Hey, how have you all been? There's not much to say this time around so i'll just get on with it.
Disclaimer:
I don't own Skyrim. Bethesda Game Studios does.
Fod zeymah win kein meyz fundein
(An imperial and a stormcloak army clashes, when a shadow passes over)
Alduin, feyn du jon
(Alduin appears amidst an inferno)
Kruziik vokun staadnau
(Alduin flies into the sky where his wings cover the sun)
Voth aan bahlok wah diivon fin lein
(Everything turns blood red before Harkon appear in his vampire lord form)
Nuz aan sul fent alok
(the sun suddenly appears as all the flames from before die out)
Fod fin vul dovah nok
(Closeup on a shocked Alduin)
Fen kos nahlot mahfaeraak ahrk ruz
(A silhouette walks towards the two with the sun behind it)
Paaz keizaal fen kos stin nol bein Alduin Jot
(Random shots of Skyrim's landscape)
Dovahkiin!
(Thorkild flies through the flames and slashes Harkon)
Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin
(Random shots of Thorkild fighting)
Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal
(Thorkild slashes the side of Alduin's head)
Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan
(Alduin breathe fire towards Thorkild who returns with Unrelenting Force)
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal
(Thorkild faces of against Miraak)
It had been a couple days since, Thorkild was tasked with going into an old ruin and obtaining the Dragonstone by jarl Balgruuf. In the following few days, Thorkild had spent most of his time, training or working on his smithing. He had managed to strike up a sort of apprenticeship with one of Whiterun's two blacksmiths. Adrianne Avenicci.
Under her tutelage, it hadn't taken long for him, to make himself a full set of steel armor, and a quiver full of arrows. With that, as well as the improvements he had made to his shield and sword. Thorkild felt pretty confident as he made his way outside of Whiterun. Nodding to guard as he left.
As he was walking away from Whiterun, he looked towards the mountain that, he was told Bleak Falls Barrow was located on. As he looked towards it, he realised it was the same mountain that could be seen from Riverwood. Which meant, that the giant structure he had seen must have been Bleak Falls Barrow. What a coincidence.
Thorkild realised that the path was steering away from the mountain. So he veered off the path towards the mountain. He could see what appeared to be a small path leading up the mountainside. So he went towards that.
He finally spotted the beginning of the path. He noticed a large open area next to it. A large bonfire was located at the other end of the area. Two giants were mulling about.
Thorkild briefly froze up when he saw them. When he had fought a giant on the way to Whiterun, it had almost ended up very bad for him, and would have, if he hadn't gotten help from the Companions. Luckily, it seemed they hadn't noticed him. He began walking up the path, slowly.
After a little bit, he figured that he was clear of the giants and relaxed, picking up his pace a little bit. His trek up the mountain was eventually interrupted by a series of menacing growls. Thorkild looked to his right, towards the growls. It was a small pack of about seven wolves.
The wolves kept growling, as Thorkild simply drew his sword with a bored expression. The wolves all charged at him. Thorkild responded with three simple slashes, so fast his arm was nothing more than a blur. He sheathed his sword as the now dead wolves fell to the ground.
Thorkild continued on his way. After walking a bit he could see Bleak Falls Barrow to his right, but there didn't seem like the path was leading towards it. However, after a bit, the path did start going to the right. Towards Bleak Falls Barrow.
As he was walking up the stairs towards the entrance. Thorkild was blocked by a man in fur armor. On the wall to the right of the stairs. Another man, wearing fur armor and wielding a bow was standing. On the wall to the left there was a woman, wearing fur armor as well. She too had a bow. The man blocking the stairs drew a large greatsword and charged.
Thorkild sighed and unsheathed his sword. The two archers each fired an arrow as the man with the sword charged. Thorkild blurred forward, letting the two arrows collide harmlessly. Thorkild passed the man with the sword and stopped a few meters behind him. After a second, a squirt of blood exploded from the man's shoulder and he collapsed.
Thorkild then blurred up the last steps, and towards the woman. Cutting her down just as she prepared to nock another arrow. Thorkild turned towards the last guy, and leaned to the side. Letting an arrow fly past. Thorkild fished an arrow out of the quiver filled with steel arrows. After testing it's weight a bit. Thorkild threw it towards the man and hit him straight in the chest. Throwing him to the ground.
Waiting a bit to see if there were others. Thorkild felt pretty proud of his throw. He couldn't use a bow to save his own life, but like this... he wouldn't need to. He then went up the tomb's entrance. A pair of gigantic metal doors. Despite their size they were surprisingly easy to get open.
