A pale-skinned figure trundles out of the darkness.
Actually, let me correct that. It is a thing that was once a person.
"Grrrr...."
We have finally come face-to-face with one of Skyrim's most famous monsters: the Draugr.
The thief who stole the claw probably woke it up when he passed through here. It must have been wandering around until it sensed our presence and came to investigate.
Draugr are certainly stronger than bandits. Fortunately, this one was empty-handed.
An unarmed opponent is far easier to handle. I might as well take the opportunity to test a few things out during the fight.
I immediately ordered Choi Ha-neul to aim for its arm. She swung her axe with everything she had, slamming it into the Draugr’s left shoulder.
—Thwack!
The Draugr’s left arm flew clean off. It realized it had been attacked a moment too late and tried to counter, but Choi Ha-neul blocked the blow with her axe.
Hmm...
That brief exchange gave me several pieces of data.
Draugr have low defensive capabilities, and their nerves have clearly rotted away to the point where they feel no pain. Their reflexes and reaction speeds are also incredibly sluggish.
However, judging by the heavy thud of the Draugr’s fist against the axe, their raw physical power is quite formidable.
Weaker than I expected. I guess that’s what happens when you nap for centuries.
To put it simply, they are basically zombies that don't cause infections.
Of course, there isn't just one type of Draugr. There are various empowered versions, such as those that wield fire, spirits, or the Draugr Overlords. But at this early stage, they weren't much of a threat.
"You can finish it off now."
As soon as I gave the order, Choi Ha-neul swung her axe and took its head.
This might be easier than I thought.
I had expected this adventure to be grueling, but so far, it was smooth sailing. Still, I knew this Draugr was a weak specimen, so I didn't let my guard down.
As we continued deeper, something brushed against my arm.
Hm? Cobwebs?
Now that I noticed, the webs had been getting thicker for a while. Now, they practically covered the walls and ceilings.
Right. The guy who stole the Golden Claw got himself snagged by a giant spider, didn't he?
"Ha-neul. Do you happen to hate spiders?"
"Ptooey! What?"
Choi Ha-neul spat out a strand of web she hadn't seen in the dark and wiped her face, looking back at me.
In the game, dungeons were usually lit by convenient candles or ambient light. Now that it was reality, relying on a single torch made the visibility oppressively dark.
"Spiders? Ugh... I absolutely despise bugs..."
Technically they are arachnids, but to someone like her, that was a distinction without a difference.
"Looks like we’re about to fight a giant spider."
Her face immediately clouded over with despair. But it couldn't be helped.
On future adventures, she would have to face monsters ten times more horrific than this. She needed to start getting used to it now.
Sure enough, we soon reached a point where the entire tunnel was blocked off by thick layers of webbing.
Since there was no other way, we hacked our way forward—me with my sword and Choi Ha-neul with her axe.
As we did, a voice echoed from deep within the cavern.
"Harknir? Bjorn? Soling? I'm so sorry I ran off with the Golden Claw! It was a mistake, please, just get me down from here!!"
Ah, that line...
Arvel the Swift. A petty thief who stole the Golden Claw from a general store, betrayed his comrades, and ended up as spider food while trying to keep the loot for himself.
Setting the thief aside for a moment...
"What are we going to do about that spider..."
I stared up at the giant spider hanging from the ceiling of the wide chamber. Beside me, Choi Ha-neul’s face had already gone pale.
It was roughly the size of a small truck, possessed razor-sharp mandibles, and carried lethal venom.
I figured combining our strength with the Dragonborn would make it manageable, but my protagonist happened to be the type to panic at the sight of bugs.
The more I thought about it, the deeper my concerns grew. I couldn't just charge in without a plan.
"Um..."
While I was pondering, Choi Ha-neul spoke up first.
"I know both spiderwebs and spiders are weak to fire. Maybe I can do something with my magic?"
A decent idea based on modern knowledge. However, it was a bit risky. Choi Ha-neul's basic fire magic had a very short range.
The spider, on the other hand, could launch poison projectiles from a much greater distance. We had to attack from as far away as possible.
"I’m worried about the range. That thing spits venom."
"In that case, I can use a spell called Firebolt."
Firebolt was a higher-tier spell; the fact that she could already use it suggested the protagonist had significant magical talent.
With that, the distance issue was solved. All that remained was the poison.
I figured that would happen, so I bought antidotes.
Having played Skyrim for hundreds of hours, this level of preparation was only natural.
However, even with an antidote, it wasn't possible to completely negate the initial damage from the poison.
Alright... let's give it a try.
The plan was for her to set the webs and the nest of eggs on fire with Firebolt, and then we would launch a coordinated attack while the creature was in chaos.
"Huu..."
Choi Ha-neul took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Concentrating more Magicka and mental focus than usual, she manifested a Firebolt in her hand.
Then, she launched it toward the mass of webs and the giant spider.
The fire spread rapidly, consuming the nest and the eggs. The plan seemed to be working, but—
Suddenly, the creature turned toward the flames and sprayed a mass of webbing to smother the fire.
It's smarter than it looks.
The nest and eggs were badly burned, but the giant spider itself remained unscathed.
It came down to a melee fight.
Choi Ha-neul drew her axe and charged. She prepared her magic as she ran, and the spider closed in quickly to interrupt her casting.
The spider fired a venom projectile, but she barely managed to dodge it.
At that moment, I raised my bow and fired. The arrow embedded itself in one of the spider's eight eyes.
