The Gift of Akatosh - Part 5

Sorry for the delay. Finally got another chapter out. So, Bleak Falls Barrow - Part 2. Hope you like it.

Enjoy!

Instead of running after the bandit, the duo followed at a more sedate pace. They walked through one or two empty rooms and soon after that, they could hear screaming. Then a weird thud and silence interrupted only by the occasional heavy breathing-like sound.

“What do you think that is? Could it be true that the dead don’t stay dead after all?” Riku asked.

“Possible, though what kind of dead, that’s hard to tell just from the sound. Definitely not skeletons though, I know what those sound like,” Martin said.

“It also looks like our bandit friend met his end there,” he added after a moment.

Then he motioned for Riku to quietly follow and they entered the room the sounds were coming from.

“What exactly are those?” Martin asked.

“Draugr, if the legends are correct,” Riku answered and took out his bow.

“Hm… Step back, I think,” he said and when Riku did, he summoned his fire spell again and burned two out of the three Draugr before they even spotted the intruders.

Meanwhile, Riku nocked an arrow and took aim at the remaining Draugr. This time trying to aim directly for the head. He charged his arrow with his lightning spell again as it proved quite deadly, and shot. Unfortunately, this time it missed. Well, not completely, it still managed to graze the enemy, but it didn’t do much damage.

Riku didn’t try shooting again, instead, he attacked with only the spell. It was definitely easier to aim that way and the Draugr was having trouble advancing with all the lightning going his way. It didn’t stop him completely though.

Soon, Riku was forced to start moving back to avoid direct confrontation. Thankfully, Martin finished his two enemies and turned to the commotion that was Riku and the last Draugr.

Not bothering with spells or his bound bow this time, Martin drew his sword and made his way behind the advancing Draugr and then, with a single powerful strike, decapitated him.

“Thanks,” Riku grinned as he canceled the spell.

“Nice work keeping him busy,” Martin answered with his own grin.

They grinned at each other for a few more seconds before Riku spotted something.

“Is that the bandit?” he pointed toward the crumpled body.

“Looks like it,” Martin nodded and made his way over.

Then he abruptly stopped and held out his arm to prevent Riku from advancing too.

“What is it?” Riku asked.

“See that raised stone?” Martin pointed.

“Yes?” Riku answered, confused.

“Don’t step on it, it’s probably what killed our friend here,” Martin explained and carefully made his way around the stone toward the dead body.

“Okay,” Riku nodded and followed in Martin’s footsteps.

Martin kneeled next to the body and started looking for whatever the bandit didn’t want to give up. He found a journal and a strange looking golden contraption that looked like a claw?

“What the heck is this?” he muttered to himself.

Riku heard him anyway.

“What’s what?” he asked.

“This,” Martin handed him the thing.

“Huh…” was the boy’s very intelligent reply.

“Hold on to it?” Martin suggested as he opened the journal.

“Sure…” Riku nodded and stuffed the thing in his satchel.

“Huh…”

This time, it was Martin.

“What now?” Riku asked and tried to peek into the journal Martin was reading.

“It seems the claw might actually be a key to a puzzle-lock of some sort…” he explained.

“But where’s the lock then?” Riku asked.

“Probably further in the barrow,” Martin guessed.

“Then let's go!”

“Sure,” Martin smiled and they continued on.

 

Soon, they reached a room similar to the one they found their bandit in. And again, they encountered three Draugr in there. Their previous tactic proved useful this time too. What more, Riku’s shot didn’t miss so the third Draugr was dead a lot sooner than before.

And then the boy got to watch Martin frying the other two Draugr with his Magnetix Flux.

“You will teach me that spell, right?” Riku hedged when all the enemies in the room were dead. Well, dead again.

“First, you have to practice to increase your reserves of Magicka. Right now, you simply don’t have enough to cast such a spell for more than a second or two,” Martin explained.

“And then?”

“Then, I’ll teach you,” Martin promised. “Right now, though, I’m interested in that chest over there.”

He pointed to a ruined staircase. And sure enough, there was a chest there, half-buried in the rubble, but still visible if one looked close enough.

“I’ll see if it’s open,” Riku was about to bolt toward it.

“If not, concentrate your magic on the lock and say this,” Martin suggested and whispered a word to Riku.

“Is that?” the boy asked.

“Yes, it is,” Martin confirmed.

Riku happily skipped to the chest and tried to open it. This time grinning ear to ear when it didn’t. He focused his magic and placed his hand on the lock like he’s seen Martin do several times already. Then he whispered the word and nodded to himself when the lock clicked open.

He opened the chest and peered inside. Unfortunately, the only things inside were a rusty old shield and an iron mace.

“Do we want a shield or a mace?” Riku called.

“Not really,” Martin said. “Unless you want to switch to heavy weaponry?” Martin teased him.

“Not really,” Riku echoed Martin’s earlier words.

“Then let’s go,” Martin said and they turned toward the room’s exit passageway.

The only problem was that it was blocked by three wildly swinging axes.

“Well, that’s not good,” muttered Martin.

“No, look,” Riku pointed.

But Martin simply didn’t understand what the boy was pointing out to him.

When Riku realized Martin didn’t know what he meant, he explained.

“I could crawl through, the axes don’t reach all the way down and the very sides look like they could have enough room for me. Maybe there’s a way to stop them from the other side.”

“I don’t like it, but it may be our only option,” Martin answered after he thought it over.

“But! And don’t argue with me on this,” he said when he saw the boy about to do so, “you will be very careful and before you crawl from under the axes, you make sure there’s no enemy there, okay?”

“Okay,” Riku agreed. Then he removed his bow and arrows and handed them to Martin.

“Hold onto these for me? They would get in the way.”

“Of course, just be careful,” Martin took the offered things.

