Skyrim Beckons
"It's gone," Ralof sighed as he straightened up. I also rose and wiped my brow. For the first time since the dragon appeared my heart began to beat at a normal pace.
"Thanks, I would have been toast without your help!" I sighed.
"Not at all, lass. Glad we got out of there together."
I glanced back at the cave.
"Your friends, the other Stormcloaks," I said. "Do you think they got out?"
"I'm sure Ulfric led them to safety. Now come on, best get a move on before this place is crawling with Imperials."
He set off down the road and I saw no reason not to follow up. The dense treeline soon blocked the valley from view and as we trotted at a fast pace, we disturbed the local wildlife. A fox scrambled off the road and birds rustled in the trees. Soon I was sweating with the exertion.
"Ralof, can we take a break?" I panted after we'd put a bit of distance between us and the cave. Ralof glanced over his shoulder.
"Just a little bit further, I know a place we can rest," he said with an encouraging smile.
About ten minutes later we rounded a hairpin bend and saw an outcrop overlooking the valley. Here stood three standing stones, each taller than Ralof. They were carved with crude, humanlike shapes and I cocked my head at them curiously as we sat down. As Ralof went to fill a water skin at the nearby stream, I studied the closest stone. It showed a figure in long robes with a hood over their head, holding a staff aloft. The air felt tingly around it.
"Are these magical?" I asked when Ralof returned. He poured out some water to wash his hands and face of grime and blood then glanced at the stones.
"In a sense, though not like what you can do. There are stones like these all around Skyrim. They show the constellations and each person favours a different one."
He handed the skin to me then knelt before the furthest stone.
"This is the warrior stone, I used to come here as a lad to prey."
He placed a hand on the warrior and closed his eyes. Dancing lights, like fireflies, appeared around him but vanished after a few seconds.
"Does it make you stronger?" I asked in wonder.
"Yes, for a while. These others are the thief and the mage. I suppose you'll want to try that one?"
I looked at the robed figure again. I reached out a hand and touched the stone. Dancing lights settled on me too and the tingling sensation increased.
"Cool," I grinned. Then the smile slid from my lips as I looked to the sky. "So, this place, the land, it's called Skyrim?"
Ralof squinted at me.
"Yes, the land of Skyrim on the continent of Tamriel. Do you truly remember nothing?"
"I remember my name, but that's it. There's nothing before waking up in the cart with you guys."
"You were already in the cart when we were brought on board, near Darkwater Crossing."
"And where's that?"
"About two days to the east through the mountain pass. I'd show you on a map but the Imperials took my gear."
I took a long drink from the water skin and shivered.
"What should we do now?"
Ralof thought about it and then looked to the east.
"My sister Gerdur works the mill in Riverwood, it's just a couple of miles down this road. She'll give us shelter whilst I try to get back in touch with the Stormcloaks."
"Will she mind me staying too?" I asked timidly. I had only just met Ralof but the thought of heading out on my own filled me with dread.
"Of course not!" Ralof smiled. "Gerdur's a good egg, she'll look after us." He offered me his hand and helped me stand up. "Listen lass, I don't know why you've lost your memories, sounds like more than just a head injury to me. Must be magic involved. Right now the best thing to do is find shelter and a warm meal, then we can come up with a plan."
Riverwood turned out to be a picturesque village on the banks of a frothing river. It had a walkway over the road and as we passed under it I looked warily up at the guards standing watch. They paid no mind to Ralof and I but they carried long bows and a quiver full of arrows. A handful of houses lined the cobbled road, with an Inn on one side and a blacksmiths forge on the other. I could hear the hammering of metal on metal and laughter and a boy and a girl ran past, a shaggy greyhound at their heels. Another, smaller boy followed but he drew up short when he saw us.
"Uncle Ralof!" he cried in delight, jumping up to hug the soldier. "It's been ages! Mamma didn't say you were coming!"
"It's a surprise lad. Come on, let's go and find your ma and pa."
The boy jabbered like a magpie as he led us off the main road and around the back of the blacksmiths shop towards the riverbank. A large mill stood here and the saw was deafening. A man and woman were about to pull a log into place when the boy hollered over the din.
"MA! Look who's here!"
The woman, tall and blond like Ralof, looked around with a frown which melted away in an instant. She slowed the saw and hurried down the ladder.
"Brother, what on earth are you doing here?"
