Power Corrupts: Bleak Falls Barrow (ch. 38) (Patreon)

A reminder: I will be taking a break from July 3rd to July 10th so there will be no updates during that week.  

...

While Mr. Jericho was getting reacquainted with Lady Hestia, it was up to Lili to judge Mr. Jericho's traveling companions. Two men, twins from the look of it, and two women. All four of them reminded Lili too much of Adventurers for comfort -- the rough sort that enjoyed fighting and dangerous situations. Back in Orario, that type had been the worst of those that she supported because more often than not, not only would they rob her but they would beat her as well. 

But Mr. Jericho saw fit to introduce them to Lady Hestia, so Lili decided that she would give them the benefit of the doubt. Or, rather, she would try to. 

"That was the Tenth Divine. We just spoke to a god," Farkas murmured to himself, looking somewhat lost as they walked through the streets towards the markets. His reaction echoed most people's reactions once they learned of Lady Hestia's true nature. It was rather odd, in a way. 

Back in Orario, the gods had walked the lower world for a thousand years. It was normal. For Lili, she couldn't imagine what Orario would look like without the gods. They were a centerpiece for everyday life, and the world moved according to their whims. But, here, everyone looked like they were dazed upon meeting Lady Hestia. The gods were known, but only a chosen few had ever interacted with them before. 

Lili wondered if it had been like this when the gods first descended from Heaven. The numb disbelief of realizing you were standing in the presence of a god, something beyond mortal comprehension despite them lowering themself to a mortal's level. After sharing a few words with Lady Hestia, everyone looked like they had just woken up from a bad hit to the head -- dazed and confused. 

"Lili, right?" Vilkas spoke to her, prompting Lili to pretend that she hadn't been carefully watching their every move. "You live with the Tenth Divine?"

Lili nodded, "Lili is a member of Lady Hestia's familia," she explained. Lili still didn't fully understand the ramifications of what Lady Hestia did, but it was clear that familias wouldn't work like they had in Orario. Lady Hestia was a god, but she was being treated with intense religious significance. People were worshiping her, praying to her, asking for her blessing, and bothering her until Lady Hestia remained inside most of the day. 

"She's the second member of Lady Hestia's familia. Mr. Jericho was the first," she explained as she turned her attention to the ships that surrounded them. There were only a couple -- a singular trade good store, a tailor, a blacksmith, and that was about it. It was a far cry from the hundreds of stores to choose from in Orario. However, she paid more attention to the people walking by those stores. The ones that looked at her with reverence. 

"A member of her familia? Does… that make you and Jericho Godkin?" Lydia questioned, her face turning white. Lili was learning to recognize that expression as someone questioning if they had been particularly insolent to someone far more important than they previously believed. 

However, Lili shook her head. "No, Lili and Mr. Jericho are mortals that have received a Divine blessing from Lady Hestia called a falna. It's a tool that allows the user to push past mortal limitations with experience, and gives them skills and abilities related to what they practice. Like how a Blacksmith would receive the ability called Blacksmith once he leveled up." Lili glanced at them over her shoulder, "Mr. Jericho is a level 2. Meaning that he has performed a feat that the gods themselves are forced to acknowledge." 

Aela nodded, looking far more thoughtful. "That doesn't surprise me," she said, making Lili sigh. 

"Did Mr. Jericho do something incredibly dangerous?" Lili questioned, though she knew the answer. Aela looked pensive for a moment, unwilling to sell out Mr. Jericho, which earned her points in Lili's book. Farkas, however, seemed too dense to realize that she asked because she was worried and wasted no time bragging about the adventures they had gone on. 

Lili's lips thinned when she heard that Mr. Jericho had been injured fighting something called a Deathlord. She knew he wasn't like normal adventurers, even further beyond the fact he had chosen to help her when Lili had caused nothing but trouble for him, but even still… Lili knew it was important that she stayed here to protect Lady Hestia, but she also wanted to be there to protect Mr. Jericho as well. Hearing that he had fought a dangerous monster while she had been stuck here chasing off the rabble. 

"He's fine," Aela reassured her. "Better than fine." 

