-Slice!
"Screee!"
A Corrupted Shade was ripped apart by the diagonal swing of my Bound Sword.
The reason we were currently dealing with these shades was that we had come to the dungeon at Mount Kilkreath to get our hands on the Daedric Artifact, Dawnbreaker.
One noteworthy point was that since receiving the beast blood from Sinding yesterday, I hadn't just gained the ability to transform into a werewolf; my physical strength had also increased significantly.
"To think it has an effect like this too."
I muttered to myself while looking at the remains of the ghost. It was surprising that I had become stronger even without transforming. Furthermore, being 100% immune to all diseases was incredibly useful.
Regardless, I moved through the rooms, adjusting Meridia's Beacons to open the doors to the next area.
The adjusted beacons absorbed a straight beam of light and fired it toward the next one in the sequence.
-Rumble
Simultaneously, the locked stone door swung open.
"It's going smoothly. But I think it would be best to get out of here as quickly as possible. The holy aura is making my head spin."
Serana, who had been clearing out the shades with me, said while placing a hand on her forehead.
Well, this is the dungeon where Dawnbreaker sleeps. It's bound to be harmful to a vampire.
If my memory served me right, the Daedric Artifact, Dawnbreaker, would be in the next room.
Of course, before that, we had to eliminate over ten shades and the necromancer leading them, Malkoran.
To be honest, I was a bit scared. Back in the game, that guy was notorious on every forum for slaughtering players with high-level spells.
He would surely be just as powerful here.
"What are you making such a worried face for?"
Serana asked, looking at me. Oops, I guess it showed on my face.
However, looking at Serana made me feel a bit better. Not for some lighthearted reason like being comforted, but because she was strong.
Judging by her performance against the shades earlier, I figured she was roughly on par with me now that I'd inherited the werewolf's strength.
Moreover, she had centuries of accumulated experience and technique. She was definitely powerful.
That reminded me... how old was Serana?
"Serana, by any chance, how old are you—ooph."
With a cold expression, Serana covered my mouth with her index finger. I suppose asking a lady her age was indeed a faux pas.
"Shh. The mage Meridia mentioned is right up there."
Following her gaze through the gap in the stone door, I saw numerous shades and Malkoran himself, who was in the middle of a necromancy experiment.
There it is!
That wasn't all. Amidst them sat a single sword emitting a holy, brilliant light. It was indeed Dawnbreaker.
"Phew..."
Calmly, I pulled out my crossbow and aimed for Malkoran's head.
He was the most annoying one, so it was best to take him out first. Even though he was the dungeon boss, he was still a mage. I might be able to one-shot him with a sneak attack before he had time to layer up armor-increasing buffs.
-Thwip!
The bolt passed straight through Malkoran. It didn't pierce him; it literally passed through him like he was a hologram.
"What?"
While I was panic-stricken, an ominous voice echoed through the dungeon.
-Fool. What you shot was a mere illusion. Did you think I wouldn't notice you tearing through the dungeon and hunting my shades?
"An illusion? Don't tell me, Illusion magic...?"
-Exactly. Ignorant fool.
As soon as he finished speaking, a fireball flew in from somewhere. A fireball so massive and hot it threatened to swallow both Serana and me.
-BOOM!
"Urgh!"
Serana and I threw ourselves out of the way with superhuman reflexes, but since it was an area-of-effect spell, we couldn't avoid it entirely.
Consequently, both Serana and I caught fire.
"Ack!"
I patted my clothes with my palms to put out the flames, but they wouldn't die down easily.
"Come here!"
Serana chanted a basic Frost spell and suppressed the fire on our bodies as if using a fire extinguisher.
My back was scorched black. However, there was no time to feel the pain. Aside from Malkoran, over ten shades were already surrounding us.
"Why are there so many of them?"
"Screee!"
Before I could even finish my sentence, the shades lunged at us. Individually we were much stronger, but getting tangled up in a melee with this many shades could lead to serious injuries.
I hurried to pool my Magicka.
-Fwoosh!
-Zzzap! Crack-boom!
Electricity surged from the body of a Storm Atronach summoned rapidly from beyond the rift. It unleashed Chain Lightning at the shades.
"Shreik!"
It was no longer an incomplete Storm Atronach.
The summon targeted only the shades with its area-of-effect spell and fried them in an instant. The shades shattered, scattering their remains across the floor.
With that, all the shades were dealt with.
"Malkoran is still left."
The man was hiding somewhere and hadn't shown his face at all. Looking at the trajectory where the first fireball came from, there was nothing there.
"Hmm..."
I scanned the surroundings carefully.
In doing so, I noticed ice crystals forming in mid-air and shaping themselves into a jagged spear. The generated Icy Spear flew toward Serana's head at incredible speed.
"Serana!"
"Ngh!"
I pushed her down, and the spear whistled past, embedding itself in the wall. It was an incredibly hard and sharp attack.