"It's a long story, dear sister. Mind if we go somewhere more private?" asked Ralof. Gurder's eyebrows shot up and she glanced at me before nodding.
"Of course, over here. Frodnar, go and keep an eye on the road."
"Oh man!" the boy complained. "I want to hear what uncle Ralof's been up to!"
"Go on lad, listen to your mother," Ralof said, ruffling the boy's hair. "We need you to sound the alarm if those damn Imperials are coming."
The boy suddenly straightened and looked serious. With a nod, he ran towards the road out of town. Meanwhile, his mother led us to the river's edge where there were tree stumps to sit on. It wasn't until I slumped down that I realised how exhausted I was. Every muscle in my body ached.
"What's going on, brother?" Gerdur asked grimly.
"You're not going to believe me when I tell you," sighed Ralof. "A few days back, I was captured near Darkwater Crossing along with Ulfric and a dozen others. We were taken to Helgen to be executed."
Gerdur put a hand to her mouth.
"Gods, Ulfric, is he?"
"He's alive, though I don't know where he is. Before the Imperials could do the deed, a dragon attacked."
If Gerdur looked shocked before it was nothing compared to her expression now.
"Ralof, you can't possibly mean...an actual dragon?!"
"Saw the beast with my own eyes," Ralof rumbled. "Damn near burned us to a crisp. In the confusion we got away."
Gerdur sat heavily on a tree stump and shook her head slowly.
"Hilde was right. She swore she saw a dragon fly over the mountains to the north. No one believed her, but I guess she was telling the truth. This is unbelievable!"
"I know," Ralof agreed. "But right now, we need somewhere to lie low until I can make contact with the Stormcloaks."
"Of course! You can stay as long as you need. You're probably starving, I'll get you something to eat."
On cue, my stomach gurgled and Ralof laughed, breaking the tension somewhat. Gerdur was true to her word, she made a rabbit stew for dinner and I wolfed it down in no time. I was so ravenous I wondered when was the last time I'd eaten. Gerdur and Hod's house was built of timber and had a stone fireplace filling the main room with warmth. The couple slept in a corner behind a screen whilst Frodnar had the loft to himself. Gerdur made up straw beds in a corner and set up a screen for Ralof and I. As I undid the breastplate and unlaced the boots with sluggish fingers, I wished I had some proper clothes to change into. I was still wearing the ragged tunic I'd woken up in. But I was too tired to worry about it and I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.
I had a strange dream. I was flying through thick, wet clouds. Sometimes I glimpsed a white, snowy landscape beneath me and other winged creatures swooping back and forth. Then, behind me, I heard the same roar I'd heard in Helgen. I was being hunted. I flapped my wings harder, desperate to escape, the monster kept getting closer and closer. I saw black scales and yellow eyes before flames consumed me and I was falling to earth. Falling. Falling.
I woke with a start. Sunlight spilled in through a window up near the thatched roof and I sat up with a groan, rubbing my eyes against the glare. Ralof's make-shift bed was empty but I could hear the clatter of crockery nearby. I hauled myself to my feet and rounded the screen to find Gerdur washing dishes by an open window.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully.
"Morning," I yawned, stretching my tired joints.
"We didn't want to disturb you, not after what you've been through. I kept some breakfast aside for you and found a spare dress of mine you can wear."
"Thank you, that's very kind," I said gratefully.
I sat at the table and munched on braided bread and honey, apple slices and a cup of milk. The dress Gerdur had found was a little too long on me but infinitely more comfortable than the rags I had before. I then shyly had to ask where the toilet was and was directed to a shack in the garden. It wasn't the best smelling place but there was a rough bar of soap on the side and a sprig of herbs that made it bearable.
I found Ralof in the back garden, without armour, practising with a sword. I paused in the shadow of the house to watch him go through a series of manoeuvres until he caught sight of me and stopped.
"Hail friend," he greeted cheerily. "How are you feeling today?"
"Much better, thanks. At least I'm not it chains and rags anymore."
The bindings had left angry red marks on my wrists which I nursed gingerly.
"And how is your memory? Anything coming back to you?" Ralof asked. I frowned and concentrated, but all I got was swirling fog in my minds eye. I shook my head.
"No," I sighed. "Still nothing."
Ralof looked pityingly at me then perked up and clapped me on the shoulder.
"Ah well, never mind. When I'm troubled, I find sparring takes my mind off things. Come."
