Power Corrupts: Going on an Adventure (ch.30) (Patreon)

Jericho

Level: 28

Title: Under Leveled

Health: 2860

Magicka: 125

Progress to next level: 0/150,000

Strength: 123 (+151= 274)

Endurance: 150 (+225= 375)

Dexterity: 130 (+169= 199)

Intelligence: 88 (+77=165)

Sense: 155 (+240= 390)

Resistances:

Physical Resistance: 25% (10% due to Durable and Toughness perks)(15% due to Endurance)

Abnormal Resistance: 65% (50% due to Super Immune perk) (15% due to Endurance)

Fire Resistance: 15% (15% due to Endurance)

Cold Resistance: 65% (base 50%)(15% due to Endurance)

Skills:

(General)

Gamer Body (100/100): The user’s body is that of a video game.

Massage (55/100): Skilled hands make targets tension and exhaustion melt away. (perks available)

Kissing (65/100): An intimate act between lovers that, if done well, can bring pleasure to the target. (perks available)

Sex (45/100): Greatly enhances parameters when engaging in sexual intercourse. (perks available)

Dishwashing (1/100): Stains and dried on food are easier to remove.

(Combat)

Footwork (15/100): The basis for all martial talents. Effectiveness is determined by Dexterity.

One-handed (25/100): Governs your effectiveness when using one-handed weapons, including daggers, swords, maces, and war axes. (perks available) Perks: Vengeance.

Two-handed (10/100): Governs your effectiveness when using two-handed weapons, including greatswords, battleaxes, and warhammers.

(Armor)

Heavy Armor (8/100): Governs your ability to move and fight in heavy armor.

(Stealth)

(None)

(Magic)

(None)

(Crafting)

(None)

My gamer system changed. Rather drastically, from the look of it. For starters, I was level 28 rather than level 2. The exp requirement had shot way down, my skills had progress bars and were organized. Some of my development abilities and skills took different forms, and I could pick perks for more than stat milestones. 

A conversion has taken place and request for more information has been fulfilled. Due to your falna based system, each milestone of 25 levels equates to 1 Danmachi level. Example: at level 50 with your current system, you will have reached level 3 in Danmachi and shall receive due rewards.

Skills and resistances -- The system has decided that the current layout and breakdown are more efficient. 

I dismissed the windows with my mind, mulling that over. There were popups now. Not sure if I was a fan of that, but, all things considered, I think the changes were good ones. My skill section looked a bit empty, but I had months to fill it out. 

With that thought in mind, I headed towards the Crevice Inn that Urlvar told me about. I pushed the door open, looking over the interior. A long bed of embers warmed the building, a iron grate placed on top of it to let a man cook a slab of meat to his liking. Iron chandeliers hung from a beam on the ceiling, horns filled with wax served as candle holders, which were sprinkled throughout the building to give it a warm glow to it. 

They were probably a fire hazard but magic was a thing, so I’m not sure if that was as big of a worry as it should be. There was a bard playing a lute in a corner, a half dozen people scattered about, all of them stopping to look at me before they went about what they were doing. I started walking towards the barkeep, a young woman with dark red hair, freckles sprinkle about her pale skin and deep green eyes. 

“I’m looking for someone called Torbgar-” As soon as I said that name, the guy that was roasting a slab of meat on the iron grate jumped over it and took off through the door. I looked at the door, then at the redhead, who looked mildly impressed with his speed, before I hastily tossed a few coins on the counter. “Found him,” I said before I pivoted, and gave chase. Anyone that was that ready to run must have a reason, but I wanted that extra reward for clearing the Embershard Mines. 

I was a level 2, or 28 now, which put me firmly in the realm of superhuman. The difference in speed, strength was significant from when I was a level 1. Some of my stats had more than doubled, and it showed. I moved in a blur, easily closing the distance between him and me -- he barely had time to reach the end of the building before I was on top of him. 

“Hold up,” I said, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and yanking him back. “I-”

“Don’t kill me!” Torbgar shouted, earning the attention of a few passing by in the village square. “I-I-I I can’t pay my debts! I’m sorry! I put everything in that fucking mine and bandits moved into it a day later! I don’t have anything!” He shouted, frozen in the spot as he looked up at me. The man looked like he was losing dirty blonde hair in clumps because of stress, his pale skin making the dark bags stand out that much more. He was the oddest mixture of pudgy and skinny -- like he was naturally a hefty guy but he lost pounds by the day left him haggard. 

