostbite spider present here is the largest I've seen so far in the last few years of my life. However, it was busy trying to eat a person who looks like a dark gray Chimer. I believe they are called Dunmer in this era. What catches my attention is the golden thing attached to his left hip. There is no doubt about it, that is the shopkeeper's golden claw.
I approached the spider with great caution to get my cheap bow to its full effectiveness. Maybe I could just shoot it from here but that lwould be less lethal considering how big the spider is. I need to release my arrow at its full piercing capacity.
Finally, while the spider is distracted, I drawn my already lightning-augmented arrow and further fueled it with more magicka. After I nocked it and drawn it to its fullest, I silently released it at the unsuspecting spider.
Thanks to the piercing capability of lightning, my arrow made a rather large hole on the spider's head, killing it on the spot in a rather underwhelming manner. I guess I overestimated it way too much. However, I was late in saving the Dunmer bandit who now has a lethal bite wound on his torso.
I picked up the golden claw an put it inside my potato sack bag. Maybe, I should get a proper bag for my supplies after I get my reward for this claw.
"Well, that's easy. Now, for the dragonstone..."
Moving on, I went deeper into the tomb, searching for anything that resembles a stone with the map of Skyrim. At this depth, I won't be surprised if what Hadvar said about the Draugrs here is true. From my previous experience with grave robbing Nordic tombs before (yes, I did it), it seems that their dead just loved to move around.
Now that I think about it, it seems that these Draugrs might be immortal but with a body and mind still being subject to decay. Well, it doesn't matter how they came to be, as long as I can just kill them the same way as with other living people.
As expected, few pairs of blue orbs suddenly illuminated the path ahead of me. Few of them started muttering barely comprehensible draconic language, which is oddly refreshing to hear because it was the trend back in my days.
Now for my favorite technique, I gathered a good amount of magicka in my right hand and converted it into sun magic. When I released it, it exploded, inflicting a damaging burn at the undead Nords in front of me. This is then followed by a quick stab to their necks.
The thing is that sun magic are too effective against undead but not as much to the living. Maybe its because sun is a vital element for life to flourish.
The same happened but with increasing difficulty as I went deeper. There were more and more traps laid, the Draugrs are becoming stronger, and I myself am getting weaker with the accumulated minor injuries I received. The relatively peaceful life I had in Cyrodiil really dulled most of my abilities.
When I saw a rather strange looking gate, I noticed there is a strange moveable circles in it and slot shaped like a bird's feet.
"Bird's feet. Their feet has three claws similar to that of... That's it!"
My realization excited me as I quickly dug up my potato sack for the golden claw. If I remember correctly, this claw will have the correct pattern of images so that this Nordic locking mechanism will go down. However, I'm not so sure that I am prepared for what is inside. For all I know, there may be an undead dragon priest there guarding the Dragonstone. It kinda makes sense for it to be the ultimate treasure of this tomb.
I took a bit of rest, chugging down one vial of health and stamina potions each. Because I'm certain that a rather powerful kind of undead would be on the other side of the locked passage, I need to be at my current full capacity.
"Ah whatever, let's get this over with."
After matching the symbols on the rings to that of the palm of the golden claw, I inserted it on the slot and twisted.
Next thing I know is that I'm now in a beautiful cave, with the sun outside shining directly at a structure that I recognized to be a word wall. This only means that someone important or powerful was buried here. And if I'm unlucky enough, this one here is proficient in at least one dragon shout.
I slowly moved towards the word wall to get a bit of information of who is the one buried here, ignoring the chilling wind and the bats that flew over me. After that, all I heard was a complete silence. An eerie, unsettling silence.
As I stood in front of the word wall, I began to read. It said:
"Here lies the guardian, keeper of the Dragonstone, and a FORCE of unending rage and darkness."
Well, that's definitely a guarantee that the Dragonstone is here. Unfortunately, the one guarding it is powerful, much more that the previous ones I've fought earlier.