"But you're planning on leaving to go on another dangerous quest," Lili interjected as her feet carried her towards a store. The clerk blanched the moment he saw her, then grew very nervous when he saw the rough type that stood behind her. 

At the very least, none of them tried to lie to her. They exchanged looks, unsure how to answer before Lydia gave her a firm nod. 

"We are, but I swear to you on my honor that Jericho shall return home to you, even if its the last thing that I do," Lydia swore. She was earnest, but that kind of promise betrayed her inexperience. Mr. Jericho might not be entering the Dungeon, but he was going to be in danger. 

Lili turned her attention to the others for a moment, noticing their grim expressions but they offered no such reassurance. As Lili's hands filled up a sack she came to a decision. 

She couldn't trust Mr. Jericho's life with strangers, however well-meaning. 

The clerk, by now, knew better than to try to barter with her. He offered a low price for the food -- freshly caught salmon, herbs, fruits and vegetables, everything Lady Hestia would need. It was low enough that Lili didn’t feel the need to push her luck and ask for a lower price. Admittedly, Lili might have gone too far already and the only reason he agreed to sell to her at all was because of Lady Hestia. 

The others went to take the large segmented sack from her, only to pause halfway when they noticed that Lili could lift it with ease. “Lili has a skill that makes it easier to carry things,” Lili explained. And the main skill of a supporter was rendered useless because of Mr. Jericho’s inventory. Not only that, it would be pointless to train with her on his shoulder because he was now a level 2. 

Lili led them back to the house, taking a winding road to give them time to prepare themselves. And give herself some time to prepare an argument on why she should go with Mr. Jericho. On her way, she saw a bunch of rough-looking green people. Orcs. They all wore armor and they had sharp tusks sticking out of their mouths, but Lili noticed how everyone seemed to give them lingering looks. 

From what she understood, they were from things called Holds, or settlements that was populated only by orcs. That, and for some reason, they were all leaving their Holds for a really big settlement of orcs at the border of Skyrim. The people seemed happy to see them go, muttering curses as they walked by. But, in the end, Lili paid them little mind.

Eventually, their path led them to the Hestia familia home and Lili walked up the steps and opened the door. 

Revealing a very naked Mr. Jericho and an equally naked Lady Hestia-

“GAHHHH!” Lili shouted before she slammed the door shut hard enough that the entire town probably heard it. As well as her panicked shouting. She looked up at the others with wide eyes, her chest heaving as the split-second of what she saw was forever seared into her brain. From Mr. Jericho’s powerful muscles, to how easily he made love to Lady Hestia while carrying her, to how his hips moved-

Lili covered her face with her hands, “AHHHHHHHHH!” She screeched into them, her face burning bright red. 

“Well… I guess he really is the lover of a Divine,” Aela remarked, making Farkas start laughing. 

…

This was horribly awkward, I thought as all of us sat down at the dinner table. Fully clothed. Lili was staring ahead with a thousand-yard stare, Aela and Lydia looked everywhere but at me. Farkas and Vilkas were the only ones that broke the oppressive silence that seemed to have fallen over the Hestia manner. 

I knew I shouldn’t have pressed my luck. I knew it. But, well… A naked Hestia wanting another dose of chocolate-flavored cum was one hell of an argument to take that risk. Poor Lili. She looked like she just came back from The War, rather than saw us have sex for a few seconds. 

“It’s ready!” Hestia announced cheerfully, prompting me to get up to help her carry it. I slid a plate over to Lili, who continued to stare blankly ahead, only a step above catatonic. “I hope you all enjoy,” Hestia said, trying to move past the horrible awkwardness. At the very least none of them could have seen her naked since her back was facing them and my hands had been on her ass. 

Hestia took a seat next to me, with Lili sitting on the other side. Lydia was sitting on the other side of Hestia and looked honored to be there. I hadn’t seen her fight yet, but at the very least, she appeared that she would take the duty of protecting Hestia seriously. The Bleak Fall Barrow would be a test to see what she could do, but if everything went well… 

Lydia could end up joining the familia. I would like it if Aela and the others could join as well, but their pact with Hircine made that complicated. 

“Has anything changed while I was gone? Any jobs posted?” I asked, deciding to carry on the conversation. Lili still looked shellshocked, forcing me to look to Hestia for an answer. If we could just pretend what happened earlier, that would just be great. 

