Dragonborn Rising

Chapter 26 - Blood

*****

"I need you to retrieve something called the Dragonstone."

I could have raised a million and one questions but I opted for the simple, "Just point me in the direction and I'll grab it."

He smirked, no doubt wanting to return a sarcastic comment himself, but he swallowed it down. It was one of those times I was glad to be taller and broader than most people. "You are eager to begin your adventure. Excellent. The sooner begun, the sooner done, eh?"

"Agreed. So what's this Dragonstone anyway?"

He seemed surprised by the question, but I just wanted to know what I'd be lugging back. Anything with 'stone' in the name would suggest it might be heavy. "I, ah, learned of a certain stone tablet said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow. A 'Dragonstone' that is said to contain a map of dragon burial sites. Go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find this tablet, no doubt in the main chamber, and bring it to me. Simplicity itself."

"Good thing I know where Bleak Falls Barrow is. A friend showed it to me as we escaped Helgen. But how can you be so sure this Dragonstone is there?"

It was amusing to see the question made him uncomfortable. "Well. Must preserve some professional secrets, mustn't we? I have my sources." He paused before ensuring he met my eyes. "Reliable sources."

The jarl hadn't exactly been happy I'd left for Riften, as just my luck he'd requested my presence while I'd been gone. Thankfully Kodlak spoke in my defence, and the jarl was happy to hear that I was thinking of making Whiterun my home. I think that helped calm any tempers. I turned to him as he'd listened into what Farengar had to say. "There has been no word of any further dragon attacks, but there are more than enough rumours of sightings to take the threat seriously. I wouldn't ask you to do this for me if I didn't believe they would eventually be a threat to my city and its people."

"It's fine, lord, though I will take a friend or two if I'm going to be delving another ancient Nord ruin."

"Done your fair share of adventuring?"

"Aye, and have some scars to prove it too. Right, head to the ruin, find a Dragonstone, head back here. Seems simple enough. Never is though."

"You'll be paid well for this, Ragnar."

"Well, that's nice. I just hope to come back alive. Can only push one's luck so far."

There was little else Farengar could share with me, and I didn't feel like sitting through a lecture regarding dragons, so with wishes of good luck, I wandered back down towards Jorrvaskr. I let Kodlak know what the jarl had requested, and asked if it was okay to ask for some help. He laughed, stating that the Companions were now my shield-brothers and sisters, and that if I was to request their help, it was likely they would come to my aid.

The first person I asked was Aela. I think she was surprised, but I admitted to being interested in how she worked, as I'd fought alongside Vilkas and Farkas during contracts I'd completed, so simply wondered if she'd like to join me. After asking where I was headed, she was intrigued by what I was being sent to find, so agreed with little hesitation. We went looking for others to join us, but she admitted that unless we found Vilkas or Farkas, she thought the two of us would be fine.

"What about Skjor?"

"We generally don't work together."

"Don't like mixing business with pleasure?"

Wrong thing to say, though to start with, she simply smirked before walking closer to me, perhaps to intimidate. Considering I had four to five inches on her, it wasn't working. "I will be honest with you, Ragnar, as you are aware of some secrets about the Circle. When Skjor and I disappear, it is to hunt."

"As werewolves?" She nodded. "So you're not lovers?"

"Skjor is a good man, but I do not think of him in that way." She then smiled. "I didn't think you'd listen to rumours, Ragnar."

"I don't, but I have noticed you disappear together more than once. I'm not going to judge either way, I was simply wondering."

"Wonder no more."

"So, just us two then?"

"Don't worry, Ragnar. I don't bite."

I gave her a look and smiled, agreeing to leave at first light the next morning. Riverwood was barely an hour's ride, where we agreed to leave our horses, walking the rest of the way to the ruin. Dark clouds loomed ominously in the distance as we mounted our horses the next morning. I knew the ruin was in a nearby mountain, so we both ensured to take warm clothing in case the weather did close in. It remained clear but cool on the way to Riverwood.

