I, Draugr Chapter 7 (Patreon)

“That should be the Dragon Mound.” I muse softly as the horse comes to a slow halt, my gaze locked onto a large circular shaped hill the size of a house and with a flat surface.

It’s surrounded by a carpet of circular rocks and debris of what look like a building of sorts. One that crumbled due to the erosion of time.

It is also surprisingly close to the main path we took to travel north, making it easy to spot, especially due to it’s rather eye-catching and unique appearance.

My gaze then flicks to the mountains in the view right behind the mound, right in the direction of Shearpoint. It’s covered in clouds, so I can’t really see the peak or the area where the Word Wall and Krosis should be, which makes me nervous.

The Dragon could already be staring at us right now, after all.

Now… I turn my gaze to my companion, on the horse right next to me.

“Hmph!” Who instantly turns away from me with a huff, cheeks and ears still flushed.

“Cute.” She squeaks, then instantly glowers at me with puffed up cheeks.

Riling her up is just too easy.

“Does mine honesty bother you, my fair lady?” She just waves her fist in my direction before waving the horse’s reins and making it move forward-

Only for the horse to instantly neigh loudly in fear, whole front body rising up before coming down hard as it takes quick steps back.

Aurelia frowns and instantly has the horse back up further, which makes it visibly calm down. Confused gaze shoots towards me, and I turn my own towards the mound before us.

She tried to approach the mound, but that terrified the shit out of the horse it seems.

“You might have to approach it on foot. See if anything happens.” She nods and dismounts her horse, leading it close to me and letting me grab the reins before she warily moves ahead.

Her steps draw close, and I keep a vigilant gaze both on her and on the skies. The surrounding are clear other than some hills of earth and stones poking out of the ground, allowing me a large open view all the way back to Whiterun, Bleak Falls Barrow and more.

Though Bleak Falls Barrow is kinda a dot in the distance right now.

“I can feel it.” Aurelia suddenly calls out, her foot having just landed on the rising mound of earth where the Dragon corpse should be. “I… Can feel a call, of sort. Like a heartbeat coming from the earth.” Peculiar.

“Be careful.” I call out as she takes another step forward, then another and another.

She barely has time to put her foot down on the top of the mound before the air visibly shudders as a pulse similar to when Mirmulnir died goes off, ruffling the grass around the hill of earth.

Streams of energy overflow out of the earth and around Aurelia, looking far more numerous than the ones that came out of Mirmulnir, creating a cocoon of sort around Aurelia that lasts a whole, tense minute.

When it fades and is fully absorbed, Aurelia sags her shoulders and lets out a shaky breath, “Whoa…” She shakes her head a few times, then raises her hands to clench them into fists.

“How do you feel?” I call out, drawing her out of her daze. A dazzling smile appears on her face as she turns towards me, instantly moving to walk back.

“Incredible!” Her voice chirps happily, “It feels at least… twice the amount the other Dragon gave me.” Then she sags, “Though I did not learn a new Word of Power. I just got juiced up.”

I cup my chin in thought at that. Interesting. Is there any reason for that?

Is it because the Dragon has been dead too long? Or maybe because it knew the same word as Mirmulnir?

“We should inform the Jarl of the remains here. They might be useful.” Aurelia voices out as she hops on her horse, her gaze telling me the real meaning of her words.

A good source of money, which is always welcome. “Aurelia is growing up. I am so proud.” I fake wiping a tear from my eyes as the woman squawks indignantly.

“You’re lucky you are on a horse right now, else I’d have used a Shout on you.” How violent.

Me like.

“Already drunk with power. Woe me when the time comes my nubile self is pinned down upon the bed and-”

“Will you fuckin’ quit it?!”

I cackle like a deranged monkey as I flick the reins of my horse, making it start walking in the direction the Nordic Ruins are supposed to be.

Aurelia catches up with a grumble, slowing her horse down once she is right beside me. “You know anything about these Ruins the Necromancers have made their base in?”

That I do. It’s the ‘possibly’ first quest a new player goes through if they – instead of going to Whiterun – decide to either join the Stormcloaks or the Imperials.

They are tasked with retrieving the Jagged Crown worn by the Draugr that Borgas, a High King of Skyrim, used to wear.

“Huh… We might be able to make a lot of money.” I muse in amusement, earning Aurelia’s curiosity. “You see, in these ruins lay the corpse of a once High King of Skyrim, who died in the First Era.”

“With him should lay the Jagged Crown, a very important piece of history that if it lands in the hands of either the Imperial or Stormcloaks, can boast their ranks through mass recruiting just with its presence.”

I doubt it has any powers either, just like in the game. But I can always use the System to check.

“So, we can sell it for a good amount of money?”

I shake my head and give her a look, “Does the Merchant Guild hold auctions?” Her eyes instantly widen in realization.

