Druthza

Our trek back toward Whiterun gave both me and Derkeethus some time to get to know one another, and some time to explain our combat dynamics.

And after that latter conversation, I found myself thinking we'd make a good team, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to assume that just yet.

Keeth was skilled with a bow, and explained his proficiency in being able to take out distant targets with ease whilst keeping his general location mostly hidden. But when it came time to get physical with his enemies, he was competent enough to properly use a one-handed weapon to his advantage.

As for me, a sharp blade and a shield (if I had one) were my go-to choice to take down any who stood in my way (even if I could use a bow if necessary,) and if that were coupled with an archer like Keeth, I still had that feeling of certainty that we wouldn't have too many problems arising in the whole "combat" scheme of things.

In terms of personalities and social interactions, he and I weren't too different. Derkeethus was a rather laid-back, calm Argonian, with a generous amount of courtesy, curiosity, and intelligence mixed in, alongside a bit of audacity which gave his personality a bit of flare for an otherwise level-headed individual.

Overall, he seemed pretty nice thus far, even if we had been traveling and talking for about two and a half hours as of now, the distant structures that represented the two towers I passed early this morning (apparently called the "Valtheim Towers" on my map) eventually came into view, causing me to smile faintly.

Speaking of my map... "hey, Druthza, what are those arrows supposed to represent?" Derkeethus wondered, pointing towards the two inkblot arrows which were positioned beside each other. The white arrow still represented me, but with the edition of the new emerald-green arrow, I came to the conclusion that I represented my new companion.

"Those are you and me," I clarified, "the white one is mine, and the emerald one is yours. And if you're going to ask: no, I don't actually know how this map is able to do this, it's baffling me."

"Hmmm..." he hummed with curiosity, and then his olive-green brows perked up as his pale silvery-green eyes twinkled with confusion, his drab white shirt fluttering gently as a breeze blew by. "I don't think you ever mentioned it, or maybe I'm just being forgetful, but: where exactly are we going?"

"Bleak Falls Barrow," I stated calmly, pointing towards the mountain just northwest of Riverwood on the map. "But... maybe I should just start from the beginning and tell you all that's happened to lead up to this moment."

I then summed up everything that had happened to me thus far: the execution, Alduin's sudden appearance, the message I sent to Whiterun, and then, finally, my current quest.

After relaying all that information to Derkeethus, he just seemed speechless for a second, eyes wide in shock before he quickly regained himself. "So...you're telling me that the World Eater himself has returned, destroyed Helgen while you escaped, and Jarl Balgruuf's mage gave you the task of retrieving a stone which'll show different dragon burial sites...?" He wondered, seemingly not convinced about my information. "Forgive me, Druthza, but I'm not sure if I believe all of that."

I sighed heavily, "something told me you'd say that... even if you don't immediately believe it, that's exactly what has transpired for me over the course of yesterday and into today." I said, "and I hope you decide to stick around and help me out once I get to the Barrow."

Keeth nodded his head, "I asked to come along, didn't I? I think it'd be customary to help you as you helped me. It's only fair." He told me, that courteous smile of his stretching across his olive-green snout before another question left his mouth. "How long do you think it'll take for us to get there?"

I furrowed my brow at the question and looked down at my map, looking at where we were in comparison to Bleak Falls Barrow... and then I sighed. "It might be a while before we get up there to the barrow. If we're quick, perhaps we can make it there before sundown. At least, I hope so."

"Besides, that'll give us some time to gather any supplies we might need. We'll be going towards Riverwood on the way to the mountain, so perhaps we could go to the trader in town and buy a few things." I explained, "and hopefully, I have enough gold to possibly by something warmer than this armor... you could use something protective too, Keeth, now that I think about it." I promptly nodded to the drab mining outfit the Argonian currently wore, the pants and shirt would do little to nothing to protect him from anything, and that made my brow furrow with concern at the possibilities bubbling in my brain.

Derkeethus fell quiet as he nodded to himself, and once that conversation was over, we simply continued down the path in near-complete silence, time passing rather slowly for us as Whiterun and, eventually, Riverwood came into view.

My legs were aching from the amount of walking I'd been doing, both within that cave system and along the path back toward familiar territory, yet I didn't allow my discomfort to show so blatantly on my face as we made our way into town, the sounds of the busy little village reaching our ears as it's Nord inhabitants wandered and went about their business.

I was a little surprised that me and Derkeethus weren't given many looks, considering the fact that we stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the Nords. Two Argonians in a town like this could've been strange to some, right?

I subconsciously shrugged my shoulders and walked up to the building with a sign hanging out front labeled the "Riverwood Trader," and as we stepped up to the porch, my ears caught wind of a conversation inside, stirring up my curiosity as I opened the door and walked in with Derkeethus following behind me.

As our feet made contact with the wooden floors of the Trader, my eyes took in the quaint-looking downstairs area of the shop, but I wasn't able to fully take in what was around me when the two others in the shop started talking to each other.

"Well, one of us has to do something!" Exclaimed the woman sitting at a table nearby, a woman who looked to be an Imperial with her dark brown brows furrowed in a frown.