He picked up the other sword which was leaning against the house and handed it to me. It wasn't easy, I held the hilt clumsily and the long dress hindered my movements, but Ralof patiently showed me the proper stance.
"Keep your elbow up, lass. Put your back foot back a bit or you'll be easy to knock over."
He taught me to block at first and we spent most of the morning practising. I was surprised by how quickly I found the rhythm, though Ralof was taking it slow and not challenging me much. But it was enough to work up a sweat and once I tired we sat by the river sipping cool water.
"How are you going to get in touch with the Stormcloaks?" I asked. Ralof smiled mysteriously.
"I have my ways," he said. "Markers I can leave. It'll probably take a few days though. You should think about joining up, we could use an extra mage."
I chuckled and shook my head.
"I need to get my head on straight first, but thanks for the offer."
I watched the river rumbling past and caught a flash of silver under the surface, probably fish.
"So, what's the story with the Stormcloaks then? Why are you at war with the empire?"
Ralof leant back so that the sun warmed his face and sighed.
"I suppose it all goes back to the Great War. About twenty-five years ago, the Aldmeri Dominion, far to the south, invaded the empire. They swept all the way to the imperial city but with help from provincial fighters, like us Nords, the empire managed to throw them back. It was a hard-won victory and the empire was left bloody. Thousands were dead, many thousands more injured. They weren't strong enough to end the war on the battlefield, so they signed a peace treaty instead."
Ralof's mouth twisted bitterly and I frowned.
"But, that's a good thing, right? Better to end it at the negotiating table rather than sacrifice more people for pride."
Ralof let out a bark of laughter.
"Ha! I would love to see you head to head with the likes of Galmar Stone-Fist. Some Nords would rather die than shy away from a battle."
He saw me still frowning and sobered up.
"Not me, though. I see the value in peace. But the terms of the White Gold Concordat were horker shit, if you'll pardon me. The Empire was forced to give up most of Hammerfell, that's another province to the south-west. Worst of all, they had to ban Talos worship. The moment they did that, they lost all sense of dignity."
"Who's Talos?" I asked and Ralof's eyebrows shot up.
"He is one of the nine Divines. He was once a man, the Imperials called him Tiber Septim. He hailed from Skyrim and founded the empire. On his death, he ascended to Aetherius and we have worshiped him ever since."
"And why did the Dominion want to ban him?"
"They're high elves," Ralof grunted. "Think they're better than everyone else. The idea of a mere human becoming a god infuriated them."
I sat and thought about it for a moment whilst Ralof drained his water skin. I responded very carefully.
"I get that, I do. It's a really cruel move to take away a god that's clearly so important to you. But is it really worth going to war over? I saw some of those imperial soldiers in Helgen, they were Nords, like you. Is it worth tearing a county in two over this?"
Ralof shook his head sadly.
"I wish it hadn't come to this, lass. I really do. And for a time it wasn't so bad. The Empire stands between us and the Aldmeri Dominion so we felt safe to keep worshipping as we pleased. The Empire didn't enforce the ban very much. But then, about six months ago, Ulfric made a bid to become High King. A moot was held, but the empire lined enough pockets to get their lickspittle chosen instead. A weak boy from Solitude. Ulfric challenged him to single combat in the old tradition and when he won the empire called it murder. Now they let the Thalmor, that's the ruling party in the Dominion, prowl the roads of Skyrim. They capture and torture anyone they suspect of worshiping Talos. So you see we had no choice.'
I wasn't sure I agreed but I didn't want to push the subject. Ulfric challenging a boy to a fight he couldn't possibly win didn't seem brave or honourable to me, more like a toddler throwing a tantrum over not getting his way. The Thalmor were clearly the real enemy here, wouldn't it be better to unite against them? But then again, I didn't know the whole story and Ralof obviously felt strongly about it. I hadn't known him long but I was inclined to trust him.
He disappeared in the afternoon to track down a contact so I sat outside in the sun, musing over the book I'd picked up in Helgen. It was a spell book according to Ralof. Some of it was in the common tongue and spoke of shield spells, but most of it was in a looping, swirling script I didn't recognise. But I found myself reading the words aloud under my breath, getting absorbed deeper into the tome. When I turned the last page I looked up and blinked in surprise. It was growing dark, clouds had rolled it and the sun was moving towards the horizon. Gerdur's son Frodnar was lounging nearby with the shaggy wolfhound.
"You've been glowing," he told me. "Your eyes and your hands were all lilt up like fireflies."