Behind the doors there was a large room with rubble spread around. In the back of the room there was a bonfire with two figures in fur armor, a man and a woman, sitting next to it.
Thorkild crouched, and snuck forward. As he did he heard the two talking about some kind of 'golden claw'. Hiding behind a piece of rubble, Thorkild grabbed a pebble. He then threw the pebble over to the side. The sound startled both people and they rose and grabbed their weapons. A sword, each.
Thorkild waited as the woman passed his hiding place, and the man then stopped next to it. Seeing his chance, Thorkild leapt out from his hiding spot and slammed his shield into the man, knocking him down. He then ran towards the woman, and cut her down. Returning his attention to the man. Thorkild ran up, and bashed him straight in the face, with his shield.
The man got sent flying away, and crashed into the wall above an opening to a hallway. He didn't get up after falling to the ground.
Thorkild frowned as he looked down the hallway. It seemed like the only way further into the temple. So he began walking down the hallway.
The place's age was really showing. The hallway was completely overgrown, and several connected hallways were blocked off by rubble.
After walking the hallway for a bit. Thorkild noticed a room further ahead, down some stairs. He also noticed a man in leather armor standing near a lever in the middle of the room.
Thorkild watched as the man pulled the lever. The next second the man was hit by a volley of small arrows. He collapsed on the ground. Thorkild cautiously entered the room. His shield ready, in case he was attacked.
The room was empty. On the wall opposite of the entrance there was a gate. Above the gate there were two pillars with pictures. One to the left that looked like a snake, and one to the right that looked like a fish. A third pillar was lying on the ground. This one had a picture of a snake.
Thorkild frowned as he looked around. He noticed that over to the side there were three more pillars. These also had pictures. Thorkild narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked them over. They looked like they could be moved. Maybe that was the way to get that gate open.
Grabbing the edge of the pillar. Thorkild pulled, it swung around, now showing a different picture. Thorkild looked over at the three, immobile pillars. Deep in thought. Then he, with a start, realised what he was supposed to do.
After a minute he had managed to move the pillars so that they showed the correct picture. The one in the middle and the one to the left both showed a snake. The one to the right showed a fish.
He then walked over, and pulled the lever. As he had hoped, the gate opened. going through the, now open, gate. He came to a semi-large room. Right across from him, there was a table with some potions on it. To his left a wooden spiral staircase, covered in spider webs. Putting the potions into his back. Thorkild went down the stairs. Suppressing a shudder as he did.
He heard a series of aggressive squeaks. Three skeevers were running up the stairs, towards him. Three lightning fast slashes dealt with that. The staircase eventually stopped at the entrance to another hallway. This one was also filled with spider webs.
As he walked down the hallway, he heard a voice to his left. "Hello! Is someone there!? Please help me!?" the voice shouted. Thorkild frowned and walked over to where he heard the voice. He was blocked by an entrance completely covered in spider webs. Thorkild cut it down, and stepped into a room covered in more web, and filled with giant egg sacks.
Thorkild's eyes widened comically when a large, eight-legged figure fell from the ceilling and landed. It was a massive frostbite spider. Much bigger than the ones he had seen when he was escaping from Helgen.
Thorkild snarled as he blurred towards the spider. Delivering an upwards strike that sent the spider reeling back. The spider brought it's maw down. Trying to bite him. Thorkild simply blocked the attack with his shield. He then pushed the spider back, and bashed it into the air. Jumping towards it, Thorkild slammed the edge of the shield into the spider in mid air. Sending it crashing into the wall. Before it could recover, he shot forward and impaled it. Thorkild forced his sword upwards. Cutting the spider almost completely in half.
He then turned towards the only other person in the room. A dark elf stuck in a massive amount of web. He was wearing hide armor, and had an expression of shock on his face.
However, the shock quickly turned to glee. "You...you killed it! Oh, thank the Divines. Now, cut me down," he pleaded. Thorkild regarded him for a second. "Do you know anything about the golden claw?" Thorkild asked sternly. The man nodded eagerly, "the claw! Yes! I know about the claw, and how to get past the ancient nord's security," he said.
Thorkild nodde, figuring that, that was an acceptable reason to let him down. Thorkild quickly cut the web apart, and the man dropped to the ground. Thorkild kept a small distance to let the man get his bearings.