She seemed to think about it before she nodded, “A few did. There’s something called a Hagraven that moved in near Orphan’s Rock a little ways away from here, the guards were going to ask you to deal with it,” she informed. I frowned at that -- Hagraven’s were magic users and fairly powerful ones at that. Though, I’m not sure how tanky they would be considering that they were skin and bones. 

“Oh, and the dungeon still needs to be cleared of frost spiders,” Hestia added, making Farkas shudder.

“Yeah, i’m not helping with that job. I’ll take the Hagraven over spiders any day of the week,” he said with a shake of his head. Oh, yeah, he had a thing about spiders, didn’t he?

Vilkas shook his head, “How can you call yourself a warrior and still be afraid of spiders?” He questioned, earning a huff from his brother. 

“By killing everything other than spiders the size of a horse,” Farkas shot right back, giving me the impression that this wasn’t the first time that had argued. 

“Lili,” Lili spoke up suddenly, apparently snapping out of her trauma, “thinks it would be best if Lili travels with Mr. Jericho to help him complete his quest.” She suddenly informed, earning a sharp look from me. 

“Lili, Hestia needs someone here to protect her,” I pointed out, wondering where this was coming from. Hadn’t she agreed that Hestia needed to be protected? She was the one that helped me convince Hestia of that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hestia pout, clearly unhappy with that, but it was the truth. 

Lili made a face, “That was before Lady Hestia became one of the Divines,” she pointed out. “Now everyone in Helgen will protect her.” She had a point there, I had to admit. From them building a new house, to what Hestia told me… honestly, they were catering to her to the point that it might not even be necessary for me to become a Jarl. I still wanted to, if only because of the doors it would open for me. 

I glanced at Hestia, trying to judge how she would feel about being left alone. I didn’t like the idea of it, but… Lili would also need experience as well. She was a level 1, and a rather weak one at that. This place was proving more dangerous than I anticipated and as much as I wanted Hestia to be safe all hours of the day, I also wanted Lili to be strong enough that she could protect herself. 

“Or,” Hestia spoke up, her voice a tad to cheerful, “I can go with you.”

“No.”

“Not happening,” Lili and I spoke at the same time, shutting that idea down. Hestia looked rebellious, prompting me to continue. “Where we’re going is very dangerous with a bunch of undead and undead mages. You could get hurt-” I started, cutting myself off as Hestia raised a hand. 

“Then you had better do a good job of staying healthy and whole so you can protect me,” Hestia decided with a nod to herself. My lips thinned, not liking the idea at all. We were going to be facing a powerful draugr. Another Deathlord at the very least. But that might not be the case and there could be something worse. I didn’t like the idea of Hestia being in that kind of danger. I liked it less than she liked the idea of me being in that kind of danger. 

I looked at Lili, searching for help to convince her to stay, and she looked a little sheepish, realizing what she had started. However, it was Lydia that spoke up. 

“We will protect her with our lives, my Thane,” Lydia said, sounding like she was making a promise to herself. I would be grateful if she wasn’t taking Hestia’s side, but I guess a god outranks a Thane. “No matter what, we will ensure that she survives.” 

No. I felt like I was being a controlling asshole, but Hestia was as strong as a normal human woman with no combat experience. I was level 28. Lili was a veteran adventurer with a deadly crossbow. Aela, Farkas, and Vilkas were werewolves. Lydia was the weakest of the group and she was a warrior that had trained for her entire life. The difference was that we were supposed to be taking these risks, not Hestia. 

“Jericho,” Hestia spoke up, resting a hand on my forearm as she looked up at me. She offered me a serene smile, “I’m going with you.” She told me as she squeezed down reassuringly. “I know all of you will protect me.”

And, just like that, I felt the argument leave me, knowing that her mind was made up. Now, anything short of chaining her to the house wouldn’t keep her here. So, instead, I would have to make sure that I killed everything that could think of threatening her safety. 

I glanced at the others and saw agreement. 

My shoulders slumped in defeat, knowing that I had lost this one. 