"Huh, that's weird," I said and I glanced down at my hands which seemed perfectly normal. I closed the book with a snap and stood up. My backside was sore from sitting all afternoon. I flexed my fingers and hummed to myself. I wonder.
I held out a hand and made sure to point it away from Frodnar and the house before thinking, 'shield'. At once, a shimmering pale blue barrier appeared in front of me, radiating from my fingertips. I laughed in astonishment and Frodnar leapt to his feet.
"You're a mage!" he said in awe. "Are you from the college?"
Holding the shield up was tiring so I dropped it and rubbed my arm muscles.
"What college?" I asked.
"There's a school in Winterhold for mages to learn magic. Da says they've all got their heads in the clouds though and a proper Nord doesn't need fancy tricks to fight."
Frodnar seemed to realise this was rude because he added hastily.
"Only, you're not a Nord, so that's OK."
"Thanks," I said flatly.
His words set my mind to whirring. I could already tell I was never going to be much of a swordswoman, but magic filled me with excitement. I now knew how to cast a flames spell and a shield, what else could I do?
...
We stayed with Gerdur and Hod three more days, long enough for me to start to feel like a burden. I tried to make myself useful, I chopped logs and brought water, washed dishes and hung laundry. Ralof disappeared for hours at a time as he tried to track down his Stormcloak comrades but he didn't reveal much about where he went. I tried not to be offended, it was probably a good idea to be secretive when you were in open revolt against the empire. Whenever he was around, Ralof kept training with me. Now that I knew the shield spell he encouraged me to use it as often as possible to build up my endurance. I found I couldn't block a powerful sword swing entirely, but it did slow them down and give me enough time to parry.
On the fourth morning I woke in utter agony. Every muscle in my body had twisted into a tight knot and I massaged my calves and thighs with a grimace.
"Come on you big milk drinker, you just need to stretch your legs!" Ralof teased and I threw my pillow at him.
To get us out of the house, Gerdur sent us over the road to buy some candles from the Riverwood Trader. I'd already met the owner, Lucan, when I bought some proper fitting britches and a woollen tunic. Today when we entered he was in hot debate with his sister, Camilla.
"Well one of us has to go and get it!" Camilla said angrily.
"I said no!" cried Lucan, his eyebrows screwed up. "No theatrics, no heroics – oh!"
He stopped speaking when he saw Ralof and I. He shooed his sister away and fixed his customer smile in place.
"I don't know what you heard there but everything's alright, what can I do for you?"
"Just picking up some candles for Gerdur. Did something happen?" I asked curiously. Lucan's smiled slipped and he shuffled his feet.
"Oh uh, well, we did have a bit of a break-in. But don't worry, still got plenty to sell including candles. Thieves only wanted one thing."
"I told you that claw would attract trouble, especially with you waving it under everyone's noses," Camilla snapped. Whilst Lucan shot her a glare, Ralof and I exchanged confused looks.
"What claw?" Ralof asked.
"It's a solid gold dragon claw. Beautiful, and extremely valuable. The thieves knew exactly what they were looking for."
"Have you reported it to the guards?" I asked and Lucan shrugged.
"I let them know but they couldn't be bothered to go looking."
"The bandits are holed up in Bleak Falls Barrow," Camilla chipped in. "Saw them run off that way and at night we can see campfires up there."
"Well, I tell you what, how about Lyra and I fetch that claw back for you?" suggested Ralof. My head snapped around with wide eyes.
"Uh, what?" I demanded and he grinned.
"Oh come on, it'll be good training! Sparring in the back yard is nothing to a proper scrap."
Lucan glanced hopefully between us.
"You would do that? Really? Oh thank you! There's coin in it for you, I'd say fifty gold each should cover it?"
"Quite nicely, thank you," agreed Ralof. Lucan beamed then addressed his sister.
"See? Now there's no need for you to run up the mountain."
Camilla sniffed and eyed us appraisingly.
"I guess this is one solution. You know where you're going, right Ralof?" she asked.
"Course I do, lived here all my life remember? Well, come on lass, we'll get these candles to Gerdur then we're off on a little trip."
I waiting until we were outside the shop before rounding on Ralof.
"Are you crazy?! We can't go fighting bandits! We'll get ourselves killed!"
My cry attracted the attention of a couple of passers-by. The inn's landlady frowned over from where she was feeding potato peels to the pigs and the blacksmith's little girl giggled from the front porch of her house.