“But-” But what about the extra reward? I didn’t get a chance to finish my question before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crinkled scroll tied off with a ribbon. 

“Here! This is all that I have left! Please...please, just don’t kill me,” Torbgar begged, looking like he was about to drop to his knees. He pushed the scroll into my chest. I let go of his shirt, unfurling the scroll to see in ink that it was the deed to the Embershard Mine. Huh. Huhhhh. 

“I...yeah...sure, just go do whatever,” I said lamely. That was all Torbgar needed to hear before he turned on his heel and started fleeing for the hills. That really wasn’t how I expected that entire thing to go down. I was expecting to get a quest to clear out the mines and maybe get a sword or something as a bonus. Instead, I have a mine now. A mine filled with bandits, but I could take care of that easily enough. 

A quest has been created: Clear Embershard Mine

Rewards: Embershard Mines can continue production. Unlocks features. 2500 exp. 

Oh, quests were popups now...not sure how I feel about that. Popups just felt jarring after not having them for a month. So, with a flick of my finger, I turned them off. Now I would be informed of the rewards once I completed a quest. 

“Well, that was a thing,” I muttered, watching Torbgar vanish through the gates before I turned around. People’s eyes still lingered on me, not exactly approving, but they didn’t look like they were going to challenge me on my accidental extortion. All I could do was give them a helpless shrug before I continued on my way, putting the deed into my inventory. Better not mention how I got a mine to Hestia, but it was a convenient stroke of luck. 

In a town this small, it was rather easy to find Hestia and Lili. They waited in the square, Lili looking around suspiciously at everyone, while Hestia was looking around with wonderment and excitement. They carried a basket covered with a cloth and a blanket, while Lili was sporting a backpack, though not as large as she was used to. 

“Did you have fun?” I asked with a smile, Hestia practically vibrated on the spot, her eyes filled with excitement. Hestia glomped me, beaming joy out of every pore as a scent I couldn’t quite place. 

“Lady Hestia bought frivolous things,” Lili tattled instantly, making Hestia sputter. “And Lili figured out how much these pieces of gold are worth,” she reported as if I had given her a mission. I wrapped one hand around Hestia’s shoulders and nodded at Lili. 

“But did you have fun?” I repeated, making Lili look a tad sheepish before she nodded. 

“Lili knows Mr. Jericho said not to worry about money, but it’s harder than Lili thought,” Lili admitted. Given that she spent most of her life pinching every coin she found, I’m guessing that habit wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. “Did Mr. Jericho find work?” 

“I did,” I said. I looked at Hestia, some of my work coming to mind. Back in Danmachi, I was an adventurer, but that word carried a different meaning here. In Danmachi, it meant I went down into a sprawling Dungeon beneath the city of Orario and fought monsters to harvest their monster stones and drop items. In a way, I was a miner. Here...things were a fair bit different. 

Especially in who and what I would be fighting. 

“If we want to buy a house here, then the first job will be free while the rest will be paid. Stuff like killing giant spiders, packs of bears and so on. Nothing that I can’t handle,” I answered. I would tell her about the other jobs of clearing out bandits, but she was happy and excited and I didn’t want to ruin that with a heavy conversation of what had to be done about the bandits. Hestia understood what I did to the Soma familia because they were a direct threat to us, but random bandits...I wasn’t sure.

“A house,” Hestia muttered happily before she started pulling me towards the gates. “We’re going to live in an actual house! Do we get to build it?” She asked, sounding excited at the prospect. I would have replaced the ‘get’ with ‘have’, but I’m happy that she was looking forward to it. Even if I was the one that would be doing all of the work. 

I nodded, “we will. On the way back, I can show you the plot of land that we’ll get. It’s nothing huge, or anything, but-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Hestia decided as she led me and Lili out of the gates, looking around with eyes filled with wonderment. It was like she was a newborn and realized that the world around her wasn’t just a mess of blurs and colors for the first time. “I’m just happy that we’ll have a home,” she admitted, smiling at us. I didn’t need to look down at Lili to know that both of us smiled back. 

There were guards standing at the gates, a handful that nodded at us as we left. Skyrim itself was a beautiful place, I noticed. Untamed and wild, only an old stone road marked a path of civilization, but it looked like nature was doing its best to reclaim it as well. Helgen was located at the base between two mountains, one of which was the largest in the world. 