…

We set out the first thing in the morning, and Hestia seemed to be in a good mood judging by her humming. Helgen was safer than it had been with the Hagraven taken care of. I would say it had been a good fight, but it hadn’t been since Lili had put two bolts in its eyes before it had realized we were there. Though, on the upside, I did find a piece of interesting loot. 

Nettlebane. A small dagger roughly half a foot long made of something. I had figured since it took an ebony ingot to upgrade it in the game, it would be made of ebony, but that wasn’t the case. It was made of… something. Not sure what. What I did know was that the thing was apparently older than metal itself which was why it could harm the Evergleam Tree.

“Here,” I started, passing the several thousand years old dagger to Hestia. She blinked, wearing her white and blue parka, before she hesitantly took it from my hands. She leaned back, settling on the wagon that I was getting ready to pull. I had loaded it up with as much as I could, trying to get some serious weight in it. “It’s for your protection. Just in case,” I told her as Hestia inspected it. 

“This is…” Hestia trailed off, her eyes narrowing at the blade. In the game, it didn’t have an enchantment, and it couldn’t be enchanted, but I wasn’t certain that was the case here. If it was enchanted then it didn’t have any kind of visible effect, like my great sword did. It also didn’t carry any passive bonuses like the necklaces did because there were no question marks when I held it. 

Hestia gave me a light smile before she gestured for me to come closer. Obeying, Hestia gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I know you’re really worried about me,” Hestia told me before giving me another kiss, but this time on the lips. “But I’ll be just fine so long as you’re here to protect me.”

Ah… shit. Hestia finally figured out that she had me wrapped around her finger. 

Despite the future headaches that was going to cause me, I found myself smiling back as I straightened up to my full height. “In that case, you have nothing to worry about, because I’m not going anywhere,” I told her as I took hold of the bar of the wagon. The others took that as a sign to hop inside and make themselves as comfortable as they could in full armor. 

“Everyone ready?” I asked, getting confirmations, and with that, I pulled the wagon out of Helgen. The wagon had some decent weight in it, enough to offer up some resistance as I pushed. Though, not enough that I would make any serious gains in strength or endurance. I would need a heavier wagon, maybe one made of metal so it could handle the additional weight I would put on it. 

That became increasingly clear as I slowly made my way towards the Bleak Falls Barrow. I could see hints of it in the distance, but only large arches that marked something manmade. Like everything so far, the mountain was a lot bigger so it could end up taking us a full day to actually get there. But, as the hours passed and we slowly neared the Barrow, I failed to feel that burn that told me I was increasing my stats. 

Eventually that train of thought led me to the necklaces in my inventory. I hadn't equipped them yet, but now their presence raised a question of if I should at all. It was already hard enough to raise my stats, artificially inflating them with enchantments was going to hurt my progress in the long run. 

I was broken from my thoughts when I felt Hestia reach out to pat me on the back, making me slow from my dead sprint. Once I did, Hestia climbed forward, "Help me climb up there with you." Feeling faintly exasperated, I did exactly that, helping Hestia sit down on the bar that I used to push the wagon while her back leaned against my chest. I couldn't imagine it was particularly comfortable, but Hestia didn't seem to mind much. 

"What are you thinking about?" She questioned and I nearly defaulted to the answer of 'nothing.' Instead, as I resumed my pace, and earned a delighted laugh as we raced towards Riverwood, I answered honestly. 

"I'm worried about my stat growth," I admitted to her, trusting the wind to keep my words between us. "I'm barely increasing my endurance and strength with this, and there aren't enough enemies that I can easily grind away at to increase them. It's not like the Dungeon." 

Hestia nodded, holding onto my hands for support. "I've heard that's a pretty common problem to have that only gets worse as you level up," she echoed my worries. As I am right now, I didn't feel like I could take on Alduin. Not even in a few months, when he was at his weakest. 

"And adding enchantments to my gear is only going to make the problem worse," I continued. Enchantments were meant to make things easier for the user. If I wanted to increase my stats, I needed things to be harder. Much harder. "I don't want to be completely reliant on my gear for my strength. It doesn't matter if I'm as strong as a level 100 in my armor. The moment I take it off, I'm vastly weaker." 

"You're right. You can't wear your armor all the time," Hestia agreed. "I wouldn't let you. But it sounds like you already have an idea of what you want to do for it?" And she wasn't wrong there. I did have an idea. It just wasn't one I would call a good idea. 

