If there was one thing Avil was most confident in, it was naturally his’speed’.
As a Dunmer, his talent for magic was lackluster at best, but his speed was truly exceptional.
This had also earned him the title of ‘the Swift’.
Even with a rapier in hand, that white-haired Breton woman was merely a mage; meanwhile, the tall man at her side was still some distance away…
There’s a chance to escape!
Before Sio could even raise her sword, Avil, who had fallen to the ground, suddenly flipped over and scrambled toward the depths of the tomb.
If I can just reach that place…!
Kaye intended to give chase immediately, but this time, Sio’s movements were even faster—it seemed she had long anticipated Avil’s escape.
She pursued him through the corridor, where many Draugr lay in the alcoves on both sides of the burial chamber, their eyes flickering with the deep fire of souls.
Even if she and Kaye did nothing, the weakened Avil would be overtaken and killed by the awakening Draugr, but Sio wanted to see something…
more dramatic.
A cold smirk curled at the corner of the young girl’s mouth as a Firebolt ignited in her palm, aimed directly at a raised stone slab on the floor—a pressure plate that was difficult to notice without careful observation.
The spell hit the mechanism dead center, and a trap door hidden in the shadows of the chamber suddenly swung open, its semicircular arc sweeping right toward Avil.
Unprepared, the spike-covered trap door slammed into him, the impact sending him flying.
He was pinned against the wall, his bones shattered and blood gushing out, while several Draugr that had been chasing him were also sent flying in all directions.
“You planned this all along?” Kaye didn’t turn to look at his companion, simply drawing his bow and aiming an arrow at the forehead of a remaining Draugr.
“Don’t you think it’s more interesting this way?” The smile on Sio’s face didn’t fade, looking very much like a child enjoying a toy.
Of course, she wouldn’t forget the task at hand.
If we don’t deal with these Draugr, we won’t be able to keep moving forward~ The Draugr in this burial chamber were no match for the two of them, especially since most of the awakened ones had been dealt with by the trap.
Kaye confirmed that no more corpses could rise, while Sio walked over to Avil’s body and pulled out a journal…
as well as a dragon claw ornament made of pure gold.
“Is there some tradition of keeping journals in Skyrim…?” Sio grumbled under her breath.
She understood that journals were a mechanic for players to grasp the plot, but in reality, who would write every single thing in a diary?
Especially a bandit!
But the journal existed nonetheless; perhaps Avil, being a Dunmer, was something of a man of letters.
The contents of the journal were unremarkable, merely stating that he knew the golden claw could open a secret door within Bleak Falls Barrow, leading to the ‘treasure’ left behind.
As for where the secret door was or how to open it, there were absolutely no records!
But this didn’t stump Sio.
She beckoned Kaye to her side and mysteriously turned the golden claw over, revealing three carvings etched onto its palm.
“Does this look familiar?” “Bear, Moth, Whale…
are they symbols of some faith?” Seeing the three animal carvings and with Sio’s hint, Kaye recalled the scene when they opened the first combination door.
“Exactly!
Next, we just need to find the door with these carvings on it!” They hadn’t gone much further when a meticulously crafted stone door blocked their path.
The infamous Nordic Puzzle Door, one of the many puzzle mechanisms left behind by the Ancient Nords.
Even with the right ‘key’, it would be difficult to solve without sufficient knowledge of ancient culture.
“Kaye, help me turn the top ring, I can’t reach it…!” …Normally, this wouldn’t have stumped Sio, as Miss Sio had a very clever head on her shoulders.
But, and it’s a big but, she wasn’t tall enough!
She would have to jump just to reach the top ring!
There was no way she could turn it like that!
“Leave it to me.” Watching Sio hop in place a few times, Kaye smiled and reached out to turn the rings, handling all the physical labor.
Inserting the golden claw into the corresponding slot, the mechanism slowly groaned open, revealing a set of rising stairs leading to the deepest part of the tomb.
This place was a world of its own; the stone walls were embedded with glowing runes and ancient Nordic totems, and a waterfall-like curtain of water cascaded from the ceiling, allowing sunlight to filter through from above onto the center of the chamber.
There stood a circular stone wall carved with dragon heads, and a stone sarcophagus resting quietly in the center of the altar.
Kaye tried to push the lid of the sarcophagus but found it wouldn’t budge.
On the altar lay a simple-looking stone slab, carved with a dragon head relief and strange, indecipherable script.
“…This is Dragon Language.” Sio’s muttered words were amplified in this space, causing an echo to ring in Kaye’s ears.
But Sio wasn’t by his side.
Kaye looked around and found that she had, at some point, approached the circular stone wall, her fingertips lightly touching the words carved upon it.
Even Sio, who prided herself on being a veteran gamer and highly knowledgeable, only knew the pronunciations of a few classic Dragon Shouts; she had no deep understanding of the Dragon Language script or the meanings within the pronunciations.
Yet now, she could understand the words carved on the wall.
The history and meaning behind the Dragon Language were flooding into her mind.
Causing her…
to read them aloud involuntarily.
“Here lies the guardian of the dragonstone, and [Power], born of never-ending rage and darkness…” Power.
The Dragon Language word ‘FUS’, representing this meaning, flared with a brilliant light.
The space around Sio distorted as she hallucinated the roar of a dragon and the thunderous surge of power pouring into her body, reaching the depths of her soul.
“Sio!
Are you alright!” Kaye rushed forward and caught the swaying Sio.
Kaye couldn’t hear the sound at all, nor could he read the Dragon Language.
But he could see Sio’s slightly vacant eyes and dazed expression.
This immense power was momentarily too much for Sio’s body to bear.
Her mind needed time to cool down, and her soul needed time to adapt to this ancient power.
At that moment, the sound of a sarcophagus lid slowly sliding open came from behind them.
A withered, shriveled Draugr arm reached out from the coffin.
It was…
A Draugr wearing an Ebony horned helmet and old armor.
The guardian mentioned on the Word Wall had been awakened once more, and all that remained for it to do…
was ‘battle’.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”