"Listen lass, sitting around Gerdur's house all day isn't going to jog your memory so you might as well do something productive. We both need coin after all," Ralof argued.
I wasn't convinced, but there was no changing Ralof's mind and I didn't want to be left behind whilst he was off. With much grumbling, I buckled the breastplate and bracers I'd taken from Helgen and tied the sword belt around my waist. As we walked out of the village and crossed the stone bridge, Ralof eyed me.
"You're going to need some properly fitted armour at some point."
"Yeah, cause walking into a bandit infested tomb like this would be crazy!" I quipped, readjusting the breastplate so it didn't chafe so much.
"Ah you'll be fine," said Ralof airily. "You've got your shield spell now."
The shield spell did make me feel much more confident and I flexed my fingers.
"So, where are we going?" I asked and Ralof pointed up the slope.
"Bleak Falls Barrow, you can just see the ruins through the clouds."
I squinted at the low cloud cover and spotted the huge stone arches and columns.
"Always gave me the creeps as a lad," Ralof muttered as we started to climb the winding path up the mountain.
"How old is it?"
"Oh, thousands of years, not sure exactly how old. Build by the ancient Nords during the age of dragons, or maybe shortly after."
"Dragons?" I asked, my ears pricking.
"Aye, back in the Merethic Era, dragons ruled over Skyrim whilst the Elves held the southern lands. Then, the Nords overthrew the beasts and by the first era there were no dragons left."
We stopped talking as the climb became steeper and we had to concentrate on keeping our footing. If the dragons were all killed, I thought to myself, where did that monster the other day come from? The air grew colder the higher we climbed but the path so steep I began to sweat. By the time we neared the ruin there were patches of snow crunching under our feet. I gazed up at the arches and statues with a sense of foreboding. This place had a sense of dread hanging about it. Then my eyes picked out a figure in thick furs standing atop a wall and I grabbed Ralof's arm.
"There's a guard," I whispered. We both crouch behind a broken wall and watched the bandit. He didn't seem to have seen us, he was gazing out over the valley instead. He had a bow held loosely at his side.
"Recon we can take him out quiet like," Ralof muttered, putting a hand on his axe. "Need to get a bit closer."
We crept towards the foot of the wide stone steps and lost sight of the scout due to the angle of the wall. Once we reached the top we stayed low and took stock of our surroundings. We were on a wide open platform of sorts. On the right, up more steps, the barrow itself loomed, a great archway and a stone door twice my height. As well as the scout on the wall, we now saw two other bandits huddled around a brazier near the doors.
"I'll take care of the archer," Ralof whispered. "You try to pick off one of them in one go. We'll deal with the third together."
I swallowed and nodded. Ralof moved away, using the pillars as cover, and I crept closer to the doors. I raised a fist and waited until I heard a muffled grunt behind me – indicating Ralof has been successful – before shooting a flame spell at the door guards. One went down in an instant whilst the other yelled and scrambled for his weapons. Ralof never gave him a chance to draw. He leaned around the pillar and shot an arrow from the guard's own bow. It hit the remaining bandit squarely between the eyes and he crumpled.
After making sure there were no other bandits lurking nearby, Ralof and I climbed the last steps and stood before the huge doors.
"Are they – stone?" I asked in surprise. "And why are they so massive?!"
"I told you, the dragons ruled Skyrim long ago. I guess they needed big doors," Ralof shrugged. Together we pushed the heavy door open wide enough for us to slip inside. It wasn't as dark as I'd been expecting, apart from the sliver of daylight coming in with us, the entrance chamber was lit by torches. I heard voices echoing up ahead so once again Ralof and I crouched and used the thick pillars holding up the ceiling as cover.
"So we're just supposed to sit here whilst Arvel runs off with that Golden Claw?" said a woman.
"That dark elf wants to run ahead? Let him. Better than us risking our necks," replied a man with a nordic accent.
"What if Arvel doesn't come back? I want my share from that claw!"
The woman sounded agitated and when I peeked around the pillar I saw she and her companion sitting by a fire sharpening their swords.
"Just shut up and keep an eye out for trouble!"
Trouble came in the form of a fire spell and a thrown axe. The man went down in an instant but the woman was able to dodge at the last moment. She rolled to her feet and charged towards me with a savage scream. I was just able to throw up my shield in time to meet her blade and Ralof took the opportunity to swing his second hand axe at her exposed neck. I grimaced at the spurt of blood and quickly stepped over the body.