"I'm thinking of enchanting a set of armor to make me weaker or increase its weight, or something. Something that would make it to where I would have to push myself," I spoke, mulling the idea over. There were enchantments to make an enemy weak to something, and I wasn't limited to game mechanics of being forced to only apply those enchantments to weapons. Not only that, if there was a Fortify Endurance enchantment, then that should mean there was a Weaken Endurance enchantment as well. 

"Your armor takes a while to take off," Hestia pointed out. "That would make it too dangerous. If someone snuck up on you…" She trailed off, her tone worried. I wasn't in the position to reassure her, so instead, I considered her point. "What about a ring like the one you're wearing? Or a necklace that you could tear off in a pinch?" 

"Maybe," I said. The fact of the matter was that I didn't know enough about enchanting to say if that was possible. All of my stats were in the triple digits now, and some of them were closer to five hundred than not. I wasn't sure if a ring would be able to weaken me enough. Though, the necklaces did prove that enchantments stacked… so I could go full pimpdaddy with a ring in every finger. Several to a finger if necessary. "And I could keep my good enchantments on another set. The same for my armor -- I could keep one set for everyday use, and another for special occasions." 

Occasions like the War Game and I needed to come out the gate swinging. 

"Hm, that would work. And people would underestimate you too," Hestia said, warming up to the idea. With that decision made, the conversation lapsed before Hestia began to hum a familiar tune as we approached Riverwood. I couldn't stop myself from humming along, a song I knew by heart by now without the aid of Perfect Memory. 

Hestia ended up going through her repertoire of songs to hum and nearly fell asleep in the few hours it took to reach Riverwood, shattering my previous time. I couldn’t even bring myself to check my status because I knew the results were going to be either nonexistent or outright pathetic. 

Honestly, Ais’ frustration with her progress made a great deal more sense now. If I had a convenient army of high leveled monsters that would push me to my limits, I’d happily throw myself at it. 

Riverwood looked about the same as it ever did. The palisade was still there, but the gates were open for us. The guards waved their greeting and unlike last time I wasn’t stopped at the gates, letting me continue inside. 

“Wah-?” Hestia jerked up, making me realize that she had dozed off, before she started looking around. Once she took in the small village, Hestia started urgently patting my arm, “Oh, this village is so cute,” she gushed. It kind of caught me off guard before I recalled that Hestia had only ever seen Orario, a major city with a population in the millions, and Helgen, which was more of a town. Time was of the essence but I'm sure that I could afford to slow down a bit so she could see the sites. It was probably her first time seeing nature. 

"If you say so," I hedged as Hestia jumped off the wagon before stretching. A few people stopped and stared at Hestia, feeling her godly presence wash over them. One woman, in particular, seemed to realize exactly who Hestia was, and dropped to her knees, uncaring of the dirt and cried out. 

"Divine Hestia!" The older woman called out loudly, so suddenly that Heatia flinched, and drew the attention of the others in the area. I guess Riverwood was close enough that they would be able to recognize her by description. The announcement traveled with the speed of a lightning bolt and it hit with about as much impact. People stopped what they were doing to stop and stare, others quickly went inside to fetch their relatives. 

In the end, nearly all of Riverwood had stopped by to stare at Hestia. It shouldn’t have been a surprise in hindsight. Gods weren’t an everyday fact of life here. They looked at Hestia like… like how I imagine people would look at Jesus. They looked at her like she was their god. 

Lydia moved in, standing next to Hestia as I took a step forward so I was standing behind her, ready to push back if they turned out to be fanatics. I didn’t like the idea of taking a swing at villagers, but if they got pushy with Hestia they would learn that I could push back much harder

“It’s fine,” Hestia reassured me and Lydia as one of her hands snaked up to mine. "It was like this at first at Helgen. They'll stop soon enough. Let's just get what we came here for," Hestia told me. My gaze lingered on the thin crowd for a moment, thinking that it was incredibly unlikely that they would stop staring any time soon. But, she did have a point. None of them were approaching us and standing here was an invitation that one of them would eventually take us up on. 