A chill was in the air, but there was a lot less snow than I remember. Most of it was stuck on top of the mountain ranges, far up, leaving the ground where we walked lush and green. Flowers grew, butterflies hovered in the air...it was a sight to be certain. Eventually, Hestia picked out a hill that was mostly made of rock to set up our lunch at. They unfurled a blanket, opened up the basket and Hestia began making sandwiches while I savored the moment. 

“What happened to our old world?” Hestia asked, looking at me as she passed me a sandwich. “Can we ever go back? Are they going to be looking for us?” She questioned, not sounding urgent, but worried. 

“From what I know, the time has been paused back home. Not exactly sure how that works, but it could be something like a millisecond back there is a century here or something. And we can go back eventually -- there seems to be some kind of progress bar that I can’t see. Leveling up and dealing with the Soma familia,” I explained, making Hestia nod. I took a bite of the sandwich, it was simple but it was better than it had any right to be. 

“If Mr. Jericho decides to retire, would that mean we would be stuck here?” Lili asked, and I offered a small shrug. 

“Maybe? But...there’s some crazy things that are about to go down,” I started, making Hestia and Lili stiffen. “I was able to put us about half a year ahead of it, dragons are about to return to fulfill a prophecy to destroy the world. They’re led by a dragon called Alduin, and he’s going to hit Helgen first.”

Hestia listened, took in a deep breath, then nodded slowly to herself. “You want to stop it,” she said, her tone proud. 

“I’m not entirely certain that I can,” I admitted. “Alduin has to be killed twice by someone called the Dragonborn, and when they show up, it’s at Helgen for their execution for getting mixed up in a rebellion that is about to happen. I’m hoping that I can help them kill it, which would send it to the afterlife, and that would buy us time to kill him for good,” I explained, making Lili blink slowly as she shared a glance with Hestia. 

“And, failing that, there are some items in this world that could be useful for dealing with him...but there’s a whole host of problems incoming. From a civil war, to ancient wizards and monsters, to...well...there’s a lot,” I said, deciding that this wasn’t the time to serve as a complete info dump for Elder Scrolls lore. 

Lili giggled at that, “Lili thinks Mr. Jericho wants to be a hero and save the world.” To anyone else, those words might have sounded teasing, but I knew better. 

“We can talk about everything later, but, no matter what, I trust you,” Hestia seconded as she cuddled into my side. Lili hesitated to do the same right up until I brought her into my other side with a hand. She seemed to melt at the contact while I did the same. That was a better reaction than I could have hoped for. 

…

“Do you have to kill them?” Hestia asked once we got back to our room in the inn. I paid for two of them with my points in the world selector, and they were decent enough. A bed, a chair, a chest, and a small table -- covering the necessities. “Does it have to be you?”

My hands pressed a steel bar to the edge of my armor. It was specially created with the ability Mystery by a friendly familia to eat metal to transform it into a suit of armor. The stuff I was going with now was simple steel with a high carbon content to make it strong as it could be, but other than that, it was nothing special. There was a point since there were other metals that were far better to be found, so I simply saved myself some points. 

“I won’t do this if you don’t want me to,” I told Hestia, turning to her. “But...I think I should. This place is a lot different from your world. Even if I bring them back, then they’re going to be executed...and they’re bandits. No different than the Soma familia-”

“Jericho,” Hestia interrupted gently, “I don’t judge you for killing,” she said, sweeping any argument that I was trying to make from underneath me. “This realm might be different from mine, but...I care what killing is going to do to you. My heart broke when we were taking your armor off after the Soma familia was dead. You looked so lost, so tired...I don’t want you to look like that again.”

I…

“And killing...I don’t like it,” she admitted. “But because of how it affects those still living. They might be bandits, but they could have families, siblings, lovers and friends that rely on them. It doesn’t excuse what they’ve done. I...just don’t want anyone to suffer,” Hestia explained, trying to find the words. She crossed the distance between us, placing a hand on top of mine as I fed it into my nearing complete set of armor. “More than that, I don’t want you to suffer.”

“I…” I started, trying to find the words. I killed three hundred people. I ripped Zanis apart with my bare hands. I hunted down the remnants down to the last member and killed them. It didn’t matter if they begged or not. And...I could accept that. I didn’t like it, but...in the end, it was worth it. Lili was freed of the Soma familia. We were safe here, and I was going to make us safer. 