"I don't like all this killing," I groaned.
"Good, something wrong with folk who do," said Ralof. "I know you don't like looting corpses either but we might as well see what we can find."
The bodies and a chest produced a handful of septims, stale rations and a bottle of something Ralof called 'argonian wine'. This was packed carefully into our bags for later.
We continued through the dungeon, which went deeper and deeper into the mountainside. After the entrance hall the passages narrowed and the torches were less frequent, so Ralof picked one up. As the path turned left and right we started passing burial urns so big I could have sat inside one comfortably. There were also stone coffins that Ralof eyed with suspicion.
Eventually we saw a larger room up ahead and a bandit standing with his back to us. Once again we stopped and watched wearily. He didn't seem to have noticed us. He was fiddling with something in the middle of the floor then we heard a hissing noise and the bandit cried out in the pain. A moment later he fell to the ground, dead. Ralof and I exchanged confused looks then entered the room cautiously. The bandit was covered in black darts and the thing he'd been messing with was a leaver.
"It must open that gate over there," said Ralof, pointing ahead at a metal portcullis blocking the way.
I looked around and saw three pillars on our left in niches in the wall. Each had an animal carved on it, an eagle, a whale, and another eagle. I stepped closer to examine them and saw each had three sides and there were different animals round the back. I touched the first eagle pillar and then jumped as it rotated until it showed a snake instead.
"I think it's a puzzle," I said. "You have to have the right combination or the door won't open, and you get darted for good measure."
"What's the combination then?" asked Ralof and I gazed around the door for a clue. It didn't take long.
"There!" I said, pointing above the portcullis. "There are carvings up near the ceiling. Let's see, snake, snake, whale."
I adjusted the pillars and thought I heard a faint ringing noise. I gestured to Ralof to try the leaver.
"Here goes," he muttered, bracing himself for an onslaught of needles. But none came, instead, the portcullis slid up and disappeared.
"How dim are these bandits that he didn't notice that?" I asked, shaking my ahead.
The door led to a set of winding stairs and the temperature continued to drop. At the bottom I stepped in something white and sticky.
"Uh oh, spiders again," I muttered. "Fire at the ready!"
We continued along the corridor, keeping an eye on the ceiling. Another doorway was blocked by thick webs and I had to burn our way through. As we pushed into the new chamber we heard an excited voice call out,
"Is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Solingen? I know I ran ahead with the claw but I need your help!"
"Where is that coming from?" I asked, peering around the room. Ralof tapped me on the shoulder and pointed. Ahead of us was a tunnel blocked by more webbing. And trapped in the webbing, dangling a few feet off the ground, was a dark elf man in mismatched armour.
"Wait, you're not - who are you two?" he asked.
Before we could answer a gigantic spider dropped from the ceiling and nearly landed on top of us. That wasn't an exaggeration, this thing was three times bigger than the spiders we'd seen in Helgen.
"Holy shit!" I yelped, dancing around the monster and it clicked its pincers and shot of wet glob of webbing at me.
Ralof hacked at its hairy legs but it only seemed to annoy it. I threw away my sword and used both hands to pour fire at the creature. It squealed and twitched then charged towards me, knocking me to the ground. I struggled to keep the pincers from clamping around my throat and something wet and incredibly cold dripped onto my hands and face.
"Ralof!" I grunted, screwing up my eyes and turned my face away. The Nord used his axe to beat the spider back and once my hands were free I lit it up with fire again.
When it lay still and smouldering, Ralof helped me to my feet.
"Shor's balls, I didn't know they could get that big! Nice spell work."
"Thanks," I panted, flexing my fingers. "I think I'm getting the hang of it."
"Um, hello?! Is someone going to cut me down?" cried the dark elf indignantly.
Ralof rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Where's the golden claw, thief?"
"The claw, yes, I know how it all works. The claw, the door in the hall of stories, cut me down and I'll show you!"
He smiled at us and Ralof and I exchanged suspicious glances.
"Alright, stay still so I don't catch you," I said, drawing my knife and starting the delicate job of cutting the webbing. The elf dropped a couple of feet and brushed the last of the stickiness off his armour before sneering at us.
"Idiots."
Then he legged it down the tunnel.
"Oh come on!" I moaned. "We cut him free and he runs off? That's gratitude for you."
"He does know he's in a tomb, right? It's not like there's anywhere for him to go. Come on," said Ralof, exasperated.