Tying our horses outside the inn, we asked the innkeeper if it was okay to leave them there, as we would not be customers, at least for the time being. He asked what we would be doing, and let him know we'd be heading to the ruin. "More adventurers!" he exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"A couple of days back, there was a Dunmer in here with a few friends, talking about heading to Bleak Falls Barrow. Took them for little more than bandits, though the Dunmer seemed to be clued up, at least. I'd watch your back when approaching." He paused before adding, "I have a feeling they might have been responsible for the break in at the Riverwood Trader."

"Anything of note taken?"

"Aye, just a golden claw. Only saw it once or twice myself, but Lucan has been devastated since it's disappearance."

"And you think these adventurers took it?"

The innkeeper shrugged. "As I said, most of them looked like bandits. And the claw went missing the night before they left for the barrow. Put two and two together..."

It was something worth remembering as Aela and I followed the road out of town, across a stone bridge, turning left and following the path up the hillside. It didn't take long for the temperature to drop as the path was rather steep. Not enough to lose our footing, but the vegetation soon thinned, and ahead we could see the beginning of snow remaining on the ground.

We'd climbed for at least half an hour when we approached a tower. Unfortunately, it wasn't empty as a trio of bandits noticed our approach. With snow now underfoot, the most important thing to do was making sure our footing was secure, so we let the bandits come towards us. Well, two of them did, as Aela put an arrow through one of them to even things out. Whether they were with the bandits the innkeeper told us about or not, I couldn't be sure. Not that it mattered, as the armour they wore was an insult to the very word, and they died easily.

Continuing to climb, the snow under our feet grew ever deeper, the wind whipped it into our face, in addition to being bitterly cold. We eventually had to stop to put our coats on as, despite our Nord blood, that could only keep us so warm before even out teeth started to chatter. Rounding the side of the mountain, through the snowfall we could see the barrow in the distance.

Any sense of relief as we climbed the steps ended when we came upon more bandits. These were at least dressed for the cold, but their armour was still poor in comparison to ours, as was their weaponry. Aela worked from a distance with her bow, leaving me to deal with those confident enough to believe they could take me on. Fighting two of them at a time wasn't too difficult, as long as they didn't time their attacks. Most bandits were not particularly talented, relying on fear and intimidation, something that wouldn't work against me. And it was always amusing to see an arrow fly into the face or neck of someone I was fighting. It made my life easier.

It didn't warm up as we opened the enormous steel door into the ruin, as it was quickly obvious that it had long been abandoned. Sections of the roof had collapsed, leaving the enormous entranceway exposed to the elements, while ahead, we could see a fire providing light and warmth, Aela and I crouching down and sneaking closer. Once close enough, she lined up one of the bandits as I surged toward the other.

"If this is the standard of bandit we're to face the entire time..."

"Looking for a fight, Aela?"

"Surely you want to meet an opponent worthy of your sword rather than the pathetic bunch we've run into so far?"

"You're right, but who knows what lies in wait for us. You've been through ruins like this before, right?"

"I have. I guess we'll find draugr soon enough."

The rest of the bandits and draugr must have been further in, as we found ourselves walking down crumbling hallways, with no sign this ruin had anything living in it for possibly millennia. There was a staleness to the air that I was used to. Aela did complain about a slight smell, adding that it was due to her heightened senses. I guess I could see how it would come in handy at times.

The puzzle we had to pass through was rather easy to figure out, and apart from a few skeevers, the way appeared clear ahead. That was until we followed the path down and noticed thickening webs around us. Aela murmured something about spiders. As the webs continued to thicken, I heard a voice ahead, someone pleading for help.

On the threshold of a larger chamber, Aela grabbed my arm and pointed up at the gap. I nodded, as I'd almost been squashed in a similar sort of room. Carefully stepping forward, we both kept our eyes on the hole in the ceiling as the enormous spider soon made its appearance. Aela wasted little time firing arrow after arrow, while I sheathed my sword and summoned flames. If there was one thing spiders hated, it was fire.

And considering the size of the creature, I wanted to keep it as far back as possible. Fire and arrows worked like a charm, taking delight in the fact the spider was quickly sheathed in flames. While that only pissed it off so that it did finally come forward, all Aela and I did was pull back where the spider couldn't get us.

I'm not sure how many arrows she let loose but the spider eventually collapsed into a ball on the ground, and it was only as we sucked in a few deep breaths that the smell near enough overcame us both. Coming across burned bodies could be bad enough, but burned spiders? I'm not sure how either of us managed to keep our breakfast down.