“I want us to be safe. I want to become stronger, so we never end up in a situation like that ever again,” I told Hestia after a moment of silence. “With the Soma familia...I was so damn angry. And tired and stressed and when it was over, I felt exhausted. Hestia, you don’t have to worry about me,” I said with a smile. 

Hestia searched my eyes for a long second before she nodded, “okay. I believe you,” she decided, leaning in to kiss me. I savored the feeling of her lips on mine before she pulled back. 

“I thought I was going to be in the doghouse when the Soma familia was gone?” I asked, making Hestia giggle. 

“I’m pushing your sentence back until we have a house. Then, you’ll be sleeping on a really big couch for a few days,” she decided, leaning back in for a quick kiss. 

"Then I'll make sure that it's comfy then," I returned before I stood up. Hestia took a step back as I reached into my inventory to pull out a broadsword. It would be a bit impractical for small spaces, but I picked Guts' raider sword as my main weapon. As I hefted it onto my shoulder, it weighed as much as a feather. If anything, that was going to be the more difficult issue to get used to. 

Between my size, and my enhanced body, it was a perfect fit. And, for when it wasn't practical, I had Stormbreaker. Nor the real one. Too expensive. It weighed more than twenty-five pounds, so it had some weight to it, but that was fine with me. With a warhammer like Stormbreaker, it might even be for the best.. 

"How do I look? I asked, grabbing my helmet and sliding it over my face. Hestia looked at me, tilting her head side to side before she smiled. 

"You could use a little color, and the black left arm stands out a bit much but pretty good! Hephusteus really knows how to make armor look good," she commented, reaching out to grab my hand to give it a squeeze. I looked down to see that she was probably right. The dragonhide that hung around my legs and between them offered some color, but the vast majority of my armor was gleaming steel. 

"I'll look into it," I said, slinging my sword into a hook onto my back. It seemed the god of smiths predicted my love for big swords. "Do you know if I can ever change the armor’s look or anything? Or would Hephusteus have to do that?" 

"It can," Heatia informed as she reached up, dragging a finger down the midnight black adamantine that covered my left arm -- the Hestia Armor. Engravings upon its surface glowed bright blue for a moment before fading. "The armor learns how it's being used when I update the falna on it. So it could make plates thicker, cover-up weak spots and it changes based on the metal it's made of...stuff like that," she explained. 

"She really outdid herself," I admitted. This armor played a considerable role in my victory over the Soma familia. Even better, it could change the design on its own until it became the perfect suit of armor. "I'll have to thank her a hundred times over when we go back to your world," I told Heatia, making a promise to her and to myself that we would return one-day. 

Hestia smiled as she squeezed my hand one last time, "we both do. Be safe, alright?" She asked, earning another promise from me before I stepped outside of the room. Lili was waiting for us, her expression serious before her gaze landed on me. Then her eyes went wide as she took me in. 

“Mr. Jericho looks scary in armor,” she commented, sounding reassured. The few others in the inn looked at me for a long moment, assessing me as a threat, before they went about their conversations and meals. Most of them were attempting to do the same thing that I was -- earn the right to buy property. 

“Are you ready?” I asked, making Lili’s face shift back to a determined expression as she nodded. Good. “We’ll be back in a bit. Will you be okay?” I asked Hestia, earning a nod and a thumbs up. 

“I’m going to do some reading while I have the chance,” Hestia said. “Be safe, both of you,” she requested. 

And, with that, we were off. Lili had her crossbow, and at this point, it was odd seeing her without her backpack. She didn’t bother to bring it since she learned about my inventory. We left through the northern gate, walked a bit and once we were out of sight, I picked Lili up and placed her on my shoulder. By now, Lili was used to it and simply held on. 

Skyrim was surprisingly big I learned. From west to east, it was about nine hundred miles long. Normally, it would be a half days walk to Embershard Mine, but with me running, it took hours. Even better, with the passive perk of Perfect Practice makes Perfect, I could sprint for what felt like ages without getting tired. I couldn’t run the entire distance, not yet, but after downing a stamina potion, I took right back off. 

I only slowed to a stop when I reached a familiar looking stones set in a triangle pointed upwards, located at the bend of in the road. “Let’s stop for a bit,” I said, heading towards them. 

“These stones could help us out in the long run,” I informed, looking at them. One had a warrior, the other had a thief, and the other had a mage. They looked absolutely ancient like they were here before time was invented, but the engravings were clear to see. 

