Chapter 16: Bleak Fall Barrow
Varn and I stood outside the ruin, Varn trying to catch his breath, while I had already recovered, my body was working like a player's, my stamina, along with my magicka, and health recovered as such.
I looted the corpse for the armor and any valuables. "Shall we?" I asked him, ready to go inside, I didn't want to delay Camilla's rescue any further.
Varn nodded, he readied his bow, and I pushed open the heavy stone door. Varn killed one of the two bandits inside, and I injured the other one with my arrow.
"Where is she?" I asked the bandits groaning on the floor, "Argh, don't kill me, she ran inside, before Rigvar could stop her, I didn't do anything." He continued to chatter as I looked around the room.
Campfire burned on one side with a chest beside it. But I didn't waste time looting it, I was in a hurry to go inside, and if that girl, Lys, was right, there should only be two or three bandits left.
I told Varn to stay at the gate, to keep watch while I went inside, though a little hesitant due to his kind nature, he still agreed out of fear or exhaustion.
I headed down alone, with a small flame dancing at my fingertip to lighten the darker parts of the barrow, utilizing the [Flame] spell. The passage was a tube-like, well-crafted cave, with arched roofs and tree roots spread across the floor and walls.
I soon came across a familiar room.
The room was made with carved stones, with three statues on the east wall, one of which was broken, resting on the floor.
On the same wall, below the statues, was a portcullis. On the left were three waist-length ruin totems, the pillars had three sides with an animal on each side.
However, the portcullis was already open.
I quickly made my way down the staircase and encountered two dead Skeevers, a large rat-like animal.
As I reached the bottom, I came across a room covered in web, mold, and everything untouchable. There was a table in front of me, on which I hoped to find a scroll, but didn't.
Maybe he took it.
I readied myself as I moved forward to face the giant spider.
I used a frenzy poison on the sword with the [Shock] spell ready to immobilize the spider.
I snuck around just outside the room containing a dozen spider eggs and webs on every corner. There was a round hatch in the middle of the room with the sun shining from the open roof above.
At the room's exit were three humanoid figures trapped in a cobweb blocking the exit.
Camilla
I saw her name with the system's help, and she appears to be unconscious. The other two noticed me and began to scream.
"Help!"
"Help us!"
Tch! Dumbasses I thought as the noise attracted the spider, as it crawled down from the roof's opening.
I quickly used the [Shock] spell to immobilize it and let it fall to the ground.
I dashed forward using the [Flame] spell to burn its eyes before it could get used to the shock.
I then used the sword to stab it in the face, killing it.
I exhaled as the adrenaline wore off. Phew! That was exciting, I chuckled, seeing the spider as tall as me, lying dead.
My thoughts were interrupted by the two, stuck in the web, "Hahaha, you killed it!" one of them said, as the other repeated in surprise.
I cut them down before they could ask me to remove them from the web.
***
I moved deeper into the barrow, taking Camillia along with me. I healed the wound on her head, waiting for her to wake up.
And soon enough she did, confused, scared, with her heart threatening to explode, she quickly got up from the ground, eyes darting to every corner of the room, trying to find something to defend herself with.
I had my back turned to her as I was scrolling through the system, checking how many attribute points I still had left.
Suddenly, I heard a noise from behind, as Camilla knocked over an old and battered urn. I turned to look at her as she froze out of fear.
"Please, d-" Her breath hitched, her words stuck in her throat, as I moved forward.
"I'm not the one who brought you here, quite the opposite," I said. Camilla looked at me, confused and surprised.
"Go back up, the path is clear, there's a young boy upstairs, he'll keep you safe," I said to move to the side to let her pass through.
"And tell him to go with you to Riverwood, I'll be here for a while longer," I added.
She stood there for a moment longer before beginning her journey with hurried steps, as I went deeper inside the ruin.
And it wasn't long before I found Arvel, dead.
His limp body was stuck to the spike wall, a large square grate with spikes on one side, attached to the wall on the other side.
It must have triggered when he was running from these undead. I thought as I looked at the decapitated draugrs lying on the floor.
System Prompt: One-Handed 26 -> 27
I took Arvel's stuff, the Claw, some coin, and a scroll of fireball, and made my way through the barrow, with two eyes following behind. I knew who it was, but chose not to confront her, and continued to kill every draugr on the way, and looted every chest.
Until I finally came across a large ornate door, with three rotating rings with carved totem symbols on it.
I looked at the golden claw's palm with the same three symbols as the door's. Bear—Moth—Owl.
I turned the rings, from the largest to the smallest matching them to the claw's and then inserted the claw, and it clicked inside.
And as I removed it, the door began to shake, and sink ever so slowly into the ground with a shrieking noise.
But instead of crossing it, I stood there, waiting, "Don't follow me any further." I finally said out loud, Clank! she dropped the sword, I had left behind, so she could pick it up.
I shook my head at her clumsiness. How did she survive this long?
I turned around to see her picking up the sword and pointing at me, "How can I trust you?" she barked, her eyes glaring at the claw in my hand, "You are one of them, are you not?"
The smile vanished from my face as I tossed the claw to her feet, "There, don't follow me around."
I made my way to the cave, and on a platform was the wall with strange symbols etched on it.
I crouched down and made my way to the tomb, carefully going around the wall to avoid being blinded by it.
I quietly removed the lid, and I was about to stab the corpse in the hand, but before the blade could reach, its eyes turned blue, and it shouted.
Faas!
The sword dropped from my hand as I winced in pain and took a few steps back. A big smile tugging on my lips as I looked at my broken hands, the bones in my fingers were crushed, and the radius bone was cracked.
I instantly activated and used my spare attribute points, it was like a full recovery trick up my sleeve, which didn't use any Magicka, instead, regenerated it.
My hand returned to function like it was never crushed, and my smile never faded, even though I was cursing the creature in front of me.
But the display of power excited me at the same time. Even with the rotting vocal cords and shouting the word wrong, it exerted this much power. I chuckled as I felt my hand sting with the phantom pain. Soon I'll have that power. I glanced back at the Word Wall and realized it was too close.
Shit!