Then Riku got on the ground and started to slowly crawl through the corridor. He kept close to the side and carefully moved forward as the axes swung above him. Thankfully, he was small enough that there was still quite some distance between him and the axes.

On the other side, he carefully checked if the area was clear of any enemies and luckily for him, it was. So he crawled out from under the axes and stood up. Then he looked around himself to see if there was a way to stop the axes. Even if only for a little while.

After a few seconds, he spotted a pull-chain.

“Found something,” he called to Martin.

“What is it?”

“A pull-chain, should I pull it?” Riku asked.

“Yes,” Martin agreed.

Riku did and the axes slowed until they stopped. When Martin saw that, he quickly made his way to the other side.

“Good job,” he ruffled Riku’s hair and then handed him back his bow and arrows.

 

They continued walking deeper into the barrow, but when they were bout to round a corner, Martin quickly pulled Riku back, as a torrent of ice blew past them.

“That’s new…” Martin commented.

“What was that?” squeaked Riku, subconsciously grabbing onto Martin.

“A Draugr that can wield magic,” replied Martin, gently ruffling Riku’s hair.

“Stay hidden,” he added and then stepped around the corner to face the enemy, both hands blazing with fiery magic.

When the Draugr spotted Martin, it immediately unleashed a torrent of ice in his direction. Martin dodged to the side, but even still, he could feel the cold of the spell.

He always hated ice spells. If used correctly, they could slow an opponent to a crawl. Thankfully, the only time he was on receiving end of those (until now) was when he and the Hero decided to spar during one of the slower moments at Cloud Ruler Temple and the Hero decided that it wasn’t cold enough there, unleashing torrents of ice one after another.

When the Draugr was about to unleash another frosty spell, Martin decided that enough was enough. And he let the fire burn. Magnetic Flux unleashed from both his hands and soon there was a raging inferno where the Draugr used to be. Martin really didn’t like ice magic.

“You can come out now,” he called to Riku when the inferno died out and all that was left was a disfigured corpse of the Draugr.

“That was scary,” Riku admitted quietly.

“What was?” Martin looked at him.

“You,” Riku said. “I’m glad we’re on the same side.”

“Well, I simply hate ice spells, if you must know.” Martin winked at him before they continued on their way.

 

Soon, they reached a room that looked a little less man-made and a bit more natural. Maybe it was the stream that cut through it right down the middle? Must have been.

“Look! Another chest!” Riku pointed and immediately made his way to it.

But Martin was eyeing something else entirely. A standing sarcophagus off to the side of the room. For some reason, it looked like it might burst open at any given moment. Just to be safe, he summoned his bound bow and got ready to shoot. This proved to be a good thing because the moment Riku opened the chest, a Draugr burst out of there.

Before it could make a single move, however, it got a spectral arrow between the eyes and crumpled down.

“Wha…?” Riku turned around only to see a dead Draugr.

“You have to be more careful. Look around the area before proceeding,” Martin gently scolded him.

“I’m sorry,” Riku bowed his head.

“Just be a little more careful next time, okay?”

Riku nodded and received a smile for it.

“So, what was in the chest?” he asked the boy.

“Not much, another of those soul gems and then a bunch of empty wine bottles of all things,” Riku said. Then he handed the soul gem to Martin.

“Who would have thought that the Draugr like wine,” Martin joked as he put the gem away.

“Maybe that’s why they’re attacking us? Because they hope to loot some wine off fo our bodies?” Riku smirked.

“Yeah, sure, let’s go with that,” laughed Martin.

 

They moved to the gate blocking their way forward. There was a pull-chain right next to it and Riku pulled it. The gate slid up and they moved forward. The walls changed drastically. It was no longer man-made, but a natural cavern that had a stream running through it. The area was illuminated by some weird jellyfish-like things on the walls. Martin couldn’t decide if it were plants or actual living creatures. Well, at least they provided light, right?

After only several steps in, they happened upon a skeleton that held a pickaxe in its hand. An ore vein right next to the unfortunate miner. But they ignored it. Neither of them wanting to lug around heavy ore. Though Martin thought he would have if it was ebony. Iron, however, was common enough that it was easier to buy in a shop. If he really wanted some.

Their path turned right and Riku swiped a healing potion that was sitting forgotten on a ledge.

After two or three more twists and turns, they entered an area that had natural lighting. The ceiling broken and letting sunlight in. And on a walkway, well, there was a Draugr waiting for them.

It stood no chance. Immediately after spotting it, Martin unleashed a torrent of fire that was followed by a lightning arrow from Riku. Both attacks found their mark and the Draugr fell from the ledge and all they could hear was a sickening crunch of bones breaking.

Riku looked down from the ledge the Draugr fell from.

“Hey! There’s a chest down there,” he said.

“Do you want to go down and check it?” Martin asked.

“Yeah!”

Riku immediately ran down to the bottom where the chest was sitting next to a waterfall. He was half-way down when he realized that Martin was not following him. He looked up and indeed, Martin was still up there.

“You’re not coming?” he called up.

“There’s nothing down there but the chest. No need for both of us to go,” Martin replied while keeping a careful eye on the way forward. Just in case something decided to show up.

Riku continued down and made his way to the chest. He tried to open it and it did, with a little creaking. Riku peered inside and smirked. He looked up, but Martin wasn’t looking down. His smirk widened and grabbed his find, carefully hiding it so that Martin wouldn’t spot it right away.

Then he made his way back up.

“Anything interesting down there?” Martin asked when Riku was standing in front of him, hands clasped behind his back.

“Yup,” he answered. “Close your eyes.”

“Why?” Martin cocked his head to the side.

“You’ll see,” Riku grinned up at him.

“Okay…” sighed Martin, but closed his eyes.