“These stones are...well, I don’t know what they are,” I admitted to Lili, setting her down. “But they’re magic stones that make it easier to learn skills related to being a mage, warrior, or thief,” I told her, making Lili inspect the stones closely. My attention was drawn to the warrior stone. It was where my greatest strength was at the moment, but I was unlikely to get a training session like I had with Ryuu, Tiona, and Ais, all top tier adventurers which pushed me so far. So, my gains were going to be a lot harder to come by. 

So, it was a choice between Warrior, continuing my existing path, or Mage, a field I hadn’t touched yet. The thief was out by default because of the whole, you know, 7’6 behemoth that weighed a quarter ton. 

I made my choice. Placing my hand on the Warrior stone, I felt something wash over me as the warrior engraving on the stone flashed blue. 

The Warrior Stone: Those under the sign of The Warrior will learn all combat skills 20% faster.

I had months, possibly years, to become a mage and I could always select again later. With my build, I was a front line fighter and magic would help me deal some more damage. Meaning, my physical abilities came first and magic was second. 

“Mr. Jericho?” Lili started, looking at me rather than picking a stone. I looked down at her, she opened her mouth to say something, but she hesitated. Looking away sharply, only then did she turn towards the stones. “What does Mr. Jericho think that Lili should pick?” She asked, and it was fairly obvious that wasn’t what she wanted to ask. I didn’t comment on it. Lili would bring it up when she felt ready. 

“Because of my inventory, you can step out of the role of supporter, if you want,” I offered, making Lili shift. “Magic works a bit differently in this world -- you can learn more than three spells, and you that learn magic by studying it. They’re a bunch of schools of magic, like Destruction, Alteration, which is healing and stuff, Conqueration, Illusion and a few others. They have a lot of utility. Or, if you want to move up to the front lines with me, you could pick the Warrior.” 

Lili seemed to think about it for a moment before she reached out and touched the Mage stone. “Lili thinks she’s more suited for a support role in a party since that’s what Lili is used to...and Lili doesn’t want to be a thief anymore.” I nodded in acceptance -- I would have to look into getting her some books and stuff to help the both of us learn. Depending on what she learned, we could cover most of the fields of magic -- Lili could be support with healing, and other schools of magic while I could focus on destruction. 

“Sounds good to me,” I said, turning towards the road, however, Lili didn’t follow for a moment. 

“Why did Mr. Jericho decide to help Lili?” She asked finally, her hands curling into fists. “Mr. Jericho has an inventory, he never needed Lili in the first place! Helping Lili brought Mr. Jericho and Lady Hestia nothing but trouble!” She shouted, forcing the words out of her mouth. 

“I answered that question already,” I told her. Lili looked at me, likely recalling my answer before tears began to well in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away with her sleeve to stop them from falling. I smiled lightly at her, “come on. We’re almost there.”

Lili sniffled before she nodded, looking determined. “Mr. Jericho?” She said after we walked for a bit as I searched for the dirt road that would take us to the mine. I saw it on my map before I saw it in person. 

“Hm?” I hummed, looking at her. 

“Thank you,” Lili said in a soft voice that was almost lost in the wind. “And...Lili has an idea for the bandits. If they see Mr. Jericho, they’re going to go on full alert, but Lili can get in close to make sure that they’re really bandits,” Lili offered. I...honestly, I was just going to walk up to the front door and throw a rock at whoever was standing guard, but Lili’s idea worked better. Especially when there was the slight chance that the guard wasn’t a bandit. 

I didn’t question if she was sure or not. I simply nodded in agreement, trusting her abilities and her will to follow through. And, it was for that reason when we neared the entrance of the mine, I hid behind some rocks some distance away with my sword in hand while Lili continued forward. After a quick explanation that this world didn’t have pallums, which was an odd conversation, Lili decided how she was going to make her approach. 

“WAAAHHHHHHHH!!” Lili faked cried, rubbing her eyes as she stumbled forward up the path, towards a solitary guard. He was dressed in a mix of armor -- some iron armor mixed with leather with a sword in hand. “WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Oh, for the love of the…,” the guard cursed, hearing Lili before he saw her. He drew his sword, stepping forward. “Brat, get out away from here and go home!” He snapped, waving his sword at Lili when she stumbled into view. 

“But I’m lost!” Lili whined, her voice high pitched...she really had some serious acting chops. “I can’t find Helgen anywhere!” She sobbed, making the man stiffen. And, the expression he made when he heard that sealed his fate. When you see a kid that’s lost about a day away from home, you don’t look at them like they’re a money bag that walked their way into your pocket. 