Approaching the Dunmer being held in place by the webbing, I noticed his eyes flick between Aela and I. "Cut me down!" he pleaded.

"You have the claw?" I asked.

"Yes, the claw. I know how it works. The claw, the markings, the door in the Hall of Stories. I know how they all fit together! Help me down, and I'll show you. You won't believe the power the Nords have hidden there."

"So you're a thief?" Aela asked pointedly, noticing her bow was now slung around her back and a short sword was in hand.

"No, you don't understand..."

I glanced at Aela. "Lucan has offered quite the reward for the claw. Said nothing about the thief though."

Aela swung her sword, the Dunmer looking away and flinching as she struck. We laughed at the cry of surprise as he hit the ground with a thud. He muttered something under his breath before he got to his feet. Instead of just handing over the claw, the idiot turned and ran. It caught us by surprise in return, though I suggested to Aela we'll find him eventually. "Probably dead too," I added.

I didn't always like being right, but I felt no pity when we came across his body a few minutes later. He'd woken up at least six draugr, who took an immediate interest in our presence. Thankfully they were not armoured, their weaponry ancient and, as they were not particularly smart, Aela and I managed to kill them rather easily. That's not to say we were cocky or over-confident. We were simply better than mindless drones.

Checking over the body of the Dunmer, we found a small pack. There wasn't much, a few coins, a journal and the claw itself. It wasn't particularly large but was heavy, as it did feel like it was made out of solid gold. There were symbols on the 'palm' of the claw, wondering what they might relate too.

The barrow had more traps in stall for us, including a hallway of swinging axes, and more than once I was sure I'd got it wrong and was about to be sliced in two. Aela let me go first, waiting for me to pull the chain at the end. She walked safely towards me with a smirk. "Knew it was there, right?"

"Of course, Ragnar."

More draugr were already awake waiting for us, and despite trying to be careful, even more woke up as we walked through the halls of the dead. Due to the barrow falling into complete disrepair, we ended up following a path cut into the ground itself, left wondering who had done it. I guess the draugr may have been capable, or adventurers before us had once made it this far, though that seemed doubtful.

After what felt like a long walk, we finally entered what I knew was the Hall of Stories. I'd seen similar artwork at Snow Veil Sanctum long ago. Mercer Frey had managed to pick the lock that time, though I figured out the symbols on the door had to correspond with those on the claw. Like their puzzles, not particularly difficult, though I still breathed a sigh of relief when the door juddered a moment before lowering into the ground.

I think we were still in the ruin, though I wouldn't call what we entered a chamber, it was more like a cave. Bats flew towards us out of nowhere into the ruin behind us, a shallow rive of water flowed beside us, while ahead in the distance I could see a word wall. There was also a sarcophagus, which I knew would hold another draugr, no doubt one that would require a lot of effort to kill.

Approaching the word wall, there was the usual chanting only I could hear, the word I would learn though couldn't read lit up too. Aela didn't hear, couldn't see, so I didn't bother explaining what was happening. And I learned the word nonetheless.

"Fus," I whispered, quiet enough so Aela didn't hear.

Then the lid of the sarcophagus flew open, and by the time I'd turned with sword in hand, the draugr was already on its feet, and I knew it was bad. It wore a helmet and body armour. That wasn't the concern. No, it was the fact the bastard stood taller than myself, and it was armed with an enormous two-handed great-sword.

And it was angry.

"Get back and unleash," I ordered.

"And what will you do?"

"Get friendly with this draugr."

"Careful, Ragnar. This type is called a Deathlord. They actually have talent."

I was fairly sure I'd fought one before, but whatever the case, the Deathlord only had eyes for me. I blocked its first swing to get a feel for its strength and immediately regretted it, the clang reverberating up my arm, and I swear it near broke my arm as well. Stepping back to give myself space, the Deathlord wasted no time coming forward.

It took all my skill just to parry and block its swings. Each one was hard and fast, barely able to make any sort of response. At the same time, Aela was firing arrow after arrow, but the armour of the Deathlord was thicker than normal, and barely any of her arrows was able to puncture it.

