Kay(jiit) Sarah Sara: Part 6 - Bleak Falls Barrow
Author’s note: Having spent so many hours playing Skyrim as an archer assassin with no magic at all, running a pure mage build is taking some getting used to. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve tried to hurl fireballs only to find the enemy is out of reach, leaving me to run around with no magicka, trying to avoid an arrow in the knee.
- Atsie Newt
Tirdas, 19th of Last Seed
This one is questioning her life choices.
Bandits. Too late, this one dashed for cover, an arrow thudding into the snow where Kay stood only a second ago. Alerted to Khajiit’s presence, this one had lost the element of surprise.
Creeping along behind the ruins, this one managed to sneak around and engulf one of the attackers in flames before retreating into cover, an arrow clattering off the stone as Kay slid over the snow-covered ridge. There were at least two more of them. This would not be the easy retrieval mission Khajiit thought it would be.
Keeping the ruins and snowdrifts between Kay and the bandits, this one circled around behind one of the bandits, incinerating her before she could attack, but not without giving away Khajiit’s position.
The desire to yell out in pain as the arrow punched into Kay’s shoulder was near unbearable. Biting down on Khajiit’s lip in agony, this one sprinted for cover, slipping from ruin to snowdrift to ruin until Kay was sure the archer had lost sight of Khajiit.
Gripping the shaft of the arrow as the bandit called out, baiting Khajiit to reveal herself, Kay yanked the arrow out. The wound was shallow enough that the limited healing magic Khajiit knew could stitch it back together.
Weakened by the excessive use of magicka, this one would not be able to summon enough flame to deal with the remaining bandit. Resorting to more traditional methods, Kay crept around the ruins and approached the bandit. Our eyes met. Khajiit was too far away. The bandit reached for an arrow. Conjuring a brief flame, this one ran to the right before switching direction and barrelling towards the bandit. The flame was never meant to do any harm. The arrow went wide as the archer balked at the flash of fire. It was all the opening Kay needed. Raking Khajiit’s claws across the bandit’s face, Khajiit blinded the archer. The following strike slashed his throat.
Leaving the bandit to bleed out in the snow, this one entered the barrow, determined to complete her quest. The brush with death would not be for nothing, no?
Wary of other bandits, Khajiit crept through the barrow until she heard voices ahead. Another two bandits. This time, Kay was ready. Torching the first bandit before ducking back into the shadows, this one slinked across the ruins, keeping low to the ground.
With her bow raised, the remaining bandit cautiously circled the rocky pillars, her head swinging from side to side as she scanned the chamber.
Emerging from the shadows, Kay crept up behind the bandit, convinced the pounding of this one’s heart would give away her position. Alerted by the shifting of stone under Khajiit’s foot, the bandit spun and drew her bow, but it was too late. Flames lapped around her bow, licking up her arms and across her face, suffocating her screams as it burned away the oxygen.
Yet another bandit awaited further into the barrow, but this one was preoccupied with a barred gate ahead of us. Staying back to avoid further needless killing, Khajiit watched and waited as the bandit pulled on a lever before the gate. At first nothing happened, then the clatter of tiny darts reached Kay’s ears. Struck by the poison trap, the bandit collapsed, convulsing as the poison ravaged his body and shut down his organs.
With the way clear, this one entered the hall, seeking out the trap’s mechanism. In his haste to plunder the barrow, the bandit had failed to notice the stone pillars to his left. But how did they work? Above the gate was a series of matching images, the middle one collapsed and lying broken on the ground. Surely, the lock could not be so easily deciphered, no?
There had to be some trick, yes?
With no other clues to follow, this one turned the pillars to match the pattern on the wall and pulled the lever, skipping backwards before a rain of poison darts could fall. Unbelievably, the gate opened. These ancient Nords were not very good at designing locks, no?
With the bandit threat eliminated, Kay wandered further into the barrow in search of the Dragonstone, discovering some rolls of old linen and a scroll of fireball along the way. It would be wasteful to leave such items behind, yes? It’s not stealing if the barrow is no longer used. No, not stealing. Repurposing.
With a backpack full of linen, Kay pressed on, wondering if the bandits may also have been sent by Farengar to retrieve the Dragonstone. Perhaps, sending this one was a way of reneging on the contract he made with the others. The wizard had mentioned sources that he wished to keep secret when pressed on how he knew about the Dragonstone’s location.
Deeper into the barrow, this one heard a voice calling out for help. Expecting a trap, this one crept forwards, ready to launch a burst of flame. Kay did not expect to turn the corner and come face to face with the biggest spider Khajiit has ever seen.
Retreating into the tunnel, this one heaved a sigh of relief when the spider was unable to follow. From beyond the reach of its front legs, Kay hurled gouts of flame at the monster until it retreated. As Khajiit returned tho the chamber, the spider pounced again, forcing this one to retreat and blast it with fire for a second time.
As the spider collapsed in a burning pile of charred flesh and cindered hair, the voice called out to Khajiit, begging to be cut free. Stopping only to gather some spider eggs for potions, this one approached the Dunmer trapped in the spider’s web.
‘Cut me down,’ he cried, when this one asked who he was. ‘I know how it works. The claw, the markings, the door.’
Kay had expected him to reveal the truth about Farengar, not some nonsense about claws and markings.
‘You won’t believe the power the Nords have hidden there,’ he continued, desperate to be free of the web.
Enjoyed this story? Hated it more than pineapple on pizza? Leave a comment, but keep it respectful. It is not the intent of this page to spread hate or engage in harmful activity. Atsie Newt condemns those who engage in rhetoric intended to incite violence towards a person or group of people based on their physical attributes, attitudes, and/or belief systems. This goes for all creatures across all spectrums. Comments deemed inappropriate will be deleted.