“Oh...in that case, come inside. Me and the lad’s will-” Whatever he was going to say came to an abrupt end when I launched a rock at his head. A small one, but without a helmet and my aim, that’s all it took. A sickening crack rang out before the man dropped to the ground in a heap, part of his skull caved in. Lili stiffened, looking at the body before she forced herself to relax. 

I pushed my way through some shrubbery, approaching her. Lili looked a bit pale, but she was fine. Fine enough that she went through the man’s pockets in search of items. I still didn’t know if Lili had led an adventurer to their death back in Danmachi or not. I guess it didn’t matter anymore. She saw death enough in the Dungeon to not be affected by it. She fished out some coins, but other than that, the only thing he had was pocket lint. 

“Are you ready?” I asked as Lili pulled out a key that she passed to me. She answered by pulling out her handheld crossbow and double checking it. Satisfied, she nodded, bracing herself for what came next.

I pushed the door open, revealing a mineshaft. It was smaller than I expected, almost to the point I would have to lean down a bit to avoid hitting my head. My broadsword wasn’t going to work down here, so I grabbed my hammer as I took in the sights. There was a sharp incline down, a wagon full of wood perched on a runway carved out for it of wood. 

We approached cautiously, Lili bringing my attention to a tripwire. So far, everything matched up with what I remembered. Meaning, when we stepped over the tripwire to avoid alerting anyone, there were two people standing guard. I went to go take them out, only for Lili to shake her head. Swallowing thickly, Lili took aim with her crossbow and fired. 

Her crossbow was made for monsters with thick hides and shells. Leather armor didn't stand a chance. With a rapid-fire design, Lili put three arrows in each of them -- they were dead before they realized it. 

I parted her shoulder, looking at an overlook that held a lever that controlled a drawbridge. Not sure why there was a drawbridge in a mine, but what did I know? "Pull that lever while I handle anyone that comes through," I ordered. Lili nodded, heading up there while I took my place at the base of the bridge. Nodding at Lili to give the signal, she pulled the lever and the bridge fell, revealing three bandits standing at the entrance. They blinked, dumbfounded.

“Intruders!” One of them shouted as I raced across the bridge. I tsked to myself, closing the distance between us in a split second. Two of them started to form a wall, their expressions hesitant. They wore hide armor with studs, and it wouldn’t have helped them anyway. I lashed out with my hammer and it tore through a shield, reducing it to splinters, and did the same to the man standing behind it. 

I was already strong before I leveled up, but it felt like they were made of wet tissue paper. I only felt half of my weapon’s weight, but it still weighed nearly fifty pounds in a brick of metal. Bones snapped, flesh tore and blood spilled onto the stone ground. The other one was already lunging towards me, her sword aimed at the back of my knees, one of the few spots that she could possibly do any damage. 

What she didn’t expect, nor me for that matter, for was for my Stormbreaker to rip through the first guy fast enough that the hammer slammed into her exposed ribs fast enough that it looked like she was shot with a cannonball. The bandit that shouted a warning froze in place, his mouth ajar. However, the damage was done. I heard footsteps coming from down the hall. Lili was coming down, so I met them halfway. 

Flipping the hammer around so the axe half was showing, I beheaded the man as I ran past him down a tunnel. Less messy. The other looked like the aftermath of a hammer hitting a watermelon. Pivoting around a corner where two other -- and, to be fair, they were brave. 

Still, also to be fair, if your reaction to seeing a nearly eight-foot-tall man clad in heavy armor was to shout at the top of your lungs and charge...well, didn’t exactly speak highly of their intelligence. I was no stranger to doing stupid shit but I wasn’t suicidal. I punched one in the face, the inch-long spikes on my knuckles paving the way to cave in his skull. Choking up a bit higher on my axe, I brought it down on the other on his shoulder, hacking through bone. 

I heard others moving ahead, more than I expected to hear, forcing me to wait. I glanced behind me to see Lili catching up, her crossbow at the ready. She nodded to me, showing that she was okay, even though she looked a little pale. 

Turning my attention back to those ahead, I saw five others arrange themselves at the entrance to a cavern. Two held bows, while it was easy to mark which one was the leader. He wore iron armor, his helmet was the one in the videos with the horns attached, while he carried a battleaxe. 