"Ugh—why does it have so many eyes?"
The damage didn't seem significant. The spider immediately lunged at Choi Ha-neul.
The impact scattered the Magicka that had been gathering in her hand.
"Kyaaaah!"
Pinned under the hideous creature, she fell into a panic.
"Dammit!"
I immediately drew my sword and rushed the spider.
I tried to draw its attention by attacking to save Choi Ha-neul, but the creature was relentless in its pursuit of her.
It seemed intent on finishing her off by injecting venom with its fangs.
Choi Ha-neul was barely resisting the spider's monstrous strength to avoid being bitten.
This was getting dangerous.
I have no choice!
I finally decided to use my 'ability.'
The unique trait of the Nord race: the Battle Cry. A technique that strikes fear into nearby enemies.
I had been saving it because its drawback was clear, but I had to use it now.
"KUUOOOOOO!"
"Krik?"
As the shout echoed through the cave, the spider recoiled in confusion and fear.
Not missing the opening, I stepped onto its back and plunged my sword toward its head.
—Squelch
It didn't go in deep.
Perhaps because of its high health, it wasn't a critical hit.
I slashed wildly, accumulating wounds on the creature.
Soon, seeing the wounds open easily, I sensed that its health was nearly depleted.
I drove the sword straight down vertically.
"Kririririk..."
The giant spider collapsed, leaking blue-green ichor.
So that's how HP is applied here.
My understanding of the game system deepened further.
—Ding!
[One-Handed skill increased!]
Gaining skill experience was a great result. My Archery and Sneak skills had also been increasing slightly during the exploration.
Ah, right! The protagonist!
I immediately ran toward Choi Ha-neul.
"Kyaaaah!"
Still in a state of panic, she was trying to avoid me.
This was the drawback of the Battle Cry: it induces fear in everyone, regardless of whether they are ally or enemy.
I stayed by her side, talking to her and soothing her until she calmed down. Fortunately, she regained her composure quickly.
Now it was time to retrieve the item from the thief.
Leaving the spider's carcass behind, I approached Arvel. He immediately began flattering me, begging for help.
"Wow, you two are incredible! Could you possibly get me out of here?"
"I heard you say you have the Golden Claw. Hand that over first, and I'll let you out."
"Do I look like I can move right now? Free me first, and I'll give it back!"
The webbing held him quite firmly.
Choi Ha-neul, now recovered, stood beside me. I had no choice but to cut the webs with my sword.
"Phew, thanks!"
"Now, give us the Golden Cla—"
—Scurry!
Before Choi Ha-neul could even finish her sentence, the moment the webs were cut, the man bolted at full speed.
"Wait! Stop right there!"
Choi Ha-neul immediately gave chase, but I walked at a leisurely pace.
I already knew exactly what would happen to him.
"Hehe... with this, I'll be—!"
—Clang! Thump!
"Gwaaaaah!"
Just like in the game, he stepped on a pressure plate and was crushed by a spiked iron grate, becoming a bloody mess.
As I slowly approached him to retrieve the Golden Claw,
"Grrrr..."
"Uwoooo..."
Because my attention had been on Arvel, I had momentarily forgotten that the room we had entered was a tomb where many Draugr lay dormant.
Normally, we could have passed through quietly, but because Arvel had run in making such a racket, the sleeping Draugr had awakened.
I quickly drew my iron sword and pierced the forehead of the nearest Draugr just as it was waking up.
The quick-witted Choi Ha-neul also beheaded two others before they could fully awaken.
Four Draugr remained.
It was a fight where we could potentially wipe them out quickly, but we were still outnumbered.
The four Draugr lunged from all directions simultaneously, and a chaotic brawl began.
I drove my sword into the lower jaw of the one charging from the front and pushed upward. The blade erupted through its rotten crown, and the creature collapsed.
However, while I was dealing with that one, another ambushed me from behind.
And I couldn't dodge it.
The creature held an ancient Nord axe, and it slammed directly into my waist.
"Kugh!"
The axe tore through my leather armor and ripped into my flesh. Blood surged from the wound.
I kicked the creature in the abdomen to create distance, but the axe remained embedded in my waist.
Having lost its weapon, the Draugr grabbed a piece of debris from the floor and raised it high above its head to strike me down.
At that moment, Choi Ha-neul, having finished off the remaining two, threw her steel axe.
—Thud!
The axe embedded itself perfectly in the side of the Draugr's head, and the creature collapsed as its brain was destroyed.
The immediate crisis had passed. But the problem was me.
The wound was not shallow. If I had known this would happen, I would have invested at least one point into Health.
Choi Ha-neul rushed to my side, panicked.
"What do we do! You're bleeding too much!"
"Kgh... wait... check my backpack."
I spoke as calmly as possible to the frantic girl.
Choi Ha-neul searched the bag and found a low-grade healing potion.
I removed my armor, roughly wiped the wound with a cloth, applied the potion, and drank the remainder.
"Kugh..."
The pain didn't vanish instantly, but I could feel it gradually improving.
After finishing the first aid, I looked at her and spoke.
"I'm fine. We've come this far; we can't turn back now. Let's keep going."
Fortunately, it wasn't a fatal wound. I didn't know the exact principle, but applying the potion accelerated the recovery and prevented infection.
We had ventured too deep to give up now.
"Are you really okay?"
she asked worriedly.
I reassured her that I was fine and pushed myself up.
A few steps later, we found Arvel, covered in blood and crawling away.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register