However, when the man got to his feet, he smirked. "Fool. Why would i share all these riches with anyone," he said. Before Thorkild could say anything. The man took off down the hallway behind him. So fast he would have been nothing, but a blur to an average person. However, Thorkild was not an average person, and blurred out too as he gave chase.
The two shot through the hallways as mind-numbing speeds. But after a bit. Thorkild caught up to the elf, and tackled him to the floor. The speed they were going at caused them to slide across the floor. They eventually came to a stop. "Got you," Thorkild said to the groaning elf.
Suddenly, a sword came from out of nowhere, cut of the elf's head. Thorkild yelped in shock, and scrambled back. An axe was swung at him, but he blurred to the side to dodge. It still managed to give him a tiny cut on his cheek. Thorkild jumped to his feet and got a good look at his attackers.
There were three of them. They looked a lot like corpses. Grey skin, yet with eerily bright, glowing blue eyes. They wore ancient looking armor and strange weapons. One had a sword and a shield. The other, simply, an axe.
Thorkild raised his shield, and bashed an arrow out of the air. A third one was standing behind the others. Preparing another arrow.
Thorkild shot forward and slashed the one with the sword across the chest. Sending it flying into the one with the bow. The last one said something in a weird language, and raised it's axe. Thorkild blocked the blow with his shield. The force of it, smashing a large crater into the ground.
Thorkild thrusted his sword into it's stomach. He then shifted his attention to the two others, who were trying to get up. Running up to them, he cut the archer, horizontally, in half. He immediately turned around, and blocked an attack from the last one.
After pushing it back, he cut off it's head. He decided to see if the elf had that claw, on him. He had. Thorkild also found a journal which he decided to take with him. Taking a deep breath. Thorkild turned around to continue deeper into the crypt.
And immediately had to throw up his shield to block a wall of spikes that suddenly swung around the corner.
After that unpleasant surprise, Thorkild continued on his way. Bunks was carved into the walls with corpses in most of them. Some of the corpses looked like the three creatures that had attacked him earlier.
These, however, wasn't moving.
Well, not all of them
Four of them was, though. Thorkild didn't feel like giving them time to get ready. So he rushed up to the closest one, and cut it down while it was still getting out of it's bunk.
He then rushed to the next one, and cut that one down, before it could get out of it's bunk, too. However, the last two was now rushing at him. Thorkild picked an arrow out of his quiver and threw at the closest of the two. Hitting it right between the eyes.
It slumped to the ground as the last one reached Thorkild, and swung it's battleaxe at him. Thorkild jumped over the attack, and kicked the creature in the face. It was flung back. Thorkild rushed at it, and slashed down. Only for it to be blocked by the axe handle. Thorkild scowled, and raised his sword again. Giving a much more powerful strike. Shattering the axe, and cutting open the creature.
A small hallway continued further into the crypt. Thorkild was about to go down it, but a blade suddenly swung in front of his face. Three axe-like blades were swinging from side to side. Making it diffcult to get through. Well, difficult for a normal person.
Thorkild simply waited until the blades all had swung past, and shot down the hallway as a blur. Easily passing all of them.
Looking around, he found himself in a corridor. There were more bunks carved into the walls, but it was a much tighter space. He heard the sound of heavy feet stomping against the ground. From around the corner, several more of the creatures emerged.
'What are those things?,' Thorkild thought before it hit. Draugr, they were draugr. His father had told him about them.
As they trudged towards him, Thorkild noticed an odd liquid on the floor. From the ceiling, there hung an urn with...something in it. One of the draugrs had walked under the urn, so Thorkild threw an arrow at the small rope holding the urn up. The urn crashed into the draugr's head, spilling it's contents on the floor, and setting fire to the liquid.
One of the draugrs managed to crawl through the fire. But a quick swing put it down for good.
After the fire had died down, Thorkild continued on his travel through. The stone eventually giving way to cave-like rock. After ascending some stairs, he came to a large room. A small stream of water was running through the room.
On the other side of the stream, a coffin was leaning against the wall. A chest was lying next to it. Thorkild stepped into the room. At the next second, the lid to the coffin popped off, and a draugr stepped out.
Not wanting to waste any time. Thorkild threw an arrow at the draugr's head. Pinning to the wall. After looting the chest, Thorkild pulled on a chain attached to the wall. Opening up a gate leading further into the caves, following the stream.
Walking down the cave, Thorkild soon came to a waterfall. He followed a path going to the right. It circled around and led to a natural bridge over the waterfall. Another draugr was standing in the way. Another thrown arrow took care of it.