“Stay behind me,” I told Lili before I advanced, rushing towards their line. What I didn’t expect was for the bandit leader to turn tail and run. He didn’t look the type. Apparently, neither did his underlings because they whipped around to look at him. The archers fired, their arrows bouncing off my armor before Lili shot them right back. She had dead aim because an arrow appeared in each eye. 

They died, and they were distracted with the loss of their leader. One cupped his hands together while the other seemed torn between fighting or fleeing before he launched an ice icicle at me. I could have dodged it, even at such close range, but I chose not to. Raising up my arm, I blocked the blow, feeling like I was just hit with a sledgehammer. Ice broke on my armor, raining bits of it and mist over me as I blasted forward. 

That was good to know. I was worried that magic spells like that would just ignore armor and turn me into a pincushion. Luckily, that didn’t seem to be the case. However, when I saw the first hint of a crackle of lightning, I made him my first target. 

I brought Stormbreaker on him, carving through him like a cake before I turned my attention to fell onto the others. Magic was a concern until I developed some magic resistance or individual resistances to types of magic. I barely paid any attention to the other two as I went right through them, my eyes landing on the fleeing leader. Only he wasn’t fleeing. 

He raced across a bridge suspended over a small underground lake that was fed by a small waterfall. Well, he did until Lili fired an arrow to his knee, making him fall, but even then he still hobbled to a back room. I scanned the area for more threats -- instead, I found a forge area, iron veins, and walkways leading up to the room. Looking back at Lili to see she was still okay, I made haste running up the walkway to chase after the leader. 

“Of all the rotten luck,” I heard him curse, sounding like he was ripping a room up. I kicked open the door, reducing it to splinters, revealing the man and the loot room, apparently. The leader whipped around, aiming a piece of paper at me before a dark purple bolt of energy slammed into my chest. My heart just about leaped out of my mouth before I dodged out of the way, unsure what the spell was but not wanting to risk it. 

“Fuck!” The leader shouted, throwing himself at me. Only something was wrong. I noticed it instantly -- around his neck he wore two necklaces that he hadn’t mere moments ago, but the biggest tell was how fast he moved. Not as fast as me, but he was lightning compared to the others. 

I blocked a blow from his war axe, my arms jerking back from the blow. My gut clenched -- before I picked my Iron Bones perk, that would have broken my arms. Now, I simply recoiled, the impact running through me. 

Yet, the sound of bones breaking filled the treasure room. The bandit leader’s arms snapped from the speed and force of delivering the blow, his axe clattering to the ground with him falling to his knees not a moment later. To his credit, he didn’t scream, only groaned in pain, trembling as he looked up at me. 

Enchantments. Reached down, I tore off the necklaces, looking at them. I didn’t get a notification on what they were, so I likely needed someone to inspect it, but they were enchanted. They had to be. 

“That changes things,” I admitted, looking down at the leader, who looked like he was trying to face death with dignity. This wasn’t game mechanics where two people just wailed on each other until one’s health bar went down. Enchantments had the capacity to be beyond useful, and very dangerous from the look of things. He was trying to brute force it, but with the right combination…

Skyrim was absolutely rife with glitches, and few were as famous and exploited as the enchantment and alchemy bonus stacking glitches. You drink a potion to improve your enchanting, making a better potion to improve your enchanting, which allows you to make an even better potion. And so on until you have a fork that has the same damage output as a hydrogen bomb. 

I put a pin in the thought as I heard Lili approaching. “Mr. Jericho? Are we taking him prisoner?” Lili asked, making me look down at the man. Then around at the room. I saw treasure chests, bags of gold, a few gemstones and sacks full of food. 

Part of me didn’t want to. Taking him back would be a pain in the ass, and it would slow us down considerably...but...this wasn’t a Soma familia situation. He lost. I didn’t have to kill him. “Yeah, his arms are broken,” I informed, picking up his axe as Lili stepped into the room. 

“You’ve defeated me -- let me die a warrior's death,” the bandit leader requested, gazing up at me firmly. “I’d rather die by your hand than some headsman,” he continued, a barely suppressed scream in every word. He bowed his head as Lili looked up at me. And…

And I thought about it. 

“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “We’re taking you to Riverwood. They can decide what’s done with you,” I decided as Lili bent down to splint his arms. The man sighed in defeat, slumping as he accepted his fate. 

All the while, I turned my attention to the contents of the room, a thought nagging at me as I picked up a book with the inscription of Candlelight. 

What would I have done if Lili wasn’t here?