“By the Divines…” She breathes out in pure shock, “That could bring in more money than I have ever seen in my entire life.”

“And also make it so we don’t make either group taking part in the Civil War our enemies.” I chortle, “After all, the one with the bigger pockets will win! Ain’t our fault.” Best always be careful on not stepping toes while we can.

After all, even though we can scare everyone off with pure power in due time, that doesn’t mean it is worth or smart to make enemies uselessly.

I tilt my head when Aurelia keeps staring at me quietly, her gaze unreadable. “What?”

Her face slowly blooms into a smile that would have made my heart skip a beat if I had one. “This cunning and intelligent side of yours is quite charming.” She says before flapping the reins of her horse and speeding up with a cheerful hum.

My eyes remain locked on her back, my lower jaw nearly falling off.

I have just been caught off guard and dealt a near-fatal blow.

...Why does this make her so damn sexy?

I shake my head with a sigh, clearing away those thoughts. My gaze falls down to my arm, the robe having slipped down enough to show my frail bones.

What a fucking waste.

I sigh, then lift my gaze and flap the reins- Hm?

Pretty sure Aurelia just turned her head away from me. Was she looking at me just now?

I sniff, then shrug and speed up to catch up with her as dried yellowish grass soon gives way to snow. Korvanjund should be near here, but there are a lot of snow-covered trees everywhere now.

It’s not even noticeable, as the temple is built below ground level, so- I come to a pause as a strange shape past the trees catches my sight, and as the horse slowly walks forward I can see more of it.

“This way!” I call out, and Aurelia swiftly turns her horse to follow me as I keep my eye on the pillar-like object I caught sight of.

It takes barely a minute to reach it, and the object turns out to truly be a destroyed pillar part of a far bigger demolished structure, one completely pulverized from the passages of time and showing the inner structure going below ground level.

“Is this it?” Aurelia asks softly, and I nod my head as her gaze roves around. “Look.” She suddenly points down, towards a still standing structure with stairs leading up to ground level.

Upon its rough and snow covered surface lay the scattered remains of a camp. Turned over logs, a clear campfire with ashes, and some discarded supplies.

The structure had clearly been built here, then they excavated below so to create the halls and the crypt where Borgas is buried.

The temple is clearly no more, with only the two lower floors still standing. Kinda.

The second floor has totally collapsed beside the one part with the stairs, and that one didn’t collapse because its built into the stone of the walls, but the rest is dust and rubble.

With some of said dust and rubble having clearly been moved far to the side to reveal a large set of doors. And by large I mean very large.

Pretty sure Mirmulnir can fit in there.

I shake my head and dismount the horse, then tie its reins to a tree and give it a pat on the head as Aurelia ties up her own.

“How many Draugrs should we expect?” She asks as she leads the way towards the visible stairs leading below.

“A lot. This is the resting place of a former High King, after all. They surely buried his closest allies and aides with him.” Though there might be more, or maybe less, depending on if the Necromancers brought some with them.

Or if they took control of any that they managed to kill.

As we draw close, I take notice that the door is already slightly open, enough for a human to squeeze through with ease.

Aurelia takes point, drawing close to the doors and peeking in to make sure the coast is clear. “There are some lights, but I hear nothing…” She whispers before pushing in, and I follow after her as I grip my staff.

And as she said, the hall is mostly dark, with just a few torches warding away the darkness of the enormous hall.

It’s different from the game, with no stairs leading up in the middle. Just entirely open until the very end, where two large tunnels leading downward are.

Well, at least it’s clear- What in the fuck is that thing?

I grab Aurelia by the wrist, bringing her to a halt while her surprised gaze falls on my face. Then she blinks and slowly follows my line of sight as an enormous, growling and drooling hairless monkey-like monster steps out of the shadows.

Its glowing blue eyes show that it’s an Undead minion… But what in the fuck is it? It looks so ugly!

It’s at least as tall a building, with arms as big as a horse and a hunched over posture. And thank fuck it has no dick and balls hangin’ out…

“An Undead Ogre…” Aurelia growls out, eyes shining near murderously as she frees her wrist from my grasp so to swiftly draw her greatsword with a sharp sound.

An Ogre? That’s new.

The massive undead beast hammers its chest with its fists before releasing a loud roar that makes the floor shake, yet it does not even faze Aurelia as she rushes forward.

I prime my staff and aim the tip at the beast, which starts to glow brightly as I charge an Arcane Cannon for a few second before releasing it.

The giant Ogre has barely any time to move before a blinding sphere slams into its left shoulder and explodes, tearing its arm right off along with a good chunk of its chest.

There is no blood, just rotten flesh and diseased organs pieces that fly everywhere as the beast stumbles from the powerful explosion.