We jogged along the tunnel in Arvel's wake. His footsteps echoed around the enclosed space so he was easy to follow even if we couldn't see him anymore. Then we heard a clang and a scream which startled us. We ran into a burial chamber with niches along the walls and more pillars holding up the ceiling. Near the back of the room where another tunnel led away, lay the broken and bloody body of Arvel.
"Yich," I grimaced, "What happened?"
"A trap," said Ralof, also wrinkling his nose. "See the pressure plate? Must activate that spiked contraption."
I stepped carefully towards the body and knelt.
"Shouldn't have run off pal," I sighed. The thief had a satchel which was extremely heavy.
"Wahey!" I crowed, extracting a solid gold claw, as big as my head. "This thing must be worth a fortune!"
Ralof bent down to admire the claw as well but as I lifted it so that it caught the light, I saw movement reflected in the gold.
"Look out!" I cried, rolling to the side as a mace came crashing down.
I jumped to my feet and gasped with horror as I faced the new threat. A corpse stood before me, no doubt about it, with sagging, desiccated skin and blue fire burning in its eye sockets. Its jaw was slack in an endless silent scream and it swung wildly with the mace. Fire felled it, but five more emerged from behind the pillars or rose from the niches. Ralof was fighting two at once so I sent a wide arch of flames around us to keep the others at bay.
"What the hell are they!" I demanded, blasting left and right and keeping my back to Ralof's for cover.
"Draugr!" he shouted back.
"What?!"
"Draugr! The undead, raised from their ancient slumber, just, keep burning them!"
Fire did seem most affective and after a few panicked minutes, the last draugr fell.
"What do you mean undead?!" I panted. "How can a dead body fight?!"
"I've heard stories about them. Some say they were worshippers of the dragon cult back in ancient times, buried with their Priests and warlords to serve them in death as they did in life. They maintain and protect the old tombs."
"And you're only just mentioning this now?!"
Ralof shrugged.
"I thought you knew. Everyone's heard of draugr."
I was furious.
"What part of 'no memory before Helgen' don't you understand?"
I took a couple of deep breaths and waiting for my heart to stop pounding so fast before looking down at the golden claw again.
"Anyway, I guess we can get out of this godsforsaken hole and take this thing back to Lucan."
"What? You don't want to find out where this tunnel leads?" Ralof asked in surprise and I snorted.
"Not on your life! I'm not sticking around for more of these monsters to show up!"
"Oh come on," Ralof urged. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
I sighed and turned the claw this way and that. I noticed pictures engraved on the palm, a bear, a moth and an owl. My curiosity was piqued, especially when I remembered what the thief had said about 'the hall of stories'.
"Oh alright," I grumbled.
We continued down the tunnel, gingerly edging past the pressure plate which had doomed Arvel. We descended deeper into the mountain and I began to feel guilty.
"Hey, uh, I'm sorry I shouted back there," I said sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it," said Ralof with a reassuring smile. "You were right, it was foolish of me to forget. But don't worry, we'll protect each other."
We passed through more burial chambers and encountered more blue eyed draugr. The creatures made horrible noises, gurgling, guttural grunts from their rotten throats. They wore strange, ancient armour and wielded rusted blades. At long last we came to a room clear of draugr with murals along the walls and a round door at the far end. I examined the carvings as we passed. They showed men and women bringing offerings and worshipping floating, larger than life figures holding staffs and wearing what I could only assume were masks. At the top of the wall were stylised images of dragons with their wings spread wide.
"The ancient Nords really liked their dragons," I muttered.
"Until they rebelled and killed them all that is," Ralof reminded me. "Now what do we have here?"
We had reached the door and saw that it had a claw shaped indentation in the centre with three rings arching over it, showing different animals.
"Who designs these puzzles?" I snorted, rotating the rings to match up with the animals shown on the palm of the claw.
"I heard once that they aren't meant to keep people out, but rather the dead in. Draugr have no thought, only mindless obedience, so I suppose this would fool them," mused Ralof.
The next tunnel led to the largest chamber yet, more like a cavern really. Light shone in through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating a raised platform in the middle of the cave with a stone staircase carved around the side. I thought I could hear something at the top of the stairs, a strange whispering sound.
"Weapons at the ready, I reckon," I said grimly. We walked slowly up the stairs with our eyes peeled but nothing jumped out and attacked us.