"I said no, Camilla! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!" Barked the other Imperial, a male with similar features to the woman: dark hair, dark eyes, and fair skin. He too seemed rather agitated with whatever they were arguing about.

"Well what are you going to do then, huh? Let's hear it!" Retorted the woman, her brown eyes locked on the man behind the counter, who just sighed heavily and shook his head. "We are done talking about this..."

However, our presence was finally acknowledged when Derkeethus quietly cleared his throat, causing the two Imperials to look at us. "Oh... two customers. Sorry you had to hear that..." said the male Imperial with a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "I don't know what you two overheard, but the Riverwood Trader is still open. Feel free to shop."

As I approached the shopkeeper's counter, I braced my arms against the wood and looked at the man, tilting my horned head. "Did something happen?" I asked him, and I watched him nod.

"Yes, we did have a bit of a... break-in. But we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing: an ornament, solid gold, in the shape of a dragon's claw."

That immediately made my eyes light up, and I had to suppress a smile. "Me and Derkeethus can get that claw back for you." I flicked my tail at my companion, who nodded courteously at the Imperial. "I'm certain we could kick those thieves' asses and get it back for you."

The man in front of us seemed to stare us up and down for a moment, "you think so?" He wondered, "well... I've got some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you two bring my claw back."

"By the way, when you do go after them- a guard told me that they fled to the northwest. You should head for Bleak Falls Barrow, I'm pretty certain that's where those bastards went with my claw."

Camilla seemed to scoff, causing me to turn towards her. "So, this is your plan, Lucan?" She asked the man, who I was beginning to assume was her sibling, based on how similar they appeared.

"Yes. So now you don't have to go, do you?" Lucan wondered, chuckling a little bit as he said this. Camilla then gave me and Derkeethus a brief look. "Oh really? Well, I think your two helpers here need a guide."

"Wh- no, Camilla... I... oh, by the Eight, fine! But-"

"My sincerest apologies for interrupting, Lucan, but we won't need any help getting there. You don't have to worry about that." Derkeethus spoke up, his silvery-green eyes twinkling in the light of the flames which illuminated the space around us. "Druthza knows where the Barrow is."

Camilla sighed, and Lucan looked relieved. "Well, if you say so, then I guess I won't interfere." Said the woman, "regardless, we wish you two good luck in getting the Golden Claw back for us."

"That we do." Said Lucan with a nod of his head. "But... perhaps there's something else you two need? Y'know, before you set off on this expedition?"

I nodded, "we do need a few things, yes. Do you happen to have any armor in stock? Even just leather will do, if you've got some." My curiosity prompted Lucan to hum thoughtfully before he started searching his shelves, soon bending down to check what he possessed behind the counter.

He eventually revealed a nice-looking set of scaled armor, which possessed a cuirass and pauldrons made of leather scale mail, with a knee-length leather skirt covered by animal furs and reinforced by steel rivets that held it all together. A belt of similar quality to the rest of the armor kept the skirt held up. The boots and armbands were lined with fur on the inside and had a steel plate present on the outside, providing further protection from anything that decided to bring harm to the wearer.

But I felt that the helmet which completed the armor set was a sweet sight, with its twin, sharpened horns on the front and its steel exterior, it looked like quite a formidable headpiece.

"I've been wanting to sell this off for quite some time now, and the man who handed them over said he no longer had a use for 'em. Told me he didn't feel the need to risk life and limb anymore for the spelunking he used to partake in." Explained Lucan, "and so, for the generous price of just 150 gold, either of you two can make this fine set of armor yours."

I examined the set of armor as Lucan placed it on the counter for us, and I heard as Derkeethus patted his sides, as if feeling for his coin pouch. Once he grabbed a hold of it, I looked to see as he started dumping his septims onto the counter, quickly counting what he possessed before his eyes conveyed a look of disappointment.

"I've only got 70 septims, unfortunately." He said, sparing a glance over at me, as if silently asking for me to contribute to the purchase.

I quickly nodded and dug out my own coin pouch, grabbing the remaining 80 septims required for the armor with a small smile. "There we are. Now, Lucan... shall we?"

"Go on, take it." The Imperial said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "I thank you for taking it off my hands. Now please: go and fetch my claw, and teach those bandits NOT to steal from Lucan Valerius!"

After we had left the Riverwood Trader (and after purchasing some potions and some food before we set off,) Keeth and I were making our way up towards Bleak Falls Barrow, our weapons and minds ready and in preparation for what we would soon face.

And contrary to what I had originally intended to do before this journey, I had not given myself any warmer armor, for I had sacrificed a bit of gold to help purchase that scaled armor for Derkeethus, who had virtually no protection of his own in terms of clothing.

But if it meant that he'd be safer from whatever the Barrow and this province could throw at us, then I wasn't going to complain. Besides, I wasn't as cold as I thought I would become.

Yet, at least.

I was yanked from my thoughts as we traveled up towards the Barrow, the olive-green and mossy emerald head of Derkeethus turning towards me as his silvery-green eyes gleamed in the sunlight, which was reflected by the snow covering the ground around us.