Holding her hand, I led Hestia to the Riverwood Trader. I had thought about snagging the claw while I was passing through the other night but I decided against it. Mostly because turning up in the middle of the night and offering to buy it wasn't a good look. Because I'm certain Lucas would mishear 'buy' as 'steal', especially when I wouldn't be able to take no for an answer.

"Hello-" Lucas started, blinking once as we stepped inside. Lili took up a position outside the door, standing next to Lydia while the others lingered nearby to deter the crowd outside. He blinked a few times, not even looking at me, and I could practically see the cogs moving in his head. Then they locked into place as he gave a deep bow, "Divine Hestia… you honor me and my store with your presence." 

Hestia looked a bit uncertain for a moment and I'm guessing that she wasn't used to being treated like this. Back in Danmachi, others treated her as a nuisance or unimportant. Now she was the most important person in every room she walked into. 

"Oh, thank you for having me. We're looking for… Jericho, what are we looking for?" She started confidently, only to trail off when she realized I never gave the reason for our stop. 

I gestured to the golden claw on the counter, "We need to borrow that for a bit," I explained as I took a step forward. Lucas followed my gaze to the golden claw and his lips thinned a fraction. 

"The Golden Claw?" He questioned, putting a hand on it protectively. "I'm sorry, but the Golden Claw has been in my family for generations!" And the game really undersold just how attached he was to the thing. 

"We just need to borrow it for a bit," I repeated. "It's a key that opens up a door up in Bleak Falls Barrows, and the Jarl has ordered me to get something that's on the other side of the door," I pointed out before I held up my axe in a non threatening way. Lucas' eyes widened when he saw the axe, but he held onto the golden claw all the same. 

"Please? We promise we'll bring it right back when we're done," Hestia spoke up. And I saw a chink in his armor as he seemed to consider a reguest from his new god. Seriously, the game really undersold how attached he was to it. 

"I'll pay to borrow it," I said, reaching into my pocket and dropping a decent amount of gold into the counter. If I had known it was going to be this big of an annoyance, I would have just taken the thing last night. 

And it seemed that greed won out over godly requests because that made him withdraw his hand from the golden claw. Before he could think better of it, I snatched it up. Even then his gaze lingered on it, "Do you know when you'll be back?" He asked, sounding like he missed the claw already as he scooped up the gold. 

"Tomorrow, hopefully," I said, eager to get back on the move. Then my gaze lingered on the rest of his stock for a moment. "Do you have any kind of resistance potions?" I asked, making him perk up. It seemed the temporary pain of losing the claw could be soothed with more money. 

“I do, actually. Minor resistance to frost and fire. Not everyone is born with a Nords constitution against the cold. We usually stock up before winter sets in,” Lucas explained. That sounded like they could come in handy so I bought a few of each, however, the purchase came with a warning. “Oh, you probably already know this, but don’t drink more than one kind of resistance potion, or double up on one. It could kill you.”

That actually wasn’t surprising to me. If potions were like medicine then drinking different kinds would be like taking conflicting medicines, or taking too much could lead to overdosing. Either way, it would end badly. Meaning that my group had a choice between magic, frost and fire resistances.  

"I also have these potions -- the air is a lot thinner at the top of a mountain, so you'll need to drink these to skip that pesky adjustment period. Knock back one of these and you're golden," Lucas said, sliding me a few bottles of a murky white liquid. "Free of charge. So long as you bring back my Golden Claw." 

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing them before leading Hestia out of the building. “See you tomorrow,” I said, stepping outside to see that a crowd had gathered just outside the building. None dared to get too close, several heavily armed warriors as Lili were one hell of a deterrent. Except for one. The woman that had called out Hestia’s name.

“Divine Hestia… how can we give thanks to you? How can we thank you for your sacrifice?” The woman asked, dropping to a knee, and that was some kind of signal for the others to do the same. It wasn’t all at once, but within a few seconds, all of them were kneeling to Hestia. 

Hestia let go of my hand and took a step forward, overlooking them as they kneeled in the dirt. I shifted, unsure if I should do something or not, but Hestia surprised me with her answer to the question. She seemed to gather herself for a moment before she spoke. 