It doesn’t even have the time to recover before Aurelia cleaves its right foot off by the ankles with a powerful swing of her blade, causing the giant beast to stumble and fall backward, right towards her.

Flipping around, Aurelia sidesteps while swinging her blade upward, cleaving the head of the Ogre right off its shoulders with ease and making it go flying into the darkness.

[A Greater Soul has been absorbed!]

Damn, she was so cool.

I send her a thumbs up, and she grins cutely and does the same. “They must be good Necromancers if they have a pet Undead Ogre with them.”

I hum and twirl my staff in thought. I wonder what the enhancement to Spells does for the Conjuration ones. Does it just lengthen the summoning time, or does it strengthen the Conjured Minions too?

Either way, the staff lights up and a tear in reality appears, and four large snarling undead mastiffs pounce out of the unsettling darkness beyond.

I then point the staff towards the tunnel that hasn’t collapsed and give out my order, “Rush ahead and kill anything that moves.” They howl and bark, instantly pouncing forth while spittle and drool flies everywhere.

Aurelia shudders at the sight, and I shrug. “Ever heard of fighting fire with fire?”

She snorts, “So now it’s fight the Undead with the Undead?”

“Pretty much.” Sending them ahead is quite the smart move on my side, because Conjuring them pretty much takes all of my reserves.

So sending them forward now allows me to recharge said reserves before anything happens.

And that anything is a loud, blood-curling scream. How wonderful.

“Ah, the sound of suffering Necromancers!” I stare flabbergasted at Aurelia, who breathes in with a beautiful and happy smile on her face as the screams only grow louder.

Then she outright starts skipping forward with a happy little hum!

Why is this sexy!?

What is wrong with me?!

I huff and follow after her, with the screams still ringing out and seemingly very close. Perhaps one of the Necromances was coming back after the commotion the Ogre caused.

“You know…” Aurelia suddenly starts, tone soft, “Before, I would have never been capable of defeating an Undead Ogre, even with the advantage of my magic.”

Her gaze falls down to her free hand, which she clenches into a tight fist, “And now all it took was just two Dragon Souls for me to become strong enough to easily handle it.”

Yeah… Even without me taking its arm off, Aurelia could have easily torn the Undead Ogre apart with her bare hands.

“Are you afraid?” I ask softly, drawing her gaze towards me, “Of becoming too strong, too fast?”

Her gaze remains on my face for a few seconds before she nods and turns away, “Power corrupts everyone in due time. I am no saint, so…”

That’s not all, though. I can tell that she is afraid of becoming so strong, that one day, once her duty is done… Everyone will be afraid of her and the might she wields.

So they will alienate her. Maybe even hunt her down, wear her out, until…

“Then we can keep an eye on each other.” I offer softly, “Remember the time in Bleak Falls Barrow, when I started glowing all of a sudden?”

Her gaze scrunches up in confusion for a second before her eyes widen in realization and she nods. “I am different from the other Undead. I devour any Soul that is near me from a deceased corpse.”

“I do not know if I rip them away from their rightful rest or not, but what I do know is that doing so makes me stronger.” I point at her, “You devour Dragons,” Then point at myself, “While I devour everything else.”

“You may be scared of your growth, but I am glad of it, as I am terrified of myself.” I step forward as the screams draw closer, together with the snarling of the mastiffs, “I barely even feel human anymore, and being unable to sleep, eat, breathe in the fresh air and everything else will slowly wear me out.”

Maybe I’ll break. Maybe I won’t. All I know is that right now, I am helping someone else shoulder the fate of the world, because now I live in it.

And at the same time, we keep an eye on each other through our friendship.

Aurelia remains quiet as we turn the corner and finally happen upon the source of the still ongoing screams, now lacking two legs due to two feral undead mastiffs ripping them apart.

One of his arms is gone too, with the crunching sound of his bones breaking beneath powerful jaws ringing out from the third undead mastiff currently enjoying the torn apart limb.

The fourth instead is tearing the face off a Draugr, with two more laying right beside it and looking rather chewed up.

“Man, you got a set of lungs on you, huh?” I muse towards the dark robed man. He looks so fucking young.

He is pale and emancipated. All skin and bones. And utterly terrified too, enough so he is babbling instead of talking. “Let him go.” I order the mastiffs, who back off and start fighting over one of his detached legs rather viciously. “Now, I’m going to ask you a question, buddy.” I start with a sigh, leaning on my staff as I squat down.

The mage gulps and shudders, face pale and covered in cold sweat, terrified blue eyes defiantly looking between me and Aurelia, “F-Fuck you…” He curses, voice shaky and weak, “Why the fuck would I tell you anything?”

I hum and tap my fingers on the staff, “I can make it quick.” I point out, then nod towards the mastiffs still fighting over his leg, “Or I can tell them to chew slowly and enjoy the meal.” Somehow, his face grew even paler.