As expected from the emphasis on the word "force", the coffin opened violently, its lid flying off for a few yards. A pair of huge hands gripped the sides of the coffin, lifting up the rest of its huge and strangely muscular form of the undead. Unlike the others, this one is not limping in any manner at all.
Again, made my exploding ball of sun magic, this time making it as strong as I possibly can. Hopefully, this will be strong enough to damage it and distract it long enough to grab the huge slab of stone strapped on its back.
The Draugr cocked its head back and inhaled deeply. It's as clear as day to see what is coming next. A dragon shout. This caused me to launch my magic immediately and jump to the side, hoping for the best.
However, it seems that it predicted my move as its aim is still facing towards me.
"Fus Ro Dah!"
The whole cave was enveloped in a thunder-like explosion as the huge ripple of pure force came towards me in an unbelievable speed. Fortunately, the force of its shout came into contact with my ball of sun magic, detonating it just a few feet across the Draugr's face.
The Draugr was blown away just as I was with its shout. Luckily, my magic negated a portion of the force. The impact was not even a fraction of the graze I received from Alduin's own shout but is still a damaging one.
When I stood up, I found out that my cheap bow and arrows are now scattered across the area, leaving me with just my cheap dagger and a single Magicka potion strapped on my hip. The rest of my potions along with the antidotes all broke from the impact of the shout.
"Bolog aaz, mal fahliil!" the Draugr bellowed. It's face now still burning with yellowish white flames.
"Hi Hind..." I managed to spat back, albeit with difficulty in doing so.
The shout really did a number on me due to all the injuries I've accumulated ever since I entered here. To be honest, I'm horribly at a disadvantage here since the only fight I have left is with this sword and dagger on my hip and my remaining one fourth of my Magicka reserves even after drinking my last one.
The Draugr charged towards me, brandishing its huge battle-axe. When it executed a downward strike, I quickly rolled to its side while slashing the exposed part of its thighs. I made sure that my sword is currently coated in sun magic instead of my preferred frost magic so that I can deal more damage to it.
When the Draugr's axe impacted the ground, it released a small burst of frost magic, indicating that it is enchanted. Although anything cold is not that damaging against me, it is still an additional damage along with the sheer force of the axe and I should avoid getting hit by it.
The next attacks that came towards me were weaker but faster, hindering me from landing counterattacks. Few of them actually managed to hit me but all of them are just grazes. This also means that the frost magic that came with them are now making me tire faster.
However, it made a terrible decision by cocking its head backwards, visibly trying to shout at me again. Using it's slight pause as an opening, I poured out all of my remaining Magicka through my sword in the form of sun magic. I then stabbed the Draugr through its chest, injecting all of my magic to its system.
I almost felt pity as I heard the agonizing scream came out of the Draugr, the sun magic burning it from the inside out. Its eyes and mouth, along with various wounds I made to its body, shone a bright yellowish white light to the dark part of the cave where we fought.
"By the Aedra, I am out of shape. Very out of shape." I muttered to myself.
Before, I could go half a week of constant battling and running from Nords. I once managed to escape a dragon attack while obtaining only minimal injuries. And most of all, I once fought a dragon priest toe to toe before we both retreated. Yeah, most of them involved running away, but still, escaping those lunatics is already a feat by itself.
But now, a single grave robbing almost got me killed. And the most embarrassing of all, I almost got sent to the chopping block just because I forgot to eat due to my excitement of coming back to Skyrim.
Maybe, I should consider being physically active again. Back in Cyrodiil, All I did was hunt, farm, read history books. It was a very huge contrast to my constant hiding, running and fighting back when I was still at my era of origin. Although I don't plan on becoming the most powerful guy in all of Nirn, gaining my lost strength and sense of battle won't hurt me either. In fact, it would be helpful.
The Draugr was now completely turned to ash, leaving only the metallic bits of its armor and the Dragonstone that was strapped on its back. As I picked the stone, I saw that it really depicted the map of Skyrim with some star-shaped markings scattered all over it.
"Hmm, maybe I should make a copy of this for myself."