“I want… you all to be happy,” Hestia said, her voice carrying through the small village. The villagers themselves looked uncertain, daring to look up questingly, making Hestia smile so brightly I could see it even though I was standing behind her. “I want you to treat your family with love and consideration, and your neighbors with respect. I want you to live your lives in a way that you can carry yourself with pride. That is the thanks I wish.”

The villagers found themselves relaxing in her presence, some bowing their heads to her while others found themselves smiling back. 

And… so did I. 

…

Perfect Memory was torturing me and it was awful. I could recall everything that I had learned in Skyrim through hundreds of hours of playing the game and doing the occasional wikicrawl, but Perfect Memory didn't mean Omnicompetent. There were plenty of things that I had never learned about the world and one of those things was nagging at the edge of my consciousness. 

There was a treasure chest nearby. Near Riverwood, across the river that was a hundred times deeper and wider than it was in the game. The only issue was that I had never found it in the game, and I certainly wouldn't now that the world was so much larger. And I didn't plan on wandering around the woods until I found the chest filled with unknown loot. 

The completionist in me died a little bit at the idea of knowingly leaving loot behind, but there was nothing that could be done about it. So, I pushed the thought away as I came to a stop at the base of the mountain that jetted out of the ground. I had no idea how tall it was, but it wasn't anywhere near as big as the mountains that surrounded it. Still, it was a mountain. 

My eyes landed on an ancient grayish, grayish-black stone staircase that would take us to the top of the Barrow. The stone looked weathered and chipped, but given that it was thousands of years old and left to the elements, they were well preserved. The staircase itself was unnecessarily grand -- the stone steps were wide enough that I could lay down and not touch the edges -- then there was a break, before there was another equally large staircase. It hadn't been here in the games, but I've learned not to be suprised by these things anymore. 

"Hestia," I started, my gaze landing on the large flat break that was large enough to fit a wagon on. Hestia looked up at me from her special seat, "You should get in the wagon now. There's going to be bandits up ahead at the top," I told her. 

Hestia looked to the top of the Barrow, her lips thinning for a moment. "We… will there be prisoners?" She asked me directly, the question she wanted to ask hidden within that one. She was asking if I planned on taking prisoners. And that answer was no, I wasn't. 

"Divine Hestia," Aela spoke up, saving me from having to answer. "If there are bandits at the top then there is little point in taking them alive. Skyrim is a harsh place and the punishment for banditry is death. There is little honor in killing a surrendering opponent, but those that make their fortune by preying on others deserve nothing else." 

A frown tugged at her lips as Hestia looked like she wanted to argue, but Aela's argument was fairly similar to my own. And in the end, Hestia was more worried about what killing did to me, to us, than she was about those that were killed. A difference in perspective, I suppose. 

"All of you would know better than me. I've never been in a fight before… so I'll accept your expertise," Hestia decided, making everyone relax a fraction. Even still, I decided I would try to be clean about it. Maybe have Lydia guard Hestia while we clear them out. With that settled, Hestia climbed into the wagon. 

"Is Mr. Jericho going to do what Lili thinks he's going to?" Lili asked from within the wagon. A grin tugged at the edges of my lips before I put on my helmet and lined the wheels up. 

"Of course I am," I answered. "Everyone drink that potion. We're heading up fast." I gave them a quick minute to obey the order before I pushed the wagon forward, lifting the front wheels so that they rested on the divide. Then with a push and pull, I put the entire thing on the divide. It's probably not what it was there for, but it was a perfect fit and I'd be a fool to not take advantage of it. 

And, it turned out, pushing a heavy wagon filled with crap and people up a near vertical mountain was a pretty good workout. I felt a familiar and sorely missed burn in my muscles as I pushed them to their limits and kept demanding more from them. Not just in my legs, but my arms and chest as well from keeping the wagon from falling down a mountain. The hours ticked by, the air growing colder and thinner as the forest gave way to unyielding rock, and that was in turn covered by patches of snow that grew thicker the higher we climbed. As we neared the top everything was covered in a layer of snow, and my breath became visible as I sprinted up. 

Choosing Nord as my race pick was a good decision because I didn't feel the cold at all. There was a chill, but that was about it. Not even enough to make me want a jacket. 