He continued over the bridge, and down some more caves. Which quickly gave way to more temple corridors. They then led to another large room, filled with rubble.
Yet another draugr was standing in his way. Picking another arrow out of the quiver, Thorkild threw it at the draugr. Only for it to deflect the arrow with it's greatsword. Undeterred, Thorkild shot towards the draugr who, unexpectedly, met him head on. Their clash smashed a crater into the ground, and caused the entire room to shake.
Thorkild kicked the draugr into a nearby pillar, forming a draugr-shaped crater in it. Thorkild rushed at the draugr, slashed at it. Only for the draugr to duck under the attack which, instead, cut the pillar diagonally in half. The top half slowly slid off, and hit the ground with a crash.
Thorkild whirled around to face the draugr, but had to bring up his shield to block an attack that sent him skidding back. The draugr ran at him, and delivered a powerful slash, but he deflected it with his sword. He then delivered his own attack, but it was deflected.
The two both stepped back, before stepping forward, and delivered a flurry of attacks against each other. So fast, it looked like they were delivering several dozen attacks at once.
After a few seconds of the exchange. The draugr slipped up, giving Thorkild an opening to cut off it's arm. Just like the others, it oddly didn't bleed. Seemingly unbothered by sudden lack of an arm. The draugr raised it's sword, and swung it towards Thorkild who simply cut off it's other arm in mid-swing.
This time it actually staggered back. Thorkild kicked it further back, and cut off it's head.
He then continued over to the door at the end of the room. Opening it, he found a room on the other side. A fire was placed in the middle, contained by five statues. Behind that a hallway went on.
Going through it, he was quickly greeted by another narrow corridor with swinging blades. Thorkild simply blurred past the blades. Finding himself in another large room.
To his left, a coffin's lid suddenly sprang off, and a draugr climbed out. Before Thorkild could take it down, an arrow was shot at him by another draugr. Forcing him to step to the side. The draugr was standing on some wooden stairs at the other end of the room.
Thorkild rolled forward when a third draugr jumped from the bridge above him. Shattering the ground when it slammed down it's axe. Getting to his feet, and blocking another arrow. Thorkild noticed more of the flammable liquid on the ground, and another urn hanging above it.
Thorkild turned around, and clashed with the two draugrs. Slowly backing up as he deflected their attacks, until they were standing in the middle of the liquid. Thorkild then jumped out of the way of another arrow. The arrow instead hit one of the other draugrs in the knee. When it tried to take a step forward, it collapsed, and fell in front of the other draugr. Causing that one to fall as well.
Thorkild, in the middle of his jump, threw an arrow at the urn. Causing it to fall to the ground. Making the liquid, and the draugrs, burst into flames.
As the two burned to death, Thorkild turned towards the last draugr, and took aim. The arrow hit it straight in the chest. It stumbled back, but managed to stay on it's feet. It shot another arrow at Thorkild who retaliated by throwing one of his own. The two arrows collided in the air.
Thorkild's arrow won out. Cleaving the other in half, and hitting the draugr in the throat.
It fell off the stairs, and didn't move anymore. Thorkild went up the stairs to the second floor, and walked over the bridge. After walking through a couple corridors. Thorkild entered a large hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was some kind of door.
It was made of metal. In the middle, was a circle with an odd imprint, almost like a claw. Above that three pictures was lined vertically up. As he inspected the circle, Thorkild remembered the claw, and what the elf from before had said.
"Yes! I know about the claw, and how to get past the ancient nord's security,"
'The claw must have something to do with getting past this thing,' Thorkild thought to himself. Frowning, he pressed the palm of the claw against the circle in the middle. And then stumbled back when a barrage of small arrows was shot at him.
In the confusion, he dropped the claw. When he went to pick it up, he noticed that in the palm of it, there were three pictures. Looking from the claw to the door, Thorkild got a shocked expression when he realised that some of the pictures on the claw was identical to some of the pictures on the door.
Thorkild walked up to the door, grinning now that he knew what to do, and moved the pictures until they corresponded with the ones on the claw. When he then put the claw back on the door, instead of shooting arrows at him, it began slowly lowering. Giving Thorkild entrance to a large cavern.
When he reached the other end of said cavern, he found some kind of large altar. On the altar there was a giant stone wall with strange symbols carved into it. As Thorkild approached the wall, some of the symbols started glowing a bright blue.