"Besides those bandits, what do you think we'll find in the deeper parts of the Barrow? Skeletons? Draugr?" He wondered, and I made a noise that indicated my agreement. "Most likely. And speaking of things we may find: I've still got to retrieve that Dragonstone that Jarl Balgruuf's mage needs. That is... if it's truly down there." I said, and Keeth shrugged.

"We'll find out eventually, now won't we?" He stated with a chuckle, and I nodded, going quiet as our trek up the formidable mountain gave rise to the whistling winds that carried shiver-worthy chills with them. The rocky terrain before us was swathed in snow, albeit the beaten path we walked had been trodded upon and kissed by the sun so many times that the snow had given way to the umber earth and stone beneath.

I then looked at Derkeethus again, briefly looking him up and down only to see that the armor fit him nicely, the leather scale mail appeared snug around the Argonian's body, and his helmet seemed to give him proper head coverage despite the curved ivory horns on either side of his head.

As my eyes briefly drifted to his scaly arms, I saw that he had a bit of muscle tone in his upper arms thanks to his previous mining occupation, and that made my mind wander towards the possibility of Derkeethus having abs, or at least some excellent musculature in his torso.

But as the thought surfaced, I quickly looked away from him and felt what I could only assume to be a faint blush blooming around my scaly green neck, and I focused my sights on the environment around us instead. I mentally thanked the Hist that Derkeethus seemed unaware of my quick staring session while we walked, his eyes focused on the terrain and his steps as if to make sure he didn't trip.

We eventually came upon a series of pillars of ebony-black stone jutting out of the snowy earth ahead, said pillars appearing battered and worn thanks to the centuries of enduring the elements, especially the biting gales and ferocious blizzards that plagued the mountain. I also took notice of towering archways above the huge temple that loomed in the distance, the black stone a stark contrast to the bone-white snow around the ancient structure.

I immediately began to wonder just what lay within this temple's ancient walls. And as if to confirm that we had officially reached the Barrow, Derkeethus stated: "well, that looks to be it, no?"

"Aye, it is. Now all we've got to do is get inside." I responded, cracking my neck and rolling my shoulders while sighing lightly, looking towards Derkeethus. "Are you ready to slay some bandit bastards?"

"I'm quite ready for that, Druthza." He said with a confident smile and a nod, drawing his bow whilst grabbing a dark arrow from his quiver and quickly notching it in his weapon. "What about you? Are you ready for this?"

I unsheathed my sword and, in a similarly confident manner, held it up in the air. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Keeth."

The smile on his snout grew a bit bigger as he heard my response, and with our confidence ignited, we strode up towards the imposing, dark-stoned temple. However, our advance ceased when I quickly took notice of a few bandits within my peripheral vision up ahead, appearing to be keeping watch just outside the doors to the temple, and I lightly nudged Derkeethus in his side before nodding towards the bandits. "Guards," I whispered.

The archer's eyes glittered as he saw what I pointed out, and he seemed to contemplate the different courses of action that he could pursue due to my warning. But with a simple smirk, he retreated behind a low rock cairn and crouched down, holding in a breath as he drew back his bowstring, his steady posture and unwavering focus were a testament to his noteworthy archery skills.

I took the initiative to keep a low profile, watching closely as one of the bandits on the top of the stairs came to a halt on one of the outlooks that extended from the main landing. The bandit had crossed its arms and its tousled hair was blowing in the cold wind as it surveyed the land beyond.

But as my gaze went towards my Argonian companion again and watched as he let go of the bowstring, a quiet thwip! was one of the only indicators of the archer's presence as his unleashed arrow sliced through the air with only a faint whistle.

And that arrow of his landed with deadly accuracy in the bandit's neck as I watched it let out a stifled scream while blood oozed from around the arrow buried in its flesh, and as Derkeethus smiled victoriously, we watched as the rest of the bandits rushed for their fallen comrade, "reveal yourself, archer!" Exclaimed one of them, only for their suspicion to be short-lived as another one of the Argonian's arrows landed in the bandit's chest, causing them to stumble backward and gasp in agony, clutching the projectile as they groaned and hissed.

Now, I think it's time that I get to work, I thought as I tightened my grip on my chitin blade, and as I leaped up from my hiding spot, battle-fueled determination in my goldenrod eyes, I let out a battle cry and set to ending the lives of the bandits standing in our way.

Blades clashed, arrows flew, and blood spilled, but Derkeethus and I made quick work of the bandits outside of the temple's large doors, the matching smiles on our snouts an indicator of our victory as we climbed the stairs and approached the entrance of the temple.

"Wow," he breathed, "I never would've thought I'd be this close to stepping foot into an ancient Nordic temple. I honestly can't wait to see what we discover." Derkeethus' eyes were shining with that light of excitement and curiosity again, and it seemed almost contagious as I too began to wonder just what we'd find once inside.

"What say you, my friend? Ready for your first real adventure?" I inquired, watching as the male's tail started to swish back and forth behind him, and he bobbed his head enthusiastically.

With my question answered, and my mind flooded with both courage and determination to complete the quests set out before us, I tightened my grasp on my blade, and pushed my way into the temple.