"Aim for its legs!" I yelled.

Then the draugr stopped and leaned back, left wondering what it was doing. The bastard screamed at me, which didn't bother me. No, it was the fact I was sent flying backwards, rolling arse over end, crashing into the word wall. It was only quick thinking that cause me to roll out of the next swing of its sword.

"Keep it still so I can get its legs!" Aela shouted.

"Yeah, because it's that easy," I muttered, but got in close to the draugr, close enough I could smell its breath. It was the second thing that day which nearly made me throw up, but I managed to keep it still long enough for Aela to get a trio of arrows in one leg, causing it to take a knee. It didn't give up, still swinging its sword, but the gap between helmet and armour was too tempting to take, and I took delight in driving my sword down into it.

Withdrawing my sword, the draugr growled before it hit the ground, and I stabbed it again, just to make sure it was dead. I was tempted to hack off its head, but that would have been a waste of time. Finding the Dragonstone in the now empty sarcophagus, I was thankful it wasn't too heavy, though it still did weigh down my pack.

"Are you okay?" Aela asked, and I couldn't help the slight grin at the concern in her tone.

"Had no idea you cared so much."

"I had no idea draugr had such power. What was that?" Shrugging, I admitted I didn't know. "How's the head?" she asked, again showing at least a little concern.

"I've probably had worse. But I think it's best we get out of here. Lucan will like his claw back too."

The exit was only a few metres away, and like usual, it was nowhere near where we'd entered the ruin. Thankfully it was still light, and the river was close by, so once we walked towards it, we just followed it back to Riverwood. We didn't really have a lot to say on the way. I was starting to feel rather sore from my hard collision with the word wall, while Aela only spoke when she had something to say. I'd learned she didn't really do idle chit-chat. The perfect companion.

Lucan was delighted to have his claw back and handed over two bags of coin. I could have counted it there and then, but the sheer weight of it suggested he had been very generous to us both. I even earned a kiss on the cheek from his sister as thanks for helping her brother. Nothing untoward, though I returned a smile as she was rather cute.

Collecting our horses from outside the inn, we headed straight back to Whiterun, Aela barely saying a word until we had stabled our horses. "Ragnar, I must admit something," she said after at least an hour of silence. I looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "You're talented. I mean... Very talented."

"Um, thanks. So are you." I looked her up and down, as our coats had been taken off before mounting our horses, so her legs were on display again.

"My eyes are up here, Ragnar."

"They are."

She laughed and grabbed my arm, leading us towards the gates. I'd been in Whiterun long enough now that at least my face was recognised, though being with Aela would help get past most roadblocks. Not only was she very attractive, but she could talk her way out of most problems. She joined me up the steps towards Dragonsreach, wandering inside to find it busy as always, with a line of petitioners waiting to see the jarl. But once he saw me, they were all dismissed as I headed straight for the wizard.

The first and only thing that took my attention was the feminine figure in the hood, making sure her face was away from light, so I could barely see her features. They ignored my presence, continuing their conversation about the dragon menace until Farengar finally looked up and appeared surprised to see me standing there. Without invitation, I stepped forward, opened my pack, and laid the Dragonstone on the table.

"Ah! The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow! Seems you are a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends my way."

"Suppose that's a compliment. Need anything else?"

"Me? No. But maybe the jarl will have further work for you later." He gestured to his right. "My associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork. She discovered its location, by means she has so far declined to share with me." Glancing to his right, he added, "So, your information was correct after all. And we have our friend to thank for recovering it for us."

Now the hooded figure looked at me. I still couldn't quite see her face, but locks of blonde hair did appear. "You went into Bleak Falls Barrow and got that? Nice work."

"Not the first ancient ruin I've adventured through, doubt it will be the last."

"You're probably right," she replied, before glancing at Farengar, "Just send me a copy when you've deciphered it."

"Of course. I'll have it to you as quickly as I can."

I wandered back towards the throne with Aela, explaining what we'd just done for Farengar. He was profuse in his thanks as before, and we found ourselves handed another large bag of coin each for the assistance. Once again he asked that I remain in Whiterun to assist with the dragon investigation. "I've moved, lord. I now call Whiterun home for now."