Malkoran... he's no ordinary master.
It was a dangerous moment, but I'd also learned something. I got a hint as to how Malkoran was hiding from that ambush.
When you chant Destruction magic, the spell forms in front of your hands.
Moreover, since Malkoran knows Illusion magic, I deduced that he was using an Invisibility spell to hide his form.
In that case, the solution is simple.
I focused my mind and transformed into a werewolf.
-Sniff, sniff.
I analyzed the dungeon's air with a wolf's keen sense of smell. Amidst the smell of the cave and the scent of burning, I focused on the human scent.
"There you are!"
I launched myself toward the strongest scent and collided with the invisible Malkoran.
"Rwaaar!"
I climbed on top of Malkoran and shredded him with my sharp claws. But his body was incredibly hard.
It felt as if he were encased in heavy steel armor.
He used an armor-increasing spell.
Illusion magic, Destruction magic, and now Alteration magic. Malkoran had mastered three different schools of magic.
However, whether it was Stoneflesh or Ironflesh, it was useless against overwhelming brute force. As the werewolf form grew larger, its weight increased accordingly.
I pinned Malkoran down and unleashed a one-sided assault.
"Stop! Stop it!!"
He resisted as much as possible, attempting to chant a Fireball.
-Schlick!
"GAAAAHHH!"
"Not so fast."
But Serana quickly sliced his hand off, and the hot Magicka dissipated into the air.
A mage who had lost their hands was no different from an ordinary person. I briefly stopped pinning him and stepped back.
"Pl... Please, can't you spare me?"
"I'm sorry, but I need your heart, so sparing you might be difficult."
"Urgh... I expected as much."
Malkoran wore an expression of bitter resentment.
To fill Werewolf Perk points, unlike the human form which required increasing proficiency, I had to consume hearts.
Even if that weren't the case, there was no reason to spare an enemy who had tried to kill us.
-Crunch!
I bit into Malkoran's neck, ending his life, and consumed his heart to gain a Perk point. Since it was the first point, I didn't have much freedom to choose and put it into increasing damage by 25%.
But then, a dark energy suddenly began to seep out of Malkoran, taking shape. The dead Malkoran's soul had turned into a Corrupted Shade.
Just like in the game, after killing Malkoran, a second phase against his ghost awaited us. Malkoran's Shade had more health and was stronger than when he was alive.
However, we had a method.
I dashed toward Dawnbreaker and pulled the sword from its pedestal.
-Clang!
However, because I tried to grab it in a hurry with my massive werewolf claws, I ended up dropping it, and the sword hit the floor.
"Hup!"
Serana, quick-witted as always, snatched the fallen Dawnbreaker and plunged it straight into the heart of Malkoran's Shade.
"Uaaagh..."
The holy aura of the sword purified the shade, and he disappeared without a trace along with a flash of light.
Then, my consciousness was pulled high into the sky.
Somewhere in the sky of Skyrim, higher than even the Throat of the World, I faced Meridia, who appeared as a being of light.
-Well done. Malkoran, who insulted me, is completely gone. This is all thanks to you both.
-To you, who acted as my harbinger, I bestow that sword as a gift. Use Dawnbreaker to purify this world where shadows prevail.
"Thank you. I will use it well in meaningful ways."
I formally expressed my gratitude to her, and once the conversation ended, my consciousness descended back to the ground.
"Serana, well done!"
"Urgh!"
Back in my senses, I tried to enjoy the joy of victory, but Serana clutched her hand, moaning in pain.
Wounds like burns had appeared on her hand.
Why? Don't tell me it's because she's a vampire?
Because Serana was a vampire, she had a severe rejection reaction upon contact with an artifact that purified the undead.
Wait, then who's going to use Dawnbreaker?
Serana couldn't use it because she was a vampire, and when I transformed into a werewolf, all my equipped gear disappeared.
Should I give it to Meriden Eloise?
I decided to think about it later.
Now that I'd obtained an offensive tool, the next goal was defense.
I needed to prepare countermeasures against magic. Especially as Nords, Serana and I were strong against Frost but had no defense against Fire and Shock, so we needed to gain some Magic Resistance.
I already have a plan for that.
Since I already knew how to obtain both Magic Resistance and physical armor at the same time, I left Mount Kilkreath and headed toward the ruins near Morthal.
Then, I placed my hand on the stone before my eyes. It was the Lord Stone.
The Warrior Stone helped with growth, but it didn't provide much help in actual combat.
And to eventually defeat Choi Ha-neul when we met again, I needed to change my standing stone effect.
-Hummmmm
The stone activated, and a mysterious energy enveloped me.
When I tapped my arm, it felt as if my durability had increased slightly. My magic resistance would have increased as well.
"Is it over now?"
"Yeah."
I answered Serana's question with a solemn tone.
All the preparations were complete.
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