Throkild felt... completely mesmerized by the glowing symbols. He started slowly walking closer to them. His vision darkened, but they only glowed even brighter. He was little more than a foot away, crouched down so he was on eye-level with the symbols. Then, a word seemingly just popped up in his mind.
Force.
Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. The glow subsided, and Thorkild got control of his body, back. Behind him he heard a crash. Whirling around, Thorkild saw a draugr getting out of a nearby coffin.
Thorkild fished another arrow out of his quiver, and threw it, but like the draugr from earlier this one simply swatted the arrow out of the air. It then rushed at Throkild who clashed with it.
When his sword clashed with the draugr's greatsword, Thorkild felt a, painful, wave of cold running down his arm. Ignoring the pain, he rushed at the draugr, and swung his sword.
The draugr deflected it, and the two exchanged a flurry of blows. Smacking the draugr's sword out of the way with his shield. Thorkild stabbed into it's stomach, only for it to only go in a few centimeters.
The draugr grabbed Thorkild's wrist, and threw him into a nearby boulder. It then swung it's sword in his direction. Sending a wave of cold flying at him. Thorkild jumped out of the way, the wave of cold hitting the boulder instead. Freezing it over. A few seconds after, it shattered into pieces.
The draugr attacked Thorkild while he was in the air, only for him to bash it in the face with his shield. He swung at it while it was stunned. Cutting a few centimeters into it's neck. It swung it's own sword in retaliation. Nicking his side.
After landing he held a hand to his side, not noticing the draugr approaching. He managed to dodge the swing, but did not dodge the follow up punch which sent him flying into the wall. Grimacing in pain he threw up his left hand, and began healing himself.
He was forced to dodge to the side when the draugr stabbed at him. Embedding it's sword into the wall. He raised his sword and slashed down on the draugr's arm. While he only cut a couple centimeters into it, he did break the arm.
The draugr got it's arm out and swung at him. Forcing him to jump away. It realised that it couldn't use one of it's arms as well as normally, and rushed at him, now using the sword in one hand.
It attacked him relentlessly, but with only one arm for it's sword, and the other reduced occasionally punching at him. It was a lot easier to dodge. He was starting to get extremely cold though, and small clumps of ice was starting to form on his arms, from all the attacks he had to deflect instead of dodge.
He found an opening, and slashed into it's neck. Making the existing wound several centimeters deeper, and causing the draugr to stagger back. He threw another arrow at it. This time the arrow struck it's target, and was driven deep into the wound.
Thorkild finished it off by cutting off it's head with a power attack.
When it fell to the ground, a stone tablet fell out of it's armor. Thorkild picked up the tablet and inspected it. 'This must be the Dragonstone,' Thorkild realised. After stuffing it in his bag, he began looking for an exit. He did not want to backtrack all the way.
After a little bit, he found an exit leading to the side of the mountain. The OTHER side of the mountain. Maybe backtracking hadn't been such a bad idea. As he was walking down the mountain, he idly wondered where the elf had gotten the golden claw in the first place.
Then he remembered, he had the journal. He got out the journal and read through it. 'Lucan Valerius... wasn't he that guy with a shop in Riverwood?' Thorkild thought. If that was the case he might as well stop by, and give it back. It was on the way back to Whiterun anyway.
As it turned out, Lucan did live in Riverwood. After giving back the claw, Thorkild shot off towards Whiterun at near top speed. Quckly getting back to Dragonsreach.
When he went to give it to Farengar, Thorkild noticed another person looking over a map on Farengar's desk. Farengar gave a broad smile when he saw Thorkild with the Dragonstone. "Aha! The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow. Looks like you're a cut above the brutes, the jarl normally sends my way," he said before turning to the stranger, "so. It seems your theory was correct after all. And we have our friend here to thank for getting it for us."
The stranger glanced at Thorkild, "you went into Bleak Falls Barrow, and got that? Nice work," the stranger said with a female voice.
Before Thorkild could say anything, was interrupted by the sound of running. Irileth entered the room calling for Farengar.
"Farengar! You need to come at once! A dragon has been sighted nearby!" she said, she then looked at Thorkild, "you should come too," she said, before turning around, and marching away.
Thorkild frowned and followed her. Ignoring Farengar's gushing about seeing a dragon up close.
So... thats it for now. I'm really starting to enter actual shonen territory here. The next chapter will probably take even longer than this one. Exams are coming up and i need to prepare. Also, do you think i should only do the main questlines, or should i take the other major questlines into it too?