“W-What do you want?” Good boy.

“How many more Necromancers are there?” I ask the most important question, as I’d rather not get caught off guard.

The boy gulps, then his purple lips open, “T-Three more. I… I killed one of them in the next room…” My gaze flicks down to his waists as a glimmer catches my eye.

The Ebony Claw… So he was planning on betraying them in order to have everything, huh?

[A Soul has been absorbed!]

His head pops like a watermelon when I finger-gun an Arcane Cannon into his skull. “So fucking young… What a waste.” I shake my head with a sigh as I snatch the Ebony Claw off his corpse and straighten myself.

“I’ll never understand why people turn to Necromancy…” Aurelia mutters to herself as she steps over the corpse, and I follow suit.

[A Soul has been absorbed!]

[A Soul has been absorbed!]

[A Soul has been absorbed!]

Ah, the three Draugrs. So now I have four Souls and one Greater Soul, huh? I’ll save them for my next race evolution, see if I can grab both the Race Evolution and the Fighter Enhancement.

So a total of fifteen Souls are needed.

I gotta hold back my desire to just spend them all on my Spells, as much as I’d love to have an utterly overpowered Arcane Cannon right now.

My conjured mastiffs fade away as their timer runs out, and Aurelia takes point to peak into the next room through the half-collapsed door the Necromancer was killed in front of. “There are quite a few corpses in here.” She muses as I step in after her.

The room is a large hall, very similar to the one in Dragonsreach where the Jarl resides.

A throne, a long table with twelve seats in total, and what look like painting frames that have now disappeared due to the erosion of time.

The chairs are all over the place, with even throne having been toppled over.

And the reason are the seven corpses strewn across the ground, with only one being a human, hunched over the table and having been stabbed through the neck from behind.

This time, the Necromancer is an old man, so I don’t feel bad.

[A Soul has been absorbed!]

[A Soul has been absorbed!]

[A Soul has been absorbed!]

…

And there come seven Souls in one go. Sometimes getting them is so easy, but I fear what the requisites will be once I reach higher levels.

Especially since I doubt all Race Evolutions will cost normal souls.

Still, it seems the crown isn’t here, and this is not the place where the main big guy is buried.

Obvious, since we still haven’t reached the door that requires the Ebony Claw-

A slam draws me out of my thoughts as the doors down the hall to our right slam open rather loudly, forcing the ancient and eroded wood and steel doors off their hinges.

They clattered to the ground rather loudly, the echo turning into a blast within this large hall, and the perpetrators are the last remaining Necromancers.

“Forkas?” One of the dark robed Necromancers, a Dark Elf woman, questions lowly as her glowing red gaze lands on the corpse of the Necromancer that was betrayed.

Alongside the three are two rather massive undead, adorning heavy Ancient Nord Armor, with massive tower shields and equally large swords.

They remind me of Death Knights, of sort.

“Tch, looks like we’ve been had…” The Necromancer behind the two, another old man, curses softly beneath his breath, and I can see the doors that require the Ebony Claw far down the hall behind him.

Looks like they were busy undoing the traps inside the tunnel until now.

“Get rid of them and turn them into Draugrs while I try to open the doors.” The old man orders, seemingly being the leader of the group and acting like everything was going to be alright as he turns around to leave.

The other two Necromancers nod while the large Death Knights stomp forward threateningly.

Their shields come up, erecting a formless barrier that reminds me of a Ward, which perfectly block the powerful blast from my Arcane Missile.

I did not charge it up, but that still shows how strong those Enchanted Shields are when put together.

Aurelia reaches over and lowers my staff before I could fire off another Arcane Cannon, and I tilt my head when she stomps forward and breathes in.

Oh dear, is she-?

“FUS!” A formless shock-wave of pure, immense and unstoppable force surges forward at her command, turning the table beside her and the chairs in the way of the blast into powder.

The knights erect their fused Ward Shield, but the Fus Shout barrels into it with all the might of a goddamn freight train, blasting the ward and the shields apart, together with the hands holding said shields.

And it did not stop there.

Going through the double Ward and shields did not lower the power of the Shout, and it soon barreled both Necromancers to the ground while the leaving elderly man was outright sent flying down the hall.

Aurelia stomps forward, unfazed by the sheer might she just unleashed with just a word. I cannot even begin to comprehend how strong the full power Unrelenting Force Shout will be…

“Now, surrender your pitiful lives, you vile Necromancers.” Aurelia announces with a cold, sharp and authoritative voice, “Lest I make your death very, very painful.”

If I could gulp, I would.

Oh no, she’s hot!

A.N. Aurelia be turning the tables on Leonidas, it seems.

Hope y’all enjoyed it!