There was a stone sarcophagus like the ones we'd passed in the chambers earlier but bigger and more elaborate. Ralof kept a close watch on it but my attention was drawn irresistibly towards a curved wall hugging the platform. It had words carved on it, several lines of text in a script I didn't recognise. The whispering was louder now and I could make out that it was singing, or chanting, again in a language I didn't know. As I edged closer to the wall, one of the words began to glow icy blue, the chanting grew even louder and I heard wind rushing in my ears. Something made me reach out to touch the word and I gasped as I felt cold flood through me, chilling my lungs and drying my throat. Ralof started at the noise.
"What happened? Are you alright?" he asked and I swallowed.
"Yeah," I croaked. "I don't know what that was."
A word kept repeating in my mind. Fus. Over and over again I heard voices, men and women both, shouting the word. I had no idea what it meant except that it was powerful in some way.
"Fus?" I said out loud, but nothing happened.
"What?" asked Ralof blankly and I shook my head.
"Nothing, just testing something. I think we should –"
But before I could suggest we left this place as quickly as possible, a loud crack interrupted me and the lid of the coffin burst open. Ralof and I whirled around in time to see a Draugr, taller and more menacing than the ones we'd encountered before, rise from the grave.
"Shor's balls!" I swore, borrowing Ralof's turn of phrase.
This draugr's armour was better preserved than his brethren and he wielded a great sword in both hands. But that wasn't the worst thing, before we could even raise our own weapons, the monster threw back its head and shouted.
"Fus Ro Dah!"
There was an ear-splitting clap of thunder and I was blow clean off my feet. I hit the wall with a thud and crumpled at its foot completely dazed.
I shook my head to try and clear the black spots that scurried across my vision. That's the same thing the dragon at Helgen did, I thought. Was it a spell? It had to he. A shadow fell across me before I could gather my wits and the draugr brought his sword swinging down. I moved instinctively and raised both hands to cast a shield. It buckled under the force of the blow but absorbed most of the impact. The draugr lifted his sword for another go and I had no where to move, trapped on the ground between it and the wall. Thankfully, Ralof came to my rescue. With a war-cry he smacked the draugr in the back of the head with his axe. This distracted it long enough for me to scuttle away on my hands and knees.
"Damn, barely seemed to hurt it at all!" Ralof grunted, bracing against the repeated blows of the draugr which was now giving him its full attention. A flame spell to the back of the head only seemed to annoy it. I gave a growl of frustration.
"Just die already you stupid thing!"
The draugr opened its mouth wide again and this time I had the foresight to clap my hands over my ears. This – combined with the fact I was directly behind it – meant I avoided the effects of the spell. Ralof on the other hand got the full blast and was thrown backwards, landing right at the edge of the platform. His axe spun away and I heard it clatter on the ground many feet below. The sight of the draugr looming over my friend sent common sense flying out the window. I sprinted forward and jumped onto the creatures back. Its skin felt as unpleasant as I'd expected but I clung on, arms locked around its throat as it jerked this way and that, trying to throw me off. It's bony hands clawed at my face and I screw up my eyes and pressed my lips together. Fire poured out of hands directly into the draugrs chest and head. It screamed and thrashed, then finally fell to its knees like a puppet with its strings cut. I rolled away and brushed down my clothes with a grimace, waited a second to make sure the thing was dead, then went to help Ralof to his feet.
"That was either very brave or very stupid," Ralof groaned, rubbing his chest where the spell had hit him.
"Probably both," I panted. "You OK?"
Once it was established that neither or us had any broken bones, we set about looting the sarcophagus. Ralof exclaimed over the great sword which had a frost enchantment rippling up the blade. I poked through the rotten cloth at the bottom of the coffin and came across of a strange stone tablet with a map carved into it.
"Is this Skyrim?" I asked, showing the tablet to Ralof. He frowned at it and nodded.
"Yes, a bit rough but it's got all the general features. See here? You've got the mountains and the lake, and here's the sea of ghosts."
"And the exes?" I prompted, tapping one of the dozens of x shaped markings. "Are they settlements?"
Ralof leant the sword against the wall and took the tablet so he could examine it properly.
"I don't think so," he mused. "As far as I know, there isn't a settlement where this x is, and Whiterun and the other hold capitals don't seem to be shown."
"Could be a treasure map," I joked. "Do you mind if I keep this?"
"Sure, if you don't mind me keeping the sword," Ralof grinned.