Eventually, we reached the tip of the mountain and Bleak Falls Barrow. It was even more grand than it had been in the game. The arches lined up perfectly and were solid enough that a dragon could land on them, the wide open platforms hinted at the ceremonies performed here. The temple itself, on the opposite end from where we were standing, stood proudly against the elements and the sands of time. Snow gathered on the countless statues of dragons that lined the building, the largest and most detailed of them all was the one above the door. Alduin, if I had to guess. 

The sight of the Barrow was unnerving. Or, rather, unsettling. 

The last tomb I raided had been a hole in the ground and I found a Deathlord in it. This place looked like a fantasy palace fit for a king. Whatever was guarding the Dragonstone wasn't going to be a generic draugr warlord. I felt it in my bones. 

"I'll take point," I decided, reaching into my inventory and taking out my Ebony Greatsword that was wreathed in fire. I heard Lydia gasp when she saw it, but that probably equally because of what it was and the fact I had just pulled it from nothing. "Vilkas, Farkas, you're midguard. Aela, Lydia and Lili, protect Hestia." 

"Lili has an idea," Lili spoke up. "Lili won't be able to get any good shots with everyone in the way in such narrow tunnels, so Lili thinks Mr. Jericho should carry Lili on his shoulder like he usually does." 

...I… had a shoulder loli. 

Actually, now that I think about it, Lili would classify as a Stealth Archer, wouldn't she?

Alduin wouldn't know what hit him. 

"Sounds like a plan," I said, reaching down and helping Lili up so she sat on my shoulder. It was a little awkward when compared to having her slung around my neck, but I got used to the weight. So, that probably meant I needed another shoulder loli. I heard the others chuckling at the sight. That was fine. They were about to witness the efficiency of how much ass we could kick. 

I turned to the Barrow, not seeing any guards. It was entirely possible that the bandits weren't here yet, but I knew better than to assume that. Striding forward with the others at my back, we approached the heavy metal door. And it seemed that they were here judging by the footprints in the snow and the ice broken so one half of the massive double doors could swing open. Like the previous tomb, they were so big that Lili wasn't in danger of hitting her head, much less me. 

Grabbing the handle I pulled it open, the hinges groaning to announce our entrance. In a dimly lit ballroom supported by a massive pillar in the center of the room. Judging by how ornately it was once decorated before it was clearly stripped of valuables over the centuries, it was more for decoration. On the far side was an equally decorated wall that led to another set of double doors, both covered with carvings of dragons. 

More notably, however, were the tents set up on the other side of the room. The sound of shouting and people hasily gathering their weapons echoed throughout the vast greeting room, alerting us to their presence. 

"Twelve of them. I'll take the far ones," Lili informed before she took aim with her crossbow. It felt good to be fighting with her again. Lili was a supporter and a good one that knew her job inside and out -- what's more, it showed in a fight. 

"Gotcha," I replied, running over towards the group of bandits. A lime green orc ran between the tents, carrying an iron warhammer in his hands and wearing nothing but a pair of pants. A few scars were scattered about his chest I noticed as the orc unleashed a deep rumbling roar and he hefted the warhammer. Before he could think to bring it down on me, I swung at him first. A black blur sliced right through him, cutting through his thick muscled arms, his ribs and spine before cutting through his other arm on the other side. 

The stench of burnt flesh filled my nose as the two halves fell to the ground behind me. I paid little mind to it in favor of spotting four others die with bolts sticking out of them. Lili was a deadshot, even when both she and the enemy were moving. Not to mention her bow which was made for punching through monsters made short work of the bandits. 

By the time I reached the camp in a few seconds, more than half of the bandits were already dead by Lili’s hands. The three others rushed me, screaming wordless roars at me to pretend like they weren’t afraid. But they were. I darted forward, shifting my grip before I swung once again. 

This time I paid more attention to my sword’s effects as I sliced through the bandits like they were barely there. As they fell apart, I saw the cartarized stumps on both ends as the smell of more burnt flesh filled my nose. Once they all fell dead, I turned my attention to my Ebony Greatsword, looking at it in a new light. 

It was like a lightsaber. 

I had a lightsaber. Except cooler because it was made out of the blood of a god. 

Whoever was buried in this Barrow was so fucked.